Len Wein Talk at Graphic 2013

 What's Onion:  Len Wein @ The Playhouse (Opera House) 

Comic book legend and Creator of The Wolverine lets us in on how he started out and his career to date.

Len Wein, Comic book writer and all round good guy

Len Wein is a man who's inspired generations and it was clear as soon as I walked in the The Playhouse that he was still doing just that. With everyone from the kids down the front dressed as the Joker & friends to the hard-core comic fans who couldn't stop reading their latest graphic novel until Len himself walked out on stage.

He talked us through his very early career, ditching school and doing the DC Comics tour every month until everyone in the offices knew his name... using that to his advantage when he went in with his school friend, Marv Wolfman, to pitch their first story (he actually drew that but quickly turned his hand to writing instead!). Taking us on a journey through his working with Golden Age & Silver age greats, his Fanzines, his back and forth between DC & Marvel plus of course his most famous creations, The Wolverine, Swamp Thing and his personal favourite The Human Target.

The very first time anyone (other than Len & a few others) saw Logan aka Wolverine, in the last panel of The Incredible Hulk #180, 1974.

A really great interview with an easy going, very likeable guy who just makes me wish I could have been there, wearing Mickey Mouse ears with everyone else in his office so I could see the look on Stan Lees face as he left for the day (that was one of many crazy stories Len shared with us, another being that the famous pirate hat was actually only ever worn once and it was just the image that kept coming back to haunt him!).

Well worth the trip down to the Opera House on a sunny spring day (not that hard really!)

Len tells a mean story, on paper and in person.