From 1994 through 1998, Todd Dezago was one of the guiding forces behind Spider-Man. After cutting his teeth on Spidey by scripting Spectacular and Web of Spider-Man, he eventually settled in as the full time writer of Sensational Spider-Man, where he and penciler Mike Wieringo teamed to much acclaim. In late 1998, when the Spider-Man line of comics were restructured, Sensational Spider-Man was cancelled, but the team of Dezago and Wieringo reteamed for their own series called "Tellos", a mystically-themed book in the vein of Battle Chasers or Grossgen.

Todd Dezago has taken time out of his busy writing schedule (including Impulse for DC and upcoming Thing/She-Hulk one shot for Marvel), to talk to the Spider's Web. Enjoy.

The Spider's Web: How did you get started in the comic book industry?
Todd Dezago: I had originally gone to school for Acting and Theater and, at one time, moved out to California to pursue an acting career. I grew up in the country and so was not that thrilled with living in a city like Los Angeles and so, after about a year and a half, had to get back to where things were green. When I got back home, I ran into Scott Lobdell, who had been a friend of mine in College and was in the business, and he mentioned that I used to come up with some pretty good story ideas when we were younger and I oughta try sending in a proposal or two. Well, I ended up sending in about 60 of them, but eventually got a chance to prove myself. And that's where the real work began...

The Spider's Web: Did you read comics as a boy?
Todd Dezago: Oh yeah, I read 'em all the time! And while I started out as mostly a DC boy, I soon was getting everything, just absorbing any comics I could get my hands on. I was a terrible student at school--I was there more for social reasons and was named class clown in my Junior and Senior years--and my grades were awful. (Apparently I was learning, I just couldn't prove it on tests) My Dad would bribe me with comics to do my homework and get my grades up. It kinda worked...

The Spider's Web: Who was your favorite character?
Todd Dezago: I loved Batman!! Couldn't get enough! He was just so cool and I'd love to have the chance to write some Batman somtime in my life--I have a LOT of Batman stories in my head! I also dug Spider-man and feel that he's the easiest character for me to write! He's just so easily identifiable! I was Peter Parker growing up...(but weren't we all...?) I also have an affinity toward a lot of the second string characters from my youth; Red Tornado, Elongated Man, YellowJacket, The Beast. etc. All my friends.

The Spider's Web: I understand your first professional writing job was an issue of X-Factor (#103, I think.) How did you end up on Spider-Man though?
Todd Dezago: Mark Powers was working in the Spider-Offices at the time and said that he really liked my dialogue and the language that I was bringing to X-Factor. He asked if I'd be interested in scripting a couple issues that Tom DeFalco had plotted but wouldn't have time to script. I could barely hold back my enthusiam!! That was an incredible learning experience--I got Tom's plot and it was just such clear, concise storytelling, so easy to follow and just plain fun!! And when I got Sal Buscema's layouts/pencils for the job, I had to call up a couple friends to come and see just how amazing it was!! Sal had, with only a few simple lines, told a story that needed no words at all!! He is truly a Master of the form and I was so lucky to have had the experience to work with both of them--not only on those first two issues, but on several other books later on.

The Spider's Web: I really enjoyed your mini-arc with the Looter that wrapped up in Sensational Spider-Man #8 (July 1996), after spanning through all of the Spider-Man titles of the earlier month. At the time the four titles were all very intertwined, so was it easy to get that small story detail in every June 1996 Spidey book?
Todd Dezago: Oh, that was really easy 'cause Tom, Howard, Marc, and I were all talking to one another every day, trying to make the best of the bad situation (having the 'Clone Saga' thrust on us.) We needed each other for moral support and so would work together as much as the situation would allow. I asked them to put those scenes in their respective books and they loved it. It was really a lot of fun back then--they are all great guys!

The Spider's Web: Speaking of Sensational Spider-Man #8, it was also the first Spider-Man issue that you worked on with Mike Wieringo. Would it be fair to say that the two of you really meshed as a team right off the bat, since it sure seemed like that?
Todd Dezago: I'd say so. When we first talked on the phone about what kinda story we'd want to do and how we each individually saw Spidey, our responses were almost identical. There was an energy there already and we both felt it. So much of comics at the time had become grim and gritty and we wanted to bring back a lot of the light-hearted adventure that we loved so much as kids! The Spider-books, at the time, were several different flavors of Spider-man; Marc was writing deep (spiritual/psychological /introspective) Spider-man, Howard was doing a crime noir/Godfather Spidey, Tom was writing classic Spider-man stories, featuring (and spotlighting) his oldest Foes...Mike and I wanted to do Marvel Team-up--bouncy, fun, a little too silly/coincidental at times...
The fact that that first Looter story in Sensational 8 was immediately chosen for 'Best of Marvel' that year made us feel like we'd gotten it right...

The Spider's Web: Sensational Spider-Man, along with Spectacular Spider-Man at the time, seemed to focus more towards lesser-known villains (the Looter, Swarm, the Trapster, the Living Monolith, and the Prowler) rather than traditional Spidey foes. Why was that? An attempt to move away from the norm as far as Spidey comics go?
Todd Dezago: Both Mike and I have lists of characters we'd like to work with--most of them, as I mentioned above, being some of the more obscure, second stringers from the past. The Looter was originally Mike's idea for our first villain and so I went back a read his first appearance and Stan had actually said something like, "You got it, True Believer--this guy is nuts!!". And I thought, he could be more nuts. And Mike and I still laugh at the Looter stuff that didn't make it into any of his Sensational appearances...I loved Swarm (and Inker Rich Case has never forgiven me for that--all those BEES!!!!), Mike loved the Prowler, and when Rich pencilled those two issues, he was the one who suggested the story and the use of the Living Monolith. I love visually cool characters and, hands down, some of these were the coolest!

The Spider's Web: Aside from making Spider-Man a fun book again, probably the greatest contribution to the Spider-Man mythos you and Mike Wieringo made was the introduction of Billy Walters, who appeared regularly in all of the Spider-Man titles until you wrote him out. Why did you send Billy off before leaving the books though, since he seemed to be popular amongst the other writers?
Todd Dezago: I'd had a very detailed story arc planned for Billy and, when we were leaving and the books were being 're-launched', we were asked to tie up loose ends. I asked Howard if he wanted Billy to stick around and he said no. (He was gonna hafta juggle the fallout from 4 diverse Spider-books, so I can easily see his point.) So I sent Billy away.

The Spider's Web: How do you feel about Billy appearing in Spider-Girl? I'm not sure that that's him there, but there's an older guy at the Daily Bugle named Mr. Walters in the book and all signs point to Billy.
Todd Dezago: I was really touched when I saw that Tom'd done that (I'm wondering now if I ever actually told him that...? You da MAN, Tom!!! ). I still feel myself kind of a new-comer to this business and it's really exciting to see something that I had a hand in creating become part of someone else's story.

The Spider's Web: Towards the end of Sensational Spider-Man it seemed that you were setting up the Technomancers for something big. Would you be able to share what might have been in store for them?
Todd Dezago: Ahhhh, the Technomancers...! Yes, I had a lot of plans for them and how they would affect, at least in Sensational, Spidey's life...But I'd actually rather not give all that away..who knows, one day I may be able to go back and revisit those Quantuum-magicians...
I've learned not to tip my hand on stuff like this when I was gonna be writing Young Justice. A lot of the ideas I'd had for the first year or so on that book are still potentially viable should I ever work on Young Justice or put together a similar team book somewhere else. Never say never...

The Spider's Web: What would have happened in Sensational Spider-Man if Marvel hadn't pulled the plug?
Todd Dezago: More colorful villains and guest-stars--I think we were very close to Sensational becoming the new Marvel Team-Up at the time--and a lot more fun!! Spidey is s'posed to be a wise-cracking quipster--none of that early 90's brooding for our Web-Slinger!! Also, Mike and I have an 'Untold Tale of The Looter' Spidey story that is so funny Marvel made us bury it in a ditch at a rest stop somewhere along the Taconic Parkway. We'd love to be able to tell that story...

The Spider's Web: Do you still read the Spidey books today? It the opportunity came up, would you return to Spider-Man?
Todd Dezago: Oh, I'd love to do some Spider-man stories again!! As I said, I think that he's one of the most fun characters to write--and as I said in the last question, I'd love to be able to share that Lost Looter story...!!

The Spider's Web: Finally, what lies ahead for Todd Dezago? Can we expect to see more Marvel stuff after the She-Hulk and Thing one shot, or more Tellos comics?
Todd Dezago: I'm talking with several Editors at Marvel again and am very excited by the possibility of working with some of those characters again! It's great that people are gonna finally see the great job Bryan did on the Thing/She-Hulk story (not to mention Ivan Reis's fantastic job of finishing it up!!) I have some ideas for a couple of different minis there.
As for Tellos, Mike and I got a start on the next story arc these past two months, but had to put it aside for a bit while Mike gears up for his debut on The Fantastic Four!! (I can't wait to see it...!) We've got plenty of plans for Tellos and lots of stories to tell, so don't think we're ever done!!

The Spider's Web: Thanks very much for doing this. It's been a real honor.
Todd Dezago: No, thank YOU!! This has been great! Great questions! And your knowledge and enthusiasm came through with every one! That made it fun! Thanks!

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