I recently attended Emerald City Comic Con. When deciding what to cover, I noticed that Alyssa Wong was going to be in attendance. They are absolutely, hands down, one of my favoriter writers in comics today writing Doctor Aphra, Captain Marvel, Alligator Loki, and Psylocke, just to name a few. They are an award winning writer of short and long fiction, comics, and video games, and I was so honored to get some time with them at the con to talk about all of my favorite comics of theirs, cosplay, The Acolyte, representation, and if Aphra can out archeologist Indy and Lara Croft.
GeekDad: How are you?
Alssa Wong: I’m good thank you. How are you?
GD: Last day – exciting, tiring?
AW: I mean a con is always both exciting and also exhausting, but I love them. I love getting to meet fans. I love getting to talk to people. I love getting to meet artists that I’ve worked with. I love getting to just talk about art. It’s so special… so special.
GD: I know you’ve done video games, comics, books, so what was your initial inspiration to get into writing?
AW: I’ve been writing as long as I can remember. Truly as long as I can remember. I started writing before I could read, which is kind of crazy. As a kid you learn your alphabet, and my dad used to tell us stories all the time, and he would shift them up because he didn’t want to tell the same story over and over just to kind of distract us, and so I wanted to write my own. I started chaining letters together for words, and that’s when my parents were like, “oh, we gotta teach this kid how to read!” So that was basically how I started writing, but I’ve always loved stories, so I truly have been writing stories as long as I can remember, and I’ve had the privilege to get to write a lot of different kinds of things, but that’s because I have an insatiable curiosity. I want to know everything. So getting to write in a whole bunch of formats is great. Getting to write about everything I’m curious about is great. I love sharks and parasites. I want to know about organ transplant. I want to know a lot of science related things, but also when I am trying to level up my writing or get inspired or I’m tired and I wanna read something new, I’ll read every genre. I’ll read memoirs. I’ll read poetry. I’ll read advice columns. So getting to work in games, and I started out in prose like short stories, or co-writing a novel or working in comics, superhero comics, but not just superhero comics, it’s been amazing, and my favorite part is that every single thing feeds into the next thing. And my favorite part of writing, period, is that I will never know everything. It’s a puzzle I can never solve, so I’ll never be bored – ever.
GD: Obviously, I love Captain Marvel.
AW: You look so good by the way.
GD: Thank you! My wife and I make costumes and props (Sionnach Studios). This is actually mostly her, but I did the bracers and all the stars and stuff. Our division of labor is kind of she does most of the sewing stuff, and I do most of the props and the hard parts, but we sometimes cross over.
AW: I desperately want to cosplay, but I’m stuck behind the booth, and so I can’t really do that, but I desperately want to cosplay
GD: I mean you could totally wear that (pointing to Doctor Aphra backdrop).
AW: I could!
GD: It’s comfortable enough!
AW: That’s true!
GD: She’s actually on my list too.
AW Really?!
GD: Yes! I love Captain Marvel. I love Doc Aphra. I was going to show you a picture of this because I made this for a friend of mine…(shows them a photo of White Fox)
AW: *gasps*
GD: This is my friend’s costume, but I made the mask, and I actually modeled it, and I made a mold of it so I can make more, and I was going to ask if I could send you one.
AW: I would love that. She’s my girl! I was working for Blizzard on Overwatch – another thing that I wasn’t expecting to do, but I wanted to learn so let’s go! I was working at Blizzard on Overwatch, and Greg Pak, who I know from Asian American Activism called me, and he was like, ‘Hey, I’m writing these B-stories for the back of (I believe it was) the Aero comics. I’m looking for a co-writer. It’s Wave and Aero.’ I was like, ‘oh my God! Wave?! Filipina superhero, Wave?! Wave, who every Filipino person is excited about?’ My mom’s Filipino, so I was like, ‘That’s a hard yes!’ I actually told Blizzard that I was doing it and that if they weren’t okay with that, it was too bad. I was going to do it. I would just quit. Which is crazy but-
GD: It was that important to you.
AW: It was that important to me. This kind of work is the most important to me. That was the first thing I did for Marvel, and then the first comic that I wrote by myself was a one shot White Fox origin story, so she’s my forever girl. I love White Fox. I would love to have one.
GD: Of course.
AW: Thank you so much!
GD: I also love Psylocke, so when I saw your name on the guest list I had to ask for an interview.
AW: Thank you for asking because cons are so busy, and I know it’s a sacrifice of your time as well, so I really appreciate it.
GD: I also love Alligator Loki. I also did a Loki cosplay too. I did Ragnarok Loki.
AW: Hell yeah!
GD: So, I love all of those things! I just wanted to get that out of the way. Do you ever think we will get to see her (again pointing to Doctor Aphra) on the big screen? Do you want to see her on the big screen?
AW: Yes. I would love to see Doctor Aphra on the big screen. I think she would be so fun.
GD: It would be so great. They should do a whole show.
AW: I think so too!
GD: But I would settle for a movie.
AW: Me too. I think she’s got such a fun energy, and I think she brings so much zest and chaos to any dynamic, so she’s a great foil for a lot of characters who are a little more serious and perhaps grim, perhaps Darth, perhaps Vader. I think that she’s so flexible that you could use her any way you’d want to in a story, which is the thing I love about writing her.
GD: I remember when the very first Solo trailers came out and Val was in there but didn’t mention who she was, I was like, ‘Are we going to get Sana!?’ And then it wasn’t, which is fine. But then they killed her off so unceremoniously.
“Getting to write someone like Doctor Aphra, who is Asian like me and also queer, like me, is incredible because I feel like I’m finally getting to see people like me in Star Wars, but it’s more magical that I get to give that to other people.“
AW: That was so sad. Writing Aphra is so special, and let me put it this way. The first time I saw someone like me in Star Wars was The Force Awakens. And there is a pilot named Jessika Pava. She is in the middle of the battle. She is in an X-wing. She’s in the starfighter, and she’s in the middle of this battle, and I remember seeing her, and my heart just swelled. I was like, “Oh my God. An Asian woman!” And then immediately dropped because the next thing I thought was, “Oh, she’s going to die.” Because you have an extra who is going to die, so it’s no risk to have an Asian person. It’s no risk at all. And then she didn’t die! And I was like, ‘What’s happening?’ Getting to write someone like Doctor Aphra, who is Asian like me and also queer, like me, is incredible because I feel like I’m finally getting to see people like me in Star Wars, but it’s more magical that I get to give that to other people. I’ve had so many Asian people come up to me and be like, “That’s my girl. She means everything to me!” I just love that. I love it so much. And it’s so sad that my first thought when I saw Jessika Pava was, “Oh she’s here, and she’s going to die immediately” because that’s usually what happens to people like us. To be fair, I have killed Aphra, BUT she’s back! With Aphra, I got to write a lot of people who remind me of people I know, and it’s so special.
GD: Related to that, did you watch The Acolyte? With such a diverse cast and being treated the way it was treated despite being amazing and an awesome show, I don’t know a single person in real life who actually doesn’t love it so the fact that it was like, “Oh yeah, it’s not doing well. We’re not gonna do the second season.” How did you feel about it?
“Something I’ve gotten… is this angry backlash of, “You’re writing this thing I don’t like it. You’re going to destroy the thing I love.” What people don’t understand, and they should, is that the thing they love still exists.”
AW: I was very disappointed with the way that the The Acolyte was treated. I love it. I think it’s fun and it’s daring. I’m a High Republic stan as you know. I was so disappointed with the way it was treated. I think, for me, The Acolyte was a little spark of hope because, again, it was trying something new and trying a bunch of different ways that we can see the Jedi. They were bringing in villains that we’ve never seen. There were people, again, like the people I know in real life, and the fact that it was shut down, is really disappointing. And we all know why. We all know why it was shut down. Something I’ve gotten, and that a number of people have gotten in Star Wars and in other media that I’ve written for, is this angry backlash of, “You’re writing this thing I don’t like it. You’re going to destroy the thing I love.” What people don’t understand, and they should, is that the thing they love still exists. Also, I don’t have the power to destroy anything! It’s not being shut down, it’s welcoming more people in, and the fact that that is so threatening to people is really disappointing to me. It doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop trying though!
GD: That’s good! I love all Star Wars. It doesn’t matter what it is. There are things I like less, but there’s nothing I do not like. A lot of people seem to go into things looking for reasons not to like it. But for me, it’s a new Star Wars. I’m going to go in expecting to enjoy it and that makes me enjoy it every time even if there are things that I’m not thrilled about. It’s more Star Wars, why complain? The Acolyte has some of the best lightsaber fight scenes we’ve ever seen.
“That’s what a lot of people who don’t want change and don’t like diverse casts and diverse writing rooms and diverse creators want. They want us to give up… but I won’t because I personally am not gonna let them win… I’m staying and I’m gonna keep fighting.“
AW: Oh, beautiful! Absolutely beautiful. Stunning. It’s really sad. I think it can be very discouraging too on the creative side, but, at the same time, we keep fighting because the other option is giving up and that’s what a lot of people who don’t want change and don’t like diverse casts and diverse writing rooms and diverse creators want. They want us to give up. If I gave up that’s okay, but I won’t because I personally am not going to let them win. I understand it when people leave, and I would never judge them for that, but me personally, I’m staying, and I’m going to keep fighting.
GD: I like to hear that.
AW: Thank you!
GD: On a related note, going back to Carol, one of my favorites, when the first Captain Marvel movie came out I saw a lot of people talking about, especially her relationship with Maria, being a little queer coded, but in the comics she’s definitely the opposite. Did you see that? Did you enjoy the Captain Marvel movie?
AW: I love the Captain Marvel movie. When I was growing up, I wasn’t allowed to read comics, so I came to comics pretty late, and, in a lot of ways, that was kind of my first exposure to Captain Marvel, which I know is kind of wild, and after that I was like, ‘I’m reading everything!’ So, I love that movie. I love me a little sapphic energy. I love it.
GD: And then the Marvels movie which kind of got the same reception as The Acolyte, but I thought was amazing and loved. Especially the energy and the relationship between all three of them (Carol, Monica, and Kamala) was so beautiful and so much fun. Have you seen it?
AW: This is a bit embarrassing. I’ve seen part of it, but I haven’t seen all of it. What I will also say is that what I saw, I loved. I think it’s so fun, and not every movie should be a very serious intense drama where everybody is just going through it all the time – people are fighting, they are dying, and it’s not like The Marvels didn’t have that kind of energy, but it’s fun. It’s exciting, and we need that kind of energy, absolutely. So again I’m also disappointed at the treatment of The Marvels.
GD: Are there any other characters, Marvel or not, that you’ve written that you’d like to see on the big screen?
AW: I want to see Psylocke. I know that’s a tricky one, but I would love to see Psylocke. I want to see Cassandra Kane in a big way not just briefly but comics Cassandra Kane. I want to see her lethal and emotionally vulnerable and compassionate and just absolutely stunning, in terms of character work, absolutely stunning. That’s what I want.
GD: Of all of your characters, is there any that you feel represents you the most – that have the most of you in them?
“For me, getting into the head of a character is the most important… I find the things that speak to me, pull them in, and I build a character around that – who they are but also what parts I’m most invested in and the parts that most resonate with me. So in a lot of ways, everybody is representative of me.“
AW: Oh that’s a tough one because, for me, when I’m writing a new character, the first thing I do is a ton of research. For example, when I got tapped for Iron Fist, I read 2700 pages of Iron Fist in three days. For me, getting into the head of a character is the most important, so I read a lot. I find the things that speak to me, pull them in, and I build a character around that – who they are but also what parts I’m most invested in and the parts that most resonate with me. So in a lot of ways, everybody is representative of me. But if I had to pick, I’ll give you two.
Doctor Aphra, of course, because I wrote her for four years, and it’s hard not to put pieces of yourself into that. She’s also a mess and, like Marie Kondo, I love mess. But I feel like there’s a running thing in a lot of my work that has to do with emotional vulnerability and how terrifying that is. It’s something that I think about a lot, and it’s something that I write about a lot.
Most people would not guess this for the second character I’m about to tell you, but it’s Deadpool. Absolutely, it’s Deadpool. I think everyone writes characters differently, and for me, I was trying to figure out my angle for Deadpool. It’s Deadpool, and he’s so down bad and that’s his thing. He is so, so down bad and so open about that, but he is also terrified of the person that he’s into seeing him for who he is and actually liking him. That is something that I think a lot of us have felt. But in finding Deadpool’s voice, when I was writing, it was this horrible, horrible amalgamation of Ryan Reynolds and me and my most intrusive thoughts. So that’s my secret, which is that people are like, ‘Which character is most like you?’ and most people pick Aphra and, yes, that’s true, but it might actually be Deadpool.
GD: I have not read your Deadpool run, so I’m gonna go do that.
AW: Thank you. It’s a body horror romcom.
GD: I do like Deadpool. I have read some Deadpool before, but mostly I just enjoy him in the movies, but I will go read it because that sounds amazing.
AW: Thank you. I never fault anybody for not liking a character in general. Sometimes people will be like, ‘Oh, I don’t care about Psylocke.’ and that’s totally fine. I’m not going to be like, ‘How dare you not care about Psylocke?!’ or Doctor Aphra or Iron Fist or Captain Marvel, but I care, and it’s okay if you don’t. If you want to give it a chance that’d be cool.
GD: I’ve been reading comics since I was like six which is a long time because I’m old. So I’ve been reading comics for 40 years.
AW: That’s awesome.
GD: That’s a lot of comics, but I think, in general, writers change and everybody writes every character a bit differently, and I think Deadpool, especially, is one that a lot of people, over the years, sort of just use him as comedy for comedy’s sake – he’s the slapstick guy and not putting any depth into him. When it’s that version of Deadpool, he’s just sort of there with other characters, but I have a feeling I’ll like yours, so I’m definitely going to go search it out.
“For Deadpool, he’s like, ‘Ha ha! I’m the funny guy. I’m gross. Yeah, whatever!’ So the scariest thing for him is the idea that someone can see past that and actually like him. He’s like, ‘I don’t know how to do it. I have no idea how to deal with that because this has never happened to me in my life,’ and it’s the most terrifying thing ever.“
AW: Thank you. It’s funny. I did a ton of research on Deadpool too, and I noticed that as well. Deadpool, in a lot of ways, becomes a meme of himself, and I am always looking for the thing that feels the most real, so when I was researching Deadpool and reading a ton, there’s a running joke that’s like, ‘Oh he’s ugly and smells bad,’ and if a woman sees him, she’s like, ‘EWW!’ and runs away. That is horrible. That’s awful. Everyone’s like, ‘Oh Deadpool – that funny guy but he’s also an asshole’ and ‘Shut up, Deadpool! You’re so annoying!” and someone punches him, his arm falls off, and he’s like, “Oh, God!” And then his arm grows back.
So what does that do to you if everyone around you rejects you in one way or another? How do people use humor as a shield? If you’re the funniest guy in your class, that’s your identity. And I’ve seen people use humor as a way to keep themselves from going deep into relationships with other people – any kind of relationship. For Deadpool, he’s like, ‘Ha ha! I’m the funny guy. I’m gross. Yeah, whatever,’ so the scariest thing for him is the idea that someone can see past that and actually like him. He’s like, ‘I don’t know how to do it. I have no idea how to deal with that because this has never happened to me in my life,’ and it’s the most terrifying thing ever.
GD: That’s the reason I really love the Deadpool movies, I think Ryan (Reynolds) gets Deadpool more than most writers who have written Deadpool. It does have the whole love story that goes across movies even. It’s the real part of him and the vulnerability that makes him interesting and most people seem to skip over that, so I’m definitely reading your run. When was it?
AW: It was ten issues, and I’m trying to remember when – it was 23/24 around then? I’m sorry I don’t remember exactly.
GD: That’s ok. I have Marvel Unlimited, so I can find it pretty easily. We mentioned Psylocke. You started writing after they finally split them (Betsy and Kwannon) apart. Were you a Psylocke fan before or knew much about her before you started writing? I know you said you do a lot of research when you start writing, but how much did you know about Psylocke before you started?
AW: Psylocke is one of those characters we talked about a lot in college. My friends talked about Psylocke a lot. She is a big, big topic in Asian American media discussions. Her history is controversial.
GD: How important, or big of a deal, was it for you when they finally actually fixed it – split them back apart and gave her herself back?
“There’s a very strong history, and… present, of Asian women’s bodies being a commodity and an object for people to have, to look at. This lack of agency that people assume then strips it away from real Asian people… To give Psylocke herself back, that’s a major, major victory.“
AW: The way I felt this wave of joy and triumph and relief. Oh my God. It was so good. The other thing too is, there’s a very strong history, and, you know, present, of Asian women’s bodies being a commodity and an object for people to have, to look at. This lack of agency that people assume then strips it away from real Asian people. That’s another thing about Psylocke’s origin that is messy and complicated. We see these things happen. We see them in real life. We see them in our histories – these patterns that repeat. That’s part of why her story and her origin both resonate and are very complicated. So getting to write Psylocke was really interesting, and when I found out that she and Betsy had finally split, that they had their own bodies, I was like, ‘Thank God. Thank God.” Because they both need their own agency, and they both need their own bodies. To give Psylocke herself back, that’s a major, major victory. Not just for Psylocke, not just for comics fans (sometimes they think it’s victory but who can say…)
GD: Depends on if they are The Acolyte fans or not.
AW: Oh God, it’s so true! But also Asian people who don’t read comics who might know about Psylocke who might think, ‘Oh my God. I am never reading that. That is horrifying,’ but to hear, ‘Oh, I can read an Asian hero who’s finally actually Asian again!’ That’s so key! So when they asked if I would write Psylocke, I said absolutely. My first question was which Psylocke, and my second question was are you sure, and the third thing I said was, ‘Absolutely.’ It’s really nice. The questions of agency and bodies is built entirely into this book as well as identity. Who are you after all these things happen to you? Who do you choose to be? And do you believe you can be that person?
GD: I love it. It’s one of my favorite books too.
AW: Thank you!
GD: So the last question I have is kind of just a fun one. Aphra, Indy, and Lara Croft are all competing for the same thing – who wins and how weird is it for Aphra that Indiana Jones kind of looks like Han Solo?
AW: Lara Croft wins. Aphra comes in second. Indy comes in last. Indy’s so tired. He’s so tired. Does he even wanna be here? Who can say, but he doesn’t have a choice, so he’s here. You just can’t beat Lara Croft. Aphra, I think, is the person who’s like, ‘I’m gonna get that thing,’ looks like she’s gonna get that thing, gets the thing, and then fumbles it because, I feel like, she fumbles everything. She managed to fumble several very incredible, very invested women in her life. It’s remarkable. Aphra is peak girl failure, Lara is peak girl boss, and Indy is like, ‘I’m exhausted. I’m an exhausted dad. I’m so tired.’ I love that.
GD: Thank you!
AW: Yeah,of course. Thank you!
After we wrapped the interview, Alyssa asked if they could try on my Captain Marvel Nega-bands. Of course, I said yes!
I also did find and download Alyssa’s run of Deadpool on Marvel Unlimited (it was in 2022-2023), and it was even better than I’d hoped for. I highly recommend checking it out if you’re a Deadpool fan if you haven’t already.
You can see more about Alyssa on their website or on their Instagram.
