NORTHFIELD — Benjamin Percy is a literary chameleon. He writes non-fiction and fiction in the form of novels, short stories, screenplays and comic books.
The literary shape-shifting stretches his imagination and enhances his storytelling.
“That always keeps things fresh at the keyboard. I've also never experienced writer's block as a result, because if I'm here working on a novel and I get hung up on some character's motivation or a difficult plot point, I need only pivot over to this comic script or this feature film script, and I work on that a while," Percy said on Area Voices on the KAXE Morning Show.
"And as a result, I keep chewing away at that original bit of trouble in the novel manuscript, and when I finally figured it out, I'm able to return to that manuscript with fresh perspective and renewed enthusiasm.”
Percy is from Northfield and is the author of seven novels, including The Sky Vault (2023), The Unfamiliar Garden (2022) and The Ninth Metal (2021). He also has had lengthy runs on the comic book series X-Force, Ghost Rider and Wolverine for Marvel.
Reading other writers also fuels his imagination, Percy said. He feels it grows his writing muscles to see different techniques that he can apply to his writing in any genre.
When coming up with a story, Percy has what he calls the “sniff test” to determine if something could be a novel-length project, a short story or something that could be an ongoing comic series or TV show.
There’s more to his success in writing, though. Percy said he must be willing to do what he calls “accordion” projects. Much like an accordion can shrink or expand, some stories need to be shortened or lengthened.
“Let's say I have a comics pitch, and Marvel wants me to go with it, and maybe I'm proposing 10 issues. Well, what sometimes happens. ... They want that storyline to be three, and so I have to accordion it, right?” Percy said.
“It's now a lot smaller, and sometimes that smaller story, though, can be more precise and more impactful because you've sort of crystallized it.”
'One of the most rewarding projects I've ever done'
Percy was excited to write two X-Men-related books during a big paradigm shift in the mutants' world. For decades, the mutants and X-Men have represented marginalized groups in society. In this new storyline called the “Krakoan Age,” the mutants decide to start their own nation on the island of Krakoa. Percy was put in charge of X-Force and Wolverine to help kick off the new era.
“It would be awesome to write the X-Men at any point in history, but to be able to write it then was really exciting and really special," he said.
The X-Force series was supposed to be the Black Ops team of Krakoa, or their version of the CIA. Wolverine was the head of their field operations, so the two series were constantly interacting with each other.
Percy credits comic writer Jonathan Hickman, who came up with the Krakoan Age idea, for being so generous to other writers in the X-books.
Going into the series, Percy would have more leeway than you would typically get in comics. Usually, writers are given the okay for five issues, and if they do well, they’ll get 10 issues, and if those do well, they get 15 issues, and so on. Hickman told Percy he would probably get 20 issues right away. Percy ended up doing 50 issues each for X-Force and Wolverine, and that’s not counting the crossover event books he worked on as well.
“So, it became a very novelistic endeavor," he said. "And it's one of the most rewarding projects I've ever done.”
Percy said he felt incredibly lucky to have been a part of the X-Men franchise during what many consider an iconic time. He said it was fun to play in the mutant sandbox and have two books speaking to each other through their entire runs. He hopes one day both series will be collected together.
Percy found camaraderie in writing the X-Men books. He said the writers were in constant contact with a weekly Zoom meeting to discuss storylines. At one point, there were 16 different X-Men titles in process.
“Being part of a team of artists, being able to work with these incredibly talented people and the colorists and the letters, and you're all just trying to make the best story possible together," he said.
"Which counteracts my tendencies as a novelist, where I'm just alone in the dark, playing with my imaginary friends. It's nice to be part of a team.”
Origin story
Percy said he grew up on comics. He would race to the spinner rack in the convenience store, check out garage sales and visit comic shops as often as he could. But it never occurred to him that he could one day be a comic writer.
It wasn’t until he wrote several short story collections and had some novels published that he met some fellow writers trying to break into the comic business. Then he found a community where he could ask for advice.
He was hearing “no” from comic publishers up until 2014. His comic writing debut arrived in two issues of Detective Comics, starring Batman.
“I put everything I had into those two issues, and things blew up from there. I was able to get Green Arrow. I was able to write Teen Titans," Percy said.
"Then I jumped over to Marvel, and I've been writing Wolverine for Marvel since 2017. It's gone from being sort of a twinkle in my eye and then a bit of a side hustle to dominating a lot of my time at the desk.”
Percy said it can be tricky writing within the parameters of comic books. There’s a legacy demanding respect that can restrain a writer. On top of that, the comic will be 20 pages, maybe five to seven scenes with three different plots going on throughout the book.
Also, a comic writer wants to put their unique stamp on the character and not do what’s been done before. There’s an elasticity to the story, but it can only go so far.
“I can't suddenly have Wolverine pop his claws and start burrowing underneath the ground and become the 'Mole-verine,'" Percy explained. "I have to think about 'What are the acceptable parameters? How far can I take this in one direction or another and not betray what's come before me?'”
Percy is currently writing the Marvel series Red Hulk, Deadpool/Wolverine and Predator Kills the Marvel Universe. They are available anywhere comic books are sold. You can find more info about his novels at his website.
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
- Air quality alert tied for longest ever; Video shows supposed alligator near Floodwood
- 'Power of community': Hundreds of Bemidjians gather for a night in Nymore
- Social media video shares apparent alligator sighting near Floodwood
- MPCA issues MN's longest-ever air quality alert for Canadian wildfire smoke
- The Setlist: Where to hear live music July 31-Aug. 2, 2025
