Stunt Casting: Sarah Pfeifer Got Her Violence, Just The Way She Liked It.

The Factual Opinion:  This is Sarah Pfeifer.  Here we go.  Why did you pick Kick-Ass out of all the other comics?

Sarah Pfeifer:  I'm not really sure.  It was different then the other ones?  I'd heard enough about Superman and Spider-Man and all those.  So I thought I'd pick a different one.  It has a pretty sweet title.  I'm not normally into very violent things, so I thought I'd try it out.  See if it was that bad.

TFO:  You purposely chose something that you thought might offend you?

Pfeifer:  Something that I wouldn't like, yeah.

TFO:  Why?

Pfeifer:  I don't know.  I was just in the mood...[laughs]...for something really gory.  It actually is pretty thrilling when he shoves that thing in that guys face. [Referring to a particularly violent fight at the end of the comic, involving said thing and said face]  Pretty gross.  When they're fighting.  That one. [Pointing to page]

TFO:  I think I have an idea, but I'm not sure that I'm correct...what is your experience with the funnybooks?

Pfeifer:  The funnybooks?

TFO:  The comic book-e-lets?

Pfeifer:  My ex-boyfriend was really into comic books.  I would occasionally read some with him.  I actually ended up reading a lot of the stuff I bought him for Christmas last year.  Which was lots of everything.  Everything Marvel-related.

TFO:  So he was a super-hero comic guy.

Pfeifer:  Yes.  Majorly.  The Hulk was his favorite character.  [Laughs]  Not my personal favorite, but...

TFO:  So before that, nothing.  Then you got with the guy and...

Pfeifer:  Oh, well I actually read Archie comics when I was little.

TFO:  OK, well, that's pretty standard.  Did the boyfriend recommend you read some comic books, or would you say you chose to on your own?

Pfeifer:  I generally like to try stuff that other people like just out of a fascination to see why they like the things they do.  I don't know, maybe that's a weird, dorky thing to do.  I couldn't understand why he was so fascinated by them, and, actually, a lot of the guys in his fraternity were really into comics.  So I kind of read them for my own education so I wasn't sitting in a room not knowing what I was talking about.  I found them pretty entertaining, actually.

TFO:  Was there any attempt to get you to read stuff, or did you just choose yourself?

Pfeifer:  No.  He'd give me stuff to read.

TFO:  Like homework.

Pfeifer:  We'd read them on his computer together.  He was always downloading them online.

TFO:  Really?  Like illegally download them?  Like you do with CD's and stuff?

Pfeifer:  Yes, I'm sure.  His computer crashed quite a few times because he had too many comics on there.  I don't know.  I never really got into them as much as him, obviously.

TFO:  None of that stuck after the relationship ended.  You don't find yourself yearning to read an issue of Hulk.

Pfeifer:  No.  No.  I just don't like the Hulk. [Laughing]

TFO:  The Hulk specifically?

Pfeifer:  The Hulk specifically!  Green...ugh.  I prefer using my imagination over pictures.  Imagining what characters look like--that's what I'd rather read.

TFO:  In a novel.

Pfeifer:  Yes.  Not that I mind [comics] majorly...but I'd generally would rather get into my own imagination.

The Actual Comic Gives Way To A Melrose Place Moment

TFO:  So what was your take on Kick-Ass then?  Because you seemed to really like it.

Pfeifer:  I was really surprised, because I didn't think I would!  Which I guess was part of the appeal of picking it out, because I thought it would be easier to talk about if it wasn't enjoyable.  But, actually, it's the second issue--yes--and in the middle of it, they do this really cool thing...[referring to a scripted portion of the comic with John Romita's pencils]  where they show how the dialog is written out, and then they show how they put these comics together.  I thought that was pretty neat.  I looked that over a few times, just that actual process of doing it.  I think the one thing that I didn't enjoy was the past tense that is used.  It doesn't leave any suspense, because if he's talking in past tense, you obviously know he's alive.  I wish [the writer] hadn't done that, because then there would be more chance of it actually being thrilling.

TFO:  If you could think he wasn't going to make it, that sort of thing.

Pfeifer:  Exactly.

TFO:  Was this anything like the comics you've read before?

Pfeifer:  No.  [Laughs]  What did I read before? Y: The Last Man.  A lot of Superman.  And Captain America.

TFO:  Captain America's not bad.  Superman's a garbage pile.

Pfeifer:  I do remember my boyfriend almost crying when Captain America was killed.  Wasn't it Captain America who died, last year?

TFO:  Yes.  Wait, cried?  Really?

Pfeifer:  Yeah.  I was in London--I think I was in London, he's from London--when the issue was coming out, I remember we had to run around to all the comic book stores there, looking for the issue.  Then I think someone told him, because they had read it in the paper.  The New York Times had an article about it or something.  He was distraught.  Along with all his friends.  I guess that was like the really cool thing to do over there, I don't know.

Back To Kick-Ass

Pfeifer:  This was very different.  I'm used to super-heroes, not just people who love...super-powers, and then try to emulate them.

TFO:  Did you get a vibe that this was going for a "realistic" thing?

Pfeifer:  Yes.  It's much more realistic--well, relativley speaking.  [Laughing]  I liked it though.

TFO:  Had you seen any of the viral advertising they'd done for this?  The Youtube videos?

Pfeifer:  No.

TFO:  They came out with fake Youtube videos of this character "fighting crime."  That's where that little reference at the end comes from. 

Pfeifer:  Oh, okay.

TFO:  Did any of the ads for other comics get you nostalgic?

Pfeifer:  [Laughing]  No.  I did stare at this one for awhile.

TFO:  The Secret Invasion ad?  That was a potential for this little experiment.

Pfeifer:  Was it?

TFO:  Yes.  It's the "big" event comic.

Pfeifer:  Huh.  Yeah, I definitely stared at that for awhile--just because it's different.  All these others [Iron Man & Avengers ads] are fairly typical comic drawings.  I thought that one was more artsy.

TFO:  You'd mentioned that you kind of wanted to see what happens next.  What was it that stood out that made you want to?

Pfeifer:  Well, not a whole lot happens.  I mean, look:  he's just talking, and talking, and talking.  Then they're fighting, and they're fighting for a loooong time.  He's really taking it to these guys.  Then they don't really...look, I hate ending a story in the middle.  I want to know what happens next.  There's a lot of violence, and a fair amount of background but not too much substance to what's going on, not much context.  I definitely want to read the next one to see what happens.

TFO:  The first one is basically exactly like this, except that the background is him deciding to do the costume thing.  Then you see him get his ass kicked, and hit by a car.  There's a lot more yapping.

Pfeifer:  Is it boring?

TFO:  It's the same as this.  If you enjoyed reading the second issue, then you'll enjoy the first.  If you enjoy reading the backstory, and you enjoy reading the fighting?  The same.  The art is good?

Pfeifer:  Yes, it is good.  I was impressed.

TFO:  He's considered a kind of "classic" art guy.  His dad was a famous comic book artist, he drew Spider-Man.  John Romita, Jr.  is a famous comic book artist, draws all kinds of stuff.

Pfeifer:  It's not my favorite kind of drawing, but--especially in that part where they show the different levels of his drawings--I could definitely appreciate it.  I prefer more of this kind of stuff.  [Pointing to the Iron Man advertisement]  More colorful.

TFO:  The kind of over-the-top, super-hero kind of stuff.

Pfeifer:  Or Archie.

TFO:  I don't think Archie has bulging pectorals.

Pfeifer:  I don't recall.  They don't have awesome skin-tight outfits or anything.

TFO:  How do you want to finish this up?

Pfeifer:  I don't know.  I was impressed.  A little grossed-out.  But I had very low expectations.

TFO:  Really?

Pfeifer:  It's called Kick-Ass.

TFO:  It is called Kick-Ass, and it does say "Sickening violence: just the way you like it" on the cover.

Pfeifer:  Well, the title is what made me pick it up.  It grabs you.  Because, you know, I don't really like "Sickening Violence."

TFO:  But you did this time.

Pfeifer:  I did.  I was interested to see violence "just the way I would like it."

Born in Atlanta and raised in Louisville, KY, Sarah Alyse Pfeifer celebrates her Southern culture and lives for Derby season. After high school, she moved to the black hole that is rural Ohio where she acquired a BA in Sociology from Kenyon College. While there, she also played field hockey, tutored 1st graders at a local elementary school, and fell in love with the nature and beauty of Gambier, OH.

Like any true Sociology major, Sarah spends much of her time exploring social forces and their effects (like what compels someone to write a "graphic novel" about an individual who possess super-human powers and what that says about our society).

Sarah's many interests include any and all live music (especially the Indigo Girls), Morocco (where she lived for 4 months), volunteering with New York Cares and taking advantage of all life in a city of 8 million has to offer. She hopes to get a Master's in education, learn more about sustainable agriculture, and someday return to Morocco.  If Peter Petrelli was there, that would be pretty awesome.

Comments

[Mr. Rendon]

This is a great series! I look forward to the next one. Hooray for the Pleebs!

[Matthew J. Brady]

Was this a "director's cut" or something? I don't think the regular issue had the scripts and pencils and whatnot, did it? I don't know; I didn't buy it.

Also, her boyfriend sounds like an incredible loser. Because of the crying. Whether it was about Captain America dying, or because he couldn't find a copy of the comic (because it was going to be worth money someday, I'm sure), I think I hate him. Ah, but who am I to judge? I've paid money for Rob Liefeld comics before. No gun to my head or anything. Of course, I was about 16 at the time...

[TFO Moderator]

I believe it's the regular issue of Kick-Ass. The script/pen & ink portion of the comic is only a few pages after the regular story ends.

[Steven Davies]

I love all live music too and especially chord piano music.It is my favorite.

[Tucker Stone]

Alright new rule. If your spammy spamalot comments are shit like that, then i'm not going to delete them. I am going to edit the comments, destroying your advertising for some of my own, but i'll let your random ass statements stand.