BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO

Although in the pages of Justice League of America, Vixen's trying to discover why she's suddenly borrowing powers from humans instead of animals, in the pages of the five-part miniseries Vixen: Return of the Lion, we're seeing Mari McCabe after some of that has been resolved. G. Willow Wilson's taking Vixen to Africa, as the hero tries to discover what devious plans Intergang has for her native land. Wilson was asked to pitch a Vixen series. She told THE PULSE, "At first I thought of it as strictly a work-for-hire kind of thing, but it's turned into one of my favorite projects ..."

THE PULSE: For our readers who don't know much about her, just who is Vixen?

G. WILLOW WILSON:Vixen is Mari Jiwe McCabe, who hails from the fictional African nation of Zambesi. (Originally M'Changa, but changed by Grant Morrison, who must have realized that M'Changa sounds like some franchised version of a Mexican bean dish.) She first appears in an old issue of Superman, where she faces off with the Man of Steel over a poaching incident in Africa. By the end of the issue, he's realized that fur is murder and they join forces. Since then, Vixen has had a varied and somewhat strange career struggling out of the DCU D-list.

THE PULSE: I think my first exposure to Vixen was when she joined Aquaman's Justice League from Detroit. I know a lot of people don't appreciate that group of heroes, but I really liked Mari and, especially, her rivalry with Zatanna and big sister act to Gypsy. What was your first exposure to the character and what stood out in your mind about this hero?

WILSON: That era of Justice League seems to have a small but adamant cult following. I was like everybody else--before I was tapped to do this mini a year and a half ago, all I'd ever heard was Vixen's name. I knew nothing about her. Guided by my wonderful editor Joan Hilty, I started looking at every cameo she'd ever had--in Animal Man, in Justice League, etc etc. The current JLA story arc, in which Vixen plays a really central role, started gearing up after I began writing Return of the Lion. So it was interesting to write this formerly minor character as her role in the DCU was changing dramatically.

THE PULSE: I think some people think of her like a female Animal Man, using the abilities of animals from her totem to aid her in her goals. What set her apart from Animal Man or others who borrow abilities from other creatures?

WILSON: Vixen's powers have been the subject of a lot of debate recently. She's not a shape shifter, but on a practical level there are certain animal abilities that you can't manifest without changing her physical appearance in some way. She can't call on the razor-sharp talons of an eagle without manifesting...the razor-sharp talons of an eagle. So it's a little ambiguous. The traditional interpretation of her powers is this: using the Tantu Totem, she can channel the special abilities of any animal. Animal Man borrows his powers more directly, without the aid of a totem.

But I'm not making any promises about how true this'll be by the end of Return of the Lion.

THE PULSE: With her new ability to borrow from other powers, she kind of reminds me of Amazo now. I know the other heroes weren't too thrilled with her new powers, but why would she want to go back to using animals when she's had a taste of Superman, Wonder Woman or any other hero's power? I'd think having Superman's invulnerable hide would be better than a rhino's ....

WILSON: Take nothing for granted. Vixen is one issue ahead of JLA in terms of chronology. That's all I'll say.

THE PULSE: As we've seen in recent Justice League issues, she isn't taking from the animals anymore, she's taken from her fellow teammates, and some of them weren't too pleased about that. How does your miniseries explain Mari's berserk powers and seeming evolution from animal to man?

WILSON: That's going to be tied up pretty completely by the current JLA story arc. Where Vixen is concerned, this mini is really an epilogue to her JLA story.

THE PULSE: Speaking of her teammates, which, if any, will be seen in this limited series? Who are some of the guest stars? Have you come up with any new characters?

WILSON: Well, I couldn't resist taking Superman and Batman out to play. Several JLA members have supporting roles in the series. There are new characters in this mini, but they're all pretty specific to Zambesi...I'm not sure what their future role in the DCU will be, if any.

THE PULSE: Was Vixen always on your short list of characters you'd like a chance to chronicle in comics? If so, since she'd been on your mind, how much of your percolating ideas were you able to convey to the page? Was this something you originated or a project you were told about, and pitched after hearing details?

WILSON: This was something I was asked to take a stab at--Dan Didio wanted to do a Vixen mini set in Africa, and since I've lived in Africa, it seemed pretty convenient for me to write it. At first I thought of it as strictly a work-for-hire kind of thing, but it's turned into one of my favorite projects.

THE PULSE: Along with wanting to find out why her Tantu Totem is off kilter, what are some of the other things facing Vixen in these five issues? I've heard Intergang plays a role here ....

WILSON: Africa is a good place to stage big things because the continent is already so unstable. Intergang is in a position to take advantage of that. As for the totem, all I can say is mooahaha! Wait for #5.

THE PULSE: What inspired you the most as you were scripting this series?

WILSON: Two things: one is the beauty of classic story structure, and the other is going home. I started writing this just after I'd moved back to the US from Cairo, which was a difficult and confusing time for me. So I really empathized with Vixen's dilemma--going home as a stranger after a long time in a foreign country. Going home changed.

THE PULSE: Who, if anyone, was your real world inspiration for how you viewed Vixen here? When I was younger, she reminded me of Shari Belafonte .... I always heard her voice when I was reading Vixen's dialogue.

WILSON: You know, I've never thought of one specific real person as the inspiration for Vixen. I tried to draw on previous writers' interpretations of her as a character...Morrison, MacDuffie, Meltzer, all those guys. There was a lot to use.

THE PULSE: How did your recent trip to Egypt give you a better understanding of some of the exotic locales that Vixen finds herself in, in this series?

WILSON: Well Egypt isn't really exotic to me anymore--it's a home. Most of what I own is there, including most of my comic books. My husband's whole family is there. I think the fact that Africa is *not* exotic to me--it's a place with people in it, and those people struggle to make lives for themselves, like people everywhere--helped in this series. I was always drawing on things I really think and people I've really seen, rather than trying to imagine an unfamiliar place.

THE PULSE: What was it like visiting Egypt at this point in time?

WILSON: In its own bizarre way, Egypt is really stable. The same guy has been in power for over twenty-five years. The poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer. Nothing seemed very different from the last time I was there. But when Mubarak goes--which could be any day; the man is over eighty in a country where the average life expectancy is sixty-five--it will be anyone's game.

THE PULSE: How is working on a series like this different from Cairo or any of your other recent comic endeavors?

WILSON: There are far more constraints. That's good in some ways and bad in others. I actually like rules, so in one respect I actually prefer this kind of work. There's less room to grow but also less room to screw up, which is something. But in another it's frustrating, because it's hard to tell a good story within such narrow parameters.

THE PULSE: Speaking of, what other projects are you working on?

WILSON: I'm finishing up my first nonfiction book The Butterfly Mosque, which is due out from Grove Press next year. I'm also knee-deep in AIR for Vertigo. Beyond that, who knows...

Vixen: Return of the Lion # 1 should be in stores now from Wilson and Cafu. Issue two is due in stores this November.