Alex Segura is the bestselling and award-winning author of Secret Identity, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller and a New York Times Editor’s Choice and an NPR Best Mystery of the Year. He's also the author of the Pete Fernandez series, as well as the Star Wars novel, Poe Dameron: Free Fall , and a Spider-Verse adventure called Araña/Spider-Man 2099: Dark Tomorrow. He lives in New York City with his family. His latest novel is Alter Ego and he recently talked about it with Daryl Maxwell for the LAPL Blog.
What inspired you to return to Carmen Valdez and The Lynx in Alter Ego?
It started as I was finishing up Secret Identity, which I’d initially envisioned as a standalone novel. But while going over the manuscript with my amazing editor at Flatiron, Zack Wagman, he asked, "Is there more here? Is there another story?" That got me to thinking about how the waves from what happened in Secret Identity would reverberate in the modern day. I ended up writing an epilogue to the novel, where we get a sense of that, but there was more to talk about, I felt like. I wanted to explore the story of the Lynx and Carmen but through the eyes of a new protagonist—and a new era, one where character creation and art vs. commerce were central. Once Annie came together and appeared to me in my mind, I knew we had something.
Are Annie, Danny, or any of the other new characters in Alter Ego inspired by or based on specific individuals?
No, I don’t do one-for-one stories like that. I didn’t want comic book fans or historically-minded readers to be distracted wondering if Annie or whoever was actually a stand-in for so-and-so. I wanted to write this story, like Secret Identity, as if it actually happened in comic book history. Something a lot of writers won’t say, though, is that every character in a given book is a piece of the writer—so there are bits of me in all of the people in the story. I wanted them to feel human and relatable and also to be compelling guides for readers enjoying the story.
Arturo Spinoza seems like he MUST be based on someone (or several someones). Are you at liberty to name any names (or provide a few hints) as to his inspiration?
I’d actually argue that the tragedy of someone like Spinoza—or rather, the world that supports him—is that he could be so many entitled male artists who are marred by scandal and desperate to find their way back to work.
How did the novel evolve and change as you all wrote and revised it? Are there any characters, scenes, or stories that were lost in the process that you wish had made it to the published version?
I don’t have those kind of regrets. The final novel is the story I wanted to exist, and I’m grateful for that—I’m really happy with the final novel and thankful for the support Zack and Flatiron gave me during the entire process, which was challenging. I didn’t want Alter Ego to feel like Secret IdentiTWO or some continuation for the sake of continuing, you know? I wanted it to do what sequels rarely do—stand on its own as a good story, feel different from the first installment, and push the overall narrative forward without retreading ground Secret Identitycovered.
The IDEA for the novel existed for a while, but I needed a character to pull me through it. So, there was a stretch of time where I struggled because I knew that I wanted this story to exist, but I hadn’t seen it through a character’s eyes yet. But when I put more on paper, Annie came to be, and Alter Ego crystallized into much more than just a mystery in comics, but a story about art vs. commerce, generational trauma, parenting, and the lengths we’ll go to when it comes to being an artist or creator. It ended up making for a much more textured and complex story wrapped in a thriller bow, I think.
In your Acknowledgements, you state that while Alter Ego didn’t require the types of research that were necessary for Secret Identity, you did have to do some "homework." What was the most interesting or surprising thing that you learned during your research?
Secret Identity was almost a journalistic endeavor in that I had to talk to people who were alive in the 70s and working in comics to make sure my facts were right, and I had the textural details I needed to really tell a great story. With Alter Ego, I was writing about a time—and an industry—I was intimately familiar with, so it became more about talking to creators, mostly women, who worked in comics and adjacent industries to get a sense of what it’s like navigating them. Many of these conversations were just natural outgrowths of friendships and discussions, but they ended up feeding the novel. I’m thankful to folks like Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell, Gail Simone, Tini Howard, Liana Kangas, Kelly Thompson, Sara Century, Erica Shultz and so many more for just engaging with me and giving me a peek into what it’s like to be an artist or writer in comics and entertainment.
In the novel, several characters describe Doug Detmer’s artwork as being of the same caliber as real artists like Alex Ross, Frank Miller, and/or Jack Kirby. In your mind, is there a real artist that comes closest to what you think Doug Detmer’s art would look like?
Sandy Jarrell, probably!
But seriously, I guess if Detmer were around today—and he wasn’t Sandy, who is much nicer and more professional than Detmer, and did the art pages for Secret Identity and Alter Ego —I’d probably liken his work to folks like Chris Samnee, Tom Reilly, Evan "Doc" Shaner, or Dan Mora. Timeless artists who still manage to make their work feel vibrant and modern.
Do you have a favorite obscure comic book character, from the Golden through the Bronze Age (since the 70s straddle the Silver and Bronze eras) that is little known (but may have a small but fervent fan base) that you would like to see revived?
I don’t know if she’s considered obscure since she had a notable mini-series in the last thirty years, but I love DC’s Black Orchid and would honestly love to write her!
You’ve written works of fiction for both adults and young adults. You’ve also written short stories and comic books/graphic novels. Is there a format that you prefer over the others?
I love them all. Each of them works for me in different ways, depending on the kind of story I want to tell. Novels feel so intimate and insular, so they’ll always have a special place in my heart.
Is there something you haven’t done yet but are hoping to have the opportunity to try?
I’d love to write for television or the screen in some way if that’s in the cards.
When I interviewed you for Secret Identity in 2022, you expressed a desire for there to be a bigger and continuing conversation about greater diversity and inclusion in crime and/or mystery fiction. Can you name a few crime or mystery authors that you feel are writing about the world in which we live?
I still have that desire, especially now, in this time of political division and fear. I think writers like Cheryl Head, Robert Justice, Kellye Garrett, SA Cosby, KT Nguyen, SG Wong, Yasmin Angoe, Jennifer Hillier, and Amina Akhtar are all writing amazing stories that reflect different aspects of the marginalized experience, while not being limited to telling solely stories based on trauma. Writers of color can write anything and tell any kind of story, and we should embrace and seek those out.
What’s currently on your nightstand?
I’m currently enjoying the new Ballard/Bosch book by Michael Connelly, a writer I’ve been a fan of for years. I also really enjoyed Karla’s Choice, by Nick Harkaway, picking up where his father, John le Carré left off. I really enjoyed Carrie Carolyn Coco, a true crime/memoir by Sarah Gerard. I’m in the middle of The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capo Crucet.
What is the last piece of art (music, movies, TV, more traditional art forms) that you’ve experienced or that has impacted you?
Music-wise, probably Chappell Roan’s last album? It just feels so immediate and raw. I also find myself going back to Bill Evans’s jazz piano often. Cate Blanchett’s Tar was also intense and a big influence on Alter Ego.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a lot of comics, including The Question: All Along the Watchtower for DC, Spider-Society, Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku for Marvel, and a Daredevil crime novel for Disney/Hyperion Ave.
