The most anticipated panel for me at Emerald City Comicon was Marvel AvX featuring Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction, two of the writers on the epic series, and C.B. Cebulski were in Seattle’s big event just days before #1 launched.
Here are highlights:
Will Hulk and the Juggernaut fight? (I’m assuming the fan meant Colossus)
“Yes in issue #5,” responded Fraction.
Brubaker said that issues one through five, which he called “AvX‘s’ first act,” would normally be considered an entire event by most readers, and the remaining issues would be two years’ worth of stories for most publishers. Fraction added that issue five is so big, it feels like an ending, but it’s not — “There’s seven more issues after that.”
Fraction followed up, “In issue #6, (Jonathan)Hickman has written Colossus as you’ve never seen him before.” (This will affect Peter and Kitty – see this previous post.)
The next fan asked Fraction if he had been planting seeds for AvX as far back as his Uncanny X-Men run, as there appears to be a connection between the them. Fraction said the connection was intentional. During an editorial retreat many years ago, when they talked about Second Coming, those attending decided it was a good idea for characters with Phoenix fragments to lose them in that time. He noted that when he was writing his earliest Uncanny stories where he has the Phoenix come to Emma and say, “Get ready,” he knew it would make him look like a “genius” in a few years.
“Who came up with Hope?” Brubaker said he believes it was Joe [Quesada], but no one on the dais could say for certain. They explained that the way ideas are batted around at editorial retreats, everything feels shared. Brubaker did say he distinctly remembered Joe talking about a scene that was to take place at the end of Second Coming where Emma was going to be holding the baby and realize it was Jean, but they didn’t end up using that or going in that direction. Fraction said that Axel [Alonso] was a big proponent of that idea. Brubaker mentioned how he recalled the inception of AvX taking place five to six years ago with Jeph [Loeb] and Axel pushing for the idea.
Will the Young Avengers appear?
“The Young Avengers are there, but not necessarily as the ‘Young Avengers,'”
“Young Avengers fans will be happy in the coming months,” Cebulski added. (Insert my personal joy here!)
Professor X appears in AvX #6.
Characters will switch loyalties.
AvX Launch parties are tomorrow night!
any idea on what they’re talking about when they say “YA fans will be happy”?
I think there will be a new series – probably by a different creative team.
Or I think more likely some of the YA may be part of an Avengers team – secret, new, etc.