Following up after the Avengers panel at Comic-Con International, Marvel shared a first look at Avengers #0 with new interviews from some of the top creators behind the launch book.
After Secret Wars Marvel enters an All-New, All-Different era with a new lineup of books starring Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
This Fall AVENGERS #0 is the launching point for all new team books under the Avengers banner: ALL-NEW ALL-DIFFERENT AVENGERS, A-FORCE, NEW AVENGERS, ULTIMATES, SQUADRON SUPREME, and UNCANNY AVENGERS.
Each story will run eight pages handled by the main books, creative teams, meaning over the course of 48 pages, with stories from Mark Waid and Mahmud Asrar, James Robinson and Leonard Kirk, G. Willow Wilson and Victor Ibanez, Al Ewing and Kenneth Rocafort, Ewing and Gerardo Sandoval, and Gerry Duggan and Ryan Stegman.
Here are reactions to the book courtesy Marvel.com:
For new Uncanny Avengers artist Stegman, the book came as both a surprise and a tremendous opportunity.
“I wasn’t really aware of what the rest of the stories in it would be, but now that I know I’m pretty psyched,” he confesses.
“It’s pretty great,” continues the artist. “The list of other artists is really impressive. Mahmud and I have known each other for ages, we came up on the same message boards showing our art and trying to get better. And to see what he’s developed into is really astonishing. And the other guys on the list—I’ve been a fan of them from afar. Plus, it’s just an honor that I get to draw ‘Avengers’ and be included in the Avengers stable of artists.”
The sentiment does not only exist on the artists’ side of the book either. The writers feel equally excited to be part of this launch issue.
“I didn’t ever dream I would write for Marvel, let alone get a crack at some of my favorite characters,” admits Gerry Duggan. “Getting the chance to co-write DEADPOOL felt like a ginormous personal achievement. I’ve always been lucky in collaborators—from [Brian] Posehn and everyone on DEADPOOL, to now breaking stories alongside Mark Waid and all the other talented writers artists and editors in [editor] Tom [Brevoort’s] AVENGERS office—it’s a dream come true.”
Al Ewing echoes much the same feelings about his chance to provide the writing on two of the stories, for ULTIMATES and NEW AVENGERS.
“[It’s] kind of humbling,” the writer acknowledges. “This is slightly out of nowhere for me; while I’ve been writing comics since 2002, I only recently cut my teeth in the super hero genre, so people digging my work in that area on this level, and giving me these kinds of jobs, is extremely gratifying. Hopefully I won’t blow it now!”
Plot-wise, everyone on the book has been keeping relatively tight lips about AVENGERS #0, but they do not mind dropping some hints.
“The Ultimates story ties in neatly with the A-Force story earlier in the issue; it’s the Ultimates solving a cosmic problem thrown up by some of the events there,” reveals Ewing. “It’s both a little mini-showcase of some of the stuff they’ll be dealing with—the scope and weight of literally reality-shattering cosmic events—and also a small-scale, emotional story about one of the members. It’ll be a fun taster for the book as a whole, a kind of starter course before the main meal of issues #1 and #2.”
“The NEW AVENGERS eight-pager is structured almost like a trailer—but it’s also an introduction to the big villain of our run, and maybe of more than just our run depending on how things go,” he states, switching gears. “All together, it’ll give the reader a glimpse into some of the cool events you can expect in the first six months to a year of NEW AVENGERS, and if I’m doing my job, hopefully it’ll convey the kind of enthusiasm we’re bringing to the book.”
The writer concludes, “If the Ultimates story is a starter course for the main book, this is a taster menu: one tiny bite of a whole bunch of cool stories, just enough to leave you hungry for more.”
For Duggan, AVENGERS #0 represents another occasion to deepen the Odd Couple-esque relationship between two of UNCANNY AVENGERS’ key characters.
“The Uncanny Avengers have been assembled by Steve Rogers, and the piece that doesn’t quite fit is Deadpool,” Duggan argues. “In DEADPOOL [in the] ‘The Good, The Bad & The Ugly’ [arc], Steve Rogers discovered that Wade Wilson might be a worthwhile reclamation project. Later we continued to build on that in the DEATH OF WOLVERINE special. The [Uncanny Avengers] story in AVENGERS #0 is another important chapter for this odd couple.”
“Deadpool’s presence might divide fans, and it will certainly divide Avengers,” the writer admits. “I should note that readers that have not been reading DEADPOOL will not be lost. Our story in #0 gives you everything you need to know for the ride that awaits in the pages of UNCANNY AVENGERS.”
In addition to offering fans their first look at each book’s tone, characters, and style, AVENGERS #0 also reveals that every Avenger—and the people they care about—have long been under surveillance from afar. This surprise promises to run throughout the line, although no one will say whether the observer behind it all can be considered friend or foe.”
Who do you think the mystery character is watching all the teams?
By Editor