Infinity begins this Summer! Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers and New Avengers have been building to the epic return of Thanos. Marvel’s top writers and editors shared news, art and teases of what’s coming in the Marvel Now to Infinity panel at C2E2 in Chicago. Here are some of the highlights:
Uncanny Avengers #10 in July by Rick Remender and Daniel Acuna. Remender confirmed the “return” of Sentry, Daken, Grim Reaper and Banshee, who will be the Horsemen of Death.
“The Apocalypse Twins take the corpses of these dead heroes and infuse them with Death Seeds, resurrecting them and turn them into Deaths–servants of Apocalypse,” said Remender, “This is going to mean nothing good for the super heroes but we want nothing good to happen to them.”
The panel turned to Secret Avengers featuring a team including SHIELD Agent Phil Coulson by Nick Spencer.
“We’re taking the concept of this off the grid team of Avengers in a kind of grey area,” says Editor Lauren Sankovich, “We’re putting them through the action ringer and the emotional ringer.”
“This book was a dream come true for me,” says Spencer, “There’s a lot of shady stuff going on in this new world and our heroes are struggling with how to deal with it. The fallout’s going to be pretty catastrophic for the entire team… so lots of drama coming soon.”
Spencer was recruited by Jonathan Hickman to co-write Avengers in the march to Infinity.
Kieron Gillen announced Young Avengers #6 is a one-off issue with artist Kate Brown, a UK artist that will focus on Prodigy saying “Prodigy is basically working in the equivalent of a dead end job and he’s wasting his talent,” and later the team will go on a cosmic backpacking trip.
The cover of Avengers Arena #14 showing X-23 in an homage to a classic Frank Miller Wolverine cover. The first season concludes in a story beginning in #14. The story is called “Boss Level.” It’s all about who lives, who dies and who wins.
Jason Aaron and Simone Bianchi are exploring the origin of the villain of Infinity in Thanos Rising.
Issue #4 hits in July and “It’s as sick and twisted and dark as you’d hope in the depths of your heart that it would be,” said Editor Ellie Pyle.
Thanos rises again in Hickman’s big event Infinity.
The Infinity Free Comic Book Day (out next Saturday) issue features a new 10 page story by Jonathan Hickman and Jim Cheung.
Infinity will be 6 issues total from August to November. There will be Prelude to Infinity stories in Avengers in August. #14 and #15 by Jonathan Hickman, Nick Spencer and Stefano Caselli.
New Avengers #8 is a prelude to Infinity by Hickman and Mike Deodato and it’s called a “big Inhumans issue” and Black Panther and Namor will have a showdown.
Thunderbolts #14 ties in to Infinity in August by new writer Charles Soule and artist Jefte Palo.
“I’m having a really good time writing stories that revolve around Punisher and Elektra. They’re two of my favorite characters,” says Soule.
A fan asked about two other cosmic level heroes: Quasar and Adam Warlock.
“I like Quasar. Maybe the day will come. Maybe for you, I will talk to Jonathan,” said Executive Editor Tom Brevoort and “I don’t wanna say ” about Warlock appearing in Infinity.
A fan asked about Doctor Doom who appears in the Fearless Defenders Age of Ultron tie-in issue.
“Doom is never down, nor out. Merely absent for a time,” said Sankovich.
The tide of questions turned back to the members of Uncanny Avengers.
“Rogue has started regressing,” said Remender, “Scarlet Witch is probably done trying to help Rogue and they’re probably not going to be friends anytime soon.”
Former X-Man and Horseman of Apocalypse was recently recruited by Wolverine to the Avengers Unity team.
“Sunfire has a big moment in Uncanny Avengers #8. Sunfire’s powers are very similar to his personality,” says Remender, “I got some plans for Sunfire I think you’re be stoked with.”
Stature aka Cassie Lang died in Avengers: The Children’s Crusade. Her father is now part of FF. A fan asked if Cassie Lang would come back in Young Avengers.
Kieron Gillen said he does not want to bring characters back from the dead unless he killed them and “death isn’t about the shock, it’s about showing the growth and how it effects characters.”
A Superior Spider-Man question inspired this response:
“Marvel does not hate Spider-Man. Dan Slott hates Spider-Man,” said Brevoort, joking.
“No one loves Spider-Man more than Dan Slott and that’s why he’s able to hurt him that bad.” said Pyle.
For the entire Marvel liveblog here’s the link.
By Editor