Avengers Undercover is the next phase of one of the wildest concepts from the Marvel Now initiative. Young heroes were thrown into a Hunger Games style competition on a Murder Island by Arcade. At New York Comic Con, Marvel revealed the survivors will are now infiltrating the Masters of Evil. Can these hardened heroes convince the ultimate collection of villains that they’ve turned bad?
As we say goodbye to 2012 and mark 3 months into the Marvel Now relaunch – I thought it was a good time to celebrate the new creative teams, characters and titles. Some creative gambles have paid off. Cue the music. Time for the Marvel Now pageant!
Indestructible Hulk Best Personality! Bruce Banner laughs, smiles, makes Tony Stark jealous? Mark Waid gives Bruce a new attitude and new job with SHIELD. Maria Hill gets the Hulk as a weapon.
X-Men Legacy Most WTF? I don’t know what freaky level of reality Simon Spurrier goes to when he’s writing this book. Imagine X-Man with acid hits of Jim Morrison, Paul Muad’Dib and even a little Joker. Making Legion the lead character was an ambitious move. Spurrier has taken an unlikable character and given him personality and humor. David still has the worst hairstyle in comics. As I’ve said before you’d think one of Legion’s multiple personalities could be a stylish gay man taking over long enough to give David a makeover!
Uncanny Avengers Most Potential! The book the made me scream. Rick Remender is redefining the super team concept and transforming Red Skull into an even bigger badass.
Captain America Biggest Change! How do you follow-up a beloved era of espionage? Rick Remender goes in a radically different sci-fi direction taking Steve Rogers into Dimension Z – a strange new world Jack Kirby would have enjoyed.
All New X-Men #1 courtesy Marvel
All-New X-Men Best Twist! Brian Michael Bendis evolves the Children of the Atom with a blast from the past. Professor Xavier’s five original students are thrust into their future. Seeing Jean again – is it any wonder every guy falls for her?
Thor: God of Thunder Most Badass! Thor tracks a serial killer of Gods! That could be ’nuff said but I have to say how much I love seeing Viking Thor and King Thor in Jason Aaron’s epic.
Avengers Arena Most ambitious! 16 young heroes fighting to the death? This is not just a Marvel version of Battle Royale or The Hunger Games. I was hooked with the first issue. Dennis Hopeless and Kev Walker made me care me care for these newer characters I barely knew and they’re transforming a classic X-Men villain from joke to a serious and seriously sadistic threat.
Fantastic Four/FF Most Fun I’m having a blast with Matt Fraction relaunch of Marvel’s First Family and their “replacements.” Reed is taking Sue, Johnny, Ben and the kids on new adventures through space. The sudden family vacation is just a cover for something dire. While She-Hulk, Medusa, Ant-Man and Johnny’s girlfriend have been recruited to hold the fort. Action, humor, heart,
Avengers Most Inspiring! Jonathan Hickman and Jerome Opena’s relaunch of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is awe-inspiring! A trio of new villains, a frantic fight on Mars for the fate of Earth and Captain America assembling a diverse and huge roster of heroes. Hickman is going BIG with the Avengers – big cast, big concept, big stakes.
The newest Marvel Now book is bloody, brutal, dark with a heavy dose of just plan vicious meanness! Avengers Arena #1 may be the riskiest move in the Marvel Now relaunch. Dennis Hopeless has twisted cruelty in mind and blood on his hands in the premiere issue that puts Marvel’s youngest heroes at the mercy of an old school X-Men villain.
Arcade is back but he isn’t just a lunatic would-be assassin throwing X-Men into elaborate death traps (that they always escape!) In this first issue Hopeless propels Arcade into the top-tier of Marvel super villains. Arcade has abducted some of Marvel’s young heroes (Avengers Academy fans be ready to be angry) and ordered them to kill each other in an exploitive, cruel and bloody game.
Avengers Arena is a superhero take on The Hunger Games and Battle Royale. Hopeless even acknowledges that in one of several clever, cruel dialogues by Arcade. Hopeless and Kev Walker set up an engrossing start to a series of deadly games. In the beginning and end of this issue these creators prove anything can happen, Arcade is now a twisted badass and this is a book with edge that demands you keep you reading.
From teenage dream to nightmare! Avengers Arena debuts today. Members of Avengers Academy, Runaways and other young heroes are thrown into a Battle Royale fight to the death on an island run by X-Men villain Arcade. Writer Dennis Hopeless revealed his plans for the kids and the mastermind behind The Hunger Games style game on Marvel.com.
“Basically 16 of your favorite Marvel teen heroes–and Darkhawk, who is not a teenager–wake up on an island and are told by Arcade only one of them will come out alive. This time people will actually die in Murderworld. They can leave, but they have to kill everybody else. Issue #1 will show the kids and the readers he’s serious this time,” explains Hopeless.
The X-Men have survived Arcade’s Murderworld in the past stories. Hopeless says this time Arcade will finally live up to this reputation as an assassin.
“In a lot of ways, Arcade is a silly character. He comes from a different era where it was ok for a villain to set up elaborate traps that fail. It was important to keep that showman, likes to watch aspect, but change things up so people will respect Arcade,” he says, “”It was an interesting challenge. I love Arcade. When we first talked about the series, I thought of him, then dismissed him. Axel Alonso called me later and asked med to use him. I’m proud of how we kept his core but made him a little more scary, similar and respectable.”
The book will star a who’s who of Marvel’s youngest generation.
“I got to cherry pick, so all the characters I’m using, I like. I loved Avengers Academy and wanted to use them all, but had to cap it. Hazmat is the point of view character of issue #1 and I love writing her.”
Avengers Arena #5 courtesy Marvel
Hopeless revealed he’s created new teen characters aka victims for this series including a young female Deathlok and kids from an Academy run by Captain Britain.
The fact that Avengers Arena would be an ongoing series was a surprise.
“I’ve gotten a lot of questions about why this isn’t a limited series. It’s because we need space to explain why these kids would do this. These are heroes. We need to show what they’re going to and get them to a place where they fear or distrust each other enough,” Hopeless explains, “Once we get to a place where the game changes and we get away from the core concept, we’ll go somewhere else, but this is a long story.”
The writer takes on the fact that some fan favorites will be killed off as the story proceeds.
“I see all the reaction to this book already because I’m a crazy person and I look for it. I’m a comics fan too. I know it’s hard to think your favorite character might be pulled off the shelf. At the same time, I think death is a serious part of life, and it should not be a cheap storytelling device. It’s one of the most powerful things a person or character can go through. I’m really proud of the book. We’re telling a really good story here. Nobody who’s responding to the marketing has read it yet.”
“These are super heroes, so that’s what makes it different from Battle Royale, which is human kids adapting. Hunger Games, we’re in the head of one girl raised in a post-apocalyptic world; these are teens who all grew up in the Marvel Universe. We’re doing a point of view shift where you see the situation from the perspectives of each character. You see what each is getting from this and where they’re coming from. I think that makes it unique. It’s like if Hunger Games switched the perspective between every character, which would make it very different. It’s obviously influences by those and by stuff like The Running Man, but these characters change it and make it its own thing.”
Avengers Arena #4 courtesy Marvel
We’ll have to read the book to see why some heroes decide to turn on each other (besides obvious survival) but Hopeless explains how the matchups will work.
“Darkhawk has cosmic level powers and X-23 is very difficult to kill. We deal with the fact that power sets are varied and how some would normally wipe the floor with all the others.”
Will your favorite young hero survive Murder Island? Avengers Arena #1 is out today.
For the complete transcript here’s the Marvel.com link.
Avengers Arena may be one of the biggest surprises to come out of the Marvel NOW relaunch. Dennis Hopeless and Kev Walker will take 16 young heroes (including members of Avengers Academy, Runaways and Darkhawk) and throw them into a Battle Royale scenario. The kids are trapped on an island by a classic X-Men villain. Arcade is back and he’s created a new Murderworld for Marvel’s young heroes. This concept sounds like a mini-series or one-shot but Hopeless and Editor Bill Rosemann tells Comics Newsarama this is definitely an ongoing series.
“Dennis and Kev have thought long and hard about how and why these characters will react to the scenario and the ripple effects their actions will create. Each month — and, yes, this is an ongoing monthly series — they’ll use the creative space to dig deep into the emotions of each character. As to what our cast will look like a year from now, well…”
“Yeah, this is definitely a long game sort of story. We need the space to explore all the different ways a worst-case scenario like Murder World affects this massive cast. I’m not sure we could have done them justice in a miniseries,” adds Hopeless.
I love the villain at the center of this new book. Arcade may not have a great track record for assassinating his targets but he’s definitely a twisted character to enjoy. Rosemann and Hopeless discuss the plan to make Arcade a potent enemy.
“When at his best, Arcade’s creepy façade of a cheery carnival barker is a calculated play that both distracts his targets and also leads his unsuspecting foes to underestimate him. And never forget he began his career by murdering his own father before embarking on a successful run as a freelance assassin. Dennis and Kev both completely understand his potential and knew instantly how to peel off the cheese to reveal his untapped terrifying core. Previously, Arcade always left a way out of his deathtraps, giving his prey a sporting chance, but now… soon everyone will learn that to underestimate Arcade is a deadly mistake,” declares Rosemann.
“Arcade doesn’t get a lot of respect and we all kind of understand why. For the longest time, nobody ever died in Murder World. But despite all of his failures over the years, Arcade is a brilliant guy. Deranged and bizarre, but brilliant. He designed and built all of those crazy death traps,” says Hopeless.
“The scenario Arcade has cooked up in Avengers Arena is a game changer for him. It’s his way of saying, “You don’t respect my reindeer games? Fine. Respect this!”
You could call Arcade the Seneca Crane (from The Hunger Games) of Marvel. The question is who will survive to become the Katniss or Peeta?
Avengers Arena #1Sixteen superpowered teens (including members of Runaways, Avengers Academy) wake up on an island with an ultimatum: fight or die! One of the biggest surprises of Marvel Now kicks off this week by Dennis Hopeless and Kev Walker. Imagine X-23 in Battle Royale and The Hunger Games and that gives you an idea!
Batman #15 The Joker holds all the cards. He knows Batman’s biggest secret. He’s predicted when all Batman’s allies and friends will be dead. The Riddler finds out the hard way that not even other villains are safe from the Joker’s mad final scheme.
Cable and X-Force #1 The son of Cyclops is back with a brand new team. Why have these mutant heroes been branded terrorists?
Fantastic Four #2 Marvel’s First Family blasts off across time and space. Can Reed keep the real motivation for this family vacation hidden from Susan? What new threats are waiting for them?
Space 1999: Aftershock and Awe A disaster blasts the moon out of orbit and across space. The crew of Moonbase Alpha will face outrageous aliens as they try to find a way home. I was a huge fan of this classic sci-fi series from the swinging 70’s but I didn’t know there was a comic book series. This trade paperback collects new stories of the crew of Moonbase Alpha.
One of the X-Men’s most colorful enemies is coming back with a vengeance!
Marvel invites you to Avengers Arena #1 by Dennis Hopeless and Kev Walker this week. Sixteen young heroes are trapped in a game devised by the only and only Arcade! Marvel’s best and brightest young heroes will be in the fight of their lives on Murder World island.
The X-Men have escaped Arcade’s deadly traps before but some of these kids may not be so lucky.
“Arcade has spent a lot of years building “Murder Worlds” that yield very few actual murders. He’s decided it’s time to get back a little self-respect. It’s time for a new kind of Murder World. AVENGERS ARENA is about the unlucky kids he’s chosen to help him try it out,” says Hopeless.
“I don’t want to give too much away, but I can promise a lot of murder in this new Murder World.”
Editor Bill Rosemann reveals the contestants: “Fans of AVENGERS ACADEMY will hopefully be excited by the next chapter in the lives of Hazmat, Mettle, Reptil, Juston and his Sentinel and X-23. Speaking of schools, who are the Braddock Academy? After his last appearances in War of Kings and NOVA, Darkhawk soars again! Staying with sci-fi, just wait until you see what Dennis and Kev have planned for Annihilation’s Cammi, baddest girl in all the galaxy. And last but certainly not least, direct from the pages of the dearly missed RUNAWAYS, we have Chase and Nico!”
“It’s sort of ridiculous how huge our cast is at the start. But if you’re going to kill a lot of characters you gotta have a lot of characters,” Hopeless adds.
I love all the kid characters but you had me with ARCADE! Avengers Arena #1 lets the games being this week.
From teenage dream to nightmare! Avengers Arena is coming to the Marvel Now in 2013. Members of Avengers Academy, Runaways and other young heroes are thrown into a Battle Royale fight to the death on an island run by X-Men villain Arcade. Writer Dennis Hopeless revealed his plans for the kids and the mastermind behind The Hunger Games style game on Marvel.com.
“Basically 15 of your favorite Marvel teen heroes–and Darkhawk, who is not a teenager–wake up on an island and are told by Arcade only one of them will come out alive. This time people will actually die in Murderworld. They can leave, but they have to kill everybody else. Issue #1 will show the kids and the readers he’s serious this time,” explains Hopeless.
The X-Men have survived Arcade’s Murderworld in the past stories. Hopeless says this time Arcade will finally live up to this reputation as an assassin.
“In a lot of ways, Arcade is a silly character. He comes from a different era where it was ok for a villain to set up elaborate traps that fail. It was important to keep that showman, likes to watch aspect, but change things up so people will respect Arcade,” he says, “”It was an interesting challenge. I love Arcade. When we first talked about the series, I thought of him, then dismissed him. Axel Alonso called me later and asked med to use him. I’m proud of how we kept his core but made him a little more scary, similar and respectable.”
The book will star a who’s who of Marvel’s youngest generation.
“I got to cherry pick, so all the characters I’m using, I like. I loved Avengers Academy and wanted to use them all, but had to cap it. Hazmat is the point of view character of issue #1 and I love writing her.”
Avengers Arena #5 courtesy Marvel
Hopeless revealed he’s created new teen characters aka victims for this series including a young female Deathlok and kids from an Academy run by Captain Britain.
The fact that Avengers Arena would be an ongoing series was a surprise.
“I’ve gotten a lot of questions about why this isn’t a limited series. It’s because we need space to explain why these kids would do this. These are heroes. We need to show what they’re going to and get them to a place where they fear or distrust each other enough,” Hopeless explains, “Once we get to a place where the game changes and we get away from the core concept, we’ll go somewhere else, but this is a long story.”
The writer takes on the fact that some fan favorites will be killed off as the story proceeds.
“I see all the reaction to this book already because I’m a crazy person and I look for it. I’m a comics fan too. I know it’s hard to think your favorite character might be pulled off the shelf. At the same time, I think death is a serious part of life, and it should not be a cheap storytelling device. It’s one of the most powerful things a person or character can go through. I’m really proud of the book. We’re telling a really good story here. Nobody who’s responding to the marketing has read it yet.”
“These are super heroes, so that’s what makes it different from Battle Royale, which is human kids adapting. Hunger Games, we’re in the head of one girl raised in a post-apocalyptic world; these are teens who all grew up in the Marvel Universe. We’re doing a point of view shift where you see the situation from the perspectives of each character. You see what each is getting from this and where they’re coming from. I think that makes it unique. It’s like if Hunger Games switched the perspective between every character, which would make it very different. It’s obviously influences by those and by stuff like The Running Man, but these characters change it and make it its own thing.”
Avengers Arena #4 courtesy Marvel
We’ll have to read the book to see why some heroes decide to turn on each other (besides obvious survival) but Hopeless explains how the matchups will work.
“Darkhawk has cosmic level powers and X-23 is very difficult to kill. We deal with the fact that power sets are varied and how some would normally wipe the floor with all the others.”
Will your favorite young hero survive Murder Island? Avengers Arena #1 lets the deathgames begin in January.
For the complete transcript here’s the Marvel.com link.
