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.
I spy a brand new Secret Avengers series in February 2013. A top-secret team even the Avengers won’t know about! New writer Nick Spencer, Editors Tom Brevoort and Lauren Sankovitch opened up the files on the espionage themed series on Marvel.com.
“There’s a new S.H.I.E.L.D. in the Marvel Universe under the watch of Daisy Johnson and Maria Hill with Nick Fury Jr. and Phil Coulson as the top agents. One of the initiatives they’ve undertaken is building their own Avengers team. Maria Hill has direct supervision. They’re using tech first seen in Brian Bendis’ Secret War: memory implants so members of the team will not remember the missions. That’s how secret these missions are,” revealed Spencer.
“Hawkeye and Black Widow will be front and center in the first issue, Taskmaster shows up in issue #2, Hulk, Mockingbird and a new Iron Patriot are coming down the line, plus the Winter Soldier, who will be featured, but not a member of the team.”
Agent Phil Coulson on The Avengers movie will be part of the team. He’s just one of the many different voices Spencer will tackle.
“I love writing Coulson, trying to bring that amazing voice Clark Gregg established in the films over to comics. I found Taskmaster to be a lot of fun to write. Hawkeye and Black Widow have always been two of my favorite Avengers. Just being a part of introducing this new Nick Fury and new S.H.I.E.L.D. into the Marvel Universe is a big honor.”
“Part of the thrill of this new Nick Fury is that he’s on the field, he’s on the missions, he’s with the team. It’s a contrast from what we saw from the old Fury over the last couple decades, giving intel then fading into the shadows. It’s fun having a Fury who’s in the thick of things and also who this is all new to. He’s got a lot to learn. Getting to write that journey is a blast.”
Secret Avengers #1 courtesy Marvel
“Nick Fury is the Captain America of the Secret Avengers. He’s the lead guy on the field. He’s different from Cap, he’s got a different approach, but he’s the first guy on the ground leading the charge,” Editor Brevoort
“One of the things I’m learning my way through is finding the balance between a good black ops spy book that’s also an Avengers book. I think you’ll like the mix. We’re trying to make it feel like Mission: Impossible, but at the same time it takes place in the Marvel Universe. The mix and match has been really cool for me to play with,” said Spencer.
“Every adventure these characters have is a caper, it’s a Bond movie, but it takes places within the Marvel Universe, and there’s no mission you can pull out of that context,” said Brevoort.
Norman Osborn wore the Iron Patriot armor in Dark Reign. The Iron Patriot will appear in Iron Man 3. Who wears the armor in this new series?
“I think we came up with a pretty cool way to introduce this new Iron Patriot. There have been a lot of questions about who is in the suit, but how they end up in the role is what I think will be really interesting.”
Secret Avengers #2 courtesy Marvel
SHIELD will use mindwiping techniques on the team – we saw what happened with that in Secret War.
“Every member of this team signed up for this of their own volition. They agreed this was the way to go. Of course then they forget that they agreed to it, and when they’re on missions, they don’t know about it. The S.H.I.E.L.D. I’m writing works in gray areas, but it’s important to me at the end of the day we understand why they do the things that they do, which is for a safer better world. That doesn’t start with forcibly brainwashing people if they can help it. Why these people signed up for this won’t always be known, and we’ll have fun with this.”
“They’re not starting over every mission. When they have the keyword, they remember that they’re on the team and what they need to from previous missions. They’re not strangers every time they meet up.”
“The Avengers don’t know about this. Nobody outside of S.H.I.E.L.D. knows about this initiative.”
Secret Avengers #2 courtesy Marvel
How does an Avengers villain like Taskmaster fit with this team?
“Taskmaster has a pretty unique role in the book. I’m having a lot of fun writing him. When we were coming up with the roster, he was the last addition. I kept feeling like something was missing. As soon as he came up, it was so perfect. He’s got some history already with Nick Fury, which is a big draw for me. The chemistry between the two of them has been fun for me to write. I like throwing the wrench in there, and Taskmaster does that. He’s there for the paycheck and that makes for some fun story turns.” “I’m a huge fan of Indestructible Hulk already. It all connects. It’s all part of Maria’s vision for what S.H.I.E.L.D. needs to become to adapt to new threats in the Marvel Universe. She’s such a huge part of this book. In Avengers, Cap and Iron Man are saying they need to become bigger, and here, S.H.I.E.L.D. is saying the same thing.”
Bruce Banner is working with Maria Hill and SHIELD in Mark Waid’s Indestructible Hulk. How does a weapon of mass destruction fit in an undercover spy book?
“The use of the Hulk here is judicious. He’s the bomb. How is he on a stealth team? He’s not deployed until it’s time to blow stuff up.”
“This S.H.I.E.L.D. is smaller and scrappier than they were back in the day, but the problems aren’t any smaller. It’s a big job for people just starting out. They know they need operatives who can function on the level the world and the universe is at now,” says Brevoort.
Secret Avengers #1 courtesy Marvel
Luke Ross (The Ultimates) will be the artist on the series.
“Luke Ross has a realistic style with a lot of energy. His enthusiasm brings a lot to the book,” says Lauren Sankovitch.
Spies, dark heroes, mindwipes and Taskmaster! The new Secret Avengers declassified!
I was honored to be the special guest on my friendly neighborhood comic shop’s special edition videoblog dedicated to the new Marvel Now titles! The Zanadu Comics crew dubbed me Professor Marvel! Take a look and I’d love to know your favorite Marvel Now titles so far:
Thanks to Perry, Howard and Casey were having me as your special guest for and always great experience every new comic book Wednesday! Thanks to the Sam the man behind the cam! Disclosure: I will always love X-Men – it was my first book but I do read titles of the competition and I always welcome your indie picks!
This is the Bruce Banner I want to see! Mark Waid and Leinil Francis Yu start a bold new chapter for the genius and his monstrous alter ego in Indestructible Hulk #1 out this week.
In the premiere you could say Bruce auditions for a job with SHIELD. This works as a great stand-alone story packed with action and humor while setting you up for a future adventures of Banner and the Green Goliath. There is a sense of Bruce finally accepting the monster within and using it.
Mark Waid’s great talent for dialogue, humor and ability to poke fun at his characters shines in this issue. I really look forward to seeing this new Bruce interact with Maria Hill and use the Hulk to forge the smartest, strongest SHIELD agent there is. This issue shines on its one but reminded me of the Peter David era when Bruce ran the Pantheon – and made me smile.
Indestructible Hulk #1 is great fun and has smashed its way up near the top of my favorite Marvel Now relaunch titles.
Captain America #1The Star-Spangled Avenger’s new adventure take a sci-fi spin. No country. No allies. Steve Rogers is alone in a bizarre dimension packed with new enemies and an amped up old villain
Indestructible Hulk #1 Bruce Banner and his monstrous alter ego working together? Meet SHIELD’s biggest, brainiest new agent!
Batwoman #14The thrilling showdown between Kate and Wonder Woman against the madness of Medusa!
Star Trek #15You’ve got to love Spock in a stache! Yes, it’s time for a brand new adventure in the Mirror, Mirror universe!
Wolverine and the X-Men #21 This may be Thanksgiving week but a terrifying new villain stalks the staff and kids of the Jean Grey School! Frankenstein’s Murder Circus turns Storm, Logan and Bobby into their strangest new showstopppers.
Indestructible Hulk #1 smashes into the Marvel Now this week. Mark Waid and Leinil Yu take the Green Goliath in a new direction – as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D?
“The reasons why he is–and exactly the deal he cut to become–an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a mystery that will build out as the story goes,” Waid teased on Marvel.com.
How do you bring a freshness to an iconic character for new readers while paying homage to the rich past?
“On the surface of it, its hard. It’s a less human, street-level book, so all the things that worked in Daredevil were harder to duplicate in Hulk. The commonality in the two books is that Bruce Banner, much like Matt Murdock, reaches a point in his life where he realizes the things he’s been doing have not been working. ”
“What Stan Lee and Jack Kirby did back in the day was they created the world’s first persecuted super hero in the Hulk. Bruce Banner was the seminal morose, tortured super hero. 50 years later, you can go to a comic shop, pick up a random stack of super hero comics, and most of them will probably feature tortured super heroes,” Waid explained.
Indestructible Hulk #3 courtesy Marvel
Bruce Banner will take command in an effort become known as a man of science instead of the “Hulk Smash” guy.
“Banner realized that the Hulk is not something he can stop. It’s something he can control to a degree, but “Hulk happens,” as he puts it. So when he comes out, S.H.I.E.L.D. points him where they want him to go. Think of him as a cannon, not a bomb.”
Maria Hill will be Banner’s handler.
“S.H.I.E.L.D. has what they believe is a fairly tight leash on the Hulk, but they’re mistaken. That’s part of the fun of writing Maria Hill and Bruce Banner, they both have different perspectives on the situation.”
What about those shots of the Hulk in armor? Waid says that’s really intended for Bruce. And as for that floating robot head – who looks like Widget of Excalibur? He’s part of the leash S.H.I.E.L.D. thinks they have on the Hulk.
Maid said to expect Hulk to fight Attuma, Frost Giants, a new version of Quintronic Man and a big bad secretly behind the upcoming year’s mystery.
In case you missed an earlier interview – I loved what Waid said about Hulk being his favorite character in The Avengers movie.
“I can watch the Hulk ragdoll Loki all day.”
Indestructible Hulk smashes into stores this week. Here’s the entire liveblog on Marvel.com.
A+X #1 Let the healing begin! A brand new team-up series in the post-Avengers vs. X-Men world! Wolverine teams up with the Hulk. Captain America and Cable? Did Nathan recently tried to take out the Avengers?
Batgirl Annual #1 The first meeting of Barbara Gordon and Catwoman in the New 52! Will they clash when they cross paths? Plus, the Talon from Night of the Owls is stalking Barbara and wants a rematch!
Doctor Who #2An evil force is stealing time from anyone it touches. Can the Doctor save the next victim? It looks like this new Time Lord tale could be a sequel of sorts to one of my favorite Tom Baker serials The Pyramids of Mars. All the visual clues are there! We’ll see.
Fatale #9Get ready for one HELL of a showdown as Jo confronts the demonic force that’s been stalking her through the decades. Sex, death, and cults in seedy 1970’s Hollywood. Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips wrap their latest arc of horror noir that’s not like anything else in the comic shop!
Wolverine and the X-Men #19 After last issue’s shocking murder how will Logan pull the students and staff of the Jean Grey School together? What does the Hellfire Club have planned next?
