AVENGERS AND MORE AT WW

[MattBrady]

by Ryan McClelland and Matt Brady

UPDATED

clarifications: The members pictured on the cover of New Avengers #1 included: Captain American, Iron Man (though Bendis hinted/teased it may not be Tony Stark in the armor, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Spider-Woman, Sentry, and Luke Cage.

She-Hulk is an ongoing series. Newsarama regrets the error suggesting it was a miniseries.

Today during the Avengers at Wizard World Chicago, in attendance: Joe Quesada, Brian Bendis, Robert Kirkman, David Finch, Jim Cheung, Mark Ricketts, Dan Buckley, and Adi Granov.

Started with a recap of Avengers #500, reiterated that in issue #502 there will be a death of a major character, one that Bendis calls a tragic, heroic Marvel-style death.

Quesada said that people will not believe what they are doing with Thor. There will not be an issue 86 of Thor, nothing more was said on the subject.

There will be a Marvel Universe Book of the Dead coming out in November. Several of the prominent Avengers who died during Disassembled will be in the book.

The Avengers finale in November – The cover will be by Neal Adams, pencils and interior will be by David Finch, George Perez, Oliver Coipel, and Jim Cheung. Perez will draw the final part and Bendis says that he couldn’t think of a better tribute to the Avengers then to have Neal Adams drawing the front cover and Perez drawing the end.

New Thunderbolts #1 – same team as the Avengers/Thunderbolts mini-series which is Kurt Busiek, Fabian Nicieza, and Tom Grummett. The cover shows characters in the shadows, no one was recognizable.

Young Avengers #1 – Quesada says this is the project he is most excited about, “The team is nothing like what people think it is.” Quesada notes this will be the breakout book for artist Jim Cheung.

New Avengers #1 – Characters were in shadow on the front cover but recognizable characters were Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and the Jessica Drew Spider-Woman in her classic costume. update: Other characters included Sentry and Luke Cage.

Avengers changes in general – Bendis said that the Avengers are the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, referring back to issue sixteen of the original series where Stan Lee replaced the entire team with new characters including two former villains. Bendis said this book has always been about change and evolution and we’re going to express that with no characters and a new dynamic.

Jessica Jones (from Alias/The Pulse) – Bendis said that there is news about Jessica Jones in other media coming around at the end of the year. Jessica will be in the first issue of Young Avengers.

She-Hulk in the core Avengers title has gone crazy, Quesada said it was up to (She-Hulk writer) Dan Slott wants to follow that story in her own series or if he wants to keep telling the story he’s telling in the She-Hulk series.

With the destruction of the Avengers Mansion, Quesada said that the Avengers will be moving into a new home. David Finch and Quesada confirmed that Finch will be staying on as the regular artist for the foreseeable future on New Avengers.

Quesada said The Young Avengers shown are all brand new characters. The first two issues will take place in-between the last issue of the old Avengers series and the first issue of New Avengers #1, then everything will catch up so all the titles are on the same timeline.

Quesada said in 2005 and up readers will see a more cohesive Marvel Universe there will be more mentions of current stuff in other books like Avengers might reference something that’s happening in a Spider-Man book.

Mark Ricketts on Iron Man – Confirmed that Rumiko, Tony Stark’s love interest, is dead.

Robert Kirkman on Captain America – He’s trying to mess things up as much as can for Ed Brubaker to come in and make sense of it all. Because he’s so busy, Kirkman figured this was the only time he would be able to write Cap, so he’s throwing in as many of his villains as possible.

Wolverine fitting in with the Avengers team – Since Avengers don’t kill and always on the up-and-up, would that be a problem? Bendis said, “That sounds like good drama.” Bendis also said the best thing that can be done with the Avengers is not to do things over and over again that have already been done. We owe it to the spirit of the team that Roy Thomas and Stan Lee introduced to change things and move things around. Quesada agreed with that saying the moment the status quo changes in comics has an immediate reaction and those changes will be the ones you remember and talk about forever.

Quesada said that Daredevil – Father #2 is drawn, inked, and colored but there is no shipping date yet.

Bendis is playing with using The Sentry – which is the Paul Jenkins character from the mini-series a few years back that was retro-fitted into the Marvel Universe. Bendis said, “He is the most powerful superhero in the Marvel Universe but he’s scared to leave his house.”

Daniel Way Ant-Man series – Quesada said expect to see it next year.

Andrea DeVito, the current artist on Thor and Scot Eaton currently of Captain America will both be involved with the new What If title at the end of the year.

Bendis said that Cassie Lang, daughter of Scott Lang (Ant-Man), is now one of the most interesting characters in the Marvel Universe because her father was killed in Avengers Disassembled. Readers might see her in the pages of New Avengers or Young Avengers in the next couple of years.

Venom guest-star in New Avengers – Bendis said, “If sales take a dip, yes.”

Avengers #503 will let people know what is going on and to understand how all of the other side books tie in to the overall story. Bendis said, “The plan is that when the arc is done you can, on a nice rainy afternoon, sit down and read it all again.”

Any plans for New Warriors – Quesada said yes, there are plans for the New Warriors, but its took early to talk about.

Quesada said they are going to continue on with the She-Hulk miniseries and there is more coming. He named She-Hulk, District X, and Amazing Fantasy as three Marvel books that deserve a wider recognition. Marvel is looking internally to find ways to keep these books going and get more attention to them.

Quesada said that Warren Ellis writing Iron Man is now open-ended. He can stay for as long as he wants, “If Warren wants to stay for a hundred issues, I’ll be more then happy to let him stay.”

Redesign on Iron Man armor – Quesada said that any redesign would be story specific, but it can change and he would love to see Adi take a crack at redesigning of the armor.

There are plans to collect the She-Hulk mini-series but Dan Buckley wasn’t sure if it would be a trade paperback or a digest.

Footnotes back in the comics – Quesada said no, that it pulls readers out of the moment. They will do it again now and then for the fun of it, like J Michael Stracyzniski did in Amazing Spider-Man referencing the upcoming Doctor Strange miniseries.

Icon – Quesada said there are new books coming in the Icon line, but readers will have to wait and see what they are. Marvel wants to keep the imprint small, like other Marvel imprints, they don’t want to have rapid growth so they can’t focus on the books when they come out.

Hulk – Bendis was asked if the Hulk fits into the entire Disassembled story. Bendis said yes but he couldn’t say how and that he didn’t want to ruin it for anybody.

Bendis was asked how many more times can he do something horrible to Scott Lang, since he killed him twice already (once in Alias, once in Avengers). Bendis said, “Dr. Light is going to rape him in the next issue.” (which was a joke). Bendis also said he thought of killing Scott Lang in every issue ala Kenny from South Park.

New Avengers – Bendis said readers will see the return of “87 classic Marvel villains” who went by the wayside for whatever reason. Readers will see a smorgasbord like The Masters of Evil, the Wrecking Crew, and the U-Foes.

There are plans for Namor to come back to become the complete badass of the Marvel Universe. Quesada said that they decided that it was time to bring Namor back, they are just waiting for the right approach to come in.

[Jimmy_Helter]

Sounds rediculous. Morrison is right. DC is going to mop the floor with Marvel in 2005.

[chapped]

I'm willing to accept Wolverine as an Avenger if, and only if, he gets kicked out of both X-Men and Uncanny X-Men.

[algertman]

"Quesada said that Daredevil – Father #2 is drawn, inked, and colored but there is no shipping date yet."

dear god it's a damn mini-series, get your crap together

"Marvel-style death"

will come back to life


though i am looking forward to Thunderbolts, and the kill scott lang thing would be funny as hell if it happened

[echoshifting]

Originally posted by algertman


"Marvel-style death"

will come back to life

lmao, I thought the exact same thing...so this means we'll see this character in New Avengers #2, right?

[The 'Nam]

There are plans for Namor to come back to become the complete badass of the Marvel Universe. Quesada said that they decided that it was time to bring Namor back, they are just waiting for the right approach to come in.

bout time

[Chris1962]

I can appreciate Wolverine and Spider-Man but with all the other titles that both characters are involved in, isn't this overdoing it? Now if Wolverine leaves the X-Men and a few Spider tiles get cancelled, I can accept it. Otherwise I will be very disappointed. Good to see that Cap is still in the line up.

[Mike Thompson]

Wolverine is THE most overused character in existence...he and Spidey do NOT belong on the Avengers. How can Wolvie exist on four teams (3 X-Men titles, and now Avengers, plus his solo series and all the guest appearances!)? Bendis is making a big mistake and Quesada's letting him! She-Hulk insane? Ridiculous. And how many retoolings can the Avengers and their supporting titles undergo in less than a decade? Unbelievable...is anyone else sick of number 1's?

[Jimmy_Helter]

to bring Namor back, they are just waiting for the right approach to come in.

But isn't he already back in the Invaders? or are they counting that as cancelled already as well?

Also, when did they decide She-Hulk was a mini-series? It's one of the best books Marvel puts out now.

[Jeremy Shane]

Well, with the recent talk of Spiderman and Wolverine on the Avengers, I'm a lot less interested in reading it. I'll stick with it, because Bendis has earned the benefit of the doubt in my book; but it's a lot closer to bottom of the stack for me now. I would love to see Marvel have a popular book without one of those two in it. Plus Spidey and Spiderwoman are a bit redundant.

And interested in more info about Young Avengers. "It's not like anyone thinks it is." ?? Didn't Bendis say everyone guessing Luke Cage, Spiderman, Wolverine and Sentry were wrong on their guesses and he didn't want this to be like a JLAing of the Avengers. Probably just another lie. It's gonna be ala Titans.

Didn't see anything exciting in all that for me.

[melperfect]

Originally posted by kalorama
yawn

hahahahahahaha

Thanks for filling the daily Marvel news "yawn" quota.


many more to come I'm sure.

Looking forward to New Avengers.

[RDFozz]

She could show up in SPIDER-GIRL, as she is the Avenger known as Stinger in that future.

[Christian Otte]

Originally posted by cactusmaac
Miniseries. What the fug?

Is this cancelled already?

Sounds like a contradiction, since they later say they will continue with the series. Hm.

A bit concerned about New Avengers, but as Xaraan said - Bendis sure has earned the benefit of the doubt, so I will check it out. Excited about Young Avengers, too.

[dorwaystudios]

I heard it was going to happen.

I didn't believe it.

I've known for a while Marvel was becoming a bunch of money-grubbing WHORES but this is ridiculous.

WOLVERINE is NOT an AVENGER!

He's in EVERY X-book already! There is not ONE good reason to put him on the Avengers from a STORYLINE perspective!

"We need a mutant." - Beast, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver already fill the role.

"We need a killer." - EVERY member of the Thunderbolts would be a better choice.

It's ridiculous and effectively ends my 20 year collection. I will NOT be buying this crap!

[antpicnic]

marvel book of the dead?

is it gonna be a pamphlet or post it note?

[aphterburn]

Originally posted by Jimmy_Helter
Sounds rediculous. Morrison is right. DC is going to mop the floor with Marvel in 2005.

Agreed.

[I-Ching]

Now yawns for me if the Jessica Drew Spider-Woman in her classic costume is making her return courtesy of Bendis!! I can't wait for that, it's the main reason I'm looking forward to New Avengers.

Jimmy Cheung on Young Avengers is going to be amazing, I wish they give him a classic Marvel title though but I'll pick this up for his outstanding artwork.

New Warriors? NEW WARRIORS!!! Please please PLEASE let Dan Slott write this title!!! He's PERFECT for it!! Heck I'll even suggest Scott Lobdell because his take on Alpha Flight is totally misdirected. The last New Warriors relaunch was painfully bland so let's hope they get it right this time!

[RDFozz]

Originally posted by MattBrady
Bendis said that the Avengers are the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, referring back to issue sixteen of the original series where Stan Lee replaced the entire team with new characters including two former villains. Bendis said this book has always been about change and evolution and we’re going to express that with no characters and a new dynamic.

Of course, this "coincidentally" left Stan with a set of characters whose present-day adventures were almost completely confined to that book, allowing more character-based stories and sub-plots.

(I say "present-day" because most of Cap's first few years' worth of TALES OF SUSPENSE were stories placed during the WWII era.)

She-Hulk in the core Avengers title has gone crazy, Quesada said it was up to (She-Hulk writer) Dan Slott wants to follow that story in her own series or if he wants to keep telling the story he’s telling in the She-Hulk miniseries.

As others have mentioned, references to a She-Hulk mini-series in the article are very confusing - it's unclear whether there is a separate mini starting up, or if the current on-going's life expectancy is that limited. Later comments indicate that the series is not selling well (a shame, in my opinion; it's quickly become one of my favorites).

Quesada said in 2005 and up readers will see a more cohesive Marvel Universe there will be more mentions of current stuff in other books like Avengers might reference something that’s happening in a Spider-Man book.

Or maybe if She-Hulk goes crazy in AVENGERS, it's reflected in her own book somehow? Oh, wait, silly me, why expect that....

Bendis is playing with using The Sentry – which is the Paul Jenkins character from the mini-series a few years back that was retro-fitted into the Marvel Universe. Bendis said, “He is the most powerful superhero in the Marvel Universe but he’s scared to leave his house.”

Given that his problem is that his being an active recognized hero results in the unleashing of a force strong enough to destroy the universe (or some such), I think getting him to leave the house is the least of the problems to overcome.

New Avengers – Bendis said readers will see the return of “87 classic Marvel villains” who went by the wayside for whatever reason. Readers will see a smorgasbord like The Masters of Evil, the Wrecking Crew, and the U-Foes.

Yeah, we haven't seen the Wrecking Crew in, gosh, six months! Oh, and we saw them in the Avengers.

That said, it's always nice when a writer takes the time and thought to use existing characters in a shared-universe setting, since there are always dozens floating around unused, with the potential for greatness.

[JohnnyONeal]

Well, I'm actually reading Avengers, so I guess this worked.

I'm skeptical of the Wolverine/Spidey addition to the Avengers, but we shall see, shan't we.

For some reason, Young Avengers seems really cool to me.

[Ironhorse]

Wolverine an Avenger? NOOOOOOOOO

[CoreyB]

"Any plans for New Warriors – Quesada said yes, there are plans for the New Warriors, but it's too early to talk about."


Yay!!!!!

[CoreyB]

Originally posted by I-Ching
New Warriors? NEW WARRIORS!!! Please please PLEASE let Dan Slott write this title!!! He's PERFECT for it!! Heck I'll even suggest Scott Lobdell because his take on Alpha Flight is totally misdirected. The last New Warriors relaunch was painfully bland so let's hope they get it right this time!

I wouldn't be very excited with Scot Lobdell writing. But Dan Slott is a GREAT idea!

[Sean Walsh]

87 classic Marvel villains returning in NEW AVENGERS?! Sweet!

Perez drawing the Avengers finale?! Sweet!

She-Hulk now a miniseries?! GRRR!!!!
(I don't believe they're referring to another She-Hulk mini, in addition to the ongoing, since Quesada made mention at SDCC that this was a title still safe but kinda struggling. But I hope he was just misspeaking)

I'm kinda surprised no one asked about these mysteriously disappearing-from-solicits Marvel titles...

[pez dispenser]

Originally posted by Jimmy_Helter
Sounds rediculous. Morrison is right. DC is going to mop the floor with Marvel in 2005.

Ummmmm...isn't this what many were saying about 2004?

[Cientista]

She-Hulk gone crazy: that's very cool. I mean, her name says everything, she's nothing but a female version of the real thing, it's ridiculous.
Wolverine going over to the Avengers: are they insane??! That's the worst idea since they decided to bring back yellow spandex to the X-Men!!
Captain America should go insane too. It would be a very smart political statement, but then again, Marvel isn't in it for shaking the status-Q is it?
Man, Cap America is the worst concept for a super hero ever. Well, him and Captain Britain and whatever flag-men they come up with.