KEITH GIFFEN ON ANNIHILATION

[MattBrady]

by Vaneta Rogers

As announced last week, Marvel is focusing on its space-based characters in a big way starting this spring during Annihilation, an event composed of several mini-series concentrating on the company's oft-neglected cosmic characters.

And the man behind much of this cataclysmic cosmic story is Keith Giffen. Annihilation begins in March with a 48-page prologue written by Giffen, with art by Scott Kolins and Ariel Olivetti. Then events in that oversized one-shot will spill into four mini-series that will last four issues each starting in April: Silver Surfer by Giffen and artist Renato Arlem, Super-Skrull by writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach and artist Greg Titus, Ronan the Accuser written by Simon Furman with art by Jorge Lucas, and Nova by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning with art by Kev Walker.

Then, at the end of those four minis, the Annihilation story will wrap up with a six-issue mini-series written -- once again -- by Keith Giffen.

Giffen has attracted a lot of attention lately for his upcoming resurrection of the Blue Beetle mythos in an ongoing series with John Rogers and Cully Hamner to start in March, as well as his role on the team behind DC's upcoming weekly series 52* starting in May. Now comes news that he is scheduled to concurrently be telling the tales of Marvel's cosmic characters during this Annihilation event -- characters he's visited as the recent writer for the Thanos ongoing series and his Drax the Destroyer mini-series wrapping up this month.

Although the announcement makes Giffen look like one of the busiest guys in comics today, we asked for even more of his time to tell us what this "cosmic" event is all about, why he's doing it, and how in the world he finds time to sleep.

Newsarama: First let's talk about the prologue you're writing for Annihilation that’s coming out in March. It's being touted as a 48-page story that leads into the four mini-series.

Keith Giffen: Yep. The prologue is just one, big long story where we hit the ground running. And Scott Kolins is turning in the kind of artwork that makes me realize I'm never going to pick up a pencil again. It's astonishing. Ariel does a piece, and Scott does a piece, and I think people will love what they see. If they just buy it for the art, they won't be sorry.

NRAMA: The solicitation for the 48-page prologue says that "this is the book to read for the next year of cosmic stories." Is the entire Annihilation event and what is going to happen already planned out all the way into 2007?

KG: Yeah. I don't go into a project unless I know how it ends. I may take the wrong road getting there. But I always know the destination. It's the prologue, then the mini-series, then the follow-up and whatever comes out of the tail end of it. It's going to be fun. Just wait until you read what we've got coming.

NRAMA: You're aware, of course, that over the decades, readers have often been told "just wait until you read this!" Is Annihilation really going to change characters and the Marvel universe drastically?

KG: Well, unlike a lot of crossovers that promise sweeping change and just sort of give you the illusion of change -- trust me, Annhilation is going to forever alter the status quo of the Marvel cosmic universe.

NRAMA: And there are no ads in the 48-pager?

KG: There aren't?

NRAMA: That's what Marvel is saying.

KG: Oh, I didn't know that. You learn something new every day. I'm impressed. I must not have been listening when somebody told me that. But wow, that's terrific. That way you can breeze right through it and enjoy it.

There's nothing more frustrating than reading a story and build up to, "And the murderer is....." Twinkies!

NRAMA: Yeah, you have to watch out for those pernicious pastries. Fans have also been told this 48-page special features Nova, Silver Surfer, Thanos, Drax the Destroyer, Ronin the Accuser and the Super-Skrull. Those are a lot of fan favorites you're cramming into this book.

KG: Yeah! And that's just scratching the surface.

NRAMA: So there are more? Are we talking dozens of characters from the Marvel cosmic universe?

KG: Over the course of the entire series, there are going to be very few cosmic characters that aren't touched on in one way or another. Some will see their lives radically altered, and some will just bump up against our story and move on.

But this is a big story that is going to affect a lot of cosmic characters for good, for ill, and otherwise. In the course of putting this together, sometimes you wonder, "well, he's out there -- why doesn't he just stop by and say hi?" But then there are other characters you think, "wouldn't it be cool if...?" And Marvel's been real good about those "wouldn't-it-be-cool-ifs."

NRAMA: I know you can't give details, but can you tell us about one of these characters that is going to be changing or having a particularly big year?

KG: You know what -- there's no reason why all of them shouldn't have a big year.

NRAMA: Sounds like it's a little early for details then. How about the process? With four mini-series leading into the finale that you're writing, how involved are you in what the other writers are doing?

KG: I'm just doing the Silver Surfer mini-series, but I'm kept in the loop on the guys doing the other mini-series, just like they're kept in the loop on mine. We have to know what each other is doing. We don't want to end up duplicating tone or story.

One thing I can say here is that these four mini-series are satisfying stories on their own -- with a beginning, middle, end.

NRAMA: It sounds like you're saying someone could only read one mini-series if they want. But don't they all tie into the bigger story and feed into what happens with the ending? Don't you have to understand all those elements to be caught up when you get to the end?

KG: I look at it this way. Annihilation is a larger picture that is going to have ramifications for a long time to come in Marvel's mythology, like World War II had ramifications for the geo-political landscape of the world. But you could still read a story about, like, the Bridge of Remagen without having to read everything there is to know about World War II.

So the mini-series are stories that take place within this larger framework, but you don't have to worry, "Well, I just want to buy the Super-Skrull and now I have to buy everything." You don't. The big picture enhances the mini series' stories, and it's certainly worthwhile to get the whole series so you can get the scope and see how the war ends... if it ends; but if you're a Surfer fan, and you just want to pick up the Silver Surfer issues, you'll get a good, satisfying beginning, middle and end story. And by the end of the story, I think you're going to want to know more about Annihilation overall.

NRAMA: Interesting that you'd use war imagery, because the term, "Annihilation," points toward a few things, not the least of which is massive destruction. Are we going to see war imagery in this event?

KG: That's a fair assumption.

NRAMA: And massive destruction?

KG: War is basically about annihilation. It's about destroying other people's stuff so you can get what you want from them. It doesn't matter what noble rhetoric you engage in to go to war, be it for God, for country, for honor -- it doesn't matter what it is, it all comes down to you have something I want, so I'm going to come and take it.

NRAMA: In this story, what is the thing that one side is wanting to take from the other?

KG: Mmmmmm.. that would be the equivalent of you asking me about Citizen Kane because you've never seen it, and me saying, "Rosebud's the sled."

NRAMA: No spoiler warning? People will be upset… OK, so we won't cover that or any other big moments.

KG: Well, there are a lot of them in this thing. This is a story that I think we have enough of those big "whammy" moments; either you didn't see it coming or you can't quite believe we were allowed to do that.

I'd like to keep those moments secret as long as possible because you want to be able to read this thing and get into the story and be surprised. You don't want to be reading it going, "Well, I know halfway through that Captain Marvel gets a mohawk and starts calling himself Pantyman." You don't need that.

NRAMA: Did you just say "Pantyman?"

KG: When I talk about stuff like this, I have to think of examples that have nothing at all to do with anything that could conceivably be being done by anyone, anywhere. God forbid I compare Annihilation to something, and it turns out to be something that somebody is doing. I'd say something like, "it's like finding out Captain America is really the Red Skull." Then I get a call from Brubaker going, "You bastard!!"

NRAMA: Well since we can't talk about the content, and probably shouldn't if it's so packed with things that would ruin the story if they were spoiled, let's talk about how you were approached by Marvel to do this. Was it because of your recent experience doing Thanos and Drax?

KG: Andy Schmidt approached me on it, much the same way I got drafted for Thanos, and he's a huge fan of these cosmic characters.

NRAMA: Did they already have the story in mind, or were you in on the decisions about what was going to happen?

KG: Andy had the basics worked out. Once I was brought on board, I was part of it. At first, it was Andy's idea of getting all the cosmic characters together. Then we started talking, and it grew out of us sitting around in one of the meeting rooms. I can't even remember who came up with what idea first. I like that. It's kind of organic. But once the ball started rolling, I was kept in the loop even if I wasn't in all of the meetings. Short form (too late, I know); Andy was first to the table and offered me a seat.

NRAMA: You keep using the term "kept in the loop." But you have to do the final mini-series that wraps everything up. Aren't the other mini-series following your direction in any way?

KG: No. Abnett and Lanning; they're doing their Nova, Javier's doing his Super Skrull, etc. I'm going to read the minis as a fan. What they do in the books and the characters touched on -- those are my springboards to get into the finale of Annihilation. I think that's what's different from other books that have been done like this. Most of them have this entire outline where everyone knows exactly where it's going and how to get there from beginning to middle to end. All I know is how Annihilation ends.

So I'm doing the prologue, which is the springboard for everyone to do their mini-series, then I'm going to use the mini-series as springboards for the last part of Annihilation, to get to the ending
that I want.

NRAMA: So all of the creators on the other comics are coming up with their own unique stories relating to the characters?

KG: Yes, and that's kind of neat. That's really the way it should be, with them being unique to each character. I'm not sure what Simon is going to do with Ronan, or what Javier is going to do with Super-Skrull, or what Abnett and Lanning are going to do with Nova. I get to read it cold. I'll know what they've left me far enough ahead of time to make the deadlines. I get to take in all of their creativity and wrap it up in one big bundle and run with it. It's going to be fun.

I'm not out there alone. I have a lot of talented guys working alongside me. How great is that?

NRAMA: As we mentioned, you've been concentrating a lot on Marvel cosmic characters recently -- Thanos, Drax, this Annihilation event and the Silver Surfer mini. Is there a reason you've been returning to these characters so much?

KG: I've always liked science fiction characters. I mean, at DC, I did the Legion of Superheroes, and I've always liked a science fiction setting. But beyond that, I've always liked characters that aren't as well-rounded as they could be. I've always liked taking characters that have been around for years and seeing if I can make them seem fresh.

NRAMA: It's true that some of these characters we haven't seen in awhile or they've only been on the periphery of the Marvel Universe.

KG: These are the characters I like, the ones I get a kick out of. On Justice League, when we needed to fill out the membership, I wasn't going around asking for Superman or Batman or Green Lantern. Green Flame and Ice Maiden! That's the ticket! No one cares about them so you can go in and really start developing the characters.

As for the cosmic characters, there are a lot more than you think. You've got your A-level characters like Silver Surfer and Galactus, and your B-level characters, like Super Skrull and Ronan, but there are a lot of other characters that were either introduced as sidekicks or throwaway characters that are just wonderful.

NRAMA: From a writing standpoint, have you faced any challenges dealing with an event like this? Was it difficult to put together a longer-than-normal issue for the prologue?

KG: It was half as difficult as Invasion, which was 80 pages. Forty-eight pages could barely contain it. There was so much going on that it was a matter of finding the way of getting the impact I wanted while telling the story that needed to be told in order to get to the four mini-series.

NRAMA: Then how do you approach writing something of this scope?

KG: I don't outline. I've never been one to outline. Ask Andy. I'm horrible giving outlines. "Give me an outline of the first issue of Silver Surfer." Um... "OK, he flies on a surfboard and ..." I'm no good at it. I tend to do things by the seat of my pants. So when I sit down for something like Annihilation, I sit down and start writing from page 1 and somehow it ends on the right page.

NRAMA: That's crazy.

KG: When page 48 comes along, [snap] it's over. Same thing with a 22-page comic or 21-page comic or eight-page short story. I just start writing and I don't know, maybe I have some sort of word odometer in my head that warns me. I don't know how I do it and I don't want to inspect it because I have a funny feeling that, like any creative impulse, you don't want to poke at it too much or you might break it.

NRAMA: So it's finished? How far are you into the event from a writing standpoint?

KG: The Annihilation prologue is done. And I just wrapped up the first issue of Silver Surfer and have to get into the second one. We're on schedule!

Now I jinxed it, didn't I?

NRAMA: Probably. But from the view of the fans, it is surprising you're getting so much done because you're working on a lot right now. You're part of the 52* weekly series from DC, you're doing ongoings in Blue Beetle and Howling Commandos, there's another Defenders mini with J.M. DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire coming soon ... the list goes on. And now you're a key player in the Annihilation event. Do you ever sleep?

KG: I love the work, and I find the time. I put in laborer's hours. I come down to the studio in the morning and work through -- maybe not always in one lump sum -- but I work eight hours, and often times more. Sometimes when I'm just goofing around, watching TV, I'll have a lap board and be doing some breakdowns. I find time to do it.

I have compiled all of the work that I'm currently doing, and it only absorbs about 18 days a month. So I still got my weekends off to interact with the family and watch the Jets piss away the season. I guess if you have to have some kind of obsessive-compulsive component to your personality, it may as well involve what you get paid to do.

NRAMA: You've been writing comic books awhile. Do you still love doing it and working this hard after all this time?

KG: I still love doing it. I love exploring new takes on established characters, creating new characters and seeing how they fly... Will the audience accept them? How do they fit into the different companies' universes?

It's just something love I do. I have to sit down and do something every single day of the year. I'm up Christmas morning doing a little bit of work, 'cause if I don't, all day long I feel a little bit off, like there's something I forgot to do. So like I said, if you have to have an "OCD," may as well be your work -- and hopefully it's something you enjoy.

NRAMA: Does Annihilation fit into that category? As something you enjoy?

KG: I love the Marvel cosmic characters. I've loved them ever since way back when, since I was reading them as an average fan. When Galactus first showed up, and then when Jim Starlin came in and took some of these characters in really neat directions.

It's kind of hard for people to understand or believe, especially now that everyone's been doing it for years and years and years. When Starlin first started doing that kind of cosmic mysticism? That was new. He was the only guy doing it, he was first. It was just mind-blowing stuff. I've loved the cosmic characters since then. Silver Surfer, Drax, Warlock -- I was so into those series. Now I get a chance to go in and hopefully do right by them. No. Really.

[Punchy]

Sounds cool, like a Gonzo crossover.

Looking forward to this!

[BlueThunderArmy]

Originally posted by MattBrady
You don't want to be reading it going, "Well, I know halfway through that Captain Marvel gets a mohawk and starts calling himself Pantyman." You don't need that.

Spoiler space! SPOILER SPACE!!!!

[Spaz_Monkey]

I have to say - it took a while to get used to it, but once I did, i absolutely loved Scott Kolins' work on The Flash. I'm actually going to buy a non-Dan Slott Marvel book, just for Keith & Scott's work!

[Ian]

Speaking of Starlin...where is he? No offense, but this project seems a little remiss without him.

[bizarrolike]

48pages with no ad's Very excellent. can't wait to try it.

I wonder if their is any possibility to make "the runner" look cool. Or are some cosmic charactors beyond salvation.

[Ironhorse]

Giffen ROCKS!!! I know this "cosmic event" is gonna be totally cool, keep working Keith. Peace.

[Johnny Smith]

Giffen is a legend, this sounds kewl, like a Boffo crossover.

Looking forward to this! This is ____ing A!

[Johnny Smith]

Originally posted by bizarrolike
48pages with no ad's Very excellent. can't wait to try it.

I wonder if their is any possibility to make "the runner" look cool. Or are some cosmic charactors beyond salvation.

No, Giffen can save the Runner!

He could even make Speedball cool

[Punchy]

Originally posted by Johnny Smith
Giffen is a legend, this sounds kewl, like a Boffo crossover.

Looking forward to this! This is ____ing A!

No need to make fun.

[bizarrolike]

Originally posted by Johnny Smith
No, Giffen can save the Runner!

He could even make Speedball cool

You kidding me? The Runner was a guy in gold dressed like a roman with a toga. The best way to alter his look would be to make him look like waverider.

[Justice Daye]

This is starting to peek my interest...and I'm not really a fan of cosmic characters other than Kyle Rayner.

[Rob Helmerichs]

Originally posted by Ian
Speaking of Starlin...where is he? No offense, but this project seems a little remiss without him.

Starlin left Marvel because of some unspecified bad blood during the Thanos series, which is why Giffen took over. I'm guessing they haven't worked out their differences.

[eh_ver]

I'm really looking forward to this whole thing. Money provided, I'm infor the long haul. This'll be an expensive venture, but it should be worth it for the talent and characters involved.

I'm probably the only one thinking this, but I'm really hoping that with Abnett and Lanning's "Nova", we get an appearance from Century, from Force Works a few years back. I just loved that guy.

[Mr Wesley]

Love it, love it, love it!

I think the time is right for more space opera in the comics. And I hope--hope!-- that Annhilation, along with House of M and the other big stories Marvel is doing next year will be the kickstart the company needs to really start creating real change with the characters. Not just "Hey, let's give Parker a new Spider-Man suit," but really start developing the characters through permanent changes.

Oh, and welcome back to Vaneta! Haven't seen her in a while, either!

[fistofkhonshu]

Where is wolverine in all this? jk I'll probably do the same thing with this I did with IC. Wait until the word is out and it sounds too cool to pass up and then buy up all the back issues & TPBs I'll definitely get the 48pager $ withstanding

[GreenDevil]

looks cool, if theres any Ronan the Accuser Fans out there don,t read this:

Ronan is the Irish for: little seal!
Truth!!!

[Waspinator]

I don't see anywhere is says it is tying in with any of Marvel's other event books. That's crazy.... What is Marvel doing?

[Toneloak]

I'm just waiting for fight between Galactus and Thanos, while The Hunger feeds away.

[Punchy]

Originally posted by Waspinator
I don't see anywhere is says it is tying in with any of Marvel's other event books. That's crazy.... What is Marvel doing?

Being sensible.

[Michael Heide]

Originally posted by MattBrady
KG: Over the course of the entire series, there are going to be very few cosmic characters that aren't touched on in one way or another. Some will see their lives radically altered, and some will just bump up against our story and move on. [/b]

I wonder if they are going to use Morrison's Marvel Boy. Of course I heard rumors that MB was retroactively declared "Ultimate", but that doesn't make any sense, since it's fairly obvious that it's taking place in the 616.

[Emma's Boytoy]

... watch the Jets piss away the season.

Maybe it's time that the fans & Jets management realize that Chad Pennington is nothing more than an over-rated... Jay Fiedler. Two shmucks who couldn't even crack the roster of a Canadian Football League team!

Jets should also look into making Blaylock the # 1 RB and for Herman Edward's sake, get some guys that can hold up on the offensive line. Even an 80 year old grandma could break through and make a sack.

Well, must be hard to see the other New York team being able to build a winner wirh Eli & Tiki!

[HartyPotter]

I'm not big on cosmic stuff, but I'll definitely get the prologue. Who can resist 48 pages and no ads?

[speedbaldwin]

Originally posted by Johnny Smith
No, Giffen can save the Runner!

He could even make Speedball cool

Speedball is already cool!

[Michael Heide]

No. Speedball is dead.