GIFFEN GOES COMMANDOS

[MattBrady]

by Vaneta Rogers

They say war is hell. But imagine a war where you aren't just fighting the guns across the front line, but the dragons, demons and zombies coming at you from all sides. Suddenly, the side with the biggest, baddest monsters has a whole new type of advantage.

That's the basic concept behind Howling Commandos, a five-issue Marvel mini-series being created by writer Keith Giffen and artist Eduardo Francisco. Due to debut in October, the series takes some old and some new Marvel monsters and turns them into a military-style special operations team working for S.H.I.E.L.D. to handle supernatural threats that no one else will touch.

Newsarama asked Giffen to tell us about how this unusual group of supernatural beings came together within the Marvel Universe, and a little more about what they do in the series.

Newsarama: Keith, Old Sgt. Fury fans will remember that "Howling Commandos" is the name for his team of specially trained U.S. rangers from comics starting in the 1960s. Now you've revived the name for another group of specially trained soldiers, but with a unique twist. Was the Howling Commandos comic your idea?

Keith Giffen: I've always wanted to do something with the name “Howling Commandos”. I just mentioned how I loved the name Howling Commandos and what a pity it was that the name was going to waste, and to be honest with you, I don't remember exactly who it was that said wouldn't it be neat if it was Marvel monsters. It took on a life of its own from there. Marvel just threw a lot of weight and support behind it.

NRAMA: Give us the basic evolution of the Howling Commandos as a team. How do they come to work together?

KG: S.H.I.EL.D. gathered up all of the Marvel monsters to serve as a shock and awe strike force. They will utilize horror and supernatural dread as weapons. There's nothing more effective than dropping a couple of werewolves behind the enemy's front lines and letting them run amok. They sort of soften up the enemy.

The idea behind the series is to take Tom Clancy operations and extrapolate them into monster terms. Like if you call in air support, in a Tom Clancy novel, it's jets flying overhead dropping bombs. In our book, it's a fire-breathing dragon soaring in. So we're just taking the Tom Clancy/Rainbow Six riff, but playing it with monsters and supernatural creatures, and hopefully having a lot of fun.

NRAMA: How were the monsters recruited?

KG: The monsters were approached to join, conscripted and sometimes given no choice in the matter. I mean, if you're a zombie, you might be told, "look, we can't have you wandering around out there. It's either you can do this and have a useful function, or ... there's the flamethrower." So there's a little bit of that involved.

NRAMA: Who are the characters that make up the team of Howling Commandos?

KG: Clay Quartermain is sort of the human in charge of the team. Then there's Living Mummy, Warwolf, Zombie, Glob. And we have Vampire by Night, which is kind of redundant, isn't it? Because Vampire by Day is what, dust? And Clone of Frankenstein -- I love that one, because technically, he should be eight guys, 'cause he's sewn together from different people. Think about it!

We have a whole bunch of other monsters also. We can use them as we need them. But that's the core group. That's actually the Howling Commandos in the same way you saw a handful of ‘Men in Black’ in the Men in Black movie but you knew there were a lot more.

NRAMA: So you've been given access to all the Marvel monsters?

KG: Yeah. It's really weird with Howling Commandos. We were given a wish list of Marvel monsters, and we can touch base with everyone from Fing Fang Foom to Morbius and all points in between.

NRAMA: What is the team's mission in this five-issue mini?

KG: We start with Clay Quartermain taking over Area 13, which is this secret base in which the Howling Commandos operate in the middle of the New Jersey pine barrens. And we just pick up on all of the operations through him.

Do you remember an old group of villains from The Hulk called the Legion of Living Lightning? There's a trivia question for you! I thought, wouldn't it be interesting to take the Legion of Living Lightning and turn them into a doomsday cult that sells all sorts of super weapons to terrorists and fringe groups, hoping to trigger an apocalyptic war. Because their belief system is based on, "we will rise from the ashes to rule after the final war." So one of the missions of the Howling Commandos is to deal with that threat. And you'll see the team evolve through that.

NRAMA: Are you having fun writing about these obscure monsters and villains from Marvel's library?

KG: Oh yeah. We're just giving a lot of these monsters basic personalities. Like the fact that Zombie is kind of disgusted that people think he's going to eat them. The fact that the Living Mummy, having once been royalty, is just an insufferable snob. I've always been more interested in what happens when the characters take off the uniforms and are together behind the scenes, and it's even more interesting because these guys are monsters.

NRAMA: You've been writing a lot of humor comics lately. Would it be accurate to call this a humor comic?

KG: No. It's not a bwa-ha-ha, Defenders/Justice League type of book. This is a whole other animal. I'm not going into this one for laughs. I'm going into this one to really get some high adventure going.

NRAMA: How has it been working with Eduardo Francisco on developing the artwork of the monsters?

KG: I've seen all the artwork as it's come in for the first issue and I'll tell you, this guy is gold. The guy is really astonishing. When I first saw his drawings, I said, if this is a hit, it isn't me. He's doing an incredible job with these characters. The whole look and feel of the book - I hope people get into the spirit of it and have as much fun reading it as I am working it.

[Fazhoul]

I know a lot of people have been raving about the artwork on this but it doesn't do anything for me.

BTW, great article Vaneta.

[Bakema NL]

I think I'll pick this up, the whole monster squad thing lead by ol' clay sounds like fun.

[350z]

After reading the interview, I am really excited about the project. But I really hate to say something like this next statement after only seeing what look like character designs, but I don't think I like the artwork. The human (if they are human--the man and woman) characters look ugly. I mean; they are not very nice to look at because I think the drawing is ugly. Hopefully, when we get a chance to see some preview pages, perhaps I will change my mind--if the art is a little different from what I have seen so far.

[TheAuthority]

Sounds like DC's Creature Commandos to me. Of course I'm still interested in picking this up. But you've got one issue to grab me. If it doesn't I won't be back for a second.

[Punchy]

Getting this fo-sho, I am a mark for anything Keith Giffen, and this sounds like a fun story, with the other stuff at marvel, Hero Squared, Common Foe and I Luv Halloween, now is a great time to be a Giffen fan (not so much at DC though)

The concept is good too, it doesn't matter if its a rip-off of something, else, cos this is bound to be better

[bob_at_york]

This looks really interesting. I will wait for a preview and then decide.

[Michael P]

No Jack Russell? I sad.

[Ragnarokker]

Looks like a heaping good time. And it'll be way fun. Frankly, I'm looking forward to seeing how they wrangle/coerce all the monsters into working for them.

And is it just me or did Giffen nab all the coolest names/titles for this series. Howling Commandos, Legion of the living lightning? Freaking great stuff. It boggles the mind how much cool stuff that Marvel has rights to but for one reason or another they aren't using right now. Awesome.

[Beetle Bomb]

Nope, sorry. The thought of a wolfman in some robotech-esque battle suit just doesn't strike me the right way at all. It just seems like a miserable excuse to use stagnant Marvel "creature features" that are sitting on the shelf. Really, a ZOMBIE coming after me? I could see the vampires and wolfmen angle a lot better than that.

One of those cases where I like the writers and artists, but the concept is not real thrilling. I'd rather see an updated Nick Fury and the Howling Commandos book using the name like it should be used.

[OM]

...Two problems with this series:

1) DC's been there, done that. Creature Commandos from Weird War Tales, anyone?

2) What, no Fin Fang Foom, Keith? For a man who got his career doing nothing but Kirby swipes, not including one of the King's more lasting creations from Marvel's monster era is tadamount to heresy!

I give this mess five issues...:-P

[korvac69]

No slam intended - a cool idea is a cool idea and variations on the theme could make it a very different book.

[Conor E]

Originally posted by OM
I give this mess five issues...:-P

Place your bets! How long until someone misses the blatant sarcasm in that statement?

[Psivage]

Damn this whet my appetite, this would be so awsome cool if it gets turn into a regular series. But as if.

[Punchy]

Originally posted by OM
What, no Fin Fang Foom, Keith? For a man who got his career doing nothing but Kirby swipes, not including one of the King's more lasting creations from Marvel's monster era is tadamount to heresy!

I give this mess five issues...:-P

Ummmm:

We were given a wish list of Marvel monsters, and we can touch base with everyone from Fing Fang Foom to Morbius and all points in between.

So he is there

[Punchy]

DOUBLE POST

[joe.pascone]

John Jameson should be on this team. If not to bring another werewolf into the fold, who are the coolest, w00t! geekout moment for me, then for the simple reason that his history is worked into the current mythos of our mind. We have a soft spot for him in our brains.

And this guy too.

Why? Uhh...you just can't keep a good monster down.

[Lex]

I'm excited about this book! I love it when people dust off old properties and character that no one has used in years and do something really cool with them. This article made me even more interested.

[motteditor]

Sounds like it could be fun (and I like the Vampire by Day being dust comment). And Legion of the Living Lightning is an oldie but goodie. Wonder if Miguel Santos -- the Living Lightning -- will show up.

[Starpilot]

Good concept. Good writer. Good characters.

BAD art! Sorry, that hybrid Rob Liefeld/manga style just puts me off.

These are comics, not novels, so for me there has to be a good combination of art and writing or I won't take the hook. Back to the drawing board (so to speak), Marvel!

[qtzar]

i would love to see the team of Jack Russel/werewolf by night,john jameson as manwolf but since we have werewolf by night maybe jameson can appear in his human form more and as a twist he can be a nicer person in his manwolf form because just like his father he is a bigger jerk as a plain old human.i would also like to see one of the molemen be a character and he can have issues because he is something like son number 103873403 (like second child syndrome)i feel its time to characterize one of those guys which are usually used for fodder.Man thing would benefit from being on a team the character can use a new twist, maybe like the only person who he will listen to or that can keep him under control is Howard the Duck and Morbious.i would love to see this team for a story arc

[Layters]

Wow I'm there. Giffen has taken stale chracters and given them a slant. How could I not be. Alfonso. I know ur lurking there somewhere. U know me for Joe Qs board. Do me a favour and actually be fair with ur comments of this book.

[sHk|KnightwinG]

Originally posted by Starpilot
Good concept. Good writer. Good characters.

BAD art! Sorry, that hybrid Rob Liefeld/manga style just puts me off.

These are comics, not novels, so for me there has to be a good combination of art and writing or I won't take the hook. Back to the drawing board (so to speak), Marvel!

LOL!

OK... I know that not everyone has the same taste in comic book art ( I for one strongly dislike a good number of comic book artists that others apparently love), but........

to call the artwork of Eduardo Francisco sampled here a "hybrid of Rob Liefeld/manga style" is just plain ignorant!

Without going into my personal feelings about Rob Liefeld (because it's not especially relevant here) or my personal feelings about "manga style" (as if such a thing exists) how does one come up w/ such a ridiculous statement?

I know I shouldn't be so harsh, but if you're gonna be a bitter fanboy at least try to make sense!

p.s. and if there's one thing some of you can come away with from reading this... please realize that when you use the phrase "manga style" chances are A) you don't know what you're talking about B) you've probably never read manga (ie. you think seeing an episode of Dragonball Z qualifies you as a "manga expert") and C) you probably should stop using the term "manga style"

[DrCool976]

Looks like a fun and cool concept.

I am onboard.

[winterteeth]

Does this remind anyone else of Giffen's ill-fated run at Suicide Squad?