SDCC '07: PHIL JIMENEZ/MARC GUGGENHEIM SIGN EXCLUSIVE WITH MARVEL

[MattBrady]

At Joe Quesada's Cup 'O Joe panel, the Marvel Editor-in-Chief announced two more exclusive creator signings - artist Phil Jimenez and writer Marc Guggenheim. Newsarama spoke to both creators recently (in separate conversations) about their new Marvel affiliation, and those interviews follow, respectively...

by Matt Brady

Most recently, Phil Jimenez made a name for himself as the go-to guy at DC for Wonder Woman, Infinite Crisis, and of course, the first Countdown teaser image. But Phil’s fans could tlel that a change was in the air – he illustrated the Spider-Man story in Marvel’s Free Comic Book Day issue, and as early as Wonder Con of this year, there were reports that Jimenez would be moving to Amazing Spider-Man.

Well, while we can’t comment about that second part (and have scrubbed the conversation lean of any specific mentions of his new assignment), the stage certainly is set as it was announced today at the San Diego Comic-Con that Jimenez has signed an exclusive contract with Marvel.

We spoke with him briefly about his new deal.

Newsarama: So Phil, how do these exclusive contracts work, anyway? Are you just working one day, and you get a call with the offer, or is it something that you bring up and it gets negotiated out to the nth degree?

Phil Jimenez: When I decided to do work for Marvel, they quickly asked me to sign a contract. I hadn't originally wanted to sign another deal with anyone (having just come off a long contract from DC) and I was enjoying the freelance life, believe it or not. Plus, I was concerned about my ability to make it worth Marvel's while -- I was doing design work on a film, teaching, and working on a couple of other projects (one comic related, one not) at the time the contract came into play.

But the folks at Marvel assured me they could work around that. The also were willing to let me sign a fairly short-term contract, and were incredibly gracious with the negotiations about money and schedule. So I became more comfortable with the idea, knowing that we were all more or less on the same page (with scheduling), and chose to sign.

NRAMA: Simple, big picture, why’d you do it? What was it about the deal that just made it too good to pass up?

PJ: Well, one of the obvious reasons is the chance to work an incredibly popular character, ________. That's a dream come true for a lot of people, and I've had the amazing opportunity to work on some pretty impressive names while drawing for this business -- Superman, The X-Men, Wonder Woman, and the Justice League. I really wanted to add __________ to that list (maybe it's cause I did my little ___________ on that first ________, and thought it was a nice full circle opportunity). It's been a challenge -- I was never a huge ______ reader -- but I love working with the character, his supporting cast, and drawing New York City in particular!

I'd actually suggest the big reason was that it was an opportunity to work with one of my favorite editors, Steve Wacker. He's really amazing and he's been a champion of mine since I've known him. He's been very protective of me, and we have a lot of the same cultural and comic book touchstones in common. And, he's just a really good guy and he's been incredibly tolerant of my learning curve (________ and his universe are still relatively new to me). Most importantly, he knows how to handle my madness, deal with my neuroses, and still work with me -- a real gift in the world of comic book editors, in my opinion. We're like the new guys to the Marvel party, and I think we both want to impress our hosts.

Plus, Marvel is well known for their generous pay to contract-players, and that was really attractive. As I said, it's not an overly long contract, so I don't think I'll overstay my welcome, and the guys at Marvel were really terrific about working with my needs -- I tried to be as upfront about them as possible (mostly in terms of finishing previous commitments and scheduling issues) -- and they were really accommodating.

NRAMA: You touched on this briefly, but could you expand a little on why Marvel? What was the attraction to this particular universe, especially after being so integrally involved with the DCU for the last few years?

PJ: One of my career highlights was working on New X-Men with Grant Morrison a few years back. I loved it, fans loved it -- and the stuff looks pretty nice, too. I think we should all branch out and change -- I think a big problem with our business is that many in it (including myself) dislike change immensely. But working with different characters, different worlds, different editors, in a very different work environment, can only spark new creative growth. I think it's good for everyone to stretch now and again, push boundaries, try new things. My hope is that my time on _________ will bring the readers as much joy as my X-Men run, and that I'll learn a few things about drawing, story-telling, and negotiating creatively with people I've wanted to work with for a long time.

NRAMA: You also mentioned your schedule – with this contract are you looking to get back to being monthly?

PJ: Truth be told, though, my work is taking longer than it used to -- especially on ___________, because it's a character and a universe I'm getting used to, because I really want to impress the folks and Marvel, and because I really, really want to please long time __________ fans. I really want to make sure I get it right.

NRAMA: This contract will be covering ___________________, primarily. Does that pretty much fill in your workload for comics, or will there be more?

PJ: Yeah, I think so. I'm pretty focused on _______ and his world for the moment. So, except for a cover here and there, but I think I'm gonna pretty busy with ol' _______ for the next several months! And seriously, that's not a bad place to be at all!

Marc Guggenheim interview continues below...

Newsarama's Comic-Con International '07 coverage is brought to you by Witchblade – The Anime Series. Available on DVD September 25th. Click here to view trailer.

He got his feet wet with a popular Wolverine run that tied in to Civil War, helped launch a Blade series, and then moved over to DC where he…well, killed Bart Allen, the current Flash.

And now, Marc Guggenhiem is moving back to Marvel, this time, in a little more permanent a fashion, as he’s signed an exclusive contract with the publisher.

We spoke with the writer.

Newsarama: How did landing the exclusive work in your case, Marc?

Marc Guggenheim: Well, in my case, it was a while in coming. It started out with some very casual discussions among myself and various different people at Marvel. It just gets brought up in conversation: "How's it going? Where's the script for such-and-such? Have you thought about signing an exclusive?" That type of thing. It's not like you get a call with an offer, per se. At least, I didn't. It starts with a general temperature-taking. And whenever people would take my temperature on it, I'd beg off. I was having too much fun working both sides of the street. But then a few things started to happen that made me think signing an exclusive was a good idea. And I always knew that once I decided to go exclusive with anybody, it would be with Marvel first. Axel Alonso gave me my first big break in the form of the Wolverine Civil War tie-in and that kind of recklessness for my benefit engenders a lot of loyalty.

NRAMA: Who was on point for bringing you in to the Marvel fold? Was ther any one person in particular who was both the evangelist and the businessman?

MG: The negotiations were conducted through Ruwan Jayatilleke. I don't know his title, but he's actually the person who "brought me into" Marvel in the first place. He hooked me up with Axel. He's a great guy. And a shrewd negotiator. Very crafty, that Ruwan.

NRAMA: Do you have any particular elements “carved out” for you? Well, aside from your television show…

MG: There are a couple of projects that have been in the works for some time now, in various stages. Most notably, my creator-owned series for Oni Press, Resurrection, was carved out, of course. I tried to get carve-outs for Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash and Justice League, but Marvel balked at that for some reason. Those guys are hard asses...

NRAMA: Looking at the simple, big picture, why’d you do it? What was it about the deal that just made it too good to pass up?

MG: It's several reasons. Like I said, I owe Marvel a lot, particularly Axel, and I wanted to pay a bit of it back. There are also creative opportunities that open up when you're exclusive with either Marvel or DC and I wanted to take advantage of that. (Related point: Remind me to tell you about my soon-to-be-announced Team America/U.S. 1 crossover.)

NRAMA: Trucks and dirtbikes? What could be cooler?

MG: Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

NRAMA: What do you get to do on an exclusive compared to a freelancer relationship? Obviously, this takes away the pitching for another gig, but what else?

MG: Well, actually, I didn't find myself pitching for many of my Marvel gigs. It was usually like, "Want to do this? Write something up." But, as I mentioned, you also get access to certain, shall we say, properties that freelancers don't normally get access to. (It works this way at DC as well, from my understanding.) You also get a better page rate, better royalty incentives and a guaranteed amount of work.

NRAMA: Why Marvel – what was the attraction to this particular universe?

MG: Well, like I said, part of it is the professional relationship we've built with each other over the past two years. Marvel seems to "get" how I work and I really like how Marvel works. Even down to the little stuff, I like the creative and bureaucratic procedures they've got in place. I like how the place runs. And I like the people. Except for Ruwan. Like I said, he's crafty... (Kidding.)

As for attraction to this particular universe -- and for a moment, let's pause to consider just how friggin' cool it is to be talking about choosing between universes -- I've been a Marvel Zombie since I was eight. The X-Men were my favorite characters growing up; I devoured all of the Pocket Book TPB reprintings of the old Spider-Man, FF, Hulk, etc. comics; I interned at Marvel in college, etc. I just know these characters very intimately -- no not that way, get your mind out of the gutter -- and they're just some of the coolest toys to play with.

NRAMA: You’ve obviously got other irons in the fire, namely with your television series. Not to name names, but we’ve all seen “tv guys” who’ve started in comics, only to fizzle when the tv job starts to demand more and more time. What kind of buffers can you set up to prevent that?

MG: A lot of them are already in place since I've been working simultaneously in TV and comics for the past two years now. Yes, things have gotten a little more challenging because I'm now co-running a show, but my general approach is the same: I work very hard to (a) make sure I have only as much on my plate and I can handle and (b) make sure I'm very disciplined in terms of getting what I need to get done comic book-wise each day. That really all comes down to scheduling. I try to be very disciplined about allotting a specific amount of time for each issue of each project and sticking to that schedule. I'm not saying I don't slip occasionally or that some disaster strikes that throws me off, but the idea is to have an equal number of "good" days -- days where the scripts just pour out of me -- to make up for the "bad" ones. It's an ongoing struggle, but I haven't blown a shipping date yet.

NRAMA: Just out of curiosity, what kind of schedule will you be carrying? How much time a week does the show demand, and how much will comics demand?

MG: Good question. The show demands about 200 hours per week. (What do you mean there's only 168 hours in a week?) Comics demands a bit less time. I'm not going to lie to you, it's tricky. Having an understanding wife helps a lot. Having a supportive business partner (über genius, Greg Berlanti) helps a lot. People are always asking me how I find time to do everything, and the honest answer is: I have no idea. I have an ulcer, but no idea. Like I said, a lot of the answer is scheduling and discipline, but beyond that I don't know how it's all getting done. I'm not all that interested in "taking a look under the hood" to find out. So far, the show's running, the comics are shipping and my wife and kid haven't left me. Actually, I'm not sure about the last part. Honey? Sweetheart? Anybody home? Yeah, I don't know where she went...

Seriously though, I love my wife and I love my daughter and we have an amazing family. My wife is a showrunner herself, so she gets it. And even if she wasn't a showrunner, she'd still get it because she's a very empathetic, understanding person. And my daughter is incredible. One day you'll I'll meet her and you'll see -- she'll be the one with the knife asking for your wallet. Okay, I'm kidding again. Really. That's the other part of my time management scheme, you have to joke about it all. (Related point: Keep an eye out for my book on parenting entitled, "It Takes A Nanny.")

NRAMA: This will be covering Wolverine and another assignment at Marvel. Does that pretty much fill in your workload for comics, or will there be more?

MG: I'll also be continuing Resurrection, my creator-owned series for Oni. And maybe one or two other things you might be hearing about. I know, I'm crazy. I am. I need help. Honey? Honey!!

[caats19]

drat. darn. phooey.

[mheath81]

I think that it is obviously ASM after reading that article, especially the reference to New York city, as, in my opinion, New York has always been a key element of Spider-man lore, moreso than other character universes.

[TheJerkle]

I love Phil Jimenez's art. Awesome

[1603]

Well, that would certainly lead us to believe that ___________ is Spider-man, no? Maybe it isn't, and it's misdirection.




Or, Darkhawk. Could be Darkhawk.

[BanMan]

Good luck to both of them. I'll definitely be looking forward to what Guggenheim does, but it looks like Jiminez is officially on Spidey.

[Zeitgeist]

Phil Jimenez is great, looking forward to more Marvel work from him

[ThomasC22]

Originally Posted by 1603

Well, that would certainly lead us to believe that ___________ is Spider-man, no? Maybe it isn't, and it's misdirection.

Its either the best work of misdirection ever or he's working on Spider-Man. Maybe if they'd scrubbed the "Ol' _______" and the Wacker reference but with those two in place I can't think of who else it would fit.

[FrostyFrog]

Some nice pick ups for Marvel, I hope to see them do well.

[Elshaneo]

Oh crap on a stick. That means no Jimenez DC stuff for a while. Ah well. I can wait. Hopefully he'll do something Marvel-wise that I'll be interested in.

[superspidey]

If Jimenez isn't on ASM I will be shocked.

[Glasgow]

What else is Wacker editing? Got to be spiderman.

[BanMan]

Oh and CBR confirms that Guggenheim IS one of the writers on Spider-man.

[btjs]

Phil Jimenez and Marc Guggenheim. Meanwhile, Dan DiDio continues killing off characters I love or outright dismissing other ones while advocating Barbara Gordon walking again. Smooth, DC. They're lucky they still have Morrison and Johns or I'd be all but gone.

[ejulp]

Both great artists in their own rights, and really deserve this...I also agree, I think those Planet X and Murder at the Mansion issues were the best pencils I think I've seen from Jimenez...good memories of those issues. Guggenheim had a great arc on Wolverine, the most enjoyable arc on that book since forever...I mean, hell, even that Venom story he did in the Civil War one ____ was very "bright", intelligent writing.

P.S. lol i must have accidently spelt shot with an "i"

[Uchiha_Prodigy]

I hope Guggenheim stays on Wolverine forever and ever and ever.

[ejulp]

Originally Posted by btjs

Phil Jimenez and Marc Guggenheim. Meanwhile, Dan DiDio continues killing off characters I love or outright dismissing other ones while advocating Barbara Gordon walking again. Smooth, DC. They're lucky they still have Morrison and Johns or I'd be all but gone.

God, honestly, I'd give 3/4s of my comic book collection for Morrison to come back to Marvel, I mean that in all truth...YOU HEAR ME GRAAAANT!!!!

[Kevenn]

I worship Jimenez's art. I'm sad to see him leave DC. Marvel is very lucky, and I hope the fans appreciate his talent being showcased there. I'm just glad to learn it's a short-term contract.

[Tom Daylight]

I can't tell you who _________ is, but he's a hard-luck superhero who sticks to walls.

[BanMan]

Ah. I wonder who DC got this year.

[dmarvp]

Sad to see both of these out of DC for a while

Specially Jimenez

[cleazer]

Originally Posted by ThomasC22

Its either the best work of misdirection ever or he's working on Spider-Man.

That would be pretty funny if it turns out to not be Spider-Man. The non-edited hints were thick and heavy.

That said, Jimenez is just the type of big name you need for launching this new 3 issues per month experiment. Seems like a great move by Marvel.

[Speedball93]

Originally Posted by 1603

Well, that would certainly lead us to believe that ___________ is Spider-man, no? Maybe it isn't, and it's misdirection.




Or, Darkhawk. Could be Darkhawk.

Darkhawk would be awesome. I miss his solo book.

[phoss]

Did Jimenez ever finish that Vertigo series that he put on hiatus to draw Infinite Crisis?

[Valis1212]

Originally Posted by phoss

Did Jimenez ever finish that Vertigo series that he put on hiatus to draw Infinite Crisis?

Phoss, I read and interview with him about that and he said it did too poorly in the US (he said it did surprisingly well in Europe) for DC to allow him to continue with it. I think it was called Otherworld or something. Don't expect to see it again. Hope I could help.

With JMS gone, his run was strong at first and fizzled out IMO, and the books being unifed into one, and the high level of talent onboard I'm so jumping aboard. I liked some of Peter David and Sensational as well but you knew nothing of importance would happen unless it was in Amazing which made the decision not to collect Friendly and Sensational all the easier sadly

Do we have a list yet of who will be on Amazing Spider-Man?

We have confirmed for writers: Guggenheim
Rumored: Dan Slott
There will be one more writer

Rumored Pencils: Jimenez and Larroca
Just about confirmed: Chris Bachalo

One more will be announced.