THE MARVEL-OUS WORLD OF JEFF PARKER

**MattBrady** · 10-11-2006, 10:34 AM

by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

In the tradition of “What If the Avengers fought evil in the 1950s?” (What If? Vol. 1 #9, “What If the Avengers lost the Evolutionary War? (What If? Vol. 2 #1), “What If Captain America had formed the Avengers?” (What If? #29), “What If the Avengers lost Operation: Galactic Storm?” (What If? #55-#56), and others, Marvel Comics’ What If? one-shots return with new installments that cover recent classics.

“There are plenty of cool moments left in the Marvel Universe to tap into and more created every month. It was about doing something tied into all the recent great arcs. And all of them beg a doosey of a What If,” editor Mark Paniccia said in an earlier interview when the new What If? projects were announced at Wizard World: Chicago.

Kicking off the latest batch is What If: Avengers: Disassembled by writer Jeff Parker and artist Aaron Lopresti.

The original solicitation copy reads:

WHAT IF? AVENGERS DISASSEMBLED
Written by Jeff Parker
Penciled by Aaron Lopresti
Cover by Gary Frank

"The Avengers have the same unfortunate tendency as ordinary law enforcement. Once we have a perpetrator to hang the crime on, we look no further."- Dr. Hank McCoy
It was the darkest day in Avengers history. Heroes died, the mansion was destroyed, and the team came to an end. But was the real problem solved? What if the greatest threat had gone undetected?
48 PGS

We spoke with Parker about this, and more.

Newsarama: What're some of your favorite Avengers stories?

Jeff Parker: The early ‘60s run still holds the most charm for me. Even though he was only there about ten minutes, I still like Hulk on the team. And of course, I have that in Marvel Adventures!

NRAMA: What did you think of the original “Disassembled” arc by Brian Bendis and Dave Finch?

JP: I liked the way the heroes related to each other, and it was certainly a massive shot in the arm to the title and group. It had grown complacent. I like the way Brian has the harsh developments keep coming before anyone can get a breath - that rings true of what catastrophe is really like. And the way they act in the face of it is just right; it really places the heroes on a human level.

My only problem is that the Avengers didn't solve the problem themselves, Dr. Strange did. But I can see the reasoning behind that, this is their lowest point and they're not supposed to win - it's a story about failure and you have to believe the group would break up.

NRAMA: And it also led to last summer’s event, House of M…

JP: Oh, of course. I enjoyed that and I really liked Wolverine in it. Which is something I don't often do. I was really liking that world, it's too bad it had to be put back to normal!

NRAMA: Did you read any of the What If? stories from back in the day? What're some of your favorites?

JP: Like a lot of people, the first one, with Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four sticks with me. Oddly, the other main one coming to mind at the moment is the one where Conan came to the present day.

NRAMA: So then - combining what we just talked about, next month, you're given a chance to re-write “Disassembled” and its subsequent events. Without spoiling it for the readers, what can we expect from your What If? Avengers: Disassembled one-shot?

JP: You can expect some maniacal theorizing on my part. While reading through the trade, I started to feel I was seeing a subtext that led to deeper motives and I ran with that. It's handled as a crime-scene investigation, wherein Beast and Ms. Marvel poke around and ask questions to get to the bottom of things, not being content with what their eyes saw that day. Aaron Lopresti breaks out some gorgeous art, too. There's no Marvel character he can't draw the heck out of. Heck, I said.

NRAMA: Yes you did. So where does your What If? tale pick up in what readers will remember from Disassembled?

JP: Our What If? picks the next day after it all went down, after Magneto flew off with Scarlet Witch and everyone was standing around feeling good and defeated.

NRAMA: So really, it’s not a “What if Avengers Disassembled didn’t happen?”, but more of a tweak of the aftermath?

JP: Right. Our Holmes and Watson of the story are The Beast and Ms. Marvel, who just can't let sleeping dogs lie, leave well enough alone, all that. Hank McCoy just doesn't accept that what he saw was all that there was to the Disassembling.

Since all What Ifs dealing with big storylines have to spend a lot of time recapping what happened, I thought we could put that to use by handling it as a crime scene investigation. Now you get the story as recounted by various heroes who were there that day.

NRAMA: So – with the “disassembling” still taking place…Hawkeye still buys it?

JP: Yes, he still ate the tail end of the Kree warship. He's so dead. And there's plenty of carnage, because it's just not What If? if heroes don't drop like flies! But now we find out that Wanda may have been manipulated.

NRAMA: Speaking of that makes a good What If? story…along with the heroes dropping like flies…what else needs to be there? A whale of a divergence form what did go down, or can an equally effective story be told if only minor changes are explored?

JP: I think they can diverge any number of ways as long as the developments are followed to a logical conclusion, not happening differently just because. Like someone misses a flight from LaGuardia and now Dr. Doom is the Hulk. Wait, that sounds pretty cool actually... (scrawls note).

Our conceit here isn't that something happened differently, it's that you didn't find out all the truth of those events and here's what happens if you do. So as I told fellow Portlander Brian Bendis the other day "I'm saying you lied!" I thought that would be a neat spin on the formula. I think some readers are expecting this to have a happier ending, but I think it will have the effect that they'll say "Whew. We got off lucky just losing Hawkeye and Ant-Man!"

Oh yeah, and Vision. Poor guy, no one ever counts him!

NRAMA: So – end of the day, and as a result of the changes in your story, is the Marvel Universe different from what we have now?

JP: Yes it is!

NRAMA: Moving on to your other Marvel projects, where are things headed for the Agents of Atlas?

JF: The group is going to have a lot of fun busting heads, and then some revelations are going to make their world pretty dark indeed. Still more revelations are going to really turn their world upside down!

You should read it because if you like it, this is a chance to expand the kinds of stories that can be told in the Marvel Universe. And Leonard Kirk, Kris Justice, and Michelle Madsen are working overtime to bring you a beautiful book!

And of course, we have Gorilla Man and no one else does.

NRAMA: The first issue of X-Men: First Class hit the stands recently. What’s in store for readers in the coming issues?

JF: We're backing up and seeing what the original X-Men still have to offer, and the series is eight individual stories that will be good jumping on points for readers who may think the mutant world is too convoluted to enter. Roger Cruz has morphed his art into a new style that I think readers will really like.

NRAMA: What else have you got in the works?

JF: More Marvel Adventures Avengers for one, and I think issue #9 is going to be embraced by readers who don't even follow the book.

I'm also writing a couple of books for Virgin Comics that I think will be announced soon.

michaelman9 · 10-11-2006, 10:48 AM

I like the way these What If's are diverging from recent stories. I've like Lopestri on other books, so I'll give this one a shot.

And who doesn't want to see Beast actually do something for a change...

(first post)

FChamberlain · 10-11-2006, 10:49 AM

Parker is a very capable writer and has produced some gems with both his independent Interman and his Marvel work on Marvel Adventures Avengers and Agents of Atlas. Anyone who hasn't picked up this stuff, should do themselves a favor and find them. MA Avengers has a nice nostalgic feel to it with straight forward stories written for a younger audiences, but leaving me and many other "older readers" nodding approvingly and chuckling out loud.... Manual Garcia's artwork on that book was beautiful as well!

Good luck Jeff and I look forward to this book!!

Ye Olde Iowa · 10-11-2006, 10:50 AM

Simply put, Jeff Parker is the man right now!

Agents of Atlas is the sleeper hit of the year. X-Men: First Class was a lot of fun and looks like it will be a great mini, and it looks like Marvel Adventures: Avengers is going strong as well. Add what looks to be an awesome What If? one-shot and I'd say things are going quite well for Mr. Parker.

Now if only we could get an Agents of Atlas ongoing!

Bird Flu Man · 10-11-2006, 10:54 AM

Jeff Parker has become one of the writers whose work I pick up based on his involvment alone. Agents of Atlas is a great book that shows continuity and good story can co-exist peacefully. Parker is the type of writer who should be offered a Marvel exclusive contract. He's a man with ideas . . . just what the "House of Ideas" needs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattBrady

JP: I think they can diverge any number of ways as long as the developments are followed to a logical conclusion, not happening differently just because. Like someone misses a flight from LaGuardia and now Dr. Doom is the Hulk. Wait, that sounds pretty cool actually... (scrawls note).

The scary thing is, I think he just summarized J. Michael Straczynski's upcoming "Bullet Points" mini-series in a nutshell.

justafan · 10-11-2006, 10:57 AM

Aaron Lopresti......there's a guy who should be considered one of Marvel's Young Guns. The guy constantly delivers great artwork on schedule.

Hey Marvel......give this guy a run on another top tier book. He deserves it.

Frankie Thirteen · 10-11-2006, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FChamberlain

Parker is a very capable writer and has produced some gems with both his independent Interman and his Marvel work on Marvel Adventures Avengers and Agents of Atlas. Anyone who hasn't picked up this stuff, should do themselves a favor and find them. MA Avengers has a nice nostalgic feel to it with straight forward stories written for a younger audiences, but leaving me and many other "older readers" nodding approvingly and chuckling out loud.... Manual Garcia's artwork on that book was beautiful as well!

Good luck Jeff and I look forward to this book!!

Wait, I didn't put two and two together 'til now...I loved The Interman! I'll have to check out his further work now.

von Doom, M.D. · 10-11-2006, 11:06 AM

Quote:

It was the darkest day in Avengers history. Heroes died, the mansion was destroyed, and the team came to an end. But was the real problem solved? What if the greatest threat had gone undetected?

I'm not really seeing how this is a "What if...". Can someone explain it to me?

dchart1 · 10-11-2006, 11:06 AM

This looks very good. "Bullet Points" reminds me too much of DC's "The Nail" from a few years ago.

Bird Flu Man · 10-11-2006, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by von Doom, M.D.

I'm not really seeing how this is a "What if...". Can someone explain it to me?

You probably have to read the story first. It's sounds like Disassembled was more than just Wanda Maximoff mucking around with reality in this universe.

JoeGKushner · 10-11-2006, 11:36 AM

What if Thor Returned to Earth after Disassembled?

What if Civil War showed two gray sides?

ah, the old What If. Some good stuff there.

Bevbos · 10-11-2006, 11:51 AM

Sounds very interesting. I'm not normally a big "What If...?" guy, but I'll be picking this up.

Drcharles · 10-11-2006, 11:58 AM

This art looks great, but there is a problem with these ' What If ' stories.
They usually don't fit in to continuity, with the exception of ' What If ' # 4 The Invaders had Surivived after WW 2 published during the 70s,
Its a story wasted IMO,

Maybe it should be retitled and relabeled, ' Whats the Point ? '

The Mirrorball Man · 10-11-2006, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drcharles

This art looks great, but there is a problem with these ' What If ' stories.
They usually don't fit in to continuity, with the exception of ' What If ' # 4 The Invaders had Surivived after WW 2 published during the 70s,
Its a story wasted IMO,

Maybe it should be retitled and relabeled, ' Whats the Point ? '

Like most stories, the point is entertainment.

POWRSURG · 10-11-2006, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drcharles

This art looks great, but there is a problem with these ' What If ' stories.
They usually don't fit in to continuity, with the exception of ' What If ' # 4 The Invaders had Surivived after WW 2 published during the 70s,
Its a story wasted IMO,

Maybe it should be retitled and relabeled, ' Whats the Point ? '

So having a place in continuity is the only thing that matters? What about Dark Knight Returns? Kingdom Come? Earth X? etc.

Honestly, I always loved What If ...?. I wish that we could get a monthly out of this. Yes, there is Exiles which I also love, but it's not the same.

Drcharles · 10-11-2006, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Mirrorball Man

Like most stories, the point is entertainment.

Lets Hope, most What Ifs have been dismal

Drcharles · 10-11-2006, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by POWRSURG

So having a place in continuity is the only thing that matters? What about Dark Knight Returns? Kingdom Come? Earth X? etc.

Of course there are exceptions, some What if stories are entertaining, but from my experience I have found them to be expensive " wastes of time ", that generally serve NO purpose to the O/L picture and history of any bk..

Tom Daylight · 10-11-2006, 01:26 PM

Are they really giving it that title? What If featuring Avengers Disassembled? No intriguing title? Sigh... not exactly the draw it used to be. Too bad, because this year's bunch otherwise looks pretty cool.

Quail-Man · 10-11-2006, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justafan

Aaron Lopresti......there's a guy who should be considered one of Marvel's Young Guns. The guy constantly delivers great artwork on schedule.

Hey Marvel......give this guy a run on another top tier book. He deserves it.

He's good but he's not new, is he? I remember seeing his artwork back in 1993, doing a few backup stories for ASM. Anyone else know when he started?

Dave Fury · 10-11-2006, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bird Flu Man

Jeff Parker has become one of the writers whose work I pick up based on his involvment alone. Agents of Atlas is a great book that shows continuity and good story can co-exist peacefully. Parker is the type of writer who should be offered a Marvel exclusive contract. He's a man with ideas . . . just what the "House of Ideas" needs.

The scary thing is, I think he just summarized J. Michael Straczynski's upcoming "Bullet Points" mini-series in a nutshell.

The scary thing is he summarized what is wrong with J. Michael Stracynski's upcoming "Bullet Points."

Steve Rogers doesn't become Captain America, so Peter Parker becomes the Hulk.

Dave Fury · 10-11-2006, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by POWRSURG

So having a place in continuity is the only thing that matters? What about Dark Knight Returns? Kingdom Come? Earth X? etc.

Honestly, I always loved What If ...?. I wish that we could get a monthly out of this. Yes, there is Exiles which I also love, but it's not the same.

What I think he's trying to say is that most of these of "What If" stories don't follow a logical conclusion.

For example, if Tony Stark has a heart attack before he develops the Iron-Man armor, how will the Marvel U be different? Spider-Man would still be Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four would still be the Fantastic Four, but obvisouly there wouldn't be an Avengers and if there are no Avengers, no one discovers Captain America.

This would be a fascinating story. But, too often these "What If" stories deviate from any logical conclusion. Instead of dealing with a new world without an Iron-Man, Avengers, and Captain America, all of a sudden Peter Parker is now the Hulk.

To be fair, certain Elseworld's stories have failed with this as well. For example, Speeding Bullets. The Waynes finding Kal-El is an interesting idea. But, where was Bruce? Why is Lex Luther now the Joker? Why is Lois working in Gotham? It simply wasn't logical.

LikeaPhoenix · 10-11-2006, 01:53 PM

I love What If storylines. I'll definitely pick this up. The art is topnotch!

texkenobi · 10-11-2006, 02:08 PM

I totally agree with the comments regarding Aaron Lopresti...
he gets better and better. I enjoyed his Excalibur run, but I
like this art even better.

Lord MaGnUs · 10-11-2006, 02:09 PM

Good god, this is the guy who writes X-Men: First Class? Stay away...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drcharles

This art looks great, but there is a problem with these ' What If ' stories. They usually don't fit in to continuity, with the exception of ' What If ' # 4 The Invaders had Surivived after WW 2 published during the 70s,
Its a story wasted IMO,

Maybe it should be retitled and relabeled, ' Whats the Point ? '

That's the whole point, that they're different continuities.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Fury

To be fair, certain Elseworld's stories have failed with this as well. For example, Speeding Bullets. The Waynes finding Kal-El is an interesting idea. But, where was Bruce? Why is Lex Luther now the Joker? Why is Lois working in Gotham? It simply wasn't logical.

Ah, but that's the thing, that Elseworlds are not "What if's", they're completely different continuities. They don't have to conform to the logic of the main DC universe, au contraire

CodeGuy · 10-11-2006, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Fury

To be fair, certain Elseworld's stories have failed with this as well. For example, Speeding Bullets. The Waynes finding Kal-El is an interesting idea. But, where was Bruce? Why is Lex Luther now the Joker? Why is Lois working in Gotham? It simply wasn't logical.

It was logical. There were just other changes besides the main one. Bruce wasn't born and the Waynes found Kal-El, instead of just the Waynes found Kal-El.

A story like the one you're describing would be perfectly fine, but it doesn't mean the story they told is any less logical. There's no rule that an alternate universe can only have one historical event that everything diverges from, there could be several differences just as easily.