Post by goldenfist on Nov 27, 2008 10:49:10 GMT -5
IGN Comics: One of the questions we've heard many times in recent years is "When is Marvel finally going to give Christos Gage his own ongoing series?" What made them finally see the light?
Christos Gage: I could joke about having compromising photos of Tom Brevoort and Joe Quesada, but it wouldn't be true. Video is much more effective.
IGN Comics: How is the writing process changing now that you're flying solo? Do you think readers will notice much of a change as the series moves on?
Gage: Well, I'm now responsible for the whole thing, from plot to script, but that's not a huge adjustment because it's how I usually work, and fortunately I've been on the book long enough that I feel like I have a good sense of it. As for whether readers will notice a change, I'll leave that up to them. If they liked issue #13 and the lead story in the recent Special, they'll probably like what's coming up.
IGN Comics: How far did Dan Slott's original road map for the series extend? Are you still working with ideas that the two of you developed, or are you telling your own stories now?
Gage: Since The Initiative is always going to reflect and react to what's going on in the Marvel Universe, it has to be able to roll with external events to a degree. So Dan and I have always talked about the future in more of a general sense... more in terms of where a particular character's journey might lead than "in issue #22, X happens". We did have a pretty good idea of how issues #21 through 25 would unfold, and I'll be sticking to that. Dan was gracious enough to tell me I should feel free to do whatever I wanted, and not feel bound by what we'd discussed, but I felt like what we had planned was cool and exciting, and that's what I wanted to do.
After that, I'll be venturing into virgin territory, and I'm beyond excited about where things are headed. Also, Dan and I plan to keep in touch about what we're doing in our respective books, so fans can look forward to some synergy there. Not in the sense that you have to buy Mighty Avengers to follow the Initiative, or vice versa, but more in that seeds planted in one book might bloom in the other, or a character might make a guest appearance. And who knows, we might do a full-on crossover at some point.
IGN Comics: A major shift occurred in Year Two of the book as the original class graduated and a new one came in. Should readers expect anything so drastic after Secret Invasion ends?
Gage: How about more drastic? Our first post-SI arc is called "The Initiative Disassembled", after all...
IGN Comics: We don't know what Dark Reign spells for the Marvel Universe yet, but one obvious question burns about Initiative. How will the series be affected by the revelation that Yellowjacket was a Skrull? Is Camp Hammond going to fall under closer government scrutiny now, perhaps under the watchful eye of one Henry Peter Gyrich?
Gage: The revelation that one of its primary architects was a Skrull will rock the Initiative to its core. We'll definitely be taking a close look at just who is in charge at Camp Hammond, and who can or should be overseeing the Initiative itself. I'm not mentioning any names, but there will certainly be characters who are not happy about how things shake out.
IGN Comics: Will you be bringing in a new instructor to replace Yellowjacket? The real Hank Pym, perhaps?
Gage: Yellowjacket was more than an instructor, he was deeply involved in running every facet of the camp and, as we now know, in selecting the rosters of the state teams. It's an open question whether one individual is even capable of wearing all those hats. Even assuming the real Hank Pym were alive and returned, he'd be so out of touch even he probably couldn't do it…and that's assuming he'd want to. All I can say is don't miss issue #20!
IGN Comics: Does War Machine still have a place in the series now that he's spinning out into his own book again?
Gage: No, War Machine is flying solo in his own awesome monthly title. That doesn't mean he'll never appear in the Initiative again... but if it happens there's no guarantee it'll be a friendly meeting!
IGN Comics: Among the extensive cast of recruits, which have become your favorites so far? Which ones do you hope to focus on in the coming months?
Gage: Some of my favorites are characters I already knew I loved, like Taskmaster, or ones I had a hand in bringing to the team or creating, like Butterball. Others surprise me by becoming favorites in spite of my expectations. I loved writing Thor Girl, for example. One I plan to look more closely at is Tigra… she's a longtime Avenger and someone who I think has a lot of untapped potential as a character. The revelation of Trauma's true parentage and the fallout of the Komodo/Hardball relationship will absolutely continue to reverberate. The great thing about the Initiative is that it's never a problem finding interesting characters… the trick is finding space to do them justice!
IGN Comics: The recent Initiative Special resumed focus on two Year One characters – Komodo and Hardball. Will the events of this issue play into your stories in the foreseeable future? Will you be similarly focusing on any other Year One characters that have since vanished form the book?
Gage: Yes, definitely…Hardball's defection to Hydra is just the beginning of an unfolding storyline that will encompass not only him and Komodo, but many other characters as well. And most of the Year One characters will always be a part of the book in one way or another, though their roles may change.
IGN Comics: That was a cruel joke you guys played when you teased "And, after fourteen issues, are we really going to unmask Mutant Zero?!" for the issue #18 solicit. When are you actually going to reveal her identity? The online bickering must stop!
Gage: We're really not that cruel, honest! The solicits are written well in advance, and at the time we had every intention of revealing Mutant Zero's identity in #18. But with the Skrull War raging on so many fronts, we ran out of room. But it'll happen in issue #20... this time for real! The pages are drawn and everything!
[Editor's Note: Those are the pages you're seeing in this article. - Rich]
IGN Comics: Speaking of identity reveals, can you tell us who the new regular artist for the series will be?
Gage: I know Humberto Ramos is coming on for issues #21-25, which is a big thrill for me and I'd imagine will be for the readers as well, especially after they see his cover to #21, featuring Clor, the insane Thor clone from Civil War! Any further in the future than that remains undetermined... but we've been blessed with such wonderful artists so far, I have the utmost faith in Tom Brevoort and his office that the book will always look great.
Christos Gage: I could joke about having compromising photos of Tom Brevoort and Joe Quesada, but it wouldn't be true. Video is much more effective.
IGN Comics: How is the writing process changing now that you're flying solo? Do you think readers will notice much of a change as the series moves on?
Gage: Well, I'm now responsible for the whole thing, from plot to script, but that's not a huge adjustment because it's how I usually work, and fortunately I've been on the book long enough that I feel like I have a good sense of it. As for whether readers will notice a change, I'll leave that up to them. If they liked issue #13 and the lead story in the recent Special, they'll probably like what's coming up.
IGN Comics: How far did Dan Slott's original road map for the series extend? Are you still working with ideas that the two of you developed, or are you telling your own stories now?
Gage: Since The Initiative is always going to reflect and react to what's going on in the Marvel Universe, it has to be able to roll with external events to a degree. So Dan and I have always talked about the future in more of a general sense... more in terms of where a particular character's journey might lead than "in issue #22, X happens". We did have a pretty good idea of how issues #21 through 25 would unfold, and I'll be sticking to that. Dan was gracious enough to tell me I should feel free to do whatever I wanted, and not feel bound by what we'd discussed, but I felt like what we had planned was cool and exciting, and that's what I wanted to do.
After that, I'll be venturing into virgin territory, and I'm beyond excited about where things are headed. Also, Dan and I plan to keep in touch about what we're doing in our respective books, so fans can look forward to some synergy there. Not in the sense that you have to buy Mighty Avengers to follow the Initiative, or vice versa, but more in that seeds planted in one book might bloom in the other, or a character might make a guest appearance. And who knows, we might do a full-on crossover at some point.
IGN Comics: A major shift occurred in Year Two of the book as the original class graduated and a new one came in. Should readers expect anything so drastic after Secret Invasion ends?
Gage: How about more drastic? Our first post-SI arc is called "The Initiative Disassembled", after all...
IGN Comics: We don't know what Dark Reign spells for the Marvel Universe yet, but one obvious question burns about Initiative. How will the series be affected by the revelation that Yellowjacket was a Skrull? Is Camp Hammond going to fall under closer government scrutiny now, perhaps under the watchful eye of one Henry Peter Gyrich?
Gage: The revelation that one of its primary architects was a Skrull will rock the Initiative to its core. We'll definitely be taking a close look at just who is in charge at Camp Hammond, and who can or should be overseeing the Initiative itself. I'm not mentioning any names, but there will certainly be characters who are not happy about how things shake out.
IGN Comics: Will you be bringing in a new instructor to replace Yellowjacket? The real Hank Pym, perhaps?
Gage: Yellowjacket was more than an instructor, he was deeply involved in running every facet of the camp and, as we now know, in selecting the rosters of the state teams. It's an open question whether one individual is even capable of wearing all those hats. Even assuming the real Hank Pym were alive and returned, he'd be so out of touch even he probably couldn't do it…and that's assuming he'd want to. All I can say is don't miss issue #20!
IGN Comics: Does War Machine still have a place in the series now that he's spinning out into his own book again?
Gage: No, War Machine is flying solo in his own awesome monthly title. That doesn't mean he'll never appear in the Initiative again... but if it happens there's no guarantee it'll be a friendly meeting!
IGN Comics: Among the extensive cast of recruits, which have become your favorites so far? Which ones do you hope to focus on in the coming months?
Gage: Some of my favorites are characters I already knew I loved, like Taskmaster, or ones I had a hand in bringing to the team or creating, like Butterball. Others surprise me by becoming favorites in spite of my expectations. I loved writing Thor Girl, for example. One I plan to look more closely at is Tigra… she's a longtime Avenger and someone who I think has a lot of untapped potential as a character. The revelation of Trauma's true parentage and the fallout of the Komodo/Hardball relationship will absolutely continue to reverberate. The great thing about the Initiative is that it's never a problem finding interesting characters… the trick is finding space to do them justice!
IGN Comics: The recent Initiative Special resumed focus on two Year One characters – Komodo and Hardball. Will the events of this issue play into your stories in the foreseeable future? Will you be similarly focusing on any other Year One characters that have since vanished form the book?
Gage: Yes, definitely…Hardball's defection to Hydra is just the beginning of an unfolding storyline that will encompass not only him and Komodo, but many other characters as well. And most of the Year One characters will always be a part of the book in one way or another, though their roles may change.
IGN Comics: That was a cruel joke you guys played when you teased "And, after fourteen issues, are we really going to unmask Mutant Zero?!" for the issue #18 solicit. When are you actually going to reveal her identity? The online bickering must stop!
Gage: We're really not that cruel, honest! The solicits are written well in advance, and at the time we had every intention of revealing Mutant Zero's identity in #18. But with the Skrull War raging on so many fronts, we ran out of room. But it'll happen in issue #20... this time for real! The pages are drawn and everything!
[Editor's Note: Those are the pages you're seeing in this article. - Rich]
IGN Comics: Speaking of identity reveals, can you tell us who the new regular artist for the series will be?
Gage: I know Humberto Ramos is coming on for issues #21-25, which is a big thrill for me and I'd imagine will be for the readers as well, especially after they see his cover to #21, featuring Clor, the insane Thor clone from Civil War! Any further in the future than that remains undetermined... but we've been blessed with such wonderful artists so far, I have the utmost faith in Tom Brevoort and his office that the book will always look great.