Post by goldenfist on Oct 15, 2007 15:37:38 GMT -5
This is an interview from ign.com
With ties to Spider-Man: One More Day and the 2008 event Secret Invasion, you can't miss Avengers: The Initiative!
If you aren't reading Avengers: The Initiative, you really should be. Don't pay attention to the fact that this series doesn't feature "big" characters right on the cover. The fact is that this series is probably better tied to the overall pulse of the Marvel Universe than any other title out there. Yes, even more so than the other Avengers titles.
You want Spider-Man? He's here. You want the Fantastic Four? They've been around. We've also seen appearances by the Hulk and other various Avengers in recent issues. Best of all though is that the roster for this wickedly funny book is full of unknowns. That means anything can happen. Take the first issue for example, when the character that seems to be the center of attention is shot in the head during a training exercise.
The plotlines weave their ways throughout the Marvel world as well. There are ties to One More Day, World War Hulk and Secret Invasion. Just because the roster is insanely diverse and full of fresh faces doesn't mean nothing important happens.
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971499.html
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971506.html
Big changes are ahead for the series as well. Classic characters like Taskmaster and ridiculous anti-heroes like Robert Kirkman's new Ant-Man are headed to Camp Hammond. Life will never be the same. To catch up on the series, we spoke with writer Dan Slott. We also grabbed some art from this month's issue #7 (featuring Spider-Man and the important pre-One More Day revelation), next month's Annual and some very interesting sketches by Stefano Caselli.
IGN Comics: So the next issue up for Intiative is #7. Can you recap what that's going to be about?
Dan Slott: It's an all Scarlet Spider issue. By the end of it, one of the elusive members will be unmasked to the reader. What else can I tell you about it… issue #7 will also show something a lot of fans have been asking for, which is that we'll see another state's super hero team…
IGN Comics: Can you tell us which state?
Slott: … No. -laughs- Right now that team has three members, and one of them is an old Spidey character. You can also see in the preview art the return of the Vulturions, who we haven't seen in decades. Peter Parker makes a very important pre-"One More Day" appearance.
IGN Comics: You just mentioned you're planning on revealing a new team for another state. We've seen a few of them here and there, but how many do you and Tom Brevoort have mapped out? Is there a plan set for all 50 states?
Slott: Way back when, when we were getting started, Joe Quesada wanted us to come up with a roster of the 50. And I really didn't want to do that. One, the minute you do that, you lock a hero in a state. Things then arise like the problem we had with Armadillo, where suddenly they wanted him for MODOK's 11. So then we had to say, "Oh, well, he fell out of good graces." And you don't want to keep seeing that happen. As far as new characters, then we don't have to suddenly generate 150 new characters for Marvel! If you start doing that, then the obvious way to go is "Hey! It's Bluegrass in Kentucky!" -laughs- You know what I mean? It's like oh God no! No! And then he's teamed up with Blue Suede Shoes and… no, no, no!
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971504.html
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971526.html
So I really feel strongly that the state teams shouldn't feel like that. It shouldn't be like "Well you're the state's tree and you're the state's flower… you're the local cuisine… Look! It's Black & Red Fish!" No, no, no…
Doing it this way allows anyone who's writing a book, who wants to set a story in a state like they recently did in Iron Man, to make up a team. It also allows me to have fun and set up on my teams. Also, we're coming up pretty soon on a storyline, which starts in issue #8, which ends with some characters, those who make it out alive, graduating. And then we'll get to see what teams they get put on. A lot of people wanted to see that from the get go, and thought that was what the book was going to be about. But if we did it that way, you wouldn't get attached to anyone. Everything would have the feel of an issue of "What If?" It's nice, it's self-contained and I pick it up again when it's interesting. No, I want you to pick up every darn issue of Avengers: The Initiative. I don't want to go issue #2 is the team from Nebraska, issue #3 is the team from Illinois. You'd meet these six or seven characters, come back the next month and not get those characters. So why do that?
IGN Comics: Looking at the new character/old character dynamic when you laid out the team, what made you go for mostly fresh faces with regards to the trainees? There are a few familiars like Rage or Triathlon, but if you missed their three month popularity period, you won't even know who they are. So why go the route you did?
Slott: Well, for one, you don't know what to expect. I'm not one for killing off characters that I didn't create. I feel like you can't bust my chops if I create a character and then plug them. It means that I can really control where the stories go and what happens to them. And also, who wouldn't want to create new characters for the Marvel Universe? For people who haven't been reading the book, it's not just new characters. We have everybody - A-listers, B-listers, C-listers… it really is the whole tapestry of the Marvel Universe in this comic book.
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971528.html
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971530.html
IGN Comics: Right after the Scarlet Spider issue is the Annual, which takes the place of the series for one month. Solicits have revealed that this treks through some of the origins of the characters. What can you tell us about this issue?
Slott: One of the things people have been asking us about are character origins for all of the new guys. In the first annual we're going to show you close to half of the new characters' origins, where they come from. But with a lot of these characters, some of them have been decommissioned or killed or whatnot. -laughs- Things happen in the Initiative!
IGN Comics: One of the big themes in the Initiative is that there are various conspiracies and secrets running around. Of course probably the biggest is the Skrull story with Secret Invasion. You mentioned last time that the story would cross over with yours… we just want to confirm - just one Skrull in the camp?
Slott: … You will be seeing some Skrullish stuff soon. Some Skrull-like behavior. There will be a little big of Skrull-duggery going on. As if they need one more thing going on! Darn Camp Hammond!
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971524.html
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971508.html
IGN Comics: Before we move on, actually, I want to run through the stories that are in the Annual. You're writing the issue, but what stories are you doing and who's working with you on them?
Slott: It's five short stories. We've got an incredible team of artists. Salvador Larroca is drawing the origin of the Gauntlet. In the origin of the Gauntlet - every single writer at Marvel, when they start branching out and doing more books, you notice that they start to build their own mythology into Marvel. Look at Tom DeFalco and the stuff he built. He has very DeFalco-ey characters. Or Chris Claremont has his little corner. Bendis has been building his mythology. In the Gauntlet story you get to see a very important part of the Slott-verse. There's stuff I've been hinting at in almost every single Marvel book, and mini, that I've been working on. There have been lots of little seeds that have been sown, and you' get some payoff in the Gauntlet short story. Or you might just have many more questions!
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971497.html
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971514.html
Then we have the Armory short story, which tells you how Armory got the Tactigon, the deadliest weapon in the universe! That is being drawn by Clayton Henry. Steve Uy, who was our guest artist in issue #6, returns for a short story telling you how Hardball got his powers and what Marvel characters he's linked with. Tom Feister, from Ex Machina is doing the art for our MVP story, which will answer a lot of questions that people have about MVP.
IGN Comics: -laughs- Yeah, there's kind of one big one, really…
Slott: There really is, isn't there? There really is that big elephant in the room!
We'll also give you some insight into our ex-Nazi supervillain Baron Von Blitzschlag!
IGN Comics: Nice! That's in the MVP storyline?
Slott: Yeah. And then our final story is a done-in-one story that shows you yet another team. As we keep doing the series we'll keep showing you more teams, and if we keep doing the Annuals we'll keep doing stuff dedicated to one team.
This time around we have the team from Pennsylvania, based in Philly, and they're not the Liberty Legion. What we've said from day one is it's our take on the Liberty Legion. They're not the Liberty Legion, they're something new. It's going to be a lot of fun. That's being drawn by Patrick Scherberger. The art on that is a real treat. It's a lot of fun.
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971493.html
IGN Comics: Looking at the series so far, it's been focused on those trainees. Once the graduation story wraps up, are we going to start seeing more of a juggle between outside states and the new arrivals?
Slott: Well, in issue #8, we'll get to see some new characters as they get off the bus. As the other characters are nearing graduation, another busload of guys show up, including old Marvels, new Marvels… at least one Skrull… there's a surprise or two in there that I don't want to reveal.
The big ones that people know about so far is Eric "Ant-Man" O'Grady and the Taskmaster, who will be filling in for resident drill instructor Gauntlet, who's in a coma.
IGN Comics: Let's talk about Ant-Man a bit…
Slott: He's completely irredeemable! He's the same Eric O'Grady that we all know and love. Yeah, [Robert] Kirkman called me up and said, "Please stick him here, man! Please put him in a little lifeboat! Please make sure no one Black Goliath's him!"
That said, the four-issue storyline starting with issue #8 is called "Killed in Action." The first issue of that is called "Fresh Meat." So, uh oh, might not be the best time to join the Initiative!
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971517.html
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971472.html
IGN Comics: Yeah… Is Kirkman going to be upset and calling you in a few issues?
Slott: I don't know… hah! I think the whole run of Ant-Man was a brilliant run. I love reading about anti-heroes. I think a lot of people couldn't get into it because the main character was irredeemable. They don't want that out of a lead character. A lot of people have been asking if he's going to be a hero now. No! That's one of the nice things about having a team book - not everyone has to be a saint! So I think he's going to fit in just great and be up to all of his usual tricks!
IGN Comics: Alright, so we know you have to be vague about who else is on the bus… how about some hints?
Slott: Ummm… okay, here's some clues! A character created by Steve Ditko. A character I think was made popular by Mark Gruenwald. And… that's about it.
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971481.html
IGN Comics: Where do you get these characters from? Are these characters you remember liking when you were younger and reading the books? Is it just a case of you having a book where anything can happen and so you put the characters you love in it?
Slott: I have a book where anything can happen! It's great. This book is the biggest sandbox in the Marvel Universe. That said, this case, when you open to the recap page, it can be daunting. It looks like a Legion of Super Heroes roll call! That's why we're doing our four-part arc "Killed in Action"! -laughs- Expect the herd to get thin! Big, big stuff is going to happen - stuff we've been building to. It's not going to come out of left field. It's a very important, very big story.
That's another thing with these books - issue #7, the Annual and issue #8. All three are very good jump-on points.
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971487.html
IGN Comics: In terms of villains, we have the Vulturions coming up… any other big name… or maybe not so big name villains since this is the Initiative… -laughs- Who's coming up?
Slott: Villains!
IGN Comics: Aha! Okay, that's cool! That's cool!
Slott: -laughs- If I tell you, you start seeing where things are going. You'll start figuring things out! Yeah, we have plans. We have Secret Invasion plans. We have a story I wanted to do back when we were supposed to be a mini-series that we've been shelving. There's that guy blackmailing Hardball. What's his story? There's all kinds of stuff going on.
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971484.html
IGN Comics: Speaking of big events, Marvel has announced that a new Captain America is coming back. Will his return play into Initiative at all seeing as how much of an icon Captain America is to the Marvel Universe?
Slott: We have a Cap-related character getting off that bus… I can say that much…
IGN Comics: Alright, so we have issue #7 with the Scarlet Spiders, the Annual with the origins and issue #8 with the rookies, Ant-Man and Taskmaster arriving… Any last details you'd like to give the fans to hype them for what's ahead in your series?
Slott: Within our four-part story "Killed in Action" a lot of plot threads are going to get resolved. A lot of mysteries that people want answer to… there will be answers! But some of our newer mysteries will deepen. Somewhere in there you can also expect to learn more about the mysterious Mutant Zero! You might be able to see Mutant Zero use her power! Or maybe that's one of her powers… or none at all?
So more Mutant Zero… what else… Just that Stefano Caselli's triumphant return with issue #7. Oh! And you can expect to see some of our characters pop up in other places too. Maybe obvious places… Those that make it out alive, expect to see them play parts in Secret Invasion. They're really tied into the entire Marvel Universe, and that's kind of fun.
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971490.html
IGN Comics: Sounds like a blast! Thanks so much, Dan!
Slott: Thanks, Rich!
Hope everyone enjoyed reading the interview, What did everyone
think about the interview.
With ties to Spider-Man: One More Day and the 2008 event Secret Invasion, you can't miss Avengers: The Initiative!
If you aren't reading Avengers: The Initiative, you really should be. Don't pay attention to the fact that this series doesn't feature "big" characters right on the cover. The fact is that this series is probably better tied to the overall pulse of the Marvel Universe than any other title out there. Yes, even more so than the other Avengers titles.
You want Spider-Man? He's here. You want the Fantastic Four? They've been around. We've also seen appearances by the Hulk and other various Avengers in recent issues. Best of all though is that the roster for this wickedly funny book is full of unknowns. That means anything can happen. Take the first issue for example, when the character that seems to be the center of attention is shot in the head during a training exercise.
The plotlines weave their ways throughout the Marvel world as well. There are ties to One More Day, World War Hulk and Secret Invasion. Just because the roster is insanely diverse and full of fresh faces doesn't mean nothing important happens.
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971499.html
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971506.html
Big changes are ahead for the series as well. Classic characters like Taskmaster and ridiculous anti-heroes like Robert Kirkman's new Ant-Man are headed to Camp Hammond. Life will never be the same. To catch up on the series, we spoke with writer Dan Slott. We also grabbed some art from this month's issue #7 (featuring Spider-Man and the important pre-One More Day revelation), next month's Annual and some very interesting sketches by Stefano Caselli.
IGN Comics: So the next issue up for Intiative is #7. Can you recap what that's going to be about?
Dan Slott: It's an all Scarlet Spider issue. By the end of it, one of the elusive members will be unmasked to the reader. What else can I tell you about it… issue #7 will also show something a lot of fans have been asking for, which is that we'll see another state's super hero team…
IGN Comics: Can you tell us which state?
Slott: … No. -laughs- Right now that team has three members, and one of them is an old Spidey character. You can also see in the preview art the return of the Vulturions, who we haven't seen in decades. Peter Parker makes a very important pre-"One More Day" appearance.
IGN Comics: You just mentioned you're planning on revealing a new team for another state. We've seen a few of them here and there, but how many do you and Tom Brevoort have mapped out? Is there a plan set for all 50 states?
Slott: Way back when, when we were getting started, Joe Quesada wanted us to come up with a roster of the 50. And I really didn't want to do that. One, the minute you do that, you lock a hero in a state. Things then arise like the problem we had with Armadillo, where suddenly they wanted him for MODOK's 11. So then we had to say, "Oh, well, he fell out of good graces." And you don't want to keep seeing that happen. As far as new characters, then we don't have to suddenly generate 150 new characters for Marvel! If you start doing that, then the obvious way to go is "Hey! It's Bluegrass in Kentucky!" -laughs- You know what I mean? It's like oh God no! No! And then he's teamed up with Blue Suede Shoes and… no, no, no!
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971504.html
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971526.html
So I really feel strongly that the state teams shouldn't feel like that. It shouldn't be like "Well you're the state's tree and you're the state's flower… you're the local cuisine… Look! It's Black & Red Fish!" No, no, no…
Doing it this way allows anyone who's writing a book, who wants to set a story in a state like they recently did in Iron Man, to make up a team. It also allows me to have fun and set up on my teams. Also, we're coming up pretty soon on a storyline, which starts in issue #8, which ends with some characters, those who make it out alive, graduating. And then we'll get to see what teams they get put on. A lot of people wanted to see that from the get go, and thought that was what the book was going to be about. But if we did it that way, you wouldn't get attached to anyone. Everything would have the feel of an issue of "What If?" It's nice, it's self-contained and I pick it up again when it's interesting. No, I want you to pick up every darn issue of Avengers: The Initiative. I don't want to go issue #2 is the team from Nebraska, issue #3 is the team from Illinois. You'd meet these six or seven characters, come back the next month and not get those characters. So why do that?
IGN Comics: Looking at the new character/old character dynamic when you laid out the team, what made you go for mostly fresh faces with regards to the trainees? There are a few familiars like Rage or Triathlon, but if you missed their three month popularity period, you won't even know who they are. So why go the route you did?
Slott: Well, for one, you don't know what to expect. I'm not one for killing off characters that I didn't create. I feel like you can't bust my chops if I create a character and then plug them. It means that I can really control where the stories go and what happens to them. And also, who wouldn't want to create new characters for the Marvel Universe? For people who haven't been reading the book, it's not just new characters. We have everybody - A-listers, B-listers, C-listers… it really is the whole tapestry of the Marvel Universe in this comic book.
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971528.html
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971530.html
IGN Comics: Right after the Scarlet Spider issue is the Annual, which takes the place of the series for one month. Solicits have revealed that this treks through some of the origins of the characters. What can you tell us about this issue?
Slott: One of the things people have been asking us about are character origins for all of the new guys. In the first annual we're going to show you close to half of the new characters' origins, where they come from. But with a lot of these characters, some of them have been decommissioned or killed or whatnot. -laughs- Things happen in the Initiative!
IGN Comics: One of the big themes in the Initiative is that there are various conspiracies and secrets running around. Of course probably the biggest is the Skrull story with Secret Invasion. You mentioned last time that the story would cross over with yours… we just want to confirm - just one Skrull in the camp?
Slott: … You will be seeing some Skrullish stuff soon. Some Skrull-like behavior. There will be a little big of Skrull-duggery going on. As if they need one more thing going on! Darn Camp Hammond!
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971524.html
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971508.html
IGN Comics: Before we move on, actually, I want to run through the stories that are in the Annual. You're writing the issue, but what stories are you doing and who's working with you on them?
Slott: It's five short stories. We've got an incredible team of artists. Salvador Larroca is drawing the origin of the Gauntlet. In the origin of the Gauntlet - every single writer at Marvel, when they start branching out and doing more books, you notice that they start to build their own mythology into Marvel. Look at Tom DeFalco and the stuff he built. He has very DeFalco-ey characters. Or Chris Claremont has his little corner. Bendis has been building his mythology. In the Gauntlet story you get to see a very important part of the Slott-verse. There's stuff I've been hinting at in almost every single Marvel book, and mini, that I've been working on. There have been lots of little seeds that have been sown, and you' get some payoff in the Gauntlet short story. Or you might just have many more questions!
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971497.html
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971514.html
Then we have the Armory short story, which tells you how Armory got the Tactigon, the deadliest weapon in the universe! That is being drawn by Clayton Henry. Steve Uy, who was our guest artist in issue #6, returns for a short story telling you how Hardball got his powers and what Marvel characters he's linked with. Tom Feister, from Ex Machina is doing the art for our MVP story, which will answer a lot of questions that people have about MVP.
IGN Comics: -laughs- Yeah, there's kind of one big one, really…
Slott: There really is, isn't there? There really is that big elephant in the room!
We'll also give you some insight into our ex-Nazi supervillain Baron Von Blitzschlag!
IGN Comics: Nice! That's in the MVP storyline?
Slott: Yeah. And then our final story is a done-in-one story that shows you yet another team. As we keep doing the series we'll keep showing you more teams, and if we keep doing the Annuals we'll keep doing stuff dedicated to one team.
This time around we have the team from Pennsylvania, based in Philly, and they're not the Liberty Legion. What we've said from day one is it's our take on the Liberty Legion. They're not the Liberty Legion, they're something new. It's going to be a lot of fun. That's being drawn by Patrick Scherberger. The art on that is a real treat. It's a lot of fun.
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971493.html
IGN Comics: Looking at the series so far, it's been focused on those trainees. Once the graduation story wraps up, are we going to start seeing more of a juggle between outside states and the new arrivals?
Slott: Well, in issue #8, we'll get to see some new characters as they get off the bus. As the other characters are nearing graduation, another busload of guys show up, including old Marvels, new Marvels… at least one Skrull… there's a surprise or two in there that I don't want to reveal.
The big ones that people know about so far is Eric "Ant-Man" O'Grady and the Taskmaster, who will be filling in for resident drill instructor Gauntlet, who's in a coma.
IGN Comics: Let's talk about Ant-Man a bit…
Slott: He's completely irredeemable! He's the same Eric O'Grady that we all know and love. Yeah, [Robert] Kirkman called me up and said, "Please stick him here, man! Please put him in a little lifeboat! Please make sure no one Black Goliath's him!"
That said, the four-issue storyline starting with issue #8 is called "Killed in Action." The first issue of that is called "Fresh Meat." So, uh oh, might not be the best time to join the Initiative!
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971517.html
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971472.html
IGN Comics: Yeah… Is Kirkman going to be upset and calling you in a few issues?
Slott: I don't know… hah! I think the whole run of Ant-Man was a brilliant run. I love reading about anti-heroes. I think a lot of people couldn't get into it because the main character was irredeemable. They don't want that out of a lead character. A lot of people have been asking if he's going to be a hero now. No! That's one of the nice things about having a team book - not everyone has to be a saint! So I think he's going to fit in just great and be up to all of his usual tricks!
IGN Comics: Alright, so we know you have to be vague about who else is on the bus… how about some hints?
Slott: Ummm… okay, here's some clues! A character created by Steve Ditko. A character I think was made popular by Mark Gruenwald. And… that's about it.
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971481.html
IGN Comics: Where do you get these characters from? Are these characters you remember liking when you were younger and reading the books? Is it just a case of you having a book where anything can happen and so you put the characters you love in it?
Slott: I have a book where anything can happen! It's great. This book is the biggest sandbox in the Marvel Universe. That said, this case, when you open to the recap page, it can be daunting. It looks like a Legion of Super Heroes roll call! That's why we're doing our four-part arc "Killed in Action"! -laughs- Expect the herd to get thin! Big, big stuff is going to happen - stuff we've been building to. It's not going to come out of left field. It's a very important, very big story.
That's another thing with these books - issue #7, the Annual and issue #8. All three are very good jump-on points.
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971487.html
IGN Comics: In terms of villains, we have the Vulturions coming up… any other big name… or maybe not so big name villains since this is the Initiative… -laughs- Who's coming up?
Slott: Villains!
IGN Comics: Aha! Okay, that's cool! That's cool!
Slott: -laughs- If I tell you, you start seeing where things are going. You'll start figuring things out! Yeah, we have plans. We have Secret Invasion plans. We have a story I wanted to do back when we were supposed to be a mini-series that we've been shelving. There's that guy blackmailing Hardball. What's his story? There's all kinds of stuff going on.
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971484.html
IGN Comics: Speaking of big events, Marvel has announced that a new Captain America is coming back. Will his return play into Initiative at all seeing as how much of an icon Captain America is to the Marvel Universe?
Slott: We have a Cap-related character getting off that bus… I can say that much…
IGN Comics: Alright, so we have issue #7 with the Scarlet Spiders, the Annual with the origins and issue #8 with the rookies, Ant-Man and Taskmaster arriving… Any last details you'd like to give the fans to hype them for what's ahead in your series?
Slott: Within our four-part story "Killed in Action" a lot of plot threads are going to get resolved. A lot of mysteries that people want answer to… there will be answers! But some of our newer mysteries will deepen. Somewhere in there you can also expect to learn more about the mysterious Mutant Zero! You might be able to see Mutant Zero use her power! Or maybe that's one of her powers… or none at all?
So more Mutant Zero… what else… Just that Stefano Caselli's triumphant return with issue #7. Oh! And you can expect to see some of our characters pop up in other places too. Maybe obvious places… Those that make it out alive, expect to see them play parts in Secret Invasion. They're really tied into the entire Marvel Universe, and that's kind of fun.
media.comics.ign.com/media/887/887347/img_4971490.html
IGN Comics: Sounds like a blast! Thanks so much, Dan!
Slott: Thanks, Rich!
Hope everyone enjoyed reading the interview, What did everyone
think about the interview.
