Post by goldenfist on Nov 27, 2008 10:53:59 GMT -5
IGN Comics: What made you decide it was time to move on from Avengers: The Initiative to Mighty Avengers?
Dan Slott: Tom Brevoort said, "How'd you like to write Mighty Avengers?" That's pretty much how it happened. Stepping away from The Initiative wasn't all that hard, because I knew I was leaving the characters in great hands. Working with Chris Gage has been an incredible experience. He's fun to collaborate with, and we think along similar wavelengths. I love his take on the book and his plans for the future.
IGN Comics: How will your approach to writing change, if at all?
Slott: A number of ways. Avengers: The Initiative was about creating, reinventing, and using the farm teams of the Marvel Universe - which was cool. On Mighty Avengers I get to play in the majors. That's both awesome and intimidating at the same time.
Another big change will be a tighter focus on the cast size. Over in the Initiative I was having a blast pulling out every toy in the toy box. It was a book about a super hero army, and that meant an army's worth of characters. Some issues had 17 or 18 headshots on the recap page. With Mighty Avengers you'll be looking at 6 or 7 heroes on the core team, a couple of supporting cast members, and that's it. Everyone will get more face time and more moments to shine.
IGN Comics: The distinction between New and Mighty has always been that the former is a group of underground heroes, while the later is the best and brightest of the Initiative. Without giving too much away, will this distinction still hold true after Secret Invasion?
Slott: Ever since New Avengers #1, that book's been about rethinking the Avengers franchise and using big guns like Spider-Man and Wolverine. When Bendis and Cho started up Mighty, it wasn't just about underground vs. the best/brightest. It was also about counter-programming, creating a more (for lack of a better term) "Avenger-y" team. That's the vein Khoi and I continue.
Everybody in our Mighty Avengers roster is dripping head-to-toe in Avengers-cred. They're going to have an Avenger-y headquarters, an Avenger-y supporting cast, and fight big-time baddies from the heart of the Avengers Rogue's Gallery. In short, this is gonna be the "Avenger-iest" book you can imagine.
IGN Comics: As you're taking over the series, how much of the upcoming issues are based on Brian Bendis's ideas, and how much is solely your material?
Slott: This is all me and Khoi. We're going to go out there, swing big, take our best shot, and put our own stamp on things. And c'mon, doesn't Bendis have enough on his plate with New Avengers, Dark Avengers, USM, Spider-Woman, Powers, and co-writing Secret Warriors? Seriously, the man doesn't sleep.
IGN Comics: How closely will you be working with Bendis, Jonathan Hickman, and Christos Gage to keep the Avengers line interconnected?
Slott: I just came out of the big Marvel Summit with Bendis, Brubaker, Fraction, Pak, and Loeb. So I can tell you that there is a big picture and a lot of... secret-y stuff planned. As Dark Reign kicks in, you can expect all of the Avengers books to do their part.
IGN Comics: Will New and Mighty have as close a relationship as they did when Bendis was writing both?
Slott: Coming out of Secret Invasion I think all the relationships between teams are going to change. How will the Mighty Avengers see the New Avengers? How will the Dark Avengers view the Mighty Avengers? Where will the chips fall? These are all good questions. And I know readers hate hearing this, but... you'll have to wait and see. (What? Like we're supposed to spoil everything before these new teams even launch?)
IGN Comics: How much is your team roster going to change?
Slott: Drastically! But in the new mix you're going to get heroes who are Avengers through-and-through. More than half the team are characters from the first fifty issues of the original series. So we're talking hardcore Avengers here.
IGN Comics: Can you give us an idea of what threats this team will be facing?
Slott: In the near future? A massively powerful Avengers villain, one of their minions, and another Marvel Universe team.
IGN Comics: Any names you can drop as far as potential villains? Or at the very least, what villains would you want to include if you had absolute freedom?
Slott: In previous interviews I've already let slip that Jocasta will be joining the Mighty cast. So right there that means we've got to do a big Ultron story down the line. It's the law. I love time travel stories, so I can't wait to put Kang or Immortus into play. There are so many great Avengers villains, it's hard to choose!
IGN Comics: What are some of your favorite Avengers stories?
Slott: The Kree/Skrull War. The Korvac Saga. "By friends... betrayed!" in Annual #10. "On the Matter of Heroes", where the government forced the Avengers to trim their ranks. "Of Robin Hoods and Roustabouts", where Ant-Man and Hawkeye went up against the Taskmaster. Busiek and Perez's "Once an Avenger..." three-parter with Morgan Le Fay. There are just too many great Avengers stories to mention.
IGN Comics: Are they influencing your writing in any way?
Slott: They're inspiring me to reach for that big story. I mean, it's right there in the Avengers' mission statement: they're there to "fight the foes no single superhero could withstand!" And that means you really have to bring your "A Game" when you come up with an Avengers story. You really have to bring all your imagination and creativity to each script.
IGN Comics: Is Khoi Pham still going to be the regular series artist?
Slott: Thank God, yes! Khoi is the man. I can't tell you how happy I am with every single page he's turned in. This is going to be one sweetest looking books out there!
IGN Comics: Let's say a certain fan only has so much money each month to devote to Avengers books, and they're considering taking their money off Mighty and following Bendis to Dark Avengers. What would you say to this fan to convince them Dan Slott's Mighty Avengers is worth sticking around for?
Slott: Well, for starters, they should pick up both. Bendis has some sick plans for Dark Avengers. That book is going to kick all kinds of ass! Second, this Dan Slott and Khoi Pham's Mighty Avengers, and we're going to knock this one out of the park! We're gonna give you a lot of bang for your buck. An Avengers-worthy cast in all-out action against the biggest threats in the Marvel U. And finally? In the world of Dark Reign, the Mighty Avengers are the ray of light.
Dan Slott: Tom Brevoort said, "How'd you like to write Mighty Avengers?" That's pretty much how it happened. Stepping away from The Initiative wasn't all that hard, because I knew I was leaving the characters in great hands. Working with Chris Gage has been an incredible experience. He's fun to collaborate with, and we think along similar wavelengths. I love his take on the book and his plans for the future.
IGN Comics: How will your approach to writing change, if at all?
Slott: A number of ways. Avengers: The Initiative was about creating, reinventing, and using the farm teams of the Marvel Universe - which was cool. On Mighty Avengers I get to play in the majors. That's both awesome and intimidating at the same time.
Another big change will be a tighter focus on the cast size. Over in the Initiative I was having a blast pulling out every toy in the toy box. It was a book about a super hero army, and that meant an army's worth of characters. Some issues had 17 or 18 headshots on the recap page. With Mighty Avengers you'll be looking at 6 or 7 heroes on the core team, a couple of supporting cast members, and that's it. Everyone will get more face time and more moments to shine.
IGN Comics: The distinction between New and Mighty has always been that the former is a group of underground heroes, while the later is the best and brightest of the Initiative. Without giving too much away, will this distinction still hold true after Secret Invasion?
Slott: Ever since New Avengers #1, that book's been about rethinking the Avengers franchise and using big guns like Spider-Man and Wolverine. When Bendis and Cho started up Mighty, it wasn't just about underground vs. the best/brightest. It was also about counter-programming, creating a more (for lack of a better term) "Avenger-y" team. That's the vein Khoi and I continue.
Everybody in our Mighty Avengers roster is dripping head-to-toe in Avengers-cred. They're going to have an Avenger-y headquarters, an Avenger-y supporting cast, and fight big-time baddies from the heart of the Avengers Rogue's Gallery. In short, this is gonna be the "Avenger-iest" book you can imagine.
IGN Comics: As you're taking over the series, how much of the upcoming issues are based on Brian Bendis's ideas, and how much is solely your material?
Slott: This is all me and Khoi. We're going to go out there, swing big, take our best shot, and put our own stamp on things. And c'mon, doesn't Bendis have enough on his plate with New Avengers, Dark Avengers, USM, Spider-Woman, Powers, and co-writing Secret Warriors? Seriously, the man doesn't sleep.
IGN Comics: How closely will you be working with Bendis, Jonathan Hickman, and Christos Gage to keep the Avengers line interconnected?
Slott: I just came out of the big Marvel Summit with Bendis, Brubaker, Fraction, Pak, and Loeb. So I can tell you that there is a big picture and a lot of... secret-y stuff planned. As Dark Reign kicks in, you can expect all of the Avengers books to do their part.
IGN Comics: Will New and Mighty have as close a relationship as they did when Bendis was writing both?
Slott: Coming out of Secret Invasion I think all the relationships between teams are going to change. How will the Mighty Avengers see the New Avengers? How will the Dark Avengers view the Mighty Avengers? Where will the chips fall? These are all good questions. And I know readers hate hearing this, but... you'll have to wait and see. (What? Like we're supposed to spoil everything before these new teams even launch?)
IGN Comics: How much is your team roster going to change?
Slott: Drastically! But in the new mix you're going to get heroes who are Avengers through-and-through. More than half the team are characters from the first fifty issues of the original series. So we're talking hardcore Avengers here.
IGN Comics: Can you give us an idea of what threats this team will be facing?
Slott: In the near future? A massively powerful Avengers villain, one of their minions, and another Marvel Universe team.
IGN Comics: Any names you can drop as far as potential villains? Or at the very least, what villains would you want to include if you had absolute freedom?
Slott: In previous interviews I've already let slip that Jocasta will be joining the Mighty cast. So right there that means we've got to do a big Ultron story down the line. It's the law. I love time travel stories, so I can't wait to put Kang or Immortus into play. There are so many great Avengers villains, it's hard to choose!
IGN Comics: What are some of your favorite Avengers stories?
Slott: The Kree/Skrull War. The Korvac Saga. "By friends... betrayed!" in Annual #10. "On the Matter of Heroes", where the government forced the Avengers to trim their ranks. "Of Robin Hoods and Roustabouts", where Ant-Man and Hawkeye went up against the Taskmaster. Busiek and Perez's "Once an Avenger..." three-parter with Morgan Le Fay. There are just too many great Avengers stories to mention.
IGN Comics: Are they influencing your writing in any way?
Slott: They're inspiring me to reach for that big story. I mean, it's right there in the Avengers' mission statement: they're there to "fight the foes no single superhero could withstand!" And that means you really have to bring your "A Game" when you come up with an Avengers story. You really have to bring all your imagination and creativity to each script.
IGN Comics: Is Khoi Pham still going to be the regular series artist?
Slott: Thank God, yes! Khoi is the man. I can't tell you how happy I am with every single page he's turned in. This is going to be one sweetest looking books out there!
IGN Comics: Let's say a certain fan only has so much money each month to devote to Avengers books, and they're considering taking their money off Mighty and following Bendis to Dark Avengers. What would you say to this fan to convince them Dan Slott's Mighty Avengers is worth sticking around for?
Slott: Well, for starters, they should pick up both. Bendis has some sick plans for Dark Avengers. That book is going to kick all kinds of ass! Second, this Dan Slott and Khoi Pham's Mighty Avengers, and we're going to knock this one out of the park! We're gonna give you a lot of bang for your buck. An Avengers-worthy cast in all-out action against the biggest threats in the Marvel U. And finally? In the world of Dark Reign, the Mighty Avengers are the ray of light.