This badass Scarlet Witch statue (produced by Kotobukiya) sits on C.B. Cebulski's desk in the office he shares with Steve Wacker and Tom Brennan here at Marvel HQ. And next to it is a post-it note that reads, "It's comics. It's 24/7, dude. We're like the ER."
That phrase there rings true, though. Comics people are constantly working. Editors are on call and in the office on the weekends. Writers utilize iPhones and other fancy gadgets to jot story notes and write scripts, no matter where they are. Artists burn the midnight oil--so much midnight oil--to hit their deadlines. And there's a vast network of other folks working late hours who play key parts in the creation of your favorite comics. It's rarely a 9-5 job, this whole funnybook business. And yes, there are emergencies and blood and tears.
Makin' comics is a nonstop job!
\m/ \m/ --Agent M
The Marvel Daily P.I.C. is either a Photo, an Illustration or a video Clip, posted daily, here on my blog. It's your chance to get a different look inside Marvel Comics.
I had an "Iron Man 2: The Video Game" video for today's P.I.C. entry, but we're gonna do some bigger stuff with that later on. So, instead, here's a rad Spider-Man poster painted by Greg and Tim Hildebrandt that hangs near the collections's department folks here at Marvel HQ.
Happy Friday!
OH! What do you guys think of the new Marvel Daily P.I.C. logo? Harry Go designed it, using my new Twitter avatar drawn by SIEGE: EMBEDDED artist Chris Samnee. Reply in the comments or let me know on Twitter.
\m/ \m/ --Agent M
The Marvel Daily P.I.C. is either a Photo, an Illustration or a video Clip, posted daily, here on my blog. It's your chance to get a different look inside Marvel Comics.
Writer extraordinaire Matt Fraction has been in NYC--and with us here at Marvel HQ--for about the last week or so. He was here to help plan the future of the Marvel Universe at an editorial retreat (I hope my "Taco War" pitch was well-received), take care of some of his own business and get involved with a host of "Iron Man 2: The Video Game" events.
And today, on the last day of his trip, he graciously gave us a chunk of time to shoot some video interviews with yours truly. We shot a slew of videos we'll be posting on Marvel.com in the coming months, with topics ranging from INVINCIBLE IRON MAN, the X-Men "Second Coming" event, "Iron Man 2: The Video Game" and...some secret stuff.
And he played with props, such as this rad replica of Mjolnir, Thor's hammer, he can be seen holding in the photo at left. And, well, he may have assaulted me with said hammer. But ya know what? It was worth it. Matt's awesome. Keep reading his comics to see his crazy-cool ideas and look for our video interviews with him, here on Marvel.com, over the next few months.
What's your favorite Marvel comic written by Matt Fraction? Reply in the comments or let me know on Twitter.
Matt's run on IMMORTAL IRON FIST with Ed Brubaker is one of my all-time favorite comics ever, though the few THOR specials he did last year were waaaaaaay cool. Win/win!
\m/ \m/ --Agent M
The Marvel Daily P.I.C. is either a Photo, an Illustration or a video Clip, posted daily, here on my blog. It's your chance to get a different look inside Marvel Comics.
Jennifer Walters, the Jade Giantess, has been romping, stomping, smashing and lawyering across the Marvel Universe for 30 years and we're celebrating with She-Hulk Week here at Marvel.com. So, naturally, I decided to get in on the fun.
I asked editor Michael Horowitz if he had any sweet, sweet art from the upcoming SHE-HULK: SENSATIONAL #1 (on sale March 30, 2010), and boy, did he deliver! Enjoy six spectacular pages from this Ms. Marvel/Spider-Woman/She-Hulk team-up story by Brian Reed and Iban Coello.
Who do you think would win in a Ms. Marvel/Spider-Woman/She-Hulk fight? Reply in the comments or let me know on Twitter.
I wanna pick Ms. Marvel, but my gut says She-Hulk would tough it out and whup both their butts. I mean, she's got Hulk-blood!
\m/ \m/ --Agent M
The Marvel Daily P.I.C. is either a Photo, an Illustration or a video Clip, posted daily, here on my blog. It's your chance to get a different look inside Marvel Comics.
Sorry there was no P.I.C. yesterday, I was hella sick. Well, I'm still quite ill. But I'm in the office today, in large part due to the awesometastic "Iron Man 2: The Video Game" event held here today.
Our friends from SEGA hosted a sweet event for international gaming journalists here at Marvel HQ to show off some new info and gameplay from the upcoming "Iron Man 2: The Video Game." Story consultant Matt Fraction was also on hand to chat with guests and answer questions. And because I'm an international man of mystery, I was able to join in on the fun and sneak a peek at the goods.
I can't really say WHAT I saw, since some of that's off-the-record for a bit, but I can say it was all pretty rad (yes, I still use the word rad all the time). For those of you (myself included) who thought the first game could have been better, "Iron Man 2: The Video Game" should do you right.
I was able to squeeze this one awesome screenshot outta SEGA--and it's actually a WORLD EXCLUSIVE! It's the first shot released of Iron Man battling Crimson Dynamo and I have to say, it's pretty sweet. Enjoy that and keep your eyes peeled for more "Iron Man 2: The Video Game" news and goodies this week here on Marvel.com. I have a feeling there'll be more to come before the week's through.
Which aspect of the "Iron Man 2: The Video Game" are you most interested in checking out? Reply in the comments or let me know on Twitter.
I'm torn between the sweet suit customization bits and the improved flying/blasting controls.
\m/ \m/ --Agent M
The Marvel Daily P.I.C. is either a Photo, an Illustration or a video Clip, posted daily, here on my blog. It's your chance to get a different look inside Marvel Comics.
...X-Men Editor Nick Lowe! Nick promotes peace by making sure all the X-fans out there are happy and getting plenty of comics all the time. Give him a hand!
This Sentinel Award sits atop one of the bookshelves in the X-Office and is much cooler than an Apecademy Award for Best Pizza*.
Which Marvel character do you think should get a Sentinel Award for Peace? Reply in the comments or let me know on Twitter.
\m/ \m/ --Agent M
The Marvel Daily P.I.C. is either a Photo, an Illustration or a video Clip, posted daily, here on my blog. It's your chance to get a different look inside Marvel Comics.
I saw Spider-Man assistant editor Tom Brennan at the watercooler yesterday and asked him to hook me up with some Spidey art for the Daily P.I.C. I like Brennan, in spite of all the awful things Steve Wacker says about him. But yesterday's blog? It never materialized.
I was here until 7:15 last night and didn't post anything as I was waiting on super-sweet Spidey stuff. While I want to blame Brennan for not hooking me up with the art he promised me, he did send three pages over--at 7:30! So, I'm posting the art now for you guys and will come back later today with another Daily P.I.C. Cool? Cool.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 621, on sale February 17, 2010
Dan Slott -- Words Michael Lark -- Pencils Stefano Gaudiano -- Inks Matt Hollingsworth -- Color Joe Caramagna -- Letters
Which page out of these three is your favorite? Reply in the comments or let me know on Twitter.
I'm a firm believer that the Lark/Gaudiano/Hollingsworth team can do no wrong, but the third page, with Lizard, is far and away my favorite. Sooooo awesome.
\m/ \m/ --Agent M
The Marvel Daily P.I.C. is either a Photo, an Illustration or a video Clip, posted daily, here on my blog. It's your chance to get a different look inside Marvel Comics.
Spoilers! Maybe. Probably not, since Editor Nick Lowe was cool with me taking the photo and posting it online. This batch of covers and art can currently be seen in the X-Office. The batch of books will get rotated out in time to make space for new issues, but it's a neat snapshot of the future as it looks today.
And this way of displaying what's coming up is common in all editorial offices here at Marvel...just with different books for different editorial crews.
What book on that wall are you dying to read right now? Reply in the comments or let me know on Twitter.
Personally, I'm very eager to dig into S.H.I.E.L.D. #1.
I got a new tattoo this weekend. It's not Marvel-related, so I'm not posting it on here. BUT, I thought it would be cool to show you guys an awesome Marvel tattoo that adorns one of our super-powered staffers.
This incredibly cool Lockheed tattoo belongs to collections editor Jen Grunwald. The piece was actually drawn by ASTONISHING X-MEN artist John Cassaday, specifically for Jen. Yes, I'm a bit jealous.
If you could have a tattoo of one Marvel character, which would it be? Reply in the comments or let me know on Twitter.
Personally, I would probably go with M.O.D.O.K...but I'd most likely go for a whole ensemble of Marvel characters if I took that plunge.
My office here at Marvel is directly next to that of Marvel's Director of Merchandising, Jesse Falcon. He's constantly in here, goofing around and showing us wacky stuff and I like to visit him and talk about metal or Howard Stern or silly Internet memes.
Jesse also happens to have the best collection of action figures in the building--just about all of which he's helped create in some way, shape or form. For the first Clip entry in the Marvel Daily P.I.C., I thought it appropriate to talk to him and show you one of the sweetest areas here at Marvel HQ.
And it just so happens that we all have lots of Iron Man on our brains, so in this Clip, Jesse goes through his vast collection of Iron Man action figures to reveal which one is his favorite.
What's your favorite Iron Man action figure? Reply in the comments or let me know on Twitter.