By Eric Drumm
There are a few elements that you'll see at most comic book conventions. Fans in costume, half price trades, hot pretzels and a Mondo Marvel panel. Serving as the premiere arena to grill Marvel staffers, fans at the Baltimore Comic-Con had the chance to ask the big questions. Marvel Executive Editor Tom Brevoort and Talent Manager C.B. Cebulski—soon joined by THE ORDER artist Barry Kitson—were on hand to let out some details and offer insight to all things Marvel.
Sans projector and having to share a mic, Brevoort and Cebulski dove right into the Q&A, with Brevoort invoking the famous decree of Marvel EIC Joe Quesada, saying that this is the fans' time to get some answers. Brevoort kicked off the panel with a rousing "How we feeling?" with the Marvel Zombies hootin' and hollerin' in response. With the juices flowing, Brevoort and Cebulski started fielding questions.
The first query was about the just-begun "One More Day" storyline running through the Spidey titles. Asking about the fate of
Spider-Man's relationship with wife Mary Jane, Brevoort pleaded the fifth saying, "That's Joe's bag," referring to Quesada's widely-known gripe towards the Spidey marriage. Up next was a question about the future of
Omega Flight's Weapon Omega, Michael Pointer. Brevoort revealed that he will be showing up in MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS, and to stay tuned. The next fan inquired about the role of female heroes in the Marvel Universe, and if there'd be more to come. Brevoort pointed out that there are quite a few female heroes running around these days, citing
Avengers leader
Ms. Marvel as an example. Following up, the fan asked about her personal favorite
Misty Knight. Brevoort assured the fan that Misty will play a part in the post WORLD WAR HULK tale AFTERSMASH, and will be remain a strong, prominent character.
Next, a fan asked Cebulski about the future of his FAIRY TALE books. As the writer of SPIDER-MAN FAIRY TALES, Cebulski ran down his slate of highly imaginative TALES, saying to be on the lookout for a Captain America/Peter Pan story, an
X-Men/
Wizard of Oz story as well as a
Vision/Pinocchio tale.
Keeping the focus on the Cebulski, a fan asked about his series LONERS. Much to his regret, Cebulski said that LONERS is still in fact just a mini-series, but fans can expect a 10-page
Loners story in the MARVEL HOLIDAY SPECIAL later this year.
Shifting focus onto the current Skrull scandal in NEW AVENGERS, the question was raised that if
Elektra was found to be a Skrull, then where is the real one? Brevoort responded that this and other questions would be answered in the upcoming Brian Michael Bendis-penned SECRET INVASION, hitting next year.
Suddenly from across the room, a door quietly opened and a man entered the stage and took a seat. It's none other than THE ORDER artist Barry Kitson!
After he was settled in, the questions resumed. Next, a fan asked about the integrity of Tony Stark, a.k.a.
Iron Man. Citing his shady dealings in CIVIL WAR and his general unpopularity as of late, the fan asked how he could possibly be redeemed. "I think he is more interesting than ever," said Brevoort. "When Tony believes in something, there is no stopping him." He went on to say that Tony is NOT a Skrull, however the rest of the Marvel Universe is suspect.
Next up, the old fan favorite question of when YOUNG AVENGERS is coming back was proposed. Brevoort said that it's a matter of when Allan Heinberg's schedule clears up that it will become a possibility. However, Brevoort went to say that there will be a YOUNG AVENGER PRESENTS (tentative title) mini-series, the first four issues of which will be written by Ed Brubaker with an all-star cast pencilers picking up art duties.
Bringing it over to
Wolverine, a fan asked the panel if Wolvie is in fact indestructible. He was, after all, fried down to his adamantium skeleton in CIVIL WAR, so one would think that he is unkillable. Cebulski said that WOLVERINE writer Marc Guggenheim would be addressing his overactive healing factor in his current run on the book.
Asking a question of his own, Cebulski turned to Kitson and asked him what he thinks about working with writer Matt Fraction on THE ORDER. In his soft English accent, Kitson explained that he loves it, even when Fraction wants to do rewrites after the art is already finished. He did however praise the collaborative nature of their team. "The jetpack on the bear in issue #1 was my idea," he joked, inciting laughter from the crowd. A fan then asked Kitson how he felt about replacing almost an entire team after the first issue, where Kitson pointed out that the first Order team is still around, and you'll be seeing them in different ways and roles. Mysterious!
Next a fan inquired about what, in his opinion, is the best book ever: CABLE & DEADPOOL. Responding to the question of whether or not there would be a Bob, Agent of
Hydra spin-off, Brevoort shot the poor guy down saying there will not be. However, C&DP fans can rejoice. Brevoort said that there are some amazing
Deadpool team-ups coming with Cap,
Doctor Strange and Wolverine to name a few.
Bringing it back over to Spidey-land, a fan asked how long new ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN penciler Stuart Immomen will be on the book. "Until he dies," quipped Brevoort.
Still on the Spidey tip, the next question was whether there are plans for the greatest hero in Marvel history, Peter Porker, the
Spider-Ham. Cebulski fired back saying that we have Rocket Raccoon in STAR-LORD, so what else do we need?
Speaking of STAR-LORD and ANNIHILATION, the question was asked if there are plans for that set of books after ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST is over. Brevoort responded that at this time it would have to stay a secret.
Bringing up afro-clad heroes again, a fan asked if Ultimate Misty Knight would be coming around in the future. "Brian [Bendis] can use her if she wants," answered Brevoort. "Johnny On the
Spot" Cebulski then flipped out his phone, calling up Bendis right there to ask him. As he waited for him to pick up, the panel took more questions.
Touching on "Messiah CompleX," a fan asked how big the scope of the upcoming X-Men event would be, and if at the end the books will have a more cohesive feel. Brevoort answered that it will run though all the X-titles, and will unite them in ways that they haven't been in years and will set them up for what is facing them next.
Meanwhile, Cebulski quietly left Bendis a polite voicemail. "Everyone say hi to Brian," he said as he pointed the phone towards the crowd. "Hi, Brian!" yelled the crowd in unison. Cebulski put his phone back in his pocket as he got back into the game.
Cebulski then took the opportunity to talk about his globe trotting talent search, ChesterQuest. Cebulski is currently traveling the world in search of fresh new artists, and has twelve Marvel contracts up for grabs. Scouring the earth for the perfect talents to fit these roles, the quest ends in France in January with a coming out party taking place at the New York Comic-Con in April of next year. You can find out more at
chesterquest.blogspot.com. Also, you can check out the video below:
Next, a fan asked if we'll see the purple-clad terror Baron
Zemo in the near future. Brevoort said that there aren't any current plans for another Zemo mini-series, but the Baron will show up in THUNDERBOLTS as well as the new Alex Ross project AVENGERS/INVADERS.
And what about Ant-Man, a fan asked. The current Ant-Man will live on after IRREDEEMABLE ANT-MAN and will show up in AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #8, according to Brevoort.
Once again bringing up the
Skrulls, a fan asked if the
Luke Cage/
Jessica Jones baby girl is in fact a Skrull herself. "We never said that," responded Brevoort. "Then what's wrong with her eyes?" said the fan, firing back. Owned!
Moving away from the Avengers and Skrulls, a fan asked what was going on with MYSTIC ARCANA. The panel confirmed that issue #4 comes out in a few weeks, but the fan followed up their question with why Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme was noticeably absent from the series. "He was unavailable," said Brevoort, but then pointed out that Doctor Strange has been elsewhere recently, for example in the pages of NEW AVENGERS and WORLD WAR HULK. Brevoort added that another reason for his absence was that Editor Mark Paniccia wanted MYSTIC ARCANA to focus on lesser-known magical characters, hence why Doctor Strange and other big magical characters aren't spotlighted.
A fan then posed the big question that fans have had in mind since CAPTAIN AMERICA #25 hit back in March—When is
Steve Rogers coming back? "Steve Rogers is dead," explained Brevoort assertively. However, he did say that an announcement was coming in a few weeks and to be on notice.
Shifting focus for a second, a fan asked if their favorite writer Christos Gage (UNION JACK) has any regular Marvel work coming up. Brevoort explained that the opportunity hasn't presented itself yet, but would love to have Gage come in on a more regular basis.
As for regular happening in the Marvel Universe, a fan asked when we could expect a Doctor Strange ongoing series. Brevoort said that there currently aren't any plans for one, but you can certainly get your Strange fill with NEW AVENGERS and WORLD WAR HULK.
Moving it back over to X-Men, a fan inquired about the new mysterious "X-Men Disassembled" image making the rounds online. "No more X-Men, we are canceling it," joked Brevoort about the image. He said to wait a few weeks for an official announcement.
Speaking of disassembled X-Men, a fan asked about the status of
Magik. Cebulski confirmed that there is a Magik one-shot coming, so be prepared.
Next a fan inquired about what was next for the Avengers after WORLD WAR HULK comes to a close. Brevoort explained that the Avengers will have not only sneaky Skrulls to worry about, but also a Venom bomb let loose on New York City. Not only that, but The Hood will be tearing things up as well, so they'll certainly have their hands full.
While on Avengers, it was asked if
Thor would be joining either Avengers teams now that he is back. Brevoort said that THOR #4 will answer that question, and that he will play a big role in SECRET INVASION.
Completely shifting gears, a fan then asked the panel if there would be anymore Icon books in the future, joining the likes of CRIMINAL, KABUKI and POWERS. Cebulski said to expect more BOOK OF LOST SOULS from JMS as well as a few new ones such as KICK ASS by John Romita, Jr and Mark Millar.
Following up on that, a fan asked about any more WHAT IF books coming from Marvel soon. Brevoort was happy to say that there are a few WHAT IF books hitting soon, notably WHAT IF tales spinning out of CIVIL WAR, PLANET HULK and ANNIHILATION.
Suddenly, Cebulski reached back into his pockets to answer his ringing cell phone. Lo and behold, Brain Michael Bendis called back! Turning the panel into one big conference call, Cebulski asked Bendis the Ultimate Misty Knight question. He held his phone up to the microphone so everyone could hear Brian's response. With a static exuberance, Bendis belted out a definitive "No!"
With so much going on in the Marvel Universe, it's hard to keep track of all the goings on [wait...yeah]. Lucky for us, the Mondo Marvel panels let us all take a look around and ask about the future. Maybe next time you'll be there to pose your own questions!
