By Ben Morse
When Bill Rosemann inherited the role of editor for the cosmic corner of the Marvel Universe—ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST, NOVA, et al—he had an impressive but fragile empire handed to him.
Over a decade removed from the salad days of stories like
INFINITY GAUNTLET, Marvel's cosmic characters had grown stagnant until the mastermind duo of writer Keith Giffen and editor Andy Schmidt resurrected the genre via the "Annihilation" event in 2006. When Schmidt left Marvel earlier this year, Rosemann got the call to make sure the success of "Annihilation" would not be a fluke.
With the NOVA ongoing series rocketing ahead to success and critical acclaim and ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST picking up right where its predecessor left off with action, twists and turns, Rosemann might be tempted to say "Mission accomplished," but the ambitious editor only looks onward and upward.
As part of Annihilation Week, Marvel.com spoke with Rosemann about the midway point of CONQUEST, the recently announced GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, what's next for NOVA and the future of the Annihilation saga.
Marvel.com: We're halfway into the CONQUEST mini at this point and things are beginning to build towards a climax—where is your head at?
Bill Rosemann: It's being cradled and stroked by the gentle paws of Rocket Raccoon.
Okay, in truth I'm excited to see how True Believers will react to the twists and turns that the creative team has up their collective sleeve for CONQUEST #4-#6. All of the creators have worked hard to build everything to a peak, so I'm pulling for them to pull off a fun finale.
Marvel.com: What are you most satisfied with as far as accomplishments thus far?
Bill Rosemann: One time, after Tom Brevoort gave an issue of the event a final review before it headed off to the printer, he handed it to me and said it was "a pretty good comic." And if you know Tom, you know that's money, baby!
Marvel.com: What would you go back and tinker with if you could?
Bill Rosemann: You can never go back, Grasshopper. But we've learned quite a few lessons that we'll apply to future adventures.
Marvel.com: How closely has the story that has seen print matched up with what you and the creative team outlined when you set out?
Bill Rosemann: Surprisingly close. And then there's all the brilliant smaller surprises that [writers] Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning—a.k.a. DnA—and the art team delivered with each script!
Marvel.com: With the late introduction of Adam Warlock, Ultron and the High Evolutionary into the story after months of pushing Quasar, Star-Lord and Wraith, has having such a large cast been a problem?
Bill Rosemann: Luckily DnA are masters in controlling story elements—whether that's pathos, humor, pacing or characters—and have nicely mixed and balanced this ensemble cast.
Double the page-count and number of issues would have been swell, but when the dust clears, I hope the True Believers feel that DnA expertly utilized the resources they were handed.
Marvel.com: What's ahead in the second half of the series?
Bill Rosemann: You know all those elements I mentioned? They all come to in a raging boil!
Marvel.com: Will we see casualties?
Bill Rosemann: War ain't pretty, and the price of freedom is high.
Marvel.com: When will the separate storylines begin to merge together?
Bill Rosemann: When all is said and done, True Believers will look back and see that the storylines were entwined from the very first page.
Marvel.com: Who has been the surprise breakout star of the series for you? Who do you think has yet to fully shine but will?
Bill Rosemann: We're all pleasantly surprised with the strong reaction to the cast of the STAR-LORD mini—and I'm betting that Adam Warlock will finish strong.
Marvel.com: Any more surprises you can tease?
Bill Rosemann: Groot will rise!
Marvel.com: Switching gears, what's poppin' in Nova's book over the next couple months as he finds his way back to Conquest for the conclusion?
Bill Rosemann: Look for an intriguing look at Nova's future, an eventual end to the journey to Kvetch, the return of a certain cult-fave Selfriend, more Drax, more Gamora—and just wait until you see [artist] Mahmud S. Arar's Marvel debut in NOVA ANNUAL #1—not to mention the grand arrival of [artist] Paul Pelletier to the Conquest Party!
Marvel.com: When Nova does return to Conquest, what kind of impact will he have?
Bill Rosemann: The impact that only the Human Rocket can deliver!
Okay, if that's too vague, let's just say that Nova's infection may turn out to be the cure for what ails the Kree. Yes, folks, just because we didn't slap that Annihilation: Conquest banner on NOVA #8-#12 doesn't mean they weren't connected to the main event.
Marvel.com: What's ahead for Nova following Conquest?
Bill Rosemann: Cay you say Galactus and the Silver Surfer? And what about that Skrully Invasion?
Marvel.com: Is there more story to be told as far as the relationship between Nova and Gamora?
Bill Rosemann: Yeah, like what happened when Nova and Gamora took that shower at the end of issue #6? We demand answers, DnA!
Marvel.com: Will Nova be returning to Earth again in the next year or is he back in space for the foreseeable future?
Bill Rosemann: With so many ties to our world, can Nova ever stay away forever? Back to that "balancing act" that DnA are so skilled at, look for a mix of deep space and Earth-centered action…but probably leaning heavy on the "out of this world" flavor.
Marvel.com: What is the future of Nova's art team? After Paul Pelletier does his stint, what's the plan?
Bill Rosemann: Hey, all you True Believers that like Wellinton Alves's awesome art—you're going to love what's on the horizon!
Marvel.com: How did the genesis of the new GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY book come about?
Bill Rosemann: We all said, "Hey, that STAR-LORD mini was really cool, wasn't it? And the ensemble feel of the CONQUEST mini was fun too, right? Let's combine some of the ingredients and do it again!"
Marvel.com: What will Paul Pelletier bring to the book?
Bill Rosemann: Hunt down some issues of Negation. Go ahead, I'll wait.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: "Negation" was the title of a series Pelletier worked on for the now defunct CrossGen, where coincidentally enough a certain Mr. Rosemann also used to work]
Okay, you're back? Yeah,
that's what he'll bring. Paul is a veteran star who deserves to launch his own book—and we're honored to offer him that much-deserved opportunity. Intense detail, rock solid storytelling, 110% effort and dependability, a desire to continually top himself—the artists that posses all those traits are rare, and we are darn lucky to be working with one.
Marvel.com: Most of the stars in Annihilation aren't known for being team players -- how will that affect this book? Will it still be a team in the traditional sense or something less familiar in terms of group dynamic?
Bill Rosemann: What's fun about the trademark Marvel Comics take on super hero team—which really didn't exist until [the Fantastic Four] burst onto the scene—is that, as in life, everyone in groups don't always see eye-to-eye…and sometimes they flat out dislike each other. Add laser blasters and then watch the hijinks ensue!
Marvel.com: What's next for the Annihilation brand after CONQUEST concludes and GUARDIANS gets off the ground?
Bill Rosemann: We're going to Disney Land! Oh…make that Universal Studios and the Marvel Island of Adventure!
Marvel.com: With the Skrulls and outer space being such a big part of Secret Invasion and other major stories in 2008, will the cosmic characters be interacting more with the rest of the Marvel Universe?
Bill Rosemann: While the opportunity to explore and expand our own stellar sandbox is amazing, it's also fun to play with the rest of the gang on the playground.
Marvel.com: Are there any other cosmic characters you're looking to revive via Annihilation as you've already done with the likes of Nova, Star-Lord, etc.?
Bill Rosemann: If only we still had the trademarks for Crystar and Rom!
Marvel.com: At the end of the day, what do you like most about working on these books?
Bill Rosemann: At the end of the day, nothing beats kicking back with an adult beverage and a Rocket Raccoon finger puppet.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: See last week's Weekly Watcher for the debut of the Conquest characters in this innovative form!]
Annihilation Week rolls on tomorrow with a special Nova-centric edition of Make Mine Marvel! Be there!!
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