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ETERNALS #4
cover by Daniel
Acuña |
By Jim Beard
It's a dark time for the
Eternals.
Beleaguered and splintered, the genetically-advanced race of super-beings finds themselves behind the eight ball as their warring factions obfuscate the advance of a space-born terror known as the Horde.
So Tony Stark's surprise visit in ETERNALS #4, due September 3, doesn't do much to alleviate their burdens. Earth-born inanities such as
Iron Man's Initiative don't really register on the Eternals' radar, but Tony sees it a bit differently. Let's just say there's going to be some trouble.
Writers Charles and Daniel Knauf, alongside illustrator Daniel Acuña, headline Team Eternals, the creative force behind Marvel's newest runaway hit. In ETERNALS #4, the Knaufs heartily promise that "cool stuff happens," then a plot twist and then "something cooler happens," followed by a setback and a set-up.
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Preview art by
Daniel Acuña |
"Then a major setback," notes Daniel, the elder Knauf. "Which is actually a set-up," adds Charles.
The Marvel Universe proper rarely intersects the universe of the Eternals, a fact not lost on the Knaufs.
"Neil [Gaiman] already set-up Iron Man as a source of fascination to the Dreaming Celestial [in 2007's ETERNALS limited series], and we're playing with that a bit," says Daniel. "We also like to connect things up with other Marvel Universe characters when we can. But we have to be kind of careful. Though the Eternals are part of the MU, they need to remain on the fringe a bit."
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Preview art by
Daniel Acuña |
"[The Eternals] are essentially god-like, and their powers trump anyone in the Marvel Universe," explains Charles. "They're in another league. It's like dropping Mike Tyson into a schoolyard brawl. It can be amusing, but not too conducive to suspense or drama. I mean, the outcome isn't much of a mystery."
"[Their power levels are] not great for storytelling," agrees Daniel. "So we have to be careful. They pop in, advise and lend an occasional hand, but never really drive this Marvel Universe [story] arc."
Tony Stark's steely nerve and overbearing personality can't help but clash with those of the formidable Eternals—but could the Golden Avenger actually have a counterpart among these offspring of the cosmos-spanning
Celestials?
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Preview art by
Daniel Acuña |
"In a way, Stark's closest analogues are the Celestials [themselves], in that they are creatures contained within armor," Charles says. "The difference, I think, is that Stark's armor enhances his strength and power, whereas the Celestial's armor contains and channels it."
"[It's] hard to get anything done without opposable thumbs," adds Daniel.
Iron Man's focus these days lands squarely on the Skrull invasion, which might explain in part why he's so keen to wrangle the Eternals. Stark takes a stand against what he perceives as loose, unregistered cannons—a group which surely encompasses the Eternals—but one must wonder how the advancing Horde might stack up against Stark's alien enemies.
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Preview art by
Daniel Acuña |
"The
Skrulls are an intergalactic threat," says Daniel. "The Horde is a cosmic threat. It's like a bunch of red ants are taking over the nest of some black ants. Pretty dramatic until you realize the ant hill is located in a park in Hiroshima and the date is August 6, 1945. Doesn't matter much who wins."
"The fact that the Eternals are in disarray does create an opportunity for the Skrulls," Charles admits. "Normally, the invasion would be front-row-center for the Eternals.
"But the Horde trumps everything."
Get your fill of Eternals,
Deviants, Celestials, super heroes and the teeming Horde in the pages of ETERNALS #4, marching your way September 3. There's never been a better time to duck and cover!
