By Marc Strom
Sometimes, just one hero won't do.
Two of Marvel's most iconic champions join forces in IRON MAN/THOR, a four-issue limited series from writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and artist Scot Eaton beginning in November 2011. A threat from the High Evolutionary will bring these Avengers together as he sets out to replace the old gods with one of his own.
"He's forward thinking and believes in a utopian future," says Lanning of the Evolutionary's worldview. "He's already tried to reinvent and perfect the human species on a number of occasions. This [story] takes his philosophy a step further: to orchestrate a new cosmic order. He believes that all traditional gods have become outmoded and archaic, and are therefore not appropriate for the new millennium. He wants God 2.1."
While they knew they needed a major-level threat for Armored Avenger and God of Thunder, the writers landed on the High Evolutionary specifically for a number of reasons.
"For a start, we've always loved the High Evolutionary," notes Abnett. "It was a treat to use him in ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST and we've been itching for another chance. He's powerful, and he represents a threat that suits both our heroes: He's a technological and scientific threat, but also god-like. It's also fair to say that he's not strictly a villain. His work may often have negative effects, but he's not a malevolent bad guy. That makes him very interesting."
Iron Man and Thor seemingly represent two polar examples on the spectrum between faith and science, a dynamic that makes their pairing all the more interesting, while also exploring the area in between the two.
"That's kind of the point of this whole story, in that it combines the mythic and the technological," emphasizes Lanning. "They come together
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| IRON MAN/THOR #1 cover by Ron Garney |
In recent years, Thor and Iron Man have had a fairly contentious relationship. However, they have begun mending their fences, and this series will continue to flesh out their present-day bond.
"Since Siege, [they view each other] with some wariness and caution," elaborates Abnett. "Both Thor and Tony have had their worlds shattered, and they are rebuilding them. Their value systems have been tested, and things they have trusted have been found to be unreliable. Those things include each other. How much have they changed? How well do they really know each other?"
Joined by artist Scot Eaton, the writers look to produce a book that's both beautiful and action-packed.
"Scot is awesome," raves Lanning. "We couldn't be happier to have him on board. We've been fans of his work for a long, long time, and it's very exciting to be producing something specifically for him. With Scot, you know there will be great storytelling and attention to detail, but this is also going to be epic. Hey, it's Thor and Iron Man."
While Thor and Iron Man may have their names in the title, Abnett teases that some of their friends may come along for the ride as well.
"Don't want to give away the story, but we said it was going to be epic. There might just be one or two other famous faces in this story that are going to be surprises when they appear."
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MARVEL the HIGH EVOLUTIONARY is a GOOD GUY not a BAD GUY,if you need an EVOLVED BAD GUY then use CENTURIUS[ www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/centuriusbla... ]. The HIGH EVOLUTIONARY( creator of the KNIGHTS OF WUNDAGORE and COUNTER-EARTH ) never abandoned his HUMANITY unlike the egotistical GODS[ Marvel Team-Up Annual # 1( 1977 ) Spider-Man & X-Men ],ETHICALS [ see Machine Man ],FUTURIST[ see ...
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MARVEL the HIGH EVOLUTIONARY is a GOOD GUY not a BAD GUY,if you need an EVOLVED BAD GUY then use CENTURIUS[ www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/centuriusbla... ]. The HIGH EVOLUTIONARY( creator of the KNIGHTS OF WUNDAGORE and COUNTER-EARTH ) never abandoned his HUMANITY unlike the egotistical GODS[ Marvel Team-Up Annual # 1( 1977 ) Spider-Man & X-Men ],ETHICALS [ see Machine Man ],FUTURIST[ see Fantastic Four ] and ALPHA THE ULTIMATE MUTANT [ see Defenders ] who all abandoned Earth because Humanity was beneath them. The HIGH EVOLUTIONARY would never suffer from POWER ENVY/GOD ENVY and want to commit suicide because he didn't measure up to the BEYONDERS[ Incredible Hulk #266(12/81)]---after all he wasn't suicidal after he fought GALACTUS to save COUNTER-EARTH from him. The Suicidal HIGH EVOLUTIONARY and the EVOLUTIONARY WAR HIGH EVOLUTIONARY and this HIGH EVOLUTIONARY must be a DEFECTIVE HIGH EVOLUTIONARY Bioduplicate( see Madame Masque ) or Android( Chemically Created Artificial being---organic being ) or Clone or Synthe-Clone[ Fantastic Four#236(11/81)].
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You guys crack me up sometimes. 1) The spidey/wolvie astonishing mini-series is not an ongoing. 2) Clearly they meant Nov. of 2010. Guess we'll know for sure in a month when the Nov. solicitations hit.
I can't believe they are introducing books more than a year out! I'm excited about all three characters and think this will be great. Definitely adding it to my box as soon as it's available.
Sweet, this sounds cool can't wait for it. When I saw this I thought it was an ongoing seris like Wolverine and Spider-Man but it's not. And I'm trying to read alot of Thor lately before his movie comes out. So I will get this one.