Unsurprisingly, the Avengers line is a major part of the upcoming Marvel NOW! relaunch. We've already heard announcements about Jonathan Hickman spearheading new volumes of both Avengers and New Avengers and Rick Remender launching a new series called Uncanny Avengers. But at least one currently ongoing Avengers title will be sticking around post-relaunch. Last week, Marvel released a new teaser image revealing that Kelly Sue DeConnick and Stefano Caselli will be taking over Avengers Assemble after current creative team Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley wrap up their eight-issue storyline.
Marvel held another Next Big Thing press call today to shed more light on the announcement. In attendance were DeConnick, editor Lauren Sankovitch, and Marvel Senior Editor Tom Brevoort. Caselli was initially looped in as well, but was unfortunately disconnected before the interview began.
The editors kicked off the call by discussing why this new creative team was selected. Sankovitch said, "We knew Brian was coming off the book. We were looking around and asking who had an interesting voice that we wanted a bigger opportunity to work with on a larger stage. We loved the preliminary stuff we had seen from Kelly Sue on Captain Marvel and her villain team-ups in Osborn and other stuff she's done around the office. We thought this would be a really great opportunity to get to work with her, and also to get some lady power in the Avengers lineup."
Avengers Assemble #9 cover
Brevoort elaborated on the direction the series will take after Bendis' departure. "Really, Avengers Assemble will continue on in much the same vein it has been for the eight issues it will have existed up to this point. It's featured primarily quintessential Avengers -- primary Avengers. We'll probably pick some other characters up as we go and based on the demands of the story. We'll be telling tighter, more concise, "get in and get out" sorts of stories. Pretty much [three and four-issue arcs] at most. The focus will probably be more on the classic, public Avengers -- the movie Avengers, so to speak -- as Assemble has been up till now. Basically, it's all about making a big impact in a short amount of time."
While DeConnick was hesitant to reveal any specific villains her team will be facing, she did reveal the initial lineup for the first arc -- Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Spider-Woman, and Captain Marvel. Regarding Carol Danvers, DeConnick said, "You might know this -- I have a certain affection for this character. And I decided, 'Well, if I'm deciding, there will be a slot available for her as well.'" Additionally, Black Widow will be returning to the series after the first arc. DeConnick also noted that some familiar faces like Wolverine and Spider-Man will have small roles in early issues.
DeConnick talked about her take on the team. "I pitched this as the AC/DC Avengers, the sort of short rock classic Avengers. When I went to see the movie... I managed to keep it together until that point when Iron Man flew onto the screen and AC/DC started cranking, and then I was literally bouncing up and down in my chair and clapping. That is the moment I'm writing for. I want that rock anthem, super exciting, 'bounce up and down in your chair' moment." DeConnick also noted that she hears the voices of actors like Robert Downey Jr. in her head as she writes the characters, though whether that comes across on the printed page will be up to readers to decide.
Later, DeConnick elaborated on the themes she intends to explore. "I'm interested in them as celebrities. I'm interested in how you work being a hero and a celebrity -- how that status works for them. I'm interested in new media ideas, as well, and I'm trying to weave a little of that through... The Avengers in the age of the Internet -- how does that affect their public personas? And the ideas of evolution and transformation and the different ways that these people look at the future. These are ideas that come up a lot in the first arc."
DeConnick also responded to the notion that she's only the second woman writer (after Ann Nocenti) to write an ongoing Avengers series. "I don't want to represent all women in comics, particularly because I blow things sometimes. I hope that I'm always trying so hard that my reach will sometimes exceed my grasp. And because of that, I don't want that to reflect that 'Oh, see, women can't do that.'" Brevoort elaborated, "It's a nice factoid for people who care about that sort of thing. But I didn't hire a woman to write Avengers. I hired Kelly Sue to write Avengers. And I hired her the same way I hired everybody in the past and will hire everybody in the future -- based on who I thought could get the job done and other examples or work that I've seen and my own gut instinct."
DeConnick and Caselli will begin their run with Avengers Assemble #9 in November. Stay tuned to IGN Comics this week for more announcements and the full lineup of November solicits.
Jesse is a writer for IGN Comics and various other IGN channels. Follow Jesse on Twitter, or find him on IGN.
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