Bend It Like Bendis: Marvel's Newest Icon Talks
Date: Monday, April 19, 2004
Interviewer: Mike Stroniolo &
Darren Schroeder
Brian Michael
Bendis is one of the comic industry's most prolific and
well-respected writers, two adjectives that rarely go together.
Bendis once again has been pushed into the limelight with the
launch of Marvel's Icon's imprint, which bring the creator's
acclaimed Powers series over from Image Comics. Whilst in
New Zealand at the Armageddon Convention, Bendis took time out of
his hectic schedule to talk with Darren Schroeder, and by
extension Mike Stroniolo who provided research for this
interview.
Darren: How did Powers moving to Marvel come about?
Did you approach Marvel, or did they approach you? What was the
process like?
Brian Michael Bendis: We [the Powers creators] were
looking for a step up in the distribution area side of things -
how to get the book to new readers without doing something
stupid. At the same time Marvel were looking to set up a serious
creators line. We talked with Marvel and we were surprised to
find that they came back with the deal that met our
objectives.
I see it as a
chance to catch the eye of the Daredevil readers who never
bothered looking at Image stuff or that section of Previews. Mike
[Oeming] and I believe in the book, and we want to grow its
audience. Readers, not income, is the issue.
Darren: You seem to be building on an already strong
relationship with Marvel.
BMB: Yeah, Bill Jemas was good to me. Sure, I miss Bill,
but the current Marvel team are supportive. Bill got a bad rep
online.
Darren: Was there any problem at Image that caused you to
switch to Marvel?
BMB: There was no problem as such with Image.
Creator-owned means creators can move around - this is the time
to move the book on and up. I appreciate that the move will be a
pain for Image, but we've been talking and things seem to be
worked out.
There's a big difference between the hype around a move like this
and the personal reality of getting things done. The Image
Central office were good to deal with - I'm sorry Jim left - but
there's no animosity toward the current team.
Darren: Do
you have to tone down the stories in Powers now that it's
at Marvel? Do you have complete freedom to do whatever you want
in the book, like at Image, or are there regulations, if you
will, on it?
BMB: No change at all in the approach to the title. It
belongs to us [Bendis and Oeming] and we do what we want. The
Marvel deal wasn't about selling out the title to someone else to
get money.
Darren: Who has the rights to publishing the TPB collections
of Powers issues? Is Marvel in full control of it or does Image
still have a share?
BMB: Image will hold the rights to the first five trades
and also overseas rights.
Darren: Can you share any information about what is going to
happen in the Powers re-launch?
BMB: The relaunch comes out of a story that when people
read it they said, "Hey, That's a new Issue one!" It hadn't been
intended as that, but the story is a new beginning in a way -
Powers have been outlawed, the superheroes have disappeared, the
villains do what they want. Deena Pilgrim is coming back to the
job after an absence - she's changed, the environment has
changed.
Darren: Are you at all worried that Icon will become another
Epic situation?
BMB: No concerns at all. It was decided that trying to use
the Epic banner in the current market might be an uphill battle,
so we went for new name.
Darren: Can we expect any crossovers between Powers and other
Marvel titles in the future, or is it in its own little
world?
BMB: No crossovers. The rights to our characters and
Marvel's, and by extension what you do can with them, mean it's
not really an issue. Marvel isn't about to let their characters
get killed on a regular basis. Though if I could do something
like kill Captain America in Powers, I'd jump at the
chance.
Darren: In your upcoming Avengers storyline you have said
that you're going to literally tear the team apart. Can you
elaborate or go into details about your plans?
BMB: I love the Avengers and I see my plots as developing
the book into a new type of team - one for the times. I've got
plans to do things existing fans will appreciate; I'm not out to
do things just to be an arsehole. There will be new characters,
but the story arc is about the history of team - their legacy,
both good and bad.
Darren: Rumor has it that some members of the Avengers aren't
going to make it out alive; some say Scarlet Witch and Wasp, some
say Yellowjacket. Could you confirm/deny or comment on
that?
BMB: One member dies straight away; another dies a few
issues later.
Darren: How has it been writing basically the staples of the
Marvel Universe and getting to manipulate them? Is it just a "go
have fun" situation or are there a lot of notes from the editors
about what to do and what not to do?
BMB: To
quote Ridley Scott, "Nothing makes me more creative than a
budget." There are controls in place when writing someone else's
characters. With rules like no swearing, there are always ways to
work around the issue and solutions to find.
Darren: On your Image message board you said that you have
plotted up to Ultimate Spider-Man #87. What villains do
you have planned to 'ultimize' in those issues? For that matter,
are there Ultimate versions of any villain you plan on
doing?
BMB: Villains coming up - Dr Strange (as in Ultimate
Team-Up), Hobgoblin, Carnage, Wolverine gets a cameo (heh,
I'm ashamed of that), Morbius. Cast-wise there will be more of
the high school cast.
Darren: You revolutionized the Spider-Man franchise back in
2000 with Ultimate Spider-Man, now, nearly five years
later, it continues to be in the top-five-selling books, how has
that experience been for you? Any different than you imagined it
would have been?
BMB: Thanks for the grand way that was put... The experience
hasn't stopped yet - it's all a process that we [the creators]
are finding satisfying and the stories feel like they have a
purpose. I'm surprised that other people appreciate so much the
stories I'm telling. I never expected "hit" status. And we want
to keep it that way. I've learned that the characters belong to
the readers. I'm aware that I can't please everyone but at the
same time I appreciate that "with great powers come great
responsibility."
Darren: You've said before that you plan on 'ultimizing' the
Clone Saga in your own way, what else can you say about how it's
going to get laid down?
BMB: Yes, the clone saga is going to be 'ultimized', I
have the framework set out and some seeds for the saga have
already appeared.
Darren: Any plans for the Death Of Ultimate Gwen Stacy?
BMB: Gwen has a high arc in front of her.
Darren: A lot of people have been curious as to where the
Ultimate Marvel Team Up issues fit into Ultimate
continuity, mostly the Fantastic Four one, what can you say about
those?
BMB: Most of it fits in except for a few of the out there
stories such as the Fantastic Four issue that was intended to be
"nonsense..."
Darren: Some people have been comparing your run on Daredevil
to that of Frank Miller; what is that like for you?
BMB: I
think it's very nice when people occasionally make that
comparison in a positive manner. I respect what Miller did and
was hugely complemented that Frank Miller was one of the first
people to say congrats after the Eisner award last year. Miller
made the joke at the time of taking the award and saying "You
know this is really mine..." I was also touched that one of the
first fan letters I got was from Ben Jansen.
Darren: What do you have in store for Matt Murdock, or should
I say the new Kingpin of the Kitchen, in upcoming Daredevil
issues?
BMB: Plans ahead for the new Kingpin include teaming up
with Black Widow as a partner and having some fun with the way
they work together. The 40th anniversary is coming up and we have
some special story events planned; one includes a story arc that
covers the Golden, Silver, and Bronze Age of the character. One
plot line - who was the Kingpin before our "Kingpin"?
Darren: Typhoid Mary, The Owl, Kingpin, they're all just a
few of the Daredevil villains you've used in your stories; what
other ones do you have plans for?
BMB: Other Characters - some new ones are on the way - the
Assassin Quinn and Jigsaw. Madam Hydra makes an appearance as
well.
Darren: Any Marvel book you'd like to get your hands on
next?
BMB: I have plans for some, but I can't say. One I really
like working with is Nick Fury, but I feel I've used him quite a
lot as a guest character already, so I'm done with him for
now.
Darren: Talking to you, you seem like a cheerful guy who
enjoys his work and enjoys showing your appreciation of the fans
(you seem prepared to sign every comic that the fans bring you).
Where do you think the negativity that surrounds comics comes
from?
BMB: The two that sprang to mind for me are online, and
the business end of things. Online, I just accept that people
behave in an extreme fashion via e-mail and on boards - with
mine, I just say, no extremes, no abuse - and then I let the more
reasonable side of people come out.
As for the comics industry... People who are wait for the next big
thing that is going to revitalize the industry are mistaken. The
business is actually in the process of a slow and gradual
recovery. DC and Marvel's job is to print comics that people want
to read, and to make sure they're worth reading. They know that,
and that's what we all keep trying to do. Creators put their
names to books so they all want to do their best.