Joss Whedon

MILLAR’S MIGHTY MARVEL SUMMIT REPORT, PLUS FIRST ’1985’ PAGES

Should I be in bed? Oh yes, but I’m just back from the Marvel summit in New York tonight and still on East Coast time so sleeping is impossible. Family are asleep, though, and so cannot see me sneaking on here with a quick report despite the fact I’m officially not due back until the end of April or thereabouts. Hard to believe I’ve been gone two and a half months already. The board is horribly addictive and going cold turkey is a lot harder than you’d think. However, very, very enthused after the very brief New York trip and wanted to bring everybody up to speed in a single post before disappearing again for a while.

First off, health is improving a lot. This wasn’t the case before Christmas, but the last three or four weeks have been great and I’m even cheating on all the things the docs had warned me not to touch (ie, the occasional pint of Guinness). So the meds seem to be really kicking in and the Crohn’s and associated crap I’ve had seems to be really getting under control. Again, thanks for all the cards and get well wishes. Every single one is appreciated.

Secondly, I wasn’t supposed to go to the Marvel summit but since Marvel Civil War essentially redraws the map of the Marvel Universe it would have been crazy to have missed this. Also, I didn’t have an ending until we all got together for the greatest spit-ball session of all time and the transatlantic trip was worth it for this alone. Bendis, Bru, Loeb, JMS, Joe and the guys were absolutely fantastic. This was honestly the most productive meeting we’ve ever had together and, besides having the most fun we’ve ever had in office hours and beyoind, the actual content of what we came up with has me the most excited about Marvel since the day I started working there. Every single office is firing on full-cylinders here. DC has raised their game like crazy in the last year and the Marvel response was pretty breathtaking to behold. BB and I kept smiling and passing little "this is kick-ass" notes as the editors were giving their presentations. Some AMAZING stuff coming up and, just for a little self-promotion, let me trailer MCW issue 2 as the most talked about Marvel comic in our lifetimes. No hyperbole. Copy and save this paragraph and slap me down with it if you think I’m wrong, but June is where the Marvel Universe just goes more nuts than you could ever have possibly imagined. Seriously, copy and save this paragraph because there was 100% agreement this will be the biggest thing to happen to Marvel since the 60s.

Just wanted to thank all the other guys for their input. Seriously, this crossover is a definite group effort because it’s unfair to have me bullying everyone into submission on their own books. EVERYONE pitched in ideas here and the series is all the better for it. I’d written half of it before my break, but working a day or two a week and constantly rewriting it as we all come up with bigger and better ideas. It’s the biggest pain in the arse I’ve ever undertaken, but also the most exciting project and you guys are going to go nuts for it. First issue, of course, will be lettered and in my Secret Forum in about a month so the mods will be able to give you guys a few clues, but I think you’re going to like this quite a bit. Some favourites are coming back, some favourites are going away and the 50 State Initiative is here to stay. That’s all I’m saying for now.

My docs wouldn’t let me do my usual week of drunken insanity, but we still managed to sneak out and get pissed with Garth Ennis and a few other NYC based pals. Whedon was in town and, during the summit, quite brilliantly chose the best of the four endings we’d been arguing over for the better part of a day. You remember that scene in Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing where Luthor was hired for a billion dollars a minute to come in and tell these scientists how to kill Swampy? That was Whedon. The guy is a fucking story-machine and we were all blown away until he sneezed in his hand before shaking mine, leaving me with a glistening palm before he shot off for lunch with one of his Broadway buddies. But otherwise, we were in fucking AWE.

Other highlights was Garth getting so shit-faced he fell twice; once at the feet of Millarworld’s excellent Mike Furth (whom we bumped into purely by chance in an Irish bar) and the second time on the steps outside as he fell on his poor, long-suffering wife. Bendis practically had an orgasm when, in a burger bar, he spotted a fantasy figure of his from way back; a well-stacked comedienne who’s second name was Silverman, but who’s first name I can’t remember. He was equally excited by Sex and the City’s Sarah Jessica Parker who was right behind us after a show at Carnegie Hall too, the randy wee bugger. Bru was terrific fun. First time I’d really spoken to him and a great laugh as well as an excellent writer. He has the best year of his life coming up, the biggest assignment he’s ever been given and the news should be broken inside the next couple of months too.

All in all, a brilliant few days. Wish it could have been longer. Bendis, as much as I like to give him shit, is one of my best chums in the biz and it’s a shame we only see each other two or three times a year. But it was great. And we had a ball. Which is what comics should always be about. The blind, mad enthusiasm we’ve brought back from these meetings is something I hope will be infectious over the next six months. Loads to tell you, though most of it will have to wait until my return and the big Newsarama interview at the end of April where all the big plans will be previewed. In the meantime, here’s a look at some of the many pages from 1985 I’ve had back from the boys. They’re so bloody magical and so different from anything else I’ve seen in a superhero book. They feel beyond 3D to me, like the Marvel Universe is a magical little world we can just dip inside. I don’t want to spoil any of the main images as the project is still some six months away from publication, but here’s a little taster for now. Hope you like. I love them to pieces. Just haunting and beautiul. This is shaping up to be ten times the book I even had in my head and a totally new experience for the readers.