We wrap up an eventful week for Marvel and get Joe Quesada’s thoughts on Hollywood’s Iron Man, Marvel’s newest exclusive artist, the scoop on the Fantastic Four’s upcoming new writer, and much more...

Newsarama: So Joe, starting with the most recent Marvel news first, what’s your feeling on the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in the upcoming Iron Man film?

Joe Quesada: I think it’s brilliant and inspired casting as is the selection of John Favreau as director was. This clearly shows Marvel Studio’s commitment to making the finest movies possible.

Now that we fully control our destiny with movies like Iron Ma, the guys at Marvel Studios have been making one amazing move after the next, it’s so incredibly exciting to us here in the publishing division to see all the incredible stuff they have cooking! Robert Downey Jr. is one of the great American actors. Just go back and watch Chaplin - he can hold his own with anyone. What he’ll bring to Iron Man is going to be a depth never before seen in a blockbuster superhero movie of this kind.

NRAMA: Joe, we’ve recently learned that Mark Texeira has signed a two year exclusive contract with Marvel? Any comments?

JQ: I’ve known Mark for years and he was one of the artists that help kick off the original Marvel Knights imprint and for that I will be eternally grateful. He’s been one of my favorite all time artists and a real Marvel guy through and through, we just made an honest man out of him [laughs].

NRAMA: With JMS’s recently-announced upcoming departure from Fantastic Four, can you offer up any information at to the future of that title? Who’s the next writer? Will Mike McKone remain as artist?

JQ: The new writer for FF will be Dwayne McDuffie! How’s that for breaking news. We’ll have more info on FF in the weeks to come.

NRAMA: So how much will McDuffie have to inherit in terms of the status quo being developed through the events of Civil War?

JQ: That absolutely comes with the territory. Dwayne completely understands that taking over FF at this juncture means stepping into the middle of this little story we have called Civil War.

NRAMA: So when you discussed the job with McDuffie, did you have to them him, “Well, you can write FF, but Reed and Su are separated and on opposite sides of Civil War. Johnny is with Sue, and Ben is completely out of the picture”?

Or will all that be resolved nice and tidy-like before a new writer takes over?

JQ: No there will be threads that will definitely have to be picked up. While this is usually the case to some minor extent whenever you have a creative shift on a longstanding title, because of Civil War, we need to be extremely thorough about the plotlines that are left unresolved.

NRAMA: How about the future of the Thunderbolts? From Civil War #4 to your own comments that last few weeks, it seems apparent this title will be going through a major rethinking, and one would assume by what has been said and hasn’t been said, with a new creative team. Can we finally break the seal and talk about what will happen?

JQ: While I can’t say anything about T-Bolts today, you’ll hear more about it by next week and we may even have some art to go along with the announcement. Man, are the cats going to dig the Mexican wrestling action in the new T-bolts!

NRAMA: Awe, the return of your crowing achievement...

Moving on...re: our Gary Frank comment from last week. C’mon, he’ll be drawing Incredible Hulk the ongoing series while John Romita Jr. draws World War Hulk, right?

JQ: Okay, you got me... Yes, Gary will be illustrating some issues of Hulk! And, just to be a tease, you’ll see some of Gary’s first Hulk pages in a special 12 page story in Hulk #100 (it’s even Civil War related).

NRAMA: Okay, also last week you said the artist for Cable/Deadpool was being finalized as we spoke. The ink dry enough you can talk about it?

JQ: Once again, next week we’ll have breaking news on this.

NRAMA: Again last week (this week’s theme) you finally confirmed the upcoming new Marvel Comics Presents anthology title, one of two new anthology titles you mentioned were upcoming. Let’s talk about the new MCP in detail though.

What can you tell readers about the title? Format? How often will it ship? More creators involved in addition to Stuart Immonen?

Will the new MCP serve a particular editorial function? To spotlight characters not often in the spotlight? To plant seeds for potential new titles? To spotlight new creative talent? All of the above?

Can we possibly ask another question before allowing you to respond?

JQ: Well, for those answers and more, let’s go down the hall and visit newly promoted Editor Andy Schmidt’s office. Now, Andy is usually very tight lipped about his projects. Getting info from him is like getting blood from a stone, but at Marvel we’re not above coercion! My favorite type is a good choke hold I learned from Mark Millar, it’s an ancient Scottish martial arts move that they use to use on sheep. Regardless, it gets Andy all the time. Come on now, Schmidt; spill the beans on MCP!!!

Andy Schmidt: URK!”

JQ: Talk, damn you!

AS: Hack, COUGH, COUGH...each issue of... of MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS is... ow, you’re hurting me!

JQ: Scottish sheep hold, it’s supposed to hurt.

AS: Is packed with three 8-page stories.

JQ: HOW MANY!

AS: Three 8-page stories.

JQ: Say it louder!!!

AS: THREE, COUGH, 8 PAGE STORIES!!!!! I’m calling human resources. I think this is a violation of...

JQ: SHUT UP! TALK COMICS, I don’t have time for your whimpering.

AS: S-s-some stories will continue from issue to issue, making up larger stories that... that...

JQ: That what? And say it loud I don’t make me ask you again!

AS: THAT IMPACT THE GREATER MARVEL UNIVERSE!

JQ: YES!

AS: This is the place for artists and writers to, HCK, COUGH, to go to stretch their wings and try new things and basically amaze the hell out of you.

JQ: Amaze me?

AS: No, the fans.

JQ: That’s better.

AS: As far as function, we’re taking this new approach we like to call making-kick-ass-stories-that-rock-your-socks-off and hoping it’ll catch on.

JQ: Smart ass!

AS: OW! Sorry. You’ll see some real talent on these books. I can’t say anything talent wise just yet, but you’ll all be happy.

JQ: What?

AS: I mean the fans, the fans will be happy.

JQ: Cool, thanks Andy, see that wasn’t too hard was it?

AS: Um, can I go home now?

NRAMA: And that concludes tonight’s episode of Masterpiece Theater...

Now the reality is anthologies are a though sell in this industry Is there any plan or expectation to make this more commercially successful, or is this the type of project you think has a place or Marvel needs even if not a robust seller?

JQ: We obviously feel the time is right for this and that the industry is in a place where we can put a book like MCP out and it will prove successful Andy and company will be working tirelessly to make sure that the stories count towards the larger tapestry of the Marvel Universe. I wouldn’t even be surprised to see MCP work its way into future events within the Marvel U.

NRAMA: Finally Joe, before we get to this week’s reader’s questions, recently we learned Bill Rosemann has returned to Marvel as en editor. This week we learned CB Cebulski has also returned full time. Now in the past, you have been critical of the Marvel administration during the speculator-boom because they didn’t take the opportunity the then huge sales afforded them to go our and recruit new big-name talent and instead hired friends and allowed their own editors to become writers.

While we’re not suggesting a direct analogy to that period by any means, the larger point is, the then administration perhaps choose comfort and familiarity over brining in fresh, brand new voices. To play Devil’s Advocate, now in your seventh year, do you feel you have to guard against becoming too comfortable and bringing back familiar faces to fill important posts as opposed to perhaps bringing in “new” people with a fresh perspective?

JQ: Not at all. First, CB has been an incredibly valuable part of our editorial group here and he left to go out to spread his freelancer wings. We never wanted him to leave and now he’s back. Some will say he never left [laughs]. Let me put it to you as simply as I can - we never killed his corporate email account.

When Bill Rosemann was here he was never an editor. He got into comics in order to be an editor and somehow found himself working in marketing. Bill’s dream has always been to edit books, but the opportunity never arose. So, when the openings became available here, we jumped at the chance of hiring Bill but as an editor this time. So, the way I look at it, he’s definitely going to be a new and fresh editorial voice.

But, as for young editors, we’re in the process of conducting interviews now and we’ll be hiring a new Assistant Editor within the next few weeks but that won’t make front page news or any news at all, just as our hiring of Assistant Editors Daniel Ketchum, Michael O’Conner, Michael Short or Aubrey Sitterson, over the last year haven’t made news. And also, let’s not forget the recent promotions of Nick Lowe, Andy Schmidt and WARREN SIMONS (sorry by contract is name is required to always be capitalized) to full Editor status.

These are all incredibly bright, young editorial voices that will be adding significant creative energy to the line as time goes on. So, more to your Devil’s Advocate question, I think it’s just a matter of what people see as a headline versus what is actually happening.

NRAMA: All right, the Devil’s Advocate makes way for our readers...

Q - Thrash: Hey, Joe, how good are the chances of seeing the New Warriors return in an on-going title? Better yet, what about Fabian Nicieza writing it?

JQ: Thrash, aren’t the New Warriors dead? I don’t know if you’ll be seeing the old New Warriors running around any time soon so that alone would make it difficult for anyone to write.

Q - Blaquewing: Since Spider-Woman Origin wrapped up we haven’t heard anything about another Luna Brothers’ project for Marvel. Are there currently any plans for them in the works?

JQ: Blaquewing, we love the Luna Bros. and we’ve been talking to them about coming back and doing something for us. They’re currently busy doing other things but have expressed interest in doing more for Marvel.

Q - Also, James Jean did a couple of covers for Runaways a while back...when are you guys gonna snag him for a project?

JQ: I love James Jean’s work; he’s one of the best cover artists working in comics today. We would love to do more work with him in the future but currently there aren’t any concrete plans that I’m aware of.

Q - Tenken23: Reed spoke against the original Superhero Registration Act with his primary reasoning being that it was not thought out enough. Now we have Reed supporting the Act.

Will the differences between the two bills that led to Reed changing viewpoints be addressed if they haven’t been already? If they have, where was it?

JQ: Great question, Tenken 23, so let’s go to Tom Brevoort and see what he has to say.

NRAMA: Oh god, here we go again...

JQ: Whoa, Tom, put down that keyboard!

Tom Brevoort: Come near me with the Scottish sheep hold and I’ll clobber you good!

JQ: Okay, okay, just help me out with this New Joe Fridays question.

TB: Look, I think what’s changed is less the specific language of the separate legislation in question, and more the time and environment in which they were being proposed. So yes, we’re going to be getting a greater understanding as to just what’s going on in Reed’s head, starting in Fantastic Four #540 next week. But we won’t be doing any sort of point-by-point comparison of the current Registration Act with any of the ones proposed in the past. Honestly, could anything be more boring?

JQ: You’re right, thanks for your help. Scottish sheep hold?

TB: Okay, fine.

And... Scene....!

Q - GSHAG: This past New Joe Fridays you answered this question pertaining to Jubilee

“JQ: Keep your eyes and ears open because Jubilee and some friends will be popping up somewhere in the near future. You’ll never guess it or expect it, but it will blow you away and bring a smile to your face. This is one of my favorite upcoming projects!”

Now that jogged my memory a little. I remembered reading somewhere (most likely in a New Joe Fridays), in context that you were answering a question that had to do with teenaged sidekicks, that you loved a pitch that had to do with teen heroes and redefining their role in the Marvel U. Does this answer above have anything to do with that, and when will we hear more about this teen hero project?

JQ: Hey, GSHAG, I’m a big fan of Jubilee so let me just say that we have big plans for her that will make her a lead player in the Marvel U. The question is how does she get her powers back?

Q - Mundungus: Do you know when Peter David is going to continue or wrap up the alternate (and murderous) Uncle Ben story that happened in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man recently? That’s one of my most looked forward to storylines and I hope to see more of it soon. Uncle Ben is right up there with the Punisher.

Not to mention, that hobo that Ben also kicked looked strikingly like...Uncle Ben!

Any information pertaining this would be most gracias.

JQ: Mundungus, my understanding is that Peter does have plans for this. In fact, it could happen very soon.

Q - Captain616: New Excalibur, Union Jack, Wisdom, and now Clan Destine - it seems that Marvel is having a British mini-renaissance right now! There was a wealth of characters in the British corner of the Marvel Universe who kind of got left behind when the comic book industry crashed in the early 90s. Does Marvel have any other plans to reintroduce more of these characters to modern readers?

JQ: I can’t say that we have concrete plans just as I know for a fact that the above projects have nothing to do with a deliberate push against our British characters. But like al things in comics, characters like ideas are cyclical so I’m sure we’ll eventually touch upon many more of the British characters as time goes on.

Q - Iceman Geek: Hey Joe. Been wondering when we would see Sean Chen with his next project. He is still working for Marvel right?

JQ: Yo, Iceman Geek, yes, he is absolutely still with Marvel. Sean is currently working on issues #32-34 of Sensational Spider-Man and here is some of his amazing art, hope you dig ‘em!

Q - The Skoot: Given recent events, is the current arc on Astonishing X-Men pre- or post-Civil War?

JQ: Hey Skoot, I went in to Editor Nick Lowe’s office to get the answer directly from the source. Well, Nick isn’t really the source but he does speak to the source or “The Whedon” as we like to refer to it. For some reason Nick isn’t anywhere to be found, his office mates said he just ran out like he was afraid of something, but he did leave this note.

Post! It takes place when the last issue comes out. At that moment in continuity. Please don’t hurt me- NL

Well, there you have it!

Q - Magellan: One of the interesting dynamics in DC is that certain heroes (Supes/Bats) have radically different ideologies when it comes to crimefighting and superheroics (I believe this started around the time of Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns). Up until Civil War, with the exception of the Punisher, no Marvel Heroes had ideological differences in crimefighting/superheroics. In fact, any character could conceivably belong to any super-team because they mostly tended to agree philosophically. Was this the genie you were trying to put back into its bottle and fix via Civil War? The fact that Marvel Heroes tended to be ideologically homogeneous and get along with each other?

JQ: While I absolutely see your point about Bats and Supes, Magellan, I don’t see how that’s any different than the Marvel U. Let’s look at the Marvel U as well as the DCU. While Supes and Batman have their different ideological points of view, would we say that the entirety of the characters within the DCU have radically different ideological points of view from one and other? Is Wonder Woman really that different than Green Lantern? I would argue she is, just as I would argue that Daredevil is different from Luke Cage. I think what you’re looking at here are degrees of differences.

Superman and Batman are DC’s big two so the differences definitely get magnified, so for the sake of argument, let’s look at two big Marvel characters, Wolverine vs. Spidey, how different are they? I would say just as different as Supes and Bats, wouldn’t you? How about Namor and Captain America? I would argue that there seem to be more than several degrees of separation between those two.

But, what I’ve stated in the past is that what we’re hoping for Civil War to do is to get us a little closer to that feeling that was prevalent in the early days of the Marvel Universe. Back to that feeling of uncertainty, of unease between characters. This was always an integral part of the Marvel formula that many have tried to copy over the years and that we in many ways strayed from. It’s a natural progression, these characters have been alive for forty plus years, there’s a level of familiarity that comes after all those years of publishing and that familiarity doesn’t just extend itself to the characters but to the creators and the fans as well. That’s why I love Civil War so much; it brings so much of that feeling back without being a throwback.

Q - Loobzer: I won’t get my hopes up for a straight answer on this, but here goes. We’ve seen "DB" pick up the real Mjolnir in Fantastic Four #538, and based on the events in that book, this takes place after Civil War #4. Are you able to tell us if we are going to see the REAL Thor in Civil War, or are you going to make us wait longer? I sure hope the star of the new Thor series isn’t going to be Clor! You wouldn’t let us Real Thor fans down would you?

JQ: Well, the name of the new series is actually going to be Thone not Clor if that helps at all [laughs]!

NRAMA: So, any more tease art for us before calling it a Friday?

JQ: Sure how about if I leave you with this cover image I just finished for Wolverine: Origins. And when I say, just finished, I mean I literally just finished it fifteen minutes ago. I’ll let you all speculate on what it all means. BWAHAHAHA!