NRAMA: Looking at something coming up for you - War of the Kings which you mentioned earlier. First off, can you run down how it will all spill out? What leads into it, and how does it play out in terms of titles?
BR: War of Kings is two freight trains locked on a collision course. On side you have Vulcan, the third Summers brother who is swiftly and viciously expanding the Shi'Ar Empire. On the other you have Black Bolt, who -- as you'll see in Secret Invasion: Inhumans -- is, to quote Network, "mad as hell and isn't going to take it anymore." In issue #2 of SI: Inhumans, you saw the seeds planted for an Inhuman/Kree alliance -- and that's going to quickly blossom into a force to be reckoned with.
What sets these two powers on the path to battle? Upcoming issues of X-Men: Kingbreaker, Guardians of the Galaxy, Nova and Secret Invasion: War of Kings gets the snowball rolling into an out of control avalanche that will sweep up heroes, villains and worlds.
It's got a little something for everyone, whether you're into the X-Men, the Inhumans, Marvel's continuing cosmic renaissance, or just kick-butt action. War is ugly and horrific -- so don't expect characters to walk out unchanged or unscathed. Abnett and Lanning are the architects of this sci-fi opera, and they're coming in with all barrels blazing.
NRAMA: What goes into organizing a crossover "event" such as this? Obviously, you've got the experience with Annihilation: Conquest, but yet...how do you start off and try to control it?
BR: It all comes down to story. Let's compare your event to an animal. If you construct a steel spine -- and always make sure everything connects to and supports that -- you can add on the teeth and claws and wings. Months ago, Dan & Andy visited the Marvel offices, where we locked ourselves in a room for two days with Tom Brevoort and Joe Quesada to discuss, argue about and brainstorm. From that, Dan & Andy drafted a blueprint for a story that will evolve the Marvel cosmos to its next stage.
So, yes, there's weeks of planning, hundreds of emails, and enough lists, schedules and reference art to choke a Badoon, but the real job is to keep all the creators informed, communicating, inspired and focused -- the talent and the story takes care of the rest.
NRAMA: What are the pressures of something like War of the Kings in terms of its reach? It's obviously got an inherent "cast" in space, but is there a tug to make it even more wide-reaching and pull in a few more books?
BR: Again, it's the story that drives everything. Are we tempted to add on additional titles and characters? Sure, but not at the expense of the story. Everything must be integral and necessary -- all fat must be cut -- otherwise it becomes bloated and meaningless. And we owe our readers and these characters too much to do that. We're not under pressure from Publishing and Marketing to generate X many titles -- but we are pushing ourselves to create something we can be proud of.