Got "Annihilation" Questions? Ask Editor Andy Schmidt!

[Jonah Weiland]

Hey "Annihilation" fans! Series editor Andy Schmidt has agreed to stop by in the coming weeks to answer your questions about the series as it unfolds. Did something happen in an issue you don't quite understand? Or are you curious about the motivations by a certain decision? Andy's the guy to ask, so post your questions in this thread and Andy will stop by later to tackle 'em all!

Special thanks to Andy Schmidt for taking part in this Q&A with Marvel fans!

[Expletive Deleted]

Nifty! Thanks, Jonah and Andy!

Andy, if it's not a "wait and see" thing, what's the status of the Beyonder now that the Kyln's been blown to cosmic smithereens?

[The Adventurer]

Just from a logical stand point, how can the entire Nova corps have been wiped out and only Rider survive? Surely if one survived more could have fallen through the cracks in the battle. Perhaps coming together to become a Nova Squad, to be picked off slowly over the course of the Nova series.

Not really a question I guess, just an opinon on the only real unlikly circumstance of the Prologue.

[Cayman]

Will Tamara Rahn show up? She's really pretty.

Cay

[thetechnocrat]

Will we be seeing the last Spinster and/or Tyrant?
Will Beta Ray Bill be around?
What about Cap'n Reptile/Reptile?

Thanks for the time Andy!

[SavantTheory]

When you sat down to select the characters for the Annihilation story line I was curious if there was a series of benchmarks characters had to meet to make the story. Building a story on this scale, obviously you had access to more characters for outright roles or 'guest' appearances than most books get a run at.

Regarding the editorial process how does Marvel handle requests by books such as Annihilation to use characters currently playing predominant roles in their own or other books? Rumor has it Genis-Vell had been wanted for a role in Annihilation but was stuck in the events of Fabian’s Thunderbolts run.

Can't wait for your take on maintaining Marvel's continuity and author privilege regarding their control over what happens to characters under the pen. Keep up the great work on Annihilation Andy!

[Zenith23]

Will we be seeing a whole lot more of the cosmic guys making appearances after Annihilation? and especially after the dust settles in Civil War? not just characters like silver surfer but interaction between Earth (U.N) and the established powers like the Kree and Skrull Empires what remains of the Nova Corps or the Shiar? by this I mean something like the appearance of a Kree ambassador to earth like in House of M.
Most people on 616 must know by now of the existance of these powers thru the likes of events with the FF and Avengers why not acknowledge this Earths existence in the greater scheme of things?
great work so far though i'm looking forward to it all.....

[Thanos]

Will Thanos be involved in any good fist fights during this series?

- Thanos

[StoneGold]

Why would any rational sentient have placed in trust in the Nova Corps anyways? Weren't they just reformed "a few months ago?" (Marvel time, anyways)


Although I'm still trying to figure out how Rich would have mated with the Centauri. Don't they have some weird physiology? I know they're marsupials. For that matter, why would her mating with him for life be a good thing from his perspective? Did he only hear the word mate, didn't hear the end of the sentence?

[Andy Schmidt]

Nifty! Thanks, Jonah and Andy!

Andy, if it's not a "wait and see" thing, what's the status of the Beyonder now that the Kyln's been blown to cosmic smithereens?

Check out the Surfer series...

[Andy Schmidt]

Just from a logical stand point, how can the entire Nova corps have been wiped out and only Rider survive? Surely if one survived more could have fallen through the cracks in the battle. Perhaps coming together to become a Nova Squad, to be picked off slowly over the course of the Nova series.

Not really a question I guess, just an opinon on the only real unlikly circumstance of the Prologue.

I don't think we outright said everyone else was dead. We might have, but maybe some are just cut off or trapped like Richard was. If you pick up Nova #1, you'll get a clearer idea of the devastation to Xandar. What we know for sure is this: all of the Nova Corps were on Xandar at the time it was hit. Reports from their have been sketchy.

Does that answer the question?

[Andy Schmidt]

Will Tamara Rahn show up? She's really pretty.

Cay

Cay, I'd be lying if I told you a definitive answer one way or the other. The structure and the conclusion of ANNIHILATION is mapped out. But with four writing teams and a cast of thousands, I'm making sure Keith, Andy, Dan, Simon, and Javi all have room to adjust their stories as they go forward.

That can include brining in characters who weren't involved or taking out characters who we thought fit but for whatever reason no longer serve much of a purpose in the story.

Sorry I don't have anything more concrete for you.

[Andy Schmidt]

Will we be seeing the last Spinster and/or Tyrant?
Will Beta Ray Bill be around?
What about Cap'n Reptile/Reptile?

Thanks for the time Andy!


See the answer above.

I gotta say, I really want to use Beta Ray Bill. I love him in a purely platonic way, but I do. Believe me, he's been in and out of this a couple of times. If he fits, he'll be there. However, I'm not going to just throw him in for no good reason.

So, if he shows up, you can bet he's going to kick some butt!

[Andy Schmidt]

When you sat down to select the characters for the Annihilation story line I was curious if there was a series of benchmarks characters had to meet to make the story. Building a story on this scale, obviously you had access to more characters for outright roles or 'guest' appearances than most books get a run at.Okay, I'll take these one at a time. When selecting the characters, I made sure the writers wanted to write them. If the writer isn't into it, you're dead in the water. Given that, the main criteria was that each character have a reason to be involved, but also that each character had a story to tell. I originally wanted a Shi'ar character (that's a race from another galaxy, in case someone reading this doesn't know).

But, I didn't really have a good story for that character--at least, not one that also fit into ANNIHILATION. Each of the four characters from the limited series must undergo significant and substantial change. That's also why I pulled Drax off the list for a limited series. We'd just set Drax up in a new status quo and by definition, I was going to change the status quo to one degree or another for each of these character. (please note that when I say "I" or "me" that really means all of us involved from editors to writers to artists, I just do that because I'm a hot dog). So, since I didn't think we needed to reinvent Drax again, he was off the list.

So, the criteria was that each character needed a story about the character, not about the plot of ANNIHILATION. Does that make sense?

I'll tell you, I thought the story for Super-Skrull was the one least likely to develop into lasting change. That was, until I read Javi's first script and it was brilliant. This is the Super-Skrull as you've never seen him before and how he should ALWAYS be!

Regarding the editorial process how does Marvel handle requests by books such as Annihilation to use characters currently playing predominant roles in their own or other books? Rumor has it Genis-Vell had been wanted for a role in Annihilation but was stuck in the events of Fabian’s Thunderbolts run.

The way it works really is I ask the editor who controls each of these characters. My boss (who's been invaluable on ANNIHILATION) is Tom Brevoort. He's in charge of both FANTASTIC FOUR and AVENGERS. So pretty much both Skrulls and Kree--all of them--fall under his domain. As does Annihilus. So, I had to ask his permission. If he didn't smack me with his crowbar right away, he'd ask (or have me ask) the creators of the relevent books. I remember talking to Allan Heinberg (YOUNG AVENGERS writer) and Brian Bendis (NEW AVENGERS writer) while I believe Tom talked with JMS (FANTSTIC FOUR writer) to see if it would be cool to use some of these characters.

We had to move some stuff around and they were all kind enough to move plans arounds as well. It was difficult to orgnize, but ultimately, everyone in all the cereative teams was friendly and excited about ANNIHILATION. I was especially pleased that JMS let us use the Silver Surfer.

Can't wait for your take on maintaining Marvel's continuity and author privilege regarding their control over what happens to characters under the pen. Keep up the great work on Annihilation Andy!

That's another debate for another time, Savant Theory. Thanks for the questions.

[Andy Schmidt]

Will we be seeing a whole lot more of the cosmic guys making appearances after Annihilation? and especially after the dust settles in Civil War? not just characters like silver surfer but interaction between Earth (U.N) and the established powers like the Kree and Skrull Empires what remains of the Nova Corps or the Shiar? by this I mean something like the appearance of a Kree ambassador to earth like in House of M.
Most people on 616 must know by now of the existance of these powers thru the likes of events with the FF and Avengers why not acknowledge this Earths existence in the greater scheme of things?
great work so far though i'm looking forward to it all.....


The best I can hope for is a sound yes. If ANNIHILATION is well recieved and sells well, then yes, they'll be more active in the Marvel Universe.

If this bad boy tanks, then it's going to be a long time before any of them grace a Marvel comic again...

Currently, we're talking about what to do next, but that's still up in the air.

I honestly don't know how much interaction there will be with Earth after all of this. My plan is to make Marvel's outer space so damn interesting that you won't care about what's happening on that pale blue dot!

How's that?

[Andy Schmidt]

Will Thanos be involved in any good fist fights during this series?

- Thanos

Nobody--but NOBODY, messes with Thanos.

Then again, if they do, Thanos will either punch him or her or disintegrate him or her.

It's what he does. He's a bad--well, you know the rest.

[Andy Schmidt]

Why would any rational sentient have placed in trust in the Nova Corps anyways? Weren't they just reformed "a few months ago?" (Marvel time, anyways)


Although I'm still trying to figure out how Rich would have mated with the Centauri. Don't they have some weird physiology? I know they're marsupials. For that matter, why would her mating with him for life be a good thing from his perspective? Did he only hear the word mate, didn't hear the end of the sentence?

This was myfavorite question, StoneGold.

First, the Nova Corps is the police. I don't know that they were reformed. But, they're not universally trusted and all that. Consider South Compton as a planet. There are plenty of folks who don't like the Nova Corps and don't trust them. We just didn't see any of them in the PROLOGUE.

They're cops. They're not exactly meant to deal with the likes of Thanos and Annihilus.

As for your second question--the physiology could make things interesting, ah, he would have dumped her, and did you see her? She's a hot blue chick with a fin. That's awesome!

Thanks everyone for your questions. I'll be around every week to answer more, so keep 'em coming.

And thanks again for reading.

One last thing that I'd like to point out is how great CBR has been with ANNIHILATION. Jonah and crew, thanks so much for the dedicated board and all your support.

Oh! And as much as I'm the one online taking questions, I'm sure I speak for Simon, Dan, Andy, Javi, Keith, Scott, Ariel, Kev, Jorge, Renato, and Greg when I say thanks for supporting the books.

Take care.

[thetechnocrat]

See the answer above.

I gotta say, I really want to use Beta Ray Bill. I love him in a purely platonic way, but I do. Believe me, he's been in and out of this a couple of times. If he fits, he'll be there. However, I'm not going to just throw him in for no good reason.

So, if he shows up, you can bet he's going to kick some butt!
Thanks for taking the time & the honest answer. It's good to see that characters won't be popping up unless it fits. That alleviates my fears that Wolverine will show up with Spidey piggybacking. I sure hope Tyrant & Bill are two that do. Each of them could kick some major arse.

[lordlad]

i just wanted to ask, Will there be a TRUE villian behind all this ??

It seems pretty 'early' that u guys revealed it was Annihilus that is the threat. I am betting there will be a 'true' villian revealed somewhere near the conclusion of the event. Please let me be right :P

[AllisterH]

Why Annihilus?

Sure, he's a longtime FF character but I think this is the first time we have ever seen him outside of the FF (which is kinda strange in a way).

[StoneGold]

This was myfavorite question, StoneGold.

First, the Nova Corps is the police. I don't know that they were reformed.
I think you misunderstood my use of the term "reformed." I meant that, until the mid-90s, they were dead. Killed by Nebula. And only recently not dead. Recently being... 1994? I figure that's what, a year or two ago Marvel time?

[Joe Acro]

I have a few questions, so I'll just throw them out there.

What is that pixie thing on Thanos's shoulder?
When did the Kree become independent from the Shi'ar? (I seem to remember them being part of the Shi'ar Empire.)
When did the Skrull homeworld die (for lack of a better term)?
Are the Shi'ar or the Starjammers going to be involved?
Will this series be used as an excuse to kill off rarely-used space characters (much like the OMACs were an excuse to kill of a bunch of DC heroes) like Rom or Rocket Raccoon? (Of course, I wouldn't actually want either one to die.)
Will it be explained as to how Annihilus and his forces crossed over from the Negative Zone?

[Expletive Deleted]

I'm not Andy, but I can answer a few of the factual ones.What is that pixie thing on Thanos's shoulder?Skreet (http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix2/skreetlunatik.htm)
When did the Kree become independent from the Shi'ar? (I seem to remember them being part of the Shi'ar Empire.)During the "Maximum Security" crossover.When did the Skrull homeworld die (for lack of a better term)?Galactus ate it during John Byrne's FF run.

[Desaad]

Thanks for answering these questions for us!

One question I have is...just how powerful do you think Annihilus is? Powerful enough to give Thanos a good tussle? Perhaps eclipsing even him? I couldn't help but notice that where the Nova files indicated The Kyln could hold Thanos, it would be incapable of doing the same to Annihilus...intriguing to say the least.

I'm extremely psyched for this crossover event and I have high hopes for all the mini's involved. Thanks for pushing for something to be done with this rich cosmic tapestry the folks over at Marvel have at their disposal!

[mdg1]

How can Marvel use Maximum Security to justify the Kree being free again, when they are ignoring the whole Ruul thing?

For that matter, was there a conscious decision not to use the Kree uniforms from the last Captain Marvel run?

[Doom Hammer]

If Mar-Vell comes back, will it be the single coolest thing of all time, and cause the heads of numerous fans to implode upon reading?

(No, I will not let this go until somebody from Marvel tells me unequivocally "HE'S NOT COMING BACK, LOSER." I understand that just a couple fans invented this theory, that it's absurd and unlikely, and that I'm reasonably annoying. I know this. But I also know that this is the first major cosmic event at Marvel in years, and until somebody says "no", anything's possible. Just look at Bucky. :p )

[Andy Schmidt]

i just wanted to ask, Will there be a TRUE villian behind all this ??

It seems pretty 'early' that u guys revealed it was Annihilus that is the threat. I am betting there will be a 'true' villian revealed somewhere near the conclusion of the event. Please let me be right :P

Every war has more than one villain. If you're asking me if there is a big SECRET villain pulling all the strings, well, it would be a little too early to say at this point.

I will say this: Annihilus is not to be underestimated.

[Andy Schmidt]

Why Annihilus?

Sure, he's a longtime FF character but I think this is the first time we have ever seen him outside of the FF (which is kinda strange in a way).

Why not?

He is the most powerful being of an entire dimension. Isn't it time he kicked some heads in? Also, because both Keith Giffen and myself love the character, so that helps.

A little more insight into the strategic reason why: one of the things that I told Dan Buckley and Joe Quesada when I pitched this story was that I wanted to bring the cosmic characters back and in order to do that, I'd need some new toys and I would NOT repeat older stories with these characters.

So, Annihilus is just the begining when it comes to new blood in the cosmic stories.

[Andy Schmidt]

I think you misunderstood my use of the term "reformed." I meant that, until the mid-90s, they were dead. Killed by Nebula. And only recently not dead. Recently being... 1994? I figure that's what, a year or two ago Marvel time?

The truth is that time is a funny thing at Marvel. That was 12 years ago for readers. I think it's safe to say a shake up is valid.

If you take time the way you're thinking of it in a very strict application of how it works in a cohessive universe, then technically, NEW AVENGERS #1 (since it jumped 6 months from the previous issue a month before) would be so far ahead of the rest of the Marvel Universe that the other books won't catch up to NEW AVENGERS for about 20 years. And that's MORE confusing than the way it right now.

When it comes to time--I hate to be the one to say it, but you kind of have to squint your eyes a little bit. That's not a cheat, it's just a reality. The same is true at DC and at Image and in all shared universes with fictional characters.

Just being honest.

[Andy Schmidt]

I have a few questions, so I'll just throw them out there.

What is that pixie thing on Thanos's shoulder?
When did the Kree become independent from the Shi'ar? (I seem to remember them being part of the Shi'ar Empire.)
When did the Skrull homeworld die (for lack of a better term)?
Are the Shi'ar or the Starjammers going to be involved?
Will this series be used as an excuse to kill off rarely-used space characters (much like the OMACs were an excuse to kill of a bunch of DC heroes) like Rom or Rocket Raccoon? (Of course, I wouldn't actually want either one to die.)
Will it be explained as to how Annihilus and his forces crossed over from the Negative Zone?

I can't commit one way or the other on the Shi'ar. Sorry. House rules.
As for ANNIHILATION being an excuse--it's not. It's a story. Omac was also a story. From what you say, I guess a bunch of characters bit the dust in it. I'm not killing off characters--or allowing characters to get killed off--without a reason. This includes characters that I don't care for.

My take on that sort of thing is pretty simple: if there is a good story reason that is character driven for someone to die and it makes sense, then okay. But I'm not letting a bunch of characters just get slaughtered. I'd rather take characters that I don't know or don't like and see what there is about them that's intersting. If anyone dies, I'm doing the best I can to make sure you like that person first.

And, to be honest, just slaughtering a bunch of back ground characters seems like poor story telling generally. Also, if Marvel wanted a bunch of character to be dead, there are a lot easier ways to do that than put together this story and drive me insane.

Does that answer your question without giving anything away?

[Andy Schmidt]

Thanks for answering these questions for us!

One question I have is...just how powerful do you think Annihilus is? Powerful enough to give Thanos a good tussle? Perhaps eclipsing even him? I couldn't help but notice that where the Nova files indicated The Kyln could hold Thanos, it would be incapable of doing the same to Annihilus...intriguing to say the least.

I'm extremely psyched for this crossover event and I have high hopes for all the mini's involved. Thanks for pushing for something to be done with this rich cosmic tapestry the folks over at Marvel have at their disposal!

I think Annihilus hasn't been done justice in recent years. He's got to be pretty darn powerful. He's got all that cosmic energy stored up in the cosmic rod, so potentially, he could be as powerful as one of Galactus' heralds. Then again, probably not.

I don't think Annihilus and Thanos fighting in a boxing match would be much of a contest. Physically, Annihilus would beat Thanos (I think). But that's because it's Thanos intelligence that makes him dangerous. Give Thanos 24 hours before the match to whip up a plan, and then it's anybody's game.

That said, I think Annihilus is pretty darn smart. It does seem as though he has united many planets into a war machine. You gotta be crafty to do that!

And thank you for reading. I'm very excited for this as well. I'd like to think everyone is going to be entertained. We're trying some new things, some of which I expect will work, and some of which probably won't--but we won't know until we give it a go!

[Andy Schmidt]

How can Marvel use Maximum Security to justify the Kree being free again, when they are ignoring the whole Ruul thing?

For that matter, was there a conscious decision not to use the Kree uniforms from the last Captain Marvel run?

The Ruul transformation was overturned a couple of years back in CAPTAIN MARVEL.This happened after MAXIMUM SECURITY. I didn't do it, I'm just following the established continuity. So, we can use MAXIMUM SECURITY for both the Kree's freedom and the Ruul thing. I THEN use CAPTAIN MARVEL to justify why the Kree are no longer the Ruul.

Thought you caught me, dintcha?

As for the coastumes, you saw a far, far, far, far out outpost. I think the new uniforms hadn't arrived in the mail yet.

Ugh.

Can an editor get a no-prize?

No? Okay.

So you got me on one of the questions.

D'oh!

[Andy Schmidt]

If Mar-Vell comes back, will it be the single coolest thing of all time, and cause the heads of numerous fans to implode upon reading?

(No, I will not let this go until somebody from Marvel tells me unequivocally "HE'S NOT COMING BACK, LOSER." I understand that just a couple fans invented this theory, that it's absurd and unlikely, and that I'm reasonably annoying. I know this. But I also know that this is the first major cosmic event at Marvel in years, and until somebody says "no", anything's possible. Just look at Bucky. :p )


Wait


and


see...

[Andy Schmidt]

Okay, folks, that wraps up this round of questions. I'll be back next weekend. I'm not sure when as I'm moving into a new apartment next weekend, so it'll be a little hectic and my Internet will be down. It may be Monday when I'm at work.

Again, thank you all so much for your interest and enthusiasm. I hope I've been able to answer your questions to you satisfaction. SOme things I can't answer because I want you to get a nice surprise and others are just too soon to talk about.

I'm really trying to answer everything as best I can.

And sorry for the Kree costume glitches. Well played, sir.

Take care, and I'll talk with you all soon.

[Doom Hammer]

Wait


and


see...

Oh, you tease you! That's effective marketing, folks.

You understand this is going to destroy me, right? That's my next question. :D

Oh, and thanks for answering the questions and everything. Very cool.

[Andy Schmidt]

Oh, you tease you! That's effective marketing, folks.

You understand this is going to destroy me, right? That's my next question. :D

I'm sorry you have to be destroyed. It's for the good of all, though...

Thanks again for the question, Doom Hammer.

[mdg1]

And sorry for the Kree costume glitches. Well played, sir.


It's a gift. Or possibly a curse. Opinions vary :cool:

[Andy Schmidt]

I can't commit one way or the other on the Shi'ar. Sorry. House rules.
As for ANNIHILATION being an excuse--it's not. It's a story. Omac was also a story. From what you say, I guess a bunch of characters bit the dust in it. I'm not killing off characters--or allowing characters to get killed off--without a reason. This includes characters that I don't care for.

My take on that sort of thing is pretty simple: if there is a good story reason that is character driven for someone to die and it makes sense, then okay. But I'm not letting a bunch of characters just get slaughtered. I'd rather take characters that I don't know or don't like and see what there is about them that's intersting. If anyone dies, I'm doing the best I can to make sure you like that person first.

And, to be honest, just slaughtering a bunch of back ground characters seems like poor story telling generally. Also, if Marvel wanted a bunch of character to be dead, there are a lot easier ways to do that than put together this story and drive me insane.

Does that answer your question without giving anything away?

I just re-read this post (sorry for the grammar and spelling mistakes, I'm typing quickly) and I noticed that it seems to have sort of a harsh tone (my response, not the original post) so I just wanted to say that wasn't intended.

I hope your questions was accurately answered.

Sorry if it came across short.

And thanks agian for the interest.

[Andy Schmidt]

It's a gift. Or possibly a curse. Opinions vary :cool:

You know, I do the same thing. I see mistakes all the time and I think, "what idiot didn't catch that?" And you know what, until I became "that idiot" I just thought editors and artists were sleeping on the job. We're all human and as detail oriented as I am, I'm sure I still miss things in every single comic I put on the stands.

I hated realizing that I too, am only human.

It's especially horrid when it's omething intuitively obvious.

But, we try...

[The Purple Skull]

First off, absolutely enjoyed the Prologue!

Anyway,

1. Are there plans for the Annihilation Wave to reach Earth sometime in the future?

2. Will Reed Richards get blamed for this thing as well?

[StoneGold]

Is that Skyppi the Skrull on the cover of Super Skrull #2? And would that technically make it his first appearance, since he's previously only been in an alternate future?

[tricksterpup]

Andy, again I want to personally thank you for taking the time for posting here at CBR.

Now the question that has been bothering me since I realized it is Annihilus behind this. We will see Blastaar appear in these events? How will he react to his old-some time partner invading this universe without him?

I also wanted to thank you for this Event, I am very excited about this happening. I have recently stopped reading comics and this brought me back. This is the most fun I have had in years, so thank you Andy for bringing me back.

Also, one last final question and I do not know if this has also been asked, where does this fall in relation with CIVIL war, does this affect Nova's part in Civil War?

[Will.S]

Also, one last final question and I do not know if this has also been asked, where does this fall in relation with CIVIL war, does this affect Nova's part in Civil War?
From what I gathered Nova won't be appearing in Civil War because of Annihilation which happens roughly at the same time. Speedball mentions Nova going into space in the Civil War #1 preview though so I expect Nova to be exclusive to Annihilation until it's over.

[Arilou]

Loved the prologue. Prologue is good. Annihilus is good.

How much of a part will Thanos play?
I've heard Gamora is in (from the Ronan previews) what about Adam Warlock?

[Lord S]

From what I've read on some of the previews, Thanos will cut a deal with Annihilus.

Will Thanos eventually usurp Annihilus? I really hope so...cause it doesn't seem right for him to play second-fiddle to anyone.

[CoreyB]

Andy, thank you for taking the time to answer our silly little questions. Very cool of you. And great job on a very exciting event so far! The Prologue was an exciting read. I was originally only going to follow the Nova mini-series, but I'm getting more and more tempted to sample the other three as well.

I'm a New Warriors nut (http://www.coreyblake.com/nwcc) and some other Nova and New Warriors fans brought up something that I honestly didn't catch.

Apparently, the Nova Corps have never been depicted as police but instead as a space militia. Why the change?

Also, I noticed this in one of your answers earlier in the thread:

one of the things that I told Dan Buckley and Joe Quesada when I pitched this story was that I wanted to bring the cosmic characters back and in order to do that, I'd need some new toys and I would NOT repeat older stories with these characters.

Were you aware that Xandar and the Nova Corps had been destroyed (and resurrected) more than once previous to Annihilation?

Also who was that old woman giving the speech to the Nova Corps in the Prologue? What happened to Queen Adora?

(I hope I'm not coming across rude or mean bringing this stuff up. Just trying to get your perspective on some points fans have been bringing up.)

[Expletive Deleted]

Andy, thanks again for answering our questions.

I don't know if this is necessarily your bailiwick, but will we be seeing any TPB releases of older material tied into "Annihilation?" I'd love to see some classic cosmic stories back in print, like Steve Engelhart's SILVER SURFER or Jim Starlin's WARLOCK.

[Joe Acro]

I mentioned the parellels in anothe thread, but did you or the writers draw inspiration from the Negation War was that wasn't finished in Crossgen?

[Andy Schmidt]

First off, absolutely enjoyed the Prologue!

Anyway,

1. Are there plans for the Annihilation Wave to reach Earth sometime in the future?

2. Will Reed Richards get blamed for this thing as well?

HEy, guys, thanks for the new questions. I'm moving into a new home this weekend so this will probably be my last visit for about a week, but that's okay because nothing new came out this week! Once Surfer hits next week, I hope to be back answering your questions over the weekend.

So, Purple Skrull, here we go...

1. Definately. Annihilus hates Reed Richards of Earth. So, though he hasn't said it yet, I can't imagin he's planning to avoid taking out his enemy. So, at least Annihilus is planning on hitting Earth.

2. At least some people will know. How wide spread that knowledge is has not yet been determined.

[Andy Schmidt]

Is that Skyppi the Skrull on the cover of Super Skrull #2? And would that technically make it his first appearance, since he's previously only been in an alternate future?

Sorry, no, that's not Skyppi. It's a brand new cool character.

[Andy Schmidt]

Andy, again I want to personally thank you for taking the time for posting here at CBR.

Now the question that has been bothering me since I realized it is Annihilus behind this. We will see Blastaar appear in these events? How will he react to his old-some time partner invading this universe without him?

I also wanted to thank you for this Event, I am very excited about this happening. I have recently stopped reading comics and this brought me back. This is the most fun I have had in years, so thank you Andy for bringing me back.

Also, one last final question and I do not know if this has also been asked, where does this fall in relation with CIVIL war, does this affect Nova's part in Civil War?

you're welcome. honestly, this is kind of cool. And it will be cool until I do something really stupid and you all hate me. I'll try to smart!

Totally glad you're diggin Annihilation so far. You're 1/12th of the way through, so let me know how you like it when the first four limited series are over. Hopefully, you'll be even more into it!

Blastaaar, Blastaar. You know, that's a good question. I wonder what he's been up to all this time in the Negative Zone while Annihilus has been conquering all these planets. Could he be behind the scenes someplace? I'll have to look into that...

Annihilation happens concurrently with CIVIL WAR. The Prologue book takes place before CIVIL WAR #1. So, yeah, Nova's role in Civil War is affected by Annihilation--he's not in Civil War cuz he's out here in space fighting bugs.

[Andy Schmidt]

Loved the prologue. Prologue is good. Annihilus is good.

How much of a part will Thanos play?
I've heard Gamora is in (from the Ronan previews) what about Adam Warlock?

Thanos has a major role.
Gamora has a major role.
Adam Warlock...I can not say.

[Andy Schmidt]

From what I've read on some of the previews, Thanos will cut a deal with Annihilus.

Will Thanos eventually usurp Annihilus? I really hope so...cause it doesn't seem right for him to play second-fiddle to anyone.

Don't believe everything you read. The previews are fake-outs.

And Thanos plays the harp, not the fiddle.

[Andy Schmidt]

Andy, thank you for taking the time to answer our silly little questions. Very cool of you. And great job on a very exciting event so far! The Prologue was an exciting read. I was originally only going to follow the Nova mini-series, but I'm getting more and more tempted to sample the other three as well.

I'm a New Warriors nut (http://www.coreyblake.com/nwcc) and some other Nova and New Warriors fans brought up something that I honestly didn't catch.

Apparently, the Nova Corps have never been depicted as police but instead as a space militia. Why the change?

Also, I noticed this in one of your answers earlier in the thread:



Were you aware that Xandar and the Nova Corps had been destroyed (and resurrected) more than once previous to Annihilation?

Also who was that old woman giving the speech to the Nova Corps in the Prologue? What happened to Queen Adora?

(I hope I'm not coming across rude or mean bringing this stuff up. Just trying to get your perspective on some points fans have been bringing up.)

First of all, Cory, you're not at all rude. Ask me whatever you want. I'm sure I haven't read every comic with all of these characters. What I tend to do is read what are (for the most part) considered the quintessential stories. These usually include the origin story and maybe something else if it really sticks. For example, for the Surfer, I read the original FF stories where he first appeared, and a handful of other stories that have stuck in the collective Marvel reader minds.

So, yeah, I do know that Xandar had been destroyed and rebuilt. As has Rigel. However, to my mind (and anyone can feel free to argue me on this), those stories didn't really stick--partially because they were undone. I'm HOPING that with ANNIHILATION, that we're doing this so big and so well that this time Xandar stays good and blown up.

However, I have no illusions. Out of all the Wolverine stories, only three of them count for anything. So, I understand that telling a story that sticks is nearly impossible. But then again, you've got to try, right?

As for the change from militia to cops, well, it just kind of seemed to me that we have a ton of space armies and militias. So, I just thought this was more distinct and honestly--easier to understand. Everyone knows what a cop is, so everyone instantly gets what a space-cop is. We were throwing Thanos, The Kyln, The Crunch, Annihilus, the Negative Zone, The Kree, The Skrulls, Drax, Cammi, the Omega Corps, and whatever else at you. So with all these things, we were trying to get them down to the easiest sound bites. Sorry if it ruffled your feathers.

The lady in the Prologue was the "police chief" if you will. As for Queen Adora, I imagine she's dead now. Sorry, dude.

Hope that answers your questions in at least a logical way if not satisfying one.

Thanks again for posting and asking. And definately thanks for reading!

[Andy Schmidt]

Andy, thanks again for answering our questions.

I don't know if this is necessarily your bailiwick, but will we be seeing any TPB releases of older material tied into "Annihilation?" I'd love to see some classic cosmic stories back in print, like Steve Engelhart's SILVER SURFER or Jim Starlin's WARLOCK.

We just put out a trade of THE RETURN OF THANOS from the 80s. It's all the stuff that led up to INFINITY GAUNTLET.

The DRAX trade also just came out.

I'm not sure if there are any other plans right now. That might be it. But if ANNIHILATION sells well and those trades do too, then I can all but gurantee that there will be more.

I know we've got a handbook on the schedule too.

[Andy Schmidt]

I mentioned the parellels in anothe thread, but did you or the writers draw inspiration from the Negation War was that wasn't finished in Crossgen?

Hey, Joe Acro, I saw your other post and kind of freaked out. I thought to myself, holy ****, what is this NEGATION WAR? Where did it come from? And are we ripping it off!!!!?????

To be honest, I just didn't follow CrossGen's stuff at all. I had probably heard the name NEGATION WAR before because I know Tony Bedard and so many of the CGen artists. But no, I just didn't even know about it.

As a rule of thumb, I personally try to draw inspiration from stories and art (paintings, sculptures, and music primarily) outside of comics. I just don't want to retell stories that have already been told in comics. That's why there are no infinity gems in ANNIHILATION.

And before I get crucified for saying that... No, I'm no opposed to EVER using infinity gems, but when I do, it will be in a new kind of story or in a new way. That's all I'm saying.

Also, I am curious now about this thing. So, was NEGATION WARS good? Should I dig it out of some back issue bins at a con or something? Or will I just be frustrated that it didn't get finished? Hah ha! I turned the tables! Now you have to answer my questions!

[Desaad]

Hey, Joe Acro, I saw your other post and kind of freaked out. I thought to myself, holy ****, what is this NEGATION WAR? Where did it come from? And are we ripping it off!!!!?????

To be honest, I just didn't follow CrossGen's stuff at all. I had probably heard the name NEGATION WAR before because I know Tony Bedard and so many of the CGen artists. But no, I just didn't even know about it.

As a rule of thumb, I personally try to draw inspiration from stories and art (paintings, sculptures, and music primarily) outside of comics. I just don't want to retell stories that have already been told in comics. That's why there are no infinity gems in ANNIHILATION.

And before I get crucified for saying that... No, I'm no opposed to EVER using infinity gems, but when I do, it will be in a new kind of story or in a new way. That's all I'm saying.

Also, I am curious now about this thing. So, was NEGATION WARS good? Should I dig it out of some back issue bins at a con or something? Or will I just be frustrated that it didn't get finished? Hah ha! I turned the tables! Now you have to answer my questions!


I was never an avid Crossgen reader, but I can say that while I thought that the first issues (ie, those that were released) were good and showed promise but ultimately the whole thing was just a dissapointment without finishing up the actual storyline in any satisfying way.

If you're interested, pick up "Negation", the ongoing title written by Bedard. The best of the Crossgen bunch, IMHO, once Waid left Ruse.

[CoreyB]

Andy, thank you for the response! The cop/militia thing didn't really bother me, but there have been some other fans that thing it's an important distinction. But, they're all dead now so what are you gonna do, right?

I will continue to mourn... Poor Adora...

Seriously though, I think it's really cool to be able to read about Nova in this kind of setting and story. It's definitely very exciting to see him so front and center! So thank you for that!

EDIT: Oh yeah, and I would recommend Negation by Tony Bedard & Paul Pelletier. A great sci-fi yarn with plenty of unexpected turns. It led into Negation War, which showed promise but couldn't live up to the build-up with the company crumbling apart behind-the-scenes. So, I would recommend Negation, Vol. 1: BOHICA! (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931484309/sr=8-1/qid=1143234956/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-8217851-7111940?%5Fencoding=UTF8) and Negation, Vol. 2: Baptism of Fire (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931484597/sr=8-8/qid=1143234956/ref=sr_1_8/104-8217851-7111940?%5Fencoding=UTF8). Then you'll have to get the rest in singles. The series went up to issue #22.

[Lord S]

Thanks Andy, for your responses.

Here's a question that's been bugging me for a long time. What is Marvel's official position on 'Marvel Universe: The End'? Was it canon, or not? It doesn't make sense to me if it's not. I know all the other 'The End' storylines take place in alternate universes, and if this one does too, then how do you explain the presence of characters such as Skreet and the Fallen One? Not to mention the Kyln.

Just been bugging me for a while, considering those two characters came out of the short lived Thanos series, which was directly based off of events from, (and even made direct references to), 'Marvel: The End'.

[CoreyB]

Thanks Andy, for your responses.

Here's a question that's been bugging me for a long time. What is Marvel's official position on 'Marvel Universe: The End'? Was it canon, or not? It doesn't make sense to me if it's not. I know all the other 'The End' storylines take place in alternate universes, and if this one does too, then how do you explain the presence of characters such as Skreet and the Fallen One? Not to mention the Kyln.

Just been bugging me for a while, considering those two characters came out of the short lived Thanos series, which was directly based off of events from, (and even made direct references to), 'Marvel: The End'.

I've seen Tom Brevoort post over at ComiX-Fan that it's technically out-of-continuity, but that something very similar happened in the normal Marvel Universe, and that's what the references are to.

[Arilou]

Another thing:

Last time I saw Galactus, the FF sent him to another dimension.
The previews for eg. Annihilation: Silver Surfer seems to imply he is back.
When did this happen, and are we going to get an explanation for it?

[Dark Soul # 7]

Howdy Andy, I finally got the prologue in the mail and I loved it.
The destruction of the Nova corps was beutifull in a sad and destructive way.
Now for my question.

My favorite cosmic character is Firelord and I´ve always felt that he´s been one of the most missused characters in Marvel. Ever since he got beat up by Spider-man he´s mostly been used as cannon-fodder in cosmic stories.
When you and Keith Giffin answered our questions awhile back you said that FL would get a big part in all of this and that makes me happy and is sure bet to get me to buy the comics.
Anyway my question is how do you see Firelord as a character? What makes him intresting, what are his strengths and weaknesses etc?

[Joe Acro]

Hey, Joe Acro, I saw your other post and kind of freaked out. I thought to myself, holy ****, what is this NEGATION WAR? Where did it come from? And are we ripping it off!!!!?????

To be honest, I just didn't follow CrossGen's stuff at all. I had probably heard the name NEGATION WAR before because I know Tony Bedard and so many of the CGen artists. But no, I just didn't even know about it.

As a rule of thumb, I personally try to draw inspiration from stories and art (paintings, sculptures, and music primarily) outside of comics. I just don't want to retell stories that have already been told in comics. That's why there are no infinity gems in ANNIHILATION.

And before I get crucified for saying that... No, I'm no opposed to EVER using infinity gems, but when I do, it will be in a new kind of story or in a new way. That's all I'm saying.

Also, I am curious now about this thing. So, was NEGATION WARS good? Should I dig it out of some back issue bins at a con or something? Or will I just be frustrated that it didn't get finished? Hah ha! I turned the tables! Now you have to answer my questions!

If you read the frist two issues (which I think were the only ones to be released), you'd see what I'm talking about. I wouldn't say you'd get frustrated that it didn't get finished, just disappointed. The story had so much potential and would have been the best way to end the whole lot of stories, especially since the company was going bankrupt when they sollicited the story. I know you're busy, so I'll let you decide whether or not you should find and read it.

[xzilledangel]

I just wonder if the AW (anihilation wave) will make it to planet hulk lol? Since they exiled my favorite character to another planet while the earth is on the verge of one of the biggest superhuman slugfest ever seen (we can only hope) it would be nice to see the big green machine active is some big story line that has something to do with the overall marvel universe.

[Tommy]

Is Annihilus going to be refered to as "The Living Death that Walks" often? That would be cool.

[moon knight]

Is the cosmic handbook,that is going to be released, going to have characters just from annihilation?

Thanks

[FrogMan]

Will the Spaceknights be appearing?

I need to know! I've been dying for a new Rom or Spaceknights appearance since the Spaceknights limited series ended.

In an interview with Giffen, he ssaid the Spaceknights would apear, but right after their name he listed a bunch of the 7 dwarves as also appearing, so I'm not sure if he was serious about the Spaceknights appearing or not.

If anyone knows, could you please let me know.

thanks

[tricksterpup]

Will the Spaceknights be appearing?

I need to know! I've been dying for a new Rom or Spaceknights appearance since the Spaceknights limited series ended.

In an interview with Giffen, he ssaid the Spaceknights would apear, but right after their name he listed a bunch of the 7 dwarves as also appearing, so I'm not sure if he was serious about the Spaceknights appearing or not.

If anyone knows, could you please let me know.

thanks
I wonder if he was referring to these dwarves.
http://members.fortunecity.com/dm_bishop2/marvel/celestials001.JPG

[Khellendros]

'Sup, Andy. Over in the Civil War forum I asked Mr. Brevoort if, since Beta Ray Bill was last seen in New York, he might have a part in the event. Brevoort said his name had been brought up a few times, but nothing had been decided. Now I see you saying you love him and that he would be in Annihilation if he fits.

First, which event is most likely to feature him?

Second, do you know of any plans to put him to use in the future (as yes/no will suffice, no details expected)?

Either way, I'm psyched about this event, and your answers won't lose Marvel any of the cash I plan on spending on Annihilation.

[TheSentryLives]

Hey Andy,i have 3 questions...none to deep

1. Is Gladiator present at all in this series or is he too busy in brubaker's upcoming run?

2. Are any of the cosmic elders that consist of the grandmaster or the runner make any appearances?

3. for the cosmic series to be considered succesful enough to warrant further continuation does the main annihilation series have to be in the top 20 when it comes to the numbers when it comes out?

[tricksterpup]

Hey Andy, has anyone been signed up for the follow up Mini??
Who is going to be the artist? The writer? Or are these things that will needed to be released at a later date?

As an editor, do you use a bull whip, riding crop or are you technically hip and use a Cattle prod to keep your Creative teams in line?

[mdg1]

Quickie question:

If Ronan was stripped of his title, how come he still has his Universal Weapon?

[Expletive Deleted]

Andy,

The announcement of Andrea DiVito as the artist for the ANNIHILATION mini-series has me pretty excited. I loved his "cosmic" stuff in STORMBREAKER and THOR.

My question is about the character sketches that were previewed in this week's Joe Fridays (http://www.newsarama.com/JoeFridays/JoeFridays44.html) article at Newsarama. The Nova sketch (which is great, by the way) ...

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/expletivedeleted/Nova001.jpg

... shows Rich wearing his classic costume, rather than his new one. Was that just a glitch, or is it a clue?

[Will.S]

Andy,

The announcement of Andrea DiVito as the artist for the ANNIHILATION mini-series has me pretty excited. I loved his "cosmic" stuff in STORMBREAKER and THOR.

My question is about the character sketches that were previewed in this week's Joe Fridays (http://www.newsarama.com/JoeFridays/JoeFridays44.html) article at Newsarama. The Nova sketch (which is great, by the way) ...

... shows Rich wearing his classic costume, rather than his new one. Was that just a glitch, or is it a clue?
Hmm that's an interesting question.

I'm guessing that they're warm up drawings/sketches for us to see Andrea get a feel for the characters since all the characters minus Silver Surfer get new looks after the prologue.

[Tommy]

Are the Inhumans going to show up? They were mentioned in the prolog. What about Moondragon?

[tricksterpup]

Are the Inhumans going to show up? They were mentioned in the prolog. What about Moondragon?
What about the Titans?

[Dermie]

1) Will Starfox be showing up in ANNIHILATION? I certainly hope so--especially now that we know DiVito is going to be doing the art; I'd love to see DiVito's portrayal of Eros!

2) I know he isn't technically a cosmic character, but since Living Lightning has been living with Quasar on the Asteroid Base, any chance of him turning up?
(also, Miguel was always portrayed as straight until he spent those months living alone with Quasar, with occassional visits by Starfox...after which he came out as gay in GLA. Coincidence? I think not. Any chance of an Avengers: Brokeback Asteroid one-shot? ;) )

3) Early issues of Peter David's CM run introduced the Intelligencia--a Skrull version of the Supreme Intelligence. Any chance of her/it showing up again?

Thanks for taking the time to answer everyone's questions, Andy! :)

[Andy Schmidt]

I was never an avid Crossgen reader, but I can say that while I thought that the first issues (ie, those that were released) were good and showed promise but ultimately the whole thing was just a dissapointment without finishing up the actual storyline in any satisfying way.

If you're interested, pick up "Negation", the ongoing title written by Bedard. The best of the Crossgen bunch, IMHO, once Waid left Ruse.

I'll see about grabbing a copy, Desaad. Thanks for the insight.

[Andy Schmidt]

Andy, thank you for the response! The cop/militia thing didn't really bother me, but there have been some other fans that thing it's an important distinction. But, they're all dead now so what are you gonna do, right?

I will continue to mourn... Poor Adora...

Seriously though, I think it's really cool to be able to read about Nova in this kind of setting and story. It's definitely very exciting to see him so front and center! So thank you for that!

EDIT: Oh yeah, and I would recommend Negation by Tony Bedard & Paul Pelletier. A great sci-fi yarn with plenty of unexpected turns. It led into Negation War, which showed promise but couldn't live up to the build-up with the company crumbling apart behind-the-scenes. So, I would recommend Negation, Vol. 1: BOHICA! (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931484309/sr=8-1/qid=1143234956/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-8217851-7111940?%5Fencoding=UTF8) and Negation, Vol. 2: Baptism of Fire (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931484597/sr=8-8/qid=1143234956/ref=sr_1_8/104-8217851-7111940?%5Fencoding=UTF8). Then you'll have to get the rest in singles. The series went up to issue #22.

CoreyB, Thanks to you too for the NEGATION info. About the Nova Corps and Richard himself, I felt like the Nova Corps was more easily explained as cops. We never say "The Nova Corps is a police force" explicitly. But that's how we defined them in common language. I hope those annoyed by this got over it.

As for Richard showing up here and in a different kind of story--well, that's the whole point. We want to try new things. We want to make sure that there are characters you haven't seen in these big cosmic stories along side the characters you want to see. Nova is the heart of this story, so I'm really glad you're digging it.

Thanks.

[Andy Schmidt]

Thanks Andy, for your responses.

Here's a question that's been bugging me for a long time. What is Marvel's official position on 'Marvel Universe: The End'? Was it canon, or not? It doesn't make sense to me if it's not. I know all the other 'The End' storylines take place in alternate universes, and if this one does too, then how do you explain the presence of characters such as Skreet and the Fallen One? Not to mention the Kyln.

Just been bugging me for a while, considering those two characters came out of the short lived Thanos series, which was directly based off of events from, (and even made direct references to), 'Marvel: The End'.

Someone else answered this later, but just so you get it from me as well: MARVEL UNIVERSE: THE END is an out of continuity story, however, Thanos does refer to some "event" that seemingly bore a similar resemblence to the THE END story that occured some time in between INFINITY ABYSS and THANOS #1.

Also, Skreet was created by Keith Giffen prior to MARVEL THE END and The Fallen One was created around THANOS #8 which had nothing at all to do with MARVEL THE END. Just so you know, there is more Skreet out there!

[Andy Schmidt]

Another thing:

Last time I saw Galactus, the FF sent him to another dimension.
The previews for eg. Annihilation: Silver Surfer seems to imply he is back.
When did this happen, and are we going to get an explanation for it?

I'd be lying if I said this was all perfectly planned out. I hadn't thought of that as ANNIHILATION was started before those FF stories. I'll have to make sure that it is, in fact, covered. Thanks for the heads up, Arilou!

[Andy Schmidt]

Howdy Andy, I finally got the prologue in the mail and I loved it.
The destruction of the Nova corps was beutifull in a sad and destructive way.
Now for my question.

My favorite cosmic character is Firelord and I´ve always felt that he´s been one of the most missused characters in Marvel. Ever since he got beat up by Spider-man he´s mostly been used as cannon-fodder in cosmic stories.
When you and Keith Giffin answered our questions awhile back you said that FL would get a big part in all of this and that makes me happy and is sure bet to get me to buy the comics.
Anyway my question is how do you see Firelord as a character? What makes him intresting, what are his strengths and weaknesses etc?

Dark Soul #7, I will say this...

Considering you're clearly a THING series fan AND a Firelord fan, you will be pleased.

As for Firelord as a character, I feel like he's not well defined because he's been written several different ways. But, now, it looks like he may be the only living Xandarian, so maybe that will help shape him more perminently.

[Andy Schmidt]

If you read the frist two issues (which I think were the only ones to be released), you'd see what I'm talking about. I wouldn't say you'd get frustrated that it didn't get finished, just disappointed. The story had so much potential and would have been the best way to end the whole lot of stories, especially since the company was going bankrupt when they sollicited the story. I know you're busy, so I'll let you decide whether or not you should find and read it.

Thanks, Joe. I'll try to scrounge them up!

[Andy Schmidt]

I just wonder if the AW (anihilation wave) will make it to planet hulk lol? Since they exiled my favorite character to another planet while the earth is on the verge of one of the biggest superhuman slugfest ever seen (we can only hope) it would be nice to see the big green machine active is some big story line that has something to do with the overall marvel universe.

Oh, PLANET HULK has a lot to do with "the overall Marvel Unvierse." I think the green machine has got plenty going on. Besides, he'd just smash the Annihilation Wave, right? :)

[Andy Schmidt]

Is Annihilus going to be refered to as "The Living Death that Walks" often? That would be cool.

But of course...

[Andy Schmidt]

Is Annihilus going to be refered to as "The Living Death that Walks" often? That would be cool.

Not too often, but yeah, it'll come up. Cus, you know, he IS the living death that walks and all...

[Andy Schmidt]

Is the cosmic handbook,that is going to be released, going to have characters just from annihilation?

Thanks

Primarily characters from ANNIHILATION. However, if you're getting the A-Z hand books, those are more comprehensive.

[Andy Schmidt]

Will the Spaceknights be appearing?

I need to know! I've been dying for a new Rom or Spaceknights appearance since the Spaceknights limited series ended.

In an interview with Giffen, he ssaid the Spaceknights would apear, but right after their name he listed a bunch of the 7 dwarves as also appearing, so I'm not sure if he was serious about the Spaceknights appearing or not.

If anyone knows, could you please let me know.

thanks

What's a spaceknight?

Just kidding. They will be appearing. They may not appear for long, but they will appear.

[Andy Schmidt]

'Sup, Andy. Over in the Civil War forum I asked Mr. Brevoort if, since Beta Ray Bill was last seen in New York, he might have a part in the event. Brevoort said his name had been brought up a few times, but nothing had been decided. Now I see you saying you love him and that he would be in Annihilation if he fits.

First, which event is most likely to feature him?

Second, do you know of any plans to put him to use in the future (as yes/no will suffice, no details expected)?

Either way, I'm psyched about this event, and your answers won't lose Marvel any of the cash I plan on spending on Annihilation.

Right now, it looks like he's more likely to show up in CIVIL WAR, but you never know. I do love the character and so i want to get my hands on him, but I'm juggling about 30 great characters right now, so I don't know that I've got any great use for him at the moment. That being said, Andrea DiVito (the artist of Beta Ray's solo book) is doing ANNIHILATION and he might just demand that we put Beta Ray in the series!

As for future plans, there are no future plans for anything. This series is called ANNIHILATION because we destroy all Marvel Universe space characters and planets. So, there is no future for cosmic characters. Sorry to say...

[Andy Schmidt]

Hey Andy,i have 3 questions...none to deep

1. Is Gladiator present at all in this series or is he too busy in brubaker's upcoming run?

2. Are any of the cosmic elders that consist of the grandmaster or the runner make any appearances?

3. for the cosmic series to be considered succesful enough to warrant further continuation does the main annihilation series have to be in the top 20 when it comes to the numbers when it comes out?

Alrighty, let me knock these down for you:
1. No. 2. No. 3. I don't know.

Three up, three down. That's how we do it!!!!!!

Sorry, TheSentryLives, but that's the truth. Wish I had something more exciting to tell you.

[Andy Schmidt]

Hey Andy, has anyone been signed up for the follow up Mini??
Who is going to be the artist? The writer? Or are these things that will needed to be released at a later date?

As an editor, do you use a bull whip, riding crop or are you technically hip and use a Cattle prod to keep your Creative teams in line?

ANNIHILATION 1-6 is by Keith Giffen, Andrea DiVito and Laura Villari (the art team of THOR: DISASSEMBLED and THE THING).

I find the electric cattle prod is effective, but Tom Brevoort uses a crow bar.

[Andy Schmidt]

Quickie question:

If Ronan was stripped of his title, how come he still has his Universal Weapon?

Could YOU take it away from him?



No, seriosuly.


I would not mess with that dude.

[Andy Schmidt]

Andy,

The announcement of Andrea DiVito as the artist for the ANNIHILATION mini-series has me pretty excited. I loved his "cosmic" stuff in STORMBREAKER and THOR.

My question is about the character sketches that were previewed in this week's Joe Fridays (http://www.newsarama.com/JoeFridays/JoeFridays44.html) article at Newsarama. The Nova sketch (which is great, by the way) ...

... shows Rich wearing his classic costume, rather than his new one. Was that just a glitch, or is it a clue?

As the awesome editor that I so clearly am, I hadn't given Andrea the proper reference when he started doodling. Wait--I mean--these are clues!!! Talk amongst yourselves!!! Talk about how clever we are!!!


Ahhhhh, forget it...

Andrea was just getting a feel for the characters.

But just wait until we show you his next batch of images. There will be a huge surge the "Oops I crapped my pants" stock prices. That's for sure.

[Andy Schmidt]

Are the Inhumans going to show up? They were mentioned in the prolog. What about Moondragon?

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe. On both counts.

[mdg1]

Could YOU take it away from him?



No, seriosuly.


I would not mess with that dude.

Me neither, but we SAW him give it up willingly (in the Prologue).

[Andy Schmidt]

What about the Titans?

Some of them are around. We've already seen Drax and Thanos.

[Andy Schmidt]

1) Will Starfox be showing up in ANNIHILATION? I certainly hope so--especially now that we know DiVito is going to be doing the art; I'd love to see DiVito's portrayal of Eros!

2) I know he isn't technically a cosmic character, but since Living Lightning has been living with Quasar on the Asteroid Base, any chance of him turning up?
(also, Miguel was always portrayed as straight until he spent those months living alone with Quasar, with occassional visits by Starfox...after which he came out as gay in GLA. Coincidence? I think not. Any chance of an Avengers: Brokeback Asteroid one-shot? ;) )

3) Early issues of Peter David's CM run introduced the Intelligencia--a Skrull version of the Supreme Intelligence. Any chance of her/it showing up again?

Thanks for taking the time to answer everyone's questions, Andy! :)

1. Starfox will be showing up in SHE-HULK so he's a little busy.
2. Sorry, no Living Lightning. Just not enough room to bring in the Avengers and all the explaining that comes along with them.
3. There is a decent chance. I'm actually re-reading those issues this week to make sure all the plans line up properly.

Always happy to answer questions. Thanks for being interested!

[Andy Schmidt]

Me neither, but we SAW him give it up willingly (in the Prologue).

Touche, mdg1. Touche.

[Andy Schmidt]

Okay, that about wraps it up for me tonight (sorry for the delay in service, got kicked of the Internet there for a bit). Thanks again to everyone for asking questions and being so diligent.

It's been a really hectic week this past week for me. My wife and I moved into our first home (that we own) and there's been a lot going on in the offices as well.

ANNIHILATION is coming along very well. I hope you're all please with the announcement of ANDREA DIVITO as artist on ANNIHILATION proper and CIVIL WAR is coming along very well too!

It's looking like a good year to be reading comics!

I'll be back on the board posting some time after y'all read ANNIHILATION: SILVER SURFER #1, on sale this Wednesday!

Thanks again.

Andy

[Dermie]

1. Starfox will be showing up in SHE-HULK so he's a little busy.

Fair enough...although his two-part story in SHE-HULK will be long over before the ANNIHILATION mini starts. ;) Ah well. Thanks anyway.

2. Sorry, no Living Lightning. Just not enough room to bring in the Avengers and all the explaining that comes along with them.

Yeah, I figured--plus with all the Civil War stuff, most of the Avengers would be otherwise occupied anyway. I just figured since Miguel was already out in space anyway, he might sneak in. But maybe he's back on Earth during all this--we've seen in GLA that he goes back occassionally.

3. There is a decent chance. I'm actually re-reading those issues this week to make sure all the plans line up properly.

Cool! That must be some fun research. I still *love* issue #8 of PAD's first CM run (the first issue with Intelligencia), with Rick and Marlo trying to have a date while Genis and Lorraine are both pestering them in the background. That has got to be one of my favourite issues of PAD's run!

Always happy to answer questions.

I'm just impressed you found the time for it--didn't you say you were in the process of moving? I'm preparing to move in a month or so, and I'm just getting into the craziness of packing and sorting everything, so I can imagine how busy you must be.

Thanks for being interested!

My pleasure!

I doubt there would be time for it in this event, but any chance Nebula might have her origin cleaned up a bit at some point? She was introduced as Thanos' great-granddaughter...but then Thanos came back and said that was a lie. Then there was a story which had a flashback sequence to her being abused by her father, whom she later killed, as an explanation for how she wound up so messed up. But a few years later she shows up in Erik Larsen's NOVA series and she claims to be the daughter of Nova's old enemy Zorr--and that she has come to get revenge on Nova for killing her father. :confused:

Thanks again.

[FrogMan]

What's a spaceknight?

Just kidding. They will be appearing. They may not appear for long, but they will appear.

Yikes. I hope that doesn't mean they're gonna get obliterated!!! Not the Spaceknights and the New Warriors all in the same time span. I might go cuckoo.

Also, will Rocket Racoon be showing up? :)

[Dark Soul # 7]

Dark Soul #7, I will say this...

Considering you're clearly a THING series fan AND a Firelord fan, you will be pleased.Really, why? Now you´ve gone and made me really intrested. Why did you do that? Wait, it´s part of your job. You´re good at your job. ;)
As for Firelord as a character, I feel like he's not well defined because he's been written several different ways. But, now, it looks like he may be the only living Xandarian, so maybe that will help shape him more perminently.I hope it will and I have trust in you and the writers. This whole thing is shaping up quite nicely, and only the prologue is out so far.

[Andy Schmidt]

I'm just impressed you found the time for it--didn't you say you were in the process of moving? I'm preparing to move in a month or so, and I'm just getting into the craziness of packing and sorting everything, so I can imagine how busy you must be.

Yeah, just moved in last week and finally got Internet the other day. I make time for this. I really enjoy talking with you guys. It's really gratifiying to know people really do care about the work I do.



I doubt there would be time for it in this event, but any chance Nebula might have her origin cleaned up a bit at some point? She was introduced as Thanos' great-granddaughter...but then Thanos came back and said that was a lie. Then there was a story which had a flashback sequence to her being abused by her father, whom she later killed, as an explanation for how she wound up so messed up. But a few years later she shows up in Erik Larsen's NOVA series and she claims to be the daughter of Nova's old enemy Zorr--and that she has come to get revenge on Nova for killing her father. :confused:

Thanks again.

No problem. Nebula is in ANNIHILATION: RONAN but we don't get into her history much. We leave her open to be used in the future and I hope to do so. I wasn't actually aware of all of that confusion. I'll see if I can get to it.

Andy

[Tommy]

Is Annihilus's Lady Friend going to be appearing a lot?

[Andy Schmidt]

Yikes. I hope that doesn't mean they're gonna get obliterated!!! Not the Spaceknights and the New Warriors all in the same time span. I might go cuckoo.

Also, will Rocket Racoon be showing up? :)

There ARE plans for Rocket Racoon. I can say no more.

[Andy Schmidt]

Really, why? Now you´ve gone and made me really intrested. Why did you do that? Wait, it´s part of your job. You´re good at your job. ;)
I hope it will and I have trust in you and the writers. This whole thing is shaping up quite nicely, and only the prologue is out so far.


Whether or not Annihilation is shaping up nicely seems a little early to say. Especially when fans point out things from the 5-page previews that I've missed. I'm really doubting what we're doing. AAAAAAARGH!

However, I like ANNIHILATION. As for why I said that about liking the THING series, well, we announced Andrea DiVito as the ANNIHILATION 1-6 artist. You can see some of his concept sketches at Joe Friday's on Newsarama.com.

See that? See how I just made you go to another website. That's my job too.

Thanks again for the interest.

[Andy Schmidt]

Is Annihilus's Lady Friend going to be appearing a lot?

Annihilus is too cool for just one lady friend. But yes, Eradica shows up again. As do other lady friends.

[FrogMan]

Yay. Spaceknights and maybe Rocket Racoon!!!

Awesome.

Of course that might mean that RR may be dying. :(

[Arilou]

Annihilus is too cool for just one lady friend. But yes, Eradica shows up again. As do other lady friends.

What are their names? Destroya? Ruinia?

[Dark Soul # 7]

Whether or not Annihilation is shaping up nicely seems a little early to say. Especially when fans point out things from the 5-page previews that I've missed. I'm really doubting what we're doing. AAAAAAARGH!Oh they´re just being nit-picky. But maybe nit-pickiness is needed in some moments. But I´m being optimistic. You and the writers for Annihilation seem to show actual respect for these characters and I absolutely love it!
However, I like ANNIHILATION. As for why I said that about liking the THING series, well, we announced Andrea DiVito as the ANNIHILATION 1-6 artist. You can see some of his concept sketches at Joe Friday's on Newsarama.com.

See that? See how I just made you go to another website. That's my job too.See I love DiVito´s art. Just another reason for this whole thing to be great in every sense of the word.
So you have many jobs and you´re good at most of them. Cool.

[Khellendros]

Hey, Schmidt. Have someone retcon Spidey beating Firelord in the midst of all this. COME ON! You know you wanna. You know I wanna.

[Tommy]

Annihilus is too cool for just one lady friend. But yes, Eradica shows up again. As do other lady friends.
Ohhh! Annihilus is a playah! Are we going to see a cat fight? Possibly like the one on Flaver of Love?

[Lord S]

Someone else answered this later, but just so you get it from me as well: MARVEL UNIVERSE: THE END is an out of continuity story, however, Thanos does refer to some "event" that seemingly bore a similar resemblence to the THE END story that occured some time in between INFINITY ABYSS and THANOS #1. See I don't understand why all that beating around the bush is necessary...especially considering that Thanos #1 DIRECTLY references 'The End'...and not just some 'event'. What's the harm in calling it canon? Are you guys worried about Thanos gaining too much notoriety and general badassness, in 'officially' conquering the universe for a third time? (Technically fourth, if you count the first time he gathered the Infinity Gems, though I can't remember if he actually conquered the universe or not at the time). I say it's fair, considering how much respect Wolverine is given as a 'godly' being in the MU. :rolleyes: :p

Also, Skreet was created by Keith Giffen prior to MARVEL THE END and The Fallen One was created around THANOS #8 which had nothing at all to do with MARVEL THE END. Just so you know, there is more Skreet out there! But you do understand I'm talking about, right? I'm just doing some regression here...Skreet and the Fallen One's association with Thanos being a direct result of his adventures in the Kyln prison...how he wound up there was a direct result of his new outlook on life and new-found way of thinking, directly resulting from his experiences during, (which was acknowledged, in print and image, in Thanos #1), 'MU: The End'.

I understand the other 'The End' series are out of continuity, but I just don't get why you can't make an exception for this one. Especially considering the majority of people already consider it canon, and the fact that it kind of makes sense.

Anyhow, moving on...I have a question about 'Annihilation Prologue'. I really enjoyed the 'Nova Corp Files' at the end, but am wondering about the Eternals. Under the 'Milky Way' galaxy, the Eternals of Titan are acknowledged, but what about the others? Sersi, Thena, and of course Ikaris the Prime Eternal. Are they living on Titan as well? Just wondering, since they weren't mentioned at all.

[mdg1]

Ikaris & co live on Earth, although there is supposedly a Uni-Mind floating out in space...

[Will.S]

See I don't understand why all that beating around the bush is necessary...especially considering that Thanos #1 DIRECTLY references 'The End'...and not just some 'event'. What's the harm in calling it canon? Are you guys worried about Thanos gaining too much notoriety and general badassness, in 'officially' conquering the universe for a third time? (Technically fourth, if you count the first time he gathered the Infinity Gems, though I can't remember if he actually conquered the universe or not at the time). I say it's fair, considering how much respect Wolverine is given as a 'godly' being in the MU. :rolleyes: :p

But you do understand I'm talking about, right? I'm just doing some regression here...Skreet and the Fallen One's association with Thanos being a direct result of his adventures in the Kyln prison...how he wound up there was a direct result of his new outlook on life and new-found way of thinking, directly resulting from his experiences during, (which was acknowledged, in print and image, in Thanos #1), 'MU: The End'.

I understand the other 'The End' series are out of continuity, but I just don't get why you can't make an exception for this one. Especially considering the majority of people already consider it canon, and the fact that it kind of makes sense.

Anyhow, moving on...I have a question about 'Annihilation Prologue'. I really enjoyed the 'Nova Corp Files' at the end, but am wondering about the Eternals. Under the 'Milky Way' galaxy, the Eternals of Titan are acknowledged, but what about the others? Sersi, Thena, and of course Ikaris the Prime Eternal. Are they living on Titan as well? Just wondering, since they weren't mentioned at all.
I think making anything tie into The End as continuity is retarded and makes like, no sense.

[Lord S]

I think making anything tie into The End as continuity is retarded and makes like, no sense. Why?

And don't tell me 'because'.

[mdg1]

Here's a question for you, Andy. And it's not a nitpick!

If Adam Warlock is involved in this story... what will his hairstyle be? Between his regular appearances and those as the Magus, he's had some of the worst haircuts in comics :D

[FrogMan]

One more Spaceknights question, Andy, and you may not be able to answer this one.

When in Annihilation will they be appearing?? I don't need a specific title or issue # (unless you want to give me one). Just want to know if they'll be appearing in one of the four mini-series, or in the Annihilation mini.

I'm thinking they'll pop up in the Nova mini, but I could be wrong. :)

[Will.S]

Why?

And don't tell me 'because'.
Because the goal of books like "The End" is to write a story with at least some degree of finality and should be pretty much considered non-canon because they are alternate universe/future events. Although I must say the X-Men The End books are REALLY dragging out their last tale but with Chris Claremont and his 5 billion plots old and new it's not too surprising. The End with Thanos, even if it was good, should never tie back into any 616 universe unless we're talking about some extreme sort plot device that integrates that universe into 616 which would still make it retarded.

I just think about it in the same vein as making a "What If?" relevant canon.

[eh_ver]

Any chance that with Beyonder/Kosmos/Maker showing up in Silver Surfer, we'll also get an appearance of her former (?) mentor, Kubik? Some of my favorite under-the-radar cosmic stories are the shorts of Kubik and Kosmos travelling the universe exploring different aspects of the Marvel U.

FF #319
FF #351
FF Annual #23, 26, 27 (I think that's right)

Beyonder's last appearance had her in the Kosmos form (if not name), so I figure her adventures with Kosmos to be cannon.

[eh_ver]

When asked about Adam Warlock earlier you said something like "can't say". Is that "can't say" as in its a secret or "can't say" as in you aren't sure if he's making an appearance. Along teh lines of Warlocks, are we going to see the Technarchy at all? They'd be an interesting weapon against Annihilus. Just sayin'...

As far as trades go, by the way, it would be great if this event garners enough interest for more classic cosmic stuff to FINALLY put out a proper trade of Starlin's Warlock issues. His whole run, beyond Stalin's stuff, would probably fill out an Essential nicely, but I'd be happy with just his stuff in a trade.

[Andy Schmidt]

What are their names? Destroya? Ruinia?

No. That would be silly. Their names are Extermina and Exterpia. Geez, don't you know anything, Arilou? :)

[Andy Schmidt]

Hey, Schmidt. Have someone retcon Spidey beating Firelord in the midst of all this. COME ON! You know you wanna. You know I wanna.

Sure, I'd love to ret-con it, but I don't think there's any point to doing that. The best way to ret-con something (in my humble opinion) is to pay it no further mind. Ret-coning it just brings it up again and reminds people of a dumb thing that happened once. Essentially, ret-cons give more weight to stuff like that.

I know I answered that way too seriously, but hey, I might as well, right?

[Andy Schmidt]

Ohhh! Annihilus is a playah! Are we going to see a cat fight? Possibly like the one on Flaver of Love?

Nothing in the combined imagination of the five amazing writers working on this series could ever live up to the cat fight from Flave of Love.

[Andy Schmidt]

See I don't understand why all that beating around the bush is necessary...especially considering that Thanos #1 DIRECTLY references 'The End'...and not just some 'event'. What's the harm in calling it canon? Are you guys worried about Thanos gaining too much notoriety and general badassness, in 'officially' conquering the universe for a third time? (Technically fourth, if you count the first time he gathered the Infinity Gems, though I can't remember if he actually conquered the universe or not at the time). I say it's fair, considering how much respect Wolverine is given as a 'godly' being in the MU. :rolleyes: :p

But you do understand I'm talking about, right? I'm just doing some regression here...Skreet and the Fallen One's association with Thanos being a direct result of his adventures in the Kyln prison...how he wound up there was a direct result of his new outlook on life and new-found way of thinking, directly resulting from his experiences during, (which was acknowledged, in print and image, in Thanos #1), 'MU: The End'.

I understand the other 'The End' series are out of continuity, but I just don't get why you can't make an exception for this one. Especially considering the majority of people already consider it canon, and the fact that it kind of makes sense.

Anyhow, moving on...I have a question about 'Annihilation Prologue'. I really enjoyed the 'Nova Corp Files' at the end, but am wondering about the Eternals. Under the 'Milky Way' galaxy, the Eternals of Titan are acknowledged, but what about the others? Sersi, Thena, and of course Ikaris the Prime Eternal. Are they living on Titan as well? Just wondering, since they weren't mentioned at all.

I don't get it. They're all made up stories. They're all fiction. If the reading experience is real, what does the rest matter? For example, the fact that JLA: THE NAIL isn't canon doesn't take away from my enjoyment of that project. And it doesn't belittle the project either.

It clearly does for some people and I don't mean to discount that, I'm just saying I honestly don't understand the debates of what is and what is not canon.

Unless it's a question of respect for creators, then I could see someone thinking that Jim Starlin gets disrespected by us saying it isn't canon except that Jim knew it wasn't canon when he started and wrote the project AND if we say his is canon but no one elses' is, then doesn't that just disrespect Chris Claremont, Paul Jenkins, Peter David, and all the other THE END writers?

If it's a question of how Marvel manages its characters, then again, the line of thought that we're keeping Thanos down by saying MARVEL: THE END isn't canon falls short too. See, Marvel only gives its best characters THE END projects in the first place. The fact that Thanos is the ONLY VILLAIN to ever get his own THE END project shows how Marvel GREATLY RESPECTS Thanos.

On the other side, yes, I see what you're saying about how THANOS 1-12 came out of MTE. As a practical thing. So, I'd honestly say, my opinion of this doesn't matter, Lord S. It's a real book and if you like it and you want it to be canon, then it is. For someone else, it isn't.

It's like the Firelord vs. Spidey story mentioned earlier. For me, that just didn't happen--I don't need it ret-coned, I just ignore things that don't work for me. I pay homage to those that do.

So, I have no good answer for you other than I just don't understand why this a debated question. Wish I could do better.

[Andy Schmidt]

Here's a question for you, Andy. And it's not a nitpick!

If Adam Warlock is involved in this story... what will his hairstyle be? Between his regular appearances and those as the Magus, he's had some of the worst haircuts in comics :D

Wow, if this is the only thing on your mind, you're either totally into ANNIHILATION or I've lost you forever.

I honestly don't know. I'm just trying to make sure the plot doesn't fall apart first. Hair-cuts are a close second--granted.

[Andy Schmidt]

One more Spaceknights question, Andy, and you may not be able to answer this one.

When in Annihilation will they be appearing?? I don't need a specific title or issue # (unless you want to give me one). Just want to know if they'll be appearing in one of the four mini-series, or in the Annihilation mini.

I'm thinking they'll pop up in the Nova mini, but I could be wrong. :)

Think...cavalry.

[Andy Schmidt]

Any chance that with Beyonder/Kosmos/Maker showing up in Silver Surfer, we'll also get an appearance of her former (?) mentor, Kubik? Some of my favorite under-the-radar cosmic stories are the shorts of Kubik and Kosmos travelling the universe exploring different aspects of the Marvel U.

FF #319
FF #351
FF Annual #23, 26, 27 (I think that's right)

Beyonder's last appearance had her in the Kosmos form (if not name), so I figure her adventures with Kosmos to be cannon.

You'll see one of those characters, yes. One of the really tough things to do was figure out who we should use and who we shouldn't. Right now, we're focusing on the more "realistic" of the sci fi characters. That is to say, we're not dealing much with Eternity or Lords of Order and Chaos types.

It's very tough to reconcile all of these things in the same universe. Galactus is about as god-like as we go. He was kind of the standard since he's really the first and he's a Stan and Jack character. That gives him the proper gravitas.

Later, we may delve into some of the more "heady" or "trippy" characters.

[Andy Schmidt]

When asked about Adam Warlock earlier you said something like "can't say". Is that "can't say" as in its a secret or "can't say" as in you aren't sure if he's making an appearance. Along teh lines of Warlocks, are we going to see the Technarchy at all? They'd be an interesting weapon against Annihilus. Just sayin'...

As far as trades go, by the way, it would be great if this event garners enough interest for more classic cosmic stuff to FINALLY put out a proper trade of Starlin's Warlock issues. His whole run, beyond Stalin's stuff, would probably fill out an Essential nicely, but I'd be happy with just his stuff in a trade.

The better the cosmic stuff does, the more trades and essentials you'll see.

As for Adam Warlock, I just can't say. It's a "not everything is nailed down" kind of thing. He may feature in a huge way or not at all. It's tough to tell for sure.

Interesting you should mention the Technarchy. I was just mulling over some stuff with them last week...

[eh_ver]

Dude, your answer to the Spaceknights question just made me smile with glee. "The cavalry"...that is a great sight for some reason. It'll be good to see them again, if just for a short while.

[eh_ver]

Congrats on 'getting out the gate' with Silver Surfer this week. I loved the issue. The art especially really surprised me. From what I had seen of this guy, I wasn't sure if his stuff would suit ol Norrin, but it ended up being really great. Will the 'bios' in the back be an Annihilation regular, through every issue of the limited series and the Annihilation mini? I'm really liking them, even as a diehard fan, and I think they work really well in informing new readers as to who they're dealing with.

Also, Ravenous eats his enemies. That is awesome.

[eh_ver]

I actually like the idea that you guys are avoiding the more deity like characters in the cosmos. That makes sense. This is a war and if characters like that got TOO involved, it would likely lessen the impact of what you are all getting at with the whole imbedded soldiers. I am curious if there are going to be references to those same deities, though. In Drax, one of my favorite scenes was when Drax killed one of the villains and told him to say hello to Mephisto. In a story like this, it seems to me that more 'religous' tones would surface a bit. Maybe Drax praying to Cronos, his 'creator'. Or Quasar channeling his quasi-cosmic awareness from Epoch. That kind of thing. I can see this war reflecting certain "Crusades" kind of sensibilities with a completely different culture (even for alien standards) invading our universe. Yeah, I've given this event a lot of thought. You guys have done THAT well at promoting it so I figure I owe it to you all to be an insane nerd about the whole thing.

[Expletive Deleted]

Andy,

Do you view the Negative Zone as one alternate universe of many or as some sort of (to borrow from DC's vocabulary) "Anti-Matter Universe" in opposition to the MU? Or as something else?

By the way, the idea of the Opposing Force in SILVER SURFER #1 is really darn cool. I can't wait to find out more.

Thanks.

[Lord S]

I don't get it. They're all made up stories. They're all fiction. If the reading experience is real, what does the rest matter? For example, the fact that JLA: THE NAIL isn't canon doesn't take away from my enjoyment of that project. And it doesn't belittle the project either.

It clearly does for some people and I don't mean to discount that, I'm just saying I honestly don't understand the debates of what is and what is not canon.

Unless it's a question of respect for creators, then I could see someone thinking that Jim Starlin gets disrespected by us saying it isn't canon except that Jim knew it wasn't canon when he started and wrote the project AND if we say his is canon but no one elses' is, then doesn't that just disrespect Chris Claremont, Paul Jenkins, Peter David, and all the other THE END writers?

If it's a question of how Marvel manages its characters, then again, the line of thought that we're keeping Thanos down by saying MARVEL: THE END isn't canon falls short too. See, Marvel only gives its best characters THE END projects in the first place. The fact that Thanos is the ONLY VILLAIN to ever get his own THE END project shows how Marvel GREATLY RESPECTS Thanos.

On the other side, yes, I see what you're saying about how THANOS 1-12 came out of MTE. As a practical thing. So, I'd honestly say, my opinion of this doesn't matter, Lord S. It's a real book and if you like it and you want it to be canon, then it is. For someone else, it isn't.

It's like the Firelord vs. Spidey story mentioned earlier. For me, that just didn't happen--I don't need it ret-coned, I just ignore things that don't work for me. I pay homage to those that do.

So, I have no good answer for you other than I just don't understand why this a debated question. Wish I could do better. Ok ok...yousa point is well seen. :D

Honestly, I didn't mean to stir the pot and make this a heated debate or anything...it's just that it's not every day that we get the chance to talk to a actual Marvel editor. My main concern was with regard to consistency...and I guess I can live with it just being an 'event'. I deserve a no-prize. :D Respect for the character was also important...we're all passionate about the characters we follow...heroes and villains.

Anyway, enough on that...you missed my other question, about the Eternals:
I have a question about 'Annihilation Prologue'. I really enjoyed the 'Nova Corp Files' at the end, but am wondering about the Eternals. Under the 'Milky Way' galaxy, the Eternals of Titan are acknowledged, but what about the others? Sersi, Thena, and of course Ikaris the Prime Eternal. Are they living on Titan as well? Just wondering, since they weren't mentioned at all. Any thoughts?

[eh_ver]

I'm curious about the cover for Super-Skrull #3. Are we supposed to recognize the three characters with Klrt? I guess I heard that the 'mechanic skrull' is an all new character (and not a young Skyppi as some have speculated), but I'm not sure what the scoop is with the other two. The big guy looks like Armadillo, but I'm hard pressed as to how he ended up in space, unless Klrt recruits him from earth early on. The silver character strikes me as an updated version of someone already known, but I'm just pulling that out of thin air.

[eh_ver]

Little comicbook science question here. In Silver Surfer, is The Essence/Opposing Force considered the Negative Zone's version of the Power Cosmic, or is it more of an opposing force, as is stated? I'm just interested to see a big throwdown between a group of Seekers and a group of Heralds when they're all tossing around either massive energy waves that may simply dissipate each other or actual positive and negative energy, which I assume would be much more destructive.

I simply love that, in the Seekers, you guys are bringing not just new characters, but a whole new power to the mix. The Power Cosmic has had a pretty neat history in the Marvel U and I'm excited to see, years from now, some characters imbued with The Essence.

[mdg1]

Wow, if this is the only thing on your mind, you're either totally into ANNIHILATION or I've lost you forever.

I honestly don't know. I'm just trying to make sure the plot doesn't fall apart first. Hair-cuts are a close second--granted.

Neither... just injecting some levity into the proceedings.

I do have a more serious question, however. Will the new Kree/Skrull War be linked to Annihilation in any fashion? After all, at least one major character is already in both storylines.

[Desaad]

Great issue, great art, intriguing set up...I'm definitely onboard.

But I had a few questions which were a little unclear for me...

So did the Surfer just create that Black Hole? Or did he activate some sort of self destruct in Gabriel which caused the black hole?

Are we going to find out how this opposing force was gifted to Ravenous and his ilk?

Okay, I guess thats actually all...REally looking forward to the next issue, just a little unclear on what happened with the Black Hole.



Astro

[marvelboi77]

I thought that this was going to be cool from the begining. But I think the cartoon art was the wrong way to go with the prologue, it was a real turn off for me. I'm willing to give it another chance by purchasing Nova #1, and Ronan #1 but if I don't like those than I'm done with this series. Which is to bad because I was looking forward to it. Let me just say that I was attracted by the idea of a good space adventure. I do not really have any affection for the characters. But there are no bad characters just bad writing, so I've got my fingures crossed that I will like these two titles.

[eh_ver]

Inspired by the appearance of Quasar in Nova #3, I'm curious of references to the Gruenwald corner of the MU. At one time, Mark was essentially THE cosmic guy at Marvel, maybe rivalled by Ron Marz. In Quasar alone, he probably referenced over half of Marvel's cosmic characters and developed his own take on that 'culture'. I recently read issues 1 and 2 of that series and ended up liking them a lot more than I thought I would. Those, in turn, sent me over to Starmasters, arguably Marvel's first cosmic team book. So I guess I'm asking how much research into his material may have influenced aspects of Annihilation. Will we see a semi-reunion of the Starmasters (complete with Xenith and Morfex, sans Beta Ray Bill, since he doesn't seem to be showing up)? Will Deathurge (or his apparent successor, Doorman) show up? Maelstorm? What about a reference to the utterly obscure "United Nations" of the universe from Starmasters? Will the Starblasters/ Black Fleet show up?

I know some of this stuff is pretty lowly, but I am interested to see Gruenwald's legacy continued in some form or another. Some of his stories have been criticized, but I know that if people made a point to flip through some of his stuff, they'd see him for the master storyteller he was in the likes of Squadron Supreme, early Captain America and (most recently for me) his early Quasar, where I think he really hit on some amazing storypoints that I dare say could be comparable to Alan Moore's Supreme or Jim Starlin's Quasar.

Geez, maybe I oughta just start my own thread where it would be just me asking you questions, eh?

[Expletive Deleted]

Ewww . . . STAR MASTERS . . . I love the Grue's work (especially QUASAR) more than is probably healthy, and even I think that mini-series stinks on ice. It's better than STARBLAST, but that ain't sayin' much.

Speaking of STARBLAST . . . Andy, what're the odds of the Stranger showing up?

[Lord S]

Speaking of STARBLAST . . . Andy, what're the odds of the Stranger showing up? Isn't the Stranger trapped in Eternity? (As depicted in 'X-Men: Forever')

[FrogMan]

Any chance the Comet Man will show up? Or any other characters from his mini series?

[eh_ver]

Ahhh, Comet Man. Good call. I really dug that series and I think there were some uniques stories in there.

Yeah, StarMasters. I dunno, I just read it recently and maybe its the state of Marvel right now coupled with my excitement over cosmic Marvel that made this one shine a bit brighter. Or maybe it is good stuff. I dunno.

[eh_ver]

This just occured to me. There's that Beyond mini by Dwayne McDuffie coming out sometime soon in which the Beyonder is said to play a part in. While not under your editorial mandate, I was wondering if there is going to be some set-up with Maker as to how she/he will end up in Beyond.

[Andy Schmidt]

Will the 'bios' in the back be an Annihilation regular, through every issue of the limited series and the Annihilation mini?

The bios will be in the back of almost every issue of the limited series. Each issue has 25 editorial pages. Some of the stories run a page or two longer than the usual 22, so those issues won't have three pages of bios, buy you'll be getting your money's worth.

The Annihilation limited series itself will not feature the bios as all six issues are a full 25 pages long! That's right, three extra cosmic butt kicking pages at the SAME cost.

[Andy Schmidt]

I actually like the idea that you guys are avoiding the more deity like characters in the cosmos. That makes sense. This is a war and if characters like that got TOO involved, it would likely lessen the impact of what you are all getting at with the whole imbedded soldiers. I am curious if there are going to be references to those same deities, though. In Drax, one of my favorite scenes was when Drax killed one of the villains and told him to say hello to Mephisto. In a story like this, it seems to me that more 'religous' tones would surface a bit. Maybe Drax praying to Cronos, his 'creator'. Or Quasar channeling his quasi-cosmic awareness from Epoch. That kind of thing. I can see this war reflecting certain "Crusades" kind of sensibilities with a completely different culture (even for alien standards) invading our universe. Yeah, I've given this event a lot of thought. You guys have done THAT well at promoting it so I figure I owe it to you all to be an insane nerd about the whole thing.

There's a LOT of different aliens and cosmic characters in play as is. In my ever-continuing agenda to keep it simple, there may be a few references here and there, but probably not a lot. For example, Mephisto is another name for the devil in our society, so, while Mephisto is a Marve Universe demon, a new reader wouldn't have to know that in order to get the reference.

I'm truing to invite as many new readers as I can into the fray here, but I intend to get to all these characters as time goes on. If there's more space-stuff after ANNIHILATION, I want to bring in some different characters so that they get enough time and space in the books that you fans can get an actual story with all of them rather than just a passing reference.

How's that sound?

[Andy Schmidt]

Andy,

Do you view the Negative Zone as one alternate universe of many or as some sort of (to borrow from DC's vocabulary) "Anti-Matter Universe" in opposition to the MU? Or as something else?

By the way, the idea of the Opposing Force in SILVER SURFER #1 is really darn cool. I can't wait to find out more.

Thanks.

I see the negative zone as a neighboring universe or dimension. Essentially, it's the Negative Zone that's on the other side of the Crunch. It's not made of strictly anti-matter particles--if it were, all of the FF would have instantaneously been killed upon arrival. That's also why it doesn't have anti-versions of our universe's heroes and villains.

It's a pretty big place though.

[Andy Schmidt]

Ok ok...yousa point is well seen. :D

...about the Eternals:
Any thoughts?

Yeah, to find out what's really going on with the ETERNALS, check out the new ETERNALS series by Neil Gaiman and John Romita Jr.!

They've got enough stuff of their own to deal with right now!

Andy

[Andy Schmidt]

I'm curious about the cover for Super-Skrull #3. Are we supposed to recognize the three characters with Klrt? I guess I heard that the 'mechanic skrull' is an all new character (and not a young Skyppi as some have speculated), but I'm not sure what the scoop is with the other two. The big guy looks like Armadillo, but I'm hard pressed as to how he ended up in space, unless Klrt recruits him from earth early on. The silver character strikes me as an updated version of someone already known, but I'm just pulling that out of thin air.

Those are all BRAND NEW CHARACTERS!

Despite the title of the story, "Annihilation," I'm trying to leave something new for everything that goes away. So, for example, if we kill an established character like Drax (who's story we already told in his own limited series), the idea is that somewhere else in the story, a new character will be created. It's not a strict one-to-one ratio, but as a general idea, that's how it works.

The goal is to be able to tell more stories and new stories when ANNIHIATION is over, not to blow up the sand box so no one else can ever play with the toys again.

Does that answer your question?

[Andy Schmidt]

Little comicbook science question here. In Silver Surfer, is The Essence/Opposing Force considered the Negative Zone's version of the Power Cosmic, or is it more of an opposing force, as is stated? I'm just interested to see a big throwdown between a group of Seekers and a group of Heralds when they're all tossing around either massive energy waves that may simply dissipate each other or actual positive and negative energy, which I assume would be much more destructive.

I simply love that, in the Seekers, you guys are bringing not just new characters, but a whole new power to the mix. The Power Cosmic has had a pretty neat history in the Marvel U and I'm excited to see, years from now, some characters imbued with The Essence.

I'm not going to put too fine a point on this one. The Opposing Force is a powerful element that all we know for sure is that the Silver Surfer knows of it. Beyond that, I'll leave this question to greater minds.

[Andy Schmidt]

Will the new Kree/Skrull War be linked to Annihilation in any fashion? After all, at least one major character is already in both storylines.

They are linked, yes. But it's not a case of you have to read one to understand the other.

[Andy Schmidt]

So did the Surfer just create that Black Hole? Or did he activate some sort of self destruct in Gabriel which caused the black hole?

Are we going to find out how this opposing force was gifted to Ravenous and his ilk?

Astro, good questions. Yes, the Surfer blew up Gabriel and manipulated the explosion into a black hole.

And question #2: Maybe.

[Andy Schmidt]

I thought that this was going to be cool from the begining. But I think the cartoon art was the wrong way to go with the prologue, it was a real turn off for me. I'm willing to give it another chance by purchasing Nova #1, and Ronan #1 but if I don't like those than I'm done with this series. Which is to bad because I was looking forward to it. Let me just say that I was attracted by the idea of a good space adventure. I do not really have any affection for the characters. But there are no bad characters just bad writing, so I've got my fingures crossed that I will like these two titles.

If it's just the art from the Prologue you didn't like, then you'll probably dig Nova, Ronan and Silver Surfer. None of those are too caroony.

Super-Skrull's art is more cartoony in nature, but it's a story about shape-shifters so I think it works really well.

I hope you like the others more. We can't please everyone, but we do try...

[Andy Schmidt]

Inspired by the appearance of Quasar in Nova #3, I'm curious of references to the Gruenwald corner of the MU. At one time, Mark was essentially THE cosmic guy at Marvel, maybe rivalled by Ron Marz. In Quasar alone, he probably referenced over half of Marvel's cosmic characters and developed his own take on that 'culture'. I recently read issues 1 and 2 of that series and ended up liking them a lot more than I thought I would. Those, in turn, sent me over to Starmasters, arguably Marvel's first cosmic team book. So I guess I'm asking how much research into his material may have influenced aspects of Annihilation. Will we see a semi-reunion of the Starmasters (complete with Xenith and Morfex, sans Beta Ray Bill, since he doesn't seem to be showing up)? Will Deathurge (or his apparent successor, Doorman) show up? Maelstorm? What about a reference to the utterly obscure "United Nations" of the universe from Starmasters? Will the Starblasters/ Black Fleet show up?

I know some of this stuff is pretty lowly, but I am interested to see Gruenwald's legacy continued in some form or another. Some of his stories have been criticized, but I know that if people made a point to flip through some of his stuff, they'd see him for the master storyteller he was in the likes of Squadron Supreme, early Captain America and (most recently for me) his early Quasar, where I think he really hit on some amazing storypoints that I dare say could be comparable to Alan Moore's Supreme or Jim Starlin's Quasar.

Geez, maybe I oughta just start my own thread where it would be just me asking you questions, eh?

For me, no one has had more influence on Marvel cosmic stuff than Starlin and Gruney. I get asked more about Starlin than Gruney, but I have more or less the same answer: we wouldn't be where we are today with out them, but it's time to break away from our forefathers a little bit and forge our own path. Could these characters show up? Absolutely. But we aren't going to go out of our way to include them if they don't fit with the new take that we're establishing.

We hope that the current take on Marvel cosmic will be as well recieved as Starlin's and Gruney's, but it might not. If it isn't, you'll see us dive right back into sand box the way the left it. If it is, well then, hopefully, we'll have a third generation of cosmic Marvel to talk about.

PS. and to be fair, Lee and Kirby did the first cosmic Marvel stuff. It's funny how few people seem to bring them up as opposed to Starlin and Gruney.

[Andy Schmidt]

Isn't the Stranger trapped in Eternity? (As depicted in 'X-Men: Forever')

I think so. And since Eternity's death, Umar has all of his power. So who knows where the Stranger is now...

My head hurts already.

[Andy Schmidt]

Any chance the Comet Man will show up? Or any other characters from his mini series?

No plans for Comet Man at the moment, FrogMan. Sorry.

I'll keep an eye out for him...

[tricksterpup]

I think so. And since Eternity's death, Umar has all of his power. So who knows where the Stranger is now...

My head hurts already.
Is it a Tumor?

Andy,
Loved Silver Surfer number 1.... I can not wait to see this series unfolds and see how each mini connects to each other.
Doing a great job with all the posts here at CBR, again thank you.

[Andy Schmidt]

This just occured to me. There's that Beyond mini by Dwayne McDuffie coming out sometime soon in which the Beyonder is said to play a part in. While not under your editorial mandate, I was wondering if there is going to be some set-up with Maker as to how she/he will end up in Beyond.

All will become clear...

[Andy Schmidt]

Is it a Tumor?

Andy,
Loved Silver Surfer number 1.... I can not wait to see this series unfolds and see how each mini connects to each other.
Doing a great job with all the posts here at CBR, again thank you.

Thank you guys for all your interest. This has really been a career highlight for me--seeing all your feedback and excitement.

Seriously, thank you all very much.

Andy

[eh_ver]

Thank you guys for all your interest. This has really been a career highlight for me--seeing all your feedback and excitement.

Seriously, thank you all very much.

Andy


Hey man, you deserve it. I think this event will end up being the gem of the the year for Marvel. Civil War may get the sales, lets be honest, but I think that if more readers were pulled in by taste rather than hype, they would see what a great job you guys are doing here. (not to rag on your co-workers, this is just the kind of Marvel I prefer)

[nova64]

Hi, Andy!

I was curious about the location of Xandar. It's always been stated that Xandar is in the Tranta System of the Andromeda Galaxy. In the Prologue, the Xandar Cluster is said to be in the Verge System 001. And in the Database page, Xandar is said to be in the Tranta System of the Verge Galaxy.

But then in the Annihilation: Silver Surfer #1 Database page, it's reversed back to Xandar being in the Tranta System of the Andromeda Galaxy.

Can you help clarify where Xandar was (for strictly historical purposes, of course, since Xandar is now debris that's been sucked into a black hole)? :)

I'm really enjoying the series so far, Andy. It's some of the best stuff I've read in a good long while.

Doug

[Will.S]

I've been really enjoying Annihilation so far so I've got a few questions myself for Andy:

1) Seeing the cover art for the Annihilation mini series, will all 4 leads come together and team up/interact with each other during the mini? I'd love to see them playing off each other as well as being possible saviors of the universe.

2) With both Xandar and the Skrull empire destroyed, will there be new races introduced in the galaxy or will it be more devoid of life than ever before?

3) Drax and Thanos have had a long history with each other so can we look forward to a matchup between the two seeing as how Drax is no longer portrayed as a brute? If anything it'll be interesting to see both Thanos and Drax interact under both their status quos. Also, will we be seeing more new powers on Drax's behalf other than super strength?

4) Can we expect Nova to remain a cosmic character after being powered up and assume a similar role to Quasar and will he come back to earth after Civil War to see that not only has the galaxy been severely altered but the events on earth especially with the New Warriors?

5) And lastly Firelord is basically the last living Xandarian with Nova being more of a living relic and embodiment of the Nova Corps. Will they interact and talk about what happened to Xandar's final destruction as well as Firelord's feelings of a human given the worldmind's AI instead of him?

[Lord S]

Thank you guys for all your interest. This has really been a career highlight for me--seeing all your feedback and excitement.

Seriously, thank you all very much.

Andy Well I for one hope you stick around a little longer as a regular member...plus there are a ton of other questions I'd love to ask you! Most of which are off topic, but I won't bring them up here...

*cough*Will Marvel ever*cough*jump back into bed*cough*with Capcom?*cough*

:D

[Andy Schmidt]

Hi, Andy!

I was curious about the location of Xandar. It's always been stated that Xandar is in the Tranta System of the Andromeda Galaxy. In the Prologue, the Xandar Cluster is said to be in the Verge System 001. And in the Database page, Xandar is said to be in the Tranta System of the Verge Galaxy.

But then in the Annihilation: Silver Surfer #1 Database page, it's reversed back to Xandar being in the Tranta System of the Andromeda Galaxy.

Can you help clarify where Xandar was (for strictly historical purposes, of course, since Xandar is now debris that's been sucked into a black hole)? :)

I'm really enjoying the series so far, Andy. It's some of the best stuff I've read in a good long while.

Doug

Doug,
If I'm lying, I'd say that the Verge System 001 and the Tranta System are the same place but in two different languages or star charts. The truth is much more simple. I goofed.

It WAS essentially on the far side of the Andromeda Galaxy from Earth. Sorry for the confusion.

Andy

[Andy Schmidt]

I've been really enjoying Annihilation so far so I've got a few questions myself for Andy:

1) Seeing the cover art for the Annihilation mini series, will all 4 leads come together and team up/interact with each other during the mini? I'd love to see them playing off each other as well as being possible saviors of the universe.

2) With both Xandar and the Skrull empire destroyed, will there be new races introduced in the galaxy or will it be more devoid of life than ever before?

3) Drax and Thanos have had a long history with each other so can we look forward to a matchup between the two seeing as how Drax is no longer portrayed as a brute? If anything it'll be interesting to see both Thanos and Drax interact under both their status quos. Also, will we be seeing more new powers on Drax's behalf other than super strength?

4) Can we expect Nova to remain a cosmic character after being powered up and assume a similar role to Quasar and will he come back to earth after Civil War to see that not only has the galaxy been severely altered but the events on earth especially with the New Warriors?

5) And lastly Firelord is basically the last living Xandarian with Nova being more of a living relic and embodiment of the Nova Corps. Will they interact and talk about what happened to Xandar's final destruction as well as Firelord's feelings of a human given the worldmind's AI instead of him?

Okay, one at a time:

1. It's not as simple as a team up. They certainly don't share time in the individual limited series, but they're all in/a part of ANNIHIATION 1-6. They're not forming a team or anything, but yes, it's all connected. I think you'll enjoy how it all plays out.

2. Who said anything about destroying the Skrull Empire?

3. Drax and Thanos are both certainly involved in ANNIHILATION, it's too early to say if they come face to face. Probably not any new powers for Drax, btw.

4. As long as enough folks dig (and buy) ANNIHILATION, I plan to keep Nova plenty busy out in the void of space.

5. Firelord kicks some butt. He's the last of his race and he's not pleased.

[Andy Schmidt]

Well I for one hope you stick around a little longer as a regular member...plus there are a ton of other questions I'd love to ask you! Most of which are off topic, but I won't bring them up here...

*cough*Will Marvel ever*cough*jump back into bed*cough*with Capcom?*cough*

:D

Lord S,
I'm happy to talk about other non-ANNIHILATION stuff. In fact, I've just begun a column at www.comicon.com\puse called "Shootin the Schmidt" in which I talk about all kinds of comic realted stuff. Why don't you guys all swing on by and let me know what you want to read about?

Oh, and no *ciough* com-*cough*-ment.

[tricksterpup]

Lord S,
I'm happy to talk about other non-ANNIHILATION stuff. In fact, I've just begun a column at www.comicon.com\puse called "Shootin the Schmidt" in which I talk about all kinds of comic realted stuff. Why don't you guys all swing on by and let me know what you want to read about?

Oh, and no *ciough* com-*cough*-ment.
You have a column some where else??? WE are going to have a little conversation with Mr. Jonah Weiland. :evilsmile



Ahem.. Andy, it looks like you need an editor. ;)
www.comicon.com\pulse
Look for SHOOTING THE SCHMIDT # 2
BY ANDY SCHMIDT

[Desaad]

Astro, good questions. Yes, the Surfer blew up Gabriel and manipulated the explosion into a black hole.

And question #2: Maybe.

Thanks Andy.

Really appreciate the work you are putting into this...not just the answering questions, but the amazing amount of continuity policing you must be having to deal with on this crossover.

Also, in case this was still a worry for you, the Galactus thing was resolved. Tom B has made it clear that the Fantastic Four appearance (By Waid and Weiringo) happened before "Stormbreaker", which would mean that in the intervening bits of time the Galactus energy found Galan, remerged with him, and he was up to his old tricks again.

And, as a personal thing...I gotta say I find it incredibly refreshing to see a creator working off the Kirby/Lee cosmic stuff more than the Starlin/Gru stuff. Not that they were bad, but its nice to see a riff off of those incredibly talented and imaginative individuals.

Coming from a huge New God fan...well, it just brings a tear to my eye to hear you say such things. :)

[Lord S]

Oh, and no *ciough* com-*cough*-ment. :)

Oh, here's a real question...will we see Tyrant show up in this at all (or ever again)? Since this whole thing (or part of it) focuses on guys related to Galactus, I figure it's only logical that he be a part of it.

[Will.S]

Okay, one at a time:

1. It's not as simple as a team up. They certainly don't share time in the individual limited series, but they're all in/a part of ANNIHIATION 1-6. They're not forming a team or anything, but yes, it's all connected. I think you'll enjoy how it all plays out.
Hmm, so it'll be similar to Seven Soldiers in that they won't interact but at the same time work together to defeat the threats facing them?

2. Who said anything about destroying the Skrull Empire?
That's just me jumping to conclusions but I basically came to that after seeing a nice chunk of Skrull empire destroyed in Silver Surfer and in the first few pages of Super Skrull you see them getting their asses handed to him with the exception of the Super Skrull himself. I'm guessing then that the Annihilation waves take a good bite out of the Skrull empire.

3. Drax and Thanos are both certainly involved in ANNIHILATION, it's too early to say if they come face to face. Probably not any new powers for Drax, btw.
:(

[Linguini]

Nah, skrulls are too cool to die.

[Cthulhudrew]

That's just me jumping to conclusions but I basically came to that after seeing a nice chunk of Skrull empire destroyed in Silver Surfer and in the first few pages of Super Skrull you see them getting their asses handed to him with the exception of the Super Skrull himself. I'm guessing then that the Annihilation waves take a good bite out of the Skrull empire.

The Skrull "Empire" is huge, though. I suspect that part of the changes from Annihilation will be the paring down and reestablishing the Skrulls from their still seemingly fractured little mini-empires (S'Byll, the Skrull Intelligentsia, and who knows who else), into one unified empire again.

Although that does raise a question for this thread: Andy, will we be seeing any of the aforementioned Skrull leaders at any time during Annihilation? Or perhaps others, such as Prince Dezan or that would-be skrull empress from FF Annual #19? (Or maybe even Raksor and Bel-Dann, the skrull and kree foes from FF Annual #18?)

[eh_ver]

I've seen references to Nova, Air-Walker, Firelord, Terrax and Red Shift, but will Morg and Stardust, also former Heralds of Galactus, be showing up or have references made to them? I think Morg was killed by the Ultimate Nullifier or somesuch thing and Stardust was presumably sucked into some other dimension in Beta Ray Bill's mini, but I think both were left to speculation and haven't been confirmed. I might be wrong, though.

Also, with Annihilus out of the Negative Zone, will we be seeing the state of that universe without its dictator around? Is there a reason he would leave the zone other than conquering our universe? The Zone itself is nearly as densly populated as 'cosmic marvel', so it would be interesting to see characters like Blastaar, Dusk or those pilgrim people from Pacheco's FF run.

[eh_ver]

What's the likelihood of the Dakkamites showing up? Their appeal kind of evaporates when they're not on Earth soaking up the sun's rays for power, but I like the idea behind them, even if it started out as a riff on Supes.

[eh_ver]

I just found an image of the minis' fourth issue covers. Very nice. I thought I heard somewhere that the cover to the first issue of the Annihilation mini was out there somewhere, too. If it is out there, do you know where?

[Andy Schmidt]

:)

Oh, here's a real question...will we see Tyrant show up in this at all (or ever again)? Since this whole thing (or part of it) focuses on guys related to Galactus, I figure it's only logical that he be a part of it.

No Tyrant, sorry.

[Andy Schmidt]

Thanks Andy.

Really appreciate the work you are putting into this...not just the answering questions, but the amazing amount of continuity policing you must be having to deal with on this crossover.

Also, in case this was still a worry for you, the Galactus thing was resolved. Tom B has made it clear that the Fantastic Four appearance (By Waid and Weiringo) happened before "Stormbreaker", which would mean that in the intervening bits of time the Galactus energy found Galan, remerged with him, and he was up to his old tricks again.

And, as a personal thing...I gotta say I find it incredibly refreshing to see a creator working off the Kirby/Lee cosmic stuff more than the Starlin/Gru stuff. Not that they were bad, but its nice to see a riff off of those incredibly talented and imaginative individuals.

Coming from a huge New God fan...well, it just brings a tear to my eye to hear you say such things. :)

New Gods is my all time favorite comic.

[Andy Schmidt]

Hmm, so it'll be similar to Seven Soldiers in that they won't interact but at the same time work together to defeat the threats facing them?


That's just me jumping to conclusions but I basically came to that after seeing a nice chunk of Skrull empire destroyed in Silver Surfer and in the first few pages of Super Skrull you see them getting their asses handed to him with the exception of the Super Skrull himself. I'm guessing then that the Annihilation waves take a good bite out of the Skrull empire.


:(

No, not the same as Seven Soldiers i don't think. Considering that's not over yet, I'm not sure what they're doing, but I think ANNIHILATION isn't the same structure. Until I read the rest of Seven Soldiers though, I guess I won't know for sure.

And to your other querey: Silly Skrulls...

[Andy Schmidt]

The Skrull "Empire" is huge, though. I suspect that part of the changes from Annihilation will be the paring down and reestablishing the Skrulls from their still seemingly fractured little mini-empires (S'Byll, the Skrull Intelligentsia, and who knows who else), into one unified empire again.

Although that does raise a question for this thread: Andy, will we be seeing any of the aforementioned Skrull leaders at any time during Annihilation? Or perhaps others, such as Prince Dezan or that would-be skrull empress from FF Annual #19? (Or maybe even Raksor and Bel-Dann, the skrull and kree foes from FF Annual #18?)

You never know which old Skrulls will show up--but that's because they could be in disguise!

[Andy Schmidt]

I've seen references to Nova, Air-Walker, Firelord, Terrax and Red Shift, but will Morg and Stardust, also former Heralds of Galactus, be showing up or have references made to them? I think Morg was killed by the Ultimate Nullifier or somesuch thing and Stardust was presumably sucked into some other dimension in Beta Ray Bill's mini, but I think both were left to speculation and haven't been confirmed. I might be wrong, though.

Also, with Annihilus out of the Negative Zone, will we be seeing the state of that universe without its dictator around? Is there a reason he would leave the zone other than conquering our universe? The Zone itself is nearly as densly populated as 'cosmic marvel', so it would be interesting to see characters like Blastaar, Dusk or those pilgrim people from Pacheco's FF run.

Yeah, all the former heralds are touched on at some point.

SUPER-SKRULL 1-4 deals a lot with the Negative Zone, but it's not just an explanation of what Annihilus has been up to. It was important to me to make sure all the stories are about the title character. So, there's no one story about Annihilus. But, yeah, the Negative Zone is seen a lot in SUPER-SKRULL. On sale today, by the way.

[Andy Schmidt]

What's the likelihood of the Dakkamites showing up? Their appeal kind of evaporates when they're not on Earth soaking up the sun's rays for power, but I like the idea behind them, even if it started out as a riff on Supes.

Well, if your talking about who I think you're talking about, they're owned by DC Comics, so...

...not so likely.

[Andy Schmidt]

I just found an image of the minis' fourth issue covers. Very nice. I thought I heard somewhere that the cover to the first issue of the Annihilation mini was out there somewhere, too. If it is out there, do you know where?

ANNIHILATION #1 cover can't be seen anywhere because it hasn't been painted yet. You definately have not seen it anywhere.

[Expletive Deleted]

Well, if your talking about who I think you're talking about, they're owned by DC Comics, so...

...not so likely.They're a parody (http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/dakkamit.htm) of the DC version by Steve Gerber. Wundarr "the Aquarian" and Quantum are Dakkamites.

Please say Aquarian won't show up in this series. Please?

[FrogMan]

Yeah, all the former heralds are touched on at some point.



Including Rom, Spaceknight? ;)

[eh_ver]

They're a parody (http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/dakkamit.htm) of the DC version by Steve Gerber. Wundarr "the Aquarian" and Quantum are Dakkamites.

Please say Aquarian won't show up in this series. Please?


Yeah, Aquarian/Quantum Dakkamites, not Mon-El Daxamites. Though, how cool would that be to sneak under the ol radar, just for kicks? Mon-El's a favorite of mine. But yeah, I've always liked Quantum, so seeing him again would be cool. However, MU has survived the past few years without him, so I guess it can last a bit longer.

[tricksterpup]

They're a parody (http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/dakkamit.htm) of the DC version by Steve Gerber. Wundarr "the Aquarian" and Quantum are Dakkamites.

Please say Aquarian won't show up in this series. Please?
Oh the pain, when will the hurting ever stop?? ;)

But I am sure if they were re-done under Giffen and the supreme guidence of Andy Schmidt, they would be really cool. :cool:

[superion]

One of my favorite characters from the old Guardian of the Galaxy series was Starhawk. Does Marvel have any plans on using the old Starhawk or introducing a new Starhawk as one of the new characters created during Annihilation.

There was also a mini series recently of Captain Universe does the unipower or the new Captain Universe play any role in the series.

[eh_ver]

Congrats on yet another successful release on the Super Skrull! I have to admit to this book having been the one I was least looking forward to, with cartoon-style art and an unseasoned comicbook writer, but I ended up really really enjoying it! The art suited the book really well, making this the second Annihilation artist I've been wrong about in terms of how their style would work for the character they were assigned.

I like Klrt's drive in the issue, betraying his own people so he can save them and then going off to recruit an army in the Negative Zone! The scene with Reed at the end was really nicely done, reflecting the (even meager) respect these two would likely have for one another by now. For even the short amount of time Javier wrote Reed, I can see he 'got' him. I'm now really looking forward to future issues of this series. I hope Ronan and Nova impress me as much as Surfer and Skrull have so far!

I have a question about Surfer and Skrull, by the way. In Englehart's issues of Silver Surfer, those two became allies against the Kree and even seemed to form a friendship. I really liked the idea of it since Surfer was able to have this friendship in the light of the fact that Super Skrull was created specifically to kill the FF, friends of the Surfer. I think they later fought in issue 105 of that series and met up again as enemies in Ron Marz's issues of Secret Defenders (you could say I went on a Super Skrull kick after reading this issue), so that relationship may have shattered, but I'm curious, will that part of their relationship be reflected when or if these two meet up in Annihilation? I always liked the grey line of "heroes" and "villains" teaming up for a cause or because they actually respect one another.

[Desaad]

New Gods is my all time favorite comic.

:D

I know this really isn't the time or place for this, but I've just got to ask...who was your favorite character?

And, in case you haven't, I have to reccomend reading Simonson's "Orion" if you are a fan of Kirby's original stuff.



Astro

[Andy Schmidt]

They're a parody (http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/dakkamit.htm) of the DC version by Steve Gerber. Wundarr "the Aquarian" and Quantum are Dakkamites.

Please say Aquarian won't show up in this series. Please?

Oh. Right. I knew that.

yeah, I'm not really into using the parady characters of kind of lame characters from other companies. Parody characters of cool characters from other lame companies, I'm all about!

Man, I hope that didn't make sense to anyone.

Bottom line, we're not using these Dakkamites. And because you asked so politely, "Aquarian won't show up in this series."

[Andy Schmidt]

Including Rom, Spaceknight? ;)

Except him. Marvel doesn't own the rights, so we kind of have to let Rom slide. Sorry, dude.

[Andy Schmidt]

Yeah, Aquarian/Quantum Dakkamites, not Mon-El Daxamites. Though, how cool would that be to sneak under the ol radar, just for kicks? Mon-El's a favorite of mine. But yeah, I've always liked Quantum, so seeing him again would be cool. However, MU has survived the past few years without him, so I guess it can last a bit longer.

Actually, one of our cool reveals is that Annihilus annihilatied the DC Universe before breaking into ours.

I kid, I kid.

Nothing underhanded like this going on. I'm playing this as straight as I can.

[Andy Schmidt]

[QUOTE=tricksterpup]Oh the pain, when will the hurting ever stop?? ;)
QUOTE]

Probably not, no.

[Andy Schmidt]

One of my favorite characters from the old Guardian of the Galaxy series was Starhawk. Does Marvel have any plans on using the old Starhawk or introducing a new Starhawk as one of the new characters created during Annihilation.

There was also a mini series recently of Captain Universe does the unipower or the new Captain Universe play any role in the series.

Keith and I have talked about Starhawk on a number of occasions. If we've got the time and space, we definately want to get to him.

Cpatain Universe: no plans at this time in ANNIHILATION.

[Andy Schmidt]

I have a question about Surfer and Skrull, by the way. In Englehart's issues of Silver Surfer, those two became allies against the Kree and even seemed to form a friendship. I really liked the idea of it since Surfer was able to have this friendship in the light of the fact that Super Skrull was created specifically to kill the FF, friends of the Surfer. I think they later fought in issue 105 of that series and met up again as enemies in Ron Marz's issues of Secret Defenders (you could say I went on a Super Skrull kick after reading this issue), so that relationship may have shattered, but I'm curious, will that part of their relationship be reflected when or if these two meet up in Annihilation? I always liked the grey line of "heroes" and "villains" teaming up for a cause or because they actually respect one another.

First, thanks for the kind words on SUPER-SKRULL. To be honest, that was the book I was worried about the most because Javi hadn't done any Marvel work (he has done comic book work--check out his MIDDLE MAN if you haven't already--really great stuff) and it has the most drasticly different art from the rest of the books. That said, it's also the series that surprises me the most every time I look at it. I HIGHLY recomment SUPER-SKRULL (yes, I know I'm the editor so that means nothing, but seriously, it impresses me every time I look at it).

Now, onto your question. I also like those stories a lot. And as a fan of them, I do believe this would come up or at least be reflected in some way (perhaps subtly) should the two come face to face. Good question.

[Andy Schmidt]

:D

I know this really isn't the time or place for this, but I've just got to ask...who was your favorite character?

And, in case you haven't, I have to reccomend reading Simonson's "Orion" if you are a fan of Kirby's original stuff.



Astro

So, do I call you Astro or Desaad? I'm totally confused.

Anyway, this is your forum, so whatever you ask is in the right place. For me, it's Orion. Don't get me started on the others. I really like Forager, Mr. Miracle, and even the Forever People. Something about the whole mythology just clicked with me.

Simonson's run is the best since Kirby, I agree. Have you read the 12th issue of NEW GODS and THE HUNGERDOGS graphic novel? I assume you have, but if you haven't, that's as close as Kirby came to getting to wrap up the series--but it's obvious he had years more stories to tell.

Ah, I'm getting misty just thinking about it. When is DC going to print an oversizedabsoluteessentialall-starinfiniteomnibus Kirby New Gods book with all or those books in one or two volumes. I'd buy the hell out of that!

Okay, and just so I don't get fired, Marvel's comics rule!!!

[Desaad]

So, do I call you Astro or Desaad? I'm totally confused.

Apologies for the confusion...On this forum I'm known as Desaad, but I've a member of a number of others and I'm called "Astro" there...habit habit.

Astro is fine!

Anyway, this is your forum, so whatever you ask is in the right place. For me, it's Orion. Don't get me started on the others. I really like Forager, Mr. Miracle, and even the Forever People. Something about the whole mythology just clicked with me.

Likewise. I love the conflicted duality of the character.

Simonson's run is the best since Kirby, I agree. Have you read the 12th issue of NEW GODS and THE HUNGERDOGS graphic novel? I assume you have, but if you haven't, that's as close as Kirby came to getting to wrap up the series--but it's obvious he had years more stories to tell.

I read it, but I don't really think it was up there with Kirby's original New God work. By this point his art had denegrated a bit, IMHO. He was no longer in his prime. And there were a number of edits required by DC editorial in the book that changed even the condensed story that he wanted to tell.

I've never really considered Hunger Dogs (and the 12th New Gods issue) to be part of the original and true New Gods work.

Ah, I'm getting misty just thinking about it. When is DC going to print an oversizedabsoluteessentialall-starinfiniteomnibus Kirby New Gods book with all or those books in one or two volumes. I'd buy the hell out of that!

DC has been pretty decent about getting Kirby's New God work out there for mass consumption, I have to say. The Black and White volumes of Forever People, New Gods, and Mr. Miracle and the color volumes of Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen have gotten a lot of newer readers interested in the stories, so I'll give them kudos for that at least.

It still makes me cry to know that Kirby's epic was cut so short.

Same with Simonson, who (according to him) had years more stories to tell. :(

Okay, and just so I don't get fired, Marvel's comics rule!!!

Undoubtedly! :)



Astro/Desaad

[tricksterpup]

Ok Andy, I was talking to myself the other day.
ME: "Self, do you remember when Bendis stated that Energy can not be destroyed and that it has to go somewhere, after House of M?"
ME: "Yeah I do, do you think maybe Annihilus absorbed some of the dissipated energy from those poor Mutants?"
ME: "I am not sure, maybe our online Buddy Andy could shed some light on this or just plead the Fifth"

[eh_ver]

I picked up some info stating that Phlya-Vel is going to be playing a pretty major role, second to the 'big 4', putting her in place alongside Thanos, Drax and Quasar as the 'second-stringers' (as it were). We can all speculate on Thanos' involvement and know that he's supposed to be showing up primarily in Silver Surfer. Drax and Quasar are both showing up in Nova to begin with, which, for me, is nearly half the appeal of that book to me, actually, as I've really grown to love those two lately. I'm curious of Phyla's role in this. I know you don't want to right out tell us WHAT her role is, and really, I don't want to know yet, but could you let us know which book we should be keeping an eye on for her appearance? I feel as though it would be Nova, but Silver Surfer would be the traditional place for her based on her brother's student-like role in his earlier book. Whatever, I'm just glad to hear that with Genis getting offed, Hulking revealed as Marvel's natural-born son (rather than Genis and Phyla being test tube babies, yet later having reality altered so they were actually born naturally....or were they? headache) and rumors of a new Captain Marvel abound, Phyla isn't going to get completely lost in the shuffle.

[Cthulhudrew]

A question that's been bugging me for a while- why in the heck did someone decide that a power station (the Crunch) that powers a good percentage of the populated galaxy would be a good place to build a prison for all the most dangerous cosmic criminals?

It may have been explained in Thanos- I don't recall for certain- but it's been on my mind for some time. Isn't it a bit like penning up Al-Qaeda prisoners in the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station? Kind of asking for trouble, really.

[Andy Schmidt]

DC has been pretty decent about getting Kirby's New God work out there for mass consumption, I have to say. The Black and White volumes of Forever People, New Gods, and Mr. Miracle and the color volumes of Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen have gotten a lot of newer readers interested in the stories, so I'll give them kudos for that at least.
Astro/Desaad

Fair point. I like the B&W volumes as well. I'm glad to have them. Nicely done DC. Now for the full color hard cover!

[Andy Schmidt]

Ok Andy, I was talking to myself the other day.
ME: "Self, do you remember when Bendis stated that Energy can not be destroyed and that it has to go somewhere, after House of M?"
ME: "Yeah I do, do you think maybe Annihilus absorbed some of the dissipated energy from those poor Mutants?"
ME: "I am not sure, maybe our online Buddy Andy could shed some light on this or just plead the Fifth"

Ah, yes, let the conspiracies begin. I don't want to say yes or no just because I want to see what else you guys come up with.

Okay, that's a lie, I do want to answer. So, no. Annihilus does not have the mutant power.

[Andy Schmidt]

I picked up some info stating that Phlya-Vel is going to be playing a pretty major role, second to the 'big 4', putting her in place alongside Thanos, Drax and Quasar as the 'second-stringers' (as it were). We can all speculate on Thanos' involvement and know that he's supposed to be showing up primarily in Silver Surfer. Drax and Quasar are both showing up in Nova to begin with, which, for me, is nearly half the appeal of that book to me, actually, as I've really grown to love those two lately. I'm curious of Phyla's role in this. I know you don't want to right out tell us WHAT her role is, and really, I don't want to know yet, but could you let us know which book we should be keeping an eye on for her appearance? I feel as though it would be Nova, but Silver Surfer would be the traditional place for her based on her brother's student-like role in his earlier book. Whatever, I'm just glad to hear that with Genis getting offed, Hulking revealed as Marvel's natural-born son (rather than Genis and Phyla being test tube babies, yet later having reality altered so they were actually born naturally....or were they? headache) and rumors of a new Captain Marvel abound, Phyla isn't going to get completely lost in the shuffle.

First I'm hearing of it. Probably picked this up because someone knows Keith and I worked on CAPTAIN MARVEL #25 together which was Phyla's last (to my knowledge) appearance. Don't get me wrong, I like the character, but like you said, with a new Captain Marvel rumored to come about, what possible role could she fill? Once you figure that out, let me know and I'll put her in.

And either everything I just said is true and there are no plans for Phyla, or I'm lying and there actually are. :D

[Andy Schmidt]

A question that's been bugging me for a while- why in the heck did someone decide that a power station (the Crunch) that powers a good percentage of the populated galaxy would be a good place to build a prison for all the most dangerous cosmic criminals?

It may have been explained in Thanos- I don't recall for certain- but it's been on my mind for some time. Isn't it a bit like penning up Al-Qaeda prisoners in the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station? Kind of asking for trouble, really.

Fair question, Cthulhudrew. No one knows when or for what orginal purpose the Kyln were built. What is known is that when discovered, powerful inmates were already there. The Clerics who run the joint are just maintaining the status quo. Good liitle soldiers that they are.

[Andy Schmidt]

Ok Andy, I was talking to myself the other day.
ME: "Self, do you remember when Bendis stated that Energy can not be destroyed and that it has to go somewhere, after House of M?"
ME: "Yeah I do, do you think maybe Annihilus absorbed some of the dissipated energy from those poor Mutants?"
ME: "I am not sure, maybe our online Buddy Andy could shed some light on this or just plead the Fifth"

Oh, and stop having conversations like the one you've described. I'm totally creeped out now.

Just kidding.

So, what else you guys got? Come on! I can take 'em!

[Andy Schmidt]

Whatever, I'm just glad to hear that with Genis getting offed, Hulking revealed as Marvel's natural-born son (rather than Genis and Phyla being test tube babies, yet later having reality altered so they were actually born naturally....or were they? headache) and rumors of a new Captain Marvel abound, Phyla isn't going to get completely lost in the shuffle.

Eh_ver, for me, and I'm just talking here, they're test-tube babies. Not of that reinventing stories crappola for me. I like them just fine as characters, but that's what they are--glorified clones.

Of course, someone else may tell you differently. But that's ALWAYS what they will be.

Sad, I know.

[tricksterpup]

Ah, yes, let the conspiracies begin. I don't want to say yes or no just because I want to see what else you guys come up with.

Okay, that's a lie, I do want to answer. So, no. Annihilus does not have the mutant power.
Thanks for that response Andy, an old college room mate and I were talking the other day and told me that Rumor. I guess he heard it from some folks and passed it along to me. But he is pretty excited about this story line as well.

So far love Silver Surfer and Super Skrull, haven't enjoyed myself this much in a comic not since Supreme Power came out.

[eh_ver]

First I'm hearing of it. Probably picked this up because someone knows Keith and I worked on CAPTAIN MARVEL #25 together which was Phyla's last (to my knowledge) appearance. Don't get me wrong, I like the character, but like you said, with a new Captain Marvel rumored to come about, what possible role could she fill? Once you figure that out, let me know and I'll put her in.

And either everything I just said is true and there are no plans for Phyla, or I'm lying and there actually are. :D


Fair enough. I take that challenge. Before I get into any role she could play, I quick want to hit on her general interest points.

Right off the bat, and to get it out of the way cause its a slightly silly reason to push a character, she's, as far as I can tell, one of Marvel's first outted female characters, which is something worth exploring. Is lesbianism more accepted where she comes from? Or not?

Last seen, she was exploring a relationship with Moondragon, so if you're planning on having Heather show up, Phyla should either be with her or there should be an explanation why she isn't (really, there doesn't have to be, but still).

Her brother was just offed. Might be interesting to see the fallout from that.

She's the representative of both Kree and Eternals of Titan.

It has never been fully explained how the psysiology of a halfbreed Kree/Eternal works. You're talking about a mortal-like half and a near god-like half. Aren't there any interesting aspects to how a body like that operates? In the 60-something issues that Genis had, I don't think this was ever explored. Not that it was a major issue, I was always curious, though.

Also, other than a few issues at the end there, the readers got very little sense of what she is. As the editor on her book, you probably know some of the things Peter David planned on doing with her, and here's your chance to see them come about.

Now as far as roles she can play....off the top of my head, this event, while having Gamora play a pretty big role, could use more active female cast members. I may eat those words as this event moves on and you spotlight more and more old or new female characters, but for now, she has a chance to establish herself as a bit of an icon and she really requires very little 'origin' to explain who she is. Daughter/clone of Marvel. Bang. Really, it doesn't require a bigger explaination than that. She's an energy sponge, so it would be interesting to see what she would do with energy from the Negative Zone. Would it be something she could absorb and send back? She's right there in the thick of things on Titan. Just like Nova is imbedded, so would she be.


I dunno. I just dig her and I think she needs a fair shake before Captain Marvel's legacy is usurped by Hulkling.

[Cthulhudrew]

Fair question, Cthulhudrew. No one knows when or for what orginal purpose the Kyln were built. What is known is that when discovered, powerful inmates were already there. The Clerics who run the joint are just maintaining the status quo. Good liitle soldiers that they are.

Hmm. Sounds like there could be a story there. I don't have my copy of the Prologue in front of me, but IIRC they weren't all destroyed, were they? There are still some of them around? I wouldn't mind seeing some further development of the Kyln if so (not necessarily in Annihilation, but in some kind of cosmic project.)

Thanks for the response, Mr. Schmidt! (Or is that too formal? Should it just be Andy?)

[eh_ver]

Got bored and decide to throw together a list of characters we could see in Annihilation. Can you give us any 'yeas' or 'nays' in regards to these guys? Some of them are pretty obscure.

Sympiria (from Silver Surfer 1/2. She was pretty hardcore if I remember)
Reptyll
Midnight Sun (oddest cosmic character ever considering his origins)
Collection Agency (liked these guys in their one appearance)
Captain Atlas and Doctor Minerva
...the rest of the Kree Starforce (with connections to Ronan, could be cool)
Ganymede (another semi-major player cut down from cancellations)
The Other (supposedly destroyed Zenn La years ago. Is this confirmed?)
Scrier (this guy is kind of like Thanos only with more mystery. Could work)
Coroner, Tenebrae and Cyphyrr-4 (may be hard to squeeze in there)
White Raven (excellent design on this agent of Thanos)
Star Lord (don't tell me his brief role in Thanos' book is all we get. Too much was left unsaid as to what this guy's status is and, really, his continuity needs buffering)
Aron the Rogue (last seen dead, I guess, but that never sticks. This guy's great)
Mantis and Quoi (both should be playing a larger role in cosmic Marvel)
Gosamyr (neat concept alien from New Mutants)
Guardians of the Galaxy (not the ones you're thinking of. Nicieza made this group major players in cosmic history)

Thanks for your time. Looking forward to reading Nova tonight!

[Expletive Deleted]

Nova Question: How closely is the new costume tied to the Nova Force? Which is to say, if Rich divests himself of the power at some point does he keep the new costume or switch back to his old one?

Thanks.

Oh, and eh-ver . . . you forgot the kitchen sink.

[tricksterpup]

Nova Question: How closely is the new costume tied to the Nova Force? Which is to say, if Rich divests himself of the power at some point does he keep the new costume or switch back to his old one?

Thanks.

Oh, and eh-ver . . . you forgot the kitchen sink.
And speaking of the Kitchen Sink, will we see the Impossible man in any of these series?


Its alright Andy, that wasn't a real serious question, unless he does appear in any of the books. :D

But you can see what kinda stir this books are causing, just look at eh_ver. He is putting some thought into this. Good job eh_ver!! Damn, I am mailing you a No-prize myself. :D

[firestarfan]

It's so wonderful that you're taking the time to answer these questions for us! I just have a few:

1) Some of my all-time favorite Marvel moments involve the gigantic "force of nature" characters. Eternity, Living Tribunal, the In-Betweener, Chaos and Order, etc. The scene in Infinity Gauntlet where they all take on Thanos is an absolute classic. Will any of these big guys be playing a role?

2) How about Mistress Death? She's gotta be happy with all this, doesn't she?

3) When the Annihilation Wave heads to earth, and Reed Richards gets involved, will his actions and decisions be hampered by his involvement in the Civil War?

4) I know you say you "can't say" about Adam Warlock -- but if there are any decisions that haven't been made yet, there are legions of devoted fans of his who would be thrilled if he made an appearance. And yes, I know that wasn't a question.

Thanks again for your time Andy, and keep up the fantastic work!

[Andy Schmidt]

Fair enough. I take that challenge. Before I get into any role she could play, I quick want to hit on her general interest points.

Right off the bat, and to get it out of the way cause its a slightly silly reason to push a character, she's, as far as I can tell, one of Marvel's first outted female characters, which is something worth exploring. Is lesbianism more accepted where she comes from? Or not?

Last seen, she was exploring a relationship with Moondragon, so if you're planning on having Heather show up, Phyla should either be with her or there should be an explanation why she isn't (really, there doesn't have to be, but still).

Her brother was just offed. Might be interesting to see the fallout from that.

She's the representative of both Kree and Eternals of Titan.

It has never been fully explained how the psysiology of a halfbreed Kree/Eternal works. You're talking about a mortal-like half and a near god-like half. Aren't there any interesting aspects to how a body like that operates? In the 60-something issues that Genis had, I don't think this was ever explored. Not that it was a major issue, I was always curious, though.

Also, other than a few issues at the end there, the readers got very little sense of what she is. As the editor on her book, you probably know some of the things Peter David planned on doing with her, and here's your chance to see them come about.

Now as far as roles she can play....off the top of my head, this event, while having Gamora play a pretty big role, could use more active female cast members. I may eat those words as this event moves on and you spotlight more and more old or new female characters, but for now, she has a chance to establish herself as a bit of an icon and she really requires very little 'origin' to explain who she is. Daughter/clone of Marvel. Bang. Really, it doesn't require a bigger explaination than that. She's an energy sponge, so it would be interesting to see what she would do with energy from the Negative Zone. Would it be something she could absorb and send back? She's right there in the thick of things on Titan. Just like Nova is imbedded, so would she be.


I dunno. I just dig her and I think she needs a fair shake before Captain Marvel's legacy is usurped by Hulkling.

Are you sure you're not a comic editor? If we use her, I guess I know how to deal with her. Ha ha.

On a side note, yeah, Peter had some plans for Phyla I'm sure. However, it would be unethical of me to take those plans and use them in another series without Peter's involvement. Peter's not writing ANNIHILATION, and so his ideas for Phyla, Genis, or whomever else are off limits. I'm just saying, that would be a real jerk move on my part. So IF Phyla were to show up, I wouldn't use any of Peter's plans that I know of. I'm just saying, because I see fans talk about that kind of thing a lot and it's unethical behavior and it would actually be a slap in Peter's face rather than a tip of the hat. Does that make sense?

Interesting topic though.

[Andy Schmidt]

Hmm. Sounds like there could be a story there. I don't have my copy of the Prologue in front of me, but IIRC they weren't all destroyed, were they? There are still some of them around? I wouldn't mind seeing some further development of the Kyln if so (not necessarily in Annihilation, but in some kind of cosmic project.)

Thanks for the response, Mr. Schmidt! (Or is that too formal? Should it just be Andy?)

Andy's good. We're all friends here, Cthulhudrew. Or should I call you Cthul?

Yeah, there's definately some story potential in still left in the Kyln.

Nope, they weren't all destroyed.

[Andy Schmidt]

Got bored and decide to throw together a list of characters we could see in Annihilation. Can you give us any 'yeas' or 'nays' in regards to these guys? Some of them are pretty obscure.

Sympiria (from Silver Surfer 1/2. She was pretty hardcore if I remember)
Reptyll
Midnight Sun (oddest cosmic character ever considering his origins)
Collection Agency (liked these guys in their one appearance)
Captain Atlas and Doctor Minerva
...the rest of the Kree Starforce (with connections to Ronan, could be cool)
Ganymede (another semi-major player cut down from cancellations)
The Other (supposedly destroyed Zenn La years ago. Is this confirmed?)
Scrier (this guy is kind of like Thanos only with more mystery. Could work)
Coroner, Tenebrae and Cyphyrr-4 (may be hard to squeeze in there)
White Raven (excellent design on this agent of Thanos)
Star Lord (don't tell me his brief role in Thanos' book is all we get. Too much was left unsaid as to what this guy's status is and, really, his continuity needs buffering)
Aron the Rogue (last seen dead, I guess, but that never sticks. This guy's great)
Mantis and Quoi (both should be playing a larger role in cosmic Marvel)
Gosamyr (neat concept alien from New Mutants)
Guardians of the Galaxy (not the ones you're thinking of. Nicieza made this group major players in cosmic history)

Thanks for your time. Looking forward to reading Nova tonight!

I hope you liked Nova because off the top of my head only one or two of these characters have any kind of role coming up. I've said it before, Eh_ver, we can't touch on everyone. As it is, I'm worried we've bitten off more than we can chew. In time, we hope to get to everyone, but there's limited space, believe it or not.

[Andy Schmidt]

Nova Question: How closely is the new costume tied to the Nova Force? Which is to say, if Rich divests himself of the power at some point does he keep the new costume or switch back to his old one?

Thanks.

Oh, and eh-ver . . . you forgot the kitchen sink.

Wow. You really hate the new costume, don't you?

[Andy Schmidt]

And speaking of the Kitchen Sink, will we see the Impossible man in any of these series?


Its alright Andy, that wasn't a real serious question, unless he does appear in any of the books. :D

But you can see what kinda stir this books are causing, just look at eh_ver. He is putting some thought into this. Good job eh_ver!! Damn, I am mailing you a No-prize myself. :D

Keith and I both REALLY want to do an Impossible Man book. Hopefully a dedicated IM book. Like a 48 page special. Keith writing and drawing. How would that be? Would you guys want to see something like that?

[Andy Schmidt]

It's so wonderful that you're taking the time to answer these questions for us! I just have a few:

1) Some of my all-time favorite Marvel moments involve the gigantic "force of nature" characters. Eternity, Living Tribunal, the In-Betweener, Chaos and Order, etc. The scene in Infinity Gauntlet where they all take on Thanos is an absolute classic. Will any of these big guys be playing a role?

2) How about Mistress Death? She's gotta be happy with all this, doesn't she?

3) When the Annihilation Wave heads to earth, and Reed Richards gets involved, will his actions and decisions be hampered by his involvement in the Civil War?

4) I know you say you "can't say" about Adam Warlock -- but if there are any decisions that haven't been made yet, there are legions of devoted fans of his who would be thrilled if he made an appearance. And yes, I know that wasn't a question.

Thanks again for your time Andy, and keep up the fantastic work!

Am the only person who doesn't have a cool screen name? How do I get one of those?

Anway, on to your questions:
1. I like those characters as well, but they'll be staying out of ANNIHILATION for the most part. Originally, we had talked about doing a separate book that would deal with why they weren't involved very much but then figured that that was a pretty stupid basis for a comic series. It'd be like selling a book because it AVSOLUTELY has NO IMPACT whatsoever. Yeah, I just gotta run out and buy that one!

2. She was in the Prologue, so....

3. Too many assumptions in that question to even begin to answer it.

4. Working on it...

[Expletive Deleted]

Keith and I both REALLY want to do an Impossible Man book. Hopefully a dedicated IM book. Like a 48 page special. Keith writing and drawing. How would that be? Would you guys want to see something like that?Keith would be drawing it, too?

Hot damn, that'd be cool.

(And, yeah, I'm really not a fan of the new Nova costume. Sorry!)

[Cthulhudrew]

Andy's good. We're all friends here, Cthulhudrew. Or should I call you Cthul?

My friends call me Zothaqquandrew.

Yeah, there's definately some story potential in still left in the Kyln.

Nope, they weren't all destroyed.

Good to know. Count me down as being interested in seeing some more of them, if it comes about.

Really glad to see the cosmic side of things being explored again in the MU.

[Cthulhudrew]

1. I like those characters as well, but they'll be staying out of ANNIHILATION for the most part. Originally, we had talked about doing a separate book that would deal with why they weren't involved very much but then figured that that was a pretty stupid basis for a comic series. It'd be like selling a book because it AVSOLUTELY has NO IMPACT whatsoever. Yeah, I just gotta run out and buy that one!

Heh... If only they'd asked for your opinion about this in another sector of the Marvel universe. ;)

[Dermie]

Keith and I both REALLY want to do an Impossible Man book. Hopefully a dedicated IM book. Like a 48 page special. Keith writing and drawing. How would that be? Would you guys want to see something like that?

Yes!!! I loved the two Impossible Man Summer Specials from back in the 90s! I think my favourite stories in there were the one with Madcap trying to teach Impossible Man's daughter how to have fun...and he ended up zapping Quasar with his inhibition-removing powers (giving us a very goofy, drunk-like Quasar); and the story where Impossible Man's wife 'helps' Janet Van Dyne with her fashion show.

I'd love to see another Impossible Man special!

[Dermie]

Eh_ver, for me, and I'm just talking here, they're test-tube babies. Not of that reinventing stories crappola for me. I like them just fine as characters, but that's what they are--glorified clones.

Of course, someone else may tell you differently. But that's ALWAYS what they will be.

Sad, I know.

To the best of my recollection, there was never anything said to recton them being test-tube babies. The timeline tampering in the CM series said that since Genis turned out so well (in the other timeline that ended up overlapping with our timeline), Elysius decided to create a second child--Phyla. So both of them are still test-tube babies...unless there was some other story I'm unaware of.

As for Hulkling...it has yet to be confirmed that he is a natural born baby. All we know is that Princess Anelle loved Mar-Vell, and apparently had his baby. But the exact same is true of Elysius...and hers wasn't a natural conception. Anelle may have also impregnated herself with a genetic sample from Mar-Vell...it hasn't been established on-panel either way as of yet.

Andy, any idea what is up with Captain Atlas and Dr. Minerva? When last I saw them they had isolated themselves on a remote planet to begin breeding an evolved Kree race with their own enhanced genetics. But that mission was presumably rended moot when the Supreme Intelligence succeeded in giving the Kree an evolutionary boost in Maximum Security.
Has anyone contacted Minerva and Atlas to tell them they can call off their Adam & Eve mission...or are they still going at it night and day for the good of the Kree Empire? ;)

In a recent issue of RUNAWAYS, a Skrull character was introduced with superpowers, who said he was a Super-Skrull in training. Although we have seen the Skrulls attempt to create other superhumans before (like Paibok, the Power Skrull) this is the first I've ever heard of a Super-Skrull training program...and given that SUPER-SKRULL #1 revealed that Kl'rt is considered something of a joke and a failure, would the Empire really devote its resources to a developing new Super-Skrulls, if they are so displeased with the first one? Or is the existance of this Super-Skrull program limited to one specific faction of the divided agendas within what remains of the empire?

Whatever happened to Empress Syb'll? I haven't heard anything mentioned about her in a long time (maybe she got killed off and I just missed it).

NOVA #1 was great--I'm eagerly looking forward to #2! :)

[eh_ver]

To the best of my recollection, there was never anything said to recton them being test-tube babies. The timeline tampering in the CM series said that since Genis turned out so well (in the other timeline that ended up overlapping with our timeline), Elysius decided to create a second child--Phyla. So both of them are still test-tube babies...unless there was some other story I'm unaware of.

As for Hulkling...it has yet to be confirmed that he is a natural born baby. All we know is that Princess Anelle loved Mar-Vell, and apparently had his baby. But the exact same is true of Elysius...and hers wasn't a natural conception. Anelle may have also impregnated herself with a genetic sample from Mar-Vell...it hasn't been established on-panel either way as of yet.

Andy, any idea what is up with Captain Atlas and Dr. Minerva? When last I saw them they had isolated themselves on a remote planet to begin breeding an evolved Kree race with their own enhanced genetics. But that mission was presumably rended moot when the Supreme Intelligence succeeded in giving the Kree an evolutionary boost in Maximum Security.
Has anyone contacted Minerva and Atlas to tell them they can call off their Adam & Eve mission...or are they still going at it night and day for the good of the Kree Empire? ;)

In a recent issue of RUNAWAYS, a Skrull character was introduced with superpowers, who said he was a Super-Skrull in training. Although we have seen the Skrulls attempt to create other superhumans before (like Paibok, the Power Skrull) this is the first I've ever heard of a Super-Skrull training program...and given that SUPER-SKRULL #1 revealed that Kl'rt is considered something of a joke and a failure, would the Empire really devote its resources to a developing new Super-Skrulls, if they are so displeased with the first one? Or is the existance of this Super-Skrull program limited to one specific faction of the divided agendas within what remains of the empire?

Whatever happened to Empress Syb'll? I haven't heard anything mentioned about her in a long time (maybe she got killed off and I just missed it).

NOVA #1 was great--I'm eagerly looking forward to #2! :)


I'm pretty sure that when Genis 'killed' Entropy, making him into the new Eternity, it somehow reset the universe so Genis and Phyla had been natural births. I could be totally off base on that one, as I didn't actually follow the book that much (sorry PAD!). At the very least, the event reset the universe in a way tha some things were retconned, though. I was using that as the excuse as to why the Nova Corps decimation was null, until I read Nova last night as saw that the whole thing WAS actually considered in-continuity. THANKS ABNETT AND LANNING!

[eh_ver]

And speaking of the Kitchen Sink, will we see the Impossible man in any of these series?


Its alright Andy, that wasn't a real serious question, unless he does appear in any of the books. :D

But you can see what kinda stir this books are causing, just look at eh_ver. He is putting some thought into this. Good job eh_ver!! Damn, I am mailing you a No-prize myself. :D


I like comic books.

[eh_ver]

Are you sure you're not a comic editor? If we use her, I guess I know how to deal with her. Ha ha.

On a side note, yeah, Peter had some plans for Phyla I'm sure. However, it would be unethical of me to take those plans and use them in another series without Peter's involvement. Peter's not writing ANNIHILATION, and so his ideas for Phyla, Genis, or whomever else are off limits. I'm just saying, that would be a real jerk move on my part. So IF Phyla were to show up, I wouldn't use any of Peter's plans that I know of. I'm just saying, because I see fans talk about that kind of thing a lot and it's unethical behavior and it would actually be a slap in Peter's face rather than a tip of the hat. Does that make sense?

Interesting topic though.


Hey, if the job's open, I'll take it! I'd drop everything if I ever got the chance. Well, everything but my wife and kid.

I never meant to imply that you steal PAD's ideas. Sorry. I really wasn't thinking on that suggestion.

[eh_ver]

I hope you liked Nova because off the top of my head only one or two of these characters have any kind of role coming up. I've said it before, Eh_ver, we can't touch on everyone. As it is, I'm worried we've bitten off more than we can chew. In time, we hope to get to everyone, but there's limited space, believe it or not.


Yeah. When I get bored, I make lists. My job gets really boring. Hence...well, you can see where I'm going.

[eh_ver]

I hope you liked Nova because off the top of my head only one or two of these characters have any kind of role coming up. I've said it before, Eh_ver, we can't touch on everyone. As it is, I'm worried we've bitten off more than we can chew. In time, we hope to get to everyone, but there's limited space, believe it or not.



Oh, and Nova? Kicked ass. I loved the interation between Nova and Worldmind. I also really liked the acknowledgement that the nova force power boost has happened before since that arc is a New Warriors favorite (and even guest starred a couple major players in Annihilation).

[eh_ver]

Two, things then its off to the coal mines.

An Impossible Man one-shot would be great, especially by Giffen. I actually really liked the recent two parter in Marvel Knights Four (buy the last two issues!) and I love that every time he's seen in FF, he gets involved with the 'Bullpen'.

In terms of that list I made. Really, I just want to see Star Lord. Great character.

[tricksterpup]

Keith and I both REALLY want to do an Impossible Man book. Hopefully a dedicated IM book. Like a 48 page special. Keith writing and drawing. How would that be? Would you guys want to see something like that?
I would be all over that like Peanut Butter to bread. Wow, that would be the coolest book out.

[Dermie]

I'm pretty sure that when Genis 'killed' Entropy, making him into the new Eternity, it somehow reset the universe so Genis and Phyla had been natural births.

Nope. When Genis killed Entropy and rebooted the universe, that is what brought Phyla into our timeline....but she and Genis were still test-tube babies. That never changed.

[Arilou]

Star Lord (don't tell me his brief role in Thanos' book is all we get. Too much was left unsaid as to what this guy's status is and, really, his continuity needs buffering)

Wasn't he drafted into the Imperial Guard at the end of Thanos?

And shouldn't he, thus, be found in Brubaker's X-men run?

[eh_ver]

Nope. When Genis killed Entropy and rebooted the universe, that is what brought Phyla into our timeline....but she and Genis were still test-tube babies. That never changed.

Oh, well, okay. I guess that would have confused things a bit too much if they had actually been retconned into Marvel History. Regardless, Phyla rules.

[PerfectBrak]

Keith and I both REALLY want to do an Impossible Man book. Hopefully a dedicated IM book. Like a 48 page special. Keith writing and drawing. How would that be? Would you guys want to see something like that?

Yes! Impossible Man is tons of fun. The What If? issue where he steals the Infinity Gauntlet is one of my favorite What If? stories!

[Andy Schmidt]

Andy, any idea what is up with Captain Atlas and Dr. Minerva? When last I saw them they had isolated themselves on a remote planet to begin breeding an evolved Kree race with their own enhanced genetics. But that mission was presumably rended moot when the Supreme Intelligence succeeded in giving the Kree an evolutionary boost in Maximum Security.
Has anyone contacted Minerva and Atlas to tell them they can call off their Adam & Eve mission...or are they still going at it night and day for the good of the Kree Empire? ;)

In a recent issue of RUNAWAYS, a Skrull character was introduced with superpowers, who said he was a Super-Skrull in training. Although we have seen the Skrulls attempt to create other superhumans before (like Paibok, the Power Skrull) this is the first I've ever heard of a Super-Skrull training program...and given that SUPER-SKRULL #1 revealed that Kl'rt is considered something of a joke and a failure, would the Empire really devote its resources to a developing new Super-Skrulls, if they are so displeased with the first one? Or is the existance of this Super-Skrull program limited to one specific faction of the divided agendas within what remains of the empire?

Whatever happened to Empress Syb'll? I haven't heard anything mentioned about her in a long time (maybe she got killed off and I just missed it).

NOVA #1 was great--I'm eagerly looking forward to #2! :)

We haven't touched on the two Kree you mentioned in sometime, so I hope someone has called off their mission. Aren't they going to feel dumb if it hasn't been called off.

As for the Super-Skrull program, there are many Skrull worlds and it's not out of the realm of possibility that one of them would have a Super-Skrull program--perhaps based on the original, perhaps not. That's yet to be revealed.

Empress Sybill is gone. I believe dead. Wasn't shee eaten by Galactus?

Glad you liked Nova.

[Andy Schmidt]

I never meant to imply that you steal PAD's ideas. Sorry. I really wasn't thinking on that suggestion.

I didn't think you were implying I should steal Peter's ideas. I was just trying to shed some illumination on a broader subject of how what at first glance can seem like an homage would actually be unethical. No slight towards you, I was just using your comment as a springboard onto a related topic.

I'm glad you like comic books. Don't tell anyone, but so do I.

[Andy Schmidt]

Two, things then its off to the coal mines.

An Impossible Man one-shot would be great, especially by Giffen. I actually really liked the recent two parter in Marvel Knights Four (buy the last two issues!) and I love that every time he's seen in FF, he gets involved with the 'Bullpen'.

In terms of that list I made. Really, I just want to see Star Lord. Great character.

Star Lord does get touched on.

[Andy Schmidt]

Nope. When Genis killed Entropy and rebooted the universe, that is what brought Phyla into our timeline....but she and Genis were still test-tube babies. That never changed.

Just to clarify, I didn't mean to suggest that because they weren't natural births that they aren't good characters. I like both Genis and Phyla quite a bit. It doesn't matter where they came from in the story nearly as much as how they're portayed on the page. When Peter wrote both of those characters, they really came to life for me. So, yeah, I like them too.

[Andy Schmidt]

Wasn't he drafted into the Imperial Guard at the end of Thanos?

And shouldn't he, thus, be found in Brubaker's X-men run?

He's in Annihilation.

[Andy Schmidt]

Yes! Impossible Man is tons of fun. The What If? issue where he steals the Infinity Gauntlet is one of my favorite What If? stories!

Well, seems like there's some interest in an Impossible Man special. I'll see what I can do. It would be after ANNIHILATION at the very least.

No promises.

[Cthulhudrew]

Empress Sybill is gone. I believe dead. Wasn't shee eaten by Galactus?

You're thinking of R'klll. She was Empress of the Skrull homeworld when it was eaten by Galactus.

S'Byll was the skrull introduced in Steve Englehart's Surfer run (v.3), from the planet Satriani (named, obviously, after Joe Satriani, he of "Surfin' with the Alien" and "Back to Shalla Bal" fame).

S'Byll was one of the claimants to the throne, and she was the one who arranged for Kl'rt to be restored to life. The Super-Skrull was the only skrull who was disembodied at the time the Hyper-Wave Bomb was detonated- the bomb that decimated the skrulls' shapeshifting ability. Thus, he was the only skrull who retained his shapeshifting. With the Surfer's help, Kl'rt was able to jumpstart S'Byll's shapeshifting powers, which she was then able to use to restore the powers to the rest of the skrull empire. That, plus her defeat of Nenora (another skrull upstart), secured her role as empress of the skrull race.

To my knowledge, she hasn't been seen since the later issues of Surfer v.3. That, plus the fact that there has been at least one other skrull leader show up in the meanwhile (the Skrull Intelligentcia in Captain Marvel, whom the Super-Skrull was working for), implies to me that S'Byll did not completely unify the Empire as was implied in SS v.3, but that there were still divisions within the skrull empire. What exactly that means for the current status of said empire is unknown- there could be factions out there still lacking their shapeshifting abilities, for instance (those who did not ally with S'Byll), or S'Byll's own faction may have split, or something may have happened to S'Byll off camera.

I'd personally like to see something that explored the Skrull empire somewhat, maybe a limited series or something. In fact, I've long been working on a story idea along those lines. I really need to get off my butt and complete it one of these days...

[Andy Schmidt]

You're thinking of R'klll. She was Empress of the Skrull homeworld when it was eaten by Galactus.

S'Byll was the skrull introduced in Steve Englehart's Surfer run (v.3), from the planet Satriani (named, obviously, after Joe Satriani, he of "Surfin' with the Alien" and "Back to Shalla Bal" fame).

S'Byll was one of the claimants to the throne, and she was the one who arranged for Kl'rt to be restored to life. The Super-Skrull was the only skrull who was disembodied at the time the Hyper-Wave Bomb was detonated- the bomb that decimated the skrulls' shapeshifting ability. Thus, he was the only skrull who retained his shapeshifting. With the Surfer's help, Kl'rt was able to jumpstart S'Byll's shapeshifting powers, which she was then able to use to restore the powers to the rest of the skrull empire. That, plus her defeat of Nenora (another skrull upstart), secured her role as empress of the skrull race.

To my knowledge, she hasn't been seen since the later issues of Surfer v.3. That, plus the fact that there has been at least one other skrull leader show up in the meanwhile (the Skrull Intelligentcia in Captain Marvel, whom the Super-Skrull was working for), implies to me that S'Byll did not completely unify the Empire as was implied in SS v.3, but that there were still divisions within the skrull empire. What exactly that means for the current status of said empire is unknown- there could be factions out there still lacking their shapeshifting abilities, for instance (those who did not ally with S'Byll), or S'Byll's own faction may have split, or something may have happened to S'Byll off camera.

I'd personally like to see something that explored the Skrull empire somewhat, maybe a limited series or something. In fact, I've long been working on a story idea along those lines. I really need to get off my butt and complete it one of these days...

Right, right. Sorry. I mispoke. The Skrull Empire has not been unified. It's essentially broken down into controled territories by warlords. We said as much in SUPER-SKRULL #1. At this time, it is unknown what status S'Byll has or if she is even alive.

She may consider herself the Empress, but the rest of the Empire would probably just look at her as another warlord.

There are big changes coming for the Skrulls, so keep your eyes open.

[Cthulhudrew]

Right, right. Sorry. I mispoke. The Skrull Empire has not been unified. It's essentially broken down into controled territories by warlords. We said as much in SUPER-SKRULL #1.

I think it was discussed a bit at the end of the Prologue, too.

(BTW, hope my message didn't come across as preachy or anything, I just thought you might have mistaken the two empresses.)

At this time, it is unknown what status S'Byll has or if she is even alive.

Eeenteresting.

There are big changes coming for the Skrulls, so keep your eyes open.

Cool. I like to see more done with them. They always seem to be written as just "stupid FF villains", when there is so much more that can be done. As you point out, the political situation of the "empire" itself lends all kinds of story possibilities, as does IMO the history of the skrulls- what happened to their Eternals and Normals? Are they really as totalitarian-militant as they seem to be in their dealings with the outside galaxy, given that they used to be a mercantile race? (I prefer to think that the perception of them as warmongerers is simply because, naturally, the warmongerers are the ones most often encountered outside of their system, but the merchants are still alive and thriving at home). What of the subject races of the Skrull empire? What is their status and situation? What about skrull technology, etc.

As you can see, this is something I've been thinking a lot about.

...

...

I'm actually a skrull.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

[Soundrave]

Andy:

Thanks for taking the time to answer questions. I've really been enjoying Annihilation so far and I've been impressed with all the development of Annihilus and his forces.

The OHOTMU entries always said that Annihilus was born from spores/seeds in the Negative Zone and then gained sentience through mutation and built his control rod out of old spaceship parts. So are all these other insectoid creatures in the Annihilation Wave (Eradica, Salo, Ravenous and the Seekers, the Currs) also members of the same race as Annihilus? Is this something that will be explained in any of the minis or the main Annihilation series?

[thepowell]

In the original Starlost / Super Nova storyline (NW #40-42), didn't Rich actually take over all of the Nova Force from Garthan Saal?

In Annihilation, he comments that he "saw that Saal couldn't handle it," but shouldn't he really say, "I couldn't handle it either." ?

Thanks.

[eh_ver]

Are we going to see the rest of Starforce in Ronan's book? It seems as though Captain Atlas and Dr Minerva are out, though they're exiled anyways, but I would love to see Korath, Ultimus and Shatterax going after the rogue Accuser. Dude, Korath the Pursuer. That's what he does. He pursues things. So have him pursue Ronan. C'mon!

[Khellendros]

Question about a minor little thing: are Gamora and Adam Warlock still together as of her appearance in Annihilation?

[Lord S]

Andy, I have a request...please suggest to whoever is drawing Thanos to PLEASE draw him the same way he was drawn in the 'Prologue' issue. Which is the same way he was drawn from 'Infinity Abyss' all the way to 'Thanos' #12. The way he was drawn in the previous 'Infinity' series, 'Cosmic Powers', etc, (ignoring the late-90s look).

He looks the best with large, dark hollow eyes, (with a white or red twinkle when emphasising a point), and a small, raised nose. I'm a big Thanos mark, and I just couldn't stomach seeing him drawn the way he was in that first Silver Surfer issue. He looked horrible.

Just a request...thank you.