Fearless Defenders: Cullen Bunn & Will Sliney Q&A

[PSINGRAPHD]

1. There will be 9 Shieldmaidens... but in the end the non-team of the Fearless Defenders will be much bigger. ...
... 3. Annabelle Riggs, a new character you'll meet in issue 1.
4. Hippolyta will need some wrangling. ...

Good morning, gentlemen, everybody. ThanX once again to all who participated, your contributions are what helped make this Q&A such a success. And a very, VERY special thank you to creators Cullen Bunn & Will Sliney. These two guys deserve a round of applause & mad props for being so patient, enthusiastic, respectful, & most of all - so generous with their time. I think this whole eXperience has really served well in taking the anticipation & eXcitement surrounding Fearless Defenders to new heights. Cullen, concerning the number of Shieldmaidens, you say there's going to be 9. But according to some research I've been doing, the number 12 keeps popping up, e.g.:

"... handmaid escorting dead to Valhalla: in Norse mythology, one of the twelve handmaids of Odin who ride their horses over the field of battle and escort the souls of slain heroes to Valhalla..."

So I guess I was just wondering, where did you get the number 9 from? And would you ever consider making it an even 12? Like the deadly dozen or something, lol.

When you say the "non-team" will be much bigger, what do you mean eXactly? How many will there be & are they going to be like... reserve members or something?

Could you possibly tell us little something about Annabelle? Or would that be too spoilerish?

I knew it! I knew that darn Hippolyta was going to be bad news! Ha-ha... awesome! Conflict breeds drama, and I think Warrior Woman's going to be at the center of a WHOLE LOT of drama.

Lastly, just more of a what if really. A few years from now, after FD has become a HUGELY successful franchise ('cause we fans are going to make sure it does), topping the charts with all kinds of spin-offs (like an all-female Avengers)... well, when Hollywood ultimately options the movie rights (which they most defintely will, with $'s in their eyes), will you band together with us to make sure they maintain the integrity of your original vision?

[Songbird/Diamondback]

You could sneak Shamrock into crowd scenes, Where's Wally-style

I would also recommend Spinner, a character who for all reasons should have been dead, but because of what might have been an artist error, is alive, and if you put the circumstances of her surviving dynamite she was holding exploding on her, makes her the biggest badass you never knew.

http://www.comicvine.com/spinner/29-54213/

(It's just one of the funniest character resurrections in my opinion. )

[Ravin' Ray]

Here's a really way-off-center suggestion; why not use Hostess ad villainess June Jitsui, now part of 616?

[OBrianTallent]

I am a member of the RNLI here in Ireland so I know what it is like to be on the deck of a boat in huge waves. :)

Not that it really matters, but you just got MAJOR cool points!

[OBrianTallent]

If she comes back I'm afraid the costume would have to change!

Absolutely, the costume is just bad. It was boring when she debuted in Contest and sadly has never been improved.

[Cullen Bunn]

Good morning, gentlemen, everybody. ThanX once again to all who participated, your contributions are what helped make this Q&A such a success. And a very, VERY special thank you to creators Cullen Bunn & Will Sliney. These two guys deserve a round of applause & mad props for being so patient, enthusiastic, respectful, & most of all - so generous with their time. I think this whole eXperience has really served well in taking the anticipation & eXcitement surrounding Fearless Defenders to new heights. Cullen, concerning the number of Shieldmaidens, you say there's going to be 9. But according to some research I've been doing, the number 12 keeps popping up, e.g.:

"... handmaid escorting dead to Valhalla: in Norse mythology, one of the twelve handmaids of Odin who ride their horses over the field of battle and escort the souls of slain heroes to Valhalla..."

So I guess I was just wondering, where did you get the number 9 from? And would you ever consider making it an even 12? Like the deadly dozen or something, lol.

When you say the "non-team" will be much bigger, what do you mean eXactly? How many will there be & are they going to be like... reserve members or something?

Could you possibly tell us little something about Annabelle? Or would that be too spoilerish?

I knew it! I knew that darn Hippolyta was going to be bad news! Ha-ha... awesome! Conflict breeds drama, and I think Warrior Woman's going to be at the center of a WHOLE LOT of drama.

Lastly, just more of a what if really. A few years from now, after FD has become a HUGELY successful franchise ('cause we fans are going to make sure it does), topping the charts with all kinds of spin-offs (like an all-female Avengers)... well, when Hollywood ultimately options the movie rights (which they most defintely will, with $'s in their eyes), will you band together with us to make sure they maintain the integrity of your original vision?

I commend you on doing that research first of all!

I've actually seen the number of Valkyrie (depending on where you look) range from 3 to 26 or something. I don't remember where, but at some point I saw the idea that there were 9. At the time, that tied into the FEARLESS story. There were 9 hammers. 9 Valkyrie (not counting Val herself, who was exiled at the time). So that's what I went with.

While Valkyrie must choose 8 other women to be Valkyrie, that does not mean they are the only characters who will have a regular role in the book. The "non team" could be pretty expansive. Not exactly reserve membership, but that's close.

Ah, Annabelle... soon to be EVERYONE's favorite character. I'm not gonna say much... other than she is awesome. And very important.

I'll do what I can to maintain whatever kind of integrity this book has.

[West]

Here's a really way-off-center suggestion; why not use Hostess ad villainess June Jitsui, now part of 616?

Can we get a Thanos Copter reference somewhere too?

[PSINGRAPHD]

I commend you on doing that research first of all!

No prob! I've always found the various mythologies of historical cultures fascinating. They're all so wildly imaginative & fantastical.

I've actually seen the number of Valkyrie (depending on where you look) range from 3 to 26 or something. I don't remember where, but at some point I saw the idea that there were 9. At the time, that tied into the FEARLESS story. There were 9 hammers. 9 Valkyrie (not counting Val herself, who was exiled at the time). So that's what I went with.

Fair enough, sounds good to me.

While Valkyrie must choose 8 other women to be Valkyrie, that does not mean they are the only characters who will have a regular role in the book. The "non team" could be pretty expansive. Not exactly reserve membership, but that's close.

And this sounds REALLY good to me! Best answer you could of given - let the speculation begin!

Ah, Annabelle... soon to be EVERYONE's favorite character. I'm not gonna say much... other than she is awesome. And very important.

I'll do what I can to maintain whatever kind of integrity this book has.

Annabelle's got me intrigued, no doubt. Can't wait to meet her. And on the last part... I knew you would.

[TanGent]

2 - All those characters are a possibility based on story. Another little known fact... in one of the earlier pitches, Venus played a BIG role in the group.

Oh exciting! I hope you found a way to still include her somehow, I'd almost given up on ever seeing her again after Atlas was over.

[Onyenkwere]

Hey Ony,
Welcome to the Q & A. Shuri is getting lots of love here on the Q & A and rightfully so

Mr. Bunn answered a similar question earlier, linked here: http://forums.comicbookresources.com...1#post16561036

And also: http://forums.comicbookresources.com...1#post16561424

Hope that helps - GH

Thanks Global Honored.

[Spiderx3000]

I'm glad that Will Sliney is working on a Marvel Comics book. It's also cool for me that he's from Cork. :D So my question is for you Will Sliney. When you found out about the book you were going to be working on did you have to do research on who the characters were or did you have a pretty fair amount of knowledge of who they were? Also, I just wanted to point out how I'm a big fan of your art. I've never got one of the comics you've worked on previously due to the lack of comic stores in Ireland, but I love it from the preview. :)

[Songbird/Diamondback]

Again, I want to thank you both Cullen Bunn and Will Sliney for doing this! This was a lot of fun!

[wsliney]

I'm glad that Will Sliney is working on a Marvel Comics book. It's also cool for me that he's from Cork. :D So my question is for you Will Sliney. When you found out about the book you were going to be working on did you have to do research on who the characters were or did you have a pretty fair amount of knowledge of who they were? Also, I just wanted to point out how I'm a big fan of your art. I've never got one of the comics you've worked on previously due to the lack of comic stores in Ireland, but I love it from the preview. :)

I knew them pretty well to be honest. I used to get subscrptions from Marvel years ago before I had access to comic shops. They used to arrive so sporadically though and even out of order. To be fair, the comic shops in Ireland are great now too and support me really well. This Wednesdays launch in The Big Bang is turning into a massive event, with hundreds turning up, all for Fearless Defenders.
Thanks for the kind words too. Always good to chat to a fellow Corkman.

[wsliney]

Again, I want to thank you both Cullen Bunn and Will Sliney for doing this! This was a lot of fun!

Agreed. I really enjoyed it.

[Victor Freeman]

I commend you on doing that research first of all!

I've actually seen the number of Valkyrie (depending on where you look) range from 3 to 26 or something. I don't remember where, but at some point I saw the idea that there were 9. At the time, that tied into the FEARLESS story. There were 9 hammers. 9 Valkyrie (not counting Val herself, who was exiled at the time). So that's what I went with.

While Valkyrie must choose 8 other women to be Valkyrie, that does not mean they are the only characters who will have a regular role in the book. The "non team" could be pretty expansive. Not exactly reserve membership, but that's close.

Ah, Annabelle... soon to be EVERYONE's favorite character. I'm not gonna say much... other than she is awesome. And very important.

I'll do what I can to maintain whatever kind of integrity this book has.

Solid premise--no one can make the claim that this team is "forced". I love it. I'm glad you guys did the Q & A, I'm even more excited now, then I was before.