Charged with the not so easy task of making cosmic cool in Marvel U., the British writing team of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning -- or DnA to their rabid fans -- delivered the goods. Following up on the success of the epic metaseries "Annihilation: Conquest," the duo relaunched a "Nova" solo series in 2007 and last month saw the debut of a second monthly spinoff, "The Guardians of the Galaxy."

Marvel obviously liked what they were getting from their extraterrestrial architects as the publisher announced at Wizard World Chicago DnA had been inked to an exclusive deal.

CBR News checked in with the writing tandem to find out what's coming from the deep reaches of Marvel U moving forward and how its intergalactic heroes fit in with the rest of their Earth-bound brethren.

CBR: Why was it important for you to sign an exclusive deal?

DnA: We were delighted by Marvel's offer. In the past, we have been approached regarding exclusivity by both Marvel and DC, but it's never worked out properly. With this offer, the fit was right, and we're very happy to be focusing on our work with Marvel.

Previous to signing this deal, you had already cemented yourself as Marvel's "space guys." Are there any differences between writing cosmic comics and traditional superhero fare?

Yes, and though we love doing the cosmic stuff, we hope to be exploring some of the more terrestrial areas of the Marvel Universe during this exclusive, and connecting the two areas. For now, the cosmic stuff is our playground. In many ways, it's much more SF than superhero. And we are both fans, going back to our childhoods, of the Marvel cosmic stories and characters.

What role do the cosmic characters play in Marvel U proper?

A major one. There's a huge richness of characters and concepts out there. And, as Bendis has shown with "Secret Invasion," the cosmic can have a big impact on Marvel Earth.

Can you tease what's coming up in "Nova?"

A "Secret Invasion" story that will bring him to Earth, have him defending Project Pegasus, meeting some unexpected co-stars, and end with something that will shock Nova fans and change Nova forever. It's going to be so cool.

And "Guardians of the Galaxy?"

They get a spooky, paranoid, claustrophobic "Secret Invasion" story of their own, before more fun with the Universal Church of Truth, the mystery of Vance Astro and Starhawk, the return of an old-school alien race, and the revelation of a very unexpected big bad.

Are there any plans to expand Marvel's cosmic universe with more solo titles, team books or minis?

We're always planning so wait and see.

Will you be working on any non-space titles as part of this exclusive deal?

Again, too early to say anything solid, but we hope so.

Are there any characters you would love to get your hands on?

Of course, it's the Marvel Universe. But we won't mention them because we don't want to sound like we want to poach from other creative teams.

Finally, how will this deal affect your work at Wildstorm on "The Authority?"

Marvel contracts department has kindly allowed us to finish up our current commitment to Wildstorm for "The Authority," so that book's not going to suddenly grind to an unsatisfactory halt. We're slated to do 15 issues.

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