Prepping for a Female "Thor" and "AXIS" Impact

Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso developing storylines as envisioned by Skottie Young

Fridays on CBR mean Axel's In Charge.

Welcome to MARVEL A-I-C: AXEL-IN-CHARGE, CBR's regular interview feature with Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso!

An editor with years of experience who's overseen both critically acclaimed and best-selling comics, Alonso stepped into the spot of Marvel's editorial department in early 2011, and has since worked to bring his signature stylings to the entire Marvel U. Anchored by regular question and answer rounds with the denizens of the CBR Community, each week Alonso will shake things up with special guest stars, exclusive art reveals and more!

With Marvel headed towards what looks to be a newsworthy October, Alonso provides his viewpoint of what makes the new "Thor" #1 -- written by Jason Aaron, illustrated by Russell Dauterman and starring a female character taking on the God of Thunder mantle -- a special release for the publisher, days before its Oct. 1 release. Looking ahead a week to Oct. 8, Alonso also shares some thoughts on "Avengers & X-Men: AXIS," the impending event series written by Rick Remender and illustrated by multiple high-profile artists, in a story stemming from developments in "Uncanny Avengers." Alonso also gives his take on what he likes about a couple of praised yet slightly under the radar series -- "Magneto" and "Mighty Avengers" -- and talks this year's busy schedule of comic book-based TV shows, the undeniable popularity of Spider-Gwen and answers your questions, straight from the CBR Community!

[Editor's note: Marvel declined comment on Friday's news of a settlement between the publisher and Jack Kirby's heirs, beyond the preexisting statement.]

Albert Ching: Axel, as everyone is aware of by now, there are a lot of comic book-based TV shows on network schedules this year. How much are you planning on checking those shows out? Did you watch the "Gotham" premiere this week?

Axel Alonso: Not yet. I'm always curious to see what happens when comic books are translated to the screen. Someone whose opinion I respect said ["Gotham"] is just a mood piece with Easter eggs, but I'll reserve judgment till I see it.

This week also marked the second season premiere of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." -- as both a viewer and editor-in-chief of Marvel's publishing line, what are you hoping to see from the show this season?

Alonso: More surprises, like the twist ending of Episode One. And since I know a little bit about the surprises in store for viewers, I'm pretty sure I shouldn't say much more.

I wanted to jump in and look ahead to some of Marvel's major releases coming out in the next couple of weeks. "Thor" #1 is out this coming Wednesday, starring the new, female Thor. That's a series that has gotten a lot of pre-release hype -- and there may be some misinformation among folks still about what the book is all about. What are you looking forward for people to see from that series when it's finally in their hands in a few days?

Alonso: That's it's a great story! [Laughs] All the excitement started because Jason Aaron pitched a great story that just happened to translate into a very easy-to-understand high concept that translated into an easy-to-understand image:

But everything is rooted in a great story. Thor can no longer pick up the hammer, there must be a Thor, and someone will be worthy to wield the hammer -- a woman close to Thor whose identity will remain a secret for some time. Who is she? Why is she worthy? What does she do with that hammer? You're about to find out.

Saying readers won't know the character's identity for "some time" again underscores that the plan is for this to be something of a long-term story -- not one that's going to wrap up in a few issues.

Alonso: Oh yeah. This is a long-term story. The identity of the new Thor is going to be a running mystery in the story, and we'll drop clues and red herrings along the way. The Marvel Universe's strongest character is going to be a woman... and you won't even know her secret identity for a while.

Then the week after, Oct. 8, is the release of "AXIS" #1, another big release for Marvel. There are some events you can sum up in just a few words -- "Avengers fight the X-Men" -- but "AXIS" doesn't seem to like one of them. It's the outgrowth of a very intricate story that's been unfolding in "Uncanny Avengers." What would you tell a fan that may be unsure about what makes "AXIS" significant?

Alonso: "AXIS" juxtaposes Marvel's heroes and villains against each other in a way you've never seen before. And like "Avengers vs. X-Men," it is a universe-spanning event that's includes a couple huge, game-changing moments that complete turn the story on it's... well, "Axis."

Remember in Robert Rodriguez's "From Dusk till Dawn," how you spent the first two-thirds of the movie hating [George] Clooney and [Quentin] Tarantino for the villains they were, and then they wandered into that vampire bar, and suddenly you were rooting for them? "AXIS" just might have the same effect. You might just change who you root for.

Let's look a bit at the creative team working on it -- you've been a huge supporter of Rick Remender since his earliest Marvel work and this looks to be his biggest story for the publisher yet, and there are top-flight artists on this, as well.

Alonso: Yeah. Rick has written a lot of big books for us, including our best-selling book of 2012, "Uncanny Avengers," so this is his time. This is a story he's been building to for some time, and it will show. At the same time, it's a story that will be immediately accessible to anyone. We don't count on you having read "Uncanny Avengers" to get into this story. Rick will set all the pieces up on the board, and then give it a big shake.

As for the artists? Adam Kubert, Jimmy Cheung, Terry Dodson and Leinil Yu kind of sounds like a slugger's row, doesn't it?

Turning to this week's new releases, I wanted to focus on a couple of somewhat under-the-radar books. "Magneto" had a new issue out this week, part of "March to AXIS" -- that book has gotten a lot of acclaim, yet it's still something that a lot of fans may not have checked out yet. But the ones that have seem to really love it. How happy are you with how that series has progressed?

Alonso: Ecstatic. "Magneto" is one of our biggest buzz books. It taps into some of the best scenes in "X-Men: First Class," where Magneto lets loose on some very vengeance-worthy Nazis, while being something entirely new. The book has a unique mood, and it's unpredictable. What appeared to be a small-scale story has grown in scope with every issue. The fact that Magneto is so relevant to the events of "AXIS" is going to get the series a lot of deserved attention.

Oh... and I've got to say, Cullen Bunn has turned into a Writer To Watch. Between his success on "Magneto" and the "Deadpool Kills" franchise, he's showing a range that few writers possess, and he owns everything he writes. And the artists that [editor] Daniel Ketchum has brought to the table, aren't too shabby either; Gabriel Hernandez Walta, especially, is a perfect tonal fit for the book.

Another series that's something of an unsung hero of the Marvel line -- this week's issue was the last "Mighty Avengers" of the current run before it restarts in November as "Captain America and the Mighty Avengers." It's a book that had a lot of interest at the start due to its diverse lineup, and one that has evidently turned into a successful one for Marvel. How have you enjoyed watching that book take shape, and what do you think it brings to the publishing line?

Alonso: This book has a hardcore fan base. It's scratching an itch that no other series is, and that's food for thought. As EIC, I always welcome books that offer a fresh take and a fresh mission statement for a super hero franchise, and this book has delivered that. "Captain America and the Mighty Avengers" is going to be a fantastic second season.

Last thing I wanted to mention before we get to fan questions -- "Edge of Spider-Verse" #2 with Gwen Stacy as Spider-Woman was released last week, and it created a stir online, gaining a very positive reaction. People seem to really love that character and that design -- it's gotten a lot of mainstream press for something that wasn't hyped all that much pre-release, but once it was out, it took off. A band even recorded the song that appears in the issue. How excited have you been to see the reaction to that character?

Alonso: Well, not that surprised. [Laughs] We realized that we could lead with the reveal, and boost sales right out the gate, but we made the tactical decision to let it just unfold in the comic and see what happened. The result is what we hoped it would be -- actually a lot more. "Spider-Gwen" has a nice ring to it... [Laughs]

We'll wrap this week with some fan questions from the CBR Community. Sasquatch by Night asks, "It was great to see Hyperion getting the spotlight recently in 'Avengers' #34.1. Will we be seeing any other members of the Squadron Supreme popping up, specifically Nighthawk?"

Alonso: Well, Sasquatch, there was this sad moment in "New Avengers" #24 this past week:

But down the line, anything's possible!

Hall of Fame question-asker Spidey616 is also interested in Avengers, and wants to know: "'Avengers' #35 seems to have confirmed for readers that big things are indeed in store for Hank Pym with him donning again what looks like the Yellowjacket costume. How much significance, if any, should fans put into this? Also curious if the use of the Yellowjacket identity in the upcoming Ant-Man movie had any impact in bringing it back in the comics?"

Alonso: Anything I tell you, Spidey616, would spoil the mysteries that await you over the next eight months, as well as in future issues of "Avengers" and "New Avengers" as we count down to the end! But I can say that the film didn't have any impact on what is to come for Hank one way or the other.

Prince Of Orphans has T-Bolts on the brain, asking, "Can we expect any news of a Thunderbolts relaunch anytime soon?"

Alonso: Whoa there, P.O.O. -- the dust hasn't even settled from the "Punisher vs. The Thunderbolts" arc closing out the current series! While this week's issue #31 showed the throw down between Frank and the Red Hulk, there's still one last issue to come, tying together the entire run of "Thunderbolts" in a big farewell sendoff. After that... well, you can never know when the T-Bolts will show up... or in what form.

Let's end with true_believer616 (no known relation to Spidey616), who asks, "Jeff Parker and Christos Gage are two of my favorite writers. Are there any future projects for them at Marvel?"

Alonso: Christos Gage continues to be a regular contributor to the Spider-Man titles and can be found in every issue of "Spider-Verse Team-Up." And Jeff Parker is keeping busy with "Aquaman" for DC and "Flash Gordon" for Dynamite -- and those are just the two that I know of.

Have some questions for Marvel's AXEL-IN-CHARGE? Please visit the AXEL-IN-CHARGE Q&A thread in CBR's Marvel Comics community. It's the dedicated thread that CBR will pull questions for next week's installment of our weekly fan-supported question-and-answer column! Do it to it!