Jonathan Hickman is not only writing Marvel's massive, currently unfolding "Secret Wars" event, he's also got multiple creator-owned hits at Image Comics like "East of West," "The Dying and the Dead" and "The Manhattan Projects." All of that was fair game at his spotlight panel Sunday morning on the final day of Comic-Con International in San Diego.

Hickman began the panel -- which he made clear was not a Marvel or Image panel -- by saying he originally was going to show a PowerPoint presentation of the "long history of atemporal Rob Lowe from the DirecTV commercials," but decided against it. It was just Hickman and the crowd for the session, as the writer said he finds panel moderators to be "a buffer between us and a big waste of time."

He also asked fans asking questions to give him their opinions on if he should "stay at Marvel," "go to DC Comics" or "just do Image books." "I'm at a cool place and I have a lot of options," Hickman said. "I'm interested in what you guys think I should do -- can't promise I'm going to do it, but I would like to hear."

Giving a few updates on his work, Hickman acknowledged delays on "Manhattan Projects" and "The Dying and the Dead," but told the crowd that both were going to press this week. As for "East of West," Hickman said, "That's going fantastic"

Turning to "Secret Wars," which has also experienced delays, Hickman said, "Esad has scripts, he's drawing them." "It's going to be a little late, probably a book a month," Hickman continued. "The option is replacing him with another artist -- I say no. That's a terrible idea, because it's so great looking."

The long-promised conclusion to his "S.H.I.E.L.D." series is also coming, as Hickman told the crowd Marvel is waiting until it's done to solicit the final two issues. "I'm guessing it's going to be October, November when it comes out," Hickman said, saying the plan is to rerelease issues #1-#4 in "like a big, $8 book," and for the final issues to then "come out right after each other."

Moving quickly to fan questions, Hickman was asked what he would have explored on "Secret Warriors" had the book continued. He said it'd include more Hydra material, though given how many years it's been since the series conclude he didn't have much in the way of the details. He added that he was grateful the series got the run that it did, as it came during a time when the market was struggling.

Hickman said he had an idea for "Ultimates" that would have seen the Hulk freeing Tibet, "but it would have angered out Chinese distributors, so it got ixnayed."

"The last couple of years had been funny," Hickman told a fan when asked how much real life seeps into his comics writing. "I've been stretched too thin, I've been exhausted. I haven't been writing the happiest stuff the past couple years. It's a little dark. But that's OK."

Hickman assured a fan that "Feel Better Now," announced in 2011, is still in the works. "That will be out next year," he said. Hickman is writing and drawing the project.

Asked about "East of West," Hickman said the origins of the series date back to meeting with artist Nick Dragotta, who he worked with on "FF," at the original Image Expo in 2012. "The way we work is kind of interesting," Hickman said. "First couple of issues, the scripts were really tight. As we've gotten more familiar with each other, we work super-loose. If it's an action issue, I give him three paragraphs of what the three-arc structure of the issue should be, and he draws a bunch of stuff, and I go back and write it."

A fan asked Hickman about his truncated run on "Ultimate Comics: Ultimates," and how it was affected by launching the same month as DC Comics' New 52. "It absolutely buried us," Hickman said. "Our numbers were shit. It was obvious that Marvel was going to pull the plug, as they should."

"That was the book I had always wanted to do," Hickman continued. "I was getting to write a book that was basically 'Ultimates, the world.' I didn't have to worry about what other people were doing. It was kind of a perfect fit. I still think the first bit of that is the best I've ever written at Marvel. I'm really proud of it."

Next question: Will Image Comics ever surpass Marvel and DC in sales? Hickman said not in the monthly direct market, because Marvel and DC have billion-dollar companies behind them. "But what is happening is, the trades for Image are doing amazing business, and it's almost equal to what DC is doing right now," Hickman said. "While we won't ever conquer the monthly market, our market share in trades and bookstores is going to continue to grow." Hickman continued, extolling how creator-owned comics have changed lives for himself and many of his peers.

Do Hickman and Dragotta have an end in mind for "East of West"? "We knew the ending before we started," Hickman said. "It'll be 50 issues."

Hickman was asked if he'll write material that's a bit more optimistic in tone, with the fan saying some parts of "New Avengers" gave him "panic attacks." "I think my 'Fantastic Four' run was about as hopeful as you can get," Hickman said. "I have that in me, but you have to be in the right mood. I haven't been there."

Last fan question: With many writers leaving Marvel to focus solely on creator-owned comics, what post-"Secret Wars" Marvel series is Hickman most looking forward to? "Jason Aaron is probably the guy that has written better than anyone in comics the last couple years," Hickman said. "Just an amazing guy, an amazing talent. That 'Doctor Strange' book is going to be cool as shit."

"The coolest stuff, I can't talk about," Hickman said. "Marvel is an incredibly well-run company. They'll do fine with the transition of talent. This is a very interesting time in that some of us are getting asked to write television shows, write screenplays. The opportunities are plentiful, and now's the time to do all of that. There will always be some cool Marvel, DC books. They throw enough out there, some will be good."

Hickman ended the panel by recapping the fan votes for what he should do next in his career. "Image destroyed everybody, but DC had three times as many votes as Marvel," Hickman said. "I certainly am going to write and draw the next thing that I do."

Catch up with all of CBR's coverage from Comic-Con International in San Diego!