While I'm sure many expected something like this to happen, the Marvel senior VP of publishing, Tom Brevoort, has confirmed that plans for a major comic tie-in is in the works. He also discusses the role that the
Avengers franchise has had in the Marvel Universe, and also confirms that the big difference in this comic tie-in is not quite as big as some may expect.
From
Digital Spy:
Marvel's senior vice-president of publishing Brevoort confirmed that the company is planning something major to tie in with the release of Joss Whedon's team-up film The Avengers.
"Avengers is critically important to our publishing plan and it's going to be over the course of the next year as well," he told Comic Book Resources. "The Avengers are the centrepiece of the Marvel Universe. They're the thing that touches and connects everything else.
"Absolutely going into next year we have big Avengers plans, and we're just as cognisant of the fact that there's an Avengers movie coming as we were this year of Thor and Captain America."
Despite the importance of capitalising on its Marvel Studios properties, Brevoort said that it helps that the company already bases much of its comics line around the Avengers franchise.
"It's not much of a change in the way we do business since the Avengers have been very much at the forefront of our publishing line at least since Avengers Disassembled and New Avengers started," he added. "So the short answer is, 'Yes, but it's not as big a difference as you might imagine'."
The Avengers assemble in theaters May 4th, 2012!