Axel Alonso, Marvel Comics editor-in-chief, spoke with Amazing Spider-Man writer Dan Slott for his regular report over at Comic Book Resources. In this in-depth interview, Slott touches on Spider-Man's 50th anniversary as well as the next big event, Ends of the Earth.
So we've hit Spidey's 50th Anniversary. In the past, we've seen Marvel do some big publishing celebrations for Marvel characters, whether it be all the stuff that hit for the company's 70th or the FF's 50th last year. With Spider-Man, what have you discussed about doing overall to make a splash, and how do those plans impact "Amazing" on a monthly basis?
Slott: For me, the biggest motivation of the 50th was that I could see it coming. With the twice monthly book, you end up working on three or four arcs at once because everyone has to keep working. It can be a grind. Knowing the 50th was coming was the carrot. It was my reward. I kept myself going through a couple of all-nighters by saying, "You can do this, you can do this. The 50th is coming!" It's an honor, and it's something I take very seriously. We've got a lot of great plans, and we're building to a lot of things because these moments should be special. It's 50 years of Spider-Man! But I can't spoil too much.
Slott talks about bringing all the threads together for the showdown to come with the
Sinister Six:
The one thing we do know is coming up is "Ends of the Earth" -- Doc Ock's big return with the Sinister Six that we've been waiting for for quite a while now. Dan, why was now the time for those chickens to come home to roost in the wake of "Spider-Island"?
Slott: You're always building to something bigger and bigger, and when you look at the journey Spider-Man has taken, especially in our opening arcs, you see how all the pieces of our status quo have fallen into pace. The Sinister Six have been out there planning something. Spider-Man has this job at Horizon, and on top of that he also has this new mission. He's given himself this almost untenable goal, like the War on Drugs or the War on Terror. He had decided that whenever he's around, on his watch, no one dies. And that's because of the death of Marla Jameson. Everything grows out of those big moments and beats and will keep building. You're going to see a major shift during "Ends of the Earth" as a lot of those elements come to a head, all in a big, globe-trotting, world-spanning adventure!
We learn if there will be any other books tying into the main story:
Obviously, with "Spider-Island" we had a core story in "Amazing" that was supported by a number of minis and one-shots. With "Ends of the Earth," we know there are six issues of main story, but will there be any support books with the rest of the Spider-Man cast?
Slott: We're going to do a one-shot special. This story has ramifications for all of planet earth, and in the one-shot, you'll see superheroes from across the planet dealing with this problem. There are characters here that might not have been highlighted for a while from different countries and fan favorites it'll be fun to touch base with. And in "Ends of the Earth," you'll see a lot of fun stuff with the supporting characters, particularly the Horizon cast, during the course of the six issues of "Amazing." But for the most part, this is like a movie. "Ends of the Earth" is a Spider-Man blockbuster focused on action between Spider-Man, the members of the Sinister Six and Doc Ock. They're your stars.
Finally, Slott talks briefly about the new Spider-Suit we got a peek at:
Many people on the boards were playing detective about "Ends of the Earth," with NickFury90 pointing out that we're looking at a new costume coming up in issue #683. What lies ahead on that front?
Slott: Stefano Caselli designed a great suit, and you're going to see why Spidey needs it in "Ends of the Earth" and what it can do. It is something we've been building to, and you'll see Humberto Ramos do his take on it too. It's great, but we're not sharing it yet. We're hiding it!