Marvel’s conference call on the AGE OF ULTRON wrap up and new series Hunger by Josh Fialkov and Leonard Kirk just kicked off and here’s the cosmic Hunger art:

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It looks like the Marvel U and the Ultimate U are going to be getting more friendly in the coming months, following the ending of The Age of Ultron in which a dimension spanning rift sends Galactus over to eat up the ultimate Earth.

At the same time the ultimate Universe may be getting smalled, as Brian Michael Bendis promised several times, “Someone’s getting eaten!”

Bendis, Joshua Hale Fialkov, Tom Brevoort and Mark Paniccia took part in Marvel’s latest press call. Bendis spoke about the end of Ultron and introduction of Angela, the character created by Neil Gaiman in Spawn, into the Marvel universe. Bendis said he been trying to think of the craziest things he could do do show the univeral blending—he’d been pushing for Rom, the toy-based character whose comics will never be reprinted because of rights issues—but when Joe Quesada called and said “You worked for Todd, how would you like Angela?” he was pretty excited. (Bendis and McFarlane are said to not get along too well because of Bendis’s time writing Sam and Twitch and McFarlane controlling the movie rights to Bandis’s Torso.)

He also debunked rumors that Angela is a future version of Jean Grey, like everything else in the universe. “She is at face value what she appears to be. As crazy as it sounds that a character with this odd history has ended up in the Marvel universe, she is not going to pull off her clothes and reveal anything.”

Fialkov talked about Hunger, a four issue minis series that deals with Galactus trying to chow down on the UU Earth coming out in July. Rick Jones will be the hero who is trying to stop the gobbling. “I’m a huge Jack Kirby nut, and I especially loved Galactus,” said Fialkov. “Everything they’ve seen [in the UU] has logical roots. The idea that a giant guys shows up and starts sucking the life from your planet is so beyond the lives of these characters it gives you a chance to tell stories you haven’t seen before.”

Fialkov hopes for a sense of wonder. “Rick has been off in space when a gigantic man from another universe crashes through and sends everything into chaos. That’s the root of the story is Rick coming to terms with this responsibility.” There will be other cosmic heroes however including the Silver Surfer, the Kree, an emperor of the Chitauri and more.

When asked how the story ties in with the revelation of the 616 Spidey learning something about the Miles Morales Spidey, Bendis got cagey. “That’s a very observant question. There’s the promise of things to come between the Marvel U and the Ultimate U— it’s a door we have not opened up for 13 years until we knew we had something special and unique. The promise is so huge and here comes this gigantic piece, which offers an anything can happen connection between the two things. We’re not going to say anything. You are 100% right the potential is huge. It is our job as writers and editors to find the best and most unique angle.”

When asked if the Hunger story would cross over into other Ultimate books, the three Marvel folks on the line answered variously “Yes.” ”No.” and “Maybe.” So take your pick.

Bendis also expressed his enthusiasm for Angela even beyond her bizarre publishing history. “She’s this force of nature, trying to understand why she got here. As you saw in the mini series she’s a very very caustic character who will not put up with this kind of nonsense. Right away she’s a fish out of water. I love fish out of water stories and the Guardians of the Galaxy are a perfect fit for telling how she will acclimate to the Marvel Universe. There is an elaborate back story that Joe and everybody has put together how she belongs in the Marvel universe. It really is unique. And it’s in the right hands with Neil [Gaiman] on board and Joe loving the character and giving it everything he has.

In a sad side note, The Beat’s resident Marvel reporter Steve Morris was unable to handle this press call, as he was at his nan’s, and Steve’s favorite subject came up when Bendis mentioned that “The three subjects I get asked about Nightcrawler, Pixie and the Roxxon Corporation. To the person who keeps bugging me about Pixie, I look forward to seeing you at San Diego dressed as Pixie.” That person is not Steve, to the best of our knowledge.

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14 COMMENTS

  1. Age of Ultron is the worst “event” I have ever read. The whole thing was a disaster from start to finish. But Marvel execs will continue to call it “landmark” like everybody doesn’t know it sucks and we know you know it sucks. It’s a giant lie that no one calls them on.

  2. I’m never going to read any of this stuff, but didn’t Ultimate Spider-man and regular Spider-man meet in that Spider-men thing? I remember that from the announcement they made at the same time as Before Watchmen.

  3. I’m in a similar situation to Bendis re: McFarlane.

    Todd optioned my torso during the late 90s when it was in its prime. Joke’s on him though. The level of interest in my torso was artificially inflated by a frenzy of investors who appeared to be interested parties but in reality were just snatching up anything they could get their hands on.

    Now my torso is tired and outdated and not even my biggest fan wants anything to do with it.

  4. Does anybody at Marvel Editorial remember that the Ultimate Universe has its own version of Galactus, as written by Warren Ellis? His version was a huge group of sentient ships which was named Gah Lak Tus and the Eater of Worlds. Gah Lak Tus was featured in the ULTIMATE GALACTUS TRILOGY. Perhaps somebody, somewhere, could explain what the point of having the humanoid Galactus go over to the Ultimate Universe is?

    SRS

  5. But what about the ART? Leonard Kirk is a fabulous artist and draws some of the best damn space scenes in comics! We worked together on ST:DS9 for Malibu Comics and if anyone can draw “cosmic” it’s Leonard Kirk. His sense of drama is superb, his composition is spot-on, and boy oh boy can he tell a story!

  6. Age of Ultron wasn’t quite as bad as the usual comic fan hyperbole is making it out be (i.e. “worst event I ever read”…which is how EVERY event is described regardless of real quality).

    The central ethical question of the series was the most interesting part. I feel like that should have been explored by more than two of the characters and for more than something like the last four issues of the series. It should have been used to pit group against group based on moral lines for a much more meaningful conflict, sort of like the conflict between the heroes in X-men vs Alpha Flight.

    The ending was also a little anti-climactic since it was resolved by-the-numbers exactly the way another character described it should be done an issue or two earlier.

    Now on the subject of Angela I’m simply left to wonder how much longer Marvel is going to let Neil Gaiman play them for suckers. They footed his (an already wealthy man) bill against Todd McFarlane in that Marvelman lawsuit in exchange for 1602 and Eternals, two series that only sold okay and were only received okay, rather than taking over Thor and making it into Marvel’s Sandman or whatever the original plan was. Now he’s sold them Angela, a low value character if ever there was one, as if she were a major character and it all seems to be because of some petty grudge the guys in editorial have against McFarlane.

    If I walk down the streets of Manhattan wearing an I HATE TODD MCFARLANE sign do you think they’ll by my totally deep character Red Thonga for like half a million dollars too?

  7. I believe those pages show 616 Galactus and Ultimate Gah-Lactose facing off. So there y’all go.
    More, I believe those pages while very pretty indicate a level of decompession not to my taste.
    Man, Jack Kirby’s creations sure do endure don’t they? What was Galactus, fifty years ago now? Aw yeah, The King.

  8. …and then Marvel can have Galacta (wearing Daddy’s miniskirt/tunic) battle Angela (wearing even less)!

    Is it just me, or does this all seem a bit like Flashpoint?
    Kinda like how Secret Wars followed Crisis…
    Or maybe it’s like Marvel vs DC, except it’s Marvel vs Marvel.
    What happens when the Ultimates arrive in the 616? Is it like the Age of Apocalypse, where the evil doppelgangers replace the heroes? (Oh, wait, they did that back with Secret Invasion…)

    Hmmm… according to this:
    http://www.comicbookresources.com/prev_img.php?disp=img&pid=1285361782
    it’s only half-way done? Or is that a different Ultron War?

  9. (wearing Daddy’s miniskirt/tunic)
    That would be the miniskirt/tunic that Jack Kirby made for him which makes it better than just Daddy’s. It’s the King’s.

  10. Two takes on this;

    One, this story WAS NOT worth the forty dollars it cost to read it, and two;

    Sure glad people figured out Galactus was goin to eat the Ultimate dimension. I didn’t. Still not sure why Angela was shoehorned in to the Marvel Universe, but this intro really didn’t make me care, either.

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