The Marvel Projects

[MSth08]

It's been 70 years since Marvel Comics #1 was published by Timely Comics, the early predecessor of Marvel Comics. Within that issue appeared the beginnings of a new universe, with characters like The Human Torch, The Angel and The Sub-Mariner emerging into the imaginations of readers.

To recognize the 70th anniversary of that milestone in 1939, Marvel Comics is releasing an eight-issue mini-series by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting that tells the origin of the Marvel Universe. Taking the stories of different characters and linking them together in one epic tale of scientific espionage and wonder, Brubaker will give an insider's view of those early years, covering the era from the Depression through Pearl Harbor.

In the first three parts of our ongoing series looking at The Marvels Project, we spoke with Epting and then Brubaker about their roles in the project, as well as profiling the story's narrator, The Angel.

As we get closer to the August 12 release of The Marvels Project #1, Newsarama sits down with the creators to profile one of the earliest heroes of the Marvel Universe, The Human Torch.

Secret Identity/Origin: A "synthetic man" who took on the identity Jim Hammond, The Human Torch was created by inventor Professor Phineas T. Horton. He was an android who burst into flames when exposed to air, something that surprised the audience present at his press-conference unveiling. Upon activation, he gained consciousness and although the fear of the public led to him being sealed in concrete, he escaped. He eventually learned to control his flame and decided to fight crime on his own.

"To me, he was one of the coolest characters because he was some kind of experiment. I like the idea of that Frankenstein kind of thing, where someone's trying to create artificial life. The synthetic man. And it goes wrong in that the guy catches fire all the time. And the city freaks out and the government freaks out," Brubaker said.

Powers: The Human Torch can use his ability to envelop himself in flames. He can use the power of heat energy to fly and throw flame bursts. He can also control fire and heat in his environment. He also has the cognitive thought of a human. "At first, he's really an infant with the intelligence of a full-grown man. He's sort of an existential question, which I find fascinating," Brubaker said.

Epting's Approach: "My approach stems from when I first tried painting fire on some Captain America covers. I took what I learned there and applied it to the figure," the artist said. "I believe this was Alex Ross' method as well, and the look he established for the Torch in the first Marvels series is definitely a big influence. At the beginning of our book he has very little control over the flames and has to learn to harness the power, so as the series progresses my depiction of him will probably change to reflect that."

First Appearance: "He's an interesting case because I think he was the lead story in Marvels #1," Brubaker pointed out. The character later ended up getting his own series, becoming one of the first superheroes to go solo. However, Marvels #1 states that The Angel was active before the debut of The Human Torch, so technically, the Angel was the first hero within the universe.

How He Fits in The Marvels Project: "He's the spark that sets everything off," Brubaker said. "He really becomes a focal point of our story because, through his early days, it's sort of a quest to figure out what the hell he even is. And at that time, it's sort of the birth of the Marvel Universe, and he's this important character.

"He's got a part to play in all the intrigue between countries. One of the things I'm doing in this story is going back and taking the established stuff and adding little pieces here and there, which I guess can be called retconning, in that I'm finding a way to fit them together and have them make sense," the writer said. "And one of the things, and I talked to Alex Ross about this a lot because they're doing their Human Torch series, and a lot of that is touching on some stuff to do with his origin, so we had to make sure this all fit together, but one of the things I did with the first issue was I had the government know that the Human Torch caught fire every time he was exposed to air. And they want that. The first time you see the Human Torch being exposed to air, he catches fire, and part of that is the government is hoping to scare the Nazis, because they know the Nazis are working on their super-human project. They're hoping this will make them afraid of what America can do. The idea of a guy who catches on fire is like, 'Whoa! The American's have a guy who can catch on fire!' You see that, actually, having repercussions. We never think about that. But it was, to me, really interesting, that we could go from that scene to a crazy lab in Germany where they're working, showing the global threat that comes out of this one hero's story.

"That's what I've tried to do through the early parts of the story," Brubaker said, "is to find ways to link all this stuff that makes sense all together in this big sprawling epic."

http://i.livescience.com/images/MARVPROJ001_400-02.jpg

http://i.livescience.com/images/MARPROJ001022_col-02.jpg

http://i.livescience.com/images/MARPROJ001023_col-02.jpg

credits : newsarama.com

[MSth08]

On a list of creators who know Captain America's history best, Ed Brubaker has established himself as part of the top tier with his award-winning run on Captain America. And after the release of The Marvels Project, Brubaker will be the crafter of the definitive origin of the characters who first appeared as part of the Marvel Universe 70 years ago.

Written by Brubaker with art by his Cap collaborator Steve Epting, The Marvels Project is part of Marvel's 70th anniversary observance this year, which commemorates the company's history since the Golden Age of comic books. Known as Timely Comics in its infancy, Marvel Comics debuted adventures of characters like the Human Torch, The Angel and The Sub-Mariner in late 1939, followed by Captain America in 1941.

As part of our ongoing series looking at The Marvels Project, we earlier spoke with Epting and Brubaker about their roles in the project, which will begin next week. Then we started looking closer at the characters who will drive the story of Marvel's past, beginning with The Angel and The Human Torch.

Since Brubaker's Captain America: Reborn #2 is released today, we decided to take a look at that character and the pivotal role he plays in The Marvels Project.

Secret Identity/Origin: When Steve Rogers tried to enlist in the U.S. Army, from a sense of patriotism and a hatred for the actions of the Nazis in Germany, he was rejected. A scrawny and sickly man, Rogers had to beg to be allowed to join the Army and was only granted the chance to serve his country when he agreed to be part of a top secret experiment.

Chosen as the first human subject for the Super-Soldier serum developed by Dr. Abraham Erskine, Rogers becomes a perfect human specimen with enhanced reflexes and muscles. Although the government intends to produce more Super-Soldiers like Rogers, Dr. Erskine is killed by a Nazi spy and the knowledge of key parts of the formula die with him. Soon after, Steve Rogers becomes Captain America, wearing a uniform incorporating the American flag and carrying a bulletproof shield.

"There's not as much to add to his origin, and in fact, some of it I'm dealing with in Captain America: Reborn," Brubaker said. "So I'm trying to just approach his story from a different point of view in that we see him as the 98-pound weakling and that side of it more. And we see Dr. Erskine and the government people working on the experiment, so we'll see those two storylines dovetailing. And we'll get to see his early days before he's officially called Captain America. We'll get to see his training and things like that."

Powers: Although he technically has no superpowers, Captain America possesses reflexes, strength and durability of a person in perfect condition, with even more endurance than a normal human. He is an expert at battle strategy and is a trained commander. He's trained in martial arts, and his skill with his shield is one of almost perfect accuracy.

Epting's Approach: "We will see the birth of Captain America certainly, and I assume we'll see some of his early adventures. We haven't gotten that far into the story yet," he said, and Brubaker confirmed that Steve's story doesn't really pick up until Issue #3. "As to how I'll be drawing him, it's something I'll probably just go by instinct on when the time comes.

"Also, the story is similar in tone to what we were doing in Cap with some espionage and cloak and dagger stuff, so yeah, I'm not veering too far away from what I've done before," he said.

First Appearance: The character first appeared in Captain America Comic #1 in March 1941, which is a little later than some of the other characters who are playing a part in The Marvels Project.

"In the very early days, I haven't had as much time devoted to him because I have so many other characters, and it's all moving on a timeline," Brubaker said. "Starting with Issue #3, he becomes a much bigger player in the story."

How He Fits in The Marvels Project: "Steve Rogers is one of the main characters in the story. He and Dr. Erskine and the Super-Soldier experiment in general is one of the things that runs through the whole story," Burbaker said. "You know, because he's going to become Captain America and eventually, the leader of The Invaders. So he's going to be a prime character.

"It's not as much of stuff we haven't seen before with him, but it's all really important because the Super Soldier experiment itself is what the book is about in many ways," the writer said. "Everything that's going on, these secret government experiments going on around the word and the things that tie together, all kind of lead toward the Super Soldier program. It's the culmination of all of it."
http://i.livescience.com/images/MARPROJ004_cov_Epting-02.jpg

credits : newsarama.com

[MSth08]

preview of marvels project issue 1 :
http://i.newsarama.com/images/marproj001_dc11_cv1_0001.jpg

http://i.newsarama.com/images/marproj001_int_0001.jpg

http://i.newsarama.com/images/marproj001_int_0002.jpg

http://i.newsarama.com/images/marproj001_int_0003.jpg

http://i.newsarama.com/images/marproj001_int_0004.jpg

http://i.newsarama.com/images/marproj001_int_0005.jpg

http://i.newsarama.com/images/marproj001_int_0006.jpg

http://i.newsarama.com/images/marproj001_int_0007.jpg

http://i.newsarama.com/images/marproj001_int_0008.jpg

credits : newsarama.com

[MSth08]

http://i.newsarama.com/images/MarvProj-Namor-ff.jpg

When Marvel Comics #1 was published by Timely Comics in 1939, one of the characters who populated the new universe was The Sub-Mariner, a half-human/half-Atlantean who acted upon his anger at surface dwellers.

To mark the 70th anniversary of characters like Namor the Sub-Mariner and the birth of their universe, Marvel is releasing a definitive history of Marvel's origins in The Marvels Project. The eight-issue mini-series by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting takes the established history of the early Marvel Universe and fleshes it out to make an epic tale of scientific and political espionage and wonder, covering the era from the Depression to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

In the first two parts of our ongoing series looking at The Marvels Project, we spoke with Epting and then with Brubaker about their roles in the project. And for the last week, we've been taking a closer look at the early Marvel characters who will star in the comic, including The Angel, the Human Torch, and Captain America.

As we get closer to next week's release of The Marvels Project #1, Newsarama sits down with the comic's creators to profile one of comics' first anti-heroes, The Sub-Mariner.

Secret Identity/Origin: Namor is the son of an American ship captain and Fen, an Atlantean woman. Although his parents married, Namor was raised by his mother after she abandoned her husband in anger over Americans destroying many of her people. Because his mother raised Namor to hate surface-dwellers, he decides to go on a rampage through the surface world.

"Sub-Mariner, for a long time, in those early comics, he's pretty much a terrorist. He's definitely not a hero when he first appears," Brubaker said. "But he's also, in the modern Marvel universe, he's a prince. He comes from a whole different way of dealing with society. He's definitely got that sort of regal attitude. So he's angry in the way that royalty gets angry."

Powers: Namor was considered an outsider among his people because he possessed the ability to stay out of the water and has the skin color of a surface-dweller. Yet he also has the superhuman strength and amphibious physiology of the Atlanteans that allows him to breathe underwater and withstand undersea pressures. One of Namor's powers doesn't come from either side of his heritage: He has wings on his feet that allow him to fly. Because of this, he's often called Marvel's first mutant. Stories have stated that the wings only appeared when he was a teen, further identifying them as a mutant ability. He's also been shown to have a high level of education and the ability to communicate with marine life. He is portrayed as the king and ruler of the Atlantean people.

Epting's Approach: "I think personality is something you have to consider for every character, especially those like Namor who have fairly well-defined attitudes. Even in the world populated with larger-than-life characters, this guy is going to have a commanding presence when he enters a scene and will demand your attention and respect," Epting said. "All of this has to be taken into consideration when drawing him, particularly his body language."

First Appearance: Sub-Mariner has the distinction of appearing in a comic before Marvels #1, since his creator, Bill Everett, had included him in a sample comic titled Motion Picture Funnies Weekly. But the idea to give away comics at theaters never caught on, so Namor was officially revealed to the public in Timely's Marvel Comics #1.

"The first time we see him, he's kind of a terrorist in a way. He hates surface people, and he wants to create havok and chaos and terror. He's a very angry guy," Brubaker said.

How He Fits in The Marvels Project: "If the story has a character who is the anti-hero or the bad guy up until almost the end, he's it," Brubaker said. "He pretty much hates the surface people. We'll actually find out more about why. His initial reasons in the old comics is that his mother just warned him away from surface-worlders even though he's half-surface worlder. I felt like we had to tie that in more with what was going on in the world and with Marvel at the time. So I found what I think is a really creepy and cool way to tie in with all of that. And when we first see him, it's this really powerful moment during his first attack with surface people. He's angry, and he's got a lot of good reasons for it."

credits : newsarama.com

[MSth08]

THE MARVELS PROJECT #1
Written by Ed Brubaker, pencils and cover by Steve Epting, variant covers by Gerald Parel and Phil Jimenez.

The centerpiece of Marvel's 70th Anniversary celebration! Who is the mysterious old man who lies on his deathbed in a hospital in 1939, and how does his passing mark the beginning of the first heroic age of the Marvel Universe ‹ and signal the rise of the superhumans? Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting unveil the defining story of the origin of the Marvel Universe, revealing the hidden connections that unite the earliest costumed champions, and whose reverberations are felt dramatically into the present day! It's a world on the brink of war, and the race is on to create the world's first super-soldier! Witness the first days of the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner, and many more -- how they shaped the world to come, and how the future they would create in turn shaped them!

In stores Aug 09
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0905/19/marvelsproject1.jpg

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0905/19/marvelsproject1variant.jpg

=============================

THE MARVELS PROJECT #3
Written by Ed Brubaker, pencils by Steve Epting, cover by Steve McNiven, variant covers by Epting and Gerald Parel.

The centerpiece of Marvel's 70th anniversary celebration turns a deadly corner, as Nazi spies infiltrate the secret US government's Super-Soldier Experiment... and while the Torch learns what it means to be both human and a hero, Prince Namor arrives in New York looking for nothing more than vengeance!

In stores Oct 09
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0907/21/marvelsproject3.jpg

credits : comicscontinuum.com

[MSth08]

The Marvel Universe has been around for 70 years, but only a few of the characters who drive the stories we read today were around back then. When Marvel Comics #1 was published by Timely Comics, the early predecessor of the company Marvel Comics, the issue featured characters like The Human Torch, The Angel and The Sub-Mariner.

In The Marvels Project, the eight-issue mini-series starting this week by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting, those characters and the origin of the Marvel Universe are being fleshed out in a modern tale of espionage and action.

Yet among all those early Marvel characters will be a few that were later established as having been around in the early days, including Nick Fury.

With the impending release later this week of the first issue, we reach the last installment of our ongoing series looking at The Marvels Project, and we talk to the creators of the series about Nick Fury and how the before-the-eyepatch hero plays into the story of Marvel's origin.

Character Origin: Nick Fury was the son of a World War I aviator who ended up pursuing a life of adventure in the world of flight as part of a wing-walking and parachuting act. "He was a rough-and-tumble New York kid," Brubaker said. "He and his best friend, Red, were pilots and did trick flying at carnivals and things like that."

Eventually, the character goes to England to train paratroopers for the British when the country is engaged in the European war that would become World War II. "This is pre-soldier Nick Fury," Brubaker said. "He and his friend, Red, are over in England. They're not in the military, actually, and America's not in the war yet. Nick actually didn't join the army until after Pearl Harbor, according to his bio. But they've basically been instructing paratroopers because they're early parachuters. They're experts at this."

Powers: At this point in Nick Fury's history, he has no powers. However, as Marvel fans know, he is eventually given the Infinity Formula that halts his aging.

Epting's Approach: "Fury's a little different for me this time around, because this takes place when he is younger, before he entered the war," Epting said. "Usually you have a sort of crutch with guys like Fury because the eyepatch is a defining visual characteristic that immediately identifies him. In this case he hasn't yet lost his eye, so I've got to draw a young guy that looks like he'll become the Nick Fury we all know and love."

First Appearance: Nick Fury was a creation of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby who first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos in 1963.

"There are issues where he hangs out with Captain America and Bucky during World War II that were done in the '60s, so he came around this era eventually as kind of a retcon, but he's now firmly established as having been around at that time," Brubaker said. "I thought it was pretty clear he had to be a major part of The Marvels Project.

"I wanted to do that for any of the later characters who were around then, whenever possible. I haven't gotten far enough into the story to figure out how to use Wolverine in the story," Brubaker added. "I'm trying to figure out a way to use him in the story because clearly he was around in World War II. Wolverine's such a tricky character, but you can't do a story like this without having him in it somehow because he ended up being so important in the Marvel Universe. We know he was in World War II, but this is just before that, so there's got to be a way to fit him in, I'm sure."

How He Fits in The Marvels Project: "We have him doing some really cool, kind of significant stuff," Brubaker said. "There are things here and there where he's needed, because America isn't in the war yet. So they need non-military people to be black ops kind of things.

Brubaker said he found a way to not only show what Nick was doing at the time, but also to answer a question about the Marvel Universe's past. "There's one of those moments where I found a story that had never been told. It's one of those things where, apparently, no one had asked the question, ever. So there's a really significant, key piece to the early days of Marvel that was one of those things where, doing research, I stumbled across it," he said. "And I was like whoa! No one's ever told that story. And I found a way to blend it all into this and use Nick Fury for that. That's a big piece of the second issue, is Nick Fury and his friend going on this secret mission. I love it that I found a way to use him in this story, because he's such a cool character. And he's one of those Marvel characters who, I know he wasn't created in the '40s, actually, but he's such a key part of Marvel. So I like it that we can come in here later and make him fit and play an important role."

http://i.livescience.com/images/MarvelsProj-Fury1-02.jpg

http://i.livescience.com/images/MarvelsProj-Fury2-02.jpg

credits : newsarama.com

[MSth08]

THE MARVELS PROJECT #2 (of 8)
Written by ED BRUBAKER
Pencils by STEVE EPTING
Cover by STEVE EPTING
Variant Cover by STEVE MCNIVEN
Variant Cover by GERALD PAREL

The award-winning and best-selling team of Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting bring you CHAPTER TWO in this definitive tale of the origins of the Marvel heroes. As 1940 hits the world is already changing -- The Human Torch is on the run, The Angel makes his masked debut, The Sub-Mariner stalks the surface-worlders who have targeted his people -- and a young soldier named Nick Fury saves a German scientist from the Nazis and leads him to the USA. The battle-lines drawn in this race to create superhuman weapons of mass destruction still reverberate today in the Marvel Universe -- as this epic espionage thriller continues to unfold and reveal new twists!

In stores Sep 09
http://i.livescience.com/images/MARPROJ002_cov_MCNIVEN-variant-02.jpg

credits : newsarama.com

[MSth08]

THE MARVELS PROJECT #4 (of 8)
Written by ED BRUBAKER
Penciled by STEVE EPTING
Cover by STEVE MCNIVEN
Cover by STEVE EPTING
Variant Cover by GERALD PAREL

Project Rebirth begins! As 98 pound weakling Steve Rogers finally enters the picture, Nazi spies move in the shadows onto US soil...and the Angel comes close to finding the man who's murdering masked heroes.

In stores Nov 09
http://i.newsarama.com/marvelnew/Nov09/108_the_marvels_project_4_epting_variant_.jpg

http://i.newsarama.com/marvelnew/Nov09/107_the_marvels_project_4_parel_variant_.jpg

credits : newsarama.com

[MSth08]

preview of issue 2 :
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0909/04/marvelsproject2c.jpg

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0909/04/marvelsproject21.jpg

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0909/04/marvelsproject22.jpg

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0909/04/marvelsproject23.jpg

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0909/04/marvelsproject24.jpg

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0909/04/marvelsproject25.jpg

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0909/04/marvelsproject26.jpg

credits : comicscontinuum.com

[MSth08]

exclusive 1st look at artist Gerald Parel's variant cover to Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting's The Marvels Project #6.

http://i.livescience.com/images/MARPROJ006_cov_PARELvariant.jpg

credits : newsarama.com

[MSth08]

THE MARVELS PROJECT #6
Written by Ed Brubaker, pencils and cover by Steve Epting, cover by Steve McNiven, variant cover by Gerald Parel.

Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting's acclaimed tale of the origin of Marvel continues, as the mysteries of Nazi spies on American shores begin to unravel, and The Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner battle once again in the skies of New York, with devastating results.

In stores Feb 2010
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0911/17/marvelsproject6.jpg

credits : comicscontinuum.com

[MSth08]

THE MARVELS PROJECT #7
Written by Ed Brubaker, pencils and cover by Steve Epting, cover by Steve McNiven, variant cover by Gerald Parel.

Cap meets Bucky! The origin of the Destroyer! The interrogation of the Sub-Mariner! And it's all leading up to the Nazis' conspiracy to bring the US into World War Two!

In stores Mar 2010
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0912/22/marvelsproject7.jpg

credits : comicscontinuum.com

[MSth08]

previwe of issue 5 of 8 :
http://i.newsarama.com/images/marproj005_dc11_0001.jpg

http://i.newsarama.com/images/marproj005_int_0001.jpg

http://i.newsarama.com/images/marproj005_int_0002.jpg

http://i.newsarama.com/images/marproj005_int_0003.jpg

http://i.newsarama.com/images/marproj005_int_0004.jpg

http://i.newsarama.com/images/marproj005_int_0005.jpg

http://i.newsarama.com/images/marproj005_int_0006.jpg

credits : newsarama.com

[MSth08]

THE MARVELS PROJECT #8 (of 8)
Written by ED BRUBAKER
Penciled by STEVE EPTING
Cover by STEVE MCNIVEN
Cover by STEVE EPTING
Wraparound Variant by ALAN DAVIS
Variant Cover by GERALD PAREL

The startling conclusion to the origin of the Marvel Universe. Pearl Harbor, secret Nazi experiments gone wrong, and the seeds of destruction that would lead to the modern Marvel world of today will stand revealed! By the award-winning team of Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting.

In stores Apr 2010
http://i.livescience.com/images/marvproj8_davisvar_02.jpg

credits : newsarama.com

[Toysmania]

So far, Marvel Porject has been a prety interesting story. I find the writing good and the art pretty fantastic too! Though some of the covers are not too pretty. hahaha

[MSth08]

So far, Marvel Porject has been a prety interesting story. I find the writing good and the art pretty fantastic too! Though some of the covers are not too pretty. hahaha

the stuffs written by ed brubaker are good....