MSth08
27-07-2007, 08:32 PM
This series has been teased for sometime on Chris Weston's blog and here at Newsarama in an edition of New Joe Fridays earlier this year, but the series wasn't officially announced until today at San Diego Comicon. That series is The Twelve.
The Twelve is a 12-issue miniseries by writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Chris Weston, and features twelve heroes from the earliest heroes of Marvel mythology.
While some of Marvel's first heroes such as Namor and Captain America have blossomed into the foundation for the Marvel Universe, there are others that for one reason or another weren't able to have a firm grip as Marvel evolved. But no more. In this twelve issue series scheduled to begin in Spring 2008, these heroes (and villains) are revived and rejuvenated and brought into the 21st century.
The Twelve reaches back into the early years of Marvel Comics, so early in fact that it was before there was a Marvel Comics. Marvel Comics as we know it today was previously the company called Atlas Comics and before that, Timely Publication. It was during these formulative years that the "mighty Marvel Family" as we know it first began. It was a mix of future stars such as the Human Torch and Namor the Sub-Mariner, with lesser-known heroes such as the Phantom Reporter and Captain Wonder. While some heroes reached to super stardom, these lesser-known heroes were seemingly lost to the ages and faded to the background of Marvel lore.
"Having had a great time bringing back a number of classic characters in Supreme Power, I thought I'd go deeper and farther back to see what kind of trouble I could get into," said JMS. "I was also curious to see what characters from the time of World War II might have to say about the current state of affairs. Steve Rogers as Captain America came from the 40s to the 1960s and the culture shock was considerable; how much more then the shock of going from the 40s to 2007? I wanted to explore their reactions to us, and our reactions to them...what was good about the WW2 period that we lost, and what was not so good about it that we've eliminated in all but them."
The disappearance of The Twelve from Marvel history for so long is explained that these heroes were kidnapped during the final days of World War II by German Nazis. "None of these characters has been seen since the fall of Berlin, so I picked that as the point to say that nobody's seen them because they were grabbed by the Nazis and put into cryonic suspension," explained Straczynski. "[The Nazis'] theory was that they were getting beaten by the Allies because they didn't have enough super-powered guys, so these twelve were taken randomly for the purpose of studying their powers and making the Germans the true master race when the Third Reich v2.0 came along. Needless to say the Allies messed up that plan, so the twelve remained in stasis until a construction project in Berlin accidentally stumbled upon their frozen tubes."
Straczynski already had a passing knowledge of these pre-Marvel heroes before the story began, but he admitted that he didn't want to "dig too deep because I wasn't sure which characters would or wouldn't be available legally." The Twelve editor and resident Marvel historian Tom Brevoort took on the task of digging through the archives, and in doing so came back with a list of characters that were clearly owned by Marvel. It was from those that Straczynski chose those twelve who could give him the widest range of powers, backgrounds, origins and purposes and "thus the most room for conflict."
As readers of Straczynski's work in comics and film can attest, each of his stories has an over-arching theme that binds it together. This story is no different. "To a certain degree, the question is what constitutes a hero today, yesterday, and what's the point of intersection between those two," said JMS. "Where does social tolerance become license and where does preference become prejudice? Was the past all it was cracked up to be, and is the future what it was meant to be...and if not, why?"
Working with the writer on this project is illustrator Chris Weston, fresh off his previous work on Fantastic Four: First Family. "Aubrey Sitterson and Tom Brevoort, my editors on Fantastic Four: First Family thought my style of art would suit this story's more downbeat and character-driven take on the Super-Hero genre," explained Weston, who has already penciled six issues. "I try to produce art that is a little bit more illustrative rather than graphic in nature, and lean towards realism rather than caricature. The Twelve needed that approach, being a realistic psycho-drama about people who just happen to be de-frosted crime-fighters from the Nineteen-Forties."
Marvel Editor Tom Brevoort admits that this creative pairing came from high-up the Marvel ladder. "[Marvel Editor-In-Chief] Joe Quesada suggested Chris for The Twelve following his work on Fantastic Four: First Family," said Brevoort. "Chris does super-detailed work, with a vintage flair, and his storytelling is impeccable, so Joe thought he’d be a good fit with the material. Which he is."
Series writer J. Michael Stracyznski, who has partnered with some of the biggest artists in modern comics today, is equally pleased. ""Chris has a great approach that fits in perfectly with the book, keeping it feeling of its original time but current as well" said Straczynski, adding "… and Chris can make retro cool."
http://www.newsarama.com/Comic-Con_07/Marvel/mondo/The_Twelve.jpg
http://www.newsarama.com/Comic-Con_07/Marvel/mondo/Twelve_1.jpg
http://www.newsarama.com/Comic-Con_07/Marvel/mondo/Twelve_2.jpg
credits : newsarama.com
The Twelve is a 12-issue miniseries by writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Chris Weston, and features twelve heroes from the earliest heroes of Marvel mythology.
While some of Marvel's first heroes such as Namor and Captain America have blossomed into the foundation for the Marvel Universe, there are others that for one reason or another weren't able to have a firm grip as Marvel evolved. But no more. In this twelve issue series scheduled to begin in Spring 2008, these heroes (and villains) are revived and rejuvenated and brought into the 21st century.
The Twelve reaches back into the early years of Marvel Comics, so early in fact that it was before there was a Marvel Comics. Marvel Comics as we know it today was previously the company called Atlas Comics and before that, Timely Publication. It was during these formulative years that the "mighty Marvel Family" as we know it first began. It was a mix of future stars such as the Human Torch and Namor the Sub-Mariner, with lesser-known heroes such as the Phantom Reporter and Captain Wonder. While some heroes reached to super stardom, these lesser-known heroes were seemingly lost to the ages and faded to the background of Marvel lore.
"Having had a great time bringing back a number of classic characters in Supreme Power, I thought I'd go deeper and farther back to see what kind of trouble I could get into," said JMS. "I was also curious to see what characters from the time of World War II might have to say about the current state of affairs. Steve Rogers as Captain America came from the 40s to the 1960s and the culture shock was considerable; how much more then the shock of going from the 40s to 2007? I wanted to explore their reactions to us, and our reactions to them...what was good about the WW2 period that we lost, and what was not so good about it that we've eliminated in all but them."
The disappearance of The Twelve from Marvel history for so long is explained that these heroes were kidnapped during the final days of World War II by German Nazis. "None of these characters has been seen since the fall of Berlin, so I picked that as the point to say that nobody's seen them because they were grabbed by the Nazis and put into cryonic suspension," explained Straczynski. "[The Nazis'] theory was that they were getting beaten by the Allies because they didn't have enough super-powered guys, so these twelve were taken randomly for the purpose of studying their powers and making the Germans the true master race when the Third Reich v2.0 came along. Needless to say the Allies messed up that plan, so the twelve remained in stasis until a construction project in Berlin accidentally stumbled upon their frozen tubes."
Straczynski already had a passing knowledge of these pre-Marvel heroes before the story began, but he admitted that he didn't want to "dig too deep because I wasn't sure which characters would or wouldn't be available legally." The Twelve editor and resident Marvel historian Tom Brevoort took on the task of digging through the archives, and in doing so came back with a list of characters that were clearly owned by Marvel. It was from those that Straczynski chose those twelve who could give him the widest range of powers, backgrounds, origins and purposes and "thus the most room for conflict."
As readers of Straczynski's work in comics and film can attest, each of his stories has an over-arching theme that binds it together. This story is no different. "To a certain degree, the question is what constitutes a hero today, yesterday, and what's the point of intersection between those two," said JMS. "Where does social tolerance become license and where does preference become prejudice? Was the past all it was cracked up to be, and is the future what it was meant to be...and if not, why?"
Working with the writer on this project is illustrator Chris Weston, fresh off his previous work on Fantastic Four: First Family. "Aubrey Sitterson and Tom Brevoort, my editors on Fantastic Four: First Family thought my style of art would suit this story's more downbeat and character-driven take on the Super-Hero genre," explained Weston, who has already penciled six issues. "I try to produce art that is a little bit more illustrative rather than graphic in nature, and lean towards realism rather than caricature. The Twelve needed that approach, being a realistic psycho-drama about people who just happen to be de-frosted crime-fighters from the Nineteen-Forties."
Marvel Editor Tom Brevoort admits that this creative pairing came from high-up the Marvel ladder. "[Marvel Editor-In-Chief] Joe Quesada suggested Chris for The Twelve following his work on Fantastic Four: First Family," said Brevoort. "Chris does super-detailed work, with a vintage flair, and his storytelling is impeccable, so Joe thought he’d be a good fit with the material. Which he is."
Series writer J. Michael Stracyznski, who has partnered with some of the biggest artists in modern comics today, is equally pleased. ""Chris has a great approach that fits in perfectly with the book, keeping it feeling of its original time but current as well" said Straczynski, adding "… and Chris can make retro cool."
http://www.newsarama.com/Comic-Con_07/Marvel/mondo/The_Twelve.jpg
http://www.newsarama.com/Comic-Con_07/Marvel/mondo/Twelve_1.jpg
http://www.newsarama.com/Comic-Con_07/Marvel/mondo/Twelve_2.jpg
credits : newsarama.com