Ta-Nehisi Coates and Roxane Gay dive deep into the land T'Challa rules!

King T’Challa of Wakanda continues finding more fans with each new issue of BLACK PANTHER from the creative team of Ta-Nehisi Coates and Brian Stelfreeze. Marvel looks to give those fans even more with the upcoming series, BLACK PANTHER: WORLD OF WAKANDA co-written by Coates with veteran writer Roxane Gay.

Roxane Gay brings a wealth of experience as a creative writer to the Wakandan kingdom and its inhabitants. We wanted to spend a few minutes to talk about this new series as well as how this writing team came together.

Marvel.com: With the first arc of BLACK PANTHER coming to a close, there are big changes on the horizon not just for T’Challa but also for the creative team behind the character, as Roxane Gay joins Ta-Nehisi Coates as co-writer on a second series about Black Panther.

To begin with, what led Marvel editorial to make the decision to green light a second series for Black Panther?

Ta-Nehisi Coates: Well, the response [to BLACK PANTHER], I‘d assume. I’ve been shocked by the sheer number of people who picked up the book. We seem to be holding on well. My responsibility is to make sure that the stories are compelling, and hopefully, people will continue to pick it up. In the meantime, there’s a lot of back-story that hasn’t been thoroughly explored. Wakanda is a deep, rich world. And I think Roxane is the perfect person to begin the literary excavations.

Marvel.com: Roxane, you’re an associate professor at Purdue University with a specialty in rhetoric and composition, specifically technical writing. At face value, moving into the realm of writing comics might appear to some as a stark departure from the world of academic writing and publishing.

Can you share how you came to co-write BLACK PANTHER: WORLD OF WAKANDA with Ta-Nehisi?

Roxane Gay: Well, I actually teach creative writing. I got my PhD in one field and ended up being in another. This is a departure but it is also still storytelling and I love telling interesting stories. Ta-Nehisi emailed me a few months ago and said he had a crazy idea, so I was, of course intrigued. At first, I was really intimidated, but the opportunity to write about black women in a Marvel comic was an opportunity I could not pass up.

Marvel.com: Can you tell us who will be working with you and handling the art for this series?

Editor Wil Moss: Alitha Martinez will be drawing Roxane’s story, and Afua Richardson will be providing the covers. Additionally, there’ll be a backup story in #1 that Ta-Nehisi is co-writing with Yona Harvey, and Afua will be drawing that. 

Marvel.com: Now, Roxane, is this your first time writing comics or have you published elsewhere in the past?

Roxane Gay: This is my first time writing comics. No pressure!

Marvel.com: So, you both were acquainted with each other prior to being paired up for this series?

Roxane Gay: Absolutely. I am a big fan of Ta-Nehisi’s writing and thinking. We did an event together at AWP [Association of Writers and Writers’ Programs] a few years back and have stayed in touch since.

Ta-Nehisi Coates: Yup. Roxane is an accomplished and incredible writer—both fiction and nonfiction. I heard her read one of the most imaginative and creative pieces of zombie fiction ever. I thought she’d do an awesome job on this.

Marvel.com: Ta-Nehisi, your previous publications are well-documented, but it’s interesting to note some common threads between your work and Roxane’s. In looking at your dissertation, Roxane, you focused on uncovering forms of social injustice that take place within the classroom when people in authority subject students to unfair viewpoints and labels; and instead, you push for opening up a sort of progressive and productive form of discourse.

Is this something you see carrying over into your work in comics?

Roxane Gay: Absolutely. The Dora Milaje are evolving when I start the story, and that rises in large part because Ayo and Aneka can no longer abide injustice or a mission to only one man when their skills could help so many others.

Marvel.com: Ta-Nehisi, I understand you submitted your first 12 scripts for BLACK PANTHER to Marvel some time ago, effectively solidifying the creative direction for that series. Have things changed since partnering up with Roxane for this companion series?

Ta-Nehisi Coates: Not really. But I hope it gives Roxane some idea of what’s coming thus allowing her to really dig in.

Roxane Gay: Ta-Nehisi’s scripts have really helped me get familiar with Wakanda and where the Dora Milaje are at, and they are, of course, the foundation for the story I will be writing.

Marvel.com: Ta-Nehisi, even though you wrote those first two arcs for BLACK PANTHER, I know you’ve continued to refer to being early on in your comic writing career. And with this being your first experience writing for Marvel as well, Roxane, I’m curious what the experience has been like for you both. What’s your process like? Are there are people you’re leaning on in particular, or is this very much a case of taking the ball and running with it?

Roxane Gay: The experience, thus far, and I am in the early stages of the process, has been exciting. It’s all so different and new, so I am trying to learn as much as I can and have some fun. I’m taking the ball and running with it but also trying to draw from Ta-Nehisi and Wil, who know so much more about this world.

Marvel.com: Roxane, how has it been for you working on a collaborative publication like BLACK PANTHER: WORLD OF WAKANDA?

Roxane Gay: It’s challenging but in a good way. As a fiction and nonfiction writer, it’s just me and the page but with this, there are so many people involved. It makes me admire the comic form even more, to see what it takes to pull an issue together.

Marvel.com: In the main series, we have what seems to be two primary narrative threads evolving within the first arc: That of T’Challa and his efforts to restore order to Wakanda from a more global perspective as well as that of the Dora Milaje—Ayo and Aneka—whose efforts focus much more on the individual people affect by the civil war.

With both of you co-writing this series, will you be splitting writing duties along these lines or some other fashion?

Ta-Nehisi Coates: Yeah, I think Roxane’s book will be more intimate and give us some of the day to day stuff both between Ayo and Aneka in addition to Ayo and Aneka and the women of Wakanda. I’m really pumped to see what she does.

Roxane Gay: As Ta-Nehisi said, my book is going to be pretty intimate. There’s going to be all kinds of action, but I’m also really excited to show Ayo and Aneka’s relationship, build on that love story, and also introduce some other members of the Dora Milaje.

Marvel.com: So, what is it about these two storylines that you love most?

Ta-Nehisi Coates: I don’t know. I like when there’s space within a character for you to reinterpret. Much like how Magneto went from mustache-twirler to Malcolm X, it’s just interesting to take a character and try to explore their inner life.

Roxane Gay: I love being able to focus on women who are fierce enough to fight but still tender enough to love.

Marvel.com: And BLACK PANTHER: WORLD OF WAKANDA will provide you with a place to explore some of these interests?

Ta-Nehisi Coates: I think it will.

Roxane Gay: Yes.

Marvel.com: How do you see BLACK PANTHER: WORLD OF WAKANDA fitting into the reading experience for current fans of BLACK PANTHER? Will the stories intertwine or do you see them operating in a more autonomous fashion?

Ta-Nehisi Coates: It won’t be necessary to read one to understand the other. But hopefully, the writing will be so compelling that people will be carried off into Wakanda and want to get as much of it as possible.

Head to marvel.com/sdcc2016 for live coverage and all the latest from San Diego Comic-Con 2016!

The Inhumans set course for the Kree’s shattered planet for a reunion with Ronan!

Hala has been visited by much tragedy over the years. Most recently, the planet became basically uninhabitable leaving only Ronan the Accuser to keep silent watch over his shattered former sphere of residence.

For many that survived Hala’s recent destruction, one group stands out amongst all others as being key in the world’s destruction: the Inhumans. Ronan certainly would count himself amongst those with that opinion.

So just imagine the awkwardness that will ensue when ROYALS #4 hits this June 21, bringing the Inhuman ruling family back to the desolate globe that formerly served as Kree homeworld. And if that might be galling enough to Ronan all on its own, wouldn’t you just know that they have come to ask for a favor?

We found writer Al Ewing hiding in the game room upstairs looking to avoid the squabbles and asked him for the latest Kree-Inhuman gossip.

Marvel.com: The connection between the Inhumans and the Kree is a long-standing “fact” of the Marvel Universe. However, there hasn’t been much of that story told. What is your take on their historic relationship? How are things between them before this issue?

Al Ewing: Things are not great. A short and simple version of the history is that Black Bolt and company came to the Kree Empire, took it over, and then later went off to pursue their own projects, leaving Ronan and Crystal in charge. Ronan resurrected a version of the Supreme Intelligence, The Supremor, who promptly declared war on the Inhumans and the Earth, whereupon Ronan quit to be with Crystal.

Unfortunately, a peace treaty between the Kree and the Inhumans required Ronan to separate from Crystal and go back into the Supremor’s service. Crystal basically agreed to that, out of a sense of duty to both races and over Ronan’s objections. And after that, Hala was destroyed and Supremor with it. And in the same incident, Ronan got cosmic powers from a magic mirror. And here we are.

So, to answer your question…the relationship isn’t all it could be.

Marvel.com: Regardless of the past, Hala is a very “hot spot” especially between the Kree and the Boltagons specifically. Why return to what is, essentially, the scene of the crime?

Al Ewing: Hala contains some buried knowledge—a piece of history pertaining to the Kree and the Inhumans both, a lost secret of Terrigen. Bringing it to the surface will let the Royals know if it’s possible for them to bring the Inhumans back to their former glory, and whether they can atone for their own crimes in the process.

Meanwhile, for Ronan, Hala is a planet-wide graveyard, a sacred place. He doesn’t like visitors at the best of times and especially not these visitors.

Marvel.com: How are dynamics changed by Maximus being present, not Black Bolt?

Al Ewing: If Black Bolt was there, he’d probably be the target of Ronan’s wrath. He’s responsible. He conquered the Kree, he chose to abandon them, and it was his diktat that tore Ronan and Crystal out of their happy place and [sent] Ronan back to serve a monster.

Maximus doesn’t figure so much on [Ronan’s] radar. He was the weaponsmith, the court jester, and the occasional traitor, but in Ronan’s eyes he’s never been the important one. So Ronan will probably leave him on the back burner and concentrate on other targets. Whether Maximus will feel the same, I don’t know. Ronan did play a big part in his parents getting killed.

Royals #4 cover by Jonboy Meyers

Marvel.com: Ronan’s connection with the Inhumans is especially complex. What is his reaction to seeing them again? How does it make Crystal feel to encounter her partner in a failed arranged union?

Al Ewing: Ronan’s not in a very good mental state when he sees them again. He’s angry, he’s sick with grief, he’s looking for someone to blame. His immediate reaction is to get hold of them for a little chat, as only a cosmic-powered Accuser of the Kree can do.

As for him and Crystal, they’ve got a lot to talk about. From Ronan’s point of view, he blames her, because it was her decision to effectively annul their marriage—a marriage that had gone from mutually-agreed convenience without any intimacy, to a full-on actual true-love connection—and he’s bound that up with a lot of other stuff he’s going through.

Crystal’s in a different place. She’s got responsibilities to the Inhumans, to her child from a previous marriage, to her home planet. There’s been just as much running from one crisis to the next for her as for him, but she’s managed to move on in a way that he hasn’t. What that means when they’re in a room together? I don’t know. I guess we’ll all find out.

Marvel.com: This marks the first full issue with Thony Silas on art. What does he bring to the book?

Al Ewing: Thony’s got a good style for these issues—shadowy, a little sinister in places. Plus he does great things with [previous artist Jonboy Meyers’] character designs for the book. I really enjoyed his work on issue #3, and he came up with a layout suggestion for a particular bit in #4 that I’m kicking myself a little for not thinking of [first]. It’s going to be nice to see out this first arc with him.

Marvel.com: Why is this a cannot miss capture in the evolving relationship of the Inhumans to the larger Marvel U?

Al Ewing: There’s a thing readers should understand with this book: we’re not doing business in the normal way. There will be no tie-ins until we get back to Earth. We’re self-contained, telling our own story, beholden to nobody, and we’re on a trip out to the far reaches of Marvel Space, and we’re going to come back changed, and carrying something very special with us.

And then we’re going to see what the other two books have been doing, and what they’re bringing to the party. And we’ll see what happens when we put it all together and shake it around a little.

Maybe it’ll turn to gold. Maybe it’ll explode. I honestly have no idea, but I do know that it’s not the job of the Inhumans to ever be predictable. So…I guess we’ll all find out together.

Al Ewing and Thony Silas reunite Ronan with ROYALS in issue #4 on June 21!

Sina Grace prepares Bobby Drake for a reunion with Kitty Pryde and more!

It may be spring, but there’s a cold front heading your way this June in the all-new series ICEMAN, written by Sina Grace with art by Allessandro Vitti!

To prepare you for the brewing storm we spoke with Grace to find out just what to expect and here’s the deal: The new series follows present day Iceman working through some of the more human aspects of his life that he has never really dealt with, like relationships, sexuality and how to be a successful adult. We understand those feels, Bobby. Oh and let’s not forget there’s a younger Bobby running around town who, according to Grace, slays life; nothing like competing with yourself.

So just who is Bobby Drake?

“He’s the funny guy who shoots ice out of his hands and says one-liners,” states Grace. “So instead of working around that I said, no, he’s very compartmentalized. And so we are looking at what comes after the laughter.” But let’s be clear: there will not be a shortage of one-liners. “I like the jokes I write for him,” the writer clarifies. “They aren’t jokes I could say, but when Bobby cuts them they work.”

And when ICEMAN #2 hits on June 21, you can bet several of these jokes poke fun at the weird, ex-girlfriend-but-still-fellow X-Man dynamic he has cooking with Kitty Pryde. “Awkward is an understatement,” muses Grace. “But Bobby and Kitty are both very responsible super heroes so they’ll never let what they haven’t worked out get in the way of helping people, or the world.” So when a new mutant’s powers emerge, the two former lovebirds set out to give him ye ol’ X-Men spiel, but things start to get a little slippery. “The situation definitely exacerbates what’s been left unspoken,” teases Grace.

Iceman #2 cover by Kevin Wada

Kitty has to deal with the fact that her ex-boyfriend is gay, and Bobby still isn’t exactly the, “Hey girl, let’s sit down and talk this through,” type. Luckily, his walls might be melting just a tad though. “He’s admitting that there is stuff to talk about and it can’t just be swept under the rug with a joke,” confirms Grace. So while they do progress it may take a few more awkwardly tense encounters before they can really put behind their history together to a copacetic friendzone future.

Oh and as an added bonus I’ll let you guys in on a little inside secret: Turns out Grace really likes “Sex and the City,” go figure, so artist Vitti decided to run with that, pretty literally, by giving Iceman a whole line of slick kicks that even Carrie Bradshaw would envy. Probably lost you at the “Sex and the City” reference, but hey at least you can say you know what it’s like behind the scenes!

Be sure to catch all the action, adulting progress, and cool shoes in ICEMAN #1 out June 7, and ICEMAN #2 out June 21!

Writer Chip Zdarsky takes us downtown for the brand-new Spidey series!

The Webhead in the Big Apple! The Wall-Crawler in The City That Never Sleeps! The kid that lives with his aunt in the place that has really good bagels!

Spider-Man in New York City!

On June 21, Spidey returns to his Friendly Neighborhood roots with the brand-new series PETER PARKER: SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN! Led by the all-star creative team of writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Adam Kubert, this Spidey story returns to where it all began: a high school kid living—and fighting crime—in New York, New York.

We spoke with Chip about the Spider-Man books that he read growing up, the dynamic that New York contributes to a story, and the real-life inspirations for this new take on an old favorite.

Marvel.com: Hey Chip! Tell us, what are a few of your favorite Spider-Man runs? Have you drawn inspiration from any of them for the new series?

Chip Zdarsky: I don’t want to play favorites with Spider-Man runs! They’re all precious children to me, beautiful in their own way. I will say that the period that imprinted on me the most was when I first got into comics: the mystery of the Hobgoblin’s identity! I loved it so much, especially that it featured a Peter very much down on his luck, trying to make ends meet, which felt so different to me as a kid, thinking that adults all had it together. The feel of those issues really imprinted on me, I think.

I followed Spidey after that, through his marriage to MJ, all the way to the infamous Clone Saga, before I went to college and ran out of money, never actually finding out who ended up being the actual clone—don’t tell me! But a few years after college ended I got sucked right back into the books.

So, it’s hard to pinpoint direct inspirations, really. There have been so many great runs, including now with [writer] Dan Slott on [AMAZING SPIDER-MAN], that you can’t help but be inspired by all the takes on the character.

Marvel.com: Do you have a favorite Spidey story that takes place in New York? What’s the most enjoyable part of the dynamic that NYC brings to a classic Peter Parker/Spider-Man story?

Chip Zdarsky: It’s the smaller moments in comics featuring New York that stick with me, really. His interactions with its jaded citizens, half of whom see him as a hero, half of whom see him as an annoyance.

Peter Parker: Spectacular Spider-Man #1 cover by Adam Kubert

I love the stories where he’s up against an unbeatable foe, trying to save the city and himself simultaneously. Two notable ones for me are his encounter with Firelord in the mid-80s, which has Spider-Man up against a herald of Galactus! He enlists help from citizens, saves citizens, uses the city against Firelord, and then manages to eke out a win just barely, proving himself to be a force to be reckoned with.

There’s a similar feeling when he encounters Morlun in the early 2000s. A truly unstoppable being who has one goal: to feed off of Spider-Man. A desperate Spidey is my favorite Spidey as Morlun lays waste to New York City, endangering people in order to get what he wants. It’s so big and crazy and beautiful, especially thanks to John Romita Jr.’s art, that it feels like the damage to New York is damage to Spider-Man and vice-versa.

Marvel.com: Are there elements of your own life that have inspired you with this new series? High school Chip? Newspaperman Chip?

Chip Zdarsky: I think everyone, when writing Spider-Man, taps into their own sense of guilt and responsibility. And in the [Free Comic Book Day] issue I tapped into my relationship with my ex, who’s my best friend in the whole world, to write Peter and MJ. Besides that, my dozen years working for a national newspaper is coming in handy when writing “Daily Bugle“ scenes, and especially J. Jonah Jameson! He’s one of the greatest fictional creations of all time as far as I’m concerned.

PETER PARKER: SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #1 by Chip Zdarsky and artist Adam Kubert, goes on sale in your neighborhood on June 21!

Before Clint and Natasha go their separate ways, see how they first got together!

Each week, we use our super sleuth skills to dig into the histories of the characters fighting on both sides of Secret Empire!

This week’s installment of SECRET EMPIRE by Nick Spencer and Andrea Sorrentino not only established Captain America’s potentially wavering relationship with Hydra and equipped the heroes with the information they need to find the Cosmic Cube pieces, but also drove an enormous, and possibly permanent, wedge between longtime friends—and more—Black Widow and Hawkeye.

Way back in TALES OF SUSPENSE #57, Hawkeye—who decided to go from expert circus performer to masked hero after seeing Iron Man in action—got wrongfully accused of a crime. Russian spy Black Widow then appeared to save him, filled his quill with fancy arrows, and set him against Shellhead, dangling the potential for love like a carrot before the archer’s nose.

The duo continued to work together in the pages of TALES OF SUSPENSE #60 and #64, but eventually Hawkeye’s patriotism overcame his lust for the espionage expert and he went straight, joining Earth’s Mightiest Heroes along with the rest of Cap’s Kookie Quartet in AVENGERS #16.

Even though she too intended to defect to the States, Natasha found herself brainwashed and battling her former beau and his new allies in AVENGERS #29 and #30. However, she admitted that her love for Hawkeye helped break her from the mind control. The pair tried to make it work for a while, but ultimately, they went their separate ways.

Tales of Suspense (1959) #57

• Published: September 10, 1964
• Added to Marvel Unlimited: April 28, 2007
• Penciller: Larry Lieber
• Writer: Stan Lee, Larry Lieber
• Cover Artist: Don Heck

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What is Marvel Unlimited?

Natasha eventually became a full-fledged member of the Avengers herself and even led the team for a while. She also co-headlined the DAREDEVIL series for a time. Hawkeye moved on with Mockingbird, but still showed up in DAREDEVIL #99 to try and win the Widow back!

After enough time passed, Hawkeye and Black Widow figured out how to work together as friends and teammates. Most recently, Hawkeye came under fire during CIVIL WAR II for killing Bruce Banner at the doctor’s own orders. He then moved on to OCCUPY AVENGERS. Black Widow herself starred in her own acclaimed eponymous series.

So, what could cause such a rift between these two? A very clear split in ideology. Black Widow wants to assassinate Captain America for all he’s done, especially after the resistance lost so much ground trying to figure out if he was a clone or a Skrull or something else. Hawkeye, however, wants to wait and see if this Cosmic Cube plan can come together and fix his friend. In SECRET EMPIRE #2, Natasha made her position clear as she cold-clocked Clint and made off with her own agenda.

The Empire Strikes Back

If any two characters could understand the possibilities of a second chance, it’s Clint and Natasha. As you can tell from the above history lesson, both characters worked on either side of the law before becoming Avengers. A major reason they both got accepted into that organization’s hallowed halls lies with Captain America having faith in them. As Avengers and even agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., both have been able to at least try and make up for the bad they’ve done, which makes Natasha’s stance all the more troubling.

Spidey lands in a gang war with The Green Goblin and much more!

For over 50 years, Spider-Man has been a sensational standout in the Marvel Universe, and this summer, the web-slinger swings onto the silver screen once more in “Spider-Man: Homecoming”! In celebration of this stories history, we present Spidey’s spectacular step-by-step story!

Cantankerous publisher J. Jonah Jameson hired a scientist to create a menace to destroy the wall-crawler in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #20. The result, a new criminal called The Scorpion, proved his mettle against the hero, but ultimately failed in his mission.

Peter Parker’s life intercepted that of the Fantastic Four when he visited the campus of State University and ran into The Thing and The Human Torch in FANTASTIC FOUR #35, and learned of Reed Richards and Sues Storm’s engagement in FANTASTIC FOUR #36. Later, he helped out against a clutch of crooks who tried to wipe out the happy couple’s wedding in FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #3.

The Beetle arrived seeking revenge on the Torch in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #21, prompting another helping hand from Spidey. Afterward, the Circus of Crime tried to go solo without The Ringmaster in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #22, and The Green Goblin returned in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #23 to take over Lucky Lobo’s criminal gang.

Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #20

• Published: January 10, 1965
• Added to Marvel Unlimited: November 13, 2007
• Penciller: Steve Ditko

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What is Marvel Unlimited?

Mysterio concocted a scheme to drive Spidey insane and reveal his identity in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #24, and a professor named Smythe approached Jameson with a mechanical Spider-Slayer to squash our hero in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #25. Things really heated up in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #26 when the web-slinger found himself in the middle of a war between The Green Goblin and a new menace known as The Crime Master. When the dust cleared from that one, The Crime Master lay dead and the Goblin escaped with his own secret identity still intact in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #27.

Even the dire danger brought on by Molten Man in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #28 couldn’t quite suck all the joy out of Peter’s graduation from high school. Still feeling a sense of freedom, Spidey stood by Doctor Strange’s side to battle the evil Xandu in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #2, and later blocked a plan of revenge by an escaped Scorpion on J. Jonah Jameson and himself in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #29.

When Jameson offered a $1000 reward for the capture of a burglar known as The Cat in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #30, Peter swung into action to snag the bounty, still reeling from learning of Betty Brant and Ned Leeds’ engagement. Now an official college student in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #31, Peter saw his life grow even more complicated by the arrival of The Master Planner to throw a spanner into the works to gum them up.

Find out how Jeremy Whitley and Tamara Robertson spent Free Comic Book Day!

Most comic book fans see Free Comic Book Day as a time to score some free loot, and also a great opportunity to jump into a series they may not have read previously. But Jeremy Whitley, writer of UNSTOPPABLE WASP, and chemical and bio-molecular engineer Tamara Robertson took it up a notch. At Jeremy’s signing at Ultimate Comics in Raleigh, North Carolina, Tamara presented science demonstrations that recreated the powers of various Marvel characters. You can read more about the event here.

We followed up with Jeremy and Tamara to hear a little about how the event played out—and let’s just say, we wish we could have gone!

Marvel.com: Can you tell us about the general reaction from the audience? Did they seem engaged?

Tamara Robertson: The audience was full of energy and very excited about [Free Comic Book Day]. The tent was literally buzzing all day.

As far as my “Marvel at Science” [Super Hero] Science display, I was at a great place so the science display was in direct eye line for the audience, which drew everyone in and towards the table. There wasn’t anyone that came to the event that didn’t stop by to check out the experiments; I even had our security staff stopping by during their breaks to determine what I was up to—a few jokingly asking if I was doing “Breaking Bad” science for the kids!

Jeremy Whitley: Absolutely! We had lots of people excited about UNSTOPPABLE WASP, but I think the real star of the Free Comic Book Day show was Tamara and her experiments based around heroes of the Marvel Universe. Kids loved getting to play with the experiments and getting a chance to learn some science while they were at it.

Marvel.com: The goal of the event was to engage families—tell us a little about interacting with the kids.

Tamara Robertson: There was a large number of children at the [store], which was one of the best parts! So many parents were getting the chance to introduce their children to their favorite comics and characters from when they were young, as well as discover new characters! The kids brought great energy and a few were even in awesome costumes! They were definitely having fun.

As far as my display—the time flew as I would go through all four displays with each child and they seemed to love all of them, lots of laughter and large smiles! My favorite part was that while I was able to draw them in with my Venom Magnetic Slime engulfing my rare Earth magnet, they were excited the whole time and always ended strong—literally—with my She-Hulk demonstration. Getting to see little girls and boys out Hulk their fathers and bigger friends utilizing science was not only exciting for me but was by far the biggest crowd pleaser of all! It also enabled me to end with the slogan “Science always wins.”

Jeremy Whitley: This is one respect where I consider myself really fortunate as a comic creator. Between my work with Marvel and my creator-owned work with my all-ages series Princeless, I get to interact with a lot of young readers. Kids are always the most excited about meeting the people who make the comics, and they always have the most interesting questions. I’ve had a couple of kids approach my table with notebooks and pens to ask important questions and take notes. They’re the sharpest fans we’ve got. They inspire me to get back to work making comics!

Marvel.com: What did you enjoy most about the event?

Tamara Robertson: My favorite part was that, when I would hear little girls asking where the girl comic books were, I was able to point them straight to Jeremy and all of his incredible comics. So many of the little girls would get excited when they would see all the different types of series he was offering and the older girls especially loved the UNSTOPPABLE WASP comics with not only strong girl leads but also all the great science! We had a bit of a boomerang system going on where I would send them to him for fun girl comics and he’d shoot them back for fun science.

My favorite part of my display was sharing with the kids that their favorite Marvel comic book heroes were scientists too! Most of them didn’t realize that they had STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics] role models already in the form of their favorite comic book heroes. It was truly awesome to get to not only share a science homage to four awesome super heroes but to also elevate the role of STEM in their lives in a way that helped kids see that science is cool.

Jeremy Whitley: I loved getting to see young minds at work. We had boys and girls picking up books and reading them right there, but on top of that, they’re never happy to just sit back and have the science side of things explained to them. You can see them thinking about it, hypothesizing about how and why things work. Some of these kids could be Agents of G.I.R.L. any day!

Marvel.com: You mentioned previously that you think stories like UNSTOPPABLE WASP can help to get girls—and kids in general—interested in pursuing science. Did that seem true for the kids in attendance?

Tamara Robertson: Comics actually have always done a great job of utilizing STEM in their stories but the issue is that most of the time it’s not elevated to a point that children realize the connection. For instance, most super heroes start out as everyday scientists, technicians, engineers or mathematicians and then something alters them genetically and enhances their overall abilities. This statement in itself is riddled with science, which is why comics have always been so awesome and why most STEM professionals are also big comic fans. In the cases where normal men become super heroes, [like] Tony Stark, their gadgets are engineered to enable similar enhanced abilities. Often times the stories themselves don’t concentrate directly on this amazing tech or these genetically altering origin stories but they’re definitely there to talk about. That’s one of the incredible things about stories like UNSTOPPABLE WASP: the science is in the forefront of the story.

I think that it’s important for children—and even adults—to be aware of the awesome STEM connections to their favorite comic book heroes, which is what I hoped to accomplish with my Marvel at Science – Super Hero Science display and what Jeremy accomplishes through UNSTOPPABLE WASP each issue.  If we continue to help associate STEM with heroes and help people to see it as “cool,” we’re likely to inspire more children to pursue it and experiment with the world around them.

Jeremy Whitley: Absolutely! A lot of young WASP fans were excited to pick up the book, but just as much to dive into science. For every question about writing, girls had five times as many for Tamara about what she does and about the experiments she brought with her.

Marvel.com: Would you like to do similar events again in the future?

Tamara Robertson: This was my first opportunity to do STEM outreach at a comic book show and my first debut of Super Hero Science and I loved it!  The crowd was so excited and engaged that the day flew by, and when I reflect back on the day through photos and stories, I get to relive the excitement as the children started connecting super hero powers with real life science! I think that this type of connection will help overcome the historical stereotype of scientists and inspire more children to STEM-related fields.

Jeremy Whitley: I would love to! I never get tired of getting to interact with comics’ youngest fans. If we had Free Comic Book Day several times a year, I’d be at every one.

Marvel.com: Did you pick up any free comics yourself? If so, which ones?

Tamara Robertson: The comic book store was awesome and had a set for me to take home, which I was excited to share with the kids in my family. Sadly I wasn’t able to get to share them with them myself but I know their parents are excited to do so and I can’t wait to hear which characters they liked the most. I stayed impartial since it will be their first exposure to comics.

Jeremy Whitley: Well, I picked up the new GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, of course. My daughter snagged every comic she could find with a girl on the cover, as well as using her own money to buy a few books from fellow guest and comics writer extraordinaire Tini Howard.

Marvel.com: Which super powers did you find the most fun, interesting, or challenging to recreate? Which ones seemed to get the most involvement from the audience?

Tamara Robertson: When I created the Marvel at Science Super Hero Science display, I wanted to make an homage to some of my favorite super heroes. While I knew I couldn’t replicate directly their superpowers I wanted to showcase a scientific theory that would have a similar imagery so that kids would be able to connect the idea behind the science with a super power they knew.

For instance, Venom is obviously not a magnetic being—he’s an alien symbiotic creature—but watching an Iron Oxide embedded slime overtake a rare Earth magnet—albeit slowly—brings to mind Venom taking over Spider-Man. Kids quickly associated the takeover with Venom and were quite excited to learn more about how the slime was able to do what it did. So while the power itself wasn’t directly the same, it opened the door to talking to the audience about cohesion, adhesion, polymer development, and magnets overall. They especially loved the slime components.

I actually found myself explaining to every set of parents the ease of making the slime because most of them were trying to sneak off with it! Going into the day, I wasn’t sure if the kids would be interested in waiting as the slime overtook the magnet, but all of them were excited to watch and were amazed! I even had a set of boys that had theories on ways to make it move faster, and so during a slow moment we started testing out their hypotheses, which was super cool! They even utilized my “polymer chain” of paperclips to start testing the magnets power. Overall, they had a lot of fun learning!

From there I got to talk to them about Spider-Man and his awesome web.  The way this came about was that prior to the show I visited Kyle Hill at Nerdist—he was our fearless leader on “MythBusters the Search”—and I told him about my Venom slime idea, to which he conjectured perhaps a slime embedded with Kevlar would be more Spidey web-like. This got my cogs going, and since I had the raw materials available, I figured I would try to see what would happen. At a first pass, it made the slime stronger but was limited by the shear tearing that occurs with the slime where the fibers weren’t prevalent. While at first I thought to hold off showing this idea, I realized that science is all about trying and sometimes not quite getting it right. The coolest part about this was, by sharing this story of ideation and development and inability for full practical application, I got to start this brainstorming session with children. They were all so excited about this idea of the same material the guards were wearing in their vests being in this slime and it maybe becoming strong enough to hold Spider-Man that they wanted to see this idea succeed. They offered up tons of alternatives and additions and were all engaged in what will hopefully become a second revision of the Spidey slime that I’m sure Kyle will be able to explain beautifully on “Because Science.” Overall, this was my favorite display because it enabled me to really drive home that there’s no failing in science but instead sometimes a bit more discovery than originally planned.

My sublimation demonstration was one that brought in a lot of viewers and left a lot of grown-ups giggling in nostalgia as they revisited their youthful days playing with dry ice and water bottles. While my demonstration wasn’t explosive, it was one which let the fog banks roll and even enabled the kids to take part in creation of clouds! The initial idea was to make full form dry ice bubbles, but due to the wind on the day of the exhibit, the surface tension on the bubbles resulted in immediate popping of the large ones. But the kids didn’t seem to mind as they enjoyed the smaller bubbles and the rolling clouds.

Perhaps the most surprising to me was that the most simplistic and honestly cheapest—at a whopping $0 in equipment gear—science demonstration was the one the kids loved the most! I knew that they would be excited to get to overpower their parents by utilizing horizontal force over vertical force, but it was the amazement in their parents’ eyes that really drove the “cool” factor up for the kids. Each group would get excited about the idea of who was the strongest and testing it and then would be in awe as they were suddenly outdone by the science of She-Hulk power. Even the parents and kids that were only sort of listening would start paying attention at this point which to me was quite fun.

Marvel.com: How did you decide what powers to try and recreate? How did you come up with the demos?

Tamara Robertson: Honestly, the demos were from fun science GIFs I had seen online over the last couple years that had made me think, “Hmm that reminds me of—insert super hero.” I’ve actually compiled a folder of them over the years, so when I got invited to do a STEM demo I thought, “this is perfect,” and I went through to find ones that I could do in a tent setting. Obviously, all the flame and explosion ideas were out, but there were still some pretty cool ones that would lend themselves to shock and awe. Since I enjoy working with kids in my outreach, I thought these homages would be good demos to connect their favorite super heroes with STEM while being simple enough that they could do them at home if they wanted. In fact, I had a large number of teachers come up to my displays to talk to me about how they work with the slimes in their class but would love to bring in some of the other displays and hadn’t thought to connect it with super heroes. To me, that was really cool; not just inspiring kids but helping those that work with them every day to get ideas for inspiration as well.

Marvel.com: Would you like to mention anything else?

Tamara Robertson: STEM inspiration is everywhere; it may not be in the forefront of every part of life but if you take the time to explore the world around you, it’s definitely there. Helping kids to make those connections is one of the easiest ways to start inspiring them to STEM; it doesn’t take a camp or an expensive toy—in fact sometimes it just takes going into your own backyard. Explore with your kids; learning doesn’t end with the school year and it doesn’t start with the bell. Every day is a chance to inspire them. Learning is living and the world is getting smaller and smaller—why not go discover it!

Jeremy Whitley: If anybody is interested in learning more about Tamara and what she does, we interviewed her in UNSTOPPABLE WASP #5, which came out the first week in May. And for people that got caught up on UNSTOPPABLE WASP at Free Comic Book Day and want more Nadia right now, I co-wrote issue #7 of AVENGERS with Mark Waid, which prominently features Nadia and Victor Von Doom and is available right now!

Pick up the next new installment of UNSTOPPABLE WASP with issue #6 coming June 7 from Jeremy Whitley and Elsa Charretier!

A new player with a familiar hammer makes their way into Jason Aaron’s epic!

Observers of all things Asgard know that we have a new player in town: the new Ultimate Thor! This God of Thunder seems ready for battle and has a hammer all his own. But who will we find behind the armor?

We asked UNWORTHY THOR and MIGHTY THOR writer Jason Aaron to weigh in on our top five best guesses—without spoilers, of course!

Steve Rogers

Marvel.com: He did wield Mjolnir in the Free Comic Book Day issue of SECRET EMPIRE. Maybe he can wield the hammer of the Ultimate Thor, too? Also, it would make sense with the tone of the end of UNWORTHY THOR #5, where it looks like this new breed of Thor has more war-like tendencies. Given where Cap stands with Hydra right now, it wouldn’t require too much of a leap.

Jason Aaron: That’s a good guess. I’ll just say, what’s going on with Steve right now is very much [SECRET EMPIRE writer] Nick Spencer’s story. I’m kept in the loop in terms of how it involves the hammer, which I was very interested in, and the Odinson will also be a part of that story. But that’s pretty much a story for SECRET EMPIRE and the books that are dealing with Secret Empire. So we won’t really see the MIGHTY THOR series dealing directly with those events.

Odin

Marvel.com: When we see the new Ultimate Thor, we can only see one eye as a shadow covers the other. And as mentioned, this Thor seems pretty war-minded, which would fit with Odin’s personality and history.

Jason Aaron: Yeah, it certainly does look like he only has one eye. Last we saw of Odin—well we haven’t seen him for a while. He’s been [holed] up inside his hall in Asgardia, dealing with the All-Mother Freya, who was poisoned by Loki. But I think it’s safe to say we haven’t seen the last of Odin in the book.

Nick Fury (senior)

Marvel.com: The one eye thing again! Also, we haven’t seen a lot of him since he became The Unseen. Giving him the role of the new Ultimate Thor would bring him back into the fold in a pretty dramatic fashion.

Jason Aaron: But he’s dead! He’d have to come back from the dead. Fury did die and kind of was reborn as something different, as The Unseen, whom we saw in UNWORTHY THOR. He was the first person to kind of realize that the hammer of the Ultimate Thor existed, that it had crossed over into our universe. The events of UNWORTHY THOR were really set into motion by him, by The Unseen. So certainly he has a connection to the hammer.

Maria Hill

Marvel.com: Highly unlikely, of course. But we can see from her dealings in JESSICA JONES, for example, that even though she has taken a hit, she won’t go down easily. She has had plenty of shady dealings that at first you might think would disqualify her from worthiness, but as noted, we’re faced now with a new breed of Thor. And yes, the new Ultimate Thor appears to be a man, but we’ve seen how Mjolnir transforms Jane Foster, so maybe not so far fetched? As the new Ultimate Thor, Maria could definitely stick it to everyone who forced her out of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Jason Aaron: That would be an interesting direction for me to take Maria Hill in! I don’t know if Brian Michael Bendis would be ok with me giving her a beard.

Gorr

Marvel.com: When Nick Fury whispered to the Odinson that “Gorr was right,” it led to his unworthiness. The God Butcher would certainly qualify as a new kind of Thor, and we’d get to see a nice symmetry in bringing this full circle.

Jason Aaron: I do like the sound of “Gorr the War Thor.” It’s got a nice ring to it. Certainly, even though Gorr died in [THOR: GOD OF THUNDER #11], when I was just starting on Thor, he continues to be a presence in the book. It should be obvious now that we’ve found out the secret of what Fury whispered. And that won’t change. In my mind, he has always been a presence in the book, and those questions that he raised and the effect he had on Thor Odinson has continued to have ripple effects through my whole run on the book. And that’s not going to change, we’ll definitely even go a step further and, I think, begin to see more of an effect and more of the impact of Gorr’s legacy and what he set in motion. And it will all kind of come back to haunt the characters in our book in a very real way.

The War Thor makes their presence felt in MIGHTY THOR #20, available from Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman on June 21!

Gerry Duggan digs in on how his cosmic dream team gets along!

We’ve all seen the heroism of the Avengers and the X-Men, but another team always seems to have all the fun: the Guardians of the Galaxy. These seemingly mismatched personalities find themselves facing some pretty insane situations, and they’ve build deep bonds along the way. But as we’ll see in issue #4 of ALL-NEW GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, the group’s interpersonal relationships can get a little dicey at times.

We asked writer Gerry Duggan for his insights on the ways in which each character’s personality and background impact the group dynamics.

Marvel.com: Rocket, of course, has a bit of an impulsive streak and, even though he has a good heart, he has a pretty salty attitude. Does this impact his relationship with the others?

Gerry Duggan: Yeah, I think so. Opportunistic beings are always good to have around; they’ll maybe be able to sniff out an exit strategy that you might not have thought of. In the second arc, Rocket will get a very surprising role on the team, and it’s one that I don’t think he would pick for himself, but it’s going to be one that he will come to really enjoy and relish.

Marvel.com: We’re going to see more of a focus on Gamora shortly, and she’ll get the Guardians into some trouble. She still has a bit of a loner’s attitude, even though she cares about the team. Does this affect the group dynamics?

Gerry Duggan: She definitely is not afraid to pull the group in the direction that she needs. And that’s actually what we’ll come to see as one of the driving forces of the first arc; her personal quest will either become a Guardian’s quest, or it will mean that she’ll have to leave the team.

The Guardians are, though, pretty rugged individualists. They do understand that they all have very different personal goals, even though they may be working side by side. So far they’ve been able to make that work. But I foresee a future where that may not always be possible with this group.

Marvel.com: Groot appears in his baby form in the book. How does this change the way they approach their gigs?

Gerry Duggan: What [“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” director] James Gunn and his collaborators have done is great. In our book, even though it looks very much like he might be a baby, I view the Groot that artist Aaron Kuder is drawing more as being diminished, and not necessarily as being a baby. And at the end of the first issue, we begin to see why Groot is diminished.

All-New Guardians of the Galaxy #4 cover by Aaron Kuder

Marvel.com: Peter Quill, Star-Lord, has a tendency toward sarcasm, which comes off as very funny at the right moment but I think it could also be perceived as inappropriate at times. What do you think the others think of that? Does it ever get in the way?

Gerry Duggan: There’s an issue coming up, issue #4, that really sees Quill grab the bull by the horns and attempt to [solve] a problem, and that’s maybe the Peter Quill that used to grab for the Cosmic Cube and that sort of thing. So he definitely has a mouth on him, and that can get him into trouble, but I think it comes from a place of confidence in his abilities. And it has served him well so far.

Marvel.com: In this book, we find Drax trying to remain a pacifist—what impact does that have on the group?

Gerry Duggan: It’s much to Quill’s chagrin. And it’s made a joke of by everyone but Drax. And very transparently, for me as a writer, it’s an opportunity for a couple of gags for sure. But it also is very much coming from a crisis in Drax, and a sense of insecurity that has taken hold of him since we last saw him at the end of Brian Michael Bendis’s volume. So something happens there that makes him question the use of violence. And I should say, he’s trying to swear it off—how successful he’ll be by the end of the first arc is very much up for debate. But we’ll reveal why, and eventually he will have a bit of a reckoning. But for now I’m having fun watching Drax try and balance on this beam.

Marvel.com: Would you like to mention anything else?

Gerry Duggan: We have our first guest issue coming up with artist Frazer Irving in a Gamora-centric chapter that will explain a little bit more about what Gamora’s going through. And it will really be the catalyst for a lot of story that is to come. It will really change some people’s ideas about where this story is going to go, I think.

See the cosmic heroes on display on ALL-NEW GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #2, coming May 24 by Gerry Duggan and Aaron Kuder, then Gamora goes solo with artist Frazer Irving on June 7, and Kuder returns for issue #4 on June 21!

Grounded, the ace Resistance pilot decides to visit a therapist.

Poe Dameron is an adult male who present as in above average physical health, a perception confirmed by his medical records.

While the client’s reputation precedes him, this is the first time this writer has seen Dameron in a professional setting. Given his status as arguably the best pilot of the Resistance and the numerous accolades he has received over the years, this writer does admit I experienced a certain level of celebrity gazing early in session. I did, however, quickly overcome this and was able to engage with the client in a therapeutically appropriate manner.

The client has been grounded by General Organa following a largely successful mission that nonetheless resulted in the death of a colleague and the loss, to the First Order, of the target they were pursuing. This therapist expected, therefore, that the presenting issue(s) would be related to grief and loss and possibly feelings of guilt and failure.

Initially, that is where the intake began. However, as session progressed, the client became more engaged and open and disclosed that actually what he found himself most concerned with was the General’s charge that he be more than the best pilot, that he find the one thing that would make him invaluable to the Republic and the Resistance.

Poe Dameron #15 cover by Phil Noto

We explored the notion of taking on a more active leadership role, of accepting himself as not just a man giving orders, but a figure of inspiration. The client confessed he had never seen himself in this way and even now struggled to see how others might. Additionally, it was not necessarily a role he aspired to. He loves being a pilot and being known as the best; why does he need to be more than that?

Together we discussed what it meant to him to be “the best” and what it would look like to, in some ways, sacrifice that for a new role—a role that would be both more and less than being the best pilot.

Overall, the client presents as smart and insightful. Although he does have some hesitance to disclose and was resistant at moments, overall he seemed engaged in the therapeutic process and open to the possibility of it being helpful to him.

Given my age and already heavy caseload, I referred Poe Dameron to my colleagues Doctors Charles Soule and Angel Unzueta, and Doctors Robbie Thompson and Nik Virella. His first session with them is scheduled for May 17 to be followed by a second session on June 21. The data for those will be uploaded to the memory units labeled POE DAMERON #15 and POE DAMERON ANNUAL #1 respectively.

Star Wars Tim Stevens is aware his continuity must be confusing. Just imagine that after the fall of the Empire, he found the Force, renounced his previous ways, and joined the Republic to make up for his past ethically dubious choices.