So What Will Be Marvel’s “Next Big Thing”?

Marvel Comics hosted their “Next Big Thing” panel at C2E2 2012. Click “More” to learn about their plans for the Summer’s new series!

Marvel’s Next Big Thing Panel:

- To kick things off, Kelly Sue DeConnick spoke more on the previously revealed new series Captain Marvel due this July.  Art is being supplied by Dexter Soy with covers by Ed McGuinness.

- The main plan for Carol Danvers is to update her character for the current times.  She came into Marvel’s Universe in the 70s and she did her thing there and had her place, she disappeared for a little while and came back in the 90s with a new angle, but it’s time to update her character again.  DeConnick revealed it will be more about her Air Force training in an attempt to make her better and faster than anyone else.

- DeConnick also mentioned that we should look for a new, female version of the Howling Commandos that will come along in issue #2.

- Marvel recalls their big announcement of Daredevil at last year’s C2E2 and the luke warm hopes that it will be awesome and how it turned out.  They believe Captain Marvel will be every bit as awesome as Daredevil was.

- Avenging Spider-Man #9 will feature Captain Marvel with what promises to be spectacular art from the Dodsons.

- Another big announcement was Jamie McKelvie taking over The Defenders with issue #8 allowing for Terry Dodson to step away to Avenging Spider-Man.

- Fans of Mighty Thor and Journey Into Mystery will find the two series on a crash course beginning in Mighty Thor #18 and Journey Into Mystery #642.

- The arc will be called “Everything Burns” and will feature the return of Surtur.

- Loki will be betrayed by someone close to him.  Thor will be betrayed by someone close to him.  A new truth will be revealed about the women of Asgard.  And Leah will play a very important role in the event.

- Cullen Bunn and his big two projects takes center stage.

- First, the writer talks about Captain America and Hawkeye (though co-stars will rotate so after four issues Hawkeye is out with a new co-star coming in)

- He pitched the idea as Captain America and Hawkeye are the “Tango & Cash” of the Marvel Universe.  He uses several old school monsters that hasn’t been seen for years, if not decades.  Basically this arc will feature two heroes without superpowers facing creatures that force them to rely on more than they really are.  As Bunn put it, “They will need to persevere purely through being badasses.”

- Next, Bunn talked about taking over Wolverine with issue #305.

- Through the love of always being a Wolverine fan, his first arc will put the character through some seriously “dark and twisted situations”.  In fact, he described an editorial note that came back to him after his initial scripts were done as “What horrible thing happened to you in your childhood to write this?”

- The story features the return of Dr. Rot and it’s revealed that he has a “family” of his own.

- The biggest announcement was that James Asmus and Clay Mann are the creative team behind a new Gambit ongoing series beginning in August.

- Asmus described the series as Gambit finally breaking out into the Marvel U proper and no longer being tucked away in the X-Men corner.

- He plans to use ideas that go from Kirby style monsters, to outer space adventures, to magic, to Norn stones.  Ultimately the entire feel will be fun, crazy, and over the top.  However, the character development will still be there with new and dark places for Gambit to go.

That does it for C2E2′s news.  We’ll be at it again this time next year!

Tags: 2012 C2E2 Chicago Comic Con Captain America Captain Marvel Cullen Bunn Gambit Journey Into Mystery Kelly Sue DeConnick Marvel Comics Slider Thor Wolverine