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SHIELD
Jonathan Hickman is the popular writer of such books as Marvel’s wonderful four and secret Warriors. This month, his new title debuts, Marvel’s SHIELD. Westfield’s Roger Ash recently talked to Hickman about this new series.
Westfield: The shield series sounds like a pretty big concept. how did it all come about?
Jonathan Hickman: I was in new York and went to meet with Tom Brevoort. I’m pretty sure it was ideal before a writer’s retreat and I had flown in a little early. I was hanging out in the offices and one of the X-editors, Nick Lowe, said he wanted to sit down and speak to me about pitching a book – specifically a S.W.O.R.D. series.
Now, obviously, that’s not what ended up happening because, hey, we’re in the present and Kieron Gillen’s doing S.W.O.R.D. and kicking ass on it, and my idea became something else. Because, while my original pitch wasn’t ideal for that, the editors at marvel thought it was certainly ideal for something. So, I made some changes, wrote up a fairly substantial series paper and everyone at the house of ideas got really excited. now we have SHIELD… The creative process is funny like that.
Beyond that, creating the story was just sitting down and doing the hard work of figuring out how to grow this single cell organism into a living, breathing thing. So I started with the initial idea of wanting the book to be about all the coolest science people in history (in the marvel Universe), and then built a detailed mythology around it. It’s weird. You start out at a certain point, you proceed forward towards a certain destination, and you end up in a completely different place – but one that feels like one of the best things I’ve ever written. It’s been a unique, organic, and creatively satisfying experience so far.
Westfield: What can you say about the book?
Hickman: It is the greatest minds in the history of the world. We find out that they are connected, from Imhotep, to Da Vinci, to Galileo, to Isaac Newton, to Ben Franklin, to Michelangelo, and on… beyond being gifts to humanity themselves, they also have a certain task and a certain agenda. call it destiny if you want.
It’s a look at the history of the world in the marvel Universe, and the men who dared answer the call many, lots of times to save us all. and do it long before people like Spider-Man and Captain America showed up.
Westfield: So is the book set now and look into the past?
Hickman: No. It takes place in the Golden/Silver Age marvel Universe. It looks back at the history leading to that point, but it ends up in the future. It’s kind of Lost-like in that we’re jumping all over the place. but rest assured, there’s a concrete narrative – a beginning, middle and end to the story. You never feel like you don’t know what’s going on.
Westfield: What current marvel characters show up in the book?
Hickman: Lots. As far as who are the main characters that we’ve seen before, there’s Howard Stark and Nathaniel Richards, the fathers of Iron man and Mr. Fantastic. beyond that, much of what we see is peripheral. We see Nick Fury once or twice because, obviously, there’s a natural tie-in to S.H.I.E.L.D. that’s in the book. But, to be clear, the series is not only about the origins of acronym S.H.I.E.L.D. (That’s maybe is about 5 or 10% of the actual story), it’s the story of the world. Sure, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s a very crucial piece, and it’s certainly not an afterthought, but it’s just a logical conclusion to one part of the larger story that we’re telling.
Westfield: You’re working with artist Dustin Weaver. What can you say about his contribution to the book?
Hickman: There are plenty of really talented people in comics. I work with a lot of them all the time, I’m fortunate to do so. but Dustin is compelling because he pretty aggressively is interested in stuff that’s really, really hard to draw. There are plenty of times that you tell someone “Here’s the scene. Here’s what’s in the foreground, here’s what’s in the middle ground, here’s what’s in the background. Here’s what the character’s doing. Here’s what we’re looking at. and here’s what’s being said.” and then you get that. but you give that to him and what comes back is that he has tied in other story elements into the panel. plot bits from what’s coming up. That’s Dustin. It’s not just that he’s a world class artist, and he’s clearly that, but something more… I’ll say it like this: He could be as big as he wants to be. I’m just not sold that’s what he’s interested in. What I do know for sure, is that whatever he does do, people will still be getting a decade from now.
Fantastic Four
Westfield: There’s been a lot of positive talk about your work on wonderful Four. Is there anything you’d like to say about what’s coming up there?
Hickman: Sure. We’ve got a big story arc drawn by Dale Eaglesham called Prime elements up next. We’re doing the planet-romping, exploration, and adventure side of the FF. and speaking of terrific art, I’m pleased as hell of the work Dale’s doing on this. For this arc, he generally had to create four new environments with completely new characters that tie into (but are divergent form) existing FF mythology. That’s a tough thing to do, and Dale’s just killing it. ideal now, our FF run feels like it’s a special thing.
Dale, Neil, Paul and I are all on the same page. everybody at the office seems pleased. fan action seems to be solid. I wish it was selling a little bit better, but that’s where the FF’s at ideal now. It’s our job to get a lot more people ecstatic about the first family. Hopefully, when we get a couple of trades out, and people can easily check out what we’re doing, they’ll want to start following the monthly. Regardless, it’s amazing work. I’m really delighted with it.
Secret Warriors
I’m also delighted with where we’re at on secret Warriors. I feel fortunate that I’m currently on really good books, really fun books, and that the editors support me and my vision for where those comics are headed. marvel and I seem to really be on the same page ideal now.
Westfield: any closing comments?
Hickman: I think that shield is a story that’s important. In any story, characters… plot… these things are primary and need to be done well for a book to be considered successful, but I think that the stories that are really, really special have themes that resonate. shield is very timely and very proper relating to the world we live in. We’re not on a soapbox here, and we’re not preaching, or anything like that, but this is story about man – the terrific engine of exploration and discovery; it’s about our future and looking back at our past and seeing where we came from and what we can be. Personally, it feels like people have lost sight of how far we’ve come and as a result how much additionally it is we can go. We can do better, we can be more. I hope people will check it out.