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By TJ Dietsch
Not every Avengers team announces their presence with a loud call to assemble. While some might join a melee with the familiar “Avengers Assemble!” the Secret Avengers get in, out and gone without making a whisper, let alone a shout.
As sweeping changes come in the wake of Marvel NOW! look for not only a new SECRET AVENGERS roster put together by Maria Hill, but also an all new first issue come February when the book re-launches under the team of writer Nick Spencer and artist Luke Ross.
“[Editor] Tom [Brevoort] called me and asked if I was interested in doing a Secret Avengers book that focused on a S.H.I.E.L.D. run team, and that featured Nick Fury and Phil Coulson,” Spencer says. “Which is the kind of call I think any Marvel writer dreams of getting; a S.H.I.E.L.D. book is kind of that holy grail assignment that everyone has ideas for. Throw in that the organization has never had a higher profile, thanks to the films, and the inclusion of the Avengers themselves, well, I was very excited to get the offer.”
With the combined might of the new Nick Fury, Agent Coulson, Hawkeye, Mokingbird, Winter Soldier, Hulk, Black Widow and an all-new Iron Patriot, this particular team sports very specific skill sets that lend themselves well to some pretty intense missions.
“These operatives were hand-picked by S.H.I.E.L.D. based on a number of factors,” Spencer elaborates. “Some have experience in black ops missions. Some have military training. Some are walking weapons of mass destruction. The combination is a potent one, and a veritable dream team for these kinds of assignments. But I should also say they’re not the only ones. A big part of the fun is anyone can get the call. And then forget they got it, once the mission’s done.”
Spencer explains that the manner in which the team members get “debriefed” following missions goes back to a landmark limited series penned by Brian Michael Bendis starring the senior Nick Fury, Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Wolverine and Daredevil.
“In SECRET WAR, we saw Nick Fury used mind-wipe/memory plant tech to bring together a team of super-powered operatives to take down an off-the-books threat,” he reminds. “The end result of that mission was a full-scale disaster, and essentially set off a chain of events that ripped S.H.I.E.L.D. apart. But now that there’s a new S.H.I.E.L.D. up and running, there’s already interest in re-visiting this initiative. Because at the end of the day, there are limits to what their own agents can do—they need high-powered operatives to tackle high-powered threats. They need Avengers.”
The writer conveys that this team will provide a synthesis between the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. outlooks while keeping the threats big enough to necessitate such a team.
“As I said, this is S.H.I.E.L.D.’s team, so the kinds of threats they deal with look very different from the ones the core Avengers team might come up against,” Spencer says. “These are rogue states, terrorist groups, arms dealers. The missions are often diplomatically sensitive and highly classified. They’re working in a world with a lot of gray in it, making tough decisions in order to prevent war and protect the peace.”
While Spencer won’t disclose the identity of the new Iron Patriot, he does explain that the series, which features many characters a wider audience will know from the “Marvel’s The Avengers” film, will take more cues from the Marvel Studios world while still remaining firmly rooted in the Marvel Universe.
“Personally speaking, I love that we’re living in a world where virtually everyone you talk to knows who Hawkeye is, knows what a Helicarrier is,” Spencer shares. “And now, if they have a tablet or a laptop, or hit a bookstore or Amazon, they can sample the comics themselves with ease.
“We have exposure and access for really the first time ever. And with Marvel NOW!, it’s an easy time to reel those potential readers in while still honoring the core fan base that’s supported these books for years. This is definitely a book that honors past continuity and makes use of it frequently, but hopefully we do it in a way that doesn’t alienate new readers. And we’ll definitely feature characters and concepts from the films when they make sense; that kind of cross-pollination is nearly as old as comics themselves, and it’s good for everyone.”
Though SECRET AVENGERS doesn't hit stands until February of next year, Spencer and Ross have been hard at work on the series.
“Luke is fantastic,” Spencer says. “Anyone who’s seen his work on ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES or CAPTAIN AMERICA knows how great he is. His early pages have been blowing me away—he really gets the mix of the black ops-S.H.I.E.L.D stuff and the big, widescreen Avengers stuff.”
Can’t make it to the convention? Follow along on the Marvel Events App & events.marvel.com, and visit marvel.com/nycc2012, the best way to get exclusive videos, real-time announcements from the convention floor and up-to-the-minute panel, in-booth, and signing schedules of all your favorite Marvel creators!
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