NYCC 2014: Sam Humphries Talks GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY AND X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX
At New York Comic Con, some exciting news broke. Sam Humphries vaguely hinted about some big things coming when LEGENDARY STAR-LORD was just beginning. Now the details have finally been revealed. Marvel has been fleshing out the cosmic corner of the Marvel Universe and it's only natural that we'd see a bunch of these characters come together when so much is at stake. With GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY AND X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX, we're going to see the combined threat of Thane, Mr. Knife and the Brood come together and it's up to the heroes to band together to save everything.
We spoke to Humphries to find out more about what we can expect.
COMIC VINE: How long have you been planning this event? You’ve been planting seeds in THE LEGENDARY STAR-LORD for a long time, right?
SAM HUMPHRIES: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY AND X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX was an idea I first pitched two Marvel retreats ago. And yes, if you want to witness the first whispers of this Marvel cosmic event, they begin in THE LEGENDARY STAR-LORD issue 1. If you’ve already been reading, you might want to go back and take another look — we’ve been setting up this epic event right under your nose!
The Black Vortex itself makes its first appearance in THE LEGENDARY STAR-LORD issue 5.
CV: Will the BLACK VORTEX issues follow a strict reading order? (like part 1 in Guradians, part 2 in Star-Lord, etc)
SH: That’s correct. We’ll have BLACK VORTEX: ALPHA (shipping in February) and BLACK VORTEX: OMEGA as our bookends. In between there will be issues of THE LEGENDARY STAR-LORD, ALL-NEW X-MEN, CAPTAIN MARVEL, NOVA, and many more, forming the chapter by chapter story. There’s also some tie-in books that aren’t part of the strict reading order.
CV: What kind of coordination are all of you doing for each issue?
SH: Tight, intense coordination. I put together the event outline, but the real dynamite is coming from the contributions of my co-authors — Brian Bendis, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Gerry Duggan, and more, plus our editors Mike Marts and Katie Kubert, not to mention the amazing artists involved…we’ve got a deep bench!
We’ve got such an incredible lineup of talent on this event, there’s such a great chemistry between us all — it’s the coordination and collaboration has really unlocked the epic potential of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY AND X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX.
CV: Is there a different feeling playing in the cosmic corner of the Marvel Universe compared to stories set on Earth?
SH: Yeah, space is big and vast, and Earth is small and crowded. When you’re talking about a story with this epic scope, with ten billion years of the Marvel Universe in play, with the potential for a dozen or more new titans of the galaxy, with the potential for the cosmos itself to burn...you need some elbow room to properly cut loose and tear it up!
CV: Will there be a big impact or any changes in your title after this story?
SH: Absolutely. The Marvel cosmic line has seen a lot of changes in 2014 and we’re about to shake things up in a big way in 2015. New alliances formed, old friendships broken, characters confronting dark things about themselves, and an artifact with the power to change everything in the Marvel Universe…no one can encounter the Black Vortex and remain unchanged.
And then there are the characters who will submit to the Black Vortex and have their cosmic potential unlocked…forget it...
CV: As you’ve been writing Peter Quill, has the way you look at him changed at all?
SH: Yes. The more I write him, the more I see myself.
CV: What would you do if you got your hands on an object that could grant your deepest, darkest desires?
SH: The Black Vortex is an ancient artifact with the power to unlock the cosmic potential within yourself. Imagine the metamorphosis that turned Norrin Radd into the Silver Surfer…or Jean Grey into Dark Phoenix…available to anyone in the Marvel Universe. I would probably use that cosmic power to get wifi everywhere.
CV: Was Ed McGuinness brought on as artist of BLACK VORTEX: ALPHA because he has the cosmic ability to draw so dang well?
SH: Ed McGuinness is just incredible. We knew we needed a monster artist for this monster story, and Ed’s got the epic cosmic chops to take your breath away. I suspect he is actually an Eternal.
Be sure to look for GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY AND X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX in February!
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