Amazing Spider-Man Family #3
I mentioned last time that I had some new work from Marvel Comics. Well, one of those has now been announced. I’ve written a story for Amazing Spider-Man Family that will come out December 3rd. You can read the catalogue description at Marvel’s website. Most people know that Peter Parker (a.k.a. Spider-Man) was raised by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. What most people don’t know, and will read in my story, is a little about Peter’s parents, Richard and Mary Parker, and the adventures they had while Peter was a baby. It’s a fun story that I had a blast writing. And in the same issue you’ve got more stories from Tom DeFalco and J.M. DeMatteis, so it promises to have some great writing (I’m humbled to even be in the same comic as these two veterans of the industry). For art you’ll find Ramon Bachs (who’s also doing the upcoming Marvel Apes miniseries), Todd Nauck (who recently did Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man with writer Peter David), and Patrick Olliffe on the cover.
I found myself working with Marvel editors Steve Wacker and Tom Brennan on this story – both great guys to work with who handle a ton of titles for Marvel and are putting out some tremendous comics (check out Amazing Spider-Man if you want to read a Spider-Man that will bring you back to your childhood Spidey).
I’ve got one other story cooking for Marvel, but I’ll wait until things are further along on that one to say anything.
Thanks for reading. Remember to check out my webcomic, Devolution, over at www.ComicCritique.com, and if you have comments, feel free to write and let me know what you think at DevolutionComic@gmail.com.
Military Media Interviews
I’m woefully behind on blog entries right now, but one thing I need to mention is that I’ve had a couple more recent interviews come out, and I want everyone to know where to find these.
The first was a great interview from fellow comic lover SSgt Joe Buzanowski, and you can find the interview at the Offical Website of the US Air Force – the interview is posted now at http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123080122. Joe was able to cover some of how my military background paved the way for my entrance into Marvel Comics.
The second interview was done by Bryant Jordan and it can be found in the last issue of 2007 of any copy of the Military Times newspapers (Air Force Times, Army Times, etc). I recently read it in the 31 December 2007 copy of the Air Force Times, and Bryant did an incredible job on the interview, showcasing how I was able to use my military background for an intimate story in the life of Spider-Man and the New Avengers.
I hope you all stop by the link to check out the former and, if possible, are able to find a copy of the latter interview. They both did a great job. Let’s hope there’s more of that in the future.
Matt
another great newsarama interview
Thanks to newsarama.com, I’ve had the chance to do another great interview. Now you can hear from me and all the writers involved in Giant-Size Avengers Special #1 (to be released on 19 December) by going to http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=137189. And if you want to hear from our editor, John Barber, he’s done a separate interview found at http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=135449. From him you’ll learn more about the origins of the stories that will comprise the Avengers Special.
After you’ve had a chance to read these, I think you’ll find how diverse the stories will be within the pages of the one-shot special. It’ll well be worth the price of admission to hear several new and incredible voices within the Marvel universe. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts when the book is released.
Matt
A Hero in Somone’s Life
This whole journey with Marvel Comics began after winning an auction from The Hero Initiative (then called ACTOR, A Commitment to Our Roots) to have lunch with Joe Quesada, Marvel Editor-in-Chief. This was explained in depth in a newsarama.com interview I gave, and some on the forum questioned this choice to spend money in order to meet Joe Q.
For those who questioned giving money to The Hero Initiative, they only need to check out this post (http://heroinitiative.blogspot.com/2007/11/giving-thanks-indeed.html) regarding the work Hero is doing. I would say any money given to The Hero Initiative is money well spent.
I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving.
Matt
A fantastic interview at newsarama.com
I can’t thank the owner of newsarama.com, Matt Brady, enough for a fantastic interview the other day. It was posted today and you can find it at http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=131543. It’s well worth reading, and the responses posted to the review have been incredible. I’ve never seen a comics message board so positive before.
I hope this enthusiasm leads to more work with Marvel. For now I’ll keep coming up with ideas and seeing what they think.
Matt
Interview at IGN.com
Over the weekend I finished my first interview for the Giant-Size Avengers Special #1, this one for IGN.com. It was a lot of fun to chat with them and share the latest on the “Memorial Day” story and talk about comics in general.
To read the full interview, check out http://comics.ign.com/articles/823/823852p1.html.
I’ll be sure to update any more interviews as they happen. I had one other interview over the weekend, a phone interview with the Military Times newspapers (Air Forces Times, Army Times, etc). Not sure when that will be released, but I’ll keep everyone up to date as I find out. Stay tuned here at www.MattYocumComics.com.
Giant-Size Avengers Special #1 preview art
I thought everyone might like to see a little preview art. I’m honored to say that after working with Marvel Comics since the 1980s, this story is the first time Paul Neary has both penciled and inked his own work for them. The pages have come out absolutley incredible, and this is but one example of how it looks.
The destroyed Avengers mansion, Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, and is that Doctor Strange? This story really does have it all. It’s a fast moving journey through Avengers history, all compacted into 10 pages. Don’t forget – December 19th. Giant-Size Avengers Special #1 will be a great read for Christmas.
Cover to Giant-Size Avengers Special #1
Shown here is Bryan Hitch’s cover to my first published Marvel work, Giant-Size Avengers Special #1. This marks Hitch’s return to the mainstream Marvel Universe after a long time in the Ultimate Universe. Soon he’ll be working with writer Mark Millar and inker Paul Neary (the artist for my Avengers story) on Fantastic Four, coming out in 2008.
Release date for my first Marvel story
It’s official. This December 19th will see the release of my first published comic from Marvel Comics with a 10-page story in Giant-Size Avengers Special #1. With a cover by Bryan Hitch, my story has been penciled and inked by Paul Neary whose pencils you’ve seen in the past in Captain America and Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. He’s done incredible work on this, and I can’t wait to see reactions when the comic hits the stands.
To learn more about the release, you can go to Marvel’s catalog at http://www.marvel.com/catalog/?id=7796.
I hope everyone is able to stop by their local comic’s store and pick this up – it’ll make a great read over the Christmas holidays and a perfect gift to give.
Marvel story update – 22 July 07
The pencils are finished! My first Marvel story, a Spider-Man centric New Avengers story titled “Memorial Day,” now has all 10 pages penciled by artist Paul Neary, who is now busy inking the pages. Incidentally, despite his several decades of work with Marvel Comics, this is the first time Paul has penciled and inked his own work for them. So I guess this is a first for both of us – my first Marvel story, his first penciled and inked work.
As of this point my editor, John Barber, believes the story will come out in as a giant size one-shot Avengers issue. Upon my suggestion that it could find a home in Marvel’s upcoming Marvel Comics Presents (MCP) anthology (edited by John after the recent departure of editor Andy Schmidt from Marvel), John indicated the various stories intended for the no-longer-coming-out Avengers Unleashed title would probably sell better as an Avengers one-shot than Marvel Comics Presents. The Avengers name carries a lot of weight. That certainly makes sense, although I do wish MCP the best.
No word yet as to when this one-shot might appear. I’ll keep everyone posted on its appearance, and, with permission, I hope to share a little of Paul’s amazing artwork on this site. The first two panels alone will have you wondering what happened to Wolverine.
More to come.