Post by Crimson Arrow on Jan 17, 2006 15:35:49 GMT -5
Though the imprint itself is not ending, Marvel today confirmed for Newsarama that all ongoing titles under the Marvel Knights imprint will be folded back into the Marvel Universe, beginning in February with Daredevil #82 - the first issue by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark. Marvel terms the move as a “redefining” of the line, which was responsible, in large part, for landing Joe Quesada his Editor in Chief position.
Marvel Knights came into being in 1998, when the company, then trying any variety of change in approach and format to bring readers in, outsourced Daredevil, Black Panther, Punisher and The Inhumans to Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti’s Event Comics. Under the guidance of the two creators, the four titles sold well, and brought both new creators (Kevin Smith on Daredevil, for instance) and readers to the line. Quesada and Palmiotti oversaw content, hired the creative teams, and even had offices in the same building as Marvel, but ran Marvel Knights as a virtually independent company.
Shortly after the appointment of Quesada to Editor in Chief, the business operations of the Marvel Knights line were folded into Marvel’s normal operating model, with many series running under the imprint. The line’s last major reinvigoration came in April of 2004, with the launch/addition of Marvel Knights Spider-Man, Hulk, Wolverine, and X-Statix to the then-current roster of Daredevil, Captain America and 4.
The move appears to come as a further consolidation of Marvel’s superhero titles into a more streamlined “universe” model, as, since April of ’04, Hulk and Captain America have returned to the Marvel Universe; Punisher has moved to MAX, Black Panther’s most recent relaunch was in the Marvel Universe line; and the formerly tight boundaries separating the Marvel Knights “universe” from the Marvel Universe aren’t as strong as they were previously.
Asked many times over the course of the past few years why Marvel continued with the Marvel Knights imprint, Quesada said that the distinction was more thematic and in tone than anything else, explaining that the Marvel Knights titles were a little grittier than the more mainstream Marvel Universe titles. Quesada’s point is valid, as, for example, Daredevil by Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev is a fairly street level book rather than showing the hero fighting the costumed villain of the month. That said, some critics have pointed out that Marvel’s own in-house rating system for its comics should be able to make it clear enough to potential readers what the story between the covers will be like.
Following Daredevil #82 the remaining ongoing titles will begin to shed the imprint trade dress, starting with Black Panther #14 (the first wedding story), and then following with Moon Knight #1, Squadron Supreme #1, and Wolverine #42 (which will also see the addition of a new creative team, and Wolverine's entry into the "Civil War" storyline). Marvel Knights Spider-Man will become Sensational Spider-Man with issue #23, and MK Four will become Four with issue #28.
Again, Marvel stressed, the moves of the ongoing series are a redefining of the imprint, which will remain a viable location for projects. Rather than ongoings, however, following the changes, Marvel Knights will be the home for limited series by high profile creative teams that fall outside of the realm of the Marvel Universe.
Four projects are currently scheduled to come out under the Marvel Knights imprint in the coming months:
Silver Surfer: Requiem by J. Michael Straczynski & Esad Ribic (late 2006 or early 2007)
The Spider by Kaare Andrews (late 2006)
Fury: Peacemaker by Garth Ennis & Darick Robertson (February)
Spirit Of Vengeance (the original, Western Ghost Rider) by Garth Ennis & Clayton Crain (late 2006).
“These stand alone stories won’t just challenge readers to re-think their favorite Marvel legends," said Marvel Knights editor Axel Alonso. "Oftentimes, we’ll focus on characters that are off the beaten path—boiling these archetypes down to their cores. We want to build on the tradition of limited series like Ennis and Crain’s Ghost Rider, Frank Cho’s Shanne, the She-Devil and Robert Rodi and Ribic’s Loki -- each of which offered very distinct visions for Marvel characters, and each of which -- judging by sales numbers -- were embraced by fandom.”
Joe Quesada: “Marvel Knights is the showcase for ‘evergreen events’ -- self-contained limited series that think outside the box, that challenge readers to re-think their favorite Marvel characters and re-evaluate the legends that surround them. In other words, Marvel Knights will be a place for top talent to work without constraints, and deliver the kind of product fans deserve!”
Newsarama Note: The April Marvel catalog was finalized before this change was made official at Marvel, and as such, will still refer to ongoing titles as being under the Marvel Knights imprint. May's catalog will refelct the change.
Marvel Knights came into being in 1998, when the company, then trying any variety of change in approach and format to bring readers in, outsourced Daredevil, Black Panther, Punisher and The Inhumans to Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti’s Event Comics. Under the guidance of the two creators, the four titles sold well, and brought both new creators (Kevin Smith on Daredevil, for instance) and readers to the line. Quesada and Palmiotti oversaw content, hired the creative teams, and even had offices in the same building as Marvel, but ran Marvel Knights as a virtually independent company.
Shortly after the appointment of Quesada to Editor in Chief, the business operations of the Marvel Knights line were folded into Marvel’s normal operating model, with many series running under the imprint. The line’s last major reinvigoration came in April of 2004, with the launch/addition of Marvel Knights Spider-Man, Hulk, Wolverine, and X-Statix to the then-current roster of Daredevil, Captain America and 4.
The move appears to come as a further consolidation of Marvel’s superhero titles into a more streamlined “universe” model, as, since April of ’04, Hulk and Captain America have returned to the Marvel Universe; Punisher has moved to MAX, Black Panther’s most recent relaunch was in the Marvel Universe line; and the formerly tight boundaries separating the Marvel Knights “universe” from the Marvel Universe aren’t as strong as they were previously.
Asked many times over the course of the past few years why Marvel continued with the Marvel Knights imprint, Quesada said that the distinction was more thematic and in tone than anything else, explaining that the Marvel Knights titles were a little grittier than the more mainstream Marvel Universe titles. Quesada’s point is valid, as, for example, Daredevil by Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev is a fairly street level book rather than showing the hero fighting the costumed villain of the month. That said, some critics have pointed out that Marvel’s own in-house rating system for its comics should be able to make it clear enough to potential readers what the story between the covers will be like.
Following Daredevil #82 the remaining ongoing titles will begin to shed the imprint trade dress, starting with Black Panther #14 (the first wedding story), and then following with Moon Knight #1, Squadron Supreme #1, and Wolverine #42 (which will also see the addition of a new creative team, and Wolverine's entry into the "Civil War" storyline). Marvel Knights Spider-Man will become Sensational Spider-Man with issue #23, and MK Four will become Four with issue #28.
Again, Marvel stressed, the moves of the ongoing series are a redefining of the imprint, which will remain a viable location for projects. Rather than ongoings, however, following the changes, Marvel Knights will be the home for limited series by high profile creative teams that fall outside of the realm of the Marvel Universe.
Four projects are currently scheduled to come out under the Marvel Knights imprint in the coming months:
Silver Surfer: Requiem by J. Michael Straczynski & Esad Ribic (late 2006 or early 2007)
The Spider by Kaare Andrews (late 2006)
Fury: Peacemaker by Garth Ennis & Darick Robertson (February)
Spirit Of Vengeance (the original, Western Ghost Rider) by Garth Ennis & Clayton Crain (late 2006).
“These stand alone stories won’t just challenge readers to re-think their favorite Marvel legends," said Marvel Knights editor Axel Alonso. "Oftentimes, we’ll focus on characters that are off the beaten path—boiling these archetypes down to their cores. We want to build on the tradition of limited series like Ennis and Crain’s Ghost Rider, Frank Cho’s Shanne, the She-Devil and Robert Rodi and Ribic’s Loki -- each of which offered very distinct visions for Marvel characters, and each of which -- judging by sales numbers -- were embraced by fandom.”
Joe Quesada: “Marvel Knights is the showcase for ‘evergreen events’ -- self-contained limited series that think outside the box, that challenge readers to re-think their favorite Marvel characters and re-evaluate the legends that surround them. In other words, Marvel Knights will be a place for top talent to work without constraints, and deliver the kind of product fans deserve!”
Newsarama Note: The April Marvel catalog was finalized before this change was made official at Marvel, and as such, will still refer to ongoing titles as being under the Marvel Knights imprint. May's catalog will refelct the change.
Creidt (Have images) - www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/MarvelKnights/MKredefined.htm
