Back In Thine Saddle: Simonson Returns to Marvel for Avengers

There was big news yesterday afternon from Marvel via their Next Big Thing liveblog with Brian Michael Bendis: starting with issue 25, the main Avengers title is gonna tie into the Avengers Vs. X-Men event for six issues! Wait, that’s not news… after Fear Itself and Avengers: X-Sanction so far, a Marvel event tie-in unfortunately sounds less like news than it does a diagnosis.

Then again, maybe not. Because Walt Simonson is returning to Marvel for the first time in around a decade to draw it. Not that image above; that’s a sketch for the Hero Initiative from a couple years ago, but I figured it’d be a nice taste of what we’re in for.

Simonson is possibly best known these days for his run on Thor back in the 80’s, which is well enough regarded and in enough demand that last year, IDW Publishing released an Artist’s Edition of his run on that book. Stop and think about that for a second: there was enough demand for Simonson’s work on that book that IDW made a deal with Marvel to publish it, and normally deals like that involve souls, first-born sons, or the biological equipment to create first-born sons.

And now, Simonson’s gonna get to draw Thor again. As well as one or two other characters:

I got to write Avengers back in the late 80′s with John Buscema and Tom Palmer. I didn’t really get to draw the book though. I’ve never really gotten to draw the Avengers. I’m excited to draw them. But really, I wanted to work with Brian. We’ve always said it would be fun to work together, but I’ve been at DC. Now I’m back on the freelance trail and called Brian up. I did not expect to be handed a whole story arc. And when Brian said “There are a lot of characters” I didn’t really realize how many characters.

I have a lot of homework to do. There are a lot of characters I know and others I know but who have changed.

There are 30,000 or 40,000 characters on my first page. Thanks, Brian.

Ah! So now we see the Bendis’s motive for asking for Simonson: torturing an old comics pro! Right, Brian?

This is truly one of the most exciting things that has ever happened to me at Marvel. When I was a young, strapping lad trying to break into comics, I’m talking years and years ago, I met Walt at a convention. I showed him my childish sketches and he treated me like a peer. He was so generous an empowering and set me on a course to be where I am now. He would keep sending me letter[s] of encouragement and critique. That was the moment I knew I wanted to do this. He is one of the most important people in my creative life. I always made it very clear if he was ever back at Marvel I would love to work with him. I’m so happy he decided to come join us and when I asked what he wanted to do, Avengers was a big pile of everything he wanted to do.

Jesus, Brian; after the last couple of Marvel events, I’d be a little more careful about in any way referring to this as a “big pile.”

Avengers #25 comes out in April.

(Simonson Avengers sketch via Bleeding Cool)