S.w.o.r.d.

[Tron Bonne]

Well, at least you can admit that

 

[JewishHobbit]

While I like the fun books, they tend to lose my interest very quickly... when I actually give them a shot. Deadpool kept me longest, somewhere around 13 issues, before I got bored and dropped the title. I'd probably like Hercules but I don't want to pay $4 to try it out.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Well, to each his own, I think we need more lighthearted and fun comics since everything else seems to want to be Watchmen Lite nowadays.

And ****, I forgot to pick this up today at the shop. I'll pick it up Friday probably

 

[Dread]

I don't care about Pet Avengers, Incredible Hercules, or Agents of Atlas....

JH = No Fun

Incredible Hercules + Agents of Atlas = Win for me at least.

Does that mean was can at least concede my reading habits are more fun than JewishHobbit?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Well, yeah, but he's an X-Men fan.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Hey! X-Men are fun!!!


You know... when... like... Bachalo shows up... and draws bunnies in the background.

 

[NightBeetle]

S.W.O.R.D. #4 Written by KIERON GILLEN Penciled by STEVEN SANDERS Cover by MIKE DEL MUNDO Beast, Brand and her crew face an assult on multiple fronts as they go on the run and STILL have stop more than one alien insurgency. Can they upend Gyrich?s plot and stop the invasions in one fell swoop? 32 PGS./Rated A ?$2.99

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Pretty cover. Looking forward to it.

 

[NightBeetle]

S.W.O.R.D #2 Preview

Extraterrestrials are no longer welcome on Earth. So say goodbye to Marvel Boy, Beta Ray Bill, Karolina from the Runaways and a ton of others…including Agent Brand and Lockheed! Henry Gyrich has turned the tables on our heroine and her time as head of S.W.O.R.D. is coming to a close.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Heh, I'm sure Brand's very next words after that last page are "do it!"

 

[JewishHobbit]

This book would improve in awesome levels if that Cecelia turned out to be Cecelia Reyes.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Man, I'm going to have to start putting sticky notes over Beast in this book. I just...cannot look at that. Sweet ****, I can handle ugly, but there's just something wrong about that.

Besides that, though, looking forward to issue 2

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Beast's look is kind of growing on me. I still think he looks more like a billy-goat than a cat, but it doesn't bother me as much.

This book would improve in awesome levels if that Cecelia turned out to be Cecelia Reyes.

You want Reyes to be a government stooge under Gyrich? I saw that panel and thought, "I really hope that's not Cecelia Reyes." The different spelling was encouraging to me.

 

[JewishHobbit]

If there's a good reasoning behind it then I don't mind. Not to mention I can easily see her becoming an 'in' for Beast to help thwart Gyrich, or to at least make things difficult for him.

 

[NightBeetle]

X-POSITION: Kieron Gillen

1) How hard or easy was it to make the changeover from writing gods ("Dark Avengers: Ares") to writing a space-monitoring agency?

For me, writing is all about research. So doing "Ares" and "Thor," I've been backpacking around the afterlife for a few weeks. I was crashing on Ra's sofa, and picking up some tips and going to his crazy parties. You wouldn't believe the scenes. (Oh, rough guide to the divinities' spheres tip: don't go to an Egyptian Party if you've got a cat allergy).
Anyway, I when I realized I had a S.W.O.R.D. script due, I had to get out of there ASAP and call in a favor with a mate with a UFO (I'll identify it - it's a flying saucer) and go hang out with some extraterrestrials. I got lots of great material, but got a bit tipsy and woke up with an Alpha Centurian lady. Shame and regret. I do these things for you, true believers.
In short, I found it worryingly easy. They feed into different parts of my imagination. It's great having an outlet for both.

2) It's obvious (to me, anyway) that you're building Unit up as both a threat and as a storyline that's going to have a big payoff. How long before we see Unit's story come to a head?


That's totally the sort of question you ask, but you'll be disappointed if I actually gave you a straight answer. I'm going to have to be as deceptive as Unit itself.
Not that he's deceptive. He's entirely trustworthy and has no ill-intentions towards the rest of existence. He's in that cell just because it's the only room they had available on the Peak. He won't skin you. Just let him out, turn around, and count to forty.

3) Beyond the (awesome) backup story with Lockheed, will the Kitty-Bullet storyline eventually be finished in "S.W.O.R.D.," or will we have to look to other books for closure?


I think it's safe to say it'll be a little while yet before the issue of the troublesome space-bullet will be resolved. Lockheed is going to need more Jack Daniels.

WhoZeDuke would like a spot of tea with his cosmic adventures. Any chance you could help him out?
First of all, I really like everything you are doing at Marvel, especially "Dark Avengers: Ares." Regarding "S.W.O.R.D.," will we see more characters from the British corner of the MU appear? Personally, I'd love to see Pete Wisdom show up in a scene with Brand…


Thank you! Regarding Mr. Wisdom, I'm not sure the Peak is big enough to house those two particularly gargantuan egos; though I'll agree, it would be fun to watch. At the moment, I've no specific plans for any more Marvel UK characters bar our favorite freelance peacekeeping agent.

Also, any news on when the last two issues of "The Singles Club" will be out?

Crikey! A crossover reader. Cage them.
In an unprecedented event, issue #6 of "Phonogram" is actually out this week, less than a month from the previous one. It's probably a sign of the end times. I haven't got a date for the seventh yet, but I suspect early January. We're disappointed we couldn't get it all out before 2010 - because it's the most 00s book in existence, y'know - but the universe and our own uselessness have conspired against us. Hopefully, it'll be worth the wait.

Up next, Jeff Burger is curious as to how Earth and its heroes factor into S.W.O.R.D.'s adventures:

1) Since "Annihilation," Marvel's Cosmic Universe continues to be ripe with stories and shows no signs of slowing down. With "S.W.O.R.D.," I am wondering if we are going to see more stories tying earth in with the cosmic universe to a greater extent. Will "S.W.O.R.D." focus more on earth issues, cosmic issues, or try and balance the two?
I see S.W.O.R.D. exist on the meniscus between the cosmic and earth spheres. Ideally, I'd want to draw stories from how the cosmic events impact earth. In other words, I want to be able to draw from both.

2) Can we expect to see Spider-Woman in any issues of "S.W.O.R.D.," as she was made an agent in the first issue of her new series?
She turns up in issue #2 for a brief cameo. I'm using "cameo" in its true technical meaning of "banging someone's head into the pavement".

3) Will S.W.O.R.D. have any interactions with earth's heroes? With Beast as a member, will there be many dealings with the X-Men? What about other teams such as the Avengers (‘Mighty' or ‘New')?
Cyclops and White Queen turn up towards the close of issue 2. The Mighty or New Avengers aren't showing up in this arc, but the Dark Avengers appear in issue 4.
There's a lot of cameos in the first arc. It's a story about a global action. We're using all manner of hyper-compression techniques to try and show the scale and variety of what's going on.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Maaaaaaan. S'f***ed up that they're holding Bill's Galactus-spawned mate ransom to coerce Bill off Earth. I love it.

Lockheed was never interesting to me before this series, but I'm steadily growing to love the irate little bastard.

I completely forgot Spider-Woman was supposedly an agent of SWORD now. How the hell does that work? Is she fighting aliens in the webcomic Bendis and Maleev are doing?

 

[NightBeetle]

S.W.O.R.D.: Lockheead & Load

Lockheed's come a long way from simply being Kitty Pryde's pet dragon, as the fire-breathing alien must act on his own to save Abigail Brand from deportation and keep Henry Gyrich from causing any irreparable harm to human/alien relations in S.W.O.R.D. #3 on January 13, courtesy of writer Kieron Gillen and artist Steven Sanders.


In his first two issues, Gillen endowed Lockheed with a great deal of personality that readers had not seen before, characteristics that the writer sees as perfectly natural.
"I think anyone who's ever owned a pet knows it's actually pretty impossible to imagine them without an independent personality," remarks Gillen. "I'm not particularly an animal person, but over the last few years especially I've found myself staring at these tiny, sinister entities in our midst. You might think my acerbic, spite-filled Lockheed is my tribute to the particularly violent feline I spent a good year of open war with. It was probably the second or third smartest thing in the house, and there were five humans living there. That said moss was smarter than at least two of the humans. I'm about at the level of milk.


"On Lockheed, well, there have been a string of fun takes on Lockheed across the years. I'm thinking of Mr. [Warren] Ellis' [version in EXCALIBUR] especially. This sort of files neatly next to that."
Gillen's decision to turn Lockheed into a hard-drinking, sardonic, and highly-self sufficient character, in his own words, "[was] derived from a stroke of wild inspiration."
"I included the line 'Lockheed is our Wolverine' in the pitch, expecting to be thrown out of Marvel's offices via the window," the writer reveals. "But everyone seemed to get it. He's inan unusual emotional position, so I think a certain extreme behavior fits well. I mean, look at Lockheed across [Joss] Whedon's ASTONISHING X-MEN run: when he acts, he acts determinedly and aggressively. I've amped it up a little, driven by angst and Jack Daniels. I admit his love for Jack Daniels is pulled entirely from the inside of my noggin."

Though Lockheed first came to S.W.O.R.D. when Whedon introduced the organization in his ASTONISHING X-MEN, he's stuck around since for at least one major reason.
"Kitty's the main draw," says Gillen of Lockheed's hopes to one day find and rescue his friend. "I'm sort of playing with the idea that he's connected to her on a deeper level than has been previously seen, and the separation of that bond is the main thing which has catalyzed his current change. He wants her back. He'll do anything to get her back. And, of all the Earthly organizations, S.W.O.R.D. is the one who've been trying hardest to do so.


"There was also that line Whedon dropped in ASTONISHING, of S.W.O.R.D. trying to help something with his people. I'd certainly like to do more with the Flock, given time."
Before that, though, Lockheed will have a number of challenges to face next month.

 

[Dread]

FYI, according to ICV2, SWORD #1 debuted at #95 of the Top 100 with a little under 22k copies sold. That's terribly low for a debut for an ongoing series, especially one that is a loose X-Men spin off. http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/16433.html

Unless editorial really loves this book, expecting it to last past issue #12 will be a bit unrealistic. AGENTS OF ATLAS #1 had a stronger debut, as did CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI-13, and heck, even RUNAWAYS.

To be honest, Marvel's strategy of making the debut issue the most expensive I think is backfiring. It makes it more expensive for shops to guess at how popular it will be with orders, and it turns off fans. I mean, c'mon. Gillen is not a name. Brand and Beast are not popular enough to warrant the average person shelling out $4. Think in REALITY, Marvel editorial! Our reality! Back in the 90's, Marvel routinely made #1 issues $2.95 while regular comics were still $1.99 and it never worked back then! Why do they think it will work now!?

The preview artwork looks nice, which is why it is mind boggling that the only character who looks atrocious is Beast, one of the major stars. That could also be a turn-off. No one expects him to look like a donkey.

 

[NightBeetle]

S.W.O.R.D. #5
Written by KIERON GILLEN
Penciled by STEVEN SANDERS
Cover by MIKE DEL MUNDO
With Agent Brand imprisoned, all hell breaks loose! Norman Osborn and the Dark Avengers set out to destroy a group peaceful aliens while a war-like race is about to unleash the most intelligent and dangerous being in the universe! Now Brand herself is about to walk in a trap that could spell the end of everything she's worked for…and her life!
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

 

[Watchman]

It was only a matter of time for the obligatory Steranko homage. Nonetheless, looking forward to it.

 

[NightBeetle]

Preview: S.w.o.r.d. #3

THE STORY:
Agent Brand, Beast, Sydren, Beta Ray Bill, Marvel Boy, Jazinda, Karolina and all the other aliens on Earth have been captured by Henry Gyrich and his “NO MORE ALIENS” agenda. Only one person can free them and save the world: Lockheed. Rated A …$2.99

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Can't wait. It's pretty unlikely in today's comic landscape, but I hope SWORD manages to keep going for a year or two, at least.

 

[BrianWilly]

I really want to like this title and the writing has been phenomenal so I'm going to give it a few more tries, but...something's keeping me from plowing in, gloves off. Could be Gyrich. Could be the art. I dunno. Right now it's like "Mmm, I could buy this title or not buy it, either way wouldn't really matter too much."

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Gyrich will be gone soon enough, I'm sure. Or at least his influence will be lessened. I think he's a great antagonist in any comic featuring politics of some sort, but I seem to have weird tastes in characters. Fortunately, Gillen seems to share a lot of those weird tastes. Plus, Beast is awesome in spite of still looking like a goat.

 

[hippie_hunter]

S.W.O.R.D. has apparently been cancelled with issue 5.