I understand you've got some Cap one-shots coming up in March. As a lot of the more recent tie-in product for the movie, you've been doing some stand alone series and specials that anyone, from old school fans to kids can pick up. I get the impression that these stories are a bit more connected to the world Ed Brubaker has built in the main "Cap" title. How did you come up with these stories, and who was involved?
Brevoort: It's Captain America's 70th Anniversary this March, and that's why we're doing these five one-shots. We gave some thought to the fact that there's going to be a film, of course, but really, the purpose of doing these books was to take a snapshot of where Captain America is at after 70 years of publishing.
Not every one of those books is set contemporaneously. "Captain America And The First 13" is set in the 1940s during World War II. Peggy Carter's story has never fully been told. We've done a couple of three-panel flashbacks here and there, and there was one little 12-page story in the '60s that Stan and John Romita, Sr. did, but we've never gotten to see Cap and Peggy interact in a meaningful way. So this nice Kathryn Immonen one-shot will delve into their relationship amidst the War. And it also kind of drops a little seed for a moment that'll happen in "Cap" in a couple of months.
We're doing the "Captain America and the Falcon" because Sam's been a regular presence in the book for so long - particularly since Bucky's taken over the role - and by virtue of the fact that the main series is called "Captain America" rather than "Captain America And The Falcon" like it was in the '70s, he tends to not get as much of the spotlight as we might like. So here's a story that'll focus on Sam Wilson and what he's about and his background. It'll flesh him out a bit more for people who aren't as familiar as guys who remember "Captain America And The Falcon" from the '70s...guys like me. [Laughter]
We're doing a "Captain America and Crossbones" story, which is a fun chance to take a character who up until now has been appearing primarily in "Thunderbolts" and who got some notoriety as the guy who killed Captain America and set him down in a black ops, behind-the-lines mission that's so ugly and dirty and awful that they'll send the worst guy there is in because they don't care if he gets killed getting the job done. It's a fun adventure that will hopefully give you a little insight into exactly what it is that makes Crossbones tick and makes him cool. It'll also hopefully set him up for things down the pike.
We're also doing "Captain America And the Secret Avengers" which is primarily focused on Sharon Carter and the Black Widow, both of whom are important characters in Cap's orbit. It'll give them a little more spotlight and screen time than they usually get.
And I almost forgot what may be my favorite one of all - "Captain America And Batroc!" Batroc is one of those characters that hasn't always been treated with a lot of dignity, but here is a one-shot of him interacting with Cap and showing just how cool and formidable and interesting that wacky master of savate is. It's a great little one-shot. It's not necessarily what you'd expect from a story starring Batroc.
So we've got those five one-shots in March in addition to "Captain America" #616 which is going to be a 100-plus-page monstrosity devoted to celebrating the fact that Cap is now 70 years old. That'll have material by Ed and a bevy of guest contributors. In this instance, I've been turning to creators who have never really written Captain America before, so there'll be pieces by Howard Chaykin, Mike Benson and Paul Grist, Frank Tieri, Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel, Cullen Bunn and one or two surprises. It's going to illustrate ena illuminate all kinds of interesting facets about Captain America and the different men who've worn the uniform and carried the shield.
Here's the information on #3 coming in March:
