The Return of Cloak & Dagger

[TheCorpulent1]

Like f***ing Pete Wisdom?

 

[chamber-music]

In Generation X they where saying Jubliee was 13 and a half. She was the youngest member. Characters that are known for being youthful or immature are usually written as being young even though they should be a lot older than they are shown. I've seen writers do it with Spider-Man, Human Torch, Jubilee, ect

 

[Anubis]

If you go by the new Warriors book, she's at least 18 now.

 

[Bubonic]

How did the old Cloak and Dagger series play out? I remember having the fabulous first issue and it was some weak story about the evils of porn and had strong Christian undertones and I hated it.

 

[Hypestyle]

...Cloak must get the spotlight more.. develop his character beyond the sad 'vampire' pining for the blonde princess.. get him some friends, go back to school, get a girlfriend (not Dagger), have him get more control over his powers, new power stunts, etc.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Wouldn't that effectively make it a Cloak book?

 

[Mr. Green]

Dagger has, quite possibly, the hottest costume EVER.

 

[Anubis]

Pervert.

 

[Mr. Green]

 

[Manic]

Like f***ing Pete Wisdom?

Pretty much. You've only gotta be 16 to drink and f*** in Scotland (bless Muir Island).

 

[Mr. Green]

...Cloak must get the spotlight more.. develop his character beyond the sad 'vampire' pining for the blonde princess.. get him some friends, go back to school, get a girlfriend (not Dagger), have him get more control over his powers, new power stunts, etc.

Uh...

Cloak: Ya know what? I'm going to dump my super heroine girlfriend and go back to school...

...to the X-TREME!

 

[TheCorpulent1]

She's not his girlfriend. They're undefined.

 

[Anubis]

AKA f**k buddies.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

They always struck me as overly romantic but platonic friends.

 

[Anubis]

Dude, the price you pay for hitching a ride on that cloak of his is to first take a ride on the gear shift, and there are no exceptions. How do you think they were able to get him to transport all those Secret Avengers around during the war? Cap had to give up the booty.

 

[chamber-music]

Well according to Chase in Runaways the inside of Cloak has Space sharks

 

[Anubis]

You gotta pay the toll for them too.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Maybe Chase just saw space sharks while he was "paying his toll" with Cloak.

 

[Jennifer Walters]

Maybe Chase just saw space sharks while he was "paying his toll" with Cloak.

Oh god. As much as I'm attracted to Chase's art. Just no...god no.

 

[Specter313]

As Marvel characters, Cloak and Dagger have often seemed defined by their state in limbo. Together, they roamed the streets of NYC without a home. Their very powers were dormant until awakened by a drug, and in using them, they've persisted in following their own rules. Relationship-wise, the two have veered from one ambiguity to another. And, although the couple could easily be called cult-favorites since their 1982 introduction, they've had trouble maintaining an ongoing series in the past.

Showing up recently in Runaways and big events like "Civil War" and "Secret Invasion," the duo's brief appearances have led fans to clamor for another starring role for Cloak and Dagger. During the first half of 2009 fans will get their wish as they'll finally be able to pick up a five-issue Cloak and Dagger series written by Valerie D'Orazio (former DC editor and author of the absorbing blog "Occasional Superheroine") and drawn by Irene Flores (the manga-inspired artist of Welcome to Tranquility). Likely to push the duo past at least one of the various limbo states they've so frequently occupied, Wizard contacted Valerie and Irene to hear how the series will flesh out Cloak and Dagger in exploring the ambiguous, yet undeniably co-dependant relationship of these intriguing heroes.

WIZARD: What made you pitch a story for Cloak & Dagger? What did you like about them or see for them?
D'ORAZIO: Well, two reasons.

First, I was fascinated by the nature of their complicated relationship; there was a angsty "are-they-or-are-they-not an item?" vibe going on there that reminded me of classic sci-fi couples like Mulder/Scully and Buffy/Angel. So I totally wanted to dive into

that. And second—who doesn't think that Cloak & Dagger aren't one of the most awesomely-designed superhero teams ever? And I was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with these characters.

What can you tell us about the story at this point? What might change for the duo?
D'ORAZIO: Cloak and Dagger have some unresolved relationship issues to work out between them. Now, we all have situations like this—only difference with them, they also have superpowers and fight crime. Now, what happens when their "work" and personal lives collide? Can their relationship survive it? Can THEY survive it? And can the classic team that we've known and loved for 20 plus years survive the passage of time?

That said, I want to take the opportunity to tell all the hardcore Cloak and Dagger fans out there that I love these characters and I'm going to do my best to do right by them. But there's going to be a lot of drama and movement by the end of each issue, so don't make assumptions. Just read the miniseries to the end. Trust me. Read all five issues.

Are you going to be building off their prior comic history?
D'ORAZIO: I've done a bit of reading through every phase of their comic book career—the great early stuff by Bill Mantlo and Rick Leonardi, the Terry Austin stuff, the Strange Tales stuff. All the way to their appearance in Runaways. And the history of these characters is definitely going to be a big part of the action in this book. It's sort of like "the revenge of history." History being: things they never quite resolved or dealt with to a satisfying conclusion.

I love seeing Cloak and Dagger presented with manga-style art. What do you like about the style?
D'ORAZIO: I like the sense of movement—especially with artist Irene Flores' illustrations. A lot of Cloak and Dagger involves the dynamic movement of light and shadow, and I find it's something the manga style does really well. But also, I really like the attention to human emotion the art brings. And there are artistic conventions native to the style that give me even more of a "palette" to work with this.

How is the transition from editor to writer going?
D'ORAZIO: It's going pretty well. Certainly it's a little weird watching the creative process from the other end of the aisle. I would say that my comic book editing experience has given me a better sense of perspective in terms of everything from the needs of a 22-page story, to scheduling, to advertising and PR. But then I really have to step away from that connection and just look at the work as an artist.

How was San Diego Comic-Con for you? How was the "Women In Marvel" panel?
D'ORAZIO: I enjoyed the San Diego Comic-Con a whole lot. This was the first Con I've attended as a comic book writer, and the first time I've related to my peers as a comic book writer. And that blows my mind. It's really cool. And the "Women In Marvel" panel was really awesome, probably one of the best ones of its type I've attended since the powerhouse lineup we had for New York Comic Con this past spring. It's really inspirational to see so many women in every aspect of the business like that—especially in the mainstream comic book field. I think it's wonderful that we have such a range of female voices out there in superhero comics now.

Can you reveal any other characters that may pop up in the series?
D'ORAZIO: Well, one of my goals is to expand the world of Cloak and Dagger out a bit: establish new villains and new allies. There will be one new character that will be playing a significant role in their lives—but that's all I can say about her right now!

http://www.wizarduniverse.com/080708sdcccloakanddagger.html

 

[Specter313]

Looks like this is being shelved for the time being:

CLOAK AND DAGGER TACTICS

[Green Light]So what is happening with the long-promoted "Cloak And Dagger" series by Valerie D’Orazio, Irene Flores and Emily Warren? There was meant to be an announcement this weekend, but none was forthcoming.

Last week, one particular troll spent some time masquerading identities online and stating that D’Orazio had got both Flores and Warren fired off the title. This was summarily dismissed by all parties. But there was something going on.

I understand that as a side-effect of the characters Cloak and Dagger joining the X-books as regular team characters, that their mini-series, in the works for a year, has been shelved for 2009. The creators will be working on other Marvel titles in the interim. Probably a tad higher profile...

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=20702

 

[bryanss3]

that sucks I've been looking forward to this

 

[Colossal Spoons]

I'm not too bummed

 

[JewishHobbit]

I hated the mango art and probably wouldn't have picked it up for $4 a pop. But since I already buy X-Men, I'm stoked they're headed that way.

 

[NightBeetle]

A Preview from page from Uncanny #513