Pas de regrets.
Hehe
Oui, sur x force, je suis sur qu il aurait été tres bon.
Surtout que ces quelques planches sont déjà mieux gaulées que l’ensemble des planches du père Lifield sur le titre…
Oui. On reconnait des poses caractéristiques de Larsen.
Ce qui n est pas difficile, tu me diras, mais oui !
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Un beau topic sur Justice League Mortal…je me demande si je me lancerais pas un jour là-dedans.
Hugh Keays-Byrne en Limier Martien pour George Miller dans ce gros fantasme à ranger à côté de Crusader de Verhoeven ou Captain Blood de McTiernan.
Joe Casey Writes
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DEFENDERS: THE NON-PITCH
Another one from the archives
Oct 02, 2025
11
Well, for whatever reason, this one bubbled up from the dark depths of my personal memory banks and I figured I’d embarrass myself even further and present it here.
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If memory serves, the year was 2000. Possibly late 1999. I was approached to pitch for a new DEFENDERS series (by editor, Tom Brevoort). Now, I’d loved the book as a kid (even though the whole “non-team” concept alternately annoyed and confused me). And I’m sure it might seem strange now – in a day and age when everything under the Sun has been rebooted and re-imagined and relaunched countless times – but back in the late Twentieth Century, the DEFENDERS title hadn’t been seen on LCS stands since its original series had ended in the early 1980’s (sorry, but SECRET DEFENDERS doesn’t count).
Needless to say, I was stoked to tackle this. It was pure superheroes and, as you all know, that’s right in my wheelhouse. What made the whole thing even more attractive was that the artist attached was my soon-to-be-partner in Man of Action, Duncan Rouleau. For anyone who might be unaware, Duncan was – and is – a top-flight comicbook artist. We were already friends, but we had yet to collaborate. On top of that, he was also a DEFENDERS fan when he was a kid (btw, after this aborted attempt, we went on to work together on a FLASH fill-in, a few issues of ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN and then a run to close out WILDCATS VERSION 3.0).
What follows is the only document I wrote up in relation to this project.
The intro in particular is cringe-worthy, to say the least. It’s some real bullshit sales hype that I tended to indulge in, back in the day. Keep in mind, though… while so-called “widescreen” comics (as coined by Grant Morrison, of course) was definitely all the rage (as far as what was hip in comicbooks at that time), Marvel Comics didn’t have a series that exhibited or exhibited those particular storytelling values. These were the final days of the Bob Harras era (right before Bill Jemas and Joe Quesada took over), so aside from a few low-selling corners of the publishing line, Marvel was still a fairly conservative place to work. Believe me, I know. So, this would’ve been their first entry into the “widescreen comics” arena that was typified by series like Morrison’s JLA and the Warren Ellis/Bryan Hitch Authority. I even name check the style in the pitch text itself. To be honest, I was basically pitching DEFENDERS as The Authority for the Marvel Universe.
I even talk about potential toys, for chrissakes. I mean, what was I thinking? Then again, if you’ve read the fabled Alan Moore pitch for a massive DC Comics crossover event called Twilight (which I had, by that time), then you know there’s a short section where Moore actually gets into merchandising opportunities. So, y’know, if it was good enough for Alan Moore…
Anyway, let’s see what we’ve got here.
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THE DEFENDERS will be a Marvel Comic for the 21st Century adrenaline junkie. A comic for the kids who make a mad dash home from school like they’re making a prison break, slam themselves into the virtual hyper-reality of the latest Playstation game before jumping onto the internet to interact with every corner of the World Wide Web. This is the youth of today… they want it fast, they want it state-of-the-art, and they want it 100% balls-to-the-wall. They want the Next Big Thing with no compromises…
… in the world of Marvel Comics, THE DEFENDERS intends to address that audience.
These characters are as primal as they are mythic… DOCTOR STRANGE, NAMOR, THE SILVER SURFER and THE INCREDIBLE HULK. In the 21st Century, we’re dealing with an alliance of kings, each one standing up for a unique and often-uncharted area of the Marvel Universe. The Silver Surfer is the guardian of outer space. Namor, the Sub-Mariner is the king of inner space, the Earth’s oceans. Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme is the representative of, for lack of a better term, “other space”… the realm of magic. And, of course, there is the Hulk… who occupies any space he damn well pleases.
This gathering of literal demigods doesn’t get together to thwart the latest bank robbery in Manhattan… this group is out to fight the BIG fights. The outer-dimensional battles. The wars fought on the fringes of space-time. They are the guardians of all that exists… taking on any and all threats before the Avengers and the Fantastic Four are even aware of their existence. They are both the vanguards of our reality… and its last line of defense.
There’s not a reason in the world why THE DEFENDERS can’t be a commercially successful book on par with AVENGERS or FANTASTIC FOUR. It all comes down to the approach…
Part of the challenge is to take these inherently cool – but admittedly second-string – characters and make them work commercially. Within the book itself, the way to do that is to boil each character down to its essentials, and build from there. Whatever events happened in SILVER SURFER #87 or DR. STRANGE Volume Take-Your-Pick or NAMOR #24… let’s leave that stuff alone. We’ve got a magician, a sea king, a cosmic herald, and a gamma-powered locomotive. That’s enough for any kid to get excited about. All we need to provide is the stories…
(An aside here: Being owned by Toy Biz, it’s always good to keep in mind that we’re dealing with characters that, for the most part, have never really had substantial exposure as action figures. A DEFENDERS line of toys that included the Hulk, Dr. Strange, Namor and the Silver Surfer – as well as their adversaries – would surely be attractive to collectors and kids alike.)
Stories in THE DEFENDERS will be delivered to readers in short, action-packed bursts… mainly in tight, three-issue arcs that rely less on the traditional Marvel Universe method of endless footnotes and laborious backstory, but instead taking advantage of the pure manic thrill – the Technicolor rush – of seeing these great characters take on foes of unimaginable scope and power. Adventures will slam into each other like a thunderclap, giving those adrenaline-crazed readers a monthly “fix” unlike anything else currently published by Marvel.
If “widescreen” comics are in vogue at the moment… THE DEFENDERS is going to up the ante… we’re going IMAX, people.
THE STORIES
As I said, we’ll begin with a series of focused, three-issue arcs. Easy access for new readers, a sense of closure with each story in deference to the bloated soap opera-ish sagas of yesteryear. These stories will have definitive three-act structures, allowing for new marketing pushes every three issues as new story arcs begin.
ISSUES #1-3
Basically, Dr. Strange goes insane.
It happens slowly, at first. Stephen Strange disappears, and newly-empowered precog Kyle Richmond is having visions of Armageddon. When he shows up at the infamous Sanctum Sanctorum, he’s too late. Enlisting the help of former teammates Namor and the Silver Surfer, it becomes obvious that Strange must be found… mainly because all of the creatures that inhabit the mystical realms that Strange has been visiting since his inception are invading our dimension like grotesque gremlins. It’s almost Biblical in its occurrence… these entities are not here to destroy, it’s more like the Day of the Locusts. It’s an infestation, and the rest of the Marvel Universe superheroes can barely play “clean-up” fast enough. The Defenders discover Dr. Strange in the old Ancient One’s castle, very much on the edge of sanity. When threatened by his onetime allies, Strange unleashes a diversion in the middle of Washington DC… a rampaging Hulk (also driven to a frenzy by some unknown force which Strange is responsible for in some way). As Kyle Richmond, Namor and the Surfer try to contend with the Hulk, Dr. Strange’s true plan comes to light as our reality transforms itself into, basically, the mystical and surreal “Ditko-verse” from the old STRANGE TALES stories. It’s Strange’s intention to gather all the realities, all the dimensions, all the tangents of existence he’s ever had to deal with in his career and bring them together in our reality…
… and then destroy the whole thing. Extermination through complete annihilation.
Of course, using teamwork and raw power, the Defenders save the day, and their comrade… pulling him back from the brink of mental entropy. The end results of this storyline include a revitalized Dr. Strange (demoting himself from “Sorcerer SUPREME” to once again being a simple “Master Of The Mystic Arts”. What does that mean? Think THE MATRIX with magic…), and a tentative status quo of how we’ll get these disparate characters together for their adventures. It will also set the tone for character interaction… a no-nonsense approach that states unequivocally that the DEFENDERS do what they do because no one else can.
ISSUES #4-6
The Badoon attack the Earth and they’re using Ego, the Living Planet to do it.
When the Black Galaxy invades our Solar System, the Defenders investigate, only to be attacked by a preliminary squad of Badoon space fighters. Upon their destruction, the Defenders discover Ego at the heart of the Black Galaxy. Investigating further, they discover that the Badoon have taken over the Living Planet and are preparing to use it to attack and take over the Earth. They’ve constructed a giant mechanism that basically gives them mind control over Ego.
Dr. Strange discovers a way to communicate with Ego’s consciousness, and a tentative alliance is struck (Ego’s motivation is to simply rid himself of the infestation, the virus – the Badoon – that plagues him). So, while Strange locates the giant mind control device, Namor and the Surfer are forced to fend off a HUGE invasion force that is launched against the Earth. While the space battle to end all space battles takes place in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, Strange has a mind-bending encounter with the mind control device, but is ultimately able to disable it. As Ego regains control, all the Defenders really have to do is defend the Earth while Ego rids himself of the Badoon “virus”. They do this by combining Dr. Strange’s and the Surfer’s powers to erect a cosmic shield of protection around the entire Earth, waiting it out until the Ego and the Black Galaxy have vacated our Solar System.
BEYOND SIX…
Should the series continue past issue six, we’ve got a story in mind involving Eternity that I believe would warrant a “Monster” issue to kick off the storyline (should the format prove to be a success in the Direct Market), including reprints of Eternity’s first appearance in STRANGE TALES, as well as a classic DEFENDERS story from the original comic.
After that, we lead up to what would surely be a sales blockbuster in issue #12…
… DEFENDERS-AVENGERS.
It’s simply a natural, and as much as I hate to tap into simple nostalgia to generate interest and sales, doing a new DEFENDERS-AVENGERS story, crossing over into both books, would surely do the trick. Personally (and if we can work it out with the AVENGERS creative team), I’d like to see a four-part crossover between the two titles, starting in AVENGERS to pull in that readership and hopefully steer them over to Part Two in DEFENDERS #11, take them back to AVENGERS for Part Three, and then wrap it all up in a double-sized DEFENDERS #12. I think this would be the best way to maximize the exposure that a crossover with one of Marvel’s top-selling books would provide.
The key with DEFENDERS is to keep coming up with great stories (obviously) that can be properly marketed to generate excitement in the fan and retail community. This supports the idea of clear-cut story arcs every three issues… there’s something new to promote every three months, while also being a new jumping-on point every three months for potentially-interested readers. We don’t want the excitement that accompanies a new series launch to expend itself after #1 ships. We want to keep up the enthusiasm with the retailers and the fans. Thinking long-term in as many ways as possible helps ensure both a creatively – and financially – profitable book that can proudly stand alongside such monthly mainstays as UNCANNY X-MEN, AVENGERS and FANTASTIC FOUR.
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Not too bad, actually (aside from some of the “we’re going IMAX” and “sales blockbuster” nonsense, of course. Although some of it displays a decent awareness of the marketplace that I guess I had at that time).
The story ideas seem entertaining enough. And I know Duncan would’ve drawn the shit out of it. And to the best of my recollection, once I’d turned in the pitch, everything seemed to be going in the right direction. Creatively, everyone seemed to be onboard and there was some genuine excitement and optimism as to what this series could be.
What stopped the whole thing dead in its tracks… was money. I believe Duncan and I – both of us having worked fairly steadily at Marvel Comics for several years at that point – were looking to up our pages rates with this project. Not by much… I believe I had asked for an additional ten dollars per page. At that point, still early in my career, I was still a pretty cheap date, but I was looking to take the next step on a purely business level. So we made our requests for our raises (with, I believe, Tom Brevoort serving as the middle man).
And we were denied. There would be no raises for either Duncan or myself. I don’t recall if any reason was given. Marvel was just emerging from bankruptcy, but I don’t think that had anything to do with it. I think they just didn’t want to pay. Funny how times haven’t changed much.
So we walked. Me, personally… I think that was when I broke from Marvel altogether, this being the proverbial “last straw” after a series of funky situations that had left a bad taste in my mouth (of course, I was back less than year later when the new regime took over and handed me the UNCANNY X-MEN gig).
And then, about eight or nine years later, I circled back to the Defenders concept with a series called THE LAST DEFENDERS. That one actually did get printed and released.
But that’s another story for another newsletter…
Joe Casey
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A lire pour plus tard.
Opération course va etre lancée
Lu.
Avec casey, il ne faudrait publier que ses pitchs, ils sont souvent bien plus intéressant que ses bd
Comme Rudi Garcia, le projet des entretiens d’embauche.
Qui ?
Rudi Garcia, pardon. Un entraineur de foot « moyen-plus » qui a cependant réussi à convaincre de grands clubs (Lille, Marseille, Roma, Naples post titre italien) de l’engager sur la base de très bons entretiens de recrutement, mais ça ne donne pas grand chose après. Il est même sélectionneur de la Belgique, là.
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J’appelle ça de l’enfumage.
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Extraits du fanzine consacré à Nova/Richard Rider :
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Ironiquement, c’est ce qui a dû mener à l’implication de Abnett & Lanning sur Annihilation.
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Et ils voulaient redéfinir le Nova Corps alors qu’ils ont hérité d’un Richard en dernier Nova.
(même s’ils ont fini par ramener le Nova Corps)
Tandis que Keith Giffen s’occupe des derniers soubresauts de l’ère précédente (d’abord il prend la relève de Starlin sur la série Thanos, où il réinvente Star-Lord, puis illustre le dernier numéro du Captain Marvel de PaD, dans lequel le duo Moondragon/Phyla-Vell a une place prépondérante, et enfin s’occupe d’une mini sur Drax servant de tremplin à Annihilation).
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Tiens?
Death’s Head & The Punisher Vol 1 1
Writer(s) : Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning
Penciler(s) : Bryan Hitch
Intended Release Date : January 4, 1994
Intended Cover Date : January, 1994
Solicit Synopsis
Note: this synopsis is based on 20 unfinished pages out of the 40 originally plannedWhile Minion is drinking with Tuck, he’s ambushed, he tears apart the assailants but they explode the space-bar before he can kill them all. Meanwhile on Earth, Frank Castle is attacking some criminals in a warehouse, but due to an explosion he has to retreat and they escape. While escaping he’s burnt and falls 3 stories onto some crates. Microchip finds and patches Frank up but he storms off half way through vengefully. Minion and Tuck are now interrogating an informant to find out who attacked them, upon finding out Minion decides to kill him alone (because this time it’s personal). The Punisher also finds out who attacked him and goes alone as well.
It turns out it’s the same person, but he is too powerful for them, Minion is left bleeding out on Earth and Frank is beaten up too and thrown off a space skyscraper. But luckily Microchip and Tuck were worried and went after them, however Tuck saves Frank, and Microchip fixes up Minion.
Also 1/4 was on each page, so it’s possible that this was the first issue of four.
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