Comics Secret Invasion: Spider-Man

[Kirk Langstrom]

NYCC 08: DAMN DIRTY SKRULLS: SPIDER-MAN

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by Vaneta Rogers

As announced by Marvel Comics at New York Comic Con this weekend, Brian Reed will be writing Secret Invasion: Spider-Man, a three-issue mini-series starting in August that focuses on how the cast of Amazing Spider-Man's "Brand New Day" is dealing with the onslaught of Skrulls.

Reed isn't new to Skrull stories, having just wrapped up the Skrull-filled Captain Marvel mini-series and writing tie-ins for his Ms. Marvel ongoing, as well as being named as the writer of the upcoming Secret Invasion: Front Line mini-series.

Newsarama talked to Reed to get the scoop on the new Spider-Man-centered mini-series.

Newsarama: First off Brian, how did you get on this project? And why did you want to do it?

Brian Reed: Well, I wanted to do it because, you know, it's Spider-Man! But I've been working with Steve Wacker, who is the editor of the Spider-Man books, because he's the editor on Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel. And I had actually written an inventory story for Spider-Man late last year -- something they can have on the shelf if Amazing goes off schedule a little bit. And he really liked that. And the more we were working on Captain Marvel together, we kept talking about how I wanted to work on Spider-Man and he wanted me to work on Spider-Man. But the Spidey brain trust is locked up at the moment. And he said, you know what? We've got this Secret Invasion thing coming up, so let's cook up something to do with it.

NRAMA: And you're so good with Skrulls anyway, right?

BR: [laughs] We've been known to hang out.

NRAMA: Did you come up with the story for this? Or was it something that editorial had in mind and you just have to follow the beats in your story?

BR: The gist of what Steve brought to me was, "Let's focus on the cast of “Brand New Day.” Let's let Jackpot be the big superhero in this because Spidey is off in the Savage Land. And let's really take this as a chance to integrate all of them into the rest of the Marvel Universe, because we just haven't had that yet. We haven't seen it yet.

And from there, I wrote a treatment completely in the dark of what they were doing in Amazing. And then once that treatment was together, it came back and had notes from Dan Slott saying, "Hey, you can elaborate on this, but you can leave this alone." And by the end of it, I knew everything that was going on in Amazing and I changed the treatment to make it work.

NRAMA: You've written Spider-Man before in video games, so you know this character pretty well, right?

BR: Yep. Ultimate Spider-Man games, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe -- I've got a few Spider-Man games under my belt.

NRAMA: But it sounds like he's not playing as big of a role in this if he's off in the Savage Land.

BR: Well, he's in it, and it was a lot of fun figuring out how to get him in it and make him relevant to what's going on while not screwing up continuity, because he is off in the Savage Land with the Avengers. And getting those two things to synch up and make sense and work was a big part of the plot.

NRAMA: Tell us about Jackpot.

BR: She's the one that everybody thinks is Mary Jane. So a big part of it is getting to explore how she behaves as a superhero, because in the Spider-Man books, she's always been second fiddle, so now we get to see her front and center for a little bit. We get to see her and the staff of the DB as they deal with Skrulls falling out of the sky.

NRAMA: So it's going to involve quite a few characters?

BR: It's going to involve absolutely as many of the Brand New Day characters as I can fit in my 66 pages. [laughs]

NRAMA: Well, what is their reaction to the Skrulls?

BR: For quite a few of them, it's: "Let's run now!" But for Jackpot, it's this chance to shine. It's here's the big superhero moment and I have these people I have to protect. It's grabbing hold of that big action-adventure Spider-Man vibe and running with it.

It's hilarious because I'm writing Front Line, which is this deadly serious, "Oh no we're all going to die. How will we survive?" And yet Jackpot is, "Woo woo! Skrulls!"

NRAMA: So you're looking at the Skrulls from the point of view of just about everyone in all the different comics you're writing.

BR: I'm covering pretty much every corner, yeah.

NRAMA: To finish up, any hints about something big that is revealed in this story?

BR: In issue #1, we reveal that Spider-Man is a Skrull.

NRAMA: [laughs] Yeah.

BR: You laugh... but there's a full-page splash!

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

Awesome! I'm defenitley buying this mini-series! Personally, I'm very excited to explore how the Skrulls had an affect on ASM: BND. I never was a fan of MJ becoming a Superhero, but this defenitley sounds interesting.

 

[Venom 1988]

Though I doubt this would happen, I wouldn't be surprised if Jackpot was a Skrull.

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

Though I doubt this would happen, I wouldn't be surprised if Jackpot was a Skrull.

That really seems likely, IMHO even though it most likely won't happen.

 

[Venom 1988]

Found these on comics continium. Featuring Jackpot and and what appears to be a Skrull with the powers of Venom, Electro, Hydro-Man and Scorpion (or at least someone with a tail).

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

Found these on comics continium. Featuring Jackpot and and what appears to be a Skrull with the powers of Venom, Electro, Hydro-Man and Scorpion (or at least someone with a tail).

Very nice! The art is great and that Skrull Venom, Electro, Hydro-Man and Scorpion combination just looks badass without question. These few pages seem very intense, so I'm looking foward to reading the rest.

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

If Jackpot was a Skrull, why would she be fighting them?

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

If Jackpot was a Skrull, why would she be fighting them?

Anything is possible in the Marvel Universe, but I see where your coming from.

 

[Venom 1988]

If Jackpot was a Skrull, why would she be fighting them?

I dunno I'm just thinking of ideas. Same reasons why Hulkling is good?

 

[Blader5489]

Found these on comics continium. Featuring Jackpot and and what appears to be a Skrull with the powers of Venom, Electro, Hydro-Man and Scorpion (or at least someone with a tail).

Seems more like the Lizard than the Scorpion, given the tongue.

 

[imdaly]

Seems more like the Lizard than the Scorpion, given the tongue.

Venom.

 

[Doc Destruction]

Add the Rhino, too. Check the horns.

 

[Arkady Rossovich]

If Jackpot was a Skrull, why would she be fighting them?

There is no logic,it's just there.

 

[Doc_OCK_4MUGEN]

Like the taking pictures form strange angles thing Jackpot's got there... It reminds me of some other superhero...

About Jackpot battling a Skrull (if She's one) wouldn't be as odd as Peter Parker attacking hundreds of Peter Parkers, slapping his ex-girlfriend who liked to hide a pillow under her clothes to pretend that she's pregnant, or any of the other weird stuff we've seen on Spidey.
But that Spidey foe Skrull would make one killer action figure...

 

[Anti-Moderator]

Maybe Jackpot is one of those Skrulls that's not aware that they are a Skrull?

 

[Blader5489]

Or maybe Jackpot just isn't a Skrull?

 

[Anti-Moderator]

Well, it has to be one or the other doesn't it?

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

Or maybe Jackpot just isn't a Skrull?

Indeed, especially because she is fighting Skrulls. Though, there's been alot of twists and turns in the Marvel Universe.

 

[The Lizard]

Seems more like the Lizard than the Scorpion, given the tongue.

The feet and tail look most like Lizard.

 

[moraldeficiency]

So this is a spider-man story without spider-man? Also I saw jackpot have a hard time with a single mugger type but she's now ready to handle someone with the collective powers of the sandman, hydroman, lizard, rhino, electro and venom(I doubt it's anyone else, since that's six and that just fits, eh)?

This is kinda a letdown for me because I was going to get this if it was just Pete around in the Savage land kicking it with Ka-Zar.

 

[spider greg]

I was secretly (grasping at straws) hoping that the mini-series would reveal that some Spidey characters were skrulls, or actually one in particular....Norman Osborn. I never liked his return because it cheapened one of the greatest storylines in comic history. It doesn't look like it's going in that direction though.

The story sounds interesting regardless, and the art looks really nice so I'm looking forward to it.

 

[Brand]

I was secretly (grasping at straws) hoping that the mini-series would reveal that some Spidey characters were skrulls, or actually one in particular....Norman Osborn. I never liked his return because it cheapened one of the greatest storylines in comic history. It doesn't look like it's going in that direction though.

The story sounds interesting regardless, and the art looks really nice so I'm looking forward to it.

I don't think Marvel is going to have Spider-Man be all that heavily involved with Secret Invasion. We've just had Spidey's world thrown on it's head via OMD, so it would REALLY be extreme to follow that up just a few months later by revealing that a long-standing character was a Skrull.

 

[spider greg]

I don't think Marvel is going to have Spider-Man be all that heavily involved with Secret Invasion. We've just had Spidey's world thrown on it's head via OMD, so it would REALLY be extreme to follow that up just a few months later by revealing that a long-standing character was a Skrull.

Yea I agree, hence the "grasping at straws" comment. But it would've been nice anyways.

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

So this is a spider-man story without spider-man? Also I saw jackpot have a hard time with a single mugger type but she's now ready to handle someone with the collective powers of the sandman, hydroman, lizard, rhino, electro and venom(I doubt it's anyone else, since that's six and that just fits, eh)?

This is kinda a letdown for me because I was going to get this if it was just Pete around in the Savage land kicking it with Ka-Zar.

Personally, I think the story is going to be very interesting, even without Spidey. There's no judging which way it will go just yet though.

 

[Blader5489]

I don't think Marvel is going to have Spider-Man be all that heavily involved with Secret Invasion. We've just had Spidey's world thrown on it's head via OMD, so it would REALLY be extreme to follow that up just a few months later by revealing that a long-standing character was a Skrull.

Exactly. In fact, that was their reasoning for making this a mini in the first place, as opposed to having ASM itself tie into Secret Invasion.

Marvel is doing the same with X-Men (which just had Messiah Complex and will have #500 in July) and Fantastic Four.