EARTH'S MIGHTIEST PITCH DOC

An old favorite, in utero

This is a heavy one for me. I actually don’t know how deep I’m going to get, in terms of talking about how I actually felt when I got the opportunity to actually pitch this series. Things could get a bit emotional… and no one wants that.

When I left the UNCANNY X-MEN gig in late 2002, Marvel and I effectively parted ways. More specifically, NuMarvel and I parted ways. As I soon learned, I would always keep Marvel in my heart… much in the same way that the late, great Orson Wells once described his own nostalgic longing for an England that didn’t exist anymore, and how he found that same romanticism in Shakespeare’s writing. Really deep stuff, and I realized then that I felt the same way about Marvel. Nevertheless, at the time, I thought this professional separation might finally be permanent.

Turns out, it wasn’t.

Less than a year later, I ran into then-EiC Joe Quesada in an elevator at SDCC. We exchanged pleasantries (this was back when Quesada would pretend that he actually liked me… heh) and he wondered aloud why I wasn’t doing any more work at Marvel. I guess I must’ve wondered the same thing, because within a month I was talking to Tom Brevoort about a project that had already been simmering that he referred to as an “Avengers: Year One”-style series.

I’d actually made it clear that, if I did come back to Marvel, that I wanted to work specifically on characters that I felt I had a real affinity for. Characters I’d loved since I was a kid. Characters that were a significant part of my comicbook DNA. For those of you who have been reading this newsletter for a while, then you know what that means: Avengers.

So when Brevoort brought up the idea for what would soon morph into the first EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HEROES mini-series, I jumped on it with what I can only describe as intense enthusiasm.

What follows is the first pitch document that I wrote up for Tom in order to get the ball rolling. For anyone that read that series when it was released in 2004, then some of what I get into below will seem very familiar. Conversely, there are other aspects to this document that might be relatively surprising, considering how the book ultimately turned out.

So take a look and I’ll catch you on the flipside…

*********************************************************

EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HEROES

initial notes – 8-14-03

by Joe Casey

Hey Tom… time for more of that “informality” that I love so much. Over the past week or so, I’ve literally had epiphany after epiphany concerning this project. The shape of it, the themes I want to deal with, the characterization, the moments I want to depict… all of it has pretty much worked itself out in my head. At least, the general idea of it all has taken flight for me, and that’s always the most difficult part.

And so, I’ll try to keep this document short and sweet (certainly shorter than my initial AVENGERS rant you were gracious enough to read). The first things I’d like to get out in the open concern, for lack of a better term, the “working conditions” a book like this could entail…

On the art side, how would you feel about Sean Phillips doing this with me? Certainly he’s got the artistic chops. His professionalism is beyond reproach at this point. And the creative synergy he and I share -- worked out over the two years we spent on volume 2 of WILDCATS -- has at least been recognized by a contingent of readers, and us working together on a new project of this magnitude would probably carry a tiny bit of buzz on its own (at least, we hope so). Much like the sense of artistic importance that Steve Rude brought to X-MEN: COTA, I think the combination of Sean and I would certainly put this book in at least the neighborhood of respectability right off the bat. When Sean and I work together -- on anything -- readers have come to expect perhaps a deeper sensibility to the work. A deeper sensitivity, even. Also, Sean’s professionalism makes the next part of this much easier to contemplate:

I was thinking we could put this series out in an efficient, sustained burst. Eight issues, with books hitting the stands twice a month for four months (I guess that would make it bi-weekly, right?). Concerning format, could we get away with the AVENGERS FOREVER/X-MEN: COTA packaging (cardstock covers and slightly slicker paper)? This approach would blend the “more issues per year”-idea that has typified NuMarvel with the upscale “event” approach that a project like ORIGIN or TRUTH entails (although I wouldn’t want to go as slick as those books… I prefer the X-MEN: COTA look myself).

Hopefully, eight issues doesn’t seem like too many. Considering the shape of the story I want to tell, the amount of characters I want to give adequate screen time to (which, if you’re keeping score, would include Iron Man, Giant-Man, Wasp, Thor, Captain America, Rick Jones, Jarvis, Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch), eight issues feels right for what I think we want to accomplish. And, with Sean doing the art, I don’t think we’d ever run into the kinds of scheduling nightmares that plagued both X-MEN: COTA (in which the primary artist was fired and the book never recovered creatively) or AVENGERS FOREVER (which, if I recall, opted to ship certain issues later than desired as opposed to getting another artist to pinch hit). I think we’d have it all with Sean… Quality and Reliability.

As far as the original comics are concerned, the time frame involved would span, roughly, AVENGERS #3-16. Those are the in-continuity events we’d be telling our story around. But this is not a book that recounts the Avengers’ greatest early battles. It’s about how the IDEA of the Avengers coalesced and crystallized among a group of individuals brought together not by design, but by circumstance. Of course, just like my ambitions for X-MEN: COTA, I want to explore the idea of fate, and why it was necessary that these specific characters came together to form this team. The re-emergence of Captain America is obviously the catalyst for the entire series… I doubt the Avengers would’ve lasted without him. It’s a point we’re going to dramatically drive home in EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HEROES.

Opening with a particularly disastrous meeting of the original Avengers (sans Hulk) where Iron Man presents the Avengers charter for the first time (he’s practically laughed out of the room), the first issue of EMH would end with the discovery of Cap in the ice (after practically an entire issue of the Avengers on the brink of collapse), while the final issue concerns Cap’s decision to make the new “Kooky Quartet” work, committing himself to carrying on the tradition of the Avengers after the founding members have left. These events would bookend the evolution of the Avengers concept, how they learned to work together, how they learned to respect the institution of the team, and how they learned to carry on no matter who was on the roll call. These days, we take for granted that getting this endeavor off the ground could’ve been a rough ride for everyone concerned (including Jarvis). This series will bring it all out in the open… the insecurities of certain members, the pressures of others, the way they interacted early on, at a time when they didn’t really know each other all that well… all of these things provide great fodder for characterization, illuminating relationships in a way the original comics never did.

Hopefully, in presenting this idea to the higher-ups, the argument WON’T be made, “Hey, why do this? Don’t we have THE ULTIMATES for the re-mastered origin of the Avengers?” I suppose it’s a valid concern, but just like X-MEN: COTA, this series is meant to celebrate existing, classic Marvel continuity, rather than trying to replace it. If anything, the bombast of Hitch’s ULTIMATES takes the pressure OFF of us to try and replicate that style of comicbook. Let that series embody the widescreen aesthetic… our book is about the quieter, more emotional character moments (which can often be the more important moments).

* Tom, I do have a slight concern about this Tony Salmons Epic book that was recently announced, a tale of the original Avengers. I hope Marvel doesn’t see these projects as redundant, and shitcan EARTH’S MIGHTIEST in deference to Tony’s mini-series…

Having said that, EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HEROES will not be devoid of superhero pyrotechnics. If anything, we’ll have quick, powerful bursts of action to place the quieter moments in their proper perspective. But, for instance, I plan on dealing with Cap’s solo mission to the Amazon for the final confrontation with Zemo. But while we would show Cap sneaking through the jungle, pre-battle, and we would show the aftermath of the landslide which buries Zemo, we wouldn’t attempt to recreate the action of the actual confrontation on-panel. The old comics depicted that scene just fine on their own.

One element I want to introduce in this series is a previously unseen character… the equivalent of Henry Gyrich to the original team. I think it would be interesting to see Iron Man (and, by extension, Tony Stark) wheeling and dealing with the U.S. government to get the Avengers Priority A-1 status. Of course, it’s the appearance and subsequent membership of Captain America that gives Iron Man some bargaining power (another instance where Cap’s presence helps solidify the Avengers as an organization) to obtain that Priority status. There’s also a bit in one of the early AVENGERS issues where it’s revealed they have a direct feed to the Pentagon. I’d like to play that angle up a bit -- another half-nod to THE ULTIMATES and just how different that concept truly is from the Avengers -- and show how the U.S. military tries to “employ” the Avengers as just another piece of the armed forces, and how the Avengers respond to this (obviously, they don’t do it… but not without engendering a bit of tension).

Finally, a word about the title… while its origin for us stems from its time-honored use as the Avengers’ tagline (much like the FF’s “World’s Greatest Comic Magazine”), in this series, we’ll see an added layer of meaning to the term. Instead of the typical definition… the Avengers being the mightiest because they can kick ass on any opponent, the notion of being “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” will come from the simple fact that -- in the face of personal, emotional and cultural uncertainty at their inception -- the Avengers, this particular cast of characters, endured their hardships to become a respected institution in the Marvel Universe. That’s a pretty mighty achievement, if you ask me…

Okay, I’m gonna shut up now. So-called “administrative” matters should be somewhat settled first, at least between the two of us. Hell, I have no idea if the powers above both of us really want a series like this to happen, in the manner I’m describing. And until we can agree on artist (Sean) and format (8 issues long, cardstock covers), I’ll hold off on an issue-by-issue breakdown. That’ll be the next “informal” document.

Thanks,

Joe

*********************************************************

So, there you go. Written with a lot of love, I can tell you that much. As with my subsequent FF: First Family pitch document (see a previous newsletter where I talk about that project in detail), a lot of what I initially conceived ended up in the final series. I was even on target with length and format. What I didn’t realize then was that there are eight letters in the word “Avengers”, which ended up dictating our overall cover design, so that the entire series’ covers -- when placed in a row (according to numerical order) -- actually form a giant Avengers logo.

It looks like I even pitched the “twice a month” release schedule, which we ended up doing. It gave the entire series a unique kind of energy within the marketplace.

The “initial AVENGERS rant” that I refer to near the beginning of the doc… I’m not exactly certain what that is. I do know that around the same time Tom and I were planning the EMH series, he was also talking to me about taking over the regular Avengers monthly series. I can’t quite recall which came first, though. I may have to dig through my files to confirm…

I’m pretty happy that I advocated for Sean Phillips to draw this thing. That would’ve been very cool. Since our collaborations on Wildcats Vol. 2 and my best issues of Uncanny X-Men, I had the utmost faith in Sean’s ability to draw just about anything… including classic Marvel superheroes. Unfortunately, Joe Quesada didn’t agree and dinged Sean right away, suggesting that he wasn’t a “commercial” enough artist (I guess he’d conveniently forgotten that, by then, Sean was in the regular artist rotation on Uncanny, even after I’d split). Luckily, Sean got the opportunity to prove Quesada wrong when he and Robert Kirkman collaborated on the first Marvel Zombies series a few years later (a total cash grab on Marvel’s part that wouldn’t have been much of anything if it weren’t for the inspired efforts of both Kirkman and Sean, who transformed a bit of semi-clever wordplay into a bona fide franchise).

As far as EMH was concerned, in light of that setback, I think we did okay recruiting Scott Kolins, who was fresh off a fan favorite run on DC’s Flash series, as well as some random issues of the Avengers monthly. Scott had endless artistic enthusiasm, never shying away from putting in the kind of effort and detail that would’ve made George Pérez proud. On top of all that, he was fast enough that we were able to stick to the twice-a-month release schedule with no problems whatsoever.

The Tony Salmons thing… I have a vague memory of something being talked about. But, as with most things Tony Salmons-related, you take any possibility of new work from him with a big grain of salt. Not that Tony’s not a great artist… he definitely is. He’s just been less than productive for the past three decades (much to the chagrin of those of us who are still genuine fans). Not to mention that, apparently, it was going to be some sort of “Epic” imprint project (which, if you recall from that time, was a bit of a poisoned chalice and didn’t end up going very far). I think I might’ve seen a pin-up somewhere -- drawn by Tony himself -- of the original Avengers, which I’d imagine was the genesis of this half-baked idea, one that never manifested and gave us a clear path to move forward with EMH.

I guess I’ll wrap it up now, but I do want to say -- without getting too maudlin about it -- that this series meant everything to me at the time I was writing it. To have the opportunity to write the Avengers… writing Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye and the rest, in their classic incarnations that were so familiar to me from my prepubescent years, reading the series… was such a huge deal for me, personally. Looking back, it’s even hard for me to believe that 1) I got the gig in the first place and 2) that it turned out so well. It was one of those moments where I think… if I could travel back in time and tell the nine-year-old me that he’d get to write a comicbook set within the events of the first year of the Avengers’ career… well, that nine-year-old just might’ve sh*t himself in a mixture of joy and disbelief.

For anyone interested in this material, I couldn’t tell you if the original hardcover edition or this “Ultimate Collection” (which includes both EMH and its sequel, EMH2) are still in print or not. You may have to go hunting for it. Worth the hunt, though… definitely worth the hunt.

Joe Casey

USA