Alternate comic book universes are all the rage lately, with both Marvel's Ultimate Universe and DC's Absolute Universe consistently topping the sales charts. The only problem for Marvel is that they just ended the Ultimate line this summer. Where do they go from here? How do they continue that momentum? The answer, it seems, is to shift focus to another brand-new universe, but this time focused on infusing classic Marvel properties with elements of horror.
The result is the Midnight Universe, a new imprint set in a twisted version of the Marvel U where iconic characters have been given drastic makeovers. One of the three pillars of that line is Phillip Kennedy Johnson and ScieTronc's Midnight Spider-Man. What happens when your friendly neighborhood hero is given a full-fledged body horror makeover? To find out, we spoke with Johnson via email. Check out an exclusive preview of the first issue in the slideshow gallery below, and then read on to learn more about the new series and how it delivers a profoundly different take on Marvel's most popular hero:
To start off, we were curious about the mission statement of the Midnight Universe. How does this project compare to something like the Ultimate line? Is it still about letting creators take big swings in a way that aren't possible in the mainline Marvel Universe continuity?
"On that initial meeting with the three writers, senior editorial, and Marvel President Dan Buckley, the quote from Dan I remember most clearly was 'horror in the front seat, superhero very much in the back,'” Johnson tells IGN. "I took that as permission to go as hard as we want to go. I’m approaching it like a creator-owned horror series, honoring the core of the Spider-Man story but retold as a prestige horror title. And not 'horror' just in its horrifying imagery, but hopefully also in its concept, atmosphere, and thematic relevance that makes all the best horror stories hit as hard as they do.
When the Midnight Universe was announced, there was some initial online pushback from fans who expected the line to focus on classic supernatural characters like Blade and the Midnight Sons. Which begs the question - was there talk of focusing on more traditional horror characters? Does Johnson feel like reinterpreting these iconic heroes is actually the more potent approach in this case?
"Marvel’s traditionally supernatural characters have come up in conversation, and I have no doubt they’ll show up in our stories at some point," Johnson says. "But the focus for the launch was always Marvel’s most classic, iconic characters. When the initial teaser for Midnight went up, EVERYONE who saw it assumed the same kind of imminent follow-up announcements: Midnight Suns, Blade, Werewolf by Night, Moon Knight, Tomb of Dracula. Everyone thought they knew what was coming, there wasn’t even a discussion."
Johnson continues, "That was exactly the reaction I was hoping for, and to me, it confirmed that we were doing the right thing in embracing the unexpected. Midnight isn’t just a sticker on the cover of all our business-as-usual horror titles. It’s a complete reimagining of the entire Marvel Universe. If we launched the Midnight Universe with a Blade title, the risk is that “Midnight Blade” would look an awful lot like the Blade of the 616 Universe. Midnight Blade wouldn’t give us anything new, that’s what he’s always been."
With the Ultimate Universe, creators were pretty much left free to tell their stories within the framework of the two-year real-time format Jonathan Hickman established, with those characters finally converging when the line reached its climax in Ultimate Endgame. What is the approach to the Midnight Universe? Is Johnson focused on telling his own story, or are Midnight Spider-Man, Hickman and Matteo Della Fonte's Midnight X-Men, and Benjamin Percy and Kev Walker's Midnight Fantastic Four building to a larger, overarching story?
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.ign.com/articles/how-midnight-spider-man-transforms-peter-parker-into-a-terrifying-monster
