#1 En Diciembre se viene el What if...? Event
Mark Panniccia On December's What If? Event 
Newsarama What if… Senior Editor Mark Paniccia, the man behind Amazing Fantasy, Marvel Monsters and Incredible Hulk, were to take over the Marvel Universe?
Well, he’s doing just that in December’s What If…? event.
“This year, we have a whole new wave of talented individuals who've given their all to these concepts,” Paniccia told Newsarama. “If I could do a mini-series based on each one of them I would. They're all very well done and the artists... it's some of the best work from these guys. They're really pushing themselves 120%.
”We have Mike Carey and Marshall Roger on Fantastic Four, Greg Pak and David Lopez on Submariner, Rick Veitch and Tommy Lee Edwards on Daredevil, Tony Bedard and Carmine Di Giandomenico on Captain America, Robert Kirkman and Mike Oeming on Thor and Daniel Way and Jon Proctor on Wolverine.
”You'll see a cosmonaut version Reed Richards and a brave team of explorers turned cold-warriors, a Captain America who almost lost faith in his country but fought for its values in the Civil War, a man named Namor McKenzie who became a WWII hero and paid a horrific price when he turned his back on his mother's undersea nation… and much, much more. And despite the fact that the cosmic curve ball has been thrown at all of them, you'll see how the spirit of the character still endures.”
What went into the decision to engage this year’s creators? Last year’s What If…? saw the likes of Brian Michael Bendis, Chris Claremont, Peter David, Karl Kesel, Ed Brubaker, Michael Gaydos, Alex Maleev, Andrea DiVito, Paul Smith, Tom Raney and Bart Sears as well as Jim Mahfood and a whole lot of others.
“It was really a best-fit kind of thing,” Paniccia admitted. “I mean, with Thor, I felt compelled to go to Mike Oeming. I’ve been wanting to work with Mike again since I got here and he’s just a natural for the Norse god. [Newsarama Note: Mike Oeming had earlier teased in an earlier interview that he’s drawing Thor-related project.]
“For FF, there was no doubt that Mike Carey could knock a cosmonaut version out of orbit (pun intended) and Marshall Rogers could give it the traditional-with-a-twist look. Rogers’ imagination is boundless. His input into this story on both a visual and story level has made this book extremely special. [Note: Carey had earlier written a two-part Fantastic Four story in Ultimate Fantastic Four #19-#20.]
“And fortunately for me, everyone embraced their respective projects. Only Tommy Lee Edwards could make a Feudal Japan version of Daredevil look so incredibly cool and Rick’s script gives the fan everything they need in a Daredevil story.
“We’ve received such great buzz on Carmine Di Giandomenico’s work on Vegas for [October’s] Amazing Fantasy and he captures that dusty Western vibe so well it just made perfect sense for him to take the Civil War Captain America. Plus his design of the character is just plain cool!
“Jon Proctor is doing some of his absolute best work on Daniel Way’s Wolverine script. If you’re a Proctor fan, this is your dream book.
“Greg Pak’s Submariner story spans almost half a century and gives us a poignant look into the inner struggle of one of the US’s most powerful weapons during the great war and David Lopez captures the subtle moments of the half-breed’s turmoil. It’s beautiful stuff.”
According to Paniccia, last year’s What If…? event was “successful enough for the big boys to want to do it again. I think we hadn’t seen a What If…? for long enough that fans were ready for its return. Doing it as an annual event keeps it special and gives alternate-universe junkies a well-deserved fix and something to look forward to at the end of the year.
“[Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada]'d know that I'm grateful for the chance to put the Marvel U in front of a slightly warped mirror. This has been a really awesome assignment in so many ways and I couldn't thank him and Dan Buckley enough, or C.B. Cebulski for leaving the title open for me when he went on sabbatical.”
The first volume of What If…? was first published from 1977 through 1984. Every issue of the 47-issue series was observed (or “watched”) and narrated by Uatu the Watcher. The events that happened in the series were mostly considered totally separate from the normal Marvel universe.
What If…? was revived in 1989, and ran for a further 114 monthly issues. The most notable event from the second run include What If…? #105, "What if Peter and Mary Jane had raised their baby?", which was spun-off into the ongoing Spider-Girl series that stars May Parker.
The concept was then relaunched again last December, and is now an annual event.
”What we're doing this time is tilting the universe a little, shaking it and seeing how things land,” Paniccia said. “These aren't traditional What If…? stories. We're not asking what if someone died or not, or didn't join a team. And we're not dealing with random worlds from the multiverse. We're looking into one specific universe for the first time ever.
”And since last time Bendis put a crack in the Watcher mold, we're going to do something a little different with him this year, too. It's a pretty fun idea and I think it lends itself very well in giving us the "window" we need to view this new world.”
Will any of this year’s stories have any impact on the regular Marvel Universe then? “Not in the near future,” he said. “We’re visiting a universe that we may never see again. But it’s there just in case we want to go back. Like I said, I’d love to see more and, who knows, if fans speak up, maybe we will go back to one of them. We’ve talked about doing a poll after they’ve been released. Maybe one will get it’s own mini-series.”
Running down the list, the solicitation copy for the What If…? issues reads:
WHAT IF: CAPTAIN AMERICA
Written by TONY BEDARD
Penciled by CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO
Cover by TONY HARRIS
WHAT IF...CAPTAIN AMERICA FOUGHT IN THE CIVIL WAR?
At a time when America was tearing itself apart, and the very meaning of our nation was being rewritten in blood, one soldier fought to save the Union and build a better future. Learn the story of Union Army Captain Stephen Rogers, and the twist of fate that transformed him into Captain America, even as it birthed his greatest enemy, the White Skull.
32 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$2.99
WHAT IF: DAREDEVIL
Written by RICK VEITCH
Pencils & Cover by TOMMY LEE EDWARDS
In an alternate world, we find the story of a blinded child with special senses who lived in feudal Japan. Growing out of the shadow of his father’s failure, the blind youth emerged to stand against an evil controlling overlord as the samurai known as DEVIL WHO DARES!
32 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$2.99
WHAT IF: FANTASTIC FOUR
Written by MIKE CAREY
Pencils & Cover by MARSHALL ROGERS
What if... the Fantastic Four were cosmonauts? Discover the story of the UFFF - the Ultimate Federalist Freedom Fighters: of how their existence as the world’s first super-team turned the Cold War into a different, deadlier kind of struggle—and how, ultimately, they fought their hardest, most tragic battle against the forces that kept them in power.
32 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$2.99
WHAT IF: SUBMARINER
Written by GREG PAK
Penciled by DAVID LOPEZ
Cover by CARLO PAGULAYAN
The history books tell us that young Prince Namor, the proud son of an Atlantean princess, joined the Allied fight against the Nazis in order to protect his undersea people. But what if Namor grew up on land with his human father, filled with hatred for the Atlanteans who killed his mother? For whom will he fight when World War II sweeps the planet and Atlantis calls for help? And in what terrifying ways might the course of history be changed forever?
32 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$2.99
WHAT IF: THOR
Written by ROBERT KIRKMAN
Pencils & Cover by MICHAEL OEMING
In the tradition of epic mythology, we peer into a universe where the unthinkable has happened: THOR has been transformed into the Herald of GALACTUS. How can Earth survive with such a powerful harbinger of doom at its doorstep? Is there anyone who can stop him or will Earth be left a scorched and barren wasteland like so many other thriving planets before it?
32 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$2.99
WHAT IF: WOLVERINE
Written by DANIEL WAY
Penciled by JON PROCTOR
Cover by TONY HARRIS
“Public Enemy Number One”
Logan has sought solace in the trappings of a rowdy river town in the Canadian wilderness, but a tragedy forces him to seek revenge in the mob-ridden windy city, Chicago. Will this crusade stop him from becoming Wolverine or does he have a greater destiny ahead of him? All these questions and more are answered in this hard-boiled tale of vengeance by the acclaimed creative team of Marvel/Epic’s GUN THEORY.
32 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$2.99
Well, he’s doing just that in December’s What If…? event.
“This year, we have a whole new wave of talented individuals who've given their all to these concepts,” Paniccia told Newsarama. “If I could do a mini-series based on each one of them I would. They're all very well done and the artists... it's some of the best work from these guys. They're really pushing themselves 120%.
”We have Mike Carey and Marshall Roger on Fantastic Four, Greg Pak and David Lopez on Submariner, Rick Veitch and Tommy Lee Edwards on Daredevil, Tony Bedard and Carmine Di Giandomenico on Captain America, Robert Kirkman and Mike Oeming on Thor and Daniel Way and Jon Proctor on Wolverine.
”You'll see a cosmonaut version Reed Richards and a brave team of explorers turned cold-warriors, a Captain America who almost lost faith in his country but fought for its values in the Civil War, a man named Namor McKenzie who became a WWII hero and paid a horrific price when he turned his back on his mother's undersea nation… and much, much more. And despite the fact that the cosmic curve ball has been thrown at all of them, you'll see how the spirit of the character still endures.”
What went into the decision to engage this year’s creators? Last year’s What If…? saw the likes of Brian Michael Bendis, Chris Claremont, Peter David, Karl Kesel, Ed Brubaker, Michael Gaydos, Alex Maleev, Andrea DiVito, Paul Smith, Tom Raney and Bart Sears as well as Jim Mahfood and a whole lot of others.
“It was really a best-fit kind of thing,” Paniccia admitted. “I mean, with Thor, I felt compelled to go to Mike Oeming. I’ve been wanting to work with Mike again since I got here and he’s just a natural for the Norse god. [Newsarama Note: Mike Oeming had earlier teased in an earlier interview that he’s drawing Thor-related project.]
“For FF, there was no doubt that Mike Carey could knock a cosmonaut version out of orbit (pun intended) and Marshall Rogers could give it the traditional-with-a-twist look. Rogers’ imagination is boundless. His input into this story on both a visual and story level has made this book extremely special. [Note: Carey had earlier written a two-part Fantastic Four story in Ultimate Fantastic Four #19-#20.]
“And fortunately for me, everyone embraced their respective projects. Only Tommy Lee Edwards could make a Feudal Japan version of Daredevil look so incredibly cool and Rick’s script gives the fan everything they need in a Daredevil story.
“We’ve received such great buzz on Carmine Di Giandomenico’s work on Vegas for [October’s] Amazing Fantasy and he captures that dusty Western vibe so well it just made perfect sense for him to take the Civil War Captain America. Plus his design of the character is just plain cool!
“Jon Proctor is doing some of his absolute best work on Daniel Way’s Wolverine script. If you’re a Proctor fan, this is your dream book.
“Greg Pak’s Submariner story spans almost half a century and gives us a poignant look into the inner struggle of one of the US’s most powerful weapons during the great war and David Lopez captures the subtle moments of the half-breed’s turmoil. It’s beautiful stuff.”
According to Paniccia, last year’s What If…? event was “successful enough for the big boys to want to do it again. I think we hadn’t seen a What If…? for long enough that fans were ready for its return. Doing it as an annual event keeps it special and gives alternate-universe junkies a well-deserved fix and something to look forward to at the end of the year.
“[Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada]'d know that I'm grateful for the chance to put the Marvel U in front of a slightly warped mirror. This has been a really awesome assignment in so many ways and I couldn't thank him and Dan Buckley enough, or C.B. Cebulski for leaving the title open for me when he went on sabbatical.”
The first volume of What If…? was first published from 1977 through 1984. Every issue of the 47-issue series was observed (or “watched”) and narrated by Uatu the Watcher. The events that happened in the series were mostly considered totally separate from the normal Marvel universe.
What If…? was revived in 1989, and ran for a further 114 monthly issues. The most notable event from the second run include What If…? #105, "What if Peter and Mary Jane had raised their baby?", which was spun-off into the ongoing Spider-Girl series that stars May Parker.
The concept was then relaunched again last December, and is now an annual event.
”What we're doing this time is tilting the universe a little, shaking it and seeing how things land,” Paniccia said. “These aren't traditional What If…? stories. We're not asking what if someone died or not, or didn't join a team. And we're not dealing with random worlds from the multiverse. We're looking into one specific universe for the first time ever.
”And since last time Bendis put a crack in the Watcher mold, we're going to do something a little different with him this year, too. It's a pretty fun idea and I think it lends itself very well in giving us the "window" we need to view this new world.”
Will any of this year’s stories have any impact on the regular Marvel Universe then? “Not in the near future,” he said. “We’re visiting a universe that we may never see again. But it’s there just in case we want to go back. Like I said, I’d love to see more and, who knows, if fans speak up, maybe we will go back to one of them. We’ve talked about doing a poll after they’ve been released. Maybe one will get it’s own mini-series.”
Running down the list, the solicitation copy for the What If…? issues reads:
WHAT IF: CAPTAIN AMERICA
Written by TONY BEDARD
Penciled by CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO
Cover by TONY HARRIS
WHAT IF...CAPTAIN AMERICA FOUGHT IN THE CIVIL WAR?
At a time when America was tearing itself apart, and the very meaning of our nation was being rewritten in blood, one soldier fought to save the Union and build a better future. Learn the story of Union Army Captain Stephen Rogers, and the twist of fate that transformed him into Captain America, even as it birthed his greatest enemy, the White Skull.
32 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$2.99
WHAT IF: DAREDEVIL
Written by RICK VEITCH
Pencils & Cover by TOMMY LEE EDWARDS
In an alternate world, we find the story of a blinded child with special senses who lived in feudal Japan. Growing out of the shadow of his father’s failure, the blind youth emerged to stand against an evil controlling overlord as the samurai known as DEVIL WHO DARES!
32 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$2.99
WHAT IF: FANTASTIC FOUR
Written by MIKE CAREY
Pencils & Cover by MARSHALL ROGERS
What if... the Fantastic Four were cosmonauts? Discover the story of the UFFF - the Ultimate Federalist Freedom Fighters: of how their existence as the world’s first super-team turned the Cold War into a different, deadlier kind of struggle—and how, ultimately, they fought their hardest, most tragic battle against the forces that kept them in power.
32 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$2.99
WHAT IF: SUBMARINER
Written by GREG PAK
Penciled by DAVID LOPEZ
Cover by CARLO PAGULAYAN
The history books tell us that young Prince Namor, the proud son of an Atlantean princess, joined the Allied fight against the Nazis in order to protect his undersea people. But what if Namor grew up on land with his human father, filled with hatred for the Atlanteans who killed his mother? For whom will he fight when World War II sweeps the planet and Atlantis calls for help? And in what terrifying ways might the course of history be changed forever?
32 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$2.99
WHAT IF: THOR
Written by ROBERT KIRKMAN
Pencils & Cover by MICHAEL OEMING
In the tradition of epic mythology, we peer into a universe where the unthinkable has happened: THOR has been transformed into the Herald of GALACTUS. How can Earth survive with such a powerful harbinger of doom at its doorstep? Is there anyone who can stop him or will Earth be left a scorched and barren wasteland like so many other thriving planets before it?
32 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$2.99
WHAT IF: WOLVERINE
Written by DANIEL WAY
Penciled by JON PROCTOR
Cover by TONY HARRIS
“Public Enemy Number One”
Logan has sought solace in the trappings of a rowdy river town in the Canadian wilderness, but a tragedy forces him to seek revenge in the mob-ridden windy city, Chicago. Will this crusade stop him from becoming Wolverine or does he have a greater destiny ahead of him? All these questions and more are answered in this hard-boiled tale of vengeance by the acclaimed creative team of Marvel/Epic’s GUN THEORY.
32 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$2.99
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