Welcome to the 8th installment of the new Leave Your Spandex @t the Door! No, you’re not seeing double! This week, LYS@D is coming to you in a healthy double dose! This week, I talked with Warren Simons, the editor of this yea’s surprise hit: X-Statix presents: Dead Girl. Warren answered our question and provided us with pages 4 to 8 of the 3rd issue (on sale next week) for your viewing pleasure!
ManolisWelcome Warren! The cat is out of the bag officially, after the cover to issue 4 was released: U-Go girl is back! Were you reluctant to bring her back when Pete suggested it?
Warren: No, not at all. Pete’s made it clear in the series that Mister Sensitive still has a terrible love for Edie. And people that are in love should be together. Even if they’re dead.
As you know, Manolis, Mister Sensitive has had a rough go of it the past few years. He lost Edie. Then he was killed. Tough stuff, any way you look at it.
Is your heart so black that you’d be the one to keep them apart?
Manolis: Do you think bringing her back from the dead takes away from the significance of her death in the last series?
Warren: No. Absolutely not. Well”¦maybe. Well, probably. But just a little bit, you know? Like, maybe it takes away 5%. But that’s it”¦ I’ll give you 5%.
But as Peter aptly noted in a recent interview, X-Statix are characters not to be precious with. I think he called them the Campbell Soup Tins of super heroes. Which I thought was brilliant. And not just because they refer to “cans” as “tins” in England.
Manolis: Will we actually learn the secret to the Dead Means Dead exception from Doc Strange in this series or y’all just yanking our chains?
Warren: I’ll give you a hint: Can you play the Piano?
Manolis: Right off the top of your head: give me the top 5 dead Marvel characters that should never see the light of day again!
Warren: Bucky, Hawkeye, Doop, Foggy Nelson, and Colossus.
Manolis: Why is Gwen of all people in Hell? (Past Sins? ;) )
Warren: She isn’t in Hell proper; she’s in the afterlife. The Girl’s Club isn’t located in the same spot as where The Pitiful One and his crew reside. Sort of like New York and Idaho; same country, different worlds.
Manolis: Is this series in continuity? Can we assume Dr. Strange’s haemorrhoids’ are now canon and expect to see them in his new series?
Warren: It’s in-continuity to me, if that helps. But, haemorrhoids come and go, you know. Peter told me that. I don’t know if I would go so far to consider Strange’s haemorrhoids canon, though.
Manolis: How did Pete Milligan first pitch this series to you?
Warren: Well”¦X-Statix is a series that is near and dear to my heart. Issue # 4 was the first comic I worked on when I came to Marvel, and it’s the first comic my name appeared in. So, being a superficial person, the series appealed to my vanity on a personal level, and as this is a book about shallow people, I could immediately relate to the characters. It worked on many levels.
So awhile after the series ended, I talked with Peter about a new limited, and lo and behold, here we are.
Manolis: What has the reception been in-House of the mini so far? Any word on a follow-up project?
Warren: Everyone’s been very pleased. The series has been well received critically, and that’s due to Peter, Nick, Mike, Laura and Nate.
Mike Allred is one of those freelancers that editors just love: super talented, on-time, professional, and a true gentleman. A rare, rare combination. Nick Dragotta”¦well, Nick’s ironing out some communication issues, but what are you gonna do? No, I’m just kidding. Nick’s been great. I am a lucky editor to work with this crew.
Manolis: Did you meet any editorial resistance from higher-up when you asked to use Gwen “holy cow” Stacy and the recently departed Ant-man in the series?
Warren: Not at all. Tom Brevoort, our resident Marvel Oracle, was a big help at the start of the series. And Axel Alonso, who edited the brilliant original X-Force / X-Statix series, has loved every issue.
Manolis: Any chance of a Dead Sisters’ Book Club one-shot down the line?
Warren: Let me run that by Joe Q.
Manolis: Finally, can you give us a tease about what’s coming up in the last 3 issues?
Warren: Sure, here are a few:
1) Peter has created a new character who will give Surrender Monkey a run for his money. I promise.
2) The Anarchist will make out with someone who isn’t Dead Girl.
3) Mister Sensitive will cry like a little baby.
4) The Phantom Rider will utter a brilliant line in reference to Mister Sensitive crying like a little baby.
It’s going to be a lot of fun.
Manolis:Thank you for your answers, Warren! I’m looking forward to the next issue! Out next week!
