Broken Frontier

Since 2006, the writing team of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning have led the way in charting the course of Marvel's cosmic universe, first in relaunching the career of Richard Rider, AKA Nova, during the Annihilation event, followed by the sequel Annihilation: Conquest, a new Guardians of the Galaxy series, and most recently War of Kings, which pitted the Inhumans and the Kree against the mad emperor Vulcan and the forces of the Shi'ar Empire. Now comes this week's Realm of Kings, which deals with the consequences of that war, and the new playing field established. Broken Frontier spoke with "DnA" (as they are collectively known) about this new and dangerous frontier for Marvel's cosmic cast of characters.

BROKEN FRONTIER: Let’s start with the question on everyone’s minds; what is Realm of Kings?

DAN ABNETT and ANDY LANNING: It’s a state of mind! Okay, literally, it’s the Kree and Shi’ar Empires and The Fault, and how those three vast areas interact in the post-War of Kings universe. It’s about the period of aftermath and repair, a time of possibilities and great endeavour, a chance to make huge gains and improvements while things are still confused. And it’s about a huge and looming threat... from outside and from within. Damn, now I wish we’d said that in our best  ...‘in a world of fire and ice...’ voices.

BF: Realm of Kings follows on the fallout of Black Bolt detonating a “Terrigen-Bomb”, thus winning the war for the Kree over the Shi'ar (and creating The Fault in the process). Was it deliberate choice to echo this as a reversal of the outcome of Operation: Galactic Storm, where the Shi'ar defeated the Kree by detonating the Nega-Bomb? And among the Inhumans, are there any negative feelings towards their now-departed leader for using the sacred Terrigen mists as a weapon?

DnA: Yes, it was. We like a little symmetry with our cosmic. And yes, there is likely to be some lingering resentment in the House of Attilan.

BF: Does The Fault appear to observers to be just a general area of space where reality is warped, or is it more like a “hole”?

DnA: It’s a gigantic slice of damaged time and space. Things are clearly tumbling through it from other universes (check out Nova, especially), but the real question is... does it lead anywhere in particular? So, it’s a hole that might also be a tunnel.

BF: Why is it considered such a threat, when the Guardians of the Galaxy in particular have dealt with rips in the space/time continuum before?

DnA: Yes, the Guardians have dealt with rips in space time before, but they’ve always been bad news (both in terms of the damage they do to the continuum and what they let ‘in’). This is the biggest yet, and if they hadn’t contained it, it would have swallowed and destroyed everything, everywhere. It could still do that, if someone sets it off again.

BF: Given that the Shi'ar (and Vulcan particularly) are generally considered part of the X-Men's world, did you have to do a lot of coordination with the X-Men office in making such radical changes to the status quo for these characters?

DnA: Of course, but the X-office was extremely lovely and cooperative. It’s good, once in a while, to reinforce the sense that it’s one big universe. After two Annihilation events, wouldn’t there started to have been a feeling of “where the heck have the Shi’Ar been in all this?”

BF: Is Gladiator now essentially subservient to the Inhumans/Kree? Does he have a problem with accepting the Shi'ar's defeat, or has his longtime role of serving whoever's in charge allowed him to adapt?

DnA: It has allowed him to adapt, and he is a huge pragmatist. He - and the Shi’ar mindset in general - understands the concept of endurance. You evolve and endure. There is always the long game and the next time. Now the job of Majestor has been dumped on him, he’s anxious to fulfill the role properly. Can he be a regent answering to Medusa and the Kree?
 
BF: You've said that you see the Imperial Guard more as a military unit than a group of superheroes. What are some of the fundamental differences between these approaches, and how they would they play out in terms of how the Guard deals with situations?

DnA: It’s tougher and it’s significantly more lethal - on both sides. We see the Guard as finding military applications for their powers, and operating along highly drilled, squad level lines of dynamic. It’s a Roman legion as a superhero team. And they’re soldiers of a sovereign culture: they have no qualms about killing during legitimate operations.
 
BF: We've seen some promotional art teasing the return of Wendell Vaughn, aka Quasar. What prompted the decision for his taking back the mantle of Quasar, while Phyla became Martyr? And do you enjoy the reaction from fans when you bring back underused or lower-profile characters like Quasar, Darkhawk, and Jack Flag?

DnA: It was an organic process, actually. We had things we wanted to do with Phyla, and it seemed appropriate to bring Wendell back in Nova the way we did. And yes, it’s a crowd pleaser too. Quasar, Darkhawk and Jack Flag all have roles to play in the upcoming stories, and people really seem to enjoy seeing them in the cosmic frontline.
 
BF: Has your method of collaboration evolved at all since first taking on Marvel's cosmic universe? And does most of it take place over email or phone, or do you hang out at each other's places and brainstorm?

DnA: We work the same way, pretty much, that we have for the last twenty years: we talk a lot on the phone, we throw ideas to and fro, and then we get together, usually once a week, for a day of serious brainstorming to move the next job or job along. The actual physical writing chores get divided between us. We can do more damage that way.
 
BF: Do you have an interest in tackling any of Marvel's non-cosmic characters in particular?

DnA: Are you kidding? We love the Marvel Universe. Given our taste for all things otherworldly, I suppose we particularly like Doctor Strange, Thor, The FF and the Avengers. And Man-Thing, Ka-Zar, Deathlok....
 
BF: What else are you guys working on?

DnA: Plenty! Andy, wearing his other hat as inker, is busy with Astonishing X-Men and Spider-Man. Dan is writing his latest novel, a Horus Heresy book called Prospero Burns. Together, they’ve got all sorts of secret goodies up their sleeves...

Realm of Kings #1 is on sale now from Marvel Comics priced $3.99