This October, Marvel Comics will launch its new Midnight horror universe imprint with three titles that reimagine the origins of some the publishing house’s most beloved characters. Creators Jonathan Hickman, Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Benjamin Percy, who have teamed up to establish the groundwork for the new universe in Midnight X-Men, Midnight Spider-Man and Midnight Fantastic Four, respectively, recently talked with AIPT about the new imprint and teased plans to expand it.
Originally scheduled to trickle out month-by-month starting in August, the corporate realignment spearheaded by Brad Winderbaum has shifted the Midnight Universe (Earth-1031) into a singular, coordinated launch event on October 7.
Marvel’s plan is to allow the books to grow and evolve on their own, with Percy calling each title “totally distinct.” However, the three writers communicate with one another regularly and have already begun discussions about potential expansion of the Midnight Universe.
“We get together for a Zoom call once or twice a month,” Percy explained. “We have had summits together, just the three of us as writers, with other people involved in the room, editors and other folks from Marvel.”
The writers also have an ongoing Slack chat where they communicate with one another as they chisel away at the foundation of what Percy says is a universe primed for growth.
“Whenever there’s any kind of an element that might be of use in Jonathan’s or Ben’s stories, I try to bring it up in the meetings,” explained Johnson. “Potentially plant seeds that’ll turn into a new character or a new title maybe down the line,” he added. “It’s all just a discussion. We shouldn’t spoil it, but it’s definitely being actually discussed.”
“The whole idea is that we are indeed building a universe. The idea is this is gonna keep growing and keep growing,” Percy explained. “And not only are we going to interlock, but also there’s gonna be more series that eventually crop up. And there’s a lot of discussion about that as well, adding, “It’s patiently discussed. We’re not in a rush.”
Though the think tank sessions seem to be generating plenty of ideas, the architects of the Midnight Universe are thinking ahead, leaving room for the imaginations of new creatives who may come on board. “I think we’re all being pretty careful because we want to give other writers and artists the opportunity to create origin stories within the Midnight Universe,” Percy said.
The light had its turn. Marvel’s Midnight Universe launches October 7.
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