Over on CBR, it appears that it’s Millar time (ha) as all around cool guy Kiel Phegley talks to the writer of “Trouble” and “Unfunnies” Mark Millar about his upcoming plans. The discussion includes the end of “Kick-Ass” and the upcoming “MPH” and “Starlight” (including a new preview of “MPH” by Duncan Fegredo which looks about as great as you would expect a book illustrated by Duncan Fegredo to look), but there are two bits in there that for Millar fans are most note-worthy.
The first is that, over the next three years, Millar has plans for apparently nine new books. These books include “MPH” and “Starlight,” but they also move towards a bigger shared Millar universe. As he explains, a character in “MPH” will disappear and reappear in a brand new book, and aspects of “Starlight” will be fleshed out in a separate but related series.
Stan [Lee], Jack [Kirby] and Steve [Ditko] managed to create the Marvel Universe inside two or three years and establish everything and I have the next three years planned out similarly with a number of amazing artists as my partners. What’s nice is we don’t have to break our backs doing 12 books a year for each title. We just do what feels natural — maybe four or six or eight-issue stories — and the whole thing is interconnected like the Marvel movies, the most popular ones maybe getting sequels if the story lends itself to it. It’s actually a nice, relaxed way of working, and I’ve got nine new titles planned over the next three years in total.
Furthermore, Millar offers up two blank teasers of who he will be working with on some of these books. The “Starlight”-related series will be drawn by Sean Murphy (like we told you that one time), and the other will reunite Millar with “Ultimates” collaborator Bryan Hitch, assumedly once “Real Heroes” wraps up.
Of his nine new books, Millar announced that only two of them still need artists. So, let’s recap what is on the docket:
- The “Kick-Ass” finale with John Romita
- “Secret Service Book Two” with Dave Gibbons
- “Nemesis 2” with Steve McNiven
- The second half of “Jupiter’s Legacy” with Frank Quitely
- “MPH” with Duncan Fegredo
- “Starlight” with Goran Parlov
- “Kindergarten Heroes” with Curtis Tiegs
- Something with Sean Murphy in Winter 2014
- Something with Bryan Hitch in Spring 2015
- Unannounced Book #3 with an artist I probably really like
- Unannounced Book #4 with an artist you probably really like
- Unannounced Book #5 with an artist we probably both really like
- Unannounced Book #6 with an artist that’s probably ridiculously good
- Unannounced Book #7 with an artist that is probably wicked awesome
- Unannounced Book #8 without an artist
- Unannounced Book #9 without an artist
And the apparent return of “American Jesus” with Peter Gross (originally planned as a trilogy, if memory serves?) and “Supercrooks” with Leinil Francis Yu; maybe even the end of “War Heroes” with Tony Harris (I wouldn’t bet on that). Say what you will about Mark Millar, but he sure does work with, like, all of my favorite artists. It’s kind of crazy.
It will be very interesting to see how his extended universe will begin to pan out as the year comes to an end and we have more information (and a first hand look) at some of these titles.
