This November, Angela the warrior is getting her own series. We saw her debut in the pages of SPAWN, courtesy of Neil Gaiman. As a result of AGE OF ULTRON, she found herself in the Marvel 616 universe. Then in the ORIGINAL SIN miniseries, THOR & LOKI: THE TENTH REALM, we discovered that Angela is actually Thor's sister.
Even though we've seen her in the pages of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, with this new revelation, what's next for Angela? She's getting her own series, written by Kieron Gillen and Marguerite Bennett. What's up with the title of being an assassin? We asked both writers some questions to find out more.
COMICVINE: What's it like to be involved fleshing out a character created by Neil Gaiman?
KIERON GILLEN: Pleasing. It's the odd sensation in working in mainstream comics is touching on characters who were invented by people who were part of your way into comics. I mean, I felt similarly dancing with Marvel Boy or Abigail Brand. It's an interesting sensation ... but it's not really about Gaiman. It's about the character. What's there? What can be done with them? How can you make them sing? It's about making the character yours for as long as you write them.
MARGUERITE BENNETT: Intimidating. Neil Gaiman was a huge part of my childhood and youth—I read SANDMAN when I was thirteen or fourteen, and American Gods was my favorite novel in high school. I felt some trepidation that Angela’s notoriety, in some ways, might’ve eclipsed her potential for a lot of people. But I agree with everything Kieron said. I’m so excited we’ll have the chance to bring her to you, in her new glory.
CV: Will it be an ongoing struggle to get over her hatred of Asgard and to accept her true heritage?
KG: Angela is nothing but an ongoing struggle. She's very much the Ronin at the start of the book. No-one really wants her and she doesn't really want anyone. But she still owes people, and Angela pays her debts in a way that would frighten even the Lannisters.
MB: She’s the balancing of the scales. Debt is life, to her. Balance is life. She delivers, perfectly, what is contracted and what is deserved—no room for judgment, no room for revenge, no room for mercy. She has so often been impersonal, a force of nature, but her struggle will reveal who she is an individual. Hurricanes and floods happen equally; people must choose.
CV: Will this series focus solely on Angela or will we see members of the Guardians of the Galaxy?
KG: The first arc takes us all over the Marvel Universe. We want to define the character, and the best way to do that is to show her in all the contexts that she operates. So here's Angela deep in the Nine Worlds. Here's Angela dealing with the wonder of Earth. Here's Angela dealing with her old team-mates, and first experience of this universe...
I don't want to say who'll be in it. But if you think they should be in it, they'll probably be in there.
MB: Whether they want to be or not, haha.
CV: Will she spend any time on Asgard or keep her distance?
KG: She certainly visits Asgard. Ahem.
MB: Loose lips sink helicarriers.
CV: What's with "Assassin" in the title? Who will Angela be assassinating?
KG: The easy one-line description of the book is “Asgardian Black Widow.” We could go as easily with “Asgardian Winter Soldier.” She's had a history of this. She's done this. She's someone who believes in the concept of “red in your ledger” in a literal religious fashion. The question of what would make her do it ever again is at the heart of the book, and why the hell she was doing it anyway.
MB: She’s her own worst enemy, in a lot of ways. Her ideology has allowed her escape certain responsibilities while also shackling her to put her code above her own desires. Her choices will only get harder.
CV: Can you tell us if the new Thor will appear at all? Regular Thor (former Thor, not sure what we're calling him now).
KG: I suspect we'll see the Odinson. It would make sense.
MB: You’ll also see a new character who is integral to Angela’s past, a character who is as lively and wily as Angela is formidable and daunting. The book is going to be fast, fierce, and fun, while exploring the meaning a person like Angela has to herself and to the MU. It’s gonna be so cool, you guys.
Make sure you check out ANGELA: ASGARD'S ASSASSIN when it debuts in November, 2014. Joining Gillen and Bennett is Phil Jimenez as the lead artist. Stephanie Hans will be doing a short story in each issue as well.
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