If you thought Shadowland : Powerman 4 was the last of Iron Fist and his hard knocking student/protege,Vic Alvarez (PowerMan) then you misread the last line of the mini "School is in Session". Fortunately, one half of the creative team, Fred Van Lente talked to me about 'Men of Mystery', the title of the new arc for PowerMan & Iron Fist mini. Here is what we talked about :
IFF- I have said it countless times,that your mini was the best thing out of Shadowland, it was executed right introducing Marvel U, a new cool kid Vic. Now Shadowland is over how will this upcoming mini differ from the first one?
FVL-Thanks, Aaron. The major difference, of course, is that Iron Fist now shares the lead with Vic, as opposed to being a major supporting character in the SL series. He's Vic's reluctant teacher, and Vic is his reluctant student. Thrown together through circumstance they have to learn from each other, or die trying.
IFF-We saw a lot of old characters like old villains of Iron fist and Luke Cage from back in the day and even one of them turned out to be the father of Vic, What is the roster going to be? are we going to see new characters that will have relevant roles?
FVL-The villains from the original series were almost entirely Luke Cage foes, and with the shift in title we're bringing back some Power Man & Iron Fist characters, most prominently El Aguila, who heads the Penance Corporation, a for-profit prisons company. Also, Crime-Buster, a rival Hero for Hire created by Kurt Buseik during his run on the title. He's the MacGuffin of the whole series as his murder sets the events of the book in motion. Danny Rand and Luke Cage's old secretary, Jennie Royce, is falsely convicted of the crime, and so Danny and his new partner Vic have to prove her innocence.
And that involves running headlong into a gauntlet of new foes, including Pagliacci and the Commedia dell'Morte, Pokerface, Noir, and, making his triumphant return from TASKMASTER, fan-favorite Don of the Dead.
IFF-Now that Vic is an established young character, where does he stand and which direction are you taking him? compared to other young characters in the Marvel Universe how does he stand out?
FVL-You'll be able to compare him against Marvel's most famous (ex-) teen hero when he guest-stars in backups in Amazing Spider-Man #652 & 653, on-sale in January, with gorgeous art from my Prince of Power partner-in-crime, Reilly Brown.
IFF-In the first mini readers saw how naive Vic was in terms of having an unbelievable chi power as well as family responsibilities on his shoulders, is he still going to be in that trying to find my self phase or it will be something different this time.
FVL-He definitely thinks he needs less instruction than Iron Fist does. He's usually contradicting and acting out against everything his mentor says. In fact he's enough of a trail of Danny's patience Iron Fist wonders whether or not he's been entrusted with Power Man as a test of him as opposed to the other way around.
IFF-Apart from Danny mentoring Vic and dealing with old enemies,the first mini was focused much on Vic, are we going to see much concentration on Danny? What plans do you have for Danny as a character?
FVL-Having lost his fortune, Danny concentrates on the Rand Foundation, his non-profit organization, and he hires out himself and Power Man to various neighborhoods and institutions as pro bono heroes for hire. Working with him is his former arch-nemesis, Joy Meachum, daughter of the man who killed Wendell Rand, his father, and possible new love interest in the wake of his breakup with Misty Knight...
I was excited to see the immortal weapons reference you made in the first mini any chance of Immortal weapons again ?
FVL-We'll see. We have a pretty big cast as it is! Ed, Matt and Duane thoroughly mined that aspect of the Iron Fist mythology and I'll bring it up only if I feel like I can add to it in a significant way.
IFF-If i am right it seems Luke Cage did not care much about Vic especially when he discovered who he father was, he just let it be. Will Luke Cage return again and if so what will be his role?
FVL-Luke is pretty busy with his responsibilities in the New Avengers and Thunderbolts, so he won't really have the opportunity to take on an important role in this book.
IFF-You mentioned in your interview with CBR, Vic is more powerful than Danny,though reading the first mini it was revealed Vic's chi is very powerful, honestly i told myself that must be an exaggeration, Vic does not have the experience and skill and i think he is no match to Danny's martial arts skills and chi power. Can you please clarify that
FVL-You are half right. Iron Fist can only channel his own chi, but Vic can multiply his chi many times over by absorbing more of it from his environment. So Vic is most definitely more powerful than Fist in that aspect. However, Danny is the much more skilled fighter, so over an extended bout your money should definitely be on Iron Fist ... until he's taught Vic to surpass him, that is. (Which is the point of any martial arts training, natch.)
IFF-.I enjoyed every single page of Mahmud Asrar's artwork in the first mini, and am sure most fans will agree,the two of you complimented each other in the sense of translating your script in a visual way that is appealing. How is it like working with Wellinton Alves now and how is his artwork coming?
FVL-Wellinton is only a few pages away from wrapping #2, and it's really killer stuff, gritty and active and which some truly creepy designs for the new characters.
IFF-Is there anything you never got the chance to do in the first mini that you will want to in this one?
FVL-Both are pretty self-contained stories: the first was about the formation of the Vic/Danny team, and in the second Vic and Danny have to solve the murder of Crime-Buster. Both are thoroughly awesome in their own ways!
IFF-.It was announced Powerman will have a backup story in Amazing Spiderman 652-653, will it be a stand alone story or will it lead to Powerman & Iron Fist mini? and how is Reilly Brown's artwork coming?
FVL-It is a standalone tale about Spidey and Vic teaming up to battle a classic Steve Ditko villain. The art is done, the comics at the printer. I can't wait to see them.
IFF-It seems Marvel is preparing Danny for something big,looking back at his role in Shadowland event as well as role in New Avengers and recently enlisted in Heroes For Hire.I think is right for him to get his own solo title back, do you see that happening?
FVL-I think it's quite possible, particularly since they've hired a screenwrtier to pen the Iron Fist movie.
IFF-How many issues will this mini be and will it be a complete storyline or it will lead to something else?
FVL-Five and it will be complete, but who knows? Perhaps the third title in a trilogy will be in the future...
IFF-What was your favorite moment or issue in the first mini and any key stuff you want fans to look out for in the upcoming mini
FVL-I loved the flashmob of old Power Man villains. The confrontation between Iron Fist and El Aguila in the new mini has the same classic-meets-new vibe, and I'm looking forward to seeing readers' reactions to it.
So Folks get ready for round two of PowerMan & Iron Fist mini when it drops in February and do not forget to pick up Amazing Spiderman 652-653 as well. Share your thoughts and comments below
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