World War II was truly global; this week we go beyond the traditional WWII narrative.

It is a bit odd thinking about it now, but when I was born, World War II had ended less than 35 years prior; it was still fresh in the minds of many. We still had living veterans, and those that clearly remembered its after effects. I imagine that for this generation, the mindset of war never really ended as they also witnessed the Korean War, and had just witnessed the end of the Vietnam War.

Of course, World War II books and movies really dominated the war genre (and still do to this day). With many great examples to choose from, there is one common element. Regardless of the story or the approach, the narratives tend to focus on the US, Russia and Germany, with the U.K., Japan, Italy and Canada playing supporting roles.

When looking at these great WWII stories, I was intrigued when I came across Elisio – a true story of Brazilian World War II combat veterans. Yes, you read that right – Brazil.

When we think of Brazil, it’s easy to think of Rio de Janeiro and its party scene, political corruption and crime, and of course soccer. Brazil has had a huge impact on culture worldwide, with its soccer stars being the idols of youth around the world. But a lot of this fame seems newfound; it’s almost like the world didn’t care much about Brazil before 1950, and certainly I had never heard anything about their involvement in World War II. When I first encountered stories about the Cobras Fumantes (or, the Smoking Snakes), I thought that maybe this was some kind of parody, or clever hoax. After all, I’ve read WWII books and comic books, watched pretty much every big movie about the Second World War, and along with my dad watched hours of documentaries on the History Channel. So, why hadn’t I heard any of these stories before on what is probably the most covered, documented and historically significant war in our history?

To be honest, the firefights involving the Smoking Snakes are likely just a blip on the grand scale of things. The thought of Brazil’s Expeditionary Forces might feel more like a show of support than an actual threat to enemy combatants. After learning more about these brave soldiers, it is sad to think that there could be literally hundreds of these stories around the world – lost, even though they are tied to such a pivotal event.

Before I jump in to more details on the Smoking Snakes, I wanted to give you a bit of background on how I encountered this story and why I was immediately drawn to it. I was contacted a couple of years ago by an agent for AVEC – an amazing indie press out of Brazil. I immediately loved their catalogue, and Artur Vecchi (Chief Editor) had some great titles to show me. During his presentation, I saw a brief glimpse of a war book. I asked him to back up a few slides. He stopped at Elisio and said “No Rodolfo, you don’t want this one.”

“What do you mean? Why not? It’s gorgeous!”

“Yes, it is” he replied. But no one outside of Brazil will care. Nobody cares what we did during World War II.

Despite his warnings that the book wouldn’t sell, I insisted on seeing the complete story. The more he warned me, the more I wanted it. He insisted that I take some other titles – basically anything but Elisio. Fortunately, I stood my ground. This was something I really enjoy not only as a publisher, but as a fan: a comic book story you won’t find anywhere else. Combined with beautiful art by Renato Dalmato made this an easy choice for me.

Now that I had this beautiful book, I just had to figure out how to get it into English. It’s one thing to have a book about Brazilian WWII soldiers and hope it will sell in North America; it’s another to hope that it will sell in Portuguese! Fortunately, my lovely wife’s family were able to assist and Elisio was on its way to being ready to share with the world.

Elisio follows the story of our hero, who seems to live a life of middle class in Brazil as a solider. While at the movies with his girlfriend, he sees a news reel highlighting the Nazi threat, and Brazil’s formal declaration of war becomes apparent. Eliseu, who as a Brazilian soldier imagined himself too far removed from World World II to ever see combat, will now be sent off to war.

Similar to how many might view and even ridicule the idea of Brazilian soldiers, the Smoking Snakes find few true allies. Ostracized by the Americans, and a welcome target for the Germans, the struggle for our Brazilian soldiers is not an easy one. Along the way Eliseu engages in several firefights, finds (and loses love), and is eventually captured by enemy forces, where we might say that his real struggle begins.

The story of Eliseu is one of tragedy and trauma, but above all else, it is an important record of a lost part of our history.

Be sure to join us next week as we begin to explore alternate realities that could have been.

p.s. Are you into manga? Do you love murder mysteries? Be sure to check out Bitemark here.

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Imagine being part of your team’s dream run

I grew up in a typical Mexican household that really only cared about two sports – Futbol (or soccer here in Canada) and Lucha Libre (pro wrestling). Sure, there was some F1, Boxing and American Football in there but usually that was about it. 

Fast forward to the early 90s, and like most other boys my age, we were crazy about baseball. My parents didn’t really get it, but didn’t really mind that I suddenly had a huge interest in it. I still remember a lot of the greats, and the Blue Jays winning back to back World Series. 

Fast forward 30 years later, and comic books have brought me back to baseball thanks to my friend and writer, Roberto Mercado. A fellow Lucha Libre fan and author of the Azteq series, he is a basebal fan who got to live out a childhood dream. After all, which little boy has never dreamed about being part of their favourite team’s dream run?

Roberto is a native of Puerto Rico, and if you are fortunate enough to have Puerto Ricans in your life, you know that they LOVE baseball – and I mean REALLY LOVE baseball. Puerto Rico is home to several successful MLB players including hall of famers Roberto Clemente, Orlando Cepeda, Roberto Alomar, Ivan Rodriguez and Edgar Martinez. Fast forward to today, and we have current stars such as Yadier Molina, Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa. You probably know that MLB has always had a strong Puerto Rican influence, but what you may not know is that Puerto Rico actually has its own, very successful (and competitive) domestic league.

Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (previously known as Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico) is the top flight of baseball in Puerto Rico, and really a proving ground for many MLB stars. Founded in 1938, the LBPRC consists of 6 teams, and one of its most beloved are the Indios de Mayagüez. The Indios have 19 league titles to their name, along with 2 Caribbean World Series. The team enjoyed extraordinary success after winning the 1978 edition of the Caribbean World Series, which brings us to the 1987-88 season and the dream season that Roberto enjoyed.

Roberto got to live his childhood dream, basically as a child. He was lucky enough to become a batboy for the Indios, where he would get to know his idols and some future hall of famers. He held this position for years, all the while earning the trust and respect of his teammates, who would foster his lifelong love of béisbol.

Roberto was faced with a tough personal choice: pass up the chance to go to University, or give up his life as a batboy for his favourite team. The real world won out, and so Roberto let his team know that after years, this would be his final season as a batboy. Little did he know that he would receive a fantastic send off.

The season began strong, and Roberto was presented with a special prize in recognition of his service during the last regular season game – but the Indios had already clinched a play-off spot, and so the Indios would need his services a bit longer. Trying to balance his love of baseball with his personal life, the Indios kept winning, and narrowly avoided elimination in the final series, where they forced a game 7 and captured the league title.

So, after 8 years, the dream would end here, right? This dream run would continue and the Indios went on another Caribbean World Series. Unfortunately, the dream would end here, where the Indios would narrowly lose out to Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Republic.

Even if you’re not a baseball fan, what kid didn’t want to be part of their favourite team’s success? I know that being a batboy for the Indios will always be a cherished memory for my friend, and I was honoured when he chose us to help him tell this story for the first time in a comic book format.

Be sure to join us next week as we highlight a very unique story – a Brazilian WWII combat veteran.

p.s. Are you into manga? Do you love murder mysteries? Be sure to check out Episode 3 of the Bitemark Files here.

Was Macbeth the Tyrant, a tragic figure, or the greatest of all Scottish Kings?

Shakespeare fanfic defined this figure.

Sure, we all love fanfic and at some point probably thought of, or even wrote our own; some fanfics have become huge in their own right.  50 Shades of Grey began as a Twilight fanfiction, and while this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, you can’t deny it’s success.  So, 50 Shades is the most successful fanfic of all time, right?

Wrong – that honour goes to one William Shakespeare.  You might be surprised that a certain bard did the exact same thing as comic book fans that decide to write their own She-Hulk comics.  Yup, William Shakespeare himself decided that Mac Bethad mac Findlaích (in the Gaelic language) would be far more compelling as a tragic, lunatic tyrant who would become the protagonist of his Macbeth.

If you grew up in the western, English speaking world, you probably read Shakespeare’s classic in highschool, and even if you didn’t, you’ve probably heard about him and maybe have even watched a contemporary adaptation or two of this tragedy.  So, was Macbeth really a Tyrant, driven to madness by the events that Shakespeare wrote?  Did three witches entice a brave Scottish general with the prospect of a throne, driving him into a murderous rampage?  Maybe that explains why he attacked a sleeping Duncan like a coward, to make this destiny come true.  Becoming increasingly paranoid, Shakespeare’s Macbeth does everything he can to hold onto power.  He decides to consult the witches once again, to find out if his enemies will ever reign over Scotland. This descent into madness continues until the final act, where we learn that Macbeth can only be slain by one who was not “of woman born”.  Enter Macduff, born from an “Untimely rip” from the womb (the 17th century version of a caesarean section) and we have a loophole which finally allows the tyrant to be dethroned.

In reality, relatively little is known about the true Macbeth, and especially his early life.  This is where tenacious writers like Shaun Manning come in.  Over several years, Shaun pieced together a new story about Macbeth; part biography, and part a direct contrast to Shakespeare’s infamous work.  Gone is the lunatic; instead we see a compassionate figure who truly cared about his people, and genuinely wanted to increase the prosperity of Scotland. 

This Macbeth raised his slain enemy’s son as his own (after marrying his mother of course), gave to the poor, and even had an audience with the pope.  While very much like his literary/imaginary counterpart, history agrees with the bard that Macbeth met a tragic end, although historians believe that this was at the hands of Malcolm III, rather than Macduff. 

Examining Macbeth through this lens paints a completely different picture from Shakespeare’s classic, where he definitely decided to spice things up a bit to create a story which was not completely fair to the person that Macbeth really was.  This allows us to not simply accept the label of Macbeth as the tyrant, but rather to consider Macbeth the renowned.  The Prophecy of Berchán, a verse history which presents itself as a form of prophecy, describes Mac Bethad as “the generous king of Fortriu“, stating:

“The red, tall, golden-haired one, he will be pleasant to me among them; Scotland will be brimful west and east during the reign of the furious red one.”

Why does any of this matter? After all, most people will never have a notion of the true Macbeth. But I find that in these undiscovered stories, we can create something new, like we did with Macbeth: The Red King.  This allows for a new, broader perspective that goes beyond some of that stuff that led to you zoning out during your highschool English Lit class.

Next week: Fulfilling a childhood dream! 

p.s. Looking for a good murder mystery? Don’t forget to read Episode 02 of The Bitemark Files!

Want to support Lucha Comics & Undiscovered Stories? Check out Bitemark on kickstarter.

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Forgot Batman v Superman. Instead, here’s Attila the Hun vs. Pope Leo I.

Wait, what? From Batman to Pope Leo? And who even was this guy?

Before I jump into this story and why it’s inspired a new project, I wanted to talk a bit about the title of this series – Undiscovered Stories.

For those that know me, my motivation to start Lucha Comics was simple: I wanted to bring new stories to people like me. That’s it. All I know of comics was as a fan. I had no idea as to how comic books get published – after all, how hard could it be? Well, it didn’t take me long to find out that it’s really hard. It takes time, money, and a lot of heart. Even once you’ve found some great talents to work with and come up with a brand (which in itself is a chore!) then you need to really decide what kinds of stories you want to tell. Fortunately, I have friends like the talented B.J. Mendelson to remind me when I am thinking way too hard, because clearly, my thing is undiscovered stories. Whether it is a true biography of Macbeth, a Latino Superhero kids book, or something in between, Undiscovered Stories are what I love to dive into to. So, what does this have to do with Pope Leo?

Pope Leo I was a Roman aristocrat, the first Pope to be given the title of “the Great” and credited with developing the modern ideas of papal authority. His work led to the foundation of Jesus Christ being a hypostatic being – that is, both divine and human without confusion or division. This in itself is worthy of historical recognition, but there is something far more interesting about his 20 year reign in the middle of the 5th century.

Enter the antagonist of this story: Attila the Hun was running roughshod over Europe, conquering everything in his path. Ready to take Italy, Attila and his forces marched to the gates of the Vatican, ready to plunder and demand its complete and total surrender. Attila had already forced the Eastern Roman Empire to pay him a tithing of 700 pounds of gold a year, but the deal soon fell through the the Huns continued their vicious assaults on the Romans.

Attila and his forced made their way to the Vatican, where they would surely pillage one of the richest stores of treasure of perhaps any era. Even in 450AD, the wealth of the Catholic Church was staggering to say the least; countless priceless treasures would already be taking up residence within the walls of the Vatican. But perhaps most importantly (and easily overlooked) was the fact that the Church directly owned every one of its dioceses, paid zero tax worldwide on its revenues and assets, and even had its own armed forces. The Vatican’s combined wealth and influence in spheres of faith, government and even banking (google Knights Templar sometime) are unfathomable by today’s standards.

Surely, facing such an unprecedented threat – the Huns largely had free reign of the Eastern Roman Empire as few could stand up the them – the Vatican would deploy its entire armed forces, right?

As Attila was ready to storm the Vatican, Pope Leo walked out, alone and unarmed, where he spoke briefly to Atilla. The would be conqueror turned and left, never to return again – leaving Vatican City untouched.

Tune in next week for the Story of Macbeth: The Red King.

Want to support Lucha Comics & Undiscovered Stories? Check out Bitemark on kickstarter.

Special thanks to Matti Silver of Dark School, our resident occult and theological expert. I’d also like to give a shoutout to B.J. Mendelson, all around great guy and author of All Social Media is Bullshit.

For nearly 40 years I have read & collected comic books (I’m not THAT old though, I did start reading young!). I was immediately drawn to the art, the stories and the characters. Like most kids, I began with licensed comics (a lot of Marvel’s Star line: Thundercats, Healthcliffe, stuff like that) and eventually graduated to titles like Batman, Superman and Uncanny X-Men. I would collect and read regularly for years, dedicating my free time and money to an industry I still love.

We all know that with great power comes great responsibility, so when things like going to university, getting married, the lean financial times that young couples go through, and having kids happened, it wasn’t always easy to keep up. But comic books never went away for me. They were always my go to, and something that I knew that I would enjoy reading for the rest of my life. During tough times they were a welcome distraction, and like my favourite novels, I found that I could always go back to enjoy them over and over again.

In 2013 I was feeling a bit directionless, and knew that I wanted to keep reading comics but I was exhausted by getting the same things repeatedly from the big 2. I wanted new stories, new experiences, for people who loved comics but knew that sometimes they could be a bit different.

So, I did something that I really didn’t want to do – sell my Walking Dead collection (insert crying emoji here) and used the funds to hire a graphic designer to create our logo, and invested in bringing some titles from South Korea and translating them into English for the very first time. These books were gorgeous, but as an inexperienced publisher I really didn’t have the knowledge to sell these books.

When I launched, I thought “how hard can publishing comic books be?”. It turns out, really hard. And expesnive. But it is so very rewarding. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with talented people who I can call friends, and to give back to something I love. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to give back as much as comic books have given me, but dammit, I’m going to try.

So I’ve given you the how, but what about the why? Really, I lvoe comics because they are accessible to anyone who is open minded to them. They create fantastic worlds, and when done right, great characters that we can identify with and that become real to us. It’s easy for non-fans to look at comic books and say that they are immature, or not real stories, or trash, but for those that are willing and open-minded, they are art.

Hopefully, we’ve been able to give even a sliver of this feeling back to our readers, and we’re going to keep trying with every new release.

– Rodolfo, still that Lucha Comics guy.

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When other geeks find out that my husband and I are both geeks in various fan communities, they make certain assumptions about who likes what. Some of their assumptions are true, but some are false. For instance, when I mention that Park and I are both Studio Ghibli fans, people assume that I am the big Miyazaki fan and Park just comes along for the ride. Nothing could be further from the truth. Park introduced me to Miyazaki’s Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro. Park was the one who insisted we start seeing Miyazaki films in theatres the second they were released in the USA (until 2020, of course).

Similarly, when people find out that we’re both manga and anime fans, they assume that I’m the one who got Park into manga. The truth is, he introduced me to Ranma ½ and Oh My Goddess. I was the one who introduced him to Ogre Slayer. I was the one who read horror manga initially, but he soon caught up.

Speaking of horror, I am the one who is the big horror fan in the family. Park is more into fantasy and science fiction. Park is more of an optimist than I am. I am more into works about the psychological (even pathological) aspects of human nature. So, I introduced Park to the works of Robert Bloch and Richard Matheson. He, in turn, introduced me to the works of Roger Zelazny, Harry Harrison, Robert E. Howard, and Edgar Rice Burroughs. I was the one who said, “You mean, you’ve never seen Halloween or Nightmare on Elm Street? This cannot stand!” We had a huge film festival of slasher films that week. Early on in our relationship, Park introduced me to Mythago Wood. I, in turn, introduced him to my home state of Minnesota’s Mystery Science Theater 3000.

I’m fortunate that Park trusts my tastes, no matter how weird my current interests might be. When I said that I wanted to have an Akira Kurosawa film festival after me seeing just one film of that director’s, Park said: “Sure, anything you want.” He’s never said, “Oh, I couldn’t get into that.” I remember asking Park to read Jane Eyre because I loved the book as a teenager. Some geek guys would think that they’d get “girl cooties” off the book, but not Park. I explained that the gothic tradition of fiction was the precursor of the horror novel, and that Charlotte Bronte was as important to the gothic tradition in her way as Poe or Irving or E.T.A. Hoffman was. Instead of giving me attitude, my husband’s attitude was: “If it matters to you, it matters to me.”

Then again, the same thing is true for me. Park likes Tolkien, so I let him read The Hobbit to me while I cooked breakfast in the mornings. (“And second breakfast,” Park says.) Park wanted to listen to the BBC Star Wars radio adaptations, so I was right there listening with him. He is the Star Wars fan, while I am more of a Star Trek kind of a person. He also introduced me to a lot of books he liked as a kid. He introduced me to the McGurk books, Danny Dunn, and The Great Brain books. I, in turn, introduced him to The Egypt Game and Dorp Dead, not to mention all the various types of music I liked as a teen.

Our tastes are similar, but different. We learn a lot from each other. When we first met, I was DC Gal. He was Marvel Guy. I introduced him to Hellblazer, while he, in turn, introduced me to the X-Men. The gift he gave me for our first Christmas together was an X-Men thing that had the X-Babies, where the otherdimensional entertainment mogul Mojo used to turn the X-Men into babies, like 8 years old and under. (Kitty Pryde, the youngest, was a literal baby.) I liked the X-Babies. And so then when he showed me more X-Men things, I said “ah, this is Storm grown up. Oh, this is Li’l Wolvie grown up” until I got used to all the X-Men.

Sometimes, our interests don’t quite intersect. I have no hand-eye coordination, nor do I have any mapping skills whatsoever, so I don’t play video games with Park. But every night before bed, he tells me of his adventures with a little droid named BD-1 in Star Wars: Fallen Order or how he won a game of Apex Legends by the twin powers of stealth and what he calls “positioning,” which is complex but has a lot to do with anticipating where the best spot to defend from will be and beating all the other teams there. He’s a great storyteller, and hearing him speak about his wins and almost-wins is, frankly, at least as interesting to me as playing the games myself.

Our marriage is a happy one, and it works, although it might seem a little eccentric to non-geeks. But all I can say is, “Yeah, we’re both big geeks, and we’ve introduced each other to a lot of great art and entertainment, but don’t make any assumptions about who likes what, because you might be quite surprised by the answer.”

You can learn more about Barb’s work by clicking here, and be sure to pre-order her graphic novel, Hungry Ghosts, below.

Hungry Ghosts

Our story opens in 15th century Japan. The land has been ravaged by war, and many are left facing famine. A wandering samurai turned priest encounters ghosts, monsters and the corruption of man.

As Buddha said, human desires only lead to suffering.

More…

It’s a lot more work than you might think.

If you’ve never put together a comic books or graphic novel before, it is pretty easy to underestimate the time, effort and resources that go into getting a book market ready.

Most single issue comics weigh in at about 21 pages; it can be quite easy to flip through one in a few minutes if you aren’t really interested in the story or if you are in a hurry. So, how long did it take to create that book you just flipped through?

I am fortunate to work with some very talented artists who have decades of experience in creating art. Even then, a page could be a full day of work, maybe even more depending on the level of detail. As a non-artist, I usually can’t provide much help beyond a description or visual reference, so these are people that sometimes have to literally pull an idea out of my head. Not easy by any means.

And then of course, the script. Like any writer, I tend to have moments of self-doubt, over plan, and re-write a script over and over. Then, when the artwork is finally ready I start the lettering process [note: not all writers do their own letters, but I do know a few indie comic writers like myself that prefer it]. This is yet another opportunity to decide that guess what? I don’t like the words or direction of the script. I have yet to have my script make its way word for word to a completed page; there is always at least one change. Sometimes I just don’t think the dialogue matches the scene, or if it is my first time seeing a character represented by artwork, I decide that it may not fit. Lettering a complex page can easily be an hour of time. Also, many of our titles are available in Spanish, and a direct translation doesn’t always do. Often, we need to localize content so that it sends the intended message to our audience.

Once all of this is done, I once again drive myself (and my creative team) nuts with two important items. First, we come up with interior credit pages, splash pages, chapter breaks for our graphic novels, etc. I think these are really important; they help as a guide to the reader and really set the tone for the book. Next, I ask our creative team to give me short write ups or sketches so that we can share how the development process works with our readers.

Once we have all this, comes the part that I really dread: masthead or title text. This doesn’t mean simply slapping “Usud” or “Failsafe” on a cover in arial font; this means essentially designing a logo for each series that fits the look and feel of the story. This logo needs to convey the emotion that I want to elicit from the reader. As you can guess, this process tends to involve several iterations.

Once this is all ready, then we (finally!) have a book that is ready to share with the world. Up next? Printing…

I ended up getting placed with Lucha Comics, and honestly could not have asked for a better business to work with. Rodolfo and I have discovered that we share a lot of common interests, especially in comic book movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (highly anticipating this April’s release of Avengers: Endgame, but in the meantime check out Rodolfo’s post on his Avengers: Endgame theory!).

I love all the amazing art I’ve been able to witness. I grew up taking visual arts lessons and even worked as a caricature artist at Canada’s Wonderland, so I have a special appreciation for cartoon art, and I was amazed at how advanced digital art has come and how good the comic book artists really are. I’ve also been able to help a lot with the operations of Lucha Comics, helping preview manuscript submissions, seeing if the format, font, art style, and story are fitting for publication. Because of my interests in marketing, I’ve helped research demographics of a target market for a project Rodolfo wanted to pursue and some digital distribution channels. I’ve also been able to draft some social media posts on Plannable for Lucha Comics social media accounts.

Pictured above: Some of my cartooning caricatures I’ve drawn at my job

In this internship, I’ve really been able to get a good grasp of how the comic book publishing industry works, and preview some amazing works of art. I can’t wait for the rest of the year, especially since I’m about to help out with some of the formatting of the comic books as well. I hope the rest of my internship will goes as well as it has gone so far. Even after my internship concludes, I hope to remain in contact with Rodolfo, and I can’t wait to see where Lucha Comics goes in the future!

-Grace

When Thanos snapped his fingers while wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, several beloved characters, along with billions of innocents, turned to ash and faded before our eyes.  My son screamed when Spider-Man disappeared, and I couldn’t believe when Winter Soldier faded away (he is a survivor after all, but more on this later). In the end, Marvel provided an epic that stunned fans around the world, while leaving us with the original cast of Avengers… or so it seemed.

Shortly after Infinity War, the Russo brothers went on the record to confirm that the deaths as a result of the Decimation were real, and permanent. But, who really died?

What we saw on the screen seemed to be Spider-Man fading in the arms of Tony Stark, but what if it was the other way around, almost like a reverse rapture?  Rather then Spider-Man et al turning to dust, what if the Avengers were finally fading out of existence, paving the way for Phase 4 of the MCU? While we saw characters fade away, maybe this was simply from the point of view of the dead.  After all, how would your brain process things if you just started vanishing?

Ok, so maybe I am way off base, but here are a few points to consider:

1. Winter Soldier

If you’ve read any of my blog posts or follow me on social media, you’ll know that I always draw on the comics, because I have been reading comics for over 30 years.  Yes the MCU is a different universe, but at the same time it clearly takes inspiration from the source material, and if there is one thing that Winter Soldier is, it’s a survivor.  Drop a bomb on him? Cosmic level events? Frozen for 50 years? Turned into a killing machine by the Russian government (and countless other things)? Honestly, a little finger snap isn’t enough to do in old Bucky Barnes.

1A. The Falcon

I really like Sam Wilson.  He is a great character, and we know that he has a TV show coming with Winter Soldier.  Kind of hard to do if he is dead, right? I really do hope that somehow Sam is still around.  I absolutely loved how he faded away, with War Machine looking for him, showing concern for the man that basically crippled him.  I thought it was touching, but it just didn’t feel right to kill off the Falcon. Also, I do seem to recall Anthony Mackie saying in an interview that he was signed up for “like 50 movies”.  Maybe he will be Captain America 2.0?

2. Spider-Man

“Mr. Stark, I don’t feel so good…”.  This iconic line, which spawned memes and had people in tears, is probably one of my biggest pieces of evidence in favour of my theory.  After all, should vanishing really hurt? Shouldn’t it be some slow, blissful end to existence, into a world that could be a lot like life?  And besides, killing off a teenager in his prime, only because he wanted to play superhero? That’s a very dark, very DC move – no way Marvel lets this version of Peter Parker die.

3. Doctor Strange

Dr. Strange is kind of a jerk.  I really don’t like him, and the MCU didn’t do anything to change my opinion of him. He’s arrogant, conceited, and really isn’t compassionate towards people like other heroes (although he does care about them deeply in his own way).  In short, I can’t see him triggering an event that results in his death – maybe he just views himself as too important, and it is tough to argue, since where are you going to dig up another Sorceror Supreme (aside from Wong). Now, don’t take this as me hating the MCU portrayal (it felt very accurate to me) I just don’t see him as the noble sacrifice type.

4. Ant-Man

I absolutely love Ant-Man; he is one of my favourite MCU characters.  Unfortunately, this would also mean that he is dead. Sure, it might be cool to think that he survived the end of the world because he was teeny tiny, but really?  I doubt the Infinity Stones or Thanos are that sloppy. Half of EVERYTHING had to die – this includes microscopic stuff too. Plus, the end of Ant-Man & Wasp would mean that we have Wasp, Ghost, and Ant-Man v1.  This still allows the identity of Ant-Man to continue.

5. Thanos    

Here is what we know of Thanos at the end of Infinity War: he survived, and he is on some type of paradise planet.  He seems to have given up his conquering ways, and is content to simply rest. Why? Because, he’s dead. He accomplished his holy mission, and now is in paradise.  Sure, he is probably going to show up and fight, but really, it is all over. He’s won.

6. TV MCU

This isn’t so much of a proof point, but rather a discussion one.  Regardless of what goes down, how the hell do you reconcile this with the TV MCU?  Do you just ignore half of the universe vanishing/dying/coming back from the dead? Maybe Mike Jones wasn’t kidding, and we will get to see Luke Cage fading away on the big screen.  Imagine the Netflix heroes fading away, some running or panicking, others like Iron Fist(s) sitting down and meditating while they fade away. Still, the TV MCU is going to have a whole hell of a lot of explaining to do unless if as part of the whole undoing everyone forgets that half the world died.

7. Captain Marvel

Since it hasn’t been released theatrically in Canada yet, I can only speculate about Captain Marvel, but someone has to lead the Avengers in this new reality where the originals are gone.  It sounds like Marvel is doubling down on its female heroes, and leading the Avengers would be the perfect role for our newest heroine. Personally, I think the power set and levels she has – after all she has been confirmed as the most powerful MCU character – would allow her to replace Hulk, Iron Man, and maybe a few others.  Maybe we’ll get really lucky and she’ll bring Alpha Flight along with her 🙂

8. Not So Old Man Hawkeye

My biggest issue with Infinity War, was the fact that Hawkeye barely got a mention.  Why didn’t we get to see Clint while everyone else was in action? Maybe it’s because there are larger plans for my favourite Avenger.  Now bear with me, because this last point does require some Marvel comic book knowledge which I will try to summarize here.

After the classic Civil War event, Hawkeye assumed a much darker identity – Ronin.  This anti hero traded a bow and arrows for swords, and didn’t have any reservations about killing back guys.  It really did represent a huge shift in the character. We also saw something similar in The Ultimates, where Hawkeye became much darker after his family was murdered in front of him.  So, how does this tie into my theory?

This is how my Endgame movie would begin: no logo, no splash, no branding at all.  Hawkeye is at home with his family, eating a meal, and on the TV there is footage of Thanos invading.  He looks as if he wants to leave, but his wife shuts it off, telling him its not his concern anymore, and that one more adventure could cost him his family.  He sits down, and his family goes about some more mundane things. Later, he is outside with his kids doing something, and his family begins to fade away. Enraged, Clint tries to find info, but nothing – radio, TV, all dead.  He sets out for answers, and is wandering in a rapture-like apocalypse, influenced very much by the Old Man Logan universe.  If you’ve never read Old Man Logan, I would highly recommend it, as it was a large influence for Logan – perhaps the best Marvel movie ever.

This is where things get tricky – do you give the most underutilized Avenger his dues by not only making him the focus, but also the one who is ultimately responsible for deciding who lives and who dies?  Maybe Clint is in the surviving half and wants to bring back his family at the expense of everyone else (including himself). Or better yet, Hawkeye might realize that the original Avengers are in fact the dead, and he has to stop them from gathering the stones and undoing the finger snap, because as long as his family is alive, then maybe it is better to just let things be.  Tony Stark could try to convince him that he has a way to save everyone, but Clint insists that it isn’t up to them to play God. We can’t say for certain what will happen to Hawkeye, but I think he is certainly deserving of an expanded role, and to me he is the perfect character to do this with.

So, what is everyone fighting for?  Nothing. That’s right. Imagine a movie that might be more arthouse than blockbuster, where the Avengers are basically in some form of purgatory or simulated reality, believing that they can still save the universe, and then realizing that it was all over before it even began.  Ouch. But let’s say you want to throw the Avengers a bone here, but still maintain the point that the Infinity War deaths are real and permanent. That leads us to my final point…

9. Split Reality

Ok, let’s say that Thanos really isn’t that evil, rather then kill half of the world off, why not create a new reality where that half would live?  No one really dies, they just fade into a new plane of existence. This allows the original Avengers to ride off into the sunset, and 20 years from now, you could always do a Dark Knight Returns style adventure in a distant, bleak future.  This would be a great way to leverage unused villains; I would love to see Mandarin, Doctor Doom, Kang, and others terrorizing a set of Avengers in their 60s, who have to go to war one last time.  

So, that’s how I would tackle this thing.  There is a (non-existent) chance that this is how Endgame will play out, but either way, I can’t wait to see how Marvel wraps up Phase 3, and hopefully sets the stage for another decade with Phase 4.

Obviously, this was a big team effort, with Shaun Manning putting in 110% effort as always, and Lys Galati from Sphinx PR brought together some great strategy to ensure success.  Honestly, if you are thinking of starting a comic book kickstarter, don’t cheap out on PR, and definitely get in touch with Lys to get an honest opinion on your book.  All that was needed was some design polish, which Allyson Haller provided in spades.  With her previous experience in putting together projects for publishers such as Dark Horse, she really helped to elevate Shaun’s already incredible work to the next level.

Finally, we needed to add a special touch to really make our book memorable.  Our print shop, McNaughton & Gunn really went above and beyond, and got us to our final product – a beautiful, oversized graphic novel.

I really hope that you enjoyed your copy of Macbeth: The Red King.  If you missed out, don’t worry! Just click here and get your copy today.

Thanks again, and we can’t wait to bring our next great story to you!

Sincerely,

Rodolfo Martinez