On Saturday, December 28th, 2013, Iguana Comics (located
at 329 NE 6th Street in Grants Pass, Oregon) hosted a Q & A
session with superstar comics scribe Nathan Edmondson (The Light, Who Is Jake Ellis?, Ultimate Comics- Iron Man, Grifter, The
Activity, Olympus), who shed some light on what fans should expect from his
two upcoming All-New Marvel Now! titles, Black
Widow and The Punisher. I was on
hand in the first row as fans asked questions and Mr. Edmondson replied in
turn, giving insight to the creative process behind revamping two beloved
characters and adding his distinctive voice to the storied histories of both.
With The Punisher,
Edmondson revealed that we’ll be seeing a softer, more human side to Frank
Castle. Not to say that he won’t be toting guns and taking out the bad guys
like we’re all used to, but more aspects of his personality will be shining
through. Also, we should expect to see the skull-clad vigilante cleaning up,
becoming a bit more handsome, and smiling a little more often, which is
something I’m not sure long-time fans of the character will be accustomed to. His run
on the title will also mark a turning point in The Punisher’s history, as Frank
Castle, so often in the role of the hunter, sees the tables reversed as he himself
is hunted by a mysterious organization. While the older Punisher stories
focused solely on the grimmer aspects of the character, Edmondson’s run looks
like it may very well give more dimension to the character of Frank Castle and
showcase a more sophisticated storytelling style.
Black Widow sounds equally awesome, as Mr. Edmondson hinted
that we’d be seeing everything fans could want out of the character- a
realistic portrayal of the female superspy, intersected by more intimate moments
in the life of Natasha Romanoff. Edmondson
was quick to point out that previous comic series focusing solely on Black
Widow have failed to gain a successful following, and that may be due in part
to writers being a bit uncertain of what to do with the character. Male
writers, and even some female writers, often have a hard time finding a voice
for characters like Black Widow, adding in elements to make her seem more
feminine while losing sight of what makes her such a bad-ass. Nathan Edmondson
seems to have a great angle on the character’s balance, and I look forward to
reading the first few issues to see how this is executed.
Edmondson also talked a bit about working in the film industry
and the status of the Who Is Jake Ellis? feature
film, taking on the task of writing female characters, and what to expect from
his current and upcoming projects. An insightful, informative, and entertaining
afternoon if there ever was one.
After the Q & A session, Mr. Edmondson was kind enough
to hang out at the store and sign books for his fans, myself included. I had an
opportunity to ask him his advice about breaking into the comics industry as a
writer and even have a picture snapped of the two of us. Thanks go out to
Nathan Edmondson for showing up and sharing his afternoon with us, and to the
great staff at Iguana Comics for hosting the event!
Black Widow #1 arrives in comic stores on January 8th, 2014, and The Punisher #1 will be available on February 5th, 2014. Both titles are published by Marvel and are part of the All-New Marvel Now! line. 
First photo: Sunda Egli @Iguana Comics. All other photos: Shawn Strawbridge
