AXIS: CARNAGE Interview
Rick Spears spoke with Marvel.com about his upcoming AXIS: CARNAGE mini series and shared some art from issue 1:Marvel.com: Rick, what happens in AXIS to give you your launch pad in AXIS: CARNAGE?
Rick Spears: During AXIS there [is] this big “Inversion” thing and now Carnage wants to be a hero. The catch is that he’s still Carnage, he’s still a psychopath. He wants to be a good guy but he has no idea how.
Marvel.com: Carnage has always been a multi-faceted character; what the very worst that could happen with a set-up like that?
Rick Spears: Well this is the new “heroic” Carnage and he’s here to help. But Carnage being well, Carnage if he shows up to rescue you there’s a good chance you might not survive.
Marvel.com: How are Carnage’s actions in this story either typical or atypical of him? What kind of story arc are you giving him here?
Rick Spears: Inverting Carnage gives us a whole new look at him so outwardly it’s a very atypical story, however inside he’s still very much Cletus Kasady. We will see him trying to do the whole hero thing and what that leads to, as well as getting a look at his tweaked “heroic” origins.
Marvel.com: What kind of adversary/antagonist/catalyst is the Sin Eater here? What can readers expect from his presence?
Rick Spears: Sin Eater was always one of my favorite villains and he’s back, but in a very different way. There’s a mystery surrounding his return and I don’t want to give too much away but you can expect plenty of shotgun blasting.
Marvel.com: Which of your big action pieces are you most jazzed about in the story, and why? How much actual carnage can we expect?
Rick Spears: For one of Carnage’s first attempts at being a hero he tries to rescue a damsel in distress, but she’s not a damsel nor is she in distress. That was a fun scene to work out and you can expect plenty of carnage.
Marvel.com: Sounds great as a writer, what's the real joy in working on a character and story like this? What kind of rules do you set down for yourself to insure you don't have too much fun?
Rick Spears: Carnage is a very extreme character, a total psychopath so that’s always going to be fun. Then Inverting him really opens up a bunch of new possibilities. He’s trying to be good but he’s terrible at it and makes some pretty horrible mistakes. The only rule was that he has to try to be good. Trying and doing are two very different things.
Marvel.com: What kind of coordination do you maintain with the AXIS office? Overall, what's it like writing a tie-in series like this?
Rick Spears: I got to read a bunch of Rick Remender’s scripts which was awesome. I’m a big fan of Rick’s work. Then my editor Nick Lowe kept me in the loop and on point. You need to be aware of all the other moving pieces to make sure you fit in which the whole. It was a great experience.
Marvel.com: Lastly, what's it been like working with artist German Peralta on AXIS: CARNAGE?
Rick Spears: German has been amazing. It’s been real exciting watching him bring the script to life. Also Rain Shaney has done some fantastic colors, and Alexander Lozano has [painted] us some terrifyingly great covers.
AXIS: CARNAGE 1 will be available October 29th.