Spawn's Angela

[Will E Worm]

Spawn's ANGELA Moves to Marvel Universe in AGE OF ULTRON

It started in Spawn when Neil Gaiman co-created a character named Angela. The aptly-named angel became hotly contested, as Gaiman and Spawn creator Todd McFarlane fought in a decade-spanning legal battle over who owned the copyright to Angela (as well as other character co-created during Gaiman's time on the book), which ended in 2012. The ruling affirmed Gaiman's co-ownership of Angela, as well as Medieval Spawn and Cagliostro, also co-created by Gaiman in Spawn #9.

So now, Angela is coming to the Marvel Universe as a special guest star in the mega-event Age of Ultron.

First teased (quite cleverly) by Rich Johnston on BleedingCool, Marvel released the news officially via the New York Times Arts Beat blog Thursday morning. In the announcement, Marvel Entertainment chief creative officer Joe Quesada said Angela's arrival at Marvel has "been in the works for quite some time. We were looking for a good entry point to tease our fans and to let them know she was going to be a major player."

Newsarama can confirm the idea of Angela appearing in the Marvel Universe goes back to at least 2004, when Quesada was editor-in-chief.

Marvel later confirmed on their own site that the appearance of Angela will be at the end of the series, with editor-in-chief Axel Alonso likening her appearance to the post-credits scenes at the end of Marvel Studios films. The epilogue will be written by Brian Bendis and drawn by Joe Quesada, as part of the "unguessable ending" Bendis has teased since press for the series began.

The character won't just pop into Age of Ultron and disappear, however, with Marvel promising Bendis will continue to use her, even revealing her next appearance, in the Bendis-written Guardians of the Galaxy #5. That issue will be co-written by Gaiman.

More on Angela and her role in the Marvel Universe soon.

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Always get things documented.

 

[Will E Worm]

More to AGE OF ULTRON's Ending than Angela, Marvel Says



Thursday's news that Angela — a character long entangled in a legal dispute between creators Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane — would be making her way from Image's Spawn world to the Marvel Universe in June's Age of Ultron #10 seemingly gave away the "unguessable" ending of the story that Marvel had been hyping for months.


Given how sensitive Marvel had declared the ending — Age of Ultron writer Brian Michael Bendis told Newsarama in January that "literally five people" knew what it was, and Marvel chief creative officer Joe Quesada is drawing the issue's final pages reportedly partly to help prevent a leak — some observers wondered why they'd reveal the surprise months in advance. According to those involved, it's because they haven't — at least not entirely.

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When asked by Newsarama if Age of Ultron #10 would still be polybagged as solicited, despite the Angela reveal being out in the open, a representative for Marvel stated that it would indeed, "Because we haven’t given away the ending. There are more surprises to come. The Angela stuff is like the post-credits scene of the story."


On Twitter, Bendis addressed the ending on Thursday with similar sentiments, writing, "today's news does not spoil the end of Age of ultron. well, one part of it but there's A LOT more going on in that issue as well."


This will likely only further serve already-prevalent speculation — as posited in places including Blog@Newsarama — that the Angela appearance is possibly a prelude to the return of another character originally from another publisher and closely associated with Gaiman, Miracleman/Marvelman. Marvel announced their acquisition of the character (similarly mired in a complex legal situation) in July 2009, but other than releasing reprints of older material, they've yet to publish new work featuring the character. Gaiman is co-writing Angela's next Marvel appearance, Guardians of the Galaxy #5, with Bendis.


Over on his message board, Bendis responded to detractors skeptical of the Angela news, saying that it should be viewed as "a creation of one of the great authors of our generation is bringing that author back to comics so this character who has been dormant for many years, a character who they had just scratched the surface of, can find its way into the place you would least expect her."

 

[Will E Worm]

TODD MCFARLANE Reacts to the Marvel/ANGELA Situation

Following last week's news that former Spawn character Angela is now a full-fledged part of the Marvel Universe, Newsarama reached Todd McFarlane for comment on the situation.

"Neil Gaiman and I had a resolution in our legal dispute, and as part of that he ended up with the rights of Angela," the Spawn creator told Newsarama. "Whatever Neil chooses to do with something that he owns is at his complete and utter discretion."

Angela debuted in 1993's Spawn #9, written by Gaiman and illustrated by McFarlane. The character became entangled in a 10-year-long legal battle
between the two creators, which was resolved with undisclosed terms in January 2012.

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"The health of the industry is based upon having good stories and good characters, and a wide customer base," McFarlane said to Newsarama. "If bringing some of these characters back to the fold in a meaningful way adds to that, then it just strengthens our industry."

Cogliostro and Medieval Spawn also debuted in Spawn #9, and were also part of the dispute. Though no details have specifically been announced on the current status of those characters, Cogliostro appeared in Spawn #225, published in November 2012.

"Good stories that entertain are something that we all should applaud on any level," McFarlane said. "Whether we're doing it directly at Image Comics, or at our competition, it helps keep our industry that we love alive. I will sit back and be as interested as anyone else."

Angela is slated to make her Marvel debut in the closing pages of June's Age of Ultron #10, written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Marvel chief creative officer Joe Quesada. For months, Marvel had been promoting that Age of Ultron contained an "unguessable" surprise ending.

The character's next appearance is scheduled for Guardians of the Galaxy #5, expected for July, to be co-written by Bendis and Gaiman. Marvel declined comment on this story.

 

[Will E Worm]

“Neil Gaiman Gloating Over Stealing From Todd McFarlane”

Dan Slott, Jimmy Palmiotti and Colleen Doran have been knocking back and forth the pros and cons of creator owned comics versus work for hire, sharing their own experiences and, for example, how Sandman pays Colleen’s heathcare bills. It was all rather civil.


But then Erik Larsen joined in. And it all got a little… rambunctious.

Jimmy Palmiotti: point was that if we create something new for a big company, they should share with us a small % of the creation.

Erik Larsen: If you create something you should own it. If anything the big company should get that tiny percentage.

Tom Daylight: not if the big company was paying your rent whilst taking a risk on your creation

Dan Slott: So like Neil Gaiman and all the IP he created while working on SPAWN. That’s what you’re saying?

Erik Larsen: I would[n't] expect to own Spider-Man on a horse, no, or characters derived from existing ones.

Erik Larsen: I meant ORIGINAL creations not evil twins or variations. Don’t expect to own Rainbow Batman

Neil Gaiman: so you’re pleased I got Angela then? Good to know.

Jimmy Palmiotti: hahahah

Erik Larsen: i dont believe you “created” a Spawn hunter with Spawn earrings who is an angel instead of a devil in a vacuum, no.

Erik Larsen: if Angela was an original creation she could stand on her own and she doesn’t. She’s a variation on a theme. A cypher.

Gavin Higginbotham: 3…2…1… And… Bleeding Cool article.

Erik Larsen: ugh. Don’t encourage them. In any case–it’s nothing new. Neil Gaiman gloating over stealing from Todd McFarlane

Erik Larsen: part of her design are things from Spawn though– his mask. And her whole gig is that she’s a Spawn hunter.

Erik Larsen: take away the Spawn elements and she’s just another comic book redhead and who cares?

Erik Larsen: “create something for us worth billions and we’ll pay your rent.” Seems fair.

Dan Slott: I bet a LOT of Spider-Man fans who are now Savage Dragon readers pay a LOT Erik’s rent.

Erik Larsen: but then–no stories involving Angela are really original.

Erik Larsen: I do think Neil Gaiman deserved something for Angela but it should have been a percentage. It’s a character derived from Spawn.

Neil Gaiman: you really haven’t been following any of the case, have you?

Erik Larsen:The difference between Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman is that Alan didn’t insist on owning characters derived from ones he didn’t create.

Mike Luoma: Interesting take on Neil Gaiman/Angela thing – but isn’t that what other creators are doing at big 2, creating ancillaries?

Erik Larsen: yeah and I think the big two deserve to own those.

And now I’ve dived in. I wonder if I can bring calm?

It’s not very likely is it?

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[D-rock]

I don't have much sympathy for McFarlane on this. After all the crap about why those people formed Image in the first place they turned hypocritical about it after about a month or two after Image cam about. The issues that popped up between Gaiman and McFarlane are probably the biggest examples of it. They never wanted to get away from the system Marvel used or wanted the artist to have more control. They just wanted something like Marvel had except with them in charge of it.