A study of contrasts: Guest Jed MacKay on launching a new era of Avengers

This week on the AIPT Comics podcast, Dave and Nathan interview Jed MacKay, the mastermind behind the new Avengers ongoing series with C.F. Villa. We dig into character dynamics, why we made Captain Marvel the leader of the team, and so much more! Plus, we unpack more news than we usually get in two weeks, let alone one!

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NEWS

1. Marvel August 2023 Solicitations are here!
   1. ‘Immortal Thor’ announcement leaks ahead of August 2023 previews
2. Marvel promises Carnage vs. Knull in new 'Death of the Venomverse' #5 teaser
   1. Symbiotes rise (including the Symbiote Six) in new Gabriele Dell’Otto ‘Death of the Venomverse’ connecting cover
3. Marvel Comics warns fans 'Amazing Spider-Man' #26 spoilers have leaked
4. New 'Daredevil' creative team Saladin Ahmed and Aaron Kuder starts fall 2023
5. DC Comics solicitations are here!
6. Lunar Distribution announces distribution agreement with DSTLRY
7. Ahead of the new Netflix animated series, 'Mech Cadets' returns to comic shops
8. Sci-fi Afro-futurism OGN ‘Jimi Hendrix: Purple Haze’ coming November 2023
9. ‘Greatest superhero comic book on the planet’ ‘The Schlub’ coming August 2023
10. 'Beyond Mortal' graphic novel features heroes against unimaginable horrors
11. Rare Flavours #1 Tasting Menu Ashcan (BOOM! Studios) - PREVIEW ISSUE. The Eisner, Harvey, and Ringo Award-nominated team of Ram V and Filipe Andrade make their celebrated return, and you can get a first taste in this exclusive ashcan edition! Tantalize your senses with this amuse bouche introducing this creative duo's next masterpiece marrying the supernatural, Indian cuisine, and the cutthroat world of chef-driven celebrity in what will be the most talked about new comic of 2023! This ashcan will be strictly limited to its first printing, never to be printed again!
12. 2023 Eisner Awards nominees announced

Our Top Books of the Week

Dave:

1. Batman: Brave and the Bold #1 (Various)
2. Avengers #1 (Jed MacKay, C.F. Villa)

Nathan:

1. The DC Book of Pride (Jadzia Axelrod)
2. Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1 (Various)

Standout KAPOW moment of the week:

Nathan - Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1 (Tom King, Mitch Gerads)

Dave - Fantastic Four #7 (Ryan North, Iban Coello)

TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK

1. Dave: Fury #1 (Al Ewing, Scot Eaton, Cam Smith, Adam Kubert, Ramon Rosanas)
2. Nathan: We Are Scarlet Twilight #1 (Benjamin Morse)

JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.

1. Dave: X-O Manowar: Unconquered #3 (Liam Sharp)
2. Nathan: Fury #1 (Chris Samnee)

Interview: Jed MacKay - Avengers #1, Moon Knight, Timeless, Doctor Strange 
(last on the show April 18, 2021)

1. Jed, thank you for being on the AIPT comics podcast! Congratulations on the Eisner nomination! The first of many I’m sure.
2. Last time you were on the show it was April 2021, Moon Knight #1 hadn’t yet released, you delivered some of the best Black Cat comics ever, and the world was your oyster, take us through what you’ve been up to since April 2021. (and when do you sleep?)
3. You’re currently juggling Doctor Strange, Moon Knight, and Avengers, how do you keep up with those three at once?
4. Was there any desire to get Moon Knight and/or Doctor Strange on the team since you’re writing their solo books?
5. Do you listen to any music when you write? Your Strange books have big Pink Floyd/King Crimson energy.
6. If your Avengers run had a tagline, for the entire breath you’ve plotted or for this first story arc, what would it be?
7. Avengers has a new team lineup and a new team leader, what made Carol the right choice to lead the team?
8. I liked how you up front point out Carol had beef with Tony once, and where Black Panther is at currently, how do you balance the characters arcs and what you want to do with them in the team book?
9. The Ashen Combine is such a cool concept, and it’s not even your first awesome villainous team as we got the Three Mothers in Death of Doctor Strange, what motivates you to build these evil teams?
10. Timeless has been a nice annual preview of things to come, do you and Marvel have plans to continue bringing it back each year?