Next week Marvel will release Tiger Division #1, the launch of a new five-issue miniseries starring the publisher’s newest superhero team. The series comes from the creative team of writer Emily Kim, artist Creees Lee, colorist Yen Nitro, and letterer Ariana Maher. It follows South Korea’s official superhero team as they take on threats to their country and the world.
Tiger Division is the latest Marvel series from Emily Kim. The writer also penned a five-issue Silk miniseries earlier this year with artist Tak Miyazawa. The Beat chatted with Kim about her approach to tackling Tiger Division, which characters she’s excited for readers to meet, and how writing a team book compares to working on a solo series. Check that out, along with a preview of next week’s first issue, below.
Joe Grunenwald: Aside from White Fox and Luna Snow, most of the members of Tiger Division are more or less blank slates to readers, having only appeared a handful of times. What sorts of things did you look at or think about as you were fleshing out these characters?
Emily Kim: I wanted every member to be very different from each other and to also be different from what you’d expect based on their appearance. (Except for Mr. Enigma – his personality matches his look.) It leaves room to explore how this group came together in potential future issues. Because you’re left wondering things like, “How did this robot and this k-pop star become friends who fight bad guys together?” It also makes their group rapport more entertaining because they’re always keeping each other on their toes. But when things get serious, they always have each other’s backs.
Grunenwald: The member I’m personally most interested in learning more about is The General. His look is so striking, equal parts bizarre and funny with a little bit of scariness thrown in. Can you tease anything about him and what exactly he is?
Kim: The General’s origins are still a mystery to be unpacked. But he’s the warmest, most loyal member of the group. At the end of the day, he has the soul of a human. No matter what challenges and tragedies come his way, he always finds the glass half full. And he never lets his power go to his head. Because he is for sure a powerhouse.
Grunenwald: Are there any particular team members you’ve enjoyed pairing up? Who has your favorite dynamic to write?
Kim: Luna and The General have naturally formed a very close sibling-esque bond. It’s really nice to see two character who are not “main characters” interact and get along in quieter moments. Tae and Lady Bright have also been fun to write. The two of them go back the longest and have many, many years worth of adventures together. But in this series, they’ll hit some conflict. It’s a reminder that you may think you know someone but there’s still always more to learn.
Grunenwald: What to you separates Tiger Division from the many other super hero teams in the Marvel Universe?
Kim: They’re the first super hero group out of Korea and each member has a unique origin story based in Korea. Also, aside from Luna, they’re all ageless/live a very long time and therefore have a lot of history with each other. And a lot more to go through. And I think their personal relationships with each other will be what sets them apart.
Grunenwald: Your last book for Marvel was a solo Silk series. How has it been making the transition from a solo book to writing a team book?
Kim: It’s been a balancing game to give Tae his own story while also exploring the dynamic of the rest of the team. But I’ve enjoyed being able to play with more characters and split storylines. It’s a fun challenge and means there’s always more room to go.
Tiger Division #1 is due out from Marvel Comics next Wednesday, November 2nd.
