Word is getting out about Marvel’s planned indie anthology, and editor Aubrey Sitterson has a bit more at Newsarama:
Aubrey Sitterson: Indy Anthology is definitely the most accurate term you could use to describe the book. It’s going to be a five-issue limited series (we’re still hammering out what its name will be), with an eye towards the imminent trade paperback collection. Each issue will contain a 10-page lead story done by a creator that you’ll be familiar with (but not for their Marvel work) followed by three or four shorter stories by folks I’m hoping are new to our readers – but every bit as exciting, trust me. Due to the nature of the project, it’s a difficult thing to schedule with any certainty this far out, but we’re looking at a late-’07, early ’08 release.
In later comments, Marvel’s Joe Quesada envisions this as a way to broaden Marvel’s reach in bookstores, even though it won’t be a top seller. Is that the siren call of diversity we hear?
Has Marvel already decided what independent artists are taking part, or does this mean there is an open invitation for creators to submit proposals?
Ha ha! Even if Marvel hasn’t decided on all their artists, I really doubt there’s an open invitation for every cartoonist out there to submit something!
I think they published an “underground” X-Men comic in the 90s. It was cute … but little more. The problem with publishing an “indie” Marvel comic is that the brass at Marvel probably don’t understand “indie” publishing. They have expense accounts, licensing deals, and they have “people.” An “indie” Marvel comic will basically resemble an issue of NOT BRAND ECH, with the creators poking fun at marvel properties.