50th State Initiative - Come on Mr. Slott!

[beta-ray]

Been reading around several boards, much speculation about the teams in the Initiative... And I always wonder... will Hawaii even be mentioned (if not detailed)? Come on Mr. Slott, any love for the 50th state?

(Chime in if you think your state may not be mentioned either)

[PaulSebert]

Also why does Chicago get the new team of Space Knights? Didn't Rom live in West Virginia? Why no love for the Mountain State?

[beta-ray]

Hey I'll take the Spaceknights. Always loved Rom. :)

I wonder if they actually have a list of all 50 states and their teams or just a few mapped out...

[Dingo]

Does Marvel even still own the rights to ROM?

[tom daylight]

Dan says making a plan of all fifty teams at this stage would be a really bad idea... and I'm inclined to agree. It would stifle creativity.

[Dave S.]

Does Marvel even still own the rights to ROM?

No, it does not.

[Ravenwing263]

Wait, Chicago has Spaceknights? Since when?

[Dermie]

Wait, Chicago has Spaceknights? Since when?

Since CIVIL WAR #6. No connection to the original Spaceknights--it is just a name they decided to reuse, along with Champions and Force Works.

[Matt Jay]

Dan says making a plan of all fifty teams at this stage would be a really bad idea... and I'm inclined to agree. It would stifle creativity.
True. Even though I'm hoping for Nebraska's team to be addressed someday...

[Big Poot!]

Dan I read issue #1 and freakin love this series now!

But please don't let Texas be written down to. Texas is right wing, and right wing gets a bad wrap in media. We know this.

But please don't put every Texas hero in cowboy hats. That's a bad stereotype. Less than 1% of people wear those hats where I live, south TX on the beach.

And don't make the characters stupid like that Texan on the Simpsons. Sure it's funny, but Civil War was so kickass, I'd hate the Texas team in Initiative to be anything but kickass.

What I'm saying is, sure Texas is different, but just a little bit. In 2007, it's not all that different than the rest of the US. Overdoing and playing to the differences would look lame and it's such a kickass book already.

[PigLatin]

Dan, issue #1 rocked, I loved the pacing and character development. MVP was cool as hell, until, you know. Looking forward to issue 2!

[SeaGhostBliss]

Ghah, I can't get my books until Payday tomorrow. I can't wait to pick this title up!

[eric_kraayenbrink]

Dan,

Really loved AI #1. Looking forward to the next issue.
And there's a great way to have a team in every state
and never have to write more than one line of dialog for each:
HAVE THE HULK SHOW UP AND MOW THEM DOWN.

Just an Idea...

Eric

[PimpSlapStick!]

Just an idea

from PimpSlapStick and Anubis

Dan Slott its all yours

Fantastic
Imaginauts!
World's Brightest Young Heroes

Synopsis:
Since the activation of the Superhuman registration Act, most young heroes are intered into the 'Initiative Program' a boot camp like training progam that's purpose is to turn young men and women into the Superhuman Army of Tomorrow, but what of those children of phenomenal intellect and skill? Some with god like powers and some only blessed with vast intellect and of most importance IMAGINATION!

Reed Richards world famous scientist and leader of the Fantastic Four, has acquisitioned the right from S.H.I.E.L.D. and the US government to start his own program, one catered to teens with amazing potential for both science and superheroics! These chosen few will become 'students' under the tutelage of Mr. Fantastic.

They will become the next great minds, the next great explorers, the next great heroes, the next GREAT IMAGINAUTS!!!!!!!

Team Roster:
Mastermind Excello - Super genuis, with the ability to calculated equations and probabilities within a fraction of a second!

Franklin Richards - Son of Reed Richards, gifted with great telekinetic abilities and a ace pilot (Thanks to Uncle Ben!)

Valerie Richards - Daughter of Reed Richards, she is a creative genius like her father, yet at heart an artist of profound talent.


Black Goliath II - Nephew of scientist Bill Foster, the young Goliath is revolutionizing the field of quantum mechanics and stretching the limits of 'Size shifting' technologies.

Machine Teen - Artificial teen of tomorrow, this young hero is a living technological marvel.

[tom daylight]

You'd put a one-year-old on a superhero team?

[EdNEMO]

You'd put a one-year-old on a superhero team?

I would! But after thinking long and hard on my life and who I am...I finally realized I am a super villain. So, yes. A 1 year old on a team would be fine...and I could pay him in cookies. It's win-win.

But seriously, we need a listing of all the players for each state!

[PimpSlapStick!]

You'd put a one-year-old on a superhero team?

Well I was thinking they could find a way to age Valeria and Frnaklin, it's FF so anythings possible.

[Cardinal Braxiatel]

If the MU is fifteen years old then Franklin should be thirteen by now. Aging Franklin wouldn't have to be artificial at all.

[bennymatthewtaylor]

However, how can we be absolutely sure that Franklin was regressed to his "correct age" after either time he was dematurated from first middle age (FF 240's under Byrne.) and then his teen age years after that fantastic Force/Psilord Tom DEfalco nonsense in the 90s?

The state tried to take Reed's kids back in the 530s under JMS. That didn't work out well, even without Reed hacking into the Social Services database or technologically bending the social workers to his will with slave disks... Or you know, a blatant show of force followed by taking over America... Sue wouldn't be so fancy if they took her kids.

They tried to draft Cho in The Incredible Herc 112 last week. Did not end well for S.H.I.E.L.D. And he doesn't actively despise S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stark like L'll Foster who would only join up to plant bombs and bring the whole institution crashing down around Stark's ears.

I don't know squat about machine teen... But why induct him, when Pym can reverse engineer and mass-produce that model to replace the super hero and the soldier so human being need never be put in harms way again? Well at least people who agree with Stark and Pym.

Sorry for shitting on you PimpSlapStick!

besides the goal isn't to make super heroes. But to make soldiers and spies. But more importantly it's to get those Supers before they make a choice between good and evil, and offer them the free ride there super powers afford them so they never even think about becoming a super villain bent on knocking over banks and picking fights with Spider-Man. As dangerous as making a huge army of Supers might be(Cable yelled at Bush about this in Cable/Deadpool last year about stupidly starting a super powers arms race... Which is something Claremont touched upon about the super powers limitations when Colossus talked about why the Russians didn't send him into Afghanistan in the 80s.) making all the other little countries feel like they're biding time till America invades... With the Super Villains quickly being deposited in the Negative Zone, exactly who do super heroes have to brawl with domestically despite hundreds of them being made combat ready?

[changingshades]

Just an idea

from PimpSlapStick and Anubis

Dan Slott its all yours

Fantastic
Imaginauts!
World's Brightest Young Heroes

Synopsis:
Since the activation of the Superhuman registration Act, most young heroes are intered into the 'Initiative Program' a boot camp like training progam that's purpose is to turn young men and women into the Superhuman Army of Tomorrow, but what of those children of phenomenal intellect and skill? Some with god like powers and some only blessed with vast intellect and of most importance IMAGINATION!

Reed Richards world famous scientist and leader of the Fantastic Four, has acquisitioned the right from S.H.I.E.L.D. and the US government to start his own program, one catered to teens with amazing potential for both science and superheroics! These chosen few will become 'students' under the tutelage of Mr. Fantastic.

They will become the next great minds, the next great explorers, the next great heroes, the next GREAT IMAGINAUTS!!!!!!!

Team Roster:
Mastermind Excello - Super genuis, with the ability to calculated equations and probabilities within a fraction of a second!

Franklin Richards - Son of Reed Richards, gifted with great telekinetic abilities and a ace pilot (Thanks to Uncle Ben!)

Valerie Richards - Daughter of Reed Richards, she is a creative genius like her father, yet at heart an artist of profound talent.


Black Goliath II - Nephew of scientist Bill Foster, the young Goliath is revolutionizing the field of quantum mechanics and stretching the limits of 'Size shifting' technologies.

Machine Teen - Artificial teen of tomorrow, this young hero is a living technological marvel.

I miss Machine teen :(

[Slewo.O]

Actually one of the Texas heroes does wear a cowboy hat. And another one is a sentient Armadillo or something.

[Spidey616]

Actually one of the Texas heroes does wear a cowboy hat. And another one is a sentient Armadillo or something.

I LOVE THE RANGERS!!! (The superheroes, not the football team, not that there's anything wrong with that :))

Too bad about Armadillo, being from Earth-A and being booted from the team. Oh well.

I wish we saw more of them in Issue #2, so I hope Dan brings them back in future A:TI issues. Especially Firebird and Living Lightning, since she did have a brief relationship with Hank Pym (POSSIBLE SKRULL!) in Dwayne McDuffie's "Beyond" and we haven't seen Miguel play a prominent role in a Marvel storyline since GLA, the supehero team that is ;).

[PimpSlapStick!]

However, how can we be absolutely sure that Franklin was regressed to his "correct age" after either time he was dematurated from first middle age (FF 240's under Byrne.) and then his teen age years after that fantastic Force/Psilord Tom DEfalco nonsense in the 90s?

The state tried to take Reed's kids back in the 530s under JMS. That didn't work out well, even without Reed hacking into the Social Services database or technologically bending the social workers to his will with slave disks... Or you know, a blatant show of force followed by taking over America... Sue wouldn't be so fancy if they took her kids.

They tried to draft Cho in The Incredible Herc 112 last week. Did not end well for S.H.I.E.L.D. And he doesn't actively despise S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stark like L'll Foster who would only join up to plant bombs and bring the whole institution crashing down around Stark's ears.

I don't know squat about machine teen... But why induct him, when Pym can reverse engineer and mass-produce that model to replace the super hero and the soldier so human being need never be put in harms way again? Well at least people who agree with Stark and Pym.

Sorry for shitting on you PimpSlapStick!
besides the goal isn't to make super heroes. But to make soldiers and spies. But more importantly it's to get those Supers before they make a choice between good and evil, and offer them the free ride there super powers afford them so they never even think about becoming a super villain bent on knocking over banks and picking fights with Spider-Man. As dangerous as making a huge army of Supers might be(Cable yelled at Bush about this in Cable/Deadpool last year about stupidly starting a super powers arms race... Which is something Claremont touched upon about the super powers limitations when Colossus talked about why the Russians didn't send him into Afghanistan in the 80s.) making all the other little countries feel like they're biding time till America invades... With the Super Villains quickly being deposited in the Negative Zone, exactly who do super heroes have to brawl with domestically despite hundreds of them being made combat ready?

Theres no fecal matter on me so its all good.

Any way my idea fits into the Initiative pretty well, I think you missed the basic concept of the Imaginauts. If Avengers Initiative is boot camp for the super military then the Imaginauts is MIT for super humans.

[BAMF]

Mass. needs some love. C'mon Dan, give us a team...we're the sports capital of the nation right now -- Pats (what up, shades...heh), Sox, and Celts are pwining. You should give us an MVP clone as team leader, and surround him with a team worthy of being in the same state as our other teams. :)

[Benny]

True. Even though I'm hoping for Nebraska's team to be addressed someday...

Yeah, the Initiative definitely needs to assemble a team of heroes ASAP to stop that nefarious local villain, the Diabolical Cow-Tipper :mrgreen:

[Dreg]

Will upstate NY get any heroes? Seems like all the NY heroes only hang out in the City.

[beta-ray]

Mass. needs some love. C'mon Dan, give us a team...we're the sports capital of the nation right now -- Pats (what up, shades...heh), Sox, and Celts are pwining. You should give us an MVP clone as team leader, and surround him with a team worthy of being in the same state as our other teams. :)

Mass Master?

[Lord Jermaine Retail]

I've been saying this since Civil War #7. Marvel is missing a big opportunity here to print a special (made to initial orders only) comic for each state. And of course comic book stores everywhere would order copies of the others states even if they were one shots. Now there's a 50 issue series with a purpose other than counting backwards or upwards depending. ;)

[HubDaddy]

I would write the Texas Rangers. I love that team and I am glad that Slott put them in A:TI. At first I was really offended by the stereotypology of their costumes and all, but after looking at it some more, I realized that it could be a great homage.

[Cardinal Braxiatel]

I thought the Rangers were basically the classic team with a few additions. Stereotype or not, they were just what they always were and one of Bill Mantlo's more fun creations.

[Cardinal Braxiatel]

BTW, is it just me or is Dan Slott like a modern day Bill Mantlo?

[Dan Slott]

I've been saying this since Civil War #7. Marvel is missing a big opportunity here to print a special (made to initial orders only) comic for each state. And of course comic book stores everywhere would order copies of the others states even if they were one shots. Now there's a 50 issue series with a purpose other than counting backwards or upwards depending. ;)

I hear ya. But I think the minute you put a SPECIFIC team in every state you run the risk of tying down too many viable characters (geographically speaking). Also, I think it's fun to reveal them one at a time. I think it makes those issues kinda cool.

In #2 we saw the RANGERS from Texas (we had that issue plotted BEFORE they were put into the last CW issue, so I've giving that one to us.). :)

In #7 we saw ACTION PACK from Kentucky.

In Annual #1 we saw THE LIBERTEENS from Pennsylvania.

And... in #12 you're going to see another team in yet another state.

That's 4 teams in the space of one year. (And other books have shown other A:TI teams around the country-- in the pages of IRON MAN and LAST DEFENDERS for example).

In A:TI #12 you'll ALSO find out more locations (states) where various heroes will be stationed...

Should be fun. ;)
ttyl
Dan
:spidey:

[beta-ray]

I've been saying this since Civil War #7. Marvel is missing a big opportunity here to print a special (made to initial orders only) comic for each state. And of course comic book stores everywhere would order copies of the others states even if they were one shots. Now there's a 50 issue series with a purpose other than counting backwards or upwards depending. ;)


That would be interesting. Sort of like how each state has a coin. Hmn... Initiative coins...

[beta-ray]

BTW, is it just me or is Dan Slott like a modern day Bill Mantlo?

I don't know. Most of the stuff I loved from Mantlo (and I did like a lot of stuff from him) were from licensed properties. However, he was one of my favorite writers of the late 70s & early 80s.. and Slott is one of my favorite writers now... so if you mean it that way.. :D

[beta-ray]

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0804/18/mondomarvel.htm


* Slott said that Hawaiian team for the Initiative will be revealed.

I was never consulted.. :cry:

[Arion]

BTW, is it just me or is Dan Slott like a modern day Bill Mantlo?

What do you mean by that?

[Cardinal Braxiatel]

Bill Mantlo put out high quality work with mostly lower tier characters and without the spotlight and acclaim other writers were getting yet managed to define the MU more completely than anyone else you'd call his peers. Sounds like a fairly good description of Dan Slott to me...

[Arion]

Bill Mantlo put out high quality work with mostly lower tier characters and without the spotlight and acclaim other writers were getting yet managed to define the MU more completely than anyone else you'd call his peers. Sounds like a fairly good description of Dan Slott to me...

I guess I am not old enough to be aware of Mantlo's work. But that was a good explanation.

[mugiwara]

A Hawiian team? Boy, I'd like to see Loa being a part of it! It know it wouldn't make much sense, since she hadn't so much training (except fighting demons in Limbo), but she has too much potential to stay in limbo (editorial limbo, I mean).

[beta-ray]

A Hawiian team? Boy, I'd like to see Loa being a part of it! It know it wouldn't make much sense, since she hadn't so much training (except fighting demons in Limbo), but she has too much potential to stay in limbo (editorial limbo, I mean).

She was a mutant right? I never read much X stuff when she was around I think. Her name... "Loa"... did she have anything to do with distance/length or stretching for a power? Just wondering if they were referring to a Hawaiian word or is it a Voudo thing?

Speaking of Hawaii characters & mutants, wasn't Alex Summers born in Hawaii?

[Cardinal Braxiatel]

Alex and Scott Summers were raised together until they were shoved out of that plane with the one parachute. I think X-Men: Evolution is the only place you find an Alex-Hawaii connection.

[beta-ray]

Alex and Scott Summers were raised together until they were shoved out of that plane with the one parachute. I think X-Men: Evolution is the only place you find an Alex-Hawaii connection.

That's weird, I remember it from an old MU Handbook (from the 80s) that even specified Aiea as the city. Hmn is my memory going already?

EDITED TO ADD:
Hmnn... the online unofficial handbook says Honolulu...
http://en.marveldatabase.com/Havok_%28Alex_Summers%29

[Cardinal Braxiatel]

But the text also omits where he was raised before they were 'orphaned' and only states Omaha as any place Alex lived pre-X-Men days. I don't honestly know where the Hawaii reference comes from.

[HomerGator]

Seriously, where DOES that come from? I don't recall ever reading anything with Havok that even referrences Hawaii... and this is coming from a HUGE X-dork.

[beta-ray]

Seriously, where DOES that come from? I don't recall ever reading anything with Havok that even referrences Hawaii... and this is coming from a HUGE X-dork.

I don't know, all I remember is seeing it in an old MU handbook. Perhaps it was an offhand remark or something just behind the scenes. Just know I knew it before X-Men Evolution (which I never watched).

[mugiwara]

She was a mutant right? I never read much X stuff when she was around I think. Her name... "Loa"... did she have anything to do with distance/length or stretching for a power? Just wondering if they were referring to a Hawaiian word or is it a Voudo thing?

Yes, Alani Ryan aka Loa was one of the Xavier Institute students who didn't get depowered or slaughtered. She was one of the background characters but had a little spotlight during Magik Quest.

From Wikipedia: Loa possesses a molecular distortion power that allows her to move through solid matter by disabling binding forces. This causes the matter to crumble, or break down around as she passes through it.
Her name is from a type of worm (crumble the earth while moving through)

Easier to understand with a pic:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c2/Loapower.jpg

[beta-ray]

Yes, Alani Ryan aka Loa was one of the Xavier Institute students who didn't get depowered or slaughtered. She was one of the background characters but had a little spotlight during Magik Quest.

From Wikipedia: Loa possesses a molecular distortion power that allows her to move through solid matter by disabling binding forces. This causes the matter to crumble, or break down around as she passes through it.
Her name is from a type of worm (crumble the earth while moving through)

Easier to understand with a pic:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c2/Loapower.jpg

Thanks for the info. Never heard of the loa worm, but it is is good to know.

[beta-ray]

Okay we know one of the graduating class is going to Hawaii...

Hmn it will be interesting to "have him" here... Not sure exactly how he will fit in. Mr. Slott, if you are reading, what is the thought behind him coming here?

[Slewo.O]

Okay we know one of the graduating class is going to Hawaii...

Hmn it will be interesting to "have him" here... Not sure exactly how he will fit in. Mr. Slott, if you are reading, what is the thought behind him coming here?

Because it's cool?

We will see him again during Secret Invasion.

[Arion]

A Hawiian team? Boy, I'd like to see Loa being a part of it! It know it wouldn't make much sense, since she hadn't so much training (except fighting demons in Limbo), but she has too much potential to stay in limbo (editorial limbo, I mean).

Limbo is a good place to rest.

[beta-ray]

Huh. So according to Joe Q, the Hawaii team will be the "Point Men".

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=92159514&blogID=395144551

Hmn. Wonder if that was thought up by Slott, Gage or someone else?

[Arion]

Yes, Alani Ryan aka Loa was one of the Xavier Institute students who didn't get depowered or slaughtered. She was one of the background characters but had a little spotlight during Magik Quest.

From Wikipedia: Loa possesses a molecular distortion power that allows her to move through solid matter by disabling binding forces. This causes the matter to crumble, or break down around as she passes through it.
Her name is from a type of worm (crumble the earth while moving through)

Easier to understand with a pic:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c2/Loapower.jpg

That was a good explanation.