(you wanna really click on this for the larger poster view)
(you wanna really click on this for the larger poster view)
When we decided to do a "what if" Marvel cover week, I had several ideas. I had some "what if" moments already in the past twarts (remember Ben Grimm P.I.? ;)) but for this little Twart event I thought to dust off an old idea/pitch of mine for a MARVEL what if.
So I give you, for the first time I think, Hulk the Druid (a celtic primeval force of nature), Captain Amerigo (from the New World), Thor himself, and an unknown mysterious clad-armored gladiator known as Iron Man . Tigether they are The AVENGERS, EARTH's FIRST HEROES and they fight evils and undead armies. How does that sound? :)
Hope you guys dig it and stay tuned for the color version of this I will be posting next week (way too many deadlines this week ;))
EDIT: WOW, this concept (and image) is all over the Web and everyone is excited about the possibilities of such tale. Thank you all, I will see if I can make it happen at MARVEL again - maybe all this warm response will help ;)
I know I had said I was gonna color the cover (and still plan to) but because of time and schedule restrictions, I decided to do a quick sketch of THOR the first Avenger, just becuase Viking Gods on a horse on the snow are too cool :D
One little note: I know the cover is going around as "AVengers in the 1500s" but I had envisioned this to be more in a fictional/fantasy middle age - I apologize for tricking you in believing that is set in the 1500s because of the Capt Amerigo (he is not Vespucci but he could be his grand-grand-father ;))
Cheers,
Francesco
Concept & Artwork © 2010 Francesco Francavilla
33 comments:
This would be a book I would pick up. Pre-Order, whatever it took to make it happen. I am not a fan of most of the stuff Marvel does these days, but if something like this were to come out I would be the first one to try and get my hands on a copy. Its a beautifully done image sir.
This is great. Hulk with an implement is especally terrifying.
Also, I don't comment as much as I visit, so I'll take this opportunity to say it's awesome that you still TwArt with your workload.
It is great, but I'm kind of bummed they are all white dudes.
Thank you all, you guys are too kind :)
Anton: cool, I need to forward that comment to my MARVEL editors ;)
dnwilliams: 'preciate it :) And yes, I am suprised myself I found time for this every week ;)
mordicai: all white dudes? Hulk is green, for starters, and you really don't know who is under that gladiator armor. If you remember, gladiators were also from the African countries ;)
Cheers,
Francesco
Holy damned fucking shit!!!! You never cease to amaze!!! So damned creative!
Beautiful piece, Francesco.
I like the way you've thought things thru...
Thor is closer to the traditional Norse figure with beard (the way Kirby drew him in a 1940s Sandman story) than the Marvel version.
And the green Hulk being Druid makes sense with their emphasis on nature. (Chlorophyll instead of gamma rays?)
The wooden shield for Captain Amerigo works since some petrified woods are as hard as metal.
But, no Ant-Man or Wasp? They could've been a troll and fairy team... ;-)
This is sick. Why is this not a regular title already? Get on it, Marvel.
Gawd, this is lovely. REALLY want to see this as a book now.
Amazing on so many levels. The creativity of this idea is matched only by the presentation. Truly incredible. The merits of this illustration are beyond my meager use of the english language; one of the best I have ever seen.
This is so great Francesco! I would love to read that book, and be your fill-in artist! ;)
This is one really sweet idea. Are you sure the Scarlet Witch isn't just off camera? :)
Either way awesome job.
i'd buy that! :F
Holy shit, I hope an editor sees this who has the authority to make this happen.
A.W.E.S.O.M.E.
Wow. That could be an awesome story. I would love to see that happen.
Oh damn! That's brilliant, Francesco!
Inasecond I would buy this book!!!!
Thank you so much, Mike, Britt (they would make great additions :)), Tyler, Dan, Jeff (will reply soon :)), Chris (HA! ;)), Dan (she is ;)), TheWoodenKing, Josh, SHIELD, Lunavalse, Brian, & Dan, you guys are the sweetest.
To reward such a warm response, stay tuned next week for a little surprise ;)
Cheers,
Francesco
Oh my, but that is not just wonderful art but a wonderful concept too!
Hulk as a druid would make me buy the series on its own, let alone everyone/everything else.
I really ... REALLY ... want to know who is under the Iron Man armour now! :)
Thank you, W4L :)
Here's a peculiarity of my Iron Man: he always wears the armor and the gladiator helmet and he never talks -he just gets down to business :)
Cheers,
Francesco
That, Kind Sir, would be a dramatic improvement for Iron Man.
Oh, and did I mention just how utterly amazing this is? Unbelievable.
I don't buy comics anymore, but I'd buy this one! What an exciting premise! So many stories... Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Jeff and Jim, you guys are too kind :)
This "pitch" of mine has been sweetly covered also by io9 http://io9.com/5671539/ even if there is the wrong assumption this is set in the 1500s while I was thinking more of a fantasy middle age with monsters and undead kinda thing. It's fun to see the several reactions though, everyone has been reacting so positively to this idea and that makes me happy :)
CHeers,
Francesco
Man...that shit's tighter than a bull's ass in fly season.
But I am worried.
Years from now, will you regret having gone down to the crossroads and made a deal with the devil so you could keep turning out amazing stuff like this?
One of most well stated queries I have seen...
Brilliant!
Dear Marvel,
please give the keys to the Avengers mansion to Francesco. Thanks!
love this idea - c'mon marvel, pay attention!
i love every part of this francesco.
both the high concept and execution are fantastic!
Phenomenal! I love to look at this sight and imagine the tales that would take place behind the image. This one spoke loudly. Thanks.
spot on with this write-up, i like the way you discuss the things. i'm impressed, i must say. i'll probably be back again to read more. thanks for sharing this with us.
Lee Shin
www.trendone.net
spot on with this write-up, i like the way you discuss the things. i'm impressed, i must say. i'll probably be back again to read more. thanks for sharing this with us.
Lee Shin
www.trendone.net
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