During Marvel’s “House of Ideas” panel on Friday it was announced that the next entry in their “Infinite Comics” line, a digital-only enhanced series, would be based on the current Disney XD series “Ultimate Spider-Man.” The title, written by Mind MGMT and Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. author Matt Kindt and featuring art by Yves Bigherel and Ramon Bachs, is entitled “Final Exam” and features Peter Parker facing off against an alien spaceship. In an interview with Newarama, Kindt had plenty to say about this unique and interesting title.
“There is a lot of room there to explore and sort of push the medium forward… which I feel like I’ve always tried to do with traditional comics/graphic novels and with this — there’s really no history to it yet — it’s the wild west of comics, really. I’d love to do a lot more of these and push it even further. Just with lettering and layout alone there’s so much you can do that can’t be done in any other way.
Every book or series or comics I’ve done has developed in a slightly different way. Sometimes you get the idea for an image or a moment and built a story around that. Other times, you come up with a character and write a bunch of dialogue and build a story around that. And other times you have to try a bunch of different things until it works.
So, while this format was different in process, it’s also what is always keeping me excited about this work. If anything this process was more like what I imagine Stan Lee and Jack Kirby used — I pitched an idea in a detailed outline and some directorial ideas for some layout/story-telling ideas, the artist did layouts and then I scripted over the top of it.”
Being based on TV show, something that has hindered some comic writers in the past, didn’t seem to really bother Kindt. “I’d heard of the cartoon but then ended up watching a bunch of them with my daughter once I got the job. I was pleasantly surprised. It’s nice to get a take on the heroes I group up with that isn’t dark and grim. I’m glad that there are still takes on these classic characters that don’t forget the real core audience – kids. If we lose them as readers, there’s going to be a whole generation of kids that will grow up without the love and passion for comics that I had and have now as an adult.”
The comic features an appearance by New York city Mayor Bloomberg and is available now free on comiXology through Sunday. After that it goes to $1.99.
