WIZARD WORLD TEXAS: MARVEL COMICS PANEL

ARLINGTON, Texas -- A new Ultimate title, Ultimate Iron Man, will launch in 2005, Marvel's Dan Buckley said at Marvel's Wizard World Texas panel on Saturday.

The book will be drawn by Andy Kubert. Buckley would not confirm the writer, but did mention The Ender's Game novel as a tease. That book was written by Orson Scott Card.

In other highlights from the panel, which was attended by Buckley, Marvel editor Andy Schmidt and writer Joe Casey:

* Artist Michael Lark has become exclusive with Marvel.

* The Young Avengers title will debut in February and is part of a push by Marvel for new characters. "We want to go out on a limb a little more," Buckley said.

* Michael Perkins is drawing a new title, Salem's Seven, which features new characters. "It's Craft meets Breakfast Club," Buckley said.

* Buckley called X23, created by Craig Kyle, "the most disturbing pitch -- and one of the best -- I've seen this year."

* Live Wires is a four-issue series by Adam Warren and Rick Mays. "It's a punk techno-fest for four issues," Schmidt said.

* The remaining issues Joe Quesada's Daredevil: Father are still unscheduled. "It will all happen in 2005, I can guarantee you that," Buckley said.

* A new Daredevil mini-series, Daredevil: Redemption, will start in Feburary. The book is written by David Hine, with art by Michael Gaydos.

* Frank Tieri is writing a Weapon X follow-up and a Hercules project.

* A Nick Fury series is targeted for late 2005.

* The current Galactus story arc will be the last for Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo on Fantastic Four, but Buckley said the duo has another Marvel project coming up.

The new Fantastic Four creative team will be announced in four weeks. "They'll blow your socks off," Buckley said.

* Buckley said art on four issues of The Ultimates has been completed, with two of the issues colored.

* Eighteen issues of The New Avengers have been mapped out already.

* Casey on the eight-issue Earth's Mightiest Heroes series: "It's from The Avengers' first meeting to the first lineup change. There are definitely secrets you didn't know about how the new lineup came to be."

* Casey is providing a similar treatment with Fantastic Four: First Family, which will launch in June, timed for the Fantastic Four movie.

"It deals with the Fantastic Four's earliest days, before they even put the costumes on," Casey said. "We pick up right after the rocket crash and see how they are assimilated back into society."

The artist has been determined but hasn't been announced yet. "It's someone who hasn't worked for Marvel before," Casey said.

* How long will Warren Ellis be on Iron Man? "We're talking about 12, but definitely six," Buckley said. Buckley also noted that because of the nature of Adi Granov's art style, Iron Man will likely ship every six weeks.

* Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev will end their run on Daredevil at the end of next year. Buckley said a new creative team has not been chosen.

* Buckley said response to What If? has been so good that it will probably become a yearly event.

* Shanna the She-Devil, by Frank Cho, will launch in February. Buckley said Cho is already well into the series.

* Buckley said he thinks the second arc by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday on Astonishing X-Men will be better than the first. "It has one of the coolest takes on a villain ever," Buckley said.

* X-Men artist Salvador Larrocca is working on a Spider-Man project for next year.

* Runaways will return in February, the same month as the third digest from the first series.

* Buckley said Greg Land's art for the Phoenix mini-series has been spectacular.

* Buckley said there are no current plans for Moon Knight.

* Thor will return next summer, courtesy of a creative team that will be named in the next month or so.

* Captain America and The Falcon will be concluding.

* Bryan Singer's Ultimate X-Men stories remain a go; Buckley said he wants to get as many scripts as possible done before launching them.

* Ultimate Secret has been pushed back to March, Buckley said, to fully market the book. Ultimate Nightmare #5 will introduce a new Ultimate character.

* The third part of Warren Ellis' Ultimate trilogy is now targeted for an August launch.

* Schmidt said he hopes to do more Madrox stories with Peter David.

* According to Buckley, there will be another Supreme Power spin-off book next year.

* Buckley said there are active talks concering more books joining the Icon Comics imprint.

* She-Hulk will go on hiatus with #12, but will return with the same creative team -- "and with more marketing," Buckley said.

* Schmidt said he hopes to get The Pulse on a monthly schedule, but if the move from bi-monthly happens, it won't be until after the second story arc.

* Zeb Wells' New Warriors book is being targeted for late 2005.

* Buckley said that more covers will be of the story-telling nature, as witnessed by recent covers to Amazing Spider-Man. He said there will still be "icon covers" because they work well with trade paperbacks.

* Buckley said to look out for a press story this week from Marvel.

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