MARVEL COMICS PRESS CONFERENCE

Marvel Comics staged a telephone press conference on Wednesday, focusing on spring titles.

Attending were editors Tom Brevoort, Axel Alonso, Mark Paniccia, Nick Lowe and Bill Rosemann.

Following are highlights:

* Marvel inadvertantly double-booked the call with Spider-Man writers -- Bob Gale, Dan Slott and Marc Guggenheim all showed up, too. Guggenheim plugged episodes of Eli Stone, and various Spider-Man red herrings were thrown out.

* Rosemann said he's already seen the first issue of the second Dark Tower series. "It's really quite nice," he said.

Rosemann said the series fills in the gap in the events of one of the books. "It's not an adaptation. It's extra added events," he said.

* Alsono said that the Marvel Knights Logan will have a beginning, middle and end.

* Alonso described Cable as a science-fiction spaghetti western. He stressed it is tied to the X-Men Universe and noted there "is another one-armed protagonist out there."

* Alonso said there will be a couple of X-Force specials this year.

* "Valley Forge" is the title of the last Punisher story written by Garth Ennis. "It's a brilliant high concept. Frank is pitted against a group he can't shoot at," he said.

Alonso said 15 issues are locked and planned after Ennis' exit, with three arcs being worked on. "I am super thrilled with the hooks to the stories," he said.

Cover artist Tim Bradstreet will leave Punisher, along with Ennis, but Alonso said he will continue to work on MAX titles.

* Ennis' War is Hell takes a realistic look at war, with art by Howard Chaykin and covers by John Cassaday. "I think people are going to be real surprised, especially if you don't know much about World War I," Lowe said.

* Paniccia said that the Hulk will not be returning as the lead character of Incredible Hercules. He said that Greek mythology adds "a lot of weight" to the story. "We couldn't be happier with the buzz -- and the sales -- around the book," he said.

* "Who is Ultimate Black Panther?" will be solved in the next two issues of Ultimates 3.

* Robert Kirkman's plot threads will all be tied up in Ultimate X-Men. "The last three issues have all these characters coming together and fighting Apocalypse," Rosemann said.

* Rosemann said Annihilation: Conquest #5 will reveal Ultron's true intentions and will feature a stepping up of Adam Warlock.

* Nova will connect from Annihilation: Conquest. "They very much tie into the big finale," Rosemann said. Paul Pelletier draws two issues beginning with #11, in which the former New Mutant Warlock appears.

* Brevoort said Fantastic Four is "the one book that makes all other titles irrelvant." Bryan Hitch has penciled through FF #562 and is halfway through a Christmas special, and Brevoort said it will be monthly.

* Bob Gale's Amazing Spider-Man arc will introduce Freak, who has a connection to an old Spider-Man character.

Brevoort praised Chris Bachalo's upcoming Spider-Man art, set during an enormous blizzard with a new villain.

In May, a single issue will be by Gale and Barry Kitson, then the first two parts of a story by Dan Slott and Marcos Martin introducing villains Screwball and Paperdoll.

Brevoort said it builds to the last issue in May, which lovers and haters of Brand New Days are looking for.

* Lowe said Messiah CompleX was a watershed moment for X-Men, and there are still important things from the story to wrap up. "We have some big, big things coming in July," he said, noting that Uncanny #500 is in that month.

* Rosemann talked about the new Guardians of the Galaxy, which launches in May. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning team with Pelletier, with covers by Clint Langley.

"I just read the firsts script a day or so ago. It just had me laughing and saying that it was crazy cool," he said.

The cover to #2 was promised to be "controversial." "When you see it, you'll wonder what the heck it is -- if we're allowed to print it," he said.

* Avengers/Invaders will bring the Invaders to the present, so readers will see the Marvel Universe though their eyes. Brevoort noted that Alex Ross was very interested in putting the story right in the middle of the Marvel Universe. "They're getting to play with the actual toys, not two toys removed," he said.

* Young X-Men, written by Guggenheim, spins out of Messiah CompleX in "a very unique way," Lowe said. "There's a lot of mystery involved with this book, a lot of twists and turns."

Cyclops puts the team together to deal with a Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

* Invincible Iron Man, by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca, will serve as an entry point to the character with the movie coming out in May. "It will pick up on some of the seeds Matt planted in The Order," Brevoort said.

Brevoort said the series will feature Iron Man fighting "big technological threats."

* Most of the editors agreed that The Immortal Iron Fist is the "underdog" title deserving of more attention, with Brevoort pointing out the upcoming Runaways #29.

* How will the Iron Man titles be distinctive? Brevoort said Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. become the permanent title will reflect that book's espionage tone, with Invincible Iron Man being more of a super-hero title.

Brevoort said Iron Man is one of the three most important characters in the Marvel Universe.

* Brevoort said that Amazing Spider-Girl is a perfect place for angry Spider-Man readers who want Peter and Mary Jane together. He noted that there will be a major turning point this summer, with a story called "Brand New May."

"Make of that what you will," he said.

* Brevoort said FF #555 is better than #554 and features "stunning visuals."

"Bryan (Hitch) is out of the funk that sort of crippled his creativity toward the end of Ultimates," Brevoort said.

* Alonso said that Daniel Way will be writing a new Deadpool series. "We already have plans for a good opening round first arc," Alonso said, noting an artist will be announced.

* Incredible Hercules #116 will be a prelude to a "Secret Invasion" arc.

* Hulk #4 will feature a battle "everybody's been waiting for," Paniccia said, saying a surprise character will appear at issue's end.

* King-Size Hulk #1 will set up future story arcs and will include eight-page stories drawn by Art Adams, Frank Cho and Herb Trimpe.

* Lowe said he's worried he hasn't sold Young X-Men #1 well enough because he's scared to give away any secrets.