Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada, who has spent considerable time trying to win back creators who were alienated by past Marvel regimes, has managed to accomplish what many thought was impossible -- bring former Marvel Editor-In-Chief Jim (Secret Wars) Shooter back as the author of a an eight-issue Avengers series which will feature the return of the Shooter-invented arch nemesis Korvac. At this time Senior Editor Tom Brevoort has not yet decided on a penciler for the series, which is set to debut in May of 2002. The rapprochement with Shooter is not a unique event; Quesada has done an excellent job of placating other creators who were turned off by Marvel's often heavy-handed corporate touch. Neil Gaiman will be doing a series for Marvel (see 'Marvel Snags Neil Gaiman'), and while Alan Moore isn't currently slated for any Marvel projects, at least he appears to have absolved the current Marvel regime for the sins of the past (Marvelman/Miracleman).
Since leaving Marvel, Shooter has been involved in a number of publishing projects including Valiant, Defiant, and Broadway Comics. His return to Marvel may not mean much to younger comic fans, but it will resonate with those old enough to remember his tenure at Marvel. The Marvel press release did not contain any quotes from Shooter, but Quesada waxed poetic about his former counterpart: 'There were several balls that I started rolling early on in my first months as Editor-In-Chief, many of them were public knowledge, and many were top secret. Much like the upcoming Avengers/JLA crossover, getting Jim Shooter writing for Marvel again was one of those goals. During my early days in the comics industry, I watched with great admiration as Jim began creating the beginnings of what would become the Valiant Universe! It's because of that talent that we contacted Jim early on, and along (with) Tom Brevoort, we've taken much care in developing a project that was going to show off Jim's considerable skills. I was warned from the onset that bringing Jim back to Marvel would ruffle a few feathers, but the way I saw it, there was no downside. First I couldn't give a damn, and secondly, all the feathers being ruffled are on all the right people. When you look back at some of the greatest stuff ever produced within this company, a significant portion of it was created during his tenure as EIC. So with that said, it's a pleasure welcoming Jim back to The House.'
