Peter, I’m guessing this op-ed offered you to go back to a Genis-Vell series, so how hard was that a pitch for them to make?
PIERRE DAVID: It was not difficult at all! Honestly, I hadn’t thought of Genis in many years because Marvel killed him off and Carol Danvers reverted to the “Captain Marvel” name. But when they told me they were bringing it back, I was thrilled to be involved.
Juanan, on the other hand, how familiar were you with this character and Peter’s work on him?
JUANAN RAMIREZ: To be honest, when I started reading Super Heroes, the way of reading them in Spain was still very different. Any post always came down and it was very hard to follow. My first contact with Genis-Vell therefore did not take place at the start of the character. I was able to read something from Genis for the first time in [Kurt] Busiek and [Carlos] AVENGERS FOREVER by Pacheco (1998). I fell in love with [his] design from the first moment. It was later that I was able to read the character in more detail thanks to Peter David.
After all the Genis stories you’ve written, Peter, what’s left to do with this character?
PIERRE DAVID: Well, he has to get to know himself because he’s a recreation of the original guy. Fortunately, he has Rick Jones to help guide him.
Juanan, how much ancient material did you reference to create your own vision of Genis and its world?
JUANAN RAMIREZ: I think the scripts of Peter and the art of ChrisCross [from the original series] were decisive in understanding this character. The humor of these authors on the work is what motivated me the most here. But I hope fans are ready for the amount of action that comes in this series!
Why tell this story through several different eras, focusing some on the present and others on the past?
PIERRE DAVID: Originally, Marvel wanted the whole story to take place at the time of the original Genis. But when I found out he was coming back to present-day Marvel, I strongly suggested splitting the story into two eras.
Why is the dynamic between Genis and Rick Jones unique compared to the one Rick had with Mar-Vell, and why does it work for good stories?
PIERRE DAVID: The bottom line is that Rick has been a superhero much longer than Genis, so he’s able to help him learn about the world in general and being a superhero in particular.
