Newsarama: Okay, Joe, last week you said you’d talk about Civil War in detail. So let’s get the basics out of the way before we talk about the story…

We now know it’s a 7-issue event, with double-sized bookend issues by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven. Can you tell us when will it begin?

Joe Quesada: The first issue is scheduled to ship in May.

NRAMA: Are there any special covers artists currently attached?

JQ: Steve will be doing the covers but we have a surprise cover artist who will be doing alternates.

NRAMA: Someone not currently working at Marvel regularly?

JQ: Definitely someone who you haven't seen work at Marvel.

I also want to make mention that the covers by Steve McNiven will be carrying a very unique trade dress that all Civil War-related titles will carry. For retailers and fans it will be very easy to spot Civil War books on the stands.

NRAMA: Who is editing?

JQ: Tom Brevoort will be editing.

NRAMA: How about any prologue-type projects, in addition to the News Avengers: Illuminati special, we mean?

JQ: I don’t know if there will be any prologue issues outside of The Illuminati special, but there will be some dedicated series that tell Civil War-specific stories.

The Civil War is massive in scale so there will be things that just can’t get covered in complete detail in the seven issues, so we’ll be able to get kneedeep into those stories in the off-shoot books. But like all of our events, you don’t need to read them to get the full story. It’ll all be in Civil War.

NRAMA: Any concurrent tie-ins you can mention or hint at right now?

JQ: I’m not trying to be vague or even coy at this moment. Many of those are still in development so it would be unfair of me to say anything because we’re still at the stages where some of these could change. So I don’t want to get fans exciting about,lets say a “Speedball Civil War” spin-off, and then have it not happen.

I’m guessing that by sometime in January we’ll have many of these set in concrete, so just give me a bit and we’ll let you all know as we decide it.

We want to be careful with the off-shoots, we want to make sure that they’re as compelling and to the high standard that Mark is securing Civil War will be. We’re really proud of this event and we want to take great care.

NRAMA: All right, those sort of details addressed, can you describe the story for as in as much detail as you can?

JQ: Civil War is classic Marvel in the senses that at its very base, hardcore, fanboy level it’s ‘Marvel vs. Marvel’, but the underlying metaphors are much more complex than that. Like the metaphors that lie at the heart of our best characters, Civil War echoes what is happening in our world today. This and this alone has me incredibly excited about this project more than anything I’ve ever done here at Marvel.

Admittedly, almost every big comic event created by us or any publisher is by its very design inclusive of the fan that’s been with us for a long time but not necessarily the best way to welcome new fans. Since most of them tend to be stories by which one can reset their universe or correct problems that have gotten out of hand, by their very nature they become daunting to the new fan that wants to get into comics. We can try to construct then in a way that makes them reader friendly, but no matter how you look at it, to the neophyte, they’re meaningless and off-putting.

Civil War will be the exact opposite. Like I said, at its very base level it’s ‘Marvel vs. Marvel’ and that’s pretty easy to grasp, though depending how you execute that, it can also be a convoluted ‘fanman’ mess. What’s at the heart of it is what’s hopefully going to be inviting to new readers, mainstream press, and hopefully even more new readers.

Within the next few months, many of our titles will be percolating with word of a “Super Hero Registration Act”. What is it that causes that to boil over and what happens when it does? What happens when heroes are viewed as unlicensed ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’ and they’re asked to register, be licensed, and also have their secret identities placed in a general database? It brings up some very important questions within the Marvel Universe that I think will also spill over into fandom and the outside world.

If our police or let’s say our military have to train to do what they do, have to be registered or licensed, then how can these masked unknown folks get away with what they do? And for our heroes, the question becomes even greater, but the real world metaphor is very clear.

Would you give up your civil liberties for your public safety?

Sound familiar? This is a question we’ve all had to deal with in this post-9/11 world. What will be interesting about Civil War is that we as the creators of the event aren’t taking sides; we’re showing both sides of this argument in as clear and fair a manner as we possibly can. It’s our heroes that may surprise you as to which side they stand on and the repercussions of taking a side or perhaps not taking a side.

If our internal editorial meetings on Civil War are any indication of how fandom will react, then there should be some hot times coming up on message boards. We have editors and creators that fall on both sides and the debates have been hot and educational. If we do our jobs correctly, then fandom will feel the same and find it all compelling, hence the hype, ‘Whose Side Are You On?’

That’s why I’m so proud of Civil War; it has relevance in our real world and will hopefully be something that attracts people for many reasons, chief being that at its heart, it’s about more than just characters hitting each other.

NRAMA: We’ll follow-up on some of those points in a moment, but right now, can you address where the now much smaller mutant population will fall in this fight? Can you assume they’ll more naturally fall on the side of anti-registration, and will they present a united front?

JQ: Keep in mind that the reduced mutant population is one of the reasons why this is happening. There are fewer of these human WMD's running around now, perhaps a manageable amount. I don’t want to speak for the mutant populace just yet because some of those decisions will surprise you. Much of this info will be forthcoming; we just need some time to lock it in.

NRAMA: So being that the mutant-registration act was the basis for many X-Men stories of the past, do you think it was inevitable the "metaphor" got extended to the larger superhuman populace?

JQ: Yes, it also seems like the time is right. Since Marvel has always had a more real world approach to our books, then it seems perfectly logical to me that in the world we live in today, people would be looking at these immensely powerful people walking weapons who have the power to hurt, maim or kill them if not properly trained.

I guess the only way I can clearly describe it is from my experiences living here in New York. After 9/11 all of us were shocked by the sight of Soldiers and National Guardsmen standing by the entrances of our tunnels and bridges, standing in train stations and airports, all sporting M-16s.

That was so disconcerting at the time. I know that it was commonplace in places like Israel, but here in the States?

Now, imagine if those people walking around with the M-16s were in plain clothes, or wearing masks, and you had no idea is they were military, police, or just a crazed vigilante who decided he wanted to guard the airport. How secure would you feel?

NRAMA: Fair point. Keeping with this, do you think at the end, we might see the line more blurred between, say, a Spider-Man, who "acquired" his mutation and a "mutant" who was born with it?

Will the line between mutant and “mutated” blur some in the Marvel Universe post-Civil War?

JQ: It's very possible that this will happen. It might become a world in which people don't really perceive much difference.

NRAMA: Also, we realize it's early, but any thoughts on the criteria for who will be required to register? How about those non-superhuman adventurers that put on costumes but really solely on their cunning and skill?

JQ: That's a great question and one that you're going to have to see resolved in the pages of Civil War.

NRAMA: Fair enough. Now, from what we understand, two of the current [New] Avengers will be leading each warring faction of heroes. Any comments as to which Avengers that may be? Captain America seems like a logical choice to lead one faction. And given the Illuminati’s role and the current New Avengers line-up, Iron Man seems like a logical choice for the other. How close are we?

JQ: That’s correct. The Civil War will begin with two of the closest friends and most powerful heroes being divided on the subject of registration. I’m not going to state which side they’re on just yet, but you can almost see how the scenes write themselves.

NRAMA: The events of March’s Fantastic Four #536 and the Illuminati special are both billed as leading into Civil War.

JQ: That’s correct.

NRAMA: As discussed last week, FF #536 has something to do with powerful artifacts falling out of the sky in the Midwest (which Newsarama still thinks is a prelude to a new Thor), and Iron Man is the only Avenger in the Illuminati. So how does each relate to Civil War given the main conflict is over a “Super Hero Registration Act” and the main factions will be between Avengers, rather than between Illuminati members? JQ: Sorry, this one I’m going to have to give you a wait and see. I think it’s pretty obvious what may be happening, but I do want people to read some of these titles and discover some of the stuff as they read it. Like I said in the previous Joe Fridays, we’re always working to keep our characters and universe exciting, and this is just part of that.

NRAMA: Okay, getting back to your earlier comments, several weeks back, talking about Civil War, you mentioned it would contain a “poignant metaphor” that would “resonate in all our lives”, leading it to get mainstream attention - comments which again, you followed up on a few moments ago.

More specifically speaking, may we assume that metaphor you speak of is the Patriot Act?

JQ: It’s certainly part of it. The whole of it is the world and climate we live in. There is a general mistrust amongst us, especially in the states and we are all concerned with safety - for ourselves and especially our families - in a way that has never been seen before.

Back when I was a kid, although they had us doing air raid drills in which we had to hide in our school’s basement, we knew deep in our hearts that war could and would never reach our shores. Today, that’s changed and with it the way we feel about everything.

Like I said, if we do our jobs right we’ll be able to tell many stories about the Civil War that will resonate with today’s world.

NRAMA: From the beginning you’ve been hyping this project as something fans themselves are going to fall on one side of – that the war between philosophies will not only splinter the heroes, but that fans will choose sides too.

Do you expect fans will simply gravitate to the side of their favorite heroes? Or do you think reader’s views on such controversial issues like the Patriot Act will cause them to choose sides?

JQ: I wouldn’t be surprised to see fans take a side and perhaps change midway. There are a lot of surprises planned within the series that will hopefully have fans thinking as much as guessing.

Look, we’re not going to be preachy about what’s going on, but I can guarantee you that it’s going to interesting as all heck to see what happens and what choices have to be made as necessity becomes the mother of invention in some cases.

NRAMA: Though by no means exclusively, comic books fans as a whole tend to be a more liberal bunch. Any fears the “sides” won’t be that evenly balanced in the end? JQ: If you mean creators, perhaps that might be true, but I know that there are just as many conservative comic fans as there are liberal fans. That’s why we try to take care every day with the politics in our books. Civil War will be no different.

And hey, like every American, I’ve experienced 9/11, and I do see the reasons for many things that have happened since. Do I agree with all of them? Well, I don’t discuss my politics publicly because that should have no bearing on what we do.

NRAMA: So getting back under the hood some, how big will the scope of the war be while it’s going on? Will creators of individual Marvel Universe books be given the choice to opt-in and write a tie-in arc, or will creators have to participate and/or choose a side?

For instance, will readers definitely find out where the Runaways (which for the most part has existed outside any major Marvel Universe influence) fall in the fight, or will some books be exempt, be it via an editorial or creative decision? JQ: >: It’s too early for to me to give you assurances on that kind of stuff. It will be constructed just like House of M. Some books will be involved, some won’t. We’re working towards a world in which, even if a titles doesn’t directly tie in, you at least know which side the heroes fall on because it’s at least addressed

For example, Iron Man will most likely not be able to reflect the goings-on within his ongoing series because we’re so behind the eightball with that book.

Perhaps - and we have nothing set in stone - there will be a dedicated Iron Man: Civil War off-shoot mini or one-shot if we feel that there is more to be said with Tony than what Mark is doing in the core Civil War book.

Remember, we have a lot of books and that takes a lot of coordination, so I don’t want to speak for someone like a Brian Vaughan to get back to your earlier question. Runaways is his book, and he’ll ultimately make that decision.

NRAMA: Okay, well, we’ll likely be talking about Civil War in many Joe Fridays to come, so to wrap-up for now…while obviously between heroes, villains theoretically could be affected by a “Super Hero Registration Act”, though by nature few of them would register one way or the other. Will some of the more powerful and high-profile villains be weighing in, perhaps creating some unholy alliances?

JQ: The beauty of Civil War is that anything can happen and we’ll be looking at the real world for many of those stories….

[Make sure to come back this weekend for the continuation of a Newsarama/Joe Quesada holiday tradition, and a little something extra…]