SDCC '08- Marvel's Secret Invasion Panel LIVE!

Comic-Con International is the biggest comic book convention of the year, and Secret Invasion is Marvel’s biggest comic event of the year, so it’s not terribly surprising that the line to get into the SI-centric panel stretched outside the convention center and all the way downstairs.

Starting a few minutes late to accommodate fans trickling in, Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada welcomed the crowd and advised fans not to ask “Marvel west” questions about movies or TV shows, since the panel would be unable to properly answer them.

Quesada introduced the panel - Secret Invasion: Inhumans writer Joe Polaski, Thunderbolts writer Christos Gage, X-Factor and She-Hulk writer Peter David, Incredible Hercules co-writers Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, Ivan Brandon, Secret Invasion: Front Line Brian Reed, Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers co-writer Chris Yost, editor Nick Lowe, Deadpool writer Daniel Way and C.B. Cebulski.

The first slide concerned Secret Invasion #5, out next month., with two pages shown.

The new Thunderbolts creative team was announced - writer Andy Diggle and artist Roberto De La Torre, starting with November's #126.

McCann talked about the "Who will rule?" teasers which have circulated online, and Quesada announced that the images are leading up to a storyline called "War of Kings."

Lowe talked about Vulcan's role in "War of Kings," saying "We've got something coming up at the end of this year with Vulcan that Chris Yost has a very big hand in," saying you'll also see Havok, Polaris and Marvel Girl.

Polask discussed Black Bolt's role in "War of Kings," saying that "we're going to see a different side of the Inhumans," and that Black Bolt will be "pretty pissed off."

The panel was then opened up to questions from the audience.

The first question concerned the fate of the characters replaced by Skrulls, like (spoiler alert), Elektra and Hank Pym. Quesada said it'll be revealed during the course of the storyline.

Any chance of a new series starring the Hood? Quesada said there probably won't be an ongoing, but that Bendis is a huge fan, and to "expect a lot" from the character.

Are we going to find out who the "he" in "he loves you" is? Well, yes. Keep reading.

"How long ahead of time do you think this stuff up?" Quesada told the fan about the Marvel creative summits, and that they like to be "locked and loaded" for about 12 months ahead, with "bigger brush stokes" planned about two and a half years in the future.

In a thinly-veiled complaint about "One More Day" a fan asked if there was a chance that the Spider-Man that landed on the Skrull ship in the Savage Land was the "real" Spider-Man (apparently not realizing that Spider-Man already died and was revealed to be a Skrull). The fan equated the current "Brand New Day" comics to a mediocre sitcom, with Quesada defending them as inherent trappings of the character, such as the character's bad luck. "That's the Peter Parker that everybody knows and loves," said Quesada.

"I don't know the different between Peter Parker now and Peter Parker then, except that he's not married," said Quesada. The fan said Parker is a "little goofier" now, with Quesada answering "That's who Peter Parker is!"

The fan also mentioned the "holes in continuity," with Quesada saying to stick around, and that those questions would be answered. "You're assuming that the end of 'One More Day' and waking up in that house in Queens was the same time frame, but it could have been a year or five years," and that it should be revealed in the next 12-14 months.

How long did creators (besides Bendis) know which characters were Skrulls? It was said that Dan Slott knew Hank Pym was one since almost the beginning of Avengers: The Intiative, and Quesada answered that other than Spider-Woman, even though Bendis had the story planned out for years, he didn't have all the specific details planned out until later.

A fan asked for Marvel not to kill too many Skrull characters, and Quesada responded that it was a good point and "duly noted."

Updating...