Back From the Dead: The Return of Marvel X
An Interview by Jason Kenney

Marvel X is dead. The story has run in HEROES at least three times in the past, and each time it was wrong. Had the article been written last summer, it wouldn't have been far from the truth. Editorial changes, the movement of the site, two crossovers and month of lag later, MX is fighting to return to it's spot as one of the best Marvel fanfic groups out there under the new editorial leadership of Neil Gow.

Jason Kenney: So you're in charge at Marvel X now. How did that come about?

Neil Gow: I woke up one morning and the Fanfic Bunny left it at the foot of my bed?

No, seriously, this is a funny state of affairs to start with. When I first joined MX it was to get away from a situation here I felt too clasutrophobic. I'd been writing almost exclusively for MV1 for two years and I was 'Mr Crusaders' and 'Mr. International Branch'. I wanted to go somewhere where the only expectations and responsibilities I had were as a newbie - albeit a newbie writing the Avengers! I was adamant I wasn't going to reprise my Branch Editors role from MV1 .... well, look at me Ma!

So how did it come around? Things have been pretty shakey at MX for longer than I can remember and I stepped in to help as Avengers Imprint Editor a while back. It really reminded me how much fun the co-ordination role can be, and working with the Avengers guys is always a blast - they give back double what you put into them. But things still weren't moving forwards with the group and I could see it dying a little and I just sort of mailed Mike and said that if it was too much for him at the moment, would he like me to take over? He said yes and the least bloody coup in fanfic was concluded.

And now I'm EiC

JK: Do you see this interrupting any of your other work with fanfic groups

NG: Not as much as Ben Raab! I had a load of storylines written for Crusaders: Millennium at MV1 and then he writes something pretty close and I have to go back to the drawing board. My only other work at the minute is Jesse and Jade at All Star 2000 and that is so easy to write, I can't see it faltering. Indeed, the only title that I have had to concede to time pressure is Captain Marvel at MX - but I'm plotting for the scripts of Adam Di Stefano now and having *just* read his first issue I can tell HEROES that this is going to be a kick ass partnership.

JK: The group's been pretty much dead for a year now. I guess without digging up dirt or anything, what do you attribute the lull to?

NG: If you look back into the dark ages of history, the group has never really been the same since founder Eric Moreels left. Whatever anyone has to say about Eric, he gave the group a sense of direction and purpose that I don't think we've ever got back. Since then there have been some very public spats and 'resignations' and then a lull period.

And lest we forget the crossovers; between Genetic Eclipse and my own Way of the Dragon, we've seen the sites two main imprints (X-Men and Avengers) shudder to a grinding halt. This is on my list of 'things never to happen again'.

Also, something that could have happened is that there is a general lull in fanfic writing. I know the recent thread on HEROES about 'too many groups' has sparked some fierce emotions, and I wonder if a more telling question would be 'the wrong kinds of fanfic groups' - maybe the time of the huge MV1-esque groups has passed and smaller, more community based groups like Avengers 2000 are the way forward? Who knows....

JK: Mike Franzoni seemed to be made captain of a sinking ship when he took over as EiC. I haven't spoken with him directly about this (maybe I should) but he did the best he could do with what he had. Now that he's stepped down into a Imprint Editor, are you keeping close contact with him or taking this thing over?

NG: Mike was (and is) a great editor. A lot of people have commented on some of the more controversial storylines I have written in Avengers and he was with me every step of the way, checking to make sure that things were just right. Just the right side of hands off for a writer to feel free and yet just interventionist enough to keep an even keel.

As for contact, many of the ideas that we've been working through at MX have been around for a long time so I'm tying up loose ends at the minute. Mike, Chris (Partin) and Jason (Brice) form a sort of editors group and when needed we talk. I like to talk. Talking is good.

JK: Is your tenure at EiC of MX pretty permanant, or are you just looking at getting this thing started again and then fading away?

NG: It's pretty permanent, but I have said publicly that I'm stepping up whilst Mike is reassessing stuff. We'll see how things go. One thing is for sure, I'm not under any illusion that we can rebuild MX in few weeks and have it all sorted. It's going to take time and patience. What I would like to see is a situation where there is no EiC at all - but I'm an idealist!

JK: What all are you doing with the group to get it restarted?

NG: Well, there are a few things in the fire at the moment

a. I needed to find out who was onboard and who was gone. There were an awful lot of books occupied but not being worked on. That's going to change.

b. We're restructuring the site, with less imprints, easier recognition of new issues, updated news, a 'stripped down' interface and a story archive.

c. I've asked every active writer to submit one issue of each title for 1st April, so we can launch a huge swathe of material. So far, I've been stunned by the response and the sheer volume of work that is there. I reckon we will return with around two dozen issues - maybe more.

d. I'm working hard to get the crossovers finished and posted. Once they are gone I will feel a lot happier!

But most of all, the one thing I want to do is get people talking again, get some buzz about the group. I want people to want to read their MX mails as much as I want people to come to the site and read the fanfic.

JK: Do you see this as pretty much starting over?

NG: No, I see it was getting a Mini, attaching a set of jump leads from a 18 Wheeler to it and jump starting the little swine until it's buzzing! Starting over would be easy - wiping the slate clean, wiping the archives and saying 'Lets start MX again' would be too easy, but think about all the classic stories that would be lost? No way, this is going to be done with some hard work.

JK: What about the writers? Who all is left and what can we expect from them? Are we looking at the same old Marvel X coming back or are we getting a whole new look here?

NG: I think just about all the Avengers Imprint writers are still on board, as are most of the established X-Men writers. We have some old alumni returning - Matt Pierce on Iron Man and Ryan Kruprenski on X-Men. Dave Wheatley is finishing his run on Excalibur and then he'll be looking for another title to work his magic on.

We have some ace new writers coming as well - Chris Munn's 'Midnight Son' is excellent and Sarah Watkin's Gambit is choice.

When we settle things down I'm going to go talent hunting as well. I know MX has huge potential for established writers to try something new, and has more than enough room for new writers to come and try their hand. I want all our titles full of lovely creamy talent!!

JK: And the editors. Under the old flag, editors had pretty tight control over stories and were playing the part of real editors, quite a different take on it than other groups. Will that still be there or are you leaning towards a more MV1 kinda set up where people edit themselves and editors just post?

NG: I have *always* said that writers should edit their own work from a spelling and grammatical sense. Spell checkers are there to be used ( I only wish they could invent a tense checker and then I'd be sorted myself! ) What they give in to be posted reflects on them... if it's shody then they look shoddy, not me!

As for stories, this is a hobby, it's supposed to be fun. Who am I to say what is and isn't a good story? That's for the readers to decide. Having worked with Mike and Chris for a while I think they share this philosophy too. We'll make sure there are no leather-bikini-lesbo-X-orgy issues ( sorry guys and gals) and leave the creativity to the writers.

JK: We'd be here all day going through the negatives about the gap, but do you see any positives coming out of this lull?

NG: Definitely. The writers that have stuck by the site are the ones that are dedicated. These are the people that I need to work with in the here and now. These are the people that so readily accepted my last little idea.

MX will be returning to MONTHLY publishing for key titles in each imprint - Avengers, Avengers West Coast, X-Men, Uncanny X-Men and a few others. All other titles will have a minimum production time of one issue per two months. Anthologies and certain other titles will be quarterly. We can't afford the luxury of people sitting dormant on titles and we need to reward our loyal readers with regular fanfic. Good regular fanfic.

JK: Of all the plans around the restart of MX, which ones are you looking forward to the most?

NG: Seeing whether we can pull off the April 1st thing will be a challenge, and seeing if we can get through the first writing period will be a tough time as EiC.

To be honest, what I want to see the most is a bulging MXtalk list - I want to see people talking about the stories and the writers and speculating about what will happen next.

Oh, and I'm looking forward to seeing people *wanting* to write for MX again - not because it's an easy gig to get a title but because it's a kickin' fanfic site again.

JK: And, beyond just the restarting, what all do you have in mind for the long term of Marvel X?

NG: Content, content, content! I want to see issues coming thick and fast. That is the surest sign of a successful site. And I want to get my teeth back into the Avengers. I think there are a few I haven't maimed yet! *grin*

More seriously, I want MX to survive and I want it to be sustainable and successful. I know it's going to be hard work and I know that no matter how hard I try, it's not about me, it's about two dozen writers and their willingness to work together as a fanfic team, a family if you will. Me? I'm just the head cheerleader!

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