Hello and welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, where this time I’m talking to Stuart Moore about his new novel Target: Kree, the first Marvel: Crisis Protocol novel from Aconyte Books. If you’re a Marvel fan, and you fancy reading about LOADS of big-name characters facing off against each other in an action-packed tale with typically high stakes, this sounds like the book for you! It’s out in global ebook and US paperback editions on the 6th July, with the UK paperback edition following on the 2nd September, so check out this interview and then make sure you go and order your copy…
Without further ado though, let’s get straight on with the interview.
ToW: To start things off, how would you describe Target: Kree?
Stuart Moore: It’s my stab at writing a big epic Marvel film in prose form. The Guardians of the Galaxy track a planet-killer to Earth, where the destroyed planet’s refugees have been hired for a pilot work program by Stark Enterprises. The Guardians, as usual, come on a little too strong, and wind up clashing with the Avengers. But there’s something very, very wrong with the Stark program, too.
ToW: Without spoiling anything, who are the main characters and what do we need to know about them?
SM: Bullet list go!
- Gamora: orphaned as a child, now determined to find the destroyer of the Kree planet Praeterus.
- Ms. Marvel: Kamala Khan, the novice Avenger who befriends Halla-ar, a troubled Kree kid.
- Kir-ra: Halla-ar’s older sister, a downtrodden but fierce Kree. Fighting for her people against Guardians, Avengers, and the mystery villains waiting in the shadows.
- Iron Man: Tony Stark, the cool exec with a heart of steel. He doesn’t trust the Guardians, but the real threat lies within his own company.
There are a lot more, but yes, let’s not spoil too much.
ToW: Where and when is it set?
SM: The story starts in deep space, but most of the action takes place in the New York City area, ranging from Long Island to Manhattan to Jersey City, Kamala Khan’s home town.
ToW: How does this fit in with the wider Marvel universe? Crisis Protocol seems broader than some of Aconyte’s other ranges which focus on particular sets of characters…
SM: The continuity is pretty much Marvel comics (as opposed to MCU), with a few nips and tucks to allow for a self-contained novel (well, almost self-contained). And yes, the Crisis Protocol tie-in allowed us to use a lot of the big players.
ToW: I think it’s safe to say, judging by your back catalogue, that you’re probably a pretty big Marvel fan. What was it that appealed to you in particular about writing a Crisis Protocol novel?
SM: The opportunity to write a giant-scale clash between these two groups was irresistible. Structuring the story was tough, but lots of fun. I really wanted to make sure the characters drove the conflicts at every stage; that’s absolutely key to Marvel storytelling.
Again, because this is a Crisis Protocol novel, we needed a certain number of combatants in the big throwdowns. I want to stress that I wrote it as a novel first and foremost – but you could probably PLAY the two major battle sequences if you wanted to.
ToW: Of all the Marvel characters you could have chosen to write about, what made you choose these ones?
SM: This is a cosmic-scale superhero battle, so the big guns like Star-Lord and Captain America play a part. But it’s also a story about immigrants, the challenges they face in a new world (literally, in this case) and the ways they can be taken advantage of and mistreated. So the Kree characters, Kir-ra and Halla-ar, are equally important.
ToW: What are the challenges (and/or joys) of writing about such well-known and well-loved characters, who have fanbases not just amongst comic book readers but fans of the Marvel movies as well?
SM: The big challenge is coming up with fresh situations for them to face. That’s one reason I love Tony Stark: in a world where we’re all pretty suspicious of billionaires, he’s a great character to write because he’s just on notice all the time. If he’s going to be a hero at all, he’s got to question his every move. A lot of the other characters in this book don’t really trust him. At the same time, he thinks the Guardians are idiots and mercenaries. You can see both sides.
The lesser known characters are lots of fun, too. Drax the Destroyer plays a key role that I think will surprise people. And I hope readers stick around for the scene where a massively drunk Rocket Raccoon gets hammered in a Russian bar with his new best friend, “Black Window.” If that doesn’t sell the book, I got nothing.
ToW: Having written about some big-name Marvel characters, do you have a favourite (or favourites) to write about?
SM: I’m inordinately fond of Tony, as I said, and I love all the cosmic characters. Also Wolverine (who doesn’t appear here). Kamala is a very rich character, young but so, so together. This was my first time writing her.
I’m looking forward to reading about Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel
ToW: What do you hope readers will get out of Target: Kree by the time they’ve finished it?
SM: I hope it’s a thrill ride with some shocks along the way, with a little something more serious underneath.
ToW: Can you tell us anything about what you’re working on with Aconyte for future release, or anything else you’ve got in the pipeline in general?
SM: We’re talking about another book in this series, but it’s too early to say anything.
ToW: Finally, if you could join either the Guardians of the Galaxy or the Avengers, which team would you choose and why?
SM: Ha! The Guardians would definitely be more fun. But they’d probably drive you crazy the first time Rocket flew the ship into a sun or something.
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Stuart Moore is a writer, fiction editor, and a multiple award-winning comics editor. His many novels include X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga, The Zodiac Legacy (created and co-written by Stan Lee), and Thanos: Death Sentence. He has recently written comics such as Deadpool the Duck, Batman, and EGOs. Stuart is the former editor of the Marvel prose novel line, founding editor of Vertigo, and of several other comic imprints.
Check out Stuart’s website for more information.
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Thanks so much to Stuart for chatting to me for this interview, and for giving us the lowdown on this fun, action-packed book and what to expect from it! Target: Kree is available in ebook (and as a paperback in the US) on the 6th July, and as a UK paperback on the 2nd September.
See also: my review of Target: Kree.
See also: all of the other Marvel-related reviews and author interviews on Track of Words.
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