Standards And Schooling For A Crew With Class

by Vince Brusio

A good driver knows when he shouldn’t be driving. And a good leader knows when he should be a follower. Learning is a life-long process, so you can’t always learn if you’re in the driver’s seat. You need time in the passenger’s seat to see the scenery. This is how you find the time to read the road signs. To learn where the potholes are in the pavement. Or how to best take down the bad seeds when you’ve exhausted your tricks of the trade. Good leaders know when to be followers because this gives them time to be good observers, and that’s when you get the time to brush up on your reading, and see what works in the field. It’s the best form of on-the-job training, and heroes Storm, Luke Cage, Misty Knight, and Manifold get this opportunity in Black Panther & The Crew #1 (FEB170762) from Marvel Comics. In this PREVIEWSworld Exclusive interview, co-writer Yona Harvey explains that while this crew may be experienced, they, too, will be taking notes from the Panther.

Black Panther & The Crew #1 (FEB170762) is in comic shops April 12.

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Vince Brusio: What’s the premise for picking these individuals to form “The Crew”?  What’s the backdrop?

Yona Harvey: The basic premise for picking these characters is that each individual has a unique relationship with Harlem, which feels somehow at odds with their larger roles in the universe.  The backdrop is Harlem.

Vince Brusio: Will Storm, Luke Cage, Misty Knight, and Manifold be expected to change in any way as they come together to fight in the name of the Black Panther? Is it really that simple for leaders to now become followers?

Yona Harvey: What we know and love about these characters is fundamentally the same.   But they do grow.  And in so doing, we learn a little bit more about their vulnerabilities.  Fighting for the Black Panther actually enhances their roles as leaders.  The best leaders know when to fall back, especially for the greater good.

Vince Brusio: A lot of history is behind the individuals that come together as the Crew. With that comes the potential for excess baggage. Maybe too much baggage. Is it possible that this team is doomed to fail because of unchecked fevered egos?

Yona Harvey: Their history as individuals isn't so much baggage as it is the experiences, preoccupations, and occasional missteps that simply make these characters who they are.  They have to navigate the stepping-on-toes that inevitably comes with ego.  But they're not doomed!  They come out better, stronger.

Vince Brusio: How did you approach this book? What do you do to put yourself in the groove? What lights your fire when you have to sit down and write? What’s exciting for you about writing Black Panther & The Crew?

Yona Harvey: I thought a lot about what it feels like sometimes to be an "outsider" — even within my own peer groups.  I listen to a lot of music to get in the groove of writing.  And, of course, I read lots of comics. I love Black Widow.  Pittsburgh has so many great coffee and tea houses.  So I pack up my gear and plant myself in one of those spaces, slip the earbuds in, and disappear.   So far, writing the differences between Misty and Storm — the way they talk or react in different situations — has really excited me. And writing comics is such a collaborative art — bouncing ideas back and forth —that excites me, too.

Vince Brusio: If you could speak personally to all of the players in the pages of your publication, what would you say to each and every one of them? Would you offer encouragement? Or would you issue warnings?  

Yona Harvey: Man, that is such a funny question.  Each character is such a force, they probably don't need my encouragement.  Since I'm a bit devilish at times, I'd go for the warning: prepare to be changed.  I think they'd respond to that, like it or not.

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Vince Brusio writes about comics, and writes comics. He is the long-serving Editor of PREVIEWSworld.com, the creator of PUSSYCATS, and encourages everyone to keep the faith...and keep reading comics.