What does it take to build a new universe? The answer to that question is larger than we can afford to get into here, but we’re pretty sure that “a person with experience” couldn’t hurt. That certainly seems to be the case for Aspen Comics, who are launching their connected comic-book universe Ekos under the guiding hand of David Maisel, the originator of a small project you may now know as… the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Of course, you may already remember this story from when Popverse reported it mid-September. Ekos, you’ll recall, is based on the creations of late comic artist Michael Turner, who was famous not just for his Big Two work but also for his creator-owned offerings, comics that attracted the likes of Geoff Johns before Turner’s tragic passing. Now, Maisel is using his universe-building experience to link Turner’s creations in a way they never were.

But before that comic, and the universe therein, hits shelves, Maisel sat down with Popverse to discuss his involvement with the project. We got into what excites him the most about Ekos and learned some of his history at Marvel, without which the MCU would not exist as we know it today. But don’t let us take up more of your time - here’s what Maisel himself had to say.

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I’ve collected Michael Turner art. I was huge Marvel fan and had a huge Marvel collection even before I went there. But I started collecting Michael Turner original art back in 2008, the year Iron Man came out, at Comic-Con. And I got to know his two best friends. Michael passed that year and he left his comic book company and his art to his two best friends who run Aspen now. James Cameron had the rights for all the entertainment stuff then, so I was just a collector.

But in 2018, the rights expired. James Cameron got busy on Avatar, and they asked me if I wanted to step in his shoes. And I was like, ‘Of course.’ I mean, it would be so great to bring the beauty of Michael Turner’s line work and Peter Steigerwald’s colors as the visual DNA of a new cinematic universe. Then I needed to come up with the idea for the universe, because Michael had Fathom - which is the number one comic in the world in 1998, crazy for an independent comic to beat Marvel and DC - but that was set to the present day, Soulfire was 200 years in the future, and Ekos was on another planet. Michael passed away before he could bring the characters together.

So over COVID, I finally came up with the idea that I thought was creatively unique and relevant for today’s age, which is what’s going to be in Ekos Volume One, which is of all of these characters together on this planet, in the same time zone.