By Eric Drumm
Not every super villain got their start as a skinny mad scientist or snooty aristocrat. Under some bad guys' masks and cowls, you'll find regular Joes just out to party and break stuff, and nobody fits that description better than the Wrecking Crew. In MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #5, the Crew make their solo story debut, under lockdown but still looking to rage.
The Wrecking Crew has been breaking heroes since DEFENDERS #17 back in 1974. Led by the Wrecker, this group also consisting of Thunderball, Piledriver and Bulldozer possesses the power of the Asgardian gods, but the demeanor of common thugs. Recently, they high tailed it to Canada to escape the Registration Act and found themselves mixing it up with Omega Flight. The Crew starts out their story in MCP #5 in the big house looking for trouble.
Former Marvel editor Andy Schmidt put together the creative team in writer Merrill Hagan ("Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law," SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED) and artist Staz Johnson (CABLE & DEADPOOL) that would best fit the infamous party animals.
"Merrill had a cool Wrecking Crew story to tell, I just gave him a setting and definite place in continuity," explains Schmidt.
"Chris Allo, Marvel's Talent Coordinator, walked down the hall and asked me if I had an MCP story that Staz could do," adds MCP editor John Barber on how Johnson joined the team. "I'd never had a chance to work with Staz before, but I was familiar with his work, and it just so happened that he was absolutely perfect for a Wrecking Crew in prison story. I couldn't have asked for a better fit—he was just right for the story."
The story itself promises to be as destructive as the Crew itself. Hagan used the thick tension caused by confinement to play the characters off one another.
"We definitely play with their attitude as a team, but in a different way," notes Hagan. "I always felt that there was some tension between Wrecker and Thunderball and that dynamic is a huge part of this story."
"Thunderball was a scientist before he became a super villain," continues the writer. "He's definitely a smart guy. And I think that causes a lot of uneasiness with Wrecker as the leader of the team. Kind of like how [Motley Crue lead singer] Vince Neil must feel when [drummer] Tommy Lee keeps getting all of the spotlight."
Without any heroes to pound on, it seems like the Crew will quickly resort to taking out their aggression on one another, but will they hug it out in the end? Hagan promises that at the end of the story, readers will have a better idea of what makes the Wrecking Crew tick and what causes them to be so rambunctious.
"I think we helped flesh out the dynamic that exists between this team," says Hagan. "Why do these guys keep following the Wrecker into defeat? I had a lot of questions about how the team works and I am so appreciative that I had a chance to explore it."
Ready to break some $#!&? Party hard with the Wrecking Crew in MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #5 on sale January 9. Also, check out the Crew taking on Earth's Mightiest Heroes in AVENGERS v3 #77 over at Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited.
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