Former Marvel Editor, and current Bulldog enthusiast Nate Cosby is editing two anthologies for Archaia, and writing an ongoing series for Image Comics with newly hot scribe, and all around charming Englishman Ben McCool. The former are both anthologies, a collection of stories inspired by Jim Henson’s Storyteller, and one inspired by the upcoming movie Immortals. The latter is a thriller about what happens when a KGB spy sleeper cell is awakened, and charged with overthrowing the American government.
To find out more about all these projects, how he got there, and how many times his bulldog Daffodil will show up in these books, we chatted with Cosby:
MTV Geek: For those who don’t know you, give ‘em a little introduction – what’s your background?
Nate Cosby: Hello. I’m Nate Cosby from Columbus, Mississipi. I was an editor at Marvel for a while. I oversaw THOR THE MIGHTY AVENGER, THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ, PET AVENGERS, MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN and SUPER HEROES, SENSE & SENSIBILITY, PRIDE & PREJUDICE, FRANKLIN RICHARDS, MINI-MARVELS, DAMAGE CONTROL aaaand like a bazillion other things. I was Associate Editor on also worked on AGENTS OF ATLAS, WORLD WAR HULK, INCREDIBLE HERCULES, WHAT IF…? ?…and I edited the Custom Publishing projects (tie-ins to the Iron Man and Hulk flicks, the Eminem/Punisher project for XXL Magazine, etc).
I’ve also been a producer/writer for children’s television on PBS, and written a few storybooks/movie novelizations for Disney. These days…I write and edit other stuff while my bulldog (Daffodil) sleeps beside me.
Geek: At Marvel, what I always heard from people was this surprise that this “dude” was in charge of the All-Ages titles… Did you ever wish you were a cuddly old guy with glasses on the end of your nose and beard? Or were you fine with that dichotomy?
NC: I dunno, I can embrace my inner Comic Book Geek when I need to (I can ’ll talk about The Life & Times of Scrooge McDuck for hours). I’m passionate about a lot of things that don’t necessarily mix… Hip-hop, college football, romantic comedies, long-distance running, accessible storytelling, meat…When I started at Marvel, I actively worked to be placed in the All-Ages department. All-Ages books are really important to me… You’re making something that can entertain young people whose perception of a narrative is still developing, as well as veteran fans with experience in entertainment absorption. It’s a strange, tricky, fun thing to do, especially when you’re trying to make it personal and clever, not dumbed-down.
Geek: Skipping ahead, it seems your new projects are playing to all your strengths: the “dude” side, and the strong love for all-ages projects. Yes? No? Maybe?
NC: I love playing with genres and projects with different demographics. If I hit a wall on an adult conspiracy project, I’ll jump over to a book for kids. Or if I’m feeling too sappy and sugary on a romantic story, I’ll hop over and tinker with a crazy action script. I don’t feel the need to limit myself to one genre or demographicspeed. It’s all storytelling to me.
Geek: You also seem to really be easing into things. I know you have a lot of projects in the works – which we’ll get to in a second – but rather than saying, “Here I am, I’m launching my own solo projects right off!” You’re editing two anthologies, and co-writing a book. Was that the plan, or is that just how things worked out?
NC: I was offered an offered an opportunity to help develop a couple projects for TV, which kept me busy at first. But after a couple months, my comic itch got to tingling, so I started scratching out a few ideas in my spare time, talking to people I knew at other companies, listening to a few offers. Everything I’m doing, both announced and still-being-developed, has grown pretty organically. Taking a little time off comics was good for me, let me clear my head, get off the never-ending comics-production carousel and , make a long-term plan. It’s been really positive so far. Read More...
