MARVEL.COM: The original Mangaverse stories highlighted many tech-based heroes. Why did you decide to make magic such a big part of this story?
KELLY: Partly we wanted to set this era apart from the “Age of Heroes” seen in the original Mangaverse. More importantly, I think we’re all heavily inspired by the current wave of magic/fantasy manga. JJK, Frieren, Demon Slayer, Hell’s Paradise, Kagurabachi — the list goes on. So we wanted to channel those vibes into this project.
MARVEL.COM: Tell us a bit more about your collaboration as a father-son duo. How did it come to be? Did you have any favorite moments working together?
KELLY: Mark Paniccia threw it out as an idea. He and Lauren knew that Jack was the one who got me back into manga and anime after the pandemic. When Hokazono-San visited the Marvel offices, Jack and I were invited to come up and spend some time with him. So Mark floated the idea that Jack and I could co-write this epic and it was an instant yes. We have such a deep shared love and respect for manga and anime that getting to work on a project together where we could channel that passion has been a gift.
For me, the most fun part has been when Jack comes up with a story bit or some choreography that surprises me. It happened many times in this process. The student becomes the teacher!
