After many years of happily reading John Romita Jr.’s work on Wolverine’s “Enemy of the State” Arc, Spider-Man and Kick-Ass, I was thrilled to be able to interview John Romita, Jr. (or JR. Jr.) for Marvel’s return to a bright, new day with the “Heroic Age.”

I caught up with the delightful John while he was working hard on the Avengers.  It seems this is one man who can draw and answer in-depth questions at the same time.

As always he was humorous, insightful, and well…in need of a nap.  Read on, true believers, and enjoy the latest from the desk of the modest legend himself.

The Flickcast: Marvel takes the entire Avengers line of titles into “The Heroic Age.” You’ve been paired up with Brian Michael Bendis on the core “Avengers” title; is your opening run contained to the first arc or two, or do you plan on being involved for the foreseeable future?

John Romita, Jr: In the first year I’m doing it [Avengers] for a minimum of 2 arcs and I’m enjoying myself.  If the book is still doing well, I’ll do it for a second year.  It’s so difficult, though, that I may not survive the first year— it’s intense work.

I have to finish 25 pages in the next 17 days.  So, after doing Avengers, I may want to sleep for a year.  But doing the Avengers with Bendis is an amazing experience.  If I get through the year and I’m still healthy enough, I will do another one.

TF: What are the benefits and challenges of drawing iconic characters like Thor, Spidey, Iron Man, Wolverine, and Captain America vs. drawing characters you create?

JR: Oh, that’s on a strictly selfish scale, it’s much more fun to do a character you create because you create them and there’s a lot of gratification for that, but working on iconic characters is like driving your father’s classic car, it’s spectacular and fantastic, but it’s better off when it’s your own.

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day and celebrated with family and friends. Now that the party is over, how about moving on to some brand new comics? For this week, we’re interested in titles like Avengers Prime, Heralds, Enders in Exile and the latest issue of The Torch.

Remember, due to the holiday comics come out on THURSDAY this week so be sure to head on over to your favorite comics store early for best selection. Don’t know where your nearest comic store is? Use this handy guide to find one.

Comics On-Sale:
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN MGC #546
AVENGERS PRIME #1 (HA)
AVENGERS PRIME #1 DJURDJEVIC VARIANT (HA)
AVENGERS, THOR & CAPTAIN AMERICA: OFFICIAL INDEX TO THE MARVEL UNIVERSE #2
AVENGERS: SPOTLIGHT
AVENGERS: THE ORIGIN #3
CAPTAIN AMERICA/BLACK PANTHER: FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS #3
DARKSTAR AND THE WINTER GUARD #1
ELECTRIC ANT #3
FRANKEN-CASTLE #17
FRANKEN-CASTLE #17 HEROIC AGE VARIANT
HAWKEYE & MOCKINGBIRD #1 (HA)
HAWKEYE & MOCKINGBIRD #1 DJURDJEVIC VARIANT (HA)
HAWKEYE & MOCKINGBIRD #1 WOMEN OF MARVEL VARIANT (HA)

As many of you will remember, Marvel celebrated February with announcements for the Heroic Age where they revealed not one, not two, not even three but four teams of Avengers… well sort of.

In addition to the Avengers, the New Avengers and Avengers Academy rosters, Marvel put out a teaser campaign for the Secret Avengers as well. These teaser posters had a quote describing their respective member but only a blacked out silhouette for artwork.

These outlines have lead to massive speculation with names like Venom, the Black Panther, Doctor Voodoo and the Hood all being listed as possibilities. It looks like Marvel threw a little curve ball at everyone by leaving out certain details in the outlines of these silhouettes as well as you can see with the reveals of both Beast and War Machine as the first two Secret Avengers.

Things which could have helped narrow down the possibilities drastically for who these two were just “happened” to be left out such as Beast’s fur or the arsenal attached to War Machine’s shoulders. Still, kudos to Marvel for letting there still be some surprises in comic books today in a world full of online spoilers.

Take a peek below at the final reveal posters of Beast and War Machine and stick to The Flickcast for more reveals for the Secret Avengers as they happen.

Marvel is at it again, adding a new spin to their image and changing things up to excite readers new and old. This time around, the publisher is set to unleash “the dawn of new heroism in the Marvel Universe.” What are they talking about? Well, read on for all the scoop, via the official press release.

Marvel Comics is proud to announce The Heroic Age, the dawn of an exciting new era of heroism in the Marvel Universe! Beginning in May 2010 with the release of Avengers #1, The Heroic Age ushers in a brighter Marvel Universe and a bold new era for the world’s greatest super heroes as they emerge from darkness with a renewed sense of hope and optimism, leading to the formation of all new teams with new members…and brand new characters!

Titles branded with the Heroic Age banner offer a perfect jumping on point for readers new and old alike, as the top comic book creators in the world deliver a Marvel Universe like you’ve never seen before!