Thanks to Alex Forrest for the heads up.
Albert Ching: Jeph, let's start with the news from this past Thursday, that there's going to be a panel dedicated to the Netflix "Daredevil" series next month at New York Comic Con. The venue certainly makes sense, but that's a little sooner than people may have expected for Marvel to be ready to talk about the show. What can you say about that timing, and how that reflects the production schedule so far?
Jeph Loeb: I can't talk a lot about it, but what I can say is things have been going great. We have an incredible cast. Steve S. DeKnight, who is our showrunner, has been leading the charge and everyone seems to be very happy with where we are so far. The decision to go into New York Comic Con as our premiere showing of what we're doing had a lot to do with the fact that so much of the Netflix shows are about being in New York. The street-level heroes live and breathe it. We love what the folks do over in the feature department, and the Marvel movies are doing astonishing things with the Avengers characters and beyond. This is a chance for us to be able to show another side of the Marvel Universe, which is the heroes of Hell's Kitchen. We're having an awful lot of fun all over Manhattan -- really using the city as a character. And what better place to celebrate that than at the con?
I know you're a busy guy, and there are many different aspects, especially at this point, of Marvel TV to focus on. Are the Netflix productions your primary focus right now? From an outsider perspective, that seems to make sense, since it's the newest thing.
Loeb: No. Let's make something clear: Marvel TV is producing all of the Netflix shows, and Marvel TV is also responsible for "S.H.I.E.L.D." season two -- which is back on the air Sept. 23. We just released some new images that have people buzzing, and we're very excited about. Production starts shortly on "Agent Carter." It's a full day here at Marvel TV. [Laughs]
To speak a little more generally about the Netflix shows -- in terms of approach, it's interesting because as we've seen with Netflix original series, it's the all-in-one release schedule, which is a very different dynamic than the traditional TV season, when you can sometimes see things change and develop given reactions, and what fans are responding to. This is more of a big long movie. Creatively, how is Marvel TV approaching that aspect, and utilizing it as an advantage?
Loeb: Again without being too specific, we are very aware of the idea that a number of the people who watch the show are going to binge-watch it. For them, it will feel like one massive 13-part epic adventure. But it is not that unlike when in the world of comics, a new team comes on to tell an arc -- that arc is a self-contained, beautifully told story that has a particular point of view. Hopefully our driving momentum makes you want to pick up the next issue; or in this case, the next episode.
