ULTIMATE MARVEL webmaster Ryan Krupienski recently had a chat about the group's creation and inner workings with Editors-in-Chief Gabriel Diaz and Adam Wright. The following is the transcript.

Ryan Krupienski: Yo!

Gabriel Diaz: Right on!

GD: We're all here.

RK: At long last.

(waiting a couple minutes)

GD: Are you there, Adam?

Adam Wright: Hey!

GD: Okay!

RK: Yeah, put down your blow-up doll! ^_^

AW: Hahaha.

RK: So, to start off with the questions, where did the idea for UM come from?

GD: Adam, want to tell him the truth?

AW: Both Gabe and I wanted to start our own site where we could write what we wanted.

AW: We had some 'issues' to put it lightly with another site.

RK: Yes, and I know which one, heh.

GD: Ryan has the inside scoop.

GD: But it will remain an 'inside scoop'.

RK: Yes, indeed. So what was the very early idea for UM?

GD: Well the early idea was just Adam and I getting some web space and putting up our stories.

GD: That somehow grew into its own universe...

GD: Then we talked to Daze (Adam Johnsey) and it became its own fanfic site....

AW: We knew we wanted to start a site but we didn't really have the resources to do it on our own, I was talking with Daze and told him about the idea. He offered to put the site together and have cX host it.

RK: Did he have a hand in putting together any ideas for the group?

GD: No, actually, Adam and I would bounce ideas off each other and we'd give 'em to Johnsey and he'd say 'okay'.

AW: He was the designer of the site, but we came up with site ideas and the theme.

RK: So you just told him what you guys had in mind and he soon after put together the template for the site.

GD: Exactly.

GD: In fact, the design that you see on the front page of the site is the original concept he showed us, with some basic changes.

RK: Such as?

GD: The lettering for the name of Ultimate Marvel, I pushed for a couple of characters to be added to the picture collage on the side, font sizes, just cosmetic stuff mainly.

GD: Daze was the sole creator of the look, we just told him what we wanted incorporated into it and he told us if it was feesible - like having an issue pop out in its own window.

GD: Next question!

RK: So for all the ideas for the five year gap thus far, did you two collaborate on that or was it more one of your ideas than the other's?

AW: I came up with that idea but bounced it off Gabe first. It allowed us to make changes to the characters but still have a core history which would be familiar to readers

GD: What Adam said.

RK: Yes, and you did a great job with the history, Adam. it's very detailed, very precise, and just all around very cool.

GD: I will say this right now - X-Men: The Gap, that's my child...I put in all the fluff but Adam has come up with the monumental things that happen in UM.

AW: Definitely, Gabe will be doing some awesome stuff in X-Men: The Gap. Gabe came up with a lot of stories we have planned as well as key story elements.

RK: How long will the Gap series go for? Are there any other 'Gap' series planned for the non-X-characters?

GD: X-Men: The Gap will be on-going...I have five years to cover...a lot can and will happen in five years, trust me. I'm going to give the X-Men a run for their money and show that I'm not a slouch in the writing department.

GD: At this point, there are no other 'Gap' series planned. That's not to say we're not open to the idea of someone with a great feel for the characters to step in and work with them.

AW: We will be doing an Eve Of Destruction limited, though, which will be the real launching point of the 616 universe.

GD: EoD will *hopefully* be worked on by all 616 writers...putting into effect the history we've written out.

RK: For titles such as Avengers, Hulk, Thunderbolts, and Spider-Man, which have writers, and others like Daredevil and Fantastic Four which don't, will you let the authors of those series pretty much fill in the gap for their respective characters, seeing as how the history right now seems more centered on the X-Men?

AW: Yes.

GD: Yes...however...

GD: I would like to allow other writers that might want to do another 'Gap'-like series the flexibility to write new stories...so the history will only cover LANDMARK moments more than anything else.

RK: In the past, big groups like MV1 and Marvel-X have collapsed under their own weight from adding too many new series too quickly. Seeing as how UM is at 15+ titles right now, are you worried this'll happen here?

GD: Heh. Good question.

GD: Can I be blunt?

RK: Of course.

GD: One of the major problems with sites like MV1 and MX has been...freedom. They haven't given their writers enough freedom to feel like it is their title.

AW: So true.

RK: Speaking as an insider for MX, I can atest to that.

GD: We are just about the exact opposite. We want to make sure the stories make sense but after that, it's the writers' world.

AW: Originally, UM was just going to 616 and Alternate, but I found we were asking too much of the writers, so we developed the other two imprints so we could offer more creative freedom.

GD: Nothing is out of reach...if you can imagine it, we'll let it ride.

RK: And the Ultimate and Startling imprints probably offer the most freedom.

GD: Startling is my favorite stepchild...only because it's so twisted...of course, Ultimate isn't far behind in the twisted aspect.

RK: Yes, twisted describes Ultimate X-Men to a 'T'...heh.

GD: There is one sock I want to hang out there.

GD: Dirty as it is.

GD: The Republic has absolutely NOTHING to do with the Marvel Universe. But the writer, the concept, were just too good to allow never to be seen.

RK: Yeah, I noticed that, and kept thinking maybe it should be in the Alternate imprint, but I'm sure there's a good reason for it to be in Startling.

GD: Umm...it should probably be in the Alternate imprint. But hey, I'll leave that alone.

AW: I think the same, but we are trying to allow the writers and editors to make that decision on their own without too much interference.

GD: Hey Adam...what do you think about putting Roman in Startling?

AW: Damn good idea! I would say yes!

RK: Roman? Hmmm?

GD: Roman is our child. The story has very deep roots and has been sitting on our shelf for a couple of months.

RK: Any details you can give about it?

AW: The story is about the guard who stabbed Jesus, and his story of being stuck on Earth because of it.

RK: This sounds really interesting. Is it ongoing?

GD: It'll be a series of limited series.

GD: It's my concept, and Adam fleshed it out to the max. It's got a bunch of potential.

AW: There is a lot more to it, but, IMO, it is one of the most compelling stories I have ever been seen, Gabe came up with the concept but we developed it together.

RK: Will it be set in the MU or more in a world of its own?

AW: It could work in the MU, but will probably best function in its own world.

RK: Well, I guess the only question left to ask is, where do you see UM at this time next year?

GD: I don't believe that title growth is exchangeable with 'healthy group'. If we get more titles, cool. Mainly, I want to be able to look a year down the line and know that the writers that we've trusted and done this with will continue to be part of the site. I want to see the twelfth issue mark on some of these titles and be amazed.

GD: Some nay sayers are already saying that we're going to be like MV1...large and short lived. I want to make sure that they understand that the writers in our site are doing it for the love of writing.

RK: Indeed they are.

GD: I want to look a year down the line and know that Ultimate Marvel, like it's real-life name sake, is flourishing and continues to stimulate the reader.

AW: Basically, I agree with Gabe. I hope to see the same awesome group of writers here a year from now and even further beyond that. Each title brings a certain theme or flavor to UM, hopefully none are viewed as generic, because each writer has their strengths in their titles. Whether or not we have any new titles launch from this point on (and even if we lose a few through simple attrition), I see UM having some serious lasting power behind it. Everybody involved has a drive to write the stories they want to write. The readers should find at least one title within this talented group which really appeals to them.

ULTIMATE MARVEL debuted on the web on October 2nd, 2001, and is currently producing 15+ ongoing series released every Tuesday/Wednesday.