Hey, kids, it's Joe and Dan! Marvel's Joe Quesada and Dan Buckley give Newsarama's Matt Brady a rough time:

Brady: "Changing tracks a little bit - something that can't be denied was that Marvel received a good amount of publicity in 2003 - and late 2002 - but at the same time, it was about gay cowboys, dead princesses and a black Captain America. Is that the kind of publicity that Marvel is after?"

Quesada: "Funny, as I remember it, there was a fair amount of press over those three #1 movies. That was last year wasn't it?"

Brady: "Sure, but speaking comic-wise …"

Quesada: "Alright then, but seriously, though, what are you and your journalistic brethren going to report on? When I look back on this year, we printed hundreds of comics and launched dozens of titles, almost all of which were in our opinion meaningful. And yet, I don't recall seeing an article outside of the normal press push stuff that we do on Runaways or 1602, two books that should have screamed 'Comics are alive and growing!' We want the same press we have always wanted, that which focuses people on all the good stuff we are doing and drives them to the product.

"We're going to continue to do what we do, and make the content and product choices we think are best. We hope that our fans, retailers and reporters will recognize that the industry is not going to grow by picking at the inconsistencies, but on broadening the message that comics are our there, alive and as thrilling as ever."

It's definitely a lengthy interview, but I'm not sure how informative it is. It's mostly the "Joe & Dan Show," with the two evading questions as they try to demonstrate how well they play off each other.

One early item that did jump out at me, though, was this sentence from Quesada: "I think what was most encouraging among the high points was the fact that we were able to continue launching new franchises basically out of thin air like 1602 and Supreme Power."

Isn't Supreme Power just a new take on an old franchise? And does this mean we can expect a sequel to 1602 (or is it wishful thinking on Marvel's part)?