The World To Come. This Ain't No Eulogy!

It's About What Comes Next, Not What Came Before

May 05, 2025

Especially if you’re expecting it to be exactly as you left it. If that’s the case, prepare to be disappointed.

I was on the 7 Train to catch a Mets game a few years ago. Feeling nostalgic, I left early and got off at the Junction Blvd. station to visit my childhood home in Jackson Heights and then take the mile-and-a-half walk to the ballpark, just like I did countless times as a kid.

They say Jackson Heights is the most diverse neighborhood in America; from personal experience, I can attest to that. My grandfather came to the States from Cuba in 1939, fought in WWII, settled in the Bronx, and by 1959 had saved enough to purchase a home for his family. Jackson Heights has always been that starter neighborhood where immigrant families get their first real shot at the American dream. I didn’t need a census to prove it. Just on my block alone, almost every one of my childhood friends was a first-generation American.

As the years went on, I saw waves of families of different ethnicities move into homes as the previous families, like my own, moved on. Chinese, Korean, Colombian, etc. Jackson Heights has always been a neighborhood in motion.

It had been twelve years since my last visit, but I didn’t come back expecting it to be frozen in time. I was actually looking forward to how much it had changed. When I arrived at my street, most homes had new color schemes or minor renovations, but not so much that I couldn’t see the ghosts of my past flickering across them.

Now and then: this is the small side alley of my old home. It’s hard to see him in the photo on the right, but my dog Spotty was ready and waiting for me to return from school every day. My grandfather would open the gate, and he would burst out and leap into my arms.

As I walked to Citi Field, I passed where my father’s barbershop used to be, then a block later, my mom’s old beauty salon (yeah, I know), and then my elementary school. I felt this wave of joy wash over me because everything had changed, but what made Jackson Heights such a great place to grow up was still there. The people, the vibrancy, the American Melting Pot in full view, and of course, its heartbeat, the clatter of the 7 Train elevated above Roosevelt Ave.

That’s what it feels like working on The World To Come.

Love Letters To The Past

The comic industry was in bad shape when Marvel Knights first started production. Trying to make sense of it all, I remember scanning Marvel’s publishing lineup and noticing a trend I started calling “Love Letters to Stan.” So much of the line had become about looking back, comic book stories about comic book stories.

I remember reading a relaunched title starring one of Marvel’s A-listers that was supposed to be a fresh take, but not before it spent sixteen pages on flashbacks to a more innocent time. Sixteen! That kind of storytelling didn’t start with bad intentions. In fact, I think it began with Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross—an absolutely brilliant miniseries. It didn’t alter a single moment of Marvel’s history but changed how we saw it. It made the myth feel human. But hey, that’s comics: when something hits, it becomes a trend.1

Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns, and Daredevil: Born Again kicked off the “grim and gritty” era. Elektra: Assassin, the Vampirella relaunch, Lady Death, and Shi fired up the “Bad Girl” phase. Marvels? That launched a wave of reverent throwbacks—some good, some… well, let’s just say less so.

My entire career, I’ve made it a point never to look back. Learn but not dwell on my mistakes; live in the present and focus on what’s ahead. So, if you had asked me years ago if I’d ever return to Marvel Knights, I would have smiled politely and said, “Maybe someday. You never know.” But, in my mind, I would be thinking, hell no! Not because I didn’t love that time, the people I worked with, or the books we published, but because I’m thinking about what’s next.

That was… until I got an email from Christopher Priest in October of 2017.

Priest Had This Idea…

And that one email kicked off months of back-and-forth, building on his premise, digging into every corner of it, turning over every stone. The more we talked, the more I realized I didn’t want anyone else drawing this thing but me. Because this wasn’t nostalgia. Priest was writing something new; he just happened to be using some toys from the old toy box.

Today is the final order cut-off for The World To Come #1. While much of the marketing has centered around a character’s death, don’t be fooled; this is about life and legacy.

Yes, you’ll see some familiar faces. But you’ll also meet brand-new characters making their debut in this series, characters we hope will leave a real mark on the Marvel Universe.

Trying not to give anything away, here’s a smattering of assorted panels from upcoming issues.

Most importantly, this isn’t about looking back or longing for a more innocent time. This is about meeting readers where they are and giving YOU the ride of your life.

Plus, when you finish issue 1, I promise you’ll be counting the days until issue 2 hits the stands.