Having spoken to Grevioux previously about his career and own comic book properties, we checked back with him to see what he could tell us and readers about his plans for these new New Warriors. While most of those more specific plans (including the team line-up) must remain under lock-and-key right now in order for Civil War and the post-War Marvel Universe to play itself out, the writer was able to share with us some details and thoughts on reviving the concept for Marvel in a June launching ongoing series.

And oh, before you ask, the series artist has to remain a mystery for now as well…

Newsarama: Kevin, first of all, New Warriors will not be your first comic book, nor is this even Newsarama's first interview with you, but many readers are probably taking notice of you with this announcement, so for them, can we review and have you give us a 30-sec bio?

Kevin Grevioux: Well, I’m a former microbiologist who quit grad school to become an actor/screenwriter in Hollywood. Even through I’ve written many scripts, some of which are in development or development hell, my first produced credit thus far is a movie based on my concept and original screenplay called Underworld. I’ve also been an actor in movies such as Planet of the Apes,Men in Black III,The Mask and most recently a Sci-Fi Channel movie called Slayer. I even played the voice of Solomon Grundy in the new The Batman animated series.

NRAMA: Interestingly you have several comic book influenced credits there. How about comic book writing/publishing experience to this point?

KG: A few years ago I decided to get into the comic book game, something I’ve always wanted to do, by creating my own comics and properties. I created two imprints, Astounding Studios which I use for my All-Ages line, and Darkstorm Studios which focuses on more mature titles, like your standard mainstream comics.

NRAMA: We’re going to provide links (here and here) to our previous interviews with you about those titles and I’m sure we’ll speak to you again soon, but for now we’re going to focus on Marvel’s New Warriors.

How about the chicken or egg question? How did this title come about? Was Marvel seeking New Warriors pitches and you threw your hat into the ring?

KG: Not that I know of. I met Joe Quesada and Axel Alonso through a few contacts I had made. The most instrumental being C.B. Cebulski. Through him I was able to slide Joe and Axel some of my comics and they liked them. Then Joe Q. got in touch with me and thought I’d be perfect for a new incarnation of the New Warriors that they were toying with. The concept encompassed two things that they wanted to see:..

One, they wanted me to use certain characters, who I can’t tell you about. And two, absolutely no ______________. (Fans can fill in the blank, but I won’t!) From there it was up to me to come up with a method, motivation, and a tone that would accommodate what the editors wanted in the post-Civil War Marvel Universe.

NRAMA: So from there you came to Marvel with a pitch completely of your own?

KG: Like I said, only after Marvel gave me the parameters of the type of group they wanted and who was going to be in it. And based on that I had to come up with a solid pitch that could execute the direction in which they wanted to go. What’s funny is that I was actually very hesitant to take the job after Joe initially offered me the book. I always envisioned myself working on the Hulk, Thor, or the Fantastic Four, not the New Warriors, a book that had failed three times before. And I was thinking, “What can they possibly do to make the New Warriors succeed this time?”

But let’s face it; working for Marvel is a dream a lot of us Marvel fans have had since we were kids, so I really didn’t relish the idea of turning down a job working for them. But after I thought about it awhile I actually came up with a cool storyline and a way I could bring this concept to life. Now, I can’t see myself not doing this book. I’m having a blast and to be quite honest, it’s even more fun working on screenplays because you’re working with characters in a creative universe you’ve admired all your life.

NRAMA: So then how much of the final approved concept is your creation, and how much was any ideas that Marvel brought to the table?

KG: Very much of what I set out to create remained intact after my pitch was approved. However, the two parameters that Marvel set forth provided the template on which I tell the story. There was one particular way I felt the New Warriors should approach their status quo that I didn’t think was going to go over too well. An idea I had which was actually sparked from an old Fantastic Four arc during Stan and Jack’s run. Joe seemed to love it and it really opened up some cool story possibilities for me for the first as well as subsequent story arcs if sales permit.

NRAMA: With Civil War promising to affect so much in it's aftermath, and you already mentioning having to accommodate a post-Civil War status quo, can you talk the role that series and its soon-to-be-revealed conclusion plays in this new New Warriors concept?

KG: That will give too much away. But will tell you that no one wants the New Warriors around. They’re upsetting the apple cart so to speak. And on top of that they have the audacity, the nerve and the unmitigated gall to actually use the name “New Warriors” for their new super-group. That infuriates the public and the government.

And they will continue to play a prominent role in the post-Civil War Marvel Universe. These New Warriors are outlaws who have a real problem with not only superhero registration, but the way the whole world blames the previous group of New Warriors for what happened at Stamford. The New Warriors, the ones who were killed, have become the poster boys for superhero irresponsibility and arrogance. A label this new group feels is totally unfair and unwarranted. Not buying any of this, the New Warriors feel that it’s up to them to bring respect and reverence back to the name New Warriors and they mean to do it by any means necessary…authority be hanged.

The mere fact that they’re using the name “New Warriors” after all that has happened has set the authorities against them…

NRAMA: If you're a comic book fan, particularly a Marvel comic book fan, you're probably aware the original Fabian Nicieza incarnation of the concept has achieved a cult status over the years.

So first off, can you describe your feelings regarding that original run, and what relationship does your new series have with it?

KG: Well, at first I didn’t like it. I felt that it was an obvious attempt to create a young Teen Titans style super-group over at Marvel. Which was interesting because I never felt Marvel needed a team of teenaged heroes in the same way DC did. Marvel’s young heroes like Spider-Man, the Human Torch or any of the X-Men where actually full-fledged heroes in their own right, not teenaged sidekicks or miniature versions of adult heroes. So when they made their first appearance in Thor, I really didn’t dig it too much.

However, once Fabian Nicieza and Mark Bagley started their actual run I gave it a try. And after I read the first issue I was hooked. Their run remains the seminal incarnation of the team to date in my opinion.

But this new incarnation is a complete departure from that original concept. Our goal is not to erase or disrespect what has gone before but build on the great things the other creative teams before us have done in the past. As such, you will see a familiar face on this new team to bridge the old with the new. Who that is, you’ll just have to read the book to find out.

NRAMA: How you feel as a writer preparing a new launch, co-existing with what's become that cult-ish incarnation of the concept? Is it a benefit do you feel to have that to play off of? Is it a shadow you have to come out from under?

KG: I think it’s a great challenge and one that I welcome. At all times you want to pay homage to what went on before. Without Fabian, we wouldn’t be able to do what we’re doing now. At the same time, it’s necessary for us to make our particular mark on the mythos and make this incarnation of the New Warriors the best than it can be.

NRAMA: And how about the latest incarnation - the New Warriors as reality TV stars? Can I ask for your thoughts on that and can you remark if and how you incorporate that into your new series?

KG: I thought the last New Warriors book was an interesting approach. It took what was contemporary in our culture and found a way to tell a cool tongue n’cheek type of story within a shared superhero universe. But given what’s happened at Stamford, there’s really only one way to approach that last incarnation with this new series, and that’s from the standpoint that it was a very dark moment in the New Warrior’s history. It started off as a fun concept, but that ended up being the impetus for the tragedy that became Civil War.

Given that, it winds up casting a long dark shadow over the new series. These kids are here to redeem the name of the New Warriors. So the tragedy of the Stamford incident will always be there as a reminder.

NRAMA: We’re going to make the assumption this new New Warriors at least partially involves young heroes, and the Marvel playground for younger, teen heroes has gotten a little crowded since the original creation of the team.

The Young Avengers seemingly fill the official youth/in-training branch of the Avengers role. The New X-Men for the X-Men. The Runaways have some of that rebellious/on-their-own vibe of the original Warriors, with the upcoming Loners seeming looking to tap into that vibe as well.

So can you speak at all as to what role … what niche … the new New Warriors will fill to make them unique in the Marvel Universe landscape?

KG: These new New Warriors are more rebellious. Probably more rebellious than any super-team we’ve seen in some time. And probably more rebellious than Cap’s crew was. Their thinking is that there are people out there who need their help and you can never have enough heroes. That’s like saying there are too many good Samaritans around. That’s ridiculous.

Unfortunately, the public doesn’t see it that way, and because of that the group has become a serious political liability to the powers-that-be. Not only in America, but the world. And the methods they use to implement their personal crusade are really going to get under a lot of peoples skin. A lot of powerful people.

We’ll also be seeing a crossover with Dan Slott’s The Initiative as well as a few other titles. This book is one where we are going to have guest-stars galore!

NRAMA: Okay Kevin, finally, any parting thoughts, first impressions for fans to hold them over until the wait for the launch?

KG: That this book is really going to have a lot of fun and mystery. We’ll be meeting old friends and creating some new ones as well. We think fans of both the old and new teams will really dig it.