The Breakfast Club - INTERVIEW: Axel Alonso Talks ILLuminati: A Thriller Where Hip-Hop & Comics Collide, Marvel, Charlamagne Collab + More

Episode Date: October 18, 2024

The Breakfast Club Dives Sits Down With Axel Alonso To Discuss ILLuminati: A Thriller Where Hip-Hop & Comics Collide, Marvel, And Charlamagne Collab. Listen For More!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay. Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing.

Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, y'all. Niminy here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Executive produced by Questlove, The Story Pirates, and John Glickman,

Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop. Flash, slam, another one gone. Bash, bam, another one gone. The crack of the bat and another one gone. The tip of the cap, there's another one gone. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history, like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama

who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, everyone. This is Courtney Thorne-Smith, Laura Layton, and Daphne Zuniga. On July 8, 1992, apartment buildings with pools were never quite the same as Melrose Place was introduced to the world. We are going to be reliving every hookup, every scandal, and every single wig

removal together. So listen to Still the Place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Welcome to Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get real and dive straight into todo lo actual y viral. We're talking música, los premios, el chisme, and all things trending in my cultura. I'm bringing you all the latest happening in our entertainment world and some fun and impactful interviews with your favorite Latin artists, comedians,

actors, and influencers. Each week, we get deep and raw life stories, combos on the issues that matter to us, and it's all packed

with gems, fun, straight up comedia, and that's a song that only nuestra gente can sprinkle. Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Dani Shapiro, host of the hit podcast, Family Secrets. How would you feel if when you met your biological father for the first time, he didn't even say hello? And what if your past itself was a secret and the time had suddenly come to share that past with your child? These are just a few of the powerful and profound questions we'll be asking on our 11th season of Family Secrets. Listen to season 11 of Family Secrets on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Wake that ass up in the morning. The Breakfast Club. Morning, everybody. It's EJ, Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God. We are The Breakfast Club. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God. We are The Breakfast Club. Lauren LaRosa filling in for Jess. And we got a special guest in the building this morning.

Yes, indeed. We have Axel Alonso. Welcome. Thank you. How are you feeling this morning? I'm tired, but I'm good. You got a long week in Comic-Con, all weekend long. And they expect, what, over hundreds of thousands of people there.

It's the biggest con now. It's the biggest con now. Axel, you've been in the comic book business for a long time. You was the former editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. What got you into the comic book world? Well, I got into the comic book world on a fluke. I interviewed at DC Comic Books for an editor position. I sent in my resume

and the editor called me and said, I wanted to meet you. I said, why is this? And he says, I read an article you wrote for the Daily News

about the use of the cannabis leaf in hip hop culture and I interviewed a DA agent and the editor-in-chief of High Times Magazine and the High Times Magazine

editor had stolen the guy's girlfriend. So he had a gripe. The High Times editor stole the guy's girlfriend. Okay. He said, I love you. You want a job? I said, alright. So I got into DC comic books at Vertigo. Hold on, so you got a job because somebody stole somebody's girlfriend? Yeah, pretty much.

He never, I mean, you were qualified but y'all never named him. I was qualified, yeah. I was overqualified. I took a big pay cut. What made you do that though? So New York Daily News, were you working in a newsroom? I worked as a freelancer. Got you. Working for multiple publications.

Okay. And I love comic books. I grew up reading comic books. I loved them. An amazing art form, as you know. Amazing. They taught me to read. And I just thought I'd have an impact.

So I went. I went to Vertigo Line, which did adult-oriented material at DC Comic Books and had a good career there. Books like Preacher and 100 Bullets. And then Marvel came a-knocking in 2000. And I went to them. Went there in bankruptcy. And the company was in dire straits, you know. But I had so much fun.

They gave me Spider-Man, The Hulk. What's not to like? Do you think comic book is, I guess, a form that's dying? And the reason I ask that as a kid, I know you're from California, but in New York, every bodega had comic books. Every store had comic books. When I went grocery shopping with my mom, she would go get groceries and I'd go to the comic book section. But now I don't see it as much. It almost feels like it has to be a destination spot. It has to be a Barnes and Nobles. It has to be a comic book section. But now I don't see it as much. It almost feels like it has to be a destination spot.

It has to be a Barnes and Nobles. It has to be a comic book store. Do you think it's dying? That's a distribution problem. That's not a problem with the art form. The art form itself is inherently amazing. It's only as limited as your imagination and your talent and your guts. So the art form is going to evolve.

There'll be more digital use of the medium. So again, for me, it's a distribution problem. Like you, I read comic books because my grandma would pick me up after school, take me to the dime store, and I'd buy a comic book off the rack on a Friday. So it's a distribution problem. Once you solve that, there's no stopping it.

And the comic book market uh it's projected to be a 21 billion dollar business by 2029 like it's still making billions of dollars oh yeah yeah and does digital help or hurt reason because you know it's complimentary i'm still a guy that likes to hold a paper in hand you know i mean it's complimentary i mean what it comes down to like for me i all my music i listen to my ipad you know my phone i don't own cds anymore but with comic books i select some things i read digitally but there's stuff i I listen to on my iPad, my iPhone. I don't own CDs anymore. But with comic books, I select. Some things I read digitally, but there's stuff I have to put on my shelf. You just have to.

Like Illuminati. How many comic books do you have? How many comics do you have? Me? Too many. How much is too many, if you could just round about? Oh, man, oh, man. Probably about 2,000.

Oh, my God. Yeah, but it's for my own as a kid, you know? Some of them are investments then. Yeah, yeah, exactly. That's what you tell your wife. Babe, these are investments.2,000. Oh, my God. Yeah, but it's from when I was a kid, you know? Some of them are investments then. Yeah, yeah, exactly. That's what you tell your wife. Babe, these are investments. Yeah, yeah. Before we get into AWA and Illuminati,

tell them some of the things you did at Marvel, some of the groundbreaking things that people will remember. Well, the thing I'm most proud of is that in 2015, I'm hip-hop head, and for me, I was just really tired of seeing the lack of hip-hop head, and for me, I was just really tired of seeing the lack of hip-hop in comic books, when hip-hop was giving so much love to the form. Like, from Green Lantern to Johnny Blaze,

Iron Man, you name it, Ghostface. To see all this stuff happening, hip-hop giving so much love to Marvel comic books and Marvel being silent, I thought was inexcusable. So I did the Hip Hop Variant Program where we did 128 covers that were based on classic hip hop album covers

that spanned 30 years. Everything from like Ultramagnetic MCs and Schoolie D, the OG stuff, to Future and Drake. That's dope. And every single cover was an homage to a classic album cover done by an amazing artist.

And it just showed how many people drawing and writing comic books. You're bobbing your head to hip hop when you're doing this, not the Beatles. That's dope. And also, too, they used to call you a diversity superhero. You are a diversity superhero at Marvel.

And during your five years at marvel um correct me what i'm wrong about you created miss marvel there were a lot of things involved yeah miles morales miles morales on my watch kamala khan yep the female black panther that's right when we did that everyone said who wants that oh my god i remember seeing that yeah i mean when i did the female like panther people were like what's it about who cares about that now it's a whole movie. It saved the franchise. That's right. Yeah, it saved the franchise.

I mean, what's not to like about a female Black Panther? You did a female Thor. Female Thor. Yep. Which also made it to the movie. Black Captain America 2000. Black Captain America. Isaiah Bradley as Black Captain America.

Because I didn't buy the origin story of Captain America. I don't believe that Uncle Sam in 1940 would have experimented on white boys. That's right. I talked with agree, I don't believe that Uncle Sam in 1940 would have experimented on white boys. That's right. I talked with Robert Morales, the writer, he was a journalist. He said,

I agree, I'll write this. We got Kyle Baker, iconic artist, to do the series. It was about a man named Isaiah Bradley who was the first guy

who was experimented on with the super soldier serum. So the first Captain America was black. Now that got me death threats. I was about to ask you, what was your pushback in your life like? Because you were early in the DEI.

Tons, tons, yeah. Well, I'm half Mexican and my wife is Korean, so I got to be. Got you, okay. You did the Asian Hulk, Amadeus Cho. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I did Amadeus Cho as well. My wife is Korean,

so my nephews were amazed by that. Who they might. The thing I enjoy about all your characters, all of them have made it to the TV a big screen at this point. You know, and rattles we we know how those movies are they're great the miss marvel is a disney plus show exactly female thor was in the movies uh no shuri is the black panther now in the movie amadeus cho is coming to marvel now isaiah bradley is in and uh the tv show captain america when Winter Soldier and he's going to be in the movie.

Well, I feel validated. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia Keys opens up about conquering doubt, learning to trust herself and leaning into her dreams. I think a lot of times we are built to doubt the possibilities for ourselves. For self-preservation and protection, it was literally that step by step. And so I discovered that that is how we get where we're going. This increment of small, determined moments. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself.

It's okay. Like, grace. Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're gonna figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. So y'all, this is Questlove, and I'm here to tell you about a new podcast I've been working on with the Story Pirates and John Glickman called Historical Records. It's a family-friendly podcast. Yeah, you heard that right. A podcast for all ages. One you can listen to and enjoy with your kids starting on September 27th. I'm going to toss it over to the host of Historical Records, Nimany, to tell you all about it. Make sure you check it out. Hey y'all, Nimany here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop.

Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history. Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. And it began with me. Did you know, did you know? I wouldn't give up my seat. Nine months before Rosa, it was Claudette Goldman. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise.

Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, everyone. This is Courtney Thorne-Smith, Laura Layton, and Daphne Zuniga. On July 8th, 1992, apartment buildings with pools were never quite the same as Melrose Place was introduced to the world. It took drama and mayhem to an entirely new level. We are going to be reliving every hookup, every scandal, every backstab, blackmail and explosion, and every single wig removal together. Secrets are revealed as we rewatch every moment with you. Special guests from back in the day will be dropping by.

You know who they are. Sydney, Allison, and Joe are back together on Still the Place with a trip down memory lane and back to Melrose Place. So listen to Still the Place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hey, everyone. I'm Madison Packer, a pro hockey veteran going on my 10th season in New York. And I'm Anya Packer, a former pro hockey player and now a full Madison Packers stan. Anya and I met through hockey,

and now we're married and moms to two awesome toddlers, ages two and four. And on our new podcast, Moms Who Puck, we're opening up about the chaos of our daily lives between the juggle of being athletes, raising children, and all the messiness in between. We're also turning to fellow athletes and beyond to learn about their parenthood journeys and collect valuable advice, like FIFA World Cup winner Ashlyn Harris.

I wish my village would have prepared me for how hard motherhood was going to be. And Peloton instructor and Ratchet Mom Club founder, Kirsten Ferguson. And I remember going in there a hot mess. Listen to Moms Who Puck on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. Hey there, my little creeps. It's your favorite ghost host, Teresa. And guess what? Haunting is back, dropping just in time for spooky season. Now I know you've probably been wandering the mortal plane, wondering when I'd be back to fill your ears with deliciously unsettling stories.

Well, wonder no more, because we've got a ghoulishly good lineup ready for you. Let's just say things get a bit extra. We're talking spirits, demons, and the kind of supernatural chaos that'll make your spooky season complete. You know how much I love this time of year. It's the one time I'm actually on trend. So grab your pumpkin spice, dust off that Ouija board,

just don't call me unless it's urgent, and tune in for new episodes every week. Remember, the veils are thin, the stories are spooky, and your favorite ghost host is back and badder than ever. Listen to Haunting on

the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm a young Mexican kid, and I'm looking at these superheroes, and where's a Mexican superhero? There ain't none. I like Black Panther the most. Why? Because he had the best costume on earth. I was disappointed when he was black. I wanted to be Mexican.

Hold on, one more thing. And you signed Ta-Nehisi Coates to write the Black Panther series. Yeah, Reggie Hudlin before him with Black Panther for six years. He reinvigorated the character and then Ta-Nehisi Coates came on and did an amazing run as well. Axel Alonso was a legend.

I wanted to ask, since you created a lot of these characters, do you get, I guess, equity in these characters? Because, I mean, you created these, and like you said, some of these characters are saving the franchise, making movies and all that. I wouldn't say I created them. I wouldn't say I created them so much as I was involved in their creation. In the case of the Black Panther, Shuri, Reggie Hudlin said to me, let's make things up.

Let's put Shuri in the costume. I said, I'm down. Let's do this. It makes perfect sense to us to do this. It's about time we did that. Amadeus Cho was the same thing. I thought, how about we have a new Hulk, optimistic, fun, not gloom and doom Bruce Banner. We have an M.D.S. Cho.

Next thing you know, we have a Korean Hulk. So for me, it was a necessity. I wanted to see characters like myself when I was a kid. So I can imagine people want to see themselves. That's right. Seeing Spider-Man peel back his mask and you see a black face, it's seismic. That's right. And how did you hook up with Charlamagne? I know we don't have much time because we get this

on now. How did you hook up with Charlamagne? Charlamagne started talking with my partner some years ago. His interest in promoting black artists. Did you ever see his tattoo? Yeah. I have not. I've seen that in a picture, I think. Do you have a comic tattoo? I have Wolverine tattooed on my arm

with a microphone in the same. But I got it when I was 16, 17 years old. Oh, okay. So it looks terrible. It looks horrible. Go ahead. I'll check it out later. Whoa. Okay.

But yeah, so how did y'all get there? So y'all said this is what you want to do. And then how did you come up with the franchise and Illuminati and all that other stuff? What you wanted to call it? When I understood what Sherman's goals were, I said, I just so happened to have this amazing pitch called Black Illuminati by Brian Hill, filmmaker and comic book writer, that's amazing. It's about the number one conspiracy theory of the day, the urban legend.

I mean, you see Mecca Platinum Star going like this on TV. That's right. Someone shows up in pants with sigils on it. P. Diddy's mansion is raided. That's right. It's a conversation. Who's out there? It's the most enduring urban legend.

This story leans hard into that. Any resemblance to characters living or dead is coincidental unless you don't want it to be. It may or may not be based on a true story. That's right. So when you see these DJs getting aired out by some of these executives and they look a little similar, they have names like DJ Jealousy,

don't think that it has anything to do with anybody you know. Are they fighting with Baby Boy? What are you talking about? Don't think that it has anything to do with anybody you know. Are they fighting with baby oil? What are you talking about? Don't worry about it. You'll see. If you do, you're like this. Baby oil, not the baby oil.

I'm coming over. Turns into a special force field of power. That's what I'm talking about. Oh, my God. Is she laying in baby oil? This is the cover. Tell them about the story. She's got a little damn baby oil.

It's a supernatural thriller. Oh, her body is tea. A young woman travels to Los Angeles after the death of her sister. The cops say the sister died of a drug overdose. Sister does not believe this is the case. She investigates and then finds out that there's a secret society

that sneaks through the quarters of power and their currency is fame and fortune. They'll give you fame and fortune for a price. You don't want to know what that price is. You want to pay it. So the sister believes her sister paid the price, and she investigates. So it's a supernatural whodunit.

Wow. That's right. We've got the iconic Dennis Cowan is the artist, founder of Milestone Comic Books, and Bill Sienkiewicz, industry icon, covered for RZA, EPMD, you name it.

These guys are legit. What's the title? Sanford Green. My guy Sanford Green from South Carolina. He did the cover art. Isn't the name, like,

is there some sort of homage to Illmatic, right? More or less, yeah. Yeah, Illuminati. Yeah,

yeah, yeah. And the writer, or the guy who created the pitch, is he just like a nice fan, or like, what's the? Well, the concept for him wasn't so much rooted in hip hop as the conspiracy theory.

Okay. He wanted to write a book about the conspiracy theory, supernatural murder mystery. Got you. Okay. And again, it has to be set in the world of hip hop out of necessity. So again, that's really where he came from. Not so much inspired by Nas or any particular artist as just the whole milieu. You know, Lauren, like, you know, every day we wake up, there's really where he came from. Not so much inspired by Nas or any particular artist, that's just the whole milieu. You know, Lauren, every day we wake up,

there's a new conspiracy theory. You go on YouTube, people go down these rabbit holes and they talk about what may or may not be happening in the industry. So once again, this may or may not be based on a true story. And you can go to Kickstarter right now, and if you type in Ill, I-L-L-U-M-I-N-A-T-I, or you type in Charlemagne, you can get a copy. And we got all types of stuff.

We got merchandise. You see Axl wearing the hat. The hat. We got the hoodies. And today you're going to be at Comic-Con, right? What time? You'll be on a panel, correct? 345.

345. We'll be in room 1CO3 myself, Axel Alonso Dennis Cohen and the good brother Rob Markman will be moderating so we'll be at New York Comic Con today at 345pm room 1CO3 myself, Dennis Cohen

the good brother Axel Alonso and Rob Markman will be moderating so we'll see you there today we appreciate you for joining us and definitely check out is the name of it us. And definitely check out Illuminati. Is the name of it just Ill or Illuminati? Illuminati. Illuminati. 24 hours to go.

24 hours to go. Act now. Act now, yeah. Yes, you can go to Kickstarter right now. You got 24 more hours to order a copy. And then when we dropping? It's fulfilled within six months. Yes.

Fulfilled within six months. Okay. Wake that ass up in Early in the morning. The Breakfast Club. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself.

It's okay. Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, y'all.

Nimany here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Executive produced by Questlove, The Story Pirates bat and another one gone. The tip of the cap is another one gone. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history, like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. And it began with me. Did you know, did you know? I wouldn't give up my seat. Nine months before Rosa,

it was called a moment. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get real and dive straight into todo lo actual y viral. We're talking musica, los premios, el chisme, and all things trending in my cultura. I'm bringing you all the latest happening in our entertainment world and some fun and impactful interviews with your favorite Latin artists, comedians, actors, and influencers. Each week, we get deep and raw life stories, combos on the issues that matter to us, and it's all packed with gems, fun, straight up comedia, and that's a song that only nuestra gente can sprinkle. Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, everyone. This is Courtney Thorne-Smith, Laura Layton, and Daphne Zuniga. On July 8th, 1992, apartment buildings with pools were never quite the same as Melrose Place was introduced to the world. We are going to be reliving every hookup, every scandal, and every single wig removal together. So listen to Still the Place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hi, I'm Dani Shapiro, host of the hit podcast, Family Secrets. How would you feel if when you met your biological father for the first time, he didn't even say hello? And what if your past itself was a secret and the time had suddenly come to share that past with your child?

These are just a few of the powerful and profound questions we'll be asking on our 11th season of Family Secrets. Listen to season 11 of Family Secrets on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.