Our Marvel Gear & Goods crate is designed to bring Marvel fandom into every corner of your life, with lifestyle items – lounge accessories, kitchen ware, outdoor gear and more – that you can use every day. To that extent, the team working on it are among some of the biggest Marvel geeks at Loot Crate HQ!
Community Manager Mika Midgett sat down with Scott Wilger for a Q&A that covers not only Gear & Goods and what Scott is working on, but an in-depth chat on what he geeks out on that inspires him to continue making the crate the best it can be!
Hi Scott! What is your role on Marvel Gear & Goods team?
I’m the product designer, so I’m responsible for the look and feel of all the items found in the crate. That includes everything from deciding what kind of items will be included in each crate to curating the incredible Marvel art that we will feature, to designing the totally original items that we bring to life for each crate.
Out of the past few crates we’ve done, what is your favorite Marvel Gear + Goods item?
It’s probably the Doctor Strange bathrobe. It was one of those ideas that we all laughed about at first, but when we thought about it we decided we absolutely needed to make it a reality.
What is your favorite Marvel Gear + Goods theme so far and why?
Of the crates we’ve already announced, my favorite is Weapon X. We’re all really proud of that one, but my absolute favorite is still a secret. There are some really cool things on the way.
Who is your favorite Marvel super-being (hero or villain) and why?
My favorite character is constantly flipping between Daredevil and Cyclops. They’re both clever in a way that isn’t as obvious as characters like Tony Stark and Reed Richards, and they’re both total wildcards. I tend to be drawn to the characters where the least interesting thing about them is their super power, and that is absolutely true of Scott Summers and Matt Murdock. I’ve been rereading Whedon and Cassaday’s Astonishing X-Men run, and I’ve really been having fun with kid Cyclops in Champions, and All-New X-Men, so if I have to pick one, right now, it’s Cyclops.
What is currently in your pull list this week?
This week (2/22) I’ll be picking up Black Panther #11, Infamous Iron Man #5, Rocket Raccoon #3, Spider-Gwen #17, and Spider-Woman #16. I might check out the Champions’ Monsters Unleashed issue as well.
What issue are you most excited to read next?
Definitely Spider-Woman. Dennis Hopeless is one of my favorite writers in comics right now, and Spider-Woman is one of the most heartfelt, fun, and genuinely human stories that super-hero comics have to offer, and the Veronica Fish and Robbi Rodriguez art is really beautiful.
If you could take one comic arc and make it into a movie or tv show, which arc would it be?
I’ve been watching the Legion show, which has been stunning and totally unlike anything I’d ever seen before in a super-hero show, and it got me hoping for more weird reality bending Marvel stories to make it to TV. Kieron Gillen, and Jamie McKelvie had a run on Young Avengers that would make a killer mini series. It’s still one of my favorite Avengers team line ups ever, and it alternates between super fun, refreshing teen drama and downright psychedelic action. Not sure how they would explain Wiccan and Kid Loki in the current MCU but I can dream.
Tagging onto the last question, what is your favorite arc in the comics?
Hands down it’s the Dark Angel Saga from Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force series. That whole series was so amazing, and it features one of my favorite art teams ever, but I read that particular arc all at once on a plane and let’s just say the woman sitting next to me was very nice to not visibly judge me while I very visibly went through all the feels. It’s an incredibly exciting sci fi adventure, and it really tugs on my heart strings. I’ve returned to it many times.
If you could only read one comic series for the rest of your life, which one would you choose?
That’s really tough, because one of the things I love about comics as a medium is the variety, but if I have to chose, the easy answer is Brian Michael Bendis’s Ultimate Spider-Man/Spider-Man series. It is astounding to me that he has been writing that one continuous story since he 2000 and 17 years later it’s still one of the books I get the most excited about seeing pop up on my pull list. That seems like the best bet to me.
(Marvel Comics)
What was the first Marvel comic you read?
I’m pretty sure it was an issue of Uncanny X-Men. I read a of them bunch at friends’ houses during the time that the X-Men cartoon was on tv, but I honestly don’t remember which issue. The first comic I remember reading when I got back into them as an adult was the collection of Brian Bendis’s New Avengers (Breakout).
Was it the one that drew you in or did it take a few more?
I was working at a comic store in NYC at the time, and I read it n my break. I remember being about half way through, and thinking “Well, there goes this week’s paycheck.” I had read pretty much all of the issues of that series that were available by the next day, and I was hooked.
Who is your favorite Marvel Comic Writer/Artist combo?
Of the teams making comics right now it’s definitely Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo. I’m pretty sure their Doctor Strange series will go down as the definitive take on the character. It’s stunning.
Favorite team of all time? Rick Remender and Jerome Opena.
What superhero team up are you dying to see happen that hasn’t happened yet?
If/when Cyclops is once again among the living, he’s going to need a good lawyer. Maybe Matt Murdock will take the case.
What comic series has affected you the most overall?
Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force for all the reasons I listed earlier, but also, it makes characters that I love feel very real in a way that I never thought it could. I never thought I would relate so much to Deadpool, but Rick Remender made it happen.
Which Infinity Stone’s powers would you personally want to use?
The Power Stone grants the user access to all the energy “that will ever exist”. It would definitely save me some money on coffee.
If we did a “Scott” themed crate for Marvel Gear + Goods, what type of items and characters would be included?
I’m not sure how many people would be into an X-Men crate with stuff to class up my art studio, but I could definitely see that being really fun.
What is the coolest part of working on the Marvel Gear + Goods crate for you personally?
The Marvel crate is a chance for me to add something to the culture that has meant the world to me since I was a kid. Its a responsibility that I take that really seriously.
Which Marvel Hero (or Villain) would you want to see unbox a Marvel Gear + Goods crate?
Doctor Strange has been having a tough time since magic died. He could probably use something to lift his spirits!
