The show was packed compared to typical Friday’s. Way more than last year. Tomorrow with Stan Lee it should be twice as much. The panel was the last of the day. It was in a big room with about 75% full. The crowd laughed the whole time.

Chip Zdarsky: “The best thing about writing a cult character like Howard is no one at Marvel pays attention and you can do what you want.”

Skottie Young: “Rocket Raccoon was supposed to come out a year in advance but I slow rolled it on purpose to have it come out at the same time as the movie which really helped my bank account.” He also said it was supposed to be a 5 issue mini series but when you make 10,000 baby covers they let you call shots.

Original Sins was used by Marvel as a tryout book for artists and writers. Erica Henderson and Chip Zdarsky got two page tryouts leading to ongoing series.

Erica Henderson said she laughed watching the hype over Squirrel Girl‘s first appearance (which she couldn’t remember the name of) after the trademark news leaked.

Skottie Young said he based his sequencing and story arc for Rocket Raccoon on The Simpson’s. Explaining that no matter how radical the book gets it comes back to the beginning. He said story arc isn’t necessary. Also he didn’t want to step on Brian Michael Bendis’ toes.

Chip Zdarsky: “Don’t get used to Howard as a PI. I may change that at any moment. I did that for the first few issues.” Chip feels that since the original creator Steve Gerber killed Howard in his Image series he feels in all technicality he is writing a book about a clone so he can do what he wants while still staying true to the creators wishes. For example he said you will never see Duckworld.

Joe Quiñones hated how Howard looked in the movie and would only do the book if he could redesign.

Funny note in Howard #5 they were told they could use Chewbacca only to find out it was a joke. Joe Quiñones said he wants gonna sneak a cosplay Chewbacca in soon.

Tradd Moore: “They called me for Ghost Rider. I said yea no. Then they said you can create your own. And I was interested.” Old Ghost Rider fans hated the change to the car. He then made Nicolas Cage jokes. Said he commonly gets the joke “Since he is in a car, isn’t he Ghost Driver?”

Chip Zdarsky said he was told to do Howard yellow because of the Marvel / Disney suit from years ago but he said “What’s Disney gonna do? Sue itself?”

Erica Henderson gets my respect for the amount of research she puts in to the various characters who battle squirrel girl. She said she does not want to offend any creators.

NEWS: Squirrel Girl/ Howard the Duck crossover in the works.

Skottie Young: “I’m so used to signing other peoples comics that I hate when writers sign my variants in MY spot. ”

Tradd Moore wants to do Black Bolt or Silver Surfer.

Scottie Young has been planning a Generation X reboot but Marvel has been cold to the idea.

Erica Henderson, Chip Zdarsky, and Skottie Young all tried to add Brute Force to their books but Marvel has said no one wants to read that.

Audience question: “Has the editorial process changed at Marvel allowing these books to exist?” Chip Zdarsky: “Yeah, they fuckin’ love money” as he makes it rain 20s and has to get help picking them up.

Skottie Young: “I love Ben Caldwells book Prez but fuck DC they suck. Go Marvel!”

We end with sex and cocaine jokes from Skottie Young and Chip Zdarsky as they noted: “Thank God Marvel isn’t here!”