About the Author

Jonathan Hickman is the award-winning writer/artist of critically acclaimed independent titles Pax Romana, Transhuman and The Nightly News. Teaming with writer Brian Michael Bendis, he launched Marvel's Secret Warriors, spinning out of Secret Invasion. He then wrote the Dark Reign- Fantastic Four limited series, which served as a warm-up for his revered runs on Fantastic Four and FF, and two S.H.I.E.L.D. series. Hickman penned numerous Ultimate Universe titles before bringing his intricate plotting to Avengers and New Avengers. Hickman's years of planning culminated with the Marvel Universe-shattering Secret Wars. His impressive list of credits includes a trio of lauded series for Image- East of West, Secret and the Eisner Award-nominated The Manhattan Projects. Hickman returned to Marvel to mastermind a transformative relaunch of its mutant titles, beginning with House of X and Powers of X, and continuing with X-Men.

Award-winning comic-book creator Brian Michael Bendis is one of the most successful writers in the industry today. In addition to an acclaimed run on Daredevil, he has helmed a renaissance for Marvel's popular Avengers franchise and written the event projects House of M, Secret War, Secret Invasion, Siege, Age of Ultron and Civil War II. Bendis wrote every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man from its launch in 2000 before bringing his multiracial Spider-Man, Miles Morales, to the Marvel Universe for continuing adventures. He took on Marvel's mutants in the pages of All-New X-Men and Uncanny X-Men, and launched Guardians of the Galaxy into the stratosphere. Bendis shook up the life of Tony Stark in Invincible Iron Man and related titles, introducing Riri Williams as Ironheart, and then assembled street-level heroes Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Daredevil and his co-creation Jessica Jones in Defenders. His creator-owned projects include Scarlet with Alex Maleev, Brilliant with Mark Bagley, and Takio and the Eisner Award-winning Powers with Michael Avon Oeming.

Winning the Russ Manning Award for Best New Talent in 1997, Bulgarian-born Alex Maleev first worked with Brian Michael Bendis on Image's Sam & Twitch. In 2001, the pair teamed again on Daredevil in a gritty, acclaimed collaboration that earned them a 2003 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series. Furthering his partnership with Bendis, Maleev has illustrated the New Avengers- Illuminati, Civil War- The Confession and Secret Invasion- Dark Reign one-shots; the Halo- Uprising limited series; the Spider-Woman print and motion comics; and the creator-owned Scarlet. The pair turned Tony Stark's world upside down in International Iron Man and its successor series Infamous Iron Man.

Italian illustrator Stefano Caselli broke into American comics during the early 2000s with work on titles including Marvel's Mutant X and Thunderbolts. He enhanced his reputation on series such as Avengers- The Initiative, Secret Warriors and Avengers Assemble before playing a key role in the rotating art team on Dan Slott's Amazing Spider-Man and joining Jonathan Hickman on Avengers. Caselli collaborated with Brian Michael Bendis on a groundbreaking Invincible Iron Man run featuring Riri Williams as a new armored hero, and joined Gerry Duggan on the seafaring X-series Marauders.

Alessandro Vitti got his start collaborating with famous Italian cartoonist Giuseppe Palumbo on Inventario, before being published in various magazines and newspapers in his native Italy. His 2007 work for French imprint Soleil brought him further notice, as did Marvel Italy's X-Campus series. His art on Jonathan Hickman's Secret Warriors marked his Marvel debut. His other credits include Doctor Voodoo- Avenger of the Supernatural and Broken Trinity- Pandora's Box.