The Juggernaut? I know someone who's stronger.

Cyclops? This other guy is more decisive.

Professor X? Yeah, this fella can get into the X-Men's heads quicker.

Who am I talking about? None other than Mike Marts, who -- as editor of New X-Men and Uncanny X-Men (not to mention Weapon X and the upcoming X-Men 2 tie-in titles) -- is the man who wields supreme power over Marvel's mighty mutants.

Mike wouldn't exactly describe it that way. He'd say that there are many others -- such as writers Grant Morrison and Chuck Austen, or Marvel editor in chief Joe Quesada and president Bill Jemas -- who really call the shots... but that's part of Mike's strength. See, he knows what the job of an editor is. When to step in and when to let the creators strut their stuff. How to follow company directives while also stcking to his own personal vision. Most importantly, in this deadline sensitive world of comics, Mike delivers on time.

Ask any comic reader worth his or her Blackbird and they'll tell you that, while they were packed with trend-setting visuals and uniquely cool moments, the X-Men books for many a moon were also plagued by blown publishing dates and helter-skelter creative line-ups. But if you go back and look at the issues that have followed since Mike Marts (and Mike Raicht, who will eventually be another subject of this column) took control, you'll see a string of on-time delivery... not to mention an organized artistic schedule that kicks off this month.

Oh, sure, there have been some fill-ins since Mike arrived, but that was -- as they said in Dangerous Liaisons -- beyond his control. Mike cajoles, pleads and threatens all he can, but ultimately it's up to the creators to hit their marks. And to help them he and Marvel have implemented a new policy of story arcs, so that if a creator can only turn in four to six issues, then that's all they'll do -- and it'll all be organized in a single story arc. Then the next artist will come aboard and deliver the following arc. The intent then, is that when you pick up a trade paperback -- or decide to follow a particular monthly story arc -- the visuals by a single artist will offer a more satisfying and cohesive reading experience. As I said, it doesn't always work out that way, but that's the goal Mike aims to deliver.

Speaking of delivering, can you imagine being handed the reins of the industry's most popular characters? In many ways it's a no-win situation. If you keep Wolverine and friends at the top of the sales charts, that's expected -- but if they start to drop... well, no one ever said you get to live in the X-Mansion forever.

Yet despite that intimidating reality, Mike sees his new responsibility as not only a huge opportunity, but also an honor. The big brass ring that, for his entire professional career, he's striven to grab. But don't get me wrong. Mike's no ladder climbing shark. On the contrary, over the years I've known him -- whether he was at Acclaim or just down the hall at Marvel -- Mike has always been one of the most down-to-earth, straight-shooting, honest and helpful people I've had the pleasure to have known.

So who is the man responsible for steering the fate of your favorite characters? Who's the guy who will help decide whether Cyclops and Phoenix will ever work things out or if Wolverine will shave off that new soul patch? And what's up with his obsession with Anna Kournikova?

Let's go Behind The Curtain and talk with Mike Marts...

BTC: Can you give me a brief background for what in your mind (if anything) prepared you for a job at Marvel?

Mike: An editor working at Marvel should probably have a background in either one of two areas: journalism or art (and preferably a little of both). Other majors such as creative writing, professional writing, literature and graphic design can also be useful. I attended Trenton State College (now College of New Jersey) and majored in journalism, which definitely helped prepare me for my job here. I started work at Marvel Comics while still in college and continued there after senior year, so technically this was my first real job, but I've also worked at Wizard Press and Acclaim Comics.

BTC: So with a career in comic books, it wouldn't take a telepath to wager that you read them while growing up. So were the X-Men among your favorite characters? And if they weren't, who did you like the most? Or did you follow creators?

Mike: Like most people in the industry, I was introduced to comics pretty early on. My first comic was Iron Man #101, but I didn't really start collecting as a hobby until I picked up my first issue of Uncanny X-Men when I was about ten-years-old. The X-Men were always my favorite characters, and looking back, it's the only book that I have continually collected throughout the years. Even in high school when I got more involved in sports and girls, I never stopped reading X-Men. Iron Man, the Avengers, Thor and the Defenders were other favorites of mine. Sub-Mariner, too. But I also followed certain creators from one project to the next: Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Walt Simonson and J.M. DeMatteis to name a few.

BTC: Describe the Origin experience. What was it like being asked to shepherd this long-awaited and controversial project?

Mike: Origin was an editor's dream come true. A chance to work with the best creators on the best character telling the most anticipated story in all of comics. Not too shabby.

BTC: And how did you feel when you were handed the keys to two of the industry's most popular titles?

Mike: It was great. These were the books I first started reading years ago, and in many ways, it felt like coming home. I'm extremely grateful that Joe Q. and Bill J. had the faith in me to run this franchise.

BTC: Many would say you've reached one of the industry's top spots. So what can you impart to all those future editors out there? What are the most important traits to have as an editor?

Mike: Organization, instinct, decisiveness ...

BTC: And what are the most important tasks of an editor?

Mike: Coaching your creators to tell the most exciting, most accessible stories they can... getting the books out on time... developing new talent... always returning phone calls and e-mails.

BTC: People love to talk about Marvel, speculating on what goes on inside the Hallowed Halls. So, to all those curious readers out there, tell us what it's like to work at Marvel. What's the vibe?

Mike: It's a great vibe working here ... so much creativity running through the offices. You never know when a great idea will jump out and hit you. Everyone who works here, whether it's in editorial or the Bullpen or one of our freelance creators, are here because they really want to be here. So the excitement is contagious.

BTC: Okay, take us inside that excitement. Give us a rundown of a "typical" work day for you.

Mike: Well, every day changes... it's never the same day twice. But my typical day starts out with my alarm clock ringing at 5:30. I hit the snooze bar about four times and then finally decide to wake up, in time to make the 7:52 train from Jersey into the Big Apple. I arrive around nine and immediately get into reading the previous night's e-mails. Then I check the computer server that we share with our freelance pool to see if any of our creators dropped new color files into their folder overnight. Then, about 10 o'clock FedEx arrives and that's when we really find out who's been naughty and nice. Hopefully everyone's done their homework and we'll get dozens of pages in from all our artists. At 11 I break for coffee. Then I might get into a script or proof a book before eating lunch at one, which I usually eat at my desk. In the afternoon it could be a number of things, ranging from working on a cover with the Bullpen, making phone calls to freelancers, attending meetings... but you can guarantee that it's always busy. At 5:30 I try to wrap things up and assess what the next day will bring, and hopefully leave by six. Then it starts all over again.

BTC: Okay, moving on to the comics and creators themselves, many people are excited to see Frank Quitely return in this month's New X-Men #135. Can you tell us about the big story that he's illustrating?

Mike: It's a four-parter called "Riot at Xavier's", and the story title pretty much speaks for itself. Readers of New X-Men have seen the seeds that have been planted leading into this storyline, which all starts with a young, rebellious mutant named Quentin Quire. It seems that Quentin has some viewpoints and opinions on human/mutant relations that differ quite a bit from his esteemed teacher, Professor Charles Xavier. Enter the death of a student, the return of the U-Men and a mysterious drug called "Kick", and you have all the necessary ingredients for a full-scale Riot.

BTC: Over on Uncanny, writer Chuck Austen has been impressing readers with his character driven work. So what has Kia Asamiya, who started his run as ongoing penciler in Uncanny X-Men #416, brought to the table?

Mike: A revolutionary art style combining the attractive flair of Japanese artwork and the strength of his dynamic storytelling.

BTC: Without any "spoilers," what can you tell us about Chuck and Kia's first story? Who are the Dominant Species that we've read about in promo material?

Mike: A new breed of mutants... beware!

BTC: Moving on to another hush-hush subject, I know you're not allowed to reveal specifics, but can you give us just a hint to expect concerning the X-Men 2 tie-in books? Last time it was an adaptation and three prequels. What's on tap now?

Mike: Pretty much the same, minus one prequel. The structure we set up for the first movie's tie-in material seemed to work pretty well, so we decided not to mess with it too much. Expect two prequels featuring a pair of the more popular X-Men... one of them had a prequel last time, but the other wasn't even featured in the original movie! Can you guess who?! And, of course, we'll have the official comic book movie adaptation, as well. Chuck Austen, Brian K. Vaughan, Tom Mandrake, Karl Kerschl and Patrick Zircher are just a few of the great creators we have working on the X2 books.

BTC: Finally, the question that everyone who's ever entered your office and seen your wall decorations has been wondering about: what's up with your fanatical following of Anna Kournikova? Do you think she's a mutant or what?

Mike: She's nothing but a fine tennis player, Bill. A fine tennis player.

Whatever you say, Mike, but I have to wonder: how else can a player who hasn't won the big tournaments get so much media coverage? I'd bet a Cerebro unit that she's a mutant mind manipulator... so draft her into the X-Men!

Okay, friends, I'll see you next Thursday when we go Behind The Curtain!
Check out the Weapon X Bust here or Ultimate X-Men #21 here...

==========================================================