What are some qualities or characteristics you think Noah and Thor share outside of their physical appearance?
Joe Quesada: Confidence, strength and a commanding presence! Thor is one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe, I mean the dude can go toe to toe with the Hulk, so his presence commands respect. Similarly, at 6-foot-6 and throwing fastballs at 100 mph, Noah brings the thunder and lightning and does his namesake proud!
What was the most challenging when designing the bobblehead and trying to combine Noah and Thor into one artistic piece?
Quesada: The biggest challenge was to just make it look as cool and authentic as possible, especially when you have two ravenous fan bases who will let you know if you screw it up. From the grip on the baseball, to the look on Noah's face to the flow of the cape, we worked tirelessly to really make this a special and unique item. Keep in mind, this is the first time we've ever done anything like this, having a player dressed as one of our characters, so we wanted to make sure we nailed it. Hopefully Mets and Marvel fans approve.
From a process standpoint, how long did it take to come up with the version of the bobble that will be handed out at the stadium? Was the collaboration of the duo's features something that came to you instantly or did it evolve over time through different sketches before deciding on a direction?
Quesada: When we go into something like this, we choose what we think is the most appropriate Marvel artist for the project. In this case, we worked with Tom Grummett. He made a couple of initial, rough sketches and we worked with him and the Mets to refine what would be the best looking pose to move forward with. Once we had that direction, the final sketch was drawn and colored. This then went to the company that makes the bobbleheads and they sculpted it from that sketch. We didn't want this to be generic in any way, we really wanted it to look like Noah, so we took a long time to study his pitching motion. And, just as important, what Noah would look like depicting Thor. Overall, from initial sketches to final design, it took a few weeks.
This is a first of its kind collaboration for Marvel in working with a specific player to customize him as one of the characters in the Marvel universe. What made Noah the ideal person to collaborate with on this project?
Quesada: We Mets fans here at Marvel have been aware of Noah's love for the character and propensity for bringing the hammer down since his minor league days where he was posting pics of himself on Twitter dressed as Thor in the weight room. We retweeted that image and he's been on our radar since. Most importantly, we've always talked about how Marvel characters can be both inspirational and aspirational to our fans and Noah not only demonstrates that point, but he proves that you can make those attributes your own and in turn inspire an entire fan base. I mean seriously, what kid watching baseball today doesn't want to pick up a baseball and strikeout hitters with 100 MPH heat like Noah?
How special is it to not only design a bobblehead after a baseball player, but also having it be a New York Met? A project that involved a team that you have been a fan of for a better part of your life.
Quesada: My father was part of the construction crew who built Shea Stadium, couple that with growing up in Jackson Heights and being a Mets fan is just in my family's DNA, so yeah that is kind of special for me. But it's not just me, we have an office here in NYC filled with Mets fans and season-ticket holders and that's one of the biggest reasons this project came into fruition. Now while nothing would be more gratifying than seeing my beloved Amazin's win a third World Series (Ya' Gotta Believe, right?), working on this Noah/Thor bobblehead was a huge win for all of us here within the hallowed halls of Marvel who root for the Amazin's! By the way, did I mention that Peter Park is a Mets fan?
Do you think the relationship between Marvel and the Mets will be able to attract new fans to the ballpark and new readers for Marvel? How can both companies benefit from this collaboration?
Quesada: Marvel and the Mets have several things in common, a rabid fan base that follows every story, every game and relates to different characters and players because they can identify with them. These are worlds we dream of being a part of, and the stories within the pages of Marvel Comics just like the games played on the field provide us with great entertainment and an escape from our day-to-day routine. While of course our hope is that Marvel fans will attend the game and maybe pique the interest of Mets fans who aren't familiar with Marvel, at the end of the day our actual goal was to create a fun collectible that makes everyone smile no matter what player or superhero you root for.
Who are/were some of your favorite Mets players growing up or what are some of your favorite memories of your Mets fandom over the years? What made you a Mets fan?
Quesada: Speaking for myself, Keith Hernandez, Rusty Staub, Buddy Harrelson, Jerry Grote and Tom Seaver were my all-time favorites. As I mentioned earlier, my dad was part of the Shea construction crew, but I have countless memories of going to see games at Shea and even have my ticket stub from my very first game.