On Thursday May 5th, Marvel held a conference call to promote its upcoming, 8 issue bi-weekly crossover mini-series The House of M. Buzzscope's friendly neighborhood Managing Editor Joe Doughrity participated, and below is our transcription of the highlights of what went down.

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Joe Quesada greets the assembled comics press then asks series writer Brian Michael Bendis to describe the House of M event in his own words.

Brian Michael Bendis: House of M is technically an Astonishing X-Men/New Avengers crossover. It’s grown into a mini series which effects even more titles and involves an entire cast of the mutant population along with new and classic Avengers. Despite what’s going around on the Internet, this is not a What-if? story. Things actually happen and there’s no putting the world back the way we found it.

Will it be necessary to buy all the crossovers to read the story?

Brian Michael Bendis: This is a massive epic like the giant mini-series you see on cable. Like [The Scifi Channel’s] TAKEN. You can enjoy the crossovers or just read the main mini and your regular books and enjoy… But be sure to pick up The Pulse Special and the Pulse newspaper where all the writers on HOM wrote the articles. Andy is working very hard with it.

Joe Quesada: We don’t wanna force our readers to buy every single title in order to get the full HofM experience. We’d love them to buy ‘em all, but buy what you can afford. There’s huge ramifications but you don’t have to buy every title.

BMB: (laughs) We’re gonna make it impossible for you not to buy them! Expect Daredevil like changes with multiple writers involved.. New kinds of Marvel stories always. We were looking for new ideas and legends not the same stories you’ve seen a million times. You’re gonna see characters doing things you’ve never seen before.

What have you learned from writing big events like Avengers: Disassembled?

BMB:Don’t kill Hawkeye. (laughter) I don’t wanna purposely piss people off. I can’t shy away and I can never gauge that stuff. Writing is such an organic process.. One thing I’m happy about HOM is the aftereffects and aftermath. I’ve very proud of what Tom [Brevoort], Joe and [Mike] Marts were able to put together for stories told afterwards. They’ve improved upon the action.

What type of changes in the Marvel Universe can we expect? There’s a lot of rumors floating around the internet?

BMB: We’re putting the main Marvel characters into position they’ve never been and watching them deal with it emotionally and physically. New and classic readers will appreciate it. In years past and while writing Avengers Disassembled I thought: What if a villain like Magneto really put the screws to this [the Marvel Universe] and what if it didn’t go back to how it was before?

JQ: We’re not setting the clock back or fixing continuity. New books will spin-off from this. We may just kill Hawkeye all over again!

Comics journalists from across the net laugh nervously…We know they just might mean it!

How is this story different from other big events that were supposed to change everything like Heroes Reborn or Age of Apocalypse?

BMB:: We ain’t those guys. I’m proud of how emotional the story is. The quality of the artwork. It’s its own animal. I don’t think it can be compared to anything that came before it.

JQ: This is a macro event that will change the Marvel Universe. Daredevil won’t be radically different, but the world Daredevil takes place in might change.

BMB: It’s still gonna be the Marvel Universe but the types of stories might change. We love the Marvel Universe!. [House of M] is a love letter to the Marvel Universe and all the stories that came before it.

Can we expect the book to run 8 issues and ship on time?

BMB:This will be the opposite of SECRET WAR. Every two weeks for eight weeks [the book ships bi-weekly] with a whop at the end of each issue.

Can we expect the book to run just 8 issues?

JQ: We asked [Bendis] the same question three times!

BMB:Eight issues I promise! [Oliver] Coipel killed on this. I’m so happy with him, I can’t even tell you. And he doesn’t even speak English!

Unidentified Marvel Voice: Yes he does.

BMB: Have you talked to him lately?

Laughter.

BMB: After Disassembled I muttered to Joe…Magneto’s here, Pietro is here and Wanda… this could screw the X-Men at the same time! I asked the X-writers and a lot of guys said there’s stuff I could build. We all got in a room and plotted… A lot of really talented guys stepped in to carry the torch. Writing is such a solitary endeavor, I’m alone in my basement right now. That [collaborating] was great for me.

Are the characters aware of the changes happening?

BMB: That’s one of the mysteries of the story. Not to be all vague but…Issue two has 21 scenes. For me that’s a miracle. 21 scenes in 22 pages

Unknown Participant: Twenty-one scenes in 22 pages?

BMB: Yep

Who’s Lyla Miller?

Tom Brevoort: She’s an all-new character. Crucially important for HOM and future plans. She’s someone you’re gonna want to watch. A good platform to introduce a new character into the Marvel Universe. Everybody will get to play with everybody else. We’re taking characters who haven’t gotten to be together do so. Interactions you’ve never seen before.

BMB: We’re not going to destroy what’s there. It was the same when we started the Ultimate line. New doesn’t mean destroying old. If anything it’s more of a valentine to what marvel did in the 70s…Trying new things not just telling the same stories over and over again. A love letter to what came before us.