Fans have long been speculating about Marvel's plans for their post-Avengers vs. X-Men universe. Thanks to an announcement in the Comic-Con issue of EW, we've got the answers.
Marvel NOW! is the company's latest publishing initiative, the next phase of Marvel ReEvolution, a concept that was unveiled earlier this year. Basically, it's a giant shake-up of Marvel's entire universe -- brand new titles, brand new creative teams, brand new costumes, relaunched titles, new digital incentives, new cover designs and even new secret identities, in some cases. It's a complete overhaul for the Marvel Universe that the publisher promises will leave no major character or series unaffected (jury's still out on where Night Nurse ends up, though).
However, Marvel has made sure to make one thing clear: Marvel NOW! is not a reboot or restart of continuity. This is the next evolution of their characters in a post-AvX world that will be moving things in all-new directions with creators tackling characters they've never really touched before.
Marvel will begin launching new books starting in October, which will included new and long-forgotten titles but also a few re-launches. The new books will continue launching through February 2013. If you're not sold on the idea yet, just take a look at the titles announced so far:
Uncanny Avengers #1 by Rick Remender & John Cassaday (October)
- The book stars a team comprised of both Avengers and X-Men (yes, including Captain America and Wolverine) on a mission to find the Red Skull, who's on a mission to eliminate mutants once and for all.
All New X-Men #1 by Brian Michael Bendis & Stuart Immonen (November)
- The original five X-Men -- from the 60s -- show up in the present and realize that the future they see isn't the one that they want. Bendis made it clear that it wasn't a time travel story that was heavy on the sci-fi element, instead focused on the character drama this situation would create.
Avengers #1 by Jonathan Hickman & Jerome Opena (December)
- Described as an Avengers book for the 21st century, Hickman will expand the roster to "18 or more" members from all walks of the Marvel Universe. Given the style of writing Hickman goes for, expect this book to be huge in scope.
Not bad, eh? Of course, this answers the mystery of what Hickman would be doing after he wraps up his Fantastic Four run and the reason he left Ultimate Comics Ultimates some months back, where he stated that it was for an opportunity that he couldn't pass up. If that opportunity wasn't Avengers #1, I'm not sure what else it could have been. In addition, this answers the question of what Bendis is doing post-Avengers. It's also worth noting that the rumors about Jean Grey's return are likely in reference to All-New X-Men, which states that the original First Class -- of which Jean was a part -- would find themselves in the present.
Uncanny Avengers by Remender and Cassaday is certainly an interesting title, as it suggests a mash-up of the writer's two major titles -- Uncanny X-Force and Secret Avengers. Might the teams be merging? Whatever the case, these line-ups are thrilling and here's hoping whatever else Marvel's got in store for Marvel NOW! is on par with these books.
EW also debuted an exclusive piece of art showcasing some of the new costume changes. All I can really say about it is, Rocket Raccoon FTW:
Aside from the new titles and general newness to the visual look of some characters, Marvel is also continuing their renewed focus on digital comics. The Marvel NOW! branding represents a jump-on point for new readers, and the covers for every new #1 with the branding will make use of Marvel AR to recap the story so far for new readers before they even open the book. Additionally, each book with the Marvel NOW! branding will have a code to download a free digital copy of the purchased issue via the Marvel Comics app.
There's bound to be plenty of speculation from fans in the coming weeks; luckily, San Diego Comic-Con is right around the corner. Surely attendees will have some questions. In the meantime, stay tuned to IGN Comics for a chat with Marvel's Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada on Thursday to shed some light on the initiative.
Update: In addition to the series listed above, Marvel revealed another new title: New Avengers by Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting. This will relaunch as a #1 in January.
Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He will love Star Wars until the end of his days.
Source : ign[dot]com
No comments:
Post a Comment