Joss Whedon rocked the X-Men world with the launch of Astonishing X-Men.  It was a combination of the characters we loved and also an accessible storyline that anyone could jump in on.  Marvel is taking that concept and spinning it out.  Marvel is confirming a new volume of Astonishing X-Men will start this May with Warren Ellis and Kaare Andrews (bets on whether this makes the release schedule?) at the helm.  Astonishing Spider-Man/Wolverine will also debut this year with the team of Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert.

The goal is to create series that are within regular continuity but at the same time provide a jumping on point for anyone.  The plan is for 5 issue limited series that will come out bimonthly.  The idea is to match top creators with top properties.

With the release of Iron Man 2 this year, these are geared towards individuals rediscovering comic books are wandering in for the first time, while also being enjoyable for long time fans.  Sounds similar to what Marvel did with the Ultimate line post the first Spider-man movie.

Details are scarce currently so expect some announcements down the line about more of what we can expect from this line of comics.