The classic stories behind Venom’s introduction in the Marvel Universe are about to be told in a whole new way.
This December, Venom: POV, a five-issue limited series, revisits the original Amazing Spider-Man saga that introduced Venom, retelling them from the symbiote’s point of view. The series is written by Ryan Stegman, who also provides the main covers, and drawn by Carlos Gomez—two symbiote superstars going back to the beginning for a new spin on the stories that made Venom an icon!
THE STORY YOU KNOW…FROM A NEW POINT OF VIEW!
Before he was the lethal protector we all know and love, disgraced reporter Eddie Brock and a rejected alien symbiote come together to get vengeance against Spider-Man…but this time, hear the story from Venom’s point of view!
Check out Stegman’s main cover and stay tuned for more about the series in the months ahead.
Avengers: Armageddon, the five-issue event series by writer Chip Zdarsky and artists Frank Alpizar and Delio Diaz, is now underway. In addition to igniting an all-new era of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in Avengers #1 by Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto this November, the event sets the stage for a radically transformed Marvel Universe, with fallout extending into titles like the recently announced Maximum X-Men and various ongoing titles and upcoming limited series.
There will a pre-Armageddon and a post-Armageddon Marvel Universe as the Avengers’ epic battle with Red Hulk in Latveria changes the way Marvel’s heroes are viewed forever! Read on for a glimpse to what awaits following this explosive global conflict, including an all-new arc of Captain America and issues of Amazing Spider-Man, and Black Panther/Namor: Doomed.
CAPTAIN AMERICA #17
Written by CHIP ZDARSKY Art by TON LIMA Cover by VALERIO SCHITI On Sale 11/11
ON THE RUN!
In the aftermath of Armageddon, Captain America goes on the run with Vic, the child clone of Doctor Doom. The U.N.-backed S.H.I.E.L.D. has demanded Vic be turned over, pitting Cap against Nick Fury. Meanwhile, one of Cap’s oldest enemies returns!
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1003
Written by JOE KELLY Art by PATRICK GLEASON Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR. On Sale 11/11
ARMAGEDDON’S BACKLASH!
Spider-Man races to stop a deadly assassin, while a staunch enemy turned ally of the wall-crawler returns to his old tricks! But tensions are high in the aftermath of Armageddon as Mayor Cage’s office and Spidey’s new favorite buds, Damage Control, try to keep a lid on an NYC ready to boil over.
BLACK PANTHER/NAMOR: DOOMED #3 (OF 5)
Written by ETHAN S. PARKER & GRIFFIN SHERIDAN Art by STEFANO NESI Cover by DAVE JOHNSON On Sale 11/18
DOOM: ALLY OR ENEMY?
Egos and masterminds collide as the enemy triumvirate of Black Panther, Namor and Doom must unite! But what happens when a greater enemy still targets all three for the one thing they share? Will they be able to set their own priorities aside and conquer the Kingkiller — or is this the beginning of the end for the monarchs of the Marvel Universe?!
Stay tuned to learn more about Armageddon’s impact in the months ahead.
(W) Greg Pak (A) Alan Robinson (C) Espen Grundetjern (L) Clayton Cowles (CA) Stonehouse (VCA) Chris Campana, Dave Wachter, Mike Henderson
Into the Forbidden Zone! Human astronaut Arch is stranded on the Planet of the Apes — but she’s not alone, as an alien Yautja warrior is also on the loose! Arch and the hostile apes, led by General Ursus, must form an uneasy alliance to survive the Predator’s attacks. And the key to their victory lies in the unlikeliest of places — the Forbidden Zone!
(W) Jed MacKay (A) Netho Diaz (I) Sean Parsons (C) Arthur Hesli (L) Clayton Cowles (CA) Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons, Arthur Hesli (VCA) Juan Frigeri, Steve Skroce, Arc System Works and PlayStation Studios, Rod Reis
3K works toward a viable build of the X-Virus, brought back from the Age of Revelation. Until now they have been frustrated — but when the Chairman realizes that the missing piece of the puzzle lies within Magneto, 3K moves on the X-Men’s home base in Alaska.
Enter the Dark Age!After years of trauma and back-to-back tours of duty fighting in the first two World Wars, Logan has found his new mission…peace! With his berserker rage and violent tendencies somehow behind him, Logan enjoys a new life of tranquility and service. Logan will meet new friends and allies, and with the help of an impassioned young doctor, discover what makes him tick. But what is the cause of this newfound happiness…and how long can it last?
This December, Wolverine will descend once more down a path that ends in tragedy, terror, and heartbreak in Wolverine: Origin III – The Dark Age #1.
Origin III – The Dark Age sees Paul Jenkins return to the character after his groundbreaking work on 2001’s Wolverine: Origin alongside artist Andy Kubert, which revealed the mysterious beginnings of Logan’s life for the first time ever. To celebrate 25 years since the release of this seminal work, the never-before-told darkest period of Logan’s history will finally be revealed by Jenkins and superstar artist CAFU in Wolverine: Origin III – The Dark Age, a five issue limited series launching in December. Origin III – The Dark Age is a psychologically driven and harrowing tale that will delve deep into the way Logan’s mind and memories work and explore how a twisted experience in the 1950s created the man and mutant known today as Wolverine!
Check out the main cover to Wolverine: Origin III – The Dark Age #1 by Wes Burt and a variant cover by Josemaria Casanovas.
Marvel’s What If? turns 50 this year, and the publisher has been exploring paths less trodden from fan favorite characters and teams. This week we’ve got the Runaways, who breathed new life into the teen superhero genre when they were created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona back in 2003 and even had a three season television show of uneven quality on Hulu. In What If…? Runaways,the Runaways’ most recent scribe Rainbow Rowell, artist Zulema Scotto Lavina, colorist Frank William, and letterer Travis Lanham (Who nails the series’ iconic and at the time groundbreaking upper/lowercase style except when he doesn’t capitalize proper names.) cook up a world where the Runaways become the Young Pride. However, the pull of heroism is never far away, which is kind of a cop out for the “what if” concept, but also true to the heart of the characters and ends up being a metaphor for deconstructing your parents’ beliefs. (I hope no one’s parents believed in universal genocide with the exception of you and their five closest couple friends’ kids.)
Rowell and Lavina begin the twist almost immediately with Alex Wilder being his scheming self, and the group instantly being welcomed by their parents with open arms after they stumble upon a Pride meeting. Because she is much younger than the other team members, Molly Hayes is a special case, and What If: Runaways treats her delicately as her teammates and parents gaslight her into thinking that she’s the colorful superhero Princess Powerful. Her innocence makes Molly the heart and conscience of the team, who genuinely need her because of her powerhouse mutant powers that are demonstrated in the Young Pride’s one and only mission.
This mission is easily the best part of What If: Runaways and features its biggest twist, which is because Victor Mancha never found friendship with the Runaways, he became the powerful robot assassin Victorious, who killed Captain America, and now is being used as an asset by the Pride to keep the Avengers off their tails while they kill even more people to satisfy the Gibborim. His wholesome, Doombot-befriending nature is light years away, and Zulema Scotto Levina and William draw a memorable page of Victorious wordlessly murdering his guards without remorse or conscience. Seeing his malevolence is also a turning point for the Young Pride, who realize that despite the promises of fame, power, and money, ruling a world bereft of humanity isn’t going to be a good time.
Rainbow Rowell plays it both ways with the nature versus nurture debate in What If: Runaways with the Nico, Karolina, Gert, Chase, and especially Molly always being moral, heroic rebels deep down inside (Alex is a different story.) while Victor can’t go against his Ultron-born programming. This approach makes for a better story and more nuance, especially with Alex not adopting a heroic role and being more pragmatic evil than nihilistic evil. Framing the Victorious prison break as a test is also kind of cop out too because Alex is the most amoral of the bunch giving the team a morality test. However, it’s in line with him playing the leader role, which extends to the team’s outfits aka the finest business chic/evil. Nico especially rocks the three piece suit, and it gives her a corporate heavy metal vibe when she uses the Staff of One in the story. The two years of training with their parents definitely made the once and future Runaways more confident of themselves than in the original comic, and it would be interesting to see how it would work out fighting against them and interactions with others heroes and villains. (Seriously, Chase Stein is stealthy, subtle, and still a creep, but he has more moves that blowing up things with his tech fists.) Or if that wouldn’t move the needle, bringing Alex Wilder as a pragmatic antagonist instead of a reluctant hero would be interesting too, especially in our age of moral compromises and profits above people.
What If…? Runaways scratches the nostalgia itch for one of the first Marvel series I read (Shout out to the public library for having them in digest format!) even if Rowell and Levina don’t provide any real answers on the nature vs nurture debate. Evil Victor Mancha is a scary antagonist, and even if the comic doesn’t plunge its protagonists into too much real evil, it captures the persistence and universality of all children eventually opposing their parents and then trying to figure out what they’re actually fighting for.
Story: Rainbow RowellArt: Zulema Scotto Lavina Colors: Frank William Letters: Travis Lanham Story: 8.0 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation:Read
Marvel Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
The initial battle against the Red Hulk and his forces has ended with the heroes standing victorious. Ross has been snatched by Russian forces while Colton holds the power of a god. What happens after the battle? When an unstable new power takes center stage…the Avengers – and the world – will need all the help they can get! Avengers: Armageddon #3 shifts to the next phase of this Avengers changing event.
Avengers: Armageddon #3 has been an interesting event so far. It began as almost a companion piece to the recent “One World Under Doom,” and now is focused on the bigger question which is “what’s the role of superheroes?” This isn’t a new debate, it’s one that has cropped up a few times in storylines and previous events, but it feels a little different than before.
Written by Chip Zdarsky, Avengers: Armageddon #3 has teases that it’s what has been building for some time. There’s discussions about Civil War and the registration act that launched that schism between heroes. Here, it’s more about how far superheroes should go to bring about peace.
Colton, with a power set that feels a bit familiar, has gone on the offensive and has decided to rid the world of nuclear weapons. Yes, it’s part of the plot of Superman IV, but unlike that film, the issue debates if this is the right action. Some feel it’s the role of heroes to step in only when things escalate. Let the people have their weapons but only act when they’re used. Others feel things should be much more proactive and the threat should be removed. It’s a surface level debate but an interesting one to see where individual characters come down in the debate.
Where things also get interesting is the shift in stance of the non-superheroes of the Marvel Universe. It’s clear that leaders around the world are getting tired of superheroes escalating things. There’s a major revelation about one organization and its focus going forward. One that’ll be intriguing to see how it shakes out in this series and beyond.
The art by Ario Anindito is solid. There’s a mix of action, destruction, and debate, and it all works together to really help tell the story as to where things are. Some of the more “calm” moments of Colton after his actions add a lot without words and gives the reader a better idea of the grand scope of things. Jesus Aburtov‘s colors pop and look great on the page and the lettering by Cory Petit nails down the emotions of the moments.
While Avengers: Armageddon #3 doesn’t go full in on the debate in the pro and con of superheroes, it does give a tease as to where things are going and where the characters will shake out when the dust settles. While it picks up concepts we’ve seen before, it feels like the natural progression of all of that as opposed to a retread. It’s an interesting event so far that will have major ramifications for not just the Avengers but the Marvel Universe as a whole.
Story: Chip Zdarsky Art: Ario Anindito Color: Jesus Aburtov Letterer: Cory Petit Story: 7.75 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.75 Recommendation: Read
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
This November, return to when TIME RAN OUT! Five multiverse-shattering Incursions one-shots will harken back to the advent of Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribić’s Secret Wars, revealing the untold battles from the Marvel multiverse’s final days.
The series kicks off with X-Men: Incursions #1 by Alex Paknadel and Jim Towe, pitting two iconic mutant realities—Days of Future Past and House of M—against each other. The series continues with Spider-Man:Incursions #1 by Christos Gage and more; Fantastic Four:Incursions #1 by Ethan S. Parker, Griffin Sheridan, and Paco Medina;X-Men ’92: Incursions #1 by Chris Yost, Craig Kyle and more; and Avengers: Incursions #1 by Al Ewing and Fran Mariscal Mancilla. In each one-shot, worlds from Marvel history collide, with only one left standing. Fans will journey across a wide range of universes from Marvel storytelling, including classic eras, alternate timelines and beloved media adaptations.
It was the catastrophe that led to the end of both the Ultimate and Marvel Universes and birthed the conflict known as Secret Wars, but not every story of those dark days has been told!
In X-Men: Incursions #1, witness what happens when the universe of the mutant-ascendent House of M intersects with that of the Days of Future Past! In eight hours, only one can survive, or both will collide and be utterly annihilated! This devastating choice is left in the hands of Kate Pryde!
Kicking off the series, writer Alex Paknadel said “As someone who sincerely relishes the challenge of dancing between the raindrops of continuity, this project was all my Christmases come at once. I got to tell a story about what really matters, and I got to do it against the backdrop of three (!) of the biggest Marvel events of all time. I really love my job sometimes.”
Check out covers for X-Men: Incursions #1, featuring pieces by Gleb Melnikov and Secret Wars artist Esad Ribić, along with a promotional cover for the entire series by Bryan Hitch. Plus, check out an Incursions checklist and stay tuned for information on the other one-shots in the months ahead.
Jean Grey is coming home—and she’s bringing the fire. Following her intergalactic adventures as Phoenix, Jean Grey returns to Earth this November in Jean Grey #1, the start of a five-issue limited series from X-Men writer Jed MacKay and acclaimed artist Rogê Antônio, known for his recent work on Cyclops. The series comes hot on the heels of DNX, the upcoming X-Men and Fantastic Four crossover from MacKay and artist Federico Vicentini. The shocking conclusion of DNX sends Jean racing back to Earth, only to find the X-Men’s world dramatically changed. The fallout she was too late to stop will ignite a new era for MacKay’s work on X-Men, and it all begins here!
BURNING ON RE-ENTRY IN THE AFTERMATH OF DNX!
The Phoenix is headed to Earth. Jean Grey is aflame within. When she touches down, will she consume all she touches…or will she maintain control of the life-giving, life-taking power coursing through her?
Check out Jean Grey covers by Joëlle Jones, Miguel Mercado, and Nogi San. Preorder the series at your local comic shop and discover what sparks Jean Grey’s new chapter by picking up DNX starting on September 2. Jean Grey #1 comes to shelves November 25.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – Echoes of the Empire #5
(W) Ethan Sacks (A) Jethro Morales, Roi Mercado
THE BIGGEST MYSTERY OF BATUU IS REVEALED! LUKE SKYWALKER and PRINCESS LEIA have returned to BATUU to complete a mission, but a heroic act will put them face-to-face with a creature not seen for millennia! The secret of the mysterious relic is revealed in the process… and BLACK SPIRE OUTPOST will never be the same! No fans of STAR WARS and the DISNEY PARKS will want to miss the climactic final issue!
