Something feels better today. Not perfect, but marginally better. To celebrate we wanted to share ten things from the Marvel solicits for April 2021 that we are looking forward to!
The Marvels, Finally
While Astro City might be on hiatus, we can at least get Astro City but with Marvel characters. Kurt Busiek has made a career on grounding heroics with the people on the street; marrying that style with Yıldıray Çınar’s art promises to make an exceptional event. The track record is good, so incredibly good, it will make you forget about how most of the Golden Age Marvel characters were bad.
THE MARVELS #1
KURT BUSIEK (W) • YILDIRAY CINAR (A) • Cover by ALEX ROSS
PAST & PRESENT Combine in an All-New Ongoing Series!
Kurt Busiek (MARVELS, Astro City) is back, with the biggest, wildest, most sprawling series ever to hit the Marvel Universe, telling stories that span the decades and range from cosmic adventure to intense human drama, from the street-level to the cosmic, starring literally anyone from Marvel’s very first heroes to the superstars of tomorrow. This first issue includes an invasion from orbit, a picnic in Prospect Park, super hero sightseeing in Manhattan, the All-Winners Squad in 1947, Reed Richards during his time in military intelligence, cosmic beings beyond space and time— and that’s only for starters. Featuring Captain America, Spider-Man, the Punisher, the Human Torch, Storm, the Black Cat, the Golden Age Vision, Aero, Iron Man and Thor, and introducing two brand-new characters, all beautifully drawn by Yildiray Cinar (X-MEN, Legion of Super-Heroes, IRON MAN) in the opening act of a thriller that’ll take us across the Marvel Universe…and beyond. Plus: Who (or what) is KSHOOM? It all starts here. And it goes…everywhere.
This Is The Way (Of X)
Some folks have complained about Nightcrawler’s limited role in the Krakoan era, there was a whole sword event and he wasn’t even invited. But we can put those to rest as Si Spurrier returns to the X-Line, flanked by artist Bob Quinn for an unmissable tale about Nightcrawler being a Youth Group pastor or something. Frankly, my youth group never did anything this cool. They just told us sex was bad. Nightcrawler would never…
WAY OF X #1
SI SPURRIER (W) • BOB QUINN (A)
Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli
THE WAY TO THE FUTURE OF X!
Mutantkind has built a new Eden… but there are serpents in this garden. Some mutants struggle to fit in. Some mutants turn to violence and death. And the children whisper of the Patchwork Man, singing in their hearts…Only one mutant senses the looming shadows.
Snared by questions of death, law and love, only NIGHTCRAWLER can fight for the soul of Krakoa. Only he – and the curious crew he assembles – can help mutants defeat their inner-darkness and find a new way to live. The WAY OF X.
SI SPURRIER (X-MEN LEGACY) and BOB QUINN (CAPTAIN AMERICA) push the frontiers of Krakoa in this unmissable entry into the bold new REIGN OF X.
Packing It Back In
The COVID-19 pandemic might have rendered the Outlawed event DOA, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy Power Pack. Ryan North (Dinosaur Comics, That Twitter thread about falling in a hole) has been quietly crafting a book that will be sure to put a smile on your face. Nico Leon’s art has been a standout. And hey, Wolverine is in this one to boost sales right as a mini-series ends. It’s gonna be fun!
POWER PACK #5 (OF 5)
RYAN NORTH (W) • NICO LEON (A)
Cover by MIRKA ANDOLFO
• It all comes down to this! Over the course of this series, the Power Pack has been manipulated, exploited and stolen from, and YOU’VE paid to see it happen! But don’t worry, because with this issue, NOW you’ll be paying to see them SUCCEED!!!
• …Unless, SOMEHOW, the problems they’ve got CAN’T be solved, not even if they team up with a guy with knives that pop out of his hands?
• That’s right, Wolverine completionists, your favorite Canadian is in this issue too! Along with Jack and Katie and Julie and Alex and THRILLING EVENTS REACHING AN ULTIMATE CONCLUSION, whose details shall not be spoiled here!!!
• The PACK is BACK! At least until you finish this issue.
• Aww, now I just made myself sad.
We Are The Champions
Speaking of Outlawed, The Champions are going in a new direction with a killer creative team. Danny Lore is an up and comer with a massive amount of talent. Luciano Vecchio has an unmistakable sense of style. Hard to imagine a better creative team for some of Marvels most exciting character. The Champions are fighting capitalism, and that sounds like a great place to start.
CHAMPIONS #6
DANNY LORE (W) • LUCIANO VECCHIO (A) • Cover by TONI INFANTE
“KILLER APP” STARTS HERE!
The Champions tried fighting fair. Now it’s time to fight dirty. A sinister corporation is cheating the system to try to keep Kamala’s Law on the books, so the Champions infiltrate the company to take it down from the inside. But the company’s wildly popular app is already turning public perception against teen super heroes. Can the Champions wage war on a trend? And how dirty will their hands get before it’s over?
Danny Lore (CAPTAIN AMERICA: KING IN BLACK, IRONHEART 2020) and Luciano Vecchio (IRONHEART) take the reins of a daring new era of Champions!
Actual, For Real, Legends
There is nothing we can say about Walter and Louise Simonson that hasn’t already been said. They are the power couple in comics and they are back to play with one of their most underrated runs. X-Men Legends reunites the two with X-Factor. If that doesn’t sell a comic, well then, you must not have eyes and a soul.
X-MEN LEGENDS #3
LOUISE SIMONSON (W) • WALTER SIMONSON (A/C)
THE ORIGINAL X-FACTOR RETURNS – TO BATTLE APOCALYPSE!
The mutants once known as the original X-MEN now fight the good fight as the mutant team X-FACTOR! Together with their mysterious sentient spaceship Ship and the newly transformed ARCHANGEL, they’ve defeated CAMERON HODGE and foiled APOCALYPSE’s scheme. But as Ship starts to malfunction, Apocalypse’s true plan unfolds!
Return to this classic era with legends Louise Simonson and Walter Simonson as they kick off an ALL-NEW tale set before X-FACTOR #43!
All-New, All-Different Guardians
For as much as they praise Immortal Hulk, people have been sleeping on Al Ewing’s Guardians of the Galaxy. #13 provides a jumping on point, a new artist in Juan Frigeri, and new jackets for the team! It also means we have to suffer through a Brett Booth cover, so, you know, not everything is perfect.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #13
AL EWING (W) • JUAN FRIGERI (A) • COVER BY Brett Booth
A NEW AGE OF SPACE STARTS HERE!
They were soldiers, misfits, mercenaries, thieves and a family. They were heroes… but times have changed. The galaxy no longer needs heroes.
It needs super heroes! Now, when the call goes forth – whether it’s from a stranded team of planetary explorers or Emperor Hulkling and his Kree/Skrull Alliance – the Guardians of the Galaxy answer!
The New Age of Space brings a new artist! New headquarters! New costumes! New teammates! And an all-new enemy you’ll have to see to believe! Get on board, true believer – it’s going to be the ride of your life!
Goo Gone
D Cay and R Stey end their landmark run on Venom with issue #200, and we aren’t going to check the math on that. Instead we’re going to enjoy this beautiful collage cover from Mr. Garcin, showcasing decades of the slime boy. Goodnight sweet prince.
VENOM #200
DONNY CATES (W) • RYAN STEGMAN & MORE (A)
COVER BY RYAN STEGMAN
VARIANT COVER BY MR. GARCIN
The Final Chapter in the Book of VENOM by Donny Cates & Ryan Stegman!
This is it, Venomaniacs! The landmark 200th issue starring the most sinister symbiote in the Marvel Universe arrives – and after this, NOTHING WILL BE THE SAME! From Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman, and a who’s who of artists from the issues that tore Eddie Brock’s life asunder and brought the KING IN BLACK to Earth, comes the first chapter of the rest of Venom’s life. But in Knull’s wake, what even remains of the Lethal Protector?
Goo Goes
JK, we got Venom for days as Chip “Zaddy” Zdarsky and Pasqual Ferry team up for a new era of What If? in Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow. Peter Parker is going to keep being Venom in this book. It sounds like it is going to end like any other What If? story.
Bad.
It’s going to go very bad for him.
It’s gonna be great to watch though.
SPIDER-MAN: SPIDER’S SHADOW #1 (of 4)
CHIP ZDARSKY (W) • PASQUAL FERRY (A) • Cover by PHIL NOTO
WHAT IF PETER PARKER BECAME VENOM?
Peter Parker once put on an alien suit that nearly destroyed his life – but what if he’d never taken it off? Ignoring every warning, Spidey embraces the dark symbiote! Haunted by terrible nightmares and exhausted by an endless barrage of bad guys, Peter can’t seem to catch a break these days. So when the Hobgoblin attacks, he finds a hero at the end of his rope…and vulnerable to new dark impulses. Spider-Man is about to change his rules – but is it truly Peter who is in charge? Creative powerhouses Chip Zdarsky, Pasqual Ferry and Matt Hollingsworth bring you a terrifying tale of a Peter Parker possessed and on the edge!
The Beginning
In what might be one of the weirdest omnibus’ ever collected, Marvel is releasing every story they put on newsstands in August 1961 in a big old book. That’s of course that month Fantastic Four #1 changed comics forever, but it’s fascinating to look at what comics were like before that landmark book. We have slice of life, westerns, romance and monsters. This will make a fun artifact of a weird time.
MARVEL: AUGUST 1961 OMNIBUS HC RODRIGUEZ COVER
Written by STAN LEE
Penciled by JACK KIRBY, STEVE DITKO, DON HECK, STAN GOLDBERG, AL HARTLEY, PAUL REINMAN, JACK KELLER, DICK AYERS, BOB FORGIONE, VINCE COLLETTA & MORE
Covers by JAVIER RODRIGUEZ & JACK KIRBY
In August 1961, FANTASTIC FOUR #1 hit newsstands, heralding a new take on super hero stories and the birth of the Silver Age Marvel Universe! But Marvel Comics had been around for years before that, publishing Western, romance, comedy, monster and science fiction titles — and in August 1961, FANTASTIC FOUR was just one of over a dozen very different Marvel books! Now, sixty years later, experience the excitement of being a comic book fan in that momentous month with a complete collection of every issue that shared the shelves with FF #1, many never before reprinted! Collecting JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY (1952) #73-74; KATHY #13; LIFE WITH MILLIE #13; PATSY WALKER #97; AMAZING ADVENTURES (1961) #6; FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) #1; KID COLT, OUTLAW #101; LINDA CARTER, STUDENT NURSE #2; MILLIE THE MODEL #105; STRANGE TALES (1951) #90; TALES OF SUSPENSE (1959) #23; TALES TO ASTONISH (1959) #25; GUNSMOKE WESTERN #67; LOVE ROMANCES #96; TEEN-AGE ROMANCE #84; AMAZING ADULT FANTASY #7; PATSY AND HEDY #79; and RAWHIDE KID (1960) #25.
A Pause
As interesting as it is seeing what’s here, it’s also neat seeing what wasn’t solicited. There are some huge books, including X-Men, that are skipping April. Marvel has been taking some months off, especially in the X-Men line. Shouldn’t be anything to worry about as those books have kept coming back the next month, but missing X-Men, X-Factor, Hellions and more will be rough.
Zachary Jenkins co-hosts the podcast Battle of the Atom and is the former editor-in-chief of ComicsXF. Shocking everyone, he has a full and vibrant life outside all this.
