After looking at the DC Comics July solicitations the other day, it’s only fair that Marvel gets a proper look for the merry month of September.
Already announced is Marvel’s X-Men: Battle of the Atom event, and you can find further details on that here. Plus there’s also stacks of Infinity tie-ins, including two new mini-series, the debut of Mighty Avengers, and the entrance of one hero and the exit of another.
Mighty Avengers
This was teased all month, and officially announced last week, but the latest team to join the Marvel Universe is the Luke Cage led Mighty Avengers. It’s an Infinity tie-in officially, but as an ongoing series it will see Luke Cage, White Tiger, Shadowland‘s Power Man, Superior Spider-Man, Spectrum and “a mysterious figure in an ill-fitting Spider-Man Halloween costume” in this new ongoing. It mentions Thanos’ marauders, suggesting that the events of Infinity will spin out into the bigger Marvel universe at least for a few months to come. Luke Cage is also rumoured to be a character in the forthcoming TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which happens to start around the same time of year, so join the dots as you will.
MIGHTY AVENGERS #1
L EWING (W) • GREG LAND (A/C)
Variant by BRYAN HITCH
Variant Cover by SKOTTIE YOUNG
LEGO variant by CHRISTOPHER JONES
SKETCH Lego Variant Also Available
BLANK COVER VARIANT
INFINITY TIE-IN! new ongoing series!
FROM THE BATTLEFIELDS OF INFINITY COMES THE MIGHTY AVENGERS!
• The Avengers are light-years away in space, contending with the Builders! Thanos’ marauders ransack the Earth, doing as they please! Who will stand in defense of mankind?
• Luke Cage! The Superior Spider-Man! Spectrum! The White Tiger! Power Man! And a mysterious figure in an ill-fitting Spider-Man Halloween costume! These unlikely heroes must assemble when no one else can—against the unrelenting attack of Proxima Midnight!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
Infinity Tie-Ins
If it isn’t clear already, Infinity is planned as the big event of 2013 for Marvel. It’s going to tie all of their cosmic and Thanos-related things into one big pile of comic buying awesomeness. It will encompass Avengers #19 and #20, Mighty Avengers #1, Thunderbolts #15, Nova #8, Avengers Assemble #19, Captain Marvel #16 and even Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #3 and #4. In addition to this, Marvel will also release the main titles of Infinity #2 and #3 from Jonathan Hickman this month, along with launching two mini-series to tie into the event. Infinity: The Hunt is by the team of Matt Kindt and Steven Sanders, and pits the schools of the Marvel U against each other in some kind of battle royale. Meanwhile, Frank Tieri and Al Barrionuevo take a leaf out of Oceans 11 and follows the opportunistic Spymaster to lead the crime of the century in Infinity: Heist.
INFINITY: THE HUNT #1 (of 4)
MATT KINDT (W) • STEVEN SANDERS (A)
Cover by SLAVA PASARIN
INFINITY TIE-IN!
• Hank Pym, Wolverine, and She-Hulk bring the students of the Marvel Universe together to announce a new CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS!
• This CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS pits the super students of schools all over the Marvel U (including some you’ve never seen before) against each other.
• However, the Contest is interrupted when Thanos’ forces descend on Earth. What do they have to do with the young heroes?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
INFINITY HEIST #1 (of 4)
FRANK TIERI (W) • Al Barrionuevo (A)
Cover by Ale Garza
INFINITY TIE-IN
• As the Marvel U prepares for Thanos, Spymaster and some of Marvel’s best baddies decided where there is chaos – there is opportunity!
• It’s the crime of the century and an alien invasion is all the cover they need – so why is BLIZZARD having doubts?
• Frank Tieri and Al Barrionuevo bring you the biggest score – it’s the Infinity Heist!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
X-Men: Battle of the Atom
We’ve already got a full story dedicated to this one.Throughout September and October, Marvel will celebrate the X-Men’s 50th anniversary with the “first major X-Men crossover event in over three years”. What was Avengers vs X-Men then? Creative teams includ Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Brian Wood, Frank Cho, Stuart Immonen, Chris Bachalo, David Lopez and Giuseppe Camuncoli, and will span four of the X-titles over 10 issues throughout the two months.
A full list of tie-ins and chronology can be found here.
Other stuff: Morbius and the Punisher
It will probably come as no shock that Morbius: The Living Vampire #9 will be the final issue before Marvel gives it the ol’ heave-ho from the lineup. Indeed, the only books it outsold in May apparently were Red She-Hulk #65 (even with the amazing Francesco Francavilla cover) and Fury MAX #12. Compared to some of the New 52 cancellations, this was a pretty good innings, although it now leaves a vampire homeless. Look forward to seeing Michael Morbius turning up in Infinity turning tricks for blood.
However, there’s good news for fans of The Punisher, who haven’t had much joy since the end of Greg Rucka’s run on The Punisherand The Punisher: War Zone. In Punisher: The Trial of The Punisher #1 (of 2) Marc Guggenheim and Leinil Yu ponder the unthinkable when the Punisher surrenders himself to police! The trial of the century begins as Frank Castle admits to murdering a district attorney! Is this the end of the Punisher’s war on crime? Probably not.
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