It’s that time again!
July brings us the October comic solicitations, and that’s the month Marvel uses each year as their launchpad for a new wave of books. That’s the result of an increasingly network television influenced strategy for Marvel’s comic publishing, which sees volumes of books as seasons of a show that it makes sense to renew regularly – sometimes each year.
With their 2016 Marvel Now! initiative, Marvel has so far announced 62 titles, including a stunning 33 new launches or limited series (and that’s with only one X-Men title so far on the slate!). This post covers every single title, detailing what it’s replacing, the creators, how hyped I am, and what it will be about – plus, it points you to the collection & reading order guides where each title will be recapped.
Basically: this is your one-stop resource for all things Marvel Now! 2016.
If a title isn’t on the Now! list, is that a smoking gun that it’s cancelled without a replacement? That’s unclear. For example, Moon Knight releases issue #7 in October, but the issue listed for Now! is #10 – so, these new jumping-on points will be staggered. It could be some of the unlisted books are mid-arc and didn’t make sense to label as Now, or it could be they’re due for a relaunch in the new year. Of course, I expect some of them will simply wrap up in the three months of Now launches.
Here’s the list of titles so far absent from the Marvel Now checklist:
- A-Force #10 – It would make sense for this to be cancelled, as Kelly Thompson now has another ongoing, but it’s also Marvel’s marquee all-female team book.
- Agents of SHIELD #10 – While this hasn’t been selling gangbusters, we’re also coming up on a new season of the show, so it would be awkward to be without a book to accompany it.
- All New All Different Avengers #15 – This is splitting into both Avengers and Champions
- All New Wolverine #13
- All New X-Men #14
- Amazing Spider-Man #20 – Confirmed to be continuing for now; could get restarted after Clone Conspiracy
- Astonishing Ant-Man #13 – Final issue; no word yet on where Ant-Man is heading
- Carnage #13
- Extraordinary X-Men #15
- Invincible Iron Man #14 – Restarting in Marvel Now
- Mockingbird #8
- New Avengers #17 – Cancelled for U.S.Avengers
- Nighthawk #6
- Old Man Logan #12
- Scarlet Witch #11
- Spider-Man / Deadpool #10
- Spidey #11
- Uncanny X-Men #14
- Venom Space Knight #13 – While not confirmed, this would appear to be replaced by the new Venom ongoing
- Vision #12 – This is the final issue
- X-Men 92 #8
And now, onto the 2016 Marvel Now lineup!
Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows (New!)
Tagline: One More Chance
Hype Factor: 
Creators: Written by Gerry Conway with art by Ryan Stegman
Visit the Guide: Spider-Man
This one is intriguing. First, Marvel has been incredibly supportive of classic creator Conway over the past few years . He’s currently their only writer of that amount longevity aside from Peter David. It speaks volumes to see him paired with one of their marquee, big-title artists like Ryan Stegman.
Then, you have the concept of this title, which extends a Secret Wars What-If scenario that saw Peter Parker and Mary Jane still together and raising a child (who, canonically, was miscarried by MJ).
If it wasn’t for Stegman, it would be easy to assume this was a throw-away extension of that What If. However, given that DC just conducted a backdoor relaunch of an old-school, married-to-Lois Superman in exactly the same fashion, I think we need to pay closer attention to this one.
Avengers (replaces All-New, All-Different Avengers)
Tagline: Kang War One!
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Mark Waid with art by Mike Del Mundo
Visit the Guide: Avengers & New Avengers
Marvel returns to their marquee title after a year-and-a-half break, and it’s back with a vengeance – Waid at the steering wheel, the uncanny art of cover-art star Del Mundo on the interior, and a heavy hitting team that keeps the popular pair of Sam Wilson Cap and Lady Thor. This will be one to watch, especially with a long-teased Kang War front and center.
We’ll also be getting a .1 flashback storyline threaded into these issues that addresses the already heavily re-addressed period where Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Hawkeye joined the team, written by Waid and with art by Barry Kitson (tagline: Earth’s Mightiest Shoes To Fill).
Black Panther (returning with #7)
Tagline: The Crew: Come At The King, Best Not Miss
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates with art by Chris Sprouse
The first few issues of Coates’s thoughtful epic have been largely well-received by fans and we know he’s already turned in scripts through issue #11. Sprouse isn’t a terrible fit to try to keep some continuity with launch artist Brian Stelfreeze, although it was certainly thrilling to have an all-black creative team on this character – it paid off in Stelfreeze’s carefully cultivated character, costume, and architecture designs.
Black Widow (returning with #7)
Tagline: No More Secrets
Hype Factor: 
Creators: Written by Mark Waid & Chris Samnee with art by Samnee.
This title only has a few issues out but has already been a major hit with fans, and Marvel is now being quite explicit that Samnee is behind the wheel as the plotter with Waid simply along for polish.
Bullseye (New!)
Tagline: Man Without Hope
Hype Factor: 
Creators: Written by Ed Brisson with art by Guillermo Sanna
The first of many villain-centric titles on this list, though Bullseye can fairly be called the highest-profile and most well-developed of them all besides Kingpin. Perhaps this telegraphs a Bullseye appearance in Season 3 of Daredevil on Netflix? If you recognize Brisson’s name, it may be as a longtime letterer – he’s newer as a writer. He mostly been on creator-owned and licensed titles to date with nothing by Marvel.
Cage! (Limited Series)
Tagline: Christmas Comes Early
Hype Factor: 
Creators: Written and drawn by Genndy Tartakovsky
Visit the Guide: Luke Cage
The creator of Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack and Star Wars: Clone Wars has long flirted with this out-of-continuity Cage series, and finally finished it up on his own so Marvel can get it on the racks. While that’s excited a mass of fans who thought this series was destined to be a mere rumor, some have taken umbrage with the white, Russian-American Tartakovsky focusing on Cage’s blaxploitation roots (and on how he’s illustrated that).
I see the issue clearly, but can also appreciate a creator wanting to return to the essentials of a character who has since evolved significantly. That said, as a cartoony, out-of-continuity series, this isn’t for me.
Captain America: Sam Wilson (returning with #14)
Tagline: #TakeBackTheShield
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Nick Spencer with art by Daniel Acuna
Visit the Guide: Captain America
While Spencer’s profile has exploded with attention on his Hydra-Cap storyline in the other Cap title, his Sam Wilson has been an incredibly solid effort. With Acuna still on board for art, this is a run where Spencer’s strong long-term plotting can really blossom.
Captain America: Steve Rogers (returning with #7)
Tagline: Hail Hydra!
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Nick Spencer with art by Jesus Saiz
Visit the Guide: Captain America
This is a second arc of Spencer’s controversial Hydra Cap, and given the preview art and tagline it doesn’t look like he’s ready to let up on the mystery quite yet!
Captain Marvel (replaces Captain Marvel (2015))
Tagline: Divided We Stand
Hype Factor: 
Creators: Written by Margaret Stohl with art by Ramon Rosanas
Visit the Guide: Captain & Ms. Marvel
Marvel has lost the plot with Captain Marvel in a post-DeConnick world, despite featuring her as the lead character in Civil War. Can novelist Stohl bring a magic touch to the character as she did on her well-received Black Widow novel? She seems like the kind of writer that Marvel would allow to steer Carol up to her movie debut, but so did the last team they assigned to Danvers and they’re gone now!
An interesting aspect of this relaunch is that Captain Marvel is now exactly where she saw herself in the House of M reality a decade ago that brought her back into the limelight – a hero known to all. Is she ready to deal with that as her actual reality?
Champions (replaces All-New, All-Different Avengers)
Tagline: Change The World
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Mark Waid with art by Humberto Ramos
Visit the Guide: Avengers & New Avengers
In the wake of Civil War II, Marvel is collapsing many of its younger heroes down to this team – the first to revive the Champions name since the 1970s! Fan reaction to Waid’s Avengers has been lukewarm, and with the addition of characters like Teen Cyclops and Teen Vision this team is even more watered-down than that one was.
Adding the disfigured drawing of Ramos and the WTF name and this would be a total flatline with fans – except, Waid and Ramos were the team behind the celebrated DC teen hero book Impulse. Still, those sorts of “recapure the magic” combos from Marvel haven’t always been successful (see the J.M. DeMatteis & Keith Ian Giffen 2005 Defenders series).
Daredevil (returning with #15)
Tagline: Man Without Faith
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Charles Soule with art by Ron Garney
Visit the Guide: Daredevil
Same as it was last fall – Soule on Daredevil is a dream come true, and Garney is one of the best artists working today. That he’s still around a year into the story says that Marvel is really putting weight (and dollars) behind this title.
Doctor Strange (returns with #12)
Tagline: Bloody Reunions
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Jason Aaron with art by Chris Bachalo
Visit the Guide: Doctor Strange
Marvel keeps this A-list team intact on a book that will have all eyes on it with Doctor Strange making his film debut – but, this isn’t the only place to get your Strange fix, as Marvel is planning to explode him into a new multi-title franchise!
Doctor Strange: Mystic Apprentice (New!)
Hype Factor: 
Visit the Guide: Doctor Strange
Supposedly an origins-type series for Doctor Strange; he’s already had two in the past decade.
Doctor Strange: Sorcerers Supreme (New!)
Tagline: Ripped From Their Time to Save Ours
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Robbie Thompson with art by Javier Rodriguez
Visit the Guide: Doctor Strange
I have no interest in a book predicated on a time travel plot, especially when there are so many present day magic users being neglected in the Marvel Universe. My attention perks up a bit when I see Thompson’s name (he’s been solid on Silk) plus Rodriguez (great on Spider-Woman). Despite that, it feels like Marvel simply took the next best Doctor Strange pitch after Aaron’s whose creators were free and promoted it to series to take advantage of the movie – it doesn’t sound essential.
Deadpool (returns with #21)
Tagline: Madcap Recall
Hype Factor: 
Creators: Written by Gerry Duggan with art by Mike Hawthorne
Visit the Guide: Cable & Deadpool
With the Total Recall shout-out on the cover, who knows where this is headed!
Deadpool & The Mercs For The Money (returns with #4)
Tagline: Mo’ Mercs Mo’ Monkeys
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Cullen Bunn with art by Iban Coello
Visit the Guide: Cable & Deadpool
This is actually a second volume of a 2016 series of this name, relaunched to ongoing after an initial mini-series. With a mega-successful film under his belt, it seems Deadpool has earned back the sideline series he had in the early 10s before their sales flagged. Bunn is a longtime expert at tossaway sideline Deadpool, and I can hardly argue with Domino in a starring role.
Deadpool: Back in Black (Limited Series)
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Cullen Bunn wirth art by Salva Espin
Visit the Guide: Cable & Deadpool
With the success of Duggan’s Deadpool flashback issues and the character’s general penchant for parody, Marvel keeps going back to the well with more retcon series to insert Deadpool into events that predate his debut. This time we’ll see him donning the symbiote suit after Peter Parker manages to rid himself of it after Secret Wars.
Death of X (Limited Series)
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Jeff Lemire and Charles Soule with art by Aaron Kuder
Marvel has been progressively doing a worse and worse job handling X-Men since 2012, and I don’t think this will be the book to change that. However, Marvel wouldn’t be wasting time (and two headline writers) on this flashback to the time directly after Secret Wars if there wasn’t something revelatory to be shown by depicting it. Is there a blockbuster reveal for the X-Men here other than Cyclops’s fate? Or, is Marvel simply hoping to further cross-pollenate X-Fans into Inhumans territory?
Foolkiller (New!)
Tagline: The Doctor is [In]Sane
Hype Factor: 
Creators: Written by Max Bemis with art by Dalibor Talajic
One of many villain books Marvel is throwing at the wall to try to make stick this go round. As a lifelong Marvel reader, I had to look up this character to remind myself of who he was – not a great sign. Say Anything frontman Bemis has yet to write anything that has stuck out to me, though some liked his out-of-continuity Worst X-Man Ever.
Gamora (New!)
Tagline: Deadliest Woman In The Galaxy
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Nicole Perlman with art by Marco Checchetto
Visit the Guide: Guardians of the Galaxy
Finally, after years of stewing, the Perlman Gamora series is here – and it’s with perhaps my favorite current Marvel artist, Checchetto! The likelihood that this series was being held back was due to it being a potential dud seems pretty low given Checchetto returning from Star Wars work to illustrate it.
Guardians of the Galaxy (returning)
Tagline: The Epic Final Arc
Hype Factor: 
Creators: Written by Brian Bendis with art by Valerior Schiti
Visit the Guide: Guardians of the Galaxy
We’ve seen plenty (perhaps TOO MUCH) of the Guardians on Earth in the past few years. I think the bigger story here is the tagline – Bendis’s run is almost over, so who will be writing Guardians when their second movie hits next year?!
Hawkeye (replaces All-New Hawkeye)
Tagline: West Coast Avengers
Hype Factor: 
Creators: Written by Kelly Thompson with art by Leonardo Romera
Visit the Guide: Hawkeye
I adore Kelly Thompson, and it seems like Marvel editorial understands completely the types of titles she was born to write. Handing her Kate Bishop in her first solo title is perfect – not just because Thompson can handle Bishop’s sass, but because she’ll also be willing to burst the bubble of perfectionism the character usually floats within.
Invincible Iron Man (replaces Invincible Iron Man)
Tagline: I.M. Woman
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Brian Bendis with art by Stefano Caselli
Visit the Guide: Iron Man
I’ve already covered this one in depth. There are a lot of challenges inherent in Bendis writing this character – chief amongst them his repeatedly failure to write compellingly about identity on his similarly race-bent Spider-Man. However, the net positives – and possibilities – are positive.
Infamous Iron Man (replaces International Iron Man)
Tagline: Iron Doom
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Brian Bendis with Alex Maleev
Visit the Guide: Iron Man
Of all Bendis-plus-artist team-ups, his work with Maleev is consistently the most-inspired despite it never being a surefire hit (see Spider-Woman, Moon Knight). However, the villains-turned-heroes formula from Bendis is a known winner with fans based on the gangbuster sales of Dark Avengers. The fascination of seeing Doctor Doom playing hero – and detangled from Fantastic Four – should draw tons of fans.
Iron Fists (New!)
Tagline: A double dose of living weapons!
Hype Factor: 
Creators: Written by Kaare Andrews with art by Afu Chan
Visit the Guide: Iron Fist
After completely ruining Iron Fist’s mythology in an unattractive series rife with nonsense and then swearing off Marvel due to his rude treatment by editorial, Kaare Andrews is back for more and he’s introducing a pint-sized sidekick to Iron Fist!
Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I’ve loved Andrews’ bizarro take on superheroes before and I’m sure there are some people out there delighted by this development (especially due to Afu Chan’s marvelous art). I can’t help but see this as a massive missed opportunity as Iron Fist is about to explode into prominence by appearing on Netflix’s Luke Cage series. This should be helmed by a creator with the track record of Duggan, Hopeless, or Pak.
Jessica Jones (New!)
Tagline: Alias: Jessica Jones
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Brian Bendis with art by Michael Gaydos and covers by David Mack
She’s finally back – Jessica Jones returns to a starring role for the first time in a decade, helmed by the team that created her back in 2001. This is quite the high-wire to walk in the wake of a Netflix Jessica Jones series that squandered all of Bendis’s deft character work in favor of playing out a handful of issues of Purple Man’s torture at length.
Will Bendis bring back Purple Man to center this book? How will he write our previously unstable, unreliable hero now that she’s married with a child and is an occasional guest Avenger? I look forward to finding out.
Kingpin (New!)
Tagline: Man Without Flaw
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Matthew Rosenberg with art by Ben Torres
The recent history of Marvel’s villain-centric series tells us this will likely wind up as a limited series or “maxi-series” with a finite shelf-life of 6-12 issues. Rosenberg is a relatively new comic writer who penned a Quake one-shot and some Secret Wars tie-ins for Marvel in the past year. This could be a great, noirish, non-superhero-y crime book if Rosenberg gets things right, and that’s something Marvel is lacking at the moment.
The Mighty Thor (returns with #15)
Tagline: The Asgard / Shi’ar War
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Jason Aaron with art by Russell Dauterman
Visit the Guide: Thor
This represents a major branch-out by Lady Thor into the wider universe of Marvel, both figuratively and literally. The Shi’ar have been mostly out of the spotlight since the end of the War of Kings saga despite a few pokes from the X-Men titles. This should be thrilling, unless it’s just Aaron’s way of biding time – so far ever chapter of his epic has felt pretty essential.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (returning with #13)
Tagline: Smarty-Pants
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Amy Reeder & Brandon Montclare with art by Natacha Bustos
This decidedly different superhero title following a black girl scientist and her red dinosaur friend was one of Marvel’s biggest gambles heading into All-New, All-Different Marvel. Readers have been largely positive on the story, and it’s a rare book with both a female writer and illustrator, so it’s really gratifying to see it make it into a second year of storytelling!
Moon Knight (returns with #10)
Tagline: Personalities Disordered
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Jeff Lemire with art by Greg Smallwood
Visit the Guide: Moon Knight
Despite my initial misgivings, this Lemire Moon Knight focused on the character’s craziness has gone over well with readers. I’m looking forward to reading the first trade!
Mosiac (New!)
Tagline: Hero With a Thousand Faces
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Geoffrey Thorne with art by Khary Randolph
Marvel has been hyping this new Inhuman’s book for months now as a sort of heroic Quantum Leap, with Mosiac occupying the bodies of different characters in each issue. That sort of pseudo-anthology isn’t a sweet spot in Marvel’s sales and their Inhumans interest is weak.
The x-factor here is Thorne, a black actor turned-writer who has done everything from TV writers’ rooms to novels. Marvel is hit-and-miss in making good use of that kind of blockbuster talent – let’s hope Thorne sticks.
Ms. Marvel (returning with #12)
Tagline: Not So Marvelous
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by G. Willow Wilson with art by Takeshi Miyzawa
Visit the Guide: Captain & Ms. Marvel
I’ve yet to read any post-Secret Wars Ms. Marvel, so I can’t say if the quality has sustained.
Nova (???)
Tagline: Coming Soon
Hype Factor:
Creators: TBA
Visit the Guide: Nova
Fans are reading this promo as a tease of the return of Richard Rider as Nova. I enjoy Rider and his evolution via the Annihilation era of Marvel’s cosmic books, but Marvel had a much better thing going with the young Sam Alexander as Nova than with a Rider retread.
What could make this successful is keeping it adult and rooted in deep space adventure – as Marvel is really lacking for that right now with the neutering of Guardians of the Galaxy.
Occupy Avengers (New!)
Tagline: Taking Back Justice
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by David Walker with art by Gabriel Walta
Visit the Guide: TBA, but will likely be referenced in both Avengers & New Avengers and Hawkeye
It’s hard to know what to expect from this title, which features an odd combo of Hawkeye, Cage, and what seems to be Jessica Jones on the cover. Given the implication of the title and Hawkeye’s recent in-comic actions, this could represent an insurgent, populist version of The Avengers (which would previously earn it the title of “Mighty”).
While that doesn’t sound too thrilling, Walta has become Marvel’s secret weapon on thoughtful, subversive titles – his appearance here indicates there could be more than meets the eye.
Patsy Walker, A.K.A. Hellcat! (returns with #11)
Tagline: Black Cat Scratch Fever!
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Kate Leth with art by Britney Williams
Leth’s Hellcat has been a sleeper hit of Marvel Now, especially with the first trade edition now on the shelves and reaching a whole new wave of YA fans who aren’t into single issues. I think this title has entered the pantheon of Marvel YA Gold along with Ms. Marvel and Squirrel Girl.
Prowler (New!)
Tagline:
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Sean Ryan with art by Jamal Campbell.
A big ol’ yawn from me on this one – of Spider-Man’s peripheral rogue’s gallery, there are many characters I’d rather see with this book – primarily amongst them Wraith. Ryan bopped around several specials and annuals before landing Nova as an ongoing, which didn’t garner much attention.
Punisher (returns with #7)
Tagline: Into The Wild
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Becky Cloonan with art by Steve Dillon
Visit the Guide: Punisher
Cloonan’s Punisher was one of the latest-breaking Marvel Now series, and so far it’s been positively received. Given that we now have an official green-light for Punisher to return to Marvel’s Netflix Universe, I suspect he’ll maintain a marquee team on his book.
Power Man & Iron Fist (returning with #10)
Tagline: Harlem Burns!
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by David Walker with art by Sanford Greene
Visit the Guide: Luke Cage
The persistent critique of this off-kilter book has been of a nagging Jessica Jones as a supporting character. With her back to her own series, perhaps this can keep the focus on its two heroes and avoid that particular gendered stereotype.
Rocket Racoon (New!)
Tagline: Grounded and Hounded
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Matthew Rosenberg
Visit the Guide: Guardians of the Galaxy
I’m not convinced that Rocket Raccoon has much of a raison d’etre without a proven YA writer like Skottie Young behind the wheel to create cross-generational appeal. While I’m excited for Rosenberg on Kingpin, I’m not so sure this will be a great fit for him – I expressly do not want a grounded, tough-as-nails, adult-oriented Rocket book.
Silver Surfer (returns with #9)
Tagline: Every Relationship Needs Space
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Dan Slott with art by Mike Allred
Visit the Guide: Silver Surfer
One of the bests comics being created today continues. Every month with a new issue is a gift.
Slapstick (New!)
Tagline: Don’t Try This At Home, Kids
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Reilly Brown & Fred Van Lente with art by Reilly Brown & Mike Norton
Fans are a blend of agape and aghast that Marvel is launching an ongoing series of this short-lived 90s hero – a living cartoon in the real world. Yet, Van Lente has proven his strength on comedic projects with a hint of pathos. And, Brown is back as a writer (he’s typically a penciller) after an audition on Cable & Deadpool: Split Second. This one might have some surprises in store.
Solo (New!)
Tagline: Alone Again … Naturally
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Gerry Duggan & Geoffrey Thorne with art by Paco Diaz
I’m more than a little annoyed to see the reliable Duggan on this tossaway title rather than Iron Fist revamp, but I love that he’s paired with new Marvel writer Thorne who is creating Mosiac. That gives Solo the best writerly pedigree of all the seemingly throwaway anti-hero titles, and Diaz is usually terrific, but Solo is probably the character with the most anonymity out of all of the upcoming villain books.
Spider-Gwen (returning with #15)
Tagline: Miles and Gwen, sitting in a tree…
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Jason Latour with art by Robbi Rodriguez
Visit the Guide: Spider-Woman
Spider-Gwen has retained decent sales and hasn’t stopped tickling fans thanks to Latour’s deftness with reimagining Spider-Man’s early years through an alternate lens. It’s amazing that this in-demand team is still intact going on two years with the character – Rodriguez must be having a lot of fun!
Spider-Man (returning with #12)
Tagline: … K-I-S-S-I-N-G
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Sara Pichelli
Visit the Guide: Spider-Man
I’d typically be tempted to leave you with a “Bendis keeps writing Spider-Man,” but I also must point out that Miles has now been aged enough that he’s making out with the still-young alternate timeline original love of the original Peter Parker, Gwen Stacey.
That puts another interracial kiss front-and-center on a Marvel cover after last year’s between Sam Wilson and Lady Thor, plus the ongoing relationship of Jones and Cage). On one hand, as half of an interracial relationship, I really appreciate that level of visibility and support from Marvel! And yet… there are other layers of representation and diversity to show and tell us about.
Spider-Man: The Clone Conspiracy (Limited Series)
Tagline: Dead No More
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Dan Slott with Jim Cheung
Visit the Guide: Spider-Man
The thing about Dan Slott, aside from his internet behavior making me want to skip reading his books, is that he plays the best long game of all of Marvel’s current writers. That’s because he’s actually playing the long game, considering he’s been writing Spidey for the better part of a decade now. That means Spider-Man stories can have big pay-offs the way comics used to for the past five decades before Marvel started playing creator-go-round every few years. I’m excited to see what this entails despite myself (and despite Slott).
Star-Lord (replaces Legendary Star-Lord)
Tagline: Grounded and Busted
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Kris Anka
Visit the Guide: Guardians of the Galaxy
After two years, Sam Humphries run on Peter Quill has ended – and it’s a major surprise to see who is picking up the reigns of this leading man! Chip Zdarksy is an actual crazy person, and his sardonic world-view comes through loud and clear on the farcical Howard the Duck. If anyone can bring the Chris Pratt voice to Quill, it’s Zdarsky – especially in combination with the increasingly-reliable Kris Anka. PS: Expect some beefcake-y art from this one, Zdarsky and Anka won’t be able to resist.
Thanos (New!)
Tagline: Ongoing Evil
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Jeff Lemire with art by Mike Deodato
Marvel has had past success with Thanos as an ongoing star and he has the eternal heat of Marvel film fans now behind him. Lemire excels on weird, non-heroic solo series, and he’s paired with the always-spectacular Mike Deodato. Unless Lemire’s concept is a wide miss, this will be a must-read series.
Silk (returning with #13)
Tagline: One Big Happy Family
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Robbie Thompson with art by Tana Ford
Visit the Guide: Spider-Woman
Of the trio of spider-women, Silk has been on the bubble without the fan heat of Spider-Gwen or the history of Spider-Woman. It’s positive to see her still running with Thompson behind the wheel.
Spider-Man 2009 (returns with #21)
Tagline: Family Feud
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Peter David with art by Will Sliney
Marvel is pleasantly surprising me with their dedication to this David/Sliney jam, which if you add the prior volume’s issues is now into the 30s and closing in on the length of the original 46-issue run. I haven’t read much since Spider-Verse, so I need to catch up!
Spider-Woman (returning with #13)
Tagline: Trick or Treat!
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Dennis Hopeless with art by Veronica Fish
Visit the Guide: Spider-Woman
It’s a pity that launch artist Javier Rodriguez is off to other work, but fantastic that Marvel snagged Fish from Archie after some recent spider-lady work. If I’m not mistaken, this will mark the first time Hopeless has been paired with a female artist on any of his female-led titles – I’ve very interested to see the resulting tone.
Squadron Supreme (returning with #13)
Tagline: Finding Namor
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by James Robinson with art by Leonard Kirk
Marvel is really insistent that this one is going to last despite non-existent fan interest. Given the tagline, I suspect Robinson has some final tidying up of Namor to do as a character before Marvel puts this title down for good.
Thunderbolts (returns with #7)
Tagline: Caught In The Act!
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Jim Zub with art by Jon Malin
Visit the Guide: Thunderbolts & Dark Avengers
This book has relatively low hype levels thus far despite being a major relaunch on the heels of Winter Soldier’s appearance in the Standoff crossover and the Civil War movie. Bucky Barnes hasn’t been able to maintain his own title yet. That could mean this is a final arc.
The Totally Awesome Hulk (returns with #15)
Tagline: Big Apple Showdown
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Greg Pak
Visit the Guide: Hulk
I’m happy this title is still out in the world and will simply note that the promo cover here has collected six superheroes with Asian-continent lineages into one image without even touching X-Men and that is awesome.
U.S.Avengers (replaces New Avengers)
Tagline: America Assemble
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Al Ewing with art by Paco Medina
Visit the Guide: Avengers & New Avengers
This is a tongue-in-cheek continuation of New Avengers as an ultra-patriotic title with the same creators and the core of Sunspot and (a newly white-skinned) Sunspot intact, plus Squirrel Girl, a future Cap, and the return of Red Hulk. Fans have found Ewing’s Avengers a little light-weight, but many have enjoyed the personalities.
Ultimates2 (replaces Ultimates)
Tagline: Who Chained The Cosmos?
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Al Ewing with art by Travel Foreman.
A direct continuation of Ewing’s hyper-popular, universe-spanning, big-thinking team with seemingly no cast shakeups and the beautiful art of Travel Foreman (who I adore from Animal Man). This will likely continue to be awesome.
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (returns with #16)
Tagline: She’s here to eat some nuts, kicks some butts … and fly somewhat
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Ryan North with art by Erica Henderson
With the recent end of Chip Zdarsky’s run on Howard The Duck I found myself holding my breath while scrolling through these announcements in search of the similarly quirky Squirrel Girl. Luckily, North and Henderson are continuing their hilarious and heartfelt run on the title. It’s hard to believe we’re up to #16 already on a second volume, and even harder to believe that the joke of a Squirrel Girl ongoing simply has not run its course!
The Unbelievable Gwenpool (returns with #7)
Tagline: G.W.E.N.P.O.O.L.
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Christopher Hastings with art by Gurihiru
This improbable parody character continues to have a hold over readers as the combination of two of the hottest things at Marvel – Deadpool and Spider-Gwen. I’ve yet to read her, since she hasn’t hit trade yet, so I’m not sure how hype to be about its return.
Uncanny Avengers (returns with #15)
Tagline: Going Rogue
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Gerry Duggan with art by Pepe Larraz
Visit the Guide: Uncanny Avengers
This title has cemented itself as a sort of X-Men Legacy: The Next Generation as a Rogue-headlined mash-up of many B-List characters (aside from Cap and Deadpool). The addition of Cable makes it even more of a lure to X-fans – honestly it could be Marvel’s best X-book at the moment.
Uncanny Inhumans (returns)
Tagline:
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Charles Soule with art by Kev Walker.
Let’s get down to it: Marvel has put their all into Inhumans for two years and it’s just not happening. It’s selling in the range of a tertiary X-Men title and Marvel has quietly slid the Inhumans film off of the schedule. Despite the addition of fan-favorite Kev Walker on art, this is just another background title for Marvel at this point – as evidenced by the crash of its supporting title.
The Unstoppable Wasp (New!)
Tagline: Nothing’s More Unstoppable Than a Teenage Girl
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Jeremy Whitley with art by Elsa Charretier
While I’d typically be underwhelmed by a replacement Wasp headlining her own title, this is notable for Whitley, who pens the popular YA title Princeless. Charretier is fresh from DC’s Starfire and has a simple, retro look reminiscent of the late Darwyn Cooke. This could wind up as a monster young-readers title if Marvel markets it well.
The Unworthy Thor (in addition to The Mighty Thor)
Tagline: Ultimate Redemption?
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Jason Aaron with art by Olivier Coipel
Visit the Guide: Thor
This book is the biggest bombshell of the Marvel Now announcements – Thor returning to ongoing status after two years as a supporting character in his own title accompanied by returning Thor artist Coipel. This is a can’t-miss comic that will likely see Aaron begin to clue us in as to what rendered Thor unworthy at the end of his Original Sin event.
Venom (replaces Venom: Space Knight)
Tagline: Lethal Arrival
Hype Factor:
Creators: Written by Mike Costa with art by Gerardo Sandoval
Between the “Lethal” tagline and the vicious cover art, this doesn’t look anything like Flash Thompson! That means we’re getting our first significant return to another character in the symbiote suit since Dark Reign in 2009. This is a decent team, but I’m a big Flash-as-Venom fan – if it’s not him in the suit, I don’t see a lot of value in this relaunch.
I don’t think any other comic company in history has published so many titles that start with U! For even more delightful dissection of this line-up of books, I highly recommend the Comics Alliance roundtable – it’s a group of like-minded folks who add a lot of useful context and thoughtful analysis to some of these selections.