As we move into September, we have a good mix of new series and sequels to look forward to. Also, some variant covers are in the works for the comeback of “Miracleman.” And perhaps most importantly, we’re also getting a complete omnibus that collects all of “The Invincible Squirrel Girl,” so that anyone who may have missed the chance to read it before can watch it all now. (Hey, just because the comic is over doesn’t mean I have to end my tradition of praising it in Soliciting Multiversity articles.) But for now we are focused on unique themes, and there are many good ones to look forward to…
10. The Spider and the Wolverine
Of all the Marvel team-ups, perhaps one of the most beloved is when Spider-Man and Wolverine work together. There have been entire miniseries with the two working as a team, not to mention some moments with real heart in their individual comics. So Logan is making another appearance in the Spidey book, and he’s even tied into the Hellfire Gala. Will Wolverine help Peter get through his current era of heartbreak and anger? It’s hard to say, but at the very least, it will be good to see the two of them working together.
The Amazing Spider-Man #9
Written by Zeb Wells
Illustrated by Patrick Gleason
Cover of John Romita Jr.
Variant covers by Patrick Gleason, Alex Saviuk and Leonardo Romero• ASSOCIATION OF THE HELLFIRE GALA!
• Something happens at the Hellfire Gala that sends Spider-Man and WOLVERINE on a dangerous mission across creation!
• That’s right: the best duo in comics is back, but who are they fighting and what (or whom) are they fighting? NO SPOILERS HERE!
9. War. War never changes.
Jason Aaron’s run on “Punisher” has been an engaging story so far, with the goals of the Hand and Frank’s own code often clashing while driving toward a shared goal. And despite all the talk from the Hand about his own murderous deity, now Frank gets to fight a real god, and one that’s very fond of all the blood the Punisher has spilled. Will it be action packed? Safely. Will he explore the character of Frank? With a little luck. Will it be worth reading? Absolutely.
Punisher #6
Written by Jason Aaron
Illustrated by Jesús Saiz & Paul Azaceta
Cover by Jesús Saiz• Frank Castle wants to end his war once and for all. But standing in his way is none other than the God of War himself, Ares, who sees the Punisher as his greatest disciple. A disciple who has forgotten his true self and must remember the ways of war.
8. Return to the Planet of the Hulks
Gamma radiation in the Marvel universe is an interesting thing. If you are a named character, it will most likely transform you into a powerful green-skinned creature. If you’re not, he’ll probably kill you with radiation. But Donny Cates is taking the Hulk to a planet doused with gamma radiation, and that means he’s full of his own Hulk creatures. Is it time for the Hulk against a planet full of Hulks? Hard to say, but it’s an interesting idea to explore and I look forward to seeing it come to fruition.
Hulk #10
Written by Donny Cates
Illustrated by Ryan Ottley
Cover by Ryan Ottley
Variant cover by EJ Su• “HULK PLANET” PART TWO!
• Starship Hulk has found what should be the ultimate paradise: an entire planet of Hulk-like creatures thriving in the heat of a gamma star. But Bruce can’t shake thoughts of the past or a nagging suspicion that Monolith isn’t being totally honest about what she wants from the Hulk. And then there is the matter of the planet’s “welcome committee”…
7. How does a Fantastic Four TV dinner feel?
Honestly, I was probably going to skip this one until I saw it described as “die hard in the Baxter Building. Now I’m suddenly engaged and I’m really looking forward to seeing how it plays out. We have death traps, Sue on the warpath, and her own ties to AX, which sounds like a good read to me. And if you’ve been keeping up with the Fantastic Four, you’ll want to see how it all unfolds.
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Fantastic Four #47
Written by David Pepose
Illustrated by Juan Cabal
Cover of CAFU
Variant covers by Russell Dauterman and John Tyler Christopher• AN AX COUPLING!
• Baxter 1-2-3-4 takeover starts now! With judgment looming over the Marvel Universe, Reed Richards has holed up in his Think Tank in search of answers. But with the fate of humanity at stake, what happens when OUBLIETTE MIDAS sets his sights on the Baxter Building? As the Fantastic Four fall to the Exterminatrix’s deadly traps, only one hero remains standing, but if you thought Oubliette was dangerous, it’s nothing compared to what the Invisible Woman is capable of. Get ready to Die Hard in the Baxter Building as we only have one thing left to say: Yippie-ki-yay, Marvel Universe.
6. The teams continue
In the months leading up to this, Ms. Marvel teamed up with Wolverine and Moon Knight, so who’s next? Poison, apparently. Another character I wouldn’t see in any crossover with Ms. Marvel, but considering it’s Dylan Brock, Eddie’s son, who’s still getting used to the whole “superhero” thing, it’s a perfect opportunity for Kamala to help another young man. hero (or anti-hero, as is often the case with Venom). Plus, it all leads up to an overarching story that Jody Houser has been building since the first team, so let’s see how it plays out.
Ms. Marvel and Venom #1
Written by Jody Houser
Illustrated by Dave Watcher
Cover of Sara Pichelli
Variant covers by Peach Momoko and Walter Simonson• DEADLY SYMBIOSIS!
• VENOM is on the hunt… but who is hunting Venom?!
• MS. MARVEL teams up with Dylan Brock, the new evil web-slinger on the block, as a plan to take advantage of the symbiote rears its ugly head!
• The first Venom/Ms. Partnering with Marvel is also the final move in the summer’s superhero symphony, as we reveal the connection between WOLVERINE, MOON KNIGHT and VENOM, and the team at KAMALA KHAN uncovers the bigger plot behind it all: You Won’t Believe It. . Who is pulling the strings!
5. Sentinels or Daleks?
Tell me there’s an X-adjacent comic that plays with exploitation movies and grindhouse, and I’ll give you a curious look. So tell me Leah Williams is writing it, and it includes Boom-Boom, and all of a sudden I’m on board. Leah’s work on other X-books has been particularly entertaining, so it will be fun to see what she has planned. Given the request, we can expect plenty of gratuitous violence and no shortage of death traps, but handled in a way only mutants can.
X-Terminators #1 (of 5)
Written by Lea Williams
Illustrated by Carlos Gomez
Cover by Federico Vicentini
Variant covers by Arthur Adams, Tom Muller, Skottie Young, InHyuk Lee and Terry Dodson• ENTER THE MILL OF X!
• When Jubilee and Boom-Boom agree to take Dazzler out for a night on the town to comfort her after their nasty breakup, they have no idea they’re about to be kidnapped and put into elaborate death traps for their efforts! What are three girls doing with the power to blow things up? Leah Williams and Carlos Gomez put the X to work in this story of blood, sweat and REVENGE!
4. And the Glow of the Hot Springs?
What can I say? I like teams that bring together characters from different corners of a comic book universe. Wolverine, Blade and Nico Minoru? Hell yeah, let’s see how they work together! Throw in a few more magic-based characters while you’re at it, including someone from Strange Academy, and let’s see the chaos that unfolds. (And I’m sure the fact that it comes out a month before the release of the “Marvel’s Midnight Suns” video game is just a coincidence, right?)
Midnight Suns #1 (of 5)
Written by Ethan Sacks
Illustrated by Luigi Zagaria
Cover by David Nakayama
Variant covers by Kevin Eastman and Federico Vicentini• THE RISE OF THE MIDNIGHT SUNS!
• A dark prophecy and new apocalyptic villains with horrific powers the Earth has never faced before command a team of MIDNIGHT SUNS to rise up and tear the @#$% apart: MAGIK, WOLVERINE, BLADE, SPIRIT RIDER and NICO MINOR. But what does this new threat have to do with the Sorcerer Supreme’s past? And why is STRANGE ACADEMY student ZOE LAVEAU number one on the Suns’ roster?
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3. Iron Judgment
While “AXE” is gearing up for its final edition next month, we still have plenty of connections to enjoy. This one has Kieron Gillen writing an Iron Man story (veteran readers will remember that he was in “Iron Man” just under ten years ago), showing us Tony’s struggles during this event. It’s also only the first of the “Judgment Day” one-shots, so we can look forward to even more. But like I said before, if Kieron writes it, it’s worth reading.
AX: Avengers #1
Written by Kieron Gillen
Illustrated by Federico Vicentini
Nic Klein Cover
Variant cover by Salvador Larroca• THE FIRST OF THREE STORIES: ESSENTIAL ONE-SHOTS OF JUDGMENT DAY!
• Tony Stark has spent his life building suits to protect him. He now he has to get into a suit of armor that could kill us all. Will he be able to survive? Can someone?
2. More communities
Returning readers should already know the exercise: “Marvel’s Voices” comics are excellent tributes to creators and characters who belong to underrepresented groups, and each one is worth reading. Now we return to Comunidades, with beloved Latino/Latino/Latinx characters like Nova, White Tiger, and Miles Morales taking center stage. Representation is still important, and “Marvel’s Voices” is still getting good attention.
Marvel’s Voices: Communities #1
Written by Fabian Nicieza, Alex Segura, Edgar Delgado, and more
Illustrated by Paco Media and more
Cover by Lucas Werneck
Variant covers by Phil Himenez, Chiko Shiko and Paco Medina• MARVEL VOICES: COMMUNITIES returns for another exciting celebration of the characters and creators of Marvel Latin/x! Legendary creator Fabian Nicieza takes to the stars in an action-packed Nova adventure! Superstar Edgar Delgado continues to show off his writing skills with a hair-raising spider adventure with Miles Morales! And award-winning author Alex Segura blazes a new trail for White Tiger, introducing a new character to the Marvel Mythos! And that’s just scratching the surface, not to mention the incredible lineup of new and established artists who lend their voices to this amazing anthology. Trust us, you won’t want to miss it!
1. The force is with this
When Star Wars: Visions streamed on Disney+, brought us a variety of anime-style shots at the Star Wars universe. Well, what is anime without the accompanying manga? That’s pretty much what we get with the “Star Wars: Visions” comic, starting with Takashi Okazaki continuing the story of the Ronin, as presented in “The Duel.” Captivating, detailed, black and white artwork, only illuminated by the red glow of the lightsaber? A mysterious wanderer who clearly has a dark past to go along with his abilities and weapons? Incredible fight scenes? Oh yeah, he’s going to have it all.
Star Wars: Visions #1
Written by Takashi Okazaki
Illustrated by Takashi Okazaki
Cover by Takashi Okazaki
Variant cover by Chris Bachalo• FROM THE CREATIVE MIND BEHIND STAR WARS: VISIONS EPISODE “THE DUEL” COMES AN ALL-NEW STORY!
• TAKASHI OKAZAKI (Afro Samurai) continues his narration of the acclaimed STAR WARS: VISIONS episode “THE DUEL” with the Ronin!
• STAR WARS mythology infused with elements of feudal Japan makes this issue a MUST READ for STAR WARS and MANGA fans alike!
See full applications at CBR.com.