The Marvel Now! initiative is finally here and I could not be more excited! In case you have been living under a rock lately, Marvel Now! is Marvel’s answer to the DC New 52 and will serve as a fresh jumping-on point for prospective readers. The main advantage Marvel Now! has over DC’s New 52 is that it isn’t changing any Marvel history, but rather serving as a new refocus for a lot of the teams and heroes. The best thing about a huge “refocusing” is that it attracts some of the best writers and artists working in the history today. And Marvel sure does have some powerful lineups as evidenced this week with the release of UNCANNY AVENGERS #1 written by Rick Remender (UNCANNY X-FORCE) with art by the amazingly talented John Cassaday (ASTONISHING X-MEN).
If you are on the fence about this whole Marvel Now! business, I highly recommend heading to the comic shop and picking up UNCANNY AVENGERS #1 which serves as the first official on-going title in the Marvel Now! lineup. The quality in writing and art speaks for itself and will prove to you that Marvel is not messing around.
Now that things have kicked off with UNCANNY AVENGERS #1, fans can look forward to a whole slew of new on-going series to trickle out between now and the end of December. To help move things along, Marvel has released a title called MARVEL NOW! POINT ONE #1 which will serve as a gateway for what’s to come. Fans can also look forward to the #1 issue of a new title called A+X where heroes form Avengers and X-Men team up with one another to kick ass! This title will release on October 31st and will featured a large list of contributing writers including Jeph Loeb (BATMAN: HUSH), Dale Keown (THE INCREDIBLE HULK), and Dan Slott (THE MIGHTY AVENGERS) just to name a few. Should be fun.
Once November hits, the Marvel Now! titles will be hitting shelves in full force. Check out Marvel’s Marvel Now! website for a full rundown of authors, artists, and plot details that is updated regularly. For starters, here is a rundown of what to expect in the coming months:
November 7th – DEADPOOL #1 and IRON MAN #1
November 14th – ALL-NEW X-MEN #1, FANTASTIC FOUR #1, THOR: GOD OF THUNDER #1, UNCANNY AVENGERS #2, X-MEN LEGACY #1
November 21st – CAPTAIN AMERICA #1, DEADPOOL #2, INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK #1, IRON MAN #2
November 28th – A+X #2, ALL-NEW X-MEN #2, FF #1, THOR: GOD OF THUNDER #2, X-MEN LEGACY #2
Wow that’s a lot of stuff for my nerd brain to process. I will say I am most looking forward to the mentioned UNCANNY AVENGERS, ALL-NEW X-MEN written by Brian Bendis (HOUSE OF M), and DEADPOOL written by comedian Brian Posehn (so cool!) and Gerry Duggan. I must also admit that the new series FF written by Matt Fraction (HAWKEYE) peaks my interest and looks like one of the more creatively unique tiles in the MARVEL NOW! lineup.
The future for Marvel fans looks promising indeed. Make sure you check back in the coming months to see what Marvel Now! has in store for us in December and beyond! Until then, have fun reading these new and fun titles. And one more thing. Keep yours fingers crossed with me for my man Scott Summers being involved in all this awesome Marvel action.
Stay Tuned!
In the San Francisco area looking for your MARVEL NOW! comic book fix? If so, Check out MISSION: COMICS & ART. They’ve got you covered!
