As we get into September, we’ve got a nice mix of new series and continuations to look forward to. Plus, a few variant covers are building up to the return of “Miracleman.” And perhaps most importantly, we’re also getting a full omnibus collecting all of “The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl,” so anyone who missed their chance to read it before can catch it all now. (Hey, just because the comic is over doesn’t mean I have to end my tradition of praising it in the Soliciting Multiversity articles.) But we’re focused on single issues for now, and there’s plenty of good ones to look forward to…
10. The Spider and the Wolverine
Out of all the Marvel team-ups, perhaps one of the most beloved is whenever Spider-Man and Wolverine work together. There have been entire mini-series with the two of them working as a team, not to mention some moments with real heart in their individual comics. So Logan’s making another appearance in Spidey’s book, and it even ties in to the Hellfire Gala. Will Wolverine help Peter get through his current era of angst and anger? Hard to say, but at the very least, it’ll be nice to see the two of them working together.
Amazing Spider-Man #9
Written by Zeb Wells
Illustrated by Patrick Gleason
Cover by John Romita Jr.
Variant covers by Patrick Gleason, Alex Saviuk, and Leonardo Romero• HELLFIRE GALA TIE-IN!
• Something happens at the Hellfire Gala that sends Spider-Man and WOLVERINE on a dangerous mission all over creation!
• That’s right — the best duo in comics is back, but who are they fighting, and what (or who) are they fighting for? NO SPOILERS HERE!
9. War. War Never Changes.
Jason Aaron’s run on “Punisher” has been an engaging story so far, with the Hand’s goals and Frank’s own code often clashing while driving towards a shared goal. And for all of the Hand’s talk about their own murderous deity, now Frank gets to fight an actual god, and one who’s quite fond of all the blood the Punisher has spilled. Will it be action-packed? Most assuredly. Will it explore Frank’s character? With any 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 be reminded of the ways of war.
8. Return to the Planet of the Hulks
Gamma radiation in the Marvel universe is an interesting thing. If you’re a named character, odds are it’ll mutate you into a powerful green-skinned creature. If you’re not, it’ll probably still just kill you with radiation. But Donny Cates is taking the Hulk to a planet doused in gamma radiation, and that means it’s full of its own Hulk creatures. Is it time for Hulk vs a planet full of Hulks? Hard to say, but it’s an interesting idea to explore and one that I look forward to seeing play out.
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 under the heat of a gamma star. But Bruce can’t shake thoughts of the past or the nagging suspicion that Monolith isn’t being totally honest about what she wants from the Hulk. And then there’s the matter of the planet’s “welcoming committee”…
7. What does a Fantastic Four TV dinner feel like?
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 invested and very much want to see how it plays out. We have death traps, Sue on the warpath, and its own A.X.E. tie-ins, which all 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 plays out.
Continued belowFantastic Four #47
Written by David Pepose
Illustrated by Juann Cabal
Cover by CAFU
Variant covers by Russell Dauterman and John Tyler Christopher• AN A.X.E. TIE-IN!
• The Taking of Baxter 1-2-3-4 begins now! With judgment looming over the Marvel Universe, Reed Richards has locked himself in his Think Tank in search of answers. But with the fate of humanity on the line, what happens when OUBLIETTE MIDAS sets her sights on the Baxter Building? As the Fantastic Four falls before the Exterminatrix’s death 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 for Die Hard in the Baxter Building, as we’ve only got one thing left to say: Yippie-ki-yay, Marvel Universe.
6. The Team-Ups Continue
In the months leading up to this, Ms. Marvel has teamed up with Wolverine and Moon Knight, so who’s next? Venom, apparently. Another character I wouldn’t see having any crossover with Ms. Marvel, but considering this is Dylan Brock, Eddie’s son, who’s still getting the hang of the whole “super hero” thing, it’s a perfect opportunity for Kamala to help out another young hero (or anti-hero, as the case typically is with Venom). Plus, it’s all leading up to an overarching story that Jody Houser has been building up to since the first team-up, so let’s see how it plays out.
Ms. Marvel & Venom #1
Written by Jody Houser
Illustrated by Dave Wachter
Cover by 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 wicked web-slinger on the block, as a scheme to harness the symbiote rears its ugly head!
• The first Venom/Ms. Marvel partnership is also the concluding movement of the super hero symphony of the summer, as we reveal the connection between WOLVERINE, MOON KNIGHT and VENOM, and KAMALA KHAN’S team-up uncovers the larger plot behind it all — you’re not going to believe who’s pulling the strings!
5. Sentinels or Daleks?
Tell me there’s an X-adjacent comic that plays off grindhouse and exploitation films, and I’ll give you a quizzical look. Then tell me Leah Williams is writing it, and it includes Boom-Boom, and suddenly I’m all in. Leah’s work on other X-books has been particularly entertaining, so it’ll be fun to see what she has planned. Given the solicitation, we can expect plenty of gratuitous violence and no shortage of death traps, but handled in a way that only mutants can.
X-Terminators #1 (of 5)
Written by Leah Williams
Illustrated by Carlos Gómez
Cover by Federico Vicentini
Variant covers by Arthur Adams, Tom Muller, Skottie Young, InHyuk Lee, and Terry Dodson• ENTER THE GRINDHOUSE OF X!
• When Jubilee and Boom-Boom agree to take Dazzler out for a night on the town to console her after her 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 with the power to blow things up to do? Leah Williams and Carlos Gómez put the X in eXploitation in this tale of blood, sweat and REVENGE!
4. And the Hot Springs Glow?
What can I say? I like teams that bring characters from different corners of a comic book universe together. Wolverine, Blade, and Nico Minoru? Heck yes, 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 “Marvel’s Midnight Suns” video game launches is just a coincidence, right?)
Continued belowMidnight Suns #1 (of 5)
Written by Ethan Sacks
Illustrated by Luigi Zagaria
Cover by David Nakayama
Variant covers by Kevin Eastman and Federico Vicentini• RISE OF THE MIDNIGHT SUNS!
• A dark prophesy and apocalyptic new villains with horrifying powers the likes of which Earth has never faced before ordains a team of MIDNIGHT SUNS to rise and tear @#$% up: MAGIK, WOLVERINE, BLADE, SPIRIT RIDER & NICO MINORU. 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’ list?
3. Iron Judgment
While “A.X.E.” builds towards its final issue next month, we’re still getting plenty of tie-ins to enjoy. This one has Kieron Gillen writing an Iron Man story (longtime readers will remember he had a run on “Iron Man” a little under ten years ago), showing us Tony’s struggles during this event. It’s also just the first of the “Judgment Day” one-shots, so we can look forward to even more. But as I’ve said before, if Kieron writes it, it’s well worth reading.
A.X.E.: Avengers #1
Written by Kieron Gillen
Illustrated by Federico Vicentini
Cover by Nic Klein
Variant cover by Salvador Larroca• THE FIRST OF THREE STORY-ESSENTIAL JUDGMENT DAY ONE-SHOTS!
• Tony Stark has spent his life building suits to protect him. Now he has to enter a suit of armor that could kill us all. Can he survive? Can anyone?
2. More Communities
Returning readers should know the drill by now: “Marvel’s Voices” comics are excellent tributes to creators and characters belonging to under-represented groups, and each one is absolutely worth reading. Now we’re back to Comunidades, with beloved Latino/Latina/Latinx characters like Nova, White Tiger, and Miles Morales taking center stage. Representation continues to matter, and “Marvel’s Voices” continues to be a nice spotlight issue.
Marvel’s Voices: Comunidades #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• Returning for another rousing celebration of Marvel’s Latin/x characters and creators is MARVEL VOICES: COMUNIDADES! Legendary creator Fabian Nicieza takes to the stars in an action-packed Nova adventure! Superstar Edgar Delgado continues to show off his writing chops with a spine-tingling spider escapade with Miles Morales! And award-winning author Alex Segura blazes a new trail for White Tiger – and introduces a brand new character to the Marvel Mythos! And that’s only scratching the surface – not to mention the amazing lineup of new and established artists lending their voices to this astounding anthology. Trust us, you don’t want to miss out!
1. The Force is With This
When Star Wars: Visions aired on Disney+, it brought us a variety of anime-styled takes on the Star Wars universe. Well, what’s anime without the manga to go with it? That’s more or less what we’re getting with the “Star Wars: Visions” comic, starting with Takashi Okazaki continuing the story of the Ronin, as introduced in “The Duel.” Gripping, 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 with his skills and weapon? Amazing fight scenes? Oh yeah, it’s gonna 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 THE STAR WARS: VISIONS EPISODE “THE DUEL” COMES AN ALL-NEW STORY!
• TAKASHI OKAZAKI (Afro Samurai) is continuing his storytelling from the acclaimed STAR WARS: VISIONS episode “THE DUEL,” featuring the Ronin!
• The mythology of STAR WARS infused with elements of Feudal Japan makes this issue a MUST READ for STAR WARS and MANGA fans alike!
Check out the full solicitations over at CBR.com.
