December already? Well, at least we’re up to December for the solicitations, and Marvel is looking to end the year strong. We have new teams and mini-series, a death or two, and a look ahead at the year to come. So let’s see what comics we’ll be seeing 2023 out with as we look at Marvel’s solicitations for December…
10. Back to the Classics
Marvel sure likes bringing back the original X-Men lineup. They’ve been brought into the present/their future, had entire new character arcs, got sent back, and now… they’re at it again. It’s often fun to look back at the past versions of characters and see how they manage in modern comic settings and stories, and Christos Gage has plenty of surprises in store, so this will be a fun one to kick the list off on. Plus it should be a fun breather for longtime “X-Men” fans looking for something outside the end of the Krakoan Era too.
Original X-Men #1
Written by Christos Gage
Illustrated by Greg Land
Cover by Ryan Stegman
Variant covers by John Romita Jr., Elizabeth Torque, Mike McKone, and Ryan Stegman• THE OG 5 ON AN ALL-NEW ADVENTURE!
• Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, Iceman and Angel – the first and greatest heroes to bear the X-Men name – once traveled into their own futures and reset the course of history. Now another multiversal mystery calls them forth. When the dust settles, one hero will remain, trapped in the world as we know it. With shocking surprise guests and heart-pounding twists and turns, Christos Gage and Greg Land kick off a story that will shake the whole MU!
9. Time to Regroup
Of course, there’s still plenty of Fall of X excitement as well, especially on the “X-Force” side of things. It’s just been one betrayal after another for the team, but there’s enough healing factors among them to regroup and come back as many times as it takes. Now we’ve got double the Wolverines, new revelations from Quentin Quire, and perhaps a chance to hit back at Orchis. The solicit promises a special issue, and I’m holding them to it.
X-Force #47
Written by Benjamin Percy
Illustrated by Daniel Picciotto
Cover by Daniel Acuña
Variant covers by Hicham Habchi and Tracy Tubera• X-FORCE: RELOADED! A SPECIAL ISSUE!
• X-FORCE REBORN! In the aftermath of COLOSSUS’ and BEAST’s revelations, X-Force must regroup. And before they tackle their next mission – they must marshal their forces at a new base at the ends of the world! But if the harsh arctic environment won’t do them in…perhaps ORCHIS will! Plus: Be here for QUENTIN QUIRE’s surprise discovery from the HELLFIRE GALA!
8. Old Enemies United
Some comic book enemies are eternal. Batman and Joker. Superman and Lex Luthor. Blade and Dracula. But of course, sometimes those enemies have to work together, no matter how much they hate it. That’s what we’re getting in this issue of “Blade,” as the dhampiric killer of vampires has to unlock more of his own vampiric powers to stop the end of the world. So who better for that than Dracula himself? We can look forward to plenty of excitement, no small amount of insults being thrown around, maybe some moral dilemmas, and new abilities for Blade, so what else can we really ask for?
Blade #6
Written by Bryan Hill
Illustrated by Elena Casagrande
Cover by Elena Casagrande
Variant covers by Peach Momoko and Geoff Shaw• ENTER…DRACULA!
• Until Blade became Sheriff of Vampire Nation, Dracula was his sworn enemy. Now Dracula is the only one who can teach Blade what he still needs to learn about himself…and how to unlock new powers of vampirism Blade didn’t even know he possessed!
7. Assemble!
By now, “Marvel’s Voices” have started shifting away from highlighting marginalized groups and creators and started focusing on specific archetypes and teams in the Marvel Universe, especially those with long histories and longer rosters. And you know what? That’s good too (although please do keep putting out issues highlighting representation in comics, because those matter a lot). Now we’re getting an issue highlighting different writers and artists as they give us their takes on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and given the vast amount of teams, heroes, and enemies we’ve seen across the Avengers’ history, there’s a ton of excellent material to work with. So we can look forward to seeing what new stories we’ll get in this issue.
Continued belowMarvel’s Voices: Avengers #1
Written by Utkarsh Ambudkar, Robbie Thompson, Jason Concepcion, and more
Illustrated by Sid Kotian and more
Cover by Taurin Clarke
Variant covers by Paco Medina and Ethan Young• And there came a day, a day unlike any other, when Earth’s mightiest heroes from all walks of life united against a common threat. Join a team of Marvel’s finest creators, from veterans to new recruits full of potential, for four tremendous tales of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes! Don’t miss the latest anthology in the Marvel’s Voices series!
6. Next Time…
What does the future hold? Well, in comics, it’s almost always post-apocalyptic, and that seems to still be the case. But “Timeless” issues always introduce exciting new concepts and storylines for Marvel, and this one looks to be no different, with new heroes and villains drawing from Marvel’s past and present to create another possible future. On top of that, we’ll get a sneak peek at what Marvel has planned for 2024, so it’ll give us plenty to look forward to.
Timeless #1
Written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing
Illustrated by Juann Cabal
Cover by Kael Ngu
Variant covers by Alex Ross, Felipe Massafera, InHyuk Lee, Peach Momoko, Ron Lim, and Miguel Mercado• BEHOLD THE FUTURE OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE – FEATURING THE DEBUT OF TWO NEW MARVEL ICONS!
• In a devastating future born from the choices of today, all of time and space is threatened by the ascension of an ancient evil. The MOON KNIGHT UNENDING has risen – a nightmare born of StarkTech, the Eternal Machine and the God of the Moon – and now all of Earth bows before his overwhelming power! But one man stands against Khonshu’s coming tide of chaos: POWER MAN, the Marvel Universe’s final living super hero. But who is Power Man – and how did he come to wield the unstable powers of the Sentry, the Hulk and the Iron Fist? What dark, deeply personal conflict underpins this mind-bending apocalypse? And at the end of the line, can the Marvel Universe ever truly be saved?
• PLUS – a SHOCKING glimpse into the next year of Marvel stories!
5. X-Men, Welcome to Doom
That’s right, there’s even more “X-Men” comics that have made the list this time. Now, the team gets their shot at Doctor Doom, who’s got his own assortment of Latverian mutants at his beck and call. Gerry Duggan has done an excellent job writing for the X-Men lately, and now he gets to introduce new mutants to the world and have fun hamming it up as Doom—what more could we ask for?
X-Men #29
Written by Gerry Duggan
Illustrated by Joshua Cassara
Cover by Joshua Cassara
Variant covers by Peach Momoko, Russell Dauterman, Francesco Mobili, and Jacob Edgar• DOOM’S X-MEN!
• That’s right – Doctor Doom has his very own team of Latverian mutants, loyal to the benevolent leader that keeps their country safe, and they make their spectacular debut in this issue! The X-Men may be in the midst of a fall… but they’re not letting Doom’s personal squad take their title without a fight!
4. Bucky Used Thunderbolt! It’s Super-Effective!
Most “Thunderbolts” comics involve teams of either villains or antiheroes (with some exceptions) coming together to fight even bigger evils. Well, this is looking to be one heck of a Thunderbolts team. We’re talking Bucky, Sharon Carter, Black and White Widows, Red Guardian, U.S. Agent, and Shang-Chi… all of whom have MCU live-action counterparts, and at least half of which are going to be in the Thunderbolts movie. Coincidence? Not in the slightest. But still an awesome team? Oh yes, definitely. And is it going to be a fun ride? Of that I have no doubt.
Continued belowThunderbolts #1 (of 4)
Written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing
Illustrated by Geraldo Borges
Cover by Terry Dodson
Variant covers by George Pérez, Josemaria Casanovas, Lucas Werneck, Mahmud Asrar, and Peach Momoko• Bucky Barnes, the New Revolution, just inherited a mountain of covert intel, and he has one objective: Justice. Like lightning. He’s going after the establishment, the people no one else is willing or able to take down, and he’ll do whatever it takes to win. Teaming with the mysterious Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Bucky assembles a team of black-ops heavy hitters to pursue high-profile targets like the Red Skull, Kingpin and even Doctor Doom himself. No one is safe from the Thunderbolts!
3. One Year Later…
Ryan North’s run on “Fantastic Four” began with the team hated for something Reed did. Then we learned that he had to send the Baxter Building a year into the future, including his own kids. But now they’re coming back… unless something happens to get in the way. Yes, it’s time for a reunion of the Fantastic Four’s family, but of course something is going to get in the way. But this run of “Fantastic Four” has lived up to its name, and every issue brings us something clever and exciting, so we can look forward to seeing what’s in store.
Fantastic Four #14
Written by Ryan North
Illustrated by Iban Coello
Cover by Alex Ross
Variant covers by Mike Henderson and Peach Momoko• A year ago, Reed Richards sent a whole city block the Baxter Building stands on – along with his own children and the children of his best friends Ben and Alicia – a year ahead in time. It was a desperate measure, but it saved them.
• And now it’s time for them all to come back.
• But when the Fantastic Four arrive in NYC, they find something is being built in the pit where the block once stood – and worse, nobody seems to know exactly what it is or why they’re building it.
• With the clock ticking, they investigate this mystery – and discover a mysterious new threat that may have been pulling the strings this entire time…!
2. A Thousand Exploding Suns
The Sentry is a character with a unique (and divisive) history, featuring a fictional history that was erased not only from comic continuity, but from our own reality. But love him or hate him (and you’d be valid in either case), he’s still one of Marvel’s most powerful and most unstable characters. Oh, and he’s also dead. Except now his powers and memories are hitting random people, which means we may be getting a new Sentry, or a return of the old one, with all that means for the Marvel Universe. It sounds like an exciting new chapter in the Sentry’s rather convoluted story, and one deserving of a spot on this list.
Sentry #1 (of 4)
Written by Jason Loo
Illustrated by Luigi Zagaria
Cover by Ben Harvey
Variant covers by Peach Momoko, Skottie Young, Salvador Larroca, and Ema Lupacchino• The Sentry is dead, but ordinary people all over the world are suddenly manifesting his powers and experiencing snippets of Bob Reynolds’ memories. Will one of them survive long enough to emerge as the new Sentry? Or will their newfound power destroy them? When Misty Knight and Jessica Jones cross paths in search of answers, they open an investigation that will change everything you think you know about the Sentry!
1. The Moon Sets
Moon Knight is going to die. But then, he’s died before, so what makes this time so different? For starters, this time his usual means of coming back are off the table. And yes, comic book deaths rarely last a while, so he’ll be back eventually, but that’s not important right now. What matters isn’t how long the death lasts, but how he’ll go out. Jed MacKay’s run on “Moon Knight” has been excellent, breaking down the characters in multiple ways so he can try to build himself back up and grow, and facing new challenges and revelations along the way. Now his journey comes to an end the only way it was ever going to. So let’s see his last stand, learn if it’s a triumphant one, and say goodbye to Moon Knight, at least until the next time the moon rises on the Marvel Universe.
Moon Knight #30
Written by Jed MacKay
Illustrated by Alessandro Cappuccio
Cover by Stephen Segovia
Variant covers by Alessandro Cappuccio, InHyuk Lee, Peach Momoko, Skottie Young, Steve Morris, Greg Capullo, and Elizabeth Torque• THE TERMINAL SECONDS OF MOON KNIGHT!
• KNIGHT’S END! The Battle of the Mount reaches an explosive conclusion, and all that stands in the way of the Black Spectre’s scheme of annihilation is Moon Knight. But can Moon Knight triumph against the odds arrayed against him, or will the Mount stand as his tombstone? With all hope of resurrection gone, Moon Knight’s life hangs on the line along with Manhattan!
Check out the full solicitations over at CBR.com.
