Update, July 21, 2018:
At their panel, IDW announced writer Delilah S. Dawson (“Sparrowhawk“) and artist Fico Ossio (“Transformers vs. Visionaries”) will collaborate on the “Spider-Man” title, while Sara Pitre-Durocher (“Transformers: Till All Are One”) will illustrate “Avengers.” Original story is as follows:
The Beat reports IDW Publishing and Marvel Comics have reached an agreement to publish all-ages comics starring Marvel’s characters. The collaboration will start in November with a Spider-Man series featuring Peter Parker and Miles Morales, followed by an Avengers comic in December, and a Black Panther one in January. No creative teams for the titles were announced, but read on for the press release with more from the heads of Marvel and IDW, including IDW’s editor-in-chief John Barber, and his Marvel counterpart C.B. Cebulski:
Marvel Entertainment and IDW Publishing announced today that the two companies will develop middle-grade comic books designed for younger readers. Featuring some of Marvel’s most popular characters, the monthly issues and trade paperback collections, published by IDW, will be available for sale at local comic book shops and book retailers across the country, expanding opportunities for the next generation of Super Heroes to experience the Marvel Universe.Poster by Fico Ossio“From Iron Man to Captain Marvel, from the Hulk to Shuri — the Marvel pantheon has something for everyone,” says John Barber, editor-in-chief of IDW. “With this team-up, Marvel and IDW aim to bring exciting, all-new comics to a generation growing up in a Marvel world.”
Launching in November 2018, the Marvel and IDW collaboration will kick off with a Spider-Man series featuring both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, followed by an Avengers series beginning in December and a Black Panther series in January 2019. Each of these titles will serve as an easily-accessible jumping-on point for younger readers to follow the adventures of their favorite characters.
“Marvel is excited to work with IDW to share these brand-new stories with our younger fans,” said C.B. Cebulski, editor-in-chief of Marvel. “Characters like Spider-Man, Black Panther, and the Avengers inspire us through their strength and determination, but they resonate with readers because of the struggles they face and the challenges they overcome. We want to share their journeys with our younger fans first-hand.”
“Marvel is committed to delivering unique and accessible content for our younger audiences and fans,” said Sven Larsen, director, licensed publishing of Marvel. “As one of our most valued partners, IDW is the right fit to help us feature some of our most popular characters and publish stories created especially for the next generation of Super Heroes.”
“This partnership reflects the true spirit of collaboration at work,” said Greg Goldstein, president and publisher of IDW. “As comic book publishers, IDW and Marvel are able to produce high-quality visual storytelling experiences for fans both young and old. By combining our efforts, along with Marvel’s ever-increasing presence in popular culture, the results will be spectacular.”
This new venture is the latest in a long history of collaborations between IDW and Disney: many classic Marvel stories have been presented in IDW’s oversized Artist’s Edition series, and since last year, IDW has published the all-ages “Star Wars Adventures” comic. According to The Beat, Marvel publisher Dan Buckley admitted yesterday that the company wasn’t great at reaching kids, and these series will be the latest to star Marvel characters at IDW, following “Big Hero 6,” which is currently set to start in August.
