We’ve all been basically expecting something like this. DC relaunched all of their books with new continuity and “made comic history” with the move. Since then, it has only been a matter of time since Marvel followed suit in some form or fashion — but they’re not just going to hit the same reset button. No, they’ll do it in the Mighty Marvel Manner.
So what’s happening? Apparently an initiative called “Marvel NOW!”, in which creative teams play musical chairs and bring new variations on characters with a new costume here and there, but all in the same continuity and spinning out of the finale of “Avengers vs X-Men”. Marvel is no stranger to relaunches, with many of their books garnering new shiny #1’s in order to attract the fabled new reader, and this will fall right in line with that.
Here are three of the new books according to MTV Geek:
Uncanny Avengers #1 (October)
by Rick Remender & John Cassaday
From the “ashes” of “Avengers VS X-Men” the two teams come together for the first time to fight a new deadly foe — the Red Skull, who wants to “x-out” the mutant race! Expect Captain America and Wolverine to be members, as well as a few “wild card” surprises!
All New X-Men #1 (November)
by Brian Michael Bendis & Stuart Immonen
Everything old is new again…after the original five X-Men suddenly reappear in the present! How do they get to the current time-period? What do they think about the events of Avengers VS X-Men? All I know is — this definitely means the return of Jean Grey!
Avengers #1 (December)
by Jonathan Hickman & Jerome Opena
Details are sketchy so far on this relaunch, other than that the team lineup promises to be waaay different, and their focus will be more on threats to the universe, rather than just Earth. Can we expect some Thanos action here?
So that’s why you have Jean Grey back.
However, Bleeding Cool which is using the Comic-Con issue of Entertainment Weekly as its source, tells a slightly different story. Here’s what Rich has for you it has come to my attention we attributed Bleeding Cool for the information, when BC did not properly credit CBR forum user “devrim” for the information, as seen here and here. Either way, the information found in Entertainment Weekly reads as follows:
- UNCANNY AVENGERS: Writer Rick Remender mixes Avengers characters like Captain America, Iron Man and Thor together with such X-Men (including a redesigned Cyclops) for what he describes as a “bridge book,” in which the team battles against the Red Skull. It’s planned for October 2012.
- ALL NEW X-MEN: The original five teenage X-Men come to the present to see it’s worse than anything from ‘Days of the Future Past,’ and deem it “unacceptable.” Written by Brian Bendis, who insists that continuity will line-up in a discernible fashion eventually. The book is scheduled for November 2012.
- AVENGERS: Jonathan Hickman takes over with a cast of 18 characters, only one of which is revealed: Shang-Chi. The book will feature five/six issue arcs mixed with character-based one-offs, and the first arc is called ‘Avengers World.’ It will see release in December 2012.
There’s also this picture, straight from EW, featuring the characters who will be important to the Marvel NOW! relaunch, and not the cast of “Uncanny Avengers” as we reported before. (Update: now with higher resolution):
The picture, done by Joe Quesada exclusively for EW, shows Marvel Girl, Nova, Iron Man, Nick Fury Jr, Captain America, Rocket Raccoon, Wolverine, Invisible Woman, Cyclops, Cable and Thor all fleeing from the Hulk’s crotch, while Spider-Man watches. (That’s what that is, right?)
So, there you have it. Marvel NOW! Cue random vitriol at the changes from some, elation at the “return” of Rocket Raccoon from others (or at least the fact that Remender is writing a character who can ostensibly channel Heath Huston’s legacy) and a whole lot of people talking about comics while using buzzwords.
