Announced at New York Comic Con, today Marvel has revealed some of the details of their upcoming cosmic comic crossover “The Black Vortex,” which focuses mainly on the Guardians of the Galaxy and the All-New X-Men.
Kicked off by a one-shot penned by Sam Humphries and illustrated by Ed McGuinness, the book sees Thane, son of Thanos and Mr. Knife, a galactic gangster (introduced recently in Humphries’ “Legendary Star-Lord” if you’re looking for an entrance point) claiming ownership to the Black Vortex, an “ancient artifact of immense and immeasurable power” that has “the power to unlock it’s users true cosmic potential.” The Marvel PR gives a pretty compelling argument for its destructive capabilities, saying, “Imagine the power that transformed Jean Grey into the Phoenix or Norin Radd into the Silver Surfer available to anyone, and in the hands of those who would use it for evil!” Well, shit.
The book is set to crossover “Guardians of the Galaxy”, “Legendary Star-Lord”, “All-New X-Men”, “Captain Marvel”, “Nova” and “Cyclops”, and Marvel even tacks on an “and more” there so maybe we’ll see something happening in “Rocket Raccoon”, “Guardians 3000” and “Silver Surfer”, the only three cosmic books not listed here (to my knowledge) anyway. This will be the biggest Marvel crossover in sometime, though, as most recent crossovers have been between 2-3 books and not 6+.
As someone who has been reading Humphries’ run of “Star-Lord”, though, I’d note that the chances of this being good are pretty high. Humphries has been having a lot of fun with “Star-Lord” through heartfelt characterization, high sci-fi concepts and Aquabats references wrapped up in amazing artwork provided by Paco Medina, and with Cosmic Marvel being totally chic right now its as good a time as any to unify them for a bit. That was the best part of the epic DnA run, after all: two main titles plus minis with lots of crossovers and intertwined storylines. I’m glad to see that come back to Cosmic Marvel.
Plus, that McGuinness cover is pretty sweet and character-filled, even if Magik in the lower right corner of the image looks primed for the Hawkeye Initiative with that really awkward stance.
For the full press release from Marvel, please see below.
Marvel Press Release
This February, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the All-New X-Men, Nova, Captain Marvel, Cyclops and more team up for a cosmic throwdown the likes of which have never been seen in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY & X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX! Today, Marvel is proud to present your very first look at the cover to GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY & X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX ALPHA #1, the highly anticipated first issue in the upcoming crossover from fan-favorite writer Sam Humphries and blockbuster artist Ed McGuinness!
The Black Vortex, an ancient artifact of immense and immeasurable power has resurfaced on the far side of the galaxy. With the power to unlock it’s users true cosmic potential, in the wrong hands, the Black Vortex’s power could be a force of unparalleled destruction. Imagine the power that transformed Jean Grey into the Phoenix or Norin Radd into the Silver Surfer available to anyone, and in the hands of those who would use it for evil!
“What happens when one person submits to the Black Vortex and becomes a titan of the cosmos?” asks Guardians of the Galaxy & X-Men: The Black Vortex Alpha writer Sam Humphries in an interview with Marvel.com. “What happens when a whole team does it. Or a whole planet? But against the epic scale, we’re grounding the story in the deeply personal conflict each character will go through just by encountering the Black Vortex.”
The Black Vortex has been claimed by the villainous gangster Mr. Knife and Thane, the wayward son of Thanos. With billions of lives across the universe at stake, it will take the combined might of the Guardians of the Galaxy, the X-Men and more to stem the coming darkness.
Kicking off in this special Alpha issue and continuing through some of your favorite Marvel titles including Guardians of the Galaxy, Legendary Star-Lord, All-New X-Men, Captain Marvel, Nova, Cyclops and more, be there for the beginning of the next great out-of-this-world crossover when GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY & X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX ALPHA #1 hits comic shops and digital devices this February!
Continued belowGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY & X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX ALPHA #1
Written by SAM HUMPHRIES
Art & Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
On Sale in February!
