‘Spider-Boy’ jumps into his own ongoing series in November

Or maybe he’s always had one?

Spider-Boy, the longtime sidekick of Spider-Man who made his debut in the recent Spider-Man #7, will star in his own ongoing series beginning in November.

The character’s co-creator, Dan Slott, will write Spider-Boy, joined by Paco Medina on art. The character’s other co-creator, Humberto Ramos, will provide covers. The series will explore his past and his ties to the Spider-Man mythos, as well as feature a team-up with Squirrel Girl.

“Spider-Man isn’t supposed to have a sidekick. That’s just wrong on so many levels. And that is exactly why we are going to have so much fun with this,” Slott said. “Both this character—and this new title—are going to break all the rules. Bailey Briggs is going to have over-the-top adventures in the Spider-Man corner of the Marvel Universe. He’ll be facing off against a mix of both all-new villains and fan-favorite Spidey bad guys. The one thing we can promise you, whenever you pick up a copy of Spider-Boy, we are going to take the weirdest and wildest swings with every single story! Our goal is to get every reader to ask two questions: ‘What in the hell did I just read?!’ and ‘When is the NEXT one coming out?!'”

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It’s the kids from ‘Strange Academy’ vs. mathematics in a series of one-shots

Author Carlos Hernandez chaperones a trip to New York for the magical prodigies to meet Miles Morales, Moon Knight and more.

Their ongoing series might have ended, but school is back in session later this year for the students of Strange Academy.

Author Carlos Hernandez (Sal and Gabi Break the Universe) will take the kids on a field trip to New York to meet Moon Knight and two Spider-Man this fall, as the kids enter the Multiversal Math Bowl and take on a new enemy called The Equation. I always knew higher math was evil.

Here’s a look at the three one-shots, all written by Hernandez and featuring artwork by Juann Cabal, Julian Shaw and Vasco Georgiev:

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Jack Kirby’s family issues a statement about the Disney+ Stan Lee documentary

‘It’s not any big secret that there has always been controversy over the parts that were played in the creation and success of Marvel’s characters.’

A documentary about Marvel’s Stan Lee that debuted on Disney+ last week has, no surprise, proven controversial. The family of Jack Kirby, co-creator with Stan Lee of the Fantastic Four, Thor, the Hulk, the X-Men and more, has issued a statement in response to the film.

The heart of the controversy is one that has raged since Stan Lee and Jack Kirby first started working together to create the Marvel universe — while both Kirby and Lee played significant roles in Marvel’s success, their contributions and the extent of their involvement in the creation of these characters has always been a subject of debate. While the conflict between the two is brought up in the documentary, it’s not explored in any great detail.

“… most of the narrative is in his voice, literally and figuratively,” Neal Kirby said in his statement. “It’s not any big secret that there has always been controversy over the parts that were played in the creation and success of Marvel’s characters. Stan Lee had the fortunate circumstance to have access to the corporate megaphone and media, and he used these to create his own mythos as to the creation of the Marvel character pantheon. He made himself the voice of Marvel. So, for several decades he was the ‘only’ man standing, and blessed with a long life, the last man standing.”

According to Marvel, the documentary, which was directed by David Gelb, “weaves together personal recorded footage from Lee, along with recorded recollections of his career never before seen by the public. These are accompanied by archived interview clips, newsreels, and models that immerse viewers in Lee’s world, in addition to hearing from some of his closest friends and collaborators.”

Rolling Stone’s David Fear, in his review, called it a “lame infomercial” and that the documentary feels “like it’s just shy of being nothing but a shill.” Variety was a bit kinder in their assessment.

Jillian Kirby, Jack Kirby’s granddaughter, shared the statement from her father on Twitter:

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‘Marvel Zombies: Black, White & Blood’ debuts in October

Garth Ennis, Alex Segura and more tell three-color tales of the undead.

Marvel is reviving Marvel Zombies as part of their Black, White & Blood line, which features stories by different artists and writers told with only three colors. The four-issue Marvel Zombies: Black, White & Blood will kick off in October.

Marvel Zombies join Darth Vader, Carnage, Deadpool and of course Wolverine in the line, with this new anthology featuring zombie-fied versions of Spider-Man, Daredevil, Moon Knight and more.

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Wong + Bazaldua chart a new flight path for ‘Captain Marvel’

Carol Danvers returns in a new solo series in October.

Alyssa Wong and Jan Bazaldua will set Carol Danvers on a new path as they take over the ongoing adventures of Captain Marvel this fall. The relaunched series follows Kelly Thompson’s historic run on the character, as Wong and Bazaldua introduce an “omniversal entity” who has Captain Marvel in their sights.

“I’m so excited to be writing Captain Marvel!” Wong said. “Carol is such an iconic character with a rich history, and I can’t wait to add to her story. It’s an honor to work with Jan and I hope everyone enjoys what we’ve got coming!”

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Marz + Lim ride the spaceways again in ‘Silver Surfer Rebirth: Legacy’

The miniseries will kick off in September.

Ron Marz and Ron Lim will team up once again on a Silver Surfer story set during their run on the title in the early 1990s. Silver Surfer Rebirth: Legacy will feature the former herald of Galactus teaming up with Legacy, aka Genis-Vell, the son of the original Captain Marvel.

The miniseries will feature the duo going on a “quest across time” that will also feature Thanos, Galactus and the Infinity Watch.

“I can’t say no to Silver Surfer, and I can’t say no to Ron Lim, so here we go again,” Marz said. “Playing in Marvel’s cosmic playground with Ron was how my career started, and I think I speak for both of us when I say this is right where we want to be. It just fits. This new series gives us a chance to build on the stories we’ve been telling, and tie them together into a bigger arc with Surfer at the center. We’re having a blast, so hopefully readers will too.”

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Slugfest | BOOM! offers a limited ‘Fence: Redemption’ cover for Pride Month

Plus: Updates on ‘Norse Mythology,’ Ms. Marvel, Bone Orchard Mythos, ‘The Asiri’ and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Hit the links for more information.

BOOM! Studios will sell a Pride Month charity cover for Fence: Redemption #1 this month on their webstore, featuring artwork by LySandra Vuong.

The cover is limited to 750 copies, and all proceeds from it will be donated to The Trevor Project.

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The Wasp will try to solve ‘every mystery in the Marvel universe’ in ‘Avengers Inc.’

Al Ewing and Leonard Kirk set up a new status quo for Janet Van Dyne and former Vision alias Victor Shade.

The Avengers are going full Avengers in a new series by Al Ewing and Leonard Kirk. Avengers Inc. will feature the original Wasp and Victor Shade, the former alias of the Vision, in a story featuring super villain murders, conspiracy and the pair solving “every mystery in the Marvel universe,” Steed and Mrs. Peel style.

Avengers Inc. takes the beating, buzzing heart of the original Avengers, teams her up with an undead mystery man with an identity so secret even he doesn’t know it, and sends them both out to solve the most amazing, fantastic and uncanny whodunnits the Marvel Universe has to offer!” Ewing said. “It’s kind of a classic ‘will-they-won’t-they’ crime-solving partnership—or it would be if the ‘will-they’ in question was ‘save the world from…’ Well, that’d be telling. See you in September!”

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‘Ultimate Invasion’ sets the stage for a new Ultimate Universe

Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch are setting the table for a superhero universe that’s a ‘reflection of the world outside your window.’

Marvel’s upcoming Ultimate Invasion miniseries won’t just revisit the previous incarnation of the Ultimate Universe — it will also set up a new Ultimate Universe, according to creators Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch.

“What made the Ultimate Universe originally really interesting was that it was a reflection of the world outside your window, in the moment that you were living in. What does it look like in the world we’re living in now?” Hickman said during a call with retailers yesterday. “It’s kind of shocking how much the world has changed in that period of time. The idea of what it would be like to see the genesis of super heroes in a brand-new world is a really fascinating exercise.”

The Ultimate Invasion miniseries, which kicks off June 21, will run through September. Then in November, Marvel will release a one-shot, Ultimate Universe #1 by Hickman and Stefano Caselli:

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It’s a battle for the ages in ‘Predator vs. Wolverine’

X marks the spot as The Predator hunts a very lethal target in the upcoming crossover from Marvel.

Claws will be poppin’ in the new miniseries Predator vs. Wolverine, which brings 20th Century Fox’s Yautja into the Marvel universe to hunt Wolverine.

This is the only logical reason for Disney buying 20th Century Fox, so that this story could exist.

Writer Benjamin Percy will be joined by multiple artists on the project, including Greg Land, Andrea Di Vito, Ken Lashley and Kei Zama, as a Predator hunts the former Weapon X across Canada, Madripoor and more in a decade-spanning story.

“The mythologies of both are ingrained in me so deeply they might as well be strands of DNA or wisps of soul,” Percy told Marvel.com. “The guns, claws, beef and blood of both franchises have been stewing in my brain since 1987, when I read myself to sleep every night with a stack of Marvel comics and my friends and I used to play ‘Predator’ with Nerf guns in the woods and river near our neighborhood.”

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A new D-Squad assembles for the ‘Dark Droids’ Star Wars event

Marc Guggenheim, Salva Espín and David Messina will pit R2D2 and a squad of droids against the Scourge.

Marvel’s upcoming Dark Droids crossover event will resurrect a concept from the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series — the D-Squad. Marc Guggenheim, Salva Espín and David Messina will enlist a group of droids to help R2D2 battle the Scourge, the virus spreading through the galaxy’s droid population that’s making them turn homicidal.

While Dark Droids has been billed as a horror story set in the Star Wars universe, Guggenheim says the D-Squad miniseries will have a different tone.

“It’s high adventure mixed with as much humor as I could conjure. I approached it like the first Avengers movie, but with droids instead of superheroes,” he told StarWars.com.

The original D-Squad was a group of astromech droids, which is the type of droid R2D2 is. This time around the squad will feature several different types of droids, including two bounty hunters.

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J. Michael Straczynski returns to Marvel this fall to write ‘Captain America’

Jesús Saiz joins the writer for a story set in Steve Rogers’ past and present.

After more than a decade writing for other publishers, J. Michael Straczynski will return to Marvel to write Captain America in September.

Artist Jesús Saiz will join Straczynski on the title, which will feature Steve Rogers. In an interview with io9, Straczynski said he’ll focus both on current-day Steve Rogers as well as a younger, pre-World War II Cap prior to gaining his super powers.

“One thing about Steve Rogers that’s never really been addressed is the period between when his parents died, and when he became Captain America,” Straczynski said. “We’re talking about a sickly, skinny 17 year old kid, trying to survive on his own for because he’s stubborn and independent, on the street for several years, hustling for any gig he can get, even if it’s bigger than he is, trying to afford food and a place to stay. So we will counterpoint a present-tense story in which Captain America faces off against a new villain of supernatural origin, with a story about his younger self, with both stories tightly interwoven.”

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