After teasing the tie-in titles for their upcoming Fall of X event at MegaCon earlier this month, Marvel has revealed more details on a number of the new series that will spring forth from Krakoa this summer.
Here’s a look at what’s been announced for August:
Iceman gets another shot at an ongoing solo series in Astonishing Iceman by Steve Orlando and Vincenzo Carratù.
“Have I not been saying my next Marvel project was cool as hell?” Orlando said. “Astonishing Iceman has been not just a joy, but a challenge, and the best possible kind….because the Fall of X means Iceman’s life is more dangerous and harrowing than ever. But Bobby is a hero to the core, and there’s no danger he’s met in whose face he won’t laugh. When it’s more dangerous than ever to be a hero, that’s when Iceman’s at his most heroic! And with Jesús Saiz and Vincenzo Carratù joining me on this—Iceman’s going to look cooler than ever. See what I did there?”
Here’s the description: After the events of this year’s can’t-miss Hellfire Gala, Bobby Drake, AKA Iceman, sets his sights on heroic deeds like never before. But as a new situation develops that links Iceman to his Antarctic ice palace, he’ll have to be slicker than ever to accomplish his mission before Orchis knows what hit them! See the Omega-level mutant as you’ve never seen him before in a new saga that’ll push Iceman to the limits of his powers…and beyond!
The new series kicks off Aug. 2.
Children of the Vault is by Deniz Camp and Luca Maresca, and features the mega-evolved beings the X-Men first encountered back in X-Men #188 and later came into conflict with the Krakoan X-Men team during Jonathan Hickman and Gerry Duggan’s runs on the title. Their civilization exists in a virtual, Matrix-like prison where time and evolution move at a different speed.
“It’s been a real thrill to invent a whole new society for the Marvel Universe, with its own brutal history, culture, prejudices, personalities, and politics. Just as important to this book are Cable and Bishop, two characters I’ve long known and recently come to love,” Camp said. “We’re embracing their rich history and complicated pasts (and futures!) to create a dynamic that I think feels fresh but deeply rooted in the characters.”
The first issue arrives Aug. 9.
Alpha Flight returns for a five-issue miniseries by Ed Brisson and Scott Godlewski, featuring two different teams.
Mutantkind’s actions have put Canada on the offense and in addition to crafting a new line of sentinels, they’ll assign a government-sponsored team with de-escalating the mutant conflict by any means necessary! But a second Alpha Flight team joins the fight, striking from the shadow. More secrets and conspiracies are revealed as classic Alpha Flight members and new faces alike become major players on both sides of the war that will define mutantkind!
The government team includes Guardian, Puck, Snowbird and Shaman, who will face off with the “shadow” team made up of Northstar, Aurora, Nemesis and Fang.
“Like every Canadian kid who grew up reading comics, one of my biggest dreams was to write for Alpha Flight. Growing up, I was a huge fan of the original Byrne run and have followed the team over the years and through every series. The original team of Guardian, Puck, Northstar, Aurora, Shaman, Snowbird and Sasquatch holds a special place in my heart,” Brisson told Marvel.com. “Unfortunately, Sasquatch is currently indisposed, but the opportunity to bring the rest of the team together, even if they’re split and fighting against one another, is an absolute dream come true. And for those of you wondering if I’ve forgotten anyone, rest assured, I haven’t. There are a few surprises for Alpha Flight fans in the mix, but I won’t spoil anything just yet.”
Alpha Flight #1 arrives in stores Aug. 16.
On that same day, Dark X-Men by Steve Foxe and Jonas Scharf starts, featuring a name that was first used back during the Dark Reign event, and a “dark” cast of characters: Madelyne Pryor, Havok, Archangel, Gambit, Azazel, Zero, Albert and Emplate.
This deadly group will band together to fill the void left by the X-Men, and are seemingly the perfect team to combat the harsh conditions of FALL OF X. Their hearts are in the right place but under the unpredictable leadership of the Goblin Queen and operating out of New York’s new Limbo Embassy, will this team’s dark ways turn the tide for mutantkind or make things far worse?
“I’m excited for readers to find out how this unlikely cast got summoned under one roof—the ones at Maddie’s side by choice, the ones stuck in Limbo by circumstances out of their control, and the ones who don’t make it out of the first issue alive—and to watch Jonas Scharf unleash a whole new brand of gothic horror-action on the Marvel Universe,” Foxe said. “This is X-Men by way of Evil Dead and we’re not leaving until we burn the whole place to the ground.”
Dark X-Men #1 comes out Aug. 16.
Realm of X by Torunn Grønbekk and Diógenes Neves seems to be pulling inspiration from the Uncanny X-Men and New Mutants annuals of the late 1980s, where the two teams visited Asgard and Mirage became a Valkyrie. Marvel.com’s description says it continues the “fascinating exploration of mutant magic as a ragtag group of mutants become players in a mystical war orchestrated by a familiar adversary. ” The comic will feature Magik, Dani Moonstar, Marrow, Dust, Curse and Typhoid Mary.
“Writing Realm of X is an unparalleled joy,” Grønbekk said. “We are bringing together an amazing cast of incredibly powerful but exceptionally different characters and throwing them into a situation for which they are wholly unprepared. Vanaheim is deceptively familiar but far from everything, and the only thing our cast has in common is that this realm is not in anyone’s comfort zone. Not only will our mutants have to deal with civil war, ancient prophecies, lost powers, and inconvenient love (arguably the best kind!), but they’ll also have to contend with each other, Mary’s temper, and one lost teenager.”
The first issue comes out Aug. 23.
“BAMF!” meets “THWIP!” as Nightcrawler steps into the spotlight in the five-issue miniseries The Uncanny Spider-Man, which writer Si Spurrier describes as “pure, joyful, bold, fun superheroic action.”
Drawn by Lee Garbett, the miniseries will feature Kurt Wagner battling Orchis and Spider-Man’s rogues, as well as solving a long-simmering mystery involving his mother, Mystique.
“What we’ve got here is a spectacular new beginning – which, yes, is code for ‘perfect jumping-on point’ – which leans hard into heroic, joyful, street-level action,” Spurrier told Marvel.com. “Writing Kurt has always been an exercise in heart. He was the first to feel the cracks in Krakoa… and the first to try and do something about it. Unfailingly loyal to his people, his friends and his responsibilities, he’s gone through a lot. What’s been missing for him is the joy. The freedom. The thrill. And that’s where we find him now. In a restyled Spidey Suit, BAMFing across New York and rubbing shoulders (and butting heads) with the best heroes and villains of the Manhattan milieu…but of course it’s not quite that simple. Is Nightcrawler really doing this for the thrill? Or is he hiding? Is it easier to put on a mask and punch some villains in the nose than it is to stare trauma in the eye…?”
This fun-sounding series swings into comic shops Sept. 6.
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