Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. This edition focuses on Marvel’s December solicitations. Hit the links for more information.
Marvel’s made a tradition of releasing a year-end one-shot in December that is usually one part complete story, one part preview of what to expect from the publisher in the next year. (It usually involves some sort of time travel angle as well).
This year’s edition is titled Timeslide, and in a year of big change for the X-Men line, it makes sense that this year’s story will feature Cable and Bishop, the X-Men’s resident time travelers. It’s by Steve Foxe and Ivan Fiorelli, and features a cover by Kael Ngu:
The story will involve one of the X-Men from the future coming back in time (as they are prone to do) to warn Cable and Bishop about a new villain who is trying to stop the X-Gene from ever evolving in the first place. The dup hasn’t always gotten along, so they’ll have to put their differences aside in order to stop it.
“I was thrilled when Tom Brevoort reached out about Timeslide,” Foxe said. “These annual mega-issues have become a perennial favorite of mine, both as a standalone story of their own and as a sneak peak of what’s to come for the year ahead. Getting to structure this one around Cable and Bishop—two of my favorite mutants, and two I didn’t write much during my prior X-tenure—was icing on the chrono-cake.”
Look for the one-shot to slide into stores the week of Christmas.
With the Infinity Watch crossover that’s running through Marvel’s annuals this year approaching its conclusion later this week, Marvel will launch a new Infinity Watch series. It’ll feature the new characters spotlighted during the event who each have one of the Infinity Stones embedded inside them, along with Colleen Wing and Phil Coulson. It’s by Derek Landy and Rauiri Coleman, and the first issue arrives Dec. 4. Also, if you missed the event, Marvel will collect it next March.
December also brings a new Sabretooth miniseries by Frank Tieri and Michael Sta. Maria, which Tieri describes as “Gangs of New York but with Sabretooth.” It follows Tieri’s previous miniseries, Ruins of Ravencroft: Sabretooth, which was set in the past, and picks up on some of the plot elements from it.
“We actually start with Wolverine, so as the events of Sabretooth: The Dead Don’t Talk unfold, we’re learning about what happened alongside him,” Tieri told AIPT. “We kick off with him in a bar — Satan’s Circus, the oldest bar in the Big Apple — having a drink after Sabes’ funeral when he notices some old pics of Five Points gang members on the wall… and Sabretooth is one of them! How the hell is this possible? From here Logan — and we — begin to learn this secret, violent history of his greatest foe as the gangster “Mad Dog” Murphy and we’re off to the proverbial races.”
The first issue comes out the week of Christmas, and will feature a main cover by Adam Kubert and variants by Davide Paratore, Frank Miller and Fabrizio De Tommaso.
Disney+ will kick off a new Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man animated show in November, and Marvel will follow it with a tie-in miniseries that starts in December. It’s by writer Christos Gage and artist Eric Gapstur, and features a teenage Peter Parker learning to be Spider-Man.
“I’ve had the privilege of writing a lot of Spider-Man’s adventures, both in comics and in the Insomniac video games, but one thing I’ve never gotten the chance to do is recount his earliest exploits,” Gage said. “And the exciting part about this book is it’s a brand new take on those formative times. While this is definitely Peter Parker, the Spidey we know and love, he’s got a new cast of supporting characters – including Nico Minoru, who you may know from Runaways – and some surprising twists!”
The first issue of five swings into stores Dec. 11.
If you missed Weapon X-Traction, the Wolverine and Deadpool team-up story that ran as a back-up feature through several of Marvel’s titles this summer, the publisher plan to release a collection of the story by Ryan North and Javier Garron on Dec. 4.
Kidpool — that’s the kid variant of Deadpool — and Spider-Boy — that’s the “lost” sidekick of Spider-Man who recently returned to continuity — will team up for a Christmas special in December. Kidpool & Spider-Boy is written by Christopher Yost and will be drawn by Nathan Stockman and a bunch of other artists, and it comes out the week of Dec. 25.
Two Infinity Comics from Marvel Unlimited that featured animal versions of existing Marvel characters will come to print in December, along with some new holiday material.
First, Alligator Loki: Holiday Special collects MU issues by Alyssa Wong and Bob Quinn, along with a new holiday story. It comes out Dec. 18, with a main cover by Quinn and a variant by Nicoletta Baldari.
And on Dec. 11, you can get your paws on Petpool: Pet Party, by MacKenzie Cadenhead and Enid Balam. It features this summer’s Infinity Comic featuring Dogpool, Catpool and Mousepool, along with a new holiday story. Balam drew the main cover, while Chrissie Zullo did the variant.
Marvel teased Ultimate Universe: One Year In earlier this year during the San Diego Comic-Con, but some details were missing. With their December solicitations, Marvel has revealed the full creative team — Deniz Camp and Chris Condon are writing it, with art by Jonas Scharf and Alessandro Cappuccio — and a release date of Dec. 11. They’ve also revealed a new cover for it featuring Nick Fury by artist Dike Ruan. Stefano Caselli and Peach Momoko did the variant covers.
The one-shot will catch you up on what the Maker’s Council has been up to as they prepare for the return of the Maker to their world.
Finally, December will bring a round of variant covers for several different Marvel titles featuring artist Bengus’ original Marvel vs. Capcom character illustrations.
The covers will appear on:
- All-New Venom #1
- Avengers #21
- Infinity Watch #1
- Wolverine #4
- X-Men #8
- Uncanny X-Men #7
- Captain America #16
- Fantastic Four #27
- X-Men #9
- Amazing Spider-Man #64
- Iron Man #3
But wait, is that it? Of course not, but I’ve covered a bunch of Marvel’s December releases already. Click the links to read more:
- Steve Foxe, Edgar Salazar + Peter Nguyen bring five-star terror to a luxury resort in ‘Alien: Paradiso’
- Two X-Men teams come to blows in ‘Raid on Graymalkin’
- Phillip Kennedy Johnson + Adam Gorham unleash ‘Hellhunters’ this winter
- Who is the ‘All-New Venom’?
- The Battle of Jakku continues in November with ‘Republic Under Siege’