Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. This edition focuses on Marvel’s February 2026 solicitations. Hit the links for more information.
Marvel’s First Family will explore a whole new planet — one filled with apes! — in February, marking the first-ever crossover between the Planet of the Apes franchise and the Marvel Universe. Which seems overdue, given that Marvel’s history with the franchise goes back to the 1970s.
Written by Josh Trujillo with art by Andrea di Vito, the four-issue Planet of the Apes vs. Fantastic Four finds Reed, Sue, Ben and Johnny traveling to Ape City, where they’ll encounter Cornelius, Zira, Dr. Zaius — and an array of their own familiar foes. (Like Red Ghost? This seems like a story tailor made for the Red Ghost and his crew).
“I grew up watching Planet of the Apes marathons on Saturday afternoons, so it’s a huge thrill to write for these iconic characters!” Trujillo said. “Having Marvel’s First Family butt heads with Cornelius, Zira and Dr. Zaius is just too much fun, and I can’t believe I’m the one who gets to tell this epic tale. It’s a mash-up decades in the making, and I hope you come along for the ride!”
Here’s the description from Marvel:
Marvel’s First Family find themselves stranded on the Planet of the Apes! Witness history as the Fantastic Four cross paths for the very first time with Cornelius, Zira, Ursus – and of course Dr. Zaius! But they won’t be going alone! Familiar foes from the Marvel Universe have set their sights on Ape City, setting the stage for a battle royale that fans won’t soon forget!
“It sounds like a weird meeting at first, but then you realize that both these franchises were meant to meet sooner or later,” Di Vito said. “Exploration has always been the Fantastic Four’s main drive. Ending up on the Planet of the Apes is absolutely perfect for a classic FF adventure, set in the immortal tone created by Stan and Jack. I am honored to be the one to illustrate this ‘first official meeting’ between the Marvel Universe and Planet of the Apes.”
The first issue will feature a cover by Greg Land and arrives Feb. 4.
DEADLY HANDS OF K’UN-LUN #1
The Seven Heavenly Cities are under siege, and the new Iron Fist assembles a team to stand against the oncoming demonic forces. Writer Yifan Jiang and artist Paco Medina send Lin Lie, Elektra, White Tiger, White Fox, Pei and Danny Rand into battle to save the legacy of the Iron Fist.
“As much as I love so many Marvel characters, the K’un-Lun/Iron Fist corner of the universe has always been the closest to my heart,” Jiang said. “And as someone who’s been with Lin Lie almost from the very beginning, I feel the weight of the huge responsibility to take care of him in his next chapter. On top of all that, I know we’re here to entertain you, so trust me– you won’t see the punches coming!”
Leinil Francis Yu did the cover for the first issue, which comes out Feb. 18.
BLACK PANTHER ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL #1
This anthology celebrates six decades of T’Challa’s legacy, as Murewa Ayodele, Evan Narcisse, Cody Ziglar, Georges Jeanty, Alitha E. Martinez, Eder Messias and more contribute stories about the character, his lore and the enduring power of Wakanda. The solicits don’t explicitly call this out as a Marvel’s Voices special, but it does seem to be their Black History Month offering for 2026.
Mateus Manhanini drew the cover, and Marvel’s revealed one of the variant covers for the issue:
… which is a “What were they thinking?’ moment, teaming the Black Panther with white colonizers. The art is by Bob Brown and comes from 1976’s Marvel Bicentennial Calendar, when America was experiencing Bicentennial fever and maybe not thinking things through. But we’ve had 50 years since to think about it, so they could have made a better choice here.
MARC SPECTOR: MOON KNIGHT #1
Jed MacKay’s Moon Knight has been rebooted a couple times now, and it looks like February will bring another one. In the first issue, Marc Spector finds himself in grave peril as MacKay and artist Devmalya Pramanik plot a kidnapping. Check out the cover, above by E.M. Gist.
IT’S JEFF MEETS DAREDEVIL #1
Jeff the Land Shark is back for another round of chaos and cuteness, and this time he’s teaming up with the guardian devil of Hell’s Kitchen. In this all-ages one-shot from the fan-favorite team of writer Kelly Thompson and artists Gurihiru, Jeff learns a big lesson in bravery straight from Daredevil himself. The issue also collects the newest season of Thompson and Gurihiru’s digital strips in print for the first time, following Jeff as he wins the lottery, braves the groomer and even has a showdown with the Hulk.
Gurihiru provides the main cover, not shown, with a variant by Daniele Di Nicuolo, shown above.
PREDATOR: BLOODSHED #1
After all those crossovers with various Marvel characters over the last couple years, Marvel’s Predator comics return to their own universe in February. Writer Jordan Morris and artist Roland Boschi present this brutal new chapter as Earth’s fiercest fighters gathering for an underground martial arts tournament. But when a Yautja crashes the ring, the competitors find themselves battling not just for the grand prize, but for their lives.
Morris said, “The Yautja is one of the coolest characters in pop culture history, and I can’t believe the good folks at Marvel are letting us tell another longer, crazier, bloodier story in this awesome universe!” Boschi adds his signature dynamic action sequences to the mix, bringing the chaos of the tournament and the predator’s lethal presence vividly to life.
The cover is by Ken Lashley. On sale Feb. 25.
THE FALL OF ULTRAMAN #1
The saga that began with Rise of Ultraman reaches its conclusion as Ultraman and the United Science Patrol face their greatest challenge yet. Writers Kyle Higgins and Mat Groom, along with artist Davide Tinto, take readers on a globe-spanning, dimension-crossing journey where conspiracies unravel, Kaiju threats loom and civilizations hang in the balance.
“Our very first version of the initial pitch for The Rise of Ultraman, our first Ultraman limited series, included an outline of how the saga would end,” Groom said. “Now, five years later, that end is here, and it comes bearing the same title as it did in that first outline: The Fall of Ultraman.”
The first issue’s cover is by Netho Diaz, and it comes out Feb. 11.
STAR WARS: JAR JAR #1
Jar Jar Binks returns to the galaxy far, far away in a story co-written by Ahmed Best, the actor behind the infamous Gungan, and Marc Guggenheim. This one-shot explores the fateful consequences of Jar Jar granting emergency powers to Chancellor Palpatine, a decision that helped set the rise of the Empire into motion. Fans will also see Jar Jar’s unexpected role in shaping the early Rebel Alliance, with guest appearances from fan-favorite Jedi Knight Kelleran Beq.
Kiernan McKeown and Laura Braga bring the comic to life, which features a cover by Taurin Clarke and a variant by Dave Wachter. Along with Star Wars #10, also available in February, Jar Jar will feature part of a connecting cover by Clarke celebrating Black History Month:
Shadows of Tomorrow
Finally, at New York Comic Con last month, we learned about Shadows of Tomorrow, the X-Men publishing initiative that follows Age of Revelation. Several of the new titles will debut in February, including:
Writer Alex Paknadel and artist Rogê Antônio take Scott Summers into a survivalist nightmare as the X-Men leader is stranded without his visor in a remote wilderness, hunted by Donald Pierce and the Reavers. The series promises to explore Cyclops at his most raw and ruthless. Cover by Federico Vicentini.
Laura Kinney, the original X-23, faces a haunting link to her past as she and Gabby encounter a long-lost friend, only to uncover a deadly plot in the cleverly titled Generation X-23. Jody Houser scripts with Jacopo Camagni on art, and a cover by Partha Pratim Sarkar.
Benjamin Percy and Geoff Shaw bring Deadpool into darker territory as Wade faces a haunting past and a mysterious client with deadly stakes. Cover by Geoff Shaw.
Siblings Illyana and Piotr Rasputin confront ancient Russian monsters in this tale of family and mysticism from writer Ashley Allen and artist Germán Peralta. Magic, metal, and monster-hunting collide as the mutant siblings reunite to face a supernatural threat. Cover by David Nakayama.
Murewa Ayodele and Federica Mancin launch a new Storm series as cosmic threats loom and Ororo returns to Earth and her role as protector. Cover by R.B. Silva.
February sees the return of Wolverine’s ongoing solo title, with two issues arriving that month, #15-16 — both featuring Alpha Flight clashing with Logan. They are by Saladin Ahmed and Mike Henderson, with covers by Dan Panosian.
But wait, there’s more! Check out previous coverage on the new Punisher ongoing, Daredevil ongoing, a new Wolverine miniseries, Godzilla, Death Spiral and Captain America’s post One World of Doom storyline.