Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. This edition features new stuff in Marvel’s June 2026 titles, mostly. Click the links for more information.
Writer Steve Foxe and artist Salva Espin, who collaborated on the prelude comic series for X-Men ’97‘s first season, reunite for X-Men ’97: Season Two, a five-issue limited series bridging the gap between the acclaimed animated show’s first and second seasons. The series picks up in the immediate aftermath of Season One’s cliffhanger ending, following the X-Men left behind in a world that hunts and hates mutantkind while the rest of the team is scattered across time. Colors are by Matt Milla.
“Everyone who watched Season One knows the team left us one heck of an era-spanning cliffhanger, and our prequel for Season Two doesn’t take any cheats or shortcuts around that wild status quo,” Foxe said. “We got to work closely with the series team to make sure this comic is a vital, additive experience for our mutants — what’s left of the X-Men, anyway.”
The main cover for X-Men ’97: Season Two #1 is by returning series cover artist Todd Nauck, with a variant cover by Jhony Caballero. The issue arrives June 3.
Fantastic Four: First Foes — Shalla-Bal #1 is the latest one-shot expanding on the world of Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps, revealing the origins of Shalla-Bal, the Silver Surfer of Earth-828. The issue is written by Charles Soule and illustrated by Mark Buckingham, who previously worked on Fantastic Four: First Steps #1 and the recent Fantastic Four: First Foes #1. The story travels back to the moment Shalla-Bal struck her fateful bargain with Galactus, giving up her freedom to become his Herald in order to save her home planet.
Buckingham, who has now collaborated on the tie-in series with writers Matt Fraction, Dan Slott and Soule, said the project has been a joy from the start. “It continues to be a delight and utter joy to draw this book, and to have a whole issue to indulge in my love for the Silver Surfer, especially after seeing Shalla-Bal so exquisitely brought to life in the film,” he said. “I’ve loved bringing the magic of the early FF stories and Marvel Studios’ movie together and delving deeper into the universe of The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”
The main cover for Fantastic Four: First Foes — Shalla-Bal #1 is by Phil Noto. The issue arrives June 10.
We’ve covered Avengers: Armageddon since Marvel announced it last year and then kicked off the Wolverine-starring prelude series earlier this year. But the first issue of the event series will finally arrive in June, and Marvel has released a wave of variant covers and a sneak peek at the prelude story in the Armageddon/X-Men #1 Comics Giveaway Day special, available free at participating shops May 2 — so it’s a good time to revisit what’s coming.
The five-issue event series, written by Chip Zdarsky and illustrated by Frank Alpizar and Delio Diaz, launches June 3 and represents the culmination of fallout and buildup from Zdarsky’s Captain America run and last year’s One World Under Doom, with Red Hulk seizing Latveria in Doctor Doom’s absence and igniting a global conflict that forces the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and Wolverine to assemble against him. Marvel is promising consequences on the scale of Avengers: Disassembled, billing it as a hard reset for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes that leads directly into a new era of Avengers later this year.
Here’s the preview:
Avengers: Armageddon #1 features a main cover by Dike Ruan. Variant covers include work by Jerome Opena and Kaare Andrews:
Running alongside Armageddon is a new arc of Captain America beginning with issue #12 on June 24, also written by Zdarsky with art and cover by Valerio Schiti. The arc picks up in the aftermath of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s brutal campaign in Latveria and features the return of Victor Von Doom — not seen since his fall at the end of One World Under Doom last year — who enlists Steve Rogers in a war against his will.
“I love writing Doom,” Zdarsky said. “After my first arc with him and Cap, I knew I needed them to meet again. Their dynamic is incredibly fun and this encounter will change both characters for a very long time.”
Captain America #12 features a main cover by Schiti, with a variant by Cory Smith.
Marvel is making the Swimsuit Special an annual tradition again with Marvel Swimsuit Special: Brand New Beach Day #1, a 40-page one-shot arriving July 1 featuring pinup artwork alongside four short stories:
- Cody Ziglar sends Hulk, She-Hulk, Doc Samson and new hero Powerlift to the gym;
- Daniel Kibblesmith puts Namor in charge of the most epic beach party in Atlantis history;
- Rainbow Rowell takes the X-Men to the beach in a story celebrating confidence and self-expression; and
- Anthony Oliveira puts Spider-Man in a beach slasher tale.
Pinup artists include Pasqual Ferry, Valerio Schiti, Dan Panosian, Javier Garrón and Carmen Carnero, among others.
The wraparound main cover by J. Scott Campbell features the Spider-Man family, including Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson, Spider-Gwen, Silk, Miles Morales, Spider-Woman and even Aunt May, while variant covers include work by John Romita Jr., Elizabeth Torque and Artgerm, with additional variants still to be announced. The issue arrives July 1.
Marvel is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the original What If? series with eight all-new one-shots running from June through August, and the first two arrive in June.
Kicking things off June 3 is What If…? Uncanny X-Men #1, written by Gerry Duggan and illustrated by Jan Bazaldua, which poses one of the most heartbreaking questions in X-Men history: what if Cyclops had stayed with Madelyne Pryor? The story imagines a world where the Goblin Queen survived the Inferno and Cyclops saved her soul, and then asks why that outcome might actually be the worst thing that could have happened to mutantkind.
Following on June 17 is What If…? Thor #1, written by Torunn Grønbekk and illustrated by Sergio Dávila, which travels back to the original Secret Wars to ask what would have happened if Thor, not Peter Parker, had bonded with the alien symbiote suit, and what shadows in the Ten Realms might take an interest in such a powerful pairing.
Both June issues feature covers by Lucas Werneck, who will provide the main cover for all eight one-shots in the series. Dávila did the above variant cover for the Thor issue, which is a homage to Mike Zeck’s cover for the original Secret Wars #8. The series of one-shots continues through August with stories featuring Secret Wars, Jessica Jones, Captain America, Spider-Man and the Runaways.
We covered Queen in Black when Marvel announced it earlier this year, but the arrival of a first-issue preview and the full rundown of blind bag variant covers is a good excuse to revisit the summer’s biggest Marvel event. The five-issue series by Al Ewing and Iban Coello launches July 1, pitting Hela against Knull in a cosmic collision that drags Spider-Man, Venom, Mary Jane Watson, Eddie Brock and Dylan Brock into the crossfire. Here’s a look at the preview:
The True Believers Blind Bags for Queen in Black #1 are exclusive-only, meaning none of the covers inside can be found through any other format. The full lineup includes a design variant and alternate homage variant by Ryan Stegman, a swimsuit variant by David Nakayama, a Jeff and Knull variant by Gurihiru, an alternate webhead foil variant by Pat Gleason, variants by Artgerm and Jeehyung Lee, connecting variants A and B by David Marquez, an all-black blank variant and, as with previous blind bag programs, super rare hand-drawn one-of-a-kind sketch covers by surprise contributors. Here’s a look at a few more of them that Marvel shared:
Queen in Black #1 arrives July 1.
Kelly Thompson and artist Tokitokoro, the team behind the previous Jeff the Land Shark series, return for Jeff the Land Shark: Superstar, a new five-issue limited series launching July 8. The story finds everyone’s favorite land shark kidnapped by Mojo, who needs a star for his latest hit show — and has assembled a roster of wildly mashup’d “X-Men” to fill out what he’s calling the Jeff Coast Avengers. Thompson has already teased several of the new characters on her Substack, including Dazzlestorm (a Storm/Dazzler combo), MagikHot (Magik and Longshot), and Rambit — yes, a Rogue and Gambit mashup. Jeff’s klepto companion Ken is also along for the ride.
“Chaos is coming,” Thompson said on her Substack, where she previewed character designs by Tokitokoro. “This one is gonna be really fun, guys.”
The main cover for Jeff the Land Shark: Superstar #1 is by Gurihiru. The issue arrives July 8, priced at $4.99.
June brings the delayed conclusion of the Ultimate Universe with two final issues. Ultimate Endgame #5, arriving June 3 from writer Deniz Camp and artist Terry Dodson, brings the series to its oversized climax with the final showdown against the Maker. The following week, June 10, Ultimate Universe: Finale #1 serves as a 64-page farewell co-written by Camp and Jonathan Hickman, with art by Alessandro Cappuccio and Stefano Caselli, as the creative teams from across the Ultimate line come together one last time to say goodbye to the universe they built.
Just Spectacular Collection #1 is a 48-page, $5.99 showcase of J. Scott Campbell’s variant cover artwork, collecting 28 of his Marvel character portraits in a single issue. It also includes bonus behind-the-scenes pencil and ink artwork alongside Campbell’s own commentary on his Marvel career and the process of assembling the collection.
Just Spectacular Collection #1 arrives June 3.