Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. This edition focuses on Marvel’s August titles. Hit the links for more info.
Like DC, Marvel is kicking the crossovers into gear for the summer, with August bringing the first issues of DNX and the new Midnight Universe line, as well as mroe of the Queen in Black and Avengers: Armageddon. There are also several milestone issues, not the least of which is Amazing Spider-Man #1000.
What else does Marvel have coming out in those waning days of summer? Check’em out below.
800 issues of Thor
Spider-Man isn’t he only one marking a milestone in August. Marvel will celebrate the 800th issue of Thor with an oversized chapter in Al Ewing’s current run, The Mortal Thor, with art by Pasqual Ferry. The anniversary issue picks up the ongoing story of Sigurd Jarlson.
“Issue #800 wraps up some long-running plotlines that have plagued Thor since before his death, but it also sets Sigurd Jarlson on a quest that will send him through the realms of myth to an Asgard that’s never needed a Thor more than now,” said Ewing. “Sigurd is still without any powers beyond his own courage, wits, and willpower — can a mortal face the trials of the gods, save ten worlds, and bring the Thunder God back to the people who need him? I couldn’t ask for a better artist than Pasqual Ferry to help tell this story, and I hope you all enjoy the ride we’ve got planned for you. #800 is only the beginning!”
In this issue, Sigurd faces a brutal trial engineered by The Serpent, with the fate of the Ten Realms at stake. The issue also includes additional stories by Chris Condon, Jesse Lonergan, Kieron Gillen and more. The main cover is by Alex Ross, with a variant y Ryan Stegman:
Mortal Thor #14 (LGY #800) goes on sale Aug. 19.
Fantastic Four
Then Marvel will celebrate the Fantastic Four’s 65th anniversary with two August releases. First is an oversized Fantastic Four #15, by Ryan North and Humberto Ramos, where the team finds their personal timelines reversed and careening into the past, with an unlikely stranger as their only hope of survival. The issue will incorporate “classic imagery” by Jack Kirby, John Buscema, John Byrne and Steve Epting into the story.
The companion release, Fantastic Four: 65 Years of the World’s Greatest Comic Covers!, collects all 700-plus main covers from the series’ history in a single 56-page gallery issue, with commentary from past and present creators. The cover is by John Byrne, Jack Kirby, Mike Wieringo and Walt Simonson.
Mary Jane: Face It, Tiger #1
Also on the anniversary front, Marvel celebrates 60 years of of Mary Jane Watson, who debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #42 in 1966, with a giant-sized one-shot featuring new stories spanning her history. Writers J.M. DeMatteis, J. Michael Straczynski, Ann Nocenti and Ashley Allen contribute, with art by Phil Noto, Alina Erofeeva, Andrea Broccardo and Luigi Zagaria.
The main cover is by Jim Cheung, with a variant by David Nakayama:
Mary Jane: Face It, Tiger #1 goes on sale Aug. 5.
What If…? 50th Anniversary One-Shots
Marvel continues their line of 50th anniversary one-shots for What If…? with three issue in August, each presenting an alternate take on a classic Marvel scenario. All of them have main covers by Lucas Werneck.
What If…? Runaways #1, by Rainbow Rowell and artist Zulema Scotto Lavina, asks what would have happened if the Runaways had stayed with the Pride, rather than fleeing and eventually becoming heroes on their own right.
What If…? Captain America #1, by Marc Guggenheim and Ron Lim, imagines Steve Rogers being revived in the 2099 universe, rather than the modern Marvel era.
And What If…? X-Men #1, by Ashley Allen and Sumit Kumar, explores a world where Cassandra Nova succeeded in killing Charles Xavier before birth, leaving telepaths Jean Grey and Emma Frost as fugitives hunted by Nova’s own X-Men.
What If…? Runaways #1 features variants by Betsy Cola and Joe Quinones:
What If…? Captain America #1 has variants by David Yardin and Kevin Eastman:
All three are 32-page one-shots and arrive in August.
Tomb of Apocalypse
Ashley Allen and Domenico Carbone will helm a five-issue series putting Jubilee at the center of a mystery tied to Apocalypse, who has been in exile on Arakko since the fall of Krakoa. When a strange device from Mars crashes near Haven House, Jubilee and Wolverine are transported to an excavation site in Egypt, and what they find underground has major implications for mutants and Arakko alike. Rictor and Shatterstar also factor into the story.
“For Earth’s mutants, it has taken time to regroup and process the fall of Krakoa,” said Allen. “But unfortunately for our heroes, Apocalypse values action. And he’s never been one to miss out on an opportunity.”
The main cover is by Rod Reis, with variants by Ivan Shavrin and Fabrizio De Tommaso:
Tomb of Apocalypse #1 goes on sale Aug. 26.
Marvel Tōkon: First Strike #1
Timed to the Aug. 6 launch of the Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls video game from PlayStation Studios and Arc System Works, this anthology one-shot expands the game’s mythology with stories featuring the Fighting Avengers and Unbreakable X-Men rosters, as well as the game’s antagonists, the Promoter and Champion. Writers Steve Orlando, Tom Waltz and Josh Trujillo contribute, with art by Bruno Büll, Áthila Fabbio and Ryusei Yamada.
The main cover is by Juan Frigeri, with a variant by Ryan Stegman”
Marvel is also releasing 20 Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls variant covers across select titles beginning in August:
Marvel Tōkon: First Strike #1 goes on sale Aug. 5.
Origins of the Hood: Marvel Rivals
Originally published as an infinity comic on Marvel Unlimited, this 40-page print edition collects Paul Allor and Francesco Archidiacono’s origin story for Parker Robbins, a.k.a. the Hood, as he appears in the Marvel Rivals video game. The story follows Robbins from his early hero-worship of Captain America through his decision to take on Kingpin’s criminal empire. The main cover is by Paco Diaz, and the comic arrives Aug. 5.
Star Wars: The Fall of Kylo Ren
Looking at Marvel’s Star Wars line now, Charles Soule and Will Sliney reunite for another limited series continuing their work on the Ben Solo/Kylo Ren saga, following Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren and Star Wars: Legacy of Vader. The new series picks up with Kylo as Supreme Leader, navigating internal power struggles within the First Order as Generals Hux and Pryde maneuver for position, and leads directly into the events of The Rise of Skywalker.
The main cover is by Phil Noto, with a variant by Luke Ross:
Star Wars: The Fall of Kylo Ren #1 goes on sale Aug. 12.
Star Wars: Rogue One — Chirrut & Baze
Following the other one-shots marking the 10th anniversary of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, this issue from Stephanie Phillips and Kieran McKeown follows Baze Malbus and Chirrut Îmwe on a covert mission to sabotage an Imperial-occupied kyber mine.
The main cover is by David Marquez, with a variant by Aka:
Indiana Jones: The Further Adventures
Finally, a long out-of-print series will return in a unique package in October. Marvel is releasing a two-volume leatherette hardcover set collecting the company’s 1980s Indiana Jones comics, featuring work by some of the era’s top creators. Book I collects the Marvel Super Special adaptations of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Temple of Doom, plus the first 16 issues of The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones by Walt Simonson, David Michelinie, John Byrne, Dennis O’Neil, Archie Goodwin, John Buscema, Butch Guice, Ron Frenz, Howard Chaykin, Kerry Gammill and more. Book II completes the Further Adventures run with issues #17-34 and adds the Last Crusade adaptation, featuring work by Larry Lieber, Christopher Priest, Steve Ditko, Bret Blevins and more.
Both volumes feature debossed covers and ribbon bookmarks, and are priced at $75 each.