Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. This edition focuses on Marvel’s September titles. Hit the links for more info.
Marvel’s September is shaping up with some big releases, not the least of which is issue #1000 of Amazing Spider-Man.
Marvel revealed the issue’s cover back in May, and it seems like everyone’s got an opinion on it. Drawn by legendary Marvel artist John Romita Jr. and colored by Paolo Rivera, the cover featured Spider-Man either swinging or shrugging, depending on who you asked. Both artists have plenty of Spider-Man on their resumes, and in Romita’s case, it’s in his blood, so they seem like natural choices to mark this milestone. But, y’know, it’s the internet, and it can be loud, or at leats seem loud when you’re in the crosshairs.
At some point, it looked like Marvel was reversing their decision, as a second cover by Pepe Larraz appeared on the Penguin Random House website — that’s Marvel’s comic book distributor, and it was marked as the “main cover.” I mean, it’s a Marvel title being published in 2026, and it’s a big milestone, so you expect there to be, like, somewhere around 1,000 variant covers (and there are a bunch!). But this cover by Larraz was marked as the “main cover” while the Romita Jr./Rivera one disappeared from the site (it’s back now, also marked as a “main cover”).
Marvel offered some clarification on the matter, which Comic Book Club shared:
“Our announcement of the added Pepe Larraz cover seems to have been misunderstood. In addition to John Romita Jr. and Paolo Rivera’s jam cover, we also wanted to highlight the ‘#1000’ more concretely, hence Pepe’s cover with color artist Marte Gracia,” Editor Nick Lowe said via press release. “Our goal is to bring as many legendary Spider-Man artists together for this monumental celebration.”
Well, sure, and there are many, many more variants they’ll offer, by Alex Ross, Skottie Young, Stuart Immonen and many other artists associated with the character. I’m not sure I buy the “This was the plan all along” line, but more importantly, leave John Romita Jr. alone, internet. He and his dad are both Spider-Man royalty, and if you don’t like his cover, you have plenty of others to choose from.
Speaking of which, let’s look at some:
Amazing Spider-Man #1000, and all of its covers, will arrive in stores Sept. 16.
Infernal Hulk vs. Wolverine #1
Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Jonas Scharf launch the first of four one-shots that will tie into next year’s Hulk War event, pitting the Infernal Hulk, who is an ancient evil called the Eldest, currently possessing the Hulk’s body, against Wolverine, who we know is pretty old himself, but compared to the Eldest he’s basically a toddler. The series of one-shots, which will follow with matchups against the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and the Avengers, serves as the penultimate chapter of Johnson and Nic Klein’s Infernal Saga.
“March to Hulk War kicks off the final act of our story that Nic Klein and I started with Incredible Hulk #1 in 2023,” Johnson told Marvel.com. “It’s a series of one-shot battles between Infernal Hulk and Earth’s mightiest heroes, as Hulk gathers his terrifying Infernal Avengers for Hulk War. The one-shots features one of the most epic rivalries in comics, Infernal Hulk Vs. Wolverine, and an ending that I’m expecting to shock some people.”
The main cover is by Nic Klein, with variants by Ryan Stegman and Juan Ferreyra. Infernal Hulk vs. Wolverine #1 goes on sale Sept. 9.
Marvel Gold ’76
Marvel has been very anniversary-oriented in recent years, with everyone from Spider-Woman to Amadeus Cho getting anniversary specials in recent years. In this one, Marvel’s celebrating four different characters who debuted 50 years ago in 1976, as Stephanie Phillips and Madibek Musabekov bring together Bullseye, Nova, Jack of Hearts and Star-Lord. The one-shot finds Thanos hiring Bullseye to eliminate a target of cosmic importance, with the other three converging to stop him.
The main cover is by Leinil Francis Yu, with variants by Hicham Habchi, John Romita Jr. and Kendrick “Kunkka” Lim:
Marvel Gold ’76 #1 is a 32-page one-shot and arrives Sept. 9.
Challenges of Doom: Spider-Man
Al Ewing and David Messina continue the series of one-shots pitting Doctor Doom against some of his greatest enemies. This one shows us an untold early chapter in Peter Parker’s career, when Doctor Doom sought out a young Spider-Man for a world-dominating scheme — and didn’t take no for an answer.
Challenges of Doom: Spider-Man #1 comes out Sept. 9.
Marvel Zombies: War Zone
Tom Waltz and Jaime Infante launch this new street-level chapter of the Marvel Zombies story, set in a Manhattan overrun by a zombie outbreak that has taken down Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. The Punisher, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Elektra and Moon Knight, among others, fight back against the horde while Frank Castle hunts for answers.
Marvel Zombies: War Zone #1 goes on sale Sept. 2.
Fantastic Four: First Foes — Dragon Man
Greg Pak and Mark Buckingham deliver another one-shot set in the world of the Fantastic Four film from last summer, with this one following Ben Grimm as he grapples with life in his monstrous rocky form — and a potential cure that somehow involves the android Dragon Man.
The main cover is by Phil Noto, with a variant by Miguel Mercado:
Fantastic Four: First Foes — Dragon Man #1 is a 32-page one-shot priced at $4.99.
Gambit: Gone
Spinning out of the conclusion of X-Men of Apocalypse, Steve Orlando, Eduardo Aoudino and Gerardo Sandoval present a five-issue series pushing Remy LeBeau to his limits in two intertwined tales exploring what kind of man, husband and hero Gambit is capable of becoming.
Gambit: Gone #1 goes on sale Sept. 23.
X-Men: Omega Red Dawn
Steve Orlando and Alan Robinson send the X-Men on a globe-spanning chase after Omega Red abducts Professor X, while the villain unleashes a chemical attack spreading rage and violence in his wake. The 56-page one-shot collects the X-Men Infinity Comic #1-10. It arrives in stores Sept. 2.
Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment
Now this is interesting, and definitely worth a look if you’ve never read it … Marvel is reprinting the 1989 graphic novel by Roger Stern and Mike Mignola in comic book format. It follows Doctor Doom’s quest to rescue his mother’s soul from Mephisto, with the reluctant assistance of Doctor Strange.
Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment #1 comes in at 88 pages and comes out Sept. 2.
Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett
Rodney Barnes and Will Sliney adapt the Disney+ series The Book of Boba Fett into a seven-issue comic series. Much like the Mandalorion comic Marvel did a couple years back, this sounds like it’ll be a direct adaptation of the show rather than brand new stories.
The main cover is by Alex Maleev, with variants by E.M. Gist, Jerry Ordway, Pete Woods and a foil variant by Rickie Yagawa:
Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett #1 goes on sale Sept. 9.
Star Wars: Rogue One — Darth Vader
As part of Marvel’s series of one-shots marking the 10th anniversary of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, this issue from Chris Condon and Luke Ross follows Darth Vader as he steps in after Director Krennic fails to negotiate kyber crystal mining rights from the planet Harreld for the Death Star’s superlaser.
Star Wars: Rogue One — Darth Vader #1 is a 32-page one-shot and comes out Sept. 28.
Wolverine: Paradise
Looking now toward October, Dan Panosian will write and draw a new Wolverine miniseries — Wolverine: Paradise, which finds Logan hanging out with Dazzler in Miami’s seedy underworld.
“Wolverine is one of the most iconic characters in comics, but what has always drawn me to Logan is the humanity beneath the legend,” Panosian said in the press release. “With Wolverine: Paradise, I wanted to tell a story that embraces the action and danger readers expect while exploring a man searching for a glimpse of hope in a place that promises paradise. Getting the opportunity to both write and draw Logan’s journey has been a true career highlight like no other.”
The first issue comes out Oct. 14.
Midnight falls in October
Finally, Marvel announced the Midnight Universe back in May, a new publishing line spearheaded by Jonathan Hickman featuring “dark” takes on the X-Men, Spider-Man and Fantastic Four. Originally the three debut titles were going to come out in August, September and October, but now Marvel has announced they’ll actually all arrive on Oct. 7 — and they’ll be the only Marvel titles released that day. In addition, departing Marvel publisher Dan Buckley will serve as executive editor of the line.
“The more we talked about Midnight, the more we realized it was far more than just the birth of another new universe—it was on an entirely different scale creatively, a doorway to something that was not only immediately exciting, but had immense long-term promise,” Buckley said. “The world these creators are building is truly special and the passion behind the stories they’re envisioning was palpable. We wanted to match their ambition with this unique launch plan, one that allows both retailers and fans to fully immerse themselves into this new line right from the start. When the clock strikes Midnight on Oct. 7, these three series will unleash a bold new energy that we hope echoes throughout the industry for the foreseeable future.”
The initiative launches with Midnight X-Men #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Matteo Della Fonte, Midnight Fantastic Four #1 by Benjamin Percy and Kev Walker and Midnight Spider-Man #1 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Scie Tronc. Marvel also shared covers for Fantastic Four and Spider-Man, which we hadn’t seen yet:
The debut issues will feature “cloaked covers,” with the artwork partially obscured. Covers for the three debut issues are by Dike Ruan, Kev Walker and Steve Beach, while Bjorn Barends did a variant for Midnight X-Men #1.
All three Midnight Universe titles go on sale Oct. 7.