News of a ‘Spider-Man’ miniseries by JJ + Henry Abrams sparks mixed reactions

Fans and pros had many opinions on Marvel’s newest Spidey series.

Marvel teased and then announced last week that filmmaker JJ Abrams and his son Henry will write a new miniseries simply titled Spider-Man. The comic will feature artwork by Sara Pichelli and Dave Stewart, with covers by Olivier Coipel.

The quick version:

  • Marvel began hyping the series with a series of teasers on Twitter that counted down to the day it would be announced, starting with a stylized “4” that looked like Spider-Man’s webs.
  • The announcement was made via a New York Times interview with JJ and Henry Abrams.
  • Reactions were, to put it lightly, mixed. Many fans expressed their disappointment with the overall announcement, as many were hoping the teasers were referring to a comic book adaptation of the script for the unmade Spider-Man 4 by Sam Raimi. Many comic creators criticized the fact that the inexperienced Henry Abrams seems to be getting a big break into comics simply because of who his father is.

So what’s this all about? Let’s break it down …

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Canadian creators unite for new ‘Alpha Flight’

A one-shot featuring three stories about the Canadian super team arrives in September.

Marvel is all about the one-shot specials in September, as they continue to celebrate their 80th birthday with special projects. You’ve got Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz doing New Mutants; Erik Larsen, Gerry Conway and Mark Bagley on Amazing Spider-Man; Roger Stern returning to Avengers; and, heck, you’ve even got Obnoxious the Clown in a Crazy one-shot.

But wait — there’s more! Also announced for September is a one-shot featuring a whole bunch of Canadian creators tackling Canada’s No. 1 team, Alpha Flight. Jim Zub, Scott Hepburn, Jed MacKay and more will contribute to Alpha Flight: True North.

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Larsen, Conway, Bagley return to ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ for Marvel’s 80th

Dream team of Spider-Man creators brings decades of experience working on the character.

The guest list for Marvel’s 80th anniversary blowout continues to grow, as the publisher has announced Savage Dragon creator and Image Comics co-founder Erik Larsen will return to do an Amazing Spider-Man one-shot in September. He’ll be joined by two other creators known for their work in the character – Gerry Conway and Mark Bagley.

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Zub + Medina assemble “Agents of Wakanda” this September

New team spins out of Jason Aaron’s ‘Avengers.’

In Avengers #12, Jason Aaron introduced a new team of “Secret Avengers” called the Agents of Wakanda, who carry out various missions for the Black Panther under the guidance of Okoye. Agents like the original Wasp, Ka-zar, Gorilla-Man and Fat Cobra carry out secret missions and gather intel to help the bigger Avengers team.

Now those secret missions are becoming unclassified, as writer Jim Zub and artist Lan Medina team for Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda

“This book is Kirby-fueled Mission: Impossible,” Zub said in an email.We’re taking the kind of fun and frenetic action that movie-goers enjoyed so much in the Black Panther film and combining it with mysteries and mayhem in the Marvel Universe.”

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Claremont + Sienkiewicz return to ‘New Mutants’

The ‘New Mutants: War Children’ one-shot will arrive in September.

Back in the 1980s, Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz had a critically lauded run on New Mutants, introducing Warlock, the Demon Bear and more. Now the two creators are reuniting for a new one-shot, New Mutants: War Children.

The comic will feature Magik, Wolfsbane, Cannonball, Cypher, Mirage, Karma, and Sunspot, with a guest appearance by Kitty Pryde, as they have to deal with a haywire Warlock and Magik’s Darkchylde.

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‘Weapon Plus’ explores Wolverine, Captain America’s shared history

New series debuts in July.

The secret connections between Wolverine and Captain America will be explored in a new series by writer Ethan Sacks, artist Diogenes Neves, colorist Federico Blee and inker Adriano Di Benedetto.

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“It all ends with ‘King Thor’”

Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic go back to the future for their final ‘Thor’ story.

Jason Aaron’s epic run on Thor is heading toward the finish line, as revealed in Marvel’s early solicits for September.

King Thor, the writer says, is where it all ends. Aaron is once again teaming up with Esad Ribic to bring his run to an end.

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Roger Stern returns to the Avengers with ‘Avengers: Loki Unleashed’

Artist Ron Lim joins the legendary Avengers writer for a new one-shot.

Longtime Avengers scribe Roger Stern, who put the team through its paces back in the 1980s, will return to comics for a one-shot pitting his era of the team against Loki.

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Houser + Mooney weave ‘The Web of Black Widow’

New series starts in September.

The Black Widow will get another series in September, this time by the team of Jody Houser and Stephen Mooney. The Web of Black Widow “finds a mysterious figure exploiting the hero’s past. And in response, the Widow may have to go off the grid.”

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Marvel reveals ‘Strikeforce’ for September

New title by Tini Howard and German Peralta features “ruthless” heroes.

After teasing a new “ruthless” super team last week — perhaps one to compete with the Savage Avengers at the Ruthless Olympics — Marvel’s The Pull List program has unveiled a new title, Strikeforce.

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Comics Lowdown: Who owns Atlas Comics?

Plus: Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award recipients, Paige Braddock, Frank Santoro, Dr. Gene Luen Yang and more!

Who exactly owns Atlas Comics? That seems to be the question raised in two articles from The Hollywood Reporter. Earlier this month Steven Paul, producer of the Ghost Rider film, announced via a press conference that he had bought the rights to Atlas Comics and planned to work with Paramount to turn the properties into movies. Not so fast, said Dynamite Entertainment, who followed up by telling THR that they own the name “Atlas Comics.”

Many of you may be wondering “What the heck was Atlas Comics?” while others might be thinking, “Wait, wasn’t Atlas the company that eventually evolved into Marvel Comics in the 1960s?” And still others are wondering, “Didn’t he learn his lesson after Ghost Rider?”

But getting back to Atlas, yes, there was an Atlas Comics in the 1950s that grew out of Timely Comics and eventually became Marvel Comics. It was owned by publisher Martin Goodman, and it put out comics in a variety of genres like horror, crime, espionage and even a few superhero titles featuring characters like Captain America and the Human Torch, who had previously been published under the Timely banner. However, this isn’t that Atlas Comics.

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Captain Marvel flies over to IDW’s Marvel Action line

Sam Maggs, Sweeney Boo and Brittany Peer create new Captain Marvel stories aimed at middle grade readers.

Captain Marvel will join IDW Publishing’s Marvel Action line in August. The line of comics is aimed at middle grade readers and already includes comics starring the Avengers, Black Panther and Spider-Man.

The comic will feature Captain Marvel, Spider-Woman and the Flerkens, the race of aliens who look like cats but are so much more.

“I feel so privileged to help launch Captain Marvel’s solo title for Marvel Action,” said writer Sam Maggs. “Carol has always been my favorite super hero; I love how she’s truly come into her own, culturally, and is finally being widely-recognized as the star that she is. Being able to write for Carol is the most exciting and terrifying thing that’s ever happened to me. I can’t wait to share this arc with everyone!”

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