Here’s How Marvel Is Changing Its Comics

Marvel revealed today what they have in store post-Secret Wars, and one overarching message is clear: Wherever they can, they’re going to make the comic books line up with the movies. Let’s take a look at what’s changing, shall we?

First of all, everything relaunches with a new #1, which really is to be expected at this point. Needless to say, anything that’s actually moving huge numbers of copies will remain unchanged, and anything that’s not moving the needle much is getting changed up. Among the broad, sweeping alterations:

  • There’s a new Hulk, which will supposedly be controversial among fanboys.
  • There’s yet another Spider-Man, in addition to Pete, Miles, and Spider-Gwen.
  • Somebody else may be in the Iron Man armor, and it’s not Rhodey.
  • Wolverine is back because, come on, you didn’t expect Marvel to kill him off for good, did you? This will supposedly be a “new” Wolverine, but I’m skeptical that Logan won’t be popping up sooner or later.
  • Marvel’s digging pretty deep into the archives for new books: Red Wolf is getting a book, for example. And there will, of course, be entirely new characters introduced, as well.
  • Finally, in a move that’ll shock no one, characters with movies coming are getting new books. Okay, so what this really means is Black Panther is getting another solo book. But still.

Also, every book picks up eight months later, with an opening scene that establishes the new, weird status quo. But everything will remain in place in the broad strokes; Spider-Man will still learn that with great power with great responsibility, the X-Men will still protect a world that hates and fears them, and Hank Pym will still be a wife-beating dick. Okay, maybe not that last one.

We’ll see the new books in September. The gloating of DC fans over the Marvel fanboys who always insisted reboots were creatively lazy and real comic book companies don’t reboot started when Secret Wars #1 came out and will continue until the end of the universe.

(via USA Today)

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