Marvel NOW divided we stand

Back in October 2012, Marvel Comics launched the Marvel NOW! initiative. That relaunch saw the debut of several new and exciting ongoing titles, the introduction of new characters and teams, and the new status quo following the conclusion of the ‘Avengers vs. X-Men’ storyline. In October 2016, the House of Ideas will shake things up again and bring back the Marvel NOW! branding to show the state of the Marvel Universe after ‘Civil War II’. But before the official previews for the new line are released on July 13th, the promo images from the Marvel NOW! Previews Magazine have leaked online.

Recently, we’ve heard all about the all-new Invincible Iron Man and the young Champions of the Marvel Universe, but thanks to Previews Magazine’s, True Believers are able to see who else will join them in the lineup for Marvel NOW! 2.0. Before we talk about the various titles, you can check out the artwork and the new creative teams over at Imgur! 

Naturally, there’s a lot to talk about after checking out what’s in store for Marvel Comics later this year and beyond. First, it’s great to see that amazing books such as ‘Patsy Walker A.K.A. Hellcat’, ‘Silk’, ‘Unbeatable Squirrel Girl’, ‘The Totally Awesome Hulk’, and ‘Black Panther’ are continuing on with their current creative teams. These are some of the most unique, diverse, off-beat, and talked about books out right now, so it was probably a no brainer to leave them alone. 

marvel-now-checklist-47946Second, is anyone else confused and ecstatic about Star-Lord written by Chip Zdarsky?! Sure, it was sad when it was announced that ‘Howard the Duck’ was coming to an end, but this might make up for it. I can only imagine the variant covers that the acclaimed writer and artist can come up with for Peter Quill.

While those were my first thoughts, there’s a good chance that most people would have probably focused on the other new Marvel NOW! books first. For instance, based on the popularity of the Battleworld series from ‘Secret Wars’, I’m sure plenty of people are stoked to see ‘Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows’ making a comeback. But how will it fit into the current Marvel Universe if all the alternate universes are no more thanks to the incursions? Speaking of comebacks, it looks as if they’re teasing the return of Richard Rider, the first Nova. What will that mean for the current Nova, Sam Alexander, who will definitely have his hands full with his commitments to the all-new, all-different Champions? 

Finally (though I’m sure that there are some things that could be said about Prowler, Foolkiller, Solo, and Slapstick all getting their own titles), the most notable thing about this checklist of books coming from the new Marvel NOW! is that there are only three mutant-led titles on it. While Storm is featured in the art for ‘Black Panther’ and other X-Men can be seen on various Avengers teams, the only X-titles are ‘Deadpool’, ‘Deadpool & the Mercs For Money’, and ‘Death of X’. Not only is the word “X-Men” absent from the list entirely, but ‘All-New Wolverine’, ‘Old Man Logan’, ‘Scarlet Witch’, ‘X-Men 92’, and the various team titles are missing as well. Are the mutants’ days at Marvel Comics numbered? Many will probably say absolutely, but we’ll see how things turn out over the next few months.

What do you think about the lineup for Marvel NOW! 2.0? Which books are you most excited to add to your pull list? And what do you think about the lack of X-Men titles in these previews? Sound off in the comments.

horizontal lineDespite being a “professional writer”, Ben likes run-on sentences far too much. For more of his attempts at being funny and the occasional insightful thought, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.