—Marvel Preview: X-Men #4
—Marvel Announces “Heroes for Hire” to Start in December
—Marvel Teases the Return of the Illuminati
—Black Panther is the new “Man Without Fear”
Marvel is pleased to announce that best-selling author David Liss and the acclaimed artist Francesco Francavilla will be launching the all-new Black Panther: The Man Without Fear this December! The smoke has cleared from the ruins of Shadowland and a new protector of Hell’s Kitchen is on the prowl. His name is T’Challa, the Blank Panther! In a city without Daredevil and a dangerous knew foe called Vlad the Impaler consolidating power in the underworld, the Black Panther must learn to become a new type of hero. Without his riches, his technology, and his kingdom can T’Challa truly be the man without fear? Find out in Black Panther: The Man Without Fear #513!
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—Image Releases Teaser for “The Walking Dead” #80
—Larfleeze Celebrates the Holidays With His Own Christmas Special
What do you get for the Lantern who wants everything?
This December, Orange Lantern Larfleeze, who’s never seen anything he didn’t want for his own, has his hopes set on everything Christmas-related, including Santa Claus. And nothing, not even the heroes that populate the DCU are going to stand in his way.
Featuring words by GREEN LANTERN mastermind Geoff Johns with art by Brett Booth and a sterling Gene Ha cover, the one-shot special also includes a peek into how the other members of the Orange Lantern Corps celebrate the holidays. Click below for Ha’s cover and prepare for the weirdest and craziest sleigh ride ever.
—Marvel Preview: I Am An Avenger #2
—Giffen and Levitz Revisit The Legion Together
This news broke over at DC’s blog, The Source.
Okay, I’m just gonna geek out and shout it to the heavens:
PAUL LEVITZ AND KEITH GIFFEN ARE REUNITING ON THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES!!!
And I get to edit it! Whee!! You have to understand what this monumental development means to me personally.
Y’see, Paul and Keith transformed the Legion from an enduring DC franchise into one of the most popular and dynamic comic book series of the 1980s. With an entire 30th century future world at their command, they crafted the most innovative, break-the-mold superhero world anyone had ever read up to that point. Their names were spoken in the same breath as Frank Miller, Chris Claremont and Wolfman/Pérez.
For me and the many other fanboys of Generation X, Paul and Keith did the seemingly impossible: They made me a Legion fan. For life.
I admit, back in 1985, my 14-year-old self felt names like “Lightning Lad” and “Cosmic Boy” sounded really silly. No way I was going to invest in characters with those names, right?
Then I somehow stumbled upon TALES OF THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #326, which affordably reprinted Paul and Keith’s all-new LEGION series a year after their original release. This one reprinted issue #1. It must have been a slow week for me to even crack open the cover. It began with a collection of psychopaths called the Legion of Super-Villains who each took a blood oath to kill a Legionnaire. One of them tortured his own sister by jolting her with massive amounts of electricity. Another literally melted a lowly waitress alive with a molten kiss, just for the fun of it! Sick stuff. And yet, these Legionnaires refused to back off. I was really impressed. I wanted to know more about these guys, even if their names were “Saturn Girl” and “Ultra Boy.” They stopped being silly and became as serious as a heart attack.
Then Keith left the series shortly thereafter, and Paul flew solo for a long while. Then Keith came back to do the last year on that series with Paul—and I defy anyone to tell me issue #53’s “The Trial of Brainiac 5” isn’t awesome—and then Paul left the series for Keith to do solo.
That was 1989. The two never collaborated on the Legion again. That is, until this December, when they come together again on the oversized LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES ANNUAL #1. It introduces an all-new, all-psycho Emerald Empress—and just hearing the twisted stuff they have in store fills this Legion fan with utter glee.
In fact, Keith just sent me his first pages, and they look gorgeous. He’s mixing Kirby with his ’90s Legion style and a modern sensibility. I look at the Xeroxes on my desk, and I know it’s REAL. It’s happening.
It reminded me why I’m a Legion fan in the first place.
P.S. You know what’s REALLY weird? This is Paul and Keith’s third “LEGION ANNUAL #1.” They did one in 1982, 1985 and now in 2010. Third time’s the charm, they say!
—Marvel Teases: “All New All Different” for December
—Marvel Preview: Wolverine #2
Marvel is pleased to present your first look at Wolverine #2 from the acclaimed creative team of Jason Aaron and Renato Guedes! Stuck in Hell, Wolverine must come face to face with everyone he’s ever killed! Meanwhile, back in the land of the living, Logan’s demonically-possessed body is still running amuck and Mystique may be the only one who can stop it! Can Wolverine battle the Legion of the Damned and make it out alive? Find out this October in Wolverine #2!
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—Ardian Syaf Joins “Birds of Prey” as its New Artist
Starting in December, the Birds of Prey will get a new member – to their creative team, that is.
Hot off a stint on GREEN LANTERN CORPS and BRIGHTEST DAY, Ardian Syaf steps in as the regular artist on the series, joining forces with regular writer Gail Simone. And Syaf is stepping in just in time, as the series continues to kick things into high gear, with a new arc starting in December titled “The Death of Oracle.”
BIRDS OF PREY Editor Janelle Siegel was kind enough to show off a few pages of Ardian’s art, and it seems she’s as excited as we are about the new addition:
“I’ve been a fan of Ardian’s work for quite some time, so I jumped at the chance to have him on Birds of Prey. He’s a great fit for the book because he is an immensely talented artist with a gift for storytelling and action and he’s also great at drawing beautiful women! We couldn’t ask for a better combination than that for the kind of stories we’re telling in Birds of Prey right now.”
Oh, and about that art…
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—Marvel Preview: Invincible Iron-Man #31
Marvel is pleased to present your first look at Invincible Iron Man #31, the latest explosive chapter of “Stark Resilient” from the Eisner Award-winning team of Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca! Tony Stark has spent the past year reassembling his empire, suit and psyche…only to find himself head-to-head against Hammer family at every turn. Just how does Stark Resilient’s first public demonstration at the Seattle Tech Expo play into their master plan? And Detroit Steel has gone viral…could he inadvertently put an end to them both? Just when things are looking up for Tony, the stakes get higher in Invincible Iron Man #31, on sale this October!
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