Marvel NOW! – a soft reboot equivalent of DC’s bold step 12 months ago (a 12 months coincidentally in which they’ve dominated the sales chart for the first time in years), where everything that happened before, still happened, just the books are designed to be 100% accessible to new readers – has announced a new title.
Already announced are Uncanny Avengers (due for release October 3rd), A+X (October 31st), All-New X-Men, Deadpool, Iron Man (November 7th), Fantastic Four, Thor: God of Thunder, X-Men Legacy (November 14th), Captain America, Indestructible Hulk (November 21st), FF (November 28th), Avengers (details of which are classified – December 5th) and New Avengers (classified – January 2nd).
Uncanny X-Force; killers and heroes, and come January, part of Marvel NOW! written by Sam Humphries (Ultimates, Fanboys vs Zombies) with art by Ron Garney (Amazing Spider-Man, Captain America).
Humphries, in an interview with Marvel, says the book will be “dark, dirty, morally sticky, edgy, bloody, sexy” takes off after the conclusion of Rick Remender’s run, the completion of which has been described as “the equivalent of dropping the mic and walking off stage”. His book will spin out 6 months after the end of Remender’s arc, where “things have changed – a lot”.
Psylocke, the focus of the book and who is one of Humphries favourite X-Men, Storm, Puck (described by Humphries as the Canadian Indiana Jones) and Spiral will be on the team, with other characters joining rapidly, albeit with “blood on their hands…darkness in their past” that manifests in unpredictable ways. However, it will be an expulsion from the Jean Grey School which will set everything in motion. Humphries is tight lipped as to which character this will be.
As for villians, Bishop is rumoured to be central in the opening arc. I guess being stranded in 6300AD, alone, trying to return to the present day will do that to you. But just why does this former ally now hunt his former teammates? The answer to which will leave you flabbergasted.
Humphries and Garney have worked together previously, albeit briefly, in Ultimate Comics Ultimates, during which they “established a great rapport”. I’m a particular fan of his work on Jason Aaron’s Wolverine; I think his style will be well suited to this book.
Disappointingly, this isn’t a MAX title but Humphries motto “drive it like you stole it” ensure a dark and bloody book. Assume this to be an experience unlike any other in the Marvel universe – Humphries initial pitch was for “James Bond as directed by David Lynch” so expect the disturbing and unexpected. He’s already got the dwarf in Puck.
Mark Brassington 