Prolific writer J. Michael Straczynski has graced nearly every corner of the Marvel Universe with his masterful storytelling skills, including acclaimed runs on Amazing Spider-Man, Thor, Fantastic Four, and more. Starting this January, follow Straczynski to wherever his imagination takes him next as he pens a new line of standalone one-shots that costar two Marvel icons of his choosing—either in unexpected team-ups or action-packed showdowns.
Joining Straczynski will be a lineup of incredible artistic talent: Will Robson, Bernard Chang, Elena Casagrande, Germán Peralta, Juan Ferreyra, and Phil Noto.
Straczynski and Robson kick things off in Doctor Doom & Rocket Raccoon where Doom does the one thing he never wants to do: ask for a favor! What awaits Rocket in Latveria? Mischief, miscommunication and an emotional journey across space and time in the Mighty Marvel Way! Following that, Volstagg recruits the Sentinel of Liberty in Straczynski and Chang’s Captain America & Volstagg. When a war breaks out in the Nine Realms, Volstagg of the Warriors Three turns to the only man skilled enough to end it: Steve Rogers, Captain America!
And that’s only the beginning, see below for a full list of the titles and pairings!
- DOCTOR DOOM & ROCKET RACCOON
- CAPTAIN AMERICA & VOLSTAGG
- NICK FURY VS. FIN FANG FOOM
- HULK & DOCTOR STRANGE (plus a backup story starring AUNT MAY & AGATHA HARKNESS!)
- GHOST RIDER VS. GALACTUS
- SPIDER-MAN VS. DOCTOR OCTOPUS
“I like to go where the fun is, and the idea of putting together Marvel characters who had either never been paired before, or only minimally, seemed like it would be a ton of fun, and it was even more of a blast than I anticipated,” Straczynski explained. “For the first time we could see the original Nick Fury in China along with the Flying Tigers taking on a newly awakened Fin Fang Foom…go to the edge of time and space with Rocket Raccoon and Doctor Doom…see the Ghost Rider slugging it out with none other than Galactus…Aunt May caught in the midst of a supernatural battle alongside Agatha Harkness…the more unlikely the pairing, the more eccentric the combo, the more fun it was to see it come to life. I’ve been sitting on news of this series for over a year and I’m so excited to know it will finally be hitting newsstands starting in January.”
See all the featured characters on a special promo piece by Leinil Francis Yu, which will also be available as a variant cover by Doctor Doom & Rocket Raccoon #1, along with the covers for the first three one-shots. For more information, visit Marvel.com.
See some of these covers following the jump.
DOCTOR DOOM & ROCKET RACCOON #1
Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI; Art by WILL ROBSON; Cover by GARY FRANK; Promo Variant Cover by LEINIL FRANCIS YU; On Sale 1/22
CAPTAIN AMERICA & VOLSTAGG #1
Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI; Art by BERNARD CHANG; Cover by TERRY DODSON; On Sale 2/26
NICK FURY VS. FIN FANG FOOM #1
Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI; Art by ELENA CASAGRANDE; Cover by GARY FRANK; On Sale March
HULK & DOCTOR STRANGE #1
Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI; Art by GERMÁN PERALTA; Cover by TERRY DODSON; On Sale May
GHOST RIDER VS. GALACTUS #1
Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI; Art by JUAN FERREYRA; Cover by TERRY DODSON; On Sale June
SPIDER-MAN VS. DOCTOR OCTOPUS #1
Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI; Art by PHIL NOTO; Cover by TERRY DODSON; On Sale June
[Based on a press release.]
Discover more from File 770
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
OK, I’m puzzled, here. Spider-Man versus Doctor Octopus? Doesn’t seem unusual… unless, maybe, it’s one of the various newer Spideys, and/or a new Doc Ock (I know there’s at least one out there.) And Doctor Strange used to team up with the Hulk on a semi-regular basis, in the Defenders – they were two of the four original members of that not-a-team. And Straczynski, who is a comics geek of a stature far surpassing mine, has to know this… so. I’m puzzled. (Maybe that’s the plan, to get me puzzled enough to buy the books and find out.)
Steve Wright wrote:
It’s been nearly 50 years though since Defenders with both Hulk and Strange regularly appeared: I regularly bought Defenders from #125 till it’s cancellation circa 1985(the writer made up a plot twist whereby the original four couldn’t be a team anymore/be together at all or apocalyptic consequences would ensue, all to fit in the 3 ex-X-men members & maybe reduce expectations of the big 4 returning/guest-starring. This was of course later shown it was a lie but at least that wasn’t in Defenders title itself). I really like this title with quirky cast and off to the side of main Marvel stories. Then X-Factor happened and it was cancelled.
Spidey vs. Doc Ock has happened so many times before ???? that it seems not to fit the concept. But Aunt May versus Agatha Harkness seems an interesting
combo. Still eight months to go till June so maybe more information is forthcoming that will enlighten the seeming mismatch between characters and concept.
I want “a backup story starring AUNT MAY & AGATHA HARKNESS!” yes please. 😉
I wonder if the Spidey vs. Doc Ock really turns into a team-up (which would be unusual). Otherwise, yeah, that’s not really a mismatch.
“DOCTOR DOOM & ROCKET RACCOON”: I could see them getting along, though the cover makes me think of “Spy vs. Spy” more than a team-up. 😉
@MixMat: sounds like we were both reading the Defenders at the same time. Yeah, that development came across very much as clearing the decks for the new team (every team seemed to be taking in unemployed X-Men at the time, I think it was a superhero union rule or something) and also, incidentally, explaining the recurring mystery of the elf with a gun. Frankly, if your best solution to a plot problem is “time travelling robot elves”, then either you work for Marvel Comics or you need to quit drinking.