Image: Alex Ross/Marvel Comics
It’s never a dull day in the world of Marvel Comics. As the editor’s requests for winter draw closer, they’ve already revealed some of the events that have in store for their various heroes in a couple of months. And for both the Fantastic Four and Iron Man, they’re headed in some interesting directions as new creative teams are brought in for their respective comics.
First up is the Fantastic Four, whose new run begins in November. Dan Slott and a host of artists including Cafu and Rachael Stott will be joined by Squirrel Girl’s Ryan North and Dark Ages’ Iban Coello, as well as covers by Alex Ross, Entertainment Weekly revealed. Rather than big, cosmic epics that have made up much of Slott’s run, North said his intention is to tell smaller, more intimate stories in which the four leave Earth entirely.
“I want to do these smaller, self-contained, ’60s Star Trek-style stories where you go down to a planet, find a weird thing, fix the weird thing, and move on,” North explained. Granted he couldn’t top Slott, the new approach felt natural to him, while also not retreading the ground that Marvel’s first family has traveled through the decades.
However, the four will part ways on the first handful of issues. The first issue focuses on The Thing and his wife Alicia Masters (from Slott’s run), while issue two will cover Reed and Sue and finally Johnny in the third issue. After that, they’ll be together again as “four weirdos who roll into town where there’s a riddle or a problem or some sci-fi thing, solve the problem, and then move on.”
Image: Alex Ross/Marvel Comics
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And then there’s Iron Man. Current X-Men writer Gerry Duggan and artist Juan Frigeri (Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy) come together for Invincible Iron Man #1. Following November’s Iron Man #750 by outgoing team Christopher Cantwell and Angel Unzueta, Tony Stark will find himself without his money or friends, but a contract has ruined his life. Surviving long enough to find out who put the bounty on his head will be Tony’s goal, and it will feature some of his older armor that we haven’t seen in a while.
Speaking to Marvel, Duggan called it a “privilege” to continue Cantwell’s run, especially since he’s taking over just before Iron Man’s 60th anniversary in March 2023. “We have an epic story for Stark and plans for old enemies, including flashbacks to some of his classic armour. How about a little Silver Centurion for his Diamond Anniversary?” Duggan teased. “Arm yourself up, you’re going to need it.”
Invincible Iron Man #1 hits shelves on December 7th.
Image: Kael Ngu/Marvel Comics
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