Tony Stark is looking to restart his engine. He decides he’s going back to basics, putting away his high-tech toys and high-profile image so he can get his hands dirty again. It’s time to dig into the guts of real machines, put on some old-fashioned metal and fly.
But can he really lay that Stark-sized ego down? Life isn’t that simple, something that old friends and frustrating foes are quick to point out. If you strip down a billionaire to his bolts, does he run solid or just overheat?
Tony’s going to find out once a threat to the entire universe rears its head from the past. As he suits up again, Tony remains sure of one thing: he’s still IRON MAN down to his flesh and blood core.
Mark Waid scripted the opening of “The Gauntlet” storyline in issue No. 612. The Gauntlet story was concluded by Grim Hunt (No. 634-637) which saw the resurrection of long-dead Spider-Man villain, Kraven the Hunter. The series became a twice-monthly title with Dan Slott as sole writer at issue No. 648, launching the Big Time storyline. Eight additional pages were added per issue. Big Time saw major changes in Spider-Man/Peter Parker’s life, Peter would start working at Horizon Labs and begin a relationship with Carlie Cooper (his first serious relationship since his marriage to Mary Jane), Mac Gargan returned as Scorpion after spending the past few years as Venom, Phil Urich would take up the mantle of Hobgoblin, and the death of J. Jonah Jameson’s wife, Marla Jameson. Issues 654 and 654.1 saw the birth of Agent Venom, Flash Thompson bonded with the Venom symbiote, which would lead to Venom getting his own series Venom (volume 2). Starting in No. 659 and going to No. 655, the series built-up to the Spider-Island event which officially started in No. 666 and ended in No. 673. Ends of the Earth was the next event that ran from No. 682 through No. 687. This publishing format lasted until issue No. 700, which concluded the “Dying Wish” storyline, in which Parker and Doctor Octopus swapped bodies, and the latter taking on the mantle of Spider-Man when Parker apparently died in Doctor Octopus’ body. The Amazing Spider-Man ended with this issue, with the story continuing in the new series The Superior Spider-Man.] Despite The Superior Spider-Man being considered a different series to The Amazing Spider-Man, the first 33 issue run goes towards the legacy numbering of The Amazing Spider-Man acting as issues 701-733. In December 2013, the series returned for five issues, numbered 700.1 through 700.5, with the first two written by David Morrell and drawn by Klaus Janson.
In 2008, a new Deadpoolongoing series written by Daniel Way with artist Paco Medina began as a Secret Invasion tie-in. In the first arc, the character is seen working with Nick Fury to steal data on how to kill the Skrull queen Veranke. Norman Osborn steals the information that Deadpool had stolen from the Skrulls, and subsequent stories deal with the fallout from that. Writer Daniel Way explained, “the first thing Osborn does to try and take care of the situation is to bring in a hired gun to take Deadpool down, which would be Tiger-Shark. That would be the standard thing to do, but of course everything about Deadpool is non-standard. So it goes completely awry and Norman has to get more serious about things.” The story also sees the return of Bob, Agent of HYDRA; “I don’t want the book to become ‘Deadpool and Friends’ so characters will drift in and out, but Bob was someone I definitely wanted to bring in. It just had to be at the perfect moment and when I was putting this storyline together that moment presented itself.”
During the “Heroes Reborn” event, many of the Avengers together with the Fantastic Four and others, died trying to stop the psychic entity Onslaught, although it was revealed that Franklin Richards preserved those heroes in a pocket universe. Believing the main team to be gone, the Black Widow disbanded the Avengers, and only butler Edwin Jarvis remained to tend to the Mansion.
The previous continuity of the Marvel Universe was set aside as the heroes were “reborn” in the pocket universe created by Franklin Richards to save his parents and their friends, while the “Heroes Reborn” line ended and the heroes returned to the prime Marvel Universe. This restoration also undid recent changes to the team members such as the Wasp being mutated into an insectoid form, Hawkeye being rendered deaf, and Stark being replaced by his teenage self, attributed to Franklin’s childish perception recreating the heroes in the manner he was more familiar with.
Jonathan Hickman wrote a story arc in the Avengers and New Avengers comic, ending in the 2015 crossover Secret Wars. His return was announced in March 2019. Some days later, it was detailed that he would write two comic books, House of X and Powers of X, with penciling by Pepe Larraz and R.B. Silva. Marvel Editor in Chief C. B. Cebulski said that “We are excited to have Jon back with the Marvel family, and we could not have asked for a better creative team to help usher the X-Men into a whole new era”
Both comics were released as a company wide relaunch of the X-Men. All the ongoing X-Men comics were cancelled: Uncanny X-Men, Mr. and Mrs. X, X-Force, X-23, and the Age of X-Man tie-in miniseries.
Never betray a Bounty Hunter – especially if it’s Boba Fett!
Years ago, Valance and fellow bounty hunters Bossk and Boba Fett took on a mission that went sideways in a bad way after Valance’s mentor, Nakano Lash, violently betrayed them. Valance’s team barely escaped with their lives. He never thought he’d face his old mentor ever again…until Lash finally resurfaces under mysterious circumstances. Every bounty hunter in the galaxy wants a piece and Valance is hell-bent on getting to the prize first. He has score to settle—but so does Boba Fett!
The premise for this limited series was created by J. Michael Straczynski during a Marvel retreat in New York. (The book credits Straczynski with the initial concept.) He suggested the structure of five issues, each based on Elizabeth Kubler Ross’ Five Stages of Grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Loeb lobbied hard to write the series, and succeeded, saying that he could draw upon his own experience of having lost his son Sam Loeb. In the Spring Preview issue of Wizard magazine, Loeb said:
When Straczynski [speaks] it’s a little bit like the burning bush and the rest of us are Moses. He held up this yellow pad and said, ‘It’s the five stages of grief! Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance.’ The theme of each issue is represented by a particular Marvel character and also ends with a transition phase leading into the following stage. Denial deals with Wolverine, Anger deals with the two Avengers teams (Mighty Avengers & New Avengers), Captain America himself is dealt with in Bargaining, Spider-Man is the focus of Depression and Iron Man comes under the spotlight in Acceptance.
Fallen Son – The Death of Captain America 3 – CGC 9.8 White Pages Signed Romita Jr. and Loeb $85
Fallen Son – The Death of Captain America #3 NM $6
Fallen Son – The Death of Captain America #3 Turner Variant NM $12
In October 2012, Thor became a regular character in Uncanny Avengers, beginning with issue #1. The following month, an ongoing series titled Thor: God of Thunder by writer Jason Aaron and artist Esad Ribić debuted as part of the Marvel NOW! relaunch.[49][50] This story arc was voted as the 8th best Thor story by Comicbook.com.
In the wake of the events following The Empire Strikes Back, it is a dark time for the heroes of the Rebellion. The Rebel fleet…scattered following a disastrous defeat at the Battle of Hoth. Han Solo…lost to the bounty hunter, Boba Fett, after being frozen in carbonite. And after being lured into a trap on Cloud City and bested in a vicious lightsaber duel against the evil Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker…learned the horrible truth about his past. Vader did not kill Luke’s father Anakin–Vader is Luke’s father! Now, after narrowly escaping the dark lord’s clutches, and wounded and reeling from the revelation, Luke, Princess Leia, Lando Calrissian, the Wookiee Chewbacca and the droids C-3PO and R2-D2 must fight their way back to the Rebel Alliance—for the fate of the entire galaxy is at stake! After so many losses is victory still possible? But, what Leia, Luke and their ragtag band of freedom fighters do not realize is that they have only traded one Imperial trap for another! Enter the cunning and vengeful Imperial Commander Zahra, at the helm of the Tarkin’s Will!
The first incarnation of Red Hulk (also known as Rulk) first appeared in the Hulk series that debuted in 2008. The 2010 “World War Hulks” storyline reveals that this being is United States Army General Thunderbolt Ross, the father-in-law and longtime nemesis of the original Hulk, Bruce Banner. The storyline reveals that Ross was given the ability to transform into Red Hulk by the organizations A.I.M. and the Intelligencia, and that he did this in order to be able to better fight the original Hulk.
EHT Comics 