Following Mark Gruenwald’s departure from the series, Mark Waid took over and resurrected Sharon Carter as Cap’s love interest. The title was then relaunched under Rob Liefeld as Cap became part of the Heroes Reborn universe for 13 issues before another relaunch restored Waid to the title in an arc that saw Cap lose his shield for a time using an energy based shield as a temporary replacement.
In May 2015, Marvel published a new Secret Wars miniseries, written by Jonathan Hickman and drawn by Esad Ribić, that picked up from where the “Time Runs Out” storyline running in Avengers and New Avengers at the time had ended. The storyline involved the Marvel Universe combining with other alternate universes, including the Ultimate Universe, as well as the 2099 Universe, to form Battleworld, a world which exhibits aspects of the various universes. The core limited series was nine issues long, and ran for eight months, ending in January 2016. One of the core miniseries, Ultimate End, had ended the Ultimate Marvel imprint after 15 years at the time. Ultimate End is written by Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mark Bagley, the team that began the Ultimate Marvel universe with Ultimate Spider-Man.
The Thor title resumed its original numbering in 2009 with Thor #600, including the intervening issues of Thor in its count while disregarding the 1990s Journey Into Mystery issues. Starting with issue #622, the series for a second time had its title restored to Journey Into Mystery, which accompanied the launch of a new title, Mighty Thor. Thor’s supporting cast returned as the focus of a run written by Kieron Gillen, who had written Thor from #604 to #614, and drawn by Doug Braithwaite. Starring was the Thor antagonist Loki, who had been reincarnated as a child following his sacrifice in the series Siege. Gillen’s run was favorably reviewed, with one critic writing:
Gillen’s work has always been big on theme and interconnectedness, and this is no exception. The finale encapsulates the run as a whole — ambitious, ambiguous, clever and uncompromising, as challenging as it is entertaining. Sometimes those qualities hurt it, and although sales were never especially healthy it’s to Marvel’s credit that they helped keep it afloat long enough for a proper ending when the alternative would have surely been easier.
In Gillen’s final issue, a letter from Tom Hiddleston, who portrays Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was published, in which he praised Gillen for his take on the character.
With issue #646, the focus of Journey into Mystery changed with its rebranding under the Marvel NOW! imprint. Written by Kathryn Immonen and drawn by Valerio Schiti, the series began starring the Marvel Asgardians, with the Lady Sif as its lead character. The series was cancelled with issue #655 (Oct. 2013).
Iron Man left two lives behind when he vanished, but can he avoid his former mistakes in his new one? The armored Avenger takes on Hydra, Heralds and the Hulk – and the eyes of the Marvel Universe are upon him in the form of Loki, the Watcher and Onslaught himself! Featuring Doc Samson and… or rather as …the Abomination! Plus: Rebel O’Reilly, later of Thunderbolts fame!
Following the 2015 Secret Wars event, a number of Spider-Man-related titles were either relaunched or created as part of the “All-New, All-Different Marvel” event. Among them, The Amazing Spider-Man was relaunched as well and primarily focuses on Peter Parker continuing to run Parker Industries, and becoming a successful businessman who is operating worldwide. It also tied with Civil War II (involving an Inhuman who can predict possible future named Ulysses Cain), Dead No More (where Ben Reilly [the original Scarlet Spider] revealed to be revived and as one of the antagonists instead), and Secret Empire (during Hydra’s reign led by a Hydra influenced Captain America/Steve Rogers, and the dismissal of Parker Industries by Peter Parker in order to stop Otto Octavius).
The ongoing series was canceled with issue #416 (Sept. 1996) and relaunched with vol. 2 #1 (Nov. 1996) as part of the multi-series “Heroes Reborn” crossover story arc. The yearlong volume retold the team’s first adventures in a more contemporary style, and set in a parallel universe. Following the end of that experiment, Fantastic Four was relaunched with vol. 3 #1 (Jan. 1998).
Frank Castle has gone back to basics. Back in New York, back from the dead and back doing what he does best: exterminating bad guys and waging his personal war on crime. And just wait until you check out Frank’s new bachelor pad – with his roommate Death! It’s a gritty tale of bullet-ridden, gut-wrenching action as you like it!
An early 1970s Spider-Man story led to the revision of the Comics Code. Previously, the Code forbade the depiction of the use of illegal drugs, even negatively. However, in 1970, the Nixon administration’s Department of Health, Education, and Welfare asked Stan Lee to publish an anti-drug message in one of Marvel’s top-selling titles. Lee chose the top-selling The Amazing Spider-Man; issues #96–98 (May–July 1971) feature a story arc depicting the negative effects of drug use. In the story, Peter Parker’s friend Harry Osborn becomes addicted to pills. When Spider-Man fights the Green Goblin (Norman Osborn, Harry’s father), Spider-Man defeats the Green Goblin, by revealing Harry’s drug addiction. While the story had a clear anti-drug message, the Comics Code Authority refused to issue its seal of approval. Marvel nevertheless published the three issues without the Comics Code Authority’s approval or seal. The issues sold so well that the industry’s self-censorship was undercut and the Code was subsequently revised.
Ka-Zar is having a midlife crisis. He’s wondering if he should give up the jungle life and head to the comforts of modern civilization. He parts ways from Shanna for a bit to try and find Zabu, who has uncharacteristically wandered off.
The trail leads him to a vast new section of the Savage Land. We’ll eventually learn that it’s called Pangea,. He meets a woman called Leanne who owns a femal pet saber-tooth . He rescues her from some savages, but it turns out that she is the queen of a a large medieval city called Lemuria. They have a brief affair, but she leaves him because he’s too uncivilized.
The flagship of the X-titles featuring world-building stories of the mutant renaissance featuring an overlapping cast members. Some of the stories include the introduction of Apocalypse’s grandson, Summoner, leading in to the X of Swords crossover; a new villain group called Hordeculture, featured later in the Empyre tie-in; Professor X, Magneto and Apocalypse attending the World Economic Forum; Mystique’s side mission during the attack on Orchis in House of X and the follow up mission to destroy Nimrod, leading into the Inferno storyline; the mutant rite Crucible, which is followed up in Way of X; and an adhoc team of Wolverine, Synch and Darwin assault of the Vault; the King Egg of the Brood race, a follow-up on a story started in the New Mutants; a tie-in to the Empyre event featuring Vulcan, and Magneto and the rest of the mutant nation fighting the Cotati; Cyclops, Marvel Girl and Storm helping with the kidnapping of Xandra, Majestrix of the Shi’ar Empire; and the X-Men election following its disbandment upon the formation of the Krakoan government.
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