Fresh Start (comics)
A Fresh Start is a 2018 relaunch of comic book publications by Marvel Comics, following Marvel Legacy.[1]
Changes to the Marvel Universe
The relaunch will see the return of Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Logan, Odinson and Bruce Banner to their classic identities of Iron Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Thor and Hulk respectively. All those characters had been replaced by legacy heroes in recent times. Stark ended up in a coma in Civil War II, and his armor would be donned by the reborn-villain Doctor Victor von Doom in Infamous Iron Man and by fifteen year old genius Riri Williams, who took on the codename Ironheart, in Invincible Iron Man. Sam Wilson, a longtime ally of Captain America as Falcon, took the mantle in All-New Captain America. Laura Kinney, the female clone of Logan who is also viewed as Logan's daughter became the Wolverine in All-New Wolverine. Jane Foster, a secondary character of the Thor comics, became a female Thor in Thor vol. 4. Bruce Banner died in Civil War II, with Amadeus Cho becoming the new Incredible Hulk. It will also see the return of Marvel's first family the Fantastic Four ever since it was broken up following the conclusion of the Secret Wars storyline.
The A Fresh Start initiative will include a new incarnation of the West Coast Avengers that will consist of Hawkeye, Kate Bishop, Gwenpool, America Chavez, Quentin Quire, and Kate's boyfriend Johnny.[2]
The teaser poster featured Jessica Jones and Miles Morales, characters created by Brian Michael Bendis. Bendis had recently moved to DC Comics; the poster confirmed that Marvel would keep publishing them.[3]
On April 18, a sampler collection was published, similar to Marvel Legacy #1 from the previous year, titled Marvel Universe Magazine that contains previews about most of their forthcoming new #1 issues.
Many writers have been assigned with new titles; Amazing Spider-Man's Dan Slott, Deadpool's Gerry Duggan and Avengers' Mark Waid and others left their title due to the Fresh Start relaunch.
Titles
Ongoing series
Events
| Title | Issue | Writer | Artist | Published from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age of X-Man | ||||
| Age of X-Man Alpha | #1 | Zac Thompson, Lonnie Nadler | Ramon Rosanas | January 30, 2019 |
| Age of X-Man: Apocalypse and the X-Tracts | #1 (of 5) | Tim Seeley | Salva Espin | March 13, 2019 |
| Age of X-Man: Nextgen | #1 (of 5) | Ed Brisson | Marcus To | February 13, 2019 |
| Age of X-Man: Prisoner X | #1 (of 5) | Vita Ayala | German Peralta | March 6, 2019 |
| Age of X-Man: The Amazing Nightcrawler | #1 (of 5) | Seanan McGuire | Juan Frigeri | February 20, 2019 |
| Age of X-Man: The Marvelous X-Men | #1 (of 5) | Lonnie Nadler & Zac Thompson | Marco Failla | February 6, 2019 |
| Age of X-Man: X-Tremists | #1 (of 5) | Leah Williams | Georges Jeanty | February 27, 2019 |
| Age of X-Man Omega | #1 | |||
| Extermination | ||||
| Extermination | #1 (of 5) | Ed Brisson | Pepe Larraz | August 15, 2018 |
| X-Men: The Exterminated | #1 | Zac Thompson, Lonnie Nadler and Chris Claremont | Neil Edwards | December 5, 2018 |
| Infinity Wars | ||||
| Infinity Wars | #1 (of 6) | Gerry Duggan | Mike Deodato | August 1, 2018 |
| Infinity Wars: Fallen Guardian | #1 | Gerry Duggan | Andy MacDonald | December 19, 2018 |
| Infinity Wars: Infinity | #1 | Gerry Duggan | Mark Bagley | January 2, 2019 |
| Infinity Wars: Prime | #1 | Gerry Duggan | Mike Deodato | August 25, 2018 |
| Infinity Wars: Arachknight | #1 (of 2) | Max Bemis | Ale Garza | October 24, 2018 |
| Infinity Wars: Ghost Panther | #1 (of 2) | Jed Mackay | Jefte Palo | November 21, 2018 |
| Infinity Wars: Infinity Warps | #1 (of 2) | Ryan North, Mariko Tamaki & Jim Zub | Natacha Bustos, Francisco Herrera & Ozgur Yildrim | November 14, 2018 |
| Infinity Wars: Iron Hammer | #1 (of 2) | Al Ewing | Ramon Rosanas | September 26, 2018 |
| Infinity Wars: Sleepwalker | #1 (of 4) | Chris Sims & Chad Bowers | Tods Nauck | October 3, 2018 |
| Infinity Wars: Soldier Supreme | #1 (of 2) | Gerry Duggan | Adam Kubert | September 19, 2018 |
| Infinity Wars: Weapon Hex | #1 (of 2) | Ben Acker | Gerardo Sandoval | October 17, 2018 |
| Thanos Legacy | #1 | Donny Cates & Gerry Duggan | Brian Level | September 5, 2018 |
| Spider-Geddon | ||||
| Edge of Spider-Geddon | #1 (of 4) | Various | August 15, 2018 | |
| Spider-Geddon | #0 | Christos Gage | Clayton Crain | September 26, 2018 |
| Spider-Geddon | #1 (of 5) | Christos Gage | Jorge Molina | October 10, 2018 |
| Spider-Geddon Handbook | #1 | Various | Various | December 5, 2018 |
| Spider-Force | #1 (of 3) | Christopher Priest | Paulo Siquiera | October 31, 2018 |
| Spider-Girls | #1 (of 3) | Jody Houser | Andres Genolet | October 24, 2018 |
| Superior Octopus | #1 | Christos Gage | Mike Hawthorne | October 3, 2018 |
| Vault of Spiders | #1 (of 2) | Cullen Bunn & Jed Mackay | Javier Pulido & Sheldon Vella | October 31, 2018 |
| War of the Realms | ||||
| War of the Realms | #1 (of 6) | Jason Aaron | Russell Dauterman & Matthew Wilson | April 3, 2019 |
| War of the Realms: Journey Into Mystery | #1 (of 5) | The McElroy Brothers | André Lima Araújo | April 10, 2019 |
| War of the Realms: The Punisher | #1 (of 3) | Gerry Duggan | Marcelo Ferreira | April 17, 2019 |
| War of the Realms: Uncanny X-Men | #1 (of 3) | Matthew Rosenberg | Pere Perez | April 24, 2019 |
| War of the Realms: War Scrolls | #1 (of 3) | Jason Aaron, Chip Zdarsky, Josh Trujillo | Andrea Sorrentino, Joe Quinones | April 10, 2019 |
Limited series
| Title | Issue | Writer | Artist | Published from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ant-Man and the Wasp | #1 (of 5) | Mark Waid | Javier Garron | June 6, 2018 |
| Avengers: No Road Home | #1 (of 10) | Al Ewing, Jim Zub & Mark Waid | Paco Medina | February 2019 |
| Black Order | #1 (of 5) | Derek Landy | Philip Tan | November 14, 2018 |
| Black Panther Vs Deadpool | #1 (of 5) | Daniel Kibblesmith | Ricardo Lopez Ortiz | October 24, 2018 |
| Cosmic Ghost Rider | #1 (of 5) | Donny Cates | Dylan Burnett | July 4, 2018 |
| Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel Universe | #1 (of 6) | Paul Scheer & Nick Giovannetti | Gerardo Sandoval | March 6, 2019 |
| Dead Man Logan | #1 (of 12) | Ed Brisson | Mike Henderson | November 28, 2018 |
| Deadpool Assassin | #1 (of 6) | Cullen Bunn | Mark Bagley | June 13, 2018 |
| Domino Hotshots | #1 (of 5) | Gail Simone | David Baldeon | March 2019 |
| Hulkverines | #1 (of 3) | Greg Pak | Ario Anindito | February 20, 2019 |
| Iceman (vol. 4) | #1 (of 5) | Sina Grace | Nate Stockman | September 12, 2018 |
| Killmonger | #1 (of 5) | Bryan Hill | Juan Ferreyra | December 5, 2018 |
| The Life of Captain Marvel (vol. 2) | #1 (of 5) | Margaret Stohl | Carlos Pacheco | July 18, 2018 |
| Major X | #1 (of 6) | Rob Liefeld | Whilce Portacio and Brent Peeples | April 2019 |
| Man Without Fear | #1 (of 5) | Jed MacKay | Danilo Beyruth | January 2, 2019 |
| Marvel Knights 20th | #1 (of 6) | Donny Cates | Travel Foreman | November 7, 2018 |
| Marvel Rising | #1 (of 5) | Nilah Magruder | Roberto Di Salvo | March 2019 |
| Marvel's Spider-Man: City at War | #1 (of 6) | Dennis Hopeless | Michele Bandini | March 2019 |
| Meet the Skrulls | #1 (of 5) | Robby Thompson | Niko Henrichon | March 2019 |
| Multiple Man | #1 (of 5) | Matthew Rosenberg | Andy MacDonald | June 27, 2018 |
| Old Man Quill | #1 (of 12) | Ethan Sacks | Robert Gill | February 2019 |
| Return of Wolverine | #1 (of 5) | Charles Soule | Steve McNiven | September 19, 2018 |
| Shatterstar | #1 (of 5) | Tim Seeley | Carlos Villa | October 3, 2018 |
| Spider-Man: Life Story | #1 (of 6) | Chip Zdarsky | Mark Bagley | March 2019 |
| Symbiote Spider-Man | #1 (of 5) | Peter David | Greg Land | April 2019 |
| Thanos | #1 (of 6) | Tini Howard | Ariel Olivetti | April 2019 |
| Venom: First Host | #1 (of 5) | Mike Costa | Mark Bagley | August 29, 2018 |
| Winter Soldier | #1 (of 5) | Kyle Higgins | Rod Reis | December 5, 2018 |
| Wolverine: Infinity Watch | #1 (of 5) | Gerry Duggam | Andy MacDonald | February 2019 |
| Wolverine: The Long Night (vol. 1) | #1 (of 5) | Benjamin Percy | Marcio Takara | January, 2019 |
| Marvel Digital Originals | ||||
| Cloak and Dagger: Shades of Gray | #1 (of 3) | Dennis Hopeless | David Messina | December 12, 2018 |
| Cloak and Dagger: Negative Exposure | #1 (of 3) | Dennis Hopeless | Francisco Manna | December 26, 2018 |
| Daughters of the Dragon: Bunraku | #1 (of 3) | Jed MacKay | Travel Foreman | November 24, 2018 |
| Iron Fist: Phantom Limb | #1 (of 3) | Clay McLeod Chapman | Guillermo Sanna | October 3, 2018 |
| Jessica Jones: Blind Spot | #1 (of 3) | Kelly Thompson | Mattia de Lulis | October 31, 2018 |
| Jessica Jones: Purple Daughter | #1 (of 3) | Kelly Thompson | Mattia de Lulis | January 16, 2019 |
| Luke Cage: Everyman | #1 (of 3) | Anthony Del Col | Jahnoy Lindsay | August 15, 2018 |
One-shots series
| Title | Issue | Writer | Artist | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Best Defense | ||||
| Defenders: The Best Defense | #1 | Al Ewing | Joe Bennett | December 19, 2018 |
| Doctor Strange: The Best Defense | #1 | Gerry Duggan | Greg Smallwood | December 12, 2018 |
| Immortal Hulk: The Best Defense | #1 | Al Ewing | Simone Di Meo | December 5, 2018 |
| Namor: The Best Defense | #1 | Chip Zdarsky | Simone Di Meo | December 5, 2018 |
| Silver Surfer: The Best Defense | #1 | Jason Latour | Jason Latour | December 12, 2018 |
| Marvel Rising | ||||
| Marvel Rising | #0 | Devin Grayson | Marco Failla | April 25, 2018 |
| Marvel Rising Alpha | #1 | Devin Grayson | Georges Duarte | June 13, 2018 |
| Marvel Rising Squirrel Girl/Ms Marvel | #1 | Devin Grayson Ryan North G. Willow Wilson | Irene Strychalsk Ramon Bachs | July 4, 2018 |
| Marvel Rising Ms Marvel/Squirrel Girl | #1 | Devin Grayson G. Willow Wilson Ryan North | Ramon Bachs Irene Strychalsk | August 1, 2018 |
| Marvel Rising Omega | #1 | Devin Grayson | Georges Duarte Roberto Di Salvo | September 12, 2018 |
| Typhoid Fever | ||||
| Typhoid Fever: Iron Fist | #1 | Clay McLeod Chapman | Paolo Villanelli | December 12, 2018 |
| Typhoid Fever: Spider-Man | #1 | Clay McLeod Chapman | Stefano Landini | October 3, 2018 |
| Typhoid Fever: X-Men | #1 | Clay McLeod Chapman | Will Robson | November 7, 2018 |
| Web of Venom | ||||
| Web of Venom: Carnage Born | #1 | Donny Cates | Danilo S. Beyruth | November 21, 2018 |
| Web of Venom: Cult of Carnage | #1 | Frank Tieri | Danilo S. Beyruth | April 10, 2019 |
| Web of Venom: Unleashed | #1 | Ryan Stegman | Kyle Hotz | January 9, 2019 |
| Web of Venom: Ve'nam | #1 | Donny Cates | Juanan Ramirez | August 29, 2018 |
| What If? | ||||
| What If?: Ghost Rider | #1 | Sebastian Griner | Caspar Wijngaard | October 17, 2018 |
| What If?: Magik | #1 | Leah Williams | Filipe Andrade | October 31, 2018 |
| What If?: Punisher | #1 | Carl Potts | Juanan Ramirez | October 10, 2018 |
| What If?: Spider-Man | #1 | Gerry Conway | Diego Olortegui | October 3, 2018 |
| What If?: Thor | #1 | Ethan Sacks | Michele Bandini | October 24, 2018 |
| What If?: X-Men | #1 | Bryan Edward Hill | Neil Edwards & Giannis Milonogiannis | October 3, 2018 |
| X-Men Black | ||||
| X-Men Black: Emma Frost | #1 | Leah Williams | Chris Bachalo | October 31, 2018 |
| X-Men Black: Juggernaut | #1 | Robbie Thompson | Shawn Crystal | October 24, 2018 |
| X-Men Black: Magneto | #1 | Chris Claremont | Dalibor Talajic | October 3, 2018 |
| X-Men Black: Mojo | #1 | Scott Auckerman | Nick Bradshaw | October 10, 2018 |
| X-Men Black: Mystique | #1 | Seanan McGuire | Marco Failla | October 17, 2018 |
Single one-shots
| Title | Issue | Writer | Artist | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avengers Halloween Special | #1 | Various | Various | October 31, 2018 |
| Captain Marvel: Braver & Mightier | #1 | Jody Houser | Simone Buonfantino | February 27, 2019 |
| Fantastic Four: Wedding Special | #1 | Various | Various | December 12, 2018 |
| Journey Into Mystery: The Birth of Krakoa | #1 | Dennis Hopeless | Djibril Morissette-Phan | September 12, 2018 |
| Marvel Zombie | #1 | Maxwell Prince | Stefano Raeffele | October 17, 2018 |
| Merry X-Men Holiday Special | #1 | Various | Various | December 5, 2018 |
| Season's Beatings | #1 | Various | Various | December 19, 2018 |
| Spider-Man Enter the Spider-Verse | #1 | Ralph Macchio | Flaviano | November 21, 2018 |
| Uncanny X-Men: Winter's End | #1 | Sina Grace | Nathan Stockman | February 27, 2019 |
Criticism
David Barnett from The Guardian pointed out that most of the characters involved have appeared in recent films or TV series, or are about to do so, and criticized that effort to emulate the feel of those productions instead of taking full advantage of the capabilities of the comic book medium to produce fantasy and sci-fi without the constraints of special effects budgets. He also considered that Marvel may be stepping back from its attempts to make comics featuring diverse female, black, Asian and LGBT characters, trying instead to appeal to its most conservative readership.[4] Graeme McMillan from The Hollywood Reporter pointed out that Marvel has been announcing wide relaunches annually since 2012, but have provided limited changes.[5]
References
- ^ What Fresh (Start) Hell? A Brief History of Marvel Reboots – Book Riot
- ^ Alex Gilyadov (May 17, 2018). "West Coast Avengers Returns with Double the Hawkeye". IGN. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
- ^ Stephen Gerding (February 20, 2018). "Marvel Comics Announces a Line-Wide Overhaul in 2018". CBR.com. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
- ^ David Barnett (February 22, 2018). "Marvel comics' Fresh Start looks like a return to old cliches". The Guardian. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
- ^ Graeme McMillan (February 20, 2018). "Is Marvel's New Relaunch A "Fresh Start" or More of the Same?". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 23, 2018.