The Press Release:
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!
In the spirit of recent best-selling comics like Jonathan Hickman and Sanford Greene’s Doom and Chip Zdarsky and Daniel Acuña’s Avengers: Twilight, Straczynski’s new one-shots invite all fans—new and longtime readers alike—to enjoy timeless and rousing stories featuring some of today’s most beloved and talked about Marvel characters. 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. Preorder DOCTOR DOOM & ROCKET RACCOON #1 at your local comic shop and stay tuned for more information about this exciting new project! For more information, visit Marvel.com.
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
*** end of transmission ***
PiercingMetal Thoughts: As I re-read this press release I have to admit that these are surely some “Strange Tales” but maybe some of you will feel that they are mostly “Tales To Astonish”, okay sorry about that I just couldn’t resist. The New York Comic Con is practically upon us and I am feeling rather punny. So truth be told, these all really interest me because they are quite different from the usual stuff that’s been coming out. I mean come on now, Doctor Doom and Rocket Raccoon? Ghost Rider vs. the Great Galactus? Wild stuff for sure and I know I will be letting my local comic book shop know when in advance to secure me copies of these. I will say that these might have been fun as “Marvel Team-Up” issues but that series no longer publishes but then again perhaps its time for a return if stuff like this proves successful. I’m glad we did get three covers of these upcoming releases and guess when the new year rolls around we might see the remaining three. I’m super curious about the “Ghost Rider Vs. Galactus” cover for sure. Wrapping up I wonder what you readers think about this announcement and will you be planning on getting copies added to your pull list? Chime in down below in the comments section so we can learn what you all think about it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get back to the convention planning. See you soon and please keep safe out there.
Official: http://www.marvel.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marvel
