Man oh man there are a lot of reasons to be a fan of Marvel Comics this October. Lots of great characters launching into new series and thrilling adventures by some truly creative people. Let’s take a look at the first issue offerings from Marvel Entertainment with their cover art and provided press copy and of course at the close I shall return to offer up some additional views. Here we go.

All-New, All-Different Marvel Point One #1: In the aftermath of SECRET WARS, it’s an All-New, All-Different Marvel Universe, and this is your one-stop entry point to the changes and mysteries that have developed during the eight months that have passed! Featuring new stories of Daredevil, Carnage, Classfied, Classified, Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Contest Of Champions!
Writers: Al Ewing, Charles Soule, Skottie Young, Gerry Conway, Marc Guggenheim
Artists: Felipe Andrade, Ron Garney, Paco Medina, German Peralta, Mike Perkins, Stefano Caselli
Cover by Mike Del Mundo

Amazing Spider-Man #1-2: The World’s Greatest Super Hero! Spider-Man has gone global! Parker Industries is more successful than ever, with offices in New York, Shanghai, London and San Francisco and Peter Parker is racking up the frequent flyer miles with his “bodyguard” Spider-Man in tow, of course. But success breeds enemies and a reinvigorated Zodiac have also widened their scope to threaten the whole world. Join Dan Slott and Giuseppe Camuncoli as they take Spider-Man to the next level! This huge first issue also includes stories featuring Silk, Spidey 2099, Spider-Woman and much more!
Dan Slott (w) • Giuseppe Camuncoli (a); CoverS by Alex Ross


Angela: Queen of Hel #1: Hel Hath A New Fury. Stolen from ASGARD, exiled from HEVEN, and robbed of SERA, her greatest companion – ANGELA plunges into the depths of blackest HEL to save her friend…and once there, the lost princess of Asgard will carve out a realm of her very own. All hail ANGELA, THE NEW QUEEN OF HEL!
Marguerite Bennett (w); Kim Jacinto and Stephanie Hans (a)

Astonishing Ant-Man #1: Scott Lang was a down-on-his-luck, divorced ex-con — until he stole renowned scientist and super hero Hank Pym’s size-altering technology in the hopes of saving his daughter’s life. Through that act of doing wrong for the right reasons, Scott inadvertently learned how to be a hero himself. With Pym’s blessing and his daughter Cassie at his side, he became… The Astonishing Ant-Man! But when a curveball upends Scott’s life, will he continue to be a hero, or will he return to his former life of crime?
Nick Spencer (w) • Ramon Rosanas (a); Cover by Mark Brooks

Avengers #0: The kickoff to the All-New AVENGERS line begins here, with new stories of the ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT AVENGERS, SQUADRON SUPREME, A-FORCE, NEW AVENGERS, ULTIMATES and UNCANNY AVENGERS! Someone is carefully studying the movements of the Avengers and those in their orbit—but do they mean to harm, or help? Find out the first clues in this special launch issue!
Mark Waid, James Robinson, G. Willow Wilson, Al Ewing, Gerry Duggan (W); Mahmud Asrar, Leonard Kirk, Gerardo Sandoval, Kenneth Rocafort, Ryan Stegman, Victor Ibanez (A); Cover by Kenneth Rocafort; Wraparound Variant Cover by Art Adams

Blade #1: Tim Seeley (W) • Logan Faerber (a)

Captain America Sam Wilson #1-2: When Steve Rogers was restored to his natural age, he chose one of his closest and most trusted allies to take up his shield. Now Sam Wilson, formerly the Avenger known as Falcon, carries on the fight for liberty and justice as the all-new, all-different Captain America!
Nick Spencer (W) • DANIEL Acuña (a/C)

Contest of Champions #1: Welcome to the BATTLEREALM–a broken section of space-time where cosmic beings gamble for the ultimate power while their unwilling pawns fight for their lives and a chance to return back to Earth. Who will survive… THE CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS?
Al Ewing (W), Paco Medina (a/C)

Doctor Strange #1: Who do you call when things are coming out of your dreams and trying to kill you? Or when your daughter is cursing in Latin and walking like a spider? Or when your dog keeps screaming at you to strangle your neighbors? Doctor Strange, of course. He’s the only person standing between us and the forces of darkness, but has he been paying his tab? Every act of magic has a cost and Jason Aaron (THOR, ORIGINAL SIN) and Chris Bachalo (UNCANNY X-MEN) are going to put Stephen Strange through hell to even the scales.
Jason Aaron (w); Chris Bachalo (a/C)

Extraordinary X-Men #1-2: The fate of mutantkind is decided here! Staring down the threat of extinction once more, veteran X-Man Storm pulls together the team she’ll need to ensure her race’s survival. Together, these EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN will struggle with the familiar burden of being hated and feared, while facing threats the likes of which they’ve never seen. Here’s hoping they survive the experience!
Jeff Lemire (w) • Humberto Ramos (a/C)

Guardians of the Galaxy #1: THE RACCOON’S IN CHARGE! Peter Quill has abandoned the Guardians and his role as Star-Lord to be Emperor of the Spartax. Rocket didn’t wait a single minute to take the reins and become team leader of Drax, Venom, Groot, Kitty Pryde (A.K.A. Star-Lady ?!?!) and new Guardian BEN GRIMM, the everloving THING!
Brian Michael Bendis(w); Valerio Schiti (a)

Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1: Hidden deep beneath AREA 13 lies the clandestine headquarters of S.T.A.K.E.–a top secret division of S.H.I.E.L.D. housing aliens, mythical beasts, and all manner of extra-normal entities. Under the command of legendary soldier DUM DUM DUGAN, these monsters step out of the shadows and defend the world against supernatural threats too dangerous for normal men as THE ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT HOWLING COMMANDOS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.!
Frank Barbiere (W) • Brent Schoonover (a/C)

Invincible Iron Man #1-2: Exploding out of the pages of SECRET WARS, one of the most popular super heroes in the world gets a gigantic new series. From the creators that brought you ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN comes new armor, new supporting cast, new villains and a new purpose that is going to tear itself across the entire Marvel Universe and beyond. With a shocker of a last page that will have everyone talking and the return of one of Tony’s biggest nemeses, you will not want to miss this!! Also, who are Tony’s biological parents? The quest begins here!
Brian Michael Bendis (w) • David Marquez (a)

Karnak #1: THE FLAW IN ALL THINGS. “My curse is that I see the flaw in all things. Systems. Philosophies. Structures. People. Everything. Never forget who I am. I am Karnak of the Inhumans.” You may not know who Karnak is now, but you will when Warren Ellis (MOON KNIGHT, Planetary) and Gerardo Zaffino are done with you. Phil Coulson goes to Karnak to help with a SHIELD case with Inhuman implications and what he’s going to find will terrify you.
Warren Ellis (w) • Gerardo Zaffino (a)

Marvel Super Hero Spectacular #1: A SUPER HERO EXTRAVAGANZA THE LIKES OF WHICH THE WORLD HAS NEVER SEEN! Get a front row seat to the hottest ticket in town as we unveil Saturnalia and the Interstellar Circus Spectacular! But there’s more to these three rings than meets the EYE! Featuring a wild array of new characters and some of Marvel’s all-time most popular super heroes including the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Spider-Man!
Karl Kesel (w) • David Baldeon (a)

Marvel Universe: Guardians of the Galaxy #1: The Guardians Of The Galaxy Return In Their New On-Going Series! Star-Lord! Rocket! Groot! Gamora! Drax! Join your favorite galactic guardians at the start of their new adventures!
Adapted by Joe Caramagna

New Avengers #1-2: EVERYTHING IS NEW. In the wake of SECRET WARS, the old order changeth – and Bobby DaCosta, Sunspot, is just the man to changeth it. Welcome to AVENGERS IDEA MECHANICS – a super-scientific global rescue squad of tomorrow’s heroes… today! America doesn’t want them! S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t know what to do with them! But Earth might not survive without… the NEW AVENGERS!
Al Ewing (w) • Gerardo Sandoval (a/C)


Secret Wars: Agents of Atlas #1: SON OF ANARCHY! An oppressive domain run by BARON ZEMO! The peoples’ only hope? An underground group of rebels… GORILLA-MAN! M-11! NAMORA! VENUS! MARVEL BOY! But their leader JIMMY WOO…captured! Can AGENT COULSON help save the resistance or will he lead them to their doom?
Tom Taylor (w) • Steve Pugh (a)

Spider-Gwen #1: Gwen Stacy is back in the webs and has an all-new, all-different mystery to solve: the reappearance of The Lizard! Spider-Woman was convinced that the Lizard died in her arms along with Peter Parker. But when a similar monster goes on a reptilian rampage, she’s left with doubts not only about Peter’s life, but his death as well. And witness the debut of the Osborns of Earth-65! Fan-favorite creators Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez & Rico Renzi are back for more with a story that every Spider-Fan will be talking about!
Jason Latour (w) • Robbi Rodriguez (a/C)

Spider-Man 2099 #1-2: 2099 IN YOUR CALENDARS, #1 IN YOUR HEARTS. With a job at PARKER INDUSTRIES, a stable relationship, and uncertain of what impact his actions will have on the future, Miguel O’Hara has decided that it’s time to hang up the webs and retire from being Spider-Man. But when a dangerous new threat appears and puts his new life in jeopardy, he’s got no choice but to don some new threads and tackle the problem the only way he knows how: head on! By the webslinging wonders Peter David and Will Sliney (you know ‘em, you love ‘em.) this is one EXPLOSIVE Spider-Title you won’t want to miss.
Peter David (w) • Will Sliney (a)


Star Wars: Chewbacca #1-2: Known as the skilled co-pilot of the infamous Millennium Falcon, the legendary Wookiee warrior CHEWBACCA will star in his very own limited comic series! After the battle of Yavin, Chewbacca is on his own when he crash lands his ship on an Imperial occupied planet. Now stranded, Chewie finds himself caught in the middle of trying to return to the rebellion and helping a young and feisty girl in need. Writer Gerry Duggan (DEADPOOL, 1872, HULK) and artist Phil Noto (BLACK WIDOW, X-23, UNCANNY X-FORCE) bring us a never-before-seen tale of the heroic Wookiee we all know and love.
Gerry Duggan (W) • Phil Noto (A/C)

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1: New Series. New Avenger(!). Still Eats Nuts And Kicks Butts! Galactus. Thanos. M.O.D.O.K. With her unique combination of wit, empathy, and totally kick-butt squirrel powers, Doreen Green — aka The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl — has taken ALL these chumps down! Alongside her friends Tippy-Toe (a squirrel) and Nancy (a regular human with no powers whatsoever — they checked), Squirrel Girl is all that stands between the Earth and total destruction! Sometimes. Other times there’s no threats and she’s just a regular computer science student. That’s an adventure too though!
Ryan North (w) • Erica Henderson (a/C)

Uncanny Avengers #1: New team, same mission. Steve Rogers has formed a new Avengers unity squad compromised of humans, mutants and…Inhumans? A new threat to the Avengers is revealed. Wait, is that Deadpool on the cover? Is he seriously an Avenger now?
Gerry Duggan (W) • Ryan Stegman (A/C)

Uncanny Inhumans #1: Meet the Uncanny Inhumans. MEDUSA! BLACK BOLT! TRITON! READER! HUMAN TORCH?! BEAST?! It’s eight months later and everything is different for the Inhumans. Medusa and Johnny Storm are an item. Black Bolt is running covert missions of his own. And something so big happened between the Inhumans and the X-Men that Beast is now on the side of the Inhumans. And if that’s not enough, the most dangerous villain throughout Marvel’s history is against them—KANG THE CONQUEROR. Don’t miss what the epic team behind DEATH OF WOLVERINE (Charles Soule and Steve McNiven) have in store for you. All this plus a bonus story by Charles and Brandon Peterson (UNCANNY X-MEN).
Charles Soule (W); Steve Mcniven & Brandon Peterson (a)

WHAT IF? INFINITY – THANOS #1: What if Thanos joined the Avengers? Thanos made a deal with the Avengers to use his army to protect Earth from the invading forces, but it came with a cost…
JOSHUA WILLIAMSON (w) • MIKE HENDERSON (a)

WHAT IF? INFINITY – INHUMANS #1: What if the INHUMANS took over Earth? BLACK BOLT is the new supreme ruler of Earth, but what happened to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes?
Joshua Williamson (W) • Riley Rossmo (a)

WHAT IF? INFINITY – AVENGERS #1: What if the AVENGERS lost the war? Years after the fall of Earth, CANNONBALL leads a small team of surviving mutants in the deepest parts of space looking for shelter. Eventually they meet up with a few surviving Avengers who had go to great and scary lengths to survive…
Joshua Williamson(W); Mike Norton (a)

WHAT IF? INFINITY – GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #1: What if the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY found out the ILLUMINATI were hiding Thanos? Thanos is the most wanted man in the universe and for years he was secretly being held by the Illuminati. The Guardians of the Galaxy just found out and they are ****** off.
Joshua Williamson(W); Jason Copland (a)

WHAT IF? INFINITY – DARK REIGN #1: What if NORMAN OSBORN had the INFINITY GAUNTLET?! DARK REIGN returns as the GREEN GOBLIN gets his hands on the most dangerous item in the Marvel Universe! No one is safe!
Joshua Williamson (W) • Goran Sudzuka (a)

Marvel Super Heroes Contest Of Champions #1: The Grandmaster enters a cosmic wager with Death herself, using Earth’s mightiest heroes as his chess pieces! His goal? To return his fellow Elder of the Universe, the Collector, to life! The stakes? Nothing less than the fate of the Earth itself! Now, heroes from around the globe must battle it out in a contest like none ever seen before. Marvel’s historic first miniseries is re-released in a single volume, packed with extras! Guest-starring…everyone! (Everyone circa 1982, that is.) Collecting MARVEL SUPER HERO CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS #1-3
Steven Grant, Mark Gruenwald & Bill Mantlo (W); John Romita Jr. (a/C)
PiercingMetal Thoughts: Whew. Did you make it through that hefty batch without any heart palpitations? I sure hope so now let’s quickly line out the ones that interest me the most. Generally speaking, anything Spider-Man is right up my alley and I mean the original Peter Parker one and not the newer kid Miles Morales. Sorry, I am a bit of a purist on several things so I plan on checking that one out and even the Spider-Gwen title along with Guardians and Howling Commandos since the latter one appears to be quite the quirky time. Lots of Uncanny’s and Extraordinary’s going around this month and I will likely peruse them on the shelves before I decide to pick them up. Fortunately my neighborhood comic book shop allows me the indulgence of browsing provided I don’t mess them up. Make sure you snag a copy of the collected Contest Of Champions for yourself as that is one of the first mini-series to my knowledge. So what are your picks for the month? Let us know the contents of your pull list in the comments below.
Official Website: http://www.marvel.com