September is not a slow month for Marvel as they had several big things shown off in their new solicitations. The top of that list could be said what is happening to the two core X-Men titles. That development may lead to a bigger thing in terms of direction for the X-Men. On top of that we the Asgardians of the Galaxy being formed, Iron Man getting a new lover interest and much, much more. Let’s take a look at everything that Marvel has in store for us in September by taking a look at their newly released solicitations.
RETURN OF WOLVERINE
After months of hunting after the best there is at what he does Wolverine will finally make his full return to the Marvel Universe starting in September. To bring Wolverine back Marvel has lined up a great team in Charles Soule and Steve McNiven. Soule’s work on Daredevil has shown he knows how to write a solo title that has many different major Marvel characters involved as supporting players. Adding in McNiven, who has delivered some great work with Wolverine back in the original Old Man Logan story, this return comic will be guaranteed to look fantastic.
Now one of the big questions for Wolverine’s return will be why exactly was he hiding for such a long time. He has been causing a lot of headaches for the Avengers and X-Men right now, who are all searching for him. Now that he is fully returning you have to wonder which teams he will be joining. The Jean Grey’s X-Men? The current Avengers? Asgardians of the Galaxy?
WHAT SECRETS ARE THE FANTASTIC FOUR HIDING
The return of the Fantastic Four is an exciting thing to get from Marvel. But now that the shine of the Fantastic Four #1 is gone it is time to get into why Reed and Sue Richards have chosen now to return to the Marvel Universe proper. Because if there is one thing we know about Reed and Sue is that they don’t do anything without thinking ten steps ahead of everyone. Given that Dan Slott seems to be exploring what happens when the universe is dying that may be a clue as to why they returned.
ASGARDIANS OF THE GALAXY PREMIERE
Asgardians Of The Galaxy is a comic that does make you ask “Who exactly asked for this title?” upon first seeing it solicited. While Thor has never been more popular his comic books have never sold as well as Spider-Man, Avengers, X-Men or Iron Man. So for the Asgardians to get a spin off title like this is a bit head scratching since there was zero build up to this being a thing.
Making the Asgardians of the Galaxy an even weirder title to see be announced as an ongoing is the fact they seem to be replacing the Guardians of the Galaxy. Not having the Guardians of the Galaxy outside of Infinity War is a big head scratcher. So while I commend Marvel for taking a chance on giving Asgardians like Valkyrie, Angela and Skurge a title this does not seem like a title that will last long. Though I hope I am wrong and Asgardians of the Galaxy can find a strong audience that builds with good word of mouth.
SPIDERGEDDON’S CONNECTION TO MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN
I still have no idea what Spidergeddon is going to really be about. It’s clearly a follow-up to Spider-Verse but unlike the original event it does not carry that special aura the original story had. A lot of that has to do with how random this all feels as it was announced out of nowhere in the previous month’s solicitation.
Now that said, it is interesting to see how Marvel is using Spidergeddon to introduce more alternate versions of Spider-Man as part of the Marvel Multiverse. The latest one that is being introduced to the comics is the version of Spider-Man we are going to be playing as in the upcoming Playstation 4 game. The timing is perfect as the hype will be at its apex in September as Marvel’s Spider-Man PS4 game releases that month. How Spidergeddon #0 ties into the video game will be interesting to see.
AVENGERS MEET GHOST RIDER 1,000,000 BC
The Avengers 1,000,000 BC is something that Jason Aaron is seemingly playing the long game with. The first hint of what will happen when the ancient Avengers meet the modern day version seems to be coming in September as Ghost Rider 1,000,000 BC origin is explored. Given that the modern day version of Ghost Rider is now an Avenger it’ll be interesting to see what Aaron does to expand on the concept behind the character. It could end up being a make it or break it moment for Ghost Rider as it could create more fans of the character or decrease interest in his membership in the Avengers.
It’s also interesting to note that in Avengers #8 that Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will be getting a new base of operation in a mountain named after them. That is a big change that seems to be following the movies idea of having the Avengers headquarters away from any city. It is a good idea as any threat that may target Avengers Mountain will stay away from hurting any populated area, giving the Avengers more room to operate.
MARVEL’S LATEST POWER COUPLE: IRON MAN AND THE WASP
Unlike most I was not against Tony Stark and Janet Van Dyne hooking up. Written correctly this is a relationship that could work given their history together in the Avengers. What now has me questioning the relationship is how Marvel has presented the idea of Tony and Janet becoming a couple.
In the solicitation for Tony Stark: Iron Man #4 Dan Slott and Marvel push the idea that Janet is going to purely be the new love interest for Tony. That way of phrasing Janet’s introduction into Iron Man’s supporting cast does not build confidence in Slott portraying the Wasp as a strong a addition to the new Iron Man series. If that is the direction Slott goes with than this relationship will be doomed to fail before it even begins. But if Slott is serious about making Iron Man and the Wasp’s relationship something fans will get behind than the narrative needs to shift from what is being presented. And quickly.
BLUE AND GOLD ERA ENDS FOR THE X-MEN
To say the X-Men have been in a rough decade would be putting it nicely. Every relaunch attempt has not been successful. Sure their have been some standout titles during the last decade but line wide the X-Men have not been a consistent franchise. The Blue and Gold Era is proof of that as it is coming to an end after some major inconsistencies that have led to greater confusion and a big fake out for a heavily promoted wedding Marvel seemed to get published before Batman and Catwoman tied the knot.
What is exciting about the Blue and Gold Era coming to the end is that it does seem to start the correction of some of the complicated parts of the franchise when it comes to the original X-Men still being in the present. Though X-Men: Blue’s ending will probably not answer how they the original team leaves the present it’ll at least hint at where the Extermination event will go. Clearing that up will be a big help to make the X-Men franchise more streamlined than before. Additionally, the ending of both titles actually makes you wonder how Extermination will build a foundation for whatever the future X-Men titles will be after the event ends.