Section: Comics

Introducing… Mr. and Mrs. X

It was the wedding of the century, but not the wedding anyone expected—and it all culminated with Marvel Comics’ most shocking twist in years! So make sure to read X-MEN: GOLD #30 before diving into all the mutant mayhem on its way this July with MR. AND MRS. X!

For months, fans waited, ready for the fateful day that Kitty Pryde would finally wed Colossus…only to find out that the much hyped-about wedding simply wasn’t meant to be…but for Rogue and Gambit it was!

On July 25, discover the next big chapter in the long and difficult history of Rogue and Gambit with writer Kelly Thompson and artist Oscar Bazaldua‘s new ongoing series!

Mr. and Mrs. X #1 cover by Terry Dodson
Mr. and Mrs. X #2 cover by Terry Dodson
Mr. and Mrs. X #3 cover by Terry Dodson

Pre-order MR. AND MRS. X with your local retailer now! Don’t miss the fan-favorite mutants as they embark on new adventures starting July 25!

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DC COLLECTIBLES ANNOUNCES SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON 2018 EXCLUSIVE VARIANTS FOR DC ARTISTS ALLEY DESIGNER VINYL LINE

Three Variant Editions of Chris Uminga’s DC Artists Alley Batman Design Will Be 

Available for Purchase at the Entertainment Earth Booth #2343 

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Celebrate the Spiders on Marvel’s the Pull List

It’s time to THWIP! with Marvel’s The Pull List!

On the podcast, Ryan and Tucker preview June 20’s new comic releases, including their Picks of the Week AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #801, PETER PARKER: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #1, TONY STARK: IRON MAN #1, X:MEN GOLD #30, and all the other books that’ll be waiting for you in stores tomorrow!

Watch the video version of Marvel’s The Pull List above as Ryan and Tucker highlight the Spider-centric stories on offer before jumping into the full audio episode below.

Here’s the full list of what’s available from Marvel this week:

MARVEL PRINT COMICS ON-SALE (6/20/18) 

  • AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #801
  • AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: RENEW YOUR VOWS #20
  • ANT-MAN & THE WASP #2
  • AVENGERS #3
  • BEN REILLY: SCARLET SPIDER #20
  • CABLE #158
  • CAPTAIN AMERICA #704
  • CHAMPIONS #21
  • DAREDEVIL #604
  • DOCTOR STRANGE #2
  • HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: CLAWS OF A KILLER #2
  • INFINITY COUNTDOWN: BLACK WIDOW #1
  • INFINITY COUNTDOWN: CHAMPIONS #1
  • PETER PARKER: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #1
  • RUNAWAYS #10
  • SPIDER-GWEN #33
  • STAR WARS: POE DAMERON #28
  • TONY STARK: IRON MAN #1
  • WEAPON H #4
  • X-MEN: GOLD #30
    • TRUE BELIEVERS: ANT-MAN – THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING DOOM #1 
    • TRUE BELIEVERS: SCOTT LANG, THE ASTONISHING ANT-MAN #1 

COLLECTIONS

  • AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: WORLDWIDE VOL. 8
  • CHAMPIONS CLASSIC: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION
  • DOCTOR STRANGE BY DONNY CATES VOL. 1: GOD OF MAGIC
  • THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL VOL. 8: MY BEST FRIEND’S SQUIRREL
  • VENOMNIBUS VOL. 1 (HC)
  • WEAPON X VOL. 3: MODERN WARFARE
  • WOLVERINE: SAVAGE ORIGINS

DIGITAL COMICS ON SALE THIS WEEK 

  • SPIDEY: SCHOOL’S OUT #2

ALSO ON SALE ON THE MARVEL APP THIS WEEK 

  • CAPTAIN AMERICA: DEAD MEN RUNNING (2002) #1-3     
  • QUASAR (1989) #26-27  
  • SENSATIONAL SHE-HULK: CEREMONY (1989) #1-2             
  • SPIDER-MAN: GET KRAVEN (2002) #1-6   

DIGITAL COLLECTIONS 

  • CAPTAIN AMERICA: WAR AND REMEMBRANCE
  • FANTASTIC FOUR: EXTENDED FAMILY
  • THOR: IF ASGARD SHOULD PERISH
  • THOR: THE QUEST FOR ODIN
  • THOR: WORLDENGINE

FRESHLY DIGITIZED COMICS ON MARVEL UNLIMITED 

  • ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #28
  • BEN REILLY: SCARLET SPIDER #11
  • BLACK PANTHER – LONG LIVE THE KING #1
  • CABLE #152
  • CAPTAIN MARVEL (2000) #26-35
  • DAKOTA NORTH (1986) #1-5
  • DAREDEVIL #596
  • DESPICABLE DEADPOOL #290
  • FALCON #3
  • FORCE WORKS (1994) #1-5, 8-22
  • FREE COMIC BOOK DAY (ALL-NEW GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY)#0 
  • JEAN GREY #10
  • ROYALS #12
  • RUNAWAYS #4
  • SECOND COMING: PREPARE (2010) #1
  • SECRET WARRIORS #10
  • SHE-HULK #160
  • SPECIAL EDITION: X-MEN (1983) #1
  • STAR WARS #40
  • THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #792
  • THE PUNISHER #219
  • THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL#27
  • WEAPON X #12
  • X-MEN: BLUE #17
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The History of Spider-Man: 2017

For over 50 years, Spider-Man has been a sensational standout in the Marvel Universe and the web-slinger is now back on the silver screen once again in Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War”! In celebration of his memorable history, we present our final installment of Spidey’s spectacular step-by-step story so far…

The Jackal revealed his resurrected dead villains to Spider-Man in DEAD NO MORE: CLONE CONSPIRACY #2, while Carrion attacked Peter Parker’s clone Kaine in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #21. Spidey dodged the bad guys in DEAD NO MORE: CLONE CONSPIRACY #3 and a returned Ben Reilly swung in to help and to illustrate his amazing recovery in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #22.

The Amazing Spider-Man (2015) #23

The Amazing Spider-Man (2015) #23

What is Marvel Unlimited?

Doctor Octopus and the Lizard ramped up their violence in DEAD NO MORE: CLONE CONSPIRACY #4, and the Gwen Stacy clone began to decay when Ock set wheels in motion to hurt his foe as much as possible. Gwen tried to convince Spidey to join with Jackal in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #23, but when he refused she ran interference for him before she disintegrated completely in DEAD NO MORE: CLONE CONSPIRACY #5. Ben Reilly took on Jackal directly in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #24, and gained a new life for himself in DEAD NO MORE: CLONE CONSPIRACY OMEGA #1.

Spider-Man witnessed the return of Kang the Conqueror in AVENGERS #1, learned the truth behind it in AVENGERS #2, watched as Wasp attempted to fix the problem in AVENGERS #3, learned of Kang’s history in AVENGERS #4, found himself lost in time in AVENGERS #5, and helped to bring about Kang’s ultimate defeat in AVENGERS #6.

Avengers (2016) #1

Avengers (2016) #1

  • Published: November 02, 2016
  • Added to Marvel Unlimited: May 08, 2017
  • Rating: Rated T+
  • Writer: Mark Waid
  • Cover Artist: Alex Ross
What is Marvel Unlimited?

Comedian-magicians Penn and Teller helped Spidey and Deadpool battle Tarot in SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #11, then the wallcrawler and the Merc with a Mouth tried to save Christmas in SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #12, and somehow ended up in Weirdworld in SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #13. Spidey made it a major mission to seek out Norman Osborn for capture in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #25, leading to he and Silver Sable invading her home nation of Symkaria in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #26.

In Symkaria, the wallcrawler learned of Osborn’s plan to gas citizens with Goblin Serum in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #27 and disabled the missile that would carry it in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #28. Doctor Doom sought the Avenger’s help in AVENGERS #7, and Avenger X made a surprising reappearance in AVENGERS #8. Nightcrawler manifested in SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #14, while Itsy Bitsy planned more mischief. The underground Monster Metropolis rose up in SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #15, and Dracula made his presence known to Spidey and Deadpool in SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #16.

Spider-Man/Deadpool (2016) #15

Spider-Man/Deadpool (2016) #15

  • Published: March 08, 2017
  • Added to Marvel Unlimited: September 11, 2017
  • Rating: Rated T+
  • Penciler: Scott Koblish
  • Cover Artist: Reilly Brown
What is Marvel Unlimited?

Otto Octavius joined with the Hydra Captain America in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #29 and began to destroy Parker Industries. Cornering Spidey in Shanghai in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #30, the “Superior Doctor Octopus” saw his plans crumble when Peter Parker tore down his own company and fortune to halt his enemy’s march to victory in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #31. Later, the webslinger joined with other rebel heroes at the Washington Monument to battle Hydra in SECRET EMPIRE #9, and cheered on the real Captain America as he confronted his corrupt doppelganger  in SECRET EMPIRE #10.

After standing alongside his teammates in the aftermath of Hydra’s defeat in AVENGERS #11, Spidey investigated a criminal tech ring in Chicago in PETER PARKER: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #1. Peter’s long-lost sister Teresa, now a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, sought his aid in PETER PARKER: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #2, helped him confront the Kingpin in PETER PARKER: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #3, and then fight the Vulture in PETER PARKER: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #4 and PETER PARKER: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #5.

Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man (2017) #1

Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man (2017) #1

What is Marvel Unlimited?

Our hero’s hackles rose over Itsy Bity’s and Patient Zero’s killing spree in SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #17, and he subsequently believed Itsy destroyed in a “plasma breeder” in SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #18. Spidey and Deadpool decided to get serious about crimefighting in SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #19, but the presence of Slapstick during a brouhaha with El Tenor in SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #20 put Peter back on the laugh-track.

Norman Osborn traveled to Tibet to find a way to reactivate his goblin powers in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #32, and Peter Parker found himself once more down on his luck and hated by everyone around him in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #789, including his old friend Johnny Storm in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #790. Things grew worse when Arcade kidnapped him for a new Murderworld in SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #21, prompting Deadpool to make a hard choice over whether to rescue him or not in SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #22.

The Amazing Spider-Man (2015) #789

The Amazing Spider-Man (2015) #789

What is Marvel Unlimited?

Elsewhere, a mystery meteorite fell to Earth and demanded the attention of Spider-Man and Earth’s Greatest Heroes in AVENGERS #672

Now that we’re (mostly) caught up through the end of last year and Spidey’s more recent adventures, this is the last installment of History of Spider-Man for now. Thank you for following along with us! If you’ve missed any previous entries, click on the History of Spider-Man archives to read more at Marvel.com.

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Vertigo Book Club: Madame Xanadu Unites a Universe
Vertigo Book Club: Madame Xanadu Unites a Universe

I was first introduced to Madame Xanadu as a character through her appearance in the New 52’s

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Vertigo Book Club: Madame Xanadu Unites a Universe
Vertigo Book Club: Madame Xanadu Unites a Universe

I was first introduced to Madame Xanadu as a character through her appearance in the New 52’s

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Dennis Hopeless Revives Journey into Mystery

An old-school Marvel team is about to go on an all-new adventure!

On September 12, writer Dennis Hopeless and artist Djibril Morissette-Phan present JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY: THE BIRTH OF KRAKOA #1! As World War II ends, Sergeant Nick Fury and the Howling Commandos go on mission that will haunt them for years to come. Reunite with this classic Marvel squad as the mystery behind the origins of Krakoa finally come to light in this special one-shot.

“Krakoa is a classic X-Men fixture—from its first appearance in GIANT SIZE X-MEN #1 to revelations about its true nature in X-MEN: DEADLY GENESIS decades later, ‘the Island that Walks Like a Man’ has fascinated generations of readers…but we’ve never known the story of how it came to be—until now! And you never know when or how Krakoa will come back to play a role in the journey of the X-Men, either,” explains series editor Annalise Bissa. “In this story, we fill in some of the history of Sergeant Fury and his Howling Commandos as well. Their story drops off late in WWII and we don’t see the Howlies again until they’re reunited during the Korean War, after several years of civilian life. So…what did they do at the end of the War? And how does it intersect with the atomic origins of Krakoa? If you want to know, this is the story for you!”

Get an exclusive first look inside JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY right here!

Journey into Mystery: The Birth of Krakoa #1 cover by Greg Smallwood
Journey into Mystery: The Birth of Krakoa #1 art by Djibril Morrisette-Phan
Journey into Mystery: The Birth of Krakoa #1 art by Djibril Morrisette-Phan

Prepare to dive into Marvel history with Dennis Hopeless and Djibril Morissette-Phan’s JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY: THE BIRTH OF KRAKOA #1 on September 12! Visit your local comic shop to get your copy first!

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Supergirl: Reign’s End
Supergirl: Reign's End

A lot happened in Supergirl's season finale. Like, A LOT. It resolved hanging plot threads, set up two huge questions, and definitely lived up to its title: "Battles Lost and Won."

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A Handy Guide to Surviving a Marvel Wedding

In just a few days, one of the longest running on-again, off-again relationships in the Marvel Universe will come to a climax when Kitty Pryde and Piotr Rasputin—better known in some circles as Shadowcat and Colossus of the X-Men—tie the knot in a ceremony everyone’s been anticipating in the pages of X-MEN: GOLD #30.

I combed through over 50,000 issues to find 98 different weddings shown on the pages of Marvel Comics over the decades. Big picture—getting married in the Marvel Universe is hard, with 2/3 of all wedding ceremonies getting attacked or interrupted, and nearly 50% not even making it to the reception. When it comes to Super Heroes, if you can survive the wedding day, you can survive anything.

Planning a wedding in any situation can be stressful, but planning a wedding in the Marvel Universe comes with a whole new set of things that can go wrong besides centerpieces, rowdy plus-ones or drunk uncles. Let’s just say proceedings can take on a whole new tone when your wedding crasher is a furious Victor von Doom. So in addition to nailing down a DJ who knows to avoid playing the “Chicken Dance”—a faux-pas even if Falcon isn’t on the guest list—Marvel brides and grooms have to contend with Super Villains, hostage-takers, alien armadas, furious fathers, demons, and the most nefarious wedding threat of all: cold feet.

Still, time and time again the heroes of Marvel have confronted these challenges, fought off the bad guys, and brought a whole new meaning to “save the date.” I scoured the history of the comics to find as many weddings as I could through the decades of stories. In the end, I tracked down just under 100 distinct wedding ceremonies that graced the pages. Just in time for the latest in a long line of X-Weddings, I found the risks involved with Super Hero wedding planning, just how often hero couples and villain couples—and all kinds of couples made it work—and the single foolproof way to make sure the ceremony goes off without a hitch.

First Rule of Weddings: Expect the Unexpected

If we’re going to talk about weddings in Marvel, the one that started it all—and set traditions that all weddings since then have emulated—was between Reed Richards and Sue Storm in the FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #3 in October 1965. Not exactly prime wedding season, but the guest list was positively stacked, and included the original X-Men lineup, all the Avengers, Daredevil, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, representatives from S.H.I.E.L.D.—the whole works. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were turned away at the door.

What made the Mister Fantastic-Invisible Girl nuptials so notable in the history of Marvel was the notorious interruption. Namely, Doctor Doom used a device to compel the entire Super Villain community to attack the Baxter Building, with everyone from Mole Man to the Mandarin to Kang the Conquerer to Hydra crashing the party. It took intervention from the Watcher—a guy whose sole claim to fame is non-intervention—to clear the attackers and make way for the ceremony. Sue and Reed, despite their challenges, went on to have one of the most enduring and iconic marriages in the world of Marvel.

A trial-by-fire is the hallmark of the Marvel wedding. All told, 2/3 of the time, wannabe mates have got to deal with super powered wedding crashers! For plenty of couples, this is a formative moment in their relationship. Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne had the first-ever intra-Avenger wedding, which was naturally crashed by the Circus of Crime imitating caterers. When Scarlet Witch and Vision got hitched they had an even more ridiculous test: their wedding—a double event with Mantis and her fella—was officiated by Immortus but also attacked by Kang the Conqueror. For those out of the loop, Immortus and Kang are the same time traveller but at different points in his life.

And if Pryde the bride is worried about possible unexpected guests, she should take heart that the experience can lead to a stronger relationship. Bruce Banner’s first attempt to marry Betty Ross was ruined when the Rhino attacked and the wedding was called off. During their much-later second attempt to tie the knot, the ceremony withstood an interruption from her heavily armed father, Thunderbolt Ross, and they made it to the reception.

How to Doom-proof Your Upcoming Nuptials

Sometimes the knowledge of how to survive a wedding day is passed from father to son. Three generations of Jamesons have been wed in the pages of Marvel Comics: J. Jonah Jameson Sr. to Aunt May, J. Jonah Jameson to Marla Madison, and John Jameson III to She-Hulk. Both of the older Jamesons had a traditional ceremony, and both of the older Jamesons had one member of the couple kidnapped by a foe of Spider-Man. The youngest Jameson eloped in Las Vegas and had an uninterrupted wedding. Read that as you will.

(Eloping turns out to be the only foolproof wedding in Marvel; nobody managed to thwart the improvisational ceremonies uniting Jameson and She-Hulk, or Hawkeye and Mockingbird.)

If Rasputin and Pryde want to be absolutely sure that they get to “I Do,” they’re going to want Spider-Man in their corner; weddings of Spider-Man’s friends and family end up making it to the reception 50% more often than the generic Marvel wedding. On the other hand, if you want to guarantee an interruption, marry an Inhuman—those weddings are always getting crashed by the Skrulls or the Shi’rar war fleet or Ultron or a rebellion of Alpha Primitives, which always makes for a lively ceremony to say the least.

Marvel Weddings Change the Couple Forever

The Marvel Universe has also seen its fair share of unique nuptials. There have been more royal weddings than the House of Windsor has had since the ’70s, with highlights including the marriage of Storm and Black Panther, the wedding of Inhuman princess Crystal and mutant speedster Quicksilver, and Namor’s assorted complicated marriages. There have also been vows that made real-world history: Northstar’s wedding to Kyle Jinadu in 2012 marked the very first same-sex marriage in Super Hero comics.

There have been weddings that served as the origins for entire characters, like Gambit’s reason for skipping town, or Punisher ally Rachel Cole’s gut-wrenching origin story. The Young Avengers all met at a particularly disastrous wedding where future Hawkeye Kate Bishop was a bridesmaid.

On that note, while mutants often see their powers as a curse, Kitty and Piotr are pretty lucky they have their powers on their wedding day. Non-powered people don’t have it easy when it comes to wedding planning. About 1/5 of Marvel Universe weddings are between two people who don’t wear capes and are just trying to get through their day, but lo and behold, 13 out of 18 of them get attacked by baddies. It’s actually more peaceful when two Super Heros tie the knot; only about 42% of Good-aligned marriages have an interruption. I figure having most of the Avengers in your bridal party is a distinct disincentive for a full-on assault.

Something Old, Something New…

So what does this mean for Colossus and Shadowcat? X-Weddings are actually some of the most peaceful nuptials of any Marvel squad. A majority of Avenger weddings, Fantastic Four weddings, Inhuman weddings, and Spider-Man weddings get assaulted by Super Villains. Only about 2/5 of X-Weddings involve an unwanted wedding crasher. The wedding of Scott Summers and Jean Grey was downright pleasant given how tumultuous that relationship would turn out to be.

Even more, the fact that this is a Super Hero-Super Hero marriage bodes very well for their chances of making it to the honeymoon; while relationships between colleagues can be so very perilous, it’s generally more conducive for villains to marry villains, heroes to marry heroes, and neutral civilians to stay the heck away from folks in capes of any morality.

In the 48 weddings where the two people getting hitched were both good, both villains, or both civilians, 81% of the weddings were successful and only 56% were attacked in the middle. For normal folks marrying a Super Hero or the uniquely rare good guy-bad guy romance, those were attacked 80% of the time and only made it to “I Do” about 3/10 times.

All told, this hotly anticipated wedding couldn’t be in better shape. They’re both heroes, which is a good match. Colossus, to my knowledge, hasn’t asked Mephisto for a favor lately, and Kitty Pryde isn’t marrying Hawkeye—so they both have avoided the dumbest marital errors in Marvel history. Worst case scenario is an unwanted guest, and even then, if history is any guide they’ll come out on the other side even stronger.

Welcome to the reception, Kitty Pryde, I hope you survive the experience!

Read X-MEN: GOLD #30, by Marc Guggenheim and David Marquez, this week—on June 20!

Walt Hickey is a data journalist and writes the daily morning newsletter Numlock News. His work has previously appeared on FiveThirtyEight and Business Insider. 

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DC COMICS JULY 2018 PREVIEWS CATALOG
DC COMICS JULY 2018 PREVIEWS CATALOG [dc-custom:reader_link:439725] Read more
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