Marvel Legacy

Marvel Legacy
Cover of Marvel Legacy #1 (September 2017) featuring Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, Ant-Man, Wasp, Hulk, Thor, Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Lockjaw, Daredevil, and Storm. Art by Joe Quesada.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
Genre
Publication dateSeptember 2017 – June 2018
Main character(s)Marvel Universe
Creative team
Written byVarious
Artist(s)Various

Marvel Legacy is a 2017–18 relaunch of a line of American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is concurrent with All-New, All-Different Marvel and Marvel NOW! 2.0.[1]

Publication history

On April 22, 2017, Marvel Comics announced Marvel Legacy at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo. The goal of the Legacy initiative was to bring a greater focus to Marvel's core superheroes, unlike recent relaunches such as Marvel NOW!, which gave prominence to newer and younger heroes.[2] Marvel Entertainment's chief creative officer Joe Quesada stated that company was embracing their roots with the creation of this new comic book line.[2] Marvel Comics' editor-in-chief Axel Alonso noted that the relaunch was about reminding readers of the company's rich history by highlighting the connections between characters and reintroducing some iconic characters.[3]

The relaunch began in September 2017 following the conclusion of the Secret Empire and Generations storylines with the release of a 50-page one-shot titled Marvel Legacy #1.[2][4] Writer Jason Aaron and artist Esad Ribić collaborated on the opening issue and laid the narrative groundwork for the line.[2] The issue introduces the first super hero team of Avengers that were active in the year 1,000,000 BC. The story spans the history of the Marvel Universe and explores the connection between the prehistoric Avengers and their present-day counterparts.[4] Quesada teased the cover artwork for the opening issue,[5] hinting at the possible return of Bruce Banner as Hulk and Tony Stark as Iron Man, Thor Odinson reclaiming Mjolnir, and the appearance of other superheroes in their classic costumes.[2]

The series also sees the return of the original Wolverine after his initial death, with three Marvel Legacy titles: Captain America, The Amazing Spider-Man and The Mighty Thor, each with a Marvel Cinematic Universe-style post credits scenes; he also shows up alongside Captain Marvel and Star-Lord as one of the holders of the Infinity Gems in a crossover event. In addition, the original Jean Grey returns in her own limited series titled Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey in December followed by X-Men Red, which sees Jean Grey establish her own team of X-Men that consists of the new Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Gabby (the new Wolverine's clone), Trinary (a new character), and Gentle (a mutant from Wakanda), and later by the Cajun mutant Gambit. Marvel Legacy #1 also brings Franklin and Valeria Richards back to the Marvel Universe. Marvel Two-in-One (a series featuring the Thing teaming up with other superheroes) was revived with Thing's best friend Human Torch being the guest in the storyline "Fate of the Four", which focuses on both heroes trying to solve the mystery of Reed and Sue's disappearances, hinting at a possible Fantastic Four reunion.

Following the release of Marvel Legacy #1, many Marvel comic series reverted to their classic cumulative numbering system.[2][6] For their relaunching series, Marvel created a new and consistent cover design that aimed to recapture their work from the 1980s and 1990s.[6] Marvel released limited quantities of lenticular covers for their Marvel Legacy titles that pay homage to older covers.[7] They also reintroduced elements such as the Marvel Value Stamp—a collectable clip-and-save program—and the self-published fanzine FOOM.[5][6] Marvel included three-page primer stories in select Legacy titles to provide background information on their characters for new readers. Written by Robbie Thompson and illustrated by Mark Bagley, the primer stories covered classic moments from Marvel's comics.[8]

The Legacy initiative was succeeded by Fresh Start, a line-wide relaunch by Marvel Comics in mid 2018.[9]

Ongoing series

In June and July 2017, Marvel revealed the 54 series that make up the Marvel Legacy initiative.[4]

Title Legacy Starting # Writer(s) Artist(s) Storyline Ref.
All-New Wolverine #25–35 Tom Taylor Juann Cabal Orphans of X #25–30 Old Woman Laura #33-35 [10]
Amazing Spider-Man #789–801 Annual 42 Dan Slott Stuart Immonen Fall of Parker #789–791, Venom Inc. #792–793, Threat Level: Red #794–796, Go Down Swinging #797–800 [10]
Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #13-23 Jody Houser Nick Roche 8 Years Later #13–15, Fast Times At Midtown High #16–18 Parker Summer Vacation #19 Weird Science #20-23
America #8–12 Gabby Rivera Joe Quinones Exterminatrix 8–10 [10]
Astonishing X-Men #7-17 Annual #1 Charles Soule Phil Noto A Man Called X 7-12 Until Our Hearts Stop 13-14
Avengers #672–690 Mark Waid Jesús Saiz Worlds Collide 672–674 Avengers No Surrender 675-690 [10]
Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #10-25 Peter David Will Sliney The Slingers Return 10–13, Bad To The Bone 14, Damnation 15–17 [11]
Black Bolt #8–12 Saladin Ahmed Christian Ward The Midnight King Returns to Earth 8–11
Black Panther #166–172 Annual 1 Ta-Nehisi Coates Leonard Kirk Klaw Stands Supreme166–172 [10]
Cable #150-159 Ed Brisson Jon Malin The Newer Mutants 150–154 Past Fears 155-159 [10]
Captain America #695–704 Mark Waid Chris Samnee Home of the Brave 695–697 Out of Time 698-700 Promised Land 701-704 [12]
Captain Marvel #125–129 Margaret Stohl Michele Bandini Dark Origin 125–129 [10]
Champions #13-27 Annual #1 Mark Waid Humberto Ramos Worlds Collide 13–15, Champion for a day 16–18 Northern Lights 19-21 [10]
Daredevil #595-612 Annual #1 Charles Soule Stefano Landini Mayor Fisk 595–600 Mayor Murdock 601-605 [11]
Defenders #6–10 Brian Michael Bendis David Marquez KIngpins of New York 6–10 [10]
Despicable Deadpool #287–300 Gerry Duggan Scott Koblish Deadpool Kills Cable 287–291 Bucket List 292-296 The Marvel Universe Kills Deadpool 297-300 [10]
Doctor Strange #381–390 Donny Cates Steve Ditko Loki: Sorcerer Supreme 381–385 Damnation 386-389 [13]
Falcon #1-8 Rodney Barnes Joshua Cassara Take Flight 1–5 Vampires in Brooklyn 6-8 [10]
Generation X #85–87 Christina Strain Amilcar Pinna Survival of the Fittest 85–87
Guardians of the Galaxy #146–150 Gerry Duggan Marcus To Infinity Quest 146–150 [11]
Hawkeye #13–16 Kelly Thompson Leonardo Romero Family Reunion 13–16
Iceman #6–11 Sina Grace Robert Gill Champions Reassembled 6–7 Iceman vs. Iceman 8 Apocalypse Seed 9-10 [10]
Incredible Hulk #709–717 Greg Pak Greg Land Return to Planet Hulk 709–713 World War Hulk 714-717 [10]
Invincible Iron Man #593–600 Brian Michael Bendis Stefano Caselli The Search for Tony Stark 593–600 [10]
Iron Fist #73-80 Ed Brisson Mike Perkins Sabretooth: Round Two 73–77 Damnation 78-80 [10]
Jean Grey #8–11 Dennis Hopeless Victor Ibanez Pysch War 8–11 [10]
Jessica Jones #13-18 Brian Michael Bendis Michael Gaydos Return of the Purple Man 13–17 The Big Goodbye 18 [10]
Luke Cage #166–170 David F. Walker Nelson Blake Caged! 166–170 [10]
Marvel 2-in-One #1-12 Annual 1 Chip Zdarsky Jim Cheung The Fate of the Four 1–6 Next of kin 7-10
Mighty Thor #700–706 Jason Aaron Russell Dauterman The Death of Mighty Thor 700–706 [10]
Monsters Unleashed #7-12 Cullen Bunn Andrea Broccardo And Lo There Came... A Poison! 7–8 Learning curve 9-12 [10]
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #25-47 Brandon Montclare Natacha Bustos Fantastic Three 25–30 Save Our School 32-36 [11]
Moon Knight #188-200 Max Bemis Jacen Burrows Crazy Runs in the Family 188–193 [11]
Ms. Marvel #25-38 G. Willow Wilson Nico Leon Teenage Wasteland 25–28 Something New 29-30 Ratio 32-34
Old Man Logan #31-50 Ed Brisson Mike Deodato The Scarlet Samurai 31–33 Moon Over Madripoor 34-35 Moving Target 36-38 Glob Loves, Man Kills 39-40 Logan the Hunted 41-42 Bullseye Returns 43-45 [11]
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #297-313 Chip Zdarsky Adam Kubert Most Wanted 297–299, Amazing Fantasy 301–303 No More 304-305 Coming Home 306-307 Spider-Geddon 311-313 [11]
The Punisher #218-228 Matthew Rosenberg Guiu Vilanova Frank Castle: War Machine 218–223 Punisher War Criminal 224-228
Royals #9–12 Al Ewing Javier Rodríguez Fire From Heaven 9–12 [10]
Secret Warriors #8–12 Matthew Rosenberg Javier Garrón and Will Robson Vs Mister Sinister 8–12 [11]
She-Hulk #159–163 Mariko Tamaki Jahnoy Lindsay Jen Walters Must Die 159–163 [11]
Spider-Gwen #25-34 Jason Latour Robbi Rodriguez Gwenom 25–31 The Life of Gwen Stacy 30-33 [10]
Spider-Man #234–#240 Annual 1 Brian Michael Bendis Oscar Bazaldua Sinister Six Reborn 234–239 [14]
Spider-Man/Deadpool (becomes Spider-Man vs. Deadpool) #23-50 Robbie Thompson Chris Bachalo Arms Race 23-31, Oldies 26, 29, 32 Area 14 27-28, 30 [15]
Tales of Suspense #100-104 Matthew Rosenberg Travel Foreman Red Ledger 100-104
Thanos #13–18 Annual 1 Donny Cates Geoff Shaw Thanos Wins 13–18 [16]
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #27-50 Ryan North Erica Henderson The Forbidden Pla-Nut 27–30
The Unbelievable Gwenpool #21–25 Christopher Hastings Irene Strychalski Doom Sees You 21–23 Lost in the Plot 24-25 [10]
U.S.Avengers #11–12 Al Ewing Paco Medina Cannonball Run 11–12 [10]
Uncanny Avengers #28–30 Jim Zub Sean Izaakse Stars and Garters 28–30 [10]
Venom #155–165 Mike Costa Mark Bagley Lethal Protector 155–158 Venom Inc. 159-160 Tangled Webs 161 Poison X 162-163 The Nativity 164-165 [10]
Weapon X #12-27 Greg Pak Yildiray Cinar Nuke-Clear War 12–14 Happy Birthday, Old Man Logan 15-16 Sabretooth's in Charge 17-19 If He Dies, He Dies 20-21 Weapon X-Force 22-23
X-Men: Blue #13-36 Annual 1 Cullen Bunn Jorge Molina Mojo Worldwide #13–15
Cross Time Capers #16–20 Poison X 21-22 Cry Havok 23-28 Search for Jimmy Hudson 29-30 Kings and Queens 31-32 Surviving the Experience 33-36 		[10]
X-Men: Gold #13-36 Annual 2 Marc Guggenheim Mojo Worldwide #13–15
The Negative Zone War #16–20 Brotherhood 21-22 Cruel and Unusual 23-25 'Til Death Do Us part 26-30 Prestige Dark 31-32 Godwar 33-35 		[10]
X-Men: Red #1-11 Annual #1 Tom Taylor Mahmud Asrar The Hate Machine 1-11 [citation needed]

Legacy one-shots

In addition to their ongoing series, Marvel planned reviving six cancelled comic book series along with their classic numbering as special one-shots that will be available in November and December 2017.[17] However, Dazzler #43 which was planned, was not released with the other one-shots[18] and was to be released in June 2018 as Dazzler: X Song.[19]

Title Issue Writer(s) Artist(s) Storyline Ref.
Darkhawk #51 Chad Bowers and Chris Sims Kev Walker The Return [11]
Dazzler: X Song #1 Magdalene Visaggio Laura Braga [19]
Master of Kung Fu #126 CM Punk Dalibor Talajić Shang Chi's Day Off [11]
Not Brand Echh #14 Nick Spencer and

Christopher Hastings

Jay Fosgitt Forbush Man Returns! [20]
Power Pack #63 Devin K. Grayson Marika Cresta Where is Power Pack? [11]
Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #36 Christa Faust Paulo Siqueira Silver and Bold [11]

Limited series and one-shots

Title Issue Writer(s) Artist(s) Storyline Ref.
Amazing Spider-Man Venom Inc Alpha #1 Dan Slott and Mike Costa Ryan Stegman Venom Inc Part 1
Amazing Spider-Man Venom Inc Omega #1 Dan Slott and Mike Costa Ryan Stegman Venom Inc Part 6
Damnation Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider #1 Christopher Sebela Phil Noto Damnation Tie-In
Doctor Strange Damnation #1-4 Donny Cates and Nick Spencer Rod Reis and Szymon Kudranski
Hunt for Wolverine #1 Charles Soule David Marquez
Hunt for Wolverine Adamantium Agenda #1-4 Tom Taylor R. B. Silva
Hunt for Wolverine Claws of a Killer #1-4 Mariko Tamaki Butch Guice
Hunt for Wolverine Mystery in Madripoor #1-4 Jim Zub Thony Silas
Hunt for Wolverine Weapon Lost #1-4 Charles Soule Matteo Buffagni
Hunt for Wolverine Dead Ends #1 Charles Soule Ramon Rosanas
Legion #1-5 Peter Milligan Wilfredo Torres Trauma 1-5
Marvel Legacy #1 Jason Aaron Various
Mighty Thor At The Gates Of Valhalla #1 Jason Aaron Jen Bartel and Ramon K. Perez
New Mutants: Dead Souls #1-6 Matthew Rosenberg Adam Gorham
Phoenix Resurrection The Return of Jean Grey #1-5 Matthew Rosenberg Leinil Francis Yu The Return of Jean Grey 1-5
Quicksilver No Surrender #1-5 Saladin Ahmed Eric Nguyen
Rogue & Gambit #1-5 Kelly Thompson Pere Perez Ring of Fire 1-5
Spirits of Vengeance #1-5 Victor Gischler David Baldeon War at the Gates of Hell 1-5 [10]
Venomized #1-5 Cullen Bunn Iban Coello

Reception

According to Diamond Comic Distributors, Marvel Legacy #1 was the biggest selling comic book title of 2017.[21]

References

  1. ^ What Fresh (Start) Hell? A Brief History of Marvel Reboots – Book Riot
  2. ^ a b c d e f Schedeen, Jesse (April 22, 2017). "Marvel's Legacy Relaunch Brings the Avengers Back to Basics". IGN. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  3. ^ Rothman, Michael (April 22, 2017). "Marvel's 'Legacy' will 'break the internet,' says Axel Alonso". ABC News. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Schedeen, Jesse (June 30, 2017). "Marvel Legacy Renumbering, First Big Storylines Revealed". IGN. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Diaz, Eric (April 22, 2017). "Marvel Legacy Brings Back Classic Heroes, Original Numbering". Nerdist. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c McMillan, Graeme (April 22, 2017). "Marvel Comics Going Retro for 'Legacy' Relaunch". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  7. ^ Arvedon, Jon (July 11, 2017). "Marvel to Release Lenticular Marvel Legacy Variant Covers". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  8. ^ Melrose, Kevin (July 7, 2017). "Marvel Legacy Shares 11 Pages of Mark Bagley 'Primer' Art". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  9. ^ Gerding, Stephen (February 20, 2018). "Marvel Comics Announces a Line-Wide Overhaul in 2018". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac "All of the October 2017 Marvel Legacy Solicitations". Newsarama. July 17, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "14 Titles (& Counting) From MARVEL November 2017 LEGACY Solicits". Newsarama. August 14, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  12. ^ Arrant, Chris (July 21, 2017). "Updated W/ Art: Waid & Samnee Take Over Captain American With #695". Newsarama. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  13. ^ Arrant, Chris (July 18, 2017). "Marvel Legacy's New Doctor Strange Creative Team For #381 - And New Exclusive Creator Solicitations". Newsarama. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  14. ^ Arrant, Chris (July 22, 2017). "Iron Spider and Sinister Six Return For Legacy's Spider-Man #234". Newsarama. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  15. ^ Marnell, Blair (July 21, 2017). "Comic-Con 2017: Spider-Man and Deadpool Will Feud in Marvel Legacy". IGN. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  16. ^ Couto, Anthony (July 20, 2017). "SDCC: Thanos Series in the Works from Donny Cates & Geoff Shaw". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  17. ^ "Marvel Revives More Classic Numbering in Six Marvel Legacy Specials". Newsarama. July 24, 2017. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  18. ^ Johnston, Rich (November 2, 2017). "Where In The World Is The Dazzler #43 One-Shot For Marvel Legacy?". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  19. ^ a b Johnston, Rich (March 19, 2018). "Marvel Comics Finally Publishes Dazzler One-Shot as Dazzler: X-Song". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  20. ^ Beard, Jim (August 25, 2017). "NOT BRAND ECHH: BRAND CONSCIOUS". Marvel.com. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  21. ^ "Marvel Legacy tops Dark Nights: Metal as the bestselling comic book of 2017". January 17, 2018.