Invincible Iron Man #1 Variant Covers Revealed!

Marvel is proud to unveil three new variants covers to this May’s hotly anticipated Invincible Iron Man #1! From legendary Iron Man artist Bob Layton (Iron Man: Legacy Of Doom), plus rising star artists Billy Tan (Uncanny X-Men) and Marko Djurdjevic (Thor), come three stunning new covers to the new series from red-hot writer Matt Fraction (Immortal Iron Fist, Punisher War Journal, upcoming Uncanny X-Men) and acclaimed artist Salvador Larroca (Amazing Spider-Man, Uncanny X-Men)! These covers join the powerful 50/50 covers from Larroca and Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada!

A perfect jumping-on point for new readers and for old fans alike, this all-new Iron Man series pits the Armored Avenger against a man who just may be his greatest enemy! Featuring all your favorite Iron Man characters, from Pepper Potts to James Rhodes, Invincible Iron Man #1 begin an all-new, action-packed, status-quo shattering ongoing series that you can’t afford to miss!

Retailers, please note that Invincible Iron Man is also previewed in the upcoming Iron Man/Hulk Sampler, an unprecedented, free 32 page special that previews all the major upcoming Iron Man and Hulk releases. This sampler is perfect for distribution at movie theaters, Free Comic Book Day, and any other promotional efforts, providing a perfect introduction into the world of the stars of this summers two most anticipated blockbuster films!

THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1 (MAR082185)
THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1 TAN VARIANT, LAYTON VARIANT, DJURDJEVIC VARIANT (MAR082186)
THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1 MOVIE VARIANT (MAR082187)
Written by MATT FRACTION
Pencils & 50/50 Cover by SALVADOR LARROCA
50/50 Cover by JOE QUESADA
Variant by BILLY TAN
Variant by BOB LAYTON
Variant by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Rated T+ …$2.99
FOC—4/17/08, On-Sale—5/7/08

IRON MAN/HULK SAMPLER (FEB088110)
Written by JIM MCCANN
Rated All Ages…FREE!
On-Sale—4/23/08

To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook

Joe Quesada Talks SI In MyCup o’Joe Week 3

In this week’s installment of MyCup o’ Joe at MySpace Comic Books, Marvel’s Editor in Chief, Joe Quesada, discusses the red-hot Secret Invasion and reveals your first look at the can’t miss Secret Invasion #2! And what’s this about a new Hellcat series? Plus, don’t miss the debut of Joe’s top secret New York Comic Con lithograph! It’s all revealed at http://www.myspace.com/comicbooks, where Joe Q answer questions from you, the fans, and reveals some exclusive new art!

Want to get in on the action? Head over to http://www.marvel.com/cupojoe and http://www.myspace.com/comicbooks to leave your questions for Joe Q and he’ll answer them each and every Friday!

To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook

Marvel Unveils New Sky Doll #1 Variant Cover

Marvel is pleased to unveil the stunning new variant cover to Sky Doll #1. Arriving in May with a brand new English translation, Sky Doll introduces North American readers to the timely socio-political thriller in which a young android must decide her destiny by challenging the very government—and faith—that has controlled her life. Now’s your chance to discover why this series took Europe by storm! This is the first release in a new partnership between Marvel and cutting-edge French publisher Soleil!

Also, for a sneak peak of all the other titles from the Marvel/Soleil partnership, don’t miss the Soleil Sampler in stores next week! And did we mention that this 32 page, full color issue is free?

SKY DOLL #1 (of 3) (MAR082145)
SKY DOLL #1 (of 3) VARIANT (MAR082146)
Written by BARBARA CANEPA & ALESSANDRO BARBUCCI
Art by ALESSANDRO BARBUCCI
Cover by BARBARA CANEPA & ALESSANDRO BARBUCCI
Mature Content …$5.99
FOC—4/24/08, On-Sale—5/14/08

SOLEIL SAMPLER
Written by ARUNE SINGH
Mature Content…FREE!
On-Sale—4/9/08!

To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook

Marvel Announces Free Iron Man/Hulk Sampler

The two biggest blockbuster films of the summer features two of Marvel’s biggest heroes — Iron Man and Hulk — and new fans can discover more about them in the Iron Man/Hulk Sampler. This special edition features a sneak peak at all the major upcoming Iron Man and Hulk projects, from Invincible Iron Man to Marvel Adventures: Super Heroes to Hulk and more! Featuring content suitable for all ages, and for fans who’ve just discovered Marvel’s most incredible and invincible heroes, Iron Man/Hulk Sampler is a must for all comic fans!

And did we mention that the Iron Man/Hulk Sampler is free? That’s right, this special, 32 page preview of the Hulk and Iron Man’s future is absolutely free! Perfect for distribution at move theatres, Free Comic Book Day and other promotional functions, this special one-shot provides all the information anyone needs to dive right into any current Iron Man or Hulk series. The back cover of each sampler also offers an ad for Free Comic Book Day on May 3rd and a place for retailers to stamp their store’s information so fans know where to shop! The Iron Man/Hulk Sampler also features up-to-date backlists of Marvel’s most popular Hulk and Iron Man collections, directing readers to the greatest Iron Man and Hulk stories of all time!

Retailers, please check the latest Marvel Mailer for instructions on how to order Iron Man/Hulk Sampler.

IRON MAN/HULK SAMPLER (FEB088110J)
Written by JIM MCCANN
Rated All Ages…FREE!
FOC—4/3/08, On-Sale—4/23/08

To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook

Marvel Noise Episode 28: X-Men 20, Page 9, Panel 4

Just when you thought it was safe to get comfortable… Our host’s wife is on vacation, and that means what was once standard recording procedure is slightly off-kilter. But have no fear! That’s not gonna stop the new releases from being rambled off or Backwards Dave from giving us a swell Bring ’em Back or Pat Loika from giving us some insight on what went down in recent Avengers issues! There’s also a voicemail from Carlos, giving use his thoughts on Echo. Plus, Marvel Tales!

Titles mentioned include Amazing Spider-Man, Cable, Kick-Ass, Moon Knight, Omega: The Unknown, Punisher War Journal, Secret Invasion, Young X-Men, and X-Men: First Class.

Get it here.
Discuss this episode on the Marvel Noise forum.

Comic Addiction (http://www.comicaddiction.com/)
Jinxworld Secret Invasion Portal (http://jinxworld.com/secretinvasion/)
The POWERS Podcast (http://hiddenrobot.com/POWERS/)
Comic Book Noise Episode 100 (http://www.comicbooknoise.com/?p=1600)
Around Comics (http://aroundcomics.com/)

Bring ’em Back thread (http://www.thecomicforums.com/forum2//index.php?showtopic=125661)
Marvel Tales thread (http://www.thecomicforums.com/forum2//index.php?showtopic=125653)

Gone & Forgotten: Classic Articles: Super Boxers (http://ape-law.com/GAF/2007/08/classic-article-super-boxers.html)

The Groove Mine, The Fray (http://www.myspace.com/thegroovemine)

Voicemail: (206) 312-5239
Email: marvelnoise@comicbooknoise.com
Forum: http://forum.marvelnoise.com
http://marvelnoise.com/
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Facebook Marvel Noise Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12732697211
Podcast Alley: http://www.podcastalley.com/podcast_details.php?pod_id=51305
ComicSpace: http://www.comicspace.com/marvelnoise/
Digg: http://digg.com/podcasts/Marvel_Noise
topfive@comicbooknoise.com – send in your weekly purchases

Marvel items on sale, 4.2.08


Comics

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #555 (and VARIANT)
COVERS BY: CHRIS BACHALO and SIMONE BIANCHI
WRITER: ZEB WELLS
PENCILS: CHRIS BACHALO
INKS: TIM TOWNSEND
Month Four of Brand New Day is upon us and so is the worst blizzard in the history of New York City! It’s colder than an outdoor hockey game in January out there and your favorite Wall-Crawler (aided by his Avengers buddy, Wolverine) must find his way through the cold to rescue a doctor who may know the real secret behind the deadly storm.
Rated A …$2.99

Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Guilty Pleasures #10 (of 12), $2.99

CABLE #2 (and VARIANT)
COVERS BY: ARIEL OLIVETTI and DAVID FINCH
WRITER: DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI
PENCILS: ARIEL OLIVETTI
COLORED BY: ARIEL OLIVETTI
A new ongoing series spinning out of the decade’s biggest X-Men event! The future of mutantkind continues here!
There’s only one thing worse than a heavily-armed man with murder on the brain. And that’s several heavily-armed men, none of whom give a damn about Cable’s mission to save mutantkind from total extinction. Meanwhile, Cable’s newest enemy—Lucas Bishop—crawls back from bloody oblivion and tracks down his quarry the hard way: one brutal time jump after another. When Bishop finally catches up wit Cable, he’s not going to be in the mood for small talk. It’ll be kill first, ask questions later.
Rated T+ …$2.99

Clandestine #3 (of 5), $2.99
Dark Tower Long Road Home #2 (of 5) (and Jae Lee Sketch and Quesada Variants), $3.99

KICK-ASS #2
COVER BY: JOHN ROMITA JR.
WRITER: MARK MILLAR
PENCILS: JOHN ROMITA JR.
Sickening violence… just the way you like it. The most screwed-up superhero comic of all time continues in what’s sure to be the most exciting launch of 2008. What would happen if you tried to be a super hero? What would happen when an ordinary man in a latex suit comes face-to-face with the criminal underworld? Read about super heroes like you’ve never seen them before and feel happy that you are living here right now when this book is being published. Your grandchildren will only envy you. Comics just don’t get better than this.
Mature …$2.99

Logan #2 (of 3) (and Black and White Variant), $3.99
Lords Of Avalon Sword Of Darkness #3 (of 6), $2.99
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #38, $2.99
Marvel Spotlight Iron Man Movie, $2.99
Marvel Two-In-One #10, $4.99

MOON KNIGHT #17
COVER BY: ARTHUR SUYDAM
WRITER: MIKE BENSON (with CHARLIE HUSTON co-plotting)
ART: MARK TEXEIRA (with JAVIER SALTARES on layouts)
“GOD AND COUNTRY,” PART 4
In the age of the Superhuman Registration Act, the only good hero is one that plays by the book — which the card-carrying Moon Knight most assuredly does not. Indeed, with Moon Knight fast becoming the poster child for recklessness and brutality, the question of the day is just how he got a Registration Card in the first place! As Tony Stark’s investigation unearths the ugly truth, Marc Spector braces himself for the consequences, unaware that an equally grave threat is preparing to strike. Carson Knowles — a.k.a. the Black Spectre — is back and he wants payback.
Parental Advisory …$2.99

New Exiles #4, $2.99

OMEGA: THE UNKNOWN #7
WRITER: JONATHAN LETHEM and KARL RUSNAK
PENCILS: GARY PANTER and FAREL DALRYMPLE
INKS: FAREL DALRYMPLE
You know a super hero’s in trouble when he resorts to drawing a comic book to try to solve his problems! Omega The Unknown #7, on top of the usual stellar array of talent, features special guest-star creator Gary Panter, known for his work on a legendary children’s show, Frank Zappa’s album covers, and RAW Magazine — but he’s never been between Marvel’s covers before. Tune in!
Rated T+ …$2.99

PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #18
COVER BY: ALEX MALEEV
WRITER: MATT FRACTION
PENCILS and INKS: HOWARD CHAYKIN
One word: JIGSAW. In this prelude to the next major story-arc in PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL, we get to spend a little time with the man, the myth, and the monster that’s earned the right to call himself the Punisher’s arch-nemesis. What is it about Frank Castle that makes this otherwise sane, if a little sinister, gangster go absolutely and completely insane whenever he’s around? What buttons can Frank possibly push that pushes Jigsaw over the edge of sanity? Find out straight from the horse’s mouth, kiddies: JIGSAW starts here, ends in blood, and features a whole lot of violence in-between. By Matt Fraction (IMMORTAL IRON FIST, Casanova) and Howard Chaykin (WOLVERINE).
Rated T+ …$ 2.99

SECRET INVASION #1 (and MCNIVEN, MCNIVEN SKETCH, and YU VARIANTS)
COVERS BY: GABRIELE DELL’OTTO, STEVE MCNIVEN, and LEINIL YU
WRITER: BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
PENCILS: LEINIL FRANCIS YU
INKS: MARK MORALES
SECRET INVASION IS HERE!! Years in the making, months in the teasing… and it all STARTS HERE!!
The shape-shifting alien race known as the Skrulls has secretly infiltrated every super-powered organization on Earth with one goal…full-scale invasion! In this DOUBLE-SIZED first issue, page after page unveils reveal after reveal and shocking moment after shocking moment! Brian Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu leap off the pages of mega-hit New Avengers and deliver a story that will change the Marvel Universe forever.
THE MARVEL UNIVERSE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!!
Rated T+ …$3.99

Spider-Man Family #8, $4.99

THE TWELVE #4
COVER BY: KAARE ANDREWS
WRITER: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
PENCILS: CHRIS WESTON
INKS: GARRY LEACH
As the savage murders continue, and members of the Twelve come under a cloud of suspicion, tensions flare, and hero faces off against hero! Plus, the unbelievable origin of underground secret agent Rockman!
Rated T+ …$2.99

Ultimates 3 #3 (of 5) 2nd Printing Wraparound Variant, $2.99
X-Force #2 2nd Printing Crain Variant, $2.99
Young Avengers Presents #3 (of 6), $2.99

YOUNG X-MEN #1 (and PETERSON VARIANT)
COVERS BY: TERRY and RACHEL DODSON and BRANDON PETERSON
WRITER: MARC GUGGENHEIM
PENCILS: YANICK PAQUETTE
INKS: SERGE LAPOINTE
In the wake of Messiah CompleX, there are no X-Men and young mutants Rockslide, Blindfold and Dust are alone and directionless. Until the day Cyclops recruits them to hunt the new incarnation of the Brotherhood – and kill them. Joined by a pair of new recruits, the young X-Men learn a hard truth about the world post-Messiah CompleX: sometimes old allies make for deadly enemies.
Rated A …$2.99


Collections

ESSENTIAL IRON MAN VOL. 3 TPB
COVER BY: GEORGE TUSKA
WRITERS: ARCHIE GOODWIN, MIMI GOLD, ALLYN BRODSKY and GERRY CONWAY
PENCILS: GEORGE TUSKA, JOHNNY CRAIG, DON HECK and GENE COLAN
Shellhead’s rogues gallery grows during his first faceoffs with the Controller, Mordecai Midas, Firebrand and Spymaster — all enemies destined to plague him for years to come! Meanwhile, Tony Stark splits his life among LMD impostors, but will he lose his heart to Madame Masque? Plus: attacks by aliens, androids, organized crime and more! Guest-starring Daredevil, the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D.! Collecting IRON MAN #12-38 and DAREDEVIL #73.
All Ages …$16.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-2764-2

HULK: PLANET HULK TPB
COVER BY: LADRÖNN
WRITER: GREG PAK
PENCILS: CARLO PAGULAYAN, AARON LOPRESTI, GARY FRANK and TAKESHI MIYAZAWA
A whole new world of hurt! Betrayed by Earth’s heroes and exiled into outer space, the man-monster Hulk has landed on the distant planet Sakaar, ruled by the tyrannical Red King. Sold into slavery, Hulk becomes the Green Scar, the planet’s mightiest gladiator – but his new masters get more than they bargained for when he forges a bond of brotherhood with his fellow fighters: crafty insectoid Miek, the horrific Brood, wise rock-man Korg, shadow warrior Hiroim, noble-born rebel Elloe and her loyal guardsman Skee. Together, these gladiators start a revolution that could change their entire world – or destroy it. It’s savage sci-fi fantasy by award-winning writer Greg Pak, guest-starring the Silver Surfer! Collecting INCREDIBLE HULK #92-105, PLANET HULK: GLADIATOR GUIDEBOOK, and material from AMAZING FANTASY #15 and GIANT-SIZE HULK #1.
Rated A …$34.99

NEW AVENGERS VOL. 2 HC (and DM ONLY)
COVER BY: DAVID FINCH
WRITER: BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
PENCILS: DAVID FINCH, FRANK CHO, RICK MAYS, STEVE MCNIVEN, MIKE DEODATO and OLIVIER COIPEL
Shedding light on the New Avengers’ darkest secrets! This deluxe hardcover collects NEW AVENGERS VOL. 3: SECRETS & LIES and NEW AVENGERS VOL. 4: THE COLLECTIVE – plus NEW AVENGERS ANNUAL #1, never before reprinted in a NEW AVENGERS collection. In SECRETS & LIES, it’s the debut of the mysterious New Avenger everyone has been talking about! Who is Ronin, and why has Captain America recruited him into the fold? Then, Cap catches Spider-Woman double-dealing the New Avengers and corners her! How did she get her powers back and to whom does she answer? In THE COLLECTIVE, a new adversary with the power to destroy the world emerges from the ashes of HOUSE OF M! The New Avengers’ latest gauntlet subjects them to attack and intrigue as they discover who their most powerful enemy really is! And in NEW AVENGERS ANNUAL #1, Avengers Tower becomes the ultimate battleground as the New Avengers are targeted by one of their fiercest new enemies yet. The all-new Adaptoid has come to take them down – and wait till you see who it is. Plus: An avenger gets married! Collecting NEW AVENGERS #11-20 and ANNUAL #1, and the lead story from GIANT-SIZE SPIDER-WOMAN #1
Rated A …$29.99

SECRET INVASION: THE INFILTRATION
COVER BY: LEINIL YU
WRITERS: STAN LEE, BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, BRIAN REED, and DAN SLOTT
PENCILS: JACK KIRBY, JIM CHEUNG, LEINIL YU, MARK BAGLEY, MICHAEL GAYDOS, and DAVID MACKRetrace the roots of THE INFILTRATION all the way back to the beginning of the Marvel Age of Heroes! First, in FANTASTIC FOUR #2 (1962), it’s a close encounter of the Skrull kind as four shape-changing aliens pose as Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Girl, the Thing and the Human Torch in an attempt to destroy the fledgling Fantastic Four! Then, flash-forward to the present day as the SECRET INVASION stands revealed in the pages of NEW AVENGERS: ILLUMINATI, NEW AVENGERS, MIGHTY AVENGERS and AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE. Conspiracy. Paranoia. Betrayal. Who do you trust? Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR #2, NEW AVENGERS: ILLUMINATI #1 and #5, NEW AVENGERS #31-32 and #38-39, MIGHTY AVENGERS #7, and AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE ANNUAL #1.
Rated T+ …$19.99

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS – MUTANT MAYHEM TPB
COVER BY: KEVIN NOWLAN
WRITER: JEFF PARKER
PENCILS: ROGER CRUZ, KEVIN NOWLAN, PAUL SMITH, MIKE ALLRED, NICK DRAGOTTA and COLLEEN COOVER
For millions of years, mankind’s place on Earth was unchallenged – until five young people paved the way for a new kind of human! While students at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, Beast and Iceman taught the world what it meant to be X-Men. These are the hidden stories of the team that laid the foundation of a mutant dynasty! Featuring Sue Storm, the Fantastic Four’s Invisible Girl; a trip to Monster Island; and a road trip…Hank and Bobby-style! Plus: From investigating haunted museums to dealing with lovesick dragon men, no mission is off limits for the original mutant heroes. See some of comics’ top cartoonists take on Xavier’s five! Collecting X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (2007) #1-5 and X-MEN: FIRST CLASS SPECIAL.
Rated A …$13.99


Posters

IRON MAN GREG LAND POSTER
24×36 Color Poster…$7.99
X-MEN GREG LAND POSTER
24×36 Color Poster…$7.99

Skrulls!! On Television?!?!

Just snagged this post from Jim McCann, Marvel’s go-to marketing guy:

Ok, guys, I need your help. As you know, Skrulls invade tomorrow, and NYC will never be the same. We need to let the world know the Skrulls are here. SO, we’re hoping to get on TV, via Good Morning America and Today shows! We’re going to show up in force (hopefully) wearing Skrull masks like the ones seen worn by creators here.

For you guys who want to get up early and get on TV, there are 2 ways:

1) Meet me at 7 am (don’t hate, I’ll be a Starbuck’s sippin Skrull-mask wearin fool, too) in front of the GMA studios – The studio is located at Times Square at 44th Street and Broadway – and I will hand out masks to those who show. We will wear the masks in hopes of getting on air during out-side tapings. Also, after, I want to take some pix around Times Square with us wearing them, if you guys can stick around.

2) Head over to Midtown comics near Grand Central in about an hour and they will give you a Skrull Mask. Then hit the TODAY show tomorrow AM (at Rockfeller Center) between 7-11 am and stand outside wearing the masks.

Sadly, I won’t be able to attend, but those of you that can should have a blast.

Who Do You Trust?

Update, 4.1

SECRET INVASION #1 (of 8) (FEB082240)
SECRET INVASION #1 (of 8) MCNIVEN VARIANT (FEB082241)
SECRET INVASION #1 (of 8) YU VARIANT (DEC078206)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by LEINIL FRANCIS YU
Cover by GABRIELE DELL’OTTO
Variant cover by STEVE MCNIVEN
Rated T+ …$3.99
ON-SALE—4/2/08!

Update, 3.24

Update, 3.19

Update, 3.14

Update, 3.6

Over the past few days, emails have been arriving from Marvel with the subject Who Do You Trust? and have attachments of our favorite characters (who doesn’t like Hercules?) as Skrulls. To date there have been three: Wolverine, Hawkeye, and Hercules.

Who do you trust?

Update, 2.26

Update, 2.28

Update, 2.29

Update, 3.3

Update, 3.4

Who Do You Trust?

It’s the question everyone’s asking — who do you trust?

Tomorrow, Secret Invasion Saga traces the origins of the Skrull infiltration from the Elektra replacement to the Skrull’s very first visit to Earth. And did we mention it’s free? That’s right, it’s your first look at all the events leading up to the Secret Invasion, as well as clues to who you should — and shouldn’t — trust!

This April, Secret Invasion #1 irrevocably changes the Marvel Universe — and now’s your chance to find out how it all began with Secret Invasion Saga!

SECRET INVASION SAGA (NOV078017)
Written by JOHN RHETT THOMAS
Cover by LEINIL YU
Rated T+ …FREE!
IN STORES 3/5/08!!!

To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook

Preview: X-Force #3

X-Force Takes No Prisoners in The War Against The Purifiers!

The red-hot, sold-out hottest X-launch of the year continues as Wolverine’s new team searches for the kidnapped Wolfsbane and continues their merciless attacks on Purifier bases till they find her! Enter X-Force #3, from the fan-favorite writing team of Christopher Yost & Craig Kyle, with rising star artist Clayton Crain, ratchet the action up to 11. Just what does the return of New Mutants foe Magus mean for X-Force? As Matthew Riseman’s plan comes into full effect, it seems he’s gathered just what — or WHO — he needs…but what’s his endgame? And just how does S.H.I.E.L.D. figure into all this? An X-Men: Divided We Stand tie-in, X-Force helps set the stage for the future of mutantkind in a world without X-Men!

“I love where this series is going,” said Kevin Powers of ComicsBulletin.Com. “Clayton Crain’s dark style of painted artwork is absolutely appropriate for this title.”

Marvel urges retailers to check their orders on X-Force and all Divided We Stand tie-ins, as they continue to sell out rapidly! X-Force is on the trail of the Purifiers…but are they too late? Find out in X-Force #3!

X-FORCE #3 (FEB082266)
X-FORCE #3 BLOODY VARIANT (JAN088014)
Written by CHRISTOPHER YOST & CRAIG KYLE
Pencils & Cover by CLAYTON CRAIN
Parental Advisory …$2.99
FOC—4/3/08, On-Sale—4/23/08

To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook

Mike Wieringo Tribute Book Available in June

LOS ANGELES (March 31, 2008) — When artist Mike Wieringo passed away, he was in the middle of his latest Marvel Comics book, a What If? story. Mike had completed seven pages of what became a massive 27-page story. With Mike’s passing, Marvel Comics generously provided access to the script and Mike’s art to The Hero Initiative, and Mike’s friends stepped up to finish the story, and pay tribute to Mike. Now, What If…This Was The Fantastic Four?: A Tribute to Mike Wieringo is slated as a massive, 48-page tribute book for June shipping that contains the full story, and additional written tributes to Mike.

The tremendous list of talent participating in the book includes Jeff Parker, Arthur Adams, Paul Renaud, Stuart Immonen, Cully Hamner, Alan Davis, David Williams, Sanford Greene, Humberto Ramos, Skottie Young, Mike Allred, Barry Kitson, and Val Staples. Cover artwork is by Mike Wieringo and Paul Mounts, and The Hero Initiative is publishing the book with the full support of both Marvel Comics, and the family of Mike Wieringo.

This book is listed in Diamond Previews and the Previews Order Form under “Hero Initiative,” so order there! The book retails for $4.99.

“While Mike was always looking forward as an artist, he had a genuine appreciation of the efforts of those that came before him. He knew that, without their hard work and talent, he would not have had a career. He was a great and generous guy and he would have been thrilled to be a part of this book. And I’m honored that I’ve been allowed to be a part of it as well,” said Matt Wieringo, Mike’s brother.

Editor Nate Cosby says of the project, “Mike was (and still IS) one of my favorite artists of all time. He drew the world as he saw it, and combined his vision with the imaginations of others to create some of my favorite comics of all time. It was more than a pleasure to work with him all-too-briefly. This book is a remembrance of what Mike could do with a pencil, and a tribute to him as a man.”

“I’m amazed at the generosity of Marvel, and all the artists who stepped forward to help out on this book,” said Hero Initiative President Jim McLauchlin. “It’s a great package, and a fitting tribute to Mike.”

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays’ creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It’s a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment. For more information, call 310-909-7809 or visit www.HeroInitiative.org.

Marvel Comics is a division of Marvel Entertainment, Inc., a leading global character-based entertainment company that has developed and owns a library of more than 5,000 characters, which have entertained generations around the world for over 60 years. Marvel’s operations are focused in entertainment and consumer product licensing and comic book publishing. Marvel Studios supports the development of feature films, DVD/video products and TV series. Marvel’s creative team also supports the development of video games and toy lines based on its characters as well as for a broad and growing range of consumer products and services including apparel, collectibles, foods and promotions. Marvel’s comic book division is a leading publisher in the global marketplace while also serving as an invaluable source of intellectual property. Marvel’s Toy Biz division is a recognized creative force and leader in toy design, sales and marketing, developing and overseeing both licensee and in-house toy lines. For additional information, visit http://www.marvel.com.

# # #

For more information, please contact:

Arune Singh
MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT
212-576-4061
asingh@marvel.com

Janine Bielski
The Hero Initiative
310-909-7809
HeroInitiative@aol.com