Submit to the Black Vortex – Presenting Your First Look at the Cover to GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY & X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX ALPHA #1

This February, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the All-New X-Men, Nova, Captain Marvel, Cyclops and more team up for a cosmic throwdown the likes of which have never been seen in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY & X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX! Today, Marvel is proud to present your very first look at the cover to GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY & X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX ALPHA #1, the highly anticipated first issue in the upcoming crossover from fan-favorite writer Sam Humphries and blockbuster artist Ed McGuinness!

The Black Vortex, an ancient artifact of immense and immeasurable power has resurfaced on the far side of the galaxy. With the power to unlock it’s users true cosmic potential, in the wrong hands, the Black Vortex’s power could be a force of unparalleled destruction. Imagine the power that transformed Jean Grey into the Phoenix or Norin Radd into the Silver Surfer available to anyone, and in the hands of those who would use it for evil!

“What happens when one person submits to the Black Vortex and becomes a titan of the cosmos?” asks Guardians of the Galaxy & X-Men: The Black Vortex Alpha writer Sam Humphries in an interview with Marvel.com. “What happens when a whole team does it. Or a whole planet? But against the epic scale, we’re grounding the story in the deeply personal conflict each character will go through just by encountering the Black Vortex.”

The Black Vortex has been claimed by the villainous gangster Mr. Knife and Thane, the wayward son of Thanos. With billions of lives across the universe at stake, it will take the combined might of the Guardians of the Galaxy, the X-Men and more to stem the coming darkness.

Kicking off in this special Alpha issue and continuing through some of your favorite Marvel titles including Guardians of the Galaxy, Legendary Star-Lord, All-New X-Men, Captain Marvel, Nova, Cyclops and more, be there for the beginning of the next great out-of-this-world crossover when GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY & X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX ALPHA #1 hits comic shops and digital devices this February!

Marvel and Disney Kingdoms Take You for a Ride with BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN RAILROAD #1!

Coming in spring 2015, the world famous, thrill-packed Disney attraction – Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – roars to life as an all-new Marvel and Disney Kingdoms comic book bursting with action, romance, mystery and adventure. The new series, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, continues the unique collaboration between Marvel Comics, Disney Kingdoms, and Walt Disney Imagineering. This five-issue series, created by rising star writer Dennis Hopeless (Spider-Woman, Avengers Arena), fan-favorite artist Tigh Walker (Avengers Undercover), invite readers all aboard an all-new adventure that reveals the never-before-told saga of how the gold mine in Big Thunder Mountain became the haunted legend it is today!

A mainstay of Disney Parks since 1979, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has entertained countless guests on this classic attraction in four Disney theme parks around the world. Now, Disney Kingdoms is proud to add 'the wildest ride in the wilderness' with an all-new tale of mystery and adventure set in the wild Frontier!

“Building on the momentum of the sold out Figment series, we are excited to embark upon what may be our wildest adventure yet,” says editor and Creative Director Bill Rosemann. “As one of the most famous Disney attractions, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is packed with a combustible combo of drama, humor, and thrills that will explode across the page and deliver all the action and surprises that the Disney Kingdoms imprint has quickly become known for.”

Series writer Dennis Hopeless continues, "Everybody knows Big Thunder Mountain Railroad as a rumbling, tumbling runaway train car attraction through an exploding gold mine. But it’s always been more than that. It’s a trip back in time to a Gold Rush town where daring men and women risked their lives in the daily battle between man and mountain. And let’s be honest, it’s the perfect setting for an adventure comic.”

  

Earthquakes! Floods! Dynamite-chewing goats! Can the denizens of Rainbow Ridge survive the clash between mankind’s greed and nature’s fury? And what is the protective power that dwells deep within the mysterious mountain? Surprises await you in the latest Disney Kingdoms saga coming in spring 2015.

JAMES PATTERSON AND MARVEL ANNOUNCE MAX RIDE: FIRST FLIGHT

James Patterson’s Max Ride: First Flight will feature the talents of writer Marguerite Bennett (Angela: Asgard's Assassin, Amazing X-Men) and artist Alex Sanchez (Elektra) and will follow the fast paced adventures of Max, a teenage girl who, due to genetic tampering, is part human and part avian and Marvel Comics is set to elevate Max and her “flock” into an even bigger pop-culture property.

Series editor, Sana Amanat, says, “At Marvel we’re always looking to create bold stories that push expectations and attract new audiences into the world of comics—and that’s what we plan to do with Max Ride. It’s the familiar world of Maximum Ride told through the thrilling Marvel narrative. We’re taking a heart-pounding adventure and giving it an extra shot of adrenaline.”

Speaking with The Wall Street Journal, Patterson says that he is excited to see Marvel’s fresh new take of his young adult series, “I’ve given Marvel license. In fact, I’ve encouraged them to make this Marvel’s ‘Maximum Ride,’ so I expect some changes in the story.”

Coming in spring 2015, the 5-part Marvel Comics mini-series, James Patterson’s Max Ride: First Flight, will follow the soaring adventures of Max and the "flock" – Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel – a group of ordinary teenage kids – only they are the product of genetic tampering that has given them extraordinary abilities, but their lives quickly morph into a living nightmare as they try to escape their creators and defend themselves from half-human, half-wolf "Erasers". Along the way Max discovers her purpose – saving the world – but can she? Find out next year!

From His End Comes a New Beginning in WOLVERINES #1!

His death was only the start! Wolverine may be dead, but his legacy lives on. Spinning directly out of Death of Wolverine, The Weapon X Program and The Logan Legacy comes WOLVERINES #1, a brand new weekly series beginning this January! The friends and foes he left behind unite as they seek to uncover the secrets behind Logan’s death and issue a healthy dose of revenge on those involved in his demise. Announced at NYCC, blockbuster writers Charles Soule and Ray Fawkes team with Marvel All-New Young Gun artist Nick Bradshaw for the weekly journeys of X-23, Daken, Sabretooth, Mystque, Lady Deathstrike and more!

“In a way, most of the characters featured in [Wolverines] are incomplete reflections of Wolverine,” says co-writer Ray Fawkes in an interview with Marvel.com “Perhaps now that he’s gone, they are free to fully realize themselves? Or maybe they’ll be annihilated by the void that he’s left behind?”

The true enemy is still out there. With Logan dead and buried, they pose a greater threat than ever before. An unlikely team of his closest friends and deadliest foes will need to work together if they have any hope of avenging his death – but how can they? As personalities clash and tempers flare, the claws are going to come out!

“The group here is not a set of people who are particularly interested in doing anything together unless they absolutely have to,” says Charles Soule.

Logan’s end was just the beginning. As those who called him friend mourn his passing, those who called him foe are free to pursue their sinister aims. Now, those with close ties to him will forge an uneasy alliance to uncover the secrets behind  the death of one of the world’s greatest heroes, and uncover shocking new revelations concerning the life he led! Be there when a new team is born, and the new year kicks off with a “SNIKT” that shouldn’t be missed in WOLVERINES #1!   

FanFare moves from Dearborn to Sterling Heights in 2015

The Detroit FanFare Comic Convention is back, but it won’t be in Dearborn like it has been for the last four years.
After missing 2014, the convention will move from October to February in 2015 for its fifth incarnation.
For the last three shows the convention was held at the Hyatt or Adoba Hotel in Dearborn, this year the show is moving to the Best Western Sterling Inn Convention center and Indoor Waterpark. The show will be Feb. 6-8.
According to co-promoter Dennis Barger--who also co-owns Wonderworld Comics in Taylor--FanFare is a throwback to the Detroit Triple Fan Fair which was the nation’s first ever annual comic convention beginning in 1965 running through 1978.
“2015 is the 50th anniversary of the comic convention,” Barger said. “And it was originally founded right here in Detroit.”
According to Barger, it’s unclear exactly who had the idea first, but the first two conventions were both held in 1965, one in Detroit and another in New York. The New York show happened first, but there is murky history as to who was promoting their show first.
The big guest at this year’s FanFare will be comics legend Denny O’Neil, who famously worked on Batman, and The Green Arrow along with Neil Adams for DC Comics.
O’Neil also had runs on Spider-Man and Daredevil while working at Marvel Comics, and oversaw Daredevil and G.I. Joe as an editor.
He has created characters of note such as Ra’s al Ghul, Talia al Ghul, Killraven, Hydroman, John Stewart, and the Earth 2 versions of Batman and Superman. Not only is he known for adding more depth to Batman/Bruce Wayne, he also became known for creating deep and complex stories for characters such as The Shadow and The Question. He also came up with the name for Optimus Prime when the Transformers line first launched.
Now retired, O’Neil has not left the comic book industry behind him. He sits on the Disbursement Board for the Hero Initiative, a non-profit organization which helps comic book creators in need.
New for Fanfare this year is a Kickstarter campaign to allow people to earn special perks while at the show, or to buy some perks even if they can’t make it to the show.
“It’s not about raising money,” Barger said. “It’s about letting people have a unique experience at the show.”
Barger said what makes his show special is that it’s still primarily focused on comics, not being dominated by media guests like most bigger shows.
“We keep prices down, and we focus on comics,” he said. “Even when we’ve brought media guests in, we make sure they are one degree of separation from a comic book.”
The Kickstarter can be found at http://goo.gl/DwSYb3.

Archie Meets Predator: Dark Horse Comics and Archie Comics team up for a bloodbath in Riverdale!

America’s favorite teen meets the galaxy’s fiercest hunter! Archie Comics and Dark Horse Comics are proud to bring you spring 2015’s hottest crossover: ARCHIE MEETS PREDATOR.

With writer Alex de Campi (Grindhouse, Lady Zorro, Smoke/Ashes) at the helm, and artist Fernando Ruiz, things are going to get wild quickly.

“In the grand tradition of ARCHIE MEETS THE PUNISHER and ARCHIE MEETS KISS, we’re unbelievably excited to partner with Dark Horse to show what happens when the Predator comes to Riverdale,” said Archie Comics Publisher/Co-CEO Jon Goldwater. “It’s going to be a surprising, energetic, and must-read series, and we’re so glad Alex de Campi and Fernando Ruiz are joining forces to tell this off-the-wall story.”

Archie and friends hit Costa Rica for spring break, where party and beach games soon get replaced by the most dangerous game! What mysterious attraction does the gang hold for the trophy-collecting Predator, and will the kids even realize they’re in danger before it claims them all?

UNSTOPPABLE EVIL ENTERS THE PAGES OF AMAZING X-MEN

The fledgling team of the Amazing X-Men have already faced off against demon arms from Hell and ravenous hordes of Wendigos and there is no rest in sight for our band of heroic mutants as one of the X-Men’s most notorious villains charges back into their world. This January marks the return of The Unstoppable Juggernaut within Amazing X-Men #15 by series writer, Chris Yost and interior artist Jorge Fornes.

The story, called “The Once and Future Juggernaut” finds former wielders of the Gem of Cyttorak, Cain Marko and X-Man Peter “Colossus” Rasputin, getting the call to become the inter-dimensional power’s external force once again, but they’re not the only ones invited to the party.

While Yost remains tight-lipped about who those other characters might be he does give a few hints about what kinds of folks are being called. “A few of the strongest characters in the Marvel Universe get the call,” Yost tells Marvel.com. “But Cyttorak needs a specific kind of person… someone they can manipulate. Someone who craves the power.”

“Cyttorak wants an avatar,” Yost continues. “It’s a status thing among the other mystical entities/gods. All the cool other-dimensional powers have one. The return of the gem is part of the mystery, but the X-Men know that whatever Cyttorak wants, it’s probably not good."

Next year, Amazing X-Men #15 charges into comic book retailers and ushers in a new era for the X-Men as we bear witness to the rebirth of one of the most well-known X-Men villains of all time – The Unstoppable Juggernaut!