This New Comic Book Day is light on the first issues, but heavy on the bind ups, and there’s several that I cannot wait for!

Single issues:

Devin Grayson, one of the creators of Yelena Belova – the Red Room recruit who once nearly killed Natasha Romanoff – returns with a brand-new story drawn by rising star Michele Bandini! Yelena has spent years trying to figure out who she is. Once she thought the Black Widow mantle was her destiny, but fate had other plans. Now the past is catching up with her – and with Alexi Shostakov, a.k.a. the Red Guardian! Alexi has worn many titles, including husband to Natasha, but while the Widow played her avenging games, the Red Guardian waited in the shadows. Now a new day is dawning – and this time, no one will stand in his way.

You will definitely need background knowledge on these characters before jumping into this, but if you want to read some new stories based around some of the Black Widow movie characters, then this is definitely something to try out!

Knull, the KING IN BLACK, has set his sights on Earth – but as avid Marvelites already know, his hand has been at work at the edge of the Marvel Universe for years! IN THIS SERIES, witness one of Knull’s earliest attempts at birthing life from the darkness of non-creation! From superstar creators PETER DAVID and GREG LAND comes a titanic tie-in tale to this year’s winter epic KING IN BLACK!

This one is a little bit complicated, as this is a tie-in to a big event centring on Venom. What I will say, is that this is set post Empyre, post X Of Swords, and ties into the Web Of Venom comics, among others. Basically, if you’ve been following Venom this year, you should be reasonably fine reading this. For those who haven’t, expect a reading guide in the coming months, once a few more issues/bind ups have been released!

MARVEL CELEBRATES INDIGENOUS HISTORY WITH A STAR-STUDDED SPECIAL!
Today’s hottest Native American and Indigenous talent make their Marvel Comics debuts with a collection of super-charged stories as Marvel celebrates National Native American Heritage Month! Celebrated writer and artist Jeffrey Veregge explores the legacy of Marvel’s incredible cast of Indigenous characters! Hugo, Nebula, and Locus-award winning Black/Ohkay Owingeh writer Rebecca Roanhorse and Tongva artist Weshoyot Alvitre tell an Echo tale like none you’ve heard before. Geoscientist and Lipan Apache writer Darcie Little Badger joins acclaimed Whitefish Lake First Nation artist Kyle Charles for a Dani Moonstar story that’s out of this world! And Bram Stoker-winning horror writer Stephen Graham Jones of the Blackfeet Nation teams up with Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation artist David Cutler to revisit one of the darkest spots of X-Men history!

A long awaited start to a series, and one I am certainly excited to read! I’m a big fantasy novel fan, so I’m excited to see these fantasy authors take on the world of Marvel comics! You will probably need to look up all the characters mentioned first though, as this does seem to rely on previous knowledge. But, you can start with my Dani Moonstar character profile!

The Marvel Snapshot tour through Marvel history takes a romantic – and destructive – turn during the Michelinie/Byrne/Pérez Avengers era! Take one rookie cop, add one new-to-the-city emergency medical technician, and make their meet-cute a devastating battle between the Avengers and a giant, rampaging robot! What comes next? Only Barbara Randall Kesel (Hawk & Dove, Ultragirl) and Staz Johnson (New X-Men, Robin) can tell you. Featuring Iron Man, the Beast, Wonder Man, Count Nefaria and more.

The next in the Snapshot series, which deals with seeing the Marvel heroes through ordinary people’s eyes! You will need to look into the Michelinie/Byrne/Perez era first, just to get some context for this story’s setting though.

Bind ups:

Bad is the new good! When the new nation of Krakoa opened its doors to all mutants and forgave all past crimes, its leaders knew they’d have to accept some of their worst foes into the fold – but they didn’t plan for what to do with them. Not to worry – Mister Sinister has his own ideas for the troublemakers. Meet his new Hellions: Scalphunter, Wild Child, Empath, Nanny, Orphan-Maker, Psylocke…and Havok?! They’re the new mutant team you’re going to hate to love! Though right now the Hellions can barely keep from killing one another. Of course, that might be just what Mister Sinister is counting on when he sends them to clean up his messes! But can this dysfunctional new squad handle the return of the grand dame of the damned: the Goblin Queen, Madelyne Pryor?! 

This is another one in the confusing double bind ups, which I explained in last week’s release guide. Basically, if you own Dawn Of X 1-4, you don’t need this, as they’re included there. If you want to collect each team’s story separately, then this is the next one you’ll need.

The dawn of rebellion! Cable used to be a grizzled old veteran of dozens of future wars – and someday he will be again. But for now, he’s a young mutant leading a life of adventure on Krakoa! Nathan Summers, Cyclops’ time-traveling son, knows he has a destiny to lead mutantkind in rebellion – so why not start now? Mutant babies are going missing, and Cable takes that sort of thing personally. But can this younger, inexperienced Nathan unravel the mystery in time to save them? And when ancient knights from another galaxy target Cable, will he be forced to give them their prize? Plus: Reunited for the very first time! Deadpool considers Cable one of his oldest and best friends. Cable hasn’t met Deadpool – yet. He’s in for a treat! Prepare for Nathan Summers as you’ve never seen him before!

Another tie in with the Dawn Of X story, again, if you want to collect each team/solo character separately, this is for you, but if you own all of Dawn Of X, you don’t need to buy this.

The best is back! Wolverine has been through a lot. He’s been a hero and a killer. An X-Man and an Avenger. He’s been to hell and back. Now, as the nation of Krakoa brings together all mutantkind, can he finally be…happy? Wolverine finally has everything he ever wanted – and everything to lose. Writer Benjamin Percy and legendary WOLVERINE artist Adam Kubert bring the best there is to his new home! But the worst is never far away – whether it’s Omega Red, Lady Deathstrike, Sabretooth or Doctor Cornelius. And Wolverine must make an unlikely alliance when he finds himself targeted by…Dracula?! But the Flower Cartel might have enlisted the deadliest foe of all: Wolverine himself. Logan is about to find himself at the heart of a conspiracy that threatens to darken the Dawn of X! 

Yet another Dawn Of X tie-in! I’ll get a reading guide out in December, which will hopefully help you make sense of the bind up options!

The fall of the Kingpin! An amnesiac Matt Murdock is Daredevil no more – so who’s swinging around town in the red suit? And why is he committing vicious crimes with pinpoint accuracy? Matt thinks he’s the boxer Jack Murdock – but can he battle his way back to becoming the Man Without Fear once more? Meanwhile, the Kingpin sets his sights on building a media empire! But a reborn Daredevil is determined to administer the last rites to Wilson’s reign of terror, and he won’t let anyone stand in his way – even the lethal Typhoid Mary! With Nick Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra all involved, will Daredevil finally bring down his archenemy once and for all? Plus: Captain America! Taskmaster! Tombstone! Baron Strucker! The Punisher! The Hand! And Ghost Rider! 

This is quite far into the Daredevil Epic Collection, you’ll want: The Man Without Fear, Mike Murdock Must Die!, Brother Take My Hand, A Woman Called Widow, A Touch Of Typhoid and Heart of Darkness.

When the united Kree/Skrull army targets Earth, Captain America sends out a call for heroes! But which Avengers will stand to fight a war on three fronts? Old favorites like Scarlet Witch and the Black Knight will join new faces including Ka-Zar, Zabu and…the Man-Thing?! In New York, a villain from the past is supercharged with alien energy! In Mexico, old hatreds turn allies into enemies! And in the Savage Land, the soul of the jungle has been stolen – and Shanna the She-Devil’s life hangs in the balance! Meanwhile, Cap himself stands on the front lines! With his back against the ropes, Steve Rogers reaches out for aid – but is there anyone left to battle by his side? Prepare for mystery, magic and mayhem in the Mighty Marvel Manner – Avengers Assemble! 

A tie-in to the Empyre event, if you’ve already collected the previous volumes, then you should be fine reading this!

Destiny in the stars! Emperor Dorrek VIII is the son of Kree hero Mar-Vell and the Skrull Princess Anelle. For years, he lived on Earth as the heroic Young Avenger called Hulkling, evading the clutches of both bloodthirsty empires. But his long-avoided destiny has caught up to him, and now Hulkling must take the throne! Elsewhere, the young Cotati called Quoi faces his hour of ascension! Will he become the Celestial Messiah, the role he was prophesized to play – or will his mother, Mantis, stand in his way? Plus: The Avenger called Swordsman may be long dead, but his shadow looms large across the galaxy! And in South America, Conan finds himself targeted by slavers from beyond the stars – and only Venom can help him avoid a grisly fate! 

Another tie-in – I’ll make a reading guide soon, once a few more bind ups have been released! But, if you want it now, please do let me know down below, I’m more than happy to make it in December if you want it!

The sword is drawn as Captain Britain and his metamorphic paramour Meggan band together with former X-Men Nightcrawler, Shadowcat and Rachel “Phoenix” Summers – plus Lockheed the dragon and the mysterious Widget! From their lighthouse base, Excalibur fights to uphold Xavier’s dream, UK style – tackling the ruthless Technet, the ferocious Warwolves, the bizarre Crazy Gang and the wild Warpies! But when the “Cross-Time Caper” sweeps Excalibur across the Marvel Multiverse, it will take a miracle for them to find their way home! And has someone been manipulating the team from the shadows since the very beginning? It’s cosmic adventure with a comedic twist in a beloved X-book like no other! 

If you’ve been reading Dawn of X and you’ve been confused as to who Excalibur/Captain Britain is, then this could be for you! It’s from 1988 and it’s considered a Chris Claremont classic, so it should give you a good bedrock of information on the original team!

With that, that’s your guide to this week’s Marvel Comic releases! What are you picking up? I’m definitely getting the next in the Empyre series!