We’ve got a bumper crop of comics and graphic novels coming out this new comic book day, so let’s dive right in!

Single Issues:

BURN AT THE TOUCH OF THE HARROWER!
Critically acclaimed writer Steve Orlando (Martian Manhunter, Batman, Wonder Woman) makes his Marvel debut with a blockbuster celebration of MAN-THING’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY! For decades, the Man-Thing has haunted the Florida Everglades. Now a new enemy has hijacked his body on a quest to take his incendiary abilities global! We wake to fear as gargantuan monoliths menace cities worldwide, with only the AVENGERS standing between the population of Earth and a planetwide inferno. Can they save Man-Thing in time to douse the fires? And does the man inside the thing, TED SALLIS, even want to be saved? Introducing a sensational new villain, THE HARROWER!

Definitely one for people who are already fans of Man-Thing, as this looks to be running on a fair bit of previous knowledge of the character.

By day Cindy Moon is an intrepid reporter for the upstart new media empire Threats & Menaces under her old boss, J. Jonah Jameson. By night, she’s Silk, crime fighting super hero! But those worlds are about to collide, as an investigation into a series of gangland murders puts Silk and everyone she loves in danger! Who is this powerful new player in New York’s underworld, where did she come from, and what is she doing with that strange cat demon? It will take all of Cindy’s prowess as reporter and hero to find the answers…and stay alive!

I’d say that you could probably jump into this series without previous knowledge, but maybe be prepared to have to look some stuff up.

THE WAR FOR HELL’S THRONE MEETS THE KING IN BLACK!
All Ghost Rider wants is to destroy Mephisto, round up an army of escaped demons, and secure his seat on the throne of hell. Is that so much to ask? But now a dark god from space has shown up to throw the world into chaos, and some of Johnny’s old friends have come to ask for his help. It may take everything they’ve got to stop this madness. Maybe even…the devil himself?

Another King In Black event tie in… I can already tell that my reading guide for this event is going to be long! At the moment though, my advice would be to at least read the main King In Black title by Donny Cates before reading this.

FROM THE PAGES OF DONNY CATES’ THOR AND SPINNING OUT OF THE EVENTS OF KING IN BLACK!
The second-most famous wielder of Mjolnir. The right-hand man to the god of Thunder. And now, a warrior without his best weapon. Beta Ray Bill is tired of playing second fiddle to Thor – and with Bill’s famous hammer, Stormbreaker, recently destroyed at the new All-Father’s hands, tensions are higher than ever. The Korbinite must strike out in search of a new weapon…and a new destiny. Assuming he can first defeat a Knullified Fin Fang Foom! Plus: This oversize first issue contains an exclusive conversation between Johnson and Beta Ray Bill’s creator, the legendary Walter Simonson!

Definitely another comic for those already fans of Beta Ray Bill, but if you want to give it a go, you without doubt need to read Thor and King In Black by Donny Cates for this to make even the slightest bit of sense.

Bind Ups:

Shang-Chi demonstrates his martial-arts prowess across the Marvel Universe! There’s hellfire in Hong Kong as the Master of Kung Fu lends his deadly hands to the X-Men’s cause in battle with Sebastian Shaw and the Kingpin! Then, he and Wolverine join Iron Fist and the Heroes for Hire, tackling pirates on the high seas off Madripoor! But when Mister Negative exploits the chaos of Shadowland, Shang-Chi and Spider-Man must stop the villain’s Inner Demons from adding Hell’s Kitchen to his criminal empire! Plus: When Arnim Zola threatens Earth, only Shang-Chi, Steve Rogers and Black Widow stand between us and oblivion! And when the Master of Kung Fu joins the Avengers, he shows exactly why he’s one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!

A bind up of issues involving Shang-Chi from the 90’s onward. This’ll probably make sense on its own, but, again, be ready to look some stuff up along the way – watch this space for guides on all things Shang-Chi when the film (finally) comes out!

The Marvel Universe’s greatest fighter returns to a world of death and destruction he thought he left behind! An ancient and evil secret society has remained in hiding since the death of their leader, Zheng Zu. But now a successor has been chosen to shift the balance of power in the world: Zheng Zu’s son, Shang-Chi! In a fractious family reunion, Shang-Chi gets to know the siblings he never knew he had, including the deadly Sister Hammer! But who among them can he trust – and who is trying to kill him? Shang-Chi will find out the hard way as his life ends up on the line – and the only one who can save him is…his father? But isn’t he dead?! 

A really good introduction to Shang-Chi, I’d definitely pick this up if you want to know more about the character before the film comes out!

Legendary artist Neal Adams illustrates his first ever full-length Fantastic Four story – and FF legend Mark Waid is back to join him! An unstoppable meteor of unknown origin has just erupted from hyperspace – and unless the Fantastic Four can keep it from hitting Manhattan, millions will die! But worse is yet to come. Galactus has vanished – and only he has the power to defeat his Negative Zone equivalent, the mysterious Antithesis! The Silver Surfer leads Reed, Sue, Ben and Johnny on a mad race across the galaxy in search of the World-Eater – but if they fail, desperate times may call for desperate measures. Cosmic rays gave them their powers – but what will the Power Cosmic do to the FF?!

A bind up of a classic 60’s Fantastic Four tale, and two one-shots featuring them. If you’re looking for classic Fantastic Four stories, then you can’t go wrong with this one!

Jonathan Hickman’s saga gets even more epic! From the ashes of INFINITY, the Avengers evolve once again – and a new Illuminati gathers in a bid to save the multiverse! The Avengers confront a visitor from the future and familiar faces from the past! Then, the Time Gem sends the team on a journey into tomorrow – first 50, then 500, 5,000 and finally 50,000 years from now! The first Avenger meets the last, the Avengers World crumbles and the darkest secret of all is revealed! Meanwhile, the Illuminati grapples with the enigmatic Black Swan and the Mapmakers – and Black Panther and Namor have a blood feud to settle. But must a perfect world be destroyed so Earth can live?

The next in the Jonathan Hickman Avengers run – to read this, you’ll need to have read volumes 1-3. They don’t have names, just volume numbers, so should be easy to find!

New students, new teachers, new campus – same life-threatening dangers! The Avengers Academy has moved to California and thrown open its doors to all young adventurers – including X-23, Lightspeed and the new White Tiger! And they’re joined by an additional instructor: Hawkeye! But tragedy strikes when a faculty member is murdered, and the killer hides in their midst! Can the old and new students band together to root out the traitor? Plus: When war erupts between the Avengers and the X-Men, that conflict brings the teenage mutants from Utopia to the Academy – but are they guests or prisoners? When Sebastian Shaw strikes, it may not matter! Graduation day draws near for the students – but when a corporate magnate plots to “cure” the world of super heroes, will any of them make it to their final exams? 

The third in the complete collection – the previous two volumes are just named volumes 1 and 2, and are written by the same author, so should be easy pick up.

And that’s everything being released today! What’s on your pull list? I’m definitely thinking of picking Shang-Chi: Brother’s and Sister’s!