Published on May 6th, 2012 | by Cosmic Comix and Toys

Looking Forward to July: Marvel Comics

Ultimate Comics Ultimates #14 Welcome to July 2012! No, no, you didn’t unwittingly step into a time machine on your way home from work; this is Looking Forward! The weekly three-part series that highlights all the titles we’re stoked about a few months down the road! As always, we start with Marvel Comics.

Leaving aside Avengers vs. X-Men for the time being (which will be reaching its conclusion right about then), one of the big Marvel events of the summer actually takes place in the Ultimate Comics Universe! Spider-Man, the Ultimates and the X-Men will need to come together or face disaster alone, in an event called DIVIDED WE FALL.

ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #13

Written by Sam Humphries
Art by Billy Tan

The return of Ultimate Captain America! Enter DIVIDED WE FALL, the Ultimate Comics line-wide event of the summer! ALL CAP ACTION — perfect jumping on point for new readers!

The event will unfold across Ultimate Comics Spider-Men, Ultimates and X-Men, drawing everybody from Miles Morales to Captain America to Kitty Pryde into a series of status quo-rattling events as three separate stories unfold and intersect.

"All three books can be read independently of each other during Divided We Fall," notes ULTIMATES writer Sam Humphries. "Each book takes a different point of view of the overall crisis. Read them all together and you’ll get the complete picture."

While Humphries hasn’t fully disclosed what type of threat will be jeopardizing such a varied collection of individuals, he did hint it would spin out of the work Jonathan Hickman has done thus far on the title and involve a new dynamic between the Ultimates and S.H.I.E.L.D. as well as the return of Captain America in an unexpected way.

CAPTAIN MARVEL #1

Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick
Art by Dexter Soy

SHE’S BACK! The "Mightiest" of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes! Ace pilot. Legendary Avenger. 100% pure bad-a$$. Carol Danvers has a new name, a new mission …and all the power she needs to make her life a living hell. Guest starring Captain America.

I’m sure you know the name of Carol Danvers. She’s one of the legendary women of the Marvel U and a veteran of its skies. In a battle with one Captain Marvel (AKA Mar-Vell), she was caught in an explosion of an alien device which gave her a variety of superpowers including flight, super human physical traits, and later she gained the power to absorb, and project a variety of energies. She used these powers to become the costumed super hero known as Ms. Marvel! Well, I guess she’s leaving that identity behind to become the New Captain Marvel!

SPACE PUNISHER #1 (OF 4)

Written by Frank Tieri
Art by Mark Texeira

Punishment is a dish best served… in Space! Frank Castle shoots his way through the criminal hierarchy of outer space starting with the Sym-Brood-ant Queen! From Frank Tieri, writer of Marvel vs. Capcom and Punisher: Noir and gorgeously painted by Mark Texeira (Punisher War Journal, Ghost Rider).

I have to imagine that Marvel knows how funny this is. I reeeeeally hope it’s written that way, too. For purists bristling at the thought of Castle going off world, or those whose minds (like mine) become boggled by the very idea of it, rest assured, according to Marvel we’re meeting this Frank Castle for the first time. He might resemble The Punisher we all know and love, but he, and the world of the story, stand separate from the classic Marvel Universe.

X-TREME X-MEN #1

Written by Greg Pak
Art by Stephen Segovia

Spinning out of the pages of ASTONISHING X-MEN! Travel the multiverse with Captain Howlett, Kid Nightcrawler, and Emmeline Frost. Which X-Men will be lost between dimensions… with no guaranteed way home?

An all-new ongoing series! It appears to be a book chock full of time jumping, starring the aforementioned cast of characters. Could definitely be a fun ride. Also, not mentioned in the above solicitation is that one of the team members is a certain legend of the disco era… Dazzler!

POWERS FBI #1

Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Michael Avon Oeming

A new chapter of the Eisner Award-winning POWERS that sends Deena Pilgrim into the big leagues! Pilgrim is now a federal agent and dealing with the biggest powers cases in the entire country. But will this new life close the closet full of skeletons she carries with her? (Absolutely not!) And what does this mean for her old partner, Walker? This is a bold game-changer for the iconic crime superhero comic that started it all and an amazing jumping-on point for new readers!

It’s one of our favorite series here at Cosmic Comix, and this does indeed look like a great place to hop on if you’ve never tried it! The series follows the efforts of two police officers working the homicide beat in a world where superheroes (and supervillains) are fairly commonplace. Now it looks like they’ll be going federal!