Both Marvel and DC understand the importance of those debut issues that we call Number One’s!
As reported here at MajorSpoilers.com, Marvel is kicking of an all-new Captain America comic book series by showing fans how Steve Rogers first encountered Victor Von Doom. The book will team scripter Chip Zdarsky and artist Valerio Schiti and will be available in local comics shops on Wednesday, July 2, just two days ahead of the Independence Day celebration in the U.S.
The Marvel news release contains the following info:
“The opening arc of their game-changing new run takes place in a rarely explored time period—after the World War II hero emerged from frozen suspended animation, but before he joined the Avengers. Declassifying Steve Rogers’ first mission after re-enlisting in the U.S. Army, the story sees Captain America tasked with infiltrating Latveria, leading to his previously untold first encounter with Doctor Doom.”
Zdarsky, who recently concluded his run on Batman for DC, pointed out that he’s been “a massive Captain America fan for decades.” He noted, “I loved writing the grizzled, older Cap in Avengers: Twilight, so getting to write the actual CAPTAIN AMERICA title feels like a dream!”
Zdarsky noted that he is approaching this book the way he began his run on Daredevil, “really trying to get in Cap’s head with a grounded, human look at who he is in this new world. Steve Rogers is the best of us, and I want that to come through on every page.”
What’ll be fascinating to me is how Doctor Doom is affiliated, if at all, with the current incarnation of Hydra, which has much stronger ties with Nazis than the previous versions. Should be interesting!
On the other hand, DC recently announced during ComicPRO that Batman’s also getting a new Number One! It wasn’t that long ago that rumors were flying that the Dark Knight would get a new run, but the assumption was that Jim Lee and Jeph Loeb’s return to the Hush saga would be when that was taking place. Instead, a new Batman #1 will fly into comics shops in September of this year, a perfect time since Batman Day often takes place during that month!
The creative team on this series will be writer Matt Fraction and artist Jorge Jiménez, the latter having served on the main Batman title very recently. Looks like people liked what he did!
The release had the following quote from Fraction:
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Batman. It was the first comic I ever read,” said Fraction. “Jorge and I have a very superhero-forward kind of take on Batman. We’ve got a new Batmobile, we’ve got a new costume, we’ve got new characters, and we’ve got a lot of old ones, too—good and bad; all the stuff that makes Batman the coolest character in comics. We want to celebrate it all.”
This will be only the fourth renumbering for DC’s Batman comic book series in the title’s 85-year history. In this book, Batman will have a new blue and gray costume, a new Batmobile, and the series will usher in a new look for Gotham City.
“For this new chapter, we’re crafting a revamped aesthetic, bringing back Batman’s blue suit in a definitive way,” said Jiménez. “It’s a small shift meant to feel both classic and fresh, subtly evolving while staying true to the original design we’ve used in recent years. At the same time, I’m working on Gotham City’s visual identity, giving it a fresh approach that sets it apart from my previous takes. I’m aiming for a slight pop influence, something that subtly nods to classic stories while keeping the dark and ominous feel of contemporary Batman.”
Fraction, Jimenez, Morey, and Cowles will be telling a series of connected but self-contained stories when they begin their run in September. Every issue could be a new adventure, a new style, and a new challenge for the creative team to put in front of Batman.
While I’m talking about Number One’s, I should also mention that one of my favorite franchise’s will also be back with new content soon! That is The Killer, which comes from Archaia/BOOM! Studios. The Killer: Affairs of the State II by Matz Jacamon and Luc Jacamon will arrive on Wednesday, May 7 of this year. As reported here at MajorSpoilers.com, here’s a description from their news release:
“In a cabin deep in the mountains of the South of France, the Killer has set up a new base of operations. From this remote hideout, he accepts each new mission with calculated precision, never straying from the assignment and always returning to this safe haven in the immediate aftermath.
“This practiced routine is suddenly disrupted when he discovers that he has some…unexpected neighbors. This unanticipated development seems to have the potential to finally alter the way the Killer sees the world, but for a man in his line of work, change isn’t just dangerous. It’s deadly.”
I have long been a fan of this book since it approaches things from a different perspective—that of a successful assassin. I never thought I would like this, but the creative team always manages to make me root FOR the Killer, and that’s unusual for me! I’m almost always the fan of the hero who is out to thwart the “bad guy.”
Of course, this will not be an ongoing series, but a mini-series instead, just as the previous Killer tales have been.
With Number One’s continuing to be popular among collectors and fans who are readers, I bet we’ll see several more debut issues coming from the industry in the months ahead! Stay tuned!
What do you think? What other comic books should be restarted with a Number One issue? Which of these books do you think will be most successful? What will happen in the new Captain America title once the Doom storyline concludes? Feel free to share your opinions below!
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Wayne Hall creates the Wayne's Comics Podcast. He’s interviewed Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, John Layman, Kyle Higgins, Phil Hester, Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray, David Petersen, Christos Gage, Mike Grell, and Matt Kindt. On this site each week, he writes his "Comics Portal" column (general comics comments and previews) and reviews comics.