AOM 10-2020

AGENTS OF A.R.C.A.N.A. #23

Plot by NX01A

Written by GRANT MORRISON

Art by JEROME OPEÑA

Theme Song: Demons & Wizards - Crimson King

”TOUCHED BY THE CRIMSON QUEEN” part 1 ”NEVER MADE IT AS A WISE MAN”

•Mímisbrunnr, the well of wisdom, has frozen over in crimson crystal.

•White supremacist wizard OGMUND TUSSOCK and his titans are dead, and ELSA BLOODSTONE sits upon a throne of their cold blood, the acuity of the ages jutting through her skin as she herself begins to crystallize.

•DOCTOR STRANGE and DOCTOR VOODOO can barely think, much less form spells. Can the child-like intelligence of MAN-THING find a way to free Elsa of whatever has possessed her before her freezing of insight and understanding spreads inexorably across all ten realms?

32 PGs./ Rated M...$3.99

AGENTS OF FURY #1

Writer: CHRISTOPHER PRIEST

Artist: STEFAN CASELLI

Plot: MARVELL2100

“NO COUNTRY FOR OLD SPIES”

There is no Helicarrier. There are no hi-tech weapons. No flying cars. No thousands of agents around the world running a sophisticated intelligence agency. There is no SHIELD. Just a spy without a country. Nick Fury has seen many things in his long life but he never thought he would see the day when forces that work from the shadows are so close to ruling the world. Even in his own country, the tide of fascism seems to be rising as a pandemic and racial tensions have the nation on edge. What can one man do against the dark forces that seem to be one step away from world domination? From unleashing chaos and anarchy around the world? When you're Nick Fury it's simple: put together a team capable of going places that super-heroes can't and getting their hands dirty when super-heroes won't. Scorpio (Marcus Johnson), Diamondback (Rachel Leighton), Nomad (Jack Monroe), Widowmaker (Roz Solomon) and Agent 13 (Sharon Carter). These are the people who fight the shadows. They are...The Agents of Fury! Next Issue: I Pledge Allegiance!32 PGS./Rated T+...$3.99

AMAZING FANTASY #11

Written by J.M.DEMATTEIS

Plot by CAPTCLEGHORN

Art by SARA PICHELLI

“SCALES, FEATHERS, AND WEBS” starring Spider-Man

Curt Conners’ attempt to regrow his arm using his new attempt at cellular regeneration has turned him into a lizard-like being with two arms … and a tail. The amount of Conners’ intellect still in this Lizard being is questionable. It’s even worse when the guiding force of the Lizard is the Vulture who apparently has few, if any, qualms about using the Lizard to fulfill his every wish.

And Spider-Man’s problem is more than beating two super-powered characters, it’s trying to pull any actual medical benefit out of the process.

And in our Fantasy/Horror back-up…

Written by Kieron Gillen

Plot by CaptCleghorn

Art by Jamie McKelvie

“SPIN THE BOTTLE!”

A bunch of drunk college kids decide to split up into two groups and play the time honored party game and social wonder, Spin the Bottle. Sounds like something that will probably end badly but not be that badly, right? It seems the 13 people split into 2 groups of seven each and the person from each group goes into a closet for, well, whatever. Oh, seven plus seven isn’t thirteen? Darn the luck, one of them doesn’t belong. And will the partygoers find the intruder before the intruder has the bottle pointing at them?

32 Pgs./ Rated T...$3.99

CAPTAIN AMERICA #23

Plot by EXCITER

Written by FRANK MILLER

Art by SEAN GORDON MURPHY

CIVIL WAR Epilogue

“BETWEEN HEAVEN & HELL”

The Civil War is over. The United States has withdrawn from its alliance with the All-Mother Frey and her allies, signing the Treaty of Brooklyn Heights and officially ceasing hostilities with Asgard. Captain America’s focus, now, is making sure this never happens again.

To King Thor’s credit, Asgard has pledged reparations to the nation it invaded. These come in the form of advanced technologies, including designs for a Bifrost. What Cap values most, however, are the Valkyries. They have agreed to bring back as many fallen souls as they can from Valhalla. Cap had seen war, but never before could the casualties be negated. Yet the process is not without dangers, and the Valkyries are asking for his help! What do these angelic beings need from a Star-spangled super soldier?

Meanwhile, the nation remains starkly divided. The Civil War failed to unify the country against a common threat, as Cap had hoped it might. A pandemic, civil unrest, and a contentious election between two candidates that nearly allowed a blue Elder of the Universe to become POTUS (see All-WINNERS SQUAD vs. LIBERTY LEGION #1-4) are pulling at the ties that bind the nation together... and there are those that seek to pull harder until it all unravels. Omega Red has not given up his effort to raise a new Soviet Union from the ashes of America - though now he has a different adversary: Bucky Barnes. After being the first soul returned by the Valkyries, Bucky reflects on the injustices of his previous life. The Winter Soldier was enslaved and tortured by the Soviets for decades and he will not allow that evil to take root in his home. He makes it his mission to stop Omega Red and his movement... by any means necessary!

Plus: A Frontlines Op-Ed by Sally Floyd, “Captain America Didn’t Pay Taxes from 1945 to 2011: Why it’s Unethical to ‘Freeze’ your Debts.”

32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99

CIVIL WAR: AGENTS OF A.R.C.A.N.A. vs. UNCANNY X-MEN #4

Plot by NX01A

Written by KIERON GILLEN

Art by J. H. WILLIAMS III

Theme Song: Gealdýr - Ginnungagap

”RAGNARÖKALYPSE” part 4/finale ”GODSTORM”

•Yggdrasill, the world tree, is an energy field that supports, connects, and nurtures the Ten Realms. It sometimes sprouts seeds, and APOCALYPSE has used one such seed to open a portal into the primal darkness of Ginnungagap. If the portal widens, Ginnungagap will destabilize the World Tree and collapse the Ten Realms, leaving only a sapling pocket dimension hidden by Apocalypse within the corpse of Yggdrasill, a new realm solely for his chosen Ú-Fólk, mutants he will rule for eternity.

•Only luck saved those not protected by Apocalypse from the detonation of Asteroid A, and luck is the SCARLET WITCH's play thing. The survivors are strewn across the roots of Yggdrasill as the void yawns wider and gods do battle above. STRØM, goddess of thunder, discovers her opponent is not the true THOR. He is an Æsirborg, an Asgardian clone of Thor augmented with Celestial cybernetics who calls himself RAGNARÖK, and it will take all of Ørørø's newfound divinity to put this mad god down.

•While MAGIK closes the rift to Ginnungagap with a teleportation disk of her own, Apocalypse escapes with his chosen, including unconscious QUICKSILVER, badly beaten COLOSSUS, plus a green-haired woman MAGNETO claims is another of his daughters, and a blonde man XAVIER says is the brother of the X-Men's field leader, CYCLOPS!

•He may have failed to bring about the fabled Norse twilight of the gods but Apocalypse believes he has genetic resources powerful enough to end the world in another way. They will be his FOUR HORSEMEN, and they will bring about Armageddon!

32 PGs./ Rated M...$3.99

FANTASTIC FOUR #23 \*CIVIL WAR TIE-IN\*

Written by KELLY SUE DECONNICK

Plot by CAPTCLEGHORN

Art by TOM GRUMMETT

What’s left of the FF remembers that after a Civil War comes…

“RECONSTRUCTION (PART 1): FANTASTIC VOYAGE”

The Civil War between Cap and Thor is over, but the Fantastic Four is dealing with their casualties. The Torch has been in a coma since the Battle for Area 44. Blood clots are keeping his brain from working properly and Johnny’s cosmic ray altered structure is making those clots impossible to deal with using current medical treatment. This is a problem that only two of the greatest scientific minds on Earth could possibly solve. Dr. Reed Richards, currently incarcerated in a federal facility, and Henry Pym, creator of the Pym Particle which allows a human being to shrink to microscopic size.

The plan seems basic. Shrink, zap some clots, and wake Johnny up. But normal human beings are unable to live in the fiery, cosmic radiated blood stream of the Human Torch, so Reed needs to use Pym’s equipment to go inside Johnny’s body and save him. But this is the man who blinded Reed’s best friend. He’s also Reed’s brother-in-law.

Meanwhile Senator Sue Storm (Reed Richards’ wife) is playing politics by trying to save her brother’s life and also keep her ex-teammates out of prison, no matter what they did. And is there a way to save the Thing’s eyesight?

32 PGs./ Rated T...$3.99

INFINITY WATCH#1

* New series!\*

Plot by KALAI

Writer RICK REMENDER

Artist FRANK QUITELY

“WHO WATCHES THE INFINITY WATCH?”

Thane, the son of Thanos, is on a mission, a mission to save the world. He had travelled the universe and gathered his forces.

NOW, HE IS READY.

Meet the team,

Hyperion, the most powerful man in the galaxy,

Angela, the most fierce warrior in the Ten Realms,

Starhawk, a time traveler from the year 3020,

Genis Vell, the son of Mar Vell, Captain Marvel, resurrected from the Dark Dimension,

Eros, the brother of Thanos,

Their base of operation, Thanos’ old ship Sanctuary, Isacc as the on-board AI of the ship, with Eros sitting in Thanos’ Space Throne.

Their bloody first mission, the Brotherhood of Badoons.

Unknown to the three major empires of the galaxy, the Badoons has been amassing forces, they have found the old base of Thanos where he created his clones, the Thanosi.

The Badoons plan to unleash the terror of Thanosi upon this galaxy, worlds will burn and stars will break.

But before the deadly team could kill every last one of the Brotherhood, a dying Badoon unleashed their ultimate weapon – the Omega Galactus, an amalgam of Galactus and Thanos, from the pages of Infinity Abyss.

In the shadows of the Sanctuary, a mystery figure watches the Infinity Watch.

REVELATION! This figure is Thanos from Infinity Ending.

32 PGs./ Rated T...$3.99

THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #15

Written by JOSHUA DYSART

Plot by MARVELL2100

Art by SALVADOR LARROCA

"SUPERIOR!" Part 6

Arno in his Superior Iron Man armor has defeated each of Tony's armored friends and is now preparing a special surprise for his brother when he returns. But Tony and the Titanium Woman are in Russia fighting for their lives against Extremis! They've thrown everything at Viktor but nothing has slowed him down! What a great time for the Winter Guard to arrive on the scene! Back at Stark Energy, Rhodey, Beth and Scott managed to capture Spymaster but The Ghost got away with very important files that contain specs for some of Tony's weapons systems. Now that Sunset Baines has this information, she plans to use it to build her own armors to eliminate both Tony and Arno!

32 PGS./Rated T+...$3.99

M'BAKU: WARLORD OF WAKANDA! #15

Written by MALCOLM JONES

Plot by MARVELL2100

Art by ADI GRANOV

“NEW WORLD ORDER” Part VIII: “RETURN OF THE KING!”

M'Baku is now at the height of his power! He has dealt a devastating blow against NATO, captured those who would conspire against him and he will broadcast the execution of the Black Panther before the entire world! Then he will turn his full attention to the United States! But first the public execution! He orders The White Wolf and the Hatute Zeraze to bring the Panther before the throne and force him to his knees.

"This is the fate of all those who would oppose M'Baku and Wakanda!" M'Baku raises his sword above the Panther's head preparing to deliver the killing blow when his sword is stopped in mid-strike by the White Wolf! M'Baku's anger turns to improbable shock when the Wolf removes his mask to reveal...T'Challa! This was all a part of the Panther's plan. He switched places with Hunter in London, had the Doras "capture" Shuri and had them all in the palace so that they could handle the Jabari. Now it's time for a showdown! The Black Panther vs M'Baku to settle once and for all who will rule Wakanda!

32 PGS./Rated T+...$3.99

THE MIGHTY THOR #23

Plot by EXCITER

Written by ALAN MOORE

Art by MIKE MIGNOLA

CIVIL WAR Epilogue

“WHAT’S SO CIVIL ABOUT WAR, ANYWAY?”

The Civil War is over. King Thor has made peace with the Americans and persuaded them to withdraw from their alliance with his treacherous step-mother Freyja. Yet, this was not without cost...

Recovered from his near-fatal stabbing, the former All-Father and King of Asgard, Odin, grapples with the radical actions of his son and successor. In granting all Nine Realms independence, Thor casually cast millennia of blood and effort to the wind. Odin fought wars to bring the Realms together under his rule so that he could protect and shape them as a benevolent monarch. Now, left to their own devices without a strong guiding hand, surely they will fall into chaos, disarray, and disharmony. His son, poisoned by American mysticism, doesn’t understand this. But he will. “Thor... I would have words with thee!”

On Midgard, General “Thunderbolt” Ross’ support for Freyja and his ill-advised violent clash with Captain America resulted in the President delivering two fateful words: “You’re fired!” With his biggest detractor now out of authority, Bruce Banner can finally begin to contemplate what he had dared not dream of during his two years of exile... the possibility of returning home! But is Earth ready for the Hulk? And is the Hulk ready to leave the new life he’s made amongst the Asgardian refugees?

Meanwhile, Freyja’s forces now span a mere three Realms. She’s at her weakest point since launching her coup d'état... but a cornered animal is when it’s most dangerous. In her desperation, she will beseech a cosmic entity... and the In-Betweener will answer!

32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99

SORCERERS OF THE STARS #17

Written by JEFF PARKER

Plot by H-E-D

Art by DUSTIN WEAVER

“AERIALS”

Ciress has been liberated. The Sorcerers of the Stars stand victorious, but not unscarred.

Moondragon reclaimed the power of the Dragon of the Moon just in time. Using her restored telepathic might, she to give Krugarr a few minutes of freedom.

He used that time to destroy the Star of Catalax, ending the threat of Kalothir – and his own life.

Now, the Sorcerers mourn their fallen member; and contemplate the fate of their traitor.

Adam Warlock sits in a cell. How is it that in defeat, he seems to achieved all his goals? And what is the dark power whose arrival he so fears?

What happened to Hybrid, Dire Wraith, deceiver of Krugarr, acolyte of Kalothir?

Moondragon has never been more powerful, but now that the demon she draws power from has had a taste of freedom, will it be as easy to keep in control?

When Ammon tempted Ika, she did not give in – but she came far too close to for her own comfort. Where does she go from here?

Since facing near-certain death in the fight again Kalothir, Mantis has been consumed by thoughts of her own mortality. Will a search for her roots bring her inner peace?

Magique saw the dark side of Shi’ar Imperial conquest manifested in Ak’ma. Can she still comfortably remain a member of the Imperial Guard?

Now that Peter Quill is the Master of the Sun, does he even have the time to play superhero anymore, let alone the inclination?

32 PGs./Rated T+...$3.99

THUNDERBOLTS #5

Written by ALEX DE CAMPI

Plot by H-E-D

Art by CARMEN CARNERO & GABRIEL HARDMAN

With the war with Asgard at an end – and with General Ross out of power – Zemo faces calls to justify the continued funding of the Thunderbolts. Ross’s replacement, Dallas Riordan, isn’t going to rubberstamp all expenses like Zemo’s old pal did.

Songbird rescued a young orphan of the Magzi, Gunna, in the wreckage of their last mission. Without permission, she saved its life and brought the fierce little thing back with her to Arlington. But how is she supposed to keep a wild half-troll a secret?

Meanwhile, investigative journalist Norah Winters comes knocking with questions about Agent Archangel and his uncanny resemblance to missing billionaire Warren Worthington III. And she’s not the only one. Times like these, Moonstone really regrets signing up to be his personal handler.

Zemo hires the deadly duo known as the Ladykillers to cause a little chaos for the Thunderbolts to solve. But when a disgruntled Damage Control crew finds themselves transformed by Asgardian detritus, there will be plenty of chaos for the team to contend with.

Enter: the Wrecking Crew!

32 PGs./Rated T+...$3.99

THE ULTIMATES #17

Written by KIERON GILLEN

Plot by H-E-D

Art by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO (main story); ARIELA KRISTANTINA (backup)

“SUPERIOR SPELLBINDER” Part 2 – "SECRET WORLD"

In the Superflow, the threat posed by the Sidera Maris has been solved. But then, why is Shevaun furious at “Jennifer Kale”?

Midway through the fight against the AI worldeaters, Spellbinder solved the problem with a single spell. Rather than bothering to destroy the Sidera Maris, she simply sent them all to another universe, full of life.

(A moment of silence for Earth-8101)

The casual sacrifice of billions of lives disgusts Dark Angel and Nightmask, as does “Jennifer”’s apparent indifference to the cost.

Meanwhile, the real Jennifer Kale explores Agartha, the world of the lost. The bottommost destination in the stack of dimensions known as the Cascade. Few have ever been rescued from it; fewer still have ever escaped. What strange sights and figures will she meet here? And what chance does she have to get out at all, let alone before Spellbreaker can destroy her life?

Meanwhile, with the Civil War at a close, the rest of the Ultimates need to figure out how to move forward. Carol and Adam seem willing to bury the hatchet, but Spectrum finds it harder to forgive Captain Marvel’s lapse in judgment! Can the Blue Marvel find a way to bring Monica Rambeau back out from the cosmic depths of Spectrum?

PLUS – Ond and Karma stowed away on a supply ship to escape Cadador. It’s out of the frying pan and into the fire, however, as the airship is attacked by a group identifying themselves as the Pirates of the Wind!

32 PGs./Rated T+...$3.99

UNCANNY X-MEN #23

Plot by NX01A

Written by KURT BUSIEK

Art by PEPE LARRAZ

”X-MEN 2019” part 1 ”THE CHAIR”

Theme Song: The Killers - Read My Mind

•When the mutant nation of Krakatoa was formed, PROFESSOR X was unsure whether segregating his species was the right choice for their survival. He had to know, and the only way to know was to see the future. With Destiny, the only precognitive he knew of, in prison with her powers dampened, Charles turned to his own mind. Could he use Cerebro to make contact with his future self, to read his future mind?

•The short answer was 'yes'. The long answer involved seeing the fall of Krakatoa, the rise of SENTINELS, the spread of the CORVID-20 psirus, the American-Asgardian civil war...

•Xavier saw and planned for almost all of the horrors of 2020. Almost. Lurking at the end of the year was something he could barely see but it certainly saw him... and it wanted his brain.

32 PGs./Rated T+...$3.99

AOM HALLOWEEN SPECIAL #2

“HOWLING COMMANDO”

Plot by EXCITER

Written by STAN LEE

Art by JACK KIRBY

Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night,

may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.

Hey there, true believers! Did you know that, years ago on Halloween, Steve Rogers got bit while tussling with a lascivious lycanthrope? It’s true! But fear not, for the super soldier serum coursing through his veins prevents our pal Steve Rogers from transforming into a savage, clawed beast every full moon! Instead, it only happens one night a year... but on that one night, the world has to prepare for THE CALAMITOUS CAP-WOLF! Villains beware, for his bite is definitely worse than his bark!

"ALL CARNAGE EVE"

Story by ALEX DE CAMPI

Plot by H-E-D

Art by HAEMI JANG

If any holiday has ever spoken to Cletus Kasady, it’s Halloween.

Now he’s decided it’s the perfect year to do a real-life remake of John Carpenter’s “Halloween”.

You’ll find he makes a very convincing Michael Myers.

"X-23andMe"

Plot by NX01A

Written by OCTAVIA E. BUTLER

Art by H. R. GIGER

•LAURA KINNEY was raised to be an emotionless assassin, a cloned killing machine solely meant to embody the worst aspects of WOLVERINE. She's evolved beyond that, joined the X-Men, bonded with her 'father', and started to find herself. Now it's time for her other selves to find her, too. All the failed X-series clones that were viable but imperfect descend on the X-Mansion intent on destroying their perfect sister. X-23 must face these twisted mirror images plus her own vision of herself and help them find peace before they snikt her to pieces!

“SPOILED IS GETTING MORE THAN WHAT YOU WANT”

Written by Stan Lee

Plot by CaptCleghorn

Art by Jack Kirby

Franklin Richards has pulled off the trick of a four year old’s lifetime. He has managed to get all four of the FF to take him Trick or Treating. His Trick? Travelling to four different places and making sure none of the team knows about the other Treat treks.

Visit Latveria, the haunted regions of the Keewazi tribe, Salem, MA, and Transylvania!

“HAPPY ÁLFABLÓT”

Plot by EXCITER

Written by DENNY O’NEIL

Art by JOHN BUSCEMA

The Old Norse version of Halloween is Alfablót. On that night, revelers disguise themselves and offer sacrifices to the dead who, in return, provide either a treat, courtesy of the Light Elves of Alfheim, or a trick, delivered by the Dark Elves of Svartalheim. This year, however, is special... it’s the first Alfablót for the Thorson twins, Magni and Modi! They’ve both dressed up like their favorites heroes - daddy Thor and Spider-Man, respectively - and because they didn’t choose a costume based on him, Uncle Loki wants to ensure that they receive an extra-special trick!

"2NIGHT"

Story by KIERON GILLEN

Plot by H-E-D

Art by JEN BARTEL

Jennifer Kale promised her brother Andy that she’d take him and Karma’s siblings Trick-or-Treating.

Unfortunately for these kids, Jennifer just hasn’t been herself recently...

After this Halloween, they might never want to go Trick-or-Treating again!

66.6 PGs./Rated T+ …$Two Large Handfuls of Trick or Treat Candy

AOM QUARANTINE SPECIAL #7 (of ?????)

“BACK TO SCHOOL”

Written by Amy Reeder

Plot by CaptCleghorn

Art by Veronica Fish

Lunella LaFayette is on her way back to school 2020 style. But although Moon Girl does pal around with an actual dinosaur, she can be a bit of a germaphobe and the COVID-19 world she currently dwells in is one that is going to test the pre-teen’s patience. See the numerous ideas for protective wear Lunella has come up with. Many of them have been designed by our readers in a contest that no one actually heard about but was yuge.

"BREAKOUT!"

Plot by H-E-D

Written by G. WILLOW WILSON

Art by ADRIAN ALPHONA

There's no such thing as a good time time for a Madbomb to go off.

But the middle of a pandemic is definitely a bad time for it.

When one is set off in Jersey City, how is Ms. Marvel supposed to help keep the peace without \*seriously\* breaking quarantine protocol?

Kamala's parents qualify as part of the "at risk" demographic, after all!

“FIGHT THE VIRUS... WITH FISTS”

Plot by EXCITER

Written by JOE KELLY

Art by RYAN OTTLEY

When the President himself contracts COVID-19, drastic measures are required! While everyone fights the virus in their own way, the All-WINNERS SQUAD is called upon to literally fight the virus - by shrinking down with Pym Particles, entering POTUS’ body, and kicking COVID’s ass! Can U.S.Agent, Silver Sable, Punisher 2099, and Yellowjacket defeat this "novel" threat?

32 PGs./Rated T... $One Roll of Toilet Paper