AOM 09-2023

AGENTS OF A.R.C.A.N.A. #57

Plot by NX01A

Written by GRANT MORRISON

Art by TRAVIS CHAREST

Theme Song: King Crimson - The Night Watch

'DEAD OF NIGHT' Part 1/3 'WARRIORS OF W.A.N.D.'

•S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Wizardry Alchemy Necromancy Department (Last seen during the X of Wands crossover event!) has a new director of necromancy... and her name is Harkness!

•AGNES HARKNESS claims to be the distant descendant of AGATHA HARKNESS, and she's after a pair of corpses very dear to her ancestor!

•ELSA BLOODSTONE and JERICHO DRUMM aka DOCTOR VOODOO fell in battle against Mad Mage ABDUL ALHAZRED and SOH'CAH'TOA, a Great Old One bent on destroying Earth! Only by creating an eschatonic scission using the legendary chronopticon, a quantum divergence to duplicate the timeline and branch it away from the original, was the inevitable world-ending threat of Soh'Cah'Toa banished to destroy an Earth, just not this Earth. While Agatha's team broke apart after condemning eight billion people to madness and death, Agnes assembles a team to retrieve those the bodies under S.H.I.E.L.D. rules requiring the isolation and study of all terrestrial materials exposed to extremely rare Lovecraftian wavelengths. Unfortunately, other forces try to bodysnatch the heroes from their resting places first.

•Gonaïves, Haiti is the first stop for a newly minted Warrior of W.A.N.D. as NIGHTWATCH tries to save Doctor Voodoo's body from N'GABTHOTH, the Shambler from the Sea!

•JAINE CUTTER and NATHAN GREAT OWL the GHOSTDANCER's trip to Bloodstone Curios in Boston, Massachusetts, to retrieve Elsa's body may prove even more challenging!

W.A.N.D. Profile

NIGHTWATCH

Name: Dr. David Trench

Affiliation: Warriors of W.A.N.D.

Powers: •Wings of Needless Sorrow: Absorbs and amplifies arcane energies and negative emotions to fuel various spells (necroplasmic blasts, force fields, empathic manipulation, regeneration, etc.)

•Shadow Cloak: Mys-Tech mantle allows flight; teleportation; extradimensional storage of magitech weapons; contains, torments, and drains the life forces of prisoners within to power itself.

Intelligence: ••••

Strength: ••••

Speed: •••[•••• \*Teleportation]

Durability: •••••

Energy Projection: •••••

Fighting Skills: ••••

32 PGs./ Rated M...$3.99

AMAZING FANTASY #42: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA #11

Written by MALCOLM JONES & RONALD D. MOORE

Plot by MARVELL2100

Art by SALVADORE LAROCCA

“THE SACRIFICE”

Sharon has found her daughter Hera and is looking to escape Caprica along with Number Six and Gauis Baltar! They were seconds away from taking off in a raider when they were surrounded by Centurians led by D'Anna and Number Eight, the 'other' Sharon! They have been given a choice: give them Hera and leave or resist and die and Hera will be taken anyway! D'Anna tells them that they don't want to hurt anyone but they will take the child and do what is necessary to end the civil war and save Caprica! Sharon hides Hera behind her and tells D'Anna that her child was stolen from her once before and she will see them all dead before she gives her up!

There is a moment of silent tension as each side eyes the other. Then, a shot is fired and D'Anna falls to the ground with a bullet in her head! Number Eight tells Sharon to get on the Raider and take her child away as she fires at the Centurians! Brother John will send others and they can't waste this opportunity to escape! As they board the Raider and take off, Sharon looks back to see her clone holding off the Centurians before she falls! Why did she do it? Did Number Eight feel a maternal connection to Hera and felt the need to save her?

Those questions will never be answered as they race to Helo and the others waiting on the Raptor! For the first time, Helo Sharon and Hera have been reunited as a family, tears running down their eyes as they embrace the daughter they thought lost forever! But Starbuck tells them to hold on, that it isn't over! Brother John has sent a Raider squadron after them with orders to kill everyone on board! Have Helo and Sharon found their child only to lose her all over again? Helo looks at Sharon, smiles and tells her that if they have to die, at least they will finally be together as a family!

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

BLACK PANTHER: KING OF WAKANDA! #49

Written by MALCOLM JONES

Plot by MARVELL2100

Art by ADI GRANOV

“STURM UND DRANG: WAR CRIMES!”

World News Now(WNN): "This is Annika Reikhart reporting from Johannesburg, South Africa! The death toll in N'Gabo is staggering after the alleged missile attack by Wakanda! Humanitarian aid has poured in across the globe as the UN Security Council has called an emergency meeting to assess the situation! There are many leaders calling for harsh sanctions against Wakanda but would they have any affect on the powerful highly advanced nation. There are some on the Security Council calling for a military response and have labelled T'Challa a war criminal! which could put us on the brink of war!"

As the world reacts to the attack on N'Gabo, The Black Panther and Shuri are trying to find out exactly what happened! There was no ordered strike but there is a missile missing and unaccounted for. Shuri has just confirmed that it was indeed a Wakanda weapon that struck N'Gabo! T'Challa tells her that it is impossible! Who gave the order? After several minutes of searching, Shuri tells him that according to the analysis, the order to attack N'Gabo was given by...him?! The codes used to give the order came from the Black Panther!!! T'Challa tells her that it is impossible, he never gave any such order! Shuri tells him that she knows but thy had better find out what happened and fast! The world is preparing for war against Wakanda! Next Issue: The Finale of Sturm und Drang and The Final issue of This Run.

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

CAPTAIN AMERICA #58

Plot by EXCITER

Written by FRANK MILLER

Art by SEAN GORDON MURPHY

“TO UNCAGE A TIGER”

Steve Rogers has been busy trying to fix everything that went wrong during his absence (he was unstuck in time for over two years starting in CAPTAIN AMERICA #26!). One of the biggest injustices occurred when the Mandarin attacked and took over Madripoor while it was already besieged by Zemo’s forces (see TYGER TIGER, CHANCELLOR OF MADRIPOOR: WORLD WAR ZEMO #1-4). Since then, the island nation’s duly-elected leader, Tyger Tiger, has languished in custody as a political prisoner somewhere in mainland China. That ends now.

To liberate her, Captain America relies on his local asset: Sihing, a.k.a. Dog Brother #1. One of the Immortal Weapons, Sihing is champion of the “Under City” - a secret refuge for orphans and strays that the Mandarin has been trying to stamp out for years. Through his network of canines and street folk, Dog Brother #1 discovers that Tyger is being held in the Valley of Spirits, where the Mandarin first obtained his ten rings from a crashed alien vessel in 1942. That crashed vessel has since been converted into a nigh-impenetrable stronghold… But nigh-impenetrable isn’t completely impenetrable, so Captain America and Dog Brother #1 are going in!

Unfortunately for them, it’s not just a stronghold. It’s also the den of “He Whose Limbs Shatter Mountains and Whose Back Scrapes the Sun”: the enormous dragon Fin Fang Foom!

Plus: A Frontlines Op-Ed by Sally Floyd: “Silver Sable Needs More: Why Sending Only 616 Billion Dollars to Symkaria Isn’t Enough.”

32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99

CAPTAIN UNIVERSE: BEYOND #8

Plotted by CAPTAINUNIVERSE

Written by KIETH GIFFEN

Art by PATRICK GLEASON

'HOMESTEAD' Part 2: "The Sandwich Room"

All hell breaks loose when a flock of flying sandwiches escapes the confines of the Beyond Corporation's Sandwich Room and begin wrecking havoc upon the city! With Captain Universe currently off dealing with the cleanup of an abandoned HYDRA base filled with gamma irradiated beasts, it falls to the combined forces of Claire Dodgson, Maxine Danger, Marcus Momplaisir, Ex Nihilo and Abyss to stop the menacing flock of BLTs, Turkey Subs and Philly Cheesesteaks!

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

THE ENIGMA CORPS #10

Plotted by CAPTAINUNIVERSE

Written by JIM KRUEGER & ALEX ROSS

Art by IBAN COELLO

'WEB OF WAYFINDER' Finale "Nexus"

After having successfully driven Adam Magus and The UCT Cardinals off, Prince Wayfinder and Alkinoos set out for the ruins of ARMOR and The Nexus of All Realities in the hopes of tracking down their lost allies but they are not alone! What terrors await our intrepid heroes at the heart-edge of the Multiverse itself?!

EXCELSIOR #8

Plot by NX01A

Written by BRANDON THOMAS

Art by JESÚS SAÍZ

Theme Song: Dropkick Murphys ft. Jaime Wyatt - Bring It Home

'FAUGH A BALLAGH'

•Despite considerable strain, BLINK has raised the main FOMOR city from its prison far beneath the North Atlantic. With their main seat of power restored, will BALOR formalize the treaty he verbally agreed to with the Outer Sphere on behalf of his people?

•It's amazing what a telepath can accomplish but what wonders could a time traveling telepath achieve? EMMA FROST has only just unlocked the Time Diamonds-given ability to speak with her past and future selves; pity LADY KWANNON made Emma return the Time Diamonds to Kwannon's twin island nation of Kaiwann. Emma's using it as best she can at short notice to telepathically scan Balor then negotiate and renegotiate the Fomor Accords to the benefit of herself... and the Outer Sphere, of course.

•Emma soon realizes she's not the only one tampering with time in these negotiations, and the other party's meddling threatens not only the Fomor-Outer Sphere Accords but all local space-time!

Outer Sphere Profile

EMMA FROST

Name: Emma Grace Frost

Affiliation: Outer Sphere (Bone Queen)

Powers: •Telepathy

•Temporal Autotelepathy: Communicates with herself up to five minutes in the past or future.

•Diamond Form: Enhanced strength & durability; telepathic immunity

Intelligence: ••••

Strength: ••••

Speed: ••

Durability: •••••

Energy Projection: •••••

Fighting Skills: •••

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

HAWKEYE AND SPIDER-WOMAN #24

Written by CHIP ZDARSKY & JONATHAN HICKMAN

Art by JEROME OPENA

Plot by FFJAMIE94

”ENDLESS NIGHT” Part One

Hawkeye, Spider-Woman, Venom and Deadpool team-up once again to take down Carnage, who has returned on a killing Spree across New York City. They call upon SHIELD for help, but communications go down. With no way of tracking him, the four have to hunt him down. It's a night none of them will forget in the first of a two part crossover which will lead into the next year's worth of stories.

32 PGs/ PARENTAL ADVISORY...$3.99

HULK IN HOLLYWOOD #4

Plot by EXCITER

Written by ROBERT VENDITTI

Art by ED McGUINNESS

“GAMMA BOMB”

Simon Williams has been bored out of his mind during the SAG-AFTRA strike, unable to promote his “groundbreaking” portrayal of Bruce Banner/the Hulk in the new Disney+ bio-series (he literally broke ground on several occasions). Fortunately, the studio has paid off the media shills! It’s certified fresh by Rotten Tomatoes! There’s a critic consensus!

“An updated take on the Hulk we remember, made for modern audiences, that is unwaveringly fierce and accessible!”

- Frontlines Entertainment

But wait, audiences have seen it too and the reviews are in! And, uhh… oh boy…

“Hulk Trash!”

- Pete P.

“Hulk just wants to be left alone, and after watching this… I feel that way too!”

- Clint B.

“Hey, big guy. Quality’s gettin’ real low.”

- Nat R.

“You wouldn’t like him when he’s angry… or at any other time either!”

- Tony S.

WTF?! The audience hates it! But it’s Simon’s magnum opus! This leaves him no other choice but to attack the audience personally! But can even Wonder Man physically confront over 9,000 disappointed amateur reviewers? Maybe he can just beat up the ones on YouTube? And is the actual Hulk going to let him lash out just because his feelings (and the network’s bottom line) were hurt? Probably not!

Hulk in Hollywood concludes here… and don’t count on a Season 2! (But hey, you never know!).

32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99

THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #49 - Countdown: 4..3..2..1

Written by JOSHUA DYSART

Plot by MARVELL2100

Art by SALVADOR LARROCA

“THE HOUSE OF STARK: FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE!”

Mean Green vs. Iron Machine! Iron Man and Joe-Broke-It are in an all-out no-holds barred brawl! And it's very personal for Tony. Broke-It turned Tony's "father" against him, tried to take his company away and was a part of the US gov't lawsuit against Stark Industries! So now, it's time to take out all of his frustrations on the source of his problems! Broke-It was stunned by Tony's initial attack but now appears to be getting the upper hand. Can Tony's genius overcome the awesome, near Hulk-level power of Broke-it?

Maria Bullski has received word that her father Boris, the original Titanium Man is dying and wishes to see her one last time. Although she knows that a trip to Russia would be very dangerous for her, she wants to visit her father before he dies. Bethany Cabe agrees that this could be dangerous and tells Maria that she will go with her as a precaution. Maria concedes and after a few hours they are both aboard Tony's private jet headed to Russia. Maria begins to get get a feeling of dread, not about her fathers' imminent death but about the secret that she has been carrying with her for years. A secret that she never bothered to tell her boyfriend Tony Stark! Next Issue: The Finale To The House of Stark and The Final Issue of This Run.

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

MARVILLE #4

Script by AL EWING

Epilogue by CHIP ZDARSKY

Art by JOHN ROMITA JNR

Plot by FFJAMIE94

“4/4”

The mystery comes to a close as Antoine Delsoin is revealed to be the killer. He hypnotised Ernest into killing the Townspeople. The citizens of Marville come together to put a stop to Antoine's reign of terror.

The Town is once again saved, but the question still remains... why?

Detective Fantome goes in search of the answer, only to be told "They should not be here!"

Then in an epilogue written by Zdarsky, Deadpool returns to Town, only to find everyone has left.

Where has everyone gone?

And why is there a rip in Time?

64 PGs/ T+...$5.99

THE MIGHTY THOR #58

Plot by EXCITER

Written by ALAN MOORE

Art by MIKE MIGNOLA

“THE HEL-SWORN THOR”

Thor made a bargain with Hela. She resurrected the fallen god so that he might save his children and Midgard. That accomplished, now he must fulfill his end. The complete terms of the bargain are finally revealed…

Hela’s first demand was for a worthy heir, and Thor complied by impregnating her (in THE MIGHTY THOR #50). But pregnancy takes a toll even on Asgardians, and Hela’s now third-trimester condition makes her vulnerable. The afterlife has become predictably tumultuous. Uprisings abound, and the bargain requires Thor to act as Hela’s sworn instrument to quell the recalcitrant! Once Hela has given birth and fully recovered from the ordeal, Thor is free to return to the realm of the living. But can he survive that long?

Many of the recently fallen have eyes on Hela’s throne. The dark elf Malekith. The vampire god Ventharius. The supreme werewolf Alpha Prime. And perhaps worst of all, the elder god Chthon…

But the most immediate challenger belongs in Hades, not Hel, and has a personal vendetta against the Thunder God! Thor sent him to the afterlife, ripping him in twain after he was weakened by fighting Captain America (see WORLD WAR ZEMO #3 and THE MIGHTY THOR #52). Now he is stronger than ever, imbuing his legendary axe with hellfire and amassing an army of followers. Ares the God of War seeks vengeance!

32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99

SPELLBOUND #20

Written by Vita Ayala

Plot by H-E-D

Art by Peach Momoko

“Syntropy” – Interlude

NIGHTMARE

The quest for the Blue Flame is disrupted by a consequence of the Spellbound’s victory over Xorr!

Long ago, a cosmic entity called the Voyager, a rogue child of Eternity, was banished to the pits of the Cascade.

Over eons, they dragged their way back up. In the process, the Voyager spiritually fathered many children.

By energizing the Cascade, Xorr has inadvertently these Children of the Voyager with supernatural power!

In England, Nigel Orpington-Smythe of the Resource Control Executive (R.C.X.) has designated them “New Warpies”, and has begun to round them up.

In the modern Post-Brexit world, superhumans are a more valuable commodity than ever! Especially since Captain Britain, Betsy Braddock, is anything but loyal to the Crown.

When the Spellbound hear of this, they are aghast.

Topaz especially abhors the way the R.C.X. is separating children from their families.

It is, after all, very much the same thing that Taboo did to her!

Traveling to London, Topaz and her sisters meet one of the rare adult Children, an author named Sam Wantling.

She also meets Sam’s literary editor, Mona St. Croix, who bemoans being personally involved in the sort of superhuman drama that frequents her cousin, the mutant powerhouse Monet St. Croix.

It’s fun to hear about as a story at family reunions, less fun to live in.

The British Government is tearing families apart…

But can a coven, a washed-up author, and a literary agent really do anything to stop it?

32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99

UNCANNY X-MEN #57

Plot by NX01A

Written by KURT BUSIEK

Art by STUART IMMONEN

Theme Song: Evilwave & Teminite ft. Prey For Me - Mutant

'SURVIVAL STRATEGIES'

•With MAGIK awake and working PROFESSOR X to handle the mental trauma somehow shared with her counterpart trapped in a dead timeline of utter madness, her mystical guardians find themselves drawn to JEAN GREY and the growing power within her. Are Jean and CYCLOPS ready for what AGATHA HARKNESS, DOCTOR STRANGE, and CLEA reveal?

•MAGNETO and the SCARLET WITCH may have massacred the MUTANT MASSACRERS but the INVINCIBLE MAN, NTH MAN, DOOMSDAY MAN, and MODULAR MAN were only the first wave attacking X-Isle. As attack wings of stealth craft prepare to carpet bomb X-Isle with hydrogen bombs, the Master of Magnetism will need a little bit of luck on his side... or a lot of chaos!

•PRELATE TOMA ZASLON thought she knew what mutant power was after seeing the might of the SPHINX's NA'ARN resistance, APOCALYPSE's FOUR HORSEMEN, and of EN SABAH NUR and ANATH-NA MUT themselves. As the insidious influence of Apocalypse's mystery mutant insinuates itself into the bodies and minds of more and more Russians, she finally realizes the true horror of what it is to be mutant!

•Next Issue: THE MUTANT WAR PROLOGUE!

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

VENOM: AGENT OF SHIELD #11

Written by CHIP ZDARSKY & JONATHAN HICKMAN

Art by JUAN CABAL

Plot by FFJAMIE94

”ENDLESS NIGHT” Part Two

The conclusion to the epic crossover. The team hunt down Carnage, who manages to overpower them easily. However, Hawkeye manages to launch a power bolt, which shatters Carnage to pieces. The day is saved, but Hawkeye remains unaware of his newfound abilities. The four depart as Venom wants to find out what happened to SHIELD.

The Systems come back on as everything is seemly back to normal.

Carnage is contained and returned to a SHIELD lab.

However, mysterious forces seem to be keeping an eye on him...

Venom receives a vision... Knull is nearly here!!!

32 PGs/ PARENTAL ADVISORY...$3.99