AOM 12-2021

AGENTS OF A.R.C.A.N.A. #37

Plot by NX01A

Written by GRANT MORRISON

Art by JEROME OPEÑA

Theme Song: Rosemary Phillips - What Child Is This?

"PROJECT SULFUR" Part 4 "WHAT CHILD IS THIS?!"

•Diablo is dethroned, his Philsopher's Stone destroyed, and Limbo is a desolate hellscape populated by defoliated demons ruled by MAGIK once more.

•Ted Sallis saved his ex-wife from the curse of the MAN-THING by accepting the mantle himself again, a process which left a thankful Ellen Brandt nothing but a skeleton. But why is this expanding bump on Man-Thing's stomach squirming?

•An elemental spirit yearns within Man-Thing to be born but can anything birthed in Limbo be anything other than evil? With AGATHA HARKNESS and the SCARLET WITCH as midwives, DOCTOR STRANGE uses the fragments of the Philosopher's Stone to transmute muck and mire to flesh and bone while DOCTOR VOODOO calms the unborn spirit. Magik makes sure her demons don't interfere with an innocent soul manifesting in Limbo but ELSA BLOODSTONE and AARKUS the VISION stand ready to dispatch any who would try... or end the newborn should it prove monstrous and the others too soft-hearted to let fall the axe.

•Meanwhile on Earth... The DEPARTMENT OF OCCULT ARMAMENTS lies in ruins, most of its agents slain, none of its artifacts taken except the Gauntlet of Shuma-Gorath.

32 PGs./ Rated M...$3.99

AGENTS OF FURY #16

Plotter: MARVELL2100

Writer: CHRISTOPHER PRIEST

Artist: STEFANO CASELLI

"AMERICAN SNIPER Part III"

Undisclosed Safehouse: An irate FURY wants to know why DIAMONDBACK called off the kill order for SEN. KELLY! RACHEL tells him that it's simple: Killing the senator won't solve the issue of the LUKINS, they'll just find someone else in congress to bribe. It's best to let things go forward, keep her and Jack embedded and find out exactly what the LUKINS have planned. Reluctantly, NICK agrees and tell her and JACK to stay close the Senator and learn everything they can. He has a team in place to cover ALEKSANDER and ALEKSANDRA LUKIN so he's got people covering both sides. But NICK wonders to himself: why would someone like SUSAN STORM get involved with SEN. KELLY? What's in this for her?

In the Arctic, SHARON and KASPER are still at the abandoned SHIELD facility when they are suddenly surrounded by a U.S. Special Forces Team led by Agent NUKE. SHARON tells them that they are just searching for some old SHIELD records and they'll be on their way. NUKE says that no one is leaving and they're both under arrest for trespassing on gov't property. This is no longer a former SHIELD base, this is now the property of ARROW -AMERICA'S RAPID RESPONSE OFFENSIVE WEAPON Division! Next Issue: Who Needs A SHIELD When You Have An ARROW?

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

AMAZING FANTASY #24

Featuring Indiana Jones!

Plot by EXCITER

Written by GEOFF JOHNS

Art by JIM LEE

“INDIANA JONES AND THE HAMMER OF THE GODS”

Rumors abound that Adolf Hitler, obsessed with Norse superstition and occultism, is in search of Mjölnir: fabled hammer of the god that Germans call Þórr. Archeologist and Nazi sympathizer René Emile Belloq has informed him that legend holds only the worthy may wield this weapon. Thus, the Führer believes possession of the artifact will not only afford him supernatural powers, but also be an important symbol affirming the superiority of the “‘master race.” The United States government and its Strategic Scientific Reserve, however, would like to claim that artifact before Hitler gets his filthy hands on it. To that end, Colonel Chester Phillips visits Marshall College to recruit a certain globe-trotting professor of archeology…

Following secret clues to the hammer's location that Richard Wagner included within his opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen, Indiana Jones pursues Mjölnir to an otherworldly cave in Norway. Unfortunately, Baron Heinrich Zemo is also on the artifact’s trail and has reached a similar conclusion!

With mythological safeguards in place, can either of them reach the hammer alive? And if so, who’s really worthy of lifting it?

32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99

BLACK PANTHER: KING OF WAKANDA! #29

Written by MALCOLM JONES

Plot by MARVELL2100

Art by ADI GRANOV

"MAN ON FIRE!"

Angered by Medusa's inclusion into the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club, Adrienne Frost begins working on a plan to have her removed, even if it means killing the new Red Queen! Her goal of becoming the new Queen of Wakanda has taken another blow with the news that T'Challa has a son! This has not been a good week for Adrienne so she decides call in a favor from a member of the Inner Circle. She doesn't care how it happens, she just wants The Red Queen Medusa dead!

After an eventful week, T'Challa returns to the Royal Palace to face the greatest challenge of his life, getting to know his son! Queen Zanda is still at the palace so they go to talk in private. She tells him again, that she has no desire to sit on a Wakandan throne, she only wants T'Challa to help raise their son, that T'Zari grows up with his father. T'Challa agrees and tells her that T'Zari will presented to the Wakandan people as the heir to the throne!

Later, Okoye and K'Yen have returned from the Antartica with their report. Although there seem to be residual traces of Vibranium, there was none to be found and the energy signature was slightly different from all known Vibranium on Earth. T'Challa tells them to continue their investigation. He then receives an update about the situation in N'Gabo. Moses Magnum and Markus Zulu are working together to build the country into a tech superpower in order to become a major player on the world stage. T'Challa knows it's only a matter of time before they try to threaten Wakanda so the question is, does he strike first and take down N'Gabo, potentially starting another world war?

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

CAPTAIN AMERICA #37

Plot by EXCITER

Written by FRANK MILLER

Art by SEAN GORDON MURPHY

“THE SAVAGE SHIELD OF CAPTAIN AMERICA” part four “HISTORY IS WRITTEN BY THE VICTORS”

Trapped in the ancient past, Steve Rogers has left an indelible legacy: forming the Brotherhood of the Shield to combat evil in its myriad forms. But he and his compatriot Jake Gallows, a.k.a. Punisher 2099, are ready to return to their respective times. A young Odin Borson, impressed with their battle prowess, agreed to help them by summoning Elli, the Norse goddess of time. The deity who appears as an old woman prepares a temporal displacement ritual… but, of course, nothing ever unfolds as planned!

The Google Android, a member of 2099’s dominant Corporate Avengers, had also been transported back to the Hyborian Age. For years the synthezoid struggled without any semblance of an internet connection, until he was finally able to fabricate his own network. Now, he sees an opportunity that was instilled within him by his creators as a dream: the chance to rewrite history to his liking! And the first step includes erasing Steve Rogers!

Can Captain America defeat the zealous Android and save both the past and the future without fouling up Elli’s time spell?

Meanwhile, in the present, the new Captain America, the colloquial “Omega Cap” Arkady Rossovich, welcomes a “Spider-Man” to his dark assemblage: Anton Miguel Rodriguez, the Tarantula! Once beaten out of the country by Rogers (see CAPTAIN AMERICA #2), Rossovich sees great potential in the gang leader…

Plus: A Frontlines Op-Ed by Sally Floyd, “Build Back Omega: Why Massive Public Expenditures are the Key to Creating Better Superheroes.”

32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99

CROSSGENESIS #1

Written by MIKE CAREY, NOELLE STEVENSON, TINI HOWARD, VITA AYALA, RYAN NORTH, MARKISAN NASO

Plot by H-E-D

Art by JORGE JIMÉNEZ, AUDREY MOK, MARCUS TO, HAEMI JANG, JACOB PHILLIPS, JASON MUHR

By Solusandra’s light (see NEGATION #4!), the world has changed!

But... what does that mean?

This proemial entity’s energy has chosen hosts. These beings are marked by SIGILS. Thus, they are SIGIL-BEARERS.

While Solusandra’s herald has found some of them, many others know nothing of the truth. Only that as they slept, their life changed.

Charon’s malignancy haunts the universe still... but more pressing is the avalanche of crises emerging in the wake of the Sigil-Bearers.

SIGIL (by Mike Carey & Jorge Jiménez)

In South Carolina, a young girl reckons with her newfound power!

MYSTIC (by Noelle Stevenson & Audrey Mok)

Far away on Ciress, a wealthy socialite is suddenly a font of magic!

SCION (by Tini Howard & Marcus To)

In Otherworld, two vassals of Avalon teeter on the brink of war!

CRUX (by Vita Ayala & Haemi Jang)

On the bottom of the ocean, pre-Cataclysm Atlanteans awake!

RUSE (by Ryan North & Jacob Phillips)

Over a hundred years ago, in the Victorian era, the English township of Partington is rocked by mysterious murders most foul… and magical!

SOJOURN (by Markisan Naso & Jason Muhr)

On the planet Quin, an ancient tyrant rises from the grave!

A NEW UNIVERSE

Welcome to the new anthology that will span the Marvel Universe, crossing space, crossing time, crossing generations! Welcome to CROSSGENESIS!

72 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99

DARK INTELLIGENCE #7

Writer: ED BRUBAKER

Artist: STEVE EPTING

Plotter: MARVELL2100

Something Evil This Way Comes. Part III: The Crazies!

The RAVENCROFT INSTITUTE for the CRIMINALLY INSANE! This is the home for a variety of individuals all dealing with a mental disorder of some kind. But it's also a maximum-security facility for superhuman villains as well. One such person is MILES WARREN or rather his clone who later went on to become the plague carrying, flesh-rotting villain CARRION whose touch is instant death! Held inside of an air-tight chamber and entombed in a metal sarcophagus with only his face visible, he stares into the distance, his eyes as dark as the thoughts in his mind.

Suddenly the the door of the sarcophagus opens and a hand reaches towards him, helping him out of his tomb. He crawls out to see three people, a man and two women. Many questions race through his mind. Who are these people, why are they helping him and why didn't the man die after touching him? CARRION listens as the man talks in a calm, reassuring voice about bringing pain and death to the world if he will join them. CARRION smiles nodding and as they prepare to leave, DISTURBIA recognizes a name on a door. She tells the others that he would be a useful addition to them so they agree to bring him along.

MAX LOHMER, also known as MASTER MAN, is a shell of the person he used to be and wonders if he's worth saving. The one who leads them tells MAX to stand tall, it doesn't matter who or what he used to be. What matters is the chance to bring a new order to the world, one of fear and death! And to mark the new change in his life, he will no longer be called MASTER MAN. From this day forth, his new name is... KRUEL. Next Issue: Resurrection!

32 PGS./Rated M For Mature...$3.99

DEADPOOL #5

Written by CHIP ZDARSKY

Art by JUAN CABAL

Plot by FFJAMIE94

The Town of Marville come together to decide the fate of Captain Zero. Deadpool meets with Dan Burton, or maybe he is Burton Slade, an ex-reporter with a split personality who claims to be The Wasp. Together they do a little research in order to see if Zero truly is a Hero. After searching in a number of old comic books, they find a handful of Spider-Man issues where they learn he helped rescue the titular Superhero from the Mad Dog Ward. However Deadpool finds another comic from this very series with an ominous cover, with it being titled “The Death of Deadpool.”

Deadpool and Wasp join with Zero in order to take down the T.F.A, only to find another Deadpool…

Meanwhile. The Impossible Man talks with… another Impossible Man (what is going on here?) who tells him that he is needed back home. (Our) Impossible Man escapes, only to be captured by mysterious forces…

32 PGs/ PARENTAL ADVISORY...$3.99

F² #4

Written by KIERON GILLEN

Plot by CAPTCLEGHORN

Art by JAMIE MCKELVIE

“ALTERED STATES”

Jennifer Walters (the hero formerly known as She Hulk) has been treated with low level gamma particles injected into her via stem cells. Her condition has stabilized and is reversing, allowing Dr. Leonard Samson to accompany Reed and Franklin Hall on the Pogo Plane to travel to the far side of the sun and investigate a possible location for a second Earth, created and supported by Hall’s powers as Graviton.

Samson, however, has been infected with some of the same particles/stem cells used to treat Jenn. When Samson decides to partake in sensory deprivation in a zero gravity environment for total seclusion, what will that mean? Guess what? It isn’t good.

Johnny and Wyatt discuss the “Are they or Aren’t they?” question as Johnny deals with the public eye of a multi-billion dollar corporate entity. And things (yes, we said it) get rocky when the all-new, all different Thing returns to the book and rejoins the cast. He’s bigger and stronger, but his attitude has only gotten worse.

32 PGs/ Rated T...$3.99

GHOST RIDER: DAMNATION #5

Plot by GUANLISHABI

Written by DAN WATTERS

Art by CASPAR WIJNGAARD

“THE PIECES COME TOGETHER”

Johnny’s body is taken and Johnny is now a evil spirit possessing Danny!

Johnny and Danny made a deal with Satana, Satana helps Johnny unlock the Medallion of Power in Danny, and as part of the deal, Johnny will become her Spirit of Vengeance!

The power of Medallion resonate with Johnny and Danny both and transforms Johnny’s evil spirit into something new.

What is Johnny becoming and will he be able to stop the Cosmic Ghost Rider?

Meanwhile, in Chicago, Michael Badalion, the Vengeance, is suddenly attacked by the evil entity possessing Johnny Blaze’s body and an army of Mindless Ones. Michael tries to escape, only to be defeated by Dormammu.

Now the demons have the pieces of Medallion of Power inside Vengeance!

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

HAWKEYE AND SPIDER-WOMAN #3

Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN

Art by JEROME OPENA

Plot by FFJAMIE94

“AGENTS OF SHIELD" PART THREE

Hawkeye, Spider-Woman and the Iron-Corps track down Ultron, who is building his own Time Machine. After a quick fight, Ultron is defeated, but not after saying the phrase “Submit or die, God is coming”.

The Iron-Corps reveal the origin of their organization, sometime in the future, Ultron will begin a war with the Symbiote God, Knull. The resulting battle ended with the deaths of many characters. Before his death, Tony Stark uploaded his consciousness to AI in order to control his many Iron Suits to stop Ultron and Knull, and now, 100 years after that war, Stark has become the new President and has his own police force, called “The Iron-Corps”.

However the small group that arrived are a rebel faction, who have gone back in time in order to prevent the resulting war due to the Stark AI becoming corrupted and turning the Country into a dictatorship.

SHIELD promise to finish working on the Time Machine.

Meanwhile, in an undisclosed location, Ultron is rebooted, and he is afraid…

32 PGs/ PARENTAL ADVISORY...$3.99

HULK IN THE MOB #4

Plot by EXCITER

Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO

Art by JOHN ROMITA, JR.

“HEAD OF THE TABLE”

“This life of ours, this is a wonderful life. If you can get through life like this and get away with it, hey, that’s great. But its very, very unpredictable. There’s so many ways you can screw it up.” - Paul Castellano

Joe Fixit has gotten himself into the ultimate fix. Before he could smash friend-turned-rival Hammerhead, the underboss informed the Don of the Manfredi family, Silvio “Silvermane” Manfredi, that Joe smashed his son “Blackwing” Manfredi and covered it up. Blackwing was a made man. That means that Joe broke the sacred Maggia code of omertà… and must pay the price!

How you gonna make a 900-pound gray monster pay, you ask? Easy. The only part of Silvermane that’s actually an old man is his face. See, the Don is a cyborg, with Hulk-buster tech infused throughout and bleeding-edge upgrades that Joe actually stole for him! Put simply, Silvermane is the iron-mobster and when he wants you whacked… you get whacked no matter how much gamma you’re packing! Things ain’t looking good for Joe over here…

Plus, you gotta wonder, with the very foundation of Joe Fixit’s life pulled out from under him, how will Bruce Banner’s fractured psyche react? Can Joe Fixit fight the mob and himself at the same time?

32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99

THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #29

Written by JOSHUA DYSART

Plot by MARVELL2100

Art by SALVADOR LARROCA

THE MAKER REVEALED! This time we mean it!

The bottom of the Pacific Ocean!Tony and his father Howard embark on the most dangerous mission of their lives! They are going to the undersea base of The Maker, the person responsible for death of Howard's wife and Tony's mother Maria! But without Arno by their side, Howard isn't sure that they can beat the worst enemy has family ever faced!

Tony, in his stealth armor, thinks about his father whom he thought was dead. Is any of this real? Is his father really alive? Will he have a chance to avenge his mother's death? He quickly clears his mind as they enter The Maker's base. He tells JARVIS to disable any alarms and keep them both hidden from any sensors. They make their way through various chambers looking at the strange life forms in stasis tubes and advanced technology, far more advanced than they've ever seen.

Howard guides them to where he thinks they would find The Maker when alarms begin ringing and they suddenly find themselves surrounded the same alien life-forms they encountered earlier! Tony is getting ready to fight when Howard tells him to wait. He calls to The Maker to come out from where he's hiding. He tells Nathaniel Richards to show himself and face them like a man! A sliding door opens to reveal The Maker! They remove the helmet covering their face and tell Howards, "Do you really think that idiot Nathan could have created this? No you fool! Like everyone else, you have always underestimated my intelligence!" Howard and Tony are stunned to learn that The Maker isn't Nathaniel Richards but Monica Rappacini! Next Issue: Mirror, mirror on the wall who's the smartest of them all?

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

THE MIGHTY THOR #37

Plot by EXCITER

Written by ALAN MOORE

Art by MIKE MIGNOLA

“PANTHEON WAR” part four “REVERBERATIONS”

The year was 1616 B.C., and the Earth shook when gods collided: the Norse Pantheon (Odin, Thor, Loki, etc.) versus the Greek Pantheon (Zeus, Ares, Hercules, etc.). It was a battle for dominance waged in Europe, though it threatened to engulf the entire mortal world in thunder and lightning. The conflict was so massive that it brought forth none other than Mother Earth herself.

The elder goddess, Gaea, respected by both sides, called upon the younger gods to cease their warfare. The hotheads refused. Gaea, however, wasn’t asking. Thor’s mother would prove from whence he inherited his true strength… and the Pantheon War would end!

Today, Thor and Zeus finalize an alliance. In Gaea’s name, the two Pantheons will work together to address the threat posed by Gaea’s dark brother, Chthon, who has been reinvigorated following the Negation Wave. But what is this “Immortal Combat” that Chthon invoked? (See THE MIGHTY THOR #33). Gaea must finally tell them…

Meanwhile, Balder’s tour of the realms of Chthon’s Dark World Tree continues. On black Yacuran, lagoon creatures rule. Yacura eggs gestate within a host and, when hatched, take on the characteristics of said host. As such, their gods sprang forth from the corpses of other gods. And unfortunately for Balder, the Yacura are looking for new figures to worship!

32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99

MISTRESS OF KUNG FU #1

“PUSHED OUT OF THE NEST”

Plotter: CAPTCLEGHORN

Writer and Layouts: CYNTHIA VON BUHLER

Artist: NICOLA SCOTT

Fu Manchu is one of the evilest beings on the planet. Because of his elixir vitae, he lives a much longer life and threaten the safety of Mankind for decades. His two biggest obstacles, Sir Denis Nayland Smith and Dr James Petrie have gotten old and are less of a threat but are grooming others to carry on the fight. Petrie has gone so far as to turn one of his former concubines and marry her. Such insolence cannot go unpunished, and Fu sends his own daughter, Fah Lo Suee, to kill the aged pair.

Fah Lo Suee has been trained for her entire life to be a weapon for Fu Manchu. She is expert of martial arts, practiced with weapons, and is ready to use her femininity in any way possible to enhance her father’s goals. But being under his direct guidance for her whole life means she is fully convinced his way is the best. What will happen when she looks two elderly people in the eye with orders to kill them? Does she have any sort of conscience or is she truly her father’s daughter?

40 pgs Rated T+/ $2.99

THE NEW ANNIHILATORS#1

Plot by GUANLISHABI

Written by RICK REMENDER

Art by KENNETH ROCAFORT

“THE CHARON SOLUTION”

Charon the God Emperor was defeated but his essence is free. Though He has yet to reconstitute a celestial form, it will be only a matter of time.

Richard Rider, the Nova, has just received intelligence that a group of Lawbringers are trying to create a new vessel for Charon. Nova knows the fear of being possessed by the God Emperor as the Anti-Nova. And he received this intelligence from the mysterious Danik, the Herald of Lifebringer Solusandra. Nova wants to destroy the new vessel of Charon and even try to put an end to Charon himself.

The New Annihilators are reformed! Nova, Gamora, Nebula, Noh-Varr, the Silver Surfer and a recently resurrected Adam Warlock!

Nova and Gamora have recently reignited their romance but this mission may not be their ideal date. Noh-Varr seems to know something but he is keeping it a secret. Adam Warlock is reincarnated recently as a new person with new powers.

And things will get even more complicated when the team finds out that their target is more than just a vessel. The Lawbringers used a Cosmic Cube to make a wish, to create the perfect host for Charon, and they created a living child, the Protege!

Are you willing to kill an innocent child to save the universe?

40 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99

PETER PARKER, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #11

Written by J.M.DEMATTEIS

Plot by CAPTCLEGHORN

Art by SARA PICHELLI

“WE’RE ALMOST DONE PACKING!”

Spidey and the Rhino are continuing their epic battle on the streets of Manhattan. Pete tries not only to keep the veritable juggernaut from causing too much damage to America’s biggest city, but is trying to keep him within range of his video. There, of course, are some surprises with this fight.

The crew for Dr. Damian’s trip to Antarctica has assembled and despite the feelings of comfort, a hero like Ant Man provides, there is an amazing amount of tension between Nadia Pym, the Wasp, and her fellow teenage travelers. Pete’s got a load of spidery aspects to him and Nadia has a similar relationship to wasps. Being enemy species, the tension is evident. Also, Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson over their HS years have developed a rivalry, but have maintained non-aggression. They’re Ditko High’s Betty and Veronica. Nadia adds a third woman to the mix and that may be too much for our HS angst ridden cast to take.

Dr. Curt Conners has submitted his resignation, effective immediately and dropped off the grid. See who is visiting him and what they bring as gifts.

32 Pgs./ Rated T...$3.99

SORCERERS OF THE STARS #29

Plot by GUANLISHABI

Written by JIM STARLIN

Art by RON LIM

“SECOND COMING”

Magus Wins!

Magus is the New God of the Shi’ar Empire, and he is the leader of the Sorcerers of the Stars.

Drax the Destroyer was created by Titan magic, a vengeful soul in a body made from clay, given a singular purpose, to destroy Thanos. A magical Golem. And when Thanos died, that purpose is no more, but a golem’s soul cannot find peace with that. He was falling apart, back into clay. But Magus fixed him, giving him a new purpose, rewriting his core code. Now he is Drax the Creator, creating other magical golems like him, an army of Draxes.

Groot was dying during the war, and Magus healed him, making him stronger than ever and reverting to his King Groot personality.

Moondragon is the apprentice of Magus, learning from him the ways to control the Dragon of the Moon.

Magique is a soldier of Shi’ar, she is eager to bring peace to Chandilar and take back their home world, and Magus will do just that.

On Ciress, Peter Quill, the Master of the Sun, is trying to heal the Ship when he is attacked by a Badoon Sorcerer who claims that the Ariguans have returned.

Luckily for Quill, with a flash of lightning, the Golden God returns from the Soul World and defeats the Badoon Sorcerer.

Adam Warlock lives again！

40 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99

SPELLBOUND #3

Written by Vita Ayala

Plot by H-E-D

Art by Peach Momoko

“Entropy” - Part Three

IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS

The Entropic Man has Citrusville under his thumb, and his sights are set on the destruction of the swamps — and the Nexus of All Realities!

The normally well-defended Nexus is vulnerable, as the swamp’s protector, Man-Thing, missing in action! (If you want to know why, see Agents of ARCANA’s current arc, PROJECT SULFUR!),

With her grandfather and the rest of the Zheredians occupied holding back the Cult of Entropy, it’s up to Jennifer (and Andy) to find a way to save the day!

If Jennifer is going to stop the Entropic Man, she’s going to need an expert on the death magic he wields. There aren’t many with that sort of knowledge, and even fewer that would help.

But there is one... the one they call the Gatekeeper.

That means it’s time for a trip up north... to a place a dread power in wilds of Massachusetts.

It’s called the Pillar of Smoke. A font a magical power, one that bridges this life and the next.

But the Pillar of Smoke has its own guardian, it’s own Man-Thing... and she’s called APOCALEDON!

If the Kales are to meet with the Gatekeeper, they’ll have to get past her.

Jennifer may have had good luck befriending the original Man-Thing, but Apocaledon is no gentle giant…

32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99

THUNDERBOLTS #14

Written by ALEX DE CAMPI

Plot by H-E-D

Art by CARMEN CARNERO & GABRIEL HARDMAN

Ramses has gone MIA, escaping from the clutches of Archangel when the sight of his children calmed him.

The Thunderbolts escort Archangel back “home”… so, time for things to get back to normal, right?

It would be, but, Warren remembers everything… and, the Thunderbolts forgot about something.

Or rather, someone. It isn’t long before NORAH WINTERS publishes a scathing exposé about AKKΔBA – and Archangel!

In the absence of Ramses and his mystery patron “Revelation”, it seems like Ichisumi might end up taking the fall.

Warren isn’t sure he’s happy about that… but Zemo doesn’t care. All Zemo cares about is diffusing the PR nightmare of his enigmatic superhero being a supposedly-deceased billionaire!

Nobody is more interested in an explanation than Dallas Riordan, the Thunderbolts’ government liaison.

Moonstone is exasperated by Zemo’s disregard for Warren. Not because she's kind, mind you. She simply understands that if Warren is their problem, then he needs also be their solution. Unfortunately for Karla, the now-cognizant Warren isn’t willing to listen to her, resentful of her unethical treatment of her.

Once recovered from the chaos of the AKKΔBA incident, Warren resolves to leave the Thunderbolts – the obvious choice – before a heart-to-heart with Songbird changes his mind. Bonding over their mutual disdain for Zemo and Moonstone, Warren decides to help Melissa take the organization from the inside. Being fabulously wealthy, he could just walk away… but Melissa doesn’t have that luxury. Neither does Chen Lu.

Speaking of which… where is the Radioactive Man?

Surely this disappearance has nothing to do with a nuclear incident off the coast of Taiwan that seems to involve technology he developed?

Uh oh.

32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99

MORE THUNDERBOLTS #2

Written by ALEX DE CAMPI

Plot by H-E-D

Art by GABRIEL HERNÁNDEZ WALTA

"BORN BETTER"

“The world hears the name Zemo, and it knows awe!”

That is the lesson handed down, generation to generation, father to son, Baron to Baron, Zemo to Zemo.

Helmut grew up hearing these lessons from his grandfather Heinrich. The Zemo line was pure. Superior. The Master Race. Helmut knew this: he was born better.

Reality was destined to fall short of Helmut’s expectations. Operation Paperclip had brought the Zemos to America, but it did not line their pockets with the gold they were accustomed to. He grew up comfortable, sure, but hardly in luxury. When he walked the street, nobody recognized his face. None spoke the Zemo name with awe; few knew it at all.

When history spoke of “the Greatest Generation”, it referred not to his family, but those who had deposed them. Helmut thought: then I will show them. They venerate the soldiers that defeated my grandfather; I will become a soldier. I will surpass them.

He rose the ranks. I will show them, he thought. I will go overseas. I will kill their enemies. I will earn their adoration. As a Colonel, he befriended General Thunderbolt Ross. But it was not the praise of generals that he sought. And neither was the love he received when he returned home.

“Thank you for your service!”

As if he’d done it for them. He was no servant. He was meant to command. He was meant to rule. He went private: EKO Scorpion, his own command, his own private fiefdom. For the small sacrifice of the blood of his lessers, he gained the wealth he’d always dreamed of. But, was it enough? No. Not even when he was able to purchase back Castle Zemo for his family.

He was a Baron, but what use the title, if unrecognized? None. What use loyalty, if conditional? None. Then, on the news and in the field, he began to see them. Heroes. Supermen. Even Captain America, his father’s lost nemesis.

And how the world loved them. How they listened. How they understood, understood that they were lesser.

Zemo was patient. He had waited his entire life; he could wait a while longer. The plan he was hatching was not one to be rushed. When he old friend General Ross broached the idea of a privately contracted super-team, he saw that it was time.

The world will know the name Zemo once more. And this time, they will obey!

32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99

UNCANNY X-MEN #37

Plot by NX01A

Written by KURT BUSIEK

Art by PEPE LARRAZ

Theme Song: Shirley Bassey & Kanye West - Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Instrumental)

"HOLD ONE UP"

•LADY MANDARIN strikes at her diamond attacker with the might of her Ten Rings but the glittering woman slices Serpent Ring-summoned anacondas to ribbons with gem nails while reflecting the Ring of Raggadorr's crushing rainbow energies. The virulent somnolence of the Ring of the Black Shadow and even Lady Mandarin's psychic knife can't slice into the woman's mind, and the ruler of Kaiwann's only chance is to use the most unstable of the Ten Rings.

•EMMA FROST was once queen of an inner circle controlling the money and minds of millions. Deposed by her own blood and sold like chattel, she is now a slave turned to diamond and sent to keep her master's enemies busy while he steals objects to make himself even more powerful and her even less able to escape him.

•As the Cosmic Ring warps reality near its wielder, diamond shifts to naked flesh and bone, and Emma can think for herself again. As Lady Mandarin can telepathically sense, all Emma can think of is revenge!

•JACK WINTERS calls himself the LIVING DIAMOND but he's not just a sentient humanoid allotrope of pure carbon. He's a mutant who gains different and increasingly powerful abilities on exposure to radiation, and he's very eager to expose himself to the temporal radiation of the sacred Kaiwannese Temple of Four Hells' pair of time diamonds. Can X-23 and NIGHTCRAWLER even slow him down?

•And in space... Asteroid X allowed a S.H.I.E.L.D. orbiter claiming to have mutant refugees aboard to dock. Pity that the mutants aboard are unconscious, the ship is on autopilot, and the antimatter bomb also aboard just blew up the ship and a section of Asteroid X's docking area! When a small fleet decloaks, the X-Men prepare to be boarded!

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

AOM HOLIDAY SPECIAL #3

An anthology of non-stop holiday cheer!

“SILENT FIGHT, HOLY FIGHT”

Plot by EXCITER

Written by FRANK MILLER

Art by SEAN GORDON MURPHY

With the Norse Goddess of Time’s spell interrupted (see CAPTAIN AMERICA #37), Steve Rogers finds himself tossed through time… to the end of the year 1 B.C.! Outside of Bethlehem, Cap encounters three magi following a star to their messiah and realizes when he might be. Unfortunately, the Google Android was also transported to this time and believes he will be doing good by erasing Christianity from history! Cap can’t let that happen.

“Wise Men, Assemble!” Can the newborn king be saved? And will he be gifted gold, frankincense, myrrh… and a vibranium shield?!

“FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS”

Written by ALEX DE CAMPI

Plot by H-E-D

Art by VALENTINE SMITH

As the seasons turn, Melissa Gold (aka SONGBIRD of the Thunderbolts) finds herself oddly nostalgic.

Her childhood in Cheyenne, Wyoming was never a terribly happy one… but it had its moments.

When she was young, her parents always managed to pull together a lovely Hanukkah. Not the easiest feat, considering that at the time, there was only one synagogue in the entire state!

Melissa decides to brave a trip back home, for old time’s sake!

Will she be able to bring her broken family back together?

“WAR IS OVER”

Plot by EXCITER

Written by ALAN MOORE

Art by MIKE MIGNOLA

The Götterdämmerung War had engulfed the Nine Realms for a year and a half (see THE MIGHTY THOR #10-28; Civil War #1-4). The betrayer Queen Freyja led her forces against the Realms that remained loyal to Odin and Thor. Had she claimed a particular strategic foothold, however, the results of the war may have been different... Freyja sought to turn the Eternal Workshop on Alfheim’s North Pole, a famed seat of alchemical and industrial power, into her personal enchanted arms factory. However, the workshop’s steward, the jolly Jolnir, and his legion of elven loyalists would seek to deny her and defend their home. This is the story of their unending courage… at the Siege of the North Pole!

“UNLUCKY SEVEN FISHES”

Plot by EXCITER

Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO

Art by JOHN ROMITA, JR.

Note: This story takes place before the events of HULK IN THE MOB #3.

The Feast of the Seven Fishes is a grand Italian-American holiday celebration. All real paisans have this massive seafood celebration on Christmas Eve, so you know Joseph “Joe Fixit” Fixatelli is going all out! Calamari and baccalà to spare! But Joe was still new to the Family and really wanted to impress the boys… so he’s cooking up a Giganto! Too bad these bipedal sperm whale-type beasts are sacred to Atlantis - and a vengeful Atlantean amphibious special forces unit is coming to dinner uninvited!

"THERE'S SOMETHING STUCK UP IN THE CHIMNEY"

A holiday tale by NX01A, BILL WILLINGHAM, & J.H. WILLIAMS III

When a house is not a home, a house is alone, and the three-story townhouse at 177B Bleecker Street is very alone. Its owner, Timothy Small, needs to sell the family townhouse he grew up in thanks to pandemic debt but he went missing while playing Santa at the neighbourhood Christmas party. CLEA doesn't really get the Christmas Spirit (she avoids being possessed by any specters as a rule) but she investigates her next door neighbour's disappearance, following the only lead the police have dismissed. Tim's tiny daughter, Belle, claims her father is stuck up in the chimney but the chimney is empty. Clea summons the Christmas Eve seasonal spirit syzygy to go down the chimney with a bound, entering a parallel reality: a perpetual Christmas morning where the house's fading memories of hundreds of such holidays overlap but where only Tim is truly solid even though reverted to a tiny child in a Santa suit. Can Clea work a miracle on Bleecker Street to convince this House of Shadows to let Tim go or will this be a hard candy Christmas for the Small family?

100 PGs./Rated T+ …2 Turtle Doves