As well as countless iconic covers, Alex Ross is best known for his work on Marvels, Kingdom Come, and Fantastic Four: Full Circle. Now, he's returning to Marvel Comics for the first time since 2022 for a new 112-page graphic novel, Marvel Dimensions.
Ross has written and illustrated the book that will be published by Abrams ComicArts this September. The story is being kept under wraps, but The Hollywood Reporter reveals that it could introduce upwards of 200 new characters (many of them Variants of those we already know).
According to the publisher, after revisiting the origin stories of characters such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, Iron Man, and Wolverine in fully painted spreads, "storylines twist in on themselves, characters behave in unexpected ways, and events ripple across the Marvel Universe with growing tensions."
Ross has been working on the book for the past 18 months, and it's said that the title refers to both inner and interpersonal dimensions and alternate universe dimensions.
"It’s meant to be as bonkers a ride for the reader as it could possibly be," Ross told the trade. "You’re getting one kind of entertainment, and then it changes on you midstream and then you’re getting a different art style suddenly, and then you’re wondering, 'Where’s this going?' And then the format changes within the book itself, a mid-book format change."
"All these things hopefully seem to unify and combine and come back together, but it’s meant to be a wild ride that is throwing everything plus the kitchen sink at you."
"I knew I wanted to touch upon Marvel origins in some regard and had thought about that for years, and it never really sparked joy for me the same way as 25 years ago when I did it for DC," Ross continued. "I would think like, 'Oh, that’s just gonna be repetitive. You’ve done that kind of thing before. Why would it be new?' And this is my way of coming up with a very twisted new way of approaching this."
This should be a must-have for fans of both Ross and the Marvel Universe. The book will retail for $29.99, and Marvel Comics will likely share a look at interior artwork in the coming months, so stay tuned for updates as we have them.