To begin with, I’ve crafted a concise lineup of series in the style of DC’s Rebirth. I pieced together a strong mix of both iconic Marvel brands and a new wave of potential-filled series. It’s very hard to winnow down the massive spread of Marvel characters to a slimmer lineup, and while my line still comes in at significantly less than the current solicitations, it still outpaces DC’s Rebirth. But comparing the sheer ensemble Marvel has to offer, that’s to be expected. Here I’ve divided the line into four main categories: Cosmic, Street-Level, Avengers, and X-Men, plus a “Miscellaneous” section for the “none of the above” types. It’s very important that each series fills its own niche, to balance out all the corners of the universe. That approach especially came into play with the new titles, as it’s very important to give each its own individual selling point that makes it unique.
For the line as a whole, I think dropping the line-wide price to $2.99 is needed to maintain pace with DC. The “distinguished competition’s logic seems to hold that this may require twice monthly shipping, which has worked out very well so far for Rebirth. I’ve therefore designated in my list which series would best fit the twice-monthly rate, trying to keep a similar ratio to the DC lineup. (I may be relying too much on the Rebirth setting, and I'm sure plenty would cry foul at Marvel "copying DC", but sometimes an idea works so well that maybe it's not such a bad idea to "borrow" it)
X-Men
Uncanny X-Men (x2): The flagship mutant title, focused on the school and uniting the generations
X-Factor United: Mutants and Inhumans together
Unstoppable X-Force (x2): Handling the missions the X-Men can’t
Wolverines: Laura and Logan vs. the world
Mystique: She's finally cut ties with her past, but the world sees her as Magneto's heir. What comes next?
Archangel: Angel or Demon? Warren struggles to find his true identity
Deadpool (x2): It’s Deadpool. No big change
The Mutant Line is perhaps the sector of Marvel comics most in need of help. It seems like the upcoming “ResureXion” relaunch is a step in the right direction, so we shall see how that pans out. For my intents and purposes, I’ve restructured the line to return the 3 main names associated with the brand. “X-Men” returns to its roots as a school environment, with a mission statement of uniting the diverse generations of X-Men to move forward in crafting a new “First Class” that lasts. “X-Force” serves as the black ops title while “X-Factor” serves to mend the bad blood between mutants and Inhumans. For the solo titles, Wolverines and Deadpool are givens, while I chose additional slots for Mystique, capitalizing on her Lawrence-driven popularity, which Marvel has oddly avoided cashing in on, (her story here is closely tied to the overarching X-Men plot which I’ll explain later) and Archangel, exploring the complex psyche of an X-Men far too often dismissed by the community as “boring". Together, these series renew the X-Men as a priority feature of the Marvel plan, whose stories will be crucial to the progression of the universe as a whole in this theoretical relaunch.
THE flapship Marvel book, styled in a sort after the JLU cartoon
Secret Avengers: For those who like their Avengers a tad more dark
Invincible Iron Man (x2): Really dependent on just what Tony’s post-CW2 status quo is
Captain America (x2): Steve/Cap and Sam/Falcon, together again
The Mighty Thor (x2): Epic 9 Realms adventure, LOTR-style
The Incredible Hulk: Uniting all the gamma-powered crew to unlock Banner’s legacy
Black Panther (x2): It’s tough to be a king. Featuring the return of Hunter to the limelight
Captain Marvel (x2): Continues her rising prominence but takes a chill pill from current direction
Wonder Man and Beast: The boys are back in town. Let the hilarity ensue.
The Avengers line is perhaps the biggest profile segment of all, featuring a who’s who of Marvel’s heaviest hitters, reflected by the large number of twice-monthlies I placed here. But the brand can too often be diluted in recent years. Here, I offer only two Avengers teams, the main title, featuring a fluid roster styled in part after the JLU cartoon (And with Monica Rambeau returning to a leadership role), and a second black ops team. The solo books play up the greatest solo Avengers. Before this launch, most of the issues involving the legacies returning the mantles are resolved. Falcon is a co-star in the Cap book and an Avengers mainstay. Jane Foster’s story continues in Thor, with or without the hammer, but the Odinson is the star. Stark’s status really depends on just what his fate in CW2 is and how simple it is to return him to the armor. Banner is more complicated. He will remain dead for now, but TIH follows Cho, She-Hulk, Doc Samson, and others as they determine just what to do with Bruce’s legacy and move towards his potential return. Rounding out the list are Cpt. Marvel and Black Panther, largely unchanged, plus a new comedy series following the reunion of Wonder Man and Beast, finally getting read of the annoying morose mess they’ve made of Simon.
Saving the universe or making a quick buck. Whichever comes first
Quasar: The galaxy’s newest hero learns the ropes
Blue Marvel: Flying solo to tackle the universe’s biggest problems
Novas: You’re in the army, now
Fantastic Four (x2): Finally back in action in time for some high concept science adventures
Inhumans: Still trying to find their place (Both in the comics and in the line)
The cosmic side of things was blown wide open to the general public by GOTG. However, Guardians is not the sole cosmic flagship title. It’s high time the Fantastic Four get returned to their former glory, and here they stand beside the Guardians as a central title in this sector. In comparison with each other, GOTG is more like Star Wars, gritty, swash-buckling roguishness, while F4 is more Star Trek, featuring high concept, often philosophizing sci-fi with a sense of adventure. The other series fall on various sides of the line. Quasar is more towards the “fun” side, and it’s high time she got her due, after debuting with fanfare back in Avengers: Standoff only to be forgotten since. Blue Marvel is another well deserving of his own series after all these years, but the brooding scientist’s stories will run at perhaps the most serious out of all the cosmic titles. In Novas, the full scope of the Nova Corps is finally explored, as Richard takes Sam to finally get some proper training, and the Corps itself offers huge potential for creative expansion. Lastly, there’s the Inhumans, who just keep doing their own thing. They’re cool and all, but no one really seems to know how to make them work. Style it after Game of Thrones and see what happens. Hopefully they’ll finally catch on, because they really do deserve it.
Return Peter to his roots while exploring his potential as a CEO
Daredevil (x2) : Part court-room drama, part dark vigilante escapade
White Tiger: Explores the talisman’s dark influence, immersed in Hispanic culture
Cardiac: Takes on complex social issues while brining justice to those “above the law”
Moon Knight: Gains control of his psyche to catch killers as crazy as he is
The Punisher: Frank Castle kills bad guys. “Nuf said
Heroes for Hire: Luke and Danny back in business
Honestly, including Spidey in the Street Level category really doesn’t fit that well anymore, given his current CEO status quo and the darker tone generally associated with the Street Level books. But I left him here because it still seems like home for him. TASM is another flagship title, and its high time we get a change of creative direction behind the wheel. The Parker Industries status quo has fallen stale under Slott, when it should be an exciting new chapter of Peter’s life, and thus there’s a lot of work to be done there that I’ll detail later. The other titles feature a diverse range of grittier series including some mainstays and some new comers in the form of White Tiger and Cardiac, as part of the initiative to promote lasting diversity in the line, rather than falling back on temporary legacies. The other major change is for Moon Knight, as Marc Spector finally cuts ties with Knoshu (the trippy personality stories can only last so long) and signs his fragile psyche up for an FBI taskforce tracking down the nation’s deadliest killers, specializing with those tied to the supernatural.
Globetrotting expionage with Silver Sable
Thunderbolts: Putting the world's worst to work
Hulking & Wiccan: Superhero power couple
Ant-man: A day in the life of Scott Lang is way more complicated than it deserves to be
New Champions (x2): The Adventures of Marvel's newest heroes continue
Dr. Strange (x2): Magic shenanigans galore
Beetle: Cut-throat lawyer by day, cut-throat supervillain by night. What's the difference?
Ms. Marvel: The newest Marvel star continues to shine
And here’s the books that don’t really fit anywhere else all that well. A few mainstays like Ant-Man, Dr. Strange, and Thunderbolts, plus the continuation of new franchise titles Champions and Ms. Marvel. Last but not least there’s the odds and ends of new series: Hulkling & Wiccan is a superhero romance drama. Marvel wants to create high profile gay heroes, they need to use the ones they already have, rather than pulling Iceman-style stunts. Billy and Teddy are more interesting than Iceman anyway. Beetle follows Janice Lincoln, who fills the unique role of playing the direct opposite of the classic superhero setup. Rather than a regular “average joe” with a heroic super identity, Janice’s secret villain identity presents very fun opportunities for stories. Finally, The Wild Pack fills a pretty big genre hole in the Marvel line-up with an all-out “Mission Impossible”-style spy saga.
And that’s my pitch for Marvel’s own Rebirth. But a revitalized line isn’t going to solve all the problems. Besides the competitive pricing I mentioned above, it’s crucial that the “next big thing” marketing style be laid to rest. For the first few years of “Marvel Rebirth”, there will be no line-wide events, only smaller crossovers between individual series. The focus instead will be on each writer telling strong, personal stories for each hero and team, all under a closely coordinated editorial staff that will help avoid contradictions and coherent canon while slowly building to the first big crossover event of the new era, one which will truly have lasting consequences for the whole universe, made possible through the united editorial goals. And one of the most important editorial tasks will be ensuring the success of the diversity initiative. The legacy heroes aren’t “real” diversity, they’re inevitably temporary. In pursuit of REAL, lasting increases in line diversity, it’s crucial to see to it that the new series like White Tiger and Cardiac are given full support through tie-ins with the flagship titles and strong marketing pushes to help these unique heroes reach the audiences they deserve. Altogether, the current short-term planning will be dispensed with, instead focusing on long-running series that sell because they contain good stories, not because of event tie-ins or yet another new #1.
Over the next few weeks I'll post some more detailed articles on specific sections of the Marvel Universe, detailing the problems they currently face, the things they're doing right, and how to cut through the good and the bad to create a more solid brand. I'll also be elaborating on some of the particular stories I'd love to tell if I were ever lucky enough to get to tinker around with the Marvel lineup. Hopefully you've enjoyed reading through this and will be back for more when I return! Please, leave any thoughts in the comments below!