Marvel Unveils Second Iron Man Book, New Punisher, And Bootleg Superman and Batman

Marvel has revealed a slate of new titles at a retailer summit in London ahead of this weekend's MCM Comic Con, including the long-touted second Iron Man book from Brian Michael Bendis, International Iron Man, which sees him reunited with his former Daredevil collaborator Alex Maleev.

Marvel also announced a new Punisher series from Becky Cloonan and Steve Dillon; a Nighthawk series from David F. Walker, with no artist named; and a Hyperion series from Chuck Wendig and Nik Virella, plus a digital first five-issue mini series, X-Men: The Worst X-Men Ever, from Max Bemis and Michael Walsh, which is not about Maggott and is therefore misleadingly named.

Talking to Entertainment Weekly about reuniting with Maleev, Bendis praised one of his great strengths; "Alex is an artist, one of the very few in the business, who can illustrate subtext. That means you look at Tony’s eyes and you know he’s saying “yes” when he means “no.” I don’t have to write it, you can see it. He’s good at drawing smart people whose wheels are turning. That adds to the level of storytelling that we’re allowed to tell."

The new Iron Man book will see Tony Stark travelling around the world on adventures, though it's not exactly clear why the character needs a second book to do that. You can fly, Tony.

The new Punisher ongoing sees Steve Dillon return to the character that he's drawn many times since the early 2000s, but without his usual collaborator Garth Ennis. Taking Ennis's place on script duties is Southern Cross writer Becky Cloonan; the first and only woman at Marvel writing an All-New All-Different book with a male lead.

Cloonan spoke to ComicBook.com about her enthusiasm for the character, saying, "The Punisher is such a layered character, and he definitely falls waaaay outside of the realm of 'good guy'. He does bad things for good reasons, and we are constantly left wondering if the ends justify the means. (I’m not sure they always do, but that’s just part of Frank’s charm!) Chances are if the Punisher is coming after you, you’ve got no one to blame but yourself. If you are a criminal, the Punisher is basically Jason Voorhees."

The Hyperion and Nighthawk books see two members of the Squadron Supreme --- newly integrated into the post-Secret Wars Marvel Universe --- spin off on their own even before the first issue of the announced James Robinson/Leonard Kirk team book hits the stands. Marvel's investment in this corner of its character pool is a little cheeky given that the Squadron, Hyperion, and Nighthawk are famously Marvel versions of DC's Justice League, Superman, and Batman, but DC's lawyers are all the way over on the other coast now; they probably won't hear about it.

Walker's Nighthawk is the lone survivor of the Squadron from the Supreme Power books by J. Michael Straczynski and Gary Frank. This Nighthawk is an extreme guy who killed his version of The Joker, and Walker told CBR, "with Nighthawk the police are as terrified of him as the criminals are." The series will be set in a crime-riddled Chicago (is there another kind?), and Walker hopes to use the book to bring back some "Black and Latino characters who haven't gotten any significant play in the last 20 or 30 years".

Newsarama delivered the scoop on the Hyperion book from Wendig and Virella, which Wendig promises will take an intellectual and philosophical approach to its generic brand Superman.

"Hyperion is about the titular character coming to grips with just who the hell he is," says Wendig. "Here’s a guy who lost his universe and now exists as part of a group where he feels more and more alienated (pun not intended until now). He’s supposed to be a father, a teacher, and he has all these precepts in mind for how he is supposed to be, but little practice or understanding as to what that means. He takes America and its people as his “adopted children,” but that also means he has to get to know his, um, “new kids.” So, we put him smack dab in the American heartland—in all its rust, corn and gun-fed glory—and see what happens."

The digital-first mini X-Men: The Worst X-Man Ever, by Bemis and Walsh, will be an out-of-continuity story about a new mutant named Bailey Hoskins, a hapless misfit even among misfit heroes. Bemis is the lead singer of the band Say Anything, but his comics credits include the series Evil Empire from Boom Studios.

These announcements bring the total number of All-New All-Different #1s up to 71. And still no solo title for America Chavez.