Brian Michael Bendis

Every month, comic publishers release their solicitation announcements to provide information to readers and retailers on comics that are coming out in three months’ time, but there’s so much information dropped at once that a lot can slip through the cracks. This month, in Marvel's January solicitations, it's all about the big returns, with some fan favorite heroes and villains showing up, a critically acclaimed character getting a second chance, and love in the air in the Spider-Verse.

Invincible Iron Man #1, by Brian Michael Bendis and Stefano Caselli, is clearly an origin story, putting Riri Williams in the Ironheart suit, while also providing important insight into her childhood. Check out a preview.

Civil War II has completely overwhelmed the Marvel Universe, with all of your favorite titles tangentially tying into the event in whatever way they can in hopes of a sales bump. With a founding Avenger dead and battle lines nearly drawn, it’s time to dig back into the story for more Civil War Correspondence, and review where I stand on the conflict. I reserve the right to flip-flop at will, although that’s looking less and less likely. This month we're looking solely at Civil War II #5 as the heroes finally clash and the final page hits uncomfortably close to reality. Spoilers follow.

The Fantastic Four are currently nowhere to be seen in the Marvel Universe, but their greatest enemy is getting his own comic in October. Victor Von Doom, his once scarred face healed in the aftermath of Secret Wars, is taking up the mantle of Iron Man in Infamous Iron Man #1. Check out a preview!

It's charitable to say that Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez's Civil War II has not been the most well-received of events, with its killing off of one of Marvel's most prominent black superheroes in War Machine, and the resulting character assassination of Captain Marvel. However, it isn't just on the page that things seem to be going wrong, as the comic's release schedule --- like that of many event comics --- has gone almost completely off the rails, with the final issue pushed back to December 28th.

Jessica Jones, star of her own Netflix TV series and one of the most groundbreaking female Marvel characters of all time, is back in her own title after more than a decade! Not only that, but Jessica Jones #1 reunites her original Alias creative team of writer Brian Michael Bendis, artist Michael Gaydos, colorist Matt Hollingsworth, and cover artist David Mack.

Civil War II has completely overwhelmed the Marvel Universe, with all of your favorite titles tangentially tying into the event in whatever way they can in hopes of a sales bump. With a founding Avenger dead and battle lines nearly drawn, it's time to dig back into the story for more Civil War Correspondence, and review where I stand on the conflict. I reserve the right to flip-flop at will, although that's looking less and less likely. This time around we’re looking at the fourth issue of Civil War II, as well as two issues of The Ultimates, and I finally pick a side as a fan-favorite Marvel character crosses a line and becomes potentially irredeemable.

Born on this day in 1967, Brian Michael Bendis is one of the most important and influential figures in western comics in the 21st century. From indie comics wunderkind to top dog at Marvel Comics, Bendis’ career has been expansive and occasionally revolutionary, so today we're taking a moment to celebrate his achievements.

Marvel's next big line launch was formally unveiled this week via a special edition of Marvel Previews, including new #1s for Avengers, Venom, Captain Marvel, and Star-Lord, new launches for Champions, Jessica Jones, Kingpin, Bullseye, Slapstick, and Solo, and new concepts in Occupy Avengers, Iron Fists, Mosaic, Infamous Iron Man, and Unstoppable Wasp. Following our roundtable discussion of DC Rebirth, the ComicsAlliance team got together to break down the highs and lows of the new Marvel NOW. Join Elle Collins, James Leask, Katie Schenkel, Kieran Shiach, and Andrew Wheeler as they pick out the books they're most excited about and the books they're concerned about, and discuss Marvel's approach to legacy heroes and the state of diversity at Marvel today.

We're three issues into Civil War II now and the stakes have raised dramatically. There have been major deaths and lines crossed as the heroes contend with the predictive information provided by the Inhuman named Ulysses. With Civil War Correspondence, I'm recapping the story so far and providing offering a personal assessment of where I stand in the conflict. I reserve the right to flip-flop at will. This time around we're looking at the second and third issues of Civil War II, and the death of an Avenger --- at the hands of another Avenger.