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Ted Sallis was trying to recreate the super-soldier, but he ended up transformed into a speechless monster who wanders the swamp. That's the origin of Man-Thing, but it's retold in this preview of Man-Thing #1 with a new pace and attitude, courtesy of legendary young adult horror novelist R.L. Stine and artist German Peralta. This is clearly a flashback, because the synopsis lets us know that the main story takes place in the present, with Man-Thing having regained the power of speech.

Fans have been clamoring for America Chavez to get her own solo series for two years or more, and she finally gets her due with America #1, debuting March 1 from writer Gabby Rivera and artist Joe Quinones.

Even as the line between criminal mastermind and respectable businessman seems to grow ever-thinner in real life, Marvel's Kingpin of Crime is doing his best to cross that line in Kingpin #1, written by Matthew Rosenberg with art by Ben Torres.

We always hoped that Darth Maul was more than just a pretty face. He was introduced way back in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, where he looked cool and was great at fighting but barely had lines, displayed little personality, and (seemingly) died at the end. He's appeared since in various tie-in stories and animated episodes, but now he's getting a spotlight like never before in a new Marvel comic --- and Marvel has provided a first look at issue #1.

When Marvel first launched its most recent line of Star Wars comics, it was obvious it would be big business for the publisher, but few would have correctly guessed that an original character not from the films would prove so popular as to get their own ongoing series. However implausible years ago, this December sees the launch of Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #1 by Kieron Gillen and Kev Walker, and Marvel have provided us with a first look at the first issue.

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.

Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #1 offers something for those of us who miss the days of Spidey's marriage to Mary Jane, and also anyone who wants to read Gerry Conway's Spider-Man again. Conway is joined by artist Ryan Stegman for a series set on a world where One More Day never happened, and the Parkers have a young daughter named Annie.

Champions #2, by Mark Waid and Humberto Ramos, features Cyclops joining a team that doesn't start with "X" for the first time ever. To be clear, this is the young Cyclops who came to the present in All-New X-Men, not the older Cyclops who as far as we know is dead. But either way, Scott Summers is a character inseparable from the X-Men, and now he's going to be a Champion instead.

Remember how the prequel trilogy jumped over those awkward pre-teen years of Anakin Skywalker's life after Episode I, and went straight to all the teen angst you could handle in Episode II? Well you'll soon be able to enjoy all those formative years you missed with Obi-Wan and Anakin, a new limited series from Marvel's Star Wars universe. Written by Charles Soule and drawn by Marco Checchetto, both fresh off Star Wars stints on Land and Shattered Empire respectively, Obi-Wan and Anakin will follow the newly minted Jedi master and his padawan as they grow into their new roles, exploring the limits of patience a teacher can have with a new apprentice. Can you imagine being a twenty-something whose closest friend just died and then being put in charge of a bucket of raging hormones who happens to be one of the most powerful space wizards in the galaxy? I was a nightmare at that age, and I didn't even have a lightsaber.

We make a regular practice at ComicsAlliance of spotlighting particular artists or specific bodies of work, but because cartoonists, illustrators and their fans share countless numbers of great images on sites like Flickr, Tumblr, DeviantArt and seemingly infinite art blogs that we’ve created Best Art Ever (This Week), a weekly depository for just some of the pieces of especially compelling artwork that we come across in our regular travels across the Web. Some of it’s new, some of it’s old, some of it’s created by working professionals, some of it’s created by future stars, some of it’s created by talented fans, and some of it’s endearingly silly. All of it’s awesome.