Marvel Entertainment and IDW Publishing have collaborated to develop middle-grade comic books for young readers featuring popular Marvel characters.
“From Iron Man to Captain Marvel, from the Hulk to Shuri — the Marvel pantheon has something for everyone. With this team-up, Marvel and IDW aim to bring exciting, all-new comics to a generation growing up in a Marvel world,” mentioned IDW editor-in-chief John Barber.
Launching in November 2018, the line-up will start with a Spider-Man series featuring both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, followed by an Avengers series beginning in December and a Black Panther series in January 2019. Each of these titles will serve as an easily-accessible jumping-on point for younger readers to follow the adventures of their favourite characters.
Marvel editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski added, “Marvel is excited to work with IDW to share these brand-new stories with our younger fans. Characters like Spider-Man, Black Panther and the Avengers inspire us through their strength and determination, but they resonate with readers because of the struggles they face and the challenges they overcome. We want to share their journeys with our younger fans first-hand.”
IDW was already creating a Big Hero 6 comic book series based on the Disney animated movie which was originally a Marvel property. The company has also partnered with Marvel parent company Disney for a number of titles used on iconic animated characters and Star Wars, all aimed at younger readers.
IDW president and publisher Greg Goldstein noted, “This partnership reflects the true spirit of collaboration at work. As comic book publishers, IDW and Marvel are able to produce high-quality visual storytelling experiences for fans both young and old. By combining our efforts, along with Marvel’s ever-increasing presence in popular culture, the results will be spectacular.”
Marvel lately had launched Marvel Rising as a comic book property based on the upcoming animated series of the same name, which was also aimed at younger readers. That comic book series, however, has been criticised for being overly complicated and confusing
In a statement about the partnership, Marvel director of licensed publishing Sven Larsen said, “Marvel is committed to delivering unique and accessible content for our younger audiences and fans. As one of our most valued partners, IDW is the right fit to help us feature some of our most popular characters and publish stories created especially for the next generation of super heroes.”
Though the story details and creative teams for the new line of comic books will be announced later, the monthly issues will be available for sale at local comic book shops and book retailers across the country, expanding opportunities for the next generation of superheroes to experience the Marvel Universe.