New Marvel Comics: Spider-Punk, Venom, And Lots Of Women

We’re in the tail end of February now, and as predicted, Marvel’s comics output – especially in terms of new lines – is starting to rise. Last week saw the launch of five new lines, and while we’ve crept back ever so slightly with four new lines this week, the overall amount of comics has risen — 20 are being released this week, so there’s a lot to like here.

Before we get into the new stuff, there are a few continuing series that are worth keeping an eye on. Carnage #4 is out this week, and sees the vicious Symbiote facing off with one of its own, Anti-Venom. The Gang War event is also continuing in The Amazing Spider-Man #44, and Marvel says the event is even wrapping up with this issue. We suspect we might see a few other stragglers here and there, but if you’re into street-level villains and stories, you’ll want to catch the tail end of this event.

Now into the new stuff. What If…? Venom is starting up this week, and promises to be a fascinating series going forward. Of course, it’s a What If…? series, so none of it is canon to the main universe, but we’ll see the Venom symbiote taking over a host of different, well, hosts — including Loki, Wolverine, and Doctor Strange. These kinds of stories are always a lot of fun, and it looks like these will be released every couple of weeks for a few months.

The legendary Gail Simone is penning Women of Marvel, which starts this week, and is an anthology series focused on Marvel’s most powerful heroines. The series promises to show us stories from Captain Marvel, Scarlet Witch, Storm, and so many more, so it’s bound to be an absolute riot. There’s also another Giant-Size issue, with Fantastic Four getting its turn this week, featuring a reprint of the classic Fantastic Four #33.

The big hitter this week, though, and one that everyone’s been excited for, is the launch of Spider-Punk: Arms Race. Hobie Brown as Spider-Punk was a smash hit in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and Marvel has been working hard to bring the now-popular character back. He’s been in a few recent events in the Spider-Verse, but now we’re getting a new line focused entirely on him. Here’s Marvel’s description for the first issue:

ENCORE! YOU WANTED MORE! In a world without NORMAN OSBORN, SPIDER-PUNK REIGNS! This ain't no victory lap though - as HOBIE BROWN and team try to rebuild society, JUSTIN HAMMER & DOCTOR OTTO OCTAVIUS have other plans...like introducing the world to the SPIDER-SLAYING SENTINELS!