Writer Jonathan Hickman is returning to Marvel Comics this summer for the lead up to his new cosmic story titled GODS, created alongside artist Valerio Schiti. Marvel has now revealed that the characters of GODS will play a role in this year's Hellfire Gala event, in which the mutant nation of Krakoa opens its doors to the outside world - and the publisher has also released several variant covers which introduce the characters of GODS for the first time.
Appearing on several of Marvel's August titles, the variant covers show the characters of GODS teaming up with well-known heroes from the Marvel Universe. Alongside the covers, Marvel also released official descriptions of the characters who are featured. Here's how Marvel describes them:
- Wyn, a powerful magic expert who’s operated in secret for thousands of years and is now forced to come out of the shadows.
- Aiko Maki, a high-ranking agent brutally loyal to the ways of science and willing to do anything to keep the building blocks of creation in balance.
- Dmitri the Science Boy, Wyn’s reckless partner who has a secret mission of his own to discover the dark truth of his past.
- Mia the Magic Girl, a young sorcerer struggling to achieve her full potential.
- Cubisk Core, a mysterious being of pure corruption seeking to shatter the existing systems.
And here's a gallery of the covers that have been revealed so far, followed by a list of the titles on which they'll appear and the artists who created them, organized by date:
August 2
- Doctor Strange #6 by Ema Lupacchino
- Fantastic Four #10 by Giuseppe Camuncoli
- Moon Knight #26 by Salvador Larroca
- Scarlet Witch #7 by Lucas Werneck
August 9
- Guardians Of The Galaxy #5 by Todd Nauck
August 16
- Uncanny Avengers #1 by Greg Land
August 23
- Amazing Spider-Man #32 by Adam Kubert
- Immortal Thor #1 by Bryan Hitch
- Venom #24 by Jan Bazaldua
"When I came back to Marvel a few years ago, I wrote two series bibles. The first was House of X and the other one was GODS," Hickman explains in a statement. "To say that I'm excited to finally be able to share this story with everyone is a massive understatement."
"GODS takes place in its own special corner of the Marvel Universe - in the cracks that lie at the intersection of science and magic-- and revisits some characters and concepts that we've reimagined for a more modern, continuity-driven audience," he concludes.
GODS #1 will release this fall. No specific date has been announced.
Check out all of Marvel Comics' just released August 2023 solicitations.