'Invaders,' 'Inhuman' lead 'All-New Marvel NOW' campaign

Brian Truitt | USA TODAY

Last fall, Marvel Comics started a campaign to bring its greatest heroes of old — the Avengers, Spider-Man, Hulk and the X-Men, among them — to the new comic-book readers of now.

That "Marvel NOW" initiative was such a success that they're doing it again, with a retooled World War II supergroup and the emergence of a new human race leading the way.

"All-New Marvel NOW" begins Dec. 24 with Avengers No. 24.NOW, a new entry point for one of Marvel's flagship series. The upcoming campaign continues through April with story arcs in ongoing series friendly to comic-book newbies, plus launches a bevy of fresh books, including All-New Invaders and Inhuman in January.

"Our catalog rolls deep," says Marvel editor in chief Axel Alonso, "and it's giving people fresh, new voices, breathing new life into characters that quite frankly just deserve their own spotlight.

In addition, select NOW issues of ongoing series will have a digital code for the first collection of issues so fledgling fans can get brought up to speed.

"If you haven't been reading Hulk or Captain America or Thor, here's a spot where you can start cleanly and get on board," says Marvel executive editor Tom Brevoort.

The first Marvel NOW brought emerging characters such as Nova and the Guardians of the Galaxy to the fore, and the next version is following suit by focusing on folks such as Black Widow, Silver Surfer and the Inhumans, the royal race of superpowered people led by their silent and powerful ruler, Black Bolt.

They play an integral role in the current Infinity event series, and Inhuman, written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Joe Madiurera, spins out of that by following what happens when a large population of people are exposed to a mist that makes them powerful Inhumans themselves.

"There is something alien in the Inhumans, something other, something not from around here," says Fraction, adding that it's "the secret kingdom stuff, the weird powers, the mixture of science fiction and pure fantasy that makes up their history" that makes them so cool.

"You can tell the mark of a quality human being by their enjoyment of the Inhumans. Like being a Velvet Underground fan."

Captain America plays a large role in Avengers 24.NOW — by writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Esad Ribic — as he and Iron Man round up a new team of Avengers to deal with a runaway planet heading toward Earth.

The star-spangled hero also reteams with his old war buddies — the original Human Torch, Namor the Sub-Mariner and Cap sidekick Bucky Barnes, now known as the Winter Soldier — in modern day with All-New Invaders by writer James Robinson and artist Steve Pugh.

The alien Kree Empire seeks to rediscover a device that can control gods and create an unstoppable army, but Cap's crew springs into action to head them off.

"They answered America's call, went to war against the Nazi menace and fought side by side. These guys were brothers-in-arms," Robinson says of the Invaders. "As they move into more modern dramas, that link is a link you just can't undo. That will hopefully be the visceral element of this books' identity that will set it apart from the Avengers and X-Men."

Going into a new Marvel NOW, the company has "a certain amount of swagger" because the first did so well, Alonso says — according to Diamond Comic Distributors, Marvel NOW comics had the overall best-selling issues for five months between October 2012 and May 2013. November alone garnered eight NOW books in the top 10.

More importantly for Alonso, though, having a non-A-list book such as Guardians of the Galaxy top the charts keeps things exciting in the overall Marvel Universe. (Having a Guardians movie on the way helps out, too.)

"I don't know how many people have gotten Rocket Raccoon tattoos, but I anticipate a lot in 2014," Alonso says.

"My favorite thing is showing people why those characters that aren't necessarily household names like the Falcon and Silver Surfer should be, and why they're every bit as vital to the Marvel mythology as Spider-Man and the Avengers."