Marvel relaunches original graphic novel line with new Avengers tale

Avengers: Endless Wartime will be the first in Marvel Comics’ new series of origin graphic novels. The completely original, never before published Avengers tale is set to start the line off with a bang.

An abomination, long thought buried, has resurfaced in a war-torn land- but now it wears an American flag. Faced with another nightmare reborn, Captain America will not stand for yet more death at the hands of a ghost from his past. Haunted by his greatest shame, Thor must renew the hunt for a familiar beast. Side by side with the great Super Heroes the world has seen, united to end the threats no one of them could face alone, the Avengers will stare down the greatest threat the team has ever faced. But is even their combined might enough to overcome a force of pure evil?

I’m pleased as punch to see Marvel bringing back the original graphic novel format. I can remember a good number of  these kinds of books as being some of my favorite Marvel Universe tales from when I was a kid (Deathtrap: The Vault still warrants a read now and then).

Somehow, someway, a good chunk of the format went the way of the ‘collected edition’. Just bundling together a bunch of single issues from the same story arc is fine and all (and helps big time if you haven’t been following a book all the way through), but there used to be some amazingly cool one-off stories published as graphic novels back in ‘the day’.

And Avengers: Endless Wartime is definitely getting that train back on track. Not only will the book star some of the biggest heroes of today in a massive (and very personal) story, but it also will be getting the star treatment with an intro by Clark Gregg (Agent Phil Coulson) and an afterword by none other than Stan ‘The Man’ Lee.

The book also boasts a pretty awesome creative team with Warren Ellis and Mike McKone doing the honors. When asked about Avengers: Endless Wartime, Ellis had this to say about his involvement:

“When Marvel asked me to help re-launch their original graphic novel line, I had to say yes,” said Ellis. “Their total commitment, from story to design, made it a project I wanted to be part of.”

Endless Wartime will also be a great intro for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe according to Axel Alonso, Editor in Chief of Marvel.

“If you’re a new fan who saw Marvel Studio’s blockbuster Avengers film last year, this is a great place for you to discover the comic book adventures of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. And if you’re a long-time fan, you’re in for an action-packed story that shows you a new side of your favorite super heroes,” said Axel Alonso, Editor in Chief, Marvel Entertainment. “Avengers: Endless Wartime is one of our most important releases of the year, which is why we spared no expense in bringing two of the top talents in comics—Warren Ellis and Mike McKone—to make sure this was one of the biggest super hero stories you’ve ever read!”

Marvel officially re-launches its graphic novel line in style this Fall, when Avengers: Endless Warfare hits stores on October 2nd. The book will also be available digitally and the hardcover edition will include the now standard Marvel digital edition for free.