Marvel No-Prizes Return in 2023 as Nostalgia Variant Covers
The legendary No-Prizes issued by Marvel Comics to the most faithful True Believers are making a comeback in 2023. But instead of mailing the No-Prizes out to fans, Marvel will feature them on eye-catching variant covers in February. The No-Prizes term was coined by beloved creator Stan Lee and given out to fans who would catch continuity errors in stories and call them out in the back of letter pages. They later evolved as a prize given to fans who could expertly explain them away. No-Prizes and the term continued to evolve over the years, but 2023 is shaping up as a celebratory year for the No-Prize thanks to new variant covers.
Marvel revealed the first set of three No-Prizes variant covers coming out in February. They'll be found on Amazing Spider-Man #19, Black Panther #14, and Hulk #12. Each cover features photographs of the actual No-Prize envelopes that were mailed out to "winners," letting them know they were correct in calling out the continuity error(s). For example, the Amazing Spider-Man #19 cover has a Steve Ditko drawing of Spidey swinging on a web, and the caption, "Congratulations! You're another lucky winner of a practically priceless Marvel No-Prize which you'll find enclosed!"
The Black Panther #14 No-Prize variant has the same message, with Hulk #12 deviating with the message, "Congratulations! This envelope contains a genuine Marvel Comics No-Prize which you have just won!"
Marvel Comics 2023 Events Timeline
Marvel Comics mapped out the timeline of its next big events during a panel at New York Comic Con. The Marvel Comics: Next Big Thing panel revealed its 2022-2023 slate, which kicks off in November with Avengers Assemble and carries through to Fall of X next summer. Along the way, comic fans will get Dark Web in December, Sins of Sinister in January, Captain America: Cold War in the spring, and Summer of Symbiotes in Summer 2023 as well.
According to Marvel, Avengers Assemble is described as follows: "Visionary writer Jason Aaron brings his nearly five year run on Avengers to an incredible end. Joined by artists Bryan Hitch, Javier Garron, and Aaron Kuder, Aaron will tie together his work on Avengers, Avengers Forever, and the Avengers of 1,000,000 BC in a Multiverse-spanning saga that sees the Avengers go to war against an unprecedented army of villains and prove why they're the Mightiest Heroes of All Earths!"
In Dark Web, "the two spurned clones of the Marvel Universe, Madelyne Pryor and Ben Reilly, team up as Goblin Queen and Chasm to unleash their revenge in this Spider-Man and X-Men crossover that pays off decades of comic book storytelling! The dramatic event will fan the flames of the classic Inferno crossover and impact Spider-Man, the X-Men, Venom, Ms. Marvel, and more in a series of tie-in issues and limited series."
For Sins of Sinister, "Mister Sinister's devious machinations yield the darkest Marvel Comics future to date in this universe-melting X-Men event. Immortal X-Men, X-Men Red, and Legion of X will be transformed into Immoral X-Men, Storm & The Brotherhood of Mutants, and Nightcrawlers as this overarching saga propels further and further into an unforgiving universe where all things are Sinister!" The series will kick off with a supersized one-shot by writer Kieron Gillen and artist Lucas Werneck. Storm & The Brotherhood of Mutants will be written by Al Ewing with art by Paco Medina. Nightcrawlers will be written by Si Spurrier with art by Paco Medina. Immoral X-Men will be written by Kieron Gillen with art by Paco Medina.
Captain America: Cold War is described as "Currently sharing the mantle of Captain America, Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson's current adventures collide in this crossover between Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty and Captain America: Symbol of Truth. A pivotal chapter in the 80-year history of Captain America, this espionage-fueled action thriller will be a culmination of various plot threads in this acclaimed new era including the rise of the Outer Circle, Nomad's return, the brewing conflict with Wakanda and White Wolf, and Bucky's new persona and mission…"
In Summer of Symbiotes, "Sun's out, tongue's out! Spinning out of titles like Venom, Carnage, and Red Goblin comes a slew of new symbiotic stories. Get ready for the return of old faces, the debut of new symbiote heroes, and exciting shifts for iconic symbiote stars. It's a season of symbiote insanity!"
And in Fall of X, "The X-Men hoped Krakoa would last forever. Time to find out if they were right."