Marvel Brings Back X-Force, Defenders, and More in December

Marvel has unveiled its December 2018 release and the month is stacked with big books.

In X-Men: The Exterminated, the X-Men must mourn the loss of one their own, the time-traveling mutant Cable. But a younger version of Cable continues the journey along with the original X-Force squad in a brand new X-Force series.

“Within the Marvel Universe, the X-Men have always been the outsiders, the black sheep. And X-Force are the outsiders within the X-Men. They’re the team willing to do the things that no one else in the Marvel Universe will and that’s something that appeals to my sensibilities a great deal,” X-Force writer Ed Brisson explained when the series was announced. “Right now we have a couple of different things going on with X-Force. Coming out of Extermination, Domino, Shatterstar, Cannonball, and Warpath are reeling from the loss of their mentor and have unanswered questions. They’re on the hunt for this new Kid Cable to get those answers—some want his head, some just want to talk to him to find out what the hell is going on. Is this really their Cable? Is this an impostor?”

Then it’s the next big superhero wedding as Ben Grimm, aka the Thing, weds longtime love Alicia Masters in Fantastic Four #5. The issue will be accompanied by a Fantastic Four: Wedding Special expanding on the special event.

Black Panther villain Killmonger gets the spotlight in his own miniseries, and the Winter Soldier returns to the fray in a miniseries of his own.

The original Defenders return in a story called “The Best Defense.” The Immortal Hulk, Namor, Doctor Strange, and Silver Surfer will each have their own one-shot issue telling one chapter of the story. It all culminates in the finale issue Defenders: The Best Defense #1.

Two Spider-Mans who are not Peter Parker begin new eras of their careers. Otto Octavius, who now inhabits a perfected clone Peter Parker body, sheds the Superior Octopus persona to become the Superior Spider-Man once again in a brand new series. Miles Morales also begins a new chapter with new series writer Saladin Ahmed and artist Javier Garron.

Keep reading to see Marvel’s biggest books in December 2018.

X-Men: The Exterminated #1

X-Men: The Exterminated #1

Zac Thompson & Lonnie Nadler and Chris Claremont (W)

Neil Edwards & more (A)

COVER BY Geoff Shaw

Variant cover by Kaare Andrews

FANTASTIC FOUR VILLAINS VARIANT COVER BY MICO SUAYAN

EXTERMINATION AFTERMATH!

A Death in the Family!

In the aftermath of Extermination, the X-Men mourn for their fallen brother, Cable. But no one is taking it harder than his adopted daughter, Hope Summers. Will Hope be able to cope with the loss, or will she be led down a dark path that she won’t be able to return from? Only Jean Grey can save Hope from herself! Plus, celebrate the life of Nathan Summers with a story from his past by Chris Claremont!

40 PGS./one-shot /Rated T+ …$4.99

Fantastic Four #5

FANTASTIC FOUR #5

DAN SLOTT (W) • AARON KUDER, ADAM HUGHES & MICHAEL ALLRED (A)

Cover by ESAD RIBIC

Variant Cover by ALEX ROSS

Susan Storm Variant Cover by SIMONE BIANCHI

Variant Cover By Mark Brooks

Alicia Remastered Variant Cover By Jack Kirby

Thing Remastered Variant Cover by Jack Kirby

Variant Cover By Elizabeth Torque

Variant Cover By Ashley Witter

CONAN VS MARVEL HEROES VARIANT BY TBA

PARTY VARIANT COVER BY TBA

PREMIERE VARIANT COVER BY ESAD RIBIC

SPECIAL 650th ISSUE SPECTACULAR!

The wedding that’s been years in the making…Ben and Alicia say “I do!”

No bait. No switch. Not a dream. Not a hoax. And we swear, not a single Skrull around. This is really happening! From the book that brought you the first, best and longest running super hero marriage in comics, we give you…the wedding of Ben Grimm and Alicia Masters! Featuring an untold tale of the courtship of Ben and Alicia. A bachelor party that only Johnny Storm could throw. And a very special ceremony brought to you in the Mighty Marvel Manner.

64 PGS./Rated T …$5.99

Fantastic Four: Wedding Special #1

FANTASTIC FOUR: WEDDING SPECIAL #1

GAIL SIMONE & DAN SLOTT (W) • LAURA BRAGA (A)

Cover by CARLOS PACHECO

VARIANT COVER BY ARTGERM

VARIANT COVER BY MARCOS MARTIN

VARIANT COVER BY MIKE MCKONE

VARIANT COVER BY PASQUAL FERRY

FANTASTIC FOUR VILLAINS VARIANT COVER BY MARCOS MARTIN

Come and celebrate the impending nuptials of the Thing and Alicia Masters with a Ladies Night Out as only the First Family of Comics can do it! Guest-starring She-Hulk, Medusa, Crystal and more, it’s the bachelorette party Alicia never expected—and one whose ribaldry will be interrupted by the arrival of a Surprise Super Villain! (And no, we don’t mean Johnny Storm!)  Meanwhile, the Thing has an unexpected meeting with his future father-in-law, the Puppet Master! Plus, Hembeck! The Fantastic Four family tree! And more! R.S.V.P. at your local comics retailer this December, and don’t forget to kiss the bride!

40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

X-Force #1

X-FORCE #1

ED BRISSON (W) • DYLAN BURNETT (A)

Cover by PEPE LARRAZ

VARIANT COVER BY Rob Liefeld

VARIANT COVER BY Gerardo Zaffino

FANTASTIC FOUR VILLAINS VARIANT COVER BY MARKO DJURDJEVIC

VARIANT COVER BY LEINIL YU

REMASTERED VARIANT COVER BY MIKE MIGNOLA

VARIANT COVER BY SKOTTIE YOUNG

BLANK VARIANT COVER ALSO AVAILABLE

FROM THE ASHES OF EXTERMINATION!

Cable is dead…and now, the original X-Force team of Domino, Cannonball, Shatterstar, Boom Boom and Warpath. must hunt down the murderer of their former leader! The mutant militia are hot for blood…but when their target is the time-traveling younger version of their fallen mentor, is there a line they absolutely cannot cross? And what does Deathlok have to do with all of it? From Ed Brisson (EXTERMINATION, OLD MAN LOGAN) and Dylan Burnett (COSMIC GHOST RIDER), comes an all-new, high-octane mutant adventure! A reckoning will come!

40 PGS./Parental Advisory …$4.99

KIllmonger #1 (of 5)

KILLMONGER #1 (of 5)

BRYAN HILL (W) • JUAN FERREYRA (A/C)

Variant Cover by JASON PEARSON

VARIANT COVER BY LARRY STROMAN

MOVIE VARIANT ALSO AVAILABLE

THE BRUTAL TALE OF A MAN WHO WILL STOP AT NOTHING FOR FREEDOM…

One day, Erik Killmonger will rise up and attempt to steal the throne of Wakanda. The throne he believes he is owed. But long before he became “Killmonger,” there was a boy known as N’Jadaka. A boy who was stolen from his home and taught only the world’s cruelties. A boy who knew the Black Panther only as a fairy tale, a whisper from strangers. This is the story of a man who driven by revenge. This is the legend of Killmonger.

40 PGS./Rated PARENTAL ADVISORY …$4.99

Killmonger #2

 

KILLMONGER #2

BRYAN EDWARD HILL (W) • JUAN FERREYRA (A/C)

Variant Cover by Jeff Dekal

CAN’T KILL THE KING!

All he wants is Ulysses Klaw. But to get his revenge, Erik Killmonger will have to take a job from the deadliest man in New York City: Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of crime. Four targets – four assassins. Assuming, that is, that Erik can trust his newfound teammates…

32 PGS./Rated PARENTAL ADVISORY …$3.99

Season’s Beatings #1

SEASON’S BEATINGS #1

JASON LATOUR (W) • CHRIS BRUNNER, VERONICA FISH, IRENE STRYCHALSKI & MORE! (A)

COVER BY MARCOS MARTIN

VARIANT COVER BY TBA

FANTASTIC FOUR VILLAINS VARIANT COVER BY MARKO DJURDJEVIC

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And certainly the most eventful, as this cast of Marvel heroes soon find out as they engage in wacky hijinks to save the holiday season!

40 PGS./one-shot /Rated T+ …$4.99

Winter Soldier #1 (of 5)

WINTER SOLDIER #1 (OF 5)

KYLE HIGGINS (W) • ROD REIS (A/C)

Variant Cover by BILL SIENKIEWICZ

VARIANT COVER BY BUTCH GUICE

Bucky Barnes believes in second chances.

Having escaped death, the loss of identity, and a life of murder, the man known as the Winter Soldier has worked hard to atone for his sins. But now…he’s going to go one step further. What do you do when you’ve found redemption? You help others do the same.

From KYLE HIGGINS (Nightwing, Power Rangers, C.O.W.L.) and ROD REIS (SECRET EMPIRE, DOCTOR STRANGE: DAMNATION, C.O.W.L.) comes the next chapter in the saga of the Winter Soldier. He’s becoming a “fixer,” working to help others leave behind lives of crime. It’s Bucky’s way of channeling his own pain in a productive, personal way…by helping others find the redemption that he found. However, as Bucky is going to learn, not all paths are the same…and not everyone can be “saved.”

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Immortal Hulk: Defenders #1

IMMORTAL HULK: DEFENDERS #1

AL EWING (W) • SIMONE DI MEO (A)

Cover by RON GARNEY

Variant Cover by Joe Bennett

VARIANT COVER BY ADI GRANOV

REMASTERED VARIANT COVER BY JACK KIRBY

VARIANT COVER BY SKOTTIE YOUNG

“THE BEST DEFENSE” STARTS HERE!

• Stephen Strange is dead. A charred skeleton in an abandoned barn on the edge of a deserted town.

• Bruce Banner wants to know why. And he won’t stop until he has the truth in his hands…

• …with or without THE IMMORTAL HULK.

40 PGS./one-shot /Rated T+ …$4.99

Namor: Defenders #1

 

Doctor Strange: Defenders #1

DOCTOR STRANGE: DEFENDERS #1

GERRY DUGGAN (W) • GREG SMALLWOOD (A)

Cover by RON GARNEY

Variant Cover by CHRISTIAN WARD

VARIANT COVER BY MIKE MCKONE

REMASTERED VARIANT COVER BY STEVE DITKO

VARIANT COVER BY SKOTTIE YOUNG

“THE BEST DEFENSE” PART THREE!

• In a desolate, barren landscape, the Master of the Mystic Arts fights what may well prove to be his final battle—alone, unaided, friendless…

• Except…what’s in that bag that Stephen Strange is carrying with him?

40 PGS./one-shot /Rated T+ …$4.99

Silver Surfer: Defenders #1

SILVER SURFER: DEFENDERS #1

JASON LATOUR (W) • JASON LATOUR (A)

Cover by RON GARNEY

Variant Cover by SKAN

VARIANT COVER BY PASQUAL FERRY

REMASTERED VARIANT COVER BY JOHN BUSCEMA

VARIANT COVER BY SKOTTIE YOUNG

“THE BEST DEFENSE” PART FOUR!

• Shall not the Judge of All the Earths do right?

• Norrin Radd is not so certain.

• But it falls to him who is the Silver Surfer to decide which planets will live…and which will feed the unending hunger of the world-devouring Galactus!

• A single honest person can tip the balance…if only the Surfer can find one in time!

• And the Train rolls on…

40 PGS./one-shot /Rated T+ …$4.99

Defenders: The Best Defense #1

DEFENDERS: THE BEST DEFENSE #1

AL EWING (W) • JOE BENNETT (A)

Cover by RON GARNEY

Variant Cover by ART ADAMS

VARIANT COVER BY KEVIN NOWLAN

REMASTERED VARIANT COVER BY SAL BUSCEMA

VARIANT COVER BY SKOTTIE YOUNG

“THE BEST DEFENSE” FINALE!

• The lost Atlanteans. The Train. The bedsheet man. Dead Steve. The Stock Exchange of Souls. Trust us, it all makes sense.

• In fact, it makes enough sense to destroy our entire solar system… Unless four very different  heroes can come together to stop it.

40 PGS./one-shot /Rated T+ …$4.99

Superior Spider-Man #1

 

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1

MILES MORALES: SPIDER-MAN #1

SALADIN AHMED (W) • JAVIER GARRÓN (A)

Cover by BRIAN STELFREEZE

VARIANT COVER BY JAVIER GARRON

VARIANT COVER BY ELIZABETH TORQUE

FANTASTIC FOUR VILLAINS VARIANT COVER BY MARKO DJURDJEVIC

ANIMATION VARIANT COVER ALSO AVAILABLE

Balancing his normal life, school, parents, etc…and super-heroing has never been easy, but when the Rhino and a cadre of mysterious criminals start plaguing Brooklyn, things take a dark turn. And Miles doesn’t even know the half of it yet. Eisner Award-winner Saladin Ahmed (BLACK BOLT) and Young Gun Javier Garrón (ANT-MAN & THE WASP) bring you the latest incarnation of the coolest character in the Marvel Universe!

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99