Stop me if you’ve heard this one. One of the big two comic book publishers is launching a new imprint, one that puts a dark spin on existing characters. Living in a world driven by a fundamental evil, these heroes lack some of their defining features. And yet, the contrast only gives the heroes a chance to restore hope.
Up until recently, that description fit only the Absolute Universe, DC Comics‘ wildly successful spinoff. But yesterday, Marvel announced the Midnight Universe, a new take on some of their most important heroes. “The Midnight Universe draws in longtime fans and newcomers alike to enter a terrifying new world where anything can happen,” reads a press release from the publisher. “Interconnected by rich lore-building, Marvel’s most definitive modern creators are given free rein to reimagine heroes with shocking twists and chilling transformations in boundary-less, creator-driven storytelling that will keep readers on edge issue after issue.”
The release goes on to identify the heroes in the first batch of Midnight comics: “The X-Men no longer fight for acceptance, they hunger for blood. The Fantastic Four venture into the unknown not to save the world—but to unleash terror upon it. And Spider-Man discovers that with great power… comes something monstrous.”
Written by Jonathan Hickman and penciled by Matteo Della Fonte, Midnight X-Men takes place in a New York City ruled by secret empires of vampires and mutants, giving Marvel a chance to once again turn Storm and Jubilee back into bloodsuckers. Writer Benjamin Percy and artist Kev Walker take on Midnight Fantastic Four, in which Reed Richards is a scientist whose obsessions have horrifying effects on his family. Midnight Spider-Man, written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and illustrated by Scie Tronc, imagines Peter Parker as a hybrid creature created by Oscorp.