Marvel Launches Contest of Champions;
After Battleworld Comes Battlerealm...
 Marvel just snagged Ric Bretschneider's $3.99 in four words: Moonboy and Devil Dinosaur.
But seriously, this is both the kind of book Marvel used to do in the 80s -- fun and not necessarily a bad thing -- and fits the bill of what a comic can do when tied in to a mobile app game.
Probably more people play the game than read comics, so why not pull them in with something familiar yet filled with great alternate versions of well-known characters. I'm intrigued by The Maestro being there, for instance.
I would also suspect that this isn't meant to be an ongoing series -- I think we're seeing a few fun and different concepts thrown at us while the real new Marvel Universe slowly coalesces. But I've been wrong before. DC's Injustice book has lasted a lot longer than I thought it would.
From Marvel:
After the end of Secret Wars and the rebirth of the Marvel Universe, the Battlerealm is created: a broken section of space-time that’s filled with the shattered remnants of Battleworld. Here, a grand game is played in a cosmic arena where heroes must fight for their very survival and existence. This fall, no one in the Marvel Universe is safe! This is the CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS!
Inspired by Marvel’s wildly popular mobile fighting game, “Marvel Contest of Champions”, the comic book series, CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS, will merge the worlds of gaming and comics into an epic journey and present a story unlike anything else from Marvel. “We’re doing something unique and exciting here by merging Kabam’s highly popular mobile game with the Marvel Universe,” says series editor Mark Paniccia. “The game has really cool elements and concepts that will become part of the Marvel Comics’ mythos, resonating in Marvel continuity in a big way. We’re working closely with the folks at Kabam to expand The Battlerealm and that organically ties into the aftermath of SECRET WARS.”
And just which heroes will take on the mantle of “champions” in order to fight for their very existence in the new Marvel Universe? “We're going to have a whole bunch of Marvel's finest popping up regularly - even the dead aren't always beyond the reach of the Contest, so expect the return of an old face or two,” says series writer Al Ewing. “Some of the 'pawns' are there until they die, but others are beamed in, forced to fight and then returned to Earth with their memories wiped, all to add spice to the battles - in the first issue we have contestants ranging from Iron Man, Gamora and Venom to Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur, so anyone can have a place in the Battlerealm!”
The contest begins as champions – both heroes and villains – from various universes must compete in a cosmic battle. The ultimate prize: their continued existence. The battle begins this fall with CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS #1.
CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS #1
Written by AL EWING
Art by PACO MEDINA
Coming Fall 2015!
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