It includes brand-new artwork of some of DC's most famous characters, as well as recalling famous storylines and battles.

    When Wiccan's reality-altering powers begin to rival those of the Scarlet Witch, the young hero sets out on a quest to find her that spans the Marvel Universe and pits Wiccan against both the Avengers and the Young Avengers. But will Wiccan's desire to solve the mystery of his parentage be his salvation or his undoing? With three words, the Scarlet Witch changed the world forever...and now with her return, nothing will ever be the same for the Marvel Universe. This self-contained Marvel event reintroduces and redefines the Young Avengers and the Scarlet Witch for the Heroic Age, and is essential reading for any Avengers fan.Collecting: material from Uncanny X-Men 526; Avengers: The Children's Crusade 1-9, Avengers: The Children's Crusade – Young Avengers #1

    For more than three quarters of a century, he has cycled from a figure of darkness to one of lightness and back again; he’s a bat-shaped Rorschach inkblot who takes on the various meanings our changing culture projects onto him. How we perceive Batman’s character, whether he’s delivering dire threats in a raspy Christian Bale growl or trading blithely homoerotic double-entendres with partner Robin on the comics page, speaks to who we are and how we wish to be seen by the world. It’s this endlessly mutable quality that has made him so enduring.And it’s Batman’s fundamental nerdiness—his gadgets, his obsession, his oath, even his lack of superpowers—that uniquely resonates with his fans who feel a fiercely protective love for the character. Today, fueled by the internet, that breed of passion for elements of popular culture is everywhere. Which is what makes Batman the perfect lens through which to understand geek culture, its current popularity, and social significance.In The Caped Crusade, with humor and insight, Glen Weldon, book critic for NPR and author of Superman: The Unauthorized Biography, lays out Batman’s seventy-eight-year cultural history and shows how he has helped make us who we are today and why his legacy remains so strong.

    X-Men 3 arrives in theaters May 26th.

    The time is now. The phenomenon is genetic mutation. It is a time of change. Humanity now faces mutants, a mysterious sub-species that is gifted with strange and frightening powers. Hidden among the population. they are feared and hated by their human cousins. As rumors and urban myths about their existence spread across the world, the US government creates its own initiative to deal with this threat: the Sentinel Project. Meanwhile two men wage a secret war for the hearts and minds of young mutants everywhere. Charles Xavier has recruited a cadre of students including Cyclops, Jean Grey and Beast, that call themselves the X-Men. But there are others out there, living in fear, struggling to deal with what they are: Ororo Munroe, Bobby Drake and another, more dangerous mutant named Logan. Simultaneously, the terrorist known only as Magneto has assembled The Brotherhood, a militant group dedicated to the overthrow of human authority. A war is on the horizon and these amazing young men and women will decide the future of all humanity!Just as Ultimate Spider-Man reinvented and reinvigorated Marvel's flagship character, Ultimate X-Men promises do the same for comics' most popular super hero team. Streamlining the mutant heroes into a manageable core group, this non-stop saga action and intrigue takes place in a continuity recognizable to fans of this year's blockbuster smash X-Men movie. Ultimate X-Men is the perfect choice for anyone who can't get enough of the X!Collecting: Ultimate X-Men 1-6

    But in this vampire love story, the only thing that sparkles is the dialogue.Dracula has chosen a bride. She's a succubus queen of the undead, and their union will end eons of conflict and bring the monster world under his rule. Only one problem: he's hired Deadpool to find her. The stakes are high, middling and painfully low as wascally Wade goes all Indiana Jones in a bid to dig up Drac's long-buried intended. But as teleporting assassins, Greek legends and the vampire hunter Blade get in his way, it's clear not everyone's on board with this unholy matrimony. And when Deadpool finally meets the bride-to-be, even he gets cold feet. If Wade won't run this gauntlet, Dracula will throw down the gauntlet. And that means sending Werewolf by Night and the most literal Frightful Four of all time to retrieve his quarry. As an all-out Monster Mash looms, how far is Wade willing to go to stop this wedding?Collecting: Deadpool: Dracula's Gauntlet 1-7

    . . science fact or science fiction?"An entertaining and informative guide to comic book wonders bound to come."—Julius Schwartz, Editor Emeritus, DC ComicsSuperman, Batman, The X-Men, Flash, Spider Man . . . they protect us from evildoers, defend truth and justice, and, occasionally, save our planet from certain doom. Yet, how much do we understand about their powers?In this engaging yet serious work, Lois Gresh and Robert Weinberg attempt to answer that question once and for all. From X-ray vision to psychokinesis, invisibility to lightspeed locomotion, they take a hard, scientific look at the powers possessed by all of our most revered superheroes, and a few of the lesser ones, in an attempt to sort fact from fantasy. In the process, they unearth some shocking truths that will unsettle, alarm, and even terrify all but the most fiendish of supervillains.Lois Gresh (Rochester, NY) has written eight novels and nonfiction books as well as dozens of short stories and has been nominated for national fiction awards six times.Robert Weinberg (Oak Forest, IL) is a multiple award-winning author of novels, nonfiction books, short stories and comics.

    From the back alleys of Manhattan, to the serene Greek Isles, to the bustling streets of Hong Kong, Wanda will have to face down her foes and find out who her true friends are. But as Wanda solves magical crimes and pieces witchcraft back together, the most important question remains: Who is the mastermind that broke it in the first place?COLLECTING: SCARLET WITCH 1-5

    But how can they do that when their new mentor is their old mentor's arch-frenemy? That's right - Magneto has joined the original X-Men! But due to their long history with the Master of Magnetism, not everyone on the squad can put old rivalries aside... With tensions rising, can the X-Men come together to be a cohesive force for good? Or will ulterior motives and personal quests derail the entire enterprise? At the end of the day...who can be trusted?COLLECTING: X-MEN: BLUE 1-6

    In the epic crossover Second Coming, Cyclops' faith pays off when Cable returns to the present with Hope, the girl he believes to be the mutant messiah. But will she be the savior or destroyer of mutantkind? We may never know, as she is the target of an initiative for mutant eradication unlike anything the X-Men have ever experienced. Many will be wounded. Several will die. Is Hope worth it?Collecting: Second Coming: Prepare, 1-2; Uncanny X-Men 523-525; New Mutants 12-14; X-Men Legacy 235-237; X-Force 26-28

    But when the new Hellfire Club decides they don't like what the ol' Canucklehead has started, and decide to burn the place to the ground, will the school even outlast its first day?Collecting: Wolverine and the X-Men 1-4

    And on that day, a teleporting puppy scoured the world to assemble a team of animals to fight the foes no single beast could withstand! Strap on your collar and hop on-board the adventures of LOCKJAW, LOCKHEED, REDWING, HAIRBALL, and an all-new FROG THOR! Collecting Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #1-4, Tales of the Pet Avengers digital comic, and the Marvel Pets Handbook.

    Knife’s hands! With billions of lives at stake, Star-Lord must steal it back — with the help of both the Guardians and the X-Men! But as a schism forms between the heroes, Knife’s Slaughter Squad closes in! Beast and Kitty must decipher the Vortex Book as Ronan, Nova and the Brood get involved, and Spartax falls! The Vortex grants near-infinite power to Knife’s forces; to counter them, the heroes will have to submit to its power themselves! Will the X-Men and Guardians lose their humanity forever?Collecting: Guardians of the Galaxy & X-Men: The Black Vortex: Alpha, Omega; Guardians of the Galaxy 24-25; Legendary Star-Lord 9-11; All-New X-Men 38-39; Guardians Team-Up 3; Nova 28; Cyclops 12; & Captain Marvel 14

    But in 1935, he was just another schoolboy - who happened to be Jewish in Nazi Germany. The definitive origin story of one of Marvel's greatest icons begins with a silver chain and a crush on a girl - and quickly turns into a harrowing struggle for survival against the inexorable machinery of Hitler's Final Solution From X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong writer Greg Pak and award-winning artist Carmine Di Giandomenico. Collects X-Men: Magneto Testament #1-5.

    weapon. And weapons kill people. They found that out well enough. Find out just how much "X" can cover in this prequel to recent revelations of the murderous mysteries that have mesmerized our favorite mutant! Collects Marvel Comics Presents #72-84