[#item_full_content] [[{“value”:”New universes and reboots and relaunches are nothing new for comic book fans, but what Marvel Comics is cooking up with its Midnight line looks to be a refreshingly cool approach — and one horror fans (myself included) will definitely want to check out.
The pitch is simple. Basically, Marvel is giving some of its most successful creators free rein to reinvent three of the most iconic comic book franchises — Spider-Man, the X-Men and Fantastic Four — with a horror take that reinvents the origin story and basic core of the characters to create something new (and presumably, very scary).
Here’s the wider synopsis from Marvel, for context:
The light had its turn.
Dark. Unpredictable. Unmissable. The Midnight Universe draws in longtime fans and newcomers alike to enter a terrifying new world where anything can happen. Interconnected by rich lore, Marvel’s most acclaimed modern creators are given free rein to reimagine heroes with shocking twists and chilling transformations in boundary-less storytelling that will keep readers on edge issue after issue. 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.
Marvel seems to be going all-in on the concept, launching all three new ‘books together on October 7. To make sure comic readers take notice, Marvel is using the day as the exclusive Midnight line launch date — meaning those will be the only Marvel comics released that day. So, if you want to read some new Marvel ‘books that day, you might as well check them out. Because there’s nothing else on the calendar.
“The more we talked about Midnight, the more we realized it was far more than just the birth of another new universe,” Midnight Universe Executive Editor Dan Buckley said in a statement. “It was on an entirely different scale creatively, a doorway to something that was not only immediately exciting, but had immense long-term promise.”
Marvel Comics’ Midnight universe line-up
The Midnight line will launch with three main series, and the choice of which books they’re targeting makes it clear Marvel is keen to give this project a long runway to tell its scary stories. The X-Men’s wider world includes hundreds of characters, and the Fantastic Four are Marvel’s first family. Then, of course, Spider-Man is the biggest character in all of comics. You couldn’t have picked three bigger ‘books to launch it.
Much like the original Ultimate universe brought Marvel into the modern era, and how DC Comics has shaken things up with its hit Absolute Universe line, Marvel clearly sees Midnight as a chance to do the same — create something fresh and unique to put a very different spin on these characters.
Here’s the rundown:
MIDNIGHT SPIDER-MAN
Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, with art by Scietronc.
A young man is transformed into a hideous spider hybrid by the ruthless Oscorp Corporation in their pursuit for eternal life. When Oscorp begins to use the secrets unlocked by his mutation to create more human-animal hybrids, he must embrace his grotesque new form to fight back.
Johnson said they’re trying to tap into the terrifying, body horror aspects of the Spider-man story with the Midnight series, and name-checked the horror greats for what’s inspiring their run.
“I want to see a Spider-Man that was conceived by H.R. Giger, directed by David Cronenberg, adapted for the comic page by Junji Ito,” Johnson said in a statement. “I want Peter’s origin to be so upsetting it haunts me, and to see the Lizard and Doctor Octopus through the lens of a John Carpenter movie or a Resident Evil game. I’m so stoked for readers to see what we’re making.”
MIDNIGHT X-MEN
Written by Jonathan Hickman, with art by Matteo Della Fonte.
The shadows of New York City are stalked by vampires and the mutant empyres. The sword of Damocles hangs over the peace between these two species and the factions within them. An outright war is brewing and the unturned will be caught in the crossfire.
Hickman said he came into the Midnight project after seeing some of the early scripts for the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man stories, which excited him even more to get involved in telling an X-Men story through that lens.
“I knew that this line was going to be something special. As for me personally, I haven’t been this excited about a book in a very long time,” Hickman said in a statement. “There are certain kinds of projects that I, and I think most fans, prefer for me to be working on: Ambitious stories with intricate plots and long-form payoffs, which is exactly what MIDNIGHT X-MEN is.”
MIDNIGHT FANTASTIC FOUR
Written by Benjamin Percy, with art by Kev Walker.
An obsessive scientist delves into the secrets of the universe perhaps best left unknown to humankind, leaving himself and three others warped in strange and horrifying ways. What horrible secrets lie in the new dimensions they have discovered? And can humanity survive the discovery?
Percy said his darker approach to storytelling didn’t seem like an obvious fit for the Fantastic Four, but telling a Fantastic Four story in the Midnight universe? Now that is something that made a certain kind of terrible sense.
“[T]his is the dark continuity of the Midnight Universe—a fresh origin story for the characters that channels cosmic, Lovecraftian terror—which makes it a perfect match for me,” Percy said in a statement. “Mad science and cults and hidden realities await. The pacing is patient and full of dread and mystery and rich with a mythology that will feel both familiar and uncanny.”
It’s been a while since Marvel tried something this big with a new universe, and giving it a horror spin is certainly a way to catch attention. As a horror fan, and a Marvel fan, I definitely plan to check this one out.”}]] 
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