As "Secret Wars" draws ever closer, Marvel announced a new "Armor Wars" series from James Robinson and Marcio Takara via ComicsAlliance.

Taking its title from the same event in "Iron Man" #225-#231 by David Michelinie, Bob Layton, Mark D. Bright and Barry Windsor-Smith, "Armor Wars" pits brothers Tony and Arno Stark against each other after another armored hero has been murdered in Technopolis, a utopia where a disease forces everyone to wear armor in order to live.

Promising "a big armor war in each issue," Robinson said, "I just wanted to give the readers something they might not expect. Don't worry, there will always be a big 'armor war' in each issue. But I love crime fiction, so the idea of making the series a murder mystery where it's the solving of the crime that leads to so much action, is, I think a novel twist."

As for the aesthetic of the book, Takara explained, "The idea was to incorporate as many Iron Man visuals as possible to each character. Since everyone has armor, I did my best to make at least the most important characters visually distinct from each other. I usually spend hours just picking reference from all over the place. So for Armor Wars, I have folders like 'steampunk,' 'dieselpunk' and 'noir.' Along with lots and lots of Iron Man armors from the past. I love it."

"Armor Wars" #1 kicks off this spring.

ARMOR WARS #1


JAMES ROBINSON (W)


MARCIO TAKARA (A)


COVER BY PAUL RIVOCHE


A SHADOW FALLS OVER AN ARMORED UTOPIA!


• TECHNOPOLIS: Amazing Domain of science and wonder created by rival genius brothers TONY AND ARNO STARK. A utopia except...a unique disease forces EVERYONE to wear armor to live and breathe


• In this armored land a hero is murdered and the killer's identity a mystery Baron Tony Stark must solve.


• But in doing so, will Technopolis be forced into a civil war?


32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99