As Marvel Comics ushers in a "fresh start" in May for its entire superhero publishing line, the company will say farewell to the legacy numbering for most of its titles introduced last year as part of its Marvel Legacy initiative.
Announced in April 2017, Marvel Legacy was heralded as a blend of the old and the new, embodied in the return of the publisher's longest-running titles to their original numbering. For example, The Amazing Spider-Man jumped from Issue 32 to Issue 789 in the matter of a month. It was a confusing math system that Marvel seems to be admitting didn't work, so with the May relaunch all books will revert to their pre-Legacy numbering.
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That doesn't mean consecutive numbering is gone completely. Executive Editor Tom Brevoort indicated to IGN.com that legacy numbering may remain in a "subordinate fashion" on select titles, but didn't specify which ones. Ultimately, Marvel wants to ensure numbering isn't confusing to readers -- particularly those new or lapsed ones who are part of the target market for this latest initiative.
One book that certainly won't employ legacy numbering is Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness' Avengers, which gets a new #1 issue when it launches in May.