Marvel Comics has revealed 12 different covers (including eight by all the artists in the Stormbreakers initiative) for the first issue of its upcoming solo series starring legendary villain Kang the Conqueror.
Written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing and illustrated by Carlos Magno, Kang the Conqueror #1 is set to hit comic shops on Wednesday, Aug. 18 in order to begin telling the eponymous character's "definitive origin."
"The new series will unravel Kang's complex history, tying together all of his greatest stories and reuniting his alternative selves from across the timeline," Marvel Comics said in a press release. "Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Kang is set to begin his biggest era yet. To celebrate the character's first-ever solo series, some of the industry's top artists have crafted outstanding covers that showcase the past, present, and future of Kang's incredible saga. Included in this collection are covers by all eight of Marvel's Stormbreakers depicting key moments in Kang's history from his iconic first run-ins with the Fantastic Four and the Avengers to his epic showdown with the Young Avengers."
An official synopsis for the Kang the Conqueror series reads, "The man called Kang the Conqueror has been a pharaoh, a villain, a warlord of the space ways, and even -- on rare occasions -- a hero. Across all timelines, one fact seemed absolute: Time means nothing to Kang the Conqueror. But the truth is more complex. Kang is caught in an endless cycle of creation and destruction dictated by time and previously unseen by any but the Conqueror himself. A cycle that could finally explain the enigma that is Kang. And a cycle that begins and ends with an old and broken Kang sending his younger self down a dark path."
"Issue one is Kang's proper origin, and issues two through five are Kang's life story," co-writer Kelly explained in a recent interview with Nerdist. "We are hoping to, by the end of issue five, take you through the entirety of King's life. So that any Kang story that you have read over the course of the last several decades, you can look at it and see where it fits inside the secret history of Kang the Conqueror, and the personal story he's been through."
All 12 covers for Kang the Conqueror #1 can be found below. Marvel also reminds retailers that orders are due by July 26.
Kang the Conqueror first appeared in 1964's Avengers #8 -- though Kang's original alter ego, Rama-Tut, actually made his comic book debut one year prior in Fantastic Four #19. Actor Jonathan Majors is set to bring Kang to life as the main villain of the upcoming Marvel Studios film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Majors also recently appeared as an alternate version of Kang, known as "He Who Remains," in the Season 1 finale of Marvel Studios' Disney+ original series Loki.
Written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing and illustrated by Carlos Magno, Kang the Conqueror #1 goes on sale Aug. 18 from Marvel Comics.
Source: Marvel Comics