The Joker is dead, but not forgotten. Gotham City is saved, but it is still not safe. By night, its new symbol of hope, Batman, continues his fight to protect the innocent and the powerless. By day, his alter ego, Bruce Wayne, wonders whether there may someday be a future beyond skulking the city's rooftops or the cavernous halls of his stately manor alongside the ever-dutiful Alfred Pennyworth.

But even after death, the Clown Prince of Crime's imprint can be seen in more than just the pavement. Remnants from The Joker's gang are leading wannabes fascinated by his bizarre mystique on a campaign of arson that threatens the city--even as it serves greedy opportunists, including millionaire Max Shreck. And survivors of exposure to The Joker's chemical weapon Smylex continue to crowd Gotham City's main hospital.

To quell the chaos, Batman needs more than his cape and his well-stocked Utility Belt. Bruce Wayne is forced into action, prompting a partnership with a charismatic scientist to help solve the health crisis. But as he works in both the shadows and the light, Bruce finds himself drawn deeper into Gotham City's turmoil than ever before, fueling his obsession to save the city--an obsession that has already driven a wedge between him and Vicki Vale. The loyal Alfred, who had hoped Bruce's efforts as Batman could help him find closure, finds the opposite happening. Nightmares begin to prompt Bruce to ask new questions about the climactic events in the cathedral, and investigations by Commissioner Gordon and reporter Alexander Knox into the arsons only amplify his concerns.

Having told the people of Gotham City that they'd earned a rest from crime, Batman finds the forces of evil growing ever more organized--and orchestrated--by a sinister hand behind the scenes. The World's Greatest Detective must solve the greatest mystery of all: Could The Joker have somehow survived? And could he still have the last laugh against the people of Gotham City?

All Wanda has ever known is her friendly little neighborhood in Queens. As an infant, after her parents died, she was adopted into a family where her doting Aunt May and Uncle Ben would always be at the breakfast table. One that includes her idiot brother, Peter Parker, who thinks hiding a spider bite, joining a secret fight club, and becoming a super hero are somehow good ideas.

When Wanda's own powers emerge, blood, chaos, and suspicion follow in their wake. But as she learns to harness her power under the guidance of Doctor Strange, Peter is standing beside her in the Sanctum Sanctorum. And as they try to protect New York City, the Parker siblings learn that with great powers, there must also come great responsibilities--and greater losses.

Reeling from tragedy, Wanda finds herself truly alone for the first time in her life. Peter is lost to his own grief, and so she must forge ahead on her own. But on her first solo outing, she runs into a mysterious speedster--a man named Pietro. And everything she has ever known shatters like glass.

Faced with unbelievable truths, Wanda is forced to choose between the life she knows and the life she could have.

Another Marc crash-landed from an alternate reality, begging for help? Yeah, that is a new one, even for him.

But before he can really process anything beyond Khonshu's incessant alarm bells, it becomes clear this other Marc didn't travel solo. Some kind of alien--a symbiote named Venom--casts off its current host and begins to merge with Marc, forcing Khonshu away from his chosen champion and claiming Moon Knight for its own. The formerly stark white suit that struck fear into the hearts of criminals now looms as a jet-black shadow over friends and foes alike. Marc's lethal prowess, fueled by Venom's penchant for violence, carves a trail of chaos as they comb through the vigilante's torturous past.

Yet a sliver of hope remains: Finally free of Venom's control, the other Jake and Steven regain consciousness to find themselves in a strange reality, without their Marc but with a strange bird-like god insisting that they will do. Desperate, lost, and running out of time, the pair make a deal: become Khonshu's new avatar to track Venom's path of destruction, save this universe, and just maybe figure out a way back to their own.

The new Captain America has a heavy shield to hold. As a Black man in America, Sam Wilson knows he has to be twice as good to get half as much credit. He must be a paragon of virtue for a nation that has mixed feelings towards him. In these thirteen brand-new stories, the all-new Captain America must thwart an insurrectionist plot, travel back in time, foil a racist conspiracy, and save the world over and over again.

As the Falcon, Sam Wilson was the first African American super hero in mainstream comic books. Sam's trials and tribulations reflect the struggles many Black Americans go through today, as Sam balances fighting supervillains and saving the world with the difficulties of being the first Black Captain America. This action-packed anthology inspired by the Marvel comic book universe, will see Sam team up with familiar friends like Steve Rogers, Redwing and Nomad, while fighting Hydra, Sabretooth, Kingpin, and other infamous villains.

These are stories of death-defying courage, Black love and self-discovery. These are the stories of a super hero learning what it means to be a symbol.

These are the stories of Sam Wilson.

Featuring original stories by Maurice Broaddus, Jesse J. Holland, Gar Anthony Haywood, Nicole Givens Kurtz, Kyoko M., Sheree Renee Thomas, Gary Phillips, Danian Jerry, Gloria J. Browne Marshall, Glenn Parris, Christopher Chambers, Alex Simmons.

V. E. Schwab's New York Times bestselling Villains series, now in a boxed set along with a gorgeous double-sided poster!

In the Villains series (Vicious, Vengeful) V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.

A dynamic and original twist on what it means to be a hero and a villain. A killer from page one...highly recommended! --Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Marvel Universe vs The Avengers and Patient Zero

So many worlds, so little time. Infinite possibilities, creating infinite realities. Long have I watched the trickster god sow chaos. But . . . what if Loki saved Asgard from Tony Stark's revenge?

Thor--Son of Odin, God of Thunder, Wielder of Mjolnir--is dead. And Loki is responsible.

It was meant to be only a joke--tampering with the Destroyer, changing Thor's course to Midgard--a bit of mischief with a chance of maiming. But Loki's harmless prank spiraled out of control, unleashing death and destruction on New York City and the heroes sworn to protect it. The city was saved, at the cost of Thor's life.

Furious and heartbroken, the All-Father banishes Loki to Earth for his crime. Loki finds himself in a realm of boxed wine, instant noodles, and some sort of regional performance troupe known as the Buffalo Bills. It's a meager existence, far from Asgard's grand courts, but he finds his new friend, Brian the Gecko, a much more engaging companion than the sycophants back home. It's a true meeting of the minds.

Loki is the God of Mischief--but he knows, deep down, that he never truly deserved to stand next to their father's golden child, Thor, as two true sons of Odin. Yet he cannot endure his exile in peaceful isolation. A Valkyrie--Hel-bent on carrying out her oath to Thor--barges into Loki's trailer home with his brother's final words from the beyond: a plea to find a certain Dr. Jane Foster and pass the hammer Mjolnir on to its rightful heir.

While Loki struggles to fulfil his brother's last request, the far-reaching consequences of his fatal prank return to haunt him. Blinded by grief over those he lost in the chaos wrought by Asgard, Iron Man vows revenge on those who consider themselves gods. Determined to protect Earth from the might of this unpredictable alien power, Stark forges Asgard's own weaponry into a lethal suit of armor, set on eradicating any tether between their worlds--consequences be damned. When Asgard looks to Loki for salvation, he must answer the question: Am I truly worthy?

Knowledge is power. That would be the motto of Lander University, had it not been snatched up and used to death by others long before the school was founded. For while Lander offers a full range of courses to nearly all students, it also offers a small number of specialty classes to a very select few. Lander is home to the Hero Certification Program, a curriculum designed to develop student with superhuman capabilities, commonly known as Supers, into official Heroes.

Five of this year's freshmen are extra special. They have a secret aside from their abilities, one that they must guard from even their classmates. Because for every one person in the world with abilities they can control, there are three who lack such skill. These lesser super beings, Powereds as they are called, have always been treated as burdens and second class citizens. Though there has been ample research in the area, no one has ever succeeded in turning a Powered into a regular human, let alone a Super.

That is, until now...

The final year at Lander has finally arrived for the Melbrook students and their peers, and with it comes a whole new set of challenges. Still reeling from the events of their junior year, the remaining students will have to push past their pain - and so much more - if they hope to be one of the ten to claim the title of Hero upon graduation.

Constant tests and trials await the senior students. Beyond simulated missions and classes, they'll also have to buckle down to learn about agents, prospective teams, internships, and other seemingly endless elements of being a Hero.

For some, however, the classroom is only one aspect of the trouble that lies ahead. Long-buried secrets have been unearthed; old mysteries are finally unraveling; and what lies at the center of it all has the potential to rock the realm of Heroes to its very foundation.

Despite having their secret revealed, the residents of Melbrook Hall return to Lander University for another year in the Hero Certification Program. Good thing the focus of this year is teamwork, because with their origins known they'll have to lean on each other more than ever.

Now finally sophomores, their curriculum expands, allowing them to train in the majors that Heroes specialize in. The new classes will test their minds, bodies, and determination in ways never anticipated. In a year filled with the unveiling of secrets, unexpected entanglements, and, of course, super-powered battles, who will be left standing is anyone's guess. Because if all that weren't enough, more light is being shed on last year's kidnapping attempt, and the results point at something far bigger than mere rogue educators.

Something that isn't even close to being over with.

So many worlds, so little time. Infinite possibilities, creating infinite realities. Long have I watched the trickster god sow chaos. But . . . what if Loki saved Asgard from Tony Stark's revenge?

Thor--Son of Odin, God of Thunder, Wielder of Mjolnir--is dead. And Loki is responsible.

It was meant to be only a joke--tampering with the Destroyer, changing Thor's course to Midgard--a bit of mischief with a chance of maiming. But Loki's harmless prank spiraled out of control, unleashing death and destruction on New York City and the heroes sworn to protect it. The city was saved, at the cost of Thor's life.

Furious and heartbroken, the All-Father banishes Loki to Earth for his crime. Loki finds himself in a realm of boxed wine, instant noodles, and some sort of regional performance troupe known as the Buffalo Bills. It's a meager existence, far from Asgard's grand courts, but he finds his new friend, Brian the Gecko, a much more engaging companion than the sycophants back home. It's a true meeting of the minds.

Loki is the God of Mischief--but he knows, deep down, that he never truly deserved to stand next to their father's golden child, Thor, as two true sons of Odin. Yet he cannot endure his exile in peaceful isolation. A Valkyrie--Hel-bent on carrying out her oath to Thor--barges into Loki's trailer home with his brother's final words from the beyond: a plea to find a certain Dr. Jane Foster and pass the hammer Mjolnir on to its rightful heir.

While Loki struggles to fulfil his brother's last request, the far-reaching consequences of his fatal prank return to haunt him. Blinded by grief over those he lost in the chaos wrought by Asgard, Iron Man vows revenge on those who consider themselves gods. Determined to protect Earth from the might of this unpredictable alien power, Stark forges Asgard's own weaponry into a lethal suit of armor, set on eradicating any tether between their worlds--consequences be damned. When Asgard looks to Loki for salvation, he must answer the question: Am I truly worthy?

ALL IT TAKES

It's there for anyone to see: There are dark forces at work on the world, working to destroy civilization. All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to stand by and do nothing. We need a good guy.

NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES--BUT SOME DO

For a generation, individuals have arisen with super powers, able to change the course of history, or at least save a few lives. But these people have free will--and not all choose to work for the forces of good. We need someone with an unblotted escutcheon, a Galahad for the 21st Century, someone pure of ethics and morality.

NOT THAT KIND OF GOOD GUY

What we get is Michael: the product of a broken childhood, raised in the foster system of one of America's most dangerous inner cities, his wisdom comes from drug addicts and whores. Maybe he's not the hero we asked for, but he's the hero we need. And he's about to hit puberty.

With her new product line launched and an updated version of her suit to test, Tori Rivas is ready to focus on her work for a while. But when an eruption of power elsewhere in the multiverse sends monsters bursting into her world, the young villain will find herself in the crosshairs of an unexpected invader.

As if being pursued by an unknown entity from outside her own reality wasn't enough to handle, there's also developing her product line, exploring her suit's new capabilities, and maybe even making some extra money on the side. Add in extradimensional monsters popping in without warning, and Ridge City is even more chaotic than usual.

Yet more danger lurks unseen, as the Rookstone escapees have begun to hatch their own schemes. One of which is a primal force whose goal cannot be denied. No matter what, or who, stands in his way.

T'Challa, the Black Panther, returns to Wakanda to show Monica Lynne his home. But he finds violence in the streets, discontent brewing in his people, and the name Killmonger following him everywhere he goes. When a revered storyteller--and T'Challa's mentor--is murdered, he uncovers the first threads of a growing rebellion that threatens to engulf his beloved Wakanda.

Wakanda's high-tech king must travel the savannah, into the deepest jungles and up the snow-topped mountains of his homeland in this prose adaptation of the landmark comics series by Don McGregor, Rich Buckler and Billy Graham. Discover the life and culture of the Wakandans, and see T'Challa channel the strength of his ancient bloodline to take out foes such as Venomm, Malice and the fearsome Erik Killmonger!

With her new product line launched and an updated version of her suit to test, Tori Rivas is ready to focus on her work for a while. But when an eruption of power elsewhere in the multiverse sends monsters bursting into her world, the young villain will find herself in the crosshairs of an unexpected invader.

As if being pursued by an unknown entity from outside her own reality wasn't enough to handle, there's also developing her product line, exploring her suit's new capabilities, and maybe even making some extra money on the side. Add in extradimensional monsters popping in without warning, and Ridge City is even more chaotic than usual.

Yet more danger lurks unseen, as the Rookstone escapees have begun to hatch their own schemes. One of which is a primal force whose goal cannot be denied. No matter what, or who, stands in his way.

On Earth, Wakanda is a beacon of prosperity and a bastion of freedom. But across the expanse of space, thousands of lightyears away, lies another Wakanda. One that has grown to hold five galaxies in its iron grip. One that steals the memories of those it enslaves. One that has abandoned the values of its forebearers and seeks only the glory and power of empire.

Lost amongst unfamiliar stars, a man finds himself as the property of Emperor N'Jadaka. He knows not how he got there, who he is, or even his name. The only thing he does know, in his bones, is that he must fight the oppression that surrounds him. That drive for liberation leads him to the Maroons, a band of rebels determined to shatter the empire and restore the memories of the Nameless. When the man quickly proves his worth with an unparalleled skill for battle, the Maroons bestow on him a title of hope, promise, and responsibility: T'Challa.

As T'Challa's reputation among the rebels and ordinary citizens spreads, whispers of hope begin to swirl. Could this be the true T'Challa of old, the Avenger? The One Who Put the Knife Where It Belonged? When all eyes turn to him, T'Challa must decide if he will embrace a future of responsibility as their savior or pursue the mystery of his true past.

How do you save a world that believes you're the villain?

In Union City, where superpowered vigilantes are celebrated as saviors, rebellious grad-student Brandon Carter sees them as anything but. Haunted by the death of his father at the hands of a masked hero, Brandon's defiance might have landed him in a jail cell if not for his gift for physics.

At twenty-three, Brandon is on the precipice of success. Using his research, his team is just one test away from a world-changing scientific breakthrough-a test that nearly ends in catastrophe due to an error in the code.

With the project set for termination, Brandon throws caution to the wind, sneaking back into the lab to rerun the test in secret. But when a mysterious, powerful assassin attacks him and sabotages the experiment, a devastating explosion levels the lab.

Against all odds, Brandon survives, transformed in mind and body. With his life on the line and no idea who to trust, he sets out to uncover the truth behind the attack, gain control of his strange, new powers, and protect those he loves-even if it means saving a world that would label him a supervillain.

When there are rumors that your lady parts will crush a man's package, finding love can be difficult.

Superspeed, incredible strength, a foul mouth-these are thirty-one-year-old superhero Birdie Bowden's powers. Although Birdie boasts a perfect save record as Chicago's municipal super, her bad attitude and latest, now viral, run-in with a local menace lead the mayor to place her on suspension.

Forced into therapy in a small beachside suburb, the solitary Birdie meets eccentric, bubbly housekeeper Evie. Adrift without her job, Birdie leaves her superhero identity behind and accepts Evie's invitation to stay with her for the summer cleaning beach cabins while working the therapy program as a means to get her job back. The only snag in her plan is Aiden, Evie's ill-tempered, unfairly handsome brother and cabin owner. Focused on helping his sister wage her own battle of healing, Aiden finds Birdie to be an irksome, unwelcome influence and doesn't hesitate to tell her so. But that's fine with Birdie-her natural ability to constantly get a rise out of grumpy Aiden may be her greatest superpower yet.

As Birdie fumbles through her therapist's ridiculous get-to-know-the-real-Birdie assignments, she feels a growing connection to her new life, including the increasingly alluring Aiden, and a yearning for more than being a super. But she can't have both lives, and she'll never reveal her true identity-because the only thing faster than her own speed is how quickly people, particularly men, leave when they realize Birdie is not your typical heroine.

Junior year has come for the remaining students of Melbrook Hall, and it promises to be the most difficult one yet. With one of their own gone and another under serious investigation, none of the former Powereds knows how many days remain for them in the Hero Certification Program.

The time they do have will be filled with more trials and classes, honing their skills as they work toward the increasingly difficult goal of becoming Heroes. Ample new challenges await them, and not all of them can be met on the safety of Lander's campus. Fallout from last year's final exam has stirred the interest of many parties, not all of them friendly.

With enemies pressing in from all directions, it's going to take new alliances, dedication, and countless hours of training if they want to last another year.

Gifted with metahuman powers in a world full of capes and villains, Tori Rivas kept away from the limelight, preferring to work as a thief in the shadows. But when she's captured trying to rob a vault that belongs to a secret guild of villains, she's offered a hard choice: prove she has what it takes to join them or be eliminated.

Apprenticed to one of the world's most powerful (and supposedly dead) villains, she is thrust into a strange world where the lines that divide superheroes and criminals are more complex than they seem. The education of a villain is not an easy one, and Tori will have to learn quickly if she wants to survive. On top of the peril she faces from her own teacher, there are also the capes and fellow apprentices to worry about, to say nothing of having to keep up a civilian cover.

Most dangerous of all, though, are those who loathe the guild's very existence. Old grudges mean some are willing to go to any length to see the guild turned to ash, along with each one of its members. Even the lowly apprentices.

The Kree Empire is knocked back on its heels when the Phalanx, a cybernetic race that converts hosts using a techno-organic virus, seizes control of Hala, the Kree homeworld. The person who accidentally brought the Phalanx right to the heart of the Kree Empire? Peter Quill, otherwise known as Star-Lord.

The remnants of the Kree are in utter disarray, their massive technologically advanced fleets totally susceptible to Phalanx control. Eager to make up for his genuine mistake (and without much choice), Star-Lord and a rag-tag team (Rocket, Groot, Gamora, Drax, and Mantis) are drafted into service to help turn the tide. Can a small group of poorly equipped mercenaries and misfits defeat the Phalanx before they consume the known universe?

Outgunned and outmatched, the Guardians of the Galaxy race to find anything or anyone who could hold the secret to stopping the Phalanx, a quest that will take them to the fringes of intergalactic civilization, and a shocking foe at the heart of the threat.