Steve Orlando, the critically acclaimed writer of such DC Comics as Martian Manhunter, Midnighter, and Wonder Woman along with creator-owned works such as Commanders In Crisis and Kill A Man, is making his Marvel debut in March 2021 with the new saga Avengers: Curse of the Man-Thing!
The new saga is part of Man-Thing’s 50-year anniversary, who was created by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, and Gray Morrow in 1971. The series will also be the debut of the new villain, The Harrower, who hijacks Man-Things body with intentions to take his incendiary abilities global, with the only thing standing between Earth’s population and a planetwide inferno is The Avengers.
In an interview with the website Bloody Disgusting, Orlando had this to say about his upcoming project:
“Man-Thing has always cut a unique path since debuting in SAVAGE TALES, a muck-encrusted mirror for society’s darkest urges. That was true at his first appearance, and it was truer than ever under icons like Steve Gerber and RL Stine. So now, to join the character and celebrate his debut five decades ago is intimidating. But like anyone facing the Man-Thing, I can’t show fear lest I face the consequences. It is honestly amazing to be welcomed to Marvel and tell this nailbiter of a story that’s going to remind people just how unique Man-Thing is. He’ll be better positioned than ever to shock and scare readers and villains alike, but first, he’ll have to survive an attack that cuts him to his core and sets the Marvel Universe ablaze.”
Orlando also teased some details about the new villain, The Harrower:
“Harrower is the body horror savant of both the plant and animal worlds. She studied with some of the world’s foremost biologists and botanists and landed finally at some of the world’s most disgruntled. You know them from their time making hell for the X-Men – those beautifully aggressive action scientists known as Hordeculture. But for as much as Hordeculture wishes to trim humanity back to a reasonable size and restore balance to Earth, Harrower doesn’t think that’s good enough. What they call the wisdom of experience, she calls cowardice and half-measures. Harrower feels we’ve had our shot and that another species deserves a shot at a billion years of evolution and being top of the food chain. She believes hard enough that she abandons the science Hordeculture raised her on for the supernatural, something that gets her disowned by her mentors…and unleashed on the world.
Harrower’s spellwoven scars allow her to commit horrific acts of bio-fusion or bio-fission, melding animal with animal, plant with plant, or animal with plant, in tortured ways. It’s this ability that makes her uniquely suited to hurt the Man-Thing and take his godlike powers for herself.”
The creative team joining Orlando on the project are artist Francesco Mobili, designer Carmen Carnero, with main covers by Daniel Acuña, and variants from Chris Sprouse and Nick Bradshaw.
In addition, Marvel is celebrating the 50 year anniversary of MAN-THING with variant covers from top talent
March will also see some of your favorite Marvel heroes transformed into outrageous Man-Thing personas on stunning variant covers by today’s best artists including Superlog, Bernard Chang, Greg Land, Sara Pichelli, and more! Check out the first three now and be on the lookout for more Man-Thing variant cover reveals in the coming weeks.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #62 SPIDER-MAN-THING VARIANT COVER by GREG LAND
CAPTAIN MARVEL #27 CAPTAIN MARVEL-THING VARIANT COVER by BERNARD CHANG
VENOM #34 VENOM-THING VARIANT COVER by SUPERLOG
CHAMPIONS #5 MS. MARVEL-THING VARIANT COVER by SARA PICHELLI
DAREDEVIL #28 DAREDEVIL-THING VARIANT COVER by RAY-ANTHONY HEIGHT
FANTASTIC FOUR #30 THE THING-THING VARIANT COVER by DANIEL ACUÑA
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #12 GAMORA-THING VARIANT COVER by MEGHAN HETRICK
MILES MORALES: SPIDER-MAN #24 MILES-THING VARIANT COVER by KEN LASHLEY
Since his creation by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, and Gray Morrow in 1971’s SAVAGE TALES #1, the misunderstood swamp monster has taught readers the true meaning of fear in thought-provoking tales by legendary creators such as Steve Gerber and R.L. Stine. Prepare to burn at the Man-Thing’s touch once again when AVENGERS: CURSE OF THE MAN-THING # hits stands this March.
For more with Steve Orlando, check out The Comic Watchers Show
Avengers: Curse of the Man-Thing! is scheduled to release in March 2021.
