Marvel Comics has announced Eternals 50th Anniversary, a special celebrating half a century since the debut of Jack Kirby‘s godlike heroes. The book, due out in April, will feature stories by Ralph Macchio, Ethan S. Parker & Griffin Sheridan, Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump (in his comic book debut), Dale Eaglesham, Phil Noto, and Michael Cho.
The official synopsis reads, “First, Ikaris and Captain America team up for a sweeping adventure that examines the Eternals’ place in super hero history in a tale by Ethan S. Parker, Griffin Sheridan, Dale Eaglesham, and Phil Noto. Then, discover the dark roots of the Eternals fiercest fighter, the deviant Ransak the Reject, in a story by Ralph Macchio and Michael Cho. And don’t miss the startling introduction of THE LOST ETERNAL! Why has his existence been hidden for centuries? And what has caused him to come on line now? Learn these answers and more in a revelatory story written by Patrick Stump.”
Stump is no stranger to Marvel, despite this being his comic book debut, having scored the Disney Junior series Spidey and his Amazing Friends, and worked with his band to create the song “Immortals” for Big Hero 6. He honors Kirby in his statement, saying, “He created the center of gravity all of Marvel’s galaxy is still orbiting. So when I was tasked with the responsibility of introducing a Lost Eternal, I turned to the same sci-fi and mythology that got his mighty imagination spinning to begin with. I’m beyond honored to be part of celebrating 50 years of the Eternals, and while I can’t imagine some rock singer like me doing a titan like Kirby justice, I can promise you this has definitely been as much of a passion project as any album I’ve ever made or film I’ve scored.”
Editor Mark Paniccia adds, “Jack Kirby was a big influence of mine, and I devoured just about everything he did when I first discovered comics. The Eternals was one of my favorite Kirby creations… wild, dynamic, powerful stuff that fueled my imagination as a young reader. It’s a real privilege to work on this project with such a talented crew.”
The book will arrive on April 1 with a main cover by R.B. Silva, and variants by Eaglesham, Cho, and ACO, which you can check out below. Its release comes four years after the conclusion of the last Eternals series, by Kieron Gillen and Esad Ribic, which launched to coincide with the MCU film in 2021, and ended the following year with the crossover A.X.E.: Judgment Day. The prospect of any future Eternals series, much like the sequel to that film, remains unknown.
