“Ladeez, gentlemen, an’ children of all ages — Arcade welcomes you to — Murder World, where nobody ever survives!!”
Marvel Comics heroes are gearing up to compete in their own “Squid Game” in a new Murderwold series from Jim Zub, Ray Fawkes, Jethro Morales, and more. In 2012, the villainous Arcade showcased how dangerous he could be when he forced Marvel’s heroes to compete in the Avengers Arena series. Then, in 2021, the Alan Tudyk-voiced Arcade in Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. on Hulu demonstrated that he was also capable of outwitting one of Marvel’s most notorious masterminds (before he lost his mind and went gold-platted). A year later, in Marvel’s prose universe book published via Aconyte, She-Hulk Goes to Murderworld by Tim Dedopulos (who is known for his logic books).
Check out the official press release below:
On November 16, Jim Zub and Ray Fawkes put the “murder” back in MURDERWORLD! Teaming up with an exciting lineup of all-star artists, the two writers have penned a pulse-pounding epic that begins later this month in MURDERWORLD: AVENGERS #1 and comes to a crashing end in March’s MURDERWORLD: GAME OVER #1! Across five one-shots, readers will witness Arcade at his darkest as he unleashes the full terror of Murderworld on an all-new cast of characters.
Two hundred contestants. One hundred million dollar prize. One winner. And to survive, they’ll have to endure a series of brutal tests in Arcade’s brand-new Murderworld. Arcade’s circus-style contests have been a punchline in the past, but this game is no joke and the body count will rise with each twist and turn. Has Arcade finally found success? Enter Paul Pastor, the extraordinary young documentarian who hopes to expose it all but he can’t do it alone. Luckily, the Black Widow has a personal grudge to settle with the Murderworld mastermind – but how many will die before she can put a stop to this wildly violent scheme??
“When I first saw Murderworld in an issue of Uncanny X-Men, I was fascinated by its colorful corniness mixed with deception and violence,” Zub explained. “Many years ago, Ray and I chatted about a twisted thriller-survival story set in Arcade’s deadly playground and now, starting with MURDERWORLD: AVENGERS, we’re finally getting the chance to unleash it!”
“Murderworld is one of those stealthy, ultra-compelling concepts that always made the Marvel Universe so fascinating to me – the gaudy, family-fun veneer slapped over a deadly threat. When Jim and I were discussing it, ideas to make it more and more frightening and exciting just kept coming to us. I’m thrilled to bring them to readers in all their horrible glory!” Fawkes added.
Step right up to the deadliest game in the Marvel Universe when MURDERWORLD: AVENGERS #1 hits stands on November 16! For more information, visit Marvel.com.
Marvel also released the variant covers. First up is the variant for Murderworld: Spider-Man #1 by Zub and Fawkes, with art by Farid Karami. Did you notice fan-favorite hero Spider-Punk on the cover?
Next up is the variant cover for Murderworld: Wolverine #1, with the same writing team and art by Carlos Nieto. OK guys, where is Jonathan?
Rounding out the batch we have Murderworld: Moon Knight #1, with art by Luca Pizzari, and Murderworld: Game Over #1, with art Netho Diaz and more. Love all of these covers, and I am pretty excited for this series, but come on, there doesn’t appear to be a single woman on this run… and if you know anything about murder and serial killers, black widows and angels of mercy normally have the highest body counts.
