Posted in: Comics | Tagged: man thing, marvel, steve orlando

Steve Orlando to Expose Marvel's Man-Thing in March

Published Fri, 18 Dec 2020 15:00:07 -0600

Steve Orlando will make his Marvel debut in March with a new series of one-shots beginning with Avengers: Curse of the Man-Thing #1, which just so happens to be the same thing Kang the Conquerer calls his erectile dysfunction. This story will consist of three issues, each of which focuses on a different Marvel character or team. Francesco Mobili will be the artist on Avengers: Curse of the Man-Thing #1.

The cover to Avengers: Curse of the Man-Thing #1

Here's the official description of the issue:

For decades, the Man-Thing has haunted the Florida Everglades. Now a new enemy has hijacked his body on a quest to take his incendiary abilities global! We wake to fear as gargantuan monoliths menace cities worldwide, with only the AVENGERS standing between the population of Earth and a planetwide inferno. Can they save Man-Thing in time to douse the fires? And does the man inside the thing, TED SALLIS, even want to be saved? Introducing a sensational new villain, THE HARROWER!

And though Avengers: Curse of the Man-Thing #1 may be Steve Orlando's first Marvel rodeo, he appears to have adapted like an old pro to the House of Ideas' merry method of extreme hyperbole. "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," Orlando said in an EX-X-XCLUSIVE reveal on Bloody Disgusting. "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."

The Marvel Universe will need to beef up its fire insurance before Avengers: Curse of the Man-Thing #1 comes out, since usually the universe is shaken to its foundations, which would apply to earthquake insurance instead. The book will celebrate the 50-year anniversary of Man-Thing, who was created by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, and Gray Morrow and debuted in Savage Tales #1 in 1971. At Bloody Disgusting, Orlando explained the concept behind 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 last time a woman tried to steal the godlike powers of our Man-Thing, at least she bought us dinner first! Avengers: Curse of the Man-Thing #1 is set to hit stores in March.