Marvel Midnight Universe: So… Well, That Happened
Written By Alex Eklund
I read all three issues of Marvel’s new Midnight Universe line in one sitting after midnight, appropriately and the experience was exactly what I expected and somehow still managed to surprise me. The whole enterprise carries the unmistakable scent of a corporate séance, an attempt to summon DC’s Absolute Universe energy without admitting that’s what’s happening. And yet, against my better judgment, I found myself occasionally entertained. Not often. But occasionally.
The art, for one, is better than the initiative deserves. And while I assumed these books would read like the opening volley of a disposable mini‑series, they instead gesture—sometimes feebly, sometimes earnestly—toward the possibility of a new universe. Whether anyone asked for that is another matter.
My expectations for each book were also neatly inverted, which is either a sign of clever editorial strategy or simple cosmic irony. Here’s how they shook out.
Third Place: Midnight Spider‑Man
Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson • Artist: ScieTronc
I went in thinking this would be the “small swing” book the fun, grisly horror romp that doesn’t pretend to be anything more than a Halloween special with a Marvel logo. Instead, I found myself recoiling within two pages. The opening gambit, a lovingly rendered feline death meant to echo Uncle Ben’s canonical demise, is the kind of shock tactic that feels less like storytelling and more like a dare. Maybe it’s because I have an elderly cat who just visited the vet, but the whole thing landed with the subtlety of a brick through a stained‑glass window.
The book wants to be The Thing or at least wants you to think it wants to be The Thing, but it never decides whether it’s aiming for psychological dread or splatter‑house theatrics. It’s horror by way of indecision, and the result is a tonal shrug soaked in gore.
Second Place: Midnight X‑Men
Writer: Jonathan Hickman • Artist: Matteo Della Fonte
This was the one I assumed would be the most interesting. Hickman plus “alternate universe X‑Men” usually means a labyrinthine first issue that pays off six installments later in a burst of cosmic clarity. Instead, this is the safest book of the bunch, so safe it practically arrives pre‑laminated.
It reads like the opening chapter of a six‑issue Elseworlds tale, complete with a “big reveal” that might be the least impactful twist in recent comics memory. Hickman is a writer who can deliver genuine fireworks when he’s engaged, and Della Fonte’s visuals are polished in that “pleasant but unthreatening” way. But the whole thing feels like a punt in an era when readers are begging legendary creators to take risks. This book had the most potential and somehow whiffed the hardest.
First Place: Midnight Fantastic Four
Writer: Benjamin Percy • Artist: Kev Walker
This was the book I assumed would be the designated dud, the one assigned to the two luckiest creators in the room. Instead, it’s the only issue that feels like it wants to exist. Percy brings a sense of genuine possibility, and Walker’s art channels a Gabriel Rodríguez‑adjacent energy (with the understanding that Rodríguez may well have been influenced by Walker, not the other way around).
The whole thing has the vibe of early‑90s Mignola: moody, architectural, and quietly ambitious. It feels less like a corporate initiative and more like the opening chapter of something someone actually cares about. A little Locke & Key atmosphere, a little classic FF weirdness, and—miraculously—a sense of purpose.
In a line defined by flash‑in‑the‑pan concepts, this one actually flickers.
Final Thoughts
Having read all three issues in a row, well past the hour when good judgment clocks out, I can say this: Midnight Fantastic Four is the only book that makes me want to see what comes next. It’s the only one that remembers comics can still surprise us, even when they’re born from corporate architecture rather than creative necessity.
Best wishes to Benjamin Percy and Kev Walker. May they be allowed to build something the rest of us can enjoy, preferably before the Midnight Universe collapses under the weight of its own branding.
