Now that we have less than a month to go until Secret Empire kicks off, Marvel is fully aware there’s a calm before the storm as it were. In fact, they’re going to illustrate that point by having three of their ongoing series serve as lead-ins a full week before Secret Empire #0 hits stands.
By now, you’ve likely read that various one-shots and such will complement the big crossover event throughout spring and summer, in addition to some of the publisher’s biggest titles feeling reverberations of the latest happenings once things actually get underway.
But before we proceed any further, let’s take a look at how Marvel describes the three issues that make up Secret Empire: Opening Salvo:
First, in CAPTAIN AMERICA: STEVE ROGERS #16 – Captain America prepares to step out of the shadows and into the light, but is the Marvel Universe ready? Plus, this oversized issue clocks in at 30 pages at no additional cost! Then, A.I.M is about to get serious in U.S.AVENGERS #5 as Captain America shows up on the scene. But where does that leave Roberto Da Costa? Finally, betrayal & destruction abound in THUNDERBOLTS #12! With Baron Zemo back in the picture, what will be the final fate of the T-Bolts and Kobik?
To Marvel’s credit, those titles can actually organically tie into the bigger picture. Yes, Captain America: Steve Rogers is quite the obvious choice, but U.S.Avengers and Thunderbolts do feature some related characters and will probably be worth keeping an eye on going forward once the world finds out Cap is, in fact, an agent of Hydra.
Each issue making up Secret Empire: Opening Salvo will arrive in comic shops on April 19.