Young Heroes Fight For Their Right In Outlawed

The young, up-and-coming heroes of the Marvel Universe have been popping up all over the place, from Ms. Marvel and Miles Morales to Brawn and Nova. They’ve been doing a lot of good, but in March 2020 they’ll have to defend their right to save the world in Outlawed, a new one-shot written by Dr. Eve L. Ewing and illustrated by Kim Jacinto from Marvel Comics. This book will serve as the opening shot, beginning a number of new storylines that will spin out from here.

Ewing told the A.V. Club:

To me, this story isn’t just about young people being in conflict with the government, but much bigger questions about what we ask of young people, how they’re expected to be independent sometimes and subservient other times. Every era of history brings new challenges, and young people today are coming of age… yet we often don’t recognize their wisdom and their insights. It’s like we get above a certain age and lose all empathy. I just wanted to explore that tension, and them being superheroes really ups the stakes because they’re literally out there saving lives every day, but aren’t seen as full people or full citizens. AND, at the same time, maybe the law is a good idea? Maybe it really is for everyone’s protection? It’s intentionally kind of morally ambiguous.

Outlawed brings new legislation to the Marvel Universe that bans super heroes under the age of 21 after a tragedy involving young heroes. Yes, this sounds a bit like a very focused version of Civil War.



Editor Alanna Smith added:

We’re bringing the next generation of heroes to the forefront in a major way and swinging for the fences in terms of story, stakes and scale. Outlawed introduces an ongoing status quo that will be reflected in books across the line—almost every active character who’s under 21 (and even a few who are older) will be affected by the decisions made in Outlawed, and they won’t all agree on whether the new world order is good or bad. But there are real, serious consequences now for those who go against the ruling passed down in Outlawed, and it’ll interfere with their lives in a way they’ve never experienced, leading to some really interesting stories.

Outlawed #1, featuring a cover by Pepe Larraz, is due out in March 2020.