Marvel is dedicating its comic lineup for August to Arc System Works' highly anticipated tag-team fighter, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, which is set to release on August 6. This dual celebration will include a dedicated tie-in comic and a series of variant covers across multiple ongoing titles.
The tie-in comic, titled Marvel Tōkon: First Strike #1, aims to expand the game's lore by exploring the backstories of its heroes and antagonists, the Promoter and Champion. The one-shot issue is written by Steve Orlando, Josh Trujillo, and Tom Waltz, with art from Bruno Büll, Áthila Fabbio, and Ryusei Yamada, suggesting distinct story segments handled by different creative teams. Preview pages have shown the Champion in a desolate city, the Avengers in New York facing an unknown threat, and Storm battling a Sentinel.
In addition to the First Strike tie-in, Marvel will feature Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls-themed variant covers on 11 of its current comic series beginning in August. These covers predominantly showcase the game's interpretations of iconic Marvel characters. Notable among these is Ryan Stegman's variant for the tie-in comic itself, depicting Wolverine in action against an unseen foe.
The announced variant covers include: Magik for X-Men #35, Spider-Man for Amazing Spider-Man #35, a character model of Wolverine for Wolverine #26, Star-Lord for Avengers - Armageddon #3, Danger for Uncanny X-Men #33, Captain America for Captain America #14, Storm for X-Men #36, Dr. Doom for Doomquest #4, Ms. Marvel for Inglorious X-Force #8, Iron Man for Iron Man #8, and Ghost Rider for Marc Spector - Moon Knight #7. The special variant for Marvel Tōkon - First Strike #1 will feature artwork of Wolverine by Ryan Stegman.
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is scheduled for release on August 6 for PlayStation 5 and Windows PC.