Marvel’s Midnight Suns limited series focuses on themes and characters that are likely to appeal to young adult readers.
The following contains spoilers for recent issues of Midnight Suns, now on sale from Marvel Comics.
Young readers can now enjoy the mystical side of Marvel in Midnight Suns (by Ethan Sacks, Luigi Zagaria, Antonio Fabela, and VC’s Joe Sabino), a new series that combines traditional superhero action with the supernatural. The creative team revived the Midnight Sons team concept from the 1990s and opted for a more female-inclusive moniker. The book now employs popular magic and fantasy tropes that tap into young adults’ fascination with vampires and mythical creatures. The series merges fresh faces with legacy characters who add a historical context to the reboot. In addition, Marvel launched the series with a recognizable, clear-cut supervillain. Overall, this gave young fans a limited run that was just as fun as it was scary. Midnight Suns is a rare series in that it deliberately encourages interest and joy for Marvel’s rich canon.
The limited series draws inspiration from a modern popular culture preoccupied with supernatural soap operas, infusing magic into the lives of his school-aged heroes and villains. By including comic book veterans Agatha Harkness, Blade, and Wolverine with Nico Minoru, Zoe Laveau, and Spirit Rider (Kushala), the team’s roster balances the needs of new and old readers.
Midnight Suns Conjures a Realm and Characters Young Readers Will Love
Midnight Suns injects high school drama with mystical and thriller tropes popular with today’s teenage audience. The series continues the story of Strange Academy, a school for the mystical arts set on the outskirts of New Orleans. The crescent city often serves as a backdrop for other supernatural stories and is a familiar trope and go-to setting for stories of vampires and other creatures of popular myth. In issue #3, fledgling mystic Zoe Laveau and Agatha Harkness revealed some of the more unfamiliar, darkest corners of the Marvel multiverse. The narrative reboot of the concept taps into the revival of magical content.
Long-established Marvel protagonists mentor budding heroes in the series. Wandavision’s Agatha Harkness is a professor at Strange Academy who acts as the ever-watchful sage who scolds poorly behaving students. Blade, the vampire hunter from the original series, returns as a guest lecturer on ‘Defense Against Vampires.’ The new team forming to battle ancient supernatural forces includes the venerable X-Men member, Wolverine. Students speak of the Avengers as an abiding institution, wondering if they could ever become members. While Harkness, Blade, and Wolverine retain their classic looks, the rookies pick up on the latest fashion trends. Academy attendees take playful forms, like Dessy a demon from Limbo. Fair-Folk and werewolves also walk the school’s halls, adding to a playful and diversified cast young readers are sure to love.
Doctor Doom Gives the Book a Familiar Villain
Midnight Suns introduces a new group of magic users ready to defend the universe from apocalyptic threats. A variant of the iconic Marvel supervillain Dr. Doom is the first to challenge the Suns. Blade mentors Kushula’s Spirit Rider in a battle against Doom in Midnight Suns #2. Kushula’s crash course leads to her challenging the ultimate Marvel villain who mocks her as an inferior Ghost Rider. Scenarios like this celebrate the history and legacy of the Marvel Universe but also inspire younger comic book fans to broaden their knowledge of existing canon.
As demonstrated, this new limited series is perfectly suited for younger readers. It offers a taste of Marvel’s magical realm and supernatural characters and offers a contemporary team-up of the most intriguing young heroes. It’s no wonder a comic book about Marvel’s incorporeal realm is being tailored for a young audience. The most popular stories for the teenage demographic have long been centered around witches, wizards, and their battles against dark forces. Midnight Suns promises a fun mash-up of seasoned Marvel cast members and captivating newcomers.
