Last Fall, DC Comics made a full out offensive at the comics world, restarting every single one of its comics in a landmark publishing movement called “The New 52”.  Evidently, it worked (at least temporarily), as DC Comics has grown to take a larger part of the comics marketshare.

And I suppose it scared off Marvel, too.

This fall, one year after the DC New 52, Marvel will be kicking off what is called Marvel NOW!, a relaunch of many of its key titles, mixing up writing and artist talent, designed to give fans a new jumping on point for many books, and to freshen up what may be a stagnant universe.

Marvel is very key to underline that this is not a reboot, but a relaunch, starting titles back at number 1, but NOT ignoring prior continuity or storylines.

Entertainment Weekly got the first scoops of the titles, and the first piece of promotional artwork, which you can see at the top of the post, showcasing many of the character redesigns and new feel.

The plan is to start a new title once a week, October 2012 into February 2013, leading to 22 new books on the shelves. Certainly easier to swallow than 52 new ones in a month, that’s for sure.

Amongst the books to be released:

• Uncanny Avengers by Rick Remender and John Cassaday, a book teaming members of the X-Men and the Avengers against threats including the returning Red Skull.
• All-New X-Men by Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen, a series set to bring the original X-Men lineup forward in time, where they are confronted with the decisions of their future. Will they fight the future? Or accept their fate?
• Avengers, a new bi-weekly title by Jonathan Hickman and Jerome Opena, which is supposed to feature a rotating cast of 18 heroes, including names and B-listers.

What say you? Will Marvel NOW be rubbish? Is it exactly what you’ve been waiting for? Or is it too soon to say? Sound off in the comments!