Decoding Marauders, Savage Avengers, and The Dark Ages December Marvel solicitations

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Eagled-eyed Marvel Comic readers might have noticed a notable title absence and a few title descriptions that sounded like series finales in the publisher's December 2021 solicitations - specifically the ongoing series Marauders and Savage Avengers in the case of the latter, and a new issue of the six-issue limited series The Dark Ages in the case of the former.

Marvel has provided some new information regarding the status of all three titles, and we italicized 'some' because in a couple of cases the information is a little incomplete and to be continued.

Marvel Comics November 2021 solicitations — The Dark Ages #3 (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Starting backward, the fourth issue of Tom Taylor and Iban Coello's six-issue The Dark Ages limited series will presumably be solicited for a January 2022 on-sale date as Marvel tells us the series is just skipping a month in December.

The Dark Ages #3 was solicited for a November 10 release.

Moving on, the solicitation for December's The Marauders #27 by writer Gerry Duggan and artist Matteo Lolli reads like a series finale - "the sun sets on the Marauders" - and it appears that it is.

But with a caveat.

Marvel Comics December 2021 solicitations — The Marauders #27 (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Marvel stopped short of outright confirming Marauders #27 as the last issue, but also tells Newsarama to "stay tuned..."

"We have upcoming announcements that will reveal the future of both those titles," a spokesperson for Marvel adds.

Like Marvel's comments solicitation copy also hints at a future for the title beyond its first volume as it reads "the Marauders' first tour comes to a close."

Finally, Marvel was also referring to Savage Avengers in its "...both titles" response, but the publisher later added that "one or more" issues of the current volume of the series - also by Duggan with artist Patch Zircher and also on its 27th issue in December - will be solicited.

Marvel didn't rescind its initial "upcoming announcements that will reveal the future of both titles..." comments, however, so it appears some changes will be coming to Savage Avengers as well.

We'll report more information on all three titles when it becomes available.

Perhaps a second volume will put The Marauders on a path to become of the best X-Men teams of all time.

I'm not just the Newsarama founder and editor-in-chief, I'm also a reader. And that reference is just a little bit older than the beginning of my Newsarama journey. I founded what would become the comic book news site in 1996, and except for a brief sojourn at Marvel Comics as its marketing and communications manager in 2003, I've been writing about new comic book titles, creative changes, and occasionally offering my perspective on important industry events and developments for the 25 years since. Despite many changes to Newsarama, my passion for the medium of comic books and the characters makes the last quarter-century (it's crazy to see that in writing) time spent doing what I love most.