Namor is at his most bloodthirsty in Avengers #42

page from Avengers #42 — (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Marvel has released a new preview of hard-hitting interior pages from February 3's Avengers #42, which continues the 'Enter the Phoenix' story, pitting Namor against Echo, with Namor very much in his element.

As Namor battles Echo, he relates a story about his youth, with writer Jason Aaron offering some insight into Namor's fierce nature as the monarch of Atlantis, while artist Javier Garron leans into the action choreography he's becoming known for as the lead artist on Avengers.

"The battle to decide the all-new Phoenix rages on!" reads Marvel's official solicitation for Avengers #42. "Who will wield the destructive cosmic power of the Phoenix Force?"

"Namor will stop at nothing to be the fiery victor. The Black Panther worries as much about victory as he does defeat," it continues running down some of the current combatants in the tournament to possess the Phoenix Force. "Jane Foster knows what it means to carry on a powerful legacy. The She-Hulk cannot be stopped. And the Orb has a giant, creepy eyeball for a head!"

Here's the gallery of pages:

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'Enter the Phoenix' centers around a tournament hosted by the mysterious, cosmic Phoenix Force to determine which of Marvel's heroes – or villains – will be the next host of the powerful entity, a status quo Aaron previously told Newsarama would be sticking around for some time.

And of course, spinning out of 'Enter the Phoenix,' Aaron and artist Ed McGuiness will take the reins on Heroes Reborn, a new five-issue limited series exploring a world remade by the Phoenix Force, where the Avengers never formed.

Avengers #42 is due out February 3.

When it's all said and done, how will 'Enter the Phoenix' stack up with the best Avengers stories of all time?

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)