Marvel's Midnight Universe Clears a Million Orders Before It Even Ships

Marvel's horror-tinged Midnight Universe hasn't hit shelves yet, but retailers are already back at the printer. The three launch issues — Midnight Spider-Man #1 (Phillip Kennedy Johnson and ScieTronc), Midnight Fantastic Four #1 (Benjamin Percy and Kev Walker), and Midnight X-Men #1 (Jonathan Hickman and Matteo Della Fonte) — have combined for more than one million copies ordered ahead of their October 7 debut.

Marvel has confirmed second printings for all three books, due out October 28 with newly commissioned cover art. The publisher is framing Midnight as an ongoing, interconnected line rather than a one-off event, a signal that the five-cover variant structure introduced for the launch (regular, Bloodbath, Special, Horror Homage, and Gallery editions) is meant to stick around for future issues too.

It's a strong number for a brand-new imprint, though it's worth noting Absolute Batman's order figures for its own milestone issues have still come in higher — a reminder that DC's Absolute line remains the market's biggest juggernaut heading into fall.

Original reporting: AIPT.