For football anoraks across the globe, the next 7 days would the slowest week this year. Reason? The FIFA World Cup 2018 kicks off exactly next Thursday in Russia! The mere thought of the competition gives you the screaming abdabs, and now to fuel the fire, Marvel Comics and sports media ESPN have come together to bring a few surprises for the fans.
The two have partnered to launch a line of digital comics inspired by the biggest football stars descending on the Russian soil on 14 June 2018. Spread across 13 chapters, the comics also feature some of the sport’s hottest issues, including the eternal ‘Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo’ rivalry, whilst also chronicling the sensation that is Neymar.
Deadpool writer Fabian Nicieza has joined hands with artists such as Diego Bernard, J.P. Mayer, Andrew Crossley and VC’s Joe Sabino for the project.
As a preview for the upcoming showpiece, Nicieza’s graphic novel also delves through the young and upcoming talents to watch out for in Russia, whilst also weighing up the odds for the top shouts participating in the tournament. Fans of the German national football team can also take a trip down the memory lane, and revisit their 2014 triumph in Brazil through a series of deft sketches.
There’s a shout out to the big names who failed to make the cut too. The comic even goes further to trace their exploits in the aftermath of the failure.
The comic line for the FIFA 2018 World Cup is the latest roll-out among the several major international championships that Marvel and ESPN have collaborated on previously.
