Marvel brings back Swimsuit Specials and new Marvel Rivals skins

Marvel has announced that they’re bringing back their cheesecake-filled Swimsuit Special comics, just in time for some tie-in skins for Marvel Rivals.

For those unaware, back in the 1990s, Marvel published Swimsuit Specials which featured pin-up artwork of the franchise’s popular characters. The series lasted for five years, releasing annually. Despite the short run, comic fans still remember when Marvel wasn’t afraid to lean into fan-service.

While the series ended in 1995, there were attempted revivals in the 2010s. However both times, Marvel rejected the plans without offering a reason. However fans could speculate that Marvel was rejecting the sexualization of its characters which may have been seen as offensive by ‘modern audiences’, despite the Marvel Swimsuit Specials being equal opportunity and featuring both male and female characters in its pages.

The revival of the Swimsuit Specials comes on the thirtieth anniversary of its last issue. As announced by Marvel, the new issue MARVEL SWIMSUIT SPECIAL: FRIENDS, FOES & RIVALS #1 will release in July, and will feature a look at upcoming costumes for Marvel Rivals.

MARVEL SWIMSUIT SPECIAL: FRIENDS, FOES & RIVALS #1 continues the tradition with an overarching story by Tim Seeley and Tony Fleecs and drawn by superstar artist Nick Bradshaw that stars Earth’s Mightiest fashion designer, Janet Van Dyne, aka the Wasp! In addition to Bradshaw, fans can look forward to unforgettable, instantly-iconic imagery from top artists like Nic Klein, Marguerite Sauvage, Luciano Vecchio, and more. The issue will also include designs for new costumes coming soon to Marvel Rivals, the mega popular multiplayer video game from Marvel Games and NetEase Games.

Marvel Rivals has become known for its unapologetic fanservice (Emma Frost literally has thigh jiggle), sexy character designs, and alternate costumes which may help to rehabilitate Marvel’s reputation.

Marvel Rivals is now available across for Windows PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store), Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.


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A basement-dwelling ogre, Brandon's a fan of indie games and slice of life anime. Has too many games and not enough time.


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