Creators return to 'Noir' comics

The writers behind X-Men Noir and Spider-Man Noir are to return to the worlds they created in December.

Writers David Hine and Fabrice Sapolsky are teaming up with artist Carmine Di Giandomenico on Spider-Man Noir: Eyes Without a Face #1. Fred Van Lente and penciller Dennis Calero will tackle X-Men Noir: Mark of Cain #1.

Speaking of his offering, Van Lente told Marvel.com: "They fled to the Pacific island nation of Madripoor, where they've hooked up with Angel's old friend, the mercenary Cain Marko.

"Cain's discovered a treasure map to the ancient Temple-Tomb of Cyttorak, where an enormous ruby lies. Cain enlists the X-Men Noir crew to steal the gem, but when he's murdered and the ruby disappears, Angel has a new mystery on his hands to solve."

Hine promised that his series will feature a number of versions of Spider-Man's traditional supporting cast and rogues gallery.

He teased: "We haven't revealed any of them yet but if you want some clues, one is a masked villain who appeared in an early [Stan] Lee/[Steve] Ditko story but has rarely been seen since, one is disabled and one doesn't speak a word."

Marvel's Noir comics combine elements of film noir and pulp fiction with characters from the Marvel Universe.