Marvel Knights / Marvel Boy Genesis Edition #[nn]
The Marvel Knights/Marvel Boy Genesis Edition is a structurally unusual promotional artifact — a free flip-book that simultaneously previewed two distinct 2000 Marvel titles — yet it carries real historical weight as the earliest published appearance of Noh-Varr, the Kree multiversal warrior who would go on to become a recurring Avenger, Young Avenger, and Guardian of the Galaxy. The flip format placed Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones's radically idiosyncratic Marvel Boy concept side by side with Chuck Dixon and Eduardo Barreto's street-level Marvel Knights team book, giving readers their very first visual and narrative glimpse of both series months before either launched on shelves. For the Marvel Knights imprint — already having reshaped Daredevil, Punisher, and Black Widow under the Quesada/Palmiotti editorial era — this booklet served as a public declaration that the line was expanding into stranger, more cosmically ambitious territory. As the first-ever published home of Noh-Varr/Marvel Boy, it occupies a specific and verifiable place in Marvel's character history.
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Written by Mike Raicht with art by both Eduardo Barreto (covering the Marvel Knights series side) and J.G. Jones (covering the Marvel Boy side), the flipbook was edited by Polly Watson under editor-in-chief Bob Harras and published with a June 2000 cover date. It was produced as a Wizard Magazine promotional item — in the tradition of Marvel Knights' earlier Wizard sketchbook exclusives from 1998 — and was physically bagged and distributed with The Punisher (2000 series) #3, placing it directly in the hands of readers already invested in the Marvel Knights ecosystem. J.G. Jones came to Marvel Boy fresh from his work on the Black Widow limited series, giving the preview section a visual consistency with the broader Marvel Knights aesthetic.
Trivia · 7 facts
- First published appearance of Noh-Varr (Marvel Boy), the Kree multiversal warrior created by Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones — predating Marvel Boy #1 (August 2000) as a published artifact.
- Structured as a flip-book with two distinct halves: one side previewing the Marvel Knights (2000) ongoing series, the other previewing the Marvel Boy (2000) limited series.
- Written by Mike Raicht; art by Eduardo Barreto (Marvel Knights side) and J.G. Jones (Marvel Boy side); edited by Polly Watson; Bob Harras served as editor-in-chief.
- Distributed by Wizard Magazine and physically bagged with The Punisher (2000 series) #3, confirming its promotional, non-newsstand release format.
- Cover-dated June 2000, with a release date of April 12, 2000 — making it concurrent with the launch window of the Marvel Knights ongoing.
- The Marvel Knights series previewed here — written by Chuck Dixon with art by Eduardo Barreto — features Daredevil, Black Widow, Dagger, Shang-Chi, Punisher, Doctor Strange, and Ghost Rider as its core cast of street-level anti-team characters.
- J.G. Jones drew the Marvel Boy preview material directly after completing his work on the Black Widow limited series, part of the original Marvel Knights imprint wave.