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It turns out, you can delay midnight.

Marvel Comics has deftly delayed the launch of its new 'Midnight' line — a darker alternate universe of its heroes — by two months. According to a statement by Marvel Comics' longtime (and outgoing) leader Dan Buckley, it was because up until the past few weeks, they didn't realize it was more than just the launch of a new alternate universe, but it could be bigger and deserved treatment as such.

"The more we talked about Midnight, the more we realized it was far more than just the birth of another new universe—it was on an entirely different scale creatively, a doorway to something that was not only immediately exciting, but had immense long-term promise," Buckley says in a statement provided by Marvel.

Originally announced to launch August 5 with Midnight X-Men #1, the three 'Midnight' series — Midnight X-Men, Midnight Fantastic Four, and Midnight Spider-Man — will now all launch simultaneously on October 7. And to make it more special, Marvel Comics is removing any of its other planned comics from being released that week.

“The world these creators are building is truly special and the passion behind the stories they’re envisioning was palpable,” Buckley continues. “We wanted to match their ambition with this unique launch plan, one that allows both retailers and fans to fully immerse themselves into this new line right from the start. When the clock strikes Midnight on October 7, these three series will unleash a bold new energy that we hope echoes throughout the industry for the foreseeable future.”

In the past Marvel Comics has done midnight releases, but currently it hasn't announced those kinds of plans for this, despite Buckley's wording. Instead, it has spoken of plans for promo items, orderable incentives, and an "enhanced" variant cover program.

Want more? Make sure you've read our list of all the best Marvel Comics stories of all time.