As much as Marvel has innovated over the years, its also never been shy about following trends. The late great Stan Lee rarely saw a bandwagon he didn't jump on- from trends like kung-fu and blaxploitation earlier in his career to adult animation and the growing popularity of anime and manga later in his life. This tradition has continued long after Lee left the company.

Marvel Mech Strike is a great recent example of this and has a pretty irresistible hook: Marvel heroes and villains piloting anime-style giant robots or mecha. The series debuted last year on the Marvel HQ YouTube channel, their kids and family-focussed brand for animation and related content. The series is a "motion comic", meaning its fully voiced and illustrated with comic-book-style art and some very limited animation. Some episodes are also produced in stop-motion, using figures from the accompanying merch line. The second season Marvel Mech Strike: Monster Hunters will kick off with the motion-comic series Eye Of Doom. New Mech Strike content will be released weekly from now until September, featuring both episodes and bonus content.

But that's not all as Marvel is expanding the Marvel Mech Strike brand in a big way. A limited Monster Hunters comic book will launch in June, written by Christos Gage and drawn by Paco Diaz:

The new series will find the Avengers donning new mech armor to battle a trio of the world’s most notorious super villains, led by Doctor Doom and monstrously transformed by the Eye of the Kraken. In order to defeat their foes, the Avengers must undergo a similar transformation—and become MONSTER HUNTERS! But will the heroes be consumed by their dark new powers? The series will feature classic Avengers characters and some surprising new additions to the team, all outfitted in their very own mech armour

They will also be launching an expansive range of new Mech Strike merchandise, featuring ranges from Hasbro toys, LEGO and a new range of Funko Pops. The first toys will hit this Spring and initially be available exclusively at Walmart in North America and Smyths in Europe. Also on the way is new apparel and homeware featuring the new designs, and Jazware will be launching a range of costumes in time for Halloween.