Marvel July previews reviewed

I have zero interest in ever reading another Joe Quesada-written Spider-Man story after the last one—retconned continuity aside, "One More Day" was just plain terrible comics writing—but I have to admit I really dig this Paolo Manuel Rivera cover to Quesada’s story about what happened on Spider-Man’s wedding day now that he’s no longer married. According to Chris Sims, it’s a tale at least partially inspired by Whitney Houston.


Amanda Conner sure is a good drawer, huh? And that’s a pretty great cover all around—design, story pitch, rendering, total package.


Wow. That is some cover. Take a bow, Brett Booth.


Holy shit, This is the greatest X-Men cover ever. I want to buy this issue just to leave it on my coffee table so people will ask me what the hell is wrong with me and what Astonishing X-Men is, since it doesn’t look very much like the movies they’ve seen.


DEATH OF DRACULA #1
Written by VICTOR GISCHLER
Penciled by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI
Cover by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI & MARKO DJURDJERVIC
He is the legendary Lord of the Vampires. Dracula. Who would dare attempt to overthrow him? Only Dracula's son Xarus, a ruthless and clever upstart with the bold ambition to unite all the world’s vampire sects under one flag. But Xarus's older brother Janus isn't sure he likes the idea of a new regime and seeks allies to oppose Xarus. The ultimate battle to control Earth's Creatures of the Night unfolds, with the future of the vampire race – and possibly the Marvel Universe – at stake.
48 PGS./One-Shot/Parental Advisory ...$3.99

Get out of Mark Millar’s head, Victor Gischler!


GORILLA MAN #1 (of 3)
Written by JEFF PARKER
Penciled by GIANCARLO CARACUZZO
Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
“If you kill the magical Gorilla-Man, you become immortal.”
Shooting from the pages of ATLAS, comes an all-new exploration of fan-favorite GORILLA MAN! Yes, Ken Hale is blessed with might and cursed with inhumanity, but you don’t know the entire tale, and how his history may destroy his present! See his storied past as an Agent of Atlas, a soldier of fortune, an ally of the Avengers, and a Howling Commando! Three incredible issues by JEFF PARKER (ATLAS, THUNDERBOLTS, FALL OF THE HULKS ALPHA) and GIANCARLO CARACUZZO (ATLAS)! Plus a "Many Legends of the Gorilla Man" reprint.
40 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

Fuck yeah! This first issue is $4, but includes a reprint of a story I actually really wanna read. Now, do I buy the singles, or wait for the trade? I trade-waited the Marvel Boy series, but then, that was about a Marvel Boy, and this is about a gorilla man.

Well, I guess I've got a few months to mull it over yet.


LUKE CAGE NOIR GN-TPB
Written by MIKE BENSON & ADAM GLASS
Penciled by SHAWN MARTINBROUGH
Cover by DENNIS CALERO
During his ten years inside Riker’s, he went by the name of Inmate 3457AG15. But on the outside, he was known as Luke “The Power Man” Cage, an urban legend to a people that needed a hero. Now, he’s been released. But on his first day on the outside, he finds out there’s one hell of a price to being free. He’s been extended a helping hand by childhood chum, Stryker, now mob boss of all of Harlem. He’s been given a very stiff arm by one of the city’s most vicious enforcers, Tombstone. And he’s been given a hard job by Randall Banticoff, a white man with a white wife found dead in a Harlem alleyway. Is Luke Cage destined to be a hero for hire? Or just a chump for a double-crossing set-up? Collecting LUKE CAGE NOIR #1-4.
112 PGS./Rated T+ ...$14.99

Did any of you guys read this series? What's the verdict? Good? No good? I haven't sampled any of these Noir books yet, but I really like Shawn Martinbrough's art.


MARVELMAN CLASSIC VOL. 1 PREMIERE HC
Written by MICK ANGLO & VARIOUS
Penciled by MICK ANGLO & VARIOUS
Covers by MICK ANGLO & JOE QUESADA
Who is the mysterious Marvelman? If you only know him from his dark, deconstructionist eighties revival, then you don’t know Marvelman! Go back to the very beginning — 1954’s MARVELMAN #25 — and witness firsthand the earliest atomic-powered adventures of the mightiest man in the universe...the fearless fighter of evil know as Marvelman! Collecting material from MARVELMAN #25-34 in the original black-and-white..
160 PGS./Black & White/All Ages ...$34.99

Woah, $35 for 160 pages in black and white? That’s a whole lot, isn’t it? I’d be interested in checking this out in an Essential format, or something akin to DC’s Chronicles program format, and I’m one of the relatively few Wednesday Crowd-ers who are genuinely excited about Golden Age super-comics.

Actually, 1954…that’s probably really pushing the definition of “Golden Age,” isn’t it? And yet it’s not quite within the bounds of the US industry’s Silver Age either. Hmm, now I’m even more curious about this book. But not at that price point.


MARVELMAN FAMILY'S FINEST #1 (of 6)
Written by MICK ANGLO & VARIOUS
Penciled by MICK ANGLO & VARIOUS
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Remastered Variant Cover by MICK ANGLO
Variant Cover by DOUG BRAITHWAITE
“A recluse Astro-Scientist discovers the key word to the Universe, one that can only be given to a Boy who is completely honest, studious, and of such integrity that he would only use it for the powers of good. He finds such a Boy in MICKY MORAN, a Newspaper Copy Boy, and treats him in a special machine which enables him to use the secret. Just before the Scientist dies, he tells MICKY the key word which is KIMOTA. Micky Moran remains as he was, but when he says the Key Word KIMOTA he becomes MARVELMAN, a man of such strength and powers that he is Invincible and Indestructible!” And with those words in 1954’s MARVELMAN #25 began the saga of one of the most storied characters ever to emerge from the British comics market. Now, thrill to the adventures of Marvelman, Young Marvelman and Kid Marvelman as they take on enemy agents, mad scientists and more in this “best of” series!
40 PGS./Black & White/All Ages ...$3.99

And what’s this nonsense? Just publish a collection of this stuff already no one wants a serial comic book series of it they just want the Alan Moore and company stuff Jesus.



That’s Alessandro Barbucci and Barbara Canepa’s cover for a new Sky Doll series, Sky Doll: Lacrima Christi. I like how you can cherry pick Marvel covers this month—this one, Anita Blake, Astonishing X-Men—and, if you grouped them all together and ignored all the Deadpool and Iron Man stuff, it makes Marvel look like the weirdest porno publisher in the world. Of course, I suppose you could do that almost every month, huh?


X-WOMEN #1
Written by CHRIS CLAREMONT
Pencils and Cover by MILO MANARA
International superstar Milo Manara joins X-Legend Chris Claremont for X-WOMEN! Go on a high-flying, death-defying, globetrotting adventure with your favorite X-Ladies. Storm, Psylocke, Shadowcat, Marvel Girl and Rogue save the world and look great doing it. Don’t miss this prestige event!
64 PGS./One-Shot/Rated T+ ...$4.99

Here's something rather high on the list of things I don't see very often—an X-Men comic I really want to read.



YOUNG ALLIES #2
Written by SEAN MCKEEVER
Penciled by DAVID BALDEON
Cover by DAVID LAFUENTE
Still reeling from the events of last issue, the Young Allies are desperate to hunt down the Bastards of Evil by any means necessary--even if it means taking on their parents!--while the Bastards are up for a little hunting trip of their own...
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$2.99

"Bastards of Evil" is an infinitely better team name than "Terror Titans."



Marvel's complete solicitations for July releases can be found here.