Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Marvel's January previews reviewed

Oh hey, Marvel's January solicitations are out! We should probably talk about them, huh?

Okay, let's!


ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT AVENGERS VOL. 3: CIVIL WAR II TPB
Written by MARK WAID, G. WILLOW WILSON, NATASHA ALLEGRI, ZAC GORMAN, FAITH ERIN HICKS
& SCOTT KURTZ
Penciled by ADAM KUBERT, MAHMUD ASRAR, CHIP ZDARSKY, NATASHA ALLEGRI, JAY FOSGITT, FAITH ERIN HICKS & SCOTT KURTZ
Cover by ALEX ROSS
CIVIL WAR II rocks the All-New, All-Different Avengers! Has Vision chosen the right side in the conflict? He certainly thinks so, and his resolve will take him on a manhunt through time to stop one of Earth’s greatest evils! The all-new Wasp finds her loyalties torn by the war — and seeks guidance in the most unexpected place! And in her short time wielding the hammer Mjolnir, Thor has witnessed cosmic chaos — but how will her human half process the consequences of this latest struggle? Plus: You’ve longed for it, you’ve begged for it — now, because you demanded it, you’re going to get it! No Avenger will be safe from…internet fan fiction! View Ms. Marvel’s all-new teammates through her wide eyes — and those of an awesome assemblage of all-star creative talents! Collecting ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT AVENGERS #13-15 and ANNUAL #1.
112 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99


Hmm...I'm hoping I don't have to read Civil War II to follow all of these trades that seem to tie-in to it. I have to assume an Avengers book like this will tie-in to it a lot more strongly than some of the other series I read in trade. I mean, I will read Civil War II eventually; I'm just not in as much of a hurry to do so as I am, say, this book (That is, I might buy this one in trade, whereas I can wait for Civil War II to show up at my local library.

I'm assuming this will be the last volume of this I'll want to read, as I was mostly interested in how writer Mark Waid integrated the younger Avengers with the older ones, and it looks like all of those younger Avengers are spinning-off into Champions anyway...


BLACK PANTHER: DOOMWAR TPB
Written by JONATHAN MABERRY & REGINALD HUDLIN
Penciled by WILL CONRAD, KEN LASHLEY, SCOT EATON, GIANLUCA GUGLIOTTA, PEPE LARRAZ & SHAWN MOLL
Cover by PAUL RENAUD
As a new Black Panther struggles to hold her country together against a backdrop of betrayal, she is set on a collision course with one of the Marvel Universe’s most feared and powerful despots! But when Doctor Doom stands triumphant, war in Wakanda will pit the world’s most relentless super villain against a collection of its most powerful super heroes. With the mutant Storm’s life in the balance, it will take the combined forces of the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Deadpool and not one but two Black Panthers to stand against Doom! As T’Challa makes his return to his former kingdom, will Shuri retain her title and throne long enough to once again face Klaw, master of sound? Collecting BLACK PANTHER (2009) #7-12, DOOMWAR #1-6, KLAWS OF THE PANTHER #1-4 and material from AGE OF HEROES #4.
408 PGS./Rated T+ …$34.99


Huh. I honestly can't remember if I read this in trade paperback already or not. It certainly sounds familiar, and a comic with Namor, Doctor Doom and Black Panther duking it out sure sounds like a book I would have read, but the cover looks unfamiliar. I wonder; is this just a new, expanded version of a trade I already bought? Is...is this what it's like to get old? I don't like it!


Chris Samnee's cover for Black Widow? Adorable.


CAPTAIN AMERICA: STEVE ROGERS #10
NICK SPENCER (W) • JESUS SAIZ (A)
Cover by SIMONE BIANCHI
• The unbeatable Taskmaster is back! And what’s worse for Cap is that he’s learned Steve Rogers’ greatest secret!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99


"Unbeatable"...? Seriously? Laura Kinney took him down in like two pages in All-New Wolverine Vol. 1.


I can think of no greater argument for Netflix doing a third season of Daredevil than the fact that we haven't yet seen a live-action Stilt-Man.


DAREDEVIL: BACK IN BLACK VOL. 3 — DARK ART TPB
Written by CHARLES SOULE
Penciled by RON GARNEY
Cover by RON GARNEY
The creepiest Daredevil story of the century! Losing a big case has landed A.D.A. Matt Murdock in hot water with the city, leaving him less time to clean up the streets as DD. But as his protégé, Blindspot, tries to take up the slack, the young hero gets in over his head when he stumbles upon a horrific crime scene — one that will terrify even the Man Without Fear! Muse — a serial killer who turns his victims into works of art — is on the loose, and Daredevil and Blindspot are no fans of his “masterpieces.” But DD, for so long a solo hero, will have yet another partner on the case — an Inhuman! Muse’s sadistic art installations will strike close to home — and there’s nothing Matt can do about it! Collecting DAREDEVIL (2015) #10-14.
112 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99


Oh good, Ron Garney's back. I didn't care for the second, Garney-less volume nearly as much as the first volume.


DEADPOOL AND THE SECRET DEFENDERS TPB
Written by TOM BREVOORT & MIKE KANTEROVICH
Penciled by GERALD DECAIRE & BILL WYLIE
Cover by MICHAEL BAIR
The Merc with a Mouth joins the non-team without a known lineup! But can a talkative guy like Wade Wilson keep things hush-hush? Following Deadpool through the ever-rotating door of the Secret Defenders are the Heroes for Hire and a future Guardian of the Galaxy! Luke Cage is among the first recruits for new leader Doctor Druid, taking on the malevolent Malachi! But will he and Deadpool dig Cadaver, their newest ally? Then, Iron Fist, Giant-Man, Iceman and Archangel will feel the sting of Swarm! Spider-Woman, Venom and U.S.Agent enlist for a showdown with Slaymaker, while the mysterious Shadowoman transforms into Sepulchre! Then, Dagger, Deathlok and Drax the Destroyer join the fun when the Secret Defenders battle…the Defenders?! Is this the end for comics’ most surreptitious super group? Collecting SECRET DEFENDERS #15-25.
280 PGS./Rated T …$29.99


Hmm...This one's gonna be a tough call. On the one hand, it's The Defenders, in one of their goofier iterations. On the other hand, this is Deadpool from the early '90s, meaning...well, jus tlook at him on the cover there. I'd much rather read a new series by this title with these characters than I would this collection, I think.


DEADPOOL THE DUCK #1 & 2 (OF 5)
STUART MOORE (W) • JACOPO CAMAGNI (A)
Covers by DAVID NAKAYAMA
What do you get when you take one cynical anthropomorphic duck (named Howard) and cross it with the smelliest (and most annoying) mercenary in the Marvel Universe? DEADPOOL THE DUCK! When Deadpool is sent on a mission from S.H.I.E.L.D. to capture a high-profile E.T. that is rampaging across the high plains, the snatch-and-grab turns out to be much more complicated than the Merc with a Mouth anticipated. One unfortunate wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time accident later leaves Deadpool and Howard fighting for control of the cutest mercenary the Marvel Universe has ever seen! Brought to you with words by Stuart Moore (CLOAK & DAGGER, THANOS: DEATH SENTENCE Novel) and art by Jacopo Camagni (DEADPOOL’S SECRET SECRET WARS).
32 PGS. (EACH)/Parental Advisory …$3.99 (EACH)


"Deadpool The Duck"...? Hmm, surely "Duckpool" is better, isn't it, if not quite as marketable...?


HULK #2
MARIKO TAMAKI (W) • NICO LEON (A)
Cover by JEFF DEKAL
* HOW CAN YOU FIGHT THE MONSTER WHEN THE MONSTER IS YOURSELF?
* As JEN continues to struggle with the HULK (and anger) within herself, her newest client struggles with her own dark secrets.
* What happens when a terrified recluse is forced into the world against her will? When fear is pushed into the light?
* Can Jen reconcile the two halves of herself in time to help her client?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99


Is this a "What If...?" or something? I seriously have no idea why on earth anyone would want to do a serious She-Hulk comic, but nothing about this looks or sound like anything that lines up with the way She-Hulk has been portrayed over the course of the last few decades, nor does it look or sound all that interesting.






MONSTERS UNLEASHED #1 (OF 5)
CULLEN BUNN (W) • STEVE McNIVEN (A/C)
...
THE EPIC BATTLE MARVEL FANS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR, DRAWN BY TODAY’S GREATEST ARTISTS!!!
It’s all hands on deck with the AVENGERS, CHAMPIONS, GUARDIANS, X-MEN and the INHUMANS as they clash with monstrous threats that threaten to destroy every corner of the Marvel Universe. Who are the LEVIATHONS? Who controls them? How can they be stopped before Earth becomes another tragic, barren world in their wake? Written by powerhouse writer CULLEN BUNN and drawn by Marvel legend STEVE McNIVEN, this issue is the beginning of something big that you just can’t miss!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99


So I don't generally include all of the variants, but given that these were all awesome ones, it seemed appropriate. Also, those are some great gets; that one that looks like Mike Mignola drew it? Mike Mignola drew it!

 I like the pure simplicity of this crossover idea, which sounds a little like one a little kid might have proposed. The best Marvel events I've read since House of M have been the ones with the simplest premises ("What if The Hulk beat up everyone?" "What if a bunch of different people got evil Thor hammers?"), and while they generally get a little more complicated in the telling, "Marvel Heroes vs. Kirby Monsters" sounds fun.

I'm a little curious on how they will handle the continuity on this, given the long lives so many of these monsters have had interacting with the Marvel Universe, but, as it's not a continuity I can recall off the top of my head, it's unlikely to bother me much at all.


MONSTERS VOL. 1: THE MARVEL MONSTERBUS
BY STAN LEE, LARRY LIEBER & JACK KIRBY HC
Written by STAN LEE & LARRY LIEBER
Penciled by JACK KIRBY
Cover by JACK KIRBY
From Groot to Fin Fang Foom, Marvel is proud to collect Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby’s monster masterworks in two astonishing Omnibus volumes! Stan “The Man” Lee and Jack “The King” Kirby are known the world over as two of the most influential creative powerhouses of the 20th century. Before they created Marvel’s super heroes, they concocted a host of iconic monster menaces! As if driven by atomic power, Lee and Kirby—aided by scripter Larry Lieber—turned out page after page of action-packed classics, many hinting at the famous Marvel heroes and villains to come: Thorr the Unbelievable; a wooly, alien Hulk; the eight-foot-tall Magneto. These tales are the awe-inspiring crucible that created the Marvel Age of Comics! Collecting material from STRANGE TALES OF THE UNUSUAL (1955) 7; ASTONISHING (1951) 56; WORLD OF FANTASY (1956) 15-19; STRANGE WORLDS (1958) 1, 3-5; STRANGE TALES (1951) 67-70, 72-86; JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY (1952) 51-70; TALES TO ASTONISH (1959) 1, 3-21; TALES OF SUSPENSE (1959) 2-19; and AMAZING ADVENTURES (1961) 1-2.
872 PGS./All Ages …$100.00


So I turn 40 in March, and if anyone is wondering what a good gift might be, here's a good suggestions...


THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #16
RYAN NORTH & WILL MURRAY (W) • ERICA HENDERSON (A/C)
...
• It’s the 25th anniversary of Squirrel Girl! Twenty-five years ago THIS MONTH, she made her first appearance in MARVEL SUPER-HEROES vol. 2 #8, way back in January 1992!
• Then nothing really happened with her for like a decade, until 2005, when she appeared in – wait, what am I, Wikipedia? Wikipedia has all this stuff, and people don’t read comic solicits for a HISTORY LESSON: they read them for some SWEET SPOILERS on what will be in their comics several months from now! So let’s spoil some comics, huh??
• SPOILERS BEGIN. In celebration of 25 years of Squirrel Girl (SEVERAL of which actually featured the publication of comics starring her), we’ve brought back Squirrel Girl’s co-creator, Will Murray, to write only his SECOND Squirrel Girl story ever!
• It’s Squirrel Girl’s 15th birthday, and she’s gotten the greatest present of all: a run-in with THE INCREDIBLE HULK??
• Also, your regular Squirrel Girl team is here to also tell a story, so that’s cool too (Erica’s drawing both)!
• Two stories, two writers, one artist, and one quarter of a century with a character! It’s a special one-shot you won’t want to miss!!
• SPOILERS OVER. Now try to act surprised when you read it, okay??
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99


I basically just wanted to highlight that sweet cover, but the contents sound pretty great too.


THE UNSTOPPABLE WASP #1
JEREMY WHITLEY (W) • ELSA CHARRETIER (A)
Cover by ELSA CHARRETIER
...
Girl. Genius. Hero. Unstoppable.
Nadia spent the entire first half of her life a captive of The Red Room, but now this teenage super-scientist is on her own for the first time, and she’s ready to spread her wings! Hank Pym’s daughter has a lot of time to make up for and she’s determined to change the world. You know, if she can get her U.S. citizenship first. Guest-starring Ms. Marvel and Mockingbird!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99


Captain America, Hawkeye, Spider-Man, Thor, Iron Man, The Hulk, Power Man...are there at least two versions of every Marvel hero at the moment...?


I hope Thor's goats are in the next movie.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hello, caleb. Re: Hulk#2. She-hulk is going grey ala Mr.Fixit. I loved the grey Hulk stories, and am hoping these will be just as enertaining. Thanks, Jason

Dean said...

Apparently the new Hulk series is about Serious Times Jen, who is still recovering from the events of Civil War II. Hopefully it's about more than just another tedious rage monster.