Marvel's July previews reviewed

Dan Hipp's cover for Amazing Spider-Man #25 is the best single image that Marvel released as part of their July 2019 solicitations, right? We can all agree on that? Okay, good.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #26
NICK SPENCER (W) • KEV WALKER (A)
Cover by RYAN OTTLEY
...
• Boomerang’s influence is finally felt, and Spider-Man joins the Superior Foes!
• Wait, that’s not possible, is it?
• IS IT?!?!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Let's see...1,2,3,4,5...6! With Spider-Man on the team, Boomerang's Sinister Six finally has the requisite number of members for that name not to seem like a joke. Spidey joining the Sinister Six of Superior Foes of Spider-Man is a pretty good idea for a Superior Foes arc, and, personally, I like to think of Spencer's ASM run as the Superior Foes relaunch, guest-starring Spider-Man.

Having read the second trade collection of the series though, I understand why the solicitation copy says that shouldn't be possible, but then, as I noted when discussing that volume, the current state of that Sinister Six was related to Peter Parker (and the reader) by Boomerang, so not the most reliable of narrators.

I notice that the book's regular artists Ryan Ottley and Humberto Ramos are not drawing this issue, nor is Superior Foes artist Steve Lieber, who drew a few passages of their last appearance in the book, but while maybe not ideal, I do really like Kev Walker's art, so I think I'll survive.

I don't like when Black Panther's mask looks that..catty in the comics. Ideally, I like when his face mask is smooth and featureless below the white, pupil-less eyes. Maybe a bit of a bump for the nose. But when he has, like, a muzzle like that, he gets into ninja furry territory, and feels a little too Thundercats to me.

Is Avengers still good? I really enjoyed the first two volumes of that, too.


CAPTAIN AMERICA & THE INVADERS: THE BAHAMAS TRIANGLE #1
ROY THOMAS (W) • JERRY ORDWAY (A/C)
VARIANT COVER BY RON LIM
VARIANT COVER BY Patch Zircher
March 1941. Assigned to safeguard President Roosevelt during a fishing trip in the Bahamas, the newly commissioned Cap endures his baptism under fire — while a German U-boat (carrying the Nazi super-soldier called Der Wunderkrieger (or Wonder Warrior) heads for the island chain’s capital! His mission: to kidnap England’s once-king, the Duke of Windsor, and sit him on the throne of a defeated Britain! But others happen to be in that part of the Atlantic as well — the once-bitter rivals the Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch!
40 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Rated T …$4.99

If you told me Jerry Ordway was drawing an Invaders comic for Marvel this summer, I would be surprised and excited. If you told me Roy Thomas was writing an Invaders comic for Marvel this summer, I would be surprised and excited. So it goes without saying that the news that Ordway is drawing and Thomas is writing an Invaders comic for Marvel this summer is a huge surprise--and a very exciting one at that.

The war years are the period of Marvel history I'm personally most fascinated with, and I love Namor...particularly Golden Age Namor. So, eah, I'm excited about this one. Of course since a one-shot can't later be collected into a trade paperback, I guess Marvel has no choice other than to publish another two or three Captain America & The Invaders one-shots in the near-ish future in order to generate a collection's worth of material.

DEATH’S HEAD #1 (of 4)
TINI HOWARD (W) • KEI ZAMA (A) • Cover by NICK ROCHE
Connecting Variant Cover by JOHN MCCREA
...
Rising stars Tini Howard & Kei Zama take on Marvel UK’s hottest character, Death’s Head, in a new miniseries!

When a job goes wrong, intergalactic mech merc Death’s Head wakes up half-assembled at a punk show! And if the crowd full of deodorant-eschewing youths wasn’t enough, the Young Avengers show up! Well, half of them anyway. Hulkling and Wiccan face down the best freelance peacekeeping agent in this universe!
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

I've just barely read any comics featuring Death's Head before, but I've always liked the name and the character design. So this might be interesting. As a John McCrea fan, I kinda wish he was doing the interiors, rather than just a variant cover though. Nothing against Roche, of course, I just like McCrea.


DECADES: MARVEL IN THE ’10S — LEGENDS AND LEGACY TPB
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, KELLY SUE DECONNICK, KIERON GILLEN, JASON LATOUR, G. WILLOW WILSON, DAN SLOTT, JASON AARON, TA-NEHISI COATES, RYAN NORTH & JEFF LEMIRE
Penciled by CHRIS SAMNEE, DEXTER SOY, GREG LAND, SARA PICHELLI, ROBBI RODRIGUEZ, ELMO BONDOC, GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI, RUSSELL DAUTERMAN, BRIAN STELFREEZE, ERICA HENDERSON & MIKE DEODATO JR.Cover by MARK BROOKS
Celebrate 80 years of Marvel Comics, decade by decade. The blockbuster icons and bold new generation of the trailblazing 2010s! As iconic heroes enjoyed worldwide cinematic success, a diverse array of young champions stole the spotlight! Find your favorite movie stars in outstanding adventures by the best modern creators — from Iron Man, Black Panther, Spider-Man and Captain Marvel…to Thanos! And get to know the new kids on the block — Miles Morales; Spider-Gwen; Thor, Goddess of Thunder; the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl; and Kamala Khan, the incomparable Ms. Marvel! Collecting ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN (2011) #7, CAPTAIN MARVEL (2012) #1, IRON MAN (2012) #1, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2013) #4, EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE #2, MS. MARVEL (2014) #12, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2015) #3, MIGHTY THOR (2015) #5, BLACK PANTHER (2016) #1, UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL (2015B) #7 and THANOS (2016) #1.
248 PGS./Rated T+ …$24.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-91792-0

As with the previous volume, The '00s, I was pretty curious about the contents of this volume of the series, as rather than focusing on a particular character or type of comic, the focus seems to be more thematic. And it's spelled out right there in the solicitation: Marvel defines the decade that is just wrapping up as one devoted to the characters that buttressed film franchises and the introduction or reintroduction of newer, younger and more diverse heroes. That seems to be a pretty good cross-section of comic books, too. Or, at the very least, a nice place to start with the Marvel Universe. Like, if someone told me that they were curious about Marvel comics and wanted to know where to start, this seems like a good book to suggest, as it would offer avenues for further exploration if they decide they really like this Ms. Marvel or Squirrel Girl character, or want to see more Thor comics featuring that Thor and/or by that creative team.

GIANT-SIZED X-STATIX #1
PETER MILLIGAN (W) • MICHAEL ALLRED (A/C)
...
They’re back and more alive than ever for this special one-shot! But what new threat is so grave that only the most famous mutant celebrities can fight it? And who is the new U-Go-Girl? Only the original X-Statix creative team Peter Milligan, Michael Allred and Laura Allred know for sure!
40 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Parental Advisory …$4.99

I don't know if Marvel was compelled to publish a new X-Statix comic to renew the copyright or what, but I'm more than happy to see more X-Statix, particularly by the original creators.

HISTORY OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE #1 (of 6)
MARK WAID (W) • JAVIER RODRIGUEZ (A)
Cover by STEVE MCNIVEN
ALL-NEW STORY BY LEGENDARY CREATOR MARK WAID!
Everything you ever wanted to know about the Marvel Universe — in one lavishly illustrated series!
From the Big Bang to the twilight of existence, HISTORY OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE chronicles completely, for the first time, everything that was, is or will be!
Lushly illustrated text tells the complete story of the Marvel Universe, revealing previously unknown secrets and serving as the ultimate reference book for Marvel fans! Witness the greatest tale ever told — and be prepared for some shocking revelations!
32 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

This sounds like it could potentially be pretty great, but I'll obviously wait for the trade version. I would love something like this for the DC Universe...although they keep rewriting their history so often that I guess that would be impossible. They would need to publish a new one every time there's a crossover story.

INVISIBLE WOMAN #1 (of 5)
MARK WAID (W) • MATTIA DE IULIS (A)
Cover by ADAM HUGHES
VARIANT COVER BY STEVE MCNIVEN
HIDDEN GEM VARIANT COVER BY JACK KIRBY
VARIANT COVER BY STEPHANIE HANS
Fresh from the pages of FANTASTIC FOUR, for the first time Susan Storm-Richards stars in her own limited series – and the secrets about her past revealed therein will shake readers’ perceptions of the Invisible Woman forevermore! Years ago, she undertook an espionage mission for S.H.I.E.L.D. –
and now it’s up to her to save her former partner from death at the hands of international terrorists!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Not really a whole lot of "variance" between those two variant covers, is there? Which image of Sue Storm slowly turning invisible from the bottom up should you choose...?

I was actually kinda shocked to read that this is the first Sue Storm solo effort, but I guess that kind of makes sense. Has Reed ever had a solo outting...? I assume it's not the way they were originally intended, but I always thought of those two as the straight men in the Johnny Storm/Ben Grimm show...the boring characters that kept the plot moving.

At any rate, I'm sure this will be pretty good. Mark Waid's not really in the habit of writing comics that aren't, at worst, pretty good.

MAGNIFICENT MS. MARVEL #5
SALADIN AHMED (W) • MINKYU JUNG (A)
Cover by EDUARD PETROVICH
• Ms. Marvel reaches the explosive finale of her adventure in space and finds her life — and her costume — forever changed!
• Victory comes at a cost, and when it comes to paying up, Kamala may not have much choice in the matter…
• PLUS! Kamala gets an AWESOME NEW COSTUME!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

No no no, that's not how you spell "awful." You got the first two letters right, A-W, but then it's F-U-L, not E-S-O-M-E...

Yeah, I'm not really feeling this new costume, especially the change from the best kinda mask, the classic domino, to the worst kinda mask, the Gambit/'90s Cyclops head sock. Given that this new, worse costume deals with an adventure in space though, I suppose there's a pretty good chance it will just be story-specific, and not permanent...even if the solicitation does promise that her costume will be "forever changed." Forever's a really long time, Mr. or Ms. Solicitation Copy Writer...!

Wait, she gets a new costume during an adventure in space, and she's keeping it...? I thought Kamala Khan was a student of superheroes; has she learned nothing from Spider-Man...?


POWERS OF X #1 (of 6)
JONATHAN HICKMAN (W) • R.B. SILVA (A/C)
Superstar writer Jonathan Hickman (INFINTY, NEW AVENGERS, FF) continues his revolutionary new direction for the X-Men. Intertwining with HOUSE OF X, POWERS OF X reveals the secret past, present and future of mutantkind, changing the way you look at every X-Men story before and after. You do not want to miss the next seminal moment in the history of the X-Men!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$5.99

Guys, it has been so long since the X-folks have done anything that has so much as piqued my interest--maybe when Brian Michael Bendis brought the original team into the present and kept them there so long I couldn't figure out how they would undo it?--that Hickman getting involved sounds downright revolutionary.

I really loved his massive Avengers epic, and while I've yet to read his Fantastic Four stuff, people sure did seem to like that. So this definitely seems like a good move on Marvel's part.

PUNISHER KILL KREW #1 (of 5)
GERRY DUGGAN (W) • JUAN FERREYRA (A)
Cover by TONY MOORE
...
ONE MAN. TEN REALMS. TOTAL WAR.
• During the War of the Realms, Frank Castle made a promise of vengeance, and Frank Castle keeps his promises.
• A van full of orphans is about to make that promise a lot more complicated.
• How does a man kill gods and monsters?
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

Okay, wait. "Kill Krew" implies more than one killer, right? Like, a whole crew of killers. And yet the solicit reads "One Man." I...just don't follow the math on this one.

I like Frank's dumb-looking helmet on the cover, though.

SWORD MASTER #1
SHUIZHU & GREG PAK (W) • GUNJI & ARIO ANINDITO (A) • COVER BY GUNJI
...
MIGHTY MARVEL MARTIAL ARTS DOUBLE TROUBLE! ALL NEW ONGOING SERIES!
You saw him tear through Fire Goblins in WAR OF THE REALMS with his big, damn magic sword! Now learn the mysterious origins of LIN LIE, A.K.A. SWORD MASTER, Marvel’s newest Chinese superhero, in the English language debut of the original series written by Shuizhu and drawn by Gunji! Haunted by dreams of demons, Lin Lie hunts for his missing archeologist father – and for the secret of the black sword he left behind.
And in a brand new story written by Greg Pak (NEW AGENTS OF ATLAS), Sword Master teams up with SHANG-CHI! What happens when an undisciplined, untrained kid with a magic sword tangles with the one and only, undisputed MASTER OF KUNG FU? (Spoiler alert: they will indeed drive each other crazy, with huge ramifications for the Marvel Universe!)
40 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

This book seems to deserve some attention for just how goddam different it looks from all the other books being solicited. This sounds like what I would have expected if you told me C.B. Cebulski was going to be Marvel's Editor-In-Chief, like, ten years ago. I'm not sure I quite follow the history of this project, as "English language debut of the original series" implies that this was published in Chinese previously...? Was it a Marvel comic, though? Or did Marvel buy a character/comic to add to their universe...?

Whatever the case, it looks interesting, and introducing the character in War of The Realms certainly can't hurt what is otherwise sometimes kinda tricky: Introducing a brand-new superhero into a jaded, cynical direct market already clogged with superheroes.

Similarly, Marvel is publishing a book called Aero which also features heroes of Asian descent that were part of the War of The Realms event and also has Asian creators attached.


TRUE BELIEVERS: ABSOLUTE CARNAGE — SHE-VENOM #1
Reprinting material from Venom: Sinner Takes All (1995) #3
32 PGS./Rated T …$1.00

TRUE BELIEVERS: ABSOLUTE CARNAGE — CARNAGE, U.S.A. #1
Reprinting Carnage, U.S.A. (2011) #1
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$1.00

TRUE BELIEVERS: ABSOLUTE CARNAGE — CARNAGE #1
Reprinting Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #361
32 PGS./Rated T …$1.00

TRUE BELIEVERS: ABSOLUTE CARNAGE — VENOM VS. CARNAGE #1
Reprinting Venom vs. Carnage (2004) #1
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$1.00

TRUE BELIEVERS: ABSOLUTE CARNAGE — SAVAGE REBIRTH #1
Reprinting Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #430
32 PGS./Rated T …$1.00

TRUE BELIEVERS: ABSOLUTE CARNAGE — MAXIMUM CARNAGE #1
Reprinting material from Spider-Man Unlimited (1993) #1
32 PGS./Rated T …$1.00

TRUE BELIEVERS: ABSOLUTE CARNAGE — MANIA #1
Reprinting Venom (2003) #1
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$1.00

TRUE BELIEVERS: ABSOLUTE CARNAGE — SEPARATION ANXIETY #1
Reprinting Venom: Separation Anxiety (1994) #1
32 PGS./Rated T …$1.00

TRUE BELIEVERS: ABSOLUTE CARNAGE — MIND BOMB #1
Reprinting Carnage: Mind Bomb (1996) #1
40 PGS./Rated T …$1.00

TRUE BELIEVERS: ABSOLUTE CARNAGE - PLANET OF THE SYMBIOTES #1
Reprinting material from Amazing Spider-Man Super Special #1
32 PGS./Rated T ...$1.00


Okay, serious question: Which, if any of these, should I order?

VALKYRIE #1
JASON AARON & AL EWING (W) • CAFU (A)
Cover by Mahmud Asrar
A new hero emerges straight from the pages of THE WAR OF THE REALMS! For years, you knew her as Dr. Jane Foster, one of Thor’s most steadfast companions. Then you knew her as Thor, the Goddess of Thunder, who took up the mantle when no other hero – god or human – was worthy. Now Jane takes on a new role as Valkyrie, guide and ferrywoman to the dead! But her days of punching are far from over. WAR OF THE REALMS master architect Jason Aaron and superstar Al Ewing (IMMORTAL HULK) join forces with rising star artist CAFU for the book that’ll have everyone talking!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Huh. Interesting.It makes sense to have Jane Foster continue to superhero after all that time spent as Thor, although I'm not sure about this particular code name, given how widely shared it is in the Marvel Universe already. Additionally I'm not sure about that costume, which seems a bit needlessly far removed from her look as Thor.

Like, I would have at least expected the same helmet/mask combo to stick around. Without the mask portion, her helmet looks a little Wasp-like, and so she's missing her mask, her weapon, her armor and her coloring from when she was Thor.

I am so far behind on Thor comics I doubt I will ever catch up though, so I wonder if I'll ever even read this...