Marvel's November previews reviewed

Full solicits here, my reactions here....


AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #612
Written by MARK WAID
Penciled by PAUL AZACETA
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
50/50 Cover by ADI GRANOV (see Previews cover)
Variant Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
"POWER TO THE PEOPLE, PART 1"
They’re Hunting Spiders...THE GAUNTLET begins here
The event that redefines Spider-Man's classic arch-enemies one by one starts with one of his deadliest – Electro! Destitute and desperate, conned out of his life's meaning and worth—Max Dillon becomes the voice of the common man against the brutal injustice of a system overloaded by greed. With Spider-Man already looking over his shoulder. Mark Waid and Paul Azaceta bring you the story of a hero with everything to lose against a man with nothing left to gain. Prepare for death’s short, sharp shock. Prepare for Electro.
40 PGS./Rated A ...$3.99

Hey, I thought Mark Millar's Marvel Knights Spider-Man story arc redefined Spider-Man's classic arch-enemies one by one...


AMAZING SPIDER-MAN PRESENTS: ANTI-VENOM - NEW WAYS TO LIVE #3 (of 3)
Written by ZEB WELLS
Penciled by PAULO SIQUEIRA
Cover by MIRCO PIERFEDERICI
DUCK AND COVER! It’s Anti-Venom and Punisher vs. one of the largest, most powerful and most ruthless drug cartels on the planet. Our money’s on the guys with the biggest guns...and the skulls on their chests. Zeb Wells & Paulo Siqueira deliver the senses-shattering conclusion to NEW WAYS TO LIVE!
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

Oh-- Oh wow. Let's see here...three phrase title, with two forms of punctuation and the word "presents," the Punisher possessed not just by Venom, but by Anti-Venom...man, this book is like a perfect storm.



ASSAULT ON NEW OLYMPUS
Written by GREG PAK & FRED VAN LENTE
Penciled by RODNEY BUCHEMI
Cover by ADI GRANOV
Hercules! Spider-Man! Ares! New Avengers! Wolverine! Mighty Avengers! The Agents of Atlas! If there's a bigger event this fall, we don't know what it could be! At long last, the Prince of Power takes the fight to his villainous stepmother Hera and the forces of the Olympus Group -- just as she unleashes the most terrifying threat the Marvel Universe has ever seen! But first Herc has to gather together a star-studded strike force from the ranks of the New and the Mighty Avengers! First on the list: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN! But why is Everyone's Friendly Neighborhood fighting against Hercules? Has he joined the side of the dark gods? It's webs and wisecracks versus Olympian power in this super-sized one-shot! (There will be major property damage, we guarantee.) Plus: The iHerc team proudly welcomes our new INCREDIBLE HERCULES on-going back-up feature... THE AGENTS OF ATLAS, written by fan favorite scribe Jeff Parker! When the forces of New Olympus target Venus, will Jimmy Woo lead his team into the fray for or against Hercules' forces?
48 PGS./One-Shot/Rated T+ ...$3.99

Neat, a crossover series I'm actually super-interested in! That doesn't happen too often. Pretty gross Hercules there on that cover though. I'm not sure Adi Granov should be allowed to do covers featuring characters who are not Iron Man.


THE BLACK KNIGHT #1
Written by TOM DEFALCO
Pencils & Cover by RON FRENZ
The secret origin of the original Black Knight is finally revealed as Vampires, Zombies, Werewolves and Demons from the darkest realms confront Sir Percy of Scandia and his twin brother on their desperate quest to find Chaos, the dreaded Doombringer--the only weapon capable of defeating Excalibur, the legendary battle sword of King Arthur!
40 PGS./One-Shot/Rated A ...$3.99

Like the Kid Colt one-shot Marvel put out a couple of weeks ago, which was also written by Tom DeFalco, this looks pretty random.


DARK AVENGERS #11
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Pencils & Cover by MIKE DEODATO
The explosive smash hit series from Brian Bendis and Mike Deodato continues!! The Dark Avengers are pitted against a foe they cannot defeat: A man with the power over every molecule in the world! Norman can't talk his way out of this one as the world gets turned upside down and no joke...someone dies. For reelz!!
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

"For reelz?" Really?


DEADPOOL TEAM-UP #899
Written by FRED VAN LENTE
Pencils by DALIBOR TALAJIC
Cover by HUMBERTO RAMOS
MERC WITH A MYTH!
Stop rubbing your eyes, fanboy, they don't deceive you! Everyone's favorite Merc with a Mouth stars in a third on-going series, hacking and wisecracking his way across the Marvel Universe with a new guest-star every month! First up: when master assassin ARCADE and NIGHTMARE, Lord of the Dream Dimension, join forces to destroy Wade Wilson and THE INCREDIBLE HERCULES, they get more than they bargain for, taking on two of the MU's most irresponsible heroes! Drunken mayhem, bad jokes, and billions of dollars of property damage ensue!
32 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$2.99

Er, are they serious about that third Deadpool ongoing series bit, or was thast just a joke? Because that seems a little excessive. I mean, three ongoings is moving Deadpool beyond Punisher territory and up into into Spider-Man and Wolverine territory.

I’m not really a Deadpool fan—I just read about twenty or so Deadpool comics I received in a friend’s cast-off comics collection, which was my first real exposure to the character—but I will probably check this out, as I am a Fred Van Lente fan, and I do so dig his Incredible Hercules series.


GHOST RIDERS: HEAVEN'S ON FIRE #4 (of 6)
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by ROLAND BOSCHI
Cover by DUSTIN WEAVER
Hellstorm, the Son of Satan, occult terrorist Jaine Cutter, junior Anti-Christ Kid Blackheart and sword-wielding nun Sister Sara are crossing the country on motorcycles, trying to find a gateway to hell. That's bound to go smoothly, right? Not if the minions of renegade angel Zadkiel have anything to say about it. Make way for the demented return of Scarecrow and Madcap to the Ghost Rider rogues gallery. Better buy two copies of this issue because you're bound to wet one with your tears of terror.
32 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$3.99

Wow, that sounds awesome. I can't wait to--oh shit, $4? You're killing me here, Marvel! I suppose I'll trade-wait this too...


HOUSE OF M: MASTERS OF EVIL #4 (of 4)
Written by CHRISTOS N. GAGE
Penciled by MANUEL GARCIA
Cover by MIKE PERKINS
Magneto strikes in the shattering conclusion! The ruler of the House of M has targeted the Sapien homeland established by the Hood and his gang. With his wrath about to fall on their city and its helpless citizens, will the villains take the money and run? Or will they stay and fight a suicidal battle against impossible odds? Either way, there's going to be a high body count...especially when Wolverine, Rogue and the rest of the Red Guard come to town!
32 PGS./Rated T+ .$3.99


So ends another completely unnecessary House of M tie-in miniseries, created specifically to later collect into a trade, because House of M trades sell incredibly well for some unknown reason. I wonder what the next one will be. I'm hoping House of M: Midnight Sons.



HULK #17
Written by JEPH LOEB
Pencils & Cover by IAN CHURCHILL
Variant Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
Superstars JEPH LOEB and IAN CHURCHILL bring you the final chapter of CODE RED. Is RED HULK strong enough to throw down with WOLVERINE, PUNISHER, DEADPOOL, the all-new RED SHE-HULK, and more? Find out, as new secrets are revealed as the stage is set for WORLD WAR HULKS.
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

Sure, She-Rulk, why the hell not? That'll probably keep this thing going another 12 issues without needing to get to a point....


INCREDIBLE HERCULES #138
Written by GREG PAK & FRED VAN LENTE
Penciled by RODNEY BUCHEMI
Wraparound Cover by ADI GRANOV
ASSAULT ON NEW OLYMPUS: Part 1 (of 4)
A battle of god-like proportions begins...right now! For months, the signs have been all over the Marvel Universe... The tension has been rising... All pointing to a single question: "What is CONTINUUM?" The answer turns out to be so deadly, so horrifying, that it will alter the course of the MU forever -- unless Hercules and the New and Mighty Avengers can stop it in time... but standing in their way is the fighting-mad ARES, God of War! "And, in our backup tale, there's no love for Venus as Aphrodite's rain of pain continues to pour on the Agents of Atlas!"
40 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

Hmmm…there’s an Agents of Atlas back-up and a $1 price increase, making this a DC-style $4 book, instead of a Marvel-style $4 book. And I don’t see a solicit for the Agents monthly. Does that mean it’s been canceled, and is being replaced here, or is it simply on hiatus while the Agents/X-Men miniseries is going on?


MARVEL ADVENTURES SUPER HEROES #17
Written by PAUL TOBIN
Penciled by IG GUARA
Cover by NIKO HENRICHON
A living legend. A divine warrior. An armored knight. A synthetic man. A cosmic woman. A spy. A rookie. Separately, they are some of the most powerful beings on the planet, but when a great tragedy brings these seven together, they will become far more than individuals, they will become something more. Join up-and-coming writer PAUL TOBIN and artist IG GUARA (LOCKJAW & THE PET AVENGERS) for this newest launch in the revamped Marvel Adventures line!
32 PGS./All Ages ...$2.99

Hmm, this makes it sound like they’re relaunching Marvel Adventures Avengers within this title, doesn’t it? Assuming the first four are Cap, Thor, Iron Man and The Vision, and “A spy” is Black Widow, who might “A cosmic woman” and “A rookie” be? Captain Marvel/Whateverhernameis (Quasar? Photon?) or Ms. Marvel and, um, hmmm…no guesses on the rookie, actually.


THE MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ #1 (of 8)
Written by ERIC SHANOWER
Pencils & Cover by SKOTTIE YOUNG
Variant Cover by ERIC SHANOWER
Variant Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
The epic continues! Fresh off their landmark run on THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF OZ, superstars ERIC SHANOWER (Age of Bronze) and SKOTTIE YOUNG (X-MEN) return with L. Frank Baum’s MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ. Join new characters Tip and Jack Pumpkinhead as they’re whisked to Oz, and meet foes and friends! You’ve NEVER seen L. Frank Baum’s masterpiece like this before...
32 PGS./All Ages ...$3.99

I still don't understand why Marvel is pricing their Oz books like their Max, Marvel Knights, and Marvel Universe miniseries, one-shots and bestsellers, instead of like their all-ages lines.

I'm curious to see what Ed McGunness' variant cover looks like. Wait, variant cover? There are three fucking covers on this thing? Jesus, Marvel. This is one of the books they publish that seems like it could legitimately appeal to people beyond the regular Marvel Comics reader base, a book that they could conceivably use to try and grow their market a bit, and yet they're treating it like it's Dark Avengers.



PUNISHER #11
Written by RICK REMENDER
Penciled by TONY MOORE
Cover by DAVE WILKINS
“FRANKEN-CASTLE” PART 1
In the belly of New York, skulking and forgotten creatures of the night uncover the remains of a man in a familiar outfit. Frank Castle is dead. What exactly IS Frankencastle? Long time collaborators Rick Remender and Tony Moore (GHOST RIDER, Fear Agent, The Walking Dead) are reunited for what will be the greatest struggle in the afterlife of the Punisher. Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster...
32 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$2.99

If this is what it sounds like—a dead Frank Castle being brought back to life using the Frankenstein method—then it looks like something I may want to read. If it's not what it sounds like, then I probably don't. Hmm...


THOR #604
Written by KIERON GILLEN
Pencils & Cover by BILLY TAN
Gatefold VariantCover by OLIVIER COIPEL (see pg. 118 for full cover image)
Has Doctor Doom crossed a line...? And what role did Loki play in Doom’s sinister plans? What did Loki know...and when...? Now, as Thor heads to Latveria to settle the score, only one thing can happen: Thor sitting Doom down and having a serious chat about their feelings. By which we mean, STATE-OF-THE-ART SLEDGHAMMER SKY-SCRAPING SUIT-SMASHING SUPERHEROICS! Billy Tan (NEW AVENGERS) draws the action-packed escapades while Kieron Gillen (NEW UNIVERSAL: 1959, DARK REIGN: ARES, Phonogram) starts his six issue run. Hold onto your runestones, True Believers – things get hectic quick!
32 PGS./Rated T+...$2.99

Gatefold…?


THUNDERBOLTS #138
Written by JEFF PARKER
Penciled by MIGUEL SEPULVEDA
Cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA
The blood hits the fan in the first issue by new writer Jeff Parker (AGENTS OF ATLAS)! It's been too long since Mr. X has killed, and he needs his next fix! Ghost has taken notice, and sees an opportunity...while Scourge is seeing things that no one should! Add in the selfish intentions of Paladin and Ant-Man, stir with a stick of dynamite and...BOOM! You’ve heard raves about Parker’s ATLAS (heroes pretending to be villains)...but now it’s time to let him loose on some real fiends!
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$2.99

Wow, Jeff Parker is everywhere this month! (He’s also writing a 1602 spin-off series that…well, that looks like a 1602 spin-off). Since the “Dark Reign” mega-story launched out of Secret Invasion, a lot of the special has been sucked out of this book, since the premise of bad guys-posing-as-good is now the default status of the entire Marvel Universe.

I haven’t heard of half these guys—Mr. X? Ghost? Scourge?—but it's Jeff Parker, so I’ll happily give it a try. Nice to see it’s priced at the “give it a try” price of $2.99 too.