Marvel's December previews reviewed

As always, Marvel's full solicitations for the comics they intend to publish in December of 2010 can be found here, while my comments on what looks good/bad/noteworthy can be found below.


AVENGERS #8
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Pencils & Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR.
The return of the Illuminati! Marvel's super-secret brain trust has reunited because someone is trying to put the Infinity Gauntlet back together. Who is it and will the Avengers be able to stop them in time? And what does any of this have to do with the Red Hulk? Plus, is there a little romance brewing? Another blistering blockbuster
chapter from Marvel's premiere super hero team Bendis and Romita Jr. Plus: another illustrated chapter of the oral history of the Avengers!
32 PGS./Rated A ...$3.99

1.) Does the return of The Illuminati excite anyone? Anyone at all? In the past, didn't they just get together and talk Brian Michael Bendisly at one another about upcoming crossover events?

2.) Hey, where's Blackbolt? Did Norman Osborn kill him or Red Hulk eat him in a big Marvel crossover I didn't read?

3.) And Charles Xavier is okay and still walking around? For some reason I thought he was dead or in a coma again or something. Seems like it's been a while since I've seen him anywhere.

4.) How if John Romita Jr. doing drawing a Bendis title, by the way? Is he pulling off pages and pages of conversation okay, or has Bendis has been better tailoring his scripting to JRJR's strengths?


BLACK PANTHER: THE MAN WITHOUT FEAR #513
Written by DAVID LISS
Penciled by FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA
Cover by SIMONE BIANCHI
In the wake of Shadowland, there’s a new protector of Hell’s Kitchen! He has no kingdom, no vibranium, and no high-tech safety net--just bloody knuckles and the will to prove himself in a foreign land where the fiercest of jungle predators stalks the most dangerous urban prey! His name is T’Challa, and in the aftermath of Shadowland, he will create a new life, a new identity, and learn what it is to be a different kind of hero. But with Daredevil gone, the bad guys are coming out to play, and a new nemesis--Vlad the Impaler--plots his bloody rise to power. Be there as national best-selling author and Edgar Award Winner David Liss and the pulp master Francesco Fracavilla (Zorro, Green Hornet) begin a shocking new chapter for the world’s most dangerous man!
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$2.99

Look out, Black Panther! There’s a ghost! Right behind you!

So I guess a new (and very interesting!) creative team and a new character are taking over Daredevil's nickname and numbering? Can they do that?



How does Daredevil and Shadowland end? Apparently with Matt Murdock being skinned alive and having someone write "DD" on his chest with a Sharpie.


HEROES FOR HIRE #1
Written by DAN ABNETT & ANDY LANNING
Penciled by BRAD WALKER
Cover by DOUG BRAITHWAITE
In the aftermath of Shadowland, Marvel’s greatest street heroes – Punisher, Moon Knight, Shroud, Elektra, Paladin, Silver Sable, Ghost Rider, Iron Fist, Falcon, Misty Knight and more – leap into one all-new series! Who has brought these dangerous loners into one fighting force? How is this network different from all other teams? Who is their first target, and what mysteries wait for them? Discover the answers and enter the action on Marvel’s mean streets, courtesy of fan-favorite writers Dan Abnett & Andly Lanning (THE THANOS IMPERATIVE, PUNISHER: YEAR ONE) and artist Brad Walker (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY)!
40 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

Matt Murdock. I’m going to go ahead and guess Matt Murdock.


I'm pretty sure these things were in 1985 film Return To Oz, which traumatized poor eight-year-old Caleb, what with it's Nothing Like The "Real" Wizard of Oz-ishnes. They look much, much cooler as drawn by Skottie Young here.


S.H.I.E.L.D. #5
Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Penciled by DUSTIN WEAVER
Cover by GERALD PAREL
Historical Variant by DUSTIN WEAVER
“The Forgotten Machines of XXXXXX XXXXX”
The story that has taken the comic book world by storm marches on with an issue so secretive that we can’t even reveal the full title! WHO IS THE NIGHT MACHINE?! Find your answer here from Jonathan Hickman (FANTASTIC FOUR) and Dustin Weaver (X-MEN). Every issue has sold out and gone into multiple printings. IT’S GOOD! WE PROMISE! Don’t miss the sleeper hit of 2010!
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$2.99

Eleven X's? This will be Marvel's dirtiest comic book ever!


Wow, check out Ivan Brunetti's Strange Tales II cover!


SUPERIOR #3
Written by MARK MILLAR
Pencils and Cover by LEINIL FRANCIS YU
Who is Superior? Where did he come from? And who the hell is after him?!? MARK MILLAR (KICK-ASS, NEMESIS, CIVIL WAR) and LEINIL FRANCIS YU (SECRET INVASION, NEW AVENGERS) continue the non-stop excitement of their all-new super hero series. If you liked KICK-ASS and NEMESIS--do yourself the greatest favor you could ever do. Don't miss SUPERIOR!
32 PGS./Mature...$2.99

Who is Superior? Superman. Where did he come from? Mark Millar's ass. Who the hell is after him?!? I don't know; after Nemesis and Superior, I imagine a Wonder Woman analogue.


ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS 3 #5 (of 6)
Written by MARK MILLAR
Penciled by STEVE DILLON
Cover by GREG LAND The battle for blood gets thicker as the vampire frenzy comes to a head. With Cap fanged out, Fury brings out the big guns and some new recruits—newish, that is: Perun aka, Russian Thor and the Giant Men. While Blade’s ordered to stand down, the new vampire Nerd Hulk has powered up—and it looks like it’s going to take a lot more than a few Avengers to avenge these bloodsuckers. Mark Millar and Steve Dillon throw down a vampire tale like none other!
32 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$3.99

Yes, like none other! Especially nothing like "Curse of The Mutants."


ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #151
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by SARA PICHELLI
Cover by DAVID LAFUENTE
After the shocking status quo game changer from last issue's 10th
anniversary special, Spider-Man must now undergo afterschool super hero training—and the lessons start here!!! Plus Peter Parker gets a new
girlfriend? And you won't believe who she is. They’ll be guest stars galore in this action packed adventure as Spidey gets schooled!
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$2.99

Is…is she on the cover…?


WHAT IF? DARK REIGN
Written by JASON HENDERSON
Penciled by SANA TAKEDA
Cover by MIKE DEODATO
Back-Up Story By RICK REMENDER & SHAWN MOLL
Before the events of Siege, long-time Avenger Clint Barton (aka Hawkeye) sought to take matters into his own hands and kill Norman Osborn himself. Why should a menace like Osborn be allowed the chance to live? Slay the monster, save the kingdom... right? The kill shot is just the beginning in this twisted tale of conspiracy and intrigue that takes Dark Reign to even blacker depths. What’s the worst that could happen? See for yourself in this one-shot from Jason Henderson and Sana Takeda.
PLUS, What If: The Venom Symbiote Possessed Deadpool – Part 1!
40 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

Hey, did they ever collect that Runaways/Young Avengers story that ran parceled up between a previous suite of What If? specials? I was interested in seeing that, but no so interested that I wanted to buy and read all the specials just to read the back-ups.

This back-up is similarly of some interest to me.


WHAT IF? IRON MAN: DEMON IN AN ARMOR
Story by Bob Layton & David Micheline
Written by DAVID MICHELINIE
Penciled by GRAHAM NOLAN
Cover by BOB LAYTON
Back-Up Story By RICK REMENDER & SHAWN MOLL
Would Tony Stark still be Iron Man...if he wasn't Tony Stark? Twenty years ago, in a college experiment gone bad, the young Stark's mind is transferred to the body of impoverished but brilliant fellow student, Victor von Doom! Blamed for the unsanctioned research, his memory wiped clean, Tony is deported and forced to face life as a disgraced Latverian commoner. Meanwhile, von Doom grows and flourishes in the wealth and privilege of being sole heir to tark Industries. Thus, in separate cauldrons on different sides of the world, both Iron Man and Dr. Doom are forged anew. But who are the men inside the armors...really? Find out in "WHAT IF TONY STARK HAD BECOME DR. DOOM?", co-plotted and written by David Michelinie ("IRON MAN: THE END"), pencilled by Graham Nolan ("X-MEN FOREVER") and co-plotted and inked by Bob Layton ("HERCULES: TWILIGHT OF A GOD"). PLUS, What If: The Venom Symbiote Possessed Deadpool – Part 3!
40 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

Holy shit, I just noticed Graham Nolan on pencils! Awesome! I think of him every time I read a Batman comic with shitty art, as he's one of the half-dozen living Batman artists whose name I always think of in the context of "________ could have done a million times better than this."

Anyway, the paragraph explaining this story sort of lost me—"Tony Stark as a red-and-yellow Dr. Doom woulda done it for me—but I like the goofy title, I like the awesome cover image, and Nolan's presence seals the deal.


WOMEN OF MARVEL #2 (of 2)
Written by Dame Darcy, Mary HK Choi, Jim McCann, & Audrey Loeb
Penciled by Robin Ha, Nuno Alves, Mike Ryan, & Emily Warren
Cover by GREG LAND Jungle queens, invisible princesses and beautiful banshees, oh my! Marvel’s magnificent Amazons take it up a notch in this smoldering selection of shorts by talent to watch out for! Shanna the She-Devil battles pilgrims and pterodactyls, Sue Storm forges a fairy tale ending for the Invisible Woman, and Songbird faces the music of her past when she meets...Screaming Mimi?! And little Lyra needs a prom dress...which brings the smallest She-Hulk against an all new foe: THE MALL!
40 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

I don’t suppose there are any retailers out there who will just cut out the pages by Dame Darcy and sell me those, will they?

Actually, wait a minute, she’s got a “written by” credit but not a “penciled by” one, huh? Eh nevermind then.