Marvel's February previews reviewed

What's Marvel got planned for February of next year? Star Wars variant covers, mostly. And a few comics. Not as many comics as Star Wars variant covers, of course, but then, there aren't as many stars in the sky as there are Star Wars variant covers in this round of Marvel solicitations. You can, of course, read the full solicitations here, and get my usual sterling analysis below...

ALL-NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA #4
RICK REMENDER (W) • STUART IMMONEN (A/C)
VARIANT COVER BY PHIL NOTO
• Hydra initiates the next step in their scheme, millions of innocent souls hang in the balance.
• Cap is broken and nearly dead from the gauntlet of the new Hydra, so how can he take down the combined might of Cobra and the Armadillo in time to stop the great leveling?
• A mysterious woman from the past returns!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Is it weird that a supervillain named The Armadillo is so damn huge, when armadillos aren't really all that large? I mean, The Armadillo looks to be about twice the size of The Rhino and four times as large as Man-Elephant....

AVENGERS #41
JONATHAN HICKMAN (W) • STEFANO CASELLI (A)
Cover by BRYAN HITCH
VARIANT COVER BY PHIL NOTO
IN 3 MONTHS…TIME RUNS OUT!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

That can't possibly be the right cover, can it...?

DAREDEVIL #13
MARK WAID (W) • CHRIS SAMNEE (A/C)
VARIANT COVER BY PHIL NOTO
THE END BEGINS HERE!
• Mark Waid and Chis Samnee begin the climactic final chapter of their beloved, Eisner Award Winning run with the return of one of Matt Murdock’s oldest and (now) scariest enemies.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

I can't help but think how much bigger a deal this solicitation copy's screaming of "THE END BEGINS HERE!" if this were issue #50—that is, if Marvel hadn't relaunched the book after the first 36 issues for no reason—than it it does when there's a #13 attached.

As for the "oldest and (now) scariest" enemy, I'm going to guess it's The Owl, on account of the fact that there's an owl on the cover.

DARTH VADER #1 & 2
KIERON GILLEN (w) • SALVADOR LARROCA (A)
CoverS by ADI GRANOV
ISSUE #1 - Teaser Variant by JOHN CASSADAY
CONNECTING VARIANT COVER B BY J. SCOTT CAMPBELL
VARIANT COVER BY ALEX ROSS
SKETCH VARIANT COVER BY ALEX ROSS
VARIANT COVER BY MICHAEL GOLDEN
VARIANT COVER BY MIKE DEL MUNDO
YOUNG VARIANT BY SKOTTIE YOUNG
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
MOVIE VARIANT COVER ALSO AVAILABLE
BLANK VARIANT COVER ALSO AVAILABLE
ISSUE #2 - VARIANT COVER BY WHILCE PORTACIO
VARIANT COVER BY TBA
The original Dark Lord of the Sith stars in his first ongoing series!
Ever since Darth Vader made his first on-screen appearance, he became the one of the most popular villains to ever haunt an audience’s dreams! Now, follow Vader straight from the ending of A NEW HOPE (and the pages of the new STAR WARS comic book) into his own series, showing the Empire’s war with the Rebel Alliance from the other side! Writer Kieron Gillen (Uncanny X-Men, Journey Into Mystery, Iron Man) and artist Salvador Larroca (Invincible Iron Man, X-Men: No More Humans) bring us a peek behind the mask of evil!
ISSUE #1 - 48 PGS./Rated T …$4.99
ISSUE #2 - 32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

I was just about to call bullshit on the first sentence of the solicitation copy, when I realized it qualifies the statement with "ongoing;" okay, yes, that's true. While there have been a bunch of Darth Vader comics from Dark Horse, they have been in the format of a series of miniseries, rather than an ongoing.

I will call bullshit on the number of variant covers though. Jeez, just look at those things!

Oh come on Ed McGuinness; I thought you were a better artist than that! What's with the full broke-back posing of Magik, featuring both her entire butt and both boobs...? That's the cover of the first issue Guardians of the Galaxy & X-Men: The Black Vortex, which has almost as many characters in it as it has words in its title, based on that cover.

GUARDIANS TEAM-UP #1 & 2
BRIAN BENDIS (W) • ISSUE #1 - ART ADAMS (A/C)
...
• Launching directly out of Guardians of the Galaxy comes the new ongoing series bringing the Guardians to the Marvel Universe’s grandest stage for an opening arc of out-of-this-world adventures with some of the biggest hitters Marvel has to offer.
• Kicking off with a cosmic threat so massive, it’ll take more than just the Guardians of the Galaxy to stop it! Assembled side by side with the mighty Avengers, prepare for two titanic teams to unite like you’ve never seen before!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
ISSUE #2 - GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and THE AVENGERS!
• Follow part two of this story as the Guardians of the Galaxy slam their way into the world of the Avengers – and only working together as a team will help them save the galaxy!
• Tension runs high when survival is at stake, and when the likes of Gamora, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Rocket are forced to problem solve together, it can mean only one thing is guaranteed – destruction!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

So what have we got now? Guardians of The Galaxy, Rocket Raccoon, Legendary Star-Lord, Guardians 3000 and now Guardians Team-Up. Marvel continues to search for the exact number of straws it will take to break this particular camel's back.

MS. MARVEL #12
G. WILLOW WILSON (W) • Takeshi Miyazawa (A)
Cover by KRIS ANKA
• Love is in Jersey City as Valentine’s Day arrives!
• Kamala Khan may not be allowed to go to the dance, but Ms. Marvel is!
• Well sort of – by crashing it attempting to capture Asgard’s most annoying trickster!
• Yup, it’s a special Valentine’s Day issue featuring Marvel’s favorite charlatan, Loki!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

Hmm...I'm feeling pretty torn here. On the one hand, after having just read the first trade paperback collection of the series, I don't really have any desire to see anyone other than Adrian Alphona drawing Ms. Marvel. On the other hand, I'm always happy to see Takeshi Miyazawa draw anything.

STAR WARS #2
JASON AARON (W) • JOHN CASSADAY (A/C)
SKETCH VARIANT COVER BY JOHN CASSADAY
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
VARIANT COVER BY Berkeley Breathed, PULITZER-PRIZE WINNING CREATOR OF BLOOM COUNTY
VARIANT COVER BY LEINIL YU
VARIANT COVER BY HOWARD CHAYKIN
THE GREATEST SPACE ADVENTURE OF ALL TIME CONTINUES!
• The Rebel assault on Cymoon 1 continues!
• Luke Skywalker – cornered by Darth Vader!
• Han, Leia, and the others – trapped!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99
Star Wars © Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All rights reserved. Used under authorization. Text and illustrations for Star Wars are © 2015 Lucasfilm Ltd.

So. Many. Variants. But the most interesting one of them all? "VARIANT COVER BY Berkeley Breathed, PULITZER-PRIZE WINNING CREATOR OF BLOOM COUNTY." What's that all about, I wonder, and why is he listed like that in the solicitation copy credits...?


OPERATION: S.I.N. #2 (of 5)
Kathryn Immonen (w)
Rich Ellis (A)
Cover by Michael Komarck
• When a UFO fires on Moscow because Howard can’t keep his finger off the button, Peggy and the team go underground but which one of them is already undercover?
• Woodrow McCord fights a bear!
• Peggy punches Howard in the face!
• The firecracker team of Kathryn Immonen and Rich Ellis turn up the heat and tear up the joint in the continuing adventures of AGENT CARTER!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

If you replaced the surname "McCord" with "Wilson," I'd be totally down.

THOR ANNUAL #1
JASON AARON, CM PUNK, NOELLE STEVENSON (w)
ROB GUILLORY, MARGUERITE SAUVAGE (A)
Cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE
VARIANT Cover by ROB GUILLORY
VARIANT COVER BY MARGUERITE SAUVAGE
• Three stories featuring three Thors!
• Wrestling superstar CM Punk and Rob Guillory (Chew) on Young Thor’s idea for how to prove himself worthy of Mjolnir: a drinking competition!
• Noelle Stevenson (Lumberjanes) and Marguerite Sauvage tell a tale of the new Thor!
• And Jason Aaron on the Girls of Thunder’s quest to find the perfect birthday present for their grandfather, King Thor! How about a new Garden of Eden?
40 PGS./ONE SHOT/Rated T+ …$4.99

Oh come on now Mr. Punk, a drinking contest? The deck is totally stacked. How could Thor not beat Mjolnir in a drinking contest? Mjolnir doesn't even have a mouth!

(By the way, there's another way to get into writing comics. Step one: Become a successful and popular professional wrestler.)


In no particular order, here are three of my favorite covers...

...by Tradd Moore, Mike Allred and Kaare Andrews. The Ghost Rider and Black Widow covers are pretty alright this month, too.

THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #2
RYAN NORTH (W) • ERICA HENDERSON (A/C)
Variant cover by JOE QUINONES
• Starting college is hard enough, but now Squirrel Girl has to deal with Galactus too?
• The fate of the entire planet hangs in the balance, and only Squirrel Girl can save it!
• Also, her squirrel friend Tippy Toe. She can help too.
• Iron Man might show up too! Kinda, at least!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Tippy Toe is a female?! I always assumed Tippy Toe was male.

I like Squirrel Girl's earrings.

WOLVERINES #5
CHARLES SOULE & RAY FAWKES (w)
JONATHAN MARKS (A)
Cover by NICK BRADSHAW
• The team from Paradise and the Wolverines team up for the Assault on Mr. Sinister and his snowy fortress but what surprises lay in store when they figure out the front door is actually the easiest way in?
• Sinister has more than plans for Logan’s body in his lair...but how are the Amazing X-Men involved in his plans for destruction and perfection?
• Special appearance by Fing Fang Boom!
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

I have no idea who "The Wolverines" are—I'm guessing X-23 is one of 'em though, based on that cover image—but the name "Fing Fang Boom" excites me. I do hope that's not a typo...