Marvel's February previews reviewed

Marvel has released the solicitations for the comics they plan to publish in February of next year. See?

Do you guys want to talk about them? Okay, let's!

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but it can hardly be over-stated: Mike Allred is the best. That appears to be his cover for Avengers #4.1, which I'm assuming is a weirdly-numbered series set in the Avengers past that Mark Waid is writing between issues of Avengers...?

At any rate, Mike Allred is drawing a cover for it, and it is a great cover.

CAPTAIN AMERICA:
STEVE ROGERS #11
NICK SPENCER (W) • JESÚS SAIZ (A)
COVER BY PAUL RENAUD
...
• In the wake of Maria Hill’s court-martial, who will become the new head of S.H.I.E.L.D.? The answer will electrify you!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

"Electrify," huh? Is that a clue? Um, Electro? No, Lincoln Campbell! Is it Lincoln Campbell?  I'm going to guess Lincoln Campbell.

Man, I hate the Champions logo so much.

DEADPOOL: BAD BLOOD OGN-HC
Written by ROB LIEFELD, CHRIS SIMS & CHAD BOWERS
Penciled by ROB LIEFELD
Cover by ROB LIEFELD
Deadpool—more popular than ever before—in his first Original Graphic Novel! Deapool’s been shooting, stabbing and otherwise annoying people for a long time now. He’s made a lot of enemies. One he can’t quite place is the brutal Thumper, who keeps showing up out of the blue to pound him into jelly. What is Deadpool’s past connection to this beefy face-masher? And what’s up with Cable, Domino, and the others on the cover? Are they going to show up in the book? (Hint: They are!) Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld on pencils and inks teams with writers Chris Sims and Chad Bower (X-MEN ’92) to tell the tale of his greatest creation (just roll with me here) getting his heinie handed to him! Check it out—before Deadpool checks YOU out!
112 PGS./Parental Advisory …$24.99

Wow. Chris Sims. And Rob Liefeld. Together on the same comic. That...is not something I ever expected to see.

DEADPOOL: TOO SOON? TPB
Written by JOSHUA CORIN
Penciled by TODD NAUCK
Cover by PEPE LARRAZ & DAVID CURIEL
When Forbush Man is murdered, could it be the beginning of a killing spree that’s no laughing matter? Deadpool sure thinks so! Things are about to get serious for Marvel’s funniest characters as the Merc with a Mouth sets about saving hilarious heroes including Squirrel Girl, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Ant-Man, Howard the Duck and…Punisher?! If that plot ain’t nuts enough, brace yourself for Squirrelpool! As the bodies start to pile up, Wade and Howard investigate why their pals keep losing their heads — literally! Maybe Doctor Strange, Master of the Mirthful Arts, can work his magic and help put an end to this killing joke before Deadpool becomes the punchline! It’s a Marvel Universe murder mystery that’ll have you in tears — of laughter, or sorrow, or possibly both! Collecting DEADPOOL: TOO SOON? #1-4 and material from GWENPOOL HOLIDAY SPECIAL: MERRY MIX-UP.
144 PGS./Parental Advisory …$17.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-90298-8

So, are any of you guys reading this one? I'm not a big Deadpool guy, but I do like, like, all those other characters.

Mm-hm, mm-hm. Yes. Yes, I do believe this Dr. Strange/Punisher crossover looks pretty good so far.

GWENPOOL, THE UNBELIEVABLE #11 & 12
CHRIS HASTINGS (W) • Myisha HAYNES & GURIHIRU (A)
ISSUE #11 – COVER by Elsa Charretier
ISSUE #12 – Cover by Gisele Lagace
• First up – Gwen gets hired to save a small town from a VAMPIRE!
• But all is not what it seems. What else is new?
• Then, Gwen’s gaming skills are put to the test…
• …when she’s captured by ARCADE!
32 PGS. (EACH)/Rated T+ …$3.99 (EACH)

I know villain series don't generally work for long, but I think I would be all in for an Arcade ongoing, in which every story arc he took on a different Marvel superhero.

That's Jay Fogsitt's variant cover for Jessica Jones #5...and a good argument for a cute Jessica Jones book, rather than one in Gaydos' style (See also: GURIHIRU's story from Secret Love and Brittney Williams and Natasha Allegri's Jessica Jones from She-Hulk).

MONSTERS UNLEASHED #2 (OF 5)
CULLEN BUNN (W) • GREG LAND (A/C)
...
THE BIGGEST EVENT IN MARVEL HISTORY CONTINUES!
• The heroes of the Marvel Universe repel wave after wave of Leviathon monsters as more and more fall to Earth…CAPTAIN MARVEL rallies her ALPHA FLIGHT against these hordes from space while CAPTAIN AMERICA and the AVENGERS hold the line around the world.
• Amidst this chaos’ a puzzle is appearing and ELSA BLOODSTONE is just the person to pick up the pieces and find the answer to what might save Earth from this apocalypse…
• …or might hasten us to a devastating end!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

MONSTERS UNLEASHED #3 (OF 5)
CULLEN BUNN (W) • LEINIL FRANCIS YU (A/C)
...
THE WORLD IS UNDER SIEGE…WHO WILL SAVE US?!
• As monsters continue their assault against Earth and its heroes, the being responsible for the attack is made perfectly clear…and a new ally emerges from the rubble that surprises everyone…
• But what does all of this have to do with a little boy from New York City…and how does he tie into the INHUMANS’ ancient history?
• The winter’s biggest event continues in the blockbuster fashion that only the HOUSE OF IDEAS can provide!!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

Ew, Greg Land art? Oh man, I was really looking forward to this series. Hopefully that's the only issue that Land is drawing, because nothing ruins a comic book series a quickly or as badly as Greg Land art.

Also, I guess Captain Marvel and The Inhumans are heavily involved? So I have to temporarily care about those things just to read a story about Marvel superheroes fighting Kirby Monsters...?

Greg Smallwood's cover for Moon Knight, ladies and gentlemen.

Woah. Can James Stokoe do all the covers next month?

ROCKET RACCOON #3
MATTHEW ROSENBERG (W) • JORGE COELHO (A)
Cover by David Nakayama
GROUNDED!
• You know what raccoons are good for? Hunting!
• You know who’s good at hunting? Kraven the Hunter!
• You know who thinks those last two points are false? Rocket!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Well, Kraven already captured Rocket for the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl/Howard The Duck crossover, "Animal House," so I would assume that Kraven could take him here. On the other hand, Rocket has home book advantage, so maybe this will be a pretty close fight, after all.

...

Hey, I thought that Kraven gave up hunting, and started hunting hunters instead...?

SLAPSTICK #3
REILLY BROWN & FRED VAN LENTE (W)
REILLY BROWN & DIEGO OLORTEGUI (A)
Cover by DAVID NAKAYAMA
...
Slapstick’s local mall is overrun by little cartoon minotaurs! The TAURS! They’re adorably deadly! Adeadlable! PLUS: Why are there so many cartoons becoming real, anyways?
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

Minotaurs? Those are clearly centaurs and not minotaurs. WTF, Slapstick?

I love Imperial Walkers.