Marvel's September previews reviewed

ABSOLUTE CARNAGE: AVENGERS #1
LEAH WILLIAMS (W) • Salvador Larroca (A) • Cover by Clayton Crain
...
CAPTAIN AMERICA! HAWKEYE! THE THING! WOLVERINE!
Years ago, Cletus Kasady used the Carnage symbiote to take over a small town called Doverton, Colorado, as well as the team of Avengers who arrived to stop him! Barely able to free themselves from his control during their first meeting, this small band of heroes will have no choice but to assemble once more after they discover that Doverton’s entire population has recently fallen victim to Carnage’s more lethal designs…
40 PGS./One-Shot/Rated T+ …$4.99

The Absolute Carnage miniseries and crossover event continues into September, and picks-up still more tie-ins. In addition to this Avengers one-shot, there's two even weirder-looking ones, Absolute Carnage: Symbiote of Vengeance, featuring Danny Ketch and a Ghost Rider I've never heard of, and Absolute Carnage: Symbiote of Vengeance. Oh, and an issue of Amazing Spider-Man ties in to the story, as well.


CAPTAIN AMERICA #14
TA-NEHISI COATES (W) • JASON MASTERS (A) • Cover by ALEX ROSS
IMMORTAL WRAPAROUND VARIANT COVER BY TBA
“THE LEGEND OF STEVE” CONTINUES!
As Steve Rogers continues to try to prove his innocence and remain one step ahead of the pursuing Nick Fury, he and Mockingbird journey to Iowa, where a town is held in the thrall of the mysterious group known only as –THEM!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Huh. If an Avenger was going to square off against Them, I would have assumed it would have been Ant-Man.

This is a pretty striking cover by Julian Totino Tedesco. How striking? Well, the night I first saw it, I dreamt about it. In my dream, there was an old, beat-up comic from the '80s or '90s that had the same basic concept, only it was Wolverine's head under some kind of metal character's head, like Death's Head or someone, and, in my dream, I thought, "Oh, that's where Tedesco got the idea for his cover." But that was all a dream!

Anyway, my point is that this image was striking enough that it embedded itself in my subconscious.

This is Terry Dodson's cover for the second issue of Gwenpool Strikes Back, and it's a pretty nice offering from the artist, whose many characters-just-posing covers can kind of blend together sometimes. I like the little details on Mister Fantastic in which he is stretched out of proportion, but just slightly so, as you can see in his neck and how weird his fingers look.

Wow, look at Charles Xavier's bald head shine on that cover! I don't think he just shaves his head. I think he polishes it, too.

IMMORTAL HULK #23
AL EWING (W) • JOE BENNETT (A) • Cover by ALEX ROSS
IMMORTAL WRAPAROUND Variant Cover by TBA
• The war has come home – and Shadow Base is the battleground.
• The stage is set for the final confrontation between the new ABOMINATION...
• ...and the IMMORTAL HULK.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Yikes, check out the face of the new Abomination. That design is certainly abominable. I know I've talked about how powerful the horror imagery in this book has been, both on Alex Ross' covers and even more so in artist Joe Bennett's interiors, but I think this is perhaps the best of Marvel's serious comics...that is, the one's that aren't also comedies, which tend to be the ones I generally gravitate towards.

SAVAGE AVENGERS #5
GERRY DUGGAN (W) • MIKE DEODATO JR. (A) • Cover by DAVID FINCH
IMMORTAL WRAPAROUND VARIANT COVER BY TBA
• The Marrow God has eaten the sentient population of entire planets, but he never had to dance with the Savage Avengers. Kulan Gath is on the verge of defeat...or is that what he wanted the entire time?
• A Pyrrhic victory lights a fuse that will only burn more of the Marvel Universe.
• Plus, the Punisher is curious about Crom...
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

I'm not sure a white suit is a good idea hanging around this particular group of characters.

The last bullet point in this solicit is the one that excites me the most. That it's only one of three bullet points tells me that this is not, in fact, the case, but I would like nothing more than 20-pages of Conan trying to convert the presumably atheist Punisher* to Crom worship.

Nice cover for Magnificent Ms. Marvel by Eduard Petrovich.


MAN-WOLF: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION TPB
Written by GERRY CONWAY, MARV WOLFMAN, DOUG MOENCH, TONY ISABELLA & DAVID ANTHONY KRAFT
Penciled by GIL KANE, ROSS ANDRU, JOHN BYRNE, GEORGE TUSKA, GEORGE PEREZ, SAL BUSCEMA, MIKE VOSBURG, JIM SHERMAN & ALAN WEISS
Cover by JOHN ROMITA SR.
When J. Jonah Jameson’s astronaut son, John Jameson, brings a strange red gemstone back from the moon, he finds himself transformed into the macabre Man-Wolf! Becoming a lycanthropic creature on the loose, the Man-Wolf battles Spider-Man, Morbius, Kraven the Hunter and more — while investigator Simon Stroud comes ever closer to the Man-Wolf’s true identity! Jameson soon discovers the truth behind the gem — but does his destiny lie in Other Realm wielding the sword of the Stargod? Or will the parasitic stone mean his destruction? Man-Wolf takes on Frankenstein’s monster, She-Hulk and more — but can Spider-Man save him from a fate worse than death? Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #124-125 and #189-190; GIANT-SIZE SUPER-HEROES #1; CREATURES ON THE LOOSE #30-37; MARVEL PREMIERE #45-46; MARVEL TEAM-UP (1972) #36-37; SAVAGE SHE-HULK #13-14 and material from PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #3.
408 PGS./Rated T …$39.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-92000-5

I reeeaaallllly want to read this comic, based on how bonkers the Man-Wolf character has always looked and sounded to me (I've never really ran into him at any great length before though...just a few issues of some She-Hulk comics here and there (Remember when the Raimi Spider-Mans mentioned John Jameson? Just think, if Sony managed that franchise as tightly and ambitiously as Marvel Studios managed theirs, we would have not only gotten that Spider-Man 6 movie in which Tobey Maguire fights Alfred Molina's Sinister Six by now, maybe there would even be a Man-Wolf spin-off franchise by now. Sigh...)

That said, $40 seems like a pretty big investment in a comic book about a super space werewolf whose dad is the coolest character in the Marvel Universe, you know...? Even if it is a 400-page monster of a book. Maybe Amazon will have it at a deep discount...


MARVEL-VERSE: IRON MAN GN-TPB
Written by FRED VAN LENTE, DAVID MICHELINIE, BOB LAYTON & KURT BUSIEK
Penciled by JAMES CORDEIRO, GRAHAM NOLAN, JACKSON GUICE & SEAN CHEN
Cover by DAVID MARQUEZ
ON SALE NOVEMBER 2019
Iron Man is one of the greatest heroes in the Marvel-Verse – and these are some of his most action-packed adventures! When the genius Tony Stark is held captive and forced to make weapons, his best chance of escape lies in building the greatest weapon of all – the very fi rst version of the Iron Man armor! Then, Shellhead meets Webhead as Iron Man and Spider-Man team up to take down the deadly Radioactive Man! And when Tony Stark makes a dramatic public return to start the next chapter of his business life, a newly-souped up Iron Man finds himself targeted for death! Finally, does Iron Man stand a ghost of a chance battling the Marvel-Verse’s most fearsome armored foe — the dastardly Doctor Doom?! Collecting MARVEL ADVENTURES IRON MAN (2007) 1, 7; IRON MAN (1968) 234; IRON MAN (1998) 1.
120 PGS./AGES 10 & UP …$9.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-92117-0

Okay, I give up--what the fuck is "the Marvel-Verse"...? This looks like a mix of those continuity-lite, all-ages comics Marvel was publishing off and on in the '00s, paired with a couple of old, canonical comics of relatively great age. There's another Marvel-Verse collection solicited featuring Thanos, but all of its contents seem to come from the MCU proper.



MILES MORALES: SPIDER-MAN #10
SALADIN AHMED (W) • JAVIER GARRON (A) • Cover by MAHMUD ASRAR
VARIANT COVER BY JAVIER GARRON
VARIANT COVER BY ED MCGUINNESS
IMMORTAL WRAPAROUND VARIANT COVER BY TBA
SPIDER-SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL OR BIG 250th ANNIVERSARY ISSUE?
That’s right, it’s our 250th issue and it’s Miles Morales’ birthday! But YOU’RE getting all the gifts! A mystery dating back to Miles’ first appearance? Answered! A terrifying villain destined to become one of Miles’ greatest adversaries? Revealed! Special guests, like maybe Peter Parker: Spider-Man? YOU KNOW IT! All busting out of 25 pages by main series storytellers Saladin Ahmed and Javier Garrón, PLUS a bonus back-up by Ahmed and a special guest artist delving into the history of your new favorite character, STARLING! Your FOMO is well-founded! DON’T MISS IT!
40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

Your tenth issue can't be your 250th issue! That's not how counting works!

Dang, Tradd Moore is so good...

SON OF SATAN: MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #12
FACSIMILE EDITION
Written by GARY FRIEDRICH
Penciled by HERB TRIMPE
Cover by HERB TRIMPE
From Hell he came! By day he is Daimon Hellstrom, but by night he is known as the Son of Satan! Trident in hand, striking birthmark on his chest, and with the strength of a hundred men, Daimon is on the trail of his accursed father — and woe betide anyone who stands in his way! Watch in terror as the Son of Satan fights his way through an army of demons as he pursues the ultimate family feud — with the soul of Johnny Blaze, the Ghost Rider, at stake! It’s one of the all-time great Marvel comic books, boldly re-presented in its original form, ads and all! Reprinting MARVEL SPOTLIGHT (1971) #12.
32 PGS./one-shot/All Ages …$3.99

Having read the above issue and the first chunk of Son of Satan comics in Essential Marvel Horror Vol. 1, I've been disappointed with almost every later appearance featuring the character. Like, when you first appear wearing a shirt but no cape, holding a trident made of psycho-sensitive devil metal "netharanium" and riding on a flaming chariot pulled by flying demon horses, it's kind of hard to maintain that level of intensity for, like 40 issues, let alone 40 years. But when he just shows up in a red suit and casting the occasional urban magic spell these days, well, it's almost always something of a let down.

SPIDER-MAN #1 (OF 5)
J.J. ABRAMS & HENRY ABRAMS (W) • SARA PICHELLI (A)
Cover by OLIVIER COIPEL
...
WHO IS CADAVEROUS?!
The most shocking and incredible comic of 2019 is here as J.J. ABRAMS (STAR WARS, STAR TREK, SUPER 8) and his son HENRY ABRAMS are joined by superstar artist SARA PICHELLI (MILES MORALES, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY) team up for SPIDER-MAN! What do they have planned for Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson?! Who is Cadaverous?! The Modern Master of Mystery Makes His Marvel this September!
40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

Hm. This is an unexpected writing team. I suppose Abrams earns a gig writing a Marvel comic via the good at/popular in another medium route that many non-comics writers before him have scored such gigs in the past, but what about his son Henry Abrams? Is he there just because his dad is J.J. Abrams? (I don't see any writing credits for him at comics.org or IMDb.com). That, of course, doesn't necessarily mean he will be bad at writing comics or anything, but the nepotism is particularly in your face here and, in general, it's not like nepotism is a generally positive force in this world. Who am I to judge them personally, though? Like, I'm pretty sure if my dad was a pretty famous movie director, I'd ask him to help me get a gig writing comics, too. And I guess you can't blame Marvel too much either, as getting a popular filmmaker to write a comic for them was probably pretty appealing no matter which relatives he wants as his co-writer (Although I imagine the editors are hoping this goes better than that Iron Man comic Jon Favreau started, or Kevin Smith's Daredevil: Bullseye. Hopefully they've learned to not solicit miniseries from filmmakers until all of the scripts are in.)

That's a particularly strange choice of title for the comic, given that it's just a miniseries. I can't imagine why it isn't called Spider-Man: Cadaverous or something like that; it will certainly be sold in trade format with a sub-title.

STRIKEFORCE #1
TINI HOWARD (W) • Germán Peralta (A) • Cover by ANDREA SORRENTINO
...
NO COMPROMISE. NO MERCY.
ALL NEW, ONGOING SERIES!
From the dark minds of rising stars Tini Howard and Germán Peralta comes a tale of the underside of the Marvel Universe! A new threat is secretly taking over the planet -- and the more people who know about it, the more powerful the threat becomes. Blade dealt with this threat once before, and hoped to never have to again. He can’t bring the Avengers in on this -- not just for their own safety, but for the safety of everyone on Earth. So he must recruit a team of heroes accustomed to darkness -- a strikeforce. Blade, Angela, Spider-Woman, Wiccan, the Winter Soldier, Monica Rambeau and Daimon Hellstrom join forces to fight the fights that no other Marvel team can take on!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Based on the cover, the organizing principle of this team book is...characters chosen from a hat containing the names of all the Marvel characters...? There are a couple more mentioned in the solicitation copy, but they are just as random as all of those pictured on the cover/s. I'm unfamiliar with the work of the creators, and the team features such an odd make-up--like, original Champions odd--that I'm not sure what to make of the book. I do like Son of Satan (although I prefer him as he was in the comic pictured above, where he was more akin to a Satanic Namor than a ginger John Constanine) and Blade, so...we'll see.

It's a shame that Spider-Woman is back in her dumb bodypaint costume so soon after her redesign (and that she appears to be completely Porcupine-less).



*This is something I think about a lot, but I often wonder if the heroes who live in superhero universes are made more or less likely to have particular religious beliefs or practices, based on what they saw. Like, if you've been to hell or heaven and died and come back repeatedly or used ectoplasmic guns to hunt evil people for angels or whatever, does that make you 100% certain in the existence of God and the immortality of the soul and afterlives as sketched out by various religions, or do you instead just assume that those entities are just aliens and their realms of existence just alternate dimensions, like, I don't know, the god-like Watchers and Celestials and Asgardians and The Negative Zone and Asgard and so on. I think these questions are magnified in intensity in the DC Universe, where more characters have died and been resurrected more often, and The Spectre has been walking around and talking to the heroes for decades.

Anyway, the fact that The Punisher kills criminals like he's swatting insects makes me assume he hasn't given too much stock in heaven and hell, but I could very well be wrong, given I've missed something like 10,000 Punisher comics. A conversation between Conan the Barbarian and Frank the Punisherian makes me excited to read this series, though.