Marvel's August previews reviewed

As with DC's latest round of solicitations, these are likely going to be pretty wonky, as the coronavirus pandemic hit the comics industry like a wrecking ball this spring, shuttering stores, scrambling distribution and shuffling schedules. Many of the books now being solicited for August release were likely already solicited but, to be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely sure how many of these I already saw when they were solicited in March for a June release (or in February for May release), and how many I'm seeing for the first time. All those Empyre tie-ins and X-books, both of which are very much not my area of interest, tend to blend together after awhile.

So this will likely be a rather abbreviated installment of the feature, but here's what jumped out at me reading and/or re-reading these solicits...


AVENGERS OF THE WASTELANDS TPB
Written by ED BRISSON
Penciled by JONAS SCHARF
Cover by JUAN JOSÉ RYP
ON SALE SEPTEMBER 2020
A new story from the world of OLD MAN LOGAN! In a future where America’s super heroes fell at the Red Skull’s hands over 50 years ago, a new force rises in the Wastelands! Dani Cage wields mighty Mjolnir for the cause of peace, but the Avengers may assemble once more when Doctor Doom’s brutal regime forces Dwight — the owner of the surviving Ant-Man technology — together with Dani and Hulk Jr. in a last-ditch effort to survive! Can they succeed where Logan left off? And what does Captain America’s return herald for the team? The Wastelands are filled with terrors: Baron Blood and his legion of vampires! The Green Goblin! The Enchantress and the Absorbing Man! But none are worse than Doom, and these neophyte Avengers are about to learn that the hard way! Collecting AVENGERS OF THE WASTELANDS #1-5.
112 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-92004-3
USE DIAMOND CODE APR201102


In retrospect, should this series, which was set in the world of Old Man Logan and Old Man Hawkeye, have been entitled Old People Avengers...?

Interesting that in this particular alternate future, Dani Cage is Thor, whereas in a previous alternate future she grew up to be Captain America. I guess whatever the case is, the child of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones is going to grow up to be one legacy hero or another, and it's probably not going to be Power Woman or Jewell...

I don't know if I have mentioned this seven, ten or thirteen times before or not, but I really like the cut of this Kyle Hotz character's jib. This is his cover for Empyre: X-Men #4, which I have less interest in than either Empyre or X-Men, although I love the rendering on that cover!


THE END TPB
Written by ERIK LARSEN, KELLY THOMPSON, JOE KELLY, LEAH WILLIAMS, SALADIN AHMED & ADAM WARREN
Penciled by ERIK LARSEN, CARMEN CARNERO, MIKE HAWTHORNE, FILIPE ANDRADE, DAMION SCOTT & CHAMBA
Cover by RAHZZAH
ON SALE AUGUST 2020
Mighty Marvel heroes reach the bitter end! Steve Rogers fights for survival in a postapocalyptic wasteland populated by hordes of Red Skulls! Captain Marvel returns after 50 years in space — but what has become of the world she once called home? Deadpool seems unkillable — but death will find a way! Doctor Strange makes his final journey — through a cyberpunk sprawl where magic is forgotten! Miles Morales leads civilization’s last stand in the one place strong enough to survive: Brooklyn! And Venom travels the length of space and time as the last defender of life in the universe! Experience the end as your favorite heroes take their final bow! Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE END, CAPTAIN MARVEL: THE END, DEADPOOL: THE END, DOCTOR STRANGE: THE END, MILES MORALES: THE END and VENOM: THE END.
200 PGS./Rated T+ …$24.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-92499-7
USE DIAMOND CODE APR201100

My favorite heroes? These aren't my favorite heroes, Mr. or Ms. Solicitation Copy Writer! Who told you this half-dozen of characters were my favorite? I mean, some of 'em are okay, I guess, depending on who is writing or drawing them, but they are hardly my favorite. Now, a book collecting final stories starring Namor, The Son of Satan, Man-Thing, Squirrel Girl, Patsy Walker a.k.a. Hellcat and the original, android Human Torch...? That would be a book in which I could see m y favorite heroes take their final bow!

...

Anyway, look at that line-up of creators! That's quite a group of talented folks; I'm particularly interested in seeing a full-length story drawn by Damion Scott, and seeing anything written by Adam Warren outside of his (excellent) Empowered, which has dominated his output for so long now.

Have any of you read any or many of these...? Is this a collection that can be borrowed from the library, read once and forgotten, or is it so great that I'm going to want my own copy on my home bookshelves, so I can revisit it over and over...?

FANTASTIC FOUR: ANTITHESIS #1 (Of 4)
Mark Waid (W) • Neal Adams (A/C)
...
The first full-length Fantastic Four story ever illustrated by classic creator Neal Adams!
An unstoppable meteor of unknown origin has just erupted from hyperspace--and unless the Fantastic Four can find a way to stop it from hitting Manhattan, millions will die!
40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

Is Ben okay? Is he...melting...? He doesn't look quite right.

I find the particular phrasing of "the first full-length Fantastic Four story" by Adams interesting; I guess he's drawn a shorter story before? I wonder, did he draw Ben with the face of a gorilla then, too?

Also interesting? Adams is just drawing this book, rather than drawing it and writing it, as he has with so many of his more recent DC miniseries over the last few years, suggesting that fans of Adams' particular brand of batshit storytelling will be in for something quite different. After all, here he's paired with Mark Waid, one of the most consummate FF writers one can imagine in this century.


IRON MAN 2020 #6 (OF 6)
DAN SLOTT & CHRISTOS GAGE (W) • PETE WOODS (A)
5th Color Fluorescent Ink Cover by PETE WOODS
Variant Cover by TakAshi Okazaki APR200968
Connecting Variant Cover by SIMONE BIANCHI APR200969
Variant Cover by RON LIM APR200970
Heads Variant Cover by SUPERLOG APR200971
Throw out the rest of your stupid, worthless flesh-bag calendars. 2020 is over, man! The moment Arno Stark has been preparing for is here: the end of all human and artificial life as we know it! All this time you thought he was just some egomaniacal jerk; well, who’s laughing now? Well...no one really. We’re all about to die.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99
USE DIAMOND CODE APR200967

For some reason I find the fact that I can't even guess what a "5th Color Fluorescent Ink" variant over or a "Heads" variant cover by Japanese artist Superlog might look like enormously appealing. Perhaps because, in the case of the former, it reminds me of DC's 1995 Underworld Unleashed event series, with it's garishly prominent use of neon green throughout...? And that reminds me of my youth? I don't know. Anyway, 5th color! What could it be? Neon green?


RUNAWAYS BY RAINBOW ROWELL VOL. 5: CANON FODDER TPB
Written by RAINBOW ROWELL
Penciled by ANDRÉS GENOLET & KRIS ANKA
Cover by KRIS ANKA
ON SALE SEPTEMBER 2020
Runaways no more! As the mysterious Doc Justice offers to shape our heroes into a super-group to protect Los Angeles, say hello to the J-Team! But who is the inspirational Doc Justice, anyway? How did he convince the least capes-and-tights-oriented kids in the Marvel Universe to suit up? And will everybody be on board with this major shift in the status quo? Don’t bet on it! As Doc Justice and his new recruits start cleaning up L.A. better than anyone expected, they’ll soon start to set their sights even higher! But where does that leave Gert? Back at the Doc’s mansion, of course. She’s not just going to sit there — with access to the J-Team’s files and resources, Gert is going to do her part! But where will this new role take her? Collecting RUNAWAYS (2017) #25-31.
152 PGS./Rated T+ … $19.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-92028-9
USE DIAMOND CODE JAN201067

This is a very good sub-title for a trade paperback collection of a Big Two, shared universe title.


TAROT: AVENGERS/DEFENDERS TPB
Written by ALAN DAVIS
Penciled by PAUL RENAUD
Cover by PAUL RENAUD
ON SALE SEPTEMBER 2020
An all-new epic teaming Earth’s Mightiest Heroes with Marvel’s premier non-team! A strange and impossible lost memory from World War II draws Namor the Sub-Mariner to his onetime compatriot Captain America — but the two heroes and their respective allies soon find themselves pulled into a labyrinth of madness, pain and destruction courtesy of the Infernal Ichor of Ish’lzog! Avenger must battle Defender as the alchemist Diablo casts cards from the deck of fate, pitting hero against hero for his own nefarious purposes! As chaos spreads, the two groups find themselves confronted by the most unlikely characters in Marvel history! Would you believe...the Unbelievables?! And as the cosmic chaos reaches its peak, the Avengers and Defenders are literally merged — becoming composite costumed champions! But can any of them put an end to the reality-altering madness? Collecting TAROT #1-4.
112 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-91525-4
USE DIAMOND CODE FEB201045

As I've no doubt mentioned before, I have a fascination with Marvel's Defenders, one that I can't entirely explain or even articulate. It may simply be that Kurt Busiek and Erik Larsen's millennial Defenders revival was so good (and one of my first Marvel series), it may be that my favorite part of the Marvel Universe is Namor bickering with other superheroes and that's built into the premise of the series, it may be some sort of love of underdogs, and that Marvel had such a sort of quixotic B-team whose rasion d'etre seemed to be "Like the Avengers, but much less popular and consisting almost entirely of characters that either don't want to be there are also among the sadder also-rans we could round-up."

At any rate, I've been looking forward to this one since it was announced, as it seems very, very weird...hell, even the title is weird, putting what one might think would be the sub-title before the participating teams in the story.

That said, I haven't read any of it, or even flipped-through an issue in the wild. Have any of you? Is it good? Is it great? Should I get my hopes up?



X–MEN #11
JONATHAN HICKMAN (W) • LEINIL FRANCIS YU (A/C)
EMPYRE VARIANT COVER BY ADAM KUBERT MAR200873
DAYS OF FUTURE PAST VARIANT COVER BY JAVIER RODRIGUEZ MAR200874
THE TREES ARE KILLING THE CHILDREN!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
USE DIAMOND CODE MAR200872

Oh, the trees are killing the children? I'll let James Tynion IV know.