Marvel's March previews reviewed

Marvel just released their solicitations for the comics they intend to publish in March of next year. While DC seems to have gone cold on the idea in the current "Rebirth" era, Marvel continues to pump out theme variant covers on a regular basis. These are often on the stupid side, but I have to confess to kind of digging March's variants, which basically just different Marvel characters might look like were they possessed by the Venom symbiote.

I always liked that idea, as I like when the most familiar and iconic characters get their costumes radically redesigned on a temporary, event-specific basis: Like Batman gets a Green Lantern ring, for example, or, for a decades-old example, when various DC heroes were "eclipsed" by Eclipso. With Venom, they probably should just get black and white versions of their own costumes, maybe with the some spider-legs attached to their icons or logos (as The Punisher did in that one What If...? special, but whatever, these are just covers, so if a Hulk gets a green symbiote or Man-Thing doesn't get a long tongue, it's no big deal.

Here are some favorites, although there are others as well (Dig the "What If...Venom Had Possessed Tippy-Toes?" one).

That top one is Spider-Man Peter Parker; not sure why he gets four arms and scary-feet, other than to distinguish him from Venom-Venom. You can probably figure out all the others; the bottom two, in which groups are Venom-ized, are of The X-Men and The Champions.

You know, this looks like a pretty okay idea for a nice, basic, uncomplicated Marvel line-wide event/series: A bunch of Venoms possess, like, half the Marvel heroes, and the other half have to rescue them.

But enough about covers, Marvel is also publishing some comic books of interest this March. Comic books like these:


AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #25
DAN SLOTT, CLASSIFIED, HANNAH BLUMENREICH,
CALE ATKINSON (w)
STUART IMMONEN, CLASSIFIED, HANNAH BLUMENREICH,
CALE ATKINSON (a)
COVER BY ALEX ROSS
...
• STUART IMMONEN (STAR WARS, AVENGERS) takes the artist reins of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and joins Dan Slott for a 40-page main story!
• Then don’t miss a super-secret short story by Dan and Giuseppe Camuncoli!
• TOP-SECRET BONUS CREATIVE TEAM!!!
• Hannah Blumenreich makes hers Marvel, making her Spider-Debut!
• Cale Atkinson brings another story of the A-May-ZING SPIDER-AUNT!
88 PGS./Rated T …$9.99

Huh. Keeping content, including characters and even titles "classified" or "top secret" isn't all that unusual, but keeping a creative team secret is. I can't imagine why they might be doing so here, especially since it is so often the case these days that the creative team sells the book to the sort of engaged readers who pay attention to solicits, but for whatever reason Marvel decided to do so here.

It would be weird to do this with a very good team, as a shocking team that is popular--Geoff Johns and Jim Lee?--would boost sales, which Marvel needs to make now, not when the dang thing hits the stands (and at $10 I have to imagine many retailers are likely to be extra-careful about not frivolously ordering extra copies of this just in case that teams is President Barack Obama and Bansky).

On the flip side, why bother keeping a terrible creative team secret?

Curious. I wonder if I'll still be curious in March of next year, or if I will have completely forgotten about this by then...

AMERICA #1
GABBY RIVERA (W) • JOE QUINONES (A/C)
...
At last! Everyone’s favorite no-nonsense powerhouse, America Chavez, gets her own series!
Written by critically-acclaimed YA novelist Gabby Rivera (Juliet Takes A Breath) and drawn by all-star artist Joe Quinones (HOWARD THE DUCK), Marvel Comics’ brand new AMERICA series shines a solo spotlight on the high-octane and hard-hitting adventures of the one and only America Chavez!
America has always been uncontestably awesome, and as the newly appointed leader of the Ultimates, she’s now officially claimed her place as the preeminent butt-kicker of the Marvel Universe! But while leading a team of heroes and punching out big bads is great and all, it doesn’t really leave much time for self-discovery… So what’s a super-powered teenager do when she’s looking for a little fulfillment? She goes to college!
She just has to stop an interdimensional monster or two first, plus shut down a pesky alien cult that’s begun worshipping her exploits!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

This one is a little unexpected, given that Ms. America/America Chavez has always been a team member rather than a solo-star. I'm unfamiliar with the writer, but Quinones is a great artist (The above cover isn't his, those; that's the variant by Jamie McKelvie). I lost track of America, if that's what we're calling her now (Ugh, I prefer Ms. America, for the sake of legacy if nothing else), after the "controversial" Secret Wars miniseries A-Force, so I'm not sure what she's been like in the A-Force ongoing that followed or the pages of the post-Secret Wars version of The Ultimates. It's worth noting that the original version who appeared in 2011's Vengeance miniseries and the one who appeared in the last volume of Young Avengers were fairly different-ish in portrayal, so I guess it will be interesting to see which America shows up.

BLACK PANTHER #12
TA-NEHISI COATES (W) • BRIAN STELFREEZE (A/C)
...
A NATION UNDER OUR FEET: EPILOGUE
• The dust settles, and peace comes to Wakanda once again.
• That is, if her political leaders can come to terms….
• T’Challa finds himself in the last place he ever expected: A republic.
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Whaaaaat...? The kingdom of Wakanda has become a republic rather than a hereditary monarchy? That is a shocking development! Although 20 pages of pulse-pounding political intrigue doesn't sound all that promising, does it?

I have a confession to make. I bought the first collection of Coates and Stelfreeze's new Black Panther series, and I couldn't even finish reading it. I made it through three of the four issues, if I'm remember the content correctly, went to bed for the night, and it's been unopened on my nightstand ever since.

Coates does a fine job at writing comics, evidencing none of the often annoying ticks or tells of a writer new to the medium, and the art is fine, but I just found the book boring. To my own surprise really, as I can and do read terrible comics all the time. This just seemed to fall somewhere completely outside the normal scale between terrible and great, I guess, landing in some not-at-all-entertaining category for me personally.

I do hope to give it another try eventually and write a formal review of it here, but to my own great surprise I found Black Panther to be very Not For Me.

BLACK WIDOW #12
MARK WAID & CHRIS SAMNEE (W) • CHRIS SAMNEE (A/C)
IT ALL LEADS TO THIS!
• All the secrets…
• All the lies…
• All the vengeance…
• It all ends here.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

I've been reading Marvel trade collections a lot faster than I've been writing about them, and therefore haven't gotten to blogging about the first volume of Waid and Samnee's Black Widow comic yet. But it's very good. There's not a whole hell of a lot too it, but it's a very fast-paced action and intrigue comic that is pretty much flawlessly executed.

This is, unfortunately, just the image to the cover of March's issue of Captain America: Steve Rogers and not, sadly, of an all-new, ongoing Invaders series.

CLASSIFIED PRELUDE TPB
Written by CLASSIFIED
Penciled by CLASSIFIED
Cover by CLASSIFIED
Find out what’s in store for the Marvel Universe in this definitive prelude to the next TOP SECRET event! You won’t want to miss a moment of this major story — and it all starts here!
Collecting CLASSIFIED.
248 PGS./Rated T+ …$34.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-90717-4

Wait a minute, is this real? This isn't a joke? Because it seems ridiculous when Marvel does this for a regular old $3.99 comic book, but for a 250-page $35.00 graphic novel? How on earth does a retailer even approach this?

Does one order it like it's Secret Wars or Civil War II or Monsters Unleashed or IVX or AVX...? "Event" has a pretty broad definition, after all.

I guess whatever it is, it's going to be built around some pre-existing story, or, more likely, series of stories that are somehow bound together, but weren't such a big deal that it or they would have already been published under its/their own title, and can thus be published under that of "__________ Prelude."

Are only clue seems to be the fact that it's "Rated T+", so given that and everything else that's going on this month (i.e. the "ResurreXion"-branded X-Men franchise re-focusing), I'm going to randomly guess that this is the resurrection of Wolverine storyline (the old Wolverine, not the All-New Wolverine...Oh, but not the one who is literally an old man either. Well, I mean, he is an old man, but not as old as...Jeez, comics are hard to talk about sometimes).

That would mean this would be full of individual issues of various X-Men and Wolverine comics leading up to whatever they end up doing to bring him back from the dead. Or "dead."

That said, I suppose it could also be the resurrection resurreXion of Professor X, as he's been dead longer.

GWENPOOL, THE UNBELIEVABLE #13
CHRIS HASTINGS (W) • GURIHIRU (A)
Cover by GISELE LAGACE
...
• Gwen’s been thrown by Arcade into…a world of Fantasy Roleplaying?!?!
• It’s Swords & Sorcery, Gwenpool-style!
• Watch out, or this LARP is gonna become a DARP!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

I spent an embarrassingly long time trying to recall what DARPA stood for before I realized that this was just a dumb joke, turning the L-for-Live in LARMP (Live Action Role-Playing) to a D-for-Dead (Dead Action Role Playing). (DARPA stands for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, if you're trying to remember now).

INHUMANS PRIME #1
AL EWING (W) • RYAN SOOK (A)
Cover by JONBOY MEYERS
...
RESURRXION BEGINS HERE!
In the wake of the awesome events of IVX — what will become of the Inhumans? In this oversized special issue — the trial of Maximus! The coming of Marvel Boy! And what is the dark secret of Black Bolt? A special bridging issue between the past of the Inhumans and their future — on Earth and in the stars!
40 PGS./ One-Shot /Rated T+ …$4.99

Oh man, I thought IVX was gonna get rid of these guys forever.

Hey, did you know this is one of the books with a Venom-ized variant cover? Hopefully it just features Lockjaw possessed by Venom. Oh man, how awesome would that be? Wouldn't you rather read "What If...Venom Had Possessed Lockjaw?" instead of learn about the fate the Inhumans?

IRON FIST: THE LIVING WEAPON — THE COMPLETE COLLECTION TPB
Written by KAARE ANDREWS
Penciled by KAARE ANDREWS
Cover by KAARE ANDREWS
A one of a kind, kung fu action epic directed by the inimitable Kaare Andrews! Danny Rand, a.k.a. Iron Fist, is haunted by the consequences of choosing death over life. But when he receives a message from his mystical homeland of K’un Lun, he must return and relive his blood-soaked origin of betrayal and vengeance! The mystical city will be reduced to ruins, while Rand Tower will face a hostile takeover — very hostile! With the wolves at the door and the villain behind it all terribly close to Danny’s heart, will he be broken beyond repair? Or can he summon up the will to once again render his shattered hands like unto fists of iron? Hope is reborn with talons and fire, but revenge is a weapon that cuts both ways. Will Danny survive the bloodletting? Collecting IRON FIST: THE LIVING WEAPON #1-12.
272 PGS./Rated T+ …$34.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-90449-4

I'm a big fan of Kaare Andrews' work, and I was genuinely surprised that I didn't enjoy the first trade collection of this short-lived series more than I did. The art was predictably amazing, but the mood was a little too serious, I think. Perhaps the Matt Fraction/Ed Brubaker version of the character just ruined more serious takes for me...?

MAN-THING #1 (of 5)
R.L. STINE (W) • GERMAN PERALTA & Daniel Johnson (A)
Cover by TYLER CROOK
...
MARVEL WELCOMES R.L. STINE!
Beloved writer R.L. STINE (Goosebumps, Fear Street) brings his special brand of horror to MAN-THING!
After working for years, MAN-THING has regained his ability to speak and has taken Hollywood by storm…But when an ancient and mysterious danger threatens the swamp, Man-Thing is going to have to choose between his new life and celebrity, and the world he used to call home…
PLUS! A bone-chilling new horror story, written by the master himself, R.L. STINE, and illustrated by the incomparable Daniel Warren Johnson!
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

MAN-THING #2 (of 5)
R.L. STINE (W) • GERMAN PERALTA & CHRISTOPHER MITTEN (A)
Cover by TYLER CROOK
...
THE MUCK RUN AMUCK!
• Back in his old swamp, MAN-THING is visited by an ally from his past, while struggling with his new status in life.
• But the swamp is less than welcoming, with every creature seemingly out to get him! Crocodiles, bats and mosquitoes – oh my!
• Will Man-Thing be able to restore the balance of the swamp and the cause of this calamity? Or will the forces that are affecting the swamp prove to be beyond his control?
• PLUS! Even more horror for your dollar! A terrible tale of ROAD RAGE, as told by R.L. STINE and CHRISTOPHER MITTEN.
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

Man, R.L. Stine is a hell of a "get" for Marvel. I honestly wasn't entirely sure if he was a real person really writing the millions (or is it billions now?) books published under his name now or not. As a fan of of Man-Thing, I'm pretty excited about this series (or it's eventual trade collection, to be precise), although I'm not so sure how I feel about the thought of a talking Man-Thing, as that kinda kills the mystique of the character.

Also, I didn't know he had a mouth.

MONSTERS UNLEASHED: MONSTER-SIZE HC
Written by CULLEN BUNN
Penciled by ADAM KUBERT, GREG LAND, SALVADOR LAROCCA, STEVE McNIVEN & LEINIL FRANCIS YU
Cover by STEVE McNIVEN
It’s all hands on deck with the AVENGERS, CHAMPIONS, GUARDIANS, X-MEN and the
INHUMANS as they clash with monstrous hazards that threaten to destroy every corner of the Marvel Universe. Who are the LEVIATHONS? Who controls them? How can they be stopped before Earth becomes another tragic barren world in their wake? Collecting MONSTERS UNLEASHED #1-5.
168 PGS./RATED T+ …$50.00
ISBN: 978-1-302-90726-6
Trim size: 14-1/4 x 21-1/4

Fifty dollars?! There damn well better be a human-size collection of this thing too...

UNCANNY AVENGERS #21
GERRY DUGGAN (W) • PEPE LARRAZ (A)
Cover by ADAM KUBERT
• The fight to stop the Red Skull spills out of Avengers Mansion and into the streets.
• Rogue’s gambit works. When the Red Skull gains the upper hand, Deadpool gets help from a few pals.
• And it’s lights out for one Avenger…
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Oh my God, these guys have been fighting The Red Skull forever now. Like, years and years.

I really love how bananas that big, bobble-headed Red Skull looks on Adam Kubert's cover, though.

U.S.AVENGERS #4
AL EWING (W) • PACO MEDINA (A/C)
• Do you HATE tie-ins with a fiery passion, True Believer? Well, this isn’t one! It’s a COMPLETE EPIC EVENT —
IN 20 PULSE-POUNDING PAGES!
• In the wake of Monsters Unleashed — EVEN MORE MONSTERS!! Because you probably will have demanded it!
• RED HULK! AMERICAN KAIJU! VANDOOM, the man who made a creature! And wouldja believe — DEDD-PUUL,
THE MERCENARY THAT WALKS LIKE A MAN?!?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

I will always demand more monsters.

Marvel's November previews reviewed

Marvel also intends to publish a bunch of comics in November of this year. Do I have thoughts, feelings or snarky remarks about any of them. Why yes, yes I do!

I think that's the All-New X-Men Annual #1 cover; I like the photo strip in which Iceman buries someone--Cyclops, I imagine--in snow.

AVENGERS #1
MARK WAID (W) • MIKE DEL MUNDO (A)
Cover by ALEX ROSS
...
The time has come! Their ranks shattered by Civil War, their spirits weighted down bya toll both personal and spiritual, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes must find the resolve to stand united one final time against their greatest foe! Captain America! Thor! The Vision! The Wasp! Spider-Man! Hercules! When the dust settles, not a one of these valiant heroes will make it to the final page alive! This is KANG WAR ONE!
48 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

Well, that's a pretty different line-up than that of Mark Waid's All-New, All-Different Avengers. I hate when they change titles and numbering on books that contain what are presumably continuing stories, as it makes it so difficult to follow them in trade.

I liked All-New, All-Different Avengers Vol. 1; hopefully I'll be able to continue to follow Waid's Avengers storyline, wherever it appears and however it is presented and sold.

I really like Chris Samnee's Black Widow cover.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: SAM WILSON #15
NICK SPENCER (W) • PAUL RENAUD (A/C)
• Because you (okay, a very small percentage of you) demanded it — D-Man gets his moment in the sun!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Well I didn't demand it, but I'll be happy to take it.

The cover image is one instance in which D-Man's old costume would definitely look better and more appropriate than his new one.

Wwwwwwaaaiiiiiit a minuted...Is that the new Champions logo? Because that "C" looks kind of familiar. Where have I seen it before...?

Oh yeah, fucking everywhere, constantly, all year long. (I live about a half-hour east of Cleveland at the moment.)


CIVIL WAR II #8 (OF 8)
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • DAVID MARQUEZ (A)
VARIANT COVER A BY TBA
VARIANT COVER B BY TBA
VARIANT COVER C BY TBA
VARIANT COVER D BY TBA
classified
48 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

Sounds great!

Tradd Moore made a great cover for Deadpool #22, huh?

GHOST RIDER #1
FELIPE SMITH (W) • DANILO BEYRUTH & TRADD MOORE (A)
COVER BY MARCO CHECCHETTO
ROBBIE REYES IS BACK!
It’s hell on wheels as the Spirit of Vengeance makes his roaring return! A mysterious object from space crash-lands in southern California, drawing some of the brightest minds in the Marvel Universe to Ghost Rider’s backyard – including Amadeus Cho, the Totally Awesome Hulk! What mayhem will be unleashed as the High-octane Hothead comes face-to-face with the Jade Genius? And with Robbie still possessed by the ghost of his evil uncle Eli…who’s really in the driver’s seat? Then, meet the newest speed trap in Ghost Rider’s life as his original creators Felipe Smith and Tradd Moore reunite for a special backup story and the debut of an all-new villain. Strap in and start your engines, True Believer, this one’s gonna be a scorcher!
40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

I'm not familiar with Beyruth, so I hope the art remains of as high-quality as in the last volume of Smith's new Ghost Rider, a title I ended up really enjoying. I'm glad it's coming back. I suppose we have that Hayley Atwell-less Shield show (i.e. the one I don't watch) to thank for this, indirectly...?

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • STEFANO CASELLI (A/C)
Variant Cover by JEFF DEKAL
...
From the violent streets of Chicago, a new armored hero rises! Clad in her very own Iron Man armor, Riri Williams is ready to show the Marvel Universe what she can do as the self-made hero of tomorrow. But is she ready for all the problems that come with stepping into Iron Man’s jet boots? Where’s a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist when you need one?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

This is one of those things that people were mad about, right? I don't see why. Everyone in Iron Man's immediate orbit who isn't his butler gets an Iron Man suit eventually, right? The only thing that seemed off to me upon the announcement was that there would be a teenage girl going by the name "Iron Man," but that turns out to not be the case--she's apparently going to be going by the name Ironheart, which is actually a pretty cool name (Cooler than War Machine or Rescue...or Iron Woman or Iron Girl).

Based on the variant cover by Dekal, which is th eone I put up there because I like it better, it looks like Tony Stark will be appearing in the series via an A.I. operating system, akin to Friday in the previous volume of Invincible Iron Man by Brian Michael Bendis (goddam rassin' frassin' renumberings making it all hard to follow Marvel's stupid series in stupid trades grumble grumble).

And, based on the solicitation copy, Stark is missing? That sucks. I will miss his social media interactions with Squirrel Girl in Unbeatable Squirrel Girl.

IVX #0
CHARLES SOULE (W) • KENNETH ROCAFORT (A/C)
...
This issue sets the stage for the upcoming Inhumans vs. X-Men mega-event! Learn who the major players will be, plus the seeds of the incredible plan that will unfold in IVX #1. Beast and Iso travel the world to learn a desperate truth, the X-Men assemble their ranks and the Inhumans prepare for the war to come. It all begins with one choice — see it here.
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

Based on the cover above, I thought maybe this was a Pet Avengers Civil War II tie-in. I guess it is actually one of the three different covers for a IVX comic, which is probably like Avengers Vs. X-Men, only much more boring, because The Inhumans are much more boring.

(Except for Lockjaw, of course.)

OLD MAN LOGAN #14
JEFF LEMIRE (W) • FILIPE ANDRADE (A)
Cover by ANDREA SORRENTINO
JUBILEE IS MISSING! ALL-NEW ARC “MONSTER WAR” STARTS HERE!
LOGAN will have to team up with the supernatural HOWLING COMMANDOS to unravel the mystery of why Jubilee has disappeared…but is he prepared for what this investigation will uncover? Follow the old man to ROMANIA and find out!
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

It looks like Lemire may have forgotten what book he was writing and accidentally turned in a script for his New 52 Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE book, the first collection of which was subtitled "War of the Monsters." Huh.

PATSY WALKER, A.K.A. HELLCAT! #12
KATE LETH (W) • BRITTNEY L. WILLIAMS (A/C)
• No cat puns here, I promise: Hellcat and Black Cat face off as our heroine and friends fight to save the city from cat-astrophe!
• They — oh, wait. I did it, didn’t I? I cat-punned. Dangit! Okay, okay, hear me out: Patsy puts Felicia’s schemes on paws when she — WAIT, I SWEAR I CAN DO THIS. DON’T PRINT.
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

This cover is a pretty good example of why Patsy Walker is one the two best Marvel comics on the stands.

UNCANNY AVENGERS #16
GERRY DUGGAN (W) • PEPE LARRAZ (A)
COVER BY STEVE MCNIVEN
CIVIL WAR II AFTERMATH!
• The Hand has resurrected the Hulk, and the only ones standing in the way of the undead rampaging brute are the former Avengers of the Unity Squad.
• The first bullet point of this solicit is so damn compelling that a second selling point is completely superfluous.
• Steve Rogers gave an order that the Avengers did not follow. We’ll find out how that works out for everyone!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

I was excited about this issue when I saw the cover and that it would be a comic book about a mummy who is also The Hulk. I'm less excited after having read the solicitation, as I'm not really sure how The Hulk can actually die in order to come back to life (Oh, and spoilers for Civil War II, I imagine?).

Marvel's June previews reviewed

Whose side is Peter Quill on? Who cares? Go back to space, Peter!

The big Marvel news for the month of June is the official launch of (sigh) Civil War II, which appears to be a sequel-in-name-only to the Mark Millar/Steve McNiven series, bearing nothing in common with the original save for the fact that it involves heroes fighting other heroes.

The original had its problems, certainly; in fact, it was actually little more than a series of storytelling problems illustrated and strung together in the shape of a comic book miniseries that the entirety of Marvel Comics would spend the next few years making sense of in all their other books. But, if nothing else, it was very much of its time, featuring various Marvel heroes coming down on different sides of the post-9/1l security vs. liberty zeitgeist (generally at random, since Iron Man's "security" side of the conflict involved building robot-clones of dead allies to kill other former allies for conscientiously objecting to the superhero draft and building an extra-dimensional Guantanamo Bay.

I suppose one could argue Civil War II is also of its time, at least in the way it reflects Marvel's current publishing priorities, like a tenuous connection to a previous storyline, trying to make Captain Marvel a thing and, of course, making it all about The Inhumans.

I suppose we'll see. Eventually. I was pretty engaged in the first Civil War, but having read like ten different event series like this written by Civil War II writer Brian Michael Bendis, I'm pretty confident that I'm not going to like it.

And on the subject of judging books by their covers (and the resumes and bodies of work of the people making them), let's look at what Marvel has planned for June! You can read their full solicits on Comics Alliance, and stay here for my unsolicited opinions on their solicitations...

THE ASTONISHING ANT-MAN #9
NICK SPENCER (W) • RAMON ROSANAS (A)
Cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO
• It's Ant-Man's Eleven! To pull off the job of a lifetime and stop a mastermind criminal, Scott has to pull together a new gang of... yeah, you guessed it. Criminals. It's a vicious cycle.
• Wait, are you allowed to count yourself in the eleven? This is confusing...
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

Hey, remember when Marvel published a "MODOK's Eleven"...? The title of the series was officially Super-Villain Team-Up, but that was a fun mini while it lasted. I assume this will be rather fun as well; at least, I've yet to read a bad comic written by Nick Spencer

CIVIL WAR II #1 (OF 7)
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • DAVID MARQUEZ (A)
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
CIVIL WAR II 1 BLANK COVER VARIANT COVER ALSO AVAILABLE (MAR160714)
CONNECTING VARIANT COVER B BY Kim JUng Gi (MAR160712)
TEAM CAP HIP-HOP VARIANT COVER BY TERRY DODSON (MAR160713)
VARIANT COVER BY DAVID MARQUEZ (MAR160711)
VARIANT COVER BY STEVE MCNIVEN (MAR160709)
SKETCH VARIANT COVER BY STEVE MCNIVEN (MAR160710)
VARIANT COVER BY MICHAEL CHO (MAR160708)
TEAM IRON MAN HIP-HOP VARIANT COVER BY RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE (MAR160706)
CHARACTER VARIANT BY PHIL NOTO (MAR160707)
Hot Wheels VARIANT COVER BY MANUEL GARCIA (MAR160705)
BATTLE VARIANT COVER BY CHRIS SPROUSE (MAR160704)
PARTY VARIANT BY YASMINE PUTRI (MAR160719)
IT'S HERE!
The explosive first chapter in the comic event EVERYONE will be talking about. And we come out swinging with a blistering double-sized first issue from the creative team behind last year's best-selling debut of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN and Miles Morales. A new Inhuman, with the ability to profile the future, emerges and the ramifications ripple into every corner of the Marvel Universe. Lines are drawn, bodies fall, and the Marvel Universe will be rocked to it's very core. The action starts here!
56 PGS./Rated T+ ...$5.99

Well, it will certainly have more variant covers than the original did! That's the "Hot Wheels VARIANT COVER BY MANUEL GARCIA" pictured above. I think. Or maybe that's the regular cover? Maybe that's how the Marvel heroes will settle things this time around? On the race track?

The premise, already explained more thoroughly elsewhere on the Internet, is here presented as the emergence of a new mutant Inhuman with the power to "profile the future." Is that a big deal? Can't they ask Cable, Bishop, Rachel Grey or someone to confirm whether or not the profiles are accurate before they go to war over them...?

Do note that death and changes to the Marvel universe are promised, so, you know, business as usual.

Maybe I'm just tired, but after Civil War, World War Hulk, Avengers Vs. X-Men, Axis and the past few years of Jonathan Hickman's Avengers and New Avengers, there have been a lot of stories in which the lines are drawn and heroes fight heroes. It's hard to imagine this coming anywhere near the scale of Hickman's "Time Runs Out" story arc, which filled four trade collections of his two Avengers books, as the stakes in those conflicts were as high as possible (all reality), and he presented every single player as a real character with an understandable, if not relatable, motivation consistent with their past characterization and core personality traits.

I...don't have a lot of hope that the writer of House of M, Siege, Secret War and Age of Ultron can top, match or even approach that, but, again, I guess we'll see.


CIVIL WAR II: CHOOSING SIDES #1 (OF 6)
DECLAN SHALVEY, BRANDON EASTON, CHAD BOWERS & CHRIS SIMS (W)
DECLAN SHALVEY, GORAN SUDZUKA & LEONARDO ROMERO (A)
Cover by JIM CHEUNG
VARIANT COVER BY DECLAN SHALVEY
CHARACTER VARIANT BY PHIL NOTO
YOUNG VARIANT COVER BY SKOTTIE YOUNG
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT COVER BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
If you knew something bad was about to happen, would you stop it? How far would you go? The line is drawn. Everyone in the Marvel Universe has to ask themselves: are you with Captain Marvel or Iron Man? Kicking off an all-new series, this first issue features Nick Fury, Damage Control and Night Thrasher!
40 PGS./Rated T+ ...$4.99

Wait a minute, doesn't Iron Man being the world's most consummate futurist mean he kinda sorta sees the future already...?


DEADPOOL #13
GERRY DUGGAN, CHARLES SOULE, & DAVID WALKER (W)
MIKE HAWTHORNE (A)
Cover by FRANCISCO HERRERA
VARIANT COVER BY ROB LIEFELD
VARIANT COVER BY RON LIM
DAREDEVIL VARIANT COVER BY KHOI PHAM
POWER MAN & IRON FIST VARIANT COVER BY CHRIS STEVENS
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT COVER BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
HIT-MONKEY VARIANT COVER BY Brent Schoonover
An all-new epic four-issue crossover in one package! This issue of Deadpool (lucky number 13) LITERALLY contains two issues of DEADPOOL, one issue of DAREDEVIL, and one issue of POWER MAN & IRON FIST! When Deadpool take a gig protecting a banker who betrayed his cartel partners, they seek the help of Assistant District Attorney Matt Murdock, who calls in the assistance (and fists) of Power Man Luke Cage and Danny Rand, master of the Iron Fist! A mega-violent, street-level, face-punching, gut-busting, kung-fuing, ninjitsuing crime story guaranteed to knock your teeth out! Bringing together the writers of the DEADPOOL, DAREDEVIL, and POWER MAN & IRON FIST series: Gerry Duggan, Charles Soule, and David Walker!
96 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$9.99

I find both the audaciousness of publishing a multi-part, multi-book crossover all within the same set of covers and the naked, cynical marketing opportunism of knowing they can get away with it here because it's Deadpool kind of admirable. Regardless of what one thinks of the character, he's maybe the only one who has the popularity and the semi-aware nature to make these sorts of cash-grab comics do-able for Marvel.

And they're probably right in thinking they can sell a hell of a lot more issues of a $10 Deadpool comic than they can sell of $4 Daredevil or Power Man and Iron Fist comics.

Actually, if it's 80-88 pages, that's probably a hell of a value, as if it were published in four separate, $3.99 issues, it would cost one about $16, the same price a trade paperback collection of the arc might cost.

I don't know much about SCUBA diving, but I'm pretty sure that's not how you use SCUBA gear.

MS. MARVEL #8
G. WILLOW WILSON (W) • TAKESHI MIYAZAWA (A)
Cover by Cameron Stewart
...
CIVIL WAR II TIE-IN!
• Kamala gets called to the frontlines of battle--but this isn't a fight she can embiggen her way out of.
• Idols are tainted and Kamala must face the world with new eyes.
• It's time to grow up, Kamala. Who will you become?
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

Here's an example of what the Civil War II tie-in covers will look like. It's not quite as striking as that of the original Civl War, which essentially cut the covers in half, featuring a horizontal illustration on the top half, and a solid color on the bottom half. I kinda like the strip along the top, but the logo at the bottom of the cover doesn't do anything for me.

I don't know. I guess we'll see what they look like on the racks, but they sure don't jump out in the way that the original Civil War's tie-ins did...

That's the cover of Patsy Walker, AKA Hellcat, which might be the best comic book Marvel is currently publishing (that I've read). It's a tough call, because Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is, well, unbeatable. And, as the sign on the door says, that is Jessica Jones. Months and months late, Marvel seems to be attempting to maybe kinda sorta publish something with Jessica Jones in it, seeing as she had a much talked-about TV show and all. Weird that it's in the pages of Hellcat instead of a new Alias series or a Jessica Jones series, but what do I know?

I can't remember the last time I've seen an image of Jessica in a Marvel comic in which she is not holding a baby, so that's kind of cool.


SCARLET WITCH VOL. 1: WITCHES' ROAD TPB
Written by JAMES ROBINSON
Penciled by VANESA DEL REY, MARCO RUDY, STEVE DILLON, CHRIS VISIONS, JAVIER PULIDO, CHLOE POILLERAT, JOSE GILES & MARC LAMING
Cover by DAVID AJA
Witchcraft is broken -- and the Scarlet Witch is on a journey across the globe to fix it. From the back alleys of Manhattan to the serene Greek Isles to the Irish countryside, the former Avenger will face myths and legends from ancient lore, cure curses, and discover there's is even more to her complex family history than she knew. In Spain she will visit a church where witches like her were once burned at the stake -- and be haunted by the ghosts of the Spanish Inquisition! But will the powerful mage known as the Emerald Warlock be friend or foe to Wanda -- or the Uncanny Avengers? And as she solves magical crimes and pieces witchcraft back together, one vital question remains: Who shattered it in the first place? Collecting SCARLET WITCH (2015) #1-5.
112 PGS./Rated T+ ...$15.99

James Robinson's track record is pretty iffy, but there's no arguing with a list of artists like that. Have any of you been reading this series? What's the verdict? Is it worth reading in trade?

SPIDER-WOMAN #8
DENNIS HOPELESS (W) • JAVIER RODRIGUEZ (A/C)
• Even though, she's a mom now, Jessica Drew is still kicking ass and taking names as SPIDER-WOMAN!
• This time, she's tangling with the baddest fish in the sea – TIGER SHARK!
• FUN TIGER SHARK FACT: Did you know Tiger Shark has the DNA of both Namor the Submariner AND a tiger shark? Think about that for a second.
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

"Think about that for a second"...? Why do you want me to think about Namor having sex with a shark, solicitation writer?

I just read the first collection of Hopeless and Rodriguez's run on Spider-Woman, which is labeled Spider-Woman Vol. 2 because Marvel is horrible at trade collections, and it was a really great read. I'll review it sooner or later, but if the post-Secret Wars relaunch was as good as the pre-Secret Wars issues, than I'll be quite pleased to read this issue in trade someday too.

SPIDEY #7
ROBBIE THOMPSON (w) • ANDRE LIMA ARAUJO (a)
COVER BY KHARY RANDOLPH
• Spidey comes face to face with the voluminous villain Klaw!
• Guest-starring THE BLACK PANTHER!!!
32 PGS./Rated T ...$3.99

I can understand the temptation to alliterate when one's talking about a Marvel comic, but "voluminous" refers to the amount of space taken up, or how many words one might use...it refers to that kind of volume, not how loud something is. So it's more of a word for Volstagg or Deadpool, rather than the sound-based Klaw.


Okay, this is weird...

TIMELY COMICS
They're the comics everyone is talking about, now is your chance to hop on board before you get left in the dust! Marvel is proud to announce TIMELY COMICS, a new imprint of titles specially designed to get you caught up with hot All-New, All-Different Marvel titles! Reprinting the first three issues of select titles at an introductory price point of $3.00, Timely Comics will take you on a path through the restored Marvel Universe! The forming of the Avengers, Daredevil's fight for Chinatown, the birth of the Totally Awesome Hulk and so much more! These titles sold out and burned up the charts, so don't miss out on them now. Your new favorite series awaits, so get three issues for the $3.00 this June with TIMELY COMICS!
TIMELY COMICS: INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1
Reprinting INVINCIBLE IRON MAN (2015) #1-3.
72 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.00
TIMELY COMICS: ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT AVENGERS #1
Reprinting ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT AVENGERS #1 (A STORY) and #2-3.
72 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.00
TIMELY COMICS: ALL-NEW INHUMANS #1
Reprinting ALL-NEW INHUMANS #1
(A STORY) and #2-3.
72 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.00
TIMELY COMICS: CARNAGE #1
Reprinting CARNAGE (2015) #1-3.
72 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.00
TIMELY COMICS: DAREDEVIL #1
Reprinting DAREDEVIL (2015) #1-3.
72 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.00
TIMELY COMICS: DRAX #1
Reprinting DRAX #1-3.
72 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.00
TIMELY COMICS: DOCTOR STRANGE #1
Reprinting DOCTOR STRANGE (2015) #1
(A STORY) and #2-3.
72 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.00
TIMELY COMICS: MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR #1
Reprinting MOON GIRL AND
DEVIL DINOSAUR #1-3.
72 PGS./Rated T ...$3.00
TIMELY COMICS: NEW AVENGERS #1
Reprinting NEW AVENGERS (2015) #1-3.
72 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.00
TIMELY COMICS: SCARLET WITCH #1
Reprinting SCARLET WITCH (2015) #1-3.
72 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.00
TIMELY COMICS: SQUADRON SUPREME #1
Reprinting SQUADRON SUPREME (2015) #1-3.
72 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.00
TIMELY COMICS: THE TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #1
Reprinting TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #1-3.
80 PGS./Rated T ...$3.00
TIMELY COMICS: ULTIMATES #1
Reprinting ULTIMATES (2015) #1-3.
72 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.00
TIMELY COMICS: UNCANNY INHUMANS #1
Reprinting UNCANNY INHUMANS #1
(A STORY) and #2-3.
72 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.00
TIMELY COMICS: VENOM: SPACE KNIGHT #1
Reprinting VENOM: SPACE KNIGHT #1-3.
72 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.00
TIMELY COMICS: WEB-WARRIORS #1
Reprinting WEB-WARRIORS #1
(A STORY) and #2-3.
72 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.00

Okay, so cute repurposing of the word "Timely," which, of course, is the name of the publishing company that eventually became Marvel in the 1960s, here applying it to refer to the fact that these comics are literally "timely." I don't know if I understand this right, though; these can't really be 60+-page reprints of new-ish comics being sold for just $3, can they? Because that is crazy cheap; Marvel charged $12 for the first three issues of all these series the first time around just recently, and they're already selling them for just $3? Hell, just glancing at the list, I see that some of the books being sold in trade paperback this month are also being sold in these "Timely Comics" collections; you can get the first half of, say, the first Totally Awesome Hulk trade paperback collection for just $3?

That seems like too good a deal to be true. Am I completely misunderstanding what these things really are...?

If not, I wonder what these will do to the back-issue market. Like, don't most stores sell their un-sold stock of new-ish comics at a reduced price in a dollar bins a few months after they leave the new comics racks?

THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #9
RYAN NORTH (W) • ERICA HENDERSON (A/C)
• The comic that got TWO #1s in its first year now reaches a new milestone: its very first #9!
• In Part 2 of "I Kissed A Squirrel And I Liked It," Squirrel Girl's date with a chump gets interrupted by MOLE MAN, who is a man who lives underground and can't see that well! Hence the name!!
• Squirrel Girl is really good at empathizing with bad guys and talking them down, but what happens when she's TOO good at that?
• Buy this comic to find out, because we show exactly that taking place! Spoiler alert: there's punches AND jokes.
• Not a dream! Not an imaginary story! ONE the following three things WILL ACTUALLY OCCUR in this issue! 1) A pleasant visit to a coffee shop with friends; 2) A man with fishy powers suggests using fish to solve a problem, big surprise; 3) SQUIRREL GIRL USES HER TAIL TO KNOCK THE SMIRK RIGHT OFF A DUDE'S FACE!!
• Haha whoa I hope it's the third one
32 PGS./Rated T ...$3.99

Squirrel Girl vs. Mole Man. That's the sort of fight that, 30 years or so ago, a blurb on the cover would say "had to happen."


UNCANNY INHUMANS #10
CHARLES SOULE (W) • Kev Walker (A)
COVER BY Giuseppe Camuncoli
• A spotlight on everyone's favorite Inhuman, Reader!!
• After the events of issue 7, Reader's best friend has vanished.
• What lengths is he willing to go to save those he loves? Seeing is believing...
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

What? There's an Inhuman named Reader? And Reader is everyone's favorite Inhuman? That's weird. I thought Lockjaw was everyone's favorite Inhuman.

VOTE LOKI #1
CHRISTOPHER HASTINGS (W) • LANGDON FOSS (A)
Cover by TRADD MOORE
Variant Cover by VALERIO SCHITI
Loki is many things -- god, trickster, brother, liar, son, villain, even hero. Now he wants to add one more thing to the list: President of the United States. That's right, the God of Lies has set his sights on becoming the ruler of the free world, but is this just another scheme? One thing's for certain -- with Loki's winning smile and silver tongue on the campaign trail, this election just got a lot more interesting...
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

Those fretting about the imminent demise of the Republican Party this year can breathe a sigh of relief. It looks like Loki will be providing movement conservatives and party insiders the third-party candidate they can comfortably vote for, without feeling they have to hold their nose and vote for Hillary Clinton or simply stay home this November.