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Soliciting Multiversity: Marvel’s Top 10 for February 2019

By | November 29th, 2018
Posted in Columns | % Comments

And we’re back with another month of Marvel! That means more new #1 issues, more miniseries, and more of the continually quality content. Oh, and other comics that didn’t make it on this list. So let’s see what the future holds for the House of Ideas.

10. Count on it

Count Dooku deserved more than he got from the Star Wars movies. Sure, he was a powerful Sith who took Anakin’s hand off and fought more or less evenly with Yoda, but I think we all know Christopher Lee could do that even without the Force. So let’s get a little more info about him, learn more of his backstory, see how his path to the Dark Side went – backstory is always appreciated, and I want to learn more about Dooku.

Star Wars: Age of Republic – Count Dooku #1
Written by Jody Houser
Illustrated by Luke Ross
Cover by Paolo Rivera
Variant cover by Mike McKone

• THE FORMER JEDI BEGINS LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR HIS SITH MASTER!
• However, an unexpected encounter with an old student threatens his plans.
• Caught between his old life and his new, will DOOKU be able to protect the secrets of the SITH?
• And does he control the DARK SIDE, or is he merely its tool?
• 32 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Rated T …$3.99
• Star Wars © Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All rights reserved. Used under authorization. Text and illustrations for Star Wars are © 2018 Lucasfilm Ltd.

9. The Name Says it All

Welcome to Marvel, Naomi Franquiz, you couldn’t have found a better title to start with. I look forward to seeing what a new artist can bring to the table (although I still love what this comic’s existing artists have done for it). Aside from that… look, just read the solicit. Spider-Man, a quiz-based super villain, plus Thor and She-Hulk on a date. Every single thing about this sounds amazing.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #41
Written by Ryan North
Illustrated by Naomi Franquiz
Cover by Erica Henderson

• In the past months, Squirrel Girl has battled Kraven, rescued NYC from supernatural silence, kinda-maybe died and also fought Skrulls! So now it’s time for a nice break…which is why in THIS issue, Squirrel Girl does nothing but watch public domain movies on television!
• That’s right! She just sits there! You can kinda see the TV screen over her shoulder in a couple of panels, but that’s it! It’s really quiet and relaxing and nothing much happens.
• …
• …THAT IS, UNTIL NANCY WHITEHEAD AND ANOTHER ESU STUDENT BY THE NAME OF PETER PARKER ARE TAKEN HOSTAGE BY A SUPER VILLAIN INTENT ON PROVING THAT SHE’S THE SMARTEST PERSON ON THE PLANET!
• Then it’s super hero battles featuring THOR and SHE-HULK on a DATE! SQUIRREL GIRL matching wits against MS. QUIZZLER! And MORE!
• Artist Naomi Franquiz makes her MARVEL DEBUT in a standalone adventure you won’t want to miss!
• 32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

8. What is Best in Life?

So Conan the Barbarian is back in not just one, but two ongoing comics. While I have little knowledge of Conan outside of his movie, I’m interested in seeing what a modern comic writer can do with the character. In this case we have Gerry Duggan writing it, whose past work has proven both entertaining and emotional. So let’s see Conan versus pirates and see how the Hyborian Age begins!

Savage Sword of Conan #1
Written by Gerry Duggan
Illustrated by Ron Garney
Cover by Alex Ross
Variant Covers by Kevin Eastman, Ron Garney, George Perez,and Rahzzah

• THE ANCIENT CULT OF KOGA THUN.  A MYSTICAL TREASURE.
• AND THE ONLY MAN WHO CAN SAVE THE HYBORIAN AGE!
• Adrift at sea. No food. No weapons. Death surely awaits him. But the lionhearted CONAN is  not so easily subdued, by Crom! When Conan finds himself captured, he unleashes his might on an unsuspecting pirate crew…one whose dark secrets will plunge Conan on the trail of an ancient treasure that may prove to be his undoing!
• An all-new age of SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN begins with a five-part tale of swords and sorcery by Gerry Duggan (DEADPOOL, INFINITY WARS) and illustrated by legendary artist Ron Garney (DAREDEVIL, THOR: GOD OF THUNDER) with covers by the incomparable Alex Ross, and breathtaking variant covers by Garney, Rahzzah, comics legend George Perez, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman!
• Welcome to the deadly Hyborian Age—hope you survive the experience!
• 40 PGS./Parental Advisory …$4.99

Continued below

7. Now That’s an Event Name

Are you ready for the Infinite House of Civil yet Secret Crisis War Invasions? I wasn’t aware that this was a thing before now, but since it will be, I am absolutely looking forward to it. Whatever it is. But seriously, “Spider-Man/Deadpool” has been increasingly improving in both story and art, so I look forward to seeing if this arc is as insane as the name makes it seem.

Spider-Man/Deadpool #46
Written by Robbie Thompson
Illustrated by Matt Horak
Cover by Dave Johnson

• The “INFINITE HOUSE OF CIVIL yet SECRET CRISIS WAR INVASIONS” begins here!
• The BIGGEST arc of SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL kicks off this month and will shake the foundations of the Marvel Universe!
• Nothing will ever be the same after this issue! NOTHING!
• Spider-Man and Deadpool just BARELY make it back from the Negative Zone in the middle of an Event that the Marvel U’s heroes have already lost.
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

6. Guess Who’s Back

This many variant covers can only mean one thing: something important is happening. And it looks like that something is the return of Cyclops. I’m not too surprised – everything returns to the status quo eventually. Jean Grey has been back for a little while as well, so the original X-Men power couple is reunited, albeit with a lot of history to work through. So let’s see where this goes, what state Cyclops is in after his revival, and if there are still sparks between them.

Uncanny X-Men #11
Written by Matthew Rosenberg
Illustrated by Salvador Larroca
Cover by Salvador Larroca
Variant Covers by Rob Liefeld, Inhyuk Lee, Scott Williams, Ron Lim, Eduard Petrovich, and Lewis Larosa

• SPECIAL OVER-SIZED ISSUE!
• After the devastating events of “X-Men Disassembled,” it falls to Cyclops to rebuild the X-Men in the face of overwhelming hatred. Thankfully, he’s not the only X-Man to have just returned from oblivion. Scott and Logan are together again, and they are mutantkind’s only hope. Writer Matthew Rosenberg and returning superstar X-Artist Salvador Larroca lead the X-Men into their darkest hour…and beyond!
• Issue #11 – 72PGS./Rated T+ …$7.99

5. Well that Escalated Quickly

“Okay, Kelly Thompson on a new ‘Captain Marvel’ comic, let’s see where this goes,” I said. Then Kelly blew everything up and created, in her words, an apocalyptic wasteland.

Well-played, Kelly. Well-played indeed…

This is a different sort of position for Captain Marvel to be stuck in, and I look forward to seeing where the story goes. Less flying around in space or learning about her mother’s past, more forming a team to battle in a Mad Max-style world – it’s different, but I can dig it.

Captain Marvel #2
Written by Kelly Thompson
Illustrated by Carmen Carnero
Cover by Amanda Connor and Paul Mounts
Variant Covers by Chris Bachalo and Carmen Carnero

• REVOLUTION!
• The classic Fantastic Four villain MAHKIZMO has taken over Manhattan’s Roosevelt Island and turned it into an apocalyptic wasteland! When CAPTAIN MARVEL ends up trapped there and cut off from the rest of world (including any Avengers-shaped reinforcements!), she’ll need to build her own team out of allies, old and new — SPIDER-WOMAN, HAZMAT, ECHO and a man known only as SOM — in order to start a revolution to free the island’s civilian inhabitants. With that kind of backup, Mahkizmo should be toast — but not everything is what it seems on this island…
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

4. Still the Best Coast

Another Kelly Thompson comic in a row? Absolutely! Because “West Coast Avengers” (or I suppose “Avengers West Coast” now) has been an enjoyable romp and I can’t wait for more.

Anyone else a fan of Noh-Varr? It can’t just be me. Either way, I’m glad he’ll be returning for a bit and reuniting with fellow former Young Avengers. Yet even that must take a back seat to words I always hoped I’d hear: Gwenpool adopts a baby land shark.

Continued below

Moments like this remind me of why I love comics.

Avengers West Coast #8
Written by Kelly Thompson
Illustrated by Gang Hyuk Lim
Cover by Eduard Petrovic

• KATE BISHOP’s ex NOH-VARR is back in town in a big way and needs her help with something weird. Do exes ever come back for normal reasons?! (They do not.)
• That’s right, something foul is afoot in the City of Angels, and surprisingly, it’s not the newly formed Masters of Evil West Coast (OR that Dutch Oven guy).
• No, this reeks of the Hollywood Elite with a seriously gross tinge of “cult,” and it will take all of the West Coast Avengers working together — uncomfortable love triangles and personal problems be damned — in order to save the day. Sexy undercover mission, here we come!
• ALSO! Did GWENPOOL find and adopt a baby land shark? Why, yes, yes she did.
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

3. Watch This

Let’s be real, the “Return of Wolverine” comics seem very at-odds with what he was up to during the “Infinity Wars” tie-ins. Is he brainwashed by Soteira and regaining his memories, or is he hopping around with an Infinity Stone? It’ll be nice to get some answers. Not to mention I am totally good with the idea of a Wolverine and Loki cosmic roadtrip.

Wolverine: Infinity Watch #1
Written by Gerry Duggan
Illustrated by Andy MacDonald
Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli
Variant Covers by Mike McKone, Jee Hyung Lee, and Skottie Young

• Wolverine has finally returned, disentwined from the evil clutches of Soteira…but hang on, didn’t he have an Infinity Stone? How did THAT happen?! And wasn’t he popping up all over the place for a little while? The answers you seek are finally revealed as Logan goes cosmic alongside everyone’s favorite god of lies and stories, Loki Laufeyson!
• 32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

2. How Marvelous

Crazy things are afoot in the X-comics, with plenty of “Age of X-Man” miniseries coming out this month. Has Professor X’s dream of mutant equality finally been realized? It seems that way, but let’s be real, probably not. So I want to see what’s up and where it goes.

Wait, is that Nature Girl on a full X-team? Okay, I’m sold.

Age of X-Man: The Marvelous X-Men #1
Written by Lonnie Nadler & Sac Thompson
Illustrated by Marco Failla
Cover by Phil Noto
Variant Covers by Rob Liefeld, Victor Hugo, and InHyuk Lee

• ENTER THE AGE OF X-MAN!
• The perfect heroes for a perfect world! The X-Men have helped make the world into a utopia where living in fear and hatred is a thing of the past. All people are united under the banner of mutantkind, and all of mutantkind idolizes the X-Men. Jean Grey! Colossus! Storm! X-23! X-Man! Nature Girl! Magneto! And of course, the amazing Nightcrawler! When danger threatens the world, the Marvelous X-Men set things right for the good of all. And no one dares say otherwise.
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

1. The Road so Far

First take a look at that creative team. Then look at the Avengers team they’re using for this comic. Then nod sagely as you understand why it’s the top pick for this month. Just Hercules and Rocket Raccoon on a team together would be enough, but this ten-issue series gives us a team of some fan-favorite characters sent into who-knows-where. It’ll also help develop Voyager more and help give her a place in Marvel. With all this backed up by a talented team of writers, I think we have a solid winner.

Avengers: No Road Home #1
Written by Al Ewing, Jim Zub, and Mark Waid
Illustrated by Paco Medina
Cover by Yasmine Putri
Variant Covers by Mark Brooks, Adam Hughes, Mico Suayan, and Juan Ferreyra

• The team that brought you AVENGERS: NO SURRENDER REUNITES for an all-new weekly AVENGERS adventure!
• Night has fallen across the universe. Now seven Avengers — and one new addition — journey forth to bring back the light. But when the threat they face has destroyed even the gods…will anyone make it home?
• LEGACY #708
• 40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

Check out the full solicitations over at CBR.com.


//TAGS | Soliciting Multiversity

Robbie Pleasant

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