2019 has begun, but the world of comics is already prepped for March. So with plenty of new comics coming up from Marvel, let’s take a look at some old favorites, some upcoming instant classics, and some that just promise to be all around fun.
10. Good Boy.
The War of the Realms is coming. We know this because Marvel has been slapping that on all their comics. This issue of “Thor” is just the issue before the war begins. So what makes this special? Sure, we get Freyja as a one-woman army protecting Asgardian refugees, but the fact that the solicit even mentions Thori means one of the best comic book doggies gets to do what he loves: kill his enemies. Good dog.
Thor #11
Written by Jason Aaron
Illustrated by Lee Garbett
Cover by Mike Del Mundo• PRELUDE TO THE WAR OF THE REALMS!
• Lady Freyja struggles to protect Asgard’s refugees as Malekith’s forces grow bold! But the All-Mother won’t have to protect Midgard alone — enter Thor and his faithful dog Thori! The War of the Realms is coming — but the invasion starts here!
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
9. Avengers – Crush Your Enemies!
With “Conan the Barbarian” coming to the pages of Marvel, it was only a matter of time until he somehow crossed over with another comic. That time is now, as he meets the Scarlet Witch. That alone is enough to earn it a spot on the list. What can I say? I get a kick out of a good crossover.
Avengers: No Road Home #6
Written by Al Ewing, Mark Waid, and Jim Zub
Illustrated by Sean Izaakse
Cover by Yasmine Putri
Variant covers by Marko Djurdjevic, Jim Cheung, and Alex Ross• THE ALL-NEW WEEKLY AVENGERS EVENT CONTINUES!
• Issue #6 – Welcome to the Hyborian Age, Wanda Maximoff — hope you survive the experience!
• An extra-long Conan epic like you’ve never seen before!
• 40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99
8. Sling Us a Web, You’re the Spider-Man
It’s commonly accepted that time in comic books moves at a significantly different rate than real life, while the time of events shifts to match the current age more closely. Yet sometimes a comic decides “What if it didn’t?” and gives us a character living through history at the same rate as the rest of us. That’s what we’re getting with this “Spider-Man” mini-series, exploring Peter Parker’s life if he aged at the same rate as his series, starting from the 60’s. I love this concept and want to see how an aging Spider-Man, living through historical events, plays out.
Spider-Man: Life Story #1
Written by Chip Zdarsky
Illustrated by Mark Bagley
Cover by Chip Zdarsky
Variant covers by Marcos Martin, Greg Smallwood, and Skottie Young• In 1962, in AMAZING FANTASY #15, 15-year-old Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider and became the Amazing Spider-Man! Fifty-seven years have passed in the real world since that event — so what would have happened if the same amount of time passed for Peter as well?A special high-end limited series that’s a part of the celebration of Marvel’s 80th anniversary, SPIDER-MAN: LIFE STORY combines the talents of Chip Zdarsky (SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, MARVEL 2-IN-ONE) and Mark Bagley (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN) to tell the entire history of Spider-Man from beginning to end, set against the key events of the decades through which he lived!
• In this first oversized issue, when Flash Thompson is drafted to serve during the Vietnam War, Spidey must weigh the question of where his responsibility truly lies!
• 40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99
7. Rise to the Occasion
Is it just me, or have we had multiple “Marvel Rising” issue 1’s? I feel like we have, but it’s okay, because they’ve all been very enjoyable and accessible to all ages and groups of readers. Before we had the characters fighting video games brought to life, now it’s knights jousting in cars. I am quite down for this.
Continued belowMarvel Rising #1
Written by Nilah Magruder
Illustrated by Roberto Di Salvo
Cover by Audrey Mok
Variant covers by Ron Lim and Peach Momoko• HEROES OF THE ROUNDTABLE!
• With the powers of GIRL and the powers of SQUIRREL on their side, Kamala Khan and Doreen Green are an unbeatable team! But that title is about to be seriously challenged — because New Jersey has been invaded by a swarm of knights in shining…suits?! Driving cars armed with javelins?! Uh-oh. Kamala and Doreen are gonna need allies to help protect their home turf — and they know just who to call. Don’t miss the return of the team-up that’s got everyone talking!
• 32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99
6. Groovy.
I want to make sure I’m reading this right. I want to make absolutely sure I’m not misunderstanding anything. Because of all the things I was not expecting from “Age of X-Man,” a hippy Apocalypse is definitely up here. But here we are. And I very much want to see where this goes, especially with Eye Boy and Evan on the team.
Age of X-Man: Apocalypse & the X-Tracts #1
Written by Tim Seeley
Illustrated by Salva Espin
Cover by Gerardo Sandoval
Variant covers by David Nakayama and Inhyuk Lee• ENTER THE AGE OF X-MAN!
• X-Man has created a utopia for mutants…a utopia where no one knows love. Thankfully, a hero rises up to lead the rebellion against this way of life and teach the ways of family and romance, and he goes by the name…EN SABAH NUR?! Join Apocalypse and his rebel X-Tracts as they strive to teach the world to love again!
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
5. Celebrating 50 at 42
When I first started reading “The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl,” I knew it was a winner. 50 issues later and it’s still making my top 10 list every month, so I guess I was right. Congratulations on hitting 50 issues to everyone who made it possible (or 42 issues if you’re going by the numbers on it, but we can thank “Secret Wars” for that). So to celebrate we’re getting a time traveling adventure with three different versions of Doreen, plus three different artists making it happen. Literally the only thing that could make this issue better was if Squirrel Girl called me out by name to thank me for reading.
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #42
Written by Ryan North
Illustrated by Erica Henderson, Derek Charm, and Naomi Franquiz
Cover by Erica Henderson
Variant cover by Marcos Martin• CELEBRATING 50 ISSUES OF SQUIRREL GIRL!
• It’s the 50TH ISSUE of THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL! That’s right: this issue — #42 — is our 50th!
• It says #42 on the cover, but that’s only because we had eight issues, and then a second #1 in our first year, although this of course doesn’t count the OGN (SQUIRREL GIRL BEATS UP THE MARVEL UNIVERSE), which is another five issues of story, which would put us at… issue #55? This is getting complicated. Anyway!
• By a certain way of counting, it’s our 50TH ISSUE of THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL!
• And to celebrate, we’re doing a stand-alone story in which she takes on none other than… KANG THE CONQUEROR. It’s a battle across space AND time as Kang attacks three distinct eras of Doreen!
• And it’s not just Kang who is joining us for this celebration! Original UNBEATABLE artist Erica Henderson is joining series regular Derek Charm, along with Naomi Franquiz!
• THIS IS A REALLY GOOD ISSUE AND WE’RE SUPER BIASED BUT WE THINK YOU SHOULD ORDER IT, THANKS.
• 32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99
4. The Hunt is On
Speaking of Squirrel Girl, the moment she had a story arc where Kraven had to return to his old ways I knew he’d be returning to the pages of “Spider-Man” soon enough. And here we are. He returns to the hunt, and every animal-themed character is on the table. A most dangerous game begins, and it promises to be an epic hunt indeed.
Continued belowAmazing Spider-Man #17
Written by Nick Spencer
Illustrated by Humberto Ramos
Cover by Humberto Ramos
Variant cover by Leinil Francis Yu• “HUNTED” PART 1
• We’ve been teasing a huge Kraven story since ASM #1 — and “HUNTED” is here to deliver it!
• Sergei Kravinoff and his minions have been kidnapping animal-themed characters for months, but they need one more to complete the collection — the Spider. But what does Kraven even want with all of them?! Find out in “HUNTED”!
• 40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99
3. Hi, Neighbors!
Have you ever thought that your neighbors were a bit odd? Or maybe they were just too normal? Maybe they’re shape-shifting aliens who are part of a secret invasion. At least that’s what they are in this comic – a look at the world from a Skrull’s point of view while they disguise themselves as normal human beings. It’s a great concept, and I cannot wait to see it play out.
Meet the Skrulls #1
Written by Robbie Thompson
Illustrated by Niko Henrichon
Cover by Marcos Martin
Variant covers by Niko Henrichon, Declan Shalvey, and Skottie Young• WHO DO YOU TRUST?
• Issue #1 – The Warners are your typical family. Dad works at Stark. Mom works in a senator’s office. Jennifer and Alice are students at Stamford High School. The only thing that makes them different is that they’re shape-shifting Skrulls and have infiltrated our society to pave the way for a Skrull invasion. Robbie Thompson (SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL) and Niko Henrichon (DOCTOR STRANGE, Pride of Baghdad) bring the Marvel Universe down to earth with a bold new look at the Skrulls that will test even YOUR loyalty.
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
2. Most Impressive.
Look, no one’s trying to say Darth Vader is a good guy. We’ve had more than a few comics about Vader, and each one shows that he is evil, albeit a badass. Yet evil can be a relative term – who out there is so bad that Darth Vader looks like a hero by comparison? This will be a tough balancing act, but if Dennis Hopeless can pull it off, we’ll have quite the Vader story to remember. Plus, I love the imagery of the cover; the black knight imagery is great.
Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions #1
Written by Dennis Hopeless
Illustrated by Paolo Villanelli
Cover by Greg Smallwood
Variant Covers by Leinil Francis Yu, Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Elia Bonetti• WHO IS DARTH VADER?
• He has been many things: a SITH warrior, a commander, a destroyer. DARTH VADER is to many throughout the GALACTIC EMPIRE a symbol of fear and mysterious, otherworldly power. But there are some who have seen the DARK LORD in a different light. There are some corners of the galaxy so dark and desperate that even Vader can be a knight in shining armor. The first issue of a new STAR WARS limited series, writer Dennis Hopeless (CLOAK AND DAGGER, JEAN GREY) sheds new light on the many sides of the galaxy’s greatest villain.
• 40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99
1. Marvelous? Magnificent? Most definitely.
So a new “Ms. Marvel” run begins, with Saladin Ahmed taking over as writer and Minkyu Jung handling the art. She even gets a new descriptor to go with it, and given how much I’ve enjoyed the comics up to this point, it’s well-earned. So here’s looking forward to a new run and new team – let’s see how they handle it!
Magnificent Ms. Marvel #1
Written by Saladin Ahmed
Illustrated by Minkyu Jung
Cover by Eduard Petrovich
Variant covers by Elsa Charretier and Babs Tarr• ALL-New ongoing series from Eisner Award-winning writer Saladin Ahmed!
• MS. MARVEL IS BACK!
• But it’s not business as usual in Jersey City. Aliens are wreaking havoc in Kamala’s corner of the world, and they seem weirdly interested in Ms. Marvel…and her family. Eisner Award–winner Saladin Ahmed (BLACK BOLT, EXILES) and rising star Minkyu Jung (Batgirl, Nightwing) take the reigns of one of Marvel’s most beloved new characters! You won’t want to miss this shocking start of a new era!
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
Check out the full solicitations over at CBR.com.
