Oh thank goodness, we have more than just “Secret Empire” tie-ins this month! In fact, we have the “Generations” comics, focusing on heroes and their legacies. So let’s see what August holds for the Marvel universe.
10. It’s over… it’s finally over
Yes, for all the crap that people have been giving “Secret Empire” (myself included), there’s nothing like a big finish for a major comic event. Best of all, it means we can finally put “Secret Empire” in the past and get back to story arcs that don’t go completely against everything the characters stand for. Hooray!
Secret Empire #10
Written by Nick Spencer
Illustrated by Steve McNiven
Cover by Mark Brooks
Variant Covers by J. Scott Campbell, Dan Mora, John Tyler Christopher• Can there be any redemption for Captain America as the SECRET EMPIRE starts to crumble?
• 48 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99
9. Good boy
If anyone were to ask me who my favorite Inhuman was, I’d have to say Lockjaw. Nothing against the rest of the Inhumans, but a big, lovable, teleporting dog? What’s not to like? So a collection of Lockjaw’s greatest hits sounds good by me, and is sure to be an enjoyable read featuring one of the best dogs in Marvel comics.
Lockjaw: Dog Days #1
Written by Bill Mantlo, Paul Jenkins, Dan Slott, Scott Lobdell, Jill Thompson, & Stuart Moore
Illustrated by Butch Guice, Jae Lee, Andrea Di Vito, Jose Delbo, Jill Thompson & Rick Geary
Cover by Geof Darrow• They say every dog has his day — and this is Lockjaw’s! The Inhumans’ prodigious pooch takes the lead, teleporting into amazing adventures! When the Avengers and Inhumans come to blows, Lockjaw shows he has a nose for danger! With Attilan in turmoil around him, the colossal canine has his own agenda in an all-time classic tale that could only be named “Woof!” What a revoltin’ development for the Thing when he spends the day babysitting and dog-walking — with Lockjaw on the end of the leash, it’s slobberin’ time! Plus: The humongous hound helps the homeless, has the Inhumans in dogged pursuit and goes digging for his Original Sin!
• Collecting AVENGERS ANNUAL #12, INHUMANS (1998) #8 and THING (2005) #4; and material from MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS (1988) #68, GIRL COMICS (2010) #2 and ORIGINAL SINS #1.
• 104 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Rated T+ …$7.99
8. Get ready for a lot of gratuitous violence
Look, sometimes comics are allowed to just be ridiculous and fun. In this case, we have a genetically modified raccoon with a love of big guns and bigger explosions, and a guest appearance by the wisecracking, fourth-wall breaking mercenary. I’m not expecting fine art, just a lot of enjoyable mayhem, and sometimes that’s all you really need.
Rocket #4
Written by Al Ewing
Illustrated by Adam Gorham
Cover by Mike Mayhew
Marvel vs. Capcom Variant Cover by TBA• On the lam and in the gutter, Rocket needs cash – lots of it, and yesterday. That means tommy guns at dawn – as Rocket steals from an interplanetary mobster who makes the Kingpin look like Aunt May! Guest-starring Deadpool, the sad clown of space! Nyah, buy it, see?
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
7. And another Deadpool one
I’m torn on the idea of “Venomverse,” because while on the one hand it sounds like a pointless attempt to cash-in on the moderate success of “Spiderverse,” but on the other it lets us see all sorts of Marvel characters get Venom’d up. So when we have Deadpool getting involved, then it sounds just entertaining enough to get a spot on the list.
Fun fact: This will be the third time the Venom symbiote bonded with Deadpool, following his brief control in “Cable & Deadpool” (he stabbed himself in the head with an anti-Venom spear to stop it) and “Deadpool: Back in Black,” which is probably not entirely canon.
Continued belowEdge of Venomverse #5
Written by Clay McLeod Chapman
Illustrated by James Stokoe
Variant Cover by Ron Lim• THE SYMBIOTE WITH THE SLOBBER! “Deadpool’s bonded with the Venom symbiote, blah, blah, blah,” you’re saying to yourself. Well HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, TRUE BELIEVER!
• Bringing you a terrifying tale of VenomPool trying to save a hospital full of innocent people who’ve been infected with a DANGEROUS MIND-CONTROLLING PARASITE is none other than horror writer and SPIDER-VERSE veteran Clay McLeod Chapman!
• Still not enough? WELL DON’T TURN THAT SOLICITATION PAGE, MARVELITE! Because the House of Ideas has enlisted comics legend James Stokoe to draw this – one of the most awesome, audacious and outrageous tales in all of Marveldom! SO DON’T MISS IT!
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
6. Squirrels vs Dinosaurs
I’m running out of ways to say “Squirrel Girl is one of the best ongoing comics Marvel has today,” so I’ll just assume it’s well-known enough to the point that readers have made a drinking game out of it. So like last month, we have Squirrel Girl on an island full of dinosaurs to fight, and all the insanely clever writing of Ryan North paired perfectly with Erica Henderson’s artwork. As always, it’s a comic to look forward to.
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #23
Written by Ryan North
Illustrated by Erica Henderson• Remember last issue, when we went to the SAVAGE LAND, the nature preserve full of dinosaurs? Guess what? We’re still in the amazing SAVAGE LAND, and there’re even MORE dinosaurs! Will Squirrel Girl FIGHT a dinosaur? Will Squirrel Girl fight TWO dinosaurs? Will we come up with really excellent reasons why these fights would take place, reasons that both justify the fights while also telling the story of what led to this dinosaur-punching smashup: a story which, even though it stars dinosaurs and Squirrel Girls, contains within it the chance for us to recognize, perhaps for the first time, our most personal and secret selves?? Of course we will; that’s literally our job. This issue also features jokes and a super villain who’s causing major problems, so it’s the complete package, really.
• 32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99
5. What a knockout!
Sure, Iron Fist is a cool martial artist and all, but you know who else is awesome? Shang-Chi. So what if we got both of them fighting alongside one another? Yeah, that sounds like a pretty good comic to me, and it seems Marvel agrees, since we’ll be getting that soon enough.
Iron Fist #6
Written by Ed Brisson
Illustrated by Mike Perkins
Cover by Jeff Dekal• TWICE THE MASTERY! TWICE THE KUNG FU! The man with the Iron Fist teams up with Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung Fu! What brings these two together? Only a MURDER CULT TRYING TO KILL DANNY! It’s the action explosion you won’t want to miss!
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
4. Drax finds his zen
Gerry Duggan’s run on “All-New Guardians of the Galaxy” has been off to a great start, and one of the most interesting twists was the revelation that Drax has taken a vow of nonviolence. Why is this? We’re about to find out! Knowing Gerry Duggan, it’ll be something unexpected but character-driven, and Greg Smallwood’s guest artwork is something to look forward to as well.
All-New Guardians of the Galaxy #7
Written by Gerry Duggan
Illustrated by Greg Smallwood
Cover by Aaron Kuder
Marvel vs. Capcom Variant Cover by TBA• Drax has long been known as “The Destroyer”…but no more! He has forsaken all violence, and sworn never to again strike another in anger! And now, guest artist Greg Smallwood joins series writer Gerry Duggan to reveal what led our boy down the road of peace!
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
3. No limit of archers
On one hand, Clint and Kate team up pretty frequently, or at least play an active role in each other’s life. But it’s always enjoyable, so now we have Kate meeting a younger Clint Barton, which will provide a slightly different take on their chemistry, while paying tribute to the legacy Clint forged and Kate followed.
Continued belowGenerations: Hawkeye & Hawkeye #1
Written by Kelly Thompson
Illustrated by Stefano Raffaele
Cover by Greg Smallwood
Variant covers by Elizabeth Torque & Alex Ross• TWO ARCHERS. ONE-SHOT. Kate Bishop, A.K.A. Hawkeye, finds herself smack-dab in the middle of a battle royal between the world’s most skilled sharpshooters — including an inexplicably young Clint Barton, A.K.A. the OTHER Hawkeye. The prize? Bragging rights for being named the best, of course — oh, and you get to stay alive! Unfortunately for Clint, several of his competitors are villains he’s taken down, making HIM a primary target. So, on top of figuring out where and WHEN she is, Kate’s got to find a way to win this little contest of skills and keep her not-so-old pal Clint out of the crosshairs… easy, peasy.
• 40 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Rated T+ …$4.99
2. Sudden but inevitable betrayal?
What’s this? More of G. Willow Wilson’s fantastic “Ms. Marvel” run? And it features a character betraying her and joining her enemies? Sounds like it has all the makings of a powerful issue, and a strong addition to an already great comic. I’m already looking through old issues to try to figure out who it could be.
Ms. Marvel #21
Written by G. Willow Wilson
Illustrated by Marco Failla
Cover by Valerio Schiti• Keep your friends close and your enemies closer – a familiar adage for a veteran hero like Ms. Marvel. But when Kamala discovers that one of her old friends has joined forces with her enemies, things get a LOT more complicated…
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
1. Feel the thunder!
This may not be the first time that both Thors have teamed up, nor will it be the last. But you know things get intense when the two start swinging their hammers, and this time it’s a younger Thor with an axe to grind (literally). With Jason Aaron’s always solid take on the characters, and a connection to Apocalypse (which may mean this connects to an old run of “Uncanny Avengers”), we have every reason to believe this will be an epic comic.
Generations: The Unworthy Thor & The Mighty Thor #1
Written by Jason Aaron
Illustrated by Mahmud Asrar
Variant Covers by Olivier Coipel, Das Pastoras, & Alex RossHER HAMMER, HIS AX: A WORTHY APOCALYPSE.
• When a battle goes south, Thor finds herself in ancient Egypt – facing a young Odinson!
• A misguided party of Vikings has bitten off way more than they can spear. But when the prince of Asgard answers their cries for help, he ends up in a fight no axe alone can win! And Apocalypse is not one for mercy.
• Can a not-yet-worthy god and a time-lost hero take on one of the world’s most powerful mutants at the height of his empire? And what does their encounter mean for the future of two Thors?
40 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Rated T+ …$4.99
Check out the full solicitations over at CBR.com.
