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Soliciting Multiversity: Marvel’s Top 10 for February 2018

By | November 30th, 2017
Posted in Columns | % Comments

It’s been so long since I had to struggle to cut this month’s Marvel list down to ten, but they did it, and now we’ve got a lot to look forward to. New “Star Wars” comics focusing on Thrawn, the Green Goblin returns, and even more comics this list doesn’t touch on. So what makes the cut? Read on and see.

10. Good dog

Quick, name your favorite Inhuman! If you didn’t say “Lockjaw,” you’re either lying to me or lying to yourself, because Lockjaw is the best boy. So of course he deserves a comic all to himself, and Marvel is ready to deliver it. I’m not expecting any deep, intense, heartfelt stories that reshape the Marvel universe, but I am expecting a fun romp with a giant teleporting dog, and you can’t go wrong with that.

Lockjaw #1 (of 4)
Written by Daniel Kibblesmith
Illustrated by Carlos Villa
Cover by Ed McGuinnes
Variant Covers by Gustavo Duarte and Ron Lim

• WHO’S A GOOD BOY? Part 1
• At long last, the dog has his day! Lockjaw spends most of his time defending the Inhuman empire alongside Black Bolt and Medusa. But when he gets a message that his long-lost litter mates are in danger, he’ll spring into action to save them! But wait – Lockjaw has brothers and sisters? Can they teleport? Are they Inhuman? Can they possibly be as gosh-darned cute as their big brother? All the answers are here! Get ready for an adventure worth fetching for!
• 32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

9. Return of the Tony

It was only a matter of time, but Tony Stark is coming back. Going by the “Doom falls” in the description, it may also spell the end of the Infamous Iron Man, another inevitable eventuality. This is a play Bendis has been planning ever since he introduced the two inheritors of the Iron Man legacy, so let’s see how it plays out.

Invincible Iron Man #597
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Illustrated by Stefano Caselli and Alex Maleev
Cover by R.B. Silva
Hulk Variant Cover by Chris Stevens

• THE SEARCH FOR TONY STARK Part 5
• Ironheart rises, Doom falls and Tony Stark emerges from the shadows!
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

8. Jane’s Feeling a Bit Thor

Anyone else finding it hard to look away from the recent “Mighty Thor” run? Jason Aaron continues to write compelling stories, endearing characters, and some absolutely awesome moments. It’s almost time for Thor’s swan song, but every issue building up to it just sounds more and more epic and tense.

Mighty Thor #704
Written by Jason Aaron
Illustrated by Russell Dauterman

• THE DEATH OF THE MIGHTY THOR Part 5
• Jane’s cancer has taken a turn for the worse. But while she faces the enemy of her body… The Mangog ravages Asgardia! Odin and his son unite to take on the Ultimate Judgment. But without their mightiest warrior, the time of gods may come to an end. The Death of the Mighty Thor is coming. Will the world survive it?
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

7. The Silver Squirrel Successfully Surfs in Space (Seriously)

This comic. This comic is off-the-walls crazy, and I love every moment of it. The Squirrel Girl in space saga continues, with Squirrel Girl taking the Silver Surfer’s board (hi, Toomie) out for a spin to fight not just Loki the Sorcerer Supreme, but Drax too. There is noting about that sentence that doesn’t sound awesome, and really, one of the best things about this comic is how it embraces all the insane, awesome potential of the Marvel universe. All the while, Ryan North is providing the same type of clever humor that have helped make “The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl” truly hard to beat.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #29
Written by Ryan North
Illustrated by Erica Henderson

• THE FORBIDDEN PLA-NUT PART 3
• For the first time in the HISTORY of comics, we present the color-coded fight we’ve all been waiting for: GREEN (Doreen) ON SILVER (Surfer)! And if fighting the Herald of Galactus— a man who literally has the Power Cosmic at his disposal — isn’t enough, Doreen’s got other problems to deal with, including intergalactic scam artists, Drax the Destroyer and LOKI LAUFEYSON. FEEL the thrill of the fight! SEE it happen, via artisanally selected images and words juxtaposed in deliberate sequence! HEAR the words in your head via your inner voice as you read them, which when you think about it is kind of weird! All we have to do is write down words on a piece of paper, and suddenly they’re re-created in your mind exactly as we intended. Minds are crazy, and language is EVEN CRAZIER. Anyway, please enjoy this comic about a girl and her talking squirrel in space.
• 32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Continued below

6. Fight and Flight

When a new “Falcon” ongoing was announced, did you expect Sam Wilson to end up fighting Blackheart? I know I didn’t. Yet here we are, and I eagerly await seeing how their battle goes down. One’s a man with a flight suit and the ability to control birds, the other is a literal demon. It’s solicitations like this that make me take a moment to appreciate the kinds of stories comics can tell.

Falcon #5
Written by Rodney Barnes
Illustrated by Joshua Cassara
Cover by Jay Anacleto

• TAKE FLIGHT PART 5
• It’s Falcon’s final showdown with the demon Blackheart, and the future of Chicago hangs in the balance. Can Sam Wilson’s spirit triumph in the face of unspeakable evil?
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

5. Bedtime Stories

Honestly, I don’t care if there is more to Luke’s fairy tale “than meets the eye,” as the solicitation suggests. It’s an issue where Luke Cage reads a bedtime story to his daughter, and that sounds adorable. Then you look at the cover and realize it’s going to be pretty awesome too. I don’t know about you, but I want to know what kind of story Cage has to tell.

Luke Cage #170
Written by David Walker
Illustrated by Guillermo Sanna
Cover by Rahzzah

• CAGED PART 5
• Luke is home at last, and all he wants to do is read a bedtime story to his little girl, Danielle. But is there something more to this fairy-tale than meets the eye?
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

4. Something Strange

There are a fair amount of “Doctor Strange” comics coming out this month, but two of them stood out so much they both deserved a spot. Here, the tale of Loki the Sorcerer Supreme comes to its conclusion, in an epic battle of wizard versus god. Do you want a magic fight with two of the most popular spellslingers Marvel has to offer? I know I do, and that’s what we’re getting.

Doctor Strange #385
Written by Donny Cates
Illustrated by Gabriel Hernandez Walta
Cover by Mike Del Mundo
Hulk Variant Cover by Mike Deodato Jr.

• LOKI: SORCERER SUPREME PART 5
• Get ready for a super-powered wizard’s duel in the Mighty Marvel Manner! Loki, Lord of Liars, versus Stephen Strange, the former Sorcerer Supreme! And this time, way more is on the line than the title. Will Loki gain the spell so dangerous, Stephen even hid it from himself? And how will Strange pay for the magic he’ll need to defeat a god?
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

3. In the Neighborhood

Here’s the second “Doctor Strange” comic, and it’s a bit darker. Remember how Hydra kind of sort of wiped Las Vegas off the map in “Secret Empire?” Yeah, that’s a little detail we shouldn’t overlook. The great thing about this story is that, while magic is being used to repair the damage and restore the status quo, it makes it clear that such magic has quite the price, and gives us consequences for its use. As much as many of us would like to forget about “Secret Empire,” it’s good that they’re not returning everything to normal without some sort of story to it.

Doctor Strange: Damnation #1 (of 5)
Written by Donny Cates & Nick Spencer
Illustrated by Rod Reis
Variant Covers by Ron Lim, Greg Smallwood, and John Tyler Christopher

• The city of sin gets its biggest sinner yet. When Doctor Strange raises Las Vegas up from its destruction during SECRET EMPIRE, he inadvertently opens a big door for the embodiment of evil, MEPHISTO! The devilish villain takes the city for himself and sets his sights on the rest of the world. It’s going to take heroes from all over the Marvel Universe to defeat him, but there’s nothing simple about fighting the lord of Hell.
• 40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

2. Seeing Red

Now that Jean Grey is coming back, it’s time to put her on an X-Men team and see where it goes. Tom Taylor has picked a fine assortment of mutants for the red team, with a good mix of classic and new characters. The Gold and Blue ongoings have been decent, although nothing groundbreaking, but I look forward to seeing what we can get out of this ongoing and the assortment of characters therein.

Continued below

X-Men Red #1
Written by Tom Taylor
Illustrated by Mahmud Asrar
Cover by Travis Charest
Variant Covers by Mahmud Asrar, Rob Liefeld, Skottie Young, Phil Jimenez, and Travis Charest

• The Hate Machine Part 1
• THE FIRST SENSATIONAL ARC OF AN ALL-NEW TEAM OF X-MEN STARTS HERE!
• JEAN GREY is back! Returned to a world she doesn’t recognize, the First Lady of the X-MEN gathers an unlikely team — NIGHTCRAWLER, NAMOR and LAURA KINNEY (A.K.A. ALL-NEW WOLVERINE) — to face an evil that threatens to tear down XAVIER’s dream by any means necessary!
• 40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

1. Paint it Black

With the Black Panther movie on its way, it’s time to get hyped for T’Challa and all his adventures. What better way to do that than by bringing some of the most critically acclaimed writers of the comic together for an Annual issue? We’ve got three impressive writers with a long history of writing “Black Panther” coming back for this issue, so they’re bound to deliver something impressive.

Black Panther Annual #1
Written by Don McGregor, Christopher Priest, and Reggie Hudlin
Illustrated by Daniel Acuña, Ken lashley, and more
Cover by Daniel Acuña
Variant Cover by Brian Stelfreeze

• LEGENDARY PANTHER WRITERS RETURN!
• Three legendary BLACK PANTHER writers return to Wakanda! Don McGregor’s famous storyline “The Panther’s Rage” has become one of the most well-respected runs in comic book history. Now, the author who redefined Wakanda for a generation is back to expand the mythos! Bearing the heart-shaped herb that defines the Panther legacy, King T’Challa leaves his beloved country for a heart-wrenching mission in the streets of New York. Then: For half a decade, comics legend Christopher Priest made his mark on the Panther. The acclaimed writer returns with an all-new story – and with it, of course, U.S. State Department employee Everett K. Ross! And finally, no Panther history would be complete without Reggie Hudlin, author of more than 50 Black Panther stories, including the famed “Who Is The Black Panther?” Don’t miss the sequel to his “Black to the Future” story, featuring original artist Ken Lashley!
• 40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

Check out the full solicitations over at CBR.com.


//TAGS | Soliciting Multiversity

Robbie Pleasant

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