Alright: you’ve seen Image, Dark Horse and DC. Now it’s time for the September offerings from Marvel Comics. It’s a pretty big month with a big noticeable thing happening, so let’s make some guesses about some things and take a look at some other things that look just as nice.
For the full Marvel solicits, check here.
AvX Ends With A Death (Assumedly) And 7 Tie-Ins
So, “AvX” is ending in September and it looks like a lot of crazy stuff happens. In “AvX” #11, Cyclops and Emma go to war against one another (with a Pichelli variant showing Cyclops strangling Emma, assumedly to death) while in “Uncanny X-Men” #18 the solicit reads (“Cyclops and Emma have supreme power and it threatens to tear them apart” (with a kissy cover). The final issue features an Opena variant with Nova dead center and a mysterious figure in the center, while “AvX: Vs” #6 promises a showdown between Hope and Scarlet Witch, which is interesting for those of you who read this week’s issue.
So… Emma dies, Nova becomes relevant and someone else becomes the Phoenix. That’s my guess, anyway.
Is Matt Fraction’s Iron Man Coming To An End?
There’s this big ol’ rumor you’ll find over at Bleeding Cool if you search hard enough that Matt Fraction is going to be leaving Iron Man soon and bring Salvador Larroca off to another title with him. I’m not sure if I believe that, or if I want to believe that, but it is noticeable that “Avengers vs X-Men” ends the same month that Fraction’s big long-con story seemingly ends the same month, what with “the villain revealed” and Iron Man going up against the Mandarin and Zeke Stane in a huge showdown.
Or maybe it’s nothing.
Is This The End Of Hickman’s Fantastic Four?
September sees a crossover between “Fantastic Four” and “FF”, featuring Ryan Stegman on art and the Wizard coming to claim his son from the FF. That’s the only major plot thread left to be wrapped up since “FF” began and we know Hickman is leaving the franchise. Is now the time, as “AvX” wraps up?
While We’re On This Tangent, Is This The End Of Bendis’ Avengers?
“Avengers,” “New Avengers” and “Avengers Assemble” all seem like ending points to stories: plain and “New” are both end of “AvX” tie-in arcs, while “Assemble” seemingly brings an end to the Thanos storyline with a big ol’ Thanos fight (we assume).
We know “AvX” ends this month. We know Bendis is leaving the Avengers. Could it be … now?
Take a look come October for some big changes to the Marvel line.
A Thought
Alright, so in August of last year DC rebooted it’s entire everything. We’ve all been expecting Marvel to do something “similar”, and “AvX” — featuring the Phoenix, a being of rebirth — is as good a time as any. I’m sure everyone’s heard the rumors Bleeding Cool has been telling, with Bendis moving on to the X-Men, Hickman on to the Avengers, Fraction on to the Fantastic Four and Kieron Gillen onto Iron Man.
That’s all entirely plausible, and if it was ever going to happen it’d be happening now. “Avengers vs X-Men” ending, runs ending, arcs seemingly wrapping up… now is as good a time to mix it up as any. Will it be those exact teams? I don’t know. Maybe. Possibly. But you can probably assume whatever’s going to happen is going to happen in September.
Anyway, enough speculation. Let’s get on with it.
Rick Remender Gives The Shadow Council Closure
When Ed Brubaker began “Secret Avengers”, there were two apparent things about it: 1) that it was fantastic, and b) that it was going to end without any real closure to the big Shadow Council story he began, featuring Max Fury, the evil clone of Nick Fury. It was a shame, but he made a note in an interview that it was open for whoever wanted to tackle it. Nick Spencer didn’t do it, Warren Ellis didn’t do it, but Rick Remender? He’s going to do it!
Continued belowFrom the solicit to #31: “The Secret Avengers are defeated with no hope of backup. The Shadow Council’s true goal and Max Fury’s ultimate scheme revealed.” Can I get an aw yeah?
Oh, and check out that Art Adams cover. Pretty damn sweet.
OK, Fine, You Can Have That Spidey/Deadpool Team-Up You Want Again
There hasn’t been a Spidey/Deadpool team-up in sometime (Amazing Spider-Man #611, to be exact), but it looks like in lieu of giving “Avenging Spider-Man” an ongoing writer, Kevin Shinik of Robot Chicken is going to be penning a team-up story between the two with art by Aaron Kuder.
Honestly, you had me at Aaron Kuder, but I guess Deadpool is fairly popular too?
HELL-VENOM
So, Cullen Bunn is taking over “Venom,” and he’s beginning his run by doing a pay-off to the finale of ‘Circle of Four,’ introduces HELL-VENOM and ups the supernatural ante.
Cullen Bunn, you magnificent bastard!!
After The Fall, The Ultimates Unite
There’s an upcoming arc in the Ultimate universe entitled ‘Divided We Fall’, going through the three Ultimate books. After this, however, comes an arc in “Ultimate X-Men” #16 entitled ‘United We Stand,’ featuring Nick Fury’s Howling Kittens (seriously, that’s what the arc says) and Kitty Pryde kicking ass.
What more do you need? A Dave Johnson cover? YOU’VE GOT IT.
I’ll miss the constant Kaare Andrews covers, but hey, it was fun while it lasted.
Francesco Francavilla Hops Into Captain America And…
“Captain America And …” replaced “Captain America and Bucky” as a brand new team-up book written by Cullen Bunn and putting Cap together with various denizens of the Marvel Universe. September brings a Black Widow team-up book with appearances by Hawkeye, Iron Man and Dr Doom, but as good as that may sound, the best part is that Francesco Francavilla is the artist.
Francesco Francavilla could illustrate the phonebook and I’d buy the heck out of it.
What Is Going On With The Hulks?
According to a Marvel Q&A spied by Newsarama, apparently Jason Aaron is getting ready to leave “Incredible Hulk”, despite having JUST started his run (basically, kinda sorta). September sees issues 13 and 14 as part of a new arc called ‘Hulk: United’, but could that mean we’re seeing the final arc of Aaron’s short run?
Not only that, but there is no “Hulk” solicit, that Jeff Parker-written book I’m constantly singing the praises of. The ‘Mayan Rule’ arc ended in September, and would be a “good” time to end the book — although I would be firmly against that. However, the other day we talked to Jeff on The Hour Cosmic, and he made mention that the book isn’t over, but something is happening that is changing.
…so, ‘Hulk: United’, and a missing Rulk. Oh, and the end of “AvX” this month. What could be going on?
I Love This Captain Marvel Cover
Over on Kelly Sue’s tumblog (I’d link but I can’t find it), there was a note she made about the possibility of the fourth issue having a word balloon on it. There was even some twitter stuff over it, in which editor Steve Wacker didn’t much care for word balloons on a cover and it was put up to a vote.
Now we know how that turned out, now don’t we?
Oh, and Kelly Sue’s new Castle graphic novel co-written by Bendis and illustrated by Emanuela Lupacchino is out in September as well. Get!
Is Greg Rucka Planning Some Big Event-y Arc?
The solicit for “The Punisher” #16 reads: “The Punisher and Cole reach a shared conclusion. Prepare for the War Zone.”
The War Zone, eh? Could this be the Punisher equivalent of ‘No Man’s Land’? I hope so.
Powers: The Definitive Collection Vol. 5 HC – FINALLY!
I do this thing where I like to collect “definitive” “ultimate” “whatever” hardcovers of books I enjoy, because they contain cool extras in a convenient hardcover that looks nice on my shelf and is easier to get access to than pulling out single issues to re-read. I was buying up all the “Powers” hardcovers when, all of a sudden at volume 4, they stopped coming out.
Bendis addressed this in the backwater of “Powers,” but now I can see it and believe it: the fifth volume is finally coming out, featuring the second half of the second volume of “Powers” in one convenient and sexy hardcover. Thank the comic book gods.
