Good news: Multiveristy Comics editor David Harper just got married! Bad news: he has decided to not spend his honey moon talking about comics for babies and instead spend it roaming Alaska in search of this hilarious t-shirt. Ha ha. Marriage, am i right? Worse news: since Marvel hasn’t stopped putting out solicitations, it looks like I’m covering this month’s Soliciting Multiversity, and will probably do so moving forward. I hope you guys like professional wrestling metaphors.
But first: since there’s just so much to talk about with comics, some quick hits.
- “Spider-Gwen” #3 will apparently feature the plucky web head going up against police lieutenant Frank Castle because this book is going to be the recovered draft of a fan fiction I wrote while on opium. That is to say, the best.
- “Secret Avengers” #15 says the run has come to its “natural conclusion”. There’s no “FINAL ISSUE” label above the solicit like so many comics this month, so hopefully we’ve got another month of post-post-post modern surrealism left.
- “Guardians of the Galaxy Team-Up” is a comic I had no clue existed but this month it will have a team-up between She-Hulk and Gamora which is several types of rad.
- As we’ve previously reported, Hickman’s run on “Avengers” and “New Avengers” is coming to an end in April. We will always remember this run, especially the last issue of “Avengers” as being the rawest comic of the “Marvel NOW!” era.
- “The Black Vortex” storyline will also wrap up in April. I can only hope that it ends with Kitty Pryde showing up and explaining that the Black Vortex is just a Siege Perilous. At worst, it will just change your race and dump you in Australia or something.
And now, check out our picks for April 2015 below and be sure to let us know your opinions in the comments section.
10. Starting Off With A Professional Wrestling Metaphor
Right now in WWE, there’s this weird angle going on with wrestler Roman Reigns. With many of WWE’s top stars either injured or bailing to fight for UFC, WWE has attempted to push Roman to the top as their new #1 star, even if that means the new focus on Roman plows over the career trajectory of other up-and-coming wrestlers. In addition to some truly cringeworthy promos, Roman’s recent push has alienated fans who would rather see fan-favorites rather than the guy chosen by the company. Sound familiar?
It’s not fair to explicitly compare the recent Inhumans boom to a dying company’s senile attempts to stay relevant since everyone involved with the Inhumans titles are actually really good. Charles Soule is one of the industry’s top writers, I’ve recently forgiven Steve McNiven for being involved with “Civil War” and even that Inhumans movie will probably be pretty good. That said, it’s really disconcerting to see a franchise get pushed based on nothing but the company’s desire for their 2018 movie to succeed.
Are there a lot of “Inhuman” fans right now? I’ve heard nothing but a lukewarm reaction to this series and I can’t imagine it’s generating the amount of buzz Marvel’s looking for. If Marvel really wanted to get a good reaction from non-comics fans, then it seems like they’d do better to push more fan-acclaimed books like “Daredevil” or “Ms. Marvel” then start a second Inhumans series because a couple showed up on Agents of SHIELD. At least Black Bolt hasn’t made a Looney Tunes pun, yet.
Also, I love that Soule and McNiven are now known as “the men who killed Wolverine” since I read “Death of Wolverine” and I’m still not sure who actually killed Wolverine. Guess it’s canon that it was Soule and McNiven, hiding in the back with a bucket of adamantium.
Continued belowUNCANNY INHUMANS #0
Written by Charles Soule
Penciled by Steve McNiven• The industry’s best-selling artist comes to the Inhumans!
• The prelude to one of Marvel’s biggest launches of 2015 is here!
• Think you know Black Bolt? Think again, as the men who killed Wolverine show you a side of the Inhuman King you’ve never seen before!
9. Marvel And The Quest To Fool Your Parents
On the surface, it makes a ton of sense for Marvel to release some of their more popular issues for just $1. It’s a great way to introduce new readers to all the great stuff the company’s doing. Instead, they’re just releasing comics that are tangentially related to upcoming movies and, “Planet Hulk”, “Old Man Logan”, and “Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man” with Miles Morales. The last one makes sense since Miles is probably the first comic character I’d recommend to new readers, but everything else is just an awfully awkward jumping on point. In a couple months, some confused mom is going to buy their Avengers-addled child “Age of Ultron” #1 in preparation for the movie, only to have that kid say, in a deep voice, that they never want to read a comic ever again.
TRUE BELIEVERS
What can you get for a dollar? How about the Marvel Universe? Marvel is proud to present TRUE BELIEVERS – special introductory comics for the low price of only $1 each. Coming this April your window into the biggest stories in Marvel history costs only a buck! Enter the world of Civil War, Age of Apocalypse, Old Man Logan, Planet Hulk, the critically-acclaimed ICON series Powers and many more with the first chapters of these top-selling, critically-acclaimed collections. Just in time for Secret Wars (maybe you’ve heard of it? Secret Wars – the biggest Marvel event ever!), catch up on some of the most celebrated stories in Marvel histories before their appearance in the biggest comic event of 2015!
8. But Honestly, A Cool Movie Tie-In
Speaking of tie-ins to Age of Ultron, Marvel has plenty of them this month. In addition to the other four comics about Ultron, and the twenty about HYDRA, we’re seeing “Avengers: Ultron Forever” from Al Ewing and Alan Davis. Granted, this isn’t a specific “tie-in” or anything, but it shares a movie’s name and comes out around the same time. Someone is going to pick it up from Barnes & Noble eventually. If we’re looking at this from a brand business synergy viewpoint or whatever, this makes a lot of sense to release around the time of Age of Ultron. Not only does it feature two creators who are delightfully fun, but a time travel shenanigan can give new readers a mini-history of Marvel. Specifically, it introduces readers to helmet-beard Thor, one of the most underrated Thors, the new Thor, and a grown up Danielle Cage who is now Captain America. In short, this should be pretty rad.
AVENGERS: ULTRON FOREVER #1
Written by Al Ewing
Penciled by Alan DavisPART 1 OF 3 – THE START OF A THREE-PART AVENGERS EVENT!
• 500 years into the future, Ultron has won. Humanity is all but extinct – dead or enslaved by the Ultron Singularity.
• Now, seven Avengers are brought through time by Doctor Doom to battle the machine god for the fate of the cosmos… or die trying!
• It begins here – an epic adventure spanning the past and future of the Avengers
7. In “Things That Affect James And Only James” News
Why and how.
Marvel is apparently publishing an adaptation of the Maximum Ride series of novels I read in middle school. I have to admit, what I can remember from this series is exceptionally rad. There was betrayal, complex characters, teenagers with angelic wings fighting against government conspiracies with werewolf armies. If Marguerite Bennett and Alex Sanchez can capture all of that, and not a lot of the obnoxiously shoehorned environmentalist messages from the later books (and that’s coming form someone who is aggressively left-wing), then this might be worth checking out.
Continued belowJAMES PATTERSON MAX RIDE: FIRST FLIGHT #1 & 2
Written by Marguerite Bennett
Pencilled by Alex SanchezJames Patterson’s Worldwide Bestselling Series gets a Marvel makeover. Follow the soaring adventures of Max and her extraordinary “flock”–Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel–as they try to escape their creators and defend themselves from the diabolical Erasers. Along the way Max discovers her purpose – saving the world – but can she? Find out this Spring!
6. Miles Just Got Drafted
I want to get all scared by the idea of losing a Miles Morales title but this is like the fourth time he’s been threatened with cancellation. And if the cover is any indication, he’ll probably show up in that “Secret Wars” crossover and end up with a new book afterwards. Or he’ll finally jump to the 616 for good, turn heel, and murder a Peter Parker who looks suspiciously like Andrew Garfield.
Frankly, I kind of love that Miles gets to exist outside of the Ultimate Universe to some extent. Sure, it may be a little tiring to see him constantly wind up in different universes, but his involvement with “Secret Wars” shows that Marvel considers him to be more than just an Ultimate character. I’d much rather see him fight alongside the 616 Avengers as one of their greatest assetst than be cornered off to his own section where he can’t make as much of an impact.
Either way, refer to this column in a few months if Morales’s title gets cancelled for good so we can acknowledge how much of a naive fool I was.
MILES MORALES: ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #12
Written by Brian Michael Benids
Penciled by David MarquezTHE EPIC CONCLUSION!
• Is this the end?
5. The Ant-Man/Hotline Miami Crossover We Always Needed
Oh my god. I was pretty warm on Nick Spencer and Ramon Rosanas’s first issue of “Ant-Man” but I had no idea Scott Lang’s trip to Miami would lead to him literally teaming up with one of the animal mask killers from Hotline Miami. I’m fairly certain that Marvel has some censorship policies regarding violence, but if this issue involves Cassie Lang beating a Russian mobster to death with a baseball bat in a grungy bathroom, I will buy twenty tickets to the Paul Rudd movie. Seriously though, if this issue can balance the heart of the first issue with the zaniness of Miami bear gangsters then it might just be the series to look out for in 2015.
ANT-MAN #4
Written by Nick Spencer
Penciled by Ramon Rosanas
• Ant-Man has to pull off an impossible break-in, but he can’t do it alone. Which means… he’s gonna need a new gang!• Er, of criminals. New gang of criminals. Probably should mention that part.
• This is all because of that stupid mysterious bad guy we can’t tell you about. Man, that is annoying. • Out with it already, right? Comics.
4. See You In Six Months, Fam!
How uncomfortable. On one hand, this is the conclusion to one of the smartest “Fantastic Four” runs in a decade that featured some of the best creative teams in the title’s history. On the other hand, this is only ending because Marvel doesn’t want to sponsor the movie with Hacker Dr. Doom which sort of takes out any finality from this issue. It’s going to come back as soon as “Fantastic Four Three” or whatever finishes its DVD run. So if anything, this comic’s ending feels less like a natural conclusion and more like utter spite on Marvel’s point. Hopefully, Robinson and Kirk will be able to pull together the great story being told from the past year or so and make for a memorable issue.
When I agreed to take over Soliciting Multiversity, I thought I’d get to talk more about, you know, comics. Thanks Marvel, you mouse-eared monsters.
FANTASTIC FOUR #645
Written by James Robinson
Penciled by Leonard Kirk and Many MoreTHE MOST CONTROVERSIAL FANTASTIC FOUR STORY CONCLUDES IN AN EXTRA-SIZED SPECIAL!
• Will the Fantastic Four defeat The Quiet Man and the corrupted forces of the Heroes Reborn universe?
• Will the Johnny get his powers back? Will Reed and Sue be a family again?
• Will this be the end or will this be 4ever?!
3. A Real Extended Universe
I have no clue if this was previously announced, but “Kanan – The Last Padawan” #1 is the latest Star Wars comic to come out of the recent LucasArts/Marvel merger. This one is a tie-in to the recent Star Wars: Rebels series which is apparently pretty darn good. Personally, I just think it’s cool to see comics about characters from outside the main movie cast and who aren’t Boba Fett. If Marvel wants to make an extended universe out of their comics deal, I am all for it. Especially if that means we get a mini-series about anyone from the Knights of The Old Repulblic games. Or the Cantina Band. I need to know how their music adapted to a post-Empire cultural landscape.
Continued belowKANAN – THE LAST PADAWAN #1
Written by Greg Weisman
Penciled by Pepe LarrazKanan Jarrus–in STAR WARS REBELS, he’s a cocky, sarcastic renegade fighting against the Galactic Empire alongside the rag-tag crew of the Ghost…but years before, at the height of the Clone Wars, he was known as Caleb Dume, Jedi Padawan under the instruction of Jedi Master Depa Billaba. Neither master nor apprentice ever suspected that the Clone Troopers they commanded would turn on them upon the issuing of Order 66—the order to execute all Jedi. How did Caleb Dume survive? How did he learn to survive on his own? And how did he become the man we know as Kanan Jarrus? Writer Greg Weisman (writer/executive producer on STAR WARS REBELS, SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN) and artist Pepe Larraz (DEADPOOL VS. X-FORCE, THOR, INHUMAN) bring us a tale bridging the years between the Clone Wars and Rebels!
2. “Deadpool”‘s Dead Deadpool Pool Party
Speaking of final issues I can’t get hyped about because there is no such thing as finality in 2015 Marvel, Deadpool is going to die in the “250th” issue of his comic. I have no idea if it is the actual 250th published Deadpool comic, it feels like the thousandth, but the day I start meticulously counting comic book numbers to prove a point is the day I phone my dad and tell him he was right to call me a coward. In the meantime, I’m just going to appreciate Duggan and Posehn pulling their comedy weight to get Jason Mantzoukas and Paul Scheer to write Deadpool. You could replace all subsequent issues of Duggan and Posehn’s “Deadpool” with twenty page pamphlets explaining why Inferno is the breakout character of 2015 and I would gladly accept it in exchange for the people behind “How Did This Get Made?” on a monthly Marvel book.
DEADPOOL NUMBER 250! (A.K.A. issue #45)
Written by Gerry Duggan, Brian Posehn, Ben Acker, Ben Blacker, Nick Giovanetti, Paul Scheer, Jason Mantzoukas, Mike Drucker, & More
Penciled by Mike Hawthorne, Scott Koblish, & MoreFINAL ISSUE!
That’s right—if you add together all the Deadpool series (creatively) issue 45 is the big 250th issue of Deadpool! What better way to celebrate than to end the series? In our over-sized main story, ULTIMATUM comes at Deadpool for revenge, so he has no choice but to take them on—ALL OF THEM. Then, in an Infinity Gauntlet crossover, what would Deadpool do if he got the six gems from Thanos? Plus: a slew of stories showcasing Deadpool’s closest friends and allies by special guest writers! Also, SPOILER: Deadpool dies at the end of the issue.
1. 2015 Is The Year of Adam X
The Utopians are a new team that Bendis has been teasing forever and it looks like they’re going to make their debut in “All-New X-Men” #40. Not much is known about them, but this art
from Joe Quinones that Bendis leaked a while back is heavily believed to be the team line-up and that line-up is hot hot 90’s trash. Forge, Marrow, Callisto?! I am all in. Plus, there’s awful pre=Peter David Shatterstar and Adam X The X-Treme AKA my favorite character of all time.
The other All-New X-Men will also be present in this issue, doing whatever they’ve been doing since “Battle of the Atom” happened.
ALL-NEW X-MEN #40 & 41
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Illustrated by Mahmud Asrar• Who are the Utopians? And what secret do they hold that pertains to the future of mutantkind?
• The All-New X-Men may regret finding out!
That’s all for our look at Marvel’s line-up for April. Check out the full list of solicitations from CBR and let us know what you’re looking forward to in April 2015.
