It’s time for Marvel solicits! This month is a bit difficult, admittedly, as the solicits are a big mixed bag; lots of ostensibly good things, but only a few that really jumped out at me on first glance. However, after slowly combing through the solicits and giving them all a thought or two, I think you’ll find that I’ve assembled perhaps what is the best assortment of news and tidbits that can be gleaned out of the Marvel solicits for your digesting.
For the full crop of Marvel solicitations, head on over to CBR. But for now, 10 will have to do.
10. A Whole Lot of Original Sinning
Marvel’s next big event thing is “Original Sin” by Jason Aaron and Mike Deodato, and I’ll admit that I am excited for it. I don’t think there’s anything that Jason Aaron can write that I won’t be excited for admittedly.
But you know what sort of grinds my gears in that “I’m a fanboy and want to complain about things, rah rah rah” kind of way? In June, there are 14 “Original Sin” comics coming out: 2 regular issues, 6 tie-ins, plus a new “Original Sins” mini-series (2 issues in June, 5 issues total) and four “Original Sin” #3.whatever issues. Really?
I’m going to assuage every upset fan right now and of course note that you only have to read the main “Original Sin” mini because none of the tie-ins are written by Aaron and thus are otherwise ancillary and just trying to hop on the bandwagon, but looking at all but literally one of these tie-ins just makes me roll my eyes, even if the creative teams are OK (two are written by Kieron Gillen, and I’ve made it known I quite like his work). Even so, “Original Sin” #3.1-3.4 is just going to confuse fans who go into shops and don’t read about what this nonsense is online, and it feels a bit dishonest.
The tag line of “Original Sin” is ‘Everybody has one’ but apparently Marvel doesn’t know how to count.
9. The Return of Ultimate Peter Parker?
With the return of Miles to comics in a brand new ongoing, Bendis noted that the final page of issue #1 will make people’s heads spin. Every writer is always guilty of this kind of hyperbole, but he just might be right: because it looks like Peter Parker is coming back to life.
With the upcoming “Ultimate Spider-Man” #200 featuring both Miles and Peter on the cover, we all just kind of collected shrugged and said, “Oh, yeah, makes sense to have Peter in it.” But with the “mind-blowing reveal” of issue #1 being Part 1 of a story called ‘Revival’ and the cover to the issue featuring Miles looking pensive in front of an image of Peter Parker, you can’t help but wonder: with Peter coming back to comics in April and a movie in theaters, plus the particular re-branding of Ultimate Spider-Man the comic with Miles’ name attached, you don’t think they’d bring back Peter too… do you?
MILES MORALES: THE ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #2
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • DAVE MARQUEZ (A/C)
VARIANT Cover by AMY REEDER
PART TWO OF THE BIGGEST SPIDER-MAN STORY OF THE YEAR “REVIVAL”
• After the mind-blowing reveal at the end of the first issue, miles life will NEVER be the same again.
• With SHIELD gone, the biggest villain in SPIDER-MAN history is out and nothing can stop him.
• Miles has made a huge choice about the woman he loves. Will he live to regret it?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
8. The New Amazing X-Men
We’ll see a fair share of this this month, but Marvel is putting a new team on their “Amazing X-Men” comic: the renowned duo of Craig Kyle and Chris Yost. Kyle and Yost have done many a good comic together, particularly a notable run of “X-Force” a few years back in the vain of the classic “X-Force” but a bit darker (before Remender had to go and change the game), and now they’re taking over for Jason Aaron with “Amazing X-Men” #8, with Ed McGuinness remaining on the book. Heh. Don’t see a lot of that these days, do you?
Continued belowI’m a bit sad. Jason Aaron is my favorite Marvel writer and the first four issues of “Amazing” have been, well, amazing. Kyle and Yost coming on board is’t a deal breaker, but it does sting a little bit as a fan of Aaron’s to see him leave the title, since it particularly does mean that he will not be writing Wolverine anymore. Like, at all. (Well, maybe in “Original Sin.”) I’m not sure if I’m reading to live in that world.
AMAZING X-MEN #8
CRAIG KYLE AND CHRIS YOST (W)
ED MCGUINNESS (A/C)
• Wolverine takes a trip back to Canada…
• But when he discovers that an old friend is missing, his visit soon transforms into a hairy situation.
• New writers Craig Kyle and Chris Yost!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
7. Some Guy No One Likes Writes a Doctor Strange Annual
Frank Barbiere? Like, who even is that. They tell me he writes some critically derided books like “the Fifth Ghosts” and “White Suites,” but I’ve never read any of that. Like, who even is this guy. But I’m told that apparently Multiversity fans know him, and apparently he gets to write a Doctor Strange comic in the “New Avengers Annual.” Yeesh, they’ll just let anyone write comics these days, huh?!
I love Marco Rudy’s artwork though. A Marco Rudy Doctor Strange comic? That I’ll pay to see, “Five Suits” notwithstanding. Rudy is an incredibly imaginative artist, and his recent work in “Marvel Knights: Spider-Man” was incredible. I don’t even want to joke or poke fun at that, because it really was just too astounding for words. That whole mini-series is pitch perfect artwork from front to back, and if you aren’t a fan of Rudy’s work yet, you probably will be after this.
NEW AVENGERS ANNUAL #1
FRANK J. BARBIERE (W) • MARCO RUDY (A/C)
• The Incursions aren’t the only horrors threatening to end the world!
• DOCTOR STRANGE has faced the impossible time and again as an Avenger and the Sorcerer Supreme, but when he is called upon to fulfill an old debt to an enclave of techno-monks high in the Himalayas, even the good doctor may be beyond his limits!
• Written by acclaimed young writer Frank J. Barbiere (Five Ghosts, The White Suits) and illustrated by the illustrious Marco Rudy (Swamp Thing, Marvel Knights: Spider-Man), this oversized annual is one you won’t want to miss!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99
6. Oh, These Guys Again
Lets be real for a second, OK? The X-Men comics typically have the best events around, but “Battle of the Atom” was a swing and a miss. For me, anyway; I didn’t care for it at all, even with some of my favorite creatives working on that series. And to make matters worse, it was an event that didn’t even really wrap-up! There were so many loose ends by the end of it that you kind of wondered what the point of getting all dolled up for an “event” was.
But now it appears that Bendis and Immonen are going to offer fans some closure, and that’s probably a good thing. Bendis’ X-Men runs are remarkably different and more uneven than his combined work with the Avengers, but you can tell that he’s getting into the idea of planting seeds for later stories and just playing with as much as he can when he can. And Immonen? Well, if there was anyone who was better at getting all of Bendis’ quirks and eccentricities onto the page better than Immonen, I’ve yet to see it. Should be neat.
ALL-NEW X-MEN #28
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W)
STUART IMMONEN (A/C)
• The future Brotherhood of Evil Mutants make their next devastating step against the sanctity of the X-Men.
• Plus, more on the new mysteries surrounding Jean Grey!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99
5. Spencer Goes Solo
You know what I didn’t notice in May? That Nick Spencer was solo-writing “Avengers World” now. Totally missed that, though it makes perfect sense. Those who have read the book might notice that it’s very much like “Secret Warriors,” in that it started with two creators, one of whom was clearly only there in name and a few ideas while the other did all the heavy lifting. “World” is very much a Spencer book in every way, from front to back, and it’s interesting to see that he’s going to be flying free as a bird on it. I’d be interested to see what he and Caselli dream up next, because the two issues in June sound particularly fun and full of characters I like, ie Nightmask. Fuck yeah Newuniverse.
Continued belowAVENGERS WORLD #7 & 8
NICK SPENCER (W) • ISSUE #7 – Stefano Caselli (A)
ISSUE #8 – MARCO CHECCHETTO (A)
ISSUE #7 – cover by MARK BROOKS
ISSUE #8 – cover by GABRIELE DELL’OTTO
ISSUE #7 –
• What is SPEAR? Who are The Ascendant?
• In the face of an ancient evil, a rising super-power answers the call.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
ISSUE #8 –
• The City of the Dead prepares to rise.
• Only Nightmask and a group of lost heroes can save us.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
4. The Only “Original Sin” Tie-in I Endorse
And now we know what covers #29 and #30 look like, as well.
Fans of Hickman have been torn on “Avengers”/”New Avengers,” and I suppose rightfully so. Compared to his work in “Secret Warriors” or “Fantastic Four,” it’s decidedly more esoteric and a bit more impenetrable. It’s not unlike Hickman to be the type of creator interested in creating a front with many moving pieces underneath the surface that you can’t see, but it’s definitely off-putting to some fans and I can get that.
That said? I’m digging it. And, I’m particularly excited to see what appears to be some pay-off in this June’s issue, where all the stuff that the Avengers have been doing will come back to haunt them — literally. It doesn’t seem like this is a forced “Original Sin” tie-in, which is nice, and its something that has been teased in the book for a while now: that whatever the Avengers are currently up to will have dire future consequences. And this is something that I am excited to see.
Plus, I like the twist on the idea that instead of having a previous Original Sin, the Avengers and their current actions are the Original Sin. Thinking outside the box a bit on that one!
AVENGERS #31
JONATHAN HICKMAN (W) • LEINIL FRANCIS YU (A/C)
ORIGINAL SIN tie-in!
• Propelled fifty years into the future, the Avengers come face-to-face with the legacy of their actions!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
If you’re like me, and lets all assume that you are for a minute here, then you probably listen to the Thrilling Adventure Hour weekly. And if you’re like me even more, and lets continue to assume for another minute that you are, you bought and loved the Acker/Blacker “Thunderbolts” issue that came out a few months ago.
I’m excited to see Acker and Blacker try their hand at a monthly comic. They’re definitely a a smart and talented duo with a lot of affinity for these characters and this type of story. Thrilling Adventure Hour is always limited in that the characters always have to talk to one another, but fans of that podcast will know that Acker and Blacker are clearly big superhero fanboys. For a book as continuously underrated as “Thunderbolts” is, it should be interesting to see what they come up with for the continued adventures of Marvel’s Expendables.
THUNDERBOLTS #27
BEN ACKER & BEN BLACKER (W)
CARLO BARBERI (A)
Cover by DAVID YARDIN
• THE PUNISHER VS. THE THUNDERBOLTS, PART 1
• Writers Ben Acker & Blacker, creators of The Thrilling Adventure Hour and writers of the 2013 Thunderbolts Annual, take control of the TBOLTS…
• …AND TEAR THEM APART!
• Guest-starring The Avengers!
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$2.99
2. Revenge of the Black Cat
Remember that one issue of “Superior Spider-Man” when Doc Ock was a total dick to Felicia Hardy? Yeah. This should be interesting.
May the odds be ever in Slott’s favor.
Continued belowAMAZING SPIDER-MAN #3
DAN SLOTT (W) • HUMBERTO RAMOS (A/C)
VARIANT Cover by Tim Sale
• Because of her last encounter with Spider-Man, Felicia Hardy lost everything. Now the Black Cat is back, and she doesn’t want any apologies or excuses… just REVENGE.
• Plus: Spidey teams up with a real hero, fireman Pedro Olivera… who just happens to be the current boyfriend to one Mary Jane Watson.
• And… more on you-know-who from the opening scene back in ASM #1. You know who we’re talking about. Yeah, that’s right. You better not miss this one!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99
1. The Finale of Hawkeye Begins
We covered this in a news post, but it bears repeating: it looks like “Hawkeye” is coming to an end. Or, maybe not. “Hawkeye” has had several wheels spinning wildly for some time now and the book has been hit in the side a bit by it; late issues, out of order issues, etc. But “Hawkeye” remains one of Marvel’s top tier comics, and if Matt and David are going to take it to a close then all power to them.
Or, if they’re just ending this one current saga and then setting up for whatever comes next, that sounds lovely too.
And, who knows. Maybe the book will end for them but continue on with a different creative team that explores a lot of the loose ends left over by Fraction and Aja, maybe getting into some of the more mystical aspects of the series and letting readers on and into the unexplored worlds that were always alluded to but never shown explicitly previously in a completely underrated if a bit different in feel and certainly a touch uneven follow-up run that ultimately gets the book cancelled because people can’t get over the fact that its not the same book even though its still a very good book. Not that I’m speaking of anything in particular, he says, fake coughing out words that sound similar to “Myron” and “Cyst.”
But, you know. Whatever works. I’m just excited, is all.
HAWKEYE #21
MATT FRACTION (W)
DAVID AJA (A/C)
The Finale, Part 1:
• David. Clint. Barney. The Building. The Tracksuit Draculas. The Clown.
• Ever seen “Rio Bravo?” Check it out, it’s pretty good.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99
