Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Marvel's previews reviewed

BLACK PANTHER ANNUAL #1
DON McGREGOR, CHRISTOPHER PRIEST & REGGIE HUDLIN (W)
DANIEL ACUñA, KEN LASHLEY & MORE (A)
Cover by DANIEL ACUñA
...
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


Well that seems like a pretty good idea for an annual: Gathering a trio of the better and/or better-known writers associated with a particular character for a special issue. I liked all those guys' Black Panther comics okay.

There is a lot of Black Panther content in this month's round of solicitations, which is in keeping with the way Marvel usually pumps out more potential movie tie-in material when a character gets a movie.

A recent Black Panther collection from Ta-Nehisi Coates' ongoing run crossed my path at the library the other day, and I was genuinely shocked to see a "4" on the spine. I would have sworn they were only on volume two or so.


DEFENDERS #10
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • DAVID MARQUEZ (A/C)
Hulk Variant Cover by TBA
KINGPINS OF NEW YORK Part 5
• Daredevil takes on the underworld single-handed as KINGPINS OF NEW YORK reaches a dramatic crescendo!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99


You know, every month I read these solicits, my eyes fall on the one for Defenders, and I think to myself, "Ooh, Marvel has a new Defenders series...!" And then, a split-second later, I realize this Defenders series is based on Netflix's application of the name to a handful of their "street-level" heroes.

Now I know the publisher's "Legacy" numbering is almost completely arbitrary, so there's no point in asking, but I'll ask anyway...how on Earth is Defenders only up to issue #10...? It seems like there have been at least ten Defenders relaunches since the first series...


DOCTOR STRANGE: DAMNATION #1 (OF 5)
DONNY CATES & Nick Spencer (W) • ROD REIS (A/C)
...
Trading Card Variant Cover by 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


Hmmm...Secret Empire writer Nick Spencer is co-writing a miniseries that deals with the fall-out of a plot point from Secret Empire...? Weird. I wonder if this includes some plot points that couldn't fit into the series proper, or...what. Anyway, Spencer is a good writer, and I'm sure this will be interesting. I find the almost entirely random assemblage of heroes on that cover kind of intriguing.


DOCTOR STRANGE #386
DONNY CATES (W) • NIKO HENRICHON (A/C)
A “DAMNATION” TIE-IN!
• Doctor Strange bet on his ability to restore Las Vegas and got his prize — with some satanic strings attached!
• Now he’s going double or nothing to set things right.
• How did he get back to full power? And will it be enough when he’s gambling for his life?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99


Wow, Niko Henrichon is an inspired choice for a Doctor Strange comic. I am assuming this will look pretty nice. The cover seems to suggest that it will.


FALCON #5
RODNEY BARNES (W)
JOSHUA CASSARA (A)
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


Can Sam Wilson's spirit triumph in the face of unspeakable evil? I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that yes, yes it can.


GENERATION X #87
CHRISTINA STRAIN (W) • AMILCAR PINNA (A)
Cover by TERRY DODSON
Survival of the Fittest Part 3
It’s JUBILEE vs. M-PLATE…vampire vs. vampire! Will the GEN X class be able to defeat MONET/EMPLATE and save the school? All this, plus: Witness a major milestone for Jubilee!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99


A major milestone for Jubilee?! Based on the cover, I'm going to guess that completes her coursework and finally earns her MFA in dance.


INFINITY COUNTDOWN: ADAM WARLOCK #1
GERRY DUGGAN (w) • AARON KUDER (a/C)
VARIANT COVER BY MIKE ALLRED
ADAM WARLOCK IS BACK! Reborn from the realm of the dead, Adam has come seeking the Soul Stone…and the truth about what it did to Him! His guide through this Infinity Quest is none other than…Kang the Conqueror?!? Be there as Adam begins down the dark trail sure to lead him into the heart of the mystery of the Infinity Stones…
40 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Rated T+ …$4.99


"Infinity...Countdown"...? You guys sure you want to go with that particular title...? Because the word "Countdown" doesn't exactly have great connotations in super-comics anymore.


LOCKJAW #1 (OF 4)
Daniel Kibblesmith (W) • Carlos Villa (A)
Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
Variant Cover by GUSTAVO DUARTE
...
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


Well it's about damn time.

I am tempted to make a joke about the writer's last name in relation to the subject matter, but I am resisting, because I don't want to be mean. Er, mean-er than I already am, I guess.


I'm not a particular fan of the style employed on this Luke Cage cover, but Danielle's face there is awesome.


SPIRITS OF VENGEANCE #5 (OF 5)
VICTOR GISCHLER (W)
DAVID BALDEON (A)
Cover by DAN MORA
WAR AT THE GATES OF HELL PART 5
• NECRODAMUS’ forces have disrupted the covenant and there’s HELL to pay…
• DAIMON HELLSTROM and SATANA are forced to cross a line they vowed never to again…
• Don’t miss the stunning climax to MARVEL LEGACY’S #1 limited series!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99



Er, wasn't this it the only limited series launched out of the "Legacy" initiative...? Or do they know that, and that's the joke...?

Are any of you guys reading this? Is it any good? I kinda sorta like all the characters involved...


VENOMNIBUS VOL. 1 HC
Written by DAVID MICHELINIE, CARL POTTS, D.G. CHICHESTER, LEN KAMINSKI, DANNY FINGEROTH, ANN NOCENTI, BRUCE JONES, PETER DAVID, TERRY KAVANAGH, HOWARD MACKIE, MIKE LACKEY, LARRY HAMA & GREGORY WRIGHT
Penciled by MARK BAGLEY, RON LIM, TOM LYLE, SCOTT MCDANIEL, KEVIN HOPGOOD, TODD SMITH, KELLEY JONES, BOB MCLEOD, JIM CRAIG, LIAM SHARP, MARK TENNEY, ANDREW WILDMAN, STEVEN BUTLER & RON RANDALL
Cover by
Spider-Man’s symbiotic sparring partner goes solo as he heads to San Francisco — but is he a deadly villain or lethal protector? Find out, along with the Punisher, Daredevil, Iron Man, Hulk, Darkhawk, Juggernaut, Spidey and more! Venom faces madness, vengeance and a bad case of separation anxiety — plus the ultimate symbiote showdown with the psychopathic Carnage! It’s a Brock-buster volume that could only be called a Venomnibus! Collecting VENOM: LETHAL PROTECTOR #1-6, VENOM: FUNERAL PYRE #1-3, DAREDEVIL (1964) #323, IRON MAN (1968) #302, DARKHAWK #35-37, VENOM: THE MADNESS #1-3, VENOM: THE ENEMY WITHIN #1-3, INCREDIBLE HULK VS. VENOM #1, VENOM: THE MACE #1-3, NIGHTWATCH #5-6, VENOM: NIGHTS OF VENGEANCE #1-4, SPIDER-MAN: THE ARACHNIS PROJECT #6, WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #118-119, SPIDER-MAN (1990) #52-53, VENOM: SEPARATION ANXIETY #1-4, VENOM: CARNAGE UNLEASHED #1-4 and material from SILVER SABLE & THE WILD PACK #18-19, plus Venom subplot pages.
1096 PGS./Rated T ...$100.00
ISBN: 978-1-302-9124-4


Whoever is responsible for coming up with the title of this particular Venom omnibus is my new favorite creator at Marvel. I'm fairly positive there's a market for a $100 collection of like every Venom story, but part of me hopes that Marvel only decided to publish this book at all so they could use that title...


X-MEN: GRAND DESIGN TPB
Written by ED PISKOR
Penciled by ED PISKOR
Cover by ED PISKOR
Over six tumultuous decades, the X-Men have carved a singular place in comic book lore and popular culture. From their riotous birth in the ’60s, to their legendary reboot in the ’70s, to their attitude adjustment in the ’90s, to their battle against extinction in the ’00s, the X-Men have remained unquestionably relevant to generations of readers, the ultimate underdogs in an increasingly complicated world. Now, New York Times–best-selling author Ed Piskor (Hip-Hop Family Tree, Wizzywig) takes you on a pulse-pounding tour of X-Men history unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before, an intricate labor of love that stitches together hundreds of classic and obscure stories into one seamless X-Men masterpiece! This volume also includes 1963’s X-MEN #1, masterfully recolored by Ed. Presented in the same dynamic, oversized format of the best-selling Hip Hop Family Tree! Collecting X-MEN: GRAND DESIGN #1-2.
120 PGS./Rated T+ …$29.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-90489-0
Trim size: 9x13


My eyes popped at the price of this thing, as this was a collection I was actually hoping to buy when it came out, but then I saw the trim size, which I guess explains the high cost. Now I'm curious if it is going to be printed at the same size as Piskor's Hip Hop Family Tree books.*


X-MEN RED #1
TOM TAYLOR (W) • MAHMUD ASRAR (A)
Cover by TRAVIS CHAREST
Variant Cover by MAHMUD ASRAR
Variant Cover by ROB LIEFELD
Variant Cover by SKOTTIE YOUNG
REMASTERED VARIANT COVER BY PHIL JIMENEZ
B&W REMASTERED VARIANT COVER BY PHIL JIMENEZ
BLANK VARIANT COVER ALSO AVAILABLE
Marvel Legacy Headshot Variant Cover by TRAVIS CHAREST
Trading Card Variant Cover by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
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


Ooh! An all-new X-Men team! How exciting! That only happens 1-4 times a year!

This is a weird one. I'm pretty sure the last thing Marvel needs right now is yet another X-Men comic...I think this will be the fourth or fifth X-Men team book, and the third of which is designated by color...?

I'm just as sure that we don't need two Jean Greys running around the Marvel Universe, both of whom are now out of their home times and in worlds they don't recognize.

Like, I had a mock conversation with a friend the other day, regarding someone coming in to a comic shop and asking for the X-Men comic book with Jean Grey. It gets farcical really quickly, as you try to narrow it down from there.

The make up of the team as seen on the roster seemed both counter-intuitive--like, why isn't she on a team with some of her friends and loved ones, instead of such a random team--and a lot like Tom Taylor picked names out of a hat for it.

I'm a big fan of Namor in general, and think he should be on every Marvel team, but man, he seems as out-of-place here as he would on Bendis' Defenders or in The Guardians of Galaxy or Spirits of Vengeance. And I have no idea why he might be wearing green body armor. Did he lose his powers in Secret Empire or something...? Dude has so many costumes, and all of them look better than that...



*Although I suppose if I just read the solicits thoroughly before posting about them, I wouldn't need to wonder, as you'll see in the comments.

1 comment:

Medraut said...

I think the last line of the X-Men:Grand Design solicitation answers you question as it states it will be "Presented in the same dynamic, oversized format of the best-selling Hip Hop Family Tree!"