Lee: Well, Marvel’s upcoming books are a shocking contrast to DC’s future offerings. Seriously, DC has a million or more new books, and Marvel has one-tenth of that. It’s weird. But, all the miniseries end this month so November should be loaded with new things. Overall, it’s fairly light.
Jim: It is funny how that happens. Still I can not get over how big of a percentage lead Marvel has over DC when you like at the individual product lines. Marvel has some great and very good stuff, but overall DC has more books and in general I believe better books.
HOWARD THE DUCK #1 (of 4) Written by TY TEMPLETON Pencils & Cover by JUAN BOBILLO Grab your guns and camcorders and start shooting, it's DUCK SEASON! Marvel's favorite furious fowl, Howard, and his faithful friend with benefits, Beverly, begin their journey to destroy the internet, radio and television, in this all new mini-series by Ty (She-Hulk) Templeton and Juan (She-Hulk) Bobillo. SEE Howard face mighty hunters with mighty guns on MeTube! SEE Beverly in nothing but fig leaves! SEE grown men dressed as bunnies! And who is that giant headed guy taking A.I.M. at our heroes? HINT: It starts with "MODO-" Just when you thought it was safe to read comics again and Marvel has to do THIS?!?Lee: This should be great fun. I have always loved Howard and Templeton is a proven humor commodity. I really like the cover too.
Jim: See I understand what Lee is saying, but Howard the Duck was a very different kind of humor then what Ty usually does, still it could be fun for a new generation, but I will pass. In my opinion Howard is an idea whose time has passed.
WORLD WAR HULK #5 (of 5) written by GREG PAK Pencils by JOHN ROMITA JR. The millennium's most massive Marvel smashfest careens towards its cataclysmic conclusion! Four so-called Marvel "heroes" shot the Hulk into space. Their exploding shuttle destroyed his people and pregnant queen. And the Hulk has taught them what their arrogance has wrought. But now the Hulk faces the puny humans' greatest champion. And as the terrible battle rages, who will stand revealed as the hero - and who will be proved the monster? Who knows the difference between vengeance and justice? And who will pay the terrible price of anger?Lee: I bring this up to start the official “kill off Sentry” theme. I DON’T CARE ABOUT THE SENTRY! MARVEL DOESN’T NEED A SUPERMAN CLONE. A piss poor excuse of one to boot.
Jim: I vote with Lee on this one. Sentry was a cool mini-series the first time out, but once they made him part of the Marvel Universe he just did not fit at all. The MU does not work with a Superman clone.
PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #12 Written by MATT FRACTION Pencils & Cover by ARIEL OLIVETTI With WORLD WAR HULK in full swing and New York shut off from the outside world, who's left to protect those left behind? Frank @#$%!@!* Castle, that's who -- and he's none too thrilled. As the insatiable MUNG THE INCONCEIVABLE rampages through lower Manhattan, Frank and Clarke help a small band of refugees hold back his relentless onslaught. The Punisher? World War Hulk? Alien Invasion, Manhattan in ruins?Lee: Have you ever wondered when a mega event goes off the rails? Or when it’s run it’s course? The easiest way to tell is watch for incredibly silly teamups. Teamups like Hulk v. Punisher. The strongest creature in the entire Marvel U. v. an ordinary, extraordinarily surly and grumpy, but still ordinary man. The only thing more ridiculous than this would be Venom taking over Wolverine.
Jim: Well I have dropped this book and I have to say this smacks of sales desperation for this book. I prefer the MAX version of Punisher.
MARVEL ZOMBIES 2 #1 (of 5) Written by ROBERT KIRKMAN Penciled by SEAN PHILLIPS Are you ready for Marvel Zombies Civil War? Forty years have passed and the zombies have come back home after eating just about everything else in the universe. Yum yum! What awaits them back on Earth, though, is beyond anything even these shambling monstrosities could have conceived! This is a new series featuring the amazing, irreverent take on the Marvel characters that became last year's unexpected smash hit. They're back and more stomach-churning than ever! The smash hit series is back, daring to ask: "Whose stomach are you in?"
Lee: We all knew this was coming but will be it Secret Wars II (worse than awful) or Infinity War (Marginally good). Tough call.
Jim: The first comic was fun for about 3 issues, then it became apparent this was a one note comic. So count me out of the second series. Sometimes a good idea that generates mega sales and multiple printings of a hard cover should still be left alone. Often once you try to clone your successes it diminishes the charm and kills the uniqueness that made it a success in the first place. I wonder how Kirkman feels to be the "Zombie Guy" at Marvel.
NEW AVENGERS #35 Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS Pencils & Cover by LEINIL FRANCIS YU The Hood makes his play for the big time by gathering the most ruthless rogues gallery of evil the Marvel Universe has ever seen. What does a guy who wants to be the "Kingpin of all super-villains" do to make his point? You have to see it to believe it.Lee: OH MY! Venom takes over Wolverine!!! I pick this for a couple of reasons: (1) I don’t care what you tell me, the Red Hood isn’t all that as a super villain. I’m just not drinking the Kool-Aid on that one. (2) This qualifies as stupidest cover of many, many months. AND, has worst crossover I have ever seen. Venom and Wolverine?! Marvel never ceases to amaze to the depths of fanboy pandering they will do.
Jim: This is too funny. I used to love Wolverine, but he has been made out to be an almost pathetic character that everything happens to and he controls nothing. This is more of the same and is pandering to the nth degree.
OMEGA THE UNKNOWN TPB WRITTEN BY STEVE GERBER, MARY SKRENES, STEVEN GRANT & MARK GRUENWALD Penciled by JIM MOONEY & HERB TRIMPE Marvel's short-lived superstar fought enemies both infamous and obscure, but it took his death to unveil the story of his life! It's demons, depowerment and drama when the Defenders discover the true secret of Omega and his mysterious charge! Plus, the death of a super-villain who, so far, is still dead! When was the last time you saw THAT?Lee: I’m not sure I get the appeal of this series. I have the original in floppies. It’s got Mooney art if you’re into that. But beyond that…. I really don’t see it. But, Omega has this appeal of being “ahead of it’s time”. Maybe for someone else but not for me.
Jim: I have this trade as it was given to me and I have not bothered to re-read it. Maybe there is something there I don’t remember, but what I do remember was a uninteresting comic.
OMEGA: THE UNKNOWN #1 (of 10) Written by JONATHAN LETHEM with KARL RUSNAK Art by FAREL DALRYMPLE & PAUL HORNSCHEMEIER The story of a mute, reluctant superhero from another planet, and the earthly teenager with whom he shares a strange destiny -- and the legion of robots and nanoviruses that have been sent from afar to hunt the two of them down. Created in 1975 by Steve Gerber and Mary Skrenes, the original Omega The Unknown lasted only ten issues but was a legend to those who recall it -- an ahead-of-its-time tale of an anti-hero, inflected with brilliant ambiguity. One of Omega's teenage fans was award-winning novelist Jonathan Lethem, who has used the original as a springboard for a superbly strange, funny, and moving graphic novel in ten chapters.
Lee: You read the hype on this and you can see what I am talking about when I refer to Omega as “greatly loved”. I still don’t understand why. BUT, a new series does intrigue me. Dalrymple is a proven indie artist so it really comes down to the author. And that is a big can of worms. Lethem can easily be found at http://www.jonathanlethem.com/ but once I was there, I wasn’t sold. As I said, it all comes down to the author.
Jim: For me this will be a wait for the trade. Once the series gets started and if it gets good reviews and if I like the art, I may buy the trade.
SHE-HULK #22 Written by PETER DAVID Penciled by SHAWN MOLL It's a new direction for the lean, green fighting machine as longtime Hulk writer Peter David takes the helm as the world's most dangerous lawyer takes on the world's most dangerous job. Be here now? or She-Hulk Smash!
Lee: Dan Slott did a great job on this title and now he is being replaced by a proven commodity. This has always been a must read for me and this just guarantees that it will continue to be one.
Jim: Agreed, I was worried when Slott went off this title, but David is the perfect replacement.
FOOLKILLER #1 (of 5) Written by GREGG HURWITZ Pencils & Cover by LAN MEDINA Los Angeles Times best-selling author Gregg Hurwitz (The Crime Writer) and Lan Medina (Punisher) bring you a gritty, no-holds barred crime thriller! Move over Frank Castle, there's a new vigilante in town. When the Foolkiller strikes, the punishment fits the crime. It's a grand display for all to see, the truth in all its brutal glory, our hidden secrets gutted and turned inside out for the front pages. A vigilante artist, a madman performer, the Foolkiller has been brutally introduced to the human joke, and he wants to make sure fools everywhere take note. What he reveals may not be what you want to see. Or what you want to admit. But he makes one thing certain: If you're a fool, you cannot hide.Lee: Now then, as much as I think Omega is overrated, I equally love FoolKiller. I don’t know why but I do. My only beef, FoolKiller was never a muscle bound thug. He was always the skinny, picked on nerd. Kind of a poor mans Punisher. Lan Medina is a solid artist so once again it comes down to the writer, unknown to me but can be found at http://www.gregghurwitz.net/index1.htm
Jim: I will also be trying this out. My memory of Foolkiller is very fuzzy, so I would love to re-read the old stuff before getting this, but hell this book probably is not related to the old book at all.
PUNISHER #51 Written by GARTH ENNIS Penciled by GORAN PARLOV Frank Castle is in bad shape. His left wrist is broken, and the other is badly lacerated so he's guessing he went insane and snapped the handcuffs. On top of that, they had to reinflate his lung. How the scene played out is a mystery. But one thing's for sure. Barracuda has the prize. A 7-pound, 10-ounce bundle of joy. And the Punisher will do anything to get it back.
Lee: And this months award for newest character to be overexposures goes… drum roll please… Barracuda. I hear he’s getting the Venom symbiote next month and a team up with Wolverine after that.
Jim: I don’t think Barracuda has reached that stage yet. He was the main villain in one arc and then his own mini-series and now back again. 3 appearances is not radical overexposure. BUT if Frank doesn’t kill him it will be out of character.
MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE FANTASTIC FOUR VOL. 6 Written by STAN LEE Penciled by JACK KIRBY Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR #51-60 and ANNUAL #4 MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE FANTASTIC FOUR VOL. 6 - VARIANT EDITION VOL. 28MARVEL MASTERWORKS: ATLAS ERA STRANGE TALES VOL. 1 Written by STAN LEE, HANK CHAPMAN & VARIOUS Penciled by JOE MANEELY, JOHN ROMITA, GENE COLAN, RUSS HEATH, JOE SINNOTT, BILL EVERETT, BERNIE KRIGSTEIN, JIM MOONEY, DICK AYERS, ED WINIARKSI, MANNY STALLMAN, GEORGE TUSKA, TONY DIPRETA & VARIOUS Cover by BILL EVERETT Pre-Code horror courtesy of the Marvel Masterwork's Atlas Era! Collecting stories from 1951.
Lee: Two comments, Comment #1: Strange Tales is awesome. Either you understand it or not but if you can afford this book you absolutely must buy it. Comment #2: F- Marvel. Seriously. Reprinting the FF Masterworks, which just happens to be one of the most expensive Masterworks to get on eBay, is just a sh**ty move. They are quietly destroying whatever future value my collection may have. AND, after they said they weren’t going back to reprint. Lying B**tards.
Jim: Agreed. I will reemphasize that the Strange Tales stuff is too much fun to pass up.
LEGION OF MONSTERS HC Written by CHARLIE HUSTON, MIKE CAREY, ROBIN FURTH, JONATHAN HICKMAN, TED MCKEEVER, SKOTTIE YOUNG, BRENDAN CAHILL, C.B. CEBULSKI, DOUG MOENCH, MARV WOLFMAN, TONY ISABELLA, BILL MANTLO & SCOTT EDELMAN Penciled by DAVID FINCH, GREG LAND, KLAUS JANSON, TED MCKEEVER, SKOTTIE YOUNG, KALMAN ANDRASOFSZKY, JONATHAN HICKMAN, MICHAEL GAYDOS, VAL MAYERIK, DAVE COCKRUM, FRANK ROBBINS, RICO RIVAL, RUBEN YANDOC & RON WILSON Cover by GREG LAND High-octane horror one-shots featuring Jacob Russel, the Werewolf by Night; the Monster of Frankenstein; Man-Thing; Simon Garth, the original Marvel Zombie; the devil's daughter, sultry Satana; a Living Mummy; Morbius the Living Vampire; and the king of vampires, Dracula, and his beautiful daughter, Lilith! Collecting LEGION OF MONSTERS: WEREWOLF BY NIGHT, MORBIUS, MAN-THING and SATANA. Plus: classic tales of horror and suspense featuring the Scarecrow, Manphibian and the Legion of Monsters from DEAD OF NIGHT #11, MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #26, MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE #18, LEGION OF MONSTERS #1 and MARVEL PREMIERE #28. Terror has never looked as good as these frightening fables!Lee: I have the Marvel Westerns and Monster hc’s and enjoyed them immensely. I figure this to me more of the same. Great new stories and excellent reprints. A must have for me.
Jim: I should have learned to just skip the comics and get these hardcovers. Still the actual comics were so bad so far, that I will skip the hardcover.
UNCANNY X-MEN #491 Pencils & Cover by 
SALVADOR LARROCASHANNA THE SHE-DEVIL: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST #3 (of 4) Pencils & Cover by KHARI EVANS
Lee: And this month’s Embarrassed to be a fanboy cover goes to… WAIT, before we get to the announcement I have to say that it’s was harder to find a ridiculous cover this month. Maybe Marvel and DC read the blog and realize how bad some of the covers are! Next month will tell. BUT, it was a close race between passed out Storm with no clothes and Shanna. For nitpickers, I always eliminate Greg Horn covers because that’s another game called “Guess the PornStar model”… Anyway I shall weasel out and pick both. Jim, it’s up to you to pick a grand winner for embarrassing cover this month. Shanna or Storm?????
Jim: Both are worthy contenders, Storm because it is showing us a half naked and brutalized Storm (not too misogamist), but Shanna the She Devil wins, not only for her half nakedness, but for the unfortunate pose she has and the placement of the dinosaur’s tongue. BRAVO! A book that will never be brought and if I did buy it, it would never be on my living room coffee table.
AND FINALLY…
MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR #29 Written by STEVE NILES Pencils & Cover by LEONARD KIRK
MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #32 Written by PETER DAVID Penciled by POP MHAN
MARVEL ADVENTURES THE AVENGERS #17 Written by TY TEMPLETON Penciled by RONAN CLIQUET
Lee: In case you missed the fine print… look at who’s writing and drawing the Marvel Adventures line. WOW. Now that’s top of the line, proven talent. It’s interesting there is more writing experience here than on some of the new series launches (Foolkiller or Omega). I might have to start getting this. AND, it gives me hope of actually being able to find a book that my kids can read that I don’t have to be worried about.
Jim: I agree Lee, and I just read Marvel Adventures Giant Size Avengers because of the Agents of Atlas and it was a great read and was fine for kids to read also.
Lee: Well it started off weak but there’s enough here to be interested in. Really looking forward to the Legion of Monsters HC. Just in time for Halloween too. Perfect timing.
Jim: No matter how weak a month is for solicitations, there is always some fun stuff.
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