Jim: I’m just going along for the ride. When Lee is picking the books there is never a shortage and I only added two books.
ULTIMATUM #1 & 2 (of 5) Written by JEPH LOEBPencils & Cover by DAVID FINCH The end is here! Or, is it a new beginning? Massive climatic disturbances are wreaking havoc with the planet " underwater volcanic eruptions, tidal waves crashing over whole cities and snowstorms burying entire countries"and even the assemblage of the Ultimate U’s mightiest is no match for this worldwide destruction! Featuring Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Ultimates, the Hulk and more, find out whose lives are at stake in this defining moment of truth for the Ultimate Universe. Brought to you by award-winning scribe Jeph Loeb and superstar artist David Finch, this is the must-have book that will set the stage in the Ultimate U for years to come. If you want to get in on the most astounding changes taking place in all of comics, this is the place to be. You have been told! 32 PGS. (each)/Rated T+ …$3.99 (each)Lee: It’s gotten to the point (well past it actually) where one major event is immediately followed by another mega event. In this case, we follow Secret Invasion with an Ultimate Universe mega-event. You know it’s bad when I could care less.
Jim: This book has a few strikes against it. First I don’t really care that much about the Ultimate Universe, as except for Spider-Man and the first two volumes of the Ultimates nothing really has caught my eye. Second is a reiteration of what Lee has said. You get to event burn out, so much so that unless a book is a major event or turning point you feel let down. I want to get back to just reading a good solid series. Third is I have sworn off any book with Jeph Loeb as writer. His books make no sense lately and they are not enjoyable, why his stuff sells is due to marketing and the artists he works with are usually popular.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #578 Written by MARK WAIDPencils & Cover by MARCOS MARTIN Mark Waid joins the Spider-team with fan favorite Marcos Martin to bring you part one of this two-part blockbuster! Random earthquakes don’t happen in New York " trust us, we live here. So how did one trap Spidey and a subway car full of New Yorkers underground? But there’s more to these passengers than meets the eye as a high powered mob trial’s verdict is in their hands. And one of them has a crucial connection to Pete’s old boss, J. Jonah Jameson! 32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99Lee: A rare bright spot in the month. Waid does Spiderman. Cool.
Jim: Love Waid, love Marcos Martin, done with Spider-Man. Pass.
VENOM: DARK ORIGIN #4 (of 5) Written by ZEB WELLSPencils & Cover
by ANGEL MEDINAEddie Brock’s dishonesty and his humiliation at the hands of Spider-Man have poisoned his soul. But it’s the strange new costume that’ll give him the strength to strike out! Now Eddie’s about to discover just where this living alien symbiote comes from…why it possesses the powers it does…and what privileged secrets it can teach him about the man behind Spider-Man’s mask! Discover the never-before-seen truth about Venom’s past and the symbiote's home planet!
Lee: This is the worst cover of the month and that says a lot. Let’s see, there’s floating blobs of drool, a completely misproportioned body and a tongue that’s longer than my arm. Medina can do so much better than this.
Jim: It is funny how a villain can get so popular and then it is just so overused that any coolness it may have had is beaten into dust.
ADAM: LEGEND OF THE BLUE MARVEL #1 (of 4) Written by KEVIN GREVIOUXPencils and Cover by MAT BROOME An unstoppable super-villain attacks New York City--and the Mighty Avengers fall before him! Where did Anti-Man come from? And who can stop his overwhelming rampage?! Now Iron Man races to find the only man who’s ever defeated Anti-Man-- THE BLUE MARVEL…a hero the world hasn’t seen since 1961! Will Tony Stark uncover the truth behind Blue Marvel’s disappearance…and will Blue Marvel ever recover from it? Kevin Grevioux (NEW WARRIORS) and Mat Broome (The End League) join forces to create Marvel’s newest powerhouse super hero!32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99Lee: What a great idea! The fans LOVE Sentry so much let’s make another character that has “always” been there but we’ve just forgotten him. This concept worked so well the first time I think we should do it again and again and again. … what a buncha crap.
Jim: I’m not sure why Marvel feels the need to add yet another hero like this. Why not take a good concept and just have the character be a new character.
NEW AVENGERS #47 Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS Penciled by BILLY TANCover by
ALEKSI BRICLOT SECRET INVASION Tie-In! Of the thousands and thousands of heroes and humans affected by the Skrull invasion, one man's horror and heartbreak rises above the rest. This is the story of Luke Cage!32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99Jim: The hype says “This is the story of Luke Cage!” yet the cover has Hawkeye on it.
Lee: I actually missed this. I must have been blinded by yet another atrocious cover. It looks like it was completely photo shopped. That’s just great.
AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE SPECIAL Written by CHRISTOS GAGE & DAN SLOTT Pencils and Cover by STEVE UY One of the longest-running plotlines in Avengers: The Initiative is resolved at last! Hardball is among the Initiative's most respected and decorated graduates. He's become a celebrity hero in Las Vegas, with his true love, Komodo, serving nearby in Arizona. But all the while, he's secretly been in the pocket of the terrorist group Hydra! Now everything comes to a head as Komodo finds out the truth...Senator Woodman's evil plan comes to fruition...and Hardball must choose a side, once and for all! Also in this not-to-be-missed issue, Dan Slott returns to solo writing duties for the previously-untold origin of Trauma...and the shocking revelation of his link to a longtime Marvel character!48 PGS./One-Shot/Rated T+ …$3.99Lee: Why is this here? Isn’t there a regular Avengers: The Initiative series? Oh wait! There is! This just needed to be told outside the regular book because… why?
Jim: I dropped this title a while ago and have not gotten into any of these characters. I want a next generation character, but I want them taking over for a hero. Tony Stark’s son (he must at least one floating around) takes over or something, not just the creation of more “D” level characters.
PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #25 Written by MATT FRACTION & RICK REMENDER Penciled by HOWARD CHAYKIN Cover by CLINT LANGLEY“SECRET INVASION” TIE-IN! Some sins you can never atone for. In the heart of “Secret Invasion,” as the world faces an enormous threat, as every hero in the Marvel Universe is fighting for the very survival of mankind, Frank Castle and Stuart Clarke are trying very, very hard to kill one another. With no more secrets left to be learned and no more places left to hide, these former allies are left with no other choice but to put the other one in the ground. But what about G.W. Bridge? Who's side is he on? And what about all those Skrulls? Who's gonna kill all of them?32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$2.99
Lee: Shouldn’t you be able to see the characters face on the cover? Why is the punisher’s face in black?
Jim: That seems to be covers 101, show the face of your central character. Maybe it isn’t Frank and they want to surprise in the actual book.
WAR MACHINE: WEAPON OF S.H.I.E.L.D. #35 Written by CHRISTOS N. GAGE Penciled by
SEAN CHEN Cover by ADI GRANOVA SECRET INVASION TIE-IN! hype hype hype you do not want to miss this issue, which launches next month's WAR MACHINE #1!32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99Lee: Oh joy, here’s another awful cover. Let’s see, half the hero’s face in covered and the cover has nothing to do with story inside the book. What’s the point of the cover? How is this any different from last months cover, or the one before that or the one before that? I just figured out how this is different than all those other months, this is a back shot while all the others were front shots. COMPLETELY different.
Jim: It is a different character as it is War Machine and not Iron Man. Lee should be a cover editor.
MIGHTY AVENGERS #20 Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS Penciled by KHOI PHAM SECRET INVASION Aftermath! Shipping the week after Secret Invasion #8...the end of an era for the Mighty Avengers! Death and defeat at the hands of the Skrulls is just too much for even the Mighty Avengers. Watch the darkest day for the Avengers unfold before you and a shocking ending NO ONE will see coming. Guest-starring THOR!32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99
Jim: Again with the hype “a shocking ending NO ONE will see coming” I read this to mean it makes no sense to us so good luck you poor slobs.
Lee: Again, Jim scoops me on the pointless hype. I like the fact this is SI Aftermath. I wonder if Marvel can develop another 4-5 mini-series just like Hulk AfterSmash to milk the event a little more.
NOVA #19 Written by DAN ABNETT & ANDY LANNING Penciled by WELLINTON ALVES Cover by FRANCESCO "MATT" MATTINACould it be…the return of the Nova Corps? After last issue’s jaw-dropping cliff-hanger, will things ever be the same for Richard Rider? What is the Worldmind up to, and what will it mean for the future of the Human Rocket and the Nova Corps itself?! Cosmic fans will not want to miss this status-quo-changing chapter of the series Ain't It Cool News calls "Brilliant. Just brilliant."32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99
Lee: Dude. Check it out, Nova’s got a ‘fro
Jim: Sorry it was hard for me to focus as my jaw had dropped.
THE TWELVE #9 Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI Penciled by CHRIS WESTON Cover
by PAOLO RIVERA The threads of the tapestry draw together around our heroes as one of the Twelve takes that endless dirt-nap!32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99Lee: “that endless dirt-nap!” are you kidding me? What 10 yr old wrote that?
Jim: Wait after all your comments about covers; you can let this one go without saying anything?
THOR: MAN OF WAR Written by MATT FRACTION Art by PATRICK ZIRCHER & CLAY MANN Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC For countless millennia, over and again has the mighty, thunderous, impetuous, petulant god Thor raged and rebelled against the leadership of his father and lord, the all-powerful Odin. The capricious tantrums of a selfish titan, spoiled by his own power. But…ODIN HAS HAD ENOUGH! And so as the cycle is repeated in all ages, Thor must ultimately face the fullest wrath of the enraged All-Father! Witness the final and the most epic, earth-shattering, sky-scorching battle ever unleashed by the THOR: AGES OF THUNDER and THOR: REIGN OF BLOOD creative team of Matt Fraction and Patrick Zircher! 48 PGS./One-Shot/Rated T+ …$3.99Lee: Huuummmm, Fraction does a one shot of Thor. This could be really good. I might have to investigate.
Jim: Huuummmm, Fraction doing another Thor one shot, this is one I will pass on.
THUNDERBOLTS #126 Written by ANDY DIGGLE Penciled by ROBERTO DE LA TORRE Cover
by Francesco "MATT" MATTINA The new creative team of writer Andy Diggle (Losers, Green Arrow: Year One) and penciler Roberto De La Torre (IRON MAN: DIRECTOR OF S.H.I.E.L.D.) shake up Marvel’s most unpredictable team! The events of Secret Invasion have taken Norman Osborn out of Thunderbolts Mountain…and when the cat is away, the mice will play! Bullseye owes Songbird big time " and now it’s time to settle up! A huge upheaval is coming for the T-Bolts, and the beginning tremors are felt here!32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99Lee: Another one of the few bright spots this month is Diggle on Thunderbolts. I wasn’t sure I was going to stick around now that Ellis has left but this has convinced me to stay.
Jim: The only reason I decided to stay on this book was to see what Andy Diggle can do with this title. This is the second writer from the Vertigo side of the aisle that DC is letting slip away (Jason Aaron was the other). Both guys are top notch writers and I will at least check out first issues of whatever they write.
WOLVERINE: CHOP SHOP Written by MIKE BENSON Penciled by ROLAND BOSCHI Cover by TOMER HANUKA You’ve heard the story before: A beautiful woman picks up a guy in a bar. They have a couple drinks, show each other a good time. And when he wakes up the next morning, the guy finds himself in a bathtub full of ice, with two fewer kidneys than he had the night before. Well, Wolverine’s heard this story too and he ain’t too thrilled by it. In fact, he’s willing to bring an end to it in the most direct way he can think of…32 PGS./One-Shot/Parental Advisory …$2.99Lee: Because the last couple of Wolverine Mini’s have been so good we get another one. I am sooooo looking forward to this.
Jim: Wolverine is Marvel’s Batman. He is used for any number of one shots mini-series or whatnot. Still I think they need to cut back a little or even Wolverine could finally be killed by overexposure.
MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN VOL. 5 HCCollecting IRON MAN
#2-13.272 PGS./All Ages …$54.99 MARVEL MASTERWORKS: GOLDEN AGE ALL-WINNERS VOL. 3 HCCollecting ALL-WINNERS COMICS #9-14.304 PGS./All Ages …$59.99 MARVEL MASTERWORKS: DAREDEVIL VOL. 5 HCCollecting DAREDEVIL #42-53 and NOT BRAND ECHH #4.272 PGS/All Ages ...$54.99
MARVEL MASTERWORKS: GOLDEN AGE CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL. 3 HCCollecting CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS #9-12.280 PGS/All Ages ...$59.99
Lee: Are you kidding me? FOUR masterworks this month? Who the heck can afford this? If you purchased all of these it would be $229.96. And that leaves me money leftover for… nothing?
Jim: Ok Lee has totally missed the boat here. There are four Masterworks solicited but only two come out in November and two come out in January. Marvel is moving the printing for these books to China so the solicitations have to come out way earlier. Next month we get December and February solicitations and then after that it will be just March. This month marks the end of the road for me with consecutive Masterworks. I’m not ordering their Golden Age books as I have had my fill of Golden Age Marvel.
MYTHOS HC Written by PAUL JENKINS Penciled by PAOLO RIVERA Collecting MYTHOS: SPIDER-MAN, HULK, FANTASTIC FOUR, GHOST RIDER, CAPTAIN AMERICA and X-MEN.
Showcasing the origins of the greatest heroes in the Marvel Universe! See how Spider-Man’s super-hero career began! Learn how the Fantastic Four became the team they are today! Witness the origin and earliest days of the Hulk and Ghost Rider! Revisit Steve Rogers’ transformation from a weakling with a heart of steel to the Sentinel of Liberty, Captain America! Experience the first encounter between the X-Men and their ultimate nemesis, Magneto! Paul Jenkins tells the tales, while Paolo Rivera delivers the beautiful fully painted artwork. Collecting MYTHOS: SPIDER-MAN, HULK, FANTASTIC FOUR, GHOST RIDER, CAPTAIN AMERICA and X-MEN.144 PGS./ Rated A …$24.99
144 PGS./ Rated A …$24.99
Lee: I know this is just a re-hash of origin stories that we’ve heard a million times before but the art by Rivera makes me interested in this. If I don’t get all four Masterworks then I’ll get this.
Jim: Good re-telling of origins are always appreciated, but I’m passing as I have plenty of this stuff in my hard cover collection.
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN VOL. 1: THE FIVE NIGHTMARES PREMIERE 
HC Written by MATT FRACTION Penciled by SALVADOR LARROCA Cover by JOE QUESADA Collecting INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1-6.152 PGS./ Rated A…$24.99INVINCIBLE IRON MAN VOL. 1 PREMIERE HC " DIRECT MARKET ONLY 1Movie coverINVINCIBLE IRON MAN VOL. 2 PREMIERE HC " DIRECT MARKET ONLY 2Cover by SALVADOR LARROCA
Lee: I can’t believe they didn’t think of this sooner. Variant covers on the HC’s. That’s not true, variants have been around for awhile but until now it was just one or two. This raises the bar with not one, not two, but THREE variant covers. Next will cover the variant cover that’s only 1 per 10 hc’s ordered. I can’t wait for that.
Jim: Somehow I don’t think we will see the 1 for 10 thing. I do know that when I was a retailer they would offer special hard covers if you ordered so many of certain comics.
DAREDEVIL: YELLOW PREMIERE HC Written by JEPH LOEB Penciled by TIM SALE Cover by
TIM SALE “The measure of a man is not in how he gets knocked to the mat, it is in how he gets up.” Those are the words blind attorney Matthew Murdock’s father lived and died by. Prizefighter Battlin’ Jack Murdock’s murder set in motion a chain of events that exploded with a new super hero swinging out of New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen " the blind Acrobat Daredevil. In this retelling of the early career of the Man Without Fear, the Eisner Award-winning team of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale (Spider-Man: Blue, Batman: The Long Halloween) have taken an inspiring action-adventure story and blended it with a romantic comedy. The result, highlighted by Sale’s dazzling ink washes and Matt Hollingsworth’s spectacular color, is the heartwarming and heartbreaking story of two young people in love " Matthew Murdock and Karen Page. Collecting DAREDEVIL: YELLOW #1-6.160 PGS./Rated A …$24.99
Lee: I’m interested but I want someone to tell me its good first. I don’t remember anything about it. Do you remember Jim?
Jim: It was good and this hard covers has been out a very long time.
DAREDEVIL BY FRANK MILLER & KLAUS JANSON VOL. 1 TPB Written by FRANK MILLER, BILL MANTLO,ROGER MCKENZIE & DAVID MICHELINIE Penciled by FRANK MILLER Collecting PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #27-28, and DAREDEVIL #158-161 and #163-172.336 PGS./Rated T+ …$29.99
Lee: So, now the publishers have figured out how to reprint large blocks of individual issues IN COLOR at a reasonable price. That’s very cool and Miller’s Daredevil run is a great place to start. How long before they start going back and reprinting all the essentials in color!
Jim: I tell you what if they do that I will be fine with what I have. You still get over 500 pages for under $20.
PUNISHER: BARBARIAN WITH A GUN TPB Written by CHUCK DIXON Penciled by JOHN BUSCEMA The island of Puerto Dulce's name means "Sweet Port," but there's nothing sweet about getting skewered on sugar cane! The Punisher's been enslaved in a Caribbean jungle, and escape means going through prisoners, revolutionaries, and alligators! Will he catch his drug-dealing quarry before their shared enemies beat him to it? Guest-starring Ice Phillips from Marvel's controversial series THE 'NAM! Collecting THE PUNISHER: WAR ZONE #26-30.120 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99
Lee: Every month there’s always one book that I wonder why it was chosen for a trade. In this case, there are a multitude of questions: First, who is Ice Phillips and why do I care about him? The ‘Nam was published in the 80’s so I bet a majority of readers don’t even know about it. Other than that, the only selling point is Buscema’s art. So why is this being traded?
Jim: I’m guessing because the next Punisher movie is coming out and they are looking to have plenty for people to choose from.
ESSENTIAL MARVEL SAGA VOL. 2 TPB Written by PETER SANDERSON, STAN LEE,FRANK 
MILLER, ROY THOMAS & MORE Penciled by KEITH POLLARD, JACK KIRBY,STEVE DITKO, DON HECK & MORECover by KEITH POLLARDNick Fury's first mission with S.H.I.E.L.D.! Kang's first invasion! Doctor Strange's first battle with Dormammu! The Trial of the Gods! The Coming of Galactus! And those are only a few of the earth-shaking adventures from the second installment of the Marvel Universe's most formative years! The origin of the Green Goblin and the death of Baron Zemo! The Inhumans' Great Refuge and the Savage Land! Spider-Man vs. Daredevil, the Avengers vs. the X-Men and six, count 'em, SIX Avengers who started out on the wrong side of the law! Plus: the Juggernaut and the Scorpion! The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, the Frightful Four, the Masters of Evil and so much more! Collecting MARVEL SAGA #13-25.480 PGS./All Ages …$16.99
Lee: And speaking of pointless reprints, is there anyone who wants this? It was published late 80’s early 90’s and there has been so much retro con going on that this probably won’t even make sense anymore. If you want a history of the Marvel U prior to 1995 then this is great. Otherwise this is a waste of paper. I wonder if Blue Marvel and Sentry are in here to show they were part of the Marvel U all along?
Jim: This could be viewed as a humor book now.
And the quick summary:
SECRET INVASION #8 (of 8)
AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #19
SECRET INVASION: FRONT LINE #5 (of 5)
SECRET INVASION: INHUMANS #4 (of 4)
SECRET INVASION: X-MEN #4 (of 4)
PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #25
WAR MACHINE: WEAPON OF S.H.I.E.L.D. #35
MIGHTY AVENGERS #20
Lee: Good news only EIGHT Secret Invasion titles this month. I’m sad that this incredibly pointless crossover is done. SNIFF.
Jim: I wonder how much the entire Secret Invasion cost someone to buy ever official cross-over and the actual series.
BUT WAIT, There’s more:Jim: What I don’t like is the way Marvel and DC just flood the market with so much product. It really makes it harder for the smaller publishers to break through.
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