Marvel Preview Review for March

Lee: Another month. Another waste of paper from Marvel. If it weren’t for the hc reprints then I don’t think I would buy anything from them.
Jim: While I’m certainly not a big of a Marvel fan as DC, I still find Marvel to have some quality books. As much as I try to support and sing the praises of the independents, Marvel and DC still produce a high number of professionally done books, just less and less that hold my interest.

ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK #3 (of 6) Written by DAMON LINDELOF Pencils & Cover by LEINIL FRANCIS YU IT'S BAAAAAACK! And it's going ALL THE WAY! The ultimate smackdown brought to you by the Emmy award-winning co-creator of the hit show LOST, Damon Lindelof, and superstar artist Leinil Yu (Secret Invasion) makes its triumphant return!! The preliminaries are out of the way, and now it's time for the battle of the century between one hirsute X-Man and one Jade Giant. It ain't gonna end pretty. 32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$2.99

Lee: HA HA HA I’ll believe it when I see it.
Jim: Plus after a couple year hiatus why would you buy the series, just release it as a trade.

SECRET WARRIORS #2 Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS & JONATHAN HICKMAN Penciled by STEFANO CASELLI Cover by JIM CHEUNG Picking up from the earth-shattering conclusion to issue one... we find out who Nick Fury and his Secret Warriors' real enemies are, where they've been hiding, and why they chose now to make their existence known. Get ready, this is going to send shock-waves that will ripple throughout the Marvel Universe. Hail Hydra! 32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$2.99

Lee: So, the skrulls are gone but they’ve been replaced by Hydra? Am I close? This just appears to be a precursor to the 2010 mega-event. But, on the plus side, Hickman has done great things at Image. I’m excited to see what he can do with a standard superhero book. AND, he’s also writing DARK REIGN: FANTASTIC FOUR #1 (of 5)

Jim: Hickman is a name I’m willing to take a chance on for at least a couple of issues, the idea he is co-writing with Brian Bendis is interesting on many levels.

DARK REIGN: ELEKTRA #1 (of 5)Written by ZEB WELLS Pencils by CLAY MANN She's the deadliest woman in the world...and she's never been in worse shape. Broken, beaten, and tortured by alien scientists, Elektra stumbles to freedom in the aftermath of the Skrull invasion. Now she struggles and fights to stay barely alive, and to clear her name for atrocities committed by an impostor. A LOT of people want Elektra killed...and in her state, that shouldn't be too difficult...By Zeb Wells (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN) and Clay Mann (DAREDEVIL)!32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

DARK REIGN: FANTASTIC FOUR #1 (of 5) Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN Penciled by SEAN CHEN 70th Anniversary Variant Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC Dark Reign strikes Marvel's first family--in an explosive way! Prepared to be blown away as: HAMMER agents attack the Baxter Building. Reed changes everything. The Human Torch suffers a horrible loss and Franklin and Val go shopping. There's Time travel, Alternate realities, Celestials, Eternals, Deviants and Doombots... and more important than all of that, we find out the answer to the question: What is the Bridge?32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$2.99

Lee: There are so many things wrong with these books I don’t know where to start. How about the $1 price difference for the same number of pages? How about another wave of mini-series marginally tied into yet another mega-event? BUT, the most baffling has got to be the 70th anniversary of the Fantastic Four! I know it’s the 70th anniversary of the FF because if it was 70’s years of Marvel ALL the covers would have gotten it. Right?
Jim: Marvel is plugging all their books with the 70 year thing. See Marvel making so many of their books $4, makes it easy to not even try a book like Elektra, which is just way over done at this point.

NEW AVENGERS: THE REUNION #1 (of 4) Written by JIM MCCANN Penciled by DAVID LOPEZ In the wake of SECRET INVASION, Mockingbird is alive and has returned to Earth after being held captive by the Skrulls. Ronin, her estranged husband, volunteers to help her adjust to her new life as a member of the new Avengers, but some old wounds run too deep. And what deadly secret did she bring back with her that could tear them, and the world, apart once more? It's high-octane action and intrigue as the Mr. & Mrs. Smith of the Marvel Universe take on one of the biggest threats in the world...and each other!32 PGS./Rated A ...$3.99

Lee: And Marvel jumps into the “Embarrassed to be a Fanboy” pool. Apparently, the skrulls after kidnapping Mockingbird stuck her costume up her butt as part of some bizarre alien experiment.
Jim: LOL, that must be it. Of course both of these people are back from the dead. And go back one - Elektra - same issue with her costume.

WAR OF KINGS #1 (of 6) Written by DAN ABNETT & ANDY LANNING Penciled by PAUL PELLETIER Cover by BRANDON PETERSON In the aftermath of the Secret Invasion, Black Bolt has led the Inhumans on a shockingly savage path to restore their strength and security. But that path has brought them into direct confrontation with the Shi'Ar Empire - and their mad ruler Vulcan! Who will get in the first strike? Who will fall on the bloody battlefield? Who will rule? The Imperial Guard, the Starjammers, the Inhuman Royal Family and more of your favorite sci-fi characters are locked on a collision course...and it all starts here! Join the acclaimed team of Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (NOVA) and Paul Pelletier (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY) for a pivotal turning point in Marvel'scosmic history!32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

Lee: AND, if I can do the math correctly, we have not *1*, not *2*, but *3* mega crossover events going on. There’s Dark Reign (for regular Marvel), War of Kings (for outer space Marvel), and Messiah War (for X-people Marvel). Is it me or is this just overkill?
Jim: It’s overkill, but I like Abnett and Lanning and think “War of the Kings” could be a winner. Dark Reign is more thematic then a true event and who knows about “Messiah War”.


The following titles all have “King Variant by TBA”
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #588

MIGHTY AVENGERS #23

SECRET WARRIORS #2

DEADPOOL #8

PUNISHER #3

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #11

INCREDIBLE HERCULES #127

WOLVERINE: ORIGINS #34

WAR MACHINE #4

DAREDEVIL #117

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #11

NOVA #23

X-MEN: LEGACY #222

Lee: And speaking of overkill. Marvel really slipped this one under the radar. When we were looking at the previews, Jim made a snarky comment at all the variants being by that awesome artist tbd. It wasn’t until I counted that I realized there were *13* King variant covers. 13???!!!! Are you kidding me? Not to mention things like Punisher #3 has a 50/50 cover AND a variant. Someone please explain that to me? Anyone? Anyone?

Jim: This is just like back in the nineties when “special” covers ruled the roost and I think the variant market is finally hitting its saturation point again. Recently the store I buy from starting selling the left over variants for cover price to up to date subscribers.

X-FORCE/CABLE: MESSIAH WAR PROLOGUE Written by CRAIG KYLE & CHRISTOPHER YOST Art by MIKE CHOI & SONIA OBACK Variant Cover by ROB LIEFELD The birth of a single mutant child forever changed the landscape of the X-Universe. Some see the baby as the last hope for mutankind's survival; others see it as the bringer of the Apocalypse... No one knows which side is right because Cyclops handed the newborn over to Cable, believing his son could save both the child and mutantkind. But Cable never came back. Now, months later, Cyclops has found his son hiding in the FUTURE... and he's sending in the one team that will do what needs to be done in order to ensure the survival of their species... X-FORCE. The X-Men event of the decade, "MESSIAH COMPLEX," continues here as the past, present and future converge in the pages of X-FORCE and CABLE. Continues next month in the pages of CABLE #13 and X-FORCE #14! 48 PGS./One-Shot/Rated T+ ...$3.99

Lee: And, what luck, because Messiah Complex was soooooo good, we get Messiah War! What did I ever do to deserve this? And, as super-double-dog-dare punishment Liefeld does a variant cover. Actually that might be worth something because his cover might have a print run in the 10’s for all his fans.
Jim: Yawn! These become easy to skip as you know going in they will suck or be traded so fast you can read the day after the last issue hits the stands.

WOLVERINE #71 Written by MARK MILLAR Pencils & Cover by STEVE MCNIVEN "OLD MAN LOGAN"Now we know what happened fifty years ago, the day the super heroes were slaughtered. We know how Logan managed to survived. We know why WOLVERINE didn't. But that's nothing compared to what happens next, as Logan and Hawkeye reach New Babylon to deliver their mysterious cargo. But before they get there--they'll have to face their toughest challenge to date: a Venom Tyrannosaurus Rex! MARK MILLAR and STEVE MCNIVEN continue the career-defining epic that will have fans talking for years to come! Part 6 (of 8).32 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$2.99

Lee: The pointless blood-n-gore cover goes to Wolverine this month. I’ve been on the violence in comics soapbox before so I won’t go there again. But, this proves my point.
Jim: Plus I’m convinced Millar is all about being a pop star and doing all the 16 year fan boy moments. When you strip away the art and “cool moments” is stuff is crap.

X-MEN: QUITTING TIME Written by JAMES ASMUS Penciled by TBD Cover by BRANDON PETERSON Since the move to San Francisco and after the events of X-Infernus, Nightcrawler realizes a hard truth--he has to quit the X-Men. Kurt has realized that the X-Men just don't need him anymore. He hasn't been operating at his highest levels and even the biggest strength he has--teleportation--has been made redundant by Pixie who can do it better and more efficiently. Don't miss the departure of one of the most important characters in X-Men history.32 PGS./One-Shot/Rated T+ ...$3.99

Lee: Nightcrawler leaves the team… again. So, to celebrate his fourth or fifth retirement we get a one shot. But mostly we get this title because the departure of a beloved character should always be told in a $4 one-shot and not in the regular title.
Jim: His experience, the friendship his has with people, his mixture of agility and teleportation mean nothing, it is just time to leave – blechh. As Lee said, what is this the fourth or fifth time, I barely realized he came back. Plus you can tell how important this issue is by the artist assigned (TBD).

X-MEN: SWORD OF THE BRADDOCKS Written by CHRIS CLAREMONT Penciled by SCOTT CLARK Cover by ALEX GARNER Before she can come home to the X-Men, Betsy Braddock has one final mission--settle the score once and for all with the man who's been hunting her across the multiverse. If she hopes to survive, Psylocke's going to have to use every weapon at her disposal----and possibly cross a line no X-Man ever has before...40 PGS./One-Shot/Rated T+ ...$3.99

Lee: OMG! Cross a line that no X-man has ever had to cross before???? SUPER-DUPER-DOUBLE-GASP! What could it be? Kill someone? Oh wait, Wolverine did that. Ummm, cheat on your wife? Nope, Cyclops did that. OH OH, cheat on your wife with a super-villainess? Oh wait, that’s exactly what Cyclops did. I’m running out of things here. How about perform genetic experiments upon yourself? Nope, Beast did that. Yeah, I’ve got nothin’ here. What line could they be talking?

Jim: The Mason-Dixon line, no Rogue is from the South. The International Date Line, nah they have been to Japan quite a bit. Kill herself, no one has committed suicide in the X-Men (at least I don't think so). How about full frontal nudity - have we had that?
Lee: Phoenix killed herself. Colossus did too. Full frontal... X-men 109, Storm took off her clothes calls up a rain storm in the attic. Just wind lines covering the bare bits. See, all lines crossed.
Jim: No lines left? Are you saying it’s meaningless hype? I'm shocked.

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN: POWER & RESPONSIBILITY PREMIERE HCWritten by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS Penciled by MARK BAGLEYCollecting ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #1-7.200 PGS./Rated A ...$24.99

ULTIMATES BY MARK MILLAR & BRYAN HITCH OMNIBUS HCWritten by MARK MILLAR Penciled by BRYAN HITCH & STEVE DILLONCollecting ULTIMATES #1-13, ULTIMATES 2 #1-13, ULTIMATES ANNUAL #1 and ULTIMATES 2 #1 VARIANT SKETCH EDITION.896 PGS./Parental Advisory...$99.99

IMMORTAL IRON FIST BY MATT FRACTION & ED BRUBAKER OMNIBUS HCWritten by ED BRUBAKER & MATT FRACTIONCollecting IMMORTAL IRON FIST #1-16, CIVIL WAR: CHOOSING SIDES, ANNUAL #1, ORSON RANDALL AND THE GREEN MIST OF DEATH and THE ORIGIN OF DANNY RAND. 500 PGS./Rated T+ ...$74.99

Lee: Would someone please explain Marvel’s reprint policy to me? Pretty please because I am absolutely confused. See, when I think about the books that need to be reprinted or get new hc’s then I think of books that DON’T ALREADY HAVE HARDCOVERS PUBLISHED! Seriously, WTF????? Correct me if I am wrong but doesn’t Ultimate Spidey has 10 hc and a couple of shorter (Ultimate Venom) hc’s? Yes Spidey does. Doesn’t Iron Fist already have *3* premiere hc’s? Oh yes Fisty does! How about the Ultimates? Oh yeah… hc’s there too! Sooooo these needed to be published before the rest of Marvel’s backlog because… why?

Jim: Actually I like Marvel republishing every thing in every format possible, because I like to pick and choose. I hate the six issue hard covers and some of the Omnibus volumes are too big, so (like Godilocks) the 12 issue oversized deluxe versions are just right. Still Lee has a point and the sheer volume of reprints is mind blowing.

DAREDEVIL BY ED BRUBAKER & MICHAEL LARK OMNIBUS VOL. 1 HC Longtime DD fans will not be disappointed as the critically acclaimed, award-winning creative team of Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark leave their mark on one of comics' most enduring legends! For the past few years, Matt Murdock's life has been teetering on the edge of destruction. Now, pushed beyond the limit, he finds himself behind the eight ball with no clear way out, the people he calls friends slowly deserting him, and Hell's Kitchen gradually slipping out of control. The question is, when his back is against the wall, just how far will Daredevil go to get back what is his? And if you think Matt's life is going to start getting simpler after that, think again! As he tries to find a way to move forward, a threat from his past begins to creep toward daylight. And with the post-Civil War fallout all around him, he finds himself fighting a battle on both fronts of his life: in the courtroom and on the rooftops of Hell's Kitchen! Nominated for three Eisner Awards - Best Continuing Series, Best Writer and Best Penciler-Inker Team! Collecting DAREDEVIL #82-105.608 PGS./Rated T+ ...$74.99Trim size: oversized

Lee: AND, just to confuse me even more Brubaker’s Daredevil is an Omnibus. Because everything BUT THIS got premiere hc’s first THEN went to Omnibus. I’m sorry but it’s like Marvel goes drinking and then develops a publishing schedule.

Jim: Sometimes that seems all too true.

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: WARLOCK VOL. 2 HC Written by JIM STARLIN with BILL MANTLOPenciled by JIM STARLIN with JOHN BYRNE MARVEL MASTERWORKS line is proud to present one of comics' most mind-blowingly cosmic sagas. At '70s Marvel there was no who quite mastered the startling scope and high-concept complexity of truly cosmic adventure like writer/artist and overall Renaissance man, Jim Starlin. His first effort with Captain Marvel redefined a character. His second with Adam Warlock set the tone for star-spanning spectacle that is considered a high-water mark to this day. Taking the legacy laid out by Lee, Kirby, Thomas and Kane, Jim Starlin evolved Warlock to the next level, imbuing the character with the furies and inner demons of a man-god on the brink of insanity. Forced to confront the Magus, an evil version of himself, and the nihilistic menace, Thanos, Warlock's conflicts weren't just knuckle-grinding throw-downs, they were epic, existential struggles for the very soul. Culminating in the first-ever assembling of the Infinity Gems, and featuring the first appearances of such cosmic Marvel mainstays as Gamorra and Pip the Troll--not to mention an all-out struggle to save the universe joined by the Avengers, Captain Marvel and Spider-Man--this MASTERWORKs edition is definitive Marvel. So reserve that copy today, True Believer! Collecting STRANGE TALES #178-181, WARLOCK #9-15, MARVEL TEAM-UP #55, AVENGERS ANNUAL #7 and MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE ANNUAL #2.320 PGS./All Ages ...$54.99

Lee: Starlin’s best work EVER! Better than Captain Marvel. Better than Dreadstar. BEST EVER! Jim: Agreed, agreed, agreed.

AVENGERS: HAWKEYE PREMIERE HC Written by STAN LEE, MARK GRUENWALD, ROGER STERN, STEVEN GRANT, DAVID MICHELINIE & MIKE FRIEDRICH Penciled by DON HECK, JOHN BYRNE, MARK GRUENWALD, BRETT BREEDING, ELIOT R. BROWN, GEORGE EVANS, JIMMY JANES & BRUCE PATTERSON Covers by MARK GRUENWALD & JOHN BYRNE Collecting HAWKEYE #1-4, TALES OF SUSPENSE #57, MARVEL SUPER ACTION #1, AVENGERS #189 and MARVEL TEAM-UP #95.184 PGS./ Rated T+ ...$24.99

Lee: Now this is an odd choice because I don’t remember Hawkeye’s original mini-series being all that good. To be fair, I don’t remember it being all that bad. Actually, I don’t remember it at all because it was so long ago. Not sure this was needed before say… A Marvel Team Up HC but this goes back to my Marvel and lots of alcohol comment.

Jim: This is just trying to play into a character that is getting featured again. Marvel has been publishing a lot of trash books (the Kitty Pride / Wolverine series was one other recent one.)

FRANKLIN RICHARDS: NOT-SO-SECRET INVASION DIGEST Written by MARC SUMERAK & CHRIS ELIOPOULOS Penciled by CHRIS ELIOPOULOS Collecting FRANKLIN RICHARDS: SPRING BREAK, NOT-SO-SECRET INVASION, SUMMER SMACKDOWN and SONS OF GENIUSES.112 PGS./All Ages ...$9.99

Lee: First, these digest are awesome. They are fun. They are funny. And the title “Not So Secret Invasion” is perfect. This is guaranteed to make you laugh and smile.

Jim: I hear that from everyone, but it has never struck is as anything more then a derivative of Calvin and Hobbes and other strips.

Lee: I try to be positive and hopeful in these picks but it’s hopeless. I can’t make any rhyme or reason to the editorial decisions. I so need to go look at Indies!
Jim: Marvel publishes to publish sometimes. Also there success in labeling books part of something has taken them to push it to unreal levels. The problem is it becomes a drug and many of their books are no longer as strong as they used to be because they survive on the hype.