Marvel Preview Review for October Part 1 of 2

Lee: Surprisingly enough, it’s a strong month from Marvel. So, this will actually be full of fun stuff unlike most months.
Jim: Still way too much Dark Reign for my taste. The Dark Reign has lasted long enough and I just hoep that the end is in sight.

OZ: THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ HC Written by ERIC SHANOWER Penciled, Cover by SKOTTIE YOUNG
Eisner Award-winning writer/artist Eric Shanower teams up with fan-favorite artist Skottie Young (New X-Men) to bring L. Frank Baum's beloved classic to life! When Kansas farm girl Dorothy flies away to the magical Land of Oz, she fatally flattens a Wicked Witch, liberates a living Scarecrow and is hailed by the Munchkin people as a great sorceress...but all she really wants to know is: how does she get home? Collecting THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ #1-8. 208 PGS./$29.99
Lee: I know Jim doesn’t care but I’m picking this anyway! Shanower is a great writer and has done the best Oz comic work in the past 20 years. Young’s wildly exaggerated artwork is perfect for this kind of story. I know this is great and I’m getting it! If you’re looking for something other than capes, this would be it.
Jim: Yeah, I'm sure it is great, but Lee is right I don't care about it. I guess without young kids it is hard for me to get overly excited about this, but for Lee and his kids it should be a blast.

WEB OF SPIDER-MAN #1
Written by J.M. DeMatteis, Tom DeFalco & More!Penciled by Val Semeiks, Ron Frenz & More! Cover by Pasqual Ferry
Tying into upcoming events in Amazing Spider-Man including WHO IS BEN REILLY? and THE GAUNTLET! Even with all the action jam-packed into every issue of Thrice Monthly Spidey, we STILL don't have enough room to tell the wall-crawler's exploits! So BEHOLD! The brand-new, state of the art WEB OF SPIDER-MAN! THRILL! To the return of KAINE, the ill-fated Peter Parker Clone - where has he been all these years? Where is he now? And how does it tie into KRAVEN?! Then - MARVEL! At the continuing adventures of May-Day Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Girl! And More! Get caught in the web this October! 48 PGS./$3.99
Lee: I know certain readers of the blog are thrilled to see the return of Spider-Girl but the rest of this issue leaves me cold. Seriously, the return of Kaine and Ben Reilly? Wasn’t the clone storyline one of the most reviled storylines in all Spiderman history? Maybe only exceeded by the One Day Later? I can’t believe that Marvel is revisiting this stuff.
Jim: This smacks of lack of ideas or just plain boredom. Both copanies seemed to be locked into thier histories so much it is hard for them to move forward. Now often it can be fun, but the clone sage - please. What I do like is the addition of a back-up feature and Spider-Girl is the character that will not die.

DAREDEVIL #501
Written by ANDY DIGGLE Art by ROBERTO DE LA TORRE Cover by ESAD RIBIC
The cataclysmic events of issue 500 left Matt in the toughest place of his life - and forced him to make the hardest decision he's ever made. Now's the start of a radically different chapter in Daredevil's adventures, and the perfect jumping-on point as the new creative team of Andy Diggle and Roberto De La Torre take DD to entirely new highs...and lows! 32 PGS./ $2.99
Lee: Daredevil has become Marvel’s crime comic in tights and the glory days should continue with the new creative team! I’m not sure how Marvel manages to keep top notch talent on this book but they do. From Bendis, to Brubaker, to now Diggle, this book has had one great writer after another. My only comment, it’s criminal that Marvel hasn’t put Bru’s run in hc.
Jim: Bru's run is hardcover for DD and it is sitting on my bookshelf and I'm sure they will collect the rest of his run in another hard cover. Marvel is winning the hard cover wars with me as they collect their hot runs in over sized collects fast while DC sits on stuff like Johns Sinestro war and Morrison's All Star Superman forever. I'm not 100% sold on Diggle yet as he has done well with Losers and Green Arrow Year One, but he has to prove himself to me still.

DOCTOR VOODOO: AVENGER OF THE SUPERNATURAL #1
Written by RICK REMENDER Penciled by TO BE REVEALED AT SDCC Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Launching from the pages of New Avengers, Jericho Drumm assumes the role of Marvel's new Sorcerer Supreme as DOCTOR VOODOO! Having foreseen an unimaginable evil that will soon envelop the Marvel Universe, the Eye of Agamotto has passed the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme on to the one man who has the unique gifts to stave off the coming darkness -- but is Doctor Voodoo ready for the momentous duty as avenger of the supernatural? As Jericho begins to grapple with his colossal new position, malevolent beings of vast power see his arrival as an opportunity to strike. Rising stars Rick Remender (PUNISHER) and *ARTIST TO BE REVEALED AT SDCC* crack open a new chapter in the Book of Vishanti to tell the ongoing adventures of the new Sorcerer Supreme in the Mighty Marvel fashion!32 PGS./ $3.99
Lee: There were so many posts on the news site about SDCC that I never did find out who the artist on this was supposed to be. But, like Kirkman, I think Remender does better on second tier characters and less editorial influence. And, hopefully, this book will be left alone to let him do as he pleases. If kept out of Marvel mainstream, I bet it’s good. If tied into the Avengers and the Marvel Core to much, then I bet it crashes and burns. WAIT, I mean, it will sell well because the Marvel Zombies who buy every Marvel book, but it will stink like the dead.
Jim: It's Jefte Palo who will be the artist. Now no knock on Mr. Palo, but I do not think he is such a name artist that it deserved the big announcement. I'm wondering if someone else fell through and Palo was the second choice. Otherwise I agree with Lee's assessment.

IRON MAN: IRON PROTOCOLS
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI Art by NELSON Cover by ARIEL OLIVETTI
Deep within a secret government base beneath the arctic tundra lies the "Ark": a vault containing the genetic codes for all life on Earth. But there's a problem--a rogue Artificial Intelligence has decided that the best way to protect the samples is to eradicate every living creature! Only Iron Man has the knowledge to stop the machine--and he's only got an hour to do it! Join Robert Venditti--creator of The Surragates, now a major motion picture. 40 PGS./One-Shot/ $3.99
Lee: Wow. Get yourself a movie deal and suddenly you can write books for Marvel. Good for Venditti! My only caution, Venditti, to my knowledge, has written *1* good book and that was 5 or 6 years ago. Since then, not so much. I really hope this is good but I’m not convinced it will be.
Jim: What book was that because I remember nothing by this guy. With "Iron Man 2" ready to come out next year be prepared for a ton of mini-series so the trades can be on the shelves when the movie hits the stands.
Lee: He wrote 'The Surrogates', soon to be a movie with Bruce Willis.
Jim: Well that I liked, but I still passing on this.

NOMAD: GIRL WITHOUT A WORLD #2 (of 4)
Written by SEAN MCKEEVER Penciled by DAVID BALDEON Cover by RAFAEL ALBERQUERQUE
When the FLAG SMASHER strikes, it's time for Rikki Barnesto make her debut as NOMAD! But does she even want to be Nomad? And while the student body elections heat up at school, MAD DOG gets closer to sniffing out his red-headed prey!32 PGS./ $3.99
Lee: Jim and I comb the previews looking for anything cool or stupid (no middle of the road in this post)… but we missed this? I wonder if Marvel didn’t brainfart a solicit or something. As far as I can tell it was no where to be seen. Very, very odd. Now, onto the book that NO ONE demanded. Apparently Marvel is copying DC and printing titles for characters that have no fan base. McKeever writes strong female characters so it stands a chance but I’m waiting for reviews.
Jim: Yeah this is another one of those why do we need this character around. I don't get some decisions.

VENGEANCE OF THE MOON KNIGHT #2
Written by GREGG HURWITZ Penciled by JEROME OPENA Cover by LEINIL FRANCIS YU
"SHOCK AND AWE," PART 2. Moon Knight is back in the Big Apple to pick a fight with the man who chased him out of town in the first place: Norman Osborn. Freed of his demons and armed with an arsenal of incredible new weapons, Moon Knight is throwing down the gauntlet to his old nemesis. Is Osborn ready for Round Two? Uh....yeah. The real question is, is Moon Knight ready for the Sentry?32 PGS./ $2.99
Lee: Another book we missed because issue #1 wasn’t in the online previews. This series is on the edge for me. The last series ended as a fun little romp but the writer who made it so much fun (Benson) is gone. Unfortunately, the weakest part of the last series was the storyline with Osborn and the Thunderbolts which this sounds like a rehash of. Hurwitz has been doing some good stuff on Punisher so I’ll give this a try but I’m very close to dropping this.
Jim: The art is a big draw for me and I'm ususally the story guy, but Opena is doing great work and has been since I first saw his work on Fear Agent.

TOMORROW PART 2