Marvel Preview Review for June Part 3 of 3

THE RAWHIDE KID #1 (of 4)
Written by RON ZIMMERMAN
Pencilled by HOWARD CHAYKIN
Cover by JOHN CASSADAY
“TOMBSTONE BLUES” The best-dressed gunslinger the Wild West ever knew is back in the saddle again -- and this time, he’s riding with a posse! That’s right, pardners, it’s a brand new rip-roaring adventure of the Rawhide Kid! When Wyatt and Morgan Earp are taken hostage by Cristo Pike and his pack of pistoleros, Rawhide has no choice but to put together a posse of the greatest western heroes in the Marvel Universe — to rescue the Earp brothers and bring Pike to justice. Enter: Kid Colt, Doc Holliday, Annie Oakley, Billy the Kid, Red Wolf and the most overrated gun in the West: The Two-Gun Kid! We guarantee the Wild West can’t get any wilder. 32 PGS./$3.99

Jim: Is this gay Rawhide Kid or the original straight version? It doesn’t matter to me because with Chaykin drawing it this is a pass for me. Chaykin has gotten to the point he can draw about four guys and two women and that’s it and his style does not fit a western.
Lee: You’re too down on Chaykin these days. I’ll always support this material just because it’s not superheroes.

Jim: Chaykin is overly stylized now and can only draw four different people.

YOUNG ALLIES #1
Written by SEAN MCKEEVER
Pencilled by DAVID BALDEON
Cover by DAVID LAFUENTE
THE HEROIC AGE IS HERE! The patriotic girl without a world in need of a home. The insecure newbie striving to be a better super hero. The illegal immigrant with a tortured past and a dream. The disillusioned Midwesterner desperate for direction. The veteran team player given a second lease on life. Five heroes against tyranny in all its forms. Five students pushing to make the grade. Five friends together on the road to adulthood. They are NOMAD, ARAÑA, TORO, GRAVITY and FIRESTAR--the YOUNG ALLIES! But even their combined might may not be enough to take on the team of teen terrors known as the BASTARDS OF EVIL! 40 PGS./$3.99

Lee: Didn’t we try this before when it was called “The Runaways?”
Jim: But now it is different because their Allies, not Runaways.

THE THANOS IMPERATIVE #1 (of 6)
Written by DAN ABNETT & ANDY LANNING
Pencilled by MIGUEL SEPULVEDA
Cover by ALEKSI BRICLOT
THE NEXT HUGE MARVEL COSMIC EVENT IS HERE! The dangerous and mysterious fissure known as The Fault has opened, and the dark forces of a rival universe where there is no death are pouring through to claim ours! Nova, The Silver Surfer, Quasar, Gladiator and more of the greatest cosmic champions of the Marvel Universal line up to stop them, but it could be more than even they can handle. Luckily, Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon and some of the galaxy’s underdog, never-say-die heroes have a plan. It’s a crazy plan. It’s called...Thanos! 48 PGS./$3.99

Jim: Well if anyone can make this work it is DnA. Let’s see if they can do the old Starlin villain proud.
Lee: These min-events are officially out of control. Last year it was Reign of Kings, the year before that was Annihilation Conquest, the year before that something else. It’s like two months of filler material before the next cross-over. Seriously, it’s all crap.

NEW MUTANTS #14
Written by ZEB WELLS
Penciled by IBRAIM ROBERSON
Cover by ADI GRANOV Variant by DAVID FINCH
“SECOND COMING”, CHAPTER ELEVEN The X-Men are losing the battle against the Nimrods and Cyclops knows it. Desperate times call for desperate measures and no measure is more desperate than enlisting a mutant with multiple personalities, each possessing its own power. That’s right, Legion is let out of prison to fight on the X-Men’s side. 32 PGS./$2.99

Jim: I picked this almost at random just to talk about a point. Blackest Night and Siege had central series that you could follow and get the story. The X-Men event is saying this is Chapter Eleven in the Second Coming storyline. I don’t want to commit to that many books that fast. I would commit to a six or eight part series and if I liked it pick up the crossovers or tie-ins, but calling each book another chapter puts me off trying to find a way back into the X-Universe. (Update So far it has been a linear story and well done).
Lee: At least X-men is honest about how big it is! How big was Seige? How many cross-overs did it have? And, I’m sorry so much happened outside the main book it was ridiculous. It’s just another gouging of the fanboys.

GHOST RIDER BY JASON AARON OMNIBUS HC
Written by JASON AARON
Pencilled by TONY MOORE, TAN ENG HUAT & ROLAND
BOSCHI
Cover by MARC SILVESTRI
Collecting GHOST RIDER #20-35 and GHOST RIDERS: HEAVEN'S ON FIRE #1-6.
538 PGS./$49.99

Jim: I didn’t like how Jason’s run ended on this book, but 538 pages for 22 issues of a comic is an actual bargain and this was for the most part a great read.
Lee: It is a good deal but did it deserve an omnibus? I don’t think so.

PUNISHERMAX: KINGPIN PREMIERE HC
Written by JASON AARON
Pencilled by STEVE DILLON
Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
An all-new story from the acclaimed team of Jason Aaron (WOLVERINE: WEAPON X) and Steve Dillon (PUNISHER: WELCOME BACK FRANK), two guys who were born to tell the exploits of Marvel's most brutal vigilante. Wilson Fisk is a bodyguard for mob boss Don Rigoletto, but he has his eyes on a much bigger prize, and he's gonna use Frank Castle to help him realize his dreams. It’s the biggest story in MAX history, as we witness the birth of the greatest villain the Punisher has ever faced. Collecting PUNISHERMAX #1-5. 120 PGS./$24.99

Jim: This is not a good deal. Five issues at 4 bucks was $20, the hardcover is $5 more and has absolutely no extras being advertised. At least add one of Jason’s scripts, some commentary by the writer and artist, some of Dillon preliminary material or something.
Lee: Not a good deal, but a great seller. I’m getting a copy. But, if it keeps up, I’ll be searching ebay for these books for affordable prices.

RAWHIDE KID: SLAP LEATHER PREMIERE HC
Written by RON ZIMMERMAN
Pencilled by JOHN SEVERIN
Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
A true legend isn’t made, it’s born. His name was Johnny Bart, but most everybody called him Rawhide Kid. Where he was from and where he would remain, like most legends, is cloaked in mystery. But one thing was for sure: If you saw the Kid riding into your town, things would never be the same again. This is one such tale. HOWARD STERN SHOW writer Ron Zimmerman and legendary Western comics artist John Severin take aim at the lovable red-headed Western scamp we know as The Rawhide Kid. What happens when the Rawhide Kid rides into one of those beleaguered Western towns on the edge of nowhere, looking better than any cowboy has a right to? What happens when a gang of desperadoes ride into the same town with the intent of lootin' and pillagin'? Collecting RAWHIDE KID #1-5. 120 PGS./$24.99

Jim: Oh look they are offering this as a hardcover to go along with the new mini-series. If nothing else this series was worth it for the John Severin artwork and since I never actually read this series it might be fun to get it.
Lee: This is the gay version of the Kid. I remember the reviews and it wasn’t well received. It wasn’t bad, just not good. It’s amazing that they don’t mention ANY of the subtext with which they originally sold the book. It’s seem like Marvel is chickening out.

TOMB OF DRACULA VOL. 1 TPB
Written by GERRY CONWAY, ARCHIE GOODWIN, GARDNER F. FOX, & MARV WOLFMAN
Pencilled by GENE COLAN! Collecting TOMB OF DRACULA #1-12. 268 PGS./Parental Advisory …$24.99

Lee: First, why isn’t this a hc? Second.. “Parental Advisory?” Seriously? A comic written in the 70’s that carried code approval is not Parental Advisory. That’s just dumb.
Jim: It had a few shots of naked women in it I believe. Can’t have the kids seeing boobs now.

Jim: Well Marvel, as always, has a ton of material coming out. For me it was nice to see a fair number of series I want to try out as opposed to be jazzed more about the reprints.
Lee: Marvel, as always, floods the stands. But I’m surprised at the number of reasonable covers. I tried to add some in but they were tame… compared to other months that is.