Marvel Comics Preview Review for July Part 1 of 3

Jim: One thing Marvel does is put out a ton of product. I mean DC will never surpass them in percentage of sales because DC is not going to publish as many comics as Marvel does a month.
Lee: I can sense from the opening comment that Jim is ready to rant. I bet he bashes every book he picks. Who’s with me?

MARVELMAN CLASSIC VOL. 1 PREMIERE HC
Written by MICK ANGLO & VARIOUS
Penciled by MICK ANGLO & VARIOUS
Covers by MICK ANGLO & JOE QUESADA
Who is the mysterious Marvelman? If you only know him from his dark, deconstructionist eighties revival, then you don’t know Marvelman! Go back to the very beginning — 1954’s MARVELMAN #25 — and witness firsthand the earliest atomic-powered adventures of the mightiest man in the universe…the fearless fighter of evil know as Marvelman! Collecting material from MARVELMAN #25-34 in the original black-and-white. 160 PGS./Black & White/All Ages …$34.99

Jim: I said it last time and I’ll say it again, Marvel is try to sell us this stuff, but no one thinks this stuff is any good. It is still trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Until they can publish the Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman stuff Marvelman is a wasted purchase.
Lee: Obviously Marvel is just publishing this to keep the name and character rights. But I can’t see any reason to buy this. And I like Golden Age material.

ASTONISHING X-MEN: XENOGENESIS #3 (of 5)
Written by WARREN ELLIS
Pencils & Cover by KAARE ANDREWS
Hoping to witness the rebirth of the mutant species, the X-Men race to the small African village of Karere, where a sudden spate of super-powered infants have been born. However, they quickly learn that these newborns are not their brand of mutant. And no sooner have the X-Men discovered the shocking truth of these infants' origin than they are ambushed by a local dictator who has plans of his own for these baby-shaped timebombs. Could this trip get any worse? 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Jim: I read what Bleeding Cool had to say about this cover and wow, they are right this plays into so many fetish type things it is ridiculous. Kaare Andrews is an interesting artist but I would never bother with this series until I can buy it as a cheap trade.
Lee: So, this just really begs the question, which is worse, cover porn or cover violence? What happened to the days of normal good guys beating up bad guys covers?

LADY DEADPOOL #1
Written by MARY H.K. CHOI
Penciled by KEN LASHLEY
Cover by GREG LAND
“THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED”
From the stunning sadism that brought you an entire brood of Deadpool droogs comes the chromosomal clusterhiccup that is Lady Deadpool. Agile, armed, and a howling she-lunatic, this recluse is robbed of the only thing she adores more than binge eating: cable TV. In an America ravaged by colossal debt and careening unemployment, the loss of the glowing idiot box is more than this girl can take. Why won’t the government do anything? How is General America complicit? Was the genocide of all sitcom writers necessary? Should Wanda ransack the loins of a hot activist? Probably. 'Cause this Merc with a Mouth packs lipgloss. And it's sticky. 32 PGS./One-Shot/Parental Advisory …$3.99

Jim: Geez Marvel is just hard up for trying to generate laughs and milk the Deadpool cow until its corpse is a husk on the ground.
Lee: There are so many Deadpool titles this month it’s ridiculous. But, as you stated in the beginning, this is the reason that Marvel always captures the market share. Doesn’t mean the material is good, just more of it.

ANITA BLAKE: CIRCUS OF THE DAMNED - THE CHARMER #3 (of 5)
Written by LAURELL K. HAMILTON & JESSICA RUFFNER
Penciled by RON LIM, Cover by BRETT BOOTH
Sex and sin come Anita Blake’s way as the animator’s investigation into a vampire serial killer continues. But competing with the devastatingly beautiful Jean-Claude for Blake’s attentions is the mercurial Richard. If there’s anyway that Anita’s life could become more complicated, this seductive newcomer is it… 32 PGS./Mature Content …$3.99

Lee: Never bought this book. Never will… but I respect the fact that Marvel is giving equal cover time to both genders for gratuitous amounts of skin. I wonder if this will entice any women to actually buy the comic?
Jim: I don’t think so because Gwen actually stopped reading the Anita Blake books once they became soft core porn material.

SKY DOLL: LACRIMA CHRISTI #1 (of 2)
Written by ALESSANDRO BARBUCCI & BARBARA CANEPA
Pencils by ALESSANDRO BARBUCCI, MIKAEL BOURGUOIN & ENRIQUE FERNANDEZ
Cover & Variant Cover by ALESSANDRO BARBUCCI & BARBARA CANEPA
The planet Papathea has two faces: the female Pope Ludovique and Agape. The former is carnal, spectacular and blood-drenched; the latter spiritual, virginal, ethereal and inaccessible. The two sisters were selected from thousands of candidates to represent the complexity and the contradictions of their religion. After the success of their Spaceship Collection, Alessandro Barbucci and Barbara Canepa have invited five other stunningly talented artists to enter into their universe in Lacrima Christi. 40 PGS./Mature …$5.99

Jim: I know this is a mature label book, but most retailers to not piss off parents cannot rack this book with their regular comics with that cover.
Lee: Maybe retailers can rack this next to Anita Blake!

DEADPOOL: WADE WILSON'S WAR #3 (of 4)
Written by DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI
Pencils & Cover by JASON PEARSON
“ME AND YOU AND A DOG NAMED POOL”
Is Wade Wilson a brave soldier fighting American’s secret wars — or just some lunatic with a gun and an imaginary healing factor? The U.S. Senate wants to know, and forces Wilson to talk about what really went down in Sinaloa, Mexico…Watch as Deadpool and his deadly team of mercs raid the Mexican drug cartel from hell! Listen to the sound of snapping gunfire! Taste the fear! Smell the exploding dog doo! And when you’re done with all of that listening, tasting, and smelling, keep watching… because the world is about to crumble all around Wade Wilson. And this time, there will be no shooting his way out. 32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

Lee: I find it interesting that Skydoll and Anita Blake are going to be up out of reach of children because of cover content yet this will be in the middle of the shelves. Apparently it’s bad for lots of skin but there’s nothing wrong with bloody, bullet ridden bodies. Maybe it’s just a flesh wound and they’re really ok!
Jim: It has always been a strange dichotomy that we are upset over the sex, but okay with violence. I think it is that puritanical streak that still runs through American culture. Darn Puritans coming over and being a significant force in founding this country.

X-MEN ORIGINS: DEADPOOL #1
Written by DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI
Penciled by LEANDRO FERNANDEZ
Cover by MARK BROOKS
“DEADPOOL: THE MAJOR MOTION PICTURE”
You may have heard there’s a Deadpool movie in the works. Anyway, Wade Wilson’s heard the same thing — and he’s determined to tell his own story before Hollywood screws it up. Deadpool even hires his own screenwriter, who manages to get the Merc With a Mouth to open up like never before—revealing not only his origin story, but shocking details you’ve never heard before. We’re talking Oscar™ -worthy stuff here, people. That is, unless Hollywood manages to screw it up anyway… 48 PGS./One-Shot/Rated A …$3.99

Jim: Come on are people still buying this crap? I mean the joke is over, let’s move on people.
Lee: You say the jokes over but we’re getting this AND another Hit Monkey series (not pictured). Someone has got to be buying it.
ULTIMATE COMICS MYSTERY #1 (of 4)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Pencils by RAFA SANDOVAL
Cover by J. SCOTT CAMPBELL
Villian Variant by LEINIL FRANCIS YU
Now that the Ultimate Enemy has revealed his plan, the heroes of the Ultimate Universe search to discover their enemy's true identity before any more damage can be done. Join the Ultimate heroes on a chase that will take them all over the world and beyond! Superstar creator Brian Michael Bendis and artist sensation Rafa Sandoval continue to thrill in the next segment of the Enemy Trilogy! 40 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Jim: Almost every Marvel book is now being launched at $4. I’m done with the Ultimate Universe. If I get any of this stuff it will be via the trades that are on sale at a convention for $5 or less.
Lee: I dropped the Ultimate line long ago and I haven’t missed it. You won’t either.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #638 & #639
Written by JOE QUESADA
Penciled by PAOLO MANUEL RIVERA & JOE QUESADA
Spidey Sundays backups by STAN LEE & MARCOS MARTIN
Covers by PAOLO MANUEL RIVERA
Variant Covers by JOE QUESADA
ONE MOMENT IN TIME Part 1 & 2
The questions have been haunting readers throughout Spider-Man’s Brand New Day and now the answers are here in four double-sized issues! What really happened at the wedding of Spider-Man and Mary Jane? What does Mary Jane know about Spider-Man today? How did ONE MORE DAY affect the Marvel U? Joe Quesada and Paolo Rivera are here to pull back the curtain and fill in every blank…but the answers may come at a cost to all that Peter Parker loves. This 4-part arc will hold answers, resolutions, and set up the course of Spider-Man's life for years to come… and all will be revealed with a whisper.
And in Part 2, it's Mary Jane's turn to come clean. What secrets has she been keeping? And who REALLY saved Aunt May? You may think you know the answer, but you're about to find out the truth! Issue #638 48 PGS./Issue #639 40 PGS./Rated A …$3.99 (each)
Amazing Spider-Man #638 - 28 Pages of New Story.

Jim: Blah,blah,blah. Joe Q. wrecked Spider-Man and now wants to explain what happened. Also didn’t this happen in Spider-Man’s new past? How can this be that important today? Spider-Man is still dead to me.
Lee: At least you’ve gotten over the hurt and anger. That’s good.

PART 2 TOMORROW