Shane Talks Previews: July 2009 - Marvel Comics

I haven't been following Marvel as closely lately, so what I see here may not be the big items other people are seeing, so if there's something special, please, point it out to me!

Unfortunately, Marvel's website doesn't have the great solicit format DC's does, so the images here won't be as good.  Sorry!

Back when the thrice-monthly schedule was announced, people quickly figured out that we'd be rapidly approaching issue six hundred, and it's finally here, with plenty of events.  s you can see, major returns with major creative teams, and best of all, as they're sure to note--no reprints.  Too many of these anniversary specials force you to spend extra money for material you already own, and I'm so very, very glad to see that's not the case here.  And really, five dollars for a over a hundred pages of material?  That's great stuff.

July's other #600 issue.  There are people that aren't fond of the renumbering, but I'm all for it.  It brings Marvel's major titles back to the iconic status that they deserve.  I'm also very happy to see that the book is Incredible Hulk again, as I worried that it would continue to be titled simply "Hulk" after the renumbering, but fortunately, not the case.  Supposedly we'll learn who the Red Hulk is, finally.  I wonder if Bruce Banner will return to the lead role, though?  Actually, has he been out of the spotlight here lately?  I haven't kept up.  Now the downside--a reprint.  Bah!

Here's a book that surprised me when it was announced.  This is just an introductory miniseries, but it appears as if the Dark X-Men will be showing up in Uncanny for awhile, before likely getting their own book--I'm not sure if they'll take over an existing book (could this be what Legacy becomes?) or if they'll launch a new title.  Or maybe I'm wrong and they'll just go in and out of other books, without a title to call their own.  Who's to say?  Still, though, this is an intriguing line-up--although I'm disappointed that this apparently prevents the Cloak and Dagger miniseries from publication.

The book that absolutely nobody demanded!  In all seriousness, though, I'm completely puzzled by this.  Deadpool will have three books being published this month.  He's not selling that well.  Even more perplexing is that this isn't just another miniseries--it's been confirmed as an ongoing.  Is it really necessary?  With that said, though, my sister is excited.  Perhaps she's the target audience.  I'm sure it will be enjoyable, but I just...don't understand.

I'm so very glad to see that Immortal Iron-Fist isn't actually canceled, but rather on temporary hiatus while this miniseries is published.  I'm rather behind on this though, so I can't really comment on anything else, other than to note that I'm glad David Aja is at least providing a cover!

Another book that I was a bit surprised to see, but it could be fun.  I'm a fan of all four characters (it's always good to see Photon and Black Cat, and I'm glad that Hellcat will remain active, and it looks like Firestar's come out of retirement).  There's almost no chance that this book will be serious or have any long-lasting effects on the Marve line, but it looks like a good time.

I...have absolutely no idea.  They're reprinting the Civil War trades for what are probably the two lowest-selling titles attached to that event.  A few years after the fact.

Other books to note!

The big one here is obviously Reborn, by Ed Brubaker and Bryan Hitch.  Everything else about it is classified, but the suggestion is obvious.

We're getting a few hints as to what X-Men: Legacy will be after it ceases to be Legacy, with Rogue, Gambit and Danger in the spotlight.

Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch end their Fantastic Four run with a double-sized issue.

Ultimatum concludes with an incredible five covers.

Captain America sports another double-sized issue that's also a flashback.  I wonder if that's connected to Reborn at all?  Maybe they'll be just marking time until the miniseries concludes?

It also looks like they'll be collecting all of the new material from the 70th Anniversary specials into a single trade.  That makes me feel better about not buying any of that.

Next time, I'll go on and on about titles none of you care about, even though you should!  That's right, the independents!

Comments

  1. I'm actually hoping the Cap: Reborn thing is some kind of fake out. It seems too soon to bring Steve back when there are so many Bucky stories left to tell.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the advance previews, Shane. I will check out those #600 issues - - if the art is good and story looks decent I'll pick them up.
    I'll also keep an eye out for Reborn, although I actually hope it's not the return of Steve Rogers. As much as I love him, I'm against comics companies bringing back heroes after they kill them off. Dead is dead. Everytime a hero is ressurected, it makes the impact of those past stories less significant, until finally nobody cares if they suspect they will still see these characters again. Will it ever get to the point where the general readership just begins to ignore these deaths? As an alternative - - it's okay to replace the person in the costume (hey, it's been working for Phantom, the Ghost Who Walks, for decades!) Bucky becomes the new Cap. I accept that. Somebody other than Bruce Wayne takes over the role of Batman? I'll accept that too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm not incredibly upset with the idea of dead characters returning--when it's done well.

    With that said, I do agree that death in comics isn't as significant anymore, because it's either expected or believed to be temporary.

    I'm also hoping that Bucky sticks around, because he's only just embraced his status as the new Captain America. With that said, though, the book has been a pretty consistent "must read", and tying it into Reborn would maintain that pace. I'm willing to give it a shot (the creative team is high quality, if nothing else!)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey Shane,

    Deadpool does have a pretty good size following, even if sales don't mirror that. And I think Marvel is expecting a big "bump" from him being in the Wolverine movie. But 3 titles does seem excessive.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very true, I didn't consider that the movie might likely be part of it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The new Deadpool book is also a huge Marvel Zombies tie-in, so I think this is their way of keeping one of their biggest franchises going on a monthly basis.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Robert Kirkman: Invincible, Walking Dead, Wolf-Man

more random readings from May 2009

Best descriptive 2013 title: Vampire Vixens of the Wehrmacht