February 2013 Marvel Comics Diamond Previews Review
Hey guys! Let’s check out what Marvel has for us in April of 2013. Since Marvel Now launched I have been enjoying several of the titles, and the new direction for many of them. I have also felt that some of the roll out seemed rushed and not as solidly planned out. My second critique is the Age of Ultron crossover. It seems to be happening fairly early in the life of the Marvel Now initiative. As a long time fan of Marvel the crossover doesn’t seem so daunting but if Marvel Now is meant to draw in new readers, a crossover with the scope of Age of Ultron may have the opposite effect. No doubt it will sell, but it may also alienate new readers. This is just a personal opinion even though the fan in me is excited for this crossover.
Speaking of Age of Ultron, there is no shortage of reading in May with issues 4, 5, and 6 of the main series hits shelves. 
In addition to those issues we also get Ultron #1 AU which tells the story of Victor Mancha, the one time Runaway, and son of Ultron. I am looking forward to this book and think this will be one to watch.
Avengers Assemble #14 AU, and Wolverine & the X-Men #27 AU also get into the Age of Ultron game showcasing the devastation that hit San Francisco, through the eyes of Black Widow, and Wolverine and the Invisible Woman visit the Avengers past.
Anticipation for Avengers 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy is already high and it will only get higher. Marvel is capitalizing on this with a five issue miniseries spotlighting the main villain coming soon to the Marvel Movie-verse, Thanos. Thanos Rising is by Jason Aaron (W), and Simone Bianchi (A) shows us how Thanos became the tyrant he is and how his past will shape the future of the Marvel Universe.
The X-Men relaunches with a new #1 and a very publicized line up, all female. The roster is a who’s who of the X-Men women, including Storm (with her hottest look in years), Rogue, Psylocke, Shadowcat, Jubilee, and Rachel Summers. Brian Woods, who is one of my favorite writers, and I am sure many of you feel the same about him, and Olivier Coipel, who is one of the most striking artists on the stands, infuse new life into X-Men and I look forward to this book becoming a key book once again. Rumors abound that the real focus of this book will be Jubilee, and that has me excited.
Over in the Avengers we meet a new Omega Flight team from Canada while the New Universe continues to get folded into the Marvel Universe proper. This relaunch of the Avengers has allot of promise but Jonathan Hickman needs to crank it up a notch because it feels like this title is not as tight as it could or should be. The pace seems uneven, but with Jonathan Hickman being one for layering story elements and really building a story from the ground up, I am going to stay with this book for the time being but changes need to happen soon.
When I started Avengers Arena I wondered where Arcade suddenly got his godlike powers from, but then I dropped the book because it seemed like a horrible riff on the Hunger Games, and Battle Royale. I don’t see myself coming back to the title but for those that have been patient the payoff is coming in issue #7 where we find out exactly how Arcade became the threat that he now is.
Warrior Woman, a new character that looks like she should hop over to the Distinguished Competitions universe, and take up residence on Paradise Island, joins the Fearless Defenders. I appreciate the fact that Marvel has a hard time creating a long lasting book with a female lead but is trying the team route with both The Fearless Defenders, and The X-Men. Keep it up Marvel.
Young Avengers #1 is one of my favorite titles in this relaunch, and a prime example of how to introduce a new book with established characters and still be new reader friendly while appreciating those that are coming onto the book who know the characters. Kieron Gillen is a writer who I am starting to take more notice of, and Journey Into Mystery, and Young Avengers are two of the reasons why.
Captain Marvel #12 kicks off a crossover with the Avengers. This usually means one thing, this is a last ditch effort to raise the profile of a book before possible cancellation. This is a shame because this is a really well done book. The art is solid and Kelly Sue Deconnick writes a realistic Carol, and she brings us into her world, not just during the superhero moments, but also Carols quietest moments in life.
I assumed when X-Termination was announced that it was the death knell for any number of the titles involved, and I am still surprised that Astonishing X-Men survived.
X-Treme X-Men is ending with issue #13, and Age of Apocalypse is ending with issue #14. They should have just brought back the Exiles.
Marvel Zombies everywhere will be eagerly anticipating April 2, 2013 when the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled collection is out. It includes all 6 movies in Phase One: Iron Man 1 and 2, Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, and The Avengers, all on Blu-ray with Captain America, Thor, and The Avengers being released in Blu-ray 3D. It arrives in a very SHIELD looking briefcase, and even contains the Tesseract, well a facsimile of it anyway. A list price of $219.00 seems a steal for everything you get as part of this package. I cannot wait to see how they are going to release Phase 2!
Some of the first Marvel Now trades start appearing on shelves in April, and there is one you should get if you haven’t been picking up the singles, Journey Into Mystery featuring Sif Vol. 1: Stronger than Monsters TPB by Kathryn Immonen (W) and Valerio Schiti (A). This is a strong female led book, that really shines the light on a character that has been deserving of more attention for awhile. It is obvious the creative team agrees and their appreciation of the character, and her world is evident in the writing, the art, and the covers by Jeffrey Becker.
That’s our look at Marvel for April 2013.