November 2013 Marvel Comics Diamond Previews Review
November is a hectic month so let’s take a slightly delayed look at the Previews Issue 302 soliciting merchandise scheduled to arrive beginning in January 2014.
The one we are going to start with is Marvel. Before we get into the Previews magazine I just want to talk about some exciting Marvel news that has been announced the past week and that is namely the Netflix deal. In 2015 Netflix will begin releasing the first of four planned series launching first with Daredevil. The man without fear will be followed up by Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones. All of these will be followed up by the Defenders. Marvel also announced that another series would be appearing at ABC, probably in the 2014/2015 season. Even though reception to Agents of SHIELD has been lacklustre to say the least, with the most recent episodes they have been improving the show in baby steps. Hopefully it can rebuild itself so that a second season can happen. Marvel in the theatres, on cable, and on Netflix, not to forget the print and digital comics, it is a good time to be a comic book and Marvel fan. Onto our bread and butter, the comics.
January is a big month for Marvel with their second wave of Marvel Now set to roll out. Let’s dig in shall we? As an introduction to some of the new titles coming out Marvel is releasing a primer in the form of All-New Marvel Now! Point One #1. This includes lead-in stories for several high profile launches coming up including Loki: Agent of Asgard, and of course the now Muslim Ms. Marvel, a character that has been in the media from Taiwan to the Colbert Report. The Point One issues haven’t really done anything for me but with some of the stories in this issue, I might be interested to take a peak, this may be the Point One issue that matters.
James Robinson, who recently left Earth 2 at DC finds his new home at Marvel, in a title that is rich with history that dates back to the beginnings of the 616. Namor, the original Human Torch, Captain America and Winter Soldier team up to end a Kree threat to Earth. Steve Pugh provides the art. I hope this series gets a chance to thrive, the last Invaders book didn’t make a dent in Marvel’s history. The Invaders is a title steeped in history and I hope that this book can. With James Robinson on board we can expect an appreciation of what has come before while bringing a new direction to this title, All New Invaders #1 ANMN.
The Marvel Now initiative includes the odd .NOW numbering system. The Trial of Jean Grey prompts the numbering #22.Now for the January shipping All-New X-Men. This storyline will tie Guardians of the Galaxy into the the X-Men mythos while trying to protect Jean Grey who is now targeted by several alien races that don’t like the reappearance of the Phoenix vessel. The crossover also brings a .NOW to the January shipping Guardians of the Galaxy #11.Now. Brian Michael Bendis can weave some long form stories that continue to have repercussions throughout the Marvel Universe and this will no undoubtedly impact things to come. It should be noted that the 21st issue of All-New X-Men is solicited closer to the back of the Marvels Previews magazine.
I am going to try Avengers World #1 and while the first issue will come home with me, I still question the constant influx of Avengers titles. At some point there can be just too many of them. Jonathan Hickman and Nick Spencer are co writers for this book, and with the huge influx of Avengers team members, I have a better idea of what Hickman has been building towards. Plus we have another claim of a change of the forever kind for the Marvel Universe. The first two issues of this globe spanning Avengers series hit in January.
Avengers A.I. #8 gets the .NOW treatment in January. The issue by Sam Humphries (W), and Andre Araujo (A) involves the Uncanny Avengers and a trip to the future where we witness the Avengers Empire in 12,000 AD. Marvel is throwing allot of time travel at the wall and waiting to see what sticks, as long as they keep it from getting to convoluted.
Black Widow is getting another go with a new #1 issue in January from the creative team of Nathan Edmondson (W) and Phil Noto (A). I am a huge fan of Phil Noto and look forward to his take on Natasha. I look forward to seeing a darker insight into Natasha’s past as a KGB assassin, and maybe, just maybe, they can craft a small corner of the world just for Natasha, much as they have done with the life of Clint Barton over in Hawkeye. I will be bringing home issues #1 and 2 in January.
X-Factor is back in the pages of All-New X-Factor #1 and 2. Peter David is still the writer for this new incarnation of the long running mutant team. Polaris is the leader this time and she is joined by Quicksilver and Gambit, among others. This time instead of being a detective agency, government sponsored team, or just an offshoot of the X-Men, they are a corporately sponsored team for Serval Industries. Out of curiosity, I will be bringing home these two issues to check them out.
There are two series premiering that I am ridiculously excited about. Miracleman is the one that has me so excited! Miracleman #1 and 2 come out in January and reprints the original work that was presented in Warrior #1-6, Miracleman #1, and Marvelman Primer. These are the groundbreaking stories that premiered in the eighties. The writing credit goes to the original writer, but we all know who wrote this. The curmudgeon but incredibly talented Alan Moore. Comic book fans both old and new should bring this home, not just for the amazing stories but partly education, education about how genre bending and deep this hobby can be.
The second series brings George Romero and his zombies to Marvel. This series is not set in the Marvel Universe, nor is it in anyway related to Marvel Zombies. Instead, this is a story that brings us right back to the world that Romero built in his Of The Dead series. For the first time we get to see what the New York of that world would be like years after the undead devastated humanity. George Romero Empire of the Dead: Act One #1 (of 5) is a must have for zombie fans!
Since the end of MI-13 we haven’t had allot of chances to peek into the lives of the British Heroes, even longer for some of them, and the Revolutionary War is going to bring them back to the pages of Marvel Comics. Revolutionary War: Alpha #1 by Andy Lanning (W), Alan Cowsill (W), and Rich Elson (A) assembles Marvel UK’s heroes for the first time in 20 years. The story will crossover into other one shots that highlight specific characters. Watch for appearances from Captain Britain, Pete Wisdom (one of my favourites), Death’s Head II, Motormouth, Killpower, Knights of Pendragon, and more. Part 2 of Revolutionary War happens in the pages of Revolutionary War: Dark Angel #1, with part 3 taking place in the pages of Revolutionary War: Knights of Pendragon #1. I cannot wait to revisit some of these characters and watch them save the world again, for some of them they have been gone far too long from the pages.
Cataclysm continues in the Ultimate titles, and at this point are there enough fans to warrant the continuation of the Ultimate Universe? We will see when the February solicitations hit the internet.
Fantastic Four is ending again with issue #16, with a relaunch shortly in the future no doubt. FF also comes to an end with their 16th issue. I imagine that this will be relaunched at some point in the future as well. I am not a huge fan of all of the constant cancellations and relaunches that Marvel has been relying on and these cancellations do not stir any excitement within me but fans will no doubt pick this up.
When the first wave of Marvel Now launched it brought two distinct X-Force titles to the table. I personally tried both but neither had enough points of interest to me, and I have not been a fan of the Psylocke love triangle that has been unfolding in the pages of Uncanny X-Force. In January the two teams crossover in the Vendetta storyline impacting Cable and X-Force #’s 18 (Part I) and 19 (Part III), and Uncanny X-Force #16 (Part II) and 17 (Part IV). Once this storyline comes to a close we will have one X-Force team, as announced in the past few days, by X-Men Legacy writer Si Spurrier, which is probably launching in February. Cable will be leading the new incarnation so we know he survives. I hope Puck survives and is brought into play in All-New X-Force or another X-title.
Zombies continue to capture the magic of pop culture zeitgeist when Deadpool wakes to a zombie apocalypse that has already ravaged the world…shades of Walking Dead? Cullen Bunn who has shown a deft hand at writing a darker Deadpool will be bringing it dead style in Night of the Living Deadpool #1 (of 4) and I will be bringing it home because I still love me some zombies!
Trade waiters have no doubt been waiting for Journey into Mystery by Kieron Gillen: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 TPB which collects 392 pages of critically acclaimed and fan loved young Loki adventures. Journey Into Mystery #622-636 and 626.1 are all collected in this one book. I cannot wait to read this from beginning to end. This is scheduled to be on shelves in February of 2014.
Well that is our look at Marvel for January. Allot of starts, a couple of endings, and some highly anticipated work. It looks like 2014 will be a good year for Marvel if the first solicitations of the year are any indication.