January 2013 Marvel Comics Diamond Previews Review

Time to dive into the Previews for product shipping in March of 2013. First we are going to visit Marvel and see what they have to offer.

         First up is the long promised Age of Ultron, the last Avengers story to be told by Bendis. This seems like a series that was originally meant to be released earlier but was obviously side tracked due to the sprawling and Marvel Now catalyst Avengers Vs. X-Men. March sees the first 3 issues of the 10 issue series come out. Bendis is writing and Bryan Hitch will be providing his last mainstream work for a little while giving him the chance to focus on creator owned work.

         So far there are two tie ins announced for March and they are tie ins in a very unconventional way. While there is a Fantastic Four #5 and a Superior Spider-Man #6, there is also a Fantastic Four #5AU and a Superior Spider-Man #6AU.  Neither of these will be coming home with me. The main series will, and that is primarily because of Bryan Hitch, but as much as Marvel states this story will have ramifications, I cannot imagine it will, just because of the amount of work and planning that has gone into Marvel Now. I may be wrong, but time will tell. Avengers fans will scoop up these tie ins, and I am sure that April will bring more.

Either way, with Hitch doing the art on the main 10 issue series, this is worth picking up and admiring what may be Hitch’s last work on the Avengers for the next while.

         The road to the next Marvel big screen masterpiece, Guardians of the Galaxy kicks off with the official first issue of the Marvel Now relaunch of the title. I am excited for this as it brings back some of the more fun characters of the Marvel Universe, namely Rocket Raccoon and Groot. How can a tree and a raccoon in space not be fun? The only flaw that I can see so far is the inclusion of Iron Man. I am assuming that this is a way to bring in new readers who might be more attracted to the title with an A list character from the movie-verse. I will try this title but the second it looks like it is turning into another Avengers, this one being galactic, I will drop it. Before that I will enjoy the book for what it is, and what I hope it becomes, a sprawling space epic with consequences for the universe as a whole.

         Wolverine gets his second Marvel Now relaunch in the form of the simply titled Wolverine #1. The creative team is strong, not one that necessarily appeals to me, but one that will appeal to many. Paul Cornell, who did a masterful job on Captain Britain and MI 13 (but a less than stellar job on Doctor Who) is writing, and legendary artist Alan Davis is providing the pictures, in the wonderful fluid way that he does. I’m not sure why, but this strikes me as an odd creative team but as long as they can show the Canadian mutant doing what he does best, I am sure that it will do well.

         Uncanny Avengers #6 brings Daniel Acuna on board as the new regular artist (the phrase “regular artist” really does not mean much these days does it?) with Rick Remember writing. This issue had me as soon as I read Apocalypse Vs. Thor in the 11th century! Throw in a little Kang and a sprinkle of Rama Tut and this is a recipe for an amazing issue. And yet again those often spoke reverberations will affect the entire Marvel Universe (another claim that is starting to lose quite a bit of its meaning due to repetitiveness). Regardless, Daniel Acuna is a worthy artist, the characters are well portrayed (even if they act occasionally out of character), and the premise of this issue seems to be an exciting start to a new story arc.

         I really wanted to like Avengers Arena but can safely say that after two issues, I will be kicking this off of my pull list. If it was an indy title or one that was considered out of continuity I might be digging it but I cannot buy Arcade (seriously, when and why did he gain godlike powers?), and the title seems like a chance to off a chunk of the younger characters in the Marvel Universe, characters that had potential but are now used as cannon fodder.

          Jonathan Hickman (W) and Dustin Weaver (A) bring on issues #7 and #8 of the Avengers to us in March. I am torn on this title, as after two issues it feels like trade padding. The story in the first two issues could have probably been told in 1 issue. But these issues seem to be hinting at an integration of the New Universe. How could one not think that with the obvious cover homage to that universe? Issue #8 also promises to tie into New Avengers and show how the two titles are related. The story ideas behind the Avengers seem to be sound but the pace needs to pick up a little bit.

          In the All-New X-Men issues #8 and #9 by Brian Michael Bendis (W) and David Marquez (A) (I am already missing Stuart Immonen, who is only providing covers for these issues) bring the Avengers face to face with the X-Men from the past, and they update their old school yellow and black uniforms with something a little more modern. This series has proven to be one of the best launches from Marvel Now, not always a home run, but there is a consistency to the series that keeps you hooked, and wanting to find out what happens next. The grasp that Bendis has of the old school X-Men seems to be stronger than the grasp he had of the Avengers at the beginning and I am excited about what that means for the future of the X-Verse!

         Amadeus Cho surprisingly joins the cast of Savage Wolverine in issue 3. Amadeus is one of a number of intriguing characters that have been conspicuously absent from the Marvel Now relaunch, and this is a surprising title to see him pop up in.

          Journey Into Mystery has turned into another one of my favorites with Lady Sif taking on the lead role. Issue #650 of the series by creators Kathryn Immonen (W) and Valerio Schiti (A) wrap up the first arc that shows us whether Lady Sif can handle her new found abilities in the name of Asgard. This book is tied for my favorite female led book with DC’s Wonder Woman, and even though it will not happen, I cannot help but imagine what a crossover featuring these two leading ladies would be like. If you like fantasy, action, and strong characterization which really showcases who Lady Sif is, and this is just the beginning, you should be picking this book up. It is a worthy follow up to the run featuring Loki.

          They may not be the West Coast Avengers, but over in Ultimate Comics Ultimates #22 and #23 by Sam Humphries (W) and Joe Bennet (A) bring us the West Coast Ultimates, and they may not be friends of the Ultimates but instead, are their opposites and strike at the United States, and it’s President, Captain America. As a fan of the original run of the West Coast Avengers, I am looking forward to seeing who makes up this team.

          Another smaller crossover begins in X-Treme X-Men #12 and Age of Apocalypse #13 with prologues to X-Termination. The AoA Nightcrawler wants to go home and he will do anything to reach that goal. The story kicks off properly in X-Termination #1 by David Lapham (W), Marjorie Liu (W), and David Lopez (A) where we see Wolverine battle a one time ally who betrayed him.

          Part 2 of the crossover takes place in Astonishing X-Men #60 where we see Wolverine Vs. Wolverine. The one thing that worries me about this is that these titles are low selling titles for the most part, and have been completely disregarded as part of the Marvel Now event, which means that this could very well be a last ditch effort to save one, two, or all three titles from cancellation. With the uninspired writing in X-Treme X-Men, I would not be surprised if that one was going to end shortly after the crossover, the same with Age of Apocalypse could happen.

          Over on the collections front I am excited to see a complete Warren Ellis collection of his run on Doom 2099. Warren Ellis started his re-imagining of the series with issue #24 and ran until issue #39 when most of the 2099 line ended. Also in this 432 page collection is material from the short lived 2099: World of Tomorrow. This series sees the Latverian ruler set his sites on a new office, the Oval Office. Being a long time fan of Warren Ellis, I will be bringing this home.

That’s Marvel for March 2013, next we will tackle DC, see you soon.