Marvel Penguin Picks: December 2022
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
Dark Web #1
Yup, it’s another Marvel event. It’s not one of the big line-wide ones, however, just a smaller crossover between some characters who haven’t been interacting all that much in recent years. I’m talking about Spider-Man and the X-Men who are coming together to take on a threat that has bedeviled both of their franchises for years now: Clones! “Dark Web” has both Ben Reilly, now going by “Chasm” and the Goblin Queen, a.k.a. Madeline Pryor, teaming up so they can take back what they believe was stolen from them. This is coming to us courtesy of current “Amazing Spider-Man” writer, former “Hellions” writer, and the Goblin Queen’s #1 fan Zeb Wells. He’s done great work on all of those titles, so I’m looking forward to what he’s going to do with this team-up. Better still is that this issue features art from Adam Kubert while the “Amazing” issues that continue the story are illustrated by Ed McGuinness. So it’s going to have great art all around, including this most relevant of tie-in miniseries…
Dark Web: X-Men #1 (of 3): In which Cyclops, Jean Gray, Havok, and Magik go up against Madeline Pryor, the Goblin Queen. It’s a battle that’s going to be positively rife (RIFE, I SAY!) with drama. Why? Well, Cyclops is Maddie’s ex. Havok is also Maddie’s ex. Maddie is also a clone of Jean. While the Queen may be in charge of Limbo again, Magik also used to rule there. So it’s not just a battle to save the city – it’s personal! Surprisingly, Wells isn’t writing this. Regular “X-Men” writer Gerry Duggan is, which means it’s in good hands. Especially with Rod Reis providing the art in a story that should allow him to get his best Sienkiewicz on.
Timeless #1: Why yes, there was a one-shot with this same title last year. Just like that one, this features Kang the Conqueror, only he’s not doing much conquering here. In pursuit of something called the Missing Moment, Kang finds himself pursued across Marvel’s (many) future timelines. Jed MacKay returns to write this new one-shot, while Salvador Larroca, Greg Land, and Patch Zircher provide the art. The only thing I remember about the previous one-shot was that it teased the addition of Miracleman to the Marvel Universe. Something that still hasn’t happened yet.
Invincible Iron Man #1: Gerry Duggan takes over from Christopher Cantwell, while Juan Frigeri provides the art for this next chapter in Tony Stark’s life. It finds him broke and friendless, and even fame-less as well! Which means it’s the perfect time for anyone with a grudge against him to take their shot. Sounds… alright. Not a take on the character that sounds particularly interesting, but I could be wrong. One that I’m more inclined to follow on Marvel Unlimited than to buy the physical collected editions.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1: Surprise! Saladin Ahmed’s run wraps up with “Kingdom of the Spider” and “Amazing Spider-Man: Beyond” and Disney+’s “She-Hulk” contributor Cody Ziglar takes over. What’s his plan for Miles? For a new villain to threaten everything the character holds dear in a move that will push Miles to the breaking point and leave his world changed forever! I am, dear readers, far too old to believe that kind of hype on its face. Ziglar has done decent work in those series, but nowhere good enough to get me to believe that he’s got a startling new plan for the character worth believing in sight unseen. At least it has Federico Vicentini providing the art as what I’ve seen of his work in “X Deaths of Wolverine” looks like it’d be perfect for a high-energy Spider-title.
Miracleman by Gaiman & Buckingham: The Silver Age #3: Assuming the world doesn’t end before December – and I’m not ruling that out – this will be the first ALL-NEW story in the “Silver Age” saga in over 30 years. They’ve even secured a special guest star for the occasion: Johnny Bates, a.k.a. Kid Miracleman. Everyone remembers him, right? The former Kid Miracleman who let power corrupt him, leading to (among other things) the absolute leveling of London in one of the most insanely violent superhero battles ever. Any guesses what he’ll have to say to the recently resurrected Young Miracleman, Dicky Dauntless, or will he just skip straight to the fighting? Yes, the return of an old villain is also a tired superhero cliche, but this is coming from Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham. Two creators who I trust to have an original take on this kind of trope.
X-Men: Red #9: In which we’re told that Abigail Brand’s plan enters its endgame. Which I can only hope is a sign that we’re about to move onto the next phase of Al Ewing’s run on this title, and NOT a sign that this series is going to be wrapping up prematurely.
Thor #29: Now here’s something you don’t see very often. A guest writer teaming up with the title’s regular artist. In this case, Torunn Gronbekk working with Nic Klein for a story about Thor teaming up with an unlikely ally to rescue his baby sister, Laussa. So far so fill-in, you’re thinking. Except that this mini-arc is titled “The Legacy of Thanos” and promises to go into the Mad Titan’s secret history with Asgard. Which means it likely has some genuine relevance to the story Donny Cates has been telling here for a couple years now. So the main writer gets a couple months off, Gronbekk gets the extra exposure and we get a story that advances the main plot. In short, everyone wins!
Eternals: A History Written in Blood: Remember how Gillen and Ribic’s “Eternals” run had some gap months between arcs? How they filled those gap months with one-shots from different artists? This is their collection, featuring “Thanos Rises” by Dustin Weaver, “Celestia” by Kei Zama, and “The Heretic” by the late Ryan Bodenheim and Edgar Salazar. If you read that and thought, “That’s only three issues. It’s not enough for a trade paperback,” then rest assured that someone at Marvel felt the same way. Which is why we’re getting reprints of an “Eternals” story from the 70’s incarnation of “What If?” Something I’m sure will read just as well as the Gillen-written stories collected here.
X-Men: Hellfire Gala – Immortal: This year’s event is a much smaller, more intimate gathering. How do you top terraforming Mars in the space of an evening, after all? By having things go very, very badly for Marvel’s Merry Mutants if what I’ve heard is correct. I’m not just talking about the return of one of their newly minted villains, wearing one of Spider-Man’s closest allies to the event, but the fact that one of mutantkind’s biggest secrets may be a secret no longer after this event. Gerry Duggan writes the main event while we get a grab-bag of tie-ins from online stories, a Free Comic Book Day promo, and “Amazing Spider-Man” #9, which sees Zeb Wells return to the X-family for a bit ahead of “Dark Web.”