Marvel Previews Picks: October 2021
It occurs to me that I may have to rename this particular column “Penguin Picks” after this month…
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
Immortal Hulk vol. 10: Of Hell And Of Death
That’s certainly a cheery title for this series to wrap up its run with, isn’t it? Yes, that’s right, Al Ewing and Joe Bennett’s hugely popular and critically acclaimed run comes to an end with this volume, which collects the 96-page issue #50 from these solicitations as well. I wasn’t as onboard as everyone else was with their new direction since turning “Hulk” into a horror title only really works if it’s actually scary. Yet the ingenuity of Ewing’s retcons and overall plotting combined with Bennett (and friends’) consistently good art quickly made me and a whole lot of other people into a believer.
While it’s always exciting to see a new creative team find a different way to look at a well-established character like the Hulk, I’m especially glad that this version clicked with readers. Why? Well, after years of writing quality books for Marvel that never sold all that well (see “Loki: Agent of Asgard,” “New Avengers,” “Ultimates”) Ewing finally found himself attached to a genuine hit that put him on the A-list at the company where he belongs. I don’t see him staying at the company forever, but it’s good to see his talent recognized while he’s still there.
And speaking of Mr. Ewing…
Venom #1: He’s the new co-writer, with Ram V, of this new series. Coming in the wake of Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman and friends’ epic run, which introduced some major changes to the symbiote’s status quo in the wake of the “King in Black” event. I’ve been spoiled to its biggest change, which is certainly a gutsy move. So gutsy, in fact, that I think Cates should have stuck around a while longer just to make sure it sticks. While Ewing’s involvement gets my interest, Ram V is a writer who I know has received good reviews with his creator-owned and superhero work, but I have yet to read something of his that has really impressed me. Maybe this will be it. After all, Bryan Hitch is providing the art for this new series. Here’s where I’d make a joke about the artist’s timeliness, but he delivered his last two series, “Hawkman” and “The Batman’s Grave” over at DC over the course of a year (each), so he’s clearly gotten better at managing his schedule since his last regular gig at Marvel.
Amazing Spider-Man #75: Nick Spencer’s replacement on this title is… five other writers!? That’s the “Beyond Board” team of writers for the new “Amazing” are Kelly Thompson, Saladin Ahmed, Cody Ziglar, Zeb Wells, and Patrick Gleason. Gleason will also continue to provide art for this series, which he does with this issue. I’ve only read one of the artist’s short stories as part of the “Absolute Carnage” event and it didn’t exactly impress. Cody Ziglar is also completely unknown to me, so I don’t know what to expect from him. However, the other three writers, Thompson, Ahmed, and Wells, have all done solid work on other Marvel titles in the past, so it should be interesting to see what they do with the Ol’ Web Head. How does it go? “Three out of five ain’t bad?” That’s basically what we’re dealing with here.
Luke Cage: City of Fire #1 (of 3): An African-American man is murdered by a policeman in New York City. It’s not a title specifically ripped from the headlines, but it could be. In this case it’s the setup for this miniseries featuring Cage who finds himself trying to keep the peace while the city tries to tear itself apart. The thing is that the killing was apparently done by a member of a crooked cadre of cops known as the Regulators. Daredevil wants to see them stopped by any means necessary while Mayor Fisk wants to use them to further his own ends. Cage is going to have to walk a tightrope between these opposing forces to maintain order in the city, much in the way writer Ho Che Anderson is going to have to do with his writing to keep the story from coming off as overly opportunistic, or simplistic in its take on a complex issue. Given that he’s the writer of “King: A Comics Biography of Martin Luther King,” I’m hoping he can walk that tightrope, while getting able support from Farid Karami, Ray-Anthony Height, and Sean Damien Hill over the course of these three issues.
Eternals Forever #1 & Eternals: Celestia #1: One of these is a random one-shot from a former Marvel editor turned writer, and the other is the latest one-shot spinoff of the current ongoing series from Kieron Gillen. Can you guess which is which? Even if the “Eternals” movie is coming out the month after these solicitations, it seems like bad form to publish two one shots like this in the same month as they’re meant to appeal to different audiences. That said, I feel certain in believing that the “Audience for ‘Eternals’ Comics Written by Kieron Gillen” is much larger than the “Audience for ‘Eternals’ Comics” in general.
Phoenix Song: Echo #1 (of 5): Well, that’s the next arc of Jason Aaron’s “Avengers” spoiled for me. Writer Rebecca Roanhorse and artist Luca Maresca pick up with the former Avenger’s new status quo as she heads home to make sense of her new life. Mainly by trying to figure out why one of the most powerful entities in the Marvel Universe chose her to be its host. Which is something that you think would’ve been addressed when she got the job over in “Avengers,” but then Marvel wouldn’t be able to sell you this new miniseries to answer that same question.
Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra vol. 3 — War of the Bounty Hunters, Star Wars vol. 3: War of the Bounty Hunters, Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters Companion: Quick! Is this ALL of the “War of the Bounty Hunters” collections that Marvel will be releasing? Answer: No! Collections of the “Darth Vader” and “Bounty Hunters” tie-in issues will likely be arriving in the next round of solicitations. We are getting the spine of the event with the “War of the Bounty Hunters” and “Star Wars” vol. 3 collections since they’re both written by event mastermind Charles Soule. Basically, the idea is that Boba Fett has run into some trouble delivering Han Solo in Carbonite to Jabba the Hutt and it basically becomes a free-for-all on the part of several interested factions in getting him back. Chief among these is someone you wouldn’t expect… because you probably didn’t see “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” Which is too bad for you because it’s better than its status as a box-office-disappointment would suggest. That said, Soule has promised that this event will showcase Fett’s badass credentials, so that’s something more tangibly entertaining for everyone to look forward to.
Thor by Donny Cates vol. 3: Revelations: In which the title character has to deal with the return of his father after the events of the previous arc. I’m sure this will make for some stirring drama, provided Cates finds a new angle on this very familiar conflict. If not, then I’m sure the issue spotlighting Throg, the Frog of Thunder will entertain. Hey, maybe even the Aaron Kuder-written-and-illustrated annual will provide some entertainment as well. Maybe these things will distract me from the fact that the end of the previous volume was some real “What the Hel?” levels of cruelty from Loki for what looked like no good reason. Cates better have a solid plan in mind for this series if he wants to make that business work.