Marvel Previews Picks: November 2017
Looking at Marvel’s actions over the years, the publisher clearly thinks that any major event they have is worth overdoing. Which is why in addition to the renumbering of several of their ongoing titles to match their “Legacy” numbering, we’re getting several additional one-off revivals of cancelled series from yesteryear. Why? Most likely because Marvel received some (hopefully) decent pitches from Chad Bowers & Chris Sims, Devin Grayson, CM Punk, and Christa Faust to do additional issues of “Darkhawk,” “Power Pack,” “Master of Kung-Fu,” and “Silver Sable and the Wild Pack,” respectively. It could also be Marvel’s way of testing if there’s any interest in reviving these series/characters. I wouldn’t expect a new ongoing title for any of these characters to happen as a result of these one-shots, but stranger things have happened…
Captain America #695: While I’ve managed to avoid major spoilers for the final issue of “Secret Empire,” word has it that the Steve Rogers we all know and love has been returned to us. Which isn’t really a spoiler since anyone who has been reading comics for an extended period of time should’ve known that’s how this story was going to end ever since he infamously uttered “Hail Hydra!” at the end of the first issue of his most recent series… But I digress. Steve’s reputation has still been tarnished by his time working for the bad guys, so now it’s a question of how to rehabilitate his image. Enter Mark Waid and Chris Samnee, two of Marvel’s best-respected, and flat-out best creators after their runs together on “Daredevil” and “Black Widow.” Waid is also a veteran “Captain America” writer who managed to make the character cool again in the days before and after “Heroes Reborn” in the 90’s. (Writing that sentence just made feel old… er…) If there’s a better team out there to let you know that the Cap we all know and love is back and ready for action, I can’t think of it.
Spider-Man #234: It’s worth noting that the last time an “Ultimate” Spider-Man took on the Sinister Six by himself he wound up dead. But he eventually came back so I guess we shouldn’t be too worried when this arc advertises Miles Morales going up against an all-new Sinister Six. Especially since this version of the group doesn’t manage the same kind of name recognition which lets you know that they represent a major threat. Yeah, original members Sandman and Electro are onboard, as is subsequent member Hobgoblin, but new additions Bombshell and the Spot sound like ringers to me. To top it off, this group is led by a stranger in the Iron Spider armor which doesn’t really add all that much to the proceedings. Unless it turns out to be Ganke, at which point this series will have officially managed to jump the shark.
Star Wars #’s 38 & 39: Kieron Gillen takes over writing duties from Jason Aaron. While Aaron’s work on the title has generally been pretty enjoyable, Gillen’s work on “Darth Vader” was always a cut above. And the first volume of “Doctor Aphra” was pretty fun too. Now he’s reunited with his “Vader” collaborator, Salvador Larroca, on the main title and can we expect lightning to strike twice here? I certainly hope so since Gillen has said that he wants to do something on this title akin to what he did on “Vader” in charting the Rebels’ progress between Episodes IV and V. Also, expect more of a focus on Leia for his run as well. So what’s the first stop on his run? The planet of Jedha, last seen in “Rogue One” as the subject of a test of the Death Star’s power. Now if you’re thinking that between this title and his duties on “The Wicked + The Divine,” and “Uber,” that this won’t leave Gillen much time for working on “Doctor Aphra,” well…
Doctor Aphra #14: … you’d be half right. Gillen has talked about how he had already planned out “Aphra’s” second year prior to taking over “Star Wars” in his newsletter and how his editor suggested finding a co-writer to help with the writing chores due to his increased workload. While Gillen mentioned that co-writing can sometimes lead to more work than solo writing, he did find a co-writer whose sensibilities lined up pretty well with his: “X-Men: Legacy,” “X-Force,” and “The Spire” writer Simon Spurrier. I can’t really argue with the man in this regard, even though Spurrier’s sensibilities tilt even further away from the mainstream than Gillen’s do. So if “Aphra” happens to get weirder from here, not that it would be a bad thing, then now you know the reason why.
Jessica Jones vol. 2: The Secrets of Maria Hill: It’s been established that Maria Hill isn’t one of the easiest people to work with in the Marvel Universe. Now she has to turn to a similarly headstrong woman, Jessica Jones, for help now that she’s been ousted from S.H.I.E.L.D. I can see these two getting along like a house on fire, and that would normally make for a potentially interesting storyline here. What I don’t see in the solicitation for this volume is any hint that we’re going to get an explanation as to why Jessica threw her life under the bus for Carol’s sake in the previous volume. No, I’m not going to let that go. The more I think about it, that action represents a major setback for the character and unless Bendis actually decides to sit down and dig into Jessica’s reasoning it’s going to keep dragging my enjoyment of this series down. Even if the first volume was otherwise an entertaining return to form. Speaking of which…
Defenders vol. 1: Diamonds Are Forever: Not a tie-in to the Netflix series, but something that definitely owes its existence to it. Bendis and artist David Marquez give us the adventures of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Daredevil and Iron Fist as a team. Now, they’re all characters that have worked together before — in fact, I think they were all Avengers at one point during Bendis’ run — so I’m kind of worried about how the solicitation text describes them as socially maladjusted heroes who have to learn to work together as a team. A better reason for any friction on the team would involve the current relationship drama between Jessica and Luke, which is something that had damn well better be addressed here. I know Bendis isn’t a stickler for continuity, but he should be able to manage it between titles that he’s writing.
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man vol. 1 — Into the Twilight: Can’t wait for Parker Industries to go belly-up and return Spidey’s status quo to being the street-level hero we know and love? Then get onboard with this new title from writer Chip Zdarsky that aims to deliver the familiar hijinks we’ve come to expect and love from the wall-crawler. I’m not entirely onboard with this, even with Adam Kubert providing most of the art, as it’s not clear how successful Zdarsky will be in toning down his noted irreverence to work with an A-list superhero. That said, I’ve heard that this series is digging into a bit of Spider-continuity I thought would continue to be ignored: That of Peter’s sister from the “Family Business” graphic novel from a few years back. If Zdarsky is bringing her back, maybe he does have a story he wants to tell about Spider-Man after all and this isn’t just a paycheck for him.
Deadpool Classic vol. 20: Ultimate Deadpool: Wow, they’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel for these things now. This volume spotlights alternate-universe versions of the Merc With a Mouth with his “Ultimate” incarnation apparently being the marquee draw here. If you’re expecting it to be good, then you should be warned. “Ultimate Deadpool” takes the character’s most notable traits — his smartass nature, his ability to break the fourth wall — and tosses them right out to turn him into a fairly generic taciturn merc. The fact that this was his only appearance in the “Ultimate” universe should also tell you all you need to know about how well it was received. As for the other stories collected here, I can’t tell you anything about them because I haven’t read them. Though, the title story at least sets a low enough bar for them to clear.