Marvel Previews Picks: June 2014
It would seem to appear that Marvel thinks that comic shop owners aren’t able to properly gauge demand for their titles. After all, why would they put out an ad specifically telling retailers that they haven’t ordered enough copies of the latest “She Hulk” series? The last time I remember them doing something like this was years ago with the “X-Men: Deadly Genesis” miniseries when Joe Quesada mentioned that it was “very significant” to the line’s stories. That turned out to be true as it introduced Gabriel Summers, re-introduced Professor X in the wake of “House of M” and set up the “Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar Empire” arc; though, the likely reason it had been under-ordered in the first place was because Marvel had spent years putting out random X-miniseries which did nothing but weaken the value of the line’s brand.
Still, telling retailers that they don’t know how to order their comics is a real dick move. If the comic keeps selling out with them, then they’ll obviously adjust their orders accordingly. That’s how you get sales patterns like the one “Hawkeye” wound up with (before its schedule went to hell, anyway). Is the new “She Hulk” good enough to warrant this kind of special attention and sales? I’ll let you know once the collected edition arrives in a couple months.
In other news, Patton Oswalt is joining “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D” for a few episodes. I am encouraged not just because I like his acting and stand-up comedy, but because it’s almost the first step in his implementation of this.
Original Sin #4: In which Dr. Strange and the Punisher team up for a daring raid. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of these characters being in the same comic before, which is likely the reason Jason Aaron is doing this team-up. Now I have another reason to be interested in this latest event series besides Aaron’s involvement. Also this month…
Original Sin #’s 3.1 — 3.4: These are “classified” solicitations as the solicitation text only reads “EVERYONE HAS ONE…” However, the creative teams on these issues, Mark Waid and Mark Bagley on 3.1 & 3.3, and Kieron Gillen and Luke Ross on 3.2 & 3.4 are the ones for “Hulk” and recent issues of “Iron Man,” respectively. So I’m guessing that we’re getting some tie-in stories featuring those characters with the “decimal point” nature of the titles most likely there to boost sales by giving them a direct link to the crossover itself. Still, the issues are being written by Waid and Gillen, with latter having demonstrated a particular skill in getting good stories of of crossover tie-ins with his work on “Journey Into Mystery” and “Uncanny X-Men,” so they’re likely to be good reads.
Savage Hulk #1: There’s no indication that this is a limited series, so I’m wondering why Marvel thinks the market is strong enough to support two titles featuring the character at the moment. Even if this one does feature a rotating cast of creators in the vein of the current “Savage Wolverine” and the format-establishing “Legends of the Dark Knight.” At least the first arc is being written and illustrated by Alan Davis, so that’ll make it worth reading. Expect a varying quality of creators to follow in his wake as is the case with all titles structured like this.
The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #14: I recently picked up the first volume of this title and found it to be very entertaining. Volume two is currently solicited on Amazon and indicated to collect nine issues, which has led some people to speculate that the title is being cancelled with issue #15. If that is the case, then I’m wondering what’s up with the title’s regular artist, Steve Lieber, writing and illustrating this issue. I like his art, but the title has really been defined by Nick Spencer’s snappy misanthropic dialogue. Take that away and what are you left with? If Lieber is writing as well as illustrating here (and the solicitation isn’t a misprint) then I can only hope he’s absorbed enough of Spencer’s dialogue skill to make things work here.
Hawkeye #21: Billed as “part 1” of “The End.” I mentioned earlier that “Hawkeye’s” scheduling has gone off the rails in the past few months. It’s the kind of derailment that has led to things like issue #16 being published before #15. Things seem to be back on schedule now, though I’m wondering if these issues have led Matt Fraction, artist David Aja and company to wrap things up with this next arc. Better to quit while they’re ahead and all? I could be wrong and “The End” could just be a clever bit of misdirection on their part, particularly since there hasn’t been any talk about wrapping the title up yet. We shall see.
Wolverine #8: “Three Months to Die” is the tagline here as the character’s death has been teased/hyped for September’s issue #12. This could also be misdirection as well, but I can’t find myself worked up enough to care. I mean, we’re likely getting a story in line with Grant Morrison’s “Batman” run and Jonathan Hickman’s “Fantastic Four” run where they killed off Bruce Wayne and Johnny Storm and then brought them back before they left their titles. Both writers got good stories out of doing this, so I can only hope that Paul Cornell has a similar plan for Wolverine’s forthcoming “death.”
Thanos: The Infinity Revelation: Marvel’s latest original graphic novel features Thanos’ creator Jim Starlin writing and illustrating a new adventure featuring the Mad Titan. I’m guessing that this takes place sometime before the events of “Infinity” as the ending of that event left me with the impression that Hickman has plans for the character. In any event, we’re told that Thanos’ latest return from oblivion has left him feeling “incomplete” and redressing that issue is going to lead him into conflict with the likes of the Silver Surfer and the Annihilators. That sounds all well and good even if his quest is billed as the kind that will “transform the Marvel Universe once more.” Yeah. Sure. I’ve got another friend John who is nuts for all things Thanos. I think I’ll ask him for his thoughts on this when it arrives.
Origin II HC: Speaking of my other friend John, he likes Kieron Gillen almost as much as I do. I say “almost” because he has no interest in reading this sequel to the “Origin” of Wolverine from several years back. He takes issue with the fact that elaborating on the character’s backstory only devalues him, and there’s a certain logic to that since a lot of the character’s appeal for years was his whole “man of mystery” aspect. Still, not only do I love me some Gillen, the writer is also working Mr. Sinister into the story here. After his rehabilitation of the character in “Uncanny X-Men” was nothing short of remarkable, and led to many of his run’s best lines, I’m up for anything that allows us to see more of Sinister under his pen. Also, the miniseries features art from Adam Kubert, which is always welcome as well.
X-Men: Battle of the Atom: What was once a $50 hardcover is now a $35 paperback. Still not as reasonable a price point as I would’ve liked, but much better one considering we’re only getting twelve issues and 248 pages collected here. Also, by the time this arrives all of the lead-in volumes may even be in paperback too!