Marvel Penguin Picks: April 2023
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
Amazing Spider-Man by Zeb Wells vol. 4: Dark Web
I was glib about the collection for this event in the previous round of solicitations, but it’s good to see that it’s only following the hardcover collection of the whole shebang by a month. That’s because this current run of “Amazing” has been quite good whether it features art from regular artist John Romita Jr., or (in this case) guest artists like Ed McGuinness and Adam Kubert. This event also has the novel idea of teaming up two of Marvel’s most (in)famous clones Ben Reilly, now known as Chasm, and the Goblin Queen herself Madelyne Pryor. They’ve got scores to settle with the Ol’ Wall-Crawler and certain people on Krakoa, but while the X-Men got their own spinoff series to cover that, the meat of “Dark Web” will see Spidey trying to contain the demonic chaos that has infested New York City. It’ll also give Wells a chance to follow up on the changes he helped implement in Ben Reilly over the course of “Beyond” which should give some emotional heft to what sounds like a rowdy and over-the-top event.
Planet of the Apes #1: Marvel originally published comics based on the original films back in the 70’s, yet unlike “Star Wars” or “Conan,” they didn’t last long enough at the publisher to create a lasting association in the way those franchises did. The publisher is getting David Walker to write this, and Dave Wachter to illustrate it, so it’ll probably be worth a read. As for which continuity it’ll be taking place in, the solicitation text references the ALZ-113 virus, so that means the modern “Rise/Dawn/War” trilogy. No word if Caesar is going to feature here, as the solicitation text talks about a woman who has made the decision to stand against a fanatical group out to kill all apes. Walker and Wachter could be saving his involvement for a last page reveal in the first issue, which would be something to see.
Guardians of the Galaxy #1: The Guardians are back, this time with Colin Kelly and Jackson Lanzig writing their adventures and Kev Walker illustrating them. Walker sounds like a perfect fit for this series while Kelly and Lanzig still haven’t done anything that’s registered with me. Maybe this will be the one to do it? Assuming they can get beyond the downer of a premise for this series which sees the Guardians on the run after being betrayed by one of their own. The solicitation text asks whether or not the team can rediscover their heroism and humanity while also learning to forgive, or if they’ll just die. I’m going to bet the answer is the former rather than the latter.
Alien #1: This is going to be the third “Alien #1” within two years from Marvel. I haven’t looked at the sales numbers, but this kind of renumbering does not imply that the Xenomorphs are doing all that well at this publisher. As for what differentiates this “Alien #1” from the previous two: An all-new creative team. Taking over for Philip Kennedy Johnson is Declan Shalvey with Andrea Broccardo providing the art. Broccardo is an inspired choice after his work on “Deep Beyond.” Shalvey, on the other hand, is someone who I’ve been more impressed by his art than his writing. So I’m not that optimistic he’ll be able to deliver something that rises above the tired fire/ice, winter/spring comparisons in the solicitation text as some poor colonists discover aliens on an ice planet.
Avengers Assemble: Omega #1: Jason Aaron’s “Avengers” run wraps up with this $8, 72-page supersized issue. That they’re going to stop Mephisto’s to turn the Multiverse into a living Hell is all but certain. The trick will be to see if Aaron manages to make the villain’s defeat come off (at least) as satisfyingly as Malekith’s did in “War of the Realms.” Also, will I be able to catch up on “Avengers Forever” before this finale? I mean, yeah, I will. I just haven’t started yet.
Hulk #14: …when I said that Ryan Ottley would be taking over writing duties in addition to providing art on this title for its second year, I didn’t realize that would be all of two issues. That’s right, this current incarnation of “Hulk” wraps up after 14 issues which, if I recall, is two less than Jason Aaron’s ill-fated run on the title. It’s too bad that things had to wrap up like this. Even if we’re robbed of a satisfying narrative conclusion here, things are still going to look great with Ottley illustrating this finale.
Darth Vader: Black, White, and Red #1 (of 4): Marvel has been doing this three-color-themed anthology format for a while and this is the first time they’re doing it with a character that’s not part of the Marvel Universe. Kind of an odd choice, given that red isn’t a color normally associated with Vader. No matter as Jason Aaron, Peach Momoko, Torun Gronbekk, and more contribute stories to this first issue. Unlike previous installments of this miniseries format, Aaron will be providing a story that will last through all four issues. It should be something to see since while he only wrote the Dark Lord briefly during his tenure on “Star Wars,” it was still memorable. “All I see is fear. Fear, and dead men.”
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi – Ewoks #1: Well, it is “Jedi’s” 40th anniversary after all. This does appear to be all that they’re doing with the furry tribe since the issue is being marketed as a one-shot. It does have a very solid creative team with “Doctor Aphra’s” Alyssa Wong writing the issue which sees the Ewoks recounting various stories which will be illustrated by Lee Garbett, Caspar Wijngaard, Kyle Hotz, and Paulina Ganucheau. I imagine people who are looking for Ewok-based stories won’t be disappointed, even if I can’t quite count myself as one of them.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man by Saladin Ahmed Omnibus HC: Collects all 42 issues of the main series, the three-issue “Absolute Carnage” tie-in miniseries, and various one-shots and specials. I’ve generally enjoyed Ahmed’s work on the series as he found a way to help distinguish Miles from the other Spider-People in the Marvel Universe as the one with an intact family unit supporting him. As for how everything holds up now that his run is over… pretty well; though, we’re still waiting for the character’s definitive run in comics.
Spider-Man by Slott & Bagley vol. 1: End of the Spider-Verse: I read the first issue on Marvel Unlimited and it was fine. If nothing else I could appreciate Slott trying to find a different angle with Morlun and I hope that the approach demonstrated here sticks through the following six issues collected here. Still, I wouldn’t say that the first issue was good enough to make me want to stop reading and hold out to add this collected edition to my bookshelf. Particularly when the seven issues collected here will set you back $25.
Han Solo & Chewbacca vol. 2: The Crystal Run, Part 2: “Doctor Aphra” is currently running what will turn out to be a fifteen-issue storyline that will be collected over three volumes. It takes some commitment to tell a story that long, but I’ll be there for the finale when that third volume (vol. 6 in the current series) drops. This, on the other hand, I’m having serious thoughts about skipping because the first volume was just that underwhelming. Han and Chewie are in trouble again and need some credits, only for them to come across Han’s dad on their latest job. That’s something which could’ve been really interesting to explore, except Guggenheim doesn’t do anything interesting with it. Yeah, I’m writing this out now and I think I’ll just read the rest of this on Marvel Unlimited and put the first volume in the “To Sell” pile.
Immortal X-Men vol. 2: Collects issues 7-10 of this new series that I enjoyed, but maybe not as much as I was expecting to. While Kieron Gillen was great at diving into the personalities of the individual members of the Quiet Council, the first volume felt like it was missing a story to tie all of these character studies together. Maybe we’ll get that with “Sins of Sinister.” Or maybe this title will join the likes of “Dai Dark” as another series which I enjoy in spite of how it doesn’t feel like it’s hitting its full potential.