Marvel Penguin Picks: August 2024
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
Thrawn: Alliances
I’ve become more selective about what “Star Wars” comics I buy from Marvel over the years simply because they publish too many to make keeping up with all of them an affordable and/or reasonable proposition. However, when their publication schedule did make such a thing feasible, one of the comics I picked up as a matter of course was writer Jody Houser and Luke Ross’ adaptation of Timothy Zahn’s “Thrawn” novel. It was a satisfyingly dense comic that actually did a good job of making the title character more interesting to me than he had been in Zahn’s “Heir to the Empire” trilogy. Thrawn was no less a mastermind here, but his struggles were actually interesting because he was struggling against the Empire’s prejudices against non-humans.
Several years later and Houser is back, adapting another of Zahn’s novels, “Alliances.” This time it sees Thrawn having to work with Darth Vader under the Emperor’s order to stop a threat worthy of this alliance. The catch is that this isn’t the first time they’ve worked together. Thrawn and Anakin Skywalker once had to team up in order to rescue Padme Amidala. That’s interesting in a way that makes me wonder how it fits into the current continuity, but the present-day team-up sounds like a setup for a good time.
Uncanny X-Men #1: Written by Gail Simone and illustrated by David Marquez. Which is a solid team but not one that really gets me excited about the next era of “X-Men” comics. We’re also told that the bonds joining mutantkind are slipping away and it’s up to Rogue to lead the newest team. Unless the latest “terrible secret” threatens to destroy them forever. Sure, fine. I’ll wait and see how this all shakes out in the trade.
Wolverine: Revenge #1 (of 5): Wherein Ol’ Canucklehead is out for REVENGE in a story that the solicitation text says is destined to become one of his defining tales. Which is hyperbolic even by the standards of solicitation text from Marvel… except for the fact that this miniseries is being written by Jonathan Hickman and illustrated by Greg Capullo. So there’s no denying the potential is there for that hype to ring true in the end. If nothing else, the floor is that it winds up being a sharply-written, slickly-illustrated miniseries where Wolverine kills a lot of bad guys – and there’s always room for one of those on my shelf.
X-Factor #1: In the wake of Krakoa, all nations are building their own teams of mutants to advance their interests. America has been here before, however, and that means X-Factor is back! Havok is leading a team made up of Angel, Frenzy, Pyro, and Feral (to start with) to make the world safe for democracy, and maybe mutants as well, while also being as marketable and patriotic as possible. It all sounds very silly and satirical, which makes sense as this is coming from writer Mark Russell, who really does like mixing these two things together. Bob Quinn illustrates a series which would not surprise me if it wound up only lasting five or six issues. Even if that’s the case, they should still make for a fun read.
Predator vs. Black Panther #1 (of 4): “Predator vs. Wolverine” was certainly a comic where those two characters fought. However, in terms of who the Yautja were going to fight next in the Marvel stable, T’Challa was certainly unexpected. He’s an inspired choice, as someone with the resources of the most advanced nation on Earth to bring to bear against this alien hunter. I was also going to say that his status as King of Wakanda would also add an interesting dimension to this fight, but I understand that’s not the case anymore. Still, I’m a lot more curious about how this fight is going to play out than the previous one. Even if this one is also being written by Benjamin Percy, with Chris Allen providing the art for this throw-down.
Venom War #1 (of 5): After 35 issues, Al Ewing’s “Venom” run finally spawns its own event series. Donny Cates’ legendary run had already spawned two by this point, so Ewing had better pick up the pace. Anywhoo, one of the key plot threads that has sprung up during this run has been the deterioration of the father/son relationship between Eddie and Dylan Brock. To the point where, now that the both of them have bonded with the Venom symbiote, they’re going to have to fight to see who gets to keep it. All while Doom looks on in the wings. That part isn’t in the solicitation text, but it was a big part of “Venom #25.” Which means that we’ll be getting some payoff for the setup the writer has been doing with this event. Should be good.
Also, if you’re wondering what the writer has in store for tie-in Venom #36 this month, don’t. Unless this is just a one-off for this month, it looks like Torunn Gronbekk will be writing this series through the duration of the event.
Marvel: The End Omnibus HC: It sounds comprehensive. Collecting the miniseries, “Marvel Universe: The End,” “Wolverine: The End,” all three(!) volumes of “X-Men: The End,” and “Fantastic Four: The End.” This is in addition to the one-shots for Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Captain Marvel, Deadpool, Doctor Strange, Miles Morales, and Venom. What’s missing? “Daredevil: End of Days” which was essentially “(Not) Daredevil: The End” from Bendis and David Mack, and “Punisher: The End” from Garth Ennis and the late, great Richard Corben. It’s the omission of that last one-shot that’s the real disappointment here, but perhaps understandable as it’s a brutally dark story that’s extreme in its content in a way that’s at odds with the other stories here. Worth seeking out on its own, or in the “From First to Last” collection.
Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIII: I still remain unconvinced that all three issues of this miniseries will arrive in a timely enough fashion for this collected edition to arrive by August. Issue #1 is out now, but we’ll see how things go with #’s 2 & 3.
Ultimate Black Panther vol. 1: Peace & War: We never got an “Ultimate Black Panther” during the first incarnation of the Ultimate Universe, so it’s good to see that issue being redressed here. T’Challa is still King of Wakanda and the nation is still hidden from the rest of the world. That last bit is going to change as the forces of Khonshu and Ra, known together as the Moon Knight, start flexing their power to take over the African continent. Only Wakanda and its king stand in their way, but there’s a traitor among T’Challa’s inner circle that needs to be dealt with first. This comes to us from artists Stefano Caselli and Carlos Nieto and writer Bryan Hill, the latter of which has been doing various projects at Image and DC over the years, while also flaming out with the “Fallen Angels” series at the start of the Krakoan Age at Marvel. The response to this series has been a lot better, so picking up this volume when it comes out is a no-brainer for me.