Marvel Penguin Picks: June 2022
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
X-Cellent vol. 1: Hereditary-X
It was a little over two decades ago (and yes, writing that sentence does make me feel old) that Peter Milligan and Michael Allred took over “X-Force” and turned it on its head. From being the book about proactive mutant military action that it was, to a satire on the trappings of celebrity that burned through its cast members at a surprising rate for the time. It eventually got a new moniker in the form of “X-Statix” and wrapped up its run with one follow-up miniseries, “Dead Girl,” and its most marketable member, Doop, popping up in his own miniseries and occasionally in the pages of “Wolverine & the X-Men.” It’s not surprising that the “X-Statix” concept has laid fallow all these years as it was more of a beloved cult series than commercial blockbuster, and the sensibilities that Milligan and Allred brought to the series were so singular that anyone trying to copy them would’ve faced withering criticism if they didn’t nail it just right.
Flash forward to the present day and Milligan and Allred are making their own return to “X-Statix” in the form of “X-Cellent.” Original team leader Zeitgeist is back and he’s determined to make everyone forget about the mutants who succeeded him after his death. The problem is that he’s going to need a team of his own in order to do so, and what kind of team is he going to get when mutants are already world famous/infamous as a result of their exploits on Krakoa? While I don’t doubt that the creators have something to say with this new title, it’ll be most interesting to see how this series interacts with current Krakoan status quo given that their original run kept modern “X-Men” continuity at arm’s length. Still, whether the end result is a glorious return to form, or a massive trainwreck, it’ll likely be an interesting read in either case – and feature undeniably fantastic art from Allred as well.
A.X.E.: Eve of Judgment #1: Marvel has so many events these days that it can be hard to tell which ones matter to the overall narrative of its universe. Well, this one involves not only the Eternals, but the Avengers and X-Men as well, so it’s a safe bet that it’s going to matter. It’s also being written by someone who is currently writing two of the titles relating to this event – “Eternals” and “Immortal X-Men” – Kieron Gillen in his event-writing debut. This will be the first time he’s written something of this scale, so I’m curious to see how he’ll handle it. He does have a good setup for this event as it involves the Eternals realizing that they’ve let a Deviant-esque species go unchecked on Earth for too long: Mutants. The Avengers naturally try to keep the peace, but I doubt it’ll go well for them considering the communities they’re standing in the middle of.
Fortnite x Marvel: Zero War #1 (of 5): A shard of the Zero Point falls into the Marvel Universe and Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Shuri team up with some of the characters from the game to find it . You probably already know if this is something that you’re interested in. “Batman/Fortnite” writer Christos Gage returns with Epic Games CCO Donald Mustard to write this crossover with Sergio Davila providing the art. I still haven’t made it around to reading “Batman/Fortnite,” but Gage’s presence suggests to me the boilerplate recommendation of “if you liked that, then you’ll probably like this too.”
Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #1: The Steve Rogers “Captain America” title, written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing, with Carmen Carnero providing the art. We’re not given much to go on in the solicitation text, save for the fact that there’s a secret in Cap’s shield that’s going to affect how he views his past and future. It sounds fine, but the Kelly/Lanzig team is one of those that I’ve seen many times in these solicitations but have yet to read any of their work. Clearly they must be doing something right, though I can’t say that there’s anything here which makes me curious to check out this title to see what that something is.
Daredevil #1: Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto’s run continues post-”Devil’s Reign.” The last time a “Daredevil” run got a soft reboot with the same creative team, it was with the legendary Waid/Samnee run. So I guess it’s time to put “Spider-Man: Life Story” behind me and finally get around to seeing why this team’s run is ongoing and worthy of this extra exposure.
X-Men: Hellfire Gala #1: Last year it was a big month-long crossover with an oversized issue serving as its centerpiece. This time, it sounds like there will be less crossing over, but this one-shot is still promising big things. Bigger than annexing and terraforming Mars in the name of mutantkind? We shall see. Gerry Duggan returns to write this centerpiece issue with contributions from Matteo Lolli, C.F. Villa, Kris Anka, and Russell Dauterman.
Amazing Spider-Man #6/900: It’s the sixth issue of Zeb Wells’ run, but the 900th issue of “ASM” overall. What does this issue have in store? Art from Ed McGuinness for one thing. Another would be an interesting new take on the Sinister Six. Rather than have Spidey fight a new version of the team, someone has gone and put the powers of the classic version of the supervillain team into the Super Adaptoid. Make way for the Sinister Adaptoid!
That’s good and all, but maybe not quite enough to get me excited about this. However, Wells, Saladin Ahmed, Kelly Thompson, and company are doing a good job with the current “Beyond” storyline that has seen Ben Reilly take over for an incapacitated (both physically and legally) Peter Parker. Yes, Nick Spencer set a low bar for the title on his exit, but I’ve actually been enjoying Ben’s attempts to be a good hero within the corporate strictures of the Beyond Corporation. It’s not quite good enough for me to add this to my print library, but I’ve been looking forward to each new issues as it hits Marvel Unlimited.
Defenders: Beyond #1 (of 5): Al Ewing and Javier Rodriguez’s previous “Defenders” miniseries was received so well that we’re getting this follow-up. With an all-new version of the team featuring the God of Stories himself, Loki. Ewing did a bang-up job writing the character in his solo series, so I’m always up for more of his take on the character. Joining Loki will be America Chavez, the Blue Marvel, Tigra, and Taaia who is… Galactus’ Mom? I’m not sure if she’s a new character or just a very obscure one, but I’d bet on the latter. I also imagine she’s got some thoughts about what a certain God of Thunder did to her son. I’ll be looking forward to hearing those, as well as what Ewing and Rodriguez have cooked up for the team, in addition to the beyond-the-grave mission they’re being given from Doctor Strange.
Wild Cards: The Drawing of the Cards #1 (of 4): Because after the success of “Game of Thrones” you can believe that everything George R.R. Martin has written or been involved with will be adapted into other mediums. Sometimes multiple times, as this isn’t the first time we’ve been graced with a comics adaptation of the superhero prose anthology series masterminded and edited by Martin. While I’m unfamiliar with it, this adaptation does boast the involvement of a creator I do like: “Captain Britain & MI-13” and “Wolverine” writer Paul Cornell. He’s working with “Deadpool” artist Mike Hawthorne on this series, and I think that their involvement makes this worth a look.
The Variants #1 (of 5): It’s been a while since we’ve had a Jessical Jones series or miniseries, hasn’t it? So it’s good to see her back tackling another case in this miniseries from Gail Simone and Phil Noto. Good for us rather than Jessica herself as a routine investigation has her coming face to face with (you guessed it) alternate-universe variants of herself. Get ready for some quality self-loathing as she gets a fist-hand look at what her life(s) could have been, courtesy of a writer and artist who are more than up to the task. Seriously, how has Simone not written Jessica Jones yet? Better that this injustice is being corrected now than never.
Clobberin’ Time #1 (of 5): After spending a few years in the creator-owned wilds at Image, Steve Skroce comes back to Marvel to have some fun with a couple of old toys. Specifically: The Hulk and the Thing as these two frenemies find themselves stuck on a faraway planet protecting an alien race from the Deviant hordes and a celestial. “Post Americana” showed that Skroce is a decent writer who can deliver some crazy, over-the-top settings and action. Even if the story is nothing more than an excuse for fighting, I imagine the spectacle offered by this series will be worth it.
Ant-Man #1 (of 5): Al Ewing and Tom Reilly team up for this multi-generational look at every individual to assume the Ant-Man name. Starting with Hank Pym, who is looking forward to a date with his girlfriend Janet Van Dyne. Unfortunately for him, all the members of his rogues gallery have decided that this is the night that they’re finally going to get some revenge. This being an Ewing-written series, you can bet that there’s going to be some kind of (possibly cosmic) story tying all of these heroes and eras together. This being an Ewing series, you can bet it’ll find its way onto my shelf at some point as well.
Star Wars #25: This isn’t your average quarter-century anniversary issue. Nope, because it’s also the 100th issue of “Star Wars” published by Marvel after they got the license back from Dark Horse. To celebrate, writer Charles Soule is revisiting the other characters and series he’s written in this universe before landing here. The solicitation text promises us new adventures of Obi-Wan & Anakin, Darth Vader, Poe Dameron, and Kylo Ren. As for the regular cast of Luke, Han, Leia and company? Well, I’m sure they’re in here somewhere too. Regular artist Ramon Rosanas is joined by familiar faces Guiseppe Camuncoli, Will Sliney, and Phil Noto for this anniversary.
Savage Avengers by Gerry Duggan Omnibus HC: Told you this was coming. Collects issues #0-28, the Annual, and the two-part Kulan Gath storyline from “Uncanny X-Men” #’s 190-191 that clearly had some influence on these series seeing as how the wizard was its main villain. If you’re interested in reading this run in print, this $100 744-page omnibus is your best bet as some of the trade paperbacks collecting it are already out of print and Conan’s presence is likely what’s keeping this series off of Marvel Unlimited at the moment.
Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters Omnibus HC: $100 for 848 pages? Yeah, I’d say it’s worth it. Especially if you can find it at a discount.