Marvel Previews Picks: July 2015
Right now the plan is to catch “Age of Ultron” on Sunday with John and at least one other friend. So no real thoughts on the movie yet. However, its 75% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes tells me that I should have a good time if I keep my expectations tempered. Maybe I’ll have something more concrete to say by the next round of these picks.
In actual comics-related news, word is that the long, long-delayed final issue of the Fraction/Aja “Hawkeye” run has been finished for a month now. So what’s holding it up? Production on Marvel’s end apparently. That, and the fact that editor Tom Brevoort keeps pushing it back a month each time someone asks him about it. Right now he says it’s been delayed until October… but he failed to mention “of what year” that is. Hey Tom! If you’re reading this, then I guess we’re up to November of that unspecified year now!
Secret Wars #5 (of 8): In which we’re told that Owen Reece died for our sins. I was going to make a joke that revolved around who this guy is… but a quick internet search tells me that he’s the Molecule Man. “Spoiler Warning” I guess. I wonder if he’s why there are so many different Beyonders on the cover of this issue.
Siege #’s 1&2: Kieron Gillen revisits Abigail Brand and “S.W.O.R.D.” with a host of other characters he’s written for Marvel. SOLD! Also, while Filipe Andrade is listed as the artist on this book, I’ve read elsewhere that none other than James Stokoe will also be contributing to it. That makes it even better! The only thing that puts a damper on my enthusiasm is that the writer is also billing this as “Imagine ‘Nextwave’ as a tragedy.” That kind of misses the point of “Nextwave” if you think about it. Can’t wait for the collected edition, though.
Star Wars: Lando #’s 1&2 (of 5): So what was “Star Wars’” most charming rogue up to before becoming administrator of Cloud City? Writer Charles Soule and artist Alex Maleev have your answer as the title character winds up biting off more than he can chew when he tries to steal a very valuable ship. If it’s not the Millenium Falcon, then I’ll be very surprised. Still, Soule and Maleev are a capable team and this will likely make for an engaging read. (Even if Maleev’s presence here means that we should all just give up on seeing any more of “Scarlet” anytime this decade.)
Also shipping this month are the first post-John Cassaday issues of “Star Wars.” Simone Bianchi handles the transitional issue #7 before new regular artist *drumroll* Stuart Immonen takes over with #8. This is going to be awesome! Immonen is a fantastic artist who can also keep to a monthly schedule. Cassaday is great and all, but there was never any doubt that he’d be leaving the book after six issues. Having Immonen will give this title the visual consistency it needs if it wants to keep selling over 100K an issue. Now on a slightly different but still related note…
Star Wars vol. 1: Skywalker Strikes: No “premiere hardcover” treatment here and thank Marvel for that! All of their “Star Wars” titles are going straight to paperback as the company likely realizes that they can reach more “Star Wars” fans if they don’t put the first volume of the series in a more expensive hardcover format. If you want to read this in HC, however, I wouldn’t worry. Expect a deluxe HC collecting the first two volumes a while down the road, because that’s how Marvel rolls.
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl vol. 1: Squirrel Power: Because she always wins. ALWAYS! Even when Galactus is heading back to our planet and ready to chow down. How can you not want to see the way that particular clash is going to play out!?
Uncanny Avengers vol. 5: Axis Prelude: Still debating whether or not I’m going to buy the next volume of “Magneto” and just get the “Uncanny” issues collected here to fill out the collection. Or maybe I’ll just wait until ComicCon and see if I can find one or both volumes for half price. Decisions, decisions…
Black Panther by Christopher Priest: The Complete Collection vol. 1: Now here’s a run that I’ve heard nothing but good things about over the years. Priest effectively took the character and wove complex political stories about how he ran Wakanda for longer than any other writer who has tackled the character before or since. Why hasn’t this run been collected in full before now? Well, there wasn’t a movie in the pipeline that needed promoting before this point. It’s sad that’s what it finally took to get this collection, but I’ll be buying it when it comes out all the same.
Deadpool: Flashbacks: If you needed another sign that the Posehn/Duggan run on the character has been a huge success, look no further. This volume collects all of the “flashback” issues from their run illustrated by Scott Koblish. I’m only up to vol. 4 of their run, but these issues have been real highlights of it so far. Not only do they poke fun at old-school Marvel in an affectionately nutty way, but they also manage to tie into the main stories in unexpected ways. Which, uh… you won’t see here as you’re just getting the flashbacks by themselves. But the lulz remain.
Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man Ultimate Collection Book 1: Collects the character’s first appearance in “Ultimate Fallout,” the first twelve issues of his ongoing series and “Spider-Men.” In short, you get every story involving the character up to and including the point that Bendis decided to stop putting the character through new situations and just had him revisit the milestones that Peter Parker experienced over the course of his career.
X-Men: Age of Apocalypse vol. 1 — Alpha: In which we’re told that this not only collects the “Legion Quest” prologue, but features all of the issues collected in the order that they’re meant to be read. This may seem like a snark-worthy attribute… but I’m actually kind of curious about adding this edition of the classic “X-Men” event to my library. Arranging things in a specific reading order can make a real difference to how the plot flows for a certain event, witness “Infinity.” Also, inter-title continuity was a lot tighter back in the 90’s so this may actually pay off narratively even though there are seven credited writers for this volume alone. I’m not saying it will, yet the possibility is still present.