Marvel Previews Picks: March 2021
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
Star Wars: Legends of the Old Republic Omnibus vol. 1
You’d think that diminishing returns would start to set in when you’re doing a licensed spinoff comic based on another property within that same license. “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic,” however, is here to prove you wrong. The series, written by John Jackson Miller, and illustrated by Brian Ching and Bong Dazo, takes place before the classic “Knights of the Old Republic” videogame to tell the story of one Zayne Carrick. He’s a padawan who is seen as something of a lost cause by his peers and superiors, which is why his life is turned into a special kind of hell when he’s framed for murder by the Jedi Council. Now the only individual Zayne can rely on is Marn Hieroglyph, a con artist that he kept trying and failing to bring in. It’s the two of them, and some eventual friends, against the most powerful group in the Republic.
I was skeptical of this series at first. Trying to add on to the story of arguably the best “Star Wars” videogame seemed like a recipe for disaster. Except that Miller treads lightly on the ground covered there, with the actual tie-ins being subtler and more well-thought-out than you’d expect. Which are good things because the core story is pretty engaging and the main cast itself is very likeable. Toss in some good, if stylistically inconsistent, art from Ching and Dazo, and you’ve got an omnibus edition which is worth its hefty $125 price tag.
Beta Ray Bill #1 (of 5): This isn’t the first time Thor’s alien brother-in-arms has been featured in a miniseries. He’s had a couple, including one by Kieron Gillen. What makes this one worth checking out is that it’s the Marvel debut of “Murder Falcon” and “Wonder Woman: Dead Earth” creator Daniel Warren Johnson. So Bill’s latest cosmic adventure is going to look stunning, if nothing else. As for the story, it looks to be firmly rooted in current Marvel continuity. Spoilerific continuity, even, as I hadn’t realized that Thor had destroyed Stormbreaker, Bill’s hammer — which is the second thing that’s been spoiled for me from the first volume of Donny Cates’ run on “Thor.” Now the Korbinite is out looking for a new weapon and that sounds like as good a starting point as any for this story. This first issue will also set you back $5, but that’s because it’ll contain a conversation between Johnson and Bill’s creator, Walter Simonson. Which is something I hope they’ll include when this issue hits Marvel Unlimited or is collected in one volume.
Alien #1: Now that they’ve got the license from Dark Horse, Marvel is going to put it to use. Phillip Kennedy Johnson writes and Salvador Larroca illustrates this story of a man who gave his life for Weyland-Yutani. Not literally, though he did survive a xenomorph attack before retiring to civilian life. While he’s looking to patch up his relationship with his son, the man is about to find out that the xenomorphs aren’t done with him. Or something like that. What’s not mentioned here is if this is going to be the first of a series-of-miniseries, or if it’ll be an ongoing series with a rotating creative team, or if Johnson and Larroca have long-term plans for the story they’re telling. It’s not that you can’t do long-term stories with these creatures, you just have to have a really good idea of where you’re going with this. Like Brian Wood did in “Defiance.” The setup here sounds fine for a miniseries, much less so for an ongoing.
Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade #1 (of 5): It turns out that having Simon Spurrier write a “Black Knight” tie-in to “The King in Black” was only an appetizer. Now he’s doing a miniseries with Sergio Davilla about the character to follow-up on what was done there. I have no idea what that is, save for the fact that the solicitation text tells me that Dane Whitman now has a greater sense of purpose because of it. Oh, and someone has plans for his cursed Ebony Blade. Yes, this is also a thin set-up for a miniseries. The difference here is that I’ve read enough of Spurrier’s work to know that he’s going to give us something that’s potentially more interesting than Dane and his cursed sword.
Carnage: Black, White, and Blood #1 (of 4): Well, if the three-color format was good enough for Wolverine… Donny Cates, Benjamin Percy, and Tini Howard write some stories, while Ken Lashley, Sara Pichelli, and maybe someone else illustrate some stories about the most psychotic and blood-crazed of Spider-Man’s symbiote foes.
Demon Days: X-Men: Peach Momoko is the new hotness when it comes to cover illustrations. So it was inevitable that someone would want to get her to illustrate the inside of a comic at one point. Marvel made her the best offer, so we’re getting a five-book series called “Demon Days,” which promises to show us familiar characters in a new world and new situations. Which look to be fantasy-based as demons, monsters, and magic are all name-checked in the solicitation.
Deadpool: Nerdy 30 #1: The Merc With a Mouth celebrates 30 years in the industry. There’s no mention of who will be contributing to this special, save for the cover illustration from Ed McGuinness. Which just leaves me with one more reminder of the inexorable passing of time.
Guardians of the Galaxy #12: That’s, uh a very “Final Issue”-looking cover. The solicitation text also sounds very “Final Issue”-y as well. However, a quick look at the Amazon listing for the second volume of this series indicates that it only collects up to issue #11. So that’s either an error, or Al Ewing and Juan Cabal’s take on the “Guardians” will extend to a third volume. Which is a good thing based on how the first volume turned out (review forthcoming).
Cosmic Ghost Rider Omnibus: I can only imagine that Donny Cates sat down one day and thought to himself, “What’s the craziest direction I can take Frank Castle in…?” A few years and a bestselling arc of “Thanos” later, the Cosmic Ghost Rider has amassed enough appearances to warrant his own omnibus. That being said, I can only vouch for that arc of “Thanos” and the “Guardians of the Galaxy” arc he appeared in. The first “Cosmic Ghost Rider” miniseries and arc of “Avengers” he showed up in were fine, while I have yet to read “Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History” and “Revenge of the Cosmic Ghost Rider.” A story from “Wolverine: Black, White & Blood” #3 also shows up here, to which I can only say, “Spoilers!” Speaking of which…
Wolverine: Black, White & Blood Treasury Edition: The three-tone “Wolverine” anthology is collected in Marvel’s oversized format. This will definitely make appreciating the art in what is clearly an art-centric series all that easier. The question is whether or not you’re going to want to pay $30 for a collection of a four-issue miniseries that will afford you that privilege. To each his own, though I’m on the fence about this one right now.
Warhammer 40k: Marneus Calgar: Save for the fact that it’s about grimdark military war action in the far future, and that it’s based on a popular tabletop game, I know nothing about “Warhammer 40k.” Which isn’t a problem because Kieron Gillen is writing this miniseries with an eye for introducing people like me to this universe that he happens to be a rather large fan of. The miniseries looks to show us the origin of one of the most famous characters of “Warhammer 40k” as threat from his past comes back to get him. It sounds pretty standard, but with Gillen writing, and Jacen Burrows on hand to provide the bloody, bloody art, the actual story should be anything but.