Let's Talk About Previews (April 2008, Part 03)
God, this one just goes on and on and on. I sure I am giving Marvel a lot of coverage for a publisher I've been told that I have a bias against. (Flash Fact: I have a bias against just about everything.)
Marvel Comics
Marvel Illustrated: The Three Musketeers #1 - Two things, here. The first is: why are they bothering releasing this in singles at all, when it's obvious they're aiming at the library market? Second: seriously, I can't imagine this being a hundredth as excellent as the actual book, which has a lovely Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition with cover art by Tom Gauld.
Ultimate Origins #1 - Just shut up and merge it with the regular Marvel Universe already.
Blahblahblah, Brubaker on Captain America and Daredevil blah blah Iron Fist done-in-one, all of which are quality and will be read in trade paperback. (OK, I read Daredevil in singles for some perverse reason - addiction? Some sort of perverse interest in Matt Murdock's infinite downward spiral?)
Again: I may well just get 1985 for the art.
Parker's back on Marvel Adventures Avengers and he's bringing Arnim Zola with him. Yes, please.
Secret Invasion has 9 crossovers, an issue of the miniseries, a one-shot, and an issue ofMarvel Masturbatory Times Marvel Spotlight. That'd be around $32 for the comics for a single month right there for the fan wanting to get "the whole story."
I got very excited for Thor: Ages of Thunder - Reign of Blood until I remembered the Slayer album was Reign In Blood. (Still, I like Patrick Zircher's art a lot and Fraction seems genuinely enthusiastic about handling the hammer-wielding mother, so...)
This is what I have to say about the solicitation for this Astonishing X-Men Sketchbook: While none of the designs are particuarly attractive, the new look on Storm takes the cake. It looks like Jodorowski and Moebius buried the hatchet long enough to throw up together.
Mark Millar's doing another Wolverine story, this time with Steve McNiven pencils. "Old Man Logan" is what it's called, and it's apparently "the most important WOLVERINE story of the 21st century." Like that's some sort of accomplishment.
There's some other X-Men stuff happening, but I'm pretty convinced that nobody that's not already thoroughly indoctrinated is likely to pick up any of these titles outside of the two First Class books.
Crazy Idea I Have That They'd Never Do: with Ennis leaving the Punisher MAX series, it's a perfect chance to tell one last great story with the character and letting him finally go out with a bang, especially as the title has been completely disconnected from the mainline Marvel Universe since the switch away from the Marvel Knights banner. (Yes, I know they did The Punisher: The End, but, you know.)
I like how Criminal has a solicitation that looks like nothing else in the rest of the Marvel previews catalog. It serves to point out how different that book is from the rest of the line. You know, in that it's readable and awesome.
[INSERT KABUKI TRACING JOKE HERE HUR HUR HUR]
I'll likely pick up the second Atlas Era Tales of Suspense Masterworks volume. That is because I love me those old monster stories, even if they're as predictable as the 6 line. "Aaaand the monster is revealed to be from another planet right...about...now."
I'm of two minds about Marvel Zombies 2. The first being sensible: I laughed at bits and bobs of the first one, but wasn't blown away in any sense by the writing. The second, however, says this: OMG SEAN PHILLIPS DRAWING ZOMBIE LUKE CAGE AND SHIT! AWESOME!
The existence of a "Premiere Edition Hardcover" of Marvels when they could just reprint that very nice oversized 10th anniversary edition is out-and-out baffling.
Look, I'm not some crazy slash fiction kind of person, so this sort of stuff doesn't usually jump right out at me, but c'mon, Venom's totally going to giveMiracleman Sentry a rogering right there on the street.
You know what? I am probably going to check out Incredible Hercules: Against The World because people I trust have repeatedly said good things about it and every time I've seen pages, they've been...smart and fun. You know, like Marvel comics kinda should be?
They're not really Fantastic Four: Lost Adventures if you've printed them in the last six months or so, Marvel.
I will likely get the last Whedon Astonishing X-Men collection. I know, shocking to some, but I actually did like what he was doing in that third volume, despite my general wariness of the man. And his fans. Oh, his fans make it so hard to be objective.
If you've waited for some silly reason, Kirby's Eternals is getting a softcover release in what looks to be two volumes (to tie in with the sure-to-be-canceled ongoing series that also launches in June.) I really am very fond of this series and you should be too. (Also, Gaiman's series was boooo-ring. Admit it.)
I'm sort of interested in Christos Gage's House of M: Avengers for $14 in trade paperback. Somebody talk me out of it.
And while they're at it, they need to tell me that even with the sheer amount of ass-whooping that's sure to be contained within, Hulk vs The Marvel Universe is too expensive at $25.
Oh, hey, new trade dress on the Essential series! I guess the old one was looking a bit 2001, but I hope they keep the same spine design. I hate it when the spines change in the middle of something. Yes, I'm talking to you, Bryan Lee O'Malley and Scott Pilgrim Volume 4. Also, there's part of me that think I need Essential Captain Marvel Volume 1 despite not actually liking the character. No, not even then Starlin stuff. In fact, especially not the Starlin stuff.
That's it. Tomorrow, the indies. You can send hate mail to the usual address, or just leave a comment.
Marvel Comics
Marvel Illustrated: The Three Musketeers #1 - Two things, here. The first is: why are they bothering releasing this in singles at all, when it's obvious they're aiming at the library market? Second: seriously, I can't imagine this being a hundredth as excellent as the actual book, which has a lovely Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition with cover art by Tom Gauld.
Ultimate Origins #1 - Just shut up and merge it with the regular Marvel Universe already.
Blahblahblah, Brubaker on Captain America and Daredevil blah blah Iron Fist done-in-one, all of which are quality and will be read in trade paperback. (OK, I read Daredevil in singles for some perverse reason - addiction? Some sort of perverse interest in Matt Murdock's infinite downward spiral?)
Again: I may well just get 1985 for the art.
Parker's back on Marvel Adventures Avengers and he's bringing Arnim Zola with him. Yes, please.
Secret Invasion has 9 crossovers, an issue of the miniseries, a one-shot, and an issue of
I got very excited for Thor: Ages of Thunder - Reign of Blood until I remembered the Slayer album was Reign In Blood. (Still, I like Patrick Zircher's art a lot and Fraction seems genuinely enthusiastic about handling the hammer-wielding mother, so...)
This is what I have to say about the solicitation for this Astonishing X-Men Sketchbook: While none of the designs are particuarly attractive, the new look on Storm takes the cake. It looks like Jodorowski and Moebius buried the hatchet long enough to throw up together.
Mark Millar's doing another Wolverine story, this time with Steve McNiven pencils. "Old Man Logan" is what it's called, and it's apparently "the most important WOLVERINE story of the 21st century." Like that's some sort of accomplishment.
There's some other X-Men stuff happening, but I'm pretty convinced that nobody that's not already thoroughly indoctrinated is likely to pick up any of these titles outside of the two First Class books.
Crazy Idea I Have That They'd Never Do: with Ennis leaving the Punisher MAX series, it's a perfect chance to tell one last great story with the character and letting him finally go out with a bang, especially as the title has been completely disconnected from the mainline Marvel Universe since the switch away from the Marvel Knights banner. (Yes, I know they did The Punisher: The End, but, you know.)
I like how Criminal has a solicitation that looks like nothing else in the rest of the Marvel previews catalog. It serves to point out how different that book is from the rest of the line. You know, in that it's readable and awesome.
[INSERT KABUKI TRACING JOKE HERE HUR HUR HUR]
I'll likely pick up the second Atlas Era Tales of Suspense Masterworks volume. That is because I love me those old monster stories, even if they're as predictable as the 6 line. "Aaaand the monster is revealed to be from another planet right...about...now."
I'm of two minds about Marvel Zombies 2. The first being sensible: I laughed at bits and bobs of the first one, but wasn't blown away in any sense by the writing. The second, however, says this: OMG SEAN PHILLIPS DRAWING ZOMBIE LUKE CAGE AND SHIT! AWESOME!
The existence of a "Premiere Edition Hardcover" of Marvels when they could just reprint that very nice oversized 10th anniversary edition is out-and-out baffling.
Look, I'm not some crazy slash fiction kind of person, so this sort of stuff doesn't usually jump right out at me, but c'mon, Venom's totally going to give
You know what? I am probably going to check out Incredible Hercules: Against The World because people I trust have repeatedly said good things about it and every time I've seen pages, they've been...smart and fun. You know, like Marvel comics kinda should be?
They're not really Fantastic Four: Lost Adventures if you've printed them in the last six months or so, Marvel.
I will likely get the last Whedon Astonishing X-Men collection. I know, shocking to some, but I actually did like what he was doing in that third volume, despite my general wariness of the man. And his fans. Oh, his fans make it so hard to be objective.
If you've waited for some silly reason, Kirby's Eternals is getting a softcover release in what looks to be two volumes (to tie in with the sure-to-be-canceled ongoing series that also launches in June.) I really am very fond of this series and you should be too. (Also, Gaiman's series was boooo-ring. Admit it.)
I'm sort of interested in Christos Gage's House of M: Avengers for $14 in trade paperback. Somebody talk me out of it.
And while they're at it, they need to tell me that even with the sheer amount of ass-whooping that's sure to be contained within, Hulk vs The Marvel Universe is too expensive at $25.
Oh, hey, new trade dress on the Essential series! I guess the old one was looking a bit 2001, but I hope they keep the same spine design. I hate it when the spines change in the middle of something. Yes, I'm talking to you, Bryan Lee O'Malley and Scott Pilgrim Volume 4. Also, there's part of me that think I need Essential Captain Marvel Volume 1 despite not actually liking the character. No, not even then Starlin stuff. In fact, especially not the Starlin stuff.
That's it. Tomorrow, the indies. You can send hate mail to the usual address, or just leave a comment.
