THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN RENEW YOUR VOWS #1 by Gerry Conway and Ryuan Stegman. So what we have is a direct spin-off from the RENEW YOUR VOWS mini-series that ran during SECRET WARS. In that series, Peter Parker and Mary Jane are married have a daughter, Annie May. In that mini-series, they teamed up to help to defeat the villain Regent. And, in this new title, they continue to battle villains, including the Mole Man. And we have a familiar supporting cast including JJJ and Robbie. But what the heck universe/timeline is this in? Confused. Oh…we also get two back-ups: one that highlights the relationship between father and daughter by Anthony Holden and the other involving Mary Jane and Annie May by Kate Leth and Marguerite Sauvage. While I loved the mini-series, this one left me confused as to where it fits in the world of Marvel. Bring back the Multiverse!
THE AVENGERS 1.1 by Mark Waid and Barry Kitson. Welcome to the never revealed tale of the second team of Avengers: Captain America, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Giant Man, Wasp and Iron Man decide to disband the team and that leaves Cap with the new recruits. This harkens back to the good old days of The Avengers and, even though it is moved up a bit in the timeline, it still has that classic Marvel feel. Waid writes a fun story and Kitson’s art is classic Kitson. Throw in the Frightful Four, Jarvis and a wicked beat down and you have the makings of a killer title…maybe even better than the real Avengers titles masquerading as Avengers titles.
THE AVENGERS #1 by Mark Waid and Mike DelMundo. So you know: this isn’t daddy’s Avengers. This team is made up of Wasp Nadia Pym(yeah…Janet’s dead, remember?), Jane Foster Thor(yeah…the other one is “unworthy”), Sam Wilson Captain America(yeah…there’s two now), Vision, Spider Man(the Peter Parker one) and Hercules. So, here they are with Vision declaring war on Kang the Conqueror. You know THAT can’t be good! Waid writes a fun story and even though Del Mundo’s art takes some getting used to, I’m a sucker for a Kang story. Not sure if I’ll follow through on this for the long haul, but it does bear investigating.
CEREBUS IN HELL? #0 by Dave Sim, Sandeep Atwal and Gustave Dore. So, Dave Sim, the mad genius behind the epic CEREBUS tale hasn’t been able to draw since February of 2015. But there needed to be NEW Cerebus for the 40th Anniversary of the book. That’s where Dave and Sandeep come in by WRITING a new story that tells us what happened after Cerebus died 12 years ago. What that entails is pasting existing images of “Most Holy” onto panels from Dore’s illustrations for Dante’s DIVINE COMEDY, better known as DANTE’S INFERNO and writing bad schtick. How that comes off is…well…just like it sounds: pretty unfunny! Big disappointment Dave! Fans: go to HEAVY METAL where you get to watch Dave former illustrating partner Gerhard tear it up with some GREAT STUFF!
ETHER #1 by Matt Kindt and David Rubin, is a trippy little Sci-Fi adventure starring time and dimension travelling hero Boone Dias and a crazy cast of characters as they move across the gateway between Earth and Ether. Truly a head trip book with Kindt’s usual punctuated writing and Rubin’s Pop Art inspired art. Definitely worth checking out!
GHOST RIDER #1 by Felipe Smith and Danilo S. Beyruth. Once upon a time, Ghost Rider was western hero Carter Slade. Then he was Johnny Blaze. Then Danny Ketch. Then SHE was Alejandra Jones. And now: Robbie Reyes. I lost interest after Danny Ketch, especially when we got Reyes and he drives a 1969 Dodge Charger instead of a motorcycle. Uh…no! Give me a break! I don’t like the character, don’t like the supporting cast and absolutely don’t like the concept. Give me Nick Cage over this!
HARBINGER RENEGADE #1 by Rafer Roberts, Raul Allen, Juan Jose Ryp, and Darick Robertson. In the rebooted Valiant world, the Renegades were made up of Peter, Kris, Faith, Charlene, Ax, and Torque. They went after Toya Harada and his Harbinger Foundation, defeating them, but costing Charlene her life in the process. In the end, the team split up, leaving Faith as the only operating superhero. But Harada is still active and now there is a whole thing going on with people trying to become Psiots. Faith is trying to put the team back together and it make take Peter to return to Earth to help. If you didn’t read the series before this, prepare to be a little lost. But it’s worth searching for back issues and diving in. Hey-there’s even a coupon to get HARBINGER RENEGADE #0, like in the old days of Valiant.
INHUMANS VS. XMEN #0 by Charles Soule and Kenneth Rocafort. Welcome to the BIG event of the next few months at Marvel which, considering there is a BIG EVENT every few months is no big thing to me. Heck-we haven’t finished the LAST BIG EVENT yet! Basically, this is lining up the players and the events that will lead to EARTH SHATTERING CHANGES in the world of mutants and Inhumans. Yadda, yadda, yadda…blah, blah blah! We’ve heard it all before and this will result in MORE X-titles and such. I’m skeptical of it all, but it is a nice story by Soule and Rocafort turns in his usually cool stuff.
INVINSIBLE IRON MAN #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Stefano Caselli. In case you haven’t heard, SOMETHING has happened to Tony Stark during CIVIL WAR II…which we don’t know because the damned thing STILL isn’t over! To that end, Riri Williams has become the NEW IRON MAN…more specifically-IRONHEART! She gets a great origin story and gets to meet THE MAN…well sort of. I’m not convinced that this NEW ERA of Iron heroes should be Riri and Victor Von Doom but hey-if Tony and Rhodey are dead…what’cha gonna do?
MAYDAY #1 by Alex DeCampi and Tony Parker. The 70’s were a crazy time, especially when you get the C.I.A. and the KGB involved. Throw in some hippies, killer music, Truth Serum and LSD and you have an amazing start to a killer five-issue series. Alex DeCampi writes it with the heart and soul that she throws into all her works. It’s gritty and nasty and a whole lot of fun! And Tony Parker’s art is a perfect fit for it. I love where this is going and cannot wait to get to the next installment!
MOTHER PANIC #1 by Jody Houser and Tommy Lee Edwards. Young Animal comes to Gotham City and crime fighting just took a twisted turn. The newest vigilante is on the scene and so is a psychotic artist. To say anymore would certainly ruin the beauty of this quirky new series. Like anything else so far from Young Animal, it crosses the line between DCU and Vertigo and is required reading!
MOTOR CRUSH #1 by Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart and Babs Tarr. Meet Domino-she’s a racer in the World Grand Prix of motorcycle racing. Win a race and you get a supply of the Crush-a highly potent drug. But don’t cross the producers or they will make you pay. Unfortunately for Domino, she has done just that. And now she finds herself in deep. It’s an interesting concept from the BATGIRL trio, but I’m not sure how well it will play out.
MOTOR GIRL #1 by Terry Moore. Meet Sam and Mike. She’s a mechanic working in a junkyard. Mike is her gorilla friend and confidant. It also seems that Libby, who owns the place, has someone offering to buy the place…someone who may have ulterior motives. Oh…did I mention that there are aliens who need their spaceship fixed? Yeah…it’s Terry Moore’s newest soon-to-be masterpiece and is filled with a hot looking babe, creepy government types and a gorilla. What more could you want from Moore?
REGGIE AND ME #1 by Tom DeFalco and Sandy Jarrell. Archie Comics continues their rebooting of the line with this newest addition to it. Reggie is up to his old tricks and nasty self and his fellow students pay for his wrath. It’s just an okay read, as it seems that many of these new reboots have lost steam. Personally, I want a new issue of AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE before another issue of this title.
THANOS #1 by Jeff Lemire and Mike Deodato. Well…everyone’s favorite mad god is back and is not very happy about the state of things. Corvus has taken over Thanos’ sector and now he wants it back. And to make things worse, he is dying. Oh yeah: Starfox is back and Tryco Slatterus has commandeered him to go find the mad god. Lemire and Deodato are in great form here as the book is interesting and looks awesome! Despite this team, I was convinced I would be one and done. Boy…was I wrong!
TRIGGERMAN #1 by Matz, Jef and Walter Hill. Leave it to Titan Comics to finally make use of the Hard Case Crime name and turn out a Noir comic that delivers! Walter Hill is a legendary director who has the basis of this 1930’s gangster epic. It’s got hard fighting men, loose women and some serious gunfire. It looks great and reads as well! Hey-I’m a sucker for the Hard Case Crime novels anyway, so this fits right into my wheel house.
UBER INVASION #1 by Kieron Gillen and Daniel Gele. In 2013, Keiron Gillen and Caanan White unleashed UBER on the comics world. In it, an alternate World War II scenario was depicted-one where the Nazis created a super soldier known as the Ubermenschen. Ultimately, Berlin is saved from defeat at the hands of the Russians, the Japanese end up with their own Super Soldier and this forces the Allies to develop the same. Now begins the next chapter in this epic, violent saga, where the war comes to our shores…specifically starting in Massachusetts. It’s a great jumping on point for a controversial series that features great and grotesque art from Gele. If you’re a fan of the unusual, this one is for you. But be aware: this is NOT a kid’s tale.
THE ULTIMATES2 #1 by Al Ewing and Travel Foreman. I read the first issue of the last series and wasn’t impressed and all I know about it is that it was a cosmic team made up of Black Panther, Blue Marvel, Spectrum(the former Captain Marvel), Ms. America and Captain Marvel. The biggest story that came from it was that Galactus ended up being a good guy, becoming the Lifebringer of Worlds, and Thanos got reborn. So, besides running into Blue Marvel’s enemy Anti-Man, Galactus shows up and wants to reform the team as his newest heralds. Yeah…still not a fan.
THE UNWORTHY THOR #1 by Jason Aaron and Olivier Coipel. The Mighty Thor, the classic Thor, has been laid low ever since the day the Watcher told him a secret and he found he was no longer able to pick up the hammer. Now, calling himself Odinson, he ends up on the moon, where the Watcher was murdered. He gets visited by The Unseen: the NEW Watcher who is actually Nick Fury, Odinson goes searching for Asgard to find it gone and finds Beta Ray Bill there, who offers him use of HIS hammer. I, for one, am dying to see how all this resolves. I miss my classic Thor, even if I am enjoying Jane Foster as a cancer-ridden female Thor. Aaron’s story is fun and Coipel’s art shines.s
VENOM #1 by Mike Costa and Gerardo Sandoval. I’m sorry, but I can’t keep track of who is the symbiote now. And yes, I had to research this. Eddie Brock to Ann Weying to Patricia Robertson to Angelo Fortunato to Mac Gargan(who appears in this book) to Flash Thompson(who made a hero out of the character) and now Lee Price. The symbiote wants Lee to be a hero like Flash but Lee would rather use the creature for his own means. Don’t care, don’t care, don’t care.
VIOLENT LOVE #1 by Frank J. Barbiere and Victor Santos. Sit back and check out this crime drama as Lou tells young Penny the story of Rock Bradley and Daisy Jane: two crooks who he explains “saved his life”. From there, it’s a wild ride filled with nasty folks and torture. In other words, this is a wild violent ride that is a must for fans of crime dramas.
WWE #1 by Dennis Hopeless, Dan Mora, Ross Thibodeaux, Rob Guillory, Rob Schamberger, Derek Fridolfs and Daniel Bayliss. Boom Studios teams up with the WWE to bring this weird and uneven comic telling the tale of several WWE Superstars. This first tale, by Hopeless and Mora, is about Seth Rollins and, unfortunately, is about 18 months out of date, for those folks who follow the storylines. The New Day tale by Thibodeaux and Guillory, is the most imaginative and funniest. Schamberger, who does many great looking posters for WWE, gives us a nice, inspirational Sasha Banks tale while Fridolfs gives us a nice Popeye inspired tale of Tugboat. Throw in some classic WWE Superstars on one page, history pin-ups by Bayliss and you have a hefty book for four bucks. A must have if you’re a die hard fan, but not for the casual fan.
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