More first issues

ABSOLUTE CARNAGE #1 by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman. Here’s Marvel next big event book and, based on initial sales and response, it’s truly an event book. Carnage is back and he’s poised to gather up all the missing pieces of the symbiote that has made it’s way to other people. So, Spidey and Venom have to team up and let’s not forget that Norman Osborn is infected too. A huge, pricey read but a great start to this mini-series that reaches through so many titles to come.

AGE OF X-MAN OMEGA #1 by Zac Thompson, Lonnie Nadler and Simone Buonfantino. Another Marvel “Event Book”, which is actually the last part of the multiple mini-series dealing with most of the X-Men being transported to another reality by X-Man. So…picture AGE OF APOCALYPSE for the 21^st Century. This wraps the whole thing up and, guess what-it pretty much resets everything and leads into HOUSE OF X and Jonathan Hickman’s rebooting of the franchise.

ARCHIE THE MARRIED LIFE 10^TH ANIVERSARY by Michael Uslan and Dan Parent. A decade ago, Archie Comics did something unusual: they created two timelines for Archie and his gang-one where he married Veronica and another where he married Betty; running in LIFE WITH ARCHIE #600-606. This led to a 35 issue LIFE WITH ARCHIE : THE MARRIED LIFE which ended with the death of Archie. Well, ten years later and we revisit what has happened since then. So, you get to short stories running concurrently from different realities. Confused yet? Well, considering Archie DIED at the end of the last run…yeah: I’m really confused!

ARCHIE VS PREDATOR II by Alex DeCampi and Robert Hack. When we last left our teens and their battle against Predator, Archie was dead, as was most of the supporting cast, and he was inhabited by a Predator. So it becomes a road trip with Betty, Veronica and Predator Archie who try to leave Riverdale but end up in a Riverdale here everyone is still alive and going Trick or Treating. What?! Okay Alex: I can’t wait to se what’s next!

AVENGERS: EDGE OF INFINITY #1 by Ralph Macchio and Andrea Di Vito. Talk about a cash grab! Legendary writer Ralph Macchio gives us this non continuity, I hope tale involving Cap, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Black Widow, some Lava Men and M.O.D.O.K. While it looks amazing, it feels like an old 80’s tale. It even feels like something Marvel found in their unused file. Don’t expect anything amazing out of this and certainly don’t expect it to have anything to do with that Thanos guy.

THE AVENGERS: FREE COMIC BOOK DAY EDITION by Jason Aaron, Gerry Duggan, Stefano Caselli and Mike Deodato Jr. This Marvel  FCBD release The first story sets up storylines for future issues of The Avengers, including the upcoming war with Namor and The Squadron Supreme of America. The second tale brings the Savage Avengers characters into the Marvel Universe, complete with bringing in Stick and Elektra. A good lead-in and it’s FREE!

BATMAN THE CURSE OF THE WHITE KNIGHT #1 by Sean Murphy and Matt Hollingsworth. It’s the sequel to Murphy’s huge success of last year, where we saw The Joker as the hero. This time around, Joker is still incarcerated but Batman has a new foil on the rise and his name is soon to be Azrael. It’s not the average Batman book and, because of DC’s new rebranding strategy, it’s a Black Label title now, which means we can use bad words!

BLACK CAT #1 by Jed Mackay, Nao Fuji, Travel Foreman and Mike Dowling. Felicia Hardy is back in business and business means stealing stuff. And that means putting a team together. So…if you like CATWOMAN, you’ll like this. But it takes three tales to give us a glimpse into Felicia’s life and none of them are fantastic. This book just moves along and without much heart to it. Yeah…this is a one and done for me.

DEATH’S HEAD #1 by Tini Howard and Kei Zama. Marvel resurrects this Marvel UK hero/anti-hero and puts a modern spin on it. Throw in Hulking and Wiccan and we should have a cool title. Nope! This just wallows in our hero’s love affair with each other and doesn’t bother to set the stage for who Death’s Head is and all. Basically, if you have no clue, you will still have no clue. Marvel: hat is this about? Planning on pushing a trade paperback to augment the back story you have glossed over? This was a MAJOR disappointment for me!

DCEASED #1 by Tom Taylor, Trevor Hairsine, Stefano Gaudiano and James Harren. What happens when the DC Universe gets infected? You get this, where our heroes become crazed flesh-eating zombies. This is such a strange book, which feels like INJUSTICE meets George Romero’s THE CRAZIES. Not sure how this is going to feel as it goes forward. But for now: it’s dumb fun.

DOOM PATROL; WEIGHT OF THE WORLDS #1 by Gerard Way and Jeremy Lambert. Hot on the heels of their well-received DC Universe show, these strange heroes are back for another round from former My Chemical Romance singer Gerard Way. Prepare to be mind-blown and maybe not in a good way. I had to read it twice and actually felt I needed mind-altering drugs to totally enjoy it. This is a fun read but truly not for everyone.

FANTASTIC FOUR: THE PRODIGAL SUN #1 by Peter David and Francesco Manna. Another Marvel mini-crossover series here. Prodigal is an alien who bears a resemblance to an old New Universe character and comes to our planet and comes out swinging. The Marvel first family ends up in the Savage Land and that means KaZar is here too. In the end, it just leads into another title, this time featuring Silver Surfer. Unfortunately, despite Peter David writing it, I really don’t care for the character, so the chances of reading the Silver Surfer book are slim.

FIVE YEARS #1 by Terry Moore. If you are a fan of Terry Moore’s work over the years, including STRANGERS IN PARADISE, ECHO, RACHEL RISING and MOTOR GIRL, this series is a definite purchase, The world is going to end in five years, as explained in STRANGERS IN PARADISE XXV and now it’s time to see what will happen and how it can (hopefully) be averted. This series ties all of Moore’s previous series together by bringing in characters and storylines. Moore is a tremendous storyteller and this could be the culmination of over 25 years of stories.

FUTURE FOUNDATION #1 by Jeremy Whitley and Will Robson. Now this is what a fun title should be! The rest of hat was the Future Foundation, Alex and Julie Powers, Bentley-23, Dragon Man and others, continue on with their learning, with special guest lecturer Yondu. Julie has just had a break-up with her girlfriend, has flunked out of school and is trying to get her life together. But that’s not happening anytime soon as she gets dragged back into the action and the drama. With guest appearances and snappy dialogue, this is a great read!

GIANT-SIZE X-STATIX #1 by Peter Milligan and Michael “Doc” Allred. That strange superhero team, which I like to think may have been an inspiration for Way’s DOOM PATROL run, is back in this one shot and, as expected, it’s wildly trippy! I’m a fan of Milligan’s writing and truly love Allred’s work going back to his MADMAN days. So, for me, this was an easy add on to my regular titles and I loved it. Allred’s work is quirky, the story is rambling at times but, all in all, I enjoyed the heck out of it and want a regular series again.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAZY ANNUAL #1 by Donny Cates, John McCrea, Tini Howard, Ibraham Moustafa, Zac Thompson and Lonnie Nadler. Three tales highlight this annual. The first follows Nova and the former Quasar. The second tale is about Adam Warlock, who must deal with a society that sees him as a god. The third tale involves Darkhawk and will be followed in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #7, where he has to deal with the repercussions of being turned into a child.

HISTORY OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE #1 by Mark Waid and Javier Rodriguez. Mark Waid attempts the impossible by trying to cohesively tell the history of the Marvel Universe from it’s ancient origins to present day in a mini-series t and hat many have scoffed at. In this first issue, he touches on the ancient races, Celestials, miscellaneous gods, various races, vampires, demons and even slides briefly into the Wild West and Logan’s origin. Does it succeed? I personally think it’s too early to tell. With the birth of the Modern Day heroes coming next issue, we’ll see just how well he can pull all these pieces together.

HOUSE OF X #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Pepe Larraz. What has been touted as the major retooling of the X-Universe begins here and now with this first part of a weekly 12 issue series that runs along with POWERS OF X. The heroes are back, they are on Karkoa and it looks like Charles Xavier is running the show along with Magneto and some of the key players. But is this really the X-Men? It’s a book that I read twice just to get all the nuances in it and some secrets which I think will be revealed. Is this the big, be-all and end-all that everyone hopes for? We’ll see.

JANE FOSTER VALKYRIE #1 by Jason Aaron, Al Ewing and Cafu. Coming out the events in WAR OF THE REALMS, Valkyrie is dead and Jane Foster is the new Valkyrie. Yeah…THAT Jane Foster. And what she learns is that this isn’t just about being a hero, it’s about having to be someone who comforts those on the other side. THAT is what makes this thing work. I truly expected this to be very lightweight, but was pleasantly surprised.

JUGHEAD TIME POLICE #1 by Sina Grace and Derek Charm. Jughead screws up and is disqualified for life after he accidentally puts fish oil into his cooking entry. So he constructs a time machine to go back and fix things. Well…we all know how time travel leads to problems-just ask the Avengers! Basically, it’s a fun, dumb comic that appeals to me as someone who wasn’t a big Archie fan as a kid. No heavy lifting here: it’s just a fun read without earth shattering consequences.

LOKI #1 by Daniel Kibblesmith and Oscar Bazaldua. The God of Lies has become a hero, coming out of the WAR OF THE REALMS, and now rules Jotunheim. But let’s not forget, he’s still Loki, so we know how that goes. This new series tries yet again to make

Loki a key player in the Marvel Universe.  Unfortunately, like previous efforts, I find it a little too foolish for my taste. It’s a buddy book…sort of.

MARVELS EPILOGUE by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross. Coming on the heels of the release of the anniversary run of MARVELS, we get this: a short little story set during X-MEN #98. Yes, Busiek and Ross have crafted a deal set in those opening ages. And it’s an expensive read for a 16 page story, plus some extras like sketch book pages and an interview with Busiek and Ross, but…c’mon: it’s 16 pages of Alex Ross!

PETER PARKER ANNUAL #1 by Jason Latour, Clayton Cowles, David Lafuente, Phil Lord and Cristopher Miller. Do ya like Funny Animal Comics? Well…you’ll like this. The entire issue is an adventure featuring Peter Porker, Spider Ham. He battles The Ringmaster, crosses paths with animal versions of classic Marvel characters and saves the Universe. If you enjoyed our hero in INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, you’ll love this. If you’re looking for Miles Morales, you’ll be bummed.

POWERS OF X #1 by Jonathan Hickman and R. B. Silva. Here is the other piece of Hickman’s reboot and this is as weird as the HOUSE OF X title. Set in the future, you are going to read this and truly wonder what the heck is going on. I’m sure, like with all of Hickman’s work, there is an endgame coming. And when it does, you’ll go back and re-read all of this and it will make sense. Until then, just go with the ride.

RAGNAROK THE BREAKING OF HELHEIM #1 by Walt Simonson. What some have called the best Thor book on the market is back once again. It’s typical Simonson style and it tells the tale of a Thor who is pissed off and ready to rule. Take that blonde-haired god and that MCU Thor and put them out of your mind. This is truly different Thor and you may find an issue with that. Me-I just think that anytime I can get a Simonson tale, I’m in.

RED SONJA AND VAMPIRELLA MEET BETTY AND VERONICA #1 by Amy Chu and Maria Sanapo. Just when you thought Dynamite couldn’t throw together another team up with their two biggest ladies, they come up with this. Vampi and her best girl pal Red Sonja track down the Cult of Chaos to Riverdale, where they meet some of the fine folks there and try to pass as high school students. We get a cool bunch of cameos, some nice art of a really crazy story. I shouldn’t complain too much as ARCHIE VS. PREDATOR was one of my favorite silly Archie themed tales.

SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITH #1 by Kelly Thompson, Veronica Fish and Andy Fish.  The fascination with the Riverdale gang continues with this new title. Where the Netflix show, which as based on the last Sabrina series, was truly seeped in the occult, this is a lighter take and much more in line with the current ARCHIE story.The tale is light hearted, he art is nice and, right now, it’s the only Sabrina book we have to work with.

SAVAGE AVENGERS #1 by Gerry Duggan and Mike Deodato Jr. What happens when an Avengers mini-series brings Conan from the Hyborean Game to the present? Outside of fans flipping out about it, we get a new Avengers team. We get Conan, Wolverine, Brother Voodoo and the Punisher, some mumbo jumbo, the Savage Land and some great art. Is this for everyone? Probably not, but Deodato’s art makes up for the confusing story.

SECOND COMING #1 by Mark Russell and Richard Pace. DC had tis on their schedule and then scuttled it. So another publisher stepped up and here it is. It’s the tale of Jesus coming to Earth to help a struggling superhero with his trials. Yeah-that’s the basic premise. And if you think this will piss people off, you’re probably right. That having been said, hit this with an open mind and realize Russell has his tongue firmly in his cheek.

SILVER SURFER BLACK #1 by Donny Cates and Tradd Moore. Everyone’s favorite herald of Galactus is back in this mini-series. Coming out of the recent events in Marvel Comics, with Thanos being killed, the Surfer finds himself in a Black Hole fighting for his life. It’s typical Donny Cates, which means it goes into strange places. Moore’s art is very trippy, seemingly channeling Jim Steranko’s best Pop Art pieces of the Sixties. What that means for the hardened comic reader is this is a Surfer tale like you have never experienced before. Aliens, drama, pathos and Knull…remember that nae because it will pop up throughout the year.

SUPERMAN YEAR ONE #1 by Frank Miller and John Romita Jr. Frank Miller has decided to tell his own version of Superman’s origin. It’s a mess. It seems a baby Kal-El was cognizant of everything that went on as a baby, from the destruction of Krypton to his landing in Smallville. He learns of his powers, uses them to defend his friends and always wants to go home. He romances Lana Lang, shows his powers to her and eventually decides to join the Navy. What?! The story is convoluted, the dialogue is weak and the whole concept of changing history, even though it is not considered part of DC continuity, annoys me. On the plus side, this may be some of Romita’s best work in a while. It’s eight bucks, so the trip is your own choice.

SYMBIOTE SPIDER-,MAN #1 by Peter David and Greg Land. Set in the days of the black suit, Spidey faces off against Mysterio, fools around with Felicia Hardy and has no idea how bad the suit is for him. This is a beautiful, fun tale by David and Land that, while set in the past, feels fresh. I went into this with little expectations but, as David and Land knock it out of the park. This is a fun romp that brings back great memories!

THANOS #1 by Tini Howard and Ariel Olivetti. Gamora tells the tale of Thanos in the days when she was a child. Seems Thanos has been killing off his crew members to appease Lady Death and that leads to a meeting with Magus and eventually meeting a young Gamora. I expected this to feel like a big cash grab, but ended up really enjoying it, especially as it brought Magus back into Marvel continuity and into the hands of new readers. The story was fun and the art was amazing. I definitely look forward to the next issue.

VAMPIRELLA: FREE COMIC BOOK DAY EDITION by Christopher Priest, Ergun Gunduz, Kurt Busiek and Arthur Adams. Dynamite again decides tyo reboot the classic character and, as they do with almost every reboot, they change it up. Fans of the classic character won’t like this but…it IS Priest, which means it is going to be filed with lots of twists, turns and red herrings. It’s modern day, Vampirella is a Goth chick and she has a disciple. The back-up is a reprint from the 1993 CREEPY FEARBOOK and is a call back to the days of classic Vampirella and her buddy Pendragon. While the main story leaves more questions than answers, I love what Priest has dropped thus far and looking forward to what’s coming.

VAMPIRELLA #1 by Christopher Priest and Ergun Gunduz. It starts with a plane crash, runs through out favorite vampire lady going to her therapist and touches on whether vampires really exist. Oh yeah: Vampi’s mom Lilith shows up too. This is a true Priest jaunt with his style showing through all over the place. The narrative is weird and slightly disjointed. But that’s Priest’s style and if you’re a fan of his DEATHSTROKE work, you’ll eat this up.

THE WAR OF THE REALMS #1 by Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman. It’s been all leading up to this: Marvel’s next big event, Malkith is on a rampage and all the Realms of the universe are in peril. Leave it to a collection of diverse heroes to take on the challenge. This will lead to multiple spin-off mini-series, new series and a lot of time and money invested by the fans. Before it is done, the Agents of Atlas will reform, Loki and others will get their own series and the universe will be changed…forever, Oh yeah-Loki gets eaten by his father!

THE WAR OF THE REALMS: JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #1 by The McElroys and Andre Lima Araujo. Marvel has a whole bunch of mini-series connected to WAR OF THE REALMS. Probably way too many of them! But this one could be the best of the bunch. A team comprised of Miles Morales, Balder the Brave, Kate Bishop, Deathlok 2.0, Stephen Strange, Thori the dog, and Wonder Man have been charged with caring for Thor’s baby sister. So, tis wild adventures feels like a cross between the greatest buddy film of all time mixed with RAISING ARIZONA. The dialogue is snappy and the action is hilarious. Nothing like watching Doctor Strange try and babysit!

THE WAR OF THE REALMS: NEW AGENTS OF ATLAS #1 by Greg Pak and Gang Hyuk Lim. The War of the Realms is the current Marvel crossover series and, as expected, there are many connecting mini-series. Jimmy Woo has put a new team together along with Ms. Marvel, Silk, Shang-Chi, Amadeus Cho and new heroes White Fox, Crescent and Luna Snow. This isn’t the team I know and love, although it does have a nice collection of under-utilized characters.  

THE WAR OF THE REALMS: THE PUNISHER #1 by Gerry Duggan and Marcelo Ferreira. Here’s another of the WAR OF THE REALMS mini-series. In this issue, The Punisher puts a team together filled with convicts, many of whom have a vendetta against Frank. It’s a nice nod to ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK witch Frank and his team trying to get out of trouble and save some civilians in the process. Filled with Punisher action, mindless violence and monsters. Some fun!

THE WAR OF THE REALMS OMEGA #1 by Jason Aaron, Al Ewing, Daniel Kibblesmith, Gerry Duggan, Juan Ferreyra, Oscar Bazaldua, Cafu and Ron Garney. Don’t expect this to be a wrap-up to the whole mini-series but rather an introduction to new series coming out of it. Outside of the Daredevil piece by Aaron and Garney, which wraps up that storyline, we get lead-ins to JANE FOSTER VALKYRIE, LOKI and PUNISHER KILL KREW. Really Marvel? If I wanted to know how we are getting there, you should have put out three LOW PRICE mini-comics as #0 issues. Just sayin’!

WEB OF VENOM: CULT OF CARNAGE #1 by Frank Tieri and Danilo S, Beyruth. Some tie ago, Crangage took over a small Colorado town. Now it’s up to Misty Knight and John Jameson to figure it all out. This is a great lead-in to the next big event this summer involving Carnage and Venom. The story is fun, while the artwork fits. If you’re a fan of Venom, you need this in the collection.

WEB OF VENOM: FUNERAL PYRE #1 by Cullen Bunn, Joshua Cassara and Alberto Alburquerque. Marvel continues its’ lead-up to AB OSULTE CARNAGE with this one-shot dealing with Andi Benton and her symbiote. If you’re  completist and ant the full story of what will go on in that “Event Series”, then this is for you.