More first issues and a special one or two

ABSOLUTE CARNAGE AVENGERS #1 by Leah Williams, Zac Thompson and Alberto Alburqurque.  As part of Marvel’s newest event, there are a bunch of mini-series that tie in. The team tries to stop Carnage from going after them and getting back the little pieces of the symbiote that has ended up inside them over the years. In the end, they take down beacons which call to Carnage and all of this leads to VENOM #19. Only for die-hard completists.

ABSOLUTE CARNAGE MILES MORALES #1 by Saladin Ahmed and Federico Vincentini. In the continuing tie-ins, Miles gets taken over by part of the Carnage/Norman Osborn symbiote. Our displaced hero tries his best to fight but, in the end, is taken over. This is the first of three issues which, I’m sure, will result in no changes in the Marvel Universe.

ABSOLUTE CARNAGE SCREAM #1 by Cullen Bunn and Gerardo Sandoval. Scream is reborn and now contains parts of those who previously were Scream. It’s three issues that will lead to a new series…because Marvel needs more symbiote titles.

AMAZING MARY-JANE #1 by Leah Williams and Carlos Gomez. Mary-Jane has an opportunity to get back into acting and gets a gig on a Spider-Man film. But she finds out that Quentin Beck, AKA Mysterio, is actually the director. What to do? Well, the new Secret Six is coming to town and that could be even bigger troubles. This is a syrupy mess and strikes me as just a cash grab. The art is nice but the story hasn’t decided if it’s an adventure tale or a love story. Thanks…but no thanks.

ANNIHILATION SCOURGE ALPHA #1 by Matthew Rosenberg and Juanan Ramirez. Trouble is brewing in the Negative Zone and that brings Blastaar and Annihilus together to try and stop it. The Revengers show up and now things get desperate. Annihilus comes to the Positive Zone where he meets up with a very dunk Richard Ryder and Cosmo the Space Dog, asking for help. Meanwhile, Blastaar is left to battle the leader of the Revengers-The Sentry? Wow! I’m not sure where this is going, but it runs through four one shots and an OMEGA issue before this space saga is resolved. A little confusing, but nice to see some classic characters back. And what’s with a drunk Nova playing straight man to a space dog?

ARCHIE 55 #1 by Brian Augustyn, Mark Waid and Tom Grummett. In the continuing mini-series set in different times and timelines, Archie Comics brings us this tale of Archie and the allure of rock and roll fame in the Fifties. It touches on all the buttons including race relations of the time. Augustyn and Waid do a fine job with the story and Grummett knocks it out of the park with his art style. Personally, I love what Archie has done. Can’t wait until the get to the Sixties!

CONAN THE BARBARIAN EXODUS #1 by Esad Ribic. Here’s an unusual book for unusual tastes. Ribic has created a book which relies almost totally, except for some dialogue in an unknown and untranslatable language, on the visual. Ribic’s work is beautiful, but don’t expect an easy read with this as, again, it is a visual tale.

CONTAGION #1 by Ed Brisson and Roge Antonio. Another Marvel mini-series here. This five week romp is all about a mysterious disease which is taking over and possessing some of Marvel’s greatest heroes. So the team-up begins. Featuring The Thing, Iron Fist and more, this is a nice throwback to the classic age of Marvel where a bunch of heroes get together and fight a seemingly unstoppable enemy. With a bit of the horror element tossed in, I enjoyed the heck out of issue #1 and plan on being here to see how this whole somewhat silly thing turns out.

CRAZY #1 by a whole host of Marvel creators. Resurrecting a classic title of the Seventies, Marvel dips its’ toes into the MAD MAGAZINE realm of humor, but mixed into the Marvel vein. Most are one page bits, some are four panels only. If you were a fan of the old CRAZY or even going back as far as NOT BRAND ECCH, you’ll enjoy this. While not a cool as those classic runs, it is nice to see and a nice attempt at bringing bck that magic.

DCEASED: A GOOD DAY TO DIE #1 by Tom Taylor, Lara Braga and Darrick Robertson. Tying in to the current DCEASED mini-series, Mister Miracle, Big Barda, Mr. Terrific and more team up to try to control the devastating zombie outbreak. Constantine gets involved and well…you can only imagine what happens. It’s blood, guts, zombies and magic. DCEASED is one of the surprise hits of the last few months and this one-shot ties in perfectly. Fans of an alternate universe DC horror tale will love this!

DEADPOOL #1 by Kelly Thompson and Chris Bachalo. Monsters have taken over Staten Island and Deadpool is hired to kill the King of Monsters. When he does, HE becomes the King of Monsters and that’s when the hilarity begins. It’s edgy, violent, and typically Deadpool funny. The art is great, if you’re  fan of Bachalo’s style and the jokes are just dirty enough to work. Throw in Kraven the Hunter and Eliza Bloodstone and you have a riot filled title. You either love Deadpool or hate him but this one hits the right notes.

DOCTOR DOOM #1 by Christopher Cantwell and Salvador Larroca. Victor Von Doom has gone through a lot in the last few years, from being the ruler of Battleworld to becoming Iron Man and more. Well, Doc is back in Latveria and on the run from every government agency and superhero on the planet.  The story is engaging and the art is great. I expected this to be just a cheap cash grab but was totally surprised about how much fun it was. Looking forward to a continued read with this.

THE DOLLHOUSE FAMILY #1 by Mike Carey, Peter Gross and Vince Locke. Joe Hill’s line of horror comics come to light with this first title. It’s a true throwback to the good old days of horror books with some creepy stuff going on and a murder in the end. It's dark and twisted with some nice notes throughout. Also included is the first chapter of SEA DOGS by Hill and Dan McDaid. It’s a dark tale that is a nice first entry to the line. I’m curious to see where this line goes next.,

EXCALIBUR #1 by Tini Howard and Marcus To. Krakoa is the place to be now if you’re a mutant and Betty Bradock is the star here, having been given the reigns as the new Captain Britain. But a war is breaking out in the Otherworld and her brother Brian is missing. With a host of familiar mutants in tow, including Gambit, Rogue and Jubilee, she sets about making things right. It’s an interesting title which has a bit of the old Excalibur feel to it but not enough to really get me excited. Hopefully, further issues will set that right.

FALLEN ANGELS #1 by Bryan Hill and Szymon Kudranski. The X titles continue to roll out and this one features Psylocke, Cable and X-23. With Psylocke trying to find her place in the hearts and minds of her fellow mutants, it’s an uphill climb for certain. Hill’s story is fine, setting up future details but Kudranski’s art is the highlight. What makes this new series of series confusing is that they not only tie to each other, but they also hve a specific reading order. For those keeping track, this is the sixth title and, believe it or not, they do all tie together an have a specific timeline in relation to each other.

FANTASTIC 4 2099 #1 by Karla Pacheco and Steven Cummings. In 2099, the world is change and a woman named Venture has met up with H.E.R.B.I.E. the Robot, who sends her on a mission to find his family. This leads to a full-length adventure where four people with Cosmic Ray powers are brought together. But H.E.R.B.I.E. isn’t happy in the end and the twist ending was a huge bummer. This spins out of 2099 ALPHA #1 which introduced Venture and others. How this all fits together is a mystery at the moment but, based on the twist ending, I found this a tough book to enjoy.

GHOST SPIDER #1 by Seanan McGuire and Takeshhi Miyazawa. Ghost Spider, previously known as Spider Girl, is Gwen Stacy from Earth-65. Among her super powers, she can move from Earth-65 to Earth-616, which means she gets to spend time on the true Marvel world. That also means she gets to interact with Marvel heroes, like Spider-Man. And when she enrolls in school on Earth-616, that just means crossing paths with Miles Warren. And. If that wasn’t enough, there is the Miles Warren from Earth-65. I haven’t spent much time with the previous SPIDER-GIRL title, but found this engaging although Miyazawa’s Manga styled art is a little jarring at first

GHOST RIDER #1 by Ed Brisson and Aaron Kuder. Johnny Blaze, the original Ghost Rider(excluding the old Western hero) is currently the King of Hell. But that doesn’t men there aren’t denizens looking to dethrone him. So Johnny takes a temporary powder and comes back to Earth, where he meets u with Ghost Rider #2 Danny Ketch. And since Blaze has gone power mad, that means Ketch is probably going to have to climb back into the fight. When it comes to this supernatural hero, these are my two favorite versions. So…one good and two better?

GWENPOOL STRIKES BACK #1 by Leah Williams and David Baldeon. Gwen Poole came to the Marvel Universe from the “real” world and decided to not be an extra in someone’s else’s book. So she donned a costume and went on to star in a series of adventures in her own twenty-five issue series, plus a bunch of one-shots. But now she’s back and, with a ton of fourth-wall breaks, she’s about to cause a ton of mischief. And a lot of fourth-wall breaks. This is just a dumb, fun book that only highlights the attraction to this girl, resulting in tons of cosplays at Cons.

HARLEEN #1 by Stjepan Sejic. Harleen Quinzel has a new origin story in this oversized mini-series in the DC Black Label line. Harleen is a therapist and runs across the Joker during one of his escapades. Despite the chaos, he lets her live and, of course, they cross paths later when he is in Arkham. It’s all a bit of a twist on an old story, but the artwork is great. It’s nice, but a tad pricey.

HE-MAN AND THE MASTER OF THE MULTIVERSE #1 by Tim Seeley and Dan Fraga. What in the world is this? Selley takes the comfortable world of Eternia and turns it not only upside but sideways. Wait: Skeletor gets killed by a dark He-Man and the

Multiverse of He-Men show up to band together. Weird…too weird for me.

KING THOR #1 by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic. With the current THOR title on hiatus, Aaron writes his final Thor tale and teams up with Ribic to bring the story to life. It’s in the far future where King Thor and his grand-daughters, previously introduced in the last Aaron run on THOR. And as expected, it plays off of that run and yes-Loki is still the rotten guy he has always been. It’s Aaron’s alleged definitive take on the future Thor and Ribic’s art is spectacular.

MARAUDERS #1 by Gerry Duggan and Matteo Lolli. Mutants have made Krakoa their ne home. Arrival and departure is easy by way of a series of gates throughout the island. But Kitty, now known as Kate, Pryde is having problems using a gate to get there. So she commandeers a boat and goes on a mission with a team looking to bring mutant refugees to Krakoa. Along the way, she gathers a sword and this becomes a swashbuckling tale. With a host of familiar mutants in tow, including Storm, Iceman, Nightcrawler and Pyro, she sets about making things right. This may not be the best of the new X titles, but it is a bunch of silly fun. C’mon: Kitty as a pirate?

MARVEL COMICS #1000 by over 100 legendary creators. In celebration of Marvel’s 80^th anniversary, this huge, $10 title comes out, highlighting the heroes of the Marvel Universe. These one page tales begin in 1939 with the creation of the original Human Torch and stops at every year until 2020 where the promise of who the Masked Rider is will be revealed. The creator list is too huge to list here, but creators include some of the biggest and best over the decades. This is a nice tribute to the empire we know as Marvel. And the bread crumbs for future events is a nice touch too.

MARVEL COMICS #1001 by a lot of creators. Just because…we get a second dose. Where the previous issue was filled with stops throughout 80 years, this is just a collection of one page hero moments. Not as moving as the previous, but still a nice collection of moments by some of the greats for half the size and half the price.

MARVEL MONSTERS #1 by Cullen and a host of artists. Kid Kaiju gets his hands on the Mobster Book and that leads to a book filled with informative pin-ups. Dynamite looking art and a great book if you’re a completist who loves handbook style books.

MORBIUS THE LIVING VAMPIRE #1 by Vita Ayala and Marcelo Ferreira. Michael Morbius, long-suffering vampire of the Marvel Universe is back in his own series and, for me, it’s long overdue. Right off the bat, we get The Melter and then the action goes off from there. Filled with all the angst you would expect, as our hero tries to cure himself, we get action, soul searching and a surprise visitor looking to kill him. While I wanted a bit more story, what we got lays down some nice bread crumbs for the future. Not perfect by any sense, it is a decent start and I want this book to just get better. We can only hope.

NEW MUTANTS #1 by Ed Brisson, Jonathan Hickman and Rod Reis. Here’s the good news: despite everything they have been through, the old team is back together. We’re talking Karma, Wolfsbane, Mondo, Cypher, Mirage, Sunspot, Chamber and Magik. And they’re back in their classic uniforms too! Right off the bat, they end up in space and cross paths with the senior Summers and his Starjammers. That can’t be good. This title is a bit on the light side, relying on a lot of quippy dialogue and a smattering of action. It has potential but, at the moment, I find it the weakest of the six new titles.

NEW MUTANTS WAR CHILDREN #1 by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz. Two of the timeless creators from the NEW MUTANTS run of old come back for the wonderful one-shot. It is the classic team and it looks fantastic. The plot is pure Claremont and Sienkiewicz proves he still has his stuff. This is a great throwback to the Eighties in look and feel. If you were a fan of that amazing run, you’ll love this.

PUNISHER KILL KREW #1 by Gerry Duggan and Juan Ferreyra. During the recent War of the Realms, Frank Castle couldn’t save one man’s family. So he is on a mission to find the killer and avenge them. This leads to an all-out bloodbath as Frank puts a team together to get the job done. Just a fun, bloody book. The story is pretty straight up and Ferreyra brings it in the art category.

SANDMAN UNIVERSE: HELLBLAZER #1 by Simon Spurrier and Marcio Takara. Eberyone’s favorite conniving magician, John Constantine, is coming back to the dark corner of the DC Universe. But this time he finds himself in the Black Label, formerly Vertigo, side of the fence, which means he can be as dark and foul-mouthed as we want him to be. Of course, to get to that next place, he needs to deal with some personal demons that haunt him. And he has a mission: kill Tim Hunter. That’s what will tie him into the Sandman Universe. While I really want an adult themed Hellblazeer book, I’m not a fan of the rebooted Sandman themed titles. So, for me, it’s one and done.

SPAWN #300 by Todd McFarlane, Scott Snyder, Jason Shawn Aexander, Greg Capullo, J. Scott Campbell, and Jerome Opena. I haven’t read an issue of SPAWN since issue #100, but being that this book TIES Dave Sim’s record for most published creator owned titles, it’s sort of a big deal. Being that I haven’t read an issue since #100, I have no clue what’s going on! That being said, it reads well, each chapter looks nice and it leads to new beginnings and ties-up old storylines.

SPIDER-MAN #1 by J.J. Abrams, Henry Abrams and Sara Pichelli. In the old days, we would call this an “imaginary story”. Mary Jane dies in a battle that costs Spidey his arm and that leads to his retirement. But his son Benjy eventually discovers he has powers and one thing leads to another. Abrams and company do a nice job of bringing back te feel of a young hero seeing thigs with awe and wonder.

SPIDER-VERSE #1 by Hed MacKay, Juan Figeri, Stacey Lee, Arthur Adams, James Harren, Dike Ruan and Sheldon Vella. Miles Morales ends up back in the Spider-Verse and that means a trip through a multitude of Earths along the way. In a number of chapters by a host of artists, he crosses paths with the Spidr Gang, Spider Monster, Lord Spider, Spider Punk, Spider Zero and Annie May. It’s a wild, weird ride if you want to take it!

STRIKEFORCE #1 by Tini Howard and German Peralta. A supernatural team made up of Blade, Angela, Spectrum, Winter Soldier, Spider Woman, Wiccan and the Son of Satan. What could be better? How about the writing. The dialogue is clunky and the plot just limps along. Peralta’s art is okay, but these heroes need more dynamic style. I was so looking forward to this title, but it turns but to be a big bummer.

2099 ALPHA #1 by Nick Spencer and Viktor Vogdanovic. Marvel’s next big crossover seeks to reboot the 2099 Universe. It’s been brewing in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and now spills over here. Over the two months, we’ll get one-shots featuring the Fantastic Four, Conan, The Punisher, Ghost Rider, Venom, Doom and Spider-Man. The story is a bit hard to follow, but it’s all about the future, who rules and who is here to be the heroes of the future. Spencer spins a nice story and, with all the plot threads woven here, it’ll be interesting to see what happens next. I assume the payoff will come in the OMEGA issue at the end of December, but the one-shots in between could be fun.

VENGEANCE OF VAMPIRELLA #1 by Thomas Sniegoski and Michael Sta. Maria. Twenty-five years ago, the sensation that was VENGEANCE OF VAMPIRELLA came to an end, leading to a whole host of spin-offs, some good and some awful.  Twenty-five years later and the man behind the original series picks it up where he left off. Mistress Nyx and the Lords of Chaos have taken over the Earth and humanity has been trying to just survive. That’s where we are at. If you were a fan of that original series, you need to add this to your pull list.

X-FORCE #1 by Benjamin Percy and Joshua Cassara. Every mutant team needs a team like this. X-Force has always been the gritty team in the X-Universe, doing the jobs that other teams won’t do. So who do you get? How about Wolverine, Beast, Black Tom, Colossus, Jean Gray and Domino. But what starts as a typical mission ends in disaster with the heart of the mutant universe falling in the end, leading to repercussions that will ripple through all of the X titles. This could, by far, be the best book in the X line! The story is full of twists and turns and the art works. It’s dark, gritty and filled with a ton of plot threads that ill play out in the months to come.

X-MEN #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Leinil Francis Yu. Coming out of HOUSE OF X and POWERS OF X, Hickman has set about recreating the X Universe, with this being the first of six titles debuting in October and November. It’s a new world and a new team made up of Cyclops, Storm, Polaris, Magneto, Dr. Reyes, Jean, Havok, Vulcan, Wolverine, Cable, Prestige and Corsair. And of course, Professor X. This is a new team with a new agenda. As with all of Hickman’s work, it’s some deep, heady stuff.