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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 11/14/15
Comic reviews are back! After a whirlwind vacation in England, I’m back reading comics and sitting on my butt in America! I missed a lot of good titles last week (including the long-delayed Uncanny X-Men #600), but I’m hopefully going to make up for that with some solid comics this week. I’d review Uncanny X-Men #600…but I wasn’t impressed. It wasn’t worth the wait. And the new Extraordinary X-Men left me a little cold. Not a good time to be an X-Men fan, I don’t think.
Anyway, this week has a lot of goodies! We’ve got the All-New, All-Different Avengers, we’ve got the All-New Wolverine, we’ve got Web Warriors, and we’ve got a bunch of goodies from DC Comics. This was definitely a good week to come back to, I’d have to say. I missed comics!
Comic Book of the Week goes to All-New Wolverine #1. I rather liked this story, despite not being a particular fan of X-23. But I like the idea that she’s going to carry on Wolverine’s legacy.
It’s her favorite part
Plus, Angel makes for a really great sidekick.
Comic Reviews: All-New, All-Different Avengers #1, All-New Wolverine #1, Batman #46, Starfire #6 and Web Warriors #1.
Captain Marvel, A-Force, and the Totally Awesome Hulk are Just a Few More New Marvel Comics
Marvel keeps rolling out their new comics at a near snail’s pace, and seeing as how I’m a busy, important man with a busy, important job, I haven’t been able to jump on every announcement. Or maybe I’m just lazy. One of those two.
Anyway, it’s Friday, and I’ve decided to do a quick summation of a few more of the announced comics! Most of them look pretty great so far. I’m getting a little worried for my wallet.
A-Force
Writer G. Willow Wilson is going to return to the Marvel Universe with her all-female Avengers team following Secret Wars. She’s a great writer, and the first issue of A-Force was full of character and energy. But the context of Battleworld hampered the execution, something that I hope a transplant to the regular Marvel Universe will fix. Based on Wilson alone, this is a must-see sort of book. Not much else is known, though.
Avengers
The Avengers are the flagship of Marvel these days, so of course they’re back, and under the pen of the extraordinary Mark Waid. He is a legend in the industry, deservedly so, and I bet he has a lot of great ideas for the Avengers. Marvel is once again doubling down on their popular characters with this series, putting Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and Spider-Man on the team — just not the ones we’d expect. Tony Stark is still around, but Cap is still Sam Wilson, Thor is still Jane Foster, and Spider-Man is now Miles Morales for good. I’m a little iffy on how well Miles is going to fit in the Marvel Universe, and I think it’s way too soon for Kamala Khan to join the Avengers, but I’m going to try to have a little faith on this one.
Captain Marvel
I’m sad that Kelly Sue DeConnick is leaving the title she turned into a smash hit, but I have to have hope that Carol has staying power of her own. The writers of the Agent Carter TV show, Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas, are taking over, and I’m excited to see what they bring. Apparently the story is going to be about Carol running a planetary defense force, which is kind of a big deal. Hopefully Butters and Fazekas can bring solid character work to Carol’s outer space adventures, which I never felt DeConnick managed to do.
Totally Awesome Hulk
They’re keeping the identity of the new Hulk a secret for now, but Bleeding Cool is convinced that it’s going to be Amadeus Cho. And considering that tuft of hair, the youthful title and the return of writer Greg Pak, I’m going to have to agree with them. Should be a fun change up to the Hulk, and Pak will probably have the right amount of fun with the series. With a name like that, I should darn well hope so.
Squadron Supreme
I didn’t care for their Secret Wars tie-in, and I’m not sure if I’ll bother with Squadron Supreme. I’ve never cared about the characters, and Marvel’s decision to mix and match different Squadron characters from across the Multiverse does not have me interested either. Still, more power to everyone involved.
Spider-Gwen
Spider-Gwen is getting a new #1 issue, just to fit alongside the rest of the line. It’s not changing anything from its brief beginning pre-Secret Wars, which is fine. I keep meaning to get caught up with Spider-Gwen, but I haven’t found the time. It seems like it’ll be fun. Maybe now I should read all those back issues I have piling up and get on board for the new #1.
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6 Things I Want From the All-New, All-Different Marvel Universe
I have always been a Marvel Zombie and I’m proud to admit it. Spider-Man and the X-Men got me into comics in the 90s, and the publisher has simply always been better than DC Comics, as far as I’m concerned. The characters are better, the themes are stronger and, especially in the past few years, Marvel has been putting out better comics.
So you’d think I’d be a little more freaked out by the apparent Marvel Universe reboot coming our way this fall.
Looks about the same
But I’m not freaked out at all. Personally, I don’t really think it’s going to be a reboot. I think Marvel is using Secret Wars to do a little garden-tending, and the Marvel Universe will look pretty much the same on the other side. But even if it’s not, I’ve been through enough alleged ‘major changes’ in comic books that I’ll weather this one just the same. As long as Marvel keeps putting out good comics, I’ll keep reading.
Though I do have a few suggestions for the New MU…
The All-New, All-Different Avengers Kind of Puts the Kibosh on that Whole Reboot Idea
The first hints of a post-Secret Wars Marvel were revealed to the Internet yesterday with the team lineup of the All-New, All-Different Avengers. This is the first official look of what the Marvel Universe will be like in the Fall, when Marvel promised a big reboot! Or Marvel promised a big change and a lot of people assumed that meant a reboot. Me? I was never convinced, and this new cover image backs up my theories.
Take a look at it and tell me what you see.
Green hands? Brown ground?
I see Ms. Marvel, Lady Thor, Sam Alexander as Nova and Sam Wilson as Captain America; otherwise known as the exact same lineup of characters in a pre-Secret Wars world. So if Marvel were actually going to go through with a reboot, wouldn’t none of these characters exist?
Granted, the addition of Miles Morales means a whole heck of a lot. But that’s something to unpack on another day.
All I’m worried about today is the fact that, when Secret Wars is over, the Marvel Universe is going to be largely the same. It’ll have the same characters in most likely the same situations. Yes, some things will be different, some characters and status quos might be switched around, but the Marvel Universe isn’t going anywhere.
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If We’re Going to Have Spider-Man Again, Let It Be Miles Morales
Peter Parker has had his chance on the big screen, and he’s done an amazing job. But when Spider-Man debuts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe next year, it should be Miles Morales behind the webs.
It’s time to try something new with Spider-Man, and this deal between Marvel Studios and SONY is the perfect opportunity to make the change. Granted, I don’t necessarily think this has a chance of happening, but the only way it will happen is if enough voices cry out for Miles.
You’re goddamned right!
In the end, SONY still has creative control over Spider-Man going forward, and they don’t care about how innovative and forward-thinking Miles would be for the movies. All SONY cares about is money, and keeping the straight, white guy in the lead guarantees more money than the black, Hispanic youngster. That’s just how the world works…or at least that’s how they think it works.
But man, how cool would it be to get Miles Morales on the big screen?
Join me after the jump to find out why!
