Marvel
Last week saw the release of the first official ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! comic book with AVENGERS #24.NOW by continuing writer Jonathan Hickman (INFINITY mini-series). But that was just the tip of a very large (and possibly baffling) iceberg in the form of the new ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! movement. What is this new “movement” you say!? Well let me try to explain without boring the crap out of you.
First things first. Back in 2012 Marvel re-focused and relaunched the majority of their comic books under the blanket title of MARVEL NOW!. What this basically meant was that Marvel was giving new readers a fresh new “jumping-on” point for new readers while keeping the main canon untouched…refocused if you will. It was a great way to add freshness to an already wonderful formula and a whole hell of a lot of great books were released. For a look at my top 5 picks have a gander at my recent TOP 5 MARVEL NOW! Comic Books So Far.
In short, MARVEL NOW! was a huge success back in 2012 and Marvel does not want to mess with a good thing and is attempting to do it all over again. Sounds good to me, so what can you, the curious and eager reader, expect in the coming months? well let me tell you.
Besides the aforementioned AVENGERS #24.NOW that launched last week, readers will have a whole gaggle of titles to choose from starting Wednesday January 8th and onward for the next few months. There are a lot of continuing books with a “.NOW” tacked behind the comic’s # to signify the “jumping-on” point as well as a bunch of brand spanking new #1 to get you’re slippery bagging and boarding hands on.
Here’s what fans should sniff out this week:
ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! POINT ONE #1 An All-New Marvel Now! preview book if you will giving readers a glimpse of what’s in store. In my opinion, just pick up the #1 or .NOW issues that look good to you and go from there. Preview books always kinda smelled funny to me. AVENGERS WORLD #1 Not to be confused with Hickman’s other Avengers book (simply titled AVENGERS), AVENGERS WORLD will have a more worldly approach (not just New York) with Nick Spencer tagging along for writing duty. Basically, yet another Avengers book in the already over-saturated franchise. This issue will have to wow the socks off my butt to get me on board. It’s possible. BLACK WIDOW #1 Our favorite Femme Fatale gets her very own on-going series. It all starts here with writer Nathan Edmondson and artist Phil Noto ready to kick some ass. We shall see if this character can be interesting without Scarlett Johansson’s butt. ALL-NEW X-FACTOR #1 A brand new direction and “jump-on” point for X-FACTOR featuring a rag-tag group of unlikely heroes in the form of Quicksilver, Gambit (!), and Polaris working for a government sponsored agency. Could be quite interesting. SAVAGE WOLVERINE #14.NOW Too much Wolverine make Jason a dull boy. I will say however that SAVAGE WOLVERINE books are all very self-contained and usually feature a lot of newly created characters so not to muddy up any continuity in the 612 other books wolverine shows up in. This issue marks a new story arc for our harry little claw monkey set in 1933 near the end of the Prohibition era. May be worth a genetically-altered sniff.If that’s not enough to satiate your nerdy taste buds this month, here’s a look at what else you can expect in January:
AVENGERS A.I. #8.NOW This looks to be more of a continuation rather than a new “jumping-on” point. While I haven’t read this series yet, the promise of guest appearances by The UNCANNY AVENGERS may convince me. But probably not. THUNDERBOLTS #20.NOW Johnny Blaze, AKA Ghost Rider, joins the team alongside a bunch of other loose canons creating some pretty fun dynamics. Anytime Ghost Rider enters the scene, it’s a least worth a peek right? GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #11.NOW If you have not jumped on board the “Guardians train” just yet, now is the perfect time. Not only does this new story arc crossover with one of my favorite MARVEL NOW! books ALL-NEW X-MEN, but it also promises a full-on Jean Grey storyline that will surely have people talking before the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY film hits later this year. Did I mention there is a foul-mouthed raccoon who blows shit away with his heavy arsenal of weaponry!? ALL-NEW X-MEN #22.NOW This one is a no-brainer for X-fans. Brian Michael Bendis continues his run here delivering amazingly fun stories with plenty of twists and turns to keep me interested. This is where all the big stuff happens with the X-Men and #22.NOW is surely something you will want to pick-up this month. ALL-NEW INVADERS #1 And last, but certainly not least, comes a new INVADERS book featuring the classic four members including Captain America, The Winter Soldier, Namor, and the Original Human Torch in a story that has them battling current era Kree. I’d say picking up at least this #1 issue is in order to see what all the fuss is about.So there you have it web-heads. A brief look at what is to come from the ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! initiative. It all begins now and those of you sitting on the “should I buy comic books again?” fence should definitely get off your ass and over to your local comic shop right now! I took a lot of risks with the first MARVEL NOW! run in 2012 and ended up reading a lot of great stuff I normally wouldn’t touch. I’m excited to do it all over again and discover what hidden gems lay within this new onslaught of titles.
Happy reading my fellow nerds and check back soon for the “February 2014 Edition” to see what’s next in the Marvel comic book universe. These are exciting times.
In the San Francisco area looking for your next ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! comic book fix? If so, Check out MISSION: COMICS & ART. They’ve got you covered!
