TOP O' THE WEEK
GODZILLA VS. HULK #1 (MARVEL, $4.99) is by writer Gerry Duggan and artist Giuseppe Camuncoli.
I haven't read Godzilla vs. Fantastic Four yet (although I plan to), so I don't know how that turned out. (I'm sure everyone's fine.) But this book seems much more plausible. I'm not sure the Hulk could actually beat Godzilla, but I don't think Godzilla could smoosh him into jelly, either. I'm hoping Bob will chime in with his opinion!
“I grew up loving Godzilla movies and Marvel Comics, and it's a thrill to be able to collaborate with Giuseppe Camuncoli on the absolute craziest comic I think I've ever been a part of, and I worked on over a hundred issues of Deadpool and once wrote a comic about Conan killing a zombie with a call girl's leg,” Duggan told ComicBook.com.
It makes me sad that Herb Trimpe isn't here to draw one of these covers. Although someone is doing a passable Trimpe swipe on Cover G. Herb always drew Godzilla with a huge belly!
SUMMER OF SUPERMAN SPECIAL #1 (ONE-SHOT, DC COMICS, 48 pages, $5.99) is the first issue of the "Summer of Superman" initiative. You know, because of the movie. This specil is by writers Dan Slott (Superman Unlimited), Mark Waid (Justice League Unlimited, Batman / Superman: World’s Finest) and Joshua Williamson (Superman, DC All In Special) and artist Jorge Jiménez (Batman, Super Sons). It features the return of Lex Luthor. It's "a single story in three acts," like the Silver Age 3-parters which, with Mark Waid involved, I don't think is an accident. And there's a wedding, too! (Lana Lang and John Henry Irons. I didn't even know they were dating!)
CROSSOVERS
ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM
IRON MAN #7 (MARVEL, $3.99) is writer Spencer Ackerman and artist Julius Ohta. Once again here's a book that doesn't have the "One World Under Doom" trade dress, but is definitely related. Stark is getting back into the weapons trade — to arm Latverian rebels. Doom is not pleased!
SUPERIOR AVENGERS #1 (OF 6, MARVEL, $4.99) is by writer Steve Foxe (Timeslide, New Champions) and artist Luca Maresca (Venom War: Lethal Protectors, X-Men: Forever). So Doom is going to field his own Avengers team, led by Kristoff Vernard.
Wait! Is he still around? How old is he now, college age? Hard to guess with the sliding timescale. But the last I saw of him was ... hmm. Hickman's FF, maybe? The other members are, supposedly, Abomination, Doctor Octopus, Ghost, Killmonger, Malekith and Onslaught. I say "supposedly" because it doesn't seem likely that all these people are what they say they are. For one thing, a couple of them are wearing full face masks, which says "I'm not who I say I am." And then there's Onslaught, who can't be Onslaught, because he's a manifestation of Xavier and Mangeto's brains that was erasesd, and it doesn't seem likely these two will generate another one. (Xavier isn't on Earth, and Magneto's a good guy now.) And if it was really him, the story would be over on Page 2. Also, Malekith is dead and Killmonger isn't a chick.
I call shenanigans!
“Introducing any new character to the Marvel Universe — let alone an entire cast of them — is both an honor and no small terror, so when editor Wil Moss reached out about developing an intense, secretive team of Avengers for ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM, I knew I had to swing for the fences,” Foxe shared. “The Avengers that readers are going to meet here may have familiar names, but you’ll quickly come to learn why they consider themselves superior to other teams. This book features some of the most ruthless, wide-scale action I’ve ever written at Marvel, and I’m so thrilled to be telling this story alongside Luca Maresca. Luca nails both the subtler mind games at play in our story and the (sometimes literally) breakneck action.”
“Doctor Doom is one of my favorite villains, and I can't wait for fans to learn the story of his new Avengers,” Maresca added. “In designing these characters, I tried to keep as many elements of their classic versions as possible. In clothing or equipment, they always have some reference to their source character. I was very excited to co-create new Marvel characters. Giving them a life and a new identity is something I love to do, and as the story progresses, I’m excited to peel back their layers, deepening them and baring their soul! Readers are in for some big surprises!”
"Kyle Hotz is one of the most unique artists and storytellers in the industry, spending decades honing his skills, so when we were deciding who could handle these scenes there was only one choice--you'll start to see why once you read issue 1!" Editor Danny Khazem said.
“The characters we’re introducing — the killer designs by Luca Maresca — are who they appear to be. What motivates them and what they’re doing here — or what they’re running away from — is where things may get more complicated,” Foxe teased in an interview with ComicBook.com that also revealed an exclusive first look. “My hope was to subvert expectations with some of these names, and to surprise readers with what they actually get when they hear ‘Abomination’ or ‘Onslaught.’ I don’t want to spoil too much about any of them, but exploring their unique voices has been a huge chunk of the fun on the book.”
LORE WAR
STAR TREK: DEFIANT #26 (IDW, $4.99) is by writer Christopher Cantwell and artist Davide Tinto. Lore War Part 2 offers a pretty familiar scenario to us old salts: A ragtag group of rebels who remember (somehow) how the universe was before Lore changed everything with the power of a Cosmic Cube Bajoran Orb, and want to change it back. But they have allies within Lore's empire, so it's not entirely a straightforward Cosmic Cube story. And it's always fun to see who becomes what in a new timeline / mirror universe / alternate dimension, so I'm sticking with it.
WE ARE YESTERDAY
BATMAN / SUPERMAN: WORLD'S FINEST #38 (DC COMICS, $3.99) is by Mark Waid and Clayton Henry. This is part one of six in a crossover titled "We Are Yesterday." It's written by Mark Waid, who seems to be everywhere at DC these days — which is perfectly fine with me. Waid has always been my favorite DC writer (and often my favorite Marvel writer), because he combines a subtextual Silver Age decency with modern storytelling. That's always been a draw for me, and now, in the Age of Trump, practically necessary for my mental health.
Anyway, Gorilla Grodd seems able to predict the future now. That's not good! Fortunately, this story will jump back and forth between Batman / Superman and Justice League Unlimited (written by some guy named "Waid"), so the World's Finest team will have some serious back-up!
MORE ITEMS OF INTEREST
ABSOLUTE FLASH #2 (DC COMICS, $4.99) is by writer Jeff Lemire and artist Nick Robles. I'll follow this at least until I see if it's going anywhere interesting. (From Cover B, I hope the first place it goes is a barber. Ha ha! Thanks, folks, I'll be here all week.)
BURIED LONG LONG AGO #1 (OF 5, MAD CAVE, $4.99) is by writer Anthony Cleveland and artist Alex Cormack, and is based on the murders commited by Belle Guinness. Written from the POV of one of her three children (whom she also murdered), the description implies a supernatural turn. I don't think that's necessary — what Belle did was horrific enough. But maybe in this story, unlike real life, Belle will get what's coming to her.
EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #10 (OF 12, ONI PRESS, $4.99): Announced creatores are writers Jeff Jensen, Jeremy Lambert and Curt Pires and artists Valeria Burzo, Sami Kivela and Andrea Mutti.
G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO — SPIRIT (ONE-SHOT, IMAGE, $3.99) is by writer/artist Leonardo Romero (Birds of Prey). It's the third Silent Missions one-shot (of five). I figure if I read all these, at least I'll know who the major players are now.
"Leonardo Romero is one of the very best storytellers in comics, and this issue is an absolute masterclass,” said Alex Antone, Editorial Director at Skybound. “His take on Spirit captures the heart and courage of this character and while showing just how badass a man and his eagle can be.
NEW GODS #5 (OF 12, DC COMICS, $3.99) is by writer Ram V and artists Evan Cagle and TK. This is somehow tied to the All In / Absolute schism, but I've fallen a bit behind and can't tell you how.
ULTIMATE WOLVERINE #4 (MARVEL, $4.99) is by writer Chris Condon and artist Alessandro Cappuccio. As I predicted, the feral Wolverine is starting to become more like "our" Wolverine as his humanity is awakened. I know I predicted this, but ... seriously. AGAIN? How many times do we have to read this exact same story? Well, I give a heads up on Absolutes, so it's only fair I do it for Ultimates, too. But I sure hope they surprise me.
WOLVERINE #8 (MARVEL, $7.99) is by writer Saladin Ahmed and artist Martín Cóccolo, with a back-up story written and drawn by Daniel Warren Johnson (Beta Ray Bill, Transformers). The issue is oversized because it's a legacy-numbering anniversary.
Wolverine #400! Can you believe it? Well, it might be, and it might not be. So I guess I don't believe it.
In the first story, Wolverine battles "his mythic new arch-enemy Adamantine." Can you be a NEW arch-enemy? I thought you had to work at it for a while, and sort of earn the title. Well, OK. I haven't read any stories about Adamanine, but I guess if he's an arch-enemy, I eventually will. And if I don't, then he's not an arch-enemy, and I didn't miss anything.
And I'm only assuming Adamantine is a he. Could be a she. Or an it. Or a them.
"A big anniversary issue is always a great excuse to go crazy with reveals and unveilings, and we've taken that to heart here!” Ahmed said. “In this over-sized issue an old enemy drives Logan's new pupil the Wendigo to the brink, Logan finally comes face to face with the cryptic entity known as the Adamantine, and a stunning new family revelation plants the seeds for the next chaotic chapter of Logan's life."
Meanwhile, Johnson's story is set in the time Logan lived in Japan, and that does kind of interest me. I don't know much about that period, except that whomever Wolverine was in love with got killed. I don't remember who it was, but I'm sure she's dead, because Wolverine's love interest always get killed. It's nice to know there are some things in this crazy world you can always count on!
"What's better than Wolverine with claws? Wolverine with a katana," Johnson said of his backup story.
WONDER WOMAN #20 (DC COMICS, $4.99) is by writer Tom King and artist Guillem March. This is really good news, because the "Sovereign" story wrapped up last issue, and Tom King is still on the title! I was afraid he'd leave after his 19-issue saga. And Guillem March is fantastic. Also, Batman guest stars, which is always a treat. Bats and WW are like chocolate and peanut butter: They're so different, you'd think they wouldn't go well together, but they do.
GOLDEN AGE OF REPRINTS
BABS TP (MR, AHOY, $18.99): I know I've bragged on this series so much that it's probably getting tiresome. And I really shouldn't, because it probably raises expectations too high. I mean, it's not Watchmen. But I really enjoyed it. It's just a satisfying read by some experienced pros who hit all their marks. And that doesn't happen nearly enough.
BLACK WIDOW MODERN ERA EPIC COLLECTION VOL 1: ITSY-BITSY SPIDER (MARVEL, $49.99): I have the Black Widow omnibus, and a couple of trades, but I'm not sure I have all the early Yelena Belova stories collected. Of course, I probably read them as regular issues already. And I don't want to do all that research. Come on, Marvel, just do a Black Widow Omnibus Vol. 2 and then I'll know I have them all, and in the right order, too!
HORIZON EXPERIMENT TP (IMAGE, $16.99): I know I'm supposed to like these stories, given their provenance as common genre fare with uncommon (i.e. marginalized) protagonists and uncommon perspectives. But I can't honestly say I did. I found most of them to be pretty mediocre. And the one I really liked, the first one about the Chinese James Bond, I liked because it was very pretty. (Dodsons!) But ... he's a Chinese spy! I can't really root for a guy who's trying to hurt my country!
But I'm a pretty jaded old vet, and don't get jazzed about innovation for the sake of innovation. Younger readers may enjoy these "pilots" more than I did.
“The Horizon Experiment is me and some of the most talented people I know seeing what’s possible,” writes editor Pornsak Pichetshote (The Good Asian) in the introduction. “Five one-shots co-edited by one of the best editors in comics, Will Dennis, all released monthly and designed to act as pilots for follow-up books if sales merit. Everyone was given the same challenge: Create a protagonist from a marginalized background set in a popular genre where if the background of that protagonist changed, so would your story.”
MERCY SPARX #1: SWEET 16 EDITION (ONE-SHOT, MASSIVE, $5.99) is a reprint of the first Mercy Sparx book, published 16 years ago, which I have not read.
MUTTS: BREAKING THE CHAIN — THE GUARD DOG STORY HC (ABRAMS COMICARTS, $22.99): Comic strip collectors alert!
PRESTIGE PUBLISHERS
GOES LIKE THIS TP (MR, FANTAGRAPHICS, $29.99): Collects Jordan Crane's short stories from the self-published Uptight and Now. None of which I've heard of, which doesn't mean they can't be good. Here's MORE.
JOHN MUIR: TO THE HEART OF SOLITUDE HC (NBM, $24.99): A graphics biography of the founder of the Sierra Club. Here's a PREVIEW.
PUNK ROCK IN COMICS HC (NBM PUBISHING, 176 PAGES, $27.99) is by Thierry Lamy, Nicolas Finet and various artists. It follows the rise of punk rock in NYC and the UK, with a focus on bands like The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, Siouxsie Sioux and The Clash. Here's a PREVIEW.
I never thought of The Clash as punk because they had, you know, talent. Ha ha! But I did consider them more ska than punk.
MORE COMICS
ANXIETY CLUB: HOW TO SURVIVE MODERN LIFE SC (SELFMADEHERO, $19.99): "An illustrated guide to help identify, understand, and manage anxiety." Should people suffering from anxiety be getting their medical advice from a comic book? Better to have it than not, I guess.
CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN #5 (OF 6, DC COMICS, $3.99) guest stars Wonder Woman.
CONAN BARBARIAN #20 (MR, $3.99)
FREAK HC (MR, ONI PRESS, $17.99) is by Matt Lesniewski. It appears to be the story of a guy who's so freakishly ugly that he's met with loathing and disgust wherever he goes. How uplifting! Here's a PREVIEW on Amazon.
GIANT-SIZE WACKY RACES #1 (DYNAMITE, $4.99)
LOOSE END #3 (MR, TITAN, $3.99)
HEY MARY TP (ONI PRESS, $17.99) explores the musical question, "Is it possible to be both Catholic and gay?" Here's a PREVIEW at Simon & Schuster.
MOTHRA: QUEEN OF THE MONSTERS #2 (IDW, $4.99): First issue hooked me, despite myself.
ONE PATH VOL 1 HC (MR, MAD CAVE, $29.99) is cave girls vs. dinosaurs, if I'm interpreting this information correctly. But not, you know, exploitative, like Cavegirl or the Boundless stuff. Probably. Here's a PREVIEW.
PIT HC (MR, LIVING THE LINE, $28.95) is by Erik Kriek. Magical realism in rural Netherlands. Amazon has some PREVIEW pages.
RED SONJA VS. THE ARMY OF DARKNESS #1 (DYNAMITE, $4.99)
SON CHASERS DOUBLE SIZED ONE-SHOT (RED 5 COMICS, $9.95): Henry Hitler tries to redeem the family name. Pass.
WEB OF VENOMVERSE: FRESH BRAINS #1 (MARVEL, $4.99) is by writers Matthew Groom, Erica Schultz, David Dastmalchian and Chris Elipoulos and artists Luciano Vecchio, Chris Allen, Dylan Burnett, Juan Jose Rup and Chris Eliopoulos.
I know this is hard to belive, but I overlooked the first issue of this initiative, Web of Spider-Verse: New Blood, which came out in March. If you're interested, maybe you can find a copy.
The idea is to set the stage for a war between the Venom-verse and the Spider-verse, which is something I'm only half-interested in reading. (The Spider-half, of course.) I have an atavastic revulsion for Venom, so I can't even. But Marvel keeps churning out more Venom material, so he must sell well.
Anyways, here's what the creators say:
“When Dan Slott and Olivier Copiel launched the SPIDER-VERSE in 2014, it transformed the Spider-Man mythos and completely took over the world,” Groom said. “Since then, creators like Donny Cates, Al Ewing and Ram V have transformed the Venom mythos in a way that is arguably just as vital and transformative. Crashing these worlds together is a genuine honor and a privilege— and it gives us an opportunity to push both sides to the breaking point, so we can all discover whether the Spider and Symbiote communities hold strong against the oncoming storm... or if they crack under the pressure!”
“I’m super excited to return to the Spider and Venom Verses! We’re revisiting beloved characters and introducing a bunch of new ones, where I got to stretch my design muscles, one of my favorite tasks,” Vecchio shared. “This time emphasis is in VERSUS! This books feels like the story mode of a combat game and is so much fun and nonstop action. Matt and I really connected, and I enjoyed bouncing ideas back and forth with him and making contributions from the aesthetic end. And I’m most excited about our main Venom. While 616 Venom lore has been expanding in all-new ways over the years, here we get a chance to focus on a quintessential Lethal Protector Venom, for those who missed him.”
“I think one of the genius decisions of this event was having Luciano do all of the character designs for our two lead-in titles,” Groom added. “Luciano’s superpower is building complex tapestries of intertwined characters and worlds… And I love that readers will get an early taste of that in NEW BLOOD and FRESH BRAINS!”
Replies
Godzilla vs. the Hulk would be a tough one. I think it would depend on which versions of each that you used, and how you wanted to write it. I still like this illistration best:
Wasn't Lana Lang married to Pete Ross, or was that several continuities ago
Any chance of getting a larger image so we can experience the joke?
It's the largest I could find. However, I know from memory what the Hulk is saying: "Just wait, Frog-Face! As soon as Hulk gets angry enough, Hulk will come up there and smash you!"
"Running away eh? You yellow bastard, Come back here and take what’s coming to you. I’ll bite your legs off!"
Wait! Is [Kristoff Vernard] still around? How old is he now, college age?
I dunno... how old is Franklin Richards (born 1966 IRL)?
EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #10: Announced creatores are...
...no one I've ever heard of.
NEW GODS #5 is by writer Ram V...
I've been meaning to ask this for a while now, but is that the letter "V" or the Roman numeral for "the fifth"?
Wolverine #400! Can you believe it?
No I cannot... because Marvel released #900 in 2003. (More "Marvel math.")
Wasn't Lana Lang married to Pete Ross, or was that several continuities ago
That was way pre-Flashpoint, back when Pete was Vice President of the United States, IIRC.
This is part one of six in a crossover titled "We Are Yesterday."
The only DC I am buying is World's Finest. What is it crossing over with?
I've been meaning to ask this for a while now, but is that the letter "V" or the Roman numeral for "the fifth"?
It's the letter "V." He's of Indian heritage, and has a long name that he shortens as a pen name (probably because we English speakers keep butchering it). Birth name: Ramnarayan Venkatesan.
The only DC I am buying is World's Finest. What is it crossing over with?
Justice League Unlimited, also by Mark Waid.
Who will soon be writing a Superboy series in Action Comics!
It's the letter "V." He's of Indian heritage, and has a long name that he shortens as a pen name
That makes sense. Thanks!
"Adamantine" is a golden mythical metal from which Hercules' mace is made. Apparently it is not only also sentient, but also emotionally hurt by the predominance of Adamantium in the Marvel Universe.
These early issues of this run of Wolverine have had him mind-controlling various people that use Adamantium.
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