I promise you, I was not having some stroke when I wrote that title. That is actually what Marvel is calling their brand new initiative, which is pretty much a reboot of their whole universe, but not really. Confused? Think of it this way. It's a brand new marketing ploy to release a whole slew of new #1 issues, ala DC's New 52 from a few years ago.
Admittedly, DC did the roll out a whole lot better. They were able to ship all 52 of their books in a month and on schedule. Marvel hasn't started yet, but all signs point to it not being that organized.
With that being said, I am happy for this new shake-up of their universe. I am all about continuity, but I'm glad this is happening. Things were getting stale and this is a way to make things fresh. Essentially moving all the pieces around on the board.
There are going to be a lot of books coming out and I am excited for maybe a third of those. I'm going to take a few minutes to talk about which books I'm excited about and why.
A-Force - Over the years I've become a fan of G. Willow Wilson. She alone is what has me sold on this book. Right now, the current A-Force book during this Secret Wars event is not very good. The basic premise is that it combines a lot of the strong females in the Marvel Universe on to one team. To early to judge, based on the preview art we have.
All-New All Different Avengers - I will admit that this is the book I am most looking forward to. We got a taste of this team with the Free Comic Book Day offering that came out this year. Here's what I love about this team. It's a diverse team. You have older characters mixing with the younger characters. Among these you have a mix of black characters (Sam Wilson, Miles Morales), hispanic characters (Sam Alexander) and Middle Eastern (Kamala Kahn). Plus you have the female Thor. Sure this is the book most ready to have mass appeal, but I like the make up of this team.
Uncanny Avengers - I like Ryan Stegman's art, so hopefully he can stay on a monthly schedule. Also I have a soft spot for Doctor Voodoo. Also, Deadpool is on this team! This could be a hot mess. Or it could be good. By the way, Quicksilver's new costume is stupid. Really, a fast forward logo on his chest? That's almost enough to make me NOT want to read.
Ultimates - Okay. I'm going to put this out there. I'm a Black Panther fan, so that is reasons #1, 2 and 3 I want to read this book. Also the fact that 3/5 of the cast is black appeals to me. Now where have I heard of three-fifths before...? Anyways, I also like the Blue Marvel and Monica Rambeau. It gives me some black characters I can be proud of. I also have a soft spot for Kenneth Rockafort's art. I'm not a fan of Black Panther on a team full of people designed to fight cosmic level threats, but I'm willing to give it a shot.
Doctor Strange - Normally I wouldn't give a Doctor Strange book the time of day. However, with Jason Aaron writing and Chris Bachalo drawing, how can I refuse. Aaron made Thor interesting, so I have every hope that he will do the same for Doctor Strange. I can't believe I'm going to read a Doctor Strange book. Then again, I never thought that years ago I would be reading Aquaman either. What I'm saying is, people can change.
Sam Wilson, Captain America - As every day goes by, I feel like we're just another day away from Sam Wilson no longer being Captain America. I'll be honest. I'm surprised it's gone on this long. By this long I mean, one year. Comic books are notorious for changing the status quo for a short period of time and then changing it back. I'll stay on board because the Falcon is a cool character.
The Mighty Thor - The continuing adventures of a female Thor. Like Captain America, I'm surprised this change has lasted longer than people's attention spans. Jason Aaron is still writing this book, so count me in. Lady Thor has been good so far, I don't see that stopping now.
Ms. Marvel - One of my favorite new characters and a welcome addition to the Marvel Universe. With G. Willow Wilson continuing to write this book, it will retain that same level of fun that she's had so far, while slyly educating people on a culture they are not familiar with. Edutainment!
Spider-Man - This is not your Peter Parker Spider-Man. This is the book for Miles Morales, the other recipient of the "Kevin's favorite new minority character that isn't stereotypical". Seriously, his run with the no longer existing "Ultimate Spider-Man" series was a real treat. I love that Bendis is still writing him and Sara Pichelli is back on art duties. This is the only Spider-Man book I will be reading.
Daredevil - Although I'm sad to see the great Mark Waid/Chris Samnee collaboration end, I am excited for this book. I love that this is another book with a lawyer that Charles Soule is writing. (Charles Soule is an ACTUAL lawyer). Writing the adventures of Matt Murdock is only fitting. Wait, is that Gambit on the cover with him!? How have we never seen a Daredevil/Gamibt team up before?? Okay, now I'm super excited. I also love Ron Garney on art, so this is near the top of my stack.
Guardians of the Galaxy - I touched on the dissolving of the Fantastic Four in a previous post. So it's good to see the Thing show up in this book. Seems like an odd fit, but this new status quo is about mixing things up, so I welcome it. Also, we have Kitty Pryde as the new Star-Lord here. This should be a lot of fun.
Uncanny Inhumans - Usually I don't care about the Inhumans, but the creative team is the reason I will give this book a chance. Also, we have an odd line up that includes the Beast and the Human Torch?! I'll give this book a fair shake.
Extraordinary X-Men - Now there are going to be a lot more X-books coming, but I want let my love of X-Men make me buy ALL of them. So I've decided that this will be one of them because it has Storm leading the team. As it should be, really. This is kind of an odd team of X-Men as it includes Iceman, Nightcrawler and the "Old Man Logan" version of Wolverine. Humberto Ramos is drawing it, so I will always show up when he's on board.
All-New X-Men - Honestly, this book will be on a short leash with me. I really thought they had exhausted the concept of this time-displaced X-Men, but they're going to keep going. I'll try it out for a few issues to see if it pleasantly surprises me or not. I hate to say that Mark Bagley on art is one of the reasons I am hesitant. He is my favorite Spider-man artist from the 90's (Take that your McFarlane fans!), but I think maybe I outgrew his style.
All-New Wolverine - I'll be honest, usually I would hate the idea of a female Wolverine, because it would sound like more pandering from Marvel. Since this is X-23 we're talking about, who was practically Wolverine anyway, I'm okay with this. I do wish they could have given her a new take on the costume, not the same thing.
If you read this far, congratulations. Thanks for indulging me. Oh, who am I kidding? You knew what you were getting into if you're reading this blog.
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