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Marvel Comics July 2024

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Introduction

This article took much longer than anticipated. I expected to write it Friday (or Saturday at the latest) of last week and then pushed it off more and more. We were supposed to go see an Alanis Morrissette concert tonight, but we made the plans before securing summer school jobs this week. Plus, the traffic promises to be a nightmare and I don’t relish sitting in this swampy weather with a sold out concert crowd. Sorry, Alanis. Next time. Instead, I figured, why not finally write about Marvel Comics July 2024.

Temporary Category: I don’t Care About Blood Hunt

The funny part about this month is that four titles have the Blood Hunt tie in. I care nothing about this event or any of the supporting materials and, so, read none of them. Vampires were only my thing for a brief period in high school. Then, Twilight ruined the lore for me.

Temporary Category: Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Hey Good-Bye

I saw an article that they’re moving on and changing creative teams for this title. I sent the article to Chris and he replied, “Not a fan?” I think we all know the answer to that one. My Verdict: Thank goodness.

Captain America 10 (Legacy 760)

Writer: JMS, Artist: Jesus Saiz. Some writers are timeless. Some are products of their time. I started to think that maybe JMS fit into the second category. I love his Amazing Spider-Man. Sure, he and Joey Q brought us One More Day, but honestly, I forgive him for that one because his work on Civil War blew me away and that’s my impression of his run. So far on Cap, he hasn’t quite reached that same standard. But, I think he just needed some time to find his voice in the character. Even in this one, we get too much of the Spidey silliness and the start of the issue is very talky. But, the end makes up for it and I want to see where he goes next. My verdict: Good.

The Immortal Thor 12 (Legacy 773)

Writer: Al Ewing, Artist: Valentina Pinti. Likewise, Ewing took some big swings in his first Thor story. Most of them hit, but some missed big time in my opinion. This issue reads more like the Norse lore Thor. Wow, that’s a possible tongue twister there. I prefer the modern interpretation of the character, but Ewing makes this work for me for the issue at least. My verdict: Good.

The Incredible Hulk 13 (Legacy 794)

Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Artist: Nic Klein. Speaking of Ewing, he brought back the horror element to Hulk with Immortal Hulk and shot the title into the stratosphere, in my opinion. Surprisingly, after a lackluster run with Donny Cates (though I enjoyed his introduction), Phillip Kennedy Johnson picks up the horror mantle and I think his stuff might even be better than Ewing. I can’t get over the art, but it’s less offensive to me, so maybe I’m just coming to terms with the fact that it’s not changing. My verdict: Great.

The Sensational She-Hulk 9 (Legacy 187)

Writer: Rainbow Rowell, Artist: Andres Genolet. I never expected to enjoy Rowell’s She-Hulk as much as I have. Throughout the duration, I consistently called it my favorite Marvel book. Now I hear that Marvel’s killing the book. This absolutely guts me, but I have a new era of X-Men to finally jump into that maelstrom next month. My verdict: The end of an absolute sensational era. Thanks for the memories.

The Verdict

Marvel Comics July 2024 brings 4 ignored books because of a passionate disinterest in the evnt tie-ins, more Spider-Man disappointment, two absolute Hulk bombs (in the good way) and a couple of good to almost very good other issues. The She-Hulk announcement destroyed me. I’m gonna need some time.

Note: Maybe it’s Marvel Math. Maybe it’s genuine. But the latest issue of Uncanny X-Men reads #700 and has a bunch of talent on the cover. I’ll review that one like I do all the milestone issues in the next article.

Other note: Art taken from the mother ship.

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Marvel Comics April 2024

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Introduction

As mentioned in the previous DC review article, Marvel Comics April 2024 comes a week later than anticipated. Technically, it comes 5 days later, but you get the point. I also wrote in that article that I started to feel too generous with these reviews. While I recovered from that then, I feel a bit like this article will reinforce that idea. You’ll see what I mean when we get right into the reviews. And, I thought I might have more to say, but instead, let’s do this thing.

Decent

Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Art: Daniel Earls

I just texted Chris, “The art on the new Hulk series is so bad.” I said something stronger, but no reason to repeat the curse here. He agreed. I think that my instinct is pretty strong overall, but I like to get his opinion as well to make sure that I’m not missing something. Turns out I’m not. The title continues with the horror theme set by Al Ewing and does a decent job of emulating that. With even passable art, I’d push this into the “Good” section and it might even flirt with great. It’s just that the art is so bad that it drags the title down. Stop doing Hulk so dirty, Marvel.

Good

Writer: Eve L. Ewing, Artist: Christopher Allen
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski, Art: Carlos Magno

Apparently, this issue ends Eve Ewing’s run on the title. I don’t see the title in the coming solicitations, either. It struggled a little bit with me through the 10 issues, but overall I enjoyed it and will miss it during this hiatus. Can’t wait to see who they get to write it next. Similarly, this run with JMS on Cap took a bit to get going. But, this issue floored me. It reminded me of everything I enjoyed about his Spider-Man. Still not as good as my favorite Cap writers, but he’ll get there.

Great

Fantastic Four 18

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Writer: Ryan North, Artist: Carlos Gomez

Fantastic Four, She-Hulk, and Doctor Strange all make regular appearances here. Avengers also often appears here. So, I will concentrate on the newbies. I have no idea what’s happened to Guardians of the Galaxy. Maybe I fucked up my DCBS order. Nope, a quick Google machine search shows that they’re done again. Fudge. Oh well, Al Ewing back on Venom gives me the warm and fuzzies. Speaking of Al, his run on Thor is finally starting to ramp up and I think it’s going to be a blast. Stay tuned.

The Verdict

Marvel Comics April 2024 brings an impressive line up of titles and stories. While not all awesome, I said several times that it’s a magical thing when the title matches the author so well. I don’t know if both publishers are using AI or what, but they’ve both figured out how to make that work in a big way. As I’ve been saying, it’s a great time to be a comic fan right now.

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Marvel Comics December 2023: Great, Good, Decent

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Introduction

Well, I made one deadline so far this month. Admittedly, I amended it because I missed it the first time. But, as promised a couple of days ago, I present Marvel Comics December 2023. Recently, I think Marvel Comics brings the strongest line up out of the publishers. I wrote in my DC article that they’re getting stronger.

This month, especially, I enjoyed the DC books that I ordered. Obviously, I hope these trends continue. Additionally, one trend I hope reverses (and quick) is the Amazing Spider-Man being terrible. True to my word, I put it in the pile to be shelved without even taking it out of the bag. Please, can someone save ol’ Web-Head?

Avengers #7 (Legacy 773)

Writer: Jed McKay, Artist: CF Villa. After reading this one, I texted Chris, “I enjoy the new Avengers book. He’s doing a good job.” To which he responded, “I’ve been liking it, too.” After the fun and interesting Planet Eaters story, this one starts with the defeat and death of the Avengers. Excellent start. My verdict: Very good.

Black Panther #6 (Legacy 218)

Writer: Eve L. Ewing, Artist: Matt Horak with Mack Chater. Tells the story of a former Black Panther and Wakandan king. Apparently, to save the nation in the present, they must look back to the past. I like this one more and more with each passing month. My verdict: Good.

Doctor Strange #9 (Legacy 435)

Writer: Jed McKay, Artist: Pasqual Ferry. Strange still battles in his personal war. He gets an upper hand and he and Clea are reunited. This has been a wild story with all kinds of twists and turns. I can’t wait to see where it goes next. My verdict: Good.

Fantastic Four 13 (Legacy 706)

Writer: Ryan North, Artist: Iban Coello. Two universes threaten to destroy one another; one human and the other dinosaur. If that sounds like a ton of fun, well you’re not wrong. The dinosaur four against the Avengers. Doom teams with Doomasaur. Thing and his dino self save the day. Just goofy fun. My verdict: Great.

Guardians of the Galaxy 8 (Legacy 188)

Writers: Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing, Artist: Kev Walker. They are Groot. The Guardians world to protect Grootspace and allow it to come to life. Then, they lived happily ever after. Just kidding. Some nutter is coming to burn Grootspace and the Guardians. My verdict: Great.

The Immortal Thor 4 (Legacy 765)

Writer: Al Ewing, Artist: Martin Coccolo. Thor summons Storm. He hands over the mantle of Thor to her so that she can help fight off a threat of epic proportions. Beta Ray Bill, Loki, and others join. Thor introduces the “Thor Corps”. The issue ends with a weird zombie cow thing talking about merchandising. My verdict: Good.

The Incredible Hulk 6 (Legacy 787)

Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Artist: Nic Klein. I like that they’re continuing with the horror theme from Al Ewing’s run. This one also gives us a taste of Banner on the road. At the end, we finally get the payoff of the cover with Ghost Rider confronting the Hulk. Next issue, Hulk gets his judgement. My verdict: Good.

Punisher 1

Writer: David Pepose, Artist: Dave Wachter. An adequate introduction to the new Punisher. I like the idea of the Punisher, but I generally don’t like the actual books. It looks like this one gives me just enough of what I want the Punisher to be without going overboard. I will give this one a chance. My verdict: Decent.

The Sensational She-Hulk 2 (Legacy 180)

Note: A few weeks ago, I saw an article. I texted Chris, after saying the same to Aiden, “I wish I knew how to market myself better. Someone wrote an article saying what I’ve been saying for the last year or so. She-Hulk is probably the best book on the market right now. If only someone saw this Marvel Comics December 2023 article and shared it to one of the aggregators.

Writer: Rainbow Rowell, Artist: Andres Genolet. You get a Hulk. And, you get a Hulk. Everyone gets a Hulk! Classic Hulk beat em up gets the She-Hulk treatment and I’m here for it. Fun and funny issue that sets up for more in the next issue. My verdict: Great.

Venom 27 (Legacy 227)

Writer: Torunn Gronbekk, Artist: Julius Ohta with Rafael Pimentel. I like the story in Venom right now. I think it is compelling and moving at a decent pace. The new symbiotes fill in nicely and I couldn’t help but think about the Scorched team during their scenes. But, something feels missing or off right now in the book. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but the whole isn’t greater than the sum of its parts right now. My verdict: Decent.

The Verdict

Marvel Comics December 2023 gives me more of the same. In most cases, that’s great. I must say, again, that right now I think I’m enjoying comics as much as I did when I first started reading them 30 years ago. They’re figuring things out and writing for us oldbies. I think I forgot to order the books for next month, so look for an in depth analysis of the latest run of X-Men instead.

Head on over to Marvel for all your comics needs.