Hello again readers, wow is there a lot of stuff going on or what? We are only a couple of days into the month of June and I’ve already lined out a whole bunch of awesome events to bring to your attention in terms of music and stuff to read. That brings me to our Marvel Comics first issues that will be hitting the racks over the course of the month. As usual the press copy comes from their side of the fence along with the images and then I’ll close up with the ones that I am most interested in. Here we go.
SECRET EMPIRE: BRAVE NEW WORLD #1 (of 5): Steve Rogers, Captain America, Liberty’s most dedicated defender is actually the Supreme Leader of Hydra. Faced with this adversity, the world’s heroes have two choices: stand and fight or fall in line. See how Earth’s protectors come to grips this earth-shattering revelation in an action packed first issue featuring Gwenpool, Giant-Man and Steve’s oldest allies, THE INVADERS!
Paul Allor, Jeremy Whitley, Nick Kocher (W); BRIAN LEVEL, DIEGO OLORTEGUI, WILL ROBSON (A); COVER BY PAULO SIQUEIRA
SECRET EMPIRE: BRAVE NEW WORLD #2 (of 5): DEBUT OF THE ALL-NEW PATRIOT! Living in the Hydra Nation doesn’t have to be all bad, especially if you can get with the program. But even in times of peace, some folks help but fight for what’s right. Featuring The Invaders, Hydra Bob and introducing the all-new Patriot!!
Paul Allor, Fabian Nicieza, Rodney Barnes (W); Brian Level, Tana Ford & Juan M. Frigeri (A); Cover by PAULO SIQUEIRA
SECRET EMPIRE: UNITED #1: Steve Rogers has finally brought peace to the planet, securing the borders of the land that he loves against any and all threats. And his peace will be maintained—by any means necessary. So when skirmishes break out on the outskirts of mutant-controlled territory, Hydra’s supreme leader takes matters into his own hands…
JIM ZUB (W) • Ario Anindito (A); Cover by RYAN STEGMAN
SECRET EMPIRE: UPRISING #1: A crucial SECRET EMPIRE tie-in that bridges issues #3 and #4! There’s a new order to things in the world, but it’s not one that everybody agrees with! So what is there left to do about it? The Black Widow has a dangerous plan—but to carry it out, she’ll need the help of the young heroes of the Marvel Universe—and it may require them to cross a line they never thought they would! THE SECRET EMPIRE WILL CHAMPION YOU!
DEREK LANDY (W); J. CASSARA (A); Cover by MEGHAN HETRICK
SECRET EMPIRE: UNDERGROUND #1: From a hidden base in the Rocky Mountains a coallition of heroes have staged a resistance against Hydra and their former friend, Steve Rogers. Up until now, their successes have been few—but they may have discovered a way to end the long national nightmare. The only catch? They’ve got to brave the dangers of the Savage Land!
JEREMY WHITLEY (W) • ERIC KODA (A); Cover by RB SILVA
ALL-NEW GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY ANNUAL #1: SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN! The Chitauri invasion has arrived, and Captain Marvel and Earth’s heroes are outnumbered. Now it’s up to the Guardians of the Galaxy to find reinforcements! There may be a weapon that could turn the tide of the battle, but in order to obtain it, the Guardians will have to rely on the help of the last alien Star-Lord ever wanted to see again…Yondu Udonta!
CHAD BOWERS & CHRIS SIMS (W) • DANILO BEYRUTH (A); Cover by DAVID NAKAYAMA
EDGE OF VENOMVERSE #1 (of 5): EDGE of VENOM-VERSE starts here! The series that sets up the epic VENOM EVENT of 2017 STARTS HERE! Each issue introduces another major Venomized character that will feed into VENOMVERSE itself! THIS ISSUE, the young mutant clone designated X-23 collides with a cryogenic tube containing a strange alien symbiote during her frenzied escape from The Facility, . Bonding with the alien enhances her already considerable abilities, and aids in her escape, but it begins to alter her mind! On the run from the very people that made her, can X-23 hold it together or is she doomed to give in to Venom!
MATTHEW ROSENBERG (W) • ROLAND BOSCHI (A) Cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA
PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #1: SPIDER-MAN RETURNS TO THE FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD! The webslinging, wallcrawling wonder returns to New York City in the all-new PETER PARKER: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN. A companion series to the best-selling Amazing Spider-Man series, Peter Parker is going back-to-basics for big heroics in the Big Apple. Featuring adversaries old and new, be there as Spider-Man returns to his friendly neighborhood for his never ending battle against crime and the dreaed “Parker Luck”.
CHIP ZDARSKY (W) • ADAM KUBERT (A/C)
DEFENDERS #1: Daredevil! Luke Cage! Jessica Jones! Iron Fist! Individually, these four heroes have been on the front lines of the battle to keep the streets of the city safe and secure! But now, with a deadly enemy from the dim past making a major move to unite the underworld, they will need to become more — they will need to become DEFENDERS! Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez unite to bring you the next great super-team, in the tradition of NEW AVENGERS!
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • DAVID MARQUEZ (A/C)
ICEMAN #1: Bobby Drake has been in the super hero game longer than most. But while reflecting on what he’s accomplished over the years, he realizes that the legacy he’s built is a few good one-liners and a string of failed relationships. Not only that, but now a younger version of himself has emerged from the timestream and he’s more put together than Bobby ever was: already a world-class hero in his own right, but also totally comfortable in his own skin, complete with a relationship with a handsome Inhuman to boot. In this new ongoing series penned by Sina Grace (Burn the Orphanage, Self-Obsessed) and drawn by Alessandro Vitti (SECRET WARRIORS), Bobby realizes that the time is never or now, and sets out to build a life and legacy he can be proud of…and be the best ICEMAN he can be!
SINA GRACE (W) • ALESSANDRO VITTI (A); Cover by KEVIN WADA
ICEMAN #2: When a newly manifested mutant signals the X-Men for help, Iceman teams up with Kitty Pryde to stage a rescue mission! And surely nothing can go wrong when you ask your former girlfriend for advice on meeting guys while you’re in the middle of a firefight, right?
SINA GRACE (W) • ALESSANDRO VITTI (A); Cover by KEVIN WADA
VISION DIRECTORS CUT #1 (of 6): One of the most surprising super-hero stories ever told, now better than ever! Experience Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez Walta’s masterpiece…re-presented with bonus behind-the-scenes content! Behold the Visions! They’re the family next door, and they have the power to kill us all. What could possibly go wrong? Collecting VISION (2015) #1-2, plus extras — including Tom King’s original series pitch, script excerpts, character designs and sketches by Gabriel Hernandez Walta, cover sketches by Mike del Mundo and more.
TOM KING (W) • GABRIEL HERNANDEZ WALTA (A); Cover by MIKE DEL MUNDO
WEAPONS OF MUTANT DESTRUCTION: ALPHA #1: THE WEAPON X PROGRAM IS BACK! Their goal is a simple one…ERADICATE ALL MUTANTS! And they’re starting their hunt with the most dangerous group of mutants on planet Earth — Old Man Logan, Sabretooth, Domino, Lady Deathstrike, Warpath and…the Hulk?! But with an army of genetic cyborgs at their disposal, this may just be the beginning…
GREG PAK (W) • MAHMUD ASRAR (A): COVER BY SKAN
Star Wars: Droids Unplugged #1: Collecting three stories featuring everyone’s favorite droids! What adventures did the probe droids in The Phantom Menace get into when Darth Maul wasn’t looking? Luke’s got a mission for R2-D2! But can the astromech complete it in time? And all BB-8 wants is to help…two Resistance soldiers fall in love!
CHRIS ELIOPOULOS (W) • CHRIS ELIOPOULOS (A/C)
DARTH VADER #1 & 2: The most fearsome villain of all time returns with an all-new series! When Anakin Skywalker fell, both to the pull of the dark side and to the blade of Obi-Wan Kenobi, he rose back up, more machine than man. Having lost everything that was once dear to him, the former chosen one must take his first steps into a darker world…as Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith! Join Vader as he learns a new way — the way of Darth Sidious and his newly formed Empire…the way of the dark side.
Charles Soule (W) • GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI (A); Cover by JIM CHEUNG
STAR WARS: POE DAMERON ANNUAL #1: Poe Dameron has never been one to follow the rules. So when he disobeys a direct order from General Leia Organa and gets stranded in First Order space……with no ship and little oxygen…how will he survive?
ROBERT THOMPSON (W) • NICOLE VIRELLA (A); Cover by DAN MORA
COLOR YOUR OWN MARVEL MASTERS: Celebrate the Mighty Marvel Age of Coloring Books with the artistic legends who helped build the House of Ideas! Icons of the field such as Jack Kirby, the unquestioned “King” of comics, whose boundless imagination populated the emerging Marvel Universe with a cornucopia of colorful, costumed characters — including the Fantastic Four, Avengers and X-Men! His far-out fantasy masterpieces must be seen to be believed! Then there’s “Sturdy” Steve Ditko, who ripped up the super hero rule book with Spider-Man and sent Doctor Strange into a psychedelic kaleidoscope of spellbinding dimensions! The incredible work of Kirby, Ditko and their celebrated contemporaries awaits in crisp black and white — and YOU get to stand on the shoulders of these giants by spreading the hues on some Marvel masterworks!
Penciled by JACK KIRBY, STEVE DITKO, JOHN ROMITA SR., JOHN BUSCEMA & MORE; Cover by JACK KIRBY
PiercingMetal Thoughts: There is a lot of great first issues coming out this month and while I want all of them, I think that the financials will not permit this so I will be examining them on the racks first and picking the ones that I like the most. In addition to the single issues I am very interested in seeing this coloring book. This is a growing trend and a lot of my friends love the things. I haven’t “colored” as a thing to do in many years despite doodling occasionally with a package of crayons or pencils so it might be a blast to crack open a box of Crayola’s and go to town on this book. If I get one and bring some pages to life I will post them on the Official Instagram. What do you readers think about this months offerings from Marvel? Let me know which ones you like the most down in the comments section. See you next time.
Official Website: http://www.marvel.com