If for some reason you are just joining us here as 2018 kicks into gear with its second day, let me wish you and yours a very “Happy New Year”. I’m already raring to go and have this and some other posts ready to launch when appropriate and that means it’s the monthly comic book solicitations which we shall start with the Marvel Comics stuff this time around. There are a number of first go-round launches and a special edition or two. I’ve made sure to list those for you so let’s take a gander.
AVENGERS #675: NO SURRENDER Part 1: AVENGERS goes WEEKLY for the stunning sixteen-part saga that will write the end of an era! The Earth has been STOLEN! The sky burns while mysterious cosmic objects crash down from above, wreaking havoc across the world! The Avengers are the last line of defense between Earth and the mysterious forces threatening to tear it apart. It’s time to ASSEMBLE! The teams you know and love from AVENGERS, UNCANNY AVENGERS, U.S.AVENGERS and OCCUPY AVENGERS come together to face a threat beyond any they’ve faced before in a weekly epic adventure that will define the future of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!
MARK WAID, AL EWING & JIM ZUB (W) • PEPE LARRAZ (A); OCT170809 WRAPAROUND COVER BY MARK BROOKS
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #150 & 151: THE RETURN OF ADAM WARLOCK Parts 1 & 2: Issue #150 – That’s right – as more and more parties take an interest in the Infinity Stones, a man with serious Infinity experience joins the fray! Plus: Nova Rocket leads the charge against the Raptors! Issue #151 – Adam Warlock is back! But how? And why? Has he come as a savior? Or is he here to take the Infinity Stones for himself? Find out as the galactic tale of the Infinity Stones’ return enters the next exciting phase!
ISSUE #150 – GERRY DUGGAN (W) • MARCUS TO & AARON KUDER (A)
ISSUE #151 – GERRY DUGGAN (W) • Mike Allred (A); Cover by AARON KUDER
RISE OF THE BLACK PANTHER #1 (of 6): SECRET ORIGIN OF THE BLACK PANTHER Part 1: Just in time for the highly anticipated film, witness the early years of the man who will come to rule one of the most scientifically advanced countries in the world! Wakanda has always kept itself isolated from Western society, but that’s all about to change. Young T’Challa knows he is destined to become king, but when his father is brutally murdered by outsiders, he’ll find himself taking up a mantle he may not be ready for. Experience never-before-seen drama from the reign of T’Chaka, the king whose death changes a nation’s history forever. Learn about the mother T’Challa never knew. See how the world learns about this wondrous nation for the first time. Will the power of the Black Panther be enough to keep his country safe? Journalist Evan Narcisse makes his comics debut alongside acclaimed writer Ta-Nehisi Coates as they chronicle T’Challa’s rise to the throne – and to the Panther legacy that made him an Avenger.
EVAN NARCISSE & TA-NEHISI COATES (W) • PAUL RENAUD (A); COVER BY BRIAN STELFREEZE
OLD MAN HAWKEYE #1 (of 12): AN EYE FOR AN EYE Part 1: The super heroes have fallen. The country has been divided into territories controlled by super villains. Among the wastelands lives CLINT BARTON – one of the few Avengers to survive. But it’s been 45 years, and he’s no Avenger. Trying to eke out a living anyway he can, the former HAWKEYE is confronted with a startling discovery: the sharpshooter is going blind. With time running short, Clint realizes there’s one last thing he wants to see: revenge for his fallen comrades-in-arms. Rising-star writer ETHAN SACKS and superstar artist MARCO CHECCHETTO take you back to the Wastelands in a story set five years before the original classic OLD MAN LOGAN.
ETHAN SACKS (W) • MARCO CHECCHETTO (A/C)
LEGION #1 (of 5): Trauma Part 1: A mind-bending X-Men tale from the brains of Peter Milligan (X-Statix, Shade the Changing Man) and Wilfredo Torres (Moon Knight, Black Panther)! David Haller, the son of Professor Charles Xavier, has always had trouble containing the multiple personalities in his mind. And with each personality, comes a wild and dangerous mutant power. But now, a terrifying new personality is threatening to absorb these powers and take over David’s mind and body. In a desperate attempt to save himself, David seeks out the help of renowned young psychotherapist Hannah Jones to delve into his fractured mind and fight back this dark personality. But unknown to Legion….Dr Jones brings her own demons with her…
PETER MILLIGAN (W) • WILFREDO TORRES (A); Cover by JAVIER RODRIGUEZ
ROGUE & GAMBIT #1 (of 5): Ring of Fire Part 1: Everybody’s favorite X-couple is reunited! And boy, are they not happy about that… Kitty Pryde must send Rogue and Gambit on an undercover mission to find a group of kidnapped mutants. What they discover on this mission will shock them. But will it also bring them closer together…? It’s a high-stakes adventure caper that only the two hottest X-Men can deliver!
KELLY THOMPSON (W) • PERE PEREZ (A); Cover by KRIS ANKA
INHUMANS: JUDGMENT DAY #1: THE INUMANS FACE THE WRATH OF THEIR CREATORS! The Royal Family has spent months tracking down Primagen, the element that birthed Terrigen and could save the Inhuman race from its slow extinction. But to get it, they confronted the Progenitors – beings older than the Earth itself. They stole fire from the gods. And the gods are angry. The fate of planet Earth once again sits in Black Bolt and Medusa’s hands. The Progenitors are here to end their experiment once and for all – and our world with it. Who will be able to stand…on Judgment Day?
Al Ewing (W) • Mike Del Mundo (A); COVER BY Daniel Acuña
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: VENOM INC. OMEGA #1: VENOM INC. Part 6: The symbiotic super villain called Maniac has seized control of all of New York’s major crime families, and he’s now got his sights set on the entire city! To make matters worse, he’s also got a cadre of super villains under his symbiotic spell, and Spider-Man, Venom and their allies are the only things standing in their way! The final chapter of VENOM INC!
DAN SLOTT & MIKE COSTA (W) • RYAN STEGMAN & GERARDO SANDOVAL (A); Cover by RYAN STEGMAN
X-MEN GOLD ANNUAL #1: A brand-new Braddock bundle of joy! The return of a D’Bari hero! Kitty’s Shadowcat costume!
TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY EXCALIBUR REUNION!
MARC GUGGENHEIM & LEAH WILLIAMS (W) • ALITHA E. MARTINEZ (A); Cover by ALAN DAVIS
X-MEN BLUE ANNUAL #1: THE CROSSOVER BETWEEN VENOM AND X-MEN BLUE STARTS HERE! Spinning out of the events of Venomverse, the Children of the Atom and the Lethal Protector team up to take down an extradimensional threat! This is it, folks, the team-up you’ve been asking for: X-MEN BLUE and VENOM must band together in the cold reaches of space to protect our universe from a threat more diabolical than you can imagine. But will EDDIE BROCK, his faithful SYMBIOTE, MARVEL GIRL, CYCLOPS, ICEMAN, BEAST and ANGEL be enough to save this universe? I really, really hope so.
CULLEN BUNN (W) • EDGAR SALAZAR (A); Cover by NICK BRADSHAW
MARVEL’S AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR PRELUDE #1 (OF 2): When a terrorist puts the Avengers at odds, CAPTAIN AMERICA and THE WINTER SOLDIER go rogue to find him – but IRON MAN isn’t far behind. Will the Avengers survive the fallout? Then, find out where Captain America, the Falcon and the Black Widow are headed next – because the world needs heroes, whether it wants them or not. And get a sneak peek at Tony Stark’s brand-new armor! Get ready for MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR in part 1 of this special prelude!
Will Corona Pilgrim (W) • Tigh Walker (A); COVER BY RYAN MEINERDING
STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI – DJ #1: When STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI takes theaters in FORCE (get it?) this December, Star Wars fans will get a peek into some new dark corners of the Galaxy Far Away…and out of one of those corners scuttles DJ, the mysterious character played by Benecio Del Toro! Who is this mystery man, and what put him in the path of our Resistance heroes? Join Ben Acker & Ben Blacker (Star Wars Join the Resistance, Star Wars: The Last Jedi – The Storms of Crait) and Kev Walker (Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, Darkhawk) as they reveal a day in DJ’s life just before his appearance in the film!
BEN ACKER & BEN BLACKER (W) • KEV WALKER (A); Cover by JEFF DEKAL
PiercingMetal Thoughts: As you can see by this rundown of first issues and special occasion editions, this is going to be a great January. I always enjoyed Excalibur and really hope we find Captain Britain joining the MCU at some point in the future and well, Adam Warlock’s return is just awesome. His existence in upcoming films was hinted at during the second “GOTG” film and if that spoiled the news on you, you have waited too long to see it. With the holiday tying up the disposable income as much as it did, I need to peruse many of the issues first on the stands before determining if I want them in my collection or not. As I’m not the biggest fan of the “Legion” show I will likely bypass this title and as far as the “Star Wars” issue is concerned, I didn’t love the character in the film so can leave that one alone as well. I can see myself purchase the anniversary issues of “Avengers” but bear in mind this title will come out once a week for a couple of months so be sure to tell your local retailer to set one aside for you so you don’t miss out. I will probably wait for a collected edition of the full story after this month. So what do you think? What are you excited about starting to read from Marvel Comics this year? Let me know down in the comments section below.
Official Website: http://www.marvel.com
