Happy May my comic book loving readers, we are here and ready to share the months first issues and special anniversary editions that will be heading our way thanks to the fine folks at Marvel Comics. Of course, the biggest news of this morning will be the blockbuster box office take from this past weekend where we found “Avengers: Infinity War” pulling in more than $630 million dollars in the global box office tally. This film only opened up on Friday my friends, so one has to assume that it is going to be riding high for the next few weeks. I’m planning on seeing it this morning at one of the early matinees but don’t worry – I will not be spoiling it for anyone. There are a LOT of comics to showcase here so I’d better get on down to business. Here we go.
AVENGERS #1: A NEW ERA DAWNS FOR EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HEROES. Thor Odinson. Steve Rogers. Tony Stark. The Big Three of the Avengers are reunited at last! And just in time to save the world from total annihilation at the hands of their most powerful enemies yet: the 2000-foot-tall space gods known as Celestials. Behold the coming of the Final Host. Who will answer the call to assemble for a wild new era of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes? Hint: one of them has a flaming skull for a head. And what strange, world-shaking connection exists between the Final Host and Odin’s ancient band of Prehistoric Avengers?
Written by JASON AARON • Penciled by ED MCGUINNESS; Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
AVENGERS #2: Black Panther and Dr. Strange battle for their lives deep within the earth…Captain Marvel battles death and destruction raining down from the skies…while Thor, Iron Man and Captain America lead the valiant (yet hopeless) fight against the Final Host of Dark Celestials. And Ghost Rider and the Savage Hulk make brutal war against…each other? Plus, you can’t have a gathering of Avengers without a certain Prince of Lies, now can you?
Written by JASON AARON • Penciled by ED MCGUINNESS; Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
BLACK PANTHER #1: A NEW DIRECTION FROM TA-NEHISI A bold new direction for the Black Panther! For years, T’Challa has fought off invaders from his homeland, protecting Wakanda from everything from meddling governments to long-lost gods. Now, he will discover that Wakanda is much bigger than he ever dreamed…Across the vast Multiverse lies an empire founded in T’Challa’s name. Readers caught a glimpse of it in MARVEL LEGACY #1. Now find out the truth behind the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda! Ta-Nehisi Coates welcomes aboard fan-favorite artist Daniel Acuña for a Black Panther story unlike any other!
Written by TA-NEHISI COATES • Penciled by DANIEL ACUÑA; Cover by DANIEL ACUñA
VENOM #1: A VENOM NIGHTMARE 1000 YEARS IN THE MAKING! In the wake of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s collapse, an ancient and primordial evil has been awakened beneath the streets of New York, and with it, something equally evil has awakened in that most Wicked of Webslingers – VENOM! Still a Lethal Protector of the innocents in New York, this never-before-seen threat could force Venom to relinquish everything it holds dear – including Eddie Brock! Join two of the hottest creators in comics today, Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman, for a VENOM adventure a thousand years in the making!
Written by DONNY CATES • Pencils & COVER by RYAN STEGMAN
*** DON’T FORGET – “Venom” is a film coming this year from Sony Pictures and though its NOT connected to the proper MCU, I shared the latest trailer HERE.
INFINITY COUNTDOWN: CAPTAIN MARVEL #1: Carol Danvers has crossed the borders of reality itself and returned in possession of the Reality Stone…and with it has contacted the Marvels of many worlds! Join the Captains Marvel for a cross-time adventure into the nature of the Infinity Stones! One-shot.
JIM MCCANN (W) • Diego Olortegui (A); Cover by INHYUK LEE
INFINITY COUNTDOWN: DAREDEVIL #1: The Mind Stone has reemerged into the universe in the middle of the New York underworld…and in the most unlikely of hands. Can even Daredevil keep Hell’s Kitchen from falling under the influence of an Infinity Stone’s immense power? One-shot.
GERRY DUGGAN (W) • Chris Sprouse (A); Cover by CLAYTON CRAIN
INFINITY COUNTDOWN: DARKHAWK #1 (of 4): On Earth, Chris Powell is a patrol officer with the NYPD, protecting and serving the people of New York…but out in space, he’s Darkhawk, the galaxy’s only line of defense against the return of the ancient army of the Fraternity of Raptors! Spinning out of the Infinity Countdown storyline, the ’hawk is back to fight for justice from the edge of Manhattan to the edge of the universe!s!
CHRIS SIMS & CHAD BOWERS (W) • GANG HYUK LIM (A); Cover by SKAN
HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: WEAPON LOST #1 (of 4): WOLVERINE MAY BE THE BEST THERE IS AT WHAT HE DOES… BUT SO ARE THEY! As one of the biggest mysteries in the MARVEL UNIVERSE unfolds, DAREDEVIL assembles a squad of uncanny detectives to track down WOLVERINE – MISTY KNIGHT, FRANK MCGEE and the mutant known as CYPHER. Investigating recent sightings across the globe of a man believed to be LOGAN, the squad uncovers a deep conspiracy with huge ramifications for the RETURN OF WOLVERINE.
CHARLES SOULE (W) • MATTEO BUFFAGNI (A); Cover by GREG LAND
HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: ADAMANTIUM AGENDA #1 (of 4): SNIKT! A SOUND THAT ONCE MADE BLOOD RUN COLD, WHICH THE AVENGERS WANT TO ENSURE IS NEVER USED FOR EVIL AGAIN. Due to a promise made between heroes, the NEW AVENGERS have reassembled to make sure Logan’s body isn’t misused. IRON MAN, SPIDER-MAN, JESSICA JONES and LUKE CAGE discover a deep-state conspiracy that leads to a shocking DNA discovery and metallurgic miracle in the MARVEL UNIVERSE.
TOM TAYLOR (W) • RB SILVA (A); Cover by GREG LAND
HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: CLAWS OF A KILLER #1 (of 4): KEEP YOUR FRIENDS DEAD, BUT YOUR ENEMIES DEADER! As word spreads that Wolverine may have returned from the grave, a handful of his greatest adversaries come together to track him down and put him back there. But the brutal and horrific nightmare that SABRETOOTH, LADY DEATHSTRIKE and DAKEN uncover could lead to even more death than even these vicious killers can handle.
MARIKO TAMAKI (W) • BUTCH GUICE (A); Cover by GREG LAND
HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: MYSTERY IN MADRIPOOR #1 (of 4): WHAT MAYHEM HAS THE RETURN OF THE MUTANT WITH METAL CLAWS CAUSED IN MADRIPOOR? When Wolverine’s former alter-ego Patch is sighted on the streets of Madripoor, the infamous island of ill-repute, Kitty Pryde pulls together a group of Logan’s closest friends to try and find him: Storm, Rogue, Psylocke, Domino, and Jubilee. What they discover is a twisted cabal of crime and dark mysteries that will take these X-Men from the depths of Lowtown to the stars circling overhead in the Hunt For Wolverine.
JIM ZUB (W) • CHRIS BACHALO (A); Cover by GREG LAND
*** DON’T FORGET – The latest round of “True Believers” comics are all Wolverine themed and to see what they are please refer to the post we did HERE to know what you are shopping for.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #800: Dan Slott and Stuart Immomen are joined by many of the artists who made the last 10 years of Spider-Man so Amazing! The biggest Peter Parker/Norman Osborn story of all time unfolds over one 80-page story, a scope unmatched in comics! Who lives?! Who dies?! And what scars will Spider-Man bear from here on out?!
DAN SLOTT (W) • STUART IMMONEN, HUMBERTO RAMOS, GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI, JIM CHEUNG (A); Cover by ALEX ROSS
*** DON’T FORGET – The Amazing Spider-Man #800 has numerous variants as done by industry legends. Refer to the post we did HERE to see the whole gamut of them.
DESPICABLE DEADPOOL #300: Every bad decision, every betrayal, every fart joke — they’ve all come back to haunt Deadpool. He’s gone from criminal to outcast to celebrity and back to criminal, and as Captain America leads the biggest heroes of the Marvel Universe to take him down, Wade is forced to be his most despicable self ONE LAST TIME… For over five years and more than a hundred issues Gerry Duggan has been putting words into the Mouth of the Merc with same…but all that ends in this TRIPLE-sized issue with art by longtime Deadpool collaborators Scott Koblish, Matteo Lolli and Mike Hawthorne! It’s one last love letter to the character we love to hurt. Sorry, Wade! This one’s gonna sting.
GERRY DUGGAN (W) • MATTEO LOLLI, MIKE HAWTHORNE & SCOTT KOBLISH (A); Cover by MIKE HAWTHORNE; 300 Deadpools Wraparound Variant Cover by SCOTT KOBLISH
*** DON’T FORGET – “Deadpool 2” opens in about two weeks and the Final Trailer was showcased HERE in case you missed it.
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #600: BRIAN BENDIS ENDS HIS MARVEL TENURE WITH THIS VERY SPECIAL OVERSIZED ANNIVERSARY ISSUE! Tony Stark is back, but in what form? At least five huge surprises await new and old fans alike. Industry legend Brian Michael Bendis drops his final Marvel Comic to end an era, and he’s going out big! This super-sized anniversary extravaganza features artistic contributions from a bevy of Bendis’ collaborators from over the years, including Jim Cheung, David Marquez, Mike Deodato Jr., Mark Bagley, Leinil Francis Yu, Daniel Acuña and a few other surprises! All this and a huge new villain arises! And the futures of Tony, Riri Williams and Victor Von Doom are all revealed!
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • STEFANO CASELLI, ALEX MALEEV & MORE (A)
WRAPAROUND Cover by CHRIS SPROUSE
YOU ARE DEADPOOL #1-5 (OF 5): DID YOU EVER WANT TO BE DEADPOOL??? Now’s your chance! This weekly series is not JUST the most amazing comic book you’ve ever read…it’s also a role-playing adventure! YOU decide what choices Deadpool makes! YOU keep track of your scores issue by issue! YOU roll dice to combat various foes! Travel through Marvel history as Deadpool to meet Hulk in the swinging ’60s! To smell Man-Thing in the swampy ’70s! To be “seen” by Daredevil in the hard-boiled ’80s! And avoid the many BAD ENDINGS you could fall into…or suffer the consequences!
AL EWING (W) • SALVA ESPIN (Issues #1,3,5) and PACO DIAZ (Issues #2,4) (A)
Covers by RAHZZAH
S.H.I.E.L.D. BY HICKMAN & WEAVER: THE REBIRTH #1: Delve deeper into the hidden past of S.H.I.E.L.D. — along with some of history’s greatest minds! Michelangelo has been pulling the strings for years, and is now becoming the prime mover. Can he keep Leonardo Da Vinci and Isaac Newton from killing each other and destroying the Brotherhood of the Shield? The battle for the Immortal City comes to a climactic conclusion! Leonid makes his choice between two fathers! Michelangelo and Nikola Tesla kick their plan into high gear! Galileo takes on Galactus — long before the Fantastic Four did! The truth behind Nostrodamus stands revealed! And Howard Stark lays the foundation for the espionage organization you know and love! Catch up on Jonathan Hickman and Dustin Weaver’s secretive S.H.I.E.L.D. saga — before the eagerly anticipated finale! Collecting S.H.I.E.L.D. (2011) #1-4.
JONATHAN HICKMAN (W) • DUSTIN WEAVER (A); Cover by GERALD PAREL
QUICKSILVER: NO SURRENDER #1 (of 5): RACING OUT OF THE PAGES OF “AVENGERS: NO SURRENDER”! Quicksilver’s super-speed and abrasive personality have always isolated him, but he’s never been truly alone…until now. Trapped beyond the perception of friends, family and allies, Quicksilver wages a one-man guerilla war against a monster that he’s not even sure is real, to save a world that he may never be a part of again. Saladin Ahmed (BLACK BOLT) and Eric Nguyen (OLD MAN LOGAN) team up to bring you a psychedelic survival thriller unlike anything you’ve seen before!
SALADIN AHMED (W) • ERIC NGUYEN (A); COVER BY MARTIN SIMMONDS
MIGHTY THOR: AT THE GATES OF VALHALLA #1: THE LAST GOODBYE! “The Death of the Mighty Thor” has come and gone. But Jane Foster’s power to inspire lives on — even in the far future! Don’t miss the tribute to Jason Aaron’s epic tale of Thor and the mighty hammer Mjolnir, drawn by rising star Jen Bartel! And with or without a Thor, the War of Realms continues. As Malekith’s power grows, the realms will fall — and who is left to stop him? Eisner Award–winning artist Ramón Pérez kicks off the next stage of Jason Aaron’s ongoing saga. One-shot.
JASON AARON (W) • RAMÓN PÉREZ AND JEN BARTEL (A); COVER BY NICK DERINGTON
X-MEN RED ANNUAL #1: After Resurrection. Before Red. Jean Grey was reborn in a world that had changed. Her friends and family had lived lives. Some had lost lives. This is Jean’s story of catching up losses and triumphs. Reconnecting with old colleagues, grieving for those lots, and meeting family members she didn’t know existed.
Tom Taylor (W) • Pascal Alixe (A); Cover by Travis Charest
X-MEN WEDDING SPECIAL #1: CHRIS CLAREMONT RETURNS TO THE X-MEN! One of the biggest milestone events in X-Men history is almost here! Kitty Pryde and Colossus are finally about the tie the knot…but what’s a wedding without the respective bachelor and bachelorette parties? Join Marc Guggenheim and Kelly Thompson for two parties that can only be celebrated Marvel style! All this, plus, a Kitty and Colossus story by legendary X-Men scribe, Chris Claremont!!!
Marc Guggenheim, Kelly Thompson & Chris Claremont (W); Greg Land, Marika Cresta & More (A); Cover by J. Scott Campbell
STAR WARS: TAG & BINK WERE HERE #1: They’re the most important Star Wars characters you never knew existed — until now! Tag Greenley and Bink Otauna were on Leia’s ship carrying the Death Star plans — when Darth Vader changed their lives forever! But as their true roles in this epic saga are revealed, whose side are Tag and Bink on, anyway? The hapless duo’s fateful adventures will take them all the way from Tatooine to Cloud City to Endor — and bring them face-to-face with Lando Calrissian, Boba Fett and more! But every great tale has a prequel — so what were Tag and Bink up to when the Clone Wars began? Prepare to discover their un; anny origin! We have a bad feeling about this! Collecting STAR WARS: TAG & BINK ARE DEAD #1-2, STAR WARS: TAG & BINK II #1-2 and material from STAR WARS TALES #12.
KEVIN RUBIO (W) • LUCAS MARANGON & RICK ZOMBO (A); Cover by LUCAS MARANGON
STAR WARS: LANDO – DOUBLE OR NOTHING #1 (of 5): Straight from the frames of the highly-anticipated film SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY swaggers a younger and somehow even cockier Lando Calrissian! Before his days in the Rebellion, before he ran Cloud City, even before he lost the Millennium Falcon, comes this tale of Lando’s adventures and misadventures in search of love and money leading right up to his appearance in SOLO!
RODNEY BARNES (W) • Paolo Villanelli (A); Cover by W. SCOTT FORBES
STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI ADAPTATION #1 & 2 (of 6): The Resistance has found Luke Skywalker! But the First Order is hot on their tail…and they are out for blood. Join writer Gary Whitta (ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY) and artist Michael Walsh (STAR WARS ANNUAL, HAWKEYE and THE VISION) as they take on the adventures of Force prodigy Rey, ace pilot Poe Dameron, and ex-First Order recruit Finn from the hit blockbuster STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI – featuring never-before-seen scenes of your favorite characters!
GARY WHITTA (W) • MICHAEL WALSH (A); Issue #1 – Cover BY Mike Del Mundo; Issue #2 – Cover BY Kamome Shirahama
PiercingMetal Thoughts: As you can see there are a LOT of first launches coming out this month and while some are mini-series, the rest are continuing runs and one-shots. Based on some of the recent transactions in my website administrator role, I have to pass on pretty much ALL of the mini-series and will instead be waiting on the collected editions of each of them. Sorry Wolverine, I miss you and hope you are returning to proper form but I cannot handle four different concurrently running titles. I am definitely snagging copies of the first issues of Avengers, Venom and so forth along with the Anniversary issues for Spidey and Iron Man. The rest I need to peruse on the shelves and see if I like them or not enough to purchase. Tomorrow is New Comic Book Day and I will know more then for whatever has hit the stands. What issues are striking your fancy from this list and are must haves for your collection? Chime in down below as I always love hearing from you on this topic. I am also adding this sentence onto the already live post to say that I have returned from “Avengers: Infinity War” and all I can say is “HOLY MACKERAL THAT WAS EXCITING”. I loved it and suggest you get to the movies before anything is spoiled. That sure would suck. Okay, back to everything else.
Official Website: http://www.marvel.com