Marvel Then and NOW!

With Uncanny Avengers and Red She-Hulk now out, Marvel has entered the Marvel NOW! era.  If by some odd chance you don't know what Marvel NOW! is, well here is an explanation.  Marvel, as custom now, had their big summer event, Avengers Vs. X-Men.  Around halfway through the event, Marvel started teasing new books, mostly relaunched books with new creative teams. As an example, Captain America is being relaunched with the team of Rick Remender and John Romita, Jr.. Practically ever book is getting relaunched, with a few exceptions: newer books like Captain Marvel and Hawkeye, Daredevil, and the Spider family books (minus Amazing and, in effect, Avenging).  It seems like the Ultimate line of books is being left out, as well as the majority of the X-Men books, with a couple being cancelled for new books.  However, the majority of the popular, recognizable books are getting rebooted relaunched.  Many of the books, much to the gripes of comic fans, are coming out twice a month, which is definitely a strain on one's wallet.  That is what makes Marvel NOW! kinda frustrating; there are so many good looking books but it's going to be cost so much money to get them.  However, I'm going to talk today about the books that interest me and whether I'm going to pick it up or not, with my personal Marvel NOW! pull list at the end.

The Avengers Line

The Avengers

http://www.comicvine.com/news/first-look-marvel-now-avengers-covers-revealed/145158/

Written by Jonathon Hickman with a rotating cast of artists, this is going to be the superteam book.  Hickman, who is also writing New Avengers, as stated plenty of times that he has already planned this book for about 3 or 4 years in the future, a good sign for Avengers fans.  Personally, I'm ready for a new spin on the Avengers. Not a knock against Bendis, but I know a lot of people were happy to hear that he was moving off the book, going to the X-Men world.  And I was actually one of them. Not because I don't think Bendis is a bad writer (he is the one that got me hooked on comics with Ultimate Spider-Man), but the Avengers line was due for a fresh take from someone new.  Personally, I'm pumped to see what Hickman has in store for the World's Mightiest Heroes. Plus, the art team, consisting of Jerome Opeña, Dustin Weaver, Adam Kubert, and Mike Deodato is A-list, making this one of the most promising books of the Marvel NOW! release.  Though it is $3.99 and it ships twice a month, I'm planning on following this series.

New Avengers

Jonathon Hickman and Steve Epting bring the secondary Avengers title, this time with a whole different feel to it.  Instead of being a more street level book as it was under Bendis, Hickman's version will focus on the Illuminati, with Black Panther being the lead.  Also, the big draw for the first couple of issues will be the dynamics between Panther and Namor, as this will be the first time they are seeing each other since Namor drowned Wakanda.  Hickman has said that the two Avengers book will work cohesively, but it should be interesting having one team be the Illuminati, doing things behind the scenes, compared to the main Avengers team.   

Captain America

The aforementioned Captain America title by Rick Remender and John Romita, Jr., takes Cap out of his comfort zone, taking him on a sci-fi adventure.  Now, I'm a Captain American fan but I've never read a Cap solo book.  However, this team has piqued my interest in getting the title. However, just like a lot of NOW! titles, it is a $3.99 title, which, while I understand the price, makes me really debate getting it.  The title looks like a lot of fun, but I'm unsure if I'm going to be getting this title as of now.

Thor: God of Thunder

http://www.comiclist.com/media/blogs/news/ThorGodOfThunder_1_Cover.jpg

Here we have Thor: God of Thunder, written by Jason Aaron with art by Esad Ribic.  Though I wasn't initially attracted to this title, it was when Aaron was interviewed about the plot of the first storyline when I looked into the book.  The first arc deals with the God Butcher, with whom Thor fights during different points in his life.  So, over the stretch of the first arc, we get to see young Thor, current Thor, old king Thor, and a couple in between.  This was what sold me on this title.  I love the idea that Jason Aaron came up with for this first arc and I really hope that it lives up to the hype.

Iron Man

Written by Kieron Gillen with art by Greg Land, this title is one that got a lot of comic fans murmuring.  People love Kieron Gillen for his fantastic run on Journey Into Mystery, featuring Kid Loki and the love is well deserved.  It's the art by Greg Land that received a lot of flack when it was announced.  I, too, groaned a little bit when Land was announced. However, much to everyone's surprise, the art released so far actually looks pretty good.

Indestructible Hulk

Written by Daredevil scribe Mark Waid and illustrated by Leinil Yu.  That should be enough to convince you to buy this book.

Avengers Arena

This book is going to be an interesting ride for some Marvel fans.  Written by Dennis Hopeless with art by Kev Walker, this book is replacing the popular (and personal favorite) Avengers Academy series.  The series is going to take some of the Academy kids, plus some other super teens from across the Marvel universe and put them head to head in a Hunger Games style tournament.  Plus, there is going to be death; lots and lots of death.  That is what is making fans of Academy and other super teens nervous.  Many of our favorite characters are probably going to die, including personal favorites Reptil and X-23. Very curious and nervous about this title.

A + X

Seeing as AvX: Versus sold so well, Marvel thought "what the heck, let's keep it up".  Instead of fighting each other, the team ups now feature an Avenger and a X-Man fighting together.  Depending on the team ups, I might get this one now and again.

Young Avengers

The team of Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie tackle one of the most anticipated books to be announced so far in this Marvel NOW! era: Young Avengers.  With a cast consisting of Teen Loki, Wiccan, and Miss America Chavez, among others, this book is looking to be a big hit.  And, seeing as we are losing Avengers Academy, what a perfect book to replace it.

The X-Men Line

Deadpool

Coming as a surprise, Deadpool was announced in the first wave of Marvel NOW! books.  Written by Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn, this is going to be a funny book, as the preview has shown already.  However, the big draw for this book is going to be the art.  In another surprising move, this book is going to be drawn by Tony Moore, whose previous works include The Walking Dead and Venom, to name a few. Just like Thor, the storyline for Deadpool sounds extremely interesting, with zombie presidents being the main problem in the first arc.  Should be a very interesting book.

All New X-Men

http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/6/60352/2530041-2529970_all_new_x_men_1_super.jpeg

Brian Bendis and Stuart Immonen team up again to bring the new main X-Men book.  Bendis brings the original five students to the future to stop present day Cyclops from committing mutant genocide.  An interesting idea, but I'm not so sure how well it will work as an ongoing comic. As a maxi-series, yeah, I can see that working. But not only as an ongoing, but as the main X-Men book.

X-Men Legacy

Dealing with Legion, the son of Charles Xavier, the writer for this series is Simon Spurrier with art by Tan Eng Huat.  Outside of that, not much else is known about this title (or maybe their is, I really haven't looked into this series).  I have to say, though, that having Xavier's son picking up the pieces of his father's legacy does seem pretty interesting.

Savage Wolverine

Frank Cho takes Wolverine to the Savage Land in this relaunched book.  Yes, Frank Cho is not only illustrating this book, but he is also writing it.  I've always like Wolverine as a character, but I don't know what to think about this relaunch.  I just don't see Cho being able to not only continuously draw the book, but also write it.  I'm assuming that there is going to be a fill in artist/co-writer down the line somewhere, but I could totally be wrong on that.

Cable & the X-Force
Cable returns in this new title written by Dennis Hopeless with art by Salvador Larroca.  The team in this book consists of Cable, Forge, Domino, Dr. Nemesis, and Colossus, seemingly returned to normal.  Obviously, the main pulls for this book is seeing Cable in action and seeing Colossus in his first appearance since the end of Avengers Vs. X-Men.  However, there is something that I'm surprised I haven't seen people talk about.  That is the Hope card.  She hasn't been announced in any books in the Marvel NOW! era, which is kind of shocks me.  If there is any book I expect her to show up in, it would be this one, All New X-Men, or the rumored all female book.

Uncanny X-Force
Sam Humphries and Ron Garney bring the other X-Force title, this one being lead by Psylocke.  The other members of the team are Puck, Spiral, a couple other members, and the big shock, Storm.  The Storm reveal is a bit shocking, seeing as she doesn't seem like the kind that would be caught up in an X-Force style book, though I must admit it is interesting.  Not only is that a shocker, but the villain should be one too: Bishop, back from the future.  It will be interesting to see two separate X-Force titles going on, and one must question if they even can co-exist.

Cosmic Line

Guardians of the Galaxy 

Coming from the team of Brian Bendis and Steve McNiven, the Guardians return, this time with some help from a certain ironed Avenger.  Even though it was just announced at NYCC, this book is already sending cosmic fans into a tizzy.  It makes sense, seeing as people get up in arms whenever Bendis takes over a book.  I completely understand their anxiety, as cosmic fans are pretty hard core fans.  Also, having Iron Man in the book is an interesting choice and, while I understand having him in there, it just strikes me as odd.

Nova

Speaking of polarizing writers, this one has even more fans talking, as it is being written by a fan "favorite" Jeph Loeb.  Drawn by Ed McGuinness, this book details the story of the newest Nova, Sam Alexander, someone familiar to those who watch "Ultimate Spider-Man".  I know a lot of people aren't high on Loeb, but he hasn't written anything too bad (at least for me).  Plus, having McGuinness on art is a huge plus.  The only problem is that the book is going to another $3.99 book, which makes me think long and hard on getting the title.

Misc.

Fantastic Four

This is the book that I'm having the hardest time deciding on.  Written by Matt Fraction and drawn by Mark Bagley, Marvel's First Family are leaving the universe for a while, leaving behind a new FF (more on that in a moment).  Now, I've been a fan of the Fantastic Four, however I've never picked up any issues minus a couple of the beginning issues of FF and one that was the first for artist Ryan Stegman.  I think that I was always intimidated by the long history built up by Jonathon Hickman.  Now, with Hickman moving to the Avengers franchise, this is a new beginning for the Fantastic Four and, really, a new start for the readers.  Sure, the previous run might be referenced here and there, but Fraction seems to be set on gettting the First Family out of the Marvel Universe for the time being.  I keep flipping back and forth on this book, though I think I'm really leaning towards picking up this series, especially seeing that it is going to be $2.99.

FF

With the Fantastic Four going on a fantastic journey, someone needs to be there for the kids of the Future Foundation.  Well, that is where the new FF comes in. Consisting of a cast of Ant Man (Eric O'Grady), She-Hulk, Medusa, and a brand new character Miss Thing, the book is also being written by Fraction, but with art by the amazing Mike Allred.  This is definitely going to be a funny and interesting book, with a classic look to it.  Again, being $2.99 is a plus, but I'm not sure if it is in my wheelhouse.

Thunderbolts

Going back to our discussion about polarizing artists, not only does this title have that, but it also has a polarizing writer.  The writer/artist combo for this title is going to be Daniel Way and Steve Dillon, much to many people's dismay. The team, consisting of Red Hulk (seeing as he literally a Thunderbolt), Elektra, Punisher, Deadpool, and Agent Venom, is definitely an off-beat, yet interesting combination of characters.  However, if Dillon wasn't on art, I could see many more people (possibly me included) would be much more interested in this title. Out of all the Marvel NOW! titles, this is the one that had the most grief when it was announced. So we shall see how much it is supported by the fanbase.

Morbius: The Living Vampire

Definitely not a title many people were asking for, this book spins out of Amazing Spider-Man.  Mainly calling back to the "No Turning Back" arc, as well as the #699.1 issue, the books details Morbius after he breaks out of prison.  By the creative team of Joe Keatinge and Rich Elson, I sadly don't have much interest in this title.  It is a shame because this sounds like an interesting book; it just doesn't stand out to me.  Sadly, I don't expect this title to last very long, but who knows? This title might be the big hit many people believe it won't.

Superior Spider-Man

http://cdn.ifanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/The-Superior-Spider-Man_1_Full.jpeg

Last, but not least, is Superior Spider-Man.  After the shocking events that are bound to happen in Amazing Spider-Man #700, Spidey not only gains a new adjective, but also a new person under the mask (possibly).  Written by Dan Slott, the art team for this book is amazing, superior, spectacular, basically any adjective that Spider-Man has used: Ryan Stegman (called it, by the way), Humberto Ramos, and Giuseppe Camuncoli.  This is the only definite Marvel NOW! release that I'll be getting, and trust me, I'll be going into more detail about my theories, hopes, and fears about this title down the road.  All I know is this: my face is going to melt with all the awesomeness coming from this title.

So, my Marvel NOW! pull list looks a little bit like this:

Definite
Superior Spider-Man

Most Likely
The Avengers
Thor: God of Thunder
Deadpool
Indestructible Hulk
Young Avengers

Probably Check Out the First Issue
Nova
Captain America
Avengers Arena
Fantastic Four
FF
All New X-Men

Probably Not
X-Men Legacy
New Avengers
Guardians of the Galaxy
Iron Man
Savage Wolverine
Cable & the X-Force
Thunderbolts
Uncanny X-Force
Morbius: The Living Vampire
A+X (Depends on the team up that month)

I know that there are a few other books that are getting Marvel NOW! relaunches (Journey Into Mystery, Red She Hulk, Avengers Assemble) but they are keeping their numbering and/or creative team.  Anyways, I was initially scared by the amount of books announced by Marvel, as many of them piqued my interest and, being a college student with only a summer job, I don't have as much money as I would in the summer.  So, I was only planning on getting whatever Spider-Man book was being announced and a couple others, though only one or two $3.99 books.  Now, looking at my possible pull list, I like it.  There are actually a good number of $2.99 books with some $3.99 ones in there.  Sure, I'm eventually going to have to drop one or two of the books because of price reasons, but that may open up the possibility of becoming a trade waiter on some titles.  Who knows? All I know is that I'm excited to actually get to read these titles and see what Marvel has up their sleeves.