March 2011 Solicits

ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERSVS. NEW ULTIMATES #2 (of 6)
Written by MARK MILLAR
Pencils & Cover by LEINIL YU
Variant Cover by BRYAN HITCH
DEATH OF SPIDER-MAN!
IT. IS. ON! The two most powerful super teams in the Ultimate Universe collide in the brawl of the century! A misunderstanding has brought these two colossal teams to blows and their battle may just spell the end for the Ultimate world! MARK MILLAR and LENIL YU bring you the issue that EVERYONE will be talking about. DON’T MISS OUT!
32 PGS./RATED T+ ...$3.99
ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #155
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by Chris Samnee
Cover by Sara Pichelli
THE END STARTS HERE!
The Death of Spider-Man prologue!! THE most talked about story of the year begins!! Peter Parker has gathered his most eclectic group of friends and family in the world. In this very special issue we will discover some shocking secrets that will either pull them closer together or push them apart forever. Welcome to Spider-Man stories you have never read before. Welcome to the beginning of the end of what you know to be Ultimate Spider-Man. And welcome fan-favorite Chris Samnee as he makes his Ultimate Universe debut!
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #156
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Pencils & Cover by Mark Bagley
DEATH OF SPIDER-MAN, CHAPTER ONE
The wait is over!! THE most shocking Spider-Man story you will ever read! Young Peter Parker has led a heroic life and tried to live by the simple and powerful philosophy that with great power comes great responsibility, but will that philosophy be enough to save him from the horror that awaits him here? This is easily the most important story in Ultimate Spider-Man history and maybe the most important story in the Ultimate Universe. Who better to illustrate it than Ultimate Spider-Man legend MARK BAGLEY, making his mighty Marvel return!! Bendis and Bagley back together again and just-in-time!!
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99
Click to expand...

Grrr they're hiding the covers from Death of Spider-Man event. :p Awesome to see Bryan Hitch doing alternate covers for Avengers vs. New Ultimates. :) Wonder does Mephisto have anything to do with this event, it would be a funny nod towards One More Day atleast.
 
While Venom sounds cool, I'm so behind on my Spider-Man that I think I'll have to wait on reading it.

Looks like I'll only be picking up Ruse. Never read any Crossgen before but it looks real interesting.
 
Ok...so, we finally get a new Essential book coming out this month. (They sure have cut back on those. I think we went a good 3-4 months without one.) Here is the data on price points:

$2.99 = 47
$3.99 = 50

(BTW, of those 50, 16 are 40 pages long.)

$3.50 = 1
$3.95 = 1
$1.00 = 6
$4.99 = 3

(Of those priced at $4.99, 1 is 104 pages, 1 is 64 pages, and the last is 48 pages. Plus, I didn't include the reprint books that popped up this month, which seem to give 3 reprints for $4.99.)

The only book without a price is Fantastic Four #1.

47 $2.99 books is really getting Marvel in a good direction. We almost have as many of those books as the $3.99ers. I think the swing will go in the $2.99 direction, as many of the higher priced books are minis coming to an end; and, also, some titles will automatically be at the higher price, like the comics by famous authors or Ultimate books. (Or, Bendis books, I see. He sure wasn't going to take a price decrease, it seems.)
 
So what exactly is FF? Please don't tell me they're relaunching Fantastic Four with a new #1 after Three...
 
That Captain America 615.1 cover is amazing.
That Black Panther Man Without Fear cover by Francavilla is gorgeous.

PunisherMAX Vol. 6 Hardcover?! About damn time.
 
BlackSymbiote said:
So what exactly is FF? Please don't tell me they're relaunching Fantastic Four with a new #1 after Three...
Click to expand...

That looks to be exactly what they're doing. It's still not clear if FF is the actual name, or just a codename to use until later.

-There's enough Captain America to choke a tomcat on there!

-I don't care what anyone says, Scarlet's been great.

-DeadpoolMAX still looking awesome

-5 Ronin does actually sound really cool, plus Milligan :up:
 
So my thoughts on March's offerings.......

I'm already sucked in by Fear Itself dammit.....the prologue has Red Skull/Sin stuff related to the event that will most likely have a bearing on current Captain America sub plots. Crap.....

Interested in Venom for sure, especially if the Flash Thompson rumors are true.

Gonna give 5 Ronin a shot for sure, I'm digging the concept.

Ruse by Mark Waid sounds interesting, I'm gonna have to look into that one.

So is New Avengers and Secret Avengers a cross-over? It seems like the same story. It also looks like a set up arc for Fear Itself.

Avengers Academy is a given as always. I wonder if the double dose has anything to due with a possible cancellation......?

The Cap mini's that are catching my eye so far are Cap and Falcon and Cap vs Crossbones. I'm not sure about the rest.....

So Fraction's first Thor arc is 7 issues. His current arc on Iron Man is 8, the one before that was 4 and World's Most Wanted was what? 9 issues? Fraction is either beginning to realize or getting burnt out. DnA seem to be getting quite a bit of steady Thor work aren't they?

Did that cover for ASM #657 just give away the ending to "Three"? A bloody 4 symbol in the sky? Johnny Storm does those but they're made of fire.....just sayin'.

Doc Ock goes to Tony for help in Iron Man? Hmmm, I may have to check that one out...or wait for the trade.

I'm not a regular reader of FF but if they're rebooting the title AGAIN for some shock value death that's not gonna last anyway that really bugs me. Just leave the numbering alone for Christ's sake! It's one of your flagship titles Marvel, go reboot Deadpool or something!

Hey, a Hawkeye mini by McCann to follow up Widowmaker? Sweet!

A double dose of Thunderbolts too. This and Avengers Academy are both $3 books and they are giving us 2 in a month? Marvel is just fu**ing with us with promises of lower prices. I almost forgot the .5 books as well....:cmad:

Inez is coming back as Domino in DeadpoolMAX, awesome! Lapham is becoming one of my favorite writers for sure!

And FINALLY some PunisherMAX!
 
Boy.....thats alotta Captain America....
 
New War Machine suit? Hell yes! Hopefully he uses more repulsor tech and less bullets.
 
No, Iron Man 2.0 suit. War Machine is gone, son. :oldrazz:

Thunderstrike finally coming face-to-face with the Avengers and Thor should be fun. :hehe:
 
I noticed that Newsarama did not post the "on-sale date" like they did last month. Does anyone know where the on-sale date can be found ?

PS- Marvel.com's comic catalogue is so incomplete that it is almost worthless :doh:
 
Usual thoughts/insanely pessimistic rants about the monthly solicits:

- It is good that someone is doing the numbers on $2.99 comics. Still, they are not yet the majority of Marvel's output, or even equal with $3.99. I know that's only by about three comics, but technicalities are technicalities. Until the BIG books that sell in the Top 25 are lower in price, those B and C list titles won't be helped much.

- So, we have Ed Brubaker writing the FEAR ITSELF prologue one shot and Matt Fraction writing FEAT ITSELF itself (ugh, that was bad). In a way this may be their closest collaboration since IMMORTAL IRON FIST. If FEAR ITSELF is spinning out of something Red Skull did or Sin is doing, it is odd that Fraction and not Brubaker is writing it. Perhaps Brubaker did not want to leave his regular ongoing titles? Fraction is, after all, leaving UXM to Gillen during this stretch. At any rate, we have another WWII flashback with Capt. America. In all seriousness, I think if you added up all of Cap's genuine 1940's stories atop all of his flashback tales from the 1960's until now, you can literally account for every single day, hour, minute and SECOND he spent between becoming a super soldier and an icicle. Yet they still find more stuff to dig up. The war in Afghanistan has lasted longer than WWII, you think one day we'll see half as many flashbacks to that? At any rate, I will buy it. It will be curious what role they do play in the event and how Fraction rebounds from it. The irony is that if FEAR ITSELF is 7 parts, it STILL will be shorter than 2 out of the last 3 arcs of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN. Lord knows "STAR RESILIENT" may have lived up to it's title more with two issues lopped off.

- Nice to see something like 5 RONIN priced at $2.99. Nice to see Peter Milligan back at Marvel after he seemed to flee to DC after being the ONLY writer who ever directly undid something Bendis personally did to a character immediately (Bendis personally depowered Iceman at the end of HOUSE OF M, and Milligan, who was on UXM at the time, re-powered him in less than two issues). NO Marvel writer has so quickly and blatantly negated something Bendis has directly done. I feared he'd wind up in a river before working for Marvel again. It is telling that it is for a totally pointless series that is some other reality.

- CrossGen creeps back into being. Think Joe Q will ever settle on trying the Ultraverse again?

- USM #156 sees Mark Bagley return to the title that he drew for over 100 issues with Bendis, breaking the old Lee/Kirby record on FANTASTIC FOUR. Lord knows Marvel would love to see USM's sales return to where Bagley left them; sales really took a hit after he left, and have never returned. It appears some readers saw it as a "jumping off point". Will a tease about the death of the lead draw in a crowd? Who knows. Knowing Bendis, he easily could continue the title as ULTIMATE SPIDER-WOMAN and have her lead the team with Iceman, Kitty, and Johnny Storm. I wonder how Ultimate Spidey will die. Given how every single villain he ever fought knows his identity, it surely will be difficult imagining how someone could kill him. :whatever:

- SECRET AVENGERS has a two part adventure featuring Brubaker writing a WWII story. Totally rare, he never does those. What next, a Bendis story in which the Hood is the villain? A Chris Claremont story involving Storm or brainwashing? I love how the House Of Ideas never said anything about them being NEW ideas. At any rate, I also love how Mike Deodato is yanked from SECRET AVENGERS to draw for NEW AVENGERS. Why? Bendis is clearly higher up the totem pole than Brubaker.

- Two issues of AVENGERS ACADEMY at first seemed like it could have been a sign of wanting to crank out as many issues as possible before a cancellation, but INCREDIBLE HULKS and THUNDERBOLTS are both shipping two issues in March. Granted, THUNDERBOLTS has been treading water in the Top 70-90 for ages now. To set the record straight, ACADEMY'S sales falling to 28k or so in November 2010 was not the best news, but that is not cancellation range yet. The fear is that by 2011, it may be. It seems that Mike McKone will be just sticking to covers and not returning to interior art for some time. Korvac and Wasp returning are interesting, although I am curious why it seems that the issues may or may not focus on all of the teachers; Pym got issue 7, and Tigra will get the two after, but why no issues on Quicksilver or Justice? Or maybe they will be? We'll have to see, I guess. At any rate, AVENGERS ACADEMY is the best Avengers book Marvel puts out (sorry, Brubaker), and while it WILL last to see issue 12, I'd love to see it last far longer.

- AVENGERS: THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE - YOUNG AVENGERS #1 is an awfully long title for what seems like a bit of an odd one shot. It seem to spring from CHILDREN'S CRUSADE, which by March 2011 will not be finished at all. So, Wanda mucks with reality and changes who the kids are for a while? Alan Davis art will be nice.

- CAPTAIN AMERICA #615.1 offers...Cap's origin again. I know, I know, jumping on point. Still, though, it seems Brubaker finds a way to tell us Cap's origin every year. It's like tradition. I bet when someone asks him how he's doing on the phone, he tells them Cap's origin. I swear I have seen Cap's origin more times than Superman and Batman's combined. At any rate, both this and #616 seem to imply that the "Trial" story may have "shocking ramifications". Part of me wonders if that means Bucky escapes from prison before his trial finishes, or he is convicted and THEN escapes. 2011 is the year the Cap movie comes out and everyone is betting on Rogers returning to the mantle by then. To be honest I prefer Barnes in that role and don't mind Rogers as head of Not-SHIELD.

- Marvel editors have said time and again they'd try to stop spamming out side material no one reads or buys to try to trim things back. We have ELEVEN Capt. America books in March. ELEVEN. Twelve if you count the Ultimate title. That is beyond ridiculous. You can trust the word of your local assemblyman more than you can trust the word of a Marvel senior editor, and that's terrible. In comparison, despite having a movie sooner, Thor only has 4 titles (and one is a movie adaptation thing). Does a Thor poster book count? I don't count THUNDERSTRIKE a "Thor" book. It's a spin off yes, but not the same thing. All that said, I am morbidly curious about Gillen writing a Batroc focused one shot.

- THUNDERSTRIKE #5 looks cool. I like the lead's new costume. Now, what're the odds he'll be featured in a teen hero book soon?

- Is it bad that I am more excited for THOR #620.1 by Abnett & Lanning than I am for the regular issue written by Fraction? I mean...it has Thor fighting a villain. He fights villains? I thought all he did was hang around Asgard and fight nothing unless it came to him, and usually it was mythical stuff. Thor fighting super-villains...what is this madness? Sarcasm aside, it looks awesome, and cheaper than the regular issue. By March I may be off THOR, but I may give this one shot issue a try!

- Calling ASTONISHING SPIDER-MAN & WOLVERINE "a modern day masterpiece" is saying a bit much, even when it can't even ship on time with a bi-monthly schedule (at the very least, AVENGERS: THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE hasn't been late yet). It's certainly an entertainingly weird story, but I wouldn't call it a masterpiece. It's more of an amusing lark.

- Marcos Martin's rendition of Spidey's new TRON suit makes it look like he's the new Ronin. Still, I am more interested in that second issue of ASM for March - Spidey reacting to the end of THREE.

- SPIDER-GIRL #5 looks good, and while I may be cynical, but given that issue one sold 23k, and second issues tend to have a 20% drop at best, this could end up being the second to last issue.

- To be honest, INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #502 looks interesting, with Dr. Octopus involved, but, no. I am not being a sucker again. 33 issues was more than fair.

- ANNIHILATORS looks cool. Yes, it is $4.99, but you are basically getting 44 pages of material, merging it with the ROCKET & GROOT mini series into one title. Getting two full length comic stories for $4.99 amounts to $2.50 an issue, which isn't bad. The last time any Marvel comic was $2.50, it was about 2005 (and even those were usually Ultimate books).

- Here is the drill for FANTASTIC FOUR. It will be ending at the start of 2011, after the death issue. "FF", which is either their initials or whatever, is a soft relaunch. It's a fresh #1 and while the death of a founder will cause the series to change tone, it still retains the same creative team and will continue from where FANTASTIC FOUR left off. It is likely sales will spike for a few months and then go right back to pre-THREE levels in, oh, six months at best. But don't worry! By 2012, FANTASTIC FOUR will be able to add up to 600 issues, at least including the "FF" issues (which will be included). And that will allow an excuse for a $4.99 issue and ANOTHER relaunch/renumbering in 2012 and the franchise will need it again. It's actually clever how Marvel has clearly positioned their short term stunts for the Four in this way. No editor would admit that this is what is happening, but it clearly is. Not saying it is bad, but it really shouldn't be this predictable. I imagine that is why so many of these stunts backfire now, because they are easy to see coming and many people refuse to be sheep.

- POWER MAN & IRON FIST looks great. I love that Fred Van Lente is dusting off some of Iron Fist (and Luke Cage's) old villains from the 70's, like Crime-Buster. For the skinny on him, Crime-Buster was a crook who hassled Cage in prison, but when he escaped and found out that Cage had become a successful "hero for hire", he decided to steal some leftover stuff from the last Crime-Buster (who died on Xanadar) and get into the "racket" as well. Thus, he was something of a rival mercenary, but only appeared in about one or two stories (and one of them was a MARVEL AGE ANNUAL). Aside for a name and that basic origin, Crime-Buster is a blank slate and a perfect foil for Van Lente to play with. Wellington Alves does good work. I can't say I am a fan of Iron Fist's new costume (it looks like he's ripping off Jean Grey's last Phoenix digs), but I enjoyed the first series, and I can't wait for it's sequel. Besides, with 9 issues of material, Fred Van Lente will get more of a chance at this than if he'd just launched this as an ongoing during SHADOWLAND.

- HEROES FOR HIRE #4 also looks cool. I am curious how long this series will last. The first issue had quite a twist, and it seems the cast will rotate. Oddly, the heroes aren't really "for hire" as it were; they are paid more in favors or information on other crusades rather than cash (unless they happen to be contract mercenaries or assassins, such as Paladin or Elektra).

- ARCADE: DEATH GAME looks great, and I am glad that Marvel decided not to be greedy and kept this mini series at $2.99. The Avengers Academy and the Young Allies (who count Spider-Girl among their ranks) team up to fight Arcade. With Paul Tobin and David Baldeon (who drew YOUNG ALLIES) aboard? It's "made of win" to me.

- MARVEL ZOMBIES SUPREME? No, just...no. Marvel Zombies is a dead franchise (pun intended). Marvel did like 7 sequels and bled it dry. No one cares about SQUADRON SUPREME. Now is not the time for side material about universes no one cares about. Save the expenses, please. What next? MARVEL ZOMBIES NOIR APES PETS HOUSE OF M IN 1602?

- Alas, ONSLAUGHT UNLEASHED by Sean McKeever (writer of YOUNG ALLIES) will be a mini at $4 an issue, which is a shame since Filipe Andrade's artwork is usually not worth that. Should be an interesting story; the Young Allies and the Secret Avengers team up to fight a revived Onslaught. Note that it will be the BIGGEST villain the Secret Avengers have ever fought, and it won't be in their title or written by Ed Brubaker. And it will use a roster that Brubaker himself rarely is consistent with.

- THUNDERBOLTS gets in two issues, and it seems to look like Hyperion may not last long as a member. A Man-Thing focused issue looks to be interesting, though; I've liked how Parker handles the muck-monster. It also seems Satana will be joining the team. Haven't seen much of her since MARVEL WITCHES way back. She's the "devil's daughter" same as Damien Hellstorm is "The son of Satan". Interesting that Parker wants to delve more into Marvel's kooky horror characters from the 1970's, but he loves that weird stuff so it actually fits.

- Deadpool technically has 5 titles in March, but two of them are ending this month, to be fair. Wolverine will still have 4 titles, not including ASTONISHING SPIDER-MAN & WOLVERINE, or his kids' titles.

- I have no clue why ICEMAN AND ANGEL and CYCLOPS have spare one shots. Is this 616 or Marvel Adventures material? And why do we need it?

- Totally not into AGE OF X. Parallel alternate realities tend to just distract from the main point of the X-Men. Given how M-Day has limited that, maybe that IS the point. When painted into a corner, who cares if you step on the paint?
 
Am i the only one who still hasnt gotten used to Tony'[s new armor. Im trying really really hard but i just do not like it. Maybe im too used to Granov's extremis armor but this new one reminds me of the cyborg ninja from Metal Gear.
 
It still doesn't look as good as either of the armors Granov designed, but it doesn't look quite as bad as it initially did to me. It's definitely sleek, if still a bit too busy.
 
Yeah, i feel like Granov's armor had an inherent "I AM IRONMAN" vibe to it. It was definitely more mecha-influenced than this one which is lot more sleek. In all fairness, Granov is a tough act to follow, especially with the movies immortalizing it now.
 
Oddly enough, I think the current one is more mech-inspired than Granov's. The fact that it's so busy and has so many intricate little parts for no apparent reason reminds me of a lot of the mech anime I've seen.
 
That is true, the design pattern is a little reminiscent of Evangelion. I mean in theory its a cool idea i just dont think Larroca quite pulled it off.
 
It looks really good when Jimmy Cheung draws it. He's the only artist that's made it look genuinely good to me. The rest make it look decent... ish... but I'd happily take either of Granov's designs instead.
 
Oh wait, you mean Granov had his own designs for the new armor? Or r u talking bout the old one?
 
I've gotten used to Iron Man's new armor lately, and besides, if I want to see the last one again, I just wait for AVENGERS: THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE. :p
 
Hahaha, is that why you said Jimmy Cheung draws it well Corp? Guess he didnt get the memo...
 
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