Marvel July Solicitations

[CaptainCanada]

Heh, speaking of good timing:

TOMB OF DRACULA OMNIBUS VOL. 2 HC ANDRASOFSZKY COVER
Written by MARV WOLFMAN, STEVE ENGLEHART & DAVID KRAFT
Penciled by GENE COLAN, TOM PALMER & VIRGILIO REDONDO
Covers by KALMAN ANDRASOFSZKY & GENE COLAN
Trap him in Hell or trap him in humanity, Dracula will fight to the finish, fang and claw! But after centuries of being haunted by his demonic daughter, the Transylvanian tyrant faces an even worse family skeleton: A son who's an absolute angel! Plus the menaces of Dr. Sun, Dr. Frost, and Sorcerer Supreme Dr. Strange! Guest-starring Blade, Hannibal King, and the Silver Surfer! Collecting TOMB OF DRACULA #32-70, GIANT-SIZE DRACULA #5 and DR. STRANGE #14.
808 PGS./Parental Advisory …$99.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-3576-0
TOMB OF DRACULA OMNIBUS VOL. 2 HC VARIANT COLAN COVER (DM ONLY)
808 PGS./Parental Advisory …$99.99

My copy of v.1 arrived in the mail today, and I was wondering how long a wait it would be for the second (I'm still waiting for UXM v.2 years after).

 

[CaptainCanada]

You know, i consider myself a Millar fan but seriously WTF man??His FF4 finale isnt even gonna have Bryan Hitch on art, its gona have Immonen! WTF man?

Hitch's mother was diagnosed with cancer, lingered for two months, and then died.

And where the heck is the finale to Old Man Logan????

After they decided to extend the size, it'll presumably take a while yet for McNiven to finish the special.

 

[Blader5489]

I have no idea what Reborn is, but it's written by Brubaker and drawn by Hitch, so I'm intrigued.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I wonder if it's the same thing that those ads with the white star on a black background were for. Those had "July" on them and I think they were only in Captain America's comic. At least, I only remember seeing it in the last issue of Cap.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I can't wait for Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers to start. I'm glad Marvel's putting out some unabashedly fun, light-hearted books like this to balance out all the Dark Reign, villains-as-heroes-and-the-public-loves-them stuff

Oh, man I thought I was the only one. I am so looking forward to that

 

[The Batman]

where is daredevil?

 

[venom892]

I think it's been delayed.It's a shame since it's one of my Favorite titles.

 

[CaptainCanada]

It's going to be an extra-sized spectacular dealy, so it may take Lark a bit more time (actually, they're also skipping May).

 

[Dread]

Remember, this issue is going to be another double-sized issue. Third in a row, actually.

Indeed. And while CAPTAIN AMERICA is usually worth it, it can get grating.

It's Kurt Cobain and he didn't OD, he blew his head off with a shotgun.

Bah!

Ew, Namor and Namora are gonna have a "relationship"? That doesn't sound like a cousinly relationship, either. I know they've been foreshadowing this, but still... icky. And I guess we're getting two Agents of Atlas issues in July for some reason. Not that I'm complaining.

Dark Reign: Lethal Legion sounds cool. I'm a little wary of Tieri, since I tend to not enjoy his writing a lot, but I'll probably give it a try.

I can't wait for Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers to start. I'm glad Marvel's putting out some unabashedly fun, light-hearted books like this to balance out all the Dark Reign, villains-as-heroes-and-the-public-loves-them stuff.

Yeah, the cousin thing is very icky.

I'd be more willing to try out LETHAL LEGION if mini's were still $3. At $4 it usually is best to wait for the trade even if something is decent. That's basically the lesson from ADAM: LEGEND OF THE BLUE MARVEL. I'm partisan on trying it.

PET AVENGERS is stupidity incarnate. It won't sell diddly and it is just a waste of paper. It's one of those projects that Marvel could easily just not publish to cut costs. One of those series that you know the shops will be unable to sell for DECADES, right next to those dollar bin copies of NFL SUPERPRO #1 or TEAM AMERICA from the 80's. The kind of glut that Marvel could cut to perhaps trim cover prices by about a quarter if they gave half a turd.

I'm all for lighter hearted fare; I read X-MEN FIRST CLASS after all and likely will try the sequel. But MARVEL PETS...honestly, why?

Damn, you know a costume is bad when not even Djurdjevic can make it look good. They really gotta change Quicksilver into something that doesn't suck. But, on the plus side, Djurdjevic's doing Mighty Avengers covers and it sounds like Slott is going to give us his first original villain of the series. Curious how it'll tie into War of Kings.

The new direction for Avengers: The Initiative is, of course, not unexpected at all. But it sounds really good. I hope Counter-Force or the New Warriors or whatever the hell Vance's team is calling itself these days is part of that resistance to the new order at the Initiative. And, seriously, changing the name of the camp is just low.

Oh, c'mon, it's not Quicksilver's worst costume. At least he has manly colors that clash, rather than baby-blue colors that clash and make him look like a sissy. And only mages can get away with large collars.

Vance technically claimed they're the New Warriors now, which you reminded me once, so that name is probably going to stay. Night-Thraser II was willing to use that name despite his squad also being outlaws, so I don't see why the originals would dump it now that they've joined him.

It is low to change the name of Camp Hammond (which was honoring the original Human Torch's sacrifice and tenure), but considering this is Norman Osborn, it makes sense. He might have a grudge against Human Torches in general since the Johnny Storm version kept him from killing Spider-Man in the 60's at least once.

You know I'm pretty sure Moon Knight has been canceled.

Now, now...this is Nu Marvel, 2009 Edition. Ongoing titles don't get "canceled". They get "put on hiatus".

I know, I've mocked this daily, but c'mon, "corporate-speak" is usually ridiculous.

You know, i consider myself a Millar fan but seriously WTF man?? His FF4 finale isnt even gonna have Bryan Hitch on art, its gona have Immonen! Whatever happened to Hitch being way ahead of schedule? And where the heck is the finale to Old Man Logan???

You're surprised that Hitch can't meet a deadline? The same guy who could barely put out an issue of ULTIMATES 2 every 5 months?

Frankly, I've amazed he has been on schedule this long, with FF only about 1-2 months behind. I mean, it takes quite a while to draw all those zippers and pouches, or to photograph Leather Fetish Bondage wear and figure out how to imagine it recolored into superhero costumes.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

You're surprised that Hitch can't meet a deadline? The same guy who could barely put out an issue of ULTIMATES 2 every 5 months?

I believe I read that his mother just died of cancer.

 

[Dread]

I believe I read that his mother just died of cancer.

Now, or when he was drawing ULTIMATES 2?

While tragic, and I know this sounds cold, but in the real world, deadlines are deadlines. I've worked at jobs where your entire family could be raped and murdered on live national TV and you'd be lucky if you got more than a day to grieve and deadlines for things were still expected. Unfortunately, we live in a world where Tiger Woods returning to his multi-million dollar job after a mere 6-9 months to mourn his dead father is considered especially heroic, when most of us at our jobs would be lucky to get a week in similar circumstances. Is it any wonder that some professionals grow so unattached with reality?

Hitch is a slow artist. A family tragedy, while sad, does not change that. To his credit, though, his FANTASTIC FOUR has come out at a reasonable steady rate, so I am more forgiving for the occasional lateness or fill-in. Immonen's a solid artist anyway. My biggest complaints with the current run on FF are usually from Millar's writing choices at times than Hitch's art choices.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

Now, or when he was drawing ULTIMATES 2?

Now, I mean.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

PET AVENGERS is stupidity incarnate. It won't sell diddly and it is just a waste of paper. It's one of those projects that Marvel could easily just not publish to cut costs. One of those series that you know the shops will be unable to sell for DECADES, right next to those dollar bin copies of NFL SUPERPRO #1 or TEAM AMERICA from the 80's. The kind of glut that Marvel could cut to perhaps trim cover prices by about a quarter if they gave half a turd.

I'm all for lighter hearted fare; I read X-MEN FIRST CLASS after all and likely will try the sequel. But MARVEL PETS...honestly, why?

Do you have some kind of deep-seated hatred toward animals or something? If you don't want to read it, that's fine. I hardly think it's worth comparing to Superpro, though, since many of the characters in Pet Avengers are much-loved by comic fans. I remember an interview about Pet Avengers on Newsarama and virtually everyone was going apes*** over the return of the Frog of Thunder. It may not sell well, but I know it'll sell at least one copy 'cause I'm buying the hell out of every single issue. It's superhero kitsch done right, by all indications.

 

[Dread]

Now, I mean.

I see. That is very tragic, don't get me wrong, and I wish him well in grieving; a terminally ill parent is a horrible thing to deal with at any age. I am just saying, the rest of us peons would still be expected to meet deadlines at our jobs even if our whole families were killed in one of those Lone Gunmen at Shopping Mall Massacres.

Do you have some kind of deep-seated hatred toward animals or something? If you don't want to read it, that's fine. I hardly think it's worth comparing to Superpro, though, since many of the characters in Pet Avengers are much-loved by comic fans. I remember an interview about Pet Avengers on Newsarama and virtually everyone was going apes*** over the return of the Frog of Thunder. It may not sell well, but I know it'll sell at least one copy 'cause I'm buying the hell out of every single issue. It's superhero kitsch done right, by all indications.

My point is that in the wake of a terrible economy, loss of ad revenue, and a rise in printing/comic costs, and with Marvel already flooding the comic market with more comics than it can sell, nearly 1 out of every 2 comics on the shelves in a given month, that deliberately making "superhero kitsch" that not only not a SINGLE fan ever asked for, that no one with a rational, logical mind can expect to sell, say, over 25k at debut at $4 an issue is really not a good strategy.

At least it isn't as pretentious as, say, MARVEL NOIR, which is equally pointless and seemed to be solicted back in a meeting when THE SPIRIT was expected to make $200 million dollars. But it still seems to be MARVEL APES level rubbish to me, clogging the racks. How is "Frog of Thunder" making sense as Thor is fine and well in THOR? Is depicting Lockjaw as a comedy sidekick while the rest of his family gets slaughtered at weddings in WAR OF KINGS really fitting?

There are three kinds of "comedy": Comedy that is Actually Funny, Comedy that Tries Too Hard, or Comedy that confuses being Annoying with being Funny. It's all subjective, of course. MARVEL PETS just seems like an extention of that, "monkeys are always funny" mantra, which I disagree with; a monkey/ape has to be funny to be funny; for every entertaining Ken Hale, there are a thousand Mr. Mallah's.

If anything, I would tolerate the book if Marvel didn't expect $4 an issue, or even $3, for drivel they can't ever expect to sell well. Now is not the time for niche unless the fat is trimmed somewhere. Different strokes, I guess. I suppose some could say the same for X-MEN FIRST CLASS type stuff, which matters not one whit to what the X-Men are doing now or have done for the last 25 years, but I still get it. Just...really, MARVEL PETS?

Where does it end? A mini starring all the chicken themed villains/heroes at Marvel called MARVEL FARM-FOUL?

 

[Franklin Richards]

Howard the Duck?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yeah, that's the only fowl-themed character I can think of at Marvel. I don't know why Dread's taking the Pet Avengers thing so personally, but whatever. I'm gonna buy it and probably love it (especially if the new Frog of Thunder is Puddlegulp), and that's good enough for me.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

Yeah, that's the only fowl-themed character I can think of at Marvel. I don't know why Dread's taking the Pet Avengers thing so personally, but whatever. I'm gonna buy it and probably love it (especially if the new Frog of Thunder is Puddlegulp), and that's good enough for me.

You're only making him stronger.

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

Can someone explain to me how the numbering of Incredible Hulk works? Even Captain America for that matter. They've gone through so many iterations it's hard to keep count. I like orginal numbering as much as the next guy, but not when it gets painfully confusing.

Those ASM #600 covers look awesome though. Don't know which one to pick up

But no Daredevil #500

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

When I saw Incredible Hulk I got excited for a moment because I thought Pak was taking on the Hulk again (as I noticed he seems to be off Skaar). Then I saw Red Hulk and Loeb and scrolled down.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Can someone explain to me how the numbering of Incredible Hulk works? Even Captain America for that matter. They've gone through so many iterations it's hard to keep count. I like orginal numbering as much as the next guy, but not when it gets painfully confusing.

Those ASM #600 covers look awesome though. Don't know which one to pick up

But no Daredevil #500

A lot of us wondered the same about Thor #600. The answer back then seemed to be: "don't think about it too hard, just enjoy the extra pages."

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

I see. That is very tragic, don't get me wrong, and I wish him well in grieving; a terminally ill parent is a horrible thing to deal with at any age. I am just saying, the rest of us peons would still be expected to meet deadlines at our jobs even if our whole families were killed in one of those Lone Gunmen at Shopping Mall Massacres.

Your boss must be a major dick:

My point is that in the wake of a terrible economy, loss of ad revenue, and a rise in printing/comic costs, and with Marvel already flooding the comic market with more comics than it can sell, nearly 1 out of every 2 comics on the shelves in a given month, that deliberately making "superhero kitsch" that not only not a SINGLE fan ever asked for, that no one with a rational, logical mind can expect to sell, say, over 25k at debut at $4 an issue is really not a good strategy.

While I don't think I fully understand Marvel's marketing and financial strategy, I would say dominating almost 50% of the market almost every month means they're doing something right. I really don't get why you're getting so upset over something that you don't have to buy nor will affect things going on in other books and essentially won't effect your life in any manner. What, do you own stock in Marvel?

How is "Frog of Thunder" making sense as Thor is fine and well in THOR? Is depicting Lockjaw as a comedy sidekick while the rest of his family gets slaughtered at weddings in WAR OF KINGS really fitting?

Why not? I think its called "out-of-continuity". Didn't they have a JLA Classified story with the Giffen/DeMatteis JLI at the same time Infinite Crisis was going on? Last I checked, I think people enjoyed that.

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

A lot of us wondered the same about Thor #600. The answer back then seemed to be: "don't think about it too hard, just enjoy the extra pages."

And the new 3.99 price tag which made me hesitate continuing to buy it

Marvel doesn't really realize it yet, but they are totally gonna shoot themselves in the foot when they want to relaunch the book to give a temporary sales boost. What am I do to without a new Captain America series every few years

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

When I saw Incredible Hulk I got excited for a moment because I thought Pak was taking on the Hulk again (as I noticed he seems to be off Skaar). Then I saw Red Hulk and Loeb and scrolled down.

Yeah, I figured Incredible Hercules would eventually revert back to Incredible Hulk whenever Pak and Van Lente finished their run. Loeb's book didn't even have Incredible in the title and so isn't really apart of the original series

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

I believe I read that his mother just died of cancer.

Why is he illustrating Reborn with Ed Brubaker then?

It sucks he's not finsihing up FF with Millar, but Immonen is a pretty great artist too.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

Iirc, He said that as an extension of his mother's death throwing him behind schedule, he had to drop doing the last issue of FF so that he could meet the deadlines for his next project.