More thoughts:
- SPIDER-MAN LOVES MARY JANE simply refuses to die. Guess it does well via digest.
- I would give BIG HERO 6 a try, honest, but it is by Claremont and the golden rule is that he's generally been way, way, WAY past his prime for years now.
- Blade's "hair" looks odd in that CAPTAIN BRITAIN & MI-13 cover. And I could live if he took off his trench, since Hitch and Kirk are not the same artists. Still, how often have covers been 100% accurate? I'm sure the coat will be there. I just hope Cornell's reason as to why Spitfire is a vampire, and for how long, doesn't suck.
- I'd be jazzed for another random Orson Randall one-shot, but it is by the new writer for the ongoing. I am partisan on giving him a chance.
- Thor is dating Storm in MARVEL ADVENTURES: AVENGERS? That...almost makes more sense than she and T'Challa (and doesn't have that "because they are black" vibe to it).
- I think this solict for SECRET INVASION #6 may show the point where Bendis' event goes from "surprisingly not too bad" to "pretentiously horrible". I mean, really, why is there some "heroes infighting" middle-ground? It is ALIENS TAKING OVER THE EARTH! Aliens who have proven vicious, war-wongering and savage in the past. After three years of heroes punching each other with more heart and vigor than they have ever done towards villains, I saw SI as maybe a unifier. But I should have known better. I have been waiting for SI to "go Bendis", and this may be it. Plus, we'll get to see Bendis butcher Thor and Bucky's characterizations. Yeah, I have zero faith anymore.
- Naturally, NA and MA provide SI answers no one asked for. But we're gonna get anyway.
- AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #17 welcome back Dan Slott to the co-writing chair and naturally offers a future issue full of chills, spills, and old time characters. There is only one caveat; promising the take-down of the Skrull Queen. I mean, seriously, no, that isn't happening. It is like anyone seriously expecting much of the Hulk vs. Ghost Rider fight in the WWH GHOST RIDER tie in, or expected the X-Men to beat the Hulk in WWH: X-MEN. There is no way in heaven or hell the prime villain will lose in any title that isn't written by Bendis. None. Zero. You have as much chance of Dan DiDio embracing a character's status quo from after 1990 than you have of this. That, naturally, takes a lot of drama out of the tie-in. Still, it's Slott & Gage on the best Avengers title on the racks; I expect to be pleased, as always.
- I bet more will actually happen in 3 issues of SI: THOR than in 6 issues of JMS' normal THOR.
- It appears that the X-Men decided to tweak their costumes to make them look worse, which is on target with their usual patterns. Except, of course, Wolverine.
- I am wondering why GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY has a tie-in to SI when they are supposed to be in deep space. I mean, I understand wanting to sustain sales, and NOVA is heading to Earth to protect his family (a reasonable reason), but GOTG really makes little sense. Why would the Skrulls bother to muck with a team that has nothing to do with Earth at the moment? Oh, well. It will probably be decent, and arguably space is where one should run into a Skrull.
- That NOVA cover makes it look like Richard hasn't been getting enough fiber. However, now that I know the general plotline of the SI tie-in, I think it will work out for Nova. I feared that it would feel pointless because there is no way Marvel would allow a major shift in their event to happen in a small book like NOVA, outside of Bendis' Galactus-like notice (most other writers are mere specks, below his notice, and so thus his herald Brevroot is summoned to battle them). But this sets up a nice little mission for Nova. He is there to save his brother and keep at least one area of Earth tech, PROJECT PEGASUS, out of Skrull claws. It is a story that really won't matter much to the grand scheme, but it will be dramatic enough on it's own terms that it will make it seem like Nova has accomplished something behind the scenes. Honestly, the best way to handle things.
- Got to love how MOON KNIGHT's tie-in's are about a year late.
- Still am giving HELLCAT a try.
- "The end of the New Warriors begins here" says the solict, and I cynically thought, "Yes, because sales are crap." But, I'm still enjoying the title and will finish it out.
- Yeah, SO don't care about RUNAWAYS anymore.
- AXM seems to almost be a parody; don't the X-Men get reshuffled with new costumes and a "bold new direction" every couple of years? Spider-Man needed a demon-lord to enter the perennial spin-cycle continuity limbo trap that the X-Men seem to have become masters of.
- Two random WOLVERINE one-shots, because he has to compete with Iron Man as Marvel's most overused character.
- I am amazed X-MEN: FIRST CLASS made it 16 issues (25 if you count the last 8 issue mini and the "special") before it guest starred Spider-Man. I mean, even Thor showed up first.
