And now, the Mighty Marvel Mammoth Menu!

(They do a lot of books, don’t they?)

Ultimate X-Men #72 – is The Magician the most boring-looking hero you have ever seen? It looks like one of designs that Mike Weiringo puts up on his blog that he did as a child; it’s so bland and non-descript. Alarm bells ring when he is described as ‘a vital part of the X-Men’ when he is a new character; surely the whole point of the Ultimate universe is to update the old characters, not introduce new ones? Or am I being hopelessly naive?

Black Panther #18 has a back-up feature looking ‘behind the scenes of the creation of Storm’s wedding gown’. Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha. Because that’s what the superhero fan wants in their ‘extras’ – or do they seriously think that a vast flock of girls are suddenly going to buy this because it has a wedding in it?

I’m torn in my thoughts about the Civil War crossover; on one side, I don’t give a shit and won’t be reading any (except for books that I pick up anyway), but on the other hand, I appreciate the effort going into the process, making it a genuine company-wide event, the feeling that this is something that has been considered from a variety of angles by a group of intelligent people who want to tell good stories. Or I could be just losing it in my old age.

The cover for New Avengers #22 (top left image above) – is this the retort to the ‘Jessica Jones gets some backdoor loving from Luke Cage’ furore? Is this cover seeing Cage getting some unexpected anal attention? It’s the only explanation for the expression on his face …

Has anybody been reading the Annhilation thing? I feel a bit sorry for it, being lost amid the hype for Civil War; not that it looks even remotely interesting, but I feel it should fail on its own merits, rather than having the excuse of being overshadowed.

As Brian points out, the idea of Power Pack as grim’n’gritty is a great idea; it’s a classic story concept, and reminds me of an old New Mutants story where they met their older selves, with Sam Guthrie finally able to control both the flight and sound of his cannonballing. I might have to read this one in the shop.

So, is Beyond an update of the first Secret Wars, but on a smaller scale? Isn’t that a case of disappearing up their own backside, repeating their own stories from not that long ago?

An indescribably powerful cosmic being gathers nine of Marvel’s most mismatched super beings for purposes beyond their comprehension. Can Spider-Man, Gravity, Venom, Henry Pym, The Wasp, Medusa, Kraven, Firebird and the Hood keep from killing each other before they have to face the dangers of their destination, the deadly artificial planet known as Battleworld?

I like the look of Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius – Super Summer Spectacular (see my comments on ridiculously wordy titles for comic books in my post on DC solicitations) but I can’t help but wonder if Marvel will get sued by Bill Watterson.

Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E – the most accurate promotional copy:
‘Superheroes fightingexplosionsex AvengersFinFangFoom giantflyingsubmarine monstrositiesformer X-Forcebabeexplosionskicking MachineManpunching giantevilcoprobotshot Englishchicksecretterrorist organizationsEXPLOSIONS!’

I find it incredibly ironic that both The Uncanny X-Men #475 and The X-Men #188 are considered ‘A perfect starting point for any new reader!’ The most notoriously subplot-dangling titles in the world, more inpenetrable to new readers than anything outside of Legion of Super Heroes, at issues 475 and 188 (not to mention all the mini-series) could hardly be anything less. But I suppose you can’t have promotional blurb that says, ‘New reader? Fucking forget it!’

Question: Icon comics was set up as a boutique operation for creater-owned comics within Marvel, so who owns the rights (and makes the money) on Jack Kirby’s Galactic Bounty Hunters?

And we’re done. I’m exhausted. Nothing of particular note for this month; let’s hope that Civil War Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (gotta catch ’em all) works out well for Marvel …