Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Hoopla! - Episode 4: Orgasmic Comics in May!!!

Hello and welcome to Hoopla!

Sweet Christmas!!! The solicitations for DC and Marvel books coming out in May of 2008 were released yesterday and they are... awe-inspiring.

I am inspired. And shocked and awed.

DC's solicitations are better-than-average, yes, but Marvel... Marvel truly loves me. I always suspected it, but now I know this to be true.

The proof...? See for yourself:


AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #559
Written by DAN SLOTT
Penciled by MARCOS MARTIN
Cover by ED MCGUINNESS

Peter Parker: Paparazzi! Part 1 of 3"The Money Shot"The DB, New York's trashiest tabloid, has just hired the sleaziest, most muckraking, lowlife paparazzi of them all...PETER PARKER?! Say it ain't so, true believer! Also in this ish, J. Jonah Jameson finds inner peace and harmony...(Hey, it could happen! Maybe.) All this and the first ever livestreaming super-villain: Screwball! Dan Slott returns to Spidey, and he's bringing Marcos Martin (DOCTOR STRANGE: THE OATH) with him!32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #560
Written by DAN SLOTT
Pencils and cover by MARCOS MARTIN
Peter Parker: Paparazzi! Part 2 of 3"Flat Out Crazy"Are Pete's paparazzi pics inspiring a super celebrity stalker? Is he responsible for all of her grisly acts? Even if he is, what can Spider-Man do about it? How can anyone stop the flatout freaky powers of Paper Doll? Also: Miss this issue, and you'll miss out on SOMETHING YOU'VE ALL BEEN ASKING FOR!!! Write it down, Spider-fans, ASM #560!!!32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

Hmm... Dan Slott writing Amazing Spider-Man? Marcos Martin doing the art? A new villain named Paper Doll?

And SOMETHING I'VE BEEN ASKING FOR...?

Dude, I'm so there...



AVENGERS/INVADERS #1 (of 12)

Written by Jim Krueger and Alex Ross

Penciled by Steve Sadowski

Cover by ALEX ROSS

Legends Live Again. The original Invaders (Captain America , Bucky , Human Torch , Toro , and the Sub-Mariner) return in a twelve issue maxi-series by the award winning team behind EARTH X, Justice and Project Superpowers .The greatest super-team of World War II finds themselves transported from the battlefields of the Second World War to a future they never imagined! Now, the Invaders find themselves confronted by two teams of Avengers who want desperately to believe these heroes are who they say they are, while Tony Stark faces his greatest challenge since the Civil War as he must deal with the “return” of Steve Rogers. Confronted by a world they barely recognize, the Invaders will have to show two teams of the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes just what kind of power, courage and sheer determination it took to defeat the forces of unrelenting evil in the Twentieth century. In fact…they may just have to do it again in the Twenty-First.32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

On the one hand, I was thoroughly unimpressed by Alex Ross, Krueger and Sadowski on the first issue of Project: Superpowers. On the other hand, I really enjoyed Justice and, quite frankly, this looks awesome.

So, I am cautiously optimistic...



I believe I've already mentioned that I'm loving Brubaker's run on Captain America, so I'll simply add that the above cover kicks some serious butt.





Okay... so the above cover is rather "meh," but I think this series is going to be super-deluxe fun. Why? Well, let's see what they have to say for themselves...

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #1
Written by DAN ABNETT & ANDY LANNING
Penciled by PAUL PELLETIER
Cover by CLINT LANGLEY
Launching out of ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST, Marvel’s sci-fi heroes unite to protect the cosmos! Back-to-back Annihilation wars have weakened the boundaries of our universe. Dark gods and monsters are seeping through the cracks, reigning horror upon those still reeling from the recent calamities. In the face of terror, who stands to defend a desperate universe? Star-Lord and his squad of butt-kickers – the modern day Guardians of the Galaxy! You’ve heard that ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST rocks – the guy at the comic shop keeps telling you to try NOVA – well, now’s your chance to experience the glory that writers Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning and artist Paul Pelletier can unleash! All this…plus a wise-cracking raccoon and a telepathic dog! C’mon, people, time to lock and load!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

I'm loving Abnett and Lanning on Nova and this looks like it may be even better, with characters like Rocket Racoon and Cosmo, the telepathic Russian dog starring in it...

Here's a pretty good interview with the authors to help get you psyched...



And here's a very brief excerpt from that interview... a promo by editor Bill Roseman...

“If you want to see Marvel continue to explore a variety of genres, give issue #1 a chance,” Rosemann stated. “And if you like what you see, spread the word. Yes, ‘Guardians’ will push all those superhero buttons that we all love -- troubled heroes, sinister challenges, emotional intrigue and jaw-dropping cliff-hangers-- but it's also a sci-fi book packed with amazing worlds, mind-blowing technology, wild life forms and intense space warfare. And like all good sci-fi storytellers, the creators will comment on humanity with visuals and metaphors that will hopefully be thought provoking and maybe even controversial. And, who am I kidding, if you just want to see bad-ass fighters, hot femme fatales, a high-tech HQ in a decapitated Celestial head, a telepathic Russian cosmonaut dog, and a smart-mouth raccoon with a penchant for heavy armaments, we'll have all that too.”


And then there's this...



MARVEL ADVENTURES THE AVENGERS #24
Written by JEFF PARKER
Penciled by IG GUARA
Cover by LEONARD KIRK
FAN FAVE JEFF PARKER RETURNS!Giant-Girl hates Spider-Man. Spider-Man hates Ant-Man. Ant-Man hates Iron Man. Iron Man hates...everyone. Where is all this hate coming from? Some kind of... MONGER, perhaps?32 PGS./All Ages …$2.99


Jeff Parker on Marvel Adventures: The Avengers.

Jeff Parker on Marvel Adventures: The Avengers.

Jeff Parker on Marvel Adventures: The Avengers.


Why is Marvel so good to me...?



And then there's this...

It may not be immediately apparent why the above is of any interest. Let's take a look at the soliciation, shall we...?

CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI: 13 #1

Written by PAUL CORNELL

Penciled by LEONARD KIRK

Cover by BRYAN HITCH

SECRET INVASION TIE-IN!The Skrull Invasion isn’t restricted to the US. When the Skrull Invasion hits England, only Captain Britain and MI: 13 stand in their way. Can they find out what the Skrulls are after before it’s too late? 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

Hm. Nope. Still not clear.

Well, here's the thing...

Paul Cornell (the writer) did a limited series about a year ago, Wisdom, which starred PeteWisdom and which received rave reviews from all the right people but which sold about 4 copies.

I've never read it because by the time I heard that it was good, it was already almost over and, honestly, it was a bit too expensive to jump into at that point.

This, however, is a sort-of follow-up to that limited series and, based on this interview, I think it's going to be pretty darn neat. And the extra-good news is that the trade paperback that collects the limited series is relatively cheap... over at mailordercomics.com, they have it for a mere $13.19 (originally $21.99), which is a pretty good price considering it was a six issue mini-series and I think each individual issue was $3.50 or thereabouts.

So, I'm pre-ordering the TPB for April and then will be fully and utterly prepared to enjoy CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI: 13 #1 when it comes out in May.


I've got a hunch about this one, folks...

Oh, and here's an interview with the writer/artist/editor...

Meanwhile...

INCREDIBLE HERCULES #117

Written by GREG PAK & FRED VAN LENTE

Penciled by RAFA SANDOVAL

Cover JOHN ROMITA JR., KLAUS JANSON & DEAN WHITE

SECRET INVASION TIE-IN!The Greek Goliath gathers the most powerful super-team ever assembled to counter-attack the Skrull gods! Face front, True Believers, and prepare for the pantheon-pounding premiere of... THE GOD SQUAD!32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

I'm enjoying this title a lot and I feel certain that the pantheon-pounding premier of THE GOD SQUAD will only make it better...

And now, here's perhaps my favorite solicitation text of the month...

OMEGA: THE UNKNOWN #8 (of 10)
Written by JONATHAN LETHEM & KARL RUSNAK
Pencils & Cover by FAREL DALRYMPLE & PAUL HORNSCHEMEIER
The Overthinker sings The Ballad of The Bearded Superhero, while the Fonziebot takes a short walk off a tall skyscraper, and Alex meets the real Nowhere Man and battles his robotics professor on the Columbia University quad -- all this and more, as the story of Jonathan Lethem and Farel Dalrymple's OMEGA THE UNKNOWN saga approaches its mad climax!32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

How can you possibly not want to read this???

Honestly, they had me at The Ballad of The Bearded Superhero.

Anyway, there's a ton of other good stuff coming from Marvel in May, but my poor little head is getting weary. I'll add a bit more commentary on what Marvel's coming up in May, however, and a look at some of DC and Image's most interesting upcoming books in a very short while...

How short?

VERY short.

Until then, please to be enjoying the life as best you can, as I too will be doing the same...

- Paul

1 comment:

M said...

I'll say this much for Red Skull. He has aged well. I guess when your head is just a red skull, as long as you avoid fractures and such you're going to stay youthful.

-the The Hulk (tm)