Marvel launch new series and jumping on points this December

Marvel teased  plans for a new wave of Marvel NOW! books back at SDCC 2013, and today we've finally got some news on it, with the launch of two new series, one we've known about for a while and one all-new, as well as a good jumping on point for one of their major series on December 24th this year, check out the covers below...

First up is the competed cover for Matt Fraction and Joe Madureria's "Inhuman #1":

Then a brand new series from James Robinson and Steve Pugh, "All new Invaders", and remember a while back when Robinson claimed to be writing Namor then quickly denied it, well...

So there we have Captain America, Prince Namor ( see? ), Bucky Barnes, also known as The Winter Soldier and the original Human Torch.

And finally, here's the cover to Avengers 24.NOW ( Huh? ) , by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic.


Notice, how all of these are under the banner of "All-New Marvel NOW!", maybe we'll be seeing some more of these books in the run up to Christmas Eve...

And, yes, I am definitely looking forward to being able to buy comics on Christmas Eve...

( Source: USA Today)

Kevin Maguire takes on Guardians of the Galaxy

There's been a lot of talk in recent days over Kevin Maguire's firing from his ( previously ) upcoming Justice League 3000, but that doesn't need explaining now, if you check the previous pages in my blog, you'll find information. What needs discussing now is Kevin Maguire now drawing Brian Michael Bendis' Guardians of the Galaxy #10, and presumably more after that.

In a quote, Bendis said:

As I have made it very clear on this tumbler I think artists like Kevin are a national treasure and should be treated as such by publishers and readers alike. as Matt fraction said at dinner last night he is probably one of the most influential comic artists of this generation but doesn’t get enough credit for it. you can see his influence in a lot of places.
we have been talking about working together on an off for a while but the stars never aligned. I am not exactly sure what happened to him this week but I would like to thank whoever it was that made it possible for  Kevin to join me on guardians of the galaxy number 10. which I hope will be the first of many projects together.
I may have just announced something I wasn’t supposed to :-)

This is pretty good news, considering a lot of people's upset of Maguire leaving DC, glad to see him on a big book so soon!

Review: FF #10

There will be some spoilers for the issue in this review!


Oh, God, this issue is just... perfect. It's absolutely insane, and there is no exaggeration there. I have no idea how Matt Fraction and Mike Allred got away with telling this story, but I am so glad they did!


The basic premise of this issue is, Marvel Comics are looking to make a comic-book based on the Future Foundation's adventures so the FF take writer Matt Fraction, artist Mike Allred and editor Tom Breevort on a trip at the size of an atom. I told you, it's crazy, and in the best way possible.

I have to say, almost everything about this issue is brilliant, whether it's grumpy Matt Fraction, the fact that Mike Allred is wearing a Mad-Man shirt, the Marvel Comics jokes or maybe that little Arrested Development reference, but this issue is pretty much twenty pages of joy.


This series is returning comics to the wacky, fun stories that shine in a world of permanently trying to become darker and grittier. That push in the opposite direction can be quite a relief to read sometimes.


Matt Fraction's stories and Mike and Laura Allred's art compliment eachother perfectly. The Allreds' art alone is a visual wonder, but as I said combined with Fraction's work, it becomes insanely good.
This issue is genuinely amazing, the fact that they could tell a story with themselves teaming up with the FF is like nothing happening in any other comics right now.


FF is the wackiest comic I've ever read, I love it! Unique stories with one of the best creative teams in the comic book industry. Nothing quite measures up to it.


I realise that this review is pretty much a jumble of compliments, but this book is so good that I can't help it. The Must-Read series of this year, if you're not reading this book, you're missing out!

Rating 10/10

Top comics for June 26th 2013

As you can probably tell from the title, in this feature I spotlight some of the top and most recommendable comic books out this week. I didn't write an article for last week's comics because I was away for five days but it's back this week and there are some great comics out!

Batman/Superman #1

A book that focuses on both Batman and Superman. Not only that, but their first adventures together as superheroes. I think DC have pretty much secured a slot on a lot of people's pull lists this week. As well as having two hugely popular characters as the stars of one book, this book also has two great creators, writer Greg Pak and artist Jae Lee. Greg Pak is clearly getting more important over at DC considering this series and the fact that he's recently been announced as the new full-time writer for
DC Comics' "Action Comics", and from what I've read of his work, he's pretty good, you'll probably know his work from Marvel's "Planet Hulk", which is one of my favourite comic book stories of all time. Then onto Jae Lee, who is a fantastic artist. He has a truly unique style of art and some of the preview pages are just unbelievable, definitely a treat for the eyes. I really recommend this book, it's set to be brilliant.

The Flash #21

It's the first meeting of Barry Allen and Bart Allen ( Obviously, The Flash and Kid Flash ). It's quite hard to believe that it's been twenty-one months since the last meeting between Barry and Bart and it's something I've been eagerly anticipating for that entire time. The Flash family are some of my favourite characters in comic books, Bart being my favourite of them all. It's going to be great to see the Flash meet his 31st century grand-son for the first time in the New 52! Also, this issue is by the double-team of Brian Buccellato of Francis Manapul who are a great pair on this series. Francis Manapul's art on this series has been amazing, with all of his issue blowing me away and this new arc with the Reverse-Flash really has me interested.


The Green Team: Teen Trillionares #2

This is a series that got off to a great start last month and I'm really looking forward to seeing the team of Art Baltazar, Franco and Ig Guara have in store for us this issue! The first issue took a really unexpected turn towards the end of the leader of these rich kids taking on a super-villain. If that doesn't sound good to you, it's probably just my explanation of it, I had to explain it quickly. Seriously, if you're familiar with any of Art Baltazar and Franco's work ( Such as, Tiny Titans, Superman Family adventures ) you'll know this series is a must-buy. And on the topic of the art, I really wasn't a fan of Ig Guara's art until I read the last issue, it really turned around my opinion of his work and I really liked what I saw.

Hawkeye #11

Onto the final pick for this week, Hawkeye. Oh, god, Hawkeye. This series is just... it's honestly too good for anything I say ton do it justice, but I'll have a shot. This series is pretty much the best on the shelves, it's certainly the best thing I've read from Marvel recently. Matt Fraction is a genius, this book is so witty and fun but it really makes you feel for the characters too. He is just a brilliant writer and he's come up with a brilliant concept for this book, something used in no other comic books right now. Then there's the art. The beautiful, wonderful art. David Aja and Matt Hollingsworth are the comic book art team right now, with such a unique style. I honestly can't describe it, but there's just something amazing about it. Anyway, enough about the series! Onto this issue! If all of that stuff about the creative team hasn't got you on board for this, here's something that definitely will. This entire issue is focused on Hawkeye's pet, Pizza-Dog. The entire comic, about his pizza loving dog. You know the creative team are doing a good job when they're aloud to do this. This is my top pick, and the comic I'm most looking forward to this week. If you can only buy one comic, make it Hawkeye!


So, those are my recommendations for tomorrow, hope you try them out!

Hawkeye #11, "Pizza is my buisness", gets a coloured preview!

Recently I talked about the Black and White preview for Hawkeye #11 by Matt Fraction, David Aja and Matt Hollingsworth ( if not, you can check it out HERE ), I was pretty excited by that, this issue is completely focused on Hawkeye's Pizza-loving dog, Pizza-Dog! Well now there's more, a coloured preview with an extra page!

Here it is:

The preview last preview was a few pages longer, without colour or that final page, check that one out HERE.

(Source: Comics Alliance)

Hawkeye #11 is released on June 26th, written by Matt Fraction, pencils by David Aja with colours by Matt Hollingsworth.

Preview for Hawkeye 11, "Pizza is my buisness", released.

When I first started reading Matt Fraction and David Aja's Hawkeye series ( with Matt Hollingsworth on colours ) I'd already seen endless good reviews and I'd never actually heard of anybody who hadn't liked it. This along with all the scans and pages posted on comic sites convinced me to go and buy my first issue of the series, issue 9. I've now decided to be a regular reader and I'm going back and getting all the issues I've missed. It's one of the best books out there at the moment, seriously, it's a charming and witty series with great writing and amazing art.

Hawkeye #8, Maybe it's the hat? Or the hair?



Cheer up, Pizza Dog.

Now, before I started reading this series one thing really jumped out at me from the articles I'd read on it. Pizza Dog. In case you don't know, Clint "Hawkeye" Barton saved a pizza-loving dog from the tracksuit mafia. Really, A superhero who owns a dog who loves pizza. Take that, Green Arrow!


Anyway, what I'm building to here is, this issue is completely focused on Pizza Dog. A whole 20 page comic focused on Hawkeye's pizza-eating dog who's investigating a murder. Wow. Just...Wow.

Here's a few preview pages ( originally from Comic Book Resources . Head over to their preview for the last page )

 

 

 

Hawkeye #11, "Pizza is my business", by Matt Fraction, David Aja and Matt Hollingsworth is released on June 26th. It's the craziest and greatest idea for a comic ever.

Review: FF #6

FF is one of the funniest and most enjoyable books you could produce, it's got amazing art, great writing, and the perculiar and unique comedy that this book is perfect at. That sentence sums up my thoughts of this comic completely and I could leave it at that, but I know that's not much of a review, so let me say some more.

Matt Fraction has managed to write a brilliant story in this book, and every issue manages to sum up who the character's are, which is NOT their counterparts on the original Fantastic Four team, and he shows this perfectly, and shows the public's reaction to this replacement team brilliantly.

He also adds in a lot of humour, which isn't something you see much of in recent comics. It's not usually straight-forward jokes, but the situations and characters are so different, weird and unique that it make sthe stoty funny. And the fact that the Baxter Building now officially has a Karaoke stage inside the Observatory on the roof is enough to give this issue a 10/10.

The art in this issue is by a stand-in artist, Joe Quinnones. The art style is very similar, and I'll be honest, I've had to update this review since it took me a few days to notice it wasn't Mike Allred. A lot of times a stand-in artist is seen as a bad thing, but Joe Quinnnone's art fits the style of the book really well, so it's definitely not a problem.

The creative team also aren't afraid to bring up topics that some people see as "difficult", and being able to include LGBT topics in a story is something a lot of creators can be too scared to do, but Matt Fraction and the stand-in artist, Joe Quinnones show it perfectly.

Overall, one of the best comics out this week, and one of the best series being produced in comics at the moment. Roll on the next issue!

Rating: 10/10!

You definitely need to buy this book!

Review: Fantastic Four #7

Warning, Spoilers!

I'd just like to start off by saying that Fantastic Four, as well as it's sister book, FF, is one of the most interesting books on the shelves. It's awesome to see Matt Fraction's take on the Galaxy, past and future of the Marvel Universe, and he manages to come up with some brilliant concepts, the idea to have the Fantastic Four see the birth and death of the Universe was great, and I've never seen that done with any characters before.

Basically, in this issue, the Fantastic Four travel to the end of everything, the Big Crunch. This was a great idea for a story, and I really enjoyed reading it, it's written smartly, and lives up to the excellent standard set by the first six issues of this series.

I'm also a big fan of Mark Bagley's artwork, he was one of the first artists whose work I saw when I was starting to get into comics, and I've loved it in everything I've seen it in. He manages to draw the alien species so well, and all of them look completely different, as they should.

The one page in this issue most, though, was the one of Valeria explaining why the Alien observers' plan would not work. It really sums up that character, shows that she's not to be underestimated and that she doesn't let being a kid get in the way of speaking her ideas to people.

The end of the issue was a great example of Matt Fraction's really intelligent writing, I know it's a little off topic but it ties perfectly to the ending of this week's "FF", I don't want to ruin it, but I'm sure you'll understand the onnection when you've read both of the issues.

All around, this is a fascinating and well written comic, with great artwork and an interesting plot. Another great issue by Fraction and Bagley!

Rating: 10/10!