All-New, All-Different Marvel (Part 4 of 5) - Everything Else

Today is part 4 of our All-New All-Different Marvel coverage.  The remaining books weren’t particularly easy to group, so I just lumped them all together and will post them alphabetically.

AGENTS OF S.H.I.EL.D. #1 by Marc Guggenheim and Mike Norton

Excitement Level: 3 out of 5 – And the award for freakiest preview image of All-New, All-Different Marvel goes to AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.  I am not 100% sure what I am looking at here.  Agent Coulson making out with some kind of weird representation of HYDRA?  

I have been enjoying Marvel’s SHIELD series which serves as a bridge between the TV series and the Marvel Universe, showing us 616 versions of Fitz, Simmons, and May.  BUT, that book is being written by Mark Waid.  I also love that most of the stories in that series have been pretty self-contained.   No guarantees that will be the case when this series relaunches, especially without Waid at the helm, so I am not really sure about this series.

All that said, I do think it's funny that this is by the showrunner of Arrow...

ANGELA: ASGARD’S ASSASSIN #1 by Marguerite Bennett, Kim Jacinto, and Stephanie Hans

Excitement Level: 1.5 out of 5 – I actually like Marguerite Bennett, and I have read every issue of SPAWN.  But Angela has done nothing to impress me since she jumped to the Marvel Universe.  It looks like she will be taking over control of Hel, which could lead to some cool stories, but I just can’t see myself as a customer for this one. 

CAPTAIN MARVEL #1 by Tara Butters, Michele Fazekas, and Kris Anka

Excitement Level: 3.5 out of 5 – I am a huge fan of Captain Mar-Vell, so I always try to give any book with Carol Danvers a fair shot.  But, I just really haven’t liked Kelly Sue DeConnick’s run on CAPTAIN MARVEL.  I like the new costume, and I like Carol taking on a bigger role in the Marvel Universe lately, but I just couldn’t get into her last series, despite trying several times. 

Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas are TV writers, not typically comic book writers.  BUT, they both worked on AGENT CARTER, so they should have a great perspective on Carol Danvers.   I am always a little weary when Marvel brings in someone from another media to write their comics, but at least it’s a Marvel TV show, so that should help.  With the movie coming out soon, it’s about to be a real exciting time to be a Carol Danvers fan.

CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS #1 by Al Ewing and Paco Medina

Excitement Level: 2.5 out of 5 - How many books is Al Ewing doing?  Pretty sure this is the fourth or fifth time I’ve written his name.   

Right now, my excitement level is low on this one, just because I don’t know what it is.  CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS seems like something that should be a mini-series, not a full blown series…and it’s very possible that is what this is as Marvel hasn’t released any other information about it yet. 

I do like that we see Maestro on the cover.  I am hoping a few of the Secret Wars characters manage to stick around in some capacity.  FUTURE IMPERFECT is one of my all time favorite comic stories. 

DAREDEVIL #1 by Charles Soule and Ron Garney

Excitement Level: 4 out of 5 – I don’t think any character has been as blessed by terrific writers as DAREDEVIL.  There have been so many amazing runs.  Miller.  Bendis.  Brubaker. Waid.  I even liked Kevin Smith’s run a lot, though it was very short.  Charles Soule is the latest to take on DD, and he should definitely be up to the challenge.  He has written a lot of comics I really like, including LETTER 44 and SHE-HULK.  He’s even managed to make DOOMED a must read comic.  And as bonus, he is a lawyer!

I don’t know who DAREDEVIL’s new apprentice is, but he does have a pretty cool look to him.  I assume DAREDEVIL will be returning to Hell’s Kitchen (he had been in San Francisco towards the end of Waid’s run).  I have other questions about Daredevil’s status, but I expect many of them will be answered as Waid’s run wraps up.  Either way, I am definitely looking forward to this one!

DOCTOR STRANGE #1 by Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo

Excitement Level: 3 out of 5 – Chris Bachalo’s art has such a weird quality to it, so I imagine he will draw a very cool Doctor Strange book.  And I like Jason Aaron’s work, especially on THOR.  Plus, the image of Doctor Strange wielding an enormous axe is eye-catching and should make me want to know more.  But for some reason this one just isn’t grabbing me as much as it should.   Maybe I am just feeling a little burnout after seeing so many of these teases at once.

I am really curious what issue 4 of SECRET WARS means in terms of this book.  I don’t want to give spoilers, but there was a certain character conspicuously missing from any of the X-Men previews…and SECRET WARS 4 seemed to give a possible reason why.  Which makes me wonder how Strange would be affected as something very similar happened to him in the same issue.

DRAX #1 by CM Punk, Cullen Bunn, and Ed McGuinness

Excitement Level: 2 out of 5 –  Of all people to get his own series, Marvel decides to go with DRAX?  While I’m glad that GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY is so popular, I don’t see Drax as needing his own series.  Especially since Marvel can’t seem to keep a consistent characterization of him from series to series. 

As for having CM Punk do the writing, I feel a little weird about that.  I loved CM Punk as a wrestler, but it seems after that, he’s decided to live out his fantasies.  Comic writer. MMA fighter.   All the power to him, but as a customer, I would rather see a PROFESSIONAL writer get the work and not just someone who has too much free time on his hands.  Yeah, Cullen Bunn is working on the book too, but you know the marketing will be around the part-timer, not the actual comic writer.  I hate when the WWE brings in part-timers, and I hate it even more with the comic industry. 

The one real redeeming quality about this book is Ed McGuinness.  He’s a terrific artist and you don’t get to see as much attention as I’ve always felt he deserved.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #1 by Brian Michael Bendis & Valerio Schiti

Excitement Level: 3.5 out of 5 – Starlord has grown boobs???  Some shake-ups here with Peter Quill replaced by a woman, Rocket becoming the leader of the team, and Gamora replaced by Thing.  Bendis will still be writing GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, which is mostly a good thing.  I’ve enjoyed his run for the most part (other than the changes to Venom, which I thought made no real sense). 

You know, as much as I mock people who say Marvel is trying to replace the X-Men with the Inhumans, it does seem they were at least partially right about the status of the FANTASTIC FOUR.  Thing is on this book.  Human Torch is over in UNCANNY AVENGERS, and I don’t think we’ve seen anything about Reed and Sue, who are having their own issues during SECRET WARS.

HOWARD THE DUCK #1 by Chip Zdarsky and Joe Quinones

Excitement Level: 4.5 out of 5 – I love that the preview image is just completely mocking the idea that HOWARD THE DUCK is getting a new number 1 already.  While so many Marvel books seem to be going through changes, it’s clear that Chip Zdarsky is going to be keeping this book the same.  Which is great news!  HOWARD THE DUCK has been hilarious.  What other comic do you get to see Aunt May as a master jewel thief? 

I do love the variety of hats we get to see in the picture.  Scrooge’s top hat, Gizmoduck’s helmet, Jughead’s crown, you even get one of those Baskin Robbins Ice Cream sundaes in a baseball helmet (collect them all!).

HOWLING COMMANDOS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 by Frank Barbiere and Brent Schoonover

Excitement Level: 2.5 out of 5 – I cringe every time Marvel tries to do a HOWLING COMMANDOS book like this.  I actually like the idea of a monster team up book.  It worked great in New-52 FRANKENSTEIN.  But Howling Commandos is a Marvel name with a long and proud legacy.  Using it just to make a cheap joke that gets old after the first time is just a waste to me.

There is a slight saving grace here in that at least the book does feature Dum Dum Duggan, so at least that gives the name some credibility, but I still would rather them find a different name for it.   And I think that’s Teen Abomination, a character I was worried would vanish once SUPERIOR IRON MAN ended.