April 2018 Spider-Solicitations with JH Commentary

Here comes April 2018 and with it the rise of the Red Goblin, a  Champions reshuffle and- another Venom event? Are you kidding me? What, is there a film coming out or-? Oh, there is? And they don’t even show Venom in the trailer? Oh god. 

2018’s going to be a long year. 

 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #798
DAN SLOTT (W) • STUART IMMONEN (A)
Cover by ALEX ROSS
CONNECTING VARIANT COVER BY HUMBERTO RAMOS (2 OF 5)
YOUNG GUNS VARIANT COVER JAVIER GARRON
VENOM 30TH VARIANT COVER BY TBA
GO DOWN SWINGING Part 2
• Dan Slott’s final SPIDER-MAN story continues!
• The GREEN GOBLIN HAS RETURNED – and he’s exacting his ultimate revenge not only on SPIDER-MAN, but on everyone the wall-crawler loves!
• Norman Osborn’s offering NO QUARTER, an ultimatum that threatens to finish PETER PARKER once and for all!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #799
DAN SLOTT (W) • STUART IMMONEN (A)
Cover by ALEX ROSS
CONNECTING VARIANT COVER BY HUMBERTO RAMOS (3 OF 5)
VARIANT COVER BY ED MCGUINNESS
GO DOWN SWINGING Part 3
• SPIDER-MAN will need to the help of friend and foe alike if he hopes to stop THE GREEN GOBLIN this time!
• The mystery of the RED GOBLIN is finally revealed, and it’s not going to be pretty for Peter Parker!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Comments: We now know that Dan Slot will be seeing off his run of almost 10 years with a Carnage-Norman Osborn collab. How such a bold choice will play out we have yet to find out but I for one remain cautiously optimistic that Slott will be able to conclude his run with a solid finale. 

DOCTOR STRANGE: DAMNATION #4 (OF 4)
DONNY CATES & NICK SPENCER (W) • ROD REIS (A/C)
VARIANT COVER BY RON LIM
CONNECTING VARIANT COVER BY GREG SMALLWOOD (4 OF 4)
• It’s DAMNATION NATION! Mephisto’s on a hot streak that won’t stop! Every team that’s faced him has fallen, while more of the country falls under his influence.
• There’s just one card left to play: Wong versus Mephisto…ALONE!
• Who escapes alive, who escapes undead and who doesn’t escape at all? DAMNATION is going out in a blaze of glory, and you GOTTA see who gets burned!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

BEN REILLY: SCARLET SPIDER #17
PETER DAVID (W) • WILL SLINEY (A)
Cover by KHARY RANDOLPH
DAMNATION TIE-IN!
• For years, MEPHISTO has had a fascination with the Parker clan…
• In this issue, does the King of Hell claim the ultimate prize? The soul of a certain wall-crawling, web-slinging friendly neighborhood Spider-Clone?!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: I don’t really get why Ben Reilly is involved in this mini-event and I don’t really have the inclination to find out. 

AVENGERS #687
AL EWING, MARK WAID & JIM ZUB (W) • PACO MEDINA (A)
Cover by MARK BROOKS
End of an Era Variant by Chris Sprouse
VENOM 30TH VARIANT COVER BY TBA
THE AVENGERS WEEKLY EPIC CONTINUES!
NO SURRENDER Part 13
The Avengers confront the traitor in their midst – but as the Earth begins to fall apart around them, their greatest enemy may be their best chance at survival.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

AVENGERS #688
AL EWING, JIM ZUB & MARK WAID (W) • KIM JACINTO (A)
COVER BY Mark Brooks
END OF AN ERA VARIANT COVER BY CHRIS SPROUSE
THE AVENGERS WEEKLY EPIC CONTINUES!
NO SURRENDER Part 14
As the final battle for Earth begins, one Avenger will sacrifice everything to give his teammates a fighting chance.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

AVENGERS #689
AL EWING, JIM ZUB & MARK WAID (W) • PEPE LARRAZ (A)
Cover by MARK BROOKS
End of an Era Variant by Chris Sprouse
THE AVENGERS WEEKLY EPIC CONTINUES!
NO SURRENDER Part 15
One last battle against an impossible opponent. One last game with astronomical stakes. With the fate of the Earth on the line, a cry goes out across the Marvel Universe: AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

AVENGERS #690
AL EWING, JIM ZUB & MARK WAID (W) • PACO MEDINA (A)
COVER BY Mark Brooks
End of an Era Variant by Chris Sprouse
Variant COVER by InHyuk Lee
THE AVENGERS WEEKLY EPIC CONCLUDES!
“NO SURRENDER” REACHES ITS FINALE!
The battle is over, and those left standing in the rubble have to find a way to move forward. As an era of the Avengers comes to a close, what will rise to take its place?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: So far this event has been, like its predecessors, fine. Nothing spectacular, just fine. Not even a quirky new line-up has got me pumped for this series’ future as I feel Avengers, through too many teams and too many events, has lost its spark. 

CHAMPIONS #19
JIM ZUB (W) • SEAN IZAAKSE (A)
Cover by Stefano Caselli
A WIDER WORLD Part 1
• IRONHEART and THE UNSTOPPABLE WASP join the Champions at last! The team has grown but the mission stays the same – the Champions fight to make the world a better place for all!
• Writer Jim Zub (AVENGERS: NO SURRENDER) and artist Sean Izaakse (UNCANNY AVENGERS) reunite to push the Champions beyond their limits with any icy Antarctic adventure that will challenge everything they believe in!
• Don’t miss this first chapter of a new era of Champions – and the birth of a brand new hero!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: Ironheart and the Wasp finally join the Champions! Whilst I welcome Ironheart with open arms, I liked the idea of Wasp on the Avengers because it showed that all young people don’t necessarily have the same beliefs. Apart from this minor qualm, I am curious to see what the new creative team does with a book that has rapidly become a Marvel mainstay.

VENOMIZED #1 (OF 5)
CULLEN BUNN (W) • IBAN COELLO (A)
Cover by NICK BRADSHAW
VARIANT COVER BY SKOTTIE YOUNG
PROMO VARIANT COVER BY CLAYTON CRAIN
CONNECTING VARIANT COVER BY MARK BAGLEY (1 OF 5)
VARIANT COVER BY ADI GRANOV
VARIANT COVER BY GABRIELE DELL’OTTO
BLANK VARIANT ALSO AVAILABLE
VENOMIZED Part 1
The story that began in VENOMVERSE reaches its epic conclusion with VENOMIZED! The POISONS, a species that hungers for super-powered symbiotes and their hosts, have picked their next target…THE MARVEL UNIVERSE ITSELF! Their first objective? Put every superhuman in a Klyntar symbiote – and CONSUME THEM! But with VENOM and the X-MEN still missing after the events of “Poison-X,” the planet, and its heroes, is defenseless!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

VENOMIZED #2 (OF 5)
CULLEN BUNN (W) • IBAN COELLO (A)
Cover by NICK BRADSHAW
Variant Cover by TBA
CONNECTING VARIANT BY MARK BAGLEY (2 OF 5)
VENOMIZED Part 2
• Venom and the X-Men have returned from the extraterrestrial adventures of “Poison-X” to find dozens of heroes and villains bonded with Klyntar symbiotes – and none of ’em are happy about it!
• The grand plans of the Poisons begins to make themselves known…including their designs for Cletus Kasady!
• One Avenger might not make out in one piece!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

VENOMIZED #3 (OF 5)
CULLEN BUNN (W)
IBAN COELLO (A)
Cover by NICK BRADSHAW
Variant Cover by TBA
CONNECTING VARIANT BY MARK BAGLEY(3 OF 5)
VENOMIZED Part 3
• With one of their strongest allies consumed by the Poisons, the heroes of Earth must rally and stand against one of their own!
• Meanwhile, the Poisons have been working in secret to shore up their defenses, but have they thought of everything?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

VENOMIZED #4 (OF 5)
CULLEN BUNN (W) • KEVIN LIBRANDA (A)
Cover by NICK BRADSHAW
Variant Cover by TBA
CONNECTING VARIANT BY MARK BAGLEY (4 OF 5)
VENOMIZED Part 4
• The battle rages between Earth’s VENOMIZED defenders and the POISON invaders, bent on consuming all symbiotes – and life itself – in our universe!
• The X-Men think they have a new ally in the fight, one that could turn the tide!
• VENOM and Earth’s heroes gamble on a risky counterattack to end things…for better or worse!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: I’m glad Marvel are finally starting to do something with Venom again, as I feel his character has been really underutilized lately. We have legacy heroes and events coming out of our ears but really I’ve been asking: where is Eddie Brock? What’s he up to? Will he team up with other heroes? I’m glad Marvel are finally listening and for the first time in a while giving us a story with Venom at front and centre. 

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #599
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • STEFANO CASELLI & ALEX MALEEV (A)
Cover by CHRIS SPROUSE
VENOM 30TH VARIANT COVER BY TBA
THE SEARCH FOR TONY STARK CONTINUES!
• TONY’S BACK!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: What a surprise. 

SPIDER-GWEN #31
JASON LATOUR (W)
ROBBI RODRIGUEZ (A/C)
GWENOM PART 6
• Gwen’s on a one-way road into darkness. If anyone can help her find her way back into the light…
• It’s. GWEN. STACY.
• But is the universe trying to save her, or does fate only hold one end for Gwen?
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Comments: Gwenom has been this book’s strongest arc to date, let’s see it go out with a bang!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: RENEW YOUR VOWS #18
JODY HOUSER (W)
NATHAN STOCKMAN (A)
Cover by RYAN STEGMAN
FAST TIMES AT MIDTOWN HIGH CONTINUES!
• Peter and Mary Jane Parker have grown suspicious of their daughter’s recent activities…
• Apparently sneaking around training two newly super-powered angry kids doesn’t qualify as “Normal Teenage Behavior.”
• Especially when these angry teens have a not-so-innocent agenda.
• And their target is…teenage Normie Osborn?!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: I’m sorry, this book has lost me. I liked the original concept but with the time skip it has become a tired retread of ideas done better before. 

PETER PARKER: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #303
CHIP ZDARSKY (W) • JOE QUINONES (A/C)
VENOM 30TH VARIANT COVER BY TBA
AMAZING FANTASY Part 3
• PETER PARKER, TERESA DURAND and J. JONAH JAMESON will attempt to save the future…by fighting for it IN THE PAST!
• But will their time-traveling gamble pay off or only alter the course of history for the worse?
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Comments:  Zdarsky is really putting the focus of Spectacular on both Teresa and Jameson, shown by their prominence in this new story. Whether it’s working or not is probably debatable.

VENOM #164
MIKE COSTA (W) • MARK BAGLEY (A)
Cover by RYAN STEGMAN
VENOM 30TH VARIANT COVER BY TBA
THE NATIVITY Part 1
• EDDIE BROCK, together with his symbiote partner, is VENOM! But just when things seemed like they were going back to normal, Eddie learns a terrible truth: the symbiote has been keeping a secret from him.
• And after years together, this is the one secret that their relationship might not bounce back from…
• The march to Venom’s 30th Anniversary starts HERE!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

VENOM #165
MIKE COSTA (W) • MARK BAGLEY (A)
Cover by RYAN STEGMAN
VARIANT COVER BY MIKE DEODATO JR.
THE NATIVITY Part 2
• As Eddie and the symbiote find themselves less trusting of one another than ever before, a new enemy emerges and threatens to tear the two of them apart…and not just from each other!
• IN THIS ISSUE: Startling revelations that set the stage for the Venom epic of the fall!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: Venom’s 30th anniversary is on the horizon? Does that mean ANOTHER event? Oh my god. 

SPIDER-MAN #239
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • OSCAR BAZALDUA (A)
Cover by PATRICK BROWN
• His Sinister Six is turning on him, and his nephew (SPIDER-MAN) can’t turn a blind eye to his crimes.
• The IRON SPIDER is going down! But how far? And how far will Miles go to avoid losing his uncle again?
• And you won’t believe what Miles’ parents are planning for his future!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Comments: The end of Bendis’ ultimate journey. It’s fitting for the conclusion he’s bringing Miles’ arc full circle, with another confrontation with Uncle Aaron. I’ve got the tissues ready. 

SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #31
ROBBIE THOMPSON (W) • CHRIS BACHALO (A/C)
SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL vs. EVERYONE!
• Spider-Man and Deadpool have done something with grave consequences.
• Those consequences? Oh, all-out war on our heroes at the hands of all the super heroes of the Marvel Universe.
• This arc will change the way you look at your favorite heroes. And we don’t just mean Spider-Man and Deadpool.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: Is there a better artist to illustrate a crazy epic that Chris Bachelo? 

LOCKJAW #3 (OF 4)
Daniel Kibblesmith (W)
Carlos Villa (A)
COVER BY DAVID NAKAYAMA
WHO’S A GOOD BOY? Part 3
A SPIDER’S PURPOSE!
• Just when you thought the journey couldn’t get any weirder, along came Spider-Ham!
• Peter Porker needs Lockjaw and D-Man’s help. A terrible danger is building — and it’s all wrapped up in Lockjaw’s scattered siblings!
• Will Lockjaw find his last brothers and sisters? Can he save the Multiverse with Porker and friends? Will D-Man finally find out what the heck is going on? Find out here!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Comments: The crossover you’ve all been waiting for – Spider-Ham and Lockjaw. Hey, just be glad this one doesn’t have a symbiote in it. 

MARVEL RISING #0
DEVIN GRAYSON (W) • MARCO FAILLA (A)
COVER BY HELEN CHEN
KICKING OFF MARVEL RISING!
This April SQUIRREL GIRL meets MS. MARVEL – for the very first time! When Doreen Green (also known as the unbeatable Squirrel Girl) volunteers as head counselor for an extra-curricular computer programming camp, little does she know that junior counselor Kamala Khan moonlights as crime fighting super hero Ms. Marvel! But this coding camp is more than just ones and zeros when A.I.M. makes an appearance! Will our heroes be able to save the campers without blowing their secret identities?
Join Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, America, Inferno, and Patriot as they learn exactly what it means to be a young hero in the Marvel Universe – and what it means to be a hero to each other.
32 PGS./RATED T …FREE

MARVEL SUPER HERO ADVENTURES #1 (OF 5)
JIM MCCANN (W) • DARIO BRIZUELA (A)
Cover by GURIHIRU
VARIANT COVER BY KHARY RANDOLPH
SPIDER-MAN SWINGS INTO WAKANDA IN AN ADVENTURE FOR ALL AGES!
• Wakanda?! You mean the home of the Black Panther, one of the world’s fiercest warriors and a member of the Avengers?
• That’s right! When Spider-Man’s archenemy Doctor Octopus goes on the hunt for the incredible metal Vibranium, it’ll take the combined might of not one, but TWO beloved heroes to take him down!
• Can Spider-Man and Black Panther work together to keep Vibranium out of Doc Ock’s eight hands — or will the villain turn the tide?
ALL-NEW ALL-AGES SERIES!
“Marvel Super Hero Adventures is a chance to introduce the great heroes of Marvel to a brand new generation in exciting stories with lessons, adventures, and action that readers of all ages have come to expect from the House of Ideas! Each issue features Spider-Man teaming up with characters both classic, such as Black Panther and Doctor Strange, and popular new faces like Ms Marvel. Together they battle villains like Doc Ock, Taskmaster, Venom and more. This is the book you can pick up and share with anyone from your kids to your friends!” – Writer, Jim McCann
32 PGS./ALL-AGES …$3.99

Comments: It’s good to see Marvel bringing in younger readers, especially for a female audience and with some of the more obscure heroes. However the most intriguing part of this is the renaming of Spider-Gwen to Ghost Spider, perhaps foreshadowing a similar switch in the comics. 

VENOM & X-MEN: POISON-X TPB
Written by CULLEN BUNN
Penciled by EDGAR SALAZAR, Ario Anindito, JACOPO CAMAGNI & WILL ROBSON
Cover by NICK BRADSHAW
Spinning out of the events of VENOMVERSE, the Children of the Atom and the Lethal Protector team up to take down an extradimensional threat! This is it, folks, the team-up you’ve been asking for: X-Men Blue and Venom must band together in the cold reaches of space to protect our universe from a threat more diabolical than you can ever imagine! But will Eddie Brock and his faithful symbiote, Marvel Girl, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast and Angel be enough to save the universe from the Poisons? It’s a crossover like no other — one that will change the lives of Venom and the X-Men! Collecting X-MEN BLUE #21-22 and ANNUAL #1, and VENOM (2016) #162-163.
136 PGS./Rated T+ …$17.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-91225-3

BEN REILLY: SCARLET SPIDER VOL. 3 – THE SLINGERS RETURN TPB
Written by PETER DAVID
Penciled by WILL SLINEY & ANDRE LIMA ARAUJO
Cover by KHARY RANDOLPH
Ben Reilly, A.K.A. the Scarlet Spider, is a perfect clone of the amazing Spider-Man…but with none of Peter Parker’s responsibility! Ben moved west to carve out a new life for himself in Las Vegas, but now Peter’s past is encroaching on Ben’s turf in the form of the new Hornet! Who is he working for, and what will the former Slingers — Dusk, Prodigy and Ricochet — have to say about the new man under their old teammate’s mask? Chances are their views might not quite line up with Ben’s. If you’ve guessed it’s all leading up to the return of the Slingers, you guessed right! But when Ben’s ally and new benefactor, Cassandra Mercury, deduces his secret identity as the Scarlet Spider, will she use that knowledge against him? Collecting BEN REILLY: SCARLET SPIDER #10-14.
112 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-91115-7

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: VENOM INC. TPB
Written by DAN SLOTT & MIKE COSTA
Penciled by RYAN STEGMAN & GERARDO SANDOVAL
Cover by RYAN STEGMAN
It’s an amazingly lethal Spider-Man/Venom epic! Peter Parker, Eddie Brock and Flash Thompson share a bond — literally! The Venom symbiote changed all their lives. Now the inky black alien life-form is doubling down on our heroes — and they won’t be the only ones put through the wringer. As a familiar face rises to new levels of villainy, Spidey finds himself caught between Eddie and a mysterious new figure! Black Cat and her gang are confronted by an amped-up villain called Maniac, who will show everyone how well he lives up to his name. And all the while, Venom Inc. weaves its tendrils through New York’s criminal underworld. You’ve never read a Spidey and Venom story like this! Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: VENOM INC. ALPHA and OMEGA, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2015) #792-793 and VENOM (2016) #159-160.
160 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-90579-8

SPIDER-MAN: FREE FALLING DIGEST
Written by BRIAN SMITH
Penciled by MARIO DEL PENNINO
Cover by MARIO DEL PENNINO
It’s everybody’s favorite wall-crawler in a collection of high-flying action and adventure stories! The ultimate Spider-Man teams up with some mighty friends — from Black Panther to Captain Marvel, and even Rocket and Groot — to fight threats both large and small! Spidey ventures into space to help stop Ronin the Accuser, tangles with the Lizard and Vermin in the sewers, battles the Hulk and more!
96 PGS./All Ages …$9.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-91221-5