May 2018 “Fresh Start” Solicitations with JH Commentary

Here comes May 2018 and with it a FRESH START! ‘Nuff said!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #800 
DAN SLOTT (W) • STUART IMMONEN, HUMBERTO RAMOS,
GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI, JIM CHEUNG (A)
Cover by ALEX ROSS
VARIANT COVER BY GABRIELE DELL’OTTO
VARIANT COVER BY TBA
CONNECTING VARIANT COVER BY HUMBERTO RAMOS (4 OF 5)
REMASTERED VARIANT COVER BY TBA
BLACK AND WHITE REMASTERED VARIANT COVER BY TBA
BLANK VARIANT COVER ALSO AVAILABLE
• Dan Slott and Stuart Immomen are joined by many of the artists who made the last 10 years of Spider-Man so Amazing!
• The biggest Peter Parker/Norman Osborn story of all time unfolds over one 80-page story, a scope unmatched in comics!
• Who lives?! Who dies?! And what scars will Spider-Man bear from here on out?!

100 PGS./Rated T …$9.99

Comments: It’s the big one – issue 800! After this, Dan Slott will have written three milestone issues for ASM, a significant achievement regardless of your stance on him. Spidey and the Red Goblin will finally go head-to-head and we will witness the end of an era for Spider-Man comics. I’m looking forward to whatever comes next.

VENOM #1 
Written by DONNY CATES • Pencils & COVER by RYAN STEGMAN
VIRGIN COVER VARIANT COVER BY RYAN STEGMAN
VARIANT COVER BY Paolo Rivera
VARIANT COVER BY J. SCOTT CAMPBELL
REMASTERED VARIANT COVER BY TODD MCFARLANE
BLACK AND WHITE REMASTERED VARIANT COVER BY TODD MCFARLANE
YOUNG GUN VARIANT COVER BY AARON KUDER
BLANK VARIANT COVER ALSO AVAILABLE
A VENOM NIGHTMARE 1000 YEARS IN THE MAKING!
A NEW SERIES BY DONNY CATES & RYAN STEGMAN!
In the wake of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s collapse, an ancient and primordial evil has been awakened beneath the streets of New York, and with it, something equally evil has awakened in that most Wicked of Webslingers – VENOM! Still a Lethal Protector of the innocents in New York, this never-before-seen threat could force Venom to relinquish everything it holds dear – including Eddie Brock! Join two of the hottest creators in comics today, Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman, for a VENOM adventure a thousand years in the making!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

Comments: Another month, another relaunch. Cates and Stegman are a powerhouse team but, seeing as the ‘lethal protector’ status quo is sticking around, is another #1 really necessary?

HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: ADAMANTIUM AGENDA #1 (of 4)
TOM TAYLOR (W) • RB SILVA (A)
Cover by GREG LAND
Variant Cover by RB SILVA
CONNECTING WHERE’S WOLVERINE VARIANT COVER BY TODD NAUCK (2 of 4)
SNIKT! A SOUND THAT ONCE MADE BLOOD RUN COLD, WHICH THE AVENGERS WANT TO ENSURE IS NEVER USED FOR EVIL AGAIN.
Due to a promise made between heroes, the NEW AVENGERS have reassembled to make sure Logan’s body isn’t misused. IRON MAN, SPIDER-MAN, JESSICA JONES and LUKE CAGE discover a deep-state conspiracy that leads to a shocking DNA discovery and metallurgic miracle in the MARVEL UNIVERSE.
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

Comments: It is definitely overkill ushering in Wolverine’s return with 4 miniseries. Putting that aside, the return of the New Avengers is something to pique my interest and Tom Taylor has proved a personal favourite on All-New Wolverine and what we’ve seen so far of X-Men Red.

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #600 
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • STEFANO CASELLI, ALEX MALEEV & MORE (A)
WRAPAROUND Cover by CHRIS SPROUSE
VARIANT COVER BY TBA
VARIANT COVER BY ALEX ROSS
VIRGIN COVER VARIANT COVER BY ALEX ROSS
REMASTERED VARIANT COVER BY JOHN ROMITA JR.
BLACK AND WHITE REMASTERED VARIANT COVER BY JOHN ROMITA JR.
BLANK VARIANT COVER ALSO AVAILABLE
BRIAN BENDIS ENDS HIS MARVEL TENURE WITH THIS VERY SPECIAL OVERSIZED ANNIVERSARY ISSUE!
Tony Stark is back, but in what form? At least five huge surprises await new and old fans alike. Industry legend Brian Michael Bendis drops his final Marvel Comic to end an era, and he’s going out big! This super-sized anniversary extravaganza features artistic contributions from a bevy of Bendis’ collaborators from over the years, including Jim Cheung, David Marquez, Mike Deodato Jr., Mark Bagley, Leinil Francis Yu, Daniel Acuña and a few other surprises! All this and a huge new villain arises! And the futures of Tony, Riri Williams and Victor Von Doom are all revealed!
56 PGS./Rated T+ …$5.99

Comments: With all the relaunches and events, it’s easy to forget that Bendis has been writing Iron Man for a couple of years now. His run has for the most part been underwhelming, especially as it was advertised as Marvel’s ‘flagship’ book post Secret-Wars, but there is always the chance he will stick the landing with this milestone.

INCREDIBLE HULK #716 
GREG PAK (W) • CARLO BARBERI (A)
Cover by GREG LAND
WORLD WAR HULK II CONTINUES!
Amadeus Cho has always thought of himself as the fun Hulk – the totally awesome Hulk. But now the Dark Hulk within him is calling the shots with brutal consequences for anyone who’s ever wronged Amadeus or stood in his way. Get ready for Amadeus unleashed and cataclysmic smashing in the heart of New York as our hero – and the world – finally learns just what the curse of the Hulk is all about.
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

INCREDIBLE HULK #717 
GREG PAK (W) • CARLO BARBERI (A)
Cover by FRANK CHO
THE MONSTER’S END!
The curse of the Hulk has turned into a horror, and now Amadeus enters his final showdown with the monster within. But what happens if the monster…turns out to be Amadeus himself? A hero faces his greatest demons with the lives of everyone he loves in the balance and massive repercussions for Amadeus and the Hulk!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Comments: A lot of guest stars here (e.g. Miles) but the one that interests me the most is Silk, who has been notably absent from comics since The Clone Conspiracy. I haven’t read Totally Awesome Hulk before but I’m tempted for this one.

CHAMPIONS #20 
JIM ZUB (W) • SEAN IZAAKSE (A)
COVER BY STEFANO CASELLI
• What good is conquering a world if it’s already destroyed by the time you take over? The Master is determined to save Earth from itself and the Champions are going to help him do it…
• Plus, a new hero from an unexpected source — Who is Snowguard?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: Great line-up, I’ll definitely be picking up. BUT what is going on with Caselli’s phoned-in art on this cover? The colouring is notably drab and Hulk’s grimace will haunt my nightmares. 

VENOMIZED #5 (of 5) 
CULLEN BUNN (W) • IBAN COELLO (A)
Cover by NICK BRADSHAW
Variant Cover by TBA
CONNECTING VARIANT COVER BY MARK BAGLEY (5 OF 5)
VENOMIZED CONCLUSION!
• It’s winner take all when VENOM joins Earth’s heroes in an all-out final assault on the Poison base.
• Will a new ally of the X-Men be enough to turn the tide against the might of Poison Thanos?
• Earth’s warriors battle for not only the fate of the planet — but of the entire universe as they know it!
• Don’t miss the conclusion to VENOMIZED!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: The reign of the Venom event is at an end! Rejoice!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: RENEW YOUR VOWS #19 
JODY HOUSER (W)
SCOTT KOBLISH (A/C)
PARKER FAMILY VACATION BEGINS NOW!
401k? Insurance? Vacation Days? When you’re a superhero, benefits aren’t usually part of the care package. But Peter and Mary Jane Parker have been saving up for a “just the two of us” vacation since Annie was born, and they aren’t going to let trouble – no matter how catastrophic – get in their way! Now all they need is to find a good babysitter…
A one-shot Spider-Family Adventure taking place BEFORE the events of “8 Years Later…”
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Comments: Hmm, a one-shot filling in the 8-year gap? You have my attention, Houser.

BEN REILLY: SCARLET SPIDER #18 
PETER DAVID (W)
ANDRE LIMA ARAUJO (A)
Cover by KHARY RANDOLPH
• MYSTERIO swore to Ben Reilly that he was on the straight and narrow, and Quentin Beck thought he was retired…until his DAUGHTER blew into town.
• And the SCARLET SPIDER is the only one who can get between “MYSTERIA” and her big score.
• It’s not money she’s after…but a strange and powerful artifact.
• Let’s just say that Mysteria really puts the “magic” in magician!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: Terrifically menacing cover.

PETER PARKER: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #304
CHIP ZDARSKY (W) • ADAM KUBERT (A/C)
AMAZING FANTASY Continues!
• PETER PARKER and allies TERESA PARKER and J. JONAH JAMESON may have saved the past from the Tinkerer’s nefarious scheme — but they’ve returned to a future they never knew!
• Have their heroic escapades destroyed the timeline or created the nightmare of an alternate future?
• A future where an even deadlier threat than the Tinkerer has taken over…
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: Who knew the Tinkerer could be this much of a threat?

SPIDER-MAN #240 
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W)
OSCAR BAZALDUA (A)
Cover by DAVID MARQUEZ
THE END OF AN ERA FOR MILES MORALES!
Marvel Comics proudly presents the final issue of Bendis’ epic (bio-electric) run! Over seven years and across two universes, Miles Morales has been an Ultimate, a Web-Warrior, an Avenger and a Champion. A New Yorker, a student, a son and a friend. And whenever the city needed him (and one time when all of reality needed him), he was always SPIDER-MAN. Don’t miss the chance to see comics superstar Brian Michael Bendis bid farewell to one of his most beloved creations, and to glimpse what the future may hold for Miles Morales.
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Comments: Goodbye Brian Michael Bendis. You gave us the Ultimate Universe, two spectacular Spiders and lovable supporting casts. You will be missed.

SPIDER-GWEN #32 
JASON LATOUR (W)
ROBBI RODRIGUEZ (A)
Cover by ROBBI RODRIGUEZ
DEADPOOL VARIANT COVER BY BENGAL
THE SECRET IS OUT!
• Spider-Woman IS Gwen Stacy!
• Will going public fix the timeline — and more important, will it get Gwen out from under the Kingpin’s thumb?
• Or will this go as well as the last time a Spider-Person revealed his secret identity?
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Comments: SPOILERS! PUT SPOILERS BEFORE A SOLICITATION LIKE THAT!

SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #32 
ROBBIE THOMPSON (W)
SCOTT HEPBURN (A/C)
Cover by Scott Hepburn
OLDIES PART 3
• In this issue: Spider-Man finds out how he’s outlived all his loved ones!
• YOU find out who’s in the Fantastic Four of the Future!
• And the present and future storylines COLLIDE!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #33 
ROBBIE THOMPSON (W) • MATT HORAK (A)
Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
WLMD PART 2
• Deadpool figures out all these Deadpools are Deadpool’s fault!
• Spider-Man thought one Deadpool was one Deadpool too many!
• Deadpool better watch out for Spider-Man…and – get ready for it – DEADPOOL!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: Good to see the Fantastic Four gradually being trickled back into Marvel’s books.

OLD MAN HAWKEYE #5 (of 12) 
ETHAN SACKS (W) • MARCO CHECCHETTO (A/C)
The VENOM MADROXES strike!
AN EYE FOR AN EYE Part 5
• While HAWKEYE fights for his life, BULLSEYE makes a critical move toward his own goal…
• …that is, if the RED SKULL will allow it!
• All this and a SURPRISE meeting that everyone will be talking about!
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

Comments: That cover joins Hulk’s face in my nightmares.

THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #32 
RYAN NORTH (W)
ERICA HENDERSON (A/C)
• Doreen Green (A.K.A. the super hero Squirrel Girl) and her friend Nancy Whitehead (an unrelated civilian) have had a great idea: Let’s get some friends together and play an escape room! Escape rooms are those real-life games where you get locked in a room and have an hour to escape before you die!
• In the game, I mean. It’s not like if you die in the game you die in real life! Hah hah.
• They gather KOI BOI, CHIPMUNK HUNK, BRAIN DRAIN and, as a special guest…their good friend KRAVEN THE HUNTER.
• BUT WHEN THEY ENTER THE ROOM IT TURNS OUT THAT IF YOU DIE IN THE GAME YOU DIE IN REAL LIFE!! TWIST!!
• It’s everything you crave: friendship, adventure and a room full of death traps that you can only find in SQUIRREL GIRL!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Comments: I didn’t know this book was still going. That’s not a criticism, it’s just slipped under my radar.

DOCTOR STRANGE #390 
DONNY CATES (W) • FRAZER IRVING (A)
Cover by MIKE DEL MUNDO
DEADPOOL VARIANT COVER BY PASQUAL FERRY
THE DOCTOR IS IN!
• Strange is back as Master of the Mystic Arts!
• But the Earth’s magic is still weak — and after DAMNATION, so is Stephen.
• He needs to get in fighting form and repair his friendship with Zelma…
• If he can just shake special guest SPIDER-MAN long enough to get some work done!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: Any hope of some Mephisto hints in this story?

MARVEL SUPER HERO ADVENTURES #2 (OF 5)
JIM MCCANN (W) • DARIO BRIZUELA (A)
Cover by JACOB CHABOT
SPIDER-MAN JOINS DOCTOR STRANGE ON A MAGICAL MISSION FOR ALL AGES!
• When his spider-sense starts tingling in the West Village, Spider-Man swings into action. And he knows just where to go: the Sanctum Sanctorum, home of the Master of Mystic Arts — Doctor Stephen Strange!
• And the good doctor needs Spidey’s help! The villainous Hela, goddess of the Asgardian underworld, is dead set on destroying the world. And thanks to her, Doctor Strange and Spider-Man are stuck on the astral plane — unable to use their powers!
• Can Doctor Strange and Spider-Man help each other find their inner heroes in time to stop Hela and save the world?
32 PGS./ALL-AGES …$3.99

Comments: Adorable cover.

SPIDER-MAN VS. VENOM OMNIBUS HC
Written by TOM DEFALCO, DAVID MICHELINIE, LOUISE SIMONSON, HOWARD MACKIE, TERRY KAVANAGH, DANNY FINGEROTH, PETER DAVID & J.M. DEMATTEIS
Penciled by RON FRENZ, TODD MCFARLANE, ERIK LARSEN, MARK BAGLEY, GREG LAROCQUE,
ALEX SAVIUK, RON LIM, MIKE MANLEY, JIM CRAIG, ADAM KUBERT, TOM LYLE, SAL BUSCEMA,
AARON LOPRESTI, SAM KIETH & MORE
Cover by TODD MCFARLANE
Spider-Man meets his deadliest foe, as a rivalry for the ages is born! When Spidey’s symbiotic alien black costume takes a new host, Eddie Brock — who hates Spider-Man — together they become the lethal Venom! They’ll stop at nothing to take their revenge on Peter Parker…and when Venom sires an even more psychopathic offspring, the result is Maximum Carnage! Plus the sinister symbiote sinks his teeth into Wolverine, Ghost Rider, Quasar, Darkhawk and the Avengers, in this complete compendium of Venom’s earliest appearances! Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #258, #300, #315-317, #332-333, #346-347, #361-363, #374 and #378-380; WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #1, #95-96 and #101-103; AVENGERS: DEATHTRAP — THE VAULT GN; DARKHAWK #13-14; SPIDER-MAN: THE TRIAL OF VENOM; GHOST RIDER/BLAZE: SPIRITS OF VENGEANCE #5-6; SPIDER-MAN (1990) #35-37; SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #201-203; and material from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #373, #375, #388 and ANNUAL #25-26; WEB OF SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #7-8; SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #12; MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS (1988) #117-122; and SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED (1993) #1-2; plus VENOM SUBPLOT PAGES.
1,160 PGS./Rated T+ …$125.00
ISBN: 978-1-302-91320-5
Trim size: oversized

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: RENEW YOUR VOWS VOL. 3 – EIGHT YEARS LATER TPB
Written by JODY HOUSER
Penciled by NICK ROCHE & NATHAN STOCKMAN
Cover by RYAN STEGMAN
Jump eight years into the future and catch up with the web-slinging and wall-crawling Spider-Man family! Peter and Mary Jane Parker’s super-powered daughter, Annie, is now in high school. But when this teen isn’t in class, she’s swinging through the streets with her parents. After all, keeping New York safe from super villains is a family affair! But when a new threat emerges to put the ol’ Parker luck to the test once again, how will Annie react? It’s the annual Family Fun Day on Coney Island, but what should be a relaxing day at the beach quickly turns into a sinister super hero spectacular you won’t want to miss! Then, what happens when two of Annie’s schoolmates gain their own amazing powers? Find out in “Fast Times at Midtown High!” Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: RENEW YOUR VOWS (2016) #13-18.
136 PGS./Rated T …$17.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-90582-8

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: WORLDWIDE VOL. 8 TPB
Written by DAN SLOTT, DAVID HEIN & CHRISTOS GAGE
Penciled by STUART IMMONEN, MIKE HAWTHORNE, CORY SMITH & TODD NAUCK
Cover by ALEX ROSS
Nearly a year ago, Spider-Man hurled the dangerous madman called Zodiac a full year into the future. That means Zodiac’s had a whole year to prepare for their rematch! And when the web-slinger pays Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum a visit looking for a consult, he finds there’s a new Sorcerer Supreme in town: Loki! And this newest Master of the Mystic Arts has his own unique brand of magic! Meanwhile, Norman Osborn has scoured the globe for a cure to the genetic tampering that prevents him from becoming the Green Goblin — and at long last, he’s about to find it! Plus: Betty Brant searches for answers when she receives a voicemail from…her late husband, Ned Leeds! All this and the uncanny threat of Clash! Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2015) #25 (B STORY), #794-796 and ANNUAL #42.
112 PGS./Rated T …$15.99