August + September 2018 Spider-Solicitations with JH Commentary

Here comes August and September 2018 and with it a lot of Venom, a lot of annuals and a lot of Spiders! Let’s dive right in!

VENOM: FIRST HOST #1 (of 5)
MIKE COSTA (W) • MARK BAGLEY (A/C)
VARIANT COVER BY PAOLO RIVERA
VARIANT COVER BY JOHN CASSADAY
VARIANT COVER BY ROD REIS
MIKE COSTA AND MARK BAGLEY REUNITE FOR A VENOM STORY UNLIKE ANY OTHER!
Before the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN…before VENOM… There was the FIRST HOST. And that First Host has returned  in need of Venom’s help – only by reuniting can the two avert cosmic ruin! Can Eddie and the symbiote trust one another long enough to save the galaxy, or will the FIRST HOST prove to be Venom’s undoing?!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

VENOM: FIRST HOST #2 (of 5)
MIKE COSTA (W) • MARK BAGLEY (A/C)
VARIANT COVER BY ROD REIS
• The mystery of VENOM’S first host continues to unfold as EDDIE and the VENOM are ambushed by a Skrull only to be saved by an unlikely ally, a Kree soldier named TEL-KAR!
• But why are these two following Eddie? And why did TEL-KAR call it HIS symbiote?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

VENOM: FIRST HOST #3 (of 5)
MIKE COSTA (W) • MARK BAGLEY (A/C)
VARIANT COVER BY NICK BRADSHAW
AN ALL-OUT ALIEN INVASION IN MANHATTAN!
• After the extraterrestrial ambush of last issue, the Venom symbiote will have to choose between allowing its newborn offspring to die…or separate from Eddie Brock!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

VENOM: FIRST HOST #4 (of 5)
MIKE COSTA (W) • MARK BAGLEY (A/C)
VARIANT COVER BY PAULO SIQUEIRA
• Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote have been SEPARATED, but Brock isn’t giving up without a fight!
• With a pair of unlikely allies, Brock takes the fight to his symbiote’s home turf…outer space!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

VENOM: FIRST HOST #5 (of 5)
MIKE COSTA (W) • MARK BAGLEY (A/C)
VARIANT COVER BY JAVIER GARRON
• As if things couldn’t get any worse, Tel-Kar, THE FIRST HOST, has set his sights on Earth!
• Though this Kree soldier may have been a war hero for his beloved homeworld, he has no such affections for Earth…
• …and all that’s standing between him and the planet…IS VENOM!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: This is the first of the wave of Venom comics we have in these two months. It’s almost like he’s got a film coming out! Whereas some may be interested in exploring the symbiote’s past, it’s never really been something I’ve been pining to see. However, Costa and Bagley are currently two of Marvel’s strongest talents, so it could be worth at least checking out the first issue. 

EDGE OF SPIDER-GEDDON #1 & 2 (of 4)
Issue #1 – JED MACKAY (W) • GERARDO SANDOVAL (A/C)
Issue #2 – ZAC THOMPSON & LONNIE NADLER with Gerard Way (W) • JAKE WYATT (A/C)
ISSUE #1 & #2 – VARIANT COVERS BY CULLY HAMNER
SPIDER-GEDDON IS COMING!
ISSUE #1 – Spider-Punk is back and better than ever. After SPIDER-VERSE, Hobie Brown was a Web Warrior, but that didn’t mean things back in his universe were solved. The writer of the SPIDER-PUNK story in SPIDER-VERSE is back and joined by VENOM’S Gerardo Sandoval! Spider-Punk’s Earth is under attack both on the ground and from space, meaning his responsibility seems to outweigh his power. Don’t miss this first shot of the SPIDER-EVENT of 2018!

ISSUE #2 – After Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance, The Umbrella Academy) and Jake Wyatt created SP//dr back in SPIDER-VERSE, she was one of the most requested heroes. With Spider-Geddon on the horizon, SP//dr is back. Zac Thompson and Lonnie Nadler are joining the team to bring you the next chapter in Peni Parker’s life and set the table for the Spider-Event of 2018!
32 PGS. (EACH)/Rated T+ …$3.99 (EACH)

EDGE OF SPIDERGEDDON #3 & #4 (of 4)
Issue #3 – JASON LATOUR (W) • TONCI ZONJIC (A/C)
Issue #3 – Variant Cover by CULLY HAMNER
Issue #4 – AARON KUDER (W) • AARON KUDER (A/C)
Issue #4 – Variant Cover by CULLY HAMNER
ISSUE #3 –
• Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider, and it causes his Uncle Ben no end of troubles.
• Until, that is, Ben gets shot in a mugging and Peter’s blood donation turns Ben into a Spider-Hero, too!
• There’s a new dynamic duo in town, and the story doesn’t go where you think it will!

ISSUE #4 –
• Science-Industrialist Norman Osborn’s life changed when a radioactive spider bit him.
• With young scientist Peter Parker working for his company, Norman became a very different Spider-Man and changed the world.
• Now, however, Norman’s son Harry is seen wearing a green armor suit and threatening everything Norman has built!
32 PGS. (EACH)/Rated T+ …$3.99 (EACH)

Comments: Okay, we’ve got another Spider-Verse. Personally, I love most of the characters to come out of the original (I started out on the Crawlspace reviewing Web Warriors) and I’m looking forward to a return to that world. You may think differently. As for this anthology, I was never a huge fan of Spider-Punk nor Sp//dr, but the idea of Norman Osborn as a Spider, as well as a Ben-Peter tag team, has definitely piqued my interest. Edge of Spider-Verse suffered from having to tell these characters origins in just 22 pages and still carry weight, I can only presume this series will also suffer from time restraints. 

SPIDERGEDDON #0
CHRISTOS GAGE (W) • CLAYTON CRAIN (A/C)
VARIANT COVER BY JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO
VARIANT COVER BY TBA
CONNECTING VARIANT COVER BY TBA (1 OF 6)
Marvel’s Spider-Man Video Game Variant Cover BY SING JI
SPIDERGEDDON IS HERE!
• The end of all Spiders doesn’t exclude the star of the most anticipated video game of 2018!
• Marvel’s Spider-Man is out September 7, 2018 exclusively on PlayStation 4. He makes his Marvel Comics debut on September 26!
• How does he enter the Marvel Universe and what role will he play in the final chapter of SPIDER-VERSE?!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: I will be playing Spider-Man PS4 on September 7th and, if it’s as good as I hope after E3, I will be picking up this issue. 

WEB OF VENOM: VE’NAM #1
DONNY CATES (W) • JUANAN RAMIREZ (A)
COVER BY Ryan Stegman
VARIANT COVER BY GORAN PARLOV
SPINNING OUT OF THE PAGES OF VENOM!
As the United States of America struggled through the Vietnam War, Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. needed a secret weapon – and when an ancient creature was discovered at an archaeological dig site, he was sure he’d found it. In reality, the discovery was an ancestor of the Klyntar symbiotes…and would become a waking nightmare for a platoon of American soldiers!
40 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Rated T+ …$4.99

Comments: A* pun work. 

TONY STARK: IRON MAN #3
DAN SLOTT (W) • VALERIO SCHITI (A)
Cover by ALEXANDER LOZANO
VARIANT COVER BY MOEBIUS
RETURN OF THE FANTASTIC FOUR VARIANT COVER BY ADAM HUGHES
NON-PLAYER CHARACTER ASSASSINATION!
• What is MACHINE MAN’S problem with (our) IRON MAN of 2018?
• When TONY STARK unveils his latest innovation, the Great eScape, AARON STACK realizes what it will mean for all the artificial life-forms of the Marvel Universe…blue checks or DEATH!
• Also in this issue: A new development for JOCASTA. ANDY dates a single mom (no, really, this is important). And that classic Iron Man villain you’ve been talking about since the first issue? Theyyyyy’re back. Mwahaha!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

TONY STARK: IRON MAN #4
DAN SLOTT (W) • VALERIO SCHITI (A)
Cover by ALEXANDER LOZANO
VARIANT COVE RBY JEROME OPENA
COSMIC GHOST RIDER VS VARIANT COVER BY DAVID NAKAYAMA
STUNG!
• You wanted to know who the book’s love interest is going to be? Here you go. The one, the only…Janet Van Dyne! A love not seen since AVENGERS #224 is about to be rekindled.
• And what’s going on with Sunset Bain’s new dating app? Some of these online matches are just a little too good to be true…
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: The opening issue of Slott’s Iron Man run fell largely flat for me, prioritising ‘fun’ over substance. No sign of MJ as of yet. 

CHAMPIONS #23
JIM ZUB (W) • KEVIN LIBRANDA (A)
Cover by R.B. SILVA
• While Ironheart and Amadeus Cho take major steps forward in their super hero journeys, Nova takes a step back.
• As the team faces a complicated and dangerous threat, Sam Alexander wonders: is there a future for him with the Champions?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

CHAMPIONS #24
JIM ZUB (W) • SEAN IZAAKSE (A)
COVER BY R.B. SILVA
• THE CHAMPIONS GRAPPLE WITH A FOE THAT ALL THE SUPER-POWERS IN THE WORLD CANNOT VANQUISH!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: Woah those redesigns are shocking! I love this new Champions team but *shudder*. 

PETER PARKER: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #308
CHIP ZDARSKY (W)  • CHRIS BACHALO (A/C)
• Comic book legend CHRIS BACHALO goes SPECTACULAR for two issues!
• Get ready for a Sandman story unlike any you’ve ever read as year two of this new series kicks off!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #3 & #4
NICK SPENCER (W) • RYAN OTTLEY (A/C)
ISSUE #3 – RETURN OF THE FANTASTIC FOUR VARIANT COVER BY STEVE EPTING
ISSUE #4 – RETURN OF THE FANTASTIC FOUR VARIANT BY CHRIS SPROUSE
PETER PARKER VS. SPIDER-MAN?!
PETER PARKER & SPIDER-MAN IN THE SAME PLACE AT THE SAME TIME?!
• Things are crazy for Spider-Man. His personal life in turmoil, the giant TRI-SENTINEL returning to attack NYC…
• …and someone is out there impersonating Peter Parker!
• Is it the Chameleon? An LMD? Ultimate Peter Parker making his Marvel U debut? Think again, True Believer!
32 PGS. (EACH)/Rated T …$3.99 (EACH)

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #5
NICK SPENCER (W) • RYAN OTTLEY (A/C)
COSMIC GHOST RIDER VARIANT COVER BY NICK BRADSHAW
Marvel’s Spider-Man Video Game Variant Cover BY DARYL MANDRYK
• Things look bad for Peter Parker…
• …but GREAT for Spider-Man!
• The first arc of the epic new run on ASM comes to a climactic finish!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #6
NICK SPENCER (W) • HUMBERTO RAMOS (A/C)
COSMIC GHOST RIDER VARIANT COVER BY PAUL RENAUD
• Wondering when Boomerang’s status as Spider-Man’s roommate would blow up?
• Yeah, it’s this issue. Uh-oh.
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Comments: Good to see Ramos is sticking around on Spidey. I hope Spencer doesn’t lean too heavily on his Superior Foes characters, no matter how much reverence I have for that series, as it could detract from Spider-Man himself. 

BEN REILLY: SCARLET SPIDER #22
PETER DAVID (W) • WILL SLINEY (A)
Cover by KHARY RANDOLPH
• It’s Ben and Kaine vs. a pack of ravenous hellhounds as madness descends on Las Vegas!
• But can Kaine and Ben keep themselves from each other’s throats long enough to save the city?!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

BEN REILLY: SCARLET SPIDER #23 & #24
PETER DAVID (W) • WILL SLINEY (A)
CoverS by KHARY RANDOLPH
• They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, and in BEN REILLY’s case, that may be literal!
• For months, Ben’s attempts to cure a young girl’s rare illness have proved fruitless — that is, until a mysterious benefactor from the DIOGENES INITIATIVE reaches out to him with the promise of salvation…for a price.
• Ben’s made his fair share of bad choices in the past, but will it matter if he makes this one for the right reasons? And more importantly, will that be enough to save his soul?
32 PGS. (EACH)/Rated T+ …$3.99 (EACH)

Comments: This has a whiff of conclusion to it. 

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: RENEW YOUR VOWS #22
JODY HOUSER (W) • SCOTT KOBLISH (A)
Cover by EDUARD PETROVICH
• What’s worse than one Spider-Doppelganger?
• How about a whole army that’s been subjected to the mad science of DOCTOR SINISTER?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: RENEW YOUR VOWS #23
JODY HOUSER (W) • SCOTT KOBLISH (A)
COVER BY EDUARD PETROVICH
• The Spider-Family has faced tight budgets, city-crushing robots, a mom-warping symbiote, and even a little adolescent angst.
• But no experience could prepare them for the fight ahead–the execution of Mister Sinister’s master plan, and a threat to super-powered people across the globe!
• Here’s hoping the Parkers’ resolve is stronger than the Parker luck…
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Comments: With the stakes raised, I wonder if this is set up for another time jump, perhaps taking us another 8 years into the future. Just a thought. 

VENOM #5
DONNY CATES (W) • RYAN STEGMAN (A/C)
RETURN OF THE FANTASTIC FOUR VARIANT COVER BY GERARDO ZAFFINO
• An ancient Klyntar has awakened on Earth, and with it, something has stirred in Eddie Brock’s symbiote.
• And while Venom would never do anything to hurt Eddie or an innocent person, the ancient symbiote has no such qualms…
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

VENOM #6
DONNY CATES (W) • RYAN STEGMAN (A/C)
COSMIC GHOST RIDER VS VARIANT COVER BY TBA
• After a brief connection to the GOD-HOST, EDDIE and the VENOM symbiote have emerged with brand new powers!
• A good thing too, as they’ll need every upgrade they can get as they head down a collision course with the primordial symbiote GRENDEL!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: This should really be the only Venom book. The others are excessive. 

SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #1
Bryan Edward Hill (W)
Nelson Blake II with Mark Bagley (A)
cover by Kris Anka
VARIANT COVER BY TBA
STARRING MILES MORALES!
Before he wore the webs, he was just Miles Morales: newly-minted Brooklyn Visions Academy student with hidden spider powers! When a Secret Invasion of Skrulls turns Manhattan upside down, Miles must choose: do his great powers come with great responsibility? A mysterious new chapter for Miles is unveiled by rising superstars Bryan Edward Hill (Detective Comics) and Nelson Blake II (Marvel New Year’s Eve Special)
40 PGS./RATED T+ …$4.99

Comments: Miles lives-ish! There are no further hints as to what we can expect from Miles, so lap this up while you can. 

SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #37
ROBBIE THOMPSON (W) • JIM TOWE (A)
Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
• Master Matrix might be the most powerful android on Earth, but it’s a total amateur at personhood.
• Who better to teach it how to be a human being than SPIDER-MAN and DEADPOOL?!
• It’s “My Two Super-Dads”! Aren’t the best parents always trying to settle old grudges through their children?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #38 & 39
ROBBIE THOMPSON (W) • MATT HORAK (A)
CoverS by DAVE JOHNSON
• When raising a child, you need to show them the world. What thoughtful parent WOULDN’T introduce that child to the most dangerous spot on the whole planet?
• Uh-oh. Well, anyway, Spider-Man and Deadpool visit THE SAVAGE LAND with the Master Matrix. Introducing the most powerful young robot in the world to the most volatile area couldn’t go wrong, could it?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: That poor child.

THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #35
RYAN NORTH (W)
DEREK CHARM (A)
Cover by ERICA HENDERSON
• Squirrel Girl may have avoided going to jail, but now Kraven’s a fugitive on the run! It’s been a difficult day!
• Can Squirrel Girl stop Kraven and Spider-Man from fighting before it’s too late?
• Can a squirrel named “Haskell” be a major part of a super hero epic?
• Can Brain Drain use some well-applied existentialist philosophy to save the day?
• The answer to all these questions is, “I dunno, MAYBE?” And you’ll have to read the comic to find out anything more specific!
• UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #35 is your one-stop shop for a) friendship, b) punching and c) SPIDER-MAN, HE’S BEEN IN LOTS OF MOVIES, EVERYONE LOVES HIM.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: Is this the same Kraven that’s showing up in other books? I’ve always wondered if books like Harley Quinn, Howard the Duck and this take place in a self-contained universe that doesn’t impact how these characters are when they pop up in other books. 

HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: ADAMANTIUM AGENDA #4 (of 4)
TOM TAYLOR (W) • R.B. SILVA (A/C)
Variant Cover by R.B. SILVA
WHAT DARK SECRET LIES BENEATH THE SURFACE?
The trail of Logan’s body has led the New Avengers to a completely different mystery…one that will cast a long, dark shadow over the X-Men…
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

Comments: You’re probably not too fussed about this one. 

MARVEL SUPER HERO ADVENTURES: INFERNO #1
JIM MCCANN (W) • DARIO BRIZUELA (A)
Cover by JACOB CHABOT
TIME FOR SPIDER-MAN TO FACE THE FIRE!
With his good buddy Inferno, of course! Dante Pertuz has the power to wield fire — and he’ll need it against Spider-Man’s biggest foe, Venom! But if Venom gets too close, it’ll be lights out for the two heroes. Can Spidey help Inferno conquer his fears and take down the villain before New York City goes black?
32 PGS./All Ages …$3.99

Comments: Inferno is an odd choice for a character to push to the forefront. I suppose a younger, fresher hero might be more appealing to kids. Oh, and more Venom. 

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #1
SALADIN AHMED (W) • GARRY BROWN (A)
Cover by ACO
Variant Cover by Gabriele Dell’Otto
Marvel’s Spider-Man Video Game Variant Cover BY DENNIS CHAN
TIES THAT BIND!
Years ago, Spider-Man came back from an alien world with a fantastic new costume — one he eventually learned was a living alien symbiote looking to bond with him permanently! But before he rejected the costume that went on to become VENOM, many a night the symbiote would creep onto Peter, and unbeknownst to its host, take them out into the night!
Now, for the first time, see just what the symbiote steered Peter into during these mysterious nighttime excursions! Saladin Ahmed (BLACK BOLT) weaves an ALL-NEW nightmare fairy tale, illustrated by the incomparable Garry Brown, in what is sure to be a dream book for any Spider-Man fan!
40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

Comments: Even by annual standards this strikes me as unbelievably filler.