December 2017 Spider-Solicitations with JH Commentary

Here comes December 2017 and with it the Spider-event of the year, worlds colliding and Gwenom! Let’s dive right in.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN/VENOM: VENOM INC. ALPHA #1
DAN SLOTT & MIKE COSTA (W) • RYAN STEGMAN (A/C)
Variant Cover A by Adi Granov
Variant Cover B by TBA
VENOM INC. Part 1
Peter Parker, Eddie Brock and Flash Thompson have one major thing in common – the Venom symbiote changed all of their lives. The inky black alien life-form is doubling down on our heroes – and they’re not the only ones about to be put through the ringer. VENOM INC. kicks off here and rolls into AMAZING SPIDER-MAN & VENOM as a familiar face rises to new levels of villainy!
40 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Rated T …$4.99

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #792
DAN SLOTT (W) • RYAN STEGMAN (A)
Cover by ALEX ROSS
Variant Cover by RYAN STEGMAN
Phoenix Variant Cover by RYAN STEGMAN
VENOM INC. Part 2
• Spider-Man finds himself between Eddie and a mysterious new figure!
• And Black Cat and her gang find themselves face-to-face with an amped-up villain named Maniac that might just rip those faces right off.
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

VENOM #159
MIKE COSTA (W) • GERARDO SANDOVAL (A/C)
Variant Cover by RYAN STEGMAN
Phoenix Variant Cover by TYLER CROOK
VENOM INC. Part 3
• Venom Inc. is weaving its tendrils through New York’s criminal underworld, and Maniac’s got himself a cadre of symbiotically subdued, super-powered lieutenants–and they’re all bearing down on Spider-Man!
• But Venom is in no shape to provide an assist for his unlikely ally…
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #793
DAN SLOTT (W) • RYAN STEGMAN (A)
Cover by ALEX ROSS
Variant Cover by RYAN STEGMAN
VENOM INC. Part 4
• Spider-Man has been compromised by Maniac and it looks like his only hope…
• …is Eddie Brock? Peter Parker isn’t going to like that!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Comments: An event this early on into Legacy? Interesting move. DC has tried this sort of event more frequently since Rebirth, with ‘Night of the Monster Men’ and ‘The Lazarus Contract’, so I can see why Marvel are going down this route. There seems to be a lot at play in this event, with Pete, Eddie and Flash all going toe-to-toe with Black Cat and a new villain, I’m not sure if they’ll be able to pull it off. But at least its a step away from the worldwide stories we’ve seen over the last two years, acting as a return to the smaller scale adventures we know and love from Spidey.

 

AVENGERS #674
MARK WAID (W) • JESUS SAIZ (A)
Cover by ALEX ROSS
Phoenix Variant Cover by BRENT SCHOONOVER
WORLDS COLLIDE Part 5
• As Earth and Counter-Earth begin to approach one another, the Avengers/Champions team must find some way to avert dual global catastrophes!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

CHAMPIONS #15
MARK WAID (W) • HUMBERTO RAMOS (A/C)
PHOENIX VARIANT by ELIZABETH TORQUE
The conclusion of WORLDS COLLIDE!
WORLDS COLLIDE Part 6
• The Champions/Avengers team faces its first real casualty in their ongoing struggle to prevent two planets from colliding – and that fatality changes the game!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: Another mini-event here, this time with Waid’s two super-teams. I’ve enjoyed Champions so far, for the most part, but his Avengers run has struggled to resonate with me. On a more positive note, the concept intrigues me and the cover to Avengers #674 is poster-worthy!

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #595
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W)
STEFANO CASELLI & ALEX MALEEV (A)
COVER BY R.B. SILVA
THE SEARCH FOR TONY STARK Part 3
• Riri Williams and Victor Von Doom TEAM UP to solve the mystery of Tony Stark’s fate.
• Guest-starring the entire armored Marvel Universe as one of Tony’s biggest storylines ever heads toward a big issue #600 whopper!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: Cool to see the Iron Men teaming up, it helps to hype up Tony’s pretty un-hyped return to the page. 

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: RENEW YOUR VOWS #14
JODY HOUSER (W) • NICK ROCHE (A)
Cover by RYAN STEGMAN
Eight Years Later Part 2
• It’s the annual Parker Family Fun Day on Coney Island!
• But what is supposed to be a relaxing day at the beach quickly turns into a superhero spectacular!
• Meanwhile, Peter and Mary Jane’s concerns surrounding Annie continue…
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Comments: I still haven’t warmed up to the eight years later idea, so it might take me an issue or two before I can properly comment on this story. 

PETER PARKER: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #298
CHIP ZDARSKY (w) • ADAM KUBERT (A/C)
Most Wanted Part 2
• As if the police being after Peter and his sister Teresa weren’t enough, BLACK PANTHER IS ON THEIR TRAIL!
• Is he out to secure the Twilight Protocol information or just secure it for himself?
• Either way, Spider-Man’s not giving up his sister without a fight!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Comments: I think we just have to accept that this is Spider-Man Team-Up now – at least it has a pretty interesting story to keep me picking it up each month. 

BEN REILLY: SCARLET SPIDER #11
PETER DAVID (W) • WILL SLINEY (A)
Cover by KHARY RANDOLPH
THE SLINGERS RETURN Part 2
• After disagreeing about how to deal with the resurrected Hornet, the Scarlet Spider and Ricochet square off!
• With his reflexes, Spider-Sense and tech, Spidey’s got this guy beat, right?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

BEN REILLY: SCARLET SPIDER #12
PETER DAVID (W) • WILL SLINEY (A)
Cover by KHARY RANDOLPH
THE SLINGERS RETURN Part 3
• Not one to miss a party, PRODIGY shows his face in Vegas and reunites with the rest of the Slingers!
• But whose side will the reformed team fall on?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: Haven’t been a huge fan of this series and the return of the Slingers has done nothing to inspire any excitement. Let me know what you guys think!

SPIDER-GWEN #27
JASON LATOUR (W) • ROBBI RODRIGUEZ (A/C)
Phoenix Variant Cover by YASMINE PUTRI
GWENOM Part 3
• With pressure mounting on all sides, the police force ratchets up their manhunt for the dangerous fugitive called Spider-Woman!
• And they’re hot on her tail – even in spite of her new black costume!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Comments: Spider-Gwen has really picked up the pace with this recent arc and I’m still waiting with bated breath to see how #22’s cliffhanger gets resolved. But it definitely looks like things will only be getting worse for our hero as Gwenom is finally here and that cover art is incredible! Can’t wait!

SPIDER-MAN #235
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • OSCAR BAZALDUA (A)
Cover by PATRICK BROWN
SINISTER SIX REBORN ParT 2
• The mysterious new Iron Spider rolls into Miles Morales’ life with the destructive power of the new Sinister Six.
• Sadly for those close to Miles, it’s not just his life that’s going to get obliterated.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: I am quite intrigued by this new Iron Spider – who can it be who wants to destroy Miles’ life so bad? I’m thinking it might be someone left over from the Ultimate Universe who we’ve yet to encounter on 616/Prime. Let me know your theories below. 

SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #25
ROBBIE THOMPSON (W) • CHRIS BACHALO (A/C)
Spider-Man Versus Deadpool Part 3
• The first arc of the new era of SM/DP climaxes with our heroes facing THE CHAMELEON!
• The mimicry villain’s plan is more than just changing HIS appearance. It takes Chameleon from his level of petty crook and puts him shoulder to shoulder with the world’s most terrifying super villains!
• Spider-Man and Deadpool do their darnedest to take down the elusive villain, but it’s hard to punch someone when he could look like anyone!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Comments: Ooh, good to see the Chameleon back in action. But what could Thompson do the master of mimicry to put him on the same level as ‘the world’s most terrifying super-villains’?!? Looking forward to finding out.

DEFENDERS #8
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • DAVID MARQUEZ (A/C)
KINGPINS OF NEW YORK Part 3
• The bloody battle for the streets of New York hits a zenith, as one of the potential Kingpin crime lords has a change of heart that sends shock waves across the entire Marvel Universe.
• At the same time, Luke and Jessica’s bad press has a disastrous impact on their lives!
• How does Diamondback know so much about the Defenders?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: Been a great series so far, so I’ll forgive it for the inclusion of Queenpin Black Cat. 

GWENPOOL, THE UNBELIEVABLE #23
CHRISTOPHER HASTINGS (W) • IRENE STRYCHALSKI (A)
Cover by GURIHIRU
DOOM SEES YOU Part 3
• The Unbelievable Gwenpool vs. the mighty Doctor Doom, at last!
• And only one of them makes it out in one piece…
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comments: Doom looks more like his old self on this cover, I wonder if that’s a mistake or a hint at a future return to his villainous ways.