Marvel has finally announced its full April lineup. They’ve got a lot of new stuff out there. Read more to find the titles, concepts, (US) prices and the numbers to bring to your local comic shop for orders. Full details will be available in the next issue of Previews, which hits stands Wednesday, January 29.
The first issue in a series focussing on Namor will be the second fiscal quarter’s 25 cent issue. The second issue will be out in April as well. I’ll be reviewing this one (and all other 25 cent issues) for sure. The second issue sells for $2.25. It sounds like a love story to me. The solicitation numbers are 1323 and 1324 for the issues.
The Human Torch will also be getting his own series. The Torch is going to be searching for some intangible thing that his life is missing. It’s solicitation 1325 and it’s $2.50.
Sentinel is a series about a guy who finds a Sentinel in his family’s scrap heap. It’s solicitation 1326, and it’s $2.99.
Runaways is about six runaways who run off after learning that their parents share a secret. It’s solicitation 1327 and it’s $2.50.
Venom is a new series about Spider-Man’s villain, who is now able to jump from host to host. Solicitation 1328 will sell for $2.25.
Mystique will be a story about the X-villain. Solicitation 1329 will sell for $2.50.
Wolverine Xisle will see five issues on the market in April, at $2.50 each. They are solicitation numbers 1330-1334.
The Marvelous Adventures of Gus Beezer is a set of three one-shots rush solicited for the last week in March. Gus Beezer is a teenager who likes to fantasize about being a super hero. Each one shot will have a different fantasy (Spider-Man, Hulk, and Wolverine.) The concept doesn’t sound that interesting to me, but Gail Simone’s a very well respected comedic writer, so with her behind the pen it could turn out very well. The solicitation numbers are 1354 (Spider-Man), 1355 (X-Men), and 1356 (Hulk). All sell for $2.99.
411 is a three issue miniseries, solicitation number 1371, price $3.50. Like The Call (solicitation 1372, price $2.25) it’s about the everyday heroes in our lives.
The other X-Men products include a second volume of the Marvel Encyclopedia that’s entirely about the X-Men (solicitation 1391, $29.99), a reprint of Chris Claremont’s God Loves, Man Kills (1342, $4.99), two X-Men 2 movie adaptations (1336 for $3.50, 1393 for $12.99) and the fifth volume of the Ultimate X-Men trade paperbacks, collecting the Ultimate War miniseries (solicitation 1394, $10.99).
The reviews you can expect for that month from me will be for the first issue of the Namor series, the Ultimate X-Men vol. 5 trade paperback, the first volume of Mark Waid’s run on the Fantastic Four (solicitation 1409, $17.99), and the non-Marvel trade paperback collecting the entire run of Exploitation Now (solicitation 2034, $19.95). I’ll also be reviewing every issue of Marvel Universe: The End. The first two were solicited for March, and issues 3 and 4 will be out in April (1381, 1382, both $2.99). It’s a six issue series, so it should wrap up in May.
Oh boy
And so Marvel continues their policy of throwing as much crap against the wall as they can, in the hopes that something, anything will stick.
Seriously, how many of these announced books sound like a good idea? Um, none?
But I guess it could be worse. At least Ron Zimmerman isn’t writing that godawful-sounding Gus Beezer thing.
Another Namor series? This guy is just like Aquaman; neither one of them can hold onto a consistently-good book for very long. Why do these third-tier characters keep getting a shot? And why doesn’t the public like water-based heroes?
Runaways? I know I’ve seen that same concept (or one similar) just recently, I think over at DC. Didn’t work there either.
Venom. Yay! Not.
More ill-conceived, half-assed X-titles. Like Wolverine needs even more exposure. I don’t have a problem with Marvel tying their books into the upcoming X2 movie, but they should at least do some quality control. These books will be forgotten five seconds after you finish them.
411: Oh good, more riding the 9-11 wave. Thanks, Marvel.
The only things in this announcement that I’m actually interested in are the God Loves, Man Kills rerelease, but I already have that (but it is several hundred miles away at the moment), so I probably won’t get it; and maybe the 5th Ultimate X-Men trade, although I still haven’t read 3 and 4 so I’ll probably wait.
Re: Oh boy
Volume 3 of UXM is out, but Volume 4 doesn’t ship until February. I’ll be reviewing it then, if you’re interested.
Re: Oh boy
Oh, then I guess that’s why I haven’t read it yet! :)
I just started 2 the other night.