Everything is ending at Marvel Comics. Thanks to ‘Secret Wars’, the Marvel Universe and the Ultimate Universe are no more and there is only Battleworld. But what comes after that? In the days leading up to this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, we learned about the first wave of All-New All-Different Marvel, which features a massive shake-up at the House of Ideas both behind the scenes and on the page. And in the latest edition of 5 For Friday, we take a look at some of our most anticipated titles from, the upcoming initiative that will grace the shelves of our local comic book shops this fall.
Honorable Mention: ‘The Totally Awesome Hulk’
Naturally, it’s hard to pick only five books to be excited about when it comes to ANADM. After all, standout series like ‘Silk’, ‘Spider-Gwen’, and ‘Howard the Duck’ are continuing after ‘Secret Wars’ with the same creative teams and new #1s. But there are so many new and unexpected twists on classic characters to get excited for. ‘The Mighty Thor’, ‘Sam Wilson: Captain America’, ‘Captain Marvel’, and ‘Daredevil’ come to mind immediately, but the new Hulk book is so intriguing. Not much is known about writer Greg Pak and artist Frank Cho’s ‘The Totally Awesome Hulk’ (such as the hero’s identity) except for two things really: 1.) This Hulk is not Bruce Banner and 2.) Greg Pak does awesome things with the Hulk. Those facts alone are enough to pique my interest, but the book falls just short of the top 5 list.
The Android Avenger has never had his own ongoing series before, but the character has had a rich history over the years with various teams of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Now, we get to catch up with the Vision at home with his family… that he happened to create in a similar fashion to the way that he was made. The story of a superhero settling down and starting a family has never been told like this before, so I’m anxious to check this out from Tom King and Gabriel H. Walta.
X-23 has always been a fascinating character. Though Spider-Man kinda played out the whole clone thing in the Marvel Universe, the idea of Wolverine having a “daughter” seemed kinda fun. But with Logan gone, Laura Kinney is left to step up into the mantle that he left behind. After a few memorable appearances over the course of a few different books in recent history, it’ll be great to see the All-New Wolverine come into her own.
Anyone who has been following my work for a while may have picked up on the fact that I am a fan of professional wrestling, so it’s not that surprising that the book written by former WWE World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk has ended up on my list. His participation alone is enough for me to pick up the book, but ‘Drax’ is being co-written by Cullen Bunn. That dude has written some of the most gruesome stuff I’ve seen in comics in a while for Magneto and Carnage. Now that brutality comes into play as the Destroyer takes on opponents from all over the galaxy as Bunn tags with Punk for a title that’s sure to be a slobberknocker.
2. ‘All-New All-Different Avengers’
When the names Mark Waid, Adam Kubert, and Alex Ross are attached to any book, how could someone not take notice? But now these three legends in the comic book industry are coming together with Mahmud Asrar for the new flagship Avengers title. ‘All-New All-Different Avengers’ lives up to it’s name in so many ways. From the awesome new line-up including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man, Nova, and the Vision to the incredible creative team, this has got to be one of the most diverse Avengers rosters we’ve ever seen. After loving Waid’s runs with ‘Daredevil’ and ‘Indestructible Hulk’, I can’t wait to see what he does with the latest incarnation of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
1. ‘Unbeatable Squirrel Girl’/’New Avengers’
Back when she made her first appearance in 1992’s ‘Marvel Super-Heroes Winter Special’, I highly doubt that Steve Ditko and Will Murray thought that Squirrel Girl would become the cult classic hero that she has become today. But here we are in 2015 and ‘Unbeatable Squirrel Girl’ from Ryan North and Erica Henderson is one of the best comics of the year. That’s why I was distraught to see that the series wasn’t among the first wave of ANADM books. Luckily, during the Women of Marvel panel at SDCC, the House of Ideas announced that the title would be getting a second volume this fall.
On top of that, Doreen Green will be appearing in Al Ewing and Geradro Sandoval’s ‘New Avengers’ alongside Hawkeye, Sunspot, Songbird, and former Young Avengers Hulkling and Wiccan. Though she appeared sporadically during Brian Michael Bendis’ run on ‘Avengers’, she hasn’t properly been a part of a team since Dan Slott’s ‘Great Lakes Avengers’, so it will be very cool to see Squirrel Girl balance her new life as a college student/superhero with her duties with the New Avengers.
It’s the year of the squirrel, my friends. Embrace it. I know that I will.
Which All-New All-Different Marvel books are you most excited for? Are any of your favorite heroes missing from the first wave of announced titles? And which new series is the most unexpected? Let us know in the comments below.