Matt Graham
A welcome light week since the new year looks to come out swinging with events and titles and creative shakeups.
- Phoenix Resurrection The Return Of Jean Grey #1 – I’ve been looking forward to this since it was announced. It’s been well over a decade since Jean died, especially if you ignore all the Endsong series and other post mortem teases. It’s been five years since the young time displaced Jean met us halfway on bringing Jean back to the fold. I’ve enjoyed the younger X-Men because it was one of the few times I’ve seen the “616” timeline used as the horrible alternate future to be averted, with Jean as one of my favourites as she was reinvented and reshaped in light of her and the X-Men’s legacies.
Still, I welcome the proper Jean’s return. If Marvel is doing this right, it’s important to remember she never really died and left us, anyway. She became one with the Phoenix Force and went elsewhere, barring a spirit quest vision cameo here and there. Most recently, Jean’s return to intervene with things has been the driving conflict for the young Jean Grey in her self-titled book.
…to put it lightly, based on Jean Grey #10. This “resurrection” has been a long time coming in All-New X-Men, X-Men Blue, and Jean Grey.
As far as resurrections go, she’s stayed away longer than most modern comic deaths and limbos. If we get her back, we may as well have her return full force with the Phoenix (in tow rather than in harmony?), a proven X-Men status quo shaker.
My theory since the Legacy one shot has been that Jean brought Logan back (and freed him from that adamantium shell he died in) and is responsible for sending Logan on this Infinity Stone hunt. Jean is a cosmic player, after all.
I’m more interested in how Jean, Phoenix, X-Men Red, and the original Logan pan out than any other Infinity things happening next year.
- Go Go Power Rangers #5
- Wonder Woman #37
- X-Men Blue #18
John Babos
10 books this week
- Action Comics #994
- Detective Comics #971
- Doomsday Clock #2
- Eternity #3
- Hal Jordan & The GLC #35
- Hawkman Found #1
- JLA #21
- Suicide Squad #32
- Teen Titans #15
- Wonder Woman #37
James Fulton
- Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey #1 – I’m not sure I agree with Matt that we need the original Jean Grey back, but that has more to do with the unfocused state of the X-Books at the moment. At the same time, Matthew Rosenberg has been doing great work at Marvel lately, and the upcoming X-Men Red book, which is centrred on Jean, does sound interesting. I don’t love that this mini-series is going to be weekly though…
- Star Wars Episode VIII The Last Jedi – Storms of Crait #1 – I’m guessing this will have a lot to do with crummy speeders and red soil covered by salt? Maybe there will be some crystal foxes? The cash-in begins, but I’m a sucker for that stuff still.
Beyond these books, I’m looking forward to new issues of Detective Comics, Motor Crush, Outcast, Black Panther, X-O Manowar, and the conclusion to Bendis’s very late Spider-Men II.
Mike Maillaro
- BATMAN BEYOND #15 – I absolutely loved the end of the last issue. It was completely unexpected to see Batman take such a serious beatdown…from the Royal Flush Gang! Is Terry McGinnis crippled? Don’t know, but it was one hell of a cliffhanger!
- HAWKMAN FOUND #1 – Never been a huge fan of Hawkman, but they did a great job building him up as a threat in the last issue of METAL. Hopefully he will be able to get some redemption here. This story has been way too Batman heavy, so it is great to see someone else getting the spotlight…even if it is Hawkman…
- KAMANDI CHALLENGE #12 – While the quality of this series was often hit or miss, I did love the unique “pass the baton” format, and I am glad they managed to get through all 12 issues. Just a real fun book, and I hope that DC does more like this. If nothing else, they made me care about Kamandi, which is a hell of a feat in itself.
- PHOENIX RESURRECTION – THE RETURN OF JEAN GREY #1 – Personally, I have always been on team “leave dead characters dead” but Jean Grey has come back so many times that it just feels inevitable. I have really enjoyed the X-Men books the last few months, so I do find myself looking forward to this. Would have liked to see Dennis Hopeless writing it though, he did a great job with the ongoing Jean Grey series.
- SPIDER-MEN II #5 – I am glad this is finally over. It hasn’t even been a bad series, just I don’t see the point of it. I do find the story of the “real” Marvel’s Mile Morales to be interesting…a friend of Kingpin’s who decided to get out of the crime business for love… but making it Miles has just seemed pointless. If you are going to team up Peter and Miles, do it for a story that has some actual weight to it and not just filler.
- SAVAGE DRAGON #230 – So, two issues in a row we have gotten pretty much the same exact pornographic scene. I am not sure what Eric Larsen is going for here, but he’s making SAVAGE DRAGON close to unreadable. And it’s not like it’s increased sales or buzz around the book, so it all feels just pointless.
- WONDER WOMAN #37 – I am surprised by some of the fan backlash on Robinson’s WONDER WOMAN run. I have really been enjoying it. Maybe a little slow-paced at time, but it’s still felt like each issue has been building strongly on the ones before. I loved the reveal at the end of the last issue.
- Black-Eyed Kids #15
- Fu Jitsu #4
- Go Go Power Rangers #5
- WWE #12
- Action Comics #994
- Batgirl #18
- Detective Comics #971
- Doomsday Clock #2 (Of 12)
- Flash #37
- Hal Jordan And The Green Lantern Corps #35
- Justice League Of America #21
- Nightwing The New Order #5 (Of 6)
- Ruff And Reddy Show #3 (Of 6)
- Suicide Squad #32
- Teen Titans #15
- Mickey And Donald Christmas Parade #3
- Star Trek Boldly Go #15
- Uncle Scrooge #33
- Amazing Spider-Man #793
- Amazing Spider-Man Renew Your Vows #14
- Ben Reilly The Scarlet Spider #12
- Captain Marvel #127
- Despicable Deadpool #291
- Invincible Iron Man #595
- Jessica Jones #15
- Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur #26
- Punisher MAX The Platoon #4 (Of 6)
- Secret Warriors #11
- Star Wars Jedi Of The Republic Mace Windu #5 (Of 5)
- Star Wars The Last Jedi Storms Of Crait #1
- X-Men Blue #18
- Eternity #3 (Of 4)
- X-O Manowar #10
