MARCH PREVIEWS -MARVEL

Time to look at some of the stuff from the March Previews, due to arrive in May.

Marvel seems to be going with a new strategy of shipping a crap load of new first issues in the first week of each month. That is, new comics in the sense that they are being newly printed not that they are new or original ideas. For instance, bringing back the title New Mutants, for what seems to be the 3rd or 4th time. Same characters, same old story(Legion is back), its just surprising not to see a Bill Seinkiewicz cover, although Alex Ross does a pretty fair imitation.

Also, since Planet Hulk was a huge hit, why not do it again, only with Hulk's son Skaar. This comic comes complete with a mysterious blanked out character on the cover, so you know its going to be full of suspense. Will the first meeting of Hulk and his son result in a battle that splits the earth in two? I'm betting not.






Marvel continues their 70th anniversary specials with a Human Torch issue. These actually look pretty good, although the cover made me think Iron Man was on fire. Paying an extra buck for a 10 page back-up reprint at least feels right in a case like this where the idea is to celebrate the history of the character.
You know, for characters that don't even have an on-going title, the Young Avengers sure get a lot of play time during these crossover events.

There are 2 books that actually do impress me with a certain amount of originality, despite being knock-off DC ideas. Lockjaw and the pet Avengers is basically a Marvel version of the Legion of Super-Pets, but if DC doesn't have the brains to properly market ideas like that, then I can't blame Marvel for jumping in and stealing it. For an idea of what the DC super pets comic could be like, check out any recent issue of Tiny Titans.
Spider-Man the Short Halloween is written by a couple of Saturday Night live regulars as a one-shot special. Why a Halloween Special in May? Will Marvel fans even get the pun of the title? Who knows, but its drawn by Kevin Maguire who's well known for a more comedic style that should fit this book perfectly.
Lets see if I can actually get around to looking at some DC titles and the rest of the catalog before the month runs out.