New Comics Released: Wed Feb 4, 2015, The Holy Hawkguy Edition

Welcome to Geek with Style’s 2nd edition of Marvel & DC Comics releases for Wednesday February 4, 2015 (woot, two weeks in a row, whut!) If you have any Marvel comic fans in your life, you might catch them openly weeping as they finally grasp the comic-book-that-couldn’t today.  Twenty comics into this series, ending with Clint Barton asking for help from his ex-girlfriend Spiderwoman, and the rest of his Avenger buddies in #19; Kate Bishop struggling to get back home to New York from LA to be part of that help in #20; the Fractions/Aja team behind Hawkeye left many eager, even desperate fans waiting for #21 – the part 1 of the 2-part finale, to OhEmGee-finally arrive.  After months of pushing back the release date, we are so very close to a conclusion, one that will hopefully arrive before the 2nd series begins. If you’re pushed out of the way on the street tomorrow, its because someone’s running to the closest comic shop to finally get their copy. Meanwhile DC brought back 1960’s wholesomeness with their series Batman ’66, based on the ever clever Adam West and Burt Ward duo; its nostalgia at its finest.

So here are my selections (titles that are in bold) that I’ll be picking up today.

Marvel Comics Releases for Feb 4, 2015

All-New Captain America: Fear Him #1
Angela: Asgard’s Assassin #3
Ant-Man #2

Avengers: Age of Ultron (movie) Prelude: The Sceptre’d Isle (published Feb 3, digital only)

This one is a digital-only comic, and its not too bad for a prelude. It ties in what happens after Loki, SHIELD vs HYDRA, and how the twins, Wanda (Scarlet Witch) and Pietro (Quicksilver) Maximoff, are supposed to exist in a Disney vs Fox vs SONY world where the term “mutants” only belongs in one movie studio sandbox, and Fox doesn’t like to share. Yeah, I don’t even know how Fox got the rights to a term that I’m sure has wound up in many non-Marvel movies. The basics in the Marvel comic world is that Wanda and Pietro (a character that was briefly also in X-Men Days of Future Past,) are two of Magneto’s kids. So the big question is, if metal-wielding-with-his-mind Magneto can’t exist in Disney’s Avengers movie world, because you can’t have Magneto without the word “mutant” (you just can’t,) then how do the twins exist and still have their decidedly-non-mutant superhuman powers? Well, this prelude tells you how its done. 🙂

Avengers #41

The mainstream Avengers series is at an interesting spot right now with a “Time Runs Out” story thread. Something BIG is supposed to happen to the Avengers series on May 2nd, when Avengers “Secret Wars” #0 is released on Free Comic Book Day (yep! You’ll be able to go to your local comic book shop and get this one for free,) and I doubt its coincidence for the “Secret Wars” Avengers series to occur the day after the Avengers: Age of Ultron movie releases on May 1st. The potential for this to be a tie-in of sorts between comic and movie is too great.  Currently, the “Time Runs Out” plot runs in an almost Civil War-ish* like divide amongst our favourite super heroes, and their inability to make good decisions suitable for everyone without inroads along the path to hell, seems to be a great recipe for a Secret War. Everyone wants everyone to be safe and happy, no one can agree on how.

*Civil War is one of the most popular Avengers series, and the title for Avengers Movie #3.

Guardians of the Galaxy & X-Men: The Black Vortex Alpha #1

Hawkeye #21 (CBR)

Aw, comic. ‘Nuff said, yeah?

Hulk #11

Marvel Ant-Man (movie) Prelude #1

I’m not the biggest fan of Ant-Man. If there was a list of fans, I might be third from the bottom. Mostly ’cause I’m not in any way a fan of Hank Pym, who is the original Ant-Man and one of the founding members of The Avengers. There were three different Ant-Mans (Ant-Men?) in the Marvel universe, and my fave of the three was Scott Lang, which I’m hoping is what will save this summer’s movie for me.  Movie-based Ant-Man will be weird for a variety of reasons. #1, Janet Van Dyne, also one of the founding members of the Avenger in the comics, as Wasp, is dead before the movie starts from what I understand. So this is Hank Pym without his wife, and estranged from their daughter. Not a bad thing really, ’cause one of the reasons why I detest Hank Pym ever so truly is because, at least in comic book land, he regularly abused his wife. There are a boat-load of spousal abuse instances, and I totally don’t need that in a hero. Like, at all. Hank Pym is also supposed to be the creator of Ultron, which, for another bought of confusion, becomes one of Tony Stark’s projects in the movie-verse… in this instance, I would have preferred Hank Pym to remain as the creator of such evil design. Scott Lang on the other hand is a thief with a heart, whom originally stole Pym’s Ant-Man tech to save his daughter.

I’m buying the Ant-Man prelude because of Guardians of the Galaxy to be honest. I was not a fan of GotG the comic, until the movie released back in August, and now I have a baby Groot bobble head sitting right beside my desktop computer. I’m giving Ant-Man movie the benefit of doubt, because if Disney and Marvel can make me love a tree, they should have an easier time making me love Paul Rudd turning into the king of creepy crawlers.

Men of Wrath #5
Miracleman #15
Ms. Marvel #11
Operation: S.I.N. #2

Return of the Living Deadpool #1 (CBR)

This is a sequel to “Night of the Living Deadpool” which I missed the first time around (last year, I believe) and will have to see if Red Nails II has a copy of. Zombie apocalypse and the hilarious Deadpool running amok, what is there not to love about this??

Stars Wars #2
The Punisher #15
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #2
The United States of Murder Inc. #6
Wolverine #5

DC Comics Releases for Feb 4, 2015

Action Comics #39
American Vampire: Second Cycle #6
Aquaman and the Others #10

Batman ’66 #19 (CBR)
I need Batman ’66 #19 in my life – if for nothing else, but to enjoy this bit:

Dick, “Wow, everyone is wearing period clothes, Bruce. Now I feel a little out of place.”
Wayne, “No time to change from our earlier function, but… I do keep our opera hats handy, old chum.”

…Holy hallelujah, Batman!* The classic 1966 Batman a la Adam West was epic, and they’ve brought it back into one *amazing* series if #19 is anything to go by. Oh Aunt Harriet, Chief O’Hara, how I’ve missed you both! Robin’s holy-exclamations (*). It’s all inked beautifully in ZZWAP!-KAPOW!-CRUNCH-ETH! glory! There’s even a Mary Poppin’s reference in this issue. How could anything possibly go wrong?

Batman Eternal #44
Detective Comics #39
Earth 2: World’s End #18
Earth 2 #31

Grayson #7

I’ve picked up #1 of the Grayson series last week and entirely enjoyed the less of a super-hero, but still badass, super-spy thriller. And he’s a super-spy, who owns a gun as super-spies are wont to do, but does he use it to kill? Remember, Batman has this big no-kill policy, which is a core value to his character. Grayson, at least as Robin and then Nightwing, is supposed to follow his mentor’s steps, so its an interesting idea that either he’s a spy that doesn’t kill, or he can do the one thing that Batman can’t when fighting the baddies.

Green Arrow #39
Green Lantern #39
Hinterkind #15
Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Three #8
LOBO #5
Looney Tunes #223
The Flash Season Zero #5
The Names #6
The New 52: Futures End #40
Swamp Thing #39
Superman #38
Wolf Moon #3

Check out the previews for Return of the Living Deadpool #1 and Batman ’66 #19 (you have got to see Batman 66!)

Let’s geek out! Tell me what comics caught your interest, and what you might be picking up this week. 🙂