Welcome to this week’s Marvel Comics Preview/Review. This week’s reviews are heavy on X-men and Fantastic Four goodness. The previews see the start of 2 new series, a Itsy Bitsy problem for Spider Man and Deadpool and the continued resurgence of the X-Men. So, without any further delay, here we go! Excelsior!

Reviews:

Infamous Iron Man #7

I am glad we finally got a face to face conversation between Ben and Victor that did not involve anyone punching another person. Victor comes off as sincerely sorry for all that he has done over the years. While he cannot ever undone what he did, it was nice to see him verbally realize where he went wrong in his jealousy of Reed. A last panel appearance of the Ultimate Reed Richards is going to complicate things very quickly for Ben Grimm and I think we are going to them get back to punching very soon.

The Mighty Thor #18

I love how we are getting to see some more obscure characters get pulled into this series, such as Quentin Quire who had a pretty entertaining conversation with Krakoa to start the issue. So we have an arrogant teenage mutant and the god of thunder bantering back and forth while the Phoenix Force makes it appearance. This book continues to be one of the best Marvel has to offer and it is at the top of my list of comics to read every week.

X-Men Blue #2

This book feels really familiar while offering just enough twists to make it feel new. The Beast-Cyclops dynamic is full of interesting tension due to the former’s new interest in Magic. Jean has taken on the leadership role in full and has taken the liberty to help prepare the team in case Magneto turns on them. The reveal that Magneto is working on a way to send them home is interesting because we do not know if he is doing this out of kindness or ulterior motive. I am leaning towards kindness because the timeline could be in danger if they do not get home to their time quickly.

X-Men Gold #2

While the writers are playing it rather safe with this new book, not going to extreme with twists or new mutants, they are doing a great job making the X-Men feel relevant again. The nostalgia trip of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants is a great back drop to the more political feel of this new series. It is nice to see these Mutants face a more intangible threat than something as on the nose as their extinction. I am really hoping this book can continue this trend and return the X-Men to a prominent Marvel position.

Previews:

All New Guardians of the Galaxy #1

After being grounded on Earth following Civil War, we get to see the Guardians of the Galaxy get back to space and none too soon. The Grandmaster and Collector are warring, Drax has turned into a pacifist and the Nova Corp are tracking them down. This will be a great point to jump back onto the series following their brief break on Earth

Secret Empire #1

Here we go, the start to the last crossover event for at least a year and a half. The opening salvo was fired in #0 and it was a great start. Let’s hope this story does not lose steam like the previous event stories have done. With Steve Rogers and Hydra looming over Washington DC and the remaining heroes converging on them, it will be great to see everyone’s reaction to his planning and heel turn. I am also interested to see how Winter Solider and Maria Hill work to undo everything that has happened.

X-Men Gold #3

This is the conclusion to the first arc featuring the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. The big question so far is who is backing them and why has Magma apparently switched sides. I think the end of this story will play into some bigger future arcs but I am hoping that the new team running the book will keep it a bit more grounded and focus more on the political idea that the X-men are there to protect the people that fear them the most.

Spider-Man/Deadpool #17

So this story took a bit of a step back while Til Death do Us ran its course but now we get to see Spider-Man and Deadpool come face to face with Patient Zero and Itsy Bitsy. For some one as dangerous as Itsy Bitsy, that name is still one of the most ridiculous things I have ever read. I have a feeling this is going to be a turning point in this arc and we might finally see one of the 2 main characters do something drastic to stop the rampage the 2 villains have embarked for the past few months.

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to stop in at Flipside Gaming in East Greenbush to pick up or reserve your copies of these titles today!

 -Stu Somers

Stu is a former M:TG Pro Tour competitor and avid comic book fan. He wants to know what you think about his article, so leave a comment below or hit him up on twitter @Ssomers55.