Marvel June 2011 solicitations (collected editions)

Will be picking up:

• X-Factor, v. 11: Happenings in Vegas ($14.99, ISBN: 9780785146551): The “No More Mutant” crap has really driven this title in weird ways, in directions I am not really fond of. Still, I keep reading the trades. Perhaps the re-emergence of mutants will get this book back on a track I am happier with; perhaps not.

Might pick up eventually:

• Mystique by Sean McKeever Ultimate Collection ($24.99, 9780785155218): Another “Ultimate Collection” for Mystique, this time by Sean McKeever, another very good writer. It’s odd that this series is forgotten, despite work from Brian K. Vaughn and McKeever; if it weren’t for the X-Men: First Class movie coming out, who knows how long it would have taken to get these stories back in print?

Might pick up if the price is right:

• Captain Britain, v. 2: Siege of Camelot (hardcover) ($39.99, 9780785156765): Two $40 Captain Britain hardcover collections in as many months? Perhaps Marvel is loading its audience with more Captain Britain than it can bear.
• Fantastic Four: The Overthrow of Doom (hardcover) ($29.99, 9780785156055): Classic Fantastic Four, and by “classic,” I mean Bronze Age stuff that not many people remember. Still, I am fond of the story that follows this one — the team’s capture by the Skrulls and execution by accelerated aging — so perhaps I’ll pick this one up. On one hand, this collection has four writers for nine issues; on the other hand, it has art by George Perez and Keith Pollard, and I’m fond of all four of the writers (Len Wein, Roger Stern, Marv Wolfman, and Bill Mantlo).

Already got one (earlier collection or original comics):

• Essential Spider-Man, v. 10 ($19.99, ISBN: 9780785157472): I have all the Amazing Spider-Man I want from this point forward, which is a little sad; I’d like to reward Marvel for getting into an outstanding part of Spider-Man’s history. I’d also like to give kudos to Marvel for getting their first Essential series to volume 10.
• Essential X-Factor, v. 1 ($19.99, ISBN: 9780785118862): Solid but not exciting stuff — except for the Mutant Massacre, of course.
• Essential X-Factor, v. 2 ($19.99, ISBN: 9780785120995): Not exciting stuff, unless you really like Warren as Death.
• New X-Men by Grant Morrison, Book 2 ($14.99, 9780785155188): Excellent stories; you should read it.
• Runaways, v. 5: Escape to New York (digest) ($9.99, ISBN: 9780785157397): Reissuing two Runaways digests. How curious … I figured once the digests were gone, they’d be gone for good.
• Runaways, v. 6: Parental Guidance Digest (digest) ($9.99, ISBN: 9780785157458): Deceptive cover.

Masterworks:

• Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Marvel Comics, v. 6 (hardcover) ($59.99, ISBN: 9780785142041): I’m sure the target audience will be very happy with this one, but I think the rest of us are wondering why anyone would pick this up.
• Marvel Masterworks: The Invincible Iron Man, v. 7 (hardcover) ($54.99, ISBN: 9780785150442)
• Marvel Masterworks: the Mighty Thor, v. 3 ($24.99, ISBN: 9780785150664)

The Rest:

• Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Circus of the Damned, Book 1 — The Charmer ($16.99, ISBN: 9780785146896): Someone is buying these. I want to know who, so I can personally avoid them.
• Ant-Man & Wasp: Small World ($14.99, ISBN: 9780785155676)
• Avengers vs. Pet Avengers ($14.99, ISBN: 9780785151852)
• Avengers: Assault on Olympus (hardcover) ($29.99, 9780785155348)
• Black Widow: The Name of the Rose ($16.99, ISBN: 9780785147008)
• Captain America by Dan Jurgens, v. 1 ($29.99, 9780785155171): Hey, does anyone here have a movie coming out during the summer … oh, yes, Captain America. Carry on with your six collections …
• Captain America: Fighting Avenger ($14.99, 9780785151982)
• Captain America: First Vengeance ($978078515725-0, 14.99)
• Captain America: No Escape ($15.99, 9780785145134)
• Captain America: Red Menace Ultimate Collection ($19.99, 9780785156178)
• Captain America: The Art of Captain America, the First Avenger (hardcover) ($49.99, 9780785155096): … including a shameless picture book, giving fans an “insider’s look” into the making of the movie. Justifiable if the movie is very good overall or visually; robbery if the movie is mediocre.
• Daredevil: Reborn (hardcover) $19.99, ISBN: 9780785151326)
• Daredevil: Yellow ($19.99, ISBN: 97807851-09693): The first of the two colorful Jeph Loeb / Tim Sale collections, produced when Marvel wanted to catch a bit of that Long Halloween / Dark Victory heat for themselves …
• Dark Tower Omnibus (hardcover) ($150.00, ISBN: 9780785155416): The solicitation says this collection has 296 pages, but that can’t be right; there are 30 issues here. Still, $150 for 600 pages seems a bit steep. How big of a kickback is King getting for this?
• Dark Tower Omnibus — Companion (hardcover) (no price or ISBN)
• Dark Tower: The Gunslinger — The Little Sisters of Eluria (hardcover) ($24.99, ISBN: 9780785149316)
• Deadpool Classic, v. 5 ($29.99, ISBN: 9780785155195): Four Deadpool books again! Still no movie! This really drives home how much Deadpool Marvel is churning out these days.
• Deadpool Team-Up, v. 2: Special Relationship ($15.99, ISBN: 9780785147121)
• Deadpool, v. 7: Space Oddity (hardcover) ($19.99, ISBN: 9780785151388)
• Deadpool: Dead Head Redemption ($15.99, ISBN: 9780785156499)
• Evolutionary War Omnibus ($74.99, 9780785155478): The Evolutionary War. Really. This storyline, which was an ‘80s summer annual crossover, isn’t reviled; it’s never mentioned. By anyone. On the Internet, where everything is discussed at some point or another.
• Fantastic Four by Waid & Wieringo: Ultimate Collection, Book 1 ($24.99, ISBN: 9780785156550)
• Fantastic Four: The World’s Greatest Comics Magazine (hardcover) ($34.99, 9780785156079)
• Generation Hope: The Future’s a Four Letter Word ($14.99, 9780785147190)
• Halo: Blood Line ($19.99, ISBN: 9780785140504)
• Hulk: Gray ($19.99, ISBN: 9780785113461): … and it was right about here that it became obvious that the Loeb / Sale magic wasn’t going to happen at the House of Ideas.
• Impossible Man ($34.99, 9780785155201): Intriguing choice, but grab-bag collections rarely motivate me enough to pick them up.
• Marvel Adventures Avengers: Captain America Digest ($9.99, 9780785145622)
• Marvel Adventures Avengers: Hulk Digest ($9.99, ISBN: 9780785155836)
• Marvel Universe vs. the Punisher ($14.99, ISBN: 9780785145950)
• Nyx: Wannabe ($19.99, ISBN: 9780785157403)
• One Month to Live ($14.99, ISBN: 9780785149040)
• Osborn: Evil Incarcerated ($16.99, ISBN: 9780785151753)
• Secret Avengers, v. 2: Eyes of the Dragon (hardcover) ($24.99, ISBN: 9780785146018)
• Secret Warriors, v. 5: Night (hardcover) ($19.99, ISBN: 9780785148029)
• She-Hulks: Hunt for the Intelligencia ($14.99, ISBN: 9780785150008)
• Spider-Man: The Original Clone Saga ($39.99, ISBN: 9780785155232): Marvel loves reprinting these issues to prove that the second Clone Saga wasn’t a stupid idea — stupid execution, perhaps, but there was a good reason for it. This collection includes a few Spectacular Spider-Man issues from the ‘80s that wrapped up some loose ends / made things more complicated under the guise of correcting plot flaws.
• Thor: Blood & Thunder ($34.99, 9780785150947): The post-movie hangover includes only three collections. I don’t remember much good being said about Blood & Thunder, but it’s certainly a Thor story …
• Thor: Gods on Earth ($29.99, 9780785150886)
• Thor: Thunderstrike ($24.99, 9780785156383): … as is this one, as Tom DeFalco’s pet Thor gets booted to the curb.
• Ultimate Comics Spider-Man: Death of Spider-Man Prelude (hardcover) ($24.99, ISBN: 9780785158165): That title has a lot of words that don’t add up to much. Like most of Bendis’s writing. Zing!
• Ultimate Six (hardcover) ($24.99, ISBN: 9780785157465)
• Uncanny X-Force: Deathlok Nation (hardcover) ($19.99, ISBN: 9780785148562)
• Uncanny X-Men: Quarantine ($16.99, 9780785152255)
• Wolverine and Jubilee: Curse of the Mutants (hardcover) ($19.99, 9780785157755): Vampire Jubilee. I just wanted to warn you. I haven’t read it, but I suspect it’s just about as good an idea as “Vampire Jubilee” sounds.
• X-Force: Sex & Violence ($14.99, ISBN: 9780785144342)
• X-Men: Age of X (hardcover) ($29.99, 9780785152897)
• X-Men: Great Power (hardcover) ($24.99, 9780785148487)
• X-Men: Second Coming ($24.99, 9780785155218)
• X-Men: Second Coming: Revelations ($19.99, 9780785157069)
• X-Men: To Serve and Protect ($14.99, 9780785152286)