ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! Lineup Made Easy (March 2014 Edition)
Back in 2012, Marvels latest push to refresh their comic book brands was called MARVEL NOW! and we are currently in phase two of that plan dubbed ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! At the moment, we are in the third month of this new second phase and things have been pretty sweet if you ask me. Feel free to see what you have missed thus far by checking out:
ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! Lineup Made East (January 2014 Edition)
ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! Lineup Made East (February 2014 Edition)
That said, let’s dive head first into what fans can expect in the busy month of March!
ALL-NEW GHOST RIDER #1
Writer Felipe Smith and artist Tradd Moore bring us a bold new version of the Spirit of Vengeance…no, not a Nic Cage lookalike, but rather a brand new “Rider” in the form of Robbie Reyes. Bringing in an all-new and very young man to this series may just be what newcomers are looking for. This just may be the jumping-on point fence setters were looking for.
AVENGERS UNDERCOVER #1
This brand new series centers on the surviving members of Marvel’s previous MARVEL NOW! title AVENGERS ARENA that was a shameless imitation of famous big screen franchises such as BATTLE ROYALE and THE HUNGER GAMES. It is highly recommended that readers first check out the previous ARENA series before jumping into this one.
CAPTAIN MARVEL #1
Following Carol soon after the last CAPTAIN MARVEL series, this new adventure will have the character charging into the depths of space. I think it’s safe to say she may bump into the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY at some point…wouldn’t you think so?
DAREDEVIL #1
Writer Mark Waid and artist Chris Samnee are plopping our favorite blind lawyer superhero onto the streets of San Francisco after his tenure in New York. Yes please! This will hopefully be a fresh new take on the character and I for one can’t wait to see how the city treats him!
DEADPOOL #25.NOW
I honestly fizzed out on this book after Geof Darrow (my favorite artist!) stopped doing the covers. Call me nutz, but I’m just not THAT into Deadpool comics. I want to be, but I just can’t do it! Maybe this new jumping-on point could convince me…hopefully. Comedian Brian Posehn continues to write. He’s cool.
IRON MAN #23.NOW
This issue kicks off the “Rings of the Mandarin” story arc and is likely going to have it’s fair share of twists and turns for Mr. Stark. Having Malakith the Accursed front and center can’t hurt thing either. Or can they?
IRON PATRIOT #1
I never imagined I’d be interested in an on-going IRON PATRIOT book…until the extremely talented writer Ales Kot jumped on board. His work on Image’s CHANGE and ZERO is pretty amazing and I am truly interested in seeing where he brings this character. One to look out for folks!
MAGNETO #1
Besides Cyclops, Magneto is easily my favorite mutant. And now he is getting his very own on-going series where he investigates mutant threats across the globe. Watching this character walk the line between hero and villain has always been a blast, and this new on-going series looks to be a great way to explore those interesting themes more fully. I’m in!
MOON KNIGHT #1
THIS is the book to look out for this month people! Superstar Warren Ellis bring us his fresh new take on a cult classic character! After reading a few interviews with Ellis, it’s clear that he has a great fondness towards this character. It sounds like he is really going to delve deep into this guy’s mind and show us why he does all the bat-shart crazy things he does…like wearing a reflective white body suit in the deep of night to fight crime.
NEW AVENGERS #16.NOW
Jonathan Hickman continues his sci-fi spectacular in this latest issue of NEW AVENGERS. This has been a very strong book when not tied to the convoluted INFINITY story arc, and it will be good to get back to business!
SECRET AVENGERS #1
Writer Ales Kot strikes again at Marvel this month with his new Secret Avengers book that will include the popular Spider-Woman. It will be interesting to see if Kot’s talents can pull in audiences to a book they normally wouldn’t go after since it does not star AAA heroes. I’m willing to give it a shot.
SILVER SURFER #1
Poor Silver Surfer has been a slave to Galactus for who knows how long, and has been trapped on Earth seemigly ever since. This new book by Dan Slott frees our hero from the binds that have held him back and shows us what this ultra powerful dude can do with his new found freedom. Should be fun at the very least.
UNCANNY AVENGERS #18.NOW
Writer Rick Remender continues his strong work on this series with an all new story arc titled “Planet X” where he will challenge the characters on a new and exciting planet. Should be a good jump on point for the curious. If not, you can never go wrong with Remender’s epic UNCANNY X-FORCE run.
UNCANNY X-MEN #19.NOW
Writer Brian Bendis and artist Chris Bachalo keep delivering the goods in this new jumping-on point for fans that see’s current day Cyclops going up against the corrupt SHIELD agency. SHIELD has done something to put the mutant population at risk and you can bet your ruby quartz visor that Cyclops isn’t going to let them get away with it. This book is a no-brainer for any X-Men fan.
WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #1
Marvel has listened and given us fans what we want most: MORE WOLVERINE! Of course I am joking because this man is spread so thin between a large number of books that he sounds hypocritical every time he calls Cyclops “Slim”. In any case, 95% of the people reading this love Wolverine and don’t need a reason to pick up this shiny new issue.
I would be shocked if any comic book fan reading this could not find at least one or two books to look forward to this month from Marvel. There really does seem to be a little bit of everything out there for you all and the sheer amount of talented writers and artists involved is astounding. This is a good month to visit your local shop (*cough* Mission: Comics & Art *cough*) and browse the stands for that one sweet book you can tell all your friends you read first! Happy reading!
Words by Jason Furie
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Image Source: Marvel