The Peanut Gallery on Marvel's New December Offerings

Well, Wednesday has passed. New comics day. What's just as much fun as new comics? Perusing solicitations for comics that arrive in stores two months in the future. In fact, October-December solicitations are available. Know what that means? Yep, the new wave in Marvel's All-New, All-Different initiative. Here's my peanut gallery thoughts on those solicitations.

• Invincible Iron Man #4: - Wait this not a new issue one?! Its not. However, Mary Jane Watson joins the cast of Iron Man. Peter Parker's ex is now a cast member in an Iron Man book. Tony Stark, who unlike in the movies, is still one of the Marvel Universe's biggest philanderers. Ever. Right now every fan who relished the Secret Wars mini "Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows" and/or fans of the Peter/MJ marriage are crying out 'E tu Marvel?!' If I was on the fence before now, this solidifies it. Thank goodness for Marvel Digital Unlimited or cheap trades. Not supporting this book. Ever. Well, for the immediate future anyway.
• A-Force #1: Marvel's all-female Avengers team officially enters the non-Secret Wars Marvel U. Singularity, a new hero from Battleworld, assembles the team of: She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, Dazzler, Medusa, and Nico Minoru (formerly of the Runaways) to face multiversal threats. Has potential. Whether or not pick this up depends on how many titles that I have winnowed by then.
• The Totally Awesome Hulk #1: The I-forgot-how-smart sidekick, Amadeus Cho, is now the Hulk. How many exclamation points can one solicitation have? Many. Is it enough to make me buy it? No, but its discouraged me from doing so!
• Guardians of Infinity #1: Another Guardians of the Galaxy book! Who would have thought... If Dan Abnett was not a co-writer and if not for the Guardians 3000 (the original Guardians, fuzzy wuzzy timey-wimey stuff), I'd say this is one Guardians book too many. Groot, Drax, and Rocket Raccoon further help alleviate such apathy. The prospect of a mysteries Guardians group from the 1000 - 1999 millennium will appear. Loved the Demon Knights - Stormwatch connection in DC New 52 so a unknown predecessor group intrigues. The back-up story featuring Ben Grimm the Thing and Rocket on a planet based on pro-wrestling seals the deal. Pro-wrestling comics are a big draw for me. Plus, it'll be a hoot seeing if the Thing becomes a champion on this world too. Buy.
• Daredevil #1&2: Daredevil has a protégé and is now prosecutor as opposed to a defense attorney. New writer too.  How many Daredevil restarts have their been? I'd buy the trades if anything.
• All-New Inhumans #1&2: A fourth Inhumans book. Second one that has 'Inhumans' in the title! Clearly, Marvel/Disney is attempting some synergy here. Crystal leads a team that seeks to aid the newly-Inhumanized population cope with the changes wrought by Terrigen Clouds. Definitely, synergy all right. Say isn't Crystal's former flame, Johnny Storm, pardon the pun, starring in Uncanny Inhumans? Uncanny Inhumans where the Human Torch has relationship with her sister? The inevitable crossover ought to be... awkward. Maybe off the rack. Maybe I'll let Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. scratch the 'waves of new-Inhumanized' itch.
• Uncanny X-Men #1 & 2: The most ruthless killers among the X-men and X-villians comprise this incredibly deadly team. Admittedly, I lost track with X-Factor and Monet so I don't know how she fits. But I will go with that. Another 'if I am not reading too much' book.
• Red Wolf #1: Red Wolf is one of Marvel's Native American characters. This book takes up right where the Secret Wars mini left off in 1872. Didn't read that mini. My enthusiasm wanes because of that.
• Spidey #1:  Much like the Untold Tales of Spider-Man that ran way back during the 90's, Spidey is set during Peter Parker's teenage years. Love that era. If Spidey remains a monthly book, it very well could become my Spider-Man book.
• Squadron Supreme #1 & 2: Absolutely love the Squadron Supreme. A Squadron comprised of analogs from different multiverses including Blur from DP7 (huge, huge fan of DP7) excites me. James Robinson is the writer. Namor is there target? Intriguing. Decisions. Decisions.
• Starbrand and Nightmask #1: Starband and Nightmask were concepts from Marvel's New Universe as was DP7. Which I loved. However, I have not read any of the Avengers comics that include the new Starbrand and Nightmask. Don't even know how similar they are. Roommates in college? Maybe off the rack?
• Weirdworld #1: A girl named Becca is trapped in land of sword and sorcery drawn by the same art team as the Secret Wars mini of the same name. Another promising title.
• Scarlet Witch #1: The prolific James Robinson writes the solo stories of the Scarlet Witch. Wanda traverses the globe solving magical crimes while trying fix and solve the mystery of who broke witchcraft. Other than confusion over what they mean by breaking witchcraft, seems a promising title.
• Patsy Walker, Aka Hellcat #1: Gleaning from the solicitation it seems Hellcat will be a comedy/super-hero book that will also incorporate Patsy Walker's history as a romance character into the book. Its not my type of comic yet I want to read it anyway...

Third time's the charm! At last, Marvel has learned how to write compelling solicitations. Only took the third month of its "All-New, All-Different" initiative to do so. First month where I found myself taking mental stock on whether or not I could afford to add another title to my list, comic after comic.