Marvel Noise

Marvel has been kind enough to provide previews of a few titles shipping next week. The opening pages shown here are from The Last Defenders #2, Fantastic Four #556, Criminal (vol. 2) #2, Dead of Night Featuring Man-Thing #3, and Punisher #56.

Be warned, there may be some spoilers in these pages.

Also, Criminal, Dead of Night Featuring Man-Thing, and Punisher are intended for mature audiences and contain explicit language and adult themes.

THE LAST DEFENDERS #2
COVER BY: MIKE DEODATO
WRITER: JOE CASEY
PENCILS: JIM MUNIZ
INKS: CAM SMITH
The Defenders are back — Nighthawk! Colossus! She-Hulk! The Blazing Skull! — and they’ve got their very own state to protect and serve (just don’t call ‘em “new”, True Believers)! The Sons of the Serpent have moved in and only one fully-sanctioned team of super heroes can stop them! But will their first official mission end up as their FINAL mission? Believe it or not … yes!
Not to mention guest-stars galore in the must-have superhero mini-series of 2008!
Rated T+ …$2.99

FANTASTIC FOUR #556
COVER BY: BRYAN HITCH
WRITER: MARK MILLAR
PENCILS: BRYAN HITCH
INKS: PAUL NEARY
That’s the problem with Utopias—they’re all-too-often built on a foundation of human tears. When an organism designed to abolish war is set into motion, and it decides that the only way to accomplish its objective is to eliminate anyone who could possibly pick up a weapon, there’s only one foursome to turn to if humanity is going to survive!
Rated T+ …$2.99

CRIMINAL (VOL. 2) #2
COVER BY: SEAN PHILLIPS
WRITER: ED BRUBAKER
PENCILS: SEAN PHILLIPS
It’s the second of three standalone stories, as CRIMINAL’s new expanded format keeps the hits coming!

In previous arcs of Criminal we’ve met the man who killed him, and we met his only surviving son… now meet TEEG LAWLESS, thief, murderer, and all around bad mother-#@$%er. Fresh from two tours in Vietnam, Teeg arrives home in 1972 carrying the baggage of war, a drug habit, and an unpaid debt to a local mob boss that’s now long overdue. *“Before the Living End”* tells how he goes about finding a way out of his problems and back into the life of crime.

And on top of this longer-than-usual length main story, CRIMINAL now features an *expanded* back-pages section, as well – with articles by Brubaker and other top crime writers, from novelists to screenwriters to comic writers. These noir articles have become a popular piece of the CRIMINAL package, and are something that can only be found in the comics, not in any collections.
So don’t miss out on this second *standalone* issue of the most acclaimed crime comic on the stands!
Mature Content/No Ads… $3.50

DEAD OF NIGHT FEATURING MAN-THING #3
COVER BY: KAARE ANDREWS
WRITER: ROBERTO AGUIRRE-SACASA
PENCILS: JAVIER SALTARES
INKS: TOM PALMER
“No Such Thing”
As tales of the Citrusville bog-monster continue to spread, two college-aged documentary filmmakers arrive in the swamps, accompanied by their nubile girlfriends, determined to sort fact from fiction. But, unfortunately for them, the two filmmakers are unaware that the Man-Thing isn’t the ONLY monster in the swamps — that there is, in fact, a tribe of cannibalistic half-breeds who would love nothing more than to hunt and eat a van-load of fresh meat. The MAX re-telling of Man-Thing’s origin continues this issue, narrated by Digger, and featuring the return of…Ellen Brandt?
Cardstock Cover/Explicit Content …$3.99

PUNISHER #56
COVER BY: TIM BRADSTREET
WRITER: GARTH ENNIS
PENCILS: GORAN PARLOV
“VALLEY FORGE, VALLEY FORGE,” PART 2
Garth Ennis concludes his seminal run on PUNSHER — in style.
Eight men who know exactly who Frank Castle is…and how to fight him. Eight men who know that, no matter what they throw at him, he won’t fire back. The Punisher has faced many threats in his day, but never one like this. A Special Forces Squad has been tasked to bring him down, by all means necessary, and his only hope for survival might be crossing a line he swore he’d never cross.
Explicit Content …$2.99

Marvel has been kind enough to provide previews of a few titles shipping next week. Some teases offered in this first batch include Wolverine #64, Nova #12, Avengers Fairy Tales #2, Amazing Spider-Girl #19, Marvel Adventures Hulk #10, and Hedge Knight II: Sworn Sword #6.

Be warned, there may be some spoilers in these pages.

WOLVERINE #64
COVER BY: RON GARNEY
WRITER: JASON AARON
PENCILS: RON GARNEY
“GET MYSTIQUE” Part 3
Spinning out of the decade’s biggest X-Men event, Wolverine embarks on a personal mission to hunt down MYSTIQUE. But what do you do when the person you’re chasing, the person you’re dying to kill, chooses to hide behind an army of American soldiers? That’s the question Logan is asking himself, and the answer will be explosive. Plus, Wolvie pulls a bank heist in 1920s Kansas City, but all does not go according to plan.
Parental Advisory …$2.99

NOVA #12
COVER BY: ALEX MALEEV
WRITER: DAN ABNETT & ANDY LANNING
PENCILS: PAUL PELLETIER
INKS: RICK MAGYAR
The New Mutant Warlock returns in an issue that propels Nova back into ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST! Still threatened by his deadly Phalanx virus, Richard Rider finally reaches Kvch, the never-before-seen Technarchy homeworld. But are the “parents” of the Phalanx still there – and can Nova even reach them? And are you ready for the comeback of the former New Mutant know as Warlock? Join writers Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning and new ongoing penciler Paul Pelletier (FANTASTIC FOUR) for another chapter of the saga that has Wizard saying “If you’re a fan of out-there sci-fi with a superhero twinge, you should strap yourself in for a ride with the Human Rocket’s series.”
Rated T+ …$2.99

AVENGERS FAIRY TALES #2
COVER BY: CLAIRE WENDLING
WRITER: C. B. CEBULSKI
PENCILS: NUNO PLATI
The Avengers continue to assemble in Marvel Fairy Tales as we focus on the story of a robot who wants nothing more than to be a real boy! Brought to life by the kindly inventor Hank Pym, the Vision is ostracized by other boys his age. When the Scarlet Fairy reveals she can grant his wish to become an actual human boy, The Vision is sent on an extraordinary adventure of self-discovery where he meets an amazing cast of alternate Avengers!
All Ages …$2.99

AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL #19
COVER BY: RON FRENZ
WRITER: TOM DEFALCO
PENCILS: RON FRENZ
INKS: SAL BUSCEMA
“There Can Only Be One!” (Part 1 of 1)
At last—the battle you never thought you’d see—Spider-Girl versus Araña! ‘Nuff said!
Rated A …$2.99

MARVEL ADVENTURES HULK #10
COVER BY: SEAN MURPHY
WRITER: PAUL BENJAMIN
PENCILS: STEVE SCOTT
INKS: TERRY PALLOT
He’s big. He’s angry… and he’s not green. He’s the unstoppable Juggernaut! Bruce Banner’s looking for the mystical amulet of Cyttorak, said to be capable of chaining a mighty behemoth. But Bruce doesn’t know that his guide is none other than the Juggernaut himself, out to destroy the artifact. What happens when an unstoppable force meets another unstoppable force? Do the words “Hulk smash!” mean anything to you?
All Ages …$2.99

HEDGE KNIGHT II: SWORN SWORD #6
COVER BY: MIKE S. MILLER
WRITER: BEN AVERY and GEORGE R. R. MARTIN
PENCILS and INKS: MIKE S. MILLER
A dispute over water during a drought started small, with one of the Red Widow’s peasants being cut by one of Ser Eustace’s knights. But that small cut serves to open old wounds from the Blackfyre Rebellion, forcing Ser Duncan to put his ideals of knighthood to the test when he learns a dark secret about his lord, Ser Eustace. But blood must pay for blood, and Dunk has sworn his sword to Ser Eustace regardless of his past transgressions. Now, Dunk must do battle with the Red Widow’s castellan, Ser Lucas Inchfield, as the Sworn Sword rushes toward its bone–crushing conclusion in classic George R.R. Martin style.
Rated T+ …$2.99

Thor Experiences The Ages Of Thunder!

As Thor continues to deal with an uncertain future after the return of the missing Asgardians, readers can now look to the past and examine the long, arduous road that brought him here! Thor: Ages Of Thunder, a double-sized special from red-hot scribe Matt Fraction (Immortal Iron Fist, upcoming Uncanny X-Men) and fan favorite artist Patrick Zircher (Thunderbolts) explore the events leading to the mighty Thor’s bonding with the human Donald Blake as he wages war with the terrifying Frost Giants. But just how does a tragic tale of the Enchantress and the legendary villainy of the trickster Loki play into all this?

With Loki’s involvement in the critically-acclaimed Thor, this issue is perfect for fans looking to learn more about the Marvel Universe’s greatest deceiver…and just what makes Thor the man he is today! Don’t miss the double-sized Thor: Ages Of Thunder!

THOR: AGES OF THUNDER (FEB082257)
Written by MATT FRACTION
Art by PATRICK ZIRCHER & KHARI EVANS
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Rated T+ …$3.99
FOC—4/10/08, FOC—4/30/08

INCREDIBLE! HERC VERSUS HULK!

Hulk smashes Hercules. Hercules clobbers Hulk. Well, just who is stronger – the Green Goliath or the Lion of Olympus? The critically-acclaimed creative team behind Incredible Hercules look to answer that question in a mammoth-sized one-shot Hulk vs. Hercules: When Titans Collide.

Following the events of the first arc of Incredible Hercules, Hercules and Amadeus Cho hit the road and along the way, the Prince of Power reveals a never-before seen story of him going against ol’ Green Scar himself — the Incredible Hulk! And this story sets up themes for the upcoming “Sacred Invasion” story beginning in May’s Incredible Hercules #117 that you won’t want to miss.

In reviews for Incredible Hercules, Comixtreme.com has said Greg Pak and Fred Van “have done an amazing job at crafting this story” and Khoi Pham’s artwork has been called “truly incredible” as the title continues to rack up great reviews from a bevy of online press.

Plus, this one-shot features a classic Hulk and Hercules brawl from Tales to Astonish #79 filled with even more smashing, crashing, mashing and lashing (and probably a lot of property damage). Both heroes have both been called “Incredible,” but just who will win take the title when Hulk and Hercules go nose-to-nose in Hulk vs. Hercules: When Titans Collide?

HULK VS. HERCULES: WHEN TITANS COLLIDE (FEB082227)
Written by GREG PAK & FRED VAN LENTE
Art by KHOI PHAM
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Rated A…$3.99
FOC – 4/3/08, On-Sale – 4/23/08