Civil War II
-Written by Brian Michael Bendis and with art by Jim Cheung, this installment offered up a first glimpse at Marvel's blockbuster summer comic event, Civil War II. Iron Man is noticeably absent, with the story focsuing on the leader of the other side of the fight, Captain Marvel.
-The Inhuman Ulysses, at the center of this whole mess, has undergone tests with Medusa and the other Inhumans to test the reliability of his ability to see the future. Carol hopes that utilizing this gift will bring humans closer to the people of Attilan. However, all pleasentries are pushed aside when Ulysses forsees an attack by Thanos. Carol scrambles a team to stop it and, as expected, things do not go as planned. Thanos is seemingly defeated, but, as predicted in spoilers leaked months ago, She Hulk and War Machine are taken out, their fates left unclear at the end of the issue.
-Carol's relationship with War Machine/James Rhoades is made a point of at the beginning of the issue, making her doubly concerned when he goes down in battle. Whatever happens to Rhodey, this will certainly be an interesting plot line going forward.
-The writing and art were both top notch in this sampling, giving me confidence that Bendis and co. will deliver with this event, the main series kicking off next month. Meanwhile, more details on Thanos and Captain Marvel's involvement will be revealed in The Ultimates #7, on sale this week.
"Buzzed"
-This short story, written by Mark Waid and with art by Alan Davis, introduces readers to the All-New Wasp as she undertakes a mysterious mission ultimately revealed to be inside of The Vision himself, seemingly sabatoguing the Avenging Android.
-Small snippets about the mysterious new character are revealed in this selection. In an inner monologue, she refers to herself as being kept in a cage, reveals her name as Nadia, implies an early life in Russia, and reveals how she came by the suit.
-Having apparently idolized Hank Pym, she reached his house only to discover his supposed death at the hands of Ultron. Breaking inside, she built herself a new suit and is now out to show the Avengers what she is capable of.
-Nadia certainly seems to be an interesting character, and is certainly boosted by Waid's writing. More details about her are sure to be revealed when she meets the Avengers in All-New All-Different Avengers #9, on sale this month.
Steve Rogers: Captain America
-Writer Nick Spencer and artist Jesus Saiz debut their new take on Steve Rogers, back in the red, white, and blue after being restored to health by a sentient Cosmis Cube druing Avengers:Standoff. And he's back in full force, taking on a Hydra threat and introducing the staus quo we can expect from this new book.
-The supporting cast for the series has been kept tightly under wraps, and this preview sheds a little light on it. As the new head of SHIELD, Sharon Carter is working as Steve's mission control, with help from ex-Avengers mascot, ex-blue behemoth, now master hacker Rick Jones. Also helping out are Sam Wilson and his new Falcon sidekick, Joaquin, showing Spencer plans to take full advantage of crossing over his two Cap books.
-As for villains, Steve is facing down a new iteration of Hydra, which has been transformed into a rather blantant analogue to ISIS. Led by the Red Skull, with help from Crossbones and Sin, Hydra is more dangerous than ever. And judging by upcoming solicitations, Baron Zemo will be wanting a part of it, too.
-Spencer certainly doesn't disappoint. He brings his trademark mix of serious drama and wit to Cap's adventures, and writes one heck of a speech for Steve. Saiz, meanwhile, delivers some amazing artwork. Some people have expressed disdain for the new shield design, but it proves very effective in this debut. Captain America:Steve Rogers #1 goes on sale later this month.
Spider-man:Dead No More
-After a series of cryptic teases, Marvel offers up the first look at this fall's Spider-man event "Dead No More". Written by longtime Spidey author Dan Slott, drawn by Javier Garron, there's more than enough major developments to go around.
-We see Spidey ditch lunch with Max Modell (Who may now know his secret) to stop a fight between Kingpin and the back from the dead Rhino. After seeing Rhino's back from the dead wife in a crowd. And then finding the body of back from the dead but now dead again Vanessa Fisk. All culminating in the reveal that Rhino is working for an Anubis themed villain who is being assisted by a back from the dead Gwen Stacy.
-Few answers are given in this sample, but plenty of questions are raised. Who is the mysterious new villain? Is he some new version of the Jackal, complete with the animal motiff and Gwen as his partner? How is he bringing these people back from the dead? We'll have to wait a while to find out, as Dead No More doesn't actually kick off on the pages of Amazing Spider-man until this Fall.