Previews! (Feb. 2015) – Part 1

Here are some thoughts and recommendations about this month’s Previews catalog for product shipping mostly in April. Oh my stars and garters, there is a LOT to examine this month! Let’s cover DC and Marvel first. Part 2 will cover all the independent publishers.

Let’s begin with things that are not Convergence related, and then circle back to that event.

Fans of Linda Carter and her Wonder Woman will rejoice with the release of the Wonder Woman ’77 Special.
If you were waiting for the trade paperback, you can finally read Forever Evil.
Vertigo continues its themed quarterlies with an issue drawing on SFX as its theme. I was not impressed with the CMYK themed quarterlies from last year, but you get to read a bunch of different stuff for $8 (or less, depending on where you purchase your comics).
My favorite limited series from 2014 gets collected in a trade. Do yourself a favor and order Bodies.
The final Ex Machina trade is solicited. There are only five volumes, so you really have no excuse to not get this great series.
Ditto for Unwritten–the latest trade collects issues 6-12 of the Apocalypse run.
Convergence continues with four issues for this month–and here I thought I was done with weekly comics for a while. :)
Fans (like me!) of Stephanie Brown as Batgirl will be happy to read Convergence: Batgirl. As a bonus, you also get Cass Cain.
The promised Speed Force series is fulfilled (not really) with this two-shot, but at least we get a Wally West as Flash story again.
I talked about my liking of the Clark Kent/Lois Lane marriage in Episode 79 of the podcast, and Convergence: Superman tells the tale of a pregnant Lois.
Bwah-ha-ha is back in Convergence: JLI. Or is it? The sobering world of Kingdom Come comes into conflict with our mirthful heroes.
Keep your hankies handy to wipe away the tears (I’m guessing) when you read Adventures of Superman starring Pre-Crisis Kara Zor-El. I’m betting she repeats her heroic sacrifice because she’s just that great of a hero.
I will read Batman and the Outsiders just to see Halo again.
More 80s goodness continues with the Detroit Justice League of America, where they’re up against some heroes from the Tangent Universe.
Marv Wolfman returns to the New Teen Titans, along with Nicola Scott on art.
Another of my favorites returns with Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes.
I can’t decide if I should get Swamp Thing, but it’s Len Wein writing it and Kelly Jones drawing it. Oh, hell, I just convinced myself.
Convergence: Booster Gold is a must read given the whole time travelesque quality of this event.
Original Earth-2 Robin and Huntress occupy Detective Comics and will be added to my collection.
Earth-2 gets more love with Infinity Inc., JSA, and World’s Finest Comics (featuring the Seven Soldiers of Victory).

Marvel

Charles Soule and Steve McNiven (whom Marvel refers to as the industry’s best-selling artist–why is he?) team up to give us Uncanny Inhumans.
I am sorely tempted to get Avengers: Ultron Forever only because Al Ewing is writing it and (more importantly) Alan Davis is drawing it.
Avengers and New Avengers comes to an end with issues 44 and 33, respectively. Jonathan Hickman has had a wonderful run on these books.
Marvel starts its own version of $1 issues to showcase key stories and titles with its True Believers line.
Fantastic Four ends with issue 645. I’m guessing that Marvel’s First Family will be back eventually.
Ant-Man #4 has a nice Miami Vice homage cover.
If you want to read Powers #1-37, you can with the new omnibus.
If you haven’t listened to any GraphicAudio comic book adaptations and were looking for a “gateway” offering, maybe you’d be interested in the Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars performance.
King Kirby gets some love with the King-Size Kirby Slipcase HC. It’s 816 pages of oversized Kirby greatness.
Jim Starlin continues his Thanos OGNs with The Infinity Relativity.
Thor gets some love with the second God of Thunder HC collecting #12-25. Also, you can get the first HC of the newest (female) version–I highly recommend both.