What You May Have Missed In Marvel’s November 2016 Solicitations
Every month, comic publishers release their solicitation announcements to provide information to both readers and retailers on comics that are coming out in three months’ time, but there’s so much information dropped at once that a lot can slip through the cracks.
This month in Marvel's solicitations, there's a surprise resurrection of a recently deceased hero, some surprise creators guesting on top-tier books, and a spotlight for Marvel's most underrated hero.
The Hulk Lives!
The Hulk was recently killed by Hawkeye as part of the events of Civil War II, and while we expect everyone to come back to life at some point, it didn’t seem he’d be back this soon. At least his return is unorthodox as The Hulk has been resurrected by The Hand and turned against the Uncanny Avengers!
While we expect Bruce Banner to return to the grave by the end of this story to give his death some meaning, this is a unique way of establishing Civil War II fallout and continues Uncanny Avengers’ look at what it means for an Avenger to die.
Steve Epting Draws 'The Mighty Thor'
Steve Epting is the superstar artist who — alongside Ed Brubaker — defined what Captain America could be in the 21st century in stories that had a major influence on the cinematic adaptations. He’s been away from superhero comics for a while, working with Brubaker on Velvet, but he’s back for two issues of The Mighty Thor with Jason Aaron.
The Mighty Thor’s regular artist Russell Dauterman art skews brighter and bolder than Epting’s subdued and subtle style, so it’ll be interesting to see how Epting fits in with the tone of the book, but it’s exciting to see him back at Marvel, if only briefly.
Inhumans vs X-Men
The very first item in this month’s Marvel solicitations came as a big surprise as Charles Soule and Kenneth Rocafort set the stage for all-out war between The Inhumans and The X-Men. While Death of X seems to be telling a story set in the past, IvX hints that the conflict between the two factions has only just begun, and another, bigger fight is on the horizon.
While reminiscent of the anthology series AvX in its name, IvX seems to be more of a prelude issue for a future event that will likely turn both franchises upside-down.
The Astonishing D-Man!
2016 is officially the year of D-Man, Marvel’s most lovable and underrated superhero. He’s been serving dutifully as pilot and supporting character in Captain America: Sam Wilson, but in November the ex-pro wrestler is breaking out in a solo story that fans have been clamoring for since his resurrection last year. D-Man has been the butt of the joke for decades now, so it’s great to see creators remember why he’s such a great character, and he’s finally being given the chance to prove himself as a lead.
Penn Jillette Writes For Marvel
Ostensibly, Spider-Man/Deadpool is a big showcase book for the team of Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness to tell big, bombastic stories with two of Marvel’s most popular characters and most popular pairings, but every couple of months the creative team takes a break to get ahead on issues. Instead of delaying the comic until they’re ready to come back, Spider-Man/Deadpool has featured guest creatives from outside the usual realm of comics, and November sees the Marvel Comics debut of magician Penn Jillette, in a story that has Deadpool and Teller swapping places in their respective tandems.