Site Updates Archive

A Mixed Bag of Glorious Goodies!

“Arms of the Octopus” concludes in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN TEAM-UP (1913) #1 with the time-displaced X-Men, Hulk, and the Superior Spider-Man unmasking the real villain and battling his deadly robots!

In BLACK WIDOW (2016) #5, a very simple meeting at a Paris café turns into a deadly fight for Natasha’s life! Those are the breaks of the game!

THOR (1998) #49 pits the weakened God of Thunder against Desak, the God-Slayer! With a scary cover!

THE NEW DEFENDERS #132 sees the heroes attacked in their HQ by a radioactive plant monster!

The upgraded CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #123 introduces Suprema who returns twenty years later as Mother Night! Special guest villain: Nick Fury! Wait, what?

And Anthony Silvestro brings us UNCANNY X-MEN #232, the return of the Brood, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #130, the debut of the Spider-Mobile, and DAREDEVIL #226, the return of Frank Miller! 

PeterS

Lots of Iron Man and other armoured chars

2 new issues this week:-
In IRON MAN #3 Tony Stark goes on a date in between fights with AIM.
And NEW AVENGERS #10 ends the series with the team killing off all the remaining Killuminati. The real Avengers (Captain Marvel and Iron Man) don't approve of their methods.

After a decade and a half of slaving away in the review mines T Vernon has finally been given (and backdated) a reviewer icon, and it's 3D Man! After his long Avengers run he's returning to his Iron Man roots to fill in Shellhead's missing co-starring apps in Marvel Team-Up.
1st up is MTU #29 where he and Human Torch battle a throwaway villain calling himself Infinitus.

In FANTASTIC FOUR #19 the team (including of course Human Torch) meet Pharaoh Rama-Tut in Ancient Egypt. This villain of course will later become Kang and Immortus. Plus I've added extra comments to #1,2,4,5.

The Annihilation event continues in ANNIHILATION: NOVA #2 where Nova Centurion Richard Rider escapes the Annihilation Wave with Drax and Cammi and they meet Quasar.

Meanwhile JARVIS 2008 continues on to ROM #2 where the Spaceknight finds that Earth is infested with his hidden foes the Dire Wraiths.

--RobFJ

A Whole Passel of Spidey Villains with One Very Big Debut!

Brand new MORTAL THOR #8 sees the Enchantress bringing a very poetic death to a surprising character!

Also new is DUNGEONS OF DOOM #3, concluding the miniseries; it wraps up the stories and creates some plot threads that will show up later in various comics!

“Arms of the Octopus” continues in INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK SPECIAL (1913) #1 with Hulk joining the X-Men and the Superior Spider-Man to fight Doc Ock! (Think about it…)

In BLACK WIDOW (2016) #4, Natasha learns there is a new Red Room, called the Dark Room, training little girls to be deadly assassins!

The upgraded CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #122 pits Cap against Spidey’s enemy, the Scorpion!

And Anthony Silvestro brings us UNCANNY X-MEN #231, Colossus and Magik versus demons, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #129, the debuts of the Punisher and Jackal, and DAREDEVIL #225, DD versus the Vulture!

PeterS

4 events of various kinds

AVENGERS #399 marks the end of T Vernon's long trek through the missing issues of the team's 1st series. It leaves unanswered questions, but the remaining 4 issues (that we already have on site) are part of the Onslaught crossover that ends with the Avengers disappearing into the Heroes Reborn universe. The unresolved plotline won't be revisited until after they return from there. But TV won't take a well-earned rest and will be back here in the next weeks with other goodies.

The Fantastic Four's very 1st ANNUAL features Sub-Mariner reuniting with his Atlantean people and invading the whole surface world (but we only see New York). Reed Richards defeats them all.

The Annihilation event continues with ANNIHILATION: NOVA #1 as Richard Rider finds himself the only member of the Nova Corps left alive, but with the dubious help of the Xandarian Worldmind AI (and Drax & Cammi).

Meanwhile my self-appointed task of filling in the missing bits of the Avengers Vs X-Men event continues with:-
In WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN #13 Emperor Kallark and his Shi'ar forces battle the Phoenix 5 and lose.
And in AVX: VS #4 Daredevil fights Psylocke while Emma Frost takes on Thor (and wins!).

--RobFJ

New Cap! New Hulk! New Contributor with Some Number Ones!

The new CAPTAIN AMERICA (2025) #8 has Cap in a political tangle while searching for Doctor Doom’s WMDs!

Also new is THE INFERNAL HULK #5 wherein the Evil Hulk takes on God Himself! Well, the Marvel version, anyway!

THOR (1998) #48! Jake Olson, false Thor, is caught between Grey Gargoyle and Desak the God-Slayer!

THE NEW DEFENDERS #131 introduces a formidable new villain…the Walrus! Goo goo goo joob, indeed!

In BLACK WIDOW (2016) #3, Natasha returns to the Red Room where she trained as a little girl and discovers something is very wrong!

And Anthony Silvestro brings us UNCANNY X-MEN #230, a surprise Christmas issue, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #128, more Vulture, and DAREDEVIL #224, the Sunturion returns!

Plus, our new kid on the block J.A.R.V.I.S. 2008 presents ROM #1 and STARRIORS #1, more 1980s toy tie-ins!

PeterS

Super-Skrull and the destruction and rebirth of the Kyln

There's a lot of squabbling in T Vernon's AVENGERS #398 while mysterious enemies lurk.

FANTASTIC FOUR #18 was the 1st appearance of the Super-Skrull.

Meanwhile in DRAX THE DESTROYER #4 Drax gets sent to the Kyln intergalactic prison ...
... which gets destroyed in the ANNIHILATION: PROLOGUE 1-shot along with the Nova Corps' HQ. And Super-Skrull hears of a threat to his people.

And in last week's new AVENGERS #36, the epilogue to the current series, Kang gets sent to the new version Kyln-2.

Plus JARVIS 2008 has popped up again with 3 No 1's. SPITFIRE & THE TROUBLESHOOTERS was the most ground-level of the New Universe titles. DINO RIDERS was based on a toy range and Marvel TV animation series. BRUTE FORCE wished it was that connected, but it's recently had a revival as an Infinity Comic.

--RobFJ

Hulk Smashes While Thor Girl Rocks!

Hulk continues to smash everything in the new HULK: SMASH EVERYTHING #4! This time it’s the entire Earth!

In THE NEW DEFENDERS #130, the heroes defeat the Secret Empire but all is not well within the group!

In BLACK WIDOW (2016) #2, an assassination plot at a SHIELD funeral leads to Natasha’s capture by the Big Bad!

THOR (1998) #47! Thor Girl is turned to stone by the Gray Gargoyle and smashed to gravel! Talk about a rocky road to heroism!

The upgraded CAPTAIN AMERICA #121 features a match between Cap and the hulking Man-Brute with a poignant twist in the tale!

And Anthony Silvestro brings us UNCANNY X-MEN #229, starting the Outback Era, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #127, introducing the third Vulture (who?), and DAREDEVIL #223, DD regains his sight!

PeterS

The Avengers and the revengers

T Vernon has jumped over The Crossing and First Sign which are already on our database. But after those large and small crossovers AVENGERS #397 is just an episode lying between 2 Hulk stories.

Dr Doom's back again in FANTASTIC FOUR #17 looking for revenge for his earlier defeats, lastly in the previous issue.

In DRAX THE DESTROYER #3 Drax is reborn again without some of his powers, and goes looking for *his* revenge.

Meanwhile in the Avengers Vs X-Men event:-
UNCANNY X-MEN (2012) #17 is the end of this Mr Sinister story as the Phoenix 5 and the rest of the Utopia Council defeat his city of clones.
And in WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN #12 the Avengers and X-Men fight over someone who isn't really Hope Summers.

--RobFJ

Whatever Happened to the Incredible Hulk?

So far this title has been concerned with the depredations of the evil new Hulk but INFERNAL HULK #4 finally reveals where the real Hulk is and it is a surprise!

BLACK WIDOW (2016) #1 starts with Natasha on the run from SHIELD which declares her an enemy!

THOR (1998) #46 shows us Thor Girl having a tough time getting the hang of being a superhero! But the road will get rockier!

In THE NEW DEFENDERS #129, the heroes are brainwashed into killing the New Mutants! For real? Nah!

The upgraded CAPTAIN AMERICA #120 pops Cap into a very 1968 scenario: campus unrest!

And Anthony Silvestro brings us UNCANNY X-MEN #228, a random Dazzler story, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #126, the return of the Kangaroo, and DAREDEVIL #222, DD investigates a plane crash in a swamp with Black Widow! 

PeterS

Madame Masque, an unmasking and the villain in an iron mask

In IRON MAN #2 we find out what Madame Masque wants with the geniuses, and Iron Man tracks down MODOK only to have to save him from Masque's AIM.

Also this week in WICCAN: WITCHES' ROAD #3 Billy Kaplan faces the replacement Demiurge while his fox companion turns out to be Morgan Le Fay.

T Vernon's now picking off the last few unsynopsised issues of the 1st Avengers series. In #389 Henry Peter Gyrich and the Mandroids come looking for the alien Deathcry.

FANTASTIC FOUR #16 is the 1st of 2 separate stories with Dr Doom as the villain. In this 1 Ant-Man helps the FF get to a microworld that Doom vanished to in #10.

In the 5th comic I'm mentioning this week Drax The Destroyer gets killed, and it's only #2 of his series.

--RobFJ

Yikes! Where Do We Go From Here?!

In brand new HULK: SMASH EVERYTHING #3, Hulk achieves his goal of literally smashing the entire universe! But with two more issues to go, what is left to smash?

Also new, THE MORTAL THOR #7 sends the powerless Thor against one of Marvel’s nastiest villains, Mister Hyde!

MARVEL FANFARE #13 wraps up the Black Widow special by pitting her against Snapdragon!

In THE NEW DEFENDERS #128, it’s the Defenders against the Secret Empire and the Empire wins!

The upgraded CAPTAIN AMERICA #119 has Cap’s final battle with the Cosmic Cube-wielding Red Skull, at least for now!

And Anthony Silvestro brings us UNCANNY X-MEN #227, The Fall of the Mutants concludes, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #125, more Man-Wolf, and DAREDEVIL #221, DD goes to Venice!

PeterS

Clones to the left of me, Thinker to the right, stuck in the middle with Drax

New this week is NEW AVENGERS #9 where the team falls apart and we learn why Osaka was destroyed by the Illuminati clones.

T Vernon's AVENGERS #385 is a tale that leads into the Taking AIM crossover via Cap's big bad the Red Skull.

In FANTASTIC FOUR #15 the team are defeated by new villain the Mad Thinker but are saved by mailman Willie Lumpkin.

In DRAX THE DESTROYER #1 a spaceship carrying Drax and other prisoners to intergalactic jail crashes on Earth but the POV char in this story is 10-yr old Cammi.

And in UNCANNY X-MEN (2012) #16 the Phoenix 5 attack Mr Sinister's clone army and lose.

--RobFJ

A Double Dose of Red Hulk!

Brand new CAPTAIN AMERICA #7 continues the build-up to this year’s ARMAGEDDON event by pitting Cap against Red Hulk!

Also new is DUNGEONS OF DOOM #2 wherein Red Hulk and various interested parties are trapped among the horrors beneath Doctor Doom’s castle!

ARMS OF THE OCTOPUS Part One is in ALL-NEW X-MEN SPECIAL #1 (2013) where the original team faces Doc Ock—which confuses the Superior Spider-Man! Hulk shows up on the last page to prepare for Part Two!

THOR (1998) #45 is a lovely fantasy masterpiece from Thor’s new kingly reign!

THE NEW DEFENDERS #127 features the return of minor villain Cloud who transforms into a minor hero!

And Anthony Silvestro brings us UNCANNY X-MEN #226, The Fall of the Mutants continues, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #124, introducing Man-Wolf, and DAREDEVIL #220, the death of Heather Glenn! 

PeterS

Leonardo da Vinci in K'un-Lun and Sinister clones in Victorian London

No new issues this week so T Vernon is 1st up with AVENGERS #384 which abruptly ends a long-running Hercules subplot.

FANTASTIC FOUR #14 has Puppet Master controlling Sub-Mariner to make him kill the FF, but of course Namor can't harm Sue Storm.

In SHE-HULK #8 our heroine bulks up as Jennifer Walters so that She-Hulk has a chance of defeating Champion in the ring. Plus her legal brain points out that the foe is cheating by using the Power Gem.

Avengers vs X-Men continues with NEW AVENGERS #26 in old K'un-Lun as Fongji Wu trains to become an Iron Fist to fight the Phoenix Force. And Leonardo da Vinci is called in to help.
Plus in UNCANNY X-MEN (2012) #15 the Phoenix 5 prepare to take on Mr Sinister in his underground Victorian London full of his clones.

--RobFJ

The Usual Suspects!

Nothing new this week, here’s our regular gallery of series entries!

MARVEL FANFARE #12 pits the Black Widow against six deadly assassins! At once!

THOR (1998) #44 features a wordless issue made up mainly of memories at Odin’s funeral!

THE NEW DEFENDERS #126 has the team and SHIELD battling each other as well as a giant! Guest starring Nick Fury!

STARTLING STORIES: BANNER #4 wraps up the offbeat Brian Azzarello/Richard Corben epic with Bruce Banner asking to die! Not your usual superhero move!

The upgraded CAPTAIN AMERICA #118 has the Falcon joining Cap against the Exiles!

And Anthony Silvestro brings us UNCANNY X-MEN #225, The Fall of the Mutants begins, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #123, guest-starring Luke Cage, and DAREDEVIL #219, guest writer Frank Miller! 

PeterS

The beginning of the (Marvel) universe as we know it

The new AVENGERS #35 concludes the storyline that has dominated this series. Some villains are tricked into taking the Grail to before the 1st Cosmos existed. So there's nothing for it to destroy when it blows up, and its explosion kicks off the whole Marvel series of Cosmos's! But there's still 1 more issue to go.

T Vernon's AVENGERS #383 is another single-issue tale, again involving Crystal and Quicksilver, but with a couple of Fantastic Force guest stars.

FANTASTIC FOUR #13 introduces Red Ghost and his Super-Apes. But more importantly the Watcher and his home in the Blue Area of the Moon. And I've added comments on #12 too.

SHE-HULK #7 starts a 2-parter in this humorous series. Lawyer Jennifer Walters gets tapped for Cosmic Magistrati duty. But 1 of the cases she's going to have to handle involves Adam Warlock & co.

NEW AVENGERS #25 takes a side-step in the Avengers Vs X-Men event to tell us about a previous Iron Fist training to face an earlier visit to Earth by the Phoenix Force.

--RobFJ

A Tribute to the Late Sal Buscema!

Sal passed away last week, only a few days before his 90^th birthday. In his honor we’ve added an image gallery, Original Artwork by Sal Buscema. 
Check it out above: Image Gallery > Original Artwork > Sal Buscema !
Or https://marvelheroeslibrary.com/images/original-artwork-by-sal-buscema.aspx

DEFENDERS: FROM THE MARVEL VAULT #1 is an unfinished tale by Fabian Nicieza and Mark Bagley completed by Kurt Busiek, reuniting the classic Defenders in a weird story!

MARVEL FANFARE #11 has the Black Widow accused of murder and on the run in Moscow!

THOR (1998) #43 has a strange tale featuring Thor Girl and a terminally ill hillbilly!

STARTLING STORIES: BANNER #3 resumes the offbeat Brian Azzarello/Richard Corben Hulk epic!

And Anthony Silvestro brings us UNCANNY X-MEN #224, Storm and Forge reunite, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #122, the classic “Green Goblin’s Last Stand,” and DAREDEVIL #218, guest artist Sal Buscema! 

PeterS

Iron Man's back!

New this week IRON MAN #1 starts the new series off with a bang with old chars, new chars, AIM, Madame Masque and a potential clash with the Illuminati.

Held over from last week is WICCAN: WITCHES' ROAD #2 where Wiccan, a fox and a puppet Hulkling face Fin Fang Foom and a new Demiurge.

T Vernon brings us AVENGERS #382 which ends the Crystal/Quicksilver story but dangles other plotlines, including the 1st hint of The Crossing in the 2nd story.

FANTASTIC FOUR #11 also has 2 stories. The short opener has the team reading fanmail and chatting. The main tale introduces the zany alien Impossible Man, who'll disappear for more than a decade but then return to be a comedy staple of the Marvel Universe.

THANOS #12 ends the series but Keith Giffen sets some stuff up for the Annihilation event.

--RobFJ

One of the All-Time Classics! And It’s in Anthony’s Section!

Brand new this week is THE MORTAL THOR #6 which pits the powerless Thor against one of his oldest enemies: Cobra!

Also new is THE INFERNAL HULK #3 which reveals where Bruce and Betty are now that Evil Hulk is destroying the world!

A showcase for Black Widow in MARVEL FANFARE #10 as Natasha is recruited for a dangerous mission! (Nothing new there!) (Nice cover, too!)

The Return of the Defenders concludes in DOCTOR STRANGE, SORCERER SUPREME ANNUAL #2 with the reunited heroes defeating the Wild One!

The upgraded CAPTAIN AMERICA #117 is the issue that introduces…the Falcon!

And Anthony Silvestro brings us UNCANNY X-MEN #223, lead-in to Fall of the Mutants, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #121, one of the all-time classics (you know the one), and DAREDEVIL #217, wrapping up the story of the Gael!

PeterS

Everybody learns something, especially Pietro

New this week is NEW AVENGERS #8. We learn a lot about what's actually been going on, but we still don't know who's behind the Killuminati or why.

On the other hand in T Vernon's AVENGERS #381 Crystal & Quicksilver seem to find out all the answers. So what's left for part 3 of this story?

Way back in simpler times FANTASTIC FOUR #10 is all over in 1 issue for Dr Doom. And we learn that Stan & Jack are writing FF comics in the Marvel Universe too.

And the short Thanos series devotes the last 2 issues of its 2nd 6-parter to a fairly separate story. In #11 our 'hero' learns that Galactus is threatened by the 3rd top security prisoner of the Kyln - his 1st Herald (not Silver Surfer).

In AVENGERS ACADEMY #33 Phoenix-powered Emma Frost dismantles Juston Seyfert's Sentinel. But due to Quicksilver's sleight of hand and and a crash-course in robot assembly it speedily gets rebuilt as good as old.

--RobFJ

Armageddon is Coming!

Marvel’s big event of the summer is coming and CAPTAIN AMERICA #6 is where it starts with a search for Doctor Doom’s WMDs!

Also new: HULK: SMASH EVERYTHING #2 pits Hulk against the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs! This writer doesn’t think small, does he?

Black Widow joins Spidey in MARVEL TEAM-UP #98 to find out why all of the city’s criminal gangs are teaming up for a malign purpose!

In THOR (1998) #42, the skeptical Thor sets out to learn if Odin is really dead! He’s been reading too many comic books!

The Return of the Defenders continues with SILVER SURFER ANNUAL #5, with the reassembled heroes witnessing the advent of the Elder God known as the Wild One!

And Anthony Silvestro brings us UNCANNY X-MEN #222, X-Men versus Marauders, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #119-120, Spidey versus Hulk in Canada, and DAREDEVIL #216, the return of the Gael! 

PeterS

The dry period is over

AVENGERS #34 is the 800th 'Anniversary' of Av#1. The bumper issue has 2 stories. The 1st celebrates the achievements of the current team. The 2nd assembles all the Avengers of the pre-Secret Wars universe.

T Vernon's AVENGERS #380 has Crystal and Quicksilver going to Mt Wundagore to visit Pietro's sick nursemaid, Bova the bovine New Man.

In FANTASTIC FOUR #9 Sub-Mariner uses a fortune from the sea to set up a film studio, all really to get Sue Storm to marry him.

In THANOS #10 the Titan neutralises the Maker/Beyonder. So what are the final 2 issues going to be about?

AVENGERS ACADEMY #32 sees Emma Frost with Phoenix power come to destroy the last Sentinel, which is Juston Seyfert's friend. And even X-23 steps up to stop her.

--RobFJ

Descend into the Dungeons of Doom!

DUNGEONS OF DOOM #1 continues the epic ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM as various interested parties uncover the horrors of the late Doom’s lair!

The Return of the Defenders continues with NAMOR ANNUAL #2, with the reassembled heroes battling demons in a New York City business office!

Odin is dead in THOR (1998) #41, so who will rule Asgard? Wait, not Thor?

Black Widow recovers her memory in MARVEL TEAM-UP #85 with Spidey, Nick Fury, and Shang-Chi for a crowded team-up!

The upgraded CAPTAIN AMERICA #116 has Cap trapped in the body of the Red Skull and hunted by his friends and allies!

And Anthony Silvestro brings us UNCANNY X-MEN #221, introducing Mr. Sinister, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #118, Spidey versus Smasher and Disruptor, and DAREDEVIL #215, DD teams up with the Two-Gun Kid! Wait, what?

PeterS

I also have no new comics to report until next week

T Vernon's AVENGERS #379 spotlights Deathcry in the end of the 2-parter featuring aliens on a Scottish island.

FANTASTIC FOUR #8 introduces B-villain Puppet Master and major FF char Alicia Masters.

Keith Giffen continues the Kyln story in THANOS #9 by bringing back 1 of his own creations Skreet.

The Avengers Vs X-Men event continues with:-
UNCANNY X-MEN (2012) #14 between AvX#5 and #6 showing how Mr Sinister is preparing for the Phoenix 5.
AVENGERS VS X-MEN INFINITY COMIC #6 has Cyclops on the Moon early in AvX#6 worrying about the effects of the Phoenix power on him.

--RobFJ

Still No Sign of Land!

Not to worry, we’ll have something new next week! Meanwhile, enjoy these older classics!

In THOR (1998) #40, Surtur the Fire Demon is back causing trouble!

Black Widow is in MARVEL TEAM-UP #84 with an assault on the captured Helicarrier with Shang-Chi the guest star!

STARTLING STORIES: BANNER #2 has an entire army against the Hulk, those poor schnooks!

The Return of the Defenders begins with INCREDIBLE HULK ANNUAL #18, with a guest appearance by the Thing!

The upgraded CAPTAIN AMERICA #115 has Cap a prisoner of an all-powerful Red Skull!

And Anthony Silvestro brings us UNCANNY X-MEN #220, poetic fluff about Storm, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #117, Spidey versus the Disruptor, and DAREDEVIL #214, the end of Micah Synn…finally!

PeterS