I’ve loved the Defenders at various points in their checkered, sporadic history, but I’ve never had much interest in their Big Four (Dr. Strange, the Hulk, Namor, and Silver Surfer) as a unit. It’s the same with the Avengers’ Big Three (Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor). They’re too iconic and static, and my attention always wanders to the B-list characters who fill in the gaps (Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and the Vision in Avengers; Hellcat, Nighthawk, and Valkyrie in Defenders).
I’m looking forward to this week’s Defenders 1 (Marvel), though, because the comic approach by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire fits best with my own perception of the characters. If there was ever a group of characters that needed some deflation, it’s this one. I’ve always thought their blustering, short-tempered seriousness was ridiculous, and I like the idea of a creative team playing it for intentional laughs. (There’s an interview with Giffen at Comic Book Resources and some preview pages at Mile High Comics.)
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The week’s manga highlight will likely be the second volume of Yotsuba&! (AD Vision). It was nice to hear (from Comics Reporter) that this was one of the buzz-generating titles at Nerd Vegas. I liked the first volume a lot, and I’m eager to see what new mysteries are unraveled by this weird little green-haired girl.
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Scott Chantler’s visuals were one of the highlights of Oni’s Scandalous, and I’ve been looking forward to his Northwest Passage from the same publisher. The phrase “two-fisted” isn’t one that usually fills me with enthusiasm, but the premise is really interesting to me. There are lots of attractive preview pages at Comic Book Resources.)
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The sheer number of this week’s Marvel offerings with “House of M” in them is enough to boggle the mind. House of M 4, House of M Director’s Cut 1, House of M Peterson Variant Cover 4, Secrets of the House of M, Spider-Man House of M 2… it reads kind of like a parody of a solicitation list. (It’s also hilarious that an arc from a spin-off title of the last big event — The Pulse Vol 2 Secret War TPB – gets collected before the actual mini-series is finished and halfway through the same writer’s next big event.)
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It’s a good week for DC, with what seems to be a Huntress-centric issue of Birds of Prey (84) and another issue of Manhunter (12). Why do I suspect that this horrible cover will spur more sales?