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Folks, I really don’t know what to say. Marvel’s Secret Wars is running late (but has a new issue out this week!). This means the publisher has been launching titles that have revealed the post-Secret Wars status quo while the event is happening.  Good or bad, that’s for the reader to decide.  We’re just here to help with another addition of The All-New, All-Different Marvel Rundown.


Gwenpool Special #1

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Writer: Charles Soule, Margaret Stohl, Gerry Duggan and Christopher Hastings

Artist: Langdon Foss, Juan Gedeon, Danilo S. Beyruth and Gurihiru

Colors: Megan Wilson, Tamra Bonvillain, Chris and Gurihiru Peter

Letters: Travis Lanham & Clayton Cowles

I think the above image with Howard the Duck sums up my thoughts on this comic fairly well.

Gwenpool Special #1 isn’t the comic book that you think it is – and it’s all the better for it. Hopefully this isn’t too much of a spoiler, but Gwenpool doesn’t actually show up in this comic until the eleventh hour. As a result, this comic is free to explore some of the oddest and most entertaining characters in the Marvel staple. Charles Soule is such an incredible talent at Marvel who built up a lot of good will with his She-Hulk series.  It focused in on a bunch of aspects of She-Hulk’s life, but notably the comic featured some fascinating scenes with She-Hulk going through her day-job as a lawyer (as only lawyer Charles Soule can tell). She gets another chance to shine in a short story within Gwenpool Special #1, and the rest of the book features quirky fan-favorite characters like Ms. Marvel, Deadpool, Hawkeye, and Howard the Duck. 

Verdict: BUY RIGHT NOW PLS.

As annoyed as I am with the prospect of Gwenpool as a character, this comic had me grinning from ear-to-ear. It’s not to be missed if you are a fan of She-Hulk or the quirky side of the Marvel Universe.


Scarlet Witch #1

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Writer: James Robinson Artist: Vanesa Del Rey Color: Jordie Bellaire Letters: VC’s Cory Petit

This first issue of Scarlet Witch has incredibly beautiful artwork. Vanessa Del Rey’s gritty but conservative pencil techniques differentiate the story from Chris Bachalo’s art in Doctor Strange, as his work in that series has a tendency to be excessive for the sake of storytelling. Del Rey’s artwork lends a strong sense of variety to the book with the massive amount of inking and supernatural elements that weave in some of the dangerous comic materials in the back of the issue. The comic has a simple plot, but I appreciate James Robinson’s handle on the voice of the Scarlet Witch has a heroine. 

The book is scheduled to change artists each issue. While I would like to see Del Rey continue lend her artwork to the series, Scarlet Witch has a number of interesting talents lined up for future stories including Bucky Barnes: The Winter Solider artist Marco Rudy. 

Verdict: Buy

Robinson is off to an amusing start, really giving Wanda the spotlight she deserves and trying to redeem her character after all the grief she has caused to characters throughout the Marvel universe.


That’s another week of two solid books in the Marvel line-up. Next week is a doozy with lots of new releases.  Secret Wars #9 will not reach us until January of next year.

2 COMMENTS

  1. I picked up Scarlet Witch #1 with the hope that Robinson will eventually be able to fix a character that Bendis broke years ago and Marvel has consistently not been able to do much with.

  2. I have to admit that I am liking the Gweenpool’s stories in appendix to Howard, sadly from the image above it seems like she developed hepatitis (maybe due to the different environment of the Marvel universe?) so I guess she won’t last long.

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