By Todd Allen

Hachette’s Marvel catalog for May – August 2012 is out and we find a few interesting tidbits that might give us a clue to what Marvel’s up to next.  The big question is what’s up with Henry Pym?

He used to be Ant-Man, then Giant-Man/Goliath, then Yellow Jacket, the just Hank Pym, then the Wasp.  He was made “scientist supreme,” a sort of analogue to Doctor Strange’s sorcerer supreme, a couple years back in Mighty Avengers.  I dig that Marvel’s putting out a lot of Avengers material, since there’s a movie coming out, but Pym isn’t supposed to be in it.  I’m thinking, either he’s making an unannounced appearance or (more likely) there’s big doings for the character in 2012.  Why?  Pym is headlining two books in the summer of 2012.

First up is June’s “Avengers: The Many Faces of Henry Pym,” an anthology of sorts that highlights the above identities.  (I also think it’s safe to assume where the catalog says “Tales of Suspense,” they mean “Tales to Astonish.”)

Then you’ve got “Avengers: The Trial of Yellowjacket” in August, a 432 page, $39.99 volume that’s essentially a color Essentials volume.  This is the one where Pym does a little spousal abuse and gets divorced, among other things.  This is an odd set of issues, from Shooter’s less well-remembered run starting it out to the beginning of Roger Stern’s run and a few things (like a Black Knight centric Steven Grant two-parter) in between.  The Yellowjacket business is really just the bookends, and strangely starts two issues into that Shooter run on the book.  If this is a $40 book, after a Hank Pym primer, I have to think something big is happening with the character.

McDuffie and Deathlok

The Dwayne McDuffie/ Gregory Wright Deathlok run gets a hardcover with Deathlok: The Living Nightmare of Michael Collins.  You’d think if this was a tie-in with the X-Force Deathlok storyline, it would have already come out.  More Deathlok developments or just time to reprint this?

Bill Mantlo’s Hulk

This could have something to do with the recent mainstream press on Mantlo’s condition, but Marvel is releasing two volumes of Mantlo’s Hulk.

Incredible Hulk: Pardoned reprints Incredible Hulk 269-285.  400 pages for $39.99, due out in May.

Incredible Hulk: Regression reprints Incredible Hulk 286-300, plus Annual 12.  408 pages for $39.99 in August.

That’s 2 “color Essentials” for the Mantlo Hulk and the majority of his run on the title (245-313, IIRC).  Mantlo could certainly use the roylaties, so it’s especially nice to see this coming around.

Finally, least you think Marvel has only “virtual” color Essential volumes, Spider-Man: The Ultimate Big Time Collection clocks in at 528 pages, definitely in the Essentials page count range.  Marvel is definitely releasing some larger color collections than they used to!

1 COMMENT

  1. Good news regarding the Mantlo Hulk collections. Hopefully, this means that Marvel is trying to convince Hasbro that a similar two-volume clebration of Mantlo’s run on Micronauts would make for good press toward that ‘Nauts movie that J.J. Abrams keeps threatening to make. Especially since the only ‘Nauts movie that makes sense IMNSHO is one that draws upon Mantlo’s rich mythology.

  2. Marvel’s publishing strategy for trades/HCs doesn’t make much sense to me. It seems (again, to me) like they sink money into putting out new stuff with a limited audience rather than putting that money into keeping things that have a much wider audience in print.

    Anyone?

  3. According to IMDB, Ant Man is scheduled for 2014 with Edgar Wright directing. Supposedly, the script is finished. Two Marvel mystery movies are scheduled by Disney for 2014.

    Scanning The Avengers cast listing for clues:
    >> J.J. Perry Vampire in post-credits scene <<
    but nothing about Hank Pym (or Stan Lee)

    Marvel might be testing the waters… if fans buy the trades, then the general audience might come along. But no reprint of that other, frat-boy Ant-Man, which would muddy the analysis. (But make for a cool movie.)

    One sec while I scan Books In Print…
    * Machine Teen: History 101001 ? (Ah… Marvel Next, Avengers Academy)
    * Nick Fury, Agent of S. H. I. E. L. D. Classic – Volume 1
    * Hulk: From the UK Vaults
    * The Twelve, Vol. 2 (June)
    * Spider-Man: The Graphic Novels
    * Ultimate Spider-Man Comic Readers – Volume
    2 ? ($3.99, 32 pages)
    * Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Comic Readers – Volume 1
    * Ultimate Comics Avengers by Mark Millar Omnibus
    * Untold Tales of Spider-Man Omnibus
    * Victor Von Doom
    * Reflections: David Mack Art Book (March)

    Hmm… Two Thing collections:
    * Thing: The Serpent Crown Affair
    * Thing Classic – Volume 2

  4. Marvel’s reprinting schedule of the 1970s Avengers stuff frustrates me to no end. That’s the run I loved as a kid (issue #s 140ish through 200 or so), and I know the Omnibus/Masterwork series will get there eventually, but in the meantime they are putting out all these collections in seemingly random order and my OCD-want-in-order self is in constant battle with my 10-yr-old wants these in any form-now self.

  5. Marvel’s reprinting schedule of the 1970s Avengers stuff frustrates me to no end.

    If you have the money to spend, the DVD that collects 40 years of AVENGERS issues might be worth getting. I was fortunate to get it at list price when it first came out. You would have to acquire the Giant-Size issues separately, unfortunately.

    SRS

  6. I wonder if the second Mantlo Hulk collection will include #296? That “Regression” story arc would have a noticeable gap in it without that issue, but that story guest-starred Rom, and Marvel doesn’t own him, right?

  7. Jeff, royalties are pretty standard for Marvel and DC reprints now, and have been for several decades. It probably wouldn’t be a lot of money, but it would be something.

  8. SRS – thanks, I forgot about those. Unfortunately the price is a bit of a barrier. At the time these were originally issued my computer didn’t have a DVD-Rom, believe it or not, so I didn’t pick them up but really wish I had.