Top 5 Marvel NOW! Comics
This is an article I’ve been meaning to write since Marvel started their Marvel NOW! campaign. The weeks and months kept going by, and I never got around to it. With Marvel getting ready to launch All-New Marvel NOW! in 2014, now is as good a time as any to finally take a look back at which original Marvel NOW! comics I enjoyed the most.
I’m keeping the list down to five. I originally thought about doing a top 10, but then I would start including books I only slightly care about. Let’s keep this discussion to the cream of the crop.
So, without further ado……..
TIMDOGG’S TOP 5 MARVEL NOW! COMICS
5. Tie – AVENGERS ARENA and INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK
I know I know….this is supposed to be a top 5 list. When it came time to make my decision for the number five book, I couldn’t decide between Avengers Arena and Indestructible Hulk. I feel both are worthy of nomination. Avengers Arena garnered so much negative feedback from fans once it was announced. The concept that many fan-favorite teen heroes would be led to slaughter in Arcade’s “Murder World” seemed a risky one. However, Dennis Hopeless and Kev Walker turned this into one enjoyable thrill-ride. What initially looked like a book setup to kill multiple heroes was anything but. New characters were created (the Braddock Academy students) and old familiar faces like Darkhawk, Avengers Academy, and Runaways members were used. Avengers Arena was so successful that Marvel is letting Hopeless and Walker continue their story in Avengers Undercover in All-New Marvel NOW!.
There were two surprise books to make my list, and Indestructible Hulk is one of them (we’ll get to the second in a moment). As a kid I never collected or read a Hulk comic. He always seemed limited to me. Bruce Banner gets mad, turns into Hulk, and various armies and heroes try to stop him. Mark Waid took a different approach with the green goliath. Banner has embraced the Hulk and offers Hulk over to S.H.I.E.L.D. for special missions. In exchange, Banner gets to use S.H.I.E.L.D. resources to create new inventions. That’s made for a fun adventure book as Hulk teamed with Daredevil and traveled through time. Artists from Leinil Yu to Matteo Scalera have contributed to the book, each bringing a different visual to each adventure.
4. THOR: GOD OF THUNDER
Here is the second book surprise book to make my list. Just like with Hulk, Thor is a hero who’s solo adventures never intrigued me growing up. After having a hit movie and being a part of the record-breaking Avengers film, Marvel NOW! seemed like as good a time as any to give his solo book a try. The creative team of Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic crafted an 11-issue story introducing a brand new villain (Gorr the God Butcher) and not one issue felt like filler. Viking Thor and future King Thor also made appearances, which turned out to be the highlight of the arc.
3. UNCANNY AVENGERS
Uncanny Avengers got off to a rocky start. It was billed as the premiere book of Marvel NOW! but it was hit with delays. Also, the opening arc with Red Skull was underwhelming. The book really picked up from issue five onward. Rick Remender started picking up story bits from his time on Uncanny X-Force and you could start to see seeds being laid for this massive story. Add in tension between Scarlet Witch and Rogue, with villains like Kang the Conquerer and the Apocalypse Twins and you have the makings of a top tier book. And that’s not even taking into account the most recent happenings.
2. ALL-NEW X-MEN
The original X-Men from the past (Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Beast, Angel) brought to the present. One would think that premise couldn’t last as an ongoing comic. Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen have proven how wrong that thinking is. I include both writer and artist because their collaboration is what’s made All-New X-Men not just one of the best Marvel NOW! books, but best Marvel books period.
Seeing the original X-Men attempt to adjust to the current day, meeting their counterparts, and completely throwing the X-Men world into a loop has been a joy. The comic has become the centerpiece of the X-universe. Many people have speculated on Jean Grey returning from the dead, but no one predicted that an alternate timeline version of her would pop up.
Another plus has been the emergence of Kitty Pryde as their Professor and leader. They look up to her and she has taken to the role of guardian.
1. SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN
What an exhilarating ride this book has been. With Otto Octavius (Doctor Octopus) taking over Peter Parker’s body, this has opened the door for completely new Spider-Man stories. As I’ve said in previous reviews, each issue seems to ramp up the drama. Dan Slott has turned Spider-Man into a pro-active hero who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. Even if that dirt has some blood mixed in it.
From Ryan Stegman to Humberto Ramos to Giuseppe Camuncoli, the art has been phenomenal. Each artist has gotten to illustrate a different arc and has brought something unique at each turn.
So that’s it for my Top 5 Marvel NOW! Comics list. Have any disagreements? Books you felt were overlooked? Or want to add your two cents? Make sure to state your claims in the Comments section below.
Timdogg
#ComicBookChronicles @CBChron founder. Editor-in-Chief of @thekliqnation. Comic book reviewer, podcaster #RABBLERABBLE
