MARVEL COMICS: March 2006 Collected Editions Solicits MONTHLY COMICS OF INTEREST MARVEL MILESTONES: STAR BRAND & QUASAR Written by JIM SHOOTER & MARK GRUENWALD Penciled by JOHN ROMITA JR. & PAUL RYAN Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR. A New Universe is born as Pittsburgh mechanic Ken Connell is gifted with strange superhuman abilities in STAR BRAND #1 (1986)! Plus: QUASAR #1 (1989)- featuring the untold origin of the Cosmic Avenger, who would later be given the Star Brand after crossing over into the New Universe from the mainstream multiverse! 48 PGS. NO ADS/T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$3.99 32 PGS./All Ages ...$2.99 * * * MARVEL ROMANCE REDUX: GUYS & DOLLS #1 Written by JIMMY PALMIOTTI, JEFF PARKER, JOHN LUSTIG Penciled by JOHN BUSCEMA, DON HECK, JOHN ROMITA, GENE COLAN Cover by AMANDA CONNER Continuing the noble pursuit of taking funny old pictures and putting funny words on top of them! We've asked some of the funniest writers in comics today to look at the romance comics of yesteryear and put in some new dialogue that'll make us laugh! Unfortunately, the FUNNIEST writers were busy, so we had to settle on these guys. Hey, you get what you pay for! 40 PGS./All Ages ...$2.99 HARDCOVERS ULTIMATE IRON MAN VOL. 1 PREMIERE HC Written by ORSON SCOTT CARD Pencils & Cover by ANDY KUBERT The most imaginative, groundbreaking comic of 2005! International bestseller, four-time Hugo award, two-time Nebula award and World Fantasy Award winner Orson Scott Card (author of Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Shadow Puppets) comes to the Ultimate Universe. He's joined by industry legend Andy Kubert (ULTIMATE X-MEN, MARVEL 1602 and WOLVERINE: ORIGIN) to show the shocking beginning of Ultimate Iron Man! If you thought THE ULTIMATES told you everything you needed to know about Ultimate Iron Man, think again! Collects ULTIMATE IRON MAN #1-5. 136 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$19.99 * * * NEW AVENGERS VOL. 3: SECRETS & LIES PREMIERE HC Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS Penciled by DAVID FINCH & FRANK CHO Cover by DAVID FINCH The debut of the mysterious New Avenger everyone has been talking about all year! Who is Ronin and why has Captain America recruited him into the fold? Here's a hint: He's not Daredevil! Plus: Spider-Woman's dark secrets revealed! Captain America catches her double-dealing the Avengers and corners her! How did Spider-Woman get her powers back and to whom does she answer? It's all here! Collects NEW AVENGERS #11-15 and the lead story from GIANT-SIZE SPIDER-WOMAN #1. 136 PGS./ Rated A ...$19.99 * * * MARVEL MASTERWORKS: ANT-MAN/GIANT-MAN VOL. 1 Written by STAN LEE, LARRY LIEBER & ERNIE HART Penciled by JACK KIRBY, DON HECK, LARRY LIEBER & DICK AYERS Burned under the magnifying glass of overwhelming demand, Mighty Marvel has given in to give you our smallest hero in his big Masterworks debut! Lee and Kirby's second hero creation, scientist Hank Pym, invented an amazing growth serum and a cybernetic helmet making him the Astonishing Ant-Man! Teamed up with the winsome Wasp, the tiny twosome battle a sensational array of mini- and maxi-sized menaces from the Scarlet Beetle to the Black Knight! And if that's not enough to occupy a man of science, he's also defending the good ol' U.S. of A's secrets from the commie hordes! But we've got more than just miniature mayhem for you, True Believer. You can look forward to the birth of the biggest Avenger there ever was- Giant-Man- so run, don't walk, and reserve your copy today! Collecting TALES TO ASTONISH #27, 35-52 288 PGS./All Ages ...$49.99 VARIANT EDITION: 288 PGS./All Ages ...$54.99 * * * MARVEL MASTERWORKS: GOLDEN AGE MARVEL COMICS VOL. 2 Written & Illustrated by CARL BURGOS, PAUL GUSTAVSON, BILL EVERETT, AL ANDERS, BEN THOMPSON, STEVE DAHLMAN & MORE Marvel proudly presents more Golden Age goodness, reprinting issues #5-8 of MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS from 1940. This hardcover collection remasters and restores these early adventures, some reprinted for the very first time! See the Human Torch join the police force! Witness the execution of the Sub-Mariner! Plus: In the wake of the Sub-Mariner's attack on New York City, the Torch and the Sub-Mariner face off in their historic first meeting! 272 PGS./All Ages ...$49.99 VARIANT EDITION: 272 PGS./All Ages ...$54.99 * * * MARVEL VISIONARIES: JACK KIRBY VOL. 2 HC Written by JACK KIRBY, JOE SIMON & STAN LEE Pencils & Cover by JACK KIRBY Humor, horror, westerns, war, romance, espionage and, of course, super-heroic adventure...many domains, but only one King. From the Two-Gun Kid, Sgt. Fury and Agent Jimmy Woo to the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and beyond, the talent of Jack Kirby underlies the history and future of Marvel! See Captain America's first appearance...all three of them! Witness the first Avengers/X-Men battle, and learn the origin of Professor X! Cower before Doctor Doom, wielding the power of the Silver Surfer! The Yellow Claw! Mangog! Fin Fang Foom! Otherworldly dinosaurs, mutant seagulls and more await as comicdom's commemoration of Kirby continues! Collects CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS #1, MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS #23, YELLOW CLAW #4, STRANGE TALES #89 and #114, TWO-GUN KID #60, LOVE ROMANCES #103, X-MEN #9, TALES OF SUSPENSE #59, SGT FURY #13, FANTASTIC FOUR #57-60, NOT BRAND ECCH #1, THOR #154-157, and DEVIL DINOSAUR #1. 344 PGS./All Ages ...$34.99 * * * ALIAS OMNIBUS Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS Penciled by MICHAEL GAYDOS Cover by DAVID MACK Meet Jessica Jones. Once upon a time, she was a costumed super hero. But not a very good one. Now a chain-smoking, self-destructive alcoholic, Jessica is the owner and sole employee of Alias Investigations- a small, private-investigative firm specializing in superhuman cases. This deluxe hardcover collects all 28 issues of super-scribe Brian Michael Bendis' ALIAS - plus all-new, behind-the-scenes bonus material compiled in conjunction with the writer himself! In her inaugural arc, Jessica's life immediately becomes expendable when she uncovers the potentially explosive secret of one hero's true identity. But her wit, charm and intelligence just may help her survive through another day. Thrust into the midst of a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels, has Jessica burned too many bridges to turn to old friends for help? Plus: Jessica travels to upstate New York to investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl rumored to be a mutant in a prejudiced small town; goes on a date with the Astonishing Ant-Man; teams up with Jessica Drew, the original Spider-Woman; and confronts the demons of her past! Collects ALIAS #1-28 and WHAT IF JESSICA JONES HAD JOINED THE AVENGERS? 720 PGS./Explicit Content ...$69.99 * * * THOR: BLOOD OATH HC Written by MICHAEL AVON OEMING Pencils & Cover by SCOTT KOLINS Travel back in Marvel history for a classic Thor adventure! Stepping out of the past of the glorious days of Kirby, Lee and Buscema, THOR: BLOOD OATH presents Thor in his prime, with your favorite cast -- including Odin, Balder, the Warriors Three and more! The Warriors Three are put on trial for murder. Standing beside his brothers-in-arms, Thor ties himself to their fate, as they are sent on an impossible journey by the Giants to pay their "weird"- a blood price for the killing of a Giant's son. Thor and his three allies will journey across the lands, through Greece, Midgard, Asia and Africa, and clash with gods, monsters, the dead and occasionally each other! Collects THOR : BLOOD OATH #1-6. 144 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$19.99 TRADE PAPERBACKS ULTIMATE X-MEN ULTIMATE COLLECTION BOOK 1 TPB Written by MARK MILLAR with GEOFF JOHNS Penciled by ADAM KUBERT, ANDY KUBERT, TOM RANEY, THOMAS DERENICK & AARON LOPRESTI New Cover by LEINIL FRANCIS YU Collecting the first year of Mark Millar's groundbreaking ULTIMATE X-MEN - issues #1-12 - in one colossal trade paperback! Featuring an all-new cover by ULTIMATE HULK VS. WOLVERINE artist Leinil Francis Yu! The world stands on the brink of genetic war. Mankind has made the first move, launching an army of giant, cybernetic executioners called Sentinels - programmed to target and eliminate the mutant DNA strand. Now, Magneto and his mutant terrorist cell are preparing to follow through on their threats of Homo sapien genocide. The only force that can prevent total annihilation: five awkward teenagers and their crippled mentor! Plus: The inexperienced X-Men must rely on the enigmatic and unproven Wolverine when they become pawns of the mysterious Weapon X program. Can Logan go it alone against the shadow-ops organization that transformed him into one of the world's most lethal killing machines? Also featuring the rare ULTIMATE X-MEN #1/2! 336 PGS./Rated A ...$24.99 * * * X-MEN: COLOSSUS BLOODLINE TPB Written by DAVID HINE Penciled by JORGE LUCAS Cover by CHRIS BACHALO From the pages of ASTONISHING X-MEN! Colossus has returned from the dead, only to find his relatives are being killed in his homeland! Peter must travel to Russia to face a shadowy villain whose origin lies in Peter's past. Will this foe lead Colossus down the path of darkness, and will defeating him cost Peter his soul?! Collects X-MEN: COLOSSUS BLOODLINE #1-5. 120 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$13.99 * * * CABLE/DEADPOOL VOL. 4: BOSOM BUDDIES TPB Written by FABIAN NICIEZA Pencils by PATRICK ZIRCHER Cover by SHANE DAVIS Deadpool FINALLY gets hired for a job! There's a missing hard drive, and whoever gets it could very well own the world! Naturally, our Merc With a Mouth is going to find it first, right? Well...only if he can outwit that superspy known as the CAT, and slide by the undulating charms of three gorgeous and deadly snake chicks. That's right: Black Mamba, Asp and Diamondback are back in business as the B.A.D. Girls! And what's Cable doing during all of this...? Well, keeping an eye on Deadpool, since whoever owns the hard drive could very well own the world! (Didn't you read that the first time?!) Collects CABLE/DEADPOOL #19-24. 144 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$14.99 * * * DAREDEVIL VOL. 13: THE MURDOCK PAPERS TPB Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS Pencils & Cover by ALEX MALEEV The Eisner Award-winning run of Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev comes to a blistering conclusion! First, they outed Daredevil in the press, then they married him and made him the Kingpin of Hell's Kitchen. What could they possibly do to top that? Four words: WILSON FISK IS BACK! Collects DAREDEVIL #76-81. 144 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$14.99 * * * INCREDIBLE HULK: PLANET HULK PRELUDE TPB Written by DANIEL WAY Penciled by KEU CHA & JUAN SANTACRUZ Cover by BRANDON PETERSON Bruce Banner has finally found a semblance of peace. Here, in the isolated interior of Alaska, he hopes to protect the rest of humanity from the Hulk's never-ending rampage by secluding himself in self-imposed exile. Banner is confident that his plan will work — after all, who would be foolish enough to actually come looking for the Hulk? But when Nick Fury comes calling, you know there's trouble for someone involved. This story sets up next year's huge event involving a certain Jade Giant. Collects INCREDIBLE HULK #88-91 and the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe. 152 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$13.99 * * * CAPTAIN AMERICA: WINTER SOLDIER VOL. 1 TPB Written by ED BRUBAKER Penciled by STEVE EPTING, MICHAEL LARK & JOHN PAUL LEON Cover by STEVE EPTING Cap is awakened in the dead of the night by agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., who need the kind of help only he can provide. But the corpse he finds on the Heli-carrier brings him face-to-face with the unthinkable, and opens doors to terror and manipulation he never dreamed possible! It's a new beginning as four-time Eisner-nominated Best Writer Ed Brubaker makes his Marvel debut, joined by white-hot artist Steve Epting! Collects CAPTAIN AMERICA #1-7. 176 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$16.99 * * * BLACK PANTHER: WHO IS THE BLACK PANTHER TPB Written by REGINALD HUDLIN Pencils & Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR. The Wakandan super hero is back with Hollywood heavyweight Reginald Hudlin (House Party, Boomerang) and fan-favorite John Romita Jr. (WOLVERINE, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN) teaming up to deliver a new take on T'Challa that's sure to excite both True Believers and the hip-hop faithful. The Black Panther's origin is retold here in cinematic scope with social satire and all-out action. Collects BLACK PANTHER #1-6. 152 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$14.99 * * * SQUADRON SUPREME: DEATH OF A UNIVERSE TPB Written by MARK GRUENWALD, KURT BUSIEK & LEN KAMINSKI Penciled by PAUL RYAN, GEORGE PÉREZ, CARLOS PACHECO & ANTHONY WILLIAMS Cover by PAUL RYAN What happens when a world's greatest heroes are left without a world? The late, great Mark Gruenwald's final Squadron Supreme saga sees the super heroes save their universe, only to be ejected from it in response! In the more mainstream Marvel Universe, mind control and manipulation put them both against and alongside the Avengers, but the greatest shock comes when they return to their home universe and see just how it's been saved without them! Featuring material from the critically acclaimed Kurt Busiek/George Pérez run of AVENGERS! Collects SQUADRON SUPREME: DEATH OF UNIVERSE, THOR #280, AVENGERS #5-6, AVENGERS/SQUADRON SUPREME ANNUAL and SQUADRON SUPREME: NEW WORLD ORDER. 248 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$24.99 * * * INFINITY WAR TPB Written by JIM STARLIN Penciled by RON LIM, TOM RANEY, ANGEL MEDINA & SHAWN MCMANUS Cover by RON LIM After Adam Warlock's return in INFINITY GAUNTLET, his worse half -- the Magus --wasn't far behind! The struggle for ultimate power over the universe continues when a stockpile of evil twins overwhelm the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, the X-Men, the New Warriors, Alpha Flight and more! Will the universe be saved, destroyed...or both? Collects INFINITY WAR #1-6, MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #108-111 and WARLOCK AND THE INFINITY WATCH #7-10. 392 PGS./ T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$29.99 * * * SILVER SURFER: REBIRTH OF THANOS TPB Written by JIM STARLIN & SCOTT EDELMAN Penciled by RON LIM & MIKE ZECK Cover by RON LIM The quest that led to INFINITY GAUNTLET begins here! Back from the dead, Thanos is after the power to bring the rest of the universe with him on a return trip! Can the Silver Surfer, Drax the Destroyer and others stop the cosmic iconoclast before he uses reality as a token of his affection for Death? Special guest-appearance by the Impossible Man! Featuring a rare Thanos solo story not seen in almost thirty years! Collects SILVER SURFER #34-38, THANOS QUEST #1-2 and the Thanos backup from LOGAN'S RUN #6. 224 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$24.99 * * * DRAX THE DESTROYER: EARTH FALL TPB Written by KEITH GIFFEN Pencils & Cover by MITCH BREITWEISER The crash of an interstellar prison transport spells big trouble for an isolated Alaskan town when Paibok the Power Skrull, Lunatik, the Blood Brothers and Drax the Destroyer come calling. It's not a social call. Oh... and you think you know Drax? Big, green and not all that bright – is that the Drax you're thinking about? You don't know Drax! This collection hits just in time for Drax's pivotal role in the Universe-shattering "ANNIHILATION" event beginning this month! Collects DRAX THE DESTROYER #1-4. 96 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$10.99 * * * X-MEN: MUTANT GENESIS TPB Written by CHRIS CLAREMONT Penciled by JIM LEE Cover by JIM LEE The best-selling storyline is back in print! The mutant terrorist Magneto again threatens the world, and only the X-Men can stop him! And should they survive this confrontation, the villainous Omega Red is waiting in the wings! Collects X-MEN #1-7. 176 PGS./ T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$19.99 DIGESTS RUNAWAYS VOL. 5: ESCAPE TO NEW YORK Written by BRIAN K. VAUGHAN Penciled by TAKESHI MIYAZAWA & ADRIAN ALPHONA The team's lineup changes forever in the perfect jumping-on point for the series that Wizard said "could be the most original book to focus on teenaged super heroes since Spider-Man debuted all the way back in 1962!" When a dangerous alien invades Los Angeles, the Runaways' own Karolina Dean may be the only hero in the Marvel Universe who can stop him... but at what cost? Plus: The Runaways embark on a coast-to-coast adventure, guest-starring Cloak and Dagger AND the New Avengers! When Cloak is accused of a crime he didn't commit by the heroes of New York City, the vigilante is forced to turn to the teenage Runaways for help. This story will take our teens to a place they've never been: NYC! Collects RUNAWAYS #7-12. 144 PGS./Rated A ...$7.99 * * * SPIDER-GIRL PRESENTS JUGGERNAUT JR. VOL. 1: SECRETS & LIES Written by BRIAN K. VAUGHAN Penciled by TAKESHI MIYAZAWA & ADRIAN ALPHONA Written by TOM DEFALCO Penciled by RON LIM Lots of people have big shoes to fill, but how many have to fill the helmet of the Juggernaut? Teenager Zane Yama grows up fast and hits the big time headfirst when he inherits his father's unstoppability and joins the latest generation of Avengers! J2 squares off against villains and heroes alike, including a certain green goliath who thinks he's STILL the strongest one there is! Plus: the first appearances of the X-People and Wild Thing, daughter of Wolverine and Elektra! Collects J2 #1-6. 144 PGS./All Ages ...$7.99 ESSENTIALS ESSENTIAL NOVA VOL. 1 Written by MARV WOLFMAN & LEN WEIN Penciled by JOHN BUSCEMA, SAL BUSCEMA, CARMINE INFANTINO, GENE COLAN & ROSS ANDRU Cover by JOHN BUSCEMA Before NEW WARRIORS, Nova was one of the seventies' most scintillating stars and it shows! Be it murder mystery or cosmic clash, the Human Rocket rises to the occasion! Historic heroes! Futuristic fiends! War with the Skrulls! Special guest-appearances by Spider-Man, the Thing and...Moses!? Collects NOVA #1-25, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #171 and MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE ANNUAL #3. 512 PGS./All Ages ...$16.99 * * * ESSENTIAL OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE - DELUXE EDITION VOL. 1 Written by MARK GRUENWALD, PETER SANDERSON, ELIOT R. BROWN & MORE Penciled by JOHN BYRNE, DAVE COCKRUM, BOB LAYTON, JOHN ROMITA JR. & MORE Cover by JOHN BYRNE The original encyclopedia of adventures: expanded, augmented and updated! Marvel's continuity kings continued their quest for completeness in these issues of dedicated Deluxeness! Top talent teamed to headline heroes like Captain America, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Nick Fury, the Hulk and dozens of others! Full lineups of the Avengers, the Defenders, the Fantastic Four and more! Collects the first third of the OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE - DELUXE EDITION. 496 PGS./All Ages ...$16.99 * * * ESSENTIAL SPIDER-MAN VOL. 1 TPB – NEW PRINTING Written by STAN LEE Penciled by STEVE DITKO Cover by JACK KIRBY & STEVE DITKO Featuring the birth of an unlikely hero and the early adventures that paved the way for the mega-popular media icon that Spider-Man is today! Introducing the Sandman, the Lizard, Electro and more! Collects AMAZING FANTASY #15, and AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1-20 and ANNUAL #1. 528 PGS./All Ages ...$16.99