Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2000

MARVEL COMICS FOR FEBRUARY

Following are Marvel Comics' solicitations for February, with information coming from the company.

MARVEL HEROES TITLES

FANTASTIC FOUR #40

Written by Carlos Pacheco and Jeph Loeb, art by Pacheco and Jesus Merino, cover by Pacheco.

The Fantastic Four gets trapped in the Negative Zone-but which teammate gets stranded behind? And who are the Nega-Explorers? Plus: after months of scheming, the Gideon Board finally makes their move.

32 pages, $2.25.

FANTASTIC FOUR'S BIG TOWN #4

Written by Steve Englehart, art and cover by Mike McKone and Mark McKenna.

It's the 48-paged conclusion to the new What If? adventure. What will Reed Richards choose: his invention-or the people that use it? Meanwhile, the family of the Human Torch faces their destiny. Plus: the Avengers vs. Magneto and the Brotherhood.

48 pages, $3.50.

THOR #34

Written by Dan Jurgens, art by Andy Kubert and Scott Hanna, cover by Kubert.

The god of thunder vs. the man of tomorrow. Possessed of powers and abilitites far beyond those of normal man, he's come to Earth-to kill the mighty Thor. Who is this strange visitor and what is his connection to another time-lost foe of the Asgardian Avenger?

32 pages, $2.25.

BLACK PANTHER #29

Written by Christopher Priest, art and cover by Sal Velluto and Bob Almond.

It's the catastrophic conclusion to "Sturm Und Drang: A Story Of Love And War!" With Wakanda on the brink of destruction-and the world on the edge of global conflict-the Black Panther battles to the death with his greatest enemy: Klaw, master of sound! Meanwhile, the fate of the world-and possibly the universe-rests on the narrow shoulders of... Everett K. Ross?

32 pages, $2.50.

DEFENDERS #2

Written by Erik Larsen and Kurt Busiek, art by Larsen and Klaus Janson, cover by Larsen and Janson.

The Hulk, Namor, Silver Surfer and Dr. Strange, Why have Marvel's most powerful malcontents formed a team? Tempers flare and fists fly as The Defenders learn the truth about what's brought them together. Plus: a long-time ally returns in a most unexpected way.

32 pages, $2.99 (second cover by Art Adams).

IRON MAN #39

Written by Frank Tieri, art by Alitha Martinez and Mark Pennington, cover by Martinez.

Virtual insanity! Tony Stark squares off in a mental match against our mystery villain! But how will he fare without the firepower of his famed armor?

32 pages, $2.25.

CAPTAIN AMERICA #40

Written, cover and art by Dan Jurgens.

The secret director of the terrorist cult known as A.I.M. goes on trial-but will Captain America be able to bring this criminal mastermind to justice? And in doing so will he forever ruin his life as Steve Rogers?

32 pages, $2.25.

CAPTAIN MARVEL #16

Written by Peter David, art and cover by Chriscross and Anibal Rodriguez.

The Psycho-Man is unleashed on Earth, How can Captain Marvel hope to defeat him when the psychotic one is protected by Genis's ultimate enemy, Fredd: Captain Marvel's Evil Twin Clone Future Self From Another Dimension?

32 pages, $2.50.

FANTASTIC FOUR: THE WORLD'S GREATEST COMIC MAGAZINE #3

By Erik Larsen, Keith Giffen, Ron Frenz, Tom DeFalco, Joe Sinnott and others, cover by Michael Golden.

Continuing Marvel's celebration of the Fantastic Four's 40th Anniversary. Who is the evil genius behind the recent attacks on the FF? If Namor and the Kree Sentry weren't enough, now our fab foursome must contend with the X-Men, Spider-Man, Dr. Strange and the mutant-hunting Sentinels.

32 pages, $2.99.

INCREDIBLE HULK #25

Written by Paul Jenkins, art and cover by John Romita Jr.

It's a no-holds-barred, all-out battle between the Hulk and his hated dark twin, the Abomination. The green goliath has been aimed like a gun at the man-monster responsible for the death of his wife -- and General "Thunderbolt" Ross just pulled the trigger. Now two gamma-spawned titans clash in a war that will destroy a town, ravage a landscape-and climax in a masterpiece of revenge.

48 pages, $2.99.

THUNDERBOLTS #49

Written by Fabian Nicieza, art by Patrick Zircher and Greg Adams, cover by Mark Bagley and Al Vey.

Revealed: the face of Scourge, Plus: the truth about Jolt's death and the conspiracies that have plagued the T-Bolts come to light,

32 pages, $2.25.

AVENGERS #39

Written by Kurt Busiek, art by Alan Davis and Mark Farmer, cover by Davis.

There's trouble in Greece -- of the gamma-irradiated kind. And as the new Avengers jet off to save the day, reservist Silverclaw comes face to face with the instigator behind the avalanche of green rage.

32 pages, $1.99.

DEADPOOL #51

Written by Jimmy Palmiotti, art by Darick Robertson and Jon Holdredge, cover by Robertson.

Featuring Kid Deadpool, the Sensational Character Find of 2001. School's in session, and the Merc-with-a-Mouth's the teacher. Will Wade's lessons fall on deaf ears-or will they have deadly consequences for Deadpool himself?

32 pages, $2.25.

FANTASTIC FOUR: THE FANTASTIC FOURTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD

Written by Chris Claremont, art and cover by Pasucal Ferry.

It's swords, sorcery and super heroics with the fabulous Fantastic Four --and the legendary adventurer Sinbad. Join the Thing, Invisible Woman, Mr. Fantastic and the Human Torch as they travel through the mystical realm of Sinbad in order to gather four amazing artifacts. But that's easier said than done when facing the Hydra, the Rukh and the menace of Mogul, tyrant extraordinaire.

48 pages, $5.95.

UNIVERSE X #7

Written by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger, art by Doug Braithwaite, cover by Ross.

The strange saga of Marvel's alternate future continues. On the surface of the moon, Thor, Captain Marvel, the Hulk and the X-Men confront the Supreme Intelligence! Meanwhile, back on Earth, Reed Richards and Castle Doom are beseiged by Immortus' mutant army.

32 pages, $3.50.

ESSENTIAL AVENGERS #3

Written by Roy Thomas, art by John Buscema.

Captain America, the Wasp, Hawkeye, Hercules, Iron Man and Thor assemble to face a tidal wave of villains including Magneto, the Grim Reaper, the Collector, the Masters of Evil, the Scarlet Centurian, the Circus of Crime and Ultron. Reprinting Avengers #47-68 and Avengers Annual #2 --this collection also continues the first appearance of Yellowjacket, the transformation of Hawkeye into Goliath, the 1st appearance of Black Panther as an Avenger, and the wedding of Janet van Dyne and Hank Pym! Plus: the 1st appearance of the Vision.

528 pages, black and white, $14.95.

MARVEL KNIGHTS TITLES

HULK SMASH #2

Written by Garth Ennis, art by John McCrea, painted cover by Kevin Nowlan.

What hope do mere mortal men have against the most powerful creature to ever walk the planet? Learn the answer as Ennis and McCrea look into the minds of the soldiers given the unlucky order of facing the green goliath.

32 pages, $2.99.

DAREDEVIL/SPIDER-MAN #4

Written by Paul Jenkins, art by Phil Winslade and Tom Palmer, cover by Alex Ross.

The web-slinger and the Man Without Fear square off with the unholy mastermind behind the Gang of Four. Plus: What has the Black Widow uncovered about the Kingpin?

32 pages, $2.99.

DAREDEVIL #17

Written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by David Mack, cover by Joe Quesada and Mack.

Reporter Ben Urich attempts to uncover the secret of a young boy named Timmy -- but what he finds instead are answers that only produce more troubling questions.

32 pages, $2.99.

MARVEL KNIGHTS #10

Written by Chuck Dixon, art by Eduardo Barreto and Nelson DeCastro, cover by Joe Quesada.

Ride along with the Punisher on the trip readers never thought he'd take -- to the slammer. Will Frank Castle pay for his crimes? Or will he use his "Get out of jail free" card? And speaking of rides, Dagger and the Black Widow discover that they no longer have one when Natasha's car is stolen-the trouble is, the car was made by S.H.I.E.L.D.

32 pages, $2.99.

SPIDER-MAN TITLES

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #6

Written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Mark Bagley and Art Thibert, cover by Bagley.

History is made as the spanking new web-slinger takes on his first super-villain: the Green Goblin. Norman Osborn strikes against Spider-Man as only he can! Publisher J. Jonah Jameson takes a sudden interest in the young hero. Plus: Peter Parker spins his very first web.

32 pages, $2.25.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #28

Written by Howard Mackie, art by John Romita Jr., cover by Romita and Scott Hanna.

A gangland war explodes as the new Enforcers strike against the major crime bosses of the Big Apple. Meanwhile, everyone is trying to set Peter Parker up on a blind date. But with the town in flames, is now really the best time for the web-slinger to hit the dating scene?

32 pages, $2.25.

SPIDER-GIRL #31

Written by Tom DeFalco, art and cover by Pat Olliffe and Al Williamson.

Spider-Girl vs. Tony Stark and the Avengers? But why? What does this fight between friends have to do with The Buzz? And who are the mystery villains who appear in this all-out action issue?

32 pages, $2.25.

ULTIMATE MARVEL: SPIDER-MAN & WOLVERINE #1

Written by Brian Michael Bendis, art and painted cover by Matt Wagner.

Canadian agents-led by Sabretooth-follow the wild man named Wolverine from the pages of Ultimate X-Men straight to New York City, the hometown of the teenaged sensation known as Spider-Man. That's right, the ultimate encounter between comics' biggest stars starts right here,

48 pages, $2.99.

SPIDER-MAN: LIFELINE #1

Written by Fabian Nicieza, art by Steve Rude and Bob Wiacek, painted cover by Rude.

The players: two crimebosses scrambling after an ancient stone tablet. It's promise: unlimited power. Their unwilling ally in their deadly quest: Curt Conners, a.k.a. the Lizard. And caught in the fray: none other than Spider-Man.

32 pages, $2.99.

PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN #28

Written by Paul Jenkins, art by Mark Buckingham and Dan Green, cover by Kaare Andrews.

Last issue the city went wild in the grip of electrical haywire. This issue Spider-Man enters the lair of the villain responsible -- only to discover an even bigger horror.

32 pages, $2.25.

SPIDER-MAN: LIFELINE #2

Written by Fabian Nicieza, art by Steve Rude and Bob Wiacek, painted cover by Rude.

Dr. Strange, The Lizard, Hammerhead, The Eel, Boomerang, a mystical artifact and a certain wise-cracking wall-crawler. Mix them all together and what do you get? A Spidey adventure sure to thrill veteran and new readers alike.

32 pages, $2.99.

X-MEN TITLES

EXCALIBUR: SWORD OF POWER #3

Written by Ben Raab, art by Pablo Raimondi and Jason Martin, cover by Raimondi.

Captain Britain returns in a tale of furious fantasy in the Mighty Marvel Manner. The only thing that stands between the evil goddess Roma's total domination of reality is the sword of might, Excalibur. Can Brian Braddock, Psylocke and the Black Knight reclaim it in time?

32 pages, $2.99.

MUTANT X #30

Written by Howard Mackie, art by Ron Lim and Andrew Pepoy, cover by Michael Golden.

Revealed: the secrets of Captain America. Why did the super soldier leave Earth's Mightiest Heroes-and why can't he return? Find out when The Six collide with the Avengers,

32 pages, $2.25.

UNCANNY X-MEN #391

Written by Scott Lobdell, art and cover by Salvador Larroca.

A popular character returns to the X-Mansion -- but who? And is the team he or she comes back to the same?

32 pages, $2.25.

X-MEN: THE HIDDEN YEARS #17

Written by John Byrne, art by Byrne and Tom Palmer, cover by Byrne.

Kraven the Hunter has new prey: Hank McKoy, a.k.a. the Beast. Can anything come between the hunter and his quarry?

32 pages, $2.50.

CABLE #90

Written by Robert Weinberg, art and cover by Michael Ryan.

As Cable questions his place in the X-Men, the Dark Sisterhood plots a holy war-with Nathan Summers at its bloody center.

32 pages, $2.25.

GAMBIT & BISHOP:SONS OF THE ATOM #3

Written by Scott Lobdell, art by Georges Jeanty and Sean Parsons, cover by J.H. Williams III and Mick Gray.

The time-tossed warrior and the ragin' Cajun have been exiled from the X-Men -- but even in their darkest hour, why would these two heroes harbor one of their deadliest enemies?

32 pages, $2.25.

GENERATION X #74

Written by Brian Wood, art by Steve Pugh, cover by Art Adams.

"Four Days," part four of four. The spotlight swings right on Husk-too bad she's trapped in the dark! While the rest of Generation X are out of town, Paige Guthrie is cooped up in the Academy, geeking out over the new security system. But when that system goes on alert, Husk finds herself trapped and at the mercy of the program itself.

32 pages, $2.25.

BLINK #3

Written by Scott Lobdell, art by Trevor McCarthy, cover by Andy Kubert.

Is Blink in love? Lost in the Negative Zone, young Clarice finds herself cut off from everyone she care for-and in the arms of another! But even as these two young lovers come together, they are faced with a legion of enemies-and an unholy alliance that could destroy the Age of Apocalypse.

32 pages, $2.99.

ULTMATE X-MEN #3

Written by Mark Millar, art by Adam Kubert and Art Thibert, cover by Kubert.

Tempers within the X-Men flare as the Master of Magnetism strikes. Readers met him last issue, but who is the mutant known as Wolverine? What is Weapon X? And why is Cyclops so suspicious of him? As Professor X struggles to stop his fledgling team from exploding, the terrorist known as Magneto lauches his greatest assault on the human race.

32 pages, $2.25.

X-MEN #74

Written by Steven Grant, art and cover by Ariel Olivett.

The chilling conclusion to "Fearful Symmetries." The god-like Qabiri has been marching through realities, destroying all Earths he deems inferior. Will the mutant shaman let him trash the world? What if Nate doesn't have the power to take down this wrecker of worlds?

32 pages, $2.25.

X-MEN #111

Written by Scott Lobdell, art by Leinil Yu and Mark Morales, cover by Yu.

Why have Magneto's forces doubled overnight? What's happened to the Legacy Virus? And why is the world teetering on the edge of a genetic war? Find out as we examine human/mutant tensions through the lens of television reporter Trish Tilby.

32 pages, $2.25.

GAMBIT & BISHOP: SONS OF THE ATOM #4

Written by Scott Lobdell, art by Cary Nord and Mark Lipka, cover by J.H. Williams III and Mick Gray.

The X-Men have faced many surprises over the years, but none as shocking as the one that Bishop and Gambit discover in this issue.

32 pages, $2.25.

WOLVERINE #161

Written by Frank Tieri, art and cover by Sean Chen.

The final confrontation with Mr. X, How can Wolverine defeat an enemy who anticipates his every move? How can Logan beat a foe that revels in spilled blood-both his own and others'? Plus: Sabretooth strikes a deal with an old acquaintance -- but who?

32 pages, $2.25.

X-MEN FOREVER #4

Written by Fabian Nicieza, art and cover by Kevin Maguire.

In the footsteps of Avengers Forever, a motley crew of mutants fight to save reality.What's more bizarre: the possibility that your entire life is the experiment of some hidden entity-or the fact that the fate of the universe rests in the humble hands of the Toad?

32 pages, $3.50.

X-MEN UNIVERSE #17

This issue reprints X-Men #106 and Wolverine #152 -- along with informative character bios and story summaries. 80 pages, $3.99.

X-FORCE #113

Written by Ian Edginton, art and cover by Whilce Portacio.

"Rage War," part four of four. X-Force takes on the entire Russian army. At stake: the children of the revolution-superhuman by-products for a forgotten weapons program.

32 pages, $2.25.

RAY PARK AS IRON FIST?

John Turman has signed to write the Iron Fist live-action movie at Artisan Entertainment, and sources told The Continuum that Ray Park is in talks to play Danny Rand/Iron Fist.

Park, who played Toad in X-Men and Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, hinted at the recent Wizard World convention that he might have another comics-inspired role coming up.

"I don't want to jinx myself," Park said. "There are a few things, a few things comics-based, but we'll see."

An action-oriented character like Iron Fist would seem tailored to Park's career goals.

"I want to use more of my skills," Park said. "That's the reason I started martial arts to work in movies and show my skills off in movies. I will in the future."

Park said he also would like to return in the X-Men sequel, which might again be directed by Bryan Singer.

"I liked Bryan and it was nice working with him," Park said. "It was a good experience. I learned a lot from working on X-Men, from the other actors as well, and I gained a lot of experience. I'd love to work with him again."

Turman has an extensive background in the comics-to-film world. He was a writer/story editor on The Crow: Stairway to Heaven television series and has worked on drafts of the Hulk, Silver Surfer and Prime movie scripts in the last six years.

Turman is also an avid martial artist and a long-time comics fan.

Marvel and Artisan entered a 15-character agreement last May for both television and feature-film development.

X-TITLE CANCELLATIONS BEGIN

John Byrne confirmed on his America Online message board Tuesday night that X-Men: The Hidden Years is among several X-Men books being canceled.

"Hidden Years, and a lot of other X-Books (all of which are profitable), are being axed," Byrne wrote. "Joe Quesada was not able to give me any sort of reason that made sense -- killing profitable books in a failing market? -- so, since I have no interest in devoting my time and effort to a company apparently intent on committing suicide, my relationship with Marvel is over."

No announcements from Marvel came on Tuesday about books being canceled.

"If any decisions were made, I think it's best that the creators find out first," Marvel's Bill Rosemann said later Tuesday afternoon. "Word will spread at the appropriate time."

Two titles rumored on the block remain Cable and Generation X. Asked if they had heard on Tuesday if their books were gone, here's what respective writers Robert Weinberg and Brian Wood said:

Weinberg: "I didn't hear a word."

Wood: "Not a thing."

If Generation X is canceled, sources told The Continuum that Generation X #75 will be the final issue.

Look for more on this story here in The Continuum as developments merit.

MAGUIRE TALKS SPIDER-MAN ON TONIGHT SHOW

Tobey Maguire, star of the upcoming Spider-Man movie, appeared on NBC's The Tonight Show on Tuesday night and talked about some of his preparations for the film.

Promoting the re-release of Wonder Boys, Maguire told host Jay Leno about some of the castings that he had to make for Spider-Man.

Here's the exchange:

Maguire: "I did a thing recently where they did a head cast on me."

Leno: "Now, what do you mean a head cast?"

Maguire: "They pour this stuff over your head and shoulders."

Leno: "Oh, to make like a mask?"

Maguire: "Yeah, it's like the dental stuff where they do impressions of your teeth, that's the material. So they put it over my head, and all I have is two little nose holes. And that's it. No eyes. No mouth. The whole thing's over my head and shoulders. They put one layer, and they let it harden. Then they put on another layer and then they put plaster cast on over that."

Leno: "How long we talking, three minutes, 10 minutes, an hour?"

Maguire: "Like a half hour. Total process, half hour. But when the plaster cast hardens, it heats up, so it gets hard and hot and heavy."

Leno: "The girls are going, 'Wooo!' I think they're watching another show."

Maguire: "And I kind of freaked out there and had the guys take it off of me."

Leno: "What do you do? Do you have to break it off?"

Maguire: "I was going, (starts waving arms)."

Leno: "Did they do a body cast as well?"

Maguire: "They did a body cast as well and that wasn't much better. Because that was just plaster cast and I have a lot of hair on my legs. When they took it off, it hurt."

Leno: "Appreciate women a little more now? So, they made a cast of your body, so somewhere, someone has a cast of your body?"

Maguire: "Yeah."

Leno: "That could show up somewhere."

Maguire: "It could. It could. I hadn't thought of that."

Maguire earlier related a story where he tried to escort a grasshopper out of his home.

"I'm doing Spider-Man in January, so I was thinking, 'Spiders are comfortable with insects, I should try to deal with this myself,'" Maguire. "To try to psych myself up."

After twice trying to pick up the grasshopper by hand, Maguire resorted to a cup and a piece of paper. "I decided to work on that part of my character another day," Maguire said.

Maguire also talked about working with Rodney Dangerfield, his new moustache and Wonder Boys.

NEW STATIC SHOCK EPISODE

"The New Kid," a new episode of Static Shock, will air Saturday at 11 a.m. (ET) on Kids' WB!

"'The New Kid' deals with science whiz Virgil being sent to a school for gifted students," Static Shock story editor Chris Simmons told The Continuum. "The school is funded by billionaire Alva, which should be Virgil's first clue that he shouldn't attend. But attend he does, and immediately works on a fantastic robotics project, not realizing that the robot is a sentry specifically designed to locate -- and destroy --- Static.

"The episode introduces Specs and Trapper, a pair of snooty, older genius teens who are Alva's proteges. Also in this episode, Daisy Watkins, a character from the Milestone comic, makes her first regular appearance. She's a student at the genius school, too. When she and Virgil meet, there's a spark between them."

Static Shock will be preempted on Saturday, Nov. 25.

FIRST LOOK - THE COFFIN #2

The Coffin #2 ships on Wednesday from Oni Press. The issue is by Phil Hester and Mike Huddleston.

Here's how Oni describes the book:

"In order to save his life, scientist Ashar Ahmad has become the guinea pig for his greatest experiment-a suit that can house the human soul even after the body has died. Unfortunately, the actual way the suit works is a mystery to Ashar, and he suddenly finds himself in a strange limbo between the real world and the spirit world, trying to find his way back to a reality he can understand. Is the devil that tempts him a true demon or a product of his own disconnected mind? And will Ashar find out in time before his greatest enemy's undead assassin can find him?"

The Coffin #2 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.95.

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