Marvel Mini-Comics free Comic Book Day 2009

These images are copyright © 2009 Marvel Comics and are used as Fair Use Review images only. Image will be removed upon request of Marvel Comics.


Last Saturday was FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2009 and there were some good things being given away this year. Among the most interesting were Marvel Comics two titles Wolverine and The Avengers. I read both of the issues this week and was happy they were both new comics the Wolverine was a retelling of his origin and seemed geared to a younger audience while the Avengers was a completely new story featuring the Avengers vs. the Dark Avengers vs. the Frost Giant Ymir. That was a fun story and I hope that it makes its way into future Avengers books and they left the ending open for such a story to happen.

The main thing about these comics are that they are smaller than normal comics by about 1/2 inch wide and about 3/4 of an inch in height. Now the thing is this doesn't bother me at all mostly we all want bigger comics to view the artwork but in the world we live in where everything is so expensive I think this format could make comics cheaper. I hope that Marvel and DC Comics try to experiment more with this maybe put out a few titles in the smaller format and see if it catches on. There would be less paper cost on the printing end and they still look great. I know some fans will rebel because the comics wont match their collections but if you put them in the same bags an boards you wouldn't even know the difference. I know that Marvel did this because they had to sell these comics to the stores cheaper than normal and that they had to cut their cost so that they wouldn't lose money in doing so. I personally think that they have stumbled upon something that can save everyone some money and make comics a little more afforable for everyone.


-Kevin P. Johnson
Copyright © 2009 Kevin P. Johnson

Secret Invasion #2

This image is copyright © 2008 Marvel Comics and is used as Fair Use Review images only. Image will be removed upon request of Marvel Comics.

Secret Invasion #2
Cover Price: $2.99
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Major Characters: SKRULLS, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Hawkeye/Ronin, Wolverine, Mokingbird, Luke Cage, Vision, Sentry, Ms. Marvel, Ares, Captain America, many character doubles

WHO DO YOU TRUST!

Man I just don't know and I am giving warning that I am spoiling some of this so if you have not read it you better stop reading this!

SKRULLS! SKRULLS! SKRULLS!

So in issue #1 a bunch of old school 70s and 80s style heroes jumped off of a crashed SKRULL ship. In issue #2 all hell breaks lose and Avengers old and new break out into battle. Its unclear who is a Skrull and who isn't (thats what they wanted right) so the battle breaks out and Ares is telling the Avengers that we know in todays comics to leave because this isn't the right fight to be involved in but the fight happens anyway and some of the pieces start to fall into place.

Several of the characters from the Skrull ship are revealed as Skrulls when they are killed in the fight or by the giant T-Rex that rips through the middle of the fray (Savage Land Style). Spider-Man & Hawkeye + dead = skrulls. I think some of the 70s/80s characters are going to be who they say they are. Emma Frost is shot with an arrow and is bleeding red blood (do skrulls have red blood?) and I anm going on record saying that I believe Mockingbird is the real deal.

In the 80's I was a huge fan of the West Coast Avengers and I loved Hawkeye and Mockingbirds relationship and really wished that they had not killed her off. I want these two back together almost as much as I want Spider-Man and Mary Jane back. I always found it interesting to have married heroes no matter what Joe Quesada thinks. I think Clint Bartons little test of what "October 12th" is one of those things that always works in the movies and it has to work here please Mr. Bendis for me let ths be the real Mockingbird and Hawkeye, please, please, please.

Anyway it ends up with a load of Skrulls descending on Manhattan looking like skrulls but dressed as a load of Avengers and X-Men with what looks like armor instead of spandex.

Francis Lenil Yu again does a nice job on the art and I am ready to read some of the comics that I get that tie-in to this series.

- Kevin P. Johnson

Copyright © 2008 Kevin P. Johnson