This was a free preview book, very similar (and probably a continuation of) the other one I read recently that had a look at some of the smaller titles being launched under the Marvel Now! banner, basically Marvel's version of DC's New 52 from the fall of 2011.
Here're some thoughts on what Marvel's rolling out these days:
New Avengers
This is from Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting. Hickman is known as one of the more cerebral writers working in comics today. His run on Fantastic Four (and spin-off FF, short for Future Foundation) pushed one of Marvel's signature teams deeper into its roots as a family of scientists. New Avengers looks to be typically expansive, with some good material chosen for this preview, a good idea of the scope Hickman will once again be employing. Interestingly, the pages with Epting employ Reed Richards (otherwise known as Mr. Fantastic) and Black Panther, two superheroes not normally identified with the Avengers, which carries on the tradition Brian Michael Bendis began with this particular title.
Cable and X-Force
What's funny about this one is that it's another preview of this series, although in the far more conventional sense than the one starring Forge from the last preview book. I still with the series were more like my first impression of it. Also, seems like another of the unfortunate blending of Avengers and X-Men adventures Marvel seems to keen on following Avengers vs. X-Men. Seriously, you can keep these franchises separated.
Avengers Arena
What's funnier is that Marvel keeps relegating its newest characters to titles like this. I mean, it keeps them around, but they become so anonymous, is it really just to keep them active? Because you're otherwise doing them a huge disservive. X-23, who at one point was hyped as one of the company's hottest new creations (she's basically a female Wolverine), is here. Here's a clue, Marvel: This never works. Stop doing it.
Thunderbolts
After becoming a sensation when they first appeared, the Thunderbolts quickly devolved into one of Marvel's attempts to duplicate DC's Suicide Squad (a pattern it inexplicably keeps duplicating in the X-Men franchise as well). This is the latest incarnation. Change the membership all you want. Maybe this one will even work! But you're just making all of your teams extremely interchangeable, no matter how different each of them seem in the pitch. But this one also features Punisher and artist Steve Dillon. If you squint, it may actually feel like a Punisher book.
Superior Spider-Man
This one explains itself, although the funny thing is that the thing everyone knows about this series was still being kept shrouded in mystery was the preview pages for this were chosen.
Young Avengers
Another series that was previewed in the other preview I read, this particular preview is baffling. It's not even a preview. It's an ad.
Morbius the Living Vampire
This is not even the first time in recent years that Marvel has attempted to revive its vampire presence. This is just the latest effort in a very recent tradition of trying. The preview is really just a preview of the art, a rough look at the pages as they looked at the time of publication for this book.
Savage Wolverine
The latest ongoing series for Wolverine looks like Marvel's latest mainstream version of an indy book. This is not a bad thing. The more diverse perspectives the mainstream publishers use, the better comics as a whole will be. As the title may nor may not suggest to you, at least in its initial arc, Wolverine is in the Savage Land.
Nothing to get too excited about here. Hickman practically sells himself at this point, but he's another indy element still selling himself on the mainstream. Still, I will never complain about free comics.
Sounds fascinating. Not.
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