Book picks similar to
Defenders: There Are No Rules by Al Ewing


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marvel
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The Thing: Idol of Millions


Dan Slott - 2006
    Join Ben Grimm and his pals as they clobber their way through the Marvel Universe! Spinning out of events from 'Fantastic Four', the idol of millions is now worth billions - but will big bucks make a Rockefeller out of this rocky fella?

The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys: National Anthem #1


Gerard Way - 2020
    

Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff


Andrew Hussie - 2013
    It feels good in your hands: a true work of art, a collector’s dream.But then you notice something wrong. There’s a stain on the cover. And it is there on purpose. It’s a coffee ring printed onto the cover with gloss laminate.This book, the debut effort by cult cartoonist Dave Strider, was realized with the help of a dedicated team of experienced artists. KC Green (gunshowcomic.com), John Keogh (lucid-tv.com), and David Malki ! (wondermark.com) served as designers. Homestuck creator Andrew Hussie (mspaintadventures.com) served as consultant.Since the days of Gutenberg, publishers have tried to marry form with content in pleasing and impressive ways. And while there have been fancy books, and there have been bad books, never before in the history of the codex have the two been mismatched in so dramatic and pointless a fashion. Like a wrench torquing a bolt too hard and shearing off its head, so too does Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff completely and irrevocably break the notion of the printed book.The online comic strip “Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff” follows a handful of friends who get up to nonsensical hijinks. This is in the rare cases when it makes any sense at all. It is universally acknowledged as the worst comic strip ever created.The book Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff lavishly presents the comic’s entire run in a treatment worthy of the highest masters of the form. It contains a completely gratuitous 4-page centerfold reading simply “centaurfold” in bright pink type.Scattered throughout the book are perforated business-reply cards taking the form of irredeemable Subway coupons (a first for comic strip collections). Each copy of the book also comes with a “travel version” (a removable poster of all the book’s pages in grid format); a custom commemorative coin (randomly chosen from 4 designs struck); an oversized plastic paperclip imprinted with the word “paperclop”; and an animated lenticular bookmark. Bound into the spine is a red ribbon approximately three feet long, and if you scratch the nacho chip sticker on the back cover, it smells faintly of pizza. (The hologram sticker of Tony Hawk smells only of chemicals.)

Spider-Gwen Collection, Vol. 2


Jason Latour - 2018
    Gwen Stacy has lost her spider-powers! Which makes this a very bad time to fi nd herself in Frank Castle's crosshairs! So when the Mary Janes head to a haunted house, will Gwen be along for the fun, or will she be one of the ghosts? Thanksgiving should be a happy time with friends and family - unless crime lord Matt Murdock and his ninjas crash the party! Is it time for Gwen to put a stop to the Kingpin of Crime - or does Matt have a thing or two to teach her? Plus, the Mary Janes get loud and Gwen spends some time with her ever-expanding social circle - including Captain America! She-Hulk?! Her BPFF (best pig friend forever) Spider-Ham! And her new body-swapping bud, the All-New Wolverine! COLLECTING: SPIDER-GWEN (2015B) 7-15, SPIDER-GWEN ANNUAL 1, ALL-NEW WOLVERINE ANNUAL 1

Penance: Relentless


Paul Jenkins - 2008
    As Penance, he begins a slow descent into madness: the most hated man in America, blamed for the disaster at Stamford, tortured by visions of his failure, and obsessed with strange, seemingly meaningless numbers. A relentless pursuit begins.

Falcon & Winter Soldier #1


Derek Landy - 2020
    A gifted new killer. Two ex-Captain Americas...When a dramatic attempt on the life of Bucky Barnes reunites him with Sam Wilson, the two old friends are plunged headlong into a race to uncover the new leader of Hydra before a mass casualty event announces the terror group’s resurgence to the world. The clock is ticking...Derek Landy (BLACK ORDER, SECRET EMPIRE: UPRISING) and Federico Vicentini (ABSOLUTE CARNAGE: MILES MORALES) team up for a pulse-pounding action spectacular!

Sock Monkey: The Glass Doorknob


Tony Millionaire - 2002
    Sock Monkey And The Other Toys Marvel At The Prismatic Spectrum On The Parlour Floor, Coming From The Glass Door Knob. Winter Turns To Spring, And The Apple Tree Sprouts New Leaves, Casting A Warm Green Shadow On The Door. The Door Knob Seems To Be Broken, Ending The Light Show, Until Mr Crow Plans To End The Door Knob With Scientific Techniques.

Transformers


Bob Budiansky - 1985
    The Autobots are reformatted by the Ark to resemble cars and trucks; the Decepticons take the form of jets, weapons or in the case of Soundwave, a cassette deck with tapes.The Decepticons wreak havoc, steal energy and build a fortress. The Autobots, seen here as very weak underdogs, unsuited for war, fight valiantly to stop their foes.Ultimately, it's the humans that the Autobots befriend that save the day. Buster Witwicky's dad, captured by the Decepticons to formulate a fuel for them, secretly poisons his captors.In the final battle, five Autobots take on the entire Decepticon army. On the cusp of defeat, the tainted fuel concocted by Mr. Witwicky kicks in and the Decepticons fall.The Autobots don't even have time to celebrate, however, as the 4-part mini-series ends with Shockwave making an appearance, blowing the remaining Autobots to pieces. This cliffhanger led directly into the monthly Marvel run, which began 3 months after the miniseries ended. (Issue #4 had a cover date of Mar. 1985; issue #5 had a date of June.)Starting with issue 5, The Transformers had more drastic changes. Before reaching its 30th issue, both Optimus Prime and Megatron had been killed off to make way for newer characters.Starting in issue 35 (cover-dated December, 1987), the events became less Earth-centric, as the Transformers repaired their spacecraft and were able to revisit their homeworld Cybertron and other planets. This aspect was particularly prominent in the Matrix Quest sub-plot.In issue 75 (cover-dated February, 1991), the Autobots and Decepticons had united under one banner after Autobot commander Optimus Prime surrendered to Scorponok, in order to end their civil war. United, they finally faced their ancient nemesis: Unicron. The Transformers won, but with heavy losses, including the deaths of Scorponok and Optimus Prime (again). Peace between the two Transformers factions was shortlived after Unicron's death. Bludgeon, the new Decepticon leader, tried to strand the Autobots on Cybertron, which was apparently destroying itself. His plan failed and the final confrontation between the two factions played out, with the Autobots lead again by Grimlock. Optimus Prime is united with Hi-Q (his Powermaster) and given life by The Last Autobot. He returns to battle to save the Autobots and then exiles the Decepticons forever (until Transformers: Generation 2). After the battle with Unicron, the comic ran for only five issues before being cancelled. The final issue had the mini series banner above the title; "#80 IN A FOUR ISSUE LIMITED SERIES".Most of the issues of Transformers Marvel US were written by two writers. Although the first four issues were written by Jim Salicrup, editor Bob Budiansky was the one who contributed the most to the story, writing the character bios and backgrounds for the Transformers, even giving names to some of them. After the mini-series became an ongoing comic, Budiansky was promoted to constant writer. Except for issue #16 (Plight of the Bumblebee, written by Len Kaminski), issue #43 (The big broadcast of 2006, a Transformers cartoon episode adaptation by Ralph Macchio) and the two-part story Man of Iron (imported from Transformers Marvel UK), Bob wrote all the Transformers comics until issue #55.Most famous story arcs and issues are Warrior's school featuring the introduction of the Dinobots and the first clash between Autobot medic Ratchet and Megatron; Prime Time! when Optimus Prime is finally freed from captivity and battles current Decepticon commander Shockwave; Smelting Pool and The Bridge to Nowhere brought the story back to Cybertron where only a handful of Autobots fight an underground war against Straxus's Decepticons, also introducing Blaster, Budiansky's most-used character who was radically different from his cartoon and Marvel UK version. Afterdeath and Gone but not forgotten saw the deaths (for a while, anyway) of Optimus Prime and Megatron, after which Grimlock took control of the Autobot forces in King of the Hill. Starting at issue #28, Blaster and Goldbug (a rebuilt Bumblebee) defected from the Autobots due to Grimlock tyrannical leadership, which ended with Grimlock and Blaster having a duel in Totaled. The next issue, People Power saw the return of Optimus Prime, as a Powermaster. The "Underbase saga" began in issue #47 and ended in issue #50, Dark Star, where Starscream, absorbing the power of the Underbase, kills most of the active Transformers of the time. (Budiansky admitted in an interview that Hasbro was forcing him to introduce new characters so quickly, he had to do an epic to "make room" for them.) Budiansky's last 5 stories were very mediocre, he himself said that he lost the interest in Transformers, and asked Hasbro to hand over the comics to a new writer.From issue #56, the by then well-known writer of Transformers Marvel UK, Simon Furman took over the reins, having been asked by Marvel US. Furman used the characterisation he used at Marvel UK for the Transformers, and introduced many characters to the US comic who have already appeared in the UK comic. He wrote all the issues until the comic's cancellation at issue #80.Furmnan's most famous story arcs include Back from the Dead, the return of Megatron who kidnaps Ratchet to help him in his revenge against both Autobots and Decepticons; Primal Scream! which introduced Primus and re-told the origin of the Transformer race to the US readers too; the "Matrix Quest" which features the Autobots sending numerous teams to locate the Matrix that was lost when Optimus "died" and his body was shot into space; and the Unicron story arc from #67 to #75, featuring the Transformers' ultimate battle against the Chaos Bringer.Sadly the comic was cancelled shortly after issue #75, so Furman had to "wrap up" the ending. According to some interviews with him, he planned to feature the Neo-Knights and the "demons" inhabiting Cybertron's underground more in the never-written issues

Enter The House of Slaughter #0


James Tynion IV - 2021
    if you dare.

Daredevil: Love's Labors Lost


Dennis O'Neil - 2002
    Daredevil and those closest to him are forced to face the bitter sting of heartbreak in all its forms as new relationships blossom, old loves fade away, and tragedy takes its toll amid a globe-spanning super-hero epic stretching from the swamps of New Jersey to the shores of Venice.

Taskmaster: The Rubicon Trigger


Jed Mackay - 2021
    bigwig Maria Hill! Or at least that's what the whole world thinks, as an elaborate frame-job places the Taskmaster square in the crosshairs. Now the greatest spies in the business are hunting him down, and they won't stop until the Taskmaster is dead - or manages to clear his own name! But with a laundry list of enemies longer than his arm, will anyone stop to listen to Taskmaster's side of the story? Join the Marvel Universe's deadliest hand-to-hand mercenary on a globe-spanning adventure that will send ripples through every corner of the Marvel Universe's espionage community! COLLECTING: TASKMASTER (2020) 1-5

Giant-Size Little Marvel: AvX #1


Skottie Young - 2015
    Featuring all your favorites including: Cyclops, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Wolverine! They're all there, just shorter! Skottie Young brings out the big guns in the series fans have been waiting for!

The Totally Awesome Hulk #1


Greg PakMahmud Asrar
    There's a brand new Hulk in town, and his name is Amadeus Cho! Get ready for the craziest Hulk story of the millennium as a kid genius decides he's gonna be the best Hulk ever- and just possibly brings the entire Marvel Universe crashing down into chaos!

The Vision


Tom King - 2018
    The place where he first rebelled against his given destiny and imagined that he could be more - that he could be a man.There, he builds them. A wife, Virginia. Teenage twins, Viv and Vin. They look like him. They have his powers. They share his grandest ambition - or is that obsession? - the unrelenting need to be ordinary. Behold the Visions! Theirs is a story of togetherness and tragedy - one that will send the Android Avenger into a devastating confrontation with Earth's Mightiest Heroes.COLLECTING: VISION #1-12

Taskmaster: Unthinkable


Fred Van Lente - 2011
    So when the rumor starts that he's turned traitor and now works for Steve Rogers, a billion-dollar bounty is put on his head, and every cadre of costumed fanatics looks to collect. Now Taskmaster has to fight hordes upon hordes of his psychopathic students while at the same time figuring out who framed him. Collecting: Taskmaster #1-4