Marvel’s New Man-Thing Is Huge

Republished By Plato

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It’s the 50th anniversary of Marvel’s favorite swamp monster, and the publisher is marking the occasion with a series of three new one-shots from Steve Orlando and various artists. Avengers: Curse of the Man-Thing hit shelves this week, and finds the writer in top form.

Orlando has spent many years at DC Comics — with various indie work on the side. This is among his first work at Marvel, though, and he pulls out all the monster horror stops, with artist Francesco Mobili and colorist Guru-eFX delivering a painterly style perfect for the genre. It’s huge.

What else is happening in the pages of our favorite comics? We’ll tell you. Welcome to Monday Funnies, Polygon’s weekly list of the books that our comics editor enjoyed this past week. It’s part society pages of superhero lives, part reading recommendations, part “look at this cool art.” There may be some spoilers. There may not be enough context. But there will be great comics. (And if you missed the last edition, read this.)

Hordeculture, a group of female septuagenarian mad scientists argue with a protege about how dangerous her plan to destroy humanity is, in Avengers: Curse of the Man-Thing #1, Marvel Comics (2021).

The most Orlando-y touch to Cruse of the Man-Thing is bringing in Hordeculture, the Golden-Girls-Meets-Mad-Science-Ecoterrorist group that debuted in X-Men in 2019, as the inciting force of the story. Great stuff.

Doc Hynes explains his theory about UFO sightings and his hope that it’ll bring about world peace, as he eats pie in a diner with an FBI agent. Smaller inset panels illustrate him unwrapping his writing from a carefully folded foil packet, to “keep the flipping bad guys from finding out what I’m writing,” in The Department of Truth #7, Image Comics (2021).

What can I say, I’m still really enjoying The Department of Truth, as writer James Tynion IV welcomes in guest artists for a few between-arc issues to examine specific conspiracy theories — and how they came to be in the reality of The Department of Truth, where if enough people believe a thing it literally becomes real. But this inset panel thing that artist Tyler Boss is doing here? Catnip to us comics people.

“Sif — please. I understand,” says Beta Ray Bill, looking at his own reflection: Orange, with a distended snout tipped by exposed teeth like a horse skull. “I am not blind.” He leaves the room sadly, in Beta Ray Bill #1, Marvel Comics (2021).

It is also my professional comics opinion that noooooo just let Beta Ray Bill be happy nooooo don’t give him crippling self-image issues in regards to the sacrifice he made to always have a monstrous form nooooooo 🙁

“So, Marius. This group has some real... issues, don’t they?” Marius continues staring at the fire silently like a real creepo. “Always a pleasure chatting with you, perrepatae,” Fenris says sarcastically as he walks away, in Dragon Age: Dark Fortress #1, Dark Horse Comics (2021).

Can’t wait for the next drip of Dragon Age 4 content from Bioware? Well, Dark Horse has a new arc of what is now basically a semi-recurrent ongoing Dragon Age series, with its own set of characters and motivations.

Also, Fenris, you hung out with Hawke and all of Hawke’s friends for like 10 years, dude.

On a NYC subway platform, J. Jonah Jameson badgers Silk to be his bodyguard for a while. She reluctantly agrees in Silk #1, Marvel Comics (2021).

Cindy Moon is back as the spider-hero Silk in Marvel Comics. It’s a great debut issue, with fun and snappy stuff from writer Maurene Goo, and clear, energetic art from Takeshi Miyazawa. Also, Cindy lives the nightmare of any journalist: She accidentally publishes an unedited story live on the website.

Source: https://www.polygon.com/comics/2021/4/5/22362874/new-marvel-comics-man-thing

Time Stamp: April 5, 2021