Entertainment Fuse’s Most Anticipated Comic Books for 2015

The comic book section got together and decided on their choices for some of the most anticipated comic book related properties of 2015. This includes not only comic books but also creative teams, TV series, movies and crossovers/events.   Comic Book Series Nicole’s Pick—Spider-Gwen Spider-Gwen was my favorite new character of 2014 so I was very excited to hear she would be starring in her own ongoing series. The only thing that could’ve made this better is if Mayday Parker (aka Spider-Girl) got her own ongoing series (how about it Marvel?). I love the fact that Gwen Stacy is Spider-Woman in an alternate universe—especially after the status quo set-up in her first appearance in Edge of Spider-Verse #2. We need more titles starring female characters and I’m hoping this one lives up to the hype.   Elvis’s Pick—Untitled Jupiter’s Legacy Prequel There is only one series that I have to name the one that I am looking forward to the most in the coming year. If you follow my posts on this site this comes as no surprise – but it is Mark Millar and Wilfredo Torres’ upcoming, and so far untitled, Jupiter’s Legacy prequel. 10 issues, just like its predecessor, it tells the tale of the parents of Legacy’s main cast as younger adults in the late 50’s. Millar has been showing a softer side of himself lately, and golden age supers during the 50’s? Sign me up, could be good fun if done right.   Kat’s Pick—Spider Gwen Edge of Spider Verse #2 was my favorite issue for 2014. So it’s a no brainer that my most anticipated book for 2015 is Spider-Gwen. Latour and Rodriguez built such a defined world in one issue. Now I am curious what they will do with an ongoing series for Spider-Gwen.   Jim’s Pick—Star Wars Dark Horse Comics had been producing excellent Star Wars expanded universe comics for years, but it feels significant that Star Wars is coming back to Marvel Comics, which produced the original comic book adaptations of the series during the time of the original trilogy. It will be interesting to see if Jason Aaron and John Cassaday are the right choice for the flagship Marvel Comics Star Wars series. They don’t seem to me to be the obvious choice, but Cassaday’s work – while idiosyncratic – can also work in the big epic story well, as he showed on Astonishing X-Men. It will also be fun to see where Aaron takes the Rebel Alliance.   Mike's Pick—Nameless Grant Morrison! Vague titles! Magic? I think. Regardless, a horror comic from Grant Morrison that involves a monster killing through nightmares, an occult hustler teaming up with billionaires, and something with an asteroid? Sounds crazy. Sounds Morrison. Sounds good.   Mike's Pick—Star Wars Man, I don’t know about this. What could it be like? Where could it go? Morbid curiosity drives me to this one more than anything. I’ll definitely pick it up to see what Marvel can do with it. Whether it’s worth getting placed on the pull list is another story.   Creative Team  Nicole D'Andria—Mark Waid and Fiona Staples Archie is getting relaunched in 2015 by writer Mark Waid (Irredeemable, Daredevil) and artist Fiona Staples (Saga). I've never really read Archie but have been wanting to. This new upcoming series sounds like a great start. With these two major talents behind the series, I am interested to see how they will work together and if they will manage to unite both newcomers to Archie and longtime fans.   Elvis’s Pick—Mark Millar & Sean Murphy Not to sound repetitive, but this is another Millar pick on my end. Chrononauts brings together the creative team of Mark Millar and Sean Murphy. Millar has cooked up a nice, formulaic, plot that has a lot of room to grow. AKA – his forte. Murphy is a powerhouse of an artist and one that is surely climbing the ranks in the esteem of many. He is a rising star and I am glad that he is on this particular title to give it the zest and energy it needs. This is not a creative team that many would admire, but I think it is one that could very well pound out something good.   Kat’s Pick—Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez Spider-Gwen is my most anticipated series for 2015 and I am really excited to see how Latour and Rodriguez will handle this ongoing series. Latour created a great foundation for the series in Edge of Spider Verse #2. It made me want to learn more about MJ’s band and Gwen’s relationship with her father. Rodriquez created a fresh look for Gwen’s world and I look forward to both these creators working more together in the future.   Jim’s Pick—Mark Waid and Terry Dodson While I was pretty sure I’d be checking out the main Star Wars title, I didn’t really think I’d also read Princess Leia – that is until the creative team was announced. Written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Terry Dodson (with colors from Terry’s wife, Rachel Dodson), Princess Leia is now very intriguing to me. Waid has shown that he can write many different types of comics that combine strong characters and great fan moments while the art team of the Dodsons is one of my favorites, especially when it comes to female characters. So while this team is on Princess Leia, it will stay in my read list.   Movie Nicole’s Pick—Kingsman: The Secret Service The trailer of this movie showcases some great action scenes. It looks like this is going to be non-stop action and I am all for it. I especially liked the action scenes involving a woman with prosthetic legs. When they showed the actors lined up for this movie—Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Firth, Mark Hamill (he is mentioned on the imdb page)—I realized they would not only have great action but actors as well. It’s a combination made in heaven and I can’t wait to see it all come together. Also, I want that umbrella.   Nicole’s Pick—Avengers: Age of Ultron There were tears in my eyes when I watched the trailer for this movie—and no, I don’t know why, maybe I was just blown away by how awesome it looks. From the trailer alone I can already tell James Spader is going to kill it as Ultron. The score in the trailer was perfect and creepy and I can’t wait to hear it in the film. I’m hoping Ultron is a much darker, threatening villain than Loki.   Elvis’s Pick—Kingsman: The Secret Service Alright, I’m not doing this on purpose, I promise – but this is also Millar related. The comic book movie that I am most excited about in 2015 is Kingsman: The Secret Service. Adapted from the Millar/Gibbons miniseries The Secret Service, it is directed by Matthew Vaughn. Now, I have an excuse here – I’ve already seen it in a pre-screening. In a word: awesome. It has a lesser emotional core than the comic but makes up for it in solid performances and one amazing, lengthy, action sequence that is sure to lead to some great word of mouth. Suffice it to say that I haven’t been this satisfied by a comic book movie in years.   Kat’s Pick—Avengers: Age of Ultron There are a lot of great superhero movies coming out in 2015. Some that I am skeptical about like Ant-Man and Fantastic Four and others that I am really pumped to see. The film I am most excited for is Avengers: Age of Ultron. The first trailer was epic and I am interested in seeing how they will integrate Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. I had my problems with the first Avengers film because I thought it could have used a lot more character development but it looks like Age of Ultron may deliver more in that department.   Jim’s Pick—Avengers: Age of Ultron We’re only five months away from Avengers: Age of Ultron, and I have a lot of anticipation and a little worry. The worry is mainly due the fact that sequels of very good movies are hard to pull off. There is also a lot of build-up for this movie and perhaps most worrisome a lot of characters to cover in one movie. However, Joss Whedon showed with the first Avengers movie an ability to bring together disparate elements, highlight characters while advancing plot, and keep it fun. Ultron is a great villain and what we’ve seen so far looks pretty faithful to the comics. Also, Marvel Studios has been cranking out good movies for some time, and they know what’s at stake, so I’m thinking Age of Ultron will be one of the better movies, and probably the biggest, movie of the summer.   Mike's Pick—Secret Wars The huge conclusion to Hickman’s Avengers finally arrives in what could be the biggest comic book event of the entire year. I’m stoked. If you’ve been following along then so should you be too. So many threads, so many different characters. I can’t wait to see where it goes.   Mike's Pick—Convergence We’re going to see the classic DC! It’s only been a few years and I’ve already got a nostalgia trip going on. Similar, perhaps, to Marvel’s Secret Wars, Convergence deals with a bunch of worlds that have already ended and who are forced to fight each other. Sounds great.   TV Show  Nicole's Pick--Agent Carter Originally I wasn't too interested in this show since I'm very behind on my Agents of SHIELD watching. However, I sat down and watched the first episode and was pretty impressed. The time period is portrayed very accurately (as much as my knowledge of the 40s can tell), Peggy Carter is a great character who's ahead of her frustrating era, the music is spot on and the story has an appropriate amount of intrigue. I'm interested in seeing where this seven episode mini-series ends up going.   Nicole's Pick—Defenders Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Power Man and Iron Fist are the four upcoming Netflix original comic book related series and I am looking forward to every one of them. There is so much potential in each series: there's Daredevil, a blind attorney and crimefighter; Jessica Jones, a former superhero turned private eye after traumatic experiences caused her to lose the spandex; Power Man, a man changed forever by a failed prison experiment; and Iron Fist, a martial artist who has the soul of a dragon. I really want to see how they all connect together to ultimately form the Defenders.   Kat’s Pick—Supergirl This is a really tough category for me because I love television and there are a lot of shows on now I am excited to see continue and a lot of new shows that I want to give a try. If I had to choose a show that was currently airing I would say Arrow, but instead I want to choose one of the newly announced shows for the Fall. So I am going to pick Supergirl. I’ve been a Supergirl fan for a very long time and I think Laura Vandervoort did a great job playing her on Smallville. But I am glad this series is pushing Supergirl out of Superman’s shadow, which has always been a big problem with the character. I trust the showrunners working on the show and I am excited to see what they will do with Supergirl.   Jim’s Pick—The Walking Dead The Walking Dead can be a frustrating show because it gives us glimpses of greatness – such as the first few episodes of the 2014 fall season – but then mostly falls below that bar. The Beth/Hospital storyline that closed out the first half of the season was suspenseful but ultimately seemed to be sort of pointless. I still hold out hope that The Walking Dead can produce the great episodes it occasionally does on a more consistent basis. The good news is that the group seems to be on the road, which should lend itself to more action and development. Having the group together – so that we don’t have to spend whole blocks of episodes away from certain characters – should also be an improvement. So I’ll be there watching the second half of season 5 in February.   Crossover/Event Nicole’s Pick—Convergence Considering this was the event I have been waiting for since the New 52 began I am psyched that it is finally happening. All of the multiverses are coming together: the New 52, the pre-New 52 and more. Some highlights I’m looking forward to seeing are Stephanie Brown as Batgirl, the 90s Superboy and Harley Quinn in her traditional costume. This event will be shaking up the New 52 and, fingers crossed, bring some of the pre-New 52 back for a long stay. We may have another Infinite Crisis on our hands.   Elvis’s Pick—Convergence There are so little events or crossovers worth getting worked up about anymore. Either they are stretched out stories that could have easily been consolidated into one story-arc or they are just long, meandering, bloated, messes. Convergence is just, well, simpler. A 9 issue weekly with a bunch of two-shots to round it out. Not a big hoopla, but let me put it in the barest way that I can. An event that is able to give me 90’s Superboy, Matrix Supergirl, Lex Luthor II, and Ambush Bug all at the same time is one I will keep an eye on.   Kat’s Pick—Convergence There are two big events for 2015 Secret Wars and Convergence. I am really excited for both of them, but for this article I have to choose one and I choose Convergence. DC has been a bit more reliable with their events and this story may really change up the DC universe. It can patch up the New 52 universe. Maybe fix things that aren’t working like the Superman family and Teen Titans. It will also be fun to see new stories based on the Pre-New 52 universe. I am especially excited to see Stephanie Brown as Batgirl again.   Jim’s Pick—Secret Wars It’s really not true that every event does as it promises – a series in which things will “never the same again.” However, it really does appear that Secret Wars, Jonathan Hickman’s series with Esad Ribic, may do just that. It’s essentially a Battle Royale between alternate dimensions and timelines of the Marvel Universe. Hickman’s stories are never simplistic, so they will be a great deal of introspective dialog and negotiations. Hopefully, there is also some awesome action. Some people believe that Secret Wars may yield a rebooted Marvel Universe. I’m not sure of that, though I do think there will be some major and long-lasting changes that come out of Secret Wars, so it’s certainly my most anticipated “event” comic of 2015.   I think it’s finally time to stop saying “Happy New Year” and start ushering 2015. Hopefully, it’ll be as great as we’re anticipating.