Bob Dylan said it best when he sang about changing times, and now that songs is more prophetic than ever in the comic book industry. Hard to believe Marvel was once going out of business and having a fire sale, as their films are some of the biggest blockbusters of the summer season, and they’ve got more properties on TV and other media than ever before. Between facts like that and the fact that DC is panicking and rebooting their entire universe back to the basics, they feel like it may be time to join in the fun.

That’s where Marvel: Season One comes in. Rather than what DC is doing and mess with the ongoing continuity of their books, Season One is taking their most popular characters and giving old fans and new a chance to relive some of their early adventures with a separate series.

“With Marvel Season One we’ve assembled a group of great creators who’re delivering exciting, iconic, in-continuity stories of our most popular heroes,” said Tom Brevoort, Marvel SVP/Executive Editor. “If you’re a new fan, you can start your journey into comics with Season One and if you’re a seasoned fan you’ll find some thrilling new insight into your favorite characters.”

The complete first wave of Season One graphic novels includes:

• Fantastic Four: Season One by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Stephen King’s The Stand, Television’s Glee) and David Marquez (Secret Warriors), on-sale in February 2012

• X-Men: Season One by Dennis Hopeless (Legion Of Monsters, Lovestruck) and Jamie McKelvie (Generation Hope, Phonogram), on-sale in March 2012

• Daredevil: Season One by Antony Johnston (Daredevil) and Wellinton Alves (Nova), on-sale in April 2012

• Spider-Man: Season One by Cullen Bunn (Fear Itself: The Deep, Sixth Gun) and Neil Edwards (Fantastic Four), on-sale in May 2012

Not only will this be a way to introduce fans of the films to the original medium in which they started, but it’ll be great fodder for classic comic fans to see how modern artists re-imagine some of the great stories Lee and Kirby thought up decades ago. Expect to see these books hit shelves starting next year and check out the early covers from the first wave after the jump.

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Welcome to another edition of The Pull List Comic Reviews! Since the hectic holiday schedule and copious amounts of eggnog have affected my time and brain cells, respectively, this week’s reviews are more of the quickie variety. While short and sweet – well, as short and sweet as I’m going to get – there’s enough yuletide cheer to make even Gotham warm over. As always, WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.

PULL OF THE WEEK:

Avengers: The Initiative #31
Marvel Comics – $2.99 US
Writer: Christos N Gage
Artist: Rafa Sandoval
Score: 8.5/10

The music’s pumping, the booze is flowing and the girls are dancing. Seems like Taskmaster’s right where he wants to be, until Norman Osborn decides to come to Camp H.A.M.M.E.R. for an inspection. Nobody said pimpin’ was easy, especially since Taskmaster has to get his place running on all cylinders before the boss arrives, bearing “gifts.”

Incredibly solid issue by writer Gage. Throughout the entire string of storylines, like “Civil War,” “Secret Invasion” and “Dark Reign,” select characters from both sides of the fight have begun to question whether or not they’re on the right side. Makes for some good reading and interesting dynamics as “Siege” starts to pick up steam. Artist Sandoval continues to be consistently good, especially where Taskmaster is included in the scene.

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Welcome to another edition of The Pull List Comic Reviews! An incredibly solid week as we’ve got three Blackest Night tie-ins, some speedster action and a particularly “horrible” tale, but only one issue each week tops the “list.” Be sure to let us know what you thought of these issues, we’re always interested to hear from you, the readers. As always, WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.

PULL OF THE WEEK:

Dark Reign: The List – Amazing Spider-Man One-Shot – Marvel Comics – $3.99 US
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Adam Kubert
Score: 9.5

Norman Osborn made a list and he’s checking it more than twice as certain thorns in his side have gotten his full attention. Everyone from the X-Men to the Avengers have had to deal with him, and by now you’ve heard of how the Punisher went to pieces over his clash with the H.A.M.M.E.R. Director, so how will Spider-Man do? Hint: Spidey doesn’t win this one.

I’ll start with Dan Slott’s writing in this issue, and simply state that he crushed it. There’s no other way to say it, really. Sure, an argument could be made that Spidey should have done something by now, especially considering his history with Stormin’ Norman. Put that aside, if you ever wanted to see Peter Parker triumph at anything – he’s had a ridiculously long losing streak since “Brand New Day” – then this is the issue for you.

It’s been a few months since artist Adam Kubert penciled some pages, but with that amount of lead-time you knew this issue would be stunning. He failed to disappoint. Crammed with gorgeous visuals, the entire one-shot was a treat, even when the action had decidedly died down for the last act. One look at the very first page is all you need to know in regards to how good the art is.

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