Original Sin #5-6 reveal Nick Fury's watcher-on-the-wall secret history of Howard-Stark-recruited galactic wetwork protecting the Earth from alien invasion, Old Gods in the Netherworld, etc. [The Beat review]

They gave Dr. Strange's lunch to Nick Fury, haven't they? This should have been Dr. Strange's secret history! At least against the mystical and other-dimensional threats. When Fury says he wants one of those assembled to replace him, Doc should have replied, "I literally already have this job", instead of the naive blah-blah. This cool idea- now given to superspy Nick Fury- "we don't know everything Dr. Strange has had to do to protect us as Sorcerer Supreme, and it wasn't all pretty"- Colonel Jessup on the mystical wall, an unfathomable greater responsibility, a grotesque and incomprehensible existence that saves lives- mines Strange's actual history, and is arguably better than anything that's been tried in the last ten years to darken-modernize Strange- from Chosen One origin revamps, to the entire there-and-back-again with Brother Voodoo, to brooding incompetent and Illuminati mass-murderer, to creep and jar-room mass-murderer, now to soul-seller for power.

Speaking of: New Avengers #20 reveals Doctor Strange was unable to sell his soul for ultimate power in #14- he "lacked the full measure of one" for sufficient payment (so we definitely have a 'soul-problem' for Doc- maybe related to Waid's item in his Strange miniseries?). The non-sale is a relief for Neilalien- four-color morality is not needed, but Doc selling his soul for god-like power felt too dark and stupid-risky; he's supposed to be a hero, and wise. But it's not like Doc smartened up- he just didn't have a soul to sell. But Doc still has other dark and mass-murderer avenues to pursue: It appears he's using the Blood Bible ("no spell in the Blu'Dakorr has ever not caused the death of the caster" [New Avengers #4]) to unleash Shuma Gorath (?- or something else from the genus Tentacles) ("through" him- paralleling how the Ancient One originally died?) on the Great Society's universe to save 616. [Hilarious: Norn reverted to Harry Potter- or DC's Books of Magic kid Timothy Hunter.]

[19 July 02014]

New Marvel publishing initiative Avengers NOW! promo image includes a female Thor (announced on The View talk show- using ABC/Disney/Marvel synergy for mainstream press), a black Captain America (Sam "Falcon" Wilson; announced on The Colbert Report), a new Superior Iron Man suit, an Agents-of-SHIELD-style Deathlok, and Ant-Man and Dr. Strange clearly getting some pre-movie attention [Entertainment Weekly] [update: temporary Thor/Cap diversity changes give starving hopeful non-white-male comics fans temporary sense of belonging] [18 July 02014]

New Avengers Annual #1 is a tour-de-force dark Doctor Strange story from writer Frank Barbiere and artist Marco Rudy [CBR review: "an insightful character piece focused on Stephen Strange... investigates Strange's compulsion to be successful from the sorcerer's pre-magical history and his current endeavors... gorgeous art that defies traditional layouts and style"] [CBR Forum discussion] [Outright Geekery review] [Geeked Out Nation review: 9.5 out of 10] [PopMatters review] [Comic Vine review] [IGN review] [Cosmic Book News review] [update: AV Club: New Avengers Annual shows why Dr. Strange could be Marvel's next big hero] [12 July 02014]

Drummer Tommy Ramone, last surviving original member of The Ramones, has died [12 July 02014]