Month: September 2012

Top Comic Book Picks for 9/12/12

Avenging Spider-Man #12 Spidey and Deadpool go back to high school? I’m sure there’s something much more sinister going on but the idea of Peter Parker and the Merc With a Mouth in detention is too good to pass up!

Avengers vs. X-Men #11 courtesy Marvel.com

Avengers vs. X-Men #11 X-Men join the Avengers in a last stand against the cosmic might of the Phoenix Two. What happens when Cyclops and Emma Frost turn on each other? What is Professor X prepared to do to save humanity? Marvel is teasing a fatality – who will pay the ultimate price to defeat the Phoenix Force?

Batman #0 A look into the past. Bruce Wayne returns from his global quest ready to launch his war on crime. See how the gadgets, Batcave, costume and more were born.

Manhattan Projects #6 Some of the most famous scientific geniuses in history as you’ve never seen them before. Creating the atomic bomb was nothing compared to what this American think tank was really up to. You can catch up with the first 5 issues in a new collection. Now see the other side of this twisted alterate history and weird science. Go back into the Cold War days and inside the Russia’s scientific counterpart to the Manhattan Projects.

The Massive #4 How you continue to have the moral companss of a pacifist when the world has gone to hell? A crew of environmentalists sail the poison oceans in search of their friends and trying to survive modern day pirates. What happens when the Captain meets a ghost from his past when he was a corporate mercenary.

I could have written a top 15 this week there are so many good books out there! Here’s my previews of the Doctor Who Annual, more Batman Family Zero issue books and a legion of X-Men books!

By Editor

Remender Exits Uncanny X-Force

Uncanny X-Force: The Apocalypse Solution cover courtesy Marvel.com

Rick Remender on Uncanny X-Force may be hailed as one of the most dangerously ambitious epics of fearless writing, senses-shattering and violent storytelling in Marvel history.

Remender tells Comic Book Resources he’s leaving the title with December’s Uncanny X-Force #35. The last chapter of Final Execution will be the series finale.

  “There were a lot of different factors involved. It was a very tough decision to make and it came down to a conversation I had about it with Kieron Gillen about how long I would stay past this. He said, “Know when to get off the stage.” That’s something that we maybe overlook.

I’m now doing “Uncanny Avengers” and “Captain America” and I realized that in order for me to do those and not want to blow my brains out, I might have to walk away from “Venom,” “Secret Avengers” and “Uncanny X-Force.” That was a bummer because I put so much into building them and getting the trains out of the station. I love all the characters, but that’s just the reality. With “X-Force,” I feel like this final story, which I’m very excited and have been building towards for a while now, pretty much wraps up everything we’ve been doing. It says everything I wanted to say about a kill squad while also really digging into the X-Universe that I loved so much as a kid growing up. So it really did come down to the fact that it was time to get off the stage.

Uncanny X-Force #31 courtesy Marvel

Hopefully, I’ll be able to stick a nice landing with “Final Execution” and people will really enjoy it, so the series will never have that part where it tapered and stopped being as good. That’s the upshot. You do your best work — and we all have — and then you wrap things up and walk away from it.”

In this week’s Uncanny X-Force #31 what’s left of Wolverine’s unit takes the fight to the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

 

Remender is moving on to Uncanny Avengers and Captain America. Marvel has teased Sam Humphries and Ron Garney on a Marvel NOW book with the teaser KILLERS – a perfect description of Wolverine’s black ops squad.  The series may be coming to an end but it’s a good bet the X-Force concept will live to kill again.

By Editor

 

Doctor Who, Dinosaurs and Unexpected Aliens

SPOILER WARNING

 

THIS REVIEW AND OP/ED REVEALS KEY PLOT POINTS FROM THE LATEST DOCTOR WHO EPISODE

 

SERIOUSLY

 

HERE IT COMES

 

courtesy SFX.co.uk and BBC

  I loved Dinosaurs on a Spaceship. Who wouldn’t? It’s DINOSAURS – ON A SPACESHIP!

  A massive ship heading for Earth. A military leader orders the Doctor to investigate and stop it or they will nuke it. The Time Lord assembles Amy, Rory, an English big game hunter named John Riddell and the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti. It’s pure coincidence that the Queen is on board but she becomes a key ingredient of the plot later. Rory’s dad Brian is accidentally brought along for the ride.

The motley crew lands on an abandoned spaceship with nothing but cobwebs and dinosaurs roaming wild on board. The team soon learns it’s a Silurian ark taking the reptilian race, their flora and fauna in search of a new world. The Doctor, Rory and his dad encounter the villain (played by a veteran of the Harry Potter films) who killed the sleeping Silurians in order to steal and sell the dinosaurs.

This is a perfect episode for new Whovians and to have Rory’s dad as the ‘everyman’ baffled then marveling at outrageous weirdness that is Doctor Who. This story shows that at the center of the most twisted sci-fi tale is heart. Brian learns to appreciate the nursing skills of Rory and a nice father/son bonding while under siege moment and to appreciate the love of a triceratops.   At the end I loved how Brian just wanted a quiet “above the Earth moment” before going home. Once we rejoin Amy and Rory we see how the once travel-shy Brian is a changed man. These scenes capture the spirit of watching Doctor Who and why we love it.

Op/Ed:

To borrow and twist a phrase from Obi-Wan, “these are not the aliens I was looking for.”

My first instinct was the Zygons were behind this flying ark of dinosaurs. The Zygons appeared way back in 1975 in the Tom Baker and Elizabeth Sladen era. Terror of the Zygons terrified me as a little kid. The Loch Ness Monster was actually a living weapon of the Zygons who were trying to conquer and colonize Earth. Nessie aka Skarasen may have not looked scary but those suction cup covered orange Zygons freaked me out as a kid. It was like an octobus, crab and lizard had been fused into a nightmarish new hybrid – Dr. Moreau seafood?

I loved the twist with the Silurians but I thought sure the Zygons were going to be behind a Jurassic attack on the planet. Maybe Steven Moffat will resurrect those nasty aliens who once plotted and schemed at the bottom of Loch Ness!

Here’s a fan made trailer for the classic episode on YouTube. Watch for the Zygon after Sarah Jane Smith!

 

By Editor

Inside Avengers #1 by Jerome Opena

 

Avengers #1 courtesy Marvel

  Jerome Opena (Uncanny X-Force) is taking on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Marvel shared 3 pages from inside Avengers #1 by Opena and Jonathan Hickman.

 

Avengers #1 courtesy Marvel

  Black Widow is sporting a sleek shorter hair style. I spy the Hulk. And I love the shot of Hawkeye and the Widow taking aim at the enemy!

 

Avengers #1 courtesy Marvel

Marvel Now presents Avengers #1 on sale December 5, 2012.

By Editor

Green Arrow, Wonder Woman Date Night On The CW?

Could The CW become the destination for DC heroes? Producers of the upcoming Arrow television series express support for a potential Wonder Woman series on the same network. The CW, Warner Brothers and DC Comics are reported to be developing a script called Amazon. Allan Heinberg is working on an origin script.

  Arrow producers say they welcome another hero on The CW.

“It harkens back to the years of my childhood where you had The Six Million Dollar Man and Wonder Woman and all these superhero-like genre shows all on the dial and all you had to do was change the channel,” Arrow Executive Producer Marc Guggenheim tells The Hollywood Reporter. “I think there’s totally room for both shows. It would be fun to share a night with them; the CW programs two hours a night and that’d be a pretty kick-ass night of television.”

Andrew Kreisberg points out the focus of Arrow and how it will differ from Smallville or a potential Wonder Woman series..

“Our show definitely takes place in a much more realistic world,” Kreisberg adds “There’s no superpowers, superheroes and aliens. With Wonder Woman, Diana of Themyscira, there are superpowers. I don’t foresee crossovers but one of the great things about superheroes is that they’re constantly being reimagined. There’s the Adam West and Christopher Nolan versions of Batman and one doesn’t obviate the other. The Lynda Carter version was great and now the CW is hopefully developing another wonderful version that will be a nice compliment to Arrow.”

Producers will introduce villainess China White (played by Kelly Hu aka Lady Deathstrike of X2: X-Men United) and Huntress (played by Jessica De Gow) as a potential love interest for Oliver Queen.

Arrow debuts October 10th.

By Editor

Op/Ed: When I was a kid there were live action superheroes all over television! Wonder Woman, Six Million Dollar Man, Bionic Woman in prime time. Batman and Robin afterschool and Shazam and Isis on Saturday mornings!

I have to raise issue with comparing Lynda Carter to Adam West in terms of their portrayals. Lynda Carter was physical and emotional perfection as Diana. While the series had camp moments – Carter was a Wonder and did justice to the Amazon!

By Editor

Doctor Who Annual 2012 Preview

courtesy IDW Publishing

An all-star lineup of creators will pay tribute to the Eleventh Doctor in an all-new Doctor Who Annual 2012 from IDW Publishing out this week. This oversize issues includes three stories.

While Matt Smith will say goodbye to Amy and Rory on the television series, writer Tony Lee is leaving the Doctor Who franchise with this Annual. The writer has helmed series, one-shots, miniseries and even the current crossover between the Time Lord and the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

“It’s an escape story,” Lee tells Comic Book Resources of his final story, “The Doctor willingly enters 1962 Alcatraz to rescue a friend after he learns of his death in a riot. It’s ‘Escape From Alcatraz‘ with timey-wimey fun and shimmer-suited aliens thrown in. And a familiar face or two. I wanted to do something ‘big’ in my 11 pages, rather than have people just sitting at a table talking to each other. I like the running, jumping, climbing trees school of Doctor Who.”

The all-star creative team includes legendary comics writer Len Wein, Dr. Who novelist Richard Dinnick, artists Matthew Dow Smith and Mitch Gerads.

Andy Diggle and Mark Buckingham will be the creative team on a new series spinning out of the annual which includes a prelude of their upcoming story.

By Editor

Axel Alonso on New Marvel NOW Teasers

  Editor-In-Chief Axel Alonso played along with this week’s Marvel NOW second round of teasers for upcoming series. In the latest Axel-In-Charge column on Comic Book Resources Alonso said of the upcoming titles and teams:

  “The excitement for Marvel NOW! isn’t limited to the core monthlies, like “Avengers,” “X-Men,” “Captain America,” “Thor,” “Hulk” and “Iron Man.” We challenged creators to use the post-“Avengers Vs. X-Men” landscape to shake up and reinvigorate titles like “X-Men: Legacy,” “Deadpool,” “Avengers Academy” and “Thunderbolts.” The second round of teasers are for books that met the challenge head on, taking familiar series down bold new paths and providing characters who’ve been sitting on the bench a new place on playing field.”

When asked if some titles were almost brand new concepts with a familar name Alonso responded:

 “Some of our latest teasers fit that bill to a “T.” Daniel [Way] and Steve [Dillon]’s series features an eye-popping array of characters — all linked by one special trait — that you’d never think could make a team. Dennis [Hopeless] and Kev Walker’s series will have anyone who’s been to the Cineplex — from here to Japan — buzzing the moment they see the cover to issue #1. And Sam [Humphries] and Salva[dor Larocca]’s series is going to prove that some books are best fueled by drastic change. And we’ve got plenty more planned.”

Here are the teasers from this week collected:

 

courtesy Marvel

Daniel Way. Steve Dillon. Lightning. December 2012. A new series in the crosshairs!

The second wave of Marvel NOW! is unleashed! Does this mean a brand new Thunderbolts?

Back in the day the original Thunderbolts series launched with the tagline “Justice, Like Lighting.”

The current T-bolts just became Dark Avengers under Jeff Parker.

In an earlier interview Way told Comics Newsarama he would be writing a team book.

courtesy Marvel

Marvel is really making fans scratch their heads this week with all the teasers for upcoming Marvel NOW series.

Sam Humphries. Ron Garney. KILLERS. January 2013.

I don’t expect a Brandon Flowers and Alison Blaire duet. I do expect great writing from the man currently behind Ultimates and Fanboys Vs. Zombies. Garney has killed it as artist on several titles including Captain America.

I suspect this might be a relaunched Uncanny X-Force? What about you?

courtesy Marvel

Hopeless. Larroca. WANTED. 2012.

This latest Marvel NOW teaser confirms Dennis Hopeless is on two new books (the other book had the teaser SURVIVE.) Hopeless will be paired with Invincible Iron Man artist Salvador Larroca. I love Larroca so much I’d buy a title about a reading a telephone book drawn by Larroca.

What or Who is WANTED? Given the cosmic ambitions of upcoming Marvel movies maybe this is a Star-Lord, Guardians of the Galaxy, Nova series? Maybe this is my outlaw mutant idea: Avenging X-Men?

For a really out there guess – the Two-Gun Kid?

By Editor

WANTED in the Marvel NOW

courtesy Marvel

Hopeless. Larroca. WANTED. 2012.

  This latest Marvel NOW teaser confirms Dennis Hopeless is on two new books (the other book had the teaser SURVIVE.) Hopeless will be paired with Invincible Iron Man artist Salvador Larroca. I love Larroca so much I’d buy a title about a reading a telephone book drawn by Larroca.

 What or Who is WANTED? Given the cosmic ambitions of upcoming Marvel movies maybe this is a Star-Lord, Guardians of the Galaxy, Nova series? Maybe this is my outlaw mutant idea: Avenging X-Men?

  For a really out there guess – the Two-Gun Kid?

What do you think/want?

By Editor