Matt Fraction and Mark Bagley take Marvel’s First Family into the Marvel NOW. Reed, Susan, Ben, Johnny and the kids take a cosmic vacation across space and time.
Marvel.com shared 4 images by Bagley from Fantastic Four #1.
Fantastic Four #1 courtesy Marvel
The first image looks like a new interpretation of the iconic moment when the four were first bombarded with cosmic rays. Ben Grimm is in human form but the kids are in the picture so…
Fantastic Four #1 courtesy Marvel
This must be a dream as we see Franklin wake up from a nightmare. A sign of things to come?
Fantastic Four #1 courtesy Marvel
The final shots show the family in what looks like prehistoric times complete with a dinosaur….always welcome in an adventure in time and space!
Fantastic Four #1 courtesy Marvel
Fantastic Four #1 by Fraction and Bagley arrives this November.
Brian Wood has completed his last X-Men script for now. Wood will continue writing Ultimate Comics X-Men for Marvel and The Massive for Dark Horse. I love those books but it’s hard to see Wood leave the X-Men. Wood and artist David Lopez crafted a beautiful and thrilling run starring Storm, Psylocke, Domino, Colossus and Pixie. The Wood/Lopez run reminded me of the Chris Claremont/Paul Smith era mixed with a Torchwood modern edge.
I wanted to share some fan questions and Wood’s answers from today’s X-Position on Comic Book Resources. He was asked about a dream project and the artist he would work with.
“I like writing the X-Men, and I’d love to do more of it with David Lopez. Second to that, I’d love to write a new Runaways book and a Thor MAX that’s heavy on the Viking stuff.”
If you’re not familiar – Wood has an amazing series of Viking graphic novels – Northlanders so the idea of a Thor MAX book is very exciting.
Wood’s X-Men team dealt with the discovery of ancient mutant DNA and inspired a fan to ask what Psylocke meant when she was “being a mutant…it means something different now.”
“All that means is they have a greater understanding of their shared history. The proto-mutants weren’t just ancestors, they were a whole different species, one that died out. It would be like if we, as humans, just now discovered that there were Neanderthals. It casts everything that came after it in a new light.”
One of my favorite part of Wood’s run was how he portrayed Storm as team leader and how his script worked so beautifully with David Lopez’s pencils. Wood revealed the best part and biggest surprise of this run was Lopez and Storm.
“If I had to say just one thing, it would be finding a great partner in David Lopez. Sometimes you work with an artist and something about it just feels right it just click with your words in the perfect way. That’s how I felt about David’s work, and I keep coming up with new project ideas for him to draw.
“I wouldn’t say I wasn’t crazy about any of them, really. Some of them surprised me. Considering how well received my Storm was, I really had a strong vision for her as a character at the very beginning. But once I started writing the first script, it all clicked into place and I was like, “Oh yeah, this is working”. And so it went.”
X-Men #36 courtesy Marvel
Will Wood be back writing the X-Men?
“People at Marvel can answer that better than I can. I hope the chances are 100%.”
I have no knowledge of the inner workings of the Marvel offices and don’t mean this in any disrespect to other writers that I enjoy but I can’t help but think this title is falling victim to the Marvel Now revamp.
Every X-book has to be part of a biggest picture. This book was perfect and stood on its own. In fact – I recently was asked to recommend an X-book for a newbie at my local shop and this was the only one not tied to AvX. so it was perfect for a jumping on point. I’m proud to say I converted a new X-Men fan! I really hate to see this title go and hope both Wood and Lopez are back on an X-Men book.
By the way – The Massive is my favorite non-superhero book right now – pick it up!
An embattled and divided America unites and voters choose a war hero to lead them…a SUPER war hero!
SPOILER WARNING!
IF YOU HAVE NOT READ ULTIMATES COMICS ULTIMATES #15 AND #16 YOU MAY WANT TO STOP READING THIS POST
SERIOUSLY
OK HERE IT COMES
The Ultimate Comics United States was divided and fell. The Ultimate U.S.A. is about to stand as one nation under…Steve Rogers?
Ultimate Comics Ultimates #16 courtesy Marvel
One man will unite the country – President Captain America?
In this week’s Ultimate Comics Ultimates #16 Captain America is sworn in as President of the United States. Writer Sam Humphries tells Marvel.com about the making of this huge event for the book and the entire Ultimates universe.
Ultimate Comics Ultimates #16 courtesy Marvel
“Jonathan Hickman, my predecessor, very generously gave me all his notes for the title. There was a line in there about making Cap the president. It was an intimidating idea to pitch to Marvel, especially on my first big book. But the more I talked about it with editorial, the more we all became convinced it was the right story to do.”
Humphries explains how this story will play out.
“Cap is a soldier, not a politician. He’s not trying to make a career change. He’s answering the call of the people. They want him to do a job—unite America—and he’s going to do anything he can to do it.”
Ultimate Comics Ultimates #16 courtesy Marvel
What kind of President will Steve Rogers be?
“This isn’t the first time Cap has answered the call of an America in crisis. He’s not going to let the presidency change who he is; he’s going to do the job he was elected to do.”
Mutants of the Ultimate Universe have had it particularly hard thanks to the Sentinels. Brian Wood writes Ultimate Comics X-Men. Wood tells Comic Book Resources the new leader of the free world will reach out the leader of the mutant underground.
“Captain America and Kitty Pryde will sit down and talk about what the future holds for mutants in this fractured America he needs to put back together. That’s all I can say right now, since this is where the future of this title starts, in that actual meeting. You’ll see in November.”
This is the same comic book line that killed most of the X-Men and Fantastic Four, has the U.S. defeated by its foreign enemies and inspired the alien warrior seen in The Avengers movie. Humphries explains why this election could only happen in this universe.
“In the Ultimate Comics Universe we do stories with iconic characters you can’t find anywhere else—in the Marvel Universe, the movies, video games, anywhere. President Cap fits that definition by shaking up Steve Roger’s status quo in a radical fashion, and hopefully getting to know him in new ways.”
For more of Humphries interview here’s the Marvel.com link.
In the Marvel Comics Universe Captain America is still leader of The Avengers and not entering politics.
Humphries (Higher Earth, Fanboys vs. Zombies) is launching a brand new Uncanny X-Forcein January, 2013.
Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises courtesy Warner Brothers
Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises) is Steven Spielberg’s choice for the female lead in his film based on Robopocalypse according to Deadline. Chris Hemsworth (Thor, The Avengers) is playing the lead which in the book is named Cormac Wallace, leader of “Bright Boy” squadron.
Variety reports Ben Wishaw (the new Q in Skyfall) may join the cast as Lurker, the London computer hacker turned hero. Lurker’s cat and mouse game with the A.I. Archos is one of the creepiest and most suspenseful of the book to me. I’m already imagining what actor should voice Archos!
I love Daniel H. Wilson’s book about the robot uprising and humanity’s struggle to survive. I would love to see Hathaway and Hemsworth in any movie – I think they’ll have great chemistry – even in the aftermath of a robot apocalypse!
This is the image that started my love of comic books! Find this image on Marvel.com
Chris Claremont is coming to Emerald City Comicon 2013 in Seattle! You don’t understand. Uncanny X-Men #116 by Claremont and John Byrne was my first comic book! Claremont’s classic 17 year X-Men run was the story of my growing up. The Dark Phoenix Saga can still make me tear up.
This is the man who helped create Kitty Pryde, Gambit, Emma Frost, Rogue and Sabretooth. Claremont took Logan (aka Patch) to Madripoor for the launch of the first Wolverine solo title and teamed with Frank Miller on the classic Wolverine limited series – the basis for Hugh Jackman’s next film The Wolverine.
Claremont brought the Children of the Atom back together in early 90’s and launched the second X-title – X-Men #1 with Jim Lee. I highly recommend the Claremont/Alan Davis era of Excalibur and for real old school fun grab his Power Man & Iron Fist collection with Byrne.
Emerald City Comicon is March 1-3, 2013 in Seattle – the greatest event in the Northwest all year! I just hope I don’t start drooling when I meet Claremont and say something like “You know when you wrote the Proteus Saga on Muir Island….ha ha that was awesome!”
The new season of The Walking Dead introduces many of the most fan favorite characters and plots from the comic book series. Danai Gurira joins the cast Michonne. Gurira and the crew reveal how she learned how to use a katana sword to play the zombie killing swordmaster in this new video from AMC.
There are many reasons to love Jason Aaron’s Wolverine and the X-Men: Kitty & Iceman’s growing attraction, Kid Gladiator, Bamfs, Broo, Beast in full wacky professor mode, Logan’s tempter tested by Kid Omega, Toad’s crush on Husk and then there’s Doop!
Mike and Laura Allred crafted the cover for this week’s Wolverine and the X-Men #17 featuring Logan and Doop ready for action! The staff and students of the Jean Grey School try to soldier on despite the world burning in the grip of the Phoenix. One student may not survive this AvX tie-in.
Allred co-created Doop with Peter Milligan back in an X-Force reboot which became X-Statix. Doop is now on staff at the Jean Grey School. Just one of the many characters Jason Aaron has on an amazing and eclectic palette of characters on the tite.
Astonishing X-Men #54 Susan Hatchi reveals her mutant connection. The new villainess has already blown up Wolverine and the rest of the team is infected with her nanobombs in their blood. Can former New Mutant Karma escaped Hatchi’s control to save her team.
Batman Incorporated #0You need an international army to fight a global terror network like Leviathan. See how Bruce Wayne recruited his worldwide team of crimefighters in this origin issue.
Happy #1 A hit man’s world of murder, sex and corruption – not your usual Christmas tale. Grant Morrison and Darick Robertson team up for this new Image mini-series of an unjured assassin on the run from the cops, the mob and connected to a killer Santa.
Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2 # 5 Captain Picard is faced with an impossible choice that could save or damn the universe. Only Doctor Who may be able to convince the Captain to team up with his greatest enemies.
Talon #0A new hero in a new series spinning out of the Batman: Court of Owls epic! Calvin Rose is the only man to escape the Court of Owls. Can this former assassin live a normal life and become a hero? The Court is back and they’re after their prize killer.
