Category: Books

IRON MAN 3: Mandarin Strikes a Pose!

courtesy Marvel
courtesy Marvel

Will Tony Stark meet his match as Marvel unleashes the Armored Avenger’s greatest enemy from the comic books onto the big screen! The latest Iron Man 3 poster showcases Ben Kingsley as Mandarin! The creators have taken a different approach in translating the super villain. No flowing robes and he’s definitely not Asian. From what I’ve read, the creators decide to make this terrorist leader an amalgam of various cultures and as you can see by the poster he sports a more rugged, militaristic style.

The Mandarin is infamous for his 10 power rings (which were recovered a crashed alien ship.) Could this Mandarin be the leader of the 10 Rings terrorist group that kidnapped Tony in the first film?

How will the Mandarin be connected to scientist Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) and the Extremis nanotechnology?

Don Cheadle is back as James Rhodes but he will be wearing the Iron Patriot armor in this film.

Iron Man 3 hits May 3rd.

By Editor

HULK Gets Deep!

Indestructible Hulk #4 courtesy Marvel
Indestructible Hulk #4 courtesy Marvel

I’m having a blast with Indestructible Hulk by Mark Waid and Leinil Yu. This creative team continues to build a better beast with each action and humor packed issue. In case you’re just joining us…Bruce Banner works for S.H.I.E.L.D. showing the world he’s just as brilliant as Tony Stark and Reed Richards while Maria Hill gets he Hulk as a Weapon of Mass Destruction. Young geniuses with their own secrets have signed on to work for the ultimate Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

In this week’s Indestructible Hulk #4 Waid and Yu takes us first to Bannerville, USA where Bruce meets and has a little fun at the expense of his eager, edgy lab assistants. The action then goes deep as Banner leads a S.H.I.E.L.D. team to the bottom of the ocean on a top-secret salvage mission. What’s cooler than SHIELD’s Helicarrier? Continue reading HULK Gets Deep!

AVENGERS: Captain Universe Revealed!

Avengers #6 courtesy Marvel
Avengers #6 courtesy Marvel

Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are uncovering clues to a cosmic mystery and discovering the secrets of their newest member in this week’s Avengers #6 by Jonathan Hickman and Adam Kubert.

Here’s what you need to know if you haven’t been reading: Steve Rogers and Tony Stark realized the Avengers needed to get bigger to battle bigger threats on a global and galactic scale. The team confronted a mysterious trio of strangers on Mars who wanted to scorch and rebuild Earth. When the team is captured Steve “woke the world” and the new recruits (including Sunspot, Cannonball, Shang-Chi, Hyperion and a brand new Smasher) answered the call but it was the new Captain Universe that turned the tide.

Let’s talk about what I loved in this week’s chapter:

1. New kids on the block:

I’m excited that Cannonball and Sunspot have graduated from New Mutants to Avengers. There’s a classic showdown… Continue reading AVENGERS: Captain Universe Revealed!

New GREEN LANTERN Teams Revealed

Green Lantern by Billy Tan courtesy DC Comics
Green Lantern by Billy Tan courtesy DC Comics

The exit of Geoff Johns marks a new era for the Green Lantern. DC Comics revealed the new creative teams on the Green Lantern family of books courtesy MTV Geek:

Green Lantern Robert Venditti (X-O Manowar) and Billy Tan will tackle the flagship GL title.

Green Lantern Corps Joshuah Hale Fialkov (I, Vampire) and Bernard Chang.

Green Lantern: New Guardians Justin Jordan and Brad Walker.

Red Lanterns Fialkov and Alessandro Vitti.

Larfleeze Keith Giffen and Scott Kollins give the greedy Continue reading New GREEN LANTERN Teams Revealed

CABLE AND X-FORCE: Colossus, Hope and Cyclops!

Cable and X-Force #6 courtesy Marvel
Cable and X-Force #6 courtesy Marvel

Cable and X-Men are mutants on the run. This powerhouse team has been branded as terrorists. Colossus is one of my favorite X-Men but writer Dennis Hopeless it taking the character into new territory after Avengers vs. X-Men. No Kitty Pryde. No X-Men. Domino thrives on living a life on the run. Colossus not so much as Hopeless explains:

“Colossus is definitely having the worst time of it. He’s dealing with a lot of guilt—old guilt and new guilt—and wants to atone. There’s a simple solution to all of this, but it’s tough to save the world from behind bars. Pete is torn between his guilt and his loyalty to X-Force and their mission”

Pete won’t be on the run much longer. As you can see from Cable and X-Force #6 Colossus goes to prison.

“He wants to make amends, do his time and move on from all the guilt. He likes prison in a weird way. It’s as though a weight has been lifted from his chest and he can breathe again. The only thing particularly difficult about jail is that Domino, Cable and X-Force won’t leave him alone in there.”

Cable and X-Force #5 courtesy Marvel
Cable and X-Force #5 courtesy Marvel

Hope Summers is another mutant who’s been “exiled” from the flagship X-titles. The mutant messiah is back with her “dad” and Hopeless will continue to explore Cable’s relationship with the girl he raised and his father, Cyclops.

“I think in both cases, the relationship is hard because of how similar the fathers are to their children. Hope drives Cable nuts because Continue reading CABLE AND X-FORCE: Colossus, Hope and Cyclops!

Nick Spencer on AVENGERS to INFINITY

Avengers #12 courtesy Marvel
Avengers #12 courtesy Marvel

Marvel has recruited a big gun for a big story starring the biggest team in comics. Nick Spencer (Secret Avengers, Morning Glories) will join Jonathan Hickman on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes starting with Avengers #12 this May. That issue takes the team to the Savage Land. Spencer spoke with Comics Newsarama about his co-writing assignment with the very busy Hickman and what the current stories are driving towards.

“It’s the big lead-up to Infinity. One of the coolest things about the gig is that it wasn’t just, “Come in and kill time for a few issues, and do some filler.” The lion’s share of what I’m working on is the direct lead-in and the prelude to Infinity, and setting the stage for all that, so it’s a big, important story. It wasn’t just an opportunity to be a part of the book, but to be a part of the book at a really crucial juncture.”

The roster of Hickman’s Avengers has expanded to include New Mutants Sunspot and Cannonball along with heavy hitters Continue reading Nick Spencer on AVENGERS to INFINITY