This teaser by Irving shows Cyclops, Magneto, Emma Frost, and Magik leading the mutant revolution. Bendis established that Scott’s team will be based on the old Weapon X facility and continue their recruitment of new mutants in the first arc of All-New X-Men.
My favorite previous Irving art was on Batman and Robin with Grant Morrison and Silent War starring the Inhumans for Marvel.
David Haller is one weird cat! Simon Spurrier takes into the strange, quirky, snarky mindworld that is Legion in X-Men Legacy. David is the son of the late Professor X. David has multiple personalities with multiple mutant powers. The mentally disturbed David has disturbed the Marvel Universe in the past. He caused the Age of Apocalypse and Age of X so that gives you an idea of how powerful this guy is!
David was mourning his father’s death and trying to control his personalities in his own virtual mind prison when a pair of floating eyeballs pointed him in the direction of frightened mutant twins in Japan. The shattered David decided to follow his father’s legacy and save them.
This week Professor Xavier’s son has a showdown with his father’s prize students X-Men Legacy #4. Wolverine, Storm, Frenzy, Chamber and Beast confront David demanding they turn the children over to them. Spurrier unleashes some hilarious one-liners, psychic mindgames and serious bluffing in this confrontation. When the mutant Blindfold confronts David that’s when things really get strange. The X-Men may have a brand new enemy hiding right in front of their eyes and only David may be able to save them.
This is not your usual X-book. Offbeat is an understatement. Imagine Salvador Dali’s artistic mind channelled through cerebro with a slight touch of Nightmare on Elm Street dreamworld horror. As disturbed as David is he makes a strong case that maybe his father and the X-Men have had it wrong all these years. X-Men Legacy continues to be the weirdest Marvel book out there. I’m not ashamed to admit I don’t get everything that’s going on but I’m intrigued and rooting to David.
Fatale Flashbacks Standalone stories starring the Femme Fatale of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’s epic horror/crime noir series. Those genres get a twist of spaghetti western in Fatale #13 in a tale of Josephine and the Fatale curse in the old wild west. (Image)
Manhattan Projects Jonathan Hickman’s stange tale of twisted history and weird science evolves in a frightening way when the scientists behind the MP now control the earth! (Image)
Sex #1 Joe Casey (Image, March) A former superhero obsessed with having as much sex as he can? Is this like Shame but with capes?
The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys by Gerard Way and Becky Cloonan. The front man of My Chemical Romance who made The Umbrella Academy is back with a new series spinning out of his band’s 2010 album. (Dark Horse Comics)
Valkyrie and Misty Knight will lead a brand new Fearless Defenders. The new Marvel Now book by Cullen Bunn and Will Sliney will feature an all-female team. Earlier this week Bunn confirmed Dani Moonstar and a new character named Hippolyta will join the team.
As you may have read before on here I’m a huge fan of Valkyrie’s old teammate from the 1970’s Defenders and I have wanted Marvel to raise Hellcat! This week on Twitter @Marvel and @cullenbunn asked fans who we hope Valkyrie recruits? Yours truly, ComicsBlendWill of course responded Hellcat! Bunn’s response: “You won’t have long to wait.”
Patsy Walker: Hellcat #5 courtesy Marvel
Funny how a tweet can make a grown man cry!
Stay tuned for Patsy Walker to stalk again as the sexy Hellcat and brace yourself for the might of Valkyrie and Misty Knight in Fearless Defenders next month!
This post reveals the ending of Wolverine and the X-Men #23
Do NOT keep reading unless you read that issue!
Seriously!
OK
Here it is:
Wolverine and the X-Men #23 courtesy Marvel
The finale of the Frankenstein Murder Circus arc ended with comeback of a villain I wasn’t expecting! Jason Aaron dropped a supernatural bombshell but has he been warning us of this old enemy’s return since the first issue?
Frankenstein’s Monster and a witch named Calcabring made an unholy alliance to enchant the X-Men into becoming circus freaks and helping the monster track his prey – the young Bishop of the new Hellfire Club aka the last Frankenstien!
The X-Men ultimately defeated Frankenstein, the witch and their circus of zombie clowns! On the final page we learned the witch has been serving Azazel! The demon looking mutant daddy of Nightcrawler appeared to have magically transported into our world!
courtesy Marvel Comics
Who is Azazel?
In a storyline called The Draco (Uncanny X-Men #426 – #434) writer Chuck Austen revealed that Nightcrawler’s father was Azazel. This mutant from Biblical times was banished by Angels to a dark brimstone dimension. He was able to escape the dimension for brief periods of time and visited Earth to father several demon-looking mutant children. Azazel fathered Kurt Wagner with Mystique. The X-Men stopped Azazel’s plot to claim the Earth via his teleporting demon children and the villain went into character no man’s land.
Azazel (played by Jason Flemying) was part of Sebastian Shaw’s Hellfire Club in X-Men: First Class. Director Matthew Vaughn didn’t reference the Nightcrawler connection and turned the reviled character into a sinister on- screen smash.
Uncanny X-Men #434 courtesy Marvel
It appears Azazel’s popularity from the last film has inspired a comic book comeback. One of the many running storylines since Wolverine and the X-Men launched is the bamfs running wild at The Jean Grey School. The tiny Nightcrawler looking creatures escaped to the school when Beast opened a portal to their dimension. The little gremlins have been making mischief as the school (like stealing Wolverine’s whisky) but have they been agents of Azazel all this time? Could this lead to the resurrection of the real Kurt Wagner aka Nightcrawler?
In The Dark Knight Trilogy Ra’s Al Ghul told Bruce Wayne to become a symbol to fight injustice. In this week’s Detective Comics #16 the Joker has become an inspirational symbol to Gotham City’s unhinged and mentally unstable. The Joker never appear in this excellent issue (or does he?) but his sinister influence chokes this issue like Joker gas creeping into you.
In this Death of the Family tie-in Batman fights to stop bands of Joker fans and wannabes. John Layman and Jason Fabok craft a chilling tale of madness and manipulation among ordinary people pushed over the edge and ruthless new criminals seizing their claims in Gotham City. Layman shows us the ramifications of the Joker’s comeback.
Batman races across Gotham trying to stop the violence and track down the mysterious League of Smiles. The real madman behind the outbreak may not be the Joker but a new holy terror. Another new villain is taking advantage of the Joker’s rampage. While Oswald Cobblepot has been recruited by the Joker the Emperor Penguin makes his move on the crime lords of Gotham City. The back story showing the new villain’s rise to power is chilling and fun.
John Layman, Jason Fabok and Andy Clarke deliver a fun read that ties loosely into Death of the Family while setting the stage for new enemies and showdowns in Gotham City’s Underworld.
Those mad scientists behind Wolverine and the X-Men create a smashing finale to the Frankenstein’s Murder Circus arc! Jason Aaron and Nick Bradshaw pack Wolverine and the X-Men #23 with horror, humor, action, dramatic character development and one hell of a surprise ending!
A witch’s magic mind control turned the X-Men into circus freaks. Idie became unexpected allies with a member of the new Hellfire Club. Frankenstein was obsessed with killing the sadistic little brat. The mutants were facing zombie clowns! Yes, zombie clowns! Trust me, Aaron and Bradshaw make it work!
In The Last Frankenstein we learn the young villain’s monstrous past, see a glimpse of hope that he might be redeemed and a potential rattling in the status quo in the Hellfire Club. Maximillian Von Katzenelbogen isn’t the only teen who undergoes a big change in this chapter. The blossoming attraction between Idie and Quentin Quire takes an interesting turn. Is the smitten Kid Omega possibly changing his arrogant bad boy ways as Idie sinks deeper into the dark side?
Nick Bradshaw is an artistic madman conjuring zombie clowns, teen angst and a poptastic splash page of Wolverine and the X-Men ready to to drop the big top on the murder circus! Doop fans will LOVE this issue!
I enjoyed every frame then Aaron and Bradshaw and pull a bombshell for theie final magic act! The comeback of a forgotten villain that may be tied to a running gag since the series began. This issue shows yet again this is the X-book is the most mutant fun you can have and maybe the most fun you’ll have with a Marvel title!
Fans of The Hunger Games can feast their eyes on costumes worn by “The Girl On Fire” and other characters from hit movie based on the best-selling novel! An amazing collection of genuine costumes will be exhibited at the upcoming Emerald City Comicon taking place on March 1st – 3rd, 2013 at the Washington State Convention Center. This rare display of Hollywood history will be on display all three days!
The exhibit features original screen-worn costumes worn by Jennifer Lawrence as “Katniss,” Josh Hutcherson as “Peeta,” Elizabeth Banks as “Effie,” Stanley Tucci as “Caesar,” Liam Hemsworth as “Gale,” Woody Harrelson as “Haymitch,” Lenny Kravtiz as “Cinna,” Donald Sutherland as “President Snow,” Wes Bentley as “Seneca,” and many more!
The costumes are all set to be auctioned off in October but will be making a few appearances around the country first to give the public a chance to preview the items. Cities for the costume exhibit include Hollywood, Chicago, New York and Seattle.
The Hunger Games Cast Tour in Seattle, photo by ComicsBlend.com
Almost a year ago thousands of local fans gathered and screamed for Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth on The Hunger Games Tour. Here’s a link to my interviews with those stars.
