Superman will soar again on the big screen next year as part of the hero’s 75th Anniversary. Zach Snyder is in post-production on Man of Steel now and talks with the L.A. Times Hero Complex about the tone of the film.
“It’s a more serious version of Superman. It’s not like a heart attack. We took the mythology seriously. We take him as a character seriously. I believe the movie would appeal to anyone. I think that you’re going to see a Superman you’ve never seen before. We approached it as though no other films had been made. He’s the king-daddy. Honestly that’s why I wanted to do it. I’m interested in Superman because he’s the father of all superheroes. He’s this amazing ambassador for all superheroes. What was it about him that cracked the code that made pop culture embrace this other mythology? What we‘ve made as a film not only examines that but is also an amazing adventure story. It’s been an honor to work on. As a comic book fan, Superman is like the Rosetta Stone of all superheroes. I wanted to be sure the movie treated it respectfully.”
Storm has joined the teaching staff of the Jean Grey School but new villains appear to be delivering a lesson in cruelty and death in this week’s Wolverine and the X-Men #20. Frankenstein’s Murder Circus is coming to Salem Center. From the issue cover it appears Logan, Ororo and Bobby have been forced to join the freaky carnival.
I love that Storm is on the faculty and this image by Nick Bradshaw takes me way back to the Chris Claremont/John Byrne Uncanny X-Men era when Mesmero hypnotized the X-Men into thinking they were part of his traveling circus. Continue reading Storm Joins Wolverine’s X-Men
She’s the girl we all love. Jean Grey is the beautiful and tragic one that got away…until now.
Jean and the other original X-Men are brought into the Marvel Now in this week’s All-New X-Men #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen. Imagine Jean’s reaction when she learns now her life and death and life and death has turned out.
Jean’s return has been teased for years but the idea of the original pre-Phoenix Jean was a surprise (to this geek anyway.)
Bendis talked with Marvel.com about how he sees this Jean Grey of the past.
“I think she’s the quintessential X-Man. I think that’s why everyone gravitates to her so much. Her powers are unique; her powers are something she has to work on, something she has to control. Every time her powers build, it sets a new set of problems for her, and at the same time, a new set of goals and challenges that make her a better hero, And we know, as fans, that she has met with tragedy a couple of times, because of the rocky road of the mutants and the X-Men. In this story that I’m telling, we’re going to meet a Jean that is fully aware of everything that has happened to her, more than any of the other X-Men, and now we get to see how that information will inform her choices as a human, and as a mutant, and as a person, and as a girl going forward.
It’s a very interesting challenge as a writer. I literally cannot stop writing her. It is absolutely fascinating. We know that Jean is a sweetheart, and we also know that Jean has an incredible edge to her. How will that edge manifest itself, knowing everything that she knows about the destiny of her life?”
All-New X-Men #5 courtesy Marvel
This is perhaps the biggest reveal – this Jean is not just pre-Phoenix but this is Jean before her mutant power manifested.
“I don’t want to spoil too much, but when we meet Jean in this story, she is specifically brought here when she’s not telepathic, so it would make it more palpable for her to understand what’s happening. But the event of bringing her here unlocks her telepathy earlier than it had prior. She gets a shock to the system discovering that Scott Summers killed Professor Charles Xavier, and that she had died. She is witness to everything at once, so it’s not just elements of her life that is shocking her, it’s the accumulation of all of it.
It’s literally like reading a Wikipedia page as fast as you can. It’s not just the facts of her life, but it is experiencing all of the emotions at once. Love from someone like Wolverine that she cannot reciprocate, to discover the rise and fall and rise and fall of Scott Summers, all of this happens to her in a flash. That I think is going to be the most shocking thing. It’s literally just her seeing Scott Summers standing next to Magneto. Remember, when they were 16, Magneto was Hitler. That’s what we’re gunning for.”
All-New X-Men #1 courtesy Marvel
I loved this next question and response because I remember the relationship between Jean and Ororo during the Chris Claremont era. How will young Jean react to the modern-day X-women like Storm who was adult Jean’s closest friend.
“And that’s not a best friendship that teenage Jean can reciprocate right now. But what you do get is her gravitating very strongly to Kitty Pryde because they are very much of the same cloth. And that’s what I’m saying: Jean Grey is now Jewish because I’m writing her [Laughs]. No, I’m joking. But it’s not just the other females. It’s a smorgasbord of species and mutations. Remember the original five X-Men, they’re all still pretty human looking, but walk into the Wolverine and the X-Men book, and half those kids are alien looking, if not full on alien. So it certainly is an eye opener.”
Bendis talks about how knowing Jean’s future history is part of the challenge of writing this young Jean in the Marvel Now.
“She is the one that everyone wants back the most, and what’s great about this situation. She is the most interesting of the group. They’re all interesting, but because she will have the knowledge. Even if she tells them, “here’s what happens to us,” they’re not going to feel it like she feels it. She is just so interesting to write, Most of us that have read a Jean Grey story know that her dark side is a real thing, and seeing her pushed to limits like this will be interesting for people to see. Will she hold it together? Does she want to hold it together?”
All-New X-Men #1 arrives this week! For more of his interview here’s the Marvel.com link.
Superman and Wonder Woman shared a passionate kiss in Justice League #12 but this February Clark and Diana aren’t the only lovers to watch out for DC Comics revealed.
An all-star team of writers and artists will create heroic Valentine tales in Young Romance: A New 52 Valentine’s Day Special #1. Diana consults the God of Love over her feelings for Clark, Batgirl and Nightwing may find new loves, Catwoman rekindles her flame with Batman, Apollo and Midnighter are separated on the big holiday and Aquaman shows he knows how to woo a spouse.
The giant issue full of romantic tales comes with Valentine’s Day cards with DC favorites. Are you in love with this cover by Kenneth Rocafort?
All-New X-Men #1 The original five X-Men are yanked from the past into the Marvel Now – and they don’t like what they see! How will the young Scott, Jean, Bobby, Hank and Warren react to seeing how their lives and Professor X’s dream went so horribly wrong?
Batman #14The Joker is back with the vengeance! Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo managed to make the ultimate villain even creepier and horrifying! What has the Joker done to Batman’s oldest ally?
Fantastic Four #1 Marvel’s First Family relaunches into the Marvel Now. Matt Fraction and Mark Bagley send Reed, Susan, Johnny, Ben and the kids on the ultimate vacation through time and space.
Saga #7 The beautiful and disturbing sci-fi hit begins a new storyline. Two lovers from warring alien races fell in love, had a baby and became targets of a the most sinister hunters in the galaxy. What will the family find in the darkest corners of uncharted space?
Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation 2 #7 Which is the greater evil: Borg or Cybermen? Doctor Who and Captain Picard’s new friendship is tested as they try to stop the threat to the Federation. In this chapter the Time Lord travels back to Starfleet’s greatest defeat in order to save the future!
The announcement was a big surprise. The lineup with packed with surprise members. Now we know more about the upcoming Justice League of America by Geoff Johns and David Finch.
Steve Trevor recruits Green Arrow, Catwoman, Katana, Hawkman, Stargirl, Martian Manhunter, Vibe and Green Lantern (Simon Baz) for this brand new series. DC Comics revealed the first arc will be called World’s Most Dangerous and hailed Martian Manhunter as the most dangerous of all. Why does the world need this team and what’s their mission? Find out in Justice League of America #1 this February.
Yes, you read right. Vibe is back! Geoff Johns will also co-write (with Andrew Kreisberg) a new Vibe series premiering the same month with art by Pete Woods. The unlikely comeback continues.
Katana (JLA and Birds of Prey) gets her own new series this month too by Ann Nocenti and Alex Sanchez with the ex-assassin out to restore glory to her former team, the Outsiders.
Tony Stark rockets into outer space in the second arc of Iron Man in February. Kieron Gillen talked about Iron Man’s team up with Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Trek fantasies, and Tony paying for his actions in AvX and more on Marvel.com.
“Tony Stark is in space. Issues #1-6 are why he leaves. This is the story between Tony leaving Earth and hooking up with the Guardians of the Galaxy,” Gillen explains.
Cyclops went to prison but I believe Iron Man is in part to blame for the destruction caused by the Phoenix Five. It was Tony’s invention that deflected the Phoenix from Hope and into Scott, Emma, Colossus, Magik and Namor.
“What Tony did to the Phoenix during AvX catches up with him,” Gillen explains, “Tony is having a crisis of his beliefs. Fans know it’s because of AvX. Newcomers may be lost. We catch up here.”
Space adventures are a big part of the Marvel Now with a brand new Guardians of the Galaxy series and movie on the way. The ultimate futurist will be part of the new space age.
“Tony is living his James T. Kirk fantasies. That’s how I put it, that’s how he puts it. He thinks he’s in a space opera, then it all turns badly,” Gillen teases, “Not only does Tony try to live out his Kirk and Han Solo fantasies, he’s keenly aware he is doing so. He wants to make out with a green lady. There’s a lot of space bar flirting in issue #6. Maybe he gets his Kirk moment, maybe it goes awesomely wrong.”
The Armored Avenger may meet the Guardians but don’t expect his fellow Mightiest Heroes around.
“You know how the Hawkeye book is about Hawkeye when he’s not in the Avengers? Iron Man is about Iron Man when he’s not with the Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s a question of what space means in the Marvel Universe. Brian Bendis and I are on the same page.”
“We are in space with Tony, so we do not find out what is going on back on Earth with the supporting cast. People have been asking me a lot about why the supporting cast was not in issue #1, and it’s because I knew he was going into space. We’ll see them when he comes back to Earth. However…there is a connection between Pepper and Tony even when he’s in space.”
“This is about the way that Tony sees the world. What can reason do? What are the limits of what my thoughts can be? That’s what I mean about Tony and faith.”
“There are a lot of real hard wake-up calls for Tony in God Killer. A lot of things will make him go ‘Hmm.’ This really picks at Tony, at who he is and why he does things.”
Uncanny X-Men #9 interior art of UNIT courtesy Marvel
I loved how Gillen used UNIT in his Uncanny X-Men run and I’ve asked if Tony will encounter the sinister android.
“You never know. There’s an interesting pairing. I will say Death’s Head shows up in this arc. He’s our Boba Fett.”
Tony will build a new suit of armor seen on the cover art above.
“He built the suit to travel. He travels with everything he needs. He’s in tune with the holistic nature of what is needed to support Tony Stark. The suit is designed to go into space as an adventurer, an explorer and a hero. The only thing he doesn’t really have is his support network. I would be surprised if we don’t see him ‘in the cave’ metaphorically speaking.”
I personally feel Steve Rogers and Tony are partly responsible for the action of the Phoenix Five because their interference created them. Gillen reflects on Tony’s actions in the mega series.
“I’m of the position that if Tony hadn’t disrupted the Phoenix Force during AvX, it would have killed everybody on Earth. I’m not sure he would agree with me. He made leaps of faith in Fear Itself and AvX and wasn’t comfortable with either. He’s been avoiding thinking about it. He’s not depressed, but he’s hungry to discover things he hasn’t thought about previously. He’s driven.”
Iron Man #1 just came out last week with Tony trying to recover the Extemis nanotechnology. God Killer kicks off in February.
A brand new X-Men Legacy series starring Legion? This is one of the most surprising titles of the Marvel NOW relaunch. Writer Simon Spurrier and artist Tan Eng Huat create this week’s X-Men Legacy #1 starring one of the most powerful and dangerously unstable mutants in the Marvel Universe – the son of Professor X.
X-Men Legacy #1 courtesy Marvel
Writer Simon Spurrier (X-Club) and Editor Daniel Ketchum shared their vision and plans for this new series on Marvel.com.
“It’s kind of the black sheep of the X-Men family,”Spurrier says of the book and star, “is he going to step up and try to fill his father’s shoes? Is he going to go in a completely opposite direction? At the same time, how are the X-Men going to feel about this?”
X-Men Legacy #1 courtesy Marvel
“How do you feel when you’ve grown up in the shadow of a great man?” Legion is someone who has largely defined himself by who his father was,” Spurrier said of Professor X’s son.”
You could call Legion an enemy of the X-Men because of the evil personalities that took over David but Spurrier plans on giving him his own voice.
X-Men Legacy #1 courtesy Marvel
“It was wonderful to give Legion a voice & get into the nittygritty about what he is all about.”
Legion will confront the X-Men in issue #4 and questions their decision to keep mutants closed away at a school.
How will Legion react to meeting Cyclops – the man who murdered his father?
“I haven’t written Cyclops yet, let’s just say that,” Spurrier replied.
Since Legion grew up on a small island off Scotland Spurrier said he will give him a slight Scottish accent. Spurrier said he’s a fan of Chamber and Blindfold is a “brilliant and broken character” who will have a big part to play. Wolverine, Storm and Frenzy will appear in the series.
What about Legion’s famous hairstyle?
As you can see from the interior art by Tan Eng Huat, Daniel’s classic hair is staying.
Op/Ed: Professor X’s son has been central to many storylines but as a supporting character but now he’s the leading man. In the aftermath of AvX it makes more sense that Legion assume a greater role in mutant affrairs except that Daniel Haller isn’t the most stable guy. Legion’s mental instability and drastic actions created the Age of Apocalypse and Age of X. Professor X’s son will struggle with his psychic demons while trying to save his father’s dream. It may seem very unorthodox but this new X-Men Legacy #1 really takes on a personal and literal meaning.
