Category: Books

Marvel NOW!

Marvel NOW! image by Joe Quesada courtesy Marvel and EW

  Marvel’s post Avengers vs X-Men plans appear to be a relaunching the universe under the initiative Marvel NOW!

  Expect new creative teams, new series launches and relaunches starting in October 2012 through February 2013. Details and this image by Joe Quesada are in the Comic-Con issue of Entertainment Weekly.

 These are the 3 titles to be announced in EW:

Uncanny Avengers: A blended Avengers/X-Men book written by Rick Remender (Uncanny X-Force) and illustrated by John Cassaday (Astonishing X-Men), with a cast including Captain America, Thor, Rogue and Havok. Remender is quoted by EW as calling the series a “bridge book” “that can delve into both worlds,” though post-AvX tension will be apparent. Starts in October.

All-New X-Men: As long-rumored, Brian Michael Bendis is writing the X-Men, specifically the original five. Still teenagers, they time travel to the present-day Marvel Universe, and aren’t pleased with what they find. “It’s not a time-travel story like Back to the Future,” Bendis is quoted. “It’s a time-travel story like Pleasantville,” with “character-based drama more important than the sci-fi aspect. Art from Stuart Immonen; starts in November.

Avengers: Now a biweekly series written by Jonathan Hickman and illustrated by Jerome Opeña, the book will include “18 or more” Avengers team members, and “feature a combination of one-off stories and longer, galaxy-spanning multi-issue arcs.” Starts in December.

Thanks to Comics Newsarama.

The biggest mystery solved is the “return of Jean Grey?” tease. This will be a pre-Phoenix Jean along with the original five X-Men in the Bendis book.

By Editor

What do you think?

Top 5 Comic Picks for 7/4/12

Avengers vs. X-Men #7 courtesy Marvel

Avengers Vs. X-Men #7 Cyclops declares “No More Avengers!” What does this mean for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes? If the Phoenix Five can destroy and remake entire planets how can Captain America and his allies hope to escape?

Earth 2 #3 DC Comics reintroduced Silver Age favorite Alan Scott as an openly gay man. This issue shows us how he becomes the Green Lantern. Plus, the Flash hunted by Hawkgirl?

Knights of the Living Dead Volume 1 Full disclosure – I’m picking this just on the title alone. I  have not read a single issue but come on – a mashup of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and zombies!

Peanuts Volume 1 Snoopy, Charlie Brown and whole gang are back in brand new stories and classic Sunday strips from Charles M. Schulz. This volume collects the first four issues of the series.

Wolverine #310 courtesy Marvel.com

Wolverine #310 No head, no problem. Logan decapitated his archenemy. How is Sabretooth back? The creative dream team of Jeph Loeb and Simone Bianchi return with sequel of one of Wolverine’s most epic stories.

The Joker Returns in “Death of the Family”

 

courtesy DC Comics

  The Joker, Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. You could call it a dream team. Call it Batman’s nightmare. The most infamous villain in comic book history is back.

  DC Comics revealed the Joker is back this October. When The New 52 launched last September the Joker met a horrific fate at the end of Tony Daniel’s Detective Comics #1. The Joker’s face was carved off and he hasn’t been seen since.

  October’s Batman #13 by Snyder and Capullo kicks off the “Death of the Family” storyline. DC teases the classic villain will be used in “dark, horrifying, unnerving” way and the return will affect Batman, the Bat-family and Gotham City.

  “Joker is my favorite villain of all time,” Snyder revealed today on The Source. “Not just in comics. In everything – film, books, TV. He’s the greatest, hands down. So this story is something extremely important and personal to me – something I’ve been building in my head ever since I started working in Gotham.”

  “When Scott told me that he’d written a Joker story for our next arc, I couldn’t contain my excitement,” added Capullo. “Talk about a dream come true! For me, the Joker is the ultimate rogue and the villain I most wanted to draw. I gotta tell you, after hearing what the story is about, this isn’t a dream come true. It’s a nightmare! A macabre and bloody, flesh crawling nightmare. We hope you’ll have the nerve to face what’s coming. Warning: It ain’t for the faint of heart!”

  Given the cliffhanger of Detective Comics #1 could the classic villain be sporting a new face?

  “Wait ’til you see him,” Snyder said. “Greg’s sketches literally gave me chills. Point blank: This is Joker like you’ve never seen him before. He has a mission. He has a secret. And he has a serious axe to grind with Batman. It isn’t going to be pretty, but it’s going to be a wild ride.”

  This will be the first major story with the Joker in the relaunched DC continuity. The story title makes you think of  the classic “Death in the Family” story in which the Joker killed Jason Todd. There’s no official word on if the Joker’s return will mean a crossover with other Bat-family titles like Night of the Owls. With a title like “Death of the Family” could the Joker’s new plot be to destroy Batman’s alliances with the other heroes of Gotham City? Could the Joker have been masquerading as another character this past year in the New 52?

By Editor

Avengers vs X-Men Final Act “There Can Only Be One”

AvX #9 teaser courtesy Marvel

  It’s a one-two cosmic teaser punch hinting at the return of a fan favorite mutant. Earlier today EW revealed a Jean Grey teaser image. Now Marvel revealed this teaser image for the third and final act of the Avengers vs X-Men event.

  The Phoenix emblem worn by Jean Grey is blazing in cosmic fire as the hands of (X-Men?) are reaching for it with the slogan “There Can Only Be One.”

Here’s the solicitation accompanying the image:

  This August, the comic book event of the year – Avengers VS. X-Men – reaches critical mass as Earth’s Mightiest make their last stand against the Phoenix Force. But when the Phoenix Force yearns for a single host, who will it choose? There can only be one! Act Three kicks off in Avengers Vs. X-Men #9.

Expect more teasers and reveals between now and Comicon International but enjoy the speculation.

By Editor

Is Jean Grey Returning After Avengers vs. X-Men?

Jean Grey image by Joe Quesada courtesy Entertainment Weekly

  The Phoenix is back. The entity was destined to bond with Hope Summers but (due to Iron Man’s intervention) is hosted by the Phoenix Five (Cyclops, Emma Frost, Colossus, Magik and Namor.) Another famous mutant with red hair may be back.

 Entertainment Weekly unveiled a tease with art by Marvel CEO Joe Quesada sure to get X-Men fans in a frenzy!

Here’s what’s accompanies the image: 

   To answer your questions: Yes, this is Jean Grey — as in, the Jean Grey who’s been absent from Marvel comics ever since dying for a second time back in the mid-00s. And yes, she is modeling her vintage blue-and-yellow X-Men outfit from her Marvel Girl days. Does this mean that the fan-favorite character is finally returning? We can only confirm that her presence in the Marvel universe will not be imaginary. This will not be part of the Ultimate line-up. She will not be a zombie hologram, like Shard on X-Factor. What could this all mean? Check back tomorrow, when all the secrets will be revealed. (Or some of them, anyhow.)

  EW characterizes the Jean Grey news as part of “an upcoming initiative by Marvel Comics that will build off the current Avengers vs. X-Men crossover and radically alter the Marvel universe as you know it,”

Thanks to Comics Newsarama.

Phoenix: Endsong #1 Cover by Greg Land. Marvel.com

 The “return” of Jean Grey? The former host of the Phoenix Force died (a second time depending on how you look at it) in New X-Men #150. Jean ascended to a higher plane (the white hot room) and encouraged Scott to be with rival Emma Frost and rebuild the school – thus preventing a horrific future.

 I’ve been speculating that the Scott/Emma era may be over and that Cyclops will be sacrificed or face a heavy loss before Avengers vs X-Men is over. Namor wants Emma. Cyclops would never commit to her – as in propose. An upcoming AvX cover image shows Scott and Emma in Phoenix forms attacking each other. Marvel may be plotting cosmic level breakup! 

  As I posted back in November – I love you Jean. I hope you stay dead. I may be in the minority on this issue. Let the speculation begin.

By Editor

 

Len Wein on Before Watchmen Ozymandias

Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #1 cover by Jae Lee courtesy DC Comics

  Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #1 is out this week. Len Wein was editor of the original Watchmen 12 part series. Wein is writing the new miniseries starring the “smartest man on the planet.”

 

In an interview with the legendary creator at Fan Expo Vancouver I asked Wein about his role as editor then versus writer now and how it relates to the new stories of Before Watchmen. Continue reading Len Wein on Before Watchmen Ozymandias

Spider-Man, Lizards and A Vampire

Amazing Spider-Man #689 courtesy Marvel.com

  Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone (as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy) face the Lizard in Amazing Spider-Man but one monster is not enough for the comic book Spidey! If you love the cinematic webslinger then it’s a great time to start reading Amazing Spider-Man.

  Dan Slott is pushing Peter Parker to the limit with not one but two monsters on the loose in this week’s Amazing Spider-Man #689. Chapter Two of No Turning Back finds Morbius the Living Vampire is on the loose. Dr. Curt Connors is cured. So who or what is the other Lizard creature on the loose?

Amazing Spider-Man #689 courtesy Marvel

“This summer we’re giving you a chiller; we’re going from wall-crawling to skin crawling,” Writer Dan Slott tells Marvel.com.

  By Editor

Gladiator’s Cosmic Throwdown with the X-Men Updated!

 

Wolverine and the X-Men #13 courtesy Marvel.com

  An outer space army has come to earth to kill X-Men! Gladiator is here to snuff out the Phoenix Force and rescue his son. Wait until he finds out what Wolverine did to Kid Gladiator? Nick Bradshaw is bringing the cosmic conflict to life in Wolverine and the X-Men #13. Marvel.com revealed some of Bradshaw’s kinetic and color packed pages.

  Remember the first time you saw Gladiator and the Shi’ar Imperial Guard? I was a very young geek. Chris Claremont, John Byrne and Terry Austin had already blown my mind with what would become the Dark Phoenix Saga. As I opened Uncanny X-Men #137 to see my favorite heroes on an alien spacecraft surrounded by Empress Lilandra and her Imperial Guard. This elite squadron of the most powerful alien warriors dedicated was led by a muscle-bound alien with mohawk. Gladiator (real name Kallark) was created by Claremont and Dave Cockrum. He had an array of powers like Superman and carried a noble air. Gladiator remains one of the coolest creations I ever saw in a comic book.

Wolverine and the X-Men #13 courtesy Marvel.com

   Gladiator has fought with and against the X-Men to protect the universe from the Phoenix. Emperor Kallark now leads the Shi’ar Empire and his son is at Wolverine’s school – protected by Warbird. The Phoenix is back on Earth. Gladiator and his alien army have come to save his son and take on the Phoenix Five.

 

Wolverine and the X-Men #13 courtesy Marvel.com

  The tease for this issue also promises to reveal more about Warbird’s past. This is my favorite X-book. Jason Aaron has been knocking my out with each issue. Nick Bradshaw’s art has an Art Adams vibe.

  This Avengers vs X-Men tie-in chapter comes out in July. Gladiator beat down Colossus in the Dark Phoenix Saga but a Phoenix powered Colossus may be the warrior’s biggest challenge. Here’s hoping Kallark survives!

Wolverine and the X-Men #13 courtesy Marvel.com

  A post-thought: given the cosmic direction Marvel movies are going maybe we’ll see the Shi’ar Empire in an Avengers sequel or if a Guardians of the Galaxy movie happens?

By Editor