Blade Runner The Final Cut movie poster image courtesy Amazon.com
“If you could see what I’ve seen with your eyes,” is just one of the many quotes from Rutger Hauer as the doomed Roy Batty in Blade Runner. I love that movie. I’ve seen every version. I own the collector’s edition case. I’ve studied it over and over.
Ridley Scott is returning to the world of the other science fiction classic he created. Hampton Fancher is in talks to create an idea for a sequel to the classic film for Scott and Alcon Entertainment according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The story goes on to say that the sequel is set “some years after the first film concluded” according to Alcon. I wonder which ending of the first film Scott will use to springboard into the future. I’m sure The Final Cut version.
Boom Studios produces a gorgeous graphic novel series based on the original Phillip K. Dick story on which Blade Runner is based: Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep?
Can you tell I’m a little excited about this? I think I’m more thrilled Scott’s return to the Alien mythos in Prometheus but I can’t wait to see how he expands the world of Blade Runner.
Peter David delivers a thrilling and witty conclusion to his story about real life heroes in Seattle. The X-Ceptionals are a team of non-powered, wannabe mutants patrolling the Emerald City. X-Factor Investigations is called on the case after some members are sliced and shredded.
Madrox and Shatterstar go undercover in an ironic case of heroes imitator heroes. The killer is revealed. The motive is exposed. Shatterstar proves why he was a formidable warrior in Mojoworld and in this world. David gives us an exciting showdown and a commentary on our society’s obsession with “reality.”
Artist Leonard Kirk packs the foreground and pushes the story forward. Shatterstar has edge, attitude and pulls off an impressive move with his blades that would make Wolverine take notice. The new villain Scattershot looks likes he stepped right out of the 90’s. I really loved the cover featuring the old school team head shots of the team in the corner – makes me nostalgic.
Now as a Seattle resident this storyline is especially ironic because you see we have real people who patrol the streets dressed as super heroes. Citizen Heroes is an upcoming documentary about the movement. Director Matt Harrison and crew went on patrol with the 15 ‘real life’ heroes of the Pacific Nortwest.
This week Phoenix Jones – the most famous member of the movement – asked his followers for suggestions on a new costume.
courtesy Rex Velvet?
The Rain City Super Hero Movement recently inspired a self-proclaimed super villain: Rex Velvet. The “People’s Villain” has released two YouTube videos and is up to something with an alliance of other villains. You can see all my Rex Velvet updates here.
Today was a showdown in Seattle! Rex’s challenge was answered with a challenge by Jones. The two rivals “met” this morning on a Seattle radio show. Thanks to Jackie & Bender on KISS FM for uniting Jones and Velvet.
While the mutants in Seattle arc wraps up the real life storyline of Phoenix and Rex is just getting started. Maybe this ‘real life’ rivalry might inspire a sequel and X-Factor may return to Seattle for a new storyline. What do you think?
Ok DC Comics you’re winning. I was hooked on Batman, Detective Comics and Batgirl from the beginning of The New 52. Now Night of the Owls is making me addicted to the rest of the Batman family of books.
The Court of Owls has unleashed a nearly undead army of killers to take out key targets in a bid to seize control of Gotham City. Batman has called on his allies to help protect the hit list of citizens across the city. It’s a massive crossover and it made me pick up some titles I usually don’t. I loved the Batman and Robin, Batwing and Nightwing issues.
This week it’s Catwoman’s turn. Judd Winick and Guillem March won me over with a tightly paced and clever tie-in. This is the first chapter in which I felt a little sympathy for a devil…or in this case a Talon.
Catwoman and Spark are targeting the Penguin for a robbery. The Court of Owls have targeted Cobblepot for assassination. Winick gives us the back story of Talon haunted by an unresolved mission. The Council of Owls have demonstrated their ruthlessness but with this story we see just cruel the society can be to their most loyal servants.
Given her own past Selina is able to see something in the Talon perhaps no one else in the Batman family can see. There’s a weird sense of reflection and even understanding between the infamous femme fatale and the undead killer. A very different take in this crossover and it gave me enough of Selena and Spark to make me come back next month.
The mutant detectives of X-Factor Investigations are on the case in Seattle after someone starts killing the city’s so called real super heroes. Madrox and Shattershot went undercover with the X-ceptionals last month.
This week’s X-Factor #236 exposes the killer but this revelation brings up a ton of questions. This new foe named Scattershot looks awfully familiar. (Like a lot of villains from Rob Liefeld’s X-Force era.)
Peter David’s storyline has been fun and filled with mystery, action and humor. It’s ironic that comic book heroes are going undercover in Seattle to save people in comic books who are dressing and want to to be super heroes.
What you may or may not know is that Seattle (home of yours truly) actually has a real life super hero movement. Phoenix Jones is the most notable of these residents who patrol the streets in costume. I recently met the director who’s been on patrol with the Citizen Heroesfor an upcoming documentary.
Every good hero inspires a villain. Enter Rex Velvet earlier this month. This self-proclaimed real life “People’s Villain” has released two stylish videos challenging Seattle’s heroes and appears to be planning a phase two of his campaign.
Maybe Peter David will take a look at Rex’s videos. I’d be fascinated if it inspires a new twist or sequel to this current X-Factor storyline.
As I wrote this I learned Phoenix Jones is looking to upgrade his costume. He asked for suggestions from followers via his Twitter.
Is Peter Parker the last hope after the Avengers vs X-Men war rips the reality of the Marvel Universe apart? Marvel revealed this cover for Avengers vs X-Men #9 with a battered Spider-Man in a shredded costume.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Their numbers dwindling, the Avengers stage a daring raid on the X-Men’s prison to rescue their captive members—and you won’t believe where it is!
• Alliances begin to change as the nature of the Phoenix becomes apparent!
• And in the end, it all comes down to Spider-Man!
Given the No More Avengerstease and the description above (saving reality) it appears the AvX event will be take a House of M like twist ith an altered reality or ‘decimation’ of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Avengers vs X-Men #9 by Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert (and this Jim Cheung cover) arrives this August. Issue 4 is out this week.
Anne Hathaway will play Catwoman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. I’m still not sure which side the cinematic Selina Kyle will choose – the most recent trailer seemed to show her against Bane.
Catwoman #9 courtesy DC Comics
In the comics – Catwoman and Spark will be caught up in the Night of the Owls crossover this week. The Court of Owls have unleashed assassins to take out targets across Gotham City. Nightwing protected the Mayor. Batwing saved Lucius Fox. The Council went after Batgirl’s dad. In Catwoman #9 Selina Kyle and Spark are forced to defend…The Penguin.
I’ve enjoyed every crossover title so far so I’m looking forward to Catwoman against a Talon but of all the targets…she has to save Penguin?
Avengers vs. X-Men #4 Wolverine chose the Avengers. Now Logan is abandoned on his own rogue agenda. Hope is flaring up with violent bursts of power – she already deep-fried Wolverine! The Phoenix Force is bearing down on Earth and Thor could make the ultimate sacrifice to stop it.
AvX Vs #2 Spider-Man against the Colossal Juggernaut, Captain American against Gambit. Those are the fights on the awesome cover but are we going to see the aftermath of the Iron Man/Emma Frost battle?
Winter Soldier #5 Bucky and Black Widow versus machine gun armed super gorillas and a squad of sleeper agents trained by the one time Captain America as they face to prevent all out war in the homeland Doctor Doom.
Manhattan Projects #3 A twisted tale of science fiction and alternate history. Creating the atomic bomb was nothing compared to the infamous government think tank’s creations in Jonathan Hickman’s series that pushes storytelling to a new level.
Nightwing #9 Showdown at Gotham City Hall as Nightwing must prevent an assassin from reaching its target. Bruce and Dick’s friendship has been tested by the exposure of a long kept secret but will any of the heroes survive the Night of the Owls.
A brand new, old school adventure with Marvel’s mutants by a living legend. The First X-Men will be a new 5 part limited series written and drawn by Neal Adams with Christos Gage scripting. In today’s Next Big Thing event Marvel revealed the story behind last Friday’s The First X-Men teaser.
“You guys probably know I was at one time associated with X-Men…then they canceled the book. I had great fondness for the original X-Men, had the time of my life, then they canceled it,” said Adams referring to this era (1969-70.)
“At the beginning, Stan and Jack were experimenting. You had Professor X, bald and in a wheelchair. These strange kids already in costume. It seems to me like this was not the beginning of the story, but the middle.”
“Of all the mutants on Earth, Professor X could easily pass as a human. Why would he want to get involved in this? Maybe all this was going on before Professor X was Professor X…when Professor X was a teenager. Maybe mutant kids were getting abused by the military, by the government. Somebody would have been looking out for them, but maybe that person came to Charles Xavier, realizing he couldn’t protect these kids. That was my pitch,” Adams revealed.
“Marvel was very generous to provide Christos Gage to me, who is an expert in all this stuff. He’s taking my pitch and turning it into scripts that are in my opinion groundbreaking. It’s the X-Men before there were X-Men,” Adams said about his partner.
The First X-Men by Neal Adams courtesy Marvel.com
From the preview it appears Logan is the leader of this team before the team.
“How deeply is Wolverine entrenched in the X-Men? Why was this first team…maybe a failure? Lots of questions to answer.
It takes place before the original X-Men and at a time when the government was snatching mutants up and doing scary things to them. Logan notices this and thinks somebody needs to look out for them. He recruits Sabretooth, who asks ‘Why?’ and so he pays him. Professor Xavier is a young man studying at Oxford, who’s engaged and wants nothing to do with this,” Adams reveals about the lineup.
“In those early X-Men stories, everybody hates and fears them, but we never really know why. It’s so core to the concept, but it was there before the series started. Here we found out why mutants are so hated and feared in a way that is different from any other super heroes,” adds X-Men Editor Nick Lowe.
Wolverine targets the future master of magnetism for his team. Gage says “They recruit this guy Erik Lensherr who is out there killing Nazis…”
“The natural instinct is that this is like the ‘X-Men: First Class’ movie, but it’s not,” Adams states but adds, “We didn’t mind stealing the Nazi Hunter version of Magneto though.”
Gage calls Wolverine a soldier putting together a unit not a school in this series and Adams reveals more of Logan’s team.
“There’s a character who calls himself Bombastic Aghast, but they call him Bomb. Wolverine saves him from a cave-in then gives him a leather jacket that fits like a tent. He looks ridiculous, but he thinks it’s his costume. Later, Wolverine buys him a jacket that fits, but he throws it back in his face. That jacket means so much to him and represents his relationship with Wolverine. That’s the origin of his costume,” Adams confirms.
Fans may assume this retro tale is from an alternate timeline but the X-Office says this is not
“This is firmly set in continuity. This is not a What If. This is canon. This is key to Wolverine’s history and his relationships with other characters. This will answer questions that have been out there for decades,” says Lowe
“They do encounter ‘hobo’ Sub-Mariner at one point.” Christos Gage reveals. “He throws a car at Wolverine!” adds Adams
“We wanted this to be something you could hand to somebody who just saw the X-Men movies and they’d enjoy it as a good X-Men story. At the same time, for giant nerds like me, FBI agent Fred Duncan from the early stories is in there, and when Professor X talks about his brother you know it’s Juggernaut,” says Gage.
“There will be early versions of the Sentinels. I did the giant ones, now I’m getting to do different one,” revealed Adams
The First X-Men by Neal Adams courtesy Marvel.com
“Wolverine was a mercenary, and mercenaries make a lot of money. Wouldn’t it be interesting to find that Wolverine’s mercenary work funded…” Adams teased.
“The concept that Charles Xavier could pass for a human I don’t think has ever really been explored. At some point in his life, he made the difficult decision to step forward as leader of the X-Men and as a mutant. He could have wiped all of this out of the world’s collective mind. Why didn’t he? Stuff to think about,” Adams says of the mutant leader.
The First X-Men arrives this August. For the entire transcript here’s the Marvel.com link.
This is NOT what I expected. What do you think of the concept?
