I just read New Avengers #24. Avengers vs. X-Men is the epic. AvX: Vs is all fights. I think New Avengers (and the other X-Men, Avengers tie-ins) will have the emotion and intimacy.
The majority of issue #24 is the day before Captain America leads a team to confront Cyclops on Utopia. There are moments of great emotional power with Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. The couple confront their conflicting roles as heroes and parents. I’ve enjoyed how Brian Michael Bendis has written Luke and Jessica. Marvel’s most romantic and engaging couple is once again challenged by their responsibilities as heroes.
As we count down to the end of the Bendis Avengers era, I think Luke and Jessica may be my favorite of his many contributions to the Avengers legacy.
Marvel reveals the Spider-Men mystery: Peter Parker will meet Miles Morales this Summer. Two Spider-Men from different realities meet this June in a new 5 part series from Brian Michael Bendis, Sara Pichelli and cover artist Jim Cheung.
“This year is the 50th anniversary of Spider-Man and we’re so happy that the stars aligned for us to tell a Spider-Man story that nobody has ever seen before,” said Bendis. “It’s an honor and a privilege to present both this story and these characters to fans on such an auspicious occasion. The work Sara has done on SPIDER-MEN is a step above the already high standard that she has set for herself on our ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN series. For me, this is a celebration of the best character in mainstream comics and some of the best art mainstream comics has to offer.”
For the entire interview here’s the Marvel.com link.
Avengers Vs. X-Men #1 is out. War is declared. This week sees the final X-Men/Avengers team-up before the conflict in this week’s Uncanny X-Men #10.
I sure hope the X-Men survive AvX so they can face Unit again. In last issue, the android triggered a prison break and unleashed an arm of escape alien criminals on earth. Writer Kieron Gillen calls Unit a cross “between C3PO and Hannibal Lecter.”
He’s created what I think could be the next great X foe in their extensive gallery of enemies. I think of him as the possible Ultron for the X-Men.
uncanny X-Men #9 interior art of UNIT courtesy Marvel
Victor Gischler is wrapping up his X-Men with guest stars galore and a blast from Marvel events past. (Adjectiveless) X-Men relaunched with a new one under Gischler as he threw armies of vampires, robots and aliens at the mutants. He significantly transformed Jubilee and revamped Marvel’s vampire underworld.
The novelist and departing X-writer talked with Marvel.com about how the series and cast have grown.
“I think the book has fulfilled its mission to be the X-book that engages more with the Marvel Universe, but it’s also helped expand Marvel Universe vampire lore and given Jubilee a new lease on life—undead life. There are a good number of X-books, but there are also a lot of X-Men and one of the things that’s been nice about the changing team is to give characters some face time we might not otherwise see too much of. I know a number of readers have also expressed their pleasure in seeing Storm in a leadership role again, and it was this book that really got that going.”
X-Men #29 courtesy Marvel.com
For the entire interview and more images here’s the Marvel.com link.
From the preview art, expect the FF, Skrulls, and Pixie back on the front burner in this final arc. The cover of X-Men #29 is a splash page summary of Gischler’s run featuring nearly all the characters he’s used in his stories.
Brian Wood takes over the title next with Storm still on board at team leader. I will be sorry to see Warpath leave – I hope he will find a home on one of the other X-books.
Looks like Remy LeBeau will star in his own solo series again. Marvel revealed this teaser simply saying Gambit August 2012 with the promise of an announcement Sunday, April 15th at the Next Big Thing panel at C2E2.This comes on the heels of the teaser for a Matt Fraction/David Aja reunion project also to be announced at C2E2.The Cajun X-Man is part of X-Men Legacy. Rogue spurned him for Magneto even though he and Rogue joined Wolverine’s Jean Grey School. Christos Gage has been writing a slow burning attraction between Remy and Frenzy – I really hope that continues. Gambit is also on Marjorie Liu’s Astonishing X-Men title. Who know what will happen post AvX.
This Geek’s Take: I’d like to see Rick Remender take on Gambit. The writer of Uncanny X-Force and Secret Avengers knows how to write anti-heroes in the Marvel underworld. I really love what Remender is doing with Fantomex. I’d almost enjoy seeing Gambit kicked out of the X-Men and go solo and return to his old ways as a thief and con man.
Update: I had a great suggestion of a team by a Twitter follower: Skottie Young & Clay Mann of Magneto, Not a Hero.
Ben Kingsley is in final talks to play the villain in Iron Man 3 but he will NOT be playing the Mandarin according to Variety. The story will be based loosely on Extremis the 6 part series by Warren and Adi Granov involving the spread of nanobots.
Fans – me included – hoped Tony would face the Mandarin this time. Hints were placed in the first film. The terrorist holding Tony hostage worked for a group called the Ten Rings. The Mandarin is famed for his ten power rings.
Extremis features art by Adi Granov who did design work for Iron Man 1, 2 and The Avengers.
Iron Man 3 is blasts into theaters on May 3, 2013.
I was lucky to meet Adi Granov recently at Emerald City Comicon in Seattle and score one of his amazing sketchbooks.
Here’s the Amazon link to Extremis if you’d like to get an idea of Tony’s third film adventure.
DC Comics is promising a team up of the revamped Superboy and new creation Bunker against the menace of Detritis in Superboy #11. Scott Lobdell writes both books.
Superboy may have escaped N.O.W.H.E.R.E. but faces a big problem now that he’s free. Bunker is the Mexican, open and flamboyantly gay teen sensation that made mainstream media headlines when he was introduced in Teen Titans.
The two young men must team up against a metal monster in this cover by Scott Clark and Dave Beaty. This issue comes out in July.
