Archie and Valerie’s Baby!

Archie #633 cover courtesy Comics Alliance

  This is not your grandma’s Archie Comics! The Riverdale High gang gets huge mainstream media attention for their boundary pushing storylines. Archie Comics tells solid stories that are progessive and socially relevant. Today Archie Comics announced to Comics Alliance their latest story. Archie #633 will feature a future story in which Archie marries Valerie Smith (of Josie and the Pussycats) and have a baby.

This is not the publisher’s first interracial romance. In Life with Archie #16 openly gay soldier Kevin Keller married his African-American boyfriend. Archie Comics is a GLAAD Media Awards Best Comic Book Nominee

Thanks to Comics Alliance for the story. A great site with even more details for Archie fans..

Spider-Man, Punisher, Daredevil Feel the Omega Effect II

Avenging Spider-Man #6 preview art courtesy Marvel.com

  Legendary writer Mark Waid is talking about the previously announced The Omega Effect storyline bringing Avenging Spider-Man, Punisher and Daredevil together in April.

  Waid teams with Greg Rucka in a story involving a hunt to possess the Omega Drive. Marvel’s big crime families want it because they could be destroyed by what’s inside. Waid writes Daredevil. Rucka writes Punisher. Together they write Avenging Spider-Man #6 kicking off the action.

  “We’ve basically, you know, along with editor Steve Wacker, sort of game plotted the three issues; and then the two of us, Greg and I together, sat down and outlined the thing, back and forth sort of outlining all three issues. And then when it came to the first issue of the cross-over in AVENGING SPIDER-MAN, we just thought it’d be fair and fun to split the workload where it was “you take this scene, I’ll take that scene.” We’ll throw it back and forth and we’ll work together to just bring it all together,” Waid told Marvel.com.

Avenging Spider-Man #6 preview art courtesy Marvel.com

   Spidey, Matt and Frank don’t mix so how will these different heroes find common ground.

   “They really don’t get along, especially these days. Because Spider-Man in his own book [AMAZING SPIDER-MAN], which really is so well-written by Dan Slott, has made a very important vow that when he’s around, nobody dies. And that’s really hard to pull off with a character like Punisher around. And then Daredevil’s whole new “I’m going to smile when I do this, when I punch your lights out” attitude is sort of chafing Frank Castle the wrong way. So what brings them together is the Omega Drive.

 

  It’s that artifact that Daredevil has captured that has key information on it on all of the mega-crime families in the Marvel Universe and they’re all after it.”

 “..By the time we get to the crossover, the crime families are tired of trying to strike some sort of a treaty between themselves and they just decide that, you know what? It’s every man for himself. We’re all going to come after it and we don’t care that it’s going to create this gang war and that’s going to tear the world in half. We just won’t care. And Daredevil, Spider-Man, and Punisher, they all want it for a different reason. Daredevil will want to hang onto it because it’s his insurance, because as long as he’s got it, they can’t do anything to him, and they can’t do anything to his friends and co-workers. Spider-Man wants it because it’s just the right thing to do. You’ve got that information you should use it. And Punisher wants it for that same reason too, which is that he wants to use it, but he wants to use it in a much more “blood in the streets” way then Spider-Man would ever be happy with.”

Avenging Spider-Man #6 preview art courtesy Marvel.com

 Two legendary writers at the top of their game, top artists and three heroes clashing in a story that would rock Marvel’s underworld – I’m in.

 For the entire interview and more of Marco Checcetto’s preview art here’s the Marvel.com link.

Here’s the link to see more quotes and art from The Omega Effect announcement.

Evil Dead Remake Cast

  Evil Dead movies are can’t look away flicks! I’ll be home flipping and there’s Bruce Campbell on IFC and I’m possessed like a horror nerd. Shiloh Hernandez has been cast according to Variety. When I saw his picture I thought he could be the son of Bruce Campbell.

  Fede Alvarez is directing a reboot of Sam Raimi’s cult classic. If you’ve never experienced the Evil Dead, it’s about a group of young people (like in every horror movie!) in a cabin in the woods who discovers the Book of the Dead and let loose demons they can’t control. It’s not a remake and will not feature “Ash” the lead played by the great Bruce Campbell.

Evil Dead #1 courtesy Dark Horse Comics

  If this news has you shivering to see Ash’s demonic adventures here’s a link to the Evil Dead comics published by Dark Horse Comics.

  Thanks to Dark Horizons for the scoop.

X-Factor #231: Madrox’s Twisted Trip

 

X-Factor #231 courtesy Marvel.com

  The Superhero Registration Act/Civil War and M-Day/The Decimation are critical moments in Marvel’s recent history. Peter David brilliantly takes the essence of those plots and twists them into a bizarre new world. Jamie Madrox is trapped in that dimension in X-Factor #231.

  Last issue saw Wolverine give comfort to a grieving Layla and give Havok and Polaris roles on X-Factor Investigations. But this issue focuses on Madrox being hunted in a world with giant Iron Men and a mutated take on the mutant/human conflict.

Peter David delivers action and wit. Jamie is caught in a war between a vicious Tony Stark and a shocking version of Deathlok. The one liners and puns fly fast and hilarious. Madrox seems like a hybrid of Deadpool and Daredevil in Excalibur’s Cross-Time Caper.

I’m thrilled to have Havok and Polaris on the team and look forward to the GLAAD recognized Rictor/Shatterstar romance evolve but this Madrox solo issue is fun and thrilling

 

Kitty Pryde Pregnant Updated

Wolverine and the X-Men #5 preview art courtesy Marvel and Comic Book Resources Exclusive

It’s a double dose of Kitty Pryde’s maternal mystery this week. First Marvel gave us a preview of what looks like Kitty on the phone with Colossus.

Today Marvel gave Comic Book Resources more preview images by Nick Bradshaw of Wolverine and the X-Men #5. We don’t see Kitty in these images but Logan and Bobby refer to the fact that she’s been missing for days.

We see Beast is taking the students of the Jean Grey School inside a virtual reality tour of the mutant body for a biology lesson. This could be a follow-up to the “Things to Come” image in the back of the debut issue showing Dr. McCoy and company inside Kitty’s bloodstream.

 

Is Colossus the father and will this bring the romantically challenged couple together? They’ve survived death by legacy virus and eternity is a speeding bullet – but this is an X-pregancy. Stay tuned for the labor pains when #5 arrives February 8th.

By Editor

Spider-Man The Ends of the Earth Triple Tease!

courtesy Marvel.com

3 teasers. 1 for the villains – the new Sinister Six. 1 for the victims. 1 for the hero – Spider-Man

courtesy Marvel.com

  The Ends of the Earth is the next big epic from Dan Slott beginning with Amazing Spider-Man #682. Peter Parker and his Avenging Friends face Doctor Octopus and his new Sinister Six. In this final image – it appears Spidey is working a new suit – at least it’s not Spider-Armor! Thanks to comics newsarama for collecting ’em all. They have a great breakdown for each teaser too.

Courtesy Marvel.com

Not to get ahead of myself – but hey, they teased it! I’m still curious about the Spider-Men teaser revealed earlier this week!

courtesy Marvel.com
 

 

The Winter Soldier #1 Accept the Mission!

 

The Winter Soldier #1 courtesy Marvel.com

  Bucky Barnes is back in his own series stalking the underworld of the Marvel Universe. Bucky faked his death, gave the Captain America role back to Steve Rogers and suited up as the Winter Soldier again.

  Bucky and Black Widow are on the trail of Russian sleeper agents before an army of Winter Soldiers is unleashed on the world. New readers get a quick recap but the focus is on the mission. The villains behind the conspiracy are an exciting surprise.

  Ed Brubaker calls Bucky and Natasha “the Mr. and Mrs. Smith” of the Marvel Universe. The chemistry is smoldering. They share a passion for each other and thrill of the espionage game. Butch Guice’s art is dark, sexy and full of energy. The new series builds on the best elements from Bucky in Captain America and blasts into its own direction.

Winter Soldier #1 preview art courtesy Marvel

  This debut is a thrilling mix of superheroics and James Bond. Bucky is out of Cap’s shadow. The Winter Soldier #1 shows why he’s the best man to operate in the shadows of the Marvel Universe.

 

Jennifer Lawrence on Hunger Games Co-Star Chemistry

  X-Fans like me rejoiced this week with news that Director Matthew Vaughn and the principal cast of X-Men: First Class are signed on for a sequel to the prequel.

  Before Jennifer Lawrence reprises her role as the shapeshifting Mystique she will fight for her life in The Hunger Games based on the best-selling trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Lawrence plays Katniss a girl in a dystopian world in a tournament fighting to the death against other desperate teens. The books are riveting. The movie trailer captures the dangerous atmosphere of the series. I’m surprised a publisher hasn’t started work on a graphic novel adaptation of the trilogy.

  Josh Hutcherson (would made a great young Scott Summers) plays Peeta, one of the combatants in the death tournament who falls in love with Katniss. The two young stars talked with MTV News about their chemistry.

  “We did a chemistry read and kind of hit it off right away, I felt, for the second time, third time,” he joked, playing up the memories of their first meeting. “So that’s the first time we got to play the characters together.”

  “We had tons of chemistry,” Lawrence insisted with a laugh. “He was Peeta,” she added of her first impressions of Hutcherson as “the boy with the bread.” “I had heard the director, I had heard Gary [Ross] say, ‘He is the only one who is actually Peeta,’ and then [Josh] came in, and he was. He’s charming and nice and sweet, like a dog licking your face.”

  “A dog licking on your face?” Hutcherson asked, wondering if Lawrence was giving him a compliment or not.

  “It is! That’s what it’s like hanging out with you, it’s like, ‘Eeeeee!’ ” Lawrence said of her excitement being around the 19-year-old.

  For the entire interview here’s the MTV News link.