Stars of The Collectibles at SIFF Cinema's Avengers Assemble Week, photo by ComicsBlend.com
Seattle’s real life super heroes are welcoming fans to catch up with Marvel’s cinematic heroes at SIFF Cinema. Citizen Heroes & The Collectibles co-present SIFF’s Avengers AssembleWeek as we count down to Marvel’s The Avengers.
Stars of The Collectibles at SIFF Cinema's Avengers Assemble Week, photo by ComicsBlend.com
The Collectibles is a hilarious super comedy web series creators Dan Heinrich and Todd Downing describe as The Avengers meets The Office. Citizen Heroes is a documentary about the real life super hero movement in the Pacific Northwest.
Death Wish & Aguaman of The Collectibles were suited up and shared the trailer for their series before introducing The Incredible Hulk – the first in this week’s series of Marvel solo movies.
Before greeting the crowd in the theater I asked Death Wish (Joe Downing) & Aguaman (Frank Aye) about their characters, making the web series and their favorite Avengers.
Dan Heinrich and Todd Downing are the creative forces behind The Collectibles. If you’re job gets you down you might want to sneak a peek at the office comedy on the web. The story has costumed heroes with a twist that everybody can connect with. I asked them what inspired their series.
“The Collectibles” are co-presenting this week’s series of Avengers solo movie so I has to ask the guys behind these comic heroes about their favorite Avengers.
Avengers Assemble continues this week! It’s a double feature Tuesday night. Hey it’s for Tony Stark – big ego deserves a big night with multiple hosts! Knight Owl of Citizen Heroes will introduce Iron Man. Shield Maiden & Ennui of The Collectibles will introduce Iron Man II.
Wednesday you can travel back to Asgard with Thor in 3D with Citizen Heroes director Matt Harrison and Knight Owl. Thursday celebrate Captain America: The First Avenger with an introduction by Sky Man, the Tri-Colored Crusader from Citizen Heroes.
Stars of The Collectibles at SIFF Cinema's Avengers Assemble Week, photo by ComicsBlend.com
Stay tune for more stories with Matt Harrison, the director who just spent a year on patrol with the real life heroes of Seattle for his upcoming documentary Citizen Heroes.
Avengers vs X-Men #3 Hope flares up as the Phoenix force speeds towards Earth. With the Avengers and X-Men at war, the mutant messiah sets out on her own agenda. Wolverine switches sides.
Wolverine and the X-Men: Alpha & Omega #5 Logan and Armor escape Kid Omega’s mental prison but the war isn’t over yet. Wolverine faces the Berserker and what will happen to Quentin when one of them wins
X-O Manowar #1 A Visigoth hero has an alien encounter. Aric escapes with the strange invaders’ high tech suit of armor to liberate his people from the Roman Empire but learns hundreds of years have passed. He’s a man out of time with the universe’s most powerful weapon trapped in our age. This marks the relaunch of the Valiant Universe of characters and the first talking comic book cover.
Earth 2 #1 courtesy DC Comics
Action Comics #9 Move over Clark Kent, make room for President Superman. The tale of an African-America Superman from an alternative reality taking on the new villain, SuperDoom!
Earth 2 #1 Who are the heroes of this alternative world? Old school favorites like Jay Garrick (the first Flash) and Alan Scott (the first Green Lantern) star in this brand new as DC Comics The New 52 launches a Second Wave where anything can happen.
Don’t forget this Saturday is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY! Go get a freebie, pick up something new and support your local comic book shop!
Death Wish and Aguaman of The Collectibles, photo by ComicsBlend.com
I was hanging with two stars of The Collectibles web series at the opening night of SIFF Cinema’s Avengers Assemble series. Stay tuned for an interview with the creators of the comedy series plus Death Wish and Aguaman!
Death Wish and Aguaman of The Collectibles, photo by ComicsBlend.com
Prometheus still of Noomi Rapace courtesy 20th Century Fox
“Is there an agenda that you’re not telling us about?” asks the scientist to the Weyland Corp officer. I love that line in this new trailer and it lets you know you’re back in the Alien universe!
A new international trailer for Ridley Scott’s Prometheus launched featuring new footage. More of the ship! More of Charlize Theron as Meredith Vickers – who seems as robotic as Michael Fassbender’s David. A new alien life form! More of the Space Jockey! And I have a new theory – see below but warning you may consider it a spoiler!
This Geek’s Theory! Warning – you may consider it a spoiler!
I think the aliens from the earlier films we all love and fear were the Space Jockey’s cargo. But after seeing this trailer, I wonder if the humans of Prometheus are part of the DNA of what will become the aliens of Alien? There’s definitely a new parasitic life form in this film. What if the Space Jockey’s cargo merged with the humans to give us what we will come to know as Alien?
The mighty Stan Lee is the co-creator of Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-Men and continues to be a major creative force in the industry. Huffington Post asked the legend – if all the heroes were wiped out and he could save only one who would it be? Who did he think has the highest value to humanity?
“I think I’d have to say Iron Man because Tony Stark has the wealth, inventive genius and impenetrable armor to accomplish almost anything,” Lee replied.
I thought sure Stan would say Spidey but if you’re going to have one hero I guess a genius inventor is the best guy for the rest of us and our planet.
Seattle’s real and fictional super heroes take the spotlight this week.
Fiction: Someone or something is carving up Seattle’s super heroes. Marvel’s mutant detectives (including former X-Men) head to the Emerald City to investigate in this week’s X-Factor #235 by Peter David.
Seattle’s Litterbug and The Insignia were introduced briefly only to be seemingly attacked in last month’s issue. In this week chapter a new villain named Scattershot is introduced. Given the cover – this new foe looks like a hybrid of two X-Factor members.
Fact: The Pacific Northwest is the home of a real super hero movement. Phoenix Jones and his patrols of Seattle generated big new coverage. Here’s a link to the KOMONEWS.COM stories about his impact and the controversy. Citizen Heroes is a new documentary project exploring the real life superhero movement in Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon.
Some of the real life heroes will be introducing Marvel movies this week when Avengers Assemble! at SIFF Cinema takes over the Uptown Theater in Seattle. You can meet the local pop heroes before watching a different Marvel movie (Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger) each night before Earth’s Mightiest Movie arrives.
You may have heard a little something about a movie called The Avengers. You can’t escape the promotion. Hype is high. It’s the first time this many iconic super heroes from other blockbusters are in the same big movie. Here’s what you need to know if you’re never seen opened an Avengers comic book or seen the previous Marvel films: The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America or Thor.
Spoiler Warning: this guide gives away the endings of those previously named movies.
1. SHIELD is an international agency charged with protecting Earth led by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson.) The Avengers Project is a gathering of super powered heroes to fight the global threats no single hero can handle alone – that big threat is here.
2. Captain America: The First Avenger Chris Evans plays Steve Rogers, a skinny, weak Brooklyn kid with a big heart who wanted to serve his country in World War II. Steve volunteered to be part of a top-secret experiment to create Super Soldiers. Steve was chosen because “a weak man knows the value of strength” and he became Captain America. Cap stopped a rogue Nazi scientist known as the Red Skull. The super serum transformed the man into an insane monster. Cap saved America from the Skull’s flying superweapon by crashing it into the arctic. Cap was frozen. SHIELD scientists discovered and revived Steve who was shocked to learn decades of his life are gone. He’s alone in a modern world he doesn’t understand.
Iron Man from Marvel.com
3. Iron Man Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is an arrogant genius inventor/playboy. Tony was kidnapped in Afghanistan and learned that his company’s weapons were being sold on the black market against the terrorists that U.S. forces were fighting. While in captivity Tony builds a suit of armor to escape his captors and protect the world as Iron Man.
4. Thor What the Vikings hailed as Norse Gods were mighty beings from a mystical realm called Asgard. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) was the God of Thunder and son of Odin, King of Asgard. Thor’s arrogance ignited an ancient war with the Frost Giants (a rival race that almost destroyed Earth eons ago) and Odin stripped Thor of his powers and sent him to Midgard or Earth. Thor learned lessons of humility, love and what it meant to be a true hero.
Marvel’s Avengers The Hulk courtesy Marvel Studios
5. Hulk Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) is a scientist exposed to an experimental treatment that turns him into a monstrous, childlike Hulk. Anger triggers the change so Bruce has tried to live a secluded existence while trying to discover a cure. Bruce will be recruited back to use his brains and Hulk like strength to fight the alien army – the big question – how do you control a rampaging Hulk?
6. Black Widow Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) is a Russian super spy recruited to SHIELD by Nick Fury. She has no super powers but is highly skilled in combat and weapons. Natasha was working undercover as Tony’s assistant in Iron Man 2. In the comic books, Natasha has dated Hawkeye.
Hawkeye & Black Widow in Marvel’s The Avengers courtesy Marvel
7. Hawkeye Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) is a tough, resourceful SHIELD agent and an expert archer. You saw Barton briefly in Thor. In the comic books, Clint is a former criminal turned good guy with a sarcastic sense of humor.
7. SHIELD Agents Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) is the no-nonsense government operative who appeared in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America. Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) is Nick Fury’s second in command.
8. The Big Bad Guy =Loki Thor’s half-brother is the treacherous Loki (Tom Hiddleston.) The God of Mischief is a master of manipulation and sorcery who orchestrated Thor’s banishment. Thor defeated Loki but the spiteful brother refused to let Thor save his life so we last saw him falling out of Asgard into deep space. Loki is back and has declared war on Earth and he’s allied with an army of aliens – this leads to the formation of the Avengers.
If you’re in the Seattle area like myself and want to catch up SIFF Cinema presents Avengers Assemble! You can see all the previous Marvel movies each night! The Incredible Hulk Monday, Iron Man I & II Tuesday, Thor in 3D Wednesday and Captain America: The First Avenger in 3D Thursday. Each night members of the cast (and local heroes) of Citizen Heroeswill be introducing the films.
You don’t have to be an Avengers expert to enjoy the movie – just come, have fun and feel like a kid again! Hope you have a great time!
If you have any Avengers related questions please contact me by leaving a comment, email or following me on Facebook or on Twitter @comicsblend.
By Editor – thanks to Marvel for the images, the characters and for making this movie happen!
Updated: How do these characters tie together? Captain America. The Red Skull was obsessed with myths and the supernatural. He recovered a lost Asgardian artifact called the Tesseract (in the comic books it’s called the Cosmic Cube) that fueled his super army’s weaponry. The artifact is in SHIELD custody. Another fact: Tony Stark’s father Howard was a part of the team that helped turn Steve Rogers into Captain America.
Kieron Gillen is on a wicked roll with Uncanny X-Men #11. UNIT was established in the previous issues as a powerful new threat to the mutants. I call him the X-Men’s version of Ultron. Gillen calls him a cross of “C3PO and Hannibal Lecter” and that’s perfect description given the eerie moment in the latest issue.
UNIT may be caged under Utopia but he’s still a real menace. There’s a scene between Hope and the alien/machine that reminds me of Hannibal and Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs when his finger touched hers.
The issue moves before and between the events of AvX #1 and #2. While this issue is packed with action, Gillen takes us inside the minds of these X-Men. Colossus and Red Hulk’s battle underwater continues and it’s a brutal beating on both sides. Peter has an epic war inside his mind and soul. This fight begins as a trying to defeat an Avengers but turns into a battle for what’s left of Peter’s humanity. There’s even an “oh —-” moment when the Red Hulk looks scared. The journey of the Colossal Juggernaut continues to be one of the most intriguing element of Gillen’s X-run.
Uncanny X-Men #11 courtesy Marvel
I really enjoyed getting inside the mind of the arrogant and awesome Namor. I’ve loved the Atlantean being part of the X-Men world but we learn why he’s chosen to stand with the mutants and insight into the Cyclops
I think Gillen possesses a real grasp of each X-Man’s “voice.” This power packed issue really adds a vital new element to the AvX conflict.
