Masters of Evil teaser courtesy Marvel.com. Art by Patrick Zircher
Marvel is unveiling the new Masters of Evil and today’s reveal was a shocker: Max Fury!
I was excited to report that Uncanny X-Force writer Rick Remender will take over Secret Avengers in 2012 with Hawkeye as the new team leader.
Today Marvel gave new details about Remender’s first issue. In Secret Avengers 21.1 Captain America and Hawkeye’s covert team ventures into a nation run by criminals for criminals.
The Masters of Evil is one of the largest and longest running alliances of villains in the Marvel universe. Baron Zemo, Ultron, Egghead and Doctor Octopus have been some of the criminal masterminds who gathered teams to oppose the Avengers.
Avengers #277 courtesy Marvel.com
One of my favorite clashes between The Avengers and the Masters of Evil was in Avengers: Under Siege by Roger Stern in Avengers #273-#277. The villains had the audacity to storm Avengers mansion. This version led by Helmut Zemo was the most powerful and the plan was to overwhelm the heroes with raw power.
Marvel delivered a new twist on the Masters of Evil when the villains posed as heroes called the Thunderbolts. Ironically some of the members of this incarnation liked being heroes and renounced their evil ways.
Stay tuned as Marvel reveals more members in the latest incarnation of the supervillain alliance.
Reeve Carney and Spider Men - Photo Courtesy The New York Times/Chad Batka
Producers of the Spider Man musical have a post Thanksgiving reason to be thankful. Many critics predicted an early death for “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” but one year later the musical is earning its weekly keep. Today is the one year anniversary of the first performance. According to the New York Times story producers are stay focused on the Broadway version so it looks like fans will have to venture to the Big Apple to see a singing Spidey.
Reeve Carney led Spider-Men down 42nd street on Thanksgiving Day in this photo from The New York Times. This image made the Spider Island storyline pop into my head. Dan Slott plotted a huge story in which all of Manhattan was filled with people possessing Spider Man powers.
Amazing Spider Man #666 courtesy Marvel.com
Click here to track the Spider Island outbreak and catch every issue in the event.
Here’s hoping Turn Off the Dark might one day turn on on a tour in a city near you!
Aliens as you’ve never seen it before! The Old Murder House Theatre is doing its part to Keep Austin Weird with a live stage version of James Cameron’s classic movie!
Aliens on Ice was performed live for two nights at the Austin, Texas theatre. Thanks to and please click on GeeksAreSexy (why thank you) to see the video. What a day to surf – a website that tells me what I need to hear and video that I can’t believe! Sorry for the extra click but I want to give them credit for posting the vid.
Archie meets KISS debuts this week in comic book stores. The world’s most famous rock and rollers rock Riverdale when monsters invade Archie’s hometown. It’s wacky enough to work. Every few years the comic book industry gets creative with a crossover that makes you say ‘huh!”
There are plenty more but these are the out there crossovers that I remember:
Star Trek/X-Men Odd but in theory, it wasn’t impossible for Marvel’s mutants to encounter the Enterprise crew. The X-Men had survived outer space adventures in the Shiar Empire. The Star Trek crew had travelled in Earth’s past. X-Villain Proteus and Star Trek villain Gary Seven were the cause for the Marvel mashup with gorgeous art by Marc Silvestri.
Superman versus Muhammad Ali DC’s most iconic superhero took on Earth’s most celebrated athlete in a boxing match for the fate of the world? I was very young when I saw this comic at the grocery store in my hometown. I can’t remember what book I asked my mom to buy me instead – if only.
Avengers #239 courtesy Marvel.com
Avengers/David Letterman Yes, it happened in Avengers #239, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes were guests on Late Night with David Letterman back when he was on NBC. That issue was part of a Marvel marketing stunt called Assistant Editors Month.
Call the issues an editor gone wild or a wacky marketing idea too far – they get attention and a special place in comic history. Those are some of the memorable comic crossovers that baffled my brain – what are yours?
It’s the end of an era for one of my favorite writers on the X-Men creative team. X-Men Legacy #259 arrives Wednesday, November 30th. This issue marks the final X-Men arc of Mike Carey after 5 and a half years.
Mike took over X-Men #108 and took riders on a thrilling ride with the most unlikely but unforgettable team in mutant history. Cyclops gave Rogue the authority to form her own field team…he didn’t agree with her choices. Rogue’s lineup eventually was Iceman, Cannonball, Mystique, Cable, Lady Mastermind, Cable and Karima Shapandar – a human transformed into an Omega Sentinel.
Carey’s first arc was Supernovas. Rogue’s team encountered brand new enemies, The Children of the Vault, a race that wanted to wipe out humanity and mutants. After years of whining about Gambit and the curse of her power, Rogue was finally written as bold, brash and fun. It was Rogue’s improvisation in battles that inspired Cyclops to make her a team leader.
X-Men #192 Courtesy Marvel.com
Carey created more inspired new villains for Rogue’s field team. Pandemic infected Rogue with a bizarre virus that raised her power to deadly levels. Billions of alien psyches invaded her mind as she battled the alien Hecatomb. Some of Rogue’s teammates eventually showed their true colors. Lady Mastermind and Mystique were working for Mister Sinister’s revamped Marauders in Blinded by the Light.
Endangered Species is one of Mike Carey’s most crucial contributions to X-Men history. After the events of House of M and Decimation, millions of mutants lost their powers. The mutant race was on the verge of extinction. Beast was obsessed with finding a cure. Hank reached out to some of the most brilliant scientists on earth including some of Marvel’s most notorious villians.
Messiah Complex was the epic storyline that meant new hope to save the mutant race. During the search to find and save the mutant miracle baby, Rogue had a climatic showdown with her Mystique, her foster mother.
X-Men became X-Men Legacy. Mike made Professor X and Rogue the stars of the book. When Cyclops reunited the X-Men in San Francisco and then moved them to their island base, Utopia, he recruited Rogue to be the mentor to the young mutants in training. In the Second Coming event, the mutant child from Messiah Complex returned a young woman. Cyclops chose Rogue to be the protector of Hope.
Age of X is one of Mike Carey’s pivotal arcs that will have an impact on the X-Men for a long time. Rogue became torn between her feelings for Magneto and Gambit. Age of X marked the transformation of Frenzy/Joanna Cargill, a former villain and longtime back burner character. The experience of being a hero and the wife of Cyclops in the Age of X made Frenzy want to change her ways. Joanna is now part of Wolverine’s post-Schism team.
Mike Carey’s portrayal of Rogue is the best since Chris Claremont first brought her on the team. You could sense his love for the character in every issue. Legacy was a good choice to add to Mike’s X-Men given the legacy he is leaving behind.
Mike Carey is the author of supernatural novels starring Felix Castor. His ongoing series Unwritten is published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics. Carey told Comics Newsarama he is leaving X-Men Legacy to work on new novels and screenplays.
Uncanny X-Force 17 from Marvel.com. Cover Art by Esad Ribic
Uncanny X-Force is one of my favorite books of the year. The title was just named #6 on MTV Geek’s top ten list of best comics of the year.
The Dark Angel Saga features a slow corruption of original X-Man Angel into a calm and cool villain methodically turning Apocalypse’s vision into reality. I also love the writer’s portrayal of Psylocke. Rick Remender is the mastermind of the covert X-team and their incursion in the Age of Apocalypse dimension. He takes over Secret Avengers in 2012.
In an earlier post I outlined the seeds of the Dark Angel Saga to get you prepped for the finale of this 8 part epic.
Ben Whisaw from "The Hour" on BBC. Photo courtesy MI6-HQ.com
A new take on an old favorite for the next James Bond movie. BCC News reports that Ben Whishaw will be playing Q in Skyfall. This will be the first appearance of the gadget guru in a 007 film starring Daniel Craig.
Q is the genius behind 007’s arsenal in the movie series. Desmond Llewelyn first played Q in 1963’s From Russia, With Love and appeared in every Bond movie except Live and Let Die until his death in 1999. Llewelyn’s final appearance was in The World Is Not Enough. The Quartermaster appeared briefly in the first film Doctor No. John Cleese played Q once in Die Another Day.
Q is the head of Q branch. The fictional section of the British Secret Service provides agents with life saving gadgets and vehicles. Q’s real name is Major Geoffrey Boothroyd in the Ian Fleming novels.
Llewelyn’s portrayal was always fun and clever with the idea that Q really loathed 007 because the superspy always destroyed his inventions. Q did get some great moments in field particularly in Octopussy and License to Kill.
Ben Whishaw is 12 years younger than Daniel Craig. With modern technology it would make sense that 007’s tech support would be played by a younger actor. MI6 has more on Whishaw’s connections to joining the Bond franchise.
This news brings up great memories. Going to Bond movies was a tradition with my dad. I grew up on Roger Moore and Desmond Llewelyn’s great chemistry and banter. The poison dart shooting watch and the car that turned into a submarine were some of the hilarious Q creations from that era but my favorite was from Octopussy because my dad could never stop talking about the fake horse’s ass flying up to reveal a mini jet inside a horse trailer.
I’m thrilled to welcome Q back to the James Bond movies. Q’s gadgets and getaway vehicles help make the series fun.
In this earlier post I provided some comic book adventures of James Bond published by Dark Horse Comics.
Christian Bale is praising his The Dark Knight Rises co-star Anne Hathaway. Bale reportedly said that Hathaway “has the toughest job on the film because the Catwoman role has been defined previously.”
Catwoman: Nine Lives of Femme Fatale Poster by Brian Bolland courtesy DC Comics
Catwoman is one of the most iconic female characters in comic book history. I was inspired to collect some of Catwoman’s greatest cuts as the world waits to see how Christopher Nolan and Anne Hathaway will portray her in The Dark Knight Rises.
Television: As a little kid I raced off the school bus so I didn’t miss a moment of the Batman television show. I loved Julie Newmar as Catwoman. The dramatic purrs on words were part of the show’s camp but Newmar embodied the conflicted bad girl you hope would change her ways for Batman. Eartha Kitt only played Catwoman three times but what an impression. Kitt played Catwoman with a harder, dangerous edge. That cat would do a lot worse than scratch!
Movies: Michelle Pfeifer’s Catwoman was a deadly kitten with a whip in Batman Returns. Tim Burton’s origin for Selina was very different from the comic books but Pfeiffer made it work. This secretary turned feminist avenger was a deadly mix of empowerment and sex appeal.
Comics: Bob Kane created The Cat as a socialite turned catburglar villain for Batman. Selina Kyle developed into an antihero with love/hate romantic relationship with Batman. In the 1990’s writers took Selina’s character into dark territory. Modern creators interpretted her disguise and life of crime as a response to a history of abuse. Selina became an avenger of women on the streets of Gotham City.
Catwoman: The Dark End of the Street courtesy DC Comics
The Dark End of the Street, Crooked Little Town, Relentless, and Wild Ride show Catwoman as a vigilante antihero in modern crime noir tales. During this era Selina takes in an ex-hooker and junkie as a protogee in her war on crime. The look in these collections are similar to the style Anne Hathaway has in photos on the set of The Dark Knight Rises.
Trail of the Catwoman marked Selina’s return to her infamous persona after a long absence with a new costume. Selina hunts a serial killer targetting the streetwalkers of Gotham City.
When in Rome is Catwoman versus the Falcone crime family. This is a sexier colorful tale of the cat burglar on a mysterious adventure in Italy.
Hush is one of my all time favorite Batman epics. The Dark Knight and Catwoman’s twisted relationship is at this most romantic and intense during this year long mystery in which a new villian uses Batman’s greatest enemies as pawns in a mind twisting game. Jim Lee’s Catwoman is perfect.
Cover Run: The DC Comics Art of Adam Hughes courtesy DC Comics
I have to give Adam Hughes praise for his portraits of Catwoman. Cover Run includes many of his iconic DC covers starring the femme fatale.
Yes, I left out the Catwoman movie starring Halle Berry. Great actress. Unique take on the character. Nuff said.
