This is a clash of titans when Red Hulk and Colossus fight in Avengers Vs X-Men #2 by Jason Aaron and John Romita Jr. Marvel released this new promo art with a boastful quote from the RULK.
This Geek’s Opinion: I want Peter to smash the RULK into he’s only red blood on the shores of Utopia. One Hulk is enough. I’m not a fan of the Red Hulk. I’m not a fan of the new Colossal Juggernaut but I know it makes for good development for the character. If Peter and Kitty were together in wedded bliss then I’d probably be bored. Peter is on a dark path serving as the avatar for Cyttorak. It’s becoming easier and easier for Peter to summon the evil force to enhance his power. To defeat the Red Hulk, Peter may have to reach a dark level he may never come back from.
The Avengers director Joss Whedon says his original cut of the film was 3 hours which he trimmed down to a 2 hours and 15 minutes. What got cut out?
“There’s a lot of me that got cut out, but I think part of the process in a situation like this is you make the movie, you make your movie, then you remove yourself out of the equation. At some point you stop looking beyond The Avengers movie at your own stuff, you don’t look at that horizon you look at this movie and you go, ‘You know what, The Avengers are more important than I am so these things that I’m obsessed with aren’t necessarily moving the story forward, and therefore they are baggage.’ You can do that in a TV show, you can bring your baggage and sort of lay it out because you have a season to do it, but in a movie you actually have to remove yourself from the equation a bit and when I was finally able to do that, I saw a much clearer road to how to get the best experience for the audience.”
And again Whedon denies the appearance of two Marvel’s most infamous alien empires as Loki’s army.
“I will say only this: It is not the Kree or the Skrulls… Those two aliens are Marvel mainstays and have enormous backstories. They have a big life of their own that just could not be contained in a film where I already had seven movie stars… The Skrulls — they can shape change. That’s a whole thing. I’ve already got Loki. He’s got magic. Once you got magic along with your Iron Man and your Black Widow — it’s a real juggling act.”
The Colossus I knew and loved is long gone in Uncanny X-Men. Peter is in a dark place now that he’s the Juggernaut. Peter made a deal with a devil. He made a bargain with Cyttorak to become his avatar in order to defeat the Kurth empowered Juggernaut. This decision caused Kitty to leave him.
This week in Ultimate Comics X-Men #10 the alternative version of Peter is back. Colossus and Storm are among the mutants held and tortured in Camp Angel. These captured mutants face a tough choice when the government’s mutant secret is out. If Peter and Ororo bust out of the prison camp – don’t expect a reunion with Kitty. Colossus is gay in this line. I do hope we catch up with Kitty aka the Shroud and her mutant rebels on the run – including Wolverine’s son.
Saucer Country #1 A Presidential candidate’s frightening encounter on a lonely road leaves her with terrifying memory flashes. Now she must win the White House to expose the truth and save the world.
Saga #1 An original sci-fi epic for mature readers from the man behind Y: The Last Man and Lost. A couple struggles to raise their newborn in an endless galactic war. Fans are calling this Star Wars meets Game of Thrones.
Avengers Assemble #1 The Zodiac attacks! This new series stars the cast of the upcoming Avengers movie against a brand new version of one of their deadliest enemies.
Wolverine and the X-Men #7 courtesy Marvel
Wolverine and the X-Men #7 Kitty Pryde pregnant with aliens. Beast, Rachel and Iceman shrunken and inside the body of their teammate trying to save her. Broo under attack from a new alien threat. Wolverine’s gamble in a galactic casino backfires. Adventures in outer and inner space with the comic book that delivers more fun than anything on the shelves!
Batgirl #7 The Joker attacked Batgirl and changed her life forever in the classic Batman: The Killing Joke. See a side of that fateful night you’ve never experiences before. While Barbara faces her demons a new killer stalks Gotham City.
Avengers: The Children's Crusade #9 courtesy Marvel
Avengers: The Children’s Crusade reached an emotional, game changing climax last week. The maxi series by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung launched in July 2010 starring the Young Avengers in search of the Scarlet Witch (she’s the mother of Wiccan and Speed.) The teens faced the wrath of the Avengers, X-Men and Doctor Doom. When it was over, heroes died, quit and the Scarlet Witch’s role in the Marvel Universe was established on the eve of Avengers Vs X-Men. I wanted to share some of Comics Newsarama’s interview with Heinberg now that the epic series is over.
“After over two years of working on the book, I felt immediate relief for a day or two after the book went off to the printer — and I’ve been sad ever since. I miss the characters. I miss my regular, sanity-restoring chats with Jim Cheung and our amazing editor, Tom Brevoort. I miss the pleasure of seeing new pencils from Jim every month. Honestly, if I could, I’d continue working with Jim Cheung the rest of my life. He’s a great friend and creative partner.”
The story was the redeeming of the Scarlet Witch for her actions (Avengers Disassembled, M-Day.) Some characters sympathized, some condemned Wanda for her actions. Comics Newsarama how he felt about her.
Avengers Children's Crusade #7 by Jim Cheung courtesy Marvel.com
“We wanted the reaction to the Scarlet Witch’s story to reflect as many different viewpoints as possible — to foster continued conflict and debate among the Avengers and the X-Men — and among readers, as well.”
“My personal sympathies were obviously with Wanda, but she’s certainly not blameless — even if Doom was ultimately responsible for her transgressions. Wanda was, after all, driven by grief to ask for Doom’s help in the first place, leaving her and the Avengers vulnerable to his manipulations.”
For Allan’s entire interview (including spoilers) here’s the Comics Newsarama link.
This Geek’s Opinion: Avengers The Children’s Crusade is one of Marvel’s most beautifully drawn and written epics. Jim Cheung created dynamic action sequences packed with a huge cast and very intimate scenes where we could sense the hope, fear, regret and love of each player in this epic executed by Allan Heinberg.
Fans packed Seattle’s University Village for a chance to meet the stars of The Hunger Games who will play Katniss, Peeta and Gale. Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth made young fans erupt into a frenzy like tributes arriving in the Capitol. This was the finale of a mall tour to promote the upcoming adaptation of the first book in the trilogy by Suzanne Collins.
The first 100 fans won the golden ticket. Some families had been waiting more than 24 hours for this opportunity. These most devoted fans came to be face to face with the stars of the book they love and went home with an autographed poster in an exclusive session inside the Microsoft Store. Some girls were overcome and walked away trembling and sobbing uncontrollably into the arms of their smiling parents.
Liam Hemsworth, Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson by Josh Lewis courtesy Seattle Pulp
You could feel the anticipation and excitement as hundreds waited outside for the live Q & A session to begin. Sudden waves of screams and panic erupted with the possibility that the stars could arrive at any moment. When the actors did exit the Microsoft Store and move onto the stage the adoring fans absolutely lost control. Screams were deafening. Declarations of love for Josh or Liam pierced through the madness.
Local girls asked Josh to be their prom date. Jennifer was asked the preference of which co-star is hotter. We learned Jennifer did her own shooting movie. The actress learned archery to display the skills of Katniss in the arena.
The Hunger Games Cast Tour in Seattle
In an earlier interview session I asked the leads did they imagine the insanity of the tour, the passion of the fans and rock star treatment they’re being showered with now. Josh Hutcherson reacted to the screaming and sighing but “just wants to make a great movie and hope they like it.”
The majority of elated fans were on Team Gale or Team Peeta. I asked Jennifer Lawrence about the relationship between Katniss and Cinna, the stylist who becomes her mentor. While filming X-Men: First Class Lawrence (who played Raven/Mystique) became friends with co-star Zoe Kravitz (who played Angel) and developed a friendship with her dad, rock star Lenny Kravitz. She says that helped their on-screen rapport.
Woody Harrelson plays Haymitch Abernathy. The Hunger Games champion of District 12 must train Katniss and Peeta. I asked the young cast about the charismatic actor and his performance. Liam Hemsworth shared that Haymitch was his favorite character.
The screams and shouts of love echoed even as the stars waved goodbye. The young leads thrilled the audience and made teen dreams come true. The Hunger Games opens March 23rd.
Marvel Comics unveiled their newest innovation at South By Southwest this weekend. Infinite Comics will be the new format taking Marvel into the digital world.
“Infinite Comics are a new technique in comics storytelling that is built specifically for the digital world yet in a very elegant way manages to keep the purity of what makes a comic a ‘comic,’” said Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment. “It gives readers the same feel of reading a traditional comic while also offering a whole new experience that really feels like the future of where the medium is headed.”
The first Infinite Comics will tie to the Marvel’s mega AvX event. Avengers Vs X-Men Infinite will star Nova. Mark Waid and Stuart Immonen and Marte Gracia are the creative team. It will be available for purchase on the Marvel Comics app free with the redemption code found in print copies of Avengers Vs X-Men #1 or included with the purchase of the digital version. It will also be available to purchase on its own for 99 cents.
“The events are concurrent to Avengers Vs X-Men #1,” Waid says of the story. “It shows a certain key sequence of events uniquely from Nova’s point of view, and much of what we learn will be important in later AvX developments.”
“While AvX is a huge story, we only have so much room by which to tell it,” adds Quesada. “Infinite Comics will be bringing you some stories that may have fallen through the cracks or haven’t been dealt with in great detail.”
Earlier this year in the Point One Special a new Nova appeared with the Phoenix Force in pursuit.
For more of their interviews here’s the Marvel.com link.
Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, The Full Monty, 127 Hours) is writing the sequel to The Hunger Games. Beaufoy is fine tuning the script for Catching Fire. He tells 24 frames he’s charmed by the trilogy’s author, Suzanne Collins, and her knowledge for warfare.
“She’s fascinating,” said Beaufoy. “Her dad was a military expert, historian and lecturer and used to be in the forces. It’s fascinating hearing her talk about the thesis for the three novels: The first is about survival, the second is rebellion and the third is about all-out war. She’s very compelling about all of that.”
I agree with his point that gender doesn’t matter in the series which centers on a heroine (played by Jennifer Lawrence of X-Men: First Class.)
“What I really love about the books is it isn’t even up for discussion that she’s a girl,” Beaufoy said. “There’s no discussion that she shouldn’t be killing people because she’s a girl, and she shouldn’t be killed because she’s a girl. We’ve done gender politics. This is about life and death. It makes the gender politics seem finicky and not terribly interesting.”
