Detective Comics #16 While the Joker has been attacking the Batman family a smoother criminal has made his power play in Gotham City. Batman forms an alliance with the Penguin? Is the fowl rogue an endangered species?
Mars Attacks KISS Big brained evil aliens versus the Rock and Roll legends in 1970’s New York in a tale inspired from the original 1976 KISS comic book.
Star Wars #1Rebels on the run. The Empire ruled. Go back in time for a new stories set before the destruction of the Death Star! The Force is with fans of the original trilogy in this new Dark Horse series from Brian Wood.
Superior Spider-Man #1 After the shocking events of Amazing Spider-Man #700 there’s a brand new Spider-Man vowing to be superior to Peter Parker!
Wolverine and the X-Men #23 Wolverine vs. Frankenstein!? Yes, Wolverine vs. Frankenstein! Will one of Logan’s students become a victim of the Murder Circus?
Marvel will launch a new force of female fury in Fearless Defenders starring Valkyrie and Misty Knight. More of Marvel’s finest women (including Dani Moonstar of New Mutants) will join as the title progesses. Writer Cullen Bunn, Editor Ellie Pyle and Executive Editor Tom Brevoort talked about the new team on Marvel.com.
“The team will come together slowly over time, but Valkyrie and Misty Knight are in the forefront. They are the co-leads. If ever there an odd couple, I can’t imagine more of one than Brunnhilde and Misty. They’re fun to write individually, but they’re so much fun to write when they’re interacting with one another. They immediately set this team apart from any other super hero group out there.
Fearless Defenders #1 courtesy Marvel
We’re introducing a new villain right off the bat from the first issue. She’s seen an opportunity because there are no shield maidens in operation right now. There’s a void. This woman starts working some very bad mojo that puts Valkyrie on the defensive immediately; it’s her fault. We’ll meet the Doom Maidens who are exceptionally bad news,” said Bunn.
“This is not a traditional team. They don’t have a headquarters. There’s a whole slew of characters who will pass in and out of the book. Valkyrie, Misty Knight and Dani Moonstar are there for the long haul. It’s different from the average Marvel group book” explained Brevoort.
Valkyrie and Misty will be joined by a new warrior designed by Phil Jiminez.
Fearless Defenders #3 courtesy Marvel Comics
“The character on the cover to issue #3 is a new member of the group, Hippolyta, somebody we’re bringing back from the dead but with a new approach. We’re playing with what was there before and are introducing her in a different way.”
“She will be going by the hero name Warrior Woman–whether she wants to or not,” added Ellie Pyle.
Fearless Defenders #3 courtesy Marvel Comics
Valkyrie was the lead of Fear Itself: The Fearless. Bunn co-wrote Val’s epic quest that took her on a world tour of the Marvel Universe and interacting with heroes, villains and demons of all genres. This new book will same the same versatility and variety.
“This book opens itself up to any number of genres. It the first arc, we see Misty more in Valkyrie’s world, but it will be just as much fun when we see Valkyrie on a street level.
“The cast will rotate depending on the arc. Brunnhilde has been tasked with assembling a new group of valkyrie. She’ll bring together eight women she feels are worthy. That said, I don’t intend to write every arc with a nine member team. We will have smaller groups and we will have guest stars who are not core cast members. When the full team comes together, it’s for a huge, world-destroying threat.”
“Valkyrie came out of The Fearless with a new found sense of purpose that overwhelmed her and swallowed her up.”
Fearless Defenders launches in February. Will Sliney is the artist. Mark Brooks provides covers.
Here’s the Marvel.com link for the entire liveblog.
I’m thrilled. I love Valkyrie, Misty Knight, The Fearless and The Defenders not to mention Dani Moonstar. This may be my new most anticipated Marvel Now book of 2013!
Ok you had me with Brian Wood but then Olivier Coipel! I’m giddy!
Marvel shared a teaser in USA Today of what is sure to be a huge new series. Given the XX and DNA strand of the image – all evidence points to a new X-Men book.
Brian Wood (Ultimate Comics X-Men, The Massive, Star Wars, Mara) wrote a phenomenal X-Men arc in 2012 featuring Storm, Psylocke, Domino, Colossus and Pixie that introduced the concept of Proto-Mutants. I called it the Torchwood of X-Men team. One of those Proto-Mutants turned out to be alive and so maybe this potential new X-book could star the oldest living mutant on Earth?
Death of the Family hits this week’s Detective Comics #16. While the Joker continues his campaign of terror against the Dark Knight and his allies, Batman joins forces with Penguin? Does Bruce know the Joker has already “recruited” Oswald in his plot against Batman? You know this deal is going to come back to haunt Bruce!
Writer John Layman is remaking Gotham City’s underworld. In this week’s issue we’ll see the fallout from the new mastermind usurping the Penguin’s throne and how it will affect Batman’s deal with the Penguin and the crime lords of Gotham City.
Remember when the Empire ruled and Rebels were on the run? This week a brand new series takes you back to the classic period before the destruction of the Death Star.
Brian Wood (The Massive, Northlanders, X-Men, Ultimate Comics X-Men, Conan) is the master of a new comic book series set during the original trilogy for Dark Horse Comics. Alex Ross captures that classic spirit on the cover for Star Wars #1.
Since I’m a huge fan of Star Wars and Brian Wood I wanted to share some of his exclusive interview with The Nerdist about writing in the galaxy far, far away.
“The biggest challenge is actually writing it under the shadow of reader expectation. And doing right by Randy Stradley, my editor, who has written a fair share of Star Wars himself, and that can be intimidating. When I started the job, I had this idea that Star Wars fans would be really hardcore and nitpicky and, to be frank, ready to challenge my work. Then I went to Star Wars Celebration, this convention, and I had one of the most positive experiences of my professional life. Everyone was super nice, very receptive to what I’m doing, and I felt like I belonged in a way that comic book conventions don’t. I came home from that show determined to write 10x on this title.
And I’m more of a fan of Star Wars than I was aware. Thirty-five years of exposure to it, I guess, creates an impression as well as a huge about of information stored in my brain that is only just now proving its worth.”
For the entire interview and a first look inside here’s the link on the always enjoyable Nerdist.
Dredd was the film longtime fans of the classic British comic book had been hoping to erase the memories of the previous version? Now Judgement is coming…to your home!
Karl Urban kept his helmet on and delivered a wry performance as the Judge tasked with wiping out a drug lord in the futuristic Mega City One. The filmmakers were faithful to the source material. If you missed it in theaters Dredd is now on Blu ray/dvd so you can deliver your verdict at home.
For more ways to satisfy your Dredd craving – IDW is publishing a brand new Judge Dredd comic book series.
Uncanny X-Force goes into action with a new volume this month. Sam Humphries and Ron Garney relaunch the covert X-team with Psylocke, Storm, Spiral, Puck and a new character called Cluster? In Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force finale the fate of Fantomex and Cluster was revealed.
Before I keep going here’s a:
SPOILER ALERT
IF YOU HAVE NOT READY UNCANNY X-FORCE #35 DO NOT KEEP READING
OK
HERE IT COMES:
In Uncanny X-Force #35 Fantomex’s three brains were born again in three different clone bodies. Sam Humphries tells Comic Book Resources two of those three will appear in the new volume of the series:
Uncanny X-Force #3 courtesy Marvel
“We knew when I started plotting the new ‘Uncanny X-Force’ that Rick was going to split Fantomex in three, and we also knew that he planned on ‘killing’ Fantomex for a certain number of issues. We didn’t want to undercut that though. So that’s why we’ve been very coy about Fantomex, the identity of Cluster and how and why they’re involved in the book. We wanted the end of Rick’s run to have as much impact as possible.
So we can finally reveal that Fantomex is in the new ‘Uncanny X-Force.’ Both Fantomex and Cluster are in issue #1 and joining the rest of the crew in this new era of mutant ninja noir. We can also reveal that Cluster is not a ‘Lady Fantomex’ or ‘She-Fantomex.’ She’s the cloned third brain of Fantomex; an aspect of what used to be ‘Fantomex Prime’ now split off into an individual person.”
“Cluster is the nicest and most nurturing of Fantomex’s brains, but that doesn’t mean she’s the most heroic. I don’t know if heroic is quite the right word to apply to any Fantomex. To some people saying you are the nicest version of Fantomex may be like saying you are the tallest version of Danny Devito,” Humphries said with a laugh. “‘Fantomex Prime,’ or the old Fantomex, was constantly wrestling with the three sides of his personality. He had Fantomex, Cluster, and Jean Philipe. Jean Philipe being the dark, evil sentinel brain within him. Cluster calls herself ‘the nicest’ and that’s certainly true. She’s the most loving and most in touch with her feelings and her emotions. She’s not the rakish, devil-may-care, Fantomex.””All three Fantomexes have feelings for Betsy, and all three Fantomexes are still Fantomex,” the writer remarked. “So you’ll see the immediate ramifications of how that dynamic plays out in the first issue of ‘Uncanny X-Force.’ It will be something that we’re going to play with in the long-term future of the book.”
The team battles Bishop in the first arc. Uncanny X-Force #1 hits comic shops on January 16th.
Sunfire the Avenger? That may inspire exclamations of “YES!” or “say what?”
Children of the Atom are moving up to join Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Captain America recruited New Mutants Cannonball and Sunspot to Avengers (by Jonathan Hickman.) Sunfire will join Uncanny Avengers in issue 5. Professor X invited the Japanese mutant to join his cause back when Storm, Nightcrawler, Wolverine and Colossus were the all-new, all-different X-Men. Sunfire said no and Shiro Yoshida’s heroic career has gone to hell. Sunfire even became a Horseman of Apocalypse.
Sunfire, Wonder Man and Wasp will join Rick Remender’s Uncanny Avengers lineup. The writer talked about why this fallen hero made the team and his search for redemption with Marvel.com.
“First off, it’s the “what if?”of it all. Here’s the one guy who refused Xavier’s invitation to be part of the “All-New” X-Men. He was the guy who was like, “oh this is the coolest era of the X-Men coming up? No thanks, I’ve got stuff to do.” And then he pops up once in a while and he’ll be involved, but he’s such an [expletive]. He’s just an [expletive]. He’s just like “shut up stupid people, dear god you Western morons,” and I’ve never really had a chanceto write just such an unabashed jerk.
Uncanny Avengers #5 courtesy Marvel
And he’s also crazy powerful. I know in the Age of Apocalypse version, his body is gone and he becomes a living being of energy, of fire. But I don’t think we need to turn him into that, necessarily. Power level wise, he can nuke a city. And you put Sunfire on the team, he’s a very powerful character, and he’s also someone that should have been one of the X-Men, but refused it, and he’s someone that’s at the lowest point of his life; really, he should have been on X-Force. He would have been a perfect addition to that squad. He’s been a Horseman, Mr. Sinister has manipulated him, he’s been a Marauder, he’s lost his legs and has had them returned, he’s lost family members; he’s gone through so many changes.
His core belief that Japan is the center of the universe was skewed and he lost who he was. He’s broken. So when we find him, he’s purposeless, shattered, manipulated and broken, which was attractive to me in taking that angle with him; he’s that tone of damaged and probably going to do some crazy things and is way more powerful than anyone else that we’ve seen in that situation. Shiro, to me, is an opportunity to make good on what could have happened in Giant-Size X-Men #1, when he declined to join the team. Now that Xavier’s dead and here’s this guy that’s lost his honor, it’s an opportunity to redeem himself as well.”
Remender says Wolverine recruits Shiro to the team. It will be exciting to see how Sunfire reacts if he encounters his former master. Apocalypse and Kang are the villains of the next Uncanny Avengers arc.
For the entire interview here’s the Marvel.com link.
