Astonishing X-Men: A Fight to the Death? A Villain Revealed!

Astonishing X-Men #54 courtesy Marvel

Marjorie Liu and Mike Perkins deliver a big revelation, big fights and set the stage for a huge showdown in this week’s Astonishing X-Men #54.

Susan Hatchi appears to be a greedy corporate type that’s oozing evil. She could have easily fit right in with the old school Hellfire Club. Hatchi has forced New Mutant Karma to attack her teammates, blew up Wolverine at Northstar’s wedding and left the rest of the team in a hellhole.

Hatchi reveals her connection to Karma and gives the team an impossible mission with deadly consequences if they fail – all to prove a point.

I give Liu huge kudos for using Wolverine in just the right dose and giving other characters equal time. Cecilia Reyes never wanted to be an X-Man but she’s caught up in an adventure with them again. With the team in a deathtrap, Reyes pushes her power to new levels while pondering if her past choices have been wrong.

While Logan is recovering Liu shows that Remy has just as many underworld connections. Hatchi’s orders take the team to Madripoor and Gambit makes a move on Logan’s ex Tyger Tiger in a move to accomplish their mission.

Tension has been building between Iceman and Northstar. Liu continues to explore what it’s like for a hero to have a loved one always in the line of fire. Jean-Paul’s husband and all of New York City is in jeopardy. Bobby and Jean-Paul’s conflict leads to a huge fight and shocking cliffhanger – has an X-Man accidently killed an X-Man?

If you want a thrilling adventure not tied to AvX and a chance to see other mutants in action then this is a great X-Men book. I’m enjoying Liu and Perkins run and I’m excited for the showdown in Madripoor next issue.

By Editor

Batman Incorporated Begins

Batman Incorporated #0 courtesy DC Comics

Are you ready for the war? We have to wait but it’s worth it. Batman’s global team of crimefighters vs. Talia Al Ghul’s Leviathan army are about to battle for Gotham City. This week’s Batman Incorporated #0 shows how Bruce Wayne assembled his network of heroes.

Grant Morrison and artist Chris Burnham conceived this thrilling story – it’s fast with perfect pitches of humor. Frazier Irving creates a different tone for this origin story. The characters really pop because the backgrounds are almost not there but the hero’s action is featured over moody color tones. I think it works as we learn the many unique profiles of various agents of the Batman.

I’m not sure if we really need a zero issue for a book that hasn’t been out that long but I enjoyed it and it made me hungrier for the Batman/Talia war!

By Editor

Mark Millar Will Consult on X-Men and Fantastic Four

The Cast of X-Men: First Class courtesy Marvel.com

Hoping you will see an Avengers team up with the X-Men or Fantastic Four on the big screen – think again. Looks like Twentieth Century Fox is looking to hold on to the film rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchise and they’ve hired a comic book powerhouse to guide those franchises forward.

Writer Mark Millar has been hired as a creative consultant on the studio’s upcoming projects: Director James Mangold is now shooting The Wolverine with Hugh Jackman in a story based on the classic Chris Claremont/Frank Miller story of Logan in Japan. Matthew Vaughn is directing the X:Men First Class sequel X-Men: Days of Future Past. Josh Trank (Chronicle) is attached to direct a reboot of Fantastic Four.

Mark Millar co-created Marvel’s Ultimate Universe. Millar’s The Ultimates were a modern take on the Avengers and he created that line’s version of Nick Fury based on Samuel L. Jackson. You could say Marvel’s The Avengers were more like Millar’s Ultimates than old school Avengers. Millar also created Ultimate X-Men and Ultimate Fantastic Four.

The Ultimates #1 courtesy Marvel

In main Marvel Universe Millar wrote the epic Civil War and Old Man Logan, Enemy of the State arcs of Wolverine.

Millar went on to create Millarworld titles Kick-Ass and Wanted – both went to become box office hits.

  “As someone who has spent his entire life obsessed with both comic books and movies, this is essentially my dream gig as it’s a unique combination of both,” said Millar. “I spent ten years working at Marvel and am really happy with the work I did on the comic side of things so the idea of working with these characters now in a brand new medium is enormously exciting for me. I really like the Fox team, love this bold new direction they have for their franchises and am proud to be working alongside some of modern cinema’s biggest talents. James Mangold is incredible, Matthew Vaughn’s one of my closest pals and Josh Trank gave us, in my opinion, one of the greatest superhero movies of the last decade with ‘Chronicle.’ The invitation to join this crew was maybe the coolest phone call I’ve ever had.”

Op/Ed: Before directing X-Men: First Class, Matthew Vaughn directed the big screen version of Kick-Ass so if Millar has that kind of creative relationship with Vaughn then I’m excited to see how they will develop the X-franchise. I think Millar will guide the Fantastic Four reboot into darker territory instead of the most comedic tone of the previous films.

Ultimate X-Men #2 courtesy Marvel

If you want to experience some of the work of the man who will help guide the future of Marvel’s biggest heroes at Fox? Here are some recommendations: Ultimates: Super Human, Ultimate Comics Avengers Omnibus, Ultimate X-Men: The Tomorrow People, Civil War, Old Man Logan  and Wolverine Enemy of the State. I highly recommend Millar and Frank Quitely’s arc on Wildstorm’s The Authority.

Thanks to Marvel.com for the story.

By Editor

Doop – The Untold Story! Why the X-Men Need Him!

Wolverine and the X-Men #17 courtesy Marvel

Everything you wanted to know about Doop but were afraid to ask! It’s actually more like everything Doop does that makes you scared he’s around0 kids. Mike and Laura Allred reunite with the lovable mystery (man, thing, it?) that co-created with Peter Milligan back in X-Force/X-Statix.

Doop is now working (mostly sleeping on the job) for Logan at the Jean Grey School. In this week’s Wolverine and the X-Men #17 the Allreds join writer Jason Aaron for Doop- the untold story. Now we know why Logan recruited the green ball and why he’s asleep a lot. One of the most obscure characters in comics receives a hilarious, colorful back story. What’s even better is the other outrageous and forgotten character who makes a surprise appearance in Doop’s tale. We see just how crucial a role Doop has been playing all this time and the sacrifices (sexual and otherwise) the great green one has made to protect the future of mutantkind.

This Doop-centric story isn’t just comic relief. This issue forwards the elements of this amazing series and reinforces what I love about the eclectic cast. Aaron continues to perfectly mix action, drama and humor. This is an offbeat and welcome break from the doom of AvX. Wolverine may be the only character who can understand Doop’s language but the green guy speaks volumes on the pages of this issue – maybe the funniest of the year.

By Editor

 

Hope-Less In the Marvel NOW?

 

The final chapter of Avengers vs. X-Men is almost here and with it the final (?)fate of Hope Summers. Hopefully we will learn her true origin and connection with the Phoenix Force (and perhaps Jean Grey?)

 

Avengers vs. X-Men #12 courtesy Marvel

The Generation Hope series was so promising with an amazing cast of young characters but was a victim of poor sales and (in my opinion) not fitting in with two planned events. Idie has become a student at the Jean Grey School. The other kids stayed on Utopia and Hope became the source of AvX conflict but what will happen to Hope.

 

Hope and Storm at Emerald City Comicon 2012 photo by ComicsBlend.com

Hope is a strong young female character. I don’t think we have enough of them in comics today. I always say a new character is making an impact when you see an inspired cosplay fan. (Pixie Cloud of the Great Northwest!) In fact, I saw rival Hopes at Jet City Comic Show this weekend!

photo by ComicsBlend.com

It feels like Hope’s story is coming to an end and she will be sacrificed to save the Earth (and Scott.) Layla (“I know stuff”) Miller was a critical character in House of M and went on be part of Peter David’s X-Factor. As much as I would hate to see Hope go it feels like she should and wrap up story threads born in Messiah Complex.

Avengers vs X-Men #4 courtesy Marvel

Hope triggered the Five Lights which included some new female mutants. Maybe Hope’s final act in AvX will save the mutant race and give birth to more strong characters. The final fate of Hope is in the hands (as they reach for their wallets) of the fans so maybe Hope is alive in the Marvel Now!

By Editor

Fantastic Four #1 First Look Inside!

courtey Marvel

  Matt Fraction and Mark Bagley take Marvel’s First Family into the Marvel NOW. Reed, Susan, Ben, Johnny and the kids take a cosmic vacation across space and time.

  Marvel.com shared 4 images by Bagley from Fantastic Four #1.

Fantastic Four #1 courtesy Marvel

The first image looks like a new interpretation of the iconic moment when the four were first bombarded with cosmic rays. Ben Grimm is in human form but the kids are in the picture so…

Fantastic Four #1 courtesy Marvel

This must be a dream as we see Franklin wake up from a nightmare. A sign of things to come?

Fantastic Four #1 courtesy Marvel

The final shots show the family in what looks like prehistoric times complete with a dinosaur….always welcome in an adventure in time and space!

Fantastic Four #1 courtesy Marvel

Fantastic Four #1 by Fraction and Bagley arrives this November.

By Editor

Brian Wood On Leaving X-Men

X-Men #31 courtesy Marvel

  Brian Wood has completed his last X-Men script for now. Wood will continue writing Ultimate Comics X-Men for Marvel and The Massive for Dark Horse. I love those books but it’s hard to see Wood leave the X-Men. Wood and artist David Lopez crafted a beautiful and thrilling run starring Storm, Psylocke, Domino, Colossus and Pixie. The Wood/Lopez run reminded me of the Chris Claremont/Paul Smith era mixed with a Torchwood modern edge.

  I wanted to share some fan questions and Wood’s answers from today’s X-Position on Comic Book Resources. He was asked about a dream project and the artist he would work with.

  “I like writing the X-Men, and I’d love to do more of it with David Lopez. Second to that, I’d love to write a new Runaways book and a Thor MAX that’s heavy on the Viking stuff.”

 If you’re not familiar – Wood has an amazing series of Viking graphic novels  – Northlanders so the idea of a Thor MAX book is very exciting.

  Wood’s X-Men team dealt with the discovery of ancient mutant DNA and inspired a fan to ask what Psylocke meant when she was “being a mutant…it means something different now.”

 “All that means is they have a greater understanding of their shared history. The proto-mutants weren’t just ancestors, they were a whole different species, one that died out. It would be like if we, as humans, just now discovered that there were Neanderthals. It casts everything that came after it in a new light.”

 One of my favorite part of Wood’s run was how he portrayed Storm as team leader and how his script worked so beautifully with David Lopez’s pencils. Wood revealed the best part and biggest surprise of this run was Lopez and Storm.

“If I had to say just one thing, it would be finding a great partner in David Lopez. Sometimes you work with an artist and something about it just feels right it just click with your words in the perfect way. That’s how I felt about David’s work, and I keep coming up with new project ideas for him to draw.

“I wouldn’t say I wasn’t crazy about any of them, really. Some of them surprised me. Considering how well received my Storm was, I really had a strong vision for her as a character at the very beginning. But once I started writing the first script, it all clicked into place and I was like, “Oh yeah, this is working”. And so it went.”

X-Men #36 courtesy Marvel

Will Wood be back writing the X-Men?

“People at Marvel can answer that better than I can. I hope the chances are 100%.”

X-Men #36 is out this week.

Op/Ed

  I have no knowledge of the inner workings of the Marvel offices and don’t mean this in any disrespect to other writers that I enjoy but I can’t help but think this title is falling victim to the Marvel Now revamp.

   Every X-book has to be part of a biggest picture. This book was perfect and stood on its own. In fact – I recently was asked to recommend an X-book for a newbie at my local shop and this was the only one not tied to AvX. so it was perfect for a jumping on point. I’m proud to say I converted a new X-Men fan! I really hate to see this title go and hope both Wood and Lopez are back on an X-Men book.

By the way – The Massive is my favorite non-superhero book right now – pick it up!

By Editor

President Captain America?

  An embattled and divided America unites and voters choose a war hero to lead them…a SUPER war hero!

 

 

SPOILER WARNING!

 

IF YOU HAVE NOT READ ULTIMATES COMICS ULTIMATES #15 AND #16 YOU MAY WANT TO STOP READING THIS POST

 

SERIOUSLY

 

OK HERE IT COMES

 

 

The Ultimate Comics United States was divided and fell. The Ultimate U.S.A. is about to stand as one nation under…Steve Rogers?

 

Ultimate Comics Ultimates #16 courtesy Marvel

One man will unite the country – President Captain America?

In this week’s Ultimate Comics Ultimates #16 Captain America is sworn in as President of the United States. Writer Sam Humphries tells Marvel.com about the making of this huge event for the book and the entire Ultimates universe.

 

Ultimate Comics Ultimates #16 courtesy Marvel

“Jonathan Hickman, my predecessor, very generously gave me all his notes for the title. There was a line in there about making Cap the president. It was an intimidating idea to pitch to Marvel, especially on my first big book. But the more I talked about it with editorial, the more we all became convinced it was the right story to do.”

Humphries explains how this story will play out.

“Cap is a soldier, not a politician. He’s not trying to make a career change. He’s answering the call of the people. They want him to do a job—unite America—and he’s going to do anything he can to do it.”

 

Ultimate Comics Ultimates #16 courtesy Marvel

What kind of President will Steve Rogers be?

“This isn’t the first time Cap has answered the call of an America in crisis. He’s not going to let the presidency change who he is; he’s going to do the job he was elected to do.”

Mutants of the Ultimate Universe have had it particularly hard thanks to the Sentinels. Brian Wood writes Ultimate Comics X-Men. Wood tells Comic Book Resources the new leader of the free world will reach out the leader of the mutant underground.

“Captain America and Kitty Pryde will sit down and talk about what the future holds for mutants in this fractured America he needs to put back together. That’s all I can say right now, since this is where the future of this title starts, in that actual meeting. You’ll see in November.”

This is the same comic book line that killed most of the X-Men and Fantastic Four, has the U.S. defeated by its foreign enemies and inspired the alien warrior seen in The Avengers movie. Humphries explains why this election could only happen in this universe.

“In the Ultimate Comics Universe we do stories with iconic characters you can’t find anywhere else—in the Marvel Universe, the movies, video games, anywhere. President Cap fits that definition by shaking up Steve Roger’s status quo in a radical fashion, and hopefully getting to know him in new ways.”

For more of Humphries interview here’s the Marvel.com link.

In the Marvel Comics Universe Captain America is still leader of The Avengers and not entering politics.

Humphries (Higher Earth, Fanboys vs. Zombies) is launching a brand new Uncanny X-Force in January, 2013.

By Editor