Avengers Arena & Arcade’s Return!

Avengers Arena #1 courtesy Marvel

I’m excited that one of the X-Men’s most colorful enemies is coming back with a vengeance! Marvel’s recent Hopeless, Walker, SURVIVE tease was a real headscratcher! Today’s reveal is an exciting addition to the Marvel NOW especially if you enjoy The Hunger Games and some forgotten teen heroes.

Marvel announced Avengers Arena #1 by Dennis Hopeless and Kev Walker will star 16 young heroes trapped in a game devised by the only and only Arcade! Marvel’s best and brightest young heroes will be in the fight of their lives on Murder World island. The X-Men have escaped Arcade’s deadly traps before but some of these kids may not be so lucky.

 “Arcade has spent a lot of years building “Murder Worlds” that yield very few actual murders. He’s decided it’s time to get back a little self-respect. It’s time for a new kind of Murder World.  AVENGERS ARENA is about the unlucky kids he’s chosen to help him try it out,” says Hopeless.

“I don’t want to give too much away, but I can promise a lot of murder in this new Murder World.”

Editor Bill Rosemann reveals the contestants: “Fans of AVENGERS ACADEMY will hopefully be excited by the next chapter in the lives of Hazmat, Mettle, Reptil, Juston and his Sentinel and X-23. Speaking of schools, who are the Braddock Academy? After his last appearances in War of Kings and NOVA, Darkhawk soars again! Staying with sci-fi, just wait until you see what Dennis and Kev have planned for Annihilation’s Cammi, baddest girl in all the galaxy. And last but certainly not least, direct from the pages of the dearly missed RUNAWAYS, we have Chase and Nico!”

“It’s sort of ridiculous how huge our cast is at the start. But if you’re going to kill a lot of characters you gotta have a lot of characters,” Hopeless adds.

I love all the kid characters but you had me with ARCADE! Avengers Arena #1 is out for the kill this December.

By Editor

Consequences of Avengers vs. X-Men

  Kieron Gillen and Tom Raney explore the moments after the conclusion of Avengers vs. X-Men #12. Marvel shared the cover and first look inside AvX: Consequences #1.

  Because these images could be viewed as giving away who survives the conflict, especially the cover, I’m going to give you this before you scroll down:

 

SPOILER WARNING

 

THESE IMAGES MAY GIVE AWAY PLOT POINTS OF AVX #11 & 12

 

SERIOUSLY

 

HERE THEY COME

 

OK

 

Cyclops is on the cover of All-New X-Men #1 so we can assume he survives the final chapter of AvX. The hook is how they heck are they going to get the Dark Phoenix Force out of him!

AvX: Consequences #1 courtesy Marvel

Wolverine and Storm are shown (arguing in the Blackbird?) over what to do with Scott after his actions.

AvX: Consequences #1 courtesy Marvel

Finally Abigail Brand of SWORD is seen talking with Magneto – over the fate of the Phoenix entity?

AvX: Consequences #1 courtesy Marvel

AvX: Consequences #1 arrives October 10.

By Editor

New Mutants Become Avengers, What About the Others?

The New Mutants graphic novel cover courtesy Marvel.com

The New Mutants aren’t so new anymore but Dani, Sam, Roberto, Rhane and Xi’an will hold a special place in the hearts of many comic book fans. Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod gave us this next generation and future X-Men. Unfortunately these heroes are caught in the comic book paradox. In the real world these kids should have grown up to succeed Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine and company as the X-Men. These characters are so strong and loved that they will always find a home in the Marvel universe.

I’m excited to see Cannonball and Sunspot are joining Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers. Will the other original New Mutants find a place in the Marvel NOW?

Dani Moonstar lost her mutant powers but none of the qualities that make her a great hero. The current New Mutants book is coming to an end. Karma is currently featured in Marjorie Liu’s Astonishing X-Men. Wolfsbane has been a star and become a mom in Peter David’s X-Factor. Will those characters and titles continue in the Marvel NOW relaunch?

In Liu’s Astonishing X-Men Karma has been the victim of a new villain and I hope Liu gets the chance to give Xi’an redemption and maybe a chance at love like Northstar did. I can’t imagine a month without Peter David’s X-Factor but Breaking Points sure seems like he’s wrapping up his run.

New Mutants #13 courtesy Marvel

I really love Dani as mentor of a New Mutants squad in New X-Men. Dani is a great leader, Valkyrie and I love her best as a teacher. I’d like to see Dani and Rhane join the Jean Grey School as teachers.

Could these young heroes face a darker future in the Marvel NOW? Legion is becoming the star of a brand new X-Men Legacy. Professor X’s son may try to recruit the mutants he once faced in their original series.

By Editor

Uncanny X-Force: Deadpool’s Final Execution?

Uncanny X-Force #31 courtesy Marvel

Treachery among killers. Rick Remender is counting down to his final issue and series finale of Uncanny X-Force. The series that opened with the killing of a child who would become Apocalypse has never lots its edge. This time it’s personal.

Evan is one of the most tragic figures in the X-world today. Fantomex and Wolverine thought this clone could have an innocent childhood and not rise to become the evil Apocalypse. The boy has been kidnapped by a new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, learned the truth of his origin and is being pushed into his dark destiny.

Daken, Sabretooth, Mystique, Blob, Skinless Man and the Shadow King think they’ve killed X-Force and can harness the unleashed Apocalypse. This chapter is a harrowing story of treachery among killers. As always Mystique has her own agenda and has her own endgame planned out. Sabretooth appears to be learning from Raven. Shadow King is priming Evan to be Apocalypse. Victor is manipulating Daken by twisting his daddy issues.

The biggest manipulation comes from Betsy. I’ve loved how Remender has written Psylocke and she has two huge moments in this issue. Uncanny X-Force #31 ends with what could be a final execution as one of Logan’s teammates goes rogue. The covert team’s final mission mirrors the one that started the series.

All the agendas of these heroes and villains could lead to drastic twists into a new direction. That’s why I’ve always said Remender is fearless writer. Anything could happen in his book.

By Editor

Batgirl Begins

Batgirl #0 courtesy DC Comics

With or without costume Barbara Gordon is just an amazing character and hero. Gail Simone proves it in Batgirl #0. Simone is on fire in a thrilling scenario showing Barbara’s birth as a crime fighter and foreshadowing the villains in her future. It’s been hinted that James Gordon Jr is alive and chilling seeds are sown in this origin story. The final panel is a knockout and leaves you excited and scared for Batgirl’s potential reunion with the Joker in the upcoming crossover Death of the Family.

Simone and Ed Benes create a compelling stand-alone story demonstrating why I love Barbara and why Batgirl is a symbol of motivation and inspiration.

By Editor

Fantastic Four & FF Previews

Fantastic Four #2 courtesy Marvel

Marvel’s First Family is blasting into outer space but Reed Richards is hiding the motivation for their far out family getaway. The replacement heroes are targeted by a classic villain. Marvel revealed covers and teasers for Fantastic Four #2 by Matt Fraction and Mark Bagley and FF #2 by Fraction and Mike Allred.

FF #2 courtesy Marvel

Fantastic is the classic cast but FF is She-Hulk, Ant-Man, Medusa and She-Thing? What’s interesting about the Allred cover is the reflection showing the Richards/Grimm/Storm clan but with an old man – is that Nathaniel? Franklin?

How will Dragon-Man and other members of the Foundation react to the new FF?

Find out in December.

By Editor

A DC Villainess Enters the New 52!

Nightwing #0 courtesy DC Comics

Lady Shiva makes her DC Comics The New 52 debut going up against Dick Grayson. Legendary creator Tom DeFalco unleashes the assassin during this two-part story in Nightwing #13 and #14.

DeFalco tells The Bat Signal on Comic Book Resources how he got to be the writer to bring back the martial arts master.

“You know, I’m not really sure. I think we had a big discussion — the people I was talking with were Brian Cunningham and Katie Kubert, and the three of us sat around and tossed out all sorts of possibilities and discussed different characters, what would be interesting, which character should we use, this or that. I remembered Brian said at one point, “You know, the character I always loved was Lady Shiva.” And then Katie talked of a different character with a ponytailed weapon. She described it to me and I said, “Wow, that is a really cool weapon!” [Laughs] So Brian made the call to give Shiva that other character’s weapon to make her more a visual threat. Then, I guess Brian discussed it with Mike Marts and the other Bat people and we decided to go with Lady Shiva.”

DeFalco says the story begins with Nightwing #0 and “this Lady Shiva is very different, but has the same traits in this completely new version of the character.”

Artist Andres Guinaldo will join DeFalco on the story.

By Editor

Billy the Vampire Slayer Continued

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #14 courtesy Dark Horse Comics

  In Buffy, The Vampire Slayer Season Nine #14 Jane Espenson and Drew Greenberg will introduce a new slayer. Billy is a new character who trains himself to fight like a slayer. As revealed in OUT Billy is openly gay.

  Editor Scott Allie tells Comic Book Resources part of Billy’s introduction is tied to the wedding of Northstar in Astonishing X-Men and revelation of Alan Scott in Earth 2.

  “It’s funny. When we started seeing what Marvel and DC was doing, we thought, ‘Damn. They’re racing to get these stories out one after the other, so it’ll look like we’re chasing them. But we’d had this story planned for quite a while,” Allie said. “But I think you can see this as a natural extension of stuff Joss has done all along. Getting a gay male character doesn’t seem unusual for ‘Buffy.’ And it wasn’t so much that we wanted to get a gay character out in the mainstream for whatever reason. It was more that this is a story that Jane Espenson and Drew Greenberg wanted to tell. When you read the story, you’ll see that it’s responding to things in the culture beyond just representing gay male characters. There’s a bit of a response to the whole ‘It Gets Better’ campaign in a way that’s more than subtext. For Jane and Drew in particular, with the kinds of stories they’re used to telling and what they care about, the Buffy mythos was an extremely appropriate place to empower this young guy who needed to find a way to stand up for himself.”

By Editor