The Winter Soldier Gets Cooler

The Winter Soldier #2 courtesy Marvel

  I love spies. I love gorillas. Ed Brubaker had me with a machine gun firing giant gorilla in the premiere issue. You can’t do that in a James Bond flick. The cool factor blasts even higher in The Winter Soldier #2.

  Can we just take a moment to wipe the drool away after gazing upon Lee Bermejo’s cover? Seeing this there’s no doubt the Winter Soldier and Black Widow are the sexiest, coolest characters in the Marvel universe.

  Brubaker takes us on a wild ride as Bucky and Natasha track down Russian sleeper agents, the mystery villains behind the conspiracy and oh yeah, someone had the cahones to attempt assassinate Doctor Doom. He was not amused.

  Butch Guice’s art is a perfect fit for Brubaker’s plot. You feel you’re in a the darkest underworld of the Marvel Universe.

  Another winner. A killer teaser image from the next chapter. This is building up to something huge – accept this mission!

Side note: A non comic book reading friend was browsing through this issue and was impressed. He’d seen Captain America: The First Avenger so when I told him who the Winter Soldier really is…a big smile crept on his face saying that will be awesome (referring to a possible sequel based on The Winter Soldier.) If that sounds like a hint…it is.

 

Batman’s Death Sentence

  “Hurt him…more.”

 

Batman #6 courtesy DC Comics

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s macabre masterpiece that is Batman Vs The Court of Owls continues with a bloody night at the theater . After last month’s mind warping journey through the Owls’ labyrinth Batman takes a vicious beating while the Court cheers on their sinister champion, the Talon.

  Capullo makes you feel the pain in Bruce’s battered body and you get uncomfortably close enough to his bloodshot eyes. We see just how massive, depraved and creepy the Council is and their surprise they’re about to unleash on Gotham City and Batman is chilling.

 

Storm Vs Valkyrie (This Ain’t AvX)

Fear Itself The Fearless #9 courtesy Marvel

  Valkyrie Vs Storm! Fear Itself: The Fearless #9 featured a blistering battle between the X-Men’s Weather Goddess and the Warrior Woman of Asgard. This is one of the smartest written sequence with Ororo I’ve read in a long time. The power, passion and devotion of these women’s causes is felt in every panel.  

  We learn Valkyrie’s hidden reason for her mission to collect the Hammers. Doctor Strange and Captain America confront her with the truth when Sin’s forces strike. If Valkyrie is the haunted angel then Sin is the devil. I can’t wait to see these opposite forces finally clash.

  I really love this book. As a longtime fan of Valkyrie – it’s great to see her in the spotlight and taking on the Marvel universe.

Green Arrow’s Love Interest Cast

Katie Cassidy

  Katie Cassidy will play the love interest in Arrow the new television pilot based on DC Comics hero Green Arrow reports TV Line.

  Cassidy’s character is an attorney named Laurel. No word on if “Laurel” will become Black Canary. Cassidy appeared on Gossip Girl, Melrose Place, Supernatural and in the Nightmare on Elm Street remake and Taken. Stephen Amell is playing Oliver Queen.

 

Black Canary by Adam Hughes courtesy DC Comics

 I can definitely picture Cassidy working the Black Canary look! Black Canary was part of a short-lived Birds of Prey series on the WB. The new CW pilot is not based on the Oliver Queen that appeared on Smallville.

Batman Artist on Designing the Talons

 

The Talon by Greg Capullo courtesy DC Comics

  The Night of the Owls is coming this May. The Council of Owls tighten their claws on Gotham City and take on the entire Batman family. The secret society has an army of ruthless assassins to execute their plot. Batman artist Greg Capullo shares how he came up with the design for the Talon on The Source.

  “I thought about owls for a minute, and the hooded owl sprang to mind,” said Batman artist Greg Capullo about the creation of the original Talon. “So I gave him a hood like an executioner. As for the lines of the suit, I let the thought of birds guide my hand. An owl design simply made sense.”

Batman #6 arrived in stores today.

Incredible Hulk Stays Angry

 

Incredible Hulk #8 courtesy Marvel.com

  Jason Aaron previews his next Hulk story arc Stay Angry kicking off in Incredible Hulk #8. The Punisher, Wolverine, Kraven the Hunter and new enemies will help the green goliath stay angry. The 5 part story will have a diffent artist. Part one features art by Steve Dillon. Pasqual Ferry in on the next chapter.

  “Hulk is a character like Wolverine where I can mix it up in terms of tone. It swings from being pretty dark to more crazy and outrageous. I really like going from one extreme to the other, often within the same story. It’s easy to do that with Hulk and that will continue.”

  “Stay Angry flows out of the end of Hulk vs Banner, which has a big, shock ending that changes Hulk’s status quo and dynamic again. All I can really say is this is a five-issue story with each issue relatively self-contained for the most part, done by a different artist and in a different location.” -Jason Aaron

 “Kraven is a character I have never written but always loved. Kraven’s Last Hunt is on my desert island list of Marvel comics. I remember being at the retreat when it was decided Kraven was coming back and being both excited and terrified. I’m glad I get to write him. His mindset is right in line with how it has been since he came back.”

For the entire session here’s the Marvel.com link.

What artists would you like to see draw the Hulk with Aaron? Chris Bachalo and Salvador Larroca pop into my mind.

Wolverine’s History Back to Haunt Him

Wolverine #301 courtesy Marvel.com

  Wolverine #301 arrives today. Part Two of Jason Aaron’s final arc sees a new Silver Samurai facing Logan. New writer Cullen Bunn is looking ahead to his first storyline on Wolverine’s solo title.

  “If I were thinking about what I have planned in terms of a series of images, a number of things come to mind: Wolverine stalking through the stark hallways of an abandoned mental institution… having a conversation with a dead man… fighting for his life against both human and inhuman horrors on the grounds of a crumbling old mansion… having his guts ripped out and spread across a forest floor… meeting with a 150-year-old detective… battling alien hybrids alongside the daughter of a famous monster hunter… scaling a castle wall with his claws…

 

Wolverine #304 courtesy Marvel

I have a lot of action and high adventure planned, but I’m also excited to explore Wolverine as a character, too. He has a long and unusual history, and everything that has happened to him has helped to shape who he is… or who he thinks he is,” Bunn told Comics Newsarama.

 “My first arc deals with some characters Jason introduced during his time with Wolverine. While I’ll be introducing some new story elements along the way, I’d be remiss if I ignored some of the fertile ground Jason left behind. In this first arc, I took some of the elements he created and started building and expanding them, and the resulting story should be a lot of fun. It’s important that I make my mark by telling Wolverine stories only I can tell, but I also want to make sure I honor and build upon the great stuff Jason did.”

  Artist Paul Pelletier joins Bunn on Wolverine #304 this April. The duo is part of the team behind Fear Itself: The Fearless. Issue #9 of that limited series arrives today too.

  For Cullen Bunn’s entire interview here’s the Comics Newsarama link.

The Beginning of STAR WARS?

Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi courtesy Dark Horse Comics

Did you feel the Force in 3D this weekend? Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was back in theaters. Fans will soon have the chance to experience all the films again in 3D.

If you want to go way back then head to the comic book shop this week for Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #1. Writer John Ostrander and artist Jan Duursema who created the Star Wars: Legacy series reteam to for this new Dark Horse Comics series.

This is how the publisher describes the series:

“On the planet Tython, in the center of the galaxy, an order of warrior monks strives to maintain peace and to balance the mysterious power known as the Force. But a stranger is coming–one who will destroy both peace and balance, and open the galaxy to exploration and conquest. This is where it all begins!” Continue reading The Beginning of STAR WARS?