Super Bowl of Super Heroes! Avengers Versus X-Men!

  Today may be the Super Bowl but for comic book fans the big game starts in March with Avengers Versus X-Men! No half time act but I bet Dazzler is available if she’s not fighting Mockingbird!

 

AvX #1 cover by Jim Cheung courtesy Marvel.com

My picks to win:

Overall Team: X-Men!

Cyclops V. Captain America

Iron Man V. Magneto

Thor V. Storm

Beast V. Luke Cage

Ms. Marvel V. Rogue

Spider-Woman V. Gambit

Namor V. Thing

Hulk V. Emma Frost

Black Widow V. Psylocke

Iceman V. Spider Man

Colossus (in Juggernaut mode)V. Rulk

Matchups not teased yet but I hope we’ll see in AVX.

Colossus (in Juggernaut mode) V. Thing

Thor V. Colossal Juggernaut

Warpath V. Hawkeye

Emma Frost V. Ms. Marvel

Winter Soldier V. Warparth

Wolverine V. Captain America – Logan will be on Team Cyke but I suspect he will be forced to switch sides.

 

AVX Thor Versus Phoenix

 

Avengers Versus X-Men #4 variant courtesy Marvel.com

 

 

Behold the God of Thunder against the Phoenix Force! Marvel revealed this variant cover to Avengers Versus X-Men #4 by Jerome Opena. I’ve posted my theories about Scarlet Witch or Hope facing the entity but this image gets a geek brain spinning! It looks like the entity will swallow Thor whole.

This awe-inspiring cover arrives in May.

 

Spider-Man New’s Suit Revealed!

 

Amazing Spider-Man #682 courtesy Marvel via Comic Book Resources

 

 

  Marvel revealed Peter Parker’s new suit in the final teaser image for The Ends of the Earth. Dan Slott’s latest epic pits Spidey against Doctor Octopus and his Sinister Six starting with Amazing Spider-Man #682.

  The solicitation says “Earth’s Mightiest” will join Spidey in his fight. I wonder if this new costume is Stark Tech and what special features it’s packing?

  What do you think?

  Here’s the post with the previous images showing the Six, possible victims of Doc Ock’s vengeful act and Peter Parker suiting up.

 

Next Men Aftermath Preview – A Geek’s Delight

Next Men Aftermath courtesy IDW from Comic Book Resources

  I squealed on the inside with geek glee when I saw this preview on Comic Book Resources! I love John Byrne’s Next Men. The original Dark Horse series was groundbreaking, compelling and redefined the science fiction super hero concept for me. The sex, violence, humor and unpredictable storytelling were like nothing I had experienced before. The survivors and villains of Project Next Men were caught up in such a time twisting, reality warping world yet John Byrne made them so human and real.

  John Byrne picked up with Danny, Jasmine, Nathan, Bethany and Jack’s story in last year’s mini-series published by IDW. There was bigger role for government agent Tony Murcheson. The first series took the kids across America. The new series took them across time leading up to a shocking mission into the past that would rewrite the entire Next Men universe. Next month Aftermath begins with two Next Men in the past and Jasmine on the run from stalkers from various eras. 

Next Men Aftermath courtesy IDW from Comic Book Resources

  Get thee to a comic book store and pick up the collected editions including 2112 the graphic novel that started it all. The first series is so visual – I always saw Angela Bassett as Agent Tony Murcheson and Tommy Lee Jones as Senator Aldus Hilltop before he became…well that would spoil it.

  I wanted to share these preview images. Here’s the Comic Book Resources link with more exclusive pages.

DC’s Team Liefeld Revealed and Deathstroke Versus Lobo!

Deathstroke courtesy DC Comics

 

  Rob Liefeld is bringing his style to 3 DC Comics The New 52 titles. Today the full creative teams were unveiled on The Source.

  Grifter – Frank Tieri scripting Liefeld’s stories with Scott Clark on art.

Savage Hawkman courtesy DC Comics

  The Savage Hawkman – Mark Poulton scripts with Joe Bennett on art.

  Deathstroke – Liefeld will write and draw DC’s ultimate merc. His first storyline: Deathstroke versus intergalactic bounter hunter Lobo!

Grifter courtesy DC Comics

  Team Liefeld debuts in May with issues # 9 of each title.

  Can I get some Hawkwoman back? Kendra or Shayera – your pick!

Archie and Valerie’s Baby!

Archie #633 cover courtesy Comics Alliance

  This is not your grandma’s Archie Comics! The Riverdale High gang gets huge mainstream media attention for their boundary pushing storylines. Archie Comics tells solid stories that are progessive and socially relevant. Today Archie Comics announced to Comics Alliance their latest story. Archie #633 will feature a future story in which Archie marries Valerie Smith (of Josie and the Pussycats) and have a baby.

This is not the publisher’s first interracial romance. In Life with Archie #16 openly gay soldier Kevin Keller married his African-American boyfriend. Archie Comics is a GLAAD Media Awards Best Comic Book Nominee

Thanks to Comics Alliance for the story. A great site with even more details for Archie fans..

James Bond Actor Breakdown

Daniel Craig in Skyfall courtesy MI6-HQ.COM

  James Bond is a family tradition and a family business. My dad took me to my first 007 movies as a kid and we could always reflect on our favorite moments as we both got older.

  007 Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli are continuing the legacy of their dad, Albert R. Broccoli. After the first official Skyfall set photo was revealed Wilson talked about the men who’ve played Bond over the years and how team Skyfall is bringing back elements that made the 007 adventures of the 60’s and 70’s such hits.

  “Sean was a tough guy; he set the tone,” Wilson said. “[Roger] played it more comic. Roger was lighthearted. Timothy brought it down to earth and Pierce brought a touch of charm and touchiness.”

courtesy MI6-HQ.com

  “[Daniel] is a great actor who takes it back to the Sean days,” Wilson said.

  Did you notice no mention of George Lazenby who played Bond once in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service? I think that performance and film never gets the praise it deserves.

  In an earlier story, Daniel Craig referenced From Russia, With Love and Live and Let Die as influential Bond films he enjoyed.

  Thanks to MI6 for the story.

Spider-Man, Punisher, Daredevil Feel the Omega Effect II

Avenging Spider-Man #6 preview art courtesy Marvel.com

  Legendary writer Mark Waid is talking about the previously announced The Omega Effect storyline bringing Avenging Spider-Man, Punisher and Daredevil together in April.

  Waid teams with Greg Rucka in a story involving a hunt to possess the Omega Drive. Marvel’s big crime families want it because they could be destroyed by what’s inside. Waid writes Daredevil. Rucka writes Punisher. Together they write Avenging Spider-Man #6 kicking off the action.

  “We’ve basically, you know, along with editor Steve Wacker, sort of game plotted the three issues; and then the two of us, Greg and I together, sat down and outlined the thing, back and forth sort of outlining all three issues. And then when it came to the first issue of the cross-over in AVENGING SPIDER-MAN, we just thought it’d be fair and fun to split the workload where it was “you take this scene, I’ll take that scene.” We’ll throw it back and forth and we’ll work together to just bring it all together,” Waid told Marvel.com.

Avenging Spider-Man #6 preview art courtesy Marvel.com

   Spidey, Matt and Frank don’t mix so how will these different heroes find common ground.

   “They really don’t get along, especially these days. Because Spider-Man in his own book [AMAZING SPIDER-MAN], which really is so well-written by Dan Slott, has made a very important vow that when he’s around, nobody dies. And that’s really hard to pull off with a character like Punisher around. And then Daredevil’s whole new “I’m going to smile when I do this, when I punch your lights out” attitude is sort of chafing Frank Castle the wrong way. So what brings them together is the Omega Drive.

 

  It’s that artifact that Daredevil has captured that has key information on it on all of the mega-crime families in the Marvel Universe and they’re all after it.”

 “..By the time we get to the crossover, the crime families are tired of trying to strike some sort of a treaty between themselves and they just decide that, you know what? It’s every man for himself. We’re all going to come after it and we don’t care that it’s going to create this gang war and that’s going to tear the world in half. We just won’t care. And Daredevil, Spider-Man, and Punisher, they all want it for a different reason. Daredevil will want to hang onto it because it’s his insurance, because as long as he’s got it, they can’t do anything to him, and they can’t do anything to his friends and co-workers. Spider-Man wants it because it’s just the right thing to do. You’ve got that information you should use it. And Punisher wants it for that same reason too, which is that he wants to use it, but he wants to use it in a much more “blood in the streets” way then Spider-Man would ever be happy with.”

Avenging Spider-Man #6 preview art courtesy Marvel.com

 Two legendary writers at the top of their game, top artists and three heroes clashing in a story that would rock Marvel’s underworld – I’m in.

 For the entire interview and more of Marco Checcetto’s preview art here’s the Marvel.com link.

Here’s the link to see more quotes and art from The Omega Effect announcement.