Top 5 for 12/28/11

Secret Avengers #20 courtesy Marvel.com

Secret Avengers #20 The Avengers are all dead except Black Widow? The secret agent is trapped in the past on a secret mission to save her teammates

Avengers: Children’s Crusade #8 Death of a Hero? The Young Avengers fight their lifelong heroes to the death and find themselves on the bad side of Scarlet Witch’s reality warping powers.

Uncanny X-Men #4 Mister Sinister’s manipulation of the Dreaming Celestial could mean a nightmare for everyone on Earth. The immortal Space Gods are coming to render their devastating judgement on humanity.

Teen Titans #4 No kiss at midnight on New Year’s Eve for this couple! Wonder Girl versus Superboy in Times Square. Can Red Robin and his brand new teen heroes save Wonder Girl in time?

Roots of the Swamp Thing Scott Snyder’s new series is smash hit. Now you can creep out with this blast from the past. Experience the tales the made Swamp Thing a fan favorite from his debut in House of Mystery to Swamp Thing #1-13 featuring art by the legendary Berni Wrightson.

New Creators at Emerald City Comicon

Marvels #2 courtesy Marvel.com by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross

The gifts keep on coming from Emerald City Comicon with new stars announced for the 2012 show:

Kurt Busiek – Creator of Astro City, writer of Marvels, Conan, JLA/Avengers, Eye of the Camera, Thunderbolts and many more. I was actually a little speechless when I met the mighty Kurt in 2008 when I had my JLA/Avengers and Avengers signed by him.

Brian Buccellato is the co-writer/colorist of the Flash, and colorist on many DC books.

Francesco Francavilla Black Panther: The Most Dangerous Man Alive, Detective Comics, Scalped, Dark Shadows, and had an upcoming creator owned project, Black Beetle.

Chris Samnee’s work includes Thor: The Mighty Avenger, Serenity: A Shepherd’s Tale, and Captain America and Bucky.

Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreary are co-creators/writers of Kill Shakespeare.

New THOR Director

THOR DVD Cover courtesy Marvel Films

Alan Taylor beat out fellow Games of Thrones director to be the helmer of THOR 2 according to Deadline. This move keeps the sequel on track to meet a November 15, 2013 premiere date.
No word yet on new characters but I’m personally still hoping Amora the Enchantress will haunt the Thunder God in the sequel.

New Amazing Spider Man Pics

Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker in Amazing Spider Man courtesy Sony

Teases from Amazing Spider Man keep spinning. Today on the film’s facebook page are three new stills – one featuring Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy in class, one of Denis Leary taking aim as Captain Stacy and Andrew Garfield – not in costume – as  Peter Parker ready to swing into action.

Nightcrawler: Warlord! From the Vaults

  I’m posting to you from Eastern North Carolina for the holidays where I’ve had time to dig into my comic vaults – those comics I couldn’t take with me to Seattle 13 years ago – but thankfully I have a Mom who understands what’s important to a good geek son so she packed them away carefully. Here’s a flashback I want to share.

  I still miss Kurt Wagner. Nightcrawler will always be my favorite X-Man. Kurt was born looking like a fearsome demon but with a gentle soul. I was moved by how some writers played upon the tragic irony of Kurt’s life. A caring man of faith hated and feared because of genetics he couldn’t control.

Excalibur #16 courtesy of Marvel.com

 My favorite Nightcrawler stories were when he was portrayed as a swashbuckling adventurer. Excalibur #16 featured Kurt Wagner, Warlord. Kurt was in fun form in sword battles with monstrous warriors and seductive encounters scantily clad princesses. This was Chapter Five on The Cross-Time Caper which found Excalibur swirling through multiple dimensions trying to find a way home. In this world – the Excalibur lost their powers and became sword wielding heroes right out of John Carter, Warlord of Mars. The team all has their moments but this issue was a showcase for the dashing, swashbuckling Kurt – including an encounter with a blue skinned beauty. Chris Claremont and Alan Davis partnership on Excalibur still remains a favorite of mine filled with action, fantasy, humor and one of my favorite portrayals of Nightcrawler.

Stay tuned for more From the Vault posts next week! Merry Christmas.

Who Will Assemble the Avengers?

Avengers #500 cover courtesy Marvel.com

  Who will take over the Avengers franchise once Brian Michael Bendis moves on? A fan asked Marvel Editor in Chief Axel Alonso on today’s Axel-In-Charge on Comic Book Resources.

  “We have a plan…” Alonso responded, ” Let’s just say the Avengers franchise will be in excellent hands. As for Brian, if you’re a fan of his work, you won’t believe what he’s writing next for us. My lips are sealed.”

Speculation:

  Could Matt Fraction inherit the Avengers franchise? Fraction’s era on Uncanny X-Men was phenomenal and he’s been steering Iron Man and Thor’s solo books. Could his current Defenders run be leading up to a takeover of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Avengers Versus X-Men courtesy Marvel.com

  If Avengers Versus X-Men and the return of the Phoenix lead to the destruction and rebirth of the X-Men – could we see an Age of Bendis for the Marvel’s mutants?

 

Prometheus Trailer

  The highly anticipated trailer for Ridley Scott’s return to science fiction is here. It provokes fear, fascination, nostalgia and obsessive curiosity. Prometheus evolved from what some fans assumed as a prequel or sequel to Alien. What I see is the best of both worlds. Images that go beyond what we saw in the classic horror film and frightening new images and ideas that will take us far beyond monsters in space.

 

Every time I’ve seen Alien I’m haunted and creeped out by the closeup of the dead “Space Jockey” and to see his ship moving in the trailer, the thought of seeing him alive is thrilling. It will be endlessly fun and mind swirling to imagine what we will discover in the story in which “They went looking for our beginning. What they found could be our end.”

  In a summer of super heroes – Prometheus may be THE movie of 2012.

Watch the trailer in HD on Apple here.

The Avengers Assemble in 3D

Avengers banner courtesy Marvel.com

  You will get to experience the action of Captain America’s shield, Thor’s hammer or maybe Iron Man blasting off the screen at you in this summer’s assembling of Marvel’s mightiest heroes. The Avengers will have a 3D theatrical run according to The Hollywood Reporter: Heat Vision.

“It’s an action movie. Things tend to hurdle toward the screen anyway,” Director Joss Whedon said adding that the 3D “won’t be obnoxious” according to JoeBlo.