The Brian Michael Bendis Avengers era ended with week with New Avengers #34. Marvel recruited Jonathan Hickman and Jerome Opena to relaunch Earth’s Mightiest Heroes for the Marvel Now. In December’s Avengers #1 the franchise will “go large” with 2 issues per month and a bigger roster of heroes.
Marvel provided Comic Book Resources with a first look at variant covers and inside premiere issue.
I LOVED this Steve McNiven variant featuring the new Indestructible Hulk and Jermone Opena will no doubt deliver a masterpiece with each issue.
Avengers #1 courtesy Marvel
I’m a huge fan of Hickman’s SHIELD, Manhattan Projects and Fantastic Four and it appears he’s bringing his big science, big cosmic level concepts and knowledge of Marvel history to the first arc.
Avengers #1 courtesy Marvel
The expanded roster will allow the Avengers to fight threats on Earth and beyond! Prepare to have your mind blown.
This week’s New Avengers #34 is the final issue of the Brian Michael Bendis era. 8 years ago Bendis took over Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and made me love the Avengers again!
Avengers Disassembled: Here’s where it all began again. He blew up Avengers mansion, blew away team members and made prodigal fans like me take notice and remember why we love Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. It was more than stunts for shock value. There was great drama and emotion as Steve and Tony mourned friends and coped with the truth that one of their own had become the greatest enemy. The team ended but the call would go out again for heroes to assemble!
Enter Spider-Woman: Jessica Drew was lifted out of the comic book void and right into the middle of the action in Breakout in New Avengers #1. Bendis made us fall madly in love with the reborn heroine then pulled the rug out of from under us! Turns out this Jessica was really the Skrull Empress and mastermind of Secret Invasion. The real Jessica came back during that epic and started rebuilding her reputation and life. There were huge action packed events that were building blocks, plots within plots that led to bigger events. Jessica was at the center of them all.
New Avengers Annual #1 courtesy Marvel
Luke Cage Is The MAN: Bendis must have loved the Power Man & Iron Fist series too because he put Cage on the front burner. Luke’s comeback started in the excellent Alias series when he became the love interest of Jessica Jones. In Breakout Luke answered Captain America’s call for help and soon Cap made Luke leader of the New Avengers. The course of true love never runs smooth but Luke, Jessica and their baby became the tortured heart of the series for me.
The Illumanati: A brilliant concept! Turns out there was a secret society of super heroes that had played key roles in major Marvel events through history. The covert alliance of Iron Man, Professor X, Namor, Doctor Strange, Black Bolt and Reed Richards would eventually shatter and ghosts of the past would come back to haunt them.
Love to HATE Norman Osborn: One of Spidey’s greatest enemies became Marvel’s most powerful villain. The former Green Goblin’s rise to power began when he started running the Thunderbolts. In the aftermath of Secret Invasion Osborn seized power with control of the Avengers and SHIELD, which he renamed HAMMER. The Dark Reign began with a madman disguised as a hero (the Iron Patriot) with his own Dark Avengers and Dark X-Men. Osborn’s obsession for power led to an invasion of Asgard in SIEGE.and that was his downfall – and we were reminded just how bat—- crazy Norman really is!
New Avengers #1 courtesy Marvel
Who’s An Avenger? Bendis said what a lot of fans had been saying for years – if the Avengers are the best and most powerful heroes then why aren’t Marvel’s biggest guns on the team! He did something about it! Wolverine, Luke Cage, Thing and Doctor Strange were assembled along with the tragic powerhouse, the Sentry. Daredevil, Iron Fist would later join the team. Hawkeye’s lost love Mockingbird even returned.
I could go on and on but I will end here with a huge thank you to Brian Michael Bendis for an incredible run and for making me love the Avengers again!
New Avengers #34 is out this week! Thank you and good luck with the X-Men!
I was honored to be the special guest on my friendly neighborhood comic shop’s special edition videoblog dedicated to the new Marvel Now titles! The Zanadu Comics crew dubbed me Professor Marvel! Take a look and I’d love to know your favorite Marvel Now titles so far:
Thanks to Perry, Howard and Casey were having me as your special guest for and always great experience every new comic book Wednesday! Thanks to the Sam the man behind the cam! Disclosure: I will always love X-Men – it was my first book but I do read titles of the competition and I always welcome your indie picks!
You should be buying Matt Fraction and David Aja’s new Hawkeye series because it’s just that good! If you need another reason here’s one: Hawkeye #7 will be a the first of a two-part Hurricane Sandy Relief story in which the Avenging Archer and his sidekick Kate Bishop (of the Young Avengers) help disaster victims in Brooklyn and New Jersey in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The Hawkeye writer revealed the upcoming storyline to MTV Geek.
“So many regular people did so much good, it felt like Hawkeye is an appropriate place to do a Sandy story,” said Fraction.
The writer will donate his royalties for scripting Hawkeye #7 to the American Red Cross. The more copies you buy, the more money Fraction will donate.
The always clever Fraction admits this is a big risk but so worth it “…it occured to me that if this is too successful that this could be the most painful check that I ever write…but c’mon, make it hurt!”
Here’s a first look at the cover of Hawkeye #7 courtesy MTV Geek.
Hawkeye #7 courtesy Marvel, an MTV Geek exclusive
Hawkeye is one of the best books Marvel is publishing. I’m a huge fan of Matt Fraction – one of the greatest creators to meet at a comicon. He has always been generous with this time talking to fans. After incredible runs on Uncanny X-Men, The Mighty Thor and Invincible Iron Man Fraction just took over Fantastic Four. I look forward to adding an autographed Hawkeye #7 to my collection.
Hawkeye #7 arrives January 16, 2013. Guest artists Steve Lieber and Jesse Hamm will join Fraction for the story.
If you would like to donate to the American Red Cross please visit redcross.org.
All-New X-Men #2 New mutants are popping up across the world. Cyclops has gone full-blown revolutionary. An X-Man travels back to a key point in the team’s history in hopes of saving the mutant race. How will the original five students of Xavier (including Jean Grey!) react upon seeing their future?
Arrow #1 Brand new adventures of DC’s crusader from the creators of the hit CW series and legendary Green Arrow comic creator Mike Grell.
Batman Incorporated #5 Bruce Wayne’s son is now the Batman? Bruce is in Arkham Asylum? Grant Morrison takes you back to the dark future he created in the modern classic Batman #666.
FF #1 Meet the new Fantastic Four? Medusa, Ant-Man, She-Hulk, and She-Thing take the place of Marvel’s First Family in a brand new adventure by Matt Fraction and Mike Allred.
Uncanny Avengers #2 The Red Skull committed one of the most shocking and heinous acts I’ve seen in comics – and now he’s more powerful than ever with a freakish new army and bizarre new weapon. Can Captain America, Thor, Havok, Wolverine, Scarlet Witch and Rogue stop more mutant acts of terror?
The greatest Avengers enemy (in my opinion) is back in 2013 and no hero in the entire Marvel Universe is safe! Brian Michael Bendis unleashes the android with issues in Age of Ultron #1 this March. The robot has apparently downloaded his evil into an army of Ultrons.
Age of Ultron #1 courtesy Marvel
In an earlier interview Bendis revealed that this 10 part series takes place in the Marvel Now continuity. Comics Newsarama scored some incredible images by Bryan Hitch from the premiere issue.
Age of Ultron #1 courtesy Marvel
The Age of Ultron begins this March. What will this event mean for the Marvel Universe?
Indestructible Hulk #1 smashes into the Marvel Now this week. Mark Waid and Leinil Yu take the Green Goliath in a new direction – as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D?
“The reasons why he is–and exactly the deal he cut to become–an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a mystery that will build out as the story goes,” Waid teased on Marvel.com.
How do you bring a freshness to an iconic character for new readers while paying homage to the rich past?
“On the surface of it, its hard. It’s a less human, street-level book, so all the things that worked in Daredevil were harder to duplicate in Hulk. The commonality in the two books is that Bruce Banner, much like Matt Murdock, reaches a point in his life where he realizes the things he’s been doing have not been working. ”
“What Stan Lee and Jack Kirby did back in the day was they created the world’s first persecuted super hero in the Hulk. Bruce Banner was the seminal morose, tortured super hero. 50 years later, you can go to a comic shop, pick up a random stack of super hero comics, and most of them will probably feature tortured super heroes,” Waid explained.
Indestructible Hulk #3 courtesy Marvel
Bruce Banner will take command in an effort become known as a man of science instead of the “Hulk Smash” guy.
“Banner realized that the Hulk is not something he can stop. It’s something he can control to a degree, but “Hulk happens,” as he puts it. So when he comes out, S.H.I.E.L.D. points him where they want him to go. Think of him as a cannon, not a bomb.”
Maria Hill will be Banner’s handler.
“S.H.I.E.L.D. has what they believe is a fairly tight leash on the Hulk, but they’re mistaken. That’s part of the fun of writing Maria Hill and Bruce Banner, they both have different perspectives on the situation.”
What about those shots of the Hulk in armor? Waid says that’s really intended for Bruce. And as for that floating robot head – who looks like Widget of Excalibur? He’s part of the leash S.H.I.E.L.D. thinks they have on the Hulk.
Maid said to expect Hulk to fight Attuma, Frost Giants, a new version of Quintronic Man and a big bad secretly behind the upcoming year’s mystery.
In case you missed an earlier interview – I loved what Waid said about Hulk being his favorite character in The Avengers movie.
“I can watch the Hulk ragdoll Loki all day.”
Indestructible Hulk smashes into stores this week. Here’s the entire liveblog on Marvel.com.
2013 will be the Age of Ultron! Brian Michael Bendis and Bryan Hitch reunite to reinvent the classic Avengers villain in a 10 issue limited series kicking off in March. Hitch draws the first five issues. Carlos Pacheco and Brian Peterson complete the second half of the series. Bendis and Executive Editor Tom Brevoort talked about the scope and impact on the entire universe on Marvel.com.
“Age of Ultron is about Ultron, one of our biggest villains ever, finally fulfilling his destiny, which is taking the Earth. From the very first page, Ultron has taken the Marvel Universe and everything is changed. There is a shocking amount of destruction and devastation. It started in Avengers, but it’s meant to be a Marvel Universe book. It starts everyone,” said Bendis, “This was never supposed to be my last Avengers story, it was always meant to be a Marvel Universe event.”
Age of Ultron #1 courtesy Marvel
In past events we’ve seen the slow buildup of the enemy. The writer explains that this time – it’s very different: “What would it be like to wake up one morning and have one of the Marvel Universe’s biggest villains have just taken over? How will people react?”
“This isn’t a story where the Skrulls are invading. We cut right to the chase. We’re already past that and Ultron is already here. He’s already put his footprints on the landscape. You’re immediately thrust into the heart of crazy events and things are going a million miles an hour,” adds Brevoort.
Age of Ultron #1 courtesy Marvel
The editor and writer confirmed this happens in continuity in the contemporary Marvel NOW! Marvel Universe.
You probably won’t need the back story but the creators say the seeds of this epic go back to the first arc of Mighty Avengers by Brian and Frank Cho, but the most direct prologue is Avengers #12.1, aka a Free Comic Book Day issue.
Age of Ultron #1 courtesy Marvel
“Tony Stark knew the next time Ultron came back we wouldn’t be ready. This is that time,” said Bendis.
As soon as you say Ultron you immediately think of Vision, Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne but the new threat from the metal madman will affect every Marvel hero.
“It’s fair to say this is an Avengers Vs. X-Men level event. That doesn’t mean we won’t be doing other things later in 2013, but it’s Brian, Bryan, Brandon, Carlos and all the ingredients needed for a big deal project,” said Brevoort.
“If you go back to the earliest Ultron stuff, he has severe daddy issues, even for a Marvel character, and they all have daddy issues. His logic is that the only thing standing in the way of the Earth being what it can be is humanity. I’m kind of obsessed with artificial intelligence in the real world and why people are scared of it. If there were a Marvel Singularity, it would be from Ultron. This is the moment technology takes over in a hostile way,” said Bendis.
Age of Ultron #1 courtesy Marvel
“To write a story like this is incredibly scary, because Ultron coming at us with everything he has is the end of the Marvel Universe. We’re doing it,” said Bendis, “This ending is a whopper. And I’ll go ahead and say it: You can’t guess it. I’m involved in it and even I am going ‘Really?'”
“I could not be more excited for this book to hit the stands. Literally not a day has gone by over the last year where people haven’t asked me when it was coming. I know that people are looking forward to it, so to finally debut it and for it to be, I imagine, much more than people thought it was going to be, is great. It’s beautiful. It takes one of Marvel’s classic villains to a level he’s never been before, takes the heroes to a place they’ve never had to go, and ends in a way you will never guess,” said Bendis.
Age of Ultron begins with 3 issues in March 2013. The team confirmed tie-in issues in current series and some limited tie-in series.
