Tag: Avengers

A Geek’s Dream: Emma Frost & Her Avenging X-Men?

  Disclaimer: This is just the raving speculation of an excited geek!

 

Astonishing X-Men #18 courtesy Marvel

  I love Jean Grey in every carnation (original, copy, post cocoon, dead, resurrected, etc) but Emma Frost was the best thing to happen to Scott Summers and the X-Men. Grant Morrison wedged Cyclops and Jean apart during his New X-Men run. Joss Whedon brought them together in Astonishing X-Men. Matt Fraction and Kieron Gillen developed Emma into a ruthless heroine capable of throwing one-liners as sharp as her diamond hard skin. Emma has kept secrets within secrets that come back to haunt her (Sebastian Shaw.) Now the Phoenix is ripping her away from Cyclops.

 The former White Queen’s road to redemption is one of my favorite character arcs in comic book history. Emma switched her allegiance to the X-Men and pledged her love to Scott but it was always too easy for her to fall back into her ruthless ways (Dark X-Men) to accomplish her goals. Kieron Gillen has ramped up the sexual tension between Emma and Namor. The Phoenix Force is attracted to, feeding off of and fueling the sparks between the former lovers. That passion is about to explode future chapters of Avengers vs. X-Men. It was only a matter of time but I think the Emma/Scott era is about to be over.

Avengers vs X-Men #11 courtesy Marvel

  This week’s Marvel NOW! announcement of an Uncanny Avengers title featuring Children of the Atom and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will include Cyclops. The original Jean Grey is arriving from the past to star in an All-New X-Men. I can see Emma not fitting in with this new world order and thus the Avenging X-Men will be born.

  Emma Frost – mutant leader who isn’t quick to mend fences with the Avengers and still believes only mutants will truly be dedicated to protecting fellow mutants.

  Magneto – the Red Skull is reborn with an anti-mutant agenda. The legacy of the holocaust and the Nazi symbolism surrounding the Red Skull will ignite Erik’s painful past and make him pledge his allegiance with Frost.

  Storm – rival queens may find a reason to unite in the post AvX world? Ororo and T’Challa’s marriage may be over and she distrusts Cyclops and Wolverine. 

  Frenzy – it will be easy for Magneto’s former Acolyte to rejoin him plus Joanna and Emma may be sharing bitter heartbreak caused by Cyclops.

  Again, this is just speculation. Only Marvel knows the post AvX fate of Emma Frost I just know the Marvel Universe is sexier and edgier with her in it.

By Editor

 

Marvel NOW! Quesada, Alonso and Brevoort Speak Part 1

 

Marvel NOW! by Joe Quesada courtesy Marvel.com

  Marvel NOW! means big changes, new titles and new creative teams. Fans may be frothing with excitment, fuming or just puzzled at the new direction. From October 2012 to February 2013 Marvel is launching a new title including Uncanny Avengers by Rick Remender, All-New X-Men by Brian Michael Bendis and Avengers by Jonathan Hickman with more to be announced.

  Marvel Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada, Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso and Executive Editor Tom Brevoort reveal what to expect on Marvel.com today. I’ve picked answers to the big questions I think are on the minds of fans like myself.

  What about continuity and Marvel past?

  “A lot of characters and a lot of their stories are starting story arcs and different status quos right around this time. I know there are a lot of people out there who are lapsed readers, or future readers who don’t necessarily know exactly how to jump into comics because the idea of decades and decades of continuity is daunting to them. Now mind you, they should never have that fear regardless, but for us we’re putting a flag in the sand and saying “Listen, if you’ve had that problem before, just take a flier on us. Try Marvel NOW!, because we are not wiping the slate clean—we’re just trying to tell these stories from a clean point of view and allowing a good jumping-off point for new readers,” said Quesada.

  Is this a reboot?

  “It is not a reboot. We don’t travel back in time, into the future, or to an alternate universe. Marvel NOW! respects the investment—emotional and financial—that long-term fans have made in the Marvel Universe, and this story takes place in a Marvel Universe they can recognize, one that grows out of Avengers Vs. X-Men. That said, these stories will be accessible to lapsed readers—the guy who likes, say, Captain America, but doesn’t know where to start—and anyone who saw a Marvel movie or heard the buzz about Marvel NOW!” replied Alonso

 The role of digital technology in Marvel NOW!

  There [are] really two answers to this, and I think both of them are right. It’s going to play a tremendously huge role, and I don’t know. And the reason I don’t know is because technology is changing every single—oh wait, it just changed again. It changes every second. There’s so much new stuff coming out that I can’t tell you what’s going to be the rage 12 months from now with technology. What I can tell you is that if it’s something that is applicable to things that we do for a living, we’re going to try it. And we’re going to see if it works for us. So it is the great unknown, it is really exciting, but it’s also something that we’re not going to be left behind wondering why we didn’t get involved in the world of digital much earlier. You know, we‘ve been involved in the digital world for a long, long time—longer than most publishers—so we are already ahead of the curve and we’re already getting a sense of what the readership is really thinking, what they’re not thinking, because ultimately it’s about the readers. It’s about making their experience a better one, a more convenient one, and really much more entertaining,” revealed Quesada.

 

Marvel NOW! image by Joe Quesada courtesy Marvel and EW

What does Quesada’s preview image say about the characters of Marvel NOW!

  “Well I think you can certainly glom several things from that piece. Number one, costume changes. Number two, you’ll see characters there that you wouldn’t necessarily think would be in a piece like that. I think readers can assume that we’re going to make a big push with certain books and create certain books that involve a lot of these new characters. And also just changes to certain status quos based upon costume design and what happened. Even Cyclops. He’s very prominent in that piece, He looks very different, but definitely prominent. And who knows if that’s even Scott in that costume? But the goal was to sort of give a quick, encapsulating view of a piece that says “Well, it’s going to be different.” Quesada answered.

 For their entire interviews here’s the Marvel.com link. Stay tuned for more from Marvel’s big three when it comes to new creative teams in an upcoming post.

By Editor

Marvel NOW!

Marvel NOW! image by Joe Quesada courtesy Marvel and EW

  Marvel’s post Avengers vs X-Men plans appear to be a relaunching the universe under the initiative Marvel NOW!

  Expect new creative teams, new series launches and relaunches starting in October 2012 through February 2013. Details and this image by Joe Quesada are in the Comic-Con issue of Entertainment Weekly.

 These are the 3 titles to be announced in EW:

Uncanny Avengers: A blended Avengers/X-Men book written by Rick Remender (Uncanny X-Force) and illustrated by John Cassaday (Astonishing X-Men), with a cast including Captain America, Thor, Rogue and Havok. Remender is quoted by EW as calling the series a “bridge book” “that can delve into both worlds,” though post-AvX tension will be apparent. Starts in October.

All-New X-Men: As long-rumored, Brian Michael Bendis is writing the X-Men, specifically the original five. Still teenagers, they time travel to the present-day Marvel Universe, and aren’t pleased with what they find. “It’s not a time-travel story like Back to the Future,” Bendis is quoted. “It’s a time-travel story like Pleasantville,” with “character-based drama more important than the sci-fi aspect. Art from Stuart Immonen; starts in November.

Avengers: Now a biweekly series written by Jonathan Hickman and illustrated by Jerome Opeña, the book will include “18 or more” Avengers team members, and “feature a combination of one-off stories and longer, galaxy-spanning multi-issue arcs.” Starts in December.

Thanks to Comics Newsarama.

The biggest mystery solved is the “return of Jean Grey?” tease. This will be a pre-Phoenix Jean along with the original five X-Men in the Bendis book.

By Editor

What do you think?

Top 5 Comic Picks for 7/4/12

Avengers vs. X-Men #7 courtesy Marvel

Avengers Vs. X-Men #7 Cyclops declares “No More Avengers!” What does this mean for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes? If the Phoenix Five can destroy and remake entire planets how can Captain America and his allies hope to escape?

Earth 2 #3 DC Comics reintroduced Silver Age favorite Alan Scott as an openly gay man. This issue shows us how he becomes the Green Lantern. Plus, the Flash hunted by Hawkgirl?

Knights of the Living Dead Volume 1 Full disclosure – I’m picking this just on the title alone. I  have not read a single issue but come on – a mashup of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and zombies!

Peanuts Volume 1 Snoopy, Charlie Brown and whole gang are back in brand new stories and classic Sunday strips from Charles M. Schulz. This volume collects the first four issues of the series.

Wolverine #310 courtesy Marvel.com

Wolverine #310 No head, no problem. Logan decapitated his archenemy. How is Sabretooth back? The creative dream team of Jeph Loeb and Simone Bianchi return with sequel of one of Wolverine’s most epic stories.

Avengers vs X-Men Final Act “There Can Only Be One”

AvX #9 teaser courtesy Marvel

  It’s a one-two cosmic teaser punch hinting at the return of a fan favorite mutant. Earlier today EW revealed a Jean Grey teaser image. Now Marvel revealed this teaser image for the third and final act of the Avengers vs X-Men event.

  The Phoenix emblem worn by Jean Grey is blazing in cosmic fire as the hands of (X-Men?) are reaching for it with the slogan “There Can Only Be One.”

Here’s the solicitation accompanying the image:

  This August, the comic book event of the year – Avengers VS. X-Men – reaches critical mass as Earth’s Mightiest make their last stand against the Phoenix Force. But when the Phoenix Force yearns for a single host, who will it choose? There can only be one! Act Three kicks off in Avengers Vs. X-Men #9.

Expect more teasers and reveals between now and Comicon International but enjoy the speculation.

By Editor

The Horror of Avengers vs The Marvel Universe

 

Marvel Universe vs. The Avengers courtesy Marvel.com

  Author Jonathan Maberry is taking you back to a horrific future filled with heroes turned zombies. The man behind Marvel Universe vs. The Punisher and Marvel Universe vs. Wolverine returns with Marvel Universe vs. The Avengers.

  What’s left of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes fights to survive a plague ravaged planet. Maberry tells Marvel.com the horror hits home for Hawkeye.

  “The story is intensely personal, as all stories of great cultural trauma,” the writer asserts. “These are horror stories, and MARVEL UNIVERSE VS THE AVENGERS takes the horror down to a very personal level. We are no longer witnessing the world’s hurt or the cultural hurt, we’re inside the head –and heart—of a man who is experiencing the most personal kind of hurt.”

  “The story is told from Hawkeye’s perspective, but most of the big guns are there: Thor, Hulk—red and green versions—Iron Man, Giant Man, Luke Cage, Black Widow, Mockingbird, Spider-Man, and others,” reveals Maberry. “We also check in on the kids at Avengers Academy.  The events in these four issues cut a bloody swath across the entire Avengers landscape.”

  Leandro Fernandez is the artist on this four part series coming this October. For more of his interview here’s the Marvel.com link. 

By Editor

The Punishing Answer to “THIS IS WAR!”

Punisher War Zone courtesy Marvel.com

  A week of teaser images with Avengers under fire is capped off with this reveal by Marvel.com: The Punisher War Zone featuring the previous images of Captain America, Wolverine, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Thor and Black Widow surrounding a silhouette of Marvel’s most infamous vigilante anti-hero.

  Is Frank Castle going to take on the Avengers? More will be revealed at the Amazing Spider-Man panel at Comicon International on July 15th.

 This is not what I was expecting. What do you think?

By Editor

“Guardians of the Galaxy” Is Marvel’s Next Big Movie?

  Marvel Studios is definitely launching a new film franchise in May 2014. Will is be Guardians of the Galaxy? That’s been the speculation for months and two sources: The Hollywood Reporter Heat Vision and Latino Review report Marvel will make an official announcement during Comicon International. Reports also say Nicole Perlman has already turned in a script. An outer space based franchise would fit with the big cosmic-level reveal at the end of The Avengers.

 

Guardians of the Galaxy #1 courtesy Marvel.com

  Most fans have been cheering for the Guardians team by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning that debuted in the aftermath of their Annihilation epic in 2008. The team includes Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, Groot and Rocket Raccoon. Similar to the Avengers, these individual warriors were united against a common threat after several galactic conflicts.

 

Guardians of the Galaxy courtesy Marvel.com

  Now I know I’m showing my age here but I’m fond of the old school Guardians: Vance Astro, Yondu, Martinex, Charlie-27, Nikki and Starhawk. These heroes were from the future fighting against the alien empire of the Badoon. The 31st century team went into the past to team up with the Avengers most notably in the classic Korvac saga.

  Today’s fans really love ’em some Rocket Raccoon and he would work as an action figure and stuffed animal! Maybe Mark Walhberg’s teddy bear in Ted will be an indication of how Rocket Raccoon could work on screen. Stay tuned true believers.

  As I shared this news with my co-worker (and non-comic reader) Matt Scheck he said “you know, there hasn’t been a sci-fi space epic in while.” Matt, my friend I think Marvel hears you.

By Editor

 

Thanks to Marvel.com for the images.