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!
X-Man, Avenger, Mentor, Headmaster, Lover, Killer! Wolverine is a hero with many titles and star of many comic book titles!
Paul Cornell returns to Marvel with a brand new Wolverine series premiering in March 2013. The legendary Alan Davis will be the artist on Logan’s new solo book. Cornell talked with Marvel.com about his return to the House of Ideas and his take on the fan favorite X-Man.
“This is the series that gets into what makes James Logan tick, that shows him being, as he puts it, “a regular guy,” interacting with civilian friends of his in New York City. The most amazing thing about James is that he’s been alive so long, gone through so many extraordinary things, is such a strange being, but holds on—very hard—to being a guy who likes to hang out in bars with good company, who can run a school, who’s a decent, civilized man. Most of the time. No vampire alienation and boredom for him. He’s a man of the people. I’m going to poke that and see what happens.”
The challenge for any new writer is Wolverine’s history of iconic stories by specific writers (Weapon X, Old Man Logan). Cornell explains his big influence and how he will stake his claim in the Logan legacy.
“By looking hard at who he is, dealing with him in the here and now, exploring that voice I’m so fond of. Why does he call people “bub?” That’s now a tic that’s peculiar, that says something. I’ve been a Dad for four weeks now, and it occurs to me that James is the super hero I would be most comfortable in handing my child to. You know he’s going to take care of him, you know he’d be willing to just about die to do it, that while he’s got him, nothing is going to hurt that child. That’s what we’re going to get into: James the determined, bastard hard defender of innocents. I’m an enormous fan of Chris Claremont. I think his contribution to comics is just gigantic, that these days he’s enormously undervalued, to a degree that just staggers me. I’ll be drawing on the love of this character I felt from my childhood, and that means drawing on my own inner Claremont.'”
Wolverine: Weapon X #1 cover by Alan Davis courtesy Marvel
Cornell teases the first arc of the new series:
“James is involved in a hostage situation in the heart of New York, which spirals into an action-movie chase with him pursuing…he has no idea, and neither do we. It’s something absolutely disciplined, ruthless, and absolutely unconcerned with harming innocents. James has to do something not very nice in front of one such innocent. He’s damned if he’s going to let it happen again.
Cornell revealed he will explore the humanity of Wolverine:
“He’s one of the few super heroes who one could have a drink with. And he really should be a lot weirder. So there’s something going on there. I’ll also be examining the consequences of some recent decisions he’s made, but that would only be obvious for those who’ve been following the character lately. You can start with this first issue, not knowing anything, and absolutely know who he is, and what he does. It’s kind of a continuity-free first issue, from which we’ll gradually move to bring in wider aspects of the universe.”
Cornell reveal he’s creating a new villain and new supporting cast members (police officers, bar owners) for Wolverine’s NYC stomping grounds.
Cornell made comparisons between the X-Man and a certain caped hero of the competition when explains Wolverine’s role in the Marvel Now.
“I want it, and him, to be central. I want other titles reacting to what happens here. It’s an accident of history that WOLVERINE as a title has often been following what happens in other books, rather than originating the direction of the character because the title started so late. A new number one gives us the chance to change James’ standing a little, to make him as obvious a lead as Batman is, not just the eternal supporting character.”
Wolverine Annual #1 courtesy Marvel, a Comic Book Resources exclusive
Op/Ed: Alan Davis is on my list of (I MUST MEET THEM) comic book creators! In fact I could program an entire Alan Davis Comicon based on this amazing career which includes X-Men, Excaliburruns as writer/artist and artist with Chris Claremont writing.
Alan Davis recently brought back his ClanDestine in several Marvel Annuals including Wolverine, drew Ed Brubaker’s final volume of Captain America, If you can get your hands on his Wolverine graphic novel Bloodlust– grab it!
For Cornell’s entire interview here’s the Marvel.com link.
Rick Remender, John Romita Jr and Klaus Janson relaunch the Sentinel of Liberty in a brand new Captain America #1 this week. The acclaimed artist talked with Marvel.com adjusted design of Cap’s uniform.
“I don’t think it’s a full redesign. You still know it’s Cap, you can see things in it that are Captain America. But there’s a difference, absolutely. I think the spandex and the spandex shorts have gone the way of the dodo only because they were overused and so on. This is a little more realistic. You’ll see seams on pants, you’ll see shoelaces on boots etc. And I enjoy that.
Captain America #1 courtesy Marvel
Arnim Zola is the first major villain of this new volume that sends Steve into Dimension Z – which means new characters to design.
“There are a couple of characters that are unnamed. Well, there’s one that’s named. If you watch the Phrox, these outer worldly creatures, I designed them visually. They’re interesting. The minions of Armin Zola are interesting also. And Rick wanted to use a reference from Jack Kirby’s version of the characters, and that’s good and bad. Great because I love Kirby’s stuff, but bad because I didn’t just want to completely base it on Kirby’s stuff, so I went a little bit in a different direction.
Arnim Zola’s minions are not the aberrations that they were from Jack Kirby’s days. I went a little bit more demonic, so to speak. And then the other outer worldly characters have to be different. Everything looks different and we have species, but yet each species has eyes, nose, ears. They walk, they crawl, and they have legs. So I tried to do that with these two sets of species.
You have Arnim Zola’s strange characters and you have these Phrox and I tried to give them at least one tiny bit of commonality, so there’s a little bit of an armor look, and a little bit of a lizard-demonic look to them that might be a little bit of commonality. At least in my mind, they’re from completely different planets, and yet they’re on the same planet. That’s probably too much thinking, but I can’t help myself. I’m always trying, and I don’t always succeed, but I’m always trying to do something different than I have done in the past. And if it doesn’t work out that way, it’s not from lack of trying.”
Captain America #1 courtesy Marvel
Captain America #1 is out this week. For more of his interview here’s the Marvel.com link.
The evolution of the X-Men books really mutates in February 2013. In the just released solicitations for February 2013 Marvel calls X-Men #41 the final issue with Seth Peck writing a last story of Storm’s “security unit.”
This title was born with “Curse of the X-Men” and the vampire/mutant war. My favorite run was Brian Wood and David Lopez’s “Proto Mutants” saga. Seth Peck just took over with this month’s Domino solo story guest starring Daredevil.
This is the final month of the Marvel Now! relaunch so it seems this adjectiveless X-Men book will not relaunch.
Uncanny X-Men (deja vu?) relaunches this month with 2 issues helmed by Brian Michael Bendis and Chris Bachalo. Cyclops, Emma Frost, Magneto and Magik are rescuing and recruiting new mutants to their cause. Are they heroes or terrorists? There is a mole on the team! Who is betraying this team and why?
Daredevil End of Days #2The final story of The Man Without Fear? Last issue delivered two shocking deaths. Four powerhouse creators crafted some of the most brutal images ever in a book. I could almost feel the punches! What will Bendis and Mack do in this issue? What does Matt Murdock’s dying last word mean?
Iron Man #1 Deadly tech is on the black market. Tony Stark suits up in brand new armor to get it back before Extemis becomes a terrorist weapon. Kieron Gillen and Greg Land launch a brand new series propelling Iron Man into the Marvel Now.
Manhattan Projects #7 A top-secret Cold War era meeting that brought the Americans and Russians up against the mad scientists of the Manhattan Projects! Jonathan Hickman’s epic of weird science and twisted history will entertain and warp your brain!
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Hive #2 Captain Picard faces a new enemy so fearsome he may consider an alliance with – the Borg? Star Trek Television/Movie Producer Brannon Braga co-creates this brand new adventure.
X-Factor #246 A behind the scenes, day in the life at X-Factor Investigations! Peter David puts Pip the Troll in the spotlight. This could compete with the Doop-centric issue of Wolverine and the X-Men as the most hilarious and unique issue of the year!
“That moment” on the final page of Uncanny Avengers #1 (Don’t worry I’m not going to spoil it for you.)
It was like the final scenes in Rosemary’s Baby, Carrie and Halloween.
That act. It was a desecration, an insult to X-Men fans and Xavier’s dream.
It may become one of the most shocking moments in comic book history.
It’s necessary. I hated it. But I love (or hate myself for loving) the stories, alliances and moments that will follow it. It may have made me an even bigger X-Men fan because I want payback.
With Uncanny Avengers #1 the dangerous minds of Marvel Now have proven that nothing is sacred and anything can happen. It’s not a reboot. It’s gripping the past in hand and violently surging into new territory.
The Red Skull is no longer just a super villain.
In that final page Rick Remender, John Cassaday and Laura Martin created a force of pure evil, hate and malevolence.
And I want him dead. Claws, shield, hammer, cosmic blasts – whatever it takes!
Welcome to the Marvel Now. You may have hate what happens here. But wouldn’t you rather read a book that makes you feel?
By Editor
I’m working on a review of the entire issue – I just had to get that out of me.
