Marvel will launch a new NOVA into the Marvel Now with a superstar team but it will a brand new kid under the helmet. At New York Comic Con the publisher revealed Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuiness will helm a brand new Nova series. Sam Alexander is the new Human Rocket. Fans will now see the beginnings of the kid who debuted in Avengers vs. X-Men.
Nova #1 courtesy Marvel
“We’ll be seeing the origin of Nova and how he is learning what it’s like to be a super hero,” Loeb shares. “He’s first got to learn about the responsibility of being hero. The responsibility that comes with the helmet.”
Nova #1 courtesy Marvel
Nova is one of Marvel’s space-faring heroes but this series will be down to Earth for now.
“We want to see Nova in an environment that we can relate to—our own planet—but there’s something cosmic about being out there,” the writer explains. “It’ll be where the adventure takes him.”
Nova #1 courtesy Marvel
New to Nova? Richard Ryder became a member of the Nova Corps – an intergalactic police force that originated on the planet Xandar. No word on what will happen to Richard Ryder, the Dick Clark of Marvel. Ryder was created in 1966 but remained a teenager for several decades including his stint in the New Warriors in 1990’s. Ryder is trapped in an alternate universe.
Nova is a concept like The Defenders. Every few years Marvel tries to revive it. I don’t get it but Marvel is doubling down on its cosmic characters. With a Guardians of the Galaxy movie in development and a new series by Brian Michael Bendis – hopes are high for this new version of Nova who may join the Guardians on the big screen.
Nathan Summers is back running the team he founded back in the 1990’s. New Mutants evolved into X-Force. In recent years the X-Force concept evolved and the team was run by Wolverine as a covert ops unit doing the dirty work the X-Men couldn’t. In 2013 Cable and X-Force launches in the Marvel Now. Writer Dennis Hopeless recruits Colossus, Domino, Dr. Nemesis and Forge for this new team of mutants that have been branded as terrorists. Hopeless tells Comics Newsarama about his plans for the team and the roster.
I was really interested in the inclusion of Colossus who has literally been to several versions of hell and back thanks to Magik, his bonding with Cyttorak and possession by the Phoenix Force. Apparently things will get even worse for Peter.
“Colossus is coming out of a pretty dark period when our book kicks off. Peter has a lot of regrets. He’s an introspective guy and his recent past will definitely weigh on him. All of that will affect his decision-making for sure.
Unfortunately, we won’t be giving the guy much of a break in which to reflect. He’ll be busy running for his life.”
This new book marks a reunion between Nathan and Domino. Hopeless says don’t expect the former lovers to have the same dynamic.
“Domino has developed into a different kind of character lately. She’s matured some I think and like you said, she now at least tries to be a hero first.
Both Domino and Cable have grown into different people than when they were together. Cable may not look it, but he’s a lifetime beyond the man Domino knew. He raised a daughter, got married and grew old with his wife. Fans shouldn’t expect these two to pick right back up where they left off and fall into bed together. That wouldn’t make any sense.
But they are going to have to work together. They’ll have to figure out what all that history means in the here and now. It’s a complex relationship that’s very fun to write.”
I was thrilled to see that Dr. Nemesis will be part of the team. The genius egomaniac has a new look Hopeless said was redesigned by Salvador Larroca.
Hopeless says he will address Forge and his most recent appearance in which he was the bad guy in the Ghost Boxes storyline.
Sam Humphries and Ron Garney will launch a brand new Uncanny X-Force title. Hopeless says “there will definitely be some interaction between the two X-Force books. Just not right off the bat. These are very different books.”
Opinion: I’m in on this book because of Colossus, Domino, Dr. Nemesis and Salvador Larroca’s art. Making me like Cable? That’s the challenge for Hopeless but I’ll give it a try.
Dan Slott, Ryan Stegman, Humberto Ramos and Giuseppe Camuncoli are creators named in a tease for Superior coming in January 2013. Is this a brand new Spidey comic?
Amazing Spider-Man will end with issue #700. All the creators named have worked on Spidey’s flagship title recently and the colors are in Spidey’s traditional red and blue.
Update: So this is when geek worlds collide. Star Trek popped into my head: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan when Khan’s second in command said “yours is the superior intellect.” I thought of clones, then the Spidey clone saga and thought what if Superior was about another Spidey clone since the Jackal recently came back and Scarlet Spider is a hit?
Comic book pros Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie will be dealing with Amateurs in the Marvel Now. Marvel is teasing this new team’s book is coming out in January 2013 but what will it be?
Gillen is leaving Journey Into Mystery which starred Kid Loki but Lady Sif will take over the lead character when writer Kathryn Immonen takes over the book. There’s no word on a book starring the Young Avengers yet either.
courtesy Marvel
Gillen and McKelvie were the creative team on this Point One teaser showing Kid Loki getting smacked by Miss America Chavez from Joe Casey’s Vengeance series. This anthology comes out later this month.
Kang the Conqueror (as Iron Lad) played a critical role in the creation of the Young Avengers. It would be an interesting parallel to have Kid Loki be a factor in the rebirth of the team. I loved Gillen’s work on Generation Hope and would definitely enjoy his take on the younger generation of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
The Wolverine solo book is ending this December but don’t bet on a Logan solo title being left out of the Marvel NOW reboot. Who will take over Wolverine? The teaser for Savage by Frank Cho supports the fan theory that Cho will steer Logan’s solo adventures in 2013.
Remember back when Wolverine starred in the Marvel Comics Presents book which gave us the classic Weapon X by Barry Windsor-Smith. Back in the day there was excellent one shots like The Jungle Adventure by Mike Mignola and Blood Lust by Alan Davis.
Logan is already starring in multiple X-Men and Avengers books in the Marvel Now so why not a Wolverine book with arcs in the past, present and future with rotating all-star creative teams?
Origin #6 courtesy Marvel
These ideas pop into my mind:
Paul Jenkins (Origin) with a tale of James Howlett in Alberta.
Mike Carey (X-Men Legacy) takes Logan to hell with Doctor Strange.
Jeff Parker (Hulk, Dark Avengers) with Logan as a mercenary in Wakanda
Paul Cornell (Excalibur) with a Logan on assignment with MI-13 and Spitfire in WWII.
John Byrne (Alpha Flight, Wolverine) crafting a long-lost Patch story in Madripoor.
Mike Mignola (Hellboy) returning to The Jungle Adventure one-shot of Logan versus Apocalypse in the Savage Land and the child he left behind.
Chris Claremont and Frank Miller returning the era of the Wolverine in Japan adventure in time for Hugh Jackman’s next film The Wolverine, based on that story.
I’m sure we’ll soon see plans for a new ongoing Wolverine solo book but a geek can dream of a more anthology book with the best of the best writing stories of Logan being the best there is!
Marvel is going pink! Some of the publisher’s most iconic superheroes drawn by an all-star roster of artists are joining the fight for the cure this month. Eight of Marvel’s biggest titles will go pink with variant covers in support of the Susan G. Komen For the Cure Campaign during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. These books will be sold exclusively in comic shops and include a one-page advertorial educating readers about breast cancer.
Captain Marvel #5 courtesy Marvel
“Marvel is proud to partner with Susan G. Komen For the Cure to support their unparalleled efforts to raise awareness about the risk of breast cancer to both women and men,” said Dan Buckley, Publisher & President of the Print, Animation & Digital Divisions, Marvel Worldwide, Inc. “We’re in a unique position to educate all our fans worldwide and increase awareness of the ways to fight—and reduce– this risk of this disease by utilizing our comics and online presence.”
Here are the titles to watch for this month:
AVENGERS #31 KOMEN VARIANT by Pasqual Ferry & Chris Sotomayor [on sale 10/10]
CAPTAIN AMERICA #18 KOMEN VARIANT by Dale Keown & Frank D’Armata [on sale 10/10]
CAPTAIN MARVEL #5 KOMEN VARIANT by Joe Quiñones [on sale 10/107]
FANTASTIC FOUR #611 KOMEN VARIANT by John Tyler Christopher [on sale 10/10]
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #526 KOMEN VARIANT by Paul Renaud [on sale 10/10]
THE MIGHTY THOR #21 KOMEN VARIANT by Mike Perkins & Sonia Oback [on sale 10/17]
UNCANNY X-MEN #20 KOMEN VARIANT by David Marquez & Chris Sotomayor [on sale 10/17]
WOLVERINE #315 KOMEN VARIANT by Ben Ang & Edgar Delgado [on sale 10/24]
Uncanny X-Men #20 courtesy Marvel
Wolverine’s daughter, X-23, is featured on the Wolverine variant. It’s inspiring to see Carol Danvers helping the cause. The recently promoted Captain Marvel is the only female character headling her own title written by a fan favorite writer Kelly Sue DeConnick.
Marvel is also publishing a special one page advertorial running throughout its comics in October to raise awareness of breast cancer in men. The publisher reveals all the variant covers which you can see here on Marvel.com.
A story that’s been years in the making arrives this week! Daredevil: End of Days by writers Brian Michael Bendis and David Mack with Klaus Janson and Bill Sienkiewicz on art. This is the final fate of The Man Without Fear as told by reporter Ben Urich’s last story.
Daredevil End of Days courtesy Marvel.com
“This takes place in the not-too-distant future and we get to see what the Marvel Universe may look like. In the vein of Daredevil, it’s a more realistic future. In the very first issue, some very large things happen, including Daredevil’s very public murder, which sends Ben Urich on his final assignment, once again telling the story of Matt Murdock,” said Bendis
“This is the Daredevil all-star team, but in order to get everybody together, we needed to dance between the raindrops. We think it’s worth the wait. It’s beautiful,” Bendis explained.
“We wanted to get a lot of people associated with Daredevil through the years together on one book and use it as the culmination of our passion for this character. We see almost every character who has been associated with Daredevil through the years as well,” Klaus Janson added.
Daredevil End of Days #1 courtesy Marvel.com
Although set in the near future the creators reflect on the retro cinematic feel of the project.
“The idea of doing a ‘Mean Streets’ version of Daredevil, with all the characters we love and loath, ups the excitement factor for me as a fan,” said Bill Sienkiewwicz
“This is like 70’s film. Even though it exists in the near future, it has an old style New York City grit to it,” David Mack added.
Mark Waid’s current tone is more heroic and upbeat so this project may be a shocker to new readers.
“Our book will be dark and violent and shocking to people who followed our runs on Daredevil. To people reading Daredevil now, it will be doubly so. This is not Mark Waid, who is doing a phenomenal job. I was trying to shock readers of our stuff!” explained Bendis of the tone.
Daredevil End of Days courtesy Marvel.com
Bendis and Mack delve into Matt Murdock’s past and supporting cast.
“Just about every major girlfriend and every rogue of Daredevil plays some role in the story,” says Mack.
“You’ll see how all of Matt’s interactions with women affected them 10 years down the line,” adds Bendis.
Daredevil End of Days courtesy Marvel.com
“One of the more intriguing characteristics of this project is the little glimpses of the Marvel Universe in the future. They’re not in your face, but they’re around the corner. I find that as important a part of the story as the main plot. My curiosity is always piqued,” says Janson.
“You get the story from Ben Urich’s point of view, so you get the story from his point of view as far as what characters he encounters. One of my favorite pieces Klaus and Bill have done thus far is of Nick Fury,” adds Bendis.
“Daredevil has been a comic that has always enable a lot of experimentation by very different artists. There’s something really interesting about the character that allows for a lot of interpretation. With this project we’re trying to let all the different styles shine in service of the story,” says Mack
Daredevil End of Days courtesy Marvel.com
“In life, Daredevil had questions he could never answer, itches he could never scratch. Some characters get to a point where they’re ok, but Daredevil is not like that. He’ll never get over what happened to his parents, he’ll never save enough people. His battles with forces of nature like Kingpin, Bullseye and Elektra force him to become a force of nature. To give it 10 years and see the fallout of that is very interesting to write about. Also, we’re not getting it from Daredevil’s perspective, we’re getting it from perspective of somebody who may be willing to dig deeper than Matt even would have,” says Bendis
For more quotes from the creative team here’s the Marvel.com link. Daredevil End of Days #1 of 8 arrives this week.
The Cast of X-Men: First Class courtesy Marvel.com
Hoping you will see an Avengers team up with the X-Men or Fantastic Four on the big screen – think again. Looks like Twentieth Century Fox is looking to hold on to the film rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchise and they’ve hired a comic book powerhouse to guide those franchises forward.
Writer Mark Millar has been hired as a creative consultant on the studio’s upcoming projects: Director James Mangold is now shooting The Wolverine with Hugh Jackman in a story based on the classic Chris Claremont/Frank Miller story of Logan in Japan. Matthew Vaughn is directing the X:Men First Class sequel X-Men: Days of Future Past. Josh Trank (Chronicle) is attached to direct a reboot of Fantastic Four.
Mark Millar co-created Marvel’s Ultimate Universe. Millar’s The Ultimates were a modern take on the Avengers and he created that line’s version of Nick Fury based on Samuel L. Jackson. You could say Marvel’s The Avengers were more like Millar’s Ultimates than old school Avengers. Millar also created Ultimate X-Men and Ultimate Fantastic Four.
The Ultimates #1 courtesy Marvel
In main Marvel Universe Millar wrote the epic Civil War and Old Man Logan, Enemy of the State arcs of Wolverine.
Millar went on to create Millarworld titles Kick-Ass and Wanted – both went to become box office hits.
“As someone who has spent his entire life obsessed with both comic books and movies, this is essentially my dream gig as it’s a unique combination of both,” said Millar. “I spent ten years working at Marvel and am really happy with the work I did on the comic side of things so the idea of working with these characters now in a brand new medium is enormously exciting for me. I really like the Fox team, love this bold new direction they have for their franchises and am proud to be working alongside some of modern cinema’s biggest talents. James Mangold is incredible, Matthew Vaughn’s one of my closest pals and Josh Trank gave us, in my opinion, one of the greatest superhero movies of the last decade with ‘Chronicle.’ The invitation to join this crew was maybe the coolest phone call I’ve ever had.”
Op/Ed: Before directing X-Men: First Class, Matthew Vaughn directed the big screen version of Kick-Ass so if Millar has that kind of creative relationship with Vaughn then I’m excited to see how they will develop the X-franchise. I think Millar will guide the Fantastic Four reboot into darker territory instead of the most comedic tone of the previous films.
