The events of Uncanny Avengers #8 are as explosive as the nuclear cover starring Sunfire! Let’s not call this review as here’s why you should pick up this issue and keep reading Rick Remender’s latest arc:
Sunfire! The forgotten X-Man and former Horseman of Apocalypse is back! Sunfire steals the show from Thor in an incredible rescue mission. Shiro and the Odinson later come face to face with…
The Apocalypse Twins! How badass are these new super villains?
SPOILER (if you missed last month’s issue stop reading!)
Infinity begins this Summer! Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers and New Avengers have been building to the epic return of Thanos. Marvel’s top writers and editors shared news, art and teases of what’s coming in the Marvel Now to Infinity panel at C2E2 in Chicago. Here are some of the highlights:
Uncanny Avengers #10 in July by Rick Remender and Daniel Acuna. Remender confirmed the “return” of Sentry, Daken, Grim Reaper and Banshee, who will be the Horsemen of Death.
“The Apocalypse Twins take the corpses of these dead heroes and infuse them with Death Seeds, resurrecting them and turn them into Deaths–servants of Apocalypse,” said Remender, “This is going to mean nothing good for the super heroes but we want nothing good to happen to them.”
The panel turned to Secret Avengers featuring a team including SHIELD Agent Phil Coulson by Nick Spencer.
“We’re taking the concept of this off the grid team of Avengers in a kind of grey area,” says Editor Lauren Sankovich, “We’re putting them through the action ringer and the emotional ringer.”
“This book was a dream come true for me,” says Spencer, “There’s a lot of shady stuff going on in this new world and our heroes are struggling with how to deal with it. The fallout’s going to be pretty catastrophic for the entire team… so lots of drama coming soon.”
Spencer was recruited by Jonathan Hickman to co-write Avengers in the march to Infinity.
Kieron Gillen announced Young Avengers #6 is a one-off issue with artist Kate Brown, a UK artist that will focus on Prodigy saying “Prodigy is basically working in the equivalent of a dead end job and he’s wasting his talent,” and later the team will go on a cosmic backpacking trip.
Avengers Arena #14 courtesy Marvel
The cover of Avengers Arena #14 showing X-23 in an homage to a classic Frank Miller Wolverine cover. The first season concludes in a story beginning in #14. The story is called “Boss Level.” It’s all about who lives, who dies and who wins.
Jason Aaron and Simone Bianchi are exploring the origin of the villain of Infinity in Thanos Rising.
Issue #4 hits in July and “It’s as sick and twisted and dark as you’d hope in the depths of your heart that it would be,” said Editor Ellie Pyle.
Thanos rises again in Hickman’s big event Infinity.
The Infinity Free Comic Book Day (out next Saturday) issue features a new 10 page story by Jonathan Hickman and Jim Cheung.
Infinity will be 6 issues total from August to November. There will be Prelude to Infinity stories in Avengers in August. #14 and #15 by Jonathan Hickman, Nick Spencer and Stefano Caselli. Continue reading From Marvel Now to Infinity
Sunfire the Avenger? Professor X invited the Japanese mutant to join his cause back when Storm, Nightcrawler, Wolverine and Colossus became the all-new, all-different X-Men. Sunfire said no and Shiro Yoshida’s heroic career has gone to hell. Sunfire even became a Horseman of Apocalypse.
Sunfire, Wonder Man and Wasp will join Rick Remender’s Uncanny Avengers this week. The writer talked about why this fallen hero made the team and his search for redemption with Marvel.com.
“First off, it’s the “what if?”of it all. Here’s the one guy who refused Xavier’s invitation to be part of the “All-New” X-Men. He was the guy who was like, “oh this is the coolest era Continue reading Sunfire the Avenger!
Next week is huge for old school Avengers fans! Wonder Man and Wasp join Uncanny Avengers. Sunfire (sporting his old school X-Men uniform) also joins the super team made of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Continue reading Uncanny Avengers by Olivier Coipel!
Rick Remender launched Uncanny Avengers and said goodbye to Uncanny X-Force and Secret Avengers. Uncanny Avengers was the first book in the Marvel Now relaunch featuring a team of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Children of the Atom. How will the events of his previous series affect those characters who are now part of the Uncanny Avengers?
“For my part, Uncanny Avengers is almost the inverse of Uncanny X-Force, but it’s a continuation in a lot of ways. You’ll be fine as a new reader to read Uncanny Avengers, because I’ll make sure and set everything up, but I’ll be frank — if you’ve read X-Force, Uncanny Avengers is going to be a much richer read for you, because when you see characters popping up from “The Dark Angel Saga” — while I’ll explain them to new readers — I can’t give the same level of depth and context as if you had read the book. One of those things is obviously dealing with Wolverine’s part in the “Dark Angel Saga,” and what happened with Warren and Evan, but also dealing with the ramifications emotionally of Wolverine’s state of mind after what happened with Daken. That’s not something I plan on leaving in the past. To me, that’s the new defining moment for what’s going to haunt Wolverine, and haunt his decisions. That’s definitely something that I’ll continue to be building on,” Remember told Comics Newsarama.
Uncanny Avengers #5 courtesy Marvel
Havok, Thor, Captain America, Scarlet Witch and Rogue will be joined by Sunfire, Wasp and Wonder Man in issue 5. The writer reveals why these old-school favorites made the cut.
“I knew I wanted Sunfire. With Deadpool, I had the opportunity to write insanity on a team; and with Fantomex, I got to write that suave, sort of aloof, sarcastic dick. But with Sunfire I get to write an unmitigated, unapologetic, asshole. But a hero. A guy who’s going to put his life on the line — but a guy who’s been through hell. I really think Sunfire should have been one of the original cast members of X-Force, given all he’s been through. He’s been mind-twisted, he’s been a Horseman, he’s been a Marauder… he’s just been a mess. And it was all because he never joined the X-Men. He was always on the fringes. He was never a joiner. And he still wouldn’t be, but for the Avengers, there is a prestige to that, and that prestige to have a representative from Japan take a spot on this worldwide force for good. He’s a character who likes his honor, and his ego is definitely something that’s always in play.”
Remender has confirmed that Kang and Apocalypse will be the villains of the second arc: Ragnarok Now.
For the entire interview here’s the Comics Newsarama link. Thanks to the always insightful Albert Ching.
Sunfire the Avenger? That may inspire exclamations of “YES!” or “say what?”
Children of the Atom are moving up to join Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Captain America recruited New Mutants Cannonball and Sunspot to Avengers (by Jonathan Hickman.) Sunfire will join Uncanny Avengers in issue 5. Professor X invited the Japanese mutant to join his cause back when Storm, Nightcrawler, Wolverine and Colossus were the all-new, all-different X-Men. Sunfire said no and Shiro Yoshida’s heroic career has gone to hell. Sunfire even became a Horseman of Apocalypse.
Sunfire, Wonder Man and Wasp will join Rick Remender’s Uncanny Avengers lineup. The writer talked about why this fallen hero made the team and his search for redemption with Marvel.com.
“First off, it’s the “what if?”of it all. Here’s the one guy who refused Xavier’s invitation to be part of the “All-New” X-Men. He was the guy who was like, “oh this is the coolest era of the X-Men coming up? No thanks, I’ve got stuff to do.” And then he pops up once in a while and he’ll be involved, but he’s such an [expletive]. He’s just an [expletive]. He’s just like “shut up stupid people, dear god you Western morons,” and I’ve never really had a chanceto write just such an unabashed jerk.
Uncanny Avengers #5 courtesy Marvel
And he’s also crazy powerful. I know in the Age of Apocalypse version, his body is gone and he becomes a living being of energy, of fire. But I don’t think we need to turn him into that, necessarily. Power level wise, he can nuke a city. And you put Sunfire on the team, he’s a very powerful character, and he’s also someone that should have been one of the X-Men, but refused it, and he’s someone that’s at the lowest point of his life; really, he should have been on X-Force. He would have been a perfect addition to that squad. He’s been a Horseman, Mr. Sinister has manipulated him, he’s been a Marauder, he’s lost his legs and has had them returned, he’s lost family members; he’s gone through so many changes.
His core belief that Japan is the center of the universe was skewed and he lost who he was. He’s broken. So when we find him, he’s purposeless, shattered, manipulated and broken, which was attractive to me in taking that angle with him; he’s that tone of damaged and probably going to do some crazy things and is way more powerful than anyone else that we’ve seen in that situation. Shiro, to me, is an opportunity to make good on what could have happened in Giant-Size X-Men #1, when he declined to join the team. Now that Xavier’s dead and here’s this guy that’s lost his honor, it’s an opportunity to redeem himself as well.”
Remender says Wolverine recruits Shiro to the team. It will be exciting to see how Sunfire reacts if he encounters his former master. Apocalypse and Kang are the villains of the next Uncanny Avengers arc.
For the entire interview here’s the Marvel.com link.
The Uncanny Avengers are fighting a reborn Red Skull in their first arc. Marvel revealed the team will face two more classic villains next. Writer Rick Remender and Editor Tom Brevoort gave a preview of the Ragnarok Now – second arc in which the Uncanny Avengers take on Kang and Apocalypse.
“A lot of this story picks arc from the Dark Angel Saga from Uncanny X-Force, though it’s not a sequel. We’ve spent a lot of time incorporating Kang and also Thor into Apocalypse’s mythology. The fun of Uncanny Avengers is the A meeting the X in a big way,” explained Remender, “You don’t need to have read the Dark Angel Saga to understand this, but if you have, here’s where that picks back up. In that story, Archangel impregnated Pestilence. Whatever she gives birth to is going to be a problem for people and also involve Kang’s machinations and scheming.”
Uncanny Avengers #6 courtesy Marvel
With a story titled Ragnarok Now – expect the God of Thunder to be critical to this next arc.
“I wanted to come up with ways to connect Uncanny Avengers to other books in the Marvel Universe. Young Thor from Jason Aaron’s Thor: God of Thunder and his axe play a major role in Uncanny Avengers,”said Remender “This will connect with some of the stories Jason has been telling. The repercussions will be big.”
“Continuity still matters in Marvel NOW! Things that happened to Havok in Inferno are things I think about. But we’re not slavish to continuity either.” Remender teased.
Uncanny Avengers #6 courtesy Marvel
“Thor has a big role in Ragnarok, he’s deeply involved in the inciting incident, but that doesn’t mean every character isn’t featured as well. Everybody looks to Wolverine as the guy who has gone after the last Apocalypse and is raising one at his school. There is also plenty of stuff on the table for Havok, Rogue, Scarlet Witch and Sunfire. Every single one of our heroes has somebody involved in this story that gives them a personal context for the fight.”
Remender is leaving Uncanny X-Force. Remender teased he will write about Logan’s actions in The Final Execution.
“We explore the fallout of Wolverine killing Daken a lot in Uncanny Avengers. His behavior changes around issue #5. I’m working closely with Jason Aaron to coordinate with Wolverine & The X-Men. The death of Daken is the catalyst for character development. I don’t see him as a preemptive killer again. Do the claws still come out? I want to see him try to make it happen less. What he went through left some mark on his soul. He wants to live up to the path that Charles Xavier set for him.”
“The ghosts of X-Force are going to affect Wolverine as long as I’m writing the character.”
Former X-Man Sunfire is joining the team (along with Wasp and Wonder Man.) A fan asked about Sunfire’s role as a Horseman of Apocalypse (from the Peter Milligan era.)
“Wolverine is also a former Horseman. Sunfire would have been a perfect member of X-Force. He is damaged. Between what Apocalypse did to him, the Marauders, losing his legs…he’s been broken. It’s similar to where Archangel tried to kill Apocalypse in the first arc of Uncanny X-Force.
“Sunfire will be presented with a similar situation. Things do not work out well for everybody.”
Uncanny Avengers #6 courtesy Marvel
I love Marvel history. I even have the Rise of Apocalypse limited series from the 90’s. Remender will take us back to ancient Egypt in this next arc.
“When Apocalypse first rose, it was during the reign of Rama Tut, Kang’s scientific pharaoh persona. They have history. There is more of a relationship than we’ve seen, but they share a common era of origin,” added Tom Brevoort.
The Red Skull is more powerful than ever and a threat to the entire Marvel Universe.
“Without telling you the end of the first story, we have not seen the end of Red Skull. He will be in Ragnarok Now,” said Remender.
“I’m in love with villains. This is a chance to put a shine back on three of the greatest villains in comic books period.”
The child who would be Apocalypse (aka Evan/Genesis) is now part of the cast of Wolverine and the X-Men. Evan’s fate and potential role in the story will not be revealed yet.
“I don’t want to say anything other than that Jason and I are in close contact. We have a conclusion in mind. We might get to it here, we might get to it in a year or two, but we know the end result.”
Daniel Acuna will become the new regular artist starting with this second arc/issue #6. John Cassaday will continue to create covers for the series.
If you’re like me you’re still geeky giddy with the news that legendary Neal Adams will write and draw The First X-Men. This retro but in canon tale will feature Wolverine and Sabretooth.
In the latest Axel-In-Charge column on Comic Book Resources Marvel Editor-In-Chief Axel Alonso revealed interior pages of the series. I wanted to share this interpretation of Victor Creed by Adams. Alonso revealed the balance the retro story with modern readers.
The First X-Men #1 interior art courtesy Marvel, a Comic Book Resources exclusive
“It’s a challenge. Neal pitched us a really great concept for a Wolverine story that we realized, with a little bit of work, might actually fit as an official piece of X-Men history. A story that illuminated the connection between Wolverine’s, Professor X and Sabretooth and, indeed, the very concept of a mutant super-team. The few months Neal and [writer] Christos [Gage] and [editor] Nick [Lowe] work-shopped that story really paid off — it became so much richer and important and relevant, considering surprises that have yet to be revealed in “Avengers Vs. X-Men.” I commend Neal and [writer] Christos [Gage] and [editor] Nick [Lowe] for their ability to take this story and make it count.”
I’m definitely excited for this new series. If you want to experience Neal Adams first X-Men stories then check out Essential X-Men Volume 3. Writer Roy Thomas and Neal Adams energized the series especially with the introduction of Havok, the Living Monolith story and future X-Man from Japan, Sunfire.
