Best Continuing Series: Wolverine and the X-Men Humor, action, heart and the unexpected. Jason Aaron pack big moments, hilarious exchanges and moments that went for the heart and the gut!
Best Artist: David Lopez (X-Men) This was a tough call with the always mighty Jim Cheung (AvX covers) in the lead. Nick Bradshaw made an outstanding debut. This cover and Lopez’s portrayal of Storm just stayed with me.
Best Writer: Jason Aaron (Wolverine and the X-Men, Thor: God of Thunder) Everything I’ve said about Wolverine and the X-Men plus a serial killer of Gods in Thor – nuff said!
Best Mini-Series: Avengers vs. X-Men
Best Single Issue: Wolverine and the X-Men #18I picked this issue because of how it made me feel with the most shocking ending of the year. The last panel just hurt in my gut and heart! Jason Aaron made me love a strange little student at Logan’s school and then blasted him.
Wolverine and the X-Men #17 courtesy Marvel
Funniest Issue of the Year: Wolverine and the X-Men #17 (the All Doop epic with Mike and Laura Allred art!)
Comeback of the Year: Scott, Jean, Bobby, Hank and Warren in All-New X-Men
Best New Talent: Seth Peck & Paul Azaceta (X-Men #38 & #39 aka Domino & Daredevil)
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.
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!
A serial killer… of Immortals? In the past, present and future Thor uncovered a bloody mystery. Now the God of Thunder is tracking down the legendary God Butcher.
With hammer in one hand and axe in the other, the Odinson looks ready and eager for battle on the cover of Thor: God of Thunder #2 by Esad Ribic. Marvel revealed the cover and more information about Thor’s new enemy created by Jason Aaron.
Kathryn Immonen takes over Journey Into Mystery with issue 646 and talked with Marvel about her take on the new lead character for the series.
“We talked at length as far as what her story could be, and it came down to a single question: What does she want? For Sif, what she wants above all is to be a better warrior. How far would she go for that? She makes some terrible decisions and puts a lot of people in peril,” explains Immonen of the lead change.
“One of the really interesting things about Sif to me is that she’s defined by absence, with her lover, Thor, and brother, Heimdall, always away from her.
‘What’s most interesting to me about the Asgardians is the inevitability of them. So much of their conflict is internalized because they don’t have alter egos. They’re also almost more human because of that.”
Immonen sets out the journey she’s planned for Sif and the change in tone of the title.
“Sif is not just a warrior. We’ve often seen her leading the charge, but I don’t feel like we’ve ever seen her in charge. Bear with me, but she’s kind of like my dog. He’s very committed to his pack, but never looks back because he assumes everybody else is as committed as he is. Sif is the same way.
I see a similarity between Sif and Loki because neither of them can ever be Thor. I think that has more effect on her then she’ll admit. She’s been told she’s capable of anything, but at the end of the day, she will never be Thor. It’s a matter of finding out how to be enough anyway.”
Sif is an action hero. Loki is not. They’re fundamentally different. I don’t use the talking to get to the fighting, I use the fighting to get to the talking.” says Immonen.
Journey Into Mystery #646 out this week with Valerio Schiti as the new artist.
Jaime Alexander played Sif in Thor on the big screen. With this kind of higher comic book exposure could we see a bigger role for Sif in Thor: The Dark World.
A serial killer of mythic power is stalking the Gods in Thor: God of Thunder #1. Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic relaunch the Odinson with an entertaining and gripping hybrid of detective story and dark legend.
In the distant past a young Viking Thor is celebrating victory with his Norsemen when chunks of a dead body wash ashore. The victim is a God of the East and this past prologue ends with an elder in deep prayer. Is she praying to or for her Gods?
The creative team takes us the present on an alien world where Thor answers a girl’s prayer and soon discovers a temple turned slaughterhouse. This sequence has moments reminiscent of Alien when the Nostromo crew discovers the Space God. Thor begins to piece together the crimes of past and present and gives a chilling prediction: more Gods will die.
The final chapter is in the far future in which an old King Thor is deformed and alone in a last stand against an onslaught of invaders attacking a broken Asgard.
Jason Aaron masterfully captures three different Thors appropriate for each era and wraps each time period’s storyline into a lightning quick and compelling debut.
THOR: God of Thunder #1 is the next new Marvel Now series starring the powerhouse Avenger. Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic bring the hammer down with a brand new series set in the past, present and future. Here’s a look at Ribic’s pages from inside the first issue courtesy Marvel.com Aaron will unleash the God Butcher on the Nine Realms. Can the Odison can stop the serial killer of Immortals?
Thor: God of Thunder #1 courtesy Marvel
Thor: God of Thunder #1 is out tomorrow. In the Marvel Now Thor will also appear in Uncanny Avengers and Avengers.
A serial killer…of GODS? The writer who gave fans vicious stories in Scalped, Wolverine and Ghost Rider is letting loose a cosmic level killer in this week’s THOR: God of Thunder #1.
Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic have been deemed worthy to wield the power of THOR! The Thunder God will track a trail of blood in the past, present and future after a new villain called The GOD BUTCHER.
What else can you expect in this new series starring the Avenger’s heaviest hitter? The creative team shared their plans with Comics Newsarama.
Aaron is describing his story as a simultaneous “Year One,” present-day adventure and Dark Knight Returns-esque tale — re-teaming with his Dark Reign: The List — Wolverine collaborator Ribic and his love for Mangog. Aaron created a new villain ominously called the God Butcher.
Aaron is taking over after Matt Fraction’s long run on The Mighty Thor and cites a Fraction story as part of his inspiration.
“I remember when [Matt] Fraction did his first Thor stories a few years back in the Ages of Thunder standalones. I remember reading those and thinking for the first time as a writer, “Oh, Thor’s really cool. I could see me writing Thor.” But I never really thought much more about it, other than enjoying the book as it was coming out. But suddenly, once Thor was on the table, that’s the one I instantly gravitated towards. Before I even had a story, I just kind of made my play and tried to plant my flag. “Stay away! I want Thor!”
Aaron’s story will be set in 3 eras similar to Ages of Thunder.
“In part. I do flash back and show a young Thor in action, but he’s actually just one of three Thors that I want to focus on. This first story is an epic tale that plays out over the course of thousands of years. So we spend time with young Thor in the Viking age — the young, hotheaded god of the Vikings, who loves to come down to Midgard and get into trouble.
In the present, we see Thor the Avenger on a journey that takes him to the far corners of space, interacting with all sorts of new space gods and wondrous new locations.
And then we also see old King Thor, who’s the last king of Asgard, thousands of years in the future, where something has gone horribly, horribly wrong.
Linking all these eras and Thors together is one villain, an all-new character, who is basically, at least initially, a serial killer of gods. He’s a guy with a serious axe to grind against all immortal beings in the cosmos, and he’s going around doing his best to kill them all off, one at a time, as brutally as possible. That villain’s story unfolds over the course of all these different eras. He starts as a serial killer of gods, but by the end, he has become something even more frightening.”
Aaron calls Gorr, the God Butcher a “serial killer” of Immortals but he has a classic villain on the horizon.
“This first villain is all-new, but man, I can’t wait to do a Mangog story. I’ve had a Mangog statue sitting on my desk for months now, and he begs me every day to write him in somewhere. Soon, Mangog, soon.”
