Today may be the Super Bowl but for comic book fans the big game starts in March with Avengers Versus X-Men! No half time act but I bet Dazzler is available if she’s not fighting Mockingbird!
AvX #1 cover by Jim Cheung courtesy Marvel.com
My picks to win:
Overall Team: X-Men!
Cyclops V. Captain America
Iron Man V. Magneto
Thor V. Storm
Beast V. Luke Cage
Ms. Marvel V. Rogue
Spider-Woman V. Gambit
Namor V. Thing
Hulk V. Emma Frost
Black Widow V. Psylocke
Iceman V. Spider Man
Colossus (in Juggernaut mode)V. Rulk
Matchups not teased yet but I hope we’ll see in AVX.
Colossus (in Juggernaut mode) V. Thing
Thor V. Colossal Juggernaut
Warpath V. Hawkeye
Emma Frost V. Ms. Marvel
Winter Soldier V. Warparth
Wolverine V. Captain America – Logan will be on Team Cyke but I suspect he will be forced to switch sides.
Wolverine and the X-Men #5 preview art courtesy Marvel and Comic Book Resources Exclusive
It’s a double dose of Kitty Pryde’s maternal mystery this week. First Marvel gave us a preview of what looks like Kitty on the phone with Colossus.
Today Marvel gave Comic Book Resources more preview images by Nick Bradshaw of Wolverine and the X-Men #5. We don’t see Kitty in these images but Logan and Bobby refer to the fact that she’s been missing for days.
We see Beast is taking the students of the Jean Grey School inside a virtual reality tour of the mutant body for a biology lesson. This could be a follow-up to the “Things to Come” image in the back of the debut issue showing Dr. McCoy and company inside Kitty’s bloodstream.
Is Colossus the father and will this bring the romantically challenged couple together? They’ve survived death by legacy virus and eternity is a speeding bullet – but this is an X-pregancy. Stay tuned for the labor pains when #5 arrives February 8th.
Wolverine and the X-Men preview art courtesy Marvel.com/Comic Book Resources
Kitty Pryde is pregnant.
I assume and hope Colossus is the daddy but in the X-Men world never assume.
When the cover Wolverine and the X-Men #6revealed a pregnant Kitty surrounded by nasty Brood it sent chills through me and sent X-fans into a frenzy. In last month’s issue #4 Kitty started experiencing sudden symptoms and was soon ballooned out and ready to pop.
Today Marvel gave Comic Book Resources this exclusive preview art from Wolverine and the X-Men #5.
Wolverine #305 cover by Jim Cheung courtesy Marvel.com
Cullen Bunn is taking over Wolverine’s solo book after Jason Aaron’s 3 year run. I’m a huge fan of his work starring Valkyrie in Fear Itself: The Fearless. The latest issue of that series featured a bloody brawl between Logan and Crossbones.
“Of all the Marvel characters I’ve worked with, Wolverine’s definitely the most ‘down and dirty,’” Bunn said today on Marvel.com. “His physical confrontations are up close, personal, and bloody. He’s more visceral. I think Wolverine’s a character most of us want to be like. His ‘code’ is pretty appealing. He stands up for what he believes in. He owns up to his mistakes and he tries to make amends. His friends can count on him when the chips are down.
Fear Itself: The Fearless #7 courtesy Marvel.com
“He doesn’t start trouble unless there’s no other choice. He doesn’t flinch—and he doesn’t take crap from anyone.”
In his first arc Bunn said he’s bringing a nasty villain from Jason Aaron’s run back to plague Logan.
Cullen Bunn and Paul Pelletier take over with Wolverine #305 For the complete interview here’s the Marvel.com link.
Writer Marjorie Liu and Artist Mike Perkins are the new creative team on Astonishing X-Men starting in March. Northstar and Karma are in their lineup. I’ve posted before about why Northstar should rejoin the X-Men now that Alpha Flight is ending. Jean-Paul Baubier and boyfriend Kyle’s relationship was tested in Alpha Flight and the tension isn’t over as the couple move to Westchester. I’m hoping Jean-Paul will be a teacher at the Jean Grey School. You can read about Liu and Perkins take on Northstar in this post.
Karma preview art by Mike Perkins courtesy Marvel and Comics Newsarama
Karma was a founding member of the New Mutants. She has the mutant power to possess the minds of other people or animals. Xi’an (pronounced Shan) Coy Mahn was born in Vietnam. During the Mekanix series Karma and Kitty Pryde reunited at the University of Chicago. This is when Xian came out as a lesbian, confessed her for Kitty but Kitty’s heart belongs to Colossus. (OK I know they broke up but they’re soul mates.)
Karma eventually returned to the Xavier Institute as their librarian and became a mentor to Anole, a young gay mutant boy. When the X-Men were based in San Francisco Xi’an’s leg was injured in battle, had to be amputated and replaced with a prosthetic. It will be exciting to see Karma on the Astonishing team and perhaps have a love interest.
Anole (Victor Borkowski) is a young mutant with an appearance like the reptile he’s named after. Vic’s powers include wall crawling and adaptive camouflage. Vic was a student at Xavier’s then regrouped with the X-Men in San Francisco and decided to attend Wolverine’s new Jean Grey School. Anole is among the student cast of Wolverine and the X-Men. Anole and Rockslide’s (Santo is straight with a mutant body made of rocks) friendship continues to be hilarious and inspiring. You can follow Victor on Twitter @_Anole_.
X-Men Legacy #261 isn’t just in fine hands but phenomenal hands. Christos Gage took over last month after Mike Carey long run. His second issue is filled with drama, humor and action. A love triangle is building into a quadrangle. An old enemy arrives.
I’ve never been a fan of the villain Exodus. He’s a pink skinned, immortal mutant who can do anything but I think it’s very clever how Gage uses him here. Exodus wants to reunite the X-Men. Through the conflict the X-Men show why Schism happened and why they made the right choice to follow Logan.
X-Men Legacy #261 preview art courtesy Marvel.com
Gage has picked up the baton from Carey when it comes to portraying Rogue as the confident teacher/leader she’s become. From her girl talk with Rachel about long distance relationships to tapping into powers for a takedown of Exodus, this is the decisive, exciting Rogue I’ve come to love.
I really love David Baldeon’s art. His work is energetic and expessive. The fight scenes are dynamic and a great fit with Nick Bradshaw’s work on Wolverine and the X-Men. I’m reminded of Gary Frank and Dale Keown’s work on The Incredible Hulk.
I’m definitely excited to see where this new team take Rogue, Gambit, Frenzy and company. The Exodus plot is not over and looks like this team is heading back to Utopia.
Daken: Dark Wolverine #20 arrived today. This issue sets up Daken’s endgame leading up to the final issue. I’ve enjoyed Wolverine’s psychotic son’s mad path across the Marvel Universe. Daken took over his father’s title and even became “Wolverine” on Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers.
I wanted to share part of Rob Williams interview with Comic Book Resources about his plans for Wolverine’s evil son and how his game plan changed upon learning Marvel was cancelling the series.
“I’ll be completely honest. It’s disappointing. It’s ending before we would have liked it to end. The good thing is Marvel let me know the news in October. Also, they gave me plenty of time to prepare a final arc to tie this up. So it’s not being twisted in too brutal or uncomfortable of a way.”
Daken: Dark Wolverine #20 interior art courtesy Marvel.com
“So we have these final four issues, which gives us a good bit of room to tell an emotional and organic story. It’s not what I would have done originally, but when you are cancelled it does give you the freedom to really tell the story you want to tell and not concern yourself with the reaction of anybody.”
“This final arc certainly has a strong meta theme to it, which is the cancellation. I don’t want to give too much away, but that will have a physical implication to Daken. He’s got a finite amount of time left just like the book. It’s the same with me writing it. I had long term plans for this book. Then suddenly you have to bring those long terms plans to a head right now. So that’s exactly what Daken does. He’s got to get to the heart of things in a hurry because he only has a few issues left. That’s very cryptic isn’t it?”
Daken: Dark Wolverine ends with issue #23. For more of Rob’s interview here’s the Comic Book Resources link. X-23 is ending too. But Logan’s cloned daughter joined Avengers Academy.
Wolverine #305 cover by Jim Cheung courtesy Marvel.com
Jim Cheung is one of my favorite artists! I have a stunning sketch of Mystique he drew for me, an autographed The Heroic Age poster, an autographed Young Avengers promo poster and countless autographed issues.
I think I’ll have a new book for Cheung to sign if I’m lucky enough to meet him again.
Cheung is wrapping up the epic Avengers: The Children’s Crusade and is jumping to provide a cover for Wolverine. In Marvel’s April solicitations you can find his cover to Wolverine #305. Cullen Bunn and Paul Pelletier take over the creative team of Logan’s solo book.
