All-New X-Men #5 A blast from the past to save the future of the mutant race! Professor Xavier’s original five students have been brought into the Marvel Now. The young Jean Grey’s telepathic powers are flooding her mind – can she take the terrible truth of how her life turned out? Will the Beast survive his severe mutating mutation? The first arc comes to an end – will it be The End for an original X-Man?
Batman Incorporated #6 Man-Bats! Bat-Robots! Gotham City is ground zero for the showdown between Batman and Talia’s Leviathan. Will this issue be the end of Batman and Damian? Will Bruce let Talia win?
Fatale #11 Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’s gritty supernatural noir series exposes dark chapters of Josephine’s past in the first of four stand-alone issues. The first Fatale Flashback takes us to the 1930’s in a revealing tale of the cursed heroine on the run.
Manhattan Projects #8 Jonathan Hickman’s epic of twisted history and weird science takes another dark turn as the secret leaders that run this world turn on the scientists of the Manhattan Projects.
New Avengers #1 Jonathan Hickman assembles a brand new Illuminati! Black Panther gathers Marvel’s most brilliant minds to prevent a cosmic collision of universes.
As we say goodbye to 2012 and mark 3 months into the Marvel Now relaunch – I thought it was a good time to celebrate the new creative teams, characters and titles. Some creative gambles have paid off. Cue the music. Time for the Marvel Now pageant!
Indestructible Hulk Best Personality! Bruce Banner laughs, smiles, makes Tony Stark jealous? Mark Waid gives Bruce a new attitude and new job with SHIELD. Maria Hill gets the Hulk as a weapon.
X-Men Legacy Most WTF? I don’t know what freaky level of reality Simon Spurrier goes to when he’s writing this book. Imagine X-Man with acid hits of Jim Morrison, Paul Muad’Dib and even a little Joker. Making Legion the lead character was an ambitious move. Spurrier has taken an unlikable character and given him personality and humor. David still has the worst hairstyle in comics. As I’ve said before you’d think one of Legion’s multiple personalities could be a stylish gay man taking over long enough to give David a makeover!
Uncanny Avengers Most Potential! The book the made me scream. Rick Remender is redefining the super team concept and transforming Red Skull into an even bigger badass.
Captain America Biggest Change! How do you follow-up a beloved era of espionage? Rick Remender goes in a radically different sci-fi direction taking Steve Rogers into Dimension Z – a strange new world Jack Kirby would have enjoyed.
All New X-Men #1 courtesy Marvel
All-New X-Men Best Twist! Brian Michael Bendis evolves the Children of the Atom with a blast from the past. Professor Xavier’s five original students are thrust into their future. Seeing Jean again – is it any wonder every guy falls for her?
Thor: God of Thunder Most Badass! Thor tracks a serial killer of Gods! That could be ’nuff said but I have to say how much I love seeing Viking Thor and King Thor in Jason Aaron’s epic.
Avengers Arena Most ambitious! 16 young heroes fighting to the death? This is not just a Marvel version of Battle Royale or The Hunger Games. I was hooked with the first issue. Dennis Hopeless and Kev Walker made me care me care for these newer characters I barely knew and they’re transforming a classic X-Men villain from joke to a serious and seriously sadistic threat.
Fantastic Four/FF Most Fun I’m having a blast with Matt Fraction relaunch of Marvel’s First Family and their “replacements.” Reed is taking Sue, Johnny, Ben and the kids on new adventures through space. The sudden family vacation is just a cover for something dire. While She-Hulk, Medusa, Ant-Man and Johnny’s girlfriend have been recruited to hold the fort. Action, humor, heart,
Avengers Most Inspiring! Jonathan Hickman and Jerome Opena’s relaunch of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is awe-inspiring! A trio of new villains, a frantic fight on Mars for the fate of Earth and Captain America assembling a diverse and huge roster of heroes. Hickman is going BIG with the Avengers – big cast, big concept, big stakes.
THIS POST REVEALS THE ENDING OF AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #700 AND THE IDENTITY OF SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN!
YOU MAY NOT WANT TO CONTINUE READING!
HERE IT IS:
Amazing Spider-Man #700 marked a radical change in the dynmaic of one of the greatest comic book rivalries in history. The final (?)battle of Peter Parker and Doctor Octopus in this week’s milestone issue spins a whole new web of story potential in 2013 and beyond.
Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man will be feeling Superior in the new year. The mad genius Otto Octavius will be the new webslinger in a brand new series. Marvel will unleash Superior Spider-Man #1 in January with writer Dan Slott and artist Ryan Stegman spinning the tales of a new Spidey.
In recent issues of Amazing Spider-Man we learned Doc Ock has switched bodies with Peter Parker. In issue #700 the enemies shared a mindlink as Otto (in Peter’s body) was killing Peter (trapped in Ock’s body). Octavius experienced and felt the pivotal moments (Uncle Ben’s death, Gwen Stacy’s death) that made Peter Parker the hero we all knew and loved. Did this brain blast of Parker’s past have a positive impact on the classic villain? Doc Ock (in Peter’s body) is vowing to live as Peter did and to be a “Superior” Spider-Man.
This was the big reveal Spidey writer Dan Slott has been building towards. The big question for readers is how Peter’s extended cast of friends and enemies will react to the new Spider-Man.
“This is still very much the world of Spider-Man. There may be a new Spider-Man here, doing things in a new and different way, but you’re going to see the Spider-cast reacting to this,” Slott told Marvel.com, “You’re going to see how this Spider-Man will deal with our Spider-Man’s villains. How will hereact to this Spider-Man’s supporting cast? Whoever makes it out of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #700 will find a different Spider-Man waiting for them when Superior Spider-Man starts.”
“For many characters, and for many things in Spider-Man’s world, there are dark days ahead,” Slott revealed about Parker’s friends at Horizon Labs.
It’s become dark for Slott on the internet. Fuming fans have expressed their outrage over the twist. Slott has even received death threats. If hardcore Spidey fans are furious now wait until they see the new Spider-Man kissing Mary Jane?
Love it or loathe it – this “Superior” status quo shakeup is ambitious and could mean a wide “web” of dramatic story possibilities. As a devout X-Men fan it was difficult to see Cyclops’s fall from grace in Avengers vs. X-Men (Scott killed Professor X?!) but as a reader I’m loving the new storylines.
There’s no way Peter Parker is completely dead. Peter’s journey back from oblivion and Doc Ock’s eventual payback will make this new spin in Spidey worth it. Peter Parker Fans don’t fret. You can bet Peter will be swinging again in the comics in time for Amazing Spider-Man 2 on the big screen.
Tis the season so I wanted to share a special Christmas issue of the X-Men.
X-Men #109 was dubbed a 100 page monster issue featuring a new story by Chris Claremont plus 3 classic tales set around the holidays. While the previous stories are all action packed with Sentinels, a demon stalking Kitty and Gladiator versus Cannonball, the main story is very moving and reminds us how Chris Claremont poured a lot of heart into the team he wrote so many years.
“Ceremonies” shows the X-Men family in a snowball fight, ice skating, enjoying a date, breaking up, giving each other comfort. Comics always deliver action, thrills and battles but once in a while, a change of pace issue like this one makes you remember why you’re cheering for the X-Men to win.
I may not be posting as much as you’re used to this week because I’m spending time with family but I will be back up to full speed after the holiday. Thanks for visiting and supporting Comics Blend. As you unite with friends and family I wish you safe travels and a happy holiday.
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)
Brian Michael Bendis and Chris Bachalo will launch a brand new Uncanny X-Men in 2013. It’s not quite the Avenging X-Men concept I predicted but it is a darker Children of the Atom. All-New X-Men and Wolverine and the X-Men represent Xavier’s dream. The new Uncanny X-Men team is on a mutated mission for mutants with Cyclops following Magneto’s more extreme vision and tactics. Brian Michael Bendis recently previewed his upcoming Uncanny X-Men but this geek has some burning questions:
Sebastian Shaw? The former Black King of the Hellfire Club was mindwiped by Emma Frost but recently learned about his evil past. Shaw was last seen helping teen mutants escape from captivity during AvX. Will he return to his evil ways and seek revenge against his former White Queen? I would love to see Shaw recruited by Scott. I remember in New Mutants #35 when the fragile alliance of the then Hellfire Club (Shaw, Magneto, Frost and Selene) was shattered in that powerhouse issue.
Stepford Cuckoos? I love Emma’s girls. Will the triplets reunited with Emma? I could see Mindee, Celeste and Phoebe become powerful recruiters in the search for new mutants.
Uncanny X-Men #2 courtesy Marvel
Namor? The long simmering passion between Namor and Emma flared up in an explosive way during Avengers vs. X-Men with devastating results. I loved the Sub-Mariner’s alliance with the X-Men and wondered where the King of Atlantis would turn up in the Marvel Now. Scott and Emma are over. Namor will be a huge part of Jonathan Hickman’s New Avengers series. Could Emma start a long distance relationship with Namor to make Scott suffer?
Cyclops’s New Headgear? I love Chris Bachalo’s new costume designs but Cyke’s headgear is a curiosity – no visor? How does the optic blast…blast out?
The Void? During AvX I kept thinking Scott’s extremist behavior was because he was holding a sliver of The Void in his mind. The Sentry’s battle with his evil alter ego was a big story threat during Bendis’s Avengers run that affected the X-Men’s power couple. First Emma Frost and then Cyke held a sliver of the Void in their mind.Perhaps Bendis will revisit this in Uncanny X-Men.
Those are some of the burning questions I have but I will trust in Bendis! He made me love Avengers again 8 years ago.
All-New X-Men #4 This is the confrontation we’ve been waiting for since Brian Michael Bendis revealed he was bringing the original X-Men from the past into the Marvel Now! The original Scott, Jean, Bobby, Warren and Hank confront Cyclops, Emma, Magneto and Magik! Will it be Cyclops vs. Cyclops?
Red Hood and the Outlaws #15 Jason Todd may have more reason to hate the Joker than any of his victims. In this Death of the Family tie-in Red Hood and Red Robin team up to take on the Joker! Could this teaming turn into a clash between the Teen Titans and the Outlaws?
Saga #8Alana is a former warrior turned new mom. She and her husband have dodge alien monsters, armies and assassins. Will she survive meeting her in-laws/
Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimiliation2 #8 The final chapter in the epic crossover starring to huge science fiction franchises! The Time Lord and Enterprise crew launch an assault behind enemy lines to stop the threat of the Cyberborgs!
Uncanny X-Force #35 Rick Remender’s final issue! The last chapter of The Final Execution! Wolverine’s covert team (Psylocke, Deadpool, Archangel, Fantomex) has been to hell (The Age of Apocalypse, Otherworld) and back with a bloody, brutal connection to the child who could become Apocalypse. There’s been death, rebirth, betrayals and shocking developments no one could predict. How will Remender end his epic run? This may be the issue of the year!
It’s the confrontation we’ve been waiting for! Scott, Jean, Bobby, Warren and Hank confront Scott, Emma, Magneto and Magik in this week’s All-New X-Men #4. The modern Beast brought the original five X-Men from the past into the Marvel Now hoping the idealistic young originals could be the key to preventing what could be the end of the mutant race.
If you think the modern Cyclops is a match for his younger self think again!After last issue I developed a theory about the mutant race post AvX. Tell me what you think.
