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The rumor mill on these Marvel Entertainment projects keeps on-a-turning. The latest is that the wise-cracking archer Hawkeye may be seen in the Mighty Thor film. This is especially strange as the rumor that Hawkeye would appear in Iron Man 2 has already surfaced, alongside the Black Widow.

Actor Jeremy Renner and Hawkeye drawn by Oliver Copiel

The Playlist is reporting that in the latest issue of Empire (the article isn’t online), actor Jeremy Renner (last seen in The Hurt Locker) says he has been talking with Marvel about playing the character of Hawkeye in Kenneth Branagh’s Thor.

He simply says: “Hawkeye could be interesting. They’re going to send me some stuff on it, see what it is. But I think they’re pretty awesome, trying to make superhero movies almost plausible and not just some fantasy thing.”

Read more

Like many Marvel comic book characters, Hawkeye started off his adventuring career as a villain. Starting off as a marksman at a carnival, Clint Barton grew annoyed that the crowds were more impressed with the exploits of the masked men popping up all over. Not to be out-done, Barton constructed a quiver of customized arrows allowing him to perform nearly any feat imaginable. Donning a costume that even he described as ‘cornball,’ Barton took the name Hawkeye and took to the streets looking for crimes to stop. On his first case he was caught with the loot that he had rescued from a pair of jewel thieves and labeled a criminal. His second outing was no better as the seductive and manipulative Black Widow conned him into attacking Iron Man.

In time, Hawkeye sought to clear his name by becoming an Avenger alongside Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch as well as team leader Captain America. Often called ‘Cap’s Kooky Quartet,’ the misfit team is a testament to teamwork that the Avengers became known for. It also challenged the writers to come up with more interesting plots and villains to challenge the bizarre team.

Regardless of which movie Hawkeye turns up in, I am hoping that he ranks high on the priority of the Avengers flick. If anyone epitomizes that Avengers at all (after Captain America), it’s Hawkeye.

(Click here for more on Hawkeye)

WorstPreviews.com just announced today that there is a massive leak of the upcoming Thor movie from Marvel Entertainment. This will be the third of Marvel’s motion picture deals to be controlled exclusively by ME without studio interference (the other two being Iron Man 1 and the unreleased Iron Man 2). To be honest, this spoiler leak reads like fan fiction as it is more or less identical to the basis of Avengers #1… aside from one key plot point.

If true, the Thor movie could be an almost direct adaptation from comic book page to screen… but we’ll have to wait and see. The leak below is for the plot only, but still contains spoilers that could hamper your enjoyment of the film.

So you have been warned…

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD:

In “Thor,” Loki – Odin’s (Anthony Hopkins) adopted son and Thor’s adopted brother – kills Odin to take over the throne. He then casts out Thor to Earth.

Thor lands in a desert, and is immediately ran over by a PhD cosmology student (Natalie Portman) and her Norwegian professor (Stellan Skarsgard), who were on their way to study a strange cloud in the cosmos. When they realize that Thor is who he says he is, Skarsgard’s character, who has grown up with Norse mythology, can’t quite deal with it and goes out on a drinking binge.

And even though we see Thor on Earth, AICN has confirmed that his alter-ego Donald Blake will not make an appearance.

The script closes with a 5-page battle, showing off Thor’s and Loki’s different fighting styles. Thor being very much about raw strength, while Loki being much more about motion, grace and intelligence. The closing battle will be the first thing that director Kenneth Branagh will film.

Apparently Thor will handle Loki, but will not kill him, since Loki goes on to be one of, if not the key bad guy in “The Avengers” movie.

In the first 20 minutes of the new film, Loki brainwashes Bruce Banner to gain control of the Hulk for his own evil deeds. When the green monster goes on a rampage, Thor, Iron Man and Captain America are forced to assemble.

Source: AICN, ComicBookResources

Read more.

This is all very interesting but greatly contradicts the story that has been told all along that almost the entire film would take place on Asgard with only the conclusion set on Earth. Additionally, the casting announcement from Variety this week of Thor’s human vessel/alter ego Donald Blake begs the question… what’s going on? If there is no Donald Blake, why is there a Jane Foster?

Check out this reality check from Screenrant.com:

From what we’ve been told all along about the Thor movie, it would entirely take place in the mystical Asgardian realm, with only a tiny part of the movie (likely at the end of the film) taking place on Earth.

This has seemingly been the obvious scenario, especially with the plethora of casting decisions made for Asgardian characters in recent weeks including Odin, The Warriors Three and Heimdall.

Strangely enough however, Variety’s article on Tuesday about a recent cast addition (more on that below) contained a sentence reporting that the story of the Thor movie “centers on a partly disabled med student who discovers his Norse god alter ego, the hammer-swinging Thor.”

For those unfamiliar with the comics, this med student goes by the name of Donald Blake who’s Thor’s other identity. Why or how? Well, Thor’s farther Odin wanted to have his son, the God of Thunder, to learn humility and thereby puts Thor into the body of Donald Blake as an act of punishment for his reckless behavior. Odin places Thor in the body of Blake who suffers from a lame leg and Thor acquires his memories while losing his own of being a god prior to this event.

So while it may be obvious that Donald Blake will be included, or at least introduced, in the Thor movie – especially with the fact that Natalie Portman is playing a nurse of Blake’s and his love interest – It may not be the case. Hercules at Ain’t It Cool News may have found otherwise. From Hercules’s post:

“Variety’s assertion contradicted some of what we’ve heard, so we contacted a 100% tested and solid source, someone intimately familiar with the movie Kenneth Branagh is making, and he or she tells AICN Donald Blake is definitely NOT in the movie.”

That’s strange. Does that mean when Thor reaches or enters our realm, he is only Thor? Then what are Natalie Portman and Kat Dennings’ roles for and how will they interact with the title character? I’m not sure I buy that Blake isn’t in the movie at all but if he isn’t, I’m curious in how the character will be handled when he’s banished to Earth and meets our human characters.

More here

‘Sup! This is artwork by Italian artist Stefano Caselli. He’s a penciller currently working for Marvel Comics. He is one of my favourites, mostly because how he constructs his characters. I think they are  dynamic, very detailed while retaining that “cartoony” aspect I feel is often missing in mainstream superhero comics these days. Coloring for these images done by Luca Malisan.

1. Beasts of Burden #3
2. Criminal: The Sinners #2
3. Dark Avengers: Ares #2 (of 3)
4. Detective Comics #859
5. Dr. Horrible #1 (one-shot)
6. Domino Lady #3 *
7. The Incredible Hercules #138
8. Northlanders #22
9. Queen Sonja #2
10. Thor: Giant-Size Finale #1 (one-shot)
11. Ultimate Avengers #4
12. Wonder Woman #38

* — Denotes those wavering at the edge of the Culling List.
§ — Denotes my last issue of this misbegotten series.

Still unsure about continuing Domino Lady, and I’m not real happy about Herc going up to $3.99.  Queen Sonja was so-so, and I’m giving it another issue or two before I decide to cut it or not.  Otherwise, pretty standard stuff for me.

Despite most of the people I know having huge pull lists this week, mine was actually pretty small. Just five books: Invincible Iron Man #20, New Avengers #59, Uncanny X-Men #517, Ms. Marvel #47, and Giant-Size Thor.

Spoilers under the break. If you don’t want to know yet, don’t read.

Invincible Iron Man #20: This was my favorite comic this week, though I knew it would be going in, so I’m probably a little biased. This is the title I’ve been most impatient about waiting for the next one for, and I get a little giddy whenever I realize it’s going to be Iron Man week. (There may be a little dance. I’m neither confirming or denying this.) I love what Fraction has been doing with the series, and while I’ll admit the idea of Tony erasing his mind had be a little wary, I trusted Fraction and so far he hasn’t let me down. Despite the fact there is currently nothing in Tony’s head, this comic still managed to give us a good look inside of it, and I liked that, both with the message he left behind and what I’m guessing is some kind of wacky coma dream. I will say I kind of wanted to smack Pepper for her whole “why is Tony the one who gets to live” thing, but that’s probably just me bringing my own feelings about the characters in more than anything else. (It still felt in character and right for her.) I also liked the summary of the series so far in the back. Well done. (And this doesn’t really matter one way or another, but I’m ready Captain America Who Is Not Bucky to get himself all reborn and stuff…)

New Avengers #59: First off: hell yeah, you don’t @#$^ with Luke Cage. (Hey, Osborne — stop @#$^’ing with Luke Cage. I’m getting nervous over here…) Despite the fact that I’m not the world’s biggest Bendis fan (though I can tolerate him more than some other current writers), I’ve actually really been enjoying this series. I can also admit to myself (and the Internet, apparently) that a lot of that is simply because seeing Clint (I hate calling him “Ronin”) and Mockingbird together again makes me giddy. (However, as previously touched upon, needs less Bucky-Cap. Do not like.)

Uncanny X-Men #517: I like Rogue. I went as Rogue for Halloween for three years in a row. Rogue was awesome in this one. I  really like what Fraction has been doing with Magneto (there Fraction goes, being The Man again), and I’m curious to see where he goes from here. But I just have to say, Namor — Buddy, I get that you’re the King of Atlantis. You’re special. That’s great. But could you still wear pants more? Please? I have never been a fan of your speedo, and that has not changed.

Ms. Marvel #47: This was kinda adorable, and I literally laughed out loud when Spider-Man claimed to be Wolverine. Peter Parker with nothing to say was great, and I never in a million years would’ve thought that “cute” would be the word I’d describe for a date between Parker and Carol Danvers, but I’m just going to go ahead and say it here. That was cute. The Marvel talent-inspired business names was a nice touch as well. (Also, Ms. Marvel ending soon gives me my sad panda face. Why do you want to give me sad panda face, Marvel?)

Giant-Size Thor: I liked it, but I can’t honestly think of a single thing to say about it. I’m sure that’ll change in the next Thor, when there will be Dr. Doom. Granted, it’ll probably just be a lot of Doom fangirl babbling, but I’ll have something to say. (Yes, I just called myself a Doom fangirl. What of it, huh?)

By Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (writers), Leonardo Marco & Mahmud Asrar (artists), Bruno Hang (colorist)

The Story: What lies beyond The Fault? It’s an answer Marvel’s cosmic heroes have wanted to know ever since the war between Black Bolt and his Inhumans and the mutant Vulcan came to its tragic conclusion. Quasar, newly resurrected and desperate to prove his worth to his colleagues, has offered to delve into the tear in time and space to find out what lies on the other side, but what he finds there threatens to consume the entire Marvel Universe.

The Good: Readers will know that lately I’ve been taking a long overdue interest in Marvel’s cosmic heroes, and since I’ve missed the previous storylines set in this corner of the Marvel universe, I’ve decided now’s as good a time as any to jump on the rollercoaster and fully experience what so many other critics have been buzzing about for years now. I’m glad I’m starting here, because this issue has set the stage for a truly epic, terrifying story. Abnett and Lanning have masterful control over this little corner of Marvel’s universe, and it shows in the tight, interlocking arcs they are weaving together. From Annihilation right on through War of Kings, each story feels like a natural extension of the one that came before and not just another overly-marketed gimmick. These guys have literally rebuilt the universe from the ground up and it shows with the rich characterization and intricate plots they have developed. Quasar rings true as a devastatingly powerful hero struggling to earn his role as the guardian of the universe right at a time when it is most threatened, and the confidence with which he handles himself on the other side of The Fault reminds us why it remains a role he was born for. As for what lies beyond The Fault, I’m choosing not to comment because I don’t want to spoil the surprise, except to say the eerie combination of Lovecraftian horror and traditional superheroes is a delight and something I sincerely hope to see more of even after this storyline concludes.

The Not So Good: Nothing that won’t spoil your reading experience. This issue is primarily set up and exposition for the storyline proper, but I swear you’ll be so freaked out and have such a good time following Quasar’s journey (and I never thought I’d be saying that about a man named Wendell Vaughn) that you’ll hardly notice, and if anything want just a few more pages to see what happens next.

Conclusion: In a year highlighted by shockingly mediocre storylines, I feel like Marvel may have finally struck gold with Realm of Kings, and I’m really excited to see what happens next.

Grade: A-

-Tony Rakittke

This update has been a little delayed since I was having some computer issues at home and I have been spending my time dealing with that instead of creating blog posts. In spite of that I did manage to finish up a few things, some of which you will see today and another thing I’ll probably post in a week or so.

First off, here are two more attempts at Artist Trading Cards.

Superman and Hulk ATC

While I was straightening up crafty gear on the kitchen table I found that Superman image I cut out a while back to make into a card. The Hulk image came from the leftovers of the Avengers table. I picked up the sky paper for another Superman thing I had planned and decided that would be a nice back ground. I tried something new with the Hulk card and used these square sticky blocks to make the image appear to leap off the page. I increased the number of blocks used as I got closer to the Hulks head. The effect turned out really well.

This Avengers card was made out of more of the Avenger table leftovers.

Avengers Card Top

Avengers Card Inside

Originally, I was just going to do something with the Thor image that appears inside the card, but it ended up being too small to be on its own. I think it works well in the interior of the card. The front of the card comes from 2 different pages of the Avengers #2. I liked the contrast of the rain picture with the images of Giant-Man and Wasp on the bottom half.

Alas, I no longer have any of these items.  One when to someone who helped me out on that other project I finished this week, and the rest went to a guy who has been a bit under the weather lately and I thought could use the pick me up.

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike Deodato & Greg Horn (art), Rain Beredo (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: As the Avengers find themselves subjected to the whims of Molecule Man, Victoria Hand scrambles.

What’s Good: As Hand takes center-stage this month, we finally get a three-dimensional character out of her.  It’s very interesting to see how her motivations largely stem out of an uncompromising sense of integrity mixed with a desire to do as much as good as possible.  Hopefully this is a seed that will come back to bite Norman.  Either way, it’s always great to get to know a character as an individual, let alone one who’d been little more than scenery up until this point.  Having Hand become more developed will undoubtedly add more to the series.

Meanwhile, in the present, Hand is thrust into a central leadership position, and we see just how awkward, uncomfortable, and perhaps even unprepared and flustered she is in such a role.  Victoria Hand finally feels and looks human and almost likable.

Molecule Man is the other central figure this month and he’s definitely creepy, particularly thanks to Bendis’ godlike portrayal of his ill-defined Silver Age power set.  I also really liked how Bendis wrote his voice.  While not openly bonkers, there’s just something off about his dialogue.  Bendis is clearly trying to convey the character’s complete social ineptitude, isolation, and consequent difficulty conversing with others.  It’s very subtle, but that makes it all the more skillfully executed.

Greg Horn also does a fantastic job illustrating the “dream sequences” this month, with his hazy, softer, painted feel contrasting beautifully and suddenly with the usual heavy, dark, muscled fare that Deodato brings.

What’s Not So Good: Nothing really wowed me about this issue.  I think that that’s largely due to the book spending an incredible amount of time with Molecule Man as the main character weaving the text together.  Probably not a good call when we’re unattached to the character.  Also, while his voice is good, his “I want to be left alone” rhetoric does repeat.  This would normally be just fine, but when he’s holding together the entire issue, it gets a little dry.

Also, outside of Hand’s scenes, the structure of this month’s issue is so apparent that it creaks.  Every member of the team gets one scene where they feel the power of Molecule Man.  It’s a really uninventive way of getting a new villain’s power across and it also makes the latter half of the issue feel more like a series of skits or vignettes than a single coherent book.  As each Avenger is visited, I can almost feel Bendis ticking off boxes.  Of course, page-count concerns also reduce the length of each scene, sometimes to a single page, so it’s not like any of them particularly resonate either.

Furthermore, was it really necessary to see Sentry get pulverized again?  It’s getting ridiculous how the most uber-powerful character in the Avengers-line has been turned into a complete bitch throughout Dark Reign thanks to the writer’s inability to figure out what to do with him.  It’s not like anyone would take anything resembling a death for the character seriously at this point anyway.

As a final note, I mentioned this last month, but Deodato really does love to draw scantily clad women.  For the second month in a row, the needless skimpiness annoys.  As does seeing page after page of naked bodybuilder Norman Osborn.

Conclusion: It’s cool getting to know Victoria, but outside of some neat work by Horn, the rest of the book is a bit of a wash.

Grade: C+

-Alex Evans

Once again, here’s a rundown of my Wednesday reading. Like every week, it’s all Marvel and there are spoilers below the cut.

This week was another fairly light one with only four books: X-Men Legacy #229, Mighty Avengers #31, Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth #5, and Nomad #3.

X-Men Legacy #229: I know it’s an unpopular opinion in some circles, but I like Gambit. I’m glad to see them doing something with him after he pretty much got ignored for the last few issues. I can’t say I love the direction they seem to be taking him, but at least they’re doing something. Also, Rogue is awesome. I love her.

Mighty Avengers #31: I’m really only reading this one because Clint Barton is running around with arrows and Hank Pym keeps getting punched in the face.  (Note: This one needs more Pym-punching.)

Merc with a Mouth #5: This is my favorite of the current Deadpool titles. (I still can’t believe I can pluralize that these days. Deadpool is trying to make me broke.) From reading his tweets, at times I think Victor Gischler actually is Deadpool. (Or at least he’s keeping Deadpool locked in his home and periodically lets him on the computer.) I laughed through the whole thing, but “Jar Jar Binks is an abomination” was just awesome. Also, Deadpool likes Pink. I’m not overly surprised by this.

Nomad #3: I’m not a big Bucky fan, but I so love Rikki. I’d really like to see this as an ongoing series instead of just the limited.

Is that Ms. Marvel under that sheet?

Hey, Elliott here. Had to LOL when I read this tweet from one Brian Michael Bendis on Twitter today:

“Guy on plane was reading my avengers script as I typed it. He pinched his nose at me took out his pocket bible and never looked my way again.”

See? CCW*TV Nation members aren’t the only ones who aren’t that crazy for Bendis’ Avengers scripts these days!

Which leads us to today’s CCW*TV poll:

That’s right, folks. Desiato is back and ready to talk some Marvel.

Spoilers abound for this one.

I’ve done this previously for Dark Reign and War of Kings, and I thought, as the resident Marvel guy lurking in the shadows of a generally DC heavy comic review blog, this is the perfect time to make a triumphant (but most likely short lived) comeback to the world of read/RANT. So let’s talk some Marvel. More specifically, let’s talk SIEGE. Bendis! Coipel! Only four issues! It’s got a strong chance of being pretty awesome. Time to break it down, see where we’ve been and where we’re going, specifically pertaining to the last two months or so of Dark Reign continuity.

As a quick proviso, this article is going to focus on Norman Osborne. To find out what’s going on with the rest of the Cabal, I’m going to be putting up a sort of “Where are they now?” article on my own blog, Musings of the Alpha Primitive. This is partially to be self-serving, and partially because I don’t want this article to be 4,000 words long. That should be posted in a week or so, and I’ll probably update this article with the link when I’ve done it.

By the time folks read this, Dark Avengers #11 will most likely have been released. It comes out on Wednesday. I get my books online through Discount Comic Book Service (the best folks in the planet in many ways), and will not be receiving my copy until the end of the month (which, while lame, is a hell of a lot better than paying cover price).So bear in mind that this Siege preview is being written without the added detail of anything that happened in that issue.

So let’s talk about the most recent pertinent points first. We’ve navigated through just about all of The List. I remember when the list was announced, I was perturbed by the idea of 8 $4 one-shots coming out within a month or two. I wasn’t going to buy them. At the time, I was enjoying, but not totally enamored with Dark Reign. But then I saw the creative teams. Fraction and Davis on X-Men. Bendis and Djurdjevik on Avengers. Remender and JRJR on Punisher. Hickman and Ed McGuinness on Secret Warriors. These are stacked creative teams that are worthy of a $4 purchase (or, in my case, about $2.20 thanks to DCBS). And they were all great. I didn’t read Daredevil and didn’t order Spider-Man because I don’t read those ongoings. But maybe I should have, considering the quality of the other books (and I’m sure I’m going to pick them up during con season on the cheap next year). The List rekindled my interest in Dark Reign.

Add to that the monumental achievement that was World’s Most Wanted, Matt Fraction and Salvador Larocca’s world-spanning Iron Man epic that has taken a year to tell (and, honestly, how often do you see twelve issue story arcs these days, especially in ongoing titles?), and Dark Reign has kicked into overdrive. Norman Osborne’s armor is weakening. His hold on the world and his own sanity is slipping. The members of the Cabal are splintering, creating their own alliances against Norman and HAMMER. Everything is coming to a head. Siege is, as some of us know thanks to J Michael Straczynski, at its core the siege of Asgard. We know this, because this is apparently why JMS left the Thor book, because he didn’t want to deal with the crossover. We also know a few other things based on some teaser images that have been released in the past few weeks.

1. Asgard is in trouble. One of the teaser images that has been released is the picture of a burning Asgard plummeting to the ground. It’s still in Oklahoma, and the neighboring sleepy town looks to be in trouble (considering that Asgard is landing directly in the center of it). Considering that the whole point of Siege is Norman Osborne storming Asgard, nothing about this should come as a surprise. But let’s keep some things in mind. First, the Asgardians as we know them are not actually in Asgard right now. Loki, Baldur, basically everyone but Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three are currently in Latveria. Secondly, considering the last panel of World’s Most Wanted, featuring Donald Blake in his Oklahoma hotel room alongside Pepper Potts, Captain America (Bucky) and Black Widow, and that Blake has power of attorney in Tony Stark’s living will and is presumably going to get him, there’s a decent chance that the BIG THREE (and I mean big three, as Cap Reborn should be wrapping up to the extent that I fully expect Steve Rogers to be back with the shield by the beginning of Siege) will be using Asgard as their headquarters/staging ground preparing for some kind of attack on Osborne when he brings the heat to Oklahoma. One would assume that the big three will also bring in folks like the Mighty Avengers to join the cause (probably the X-Men too, but I don’t know if the scope of the book is such that they want everyone involved).

2. Norman Osborne has a secret weapon. This goes all the way back to Dark Reign: The Cabal, and the shadowy figure that Norman’s been using to keep the rest of the Cabal in line. There has been much speculation, and now we’ve got two pieces of information to help us narrow some things down. The first is a teaser image of Norman surrounded by seven pictures and a “WHO IS NORMAN OSBORNE’S SECRET WEAPON?” tag line at the top, and the second is the end to Dark Avengers #10. These are obviously linked, considering that three of the characters are in both images. Let’s take a look at who’s on the teaser image first to get a sense of the possibilities.
2a. Thanos. No chance in hell. This is a red herring. One, the fact that they specifically chose an image of Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet is too loaded of an image. Take also into consideration the utter arrogance of Thanos, and that there’s no way he would ever go along with someone like Osborne. Plus, there’s the fact that he’s dead. And Abnett and Lanning would probably be a little annoyed if one of the supreme cosmic characters of the Marvel universe suddenly shows up parading around a crossover on earth. Odds: Eleventy-billion to one
2b. Odin. In case you couldn’t tell, I’m getting the no chance in hells out of the way first. Most of the reasoning behind Thanos can also be attributed to Odin. He’s arrogant, and would be exceedingly unlikely to consider Osborne an equal deserving of his time. He’s also dead, and while he did hold a grudge against Thor for not resurrecting him after the most recent Ragnarok, they reconciled during the two issue Thorsleep arc in JMS’ run. Not gonna happen. Odds: 200,000,000,000 to one
2c. Nate Grey. X-Man, eh? So I’m not reading many of the X books. I’m reading Uncanny, but that’s basically it. Dark X-Men seems to be the book that features the return of X-Man, and while I probably should have bought it considering that Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk are piloting the series. Nate’s an omega level mutant, and he’s one of the many folks in this teaser that can actively alter reality. From my perspective, Nate Grey lacks the punch that would be needed to really make Siege pop. Not enough folks would really get enough out of Nate Grey being the big secret baddie. It’s more plausible than Odin or Thanos, but it’s definitely unlikely. Odds: 999 to one
2d. Mephisto. See, now we’re talking. Mephisto has some definite possibilities. He’s definitely shown that he’ll work with anyone if the price is right. And Norman’s definitely crazy enough to have no compunction to make a deal with the devil. Some folks have been attempting to make a link between Mephisto as Norman’s secret weapon and the events of One More Day as a sort of kill two birds situation. I don’t see that happening. Personally, Mephisto’s up there. He works perfectly well in this situation. He could legitimately keep folks in line. Plus, he’s in the last panel of issue ten of Dark Avengers (for the information of those not in the know, Dark Avengers 10 ends with a double page spread featuring Norman Osborne being confronted by a new Dark Cabal consisting of Enchantress, Zarathos, Mephisto, The Beyonder, and Molecule Man on a throne of skulls). Odds: 10 to one
2e. Molecule Man. Molecule Man has some potential and some problems. Rich Johnston leaked some things about Norman’s secret weapon having the MM initials, which certainly points to Molecule Man, but one would think that if this were the case, you might not necessarily give that away at the end of Dark Avengers. But Molecule Man was certainly in power, especially considering his sitting on a throne of skulls and all, and if he can exert his will to dominate folks like Mephisto and The Beyonder, we should probably watch the hell out. Sure, he’s not necessarily dominating these folks, but he’s definitely in the place of power. Of course, there’s also the fact that Norman is completely insane and could be imagining it all. But, if he is imagining it all, is he doing it for a reason? Is it because he’s worried he could lose control of his secret weapon? Hard to say, but I think Molecule Man is, in a way, a little too good of a fit. He doesn’t have a strong personality, and could easily be convinced by Osborne to be his ace in the hole. Odds: 7 to one
2f. The Beyonder. It seems to be the case that Bendis has been itching to use the Beyonder in some capacity. New Avengers: Illuminati #3 was all about The Beyonder. There was heavy speculation that he was pulling the strings during Secret Invasion. He’s been on the cusp of involvement for a while, and he would absolutely scare the shit out of the other Cabal members (and extra points for having a specific grudge with Doom). Of course, this could easily be Bendis continuing to mess with us by dangling The Beyonder just out of reach; only this time he’s actually appearing on panel. I like The Beyonder as the secret weapon. I think it works well. A mix of the old and the new. Personally, this would be my choice, though I don’t necessarily think it’s the most likely. Odds: 4 to one
2g. Scarlet Witch. When was the last time we saw Bendis and Coipel working together on a big project? House of M. COINCIDENCE?!?!?! The return of Scarlet Witch would bring quite a few things full circle. It would play off Loki’s recent actions in Mighty Avengers. Hawkeye would continue to go nuts, especially considering New Avengers #26. Scarlet Witch, in many ways, started the ball rolling. She’s the most unstable of the reality-alterers in the mix. She would scare anyone into service, because she’s capable of anything. House of M proved that. Much like Molecule Man, this might be too perfect. But Scarlet Witch has been off the table for a long time, and this might be a worthy moment for her return. Odds: 3 to one
2h. Someone else. There are other possibilities. Dormammu, for one, as he does have ties to The Hood, who’s probably been the most on Osborne’s side throughout most of Dark Reign. The Void would manage to not only keep the Cabal in line, but would also act as a safety net to cover The Sentry. Marvelman was a popular guess after Rich Johnston’s MM leak, but I think it’s too soon for Marvelman to hit the main Marvel U. I’d like to believe it’s one of the folks on the teaser, and that it’s not a bait and switch situation.

3. Some flying shadow dude. There’s another teaser image of a shadowed figure flying above New York City as the denizens of the city look on in a mixture of shock, awe, and terror. We all assume that this enshadowed figure is Norman’s secret weapon, though much of that could be because those two teasers were released at the same time. So who is it? The Beyonder with his white disco coat blowing in the wind like a cape? Scarlet Witch? The Void? Sentry? Who knows? What I do know is that I dig the image and it further whets my appetite for some Siege goodness.

Is there more to cover? Yeah, probably. But we’re going on 2,100 plus words now, so I think I’ve done enough damage in my return. If you want the lowdown on Dark Reign and Siege, make sure you’re following Dark Avengers, Invincible Iron Man, Utopia, and The List. That’ll help out the most for the major story points. And once again, keep a look out for my article on the Cabal over at Musings of the Alpha Primitive (yeah, I plugged it again).  You stay classy, read/RANT

For the complete list of this week’s new releases, please visit ComicList.com.

This week’s releases are available online, at specialty shops and at your local comic book retailer. Don’t know where a comic shop is located near you?

Just visit ComicShopLocator.com.

Driven By Lemons
By: Josh Cotter
(Voted one of the best books of 2009 by Publisher’s Weekly)
“Up the stream of consciousness without a paddle.” — From the creator who brought you Skyscrapers of the Midwest comes a sketchbook replica of recent multimedia explorations in intuitive narrative. Won’t you be his neighbor?

Fall Of Cthulhu TPB Vol. 06 Nemesis
By: Michael Alan Nelson, Todd Herman, Jeffrey Spokes
Michael Alan Nelson, the critically acclaimed author of Hexed, concludes his Fall Of Cthulhu maxi-series with Nemesis, an epic origin story revealing the secret history behind Nyarlathotep’s favorite companion.

Who is Nemesis you ask? Get this book and find out. Be prepared for the shock of your life as BOOM!’s best-selling horror title comes to its shocking conclusion!

Alien Legion Omnibus Vol 1
By: Alan Zelenetz, Frank Cirocco, Chris Warner, Terry Shoemaker, Terry Austin, Randy Emberlin
Footsloggers and soldiers of fortune, priests, poets, killers, and cads–they fight for a future Galarchy, for cash, for a cause, for the thrill of adventure. Culled from the forgotten and unwanted of three galaxies, they are trained to be the most elite, and expendable, of fighting forces. Sometimes peacekeepers, sometimes shock troops, the Legion is sent into the Galarchy’s most desperate internal and external conflicts. Legionnaires live rough and they die hard, tough as tungsten and loyal to the dirty end.

* Alien Legion Omnibus Volume 1 features over three hundred story pages of the groundbreaking series and lays cover fire for a new Alien Legion series from Dark Horse slated to begin in late 2009!

Green Lantern Emerald Eclipse
By: Peter Tomasi, Patrick Gleason
The Green Lantern Corps faces the Sinestro Corps in this prelude to BLACKEST NIGHT from issues #33-38 of the monthly series! Mongul enslaves the planet Daxam, making it the home world of his Corps.

Will Sodam Yat, the Green Lantern known as Ion, fight to save his homeworld, which he’s vowed never to return to?

Justice Society Of America 80 Page Giant #1
BY: Jerry Ordway
The newer members of the JSA explore the team’s mansion headquarters and learn a thing or two about themselves in 7 exciting stories from today’s top creators in this oversized special! But who directs the group through the deep, dark halls of building? Is it a friend, or a very dangerous foe?

Showcase Presents DC Comics Presents
Superman meets DC’s greatest heroes including The Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and many more!

This title collects
DC COMICS PRESENTS #1-26

Black Knight #1
By: Tom Defalco, Ron Frenz
The secret origin of the original Black Knight is finally revealed as Vampires, Zombies, Werewolves and Demons from the darkest realms confront Sir Percy of Scandia and his twin brother on their desperate quest to find Chaos, the dreaded Doombringer–the only weapon capable of defeating Excalibur, the legendary battle sword of King Arthur!

Dark Avengers TPB Vol. 01 Assemble
By: Brian Michael Bendis, Mike Deodato & Will Conrad
There they are, a new team of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the sunlight gleaming off their smiling faces and an adoring crowd on hand to cheer them as they take the stage! Spider-Man, Wolverine, Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye . . . you know them, you love them! They’re your Avengers, and they are here to protect you!

Except . . . things are not how they appear. With the real Avengers underground, who are these Avengers that look like them, and why have they been assembled? The Dark Reign has begun, and DARK AVENGERS is at the epicenter of Norman Osborn’s insane plans for the Marvel Universe!
Collects DARK AVENGERS #1-6

Dark Reign List Amazing Spider-Man
By: Dan Slott, Adam Kubert
Norman Osborn has saved the best for last as he takes on the most personal item on his evil To-Do list. The violent tension between Spider-Man and Norman has grown for years and has been building to a boil for the last few months after Osborn’s last defeat at Spidey’s hands at the end of America Son.

Norman can no longer put off what needs to be done. Plus, the story from Pulse #5 outing Norman Osborn as the Green Goblin to the world.

Hercules Full Circle
By: Bob Layton
Bob Layton had a vision of the future–Greek gods, sarcastic robots, transvestite aliens, and more–and it’s time to share it! The Prince of Power encounters the Wonder of the World of Wilamean, his own half-human son! Can the man-god who changed the courses of rivers and history steer his son to the path of justice? It’ll help that there’s a lot of fighting involved! Plus: rare creator interviews, artwork, and more!

This title collects
MARVEL TALES #197, MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL #37, MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #39-41 and material from MARVEL AGE #4 & #65

Destroyer
By: Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, Jason Pearson
For 60 years, Keen Marlowe has been a super hero, taking down bad guys, fighting the good fight. But it’s is about to come crashing to an end. See, Marlowe is dying–maybe today, maybe tomorrow, the only question is when.

But Marlowe isn’t about to go quietly into the night. Before he goes, he intends to leave the world a safer place for his family. And if that means hunting down–and murdering–every super-villain he can, so be it. They don’t call him “Destroyer” for nothing.

This title collects
THE DESTROYER #1-5

Amazing Spider-Man #612
By: Mark Waid, Paul Azaceta, Adi Granov & Marko Djurdjevic
‘POWER TO THE PEOPLE’ PART 1-

They’re Hunting Spiders…THE GAUNTLET begins here! The event that redefines Spider-Man’s classic arch-enemies one by one starts with one of his deadliest – Electro!

Destitute and desperate, conned out of his life’s meaning and worth – Max Dillon becomes the voice of the common man against the brutal injustice of a system overloaded by greed. With Spider-Man already looking over his shoulder.

Mark Waid and Paul Azaceta bring you the story of a hero with everything to lose against a man with nothing left to gain. Prepare for death’s short, sharp shock. Prepare for Electro.

Traveller RPG Strontium Dog Sourcebook
Earth, the late 22nd century. Following the atomic war of 2150, Britain has been devastated by nuclear holocaust. The survivors rebuilt their lives, but many were warped by the mutating effects of Strontium 90 fallout. Unable to live or work amongst the ‘norms’, mutants were forced to grow up in ghettos and take the only job open to them – bounty hunting. These Search/Destroy Agents hunt the criminals too dangerous for the Galactic Crime Commission. Using the Traveller core rules, Strontium Dog allows players to take the part of mutant bounty hunters, combing the galaxy for their prey – dead or alive!

Marvel Minimates Series 29 Assortment
A Diamond Select Release! Art Asylum Designs & Sculpts! The bestselling Marvel Minimates line continues with this assortment featuring characters from all across the Marvel Universe! This latest release will include the all-new Jim Lee Storm & Black Panther two-pack, the much-anticipated Moon Knight & Armored Daredevil two-pack, the frightening X-Force Wolverine & Hydra Agent two-pack plus the variant set with World War II Wolverine! Each Minimate stands two inches tall with 14 points of articulation and a variety of removable and interchangeable parts and accessories.

Marvel Minimates Series 30 Assortment
A Diamond Select Release! Art Asylum Designs & Sculpts! Journey into the comic history of Spider-Man with the latest Marvel Minimates release! Featuring friends and foes of the friendly neighborhood wall-crawler, this assortment includes the Electro & Insulated Spider-Man two-pack, Spider-Girl & the Scorpion, the army building Vault Guard & Concept Spider-Man set and the variant House of M Spider-Man! Each Minimate stands two inches tall with 14 points of articulation and a variety of removable and interchangeable parts and accessories.

Well, I should be working on my Protocol for an experiment I’m conducting in my COMM232 class… Unfortunately, I just did not feel in the mood to box score it up.  So, I’m in the mood to do a Super HeroiHOT… I was browsing through some female characters the other day, and figured we needed… well… some green.

Also, for those interested, my Super HeroiHOT page is being used by Puget Sounds’ VAVA (Vagina Anti-Violence Alliance) tomorrow at their meeting to discuss animated portrayals of women (avatars included).  The meeting’s at 5 in the Student Diversity Center (across from Diversions).  Unfortunately, I cannot attend because I’m having to prepare for my other job.

Now, let’s give VAVA some more fuel to their fire with She-Hulk.

Click to continue.

APPEARANCE:

Shulkie’s appearance basically fluctuates between steroid using super muscle woMAN and waif-like toned girl (like every other female comic character) who just happens to have green skin.  Frankly, the whole story behind She-Hulk’s creation being a way to get a hold of rights to a female hulk really show.  Sure, the purple and the white that’s stayed fairly consistent through the years is a nice throwback to the Hulk’s strange and purple pajama pants that seem magically to increase in waist size to fit his transformations.  The one-piece suit works on most accounts, but it really just seems off to me.  Like, it should be last resort for most characters.  Then again, She-Hulk may be considered one of the more modest female characters in terms of dressing.  I just don’t believe the appearance really matches the powers.

You have to admit, that it was pretty cool when She-Hulk was a part of the Fantastic Four even if her costume was a near cut copy of Sue’s.

Today’s more modern look with the camo-like pants and boots works fairly well for me.  It maintains the classic one-piece which seems like she’ll only take the pants off if they get ripped or she gets hot.  The boots really emphasize her power as well… I mean, before she was wearing tennis shoes… that’s not even appropriate for a superhero to go out in.

Equally strange, which I’ll elaborate more later on, is that her breasts seem to increase as she taps into her gamma radiation as if breasts = power(?)…

Shulkie’s appearance has been incredibly inconsistent and her outfits just don’t seem to match her powers…

Appearance: 5/10

PERSONALITY:

She-Hulk, herself, doesn’t really have much of a personality… I mean, to tell you the truth, guys just read the comics to look at the hot pictures of a muscle-bound green woman to have fantasies.  She’s much more interesting as her alter ego Jennifer Walters which can cross the line into her as She-Hulk (unlike Hulk in most/some cases).  She just seems a bit stale.

Personality: 3/10

SUPER POWERS:

Let’s face it people, the only power people care about in She-Hulk is her ability to rip her clothes off as if on command.  By a mere flex of all her muscles “RRRRIIIIPPPPP” goes her clothes and readers rejoice.  Does Jennifer really have so many useless clothes around to rip them all the time?  Does it serve any purpose?  What does she do with the scraps?  Couldn’t she just donate the unwanted clothes instead?  How does she decide what to wear in the morning if she may end up ripping it later in the day?

Another thing… SHE-HULK WAS CREATED TO GET THE RIGHTS TO THE CHARACTER!!!  How boring is that?  How uninspirational… That’s why she’s basically this guy:

Which is a darn shame… because her character really could challenge gender norms like I’ll mention later.

Super Powers: 1/10

SECRET IDENTITY:

Jennifer Walters is an incredibly more important character than She-Hulk in terms of being a powerful woman (not necessarily in terms of challenging gender norms).  Jennifer is a lawyer who handles high profile cases like representing Speedball in the Civil War storyline a couple years ago.  She’s made it herself and studied at UCLA and got her Masters in Law from Harvard.  Pretty spiffy for a fictional character, huh?  Jennifer has a lot more personality and sass than her She-Hulk form even though turning into She-Hulk is like turning on a radiated light switch of power that doesn’t actually mess with your mind.

I just don’t understand why writers and artists undervalue this side of her character?  It’s like they treat becoming a professional lawyer in a high-demand, high-stress world as nothing, but if you’re green and can lift a car than you are everything to them.  So, for shame on the writers who overrepresent She-Hulk.

Secret Identity: 8/10

ADDITIONAL ITEMS:

She-Hulk is basically all T & A… That seems like the sole purpose of the character.  When they’re giving Jennifer bland, stale clothes, they’re making She-Hulk basically rip her real costume with her breasts alone!  It’s disgusting.

Oh hey, here’s Jennifer fighting Hulk… Oh, damn, her tight, round ass and toned back are all in the way of the action…

For completely exploiting the female body and thinking the effects of Gamma Radiation mean super muscles and extra “umph umph” in the “super” areas, you get this She-Hulk:

-3

Currently, on comicvine.com, there’s a running forum on, if given the opportunity with no reprecussions, would the person “nail” She-Hulk.  All of the answers disgust me because they’re all basically admitting towards willingly raping She-Hulk as long as they would not get caught.  I have to argue that it’s not necessarily the forum post-ers fault, because, obviously, Marvel must be doing something to encourage this degradation of the female character and form.

However, I must admit that these forums most likely exist on many of the other characters I’ve reviewed for Super HeroiHOT’s website… So, I must resist subtracting too many points to be fair.

-2

The character of She-Hulk offers a strange opportunity to challenge gender norms.  The character is super powered in the forms of strength and the radiation actually turns her green.  Now, in changing to her super self, she gains increased muscle mass, size, etc.  This offers to some readers a “manly” woman.  However, I believe that it merely could offer a different type of woman more akin to the body builder, and yet society automatically deems these woman as man-like or “tomboys.”  To counteract this breach of gender normality, Marvel then turns She-Hulk into a green supermodel figure who just happens to contain more power in her nearly normal sized pinky than 5 full sized men.  So, Marvel reiterates the gender norms rather than take advantage of challenging that there’s a fluidity between male and female genders.  Yes, She-Hulk’s sex is guaranteed in that her alter ego Jennifer is female, but her gender may be more elusive.  Marvel has a real opportunity with the character and challenging society but instead encourages the idea that the ideal female must have a slender body with large breasts, big hips, and a slim waist.

-5

GRAND TOTAL:

7/40

OOH… Um, yeah… like I didn’t know that was going to happen.  She’s a pretty exemplar case of a character that has so much potential to challenge the comic medium and societal norms, but no one’s willing to do it.

So I made this,

Avengers Table

Avengers Table Close up

Avengers Table Closer Close up

A few weeks ago I picked up this round end table at the rummage sale benefiting the local girls softball team (I think).  It was for a good cause and I thought I could do something fun with it.  I picked up some dark stain and gave it a good coat.  After it dried, I cut up the copy of Avengers Classic #2, reprinting Avengers #2 with very nice Art Adams cover, and begin gluing it to the table top.  As per usual, my glue of choice was Modge Podge.  I decided to feature the new cover, the classic cover, and the opening splash page across the center of the table and fill in the gaps with panels throughout the rest of the book.  It was kind of tough deciding with Jack Kirby panels to use, but I think I did a pretty good job selecting the right ones.  Once the glue was dry, I applied 3 coats of Modge Podge and another coat of acrylic sealer to finish it off. 

This would look pretty sweet next to your favorite comic reading chair, don’t you think?

I think it might be hard to follow this one….

THEY’RE BAAAACK!! This week on the Mild Mannered Podcast, special guests Aaron Gold and Andrew Durso make a comeback (and then some) as the guys deliver a review of Mark Millar and Brian Hitch’s Ultimates Vol. I, and as expected, there will be plenty of jokes and tomfoolery going on! There will be praises, outbursts of insults, and much, much more this week on The Mild Mannered Podcast!

มีเสื้อ ก็ต้องมีกางเกง มีปาก ก็ต้องมีฟัน มีรถ ก็ต้องมีล้อ มีคอมพ์ ก็ต้องมีอินเตอร์เน็ต และมีหนัง ทำไมจะมีเกมไม่ได้ สำหรับคราวนี้ ผมจะยกเนื้อหาจากการรายงานของทางค่าย Marvel ที่ได้ประกาศว่าจะนำหนังสองเรื่อง สองธีม และสองฮีโร่ มานำลงเกม โดยการพัฒนานั้น ก็คือค่าย Sega บริษัทผลิตเกมจากหนังรายใหญ่ ตามเคย โดยสองเรื่องที่ว่านั้น ก็คือ 

Captain America และ Thor หนังฮีโร่สองเรื่อง สองอรรถรส ที่กัปตันอเมริกา จะมาแนวสงครามบนพื้นโลก และธอร์จะมาแนวสงครามแห่งสวงสวรรค์ โดยล่าสุด Marvel Entertainment ได้ประกาศไว้ว่า หนังสองเรื่องที่กำลังจะมาถึง และผงาดสู่โรงในช่วงซัมเมอร์สปี 2011 ซึ่งก็คือ Captain America และ Thor นั้น จะผลิตเป็นเกม วางแผงใกล้เคียงกับช่วงที่หนังฉายอยู่ และนี่ ดูเหมือนว่าจะเป็นการโปรโมตหนังไปในตัวด้วยเช่นกัน

นี่จะเป็นหนัง และเกมแรก ของ Thor ซึ่ง ธอร์นั้น ยังไม่เคยสร้างเป็นหนังมาก่อน แต่มีเป็นแขก หรือน่าจะตัวร้าย ในหนังเรื่อง The Incredible Hulk เวอร์ชั่นเก่าสุดๆ ในภาคที่สอง แต่ผิดกับ Captain America ซึ่งกัปตันอเมริกา เคยถูกสร้างเป็นหนังมาแล้ว สองเวอร์ชั่น เวอร์ชั่นไอ้มดแดง และเวอร์ชั่นที่มันใช่!! โดยเวอร์ชั่นที่เหมือนที่สุด ก็คือเวอร์ชั่นที่สอง ที่ออกฉายในปี 1990 ครับ ซึ่งเวอร์ชั่นเก่าหรือจะเวอร์ชั่นอะไร ไม่เกี่ยวข้องกับปัจจุบันแน่นอนครับ นั่นก็คือ ไม่เกี่ยวกับเนื้อเรื่องของกัปตันอเมริกาที่จะลงโรงปี 2011 นี้ ไม่เกี่ยวข้องกับไอร์ออนแมน ที่โทนี่เป็นคนสร้างโล่ให้ ไม่เกี่ยวข้องกับ The Avengers ที่จะลงโรงปี 2012 นี้ เพราะเวอร์ชั่นเก่านู้น มาร์เวลไม่ได้มีแผนสร้างหนัง แต่เป็นค่ายหนังอื่นๆ ที่ซื้อลิขสิทธิ์มาทำเอง โดยสามารถอ่านข้อมูล หนังฮีโร่เก่าๆ ได้ ที่นี่

ค่าย Sega นั้น เคยรับผิดชอบเกมของหนังจากค่ายมาร์เวลไปแล้ว สองเรื่องด้วยกัน และนั่นก็เป็นสองเรื่องแรก จากค่ายมาร์เวล คือ Iron Man กับ The Incredible Hulk นั่นเอง และเกมรายต่อไป ก็คือ Iron Man 2 ครับ ที่จ่อคิวฉายปีหน้านี้ แต่ยังไงก็รอความมันส์สุดขีดกว่านี้ กับเกม The Avengers!! หนังรวมซูเปอร์ฮีโร่ ที่ค่าย Sega กำลังอยู่ในขั้นตอนแรกของการพัฒนา

และปีหน้าตลอดจนถึงปี 2012 จะมีแต่หนังยักษ์ใหญ่มาให้เราได้ชมกันแบบจุใจ นับได้ว่า เป็นสามปีทองแห่งหนังทำเงินเลยครับ แทบจะอดใจไม่อยู่ แต่รอดูต่อไป…

The First Avenger: Captain America กำหนดฉาย (สหรัฐ) 22 กรกฏาคม 2011

Thor กำหนดฉาย (สหรัฐ) 20 พฤษภาคม 2011

Iron Man 2 กำหนดฉาย (ไทย) 29 เมษายน 2010 ครับ

Bevor ich zu den Reviews komme, sollte ich noch kurz verkünden, dass dies die letzten Einzelheft-Reviews sind. Mein Comic-Abo ist schon letzte Woche ausgelaufen und ich habe nicht vor es zu verlängern.

AMBUSH BUG: Year One #7 of 6

(DC Comics)

Thematisiert die legendäre, fehlende #6 der Mini-Serie. Vielleicht ist es eine Bildungslücke, aber ich habe noch nie ein Ambush Bug Heft gelesen. Fand diese Ausgabe zwar recht gut (besonders den Beginn), aber ich glaube es wäre lustiger gewesen, wenn ich mehr über die Vorgeschichte gewusst hätte. Fakt ist, dass es sehr gut beginnt, aber dann immer mehr abbaut. Deshalb war’s für mich dann doch bestenfalls nur durchschnittlich.

3/5

AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #29

(Marvel Comics)

Die Wendungen und Face/Hell Turns reißen nicht ab. Wie schon in den Ausgaben zuvor lässt Christos N. Gage auch hier einige Helden und Heldinnen ihre Position überdenken und die Seiten wechseln während Osborn & Co. erneut einen Helden mit einzigartigen Gegenleistungen erpressen damit er für sie zu arbeitet.

Es ist etwas seltsam das zu schreiben, aber langsam werden die vielen Twists langweilig. Gut, dass zwischen den Ausgaben immer ein Monat liegt, denn als Trade muss dieser ständige Seitenwechsel schrecklich zu lesen sein.

Dadurch, dass Gage aber noch immer ein gutes Händchen für seine (B-)Charaktere beweist, war das Heft aber dennoch spannend zu lesen und ist noch immer einer meiner Geheimtipps.

5/5

DEADPOOL: TEAM-UP #899

(Marvel Comics)

Ich hab mir das Heft nicht wegen Deadpool sondern wegen Fred van Lente gekauft. Deadpool reicht mir schon in der normalen Serie da brauch ich nicht noch Hefte aus den Nebenserien.

Am meisten überrascht hat mich, dass sich van Lente wirklich sehr auf Deadpool konzentriert und der (blöde) Plot wie auch Hercules nur daneben herlaufen. Auch wenn mich das Heft nicht wirklich überzeugt hat, ist es aber ein witziger One-Shot für Zwischendurch.

Vom Zeichner – Dalibor Talajiic – hab ich vorher noch nie was gehört, war aber recht nett anzusehen.

Insgesamt ein recht durschnittliches Heft.

3/5

INCREDIBLE HERCULES #137

(Marvel Comics)

Hercules wurde ja schon seit längerem abgefeiert, aber dieser Arc hat nun wirklich gerockt und mich sogar dazu bewogen mir ALLE fehlenden Herc Ausgaben nachzukaufen.

Auch im Finale machen Pak und van Lente keine Fehler und lassen Amadeus Cho alle, seine Vergangenheit betreffenden Fäden zusammenführen. Ich will nicht zu viel verraten, aber ich war wirklich begeistert wie gut und logisch sich die Puzzleteile zu  einem Ganzen fügen und Cho & Hercules zu einem vom „Schicksal“ zusammengeschweißten Team formen.

Hat mir alles sehr gut gefallen!

5/5

MS. MARVEL #46

(Marvel Comics)

Zum Inhalt will ich mal die erste Hälfte der Notizen aus meiner Datenbank reinkopieren (Keine Angst, ich verrate nicht das ganze Heft)

Cathrine Donovan ist nun also Ms.Marvel/Moonstone/Karla Sofen und wird von der Ms.Marvel/Ms.Marvel attackiert. Im Bewusstein von Karla Sofen – wird als eine Wohnung dargestellt – “klebt” Sofen an einem Stuhl fest, während Donovan erkennt, dass dies nicht ihre “Wohnung” ist. Die Wohnung verändert sich desto mehr sich Donovan in ihr bewegt wodurch sie sich quasi das Bewusstsein von Sofen aneignet. Sofen “fällt” in einen schwarzen Krater in dem ihre Mutter steht und gruseliges Zeug darüber redet, dass sie auch nach ihrem Tod immer wisse was ihre Tochter tue (Sofan hat ihre Mutter damals aus Scham getötet). Sofen findet ihren Moonstone (den Stein), packt ihn wodurch sie sich ihrer wahren Identität wieder bewusst wird und sich auch optisch wieder in Moonstone verwandelt (allerdings nur in ihrem Bewusstein.) Sie fliegt “nach oben” in die Wohnung  zurück,  attackiert Donovan und schleudert sie wieder aus ihren Körper hinaus in die reale Welt, direkt IN die  Ms.Marvel/Ms.Marvel die noch immer auf Ms.Marvel/Moonstone  einschlägt. Ms.Marvel/Ms.Marvel scheint Cathrine zu absorbieren und aus irgendeinem Grund verschmelzen die beiden wieder. Statt Cathrine Donovan und Ms.Marvel gibt es nun anscheinend wieder eine Carol Danvers als Ms. Marvel…

Noch Fragen? Das Schlimmste daran ist, dass diese „Charakter-Wechsel-Dich“ Spielchen völlig überzogen und unnötig wirken. War dieser ganze abgedrehte Scheiß wirklich notwendig wenn am Ende dasselbe Ergebnis rauskommt wie schon am Anfang der Story? Ich hätte diesen Schwachsinn ja verstanden wenn Brian Reed eine gegen die Wand gefahrene Serie übernommen hätte, aber er hat Ms. Marvel ja selbst getötet und sich diesen ganzen folgenden Mist auch alleine ausgedacht. Sorry, aber ich komme mit diesem Autor einfach nicht klar…

Positiv anmerken möchte ich, dass mir Sana Takedas diesmal bei weitem besser gefallen hat als in den Ausgaben zuvor.

1/5

SECRET SIX #15

(DC Comics)

Vorsicht: Diese Story ist nicht von Gail Simone, sondern von John Ostrander geschrieben worden! Auch wenn ich finde das Gail Simone mehr Gefühl für ihre Figuren hat, bin ich mit diesem Deadshot-One-Shot doch sehr zufrieden. Ich weiß nicht wie viel man von Deadshot schon verraten bekommen hat (lese ja nicht so viel DC) aber ich war wirklich überrascht über die Herkunft und den Lebensweg dieses Mannes.

Das Ende dieser Story (Wegen seiner Mordgelüste sucht Floyd einen Priester auf und erzählt ihm aus seinem Leben) versucht zwar psychologischer zu sein als es ist und ich begreife auch nicht wirklich wie viel der Priester von Deadshot nun wirklich weiß, doch habe ich mich trotzdem durchgehend unterhalten gefühlt.

Das Artwork von Jim Calafiore war toll, auch wenn ich auch hier Nicola Scott jederzeit vorziehen würde.

4/5

It all started with Secret War, an ambitious event comic by then newcomer to Marvel Comics, Brian Michael Bendis who had already made a name for himself with his run on Daredevil and Ultimate Spider-Man. Secret War was meant to be a major story that had an impact on the entire MU, but scheduling delays kept anyone from caring about the series, keeping some much-deserved attention from the story.

In Secret War, Nick Fury assembled a covert operation against the new leader of Latveria. His team consisted of Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Captain America, Wolverine and others (no doubt a planned new line-up for Bendis’ Avengers). Without any official backing, Fury essentially committed an act of aggression against a foreign country with the aid of the super-powered community. Both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the superheroes were furious when this was revealed, leading to his fall from grace in both capacities. Nick Fury dropped out of sight after finding out that S.H.I.E.L.D. was really run by the villainous international terrorist organization known as Hydra.

What followed was a rather brilliant series of stories that has made the Marvel Universe more interesting than it has been since it was first created.

While Fury gathered intel, the Scarlet Witch lost her mind and decimated both the Avengers and the mutant population. With just under 200 mutants planet-wide in existence, the government protected them with Sentinels as an endangered species. The mighty Thor disappeared after Asgard was destroyed during Ragnarök. A well-conceived jailbreak of the high security prison the Raft lead to the formation of a New Avengers team. A proposed Superhero Registration Act split the superpowered community in two, resulting in a bloody civil war. In the ensuing destruction, Captain America was assassinated on the way to trial for started a revolution against a government he could not support.

Seeking to control the tide of violence, Tony Stark supported the bill and placed former supervillain the Green Goblin, Norman Osborn, in control of the Thunderbolts who rounded up any superpowered individuals who refused to register. I have surmised that Stark made this seemingly insane move because he himself did not wish to fight former comrades and thought that while Norman is insane, he could be controlled. This is supported by the numerous opportunities that Tony Stark allowed fugitives to escape his capture and the many successful captures Osborn’s Thunderbolts have made.

With the destruction of the Skrull home planet during the Annihilation wave, the Skrulls sought out a new home. Turning to ancient religious texts, the decision was made to occupy Earth as their new seat from which to rebuild their empire. In the resulting war, Stark’s technology became compromised and Norman Osborn, himself a brilliant weapons manufacturer, produced armaments that would not become corrupted by alien invasion. After killing the Skrull Queen (in the guise of Spider-Woman), Norman Osborn was declared a national hero. Donning a custom-made Iron Man armor decked out in Captain America’s colors, Osborn took on the name Iron Patriot and formed his own team of Avengers.

Becoming the new head of S.H.I.E.L.D., Osborn renamed the international intelligence and security organization H.A.M.M.E.R. As the leader of a major power group, Osborn called in his associates in the supervillain world, forming a Cabal, to split the reigns of control evenly. The status quot essentially turned on its head, the heroes of the world are in hiding, constantly evading Osborn’s H.A.M.M.E.R. troops while still trying to protect the common man from the forces of evil. It has not been easy. Not content to rule, Osborn has compiled a laundry list of problems that need to be addressed including the elimination of Spider-Man, the Hulk and Punisher. So far, things are going very well for Norman.

That is all about to change.

(I just noticed the comment that the crash at the end may be Asgard… wow)

January 2010 begins the next chapter in this continuing story. Entitled ‘Siege,’ the event will develop over the course of two 4 part mini-series and the usual tie-ins. Marvel Editorial has stated that they are aware of the grumblings of ‘event fatigue’ from the readers and are trying to keep this one more contained than usual. Looking at the solicitations in January, the Siege banner is on only a couple of the monthly comics of the Avengers family of book, making it appear that Marvel may be making good on their promise of a smaller event.

Upon closer examination, there are more events going on than ever before, but they are miniature, impacting select titles or families of books rather than crossing titles.

Nation X will continue to take over the X-Men family of books, no doubt leading into the third act of the Messiah storyline this Spring/Summer. Black Panther will have its own event entitled Doom War and the Amazing Spider-Man’s ‘Gauntlet’ will begin crossing over into the new Web of Spider-Man ongoing series. The Fall of the Hulks will take up The Hulk and Incredible Hulk series as well as a two stand-alone books and a new Savage She-Hulks title. Agents of Atlas may no longer have a monthly book, yet they will continue to appear in the back of The Incredible Hercules (entrenched in the Assault on New Olympus story), an Avengers Vs. Agents of Atlas mini-series and a few character-centric minis.

Siege promises to close the circle begun in Secret War with the reformation of the classic Avengers team of Captain America, Iron Man and Thor as well as removing Osborn from power once and for all. Trawling the Internet fort information, I have seen many very vocal comic book fans declaring their disapproval of the all of the events I just summarized. This may be a case of dissenting opinion being louder than support and I can certainly understand that. It’s much easier to complain than praise. That being said, sales figures have pretty steadily risen for Marvel since this series of event comics began with Secret War, especially where the Avengers are concerned. What was once an all but forgotten superhero comic book has become a top money maker for Marvel Comics and even out-sells the X-Men comics.

For both camps of supporters and dissenters, I hope that this upcoming Siege storyline delivers on the promise laid out by Joe Quesada that it will both redefine the Marvel Universe and give it some breathing room.

Siege hits the shelves the first week of January 2010.

In collected editions:
House of M
Secret War
New Avengers
The Death of Captain America
Civil War
Secret Invasion

by Ed Brubaker (writer), Bryan Hitch & Butch Guice (art), Paul Mounts (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: Welcome back Steve Rogers….maybe?  Sort of?

What’s Good: Over the course of my reviews of Reborn, I’ve repeatedly stated that the comic is better the more it focuses on Rogers, as I’ve thus far found most of the present day portions to be relatively dry.  This month bucks that trend, as while much of the comic is in the present, I nonetheless found myself interested.  This is largely thanks to Brubaker bringing in the villains.

With Doom, Red Skull, and their henchman stomping about, getting their way, and generally acting like the cackling, arrogant villains that they are, these present day portions have a vitality that they’ve lacked through much of Reborn.  It’s always fun to see some of the Marvel Universe’s bad guy power players in the same room at once and Skull and Doom have long been two of the most bombastic of the lot.  Better still, their direct involvement in Reborn provides the miniseries with the specific, pointed adversaries needed to add fuel to the narrative’s conflict; they’re more tightly linked and unique to this struggle over Rogers, as opposed to Osborn, who is everybody’s bad guy these days.

Meanwhile, Rogers’ portions continue to be strong, channeling that sense of torment and entrapment that’s worked so well thus far.  Though it’s still scaled back from, say, issue 2, that doesn’t mean that what’s here isn’t enjoyable.

Overall, this feels just as a blockbuster, widescreen mainstream comic should.  It’s got action, it’s big, it’s loud, and it has those diabolical villains, all of it leading to a great ending that’s sure to leave you hankering for issue five.

Hitch and Guice’s work on art once again works fairly well, magically channeling much of the style and spirit of the late 80s, early 90s while nonetheless retaining that layer of modern gloss and polish.  The Cap flashback scenes are especially fantastic, with one rainy WWII-era scene being an absolutely gorgeous reflection of the misery it’s meant to reflect.

What’s Not So Good: Despite this being and generally good-looking book, I couldn’t help but feel the artwork to be a little inconsistent in style and execution.  Several panels look to be drawn by different hands, and it can be a little weird.  With the art already meant to shift to accommodate the flashbacks, these inconsistencies only help the make the book feel a little chaotic at times in terms of style.

I also felt that while the villains were great, the scenes with Richards, Pym, and Vision felt a bit weaker.  They’re just not as interesting as they could’ve been and barring one hypothesis by Richards, it just perpetually feels like they’re one step behind the comic and the reader.

Conclusion: Despite its underwhelming start, Brubaker has really turned Reborn around.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans

Νέοι τίτλοι από τη Marvel – Gameover.gr

Η Marvel αποκάλυψε ότι εντός του επόμενου έτους θα έχει έτοιμους δύο νέους τίτλους, στους οποίους θα πρωταγωνιστούν δύο γνωστοί ήρωές της. Πλέον, η σκυτάλη περνάει στους Thor και Captain America αντίστοιχα, αν και ίσως να προκύπτει μία ακόμα είδηση. Παλιότερα η εταιρία είχε παραδεχθεί ότι η δημιουργία που θα είναι βασισμένη στην περιπέτεια του Thor, κατά πάσα πιθανότητα, θα ακολουθεί από κοντά τα γεγονότα της ομώνυμης ταινίας.[next]

 

1. Atomika #11 (of 12)
2. Conan The Cimmerian #15
3. Dark Avengers: Ares #1 (of 3)
4. Deadpool Team-Up #899 *
5. GrimJack: The Manx Cat #4 (of 6)
6. Lobo: Highway to Hell #1 (of 2)
7. Reborn #4 (of 5)
8. Secret Six #15
9. Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder: In the Service of Angels #5 (of 5)
10. Starr the Slayer #3 (of 4)
11. Vampirella: The Second Coming #3 (of 4)
12. Warlord #8 *

* — Denotes those wavering at the edge of the Culling List.
§ — Denotes my last issue of this misbegotten series.

LOBO! LOBO! LOBO! LOBO! (Can you tell I get a tad excited when any new Lobo book comes out?)

I’ve been avoiding any of the Deadpool spin-off books, but this one guest-stars Hercules and is written by Fred Van Lente, who is doing great work on that book, so at least worth the look-see.  No promises on any future issues, though, unless Van Lente is going to be writing them. If that’s the case, I may drop the main series and start picking this one up.

Apparently, Grell’s story was only a two-parter, so we’ll see if he’s back for Warlord next month or if whoever wrote the first unimpressive arc is.  If it ain’t Grell, I’m not interested.

Vampi’s still only $2. I’m worried the story ends stupidly, and they didn’t think they could sell the next series if this one cost too much.