* You can listen to a segment of the Slavoj Žižek essay on contemporary apocalypticism that will appear in our upcoming issue of Polygraph here. (via Verso)

* The headline reads, Cigar-Shaped “Mothership” Plunges Argentinian Town Into A Blackout.

* 15 Toys Not to Buy Your Child This Christmas. Of course, science proves you shouldn’t buy anyone gifts at all. (Both links via Neil.)

* Is the public option now too watered-down to fight for? Matt Yglesias and Steve Benen join Josh Marshall in thinking this over. I feel exactly how I did on Monday: the point is to pass anything so it can be improved without a filibuster.

* North Carolina in the news! Kay Hagan is the Senate’s 17th wealthiest senator (via), while Blue Cross/Blue Shield of North Carolina has gotten itself in big trouble for improper issue advocacy against the public option.

* Other politics quick hits: HIV travel ban finally lifted. The national GOP has money problems. They’re talking about a war tax. Despite what you may hear in the press, Obama is pretty good at this whole international diplomacy thing. And Dubai is collapsing; couldn’t have happened to a nicer country.

* The New York Times “100 Notable Books of 2009″ list is already out.

* ‘Are Fake Academic Conferences the New Nigerian Prince Scam?’

* Little-used geek measurements.

Sheppey (distance)
I have to include Douglas Adams’ co-creation (with John Lloyd) here — It’s from The Meaning of Liff, their dictionary of things there aren’t any words for yet. All the words in the dictionary are British place names (the Isle of Sheppey is off the Kent coast). One sheppey is the closest distance at which sheep are still picturesque, and is about seven-eighths of a mile.

* Thor, a Marvel comics character I’m still pretty sure has to be an elaborate joke, will redefine what a superhero movie can be.

* Black Friday LEGO nostalgia.

* Ah, that explains it: that badly timed Dollhouse ARG turns out to be the work of overzealous fans.

* Paging George Michael Bluth. (via)

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Diezmados es la continuación directa de los sucesos que tuvieron lugar en la saga House of M. Les aviso que son bastantes títulos y a medida que los descarguen podrán ver el orden cronológico en el que debería ser leído, aunque esto siempre queda a elección de ustedes, que los disfruten =).

Diezmados

Debido a las ultimas palabras que pronuncio la bruja escarlata los mutantes quedaron casi al borde de la extinción, los pocos que quedan en pie deberán luchas en esta ocasión y mas que nunca por su supervivencia.

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Diezmados – El dia despues de House of M  [MU]

Diezmados – Mutopia – #05  [MU]

Diezmados – Generacion M – #01  [MU]

Diezmados – Generacion M – #02  [MU]

Diezmados – Generacion M – #03  [MU]

Diezmados – Generacion M – #04  [MU]

Diezmados – Generacion M – #05  [MU]

Diezmados - New Excalibur - #01  [MU]

Diezmados - New Excalibur - #02  [MU]

Diezmados - New Excalibur - #03  [MU]

Diezmados - New X-Men - #20  [MU]

Diezmados - New X-Men - #21  [MU]

Diezmados - New X-Men - #22  [MU]

Diezmados - New X-Men - #23  [MU]

Diezmados – Setinel Squad One – #01  [MU]

Diezmados – Setinel Squad One – #02  [MU]

Diezmados – Setinel Squad One – #03  [MU]

Diezmados – Setinel Squad One – #04  [MU]

Diezmados – Setinel Squad One – #05  [MU]

Diezmados – Son of M – #01  [MU]

Diezmados – Son of M – #02  [MU]

Diezmados – Son of M – #03  [MU]

Diezmados – Son of M – #04  [MU]

Diezmados – Son of M – #05  [MU]

Diezmados – Son of M – #06  [MU]

Diezmados - Uncanny X-Men - #466  [MU]

Diezmados - Uncanny X-Men - #467  [MU]

Diezmados - Uncanny X-Men - #468  [MU]

Diezmados - Uncanny X-Men - #469  [MU]

Diezmados - Wolverine: Origenes y Finales - #01  [MU]

Diezmados - Wolverine: Origenes y Finales - #02  [MU]

Diezmados - Wolverine: Origenes y Finales - #03  [MU]

Diezmados - Wolverine: Origenes y Finales - #04  [MU]

Diezmados - Wolverine: Origenes y Finales - #05  [MU]

Diezmados - Los 198 - #01  [MU]

Diezmados - Los 198 - #02  [MU]

Diezmados - Los 198 - #03  [MU]

Diezmados - Los 198 - #04  [MU]

Diezmados - Los 198 - #05  [MU]

Diezmados - New Avengers - #16  [MU]

Diezmados - New Avengers - #17  [MU]

Diezmados - New Avengers - #18  [MU]

Diezmados - New Avengers - #19  [MU]

Diezmados - New Avengers - #20  [MU]

Diezmados - Factor X - #01  [MU]

Diezmados - Factor X - #02  [MU]

Diezmados - Factor X - #03  [MU]

Diezmados - Factor X - #04  [MU]

Diezmados - Factor X - #05  [MU]

Diezmados - Factor X - #06  [MU]

Diezmados - X-Men - #177  [MU]

Diezmados - X-Men - #178  [MU]

Diezmados - X-Men - #179  [MU]

Diezmados - X-Men: Deadly Genesis - #01  [MU]

Diezmados - X-Men: Deadly Genesis - #02  [MU]

Diezmados - X-Men: Deadly Genesis - #03  [MU]

Diezmados - X-Men: Deadly Genesis - #04  [MU]

Diezmados - X-Men: Deadly Genesis - #05  [MU]

Diezmados - X-Men: Deadly Genesis - #06  [MU]

Diezmados - X-Men Unlimited - #17  [MU]

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Saludos =).

by J. Michael Straczynski (writer), Marko Djurdjevic (pencils & inks), Danny Miki & Allen Martinez (inks), Christina Strain (colors), and Joe  Sabino (letters)

The Story: Bill’s final fate is determined while Sif and the Warriors Three battle the doombots.

What’s Good: If you approach this book as just another 22-page issue of JMS’ run on Thor, it really is pretty solid and is consistent with the series’ quality as of late, at least as far as the writing is concerned.  It’s also got a couple of moments that’ll have you saying “hell yeah.”

Chief among these scenes is one involving a very angry and very naked Volstagg that is a perfect combination of comedy and pure awesome.  It is, of course, that same combination that defines the character himself.  The sequence is outrageously badass, but maintains Volstagg’s characteristic charm.  Oh, and Hogun and Fandral are absolutely on fire this month with the fat jokes.

Most readers are probably coming to this issue most concerned about the fate of Bill.  At first, it’s hard not to be a little disappointed.  That said, if you expected him to scream “I HAVE THE POWER,” turn into a god, and battle Doom, you’ll be sorely disappointed, but really, such an ending would be just a little stupid.

Instead, Bill’s ending is the best he can manage by just being Bill, and so Straczynski maintains the integrity of the character and his sub-plot.  Make no mistake, he is a hero and, ultimately, he is accepted as an Asgardian, but he does so without abandoning his humble roots or acquiring superhuman powers.  Bill’s tale has always been about being a mortal, a little guy in a world suddenly populated by the very large.  Bill’s fate is only so poignant because JMS retains this theme; Bill remains that little guy, but even so, he manages become a hero among the biggest of the bigs.

Meanwhile, JMS leaves us hanging regarding Kelda.  I think we all suspected she was more powerful than she let on, and now we’re going to see that in action.

What’s Not So Good: It’s hard not to be a little underwhelmed by this issue.  JMS’ run has had such an epic quality, that it’s hard not to expect his final issue to be grander.  What we get isn’t really any sort of massive flourish or cataclysmic ending.  Rather, we just get another solid JMS issue that simply lives up to the quality of his previous issues, no more and no less.   This final issue really has no feeling of closure and though the cover may say “finale,” that’s not what we’ve gotten.  That said, the issue also didn’t contain the sort of “hot potato” landmark shift in status quo that writers often leave off their runs with.  Ultimately, this feels like the last issue of a story arc, but certainly not the last issue of a run.

Finally, this may be the worst looking issue of Thor that Djurdjevic has drawn.  While the art is by no means unbearable, it’s weak by the standards Djurdjevic and Coipel have set for the series.  It reeks of an artist desperately trying to make a deadline.  The level of detail continually falters, with many of the more zoomed out shots and smaller panels suffering a great deal.  There are also a few panels where Donald Blake looks like a substantially younger version of himself.  Having three different inkers on the book also certainly didn’t help, making the book feel even messier with its details even more in question.  It makes the book feel sloppy, chaotic even.

Conclusion: It’s a strong issue of Thor, but it’s not the “finale” it claims itself to be.

Grade: B

-Alex Evans

By Daniel Way & Marjorie Liu (writers), Stephen Segovia & Paco Diaz Luque (artists), Sandu Florea, Guillermo Ortego, & Jay Leisten (inkers), Marte Garcia & Antonio Fabela (colorists)

The Story: Dark Wolverine saves a baby. There, I just saved you $2.99 and the urge to cut your wrists with the paper this piece of shit was printed on.

The Good: Paco Diaz Luque turns in some solid art and would have been a much better choice to carry this book instead of Segovia. Unfortunately, his meager efforts still aren’t enough to redeem this book.

The Not So Good: I’m disgusted that it took nine people to make a story that amounted to twenty-one pages of talk and a splash page of Dark Wolverine holding a baby in his arms. This title has only ever been marginally entertaining at best, and the first story arc held potential for the title as well as Daken, but I’m sorry to see my hopes so thoroughly crushed with this latest storyline, and this issue in particular, which culminates in one of the most pathetic, shark-jumping moments I’ve seen all year. And comic like this, we’re supposed to believe, are what passes for entertainment in this industry. Well, I’m sorry but I’ve had enough and I refuse to continue handing over my money to this comic anymore. Way and Liu have inexplicably found new ways every month to not live up to their potential, and I can’t keep waiting for them to turn things around and redeem a comic that was only barely interesting to begin with. It took me three attempts to actually finish reading this comic; I was that bored with every word on every panel. Monthly comics like this need to be able to stand on their own legs. You need to be able to walk into the comic store, pay for an issue, take it home to read, and feel like you were entertained enough to have made a good purchase. There is an ugly trend in comics though, of which this title in particular has been especially guilty, that advocates writing comic stories for their release as graphic novels and not as serialized entertainment. If the industry wants to sell graphic novels I’ll be more than happy to pay for them, but then let’s stop kidding each other with these monthly comics that have utterly no entertainment value. Issues like this are a blight on the industry and succeed in only wasting your time and money.

Conclusion: I’d like to offer Dark Wolverine #80 as The Worst Comic of the Year. I’m done buying this title and strongly advise anyone else currently reading it to do the same. We deserve much, much better than this.

Grade: F-

-Tony Rakittke

By Jeph Loeb (writer), Ian Churchill (artist)

The Story: Red Hulk gets betrayed by his Code Red team, including Thundra.  Thundra betrays the Code Red team for Red Hulk.  Red Hulk tries to kill Red She-Hulk.  Red Hulk decides to not kill Red She-Hulk.  Red Hulk is blind.  Red Hulk is not blind.  Red Hulk is a bad guy.  Red Hulk is now not so much a bad guy.  Oh, and Red Hulk and Thundra go to a barbershop for a haircut, possibly.

What’s Good: Hmm…  Well….  Let’s see…  What’s good, what’s good…  You know, this issue had a very nice variant cover by Ed Mcguinness that makes this look a lot like an issue of X-Force and I’m a big fan of X-Force.  Although, they only show up for three pages toward the end, so it’s actually pretty misleading.  Still, nice cover…

…Okay, yeah, that’s all I’ve got.

What’s Not So Good: A lot of people criticize Jeph Loeb’s Hulk for being the comic book equivalent of a Jerry Bruckheimer or Michael Bay film: light on the plot, heavy on the action.  While it’s a fairly apt assessment, I actually don’t mind that fact.  I’m a believer that you need to have different types of stories out there to service different types of fans.  Often enough, you even must have different types of stories to service the same fan, who might just be in a different mood than the day before.  There are plenty of times when I just want to turn off the ol’ brain and put a stop to the constant solving of mathematical equations and medical breakthroughs that threaten to overwhelm me.  (Okay, what I really want to put a stop to is my constant cataloging of every superhero who’s ever been an Avenger and my inner debate over whether or not Magneto was Xorn or Xorn was Magneto or whatever.  But I digress.)  A good “popcorn comic” like Hulk is just what I need when I want to decompress.  However, this issue ends up really maxing out the dumb on the dumb fun scale.

Loeb’s script seems to be an exercise in stream of consciousness.  Allegiances switch during the course of story for no other discernible reason except that it’s been three pages and we need a twist.  The logic behind the Punisher and Deadpool betraying the Red Hulk are just lazy, and so is the sudden decision behind Rulk’s letting Red She-Hulk live.  I understand that we need to have her stick around because, well, I don’t really know why we need to have her stick around but she has big boobs and she’s red and a hulk so there are reasons.  However, Loeb just, seemingly, arbitrarily changes Rulk’s mind mid-battle.  It’s a clumsy development and, like much of the issue, seems forced and false.

Clumsy is also a great description of Loeb’s ham-handed meta-reference to the rationale behind the Red Hulk’s choice of Code Red team-members.  Just because the writer points out a glaring hole in his plot does not make the plot hole okay.  It’s almost insulting when he then follows this by trying to explain away said plot hole with the sloppiest possible justification I’ve read in a long time.  Basically, the Punisher, Deadpool and Crimson Dynamo were picked to be on the team because they’re a bunch of Yentas.  I wish I was joking.  Speaking of Yentas, when the heck did Elektra become so talkative?  Has Loeb ever read an issue of Daredevil?  I was left with the impression that he simply needed someone to speak certain dialogue and was left with Elektra.  Then again, maybe she was a Skrull.

There’s not much to say about Ian Churchill’s artwork here.  It’s certainly not bad by any stretch, but it never seems to fit the subject matter.  Where artists like Arthur Adams and Ed Mcguinness have managed to channel Loeb’s bigger-than-life characters and events into mouth-watering visuals, Churchill’s cartoony style comes off at odds with the plot. Red Hulk specifically loses much of the weight that made him appear so imposing in previous issues.  Under Churchill’s pencil, the figure almost looks silly.

Conclusion: Look, I know that no writer, no matter what we might think, ever aims to write a bad story.  I do think that a writer has a sense of responsibility to make his plots make sense and work within its established parameters.  Sadly, Hulk #17 does almost none of these things.  Nice variant cover, though…

Grade: F

-Joe Lopez

by Matt Fraction (writer), Greg Land (pencils), Jay Leisten (inks), Justin Ponsor (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: The X-Men attempt to stave off the Predator X attack.

What’s Good: This is an action comic, pure and simple and in that capacity, it delivers; it’s big, bloody, and explosive.

Better still, Matt Fraction makes the most of the fact that it’s a team based action comic.  One really gets a sense of strategy in the X-Men’s dealing with the Predator Xs.  Abilities are used in perfect concert and the X-Men feel like a well-trained, well-oiled machine.  Multi-level, cooperative strategy is employed as the mutants essentially combine and chain each other’s abilities in a sort of cooperative harmony that was clearly quite well thought out by Fraction.

Taking this perhaps a little more literally is Fraction’s use of Rogue.  He uses her power absorption ability to synchronize X-Men mutant abilities, allowing him to essentially play a cool and creative game of mix and match with mutant powers.

While action-based, the issue is nonetheless not without development.  A very interesting Phoenix-related occurrence happens with respect to the Cuckoos that is foreboding and is sure to pay dividends at a later date.  Furthermore, the last page of the book is similarly intriguing, as we get a look at Danger’s idea of a prison.  Those who have read William Gibson’s foundational cyberpunk novel ”Neuromancer” will probably get a kick out of the scene.

On art, Greg Land actually acquits himself quite well, particularly for his often-weak standards.  While certain female faces do lack detail or appear a little awkwardly photo-referenced, there aren’t any real catastrophes this month.  Compliments are due, however, for Land’s drawings of the Predator X monstrosities, which look horrifyingly savage and distinctly alien.  That last page with Danger was also quite beautiful.

What’s Not So Good: While the use of teamwork in harmonizing abilities and employing strategy was impressive, that doesn’t change the fact that this is just one big, extended action scene across 21 pages.  In other words, it’s hard not read this without realizing that while you’re entertained, the book nonetheless feels strangely hollow, shallow even.  Indeed, this is mainstream comics at its most popcorn superficial, the sort of book that the indie comic fan no doubt points to in horror.  That doesn’t mean it’s bad, but it also means that the book doesn’t summon any sort of emotion beyond the base-level amusement that comes with reading a good action scene.  It’s not a smart read in the slightest, nor is it a dense one, though it is enjoyable for what it is.

Also, some of Fraction’s voices are still off.   He struggles with Rogue’s colloquial accent, for starters.  At times it disappears altogether or is at least very minimal, while at other times, she sounds like a painfully exaggerated hillbilly.  Fraction can’t seem to find a middle ground, nor can he find consistency.

Magneto’s voice also feels problematic this month and reminds me of Fraction’s struggles to write Xavier’s voice in past issues.  At times, Magneto just sounds too young, hip, and catchy, particularly with his battle banter.  Worse still, in a later scene, he goes back to the more aged, formal tone we saw last month.  Like Rogue, not only is the voice problematic in itself, but it also lacks consistency.

Conclusion: Enjoyable for what it is, this issue still feels a little thin due to its not striving to be anything more.

Grade: B -

-Alex Evans

Confira os vampiros mais famosos da literatura e do cinema

Arquivo/AE

sábado, 14 de novembro de 2009, 13:48

SÃO PAULO - Veja lista dos vampiros mais famosos da literatura e do cinema.

Conde Drácula

O mais famoso vampiro cinematográfico de todos os tempos foi inspirado no personagem central da obra de Bram Stoker. Vários atores ficaram famosos com este papel no cinema, como Maximiliam Schrek, no clássico do cinema mudo “Nosferatu, uma Sinfonia de Horror”, de 1922. Até hoje, muitas pessoas acreditam que Schrek era mesmo um vampiro na vida real! Bela Lugosi, ator de origem húngara, foi o primeiro a imprimir garbo e elegância ao vampiro, marcando para sempre a imagem do personagem. Depois de Lugosi, Christopher Lee representou Drácula em mais de uma dezena de produções, sempre com total aprovação do público. Mais recentemente, Gary Oldman também entrou para este rol sinistro com a brilhante atuação em ‘Drácula de Bram Stoker’, dirigido pelo consagrado Francis Ford Coppola.

Lestat de Lioncourt

“Eu quero interferir nas coisas, fazer as coisas acontecerem!”. Este é o lema do vampiro mais famoso da literatura depois de Drácula: o sedutor Lestat de Lioncourt, narrador de quatro livros das “Crônicas Vampirescas” de Anne Rice. Nos cinemas, o personagem foi imortalizado por Tom Cruise em “Entrevista com o Vampiro”, de 1994. Lestat foi mordido ainda adolescente por Magnus, um vampiro de 300 anos, que se autodestruiu logo depois. Com isso, os poderes seculares da criatura passaram para o rapaz, e também toda sua fortuna. Apaixonado pelo jovem Louis, ele resolveu vampirizá-lo, assim como a menina Claudia. Entretanto, Lestat foi traído pelos pupilos e quase foi destruído. Séculos depois, resolveu contar a um jornalista toda a sua história, para transformá-la num livro. Nos dias de hoje, o egocêntrico Lestat decidiu se tornar uma estrela do Rock, na história que também foi levada às telas do cinema com o título de “A Rainha dos Condenados”.

Louis

Louis du Pontlac é descrito por Anne Rice, sua criadora, como um vampiro bastante suave, de cabelos negros e face inexpressiva, exceto pelos brilhantes olhos verdes… No cinema, o super galã Brad Pitt deu vida ao narrador da “Entrevista com o Vampiro”, que foi vampirizado por Lestat (Tom Cruise) aos 25 anos, depois de uma tragédia. A família de Louis prosperava com as plantações de algodão em Nova Orleans, até que seu adorado irmão mais novo veio a falecer. Louis ficou doente e se tornou uma vítima fácil para o apaixonado Lestat. Ao contrário deste, o jovem Pontlac é um vampiro contemplativo, um intelectual desesperançado em busca de respostas para sua condição maldita. Justamente por isso, o experiente Armand (Antonio Banderas), ao conhecê-lo, afirmou que Louis era o Vampiro mais fraco que ainda caminhava sobre a face da Terra…

Vlad

Em julho de 1991, o público brasileiro conheceu o terrível Conde Vladimir Polanski, um Vampiro que marcou época na televisão brasileira. Interpretado por Ney Latorraca, Vlad era o maior dos vilões da novela “Vamp”, escrita por Antônio Calmon e dirigida por Jorge Fernando, um dos maiores sucessos entre os jovens brasileiros. Na história, a cantora de rock Natasha (vivida por Cláudia Ohana) vende sua alma ao terrível Vampiro para conquistar um lugar no estrelato. Arrependida, a Vampira procura abrigo na cidade de Armação dos Anjos, onde acaba sendo perseguida pelo cruel Vlad. A atuação de Latorraca garantiu ao sarcástico Vladimir Polanski um lugar de destaque no rol dos vilões mais carismáticos da teledramaturgia brasileira, imortalizando bordões como o infantilizado “Gotooooso!”, que Vlad exclamava todas as vezes em que sugava um pescoço.

Natasha

Natasha foi a primeira vampira da dramaturgia brasileira, e deixou muitos marmanjos de queixo caído. A personagem foi interpretada pela bela Cláudia Ohana na novela Vamp, de 1991. Ela vendeu sua alma ao terrível Conde Vladimir Polanski para alcançar o sucesso como cantora de rock. No entanto, não era uma criatura do Mal: ao contrário, logo se arrependeu do pacto com Vlad e pôs-se a fugir dele, escondendo-se na cidade de Armação dos Anjos. Lá, ela reencontrou seu amor de vidas passadas, o capitão Jonas, personagem de Reginaldo Farias. Enciumado e receoso de que esse amor medieval pudesse voltar à tona, o Conde Vladimir passou a perseguir Natasha e a família do capitão, causando trapalhadas que renderam boas risadas ao público.

Angel

Este é o Vampiro mais adorado pelas adolescentes de todo o planeta… Protagonista de um seriado de TV americano, Angel é um Vampiro sedutor que usa todo o seu charme e inteligência para ajudar os oprimidos e tirar da consciência o peso de séculos praticando o Mal… Interpretado pelo galã David Boreanaz, o herói fez sua estréia em outra série televisiva, “Buffy, a Caça-Vampiros”. Depois de ser vencido pela protagonista, o Vampiro irlandês Angelus resolveu assumir o lado do Bem e a paixão pela mocinha, interpretada por Sarah Michelle Gellar. O grande sucesso do personagem lhe garantiu uma série própria, iniciada em 1999, que mostra a trajetória do Vampiro justiceiro após deixar a amada e a pequena cidade de Sunnydale para iniciar uma carreira de investigador particular em Los Angeles… Assim como Blade, Angel se tornou uma dor de cabeça ambulante para seus irmãos de sangue, e um verdadeiro colírio para as fãs mais animadas!

Jerry Dandridge

Apesar de serem monstros da escuridão, os Vampiros quase sempre foram representados no cinema como galanteadores incorrigíveis, homens elegantes que não perdem a chance de seduzir uma bela mocinha, para só depois revelar a horrível face do mal… E Jerry Dandridge, o vilão de “A Hora do Espanto”, um blockbuster de 1985, vestiu com perfeição este estereótipo marcante dos sanguessugas. Vestido sempre de modo impecável, perfumado e polido, a máscara de Jerry (interpretado por Chris Sarandon) só não foi capaz de enganar o jovem Charley, que desconfiou desde sempre da boa educação de seu novo vizinho… Com seu estilo doce e sexy, Jerry Dandrige conseguiu vampirizar a namorada do jovem, Amy, e seu melhor amigo, Ed, além de arrancar muitos suspiros da maior parte do público feminino, especialmente quando assobiava romanticamente o clássico “Strangers in the night” (tudo a ver, não é mesmo?), de Sinatra.

David

“Dormir o dia inteiro. Zoar a noite toda. Nunca crescer. Nunca morrer. É divertido ser um vampiro!”. Foi com este lema que o sensual vampiro David conquistou diversos seguidores no filme Garotos Perdidos (Lost Boys, 1987), clássico dos anos 80 estrelado por Kiefer Sutherland. As estripulias bizarras de David e sua turma vampiresca escandalizaram uma pequena cidade da Califórnia. Como em um ritual, suas vítimas precisavam beber vinho de sangue e comer vermes. Foi o caso de Emerson (Jason Patrick), que por amor a Star (Jami Gertz), aceitou o rito de passagem e se tornou um ser das trevas, passando a integrar a primeira gangue de sanguessugas bad boys do cinema!

Bento Carneiro

“Minha vingança será maligna!” – Quem já ouviu esta frase pode até não se lembrar da origem, mas os fãs de Chico Anysio jamais vão esquecer de Bento Carneiro, o Vampiro Brasileiro, o único ser das trevas que morava “aquém do além adonde que veve os mortos”… O personagem, um vampiro atrapalhado, simplório e desprestigiado, foi criado pelo humorista na década de 80 e logo se tornou um dos maiores sucessos de seu “Chico Anysio Show”. Sempre ao lado de seu fiel escudeiro, Calunga, Bento Carneiro fez do mito do Vampiro um veículo perfeito para brincar e ridicularizar, sempre com muito bom humor, as mazelas e contradições da sociedade brasileira.

Os Monstros

Na década de 60, a CBS americana produziu um seriado para a TV que marcou toda uma geração de telespectadores. A exemplo da família Addams, da rival ABC, realizada na mesma época, os Monstros faziam piada com os costumes exóticos de uma família sinistra… O pai, Herman (Fred Gwynne), era filho de um certo Dr. Frankestein. Vovô (Al Lewis), de apenas 370 anos, gastava a maior parte de seu tempo em loucas experiências de laboratório. Os filhos eram Eddie (Butch Patrick), verdadeiro monstrinho de pele verde, orelhas pontiagudas e caninos afiados, e Marilyn (Beverley Owen/Pat Priest), loira, esbelta, de olhos verdes, isto é, um verdadeiro horror para os padrões da família! A única vampira da história era a esposa de Herman, Lily Dracula, uma dona de casa sempre preocupada com a criação dos filhos… Cancelado nos EUA em 1966, o seriado foi exibido no Brasil ainda na década de 60, e reprisado em meados da década de 70, fazendo mais sucesso do que os Addams! As trapalhadas dos Monstros divertiam pessoas de todas as idades, principalmente quando Vovô resolvia dar uma voltinha com seu veículo: um caixão sobre rodas!

Varney

Sir Francis Varney era uma criatura literalmente repugnante. Criado pelo escritor inglês James Malcolm Rymer em 1847 (antes mesmo de Drácula!) no livro “Varney, o Vampiro ou o Banquete Sangrento”, a maior arma dessa criatura era a sua feiúra! Com sua face pálida e mórbidos olhos cor-de-lata, Varney hipnotizava suas vítimas apenas com o olhar… Com unhas e dentes pontiagudos, esse vampiro arranhava as vidraças das casas, fazendo o ruído de granizo. Por isso, também ficou conhecido como o “Vampiro das Tempestades”, agindo sempre em dias chuvosos ou com neve. Esse monstro pavoroso tinha preferência por jovens indefesas, que eram atacadas sem dó nem piedade. No entanto, Varney era um ser bastante temperamental, e se dava ao luxo de se sentir desgostoso com a imortalidade de vez em quando… Então, quando os raios da lua o acordavam e seu humor não estava dos melhores, o vampiro se escondia no Monte Vesúvio, onde nenhum feixe de luz poderia despertá-lo.

Blade

Além da Vampirella, outro herói dos quadrinhos também ficou famoso pelos seus poderes vampirescos. Ele se chama Blade e nasceu das idéias de Marv Wolfman, então roteirista da Marvel Comics. A grande diferença é que o herói negro não é bem um Vampiro de verdade, e sim uma mistura de ser humano com um Filho das Trevas… Como? A origem de Blade é espetacular: sua mãe foi atacada por um Vampiro quando ainda levava o filho no útero. Dessa forma, o bebê recebeu um pouco do sangue maldito, adquirindo alguns de seus poderes especiais. Como vingança, Blade se tornou um impiedoso caçador dos sanguessugas, e para isso utiliza as geringonças high-tech criadas por Whistler, também inventor do soro que Blade usa para poder caminhar à luz do dia sem virar pó. No cinema, o herói já mereceu dois filmes que estouraram nas bilheterias, ambos protagonizados pelo blockbuster Wesley Snipes.

O Vampiro do Brooklyn

Blade, o caçador de Vampiros vivido por Wesley Snipes, não é o único representante da galeria de sanguessugas afro-americanos… Em 1995, Eddie Murphy personificou no cinema o hilariante Maximillian, único sobrevivente de uma raça de Vampiros de uma ilha caribenha. Dirigido por Wes Craven, da série “Pânico”, “O Vampiro do Brooklyn” trouxe a verve cômica do eterno tira da pesada para o mundo dos Filhos da Noite. No filme, Eddie Murphy tem que encontrar a única mulher que pode salvar sua raça da extinção. Vivida por Angela Basset, Rita mora no Brooklyn e convive com estranhos pesadelos. Sem saber, a moça é filha de um Vampiro, e por isso carrega nas veias um destino sanguinolento. Mas uma série de contratempos acontecem (como sempre!) e Maximillian tem de mover mundos e fundos para conquistar Rita e garantir a preservação de sua espécie.

Blacula

Blacula é o personagem principal do filme de mesmo nome, dirigido por William Crain em 1972. Trata-se da versão afro-americana do maior vampiro de todos os tempos. A história começa com Manuwalde (William Marshall), um príncipe africano que é vampirizado pelo próprio Conde Drácula em 1780, e acaba trancafiado dentro de seu próprio caixão. Séculos depois, dois colecionadores de arte resolvem levar a tumba para Los Angeles, onde Blacula desperta sedento de sangue! O Vampiro conhece Tina, a reencarnação de sua falecida esposa Luva, e faz de tudo para conquistar o seu amor. Mas o caminho de Blacula está cheio de obstáculos: Gordon, o melhor amigo da moça, descobre a verdade sobre Manuwalde e inicia uma verdadeira caçada ao vampiro africano…

Zé Vampir

Quem é que nunca se divertiu com as histórias da Turma do Penadinho, escritas por Maurício de Souza? Pois essa galerinha de arrepiar não poderia deixar de ter o seu Vampiro. Ele se chama Zé Vampir e é cheio de classe… Ao contrário dos outros personagens do cemitério, como o Cranícola, Muminho, Lobisomen e a Dona Morte, que normalmente usam apenas trapos ou lençóis (afinal, são fantasmas!), o nosso menino Vampiro se inspirou nos elegantes sanguessugas do cinema para compor o seu visual: smoking, gravata borboleta e uma elegante capa! Como a maioria dos Vampiros, Zé Vampir também pode se transformar em um simpático morcego, coisa que faz sempre quando quer assustar alguém. Apesar disso, Zé Vampir é um Vampiro camarada, e nunca leva seu apetite por sangue às últimas consequências. Na verdade, o morceguinho sempre acaba preferindo alguma guloseima à base de morango ou groselha, bem vermelhinha…

Don Drácula

Protagonista de um desenho animado japonês, Don Drácula (Don Dorakyura) fez a festa de muitas crianças brasileiras durante a década de 80, quando foi exibido. Criado por Osamu Tezuka (considerado o “Deus do Mangá”) em 1979, o pano de fundo da história é a mudança de Drácula para o Japão, para fugir de seu arquiinimigo, o Dr. Rip Van Helsing… Muito desastrado, o Vampiro acaba se envolvendo em muitas confusões com sua filha, Sangria, e Igor, seu criado corcunda. Sem falar no morceguinho Yasu, que narra com muito bom humor alguns momentos da história. Além de Van Helsing, Don Drácula também se esforça para fugir dos “ataques” da apaixonada Blonda, uma gorducha cheia de sangue para dar! Um típico desenho japonês, que deixou saudades em muita gente.

Vampirella

Criada na década de 60 pelo célebre Forrest J. Ackerman (o escritor que utilizou pela primeira vez a expressão “Sci-Fi”), a curvilínea Vampirella povoa a imaginação dos marmanjos desde aquela época. Sempre vestida com um sensual maiô colante vermelho, que revela boa parte de sua invejável forma física, a Vampirella das histórias em quadrinhos já teve duas origens… Para Ackerman, a Vampira era uma alienígena de Drakulon, onde todos os habitantes são Vampiros que se alimentam do sangue que corre nos rios desse estranho planeta. Na década de 90, entretanto, Vampirella teve sua origem reescrita por Kevin Lau, e passou a ser a filha de Lilith, uma Vampira mitológica. Seja como for, Vampi (como é carinhosamente chamada pelos íntimos) continua combatendo o crime com seu peculiar estilo sexy-sangrento, e muita gente boa não ligaria nem um pouco em ser mordido pela simpática heroína…

Mirza

Criada em 1967 por Eugênio Colonnese, um dos mestres pioneiros da HQ nacional, Mirza é a personagem feminina mais conhecida do terror brasileiro. Inspirada na internacional Vampirella, a vampira brasileira povoou o imaginário de várias gerações de leitores, já que foi publicada em momentos distintos das décadas de 60, 70 e 80. O verdadeiro nome de Mirza era Mirela Zamanova, uma condessa exuberante que se tornou um ícone não só do terror como também do erotismo nos quadrinhos. Suas aventuras se davam nos ambientes glamurosos das passarelas da alta moda e nas festas da elite brasileira, já que Mirza ganhava a vida como modelo internacional, sempre vestida (ou despida, é claro!) em trajes provocantes e muito muito sensuais… Em seu reinado de terror, Mirza visitou as maiores cidades do mundo, procurando suas vítimas indiscriminadamente entre homens e mulheres, e deixando uma verdadeira legião de “órfãos”, candidatos eternos aos voluptuosos caninos da vampira.

Miriam Blaylock

A secular vampira Miriam Blaylock, interpretada por Catherine Deneuve em “Fome de viver” (The Hungers), ficou célebre na película de Tony Scott, um dos mais belos e chocantes filmes de 1983. Personagem do livro mais famoso de Whitley Strieber, Lady Miriam e seu vampiro-amante John (David Bowie) tinham uma vida sofisticada, eram apaixonados por música clássica e sobreviviam à base de sangue novo de homens e mulheres. Mas repentinamente John teve um estranho distúrbio celular e envelheceu em poucos segundos, forçando Miriam a procurar a doutora Sarah Roberts (Susan Sarandon), especialista em envelhecimento precoce. Foi a deixa para que a vampira seduzisse a médica ao som da ópera Lakmé, de Léo Delibes, em uma das cenas mais eróticas do filme. Sob o poder de Miriam, Sarah foi perdendo aos poucos sua identidade humana, mergulhando cada vez mais fundo na escuridão dos Filhos da Noite…

Carmilla

Personagem central de um conto publicado em 1872 pelo escritor irlandês Sheridan Le Fanu, Carmilla foi uma das primeiras criaturas da noite registradas na literatura mundial. De hábitos noturnos, cabelos e olhos castanho escuros, Carmilla logo chamou a atenção de Laura, uma jovem da nobreza austríaca com quem a Vampira manteve um relacionamento conturbado. Na história, narrada pela própria vítima, Carmilla acaba revelando ser a Condessa Karnstein, uma antepassada de Laura, falecida há mais de 150 anos! Linda, graciosa e de porte aristocrático, Carmilla influenciou toda uma geração de Vampiras fatais, e há quem diga, inclusive, que Bram Stoker teria se inspirado na obra de seu conterrâneo para criar o seu Drácula.

Philinnion

Philinnion é a personagem de um conto muito antigo atribuído ao historiador grego Phlegon de Trales, que teria vivido no primeiro ou segundo século da era cristã, e por isso pode ser considerada uma das primeiras vampiras da literatura. A história narra o drama de um jovem chamado Machates, que se apaixonou perdidamente por Philinnion, sem saber que ela já estava morta… Machates morava com os pais da moça, e recebia todas as noites a visita de sua noiva. Quando os pais de Philinnion viram a filha na cama com o hóspede, trataram de avisá-lo que aquilo era uma assombração! O jovem ficou arrasado, e Philinnion amaldiçoou seus pais por terem revelado seu pequeno segredo… Mais tarde, os habitantes da cidade perceberam que a tumba da jovem estava vazia e encontraram seu corpo em casa. O cadáver de Philinnion foi então queimado e oferecido ao Deus Hermes, para que sua alma fosse enviada ao mundo das trevas. A história de Philinnion era muito famosa na época do Império Romano, e serviu de inspiração para Goethe escrever seu famoso poema “Die Braut von Korinth”.

Lord Ruthven

Personagem principal do livro “The Vampyre”, publicado em 1819, o sedutor Lord Ruthven nasceu durante uma emocionante tempestade literária… Reza a lenda que, em 1816, o grande poeta romântico Lord Byron reuniu em Genebra alguns amigos, entre eles Mary Shelley, escritora, e John Polidori, médico. Byron propôs um desafio aos demais: uma competição de histórias de terror, que foi vencida pelo Frankenstein criado na ocasião por Shelley. Foi nesse jogo que Byron idealizou o enredo para “The Vampyre”, mas logo abandonou o projeto. Polidori, que também estava naquela noite, desenvolveu a idéia de Byron e ainda se inspirou na figura do amigo para dar vida a Ruthven, um elegante Vampiro inglês que transitava com desenvoltura nas festas mais chiques da nobreza européia, onde dava vazão a seus instintos bestiais entre um gole de champagne e uma mordida certeira no pescoço de alguma linda donzela… O evento azedou a amizade dos dois, mas deu ao mundo um dos personagens vampíricos mais marcantes da literatura mundial.

Conde Saint-German

O Conde Ragoczy Saint-German é a principal criação da escritora californiana Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, que conta com uma verdadeira legião de fãs vampirescos nos Estados Unidos. Protagonista de mais de uma dezena de livros, Saint-German é um vampiro do bem, um herói que usa a experiência acumulada em 3500 anos de vida para ajudar o próximo, principalmente no caso de belas mulheres… Poliglota, rico e inteligente, Saint-German é um farmacêutico/alquimista, que precisa de sangue para se manter vivo, mas nunca mata suas vítimas, preferindo alimentar-se de suas amantes ou de estranhos que, em troca, recebem sonhos agradáveis por telepatia. Assim como os sanguessugas tradicionais, o vampiro de Yazbro também não pode se ver no espelho, carrega sempre um punhado de sua terra natal (às vezes dentro dos sapatos…), e pode se recuperar de ferimentos que levariam qualquer ser humano à morte! Um herói pra lá de charmoso, que convida o leitor para conhecer as mais fantásticas eras de nossa história.

Azzo, o Cavaleiro

Encravado em algum lugar dos Cárpatos, na Romênia, está o assombrado castelo Klatka. Este é o lar de Azzo, o Cavaleiro Vampiro que protagoniza a obra “A Mysterious Stranger”, de autor desconhecido, publicada pela primeira vez em 1860. Azzo é um Vampiro centenário, com um profundo desprezo pela humanidade, e só tem interesse pelas coisas pitorescas, incomuns. Ante sua presença, mesmo os lobos mais selvagens se tornam dóceis e inofensivos. Com a eterna aparência de um homem de 40 anos, alto e magro, o Cavaleiro tem olhos cinzas amedrontadores, e usa bigode, barba e cabelos negros e curtos. Sempre vestido em sua armadura medieval, Azzo é rude, sarcástico e monossilábico com os visitantes, guardando toda a sua elegância e cultura secular para cortejar as jovens donzelas que acompanham os viajantes. Quando convidado para um banquete, o Cavaleiro Azzo sempre recusa a comida, fazendo questão de frisar que só se alimenta de líquidos… quentes!

O Vampiro de Sussex

Em 1924, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle publicou “The Sussex Vampire” (“O Vampiro de Sussex”), colocando Sherlock Holmes frente a frente com um ser das trevas. A história começa em uma manhã de novembro, com uma carta assustadora. Nela, um certo Robert Ferguson pede a ajuda de Holmes para resolver um espantoso caso de vampirismo! O detetive começa a investigar uma série de mortes ocorridas no vilarejo em questão, que parecem ligadas a um estranho fato ocorrido há um século atrás. Nessa ocasião, os habitantes do local teriam assassinado todos os integrantes de uma família, acusados de vampiros. Assustados, os novos moradores começam a acreditar que um descendente dos sanguessugas é o responsável pelas mortes, sedento de sangue e vingança. Sherlock tem de usar toda a sua miraculosa astúcia para resolver a questão, e acaba provando mais uma vez que os vivos sempre são muito mais perigosos que os mortos… Mas você não vai querer saber o final da história, certo? O negócio é ler o livro para se deliciar com o caso mais sanguinolento do maior detetive do mundo!

VAMPIROS FAMOSOS DA TV E DO CINEMA

1. Lestat – Interview With the Vampire

2. Christopher Lee’s Dracula

3. Bela Lugosi’s Dracula

4. Edward Cullen – Twilight (Crepúsculo)

5. Bill and Eric – True Blood

6. Asa Vajda, 1960’s Black Sunday

7. Angel

8. Mr. Barlow – Salem’s Lot

9. Schuyler Van Alen – Melissa de la Cruz’s Blue Bloods series

10. Gary Oldman’s Drácula

Fonte: Revista Entertainment Weekly

http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/arteelazer,confira-os-vampiros-mais-famosos-da-literatura-e-do-cinema,466500,0.htm

Hallo liebe Leser,

das Heft “Ultimate Spider-Man #116″ beinhaltet den 5. und damit vorletzten Teil des story arc “Death of a Goblin”.

Storytitel: Death of a Goblin Part 5

Inhalt: Während seines Kampfes mit dem Green Goblin stürzte Spider-Man zusammen mit diesem aus dem Fenster eines Hochhauses Richtung Strasse (Heft #115 siehe Review #32). Genau hier setzt dieses Heft wieder ein. Spidey hat seine Netzdüsen aufgebraucht rast dem sicheren Tod entgegen. Kitty Pride springt den beiden hinterher und bekommt Spider-Man gerade noch rechtzeitig zu fassen. Sie “phased” ihn und sich durch die Strasse in die Kanalisation. Zurück an der Oberfläche finden beide nur ein Chaos vor (jede Menge zerstörte Autos) und müssen feststellen das Green Goblin spurlos verschwunden ist. Die Shield-Soldaten machen sich auf die Suche nach ihm. Auch Spider-Man und Kitty Pride verschwinden vom Tatort. Auf dem Dach eines Hochhauses kommt es zwischen beiden zu einem privaten Gespräch. Spidey entschuldigt sich bei Kitty das ihre Beziehung so zu Ende ging (ich weiss nicht was zwischen den beiden war, ist ja erst mein viertes Heft dieser Serie). Später zu Hause stellt Peter fest, dass ein Van (sieht aus wie aus den 70er mit riesigen gelben Blumen drauf) vor dem Haus parkt. Darin befinden sich Shield-Agenten die ihn überwachen für den Fall das Osborn hier auftaucht. Zurück im Haus ist tatsächlich der Green Goblin, nun wieder als Osborn, da und überrascht Peter. Dieser will sein altes Leben zurück und sieht Peter und sein Dasein als Spider-Man als Beweis dafür das er (Osborn) ein Genie ist (im Ultimativen Universum ist Peter zwar auch durch den Biss einer Spinne zu Spider-Man geworden, allerdings war das hier ein Experiment von Osborn). Im T V sehen beide dann eine Pressekonferenz von Osborns Sohn Harry, der seinen Vater als Monster bezeichnet. Das macht Osborn wütend….

Story: Die Geschichte war nicht ganz so stark wie bei den letzten Heften dieser Serie, allerdings für mich als immer noch unerfahrener “Ultimate Spider-Man” Leser war sie immer noch ganz gut. Denn ich habe hier wieder einige interessante Dinge erfahren. Sei es das nicht einfache Verhältnis zwischen Kitty und Peter, die ja mal ein Paar waren, oder auch die Verknüpfung zwischen Norman Osborn und Peter. Norman ist ja indirekt für die Entstehung von Spider-man verantwortlich. Dies hilft darüber hinweg, dass die Story manchmal auch nur so vor sich hinplätschert. Etwas albern fand ich auch das der Van der Shield-Agenten rosa-grün mit riesigen Blumen darauf ist. Das ist ja sehr unauffällig Insgesamt eine immer noch ganz gute Story, die aber auch Schwächen hat. Also 6 Punkte hier von mir.

Zeichnungen: Bei den Zeichnungen ist es ähnlich. Insgesamt gefallen sie mir nach wie vor gut. Allerdings gibt es hier die ein oder anderen Panels die mir nicht so gefallen. Besonders Spider-Mans Kopf ist mir in der ein oder anderen Szene zu groß im Verhältnis zum Körper und auch seine Form gefällt mir nicht immer. Auch hier vergebe ich 6 Punkte.

Fazit: Das Heft ist sicher nicht so stark wie die Vorgänger dieser Serie, allerdings bin ich immer noch ganz zufrieden. Ich bin an dieser Serie weiterhin dran geblieben.

Die Künstler: Autor Brian Michael Bendis, Zeichner Stuart Immonen, Tuscher Wade Grawbadger, Farben Justin Ponsor, Cover Stuart Immonen

Die Bewertung Story 6/10, Zeichnungen 6/10, Gesamt 6/10

Everyone knows that in the Marvel Comics universe Doctor Strange is the Sorcerer Supreme, right? Well, evidently that’s changing. There have been a lot of changes in the Marvel Universe, and some of them I haven’t been too keen on. I have to admit, it took a writer as good as Ed Brubaker to convince me that maybe I needed a new Captain America. So maybe some changes will be all right.

But Doctor Strange? Come on. The guy has been an icon since practically forever. Every time I think of him, I think about the old Stan Lee stories and the Steve Ditko art.

However, Brian Michael Bendis has been known to shake things up. His take on Daredevil won me over, as much as Frank Miller’s run back when I was much younger. And the idea of the responsibility of Sorcerer Supreme dropping to…uh-uh. You’ll have to read the book to find out, but I was thoroughly taken with the idea and want to see where it goes.

In the meantime, though, The New Avengers Vol. 11 Search for the Sorcerer Supreme is a great graphic novel. There’s lots of action, lots of jokes and humor, a meal at Luke Cage and Jessica Jones’s house, and a tour of some of the supernatural heroes in the Marvel Universe that haven’t been seen in a while.

I don’t know that I was particularly taken with the portrayal of the Son of Satan, but it was a fun romp watching him explode with power while fighting demons. And Bendis’s introduction of the whole plot, the gentle scenes with Doctor Strange seeking out Wiccan of Young Avengers and trying to find out if he’s supposed to be the next Sorcerer Supreme was well done. I really enjoyed the characters and the dialogue.

When the possessed villain showed up on the scene, though, Billy Tan and Chris Bachalo’s art really seized the stage. The look, the menace, was terrifically creepy and totally blew me away. Right then and there, I wanted to see a new Doctor Strange series showing him fighting demons like that – in the urban streets as well as other dimensions. Maybe we’ll get it soon.

In the meantime, Bendis delivers a great story chockfull of characterization and a blitzkrieg of supernatural action. The one-liners and the unmasking of Spider-Man (again, since the reset button got pushed on his life, which is not something I agree with) were awesome. This is a fun book that will make you think about the possibilities, especially since the Sorcerer Supreme in the Marvel Universe is –

Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

In 1965, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced an unusual take on an espionage agency led by former WWII soldier Nick Fury. Named S.H.I.E.L.D. (Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division), the organization debuted as co-star of Strange Tales with Doctor Strange the Sorcerer Supreme. S.H.I.E.L.D. was made up of gun-toting daredevils willing to lay down their lives in defense of world peace. From jetpacks to flying roadsters and massive doomsday devices, S.H.I.E.L.D. fought the forces of Hydra on a monthly basis… until their dissolution last year. S.H.I.E.L.D. was often presented as having extensive intelligence resources in addition to cutting edge weapons design. As such, they were the presiding global police force as spectacular and stunning as the superhuman community… until their dissolution by Norman Osborn.

Rising bullpen writer Jonathan Hickman (of Secret Warriors fame) and Dustin Weaver, artist of X-Men: Legacy have recently announced a new monthly title focused on S.H.I.E.L.D. and its importance to the structure and development of the Marvel Universe. Hickman had already developed a name for himself in the independent comic book scene with the critically acclaimed Nightly News. A brilliant writer, Hickman is unique in the modern comic book scene as he has not only a seemingly limitless supply of ideas but also a magnificent grasp of character. His take on Marvel’s Fantastic Four has been gathering support as bringing the series to the level of greatness that it deserves. A third monthly from Hickman may be stretching the author a bit thin, but I have to confess after hearing his pitch that it sounds like a great comic.

For readers of Hickman’s Secret Warriors, the influence of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been hinted to stretch back to ancient history. The struggle for supremacy over the free world has been waged by Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. for generations on end, and now it will be revealed.

“We jump back through time and see the first alien invasion that happens on the planet. I’m not talking about the Celestials or any of that stuff. This is more along the lines of a straight up, ‘humans repel alien invaders’ event that happens. We see what gets born out of that, how it transforms society, and how that evolves through the history of man,” Hickman revealed. “We start our flashbacks in the third dynasty of ancient Egypt with a man called Imhotep. He’s considered the world’s first polymath, which is another word for what’s commonly referred to as a ‘Renaissance man’. We never state this in ‘Shield,’ but that kind of becomes the requirement for somebody to be part of the organization. That’s the type of men and women that the Shield is looking for. It’s only natural that Renaissance men big guns, like da Vinci and Galileo, feature and feature prominently”

“I would say our main cast is around eight to ten characters. Very early on, we’re introduced to Nathaniel Richards, the father of Mr. Fantastic, Reed Richards, and Howard Stark, the father of Iron Man, Tony Stark. The young man I talked about above is named Leonid. He’s the Eternal Dynamo… the great engine of the human machine. He represents progress, the advance of society and all that other cool stuff,” Hickman said. “There’s also a guy called The Night Machine who is the opposite of Golden Age Renaissance heroes like da Vinci, Michaelangelo, and Galileo. We’ll see the dark dreams of Nostradamus and we’ll unflinchingly answer the long-standing question of whether Isaac Newton was the first man of the age of reason or the last of the magicians. And, hey, why be boring… let’s stick a Celestial, Galactus, and the Brood in the first issue and see what happens.”

“This series is operating on what is roughly a 7,000 year time line, and that’s exactly how I like things. In fact, this book is probably the perfect synthesis of all my indy and Marvel work to date. I think it’s easily the best thing I’ve ever done. It just feels right,” Hickman said. “Everyone at Marvel, and all my friends that have gotten early looks, really seem to dig the book. And honestly, even if you think I’m an idiot and can’t write worth a damn, you should check out this book just for Dustin Weaver. He makes murdering trees for print a holy and righteous thing.”

Shield premieres April 2010.

Recommended:
MARVEL MASTERWORKS NICK FURY Vol 1
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Classic Marvel Figurine Collection Magazine #51 Nick Fury (51)

It seems as though DC Comics will try their hand with a forray into the zombie world with ‘Blackest Night’. The Publisher has commenced the story which will be the climax to the Sinestro Corps War (green lantern) story arc.

Blackest night will be more of a solid arc for DC, rather than the tongue in cheek Marvel Zombies graphic novels. The first edition was released In June of this year and will run until spring next year. If DC can nail this, it could potentially release the stranglehold that Marvel has on the comic book market.

Marvel are coming to the end of the Dark Reign storyline which led directly from Secret Invasion. The events of Dark Reign will come to a climax during the new years ‘Siege’ story. Brian Michael Bendis has gone on record to say that after the events of siege, there won’t be another massive event that will encompass the whole of the Marvel universe like Reign, writers will be concentrating more on individual characters’ storylines.

If Blackest night performs well in stores it could pave the way for DC to capitalise on the gap left by Marvel for a long running crossover event and bag DC some much-needed new readers.

By Mark Waid (writer), Paul Azaceta (art), Dave Stewart (colored art)

The Story: Spider-Man is swarmed by a mob.  Electro finds the money he needs for his treatment.  Thinker gets his money.  Spider-Man races against time to find Electro.

What’s Good: Firstly, this was a fun ride, from the lynch-mob at the start, to Peter as the sleepless genius, to confrontation with Electro and the Thinker.  This book was wall-to-wall action, with lots of moments for character to show through.  Spider-Man had about five zingers I wanted to show, but picking one would do a disservice to all, so let’s just say that Peter’s in the zone on trash talk.  The Thinker and Annie have a few moments that reveal what kind of people they are and what they worry about with just a few brief lines of authentic dialogue.  Electro, especially half-looney, sparking over a bathtub full of water, is great.  Manic.  Alive.  Dangerous.  Unstable.  You can’t take your eyes off him.

Secondly, the art, while not a stirring example of realistic draftsmanship, fits the kind of story Waid wants to tell.  The grit and the roughness, and the art’s stylized sparseness and even retro computer and household tech, all give this series a particular look that really works.  Azaceta tells a whole story in one panel of Peter squeezing through a crowd because this artist really gets body language.  I wonder if that’s why his action scenes work so well?  I’ll keep you posted as I get to see more of his art.

What’s Not So Good: I was going to trash the backup feature again, but there is none, so no complaints.

Conclusion: I stayed away from Spider-Man for a long time because after forty-five years (and even after thirty), his world had become so convoluted that I felt I needed a playbook to keep up.  This current Spider-Man doesn’t feel like that at all.  In fact, with classic villains and a soap opera background, this feels far more like the Lee/Ditko Spider-Man I love, just brought up to date.  That’s a huge compliment to Mr. Waid and Mr. Azaceta.   Pick it up.  You’ll like it.

Grade: A-

-DS Arsenault

Iron Man Retro 5 by marvelclassics
Browse more 4 color T-Shirts

And this is the last Iron Man hoodie I think I will post for a while. It is a cool graphic hoodie with the old cover graphic that they used to have on all of their comics, and I really think it makes a great design for a hoodie. I hope you’re enjoying these as much as I am sharing them.

Human Torch Retro 2 by marvelclassics
Get tees on zazzle.com

Here is another one of those impressive collector graphic hoodies I was talking about before. I think these have to be some of my favorites from the classic line of graphic hoodies I have posted recently.

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

Pretty girls and kittens plus Transformers (sorry the image wouldn’t fit), what could be better?

Reading an interview with said pretty girl, Horror Queen Suzi Lorraine and The Architect of the Transformers, former Marvel Writer Bob Budiansky!

Click here for a sample of two new articles in appearing on Metal Machine.net

Suzi Lorraine

She’s just too good to be true. A girl who is into heavy metal, horror movies, and a model?  A girl like that only exists in our dreams…or is Suzi Lorraine. Straight out of New Jersey, Suzi has modeled all over the world in magazines like GQ and Esquire. Suzi is also an accomplished actress and writer, whose had articles published in magazines like Gorezone and Horrormania and just co-wrote her first feature, a horror comedy called Won Ton Baby. Want to know about it along with what brought Suzito the “dark side” of entertainment.

How does a girl like you get into horror and Alice Cooper?

Primarily because of my older brother’s influence. When I was little, he was into rock and roll and scary movies and I remember hearing the “Welcome to my Nightmare” album by Alice Cooper and it freaked me out. I was little so I was so scared but so enthralled by it at the same time.  I would run to my room and then come back and ask him “can you play Steven again?” So I think I was imprinted with all things horror very young.   We used to watch scary movies like Halloween, Dead and Buried, Pieces, you name it. You know, the more I talk to horror fans, a lot of them started watchinghorror movies at a younge age, so I’m wondering if there’s something to that imprinting theory…

Want to read the rest? Click here.

Bob Budiansky, The Architect of the Transformers

Bob Budiansky has had a pretty good career. He was an accomplished penciller on Ghost Rider, created the character Sleepwalker, and served as editor on such titles as Daredevil, Fantastic Four, and the entire line of books starring a little known character named Spider-Man. He was responsible for a couple of significant initiatives bringing many (including myself) into comics. The first initiative of note was creating the wildly popular Marvel Trading Cards that so many others and I collected in the nineties. And in the eighties he was a significant architect of The Transformers, writing both the comics and biographies on the packages of the toys.

Can you talk about the politics of writing a toy comic book?

Most importantly, everything I wrote had to be approved by a representative of the toy company that owns the property, in this case Hasbro. As Hasbro rolled out new toys, I was asked to feature them in the comic book, which I did. I also kept in mind that the audience was for the Transformers toys as I wrote the stories. No one from Hasbro ever asked me to specifically write for boys of approximately the ages of 6-12, but common sense dictated that was the group to whom the toys were being primarily marketed, and so I fashioned stories that I thought would have appeal to that group.

Want to read the rest click here

And for a bonus…my review of the Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic written by Joss Whedon

Storm Retro 2 by marvelclassics
Tees made by zazzle

This is such a great graphic for a hoodie, the people at Marvel Comics did a really good job putting this one together.

According to E! Online, Natalie Portman has an interesting reason for taking on a role in the Thor:

I just thought it sounded like a really weird idea I just thought it sounded like a really weird idea ’cause Kenneth Branagh’s directing it … And Ken Branagh doing Thor is super weird. I’ve got to do it.

Branagh is an odd chocie, but not so much when you remember the tone and battle scenes in his Henry V.  We do think it’s weird that Portman is already calling Branagh “Ken”.   He just doesn’t seem like a “Ken” to us.

So, before we went to the internet and Google to find information about how this works, who did that, or the answer to whatever piece of trivia was rattling around our heads, there were these books called encyclopedias.  Well, turns out we still have them, and in this case, the contents of the encyclopedias in question are comics.  Comic characters, comic worlds, everything you ever wanted to know but didn’t have time to ask about DC and Marvel Comics nicely organized in a large hardcover book where you could look up the origin of Giganta or Nightshade (if you really wanted to know).

We’ve had these books for quite some time, of course, but because of their high levels of use they had been listed as Reference books, and only allowed to be used here in the library.  WELL, now that Dorling Kindersley has published new and updated versions of these books, the older editions are finally available to circulate, filling your days and nights with origin stories and lists of special powers and abilities.  The 2009 editions will become our Reference sources, so we’ll still have encyclopedic entries available at all times.

There have always been patrons eager to take these books home, so I’m very happy to add the new copies and give everyone the chance to dig deeper into the DC and Marvel Universes.  So read, re-read, and enjoy.  Live long, and prosper.  Oh, wait… wrong universe.

Thor Retro by marvelclassics
Shop for tee shirts online at zazzle.com

Don’t get me wrong, he can be a cool character, and some writers have done a good job bringing him out of his gimicky origins but the wings… I just think that they are a bit much. The pose in this graphic hoodie is pretty good that is why I wanted to add it to the list of Coolest Hoodies.

By Victor Gischler (Writer), Bong Dazo (Pencils), Jose Pimentel (Inks), and Matt Milla (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: While the rumble in the jungle in Merc with a Mouth has been fun, I’ve definitely had my fill. I look forward to seeing what chaos comes about as Victor Gischler takes his story into space.

The Story: Deadpool realizes what could possibly happen if the zombie head is turned into a weapon and comes up with a plan to escape both A.I.M. and Hydra.

What’s Good: I knew it would happen eventually, I just didn’t think an issue of Merc with a Mouth would be funnier and more entertaining than an issue of the main Deadpool series from the same month so soon. That doesn’t mean that Merc with a Mouth is now the better series or anything (it probably won’t ever be, in all honesty), but it does say a lot about what the creative team behind MwaM is doing right. The team has clearly been shooting for a certain kind of edgy groove since the first issue of the series. If Merc with a Mouth #5 is any indication, that groove has been found.

Victor Gischler’s writing style is really starting to grow on me. He’s doing a really nice job of scripting his series in a way that welcomes and celebrates the chaos that results from Deadpool being…well…himself. While his pop culture references are going to probably feel dated (or even confusing) sooner than later, they definitely hit in the present far more than they miss. And let’s be honest…a joke involving a comparison between the old Star Wars trilogy with the new is always welcome, especially if it leads to someone’s head getting blown off. Which leads me to the other thing I like about Victor Gischler: he prefers edgy and crass over goofy. While taking edgy and crass over goofy occasionally makes it feel like the writer is trying too hard, it does help to separate Merc with a Mouth from Daniel Way’s series.

Bong Dazo and the rest of the art team continue to make Merc with a Mouth look like the comic adaptation of some twisted cartoon. If it can be made to look exaggerated or over the top, it is. The violence? Yep. The breasts? Yep. The explosions? Yep. I’m sure you got the idea. The style compliments Gischler’s script and story so well that it’s easy to overlook…

What’s Not So Good: …the fact that the series, in five issues, has had close to no character development. In short, Deadpool is written in a way that leaves little room for any type of depth or advancement. Gischler aims to highlight the basic appeal of Wade Wilson. While there really isn’t anything wrong with that…the basic appeal is why the character is experiencing such a comeback in the first place…it does leave Merc with a Mouth, especially the fifth issue, feeling rather shallow. Daniel Way is clearly making moves to develop the character. Victor Gischler seems to be aiming to just capitalize on what makes the character so fun. Is it entertaining? Sure. But it leaves this critic wanting a bit more.

Conclusion: Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth #5 is a pretty wild, funny ride from start to finish. It reads well, it looks great, and it highlights why Deadpool is such an entertaining character.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny