Once Upon a Geek

Siege will be over before we know it.  With it brings the cancellation of all the current Avengers titles.  Beginning in May, Marvel will relaunch the entire Avengers franchise with some big shake-ups.  There will be several one-shots and mini-series, along with four ongoing books.  I’ve outlined below what we know so far about the ongoing series.

Avengers – Starting in May, written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by John Romita Jr.  Members revealed so far: Captain America (Bucky), Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, and Spider-Woman.  The traditional Avengers line-up is seven members, so it’s likely we’ll have at least two more surprise members on this team.  I’m thinking we might see Vision or Wasp (Hank Pym) on this team.  This will be the flagship Avengers title.

Secret Avengers – Starting in May, written by Ed Brubaker with art by Mike Deodato.  The team members are still a secret for now (go figure), but according to Brubaker the book is, “definitely going to have a lot of the espionage plots and the Steranko influence, and the crazy Kirby technology, but I don’t think there’s going to be much soap opera.  I hope it feels different than any Avengers team, ever.”  For more of Ed Brubaker on the Secret Avengers, click here.

Below is a teaser image of the Secret Avengers members.  Each character had their own quote when presented individually.  Here are the quotes and some speculation working left to right:

• “I lead by example.”   Some believe this may be Steve Rogers.
• “I am in control of my life.”  Some believe this may be Valkyrie or Scarlet Witch.  Personally I think you gotta consider Black Widow, Ms. Marvel, or Moonstone as well.
• “I act on my convictions regardless of personal consequences.”  Some believe this may be War Machine.
• “I focus on the solution, not the problem.”  Some believe this may be the Beast or Gorilla-Man.  I’m hoping for Beast.
• “I excel through adversity.”  Some believe this may be Nova.
• “I strive for redemption.”  Some believe this may be Moon Knight or The Hood.

New Avengers – Starting in June, written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Stuart Immonen.  Members revealed so far: Spider-Man, Wolverine, Luke Cage, Jewel, and The Thing.  Personally this is the book I’m most excited about.  It’s got a really interesting line-up.  Like the main Avengers book, I imagine there will be at least two more surprise team members once the series hits the stands.  I’m thinking we might see Iron Fist and Mockingbird on this team.

Avengers Academy – Starting in June, written by Christos Gage with art by Mike McKone. Members revealed so far: Veil & Striker (both new characters), as well as Reptil.  This book was only recently announced.  Newsarama is running teaser images all this week on Avengers Academy.  Click here for the latest character reveals.  The members and flavor of this book is likely to be a mix of Young Avengers, New Warriors, and Avengers: The Initiative.  That seems likely given that Christos Gage is just coming off writing Avengers: The Initiative.

The information and images above came from Newsarama.  Be sure to head over there for the latest comic news.

While it may seem overkill to launch four new Avengers ongoing series, they are really just starting over books they are canceling.  There are four ongoing Avengers titles right now all about to be cancelled: New Avengers, Dark Avengers, Mighty Avengers, and Avengers: The Initiative.  So don’t think of it as launching four new ongoing series, just think of it as Marvel starting the numbering over in order to sell lots of #1 issues.

Dark Avengers #14 is scheduled to ship on February 17, 2010.  The cover here suggests the character known as the Sentry may perish.

Here is the promotional blurb from Marvel Comics about this issue: The secrets of the Sentry are revealed but is it too late?  Is this a hero reborn or a eulogy?  The most pivotal moment in this controversial character’s life yet is here, and how it affects the siege on Asgard will leave you breathless.

So the big question here is, will the Sentry die?  … Man, I really hope so.  I freakin’ HATE this character.  If you haven’t read my previous rants about the character, click here to enjoy.

If the Sentry really does die on February 17, then party at my house on the 18th!

Here is a really fun Marvel/Disney mash-up entitled, “Epic Misney”.  It was created by T. Campbell and John Waltrip. I was gonna name some of my favorite bits in the image below, but then I realized I was listing nearly everything.  I love this entire drawing!  Click the image to enlarge.

It was originally posted here.  My thanks to Cary from THE UNIQUE GEEK listserv for pointing me in the direction of this.

In case you haven’t seen it already, here is the Iron Man 2 trailer.  The film is due in theaters on May 7, 2010.

Man, it looks REALLY good!  My thanks to Lore (the irredeemable brother) for suggesting I post this.

If you can’t view the embedded video above, please click here.

Check out this Marvel Motion Comic based upon Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s Astonishing X-Men #1.

Wondering what is a Motion Comic?  Essentially they take pre-existing artwork and move the drawings, enhance the artwork, record the dialogue, and add sound effects to create a near-animation experience.  It’s a neat way to animate your favorite stories while preserving the artwork.

I did not read these issues of X-Men, however, I enjoyed watching the comic in this format.  Here is the synopsis: Cyclops and Emma Frost re-form the X-Men with the express purpose of “astonishing” the world. But when breaking news regarding the mutant gene unexpectedly hits the airwaves, will it derail their new plans before they even get started?

This issue is a good jumping-on point for lapsed X-Men fans like myself.  While the story was new, it definitely feels like the “classic” X-Men characters I grew up with.  If you haven’t seen this yet, give it a shot.  It’s worth your time (13 minutes and 38 seconds of your time to be exact). FYI – You’ll have to sit through about 30 seconds of commercials on the front end (since it’s Hulu).

X-Men the Animated Series is one of the more beloved cartoons to come out of the 1990s.  This series ran on Fox from 1992-1997 for five seasons with a total of 76 episodes. Last week volumes 3 and 4 were released on DVD by Buena Vista Home Entertainment (no doubt in order to capitalize on the same-date released X-Men Origins: Wolverine).  It’s sort of ironic when you think about Buena Vista releasing these cartoons in light of Disney’s recent purchase of Marvel Comics.  It’s a small world afterall (pun intended).  I would have reviewed volumes 3 & 4 before now, but there is simply so much content on these DVDs that I’ve been busy watching them.  Seriously, there is over 11 hours of X-Men across these two collections!

……………..

X-Men the Animated Series volumes 1 & 2 came out this past April.  To read my review of those volumes, please click here.  This time out, volumes 3 & 4 cover episodes from the third and fourth season of the show.  Volume 3 contains 15 episodes, including: an adaptation of “The Dark Phoenix Saga”; an exploration of Wolverine’s past in the Weapon X project; and an alternate timeline in which the X-Men never existed due to the murder of Professor Xavier.  Volume 4 contains 14 episodes, including: Magneto’s offer of sanctuary to all mutants aboard his Asteroid M fortress; and Apocalypse’s daring plan to kidnap all telepaths using Cable’s time platform.

I used to be a major X-Men junkie. We’re talking MAJOR junkie. I’d read every single Uncanny X-Men story from Giant-Sized X-Men #1 (1975) through Uncanny X-Men #320 (January 1995), and all the various franchise books. Shortly after the “Phalanx Covenant”, I’d had enough and just walked away from 20 years of continuity and over 400 comics.  So I was really surprised when the storyline in these cartoons truly grabbed me.  Essentially these are adaptations of Chris Claremont’s best work.  While these cartoons aren’t perfect, they did a much better job adapting “The Dark Phoenix Saga” than did the film X-Men: The Last Stand.

As with the previous volumes, these cartoons provide solid entertainment.  There is tons of action, subplots, and drama.  I’ve said it before, but the creators definitely deserve props for not reinventing the X-Men for this cartoon. They pulled plots directly from the old comics, instead of trying to “re-imagine” the X-Universe.  It’s evident that the storytelling in volumes 3 & 4 has improved as compared to the previous releases.  The writers have brought a little more maturity to the adventures.  The stories focus quite a bit on character development and the discrimination against Mutants.

Some of the stand-out episodes on these releases include:

• Juggernaut Returns
• Weapon X, Lies, And Video Tape
• Beyond Good and Evil
• The Lotus and The Steel
• Secrets, Not Long Buried
• Xavier Remembers
• Family Ties

Now you gotta take the good with the bad.  Like the previous releases, these DVDs don’t have any special features. I found myself disappointed once again, but wasn’t terribly surprised.  You’d think they could score some kind of commentary, interviews with Marvel staffers, or at least trailers for the episodes.  Oh well.  Also, the animation continues to be less than stellar.  While it wasn’t terrible, it certainly pales in comparison to series contemporary, Batman: The Animated Series.

Those concerns aside, I’d definitely recommend these discs to folks.  It truly is one of the best comic book-adapted cartoons of all time.  These DVDs are available through Amazon.com – click here for Volume 3 and click here for Volume 4.  However, if you aren’t already familiar with the X-Men cartoon, you should first check out volumes 1 & 2.  You can watch the first 21 episodes of X-Men the Animated Series on-demand for free at Marvel.com.

I’m closing out my DragonCon 2009 coverage with my favorite costume photos. Some have been shown here previously, but they bear repeating. To see all of my DragonCon photos, be sure to visit my Flickr page. If you have a favorite costume that I left out, be sure to mention it in the comments. A small handful of these photos were taken by folks other than me. In those cases, I’ve linked to their original photo.

A really great Bumblebee from “Transformers”

These ladies were having a blast in their gender-bender “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” costumes.  They were totally in character and so were the screaming fans!

Cookie Monster Michael Jackson.  Really funny, but is it too soon?

The Convention Vixens return to DragonCon.  You can find more on the ConVixens by clicking here.

Star Wars Jedi impaling a Clone Trooper.  This was a really neat and creative costume.  The lightsaber was connected to the trooper on both sides and was lit up.  Impressive, most impressive.

A really good Snake Eyes from “GI Joe”

Is this the future of Marvel Comics now that they’ve been bought by Disney?

The Ghostbusters!  This group won the Hall Costume Contest for Best Movie Group.  The detail on their costumes is amazing!

The popularity of the new “Star Trek” film inspired quite a few simple, yet effective costumes.

The most in character group at the convention! Tony Stark (from “Iron Man”), his assistant Pepper, and his security guards.  Tony was dead-on and never broke character. The security guards actually frisked anyone who wanted their picture with Tony.  Pepper was sure to inquire if you had an appointment.  Brilliant!

The most creative costume at the convention in my opinion.  The two-person AT-AT from “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back”!

With the popularity of the “Blackest Night” comic book this year, there were quite a few different Lantern Corps represented.  Here is a member of the Sinestro Corps…

… and here is a member of the Red Lantern Corps.

A really great Supergirl!

The second most creative costume at the convention in my opinion.  He perfectly captured Peter Parker’s Spider-Sense tingling from the comics.

An astonishing “Doctor Who” look-a-like.  Several people were doing double-takes to ensure it wasn’t really David Tennant.

An impressive Catwoman from the “Batman Returns” film.

Spaceman Spiff from “Calvin & Hobbes”.  Notice the stuffed tiger on his shoulder!

“Watchmen” – Thankfully Doctor Manhattan went for the briefs, rather than what was shown in the movie.

Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld

An impressive Silver Surfer from “Fantastic Four 2″

A really well done “Barbarella”

If you’ve never seen “Logan’s Run”, then go rent it right now.

A recreation of the famous picture taken in Times Square at the end of World War II

Really clever way to represent the video game “Mario Cart”

The Harry Potter/Hogwarts bad-girl thing continues to be popular.  Understandably.

Remember, the Visitors are our friends.

A really obscure Boba Fett costume from Star Wars.  This particular version of the costume was only used in his first appearance in the animated portion of the 1978 televised “Star Wars Holiday Special”.  Like I said… really obscure, but also really neat that someone took the time to make this particular variation.

An eight-foot Sasquatch from the Alpha Flight comic book!

A fun Stormtrooper variant in the parade – the Indianapolis Colts Trooper!

And finally Max from “Where the Wild Things Are”.  This young lady was having a blast hopping around as Max!  She mentioned that lots of people didn’t know what her costume was supposed to be.  That surprised me, but I guess they’ll all figure it out next year after the movie comes out.

I picked up Uncanny X-Men: First Class #1 last week. This is a new ongoing series from Marvel set in the early days of the Uncanny X-Men.  I guess I’ve got X-Men on the brain.  I’ve mentioned it here before, I used to be a major X-junkie. We’re talking MAJOR junkie. I’d read every single Uncanny X-Men story from Giant-Sized X-Men #1 (1975) through Uncanny X-Men #320 (January 1995), and all the various franchise books. Shortly after the Phalanx Covenant I’d had enough and just walked away from 20 years of continuity and over 400 comics.

I was pleasantly surprised by Uncanny X-Men: First Class #1.  Writer Scott Gray was able to refresh classic X-Men plot threads, without making them feel like retreads.  This series is set sometime shortly after The All-New All-Different X-Men #101 (Oct. 1976).  The team consists of Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, and Banshee, with Jean Grey/Phoenix as a supporting character.  This particular issue focuses primarily on Nightcrawler, but they dedicate some time to each team member.  In the issue Nightcrawler is feeling like an outcast due to his appearance (a well-established plot thread from the old days).  After a meeting between the X-Men and the Inhumans, Nightcrawler is invited to visit Attilan, the Inhumans city.  There Nightcrawler finds that feeling of belonging he’s been seeking all his life in this city of unique super-powered individuals.  Of course after that, things go awry and conflict ensues.  There was a decent cliffhanger and it appears from the solicits that the storyline will conclude next issue.

On the whole, the comic was well written and well illustrated.  There were a few moments of odd dialogue during a Danger Room training scene, but other than that Gray managed to capture the characters “voices” accurately.  I’ve never been a huge Inhumans fan, but it was a nice to see Nightcrawler’s plight in contrast with the Inhumans policy of acceptance.  Artist Roger Cruz did a fine job drawing the book.  It was neat seeing an essentially old school story drawn with modern style and techniques.  Cruz does a really nice job on faces and movement.

Surprisingly, I’ve decided that I will continue to collect this comic going forward.  While I enjoyed this issue quite a bit, at first I wasn’t 100% sold on getting back on-board with a monthly X-Men title.  There were three factors that helped me make my decision:  (1) The price for Uncanny X-Men: First Class #1 was only $2.99 for 22 pages of story.  In an era where Marvel is charging $3.99 for just about every brand new series, I was shocked to see the price tag of only $2.99 on this one.  (2)  Since this series isn’t set in modern day, there can’t be any crossovers.  No crossovers = no additional books to buy = no event fatigue caused by this book.  (3) Story arcs will be single issues or very short runs.  It appears that this will not be a book that consistently does six-issue story arcs just to ensure they can print a trade paperback.  Most of Marvel’s First Class books feature one-and-done stories, with the occasional multi-part story.  If I’m going to read an X-Men book again, I’d rather have short story lines than a long drawn out one.

In closing, I recommend this book if you were a fan of the 1980s Classic X-Men back-up tales, or if you were a fan of the old school X-Men and are looking for a decent no-strings-attached book.

Hey gang!  The internet at my house has been out since a bad storm on Sunday.  No internet = no posts.  Sorry for the interruption in service.  I’m doing this during my lunch hour at work.

To tide you over until things return to normal, enjoy this George Perez drawing from his JLA/Avengers work.  This should appeal to both DC and Marvel fans, whether you are an old school or current fan. Click the image to see it full size.  It’s gorgeous!

In case you hadn’t noticed, the price of your monthly comics has been creeping up.  For the past few years, monthly comics from Marvel & DC have cost $2.99 each.  Rumors have been floating around about a price increase on the horizon.  Well, Marvel is starting to move up.  For example, both New Avengers and Dark Avengers are already priced at $3.99 with no additional pages added.  Most of Marvel’s new limited series are also priced at $3.99.  Both companies have been using the $3.99 price for a while on extra-sized comics (usually with an additional 8-pages), but the 22-page comics had remained $2.99 until now.  It’s worth noting that only Marvel has announced the price increase on 22-page comics at this time.  But don’t be fooled, both companies tend to match prices. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time until DC catches up.

Just a couple quick thoughts about this price increase:

• I realize that paper prices are increasing.  I deal with the increasing expense of paper every day in my job.  However, did Marvel really need to raise the price a whole dollar?  Couldn’t they have just gone to $3.25 or even $3.50?  $3.99 is a lot to pay for 22 pages of story – that’s 18 cents per page.  It’s quite possible Marvel has exceeded the threshold people are willing to pay for a monthly comic.
• Marvel is being inconsistent about the price increase.  Some 22-page comics remain $2.99, while others have been moved up to $3.99.  The only 22-page monthly comics at $3.99 so far are: Dark Avengers, New Avengers, Spider-Woman, Hulk, and Punisher (Max series). Why the difference in pricing?  Why is one comic more expensive than another?  Are they charging more for Bendis comics because they can get away with it?

Just a quick history lesson on price increases.  Here are the past few price increases, showing how much of an increase and when they happened.  I used Uncanny X-Men cover dates for this example:

• June 2000 went from $1.99 to $2.25
• August 2005 went from $2.25 to $2.50
• June 2006 went from $2.50 to $2.99

Some people have suggested that the “Big Two” should just drop the monthly comics and move to a trade paperback-only industry.  While that’s an interesting thought, neither of the “Big Two” is currently structured in such a way to support change like this.  From what I’ve heard, the monthly comics are paying the bills, while the trade industry is where the profit is.  As it stands right now, they can’t afford to pay their bills without the monthlies.

While only a handful of regular-sized comics are $3.99, it’s likely that Marvel & DC will begin to price all their regular-sized comics at that price.  So you gotta ask yourself, is $3.99 too much to pay for monthly 22-page comic?  I’m starting to think it might be.