Avengers Minimates Assemble!

I just received this little bundle of action in the mail, the latest Art Asylum Classic Avengers Miniamates set.

Sculpted to match the characters’ appearances in the first issue if the Avengers, the set includes four characters with interchangeable parts allowing for even more variation. The Mk I Gold Iron Man armor comes complete with the special hammer attachment used to battle the Space Phantom, Hulk has two sets of feet (not sure why), Janet Van Dyne alias the Wasp has two separate masks and two bodices to choose from in addition to her wavy locks but the real clincher is that Hank Pym has the option of donning his Ant Man helmet or Giant Man face mask, complete with a separate torso piece.

There has been a lot of excitement over the Avengers in and outside of the comic book community lately. The Secret Invasion mini-series will more likely than not involve a new revamped Avengers team and of course the movie viewing public waits with bated breath for the Avengers feature film franchise to take flight.

The miniature action figures from Art Asylum are lots of fun, easily collectible and with such a wide variety stretching out as far as the ‘Desperately Seeking Susan’ set and ‘For a Few Dollars More’ figures, the company has miniaturized quite a bevvy of famous characters. Their latest offering of Marvel Comics super-super-team is no slouch and if anything the quality far exceeds anything I have seen thus far.

Despite the fact that there are not only comic book characters being released as minimates, primarily the Super-Heroes of the Big Two have gotten the spotlight in this format. Marvel has been leading the march in this department with DC Comics all but declaring the contest over as it has stopped releasing minimates with its last line. It’s a shame because I was really enjoying the little JLA that I was building, but to be honest the Marvel Universe characters have been far more fun.

Pick up a set at your local comic shop by special order today!

Who’s Next?

With a recent announcement that David Tennant is officially leaving Doctor Who, the speculation on who will replace the popular actor has begun in full force.

For those playing at home, Doctor Who is the longest running science fiction program following the adventures of a renegade time lord across time and space as he battles all manner of monsters and baddies bent on world domination or even the domination of a high rise apartment building in space. The title role was initially played by veteran character actor William Hartnell as a kind of anti-hero who warmed to the viewers, becoming a kindly grandfather to the children of the UK as the program’s viewing figures grew. Since then several actors have played the role on the TV and film screens as well as the stage. Each actor has had varied levels of popularity before taking on the part, most famously the former laborer Tom Baker who is still regarded as THE DOCTOR. An innovative and imaginative program that struggled with budget and time constraints, the series wavered in the 1980’s before finally being canceled in 1989.

In 2005, TV Producer Russel T Davies revamped the program into a kind of mixture of its former self and a pantomime/situation drama more similar to a soap opera than a sci-fi show. While the press has boasted high viewing figures, they have rarely eclipsed the most modest of figures garnered by the classic series. Nevertheless, this new Doctor Who has developed its own cult following and with the departure of both Davies and star Tennant, the fans and press are chomping at the bit for news as to what will come next.

In the past, various actors have been favored to play the role of the eccentric Doctor; from Jennifer Saunders to Robert Carlysle or Paterson Joseph and even David Morrissey who will co-start with Tennnant in his next holiday-themed adventure ‘The Next Doctor.’

Fans are also excited about how Doctor #10 will expire. Anything from radiation poisoning to a bump on the head is possible given the history of regenerations in the TV program’s past. Knowing Davies’ love of flamboyant and over-the-top garishness, it is difficult to tell if his quote below is in jest or not.

He told crowds of waiting children at the exhibition: “A piano falls on his head, an elephant is going to kick him under a bus and then he’ll fall under a steam roller.

“His mother will come back from the dead to poison him.”

Regeneration stories are almost always classics, in my opinion the last really great one being Peter Davison’s Caves of Androzani, a story that saw the noble Doctor sacrifice himself to save his companion’s life. Each time a Doctor is on his way out, I have to admit that I recall the first time I heard Davison mutter, ‘Is this death?’ before the series changed forever I got a little shiver.

It’s these big event stories that really stick with you. I’m excited that another one is on its way.

What to do with the Superman movies

DC Comics/Warner Bros is currently stalled in the production of a second new generation Superman movie. Rumor has it that after the unparalleled impact that The Dark Knight had with cinema goers, the producers want to follow suit with the ideas used in The Dark Knight for their boy in blue. This would conceivably mean darker Superman film with more serious plot elements.

This is, to my ears, a very bad idea. However, anything that perpetuates what we have seen thus far is a bad idea to me.

After seeing the 4 films in the 1970’s/80’s Superman movies and the more recent Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns, I think I know how things can be ’saved.’ The first two Superman films work quite well in their time (aside from the strange ‘Can You Read My Mind’ musical number). Seeing as how this was the only comic book film on the block at the time and special effects were still in an early developmental stage, the tagline ‘you will believe a man can fly’ could not have been more apt. That was the selling point right there. Anything else was icing. The producers had a golden opportunity with Christopher Reeves, a talented stage actor who perfectly sold the character of Clark Kent/Superman in a way we may never see replicated (and that’s okay, there’s a reason legends exist).

However, all 5 Superman movies to date share mainly the same ideas and plots recycled over and over (aside from Superman II featuring evil Kryptonian criminals which many still think of as the best one). I swear, if I see one more movie featuring Lex Luthor plotting an evil scheme I will shave my own head. This is in no way a judgment on either Hackman or Spacey’s performance as both owned the character completely. I’m still overwhelmed with Spacey’s amazing performance as Lex Luthor.

However, the idea of a man flying and a charismatic character actor do not a super hero film make. Times have changed and what was once an oddity is now a genre. Audiences are used to bigger explosions and effects, sure, but each successful comic book movie has its own flavor. Dark Knight is scary and high-art in its approach, X-Men is an ensemble film replete with adolescent angst, Iron Man is a fun and action-packed film that appeals to almost everyone, Spider-Man is a modern-day serial picture almost perfectly capturing the spirit of the original… so where does that leave Superman, formerly the only show in town?

Richard Donner recently suggested that his former assistant and current comic book wonder writer Geoff Johns be approached to write the next Superman film tentatively entitled ‘Man of Steel’ (currently in what is called ‘development Hell’).

While I do hold a very special spot in my heart for Geoff Johns’ comic books (his runs on Green Lantern, Flash, Hawkman and Action Comics are absolutely superb), I think that having him on the next film would push the franchise down a path it does not need to go and frankly would not excel at- a dark action super hero flick.

One of the seminal super hero comic book characters in the industry, Superman remains unique in that there have been so many approaches to what makes him tick. From comedy to fantasy to hard sci-fi, big blue has seen it all. Most recently Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely collaborated on a series intended to entice new readers to the character called All Star Superman. A veritable love letter to the madly inventive tales of the 1960’s, the series is an utter success and has been hailed by comic book readers who would never have read a Superman comic otherwise.

This approach of ‘use what works’ had also been done as a one-off by Alan Moore (Watchmen, V for Vendetta, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) and legendary Superman artist Curt Swan in ‘Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?’ (collected in DC Universe The Stories of Alan Moore) a story that is regarded as one of the absolute best the Metroplois Marvel has starred in.Replete with out of this world adventure and nail-biting drama, Alan Moore’s story also honors the character for what he is and the talented British writer ignores the temptation to ‘make his mark’ or ‘fix’ anything. It is also a milestone as it serves as the last Superman story before John Byrne took the character over with Marv Wolfman in 1985 and transformed the title into an homage to the 1950’s run mixed with a hard-edged sci-fi feel.

This backdrop of madcap inventiveness and absurdity played against mundane everyday life is the character’s strength, in my opinion and could easily make Superman movies a force to be reckoned with.

If you must have Luthor in the film, keep him, but do something some of the best Superman writers have done, use him in a new way (rather than a simple mustache-twirling villain coming up with a half-baked scheme that Superman puts a stop to in the fourth act).

My idea would involve Superman in an off-world adventure that got him out of Metropolis and into an eye-poppingly odd environment where he can perform super feats. While he is away, Luthor would no longer have to worry about Superman’s interference, allowing him to completely take over for the first time. Lois and Jimmy could try and stop Luthor and could hold him at bay until Superman returned from his other adventure and got to clean house. This formula would make what has become a frankly tired franchise new again and introduce new strengths to moviegoers that are tried and true concepts to comic book readers. A solid supporting cast of Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane and the oddball hyper-inventive ideas that could be used in a new setting would really make Superman pop out to moviegoers all over again, and honestly that needs to happen.

This is not rocket science, guys. I love the Superman films, but even as a kid was terribly disappointed by the fact that there wasn’t anything to really challenge him in any of the 5 movies. The filmmakers tried to compensate with the ‘feats of strength, speed’ etc that make him far hardier than a mortal man, but I don’t think that is enough for modern audiences.

We need a new Superman movie to make the guy on the street as excited to see it as he was to see Iron Man or Batman and that does not mean to imitate either. Superman is the blueprint for the superhuman hero and it’s for a reason. I just hope that the moviemakers don’t forget that.

Recommended:

DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore
All Star Superman, Vol. 1
All Star Superman, Vol. 2
Superman: Last Son
Showcase Presents Superman VOL 04 (Showcase Presents)

Tales of Green Lantern Corps – reprinted!

Waaaay back in the day when I first dallied with the four-colored addiction known as comic books (1981), I was dearly wanted to read a kick ass Green Lantern comic. As such, there was no monthly series at the time, but got something better, a mini-series entitled ‘Takes of the Green Lantern Corps.’ Thanks to the recent unparalleled success of Green Lantern in his own comic, the series is now available to a whole new audience.

Epic in scale, think of it as a first draft of Sinestro Corps War… it was that good.

From the beautiful Brian Bolland covers, this three issue series by Mike Barr (Len Wein) and Joe Staton is a treasure. After a somewhat lackluster reception to his monthly comic, Tales re-introduces a vast gallery of other space police-men. Some of these characters are known to long-time fans while others are new. Yet, it was the inclusion of the power-mad Krona and his horde of monstrosities that made this comic sing to my young eyes… it was the operatic scale of devastation.

The story began with a pleasant meet-up in space and reached a crescendo as characters battled on the rim of death’s realm itself, a giant ghoul reaching out and reducing hero and villain alike to specters with a mere touch!

Krona is set on re-creating the big band in order to harness the primal power source of the universe. It is the brutal defeat of the seemingly unstoppable Green Lantern Corps at the end of Krona’s spiked fists that stuck with me. I had never really seen a hero fall so far in a DC Comic, and Hal Jordan, Green Lantern of Earth, was seen hanging on for dear life in this one.

Featuring a plot that would be developed again by Marv Wolfman where Krona re-appeared in Crisis on Infinite Earths, this book is a real treat into the history of DC Comics. And since GL scribe Geoff Johns is delving into old material, I have no doubt that there is a hint of storylines to come hidden in these pages.

Make sure to reserve a copy today!

Recommended:
Green Lantern: Rebirth
Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 1
Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 2
Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Vol. 1 (Green Lantern (Graphic Novels))

Baptism of Formula!

Enjoy this announcement about my new baby boy…

Early this morning, a new hero was thrust head-first into a world he never made!

Equipped with strange and unique powers ranging from a grip of iron, strong kicking legs and the ability to emit monkey-like sounds, this champion was beset upon almost immediately by a horde of nurses. While their coo-ing may have seemed innocent, their actions told a different story. Endless assaults by a rogue’s gallery of health care professionals have subjected him to a vast array of tests, dearly tried the extent of his steely will and fortitude of character.

Despite impossible odds, he has soldiered on through his first day on this bizarre planet.

What does the future hold? Who can tell, but he will meet each challenge with stoic concentration and a deep desire to see this thing through, no matter how many obstacles block his path… until he can find the way back to his warm and comforting home so very far away.

Noh-Vahrr, the New Captain Marvel?

A character who originally premiered in the very first issue of Marvel Comics alongside Namor the Sub Mariner and Ka-Zar, Marvel Boy was a rather simple super-powered young man with golden curls. The character was revamped several times throughout the years but never really came together.

Flash forward to 2000 when Grant Morrison and J G Jones’ Marvel Boy mini-series for Marvel Knights.

A teenager of the perfect race of Kree warriors, Noh-Varr became stranded on an alternate Earth ruled by the megalomaniacal villain Midas, whose sole purpose was to hunt down cosmic rays in an effort to become more powerful. Midas wears an oddly familiar version of Iron Man’s Mach I armor, but there is no relation to the golden avenger. In fact, there are no heroes at all in this counter Earth, causing Noh-Varr to rebel. Disgusted by the backwards world he lived in and full of hatred with any authority, Noh-Vahrr struck out wildly, causing untold amounts of damage to this strange world. Battling not only Dr. Midas, but the corporate virus Hexus, one of Grant Morrison’s most enjoyably bizarre ideas. Never mind that Midas’ daughter Oubliette looks exactly like the recently unveiled evil Mary Marvel, this being one of Grant’s first Marvel Comics series, it is lots of fun to see the Scottish scribe playing in a brand new sandbox.

Eventually SHIELD managed to capture the troublesome teen in a cosmic prison cell called the Cube where the character disappeared for many years. In the recent Avengers: Illuminati mini-series, Noh-Varr re-appeared and was left to look after his fellow prisoners in hope that it would make him honorable. In fact, Noh-Varr plotted a cosmic jail break, leading his inmates like a grand army. All of this went south as the Skrull Invasion caused his plans to disintegrate.

Completely dazed in the middle of a war zone, Noh-Varr called out to the Kree Supreme Intelligence for telepathic guidance and was nearly struck down by a crashing Skrull Cruiser being attacked by Captain Marvel in his final death throes. For those not keeping track, this is not the original Mar-Vell, but instead a Skrull imposter who broke his programming to fight his people as the great Captain Marvel would.

For fans of the latest Captain Marvel mini-series, seeing the character perish after obtaining his freedom so recently is a real downer, but in inspires Noh-Varr to get his act together and stretch from the pages of Mighty Avengers #19 to Secret Invasion #7. Noh-Varr’s appearance on the battlefield is striking and raises the question, has the Marvel Universe found it’s new Captain Marvel?

Only time (and the inevitable mini-series) will tell. But it is exciting to see Marvel Comics finally developing this character into something new and perhaps lasting. And we all like new ideas, right?

Recommended:
Marvel Boy Premiere HC (Marvel Knights)
Captain Marvel: Secret Invasion Premiere HC (Captain Marvel (Unnumbered))
Essential Captain Marvel Volume 1 TPB (Essential)

Longshot

During a recent visit to the local comic shop, I noticed a strange addition to the new releases rack of hardcovers, Longshot by Ann Nocenti and Art Adams. Looking at the cover, I was almost instantly transported back to 1985 and I asked myself who would be interested in reading this thing?

Back in the day, Art Adams was one of the most popular comic book artists. His work in both New Mutants and X-Men specials garnered him the acclaim and attention from the comic book reading public. His stylized line work and level of detail and character proved his reputation as a star artist. This caused the reprint of the mini-series that those in the know already owned, Longshot.

The adventures of a reluctant gladiator in an alternate dimension ruled over by the morbidly obese monster, Mojo. Obsessed with viewer ratings of his programing transmitted to various worlds, Mojo pitted his star attraction Longshot against the most dangerous creatures until the strange hero disobeyed his master to lead a revolution. A bizarre and unique character, Longshot was eventually enfolded into the X-Men universe and even shared the spotlight with the rampaging mutants for a time.

Empowered with an odd power of luck, Longshot’s madcap dialog, dazzling eye, hollow bones and throwing knives made him an almost classic character with his own cult following. A fun-loving read, the new hardcover printing is a kind of time capsule to a simpler time… or is it?

Make sure to flip through a copy to find out!

Recommended:

X-Men: Longshot Premiere HC

Wonder Woman Day III

For the third year running, the fantastic Wonder Woman Day is back!

A prestigious fundraiser to raise awareness for domestic violence shelters and women’s crisis hot-lines, Wonder Woman Day is an event that should make every comic book fan proud. With all of the blockbuster films, DVDs and video games bearing the symbols of our favorite characters, it warms my heart that Wonder Woman is being utilized in such a positive way. Every year this event raises money for a worthy cause with the support of several well known artists as well as those new to the field of comic books.

This year comic scribe and former columnist Gail Simone (of Action Comics and WW fame) and Adam Hughes (star cover artist of many DC Comics and a nice guy to boot!) will be on hand for signings and sharing tales of how Wonder Woman touched their lives.

It may sound silly to say these things, but comic book characters can be icons that mean far more than just a monthly fix of entertainment before it is stored in Lucite. Events like this one would make the creators of these characters proud and also bring together artists and an entire community in a brand new way.

Below are two examples of the art on auction; one is by my good friend Greg Moutafis (of Hero Corps and Boom!Squad), the other by one of my favorite DC Comics artists, Ryan Sook (of Arkham Asylum: Living Hell and Hawkman).

Click on the images to view full-sized scans.

Whether you can make it to either location or not, make sure to stop by the official website to learn more about this even and even browse through the great art!

Cruise of the Gods- a film that dares to look at fandom

As many of my readers may have deduced, I’m a bit of an Anglophile. Not that there is anything wrong with America that a decent election or change of producers cannot fix, but most of my days I spend watching one BBC production or another on my region-free player.

Thanks to friend and entertainment sage John Caples, I was introduced to the program ‘I’m Alan Partridge’ a number of years back. In turn, I recommended the brilliant comedy starring Steve Coogan as a down on his luck failed TV personality now living in a travel lodge in the middle of nowhere hosting a late-night radio show, ‘I’m Alan Partridge‘ to all of my friends. It wasn’t until I honeymooned in the UK (not something I recommend) that I caught this off-shoot of Baby Cow productions (creators of the Alan Partridge series), ‘Cruise of the Gods.’

Starring Rob Brydon (of Marion and Geoff) as the bitter former star of the cult sci-fi program ‘Children of Castor’ a kind of strange mixture of Dr Who, Blake’s 7 and Tomorrow People. The short film follows the events on a pleasure cruise based around the TV program. Even in this brief clip, keen-eyed viewers will notice other BBC comic talents such as Little Britain’s David Walliams and Coogan himself. One of the gags of the film is that while Brydon has had no luck finding any other acting work, Coogan is the star of Sherlock Holmes in Miami.

The film is rather tame in comparison to Baby Cow’s other productions but definitely has strong appeal to sci-fi fans or anyone who has braved a convention of fans. It’s pretty accurate, actually and not at all the flippant kiss-off that most ‘let’s laugh at fandom’ comedies usually end up being. The depiction of the disinterested star to the boozed out writer, both complete failures in any venue other than a sci-fi convention surrounded by neurotic doting fans is something that could easily be over-played but Cruise of the Gods finds something new in it.

So, uh… go look for a torrent or something because it’s not available in the US.

Monster-Size Hulk

What great timing, eh?

While DC Comics releases a comic where Superman and Batman fight werewolves, Marvel published a king-size special where the Hulk dukes it out with the Monster of Frankenstein, Werewolf by Night and Dracula himself!

I purchased the special issue in a kind of flurry of excitement and will admit that I did not hope for much when I finally decided to read it. Yet what a surprise this issue turned out to be!

The first tale is the real star where Bruce Banner is tricked into giving the Monster of Frankenstein a blood-transfusion, turning it into a raging super-powered monstrosity. Stellar art and a tight story make this a must-read (while I’m still hazy as to why Bruce helped revive the monster at all). The rumination on what makes a monster is textbook stuff for Hulk fans, but this story added a little something to the formula by presenting a genuine monster to co-star.

The second tale is cursed by poor coloring that make it nearly illegible, but I have to admire the attempt to mimic moonlight in the battle between the Hulk and Werewolf by Night. A character all but forgotten these days, it was a treat to see the Werewolf by Night return to the page if only for a moment.

A brief humorous tale (which I adored) breaks up the rhythm just enough for the finale that I had not planned on reading at all as it was mostly text (so many words and few pictures frustrate my puny mind). But the Hulk vs Dracula short story by Peter David was both fun and exciting. An accomplished writer or prose and comic books, David remains one of the best out there.

So if you are looking for a Hulk comic to dive into after this week’s release of the Incredible Hulk DVD, you should check this one out at your local comic shop!