Let’s Talk (Micronauts)

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The toy market of the 1970’s was a hotbed of whacked-out innovations. Just looking at the selection that included the ‘Thing Maker’ and an Evel Keneivel stunt cycle that also repeatedly crashed as well as Batman dolls that performed real kung fu, it was clear that the toy makers were on fire. One of the more interesting and endearing toy lines to be imported into the United States was the Micronauts. Essentially modular plastic men that fired rubber darts, these little guys were retooled into an entire mythology in the U.S., an experiment that expanded into the comic book scene.

The Micronauts toys created by Mego were very sturdy and had an almost unreal air about them. Maybe it was the way that missiles seemed capable of doing real damage or the fact that Baron Karza could magnetically be transformed into a centaur, but these toys made a real impact on kids of the era. Some Micronaut designs even returned in the mid 80’s as Transformers, including Optimus Prime.

Ofcourse, Micronauts (or Microman as he is known) is an entirely different affair in Japan, where the toys influence full on prog-rock-style psychedelic freak-outs.

The Micronauts comicbook series from Marvel took the toyline imported and developed by Mego and fleshed it out in an entirely new action series worthy of the mighty Marvel manner.

A sci-fi opera written by Bill Mantlo based simply on the toys themselves released three years prior, Micronauts is a sprawling epic galactic war affair with Commander Rann, Marionette, Bug, Biotron, Microtron and ofcourse the mighty Acroyer on one side and the evil Baron Karza and his massive army of loyal minions on the other. The battleground was ofcourse Earth, where the heroes strangely took on the proportionate size of children’s toys (fancy that!?).

The series attracted many top talent comic creators including Michael Golden, Howard Chaykin and even Gil ‘Sugar’ Kane. A cult hit, the Micronauts even crossed over with the X-Men and Rom the Space Knight (another comic book/toy character). Outlasting the toyline that inspired them, some of the Micronauts characters are still with us today, such as the simply-named Bug who stars in the pages of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.

In the budding days of his popularity online, writer Warren Ellis held the Micronauts as a veritable symbol of everything that is wrong with comics, stating ‘We ask you what you want and you say bring back Micronauts.’ Ellis touted the importance of new material and more genre comics rather than a reproduction of what had come before. It’s ironic that after the success of his creator-owned and independent work, Ellis went on to write for both of the big two publishers on some its more commercial properties from JLA to Fantastic Four and even a reworking of the New Universe after making such a stance on the importance of new material. We have also seen more succesful revivals of old ideas from the 1970’s and 80’s based on toys. I’m not saying that Ellis was wrong, but he wasn’t exactly right either.

Brought out of retirement several times over and by several publishing houses from Image Comics to Devil’s Due, the Micronauts have seen their share of revivals. Just goes to show how far you can go with a magnetic horse and a few mushroom-shaped missiles.

For more info on the Micronauts mythology, please visit these sites:

MegoCentral
InnerSpaceOnline
Micro Forever

11/8/09 update – JJ Abrams (Lost, Star Trek ‘09) may be developing the Micronauts for as feature film.

Alan Moore’s Wild C.A.T.s

The ‘Shakespeare of comics,’ Alan Moore had made quite a namer for himself back in the mid-1990’s. After completing V for Vendetta, he had redefined Swamp Thing, developed Watchmen and even written one of the most cherished  modern Superman stories to date.

So, what next? 

After a series of high-concept art comics such as Big Numbers and From Hell, Alan Moore blew everyone’s mind in a way that no one saw coming… he worked for Image Comics. The independent comic company formed by the young darlings of Marvel Comics including Todd McFarlane and Rob Liefeld, Image gleefully embraced the grim and violent material that young readers were looking for. Overly stylized characters posing against empty backgrounds next to women pushing their tooshies as far out as they could, this was the real 1990’s era of comics (an era I often refer to as ‘the dark times’). 

So why did Moore write a series that was so far outside of anything he was interested in?

I’m not really sure, but it may be related to the 1963 series he had created with Rick Veitch, John Totleben and Steve Bissette. While working on 1963, which greatly aped and paid homage to the work of Marvel Comics in its infancy, Moore may have gotten a wild hair to try his hand at the big boys comics.

As fun as 1963 is, it’s a one off. If Moore was really interested in long underwear super hero fare, he had to sup at the bowl of monthly comics like all the others guys. I really admire him for doing this and it must be said that many characters were cherry-picked from his run on Wild C.A.T.s by Warren Ellis and Joe Casey many moons later.

But is it any good?

The way I had first heard of Moore’s run on Wild C.A.T.s was by hearing that someone (probably Mark Millar) had brought them to Grant Morrison while he wad recuperating in the hospital. Morrision has stated that memories of receiving comics when he was sick as a child caused him to connect comics as a way of ‘getting better’ and these did the trick (and probably informed his writing for a later time).

At a time when the only ‘good’ super hero comics were post-modern cerebral reworkings of key concepts, Wild C.A.T.s was just pure men in tights action done well. The series had a rather convoluted plot and lots of characters, but Moore was hardly intimidated and made sense of things rather quickly. He even invented a few new characters, including Ladytron and the conniving T.A.O. (later to be seen in Ed Brubaker’s series Sleeper). 

Full of some eye-catching artwork and interesting plots, the reaction to Alan Moore’s run on Wild C.A.T.s turned from ‘what is he doing??‘ to ‘have you read this??’

It’s unfortunate that it has been more or less forgotten nowadays. While not one of his more commercially successful comics (ironic, given that he was producing exactly what the public wanted), these issues of Wild C.A.T.s remain a time capsule of 90’s comics done well and what happens when a gifted writer creates a straight-forward super hereo comic. 

Recommended:

Alan Moore: The Complete WildC. A. T.s (Wildc.a.T.S.)

Doctor Who and the Cybermen

Introduced as far back as 1966, the Cybermen have the unusual honor of being the first monster to ‘kill’ the Doctor. Ofcourse the Cybermen are not actually responsible for the 1st Doctor’s regeneration, but they do appear in the last William Hartnell story, where viewers saw the character die for the first time, only to be reborn in another form. Created by script writer Gerry Davis and medical scientist Kit Pedler, the Cybermen are unique in that they are monsters that say much about humanity and its obsession with technology and fear of death.

They’re also pretty cool.

Appearing opposite 6 of the seven doctors in the classic series (even Pertwee got a brief scene in the Five Doctors), the Cybermen are an awkward adversary it must be said. They are meant to be cold emotionless beings encased in metal life support systems yet they continually show anger, fear, annoyance and even pride. Eric Saward who wrote two of the three 1980’s Cybermen stories took it on the chin saying that it was just impossible to write a scene with an emotionless villain. How can a villain gloat without showing emotion, anyhow? They are also meant to be impervious to harm yet anything from pocket change to nail polish remover can kill them stone dead. Nevertheless, they captivated audiences and aside from the Daleks, still hold a special place in the hearts of the program’s viewers.

Cyberman '66

The initial Cybermen story, Tenth Planet, is looked upon as rather primitive and unsophisticated which I think is unfair. A run-of-the-mill ‘base under siege’ story, the plot can easily put you to sleep. However. the Cybermen themselves are just terrifying! The design is mad, a cloth mask with holes cut out for eyes and mouth, the entire body wrapped in a kind of rain slicker and various electronics strapped to the body as if placed there in desperation. It looks crazy and mush-shapen and that is what makes it so scary to me. Even the voice was unsettling, supplied by veteran vocal actor Roy Skelton. Roy would speak his lines into a machine that would distort the sound of his voice and the actor would mime the delivery. The end result was like watching an animated corpse communicate.

As a viewer, I only saw this initial version in action when the ‘Hartnell Years’ vhs tape was released in the 90’s and I was gob-smacked. The off-time voice and bizarre body movements clashed with the 80’s version I had become accustomed to.

Cybermen '67

Hartnell’s successor Patrick Troughton could possibly have fought more monsters and alien invasions than any other era of the program. In fact he battled the Cybermen four times in his three-year run as the lead. Each time the villains returned they changed slightly, being redesigned by the costume department for both practical and aesthetic reasons. Special effects also advanced greatly, allowing Cybermen to control minds from a distance and even burst from a hybernation sphere (truly one of the weirdest scenes I’ve witnessed in Dr Who).

The motivation of the Cybermen is rather iffy for some reason. The Cybermen in Tenth Planet were a dying race looking for new bodies to extend their lives, the villains seen in most of the other adventures are by and large monster looking to destroy humanity full stop (which is odd behavior for a race devoid of emotion). The Daleks, in comparison, are much more straight forward extreme Nazis who will kill anything that is not a Dalek. The initial idea behind the Cybermen was that they were dying off and needed more raw material and a new home, making them a kind of parasite on humanity. It’s a shame that this concept wasn’t more firmly accepted by the production team rather than just bringing them back as a baddie because the public loves them.

The later Cybermen stories range from classics like the Invasion and Tomb of the Cybermen to the forgettable until 1982 when the Cybermen returned in Earthshock. The appearance of the Cybermen was a genuine shock to viewers simply because they existed only in the minds of anyone old enough to have seen the 60’s episode or in the pages of Dr Who annuals and monster books. At least, that’s how the story goes. I’m assuming that most viewers just blotted out the very poor outing Tom Baker’s ‘Revenge of the Cybermen,’ which is fair enough.

Cybermen '82

Earthshock is a fan favorite for many but I have to confess that aside from the nostalgia factor I don’t see the appeal. A meandering plot, awful guest actors and an argument from the Doctor that Cybermen need to enjoy a home-cooked meal make the story rather low on the classic totem pole. Yet… it did re-introduce the Cybermen and it did so to great effect. The design was a massive step away from what we had seen previously and screamed that this was a show with a budget to the viewers.

The new ‘Cyberman march’ theme tune was also an instant classic and is the only piece of 1980’s incedental Doctor Who music to make an emotional impact of sheer creepiness, something the 60’s composers did every week. 

Unfortunately the Cybermen were brought back in 2006 in the new Doctor Who series.

This version never really worked for me, which is a shame as I’m partial to Cybermen. The fact that they are from a parallel Earth takes a large part away from their relevance and their Riverdance-style movements are almost as laughable as the new catch-phrase ‘delete.’ I mean, what kind of battle cry is that?

Cybermen '06

Nevertheless, the Cybermen live on.

Just this month, Attack of the Cybermen was released on DVD. A Colin Baker adventure, this one is often forgotten by fans as it is hemmed in by the revered Earthshock on one end and the dismal Silver Nemesis on the other. That being the case, it is neither great nor awful. The first episode contains an unusual amount of atmosphere all thanks to Maurice Colburn who reprises his role of intergalactic mercenary Lytton. Lytton’s bank job and the escape of the two prisoners on Telos make the bulk of the first 45 minutes and are very well done, polished examples of 1980’s TV. Unfortunately, the rest is not and withers into the land of plastic rayguns and children’s entertainment. But the folks at the BBC thought of this and included some stellar DVD extras including a retrospective on the Cybermen, a visual journey through their varied designs and even a special segment on a real live cyborg who implanted a microchip in his nervous system.

No kidding.

While the activities of Kevin Warwick are strange and unusual, they are also very feasible. I’m glad that it made it on to the DVD because while it is an obvious connection from fiction to reality, it also drives home the message that the Cybermen had back in 66, the horror or death and our inability to escape it will drive humanity to extremes. 

Pretty heady stuff for a goofy British sci-fo show, huh?

Recommended:

Doctor Who Lost in Time Collection of Rare Episodes – The Patrick Troughton Years 1966-1969 (contains segments of the Moonbase and Wheel in Space)
Doctor Who – The Tomb of the Cybermen
Doctor Who – The Invasion
Doctor Who – Earthshock (Episode 122)
Doctor Who: Attack of the Cybermen (Episode 138)

‘Aliens’ returns to Dark Horse Comics

During the late 1980’s, comics were in a bad state. Whereas there were once high quality comics from Marvel and DC and the independent industry was booming, those options were becoming fewer and fewer. It seemed that there were very few good options out there as the decade that had seen so much innovation was running out of ideas. Then Dark Horse Comics came along and things got interesting. I don’t mean to condemn comics not published by Dark Horse, but for the first time in a long while people were excited about comics in a new way. Also, these were often people who had no real interest in comics suddenly stopping into comic shops. It was an odd phenomenon.  Part of this success came from the fact that Dark Horse had nabbed the right to Predator, the Terminator and Aliens. Mark Verheiden (whose name you probably noticed on the remake of Battlestar Galactica) helmed the Aliens comics and gave fans of the second film a reason to get involved in the monthly comics game.

Dark Horse Presents: Aliens

The Aliens comics practically took over the market for a time and also attracted several big names in the industry from Mike Mignola (creator of Hellboy) to Peter Milligan (Shade the Changing Man, the Programme) to one-time fan boy magnet Simon Bisley. Eventually it died out, but after the spark of interest generated by the release of bulky ‘Omnibus’ collections, Dark Horse is bringing the franchise back to comics in a big way.

Aliens #1 2009 Cover

The new series will see the return of Aliens writer John Arcudi (creator of the Mask, Barb Wire, and writer of various franchise comics from Robocop to The Thing From Another World) assisted by Zach Howard and Mark Irwin on art chores.

The premise goes like this…

A group of wildcat planetary prospectors plant their flag on a distant new world, rich in land, resources . . . and mystery. Within this seemingly uninhabited planet lies the greatest archaeological discovery in history, an ancient, abandoned complex of impossible proportions carved deep within the living rock, a mind-numbing labyrinth of passages, ramps, bridges, and galleries that seems to extend limitlessly. But as the exploration of the leviathan dead city proceeds deeper and deeper, the members of the team slowly begin to lose their grip on reality. But madness gives way to fear as the explorers begin to disappear one by one. Something else lives within the necropolis, a faceless horror as deadly and merciless as space itself, a lethal terror that has waited centuries to awake . . . and destroy.

While Dark Horse has always had several non-franchise comics to add to its success such as Paul Chadwick’s excellent Concrete series, it could be said that Aliens greatly contributed to putting them on the map back in the day. The comics of old were not cheap tie-ins either but very well done comics that stand up to re-reading today. By bringing the franchise back into print, Dark Horse stands a good chance of bringing some new readers to comics, something the very insular market desperately needs.

Aliens #1 hits the shelves on May 27th.

Recommended:

Aliens Omnibus, Vol. 1
Aliens Omnibus Volume 2 (v. 2)
Aliens vs. Predator Omnibus, Vol. 1 (v. 1)

Jeff Parker on ‘The Hood’ mini-series

One of the newest super-villains to be introduced in recent years at Marvel is the Hood and he is about to become much more important thanks to his role in the Dark Reign of Norman Osborn. Jeff Parker’s new mini-series (out this month) will more fully develop this newcomer to the world of wickedness.

First appearing back in 2002 as a run-of-the-mill crook who happens upon a mystical cloak and boots that grants him invisibility and flight, Parker Robbins resurfaced in the pages of Brian Michael Bendis’ New Avengers as a somewhat changed character. This was part of Bendis’ habit of picking up characters that no one was using, including Luke Cage, Echo and the Sentry, and establishing them as major players in the Marvel Universe. 

During the mayhem created by the Civil War and the Skrull Invasion, Robbins formed a kind of co-op of minor villains. He pointed out that the villains were living their lives in a vicious cycle of fight hero, get captured, fight hero, get captured and they deserved better. Under the Hood’s organization, the villains would be protected by their strength in numbers. DC Comics tried something similar to this back in their Countdown to Infinite Crisis days but it eventually disappeared. The criminal organization of the Hood made him a force to be dealt woth by the New Avengers, but the reaction of Dr Strange to seeing Robbins was especially telling. It turns out that the Hood’s cloak is imbued with power through the dread Dormamu,  Strange’s nemesis.

 From the cover of New Avengers #52 (part of a storyline exploring who will become the next Sorcerer Supreme), it appears that the Hood is going to become even more powerful in the days to come.

New Avengers #52 starring the Hood

Download the podcast here.

Recommended:

New Avengers, Vol. 6: Revolution (v. 6)

The Hood (New Avengers)

The IT Crowd

Father Ted creator and Black Books director Graham Linehan’s latest series hits all the right buttons at just the right time. As our culture has embraced the once derided geek or nerd, this program hails the subculture of comics, toys, video games and computer trivia making it one of the most timely programs to arrive in ages.

The program centers on the relationship between IT engineers Roy and Maurice Moss (or Moss for short) and their new manager Jen Barber who is thrust upon them by their absent minded CEO Denholm Reynholm (played with aplomb by cult comedic icon Chris Morris- creator of Nathan Barley and Jam). The three are opposite ends of the spectrum as the two IT veterans are social misfits and their new boss knows nothing about technology. This prompts the trio to help each other out by filling in the blanks each one lacks. It’s a basic premise. In fact, all of Linehan’s comedies seem to have very basic premises and I think it’s just an efficient way of him saying ‘can we just get on to the jokes?’

Similar to the characters in both Father Ted and Black Books, no one in the progarm seems all that interested in doing any work. In fact Roy takes the time to invent a reel-to-reel phone device that acts as a stand-in for himself when the phone rings, prompting callers to ‘turn it on and off again’ when they report an IT issue… which is usually a suffcient solution. The cast is brilliant but I have to single out the versatile Richard Ayoade (Moss) who can also be seen in Darkplace as Garth Marenghi’s agent Dean Learner. It’s really something seeing him in this role and he embodies the physical awkwardness of Moss so perfectly that you wonder how he functions at all.

The BAFTA award-winning program has enjoyed three seasons and is scheduled for a fourth in 2010. Episode plots range from men sharing the experience of having a menstrual cycle, the revelation of the secret goth IT tech (played by the Mighty Boosh’s Noel Fielding) and the psychotic breakdown of a visiting stress-relief expert. It’s all very corny and straight-forward making the program seem a bit simple at times, especially in comparison to the more overly complex British comedies such as League of Extraordinary Gentlemen or the Mighty Boosh but I think therein lay its charm.

In the US, the series can be seen on IFC and is finally out on DVD.

The IT Crowd: The Complete Season One

Bond is back!

It should come as no surprise that I’m a big James Bond fan. While I ewas raised on the Roger Moore films, I have since taken a shine to the Sean Connery Bonds as being definitive of the franchise. With the DVD release of the latest Bond Daniel Craig’s second outing in Quantum of Solace, I wanted to take a look at Connery’s sophomore outing, From Russia With Love. If for no other reason than to introduce those unfamiliar with the flick to one of the best in the series.
Part of the Bond mystique has always been tied to the 1960’s. Part intrigue, part jet-set and part pop art, Bond IS an icon of the decade. It was even rumored that when the franchise ran out of steam in the late 1990’s that it was going to be rebooted as a period piece directed by Quentin Tarantino. Even President Kennedy was a Bond fan! Recognized as President Kennedy’s favorite of the Bond books, From Russia With Love was slated as a favorite amongst the filmmakers to follow in the footsteps of Dr. No.

While Dr. No is essentially where we can see the franchise finding its footing, From Russia With Love is a bold leap in a new direction. Far more action-packed and violent than its predecessor, it is also full of neurotic sadists that bring a certain kind of unique danger to the film. Connery’s mixture of pug and prince makes him one of the most unique actors to play the role (and personally I think Craig is following in his footsteps quite well). An articulate and cultured man, Bond is also presented as something of a punk who brazenly disobeys orders when it pleases him and gets in way over his head as a result.

The setting of the film is key to the success of this film as well. Traveling to Istanbul to obtain the Lektor, a sophisticated code-breaking machine used by the Soviet Union. Adding some interest to the deal is that it will be handed to Bond by a Soviet agent who claims to be in love with him. It’s certainly a trap, but MI6 cannot pass up the opportunity to get the code-breaker and Bond cannot pass up the beautiful Tatiana Romanova awaiting him on the other side of the iron curtain. It is indeed a trap carefully laid out by the organization known as SPECTRE (closely related to the real life organization SMERSH) who have been plotting to kill Bond after his success at thwarting Dr. No’s plans.

Agent Rosa Kleb (played by former German chanteuse Lotte Lenya) has tricked Romanova into luring Bond to the USSR, making the unsuspecting clerk think that she is actually serving mother Russia and not a secret global crime ring. The entire plot will result in placing Bond and the Lektor on a train where her assassin will strike. Kleb has trained her secret weapon Red Grant who appears to be nothing more than an attack dog in human form to take Bond out on the train at a key moment. Grant has got to be one of the most impressively villainous characters in Bond history. Whenever he is on the screen one can sense the destructive power being delicately held in check. His combat scenes with Connery in the cramped train car must have been startling at the time and they still hold up today.

Full of excitement, danger and thrilling locations, this remains my favorite Bond film of them all. So if you are a new Bond fan excited about Quantum of Solace and the success of the Bond franchise’ rebirth or a seasoned one who has never seen this gem, make sure to remedy that situation as soon as possible.

Recommended:
From Russia with Love (James Bond) [Blu-ray]
Casino Royale (2-Disc Widescreen Edition)
Goldfinger [Blu-ray]
Quantum of Solace (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition with Bonus Book)
James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace- XBox 360

Diggle confirmed as new DD writer, signs exclusive contract

As I wrote two weeks back, so it has come to pass.

Andy Diggle is officially taking over as writer of Daredevil. Additionally, he has sign an exclusive contract with Marvel. He recently talked about his plans for the series and a couple of other projects on the horizon including a Hawkeye mini-series (remember when that guy wasn’t dead? Now he gets all the attention!).

Wraparound cover to Daredevil #500, Brubaker's last

Marvel.com: When Brubaker took over, the hand off between he and Bendis’ runs felt pretty seamless not so much because they coordinated story points as Ed just picked up the ball where Brian left it and said, “OK, now we’re going all the way over here…to prison!” What’s been your plan on where to take things up from Ed and Michael’s run?

Andy Diggle: Brian’s run ended with a fantastic cliffhanger—namely, Matt Murdock exposed and in prison—and Ed’s been gracious enough to leave me with an equally provocative starting-point for my run. Obviously, I don’t want to spoil it, but let’s juts say it’s a pretty challenging set-up that cuts to the core of what defines Matt Murdock, and Daredevil, as a character. It’s pretty crazy! It’s gonna get people talking, no question.

Marvel.com: What is your first issue of the book, and what can you say if anything about the story you’ve got planned?

Andy Diggle: My understanding is that issue #500 will be Ed’s last. As for the specifics, I’m sworn to secrecy! But the challenge for me will be telling a story that’s distinctly DAREDEVIL yet still feels fresh and new, without simply re-treading what’s gone before. Staying true to the character and the spirit of the series, while still being able to shake things up and subvert expectations. That’s always a fine line to navigate. But like I say, Ed’s leaving me with a hell of a cliffhanger, and exploring the ramifications of that new status-quo is going to take us to some very dark and interesting places.

Read the rest here

Diggle also spoke to Newsarama’s Matt Brady and hinted that the artist for his run has been chosen but is a closely guarded secret. Could it be Jock? 

He also discusses his favorite DD story.

NRAMA: What era of Daredevil really sings to you? Who wrote the stories that you’re looking at as the bar you’re trying to live up to?

AD: Predictably, it has to be the Frank Miller stuff. If I had to choose one story in particular it would have to be Elektra Lives Again. What an amazing book. Just beautiful, heartbreaking, and technically brilliant. I love the use of Catholic imagery there; the fact that Matt’s this haunted character, always running to try and catch something just out of his reach; and I love the fact that it’s so terse, so visually driven, with almost no exposition. I think the character’s physicality really lends itself to that kind of visual storytelling. You don’t need pages of dialogue to show Matt’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders; you can see it. We get it.

So you may be asking yourself why is Daredevil such a big deal? Also, why is Diggle such a big deal?

As for the character, he is another of Stan Lee’s success stories that started off slow then exploded later in its run and became a cult hit (much like the Uncanny X-Men).

As for Diggle, Marvel has been attracting some of the best and brightest that the comics scene has to offer and Diggle is no slouch in either department. His Thunderbolts issues have already earned him high accolades and I think we are going to see him develop into one of the stars of what has become the new Marvel Bullpen.

In just a few months we’ll see. If you are thinking of picking up the series but do not live near a comic shop, just subscribe via Marvel directly or just sign up for their digital comic service and obtain access to their entire catalog.

Superman Batman Animated movie confirmed

After animating Wonder Woman and Green Lantern, DC Animation is going to back to basics with its big duo.

Synopsis:
SUPERMAN/BATMAN: PUBLIC ENEMIES:

United States President Lex Luthor uses the oncoming trajectory of a
kryptonite asteroid to frame Superman and declare a $1 billion bounty
on the heads of the Man of Steel and his “partner in crime” Batman.
Super heroes and super villains alike launch a relentless pursuit of
Superman and Batman, who must unite – and recruit super help – to
stave off the action-packed onslaught, stop the asteroid, and uncover
Luthor’s devious plot to take command of far more than North America.

A fun comic series by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuiness, one of the real strengths for me was the artwork and design so I do hope that they maintain McGuiness’ unique line in the animation. The mixture ogf over-the-top action and humor that Loeb later developed more fully on his Red Hulk series (again with McGuiness on art) is another key element that I hope they manage to adapt.

I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

So… where’s the Teen Titans animated movie based on the Wolfman/Perez run?

Dark Avengers

The Marvel Universe is probably at its most interesting period since the 1960’s. Villains are heroes, heroes are on the run and all bets are off. For the first time in a long while readers have no idea what will happen in the pages of their favorite monthly comics. This had been planned back as far as Civil War by Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada, if not earlier than that. The most exciting outcome of this master plan to date has to be the Dark Avengers title, the most interesting of the four Avengers comics on the shelf right now. Somehow the super team comic that was once avoided by many has become a franchise of its own, spawning several spin-offs and mini-series. Nearly each of the Avengers comics is worth checking out, but the best right now has to be Dark Avengers.

During the Civil War, former super villain Norman Osborn was vindicated of his crimes and placed in charge of the Thunderbolts, a team of former super villains hired to hunt down anyone who refused to register with the Super Hero Registration Act. During the Skrull Invasion, Norman Osborn seized the opportunity to take down the Skrull Queen and bring an end to the invasion, something that the combined might of the super hero community did not appear capable of doing. In the wake of his success, Osborn called a meeting of the super villain community (refered to as the ‘Dark Illuminati,’ a reference to the teaming of Professor X, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Black Bolt and Mister Fantastic) where he explained what the new order really is. The villains of the world are free to loot and destroy as they please without any interference, so long as they toe the party line that Osborn is putting out.

The Dark Illuminati: Emma Frost Loki, Norman Osborn, The Hood, Namor, and Doom

While his co-conspirators are plotting behind his back, it is also very evident that the bad guys are in control for the first time. No longer skulking in corners rubbing their hands together, the villains of the Marvel U are out in the open and no one can stop them.

He also took control of S.H.I.E.L.D., ousting Tony Stark and reforming the organization as H.A.M.M.E.R. He followed this all up by taking over Avengers tower and forming his own team.
Dressed in his customized Iron Man armor, Norman Osborn leads this ersatz team of herores as the Iron Patriot. The so-called Avengers; Spider-Man (Venom), Hawkeye (Bullseye), Wolverine (Daken), Ms. Marvel (Moonstone) are actually hardened criminals in disguise as the recognized super-team. The series so far has been full of action drawn in the unique style of Mike Deodato and witty dialog as only Bendis can deliver. I have been dusappointed with the main Avengers book of late, but this series is just hitting all the right notes for me.

Seeking to establish his team of Avengers as super stars, Osborn brings them to Latveria to rescue Doctor Doom from the onslaught of the sorceress Morgana Le Fay. This is part of Osborn’s pact with the super villain community that he has to assist Doom in his time of need (even if the dictator refuses to ask for any help). Osborn also dodged a confrontation with the real Avengers and instead called in a favor of the Hood and his gang of super-powered thugs. It’s this kind of organization of the super villain world that is really scary. They are running things and not even the Avengers can stop them.

It’s a bad time to be a super hero, but a good time to be a Marvel Zombie.

Recommended:

Mighty Avengers Assemble Cho Cover
Avengers Disassembled
Secret War
New Avengers, Vol. 8: Secret Invasion, Book 1
New Avengers, Vol. 9: Secret Invasion, Book 2
Mighty Avengers, Vol. 3: Secret Invasion, Book 1

Mighty Avengers Vol. 4: Secret Invasion, Book 2