Batman: The Dark Knight Returns part one trailer

Back in the mid-1980′s, there were three books that reshaped the comic book landscape, impressing the media that had so long ignored it that funny books could be recognized as an art form. One of those books is The Dark Knight Returns, a dystopian tale of the caped crusader in a world that darkly mirrored our own. A broken and weak old man, Bruce Wayne is roused from his slumber by the call for justice as gangs of mutants seek to take over Gotham. Exhibiting a brutal form of violence more at home in a Charles Bronson vehicle, Miller’s comic showed many fans and reviewers a new edge to Batman, one that was much more disturbing than they were used to.

The long-awaited animated adaptation of Frank Miller’s 4 part story The Dark Knight Returns, is on its way. Batman is voiced by former Robocop star Peter Weller, a superb choice for his gravelly diction. Directed by Jay Oliva, written by Bob Goodman and executive produced by Sam Register and Bruce Timm (the same team behind many a DC animated project), the first part of this epic has a street date of September 25, 2012.

…it’s been a decade since Bruce Wayne hung up his cape, following most of the other superheroes who had been forced into retirement. Facing the downside of middle age, a restless Bruce Wayne pacifies his frustration with race cars and liquor – but the bat still beckons as he watches his city fall prey to gangs of barbaric criminals known as The Mutants.

The return of Harvey Dent as Two-Face finally prompts Wayne to once again don the Dark Knight’s cowl, and his dramatic capture of the villain returns him to crime-fighting – simultaneously making him the target of law enforcement and the new hope for a desolate Gotham City. Particularly inspired is a teenage girl named Carrie, who adopts the persona of Robin and ultimately saves Batman from a brutal attack by the Mutant leader. Armed with a new sidekick, and re-energized with a definitive purpose, the Dark Knight returns to protect Gotham from foes new…and old.

Batman The Dark Knight Returns Trailer

Watch the trailer here

Doctor Who and The Crime of the Century

‘The Crime of the Century’

Written by Andrew Cartmell and directed by Ken Bentley
Story 2.04
Released May 2011

In 1989, Doctor Who felt like a program on the brink of greatness. The scripts were dynamic, the Doctor and Ace one of the best pairings in the show’s history and the tone had become far more sophisticated than it had been in a very long time. Sad thing is, it was cancelled in ’89. However, the 27th series was planned and scripts were in motion. Some scripts were further along than others, this one existed solely as an opening scene in which a cat burglar finds the Doctor contorted within a safe. Cartmell’s new idea for a companion was Raine Creevey, a cultured lady with the background of a London hood. It’s a great concept, but the execution of this story leaves a lot to be desired. That said, it also feels quite accurate to what would have appeared on screen had the story made it past cancellation.

Once free of the safe, the Doctor and Raine escape a pack of security dogs and make a quick getaway using coarse ground black pepper. Raine leaves the Doctor to his fate and waits for her mystery employer… who of course is the Doctor. The pair team up to battle an insurgence of unknown creatures called ‘demons’ by the locals who threatens both sides of a conflict in the Middle East. While the Doctor and Raine collect their resources, a stash of valuables and a sentient Martian sword, Ace becomes something of a mercenary, acting on her own to recruit a Russian army with crates of Vodka.

The Crime of the Century picks up the mantle from the previous adventure Thin Ice, as we once again meet Markus Creevy, a good deal older than he was in the 1960′s, ruefully wounded by the economic collapse of 1989. The Doctor explains that it’s just economics, but Markus is convinced that it was an inside job, ‘the crime of the century’ he calls it. Raine and her father have a strained relationship but are forced to work together in order to save the human race and pull off the most impressive snatch and grab job ever.

Of course the insurgence is alien in origin, but the Doctor has a plan, a very convoluted one that involves the fencing champion Prince Sayf Udeen and the Martian blade. The aliens are a noble warrior race (where would we be without these stick aliens?) who only fight the opposition with equal force. Fire a gun at them and the will return in kind, pull a sword and they will resort to the blade. Combining a living weapon with a skilled swordsman seems to be the best idea possible and with all of his chess pieces lined up, it looks like the 4 part story will be two parts after all.

It all goes pear-shaped when the Doctor and Ace actually meet up and Sayf Udeen is killed by a ricocheted bullet. Sure that their number is up, Ace asks the Doctor if he has a back-up plan, and he begins to explain the basics of fencing. It’s a great moment but unfortunately, the story itself crumbles under its own weight as alien weaponry, a top security facility in Scotland and the goofy Russian Colonel Felnikov from Thin Ice are all squeezed in to an adventure already brimming with subplots. I half-expected the Martian motorcycle gang to show up at any moment.

There are so many characters, locations and situations that it’s like hearing about a Bond movie through third hand descriptions. Even though I am disappointed that Chalmers is given such a dog’s dinner of a script to work with, I will say in its defense that Beth Chalmers is instantly likable as Raine Creevy. Her dialog is pointed and intelligent and she trades quips with the Doctor so well that the 1989 cancellation becomes all the more painful. I look forward to hearing more from her in the two remaining stories and of course the upcoming UNIT: Dominion box set co-starring Sylvester McCoy and Tracey Childs as Elizabeth Klein.

I was also happy to hear that Sophie Aldred was in fine form in this story. I was frankly disappointed with Ace in earlier audio adventures as she did a lot of screaming and getting all worked up, but in this story she is pitch perfect Ace. Separating her from the Doctor was an inspired decision that makes her abandoned education on Gallifrey a bit easier to accept. In Crime of the Century, Ace is a much richer and more fully formed character, and that is likely due to the fact that Andrew Cartmell who script edited all of her stories on screen wrote this one. In fact, Cartmell excels at making the Doctor and Ace so wonderfully enjoyable, even while the story falls to pieces.

The warrior race of Metatraxi are rather dire and also become the victim of a bad joke when the Doctor meddles with their translation devices, causing them to take on the vocalizations of a stereotypical surfer dude. It’s very painful and the joke never really goes away. The rest of the humor is quite good and aside from Colonel Felnikov appearing for no reason that I can understand, the characters are all lots of fun.

And that is precisely why this story retains a quality of bizarro nostalgia. It feels almost exactly like a 1980′s Doctor Who story, with far too many ideas and plot threads, rushed explanations and action that the production team could never hope to realize. I honestly felt like I was watching a missing Doctor Who story when listening to this one and that is a high accolade in my opinion.

Chalmers, McCoy and Aldred

The Crime of the Century can be ordered directly from The Book Depository, with free worldwide shipping.

Puppets puppets puppets with ‘Stingray’

Stingray (1964)

“Anything can happen in the next half hour!”

Following the success of the science fiction adventure series Fireball XL5, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s next production was an undersea epic with hints of what was to come. In the near future the world is policed by orld Aquanaut Security Patrol (WASP), a high-tech operation that guards the undersea world from aggressors. The pride of the organization is a sophisticated ultra-modern sub called Stingray. When the crew of the super submarine encounters an undersea race of aquaphibians bent on the destruction of the human race, a prolonged war ensues.

In the realm of Supermarionation, Stingray is an odd one, somewhere between Fireball XL5 and Thunderbirds with its combination of high adventure and action mixed with the backdrop of an organization not unlike International Rescue. The puppets are a bit more detailed than what was on hand for Fireball XL5, and it’s in color as well, the first regular color series of its kind in the U.K. It’s also the first of the Supermarionation programs to really impress viewers with explosions and other special effects that would become a hallmark of such series, thanks to future James Bond effects man Derek Meddings.

The cast (I get a kick out of the way the puppets are introduced by their character names as if they were real people rather than the voice actor) consists of the square-jawed Troy Tempest and his co-pilot ‘Phones.’ The crusty Commander Sam Shore is in charge of the operation including his daughter Atlanta who of course longs to be held in Troy’s arms (but who wouldn’t? Just look at him). When a mute aquaphibian named Marina renounces her people and joins their ranks, an awkward love triangle is formed.

I’m honestly not sure which is weirder, the fact that one of the puppets is mute or that there is such a thing as a puppet love triangle. But Marina is such a mysterious beauty that the end credit sequence is devoted to her. Yes, at the close of each episode, viewers were lulled into a lovelorn state by the strings of “Aqua Marina.”

The plots of these programs are surprisingly mature, including the love triangle previously mentioned, yet it is also wistfully juvenile and fun. The villains are constantly coming up with new plots to destroy the people of Marineville and get Marina back, but it’s all just so very silly. One sequence showing the elaborate surveillance systems of aquaphibians goes on for ages and is basically just a phone call to see what’s going on. The attention to detail and ingenuity in set and prop design is maddening. It’s basically a Bond film done in miniature.

Click on the image for more astounding Gerry Anderson cutaways!

Intro

Troy Tempest, surrounded by enemies

The alluring Marina

A stepping stone toward Thunderbirds, Stingray is often overlooked in the annals of Supermarionation programs, but it is well worth a visit. A roaring success, Stingray also spawned a couple of audio adventures and original novels. Much like Fireball XL5, it expanded into a weekly comic strip in Countdown that established its own mythology.

A mad mix of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and Thunderbirds, Stingray is one of the good ones.

Stingray – Complete Set

Supermarionation Cross-sections: Revealing the Secrets of the Craft, Machinery and Settings of Gerry Anderson’s Top Series

Avengers TV series enters development at ABC TV

Amid the clamor over the sale of The X-Men #1 ($492,000) and The Avengers #1 ($274,850), the comic book world is again rocked by rumors of an Avengers TV series.

Very little is known about the proposed Avengers program, but it’s a safe bet that none of the team members featured in the hit movie will be appearing in it. However, this could take advantage of the overflowing supply of other Marvel superheroes such as the Wasp, the Vision, She-Hulk, Hercules and more who may not make as much of a splash on the big screen but could easily rule the small one. Another theory is that this could be the long-rumored S.H.I.E.L.D. series in disguise, but only time will tell.

Personally, I hope that this is a superhero program rather than a counter-espionage action drama, but that’s me.

More as it comes.

Star Trek: The Next Generation to celebrate 25th anniversary at Wizard World in Austin

For many young sci-fi fans, Star Trek: The Next Generation was the gateway experience into the genre. The award-winning TV series that picked up the mantle of the classic ‘Trek used many of creator Gene Roddenberry’s ideas for the aborted Star Trek Phase II program from 1978. From rather humble beginnings, Star Trek: The Next Generation received multiple Emmy Awards during its 7 year run and still finds new fans today through streaming video services such as Netflix and Hulu.

The 25th anniversary reunion is sure to be a major event. I recall back in the day attending far smaller conventions where cast and crew members gave a glimpse behind the scenes of Next Gen, complete with tales of Jonathan Frakes obsession over the song Volare whenever they became stuck in a scene. Funny to see how something so small targeted to a devoted audience could become so big and important to so many.

Who knew?

Wizard World ‘Makes It So’ As ‘Star Trek: TNG’ Strikes Silver In Austin
Seven of the main stars of the cult hit series “Star Trek: The Next Generation” will reunite on the occasion of the show’s 25th anniversary at Wizard World Austin Comic Con, Oct. 26-28, at the Austin Convention Center.

Patrick Stewart (“Jean-Luc Picard”), Jonathan Frakes (“William T. Riker”), Brent Spiner (“Data”), LeVar Burton (“Geordi La Forge”), Michael Dorn (“Worf”), Gates McFadden (“Beverly Crusher”) and Marina Sirtis (“Deanna Troi”) will meet fans, sign autographs and pose for a once-in-a-lifetime group photo opportunity (as well as individual photo ops).

The series, which ran for seven seasons from 1987 through 1994, garnered 18 daytime emmys and was a hugely successful follow-up to the original “Star Trek” series from two decades earlier.

More information here.

Rick Remender’s Uncanny Avengers

The X-Men and Avengers are without a doubt the most popular superhero teams of Marvel Comics. Since their introduction back in the 60′s, they have crossed over on occasion, but more or less they have existed in exclusive universes that have nothing to do with each other. That all changed this year when AvX set the two teams against each other.

The conclusion of AvX is rapidly approaching and the preview images that Marvel has shared of the aftermath shows that the status quot will indeed change. If you have not read any of Remender’s superhero books such as Secret Avengers, you are missing out. A writer who combines humor, action and continuity, Remender is one of the best newcomers of the Marvel Comics bullpen.

Below is an interview with Remender about his plans for the Uncanny Avengers.

Marvel.com: To start, how did you get this gig? How did UNCANNY AVENGERS come about?

Rick Remender: It goes about three creative retreats back when I was having dinner with Jason Aaron and we were talking about our plans for UNCANNY X-FORCE and WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN. We were also talking about Avengers Vs. X-Men and the fallout and things that were being thrown around and the idea came to me for an X-Men/Avengers mash-up thing. Given some of the things that are coming up in AvX it seemed to make a lot of sense.

So the next day we had the X-Retreat and I pitched it to Nick Lowe, and then the next day in the main retreat the idea started bubbling up in a few places and everybody seemed pretty down with it. But it sort of fizzled. And I think it was a phone call with Jason Aaron where he was like “But what about the Uncanny Avengers thing?” and I was like “Oh yeah! That’s a stupid thing to have forgotten.” I brought it back up at the next retreat and everybody really dug it.

There are some events at the end of AvX that I think naturally feed into something like this; sort of a healing book that would not just deal with the ramifications but with sort of a new flagship bridge between the two worlds that had been separated in their own little pockets for so long.

Marvel.com: So you had this great idea for a book you wanted to do, but suddenly we’ve got this line-wide initiative and it turns out to be the perfect flagship title for the whole thing. It’s the first book coming out, it’s got a big name artist in John Cassaday, it’s going to lead the way for Marvel NOW!—what’s all that like?

Rick Remender: Well, there’s no pressure there right? And then you find out that the book is going to be the flagship of the new re-launch. Hey, no pressure! [Laughs]

It’s great to have someone like John Cassaday on art. At first I was a little nervous that I wouldn’t have a Jerome Opeña or a Tony Moore or somebody who I had a long history with just because of comfort levels, but I think one of the cool things about Marvel NOW! is that it’s a big ball peen hammer to the [Marvel line] and everything gets shifted up and mixed up and everybody’s working with new people and on new characters. So I had to take a breath and trust that everything was going to be okay. And obviously with a genius like John Cassaday it will be. Adding to the pressure of course, John’s last big, major project [ASTONISHING X-MEN] was with Joss Whedon, who made [“Marvel’s The Avengers”] into this worldwide phenomenon that it is with his brilliant writing and directing on that film. So the pressure is coming from a few directions and you kind of have to forget it. You kind of just have to cut it in half and scrape aside the part of it that is the scope and size and magnitude of what it’s going to be and really just focus in on what the story you want to tell is.

And to that end, I spent hours and hours with Tom Brevoort on the phone just rolling this over. John Cassaday and I spent like, an entire day on the phone. I really like collaborating. I think the best stories always come when you find that third idea. A buddy of mine who works in television gave me that term and I like it a lot because it’s when two people are bouncing a story around, it’s the idea you wouldn’t have come to on your own. It’s neither of your ideas. It’s the third idea. So, in collaborating with Tom and John and really beating this thing into shape, over time you can do a pretty good job of forgetting the weight of the expectation on the project and really just focus on the creative. And frankly, you have to or else it’ll crush you. You’ll sort of lose sight. What you’re doing here is trying to tell the most amazing, exciting, never-before-seen kind of story you can. If that’s not your focus, if you’re worried at all about anything else or what Internet reaction’s going to be, you’re pandering to people’s expectations. You’re not going to tell your best story. You’re not going to do what’s true to your sensibilities. So that’s been sort of the goal. Tom and John have been really helpful.

Marvel.com: Given how closely UNCANNY AVENGERS is tied into the end of AvX, how has the handoff been with the guys working on that?

Rick Remender: I know what they’re doing. And fortunately, as Jason was writing the final issue I got to chat him up a bit. We coordinate very well. I think we’ve done a great job in the X-Office of tying the books together subtly in ways that link but feel natural. That’s something that I benefit from having with Jason. We [talked about] how he’s ending things in the issue itself and I gave him my first script and we changed a few things to kind of meld them together. Tom’s obviously the editor of both so I’m hip to what’s going on. We’re all in communication about these things to make sure that it’s cohesive.

Marvel.com: In a broad sense, how does UNCANNY AVENGERS reflect a post-AvX Marvel Universe?

Rick Remender: There’s something that Cyclops said to [Captain America] on Utopia that’s ringing in his head. He didn’t do enough to help. And Steve is taking that to heart. Coming out of AvX with the landscape shifted and changed as much as it is, there are events that lead Steve to recognizing that he needs to do more and there are five new things that lead to the creation of the team. The team itself really isn’t even created until halfway through the first year. It’s still chaos. I didn’t want it to just be like “And now everybody shakes hands and hugs!” There’s still a really good arc of these things kind of coalescing and cooking into a soufflé of A and X. So without being able to discuss the specific events, I’ll just say that it comes from a place of healing and it comes from a guy who has firsthand experience with the horrors of prejudice and hatred and sees that this is his potentially final opportunity to stand and do something about it and help.

Now, that’s just where Steve’s at. I have gone to great lengths to make sure every character involved has a very specific reason for being there, a very specific reason for being put on the team, and chosen, and they all have very unique perspectives on the team’s necessity, where they’re at as people and why they think that this is a good thing to do. Wolverine’s motives come half from AvX and the other half from the end of the “Final Execution” arc in UNCANNY X-FORCE. So those two things, without giving them away, [change] him in a way that I’m really excited to be writing. I think that we’re helping to really develop and progress Wolverine as a character in these books.

Marvel.com: All that said, Cap doesn’t so much keep himself at the center of the team as he gets the ball rolling and then passes the baton to Havok of all people—why is that?

Rick Remender: I think that the bottom line is that he sees the value in people seeing Captain America and Havok descend down to save the day when things go gnarly. There needs to be a face in the Avengers that could be the Captain America for [mutants]. And going through his list, Havok is the very best choice for that. You’ve got somebody who’s trained by Xavier, he’s a beloved X-Man, he’s well-educated, he’s formerly a government agent—with X-Factor being what it was in the nineties he was part of a government-sanctioned unit—so he’s got a shiny veneer that you can present to the public and hopefully help people see mutants as something different. There’s other reasons as well—two, three huge ones coming out of AvX—that will lead to that decision, but that’s how Havok becomes the guy that Cap sees as “You’re going to lead this squad, you’ve got a ton of experience leading, and this is your time to stand up and be the big public face of the Avengers.” And of course Alex, having had such a chaotic past for the last, you know, forever, this is going to be a very difficult situation, and not one that he’s necessarily going to just grab the reins on.

Marvel.com: Why did you gravitate toward Havok as a lead character?

Rick Remender I always saw him as the black sheep of the Summers family. He was always one of my favorite characters reading the X-Men growing up. He’s conflicted, and I love the idea that the older brother—who is the star football player, basically—Cyclops is the beloved son, leader of the X-Men and the first guy who they turn to and he’s basically the star pupil in terms of the Xavier School. I like the idea that his younger brother has not hostility toward him necessarily, but he’s always walked a very different path. And I like him as a character because he’s a little rock and roll. I mean, going back to that [HAVOK & WOLVERINE: MELTDOWN limited series]—which was one of the things that really solidified him as a favorite of mine—where he’s James Dean. He’s sunglasses and a pint of scotch and a convertible on the weekends and I think I’d like that rock and roll attitude that he’s got. He’s got a dry, sarcastic wit. He’s somebody who’s never been in the forefront in a big, huge public way of anything, not like his brother has, and he’s okay with that. I’ve never seen Alex as somebody who’s seeking that out. That’s all the more reason that it’s exciting to take him and put him in the most chaotic point in mutant history and the most chaotic point in the Marvel Universe, to have Captain America come tap him and say “You’re going to lead the Avengers,” that, to me, is drama. There’s just so much meat there for character that—it all just seemed perfect, I couldn’t think of anybody who I more wanted to put in that situation beyond just having an affinity for the character from youth.

Marvel.com: Now will he still be appearing in X-FACTOR as well as UNCANNY AVENGERS or do you have Havok to yourself?

Rick Remender: He is going to be solely in UNCANNY AVENGERS, as will be Rogue and The Scarlet Witch; this is the home book for those characters. The nature of this book demands that he no longer have other obligations and [X-FACTOR writer] Peter David worked that out really well with what he has planned for the character; he’s got great stuff coming up there that feeds into this as well.

Marvel.com: The Scarlet Witch has been off the table for awhile and been a huge wildcard in AvX. It’s going to be interesting to see her back in a team, particularly with these unfamiliar people. How are you working her into the dynamic of the group?

Rick Remender: She’s in a unique situation. She and her brother were the first mutants that Cap ever tapped for the Avengers, and they were on the second Avengers team. So she is a long-time Avenger who caused a lot of heartbreak and death, and depowered a whole lot of mutants. Obviously the events that led to that, she was not entirely in her right mind.Doctor Doom had helped confuse her with an energy source that had driven her quite crazy. And she had lost her kids. There’s redemption potential there, but I want to make sure that I’m careful with it.

She’s a great character and she’s sort of torn between these two worlds. She’s always really been an Avenger when it comes down to it, but her community should be the mutant community. But they don’t necessarily dig her. She’s the daughter of Magneto, former Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, an Avenger—she’s never really fit in with the X-Men. But at the same time, it’s kind of her people. Or should be. So she’s in a situation now where she’s reviled by most mutants for what she did, at least those who know what she did. And then you’ve got the Avengers, who she also played a big whammy on. It’s still not necessarily very easy to go “Oh, well if charged up you can alter reality—that’s a bad thing and we might maybe not want to go down that road with you.”

But, conversely, you’ve got somebody who’s a friend and a long-time Avenger, and somebody who really wants to make a difference. Wanda is very motivated to never be used as a weapon again, to never be a tool, to never be a thing that somebody can grab and misuse. She wants to stand up and she wants to be the face for mutants and sort of promote peace between the people—but she can’t. That’s not really a thing she can do. So she has to sit in the sidelines and sort of earn her redemption here—if that’s even possible—but in the meantime it’s kind of a case of “You’re going to be out there and doing the good work, but we should keep your public profile to a minimum. Keep you out of people’s eyes, probably.” And that continues to drive a knife in her belly.

Marvel.com: Then we’ve got Rogue, who may be an even more volatile choice, having started off as an Avengers villain and now coming full circle. What brings her to the team and why would they accept her?

Rick Remender: There’s a chaos factor in the first arc. It’s not necessarily somebody going through a list for all of the members. That would be a perfect person. There is a story that unfolds and the team is sort of forced to come together and work together during the course of this very heinous plot that The Red Skull is hatching, and Rogue is involved in that. I don’t want to give away all of the reasoning as to why she sticks around, but it’s definitely tumultuous. Thor is not a fan of her at all. He sees her as the exact opposite kind of mutant they need on this team. Now they’ve got two women who have both been in the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and if they’re trying to do something that’s going to be public and help sort of heal mutant/human relations, having two former members of something called the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants is probably frowned upon by the PR people. But then again, there’s recollection and the reality is the X-Men almost disbanded when Rogue first joined. It was Xavier who said every mutant deserves a second chance. He was the one who vouched for her and put himself out there for her. In the case of this, there’s a somewhat similar situation. And it’s somebody who doesn’t have a track record like Wanda at this point. So when Thor points at her and sees the woman who was with the Brotherhood and attacked him, all she has to do is point and go “Hey, there’s Magneto’s daughter who almost wiped out reality and she’s an Avenger. You’re okay with her though, right? ‘Cause you have history.”

There’s so much great character grist there. Everybody’s got a very unique perspective and I wanted there to be a lot of chaos here because that also helps me define the argument between humans and mutants and what the problems are with this movement in the Marvel Universe. Each one of these characters is having this very unique history and this very unique perspective—Rogue included. Rogue doesn’t necessarily want to be an Avenger. You have to remember she was basically raised through her teens by Mystique to be a terrorist and hate the Avengers. The Avengers were, like you said, one of her very first targets. So she’s got her own issues with the fact that these golden super heroes who everybody loves didn’t do a damn thing to come to the X-Men’s aid on so many occasions. Her landing on the squad— it’s definitely a lot of drama coming up.

Marvel.com: I’m excited about all the drama you’re teasing out. As you said, it sounds like a very chaotic team set-up.

Rick Remender: Yeah, I mean you’ve got to have that. As long as it’s not like “I want some conflict, so this guy hates that guy for something I’m going to make up.” I’ve had plenty of time on this title to go through with the history. When we selected our cast, we went through tons and tons of characters and the initial six we start out with, plus the characters that join in the next 10 issues as the cast slowly grows—it’s crazy. It’s a lot of classic Avengers, a lot of classic X-Men, and each one of them has been selected for different character purposes that, I think, will be some fun drama.

Marvel.com: The last guy on the initial team is Thor, who’s not a mutant, and technically not even human. Where does he fit?

Rick Remender: There’s an event in the first issue that forces his hand, and he’s as noble as a being comes, but to him the argument between mutants and humans is akin to flies mewling and puking over the color of their wings. So he sees this debate as just asinine. Humans or mutants, you’re all humans. You’re all just people on this planet. Initially he doesn’t necessarily have a pony in the race. He’s not on one side or the other. He’s clearly an Avenger. Those are his family, those are his people. But what I think is important to build is going to come from his relationship with Wolverine that exists and how he perceives Alex and Rogue and how he begins to interact with them. There will be a changing arc for him in the first 18 issues that I don’t want to give too much away, but there is growth and learning to be had. I think that more than anything he just sees it as an Avengers group that can do some good to heal a rift between factions of humanity. And he’s also probably first just doing it as a favor to Cap just to do what he does. Use that hammer of his to try and do away with evil and keep innocents safe and keep everybody living in a prosperous community. But the  heart of why he’s there is something that I grow over the first mega arc.

Marvel.com: Can you say anything about the additional members coming down the pike?

Rick Remender: I could say, but I feel like it’s more fun if we get to that point without having sort of broadcast it everything. I wanted the core six, and two or three more characters coming in the second and third arc. I wanted to focus on these six at first and really get their personal dynamics and who they are, get those kettles boiling before I brought in the new characters to then play very specific roles within the team dynamic that can then take strange dynamics or strange relationships or tension and ratchet it even higher. So the selection for who comes next, it’ll be one former X-Man and one former Avenger who will, hopefully, keep things interesting. I want to make sure there’s so much there. I’ve already got enough for two years right now with just the nine characters that I’ve got.

Marvel.com: On the flipside, we’ve got The Red Skull as the first villain they face and he’s got some big ambitious plans. Why him and what’s his agenda here?

Rick Remender: When we were talking about it at the retreat, it was actually Jeph Loeb who said Red Skull. And at first I was like “Well, not actually The Red Skull.” And he was like, “Why not?” And then that question immediately told me a story. I’m like, well of course The Red Skull. That’s crazy.

There are things happening in the Marvel universe at the end of AvX that lead somebody like The Red Skull to seeing a reason for doing away with the mutants, and that’s a plot that we’ve obviously seen many, many times. Somebody wants to kill off the mutants, the mutants are chased and killed off. I can’t tell you the specifics of what makes this different because it’s all pinned on the end of AvX, but it’s a very clean motive that he has.

This Red Skull is a digital recording that Arnim Zola took during the middle of World War II and saved it with a machine that can create a clone that was basically in a bunker. Red Skull said “Create a duplicate of me that will wake up in 70 or 80 years when everybody has forgotten what I’ve done, and the world won’t be out hunting me anymore.” And so this Red Skull, he woke up however many months or years back from now, and he’s a Red Skull taken directly out of World War II. The Red Skull we’ve seen as he grew and progressed in the Marvel Universe, that guy died. This guy is almost a reset of The Red Skull, and that works really well for the analogy with civil rights stuff.

What his plan is, I wanted it to be big but very human and very grounded. So while it’s awful and big and, I think, interesting motivation for him, at the same time it’s very ground-level and rooted in human interaction and character stuff that will then hopefully give birth to a lot of emotional impact, which is the goal. I want to make sure all this stuff has context. And obviously Cap and Red Skull have a very personal relationship. By the end of the fourth issue, all of these characters have a very personal animosity toward Red Skull, and he them. There’s a very personal grudge there.

The Red Skull has an army of S-Men, as I’m calling them right now, and these are augmented humans who have all had their lives adversely affected in some major way by a mutant and see the good in joining him. And they’re all different ethnicities and creeds and colors as well, as The Red Skull sees that the mistake he made was to focus in on ethnicities of humanity when the real threat was bubbling up all around him, which was the mutants and their inevitable takeover of humanity.

Marvel.com: How long term a nemesis will The Red Skull be for the book and what other threats will be coming?

Rick Remender: Red Skull is long-term, but there are two other equally awesome villains that are also going to be popping up. I’m trying to do here what I did with UNCANNY X-FORCE  where you have four stories that are self-contained and can be read by themselves but also form a mega-arc when you put them together. So what we’ll be seeing is Red Skull and a couple of other A-list, heavy hitter villains all with different motivations  that are at odd purpose that basically lead to some earth-shattering, giant Avengers/X-Men business. And given the power set of my team at this point, I needed to create things that were gigantic. So the Red Skull’s motive in the first story starts at ground level and then we really ratchet things and build from there all of the crazy sort of sci-fi shenanigans that I like to delve into.

Marvel.com: Let’s talk about John Cassaday for a moment. What does he bring to this collaboration you spoke of earlier?

Rick Remender: I’m a huge fan of his work. He’s a pure storyteller and really dynamic and—you know, he’s John Cassaday. He’s one of those rare, rare artists who manage to be very attractive to the indie crowd as well as the mainstream crowd. He’s easily accessible, and he’s just got one of those styles that the polish is so crisp and clean, yet it’s quirky enough to have a voice of its own. It’s very clearly a John Cassaday drawing, and at the same time I’ve never seen it sacrifice his illustration take hold where that’s more important than storytelling. All of his pages, the storytelling is always amazingly clean. It’s perfectly done, dynamic, and that’s what you look for beyond just the fact that he’s a superstar; when it comes to people I like to work with that skill set, not only being a tremendous illustrator but a tremendous storyteller—those are the two things that are the magic combo.

Marvel.com: Ok, final questions, kind of a broad one: Where do you see the place of UNCANNY AVENGERS in the larger scope that is Marvel NOW!?

Rick Remender: Well there’s a whole new status quo in the Marvel Universe and this book is ground zero for putting a light on that, and to looking around at this giant shakeup that’s happened and the ramifications of AvX; to not only move forward, but to give meaning and clarity to what happened so far. So a good portion of issue #1 is spent really hitting the emotional heart of what’s going on with the characters and where they’re at and to really, hopefully, build empathy for the reader with each one of them to see who they are, to get a very clear idea of what their place is going to be now that this cast is going to be such a pivotal and important team.

And I think we’ve got, again, additions of characters like Rogue and Havok, characters who don’t normally interact or deal with threats on this level on a regular basis like the Avengers do, so you’re going to see very complicated character arcs take place. And then in terms of how this team is perceived publicly, and who they are, and what their importance is to the Marvel Universe—that is obviously going to come down to the gravity and the size of the threats, and the public’s perception of who they are. This is going to be a very public team that is going to have a PR campaign and their mission statement is going to be “We want to help people see mutants and humans working together to live out Xavier’s dream, and to the betterment of mankind, and to put a face to mutants that people can hopefully help quell their fear of and prejudice against.”

So it’s an exciting time, it’s an exciting thing to be writing because it’s never been done. So while they’ll be based out of the Avengers Mansion, and there will be all of these very familiar things, you’re going to have characters arguing over “Should there be a giant painting of the first Avengers in the hallway or of the first X-Men?” This is something where the X-Men part of this is not going to be happy to be overshadowed by the Avengers part of it. So it’s this perfect amalgamation, but that’s not going to be an easy process. We’ve never seen that built before, nor have we seen the public’s reaction to something like that. And how do the other X-Men react to Rogue and Havok and Wolverine going off and doing this? How do the other Avengers react? How do the other folks at Avengers Tower, when they look over at the mansion, how do they respond to it all? How does the FF respond to it? It’s a fairly new team, and obviously being the flagship for Marvel NOW!, I think that’s perfect. Because I think that one of the focuses for Marvel NOW! is to do big and inventive new things. And I know that every single one of these books has a huge hook that we’ve never seen before and goes to a really interesting new place, and it’s really exciting to have the book that sort of sets that tone.

For more on Marvel NOW!, visit the official hub page, and stay tuned to Marvel.com for all the latest news on UNCANNY AVENGERS!

More on Marvel.com: 
http://marvel.com/news/story/19136/marvel_now_qa_uncanny_avengers#ixzz21qDf8UcD

Doctor Who actress Mary Tamm (22 March 1950 – 26 July 2012)

When Graham Williams took over as series producer for Doctor Who, he soon had the task of casting a new leading actress to take over from Louise Jameson who had played the popular Leela for two years. In sharp contrast to the ‘noble savage’ Leela and the ‘lovable girl next door’ Sarah Jane Smith, a new kind of companion was introduced. A regal young woman, newly graduated from university, Romana was a wonderful foil to Tom Baker’s Doctor.

The Key to Time series remains iconic for many fans of Doctor Who. As a child, I was very familiar with the wide range of varied stories such as the comedic Ribos Operation to the high adventure Androids of Tara. The character of Romana was somewhat difficult for the writers to work with. Robert Holmes seemed to grasp the character’s young upper-class attitude and his stories played up the intelligence and sharp wit quite well whereas some other writers simply treated her as a damsel in distress. Feeling somewhat restricted, Tamm moved on after her first year but nonetheless acted as an ambassador for the program at conventions in the years to come.

Mary Tamm and Tom Baker

A strikingly beautiful woman, Tamm’s character juxtaposed the buffoonery of Tom Baker on screen. A self-conscious actor, Baker nonetheless grew quite fond of Tamm and even later in life received her friendly affections with great appreciation. The pair gelled so well, they were a joy to watch on screen.

Big Finish recently finished releasing a full series of audio adventures starring Tom Baker and Louise Jameson. Baker and Tamm were intended to team up for the follow up series which will be released posthumously next year, starting with The Auntie Matter by Jonathan Morris.

After a long battle with cancer, Tamm passed yesterday at the age of 62.

Tributes (via DoctorWhoNews)

Her agent Barry Langford said:

She had a great zest for life. She was a fantastic actress – she played stage parts of such range, parts that would take your breath away. She could play any role, and do so wonderfully.

Tom Baker, who played the Fourth Doctor alongside Tamm, said:

She was a darling companion and wonderfully witty and kind. I’m so sorry to hear of her death.

David Richardson, producer for Big Finish, told us:

Such a sad day. My phone hasn’t stopped ringing – everyone is so deeply upset by the terrible news. Mary was just brilliant to work with – and such fun, with her infectious laugh and naughty sense of humour. I feel honoured to have had so many opportunities to work with her over the past year.

Dexter O’Neill, whose company Fantom Films published her autobiography, said:

As you can imagine, Paul and I are devastated to hear the news. Our condolences go out to Marcus, Lauren and Max. We will miss her sense of humour, her emails (affectionately known to us as Tamm Spam) and above all the gossiping. We won’t half miss you xxx

Ian Fraser, Mary’s photographer, told us:

I will always remember Mary’s honesty, down to earth approach and I have to say the dirtiest laugh I’ve ever come across in a Doctor Who girl, so opposed the perceived image of ice-queen and aloof. The hours we spent working together in the studio, and her genuine kindness to me as her photographer… photographing such a beautiful woman – not just in looks but in her heart, and hearing her talk of her husband Marcus, daughter Lauren and how much she adored her time with Max her grandson, well you know there was goodness running through her.

My thoughts are with Marcus, Lauren and Max and the big wide Doctor Who actor family, who are missing Mary so badly already.

On Twitter

• Colin Baker (The Doctor): Shellshocked to hear Mary Tamm is gone. A funny, caring, talented, lovely and down to earth lady. My heart goes out to Marcus and Lauren
• Nicola Bryant (Peri): Just heard the terrible news that Mary Tamm has died. Completely shocked. Very sad. Thoughts go to Marcus & Lauren. RIP Mary.
• Anneke Wills (Polly): Mary Tamm – How sad! A brave, beautiful woman, she will be greatly missed. I’m grateful to have known her. Love Anneke x
• Frazer Hines (Jamie): I’m still reeling from the shock of Mary passing away!always a smiley friendly person whenever we met at cons.
• Edward Russell (brand manager): My condolences to Mary Tamm’s family. As a companion, Romana was my hero when I was 8 years old. So very sad. Guess we’ve reached that point in Doctor Who’s history where it’s time for many of its rich cast to say goodbye. Thank you for taking part.
• Nicholas Briggs (actor, Big Finish): Very sad indeed about the death of Mary Tamm. She was so much fun and lovely to work with. I shall miss her.
• Barnaby Edwards (actor): Very sad to hear of the death of Mary Tamm. A lovely actress and a sharp, witty person.
• Nicholas Pegg (actor): Raising a glass to the beautiful, talented, funny Mary Tamm. So young. What sad news.
• Paul Cornell: I’m so sorry to hear about Mary Tamm. It’s an obit every month in DWM these days. How terrible.
• Andy Pryor (casting director): Sad times. Caroline John and now Mary Tamm. We salute you both.
• Mark Ayres (composer): Sad news to wake up to: RIP Mary Tamm, Doctor Who’s first Romana, aka Fred. She was of the few Doctor Who girls I never met properly, though I did “music” her Myth Makers, which she played as Alice in Wonderland.
• Gary Russell (script editor): Mary Tamm, funny, sweet, smart and utterly outrageous. Will miss her so much RIP xxx
• Toby Hadoke (performer): Reeling from the news that Mary Tamm has passed away. RIP. And what?!
• Kai Owen (Rhys): Sad news indeed. RIP Mary Tamm.
• Benjamin Cook (DWM): Such sad news about Mary Tamm. I interviewed her once, in 2009. (Couldn’t believe she was old enough to be a grandmother.) RIP. “I never, ever thought of Romana as a sex symbol,” she said. “Glamorous, but not sexy… An old-fashioned, movie star style.”
• Gary Gillatt (DWM): Mary Tamm now. Another tragedy. What an awful year it’s been to be a Doctor Who fan. This terrible silence, slowly rolling over it all.

A friendly reminder about The Daily P.O.P. Tumblr feed

If you are a regular reader of this blog, I appreciate your stopping by, but if you’re not checking out the Daily P.O.P. Tumblr feed by clicking on the image in the right rail under ‘Pics, quotes and videos,’ you’re missing out on lots of extra content.

There are editorial cartoons and other photos and videos.

This week at your comic shop – 7/25/2012

For the complete list of this week’s comics, click here.

Not sure where your local comic shop is? Try comicshoplocator.com!

(note: all information including ad copy is from the publisher)
If you can’t make it to the shop, just click on any of the images below to be taken to an online retailer. I don’t get any referrals for these sales, I’m just doing my bit to spread the word on some neat products.

Captain America #15

Captain America #15
By: Ed Brubaker, Patrick Zircher
‘NEW WORLD ORDERS’ ï Still reeling from Hydra’s Madbombs, Cap finds himself the target of a vicious media smear campaign. Who are the Discordians and what will they blow up next? Brought to you by Eisner award winner Ed Brubaker & Cullen Bunn (FEAR ITSELF: THE FEARLESS; CAPTAIN AMERICA & HAWKEYE) with superstar artist Scot Eaton (SECRET AVENGERS).
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Winter Soldier #8

Winter Soldier #8
By: Ed Brubaker, Butch Guice, Lee Bermajo
Bucky vs. Black Widow. Old enemies resurfacing with new codenames. And nothing will ever be the same.
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Crow Midnight Legends GN Vol. 01 Dead Time

Crow Midnight Legends GN Vol. 01 Dead Time
By: James O’barr, Alex Maleev, Kyle Hotz
After a ten-year hiatus, James O’Barr returned to The Crow with Dead Time, a story he envisioned as a new Crow film. A tale of grief, reincarnation, and long-sought vengeance, Dead Time is adapted by John Wagner and illustrated by Alexander Maleev
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National Comics Eternity #1

National Comics Eternity #1
By: Jeff Lemire, Cully Hamner
An exciting new series of stand-alone comics that feature unique takes on classic characters! JEFF LEMIRE (ANIMAL MAN) and CULLY HAMNER (RED) bring a contemporary approach to the hero we used to know as KID ETERNITY! Can introverted medical examiner Kid Eternity solve a deadly crime in just 24 hours.
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Batman The Dark Knight #11

Batman The Dark Knight #11
By: Gregg Hurwitz, David Finch
SCARECROW makes a bold move against BATMAN, using COMMISSIONER GORDON as bait! The terrifying pasts of both SCARECROW and BATMAN come back to haunt them.
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Cerebus The Barbarian Messiah SC

Cerebus The Barbarian Messiah SC
By: Eric Hoffman
In December 1977, struggling Canadian comic book artist Dave Sim self-published the first issue of Cerebus the Aardvark, a Conan the Barbarian satire featuring a foul-tempered, sword-wielding creature trapped in a human world. Over the next 26 years, Sim, and later collaborator Gerhard, produced an epic 6,000-page graphic novel, the longest-running English language comic series by a single creative team. This in-depth work, the first collection of critical essays on Cerebus, provides a multifaceted approach to Sim and Gerhard’s complex and entertaining oeuvre.
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Wally Wood EC Stories Artist Ed HC (2nd Printing)

Wally Wood EC Stories Artist Ed HC (2nd Printing)
Stellar Second Printing!Because of overwhelming demand, IDW is going back to press on one of the most acclaimed books of the year: Wally Wood’s EC Stories: Artist’s Edition, collecting more than a dozen complete stories by the great Wally Wood, plus an exceptional cover gallery.

Each page is scanned from the original art, same size as drawn, and in full color (to insure the best possible reproduction). Since Wood’s originals were larger than modern size comic art, measuring 12″ x 18″, plus the paper, this Artist’s Edition will be a gigantic 15″ x 22″!
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Axe Cop: President of the World #1

Axe Cop: President of the World #1
By: Malachai Nicolle, Ethan Nicolle, Erik Schulz
Axe Cop has been appointed president of the whole world! But what will Axe Cop and his friends do in a world with no bad guys? Look to defeat the bad guys from outer space, of course! Written by 8-year-old Malachai Nicolle and drawn by his 31-year-old brother Ethan Nicolle, Axe Cop is commander in chief of hilarious adventures as only a kid could imagine!

*Brand-new print-exclusive story-never seen before!

*Upon its debut as a webcomic in December of 2009, Axe Cop was instantly hailed as a one-of-a-kind hit!
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Aquaman #11

Aquaman #11
By: Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado
‘THE OTHER LEAGUE’ part five! The Others catch up with Black Manta – but are they really united as a team?
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Art Of Molly Crabapple SC Vol. 02 Devil In The Details

Art Of Molly Crabapple SC Vol. 02 Devil In The Details
Fine artist, illustrator, and comics creator Molly Crabapple captures the absurdity of modern life in intricate, theatrical detail in her fine art work, drawing inspiration from politics, polite (and not-so-polite) society, and hundreds of years of literature. Her work is burlesque-inspired in the broadest definition of the word-deftly satirizing the powerful with adorably sinister animals, steampunk-tinged machinery, and of course, beautiful girls. But it’s not all fantastical-when Occupy Wall Street broke out, Molly was there, capturing the immediacy of the revolutionary feeling in pen and ink. In a new 48-page book from IDW, you can get Molly’s art in gorgeous full-color, work that’s decorated glamorous nightclubs, museums and galleries, and protest signs and occupied spaces around the country.
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Elephantmen #41

Elephantmen #41
By: David Hine, Boo Cook
‘A LONG AND GHASTLY KITCHEN’

DAVID HINE, co-creator of THE BULLETPROOF COFFIN, new writer of THE DARKNESS and creator of STRANGE EMBRACE, tells the story of the last days of MAPPO geneticist Javier Kubec…
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New Deadwardians #5 (of 8)

New Deadwardians #5 (of 8)
By: Dan Abnett, I. N. J. Culbard
Inspector Suttle leaves London to pursue his murder investigation. But the city’s dark and troubled shadows follow him to Cadley, the victim’s hometown. In the idyllic surroundings of a great house, mingling with the aristocracy, Suttle discovers that the undead curse of the Restless Plague runs ever deeper…
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Amazing Spider-Man #690

Amazing Spider-Man #690
By: Dan Slott, Stefano Caselli
There might be more than one Lizard now! And Spider-Man might notice– if only he wasn’t so busy trying to save everyone from a crazed Morbius, the Living Vampire! Also in this issue: New developments for The Kingpin, Madame Web, Horizon Labs, and the Hobgoblin!
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Captain America And Iron Man #634

Captain America And Iron Man #634
By: Cullen Bunn, Alessandro Vitti, Patrick Zircher
Madripoor is in chaos (more-so than usual) as technology goes berserk! Captain America and Tony Stark fight their way through the city – and through Batroc’s Brigade – in search of the villains behind the disaster! In a world of assassins and super-spies, on which side does the elusive woman known as Kash fall?
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All Star Western #11

All Star Western #11
By: Justin Gray, Moritat, Rafa Garres
JONAH HEX and TALLULAH BLACK face the Lord of Assassins’ steam-powered death machine. Introducing TERRENCE 13 in a new backup story!
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Before Watchmen Comedian #2 (of 6)

Before Watchmen Comedian #2 (of 6)
By: Brian Azzarello, J. G. Jones
‘It’s something I’m good at. It’s war.’ Plus, a new CRIMSON CORSAIR backup feature from writer LEN WEIN and artist JOHN HIGGINS! This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of the issue.
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The Goon: Fish Canners Jersey XL

The Goon: Fish Canners Jersey XL
Although everyone on Lonely Street knows the Goon is as tough as they come, perhaps his toughest crew ever was when, under the benevolent sponsorship of Andolini’s Fish, the notorious Fish Canners football team was formed. Kick off your own championship season (or just kick someone) with your own Fish Canners replica jersey.

The jersey is high-quality cotton/polyester, with custom cut-and-sew sleeve application. The stripes on the sleeves aregarment dyed for a softer feel.
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Avengers #28

Avengers #28
By: Brian Michael Bendis, Walter Simonson
The last stand of the Red Hulk?
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I Vampire #11

I Vampire #11
By: Joshua Hale Fialkov, Andrea Sorrentino, Clayton Crain
Vampires. Versus. Zombies. Exclamation point!! What happens when a zombie bites a vampire? What happens when a vampire turns a zombie? Find out all the gory details here!
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Dark Avengers #178

Dark Avengers #178
By: Jeff Parker, Declan Shalvey, John Tyler Christopher
Luke Cage learns the secret behind the deadly mission that faces the Dark Avengers! The TimeStream-Traveling Thunderbolts battle Dr. Doom in the past for the fate of the future! Skaar discovers the secret agenda of the Dark Avengers!
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Godzilla #3

Godzilla #3
By: Duane Swierczynski, Simon Gane, Zach Howard
Boxer and his Monster Kill Crew are notching some impressive victories against the kaiju, but a battle with Battra almost puts the team down for the count. The Crew decides it’s time to upgrade their fire-power, but questionable methods lead to division in the ranks. With his sights set on Godzilla, Boxer will have to get his team in line-fast!
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Exile Planet Of The Apes #4 (of 4)

Exile Planet Of The Apes #4 (of 4)
By: Corinna Bechko, Marc Laming, Gabriel Hardman
Final Issue! With the full force of the ape army at their backs, Prisca and Tern must find a way to sway Aleron from the madness he has planned, for the Forbidden Zone, for ape and humanity combined. The epic from Gabriel Hardman (Hulk, Agents of Atlas), Corinna Bechko (Heathentown, Fear Itself: The Home Front) and red hot artist Marc Laming (American Century, The Rinse) reaches its jaw-dropping conclusion!
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Flash #11

Flash #11
By: Francis Manapul
The New 52 debut of HEAT WAVE! THE FLASH is on a crash course with THE ROGUES!
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Earthworm Jim Action Figure

Earthworm Jim Action Figure
Evildoers beware as Mezco brings the intergalactic hero Earthworm Jim to life as an articulated figure!

Jim comes complete with a game accurate plasma blaster as well as his famous ultra-high-tech-indestructible-super-space-cyber-suit. The 6-inch scale Earthworm Jim features 8 points of articulation. He comes complete not only with his plasma blaster, but with an alternate ìbendyî unsuited worm body as well.
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Modern Masters SC Vol. 28 Eric Powell

Modern Masters SC Vol. 28 Eric Powell
Eric Powell is a sick, sick man. Sick, but brilliant. How else would he have been able to come up with a concept like The Goon – a smarter-than-he-looks brute raised by carnies, who runs the city’s underworld while protecting it from being overrun by zombies? Through a career-spanning interview and heaps of fantastic artwork, including rare and unseen treasures from Powell’s personal files, this book documents his amazing career and details his creative process, it even includes a gallery of commissioned pieces in full-color.
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Mighty Thor #17

Mighty Thor #17
By: Matt Fraction, Pepe Larraz, Walter Simonson
Enchantress and her Keep run riot…and no one stirs to stop them! And if that’s not enough…who dares stop the Deconsecrator! How can the Nine Realms escape a nightmare with no end?
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Uncanny X-Force #28

Uncanny X-Force #28
By: Rick Remender, Mike McKone, Jerome Opena
X-Force land themselves somewhere you’ve never seen them. A new member joins the team! Rising star Julian Totino Tedesco (VENOM: CIRCLE OF FOUR, JOHN CARTER GODS OF MARS covers) joins the best creative team in comics for two issues!
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Alter Ego #111

Alter Ego #111
Alter Ego shines the spotlight on the Golden Age Nedor super-heroes – Black Terror, Fighting Yank, Miss Masque, Pyroman, Grim Reaper, and more – with Mike Nolan’s classic Nedor Index, profusely illustrated by Mort Meskin, Jerry Robinson, George Tuska, Ruben Moirera, Ken Battefield, Alex Shomburg, and others, plus never-revealed facts about Terror/Yank creator and ACG writer/editor Richard Hughes, with photos and never-published Herbie scripts!
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Venom #21

Venom #21
By: Rick Remender, Lan Medina, Michael Del Mundo
Toxin vs. Venom! Flash Thompson’s Last Stand! The Crime-Master Triumphant! – It’s the Savage Six Finale the comics world will be talking about! CRIME MASTER’S IDENTITY IS REVEALED – and Flash Thompson and Betty Brant’s lives will never be the same!

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Wolverine and the X-Men #14

Wolverine and the X-Men #14
By: Jason Aaron, Nick Bradshaw
AVX TIE-IN! We can’t say much or we spoil the event of the summer! Kitty Pryde on a date with___???
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Spaceman #8 (of 9)

Spaceman #8 (of 9)
By: Brian Azzarello, Eduardo Risso, Dave Johnson
This Philip K. Dick-ian nightmare hurtles toward its tasty conclusion as Orson stops running and turns to look into the abyss that’s been chasing him all along.
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Kolchak Necronomicon HC

Kolchak Necronomicon HC
By: C. J. Henderson, Robert Hack, Jason Jensen
Carl Kolchak, whether he wants the mantle or not, is the world’s premier supernatural investigator. Vampires, werewolves, witches, demons, he has seen it all. Or has he? Can even all the horrors he has stumbled across prepare him for the monstrous denizens of the Lovecraft Mythos, let alone its most damned volume, the Necronomicon?
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Back Issue #58

Back Issue #58
Back Issue focuses on ‘Justice League of America in the Bronze Age’! Relive the ‘Satellite Years’ of the ’70s and early ’80s, featuring Rich Buckler, Steve Englehart, George Pérez, and Len Wein – and a salute to Dick Dillin, JLA artist extraordinaire. Plus the Justice League fans loved to hate: the ‘Detroit’ team, featuring Gerry Conway, Luke McDonnell, Chuck Patton, and more. Also: Conway and Geoff Johns go ‘Pro2Pro’ on writing the JLA, unofficial JLA/Avengers crossovers, and Marvel’s JLA, the Squadron Supreme.
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DC Superhero Chess Figure Coll Mag #6 Two Face Black Knight

DC Superhero Chess Figure Coll Mag #6 Two Face Black Knight
The DC Superhero Chess Figure Collector Magazine brings your favorite DC Comics characters to life in a stunning chess-piece collection, complete with a 16-page magazine providing detail on the character as well as essential chess tips for players of all levels. Each character is superbly rendered, cast from a specially-formulated metallized resin and hand-painted by expert model makers. Continue your collection with Two-Face Black Knight (#5) and Catwoman White Queen (#6).
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The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

Bitten by a radioactive spider, nerdy Peter Parker is granted weird abilities, the proportionate strength and agility of a spider and the responsibility to do something with his powers. When his uncle dies unnecessarily at the hands of a street hood that Peter should have stopped, he makes a vow to use his skills to protect the innocent in a city of a million stories and a million dangers.

Anyone who has not seen the movie should avoid this review as it is riddled with spoilers…

Spider-Man is the golden boy of Marvel Comics. Dreamed up by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee, his comic book series was an ingenious experiment in romantic drama and pulp action/adventure. A teenager gifted with superhuman strength, endurance and agility bit with a smart mouth to boot was an entirely new concept. Comic books were mainly populated at the time with square-jawed stoic champions of justice, making a lanky kid from the suburbs of New York all the more of an oddity. A gifted scientific genius, Parker lived in a world of Marvels in which he was a perpetual outcast. The Avengers were too noble, the Fantastic Four too much of a family and the X-Men too militant. Of all the Marvel superheroes, Spider-Man is the most attractive to awkward misfits which may explain his long lasting appeal.

In my previous articles on superhero movies I talked about how they can either have some cultural significance or act as a marketing tool for toy manufacturers. In the case of Spider-Man, I think he falls between the cracks. Even the best of his cinematic outings isn’t as moving or cerebral as the Dark Knight trilogy, yet his worst film is nowhere near the pandering of Batman & Robin. Full of intense action, unrequited love and drama, Spider-Man was custom-made for the modern motion picture. It just took a while for the movie industry to catch up.

With several decades’ worth of stories to pull inspiration from, there are many different angles to the web spinner. The Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, for example, mainly drew from the look and feel of the John Romita Sr. comics, with the glamorous females and dynamic set pieces. They told an emotional story of young Peter Parker growing into a man in a world of mad scientists and horrific creatures. It’s a good story and it holds up well.

When Sony decided to start from scratch with the Amazing Spider-Man, I wondered what the point was. The previous trilogy was an enormous hit and made the comic book character a media darling for n entire generation. The only real reason to start over would be to tell a different kind of story and that is exactly what Marc Webb’s movie does.

Drawing instead from the early Ditko comics, this Spider-Man is lanky and spindly rather than buff and handsome with puppy-dog eyes as Toby Maguire was. This Spider-Man has an angrier, sharper edge and a drive toward justice that the Raimi/Maguire version lacked. He is also a mechanical and chemical genius rather than a mutant able to create webs from his arms. This Peter Parker has to work on his web shooters himself and develop schemes to take down enemies using the scientific method rather than luck and determination.

This is a decidedly different Spider-Man, more grounded in reality than the computer-generated and stylized world that Sam Raimi developed. I don’t want to cast judgement here as both work, but I am surprised at how tactile and realistic this Spider-Man looks in action.

In casting Peter Perker, the studio went with Andrew Garfield, whom I know from the magnificent Red Riding trilogy but others are familiar with from his appearance in the Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus. An accomplished actor, I was still a bit distracted by the fact that he was a good 10 years older than the teenager he was portraying. Even so, the script made good use of the high school setting and established Peter as an angry confused kid with lots of pent up emotions and nothing to do with them.

Raised by his aunt and uncle, Peter Parker lives a secluded and protected life, but even so he is picked on and judged by his classmates, often the butt of a joke. He is gifted and brilliant, but it seems that he will never live up to his potential because he is too weedy and insecure. Even when the blonde bombshell Gwen Stacy shows interest, he cam’t bring himself to make a move. Again, Peter Parker is an emotional mess, but in this instance his anxiety is closer to the surface as opposed to the all-American sweetheart that Maguire portrayed.

The mystery of Peter’s parents plays a strong role in the film (and upcoming sequel), which some may be surprised to hear is a unique idea. In the comics, Peter’s parents are all but ciphers that few writers have ever bothered to explore. making Peter’s father the linchpin of the plot is inspired and also reinforces the importance of scientific intelligence. Peter uses his brains throughout this film, something that was sadly lacking on the Raimi trilogy. Seeking out an old colleague of his father’s, Peter encounters Dr. Curtis Conners who is on the brink of a brilliant discovery in cross-species genetics, but lacks a key piece of information. Researching his father’s notes, Peter gives up the info to Conners who in turn experiments on himself, becoming the Lizard.

In talking about the Lizard, arguably the most ambitious CG villain to fight Spider-Man to date, I should bring up the special effects. Webb had stated that he wanted to step away from the 360 camera angles and hyper-realistic visuals that made the Raimi films so distinctive, Instead, we are given more tactile visuals which was a very risky decision. The Lizard must look believable and real at all times and in my opinion this was accomplished very well. The action sequences and Spider-Man fight scenes seem to be very sparingly enhanced with technological trickery and are therefore more impressive to my eye. In any case, this film needed to show movie goers a new kind of Spider-Man, one that stood out against the glittering imagery of the previous three films.

The central plot hinged mainly on the responsibility of science with Conners/The Lizard taking his discovery to an extreme and Parker/Spider-Man attempting to use his powers to help others. It was interesting to see Parker’s growth from vigilante as he hunted down his uncle’s killer become tempered by a kind of sanity as he realized he was interfering with the law more than helping it. His relationship with Gwen Stacy was an interesting twist as she became more than a lobve interest and instead a full-on confident and associate. Bold move there.

There were a couple of sore points for me but at least they moved the plot forward. I could have done without the prolonged sequence where Spider-Man saves a young boy from an SUV and offers up his mask so that the boy can ‘feel strong.’ It felt like an advertisement for the Target exclusive mask. The reunion with his ‘regular Joe’ dad (played by former 80′s star C. Thomas Howell of the completely undefendable Soul Man) was even sappier yet at least that plot thread developed further.

The fights between Spider-Man and the police as well as the sewer sequences and high school battles were astounding and made the character exciting all over again. The relationship between Gwen and Peter was far more interesting and believable for me than the Mary Jane/Peter Parker love story ever was and I think it has more depth to it as well. I was very wary of this film but hoped for the best. As it stands I was not blown out of my seat, but I was pleasantly surprised and look forward to the forthcoming Marc Webb films.

Throughout the movie, Norman Osborn acted as a kind of wraith, pulling strings off-camera and acting as the motivating factor in the development of the cross-species genetic trials. The work pioneered by Conners and Peter’s father should have saved Osborn from some mysterious ailment. At the conclusion, we see Conners confronted by a strange ‘Man in the Shadows’ who pumps the troubled scientist for information on how much Peter knows about his father. When Connors urges the mystery man to leave Peter alone, it is clear that is not in the cards. I’m tickled pink that anyone could think that this mystery man was anyone BUT Norman Osborn, but there it is. No doubt the mystery of Peter’s parents will continue to grow as the scientific advancements of his father’s research bears bitter fruit in the form of other monstrosities.

It should be spectacular.