Remender and Romita Jr. take over Captain America

Captain America has been a major hit with comic book readers since Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting reinvented the monthly series at a time when most fans had little to no interest (yours truly included). In the intervening years, even I have to admit that the quality has wavered some (especially after the comic was relaunched last year).

With the many announcements of creative team changes accompanying the mass relaunch of the Marvel Comics catalog, it is surprising to see that there are so many pleasant lineups, including Captain America. Romita Jr. is a staples of the industry who has earned acclaim from comics too numerous to name (anything from Kick Ass to Wolverine, the Punisher and more). Rick Remender has made quite a name for himself on Uncanny X-Force, Secret Avengers, Frankencastle (Punisher) and the under-rated Venom series. His unique combination of tight plotting, dark comedy and strong characterizations make him one of the luminaries of the modern Marvel bullpen.

In short, buy this series.

Marvel has already confirmed Kieron Gillen and Greg Land’s “Iron Man,” and Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic’s “Thor: God of Thunder.” Yesterday, CBR had the first word with Mark Waid and Leinil Yu on their upcoming “Indestructible Hulk” launch. Thursday saw two more pieces fall into place, as Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan and Tony Moore dished on “Deadpool” while Matt Fraction and Mike Allred talked about “FF” and Fraction and Mark Bagley’s “Fantastic Four.”

The latest Marvel NOW! confirmation is Rick Remender and John Romita Jr. taking over “Captain America” in November. iFanboy has the first word on the series, speaking with Remender about his plans for Marvel’s Sentinel of Liberty, from creating a “Year One”-style story arc focusing on pre-super soldier serumed Steve Rogers to building up Cap’s rogues gallery with names like the Green Skull and a reinvigorated Arnim Zola, all while balancing his take on the character with the version appearing in Jonathan Hickman’s “Avengers.”

“One of the mandates I have to myself is, I don’t want to touch the World War II stuff,” Remender told iFanboy of his plans for the title’s first major story arc. “I think that that has been done, now, and it’s been done perfectly. To go back and to keep focusing on Cap in World War II at this point, again, would be following too closely to what Ed has already done. What I’m doing is spending a lot of time in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the 20s and 30s, showing Steve grow up. The first arc is 10 issues, and it’s called ‘Dimension Z.’

“I don’t want to give away too much, but a big portion of it is Cap dealing with Arnim Zola in Dimension Z. I’m trying to take Zola and do with him, what we did with Apocalypse over in Uncanny X-Force. Where we take what’s there, re-imagine it, build a new mythology and really expand Zola, and try and build Zola into a very, very big and important character.

“The other half of it is going to be a lot of flashbacks to a young Steve Rogers growing up in Depression-era Lower East Side, and getting to know his family and his friends, and how this 98-pound weakling became such a tenacious, strong person; focus on the fiber and the integrity of who he is, and really develop that for the first time.”

Via CBR.com

Captain America and Hawkeye team up in Secret Avengers #21.1

The creative team of Rick Remender (Frankencastle, Uncanny X-Force) and Patrick Zircher (Hulk) are on hand to bring Secret Avengers to a new level of greatness and here’s a sneak peek!

Official solicitation info:
Critically acclaimed writer Rick Remender kicks his explosive run on Secret Avengers in style in Secret Avengers #21.1! Joined by superstar artist Patrick Zircher, Remender sends Captain America’s covert strike force into the belly of the beast as he and Hawkeye uncover a huge threat to the Marvel Universe. The two must break into Red Light Nation, a country run by criminals FOR criminals, to stop an evil plot from breaching the border…headed up by an all-new Masters of Evil?! No fan can miss this perfect jumping on point as Remender and Zircher take the Secret Avengers on action packed thrill ride uncovering the dark underbelly of the Marvel Universe. It all begins next month in Secret Avengers #21.1!

SECRET AVENGERS #21.1
Written by RICK REMENDER
Pencils & Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER
ON SALE – 1/25/12

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For more info, bookmark Rick Remender’s site!

Secret Avengers becomes Hawkeye’s black ops team

Ed Brubaker’s take on the Secret Avengers was large and dynamic and something of an homage to the Roy Thomas/Neal Adams material from back in the day. While I was excited to see what he could do, the Warren Ellis take on the comic was a bit too cool for me and seemed self-aware of the expectations from fans. Far too stylish and flimsy on plot, I dropped the series after one issue (a rarity in my collecting behavior).

As Steve Rogers takes up the high profile mantle of Captain America once more, having him lead a black ops Secret Avengers team makes little sense. Introducing Hawkeye as the new leader of the team is a genius move. The former leader of the West Coast Avengers, he is a fan favorite hero who will no doubt gain new followers next Summer when Jeremy Renner takes up the bow in the Avengers movie.

The addition of writer Rick Remender could easily make this comic a must read series. A brilliantly gifted scribe from Punisher and the new Venom, he has a gift for taking characters and making them come to life without sacrificing their legacy (yes, I know he chopped up Frank Castle and brought him back as a Frankenstein monster… so take that with the correct amount of salt).

Patrick Zircher is tearing up the Hulk currently with his astounding work on the Hulk of Arabia storyline, so the point one issue should be beautiful. Artist Gabriel Hardman is no slouch either. An artist of some acclaim from his work on the critically acclaimed yet sadly canceled Agents of Atlas and more recently the Jeff Parker Red Hulk series, his delineations are superb. I’m very excited to see what he does on an Avengers book!

And yes, I noticed that Hawkeye looks like a blend of the upcoming movie version and Ultimate Hawkeye. I’m not sure what to make of that.

Next year, critically acclaimed creators Rick Remender (Uncanny X-Force) & Gabriel Hardman (Hulk) take readers deep under cover in Secret Avengers! Captain America has tasked Hawkeye with putting together a brand new team, ushering in a new era for the Secret Avengers. When the call is put out for heroes to save the Marvel Universe from its most dangerous foes, the biggest powerhouses will answer. America’s Secret Soldier – Venom, The UK’s premiere super hero – Captain Britain, Founding Avenger – Giant-Man and more will join ranks to create a team that will have fans everywhere demanding more. Packed to the brim with action, intrigue, insurmountable odds AND covers by legendary artist Arthur Adams, no fan can miss this!

“Our opening arc will have a big secret war, a big secret new world, a big secret new race, a big team death, a big secret team betrayal, and begin a secret affair. High stakes, intrigue, and tons of character drama as we unearth the mystery surrounding familiar automaton villains reimagined as members of a new species—The Descendants!” exclaimed Remender. “I’m a tremendous fan of Gabe’s work; he’s one of the best storytellers in the business, always puts clarity first, while still managing engaging and dynamic action. I’m beyond excited to have him joining me on Secret Avengers. And having Art Adams on covers is truly a dream come true.”

Kicking off this January in Secret Avengers #21.1 by Remender and red-hot artist Patrick Zircher, fans can get a taste of what we’ve got planned before Gabriel Hardman jumps on board as the ongoing artist with Secret Avengers #22.

“Secret Avengers gives me the opportunity to draw an exciting group of heroes who I’ve never drawn before as well as design new villains and new worlds. Hawkeye, Beast and Valkyrie have been favorites of mine since I was a kid. That combined that with the crazy big, black ops tinged action/adventure makes this a book I had to draw,” explained Hardman. “Rick is known for his wildly inventive scripts and he really delivers with Secret Avengers. This is an epic story that will have big repercussions. That’s the kind of storytelling I like to be involved with.”

With Hawkeye at the helm, Captain America’s strike force team must dodge Adaptoids, Descendants and the biggest threats to the Marvel Universe…without anyone knowing, in Secret Avengers!

SECRET AVENGERS #21.1
Written by RICK REMENDER
Pencils & Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER
FOC – 12/26/11, ON SALE – 1/25/12

SECRET AVENGERS #22
SECRET AVENGERS #22 HARDMAN VARIANT
Written by RICK REMENDER
Pencils by GABRIEL HARDMAN
Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS
Variant Cover by GABRIEL HARDMAN
ON SALE THIS FEBRUARY!

SECRET AVENGERS #23
Written by RICK REMENDER
Pencils by GABRIEL HARDMAN
Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS
ON SALE THIS FEBRUARY!

Via i09

11/11/11 Official press release update via CBR:

Next year, critically acclaimed creators Rick Remender (Uncanny X-Force) & Gabriel Hardman (Hulk) take readers deep under cover in Secret Avengers! Captain America has tasked Hawkeye with putting together a brand new team, ushering in a new era for the Secret Avengers. When the call is put out for heroes to save the Marvel Universe from its most dangerous foes, the biggest powerhouses will answer. America’s Secret Soldier – Venom, The UK’s premiere super hero – Captain Britain, Founding Avenger – Giant-Man and more will join ranks to create a team that will have fans everywhere demanding more. Packed to the brim with action, intrigue, insurmountable odds AND covers by legendary artist Arthur Adams, no fan can miss this!

“Our opening arc will have a big secret war, a big secret new world, a big secret new race, a big team death, a big secret team betrayal, and begin a secret affair. High stakes, intrigue, and tons of character drama as we unearth the mystery surrounding familiar automaton villains reimagined as members of a new species–The Descendants!” exclaimed Remender. “I’m a tremendous fan of Gabe’s work; he’s one of the best storytellers in the business, always puts clarity first, while still managing engaging and dynamic action. I’m beyond excited to have him joining me on Secret Avengers. And having Art Adams on covers is truly a dream come true.”

Kicking off this January in Secret Avengers #21.1 by Remender and red-hot artist Patrick Zircher, fans can get a taste of what we’ve got planned before Gabriel Hardman jumps on board as the ongoing artist with Secret Avengers #22.

“Secret Avengers gives me the opportunity to draw an exciting group of heroes who I’ve never drawn before as well as design new villains and new worlds. Hawkeye, Beast and Valkyrie have been favorites of mine since I was a kid. That combined that with the crazy big, black ops tinged action/adventure makes this a book I had to draw,” explained Hardman. “Rick is known for his wildly inventive scripts and he really delivers with Secret Avengers. This is an epic story that will have big repercussions. That’s the kind of storytelling I like to be involved with.”

With Hawkeye at the helm, Captain America’s strike force team must dodge Adaptoids, Descendants and the biggest threats to the Marvel Universe…without anyone knowing, in Secret Avengers!

Get ready for the New Fantastic Four

Hot off the digital press comes this story about a new take on an old idea. Back in the 1990’s Grey Hulk, Wolverine, Spider-Man and Ghost Rider teamed up as a ‘New Fantastic Four’ to drum up sales on an ailing FF monthly book. It’s corny, but by 1990’s standards, it’s almost respectable. The gimmick worked and is still fondly remembered by some fans today (and briskly forgotten by everyone else).

Next year, a New New Fantastic Four will emerge with new iterations of the previous characters. Rick Remender is a cult favorite writer whose excellent run on Punisher and Franken Castle (along with artist extraordinaire Tony Moore) remains highly recommended by yours truly. His Venom book is also worth a read. Parker has of course continued to make champagne with lemons in his Red Hulk ongoing series that should be on your monthly pull list.

It may look like a cheap marketing trick, but with Remender and Parker at the helm, this could be an excellent comic.

Via io9:

Remember the New Fantastic Four, a short-lived 1990 incarnation of the team featuring Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hulk, and Ghost Rider? Next February, Marvel Comics will pay homage to that wacky roster with a story arc in Venom starring Red Hulk, Venom, X-23, and Ghost Rider.

In a conference call today, io9 learned firsthand of this yet-to-be-named story, which will hit stands February 2012. Writers Rick Remender, Jeff Parker and Rob Williams were on hand with illustrator Tony Moore and Marvel editor Jeanine Schaefer to discuss “The Venom Event,” a tribute to Walt Simonson and Art Adams’ original team-up.

This “2.0 version” of the New Fantastic Four is made up entirely of legacy heroes: there’s Flash Thompson as Venom, Thunderbolt “Red Hulk” Ross, Wolverine’s clone X-23, and Alejandra, the new female Ghost Rider. And as Schaefer noted, these four characters are wrestling with an antiheroic stigma:

All of these heroes are working through a lot of stuff, learning how to be heroes, learning how to work with other heroes. They’re all in their own way [non-traditional heroes] who are dealing with that in their own series. They’re all on a slow spiral downward when they all find each other.

Remender wouldn’t spoil the Big Bad of the arc, but he did tease that the villain is somebody that none of these heroes are ready to duke it out with:

The character is trying to bring another dimension to Earth, and it’s a not-so-pleasant dimension. The villain is succeeding in doing this. The story takes place in Las Vegas, where our mischievous bad guy is the owner of a giant Hell-themed casino that we jokingly call “Hellagio.” During the course of all the other stories, Flash has been sent on a mission to Las Vegas, and his life is low. Captain America has sent the Red Hulk to investigate. Red Hulk and Venom are on a crash course of sorts, as are Ghost Rider and X-23.

(Thanks to King Hulk Marco for the tip!)

The Drumms of Doctor Voodoo

Doctor Voodoo

Doctor Voodoo

After losing face in the mystical realms of magic, Stephen Strange was deemed unworthy of the title of Sorcerer Supreme by the very powers that he once commanded. In the pages of the New Avengers, Strange desperately attempted to seek out his replacement actively, but in the end his enchanted amulet had a mind of its own and chose Jericho Drumm, also known as Brother Voodoo.

Created by Len Wien and Gene Colan for the anthology series Strange Tales, Brother Voodoo is like a more modern (and far spookier) take on a supernatural superhero in comparison to the Greenwich Village mystic, Dr Strange. An educated psychologist, Jericho Drumm returns to his Haitian home to reconnect with his brother, the respected houngan of their tribe. Jericho’s brother Daniel is dying and in order to respect his dying wishes, Jericho visits Daniel’s mentor in order to learn the mystical rites of the houngan. Jericho and Daniel become spiritually linked and Jericho takes on the mantle of Brother Voodoo in order to combat a rival dark magician who threatens his people. Part community leader, part superhero, Brother Voodoo has always existed on the outskirts of the Marvel Universe, which makes the announcement that he is the successor of the Sorcerer Supreme all the stranger.

This autumn, Doctor Voodoo will take up the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme from Doctor Stephen Strange in a new ongoing series by Rick Remender (The End League, Fear Agent, Sea of Red, Punisher War Journal Vol.2 and Punisher Vol. ??) and Jefte Paolo, whom Remender describes as being “like if you mixed together the styles of Walt Simonson, Mike Mignola, and Tim Sale” in Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural. Taking on the role of teacher, Doctor Strange will be taking his new pupil on a journey through the realms of magic, as writer Rick Remender explains:

In the first arc of “Doctor Voodoo,” Sorcerer Supreme related business will take Jericho Drumm to a variety of extra dimensional locales. “He’ll be exploring the Ever Dimensions, the different dimensional planes of the Marvel Universe, and I’m having a lot fun jumping around them,” Remender said. “We’ll be dealing with the different dimensional beings and monsters that inhabit these realms as well. You’ll see places and characters like Nightmare and his plane, the various inhabitants of the Dark Dimension, as well as the hells of Blackheart and Mephisto.”

The look of the series will certainly be key and Remender has chosen his influences well.

For the tone of “Doctor Voodoo,” Remender is taking the fantasy elements of classic “Doctor Strange “ stories and blending them with darker horror elements, similar to those found in the work of legendary horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. “There’s even a nod to Lovecraft in issue #2,” Remender said. “Doctor Strange would team with Spider-Man, but I think it makes more sense for Doctor Voodoo to team with characters like the Son of Satan, who also lives in New Orleans.”

“Ultimately what I think what we have with ‘Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural’ is a rock solid concept for a comic book, and I’m having a ton of fun with it,” Remender continued. “If people give it a shot, I’m pretty confident they’ll enjoy it.”

Doctor Strange, considered by many as the most successful magic-related comic book superhero, has had a spotty history with comics and met the sticky end of cancellation many times. Here’s hoping that his successor Doctor Voodoo will have better luck, if not in his own title then as a supporting cast member in the New Avengers.