The Avengers and the return of the New Universe

Back in 1986, Marvel Comics and Jim Shooter orchestrated what promised to be a revitalization in their monthly comicverse. The New Universe not only introduced new heroes and villains, but in a world devoid of Captain America, Spider-Man or Iron Man. This was a world closer to ours, untainted by the strange and unexplained until ‘The White Event.’ As a reader I tasted a few of the new books and was especially happy with Starbrand and DP7.

Warren Ellis attempted a revival called newuniversal a few years back, but it failed to make enough impact to continue.

This year, Jonathan Hickman took over the reigns of the Avengers monthly series and after an explosive opening arc and a few standalone issues establishing the new members of the team such as Smasher and Hyperion, took on the New Universe in a new way. The White Event has come to the Marvel Universe, but has resulted in a deviation from the expected outcome. The Nightmask and Starbrand ‘vessels’ have arrived but are not correctly aligned to their powers. Rather than being the harbingers of a new power, they are just as deadly as any threat.

It will be exciting to see where Hickman goes with this.

Via Newsarama:
“It wasn’t something that anybody at Marvel especially was looking to do,” Brevoort told Newsarama. “This was all really Jonathan.”

The New Universe started in 1986 during Jim Shooter’s tenure as Marvel editor-in-chief, as a way to mark Marvel’s 25th anniversary. It was intended to be a more grounded world separate from the Marvel Universe, kickstarted by the “White Event” that gave some individuals superpowers. It launched with eight books: D.P. 7, Justice, and Psi-Force, which each ran for 32 issues; plus the shorter-lived Kickers, Inc., Mark Hazzard: Merc, Nightmask, Spitfire and the Troubleshooters and Star Brand.

Following the end of the original books in 1989, the New Universe was touched on in books like Spider-Man 2099, Quasar and the “Starblast” crossover. The most notable revisiting of the concept was newuniversal, a 2007 reboot of the concepts by Warren Ellis and Salvador Larroca. Beyond the six-issue main series, the tie-ins featured some of the first Marvel work from X-Men: Legacy’s Simon Spurrier and Iron Man’s Kieron Gillen.

“For all that everybody says, ‘I don’t know about the New Universe,’ or ‘I don’t care about the New Universe,’ certainly everybody seems to be talking about the New Universe, and has been since the cover to #7, with the pink-white lightning bolt, came out,” Brevoort said. “Everybody recognized it, and everybody had a reaction to it. That indicated that there’s something going on there in the gestalt, whether it’s a nostalgia, or whether it’s just a simple recognition of, ‘It’s that thing from all those years ago, that’s kind of neat, I haven’t seen that in a long time.’”

“Everything has a nostalgic component to it when it comes to comic book readers,” Brevoort continued. “That’s just an ever-prevalent thing. You can’t find stuff in the history of comics that don’t have that pull to them. There’s nothing that is completely salted earth.”

I have to ask if, after the dust has settled, will the other players of the New Universe be in attendance such as Justice, Spitfire and the Troubleshooters, DP7 and… Kickers, Inc? Which one will Bendis be writing?

Recommended:

Star Brand Classic – Volume 1

D.P. 7 Classic – Volume 1

Marvel Comics: The Untold Story

Quick review: Captain America #5

By Rick Remender, John Romita Jr., Tom Palmer, Scott Hanna and Dean White

I was not sure what kind of Captain America comic book to expect from Rick Remender, the guy behind the madness of Uncanny X-Force, Frankencastle and of course Fear Agent. Five issues in and I am overjoyed by its weird, wonderful approach that feels like part B-movie, part Kirby’s Fourth World. I have noticed that for the relaunches of Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man and Thor, the comics have all felt unique, taking the characters in new directions that place the heroes in all new environments to face new threats.

Captain America has become stranded in Dimension Z, brought there by the mad scientist ad part-time TV screen, Arnim Zola. Escaping capture, Cap managed to bring one of Zola’s clones with him.

Trapped in a weird world of monstrous creatures, Cap is no longer alone in a war against its ruler, Arnim Zola. His adopted son Ian stands by Steve Rogers as they brave the natural dangers of the environment and the ever present Zola who has been hot on their heels. Twelve years after finding himself in Dimension Z, Rogers has decided to take the battle to Zola himself.

Unfortunately, he has become infected with a kind of viral form of Zola’s genetic manipulation. A leering video screen image of Zola commands Rogers to give in to his control and reminds him that escape is impossible.

But Steve Rogers will never stop fighting, even against impossible odds and a never-ending sea of genetically created terrors hatched from Zola’s lab. Distorted super soldier clones, Doughboy and Ian’s amazonian sister Jet aim their attacks straight at Cap and Ian as they near the only way out of dimension Z, and then things get worse.

The monthly Captain America book has worn a lot of hats over the years from political thriller to high suspense drama. However, Remender’s vision is so otherworldly and alien that it leaves everything else behind. True, this book is not for everyone and the abstract art by John Romita, Jr is an acquired taste. I have to say that speaking personally, I am attracted to stories that raise the stakes for the hero, often stacking them so high that there is no way s/he cam overcome them. That is definitely the case in this revamped Captain America comic where at one point he is using his shield as a kind of wok to cook moss for food. There really aren’t too many things going for him.

I am unsure how this comic fits in with the regular time line of Captain America, but I figure it will all line up at some point. I had noted the influence of Jack Kirby’s Fourth World and it is in full effect in this issue. Jet looks almost exactly like Big Barda and Dimension Z isn’t unlike Apocalypse. But rather than imply that Remender and Romita Jr. are stealing ideas, I instead feel that they are paying homage to the King.

If you are a big fan of the Ed Brubaker run, this may not be your kind of Captain America comic book… but it’s like nothing you’ve seen before and I am deeply enamored by it.

What a ride!

(click on the images below to enlarge)

Possible details on Guardians of the Galaxy movie

From the images and teaser trailer recently released for the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, fans have been chomping at the bit for more. What looks like a cross between Star Wars and the Avengers, this could be the coolest of the new comic book movies to come out of the House of Ideas. More details are coming in now…

Via Spinoff:

A lot of people probably scratched their heads when Marvel last summer that Guardians of the Galaxy would be part of its Phase Two plans, joining heavy hitters like Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: Winter Soldier and The Avengers 2.
Guardians will supposedly take place in outer space, expanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the far reaches of the cosmos. But who will they be facing off against? Warning: Potential spoilers!

While we don’t know a whole lot about the film, Latino Review reports a pretty big rumor: The Controller will be one of the main villains, working for Thanos (who memorably made his big-screen debut in the post-credits scene of The Avengers).

Once known as Basil Sandhurst, The Controller designed a suit to give him enhanced physical abilities as well as slave discs that allow him to control the wearer while also absorbing their brain energy to make himself stronger. Controller was introduced in 1969′s Iron Man #12, and has been hassling the armored hero ever since. Eventually, Basil got an equipment upgrade thanks to Thanos, who tasked the baddie with enslaving as many people as possible in exchange for control of Earth.

So, Controller not only has a connection to Iron Man, who’s been rumored to have some kind of role in Guardians of the Galaxy, but also to Thanos. How will this play out in the James Gunn film, which stars Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Dave Bautista as Drax and possibly Zoe Saldana as Gamora?

The Wolverine 2013-full trailer

I’ve been a big fan of Wolverine since I was a teen. A mean little scrapper with a temper, I saw a kindred spirit. Of course he made it look cool while I got time outs. It’s hard to imagine that once upon a time Wolverine was unpopular enough with X-Men readers that he narrowly missed the ax that caught Thunderbird. He blossomed into a fan favorite after Chris Claremont and John Byrne developed the character into an animalistic hombre. As the monthly comic garnered acclaim and awards, it also became decidedly violent and bloody. Wolverine’s infamous ‘all red’ killing sprees pulled in new readers and continue to make the mutant a major star on the racks (though he does ebb and flow these days).

Of course things really came together for wolverine when Claremont teamed up with young Frank Miller on a four-part solo adventure set in Japan that added another facet to the character. Whereas he was simply a tough killing machine before, a tragic lone samurai was shown to be lurking beneath the steel-like tough guy veneer. Forever the outsider, Logan wandered the world looking for peace and found only bloodshed.

In film, the unlikely Broadway darling Hugh Jackman has embodied the character of Wolverine so well that even after two lackluster outings, fans are still willing to give him another go. The latest movie is said to take great inspiration from the Claremont/Miller series and even introduces some new ideas such as an emotionally tortured and distraught Wolverine seeking an end to his suffering only to find a real purpose, at the expense of his remarkable healing factor.

What’s particularly interesting to me is how they have recreated some key moments from the Miller comic such as the bar room brawl (seen here).

The Wolverine strikes July 2013.

Personally, I’d love to see a 1950′s Wolverine film starring Humphrey Bogart where he investigates a mystery, drinks, talks a lot then in the final scene unexpectedly pops claws out his hands and slaughters a bunch of gangsters.

That would be something… wouldn’t it?

Edgar Wright’s Astonishing Ant-Man trailer

Hank Pym- the original Ant Man

Edgar Wright’s Ant Man movie has been in production since Iron Man first wowed audiences and fans were eager for the next big thing. The co-creator of the cult BBC comedy Spaced and director of Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Wright is an interesting choice for this somewhat oddball hero.

A short clip was screened for attendees at the San Diego Comic-Con this past summer seemingly just to prove that there is in fact a film in development. It has been so long, that I doubted it existed beyond notes on a spiral bound notebook. It looks like I was wrong, and the footage is damned impressive.
(I apologize for the poor quality, but this is the only youtube link still live)

One of the first Marvel Comics superheroes, Ant Man is Dr. Hank Pym, a brilliant scientist who develops a method of shrinking and growing his body through the use of what he calls ‘Pym particles.’ A founding member of the Avengers, Ant Man took on various other ‘code names’ as his career took different paths such as Giant Man (when he could grow), Goliath (when he became stuck at a larger size), Yellow Jacket (when he became mentally unhinged) and the Wasp (after his late wife).

Viewed as a weird choice for a superhero film, Wright must win over viewers by showing them just how cool Ant Man can be. If this clip is anything to go by, the movie should be lots of fun.

Ant Man has an October 2015 release date.

Petition Tybee Diskin for The Wasp!

Marvel’s Avengers film is one of the biggest money making flicks at the moment and promises to spin off into various other projects including sequels that explore the other members of the superhero team. One of the founding members who is often overlooked is the wondrous Wasp.

Ant Man met Janet van Dyne after he investigated the murder of her famous scientist father. He was almost immediately smitten by her, but reluctant to become involved after only recently becoming widowed. Nonetheless, they became partners in fighting crime when he mutated her body so that she could not only shrink her body to insect-size but also grow wings and was able to fire stings at her foes. Traditionally, she pestered the workaholic Pym for attention and flirted with everyone from Thor to Iron Man in order to make him jealous. In time she developed into a more fully fleshed out character and at one point even led the team.

Her abilities may seem even more useless than Ant Man’s, but it’s all in how you use her as a character, as you can no doubt see in the animated Avengers series where she single-handedly held her own against several heavy hitters. A spunky and sexy but courageous personality, there is a lot to gain by including the Wasp in the next Avengers film (and perhaps the Ant Man movie). But who should play the winsome Wasp?

Allow me to offer up a suggestion…

Dear Edgar Wright, Joss Whedon, and the Casting Team at Marvel Studios,

We, the undersigned, do hereby voice our urgent and pressing desire to see actress Tybee Diskin auditioned for the role of Janet van Dyne, AKA The Wasp, in Edgar Wright’s upcoming adaptation of Ant-Man and the ongoing Avengers Saga.

Best known for her performance as Scarlett in the “Fallout: Nuka Break” webseries (based on the popular video game), Diskin has built a modest online entertainment empire on the strength of her comic timing, her casual naturalism, and her love of genre. While fans know and support Diskin as a comic action star, her background is in classical theater and informs her body of work with the practiced grace and timing of Hollywood’s enduring icons. Most recently, Diskin’s fan community brought her to the attention of 8 Sided Films, who has now cast her in the leading role of Dr. Chelsea Barrington in the upcoming science-fiction heist movie Quantum Theory.

For a look at Tybee Diskin’s reel, resume, and projects, visit her profile page on the 8 Sided Forum: http://www.8sidedforum.com/profile/TybeeDiskin

Casting the role of Janet van Dyne will undoubtedly present enormous challenges to you and your team. On the one hand, The Wasp is the emotional brain of the Avengers. Whoever takes this role must not only hold her own against the wit of Robert Downey Jr., the sensibility of Chris Evans, the passion of Chris Hemsworth and the depth of Mark Ruffalo, but will actually have to redirect and channel the epic conflicts that arise between these titans! On the other hand, The Wasp embodies everything that is truly great about the characters of Marvel Comics. Her approach to managing relationships is not to dominate or control people, but to hear, understand and work with them. Her wits and her sense of humor are her greatest weapons. The Wasp has gone up against some of the greatest supervillains in the Marvel Universe. She survives these encounters not by being tough, but by letting things go.

Who has the craft and the cool to walk into a room full of today’s most acclaimed performers and provide THAT kind of emotional leadership? Who’s quick enough on her feet to trick Tony Stark, sweet talk Steve Rogers, chastise Thor into apologizing and exasperate the Hulk into actually giving up and calming down? Who looks great in the yellow wings and MEANS IT?

TYBEE DISKIN! But don’t take our word for it! Gentlemen, all we ask is that you audition her.

Yours truly,
The Fans and Colleagues of Tybee Diskin

Acting reel

Petition Tybee Diskin for The Wasp by clicking here!

Quick review: Age of Ultron #1

By Brian Michael Bendis, Bryan Hitch, Paul Neary and Paul Mounts

It is the near future. We are thrust into a nightmarish world where a nearly destroyed Manhattan is dwarfed by a strange  mechanical megacity. A battle-weary and scarred Hawkeye breaks into a den of criminals run by The Owl and Hammerhead to break Spider-Man out of captivity. Using precise assault methods, he easily overcomes the opposition, but is nearly overcome by flying robotic sentries sent by the mad Ultron, the rule of the planet.

An evil power-mad robot created by the brilliant Hank Pym, Ultron is a major villain who traditionally brings the Avengers to the brink of absolute carnage and learns from each defeat. This time it seems that he has finally achieved his goal and overthrown the superheroes once and for all.

Crawling through the wreckage of a fallen SHIELD helicarrier, Hawkeye makes contact with a paranoid resistance consisting of a skeleton heroic crew; She-Hulk, Luke Cage, Iron Man, Beast, Sue Storm, Emma Frost and Wolverine. They are all patiently waiting for a call to action from their mentor who sits in stunned silence, Captain America.

The doomed Manhattan of Ultron Age

The beginning of a ten part epic (with tie-ins spreading to the Superior Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Fearless Defenders and Avengers), this comic came as something of a surprise for me. I had seen the ads, but frankly there are so many major events happening right now at both Marvel and DC, it’s sense of urgency got lost in the noise. This comic falls right on the heels of House of M, Secret Invasion, Siege, and Avengers Vs. X-Men. It’s a massive two-fisted, balls-to-the-wall apocalyptic adventure featuring all of the heavy hitters and more in a fight for survival against impossible odds.

It’s exactly my kinda comic.

That’s not to say that I am not up for a more diverse story with subtly, humor and intelligence, but Age of Ultron hits that sweet spot for me that Claremont and Byrne’s X-Men: Days of Future Past did back in the day. It’s the end times, all bets are off and it’s not about who lives, it’s about how they die.

Hawkeye rescues Spider-Man from captivity only to face an army of Ultron sentries

Bryan Hitch has been making a name for himself as the go-to guy for cinematic comics since his days with the Authority. He can knock the reader’s eyes right outta his head and against the wall in a two page spread. But what he really needs is the proper scope to work with and it’s all here in Age of Ultron. The characters that we know and love have been slightly redesigned in some cases (just what is up with She-Hulk’s hair???) which can be confusing but the result is that the tone is set; the familiar is unsettled and different.

Hitch will be drawing the first five issues until something significant happens and the art chores are taken up by Brandon Peterson and Carlos Pacheco. Just what this means is all a mystery but Bendis has been working on this story for over two years.

Bendis spoke to Newsarama about where he was coming from emotionally with this set up and as a comic book fan as well…

Not to get weird, but when I wake up in the morning, my first thing is I check the Internet to make sure everything’s still where it was when I went to sleep. That’s really what post-9/11 America is like. You just kind of wake up and go, “OK, everything’s still standing,” and then you go about your day. I don’t know if everyone does that, but I do it.

I thought that’s kind of like what it must feel like to be Tony Stark or Captain America. There’s so much that could go wrong that’s not their fault, just these things that are out there. One of the things that they’re most worried about, as said in Avengers #12.1, is that eventually, [Ultron]‘s going to evolve to a place where he’s able to accomplish his goal, and it will be too late. And that’s what happened. You woke up one morning and a giant artificially intelligent robot who decided we shouldn’t be here anymore made it so we’re not here anymore. I thought that was the most dramatic way to start. Not with a bang, but with the moment right after the bang. I thought that’s where the story gets more interesting. It doesn’t really matter how Ultron did it, it matters that he did.

That’s the promise of every Ultron story — that he will do something like this. Well, let’s make that promise happen.

The devastation is definitely there. I am up to the gills in stories of alternate dystopian futures, but this one really delivered the goods on making me worry if anything will ever be back to ‘normal’ again.

Just what is to come down the road is unclear. It’s not even revealed how Ultron took over or who the casualties are, but Bendis has hinted that the ending will be a huge shock and to date he has not eaten his words in that department. Marvel has embraced Age of Ultron so that the tie-ins are written by the respective creative teams and reflect the state of each hero or group, so Otto is Spider-Man, not Peter, etc.

Bendis has his detractors (myself included from time to time) but if anything his skill at writing big tales has sharpened over the years. If you like big explosive event comics, this is worth a read.

A taste of what’s to come…

Iron Man 3 updated trailer

The third and biggest Iron Man film will take the armored avenger to new heights. Facing a for greater than any he has faced, Stark raises an Iron Legion of armor against the Mandarin in order to save not just himself but those he holds dear.

Directed by Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’s Shane Black, Iron Man 3 co-stars Sir Ben Kingsley as the evil Mandarin (a villain hinted at in the first Iron Man film), Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian, and Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen, inventor of the Extremis viral technologythat allows Stark to interact with his armor remotely. Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Paul Bettany (voice of JARVIS), Don Cheadle (James Rhodes/War Machine/Iron Patriot) and Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan) will also return.

Rumored to be the final Iron Man solo film, this one looks like it is going to pull out all the stops.

Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Tony Stark’s Iron Legion

Robert Downey, Jr. suits up as Tony Stark once again in “Iron Man 3″! Get your first look at Tony, Pepper, the Mandarin and more in the first trailer for the film, hitting theaters May 3, 2013!

Storm returns in ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ film

I had some exposure to comic books as a kid, but one of my biggest memories is of reading my brother’s copies of Uncanny X-Men 141/142, a story set in a dark future in which the vestiges of the mutant population fight for survival from a race of hunter-killer Sentinels. In a desperate maneuver, Kitty Pryde is sent back in time via mind transference to her younger self in order to prevent events from occurring that would lead to the nightmare. While Kitty attempts to rewrite history, an older battle-worn team of X-Men consisting of Wolverine, Storm and Colossus makes a final stand against their oppressors.

The two part story remains one of the most popular of X-Men tales. Borrowing from other science fiction pulps and programs such as the Outer Limits, Chris Claremont and John Byrne presented a harrowing and dramatically charged story in these issues. This was long before alternate futures, deaths and returns and such had become old hat, so seeing an aged Wolverine who dared not pop his claws rummaging around a devastated NYC was a novelty. As was seeing a world in which almost all of the super powered individuals were dead and buried, the result of over-zealous androids let loose on the world by a paranoid population.

The next X-Men film following the success of the prequel First Class will adapt this story and bridge the gap between two generations of X-Men films, co-starring the cast members of the prequel with those who made the X-Men a household name in the first trilogy. Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), Ellen Page (Kitty Pryde), Anna Paquin (Rogue), Shawn Ashmore (Iceman) and James Marsden (Cyclops) are already signed on to reprise their roles from the previous X-Men films.

Now Halle Berry joins the ranks, somewhat curiously as it has been said that her experience in the X-films was not a positive one. Still, it is nice that there will be such a feeling of reunion and reverence to the past in the next X-Men feature film.

Halle Berry Will Be Back As Storm!

Via comics-x-aminer.com

The actress spoke to Black Tree TV while doing the rounds for her latest film The Call, confirmed that she will be back as Storm in X – Men: Days Of Future Past. “Yeah. I’m excited too. The fans really love Storm, and so I’m really happy that it’s worked out that way. No matter what my part will be or won’t be, to be a part of that is always a good thing. I love it.”

X-Men: Days of Future Past has a 18 July 2014 release date

(click here for my review of Days of Future Past)

Iron-Man: Rise of Technovore Animated Movie

The follow-up to the Mad House Iron Man anime series is a direct to DVD film, Rise of Technovore. The movie will not only feature the return of Tony Stark, but fans will see James Rhodes as War Machine, the Black Widow, Nick Fury, Hawkeye and the Punisher all playing a part in the drama.

The script looks to be heavily influenced by the Matt Fraction monthly series but takes those ideas in a new direction.

Via Wired: Sony just announced plans to release Iron Man: Rise of Technovore on Blu-ray and DVD. Produced by Madhouse, the all-new anime film will be released on April 16, 2013. According to the studio, Iron Man will not be flying solo in this one. War Machine, Nick Fury, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and The Punisher will all make appearances in the feature-length film.

The plot involves a terrorist attack, which sends Iron Man running from S.H.I.E.L.D. and in search of a super-villain. That would be Ezekiel Stane, who has invented the deadly new tech known as Technovore.

Both the Blu-ray and DVD will come packing two behind-the-scenes featurettes and the UltraViolet Digital Copy. “Tale of Technovore” will cover the animation and story, with “S.H.I.E.L.D.: Protecting the Marvel Universe” offering a history of the organization in the comics and on film. The Blu-ray will also have an exclusive interactive art gallery.

Iron-Man: Rise of Technovore has a street date of April 16th