eFX' Avengers prop replicas sneak peek

You know The Avengers movie must be getting closer when licensee companies are making announcements. In my inbox today was a press release from eFX announcing their line of Avengers movie replicas, and showing off a first peek at what they have in store.

eFX Inc. has acquired the worldwide rights to create Marvel collectibles, and they’re not stopping at The Avengers movie. They’re launching a full line of products based on Marvel characters from both the films and the comic books. Prices are expected to range between $49 and $1,500, or possibly even more depending on the size and artistry of the collectible. All products will be available to buy at eFX’s website, and at select retail locations and conventions.

Included in their first batch of products are replicas of Captain America’s shield, Thor’s Mjolnir hammer, and a full-scale Iron Man Mark V mask. Based on the preview image they sent, it would appear that Cap’s helmet cowl will also be among the available products, as well as Thor’s silver headpiece. The first replicas will be on display at WonderCon in Anaheim, California from March 16-18.

Past replicas manufactured and sold by eFX include items from Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Disney, and more. Not bad for a company that’s only four years old.

Marvel Soap

I have to admit that I am a sucker for liquid hand soap more than solid soap, but if I were given some of this Marvel soap, I will not be complaining! The soap blocks are being sold by Luxury Lane Soap for only USD 8.95. The product description reads:

Want to impress your lady/gentleman friend the morning after? Pack your shower full of these bad boys and I bet they stay another night!*

*I can’t actually promise that. Nor can I promise anyone but you will be impressed with these soaps. But, if it is any consolation, I think you have epic taste in bathing products.

Hulk and Thing soaps both glow in the dark. Obviously due to mass amounts of radiation…or skin safe glow powder, whichever…

I don’t know about that first paragraph, but I totally agree with having an epic taste in bathing products if you get these bars. Whatever they mean with the use of epic in this case! And of course, the fact that two of the bars glow in the dark can help when you suddenly remember that you forgot to pay your electricity bill because you do not have power when you need to go to the loo in the middle of the night!

For those of you who are conscious about what goes into your bathing products, rest assured that the entire set of Marvel soap is free from Parabens or Formaldahydes, Sulfates or Phthalates, and GMO or Triclosan. More so, the products were not tested on animals. I don’t know if superheroes escaped the testing, though.

A bold new era? Hopefully a fun read at the very least.

Taking the opportunity of the Christmas period to catch upon my comics reading (and supplementing this with fanfic when I reached the bottom of the stack), I must confess that I re-read Jonathon Hickman’s Fantastic Four and FF (Future Foundation) numerous times.

Although I have raved bout this particular run of the FF numerous times already, and enthused about the quality of story-telling that has gone into the title, it is hardly a dramatic revamp of our favourite Foursome and their family. Cleverly weaving in all of the traditional facets of FF lore, I am finding myself wanting to know where Lyja is (considering the manner of Johnny’s resurrection), or hoping for the return of Sharon Ventura. Exploring the many fanfic sites, one is confronted with multiple line-ups, some making sense and some really out there. Strangely enough, the more bizarre line ups (such as one including Ken Connell the Starbrand) were just as enjoyable, if not more so than the traditional unit.

Do you, like myself, feel a little cheated that we never really saw any quality stories starring the ‘New’ Fantastic Four, the line-up of Wolverine, Spidey, Hulk and the Ghost Rider. Now there’s a Hollywood blockbuster right there, and a grouping that should have received far more attention.

Although changes in the status quo are not necessarily good, nor traditional stories necessarily bad, it would be nice to see a true deviation from the standard formula, and not have to rely on ‘Ultimate’ labels or the appallingly short What-If’s.  Even the ‘massive reorganisation’ of the X-Men strikes me as a repetition of previous themes, as fun as it is.

So, my attention was drawn to Previews and a solicitation from Image Comics set for March. Hell Yeah!, created by Eisner and Harvey award-winner Joe Keatinge and Elephantmen’s Andre Szymanowicz promises to think outside the box when it comes to the lifestyle of super-heroics. Promises that we have heard before, but every so often have actually materialised in the form of a quality product.

This obviously whetts my ‘ooh, new world….’ appetite, although some of Keatinge’s words worry me.

…..when Image Comics debuted, it made me realize all the rules and restrictions I saw in other superhero comics didn’t have to exist. Anything could happen. You could kill lead characters in first issues. Obliterate long-standing villains in a page turn. They could be in different tone than what’s normally presented by the diversity shown in anything from Youngblood to Casual Heroes. They didn’t have to be noble, they didn’t have to maintain the same status quo. It was turned into a genre where the term ‘impossible’ didn’t exist. Due to all this my imagination went into over drive and after twenty years of percolating in my brain, Hell Yeah was born.”

Readers views of the birth of Image vary widely, as did the quality of offerings. Yet most of the initial characters remain with us to this day, so they obviously got something right. And as a die-hard Savage Dragon, Spawn and Stormwatch fan, I would be the last to criticise. (Well, that last statement is maybe not true.) Even the Liefeld house of characters received a tremendous boost at the hands of Alan Moore, most especially Supreme, and it was a shame that the surge in quality could not be sustained by sales.

So I look forward to the coming year, and I hope that the high quality in the industry we have seen recently will be maintained, but perhaps with some real changes in the status quo for our favorite characters.

Just not another New 52, please.

Uncanny X-Force #19 and meet teh newest hero on the block - Apocalypse!

So is it me, or have comics actually got better this last year? Despite having one week a month when I am not that excited about the shipping list, overall I have to confess that I think this has been one of the better years in recent memory.

DC, after a dismal start with the entire Flashpoint event, but the DCnU started as a resounding success. Admittedly, at present all of the titles have a very similar feel to them, to a fault. Yet so did Valiant when it started, and some of the titles are really striking out well. Stormwatch for example.

Marvel on the other hand have acquitted themselves nicely. X-Men Schism was another, slightly less disappointing springboard for the new X-Men family of titles. Cyclops’s team seems more of the same as before (not that there was a great deal wrong with that), but Wolverine and the X-Men returned to the early days of the New Mutants, where being a mutant kid at school was fun. Avengers Academy has the same appeal, but without the ever present shadow of mutant politics hanging over it.

Speaking of the X-family, the flagship titles have to be the New Mutants and Uncanny X-Force, both vastly different in the approaches. New Mutants is like seeing numerous old friends that one hasn’t seen for years, and the X-Force seems to be touching those spots that other X-titles cannot reach. Yet finally the X-family have reasserted the fact that they do live in the Marvel Universe, and not in their own little reality.

I have written extensively of the talents of Jonathon Hickman with Fantastic Four and S.H.I.E.L.D, or the Spider-Island event that made me a convert. So if I were to compare the two companies, the House Of Ideas comes out on top, once more deserving of its self-aggrandizing title.

So that’s the Big Two sorted, although it’s disappointing to see the relaunches that we have lost this year. The Red Circle heroes have returned to Archie, where I can only hope they find greater success; but I fear that may not be the case. The return of the CrossGen characters turned into two four-issue flops, so it may be the last we see of them. Still, Marvel, if you want to relaunch The First as part of the MU, give it a go.

Marvel Point One, and the Watcher has a home invasion

Having only finished my pile of comics from last week over breakfast this morning, I thought I would spend a moment with Marvel, or more specifically, Marvel Point One.

Today we see the shipment of Avengers #19, one of the issues that Marvel Point One claims heralds the return of Ultron. Now I fail to see the connection between an Avengers membership drive (which seem to be occurring with an ever increasing regularity), and the return of Norman Osbourne and Ultron, although I would be the first to admit that the Green Goblin is crazy enough to utilise the genocidal bot. Or maybe it’s Tony Stark’s reparation of the Vision that leads to the adamantium killer’s return?

Except, isn’t there already a version of the Vision already wandering around? A combination of the original Vision’s OS, (what I wouldn’t give to have that installed on my laptop!) and Iron Lad’s armour? I know that Marvel is not one to shy away from duplicate characters; after all, we now have a new Scarlet Spider. And we all know how well that ended the first time around. But still! Does that mean that the Young Avengers Vision should be Vision Lad? No, that’s taken, or at least it was. Maybe Vision-Baby? Or Kid-Vision? (Ughh!)

Yes, I am convinced there is still a place for Sixties kitsch, however much the publishers want to ‘update’ their creations for the ‘new’ generation.

Anyway, I digress. Marvel Point One gave us an excellent foreshadowing of things to come, without promising anything concrete. Is this the future? Or simply a What If? And such high plot points not withstanding, just how can one ‘pay off’ Ultron in the first place? What would you use as currency? Your fertility? Your first born?

What I really look forward to is the new Defenders title that, if the Doctor Strange sequence is anything to go by, will be the Marvel spandex answer to the classic Invisibles by Grant Morrison. It’s a shame that that the She-Hulk starring in this is the Red, not the green, because I’m sure that reference to Jennifer’s ‘Fourth Wall awareness’ would have been able to complicate what already appears to be a promising storyline with a huge degree of hilarity.

The new Uncanny X-Force arc seems promising, with all our favourite anti-mutant bigots joining together to become something they hate, all under the shadow of the Age Of Apocalypse. If you missed that titles recent revisit to the alternate timeline of mutant hell, I highly recommend it. Oh, and they now have a Deathlok as a member as well, how can that be bad?

Something Marvel is doing currently, it’s doing right. Although the titles have all the hot new styles we’ve come to expect nowadays, this is the same universe that I saw in the Seventies and Eighties but that vanished for a while in the Nineties. Additionally, the fact that there are less dragged out ‘deconstructed’ storylines in most titles again makes me believe my few bucks have been well spent. And it’s about time, but congratulations to the ‘House Of Ideas’. It’s been a long slog, but things make sense again.

Greater than even Infinite Crisis' Battle For Metropolis, this issue defined the concept of super-villain team up!

Newsarama have started a discussion asking ‘do fans even know what they want’? This week, the topic has turned to that bugbear of the discussion boards (and articles such as this one); the company crossover.

On such a contentious topic, I could hardly resist contributing my own point of view. One can hardly deny the efficacy of the crossover. From my own experience, Unity introduced me to the rest of the Valiant universe way back when; initially I had only read Solar. Break-Thru helped introduce me to parts of the Ultraverse that had hitherto remained unseen by me. Wildstorm Rising served a similar role, and Dark Horse’s late (and lamented by me at the very least) Comics’ Greatest World began its life as a weekly event, mapping out their universe from the word go. More recently, the Dream Eater saga over at Zenescope’s Grimm Fairy Tales has finally made that universe make sense for me, and I am richer for it.

Notice I have left out the Big Two from that description, even though the phenomenal Crisis On Infinite Earths served the same purpose for me, introducing me to the many corners of the DC universe. In fact, until the very first mega maxi crossover that hit the newsstands, the DC universe barely made sense to me. I imagine there will be younger readers out there for whom Flashpoint, or more precisely the DCnU, has served the same purpose.

Yet what we as fans require is a good story. I can think of many such ‘events’ that failed to reach the dizzying heights that we demand. Anyone remember ‘Extreme Sacrifice’ from the Liefeld family of Image titles? Nah, me neither.

Some so-called events are no such thing. As much as I enjoyed Marvel’s Dark Reign, that was not a crossover event. It was a backdrop, much like the Crisis was a back drop in some of the labeled crossovers back in 1985. Some events are so large that, apart from a central pivotal cast, a backdrop is all they can be.

Other crossovers have no need to be all encompassing. With wallets more limited nowadays, does the company really need to draw attention to the entire line all at once? One of my most favourite events was the Janus Directive, which I think occurred shortly after the Millennium crossover in DC. I was already a Firestorm and Suicide Squad reader, but the restrained cast and chapter order led me to Captain Atom, Checkmate and Manhunter, the latter two becoming regular monthly additions to my pull list. This was effective, and more importantly, fun.

Sometimes, smaller is better. Like the Janus Directive, an event does not have to be all-encompassing to be large, and to be successful. What we as readers require is not issues that carry crossover banners and are integral to some uber-story, but simply comics that are obviously in the same universe, and recognise and reference the events occuring elsewhere in that universe. If I want to by Spider-Man, I will. But if I am an X-Men reader, I do not want to feel badgered into buying Spider-Man, but having the events of Spider Island being reported on a television in an X-Men title, would be fine.

Curiously enough, I don’t think that happened. But surely there is a difference between tightly dove-tailed titles or titles that retain their independence?

Independence does not have to mean ignorance, just as recognition does not have to mean inter-twined.

After all, smaller can be better. You know what they say about small packages.

Avengers Academy 21, New rules

I wonder if in years to come, we will look back at 2011 and consider it to be a great year for change within the comics industry? Or have we had quite enough changes already so far, thank you very much?

The DC Universe rebooted itself (again), just the one Earth this time. I think.  Thor died, though he might have done that before, and he’s certainly not the only one. The Human Torch died (yeah, right) and the Richards started employing super-villains while becoming a children’s home.

The Avengers were re-legalised, destroyed, rebuilt, destroyed, had another go at training youngsters, and the X-Men schismed into two factions. Sure, and they’ve never done that before.

Without sounding too critical, I actually like what is happening with the X-Men. It makes sense, at least they are not at war, and it brings some once major characters, such as Storm, back to the centre stage where they belong. Not to mention some interesting combinations of characters.

The independant scene offers transient delights. Pick up this weeks issue of The Strange Talent Of Luther Strode if you doubt me (and if you missed the first issue). There are aspects that we can certainly define as indicative of the ‘Noughties’ as I discussed when I first wrote about the title.  Yet it has a certain individuality so far that is appealing, and I hope that remains.

The Last Of The Greats is another cool series, yet after the first issue, it seems remarkably similar to the plot of Irredeemable, and I hope my visit to the store today will prove me wrong.

Strangely enough, it’s the more ‘retro’ titles that seem to be doing it for me at the moment, such as Kirby:Genesis, or All Winners Squad:Band Of Heroes. I am certainly looking forward to the next Project Super-Powers as well.

My tip for the week though has to be the aforementioned Avengers Academy. Our disenfranchised youth has now been joined by a new White Tiger (erm, this is what? White Tiger number four? Five?), and to my great delight, Julie Power!

For younger readers who may not remember, Julie was the oldest girl (and possibly the most sensible member) of Power Pack, a group of four siblings given powers by horse-faced aliens, in a title that lasted just over half a decade.

The original students, not quite as well-adjusted as your average teen, do not exactly take well to this, but for the sheer characterisation of the Avengers and their hangers-on, this has to be the best of the Avengers titles.

Why, there is an entire story nearly every issue, not dragged out over numerous months at a snails pace. If you haven’t tried it yet, dive in, the waters fine.

LEGO Superheroes logo

Holy crackers! This coming January, LEGO is making one of its biggest product line launches ever: LEGO Superheroes. And the products making up this toy line? Both DC Comics and Marvel characters. How did I not know about this?

Official LEGO DC Comics Minifigures

The news was announced a few months ago at San Diego Comic-Con International, but somehow I missed it. I’m reeling in shock here, give me a minute… The DC characters are the ones that premiere in January. Marvel’s LEGO toys are being held off until summer, to coincide with The Avengers movie.

LEGO Wolverine Minifigure

It’s easy to see how this one-in-a-million convergence came about. LEGO already has a partnership with Warner Bros. for the Batman franchise, so expanding that to encompass other DC heroes is a no-brainer, considering how well the Batman sets have sold. As for Marvel, they’re owned by Disney now, and LEGO has an existing partnership with Disney as well.

LEGO Iron Man Minifiure

But it’s still mind boggling that these two universes are coming together in the form of the world’s greatest toy. DC has for years refused to do any crossovers with Marvel because of some kind of animosity from DC towards Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada. So the very idea that both of these titans will be united under a single umbrella is just incredible.

Anyhoo, below are some of the first images of some of the Minifigs and sets coming with the LEGO Superheroes line.

But you know where my mind can’t help but go with this news… They already made a LEGO Batman video game. How long until we see LEGO Avengers or LEGO Justice League?

Photos courtesy of FBTB.net and Eurobricks. Hit both links for lots more images.

Yet for many heroes, death is not the mid-point of the story, but the beginning. This follows a timeworn tradition that has encompassed horror through the ages, tales of mythic romance and tragedy, and forms the backbone for shamanic or religious transformation in myriad traditions.

There is little imagery so powerful as the sacrifice of the self, whether though voluntary means or otherwise.

Frankenstein’s Monster

Frankenstein as one of the Seven Soldiers

Frankenstein was a ground breaking fiction in its time, combining elements of horror and romance, and considered by many to be the very first science-fiction story; despite an initially unfavourable reception.

The Monster has seen a resurgence in the past few years, becoming an important character for both DC and Marvel, as seen by the release of his own title as an Agent Of S.H.A.D.E., while joining forces with Howard the Duck and the Man-Thing in the Fearsome Four.

Never having been one specific person himself, our Frankie was composed of a combination of corpses, not all of which were human. His appeal has never faded, and in the real world, he is the oldest of the characters having first appeared in 1818.

Spawn

Spawn

Vanguard of the ‘Image Revolution’, Spawn was the brainchild of Todd McFarlane after his amazing (excuse the pun) run on Spider-Man. Once a CIA hitman and former Marine, Al Simmons was murdered on the order of his superiors, went to hell for his crime, made a deal with the devil for love and returned to watch over his wife and daughter.

Of course, it was not that simple. In undeath as well as life, Simmons was a tool for the powers that be, but managed to turn the tables on both his agency boss and the Devil himself, by becoming God. Although not unheard of in the world of comics, very few central characters reach these lofty heights and still manage to sustain a title. Spawn just passed its bicentennial, yet I think he had become God by about issue 150.

Haunt

Haunt

One could easily detect a theme here, as Haunt was created by Todd McFarlane and Robert Kirkman, featuring a CIA operative dying, coming to haunt his brother a priest; and lots and lots of webs. He is only one of the most recent titles that demand a death to kick-start not just the action, but the entire super-powered identity.

With an engaging cast of characters that we have come to expect from Mr Kirkman, a glance at the covers of Haunt make imply you have seen it all before, but you haven’t.

Brother Voodoo

Dr Voodoo, the excellent beginning to a tragically dismal career.

Haunt was not the first man to be haunted by his brother. The 3-D Man comes to mind, but perhaps the most interesting of the archetype is the recently failed Sorcerer Supreme of the Marvel Universe, Brother Voodoo.

The educated psychologist Jericho Drumm returned home to find his twin Daniel, the local houngan, dying of a voodoo curse. After a vow elicited on his brother’s death bed, Jericho seeks out Daniel’s teacher, and ends up leaving the world of science behind. Assuming you call psychology a science.

Jericho was thrust from being one of the many victims of the Skrull infiltration of Earth in Secret Invasion, to replacing Doctor Strange as the Sorcerer Supreme. It didn’t end well, but for the master of the Loa, would death really be such an obstacle?

Ghoul

Ghoul's first appearance in Exiles #1

In the early days of the Malibu Ultraverse, Johnathon Martin contracted the Theta Virus in the pages of the original Exiles. This virus delivered superhuman powers, but also killed its host. In Johnathon’ case, both outcomes occurred fairly instantly; he became a zombie-like being, neither truly alive nor dead.

Eventually becoming a member of Ultraforce, Ghoul was perfect grist to the mill of Warren Ellis, frequently being the main comedic character against a backdrop of darker and darker storylines.

SwampThing

Swamp Thing as a Black Lantern, or not.

Of course, this is comics, and nothing is ever as simple as just simply dying. Alec Holland was immolated in a fire, covered in a bio-restorative formula, in an isolated laboratory in a swamp. Death ensued, and he rose again as the muck-encrusted Man-Thing. Sorry, Swamp Thing. Back in 1971, their first appearances were but a month apart. Swampy may have been second, but was an entirely different shambling mound of moss.

Selected by the Parliament of Trees to be the protector of The Green, (that’s the plant kingdom to you and me), Swampy generated his own revolution in the world of horror comics, becoming one of the initial flagship characters of the Vertigo label.

Recent developments have shown that the soul of Alec Holland was nowhere near the elemental, but now may well be forced to carry on in his cellulose caricature’s footsteps.

Spectre

The Spectre delivers a scolding to five Earths at once.

While Frankenstein’s Monster is the oldest character in our world, you don’t get much older than the Angel of Vengeance, God’s wrath incarnate. Forever fated to be bound to a human host, in the 1940’s he joined with a cop Jim Corrigan, who had had the inestimable pleasure of being murdered, stuffed into a barrel which was then filled with cement and dumped into the river.

Initially serving ‘The Voice’, his master evolved into ‘The Presence’ and his mission in the world of man solidified from eliminating evil to serving divine justice, (and all ideas inbetween). He sees all acts, from the tiniest indiscretion to the great cosmic sagas that tend to befall the Earth every other month of so, as we see above, in the Crisis On Infinite Earths.

Deadman

Deadman in his 'Life's so unfair!" pose

Clue’s in the name really. Boston Brand has really taken centre stage in the DCU since the events of the Blackest Night/Brightest Day. A circus acrobat who was more than a little self-absorbed, he was denied his eternal rest and made into an Eastern deity’s errand boy.

Immortal Man

The Immortal Man, thinking he is more influential than he was ever allowed to be.

First appearing in the pages of Strange Adventures in 1965, the Immortal Man erupted from the eight or twelve page tales so common in the anthologies of the time. Originally Klarn of the Bear Tribe, he was the mortal enemy of Vandal Savage, and thought erased from existence in the Crisis On Infinite Earths. Turns out he was only kidnapped and hidden by his counterpart caveman, yet had to sacrifice himself again to protect reality on meeting with the man who would become his replacement.

Resurrection Man

Resurrection Man #1,000,000

Death is not so much an origin for Mitch Shelley, as it is a way of life. Receiving new life in the New Fifty-Two, Shelley was an unwilling experiment, infected with ‘tektites’ that would only allow him to rest for mere seconds after every death. Each new rebirth would grant him with some new combination of super-powers.

We saw his potential in the pages of DC One Million, a major crossover during the run of his first title. Tactical advisor to the Justice Legion Alpha of the 853^rd Century, Mitch embodied the qualities of patience and planning so very absent in his origins.

Do I really need to mention the buffoon Mr Immortal?

Dr Strangefate, one of the best Amalgam titles.

With the stunning sales figures of many of the DCnU  first issues, minds no doubt turn towards how the industry can sustain this momentum? As I have said before, I have doubts as to how many of these sales are likely to be new readers, although I imagine by far the largest segment of these extra sales will be returning readers. Unfortunately, there are no metrics available to either support or refute my assumption, so I will just have to resort back to my experience in the Nineties as a comics’ store manager, and join the ranks of self-appointed experts.

One of the major comics events of the Nineties was the DC vs Marvel event. I would say trilogy, but lets face it, the latter two mini-series were hardly earth shattering in terms of quality. Conversely, the trilogy was succeeded and the long awaited and phenomenally successful JLA/Avengers, that despite a hefty price tag delivered impressive figures and a treat for the fans.

Over at Newsarama, Michael Doran delivered an op-ed suggesting that Marvel and DC should embark upon another crossover, or series of crossovers. Considering that the secret of sustaining the industry is generating cash flow for the retailers, this could only serve to further this aim.

That’s my LCS-manager side speaking. Yet as a fan, I would take Mr Doran to task with some of his suggestions. He claims that the standard formula of: a) two villains from respective universes team up/come into combat; b) two sets of heroes meet and fight and then c) team up to save the day; is not enough.

I cannot disagree with a word of that. And I love the idea of simple DC hero versus Marvel villain (or vice-versa) being the focus of the story.

Yet he implies that these stories should simply occur in isolation, with no thought to continuity or the respective cosmologies of the parent companies.

As a continuity geek, I find this blasphemous heresy, and I’m shocked to the very core of my being. Unless we re-establish the theorised ‘Crossover Earth’ of say, X-Men and the New Teen Titans, then I want context. I want ramifications. I want something more than a three-panel appearance of the Access Axel Asher in the pages of Green Lantern.

Yet there is a compromise that can satisfy both myself and Mr Doran. The trusted mechanism of bookends.

Have a commencing issue that sets the stage for these crossovers, setting up some great cosmic threat, imbalance or whatever. Make it really, really large in scope.

Then, do the crossovers, whether they are hero team ups or one company’s hero against another company’s villain. Let them contain their own self-contained stories, either ignorant or only tenuously linked to the uber-plot. (In fact, by my plan, these crossovers should be composed prior to the bookends, giving the writers a challenge as to how to link these seemingly unrelated stories, taking the art of retroactive continuity to its peak.

Let’s start with killing Access. As much as I like him, I’m not convinced my opinion is shared by the multitudes.

However, one comment in Mr Doran’s post really aroused my ire.

And the less said about “Amalgam,” the better, don’t you think?

One thing that the Amalgam was, was fun! In my eyes, some of the series had a lot of potential, while others had the kitschiness of some Sixties material that endeared them to my heart. To see it denigrated and cast aside as a mistake is in my eyes a crying shame. Taking such events as Final Crisis, Civil War, Fear itself or Flashpoint, as good (or bad) as you may consider them, the over-arching themes were ‘dark’. I enjoyed them all (except maybe the latter two), but they lacked that element of joy in discovering a new character or idea, the appearance of a name that could make me laugh out loud.

Who’s to say that Doctor Strangefate would not make the perfect uber-villain?

Critter #1 from Big Dog Ink

And I don’t mean the movie franchise of questionable quality that crossbred Gremlins with Tribbles to bring yet another dimension to pest control.

I don’t tend to enthuse about the titles from Big Dog Ink. Despite some very good covers which raise my expectations, tingling my ‘new universe sense’, I have always found the contents disappointing. Not always even the stories, there was some good, if fairly standard, ideas, but the scripting has always let them down, making the characters appear incredibly two-dimensional.

Finally, the company has bucked the trend with Critters #1, which recently came into my possession. There’s no deep dark origin story, heck, there’s no origin story at all. Just a young girl with super-powers and a tad of a family rift leaving home to go to the big city as a student and junior super-hero.

Written and created by Tom Hutchinson, Cassia Crawford is immediately likable, surrounded by dialogue that goes from the emotional poignant to easily flowing and natural banter. The issue covers a series of small events, from leaving home, to the first battle where she gets injured, to her recuperation; interspersed by meeting the inhabitants of her dorm. There’s no cliffhanger, no artificial enticement to come back to the next issue. It simply stands on its own merit.

I cannot recommend it enough, and I am really pleased to be able to do so for Big Dog Ink. I love it when the smaller companies come out with a winner. Critter Cassia Crawford is very nearly as cool as Squirrel Girl. (And if you’ve read this week’s issue of New Avengers or remember her time with the Great Lakes Avengers, then you know what I mean.)

In the meantime, Spider-Island kicks off for good this week, with Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Island: Cloak And Dagger. Although not a regular Spider-Man reader, I have always been impressed with the quality of the title when drawn by whatever mega-crossover led me there. Some of the supporting cast is new to me, but this seems like a great jumping on point. So far, it reminds me of Maximum Carnage, only done a lot better. Then again, Spidey is a lot more connected nowadays than back then, so the team-ups are less forced.

Finally, Newsarama announced on Wednesday that Disney has put an end to the Italian company Panini created original content for the British market using British creators. It must all now be generated in the U.S.

Hmmph. Parochial much? Although Marvel UK created quite a few misses, it had numerous hits such as the Zoids, Zenith or some of the Transformers material; which brought some of the biggest names in comics to the forefront. Alan Moore, Alan Davis, Grant Morrison (commence angelic music soundtrack). If it wasn’t for Britain, there would be no Psylocke in the X-Men. No Flex Mentallo.

How dare they? Instead, there are more freelance creators on the dole queue. What, we British are not allowed to make Disney money in our own country? Where the hell is the logic in that? While I’m hardly going to quit buying Marvel over this, I think this is an atrocious move, and I can only hope that Boom, IDW or Zenescope jump into the vacuum that has been created. No one can miss the contribution the U.K. has made to the global comics market, and if Disney wants to miss out on whatever is generated here next, then that is their prerogative. And their loss.

We could argue for years about what constitutes a “superhero weapon” and what doesn’t. For the purpose of this article, I’m defining it as an object or device that exists separate from the wielder. Wolverine’s claws — despite being one the coolest superhero weapons of all — don’t qualify, because they’re part of his anatomy.

Don’t forget to get involved in the comic book debates at the ForeverGeek Forum!

Batman’s Batarangs

Batarang

Batman uses so many different tools, gadgets, and weapons, but there’s no more emblematic or remembered weapon than the Batarang. It’s part boomerang, part throwing star. Part tool, part weapon. And all awesome. [Image source.]

Captain America’s Shield

Shield

Steve Rogers is as much of a symbol as he is a hero, so nothing less than a powerfully symbolic weapon will do. Over the years, Cap‘s shield has gone through many incarnations, but the most popular and memorable one is the round model made of the fictional substance Vibranium. In Cap’s hands, it’s a potent weapon for both offense and defense. [Image source.]

Ghost Rider’s Hellfire Enchanted Chain

Hellfire Enchanted Chain

Ghost Rider’s signature weapon is this enchanted chain that literally bends to his will. And it perfectly matches his metal/biker aesthetic. Sometimes it’s depicted with a glow, while other times it appears to be merely a typical black chain. [Image source.]

Green Arrow’s Bow & Arrows

Bow & Arrows

I’d like to say I was torn between Green Arrow and Hawkeye, but I’d be lying. Green Arrow is the character that’s better known by the general public. The feisty archer is obviously modeled after Robin Hood, and his skill with his bow is unmatched. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a billionaire and can afford to create a nearly infinite array of specialty arrows. [Image source.]

Green Lantern’s Power Ring

Power Ring

The powers of Green Lantern are among the most creative on DC’s roster. What could be cooler than the ability to conjure up anything you can imagine? The mythos behind the Green Lantern rings has grown and expanded hugely over the years, and now there are a full spectrum of ring colors and corps to go with them, each one drawing power from a different primal emotion. But green remains the greatest, built on a foundation of fearlessness. [Image source.]

Iron Man’s Suit

Iron Man

For Tony Stark, his costume is his weapon. It was built out of necessity — its power source keeps dangerous shrapnel from penetrating Tony’s heart, and the first incarnation of the suit helped him escape captivity — but he’s refined and remodeled it numerous times over the years into the sleek, powerful machine it is today. [Image source.]

Spider-Man’s Web-Shooters

Web-Shooters

Peter Parker fashioned his signature wrist gadgets himself, which allow him to shoot a special web fluid that acts like strands of a spider’s web. They’re useful for all sorts of things, including Tarzaning his way through Manhattan, tying up enemies, and grabbing falling objects. Thankfully, Spidey‘s grown more adept at that last one — a lesson he learned the hard way (poor Gwen). [Image source.]

Thor’s “Mjolnir” Hammer

Mjolnir

Bestowed upon him by his father Odin, Thor‘s enchanted hammer is more than a weapon. It’s the totem that transforms human Donald Blake into the Norse god he’s bonded with: Thor, God of Thunder. Thor can throw it at enemies and will it to return to him, he can conjure thunder and lightning with it, or he can just use it to whack the snot out of just about anything. [Image source.]

Witchblade

Witchblade

In the Top Cow Comics universe, the mythology states that there are 13 mystical artifacts/weapons that together hold the universe balanced between dark and light. Of the 13, the best known is the object called the Witchblade, as bonded to Sara Pezzini. The artifact is worn as a bracelet when inert, but can grow and transform into a gauntlet, a bladed weapon, or even a full suit of body armor. It also possesses some mystical powers. [Image source.]

Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth

Lasso of Truth

Diana uses her magic, glowing lasso to bind her enemies and force the truth from them. (It literally forces them to tell the truth.) Personally, I’ve always thought the Lasso is just about the lamest “weapon” there is; her male counterparts get gadgets and power rings and arrows and maces, and she gets a rope? But it’s an inseparable part of Wonder Woman‘s image. Hey, geek war: which would win in a fight — the Lasso of Truth or Ghost Rider’s Hellfire Chain? Go! [Image source.]

Williams-Sonoma's Marvel Kitchen Collection

Marvel’s Disney-fied empire just keeps on growing. The latest frontier in their quest for global domination? The kitchen, courtesy of high-end cookware maker Williams-Sonoma.

Williams-Sonoma’s new line of Marvel-inspired products include cookie cutters, pancake molds, aprons, spatulas, and iced cookie kits — all themed around classic incarnations of Marvel’s most popular superheroes. The products are primarily based on Spider-Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and Wolverine, and range in price between $12.95 and $39.95.

You can view the entire cookware catalog online here. Marvel has even produced a special 12-page Spider-Man and the Avengers comic book for kids just for the occasion, written by C.B. Cebulski with art by Todd Nauck. You can view the comic book online here. It stars Avengers butler Jarvis cooking a special meal for the superheroes and a bunch of kids. Seriously. Oh, and the Avengers also fend off an attack by the Frightful Four.

Williams-Sonoma's Marvel Kitchen Collection

Saga of Crystar, Crystal Warrior #3

Newsarama today have posted an article entitled “TRANSFORMERS & Beyond: 5 Best Marvel TOY Comics”, yet I have to take issue with their choices. To my mind, they have missed out one of the very best toy-linked titles of all time.

Although no one can deny the quality of the Micronauts, ‘They come from Inner Space’; or Rom, Spaceknight, the latter of which I have sung praises about previously, there was another toy character that seemed to get lost in the shuffle.

Back in 1983, The Saga Of Crystar, Crystal Warrior only lasted for eleven issues, and like most toys was based on quite a simple concept. Beings of crystal fighting beings of lava. Set in an alternate, fantasy style world of Crystallium, the comic followed the release of the toys the previous autumn, and so like many, I had assumed it was a licensed property, the trademarks resting with the toy company Remco.

So researching this morning for this post, I was surprised to learn that according to the ever-infallible Wikipedia, the entire concept was wholly created and owned by Marvel, who had the express intent to license this to a toy company.

Those eleven issues for a teenager like me (at the time) had great characterisation, and all the requisite dramatic themes. The forces of Chaos versus Order; the poisonous rivalry between brothers, in this case princes of the realm that tear the country apart, numerous love interests; and even more importantly for me at that age, guest appearances from Doctor Strange, Nightcrawler and Alpha Flight.

This was my first exposure to the art of Bret Blevins, which I have to note had a dramatically different style to his later work in New Mutants. Remember that cartoony style during the Bird Boy saga and the Fall of the Mutants era? This was nothing like that. Combined with phenomenal colouring for the time, this had an epic feel to it, sort of like a more shadowed and dirty George Perez, said shadow giving an impression comparable to a lot of the Lord Of The Rings art books that were floating around in that time.

I must say, if Crystar and his fellows remain in Marvel ownership, which they most obviously do, then why is it that we have never seen another appearance of this cast? With such iconic themes, they would easily provide a backdrop for a story of many of the more popular teams. After all, if Marvel can reference the Space Knights or Baron Karza and other members of the Micronauts cast even after those trademarks have long flown the coop, then why not Crystar?

The reason brother versus brother plots keep reappearing is because they last the test of time; we love this stuff. Marvel continually tries to honour its history; even retcons only reinterpret what has gone before rather than ignoring it.

So why not Crystar? Let’s see him again, and soon.

Classic X-Men #15, retelling the death of the Phoenix

And no, I do not mean trade paperbacks. I mean the good old-fashioned monthly comic. Remember Marvel Tales? Or Marvel Triple Action for that matter? It was these titles that as a young reader, drew me into the rich history of the Marvel Universe, rather than just focusing on the hottest and newest events.

Reliant as I was at that age on the newsstand, as the direct market was only just in its infancy, there was little other ways I could have been drawn into the urge for back issues, never mind having that desire fulfilled.

Of course the concept evolved over time. Enter the Classic X-Men, reprinting stories, but with each having an eight-page back up strip that a) expanded on the story or b) retroactively introduced elements to the story that could be utilised again. Easily a concept that could be utilised in today’s fashions.

Of course, now we are firmly in the age of reboots and retcons, this could be a very useful tool. However, the concept evolved itself out of existence, if we look at teh poorly executed ‘Professor Xavier and the X-Men’, which if I remember correctly, barely lasted for eighteen issues.

In the age of direct market shops and digital archives, is there a place for such a product? Every store is burdened with endless back issue stock, while the popular stories can be found collected in the trade paperbacks.

But….

There is always discussion about attracting new readers, how comics are competing for the entertainment dollars with the gaming industry, and how the average age of the comics’ reader is rising.

What youngsters have the cash for a trade paperback, and even if they have, does a complete story deliver the urge to come back for more? Where now do parents get the opportunity to just grab a comic off the rack to give their child something to keep them quiet on the long journey they are about to take? Or just to keep them occupied for an hour?

Are they really going to swing by the local comic book store to pick up an issue? With the loss of the newsstand, there lies the loss of potentially thousands of new readers, who despite the many Hollywood movies remain unlikely to visit such stores, either due to geography or finance.

Reprints of such stalwart favourites such as the Hulk or Batman, Superman or the Fantastic Four could and should be made available on the newsstand. So what if they must be sale or return? These are loss leaders at worst, and at best recruit a whole new generation of readers with a passion for their favourite heroes. Readers that will collect not just for months, but for years, their consumption growing in proportion to their income.

Overheads are low. There’s no creative team to be concerned with (unless as a safety the eight-page back up idea of Classic X-Men is continued, and these can be collected later in a trade or direct market specials). Use a lower quality of paper, comics used to be disposable (blasphemy, I know), which is what made original issues so very special.

After all, it’s a lot cheaper than producing a cartoon for the networks; but coupled with the cartoons, you have parental brand recognition, and entire new vistas open up for the industry.

Make them cheap, make them throwaway; but make them and get them out on the newsstands.

Jumping out first at this viewer from the (slightly blurry) image: a modern update to Captain America’s costume from what he’ll be wearing in his solo Marvel film later this summer. The new costume maintains the not-skin-tight aesthetic of the first Chris Evans costume while bringing the overall look more in line with what Cap looks like in comic books. (I think I like the 40s-era version better.) The image also gives us our first glimpse of Jeremy Renner in costume as Hawkeye. Hulk is in the mix, though this time his alter ego will be portrayed by Mark Ruffalo, so you might detect a few hints of Ruffalo’s visage in Hulk’s face. Chris Hemworth’s Thor looks basically the same as we remember him from last month’s blockbuster. And Iron Man still looks more or less as he did in Iron Man 2, though I think there might be a few slight cosmetic changes to his suit. Last but not least, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow appears much as she did in Iron Man 2, with some additional detailing added to the lower half of her uniform.

What’s the verdict? It’s a kick finally seeing all six characters together, don’t you think?

Marvel likes to boast that it has a roster of more than 5,000 characters, but did you know that over two thousand of them are mutants? Over the many decades of Marvel Comics, some pretty bizarre mutants have been created. Here’s my picks for the top 15 most outrageously weird X-Men ever.

Note that I’m using the term “X-Men” here as a broad term to describe all mutants — whether members of the X-Men team of superheroes, or not.

Absalom

Real name: unknown
Powers: Absalom could control and change his skeleton, and often used this power to grow bony spikes out of his body (which were purple, for some reason). That hair metal mane was apparently unrelated to his abilities.
[Image source.]

Bling!

Real name: Roxanne “Roxy” Washington
Powers: Bling! (yes, the exclamation point is part of her name) had bone marrow that created diamonds. Uh-huh. She used this ability to shoot diamond shards at her enemies super-fast. The diamond also made her nigh-impenetrable, like Emma Frost.
[Image source.]

Chamber

Real name: Jonothon “Jono” Evan Starsmore
Powers: This rather popular character had most of his chest and half his face blown off by the psionic energy contained within his body when his powers first manifested. Um… gross much?
[Image source.]

Dirt Nap

Real name: unknown
Powers: The villainous Dirt Nap absorbed others into his own body, taking on their powers and memories. The weirdness comes from how he absorbed people: he ate them. He deployed a huge mouth with a clawed, green tongue and ingested his enemies. He tried this trick once on Wolverine, but Logan’s healing factor made it impossible for Dirt Nap to digest him. The villain barely escaped with his life, only managing it by quickly eating a rat to take on its form. For reasons never explained, he’s been stuck in the form of a rat ever since. The lesson to be learned in all this: never mess with Wolverine.
[Image source.]

Eye-Scream

Real name: unknown
Powers: A villain who could turn into ice cream. Seriously. Any flavor!
[Image source.]

Glob Herman

Real name: Robert Herman
Powers: Put simply: he was a wax-man. Instead of skin and musculature, his skeleton and organs were surrounded by see-through “bio-paraffin.” The stuff gave him added strength and speed, and it was highly flammable.
[Image source.]

Maggot

Real name: Japheth
Powers: Maggot would no doubt get most fans’ vote for weirdest X-Man of all time. Because his bizarre power consisted of a mutated digestive system that took on the form of two giant maggots. The maggots could eat anything, and would then return to his abdomen to disperse the nourishment and energy they’d collected; this gave Maggot super strength and (inexplicably) turned his skin blue. Yeeeeah. The day Maggot was created… somebody was stoned.
[Image source.]

Mammomax

Real name: Maximus Jensen
Powers: He’s an elephant-shaped man. For real. Mega-strong, durable, yadda yadda yadda. So the elephant thing is pretty much all he’s bringing to the table. And his name sounds like an extra strength mammogram.
[Image source.]

Marrow

Real name: Sarah
Powers: Girlfriend has bones that never stop growing, causing them to break through her skin and stick out. Once they’re through the skin, she can break them off and use ‘em as weapons.
[Image source.]

No-Girl

Real name: Martha Johansson
Powers: There were a lot of freak shows that joined the ranks of the Xavier’s School when Grant Morrison was writing New X-Men back in 2001. One of his numerous victims was poor Martha, whose brain was removed from her body and kept alive in a floating globe thing. She was telepathic, but that was all she had to offer.
[Image source.]

Skin

Real name: Angelo Espinosa
Powers: Think Mr. Fantastic if he was way grosser. Skin’s body holds about 4 to 6 feet of extra skin, which he can contract and stretch at will, using it in all sorts of ways.
[Image source.]

Stacy X

Real name: Miranda Leevald
Powers: The X-Men’s very own super-hooker. She gave off these super-powered pheromones that could stimulate any and all bodily functions. Including sexual ones. She also had scales covering most of her skin. You know, because reptiles are more alluring than humans. Stacy appeared in X-Men: The Last Stand, though she bore very little resemblance to her comic book counterpart.
[Image source.]

Tar Baby

Real name: unknown
Powers: This member of the sewer-dwelling Morlocks sweated a tar-like substance that caused anything and everything to stick to him. Were Marvel’s editors even awake that day?
[Image source.]

Ugly John

Real name: Steve
Powers: Another Grant Morrison creation, this one a mutant with no powers whatsoever. Just three faces on his normal-sized head. Poor sap.
[Image source.]

Xorn

Real name: Kuan-Yin Xorn
Powers: The poster child for the evils of retconning. Originally he was described as having a star for a brain (hence the metal headgear, needed to protect everyone around him), but then he turned out to be Magneto in disguise. Which was changed some time later to be a brainwashing thing. I can’t begin to explain it all. But a star for a brain? Seriously?
[Image source.]

What is even more of a pleasure is that it is written by the esteemed Greg Pak, creator of such sagas such as World War Hulk.

Right, that’s the fanboy stuff over. But seriously folks, this first, erm, point one’th (point first?) issue is promising, containing all the hooks that a new reader needs. Even better, all the ingredients for life long readers are present.

When the original Alpha Flight series began, its major strength was always the power of its characterisation. We had the interplay between Heather and Mac before the former ever donned the uniform of Vindicator. The twins Northstar and Aurora; one schizophrenic and the other, well, spoilt would be a polite way to describe it. Puck and Sasquatch, both cursed in their own ways and both making the best of it. Shaman and his daughter, a traditional parent/child love/hate relationship. Snowbird, rebelling against her heritage as a goddess. And Marrina, who didn’t really know what she was.

Having the original crew together again, after all the deaths and resurrections, conflicts and resolutions over the years, both in other titles and in their own less than successful sequel titles, we can see just how much these characters have grown. There is a comfortable dynamic between the characters for new readers, which is only enhanced by knowledge of their history. Greg demonstrates a deep understanding of the Alphans, with quick comments that are weighted heavily if you know their pasts.

Volume One had its heights in the first sixty or so issues, where it started to slowly slide downhill, culminating in the dark days of the Nineties and the era of the Infinity Crusade. In my opinion, there is little about the subsequent series to be discussed, although I am sure that for younger readers, this had been their first introduction to the team.

However, if I can get sixty issues of this quality, exploring what must surely be a new dynamic between the more mature characters, then I will be most happy.

Gazillion and Marvel have revealed some new details regarding the upcoming MMO, Marvel Universe Online. And they’re pretty doggone shocking. In short: this won’t be anything like DC Universe Online. At all.

A good thing?

First of all, MUO will be free to play. Yes, that’s what I said. Totally free. Which is pretty darn unprecedented for a game that’s rumored to be in development for both PC and Xbox 360. Typically, “free to play” equates to Flash/Facebook kind of stuff. And Marvel Universe Online is certainly a much bigger and more ambitious project than that. I’m sure they’ll find ways of monetizing the game — in-game ads, in-game items you can purchase, etc. But the core gameplay will be free, and that’s surprising as all get out.

The other big surprise? You’ll play as a real Marvel character. Wolverine, Spider-Man, Hulk, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor; you can play as any Marvel character you like. The logistics of this decision have yet to be explained, and seems problematic on the surface, since multiple players will want to play as big-name heroes like Spider-Man and Wolverine. DCUO skirted this issue by having you play as a new hero of your own making, alongside their established characters like Superman and Batman. For MUO, you won’t have any customization options, because you’ll simply pick a Marvel hero and start playing. (No word yet on if you’ll get to play as a villain.)

Marvel superstar writer Brian Michael Bendis is writing the game’s script, and basing it on current comics storylines, though Gazillion says that his ideas will merely propel the basic direction of the game. What happens and how these stories are resolved, is entirely up to players. Marvel fans will essentially create their own continuity based on well-known scenarios.

One last detail: Fantastic Four villain Doctor Doom will be the game’s main antagonist.

Marvel Universe Online currently has no release date.

Oh, and it’s an allegory for the recession apparently. How’s that work then?

I am hoping for great things from Infestation#2. I enjoyed the first issue immensely, feeling it opened a lot of potential to get diverse characters together. I mean, come on, who hasn’t wanted to hear Spock’s reaction as he looked over Optimus Prime’s form? Each of the crossover minis were rather self contained, much to my disappointment. I enjoyed the Transformers chapter immensely, although the I found the Star Trek series rather standard fare, and as for G.I. Joe and the Ghostbusters series, I lost interest. Then again, neither of the latter two are titles I regular read, and my investment in these characters is minimal. Transformers (and to a point Star Trek) were my gateway to these other titles; and on that level, the crossover failed.

It did give me the Covert Vampire Operations however, which has sent me digging through the back-issue bins; and reawakened my love for Zombies vs. Robots, a radically different zombie to the rest of them out there.

Maybe I am suffering zombie-fatigue. This is certain true looking at Marvel Zombies Supreme, which has really missed the spot for me, even though it reintroduced Battlestar, a character who should get a lot more exposure if you ask me. Marvel Zombies series are supposed to be special events, yet if you excuse the pun, the concept had a limited lifespan, and it has long since expired. Thankfully The Walking Dead continues to deliver a quality read, but then again, that’s a title about people, not zombies. The zombies are merely a backdrop.

According to Wikipedia, Fear Itself is “the first company-wide crossover event since 2008′s Secret Invasion”. Really? So Dark Reign, Siege and the Chaos War were just minor events? I agree Chaos War was as self-contained as a maxi-series, seven spin-offs and a Hulk crossover can possibly be, but my wallet didn’t recognise that.

Having said that, now I have learnt what Fear Itself is actually about, I’m actually quite pumped for this. When I first heard about it, my eyes rose heavenward, but then Marvel would be stupid not to capitalise on the Captain America and Thor movies released this year. I doubt I am revealing a secret when I say it centres around the revelation that Odin is not the All-Father after all, that was revealed at C2E2 by Matt Fraction, but I really had to dig for that snippet. Some amorphous God of Fear? Yawn. The predicament is cool, the set up sound not so much. But a secret All-Father and an Asgardian conspiracy? Yeah. I’m sold.

When time goes all wonky and Peter Parker ends up dead, who you gonna call?

As it turns out, it’s Spider-Man to the rescue. Of… himself. Hm.

Well, two different Spider-Men come to his aid, actually: “classic” Amazing Spider-Man and futuristic Spider-Man 2099. Spider-Man: Edge of Time is Activision’s next Spidey game, and it puts you in the shoes of these two different superheroes in two different times, both trying to save Peter Parker’s life and prevent a catastrophic future (which is somehow connected to Peter’s death). Confused yet?

Don’t be. Activision‘s last game, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, put you in the spider-booties of not two, but four different Spider-Men — including these two. The studio that created that title, Beenox, is responsible for Edge of Time. By those standards, Edge of Time is actually a simpler affair. Fan-favorite writer Peter David is crafting the story, which is said to be packed with suspense and an always counting-down clock.

You’ll go back and forth between Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099, and observe how the changes you make in the modern day affect the world of 2099. Edge of Time is scheduled for release this Fall.

Shattered Dimensions was good fun, if uneven, so here’s hoping Edge of Time improves on the formula. Hey, it’s got to be better than the musical, right?

Get ready to geek out to two-and-one-half minutes of pure, comic book movie bliss. Plus, check out these awesome stills from a few of the trailer’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em shots.

Everything about this Captain America trailer just hits all the right notes. Chris Evans has ditched any sign of the snarkier characters he’s known for, and channels his most earnest for the iconic WWII supersoldier. The effects of digitally putting his head onto a skinny body double looks (for the most part) flawless. The rest of the cast looks spectacular as well. Bucky’s in the mix, and if you watch close, you’ll see Dum-Dum Dugan kicking butt in his bowler hat. Oh, and hello there, “Mr. Stark.”

Is that an early version of the Stark Expo at the :34 second mark? And I love how Steve Rogers “grows” inside the supersoldier chamber when he’s given the serum. And how about all that retro-futuristic technology? I’m tickled pink that Cap actually gets a gun in the movie, but that shield toss at the end kills.

What’s your favorite part? Want to bypass the YouTube version for some Quicktime-y goodness? Click here.

Captain America: The First Avenger hits movie screens July 22nd.

Chris Evans as Captain America and Sebastian Stan as James "Bucky" Barnes

Hugo Weaving as Johann Schmidt, aka the Red Skull

I think the producers of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark have figured out why no one’s ever attempted a superhero musical before. Geeky myths and high theatre just don’t mix very well. (I mean, seriously — when was the last time your favorite hero-in-tights suddenly stopped fighting his or her archnemesis so they could burst forth in song?) The story of Spider-Man‘s ascent to the Broadway stage is turning out to be even more epic than the play itself.

The latest twist: a new writer has been hired to take a pass at the play’s script, to address its weaknesses. Those who’ve seen preview showings of the musical have described it as having an “incoherent” plot that doesn’t service its legendary characters as well as they deserve. One famous review described the play as having a “fundamental disconnect” from its source material.

To fix this, writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa will put his hand to the production’s “book” (the script). Aguirre-Sacasa is a well known comic book writer who’s worked on a number of prominent Marvel titles, including The Sensational Spider-Man. He’s also a respected playwright and a staff writer on HBO’s Big Love. Sounds like just the right person to bring the play in line with its pulpy roots.

In addition, back in mid-January, Bono and The Edge brought in high-profile British music producer Steve Lillywhite, to hone the show’s songs with the musicians and cast members. Since the songs have largely been panned as one of the show’s weakest links, Lillywhite’s involvement can only be a good thing.

But the big question remains: at this late point in the game (opening night is scheduled for March 15th, just a few weeks away), can Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark be saved? And perhaps more to the point: does it deserve to be?

At least one positive outcome has come out of all the drama: the show has been selling out all of its preview showings.

I can’t shake the feeling that I have seen all this before, and thus I find it difficult to get very enthusiastic about this latest X-Event. I wonder what ‘lasting consequences’ there will be from this particular reality shift. You know, lasting consequences like the Sugarman, Holocaust or the X-Man.

Oh wait, when did we last see them?

So I turn to the Distinguished Competition, and I discover this summer’s big event is the Flashpoint. Professor Zoom seems to be making alterations in the past that result in questions like “What if the spaceship never crashed?’

Still, it looks promising, DC have never done a great alternate reality story. Unless of course you add Trinity into the mix. Or the recent Booster Gold series. Or the Elseworlds. Or Tangent.

Plus fifteen accompanying mini-series? Fifteen? Seven or eight I could stomach, but this many? No wonder DC are making their price promise, they intend to strip our wallets with quantity instead.

Now I love my alternate reality stories. However, they must surely have their place, which is not spread over the entire universe. Been there, done that, countless times.

Give me zombie robots any day. Transformers Infestation #1 comes out today, and that has to be my advance recommendation for today.

So now we know which member of the Fantastic Four bites the dust this week. I think this has to be one of the best kept secrets in comics for quite some time, certainly unlike the true identity of Monarch back in ’92, for example.

Now, I do not wish to disparage the story in any way, shape or form. The build up to this moment written by Jonathan Hickman has been skilfully executed. The story commenced in bite size chunks until the overall narrative came clear recently. There are some beautiful moments in this month’s Fantastic Four, billed as the last issue, that capture many of the dynamics of the team and family that we all know and love. I remember the heady days when this was emblazoned with the logo ‘The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine’, and never has that been truer than today.

Still, it is a shame that Marvel and the Associated Press could not keep their mouths shut until the issue hit the stands, revealing the identity of the casualty mere hours before the release. Just thirteen issues away from the majestic #600, and they plan to start with a new first issue? I think I can smell publicity, sorry, a mystery, I mean a mystery. Honest.

SPOILER ALERT: If you don’t want to know who dies, stop reading now.

All four core members are in dire peril. Sue has been lined up as a sacrifice at Atlantean peace negotiations. Reed is attempting to save the population of Nu-World before Galactus destroys it. (The World Devourer is that angry, he’s not even stopping for a snack first!) Johnny and a powerless Benjamin J Grimm are facing a new Annihilation Wave threatening to emerge from the headquarters portal to the Negative Zone.

However, do we really think that Johnny is going to stay dead? We haven’t seen a body for starters. At the end of Secret Invasion, Johnny’s ex-girlfriend (and still his wife I believe), the Skrull Lyja chose to remain in the Zone to forge a new destiny for herself. What do you think the chances are she is in that Annihilation Wave?

When I first discovered comics at the age of nine, Johnny was my hero. Hell, I wanted to be him when I grew up! He better have access to that revolving door that is so popular with the mutants.

All criticisms aside, I cannot recommend this enough, as the status quo of Marvel’s first family is upset, at least temporarily.