Wasn’t the Punisher, when he first appeared, a character that although we may sympathise, we should despise? What does this victory demonstrate really? Is the House of Ideas (and by extension our world) in moral freefall? In a battle between the Punisher and the Marvel Universe, shouldn’t the universe win? So much for feel-good escapism! Heck, I would have accepted Galactus consuming the planet finally, and Frank becoming his herald! Now that does have potential – Frank, Herald of Galactus!

After the chaotic Fall Of The Hulks storyline, that was not the easiest to follow (any shipping issues aside, even with the issues all lined up, it’s not the easiest storyline to follow. However the new status quo (for as long as it lasts) is easy on the eyes (and brain) yet nicely multi-layered with histories both new and old, combining the appearance of sixties kitsch with solid storytelling. Having grown up with the Hulk, I really feel for him here in this new Hulk family, where the word dysfunctional would be a compliment.

X-Men Curse of the Mutants, despite my earlier criticism, is certainly exceeding my expectations. The spin-off issues make sense, the threat appears overwhelming but slow, and even more the whole epic is not taking over every single X-title, leaving us with a choice. The latest? Dracula is now resurrected and that is about as far as the storyline has gone. It’s nice to see the X-Men against a more central Marvel backdrop, and good to see Blade back as well.

Shadowland however does not score so well on my rankings. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lot of fun, I like the characters involved, especially throwing in the Ghost Rider who just had a major plot development yet he is hardly the character one would expect to be in this mix. Yet here the spin-offs have spun maybe a little too far from the central plot, looking more like a marketing ploy rather than essential to the story. I hope the writers will prove me wrong, but a few months in, it doesn’t look hopeful.

Of course, every story is a marketing ploy, that’s the point. But I don’t like my face rubbed in it.

On the other side of the isle, the latest issue of Brightest Day keeps the promise of the series going, and the theories being thrown around about Firestorm are, well, cool, I don’t want to give anything away. Interestingly, there is a slight re-interpretation of previous continuity but in a good way, adding a new layer rather than contradicting the past. I love to see Firestorm in the spotlight, his one hundred issue run was one of my favourites of all time. Since that title was cancelled however, Ronnie Raymond rather had a poor deal in terms of characterisation and was morphed into a whiny selfish self-centred failure.  I pray we will see the old Ronnie return in these pages, because it’s about time.

It was nice to see that this wasn’t actually one of the zombieverse spin-off worlds, even if all of mankind and the heroes were being transmutated into cannibalistic savages.  The set-up was convincing, no alien Sentry raining down from the skies for a bite but a slow, scary process.  Yet this was not even the draw of the title for me, all this 28 Days Later genre (as opposed to the Zombieverse or Living Dead genres, which are so very, very different, honest they are), was mere backdrop.  The issue actually contained a mystery, presented in such a fashion that I actually cared, and I will be picking up the second issue.

Marvel is being very adventurous with Frank Castle currently. If you want your traditional Punisher, then Punisher MAX is there for you. Yet Frank is now FrankenCastle, patched together with drugs and a Bloodstone (and half a lawnmower it appears), medically dead yet still functioning, without a desire for brains in sight.

When the Punisher first got mixed up in the war between heaven and hell a few years ago, with demons and angels as supporting characters, I first glimpsed the true potential of this character. Of course, the original Frank, shooter of mobsters still has his place, and so very soon needs a replacement. Because honestly? Spidey and Daredevil need him as an antagonist, but this is one character do-over I do not want to see ret-conned in a few years. Long live Frankencastle (and the Bloodstone rather ensures that) but long live the Punisher as well.

It just can’t be Frank anymore, he has grown beyond that. I wonder what one of the many Foolkillers are up to nowadays? One of them may be interested in the vacancy.

It seems that every year more and more comic books and graphic novels are making the passage from the page to the big screen. Hollywood has cottoned on that not only are these art forms quite often full of great stories but they come complete with an already made fan base who will flock to the silver screen to see their heroes brought to life.

It is with this passion in mind that I’ve pulled together a list of forthcoming (and in one case now out) movies that originated in a comic book or graphic novel.

Punisher: War Zone

Date: Now

The only film in this entire listing that is now available for viewing (it was only released here in the UK on Friday); it’s safe to say that unless you’re a die-hard fan then you are probably going to be okay about missing this. It isn’t to say that Ray Stevenson does a bad job at being Frank Castle or that jigsaw doesn’t look cool, but the action is fairly derivative and to be honest I preferred Thomas Jane’s outing as the man with the black t-shirt featuring the white skull motif.

Website – Trailer – Rotten Tomatoes Review

Watchmen

Date: 6 March 2009

Arguably one of the most eagerly awaited titles for all geeks this year, Watchmen brings to the big screen a graphic novel featuring an epic story, flawed characters, moral dilemmas and superheroes without powers. The story is set in the 1980’s and the ‘Doomsday Clock’ is set to 5 minutes to midnight, so tensions are running high between the US and the USSR. Rorschach (a masked vigilante) investigates the murder of hero, only to discover the plot gets much thicker.

Alan Moore’s graphic novel of the same name should provide excellent material – but my top tip for this one is to read it in its original form before going to see the film. Whilst Moore won’t have anything to do with the movie adaptation, I’m fairly certain that everything we’ve seen so far is showing that this is going to be quite faithful in look and feel – but perhaps most importantly will offer a lot even for those who don’t know of the graphic novel.

website – Trailer

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Date: 1 May 2009

Wolverine proved very quickly to be one of the most popular characters following the screen adaptation of the X-men comic book, so it should be no surprise that his movie comes out first. Hugh Jackman reprises his role as the eponymous character, meanwhile we see a host of other characters appear from the Marvel/X-Men universe including Deadpool, Sabretooth (Liev Schriber), Silver Fox, Gambit, The Blob and more. Should you be excited? Oh yes, the action looks great and I’m expecting big things after the frankly poor X-Men: The Last Stand

Website – Trailer

Thor

Date: 16 July 2010

I’m a bit baffled why Kenneth Branagh is going to be directing Thor, but there we are. The plot is apparently going to feature Dr Donald Blake – a disabled physician who has an alter ego inside of him – none other than The Mighty Thor! For me, this one could go either way. I’m hoping that it isn’t too far out there, but as it is quite a while away I didn’t find too much info out on it. More info as it comes but I’ve heard a range of names mentioned for the role of Thor, including wrestler Triple H!

Sin City 2

Date: 2010

Unfortunately still listed in preproduction (so whether it will make 2010 is debateable) but the best received graphic novel to hit the big screen barring 300 was Sin City. Should the sequel live up to the original then this should definitely be a film on your list. This title is also known as ‘A Dame To Kill For’ and covers the story of the same name along with an unshelved Nancy Story and some short stories. It will return with the same look and feel and no doubt excellent action set pieces. Definitely one to see.

The First Avenger: Captain America

Date: 2011

After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending America’s ideals. There’s talk of this being a period piece, which could be quite interesting. The title indicates that this may well be the first of several Avenger films – though whether you like your superheroes on their own or all together may decide on how you’ll view such a film. I’m not a big fan of Cap but I am going to withhold judgement until we’ve seen a little more.

Iron Man 2

Date: 2010

Marvel Studios completely self-financed Iron Man, and I’m fairly sure that they are quite happy that they did so, given that it was such as resounding success. In the sequel, Robert Downey Jr returns to play Tony Stark in what appears to be a role he was born to play. Still not sure on the plot of this one, but there has been talk of Whiplash/Backlash as well as Crimson Dynamo. Don Cheadle is in whilst Terrance Howard is out for the role of War Machine/Jim Rhodes.

Other Films Of Note Coming Soon:

Super Max (2010) – Green Arrow
Green Lantern (2010)
Ant-Man (2010)
Dead of Night (2009) – Dylan Dog
Spider-Man 4