i say thee yea!!

first look at Chris Hemsworth as Thor. and to think i casted John Cena in my mind. stupid.

Thor 2011, baby!!!!!


via @JoeQuesada

snaps: Thunderbolts #143

... where we find the current iteration of T-Bolts make their final choices based on their convictions, and two of them (three, if you count the conflicted Ghost) actually help out the good guys, in a way. for one brief moment, you believe rehab will work. next up: Luke Cage.

i'm surprised Frank Simpson's not the Teabag Party mascot. yet.


Paladin's first heroic act since Avengers #271. wait - he was trying to score with Jan. dammit.


and now you're good for something, you jerk.


Pietro pwning Mr. X, while Wolverine couldn't? get out!!!


cue in the lonely Hulk music when Bill Bixby does the hitchhiking thing.

plastic fantastic

.... or bloated botoxified face. i know you have an image to keep, but i don't know, Cap.

-----
New Avengers #64

snaps: Mighty Avengers #36

... where we stands as witness to awesomeness of Henry Pym, progenitor of mass-murdering robot Ultron (hey, we all thought his shining moment was beating the tin can to a pulp in Ultron Unlimited, but apparently that wasn't a permanent fix. booooooo.). now that he's been dubbed Scientist Supreme, how unhinged would he get if they prick his ego again? my bet is he'll interface with his evil "son" and really become "Ultron Pym" (that's the kind of name that begets playground beatings and wedgies).



"noooo .... i don't wanna be an Ant!!!"



that's a gay ass thing to say, especially being slapped by a girl. granted, the girl is a robot, but still ...


hey, Steve Jobs, lookit!! his Gameboy can make INTERNATIONAL calls!


oh shut it. Ultron Pym, pffshhh. we liked you better when you were mowing down some obscure fictitious Europeans (which I am surprised, there wasn't like a bunch of Slorenian survivors dedicating themselves to assassinating your dad, for birthing you, dipshit.)


hey, hey, hey!!! that's not allowed under US law!! oh, what - you're in Underspace? screw that, the whole thing was invented by an American citizen!

kings of pain

being a fan of the comic, i was amazed that it was actually optioned as a movie even before the first issue. as a result of that, the shipping schedule basically suffered and we basically ended up with a short storyline. maybe creators Mark Millar and John Romita Jr planned it that way. for better or for worse, the early appeal with the fanboys and the modest success in the box office ($42M and counting) has opened the doors for aspiring comic writers to look for that hit book that translates well to Hollywood.

to their credit, Kick-Ass was unlike any other: what if ordinary people aspired to be superheroes, silly costumes and all, notwithstanding the lack of any superhuman talents? Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) wants to find out and promptly lands in the hospital, courtesy of a stabbing and a hit-and-run. despite the obvious injuries, and the unfortunate effect of being rumored as gay in his high school, though opening the door to be the BFF to his crush Katie (Lyndsy Fonseca), Dave resolves to give it another shot and becomes a YouTube sensation following a bloody standoff with some gangbangers.

by the end of the first half, the movie shifts your attention to two people who do a better job than Dave - Big Daddy (real life comicbook fan Nicolas Cage, who's a better fit here than in Ghost Rider) and daughter Hit-Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz in a breakout role), a precocious cross between Natalie Portman circa Leon, a profane Dakota Fanning, and GoGo Yubari. the Big Daddy character was changed from an accountant to an ex-cop with an actual beef with mobster Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong, an uncanny Andy Garcia doppelganger in his second straight major villain role). Hit-Girl, trained early on to maim and kill, is the movie's secret weapon, as she completely steals every action scene she's in. in effect, she kicks more ass than the titular character. her epic attempt to rescue her father and Kick-Ass from execution, streaming live on the Internet, is one of the best action sequences ever. director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) knows what he's doing and has thankfully not dialled down the tone.

the comic was visually much more brutal and Romita goes all-out with cartoon violence (Romita also created new artwork as a montage for Big Daddy's new backstory), although they did a good job of translating that to the big screen. you would notice though, that despite the severe beatings Dave takes, he's able enough to go through the next phase without limping or anything. but that's okay, this movie was meant to entertain. i actually thought they did a better job with the movie than the comic itself, the latter being plagued by delays. and for true New Yorkers, they'd be cheering at the extensive screen time for Maurice DuBois (take that, Pat Kiernan!).

after a third

not as rich as y'all, but somehow its just the end of April and i've gotten quite a few TPBs (and those are really semi-thought-out, semi-impulse buys). my brain hasn't processed the statues that i've ordered yet (which the wife may raise an eyebrow at). that's for a future post.

Dark Avengers, vol. 1: Assemble - no matter how much i hate Normie, his badass Avengers made for great reading, courtesy of Bendis and Deodato. taking roots from Ellis' great Thunderbolts run, this should have been a Max imprint. i mean, think of all the crazy and sleazy shit that happened. i know it would be viewed as a shameless moneymaker (hello, House of M spinoffs), but can't we have some kind of Dark Reign: The Dirty Files?

X-Force vol. 1: Angels & Demons - this is the real X-Force that Rob Liefeld and Cable only dreamed of: a mutant black ops unit, answerable only to the golden boy Cyclops. even Magneto didn't put one together, because they're all busy posturing. if Sabretooth were alive, he'd be in (after a lobotomy and a bomb implanted in his brain, of course).

X-Force vol. 2: Old Ghosts - seriously? i'd buy this even just for the cover alone. my all-time favorite Mike Choi/Sonia Oback work.

Uncanny X-Men: Sisterhood - a big slap in the face of the Greg Land haters. as Joel McHale says, Chicks, Man.

X-Infernus - despite the lingering misgivings as i loved the Inferno and the death of Illyana storylines, i just had to pick this up. i guess you can still tell stories with revived characters. you can even try a curveball once in a while (see above, cross-reference Jean Grey/Madelyne Pryor).

New X-Men vol. 4: Riot at Xavier's - i thought i had a copy of this way back, and for some reason, i can't find it. that put a big hole in my Grant Morrison X-Men collection (sadly, retconned in its critical parts). now, situation rectified.

Incognito vol. 1 - being a casual fan of Sleeper and Criminal, this should not be left off the list. i read this through a week and i hated putting it down. while reading it though, flashes of a blowhard Ed Brubaker in Who Won't Wield the Shield flickered through my mind (haven't seen @StephenWacker tweet in awhile - that probably means he's been whacked).

NextWave: Agents of H.A.T.E. Ultimate Collection - am sure i'd have gotten this at a cheaper price (true enough, $12 cheaper at Amazon), but this was an impulse grab for Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen goodness, in that moment at a Houston Books-A-Million. sue me. laughed all the way back to New York.

Thor vol. 2 - i've read the individual issues here and there, and i like Straczynski's take on Thor. plus Coipel and Djurdjevic (the Awesomeness)? a no brainer.

Superman: Birthright - i have not been much of a Supes fan in recent years, save Red Son and All-Star Superman. i have read much praise for this volume - although it replaced the John Byrne-penned post-Crisis origin (The Man of Steel), it was subsequently superseded by the current Secret Origins title. probably in 2016 after yet another huge crisis, Jason Aaron will be probably be rewriting history again.

things i liked this week

X-Men: Legacy #235 (Marvel)
Mike Carey/Greg Land/Jay Leisten/Justin Ponsor/Cory Petit (cover: Adi Granov)
you know things are really grave (pun intended) when goody-two-shoes Doug Ramsey makes BFF Warlock suck the life-force out of Hodge and the Right soldiers. in other words, the New Mutants should really no longer be called such, becaused they've been bloodied to hell and back already. our intrepid mutants sustain two more blows, and one's a Fallen Angel (if any of you still remember). i don't care if Greg Land is drawing this (and in one panel, Cable's mouth is not symmetrical to his face), this is shaping up to be an exciting X-crossover.


Ultimate Avengers #6 (Marvel)
Mark Millar/Carlos Pacheco/Dexter Vines/Cory Petit/Justin Ponsor/Laura Martin
an ending worthy of past Millar Ultimates books. father and son finally gets the their final 5-minute faceoff, and guess who loses. Carlos Pacheco turns in overall, his best work in recent years (except for random details, like two missing jet needles in one panel, certainly an important element to the eventual conclusion).


Doomwar #3 (Marvel)
Jonathan Maberry/Scot Eaton/Andy Lanning/Robert Campanella/Jean-Francois Beaulieu/Cory Petit (cover: John Romita Jr./Klaus Janson/Dean White)
Doom has Vibranium
the Panther God lets him pass
T'Challa is pissed.


Batman: Streets of Gotham #11 (DC)
Paul Dini/Dustin Nguyen/Derek Fridolfs/John Kalisz/Steve Wands

finally someone takes down Zsasz. Damian's character is getting fleshed out, and DC is doing right with him. i think now he's much more interesting than Tim Drake. thank the God of Comics.

Power Girl #11 (DC)
Justin Gray/Jimmy Palmiotti/Amanda Conner/Paul Mounts/John J. Hill
i wouldn't say its a cop out, but having a cloning tank takes the thrill out of beating the bad guys. but listen, a monthly Power Girl book is always a must. so, please don't cancel this.


Guardians of the Galaxy #25 (Marvel)
Dan Abnett/Andy Lanning/Brad Walker/Andrew Hennessy/Wil Quintana/Joe Caramagna (cover: Alex Garner)

the team is back together again, and i couldn't be happier. hey, wait, according to the future iterations of the Guardians, this 2010 version of them are the only ones standing in the way of annihilation caused by the chronal error of a resurrected Thanos. let The Thanos Imperative begin.

Green Lantern #53 (DC)
Geoff Johns/Doug Mahnke/Christian Alamy/Keith Champagne/Mark Irwin/Randy Mayor/Nick Napolitano (variant cover: Ryan Sook)
Johns allows us a bit of a moment to catch our breath before Brightest Day, and what best way to spend it except to witness playful flirting between Highball (heh - he only has one ball and he's high) and Carol. turns out Sinestro wants to join in. in other news, who's this character who seems to be the sole protector of the Universe back when it was young? could it be ... G.O.D.?


Siege: Spider-Man #1 (Marvel)
Brian Reed/Marco Santucci/Chris Sotomayor/Joe Caramagna (cover: Marko Djurdjevic)
this one-shot is both a treat and a letdown, as Brian Reed follows up on the Peter-Carol angle (which makes sense as he's made his peace with Michelle and the MJ option has slim odds). and we get them beating up on TIKAMG (The Idiot Known as Mac Gargan). but that has no complete closure as it all occurs during Siege. duh.


Dark Wolverine #85 (Marvel)
Daniel Way/Marjorie Liu/Stephen Segovia/Cam Smith/Marte Gracia/Cory Petit/Rain Beredo
not sure why i like this. it has the annoying Romulus. and also the most gay-ass scenes between Logan and Daken, it borders on creepy. maybe its because we finally see the punk get stabbed with the Muramasa blade.


Captain America: Who Won't Wield the Shield (Marvel)
Jason Aaron/Mirco Pierfederici/Todd Klein/Matt Fraction/Brendan McCarthy/Howard Hallis/Stuart Moore/Joe Quinones/Javier Rodriguez
why can't they do these more often? and tone down the Deadpool stuff. is there a law against Assistant Editor's Month? (pssst. its not Assistant Editor's Month. whatever.)

the mother of all trick questions

not that Anjelica Houston!

decided to hand over some money tonight to Mark Millar. next week, your turn, Andy Diggle/Jock.

and now, a word from the Batcave

and what are these reports we are reading about you taking credit for the clearing up of the European airspace because you kicked Ra's Al-Ghul's ass in that Icelandic volcano and the threat has been averted?

is she talking about Nova?

oh, you mean Thanos! eeeewwwwwwww.

Lo-gone.

Wolverine gets sent to Hell, Daken takes over. awesome!! [via @jasonaaron]

things i liked this week

time is not my friend. so, in brief, here's the books that distracted me from Just Cause 2 and Borderlands.

Doc Savage #1 (DC)
Paul Malmont/Howard Porter/Art Thibert/Rob Leigh/Hi-Fi (covers: JG Jones, John Cassaday/Alex Sinclair)
so DC's big play is to harken back to its pulp fiction properties with crossovers with versions of its established characters. First Wave goes back to the childhood heroes of your dad, and updates it for your kids. Howard Porter's art gives me some JLA flashbacks, but i think he's past his shelf life (sorry). i am interested to see Warren Ellis do his take on the good doctor though, spoiled as i am with Planetary.


Justice Inc. (DC)
Jason Starr/Scott Hampton/Daniel Vozzo/Sal Cipriano
i remember reading the Richard Benson's origin story as a kid. again, with the 21st century update, its as fresh as could be. i actually like this better than the main feature. gimme a Mike and an Ike!


Iron Man: Legacy #1 (Marvel)
Fred Van Lente/Steve Kurth/Allen Martinez/Victor Olazaba/John Rauch/Dave Lanphear

somehow i like the way Marvel mines their characters' history, and am not even worried about the continuity cops. i know this is about creating more movie-related products, and i don't mind. Tony Stark, ex-weaponeer, worries day and night about living up to what his father was, belatedly realizing he can craft his own. this is another version of Armor Wars, but with Dr. Doom.

Green Arrow #32 (DC)
J.T. Krul/Federico Dallocchio/Michael Atiyeh/Sal Cipriano (cover: Mauro Cascioli)

wasn't it just long ago that Dinah and Ollie got hitched? the Amazons even messed up their honeymoon night. and now, we're witnesses to a painful breakup to one of DC's most enduring couples. Ollie goes on a short trial for his actions, and the jury finds him not guilty, but he's banished from Star City forever. i like the part where he whispers "now you show up" to Clark. its a surprisingly beautiful ending to something that started so messily.

New Mutants #12 (Marvel)
Zeb Wells/Ibraim Roberson/Brian Reber/Joe Caramagna (cover: Adi Granov)
this is the most entertaining action-packed book of the week for me (and that's with Punisher Max #6). somehow, the X-Men rescue team manages to get slowed down by a bunch of humans (hah!), and they need to resort more to their X-Force tactics to get the upper hand. of course, unless they shut down the spy (more like transmitter) in their ranks, it wouldn't matter. it's also great to use Karma in action, and move away from that useless moping character we've been subjected to for the last decade or so. (was that Claremont's fault?) Ibraim Roberson's art is spectacular. hey, any chance we'd see another round of Archangel decapitating Hodge? please please please!



Siege: Loki #1 (Marvel)
Kieron Gillen/Jamie McKelvie/Nathan Fairbairn/Joe Caramagna (cover: Marko Djurdjevic)

it seems everyone has underestimated Loki. he's no longer just concerned with mischief and punking the Avengers; he wants the full freedom to do what he wants, when he wants, without the consequences. kinda like what we wanted when we were young.

Punisher Max #6 (Marvel)
Jason Aaron/Steve Dillon/Matt Hollingsworth/Cory Petit (cover: Dave Johnson)

this is the most disgusting thing that Bullseye's ever done. well, as far as we know. Jason Aaron has grabbed this title from Garth Ennis and ran away with it. Bullseye is one of the best characters to write from a villain's point of view. and that's with the Kingpin in the picture.

Secret Six #20 (DC)
Gail Simone/Jim Calafiore/Jason Wright/Travis Lanham (cover: Daniel Luvisi)

with all due respect to Calafiore, i wish the interiors were being done by Luvisi. but regardless, the story keeps getting better and better. Catman was always the one sort-of honorable member of this team, and that may be coming to an end when he gets his hands bloody.

Daytripper #5 (DC/Vertigo)
Fábio Moon/Gabriel Bá/Dave Stewart/Sean Konot
another beautiful bittersweet tale from the acclaimed duo. sometimes i regret reading their stuff because there's a chance it may end sadly. i never learn.



The Flash #1 (DC)
Geoff Johns/Francis Manapul/Brian Buccellato/Nick Napolitano (variant cover: Tony Harris)

i like Manapul's art better with Iron and the Maiden. his newer sparse work in Adventure Comics and now the rebooted Flash kinda leaves me a little disappointed. anyway, Barry Allen is truly back, so let go of your Crisis on Infinite Earths slipcase edition. we know Johns' history with the character, and its likely he'll create some magic again. i want to be impressed, so let's go for a run.

who can haz girly lips? pt. 2

taking the crown away from Cyclops ... its Oliver Queen!!!



and the name doesn't hurt either.

-----
Green Arrow #32

no Flash on iPad

you want proof? here's your goddamned proof! (via walyou.com)

heckling from the peanut gallery, part 4a

the call to assemble has gone out again, and we the people, the huddled masses of collateral damage from the disassembling, house of m-ing, civil warring, planet hulking, secret invading, and dark reigning, exercise our right to yell our opinion from the streets, as is our democratic right. we had the regular Avengers, then it was the New Avengers', followed by the young pups of Avengers Academy, excruciatingly, Marvel has revealed four of the not-so Secret Avengers in recent weeks. most of the speculation on who the characters are looks to be correct. they shoulda just drawn stick figures, just to drive fans even nuttier.



"what, you can't pick a permanent team??"
"does Trish Tilby know about this? by the way, she still claims you're gay."
"say, how do we know you're not the Dark Beast??"



"and which personality are you this time?"
"you know the sign on your chest means 'cent', right? like fitty cent?"
"the Zapata Bros are waiting for you to call for their shot at the big time."
"i don't think you're striving enough. wait, that was Khonshu talking."



"are you sure you don't want to go back to the Defenders?"
"Dani Moonstar wants you to help her out of Utopia."
"you know if you run into the Hulk, he can swing you and Moon Knight by your capes and toss you across three state lines, right?"
"so have you lost control before? do tell ..."



"you know you're still Iron Man lite, right?"
"hey, can you transform into a cool car?"
"how do you eat peanuts?"

subtle smackdown

ahahahahaha! do you really think he would talk about anything like that in this forum?


for other nuggets of wisdom and info from Tom Brevoort, follow his Q&A at formspring.me and in Twitter. same goes for C.B. Cebulski; a bonus if you're a foodie, because i swear that man makes me hungry when he describes his gastronomical adventures. (and i missed his Extreme Villain Cake judging on Food Network. bah.)

Blade has a cool nappy 'do

we assume Blade's hair isn't those lightning marks found in the Molecule Man's face, its actually real hair. how often does he go to his barber in Bed-Stuy, y'think?

oh, and he's an X-Man too, according to Marvel. Sunday can't come too early for some folks. (via cbr)

Magnus is a scented dandy

and Lyra is a tough cookie. Marvel continues to stir the interwebz with its teasers of odd pairings.

is this like Marshall University? like, when that tragedy happened, everyone's Marshall. or 9/11 - everyone's a New Yorker after that. so, a few X-Men are going to die? well, that happens all the time but they never really stay dead.

Glenn Talbot, the man your man could be

and he's on a horse! promise!

-----
World War Hulks #1

and now, a word from the Batcave

hey, Batman, Tiger Woods returned to the golf course this week. he didn't win the Masters but America seems to be finally getting over his scandal. we're thinking of throwing him a big party in the Batcave; what do you think of that?

things i liked this week

Batman and Robin #11 (DC)
Grant Morrison/Andy Clarke/Scott Hanna/Tony Aviña/Alex Sinclair/Patrick Brosseau
devils, bats and sextons, oh my! Damian's probably not gonna forgive his mom.

Shield #1 (Marvel)
Jonathan Hickman/Dustin Weaver/Christina Strain/Todd Klein (cover with Gerald Parel)
Marvel history buffs, this one's for you. everything you know is ... well, let's just say nobody really knew anything. can you imagine the spinoffs? i vote for one that features Agents walking between the raindrops of (and influencing) Marvel events in the last twenty years (Jasper Sitwell, come on down!).

Superman: Secret Origins #5 (DC)
Geoff Johns/Gary Frank/Jon Sibal/Brad Anderson/Steve Wands
terrific story by Johns, with Luthor, Lois Lane's douchebag military dad and his tool protege all coming together to take down the naive Superman. this should have been the material to reboot the Superman franchise (especially considering Johns' history with the films and the Donners).


Uncanny X-Men #523 (Marvel)
Matt Fraction/Terry Dodson/Rachel Dodson/Justin Ponsor/Joe Caramagna (cover: Adi Granov, variant cover: David Finch/Peter Steigerwald)
although the Dodsons turn in some work not up to par with their standards (the X-Men teleporting a couple of times to cover a few feet?), Matt Fraction's handling of the newest X-crossover has been all pedal-to-the-metal, which i am liking. Scott's about to pay big time for authorizing X-Force, but first they have to bring back Hope and Cable safe and sound. not that easy.


Red Robin #11 (DC)
Christopher Yost/Marcus To/Ray McCarthy/Mark McKenna/Guy Major/Sal Cipriano
if Bruce Wayne is already here, what is Tim Drake doing running around looking for him though?

say it! "Red Robin ....... yuummmmmm!"

The Boys #41 (Dynamite)
Garth Ennis/Darick Robertson/Simon Bowland/Tony Aviña
Malchemical joins the bunch of retard ... oppps, sheltered superheroes in SuperDuper, and a chance meeting with Hughie adds to Butcher's suspicions. this is not going to end in a good way.


Thor and the Warriors Four #1 (Marvel)
Alex Zalben/Gurihiru/Dave Sharpe
Power Pack meets Pet Avengers in their quest to ask Thor for golden apples to cure their grandma. aaaaaawwwww. the only thing i need to point out is, didn't the kids meet Thor way back in the Mutant Massacre? why does it look like they're not sure he exists?


Turf #1 (Image)
Jonathan Ross/Tommy Lee Edwards/John Workman/John Barber (variant covers: Jim Steranko/Duncan Fregedo)
vampires in Prohibition era New York. i thought it was Punisher Noir. well, minus the vampires. let me guess: honorable vampire teams up with honorable mobster against the beasts. and i'm not even referring to the earth-bound bloodsuckers.


Wolverine: Weapon X #12 (Marvel)
Jason Aaron/Ron Garney/Jason Keith/Cory Petit
Deathloks! Old Man No Hand Logan! Buckaptain America! Butterfly Effects! wooooooooh!

Captain America/Black Panther: Flags of Our Fathers #1 (Marvel)
Reginald Hudlin/Denys Cowan/Klaus Janson/Pete Pantazis/Joe Sabino
the Hooters vs. Nazis vs. Wakandans. i meant the Howlers, dammit!!! USA! USA! USA!

Deadpool Corps #1 (Marvel)
Victor Gischler/Rob Liefeld/Adelso Corona/Matt Yackey/Clayton Cowles
i know, i know, its like the umpteenth Deadpool book in last few years. amused by the Prelude, i couldn't resist checking what trouble they'd all get into. now if they just put Humberto Ramos in here on art instead of 'Pool's co-creator ...