Category Archives: Comics
Phil Urich Dead!? Crossover with Kaine?! Ben Reilly Returns!?
Solicitations have come out for the Superior Spider-Man family of comics in August, and they all seem geared to characters I love. What’s up with that? But hey, I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, even if that gift horse tastes like rancid, bitter tears!
First up, in Superior Spider-Man itself, it seems that Otto is going to target the new Hobgoblin, otherwise known as Phil Urich, otherwise known as one of my all-time favorite comic book characters. I’m always pleased when Phil pops up in the pages of Spider-Man, but based on the solicitations, it looks like Phil’s days might be numbered!
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #15
DAN SLOTT 
• HUMBERTO RAMOS (A/C)
“Run, Goblin, Run!” Part 1 of 2
• What’s it like to be a villain in the Marvel Universe…once the Superior Spider-Man sets his sights on you?
• Find out, from Phil Urich’s point of view, in what might be the final days of the Hobgoblin.
• Plus, what is the secret of “The Tinkerer’s Apprentice”? Who’s been helping the Terrible Tinkerer? And how is he, of all people, the reason everything in Spider-Man’s life will be changed forever?!
Superior Spider-Man #15
That would really, really suck. But I’m not going to nerd rage about one of my favorite characters being killed. Slott has been building to a confrontation like this with Phil ever since he started writing Spider-Man. So I’m just going to look forward to an awesome Hobgoblin story. And check out Spidey’s new evil costume! Villains always go for black.
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #16
DAN SLOTT • HUMBERTO RAMOS (A/C)
“Run, Goblin, Run!” Part 2 of 2
• How has the Hobgoblin evaded the Superior Spider-Man for so long? And does that hold the key to the Superior Spider-Man’s greatest success — or greatest failure? It’s the end of the line for Hobgoblin, and possibly an end for a big chapter in the history of Spider-Man.
Superior Spider-Man #16
Everybody keep your fingers crossed. The Phil Urich Death Watch begins here!
Next, it looks like we’re finally going to get the first crossover between Spider-Man and the Scarlet Spider. Chris Yost writes both Scarlet Spider and The Avengers Spider-Man (which will soon be renamed Superior Spider-Man Team-Up), so in August, he’s bringing the two comics together for a two-part story of Scarlet Spider meeting the Superior Spider-Man. Kaine and Otto have a torrid history stretching back to Kaine’s heyday in the 90s, when he killed Otto by snapping his neck with his bare hands. So one would think that Otto probably isn’t going to like running into Kaine again.
Marvel has an interview with Yost on their website. And we get a better look at the new Superior Spider-Man costume. Looks almost like an inverted version of Kaine’s costume.
But more importantly, check out the last question of that interview. The interview is about Scarlet Spider #20, but he question looks ahead to the solicitation for Scarlet Spider #21, which apparently mentions a confrontation with Ben Reilly!? And Yost says that the last page of the crossover will be a real game changer.
So, for reals, it looks like Ben Reilly might be coming back! I will tell you more when it becomes available.
Here are the covers.
Scarlet Spider #20
Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #2
That should make for an awesome team up. Though I’m a little disappointed that it’s not happening in the actual Superior Spider-Man series, as if this crossover doesn’t warrant anything more than just the secondary Spidey titles. But I can live with that.
So Phil Urich and the Scarlet Spider are a big deal in August! It’s like the 90s all over again!
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 5/4/13
May the Fourth be with you, everyone! And not only that, but it’s Free Comic Book Day! And I saw Iron Man 3 yesterday afternoon! What a fantastically nerdy weekend! Sometimes I have to pinch myself to truly appreciate how geeky the world has become. Just think about it: the Iron Man threequel is expected to break box office records. The world loves superhero movies! Back when I was growing up, to even hope for quality superhero movies was a fool’s dream. Now the movies are awesome, and the comics are awesome. These are good days.
This week’s load of comics is a mix of good issues. Not a stinker in the bunch. There are some duds, like the latest issue of Age of Ultron, but that whole series has been a dud so far. I’m much more excited by comics like Hawkeye, Aquaman and All-New X-Men, which I’ve awarded Comic Book of the Week this week. Not for any particular reason, it’s just that out of all the very good comics this week, I decided I liked X-Men the best.
Plus I’m a sucker for adorable hugs. Though maybe I should have given the award to the new issue of Superior Spider-Man, which makes a pretty momentous change – except that the change isn’t nearly the big deal that some fans are making it out to be. It’s more ho-hum, as far as I’m concerned.
Comic Reviews: Age of Ultron #7, All-New X-Men #11, Aquaman #19, Hawkeye #10, Indestructible Hulk #7, and Superior Spider-Man #9.
My Favorite Iron Man Armor
Today is Iron Man 3 day! The film has been getting great reviews, and I’ll be seeing it after work this afternoon. I’m very excited, and I’ll post my full review later tonight. But just to give my blog a little taste of Iron Man today, I’ve decided to share my favorite Iron Man armor!
Chillaxing like an iron boss
Ever since Iron Man was created back in the 1960s, he’s had dozens of armors. Upwards of 30 are going to appear in the new movie. Tony Stark is a genius inventor, and he’s always tinkering. Plus you just have to admit that Iron Man is a pretty rad look. That red/gold style is flashy and awesome.
So what’s my favorite Iron Man armor? Join me after the jump to find out!
Review: X-Factor #255
Penultimate chapters usually rock, and X-Factor #255 is no exception. The balance of power has tipped in the Hell on Earth War, and only the raggedy band of mutant heroes we know and love has any chance of saving the world. Writer Peter David does a great job of setting up the final challenge and positioning X-Factor as the last hope for the fate of the planet – minus one of their own! That’s right! A member of X-Factor dies in this issue, and it’s quite sad.
X-Factor #255
The Hell on Earth War has been generally good all along. It’s dragged a little, maybe, and not all of the characters have had meaningful moments, and Madrox has been almost completely absent, but I’ve enjoyed it and I’m ready for the grand finale!
Comic Rating: 4/5: Good!
Hell on Earth War has been generally entertaining. No part has really blown me away, or connected emotionally, but I’ve enjoyed it better than some of PAD’s other big X-Factor stories. Like I mentioned, most of the characters have just been along for the ride, with all of the emotional weight going to Tier, a character who we don’t really know. And my favorite character, Multiple Man, was quickly saddled with that odd demon transformation, taking him out of the fun. But those are just personal gripes. The rest of the story has been good.
The scope and scale of the Hell on Earth War has been very intense, some of the biggest X-Factor has ever seen, and PAD has kept the pacing sharp. The story hasn’t dragged too much, with something interesting happening in every issue. This issue is no exception. Tier gets a proud moment, there’s an epic fight between Strong Guy and Monet, and Mephisto successfully sets himself up for next issue’s boss fight.
Can X-Factor save the day? Or will their cancellation come early? Join me after the jump to find out!
The 6 Most Awesome Cats in Comic Books
I am determined to use the power of the Internet to work for my blog. I have been a devoted follower of the Internet for years. I’m a Brony, I love reminiscing about the 80s, and I especially love cats. Long cats, keyboard cats, Nyan cats, talking cats or just adorable cats, I’m a big cat person. I still remember my first cat, Color, who lived on my grandparents’ farm. My cousin and I found him/her(?) in the weeds beside the barn, and we sang to get the Calico kitty to come out and play. Color was awesome.
Know what else is awesome? Superheroes’ cats.
Avengers Cats needs to be a thing
But I don’t mean cat superheroes, like the List of Six I did a few weeks ago. I mean the pet cats who belong to superheroes and super-villains. Everybody’s heard of Superman’s dog Krypto, right? Well here are the six coolest pet cats in all of comic books!
Henchman-4-Hire