Category Archives: Comics
A New Hawkeye Series for People Who Really Like Hawkeye
Personally, I’ve never cared for Hawkeye, so I doubt I’ll have any interest in this comic. But holy hot damn does it have some amazing covers!
I just love a stylish comic book cover
The new series was announced Saturday at C2E2, the comic book convention going on this weekend in Chicago. That cover, and it’s partner that I’ll post in a minute, are drawn by superstar artist David Aja. The comic is going to be a reteaming of Aja and writer Matt Fraction, who last collaborated on the incredible Iron Fist series from a few years ago. That comic was so good that it even got me interested in Iron Fist! And the Iron Fist covers were equally as awesome.
So this series is already building a lot of hype. It’s due out in August.
Free archery lesson!
Wow those are awesome covers.
Anyway, a new Hawkeye series is a great idea from Marvel. Hawkeye is never going to be more exposed than when he appears in next month’s The Avengers movie. This will be the most high profile he has ever been. So capitalizing on that success with a new comic is a good idea.
On a personal note, I’m getting a good giggle from the very swift evolution of Hawkeye’s costume in the past year to coincide with the movie. Marvel has found themselves in a bit of a pickle, because the movie costume is based on the Ultimate Universe costume, but they can’t exactly have one of their normal universe characters just switch to an identical Ultimate costume.
This is Hawkeye’s classic costume:
All purples and blues, with a full face mask, loin cloth and other superhero tropes. He’s worn a variation of this costume since he debuted. It’s one of those classic costumes. But in anything other than comic books, it could look a little silly. So when Marvel put Hawkeye in The Ultimates, they gave him a much more realistic looking leather costume. As was the style in that book.
I’m a huge fan of The Ultimates, and of Ultimate Hawkeye’s costume. It’s a great look for the character, and is not adorned with all the silly purple decorations of the classic costume.
So it’s no surprise that when Marvel decided to add Hawkeye to The Avengers movie, they picked his sensible Ultimate costume over his flamboyant classic costume.
But then getting back to the topic of Hawkeye’s new high profile, Marvel has to capitalize. There has been no great proof that the movies actually get people to buy more comics, but there is always the chance that somebody is going to see the movie and then want to read more about Hawkeye. But when they go to the comic shop, as recent as last year they would see Hawkeye in his purple costume. Visual continuity is important. If the fan is looking on the shelves for movie Hawkeye, give them something similar. So in recent months, Marvel has given Hawkeye a new costume.
Though based on those new comic book covers, he might be reducing his costume to just a T-shirt soon enough. Still, it’s an awesome design that draws heavily from the Ultimate and movie versions, while retaining some of its classic roots. I’m definitely a fan of the new look. Real men wear purple.
So hopefully Hawkeye fans are excited at this news.
I Really, Really, Really Want Spider-Man to Hook Up with Ms. Marvel
Let’s talk about romance in comic books for a minute. Even with all the big fights and awesome powers, superhero stories almost always have a little romance in them. Superman has Lois Lane, Batman has Catwoman, Cyclops and Wolverine were always fighting over Jean Grey; love has always been a key component to comic books. As it should be.
But I have to ask, why, oh why, do superheroes never hook up with other superheroes?
And can we change that by getting together Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel? Please? They’d be so cute together!
They could even fight super-villains together! Adorable!
When it comes to superhero relationships, they really only seem to have one option: stay in love with the character they were hooked up with way back when they first debuted. Comic book fans notoriously hate change and want to maintain the long-standing status quo. That history is what keeps these classic couples together, moreso than anything that actually benefits either character. So modern day comic book writers would rather retread old ground in the romance department than give the fans something new and exciting.
But I want that excitement!
In recent years, comic book publishers have been taking baby steps into the realm of giving their characters new relationships, thereby creating new dynamics and new stories. Like Storm and Black Panther or Cyclops and Emma Frost. Well now I want these publishers to embrace this idea and forge full steam ahead by taking the most love-lorn of all superheroes, Spider-Man, and giving him an awesome, new super-powered girlfriend!
Review: Scarlet Spider #4
What could have been a mediocre fight issue gets knocked up a notch in the climax, reminding the readers why the Scarlet Spider is not just a copy of Spider-Man. He’s tougher, he’s more badass and he can be excitingly brutal. Writer Christopher Yost uses that to great effect to elevate an already OK story into something more by the end.We’re also, possibly, seeing an expansion of Scarlet Spider’s rogues gallery, which is only going to help. And his supporting cast continues to develop.
Scarlet Spider #4
The only problem is that Scarlet Spider has yet to do anything that really wows me. But the series is still young.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good.
Let me first say that the Assassin’s Guild is an odd choice of antagonist for Kaine, especially in only his fourth issue. They are primarily a Gambit-related group, so I have no clue why someone thought they’d be a good fit for Scarlet Spider. Unless someone at Marvel tried to think of what existing villains could have a reason for being in Houston, Texas. They wanted someone familiar for Kaine to fight. The problem is, I have no clue if any of the Guild members in this issue have ever appeared before, other than their leader, Belladonna. They may all be brand new characters created for just this issue, in which case they are just nameless, pointless opponents for Kaine to fight.
And that doesn’t make for a good rogue’s gallery. Unless they stick around as villains Still, the art is fantastic and the big fight is a lot of fun. And like I said, Yost uses Kaine’s darker nature to add some fun twists to the story.
Battle Beasts Are Making a Comeback
Somebody call up VH1’s ‘I Love the 80s’ because they need to make a new episode! The freakin’ Battle Beasts are making a comeback in a big way this summer! Obviously the world is on a big 80s nostalgia trip, with Transformers, Ninja Turtles and G.I. Joe movies coming out. But who could have possibly thought that the Battle Beasts would ever be back?
What’s that? You don’t remember the Battle Beasts? Of course you do! Just look:
Revel in your childhood!
I had a ton of these little guys when I was a kid. They were these neat little figurines based on animals, and each one had a special heat-sensitive rubbing area on the front that revealed their power element: fire, water or wood. Really, wood? Yep! And you were supposed to play a game of Paper, Rock, Scissors with them. Instead, I’m pretty sure I just played with them like normal action figures.
Am I the only one getting chills from this picture?
You can check out a gallery of all the Battle Beasts here. I had a blast just looking through them, recognizing the ones that I had.
I definitely remember Sledgehammer Elephant.
The name sums him up pretty nicely
And Octillion Octopus.
We have a weaponized octopus, people!
Man oh man, just looking at those galleries takes me back.
But the good news is that Diamond Select Toys and IDW Comics have teamed up to bring the Battle Beasts back in 2012! You can read all about it here, but I’ll sum it up for you. Basically, Diamond Select got the license for Battle Beasts back in 2009. Since then, I guess they’ve been looking for something to do with the toys. And it seems they have settled, with proper introductions planned for the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo this weekend.
The two companies are going to recreate the story of Battle Beasts, giving them a plot and main characters. IDW is then going to publish a comic book about them.
Instead of a walrus, may I suggest an elephant? Possibly with a sledgehammer for a hand?
Something about the Battle Beasts coming to Earth and interacting with humans. Sounds meh, but who knows! That plot has worked for the Transformers. Here’s a look at the cover of the comic book:
I want to buy it right now!
Then, later this year, Diamond Select is going to produce mini-mates of the new Battle Beasts characters. They won’t be like the old versions, but instead be based of Diamond’s mini-mate design. I really like the mini-mates, and own several myself. Diamond has been getting into a lot of different brands with their mini-mates. Just the other day I had to stop myself from buying Ghostbuster mini-mates.
I can only hope that 'wood' remains a key factor of the games
Hooray 80s notalgia!
‘Spider-Men’ is as Obvious as Everyone Thought
Breaking news this morning is that the regular Marvel Universe and the Ultimate Marvel Universe are finally going to have a crossover called Spider-Men, in which Peter Parker is going to meet and trounce evil alongside Miles Morales. It’ll be a 5-issue mini-series starting in June. This story has been teased for a few months now, but it wasn’t until today that Marvel revealed that the ‘Spider-Men’ in the title were Peter and Miles.
But I, and I’m pretty sure everybody else, already guessed this months ago.
I didn’t report on it then because it was just a tease, and frankly I just didn’t feel like it because I’m not very interested in this idea.
I guess it falls to young Miles to tell Peter Parker about the brutal murder of Ultimate Peter Parker
Maybe I could have been interested a few years ago, when the Ultimate Universe meant something. But after Ultimatum and the rest of the crap that the Ultimate Universe has been through the past years, it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s worthless, dried up and far more bound and complicated by its own continuity than the normal Marvel Universe.
The Ultimate Universe is no longer special. So who cares if normal Peter Parker happens to meet the Spider-Man of the Ultimate Universe? Peter Parker has probably met a bunch of alternate versions of himself, or been exposed to concepts like the Multiverse. It’s just not going to be all that important to him.
Whereas it could absolutely ruin the young Miles Morales.
So basically the story is going to revolve around an 11-year-old kid hanging out with a 30+-year-old man
Regular readers of my blog will know that I’m currently reviewing Miles’ series, the Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man. And I’m really enjoying it. Writer Brian Michael Bendis and regular artist Sara Pichelli are telling one fantastic story about a young boy who gets spider-powers and decides to do the right thing and pick up where Peter Parker (now dead) left off. It’s a very grounded tale, with Miles juggling his family, his school work and the fact that he doesn’t know the first thing about being a superhero or how to fight people. It’s a good book.
But at only 9 issues so far, the last thing it needs is to be thrown into some insane cross-dimensional story that has him meeting an adult version of the kid he’s replaced.
I’ve said this in my reviews: it will only hurt the grounded, realistic tone of Miles Morales’ comic if you start including references to the more insane parts of superheroics. He’s still taking baby steps into the world of being a hero. Don’t spoil it for something like this.
But no doubt it will sell and make money, so most likely an editor wanted it to happen.
Here’s a quote from Spider-Men writer Bendis about the mini-series:
“For the 50th anniversary of Spider-Man, what everyone was looking for was a Spider-Man story that mattered,” says series writer Brian Michael Bendis. “Well, here you go.”
Then if we read the Bleeding Cool version of this story, the writers from that site remember that Bendis has always said that he doesn’t even consider the Ultimate Universe to be an alternate universe to the normal Marvel. He’s always been opposed to some kind of crossover. So read his comment again with that in mind.
I just hope it doesn’t matter too much.
You can read more about this here.
Henchman-4-Hire 