Category Archives: Marvel
The First Hint of the New X-Factor
In the build-up to the New York Comic-Con in a few weeks, Marvel has started releasing some of their typical one-word teasers. You can see a few of them here. I don’t normally post these things, but included among them is the teaser for something ‘Corporate’ by Peter David. This is the first hint at Peter David’s next project since X-Factor was cancelled, and everyone around the Internet seems to think this is also the first hint of the new X-Factor.
We’re all business here
I am inclined to agree.
If you recall the end of X-Factor #260 – the Polaris issue – she was approached by a man named Harrison Snow, who said he was the CEO of a “rather large company”. He offered her the chance to get in on the ground floor of a new X-Factor. Polaris readily took him up on his offer. It’s clear from that scene that the next iteration of X-Factor is going to be corporate in nature.
So with this teaser, coupled with Peter David as the writer, coupled with hints that an X-Factor relaunch was going to be part of the next Marvel NOW! campaign, it might be safe to say we’ll finally get a glimpse of the new comic at New York Comic-Con on Oct. 11!
Too bad Multiple Man probably won’t be involved. But a new X-Factor by Peter David is a new X-Factor by Peter David!
New She-Hulk Comic To Fill Our Need of Superhero Lawyering
Marvel announced today a new She-Hulk comic to debut in February, and to once again focus on her legal career. Writer Charles Soule, one of comics’ up and comers, spoke with USA Today about the project. He’ll be teamed with artist Javier Pulido. I’m pleased to hear about this series. I like She-Hulk well enough, and I love the idea of another comic focusing on her misadventures in the legal profession.
I like the first cover, so there’s that
As many of you may know, the last time She-Hulk had a series, it was written by Dan Slott, and it was all about She-Hulk working for a wacky law firm. I really enjoyed that comic, though I stopped reading towards the end. I enjoyed Slott’s humor and some of the artists. I don’t have enough experience with Soule’s work to know how he’ll do. Apparently he’s also a lawyer, like She-Hulk, so maybe his expertise will really up the quality of the stories. And Pulido was the fill-in artist for Hawkeye, so we know he’s got the chops to bring a realistic series like this to the page.
Says Soule in the interview:
“She-Hulk has always been a title where weird, cool things can happen. She is a strong — very strong — female character, and comics absolutely cannot have too many of those. That hypothetically means I get to do interesting things myself. Plus, she’s brainy, which always appeals to me, but she doesn’t always make the best decisions — and that’s a combination that’s ripe for drama.”
So it basically sounds like a run-of-the-mill She-Hulk series, which I’m all for. We’ll see how it goes!
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Debuts Tonight!
I think we can all agree that when writing the title of this show, we don’t have to also type the word ‘Marvel’s’. I know and love the company, but it’s rather silly to add that to the front of everything they do. I’ve never called it ‘Marvel’s The Avengers’, so I’m not about to start now. Also, there’s no way anybody is going to write all those punctuations in the word ‘SHIELD’. Just not gonna happen. Still, how exciting is it that we finally get to see the show?
I’ll get around to watching the first episode at some point this week, then I’ll be sure to have a review up before the end of the week. I’ve very excited to see what it’s like!
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 9/21/13
I wish I knew the rules for Villains Month when DC started handing out the assignments. There doesn’t seem to be any real point to all these issues, other than just existing to fulfill the marketing gimmick. Some of them have been origin stories. Some of them have been direct tie-ins to Forever Evil #1. And some of them have just be short and sweet villain showcases. Some have been really good, and some have been outright garbage. There doesn’t appear to be any rhyme or reason. And I would have really liked to have known that going in.
Fortunately, this week is mostly good issues – if we don’t count Deathstroke #1. Double fortunately, Marvel Comics is still going very strong. There’s another solid chapter of Battle of the Atom, though I found the issue a little…disconcerting. You’ll see why. I also liked Infinity a bit more than usual. So that’s a plus. But Comic of the Week has to go to Thor: God of Thunder #13, for being its usual awesome self! It even finds a fun way to incorporate an obvious movie-tie-in villain without seeming too gratuitous.
Though if I’m being fair, Moment of the Week has to go to Black Hand #1, when Black Hand’s zombie army faces off against a squadron of police officers.
Comic Reviews: Black Hand #1, Cheetah #1, New Avengers #10, Infinity #3, Penguin #1, The Rogues #1, Thor: God of Thunder #13, and Uncanny X-Men #12.
6 Things Disney Needs To Do With Their Marvel and Star Wars Licenses
As you can probably easily surmise, I am not the CEO of any Fortune 500 companies, nor do I have any sort of business acumen whatsoever. So I have no idea what goes into licensing deals, copyright agreements or ownership of beloved companies and franchises. What I am, however, is some schmuck who manages to string words and sentences together into a pop culture blog enjoyed by dozens every day. So if anyone is in a position to tell the overlords at Disney what to do with their Marvel and Star Wars properties, it’s me. Clearly.
Over the past few years, Disney has been on some kind of tirade, gobbling up several famous and beloved franchises to add to their already sizable pop culture family. Disney now owns The Muppets, Marvel Comics and Star Wars, among others. And while I have no idea what this means in the long run, I at least know that these companies and creations will have the support of the world’s largest entertainment empire. That’s got to mean a lot for longevity, right? We also know that Disney hasn’t rushed to dilute the purity and awesomeness of these brands. They don’t seem to want to interfere unless it’s too help. I can definitely get behind that.
But I can also get behind a greater exploitation of these brands. Because I am a man who built his own toy lightsaber at Disney World and have proudly displayed it on my wall. So here are 6 suggestions from little old me about what Disney should and could do with their Marvel and Star Wars properties.
Henchman-4-Hire