Category Archives: Marvel
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!
Animated Big Hero 6 Confirmed with Video of Street
Disney and Marvel have confirmed they’re teaming up with make an animated Big Hero 6! This is pretty cool news. Rumors of Big Hero 6 first started swirling last July. The Big Hero 6 are a superhero team from Japan, filled with various Japanese-themed heroes, like a giant lizard, a robot and I think a ninja or two. Nobody that mainstream audiences have ever heard of, but probably perfect for an animated cartoon. I like that Disney is willing to take chances on Marvel properties instead of just making an Avengers cartoon movie.
As part of the announcement, Disney released this preview footage…which is basically just a street.
So nothing to see there.
More interestingly, we have this plot synopsis, which is much more fun:
This day just got exciting. We have the first look at concept art from Big Hero 6, the action comedy adventure from Walt Disney Animation Studios. The story centers around a brilliant robotics prodigy, Hiro Hamada, who finds himself in the grips of a criminal plot that threatens to destroy the fast-paced, high-tech city of San Fransokyo. With the help of his closest companion—a robot named Baymax—Hiro joins forces with a reluctant team of first-time crime fighters on a mission to save their city.
Inspired by the Marvel comics of the same name, and featuring comic-book style action, the CG-animated Big Hero 6 hits theaters in 3D on November 7, 2014. Try to remain calm about the fact that you still have 546 days to wait. (We say this, knowing that we’re going to fail at it.)
So yeah, this should be a pretty cool movie.
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.
Review: Iron Man 3
Iron Man has defeated the three movie curse! With a blast of repulsor ray and that signature charm, Robert Downey Jr. and company easily live up to expectations, and deliver on the promise that there are still movies to be made after last year’s The Avengers. Iron Man 3 is a fantastic action film, one built on the shoulders of Downey’s command performance as Tony Stark. Is there any cooler or more popular character in Hollywood right now than Tony Stark?
Iron Man 3: 4/5: Good!
While Iron Man 3 doesn’t match the spectacle of The Avengers, it doesn’t have to. Instead, Iron Man 3 shows us the blueprint for all of these upcoming superhero solo films. It focuses on Tony, the man beneath the armor, and it does an exceptional job. The Avengers went big, so Iron Man 3 gets personal. This is Tony’s movie, and Downey carries it with ease. The rest of the cast do their best to keep up, but Pepper and Rhodey can’t match the excitement and energy of Captain America, Thor and the Hulk. Still, they try, and mostly succeed. Gwyneth Paltrow, especially, steps up in a big way as Pepper Potts. This may be her best of the three films. As for the new characters, they mostly hold their own, but none of them – including the villains – are anything to write home about.
Though the Mandarin is pretty awesome, and not at all what any of us probably expected.
I’m very happy with Iron Man 3. It’s not a perfect film, but whatever complaints I might have are very minor. The first third felt a little mediocre, I suppose. The humor and one-liners weren’t as funny as other Marvel films. The emotional connection wasn’t very strong. And the villains didn’t have a lot of depth. But seriously, these are very minor, almost meaningless gripes.
The Iron Man franchise is as strong as it’s ever been, as is the Marvel Movieverse. Iron Man 3 could serve as the series finale, and I would be perfectly happy with that. But I bet we’ll see an Iron Man 4, and hopefully Robert Downey Jr. will be a part of it.
Join me after the jump for my full review! There will be some SPOILERS, so be warned. Plenty of reviews on the web are spoiler-free, but I’d like to be able to talk about some of the cooler moments in the movie. So please, if you don’t want to be spoiled, stop reading now. It’ll be worth it, trust me.
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!
Henchman-4-Hire