Category Archives: Marvel
Just When You Thought Cyclops Couldn’t Get Any More Awesome!
I want to consider my blog a bastion of pro-Cyclops ideology and understanding. Because even though I was, at times, frustrated with his portrayal during Avengers vs. X-Men, Marvel are clearly turning him into the greatest hero ever in the aftermath!
I don’t want to spoil too much right away – I’ll save that for the jump – but suffice to say, from almost everything I’ve seen post-AvX, Marvel seems poised to do some exciting things with Cyclops in the future. More and more, it looks intentional that Marvel and their writers knew exactly what they were doing with Cyclops in Avengers vs. X-Men, and I am absolutely loving it! The character is on this fascinating journey, and not some cliched apologetic quest for redemption.
Cyclops is a total boss! As we can see in a few previews of the upcoming All-New X-Men #1! Join me for more after the jump to view them!
Review: X-Factor #245
This is an absolute perfect issue of X-Factor. This kind of issue is exactly why I love this series so much, and why Peter David continues to be one of the most popular writers in comics. His work with the characters in this issue is a masterstroke of humor, camaraderie and the general fun of having friends, through good and bad. Breaking Points has been an up and down story so far as David cleans house, but he wraps it up with style and happiness. I am very, very excited to see what comes next for X-Factor.
X-Factor #245
It also helps that this issue seems to read my mind and give Polaris a new, more modern costume!
Comic rating: 5/5: Great.
I feel kind of guilty grading this comic with a perfect score. Like I said, it’s a perfect issue of X-Factor, as long as you love the same X-Factor that I love. This is a talking heads issue, with no superhero fights or really much action of any kind. It’s just this cast of characters butting heads, talking through their feelings and making some legitimately funny jokes. This issue is seriously funny. When Peter David really gets going on the talking heads issues, something about them just triggers his funny bone. This is a great issue of X-Factor, a great example of what makes this comic so much fun and just an all around pleasure to have in front of you. So why do I feel kind of guilty?
Because I think X-Factor has run its course. At least under Peter David.
This sounds like blasphemy, but it’s true. These characters all feel kind of stuck in a rut. All of these big changes that have been happening feel only skin deep. I just don’t feel a deep, emotional connection to these characters like I used to. Or maybe it’s just me. I’ve said this before, and I fear it still stands: Peter David has gotten complacent on X-Factor. So hopefully this new direction and reduced cast will shake things up a bit.
Though Heaven help Marvel if they ever cancel this book or change it in any significant way! I’m a comic book geek, I hate change but embrace creativity! Grrr!
This May Not Mean Much to Most People, but There’s Going to be a New Stilt-Man!
Sometimes I try to be objective when it comes to reporting pop culture news. As in, I try to tell you guys about as much cool stuff coming up as I can. But then sometimes it gets really personal, and I write up an entry like this one that deals almost exclusively with my own personal love.
Stilt-Man being one of them.
They’re also pushing the new Superior Spider-Man, but we should all just ignore him until he goes away
There’s going to be a new Stilt-Man introduced in the pages of Daredevil in January. As I’m sure you remember, I once wrote an article about Lady Stilt-Man, and she’s actually made several more appearances since I wrote that article. Good for her. But now a new Stilt-Man is coming back! We all remember how the original Stilt-Man, Wilbur Day, was killed by the Punisher in the wake of Civil War. So I don’t know who the new Stilt-Man is going to be. Heck, considering this is comics, it could be Wilbur Day back from the dead!
Whoever straps on those big, metal stilts, it appears that they’re going to get a technological upgrade from Doctor Octopus. Because why the hell not? Nobody ever said that super-villains couldn’t share technology. I’ve always thought Doctor Octopus should have added some Shocker gauntlets to the end of his tentacles.
Also in January comic book news, X-Factor is going to start an epic story called the Hell on Earth War. Supposedly, all of the demons in Hell are getting all excited about the birth of the 7th billion human, for some reason. And they’re going to go to war over it. What X-Factor has to do with this, I haven’t the foggiest. But I’m a huge X-Factor fan, so I’m not about to miss this.
I love it when Multiple Man is badass. The duster helps
Also, apparently, writer Peter David started planting the seeds for this storyline back when he wrote Incredible Hulk in the 90s. That he’s now able to go through with the story is a clear indication of why comic books are awesome.
A Couple of Marvel Trailers
First up, the debut trailer of Iron Man and Hulk: Heroes United confirms my suspicion that it will be crappy.
Stiff, stilted computer animation looks like it was done by a freshman design student. The dialogue appears to be nothing but cheap one-liners and weak banter. The villains are just a bunch of robots and/or additional Iron Man suits. This is a flimsy, boring work of drivel from a company that produces the best superhero stories and movies in the world. I expect better.
Next up is the latest trailer for Marvel Heroes, the upcoming Marvel-themed Massive Multiplayer Online game. I don’t know why I haven’t written about this game yet, probably due to lack of interest. And I don’t know why I’m not very interested in this game. It looks to be the next evolution of the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance games, and those were great.
Marvel Heroes wisely forgoes DC Comics’ attempt at an MMO, and instead lets you play as the actual superheroes. DC went with a City of Heroes-style game, where you design your own superhero and then fight alongside the Justice League. Marvel is going with a Diablo-like game, where you get to play as their superheroes in a dungeon-crawler-like environment. They’ve done a good job with that kind of series in the past, like I said, but something about this game has yet to really grab me. I think it’s the generic-ness that I’ve seen from the previews so far.
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 was based heavily on Civil War, the comic series that pit hero against hero. It was full of exciting cameos (Multiple Man! Prodigy!), and got really in depth for a video game. Marvel Heroes, so far, seems to be striving to be as generic as possible, probably to bring in as many players as possible. Plus all of the characters they’ve revealed so far are not among my list of favorites. So there’s nothing to get excited about…yet. If anything changes, I’ll let you know.
What do you guys think of movie and this game? Are you looking forward to both? Hating them both? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Cyclops Continues to Be Right
For those of you following my coverage of Avengers vs. X-Men, and readily agree with my assessment that Cyclops was right, then you absolutely need to be reading AvsX: Cosquences. It’s a weekly series that is following Cyclops now that he’s the villain and in prison, and it’s absolutely perfect! The second issue came out today, and it’s all about Cyclops and Wolverine sitting down and talking this through, and it is everything I could have hoped for how Cyclops would be treated after Avengers vs. X-Men. Ignore his villainous cameo in Uncanny Avengers, this is the real Cyclops.
I’m not going to spoil anything or do a review of the issue, just take my advice and pick it up if you’re pro-Cyclops. It’s exciting to know that at least someone at Marvel understood exactly what was happening with Cyclops. And Wolverine gets absolutely put in his place!
Also, let me know in the comments if you would like some spoilers, because I can readily provide should there be demand.
Henchman-4-Hire 