Category Archives: Marvel
My 6 Favorite Alternate Versions of Superheroes
This is going to be a very geeky list. We’re talking the height of comic book geekery. Maybe some of your non-geeks will learn something. This will hopefully be a silly list too, celebrating the depths of comic book awesomeness. Is everybody familiar with alternate realities? The idea that somewhere out there in existence is an alternate Earth, with alternate versions of us living alternate lives? Well superhero comics love this concept. There are dozens of alternate realities in comics, hundreds even. It’s a favorite of comic writers and fans to create alternate reality versions of famous superheroes.
Like Calvin and Hobbes as Batman and Robin, for example
Click the jump to read six of my favorites!
Awesome Upcoming X-Factor Cover
Marvel’s December solicitations came out today, and while I’m not going to go through every single issue, I just thought I’d show you all the awesome cover to an upcoming issue of X-Factor. Two issues will ship in December. The first issue will deal with new villain Bloodbath, and the death of one of their team members. The second issue will finally deal with a cliffhanger that’s been around since very early on in the series.
The prophecy that Wolfsbane will murder Madrox and Layla Miller on their wedding night!
How’s it going to happen? Are they really going to die? Are they really going to get married!? To make matters worse (or funnier), Layla was still a little girl when the prophecy was made. Now she’s been aged through time travel to a young woman, perfectly not-creepy for marriage. She and Jamie have even kissed! Plus they share matching face tattoos from their journey together into the future (long story). So I’m excited to see what happens and this is the cover to one of those issues. And it’s an awesome cover.
Not looking too good for Madrox. Note the face tattoo. I told you so!
Review: X-Factor #225
X-Factor is my favorite comic book on the stands, mostly because it stars my favorite character: Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man. But it’s also a very fun comic, with great characters, great stories and occasionally great art. So I want to dedicate my blog to giving X-Factor as much love as possible. Writer Peter David has penned nearly 80 issues (!!!) starring the same group of B and C-list mutants from the X-Men franchise. X-Factor doesn’t get a lot of press, rarely does anything to draw attention to itself, but maintains enough fans to keep publishing.
X-Factor #225
X-Factor is the little series that could.
So I’m going to start reviews with the latest issue, X-Factor #225. I should have started with the last issue, X-Factor #224.1, but I couldn’t get around to it that weekend. Such are the distractions of a wealthy, studly, millionaire cowboy/astronaut such as myself. In this issue, the team is still recovering from the last big storyline, which involved the birth of Rahne’s demon baby, as well as the events of the separate series Avengers: Children’s Crusade. X-Factory had a brief but very meaningful cameo in that series, which I’ll get to in a moment. The crux of this new issue is that Madrox and his team are pulled into a murder investigation in Kansas, one that occurred on the farm where Jamie Madrox grew up.
But the victim isn’t as dead as she seems.
Review: X-Men: Schism #4
Finally, the confrontation between Cyclops and Wolverine comes to the breaking point. Or is that the slashing/eye-blasting point? Not only is the rift between them clearly laid out and understandable, but the two heroes actually do come to blows at the climax of this issue. And it’s an awesome fight. X-Men: Schism #4 is an exciting and tense issue, one that thankfully is not bogged down by the ridiculousness of the Hellfire Club Kids. It’s just Cyclops and Wolverine laying it all on the line.
X-Men: Schism #4
And I am completely on Cyclops’ side.
Wolverine comes off like a fool! I understand his reasoning, and I suppose it fits with the character, but in the context of everything we know about the X-Men and in the context of what we’re reading here, Wolverine is a blind, stubborn fool. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like we’re made to root for Wolverine anymore. Both sides are pretty clear and neither one comes off as completely favored over the other. The reader can choose for themselves who is right, and also see that both Cyclops and Wolverine are being more than a little selfish. That’s a plus and definitely helps to better define the titular Schism of the X-Men.
Spoilers after the jump.
The Defenders are Back, for Some Reason!
Spinning out of Fear Itself will apparently be a new Defenders series from Marvel Comics. The Defenders has always been one of their B-list superhero teams. Always sort of around but never able to maintain a monthly book. They get relaunched every few years or so. I can’t really remember the last time there was a Defenders book. But whenever it was, Marvel is bringing it back! They’re giving the keys to Matt Fraction (the writer of Fear Itself) and Terry Dodson (lover of drawing boobies)!
I am modestly curious. I think this was announced months ago, but here is some cover art.
Silver Surfer is a good way to start a team!
-Spinning out of the stunning end of FEAR ITSELF! The final Worthy on a global rampage!
-Matt Fraction (FEAR ITSELF, THE MIGHTY THOR, INVINCIBLE IRON MAN) reteams with TERRY DODSON (UNCANNY X-MEN, SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN)!
-Everyone’s favorite Marvel characters banding together to solve a mysterious conspiracy deep at the heart of the Marvel Universe!
-The last line of defense against the forces of the unknown!
The lineup looks pretty spiffy. You’ve got Dr. Strange, Namor and the Silver Surfer from the original Defenders lineup, or at least the famous Defenders lineup. Replacing the Incredible Hulk is Red She-Hulk. I remain luke warm on the idea of Red She-Hulk. I don’t like the idea of multiple Hulk characters in the first place. Give me Bruce Banner as a lone figure, thank you very much. And what’s wrong with regular She-Hulk? My guess is familiarity. Everybody knows Jennifer Walters and what she’s like. Red She-Hulk is still an unknown commodity. She’ll add new style and character to a series. Plus it looks like she’s keeping her Mighty weapon. Cool.
Iron Fist and giant purple monster man are just OK.
This is the sort of book I might pick up on a whim. We’ll see how broke I am when it hits the stands. I just wanted to let people know it’s coming. That’s the kind of helpful comic book geek I am.
