Category Archives: X-Men
My 6 Most Anticipated Comic Book Movies of 2013
Every year, it seems like more and more superhero movies are coming out. Can anyone even remember the cold, bitter years of the 90s, when we didn’t have this glorious glut of comic book films? Those were dark days indeed. But are we reaching some kind of superhero movie zenith? When are we going to reach the peak and then start coming down again? It’s going to happen someday, could it be 2013? Because there are enough superhero and comic book movies coming out this year that I was able to make a list! And can any of them even possibly live up to The Avengers or The Dark Knight trilogy?
Especially considering at least three of the films are almost direct sequels or pseudo-continuations?
Avengers vs. JLA? Maybe someday…
When researching this list, I didn’t even know or remember that half of these films are even coming out this year. I try to stay abreast of such developments, but there are so many superhero movies being made or expected to be made that I just lose track. I can still remember when we marked our calendars to expect the next big comic book movie. Now I’m just going to relax and let them come as they will. I mean, we’re pretty set for new films and sequels for the next two to three years at least. For good or ill. But this year looks like it might have more winners than losers.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 1/5/13
The first week of 2013 gives us a nice smattering of new comics from Marvel and DC. We’ve got some big titles like All-New X-Men and the launch of the new New Avengers, along with some smaller books like Talon and Red Lanterns. It’s also a bit easier on my wallet after the holidays. Not that I wouldn’t put off crucial fixes to my car in order to buy my weekly comic stack or anything. Though if I’m being honest, there were a lot of things that really annoyed me about this week’s comics. Everything from the treatment of Cyclops in All-New X-Men to the introduction of Alfred the cat in Batman Incorporated. I think Grant Morrison is picking on us.
But I was most definitely not annoyed with the new issue of Talon, which earns Comic Book of the Week with a delightful issue!
Oh, that Talon
Not bad for the fledgling series. Though there was not much competition, if I’m still being honest.
Comic Reviews: All-New X-Men #5, Batman Incorporated #6, New Avengers #1, Red Lanterns #15, Talon #3.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 12/22/12
What the hell, Marvel!? Some of us still have Christmas shopping to do, yet you hit us the week before Christmas with a massive pile of new comics to buy? Jeez louise! Bad enough this is also my heavy DC Comics week too! So let’s just say I bought a ton of comics this week, all so Marvel can be all fancy and only release Amazing Spider-Man #700 next week. Their big marketing scheme is hell on my wallet. At least most of the comics that came out this week were pretty good.
Everything under the sun seemed to come out this week, giving us a wide range of different titles. We’ve got major releases for the Avengers, X-Men and the Fantastic Four, not to mention both X-Force titles. If you’re more into Batman and the Death of the Family story, there are both the Nightwing and Red Hood tie-ins, one of which was good and the other quite bad. So very busy week. And though there were a lot of great titles, I think FF #2 pulls away with Comic Book of the Week. I really think that title is going to live up to its awesome potential.
Comic Reviews: All-New X-Men #4, Avengers #2, Batwoman #15, Cable and X-Force #2, Captain Marvel #8, FF #2, Green Lantern #15, Green Lantern: New Guardians #15, Hawkeye #6, Indestructible Hulk #2, Nightwing #15, Red Hood and the Outlaws #15, Thor: God of Thunder #3, Thunderbolts #2, Uncanny X-Force #35, Wolverine and the X-Men #22, Wonder Woman #15.
Review: X-Factor #249
Talk about a full 180! I hated last issue for it’s weak character work and utterly generic plot. But Peter David completely turns things around with a fun, character-rich comic that has X-Factor facing off in true superhero fashion against an army of demons. I can’t remember the last time this team was so on the ball. Multiple Man, especially, steps up in a big way.
X-Factor #249
And you know that any issue where my favorite superhero kicks ass is going to be a good issue.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
I’m still not entirely thrilled with the prospect of this Hell on Earth War, but I’m serious when I say that Peter David really brings out his A-game with the character work in this issue. And he does so in the middle of an epic battle, which isn’t usually the case for X-Factor. Usually, Peter David writes some crummy action issues and then some stellar talking issues. X-Factor #249 is a combination of the two, with a dash of epic mixed in for good measure. So maybe I’m going to start getting my hopes up for the Hell on Earth War.
This issue serves as a prologue to the whole event, and in that case, it sort of fails. Because we learn absolutely nothing new about the War or what it’s going to entail. Demons, I guess? Hell? Hellfire? More demons? I dunno. That’s one failing of this issue, that the villains are absolutely nobodies. Vera returns, and I guess something can be said about the fact that she’s the sister of a demon we met in the past, but that older demon wasn’t much of a character either. And beyond ‘Vera’, none of the bad guys in this issue get names or motivations. They’re just randomly evil demons.
And X-Factor kick their asses!
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review.
My Childhood Recaptured in Stop Motion
And by ‘my childhood’, I of course mean the X-Men cartoon from the 90s, recreated in loving detail.
Glorious! The action figure work is to die for. The video was made by Kyle Roberts and Reckless Abandonment Pictures. Top notch work. Apparently they took over 4,000 individual pictures to make that video, along with special effects and background animation. Truly impressive. My friends and I in college once made a stop motion video in the hallway. It was good, and I wish I still had a copy of it somewhere.
I don’t know about you, but the X-Men cartoon in the 90s defined my childhood. I was watching that cartoon before I even really got into comic books, and no doubt it helped spur me along to my eventual obsession. So kudos to these people for winning the Internet this week.
Henchman-4-Hire 