Category Archives: X-Men
Fun Notes from April Comic Book Solicitations
For lack of anything better to write about today, let’s take a look at the recently released Marvel and DC comic book solicitations for April. Comic book companies release cover pictures and brief blurbs about upcoming comics months in advance so that retailers can know what they want to order. It also gives us comic book fans a chance to see what’s coming down the pike. I rather enjoy looking at all the colorful titles and read about upcoming stories, especially in my favorite titles.
There will be some spoilers, so watch out!
Marvel Comics
First up, let’s take a look at the potentially exciting summary of X-Factor #234.
X-Factor #234
X-Factor #234
Peter David 
Leonard Kirk (A)
Covers by David Yardin
• Catfight! Monet Calls Layla Out…And It’s Gonna Get Ugly.
• A Departed Member Of X-Factor Returns.
• And Introducing Seattle’s Newest Heroes: The Insignia And Shutterbug! (One Of Whom May Not Make It Through The Issue.)
A departed cast member returning!? Could that be the highly anticipated return of Jamie Madrox the Multiple Man to the land of the living? Madrox’s ‘death’ is supposed to play out over the next few months, will he be ready to return to the team in April? The cover is clearly more interested in the Monet vs. Layla fight, but I’m definitely curious who the blurb is talking about. I know that Peter David and Marvel marketing are protective of their secrets, so they wouldn’t spoil the end of the current Madrox ‘death’ storyline in a solicitation. But it’s enough to hope.
The only other character it could be is Darwin, who left the series many issues ago for parts unknown. It could very well be Darwin and I’m just getting my hopes up. But they will stay up until proven otherwise that Multiple Man isn’t coming back for good.
Next is X-Men Legacy #265 and the fabled appearance of Mimic!
X-Men Legacy #265
X-Men Legacy #265
Christos Gage (W)Rafa Sandoval (A)
Cover by Mark Brooks
• Time Is Running Out For Weapon Omega, The Mutant Time Bomb. How Will The X-Men Disarm Him Before He Implodes And Takes The School With Him?
• A Recently-Returned Mutant Becomes A Full-Fledged Member Of Wolverine’s X-Men.
I’ve known for months now that Mimic would be making a cameo appearance in this title, and it’s exciting to see him there on the cover. It’s rumored that either Mimic or Omega will join the cast, and I hope it’s Mimic…but it’ll probably be Omega. He has much more story potential as a student at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. The blurb there mentions someone joining, and I’m just going to assume that it’s going to be Omega.
But I can dream, can’t I?
Mentioned by one of the commenters in my last Ultimate Spider-Man review, when is regular artist Sarah Pichelli coming back? Well according to the solicitation for Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #9, she’s not coming back in April.
Ultimate Spider-Man #9
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #9
Brian Michael Bendis • David Marquez (A)
• The Police Have Miles Squarely In Their Sights!
• Prowler Versus The Scorpion!
• Is The Secret Of The New Spider-Man Out?!
So I guess we will continue to be denied Pichelli’s stellar art from the first 6 issues of the series. Shame. It’s cool to see more Ultimate Prowler action, but is that not a hideous cover? It looks computer rendered and it looks like colorforms plastered on a cardboard backdrop.
You can read the rest of the Marvel Comics solicitations for April here.
DC Comics
There’s only one comic in April from DC that I think has something worth note, and that’s Red Hood and the Outlaws #8.
Red Hood and the Outlaws #8
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL; Art and cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT
Suzie Su is back, and she’s betting a hospital full of hostages will get Red Hood’s attention! If that isn’t enough to keep him and the Outlaws busy, there’s someone waiting in the wings! It’s Tim Drake knocking on Red Hood’s door with a very special package for his estranged “brother.” Don’t miss Red Robin’s cameo this issue, as it ties directly into next month’s “Night of the Owls” Batman event!
A guess appearance by Red Robin!? Sweet! Tim Drake appears to be crossing back into the Bat-family of books in preparation for Night of the Owls. I only wish it was a more Batman-oriented book instead of the red-headed step-child of the family. Night of the Owls is going to encompass all of the Bat-books, including Red Hood, but Tim Drake and the Teen Titans are considered part of the teen-family of DC Comics. So he wasn’t guaranteed to appear in the crossover.
This solicitation is a good sign that Tim has not been forgotten.
You can read the rest of DC Comics solicitations for April here.
6 of My Own Creative Ideas
X-Factor-scribe Peter David once wrote, “One doesn’t decide to become a writer and then go scavenging for ideas. One becomes a writer because the ideas keep coming to you, whether you want them or not. It’s just how your mind is wired.”
And for me, that’s exactly what it’s like to be a creative writer.
Now if only I could find somebody to pay me for my ideas. It’s no secret that I want to be a professional writer someday. I have so many ideas for stories, characters, moments, dialogue and more that it would be a crime against humanity for me to never get discovered. Or it would be a crime against me, at least. But making it big in the world of comic books or novels is just as difficult as becoming a movie star. It doesn’t help that most of my writing these days is just recreational, that I haven’t completed a novel or a script or anything else I can shop around.
If I didn’t have a day job, I’d definitely be a starving artist.
For my 300th blog post, I’ve decided to give my readers a peek behind the curtain that is my mind. What are these stories that I’m so excited about? What wild ideas do I hope to bank my future on? What were the tales I doodled into my notebook in middle school? I’m not going to tell you every single story I’m working on – and definitely not the super important ones I hope to publish someday – but here are 6 different ideas I’ve had and cultivated over the years. Some of them are from my childhood, and only ever existed in my fevered mind. Some are actually stories I’ve written and published online, and you can read for yourself if you’re so interested.
Some are wholly original, and some are based around my favorite movies and video games from pop culture. I hope you enjoy the visit.
Review: X-Factor #230
This is it folks, what I believe is the first ever perfect score since I started doing comic book reviews on my blog! Peter David lets his hair down with this issue of X-Factor, writing a touching, twisting, and downright hilarious character-driven story. I’ve always said that the best issues of this series are the ones that focus on character interaction instead of weird plots, and this issue is the perfect example. This is why I love X-Factor so much. I’ve complained in the past about the overly large cast, but here every character is used to great effect, along with some wonderful additions.
X-Factor #230
All that, and I still don’t know what’s going to happen to Multiple Man!
Comic rating: 5/5: Great!
I’m not going to hold back my love for this issue. David has built up a fantastic cast in X-Factor, and here he is firing on all cylinders with each and every one of them. There is a great turmoil at X-Factor Investigations in the wake of Multiple Man’s death. Does the team want to stay together? What other emotions have been drudged up? What do they make of the fact that Strong Guy has no soul? How many push-ups can a soulless Strong Guy do?
And how great is the art of Emanuela Lupacchino? I praised Michael Lark the other day for his gritty character work. Well Lupacchino does a fantastic job with her realistic yet slightly cartoony character work here.
Join me for a look at one of the most delightful casts in comic books as well as a small peak at the ongoing fate of Multiple Man. Synopsis and spoilers after the jump!
The Top 6 Snow and Ice-Themed Comic Book Characters
Winter is upon us here in Central New York. I should know, I spend almost every morning having to scrape the frost off my car. Sometimes it’s even on the inside of my windows. But that’s probably something wrong with my car. Regardless, we’re talking winter, people. Snow, ice, freezing cold, big coats, fuzzy hats, icicles, popsicles and the deep chill of the frozen white.
So why not warm up by talking about some wintery superheroes?
If you’re at all familiar with this blog, you know I love talking about superheroes. That’s the fun of being a comic book geek. Cold-based powers are a popular choice when it comes to designing a superhero or a super-villain. Creating ice, throwing snowballs, bringing about a new ice age! These are the powers of winter! And there are a lot out there, these are just the Top 6!
The Top 6 Superheroes Who Celebrate Hannukah
You might not think that religion plays any part in the world of comic book superheroes. But those characters are people just like everyone else, and they have jobs, favorite movies, personalities and faiths. Religion doesn’t come up very often in comic books, but just like in any story, it can be a powerful narrative tool. Or it can just be a fun bit of trivia that fleshes out a character.
This is apparently a thing. Go Menorah Man!
And since tonight is the last night of Hannukah, let’s take a look at the Top 6 Jewish superheroes! Because I have been posting way too much Christmas stuff over the past few weeks.
Henchman-4-Hire 