And Magneto Gets a Comic!
Marvel is apparently still announcing new comics for their All-New Marvel NOW! promotion. Next up is a Magneto solo series by Cullen Bunn and Gabriel Hernandez Walta.
Loving the barbed wire helmet imagery
Announced in USA Today, the series is going to feature Magneto in a ‘noir’ setting. He’s heading to the street level, where he will use his broken powers to help mutants and punish the sorts of people he wants to punish. I’ve been enjoying Magneto a lot in Brian Michael Bendis’ Uncanny X-Men, so a solo series sounds pretty cool. I just hope Bunn knows what he’s doing. I fear for the longevity of a lot of these new solo series that Marvel is putting out. New comics don’t last very long. Will Magneto have the right kind of magic to make it in this world?
Bunn had this to say:
“Magneto in this story is very much a detective, seeking out and investigating threats to mutants before cutting loose with all the fury of a supervillain — or superhero, depending on your point of view. We can sympathize with him even though he has been responsible for terrible crimes against humanity,” Bunn explains. “He walks such a fine line. He’s standing up for his people — the mutants. He refuses to let them suffer as he has seen others suffer. But he’s taken steps to protect mutants that can only be seen as evil. His ideals are often ‘good’ while his methods are not.”
The series will launch sometime next year, and I know I’ll be picking up a few issues.
Also, this is probably as good a time as any to talk about the fact that director Bryan Singer has announced X-Men: Apocalypse the movie for 2016. He pretty much just dropped the title on Twitter yesterday, and we can easily assume who the villain is going to be. I don’t really have any thoughts about it at this point. I’ve never been a big Apocalypse fan, and I always assumed they’d get around to him eventually in the movies. A lot of sites on the web seem to think they’ll do an Age of Apocalypse storyline, possibly because that’s the only Apocalypse story that is in any way memorable.
But I highly doubt the movie-makers could pull off a full Age of Apocalypse movie. It would be insane. I still don’t necessarily think the moviegoing audience is going to be able to handle all the time travel and weirdness in Days of Future Past. But we’ll see.
Review: Scarlet Spider #24
The end of Scarlet Spider will soon be upon us, and apparently writer Christopher Yost wants to go out with a bang – literally. No, seriously, there’s a big explosion at the end. In fact, this whole penultimate issue is like a big explosion. The writing of cancellation has been on the wall for some time, so Yost has had plenty of time to prepare for these last two issues. The action and drama get pushed up to 11 as Yost seems to throw everything he can into the issue, including the kitchen sink. Storylines that he probably planned for future arcs get crammed into this one issue. Yost seems determined to blow our minds with this finale. If only the art was willing to do the same.
Scarlet Spider #24
Scarlet Spider #24 may be the beginning of the end, but writer Christopher Yost is not yet ready to say goodbye – and we are all the better for it.
Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.
From the very start, we all knew this was coming. The editors even acknowledge as much on the last page, saying their goodbyes now so that Yost can say his goodbyes in the last issue. The comic book industry these days just doesn’t support this kind of comic. Reaching the 20s in a solo series about a D-list character (at best) is a rare feat, and something to be proud of. Fearless Defenders, a comic launched under the promise of Marvel’s first all-female team, was cancelled this week with issue #12. That’s as far as they made it. But Scarlet Spider, a comic starring Kaine from the much-hated Clone Saga, made it to issue #25. That’s impressive.
I think what did the series in was the fact that it was still just a generic superhero story. Sure, Kaine is kind of an asshole, but this was still a comic about a guy with powers and a costume, who sets up shop to fight crime and super-villains, with a wacky band of supporting characters to play with. New solo comics like Hawkeye succeed because they’re doing something new and interesting with the superhero angle. Scarlet Spider was too much like the norm, starring a character that general audiences didn’t care about. So while it’s sad to see the series, go, there’s no denying it never had much of a chance.
Fortunately, like I said, this penultimate issue is pretty entertaining. Yost has nothing more to lose, so join me after the jump to dig into this exciting, action-packed issue!
New Amazing Spider-Man 2 Trailer is Pretty Spectacular!
Check out the new trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and try to spot all the great Easter Eggs and general awesomeness!
This was definitely one of the best superhero trailers I’ve seen in a long time. The action is superb, the characters look fantastic, and the focus is clearly on Spider-Man and the trails he faces in the new movie. Electro, Rhino and Green Goblin all look brilliant, and did you catch the quick cameos from he Vulture and Doctor Octopus? It was just their gear in display cases, but still!
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 looks great so far. I cannot wait for this film!
Why This Film Isn’t Called ‘302’ I Will Never Know
Behold the second trailer for 300: Rise of an Empire!
I’ve gotta be honest…I’m pretty lukewarm about this trailer. I loved 300 with a deafening passion, and watch it still frequently today. The stylized action and violence was epic, and it made me think Zack Snyder would do great on Man of Steel (boy, was I wrong). But this sequel just looks weaker, like it’s just a cheap knock-off of 300 – which it very well could be. I’m not entirely sure what’s happening in that trailer, whereas 300 had a very clear purpose and story. I fear 300: Rise of an Empire is going to be a bit sub-plot heavy and muddled. But we’ll see.
Wonder Woman Rumors Were True! An Actress has Been Cast!
The rumors that Wonder Woman would be in the upcoming Superman/Batman movie were proven true today when Warner Bros. announced they had cast actress Gal Gadot!
I’ve never heard of her, but the Internet says this is Gadot:
Gadot has apparently had some supporting roles in a few Fast & Furious movies, none of which I’ve seen, so I can’t comment on her acting ability or screen presence. But just the fact that Wonder Woman will be in the movie exciting! Plus this probably means those rumors about Dick Grayson being in the movie are also true! That is stupendous!
This news is so cool that I’m willingly ignoring the fact that I didn’t like Man of Steel at all!
Director Zack Snyder had this to say about Gadot:
Wonder Woman is arguably one of the most powerful female characters of all time and a fan favorite in the DC Universe. Not only is Gal an amazing actress, but she also has that magical quality that makes her perfect for the role. We look forward to audiences discovering Gal in the first feature film incarnation of this beloved character.
So what does everyone else think? Wonder Woman’s going to get a cameo appearance in a Superman/Batman movie before starring in her own much-desired film. Is this a good move or silly? I think it’s pretty cool.
Henchman-4-Hire 