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Iron Man Now Has Something More in Common with Black Sabbath
As everybody knows, black is the coolest, most badass of the colors. So maybe that’s why Iron Man is ditching his traditional red and gold armor in favor of a new black and gold variant this fall as part of his Marvel NOW! relaunch. Because why not take this opportunity to make him look different from the multi-million dollar movie version?
Title on the bottom? You’re crazy, Marvel Comics!
Marvel Comics is finally rolling out information about their new comic initiative, or at least more than they have in the past. I skipped over a few creative team announcements last week because I just never got around to it. Now that we have some pretty covers to look at, I’m all over this. Hopefully we’ll see some more this week.
The new Iron Man will be written by Kieron Gillen, with art by Greg Land. Despite a lot of dislike on the Internet, I’m a fan of Greg Land’s work, and I have no problem with the tracing he often gets picked on about. I think that will work well in the world of Tony Stark. I’m less familiar with Gillen’s work, having only really read his Uncanny X-Men stuff, and then not really being able to tell the different between his X-Men work and everybody else’s X-Men work. But I’m sure Gillen is up for the task.
They are replacing a stellar run on Iron Man by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larocca, which started just after the first Iron Man movie, and has been kicking total ass. I’ve been a big fan of that series, so maybe, just maybe, I’ll be willing to give Gillen’s a try this fall. I usually buy my comics based on the character, and I’ve never particularly cared for Iron Man. I bought Fraction’s comic on a lark, and just happened to like that lark enough to stick around. So it’s also possible I may just not pick up Gillen’s version.
You can click here for an interview he gave Marvel.com about what his series is going to feature.
The symbolism that I bring immediately into the book [is] a lot like the Arthurian concept of the grail-knight: the idea that Tony Stark is the grail-knight, or at least aspiring to be the grail-knight. When we meet him he’s left Resilient and he’s digging into what’s going on. Pepper has a line in the first issue saying, “Oh, you’re not having a midlife crisis are you? Just buy yourself a suit of armor.” That’s where we start and he begins to ask questions.
The story will focus on him questioning things about himself and trying to find out exactly how the universe ticks, what’s this all about and why he does this anyway. It’s going to be one of the major themes of the book going forward. It’s actually a key part of my second theme. I’m going to explore Tony and his relationship with women. I’m interested in Tony’s selection of women in everything, from his mom, to Pepper, to the random people he’s sleeping with and everything that relates to them. He’s a complicated guy and he does bad things occasionally without thinking. Well, not [without] thinking exactly but he’s not always thinking about the right thing. He’s not the distracted genius but he always has something else going on.
Gillen also says his opening arc will feature a few stand alone stories as he spreads his wings with Iron Man.
The first five issues will be single stories that will share [both] a defining motif and a plot but it will be Iron Man facing new instances of technology and each is basically a new villain. Each issue will illuminate something about Tony and they’re all very different. Issue two is a lot like the Bruce Lee Kung-Fu Island story; it’s like a joust, it’s all about the knight imagery, essentially going to a tournament. Issue three is like a ninja story, Tony Stark trying to be a full-on stealth master, issue four is a horror story and issue five is something a little more romantic and scientific but I’m going to keep that one under wraps.
I really want to mix it up with single issue stories because I think that quite a few people are feeling the same way. Single issues are an exciting place to go and anyone can jump on with any of the first five issues, not just issue #1. [In] each of those issues I introduce Iron Man; I say something meaningful about a character that you may know already and I want it to be accessible and to pop. That’s the thing with Greg Land: his photorealistic style really pops and it’s a glamorous book in that way.
So yeah, maybe that kind of stuff interests you. We’ll find out this fall.
I just think it’s a silly idea to have him wearing black armor, especially considering he has a big new movie coming out next year. Is this going to be the case where Iron Man is in the black armor just long enough to have a big “Return of the red armor” comic in time for the movie? Because that reeks of editorial insanity.
Not that black armor is without precedent. In Matt Fraction’s current storyline, Tony Stark has given up on being Iron Man, but it’s all part of a big plan to defeat the Mandarin. In his place, James Rhodes is posing as a new Iron Man who is supposed to be unaffiliated with Stark. It helps that everybody thinks Rhody is dead. And this new Rhody-controlled Iron Man has a black armor…but it’s not the same black armor that we see in this new Iron Man #1 cover. So why does Tony start wearing a new version of Rhody’s black armor when he returns to being Iron Man? Is there a reason for not going back to red?
Maybe I’ll have to pick up the new #1 to find out…
Marvel Movie News from Comic-Con
The biggest news to come out of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, in my opinion, were the announcements of Marvel’s next batch of superhero movies. There was a lot of stuff going down at Comic-Con, but I think this was the biggest. WB made some mention of their next Superman movie, but I’m not too impressed. It’s the Marvel stuff that has me excited!
So even though it’s old news at this point, I still want to give my two cents.
First up, the announcement I’ve been waiting for: Ant-Man!
I’ve been following Ant-Man coverage for as long as I’ve had this blog, and to finally get the official announcement that Edgar Wright is going to start directing is exciting! Not to mention finally getting that logo. Plus the minute-long test reel that he filmed last month was shown in its entirety to the crowd. I, of course, haven’t seen it, and it hasn’t made it to Youtube yet. But You can check out some Twitter reactions here.
From what I’ve managed to gather, the Ant-Man suit is black with red fringe, and it looks more like Eric O’Grady’s more modern costume. It’s steampunkish, I guess. Filming is expected to begin next year, and I am very excited.
Ant-Man is quite possibly the movie I am most looking forward to out of all movies in the next 5 or so years. And that includes Avengers 2.
Iron Man 3 actually had a mini-trailer shown at Comic-Con, which is kind of exciting. Who knows when we’ll get to see the first real trailer, but I’m excited that the film is coming along so well. Apparently in the footage people saw the Iron Man armor simply flying across the room to Stark, rather than having him standing in a giant machine that puts the armor on him manually. Now he controls it with his mind – which is the point of the Extremis storyline in the comics, of which the new movie will be based. Although considering that the armor looks like…
I can’t say I’m too pleased. That’s supposed to be his new Iron Man 3 armor, and it looks silly. Who though it would be a good idea to inverse the gold and the red? It looks hideous.
Though we do have confirmation that Ben Kingsley is playing a variation of the Mandarin, which is awesome! Ben Kingsley seems perfect for the role, and I definitely wanted Mandarin in this film. That he won’t be the a negative stereotype Chinese man is fine. PC him up a little. Works for me.
Not much news came in about Thor 2, other than the fact that they’re not going to call it ‘Thor 2’. I find that fascinating, considering that all of the Iron Man sequels have been numbered. Calling it ‘Thor 2’ just seems obvious. But ‘The Dark World’? Sounds foreboding. I’m hoping he goes to visit the Underworld, otherwise known as ‘Hel’ in the Norse mythos.
It makes a little more sense that the Captain America sequel has a subtitle, since his first film was Captain America: The First Avenger. So at least Captain America: The Winter Soldier is keeping that bit. Again, not much news came out other than the title – but what an exciting title. That is the exact #6 suggestion on my list of 6 Things I Want in the Captain America, Iron Man and Thor sequels. So I’m glad to see that Marvel Studios are reading my blog lists. The Winter Soldier is a badass character with potential for a badass storyline. So I’m excited.
We all knew it was coming, and Marvel has finally confirmed that Guardians of the Galaxy will be coming out in 2014. I still think this is a risk on their part. Obviously movies about space heroes have had some success in the past. But I think it’s going to be jarring for the public to be thrown into this space-themed world when they’re expecting the more grounded, realistic Avengers sort of superhero action. And say what you will about The Avengers film, it was definitely grounded in realism. They may have been larger than life heroes fighting an endless army of aliens, but compared to what they could have done, that film was riding on its sense of realism.
I don’t know if Guardians of the Galaxy can do the same thing. Especially not with this cast.
The Avengers in Space!
That’s real, actual concept art from the upcoming film. We’ve got, from left, Drax the Destroyer, Groot, Starlord, Rocket Raccoon and Gamora. Anyone not familiar with this group click here for an earlier write up I wrote on the comic and team. It looks like a fantastic team, and one that sticks very close to the series that came out a few years ago. But again, I just think the non-comics-loving movie audience isn’t going to grasp the Guardians of the Galaxy the same way they did The Avengers.
Though I will always be behind a movie that brings Rocket Raccoon to the masses.
Iron Patriot in Iron Man 3!
Check out a surprise villain who is going to appear in the upcoming Iron Man 3.
He seems to have War Machine’s shoulder-mounted canon
That red, white and blue ensemble is the Iron Patriot armor, which was worn in the comics by Norman Osborn when he temporarily took over from Nick Fury as head of SHIELD. Yeah, weird story, but basically Osborn had everybody convinced he was a good guy and Iron Man was a bad guy, and so they let him have access to Iron Man’s armor. He took one suit and painted it red, white and blue, because Norman Osborn is a bastard.
Just not as flashy as gold and hot rod red
But there is no way in the 49 moons of Jupiter that Norman Osborn (the Green Goblin) is going to appear in an Iron Man movie. Nope, according to the website What Would Tyler Durden Do, who took the set pictures, that is actor James Badge Dale in the armor. Dale is playing the super-villain Coldblood, who was another armored or at least cybernetic Iron Man villain from the comics. Coldblood is hardly iconic or even memorable, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the writers simply give him a new origin and a new modus operandi. Would wearing the Iron Patriot armor be that new Coldblood style?
Personally, I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that the armor is actually going to be Detroit Steel, a newer character who also wears red, white and blue armor. Steel is a product of Justin Hammer’s company, an attempt to build a replacement for Iron Man who is beholden to the government. Though Detroit Steel is kind of a big, bulky metal monster.
After the success of The Avengers, Disney should just write Marvel a blank check
Still, Hollywood isn’t exactly going to make that monstrosity to get Detroit Steel accurate. So maybe they’ll streamline Steel into these set photos. It’s probably not going to happen, but I want to at least be the first one to suggest it!
Detroit Steel for Iron Man 3! You heard it here first!
Review: The Avengers
The Avengers was phenomenal. It was amazing. It was deliriously wicked. It was the perfect blend of mind-blowing action and heart-tugging giddiness. I could wear out the Thesaurus with the ways in which The Avengers movie lived up to everything I had hoped, and shined in ways I could not have imagined. We comic book geeks have been waiting for this movie our entire lives (and more specifically, since 2008), and Marvel Comics and director Joss Whedon have delivered a superhero extravaganza!
The new kings and queen of Hollywood
The Avengers is not only now the definitive superhero movie, it has raised the bar for all Hollywood blockbusters that will ever be made from this day forth.
Rating: 5/5: Great!
With The Avengers, this grand, long-gestating experiment by the Marvel movie people has come to glorious fruition. I always had faith that they could pull it off. Iron Man in 2008 was a brilliant film, and when Samuel L. Jackson appeared at the very end and teased ‘The Avengers Initiative’, I knew there was hope. Then The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, all came along over the past few years, each one exciting and highly entertaining. I’m a fan of all of these films. But could Marvel really pull off The Avengers? Could they not only bring all of these major characters together into one film, but have it make sense and live up to the overwhelming hype?
I should be ashamed for even including those questions in my review. The answer is so incredibly ‘HELLS YES!!’ that I’m almost afraid of having my Internet License revoked.
Every Avenger gets a moment (or more) to shine. The humor is legitimately funny and delightful. The fights and action scenes are clear and exciting, with no blurring or over-editing. The Avengers are people first, action stars second; with a lot of character-based drama. Loki as the villain is far better here than he was in Thor, and easily carries the antagonist role. The climax was sufficiently chilling and climactic.
And the Hulk absolutely steals the show, smashing his way into our hearts. I could not be more pleased with this movie.
Some **SPOILERS** to follow.
Henchman-4-Hire 