Creative Shuffle Now Called Marvel NOW!
Comic-Con is coming and that means exciting news barreling toward us for comics, movies, and more. So the Marvel creative shuffle we’ve been talking about on the podcast is now a relaunch with a lot of new titles, new costumes, and new #1’s. Entertainment Weekly has revealed this relaunch is titled Marvel NOW!, and here are some details.
Spider-man, Hulk, Jean Grey, Nova, Nick Fury Jr., Captain America, Rocket Racoon, Wolverine, Cyclops, Invisible Woman, Cable, Thor, Iron Man
Image Property of Entertainment Weekly; Artist: Joe Quesada
Uncanny Avengers will be from writer Rick Remender and artist John Cassaday. The series will feature an Avengers team comprised of mainstays such as Captain America and Thor as well as mutants Wolverine (already an Avenger) and Havok (who Remender promises to make a character to watch).
Avengers from Jonathan Hickman will feature a large cast of Avengers at about eighteen and who all are at the moment a mystery, save for one: Shang Chi. Hickman is known for his meticulously plotted stories in SHIELD and Fantastic Four, and I am definitely looking forward to this book no matter what characters are in it.
And Bendis is definitely moving into the X-Men side of the Marvel Universe with All-New X-Men which will feature the original X-Men (Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Angel, and Beast) time-traveling to the modern day.
And that piece of art shown above features some of the costume redesigns with art from Joe Quesada. Captain America appears to be taking some fashion tips from Ultimate Cap and movie Cap. The armored Hulk begs the question: What the HELL does the Hulk need armor for (aside from Planet Hulk)? Hopes for a new Guardians of the Galaxy series are reinvigorated by the appearance of Rocket Raccoon. And the Cyclops redesign makes me hope for the time-traveling Iceman and Angel to see modern Cyclops and start laughing uncontrollably.
The Clown Prince Returns
He’s been MIA since the DCnU relaunched last August. All we’ve seen of him since the relaunch is his skinned face hanging in the Gotham City Police Department. But now he’s coming.
Artist: Greg Capullo
This October, the Joker returns in a story titled “Death of the Family” starting with Batman #13. That’s right. That Batman book written by superstar creative team Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo who are just coming off the success of their “Court of Owls” storyline.
End Credits of Amazing Spider-Man
Alright if you are here, then you probably have already watched The Amazing Spider-Man. But on the off-chance that you have not seen the latest movie for our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man after the jump will be nothing but spoilers. So warning SPOILERS…
Why Gwen Instead of Mary Jane in the Amazing Spider-Man?
Non-comic book fans may be asking themselves, “Why is Gwen Stacy in Amazing Spider-Man, the first movie of the reboot, coming out tomorrow?” Or hell why is Gwen Stacy a better choice than Mary Jane in this darker movie franchise?
The simple answer is that while Uncle Ben proved to be the inspiration of Peter Parker becoming Spider-Man, Gwen Stacy is the one mistake that he can never live down nor draw inspiration from. It is the one failing grade Spider-Man has received in his career that stays with him to this day.
But I am getting ahead of myself. Gwen Stacy is Peter Parker’s first true love. Yes, he has dated around and many fans would argue that Mary Jane is Peter’s only true love. Gwen is Peter’s college romance, the one that normal people may say that “got away.” The thing is that Peter is not normal. His version of “got away” is a series of heroic downfalls that ultimately end with a single sound effect.
In the comic book universe; Peter will eventually go on to marry Mary Jane Watson, live a life of balancing between Spider-Man and the husband of a supermodel. That seems like a pretty good life to me. Yes, it is a challenge with some strife that comes from being a hero but he is married to a model!
On the other hand, we have Gwen. Her father was a police chief that would be killed by falling rubble during a battle. A death Gwen blames Spider-Man. Gwen’s relationship with Peter is off and on as well. Then there is the fateful storyline The Night Gwen Stacy Died. Pretty much a big spoiler there. The Green Goblin, knowing the identity of Spider-Man, decides to torment the Webslinger. He kidnaps Gwen and tosses her off a bridge. Spider-Man tries to save her by shooting a webline to catch the damsel. Unforeseen, the sudden stop from the web attaching to Gwen’s leg causes her to snap her neck and die.
I really do not know if they are going this route for the movie, but if they are going for a darker tone then Gwen Stacy is the love interest they need. The struggles Peter has being Spider-Man and loving Gwen is one that can be played much more difficult than Peter trying to hide his dual identity from Mary Jane. Not to mention, if they kill Gwen then they have all the angst and torment that Spider-Man still carries around to this day in the comics.
Unfortunately for the character, Spider-Man is at his best when dealing with a death. He carries the burden for every death. First Uncle Ben, then Gwen (not to mention a few others). These deaths add up. Thank god for his proportionate spider-strength. And that is why Amazing Spider-Man needs Gwen Stacy instead of Mary Jane Watson.
Ka-Pow 101: Looking at Marvel’s Movie Future
As the country has decided to move past the Avengers and onto the rest of the summer movies, I decided to continue informing you about the future of the Avengers movies. Marvel Studios is already working on continuing and expanding the Marvel movie universe. I don’t know all the upcoming details, but I’m going to take this opportunity to speculate based on the information that I do have. We’ll look at movies that have been slated for release, are in development, and are rumored to be made. There will be potential spoilers in this article, but many of these will be based on comic stories. Let’s continue, shall we? Read More…
Cheap Date: May 16th
Every Wednesday, I help you decide how to best spend $30 or less on entertainment for our very nerdy Cheap Date.
You have two choices that you can follow this week. The first choice is to go over the usual $30 budget and grab Diablo III for twice that amount. Most people are choosing Diablo III this week. It is a game that many people have waited over a decade for. Then there is the second choice which will consist of just comics and a game, but you do get more bang for your buck.
Let us assume that you do not have sixty dollars and want to stay within the thirty dollar budget.
Comics – $10
This week, we have three comics that are looking to thrill you recklessly.
Locke & Key Clockworks #6 from IDW by Joe Hill with art by Gabriel Rodriguez continues to impress. This issue ends the fifth Locke & Keymini-series. We finally learn what ultimately happened to the “Keepers of the Keys” when they face off against a former friend. Stephen King should be proud of his son’s fantasy-horror series that keeps this reader wanting more.
Wonder Woman #9from DC Comics shows us Diana’s continued journey into the realm of Hades. When Brian Azzarello said he was turning the rebootedWonder Womanseries into a horror story most of the audiences were confused. But going into the ninth issue, this series keeps getting better and scarier. Also Cliff Chiang’s art has a lot to do with the book’s success.
Hardcore #1 from Image Comics combines the ideas of Image greats Robert Kirkman and Marc Silvestri. This new series has an interesting science fiction take on assassins. Imagine if assassins could jack in and take over the body of anyone to complete their assignment. Now imagine if one of those assassins is using those methods to take on all the other assassins. Very interesting cyber-punk feel to the story that I am very interested in reading.
Video Games – $20 or 1600 MSP
The XBLA version of Minecraft was released last week. Within a day, it had already broken sales records and continues to do so a week later. Yes; there are cheaper ways to play this game but there is one thing that sets this version apart, Xbox Live. Xbox Live and its friends lists make the game so much easier to work with other people. When you boot the game up, it shows who is playing and allows you to hop right in to that person’s game. That is the reason many people pay the $60 a year for Live and will pay $20 for this game. No other service now does friends lists as well as Xbox Live.
Minecraft also eats away at time. You have to mine and collect materials to build whatever your mind can imagine, all of which takes time. Last night it took me two hours to clear an area and collect the materials to build an infinity pool that will serve my future castle. I do not even want to imagine how much time it will take to build my future castle without help. Oh well, in the meantime I can hop into other people’s games and leave my mark.
Even if you are unsure about playing Minecraft, you can always download the trial version.
Ka-Pow 101: Avengers’ Next Villian
Avengers is almost a week old. While I can write a glowing review on the awesome move that is the Avengers, but instead I want to explain to the audience about a guest appearance in the movie. Before I move on, anyone that has yet to watch this amazing movie should know that there will be spoilers.
WARNING SPOILERS FOR END CREDITS OF AVENGERS!!
Bird, Stallone, and Stark… Oh, my.
So let’s start with the farthest away in time to the closest.
Brad Bird signed to direct Lindelof-penned 1952
Brad Bird has been signed to direct a Disney mystery movie (1952) written by Damon Lindelof. This could be really interesting. Whether it’s animation or live-action, Brad Bird has proved he can do both extremely well. Damon Lindelof writing mystery should be good considering his involvement with Lost (I don’t want to hear whining about the ending). More info over at Deadline.
The Expendables 2 Trailer
Yesterday, we got the now-prerequisite teaser to the trailer, but today The Expendables 2 trailer actually dropped. Check it out:
Definitely gonna be full of camp and 80s/90s schlock that I know and love. I’m not expecting it to win any awards, but I definitely look forward to it. Probably won’t beat out The Raid for my fave action movie of the year though.
Not just Iron Man cosplay…
For those of you waiting in line already or prepping yourself for this weekend of The Avengers, check out this clip of amazing Iron Man cosplay:
With that, I’ll leave you with: Enjoy The Avengers. We’ll talk about our thoughts on this weeks podcast along with the promised thoughts on Telltales’ Walking Dead: Episode One.
Comic Books + Music + Movies = Soundtrack.
The track list for the Avengers Soundtrack was released last month and they are taking my excitement level up a notch. The bands involved definitely confirm that this will be one of the most action-packed movies in this genre.
Here is the track list:
1. “Live to Rise” – Soundgarden
2. “I’m Alive”- Shinedown
3. “Dirt and Roses”- Rise Against
4. “Even if I Could”- Papa Roach
5. “Unbroken”- Black Veil Brides
6. “Breath”- Scott Weiland
7. “Comeback”- Redlight King
8. “Into the Blue”- Bush
9. “New Way to Bleed”- Evanescence
10. “Count Me Out”- PUSHERJONES
11. “Shoot to Thrill”- Theory of a Deadman
12. “Wherever I Go”- Buckcherry
13. “From Out of Nowhere”- Five Finger Death Punch
14. “Shake the Ground”- Cherri Bomb
15. “Pistols at Dawn”- Kasabian
Avengers is a long awaited movie. There have been excited whispers for years now and the story appeals to multiple generations. I’ll have one of the comic book experts actually go into detail, but I think the comics have been around since the sixties which creates quite a large fan base. However this soundtrack mainly caters to the fans from 1990 – present. The bands range from Alternative rock legends Soundgarden to new comers Black Veil Brides.
I have previewed a lot of these tracks and man my neck is sore. Heavy power chords definitely dominate.
Previous Superhero movies have made us all expect heavy metal and rock tracks to be the majority, but usually a few alternative songs get thrown in for those nice visceral moments. This soundtrack has opted for soundtrack favorites Evanescence. Cherri Bomb an all teen girl rock band has an awesome track, presumably for those Black Widow fans out there. This band is one of those you might wanna watch for. They have opened for Foo Fighters and Smashing Pumpkins and most of the members are only fifteen years old! Damn, doesn’t that make you feel a little unaccomplished right about now?
Moving on….
As If you needed more reason to be keyed up for this album, Soundgarden is back with its first original song in fifteen years! So exciting for Chris Cornell fans. It will be featured as the credits roll so if you are watching Avengers with die-hard fans you will have the chance to listen to it in its entirety while waiting with bated breath to find out if there is a secret sneak peek clip after the credits.
Enjoy! The soundtrack hits stores May 1st along with the score.
I’m leaving you with a track from the album:
Call Yourself A Nerd 