Update 2/29/08.

Special Leap Year Edition!

Marvel released some promotional pictures for the Wolverine movie. You can see them here and here. I really want this to be a good movie, but as I've written before, it's got several things working against it in my opinion. We'll see how it turns out next year I guess.

More "Who Do You Trust" promotions, this time featuring everyone's favorite; Luke Cage. I love Luke Cage, he better not be a Skrull.

Another interesting article, and I'll admit that I haven't read all of it yet, but it's about the State of the Marvel Universe. I am interested in the King Sized Hulk that they mentioned. There are a ton of previews in that article, especially at the end. Enjoy.

Required Reading: Iron Man

Continuing Marvel's Iron Man assault, which will probably last at least until two months after the movie is released, they released an article online about the 10 Best Iron Man Collections. So you can read about that. Personally, I didn't really think the Armor Wars was all that great when I finally got around to reading it. But then again, I'm not the biggest Iron Man fan. So you may not want to take my word for it and check some of these out.

JUST A REMINDER: That new Iron Man movie trailer is on tonight's episode of LOST. I swear it's on tonight this time.

Another poster in the Who Do You Trust series can be found here. Some people have been commenting on Marvel's site that these are dumb and don't serve a purpose, but I think they're pretty cool. Keep 'em coming.

Another pretty decent article on Marvel.com: Top 11 Teen Characters. My only gripe is that A. Jubilee is on the list and B. She's ahead of X-23. Travesty of justice right there.

Update 2/27/08 Part 2.

One last thing, which actually has me excited: Marvel released an article about Daniel Way's plans for Deadpool. It's kind of vague in a way, but that's to be expected because it's a new series. Anyways, they released the preview for Wolverine Origins #23 and it looks killer. Lots of smashy-smashy. I mean, Deadpool shoots at Logan with an RPG, how can you go wrong with that? Here are the images:

Update 2/27/08

Marvel released a pretty cool Iron Man poster. You can see it here. Pretty dopesauce if you ask me. Can't wait for this movie to come out already. Good thing this year is already flying by. May 2nd seems like it's just around the corner.Visit the Iron Man section of the Marvel Movie Hub for more information.


You can read about Captain America: One Year Later (the new story arc starting in Cap #36) here. I guess I'll post the preview picks here as well, it looks pretty action-packed:

X-Men Legacy #208 Preview.

Here's a preview for X-Men Legacy #208. If you're a little confused, X-Men is being relaunched as X-Men Legacy (Uncanny X-Men is staying the same). I gotta tell you, this looks pretty good and I can't wait to read it tomorrow. The description on Marvel's site for the series is: "The X-Men's past becomes the present as Xavier fights the greatest battle of his life. With his mind hanging in the balance, one false move can cause irreversible damage. Help arrives from an unlikely source, but in the world post-Messiah Complex, sometimes your enemies are the only people you can trust."

Update 2/25/08.

Another day, another Secret Invasion poster release from Marvel. I actually like the two they've released so far. Hopefully they keep it up and release a few more.

Marvel also released an article about Spider-Man's Villians. You can read that here. One writer said his favorite Spidey villain is The Vulture. The Vulture? Seriously?

I guess on Wednesday I'll be buying House of M: Avengers #5 (I'm sad that it's the last issue), Thunderbolts: International Incident # 1 (I bought a recent run [#100-118] off of eBay, so I'm waiting for that to arrive to get caught up), and X-Men Legacy #208 (I'm interested to see what this series is now about). I am also really tempted to buy the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol.1, even though it's like $25. I love that kind of stuff. But maybe I'll flip through it first because @25 is a lot of money for something I'm probably only going to read once.

::UPDATE:: They added a Phoenix poster, which I thought was pretty cool.

February 2008 Reads Part III.

I had to meet someone in Van Nuys last night so I had to find a comic store to go to and I realized that I spend too much money on comics. I didn't get the normal discount and I think the place I go to gives you free bags and boards, so it was expensive. Anyways, here's what I got:

Cable & Deadpool #50: I gotta say, this was a fun issue and I'm kind of disappointed that I didn't start buying it earlier. When Deadpool comes back in his own book later this year, I'm going to think about buying it, especially if it's anything like C&D. To get back to this particular issue, the only disappointment was that it was $3.99 and basically the only extras they added were some pinups, an expanded letters column and then some reaction from the staff. Not worth the extra dollar, Marvel, I'm just sayin. Anyways, this one kind of tied into the Secret Invasion story-line in a fun way and I'm sure it didn't impact it in anyway because this is the last issue of the series. I will tell you that it involved battling dinosaurs and it was pretty awesome. Plus, Deadpool never disappoints, and this was a good issue to end on.

Hulk #2: So, we're kind of getting somewhere with this one, but it's still all fuzzy. We still don't know who the Red Hulk is, and I'm not sure if we're going to find out any time soon. So if I had to guess, I'd guess that Doc Sampson is the Red Hulk, but I also think that he's not the Red Hulk because they're obviously steering you to think that he's the Hulk. Oh, by the way, I called this last month but there's already a new Abomination. Sorry if that's a spoiler, but Rick Jones is the new Abomination, and his nickname is "A-Bomb". So there you go. I'll hang out for another couple of issues, there's some potential here so I'll hang out for another couple of issues.

Invincible #48: I really like this series, and this one left us with a giant cliffhanger ending. Image is kind of weird about their releases, so who knows when the next issue is going to come out, but I'll be ready (for example, on their website, this issue is supposed to come out next week). Image is really hyping the road to issue #50 and I hope it delivers. The cliffhanger to this issue was a pretty big one, and I can't wait until the next issue comes out to find out what happens. The one thing I could have done without was the in-story ads for Image's other titles. A whole bunch of characters were kidnapped and they referenced their regular titles when it happened. Kind of annoying Image. Just sayin'.

Mighty Avengers #9: To sum this one up with one word: DOOM! I talked about this one a little bit yesterday. I'm not really impressed with the Secret Invasion storyline but I loved this issue. It's fun, it's got a good group of characters (well, except Wonder Man) and a healthy dose of the Doctor. Oh, AND timetravel. I've written about his before, but you can't go wrong with that formula. I mean, it's Doctor Doom AND time-travel. They had a really cool effect at the end of the book that I really liked (a certain group travels back in time and they did a moire pattern on the last couple of pages to simulate the old four-color days. I'll scan pages in tomorrow if I have some time).

Wolverine: Origins #22: This one took me about two minutes to read, there wasn't a whole lot of dialogue going on. It was a really fun issue though, with a lot of action and cat-and-mouse games between Deadpool and Wolverine. Apparently, this was the second part of the story, so somehow I've gotta get my hands on issue #21. Like I said, it was a fun book and it was a pretty quick read. I will probably buy next month's issue because the story is continued there.

In other news, I should probably read the articles before I post them. That Iron Man trailer is on next week's episode of LOST (the 28th). Sorry for the confusion. I can be retarded sometimes.

Who do you trust?

I guess Marvel is gearing up for the Secret Invasion Crossover and they released a pretty cool poster promoting it today. I read Mighty Avengers #9 last night, and I think the whole cross-over is just meh. It just seems like it's another reason for Superheroes/Villians to cause massive amounts collateral damage in New York City. I'm not collecting the entire run, so I'll see where it goes in the books I'm collecting. So far; not too impressed.

In other news, a New Iron Man Trailer Debuts during LOST tonight. Pretty cool, because A. I like LOST and B. I like what I've seen so from of the Iron Man movie. So I'll be looking for that tonight.

Mavel Update: 2/20/08

Marvel announced six roles that have been added to the Wolverine movie. You can read that here. Biggest disappointment: Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and will.i.am (from the Black Eyed Peas) as John Wraith. Suddenly, I am completely turned off by this news. Seriously Marvel, you F'ed up.

Marvel also posted an article ranking the Top 10 "Buddy Teams". You can read that here. Personally, I think the Wolvie/Nightcrawler team-up should have been higher. I guess I should just be happy that the Wolverine/Jubilee team didn't make the cut.

February 2008 Reads Part II.

Fantastic Four #554; This one was a little slow, but I liked it a lot and it set up the story for the next couple of issues. It's interesting that they reverted Johnny back to his a-hole persona. He was actually becoming borderline likable in the last ten or so issues, and now he's back to almost how he was portrayed in the the movies, which is annoying. I've never been much of a Human Torch fan, so now that he's back to being a megalomanic, I could really do without him in the story. Good thing he wasn't in this one for very long. This was kind of a fun and entertaining book without any action, which is kind of a hard thing to pull off. A lot of people have been worried about what is going to happen to this book because of the creative team (apparently, their last FF run wasn't well received) but I'd say it's off to a great start. I'm onboard with this one and will keep buying it.

New Exiles #2; Sigh. I'm just not feeling this series at all. It think I'm going to drop it. There's just not a whole lot going on and it's taking forever for the story to develop. It's been pretty boring. They finally fought some people but they kind of lost. I will probably hang out for the first story arc to end and then I'm out. Just not enough action or interesting story/dialogue. I'm not sure why this one is selling so well because it's pretty boring. I guess I've gotta hope that the story line doesn't pick up before the end of the first arc and I get hooked because I really need to cut a couple of titles that I'm buying. This one is #1 on the cut list.

Wolverine #62; Ok, this one was really good. I could do without the two word titles they've been using to describe the last couple of story arcs, but that's about my only gripe (the last one was called "Logan Dies", this one is called "Get Mystique". See, I told you they were lame). It was interesting to see that Wolverine and Mystique have known each other for a very long time (since 1921) and I did not know that Mystique was that old, but I think that was a new reveal. The strange thing is that lately, people have been drawing her very young looking. I know she's a shape shifter and can change her appearance, but she was looking really young in some of the X-Men issues. Anyways, this was very well-paced and well-written and I am excited because I just saw the preview for next month's issue and it looks pretty good.

X-Factor #28; This one was just ok. A lot of the X-Titles are caught in this weird place right now where there isn't an X-Men team, but there kind of is and then at some point there will be, so every book is kind of in limbo until the end of the "Divided We Stand" story line ends. I'm pretty lukewarm on this this story arc and that's probably because I've got a little bit of a Messiah Complex hangover, because THAT story arc was really, really, really good. This issue revolved around Wolfsbane and her decision to leave the team to join X-Force. Madrox didn't take her resignation very well, mainly because Rahne couldn't tell him why she was leaving or where she was going. The rest was kind of boring because it involves characters that I really don't care about; mainly Rictor and Strong Guy. Anyways, I guess I'll keep buying this one because it's involved in all of the cross-overs.

X-Force #1; I almost missed this one. I've been waiting for it to come out for about two months and it was sold out when I got to my comic shop. I asked the owner about it, and he was nice enough to give me a copy from behind the counter, which was really nice considering that I've only been going there for about three months. If I could only use one word to describe this book, it would be: superfreakingawesome. Seriously, go out and get this one if you can. It is awesome.

Tomorrow, I'll be buying; Cable Deadpool #50 (if they have it), Hulk #2, Mighty Avengers #9, and Wolverine Origins #22

Iron Man: May/2008 Preview.

So I guess May 2008 is nationally "Iron Man Month". Marvel is following suite by releasing a whole bunch of Iron Man comics. Apparently, in addition to the new Invincible Iron Man series that is launching in May, they're also releasing an "Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas" limited series. Interesting. You can view the whole list here. The one that REALLY interests me is the All-New Iron Manual. I love that kind of stuff. It will have profiles on characters, a complete armor gallery and schematics on key armors and the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. Chris, if you want me to pick you up a copy, just let me know.

Wolverine Movie Photo.

Marvel released the first promo picture from X-Men Origins: Wolverine. You can see it here. It looks awesome. Too bad it comes out May 1st, 2009. I guess I'll have to wait. ::UPDATE:: I was reading Make Mine Marvel and apparently Lynn Collins has been cast as Silver Fox. You can read the full article here. There's also a whole bunch of Wolverine movie news over at Make Mine Marvel.

Fighting Fanboys.

So, if you're into comics and wrestling I think you'll enjoy this two part article that Marvel put up on their website. It's about Shane "The Hurricane" Helms and his comic book obsession. I enjoyed reading it. Here are the links: Part 1. Part 2.

February 2008 Reads Part I.

Moon Knight #15: This was actually a pretty good comic. Not a whole lot of action, but the dialogue and the story-line made up for it. Super creepy ending. I like how they're really developing the secondary characters and how Marc and his psychosis effects their lives. It's really well-paced (not a whole lot of Marvel comics can say that) and like I said before, for an issue without a whole lot of action, it still manages to keep your attention. The only drawback; an early appearance by Tony Stark/Iron Man. Marvel seems to be on a quest to put him in every single comic they publish in 2008. It's like Wolverine-level of annoyance right now. How can he be in 25 different books in the same month?

The Twelve #2: I continue to be impressed with this title. I know that's a pretty weird statement considering it's only on the second issue, but this is a really well done series. This issue still had a fair amount of talking going on, but I didn't really mind it too much. It had some back-story, some action, some mystery, and a look into how some of the characters are adjusting to 2008 after taking a 60-year nap; this one had a really good mix of things going on. I can't wait until the next issue and it sucks that #3 comes out in a month. I wish it was bi-monthly. Seriously, if it's still at your comic book shop, do yourself the favor and just go ahead and pick it up. You will be pleasantly surprised; it's not like anything Marvel is putting out right now, and that's a good thing.

Uncanny X-Men #495: Wow, I was not impressed with this one. This was a transition book from The Messiah Complex to the new crossover, Divided We Stand. Sidebar here; why do we need a crossover for every single issue of the X-Men now? There haven't been a whole lot of one-offs or fun issues lately, it's been big event city with Endangered Species/Messiah Complex/Divided We Stand. Really annoying. Well, this tried to be a fun issue, but there was a heavy dose of Emma Frost and Cyclops in it and something just rubbed me the wrong way. I have been warming up to Cyke lately, but I still don't really like Emma. Anyways, not much happened in this one, except for the part where Iron Man showed up (SEE? I told you, EVERY issue published by Marvel in 2008, that's their goal) and Cyke told him off. Cyclops also told him that the X-Men aren't together anymore. I can't help but think that this part of the story is useless, because you know that Cyke is going to pull everyone back together at some point. I mean, even if Marvel hadn't released about a dozen articles saying that "Cyclops will unify the X-Men in a way they haven’t been for years", you know that they can't have a book called X-Men without having some kind of X-Men team together. It's science. Anyways, I'm kind of not looking forward to next month's issue; something is wrong in San Francisco and the city has reverted back to the '60s. Al-righty, then.

Tomorrow I will be buying: Fantastic Four #554, New Exiles #2, Wolverine #62, X-Factor #28 and X-Force #1. Yes, that's a lot. And I'm trying to cut back. We'll see how that goes.

In other news, it's good to see that Fred Hembeck over at Make Mine Marvel is back!

Update 2/11/08.

Interesting article about the New X-Men and the transition to Young X-Men. I still don't really understand why they're essentially rebooting and re-titling it, but there are a couple of series that they're doing that with as a result of the end of The Messiah Complex (Cable, X-Force), so I guess they're just on one of those reboot kicks that Marvel goes on from time to time to increase sales by publishing issues with #1 on the cover.

I just discovered the X-Men comic hub over at Marvel. It's kind of nice to have one place to keep you informed about all of the cross-over tie-ins because the way the last couple have gone, it can be daunting to keep track of all that.

Iron Man is getting ANOTHER title. I think we need another Iron Man comic like we need another comic starring Wolverine. Oh, wait a minute, Wolvie IS getting another book (it's a limited series). This is just like the early '90s all over again...

Finally, my Deadpool questions have been answered. He'll be in Wolverine Origins #22 this month and he's set to get his own series again later this year. Anyways, here's a preview of Wolverine Origins #22. Enjoy.