Wednesday Roll Call 10/26/11

Greeting once again readers and perusers of the internet! It's wednesday again, and we all know what that means; MORE COMICS! Just as a side note before we get to this weeks offerings, I'd like to point out that each week's roll call will know be dated instead of numbered. I figured with the possibility of readers wanting to go back and see when a specific issue may have been released, a date based system might simply be a little more user-friendly in the long run. Now that that's out of the way lets get to the reason your here, the COMICS!

NEW RELEASES:

Amazing Spider-Man #672
Annihilators: Earthfall #2
Astonishing X-Men #43
Avengers Academy #20
Avengers: Solo #1
Captain America and Bucky #623
Cloak & Dagger #3
Daken: Dark Wolverine #16
Daredevil #5
Deadpool #45
Disney-Pixar Giant Size Comics
Dorothy & the Wizard Of OZ #2
Dream Logic #4
FF #11
Incredible Hulk #1
Journey Into Mystery #630
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #19
Marvel Vampire Handbook #1
New Mutants #32
Red Skull #4
Secret Avengers #18
Spider Island: Deadly Hands Of Kung-Fu #3
Spider Island: The Amazing Spider-Girl #3
The Mighty Thor #7
Ultimate Comics Ultimates #3
Venom #8
Wolverine & The X-Men


VARIANTS/REPRINTS:

Avengers: Solo #1 (Movie Variant)
Daredevil #3 (2nd Printing)
Deadpool #45 (Mc 50th Anniversary Variant)
FF #11 (Variant)
Incredible Hulk #1 (Incredible Hulk 1 Ladronn Variant)
Incredible Hulk #1 (Neal Adams Variant)
Incredible Hulk #1 (Incredible Hulk 1 Keown Variant)
Incredible Hulk #1 (Sketch Variant)
Incredible Hulk #1 (Blank Variant)
Incredible Hulk #1 (Portacio Variant)
Secret Avengers #18 (Aja Variant)
The Mighty Thor #7 (Mc 50th Anniversary Variant)
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #2 (2nd Printing)
Wolverine & the X-Men #1 (Cho Variant)
Wolverine & the X-Men #1 (Blank Variant)
Wolverine & the X-Men #1 (Bradshaw Variant)

NEW RELEASES:

Absolute All-Star Superman
All-Star Western #2
Aquaman #2
Batman: The Dark Knight #2
Blackhawks #2
DC Comics Presents: Catwoman - Guardian Of Gotham #1
DC Comics Presents: The Jack Kirby Omnibus Sampler #1
The Flash #2
Flashpoint
The Fury Of Firestorm: the Nuclear Men #2
Gears Of War #20
Green Lantern: New Guardians #2
I, Vampire #2
Justice League Dark #2
Legion: Secret Origin #1
The Savage Hawkman #2
Superman #2
Superman/Batman: Sorcerer Kings
Teen Titans #2
Voodoo #2


There you have it my friends, so what are you waiting for? Get reading! Until the next time!

Libellus Pagina Amitorious,
Matt

Fear Itself: An Event in Review

Hello once again faithful readers, and welcome back! This week marked the closing of the summer long Marvel event FEAR ITSELF, and since I'm finishing up my entry on DC's NEW 52 I thought it only fair to offer my take on a universe wide event from Marvel as well.

*PLEASE NOTE: The following article may contain spoilers. I will try to keep it to a minimum, but just in case please read at your discretion.

FEAR ITSELF began in April 2011 as a 'Universe Wide' crossover event in Marvel Comics, spanning a seven issue central series as well as numerous tie-ins and limited series connecting the events of the story with those of Marvel's other super heroes and villains.  The series focused on the idea of fear and it's affects on the whole of the Marvel universe not just as an obstacle or a deterrent, but as an actual weapon.


FACES OF EVIL

The main antagonists of FEAR ITSELF were The Serpent (The newly revealed Norse God of Fear, and uncle of Thor) and Sin (The daughter of recently deceased Captain America arch enemy Red Skull). In an attempt to exact revenge on Steve Rogers (the first Captain America) and the new Captain America (James 'Bucky' Barnes), Sin put into motion a decades old plan first orchestrated by her father the Red Skull during the final days of World War II.  By performing an ancient and long hidden ritual to revive the dormant and forgotten Norse God of Fear The Serpent, Sin was given one of eight hammers that transformed her into The Serpent's nigh-unstoppable 2nd in command Skadi: Herald Of The Serpent.  After receiving her new powers and pledging loyalty to The Serpent, Sin rallied her vast network of Neo-Nazi collaborators and followers for an attack on Washington, D.C. (dubbed Blitzkrieg U.S.A.) that would become the opening volley in the war against the Serpent's forces.


THE WORTHY

While Sin/Skadi was the first to receive a hammer of power from the Serpent, seven other Marvel characters were later 'gifted' similar hammers that transformed each of them into quasi-'Lieutenants' in The Serpent's army; The Worthy.

The reforming villain The Juggernaut became Kuurth: Breaker Of Stone.

The notorious gamma beast The Hulk became Nul: Breaker Of Worlds.

The powerhouse villainess Titania became Skirn: Breaker of Men.

The Atlantean warlord Attuma became Nerkkod: Breaker Of Oceans.

The french villain The Grey Gargoyle became Mokk: Breaker Of Faith

The sociopathic villain (and husband of Titania) The Absorbing Man became Geithoth: Breaker Of Wills.

And finally the muscle behind the Fantastic Four, The Thing became Angir: Breaker Of Souls.

A BROTHER'S QUARREL

The ensuing events followed the citizens of the Marvel universe attempting to survive the devastating onslaught brought on by The Serpent, who used his vast forces to cause chaos and fear across the globe to increase his ever growing fear derived power. In the end the fate of the world fell to the Avengers, whose charge it was to find a way to defeat the Serpent before Odin (The Nordic Father of Gods) turned his forces onto the Earth in order to destroy it, thereby cutting off the supply of power to his brother The Serpent.

The 'relationship' (if you can call it that) between Odin and the The Serpent comes to the forefront towards the end of the event when The Serpent's motivations and goals are finally revealed.  Without ruining any  big reveals, the fact that The Serpent is the only brother of the Nordic All-Father of Gods and this event is the first time anyone besides Odin has even heard of him should speak volumes about both the threat he poses and the mystery behind the brothers' history. While the FEAR ITSELF story did have a general ending, the history of the two brothers as well as the effect The Serpent's presence has on the Marvel universe are aspects of the event that will clearly carry on into future stories. After all, we are dealing with the two of the oldest and most powerful characters in all of Marvel; these brothers still have cards to play and tales to be told.



CLOSING REMARKS
Personally I found the majority of the event to be very well done, but the climatic finale seemed a little too mundane and predictable in comparison to the build up.  The story did an excellent job of showing the effects of fear on Marvel's characters, and the sense of desperation sown throughout the various tie-ins and series were compelling to read and made the experience much more relatable (due largely to the parallels one might find with the current air of fear, paranoia, and anxiety in our own world).  Aside from the less than stellar ending and the death of one of my favorite heroes (I won't name names, but I now hate Sin. A lot.) the FEAR ITSELF event succeeded in a very human portrayal  of a decidedly super human world.  Overall this event proved to be a very compelling read, and well worth the time in my opinion.

FEAR ITSELF CHECKLIST

That's it for today dear friends! If you liked what you read, checkout the Checklist above to see what you'll need to get in on the story! Till next time!

Libellus Pagina Amitorious,
Matt

Wednesday Roll Call 4!

Here we are again, dear friends! Another Wednesday full of action and intrigue courtesy of your favorite publishers and writers.

I just wanted to take a moment to mention that this week marks the end of both the summer long event FEAR ITSELF as well as the final issue of the current run of UNCANNY X-MEN.  While both of these books are ending the stories will still continue on in other corners of the Marvel Universe, namely the new twice monthly limited series FEAR ITSELF: THE FEARLESS (which will deal with the aftermath of the FEAR ITSELF event) and the upcoming releases UNCANNY X-MEN #1/WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN #1 (the new monthly ongoing series' following the two groups that have spawned from the recent X-men events SCHISM and REGENESIS).

Well with all that said, lets get to the comics already!

NEW RELEASES:

Vengeance #4
Avengers #18
Avengers 1959 #2
Avenging Spider-Man Daily Bugle #1
Captain America Corps #5
Deadpool MAX 2 #1
Fear Itself #7
Fear Itself: The Fearless #1
Fear Itself: The Home Front #7
Fear Itself: Youth In Revolt #6
Halo: Fall Of Reach - Covenant #4
Hulk #43
Invincible Iron Man #509
John Carter of Mars: A Princess of Mars #2
Journey Into Mystery #629
Ka-Zar #5
Superior #6
Thunderbolts #163
Ultimate Hawkeye #3
Uncanny X-Men #544
Wolverine #17
X-Factor #226


VARIANTS/REPRINTS

Avengers #18 (Mc 50th Anniversary Variant)
Daredevil #2 (2nd Printing Variant)
Fear Itself #7 (Variant A)
Fear Itself #7 (Variant B)
Fear Itself: The Fearless #1 (Variant A)
Fear Itself: The Fearless #1 (Variant B)
Fear Itself: The Fearless #1 (Variant C)
Fear Itself: The Fearless #1 (Variant D)
New Avengers Annual #1 (2nd Printing Variant)
Thunderbolts #163 (2nd Printing Variant)
Ultimate Comics Ultimates #2 (2nd Printing Variant)
Uncanny X-Force #15 (2nd Printing Variant)
X-Men #17 (2nd Printing Variant)
X-Men: Schism #2 (3rd Printing Variant)

NEW RELEASES:

Batman #2

Batman: Odyssey #1

Birds Of Prey #2

Blue Beetle #2

Captain Atom #2

Catwoman #2

DC Comics Presents: Superboy's Legion #1

DC Comics Presents: Superman - Secret Identity #1

DC Universe Online Legends #16

DC Universe Presents #2

Driver: Crossing The Line

Gotham Central Book 3: On The Freak Beat

Green Lantern Corps #2

Green Lantern: The Movie Prequels

Justice League #2

Legion Of Super Heroes #2

Legion Of Super Heroes: The Curse Deluxe Edition

Nightwing #2

Red Hood and the Outlaws #2

Supergirl #2

Wonder Woman #2

Young Justice #9

That's all for this week ladies and gentlemen! As always, happy reading!

Libellus Pagina Amitorious,
Matt

Panel To Frame: Comics in the Movies

Greetings once again fellow bloggers and readers. This week I thought I would do do something a little different and talk about the growing market that is comic film adaptations.

Over the past few years comic inspired films have gained momentum and popularity among mainstream movie-goers, prompting the Hollywood powers-that-be to continue to invest more and more time, effort, and money into these lucrative franchises.  In the past three years alone Marvel Studios (the in house film studio owned by Marvel Entertainment) has successfully launched four different franchises, all of which have sequels either already in production or on the drawing board.



DC comics has also found great success with the new Batman film franchise helmed by director and writer Christopher Nolan (of 'Memento' and 'Inception' fame), whose realistic and gritty take on the franchise has proved to be extremely popular and HIGHLY lucrative. With the popularity of these comic franchises at an all time high, it should be no surprise that neither Hollywood or the comic industry has any thoughts of slowing down.

There are many franchises and film adaptations currently in the works, so I thought I would make a nice "What to Watch for" list for you all to follow your favorite heroes  and villains as they begin (or continue) their journeys to the silver screen.

CONFIRMED RELEASES:
The Avengers (2012)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengence (2012)

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

Men In Black III (2012)

Dredd (2012)

Iron Man 3 (2013)
Thor 2 (2013)
Man Of Steel (2013)
The Wolverine (2013)
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

RUMORED/WORKING STAGE
Untitled Deadpool project (TBA)
The Crow Reboot (TBA)
The Incredible Hulk 2 (TBA)
Untitled Venom project (TBA)
Untitled Ant-Man Film (TBA)
Untitled Black Panther project (TBA)
Untitled Cable project (TBA)
Untitled Iron-Fist project (TBA)
Untitled NightHawk project (TBA)
Untitled Vision project (TBA)
Untitled Dr. Strange project (TBA)
Untitled Ka-Zar project (TBA)
Untitled Luke Cage project (TBA)
Untitled Dazzler project (TBA)
Untitled Power Pack project (TBA)
S.H.I.E.L.D. Spin-Off (TBA)
Punisher Reboot (TBA)
Untitled Black Widow project
War Machine Spin-Off (TBA)
Possible Inhumans project
Possible Wanted 2 (TBA)
Captain America 2 & 3 (Possible 2014/TBA)
Fantastic Four Reborn (TBA)
Untitled DareDevil Reboot (TBA)
Sin City 2 (TBA)
Kick-Ass 2: Balls 2 The Wall (Possible 2012/TBA)


Now that is one heaping helping of comic goodness in the works! With such a plethora of possible franchises to choose from, the next few years are sure to become legendary in the history of comic cinema. Well I will leave you all with that for now; as always, best wishes and happy reading!


Libellus Pagina Amitorious,
Matt

Wednesday Roll Call 3!

Another Wednesday, another heaping helping of comic goodness! Seeing as it's late, please forgive me if I forgo my usual long winded wind-up, and get right to this week's offerings!

NEW RELEASES:

All-Winners Squad: Band Of Heroes #5

Alpha Flight #5

Amazing Spider-Man #671

Black Panther: The Most Dangerous Man Alive #524

Captain America #4

FF #10

Generation Hope #12

Ghost Rider #4

Hulk Vs. Dracula #3

Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #19

New Avengers #17

Punishermax #18

S.H.I.E.L.D. #3

Punisher #4

The Stand: The Night Has Come #3

Ultimate Spider-Man #3

Ultimate X-Men #2

Uncanny X-Force #16

X-Men Evolutions #1

X-Men Legacy #257

X-Men Regenesis #1

VARIANTS:

New Avengers #17 (Mc 50th Anniversary Variant)

X-Men: Regenesis (Hollowell Variant)

NEW RELEASES:

Absolute Identity Crisis

The All New Batman: The Brave And The Bold #12

Batgirl #2

Batman And Robin #2

Batman: Arkham City

Batman: Life After Death

Batwoman #2

Birds Of Prey: The Death Of Oracle

DC Comics Presents: Batman - Blink #1

DC Comics Presents: JLA - The Age Of Wonder #1

Deathstroke #2

Demon Knights #2

Frankenstein, Agent f Shade #2

Green latern #2

Grifter #2

Justice League: Generation Lost Vol. 2

Legion Lost #2

Mister Terrific #2

My Greatest Adventure #1

Resurrection Man #2

The Shade #1

Suicide Squad #2

Superboy #2

Superman: Mon-El - Man Of Valor

Superman: Nightwing And Flamebird Vol. 2

Tiny Titans #45

Victorian Undead II: Sherlock Holmes Vs. Dracula

World Of Warcraft: Curse Of The Worgen

Quite a fine crop we have this week! Quite a number of them are definitely worth a read, so go out and check them out! Until next time!

Libellus Pagina Amitorious,
Matt

New Tales Of Weapon X: Wolverine in 2011

Greetings faithful followers, and welcome back! Today I wanted to introduce what is currently (without question) my favorite ongoing comic; The current run of Marvel's most popular Canadian mutant WOLVERINE. 

With the X-Men having some mainstream media success in recent years, many more people have become interested in the teams rogue lone wolf Logan a.k.a Wolverine. While much of his film forays can be best described as unpleasant, Wolverine's current series being published by Marvel is one of the most meticulously well written runs that the character has had in quite some time.  

Starting with the current Wolverine run (the fourth so far) writer Jason Aaron was given the monumental task of not only taking the helm on one of Marvel's biggest properties, but also heading up the two other titles involving Wolverine's clone (and surrogate sister) X-23 and his estranged villain/anti-hero son Daken the Dark Wolverine. Despite the size of this task Mr. Aaron did not pull  any punches and went into Wolverine's story claws first, even going so far as to open his run with a story simply titled Wolverine Goes To Hell.  

That's right, you did not read that wrong. 

Aaron's first story arc literally involved sending Wolverine to the pits of Hell itself, and forcing him to face countless fallen friends and enemies that were damned by his claws. I don't want to spoil anything about the captivating story that follows, but needless to say Wolverine needed to fight truly unimaginable odds. One of the things that have defined the best Wolverine stories ever written are there continued balance between the conflicted heart of  Wolverine and the dark, seedy (and often HIGHLY visceral) world that he seems cursed to live in.  Mr. Aaron clearly applied and refined this story approach in his current run, and the stories he continues to weave only serve to make the story more and more interesting. 

Currently Wolverine is on it's 16th issue, and shows no signs of slowing down.  If you are interested in jumping in on this amazing series then the next issue is the perfect place to do so, as the first full story arc has just been completed and it appears that things are starting fresh with a new arc in issue #17. 

Well I hope you all found this interesting, and if you jump in on the series drop a comment and tell me what your take is!

Libellus Pagina Amitorious,
Matt

Wednesday Roll Call 2!

Here were are again, faithful followers! Another day chock full of new releases and action packed stories! I'll quit my yammering and get to it!

NEW RELEASES:

Avengers 1959 #1

Casanova: Avarita #2

Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Battle of Tull #5

Deadpool #44

Hulk # 42

Moon Knight #6

Mystic #3

Spider Island: Heroes For Hire #1

Spider-Man: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility #7

Superior #5

Thunderbolts #164

Ultimate Spider-Man #3

Uncanny X-Force #16

X-23 #15

X-Men #19

X-Men: Schism #5

VARIANTS

Hulk #42 (Mc 50th Anniversary Variant)

Uncanny X-Force (Mc 50th Anniversary Variant)

X-23 (Mc 50th Anniversary Variant)

X-Men (Mc 50th Anniversary Variant)

X-Men: Schism #5 (Cho Variant)

NEW RELEASES:

Action Comics #2

All-Star Superman

American Vampire Vol. 1

Animal Man #2

Batman: Eye Of The Beholder

Batman: The Long Halloween

Batwing #2

DC Comics Presents: Batman - The Demon Laughs #1

DC Universe Online Legends #15

Detective Comics #2

Green Arrow #2

Hawk And Dove #2

House Of Mystery #42

The Huntress #1

IZombie #18

Justice League International #2

Loony Tunes #203

Men Of War #2

O.M.A.C. #2

Penguin: Pain And Prejudice #1

Red Lanterns #2

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #14

Static Shock #2

Stormwatch #2

Supernatural #1

Swamp Thing #2

Sweet Tooth #26

This week I would like to take an opportunity to also announce the releases of a few more "independent" comics that I have recently been turned on to, and would like to share them with you all. So here we go!

Jurassic Park: Dangerous Games #1

Locke & Key: Clockwork #2

Doctor Who: #9 (Ongoing Vol. 2)

Duke Nukem: Glorious Bastards #3

Moriarty #5

The Walking Dead #89

Well, that is all the releases I've got for you this week! Enjoy the comics and happy reading!

Libellus Pagina Amitorious,
Matt

The Bionic Silent Bob

Hello again, fellow children of the net! Today I have a pretty interesting offering for you all, and I can guarantee it is not what you would expect.

Meet the Bionic Man, a new comic based off of the popular 70's television series The Six Million Dollar Man.

Now while some of you might be familiar with the network Prime Time stories of the books predecessor, do not make the mistake of thinking you know this book. Quite frankly, you probably don't. With the story written by Mr. Kevin Smith (of Clerks, Mallrats, and other Film fame) and the penciling done by the talented Jonathan Lau (of Battlestar Galactica, Green Hornet, and other Comic fame), this story is definitely NOT your parents Bionic Man. Samurai Swords, espionage, cybernetics, and military mystery are all but a small taste of what you get with this amazing return to a classic franchise. Fortunately this pulse pounding re-envisioning is just starting out , with only two issues released thus far.  So do yourself a favor and pick up this series, you'll definitely be glad you did.

To order future issues or back issues of The Bionic Man, visit it's page at Dynamite Comics:

Bionic Man Comics

Thats all for now! Have fun and happy reading!

Libellus Pagina Amitorious,
Matt