The Week In Marvel

Of course the hype for Civil War is at a fever pitch both in the comics and on screen. One thing Marvel has not been pressed on yet is not why they are revamping a story line, but the obvious fact of marketing and the timing it's being released while a movie of the same name is coming out, which is very shameless. The bar couldn't be set any lower when it comes to what happened on page in the Free Comic Book Day first issue of Civil War. Thanos showing up can just be a random happenstance here. Its the Ultimates, In-humans, well three of them and Human Torch and a few members of A-Force vs Thanos. Despite the causalities of She-Hulk and War Machine they are able to do pretty well against him, with Captain Marvel being able to fell him with a punch after he quickly killed War-machine and She-hulk, that makes no sense. The 10th issue of Spider-Man 2099 is also a little dull, though looks like it could improve with this version of the Sinister Six. Even though I knew better I threw away precious moments of my life to read the first issue of Gwen Pool, Howard the Duck teams up with her, it has nothing to do with Deadpool. While it still tires too hard it looks like by the 5th issue A-Force is moving in a better direction. Nova's 7th issue kinds drops the ball. The clone father sacrafices himself and who cares.

Moonknight's 2nd issue finds the book just now beginning to take off and if it had been written in the 70s or 80s all of this narrative would have been condensed into the first issue. The 6th issue of Scarlet Witch is a waste of time story wise, who really gives a shit about a french version of Angel? Spider-Gwen is a mixed bag and seems to focus more on Silk, who is just a more interesting character.The third issue of X-men 92, finds Storm able to scare away Dracula, and the whole book really becoming a joke vampires and all. The 7th issue of the All- New In-Humans, is a terrible bore. Great art can't save the 9th issue of Invincible Iron Man. The 3rd issue of Black Widow finds the book losing a little steam making it all the more amazing that Marvel thinks she can support her own movie. The sixth issue of Drax introduces one of the worst super -villians in some time Killer Thrill, who is like Gamora meets Tank- Girl.




The Free-Comic Book day issue of Captain America is much better than Civil War , though it is a little cluttered with too many Falcon's. It surpasses the 9th issue of the  Sam Wilson version of the title. This has Sam getting his butt kicked by Misty Knight in a frustrated sparring match. I am failing to see the point in the book and can't imagine it will retain it's audience if forced to pick between forking over cash for this or Steve Rogers. The 12th issue of Amazing Spider-man seems much better due to the fact the Zodiac are not in it. The inclusion of Mary Jane Watson into the Iron Man world seems very forced.

This Week in Marvel : 3/30/16

Not sure what is up with this other 1.0 run of Spider-man that is leading into "Dead No More" , but it suck anyway you slice it. The art might be penciled O.K, but the coloring is so bizarre it looks like water paints. The Santeria storyline is stupid, a bunch of Catholic guilt, which I think unless you are a god...Thor, Hercules are some one who deals with these kinda of characters religion in the more conventional sense doesn't really belong in comics unless it's used as shading like Daredevil. Speaking of Dare Devil the 5th issue wraps up the Ten-fingers arc, we still have Blindspot in the mix, but the show down came to a head. The monster Hand thing felt a little cartoonish to me, but this run has had some solid moments so I am sure it won't take much for it too redeem itself.  Drax's  5th issue must still have CM Punk involved, because it feels like a little kids just messing around with his action figures is writing this story. Moon-Girl and Devil Dinosaur's 5th issue just seems like filler being used to drag a story out rather than move any of the characters forward. Hercules' 5th issue finds him throwing down with  the new techno gods who are pretty annoying. You are going to tell me this skinny little dude can trade blows with Hercules? I'm not buying it he should have been drawn with at least as many muscles as Sliver Surfer if thats the case. Oh, yeah if you are waiting I'm not bothering with Squirrel Gird anymore, unless she is being writing like the person who was Luke Cage's nanny in New Avengers.



The 7th issue of Sam Wilson's Captain America run is where Steve Rogers finally returns. Of course Captain America has a new movie coming out, what else did we think was going to happen? So when Thor 3 is about to hit wave goodbye to Jane Foster. All- New X-men's 7th issue is pretty good despite the entire issue dealing with a horror themed Toad who has kid napped Cyclops. The art is great and Toad gets brutal when he drinks. I can appreciate the new X-men 92 thing. It is a total send off to the cartoon. Even the art has a cartoon feel. I suppose the vampire they are going to introduce is Baron Blood.

Marvel this Year

2014 is leaving comics is at a weird place. Marvel is building up everything into a Secret Wars event, which is going to be a  D/C like mess of alternate universes and realities colliding. Captain America, the Steve Rogers brand, meaning with Avengers coming out in theaters in May, this Sam Wilson Captain America, which has been awkward at best, is going to prove to be much less worthy of the shield than Bucky Barnes. He is just a less interesting character. In the 70's Cap's jive turkey counter part made a little more sense to me  and he flew, so that was cool, but as an adult just flying doesn't make for a interesting character even if you are gay Northstar. But Northstar has a few more dimensions, he is a mutant and has a weird relationship with his twin sister. More interesting than I talk to birds.

Speaking of worthy, the female Thor is sure to be as short lived, since Thor is in the Avengers. And has anyone seen Valkyrie ? Though bringing Barbara Norriss over from the Ultimate universe would not surprise me either. She is about to fight Odinson in the next issue. But the few issues with her thus far have proved pretty boring. Speaking of female super hero's every one is always talking about have powerful Carol Danvers is but if you caught the last issue of Avengers it's one of this weeks best books. There is a hilarious scene where a fight goes down between Roger's crew Warmachine and Captain Marvel taking onAvenger, Hulk pretty much takes care of both beating up War Machine drones, then when Carol flies down to save the day, she appears to be wailing away on the Hulk. Who turns about to be laying back smiling with his hands behind his head, before he punches her out into space. How did the Carol Corps like that one?

Spider-verse, is a D/C like jumbled mess no doubt with the Morlun spider eaters vs all the Spider men ever. It is slightly more readable than anticipated. Spider Man is also in Axis so not sure where that is occurring in the time line. I am under whelmed by Axis, so the big twist is it turns peoples personalities around? Well the inverted Thor is how Thor should always be written. Kluh is not being used enough and is the most interesting part of this. The X-men as bad guys was just done as X-men vs Avengers, the bad guys are good guys and the whole thing with Deadpool is childishly dumb.Another big even with little pay off. Dr Strange gets cranky. Scarlet Witch is mean, and perhaps Magneto isn't her father after all, it's going to be Darth Vader since Disney has Star Wars rights.At this point it wouldn't surprise me.

Hulk is this Dr. Green, a little meaner version of the Professor Hulk. He is cleaning up the gamma problem ,while curing the Red-Betty She-hulk and Rock Jones A-bomb, it is a shame they got rid of Skaar, who it seemed is more of a mutant so should have retained hiss powers. I hope they don't mess with the Red Hulk. Of course Jennifer Walters is not going anywhere. I would like to have seen him go after Sasquatch before Red Hulk, but that is coming next. It could be worse. Last issue however was a little boring.

All New X-men is getting convoluted going off into the Ultimate Universe. That was my favorite X-book, the Wolverine Spin offs are pretty dumb, it's not like someone else , aside from Daken is going to suit up as Logan. None of the other X titles are doing much for me. As team books go Guardians of the Galaxy is boring and way off any story you care about, not too mention the fact Venom just doesn't work tagging along with them. Why not bring back Adam Warlock. Fantastic Four is fading away and I really don't care despite liking the characters.

Sliver Surfer is obtuse. Invaders' faded from view and interest. Daredevil was getting good now I no longer care. Nova got his butt beat by Kluh, which was the most entertaining moment aside from the Beta Ray Bill team up. Spider-woman's book is not getting a fair shot as it's tied into the Spider verse thing. The Avengers titles...well Secret Avengers and Mighty Avengers have no usefulness. Avengers World i headed that way, leaving me to only miss Uncanny Avengers that felt more like an Avengers books than the others.New Avengers is only good because of Dr.Strange. Just give him either the Defenders back or his own book, which we know is coming with a movie, if Ant-man is getting his own book, which I give until four months after the movie to get cancelled if it makes it that far.

Far as tv goes, we Agents of Shield now has brought us Absorbing Man, Mr Hyde,Mocking Bird and Quake, which is more than last season and we are only at the half way point , sure they are tying into Inhumans, but will that run until the Inhumans movie that a long time. Looking forward to the Netflix shows than Agent Carter.I would not be surprised if the ravaged face May clone turns out to be Madame Masque.

Cosplay Might Be Better

Jamie Foxx has been cast to play Maxwell Dillion in the sequel to the Amazing Spider-man. While the movie was fun but mediocre and full of glaring flaw's like the need to have Parker take off the mask to talk. The studios have now ensured that I won't pay to see this movie.

Sure I already complained about Kurse's casting in Thor the Dark World. Hopefully he will be in a mask and it won't be a glaring mistake , given the nature of the dark elf make up we have seen so far he might be engulfed in latex. While Marvel has been guilty of trying to pander to being Politically correct in its Ultimate universe which in its more realistic design the movies have been barrowing from. I don't mind this Becuase it's not happening in actual continuity. I have no emotional connection to Electro I can appreciate they are bringing different Gillians to the screen than the Sam Rami films and truth be told I prefer the shocker over electro because electro's costume lookings like a St. Patty's court jester. It's safe to say we won't sera very faithful reproduction of that on screen and I'm fine with that, I'm fine with him being comprised of entirely of electricity and cgi. This might be the only redeemable way to handle this if Foxx was just doing the voice work.

But in essence it's the principal of pandering to the public, there are plenty of black characters they could use if the want Spider man to have a more diverse range of ethic Villians, Tombstone is black or the Tarntula if they wanted a Hispanic villian, the BLack KIngpin in Daredevil wasn't the worst part of that movie, with Clarke Dead that character recast would work as the Maggia would be a more interesting story with Slivermane, Hammerhead, the Enforcers and the Rose works for me. Instead I'm afraid of what we get so don't expect this joke to get any coverage of its production and with the Superior Spider- man coming out and major changes for the character teased, I expect another clone saga worthy tarnishing of who Marvel claims to be their Flagship character.

One thing about Nolan aside from Bane not being Hispanic , the Villians remained in their comicbook states, Marvel could stand to learn from this as the Villians are where the movies seem to suffer, none have been great aside from Maneto after him Dafoe come the closet, but we have had a tepid Dr. Doom, Senastian Shaw , Sand man and Emma Frost, though she was hot which pushed January Jones into an o.k place but the horrid ranks of Venom, Bullseye, Jigsaw, Whiplash, and Abomination is where this Electro is going to fall. As cosplayers are gaining more notice in geek culture which is quickly becoming the new pop culture , I think the fans want to see the characters as they are in the comics and if they can get it right why can't the studios or is Comic Con going to be the only place to goin you want to see the character depicted as they Re intended. I'm sure people might view my indignation as racism, I just see it as realism . After all these are characters I have grown up with and know them as they have appeared I. The comics I have been reading for the past thirty years, I see it like as if a black man walked into my house claiming to be my friend Aaron , I would kill him I self defmese for breaking and entering after I tortured him to find out what he did with the real Aaron, so Marvel don't send the studios into my house pulling this kind of a stunt and while Electro doesn't matter to me by allowing you to think we are o.k with this means by giving and inch you will end up taking a mile and one day try to send a black Bruce Banner to my house which will end badly.