The Mix : What are people talking about today?

Minnie Mouse Channels her Inner Captain Marvel Come November

New York, NY— August 20, 2024 — Over the last year, the Marvel mythos has been infused with Disney magic in new What If…? one-shots that put Mickey Mouse and the gang into landmark Marvel comic sagas! Following Donald Duck’s remarkable adventures as Wolverine and Thor, Minnie steps up to take on the mantle of one of Marvel’s most iconic female superheroes this November in MARVEL & DISNEY: WHAT IF…? MINNIE BECAME CAPTAIN MARVEL #1!

Crafted by a team of accomplished Disney comic creators—writers Steve Behling and Luca Barbieri along with artist Giada Perissinotto—MARVEL & DISNEY: WHAT IF…? MINNIE BECAME CAPTAIN MARVEL will put a unique spin on Carol Danvers’ superhero origins, as told in 1977’s Ms. Marvel #1-4 by industry legends Gerry Conway, John Buscema, Chris Claremont, Joe Sinnott, Jim Mooney and David Anthony Kraft. See Minnie tackle the mystery of her mysterious new cosmic powers and take first flight as Ms. Marvel in this thrilling saga featuring Peg Leg Pete as the villainous Scorpion, which includes appearances by classic Disney stars like Scrooge McDuck and more!

WHAT IS THE SECRET PAST OF MINNIE MOUSE? Our story finds The Chronicle newspaper reporter Minnie Mouse tasked with an exposé on a new hero on the scene in Duckburg, CAPTAIN MARVEL! But Peg Leg Pete – Scorpion complicates her plans by attacking the Chronicle building! To make matters worse, John D. Rockerduck and the Beagle Boys attack Scrooge McDuck’s money bin, and when Captain Marvel shows up to stop them, Minnie discovers an incredible secret about her past! What is Minnie’s connection to Duckburg’s sensational new hero, Captain Marvel?

“Steve, Luca, and Giada perfectly capture the spirit of Carol Danvers’ origin, a real nostalgic treat with a Disney twist. Guaranteed to be the most fun comic of the month!” Editor Mark Paniccia said. 

Check out the covers, including variants by superstar artists Peach Momoko, Elena Casagrande, and Phil Noto, and preorder MARVEL & DISNEY: WHAT IF…? MINNIE BECAME CAPTAIN MARVEL #1 at your local comic shop today.

MARVEL & DISNEY: WHAT IF…? MINNIE BECAME CAPTAIN MARVEL #1
Written by STEVE BEHLING & LUCA BARBIERI
Art and Cover by GIADA PERISSINOTTO
Variant Cover by ELENA CASAGRANDE
Variant Cover by PEACH MOMOKO
Variant Cover by PHIL NOTO
Virgin Variant Cover by PHIL NOTO

On Sale 11/20

Pearl by Sherri L. Smith and Christine Norrie

This may be me being cynical, I’m sorry to say. And that’s not anything a nice, brand-new YA graphic novel needs. But I am struck by the way that memoir has so taken over YA comics that everything else bends to that format – even a book like this, which is entirely fictional.

Pearl  is the story of Amy, a Japanese-American girl growing up in Hawaii in 1941. The book doesn’t say exactly how old she is, but I’m going to guess around twelve – old enough to take a long trip by herself, young enough to still be a kid, just the right age for a book like this. And Pearl reads as if Amy was a real person, telling us her story – I was initially surprised when we got a “1941” caption, since I thought it would be a modern-day story about discovering her heritage. (Sometimes not reading the publicity material is a bad idea!)

Amy narrates the book, first telling the story of her great-grandmother, a late 19th century pearl-diver from Okinawa who gives the book its title and provides some parallax to Amy’s story, and then quickly brings her family story up to her time. Now, I read this as an uncorrected proof, and it was obvious in a few places that panels were missing or FPO – some other pages seemed to not have the final color/tone in place. So anything else I write about here might also have changed: what I saw was an early, not-quite-finished version.

So if I say that Amy’s narration is mostly short and factual, evocative rather than digging into her emotions, know that might have changed a bit. Probably not radically – I don’t expect Pearl‘s text doubled or tripled in size – but especially at major moments, it might be a little more personal in the final version than the one I read.

Writer Sherri L. Smith puts us in Amy’s shoes without exactly putting us in her head – we follow her throughout, but see her mostly from outside, as things happen to her. Pearl is largely the story of things that happen to Amy – major, world-historical events – that she has no control over and is just swept along by. I might have been hoping for somewhat more choice on Amy’s part, which isn’t entirely realistic for her age and time and place.

Comics are at least half pictures, though, and artist Christine Norrie’s art is excellent at storytelling, with a particularly good eye for body language and the telling image. (I don’t know how she worked with Smith on this book, so the visual storytelling could easily have been partially or mostly from Smith, if she did thumbnails or a panel-by-panel script.) So we don’t get lots of words about how Amy feels and what she does, but we do see that, and can quickly tell.

I don’t want to get into all the details – it’s a quick read, the kind of comic where the pictures carry a lot of the weight – but Amy goes on what’s supposed to be a few-months trip to visit her family in Japan, in the fall of 1941. And her family lives near Hiroshima. The young audience that Pearl is mostly aimed at won’t necessarily know the significance of “fall of 1941” and “Hiroshima,” but I think anyone reading this post will.

Amy spends the war in Japan. We see it from her point of view – limited, contingent, precise. She’s put to work, goes through travails, learns about what’s happening to her parents back in the USA. Smith and Norrie aren’t quite telling the whole story of the Pacific War here, but they are trying to get through all of the high points that would realistically relate to a Japanese-American girl in Japan.

The art is always evocative, closely focused on Amy and what she sees. There’s a sequence of pages, near the end, with real power and heft, and other stretches of beauty and energy, such as the opening with Amy’s ancestor diving for pearls. It is a lovely book, thoughtful and visually appealing, with a somewhat minimalist text appropriate for the audience. It’s not quite what I thought it would be, but that’s entirely on me not paying enough attention up front.

Reposted from The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.

REVIEW: The Mythmakers

The Mythmakers
By John Hendrix
Abrams Fanfare/224 pages/$24.99

In 1976, SUNY-Binghamton offered a comparative literature course focusing on C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Unfortunately, I was a freshman, and it was a senior seminar, so I ignored it (my clever wife ignored that prerequisite and took it as a freshman anyway). Thanks to this graphic novel, I finally feel like I took the course.

Tolkien’s influence these days looms largest over Western literature with his reinvention of High Fantasy and worldbuilding that has been imitated but never surpassed ever since. Lewis’s work is deemed more Young Adult these days, and his religious works, other than The Screwtape Letters, have dropped out of the mainstream. The film adaptations of his Narnia novels have paled in comparison to the Peter Jackson-directed Lord of the Rings trilogy. (Although Greta Gerwig’s Netflix take on Narnia may be cause for hope.)

Hancock mixes prose and graphic storytelling to trace the backgrounds and lives of Lewis and Tolkien until they met at Oxford. Both had their share of personal travails and challenges growing into adulthood and both used literature as a balm. It’s no surprise, then, that they would meet and bond over their passion for Norse Mythology.

With a Lion and a Wizard acting as avatars, we are walked through their lives, loves, and letters, watching the famed Inklings form then fracture during the 1940s. By then, Lewis had written his best-selling space trilogy and become a nationally recognized voice on the radio. Tolkien had the surprise smash success of The Hobbit to sustain him while he stalled in writing a sequel.

Hendrix shows how they admired and supported one another, even after their careers and lives diverged and the friendship waned. Even late in life, Lewis loved and supported Tolkien from afar, being the one to nominate him for the Novel Prize in Literature.

Hendrix provides tons of context for what the state of imaginative literature was like at the time, but he wisely takes the deeper dives and places them as appendixes, letting readers choose to flip to the back for more or carry on. Reading it either way is fine, but it works best by reading it all. His artwork is pleasing and well-suited to the subject matter.

The review copy provided was in black and white, but one glance at the color sample suggests this will be a well-received volume. Anyone who appreciates one or both authors will do well to add this to their library. And for teachers like me, this is an excellent distillation of the power of myth and its influence through the centuries.

40th Anniversary Celebrated with 4K Nightmare on Elm Street Release

Burbank, Calif., August 15, 2024—To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the supernatural slasher film A Nightmare on Elm Street from New Line Cinema and renowned horror director Wes Craven, the 1984 film will be available for purchase Digitally in 4K Ultra HD on October 1 and on 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc on October 15.

A Nightmare on Elm Street, which spawned a franchise and introduced audiences to iconic horror villain Freddy Krueger, will be available to purchase on Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc online and in-store at major retailers and available for purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Fandango at Home and more.

The 4K UHD remaster of A Nightmare on Elm Street includes both the 1984 theatrical version and an uncut version that includes eight seconds of additional unrated footage.

Wes Craven (Scream) directed the film from his own screenplay. It stars John Saxon, Ronee Blakely, Heather Langenkamp, Amanda Wyss, Nick Corri, Johnny Depp, and Robert Englund and is produced by Robert Shaye.

About the Film
Can your nightmares be fatal? In this classic of the horror film genre that launched a movie franchise, a hideously scarred man who was murdered by a lynch mob returns years later in the terrifying nightmares of his killer’s teenage children… and the dreaming teenagers are starting to die in their sleep.

A Nightmare on Elm Street Digital release and Ultra HD Blu-ray disc contain the following previously released special features:

  • Ready Freddy Focus Points
  • Commentary with Wes Craven, Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Ronnie Blakely, Robert Shaye, and Sara Risher.
  • Commentary with Wes Craven, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, and Jacques Haitkin.
  • Alternate endings
  • The House that Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror
  • Never Sleep Again: A Nightmare on Elm Street
  • Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven’s Nightmares

BASICS

A Nightmare on Elm Street
Ultra HD Blu-ray Languages: English, Spanish, Parisian French
Ultra HD Blu-ray Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, Parisian French
Theatrical and Uncut Version Run Time: 91 minutes
Theatrical Version Rating: R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, language, drug use and some sexuality/nudity.
Uncut Version Rating: Unrated
Digital Street Date: October 1, 2024
Physical Street Date: October 15, 2024

Hellverine Gains Solo Title

New York, NY— August 14, 2024 — Because you demanded it—HELLVERINE rides again! This December, the breakout character will headline his first-ever ongoing series by writer and Hellverine co-creator Benjamin Percy and blazing hot artist Raffaele Ienco (Star Wars: Darth Vader).

Following HELLVERINE’s debut in last year’s Ghost Rider/Wolverine: Weapons of Vengeance crossover, hellfire was passed from father to son as Logan’s son Akhiro, formerly known as Daken, took over the mantle in a 4-issue HELLVERINE limited series. That saga concluded today, and now, Percy will take this hellish journey to even darker depths as Akihiro embraces his transformation and dives claws first into Marvel’s superheroic landscape, as well as its demonic underworld. 

It’s hellfire-fueled, claw-slashing action in the Mighty Marvel Manner as HELLVERINE blazes a new path across the Marvel Universe! The Demon Bagra-ghul possessed Wolverine, turning him into a killing machine…but Logan is no stranger to caging the beast within his soul, and the demon learned his heroic ways. Now it’s resurrected Akihiro, and the two must learn to live as one—the HELLVERINE! But they can’t do it alone–enter Doctor Strange!

On Hellverine’s success and future, Percy shared, “I was writing Wolverine, and I was writing Ghost Rider. Of course, I was going to bring them together. The Weapons of Vengeance storyline was a monstrous hit, in part because Geoff Shaw and I introduced the Hellverine, a version of Logan with a flaming skull and flaming claws. The fan enthusiasm was such that a Marvel Legends toy was announced, and a spin-off limited series got greenlit. I had so much fun expanding the mythos of the demon Bagra-Ghul and finding a way to not only bring Akihiro back from his savage death in Sabretooth War but to explore some fresh possibilities for a complicated character I’ve always loved. And now? There’s more mayhem and occultism, and hellfire on the horizon. I’m grateful to readers and retailers for their support because a Hellverine ongoing is coming your way. I’m joining forces with powerhouse artist Raffaele Ienco, and we’ve got huge, horrifying plans for the Hellverine and his role in the 616.”

Fly Me to the Moon Can Lands via Digital

  • News
  • August 14, 2024

SYNOPSIS
Starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, FLY ME TO THE MOON is a sharp, stylish comedy-drama set against the high-stakes backdrop of NASA’s historic Apollo 11 moon landing. Brought in to fix NASA’s public image, sparks fly in all directions as marketing maven Kelly Jones (Johansson) wreaks havoc on launch director Cole Davis’s (Tatum) already difficult task. When the White House deems the mission too important to fail, Jones is directed to stage a fake moon landing as backup, and the countdown truly begins…

CAST AND CREW

Directed by: Greg Berlanti
Screenplay by: Rose Gilroy
Based Upon the Story by: Keenan Flynn & Bill Kirstein
Produced by: Jonathan Lia, Scarlett Johansson, Keenan Flynn, Sarah Schechter
Executive Producers: Robert J. Dohrmann

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Woody Harrelson, Jim Rash, Ray Romano, Anna Garcia, Donald Elise Watkins, Noah Robbins, Colin Woodell, Christian Zuber, Nick Dillenburg

SPECS
Run Time: Approx. 132 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for Some Strong Language, and Smoking

Meet the New West Coast Avengers Roster

New York, NY— August 12, 2024 — Announced at San Diego Comic-Con, the WEST COAST AVENGERS are back this November in a new ongoing series by Marvel superstar Gerry Duggan and acclaimed artist Danny Kim! Today, fans can check out this bold new lineup in variant covers for the debut issue, including pieces by Jeehyung Lee, Gerardo Sandoval, and series artist Danny Kim.

This iconic iteration of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will hit the ground running just in time for the title’s 40th anniversary. Following Duggan’s run on Invincible Iron Man, the series opens with Tony Stark assembling a new team consisting of War Machine; Jessica Drew, AKA Spider-Woman; Firestar, who Duggan redefined in the pages of X-Men; AND a mysteriously redeemed Ultron!

ULTRON RETURNS…REDEEMED? Iron Man and War Machine have put together a new team of Avengers – one that includes villains seeking a path to redemption. Their case study? Ultron – who, against all odds, seems to be walking the straight and narrow…for now. But does the success of one guarantee the success of all? Spider-Woman and Firestar have their doubts. And can any amount of heroics really absolve Ultron of his past?

“Redemption has been on my mind this year, and we’ll see who can be redeemed on the West Coast,” Duggan teased. “It’s a fun action story, but it’s also an Ultron tale – and one of my biggest Marvel swings yet. I previously had the pleasure of writing a pretty great horror story about Ultron wearing Pym’s face, and this is a very different tale with one of my favorite Marvel characters, in one of my favorite legacy titles in the city that has been my home for so long. Wait until you see what Danny Kim is cooking up. Find redemption in November in the city of Angels.”

REVIEW: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part 3

When DC Comics unleashed the Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985, it had two missions: celebrating 50 years of the publisher and cleaning the continuity, making the comic books more accessible to entice new readers. Throughout 2024, a year shy of the maxiseries’ 40th anniversary, the three-part direct-to-disc project was cleaning up or clearing out the revised continuity of Warner Animation’s DC Comics universe.

Part three arrived in late July and is welcome after the deeply disjointed and disappointing Part Two. Screenwriter Jim Krieg couldn’t seem to figure out how to pace this middle section but recovered for a stronger, but still flawed, finale. What should have been a fast-paced story that slows down to give key characters their moment continues to focus too much on one set of characters, too much talking, and not enough fun scenes chock full of heroes we’re not likely to see otherwise.

We left off with the Anti-Monitor (Ato Essandoh) revealed while his counterpart endlessly chatted with the Spectre, the Wrath of God, who just stood around. As a result, as each parallel universe collapsed, there was no real sense of impending doom. And once again, we split up our heroes to go off and do things that are disjointed, and why are the Bat-Family and John Constantine the ones to explore the origins of the Universe when it should have been the Green Lanterns or Hawkman?

This time around, we get some nice visual touches, starting with a glimpse of the Super Friends and a welcome last bit of business between Batman (Kevin Conroy) and the Joker (Mark Hamill).

As promised by the original comics and the cover to the DVD, out now from Warner Home Entertainment. Supergirl (Meg Donnelly) dies, but it lacks the emotional oomph, given her weak introduction and use in the previous installment.

There are a lot of questions left unanswered, and ultimately, given a few hundred minutes total to play with, this should have been wonderful, and certainly should have been better. It’s a whimper of an end and a squandered opportunity.

The movie is available digitally and in various packages, from Steelbook to combo packs. Or you could wait for the inevitable three-film package. The 2160p Ultra High Definition version looks pretty spiffy, with strong special effects and color, although it also highlights the limited animation. The accompanying DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio is up to the task.

There are just two Special Features starting with A Multiverse of Inspiration (9:23) where Executive producer Butch Lukic, director Jeff Wamester, producer/writer Jim Krieg, DC Group editor Katie Kubert, and DC archivist Benjamin LeClear chat away. John and John: Stewart and Constantine (8:21) feature much the same crew talking about two characters who get outsized roles in the animated fare.

Wanda Maximoff Takes Amaranth as Pupil

  • News
  • August 11, 2024

New York, NY— August 8, 2024 — This November, a young sorceress follows in the footsteps of Marvel’s greatest mystical hero! Amaranth, who was created by superstar artist Jen Bartel for last year’s New Champions variant cover program, will make her in-universe debut in SCARLET WITCH #6. Writer Steve Orlando and artist Lorenzo Tammetta will introduce the character as a former protégé of Agatha Harkness who now seeks Wanda’s help to unravel her shadowy past and control her emerging magical gifts. Amaranth is the latest New Champion to have their story told in the pages of a comic, and more will continue to debut in the months ahead!

Today, fans can see Amaranth in four all-new SCARLET WITCH #6 covers, including the main cover by Russell Dauterman, which also features Agatha, a foil cover by Meghan Hetrick, a stunning piece by Iván Talavera, and a variant cover by Leirix, which will also be available as a virgin variant cover.

INTRODUCING AMARANTH! The Scarlet Witch takes on a mysterious new pupil – at Agatha Harkness’ request. But where did the young sorceress known as Amaranth come from? And what could have spooked Agatha into giving up the chance to mentor her?

“Ever since she debuted in Jen Bartel’s gorgeous variant cover, I’ve been intrigued by Amaranth,” Orlando shared. “Who was she? What was her story–no, her mystery? So, when the chance came to bring her into SCARLET WITCH and explore those questions with the rest of the creative team, I leapt. Bringing Amaranth through the Last Door gives us a chance to upend Wanda’s dynamic with a scenario where Wanda’s faced with a powerful, mysterious being she struggles to figure out–an inverse of her own dynamic earlier in her life. Amaranth’s unique gifts hint towards an auspicious parentage and impressive power, but her life has been tinged with tragedy. There might be no one in the Marvel Universe that can help her, but if there was one–it would be the Scarlet Witch.”

Ultimate Black Cat Makes her Debut in November

New York, NY— August 9, 2024 — The Maker, a deranged alternate version of Reed Richards, manipulated his way through the timestream to create a world without superheroes, but when he emerges from captivity in 16 months, he’s in for a rude awakening! In his absence, superheroes, nations, and young mutants are reclaiming their destiny in four hit titles: Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto’s ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, Bryan Hill and Stefano Caselli’s ULTIMATE BLACK PANTHER, Peach Momoko’s ULTIMATE X-MEN, and Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri’s ULTIMATES. Today, fans can peek ahead at what’s to come in Marvel’s bold new Ultimate line this November.

The cover reveals and synopses for November’s issues spotlight the debut of ULTIMATE BLACK CAT, a showdown between the Ultimates and Hulk, more revelations behind the origin of mutants in the Ultimate Universe, and a strange new ally joining Wakanda in its war against Khonshu’s forces! 

ULTIMATE BLACK PANTHER #10
Written by BRYAN HILL
Art by STEFANO CASELLI

THE BLACK PANTHER AND THE STRANGE DOCTOR?

A prison break brings unlikely aid to Wakanda, but is this new ally a reliable confidant? Or does the godly Moon Knight have more to offer?

ULTIMATES #6
Written by DENIZ CAMP
Art by JUAN FRIGERI

ULTIMATES ASSEMBLE TO TAKE DOWN THE HULK!

The entire roster of THE ULTIMATES unites for the first time in this high octane, climactic conclusion of the first arc! Iron Lad has a plan to defeat the Hulk, the most powerful and imposing member of the Maker’s Council – but has he gotten his team in over their heads?

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #11
Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Art by DAVID MESSINA
WHO IS THE ULTIMATE BLACK CAT?

Guest artist David Messina returns as tensions rise between Spider-Man and Green Goblin in the wake of recent events! And a new villain steps up to the plate! What is her connection to the Black Cat on Kingpin’s Sinister Six?

ULTIMATE X-MEN #9
Written and illustrated by PEACH MOMOKO

MAYSTORM VS. SURGE IN A STATIC SKIRMISH!

Lightning collides as Maystorm and Surge finally confront each other! But when Surge is left weak and drained of her power, Maystorm has even more questions… And now she must investigate the mysterious cult Surge is part of and its relationship to the mutants of the Ultimate Universe.

Categories

Archives

Everything you need to make great comics!

comicmix-pro-300x69-2

Nucleus X

Bookshop Zaks