Category: News

‘Iron Man’ Easter Eggs, ‘Captain America’ and ‘Thor’ Movie Details

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was full of details about current and future projects during a recent screening of new footage from The Incredible Hulk, according to various reports from the event.

Among the juiciest of the news was info related to two highly anticipated Marvel Studios films, The First Avenger: Captain America (When did this film get slapped with the "First Avenger" portion of the title, by the way? Did I miss something?) and the big-screen debut of Marvel’s favorite Norse god, Thor.

According to Feige, Captain America will be a period piece, with a story that occurs during World War II, while the plot of Thor will rely heavily on scenes occurring in Asgard, the mythic Norse realm where the gods go about their godly business.

From Sci Fi Wire:

"The film is not all Asgard, but it will be a big chunk in Asgard, yeah," Feige said.

Feige promised an announcement about a director for Thor "later this summer." Mark Protosevich (The Cell) is drafting a script, which should be submitted in a couple of weeks, he added.

Feige also confirmed that a familiar object in the background of a scene in Iron Man was indeed Captain America’s shield. As the sleuths over at io9 report, the object was absent in the film’s trailer, which happened to include the very same scene — making me that much more impressed with Marvel Studios’ willingness to include these types of Easter Egg elements.

Head over to SciFi Wire for more on Marvel Studios’ slate of films and information from the Hulk screening, and check out the before-and-after screenshots from Iron Man (featuring a glimpse of Cap’s shield) posted over at io9.

Webcomic News Roundup: Anders Loves Maria, Wigu, Octopus Pie…

Confession time: I’ve been remiss in my attention to the webcomics scene lately, as evidenced by my failure to note a few news items from the world of digital comics. In no meaningful order, you should be aware of the following:

After a brief hiatus, Rene Engström resumed work on her wonderful webcomic Anders Loves Maria last week. From the first batch of episodes following the break, I think it’s safe to assume that Engström spent some portion of her time off reacquainting herself with Mario, Princess Peach and the Nintendo family.

Yesterday marked the return of Wigu, Jeffrey Rowland’s fantasy webcomic that provides a great complement to Overcompensating, the personal journal-style webcomic he’s produced for quite some time now. Rowland mentioned that he’d be returning to Wigu in my interview with him a few months back, so it’s nice to see the plan come together. Oh, and it was also Rowland’s birthday yesterday, so belated wishes from the crew here at ComicMix, Jeffrey. (more…)

More Gene Colan Fundraisers and Announcements

Updating our earlier coverage of efforts to raise money for industry legend Gene Colan, Marvel and Hero Initiative recently announced plans for a series of limited print sales and auctions of Colan’s Iron Man art, among other offerings.

From the Hero Initiative announcement:

The Hero Initiative in conjunction with Marvel Comics is launching a series of Gene Colan-themed products, starting with a limited edition print of Gene’s cover art to Invincible Iron Man #1, available at Wizard World Philadelphia, May 30-June 1. Only 200 prints will be available at the show at a cost of $25 each. Net proceeds from sales of these prints by The Hero Initiative will benefit Gene Colan. Another 50 prints will be available at a later date, with plans to have them autographed by both Gene Colan and Stan Lee.

Also at Wizard World Philadelphia, guest writers and artists at the Marvel Comics booth will be signing and sketching two large poster-sized boards, which Hero will auction benefiting Gene at a later date.

And that’s just the start. Wizard World Chicago, June 26-29, will see the release of a second print featuring the cover art to Daredevil #47, the legendary “Brother, Take My Hand” story by Stan Lee and Gene Colan. A third print will be available later in the year, along with other products.

For August, a Gene Colan Tomb of Dracula poster will be available for order via Marvel Previews with proceeds routed to Gene; and in September, a special book reprinting some of Gene’s greatest stories will be made available. In addition to these items, The Hero Initiative will take additional steps to help Gene in his convalescence.

(more…)

The Weekly Haul: Reviews for May 23, 2008

Kudos to Marvel, who blew the pants off the competition in this week’s batch of issues, with an unprecedented four books being so good I have to list them all as tied for the top spot. And, surprise surprise, none of them were Skrullapalooza ’08 tie-ins.

Superheroes aside, a good mix of indies came out as well, making for a well rounded week that I’ll count as an early birthday present to yours truly.

Book(s) of the Week — While these four Marvel books are all essentially equals, the pole position goes to Black Panther #36. Now, I’ve long been something of a Reggie Hudlin hater, but he packs so much story into this issue without making it feel overloaded that it reads like a pre-Bendis Era comic. Killmonger – who makes a surprisingly good villain – rallies a destitute African nation around him in a way that truly captures the continent’s actual unrest. Meanwhile, we finally see the Storm-BP marriage addressed in a believable way, some intense fighting and the line of the week: "He’s already the Mole Man! What more could we do to him?"

Over in Ghost Rider #23, Jason Aaron follows last issue’s big buildup with a huge explosion (literally), and a storyline that perfectly depicts just how tortured Johnny Blaze really is. The art, by Roland Boschi, continues to shine, all scratchy and intense.

Captain America #38 makes the cut as another flawless entry from Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting, with special credit for an entirely plausible and non-Skrullish explanation to the mysterious Steve Rogers that Sharon found last go-round. Meanwhile, Bucky continues to gain his sea legs as the new Cap and the Red Skull’s plans meet political reality.

Lastly but not leastly, Peter David wraps up his Arcade storyline in X-Factor #31, which pulls readers deeply into the looming destruction of Mutanttown with the little emotional moments David is so good at. He also lets Arcade continue to be a relentlessly entertaining villain and makes this team of non-heroes truly heroic.

The Runners Up:

Scalped #17 — I’ve always been on the fence about this series, which has gone back and forth between too action-heavy and too slow. This issue strikes a solid balance as the community buries Dash’s mother and he finally lets himself mourn.

Robin #174 — The best from DC this week, as Robin and Batman figure out the identity of the new hero muddying Gotham’s waters. I won’t spoil it here, but it’s a true surprise that doesn’t seem TOO contrived. The real highlight is the realistic way Chuck Dixon captures everyone’s emotional response to the big news.

(more…)

Manga Friday: Done in One

One of the differences – I won’t say “advantages,” since opinion differs on that subject – of manga from Western-style superhero comics is that manga stories all have endings, eventually. Oh, “eventually” can be a long, long time coming – two decades, in some cases – but manga are created by one person or set of people, and all eventually come to an end, unlike corporate-owned characters, who live as long as their revenue stream does.

Some manga, though, end more quickly than others. Some even end in a couple of hundred pages – a story short enough to fit into one volume. And, by luck, I have two stories just like that in front of me this week.

Haridama: Magic Cram School
By Atasushi Suzumi
Del Rey Manga, May 2008, $10.95

Kokuyo and Harika are childhood friends who both ended up at the Sekiei Magic Cram School – named after its founder and apparently only teacher – studying to be magicians (who, once they’ve climbed the magic ladder as far as they can, we’re told are qualified to open cram schools of their own, which makes the whole thing seem like a pointless pyramid scheme). They’re “Obsidians,” people with only Yin or Yang power – instead of both, like proper magicians – and so they need swords with stones in the hilt to channel their lesser powers.

The other two main characters of this story are Sekiei, their young teacher – there don’t seem to be any other students in the school, in fact – and Nekome, a third-level sorcerer who recently graduated from the rival Torame school. Sekiei pushes Kokuyo and Harika to work harder and achieve more, while Nekome mildly torments them and puts down their abilities. (more…)

‘Hobbit’ Talk With Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro

Chip the glasses, crack the plates… and if you want a chance to chat with directors Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro about the live-action adaptation of The Hobbit, make sure to sign up and join the "Unexpected Party" on May 24!

Okay, okay, I realize that was a weak attempt at showing some Hobbit cred, but you get the idea. The point here is that the noted directors will be participating in a chatroom-style Q&A with fans this Saturday, May 24. They’ll be talking all-things Hobbit, but anyone hoping to get their questions answered will need to sign up ahead of time.

I’m not entirely certain how the process is going to work, but the prospect of finding out more information about the upcoming live-action adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s prequel to The Lord of the Rings has piqued my interest, to put it mildly.

Anyone wishing to join the "Unexpected Party" with Jackson and del Toro can do so on the Weta website at: www.wetanz.com/party/register/.

Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut, by Michael Davis

…sometimes you don’t. Today, I do.

Let me warn you in advance this article will have little if anything to do with comics, movies, or politics or any other popular culture obsession I tend to write about. This article is about how I feel, as in how I feel. I tell you this for two reasons; the first is my apology if this column wastes your time, the second is because I think of my readers as friends and writing this may help me feel better.

So in a very real way I’m looking for a little help from my friends.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been a bit depressed. I mean really depressed. I’ve had no pep, nothing seems to move me, I’ve been sleeping a lot and I have very little motivation. When I say sleeping a lot I mean a lot. I’m getting eight hours of sleep a night. A normal night for me is five hours max. My mood accounts for my last two lackluster articles. Hey, I know they were not great and anytime I do a fluff piece on a personal favorite artist of mine like Sinatra then I’m really at a lost for something to say.

This behavior is SO not who I am. Coming from a family with deep roots in the medical field I was told by more than one person that I might be clinically depressed. (more…)

ComicMix Radio: Picard Lives… And So Do Sisko And Archer!

For the first time ever, there is no new original Star Trek series on television, but your favorite characters are alive and well in book form. Discover what’s been going on with the Next Gen crew, DS9 and more, plus:

— Marvel unveils two new, hard-to-get treasures

— Famous Monsters is back!

— “Dial H For”??

You just want to kill time before the three-day weekend – so  press the button!

 

 

   And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-4716830 or RSS!

 

Summertime… and the Grilling is Easy with a Munden’s Bar Apron

Here at ComicMix, we’re traditionalists that believe summer actually starts on Memorial Day weekend, no matter what movies premiere in early May. So, with the official start of grilling season, may we humbly recommend that you do so with a Munden’s Bar grilling apron?

Straight from the pages of Munden’s Bar, with our multiverse-famous slogan "If you leave here sober, it’s your own damn fault", this apron will protect you from grease, slime, beer, and other hazards of the barbecue. And at the low, low price of $17.99, how can you go wrong? Okay, you could go wrong by taking a chainsaw to school and saying the leprechauns are telling you to carve up the auditorium stage, but that’s a unique way to get out of final exams, at least.

Remember: the more Munden‘s merchandise you buy, the more Munden‘s stories we put out! So buy those beer steins and coasters too!

[/End of soft sell.]

Black Ice: Protein-Laced Zyp

In today’s brand-new episode of Black Ice, by Mike Baron and Lee Oaks, the Prince takes the Helmet to which he believes he was born. The King and Queen learn of their son’s alleged death.  And, oh yeah, there’s dragons.

 

Credits: Mike Baron (Writer), Lee Oaks (Artist), Bob Pinaha (Letterer), Matt Webb (Colorist), Mike Gold (Editor)

More: Black Ice

 

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