Tagged: Iron Man

M.O.D.O.K. and Genocide = M.O.D.O.G.?

Marvel.com, which recently cleaned up in the Eagle Awards as “Favorite Comics Related Website,” has posted some new art today featuring one of my favorite characters in the Marvel Universe: M.O.D.O.K.

Or, more accurately, M.O.D.O.G.

Yes, everyone’s favorite Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing seems to have found himself a new hobby, as well as a new home, in Invincible Iron Man. The new version of the big-headed bugger has taken a shine to genocide instead of just garden-variety killing, according to information released about the villain’s upcoming appearance in the second issue of the Matt Fraction/Salvador Larroca series.

Marvel.com has posted samples of Larroca’s new M.O.D.O.G. art, including this great image of Iron Man dragging the ever-creepy creature around by his hair.

The thing is, I’m not sure if the decision to shift his focus from “Killing” to “Genocide” makes him more or less dangerous. With a M.O.D.O.G., at least you have a good idea of who’s on his hit list, right? But a M.O.D.O.K. – that’s a different story. He wants to kill everybody.

Unless, of course, he’s discovered the sweet serenity of regular meditation.

ComicMix Radio: Controversy in The Comic Shops

Everyone at the racks this week is probably in agreement that Iron Man rocks and Speed Racer, well… doesn’t. But the opinions are much more divided on the topic of DC’s decision to apparently return Barry Allen to the land of the living. There are more clues to what they have planned in this week’s batch of new comics, which we cover, plus:

— Boom Studios plans a benefit project

— Eric Stoltz lands on Caprica

— Eli Stone is coming back

And then there’s Jim Bowie. No, really! Press the Button and we’ll show you…

 

 

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The Real Hero, by Dennis O’Neil

Deju vu all over again? Why, sure.

About 19 years ago, I was being pulled into the summer movie/blockbuster season anticipating two of the myriad entertainments soon to be playing at a theater near me. One was Tim Burton’s second Batman flick, with Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Danny Devito as a particularly nasty Penguin. Oh, and Michael Keaton in his final appearance as the Caped Crusader. (Back then, although he was not a barrel of laughs, he may have been just an eensy-bitsy too cheerful to qualify as a Dark Knight.) Batman was soaking up most of my professional life – I was editing the comic books – and I was writing a comics version of the screenplay, and so I had a distant, tenuous but real interest in the movie. And anyone who’s ever been involved with a Major Motion Picture knows that there is an excitement to such projects that ripples outward to touch even us at their distant edges. (Which may be why working in movies seems to be, for many, so addictive.) In sum: yeah, I was awaiting the Batman flick with more than idle curiosity.

But what I was really waiting for was Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Batman was my job; Indy was my hero. I may have been associating him with an earlier hero, Mr. Paladin, who was the central character in a once-popular, 30-minute TV western called Have Gun, Will Travel. What No-First-Name Paladin and Indiana Jones had in common, besides impressive looks and charisma, and the ability to look good riding a horse, a powerful sense of right and wrong, and great prowess in combat with either fists or weapons, was this: They were smart. More – they were readers! And more – they were even intellectuals!

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I Lost It at the Movies, by Martha Thomases

Last weekend, my son and I went to see Iron Man. We went in the middle of the day to a movie theater in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood that is rarely crowded, so the only other people there were geeks like us.

We had a great time, and that’s what this column is about. Tomorrow is Mothers’ Day, and last week is the last time I’ll be able to go to a superhero movie with my son, without involving an airplane. He’s moving to Los Angeles next month. That’s as far away as he can go without crossing an ocean or a border.

Our movie-going habits started early. When he was six weeks old, we went to see the original Ghostbusters, with the baby in a Snugli. It’s not that we were those horrible parents who take a screaming infant everywhere, as if the world deserves to share their headache. We knew his sleep schedule, and we knew that if we fed him just before the movie started, we should have at least two hours before he woke up. And we went in the middle of a weekday when there would be few other people, and sat in the back, near the aisle, so we could make a hasty retreat if our calculations proved wrong.

Later, as he grew older, my son developed a love of comics that rivaled my own. Even though he was barely five years old, there was no way he would let us go see the first Batman film without him. Being afraid of nightmares, I found a book that explained how the special effects were done, so he’d know that Jack Nicholson didn’t really hurt anyone. The effects didn’t scare him, but he did remark on how out of character it was for Batman to use a gun.

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‘Trick My Truck’ Customizes Iron Man Rig

If Stark Industies made tractor trailers, they might look something like this. Country Music Television’s Trick My Truck is the country version of MTV’s Pimp My Ride. Professional truck customizers give a deserving trucker’s rig a makeover so that he can ride with pride on the open road. Now if that good buddy is a comic book fan and known for being an "Iron Man" when it comes to grueling hauls, it’s no surprise what superhero they chose to surprise him with. Ladies and gentlemen, introducing "Iron Truck":

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Where Are The Superheroine Movies?

shehulk025-1292861Over at Cinematical, Elisabeth Rappe responds to all the acclaim for Iron Man by pointing out a deficiency in the booming business of comics being adapted to film.

Looking around the cinematic landscape, at the likes of Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Bruce Wayne, Hellboy and the like, Rappe notices something missing: superheroines. And, even worse, Marvel’s recent announcement of more male heroes headed to the screen and ongoing delays in a Wonder Woman project, it looks like no female heroes will be hitting the big screen anytime soon.

It has been eight years since X-Men made comic book movies big business, and we have yet to see a proper superheroine. Ant-Man is on a faster production track than Wonder Woman – and who is more recognizable to the general public? Why is Thor more palatable to the mass audience than Black Widow? I don’t buy that there isn’t a mass appeal for these stories.

It probably doesn’t help the studio perspective that the only two comic heroines allowed to fly solo were disasters. But was there ever a smidgen of care given to either Elektra or Catwoman during the writing or production process? Neither film was entered into with that Iron Man spirit; they were careless and cheap, and turned out predictably awful. It’s no surprise that a movie bombs because it sucks – but surely, the suits are ascribing that largely to heroines being lousy sells. It says volumes that neither are worth the kind of relaunch The Incredible Hulk is getting. Why not bring back Elektra to revise big screen history? I’d pay to see it in a heartbeat.

A lot of food for thought, and plenty to agree or disagree with. Interestingly, Rappe doesn’t place any of the blame on the comic book industry, which has been called out for giving women short shrift plenty of times.

The Weekly Haul: Reviews for May 8, 2008

Simply put, a huge week in comics, with a full load of books even before we get into Skrullapalooza 2008. Though a few decent indies came out, superheroes dominated the shelves, and Marvel’s superheroes especially, including a couple of big debuts.

Book of the Week: Nova #13 — A comic has to be pretty dang good to overcome a cover like the one at right, which seems to show Nova and Silver Surfer en flagrante as Galactus serves as an interstellar peeping tom.

Despite that, Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning’s space book shows no Annihilation hangover, keeping the pedal all the way to the floor. Back to trying to serve as a cop of the cosmos, Nova responds to a world being destroyed by Galactus. In a great catch, Nova realizes the world is already doomed, so he focuses instead on the rescue mission (with nice allusions to FEMA and Hurricane Katrina).

As if that wasn’t enough, the writing crew throws in the complicating villain Harrow, a malevolent and vague force that feeds off suffering — a clever parallel to Galactus’ appetite.

No kidding, this is one of the best superhero comics right now, and easily the most enjoyable space story in recent years.

Runners Up:

The Boys #18 — The comic known for its raunchiness is as bellicose as ever, with a constant peppering of cursing that almost makes Deadwood seem prim and proper. While that’s what the series has come to be known for, this issue surprises in how well it captures interactions among the characters in low-key ways.

Of course, there’s also a lengthy scene of a floating corpse peeing all over…

The All-New Atom #23 — Escalating craziness is the proper description for this series. Ryan is now in some sort of alternate universe, where his friends (thought to have been eaten by last issue’s monster) are fending off bizarre monsters. A classic bad-to-worse issue, with lively art from Pat Olliffe and another great cliffhanger ending.

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And the MTV Movie Award for Comic Books Goes To…

The annual MTV Movie Awards are pretty much the exact opposite of the Academy Awards. They’re funny and irreverant, the music’s decent and the voters are the public instead of an exclusive club of insiders. The categories change from year to year, and most importantly, comic book films actually manage to win on occasion.

So, when MTV announced the nominees for this year, I scanned the list for our four-color friends and called them out here. Some of the entries, though, were a bit surprising. After reading the nominees, be sure to go to the official site and cast your vote.

BEST FIGHT:

Alien vs Predator (Alien vs Predator: Requiem). Comic fans can claim this one since the two characters first crossed over in comics. I was impressed with Predator’s stirring emotional performance but it felt like Alien was playing it for the Academy.

Tobey Maguire vs James Franco (Spider-Man 3).  I was so rooting for the Peter Parker vs. Mary Jane dance-off getting nominated, but Parker’s fight with Harry Osborn/New Goblin was pretty cool, too.

BEST SUMMER MOVIE SO FAR:

Iron Man. This is an interesting category since most of the entries haven’t come out yet. But if we’re going to be true to the "so far" part, then yes, Iron Man wins. It’s a no-brainer at this point, really.

BEST VILLAIN:

Topher Grace (Spider-Man 3). This just makes me sad that the movie didn’t feature Spider-Man nemesis Venom a bit more instead of forcing him to share the spotlight with Sandman, a bad guy whose big exit involved crying and floating away.

The ‘Iron Man’ Merch: Where’s the Rum Gone?

There’s no denying that the Merry Marvel Marketing Machine went all out for Iron Man — to the tune of $75 million, in fact. From games and toys to Slurpee mugs, in the run-up to last week’s record-breaking release, it was difficult to go anywhere without being exposed to some sort of hype for Ol’ Shellhead.

Nevertheless, I’ll confess feeling a little old-school joy when I see some of the new movie merch making the rounds. Over at Cinematical, the movie blog’s crew posted a detailed look at one of the promotional Iron Man action figures they received a little while back, while EW’s PopWatch blog generated a bit of envy here at ComicMix with their treasure trove of Iron Man swag. Oh, and for the Iron Man completist, IGN posted a fairly comprehensive guide to the licensed Iron Man merchandise you can expect to see on shelves — at least until the collectors get their hands on them, that is.

As is often the case, however, my favorite piece of geekery fell a bit outside the range of mainstream Iron Man swag popping up around the InterWebs. In fact, it was something resembling love at first sight when I came across the Custom "Repulsive Iron Man" Marvel Legends Movie Figure seen here:

It’s a beauty, right? Not only is the figure packaged with a miniature bottle of Bacardi and a set of beer cans, but it also comes with a piece of original artwork by Shortpacked creator David Willis. It’s the perfect combination of comic in-joke and webcomic fun.

Check out the product pitch:

Decked out in sickly green metallics, inebriated shading, and vomitous brown highlights, Iron Man is loaded with disgusting detail. Load him up with the various miniature beer cans or his trusty bottle of Bacardi and he’s ready to battle the bad guys, just as long as you point him in the right direction first!

So, yeah… It’s too bad the auction ended last week. That would have been $152.51 well spent.

ComicMix Radio: The Heat Continues

Coming off a weekend where Iron Man breaks movie records and 2 million free comics are handed out, the momentum for this week doesn’t slow down. Like good ol’ Ringo Starr, walk into your comic store and you will see:

— DC fills in some background for Final Crisis and finally finishes off the Donner story

— Secret Invasion #2 hits the stores

— Plus: 100 Hulks go on display

Before you Press the Button we should tell you that seconds after this photo was taken, Pete Best snatched this comic from Ringo and ran out the door as fast as he could, shouting, "Finally, revenge!"

 

 

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