Previews: Uncanny X-Force #22 and Wolverine & The X-Men #6

Previews for two quality X-comics on sale tomorrow. In Uncanny X-Force, the battle in the omniverse (or whatever it's called) continues, with Wolverine, alterNightcrawler and Deadpool trying to save medieval peasant civilians from an evil magic goat, and Betsy trying to save Fantomex. Sounds hokey but it's pretty fantastic (though I miss the artist who was usually on Uncanny.) Wolverine & The X-Men brings us Wolverine and Quentin Quire, the headmaster and the kid sociopath, venturing out into the galaxy in an attempt to cheat and gamble until they have enough money to bankroll the Jean Grey School.

Turns out there's a place at the end of the Milky Way galaxy called Planet Sin. Feels like I should have known about that. Would have been convenient setting in many cosmic stories. One day I sure hope to see Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning write a story where Drax (he's not really dead), Nova (he's not really dead), Rocket Racoon and Gamora check out the Sin sights as well.

TV Reviews: Justified, Revenge & The River

A few brief reviews of new and recently returned television shows. Read on for comments on Revenge and The River.

Justified

   I definitely have a soft spot for this show. It's given us some truly great episodes before, and the slow burn of plot lines during the season always pays off in a thoroughly enjoyable and engrossing climax/finale.  However, there is one huge complaint I have about this show, and it involves the magnetic, charming, talented lead Timothy Olyphant, whom I could watch in just about anything.

DnA on New Mutants, with a Preview of #38

CBR's latest X-Position installment has DnA answering questions about their work on New Mutants.  As usual, especially with a big event such as Avengers vs. X-Men coming up, they're fairly cagey in terms of possibly revealing any spoilers.

Still, some things come out, such as the fact that they intend to keep Dani powerless (and see her as a "stand-out" Captain America-leader type character), Nate Grey will probably regain the full extent of his own powers eventually, and that they are more than willing to get back to writing cosmic comics so long as Marvel offers the opportunity. So wake up, Marvel execs, cause their cosmic work was about ten times better than their current 'street level' superheroics.

Read the article at CBR and read on here for the preview of New Mutants #38, which brings us to our final sneaky spoiler of the day: the return of Bird Brain!! The one and only Ani-Mate who was present, and in part responsible, for the death of Doug Ramsey. Talk about unfinished business.

This Week's Comics - 2/15/12

This week brings me a solid Marvel line-up (including some titles showing impressive regularity) and even a couple choice DC titles, the cream of the New 52 crop.

Pick of the Week, despite some stellar competition, is X-Factor, owing to the the personally much-anticipated conclusion to They Keep Killing Madrox.

More Avengers vs. X-Men Covers

As the weeks roll by and we get closer to the April beginning of the AvX epic, Marvel continues to release covers that reveal some hints as to future plot developments as well as please the eye. Check out all the newest ones below, with some mild speculation.

Flaming Hope on the run, looking like she's lost all her allies by Round 4.

Avengers vs. X-Men #1 Preview and Variant Covers

All AvX! All the time! Despite being about 2 months away from release, Marvel is stepping up what has already been an intense promotional campaign. And I for one do not mind in the least. Most of us have a sense of the tone this major Marvel event will be striking, and while it's probably not going to be a deep, multifaceted, quiet character study, it's going to be a hell of a lot of fun.

Check out some variant covers Marvel has released, followed by a 7 page preview of Avengers vs. X-Men #1! See how it all begins.

This Week's Comics - 2/8/12

Between a busy work week, canine responsibilities and the Super Bowl, I haven't had much time to think of new posts. However, I it seems to have been pretty slow in the comic-news department these days so I haven't missed much, except perhaps for some new superhero movie trailers (Avengers, Spidey) and a recently revealed AvX cover that shows us Thor battling a very yonic Phoenix force.

So let's just get right to the meat of the week; Wednesday's new comics. As usual my Pull List is Marvel-heavy, though streamlined, but we've got some more publishing houses in the mix this time around, and the competition for Pick of the Week is not in Marvel at all. It's between the best title DC has, The Unwritten, and Dark Horse's newest Buffy issue, which may not be my favorite comic but this week has a fantastic cover and a story to tell about our old friend Nikki Wood, the NYC Slayer and single mom from the 80s. Read on for the full list and Buffy preview.

Next Week's Previews

Today I'm just gonna put up some purty and colorful previews of next week's new comics. Life is good and busy and my sweet dog has moved into my own apartment. If you scroll down and read all the previews, perhaps you will find a picture of her radiant canine self sleeping in her new home (yes, I have taken her in and will never let her go.)

On the comics front, big news this week is the announcement of more Watchmen comics, either prologues or sequels I forget. Either way, I'm not terribly invested. Everyone goes on and on about Watchmen and Alan Moore and I can see that it did a lot for comics in general when it was released, but I was never the biggest fan of the story itself. Besides, even if it were the greatest thing ever released in comics form, doesn't that make rehashing it with new writers some 30 years later an idiotic and purely financial idea?

So, preview-wise, we'll be sticking with some tried and true Marvel comics as well as the new Angel & Faith, featuring the return of Drusilla, a character I'm looking forward to reading on account of some recently viewed Buffy reruns that featured her. (Often at the end of her episodes she just slinks away into the shadows while Buffy makes a pun instead of, say, killing her and saving countless future lives. I've always felt Drusilla is one of Buffy's biggest slay-fails.)

This Week's Comics - 2/1/12

The first day of February and already there are new comics which I will read (and store and read again) being unloaded out of cardboard boxes mere blocks away. It's a good way to start the month, even though this week brings a thin pull list.

Uncanny X-Men #6

Considering the stacks I used to carry out of the comic store when I had no semblance of restraint, it's a downright emaciated pull list. Five comics, just five, and all Marvel. And yes, most of them are X-Men related. I gone done shocked ya now, didn't I?

Avengers vs. X-Men #0 Preview

Preview pages for the big Avengers vs. X-Men event prologue are now online. Feast your eyes as the stage gets set for the Phoenix to hit the fan and Earth's mightiest hated and feared heroes go after each other.

Novak for President

A little late, reporting-wise, but I'm not really a journalist and fans can be forgiven. On Sunday Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in their third straight Grand Slam Final meeting, winning the Australian Open in what was the longest final in Grand Slam history. The score was 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5. 

Nole Sends Ratface Back To Glasgow

Well, as of just a few minutes ago, Novak Djokovic advanced to the Championship round of the Australian Open, defeating Murray as expected.

However, the fashion in which he triumphed was less expected. The semi-final match between the world no. 1 and the world no. 4 went 5 sets and lasted a few minutes shy of 5 hours. (It also screwed up my commute. How can you get up at 330am and still end up late for work?)

Alas, Poor Roger

As of 7:30am, we have at least one of the finalists for Sunday's Australian Open championship round, and his name is Rafael Nadal. (And in my opinion, his opponent is guaranteed to be Djokovic.)

Extending his career record over Federer to stunning 18-9, this modern legend of a rivalry has become painfully one-sided. As several commentators pointed out this morning, playing Roger brings out the best in Nadal, but for some unknown reason has the opposite effect on Federer.

This Week's Comics - 1/24/12

Reading habits always suffer during the second week of a Grand Slam, and while the Australian Open may take a bit more out of a fan (marquis matches airing at 330am start wearing you down by the Semifinals) the Live feed of Melbourne time gives one several opens for catching up on comics.

Fortunately it's a pretty thin week, with even those reliable titles that seem to ship three times a month (X-Factor, Amazing Spider-Man, etc.) taking a little break, and the general status quo of both universes falling somewhere in the calm spot between major events. With all the talk of Avengers vs. X-Men, and even the Batman line crossover, this will surely not last for long.

Hit jump, peruse listage. And don't miss Nadal v. Federer at 330 ET tonight/tomorrow morning.

Artsy Avengers Variants

Just in time for the movie's premiere, May 4th 2012, Marvel is releasing a slew of variants in April to honor the Avengers team in a slightly more artistic way. Over a dozen various titles will be released with a variant featuring the movie-cast of the team in unusual, rarely seen ways. And it's really rather lovely.

Despite not loving the line-up (Black Widow? Really?) I love when they do stuff like this. And thanks to Bleeding Cool, I've got all the covers up here. Check 'em out.

Recommended Reading

I'm always reading a book. At any given moment in life there is a book I have begun, either sitting in my pocket eagerly waiting for a subway ride or a less amenable opportunity to rejoin the story, or else sitting on my nightstand, dutifully awaiting the mandatory five minutes of reading endurance that precedes slumber. As with most things, the intensity and commitment ebbs and flows. Quite frankly I have plenty of dry spells that involve keeping an unfinished book in my bag while devouring comics and television for weeks.

However, I happen to be in a voracious reading phase. Or coming out of one, at least. I was going slow but steady a few weeks ago with some Dumas, and then Hunger Games happened. I'd heard of it from The Sister (that's not some weird thing, I just like capitalizing my family's roles) and finally got around to putting it on my Hold list at the library.

Cut to 24 hours later, 7 spent in sleep, the rest in barrelling through Suzanne Collins' trilogy. It was scary, intense, fast-paced, and FUN. I hadn't had that kind of stay-up-till-3am-reading fun in months. And, as usually happens, I was desperate to recreate the situation. These are the hits and misses of my post-Hunger Games Reading fortnight.

Iron Phoenix Fist Force

UPDATED: Two new AvX covers, released today, are posted at the bottom.

Despite being months away, it seems that every new day of 2012 brings us new images from the Avengers vs. X-Men event. Three more covers stand revealed, and while two are standard, aesthetically pleasing, expected and fun, the other is just...yeahbuhwha??!

This Week's Comics - 1/18/12

It's a mercifully light week, with only 5 Marvels and 2 DCs making the cut. The problem with light weeks is that once you're done selecting new comics, your stack neatly assembled, waiting on a small line for the cashier, that's when you notice the bargain bins.

Vintage Uncanny X-Men issues for 50% off sticker price. Alternate universe hardcovers marked down 70% from retail price. That semi-new indie comic everyone's been talking about, collected and released at a manageable price. Hell, even the Thor and Captain America keychains suddenly look like the most beautiful man-made creations in the history of human artistry.

In moments such as this, moments of savage trial and epic temptation, I encourage you to breathe, to return your gaze to your eagerly assembled original comics stack, and attempt to put on blinders. You must block out the strangely illuminated treasure that fills up the counter space of a comic store. You must be strong, and brave, and pay for your comics as quickly as possible. Once cash or credit has changed hands, you can reopen your peripheral vision and even safely converse with employees, as the chances of 2nd round chotchky/back issue buying are far less.

Good luck to you, bold traveller. Hit the jump for my list.

SMG & Piper Perabo at Globes

In an otherwise frightfully long, dull, pointless, awkward awards show, this recent Golden Globes had one moment of excitement for me; when Sarah Michelle Gellar and Piper Perabo walked out together to present an award.

Granted, SMG has meant more to me in the past than Piper, but seeing them together was a bit of a thrill; the more underrated but personally esteemed actresses in the room.

Yes, unfortunately, their dresses were both pretty awful, and I can't get behind that bouffant hair bump that women are doing lately, but who cares? It's SMG and Piper. I just like to think that they're best friends now. (Step aside, Lena Headey.) And besides, Sarah let her daughter pick the dress. That's both an excuse, kind parenting, and a small fuck-you to the fame obsessed hordes that put together such a painfully irrelevant schlockfest as the Globes.

Now, if only they'd given her a globe for Buffy back in the day, I might actually begin to think about respecting them.

Avengers vs. X-Men #1 Cover

via CBR

It's pretty much what you would expect, save for two small things. A) They're referring to it as Round One as opposed to Issue One, which is rather fun, and B) Beast and Wolverine both appear to start off the series on the Avengers side. That's obviously not confirmed, but whatever confusion or final decisions they have to face, I believe they'll end up firmly on the X-Men side, aka the "Let's not kill that little girl named Hope" side, which I assume is their team name.

As I've said, I'm excited either way. Wish I had more for you rabid comic news junkies this morning, but it seems everyone else got the day off for MLK Jr. day and decided to stay in bed, avoiding both work of any kind and the 14 degree weather. Lucky bastards.

Also the Australian Open has begun. There are four grand slams a year, four fortnights in which I can expect a lot of late nights given up in dedication to watching a great tennis tournament. The fact that it's in Melbourne makes it a bit tricky, but espn2 and a fresh pot of coffee help.

I haven't seen much yet, but I'm betting Novak is still the best bet. He loves winning down under. But I want to see Roger in action as well, see how he's looking. It could be the year he gets back on top, I think. Tomic, the young Australian, had a fantastic match last night, bringing down Verdasco in 5-sets. Played with maturity and grace and mental fortitude and he's only 19 or something insane like that. Gotta love this sport.

Marvel Previews for Next Week's Comics

I'm too happy it's Friday to think of anything very good to blog about. Hopefully I'll get around to discussing some recent sci/fi/fantasy reads, or my progress through Mike Carey's Unwritten series. But until then, let's just look at some pretty pictures.

Hit the jump for some previews of next week's new Marvel comics. Or go see 'em all at CBR.

Avengers vs. X-Men: One-on-One Battles Revealed

While many things remain uncertain (elections, olympics, apocalypse) some things are very clear; 2012 is the year of Avengers vs. X-Men. And with that comes, as promised, the tie-in title Versus, the grudge-match showdowns, the stage for the one-on-one battles that we have all imagined and argued over throughout our adolescence.

As the publishers and marketers begin to tease us, and reveal, little by little, news and information for this epic upcoming event, we start to get a look at the line-up. It's a fun thing to behold.

This Week's Comics

This week brings me my mostly standard Marvel fare, with the notable plot excitement coming in X-Factor #230; this title seems to ship far more often than any other, and I truly appreciate that. After several months of teases and solicits and speculation, Havok and Polaris make their X-Factor return/debut today. Even without Jamie dying slash stuck on a roller coaster of dimensional Dupe-Death hopping, or seeing Layla grieve, or Monet dealing with Guido's missing soul, or Rictor and Shatterstar doing...just about anything, Lorna and Alex coming back makes it my Pick of the Week.

X-Factor #230: POTW



 Other points of interest include the first X-Men Legacy written by Christos Gage and taking place in the Jean Grey School, as well as a slow but heartfelt search for Unwritten back issues. I need my Mike Carey fix and it turns out all the critics were right; this comic is amazing.

HELP: Great Sci/Fi & Fantasy Titles Needed

On a bit of a kick these days, and I need your help to keep it going. I've been reading a lot of sci fi/fantasy novels lately and I want to find some more this afternoon.

I recently devoured the Hunger Games trilogy, and naturally anything that gripping and fast-paced, the kind to inspire all-night reading, would be ideal. I also did the City of Ember books, which were torn through at a similar pace though with less fervor. And Michael Chabon's fantastic (as if his writing needed complimentary descriptive terms anymore) Summerland novel.

Granted most of these are pretty firmly placed in the Young Adult category, but I have no problem with that. Some of the best stories are, and I am in fact trying to learn some fundamentals about how to write these stories.

A couple wider attempts have failed; I stalled pretty early on in Robert Jordan's Eye of the World. I was also more of CS Lewis guy than a Tolkien one (Ballet over Opera, Crunchy over Creamy) and Jordan's dense mythology and languages and worlds whittled away at my interest about a third of the way (much like Lord of the Rings.)

So with all that information, and with the revelation of other all-time favorites--Narnia, Lewis' Space Trilogy, LeGuin (Earthsea), Orson Scott Card (Ender AND Maker,) Roald Dahl, etc.---does anyone have any choice suggestions?

Any recommendations would be hugely appreciated. Thanks.

Avengers vs. X-Men: The Tie-In

So after a lot of talk about next year's big Avengers vs X-Men event being entirely self-contained and staying within the confines of its own major, relevant titles, it seems we will have a tie-in after all. But you won't find any complaints here.

And why is that? Because the tie-in comic is called, quite simply, "Versus." Every battle in AvX, every one-on-one grudge match that they can't spare pages on in the main story, goes down in "Versus."

Magneto vs. Iron Man. Namor vs. The Thing. Brawlers and Earth-shakers. And less potent fighters as well, such as Pixie vs. Squirrel Girl, or ancient grudge/new mutiny personal fights, such as Ms. Marvel vs. Rogue.

'Awesome' is the watch-word. Final enticing tidbits include the hope for Jessica Jones to slip in somewhere, a background Ben Urich/Trish Tilby reporter fight, the divided loyalties of certain characters with ties to both teams, and last, but certainly not least, a Storm fight of her very own.

Coverage of the announcement here and here.

Marvel Previews for Next Week's Comics

Friday's are wonderful already, but as an added bonus to break-up the final work day of the week, Comic Book Resources always posts previews of new Marvel comics being released next week.

And I shamelessly repost them. 'Cause they're pretty to look at and 7 days is surprisingly long to wait for my new comic fix. What can I say, I'm a superhero junkie.

Hit the jump for previews of: Wolverine & the X-Men #4, X-Men Legacy #260.1, X-Factor #230 and New Avengers #20.

Sci Fi / Fantasy Poll

I'm not looking for what you consider the best writing, or the best characters, but which premise, spawned in the writer's head before a word had been written, is most attractive, interesting and hard to put down.

Which sci fi/fantasy novel has the most engrossing premise?
	The Chronicles of Narnia
	Dune
	The Hunger Games
	Wizard of Earthsea
	Stranger in a Strange Land
	Ender's Game
= see results =

Peter David on X-Factor's Changes

Comic Book Resources has another fun X-Position installment with Peter David, writer of X-Factor, answering fan questions about various topics and specifically the upcoming return of Havok and Polaris to the team.

Hit the jump for some choice tidbits, insights, and pictures. Or just go read it yourself.

This Week's Comics - 1/4/12

It's the first Pull List of the New Year, and it seems my selection matches the new sales charts that are out; Marvel takes the cake.

Yes, folks, not a single DC title gets on my list this week, nor any indies or semi-mainstream companies or the one created by the guy who owns the comic store. This week is entirely Marvel.



Avengers Annual #1


Bright colors. Skin tight costumes. Loud, destructive powers. It's like they read all my New Year's Resolutions.

The Baker Street Irregulars Come to Comics

Tony Lee and Dan Boultwood have written/drawn (respectively) a series of graphic novels about the Baker Street Irregulars, Sherlock Holmes' amateur crime fighting force of enterprising orphans and bold yet obedient street kids. This seems like a rather obviously brilliant publishing move and I'm surprised no one has announced a TV show with the same premise yet. Considering the success of recent Sherlock adaptations, and I am a big fan of both the movie and the BBC show (though I have yet to see their newest incarnations) Lee's new stories seems destined to be a big hit.

The comic will take place after Sherlock's apparent death at Reichenbach Falls, and will see the Baker Street Irregulars stepping in to assume the mystery-solving/crime-fighting workload that Holmes once carried singlehandedly. They are not alone, however, as both Mr. Watson and Irene Adler act as support.

Here's an original little New Year's promotional strip that was published in The Times (the London one) just yesterday. And then hit the jump if you want to see some pages from the upcoming series as well as a few details on some of these new Irregulars.

Uncanny X-Men #4 Preview, Plus A Guide to Recent Phalanx History

Looks like 2012 is certain to be a good year, as we're getting two new issues of Uncanny X-Men in two consecutive weeks. I'll be completely honest, and admit I'm leaning the Logan/Westchester way these days, but Kieron Gillen is still a pretty fun X-writer and honestly, two straight weeks with a new premiere X-book on the stands? It's starting to become a blissfully common occurrence.

Uncanny #4 brings us what is apparently just a one-shot, featuring the return of the dread Phalanx. The Phalanx, obviously, are the accidental byproduct of the feeding process of alien race the Technarchy, who are giant, living techno-organic organisms who possess a unique transmode virus. Their Marvel history is predominantly with the X-Men, used as a weapon by mutant haters as well as the direct connections to Warlock of the New Mutants, who is a mutant among the Technarchy, bearing a non-aggressive strain of the transmode virus.

What some people don't know, however, is what the Phalanx have been up to lately. Hit the jump for the Uncanny preview as well as some fun pictures from the Phalanx' latest adventures.

This Week's Comics - 12/28/11

So it's the last Pull List of the year, and despite last week's impressive haul, there are some gems in the stack that should end 2011 in style.

Considering that the fantastic and difficult-to-wait-for penultimate issue of Avengers: Children's Crusade is out, it seems it would be a shoe-in for any "Pick of the Week" spotlights. But in truth it didn't even affect the easy decision of honoring Mike Carey's final issue of X-Men Legacy after 5 years.



X-Men Legacy #260


This reader will miss you, Mr. Carey. Thanks for the great comics.

Read on for the list.

Preview: Avengers Children's Crusade #8

Today CBR brings us a preview of the penultimate chapter of this year's best comic series, Avengers: Children's Crusade. In light of next year's Avengers vs. X-Men epic, all the prophesies of this series having major ramifications for the entire Marvel Universe seem to be true.

The return of the Scarlet Witch continues, with a healed and all-powerful Victor von Doom taking center stage. Merry Christmas folks.

Quicksilver Reviews This Week's Comics

I, Pietro Maximoff, have returned. Once again I find myself owing the odious Captain Elias a favor. The details of our debt are not to be divulged to his plebeian readers, save for the method of my repayment. That is, the reviewing of the silly "comic books", chronicling the adventures of my fellow super compatriots, which the Captain purchased yesterday with his limited funds. I believe he has a job of some kind to pay for such banal frivolities, but it's hardly worth mentioning.

The point is, I am here and he is not. I shall now take approximately 20 seconds to read his entire "Pull List" and write down my reactions. Whether you agree with my opinions, or are tempted to buy certain issues after hearing them, is no concern of mine. So long as you do not actively pursue the destruction of the mutant race, I could not care less.

This Week's Comics - 12/21/11

I guess the Big Two decided to release most of their best titles the week before Christmas, because my Pull List is seriously enlarged this week. But if there's one thing the birth of Jesus Christ has taught me, it's that the balance in my checking account does not matter as much as giving and receiving items of value.

And what's more valuable than the brand new adventures of my favorite superheroes? Absolutely nothing that's what.



Daredevil #7 is one of this week's top picks.

 Hit the jump for a week of franchise heroes, fairy tale holidays, dark knights with grudge matches, and dead mutants resurrecting all over the place.

Stephanie Brown as Batgirl, One Last Time

My biggest problem with DC's New 52, followed closely by the misuse of Tim Drake in the abominable Teen Titans, was the disappearance of Stephanie Brown as Batgirl.

The new Batgirl title, featuring an ambulatory Barbara Gordon, has been decent but not nearly as fantastic as Bryan Q. Miller's pre-52 Batgirl. There were conflicting reports about Stephanie's role in the new universe--did she exist? was she another Batgirl working for Batman, Inc.? was she back to being the Spoiler? how much of her history was still canon? etc. etc.

Well it turns out that tomorrow we will be getting our last look at Stephanie Brown in her trademark purple-y Batgirl costume. The comic is Batman Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes! by Grant Morrison, the long awaited (though not by me) finale to his hugely delayed Batman, Inc.

Things to Come: X-Men

CBR has a feature called Axel-in-Charge in which they interview Marvel's editor in chief about current and future plans in the Marvel U. I never really enjoy the interview itself; he doesn't really reveal anything newsworthy and just talks about the business and how they come up with ideas for big events, such as the recently announced Avengers vs. X-Men.

However, the feature does always include some advance art pages from upcoming comics, and while they may be unlettered previews, they do give us some hints about things to come.

Review: Uncanny X-Force #18, The Dark Angel Saga Conclusion

This week saw the conclusion of The Dark Angel Sage in Uncanny X-Force #18, a multi-issue arc with plot lines that can be traced all the way back to #1. (It seems Remender is a big continuity geek and fan of background hints and teasers.) This comic is one of the best, and certainly the most unique, superhero books out there, and the finale of this particularly huge story was still unexpectedly fantastic.

At the beginning, Warren Worthington III has been completely overwhelmed by the Archangel persona and, as the heir of Apocalypse, is poised to use the Life Seed to destroy the world and regrow it in a new evolutionary paradise...or something like that. Wolverine is out of the fight. Deadpool is in pieces. Only Fantomex and Psylocke remain to stand against Archangel.

(Read More for Review, quotes from Rick Remender, and preview of #19.)

X-Factor #229 Preivew

Because I don't want Madrox to die, or stop being leader of the team, or go anywhere at all in point of fact. And because Peter David is doing some fun brilliant stuff, especially with comic book cliches that remind one of '90s comics.

Angel & Faith #5 Preview

There's already a preview up for next month's Angel & Faith. So far I find this title a bit more gripping than the main Buffy flagship title, though both comics are leaving me a bit left down when it comes to hearing the true voices of these beloved characters. Some of the thigns they say and do just aren't...in character. (Example: Faith wearing a Peace necklace.)

That being said, Angel is the one I can hear most clearly, and while I struggle with this reformed, dress-wearing, pep-talky Faith, I highly enjoy their adventures. The next arc seems to have Harmony in it, as well as Clem, both classic comedy relief periphery guys but not nearly as engrossing as the prospect of Angel somehow turning into or being possessed by the deceased Giles. A clever and unexpected turn from Christos Gage who is really all over the place in the comics world. It's very impressive.

Avengers Vs. X-Men #0 Cover Revealed!

The more I think about it, the more excited I am for Avengers vs. X-Men. I know some people are saying it's unoriginal, or been done before, or is easy entertainment plot fluff. But y'know what? That's what I read comics for! I love these characters and their powers and their goals and their families, and seeing them split down the middle, going head to head over the fate of their loved ones and the safety of the world? That's just good clean fun.

Plus it occurred to me that never in Avengers or X-Men history have their respective teams been so large. Even when the world had millions of mutants, there were never this many united and on the team and living and fighting together. Likewise, the Avengers have had multiple teams before, and reserve members, but never three active at once on top of a school run by veteran faculty. Besides, if you read a Bendis Avengers reboot, you'll see a double spread page with all the heroes Steve Rogers picks to join the franchise. And it turns out that man is not very picky. So the potential conflict is bigger and more widespread than I thought at first.

Anyway, the point is Marvel released the cover for next years Avengers Vs. X-Men prologue focusing on Hope Summers and Wanda Maximoff! Pretty cool, right? Hit the jump for the official press release.

This Week's Comics - 12/14/11

As the wise elder of my village used to say, a drought in one plain means rain in another. It is thus for comics as well. A slim pull list one week means more money for beer.

So read, drink and be merry. And, if at all possible, spend most of your time thinking about superheroes. It just makes life better, in my experience.

Character of the Day: Thanoseid

In my excitement and anticipation for the return of Nova (is it really him? how's he coming back? if he survived the Cancerverse, what about Star-Lord and Thanos?) I recently reread The Thanos Imperative, the great mini-event that, at the time, seemed to be the final chapter in Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning's cosmic stories.

Thanos was an integral part of the story; the Avatar of Death, Star-Lord's ace-in-the-hole, he was the only being capable of halting the Cancerverse version of Mar-Vell and his unkillable masters the Many-Angled Ones. In the end he destroyed this enemy universe, yet was not given what he wanted; death, both in the sense of being dead and finally getting to be with his true love, lady Death. This enraged him, and as the cancerverse blinked out of existence, Nova and Star-Lord remained behind to keep Thanos from returning to our reality.

In the neural pathways of my brain reserved for comic book thoughts (which make up abotu 85% of my cranium) I free associated with regards to Thanos; I thought of his history in the Marvel Universe (every Infinity miniseries, including Infinity Abyss which I want to find since I've never read a comic where Genis-Vell, son of Mar-Vell and brother of Phyla-Vell, was in the role of Captain Marvel) his several deaths and returns (Annihilation War, Imperative) and his long discussed similarity to DC's Darkseid.

Researching which all powerful, mostly-malevolent and destructive cosmic character came first, I came upon the being known as Thanoseid, a synthesis of the DC and Marvel characters that appeared in the '90s, during the big event of DC vs. Marvel. That unprecedented event was also on my mind lately, recalled by the news of Avengers vs. X-Men, and those teams' history of conflict. I remember being ridiculously excited as a boy for the Marvel vs DC match-ups, though the subsequent Amalgam Comics that they released, with several titles focusing on the synthesized characters, was a little more difficult to get into.

Regardless, I had no memory of the Thanos/Darkseid amalgamation, but I found the idea appealing. Being generally a Marvel man, I prefer the stories I've read featuring Thanos, but I have to admit the substantial villainy of Darkseid despite hating such stories as Final Crisis.

So watching Rocket Raccoon's tail stiffen when faced with a berserker Thanos, I could only imagine his reaction when confronted with Thanoseid and his Anti-Life Nullifier (contradiction?)

Oh who am I kidding. Rocket would do what he always does when faced with a conflict. Grab a really big gun. (They should write a Rocket Raccoon/Cable crossover...I think they'd get along great.)

Wolverine and the X-Men #4 Preview

It's unlettered, which hurts, and is not my favorite art, but hey, Jason Aaron hasn't let me down yet, so I'm keeping the faith. Plus: Kitty Pryde. Not really sure why he'd put Deathlok on the faculty (a character I've never enjoyed, except maybe when he was in the wonderful Silver Sable series decades ago) but I'm hoping we get some X-Force drama soon and figure out how Betsy's pulling off the double-team-duty across the great divide.

Comic Book Movie Teasers

It seems this weekend saw some new teasers released for upcoming comic movies. Unfortunately no Avengers fun; instead we get an interesting visual for the new Spider-Man reboot, as well as a taste of what's to come in the final Nolan/Bale Batman film.

The image of Bane walking away from Batman's discarded mask evokes a classic event in comics history, despite avoiding a direct iconic copy.

I should admit that I wasn't as crazy-in-love with The Dark Knight as everyone else, and am subsequently most looking forward to a Batman movie sans Joker, but the images I've seen of Bane's mask are truly disturbing, and it seems Anne Hathaway still insists upon being an actress and is given roles like Catwoman so that it's impossible to avoid her career entirely.

As for Spider-Man, I had my doubts about a limey taking on the role of Peter Parker, but his nerd-effusion at Comic Con convinced me to give him a shot, and Emma Stone has proven to be a pretty cool chick, so despite a nauseating first trailer, I'm looking forward to it.

Both teasers are via CBR here and here. Have a good Monday.

Uncanny X-Force #18 Preview

CBR has a preview up today for next week's Uncanny X-Force #18, the conclusion of the Dark Angel Saga. It's been a pretty exciting arc and there are reasons to expect the finale to be a game-changer. Reasons such as new members joining the team in future solicits, such as the Age of Apocalypse Nightcrawler and possibly Captain Britain (though he's also joining Secret Avengers), Fantomex' affection for Psylocke, and the effects of Schism on the team. Will Logan still be running X-Force from Westchester? Will Betsy, remaining on Utopia and in charge of the island's security, remain in touch and allied with Logan? Will Warren be rehabilited, remain Archangel or Angel, or even die, since he hasn't really been seen during all the Schism stuff?

Avengers vs. X-Men News

So yesterday saw Marvel's press conference about the recently announced major Marvel event Avengers vs. X-Men, coming next year. As reported on Tuesday by USA Today, the main conflict that sparks this huge conflict between the two premiere superhero teams of the Marvel Universe is the impending arrival of the Phoenix Force.

What that means for Hope Summers (who she is and how she's connected to the Phoenix, as well as the presently-returning Wanda Maximoff (who is presumably another key player in the series) is still unknown, but seems we won't have to wait until the April premiere of the event to find out.

This Week's Comics - 12/7/2011

This Wednesday brings us a pretty thin Pull List, at least for yours truly, whose endeavours to edit down said List and maintain what is commonly referred to as a budget continue in earnest.

With everything I've removed and denied myself, the world of the X-Men are still front and center, and this week's most anticipated title (at least, again, for me) is X-Factor #228.

Check out the rest.

Avengers vs. X-Men

As per usual, it's USA Today that breaks a big comic story a day ahead of its release/announcement. In this case, all those Phoenix teasers we just took a look at it? This is what they're leading to:

The Phoenix Force is coming to Earth and, while no one seems entirely clear on what it's plans are, it seems the two biggest superhero franchises in the Marvel Universe have opposing ideas as to how to handle Hope Summers, the Messiah girl at the center of the storm.

Written by the best of the best writers and the most aesthetically pleasing artists available, there's little to complain about. True, I'd rather Fraction weren't involved, but Brubaker hasn't done x-epic since Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire and it's about time he came back. As for the artists, they're all my favorites; Romita Jr., Kubert, and Coipel. These guys were made for this kind of event, and instead of trading issues they will be trading four-issue "acts" which is pretty nice idea, continuity wise.

While it reminds of some really classic old school stuff...

...like when the UN put Mags on trial and the two teams duked it out...

...this is a whole new ballgame, as the series clocks in at a staggering 12 issues. Hopefully that doesn't mean it's a monthly, since they have a different writer on each issue, but either way it doesn't start till April, and we get a 2part prologue; one issue focusing on Hope and one on the Scarlet Witch, who, naturally, is at the center of the conflict as well.

So many questions. How do the two branches of the X-Men come together on this? Where's X-Factor? Are Wanda and Hope gonna be buds? Is Storm's brief tenure as an Avenger gonna come to a close? Will the X-Men keep playing the race card? How badly did Cable fail his x-sanction agenda, which hasn't even come out yet? And most importantly, can someone please put the entire series in my hands right now? cause I don't know if I can wait.

Sure, it's kinda blatant Avengers-movie buildup, and it's like the most basic fan team-up/battle fantasy ever, but it's also completely and utterly perfect. It's next year's Young Avengers: Children's Crusade, only even more epic.

Make Mine Marvel.

The Phoenix is Coming. Tomorrow. You Busy?

Marvel has announced a live press conference of some kind tomorrow to announce the story that will see the return of the Phoenix, the cosmic force in the Marvel U that has done such damage and led to so many big stories (mostly X-Men and Shi'ar related ones.) This return has been teased since ComicCon, along with the names of basically every big writer Marvel has on staff, as well as being featured in the (very disappointing) Point One issue in a story with Nova, apparently alive, racing to warn others of Phoenix's return.

Fan reaction has been generally poor, from the small amount of comment-reading I do and groan-detecting I employed at NYCC this year. There's a small group of people, the minority for years now, who want Jean Grey to just come back already. The majority, it seems, is rather sick of the Phoenix, was sick of it even when Grant Morrison was killing Jean, and is sick of seeing the not-subtle hints for the past year or two that Hope Summers now bears the Phoenix.

And by not subtle, I mean, having her eyes go red and flame-birdy whenever she gets slightly pissed.