The Avengers' Ending and Iron Patriot

Not sure how I didn't know about this site until now, but I'm just glad it was pointed out to me. The mission statement is simple: animating the gist and presenting a preferable alternate finale of a movie. In a flarking funny way, of course. Enjoy.




And in case you haven't heard, there may be a new villain, or at least a familiar character, in Iron Man 3 which began shooting this month. Spoilers after the jump (sorry Simon Pegg, I don't love the culture either, but I live in it.)

This Week's Comics - 5/30/12

Hopefully this isn't one of those weeks with a Monday holiday that leads to new comics arriving on Thursday. Few blows are harsher than showing up at your comic shop with your pull list in hand to find you must wait another four and twenty hours. Often in my rage and frustration at the comic book industry and thirst for vengeance against publishers and distributors, I just buy something anyway, be it action figure or back issue.

What can I say, rage makes me stupid. But it IS leading to an increasingly impressive random collection.

Regardless, I'm heading to the shop today with high hopes. Pick of the Week is, quite naturally, X-Men Legacy 'cause Rogue is done waxing poetic and being self-analytical, and has moved on to kicking ass. And I would really, really enjoy watching her execute a creative takedown of Mr. Tony Stark, the only A-list Avenger to bother showing up at the Jean Grey School.

You know the drill, Jump for Pull.

Memorial Day

A time to honor and mourn those who have fallen in defense of our great nation.

And also to feel the full tragedy of Steve Rogers; to outlive all his allies, friends, loved ones, and even his own war.

Not just a symbol of America and its values, but a way to remember the glorious, harrowing, essential past.

These images are by artist Dan Hipp, whose tumblr is truly beautiful, and who I found via Comics Alliance. There's a funny one after the jump that is non-Memorial Day related, but you should really check out his tumblr.

God bless.

Friday Round-Up: X-Men Previews, Thanos Explained, Marvel's Mint Silver Age On Sale, and Dean Pelton Dresses Up

It's Memorial Day Weekend, and Fleet Week in NYC, which can explain any and all emotional tumult or fluctuations in this humble blogger's usually remarkable work ethic. So I'm resorting to that most often used lifeline for internet writers hamstrung by frustration and fatigue; the Round-Up, a collection of mildly interesting links that, aside from being shiny and distracting, have the added bonus of filling up an entire post.

We start at Comic Book Resources where Mr. Matt Adler provides us with a comprehensive and seemingly intelligent (I'm not done reading it) biography of Thanos the Mad Titan, whose recent big screen appearance has generated a lot of new interest in the classic character. From his Freudian and mythical origins at the hands of creator Jim Starlin to his more recent turn in the cosmic Annihilation War, a complete and intricate tapestry is woven, and it's much fun for both continuity geeks and new fans who want to speculate on what's to come in Marvel cinema. 

Then we have a nearly complete Silver Age collection of Marvel comics going on sale in an auction in California, and the estimated prices for some of the issues (hold on to your *&^!@ing hats,) Dennis Culver's "Deanfinity" featuring all the crazy unambiguous costumes Dean Pelton of Community has shown up in, and three previews for next week's all-new X-titles, including the highly anticipated (for me) Rogue vs. Iron Man fight.

Read on for linkage, and happy Friday.

This Week's Comics - 5/23/12

A fairly light week, especially in the Marvel area with only one AvX related title shipping, which should make deciding the Pick of the Week easier, but anytime a new Unwritten issue comes out, it's hard not to choose that.

However, while I'm probably most excited to read Unwritten and the aftermath of War of the Words finally, there's another more momentous milestone comic today: the final issue of Mark Waid's Irredeemable. Will Plutonian get the punishment he deserves, or a 2nd chance at life? Will Qubit survive the final confrontation, or be outwitted himself by Modeus? Can the Earth recover from the ravages of recent years and reclaim a new future?

Beats me, but Waid's the guy to trust when you're buying comics. Empire, FF, Daredevil, Kingdom Come--the guy rarely missteps. And while I wandered away from Irredeemable for awhile there, it was mighty entertaining, especially the first year. Here's to you, Mr. Waid, and your delightfully twisted takes on the iconic heroes we all know and love.

Jump for Pull.

Job References for Captain Elias' Civilian Identity

All quotes are entirely accurate and true.*


"I curse the day he was born."
       -Thanos the Mad Titan

"He's an incredibly fast learner with great ideas, a big heart and...what was that last thing?"
        -11th grade English teacher, kept on retainer.

"His shape is comely and pleaseth mine eyes."
        -Thor action figure at 2am

"He knows who I am."
        -George Eliot

"I wish I had his creative instincts and grasp of cultural trends."
        -Joss Whedon

"Wow! Just...wow."
         -IGN

"He is the chosen one."
        -Morpheus




*Except for those that aren't.

Joss Whedon's Musical Commentary

This is from a couple years back already (pre-Avengers, since he still had a full head o' hair) but in light of yesterday's news that Joss will be the sole voice providing commentary on The Avengers DVD, it seems a timely discovery.

Not being a fan of Doctor Horrible where this song first appeared as a bonus item, or This American Life for that matter, I had never heard of this before. Whedonesque really let me down. Or else there must have been a day I didn't check their site (impossible!)

Either way it's worth a listen, and honestly makes me even more excited for the extra features of Avengers, though I could live without them, I swear. I just have to buy a Blu-Ray player first.

Mark Waid's Irredeemable Finale, The Avengers DVD and DC Gets Super Gay

Bleeding Cool has two articles of interest to me this morning, one being the news that DC has back-tracked from their policy of not altering characters' sexuality in the new 52 just because retarded (yeah, that word's still in use, deal with it PC police) people demand more "diversity" for diversity's sake:

Surprisingly, DiDio stated that they had changed DC’s policy in this regard. And they are about to reintroduce a previously existing DC character who was previously straight and now will be “one of our most prominent gay characters.”


What are we thinking? While Clark show up with a bedazzled S logo? Are they taking Grant Morrison's Playboy article about how ridiculously gay Batman is to heart? Or are they gonna give a C-list hero a chance at the big leagues just because of who they sleep with? Probably the latter. My money's on Booster Gold. I mean just look at the guy. Plus he's from the future, and writers are always telling us how sexually enlightened the future is, where we'll all live with Captain Jack and River Song in healthy open group relationships. Perhaps we could start looking backwards--Ancient Greece was pretty open-minded, maybe Wonder Woman could snap stigma's neck once and for all. She did grow up on an exclusively female-warrior island after all.

The other article was about the Avengers Blu-Ray/DVD, out in September, the details about which  have been released. Read on for that and preview of Mark Waid's final Irredeemable issue.

Trailer for Elementary, the CBS Sherlock (Oh, and River Song Gets Booted Out of the Closet)

I'm a fan of Sherlock Holmes. Namely, the Conan Doyle canonical source material. With my sister being as fervently in love with the volumes as possible, rereading them on an annual basis, it was pretty much inevitable that I read them myself. And I can say with zero falsity or pretension (feel free to disagree on that last one) that the stories are better than any of the dozens of adaptations that have been made.

To be fair, let's take a look at all the recent versions of Sherlock that have been produced, along with trailer for the new upcoming CBS take, Elementary

The Guardians of the Galaxy Return!

Between comments from Kevin Feige about bringing Guardians of the Galaxy to the big screen and the uber-cool post-Avengers credits reveal, it was clear to me that the franchise is leaning in a deliciously cosmic direction. But I really had no idea just how synergistic (calm down Jack Donaghee) the overall Marvel plan was. Considering what they've done with their films I shouldn't be surprised, but they have given me yet another joyous announcement.

Over at Comic Book Resources, Marvel publishing bigwig Tom Breevort shared some big news. Avengers Assemble, the limited series written by Avengers scribe Brian Michael Bendis in his final year as the architect of that team, as a comic I didn't really consider canon, just a throw away 12 issues meant to pander to the Marvel movie fan who doesn't read comics (but after seeing Joss' fantastic movie wants to start.) They used the cinematic team line-up and brought in some old villains and I just really thought it wouldn't count in the main universe, so I didn't pick it up.

But lo and behold, not only does it count, they are using it as a platform to not only set-up the future plots of the Marvel Avengers movies, but to return the personal favorite characters who recently comprised the cast of the Guardians of The Galaxy.

This Week's Comics - 5/16/12

New Comic Book Day falls on a very auspicious date this week. Namely, the birthday of the incomparably beautiful and wise mother of this humble blogger. And while festivities have been pushed back to this upcoming weekend, I would like to take this opportunity to wish her a truly spectacular day and express a mere sliver of my infinite love and appreciation and respect and awe. You'll never find a better woman than her, of that you can be sure.

As for the comics lucky enough to be released on such a memorable occasion, I must first admit that Marvel is the only company receiving my funds this week, and Pick of the Week was a tough choice, until I eliminated all AvX related titles, not necessarily due to performance or saturation levels, but just to make things a bit easier for me. And even IF Daredevil #13 isn't my most anticipated or inevitably enjoyable book this week, it's definitely the greatest color. And Waid will doubtless please again.

Read on for the full pull. And Happy Birthday Momma.

The Avengers Breaks More Records & Shares Some Concept Art

The numbers have come in for The Avengers' second weekend box office, and the previous 2nd weekend record ($75M for Avatar) is utterly destroyed with a whopping $103.2M.  This will push the global gross of Avengers past the 1 Billion mark.

For more information check out Nikki Finke's professional expertise and constant attention to the numbers, include the painful pummeling received by Burton's Dark Shadows. Now one wonders what will happen with the upcoming release of Battleship and The Dictator.

I have faith that Avengers will keep the top spot. Sure, they're probably all exhausted by now, but an Avenger never gives up. They just need a little meal break is all. And without Jarvis, might as well grab some NYC grub.

There's also been some concept art released, done prior to filming based on Whedon's script by Steven Jung and Nathan Schroeder. Both of these men worked on Thor, which is why both movies are so stunningly beautiful at moments. See the first images of the helicarrier, Tony's eco-skyscraper, and share my desire to see Thor on the real Chrysler Building. Kudos gentlemen.

A New Avengers Theory Regarding Agent Coulson

So I was at my local comic shop (Chameleon Comics shout-out,) as per every Wednesday lunch break ever, and having a delightful chat with my comic shop employee buddy about the magnificence that was The Avengers.

However he expressed some chagrin at certain plot developments, and in his eagerness to find a loophole presented a potential...well, loophole. I joined in the theorizing with excitement and together we may just have stumbled upon a beautiful secret, or at least a good idea for Joss when he writes Avengers 2 (they WILL ask him back, won't they?)

Spoilers follow (like, duh.)

Joss Thanks His Fans (And Says 'I Told You So' For Me)

Over on Whedonesque, the wonderful Whedon-centric website of Whedon-related links that I have Whedon-checked (stretch?) daily for years, Whedon Himself submitted a post directed at his lifelong loyal fans in the wake of this stupendously succesfull record-breaking weekend.

I have in fact been terribly curious what Joss has been feeling after the monstrous numbers and glowing reviews kept coming in, and wished we were personal friends so that I could shoot an email of congratulations and the unbridled joy (and, yes, pride) I felt while watching The Avengers. Turns out I didn't have to. As usual, Joss knew how I felt and has responded, as usual, with humor, gratitude and damn fine prose. The link is here (it also links to a silly funny vid the great man did with famous viral comedy team BriTANick) but I copy/pasted it in its entirety because it's so terrific and hilarious and I'm pretty sure he meant to address it specifically to me (and, I grudgingly admit, my fellow Whedonites.)


"YeahbuhWHUH?"
--Kitty Pryde



Dear Friends,

Well, it's been quite a weekend. Someday, long from now, I will even have an emotional reaction to it, like a person would. I can't wait! But before I become blinded by this "emotion" experience, there's a few things I'd like to say. Well, type.

People have told me that this matters, that my life is about to change. I am sure that is true. And change is good -- change is exciting. I think -- not to jinx it -- that I may finally be recognized at Comiccon. Imagine! Also, with my percentage of "the Avengers" gross, I can afford to buy... [gets call from agent. Weeps manfully. Resumes typing.] ...a fine meal. But REALLY fine, with truffles and s#!+. And I can get a studio to finance my dream project, the reboot of "Air Bud" that we all feel is so long overdue. (He could play Jai Alai! Think of the emotional ramifications of JAI ALAI!!!!)

What doesn't change is anything that matters. What doesn't change is that I've had the smartest, most loyal, most passionate, most articulate group of -- I'm not even gonna say fans. I'm going with "peeps" -- that any cult oddity such as my bad self could have dreamt of. When almost no one was watching, when people probably should have STOPPED watching, I've had three constants: my family and friends, my collaborators (often the same), and y'all. A lot of stories have come out about my "dark years", and how I'm "unrecognized"... I love these stories, because they make me seem super-important, but I have never felt the darkness (and I'm ALL about my darkness) that they described. Because I have so much. I have people, in my life, on this site, in places I've yet to discover, that always made me feel the truth of success: an artist and an audience communicating. Communicating to the point of collaborating. I've thought, "maybe I'm over; maybe I've said my piece". But never with fear. Never with rancor. Because of y'all. Because you knew me when. If you think topping a box office record compares with someone telling you your work helped them through a rough time, you're probably new here. (For the record, and despite my inhuman distance from the joy-joy of it: topping a box office record is super-dope. I'm an alien, not a robot.) So this is me, saying thank you. All of you. You've taken as much guff for loving my work as I have for over-writing it, and you deserve, in this our time of streaming into the main, to crow. To glow. To crow and go "I told you so", to those Joe Blows not in the know. (LAST time I hire Dr. Seuss to punch my posts up. Yeesh!) Point being, you deserve some honor, AND you deserves some FAQs answered. So please welcome my old friend and certainly not-on-my-payroll reporter/flunky, Rutherford D. Actualperson!

RDA: So good to see you, young Joss! is it possible you've gotten more attractive since we last spoke, and less fungal in odor?

JW: Thanks for noticing. Let's talk.


RDA: "the Scavengers" is a huge success! Does this mean you have changed the very fabric of existence?

JW: Dude, it's just a movie. Also, yes.

RDA: I've seen a lot of a talk about "the Availers" vs "the Dark Knight Rises". How will you feel if you're eclipsed by Nolan?

JW: I'm glad I made you ask that. I will feel sad. But let's look at the bigger picture, and I can't say this enough: THIS IS NOT A ZERO SUM GAME. Our successes, whoever has the mostest, are a boon to each other. We're in the business of proving that superhero movies aren't just eye-candy (they're eye-TRUFFLES!). People seem intent on setting us against each other, and though I'm proud to be Woody Strode to Nolan's Kirk Douglas, I think they're missing the point. Whatever TDKR does on its first weekend, the only stat that matters to me is the ticket I'M definitely buying. Nolan and Raimi INVENTED the true superhero flick, yo. (Special mention to Jon Favreau and James Gunn.) Happy to be in the mix.

RDA: What does this mean for your upcoming slate of tiny independent films/Internet shenanigans? Will they fall by the wayside?

JW: There may be new ideas realized -- I always leave myself open to that -- but my commitment to Wastelanders and Dr H.2 does not waver. Those stories bubble on my stove.

RDA: And TV?

JW: TV is my great love. To tell stories with that alacrity, intensity, and immediacy... Nothing quite like it. I imagine it's not dissimilar to the feeling great poker players have: "Here's what I got, here's where I'm going... How to trick everybody into thinking I know what I'm doing?" [Full disclosure : Joss hates poker. He is probably talking about bridge. But it should apply nonetheless.].

RDA: What message would you give fans of "the Lavenders" who are not so familiar with your previous work?

JW: "Cabin In the Woods": still in (some) theaters!

RDA: Is 'the Ravengers" a perfect movie? It did get an A+ cinemascore...

JW: There are very few perfect movies. "The Court Jester", "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "Godfather" I & II... The list does not go on and on. "The Avengers" is notably IMperfect, which makes its success mean so much more to me -- because it's striking a chord that matters MORE than its obvious flaws. Like the team, it appears to be more than the sun of its parts. Boo-yah!

RDA: What do you feel is the greatest achievement of "the Avoiders"?

JW: Getting "mewling quim" out there to the masses. Also, Hulk.

RDA: Anyone in particular you'd like to thank?

JW: [Reads from notecard]. I couldn't have done this myself. Part of this Saturn Award belongs to Jeremy Latcham, Kevin Feige, and the fine Marvel folk... But the secret ingredient is my closest peeps: J-Mo, who did uncredited punch-up work (carrier battle, yo!), Z-bro, Drew "I am Loki only taller and foppier" Goddard, and Kai, all of whom worked the story with me. Without them (and Jeremy), I'd still be figuring out how the Wasp fits in to this, and where to put Red Hulk.


RDA: What's next for Joss "finally got it right for a change" Whedon?
JW: Can we not call me that?

RDA: Just deal. Whut up?

JW: I really think we should discuss that nickname, but I'm finishing "Much Ado About Nothing" this month. If you liked "the Avengers", you'll love... I can't. It's Shakespeare. And not in the park. I hope it gets watched.

RDA: Any message to your precious "Whedonesk?"

JW: Whedonettes?

RDA: Weeble-eque?

JW: I'm not aware of that group.

RDA: Didn't they know you when?

JW: I'm not sure who you mean. I'm discarding my old fans so I can concentrate on fame, Euro-trash guy-jewelry and my precious "Air Bud" reboot. But, dude, don't print that!

RDA: You have my word.

So, that's our post! Hope you enjoyed it . Hope you'll continue to carry the banner even though other people may have joined the parade. (Kind of a gay pride/Newsies vibe: sentence accomplished!) Hope you understand how I feel. Cliff notes: grateful.

"Here's to us. Who's like us? Damn few"


-- Stephen Sondheim, "Merrily We Roll Along".
"It took a dog playing Jai Alai to teach us humanity!"


--Me, in that awesome film I'm gonna make.


-j., 5/9/12



[ edited by joss on 2012-05-09 15:26 ]


Thanks to Whedonesque and Joss. God bless 'em both.

This Week's Comics - 5/9/12

Happy New Comic Day, one and all. Last week the biggest movie opener in history was the final Harry Potter. O how the world has changed, and only for the better.

But superhero movies, while fantastic, take some planning to go see and generally don't get enjoyed between the hours of 9 and 5. Their source material, however, is a different matter, so it's time to get back to the basics and buy some new comics over lunch.

Pick of the Week is a tie. AvX has been kind of letting me down so far, and I'm pretty happy we're getting away from Utopia and finally setting the scene in Westchester, at Wolverine's school. The tie comes from the fact that both Wolverine & The X-Men #10 and X-Men Legacy #266 feature this storyline, and between Gage and Aaron it's just too tough to tell which will be better. So I picked both. (Honorable mentions include the new Buffy, X-Force and even Batman.)

 

Read on for full listage.

On The Avengers' Post-Credits Surprise

In classic Marvel Studios form, The Avengers gave us a post-credits surprise, and it was better than anything that's come before.

Aside from the involuntary shriek that I had to muffle upon viewing (I really hadn't seen it coming) there wasn't much to report, but now it turns out that not only has it been in the works for awhile, it was all Joss' idea.

Unfortunately no footage is yet up, nor are any of the screen grab images online worth posting, but there's a great look at the end-credits of the film over here. The surprise scene isn't there, but it's still a beautiful sequence.

Spoilers, obviously, when you hit the jump and see what Joss and Kevin Feige had to say about their shocker.

The Avengers is the Biggest Movie Ever

Update: The final weekend number is $207.4 Million. :-D

It is now official. The Avengers' opening weekend is over, and the final number is a whopping $200.3 million. (And that's just the estimate--the actual number, to be reported later this afternoon, could be even higher.)

This completely destroys the opening weekend record held by the final Harry Potter movie ($169 mill), not to mention The Dark Knight ($158 mill.) Worldwide gross is already $641.8M since it was released internationally about 12 days ago.

And not only that, the movie has incurred amazing and well-deserved reviews, with a 94% Fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes and an A+ grade from CinemaScore. This kind of acclaim puts Avengers well on track to break the billion dollar mark, joining such films as Avatar and Titanic, and possible exceeding even those to become the biggest movie ever.

Dear old Joss must be riding high.

The Avengers Movie Review

Holy Moses.

If for some reason I had been unfamiliar with the works of Joss Whedon (an alternate universe in which I endured a joyless adolescence, no doubt) after seeing The Avengers he would indeed be My Master Now.

I hardly know where to begin. It's far easier to be articulate about the things one dislikes in a film review, but since there was nothing I disliked, this review shall be a disjointed affair. (I could blame that on the fact that it is currently 4am, but to be honest I'm still so buzzed from the movie sleep is not an option.)

For starters, I shall bestow the official Superpowers That Be grade: A+

Holy Joss.

(Spoiler Warning, cause how else can I geek out without going into details?)

Tonight's the Night

The Avengers. Joss Whedon. 11:45. In Theatres Only. Assemble. 'Nuff said.


Happy weekend heroes!

Free Comic Book Day

Free Comic Book Day is this Saturday, and while I've never really understood the hype and joy surrounding the event (I find individual comic stores to be remarkably stingy with their free, gratis and for nothing products, and one has to go all over NYC to get the freebies one wants) I still thought it was time to take a look at what was being offered this year.

It seems fanboy universe crossovers is the theme of this year. Sure it's fun to think of those things idly, or in fanfiction, but I'm not sure how I feel about it in comic form. (It's not canon right?) And besides, Firefly/Star Wars crossover? That implies that Star Wars is NOT the most overrated, unoriginal, clunky and uninteresting sci fi story ever, and somehow deserves to be associated with Captain Malcolm Reynolds and his crew. Also it's written by a Whedon brother, and that inevitably ends in the terrible mangling of a once beloved, or at least highly anticipated, world.

This, after all, is the Weekend of Joss. Avengers comes out tomorrow and we don't need any more examples of his faulty nepotism to taint his glory.

Regardless, read on for a list of the free comics I want to snag this Satuday. (I'm particularly excited about a new comic from writing team Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning.)

This Week's Comics - 5/2/12

A light week, always a blessing to the budget, though it does incline one to start looking at some trade paperbacks or back issues on sale, thus rendering all previous savings moot. Still, despite being thin, it's far from quiet, as Avengers vs. X-Men keeps moving forward, and a new crossover between Mutants and Asgardians (who have a nice long history of crossovers, come to think of it) begins.

No DC has made the list, a not uncommon occurrence, though to be honest I believe I will flip through some of the Night of the Owls tie-ins, perhaps see what Dick Grayson is up to as the Owls attack Gotham (not interested in the all-new Barbara Gordon, and I've grown quite tired of Damian.) The Pick of the Week is none other than Mark Waid's consistently brilliant and enjoyable Daredevil, as this month we see Matt Murdock making time for romance, and judging by the cover things get a bit steamy.

Read on for full listage.

The Real Stars Hollow

I had a dream this weekend that I went to a party thrown and hosted by Lorelai Gilmore, who in her kindness encouraged me to come move to Stars Hollow. If you've never seen Gilmore Girls, Stars Hollow is the fictional Connecticut town where the titular girls live, a mostly ideal small town with beautiful sights, some historical significance, quirky characters, and a general feeling of peace and security.

Naturally one can't ignore a dream of such prophetic magnitude (pop-pop), so I did some research and google told me that the main town Stars Hollow was based upon is called Essex, Connecticut. AKA "The best small town in America."

And I very much want to go to there.

Fringe Renewed!

All hail the executives of Fox (I know, I know, can't believe it either) who in their brilliance and generosity of spirit have renewed Fringe for a Fifth, albeit final, season!

The announcement comes near the end of the fourth season which has suffered from ratings lows as well as the typical rumors of imminent cancellation. In a gratifying and surprising move Fox has commissioned a final Fifth season for next year to last 13 episodes.

“Fringe is a remarkably creative series that has set the bar as one of television’s most imaginative dramas,” said Fox entertainment chief Kevin Reilly. “Bringing it back for a final 13 allows us to provide the climactic conclusion that its passionate and loyal fans deserve. The amazing work the producers, writers and the incredibly talented cast and crew have delivered the last four seasons has literally been out of this world. Although the end is bittersweet, it’s going to be a very exciting final chapter.”


While that is a truncated season it will allow Fringe to hit the 100 episode mark, a huge feat for the over-looked show which means it will now be eligible for syndication.

Not only is this news heartening, but as the season finale approaches it gets the fan in me (no small part) very excited, not only about the climax of this season but the inevitably breakneck, no-holds-barred material to be expected next year.

Well done Fox, and congrats to the cast and crew of Fringe.


In other news, a hearty congratulations to Sarah Michelle Geller and her hubbie for their recently announced second pregnancy. (Let's stick to good news today.)

Happy Friday everyone.

This Week's Comics - 4/25/12

We're still in the first month of Avengers vs. X-Men so all judgments remain reserved, and I'm still pretty excited to see what develops. In fact the slew of AvX titles makes the Pick of the Week a tough choice, what with the first issue of Vs. and Remender's space team face the Phoenix head-on, until I decided to just take them out of the equation and go a different PotW route entirely:

Read on for the full list. And happy new comics day.

Best Gay Webcomics and Other Links

Awhile back I wrote about the enjoyable sci/fi gay webcomic Artifice, which has since been completed and is available to be read in its entirety. Alex Woolfson, the writer and seemingly owner/designer of the website, has another one up called the Young Protectors, which is also gay but a superhero ongoing instead of a science fiction one. It's pretty fun already, and has some great art:

As opposed to, say, doing work, I recently made a tour of some of the more highly recommended gay webcomics. Hit the jump for a couple links, pictures, and brief summaries. And to be clear, these are NSFW types of webcomics, though they're well written and with engaging stories, so if that's not your thing...well scroll down really fast for the news link about Jessica Chastain joining Iron Man 3.

New Doctor Who Set Photos

After the recent shots of Doctor Who filming in Central Park, some new ones have come online. The TARDIS has gone back to England, and while it's still possible Amy Pond's final episode(s) take place in NYC, she's still his companion, and River Song has joined company as well.

The new photos see the gang in a cemetery, with Rory's absence being a bit conspicuous. Also, Amy is reading a book by Melody Malone, apparently another alias of River Song/Melody Pond. Where does she find the time?  

Few more pics after the jump off.

Comic Previews

Happy Friday! Like most Fridays, this one brings us a slew of Marvel previews for comics coming out next week, posted around the internet but conveniently in one place on CBR. So this is me getting up early in the morning, reading them, downloading them, and re-posting whichever ones will undoubtedly make next week's Pull List.

Some things to look forward to: The first issue of AvX Vs., the comic solely devoted to the one-on-one fights. Namor pontificating about why he admires Scott Summers. Danny Rand becoming a Phoenix host, or else just its newest biographer. And Beast being nostalgic for the bad old times, while Valkyrie seems to abandon her feminist principles after one gallon of mead and act coquettish and seductive around Thor. Should be fun.

This Week's Comics - 4/18/12

This week brings us a pretty star-studded Pull List, including several flagship titles from big publications. Marvel not only has the second chapter of Avengers vs. X-Men on the stands, but a main Avengers title and no less than five X-titles, whereas DC has their adjectiveless Batman, the only readable superhero comic they release. Despite the amount of marquis comics, none of have been as heavily marketed nor as highly anticipated as the Pick of the Week.

Read on, disagree, advise, encourage, and buy.

Captain Mal Meets Tony Stark: A Sign of Things To Come?

I haven't been watching Castle for a couple seasons now, though my love for Nathan Fillion continues undiluted. However today, thanks to Whedonesque, I found this clip that supposedly aired after last night's Castle episode:




Aside from being just plain super cool and funny, it begs the question: What on Earth is Robert Downey Jr. doing with Nathan Fillion? Aside from the Joss connection, why would he go to ABC and Castle to help promote The Avengers? Doubtless you and the internet will speculate a'plenty, but here's my theory.

As most people know, after The Avengers' exclusive movie premiere last week, several if not all members of the cast re-formed to shoot an extra scene. Apparently the film already bore the trademark Marvel bonus-scene-during-the-credits, yet this could well have been the elongated final scene at the end of the credits.

Bearing that in mind, and the sudden proximity of Nathan Fillion to the debatable star of The Avengers, it seems to me that all the many years of rumors (some egged on by Joss himself at SDCC last year) and fervent fan prayers have come true: Nathan Fillion is Ant-Man!! And he will be introduced to the team after their first cinematic adventure.

Lending some credence to this theory are the recent remarks of Marvel Film Master Kevin Feige, who spoke about the long discussed Ant-Man film project saying "...we are now closer than we've ever been." as well as a tweet from Edgar Wright, the projected co-writer and director of the movie that went as follows: "Was just back behind the camera for the first time in nearly two years. Can't say on what, but it was cool..."

Obviously there's no certainty here, and doubtless there are currents of cross-promotion I know nothing about that would explain the Downey Jr. promo, but still this seems to be the most definitive grouping of evidence to back up the Captain Tightpants is Ant Man theory ever. And O, what a wonderful development that would be.

All that remains, after the inevitable announcement sometime this summer, is the casting of Morena Baccarin as the Wasp, who, as you will recall, did her research and lobbied hard for the part.

God Bless Joss and his occasionally delightful nepotism.

The Star Trek Sequel

As yet Untitled (it's believed they wish to avoid confusion with Wrath of Khan as well as the complex Star Trek continuity, and it will not be Star Trek 2 but Star Trek: Insert Subtitle Here) the production and filming of the follow-up movie began in January. Despite the great success and acclaim of the reboot, there hasn't been much news about this sequel, perhaps due to the slow process and several years it took to finally get made, not to mention Abrams' notorious secrecy.

However some photos have begun to leak from set, and I for one am very excited. I was never in life a Trekkie, though in principal I chose Star Trek over Star Wars as inevitably having more depth and interest (the latter being the most overrated sci/fi in history) but the movie blew me away. Even now I can rewatch it time and again, the first 5 minutes making me cry without fail, never being bored or anything less than entertained.

(Hit the jump drive, thrusters on full, warp speed to see the photos.)

Monday Round-Up

Space warriors, mutant thieves, Slayers vs. Spies, geek Messiah writer/Directors, and Timelords. Hit the jump for an informative and entertaining news/link roundup.

The Big C Season 3 Review

*Warning: Spoilers for the new season.*

The Big C started off as such a promising show. Laura Linney, a proven actress, versatile and engaging, playing a slightly repressed, good-hearted Midwestern wife and mother confronting her mortality after a Cancer diagnosis. It's maybe not the most original premise, but it's a showcase for an eminently watchable actor that you would expect to find in some one-woman off-Broadway show, only now with the benefit of good production values and famous guest stars.

The idea that each season of the show would be a season in the life of Cathy Jamison, complete with a seasonal theme taken from whatever Kubler-Ross stage seemed most interesting, was certainly hokey and facile, but at least it indicated a more focused, long-term story arc that most serial dramas lack. And in the beginning it was successful; Jamison fairly glowed with humanity as she kept the disease a secret, exploring new experiences, examining the different ways one can approach life when before she thought there was just the one, digging deep for old memories and for the strength to fight for new ones. The plot and pacing kept things interesting, forcing a Jamison focused on her own existence to confront the unexpected mortality of those around her.

Unfortunately, despite all her struggle and progress and moments of epiphany and joy, the new season has presented a different woman and a different show entirely. Frankly both are shameful.

This Week's Comics - 4/11/12

Despite last week's "optic blast heard round the world" which started the juvenile and enjoyable Avengers vs. X-Men, this week we only see one superhero comic that ties into that heavily marketed war. That would be New Avengers #24, which shall be interesting if only to see what side Wolverine chooses to fight for (my money's on his X-family) but not interesting enough to be Pick of the Week.

Nor is the Pick of the Week the newest Buffy comic, continuing last month's revelation that the Buffy we've been following all season is actually a robot, which swept away the previous' month's revelation that Buffy(bot) was pregnant and going to get that lil' slayer aborted but fast. A) it all feels gimmicky and fake, two adjectives never used when describing a good Buffy episode and B) it's just not written that well. I'm not sure if it's the trying-too-hard dialogue or the pace, but despite the improvement over Season 8, Buffy has yet to convincingly translate to comics. So instead, we have a Pick of the Week that is the most skillful comic being published, and that I wish would translate into new mediums (I want to read all the Tommy Taylor novels.)

Read on for the rest of the Pull list.

The Hunger Games Movie Review

It's a bit hard to describe the disappointment I felt watching this movie (though it's considerably less than it would have been a month ago when I was deep in the throes of Hunger Games obsession) however I shall make the attempt in the hopes that my keen, unforgiving eye prevents some unsuspecting soul from seeing this sub par movie and damning the books without reading them.

D-  If this were Entertainment Weekly or some glossy, multi-contributor website that gave grades, this is the grade we would bestow upon the recently released film version of the bestselling novel The Hunger Games. I'll hold off for a second on the detailed account, but let me explain the grade. Despite some actors with chops, a devoted make-up and set-design team, and a large budget, this movie was a failure. In a story whose main plot is a battle to the death, the complete disappearance of any tension was staggeringly obvious. The shaky reality-show-type camera work destroyed not only a viewer's concentration, but what I imagine were painstakingly choreographed fight scenes, the actions of which were impossible to follow. And despite their best intentions, a choppy, clunky, uninspired script that kept and changed the most random elements from the original material, destroyed any suspension of disbelief that us true blue fans went in with and foiled even the best actor's attempt to deliver an insipid, badly written line.

This Week's Comics - 4/4/12

Yes I've been out of it, apologies but civic duty takes a lot out of a Captain. Besides, I'm sure if there was some huge news we'd all already know about it. Far more important however, the event hundreds of days in the making, the epic clash of heroes (tagline: Heroes. Will. Clash.) the morally grey conflict that divides a noble community, begins today. In earnest. Hopefully.

And I, for one, am ridiculously excited. Thats why Avengers vs. X-Men #1 is the Pick of the Week (pretty obvious choice, sure, but Daredevil was a close second.)

Check out the full, not very long, exclusively Marvel pull list after the jump.

This Week's Comics - 3/28/12

First of all, my recent absence can be explained in two words: Jury Duty. It's true, Captain Elias answered the call of civic duty (under threat of punishment) and shouldered the waves of justice like an impartial frigate of...justice. It was slightly more involved then the Articles of War, yet there was less wiggle room in the actual sentencing. Regardless, it has ended, and the best way to get back into the ol' routine, is to get back into new-comic-Wednesdays. Here's your Pull List (bit long, mostly Marvel) and my Pick of the Week:



POTW: Avengers vs. X-Men Starts Here! (Kind of.)



Friday News Roundup: From Avengers to Fiona Apple

Check out Fiona's bangs (and new music), Michonne's adult origins, the archery skill levels of Katniss vs. Hawkeye, and more.

Storm Storms Off, Marvels Marvel, and other AvX Goodies

*UPDATED* Scroll to bottom for newest AvX teaser released today.
Like most things that I eagerly, feverishly anticipate (Hunger Games, Avengers) I try to take a break every now and then from the continuous marketing campaigns, which have an unfortunate tendency, if consumed indiscriminately, to increase in intensity far past the point of giggly delight until they crash on the sharp rocks of overexposure.

Which is to say, I haven't checked out any AvX news in several weeks. My excitement level is very high for this Spring/Summer's Marvel event, but I'm also a realist. Not only could the plot itself be disappointing, but it is a pretty ambitious length. A dozen chapters I think, multiple tie-ins, a total envelopment of the Marvel universe in this particular story. Month in, month out, that is bound to wear a body down. Hell I was sick of Fear Itself before the first issue came out, but the premise was much worse than AvX there, and one hopes the quality levels will be just as different.

The point is, there's a fair amount of teasers, previews, news releases, and solicitations to catch up on. And when you put them all together...well, you get a pretty clear view of what the first act of this violent, soapy, drama will look like. I'm just calling it a drama for now, but we should all expect a fair amount of tragedy in the coming months. Read on to see some pretty pictures and piece the impending plot points together.

This Week's Comics - 3/14/12

A pretty fun Pull List this week, matching the Spring weather almost perfectly. If you have noticed my recent blog absence then I'm sure you'll forgive me, on account of the lingering side-effects of reading Battle Royale. Naturally it makes perfect sense that all my time is therefore split between the requisite daily-grind-eek-out-a-living routine, and sitting on my rooftop in the full fresh season-change weather rereading Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin's exploits as fast as my eyes can travel.

There's nothing like Patrick O'Brien for a troubled soul. Though superheroes and magic and comic books can prove a decent distraction as well, which brings us to our Pick of the Week.

The Unwritten #35 brings us the conclusion to "Tommy Taylor and the War of Words" and while Mike Carey's consistent brilliance assures us a great story, I think that cover may be reason enough to win Pick of the Week. Read on for the rest.

Book Reviews: Ilium/Olympos & Battle Royale

Ilium & Olympos by Dan Simmons

Before I say anything critical or get to the unfortunate complaint that will not vacate my head where it rests and squawks and leaves me no peace, let me just say that I loved these stories, I loved the experience of reading them, and I am now without a doubt a Dan Simmons fan, with plans to start Hyperion presently, or perhaps Drood.

In fact Simmons has made me more than just interested in his other writing. I also want to re-read Shakespeare (starting with Tempest), discover Proust, refresh my memory of the Odyssey and Aenead, read Schliemann’s notes on Troy, and even brave the literary Olympus Mons that is Joyce’s Ulysses (a climb I abandoned years ago before even reaching Base Camp 1.)

This Week's Comics - 3/7/12

This week is a small Pull List, and exclusively Marvel. Ladies and gentlemen, your pick of the week:

Avengers: Children's Crusade #9. The Finale.

Leap Day Comics - 2/29/12

On the day the Earth shall Leap, new comics shall be released. Avengers shall clash, zombies shall run amok, and slayers shall struggle. Thus it is written.

Pick of the Week goes to Unwritten. The Avengers issues look fun, and like something may finally happen, and Angel & Faith is certainly intriguing with it's family reunions, but not many things on the stands, or even in bookstores for that matter, can compare to the ambition and creativity of Mike Carey's ongoing story. Click on, o traveller among the Net, for the full list (it ain't a long one.)

Recommended Reading

A few novels for your consideration.

Avengers Previews

On sale this week, Avengers #23 and New Avengers #21, in which Captain America is held hostage ("You don't negotiate with terrorists." but Obama might) and the New Avengers continue their long streak of losing battles, overreacting monosyllabically, and dropping members through shameful defeat. Enjoy.

Good Gay Webcomic

ComicsAlliance has a nice little post up today called "American Yaoi", though I'm unclear why they say the three webcomics they discuss are for Women. I thought the definition of Yaoi was simply a genre dealing with male-male relationships, but I guess it's defined by being specifically intended for women. Which is as ridiculous as saying children can't watch R-rated movies and adults can't read the Hunger Games.

Regardless, I'm usually not a big fan of Japanese-style cartoon/comics, but it must be admitted that the frequency with which they tell stories about gay men far outstrips their western counterparts. The ones profiled by CA are examples of that rarity. Due to my aesthetic inclinations, I skipped their first sample and clicked on Artifice, written by Alex Woolfson and drawn by Winona Nelson.

And it is very good. It has elements I appreciate and think generally make comics, and webcomics, successful, such as a simplicity of presentation, clear lines and colors, and an intelligent writer. Artifice itself draws you in instantly, containing both a sense of humor and high stakes. It contains a science fiction/future setting, an astute and aggressive psychiatrist, an endearing, believable young man, and handsome android struggling with issues of love, existence and purpose.

Even if it were just a story of love being stronger than anything else (programming, threats, common sense, etc) I would be into it, but the fact that it does so with skill, compassion, wisdom and whimsy just makes me like it all the more. There are only 78 or so installments as of yet, but they are certainly engrossing and the best part of a webcomic is that there are more to come. Highly recommended. In fact, I think I'll go find more of Mr. Woolfson's work. Not during work hours of course, that would just be...unprofessional. Happy Friday.

This Week's Comics - 2/22/12

My Pull List this week is exclusively Marvel...as has happened before. What can I say, I like my mutants. Behold the Pick of the Week:

X-Men Legacy #262 takes the cake, not just because others are weaker (don't love Jubilee as a vampire, X-Force may be getting too weird for me, Academy has a too-large cast, etc) but because it's the first time post-Schism that Wolverine's X-Men and Cyclops come face to face. Considering the Schism may not last all that long, what with Avengers vs. X-Men starting in a little over a month, I expect this will be interesting.

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?