Central City Comics Blog: Comics Talk

Archive for February, 2012

For those Marvel fans that have been following all the major happenings at Marvel and are into the next big thing at Marvel I want to point out that the Amazing Spider Man series is very good and has a major story arc coming involving the Sinister Six some of the toughest villains Spider Man ever fought and Spider Man’s old foe Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius).  His first appearance was in The Amazing Spider-Man #3 (July 1963). Doctor Octopus was created by the great Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. A highly intelligent mad scientist, Doctor Octopus is one of Spider-Man’s greatest foes. He is typically portrayed as a stocky, myopic man who utilizes four powerful, mechanical appendages, and is obsessed with proving his own genius and destroying Spider-Man. In the first story Dr. Octopus’ last name was spelled “Octavious.” All stories since have spelled it Octavius. Spider-Man has also nicknamed Octopus as Doc Ock.

During the Dark Reign storyline, Doctor Octopus learns that due to injuries suffered from his many battles, his body is failing, giving him only months to live. He has now modified himself to be mentally connected to his own army of miniature ‘octobots’, and has added four additional appendages to his harness. He used the octobots to take control of all of the technology in New York City and planned to turn it into a paradise under his control, though he subconsciously also targeted Spider-Man, and disrupted the wedding plans of  Aunt May. Spider-Man and the Human Torch eventually tracked down his base, save the captive J. Jonah Jameson Sr. (May’s fiancee), Carlie Cooper, and Norah Winters, and finally destroyed Doctor Octopus’ hold over the city. Doctor Octopus is then able to escape (still holding power over his octobots) and vows a “terrible revenge”.

In Dan Slott and Stefano Caselli’s “Ends of the Earth” arc, he and the Sinister Six have an explosive endgame in store for the world. Only the Avengers and Spider-Man can stop them. With the 50th anniversary of Spider Man this series reports to be something very special. I will share excerpts from the interview with Dan Slott by CBR on the web.

Slott: For me, the biggest motivation of the 50th was that I could see it coming. With the twice monthly book, you end up working on three or four arcs at once because everyone has to keep working. It can be a grind. Knowing the 50th was coming was the carrot. It was my reward. I kept myself going through a couple of all-nighters by saying, “You can do this, you can do this. The 50th is coming!” It’s an honor, and it’s something I take very seriously. We’ve got a lot of great plans, and we’re building to a lot of things because these moments should be special. It’s 50 years of Spider-Man! But I can’t spoil too much.

CBR: The one thing we do know is coming up is “Ends of the Earth” – Doc Ock’s big return with the Sinister Six that we’ve been waiting for for quite a while now. Dan, why was now the time for those chickens to come home to roost in the wake of “Spider-Island”?

Slott: You’re always building to something bigger and bigger, and when you look at the journey Spider-Man has taken, especially in our opening arcs, you see how all the pieces of our status quo have fallen into pace. The Sinister Six have been out there planning something. Spider-Man has this job at Horizon, and on top of that he also has this new mission. He’s given himself this almost untenable goal, like the War on Drugs or the War on Terror. He had decided that whenever he’s around, on his watch, no one dies. And that’s because of the death of Marla Jameson. Everything grows out of those big moments and beats and will keep building. You’re going to see a major shift during “Ends of the Earth” as a lot of those elements come to a head, all in a big, globe-trotting, world-spanning adventure!

CBR:Obviously, with “Spider-Island” we had a core story in “Amazing” that was supported by a number of minis and one-shots. With “Ends of the Earth,” we know there are six issues of main story, but will there be any support books with the rest of the Spider-Man cast?

Slott: We’re going to do a one-shot special. This story has ramifications for all of planet earth, and in the one-shot, you’ll see superheroes from across the planet dealing with this problem. There are characters here that might not have been highlighted for a while from different countries and fan favorites it’ll be fun to touch base with. And in “Ends of the Earth,” you’ll see a lot of fun stuff with the supporting characters, particularly the Horizon cast, during the course of the six issues of “Amazing.” But for the most part, this is like a movie. “Ends of the Earth” is a Spider-Man blockbuster focused on action between Spider-Man, the members of the Sinister Six and Doc Ock. They’re your stars.

CBR: Many people on the boards were playing detective about “Ends of the Earth,” with NickFury90 pointing out that we’re looking at a new costume coming up in issue #683. What lies ahead on that front?

Slott: Stefano Caselli designed a great suit, and you’re going to see why Spidey needs it in “Ends of the Earth” and what it can do. It is something we’ve been building to, and you’ll see Humberto Ramos do his take on it too. It’s great, but we’re not sharing it yet. We’re hiding it!
DISCLAIMER:  Comicstalk.com is protected from liability under “safe harbor” provisions and will disable information that knowingly commits plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. End of excerpts of interview.

In the modern age of comic book stories this looks like something to check out. A dieing man’s revenge and the persistence of possibly Marvel’s greatest hero to save the day Spider Man to celebrate his 50th birthday. The art work looks great and the story has real possibilities of being one of the best Spider-Man story’s of all time. That is what is happening this March in Amazing Spider Man.  Be there Marvel and Spider Man reader. We will be there also commenting on the ‘Ends of the Earth’. Stay tuned comic faithful for more. Walt

SEE THE SERIES PREVIEW HERE

SEE THE FULL STORY HERE

 

 

Amazing Spider-Man 682

Amazing Spider-Man ‘Ends of the Earth’
Begins on March 21, 2012 in #682

Writer Dan Slott

Pencilers
Giuseppe Camuncoli
Stefano Caselli
Humberto Ramos

Part One Of “Ends Of The Earth”, The Next Big Spider-Man Event! • The Doc Ock Story You’ve Waited 50 Years For! Doctor Otto Octavius Holds The Entire Earth Hostage With His Dying Breath. What Price Will Spider-Man Have To Pay To Buy The Whole World One More Day? • Special Appearance By The Avengers!

 

 

 

 

Amazing Spider-Man 683

Avengers Art Appreciation Variant by Mike Del Mundo • The Biggest Movie Stars Of The Summer Team Up As The Amazing Spider-Man And The Avengers Square Off Against Doc Ock And The Sinister Six! The World May Be Ready To Buckle Under And Give In To Doctor Octopus’ Demands…But Spider-Man And His Fellow Avengers Sure Ain’t!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing Spider-Man 684

Variant Cover By Gabriele Dell’otto • Spider-Man’s Globetrotting Adventure Against The Sinister Six Moves To The Middle East For A Face Off Against…The Sandman! • In The Past, Spidey’s Fought Sandman On Beaches, In Quarries, But Never Like This – How Can Web-Head Hope To Defeat Sandman When He’s Controlling The Sahara Desert?! • Special Guest Stars: Black Widow And Silver Sable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing Spider-Man 685

Part four of the epic ‘Ends of the Earth’
Featuring the World’s Greatest Super Hero/Villain: Doctor Octopus!
Guest staring Black Widow and Silver Sable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing Spider-Man 686

In this perilously penultimate issue of ‘Ends of the Earth’ Inferno: Earth rages!
We promised the End of the Earth… and this is it, Jocko!
Guest staring: a doomed planet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing Spider-Man Ends of the Earth 1 in May

From one ‘Ends of the Earth’ to the other, Spider-Man isn’t the only hero fighting free the globe from Doctor Octopus’s treacherous tentacles in this extra sized story! • And the dying doctor has some wicked worldly associates of his own. • Guest staring: Big Hero Six and Union Jack”

Media Release – With ACTION COMICS #9, two acclaimed guest artists will explore an alternate Earth and the story of its Kryptonian protector. Multiple Eisner Award-winning artist Gene Ha will be a guest artist for the primary plot, penned by regular series writer Grant Morrison. And fresh from his recent work on THE SHADE miniseries, artist Cully Hamner will illustrate the issue’s back-up story, written by Sholly Fisch.

Parallel worlds come to the forefront of DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 “Second Wave,” with titles such as EARTH 2 and WORLDS’ FINEST exploring the adventures of heroes on alternate Earths. ACTION COMICS #9 sets up the multiverse with a standalone story of a Superman from another Earth, who must fight a monster from yet another parallel world. But this isn’t just any monster; it’s a Superman surrogate known as Superdoom, twisted into an unstoppable agent of evil. The back-up story will also feature an adventure of this alternate Superman, set on his parallel Earth. Regular series artist Rags Morales will return for ACTION COMICS #10 in June. End Media release

Well by the look of the media release and the fact that DC is bringing back the Justice Society in Earth 2 and Worlds Finest featuring Power Girl and the Huntress the Multiverse is alive and well at DC. That is something that fans where wondering and DC is answering with new and different versions of there heroes and villains. DC seems to write stories about the multiverse more than any other comic book publisher. Marvel has the two Universes that it mainly deals with the regular Marvel Universe and the Ultimate Universe. While they occasionally use the concept of multiple universes they tend to deal with these two. Some Marvel comics refer to the main Marvel Universe as Earth 616.

Most references to Earth-616 appear in Marvel UK titles, in Excalibur, or in Marvel reference texts such as the guide to Alternate Universes (2005). In addition, there are a number of other references to Earth-616: In Marvel 1602 #6 (March 2004), Uatu the Watcher refers to the universe as Earth-616. In Marvel Knights 4 #15 (April 2005), Earth-616 is mentioned. In Uncanny X-Men #462 (September 2005), Earth-616 was mentioned also. There were other references also but Marvel tends to not elaborate on the mulitivese and some in Marvel don’t like the designation of Earth-616.

Former Marvel Editor in Chief Joe Quesada and Executive Editor Tom Brevoort have each stated their dislike for the term Earth 616.

“I can tell you for sure that those of us actually working on the books virtually never use the term — and I kind of wince inside whenever I hear somebody use it. It just sounds so stupid to my ear, and so counter to the kind of mindset we try to foster in regard to the stories we create and the thinking we try to employ.” Marvel Executive Editor Tom Brevoort.

“I never use it, I hate the term pure and simple and agree with Tom’s assessment of it. I can’t remember ever hearing it in the office and only really see it used online for the most part. I think the term really came into vogue when the Ultimate Universe came into prominence, but in my world, the language and distinctions are simple, there is the Marvel Universe and the Ultimate Universe. Anything other than that reeks of all that DC Earth 1, Earth 2, Earth Prime stuff which I’ve never really taken to, but then again, I got into DC when they got rid of all that stuff so it was from and for a different era than my own. ” Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada.

Now DC on the other hand has a clear history of trying to fix continuity issues by creating Crisis series to fix there problems. Crisis on Infinite Earths (April 1985 – March 1986) was inspired by earlier crossover stories involving the multiple parallel Earths of the Multiverse, such as “Crisis on Earth-Two” and “Crisis on Earth-Three”, but instead of lasting two to five issues and involving members from many superhero teams from many parallel worlds, it involved virtually every significant character from every parallel universe in DC’s history. It in turn inspired the titles of four subsequent DC crossover series: Zero Hour: Crisis in Time (1994), Identity Crisis (2004), Infinite Crisis (2005–2006), and Final Crisis (2008).

Now after Flashpoint 2011 they created The New 52 and did a reboot of all things and we are in the process of finding out what that means to the DC Comic world of the present. Writers and editors are creating all things new and some trends of the old DC remain the same. The multiverse will be a main part of the New DC 52 and the DC comic creators will have to do it the DC way and try to please a very competitive market and comic reading public. I feel change is good and see many changes in the direction of the comic world, but there are distinct differences in that don’t seem to change. Marvel is having the same challenges in pleasing the entertainment public and they will change also but there will hopefully always be a Marvel way of doing comics. That is what choice is all about. Competition makes things better and we vote with our pocket book. Tell me what you think about the New 52 and Marvel because you are part of the future in comics. Stay tuned comic faithful for more. Walt

Media Release — This April, prepare for the biggest super hero war in comics history as Marvel is pleased to present your first look at Avengers Vs. X-Men #1! From the powerhouse creative team of Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Matt Fraction, Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker, John Romita Jr., Adam Kubert and Olivier Copiel comes a groundbreaking event pitting Earth’s Mightiest against the X-Men with the entire Marvel Universe at stake. Cyclops and his team believe the arrival of the Phoenix Force will save mutantkind, but Captain America is convinced it will destroy the world! But who is right? Don’t miss out on all the action in Avengers Vs. X-Men #1 in comic shops worldwide and on the Marvel Comics app this April!

AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #1
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS,
JASON AARON, MATT FRACTION,
JONATHAN HICKMAN, ED BRUBAKER
Art by JOHN ROMITA JR.
Colors by LAURA MARTIN
Cover by JIM CHEUNG
ON SALE – 4/3/12

Well from the media release above you can see that Avengers vs X-Men is the next major event in the Marvel Universe, as the paragraph says: the Earth’s Mightiest against the X-Men with the entire Marvel Universe at stake. Well the Marvel Universe is always at stake these days so that doesn’t surprise me and friend has fought friend before (Civil War) so that doesn’t astound me either.

What has me taking attention is the fact that the Phoenix Force is coming back in full force. Some of the best X-Men stories have been part of the Phoenix Force story arc. The Phoenix is among the most feared beings in all of existence — having the power to cut and re-grow any part of the universe, as well as destroy it entirely, which is part of the Phoenix’s purpose: “The Judgment of the Phoenix”, to burn away the obsolete. The Phoenix Force is described as being “the embodiment of the very passion of Creation – the spark that gave life to the Universe, the flame that will ultimately consume it.” The greatest of all host was Jean Gray. After dieing and resurrected Jean ultimately merged with the Phoenix Force, once again becoming the White Phoenix, and returned to the White Hot Room, while the Phoenix Force went to find its missing pieces.

The 12 part series event has the Phoenix returning to Earth to look for a new host possibly in Hope Summers. The supposed “Mutant Messiah” and some say the reincarnation of Jean Grey. What that has to do with Jean Grey and whether we will see her again still remains to be seen. But try as I may to not participate in the latest Mega event of Marvel just the collection of all star talent producing the series (listed above) will draw me to the story like a moth to the flame. Also is my appreciation of the wonderful story’s about the Phoenix in Chris Claremont writing and the artwork of first Dave Cockrum and then John Byrne in the late 1970s, still one of my favorite comic stories of all times.

So I am hooked and will be there for the series and report back to you what I think. Click on the pages below to get the start of what I hope is a great story. Also for you Marvel big fans check the video interview of the creators and editors. Stay tuned comic faithful for more. Walt

Watch Marvel Architects Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Matt Fraction, Ed Brubker and Jonathan Hickman along with EiC Axel Alonso, SVP – Publishing Tom Brevoort and Senior Editor Nick Lowe as they give …

The Avengers Movie has to be the most anticipated movie of 2012. A culmination of stories hinted at in the Marvel movies that came before and should be a colossal success if done as well as their previous movie productions. With Director/Writer Joss Whedon and an all star cast Robert Downey Jr. as Ironman, Chris Evans as Captain America, Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, and even Lou Ferrigno as the voice of  The Incredible Hulk this should be something special. We know that the special effects will be good and the acting with this line up and director should be excellent. But what do we know about the story through the recent trailers?

We know through the convention interview with Tom Hiddleston that Loki did not die at the end of the movie Thor. Loki wandered through the universe getting knowledge and power. He made an alliance with an intergalactic army and comes to rule the earth but must confront his brother Thor and the Avengers to do this. He also shows great interest in the Cosmic Cube and may have found a way to use it’s vast power to his advantage. He has learned more and has become a very dangerous individual with an army behind him the greatest threat to earth we have seen in Marvel movies thus far.

Nick Fury has facilitated this Avengers get together because he “believes in heroes” and I know that S.H.I.E.L.D. is deeply involved in the plan to save earth from this invader. Thor is drawn to the challenge because of his brother Loki and I am sure he must have mixed feelings about dealing harsh with him.  It looks like the Black Widow makes a personal appeal to Bruce Banner to be part of the Avengers and he accepts. How the Hulk agrees to be part of the Avengers we still don’t know but in the last trailer we see him fighting the army from another world so we know he is part of the team. Captain America after he wakes up from hibernation adjust quickly to the new world he gets a new uniform and has words with Tony Stark asking him what he gives the team without his armor. Tony Stark has a lot of one liners that add to the flavor of the movie in the trailers, I hope they saved a few for the full movie.

This is a mixture of characters that are used to working alone and must find a way to get it done and work as a team to defeat the major threat to the world. Every entertainment project of Joss Whedon has been done with quality and this should be also. This is a movie event that I think will put many people in the theater may even set records. We will be there, I recommend you be there on May 4th or there about to check the Movie The Avengers. Stay tuned comic faithful for more. Walt

MEDIA RELEASE:

Feb 9, 2012 09:04 AM ET
by Rich Sands   tvguide.com

In one of the closing scenes of last May’s Smallville series finale, Chloe Sullivan tells her Superman-worshipping son, “There will always be more adventures for another day.” That day is about to arrive, thanks to a new comic-book series that picks up where the long-running show left off. On April 13, DC Comics launches Smallville Season 11 in digital format (and later in print collections).

Season 11 begins six months after Clark Kent defeated Darkseid and stopped the planet Apokolips from crashing into Earth. He’s now settling into life as the Man of Steel while continuing to carry on his dual identity as a mild-mannered reporter at the Daily Planet. “It’s Clark’s first year as Superman,” says writer Bryan Q. Miller, who was also a writer on the TV show and has previously scripted DC’s Teen Titansand Batgirl comics. “He’s riding the high of everything working out so far. And he enjoys that he can stop and shake hands with folks after he saves them.”

Don’t expect the good times to last forever. Lex Luthor — brought back from the dead as Smallvilleended but wiped of his memories, including that Clark is super-powered alien — will be one of Superman’s main adversaries in the series. “Most people are thrilled that Superman saved the world by moving a planet out of the way,” Miller says, “but Lex and a handful of others are concerned that there’s a guy out there who can move planets.”

Fans of the TV show will no doubt be thrilled to see many of the supporting cast featured prominently in the story. “It’s a continuation of the lives of characters seen weekly over the course of 10 years,” Miller says. “It’s an ensemble book with Clark Kent at the core. Clark just so happens to now be Superman.” That ensemble includes Lois Lane, his fiancé and fellow reporter; his childhood best friend, Chloe; and Oliver Queen, aka the Green Arrow. As was teased in the finale, Chloe and Ollie are now married. (In fact, she’s going by the name Chloe Sullivan-Queen.)

The first arc of Smallville Season 11 is scheduled to include 12 chapters, which will be available via the DC Comics app on Apple, Android and Windows mobile devices, as well as online at read.dccomics.com. The first print edition goes on sale May 16 and will collect the opening four chapters, along with an episode guide to the TV show. The digital covers (including the one pictured above) are the work of artist Cat Staggs, while Gary Frank will handle the print covers. Pere Pérez, who worked with Miller on the Batgirl comic, will handle the interior art.

tvguide.com is responsible for the accuracy of the information in this Media Release

Amazing Spider-Man reboot starts July 3 2012 in theaters. The Amazing Spider-Man is the story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high school student who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents’ disappearance – leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr Curt Connors, his father’s former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors’ alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.

Marvel is set for a great year with the release of Spider-Man and The Avengers movie in the same year. We shall see if the quality continues in movie production of Marvel Entertainment. I hope the reintroduction of the Marvel Icon Spider-Man is well done. You can bet we will be there to comment and review. Stay tuned for more comic faithful. Walt

DC Comics has all the titles in top 10 in January great sales beginning the new year. Diamond Comic Distributors shows Marvel comics with slight lead in Dollar sales DC leads in Unit sales and has become very popular since coming out with the New 52 back in September 2011. DC had a great month, taking every slot of the top ten single issues and topping the industry in overall units sold with Geoff Johns and Jim Lee’s “Justice League” #5 leading the pack. “Justice League” has been the top selling single issue in every month since the book’s premiere in August 2011.

Why is DC Comics doing so well after the Marvel Dominance for so many years. There are several factors working here the first is the price of the comics. Please note in the list of the top ten comics of January 2012 all but 2 titles sell for $2.99. That will push the unit sales up because more people can afford to buy more comics. I have a friend who loves comics both Marvel and DC but because of the price he must limit the comics he buys every month. Marvel’s average cover price is higher than DC Comics. I read Comic Vines Forums and one writer started a thread; ” I have been a Marvel fan my entire life, often thinking of DC as stupid. However, this past year DC is dominating for me. The new 52 is mostly awesome and the lower prices mean I can buy more books. I have no desire to buy a marvel book right now, while I can not wait for the new DC releases every week. Is anybody else with me?”  Boy that says a lot.

Also is the quality much of the New 52 is very good. It has a new fresh look and feel. DC put together some of the best writers and artist to make something special in story and very pleasing to the eyes. When people buy in these numbers it is because they like what their reading. The stories stand alone and for the current time you don’t have to read many titles to get the story like old DC and Marvels mega series. I think people like major stories and series but it should not dominate all the time. A mega series should be rare and not as frequent as Marvel and DC have produced in the past 5 to 6 years. The reader is brain numb to tragedy because it is so frequent in modern comic publishing. Sometimes we just want to read a good story involving the personal life and superhero life of our favorite comic book character.

And also there are new readers out there that are jumping on the New 52 band wagon because it is something new from the ground up. Many of the names are the same but the past history of these icons in DC is gone so the writer has no script he must follow to stay within continuity of past stories. It is a great jumping on point for old and new readers.

Will this trend continue? Well that depends on DC Comics and Marvel and the visual appetite of the reader of comic books. The company that fills that hunger for quality of story and art be it Marvel, DC or any of the other publishers out there will sell the most comics because that is how it works. We will be there and tell the story. Stay tuned comic faithful for more. Walt