Origin stories are a staple of superhero comic book lore, as essential to the mythology as wolves to romulus & remus or sweet teeth to Hansel & Gretzel. At some point, every comic book fan wants to know how their heroes got their start, which is why we see miniseries like Wolverine’s “Origins” getting a second chance at life a decade after the original. Within the last decade, this obsession with origins has also led to the more dramatic “secret origin,” the twist or new light brought to a revisiting of an established character’s roots. Typically, “secret origins” has been a DC Comics labeling, with the likes of Green Lantern’s Secret Origins launching a modern favorite run on Hal Jordan (and ultimately spawning a disaster of a film). It was only a matter of time before Marvel co opted the language, and hence, we have Kieron Gillen and Greg Land’s “The Secret Origin of Tony Stark.” [Read more…] about Marvel NOW! Review! Iron Man vol 2 & vol 3: The Secret Origin of Tony Stark
If I Wrote Agents of SHIELD Season Two
Let’s face it guys and girls: Agents of SHIELD Season One was disappointing. With a capital DISAPPOINT. Yes, things started to “Turn, Turn, Turn” following Captain America 2, but that simply saw Agents of SHIELD progress from a massive disappointment to a passable show filled to the brim with potential. The fact that the writers and showrunners seemed comfortable admitting they had to wait 17 EPISODES to finally get interesting (because of the Cap 2 movie tie-in) is completely and utterly…
You know what? This isn’t about Season One anymore. It’s in the past, and we’ll never watch it again, even though the DVD was just released (seriously: not a DVD you need, although 4 and a half stars on 800 Amazon reviews is STUNNING). It’s time to focus on how we make Agents of SHIELD awesome for Season Two, which begins September 23rd. I have some ideas: [Read more…] about If I Wrote Agents of SHIELD Season Two
Thanos: A God Up There Infinite Comic Review! An Infinity Epilogue
I didn’t have any awareness of Thanos: A God Up There, the six issue Infinite Digital miniseries from Marvel, until I received a Marvel Unlimited membership deal for half off each issue. Having recently enjoyed Jim Starlin’s Thanos: The Infinity Revelation and always carrying an appreciation for the Mad Titan, the opportunity for discounted Thanos stories was too good to pass up. What I didn’t foresee was 1) how enjoyable the series would be and 2) how relevant it would be to Marvel continuity, particularly Infinity. [Read more…] about Thanos: A God Up There Infinite Comic Review! An Infinity Epilogue
Suggested Reading: The History of Marvel Comics Dramatically Transforming Key Characters
This past July, Marvel announced that they’ll be launching “Avengers NOW” in the fall, another revamp of their comic book universe. More dramatically, Marvel has unveiled key details of this initiative, including the reveal of Thor becoming a woman (but not Lady Thor), Sam Wilson upgrading from Falcon to Captain America, and Iron Man donning a new suit in a series titled “Superior Iron Man.” It’s a continued, largely successful effort on Marvel’s end to inject new life into their comics since Marvel NOW!, but as you’d expect the major character transformations are met with both praise and abject hate, cheering and cries of political correctness gone wrong. Personally, I’m a big fan of new stories and Marvel taking chances with their characters. Don’t buy it? Here’s a whole bunch of suggested reading from the past where Marvel dramatically changed established heroes along with the end result: [Read more…] about Suggested Reading: The History of Marvel Comics Dramatically Transforming Key Characters
Marvel NOW: Iron Man Vol 1 “Believe” Review and Walkthrough
Marvel events of the modern era have a tendency to beat the living daylights out of the decade’s surprise comic book movie savior, Iron Man. Civil War positions ol’ shellhead against his best friend and fellow Avenger, Captain America, Secret Invasion corrupted everything from Stark industries to Tony Stark’s own biology, Dark Reign completely unmade the man, and Fear Itself got so dire we saw the return of a certain demon in a bottle. By contrast, Avengers vs. X-Men, the Marvel event that leads into Marvel NOW! was a walk in the park. Tony spends most of his time tinkering on devices to solve the situation, and although he only succeeds to varying degrees, it’s a comparatively peaceful conclusion to a 60+ issue, four year run on the character from Matt Fraction and Salvador Larocca. [Read more…] about Marvel NOW: Iron Man Vol 1 “Believe” Review and Walkthrough