Premonition of Galactus

 ~Fantastic Four #602

Devourer of Worlds, he is Galactus, and has threatened our planet since 1966 when he first appeared in Fantastic Four #48. (Special thanks: Doug who found my error with Galactus' first appearance and provided the correct data.) It's been a rocky road since then, but Reed Richards has managed to keep this omega-level threat at bay for many years through trickery and careful tactics.


The panel you're seeing above is only one part of the great story that's unfolding in Fantastic Four #602. Galactus knows something; he's seen the future and has been anticipating this moment. If you buy this comic book and read the next panel, you'll have incredible insight to the incredible battle that's about to transpire.

Things are different this time. The presence of Galactus is needed for what's about to come.

Villainous Moments is a column from of The Superheroes List, updated weekly (usually Tuesday). What are the bad guys doing this week? Macabre and unthinkable, grotesque and unbearable; here's your answer! Look for #VillainousMoments on Twitter.

Ghost Rider Villain #4: Zarathos

Few heroes are possessed by true evil; the consequence of such commitment usually turns them into what we call an "anti-hero" - or a figure of questionable intent that ends up doing good by happenstance. Yet, putting this difficulty aside, what most fans of Johnny Blaze, the first Ghost Rider, know is that his most threatening foe was...himself! This became realized in Ghost Rider #77 once we learned the Spirit of Vengeance within him was none other than a powerful demonic entity known as Zarathos. Read More.

Zarathos is #4 on The Top 10 Villains of Ghost Rider, a countdown provided by The Superheroes List, assembling some of his greatest threats and momentous battles as we get ready for Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, the next movie featuring Nicholas Cage as Johnny Blaze. If you like this superhero and you want to see more of him and his flaming head, Check out this List!

SF: Who Invited YOU?

~Green Lantern: New Guardians #005 (2012)

Kyle Rayner has been on a fantastic adventure since Green Lantern: New Guardians released with The New 52 in 2011. The only problem is his team; half of them want to kill the other half and the ones who are minding their manners are practically insane.

Blue, red, yellow ring-bearers? That's no problem for a Green Lantern. Now if he could just figure out how to get the Orange Lantern's avatar to behave.

The entire series has been very interesting and involves a set of predetermined behaviors; since each ring color is associated with an emotion, there becomes an immediate set of conflicts and dynamics throughout. But it worth it. I recommend checking out Green Lantern: New Guardians if you get a chance; it's still in it's early stages and you won't miss much.

SuperFunnies updates every week (usually Thursday) on The Superheroes List.These are the moments of levity and humor, sometimes utterly ridiculous. You can also look for #SuperFunnies on Twitter.

DC Cancellations and The Second Wave

DC Comics announced earlier this month that they would be cancelling some of their titles, spiraling directly out from The New 52, but did you know they are also preparing for The Second Wave?

Here's what you need to know:

Blackhawks are going to be grounded.
Hawk and Dove had their wings clipped
Men of War will be M.I.A.
Mr. Terrific, shut down.
O.M.A.C. will be offline.
Static Shock has been canned. Writer John Rozum has listed a lengthy blog post telling you his side of the story.

These issues, 3 of which center around ethnic minority based characters, will end with issue #8 (April). DC has reported that their sales were just not good enough and they had to go.

In exchange, here comes the DC Second Wave; this is what they'll be offering starting May:

Batman Incorporated, with Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham. This title will center on the Batman crime-fighters and use Damian Wayne as part of the plot. (In the Batman  and Robin series, Damian is constantly being influenced to go bad.) It also suggest that Talia al Ghul will play an important role.

Dial H, with China Miéville and Mateus Santoluoco. a.k.a. "Dial H for Hero". This promises to be an interesting endeavor into comics with people who suddenly gain super powers, even if only for a day or so.

Earth 2, with James Robinson and Nicola Scott. This is the parallel earth that focuses on the team of The Justice Society.

G.I. Combat, with J.T. Krul and Ariel Olivetti.This title will incorporate all their soldier of war themes and include appearances by the newly vamped Sgt. Rock. Will also include stories from The War That Time Forgot, The Unknown Soldier, The Haunted Tank.

The Ravagers, with Howard Mackie and Ian Churchill. This will be a spin off from the Teen Titans and Superboy, and centers around four heroes that the bad guys want to turn into villains.

World's Finest, with Paul Levitz, George Perez, and Kevin Maguire. But it won't be with Batman and Superman. This time it's all about the ladies: The Huntress and Power Girl. It will be interesting to see how this duo plays out.

Something That Might Interest You: Power Girl & Huntress: Legacy Statue

Sculpted by Tony Cipriano, these two heroines are coming up features in World's Finest. Although she's hardly a figure of light, Power Girl represents the bright side of this super duo, while Huntress encapsulates the darkness.

There are striking similarities between this female team and the original one of Superman and Batman.

Together for the first time in a DC Direct statue, this limited-edition, hand-painted, cold-cast porcelain statue measures approximately 11.75" tall x 6.5" wide x 5.5" deep. Includes a certificate of authenticity and is packaged in a 4-color box. This limited edition statue is manufactured to order.

Just to let you know, almost anything for Power Girl sells quickly, but raises in price after it sells out. If you're a collector, don't pass this up.

VM: Beware The Keepers

~Green Lantern Corps #5 (2012)

Little did the the bearers of the rings of willpower know, their lanterns were being cultivated on a planet, secretly kept hidden by the Guardian of Oa. For an untold time, the people living there were changed, altered at the genetic level, to coincide with the emerald light.

And behold, the face of The Keepers, a race who's planet and people have been systematically dying once the Guardians took back the lanterns and broke their pact. They are like wounded animals, caring little for the existence of others. Now, with nothing to lose, they have begun a path of devastation through the galaxy, all in the name of hate.

The Keepers have been the primary villains since the beginning of the Green Lantern Corps series which started during The New 52.

Are You Ready for AVX?

Avengers vs. X-Men Article Page

 
In April 2012, the event from Marvel Comics will culminate in a battle between The Avengers - Earth's Mightiest Heroes - and The Children of The Atom, known as The X-Men. This series is scheduled for a 12-issue run, released twice a month, and is expected to conclude in September 2012.

The Avengers vs. The X-Men, which might also be dubbed "AvX", is going to be conceptualized by the team of Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction. Joining with them will be the artists John Romita Jr., Olivier Coipel and Adam Kubert.

What To Expect: Primarily, this article will follow and list every issue for the event, but we'll also give you a chance to chime in and tell us what you're thinking. There will be summaries, spoilers, and of course, a Reading Order that will help you follow along. And hopefully, once things begin to move at quantum speeds, you'll be able to use this as a reference.

Ghost Rider Villain #5: Blackout and Deathwatch

When the second incarnation of the Ghost Rider, Danny Ketch, became a Spirit of Vengeance, he encountered two super-powered enemies which would appear time and time again during his adventures. They were the most ruthless of his foes, hounding him at every step, and it all started in Ghost Rider #1 and #2(1990) when the duo of Blackout and Deathwatch butted heads with our hero. Read More.

Recommended: Ghost Rider: Blackout, 5" Poseable Action Figure with Vampire Attack Action and Glow-in-the-Dark Feature

Because of the Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance movie, this 5" Blackout figure is becoming harder to find. (If you follow the link, however, this one can be located as well as the Zarathos and the Johnny Blaze figure.

It's fully poseable and can serve two functions: if, for some reason, your child has an interest in scary-looking vampires, Blackout glows in the dark and appears as one of the creatures of the undead. Other than that, he's also a collectible and part of a set of three.

Keep your eye out in 2012 as more Ghost Rider collectibles and movie gear become available.

Blackout and Deathwatch are two villains that have worked side by side against the Ghost Rider since the beginning; now they appear as #5 on The Top 10 Villains of Ghost Rider, a countdown list sponsored by The Superheroes List. And if you're waiting for a good flame-headed fight to numero uno, keep following and Check out the List!

SF: Pants in a Bunch?

Avenging Spider-Man #3 (2012)

In his newest title, the Avenging Spider-Man, ole' web-head went underground into the domain of the Mole Man and the Moloids with Red Hulk. Turns out they kidnapped Mayor Jameson and were preparing to do some nasty things.

It got rough by issue #2; Red Hulk was almost killed, stabbed by a champion-sized Moloid right through the chest. And over in the dark corner, who was left to save the day? Our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man!

It's a one-sided battle: Spidey doesn't have a chance! But if you want to see how he wins anyway, check out Avenging Spider-Man #3 on sale now. It's hilarious!

SuperFunnies updates every week (usually Thursday) on The Superheroes List.These are the moments of levity and humor, sometimes utterly ridiculous. You can also look for #SuperFunnies on Twitter.

VM: Doom is a 4-letter Word

~Avengers: The Children's Crusade #8 (2012)

Victor Von Doom. Well, what can you say; little did we know, amidst all the world-threatening events of Fear Itself, when the rest of us were cowering in fear, he was courting Wanda Maximoff, otherwise known as The Scarlet Witch!

From Avengers: The Children's Crusade, this 9-issue limited series is tearing a hole in the Avengers: Dissembled story and what we thought happened. (No, I'm not going to spoil it; besides, issue #9 isn't out yet.)

I highly recommend this series to Marvel readers. The potential here is to redefine Avenger's history. The plot is straightforward; Wiccan and Speed, two nearly-identical superheroes are speculated to be the magicked children of The Scarlet Witch. After learning more of her past, the Young Avengers embark on her trail, hoping to find answers from a previous era.

Villainous Moments is a column from of The Superheroes List, updated weekly (usually Tuesday). What are the bad guys doing this week? Macabre and unthinkable, grotesque and unbearable; here's your answer! Look for #VillainousMoments on Twitter.

Ghost Rider Villain #6: Vengeance

Unbeknownst to many purveyors of the Ghost Rider's Saga, he is not the only Spirit of Vengeance. In actuality, there encompasses a whole army, deigned by Heaven, to be used as weapons on those who commit acts of sinful transgression. And in that horrible militia, we learned that one of them received a soul-bond similar to Johnny Blaze and Daniel Ketch. Filled with terrible wrath and a nature towards physical punishment, this creature, called Vengeance, met the two many times in conflict.Read More.


Vengeance is #6 on The Top 10 Villains of Ghost Rider, a countdown assortment of the worst and most supernatural threats of the Spirit of Vengeance provided by The Superheroes List. If you like this event, come check out the lists!

SF: Got Soul?

~X-Factor #230 (2012)

The team is having a shakeup and in the midst of the Regenesis event. On the sidelines, one of their high profile members, Guido, also known as Big Guy, managed to end up without a soul. (Thanks Layla!) In some ways, he's unlimited by morals and ethics; on the other hand, there's clearly a problem when it comes to making friends.

VM: Cable's Quest

~Avengers: X-Sanction (2012)

Cable has arrived from the future, where everything has been consumed; it's all ash. Through research, he's learned the death of the Avengers will make things right.

Villainous Moments is a column from of The Superheroes List, updated weekly (usually Tuesday). What are the bad guys doing this week? Macabre and unthinkable, grotesque and unbearable; here's your answer! Look for #VillainousMoments on Twitter.

Ghost Rider Villain #7: Lilith

With the success and ending of Johnny Blaze, a second Ghost Rider volume was planned and implemented in 1990. This time, however, the hero is Daniel Ketch in a unique twist, and after two years of blazing his own trails of vengeance, he embarked against one of his most memorable villains, and story arcs, of all time. It's known as the "Rise of The Midnight Sons" saga, and the villainous fiend at the heart of this tale is sorcerous lady known as Lilith, The Mother of All Demons. Read More.

Lilith, The Mother of All Demons, is number 7 on The Top 10 Villains of Ghost Rider, a countdown sponsored by The Superheroes List. The goal here is to innoculate readers and movie-goers to the Rider and his 2012 movie. And if you like this kind of stuff, be sure to Check out the List!

Taking Care of Business

~Stormwatch #5 (2012)

The Shadow Cabinet has had enough; one of their mysterious figures has arrived and is determined to assign Stormwatch, a secret organization orbiting the planet, a new leader. But it's not going to be Jack Hawksmoor. NO WAY!

Villainous Moments: Infestation

~Superman #004 (2012)

The Son of Krypton is facing an unknown Menace. After battling against three powerful, elemental avatars, a swarm of mechanical bugs have been released and are preparing to "purge" everything. Who is this "Menace" and how can Superman stop him?

Ghost Rider Villain #8: Centurius

In the first run of the Ghost Rider series, (Ghost Rider, Volume 1, issues #1-81, 1972, see Special Notes), the Rider was Johnny Blaze, a stunt-driver who had made a "deal with the devil" in exchange for saving the life of his step-father, "Crash" Simpson. It later turned out to be a bad move; Johnny, we learned, was infused with a powerful entity known as Zarathos, capable of taking over his physical form and controlling hellfire. Why do you need to know this? Because it's fundamental in understanding his next greatest villain, the man who nearly killed the demon. Read More...

Centurius is number 8 on The Top 10 Villains of Ghost Rider. This is an article of The Spirit of Vengeance's most memorable bad guys, sponsored by The Superheroes List, as we get ready for the new Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance movie. If you like this kind of stuff, Check out the List! 

Out With the Old, In With the New: The TSL 2011 Awards

Gathered here are the 3 annual awards from The Superheroes List. They are:

* The Top 5 Comic Book Events of 2011
* The 2011 SuperFunnies Awards
* The 2011 Villainous Moments Awards

These represent the best, the most hilarious, and the most heinous moments in comic books for the year.