There's Something About Marvel NOW

The Week In Comics

When we last left our heroes, it was really all about Avengers vs. X-Men, The Amazing Spider-Man and Dark Knight Rises Movie, and then some musings over the Before Watchmen and Night of The Owls event. That was yesterday. I promise we'll still go into their updates, but in the last week, Marvel announced something even bigger. It's called Marvel NOW!

Do you remember how Shattered Heroes picked up the fallen pieces after Marvel's Fear Itself event? Well, the impression Marvel Editor-In-Chief Alex Alonso is giving us is something of a similar nature:

"Marvel NOW! is the next step in Marvel story evolution and character evolution. It’s not a reboot. It is a universe-shifting catch-all, which really just tells fans that if you enjoyed Avengers vs. X-Men, get ready for what the outcome is because there’s some major, major changes coming to the Marvel Universe."

If you're interested in learning more about Marvel NOW!, here is a Summary and Landing Page for the "event". The original article over at Marvel.com is here.

Elsewhere in the Universe...

The Avengers vs. X-Men event is again on the hunt for Hope. The Avengers have here now, but The Phoenix Five are not going to let it remain that way. Cyclops just issued a proclamation that there will be no more Avengers (Uncanny X-Men #15). Over at Avengers vs. X-Men #7, though, The Scarlet Witch has taken a prime position. She can hurt the Phoenix Entity.

The Amazing Spider-Man movie drew #140 million according to the LA Times (article here) and this is probably the highest paying 30 days ever seen at Marvel with The Avengers back in May.

The Dark Knight Rises previews are getting standing ovations. I've checked out the sources and don't consider them fully vetted, however, the Twitter and Facebook comments suggest that this movie will equal, if not surpass, what we've already seen this Summer.

Last, but not least, Before Watchmen is going strong with each release. Last week, Ozymandias #1 came out and gave a strong background on the "Smartest Man in The World". The true beauty of the series is that - so far- each story has been extremely strong and well-developed. 

Until next week: We're still waiting for the final issue of Batman that will conclude Night of The Owls. And there will always be more.

The Week In Comics is a new series of articles that will update on Monday on the Superheroes List Blog, and The Superheroes List website. It will cover all the major events and story lines of recent in the superhero and villain world. If you're interested in today's super-news, keep your eyes open and Check out the List! #TWIC

TWIC: The Week of The Spider

Unless you've been living in a cave - no wait - under a rock, this week you're getting ready for The Amazing Spider-Man movie, starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone; it starts on Tuesday, but for most of us it'll be midnight tonight. This is definitely the week of the spider and Marvel released Amazing Spider-Man #688 to coincide with the first appearance of The Lizard, one of Spidey's first super-villains. There's a lot to love, but also some originality in this flick, and the reviews have been varied. One of the main points is that you'll be treated to another origin, but you'll get a new enemy.

The viral campaign for Amazing Spider-Man, in my opinion, has been lackluster; if you expected to see a lot of lead-up, keep looking. For the most part, everything must have been spent on the Avengers movie. Regardless, you can still see Spidey in his numerous monthly releases with Amazing Spider-Man, Avenging Spider-Man, Spider-Men, Avengers, FF, Ultimate Spider-Man, and any of the other mags where he appears for a team-up.

Back on Utopia with Avengers vs. X-Men. Well, it's being called Pax Utopia, lately, and that's due to the Phoenix Five - Cyclops, Magik, Colossus, Namor, and Emma Frost - who have the power of that destructive entity. This week it's all about them dominating the world in the name of peace. Does anyone think that it'll work? Nah! But The Avengers made a grab for Hope and The Scarlet Witch is now taking part in the event. Something is going on and we're going to learn real soon what this whole Phoenix Prophecy is about.

Over on the DC side of the fence, if you were finished with Night of The Owls, you closed your comic books too soon. All Star Western #10, which happens almost two hundred years earlier, actually adds a historical flavor that must be included. It just released and is now part of the reading order. Expect the final part of the "Night" to end with Batman #11, on July 11th. (On a special note, if you're in New York, Scott Snyder will be signing the issue during this event.)

Now, let me tell you about Before Watchmen. This running event is actually decent, but it really boils down to the ending. (One of the biggest disparities, for me, was The Comedian #1, which indicated that Blake didn't have anything to do with the JFK shooting. It's a clear separation from the movie, in the intro, which shows him leaving the grassy knoll.) Last week Nite Owl #1 released and we had another good story, seeing Hollis turn his mantle over to Dan. Right now, the verdict is still out and I'm interested in the public opinion.

Want to try something a bit off-kilter, yet realistic? Try Hit-Girl #1, just release from Icon publishing. Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. put this mini-series out to bridge the Kick-Ass and Kick-Ass 2 stories, but also because Mindy McCready's character was too good to leave alone. From the first page, you'll get a serious, punishing, outlook of their superhero life.

Well, that's the highlights, comic books friends, and more on the horizon. Just one last note: be sure to check out The 10 Hottest Super Babes of Summer 2012. It's counting down right now and updates on Wednesday.

The Week In Comics is a new series of articles that will update on Monday on the Superheroes List Blog, and The Superheroes List website. It will cover all the major events and story lines of recent in the superhero and villain world. If you're interested in today's super-news, keep your eyes open and Check out the List! #TWIC

TWIC: As The World Burns...

~Excerpt from X-Men Legacy #268 (2012)

The week of June 13, 2012, while evolving some plotlines, is beginning one to a close. As well, buzz is starting to surface of a movie to come.

Avengers vs. X-Men - The hosts of The Phoenix are on earth now; we know they are purging the world of "problems" (such as guns, war, etc.), but the extent of their control is - as of yet - unknown. X-Men Legacy #268 (2012) gave us a brief glimpse of the struggles to come. In addition to that release, you can view a couple of detailed battles on the moon in AvX: Versus #3 (2012) with The Thing vs. Colossus and Black Widow vs. Magik.


Night of The Owls - The DC event is almost over. Batman, however, has only just begun. After exacting a couple of clues, he found a lead on the Court of Owls and is closing in. By the end of Batman #10 (2012), a complete twist emerges and could change the known history of Bruce Wayne. (It's unlikely, but you'll have to read it to find out.) Batman #11 is probably the final issue of the event (should arrive around July 11th.)

Before Watchmen - Now underway, this week's release is Before Watchmen - Silk Spectre #1 (2012) and details Laurie Jupiter's background. It doesn't comprise a lot of action, but does give a more rounded, historical perspective of the female member of The Watchmen. The real question is whether DC will do more harm than good to Alan Moore's TPB.

Iron Man 3 - Tony Stark's next flick is on the way; they released some new picks. The latest rumor is that he'll be facing The Mandarin. Sorry no official site yet, though. But here's the first set photo from Marvel.com.

Now...let's see what's coming this week, shall we?

The Week In Comics is a new series of articles that will update on Monday on the Superheroes List Blog, and The Superheroes List website. It will cover all the major events and story lines of recent in the superhero and villain world. If you're interested in today's super-news, keep your eyes open and Check out the List! #TWIC

TWIC: Minute By Minutemen

The "Stuff" for June 6, 2012.
Once again it's time to hear about The Week In Comics with some quick, short updates of the world of superheroes as they battle their way to infamy.

Avengers vs. X-Men #5 released last week for that event and the deadly entity known as The Phoenix finally arrived where Hope and the two teams were fighting: Earth's moon. Things didn't go exactly as planned, though, and now The X-Men, 5 of them, are hosts to the machinations to come.

Unfortunately it was a slow week for Batman's Night of The Owls. Nothing came out for the story.

If you were anticipating the Before Watchmen event, you can now sit back and relax. Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1 (2012) released and it gives you an intro into the whole roster of their earliest characters. From the perspective of Hollis Mason, he recounts each member, giving a brief profile.

Marvel's Spider-Man Movie project is starting their promotional for the July 3rd film release; now you can pick up Amazing Spider-Man Movie #1 (2012), which shows the character wearing the movie version costume and fighting crime for the first time.

Are you a fan of The Thunderbolts? Sorry to hear that; it appears the series just concluded. Here's a glimmer of hope, though; it may redeem the criminals-serving-as-heroes in your eyes. Dark Avengers #175 (2012) just released, and it's picking up right where Thunderbolts #174 ended. But it's all new characters comprised in this supergroup.

Lastly, on the Comic Book News front:

DC Comics recently announced The New 52 "0" Month, which will be releasing in September 2012. All the comics that month will be number #0 and there will be four new titles releases. More to come; I'll make a summary page for all that information this week. By the way, it was also announced that Alan Scott was the gay person to come out of the closet. Personally, I don't consider him a major character, but in Earth 2, it appears he'll become one.

Marvel, with Avengers and Spider-Man going strong this summer, is gearing up for their next release: Iron Man 3. But here's a tidbit of info; word came out from Latino Review that Marvel might produce a Black Panther movie. Likely for 2014. I'm actually not surprised because I was thinking an Avenger's sequel will need an additional character or two.

The Week In Comics is a new series of articles that will update on Monday on the Superheroes List Blog, and The Superheroes List website. It will cover all the major events and story lines of recent in the superhero and villain world. If you're interested in today's super-news, keep your eyes open and Check out the List! #TWIC.

What Happened "Before Watchmen"?

~released cover of Dr. Manhattan in the Before Watchmen event

In light of the fantastic success of The Watchmen 12-issue series (1986) over 25 years ago, DC Comics announced this morning that they will be running prequels for the dark-heroic characters popularized by writer Alan Moore, with art and colors from Dave Gibbons and John Higgens. Titled Before Watchmen, these seven titles start sometime in summer 2012.

The titles as announced will be:

Comedian #1-6, with writer Brian Azzarello and artist J.G. Jones.

Dr. Manhattan #1-4, with writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Adam Hughes.

Minutemen #1-6, with writer and artist Darwyn Cooke.

Nite Owl #1-4, with Writer J. Michael Straczynski and artists Andy and Joe Kubert.

Ozymandias #1-6, with Writer Len Wein and artist Jae Lee.

Rorschach #1-4, with writer Brian Azzarello and artist, Lee Bermejo.

Silk Spectre #1-4, with writer Darwyn Cooke and artist Amanda Conner.

There will also be a Before Watchmen: Epilogue one-shot released before the others, showing some of the artwork and starting a special side-story called "Curse of The Crimson Corsair".

If you're interested in following the series event, please join us at Before Watchmen Summary Page which will show artwork, checklists, and possibly a reading order (if one is necessary).


Recommended: The Watchmen (2009) Blu-Ray, Director's Cut

If you haven't been introduced to The Watchmen, there is a movie release in Blu-Ray that has the best graphics and is very close to the original 1986 series. This is the Director's Cut, which puts you in the perspective of what was fully intended.

You'll definately need to have read the series or picked up the movie to know what's going on in Before Watchmen.

The extended director's cut restores 24 minutes of connective tissue to the 162-minute film, most significantly the last scene of Hollis Mason, the first Nite Owl. Other elements help restore and fill in details that had been in the graphic novel.

I highly recommend the this Director's Cut version simply because it goes beyond the normal movie and isn't restricted by time constraints. Warning, though, this is movie is rated-R.