Ironing Man - heores aren't born, they're steam pressed and folded - by fusilly.com

Navigando nella rete, Comicus ha raccolto per voi alcune piccole novità per la Marvel, con un occhio particolare alle conseguenze di Secret Invasion e ad Amazing Spider-Man. Ecco di seguito un ricco elenco:
- Su Mighty Avengers #20, ultimo numero di Brian Bendis, verranno affrontate le conseguenze di quanto accaduto ai membri del gruppo sulle pagine di Secret Invasion, preparando il terreno sia alla nuova gestione di Dan Slott, sia alla nuova serie Dark Avengers.
- Bendis ritratta le parole "Ho scritto la parola Skrull per l'ultima volta", dicendo che stava solo scherzando. "C'è ancora molto da dire".

- Rivelato un membro dei Dark Avengers: sarà Iron Patriot. Nessuna informazione però su chi possa essere questo personaggio.

- Il line-up dei New Avengers precedentemente scoperto non sarebbe quello veritiero, stando a quanto scritto sui vari message board da Brian Bendis e Brian Reed. In compenso Rich Johnston ha anticipato le copertine di War Machine e Secret Invasion: Dark Reign.

- Mitch Breitweiser dovrebbe occuparsi di un fill-in su Uncanny X-Men.

- Le immagini qui sotto sono state diffuse dalla Marvel, specificando che si tratta di un nuovo progetto, ma per il momento non sono stati rivelati dettagli.

- In un'intervista si IGN e in una chat con Comics Should Be Good a proposito di Amazing Spider-Man, l'editor Steve Wacker ha anticipato che potremo aspettarci maggiori incursioni della serie nel Marvel Universe, un possibile ritorno di Harry nei panni di Goblin, un ritorno della Gatta Nera e l'avanzamento delle trame sentimentali con un appuntamento romantico previsto per gennaio nel numero 583. Inoltre la serie si allaccerà a Dark Reign, anche se questo legame è stato difficoltoso a causa del grande margine di tempo con cui si scrivono le storie di Amazing, ma la serie stava già andando verso una specifica direzione che ha agevolato il lavoro degli scrittori e degli editor. Infine, stando all'editor, nel 2009 non assisteremo ad un ripristino dello status-quo precedente a One More Day, e ribadiscono che, matrimonio a parte, ogni singola storia del passato rimane in continuity, anche Sins Past.

- Dan Slott, in aggiunta alle dichiarazioni da noi già riportate, ha lasciato intuire pesantemente che c'è un motivo ben preciso se negli ultimi mesi nessuno sembra in grado di cogliere l'identità segreta di Peter, spiegando così le ingenue erronee deduzioni di Kraven, Norman e Venom.

- Roger Stern non si limiterà ad un solo albo di Amazing (in cui ritornerà Blank, un personaggio introdotto su West Coast Avengers) e starebbe già scrivendo la sua prossima storia. La prossima storia di John Romita, scritta da Marc Guggenheim è in arrivo a gennaio.

[by Riccardo Galardini] [10-10-08] grazie al sito comicus

In one of the most shocking and ludicrous casting decisions in the history of the world, R&B heartthrob Usher has been cast as Bucky; Captain America's sidekick. Variety has the information here. I'm going to go chew my hands off at the wrist.

According to MTV's Splashpage Hulk director Louis Leterrier and Neil Gaiman are pretty much begging for Marvel to make these films happen. I'm not too sure on 1602 (only because i haven't read it) but a Dr Strange movie would give me happy time in my pants...just so you know.

I'm wondering what exactly is the appeal of comics. I think.. that historically, comics in the US really took off during the war period. Where you had Captain America and Superman taking on the Nazis. I could be wrong, but I'm certain that there were story arcs that went that way. Whether or not they were actually published during that period, I can't remember. Perhaps it is the fantasy of it that made it appealing, like the board game Monopoly. Monopoly did well even though it was created during the depression. It allowed the players to pretend and imagine that they were in a better place. So maybe that was the appeal of the comic.

Was.

Was because comics today are actually a lot more true to life. Post 9-11 themes are pretty popular nowadays. A couple of years ago, there was this amazing storyline in the Marvel Universe. Civil War. Yes, I'm sloooww.. as usual. I only recently got to read the whole series and it is amazing. What really appealed to me was the fundamental question that has been explored in many other literary contexts before. Who watches the watchmen?

Other newer 'adult' comics explore themes in an incredible way. I can't remember if I have mentioned this before but I was reading this comic, Y: The last man. Imagine what would happen if ALL the men suddenly died out mysteriously, leaving a sole male survivor in a world full of women. I'll spoil it a little, its not a XXX comic but rather a pretty serious look at gender equality. Think about the jobs that men and women typically do today and you'll get an idea of the gist of the book.

So after all this, whats my point? I guess, at the end of the day, I'm trying to figure out... what makes a good comic. I reckon that, today, it still has to be incredible but.. grounded. Yes. I love contradictions too. I think a good comic, to me, needs to address a particular problem today but present it in an incredible way.

'The Incredible Hulk' driector Louis Leterrier said he couldn't think of any villain that could stand up to the combined might of the Avengers. Suggesting that it should be a hero, namely his, The Hulk.

If you think about it, with those scenes at the end of the recent Hulk movie, Stark and Ross in the bar and Edward Norton's little smirk at the end. Its already moving in that direction. I wouldn't make 'The Hulk' an out an out villain, because he's not. But misunderstood? oh very much so.

Can anyone say, World War Hulk?!

found via MTV's splash page - read the full article HERE

The story is by Zeb Wells, the pencils by Angel Medina and the inks by Scott Hanna.

The first issue starts with the early years of young Eddie Brock’s life. We see a shy little boy with a tendancy to be strange. He hides the cat of a little girl in a box only to appear as the hero who brings it back to her. This shows us, that Eddie always wanted to be liked but kept having problems in that field. The story then switches to his high school years, where his only goal seems to be to impress the cheerleaders into liking him, but again he fails the moment reality shows its face. We then find him years later, working for a newspaper, but again not as the big time reporter he would like to be, but as an assistant making coffee for the whole floor all day long. Until the day he accidentally picks up the phone of a reporter and finds himself on the other end with a confessing murderer. Eddie sees his big chance to squeeze the newspaper into making him a successfull reporter. But he is meddling with a force stronger than he could have ever imagined…

I really enjoyed the slightly caricature style of the artist and Eddie Brock is in fact a very likeable, but in the end very “unwise” and “unsure” character. Venom surely did not choose him by accident. I hope the other issues will drive the suspense to a higher level. The first two issues were more concentrated on Brock’s life before his encounter with the symbiotic alien.

Story 7, Art 8, Re-read 6, Overall Score 7

Malik

So how much influence does Spidey have? We'll have to wait for 2009 for the comic to come out.

Kagehime

So, what makes a good monthly comic? A couple of things:

Comics that put “character” first!

Comics that tend to focus more on character than plot are inherently more readable as monthlies. When jumping into the middle of a six issue arc, its character that pulls you in and fills in the holes. With the exception of Fantastic Four, every comic on my list stars a single character.

“Done-in-One (or two)” Stories!

There’s no need to wait for the trade if each arc is only 1-2 issues long, right? Again, this type of story goes well with character writing. Since the plot isn’t required to sustain itself for 3-6 issues, it can be pared down and used primarily as a vehicle to reveal the titular hero’s character. Batman and Zatanna team up to stop the Joker!?! Reading that story you find that it's not really about catching the Joker as much as it's  about developing Bruce and Zatanna's relationship. Also, without really sacrificing the overall plot, these “done-in-one” stories can be framed like TV episodes that when viewed over an entire season combine to reveal a hidden master plot. Think Buffy, Heroes, etc… As many of us know, it can be very intimidating for a new reader to jump onto a book with a long running story, so hiding the plot in this manner is a great way to eliminate that intimidation factor. It also allows the writer to integrate sub-plots with clearly defined conflicts into the background that can be slowly developed and brought to the forefront at a later date, as Mark Millar does in Fantastic Four.

Cliffhangers that punch you in the face!

I mean, does this one really need explanation? There are quite a few comics (many on this list) that use the “final page splash” to great effect in almost every single issue. The rush you get from experiencing these in a floppy is much different than when experiencing them in a trade. Actually, it doesn’t even come close.

Getting that “OMG I can’t wait for next month!” Soap Opera feeling!

Of the four I’ve listed here, I think this last one is probably the most important (although it is very closely related to the Cliffhanger thing). For me, it’s the most important factor in deciding whether or not to wait for the trade. I ask myself, as many of you probably do, “Can I go more than a month without reading about BLANK?!?” If you answer “NO!”, then you obviously have a great monthly in your hands!

With the pretentious explanations out of the way I present to you, in no particular order, my “Top Ten Comics That Work Best as Monthlies”:

ACTION COMICS by Geoff Johns & Gary Frank

I could NEVER read this comic in trade; I just love the characters too much! And the cliffhangers are the epitome of punch you in the face. There haven’t been many done-in-ones in the Johns run, but that’s okay, since at least half the comics on this list barely utilize that comic book storytelling device. But Johns does love the sub-plots, wherein he writes some of the best (or, THE best) character moments in comics. CONS: More done-in-ones would be nice.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN by “The Spidey Brain Trust”

With the exception of the current arc, “New Ways To Die”, Brand New Day has been nothing but 1-, 2-, and 3-issue arcs filled with character, character, character… the Soap Opera mojo has been strong. Because of the weekly shipping schedule, the Spidey team has been using the last page splash to great effect. CONS: Actually, maybe there are too many characters? Sometimes it gets confusing.

CAPTAIN AMERICA by Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting & Luke Ross

All of the above? Without all the little Bucky character stuff, I would not be enjoying this book as much as I am. It’s funny, but to me, most issues of Captain America feel like single issue stories set in an epic tapestry whose true significance won’t be seen ‘til Brubaker ends his run. It’s one long, ongoing story that excites me month in and month out.

DEADPOOL by Daniel Way & Paco Medina

We’re two issues in and I’m in love. For now. Plot? What plot? If you’re looking for a story, you’re in the wrong place, duder. This is all about Deadpool. That’s it. Do you need to read issue one to understand issue two? Hell no! Enjoy the funny!

DETECTIVE COMICS by Paul Dini & Dustin Nguyen

Current master of the 1- or 2-part story (yeah, yeah, I know the RIP tie-in breaks the rules). Reading Detective for the last two years I remember more about Bruce sex life (obv lack thereof) than I do the details of any of the stories. And to me, that’s awesome writing. Dini has made Bruce likable. This is new, folks. Bruce Wayne as an actual character in comics? Not since pre-DKR, I would think, have we seen the identity of Bruce Wayne written as a real character. Ah no, I disagree with you, Morrison’s Wayne is a flimsy piece of cardboard. Maybe he had something at the beginning of his run, but fleshing out Batman’s alter ego took a back seat to RIP setup long ago, maybe around the time Adam Kubert left the book. Anyway, yes, Dini isn’t writing Batman, he’s writing Bruce Wayne as Batman. And there is a difference, and that difference is quite refreshing.

FANTASTIC FOUR by Mark Millar & Bryan Hitch

The character stuff is lacking, but the sub-plots, cliffhangers and OMG moments make this a top of the stack must-read. Here’s a recent review that reads more negative than it actually is.

GRAVEL by Warren Ellis, Mike Wolfer & Raulo Caceres

The way the current arc is framed, it works wonderfully as a series of single issue stories filled with scenes exploring the character of William Gravel. Oh, you know what? Thank God Ellis finally got around to fleshing this guy out. Gravel started life as a boringly hollow SAS thug who starred in a series of idea-driven minis. In those minis, there was never anything particularly exciting or compelling about the Gravel character and the fact of the matter is, I probably only read them because they were written by Ellis. Now, under the watchful eye of Mike Wolfer, I really grown to like this guy and each month I can’t wait to read Gravel’s next adventure. Shocking. That’s good stuff, brother.

HULK by Jeph Loeb & Ed McGuinness

Heh. I really do love this book. Honest. HA!

INVINCIBLE by Robert Kirkman & Cory Walker

Ever since the #51 reboot, this book has been one of the most anticipated monthlies in my stack. LOVING IT... happy now, Bruce?

JACK OF FABLES by Matthew Sturges & Bill Willingham

Awesome title character? CHECK!
Outstanding sub-plots? CHECK!
Cliffhangers? CHECK!
SOAP OPERA?!? TRIPLE CHECK!!!