Tag: Captain Marvel

Geekscape Reviews ‘Captain Marvel’ In ScreenX

by Josh Jackson

Since the post credit scene of Avengers: Infinity War came and went, fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been eagerly waiting for the arrival of Captain Marvel, (trolls notwithstanding). As one of the strongest beings in the universe, it’s clear that she’s going to be a centerpiece heading into the final battle against Thanos, but after more than a decade of origin stories, is this latest film one too many so late into the game? Thankfully, due to the chemistry between Brie Larson and Samuel L Jackson, the trademark MCU humor, and some genuinely surprising twists, Captain Marvel ends up being one of the better “first” films of the bunch. But is it better with the ScreenX format?

Rather than starting from the beginning and showing us how our hero got her powers, the film kicks off with the titular character having her abilities from the start. As part of an elite Kree squad caught in the middle of an intergalactic war with the shape-shifting Skrulls, Vers (Brie Larson), struggles with flashbacks of what appears to be another life. With the inability to control her powers due to her distress, her commander, Yon-Rogg (Jude Law), trains her to keep her emotions under control. However, when a mission goes awry and Vers is kidnapped by a Skrull militia, (led by the scene stealing Ben Mendelsohn), a rushed escape leads to Vers crash landing on Earth in 1995. After a run-in with S.H.I.E.L.D., Vers and Nick Fury are tasked with finding secret technology before the Skrulls do, which may hold the key to Vers’ missing memories as the former Carol Danvers.

Approaching the character’s origins in this way was a bold way to write the film. The audience is used to a certain formula, so placing Carol Danvers’ origin throughout the middle of the film was a slight subversion to the norm. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work as well as it could due to the first act of the film being dragged down by exposition and confusion. Ultimately, it was hard to care about Vers’ squad, or even Vers herself when we knew nothing about them. This lessened the tension of the attack that led to her capture and arrival on Earth. Thankfully, that completely turns around once the focus shifts to S.H.I.E.L.D., specifically Samuel L Jackson and his take on a younger, happier, far less cynical Nick Fury. Once him and Brie are onscreen together, the film flies by due to how much fun it is. Some of the 90’s call backs and “girl power” scenes are way too heavy handed, (a “smile” scene has no narrative importance other than an excuse for Carol to embarrass a sexist biker comes to mind,) but other than that, it comes into its own as a true crowd pleaser from beginning to end.

Speaking of relationships, these are the true backbone of Captain Marvel. Fury and Carol’s chemistry is the star of the show, but that doesn’t discount the relationships between Carol and her squad, with her former mentor in flashbacks, (brought to life by Annette Bening), or Maria, her best friend that she came up through the Air Force with, (played by Lashana Lynch). Especially on Earth, the movie takes the “show, not tell” approach to revealing Carol’s backstory. This makes the closing moments of the film feel earned as we slowly learn about who Vers really is as she does, creating a closeness with the character that we wouldn’t normally get if we were just watching her story as it happened. But most surprising was Talos, the leader of the Skrulls that are chasing Carol and Earth’s secret technology. Managing to be threatening, sympathetic and laugh-out-loud funny all within minutes, if there’s one thing to remember when walking out of the movie, it will be Mendelsohn’s performance.

We can’t talk about a big superhero blockbuster without talking about the fights and special effects. Unfortunately, these were some of the weaker areas of the film, with many of the hand-to-hand fights moving, shaking, and camera switching so much that it was hard to tell what was going on. Once Carol’s powers fully manifest and the special effects are on display, some of the initial shots of her glowing and ablaze are amazing to see in action. When she starts flying as she fights against air crafts, and the difference is jarring. CGI Carol looks out of place in these scenes to the point where they looked like a video screen at an amusement part more so than a film over a decade into a multi-billion dollar cinematic universe. In a movie that leans heavily on the cosmic aspect of the Marvel Universe, these sections in particular should have been jaw dropping. Instead, they were one of the films’ weakest areas.

Watching the film in ScreenX didn’t do much to alleviate these issues. As a newer type of screen technology, this format looks to further immerse the audience by having projections at the sides of the theater to create a feeling that the movie is happening around you. At the start, it really felt like we were on an unfamiliar world with the characters on screen. Then… nothing. For large chunks of the movie, the side projections would go completely blank, only firing back up during some of the more elaborate fight scenes, or in a large file room. Considering that most of the side projections were made up of the sides of the screen stretched out across the walls, it made the scenes where it was turned off feel particularly small when only the center of a scene was visible. When it comes to ScreenX in particular, it’s a good start to what can be a great way to immerse audiences in films more than they ever have been before, but it was clear that Captain Marvel wasn’t made with this format in mind. I can see it taking off if filmmakers would embrace the medium as they do with IMAX or 3D, but a half-hearted effort makes its shortcomings even more glaring.

Overall, Captain Marvel is one of the better “origin” films that Marvel Studios has produced. Fun, charming, and thrilling throughout, poor CGI and the slow opening act aren’t enough to detract from what ultimately amounts to a strong introduction that subverts expectations. Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson are fantastic together, which is a quality shared by most of the supporting cast. My only concern going forward is that with the 20 year gap between Endgame and this story, that we won’t be able to see these characters interact in the same way. Nevertheless, Captain Marvel is a worthy addition to the MCU as we assemble for the final page of a 10-plus year story arc.

The Geekscape ‘Ant-Man And The Wasp’ Special With Ian Kerner!

by Jonathan

After the universe shattering events of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ you might be asking yourself what the consequence of Marvel’s new ‘Ant-Man And The Wasp’ are! Maybe you just have a ton of questions! Like where was Scott? Does this movie take place at the same time as ‘Inifinity War’? Why should we care about a funny movie about two tiny heroes after everything that just happened? What Easter Eggs pop up that might shed light on the rest of the Marvel Universe? Or is this movie even a lot of fun? The answer to that last one is YES! The answers to the rest and a lot more require you to listen to Ian and I get into MAJOR SPOILER detail about Marvel’s latest as we talk about the events of this film, what we loved and maybe didn’t and of course what ‘Ant-Man And The Wasp’ means for the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe! Enjoy!

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SDCC 2016: Brie Larson Is Officially ‘Captain Marvel’!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Yes!

Captain Marvel still doesn’t have a final script or a director… but it now has its Carol Danvers.

Naturally, it’s the actress that many outlets have been speculating we’d see in the role, and the actress that  fans have been clamouring for: Room‘s Brie Larson.

What a perfect choice, don’t you think?

Captain Marvel hits theatres on March 8, 2019.

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Geekscape Comics: Weekly Reads!

by Karson

Welcome to Weekly Reads! It’s your little dose of comic book goodness that focuses on some aspect of my comic book reading!

Big week, huh? Let’s shift the format ever so slightly this time and begin with New Reads, then follow that with our Ongoing Reads.

New Reads

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The reason for last weeks events being so interesting are twofold. First, we have the actual events that happened in the comics, and second, we have the fan’s reaction to them. I will begin with my experience with the books then give my brief thoughts on the fan reaction.

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Let’s start with Captain America. By now everyone knows the big twist at the end of Captain America: Steve Rogers #1, but at the time of reading the book I didn’t. I can thank our very own Jonathan London for that.

So reading the issue I knew something was going to happen but never would I have been able to guess what it was. As I got to the second last page I almost thought I was dreaming as I saw Captain America push Jack Flag out of an airplane, and then I turned the page… “Hail Hydra.” What!? Holy @*$K! I couldn’t believe my eyes. Honestly, I was a blown away. I’ll jump a little more in depth in a second but first I’d like to get my thoughts on DC Universe: Rebirth #1 (don’t worry, it’ll be quick).

DC Universe - Rebirth (2016) 001-000

Alright, I’ll admit, I don’t have much to say about Rebirth. I’ve essentially read nothing from New 52 until now. That said, I thought this book was pretty freaking cool. Who knows though, I might just be biased by the Watchmen stuff but at the end of the day I think it accomplished its goal; it made me want to read more DC.

Do I think Dr. Manhattan being responsible for the creation of the DC Universe is cool? Yes. Do I think multiple Jokers being alive in the DC Universe is cool? Yes. I am happily drinking the DC kool-aid! This is probably the most excited I’ve been about reading comics in my life.

Geeks, we have it so awesome right now. Movies, comics, television shows, video games, all being pumped out about all the characters and stuff we love and we can access them instantly. Then on top of that, we have services that provide us access to basically every movie, comic, television show, video game ever made. We shouldn’t go berserk when things like this happen, we literally could substitute whatever is bugging us with more things than we could ever consume in our lifetime.

If you have a visceral reaction against what’s happening, just don’t read the books. Find new books to read (heck, maybe even try creating your own). We live in an age where you can pretty much consume anything ever made, ever! You just have to seek it out. Which will be a much more efficient use of your time than crucifying a creative who wrote something that you disagree with. Better yet, when you do find something that you love, use social media as an opportunity to reach out and insert a little more positivity into our world…

In a matter of seconds I just sent a message to the writer of the comic book I read… see that’s cool. Hey, know what else is cool, he writes The Fix…

Awesome, that made me feel good.

I think I am going to leave it at that for now because chances are if you’re reading this, you are in the same boat as me, and if you are someone sending death threats to Nick Spencer you probably aren’t reading this anyways. Just remember, if you love stuff, take advantage of social media and let the creators know. I’m sure they appreciate it.

Now, how about some ongoing reads!?

Ongoing Reads

Extraordinary X-Men… can you say Venom Wolverine!? Yep… that’s a thing… if that intrigues you, start reading Extraordinary X-Men.

Captain Marvel wrapped up her first story arc with issue 5 and I’d say it was pretty damn enjoyable. The arc overall was a lot of fun, you’re going to enjoy getting to know Captain Marvel and her team. The only downside is the stakes never felt too dire, there was never really a main bad guy to fight so the story feels a lot more like solving technological problems than battling a powerful enemy.

Next Time

Crap, there is a lot of good looking stuff coming out. These next few weeks might get interesting…

Civil War II #1
The Punisher #2
The Amazing Spider-Man #13
Batman, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Superman Rebirth #1
Paper Girls #6
The Goddamned #4

Can anyone send me a winning lottery ticket?

Geekscape Comics: Weekly Reads!

by Karson

Welcome to Weekend Reads! It’s your little, weekly dose of comic book goodness that focuses on some aspect of my weekend reading!

Ongoing Reads

Power Man and Iron Fist continues to gather momentum with its third issue. Not much to say, this book is hilarious, easy to read, and Greene’s art pops off the page. This should be on your pull list. Extraordinary X-Men suffers a bit of a lull with its 9th issue as we watch the young, wannabe X-Men wander around different worlds. The art is awesome but the story lacks substance. I have a feeling Apocalypse Wars is going to be a run not worth reading until it comes out in trade. Captain Marvel continues to be a treat every month, if you haven’t been keeping up I assure you it’s worth it, otherwise be sure to check it out in trade!

New Reads

Dept. H #1
Dept. H #1

Dept. H is everything I want in a comic book. I could stare at Sharlene Kindt’s watercolors all day. The water, the sky, the flashback sequences, everything she does has its own unique flare. You aren’t going to find comic book art much better than this anywhere right now. Matt Kindt does an excellent job pacing the issue, by the end of it, the world and it’s character feel established but it never felt like things were being set up. Even with the science fiction elements of living in an underwater base, the story feels grounded in reality. It’s a good sign when you have these futuristic elements in play, that it is the characters that drive the narrative forward. I love this world and I love this book. Start reading this now guys, you won’t be disappointed.

Outcast Vol 1
Outcast Vol 1

Robert Kirkman’s Outcast was tough to get into. Honestly, if I would have picked this up issue by issue I don’t think I would have made it to #3. The first couple of issues were confusing. The art was at times was difficult to understand, the characters were slow to be introduced, and if it didn’t have Kirkman’s name on it I probably wouldn’t have continued… but it does and I did. The series gathered momentum the last half of the trade and concluded with a pretty cool world built and a semi-interesting cliffhanger. Am I dying to read more? No. Will I? Maybe. Anyone recommend it?

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Frontlines Requiem #1

I tried another space book this week, Frontlines Requiem #1. This book looks and feels like a classic science fiction novel. The story is basically your typical humans in a war against an alien race that is more powerful and advanced than them. The art is a little simple for my liking but I think that may be by design if they’re going for a classic sci-fi feel. The book’s artist, Gary Erskine, struggles to give his characters a strong sense of emotion but that’s only noticeable during the more political portions of the story. If you like science fiction, this doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any means, but it does a good of being it. Can I even say that? I don’t know. I just did. 😊

Next Time

The Amazing Spider-Man #11
Dark Knight III: The Master Race #4
And who knows what else!

I almost forgot; I tried reading Tokyo Ghost #6 without reading the first five. Big mistake. I knew I was in trouble when the first page of the issue was what seemed like a letter page worth of backstory. The concept sounds cool but if you want to read it I recommend starting at issue #1.

Geekscape Comics: Weekend Reads

by Karson

Welcome to Weekend Reads! It’s your little, weekly dose of comic book goodness that focuses on some aspect of my weekend reading!

Whoops, I made a mistake in posting this week so Weekend Reads is coming to you a bit later and a little barer (no pictures this time) than usual. Who knows, maybe you’ll like the format better?

… Ok, let’s be real here, we’re talking about books with pictures, us comic book readers like seeing the artwork so don’t worry, things will be back to normal next post. Well, as long as I don’t mess things up again. 😉

Let’s get into the reads!

Captain Marvel #3

I’ve been surprised by how much I’ve loved the new Captain Marvel series. Unfortunately, it took a bit of a step back in the third issue. The pacing felt super wacky. The issue always seemed scattered and felt like there was too much going on, but when it came to an end there were only a couple of key developments. The first two books in the series did an excellent job of showing how cool these characters on Captain Marvel’s team is, I especially liked Kawasaki, but in this issue all those awesome character moments have taken a back seat to a plot that I felt was needlessly confusing. I’m sure the series will pick up steam next issue, but this one fell flat.

Harrow County #10

Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook’s Harrow County was one of my favorite comics from last year. Sadly, it has been losing momentum with it’s two previous issues.

Previously, each issue had three distinct parts that were are all masterfully crafted.
1. The main story
2. The mini comic
3. Bunn’s short “ghost story”

While the mini comic was absent from the ninth issue it has returned in the tenth (while Bunn’s short story remains absent). For me, this short one-page strip at the end of the book was one of the weakest. I found it confusing, and still can’t figure out what actually happened to the main character in it.
As far as the main story goes, it seems we will be shifting our focus from Emmy (the main character of the first two story arcs) to Bernice (Emmy’s best friend). This setup issue puts everything in place to offer to setup for another exciting arc but it gives little extra to make it a must read right now. The story lacks that little magic touch that previous issues had (perhaps it’s the absence of the Haints?). The cliffhanger ending leaves me wanting more but the story itself doesn’t have enough going for me to continue to say this is a “must read.” I’m hopeful the series is going to pick up steam next issue but even if you’re a hardcore Harrow County fan, maybe wait a little longer to see if this arc is worth diving into.

Power Man and Iron Fist #2

Power Man and Iron Fist is a book is non-stop fun! If you’re looking for something that is heavy on laughs and doesn’t make you think too much, this is it! This book is one of my favorite ongoing series’ on the market right now. David Walker is killing it! As the title suggests, this book is built around the relationship between Power Man and Iron Fist, and Walker is hitting a home run on that front. Power Man begrudgingly goes along with Iron Fist using a new excuse every time to explain why is he still hanging with him while it’s obvious to the reader (and probably Danny) that deep down Luke Cage wants to be fighting crime. Power Man’s reluctance to become a team again and Iron Fist’s constant pursuit of it is something that never gets old. The dialog between Danny and Luke is laugh-out-loud funny on many occasions, as is the dialogue between most other characters in the book, especially Tombstone’s henchmen! I love the art style in this book; it fits the quirky dialogue perfectly. It’s very cartoony and may take some getting us to for some, but I can’t imagine any artist doing a better job than this.

That’s all for this week, check back in a few days for more awesome comic book talk! Until then, tweet us!

 

Geekscape Comics: Weekend Reads!

by Karson

Welcome to Weekend Reads! It’s your little, weekly dose of comic book goodness that focuses on some aspect of my weekend reading!

This weekend the X-Men let me down.

The reads:

PaperGirls_01-1
Paper Girls no. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang and Matt Wilson

Captain_Marvel_Vol_9_2
Captain Marvel no. 2 by Michele Fazekas, Tara Butters and Kris Anka

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Uncanny X-Men no. 1-3

All-New_X-Men_Vol_2_3
All New X-Men no. 1-3

Extraordinary_X-Men_Vol_1_6
Extraordinary X-Men no. 1-6

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Harrow County no. 9 by Cullen Bunn and Carla Speed McNeil

Sorry for all that scrolling. Let’s get into it!

If you aren’t reading Paper Girls, you should be.

It’s fresh, the art pops, and Brian K. Vaughn writes it. The book is about a group of newspaper delivery girls who discover some crazy ass shit. It’s cool.

If you aren’t reading Harrow County, you should be.

It’s unlike anything you’ve read before; there are wonky ghoulies, skinless children, flaming ghosts, beautiful and haunting artwork, as well as crazy twists. Despite this, my favourite part of each book is still the spooky short story and comic strip at the end of each issue. They will blow your mind and leaving you thinking about them for weeks.

If folklore + militia = sounds like a fun time to you, then you’ll love Cry Havoc. Me, not so much. There isn’t a lot of meat in the first issue; you might want to wait until you can read a few at a time.

If you like wasting your time reading mediocre X-Men stories in which everyone just cries about how much damage Scott Summers did to the mutant population, then all the current X-Men books are for you. Seriously, though, the X-Men complain about Scott more than I complained about the state of Spider-Man in the Marvel universe last week.

Ok, maybe they aren’t that bad. In fact, all the books are at a point where they might be getting entertaining. It’s just too bad all these issues had to be published first. If you like Mr. Sinister, Extraordinary X-Men might be worth your time. If you like Apocalypse, you might want to start paying attention as Apocalypse Wars is coming this spring!

Oh yeah, Captain Marvel is a lot of fun too, whether you’re familiar with the character or not.

That’s all for now.

Are you reading any of these books? I’d love to hear your thoughts. What do you think of Mark Bagley’s art these days? Tweet us or tweet me!

Marvel’s Phase-3 Kicks Off With ‘Ant-Man And The Wasp’ Plus Three More Mystery Films

by Shane O'Hare

Marvel is really keeping the hype train a chugging, as their “Phase 3” movement will begin with a sequel to this years blockbuster Ant-Man which earned the studio $410 Million globally.

The studio announced that Ant-Man and The Wasp is set to hit theaters July 6th, 2018 and has Hope Van Dyne taking up the role of The Wasp.

The announcement of the sequel comes with the news that there are a few changes to the Marvel lineup. Black Panther will be moving UP to February 16th, 2018 and Captain Marvel on March of 2019.

There are also three films coming in 2020 that I’m dubbing the “Mystery Movies”. Marvel Studios is having a release on May 1st, July 10th and November 6th of 2020.

Paul Rudd will reprise his role as Ant-Man in Captain America: Civil War which is hitting theaters May 6th 2016.

Special Content Showcase Event For ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ In-Home Release!

by Gabriel von Grünbaum

We had the opportunity to attend the Special Content Showcase for the in-home release of Avengers: Age of Ultron (digital available now, blu-ray starting October 2nd) and the event was the perfect blend of prestige and accessibility. It served as an unveiling for the special limited editions of exclusive poster art for the film by artist Tyler Stout, which was incredibly impressive printed in metallic inks. There was also a very neat Hulkbuster t-shirt that, honestly, I’m not seeing anywhere online in the sea of available Hulkbuster t-shirts (didn’t even realize that was a thing). It wasn’t exactly made clear how you could get this exclusive, limited quantities, shirt. There’s a slip that came with mine saying that you can get one for $20 (plus s/h) when you buy the movie—so maybe there’s a slip in the blu-ray case or a digital certificate if you buy a digital copy?

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Special Print of Tyler Stout’s Poster on Metal

Hosted in the Hero Complex Gallery in Los Angeles, they put out a nice spread in a very welcoming, cozy and creative environment. The gallery hosts a lot of rotating art events, many tied to entertainment. I recommend you check them out at hcgart.com and plan to visit for your favorite exhibits when you’re in the area.

We enjoyed the presentation that screened several of the extras included with “home release” of Avengers: Age of Ultron, and I must admit I found them quite good for providing and fleshing out a high level overview of the Marvel movie universe—presenting and tying together events from the various films to map out everything Marvel has been setting up leading to the Infinity Wars. They provide a nice review/recap and get you excited for everything that is to come.

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Kevin Feige (President of Marvel Studios)

That was followed by Kevin Feige (President of Marvel Studios) and Jeremy Latcham (Executive Producer of Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron) making an appearance to wax philosophical with attendees about the meanings behind various events in the movie and the Marvel films overall. There wasn’t anything particularly revealing or surprising but it was very nice to get that reassurance that every event, no matter how small, was being consciously woven into the tapestry of the larger arcs that guide the various Marvel films. This also extends to the shows—and, the same way actors in the films have been able to cross into the shows, the street goes both ways. So that, if the actors in the shows are willing, when there’s an opportunity for a particular character to appear in the films, Marvel is very interested in keeping the same performer in the role. That’s a level of consistency and loyalty I can really get behind.

Feige and Latcham also took some time to discuss the integration of Spider-Man going forward. The most interesting part is how fluid and planned out their story architecture is so that they’re ready for any combination of possibilities that might develop—will a given character be available to weave in?—is there room in the narrative of a specific film for a particular character?—will the same actor being playing the part?—and if that actor is replaced, will there need to be an explanation of some kind? They’re keeping all of these things in mind and have plans within plans ready for the different possible combination of scenarios that will still keep with the overall vision. That’s some impressive planning that will not only play out with the integration of Spider-Man but also Captain Marvel.

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Jeremy Latcham (Executive Producer)

The heartbreaking part of the evening for me was when we finally got to ask about plans for Howard the Duck (after the tease in Guardians of the Galaxy) and were just met with laughter. Another attendee got even more specific asking when and how Howard the Duck would be making his way to Earth. “Well, it didn’t work out so well the first time,” was their brief response; referencing the 1986 film, Howard the Duck (featuring Lea Thompson, Jeffrey Jones and Tim Robbins) that disappointed at the box office and with fans—except this one right here. . . although, to be fair, it has been a couple decades since I’ve seen it. Regardless, I’m personally looking forward to more Howard—I’ve still got my fingers crossed that he’ll be making some more cameos soon.

The evening definitely gave me some more love for Avengers: Age of Ultron, understanding better about all the plates they’re trying to keep spinning. And it really is saying something about an entertainment company when the worst thing that can be said about their weaker entries is, “it was pretty good.”

Joss Whedon, you moved mountains! We love you! Please don’t stay away too long!

Geekscape 339: Live From Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo!

by Jonathan

Live from Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo, our very first LIVE Geekscape from a comic convention! And we’ve got a great one! Chris Gore, ex-WWE Diva Katarina Waters and pro wrestler Christopher Daniels join us on stage to talk about Batman VS Superman, Marvel Phase 3, if Gotham is worth watching and much much more! Is DC and WB just reacting to Marvel’s cinematic universe or is there a plan? How could it work? Are they saturating the market and is there an end in sight? Also, Christopher Daniels gets confused for a major comic book professional!

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Major Announcements Made At The Special Marvel Studios Event!

by Bigyanks

Briefly: These are some exciting times for comic book movies. Marvel has decided to answer DC’s move of announcing all of their upcoming films through the year 2020 with their own long term announcements for Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Here’s what’s been announced, as well as the release dates:

list of movies

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Chadwick Boseman was also announced as playing the lead, Black Panther. Here’s a concept shot of the bad-ass costume:

Panther

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Kevin Feige announced that this will be a Carol Danvers Captain Marvel, so definitely an answer to the Wonder Woman movie.

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Yep, Avengers: Infinity War will be split into TWO parts. This is going to be HUGE!

I am super excited for these films and the introduction of these new characters into the MCU!

So, let the fantasy casting begin! Who do you think should play your favorite Marvel characters? Let us know in the comments section below!

Geekscape Comics: First Issue Of ‘Captain Marvel’ Sells Out. Going Into Second Print!

by Shawn Madden

Did you pick up an issue of Captain Marvelyesterday? Well you just may want to head back to the shop and get one. The first issue that is being praised which sets up Carol Danvers as a major player in the Marvel Universe has already sold out. The artwork alone is fantastic.

Marvel’s official press release:

It’s official, fans can’t get enough Captain Marvel – so much so that both Captain Marvel #1 AND Avenging Spider-Man #9 have sold out! This August, get your second chance to experience Carol Danvers’ marvelous new adventures in Captain Marvel #1 Second Printing Variant, where Carol begins her life as the new Captain Marvel! But that’s not all, as she embarks on a high-flying team-up with none other than your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man in Avenging Spider-Man #9 Second Printing Variant

While I haven’t read the issue myself I now fully plan to. So what do other critics have to say about the first issue of the title?

“Brilliant.” – Benjamin Bailey, IGN.com

“Fantastic.” – Ali Colluccio, iFanboy

“Energetic.” – George Marston, Newsarama

Don’t miss your chance! Get this issue now!

The WonderCon 2012 Marvel/DC Comic Book News Round Up

by Eric Diaz

Despite Hollywood and the video game industry trying to steal the spotlight as per usual at one of these large comic book conventions, WonderCon, much more so than Comic Con in San Diego, is still very much comic book centric. And thus, there was a nice amount of comic book announcements this weekend that might have gotten lost in the flurry of excitement over other media if this were San Diego, with Marvel taking adavantage of the Con more than any other publisher to make a few big announcements this time. So let’s get to Marvel’s news first:

Girl Power Returns To Marvel!

Why, it just seems like yesterday I was bitching about the fact that Marvel has been neglecting their female heroes and letting them languish without titles of their own. It appears that they are aware of this little fact themselves, and made a few announcements of upcoming projects that are attempting to please Marvel’s female hero fans.

Ms. Marvel No More; Say Hello To The New Captain Marvel

Carol Danvers is ditching the bathing suit and thigh high boots and getting a haircut, as she becomes the official bearer of the title Captain Marvel, in a new ongoing series debuting this July. Not only that, but the writer of said title will actually be a woman for a change. Writer Kelly Sue DeConnick (Osborn) and artist Dexter Soy (Army of Two) are the creative team, with initial covers being done Ed McGuinness. The new ongoing series is said to at least in part spin out of Carol Danvers’s role in the upcoming Avengers vs. X-Men. The new Captain Marvel series is said to focus on Carol’s “Chuck Yeager” like civilian life as a pilot, and her other life as an A-List Marvel super hero. Writer DeConnick also dropped the hint that we’d be seeing Mystique in the book as well (Mystique made her first appearance in a 70’s issue of Ms. Marvel, not Uncanny X-Men as most might assume) As for me, I’m just happy she’s keeping the sash.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present the new Captain Marvel.

And Carol Danvers isn’t the only neglected female hero at Marvel getting a chance to hog the spotlight once more; At WonderCon Marvel released the first official info for X-Treme X-Men, a new ongoing series coming this July from writer Greg Pak, spinning out of a recent storyline in Astonishing X-Men. Although the series will focus on a motley crew of alternate universe versions of popular X-Men characters, like a fifty year old cowboy Wolverine or a ten year old Nightcrawler, the main focus will be on “our” world’s version of Allison Blaire, the former disco dancing mutant known as Dazzler.

What do you mean, "dead as Disco?" F**k you. I'm BACK bitches.

Writer Greg Pak had this to say about his new leading lady – “DAZZLER! It’s kind of hard for me to contain how much I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS CHARACTER. As soon as I started writing her, all the lights went on (pun intended). She’s wry and funny and tough and vulnerable and the Marvel Universe’s greatest showbiz surviver turned superhero and SHE WILL SAVE THE WORLD WITH ROCK AND ROLL.”

Hmm. I think the last part of that sentence should be “save the world with Disco” not Rock and Roll, but the fact that he’s giving Miss Blaire a spotlight after so long means I’m giving the man a pass. Don’t let me down Pak.

A steampunk Emma Frost, a cowboy Wolverine and a ten year old Nightcrawler are among the stars of X-Treme X-Men, which is set to center on the regular Marvel Universe's Dazzler as the lead.

Marvel’s Thunderbolts Becomes The Dark Avengers

The long running title Thunderbolts is getting a title change, and this summer officially becomes Dark Avengers. Strangely enough, Marvel has decided to keep the numbering of the old Thunderbolts comics, so instead of Dark Avengers #1, we are getting issue #175 instead. Since first appearing in 1997, the Thunderbolts have been a team of former villains working towards redemption, with the most recent iteration being led by Luke Cage. Luke Cage will be staying on when the title becomes Dark Avengers, but it looks like he’ll be joined by Skaar (Son of Hulk), Ragnarok (the clone Thor) and Dark Spider-Man and Dark Scarlet Witch (they really need to find new names for those last two) Conveniently, all are counterparts to more famous Marvel heroes; it seems this change in title and line up has to do more with marketing and branding than anything else. On the plus side, the creative team of writer Jeff Parker and artists Kev Walker and Declan Shalvey are all remaining, so that should keep at least some of the purist Thunderbolts fans happy.

The Thunderbolts fall prey to the gods of corporate branding, and become the Dark Avengers.

Brian Wood Becomes Writer for X-Men AND Ultimate X-Men

X-Men, The book most often referred to as “adjective-less X-Men,” will be getting a new writer in June with issue #30, when DMZ creator Brian Wood joins the book. Aside from a few cast changes (Warpath is being replaced by Pixie, and Jubilee is out) what makes this X-Men line up most interesting is that for once, instead of a token female on the team, there is but one token male instead in the form of Colossus. The rest of the team will be made up of Storm, Psylocke, Pixie, and Domino. The notion of this book being Utopia’s “security team” will remain, although writer Wood said the shift will be to more grounded threats than before, including a proto-race of mutants never seen before in the Marvel universe.

The cover to the newly revamped X-Wom--uh, X-Men #30.

Also in June, Brian Wood takes over Ultimate X-Men as well. The Ultimate universe version of mutuant plight is significantly worse than the regular Marvel Universe at the moment, with mutants being rounded up and imprisoned and sometimes killed. Front and center to all of this drama will be Kitty Pryde, although which other mutants will remain on the book is still being kept under wraps at the moment. Most interestingly, Wood becoming the writer of Ultimate X-Men and regular X-Men makes him the first writer to tackle both universe’s versions of the team at the same time since Ultimate Marvel began back in 2000.

Ultimate Kitty Pryde longs for the days when her main problems were whether Peter Parker liked her or Mary Jane better, and not trying to evade government capture and experimentation.

DC Takes A Back Seat To Marvel At This Year’s Con, But Still Manages A Few Surprises

Despite having several panels at the convention, there wasn’t any huge news coming out of WonderCon from DC this year. A Before Watchmen panel was had, but it was mostly DC editorial regurgitating information we already knew and trying to defend the whole project to skeptical fans. Jim Lee’s take on Nite Owl was shown (he’s just doing a cover, not interiors) and while very pretty, just feels wrong to the whole Watchmen aesthetic. I dunno, I don’t think I’m ever gonna get behind this one, no matter what line DC tries to sell me on this. But I’m aware a lot of you out there feel differently, so for all of you guys out there who want this, I sure hope it doesn’t disappoint.

DC Nation on Cartoon Network however was a whole different story from DC Comics, at least  in terms of showcasing new stuff for the fanbase at their panel. A trailer for season two of Young Justice was shown, and confirmed by producers as joining the team were Blue Beetle (the teen Jaimie Reyes version) and Lagoon Boy. Don’t know Lagoon Boy? Neither did half the audience, so don’t feel bad. Season two will carry the subtitle “Invasion,” and producers Greg Weisman said we’d be seeing a lot more outer space action this year, as well as visits from classic DC characters like Lobo and Adam Strange.

Also previewed was the first season of Green Lantern: The Animated Series. Clips were shown showcasing the Thanagarians, Star Sapphires and even Saint Walker, the Blue Lantern, all of whom are showing up in season one. Not shown yet, but heavily hinted at in the panel, was the eventual appearance of Sinestro and his Corps. Producers didn’t rule out an adaptation of Blackest Night somewhere down the road either. Also all but confirmed as appearing are Green Lanterns Kyle Rayner and Guy Gardner, which made many fans pretty happy.

The highlight of the DC Nation panel though had to be the premiere of several shorts  focusing on various oddball characters of the DC Universe. Included among these shorts was The Doom Patrol, Animal Man, and confirmed as coming soon would be forgotten 80’s gems like Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld, Sword of the Atom, and even the much loathed Puerto Rican breakdancer character from the JLA known as Vibe is getting his own short. Most of these shorts were played for laughs, so I wouldn’t worry about a new “serious take” on Vibe coming from DC Comics any time soon. If proven successful, season two would include an all pet version of the Justice League, and even Starro the Conqueror. Yeah, you read right…the giant alien starfish.

But the highlight was the premier of the first on several 75 second shorts from producer Lauren Faust’s Super Best Friends Forever, a series featuring hyper stylized Powerpuff-esque versions of Supergirl, Batgirl and Wonder Girl.  Faust, creator of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic explained her take on these DC Icons; “I really wanted to put a super-spin on being a teenage girl; Supergirl has all the same powers as Superman, and Superman gets all the credit, Batgirl is a superhero fan who has action figures of supervillains in her bedroom, and Wonder Girl as an isolated Amazon who doesn’t understand the world of men.”  All I know is I want Super BFF products like…now. Please get on that Warner Brothers…do it just for me.

Attention "Bronies"- My Little Pony creator Lauren Faust has all new creepy masturbation material for you in the form of Super Best Friends Forever.

DC Comics Previews New Modern Versions Of Two Classic Heroes

by Eric Diaz

So today DC Entertainment has given us a sneak peek at the all new looks for two of their most well known characters that have been missing in action since the whole “New 52” reboot hit back in August. And there’s a whole lot of lightning to be had.

First is up is Captain Marvel…er, I should say Shazam. In a story that ran today in the New York Post, writer Geoff Johns revealed the look of the new Shazam, set to debut as a back up feature in Justice League starting with issue #7, with art by Gary Frank. According to Johns, “We changed his name [to Shazam from Captain Marvel] for a lot of reasons, one of them is that Shazam is the word most associated with the character, so we just felt it made sense — a lot of people already thought that was his name, anyway. His place in the world will be far more rooted in fantasy and magic than it ever was before.”

The All-New Shazam, complete with hood, probably to illicit one less comparison with Superman.

Created in 1939 for Fawcett Comics, the original Captain Marvel was kid news reporter Billy Batson, who when saying the magic word Shazam, would transform into the adult hero Captain Marvel. Captain Marvel was so popular in fact, he started to infringe on Superman’s comic book sales, and even outsold Supes for a while. DC of course, was having none of that, so they sued publisher Fawcett Comics for copyright infringement and spent the next decade in court. Captain Marvel was no more a knock off of Superman than dozens of other characters, but since he was selling so well he was seen as a threat to Superman’s popularity. Eventually Fawcett Comics gave up the fight, and stopped publishing Captain Marvel comics altogether in 1953.

Ironically, twenty years later DC Comics bought the rights to the character they once sought to destroy. Despite intermittent attempts at launching a new Captain Marvel series (which, due to rival Marvel Comics, could never actually be called Captain Marvel, hence the title Shazam! on almost every comic series featuring the character since 1973) DC has never had much luck re-launching the character on a permanent basis. He always seemed a relic of a simpler time, even more so than Superman.  It should be noted that Captain Marvel had much more success out of comics during this time than in them, as there was a live action tv series called Shazam!  That ran for three seasons in the 70’s, and an early 80’s Saturday morning cartoon as well. Due to the popularity of both of these versions, casual fans refer to Captain Marvel far more as “Shazam” than his actual name, which is what probably prompted DC to just say “fuck it” and call him that from now on. Besides, why give free publicity to #1 rival Marvel Comics?

Even more so than Superman, Captain Marvel has always seemed a relic of a bygone era.

The second DC character to get a massive overhaul is the Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick. Set to star as a member of the Justice Society of America in the upcoming comic Earth-2, this new version of the original speedster is clearly younger, and would therefore seemingly have no ties to World War II. In an interview with Newsarama today, Earth-2 writer James Robinson stated that the new Earth-2 JSA will have been active as heroes for the same amount of time as the regular DC Earth—meaning about five years or so.

Our first look at the newer, younger original Flash. Hey...at least they kept his color scheme right. More than I can say for Wonder Woman.

The JSA heroes have been Grandpas in spandex for my entire life, so I’ll admit to being curious about them presented as younger heroes for the first time since the 40’s. Still, I’ll miss a version of the DC Universe that has a history spanning more than a few short years. I like the notion of a DC Universe with a hero history spanning decades… why does everything that is old have to be negative? But I suppose a version of that could still exist out there; there are still fifty or so Earths we have yet to see. Time will tell.

I hate to admit it, but I'm going to kinda miss the dorky helmet and those stupid little booties.