By Fred Chao
http://robotchao.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/once-upon-a-time-hulk-vs-batman/

Headlines and bullets on what’s up in the Marvel Universe!  Hit the break for news about the newly announced 2014 Marvel Studios movie; and more!

(Go here for indie comics news of the week and here for DC comics news of the week.)

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: THE MOVIE.

No surprises here.  Marvel’s been heavily promoting it’s “cosmic” line for about a year now, saying they want to make a movie about Rocket Raccoon and the gang; putting Nova in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon—and even using Nova to launch their “infinite” comic book line.  Digital-only releases, specially designed for iPads and the like.  (Incidentally, AvX: Infinite Nova was pretty cool—I recommend checking it out.)

Now Kevin Feige of Marvel Studios has formally announced a Guardians of The Galaxy film project, for 2014.  In addition to Rocket, Feige mentioned Starlord, Drax and Gamora as part of the film.

Mostly only diehard members of the Merry Marvel Marching Society know that the original G of the G were created way back in ’69 by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan.  And mostly only somewhat avid Marvel readers have followed Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning’s reboot of the group in a bunch of miniseries, as well as a short-lived Nova comic.  I’m not a big fan of the cosmic stuff, but Mike Mignola’s Rocket Raccoon mini from the 1980s was fabulous.  And Marvel Studios is batting 1000, as far as I’m concerned, so I’ll trust them on this one.

THE RETURN OF MARVEL BOY?

Now, I know I just said I’m not a cosmic fan, but Grant Morrison’s Marvel Boy is the exception to the rule.  It was a brilliant, all-too-short series, and it looks like it may be Brian Michael Bendis’ next stop after he turns over the reins of The Avengers/New Avengers post AvX.  Bendis’ Marvel Comics work hasn’t been subtle—he seems an odd choice for a character whose defining characteristics are moral dilemmas and being antiheroic—but remember: He’s also the guy who does the indie book Powers.

SPIDER-MAN’S NEW MOVIE ORIGIN.

Rather than waste everyone’s time with an origin movie that nobody wants to see, the new Spider-Director Marc Webb says Spidey’s origin will unfold gradually over a series of movies.  (So, he’s confident he’ll be on board for at least a few sequels…)  I like this idea, mainly because it means that they’re committing to an ongoing movie storyline—not planning another trilogy/reboot, as has been done frequently in the past, with Batman, Spider-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and even, to some extent, superman (I refuse to acknowledge Superman IV).  This is also pretty true to Brian Michael Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man source material, which gradually revealed the origins of the spider that bit Peter Parker and all of the connections it had to other elements of the Spiderverse.  I just wish Marvel Studios could get involved with this…How cool would it be to see Thor flying by in the background, just like Stan Lee used to do in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man?

NEW TITLES ARRIVING SOON!

Marvel announced the following upcoming series:

• 

  Thor's Everything Burns event...Coming soon.

  Hawkeye by Matt Fraction and David Aja, the creative team behind one of the best action/martial arts series of all time, The Immortal Iron Fist.  It will be a “street level” book costarring Kate Bishop, the archer in Young Avengers.  This goes on my “I can’t wait!” list.

• Sabretooth Reborn by Jeph Loeb and Simone Bianchi, which will take place in the Wolverine solo book.  Loeb hasn’t written anything worth reading in years, so he has quite a bit to prove with this one.  Coming in August.
• A new series focusing on the most overrated/least interesting mutant will be written by James Asmus and the Mann brothers on art, coming in August.  The story will take the character into space.  Because that worked so well for Deadpool a few years ago.  Oh, and he’ll have a costume change.  But unfortunately, he’ll still be Gambit.
• Minimum Carnage will be a “symbiote event” with art by Clayton Crain.  It looks like it’ll be “old” Carnage vs. “new” Venom.
• Everything Burns will be part of Thor’s 50th anniversary, a story that will bring back Surtur (the “DOOM” guy from Walt Simonson’s seminal Thor run) and cross over between Journey Into Mystery and Thor.
  IDW press will re-release Daredevil: Born Again as an “artist edition,” spotlighting David Mazzucchelli’s artwork on this groundbreaking DD book.  Frankly, Dave M’s Daredevil work is as good as Frank Miller’s….
  Signs indicate that Cullen “The Sixth gun” Bunn will be taking over both Marvel’s Venom title and Ed Brubaker’s Captain America.  I’ll be sad to see Rick Remender leave Venom, but it’s probably time.  And I’m still enjoying Brubaker’s Cap stuff, but I do feel like he’s said everything he needs to say there—he’s been writing Cap for almost a decade.
  I’m not one to buy a comic just to have the cover.  Except this July, when Walt Simonson does a new Thor cover….

THE MAN-THING

An omnibus is coming, for the best Super Character Named After a Penis!  It will include stories by Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, Marv Wolfman, Chris Claremont and, most importantly, Steve Gerber (RIP)—the most misunderstood, underestimated writer in Marvel history.  It will include his first appearances in Astonishing Tales and Fear, as well as (what I think are) all of his appearances from the 1970s—when the character was still cool.  Now he’s just a doorway for Thunderbolts, I think (don’t ask!).  The last Omnibus I bought was the DC collection of Marv Wolfman/George Perez’s New Teen Titans.  This one will clock in at $125 for 1200 pages….But I’m sure Amazon will knock $25 off the price, at least.

SPIDER-MAN: NOTHING CAN STOP THE JUGGERNAUT.

In other reprint news, Marvel is finally republishing in a nice hardback what is one of the greatest Amazing Spider-Man stories ever told: Roger Stern and John Romita, Jr.’s Spidey-vs.-Juggernaut two-issue story (Amazing SpM #229-230).  They’re also including issues #224-228 in the bound volume, which feature some more great Stern stuff—a great Vulture story and my absolute favorite done-in-one of all time: #225, Spidey vs. Foolkiller.  Truly, these are some of the best 1980s Spider-Man comics ever made.  Incidentally, if you’re a Roger Stern fan—and I know I am—they’re also reprinting The Avengers #212-230, one of the best Hank Pym tales of all time, under the banner: Avengers: The Trial of Yellowjacket.  It’s a story of Pym selling the team out to Egghead, failing at it, and then being court martialed.  Great stuff.