I’m going to remind my comic book readers that I’ve got a blog focused solely on comics, and mainly on The Avengers and the Fantastic Four (at least for now), which you can find here.
For now, I’m still posting news here at BP, but I’m thinking I may move this feature over as well, leaving Berkeley Place comic book free and devoted solely to music, silly pictures, and other nonsense.
Anyway, lots and lots to report this week, including news on The Walking Dead, Marvel Now!, Guillermo Del Toro projects, and much more!
DEADPOOL #1. I really liked it. And if you didn’t check out the AR content, you missed out on a kitten handpuppet recapping the origin of Deadpool.
47 RONIN. And speaking of new comics, I’m recommending this book about ancient feudal Japan, with art by Stan Sakai. It’s very well researched (it even has footnotes!), and seems to me to be culturally accurate. I really enjoyed the first issue, and plan to get the hardcover when they bind it all together.
CABLE AND THE A-TEAM. The new Cable book by Dennis Hopeless will feature Hope Summers, Forge, Dr. Nemesis, Domino and Colossus, among others. The team will be fugitives helping mutants and trying to stay one step ahead of Colonel Flagg. Uh, I mean, Captain America and his Uncanny Avengers. I’m kind of looking forward to the book, but I dunno. Brian Michael Bendis’ All New Avengers #1 hit the ball out of the park as far as I’m concerned, and the premise of the two books seems very similar.
IRON MAN 3 WILL BE A 9-YEAR OLD’S DREAM. Iron Man 3 will feature the living armor virus known as extremis, which will enable Tony to don different parts of different armors. When I was a kid, there was a great toy (and a great comic as well) called Micronauts. The pieces of the figures snapped apart, so you could basically build your own hero. My favorite was using Antron’s hook and lazer attachments on Repto, with Space Glider’s cool “pop out” wings. If they do something like that with the Iron Man toys, I may have to start playing with action figures again. (They’re not dolls! They’re action figures!) Also: Pepper Potts will wear armor, suggesting that they’re going to introduce the Rescue character from the recent Matt Fraction run on the series and that they’re actually going to give Gwyneth Paltrow something to do other than look pouty.
CONSTANTINE NEWS: THE KING IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE KING. I haven’t had the time to get into it (I’ve got several trades in a pile), but the Vertigo title “Hellblazer” certainly has its avid fanbase and has attracted huge talent over the past two-dozen years and 300 issues. Consequently, it is being cancelled. I wonder whether, in six months, I’ll still be reading any DC comic? Anyway, the main character—Swamp Thing’s Constantine—will be revived in an eponymous new 52 book.
THE FEARLESS DEFENDERS. Cullen Bunn and new-to-the-big-two artist Will Sliney will reboot The Defenders, after Matt Fraction couldn’t get traction with the title, as an all-girl book featuring Valkyrie and Misty Knight. Frankly, I’d rather see them revive Palmiotti and Gray’s Daughters of the Dragon. That was a neat little comic.
DEXTER THE COMIC. There’s already been a flirtation with a Dexter on-line comic, and I guess it was successful enough to lure Marvel in. Jeff Lindsay (the creator of the Dexter novels) will produce a 5-issue mini with art by Dalibor Talajic, coming in February.
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN. His identity has been revealed as the guy who was Spider-Man 2099. Apparently, that comic didn’t suck hard enough to prevent it being brought back. Or, at least, that’s the current rumor. What’s that smell? It’s me boycotting this book.
THE WALKING DEAD. Rumors abound following Robert Kirkman’s promise that the December 2 episode will introduce a new character to the series, but one who is a “big deal fan favorite from the comic book.” Rumors, of course, are that it is Tyreese. See, I always thought that the now-deceased T-Bone was supposed to be Tyreese, especially since T-Bone joined up with Rick fairly early on. The best Tyreese scene from the comic, of course, is when he kills a mountain of zombies with nothing but a hammer. When Rick went into the prison with the axe last episode, I assumed that was the TV version of that sequence and it would be Rick, not Tyreese, who did it. I’d love it if the show brought Tyreese on board; although, I have to say, why do they have to kill a black guy before they bring another black guy on board? Side note: Great to see Rick finally get his axe.
POWERS: BUREAU. Powers, the wonderful Icon comic series from Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming, is returning. Now, Deena Pilgrim and Christian Walker will both be feds. This book, after so many years and issues, has never once gotten it wrong. Can’t wait.
GUILLERMO DEL TORO NEWS. First, The Strain: Guillermo Del Toro’s comic book adaptation of his book is being turned into a TV show for FX. It’s horror/action, with a zombie/vampire flavor. Second, lots of sites repeated comments from Guillermo del Toro that he’s in talks with Warner Bros. to adapt the “Dark” version of the JL for the big screen. This seems highly unlikely. Del Toro is busy as hell, for one thing, and for another DC hasn’t been able to get a “regular” JLA movie off and running: Why would they focus on the Constantine/Zatanna/Deadman/etc. crew of B-listers?
SNIKT. Fan favorites Paul Cornell and Alan Davis will be doing some kind of Wolverine-related comic for Marvel, as part of Marvel Now! Since Logan is already in a ton of books, I can only imagine this will be an X23 or Dakken title. It’s coming in March.
