Marvel and DC Surprise-Launched Digital Crossover Comics on Both of Their Web Platforms/Apps

In an interesting occurrence, DC and Marvel both launched digital-first comics on each of their platforms/apps that involve crossovers between their characters. There was no announcement this would happen, but as of yesterday, those who go to Marvel Unlimited with the code, "CROSSOVER25," can read, "Thor/Shazam," and on DC Universe Infinite, you can read, "Flash/Fantastic Four," for free. 

I appreciate that you don't have to have a subscription to check these out, and it is a bit of a hoot to know Shazam is on a Marvel app and the Fantastic Four are on a DC site. According to Bleeding Cool, "Two more crossover webcomics, one from each publisher, are slated for digital-first vertical-scroll releases in 2026," so this isn't just a one-off thing. These stories will (I imagine at some point) be collected in a comic or included in a deluxe collection and published in collaboration between Marvel and DC. Considering how frosty relations used to be between, "The Big Two," it is both exciting and bewildering to see crossovers happening in printed and digital comics these days. You almost wonder if we'll ever get a "DC VS Marvel/Marvel VS DC," movie someday? One can always dream!

Film Friday: Giving Props to Movie Trailers That Don't Reveal Everything

I don't mind spoilers. If you tell me how a book/show/movie or such ends, I'm cool with it. That said, I appreciate when movie trailers leave a little mystery, and if I want to be spoiled, I need to seek it out. Sometimes an ad for a movie seems to reveal basically everything there is to know, with little left to our imagination. When a trailer actually reveals very little, it makes me take notice. For example, the movie, "Longlegs," didn't even reveal the titular serial killer in any ads--that's pretty wild--instead, it focused on world-building with little websites and creepy ads. The movie, "Weapons," is coming soon and doing the same thing.

"Weapons," gives us a hook and little else. The poster and trailer lay it out clearly. Every child in one teacher's class woke up in the middle of the night, ran off, and were never seen again. It's a scary concept and raises a lot of questions--questions the trailer refuses to answer any of! Give the poster a look here:

Speaking of not showing everything in a trailer, I was impressed that, "Fantastic Four: First Steps," did not reveal Galactus at all in the teaser trailer and only showed a hint here and there of him in the official trailer. There have been leaks that indicate what he'll look like (similar to the original comic form), but people have to go looking for such things. Piquing my interest in a movie by having me wonder what happens sometimes is a better way to make me interested than just laying everything out. Plus, then the people who do hate spoilers for stuff are pleased too! Everyone wins!

2 Upcoming Marvel Crossovers That Sound Promising

Marvel recently announced two crossovers. One is intra-compnay as Marvel's parent corp. (Disney) owns the rights via Fox and the other is an inter-company deal with Marvel and Dynmaite. What are these crossovers? Let's discuss...

In a crossover that continues a trend, this August, the Predator will appear again in, "Predator Kills the Marvel Universe." The comics featuring various Predators going up against Wolverine and Black Panther have been shockingly great (a Spider-Man one just started too), hence, it all culminating in a Predator (or Predators) trying to kill all the Marvel heroes should be quite a wild ride. Between this and the upcoming, "Predator: Badlands," movie due in November, we've got a lot of Predator goodness this year!

Another crossover that comes a bit more out of left field is how, "Gargoyles," will be having a crossover with the Fantastic Four in a special comic due this October (with a preview for Free Comic Book Day). Simply titled, "Gargoyles/Fantastic Four," it will be a one-shot special created in a partnership between Dynamite (who currently has the publishing rights to, "Gargoyles," comics) and Marvel (who, obviously, owns the Fantastic Four). I don't think anyone would have predicted such a random grouping but it could be fun! I mean, between the Predator further attacking Marvel's characters and the Gargoyles meeting the Fantastic Four, 2025 is shaping up to have some intriguing crossovers!

April 2025 Pieces of Assorted News and General Interest

April showers are supposed to bring May flowers, so I will say we are due for a ton of flowers this May at the rate the month has been going where I live. While I'm rained in I thought sharing some interesting links would be fun/spread some metaphorical sunshine.

Superman Day just occurred on April 18th. It commemorates the first appearance of Superman in, "Action Comics, "#1 which was published on the 18th of April way back in 1938. I continue to look forward to the upcoming, "Superman," movie this July, and I was excited to see it will have some cool McFarlane-branded toys--that Mr. Terrific is snazzy!

A game called, "Tempest Rising," was supposed to have a special edition version that could be played a week early. A mistake was made, however, and all versions of the game let everyone play right away, basically moving the release date up a week! The developer, to their credit, just let things roll and has promised those who bought the pricier special edition will get extra features. This goes to show how silly these delayed releases can be. I'm not referring to Early Access games, of course, just when a game is done but the full-on release is staggered for no other reason than to make money.

"Speed Racer," is a manga that has had many adaptations from anime to that one zany live-action flick by the Wachowskis that was maybe underappreciated for how quirky it was. Now, there will be a Western take on the series in an interesting new twist. Mad Cave is publishing it with David Pepsoe writing and Davide Tinto on art, so between a quality publisher and great creative team, I'm intrigued.

A, "Full," trailer dropped for, "Fantastic Four: First Steps," and I liked it. There was a cool retro-futurustic vibe and the cast all seem to have great chemistry. I also appreciated it wasn't overly-quippy as some Marvel trailers (or movies, admittedly) can be. There was no attempt to undercut the danger posed by Galactus (who we see a shadow and the feet of) via a joke.

The NHL Playoffs begin today, with many thinking the odds are stacked against the Blues getting to (let alone winning) the Stanley Cup. That said, Saint Louis has its latest good luck charm yet, and possibly the weirdest in some time, Jobu. A fanciful homage to the movie, "Major League," Jobu appeared one day in the locker room out of nowhere (so the story goes) and since then the Saint Louis Blues have been (generally) playing fantastically. Whether it is the song, "Gloria," or Jobu, if the Blues are winning let's not question the superstitions helping them do it.

"Sinners," is a new movie by the talented Director Ryan Coogler and is getting glowing reviews. It also had an intriguing contract clause where, after 25 years, the rights to, "Sinners," will go to Coogler, himself. This is a rare occurrence for a studio flick, and one wonders if it'll start a trend.

Tariffs being on-and-off-and-on-and-off and so forth has played havoc with the economy. Everything could go up in price, and businesses could close. It is already happening as, "Renowned board game maker and publisher Greater Than Games has laid off staff and suspended operations," as a result of tariffs. Many may shrug at a board game company shutting down, but it is just one example of how things could rapidly get worse and snowball into a massive mess.

Finally, over at The Comics Journal, they broke down all the Diamond Comics Distributors bankruptcy drama so far in superb detail, thanks to writer Brigid Alverson. I've blogged about this fiasco off-and-on but Alverson summarizes everything expertly.

"Fantastic Four: First Steps," Has Dropped its First Teaser Trailer

"Fantastic Four: First Steps," is coming this July from Marvel and released a teaser trailer. It looks fun and appears to be set in a retro-futuristic 1960s. I'm not sure how it can take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for that reason (the main MCU is more like the real world we live in...minus the superheroes), but I imagine it is in a different dimension that will end up in the, "Main," Marvel World during the upcoming, "Avengers: Doomsday," or, "Avengers: Secret Wars." Give it a look:

This is a teaser trailer so only so much is being revealed to us, obviously. It seems the team has been in action for a bit and already has a base of operations. Also, we get a peak at what looks to be a big baddie in the form of Galactus (OG costume as opposed to the Fox iteration of, "Fantastic Four," which made him a weird cloud). I'm intrigued for sure and almost anything that has Pedro Pascal in it at least is watchable, so I'm eager for July 2025 when this hits theaters!

Hot Comics Revue 21--For a Game About Rivals, They All Teamed Up to Make Bank!

Marvel Rivals has become a huge hit with lots of video-game aficionados being big fans. It resulted in comics with characters who are featured in the game that were originally only vaguely popular (Jeff the Land Shark, Peni Paker, etc.) experiencing a massive increase in attention. One interesting thing is that Marvel solicited variant covers themed for, "Marvel Rivals," before the game was released. They weren't ordered that heavily as for all people knew the game could've bombed. Now, however, those variant covers are immensely popular and selling like the hottest of hotcakes. 

With these, "Marvel Rivals," covers so far there are four options by Netease. There is a Spider-Man variant for, "Amazing Spider-Man," #65, a Venom variant with, "All-New Venom," #2, a Magik variant featured with, "Magik," #1, and Storm gets the spotlight on, "Storm #4. The covers star the characters in the form they appear as within, "Marvel Rivals," and are getting to be quite sought after. An upcoming variant for, "Fantastic Four," #28 will also feature the earlier-discussed Jeff and Galactus' daughter (a deep-cut reference for sure), Galacta with some snazzy Peach Momoko artwork.

The, "Marvel Rivals," covers that have been released so far have a cover price of $4 but are selling for at least $25 each, sometimes a chunk more. This is fascinating to see comics based on a game based on comics getting so much hype. Will these variants cool down a bunch of stay relatively hot? I guess a lot of that depends on if, "Marvel Rivals," can maintain its popularity. For now, however, these variants are a hit.

An Assortment of Free Comic Book Day Titles Have Been Announced for 2025

Free Comic Book Day occurs the first Saturday of May ever since its inception (some COVID-era wonkiness aside). The day features a special comics publisher release for the event and the next one will be on May 3rd of 2025. As of today, some of the comics that will be on offer have been announced!

In regards to Marvel, they'll be spotlighting the Fantastic Four (which makes sense with an MCU movie on the way) and have a combination comic featuring some Amazing Spider-Man goodness and a tease of an upcoming Ultimate Universe event. Since it began I would say Marvel has shown shocking levels of restraint in regards to the latest Ultimate Universe, not putting out a ton of titles or immediately forcing it to do an event. As the series has been moving in real-time somewhat (each month of a comic is treated as an actual month) and counting down to The Maker escaping a prison in a manner of months, it makes sense that would lead into an event--my hypothesis would be that is what's approaching.

Out of some other announced comics, one thing I would not have predicted was a crossover between the Thundercats and Powerpuff Girls, but that's what we're getting! There will also be an issue set in the Energon Universe for Skybound (which has been popular with its original content, G.I. Joe and Transformers). Other interesting releases include a Conan comic from Titan, a Minecraft comic, Archie-themed goodness, and more! These are just some of the comics to expect for FCBD and plenty more will be declared, so I look forward to the next Free Comic Book Day for sure!

Jonathan Hickman and Valerio Schiti Are Revamping the Eternals

I think this news was revealed a tiny bit ago but I just heard it and am intrigued! You see, Jonathan Hickman has given us some epic stories with his creator-owned titles and at Marvel. He had a superb run on, "Fantastic Four," and, "Avengers," which led to, "Secret Wars." Then, he and artist Valerio Schiti totally revamped the X-Men with, "House of X/Powers of X," and that status quo is still ongoing where many mutants live on the island of Krakoa. Hickman and Schiti are now going to be doing a brand-new take on the Eternals with, "G.O.D.S." We recently had the Eternals tweaked during that big, "A.X.E. Judgement Day," event and now in the Fall of this year, we will read about how, "G.O.D.S. takes place in its own special corner of the Marvel Universe — in the cracks that lie at the intersection of science and magic," according to Hickman. More details will be revealed with a preview of, "G.O.D.S." in the upcoming Free Comic Book Day release from Marvel.

The, "Batgirl," Movie is Shelved/Cancelled

DC/Warner Brothers were making a, "Batgirl," movie that would release on HBO Max. I say that in the past tense because even though 90 million dollars had been put into it and the whole thing is shot and done besides post-production, it is canceled. The entire thing is shelved and won't see the light of day until something leaks or someone changes their mind about the flick. The New York Post of all places broke the news and is a very tabloid-styled newspaper so when I saw folks sharing its article I was a bit suspicious. Then, more reputable sites such as Variety confirmed the news. I'm frankly baffled.

Even getting the movie to this point took years and apparently, test screenings went awful for the movie. With new people in charge of various divisions who are eager to shake things up, it turns into a better tax write-off to cancel the film than to throw in on HBO Max. It would've cost a bunch more to finish the post-production and if a choice were made to put it in theaters and make it a bigger release that would've cost money too. It was too big and too small at the same time. I obviously haven't seen the movie so I cannot speak to its quality, but I feel awful for everyone who worked hard to make this movie that is now suddenly dead in the water. It reminds me a bit of that, "Fantastic Four," flick from the 90s that never actually officially came out but has ample bootleg copies available. How long till we get a leaked, "Batgirl," as now many of us are curious just how bad or unfinished it could be? How long indeed.

Well, Marvel Pretty Much, "Won," CCI/SDCC This Year

Marvel had its big Hall H panel last night at Comic-Con International/Sand Diego Comic-Con. They announced what felt like everything and the kitchen sink whilst also making it clear some more announcements would come later. We are currently in phase 4 of the cinematic universe and phase 5 was wholly laid out along with a big chunk of phase 6 basically making it known that by the end of 2025 we would see the entirety of, "The Multiverse Saga," with everything basically culminating in two Avengers flicks during 2025, "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty," and, "Avengers: Secret Wars." A lot of us saw that, "Secret Wars," coming (myself included in a recent post), but it is appreciated for Marvel to make it clear what the over-arching plan is after lots of folks had been wondering what precisely the flicks and Disney+ shows were leading up to--if anything specific. 

Basically, Marvel showed up and said, "You want to know our plans? Well, here's an overview of what the first half of this decade is going to look like, MOFOS! We've got Daredevil coming back, Kang is gonna cause trouble, we've got a Fantastic Four flick, we'll be doing wild Multiverse stuff, and before all that phase four is going to close strong with, 'Black Panther 2,' looking absolutely awesome. Open wide for this loaded cocktail of content, suckas!" The MCU's guiding hand, Kevin Feige, showed up and made it clear Marvel has a plan, one that will probably rake in the dough too. I have gotten to a point where there is just so much stuff coming out from Marvel I don't always have time to see it all, but I watch what appeals to me and some of these announcements are quite promising ("Blade," finally has a release date, which I like and a, "Thunderbolts," movie was confirmed). 

Marvel essentially stole the show this year at CCI/SDCC. You almost feel a little bad for DC as, "Black Adam," and the new Shazam movie both look fun, but one company showed up with a metaphorical lunchbox that had some snacks in it and the other arrived with a fully catered meal, so to speak. It's going to be an interesting next few years for Marvel when it comes to their movies and shows, that much is very clear.

Film Friday on a Saturday: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

A local theater actually had a very early showing of, "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," yesterday. For that reason, I was able to catch it at 10AM with my friend, Doug. Doug and I both enjoy Marvel flicks and he loves the works of Sam Rami (who directs this feature). I wanted to give it a day for the movie to settle in mind so I'm posting my review on a Saturday. Also, as this is still fresh in theaters I will offer some spoiler-free thoughts and then more spoiler-filled observations before my conclusion.

Relatively Spoiler-Free Segment

This is what you get if you marry the Marvel Universe with a horror movie. Rami has experience with both genres and to this film's credit, it doesn't feel too much like a bland, "House style," Marvel project in the same manner that, say, "Avengers: Endgame," was. I will forever say I liked that film well enough but found it to be a slog. The creepy imagery and visceral fight scenes honestly made me a little surprised this squeaked by with a PG-13 rating considering just how nasty stuff could get. 

I am of the apparently small number of people who really liked the first, "Doctor Strange," and this has a very different vibe but still features Benedict Cumberbatch doing a solid job balancing arrogance and humanity in his portrayal of Dr. Stephen Strange. Plus, it isn't spoilery to share (as they feature in the previews) that Elizabeth Olsen does a lovely job as Wanda Maximoff and Xochitl Gomez is a delight as a newcomer to the MCU, America Chavez. Rachel McAdams is back as Dr. Christine Palmer, but feels as criminally underutilized as she was in the first flick considering how talented she is. Between the great special effects and fantastic acting, what could I have been less-than-impressed by? For that, we need to discuss the plot a bit more and move into my spoiler-filled segments.

Spoilers Ahead

I and others have been kind of bummed that, "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," basically takes Wanda's story of someone living through tragedy and trauma the best they can and casts it all aside to make her a villain. For this film she literally turns into a blood-stained horror movie slasher, killing tons of people who get in her way whilst stalking her would-be victims through hallways as she snarls and her eyes glow their creepy red hue. Despite some efforts to make us feel a little bad for her--"I'm not a monster, I'm a mother!" she is still murdering a slew of folks in an effort to then kill America Chavez and use her powers to find a reality where she can have her children from, "Wandavision," that she lost as they didn't really, "Exist," in her reality.

Also, there is the much-buzzed-about Illuminati which features some fun actors stepping into roles such as fan-favorite Patrick Stewart returning as Professor X and John Krasinski appears as a universe's Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. These and other appearances sadly are little more than cameos as the whole Illuminati essentially finds itself reduced to cannon fodder for Wanda. The exact continuity of these characters isn't really touched upon further (such as if we will get Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic in the main Marvel Universe now with that movie on the way) and they are basically big helpings of fan-service...before their brutal murders. If a viewer thinks of them more as a fun bonus addition to the flick as opposed to expecting them to play a huge role it isn't a big issue they are around so briefly, however.

Concluding Thoughts (No More Spoilers)

"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," is a fun movie filled with personality thanks to Sam Rami's skill and little flourishes. Even if certain elements of the story itself perturbed me the amazing effects and great acting makes it a lovely way to spend 2 hours and some change. Just be prepared for some shockingly gross and scary imagery. Those with sensitive stomachs or who dislike horror may need to sit this one out. Those into that kind of stuff will love this, however. Oh, and Doug thought it was great too.

4 out of 5 stars.

A Review of, "Devil's Reign," From Someone Way Behind on, "Daredevil," Comics

Chip Zdarsky did a phenomenal job writing the current, "Daredevil," series...or so I've been told. I have to add that caveat as I'm admittedly extremely behind on reading that series which just ended so that it could lead into, "Devil's Reign." I read the first issue of Zdarksy's run on, "Daredevil," and plan to read all the other issues, I just have so much stuff I'm already behind on reading you can add it to the list of stuff I need to catch up on (I haven't even read Soule's run on the character and I like his stuff too). With that said, the idea of, "Devil's Reign," sounded neat with (now mayor of New York City) Wilson Fisk basically allowing superhumans to live in NYC but outlawing them from using their powers unless officially employed by the city. Plus, I saw that Moon Knight appeared in the first issue and the events of, "Devil's Reign," would impact his current (and very great) series. Hence, I read this new, "Devil's Reign," comic despite being in the dark about a lot of what is going on with Daredevil currently. I still quite enjoyed it.

I'll be honest, a lot of, "Devil's Reign," has characters mentioning things that apparently have happened (and some have little notes about what issues we need to read to understand the references), but I was totally in the dark about what folks were talking about. Apparently, Purple Man had kids who made everyone forget that Matt Murdock is Daredevil. Plus, Daredevil was in prison for murder but was allowed to stay masked and got out somehow recently. Also, Wilson Fisk's son (who is alive?) is currently the Kingpin of NYC and is working with Murdock's brother--yes, Matt Murdock has a brother now that looks just like him (when he got a brother I do not know but I'll roll with it). Fisk married a currently level-headed Typhoid Mary at some point too, so okay? There is a lot here I have no foreknowledge of because even though I write a blog that often covers comics I can't stay up to date on every single publication. Even with my ignorance regarding Daredevil, I found, "Devil's Reign," to be a good time.

"Devil's Reign," is a good comic because Chip Zdarksy is a great writer and Marco Checchetto is a superb illustrator. For example, during a scene where Fisk's Government-sanctioned thugs attack the Fantastic Four, you can feel the absolute heft of The Thing as he fights them off and gets the Fantastic Four's kids to safety. Anytime we witness Mayor Fisk in a quiet scene you can see the intensity and seething hatred in his eyes for superheroes--Daredevil especially. It's gorgeous stuff as Zdarksy and Checchetto give us a quality first issue to this event. 

If you've been reading, "Daredevil," comics you almost obviously are going to read, "Devil's Reign," but even if you haven't checked out a Daredevil-related book as of late you should pick-up, "Devil's Reign," if you simply want a quality event. I followed it quite well and just maybe need someone to explain to me why Elektra is dressed like a version of Daredevil too and then I think I'll be set. You know what, it's cool, I'll Google it.

5 out of 5 stars.

"Dark Ages," #1 is a Dull Start to a Promising Mini-Series

You ever read the initial chapter of a book, watch the debut episode of a television show, or read the first issue of a comic and see how it has a lot of potential but just starts out kind of shaky/weak? That's how I felt with, "Dark Ages." The whole first issue basically sets up the plot that's been advertised of a Marvel Universe that lacks any electrical power. This issue introduces a new big-bad named the Unmaker, promptly has them defeated (maybe to return), and discusses how due to that defeat the Marvel U was hit by an unending EMP that shut off any and all electricity and devices that relied upon electric power. I guess I should say, "Spoiler alert," but this whole series was advertised as being about that, so I ain't spoiling much.

"Dark Ages," starts off in a near-present-day-but-a-few-years-ahead-maybe Marvel Universe with some tweaks in the form of Peter Parker and Mary Jane having a toddler named May, and the Fantastic Four's daughter Valeria is clearly a bit older too. As this is an alternate universe some characters die quickly to prove just how high the stakes are (a common trope). Thanks to some, "shocking," sacrifices, the Unmaker is defeated and we jump ahead 7 years to the actual start of the story, where the remnants of humanity are apparently at war with Apocalypse (the well-known mutant baddie). With that, the comic ends right as things get going.

The Unmaker is really hyped-up as a new threat...and is promptly defeated.

Did I expect too much as Tom Taylor is writing this and he is a fantastic writer of comics--especially alternate-universe tales as his work on the, "Injustice," comic shows? I mean, the artist, Iban Coello, does a fantastic job with all of this so no blame lies at his feet for me being bored. His Unmaker is a massive and imposing machine full of disturbing green energy and sharp edges. His drawings of various parts of the World nearly getting destroyed by the Unmaker are kinetic and scary. All the various heroes look like their popular selves. "Dark Ages," is a pretty comic, in other words. The story just doesn't grab me or seem especially interesting until right as the issue stops, however. 

There is a promising foundation put in place by this first issue, so I think as this mini-series continues things are bound to get a lot more intriguing. As it is now though, this is a weak kick-off to what I hope grows into something much cooler. At least the whole thing is going to look good with Coello on the artwork duties.

2 out of 5 stars.

Disney Announced a Ton of Stuff Yesterday

Yesterday Disney had presentations for, "Investor Day." That sounds incredibly unassuming, but it was the most jam-packed investor call you'd probably ever have heard. There's going to be new stuff featuring the Xenomorphs of, "Alien," more was revealed about a ton of Marvel shows along with lots of new Marvel content, a chunk of, "Star Wars," shows--it was pretty crazy. In regards to Marvel, we'll be getting the character of America Chavez/Miss America soon, they're working on Disney+ shows and movies with Riri Williams/Ironheart, there will be a, "Secret Invasion," show with Samuel L. Jackson's Nicky Fury starring, and a, "Fantastic Four," movie is in the works. Plenty of people's roles in upcoming stuff was confirmed (Christian Bale will play Gorr the God-Butcher in the new, "Thor," movie, for example), and things nobody even was expecting were made apparent (an, "Armor Wars," show with Don Cheadles' War Machine). Heck, even, "Y: The Last Man," which has been in development hell for years was discussed as coming along for FX/Hulu.

Seriously, Disney announced so much it was mind-boggling. Now, a lot of this is in early development so we won't see all of this stuff for a number of years, easily. That said, a ton is clearly in the works. Their investments in Marvel, Star Wars, and Fox's IPs are not going to hang about unused anytime soon.

At Least Marvel's New, "Empyre," Event Has a Solid Creative Team

I get tired of relentless events in comic-books  that, "Will change everything, forever...for a couple months." It is known as, "Eventitis," and I'm quite afflicted by it. That said, a new event featuring the Avengers and Fantastic Four (who Marvel now acknowledges exist since getting the film rights back) titled, "Empyre," has something going for it. It is about those heroes fighting against a unified space empire--sorry, "Empyre," of Kree and Skrull aliens and it has a really solid creative team.

Al Ewing is always a stellar writer and he is co-writing with the usually-great Dan Slott. Someone who has never written anything I've hated with someone who I have liked most stuff of sounds rad. Plus, Valerio Schiti is doing the art and he has a style well-suited for the abundance of crazy action scenes I bet the book will feature. Fantastic writers and a skilled artist make me a little more optimistic about, "Empyre," than I have been for other event-type books. I am cautiously optimistic, with an emphasis on being extremely cautious.

Suddenly Marvel is Really Big on the Fantastic Four and X-Men, For Obvious Reasons

Remember when Marvel claimed they were cancelling, "Fantastic Four," because it was comic that supposedly nobody read--with the cancellation happening right when the most recent movie (which was owned by Fox which at the time was not owned by Disney) came-out? It bombed, but that was because it sucked, not due to a lack of the comic. Also you may remember when Marvel was desperate to make the Inhumans popular as a newer-and-better-X-Men and even had plans for movie before that got scrapped and any concepts were dumped into a television show that lasted a season (and was quietly forgotten about by everyone so I forgive you if don't recall that)? Well, ever since Marvel and its parent Disney got the film rights back to the Fantastic Four they sure have been giddy about doing that big relaunch of the comic with the characters and having them pop-up in other books at assorted points; plus now that the X-Men have their film right's under a tight grip with Marvel/Disney those books have been having a renaissance too. Well, as if to further the point that thanks to having the movie-rights Marvel is pumped-up about the Fantastic Four and X-Men here comes a cross-over comic bluntly titled, "Fantastic Four/X-Men."

Now, the Fantastic Four and X-Men do not interact too much in the comics, but there is one big thing that unifies them which came about in the 1990's if my memory of that era serves me correctly. Franklin Richards, the son of Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) and Sue Storm (the Invisible Woman) is in fact a mutant, and an incredibly powerful one. While he is just a young child he has abilities that are almost God-like when he doesn't try to block-off his powers lest he destroy reality. Now, the X-Men have of course recently established their own Nation for mutants and prefer that anyone who is a mutant goes and lives there, so that's created some friction between the X-Men and the Fantastic Four (touched upon briefly during the recent, "House of X/Powers of X," series where the Fantastic Four popped-by briefly) as while Franklin's parents may have powers, they ain't mutants--it was some weird space-stuff that gave them abilities along with Sue's brother, Johnny Storm (the Human Touch) and friend Benjamin Grimm (the Thing).

The new comic, "Fantastic Four/X-Men," will be written by Chip Zdarsky and have art by Rachel and Terry Dodson, so it's a solid creative team for sure. It is a four-issue mini-series so it also will not wear-out its welcome and most likely there will be other little mini-series in the future tying-in the X-Men with other heroic teams they may butt-heads with. It makes sense as the main X-Men books may be busy telling the epic yarn kicked off by, "House of X/Powers of X," and now continuing in like 8 different comics because--as I said--Marvel is suddenly really big on the X-Men now thanks to getting the film rights back. The comics that have been coming out with all these hero-teams have been pretty good, so I guess even if Marvel/Disney acquiring Fox and the hero-teams it owned the rights to is another example of corporate monopolization to the point where eventually 3 or 4 mega-companies will own everything, at least we get some more good comics out of it and eventually some flicks...right?

Tom Scioli Doing a, "Fantastic Four," Comic? Yes Please!

Well, Marvel found a way to make me read a, "Fantastic Four," comic willingly again. Seriously, I don't think I've been excited to read a book specifically focused on the team such Jonathan Hickman's run started back in--lemme check my notes here--2009? God, it has been awhile (of course the book was canceled for a good deal of time too). I don't know why there are so few, "Fantastic Four," runs I like, but that just seems to be the case--I've always liked Doctor Doom though. Anyways, Tom Scioli, whom I have often sung the praises of, is going to be doing one of those, "Grand Design," mini-series where a whole bunch of Marvel history is summed-up. Ed Piskor did it with the X-Men recently and now Scioli is going to give us two big honking issues of his take on the Fantastic Four.

This has me ecstatic as Scioli  of course is amazing in the fact he basically he does everything with his comics. He writes them, illustrates them, colors them, letters them, and I suspect he may very well be down at the printing-press stapling his books too for good measure. I may not have too many, "Fantastic Four," story-lines I am a big fan of, but I know without a doubt I'll enjoy seeing Scioli's take on the team's legacy. Yeah, I'm pretty pumped for this.

The Weather Was Cold but the Toyman Deals were Hot!

Yesterday was extremely snowy, but thankfully thanks to the hard work of snowplow trucks and things getting a bit warmer the roads were just a bit wet (not even that slick). Therefore, I was able to shovel our drive-way and make my way to today's Toyman Show. I was eager to trade some comics of my own I brought (and I had a little bit of cash) to acquire some cool reads for a good price. Sometimes when I go to the show I'm looking for Funko Pops or other toys, but today I had comics on my mind, and I had immense success finding some cool stuff!

I found a really old comic featuring Archie and his friends as well as an old issue of, "DC Showcase #40," with an early appearance of the Metal Men. The comics are far from near-mint condition but that allowed me to get them for reasonable trades/prices!

I talked with one vendor at a table named Dan, who was at the show with some wares from his store, Comic Service, located in Springfield (Illinois). I traded some comics of my own for these cool digest-sized reads about Green Lantern and UFOs.

These rad issues of, "Master of Kung Fu," were on sale for just a buck each and I couldn't say no to some vintage adventures of Shang-Chi.

Lastly, in the upstairs section of the show I bought some assorted ashcans, underground stuff, and this really cool read featuring The Thing (of Fantastic Four-fame) fighting a Spider-Man foe I feel is underrated, the Rhino.

Today's Toyman show was (as always) a delight. This time I was after awesome comics and I succeeded at finding them. There was a wide array of toys for sale too--obviously--including everything form old action figures, to hot wheels, lego, and so much good stuff. The next show is March 10th, and I hope to be there without a doubt (regular admission starts at 9AM for $5 with 16-and-under free, early bird entry is 8AM and $12). I'll see everyone there!

Marvel to Destroy its History, But We All Know it Won't Actually Do That

Hey you, do you like when it is revealed how, "Everything you think you knew is wrong?" and thanks to a big ol' retcon the past, present, and future is forever changed--at least until they retcon the recton? Well then, I suppose you're interested in Marvel's upcoming event that will reveal how the Fantastic Four really got their powers, who found Captain America before the Avengers, and other surprise reveals that will leave you so shocked you'll be grabbing your junk on the floor screaming in joyful agony from the kick it is going to take...I guess? Look, I haven't bothered with these big events for years at Marvel or DC. I just struggle to get into an overpriced mini-series with tons of tie-ins that could end up sucking. The last one I thought was kind of cool was Hickman's big, "Secret Wars," because I love alternate-reality stories and even as someone who liked it I'll tell you it was way too overstuffed. Therefore, I struggle to get that excited at Marvel supposedly destroying its history as I struggle with event-itits and I know they aren't really tearing-down anything.

Why isn't Marvel actually destroying its history? Because that is its biggest selling-point to comic-readers. Talking about how they have a rich and complex mythology full of decades of stories is a huge element for Marvel (and DC). Fans often discuss what stories in-continuity and will at times brush-off the ones that, "Don't count." Telling readers, "Nothing we've ever done counts, we are obliterating our history!" just sounds like a silly exaggeration bordering on a slap in the face of the die-hard fans who care a lot about continuity. Hence, perhaps there will be some changes here and there, but it probably won't be too drastic, and anything that is really over-the-top will most likely get undone at some point in the future (like when almost all the mutants lost their powers at the end of, "House of M,", but then didn't, or when Spider-Man revealed his identity during, "Civil War," but had that undone, and so forth). Perhaps the event will be well-written and cool, but we know too little to get especially excited or wary. I just am amused that Marvel is trying to act like doing some most likely minor retcons is this Earth-shattering big deal.

I"ll Be at a Wedding this Weekend and it Made Me Think About Superhero Marriages (Again)

I'll be at a wedding this weekend for my cousin. I am very excited and as I am a nerd this wedding of course has me also thinking about comic-book marriages. I actually have written about this before when it came to my mind during my attendance at another wedding, namely how super-heroes don't seem to have successful marriages often. Seriously though, I can think of one, count'em one super-hero marriage that seems to be going strong. That is Reed Richards and Sue Storm of, "The Fantastic Four." Every other super-hero marriage I can think of has either ended in divorce, death, or been erased by a change in continuity (in the case of Spider-Man, that idiotic deal with the devil story-line). Wait, I thought of another, I believe Northstar and his husband are still happily married, so that's two. Otherwise, um...yeah. Oh, and don't get me started on the, "Batman's Wedding," fiasco.

There are superheroes with relationships, Aquaman and Mera are maybe/maybe not married depending on who you ask at DC Comics. Spider-Man and Mary Jane had their marriage erased by the devil (as I said, it was dumb) but still have been a couple at times, Superman and Lois Lane depending on the continuity have been married and even had kids, or just dated. Black Panther and Storm were married for a bit, but that ended, they still seem to be friends though. I know plenty of reasons are always given for why more heroes aren't married to the person of their dreams--"It limits story-options, it doesn't fit the character, etc." That said, it can be kind of a downer to think there are all these super-heroes and so many of the guys and gals struggle to find love. I know in, "Fantastic Four," Ben Grim AKA The Thing has proposed to his longtime on-again-off-again girlfriend Alicia Masters, and I would hope things work out, but I won't expect them to. I guess if you've got superpowers and fight crime it makes it really hard to have a marriage. Thank goodness real-life people have marriages that succeed at at higher rate than super-heroes. Also, my cousin is a cool person so I'm sure here marriage will be great and not suffer from super-villains or continuity-changes.