Marvel's Ultimate Relaunch

There's an old saying "if something isn't broken, don't fix it", this does not apply to Marvel's Ultimate imprint. In 2008, Marvel released Ultimatum, which ended with the slaughter of nearly every character in the Ultimate universe. Now Marvel is relaunching several Ultimate series this August. Here's what the first issue covers will look like and some commentary.

Ultimate Comics: X-Men

This will be a new and different team of X-Men which is good because they suffered a lot since Ultimatum. Now the team's back and ready for action. Not only do you get the return of veteran members, such as Kitty Pryde and Iceman, but you also get some new members, Jimmy Hudson (Wolverine's son) and the Human Torch. First of all seeing Johnny Storm on the cover may have some people confused about why he's on the team since he's not a mutant. Well there is no more Ultimate Fantastic Four so Johnny's been living with Peter Parker and Bobby Drake (Iceman) for the past year, and with the impending death of Spider-Man obviously Johnny's gonna need a new place to live. The Human Torch on Ultimate X-Men may be an "out of the box" decision but so was mainstream Spider-Man joining the FF and that worked out so far. If you wanna know about Wolverine's son, Jimmy, and some other mutants that might be on the team then you should check out Ultimate Comics: X (although at this point you should probably wait for the collected edition to come out).

Ultimate Comics: Ultimates

Before I start talking about the series, I just want to say that this cover looks like Marvel's movie posters Photoshoped together. Now let's move on to the comic. In the past every comic to feature the Ultimates has been a mini-series, hopefully Marvel will finally make this an ongoing since these versions of Captain America, Iron Man and Thor don't have their own ongoings. I've always felt the Ultimates were at their best when the story was written by Mark Millar, but I have a good feeling about Jonathan Hickman after enjoying his run of Fantastic Four and FF.

Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man

No that is not Peter Parker with a new costume, it's a brand new Spider-Man for the Ultimate universe. If you've been reading the recent story arc in Ultimate Spider-Man then you know that Marvel is planning to kill off the Ultimate version of Peter Parker. Whoever the new Spider-Man is, the most likely explanation is that he's a clone of Peter Parker (probably the Scorpion clone from the Clone Saga), or Marvel could go in a completely different direction by putting someone completely different in the suit. Either way I look forward to this first issue.

Ultimate Comics: Hawkeye

This version of Hawkeye is more of a black ops agent than a superhero. This mini-series will focus on Hawkeye's background and how he joined S.H.I.E.L.D. then the Ultimates. Even though he's been featured in the previous Ultimates and Ultimate Avengers series, Hawkeye's never been given the spotlight until now.

All of these series look interesting and I hope these reboots draw in new readers and keep the old readers entertained. I'll probably check out X-Men, Ultimates, and Spider-Man. Also please feel free to comment about which series you look forward to reading later this August.

Summer 2011 Reading List

Well, it's that time of year again, summer. To me, summer is a time of vacations, BBQ's, and superhero movies. This summer comic book fans are in for a treat with a film about one of DC's big heroes, Green Lantern, and three movies from Marvel (two of which tie into the Avengers movie coming out in 2012 and a prequel to the X-Men films that focuses on Professor X and Magneto). After re-watching the available trailers online, I'm pretty excited for all four movies. While comic book readers are know some of these characters, most moviegoers are not familiar with the characters beyond their names and powers. Luckily, I've made a list of graphic novels that people can read before they see the movies if they want to know more about the characters.

Thor (May 6th):

Since it reprints Thor's first appearances in the Marvel universe during the Silver Age, Marvel Masterworks: Thor is a great companion if you're going to see the movie. This book tells the tale of how Odin sent Thor to Earth to learn humility in the guise of Dr. Donald Blake. During an alien invasion Don Blake finds the mystic hammer Mjolnir which transforms him into the thunder god Thor. This book also features the first appearances of Thor's first love interest, Jane Foster. Other than some differences in detail, this Marvel Masterwork is a perfect frame for the Thor movie coming out in May.

J. Michael Straczynski helped re-introduce Thor and the other Asgardians into the Marvel Universe. The story has Thor re-establishing Asgard in Oklahoma and dealing with Tony Stark after Tony made a clone of Thor during Civil War. Many first time Thor readers said that this was a great introduction to the character and it would help people get to know the God of Thunder before the movie comes out in May.

X-Men: First Class (June 3rd):

Another Marvel Masterwork that features the first appearances of the original team of Charles Xavier's X-Men and the first formation of Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants. Before their backgrounds were explored, it was clear that Charles was the hero and Magneto was the villain.

One of the main storylines of X-Men: First Class is how Eric Lehnsherr became Magneto. Eric's time in a concentration camp during the German invasion of Poland is one of the factors that influenced Eric's decision to take the fight to the humans before they attack mutants.

Green Lantern (June 17th):

Emerald Dawn is the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths version of Hal Jordan's origin. It provides some more detail into Hal's early days in the Green Lantern Corps and the story provides information about his father's death. The plot is how Hal Jordan changes from a depressed former air force pilot into one of earth's greatest heroes.

Secret Origin is another re-telling of Hal Jordan's early ring slinging days. Like Emerald Dawn, it does draw some focus to Hal's relationship to his father and how he becomes a pilot again. However, like most of Geoff Johns's work on GL, it does foreshadow Blackest Night with the additions of Atrocitus and William Hand (a.k.a. Black Hand). This is version of Hal's origin does explain how Hector Hammond's brain grew at least three times its normal size, so that might help people know this villain before his debut in the GL movie this summer.

Captain America: the First Avenger (July 22nd):

Why is an Avengers book featured on a list of Captain America graphic novels? Well that's because Captain America was found and revived by the Avengers in the fourth issue of the series. After his revival, the Avengers series started to show Cap's adjustment to the world after he was frozen for many years.





When Captain America regained his popularity in the Avengers series, Marvel decided to put out some solo stories for the Star Spangled Avenger which were featured in Tales of Suspense. The stories featured were flashbacks about Cap's adventures during World War II. Since the Captain America movie will primarily be set during World War II, this book is a great way to get an understanding about what Captain America was like during the war.

So those are all my graphic novel recommendations for people going to see the movies this summer. There are many other graphic novels for these characters available and if you have any recommendations please feel free to comment on this post. I hope everyone has an awesome summer and that none of these movies suck.

Farewell, Elisabeth Sladen

Yesterday it was reported that Doctor Who actress, Elisabeth Sladen passed away at age 63. Elisabeth Sladen is best known for her portrayal of the Doctor's companion, Sarah Jane Smith. When I started watching Doctor Who last summer, my viewing began with David Tennant's first season and the third episode I saw was "School Reunion". When Sarah Jane first appeared on screen, I started to develop an interest in her character as well as the classic episodes during her time in the TARDIS. After I finished watching most of the modern episodes (up until the End of Time), I decided to start watching The Sarah Jane Adventures and then I moved onto the seasons of the original Doctor Who that featured Elisabeth Sladen as a regular companion. Elisabeth Sladen's performance is one of the reasons I've enjoyed the Doctor Who franchise and it's why Sarah Jane is my favorite of the Doctor's companions.

Elisabeth Sladen first appeared as Sarah Jane Smith in the episode "The Time Warrior" during Jon Pertwee's final season as the Doctor. Here's a clip of when Sarah Jane first met the Doctor.

During Tom Baker's third year as the Doctor, Sarah Jane left the TARDIS when the Doctor was summoned back to his home planet, Gallifrey.

During the 1980's, Elisabeth Sladen returned to the role of Sarah Jane Smith two more times, for the pilot of K9 and Company and the 20th anniversary Doctor Who episode "The Five Doctors".

In 2006, Sarah Jane Smith returned and met the 10th Doctor during the episode "School Reunion". This appearance eventually led to her own spin-off series, The Sarah Jane Adventures.

The Sarah Jane Adventures still had the heart and thrill of Doctor Who and it allowed the character of Sarah Jane Smith to evolve by giving her a son and her own set of alien enemies. Plus during the third and fourth season, the show featured guest appearances by the Doctor.

Elisabeth Sladen is survived by her husband, Brian Miller, and their daughter, Sadie.

R.I.P. Elisabeth Sladen, we will never forget you.

What are your top 5 Sarah Jane Smith stories (Doctor Who and SJA episodes)? Also she was my favorite companion as well and she always will be.

What are your top 5 Sarah Jane Smith stories (Doctor Who and SJA episodes)? Also she was my favorite companion as well and she always will be.

Answer here

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Since Spider-Man's already on three teams (F.F., Avengers, and New Avengers), if he could only be on one team which one should it be?

Since Spider-Man's already on three teams (F.F., Avengers, and New Avengers), if he could only be on one team which one should it be?

Answer here

What's on my Mind: Franchises in Comics

In today's age of comics, its not rare for a hero's book to gain enough success that the publishers decide to release a spin-off title. Usually this is not a bad thing since this has given fans some good titles such as Green Lantern Corps, or just recently Superboy. Typically, I don't mind when a franchise has one or two titles in addition too the main title, however the amount of Avengers and Batman books makes me think that those franchises are out of control.

I'm not fully against the amount of titles because it does offer some variety among fans. If you don't like the direction or writer on one title, then you could choose another one from the same franchise. A few months ago, I decided to pick up Secret Avengers because Avengers was starting to suck in my opinion. And the new Batman titles coming out this month let readers choose which Batman they want to read about. Variety can be a good thing as long as its not over used.

When Marvel announced its multiple Avengers titles, I understood why because there was an abundance of characters (Steve Rogers, Iron Man, Thor, Luke Cage, etc.) and one of the factors that influence a reader's choice is the team members. One of the reasons I chose Avengers after Siege was because of the roster (having Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hawkeye, and Wolverine on one team seemed like a good idea at the time). Another influence on a reader's choice is the team's role in the Marvel Universe. While the Avengers would handle the big cosmic threats, the Secret Avengers would work undercover and the Avengers Academy would train the heroes of tomorrow (at least that's what their recruitment brochures say). All in all I'd say Marvel made the right choice to release multiple Avengers titles.

 Now there's a greater number of Batman titles coming out and I can't understand why DC needs to launch additional titles. I can understand why Batman Inc. needs its own series, but wouldn't it be easier if DC put Bruce Wayne in one series (Batman or Detective Comics) and Dick Grayson in the other. Same idea could apply for Batman: Streets of Gotham and Batman and Robin (I would have enjoyed seeing Bruce work with his son, Damian). I get that Batman is the poster boy for DC Comics and he's one of the favorite heroes among comic book fans but all the Batman promoting DC does makes them look greedy rather than people who want to tell good stories.

As I stated earlier, a comic's creative team can be just as influential on one's reading choice as much as the comic's concept. I thought Avengers was gonna be great but Brian Michael Bendis's writing made me give up the book by issue #4. I enjoy Grant Morrison's portrayal of Batman (Bruce Wayne) but the concept of Batman Inc. prevents me from giving the book a chance. Overall there are many other factors that can affect a reader's decision but if they have a good feeling about a title then they should give it a chance.

As with every other article, feel free to comment and let me know how you feel about the number of comic books that are a part of a franchise or which Avengers or Batman books you are or will be reading in the near future. You know what don't just mention Avengers or Batman feel free to talk about any other franchises that might need more or less titles. Later!