Fantastic Four Volume Three Issue 7

Posted by John Klein III on August 26, 2015
Posted in: Review, Websites. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Fantastic Four V3 7

Writer Chris Claremont

Penciler Salvador Larroca

Inker Arthur Thibert

Colorist Liquid!

Letterer Starkings and Comicraft’s Albert Deschesne

Cover Dated July 1998

This is the second part of a three part storyline, but Kitty is only seen in this issue.  Issues 6, 7 and 8 are the issues involved.

I’ve said it before but Larroca’s art is never better than it is with Liquid! coloring his work.  Shame they no longer do that.  Not sure whatever happened to that company.

Claremont wrote some of the best Fantastic Four issues with this volume, issues 4 through 32.

Alyssa Moy is running with Franklin, from the Technet.  Unfortunately, they run into the Warwolves.

The Rainbow Room.  Reed and Susan are dancing.

The Technet are planning their next move.

Fantastic Four V3 7 Kitty 1

Alyssa Moy tries to save Franklin by running away.  All the poor boy wants is his mother.  He lets out a psychic scream.

We get to see Larroca draw – Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Roma Jean Grey and Shadowcat! I can only imagine Claremont wrote which characters to have shown.  Roma sets up the next issue, which is classic Claremont style.

This issue came out the same month as Excalibur 122, so that series was already set to end.  Claremont had asked to have Kitty be Franklin’s nanny.  What he didn’t know was that she was already set to be in the X-Men 35th Anniversary era lineup.  Which I rather she was part of that lineup than off being Franklin’s nanny.  It took a while for Squirrel Girl to shake being the Cage’s nanny.

http://secretsbehindthexmen.blogspot.com/2012/06/changing-x-men-directions.html

X-Men characters in Fantastic Four

Meanwhile, Chris Claremont wrote Fantastic Four vol.3 #4-32 and used some X-Men-related characters like Roma, Saturnyne, Charlotte Jones and Margali Szardoz in the book. Claremont would also have liked to use Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat) in Fantastic Four, since Excalibur was getting cancelled anyway. Her role would have been working as Reed Richards’ laboratory assistant – an idea which probably came from Uncanny X-Men #178, wherein Kitty Pryde broke into the Fantastic Four’s headquarters and thought: “I wonder if Dr. Richards’d like an apprentice?”

“The only problem was (X-Men Editor) Mark Powers and the writers of the X-Men books had other plans for her,” Claremont sighed in Wizard #85. “Their wishes take precedence.”

I like the idea of Kitty being Reed’s assistant, I could be for that.

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2006/09/07/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-67/

Good ol’ Brian Cronin brought up the Urban Legend and gives some background on it, as well.  He reports that the plan was Kitty to be like a sister to Sue, which I get as her brother is pretty lacking, in that respect.  Boy, Kitty really could be an excellent fifth over on that team.

Back to the story.  Alyssa is no longer running scared, now she is running smart.  She taps into the grid and sends a signal that she hopes someone see.  She runs through a dance club, we see that Johnny is there.  She and Franklin go outside and save some gangsters from some weirdly dressed ninja types.  This never pays off, as far as I know.  It definitely doesn’t take place in the next issue.  But it is Claremont writing, so he has plans.

There is an ad for Wolverine 126, also by Claremont, that we will review whenever we get around to using the Wolverine / Viper wedding for my wedding anniversary, which I believe should be next year.  It is billed as, The Brawl for it all, Wolverine vs Sabretooth – if only it was the end of that feud.

Reed and Susan are dancing when she notices a skyscraper that has a number 4 on it.  She creates an invisible slide and she is off.  She finds Franklin, so fast.  The Technet foolishly show up and Susan takes them all down.  Reed eventually shows up and gets into the fight, he frees Thing and now the tide is turning.

There is a promo page, I miss these so much these days, for the Spider-Man line of titles which was a pretty good era in May 1998.  Amazing 436, Spider-Man vs Black Tarantual by Tom DeFalco.  Spectacular 259, Hobgoblin is back by Roger Stern.  Sensational 29, Guest Starring The Black Cat by Todd Dezago and Mike Wieringo.  Spider-Man 93, the return of Ghost Rider by Howard Mackie, the big Ghost Rider writer of the 90s.

Joyboy turns Susan into an Atlantean Queen, her so-called heart’s desire.  This is super irritating that writers like to go back to this well of Susan maybe having attraction to Namor.  It is old hat.

Bullpen Bulletins.  Some titles coming out are – Marvel Annual 98 starring Deadpool & Death.  Alpha Flight 12, so good.  Busiek’s Iron Man 6.  Avengers : Rough Cut 1 by Busiek and Perez.  Generation X 40, featuring Penance.  X-Factor 147, two issues away from Mutant X starting!

Susan is disturbed that that was the form her heart’s desire took.

Before the Fantastic Three can declare a victory, the Captain Britain Corps arrives, as the issue ends.

Letters page has letters from – Robert Schell of San Antonio, TX, Matt Kuhns of Ames, IA, Tod Owens of Marlon, VA and Mark Passmore who withheld his address.

Inside back cover is for Funtography, the latest tech for the Game Boy, it allows you to print.  Back cover is Sarah Gellar’s Got Milk? ad.

Fantastic Four 600

Posted by John Klein III on August 25, 2015
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Fantastic Four 600

Writer Jonathan Hickman

Penciler Steve Epting

Inkers Rick Magyar with Steve Epting

Colorist Paul Mounts

Letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles

Cover Dated January 2012

I own a lot of Fantastic Four anniversary issues, is what I’ve learn from this Fantastic Four month.

This issue marks the 50th Anniversary and 600th issue of Fantastic Four.  It is also 104 pages (get it? with the four pages?).

I’m glad to finally write this review as I know that it goes FF 11 -> Fantastic Four 600 but I kept having to recheck it in the days leading up to this post.

This issue has five chapters, but I am only concentrating on the first one.

Latveria.  Doctor Doom, Nathaniel Richards and Alternate Reed Richards counterpart.

The Baxter Building.  Home of the Future Foundation.

The Other Side of Zero.  The Anti-Priest of Annihilus.

Attilan.  Floating Citadel of the Inhumans.

The Forever City.  The Reborn Supreme Intelligence of the Kree.

New York.  Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Assembled.

Anyone know what the difference between the different patterns on the Four’s uniforms?  Or why they were choosen?  I get that they represent the member, but why does Reed have a hollow top of the triangle.  Sue has a hollow right side.  Grimm has a hollow left side.  Spider-Man has his spider symbol.

I side with comicbookdb.com over Marvel Database as saying that Kitty Pryde is in this issue.

Fantastic Four 600 Kitty maybe

See in the middle panel, with all of the heroes?  There is a brunette with a yellow and blue uniform but a black mask.  So people think it is Mockingbird but it is clearly Kitty Pryde but with a mask on.  I say it is more that than Mockingbird wearing the wrong outfit and with the wrong colored hair.

But I’ve decided to leave Marvel Database alone, as I can’t say with hundred percent accuracy that this an official Shadowcat appearance.  From FF 11, we know she is present but like in the Sentry arc of New Avengers, just because we know she is around, doesn’t mean it is worth keeping the issue but I believe there is a chance that is suppose to be Kitty.

The gathered heroes are about to fight the invading Kree ships.

Even with the stakes at an all time high, Namor finds an opportunity to hit on Sue in front everybody.  Ben calls him on it.

Doctor Strange is fighting in a black business suit.

The Other Side of Zero.  The Anti-Priest and his crew are upset as the Kree attack is not the end of the world they had planned.  He seeks guidance from Annihilus.  He recommends starting their plan immediately.  They are going to siege the Baxter Building.

On the Other Side of the World.  Castle Doom.  For some reason, Nathaniel Richards is a young man instead of the age of a man whose son is in his fifties.

Kristoff, who is still around, surprisingly.  He is the man on the throne.  Nathaniel wants him to accept someone into the country.  Doom is a prisoner of Nathaniel’s.  Now that I have typed all of this, I believe Nathaniel Richards was the real name of Young Avengers’ Iron Lad.

Attilan.  Black Bolt, Medusa and the Inhumans are caught in the middle of Earth and the Kree attack.  Medusa wants them to leave but Black Bolt disagrees.

The art implies that there is a connection between Black Bolt and Supreme Intelligence.  Which doesn’t make any sense as Supreme Intelligence was only re-created in the previous issue.  Maybe it is only a transition panel, as next, we follow the Supreme Intelligence is chatting with Ronan the Accuser and his wife, Crystal.

The Supreme Intelligence reveals to the couple that long ago, the Accusers went around destroying the planets that the experiment that created the Inhumans, were also performed on.  Ronan was not a part of this.

Earth.  Captain America announces that they have pushed back the Kree.  Reed gives the nod to Susan, she pushes a force field through Iron Man’s armor.  The entire island of Manhattan is encased in a giant force field.  Now there is a crashed ship inside the force field.

The Baxter Building.  The kids are about to teleport the top three floors to the Moon, when some Negative Zone aliens appear.

Soho.  The Thing is on his way to save Alicia.  He brought along She-Hulk and Red Hulk.  They have to fight several Kree Sentries.

Baxter Building.  Alex Power is keeping back the aliens, as best as he can, alone.  Leech has control over his turning off others powers.

Val is ready to teleport the floors, once Alex makes it up the stairs.  I am not sure who this Bentley kid is.

Reed sees from a distance that the top three floors are gone.  Reed sends Spider-Man to make sure no one was left behind.

The Negative Zone aliens are about to open the portal to the Negative Zone.  Spider-Man starts fighting fools.  The portal opens, revealing . . .

Fantastic Four 600 Human Torch is back

So this issue, besides being the 600th issue, is also known for Human Torch coming back to the land of the living.  Hickman “killed” him off in an earlier issue, well, more like left him for dead in the Negative Zone.

There are additional stories, like the on-the-nose titled, What Happened to Johnny? but the main one is the reason why I bought this.

Big Brother 17 – Sunday – August 23, 2015

Posted by John Klein III on August 24, 2015
Posted in: Reality Television. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

Who won the HoH comp?  It is Austin, and who does he nominate?  I know one of them is John.  Let’s try to get excited!  It just seems like another lost week.

Day 64.

Round One – Meg is out

Austin, in DR, does a call back to Jace and their air guitar – which only four people will remember.  This reminds me, that I have never been an Austin fan.

Round Two – Julia is out, due to a False Start

There is a minute pause.

Round Three – Vanessa is out, due to a False Start

Production must realize how horrible this comp was.

In Retro Big Brother, we are on Episode 20 of Season Six.

Round Four – John is out! NOOOO!

I do like how the screens have taunting messages.

Round Five – Steve is out, another false start!

James tries to psych Steve

Round Six – James is out and Austin wins!

This was as disappointing of a comp, as it was when we tried to watch it on the live feeds.

People are so concerned for having blood on their hands – just play the flipping game, yo!

BrassTacts – Austin / Liz / James / Meg but Austin is cool with everyone.

Whoever goes to Jury, may just come right back.

Austwins, is a pretty good name for that trio.  It took me a while, if they spelt it – AusTwins, I would have gotten it, quicker.

Vanessa has to be taken out, or she will win this thing.  No one else can compete with her final speech.  Or the other person will win for being NotVanessa.

Vanessa’s game talk is exhausting.

I like Austin choosing to talk to Steve, privately.  Vanessa must be getting Becky vibes, from Austin.  I’m glad Austin is able to see through Vanessa, as if she was a ghost.

Liz likes Austin, 93%.  He wore her down.  That’s how I got my wife.

Vanessa and Austin finally talk, privately and hash out some secrets.

Steve’s You Know You Wanna Watch, is delivered so awkwardly.  You can just tell that it was like the twelfth take and it was the best one.

Nominations – John & Steve, noooooooooooooooooooo!  Alliance is over!

Austin was wearing his Judas hat.

It is odd that Austin couldn’t just put John and James up, and make no one happy.  Austin gives an odd speech.

Big Brother 17 – Thursday – August 20, 2015

Posted by John Klein III on August 23, 2015
Posted in: Reality Television. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

Who goes home, John or Becky?  Who wins HoH?  Let’s get excited!

Even with the feeds being choppy as heck, I already knew who went home and who won HoH, in a competition that looks pretty dull.

Episode 26

We see Jury House!

We’re on Season Six, Episode Seven of Retro Big Brother.  Still not feeling the houseguests but that always changes.

Liz is willing to let someone else eliminate Vanessa, so that’s disappointing reasoning.  Also, makes for a lousy final two speech.

I do like Becky and John together.  James and Meg are fun together, too.  James is crazy for pranks!

John realigns with Steve, and they discuss which group to join.  Be a smaller threat in the Austin and Twins alliance or be the big fish in the James and Meg alliance.  One is definitely more fun than the other.  The Twins are all for working with John and Steve.

Has Chen ever shown this many clips before?  oh Meg, that such a harsh fall.

Day 64, I guess.

Steve likes being alone and owning the live feeders’ hearts. I like Steve’s mother.  Young Steve pictures!   Steve’s town loves him, as do I!  He has his own day!  I do like how much the Twins are letting him flirt with them, and building his confidence.

Jury House.  Looks to be the same house, as last years.  Shelly is surprised to see Jackie.

The Vote –

Steve – Becky
Vanessa – Becky
Meg – Becky
Austin – Becky
It is official, Becky is gone
Julia – Becky
James – Becky

John’s speech is very kind to Becky.

Has anyone ever left the Jury House to return to the game?  Usually they do it, right before Jury House.

Chen has a decent interview with Becky.  It helps that Becky wasn’t in a Showmance.

Zingbot is coming!  @ZingbotOfficial – I’m following him, so fast!  I can watch Zingbot clips, all day.  28 Tweets.  30 Following.  55.7K Followers.  Pretty impressive.  He is following all Big Brother peeps, so that’ a good way to follow a a few of them.  I am following – Dan Gheesling and Britney Haynes.  Also, if you want to follow me @JackalsIII I will definitely follow you.

The track meet, it was a mess to watch.  Austin wins this.

Round One – Meg is out first.

Chen has big news about next week’s eviction.

Next Thursday, the jurors will get a shot at coming back!

Not a bad episode.

 

FF 11

Posted by John Klein III on August 22, 2015
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

FF 11

Writer Jonathan Hickman

Artist Barry Kitson

Finishers : Kitson, Scott Hanna, Scott Koblish, Jay Leisten and Mark Pennington

Color Artist Paul Mounts

Letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles

Cover Dated December 2011

Cover by Steve Epting

Whenever I see this cover in my cover collection on comicbookdb.com, I see it as Doctor Doom v Reed Richards, but it is Reed v Ronan the Accuser.

It is pretty maddening how difficult this series is to Google!

I own this for the two Kitty appearances!

Okay, I will try to recap the Previous On as Hickman had a bunch going on and I only read this issue and issue 600 and most of it just went over my head as I’m pretty sure I just read the two pages Kitty Pryde was on and moved on.

So apparently there are a bunch of Reed Richards who came together to make the universes better.  They want to bring on something called, The War of the Four Cities.  The Inhumans captured two of the last four of them.  Ronan the Accuser is the ruler of the Kree Empire.  Thing, who is an Avenger, has brought his new pals and various other heroes together.

Onto the issue.  Baxter Building.  oh, and the title is FF because with Human Torch believed dead, they changed their name and uniforms (to white) and now they are Future Foundation.  Part of the FF goals is that they are running a school.  Franklin and Leech are students of the school.  Everyone had a school during 2011.

Franklin and Leech are using walkie talkies.  Their codenames are Hyperstorm and Kid Incredible.  I wonder if Franklin going by his possible son’s codename worried anyone.

There is an ad for Spider-Man Edge of Time, which I still haven’t played.  If they went with Noir instead of 2099, I would probably have bought it.  They even brought over the 2099 free fall levels which I hated in the Shattered Dimension game.

Other students are Alex Powers, of Power Pack, Dragon Man (who isn’t a simpleton), Valeria Richards and three Morloids.

There is an ad for the video game, X-Men Destiny, which I heard had an item with Shadowcat’s name in it but that wasn’t enough for me to buy it.  Pretty cool that Mike Carey wrote the story for it.  I meant to buy it when it became a twenty dollar game but by then, my precious PS3 had Yellow Light of Death (YLoD).

The students are building something.  Reed passes by, takes a glance and enters the room.  Reed talks to his daughter and Val tells him that they expanded the teleportion capabilities to cover three floors instead of the one.  Val is concerned as the Baxter Building isn’t just the home of the Fantastic Four anymore, they have a school there, people work in the rest of the building, protective measures need to be taken.

Attilan.  Diablo (with a narly face burn) and Thinker are the prisoners of Ronan and the Inhumans.  Ronan is married to Crystal, so he’s husband number two for her.  Good for her, now she is the Queen of the Kree Empire.  Or whatever female title one has for what Ronan is.  Ronan has plans for the two Reed Richards that they have prisoner.

The Other Side of Zero.  The Cult of the Negative Zone.  This bald guy with a minus symbol on his forehead, is contacting Annihilus.  The guy informs him that they are succeeding in moving amplifying devices, called Obelisks, that expands the bridge between Earth and the Negative Zone.  They are trying to get access to the biggest portal on Earth, which is in the Baxter Building.

The Baxter Building.  Reed is about to start a speech but takes the time to apologize for his ignorance, he thought he could handle the situation by himself, he should have reached out once the situation got as big as it did.

FF 11 Kitty 1

Here is a larger version :

FF 11 Kitty 1 Bigger

Nice of Reed to call the gathered heroes the best group of heroes the world has to offer.

She-Hulk takes a moment to chat with Susan about Thing being back with the team.  Thing is happy to hear Susan take responsibility for running him off the team in the first place.  Susan then tells Jenn that it would be nice for Ben to clean the dishes from time to time.  Grimm shouts that he clean the dishes out last night.  Sue kisses him on the check, she is glad he is home again.

Spider-Man asks them to be quiet, Reed just explained how everyone is going to be killed.  Captain America compliments Reed for a good speech.

The Forever Cit.  Protectorate of Attilian. Ronan’s big plan for two Reeds is to combine them into the Supreme Intelligence, so that guy is alive again. He wants to know where his armies are.

FF 11 Kitty 2

The Baxter Building.  Shadowcat gives Wolverine a look of comfort.

The final page is the entire Kree Spacefleet in the skies of Earth, so it is very much on.

This issue leads directly into Fantastic Four 600.  Which we will review in a couple days.

Marvel November 2015 Solicitations

Posted by John Klein III on August 21, 2015
Posted in: Solicitations. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

http://www.newsarama.com/25591-marvel-comics-november-2015-solicitations.html

Like I did with October’s Solicts, I’m going to give my initial reaction to the brand new number ones. So there are more than usual with this post as we go fully into Marvel’s big plans Post-Secret Wars 2015.  December should be the last month of the relaunch of the All New All Different Marvel!  December will give us, Uncanny X-Men Volume Four! This time, with villains!

ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT AVENGERS #1 & 2
MARK WAID (w) • ISSUE #1 – ADAM KUBERT & MAHMUD ASRAR (A)
ISSUE #2 – ADAM KUBERT (A)
CoverS by ALEX ROSS
The Avengers are dead–long live the Avengers! Earth’s Mightiest Heroes–Captain America, Thor, Vision, and Iron Man–are living separate lives, not tied to any team–but when a threat from beyond the stars targets our world, fate draws them together once more, alongside Nova, Ms. Marvel, and Miles Morales a.k.a. Spider-Man!
Issue #1 – 40 PGS./RATED T+ …$4.99
Issue #2 – 32 PGS./RATED T+ …$3.99

Pretty great line-up but I’m not going to track it.

NOVA #1
SEAN RYAN (w) • CORY SMITH (a)
Cover by HUMBERTO RAMOS
TWO NOVAS?!?! Sam Alexander’s missing father is finally back and the two are making adventure a family business. With their Nova helmets that enable them to fly and shoot energy beams, they’re policing the Milky Way with their Nova Corps of two. But is everything what it seems? And if that weren’t enough, Sam is also now an Avenger!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Glad Sam’s father is back – though I recall during Duggan’s run that he wasn’t that good of a guy. Still, a boy needs his father. I’ll be passing on this.

ALL-NEW X-MEN #1 & 2
DENNIS HOPELESS (w) • MARK BAGLEY (a/C)
ISSUE #1 – HIP-HOP VARIANT COVER BY ED PISKOR
Hated and feared more than ever, the world is a dangerous place for mutants. As the few remaining X-MEN retreat into seclusion, a handful of mutant teenagers refuse to allow their destiny to be decided for them. CYCLOPS. BEAST. ICEMAN. ANGEL. THE ALL-NEW WOLVERINE. KID APOCALYPSE. OYA. Stepping out of the shadows of their predecessors, the ALL-NEW X-MEN are striking out on their own, determined to write their own futures!
32 PGS. (EACH)/Rated T+ …$3.99 (EACH)

So this is the title where the rest of the All New X-Men went. I’ll be ordering it but I doubt I’ll be buying many issues. This is clearly the B-Team, even with Bagley on art. So it takes Kid Apocalypse (a step down in names, from Genesis, but with the movie coming out, it is the easiest tie-in) and Oya to replace Teen Jean? That isn’t great.

 SPIDER-WOMAN #1
DENNIS HOPELESS (w) • JAVIER RODRIGUEZ (a/C)
VARIANT COVER BY SIYA OUM
BABY ON BOARD!
Jessica Drew is a private investigator, a super hero and… a mom to be? Since we last saw her, Spider-Woman’s got a whole NEW responsibility — she’s super heroing for two now, after all! Ben Urich and Porcupine are still along for the adventure, too, and aren’t making Jess’ life any easier – half the time they won’t even let her leave the car! How’s a gal supposed to save innocent people and keep herself out of harm’s way? See how in the mother of all Spider-Stories!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Dennis Hopeless is pretty busy! This title is probably going to do what Thor did and wait six issues before revealing who the father is (or who Thor really was). So until that news happens, and we will know about it, days before the issue comes out, I can wait it out. I’m sure it is somebody from her previous volume.

WEB WARRIORS #1
MIKE COSTA (w) • DAVID BALDEON (a)
Cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO
All of your favorite web-slinging wonders from SPIDER-VERSE, together in one place! It’s high-stakes action when ELECTRO threatens all of reality! From their base on Earth-001, it’s up to SPIDER-GWEN, SPIDER-MAN NOIR, SPIDER-MAN INDIA, SPIDER-UK, SPIDER-HAM and a TON of other surprise spider-guest stars to stop him!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

I do like Spider-Man Noir (from that game) and Spider-Ham but I’ve avoided Spider-Man this long, I can keep going.

STAR-LORD #1
SAM HUMPHRIES (w) • JAVIER GARRON (a)
Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
THE STIRRING STORY OF STAR-LORD STARTS HERE!
Before Peter Quill traversed the universe, before he was a Guardian, before he was Star-Lord, he was…an astronaut! Well, at least, he wanted to be. But as NASA’s biggest burn-out, it looked like the once and future Star-Lord was destined to stay grounded on Earth forever. However, with his burning desire for vengeance, his expert spacecraft knowhow, and his distinct lack of scruples, odds are he won’t be on Earth much longer. See how Marvel’s scoundrel of the spaceways discovered the galaxy he was destined to guard!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

So this is an origin series for Peter Quill? How long can that last? Seems odd, as there must be a slew of stories to tell, as he is the President of Sparta. I bet it is only the first arc. Still seems weird to do. I’ll be adding it, just so I don’t miss anything. I was really looking forward to this series too!

VENOM: SPACE KNIGHT #1
ROBBIE THOMPSON (W) • ARIEL OLIVETTI (A/C)
Variant cover by MIKE DEODATO
IN SPACE, NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU SCREAM…WITH EXCITEMENT!
Flash Thompson is a lot of things. Soldier. Veteran. Doubleamputee. Host to a powerful alien symbiote. Now, apart from the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, Flash has also been tasked with being an intergalactic ambassador of Earth and an Agent of the Cosmos. What does that mean? It means Flash Thompson will be what he’s always wanted to be: A BIG. DAMN. HERO. It’s high adventure in deep space as Venom swashbuckles his way across the universe!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

With all of these Space Titles and them being Guardians of the Galaxy spend offs, I can only imagine we are going to get another big space crossover soon. With Kitty Pryde as a Guardian now, I feel the need to add these titles to my pull list so that I don’t miss a reference.

DRAX #1
CM PUNK & CULLEN BUNN (w) • SCOTT HEPBURN (a/C)
UFC FIGHTER CM PUNK MAKES HIS MIGHTY MARVEL DEBUT!
Drax the Destroyer is the muscle for the Guardians of the Galaxy, but what does he do when he’s not adventuring through space with the Guardians? He lets his bloodthirsty quest for revenge take the pilot seat, of course! Determined to find and kill Thanos once and for all, Drax is ready to take on the universe. But when you’re tooling around the universe in a ship aptly named “The Space Sucker”, an unwavering desire for bloodshed isn’t enough to keep a mission from derailing. Drax crash lands into his wildest adventures ever, encountering foes no one will ever expect! The depths of space may not be big enough to contain this much grit, vengeance and all-out action!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

So CM Punk left WWE and is now a UFC Fighter and comic book writer? That’s pretty cool. Same thing there, I better add this to my pull list.

ILLUMINATI #1
JOSHUA WILLIAMSON (w) • SHAWN CRYSTAL (a)
Cover by RILEY ROSSMO
“Bad guys win every day… why not us?”
How do the villains of the Marvel Universe live in a world where the sky is constantly filled with heroes? What do they do when they want out of that life? There is no escape. No future. Who saves the villains? The Hood believes he might be that savior. He wants everyone to have a place at the table. Now all he needs to do is build his army… Featuring Titania, Mad Thinker, Thunderball, Black Ant and Enchantress, Illuminati is a tale of villains just trying to survive in the All-New All-Different Marvel Universe.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

This looks super skippable. Though I know with Suicde Squad coming out, people are interested in seeing super villains interacting.

DEADPOOL #1 & 2
GERRY DUGGAN (w) • MIKE HAWTHORNE (a)
Covers by TONY MOORE
He’s annoying. He’s dangerous. He smells terrible. But the public love him. That’s right—the Merc with the Mouth may make money for missions of murky morality…but he’s become the most popular hero in the world for it. Eat that, Spidey! The world belongs to…DEADPOOL. The fan favorite team of Gerry Duggan and Mike Hawthorne return to bring Deadpool in to his most successful adventures yet!
ISSUE #1 – 40 PGS./RATED T+ …$4.99
ISSUE #2 – 32 PGS./RATED T+ …$3.99

I’m sure this will be great but I’ll wait for a reason to buy it.

HERCULES #1
Dan Abnett (W) • Luke Ross (A)
Cover by Clay Mann
“Still going Strong”
The World’s first super hero decides it’s time to get back in the game, protect the innocent, defend the world, and generally remind everyone why he set the mark for heroism in the first place. Make way… Hercules is back! The greatest son of Olympus is thrown into the fight against threats ancient and modern, and Hercules demonstrates that a legend, no matter how strong he is, survives on his experience, and his ability to move with the times. A modern world, an age-old hero… and blockbuster action!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Never much of a Hercules fan, so I will be passing.

ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #1& 2
TOM TAYLOR (w) • DAVID LOPEZ & DAVID NAVARROT (a)
CoverS by BENGAL
LAURA KINNEY EMBRACES HER DESTINY. HERE! COMES! WOLVERINE!
X-23 was created to be a weapon and for a time, that’s all she was. But with the help of her mentor, LOGAN—the original WOLVERINE—she escaped that dark past. Tragically, Logan has fallen, but Laura will continue in his footsteps as a hero. Recent events have her doing everything in her power to keep those around her alive, as violent forces are hell-bent on mutual destruction. If anyone can stop them, it’s Laura. She is the best there is at what she does. She is THE ALL-NEW WOLVERINE.
Issue #1 – 40 PGS./Parental Advisory …$4.99
Issue #2 – 32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

So I will be adding this to my pull list. I’m getting the impression that I will be putting a lot of comics back on the shelf but I just want to be safe. She is a member of the Extraordinary X-Men, so there may be some tie-ins down the line.

MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR #1
AMY REEDER & BRANDON MONTCLARE (w) • NATACHA BUSTOS (a)
Cover by AMY REEDER
LUNELLA LAFAYETTE is a preteen super genius who wants to change the world—but learned the hard way that it takes MORE than just big brains. Fearful of the monstrous INHUMAN genes inside her, life is turned upside down when a savage, red-scaled tyrant is teleported from prehistoric past to a far-flung future we call TODAY. The pair are many things, and together the most amazing Marvel Team-Up. MARVEL PRESENTS… MOON GIRL & DEVIL DINOSAUR!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

I do like the concept of Devil Dinsoaur but I doubt I will be buying any of these.

CARNAGE #1 & #2
GERRY CONWAY (w) • MIKE PERKINS (a)
CoverS by MICHAEL DEL MUNDO
Get ready to scream! Carnage, the homicidal symbiote is back, and he’s leaving a trail of bodies behind him. The FBI is hot on his trail, with a different playbook since their serial killer is a super villain. They’re equipped with the latest sonic tech and a team including military hero/astronaut John Jameson and a reformed Eddie Brock/Toxin! But when Carnage escapes into an abandoned coal mine, the FBI’s plan is starting to look like a trap… for THEM!
32 PGS. (each)/Rated T+ …$3.99 (each)

Another villain book, if they make a connection to Maximum Carnage but even then, I didn’t buy Minimum Carnage – didn’t hear anything about that storyline either.

SILK #1
ROBBIE THOMPSON (w) • STACEY LEE (a)
COVER BY HELEN CHEN
SILK IS BACK AND BADDER THAN EVER!
• Cindy Moon has been working to find the missing members of her family since she escaped the bunker that was her home prior to the events of SPIDER-VERSE. But her quest has taken her down a darker path than she expected, and she’s now in cahoots with none other than the most ferocious feline in the Marvel Universe – BLACK CAT!
• What’s gotten under her skin, and is there any redeeming the SINISTER SILK? !
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Glad to see the slew of female lead titles, but I will be passing.

 MS. MARVEL #1
G. WILLOW WILSON (w) • Takeshi Miyazawa & Adrian Alphona (a)
Cover by Cliff Chiang
The internationally-beloved, butt-kicking, smack-talking, most adorable super hero makes her triumphant return. Look out world, Kamala Khan is back and officially an Avenger! Yup, the dream to end all dreams has happened for Kamala. She’s toe to toe with the best of the best, but will being one of Earth’s mightiest heros be everything she imagined? Is being a celebrity hero as wonderful as Kamala has hoped?
Plus: WHO IS THAT WITH BRUNO?? Welcome back, Kamala Korps. We missed you!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

Still haven’t read any Ms. Marvel, besides her appearance in the FCBD All New All Different Avengers issue.

BLACK KNIGHT #1
Frank Tieri (w) • LUCA PIZZARI (a)
Cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO
What do you do when it’s your destiny to be damned? For centuries, that is the question that has plagued each wielder of the Ebony Blade… with all of them eventually meeting untimely ends due to the sword’s curse. And it is the question the current Black Knight, Dane Whitman, must ask himself as his addiction to the blade grows ever stronger and he finds himself in the aptly named Weirdworld. What are the circumstances that brought him to leave Earth and enter this strange and dangerous realm? And what do the Uncanny Avengers have to do with it? Find out here in this new ongoing tale of sword, sorcery and one man’s struggle to not lose his soul.
32 PGS/RATED T+ …$3.99

Black Knight ranks up there with Hercules, for me, but I’ve at least read more of Black Knight. Good to see Frank Tieri back – I bet he’s been back for a while now. I liked his Wolverine run, he quasi-brought back Ogun!  Who is still missing from the relaunch.  So is Lady Deathstrike, so they will pop up again.

THE VISION #1
Tom King (w) • GABRIEL HERNANDEZ WALTA (a)
Cover by MIKE DEL MUNDO
The Vision wants to be human, and what’s more human than family? He goes to the laboratory where he was created, where Ultron molded him into a weapon, where he first rebelled against his given destiny, where he first imagined that he could be more, that he could be good, that he could be a man, a normal, ordinary man. And he builds them. A wife, Virginia. Two teenage twins, Viv and Vin. They look like him. They have his powers. They share his grandest ambition or perhaps obsession: the unrelenting need to be ordinary. Behold The Visions! They’re the family next door, and they have the power to kill us all. What could possibly go wrong?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

I do like the concept here, and I do like Vision – but this seems like a limited series. Also great is Walta being on the title, so this should look great. If Scarlet Witch was involved, I may be tempted. She has to appear, eventually, right?

THE ULTIMATES #1
AL EWING (w) • Kenneth Rocafort (a/C)
BLACK PANTHER! CAPTAIN MARVEL! MS. AMERICA CHAVEZ! SPECTRUM! BLUE MARVEL!
The ultimate superteam comes together to find and fix problems beyond the limits of the infinite! From cosmic forces lurking on Earth to what waits on the outside of the omniverse – the impossible is where they start! And what’s more impossible than ending the threat of Galactus, the devourer of worlds… forever?
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

Had no interest in Mighty Avengers, I don’t see how naming it “Ultimates” would change that.

ALL-NEW HAWKEYE #1
JEFF LEMIRE (w) • RAMóN PéREZ (a/C)
Hawkeye and Hawkeye take aim at another season. But it’s not all straight as an arrow for Clint and Kate. A deep-seated rift that stretches across time, brings old man Clint and a wiser Kate back together as they chase down mistakes from their past. The star-studded team of Jeff Lemire and Ramon Perez return, bringing you another inspired look at the world of Hawkeye.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Now this series, had so much buzz that I’ve been tempted to read the series. One day, I will read the first trade.

HOWARD THE DUCK #1
CHIP ZDARSKY (w) • JOE QUINONES (a/C)
First spectacular issue!
A great jumping on point! Sure to go up in value! Don’t miss out on the series everyone is calling “Howard the Duck”! The last page will shock you! Nothing will EVER be the same again! Hey! Where are you going? Come back! Waugh!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

They are having fun with their relaunch and I did enjoy the last two issues of the series but I probably won’t be seeking this series out.

THE MIGHTY THOR #1
JASON AARON (w) • RUSSELL DAUTERMAN (a)
When DR. JANE FOSTER lifts the mystic hammer Mjolnir, she is transformed into the Goddess of Thunder, THE MIGHTY THOR! Her enemies are many, as Asgard descends further into chaos and war threatens to spread throughout the Ten Realms. Yet her greatest battle will be against a far more personal foe: the cancer that is killing her mortal form.
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

Probably be passing on this but I do like the character.

SECRET WARS TOO #1
JONATHAN HICKMAN, SERGIO ARAGONES, RYAN BROWNE, AL EWING, ROB GUILLORY, KATE LETH,
ERIC POWELL, DECLAN SHALVEY, KYLE STARKS, RAMON VILLALOBOS, BRITTNEY WILLIAMS (W/A)
Cover by CHIP ZDARSKY
THE BEYONDERS TRY THEIR (SCARY, EXTRA-DIMENSIONAL) HAND AT MARKETING:
• We are Beyond. Dreamers. Destroyers. All of reality our whim. And frankly… we get bored.
• These tales from across the multifarious domains of Battleworld – not of heroism or consequence, but of humor – provide a brief respite from millennia of omnipotence.
• We cannot be comprehended by the miniscule human mind. Turn your attention to this book instead of trying.
• You are welcome.
40 PGS./ONE SHOT/Rated T+ …$4.99

I do like these humorous takes on crossovers so I will track this. $5 seems a bit much for a throwaway oneshot. Oh, and I do like them listing ONE SHOT now in the Solicts, that helps!

UNCANNY INHUMANS #2
CHARLES SOULE (W) • STEVE MCNIVEN (A/C)
CONNECTING VARIANT COVER C BY JIM CHEUNG
Variant Cover my Mahmud Asrar
• The Uncanny Inhumans vs. Kang—on a battleground thousands of years deep!
• Kang’s arsenal is time travel and he’s attacking the Inhumans in a horrifying fashion.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Clearly the Inhumans and the X-Men had something happened in the missing eight months but until I’m told to read this series, I’ll be passing.

CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS #2
AL EWING (W) • PACO MEDINA (A/C)
• Ares lives!
• The god of War vs. Maestro…and Iron Man & Gamora!
• Who is the shadowy player scheming with the Grandmaster? You’ll never guess!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

I’m hoping all the solicts for this series have the match ups in it!

Marvel November 2015 Solicitations Extraordinary X-Men 3 Humberto Ramos Cover
ART BY HUMBERTO RAMOS

EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #3
JEFF LEMIRE (W) • HUMBERTO RAMOS (A/ C)
VARIANT COVER BY CLAY MANN
• Mutantkind is teetering on the brink of extinction and the X-MEN are in dire straits!
• STORM and ICEMAN defend the last remaining mutants from a demonic attack!
• The world’s newest mutant discovers she has a terrifying power!
• And OLD MAN LOGAN and JEAN GREY meet for the first time…
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

It has taken this long to get to a title I am buying, for sure! Cripes! I like that we will be getting some stories about the missing eight months as Old Man Logan meeting anyone, is a story!

Marvel November 2015 Solicitations Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Art Adams Cover
Art by Arthur Adams

 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #2
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • VALERIO SCHITI (A)
Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS
VARIANT COVER BY KRIS ANKA
• Meet Emperor Quill and his Imperial Guard.
• What brings the Guardians into their crosshairs?
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

See how this series is dealing with Empreror Quill? That makes Star Lord’s series direction, a bit odd. I imagine Bendis must only want to tell that story.  From the cover, Quill’s Imperial Guard must be funny to the old members, embarrassing to Kitty and annoying to Thing.

GROOT #6
Jeff Loveness (W) • BRIAN KESINGER (A)
Cover by DECLAN SHALVEY
• ROCKET AND GROOT REUNITED! What more do you need?
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

I wonder if this series ends with this issue or do we get a second arc of Groot and Rocket together? Issues three and four, have been quite good. Of the previous volume, now that I see that the series is restarted. I have to make sure I’ve got this title on my pull list too.

FIGMENT 2 #3 (of 5)
JIM ZUB (w) • RAMON BACHS (a)
Cover by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
Action Figure Variant Cover by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
A NEW DREAMER JOINS THE JOURNEY!
• A young inventor named Capri gets to meet her idol…but it’s not at all like she expected!
• The creative minds of the Academy Scientifica-Lucidus fall under a dark cloud of doubt!
• Another imaginative installment of the sequel to the fan-favorite Disney Kingdoms miniseries!
32 PGS./All Ages …$3.99
Elements based on Figment © Disney

oh Figment, why won’t you go away so Lockheed can get a series!

GUIDEBOOK TO THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE — MARVEL’S INCREDIBLE HULK/MARVEL’S IRON MAN 2
Written by MIKE O’SULLIVAN & THE OHOTMU TEAM
Covers by MIKE DEL MUNDO & PASCAL CAMPION
Our comprehensive coverage of the fan-favorite Marvel Studios films and Marvel Television series rolls on! This second issue, in fantastic flipbook format, shines a spotlight on the Hulk’s gamma-charged feature film and Iron Man’s return to the silver screen! With fact sheets, movie-to-comic comparisons, behind-the-scenes art and production stills, this issue features profiles of the ever-incredible Hulk and a comprehensive Iron Man update — plus these future Avengers’ friends and family including Betty Ross, Samuel Sterns, War Machine, Black Widow and Howard Stark; enemies including Abomination, Thunderbolt Ross, Whiplash and Justin Hammer; high-tech devices like Iron Man’s new RT and the Hammer Drones; and updates on Nick Fury, Phil Coulson and more! Relive the big-screen thrills of 2008’s The Incredible Hulk and 2010’s Iron Man 2, and continue building your indispensable library of Cinematic Universe reference books!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

There must be a slew of details that people are not reporting online, right? As I feel like I caught most of the names but there may have been small details in the back. The trade for this series, should be pretty good.

CIVIL WAR BOX SET SLIPCASE
Get all sides to the story of Marvel’s most incendiary epic in this eleven-volume box set! When the New Warriors set off a deadly disaster in Stamford, Connecticut, the cry goes out for superhuman registration. With Iron Man heading up the pro-registration movement and Captain America leading the anti-registration camp, the Marvel Universe splits down the middle as friendships, teams and even families are torn apart. From the key stories that set the stage, to the main event, to its headline-making aftermath, the entire Civil War is fought inside one glorious slipcase — including its dramatic impacts on the Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Spider-Man and everyone else on the Front Line! Plus: an entire volume of behind-the-scenes special features that take you inside the conflict. War — this is what it’s good for! Includes CIVIL WAR PROLOGUE PREMIERE HC, CIVIL WAR PREMIERE HC, CIVIL WAR: AVENGERS PREMIERE HC, CIVIL WAR: FANTASTIC FOUR PREMIERE HC, CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE PREMIERE HC, CIVIL WAR: MARVEL UNIVERSE PREMIERE HC, CIVIL WAR: SPIDER-MAN PREMIERE HC, CIVIL WAR: THE UNDERSIDE PREMIERE HC, CIVIL WAR: X-MEN PREMIERE HC, CIVIL WAR AFTERMATH PREMIERE HC, CIVIL WAR FILES PREMIERE HC, POSTER.
Rated T+ …$500.00
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9694-5

I get that Civil War was Marvel’s biggest hit, for quite some time but sheesh! They keep going back to it! The X-Men tie-in wasn’t that great besides the first page. Though it is a reunion of the Original Four X-Men (as Jean is still dead, at this point – and this current day) so that is pretty nice.  $500, I wonder how many of these sell.

DAREDEVIL BY FRANK MILLER & KLAUS JANSON OMNIBUS HC (NEW PRINTING)
Written by ROGER MCKENZIE, FRANK MILLER, DAVID MICHELINIE & MORE
Penciled by FRANK MILLER & KLAUS JANSON
Cover by FRANK MILLER
A classic Marvel hero redefined by one of comics’ greatest visionaries! Frank Miller’s spellbinding scripts and pulse-pounding pencils mark one of Daredevil’s greatest eras — but will the Kingpin and Bullseye’s efforts rob the Man Without Fear of everything he holds dear? Featuring the first appearances of Elektra, Stick and the Hand! The daring discovery that drew Ben Urich into Daredevil’s domain of darkness! And such forgotten-yet-formidable foes as Death-Stalker and the Gladiator! Traditional super-heroics mix effortlessly with mysterious martial artistry, doomed romance and dark personal drama. Take a rare look at the formative years of a brilliant comic-book creator and the series that made him famous. Guest-starring the Hulk, the Avengers, and Power Man and Iron Fist! Collecting DAREDEVIL (1964) #158-161 and #163-191, and material from WHAT IF? (1977) #28.
840 PGS./Rated T+ …$125.00
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9536-8
Trim size: oversized

$125 does seem like a decent amount, for how many issues you get and in a nice hardcover. I wonder if this is a hint that Daredevil Season Two is coming soon afterwards, or at least, press for it will be well underway.

ELEKTRA BY FRANK MILLER OMNIBUS HC (NEW PRINTING)
Written by FRANK MILLER
Penciled by BILL SIENKIEWICZ, FRANK MILLER & LYNN VARLEY
Cover by FRANK MILLER
Elektra is a ninja, a martial arts master, and a highly paid assassin. Once Matt Murdock’s college girlfriend, her service as the Kingpin’s personal bodyguard put her in brutal conflict with her former lover, nearly killing Daredevil in the process. Now, fan-favorite creator Frank Miller ushers his awesome assassin through good, evil, life, death, rebirth and more, in this definitive collection of the character’s most memorable solo adventures. First, following a fatal duel with Bullseye, Elektra is seemingly dead and buried. But her spirit cannot rest. Elektra claws her way back from beyond the grave, in perhaps her defining story! Then, in a tautly crafted tale of espionage and deception, Elektra must unravel a supernatural conspiracy that threatens the Presidency! Collecting ELEKTRA: ASSASSIN #1-8, ELEKTRA LIVES AGAIN, and material from BIZARRE ADVENTURES #28 and WHAT IF? (1977) #35.
400 PGS./Explicit Content …$99.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9556-6
Trim size: oversized

As, why else release this trade without the Netflix series about to launch?

DEADPOOL CLASSIC OMNIBUS VOL. 1 HC
Written by CHRISTOPHER PRIEST, GLENN HERDLING, JIMMY PALMIOTTI, BUDDY SCALERA, FRANK TIERI,
GAIL SIMONE, EVAN DORKIN & DANIEL WAY
Penciled by PACO DIAZ, ANDY SMITH, JIM CALAFIORE, PAUL CHADWICK, MICHAEL LOPEZ,
DARICK ROBERTSON, ANTHONY WILLIAMS, GEORGES JEANTY, KARL KERSCHL, UDON STUDIOS, SAL VELLUTO,
MITCH BREITWEISER, JUAN BOBILLO, KYLE HOTZ, EVAN DORKIN & MORE
Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS
It’s a heaping helping of the Merc with a Mouth, chock-full of the craziness that helped form a cult following! Deadpool crosses Loki, joins the Frightful Four, rubs shoulders with Black Panther, and goes into space — but who’ll throttle him first: his new roommates, his crazy ex Copycat, or his new sidekick Pool Boy? Deadpool takes on the mob, battles the Punisher, rejoins Weapon X, faces his nemesis T-Ray…and dies — twice! And as if four pretenders ushering in a Reign of the Deadpools isn’t enough, who the heck is Agent X and what’s his title-stealing deal? Is he Deadpool or ain’t he? Taskmaster and Outlaw join the fun…and so should you! Guest-starring Thor, Siryn and Fight-Man! Collecting DEADPOOL (1997) #34-69, BLACK PANTHER (1998) #23, AGENT X #1-15, FIGHT-MAN #1 and material from X-MEN UNLIMITED (1993) #28.
1304 PGS./Rated T+ …$125
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9674-7
Trim size: oversized

Shouldn’t be this volume two? I was still enjoying this series, at this point.

INFERNO: WARZONES! TPB
Written by DENNIS HOPELESS
Penciled by JAVIER GARRON
Cover by JAVIER GARRON
Spinning out of SECRET WARS comes a new twist on the X-Men classic that’s a whole hell of a lot hotter than you remember. Five years ago, a band of demons rose up out of the fiery depths and turned Manhattan into Hell on Earth. The X-Men fought to vanquish the demon horde…and the X-Men failed. Now, on the anniversary of Manhattan’s fall, Colossus is leading a small band of mutants back into the Inferno. He doesn’t know what they’ll find in its flames, but he knows they’re not coming back without his sister. But Inferno’s demons quickly divide his skeleton-crew X-team, and the arrival of Mr. Sinister and the Goblin Queen means Colossus’ quest may have become a suicide mission! The gates burst open and Hell breaks loose as Illyana Rasputin’s soul hangs in the balance! Collecting INFERNO #1-5.
112 PGS./Rated T+ …$16.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9873-4

BUY THIS! Such a great series! One of the Top Five Secret Wars 2015 Tie-Ins!

X-MEN: YEARS OF FUTURE PAST TPB
Written by MARGUERITE BENNETT
Penciled by MIKE NORTON
Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS
A classic X-Men saga revisited for the modern day! In the dystopian nations of Battleworld, the mutants of New York City fight to survive the Sentinels’ oppressive rule. Imprisoned and persecuted, the X-Men are a desperate family. At their center is Kate Pryde, mother of the last mutant to be born before the purges of the Mutant Control Act. With revolution on the wind, the X-Men must break free, rescue their teammates from a terrible fate and seek out the haven where a dire weapon waits! While the mutants’ last defender clashes with Sentinels, the X-Men reel from a secret Kate has kept for years. And as they lead a prison break from the final mutant interment camp, a traitor stands revealed. The mutants’ hour of judgment is at hand! Collecting YEARS OF FUTURE PAST #1-5.
120 PGS./Rated T+ …$16.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9894-9

BUY THIS TOO! I would rank it higher than Inferno.

ULTIMATE END TPB
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by MARK BAGLEY
Cover by MARK BAGLEY
This is it — the swan song of the Ultimate Universe! As the Incursions destroy everything, and the Marvel and Ultimate Universes meet and collide, Miles Morales and the rest of the Ultimate heroes face final extinction! Will the heroes’ heartbreaking sacrifices make any difference? Who — if anyone — will survive? How long can two Battleworld territories occupy the same space? It’s the battle you thought you’d never see as the tear between domains deepens — and a universe dies! The dramatic end of an era is here, brought to you by the Ultimate Universe’s founding fathers! Collecting ULTIMATE END #1-5.
120 PGS./Rated T+ …$16.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9890-1

I’ve enjoyed it but Magik and Ultimate Shadowcat have been barely cameos in this series. I’m still not sure how it ties into Secret Wars 2015, but I haven’t read issue four yet. I own it but haven’t gotten to it yet.

STAR-LORD & KITTY PRYDE TPB
Written by SAM HUMPHRIES with SCOTT LOBDELL
Penciled by ALTI FIRMANSYAH with CHRIS BACHALO, JAVIER GARRÓN & ED MCGUINNESS
Cover by YASMINE PUTRI
Star-Lord and Kitty Pryde — finally in their own series together! Well, sort of — not “together” together. Because this isn’t the Kitty that Peter Quill fell in love with — this is the fierce, battle-hardened and embittered Kitty Pryde from the Age of Apocalypse! Now, the very confused Quill and the really annoyed Pryde must band together and fight to survive the horrors of Battleworld — but can they wage a secret war while dealing with one another? And could there be a spark growing between these two, as well? The Marvel Universe may be dead, but #StarKat lives forever! Tune in for the most uplifting, confusing and ship-friendly romance/action/comedy/adventure/sci-fi story of the entire SECRET WARS saga! Plus: AoA Kitty’s first appearance! And Star-Lord pops the question! Collecting STAR-LORD & KITTY PRYDE #1-3, GENERATION NEXT #1 and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY & X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX OMEGA 1.
112 PGS./Rated T …$15.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9843-7

BUY THIS, AS WELL! Another Top Five! I’m including these above the main event, as well. I haven’t seen that this is really the Age of Apocalypse version of Shadowcat, besides her weapon of choice but maybe that is all that it takes.

MILES MORALES:
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN
ULTIMATE COLLECTION BOOK 3 TPB
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by DAVID MARQUEZ, MARK BAGLEY,
MARK BROOKS, DAVID LAFUENTE & SARA PICHELLI
Cover by DAVID MARQUEZ
The Ultimate Spider-Man is back in action! Unfortunately, Galactus has arrived in the Ultimate Universe, and he hungers. Miles must undertake a dangerous trip to Galactus’s home universe if Earth has a chance of surviving this cataclysm! Then, Miles faces the worst villain from his predecessor’s past: the Green Goblin — the man who killed Peter Parker! But is Peter truly dead? As events unravel in surprising fashion, Spidey takes on Spidey — and only one of the two will rise! And when Miles discovers his father’s startling secret, what will it mean for his future? Will Spider-Man become an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Or, as Doctor Doom targets Spidey for destruction, will this be the end of the road for Miles Morales? Collecting CATACLYSM: ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #1-3, ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #200 and MILES MORALES: THE ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #1-12.
360 PGS./Rated T+ …$34.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9780-5

$35 for 15 comics, seems pretty nice. I’ve read 200 and issue 12, both were pretty good.

BLACK PANTHER BY CHRISTOPHER PRIEST:
THE COMPLETE COLLECTION VOL. 2 TPB
Written by CHRISTOPHER PRIEST
Penciled by KYLE HOTZ, SAL VELLUTO, TOMM COKER, MARK BRIGHT, NORM BREYFOGLE & JIM CALAFIORE
Cover by SAL VELLUTO
When T’Challa falls to the one foe he’s never beaten, Killmonger earns the right to become the new Black Panther! Now, only Everett K. Ross can save T’Challa’s life — okay, Ross plus Moon Knight, Brother Voodoo and the Panther God! Still suffering, the deposed Wakandan leader finds himself caught in a cat trap with the Avengers and…Deadpool?! Storm of the X-Men offers comfort as Wakanda finds itself on the verge of war with Lemuria and Atlantis — and Klaw, Malice and Man-Ape threaten to destroy the African Avenger once and for all! Plus: Ross spends a day in Mephisto’s metaphorical shoes, and Captain America recounts his never-before-revealed wartime meeting with the former Black Panther, T’Chaka! Super heroics meet geopolitics as only Priest can mix them! Collecting BLACK PANTHER (1998) #18-35 and DEADPOOL (1997) #44.
448 PGS./Rated T+ …$34.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9811-6

BUY THIS! This contains Black Panther 26 – 29, Sturm Und Drang! By far, the greatest Black Panther story and as of still, the only story to contain all the Kings of Marvel – Black Panther, Namor, Doctor Doom and at the time, Magneto! So great! I wish I could buy this trade, myself. Maybe I will order it and see how much the discount is at Hastings.

. . .

So I’m not looking at many comics that I’m buying –

Extraordinary X-Men 3                   $4
Guardians of the Galaxy 2                  $4

Secret Wars Too is a maybe at $5

So my total will be $8, with two dollars off is $6, which is awesome – for me!

I’ll be adding the following series (and probably not buying any) to my pull list –

Star Lord
Venom Space Knight
Drax
All New X-Men
All New Wolverine

So I’m sure that will annoy Hastings but these things happen

Big Brother 17 – Wednesday – August 19, 2015

Posted by John Klein III on August 20, 2015
Posted in: Reality Television. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

Who wins Veto?  Will they use it?  Let’s Get Excited!

Otev Rock and Roll, premieres tonight!  Otev is a Roll, who rocks!

Becky really likes to tell people that if a train can’t stop her, who can?  That’s the spirit!  Though I want John to win Veto!

Vanessa tries to smooth things out with John.  I sort of can’t stand Vanessa, now.

John isn’t getting along with Austin, which makes sense.

Steve tries to tell the Twins that John is cool, which he is!

John liking Becky, makes me like her.

Liz is rocking some black face!  NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

John and Steve are playing chess, I bet those games are fun!  I haven’t played chess, in forever.  My wife and I use to play, all the time – before Walker Dennis came along.

I really don’t like Liz and Austin, together.  John starts blowing up Vanessa’s game, good for him!

James tries to scare Julia but she senses him.  He’s Captain Camo!  He scares her!

Veto Players!

Liz – House Guest Choice – Austin
John – Meg (like he always does!)
Becky – Steve (James calls it!)

Julia never gets picked!

The Otev Comp is the sole reason one wants to be nominated!

Sisters Before Misters!  That sounds like a good rule.

Austin wants John to throw it to him.  Never throw competitions!  John has been doing it, since Week Two.

Liz got Fruity Pebbles!  mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Becky suspects that she is going home.  I rather her than John, that’s for sure.

Otev!  The Rockin’ Roll!

Steve is excited to start digging into all of the food.

I don’t recognize the voice.  I’ve grown tired of the “Butter” singing voice.  Too much, too soon.

Round One (Jason) – Liz – Steve – Meg – Austin – Becky (John is out)
Round Two (Shelly) – Becky – Austin –  Liz – Meg (Steve is out, he threw it too)
Round Three (Clay) – Meg – Liz –  Austin (Becky is out)
Round Four (Da’Vonne) – Austin – Liz (Meg is out)
Round Five (Jace) – Liz wins it!

Otev has some sweet shoes on!

Steve is back to wanting Becky out.  Becky jumps over the butter, like a champ!  Meg, slams her face down on the ramp.  Otev says he is sorry, which is fun – as usually, it is pre-recorded voices.  Austin goes to Steve’s pile of discarded cards.  Becky steals Austin, which is awesome.

Julia’s face on the memory wall, replaces Jace’s picture.  That’s pretty missed up.  Julia says that if Austin wins it, he gets a kiss from Liz.  Liz wins so no kissing.  My wife has told me that Austin has finger banged Liz, in the HoH room, so that’s happening.

So awkward when the HoH wins PoV, so it gives that person a chance to change their mind.  Liz does kiss Austin.

12 minutes left of the show, that’s a lot of time!

Vanessa, in the HoH room, congratulates Liz but instantly goes into game talk.

Are the Twins turning into brunettes?

Becky looks great in that sports bra!

Austin and Liz are totally making out!  Austin gave Liz a hicky!  so gross!

Steve is messing with Vanessa.  She is sad, as she doesn’t have a pair.  Steve is shirtless, I doubt I would be, in the BB House.  Steve is going to put clothes on and he will play chess with Vanessa.  Vanessa is starting to annoy Liz.

Veto Ceremony.  I have a feeling that Liz won’t be using it.  Becky tells Liz how she kept her and her sister and her would-be boyfriend safe, so she should keep Becky safe.  John says the Veto should be used on him, so he can sit on the nice blue couches.  Liz doesn’t use the Veto.  So lousy, my wife (she watches the live feeds) tells me Austin convinced Liz not to back door Vanessa.

John tells us that John and Becky were the first nominated.  I love how he knows his own stats.

Here is hoping Becky goes home.  I should try to find some new pictures, so I’m prepared.

Fantastic Four 414

Posted by John Klein III on August 19, 2015
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

Fantastic Four 414

Script, Plot & Pencils Tom DeFalco & Paul Ryan

Inks John Lowe

Letters Jim Novak

Colors John Kalisz

Cover Dated July 1996

I own this for the Days of Future Past panel with Kate Pryde!

Issue opens with Sue and child Franklin hugging.  He’s spent the last four years as Psi-Lord, a twenty year old with full use of his powers.  Now he’s a child, and doesn’t remember missing years, he feels like he only missed a few minutes.

Nathaniel Richards, Reed’s father, was the guy that forced Franklin’s aging in the first place.  Thing is ready to punch Nathan in his dumb face.

Reed gets Grimm to calm down.  Nathaniel is an odd character, pretty much a douche but he’s Reed’s dad.  Though it seems odd when Reed calls him, dad, Reed seems more like a guy who says “father.”

Nathaniel explains what his motivations were.

Fantastic Four 414 Kate Pryde

I had to check the issues to make sure that was Kate’s back of the head and not Storm but Kate was the only one to wear her hair up.

Nathaniel explains that there is a future, Days of Future Past, where mutants and heroes are killed and ruled by Sentinels.  There is an off shoot alternate future (which seems overly complicated) where Rachel Summers and Franklin Richards had a baby, who grows up to Hyperstorm, a villain who has been messing with the Fantastic Four, for some time.

Sue can’t believe her grandson is the main villain.  Reed has a plan on how to defeat Hyperstorm but he can’t reveal the plan out loud, as Hyperstorm is the master of time and space.  His plan does involve Galactus.

There is an ad for Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Reed wants to go against Hyperstorm alone, as Nathaniel keeps stating that in every future, the Fantastic Four are dead.  The team is going regardless.  They are not bringing any of their friends though.  The team goes to make their final goodbyes.

Johnny’s ex-wife, Lyja the Skrull, is hanging out with the team.  Ben has feelings for her, which is so weird how those two are into each other’s gals.  As Johnny eventually started getting into Alicia, who actually was Lyja.  Johnny’s current girlfriend, Laura Green, is also Lyja, wanting to stay in Johnny’s life.  She knows how messed up that and Ben is sympathetic to her situation as he overhears her using Green’s voice when talking to Johnny.

Franklin is down for a name and Reed is working on the space ship that will get him to where Galactus was last seen.  Sue is coming, no matter what, and since this may be their last moment together, they are going to go bone.

Johnny kisses Laura and has a revelation and flies off.

Reed hugs Franklin and boards the ship with Susan.  Nathaniel, Johnny and Ben are already on-board.

Galactus hasn’t been seen since Silver Surfer 109.

Reed sets up some tracers, and finds a faint trace to the dimension that Galactus was banished too.  He is about to open a portal when Hyperstorm shows up.  The team tries to take him down, as Reed tries to open the portal.

Franklin senses his family is in danger and wants to d something about it.  Just then, a kid named Charlie shows up, he will help him out.  This is setting up the last issues of the series as this Charlie is Charles Xavier, in kid form.  This is setting up Onslaught.  Which is pretty cool.

Bullpen Bulletins is promoting Onslaught : X-Men, which finally reveals who the traitor is that Bishop hinted at in his first appearances.  It is Xavier, spoilers!  Peter Parker is in the hospital, they think it is due to being a clone, but it isn’t.  The Checklist for June 5th is :
Avengers Unplugged 6, with Black Knight and Blood Wraith
Captain America 454, with Sharon Carter, the final issue is coming up!
Daredevil 385, Pryo is in this issue
Spider-Man 2099 46, finale issue!  I had no idea that 2099 ended as the Heroes Reborn titles start
Sensational Spider-Man 7, Peter Parker going to the hospital
Cable 34, vs Hulk, under the control of Onslaught
Onslaught : X-Men, pretty cool!
Uncanny X-Men 335, the X-Men, Avengers and X-Man unite against Onslaught.  Shadowcat is in the issue, so we’ll review it one of these days.

Reed brings Galactus quasi-out of that dimension, he starts feeding off of Hyperstorm.  Hyperstorm is a conduit to hyperspace, which is infinite.  So those two are going to be linked together for maybe forever.  The team and Reed’s father leave, as they are no longer in danger of dying.  At least, that they think, but rot ruh, Onslaught is coming!

Letters are from – Vansant Ramlaggan of Nigeria Falls, Ontario, Canada; Michelle Rose Humphries of Labrador City, NF A2U 2 A1 (I had to look it up, it is Newfoundland); John Gross of Demopolis, Alabama and Chris Lewis of Alexandria, VA.

 

Fantastic Four – X-Men Film Connection

Posted by John Klein III on August 18, 2015
Posted in: Fun With YouTube. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

In 2005, we were treated to the perfect casting of Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards.  If you ever get a chance to watch ABC’s Forever, I would highly recommend in it as he is terrific in it.

In the 2005 film, Reed and Sue – played rather well by Jessica Alba, are having a conversation in a deleted scene.

Thanks to YouTuber NewSuperAvenger for hosting the video.  I was trying to find the entire scene but I couldn’t on YouTube.

Reed shifts his face so that he resembles Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.  In my memory, they CGIed (?) Hugh’s face over Ioan’s but it is Ioan’s face with the Wolverine hair and mutton chops.

 

Big Brother 17 – Sunday – August 16, 2015

Posted by John Klein III on August 17, 2015
Posted in: Reality Television. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

Who is HoH?  Who did she nominate?  Let’s find out!

In Retro Big Brother, we are on Episode 29 of Season Five.

I’m mostly interested in what happened during Steve’s quick HoH reign.

Day 57.

Steve took out Jackie!  Poor Steve, now he thinks he ruined his entire game.  The twins hug Steve and he starts crying.  They are so sweet.  Vanessa joins in, in making him feel better.  Both sides of the house want Steve on their side.  Steve throws Vanessa under the bus, with Becky, Meg and James.  Steve doesn’t tell anyone that Becky was a target, maybe she never was.

The HoH comp deals with emojis.  My wife has just discovered these and uses them like crazy.

There is a Tournament.

Round One – James v Meg
Round Two – John v Austin
Round Three – Vanessa v Julia
Round Four – Becky v Liz

Apparently, Vanessa and Becky don’t get along.

James v Meg – Meg wins!
John v Austin – John wins!
Vanessa v Julia – Julia wins!
Becky v Liz – Liz wins!

Round Two –

Meg v John
Julia v Liz (twin on twin action!)

Meg v John – John wins!
Julia v Liz – Julia loses, so Liz wins!

Round Three –

John v Liz

Liz wins!

Steve does a decent job, of hosting.

Becky, talking to Meg, says that Vanessa plays like a poker player.

Looks like Steve is with whatever the Sixth Sense alliance is now called.

James and Austin have a conversation that I would imagine I would have so often, just random scenarios.  James is a big fan of Titanic.  oh James

Liz wants to target Becky

Austin’s Angels, are now the name of Sixth Sense.  Sort of puts too much light on Austin, but I bet that is part of Vanessa’s plan.

BB17 Austin's Angels

Thanks to Twitter user, Katey Charmello for the image!

Becky attempts to blow up Vanessa’s game.

John straight hits Meg with a beach ball!

James is starting to like Steve, as he spends more time with him.  James, Steve and John need to join a trio!

Vanessa, smartly, wants a team name for Austin’s Angels, but with Steve.  The Scamper Squad.  They really like it.  I wanted the correct spelling so I paused it, and now the dumb pause bar is covering the name. It went away, as I complain about it. I’m glad it did, as I was going with “Scrambler Squad”

John and Vanessa chat, he worries he is going up.  Vanessa wants to work with him, who wouldn’t?!  Vanessa has some serious game talk.  Talking to Vanessa, must be exhausting.  Vanessa goes straight from this conversation, to upstairs to tell them everything.  John comes up, to try to get in on the conversation but Vanessa rudely asks him to leave.

Nominations are Becky and John, nooooooooooooooooooooooo!  Here is hoping Becky goes home!