Scarlet Spider #1 preview from Marvel Comics
Marvel has sent out a preview of “Scarlet Spider” No. 1 by Chris Yost and Ryan Stegman. In the book, Kaine – the all-new Scarlet Spider – finds himself on the run in Texas after saving New York City during Spider-Island.
Kaine is a failed clone of Peter Parker who first appeared in the 1990s “Clone Saga.”
“Scarlet Spider is a book that can deal with a character much like Peter Parker but at darker, more difficult place in his life,” said Stephen Wacker, Marvel Senior Editor, in a news release. “The violent choices he’s made through years of struggle—the sins of youth, so to speak—have come at a brutal cost. He may hope that the things he’s done will be left to the dusty, yellowed pages of history, but someone ALWAYS remembers who you used to be.”
“Scarlet Spider” No. 1 is on sale Jan. 4.
- Matt Price
Click past the cut for the full preview.
Astro City: The Dark Age is a modern classic
Astro City: The Dark Age
Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson look at the 1970s and 1980s through the prism of the superhero world of Astro City, in a 16-part storyline. Four four-issue miniseries (“Astro City: The Dark Age” Books 1-4) follow Charles and Royal Williams as they seek the man who murdered their parents. Their lives are intertwined with that of the Silver Agent, who is traveling through time in an attempt to avert a coming disaster.
Busiek and Anderson are taking apart the grittier comics of the 1970s and 1980s and exploring them from the point of view of characters who are living it. It recreates the feel of reading comics as a younger person in the late 70s and early 1980s, but with a story that works on multiple levels. Any superhero fan should take a look at The Dark Age, which probably suffered from its extended shipping schedule as far as sales. But with two collections containing all 16 issues, there’s no reason not to read this modern classic. Alex Ross remains active with the book as a character designer and cover artist.
Also read recently:
Grifter 2-3 (2011) Nathan Edmondson continues his slow burn in revealing who exactly Cole Cash, aka Grifter, is in this new unified DC Comics universe, but it’s an intriguing read with beautiful art by CAFU.
Planet Terry 1-4 (1985)Lennie Herman and Warren Kremer were the creative team for “Planet Terry” (a pun on “Planetary”), which featured young Terry, sort of a Richie Rich of space, on a quest to find his parents, with the help of his robot, Robota, and a gruff alien, Omnus.
- Matt Price
Comics read in 2011: 1,821 Still to go: 190.
Uncanny X-Men #3 preview
Marvel Comics has released a preview of “Uncanny X-Men” No. 3, which will go on sale Dec. 28.
Here’s how Marvel describes the issue: THE CELESTIALS HAVE ARRIVED! In your first look at Uncanny X-Men #3, from the team of Kieron Gillen, Carlos Pacheco, Paco Diaz, & Rodney Buchemi, Cyclops and his Extinction Team must protect mankind not only from Mr. Sinister…but the world ending space gods! Sinister’s quest for supremacy has doomed the entire world and it’s all crumbling down around the feet of the X-Men. Are the Children of the Atom finally spread too thin? Find out this December in Uncanny X-Men #3!
“Uncanny X-Men” #3 is written by Kieron Gillen with pencils by Carlos Pacheco, Paco Diaz and Rodney Buchemi.
Click past the cut for the full preview.
- Matt Price
Monday movie quote challenge #157
“I don’t know what to say, except it’s Christmas and we’re all in misery.”
Identify who said the above quote in what film in the comments!
“Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series” Blu-ray review
Matt Smith and Steven Moffat each settle in more comfortably in their second seasons on “Doctor Who,” the science fictional BBC production about a time-traveling benevolent alien. He traverses time and space in the TARDIS, a ship that’s bigger on the inside than the outside, and that looks from the outside like a 1950s police call box.
Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) are the Doctor’s main companions for this series. He also frequently crosses paths with River Song (Alex Kingston), who has a connection to all of the principals, and whose meetings with the Doctor occur in jumbled chronological order.
Moffat took over as executive producer from the much-acclaimed Russell T. Davies. His main push seems to have been giving the seasons more of an arc, which is in full effect this season. The Doctor, played by Smith, is faced with his upcoming death in the season’s first episode, and while the season has its detours, clues and movements key to the overall arc are seen throughout.
Grant Morrison tweaks status quo, refers to history in “Batman” run
Writer Grant Morrison shifts the status quo of the Batman titles from the get-go in his run on “Batman.” The first collection, “Batman and Son,” collects issues #655-#658 and #663-#666 of the DC series “Batman,” written by Morrison and drawn by Andy Kubert. 8
Roy Thomas reflects on “Conan”
"Conan the Barbarian" No. 1, written by Roy Thomas, from Marvel Comics
Missouri-born comic book writer and editor Roy Thomas broke into comics in the mid-1960s, and went on to write some of the comic industry’s best-known characters, from the Avengers to the X-Men to Batman. But among his best-loved works are his comic-book adaptations of the Robert E. Howard pulp tales of Conan the Barbarian. The success of the Marvel Comics Conan led to the Arnold Schwarzenegger films of the 1980s, which had some involvement from Thomas.
“Conan” remains a popular property — the latest film, “Conan the Barbarian,” starring Jason Momoa, was released on DVD this week, and the Thomas-written 12-issue series “Conan: Road of Kings” is currently being released by Dark Horse Comics.
Black Friday and Small Business Saturday are upon us
If you’re looking to drop some dollars (like Richie Rich, pictured above), go visit your local comic shop this weekend.
Black Friday is generally seen as the kickoff of the Christmas shopping season. The next day, Small Business Saturday, is a great chance to support locally owned businesses, as many comic-book shops are. Some stores are running special deals, others have great new items in store.
Feel free to share your Black Friday/Small Business Saturday shopping stories in the comments!
- Matt Price
Happy Thanksgiving 2011!
Have a great Thanksgiving! Whether you are spending the day with family, friends or otherwise, I hope your day is wonderful and that you have time to reflect on things for which to be thankful.
Most people have some thoughts of turkey on Thanksgiving, so to see some more turkey-themed comics, check out this gallery at fanboy.com.
- Matt Price
Fantastic Four #600 out today
The title “Fantastic Four” returns today in comic shops as a major event happens in the lives of the group, who had been calling themselves “The Future Foundation” since the death of original member Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch.
The Associated Press has a report on the issue, which you can read at NewsOK. If you’re trying to avoid spoilers, wait til you’ve read the 100-page comic before you click the link.
- Matt Price
