Superman goes back to Krypton, Brian K. Vaughan’s new comic, Captain America interview
Superman goes back to Krypton, the Red Skull has a powerful automobile, and Brian K. Vaughan is returning to comics.
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Dark Knight Rises poster; final Harry Potter opens; more Amazing Spider-Man news
Kyle and Matt take a look at the poster for “The Dark Knight Rises” and discuss the box office potential of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” Part 2. We also discuss the upcoming “Amazing Spider-Man” and what’s to come at Comic-Con International.
Review File: Captain America 1, X-Men Schism 1, The Red Wing 1
Comics read in 2011: 979 Still to go: 1,032.
Marvel will relaunch Uncanny X-Men in November
As somewhat anticipated, Marvel has announced its plan to reboot the “Uncanny X-Men” series with a new No. 1 issue in November. The series’ final issue before the relaunch will be October’s No. 544.
Following the X-storyline “Schism,” the X-Men will split into two teams. The relaunch is being called “ReGenesis.” (The Chris Claremont-Jim Lee “X-Men” No. 1 in the 199os was part of a storyline called “Mutant Genesis,” so this may be a reflection of that title in some way.)
According to Marvel: Never before have there been TWO teams calling themselves the X-Men and never has anyone had to choose a side. Guided by their different ideologies, each leader has their own mission for saving their species, but is only one of them right?
October will bring “Wolverine and The X-Men” No. 1, with a team lead by Wolverine. It’s written by Jason Aaron with art by Chris Bachalo.
In November, “Uncanny X-Men” No. 1 will be released, from writer Kieron Gillen and artists Carlos Pacheco and Greg Land.
“Years of X-Men history have been leading to this. X-Men: ReGenesis will affect our entire line leading up to a major conflict coming up in 2012!” said Marvel Editor in Chief, Axel Alonso in a news release. “This is just the start of what we have planned for the X-Men. Next summer all eyes will be on mutantkind – we guarantee it!”
- Matt Price
X-Men 4 rumors; Sterling Gates and Rob Liefeld on Hawk and Dove; Green Lantern events
Jennifer Lawrence: Nerdage’s #5 actress with geek appeal
Jennifer Lawrence (AP)
Kentucky-born Jennifer Lawrence was nominated for an Oscar for her role in “Winter’s Bone,” and, at 20, had a leading role in a No. 1 movie this summer — she starred as the shape-shifting mutant Mystique in “X-Men: First Class.” She also co-starred in Jodie Foster’s “The Beaver.” The actress comes in at No. 5 on Nerdage’s actresses with geek appeal.
She recently talked to the Syndey Morning Herald about her “Mystique” role.
”She’s a young insecure woman trying to cope with being a mutant,” Lawrence said. ”Mystique is discovering her sexuality and how she fits into the world. It’s very much a coming-of-age story.”
She said the few times in the film that her full body had to be painted blue, it was an eight-hour process involving seven people.
Near the end of the shoot, she tired of the three-hour process to remove the blue paint, and did it at home.
”I actually lost the safety deposit when I moved out of my apartment because the bath had turned blue,” she said.
Upcoming for Lawrence are the films “House at the End of the Street” and “Hunger Games.”
- Matt Price
Click past the cut for more Jennifer Lawrence images.
Wolverine battles Cyclops in X-Men Schism teaser
Marvel has released the above teaser for “Schism,” the X-Men event that leads to the conclusion of the “Uncanny X-Men” series.
Marvel editor-in-chief Axel Alonso says about “Schism”:
“‘Schism’ is the X-Men’s ‘Civil War.’ The biggest X-event in a decade divides the mutant universe across distinct battle-lines and asks readers the question: Whose side are you on? And there’s a reason ‘Schism’ ends at exactly the same time as ‘Fear Itself.’ Next summer, the entire Marvel Universe will have its eyes on the X-Men.”
- Matt Price
Marvel to end Uncanny X-Men
Marvel’s longest-running title, “Uncanny X-Men,” will come to an end in October, according to a news release from Marvel.
A schism between Wolverine and Cyclops will tear the team apart, ending the Marvel Universe’s longest-running title.
“Uncanny X-Men” is Marvel’s longest-running title without a relaunch, going back to 1963. (The title has undergone some temporary changes throughout its history, however, including a stint as a reprint title, and four months of being replaced by “alternate universe” X-Men.)
“Well, as anyone who’s watched the movies will know, the traditional axis of the X-Men has been the polarity of Magneto and Xavier. Xavier basically believes in peaceful integration. Magneto doesn’t,” writer Kieron Gillen told the Associated Press.
“In the last five years or so, the X-Men have been exploring a different angle. A catastrophe reduced the population to a couple of hundred mutants, and no new ones are being born,” he said. “This fledgling species was looking at extinction – and the militarized forces of prejudice moved in for the kill.”
The remaining mutants have been working under Cyclops since that time, but now differences of opinion among the team are leading to a “Schism.”
“The X-Men are getting torn apart from within. The events of ‘Schism’ do more damage to the X-Men than any villain has ever done,” Nick Lowe told the AP. Lowe has been editing X-Men books for Marvel for six years and “Uncanny X-Men” since 2006.
Jason Aaron (“Wolverine”) is the writer of “X-Men: Schism,” the first two issues of which ship to comic shops next month.
Gillen said ending the “Uncanny X-Men” series is necessary based on the story beats of “Schism.”
“The X-Men has always been a book with ideology and ideas at its heart, and to be fair to them – to best present them – you have to be entirely true,” Gillen said to the AP. “And if the story we’re telling demands that you end the `Uncanny X-Men,’ you end the ‘Uncanny X-Men.’ No, it’s not taken lightly – but it’s taken if it’s necessary to do it.”
Eric Neal, of Second Chance Books in Warr Acres, wonders if this relaunch could be partially in reaction to DC Comics’ announced relaunch of its entire line.
“If I were cynical, I’d say they were trying to get some press after DC’s big announcement,” he said.
He said the X-Men universe of books remain very popular at his shop, and fans will likely be excited about the upcoming story.
“Any big change is always exciting, as long as the stories are done well,” he said.
He said he could see a Wolverine-Cyclops split eventually leading to two books, perhaps with a team led by each man.
“A lot of X-Men fans like both characters,” he said. “I think Wolverine is a favorite character. But Cyclops … may have a more noble cause. It may tear fans up a bit, not being sure which one to root for.”
He said he does hear complaints from fans and collectors when long-running series restart or renumber.
“That’s a point of contention for collectors,” he said.
But, he said, story will ultimately win out fans more than a number.
“Any time they make major changes, it all boils down to the story,” he said. “If it’s an awesome story, you can get away with murder.”
- Matt Price
“X-Men First Class” tops box office, doesn’t top previous X-films
Minus the notable stars and characters of the other “X-Men” films, “X-Men First Class” opened with $56 million, according to Box Office Mojo. That was enough for first place this weekend, ahead of “The Hangover II,” which made $32.4 million in its second weekend.
The “First Class” first weekend total is below all the other X-Men films but the first, which opened to $54.5 million in 2000.
With new, younger stars and different characters, I actually think this isn’t a bad number for the movie. And given the positive reviews, word of mouth may help the film have smaller second-week dropoff.
- Matt Price
Despite artistic misstep, X-Factor provides payoff
X-Factor 25-50
plus: Quick and the Dead one-shot; She-Hulk 31
As part of my 2,011 in 2011 comic-book reading challenge, I’ve read a lot of Peter David’s “X-Factor” from the last part of the last decade, and the series is, for the most part, both consistent and consistently underrated. There is an artistic misstep in the middle of this two-year run, however.
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Thor: Tales of Asgard giveaway; DC Comics relaunch; death at Marvel; Valiant Comics to return
Kyle Roberts and Matt Price have a giveaway of “Thor: Tales of Asgard” with this week’s Planet 46 Comics podcast. Just leave a comment below with your favorite Thor character.
Also this week:
Matt and Kyle discuss the DC Comics relaunch (we say “reboot” a few times because we filmed this before
the “this is not a reboot” e-mail). We look at the Marvel Comics death in Fear Itself #3 and its possible impact. We discuss the planned 2012 return of Valiant Comics with former Marvel Comics CEO Peter Cuneo. And we discuss X-Men: First Class.
REVIEW FILE: Flashpoint #2, Amazing Spider-Man #663, Criminal: Last of the Innocent #1
Comics read in 2011: 741. Still to go: 1270
