Cap and His Commandos!

Spoiler Alert!

It looks as though Parallax has almost caught 'ol Cap and his Howling Commandos in this new International Poster for Captain America: The First Avenger. Just kidding! That's not the smokey villain from the new Green Lantern movie—it's the top half of the Red Skull's very ominous looking face. I normally am not a big fan of these types of posters, but man oh man, does that costume look great?

Captain America: The First Avenger hits theaters on July 22nd.

This is the Stuff of 'Legends'

"He asked who we are folks... one at a time please, one at a time."



I was listening to an older episode of Word Balloon last week and the conversation briefly turned to Legends, the 1986 post-Crisis mini-series that featured Darkseid and his minions versus the best and brightest of the DCU.

Perhaps the book is most famous for leading into The Justice League by writers Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis with artist Kevin Maguire. Legends, however, was written by Len Wein and John Ostrander with art by the recently converted John Byrne, who famously rebooted Superman that same year.

A couple of things stuck out in my memory about this book. First, was that it didn’t have the zing I expected when I first read it. It was until after I purchased it that I realized that Byrne didn’t author the book—which at that point in my comic book reading hadn’t happened (that I could recall).

Bleeding Cool Presents The DC Comics New 52 Presentation

There appears to be plenty of room to criticize DC for their relaunch. It’s just a stunt you might say—DC is simply looking to make a quick buck.

But when I listen to the enthusiasm in the voices of Dan Didio (co-publisher), Jim Lee (co-publisher), Bob Harras (editor-in-chief), Eddie Berganza (executive editor), and Grant Morrison (writer), I quite literally get chills. There is a genuine earnestness to their approach that has sucked me in wholly. Will all the books be fantastic and ground-breaking? I don’t think so. But there certainly seems to be a great deal of passion going into the “New 52”, as it’s called.

52 brand new books are going to hit the shelves in a single month. Superman and Wonder Woman seem to be poised for big changes to their origins. Justice League is getting the guidance of two of DC’s most talented creators—Geoff Johns and Jim Lee. But the thing I am looking forward to the most is the smaller books by DC’s up and comers: Grifter by Nathan Edmondson, Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE and Animal Man by Jeff Lemire, and Blackhawks by Mike Costa.

When I read my books each week, the thing I need to feel is the passion to tell a story. It doesn’t have to be fresh or groundbreaking, I just want to get the sense that the creators wanted to share a good story. In everything I am hearing from DC, I’m inclined to believe that they are genuine in their desire to tell good stories.

I’m there.

Thor Returns: Summer 2013

Man, actor Chris Hemsworth must be exhausted.

Today Deadline announced that Marvel/Disney are planning to give the Odinson his sequel in the summer of 2013.

Most of the key players are expected to return, save for director Kenneth Branagh, who may still be a producing partner.

So far, Thor is the big winner of the superhero summer season, so its only natural a sequel be ordered.

Verily, we should all be excited.

What makes all of this fun, is that fans don't have to wait very long for sequels. Most of the time its a two to three year wait, but next summer with Avengers we'll already be seeing Cap and Thor again, and then the following summer we'll see Thor and the next Iron Man film.

Keep it up Marvel. You are making us happy.

Damn It! This is Not the End of the Comic Book Movie!

Do you know what sticks in my craw?

The headline “Does (Failed Superhero Film Adaptation) Spell the End of Comic Book Films?”

Groan. It’s so lazy and it ridiculously generalizes audiences tastes. Every few years you get a Dark Knight or Iron Man and suddenly their phenomenal box-office take becomes a totally unrealistic benchmark. Just because a movie fails to capture a similar audience doesn’t mean this is the ongoing trend for a sub-genre.

Perhaps the film didn’t appeal to general audiences (Kick-Ass). Perhaps the film appealed to a very specific audience (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World). Perhaps the film suffered from the lack of the expected marquee names (X-Men: First Class). Or maybe the film just wasn’t all that great (Green Lantern).

Captain America TV Trailer: Cap On Ice

Spoiler!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This trailer shows where Steve Roger's is found in modern day.

Turn back if you don't want to see.

SDCC '11: Fans To Protest DC at SDCC

Are you really really mad at DC Comics and their plans to start their books over with all new number one issues?

Are you ticked off that some of your favorite characters have new attire and tweaks to their history?

Well you are not alone.

Apparently, this year at San Diego's Comic Con, their will be a march to protest DC Comics.

There is a facebook page, that outlines the plans. You can find it here.

On the official FB page it reads,

Are you utterly baffled, disappointed and just ANGRY to see how DC ruins your favorite character's design and wipes decades of comic history out of the mainstream universe? Well, you're not alone!
And why not make some noise at the biggest pop-culture event this year, where creators, artists and writers appear in person - show them how fans - the fans of the classic characters, the (nevertheless slightly changing) designs, the character's history and personality - really feel about it!

San Diego Comic Con 2011: DC Original Characters Protest Walk!

Currently there are a 152 people ready to march. However, if you read most of the posted comments, no one seems to be taking this seriously.

The only marching I will be doing is on August 31, when I march into my comic book store to buy JL #1.

But that's me.

'Hulk' Series is Still on the Table According to Del Toro

Joseph McCabe at Fear Net got a few but informative words from director Guillermo Del Toro in regards to the Hulk series he and Battlestar Galactica producer David Eick are working on for ABC.

It was learned late last year that the two had pitched an idea to bring a new Hulk series to television. Del Toro said that he and Eick have completed a rewrite on the outline that they submitted to ABC a month ago.

Del Toro says that this is not going to be a standard Hulk program: “Actually, one of the points of this project early on with Marvel, was ‘We're going to do this thing different, and here's how. Are you interested?’ And they were.”

In this age of spectacular special-effects, I have a difficult time picturing a new Hulk series because it would seem too cost-prohibitive for television. That said, I have a feeling that Del Toro and Eick have something an inventive idea to make this project work.

Now let’s get a Runaways series off the ground!

Warner Bros. Not So Bullish on 'Green Lantern' Sequel?

Okay, now this makes sense. Or dollars and cents.

After the Hollywood Reporter ran a story on Sunday indicating that Warner Bros. was considering a Green Lantern follow-up, the trade was informed by the studio that “no decision has been reached” to film a sequel.

This idea that Warners was even considering a sequel was confounding considering that the film is performing so tepidly. The trade also indicated that industry observers expect the film to net somewhere between $260 and $275 Million—not enough to cover its projected—although rumored—$400 Million price tag (this includes the film’s worldwide marketing expenses).

This really saddens me because I don’t think that the filmmakers brought the care and enthusiasm to this film that was necessary to not only kick-off a franchise, but also show the industry that DC’s second-tier characters are viable film properties.

Let’s go back to 2008, after Iron Man enjoyed an unexpectedly successful first weekend (and overwhelmingly positive reviews). On the following Monday, Marvel Studios laid out their three-year plan (which ballooned by a year) in which the company proudly announced their ambitious plans to bring Iron Man’s fellow teammates—Thor, Captain America and Ant Man—to the big-screen.

These films would culminate with an even more ambitious teaming of the heroes in The Avengers. While we continue to hear about forward movement on an Ant Man script, this summer has already seen the successful release of Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger is a few weeks away from release. That Avengers thing is already half way through its filming and is scheduled for release next year.

So yeah, I’m disappointed in what Green Lantern was as a film, but more importantly what it could have meant for harder to sell properties like Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the Justice League. I don’t picture Warner Bros. doling out big bucks on movies like these without a proven track record.

On the bright side, we are getting Batman and Superman films next year.

Marvel Previews 'The Ultimates' by Hickman and Ribic

I am as excited as hell for the Ultimate Comics Ultimates by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic. From these initial preview pages (after the jump), it looks like Hickman is embracing the epic nature of Mark Millar’s volumes on the title.

What excites me more is that I don’t see that nasty little word anywhere on the cover—volume.  When a book is tagged with that word, it just becomes a special event book. Don’t get me wrong—I like me some special events—but the Ultimate Universe can be a really fresh diversion from the regular Marvel U. I’m eager to see a writer like Hickman come in and tell a big, sprawling story, peppered with one-shots and smaller arcs if he feels so inclined.

Ribic’s pages are looking wonderfully dynamic! Iron Man is looking svelte. Nick Fury appears to be modeled less off of Samuel L. Jackson and more off of Tyrese. And is that a bear drinking a beer? I know there’s a joke in there somewhere.

DC Doesn't Have to Draw the Line for Everything

In a few months DC is going to relaunch all off their superhero titles. I’m sure you may have heard.

It’s going to be a new universe—for the most part—with just about every character getting a tweak to their iconic looks and several getting origin makeovers (or is it make betters?). Grant Morrison is going to relaunch Superman in the pages of Action Comics and Geoff Johns is revisiting the Big Seven with the Justice League. Both inaugural titles are going to ship for $3.99—a dollar above DC’s current price tag of $2.99. Of course we’ll be getting more pages and more story, but I’m not certain if the price jump is only for the first issues of these. But I'd say this about the increase:

Keep it up.

I’m all for lower priced books, but DC has already proven that they are willing to keep prices low with appropriate cuts, but I don’t think the publisher necessarily needs to draw such a hard line in the sand. If there’s a story to tell—and the new DCU is a pretty damn big world to establish—then just keep the price tag up as long as Morrison and Johns need so that they may be allowed to create a deep, rich new history for this bold new world.

Marvel consumers have already proven that, if they like what they see, they are willing to shell out another buck for good stories with more pages. I just want to see that these writers aren’t restrained and forced to take more time than is necessary to tell big stories.

Also, I’ll pay another quarter for my DC books if it means that I don’t have to be interrupted by any future movie or fast food inserts.

Just sayin’.

Justice League: Tights and Flights No More



My Boots Are Shiny


Costumes and Superheroes go together like bacon and eggs, franks and beans, death and taxes, politics and corruption.

I tell yeah boys and girls….

Costumes are an obvious tool to instantly identify your favorite character. T-shirts and toys come with the idea next.  

I am not a traditionalist when it comes to comics. I don’t care if Thor suddenly has a beard or if Peter Parker has a whole closet full of different Spider-suits.

All I ask is that it make sense. I don’t even have to like it.  But if Superman suddenly has a costume that looks ‘shiny’, I just want to know why.

Come August a lot of our favorite DC Superheroes will be sporting different looks. It is still not a hundred percent clear whether it’s due because of a brand new DCU, or if there was a sale at GAP.

Looking at our heroes’ new duds one thing is unmistakably clear.

No one is wearing tights anymore.

In recent years a good portion of champions have walked away from their second skin attire but, more than most have kept the traditional look.

It’s clear that with the success of superhero films audiences appreciate a more uniform-ish look.

So it appears that DC Comics wants to make it official and walk away from costumes that could be worn under a three piece suit.

This is most evident with Superman. Next to Wonder Woman he has the most radical change in  appearance. His metallic look is an obvious reflection of his name. The Man of Steel. This costume (like all the others) now has a uniform style to it. I hope to discover that what he’s wearing was once his father’s. I think that would be a great take on Superman’s origin.

Jim Lee has won more over with this design. His pencils make the outfit look bold, iconic and powerful.

However, I can’t say the same from George Perez's presentation of Supes. BUT that is from just one picture, so hopefully The Man of Steel will look amazing come September.

Overall, as a fan I have nothing to complain about. With Marvel, I loved Spider-Man’s Iron-Spider look and I loved Bucky’s Captain America uniform, and now with DC Comics, The Justice League are looking as heroic as ever.

Captain America: Dunkin Donuts Add

When I see stuff like this I get worried.

Captain America: The First Avenger looks pretty awesome, right?

Well I thought Green Lantern looked as much as well, but as soon as I saw all the 'Subway' adds and the multi featurettes I started to worry.

But perhaps, after spending hundreds of millions on your movie the only way to find the extra $$$ to advertise is to license your movie out to other companies and let them advertise for you.

Let's hope and pray that's the reason.

GO CAP!

Warner Bros. Possibly Eyeing 'Green Lantern' Sequel

Ryan Reynolds may wear the ring again after all.

The Hollywood Reporter reported on Sunday that Warner Bros. remains bullish on a sequel to Green Lantern. This is surprising since the film has performed lower that the expectations of the studio, which is sitting on a veritable treasure trove of DC Comics properties (Warner Bros. is the parent company of the publisher).

I cannot think of a film that has underperformed as significantly as Green Lantern and has gotten the go ahead for a sequel. I recall talk of a Godzilla (1998) sequel since its worldwide earnings were significant enough to warrant another go round for the giant lizard, but that follow-up never materialized.

Green Lantern’s worldwide total comes to $118,711 million—still a far cry from its projected $200 million budget (which is rumored to actually soar an additional $100 million when factoring in the film’s marketing). According to the trade, Green Lantern’s box-office dropped a sizeable 66 percent. I think this is even more significant because the film wasn’t vying for the same audiences as this weekend’s other two major releases: Cars 2 and Bad Teacher. However, it will be when Transformers: Dark of the Moon is released midweek.

It’s still too early to tell if Warner Bros. will indeed go through with a Green Lantern sequel, but if they do I certainly hope they pick apart the first film and figure out what worked and what didn’t.

Video Review: 'Ultimate Spider-Man' #160

Cristian is as enthusiastic about Ultimate Spider-Man #160 as we were! The “Death of Spider-Man” storyline, by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, has gotten a lot of deserved attention and it doesn’t disappoint!

Check out Cristian’s YouTube page where he reviews Captain America #619, Brightest Day Aftermath: The Search for Swamp Thing #1, Batman: Gates of Gotham #2, and Action Comics #902. Cristian is also excited about the direction of Bucky’s storyline in Captain America and the fantastic artwork by Butch Guice. Cristian was not too pleased with John Constantine’s first official story in the DCU in Brightest Day Aftermatch: The Search for Swamp Thing by Jonathan Vankin—but the art by Marco Castiello, Vincenzo Acunzo is appealing.

Thanks for sharing Cristian!

Cape Town Community Podcast - Ep. 023 - "Green Lantern Loves His Chipotle Bacon Ranch Sub”

DC has us itching to head straight to Subway after a series of ads for the fast-food giant have integrated their way into our books. After some discussion about other ways to use DC character to advertise delicious foot long sammies, we head right to the reviews. And there are a lot of excellent reads this week. Of course, we had to open with the finale to Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley’s “Death of Spider-Man” storyline. We also recommend a couple of titles that might have flown beneath your radar.

The show is embedded below and is now available on iTunes for subscription. Each episode will labeled "podcast" so you can link to previous episodes here on the blog. Refer to the Show Notes after the jump as well as a direct link to download the MP3.

R.I.P.D. gets a release date

Today Universal Pictures, which acquired the rights, has scheduled a release date of 06/28/2013 for R.I.P.D.

The film stars Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges and follows the adventures of Nick Cruz, a murdered man who signs up for the R.I.P.D.  "Rest in Peace Department" to help enforce the law amidst the city's undead community.

This an adaptation of Pete Lenkov and Lucas Marangon's Dark Horse Comics mini-series.

R.I.P.D. will be directed by Red Director Robert Schwentke

Christopher Meloni may joinThe Man of Steel

Well, things seem to moving along nicely for the new Superman film.

The movie is set to start shooting in August and every day there is more casting news.

Today 'Law and Order' actor Christopher Meloni is said to be up for yet to be identified role.

So what do we think? Lex Luthor, Dan Turpin, Mister Mxyzptlk?

My money is on Perry White.

Superman: The Man of Steel flies into theaters in December 2012

Julia Ormond in Talks to Play Lara in 'Man of Steel'

A week after Connie Nielsen (Gladiator) was rumored to be in talks for the role of Lara, Superman’s birth mother in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, Julia Ormond is now rumored to be in similar talks for the same role. Ormond was popular for capturing men’s hearts in the 90’s in such film’s as Legends of the Fall and Sabrina.

With Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Clark Kent’s adoptive parents Jonathan and Martha Kent, and Russell Crowe as Jor-El (still rumored), you might ask yourself why the filmmakers would go after such big name actors for what are essentially small parts.

But they’re not small in the least. Not in the sense of each character’s impact on the lead. Superman is guided by the teachings of the Kent’s and the spirit of his Kryptonian heritage. Audiences have to understand and believe this in the film’s few key scenes. I was reminded when I saw the original Superman a few weeks ago at the Hero Complex Film Festival that Glenn Ford only had two brief scenes, but his presence was felt for the remainder of the film (click here).

I believe actors like Costner and Crowe will have an impact akin to their memorable predecessors. I’m also glad to see that the Snyder and company are also interested in casting name leads in the matriarchal parts (this is not an attempt to besmirch the fine work of Susannah York or Phyllis Thaxter).

Man of Steel is scheduled for release during the 2012 holiday season.

Marvel Releases New 'Captain America' Poster

I must say, Marvel has transformed their leads into exactly how I envision their comic book counterparts. In Thor, Chris Hemsworth embodied my idea of the famed Norse God of Thunder. While I was always happy with the casting of Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, because of his natural charm, I wasn't sure if he was what I had always pictured in my head for Cap (I'll post that story as we get closer to the film). Any concerns were quelled when the first pictures of the actor on the set of the Joe Johnston-helmed film appeared. Of course, posters such as this new release seem to further the argument that Evans was born to play Capatin America.

Captain America: The First Avenger flies into theaters on July 22nd.

Chaykin Takes on 'Avengers 1959'

I know Howard Chaykin is not everyone’s cup of tea. Thankfully, he’s mine. Most recently, I’ve been enjoying his work in the current New Avengers arc in which Nick Fury organizes a team of Avengers in 1959. Though penned by series scribe Brian Michael Bendis, Chaykin is getting his opportunity to flesh out the ragtag team of hero-ish characters from the era (or who could have been around at the time) in Avengers 1959.

While I’ve never quite understood why, one of my favorite pulp characters growing up was Dominic Fortune. I was so thrilled to see the character included in Bendis’ story and now in the new five-issue mini. Maybe it’s the vest or the pistol or the cool-as-hell codename—his last name is really Fortunov (of course it is!).

Image Adopts New Rating System

Perhaps the first issue of Butcher Baker didn't really need
a rating to identify this was a Mature title.

Following in line with what other publishers have chosen to do to inform concerned consumers about the content of their books, Image Comics is adopting a new rating system. I was surprised to learn that Image did not already use a rating system since they have such an enormous variety of books that run the gamut of topics, and so many are creator-owned titles (as opposed to properties that possess some frame of reference). A reader typically learns he or she is reading a mature book when the page is turned and two topless prostitutes are lying in a pool of blood while their murderers sing karaoke next to lines of coke (Undying Love).

While this content is actually my cup of tea, I can see why this would be frustrating to retailers who really don’t know what types of books the independent publisher is releasing. Similar to DC’s recently adopted rating system, Image’s four ratings are as follows:

E - EVERYONE (all ages, may contain minimal violence).

T - TEEN (12 and up, may contain mild violence or mild profanity).

T+ - TEEN PLUS (16 and up, may contain moderate violence, moderate profanity use and suggestive themes).

M - MATURE (18 and up, may contain nudity, profanity, excessive violence and other content not suitable for minors).

Now, I can easily decide what would be an appropriate read for the bus ride home—Super Dinosaur, and not Butcher Baker, the Righteous Maker.

Captain America Retrospective Part 1: Captain America Comics #1

Well here we are with the first real part of my Captain America Retrospective. Just in case you're just tuning in now, in anticipation of the release of Captain America: The First Avenger on July 22, I am going back and reading some of Cap's greatest adventures of the past 70 years. I'll be sharing my thoughts here on each graphic novel (or in this case single issue), as I go along. You'll find a link to Part 0 at the bottom of this article.

With all that catch-up business out of the way, let's get down to business. If you're going to do a Captain America retrospective, there's really only one place to start: Captain America Comics #1 (pictured above) by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.

Let's just start off with this amazing cover. Nevermind the fact that we never actually get to see this brutal beat-down or the promise of Captain America coming "face to face with Hitler," the cover imagery perfectly sets the tone for what Captain America would come to symbolize for the people of the Marvel Universe and, in times, ourselves. He is the flag-clad, shield wielding, ass kicking super soldier who makes all red-blooded Americans want to proclaim "AMERICA F@%* YEAH!" No publisher could've gotten away with doing something like this in 2002 with Bin Laden in Hitler's place but I can only imagine the visceral reaction this cover gave people during the height of WWII.

I could go on more about the incredible cover but I think it's time to take a look inside. The issue itself contains four separate Captain America adventures (or "45 thrilling pages" as the cover notes) as well as stories featuring Hurricane and Tuk the Cave Boy which I'll ignore for this review. In these four stories we see the origin of Steve Rogers' transformation into Captain America as well as battles with the hypnotic Sando, the extremely eerie Rathcone, and, of course, arch-nemesis Red Skull.

I'm sure everyone's familiar with the origin of Captain America: weakling Steve Rogers is injected with the Super Soldier Serum invented by Professor Erskine turning him into a human in peak physical prowess. However, in this original origin, the name of the professor was Reinstein instead of Erskine. From what I can gather (based on letter columns in future issues I'll be reviewing), when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby went back to re-tell Cap's origin in the '60s, they relied on their memories of the original stories instead of referencing the actual material which probably led to the new name of Erskine (it appears that a retcon was put in place explaining that Joseph Reinstein was a codename that Erskine used at the time).

The other thing that surprised me about this issue is that Steve Rogers had a secret identity. Having only read Cap's modern adventures, I never realized that at one time the identity of Captain America was protected even inside the military. Private Steve Rogers puts on the act of a Clark Kent-like bumbler who's always raising the ire of his commanding officer Sargent Duffy.

With that out of the way, let's talk about the writing and art. I understand that not everyone can tolerate Golden Age (or even Silver Age) storytelling and art but I am not one of those people. Jack Kirby's pencils, though very different from his Silver Age style that I prefer, are stunning. It feels weird to be writing that because it's such a no-brainer but it must be said anyway. As for Simon's writing, I don't find it nearly as campy and overbearing as many of the stories from the Silver Age (and some of those less-favored modern books as well). There's surprisingly little narration throughout the pages and the panels are not too cluttered with dialogue. It's interesting to see the panel layouts Kirby chose at the time; the panels aren't always laid out in an easy-to-follow manner and little arrows are drawn into the page to direct the reader to the next panel in line.

Alright that'll do it for this installment. I definitely did not expect to go on that long about one issue but I hope you enjoyed reading it. I'll be back within the next few days to go over the first part of the Captain America Omnibus Vol.1 (it's over 800 pages so I'll either be cutting into thirds or halves to review).

You can find my intro to this retrospective here.

Max Beckman is a manager at Pulp Fiction in Long Beach, CA and CheapGraphicNovels.com. You can follow him on Twitter @CheapGNsdotcom and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pulpfictioncomics. Pulp Fiction can be found on the web at www.pulpfictiononline.com and at 1742 Clark Ave. Long Beach, CA 90815.

Superboy: The One That Got Away

If you are like me, you love all things super. So whether it's Superman, Supergirl, or Marvel's Gladiator, if it flies, I am hooked.

I also love reading about the process of how characters are introduced and how writers view the heroes they are working on.

Today was a good day for both

Today I found  writer Jim Shooter's blog. In a recent post he outlines his idea to introduce a new super character, a cousin to Superman who would be introduced in his Legion of Superheroes run. Obviously this never happened, but it's still a great read.

New Captain America:The First Avenger Trailer Is Up

Don't you hate how AWESOME this looks. I mean, couldn't you just bash your brain in.

Captain America hits theaters (with his shield) on July 22nd.

SDCC '11: 'Locke & Key' Pilot (Sorta) Sees Light of Day

Deadline is reporting that the Locke & Key pilot, that Fox passed over last month, will find its first audience at next month’s Comic Con. This makes me extremely happy for a few reasons—first, because I’ve recently become addicted to Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s gothic mystery. Second, because it is scheduled for screening on Friday, July 22^nd—I don’t have tickets for Saturday.

The Locke & Key pilot panel is currently scheduled for 10:30 a.m. and will feature Hill, Rodriguez, Josh Friedman (the writer of the episode), and producing partners Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (the pilot screens in Room 8 and the panel will be held in Room 9). Something tells me that all involved are pretty damn proud of the final product. It’s unfortunate that Fox didn’t see it a product that they could sell to mainstream audiences.

The pilot was directed by Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo) and written by Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds) with Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci (Star Trek). The pilot featured Nick Stahl (Duncan Locke), Jesse McCartney (Tyler), Miranda Otto (Nina), Sarah Bolger (Kinsey), Skylar Gaertner (Bode), and Mark Pellegrino (Rendell).

Locke & Key is the story of the Locke family, which is torn apart after the devastating murder of the family’s patriarch Rendell. Nina moves her children to Lovecraft, Massachusetts, to live with their uncle Duncan in Keyhouse—the mysterious childhood home of Rendell Locke. Before you know it, things grow darker as the mysteries of Keyhouse are learned and the lives of the Locke family grow more and more complex.

SDCC '11: The Avengers Will Not Assemble in Hall H This Year

Marvel Studios officially announced today that they will not hold a panel in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con this year to promote The Avengers, reports Geoff Boucher of the LA Times Hero Complex Blog. The studio wowed all in attendance at last year's panel (including yours truly) by assembling the entire cast and director Joss Whedon on stage and together for the first time (pictured above*), but this year the studio "wasn’t prepared to compete with its own past and wild fan expectations."

Despite the lack of Hall H programming, Marvel Studios promises a strong presence throughout the rest of the convention including a booth on the exhibit hall floor as the studio opens Captain America: The First Avenger the Friday of the convention (July 22, 2011). Boucher theorizes that the studio may, however, have a presence at parent company Disney's D23 Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center on August 19-21 and that this may be the reason they bowed out of Hall H.

Marvel fans feeling the lack of Marvel movie presence at SDCC can still look forward to Sony's presentation of their 2012 offering The Amazing Spider-Man starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone.

*(Pictured Left to Right: Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man/Tony Stark), Clark Gregg (Agent Phil Coulson), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Captain America/Steve Rogers), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye/Clint Barton), Mark Ruffalo/Hulk), director Joss Whedon, and President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige)

Max Beckman is a manager at Pulp Fiction in Long Beach, CA and CheapGraphicNovels.com. You can follow him on Twitter @CheapGNsdotcom and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pulpfictioncomics. Pulp Fiction can be found on the web at www.pulpfictiononline.com and at 1742 Clark Ave. Long Beach, CA 90815.

Invincible: Unbreakable

I know a lot of fans read Robert Kirkman’s Invincible, but for those of you that don’t, you are truly missing out.

The book never fails and it lives up to its hype.

The true strength of the book is its ongoing character development, which has been developing, overlapping, evolving since issue one. The book has what most books don’t, a core creative team.


Robert Kirkman has not missed a single issue and the art chores have remained the same, Ryan Ottley has been drawing the book from issue 7 on and the only other artist to touch this book is co-creator Cory Walker.


If you love superhero comics, fun and interesting characters with bigger than life action and wink wink nug nug humor, I promise you $2.99 will the best money you have ever spent.

'Captain America: The First Avenger' Featurette

Artist Paolo Rivera created this fine retro Captain America film poster as a gift to the cast.

Well we’re three movies into our first big comic book movie summer. While I really enjoyed Thor, I was left unimpressed with X-Men: First Class and disappointed by Green Lantern.

So in about four weeks, we get our final entry of the season with the opening of Captain America: The First Avenger. Though I feel I have been burned twice by two movies that I expected to be better, my hopes remain high for a good Cap film. Marvel Studios has been pretty consistent in my eyes (yeah, I liked—not loved—Iron Man 2) so I expect the company to deliver another piece of solid entertainment.

Check out this pretty cool Captain America featurette that lays out the character and features some nice new glimpses of the cast and the action.

Captain America: The First Avenger opens on July 22nd.

'Powers' has found it's Christian Walker

Hot on the heels of yesterday's news of Lucy Punch's casting as Deena Pilgrim in FX's pilot 'Powers', today news broke that Jason Patric (The Lost Boys, The Losers) has been cast as the male lead, Detective Christian Walker reports Deadline. With the core cast now complete, 'Powers' comes closer and closer to becoming a reality which is quite exciting for this longtime fan of the comic book series.

'Powers' is based on the critically acclaimed comic book series by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming. The pilot is written by Charles H. Eglee and will be directed by Michael Dinner. You can catch up on the comic series via several graphic novels available at CheapGraphicNovels.com.

Max Beckman is a manager at Pulp Fiction in Long Beach, CA and CheapGraphicNovels.com. You can follow him on Twitter @CheapGNsdotcom and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pulpfictioncomics. Pulp Fiction can be found on the web at www.pulpfictiononline.com and at 1742 Clark Ave. Long Beach, CA 90815.

Marvel's Architects - Artist Edition

In an ad in the back of this week's Marvel comics, the second round of Marvel Architects, this time all artists, is revealed. Your artist Architects are: Mark Bagley (Ultimate Spider-Man), Salvador Larroca (Invincible Iron Man), Mike Deodato (New Avengers), Stuart Immonen (Fear Itself), John Romita Jr. (Avengers), and Humberto Ramos (Amazing Spider-Man). Marvel explains, "The foundation of the Marvel Universe is being laid and the Architects are leading the charge! Continuing to push themselves and the industry to the limits with their unique styles and talent, these six artists are currently creating the groundwork for the biggest Marvel stories yet. Month in and month out, explore all corners of the Marvel Universe, masterfully crafted by their lush pencils."

Max Beckman is a manager at Pulp Fiction in Long Beach, CA and CheapGraphicNovels.com. You can follow him on Twitter @CheapGNsdotcom and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pulpfictioncomics. Pulp Fiction can be found on the web at www.pulpfictiononline.com and at 1742 Clark Ave. Long Beach, CA 90815.

Green Lantern Animated Series

Good morning,
Well if you are like me and actually liked the Green Lantern film, then you might be tickled green by this trailer for Green Lantern: The Animated Series, which comes out this fall from the Cartoon Network.

Enjoy,

Video Review: 'Power Girl' #25

Cristian has a ton of reviews to share with us this week! First off is his review for Judd Winick’s final issue of Power Girl. We agree that this has been a really fantastic run for Winick and this character. Visit Cristian’s YouTube channel to watch his reviews of X-Men #13, Superman/Batman #85, Invincible Iron Man #505, Batgirl #22, and Avengers #14. Watch and enjoy!

Comic Review: 'Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons’ #1

By Cristian Casares

Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #1

DC Comics

««½

With his parents still alive and well, Dick Grayson (now an adult) never became Robin and is still part of a traveling circus show with its star, Deadman.  This is one of the mini-series that really interested me right off the bat; however, it really didn't live up to my expectations.

For the most part I like J.T. Krul. Most recently his Teen Titans book has been great, so I don't know what happened here. I may be in the minority but I was so uninterested by this. What each Flashpoint tie-in has done so far has been to expand the world of Flashpoint and its respective characters. In this book these characters felt kind of two-dimensional. I like Dick Grayson but he just blends in along with his parents and Deadman is too much of a jerk to find likable—even one bit. However, not everything is bad about this book.

There were some really interesting things that happened in this issue. Not to spoil it, but Dr. Fate seems to have a very important role in this. I'm not familiar with Fate at all, and I don't find him all that interesting to be honest, but the little panel time he had was really good, and I can't wait to see what happens.

Mikel Janin is on pencil duty while Ulises Arreola is working on colors. Over all, it looks beautiful. Seems kind of like Frazier Irving's work just not as dark. It was kind of hard to distinguish the Graysons and Deadman when they weren't in costumes.

So far, each mini has done well enough in part that they are there to expand the world of Flashpoint and that none are essential to the main story. While I didn't completely love this issue, it wasn't terrible, and things did pick up towards the end. There's a feeling in my gut that someone might not live through the next two issues, and I can't wait for the next issue.

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