Marvelous May – Captain Marvel vs She-Hulk

Welcome back to Marvelous May! Well, all of the first round match-ups have occurred, which means it’s time to see who moves on. And first up, the first two winners from the first round, both by unanimous decision, will take each other on in a battle of two members of the A-Force: Carol Danvers, AKA Captain Marvel, vs Jennifer Walters, AKA She-Hulk!

I’ve already gone over both of these two, so instead, let’s talk a little bit about the team they’re both members of. In fact, Jen is the leader of the team. Originally, during the events of Secret Wars, the A-Force was a mass group of superheroines that protected a small island on Battleworld called Arcadia. I highly recommend checking it out, but the short version of what happened is that the group found themselves having to work under the Thor Corps, who are vehemently working for Doom and upholding his law. As such, things turn sour when one of the A-Force is arrested and sent to prison, and a girl named Singularity appears to Nico Minoru, AKA Sister Grimm. Eventually, the group discovered a conspiracy by Loki to take control of Arcadia, who, upon being found out, decided to open the way for the zombie hordes of the Deadlands to enter. The A-Force did their best to stop them, but ultimately, it was up to Singularity to save the day by using her own abilities to contain the zombies within her body and seemingly destroy herself in the skies above. However, this wasn’t the end, as she later appeared near Earth-616. With nowhere to go and finding herself quickly under attack, she brought together the five leading members of the team, who were her closest friends: She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, Sister Grimm, Medusa, and Dazzler. Together, the six have now become the new A-Force, and are working together to combat other-dimensional threats to the world.

…Huh. Must not’ve have had shawarma there. 😛 Anyway, time to start voting. Make sure to let me know in the comments below who you think should win before May 15th, when one of these two will make it to the semi-finals. Also, feel free to read more about these two and their team in the links below, and come back when the next match-up of the second round commences. Ja né!

http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Carol_Danvers_(Earth-616)

http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Jennifer_Walters_(Earth-616)

http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/A-Force_(Earth-16191)

http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/A-Force_(Earth-616)

A-Force #1 Preview

…And thus, Singularity absorbed the enthusiasm of animated Starfire. lol Here’s the preview for A-Force #1!

• A-FORCE, ASSEMBLE! From the ashes of Battleworld, Marvel’s newest hero SINGULARITY has risen and entered the Marvel Universe. But she didn’t make the journey alone. To combat the most fearsome threats from across the multiverse, Singularity will summon the world’s mightiest team of Avengers to her side: SHE-HULK. CAPTAIN MARVEL. DAZZLER. MEDUSA. NICO MINORU. Together, they are A-FORCE to be reckoned with!

http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/a-force-1-marvel-comics-2015-2015-12

A-Force #1 Unlettered Preview

Glad to see the events of Secret Wars will have lasting ramifications beyond setting up the new status quo, although I’m curious to see how much of it will or won’t be remembered in general. Either way, here’s an early preview for next month’s A-Force #1.

• From the ashes of Battleworld, they rise. A new super team for a new era. Today, Marvel is pleased to present your first look at A-FORCE #1, the brand new ongoing series and follow up to the smash-hit Secret Wars series. Blockbuster creators G. Willow Wilson and Jorge Molina return from Battleworld in force, but they’re not alone. Marvel’s newest hero Singularity has returned from the breach, making landfall in the Marvel Universe. Yet much has transpired in the eight months since the end of Secret Wars. To combat the most fearsome threats from across the multiverse, she’ll re-assemble this world’s mightiest group of Avengers to her side: She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, Dazzler, Medusa and Nico Minoru – even if they don’t remember her! Together, they are the unstoppable A-Force! And they are A FORCE to be reckoned with! Don’t miss their explosive debut this January in the can’t-miss A-FORCE #1!

http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/a-force-1-marvel-comics-2016

A-Force #3 Preview

I demand more Singularity! XD Anyway, A-Force #3 preview time.

• She-Hulk has violated the most sacred rule of Battleworld…
• …and now A-Force is on the run from the planet’s protectors: The Thor Corps!
• And while trying to prove her innocence, She-Hulk discovers that one of her own may have engineered her downfall…

http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/a-force-3-marvel-comics-2015

A-Force #2 Preview

Time to see how Earth’s Mightiest Heroines are holding up on Battleworld, as we check out A-Force #2!

• With monsters appearing on the utopian island of Arcadia and threatening its inhabitants, She-Hulk and her team of Avengers set out to discover the source.
• But when they stumble upon a conspiracy that reaches far beyond Arcadia, She-Hulk may just find herself on the wrong side of the law!

http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/a-force-2-marvel-comics-2015

…Does anybody else looking at this totally wanna see a Lockjaw/Chewie team-up? XD

The NEW MU Books Confirmed Thus Far

While the official date for the release of the full Marvel line-up for the NEW MU (or All-New All-Different Marvel, whichever we’re calling it now) is July 1st, several titles have been confirmed over the past month, while others have been alluded to. As such, let’s take a look at some of these books, starting with…

As I’ve said before, this book will be the flagship title for the new line-up. This book will feature Tony pretty much having to work from the ground up to get to where he once was in his standing as both Tony Stark and Iron Man. The new Invincible Iron Man book will include a new suit with new abilities, new characters, and new resolutions on previous story arcs, as we’ll hopefully get the answer to the question that I’m sure has been on the minds of many the past few years: Is Tony Stark too far gone after everything he’s done, or can he redeem himself for his misdeeds? It’s hard to say, but then again, consider that Tony Stark was first created as a character that no one in that time period would like and then would be forced to sympathize with. In addition, thanks to modern interpretations of the character (in large part, the first of the Marvel movies), Iron Man is ultimately the story of a man who, when his eyes were opened to the terrible things he’d done, strove to better himself as a result. As such, if anyone could come back from these things, it’s Tony Stark… … …Let’s just hope that, while he remains the magnificently snarky bastard we know, he remembers to stay sober, not indulge in petty fights with his fellow heroes, and for God’s sake, keep his friends in the know about what he’s ACTUALLY doing in certain situations. lol

Not gonna lie, I don’t really know much about Squadron Supreme. Everything I DO know is stuff that I’ve learned on wikis, or have been told by fans, comic enthusiasts, and a certain internet personality. Apparently, they come from another world in the Multiverse, although the team has been rebooted and had their stories retold on other Earths beyond that. A lot of the members are analogues for members of the Justice League (Hyperion is Superman, Doctor Spectrum is Green Lantern, Power Princess is Wonder Woman, Nighthawk is Batman, etc.). Also, some of their stories and their history can be seen as What If-type stories of the Justice League without using their trademarked names and whatnot, such as crossovers with the Avengers, and were the first to really look at things like what if heroes used their powers to forcibly turn their Earth into a paradise, long before there was an Injustice: Gods Among Us, or even Watchmen. But, that’s about all I know about the team, and I really know dick all about the individual members. As for this book, all I know is that the members on this team come from the various incarnations of Squadron Supreme seen throughout the Multiverse and are now forced to work together in this new world. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how this set-up develops, but I don’t know if it’s necessarily for me.

Again, thank goodness this book is sticking around. However, despite the fact that this is getting a new #1 issue post-Secret Wars, I’m still gonna be checking out the current book. If for no other reason, but because it helps to introduce the new character and member to the team, Singularity. Plus, it’s a good way to see how this team will gel together. With that said, can I make maybe one or two comments regarding this team? I don’t know why Nico is wearing a muumuu, but unless you’re going for the witch-like look, it doesn’t work. And even then, I feel like she should be wearing a hat or hood, just to complete the look. Also, I get this isn’t an issue with this book specifically, and it’s just the direction the character has been taken lately, but the goth look for Dazzler irks me. I mean, if it was just her being angry about what Mystique did to her, fine, I understand that completely, but I thought when she chose not to kill her in the end, that was the end of that. Plus, looking at this team, it would make them a bit more varied in colour if she was in her old look. But I’m still looking forward to this. Also, wouldn’t mind seeing Spider-Woman or Misty Knight join the team to make it a magnificent seven.

This was something that was teased a little while ago, but now we’ve got confirmation on this new Hulk. The name of the book threw me a bit, but apparently, this new Hulk is someone who is VERY excited about the role, so that makes a bit more sense. The weird thing is that both his face and his arm are blacked out in this preview, which has led to some speculation about who it could be. The obvious candidate seems to be Amadeus Cho, given his background, the hairstyle shown, and a few other reasons that’s been brought up, but we’ll see what happens. Incidentally, though, I should note that it’s been confirmed that Maestro, the possible future evil Hulk, is gonna be sticking around post-Secret Wars, so between that and this reveal, that suggests that Jen might be needing to use that cure on Bruce Banner pretty soon after all. Also, if there’s a new Hulk in town, wonder if we’ll be seeing him in this next book…

Yup, the team I will not shut the frak up about. lol I can’t help it, I’m excited about this book, and this team. It’s diverse in nationalities, powers, ages, and just overall walks of life. The only thing I find myself wondering about is how this team is gonna be at its most effective if Tony Stark won’t be funding and supplying them with money and equipment. Apparently, they won’t even have Avengers Tower, although really, that is like painting a giant bulls-eye on the island of Manhattan for their enemies…even though they tend to attack New York most of the time anyway. Also, I’m curious to know if this means Kamala told her parents about her superhero life, since I can’t imagine her being a full-time member of the team and doing her own patrols of New Jersey without telling them or having a really good cover story… … …I kinda want her to tell them, just because I wanna see her mom’s reaction. XD

So, according to Bendis, because of course he’s writing this book, Miles Morales is the main protagonist, while Peter Parker will act as his mentor. Personally, if they’re going the direction of having Miles be the primary Spider-Man from here on out, having Peter mentor and guide him is a good idea. The thing is, while Miles has been Spider-Man for at least a little while now, he’s never really had any kind of formal training as a superhero, having to pretty much pick it up as he goes with only his knowledge of how Peter worked previously in his universe. Peter Parker, meanwhile, not only got training with his fellow heroes, but he took what he learned from Shang-Chi and Steve Rogers and used these new moves in tandem with his powers to create the Way of the Spider. Given Miles’ own unique abilities (invisibility and venom sting, if he could merge them with the Way of the Spider, it could potentially prove even more effective in his hands. Plus, it’ll be interesting to see how Miles adapts to this new world and how he stacks up against Peter’s rogues gallery, who, while similar to the villains he knows from his Earth, are nonetheless different in a lot of ways.

Speaking of the Spiders of the Marvel Universe, Spider-Gwen’s solo title is confirmed to return. I say return, because Spider-Gwen #5 was the final issue of the first volume of her book…which I didn’t know about until I got to the very end of it. Granted, I understand the need to start whole new volumes for each series in this new universe, but goddamnit, Spider-Gwen JUST GOT STARTED. The new volume even has the same creative team, thank God. Hell, she’s not even part of the mainstream universe, she’s gonna be dimension hopping between her Earth and the new one. Which, FYI, for anyone saying that the Marvel Multiverse is just gonna completely up and disappear, just remember that Marvel counts EVERYTHING in the Multiverse. Well, the movies aren’t ending, the TV shows are still airing, and Spider-Gwen’s Earth is gonna be sticking around, so it’s not disappearing. It might be SHRINKING, it might have some worlds disappearing and combining into new worlds, but it’s not going away completely. But anyway, I’m just glad this book will be back post-Secret Wars. And hey, it’s nice knowing that at least one alternate take on the Spider-Man mythos will be sticking around full-time…Still, can’t we at least make some kind of distinction from the first book, so that, in the future, people looking for the first issue of the first volume don’t accidentally pick up the new #1? I know I started calling the book Gwen Stacy: The Insert-Cool-Sounding-Adjective-Here Spider-Woman as a joke, but at this point, I think I’d take it.

Another book I’m super happy to see that is confirmed to be returning is Captain Marvel, with Carol Danvers as the titular cap. Unfortunately, it seems that Kelly Sue DeConnick isn’t sticking around to write it post-Secret Wars, which makes me a little sad. She’s the one who has helmed the book since Carol took over the role. She’s a big part of the reason we have a movie starring the character scheduled. Still, good to see Carol returning in all her badass glory, with her regulation haircut back, her costume getting some minor updates, and apparently running her own orbital defense space station. Also, for worried feminists, don’t, it’s being written by Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas. If you don’t know who they are, I’ll give ya a hint: Agent fucking Carter on ABC. We’re gonna be fine, folks. lol

Yeah, you had to know that, with this guy getting a movie soon, he was gonna have a solo book. According to Jason Aaron, when he was talking to Entertainment Weekly about the new book, he and Chris Bachalo “wanted a Doctor Strange who was always having to work for what he gets,” and that  “Strange has to worry about repercussions” because “We’re talking about the forces of magic. So whatever he does has repressions.” This is probably the reason why we’re seeing him use more basic weapons and tools in artwork for the new book and his post-Secret Wars situation in general: When the best weapon at his disposal has a big risk factor to it with multiple possible bad ends to using it, it’s best to keep it as a last resort. It’s like Willow in Buffy The Vampire Slayer after she went bad, having to lean on her other skills as to not abuse something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Granted, the two are doing it for somewhat different reasons, but it’s still a comparable scenario. Hopefully, like Iron Man, we see more of Strange looking back on certain past mistakes (mind wiping Steve Rogers, for example) and trying to make up for them.

Other than these, we know that Ms. Marvel will get a new volume, that there’ll be a couple of books focused on S.H.I.E.L.D. and its members, there’ll be solo books for Drax and Gamora, that there will be an Uncanny Inhumans book, and that there’ll be at least one X-Men book, probably multiple knowing that brand. Also, given the characters presented on the banners we saw a while back, we can probably expect books for Captain America, Spider-Woman, Daredevil, Thor, Ant-Man, Black Panther, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Lastly, I’m willing to bet that there’s at least one or two more team books planned, since I don’t know what else Red Wolf and Citizen V are doing, with at least one other Avengers team present besides the All-New, All-Different Avengers, and that we may see the returns of Groot, Black Widow, and Team Hawkeye and their books, since they seem to be doing pretty well thus far. There’s also been this teaser for something potentially involving Venom, with the words “I’ve returned” present…which doesn’t seem to bode well for Flash Thompson. o.O

Anyway, what kind of books would you like to see released in the All-New, All-Different Marvel? Lemme know in the comments section below, and we’ll see what appears on the list on Canada Day. Ja né!

My Thoughts On The All-New, All-Different Avengers Preview Comic

So, I went to Heroes’ Beacon and GameZilla for Free Comic Book Day today. Sadly, I can’t upload photos of my trips to either, because my computer, for some strange reason, doesn’t wanna accept SD cards right now. I can’t even begin to understand why. Nonetheless, the point of this article is not to talk about Free Comic Book Day and what I did there, but rather, what I got: All-New, All-Different Avengers.

So, not a whole lot to say, since it’s just a preview of stuff to come. What’s here is good, though. We see the Avengers having to fight Radioactive Man, but something apparently goes wrong when Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), Spider-Man (Miles Morales), and Nova (Sam Alexander) are sent to bring him in while Thor (the new female one), Iron Man (presumably Tony Stark, although they can’t seem to recall that Wasp was the one to name the team the Avengers), Vision, and Captain America (Sam Wilson) deal with…erm, Radioactive Man’s giant green dragon……’kay. Anyway, the other four seem to the teens as being highly upset that Radioactive Man seemingly got away, but it turns out that the reason he got away was because the teens decided to save one innocent pedestrian in the middle of the chaos. When Cap presses the issue and asks if they really thought saving one man was worth it, which they seem to confirm…he’s convinced that they were the right choices for the new team. Saving people is their number one priority, and these three clearly have the mindset of doing so above all else. So yeah, it’s kinda short, but it nonetheless showcases how these seven operate, and I do like the way they work as a unit. Still, I would’ve liked to see some mix-and-matching between the older and younger groups instead of having the generational members split off, but I guess I can look forward to that when the book starts.

I’m not gonna talk too much about the other half of the book, which features the Uncanny Inhumans, except to bring up a couple of points. First off, why is it called Uncanny Inhumans? Look, I know that a lot of adjectives used to describe heroes and teams have been interchangeable at times, but there really is no way to use the word ‘Uncanny’ to describe a superhero team without thinking of the X-Men. In fact, the only one I can think of off the top of my head other than them is the Uncanny Avengers, which have like half their team made up of X-Men alumni. Next thing I gotta ask about is the Human Torch’s presence on the team. Not only does this raise some questions about his status with the Fantastic Four, but…………..Since when were Johnny Storm and Queen Medusa ROMANTIC?! Maybe this is none of my business, but isn’t Medusa married?! The frak is going on?! But other than that, it was okay, showing the team going up against Hydra agents looking to kidnap newly awakened Inhumans.

Anyway, that’s all I really wanted to say about the book. It was good, and the post-Secret Wars universe looks promising, but man, does it raise some interesting questions. Lemme know what books you guys got at FCBD, and then come back in a day or two for when I give my overall thoughts and opinions on Avengers: Age of Ultron. Ja né!

A-Force #1 Early Preview

…Well, I guess Marvelous May is getting started a couple of days early here on Jyger’s Rant, because here’s an early preview of May 20th’s A-Force #1!

• Marvel’s Mightiest Women finally get their own explosive series!
• In a secluded corner of the Battleworld, an island nation is fiercely protected by a team of Avengers the likes of which has only ever been glimpsed before…
• Fighting to protect the small sliver of their world that’s left, the Amazing A-FORCE stands shoulder-to-shoulder, ready to take on the horde!

http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/a-force-1-marvel-comics-2015

Next Month On Jyger’s Rant: Marvelous May

…Yup, I’m doing a theme month. lol I even made a temporary background for the month of May.

See if you can name ’em all! 😀

So yeah, next month is Marvelous May, a term I’m almost 100% sure has been used a billion times before. One month dedicated to nothing but Marvel-related news, stories, and so on. I’m gonna be talking about Age of Ultron when I go to see it, I’m gonna be talking about Free Comic Book Day and the preview book for All-New, All-Different Avengers, and I’ll be reminiscing about some Marvel-related TV shows that I’ve watched, and what I liked and didn’t like about ’em. And, as usual, I’ll be giving links to previews of Marvel comics that I buy throughout the month of May (which works out well, because other than Sensation Comic feat. Wonder Woman, I don’t think there are any DC books I’m getting next month), and I will TRY my damnest to get in some reviews if at all possible.

Oh man, if this is the state of Marvel superhero teams post-Secret Wars (plus the X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy, of course), the future’s looking pretty good. 🙂

Anyway, feel free to leave some suggestions of Marvel-related topics I can talk about next month, and be sure to follow along with me throughout Marvelous May. Ja né!

Jyger’s Favourite 5 – 5 Superhero Teams I’d Like To See In Marvel Post-Secret Wars

So, a while ago, I talked about characters I’d love to see make it into the new Marvel Universe when the dust settles and Secret Wars is over. As such, let’s talk a bit about some superhero teams I’d love to see either be a thing or continue to be a thing post-Secret Wars. Now, technically, we already know of one team that’ll exist, as we’ve learned that Captain America, Ms. Marvel, Vision, Ultimate Spider-Man, Iron Man, Nova, and Thor will be teaming up as the All-New, All-Different Avengers. But will that be the ONLY Avengers team? I highly doubt it, honestly. And frankly, there’s at least ONE other Avengers team that exists in the new universe. So, might as well start there. These are the five superhero teams I’d like to see in Marvel Comics post-Secret Wars, starting with the aforementioned Avengers team I’d like to see post-Secret Wars…

Potential Members: Captain Marvel, She-Hulk, Spider-Woman, Black Widow, Storm, Medusa, Angela, Wasp, Sif

As I’ve said before, a team of Marvel’s greatest superheroines? YES PLEASE! 😀 That said, while I get the feeling the version in Secret Wars will pretty much be damned near EVERY Marvel superheroine, I’m thinking the post-Secret Wars team should be a bit more streamlined. Captain Marvel, She-Hulk, or Storm would all be good choices to potentially lead the team, while the rest of the team should really be varied in terms of powers and walks of life. Of course, Black Widow works great as the least super-powered of the group, Angela or Sif would be good choices for representatives from Asgard, and there should at least be one Mutant and one Inhuman. And of course, there’s always room for long-time Marvel heroines like Wasp or Spider-Woman.

Potential Members: Steve Rogers, Thor Odinson, Rogue, Scarlet Witch, Wonder Man, Sabretooth, Quicksilver, Wolverine

Honestly, I see no reason to put the kibosh on this team. In fact, it might even be to the benefit of those that want to see Steve Rogers and Thor Odinson continue as key players of the Marvel Universe if they rejoined the team. Rogue, Scarlet Witch, Wonder Man, and Quicksilver all work as members too. As for Sabretooth, I can see him sticking around, though it may make things awkward if Wolverine DOES, in fact, return from the grave and rejoin his old team, considering their long and bloody history. And speaking of which…

Potential Members: Cyclops, Jean Grey, Havok, Beast, Emma Frost, Angel, Dazzler, X-23, Iceman

Would not shock me if, after Secret Wars, the All-New X-Men are more or less done away with, but that their future selves are influenced by their actions and thus end up in Cyclops’ camp. Would certainly make for an interesting scenario if Jean Grey, back in her adult form, was brought back, and now is on the same team as Cyclops and Emma Frost. Still, hopefully with the reboot, we can start to see Cyclops distance himself from his douchey and at times blatantly evil behaviour and try to make something better of himself. As for the other X-Men, well…

Potential Members: Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Rachel Grey, Jubilee, Psylocke, Colossus, Pixie, Rogue

As I said before, I’m pretty sure the return of Wolverine is all but inevitable. As such, seeing him return to the X-Men would be a huge plus. And while I showed the logo for Astonishing X-Men, really, it doesn’t HAVE to be. It could be Amazing X-Men and be just fine. And, of course, all the big names in that particular camp of X-Men would be among its roster, though I wouldn’t be shocked to see some of the other students at the mansion and other X-Men join in from time to time. Now, while I would like to see Adjectiveless X-Men continue, there is one OTHER superheroine team I’d like to see get picked back up for the new Marvel Universe…

Potential Members: Valkyrie/Annabelle Riggs, Misty Knight, Dani Moonstar, Warrior Woman, Clea, Elsa Bloodstone, Ren Kimura, Nova (Frankie Raye)

I’m sorry, but I gotta know what the hell next happened with these characters! I haven’t seen them since the book ended, except for Valkyrie, and her appearances (that I’m aware of) didn’t allude to Annabelle or the team at all! Did they stick together? Did they split up? Are they still fighting Caroline and Morgana le Fey? Did Valkyrie, Annabelle, and Red get into some kinda twisted love triangle? Did they eventually end up fighting Galactus like Cullen Bunn wanted? WHAT’S HAPPENING?! lol

Anyway, those are five teams I’d love to see make it into the new universe. Got one that wasn’t here? Lemme know in the comments, and we’ll see what becomes of the Marvel Universe in September. Ja né!