Marvel Unveils All-Female Fearless Defenders

Teased in a new teaser a couple of weeks back, Marvel has unveiled its latest title, an all-female superhero series called Fearless Defenders, written by Cullen Bunn with art from Will Sliney. The series will star Valkyrie and Misty Knight as well as introduce some new female characters to the Marvel Universe. Following Fear Itself, Bunn was one of the writers that tackled the enjoyable follow-up series called Fear Itself: The Fearless which, perhaps not surprisingly, featured Valkyrie in a prominent role.

In an interview with Newsarama, Bunn said, "You've got Misty, who's a very street-level character. And you've got Valkyrie, who's a goddess. So you've got very different backgrounds, and I think they will see their potential teammates very differently, and I think you'll see that the two of them have some differences of opinion on who would be the right team for what they're going to be facing."

He added, "This will also be a book that gives us a great opportunity to showcase the women of the Marvel Universe. You'll be seeing a lot of characters in the book who may not necessarily be in the core team, but will have the opportunity to guest-star and rotate into the book."

Bunn also revealed that Dani Moonstar will be another member of this new Defenders team, though the entire team won't be present right out of the gate in issue #1.  The writer also coyly dodged a question about the possible inclusion of the Wasp, who was recently brought back in the pages of The Avengers, so take that for what it's worth.

For more on the Fearless Defenders, head on over to Newsarama.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. He thinks  knows the world needs more horror comic books.

Source : ign[dot]com

Avenging Spider-Man Annual #1 Review

There's been a real renaissance of fun, lighthearted superhero adventures at Marvel lately, and you can add one more book to the pile with Avenging Spider-Man Annual #1. Though little more than a slightly longer installment of the main series, it succeeds in offering another worthy team-up between the webbed wall-crawler and Yancy Street's favorite son.

Rob Williams and Brad Walker step in as the creators for this standalone adventure (though it's not as if Avenging has ever had a stable creative team). Williams kicks off the adventure with a clever idea -- what if two brothers go digging for relics of past superhuman battles in Central Park. The result is the uncovering of a device that makes everyone in Manhattan fill with rage and attack each other. I take it that's supposed to be a change from the usual status quo there.

Needless to say, the script is a fun and breezy read that offsets the slowly darkening tone of Amazing Spider-Man nicely. Williams doesn't always pace his humor well, with too many jokes and pop culture references flying about in the early pages, but in this case too much humor is probably better than not enough. The two brothers and their constant bickering provide a fun counterpoint to Peter and Ben's prickly relationship. The limited invovlement of Franklin and Valeria Richards also adds a ncie touch. Only Williams' choice of villain leaves something to be desired.

Walker's art offers an appreciable shift from his usual harsh style. Most notably, his facial work is more relaxed and expressive. Only rarely do characters suffer from "Brad Garrett face." Walker's Spidey is also highly dynamic and detailed.

If books like Wolverine and the X-Men don't completely fulfill your desire for goofy superhero antics this week, you might consider giving this annual a try.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Comic Book Reviews for 10/24/12

In one swift stroke, Marvel has concluded some of the most impressive superhero runs of the last decade. Ed Brubaker's 8-year stint on Captain America, Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca's 4-year run on The Invincible Iron Man, Jonathan Hickman's mind-expanding work on Fantastic Four/FF, and Kieron Gillen's charming but all-too-brief turn on Journey Into Mystery. Luckily, most of these endings deliver in spades.

At DC, things get crazier in Batman Incorporated, I, Vampire continues to blow our minds, and Superman gets a status quo change by up and quitting the Daily Planet.

DC COMICS

All-Star Western #13

Written by Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti | Art by Moritat

"All-Star Western is one of the standouts of the New 52 and deservedly so. It marries interesting dynamics between unique characters with exciting investigational storylines and potent visual storytelling. Or at least that’s what it usually does. Issue #13 focuses on a new threat emerging from Haly’s Circus, but it’s hard to feel excited when everything feels so familiar." -Poet

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

6.1

Batman: The Dark Knight #13

Written by Gregg Hurwitz | Art by David Finch

"Gregg Hurwitz and David Finch return to their horror driven Scarecrow story and the results are pretty good. Batman: The Dark Knight #13 is an interesting read. It's not spectacular, but it's a dark book filled with some frightening images. Sure, this is the same ol' song and dance when it comes to Scarecrow, but it's done well. It's probably safe to say that Batman: The Dark Knight has finally become a Batman book worth reading. That, in itself, is a feat worth praising." -Ben

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.5

Batman Incorporated #4

Written by Grant Morrison | Art by Chris Burnham

"If there is one thing that can be said about Grant Morrison's Batman, it is that it's like no other Batman book on the stands. Batman Inc. #4 is crazy, cartoony fun, mixed with just the right amount of drama and heft. This issue is heavy on the action and it's a seriously good time. Every other page, somebody is getting shot with an arrow (everyone is armed with a bow for some reason). All this and the ending still has a 'no freaking way' moment that'll have you flipping back through Morrison's run trying to connect the dots." -Ben

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

8.8

The Flash #13

Written by Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato | Art by Francis Manapul

"The thing that really snared me about this series when it started was the frenetic presentation. Reading it was like Wile E. Coyote trying to stay in control of a pair of rocket skates. Sadly, the introductions of King Grodd and the rest of Flash’s rogues’ gallery have bogged down this title substantially. In issue #13, this problem only worsens. Rather than drilling through one villain at a time, the reader’s attention is been diluted between the lot of them, leaving the book’s main character little more than a passenger along for the ride." -Poet

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

6.2

I, Vampire #13

Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov | Art by Andrea Sorrentino

"This is how you change directions in a comic book, guys and ladies. After the nutty developments of issue #12, the story needed an excellent pivot to continue its spellbinding narrative. Happily, Joshua Hale Fialkov delivers an excellent story from the perspective of the newly directionless Mary Seward." -Poet

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

9.4

Justice League Dark #13

Written by Jeff Lemire | Art by Mikel Janin & Victor Drujiniu

"Hang on to your dog Toto because by the end of Justice League Dark #13 you will most definitely not be in Kansas anymore. Meaning, rising star Jeff Lemire tosses expectations to the tornado wind and delivers a hard-hitting, house-smashing ride into the freaky magic part of the DC Universe. With the Books of Magic on the line, Lemire ups the stakes while smothering his story in enough crazy magic to make the Wicked Witch of the West jealous." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

9.1

National Comics: Madame X #1

Written by Rob Williams | Art by Trevor Hairsine

"I honestly had no idea who Madame X was before cracking open this book, nor did I care. All I knew is that Cla$$war collaborators Rob Williams and Trevor Hairsine were the creative team on board and that was enough (if you’ve never read Clas$$war, seriously, peep it). Happily, I came away from this issue of National Comics with an excitement about this character and a familiar disappointment from the fact that I’m unsure of when, if ever, I’ll get to see her again." -Joey

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

8.5

Red Lanterns #13

Written by Peter Milligan | Art by Miguel Sepulveda

"Red Lanterns hurts to read. Atrocitus proclaims his actions as he performs them and leaves little to be inferred or wondered about. The ultra-violence reaches an all-time high, making some of the pages hard to get through. For example, Atrocitus uses a dead body as a melee weapon. Why use that instead of, you know, his power ring? Don’t get me started. If one saving grace can be found, it lies in Miguel Sepulveda’s gorgeous artwork; I only wish his talents were being put to better use." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

4.7

Superman #13

Written by Scott Lobdell | Art by Kenneth Rocafort

"The best thing I can say about Superman #13 is that new writer Scott Lobdell brings an undeniable new sense of light-heartedness to this issue, using fun captions to establish his settings and even giving Jimmy Olsen a fleeting moment in the sun of being a ladies man. Unfortunately, the title character feels all but absent from his own book, as we’re left with a Clark Kent that is hardly Clark Kent at all; more like Peter Parker jumping ship to DC and trying his hardest to fill Superman’s cape." -Joey

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

5.0

Talon #1

Written by James Tynion IV & Scott Snyder | Art by Guillem March

"Court of the Owls was one of the best things to come out of the first year of DC’s New 52, so it only makes sense for this Talon spin-off series to become a reality. The story follows Calvin Rose, an ex-Talon who returns to Gotham after hearing how the Court was seemingly taken down by Batman. Written by Scott Snyder James Tynion IV, the series gets off to a good start, but only that." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.1

Teen Titans #13

Written by Fabian Nicieza & Scott Lobdell | Art by Ale Garza

"To say I have had strong opinions about this new Teen Titans series is putting it lightly. Since the first issue, Teen Titans has been pretty awful. Sad, but true. So, imagine my surprise when I read Teen Titans #13 and thought that it was not half bad. In fact, it was mostly good. A good issue of Teen Titans! Crazier things have happened, I suppose, but at the moment I am having a hard time thinking of any." -Ben

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

8.0

Source : ign[dot]com

"X-Men Meets Terminator" In Days of Future Past

Mark Millar has been talking up the forthcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past, explaining that the superhero sequel will have a very definite Terminator vibe.

The Kick-Ass co-creator – who has just been installed as the chief consultant on Fox’s Marvel movies – spoke to SFX (via Total Film) about Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class sequel.

"Vaughn is going for a big sci-fi style thing with X-Men: Days of Future Past" he revealed. "It's X-Men meets The Terminator.

"You've got robots, you've got time travel, you've got superheroes - it's got everything in one film."

Could this mean the iconic Sentinels will be making an appearance in the movie? Whatever the case, it sounds like the scope will be bigger than part one.

"Cost-wise it's going to go up, and ambitious-wise it's gone up," Millar explained. "But Vaughn can handle it. Vaughn made Kick-Ass for $28 million."

And it sounds like Millar is planning continuity for the universe, telling SFX in a separate story: “Fox have said that they want to build a cohesive universe and I’d personally like this to work in complement to the Marvel one. It would be cool if these universes didn’t contradict each other so if you went to see Spidey, The Avengers, the X-Men, etc, as a viewer you would have no idea that all three are coming from different studios. I’d love to make it look like they’re all just happening in one place.”

Chris Tilly is the Entertainment Editor for IGN in the UK and heard this Terminator connection from another source last night. He can be found on both Twitter and MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Arrow Hits Its Mark

Arrow, the CW's new series based on DC Comics' Green Arrow, premiered last night to some superhero-sized ratings (as per CW standards, natch). - via EW.com

Read IGN's Review of the Arrow Pilot!

Arrow's 4 million viewers, and 1.3 rating, might not seem enormous, but it marked the network's most-watched series debut in total viewers since The Vampire Diaries in 2009.  Arrow's premiere also helped give Supernatural its best ratings in two years, with 2.6 million viewers.

On the other side of the dial, ABC's critically-acclaimed new series Nashville trounced NBC's critically-poo poo'd new series Chicago Fire, 9 million viewers to 6.4 million viewers.

Read IGN's Review of the Nashville Pilot here!

Source : ign[dot]com

Ben Affleck Turned Down Daredevil Reboot

Ben Affleck has revealed that he turned down the chance to reprise his role as blind superhero Daredevil in a franchise reboot.

Speaking to MTV, Affleck admitted that he had been approached to star in a new version of the much-maligned 2003 film, but couldn't see how it would make sense.

"They're rebooting it," he explained. "I got contacted about it, and I was like, 'That wouldn't be a reboot [if I was involved],' but I really hope they do a good job, because that's a great property and deserves something really, really good."

He didn't rule out donning spandex again in the future though, admitting, "I would love to do [a comic book movie] if it was the right one, if I thought I could do it well. I think you have to, with any movie, have an idea for it that's original and unique and committed to it, and that's a hard thing to find."

The current status of the Daredevil reboot is pretty murky. While Joe Carnahan was originally down to direct the project for Fox, there's a major hurdle to overcome in the shape of the film's rights returning to Marvel as of October 10. Whether the company will decide to pursue its own reboot once the property returns to its stables remains to be seen.

Affleck also revealed that he definitely won't be directing the forthcoming Justice League of America movie, saying of his wrongly rumoured involvement "I guess I should be flattered, and I'm sure it will be cool. I've seen some of the stuff from the new Superman movie, and that stuff is awesome."

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Green Lantern: The Animated Series -"The New Guy" Review

Warning: full episode spoilers follow.

The thing about being a superhero with a secret identity is that life tends to pass you by while you're off saving the world or the universe or whatever. How many times has Peter Parker webbed up Green Goblin, only to come home and get yelled at by Aunt May for not being around to stir her soup and give her her heart medication? That's pretty much the theme of Hal Jordan's life as Season 2 of Green Lantern opens. Hal just got done saving the universe from an invasion by Atrocitus' Red Lanterns. And what does he get in return? Carol fired him from Ferris Aircraft. The Guardians replaced him as Green Lantern of Sector 2814. No respect at all.

Luckily, Hal's bout of "Parker luck" made for an entertaining season premiere. Much of this was thanks to the titular "new guy,"Guy Gardner. Some fans might have preferred that the show introduce Kyle Rayner or John Stewart before bringing Guy in, but his overconfident swagger was really what the episode needed to offset Hal's grim intensity. This is a character whose was initially best known for getting punched in the face by Batman. He manages to tick off just about everybody, and his running conflict with Hal drove the episode forward. Every time it seemed the two rival Lanterns had finally made peace, Guy would do something to set Hal off again and the fists and Lantern constructs resumed flying.

To their credit, the writers avoided painting Guy as too much of an obnoxious jerk, which is often a problem in the comics. He's got a bit of a Dudebro aura going (complete with a love of fist bumping), but he's likable enough regardless. It's a shame that the show doesn't appear to be maneuvering the two for a regular partnership, as Guy would make an entertaining foil for Hal as the latter adjusts to his new promotion.

Though her role was relatively minor, the newscaster character was a bit annoying throughout the episode. She was pretty much the apotheosis of every cartoon damsel in distress, right down to her willingness to fly right into harm's way for the perfect scoop. It was pretty bizarre to see her chopper just happen to show up in the middle of the mountains right as the Manhunters were attacking. Maybe I'm just nitpicking, but her presence was garting and generally felt felt unnecessary.

On the bright side, this episode laid the groundwork for an interesting new conspiracy dating back to the origins of the Green Lanterns. We have the mysterious, hugely powerful new villain (The Anti-Monitor?) who seems capable of controlling the Manhunters. I'll be interested to see how deeply into Green Lantern and general DC lore the writers delve in the coming episodes.

The new status quo for Hal also holds plenty of potential. As an Honor Guard, he's now pretty much free to travel wherever in the universe he chooses. That offers the show ample freedom going forward, but also leaves the danger of the series becoming meandering and unfocused. Let's hope that isn't the case.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following Jesse on Twitter, or on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Hero Worship: Solving Wonder Woman's TV Dilemma

I doubt it comes as a surprise that I’m a huge Wonder Woman fan. She’s my second favorite female superhero character (second only to Catwoman) and has a fluctuating standing in my overall top 5. My apartment displays more pieces of Wonder Woman art than anything else, including furniture. Visually, there’s a certain majesty to her character that no other hero in the DC Universe can match and I adore it.

Yesterday, there was news of former Wonder Woman scribe (and successful TV writer) Allan Heinberg writing a pilot for a potential new CW show called Amazon, centered around a younger Diana, who is described as “a budding superhero.” First and foremost, let me point out that my thoughts are 100% conjecture. Amazon is merely a script at this point, with no promise of making it any further. But I think the fact that it’s called Amazon is a clear indication that this show has intentions of being entirely different from its clear predecessor, Smallville. It implies a fantasy series; one in which I imagine part of the character’s journey would be learning about the unfamiliar world of man and trying to understand it.

Way back when NBC passed on David E. Kelley’s ill-conceived Wonder Woman pilot in early 2011, I wrote a feature (one of my first for IGN, actually) called The Trouble With Wonder Woman, all about the many difficulties involved in bringing the character to live action. In it, one of the problems I point to is Wonder Woman’s homeland of Themyscira (Paradise Island) and how to effectively deal with exploring those concepts on-screen. Wonder Woman and her fellow Amazons certainly hold no shortage of mythology, so what’s the best way to deal with that in a digestible manner?

I say embrace it wholeheartedly. Since I wrote that piece, we’ve had Thor prove that a similar sort of amalgam mythology can be managed well on-screen. If Thor can manage it all in two hours, surely an hour long weekly TV show could do it even better. Let’s not forget that the fantasy genre is doing pretty well for itself on TV at the moment with shows like Game of Thrones or, more appropriate for the CW audience, Once Upon a Time and Grimm. There’s no reason CW couldn’t celebrate Wonder Woman’s fantastical origins and make it the underpinning of the show.

Amazon could incorporate the politics of Themyscira, betrayal amongst Amazons, conflicts with the gods, conflicts with the world of man, and so much more. Diana’s journey of growing up in such an environment, learning who she is, the nature of her birth, and dealing with her desire to see the world beyond Themyscira are all solid, interesting threads to explore. Of course, the show runners could still manage to find a way to incorporate classic Wonder Woman baddies like Cheetah, Giganta, and Doctor Psycho in new and different ways.

There’s a larger issue of the network no doubt necessitating the presence of male characters, which a show set entirely on Themyscira would essentially prohibit. Unless… the pilot ends with Steve Trevor crash landing on the island, as per the classic Wonder Woman origin, with the first season exploring his time amongst these apparent goddesses and learning about their culture. Meanwhile, perhaps, the military is looking into his disappearance and coming ever closer to discovering Paradise Island.

This would also establish a sort of forbidden romance between Diana and Steve (remember, “young Diana” doesn’t necessarily mean “early teen Diana”), which could ultimately be stretched out in further seasons once Steve has to return home and they’re separated. There’s plenty of ways that this material is malleable, which really is part of the beauty of the superhero myths.

An added bonus to taking this approach to Amazon would be added context to the Justice League movie. With that film bringing together the DCU’s premier super team with a limited amount of origin stuff involved, movie goers perhaps unfamiliar with Wonder Woman can turn to Amazon for insight into Wonder Woman’s origin. Even if Amazon and the (eventual) DC movie universe aren’t related, the rather ambiguous time period (“early!”) makes it an acceptable point of reference for the origins of the character.

After the failure of the last version of TV Wonder Woman – which was a downright silly departure for the character – it’s doubtful that Heinberg would aim to change things up all that much, not to mention CW’s apparent full-steam ahead approach to incorporating many DCU elements to the upcoming Arrow. As the superhero genre continues to achieve new and unprecedented success in various mediums, I think we’ll start seeing networks embrace the nature of these characters more fully rather than shy away from the more fantastic elements.

Hopefully, as a result, Diana can finally make her live-action return.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.

Source : ign[dot]com

Dial H #4 Review

One of the goals of the New 52 relaunch was to offer more bold and unique series outside of the usual superhero crowd. For whatever faults it might have, Dial H is never guilty of being familiar or formulaic. If anything, its weirdness has been a hurdle to overcome. Luckily, China Mieville's opening arc has progressed to the point where it's easier to see past the surreal nature of the writing and appreciate the characters.

The characters have been the major sticking point for me in the early issues. Other than the lead hero, Nelson, it's been difficult to identify with the book's cast or even determine what the villains actually want. Mieville makes their motivations somewhat more clear now. And by thrusting Squid into a sudden role reversal, Mieville makes this former villain into a worthy foil for Nelson. Nelson himself really steps up to the plate in issue #4. He's reached that phase in every budding hero's life where he has to prove his worth in the absence of his powers. Contrary to what his earlier appearances might suggest, Nelson rises to the challenge. Initially, his appeal centered around the novelty of having a protagonist who wasn't a rugged manly man or a gangly super-genius. But he's grown more fleshed out and three-dimensional with each new issue.

In some aspects the surreal qualities of the book are still a bit much. I still don't find myself caring much about the villain Abyss or the threat it poses to the world. Dial H is interesting more as a quirky character study than a grand, reality-spanning adventure. Mieville's dialogue can also be wonky at times. As is the case with many novelists-turned-comic writers, some lines read better in prose form than they do as comic book dialogue.

Mateus Santolouco brings just the right blend of gritty harshness and bizarre imagery to the table in his art. This book looks and feels very much like a lost project from the early years of the Vertigo imprint (albeit with much better coloring). As much as Vertigo has shrunk in recent years, it's good to know that DC is still willing to publish books of that style, even if they now carry the New 52 banner.

Jesse is a writer for IGN Comics and various other IGN channels. Follow Jesse on Twitter, or find him on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com