Mondo Marvel Panel

Hey everyone, Mike here reporting from Chicago. Nick and I covered some panels today, so look out for his DC Nation post sometime soon.

Today, though, I hit up the Mondo Marvel panel featuring Jim McCann, Mark Paniccia, Dan Slott, Jason Aaron, Sean McKeever, Chris Yost and Craig Kyle. There was a little bit of information at this panel, just a bit more than the Ultimate’s panel, but nonetheless it was informative. I took notes on my iPhone so if I missed some small stuff, I’m sorry.

The convention covered a bunch of things, but I’ll just spit it to you as I got it:

Dan Slott featured a teaser for his arc that will be coming up in Amazing Spider-Man featuring none other than Mysterio! (But I thought he was dead?! Oh wait, this is Marvel mwhahaha). This should be showing up around issues #618 or #619.

Paul Toben and Patrick Scherberger will be putting out a 4 issue limited series called Spider-Man and the Secret Wars–yeah, from way back then–which will cover a bit of retelling of Spider-Man’s place in Secret Wars and his view of things.

More after the break

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After a long hiatus (sorry about that), I’m finally back to bring you more previews of solicited comic books. This time, I’m showing you what to look forward to in August. And boy, is there a lot to be excited for. It seems like the comic book publishers decided that they wanted to get in on the summer blockbuster action and decided to pull out all the stops in August. Some of the biggest titles of the year look to be coming out, so let me break down some of the big ones to keep an eye on.

The Marvels Project #1

The Marvels Project is likely to be the biggest Marvel comic this year, if not the biggest comic of the year period. While Blackest Night over in DC land might overshadow it slightly, The Marvels Project is likely to be the critically acclaimed hit of the year. Much like the smaller, more story-based movie compared to the summer blockbuster, Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting are celebrating Marvel’s 70th anniversary in style, by retelling the origin story of the entire universe! With talent this great and a story to match, how could you not be excited to see what is in store from this limited series?

Batman: The Widening Gyre #1

While much of the DC fanbase will have their eyes turned towards the previously mentioned Blackest Night event, a little Batman book by acclaimed writer Kevin Smith is set to hit the stands. Set to be a 12-issue maxi-series, Widening Gyre will be 2 6-issue story arcs, separated by a 3 month publishing gap. According to Smith himself, the 3 month gap will allow him to start writing an on-going series about one of the characters he will introduce in Gyre. While some might be skeptical about whether the often-late Smith can really pull out this much writing, I have faith and hope, cause this sounds like a great series from one of comic’s top writers.

Daredevil #500

Nothing shouts “70th anniversary” like milestone issues. And dammit if Marvel hasn’t had their share of them this year. From Thor to Cap to Hulk to the up-coming Amazing Spider-Man, this has been the year of landmark issues (and the return to the original numbering). Add to that list Daredevil, which will hit issue 500 this August. What Brubaker has in store for us is anyone’s guess, but it is sure to be a doozey as he ends his legendary run on Daredevil and passes the reigns over to the capable Andy Diggle.

Incredible Hulk #601

Ok, so this isn’t a milestone issue, but the one after, so what gives? Why is this so exciting? Well, I’ll tell you. Greg Pak is returning to Hulk. Yeah, Jeph Loeb is still going to be fucking up the beloved character over in the Hulk book, but hopefully Greg Pak, the man who brought us the amazing Planet Hulk, can restore the green giant to his former glory.

Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #1 and Avengers #1

Speaking of Jeph Loeb fucking up beloved things, Marvel’s Ultimate line relaunches as Ultimate Comics in August with the debut of Spider-Man and Avengers. Fan-favorite Brian Michael Bendis continues his outstanding work with Spidy in the Ultimate universe (though, it might not be Peter Parker, if Loeb has anything to do about it). And even better, universe co-creator and certified badass Mark Millar returns to the Ultimate Line with Avengers, a book which is set to focus on groups or characters in the Ultimate universe (no, this is not replacing Ultimates). Millar has stated that each arc of Avengers will be like a mini-events, so this will be a book to watch. Honestly, I’m pissed at what Loeb is doing to my beloved Ultimates line and I disagree with the “relaunch” and renumbering, but with any luck, we’ll survive this editorial mistake and still have a good universe to enjoy.

Blackest Night: Superman, Batman and Titans

With Blackest Night starting in July, DC is set to start releasing their tie-ins to the universe-altering event in August. Can’t say I’m all too excited about the Superman or Titans tie-ins but Batman should be a book to watch. Not only is it written by the great Peter J. Tomasi, but it might just feature the supposedly dead Bruce Wayne as a Black Lantern. We’ll see when the series launches in August, but those following Blackest Night will probably want to pick up at least 1 of these tie-ins.

Amazing Spider-Man #601, #602 and #603

Coming off their own landmark 600 issue, the ASM crew is not slowing down. Starting at issue 601, Mary Jane is back!!! As a huge fan of MJ and one of many who were sorely disappointed at the breakup of one of comic’s most beloved couples, it is great to see that the Spidy writers are finally bringing her back. Likely, she will not be a romantic interest in Peter Parker’s life (at least not right away), but at least she’s back in the fold and the possibility is there. Here’s hoping we also get some more answers about what exactly Mephisto did at the end of One More Day.

Fantastic Four #570

Last but not least (seriously, any other month, an issue like this would be at the top of things to look forward to) is Fantastic Four #570. Why’s this such a big deal? Well, that would be because writer Jonathan Hickman is taking over the writing duties on Marvel’s first family. Not only has Hickman proven himself to be a great writer with his indie work and his outstanding work on Secret Warriors, he’s proven that he can writer the Fantastic Four like nobody’s business with his work on Dark Reign: Fantastic Four. I, for one, am looking forward to him bringing his unique voice to FF and hopefully continuing Mark Millar’s work at bringing the Fantastic Four back to the top of the Marvel line.

We were the Avengers!!

Just wanted to say Happy [late] Halloween from us at DestroyTheCyb.org! I, along with some of my fellow writers and friends, dressed up and some of Marvel’s greats:

Top Row:

• Jeff – Thor
• Stevel – Captain America
• Me (Mike) – Hulk

Bottom Row:

• Rob – Nick Fury
• Nick – Wolverine

I hope you all had a great Halloween and I hope you showed your love for comics as well!

Post pictures if you have em!

About three weeks ago, the sixth chapter in Marvel’s Secret Invasion storyline was released and, like it’s predecessors, it is no disappointment. This issue is full of twists and turns and they’re all after the break, along with my review!

It’s always amazed me that Brian Michael Bendis can not only spread himself out to work on so many projects at once, but that he also keeps them all at such a high quality and still manages to release them on time. If you read my recap of Secret Invasion’s plot so far, you can probably guess that I’m a huge fan of the story in this saga. Since issue #1 he’s kept things interesting with action packed moments, unexpected plot twists, and more badassery you can shake a stick at and it only continues in #6.

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Hello everybody and thanks for checking out my first article here at Destroythecyb.org! Back in July 2007, New Avengers #31 revealed that the Hand had been infiltrated by the alien race know as the Skrulls and Danny Rand asked the question, “What does this all mean?”

One year later, it all comes together in Brian Michael Bendis‘ new series, Secret Invasion. While it’s only been a few months, this truly epic saga is so vast that, before I review the latest issue, I’m going to bring everyone up to speed on the whole series.

After the break, my synopsis of the Secret Invasion plot so far. Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS.

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X-Men Origins: Beast cover

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never really wondered the origins of the blue-furred, super genius X-Man we all know and (should) love named Beast. It’s never been something that I’ve sat down and said, I wonder who Beast really is and where he came from. I’ve always just known Beast to be Hank McCoy: the guy in the lab at the X-Mansion who occasionally hangs from the ceiling while doing chemistry. Even though I wasn’t too interested, I picked up this issue and actually am really glad I did. Penned by X-Men super-writer Mike Carey (Who is also writing X-Men: Legacy and X-Men: Manifest Destiny) and art coming from J.K. Woodward (Fallen Angel), it was a very good match up (even though Carey has disappointed me a little).

**some spoilers after the break**

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Yeah, I know this has been out for a year and, as an event, has been covered to death not only by reviewers but by Marvel themselves. However, I am making an effort at reading current comics as opposed to trade-waiting for everything, so I felt the need to familiarize myself with the events of Civil War so I could understand Secret Invasion (not to mention all the series that were drastically changed).

Few things are as daunting to a comics newbie as an “event.” Why, you ask? Because every single comic book event promises to be a cataclysmic, universe-altering moment in which not only “everything will change” and “nothing will be the same” (if you take a shot every time Dan DiDio or Joe Quesada say that you will die, I guarantee it), but your own faith in God will be shattered and then rebuilt. Also, every event comes with about eleventy-seven tie-ins that are nothing but a nuisance.

**spoilers after the jump**
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Ah, November. What a great month. Winter is starting to show it’s bitter head. You’re spending long days with your extended family. You’re stuffing yourself with way too much food, which you know you are going to have to work off after the new year. You’re starting to venture to the crowded malls, trying to buy expensive gifts for people you hardly know. Wait a second… November kind of sucks. Oh well, at least there are some good comics that you can look forward to. So treat yourself to some of the books I’ll be previewing after the break.

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In case you happy-go-lucky kids are interested, I want to try and wrap up some of last week’s comics for you. Why? Because I forgot to do it on Sunday (Weekend Whiz) and mainly because I like to think in the back of my head that someone out there likes to read mini-reviews.

I want to cover a lot, so let me smear the boogers out of my nose real quick and get this instant-twist-off-winner series of reviews started before it’s over.

Lightning fast reviews for you:

• Amazing Spider-Man #567
• Captain Britain and MI: 13 #4
• Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers #2
• Secret Invasion: Thor #1
• Secret Invasion: X-Men #1

And we’re off! Gotta love all those Secret Invasion stories!

**spoilers, as always, after the break**

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Secret Invasion: Inhumans #1 Cover

Holy Skrulls!!! There must be some green in the waters over at Marvel, because they are going crazy with Secret Invasion tie-ins this week. If you haven’t been reading Secret Invasion so far, you either need to catch up, or you might not have anything to buy at the shop this week.

Coming up, I’ll tell you what SI books are coming up this week. And in case you don’t like the Skrulls (or maybe you are one…), I’ll point out a couple of other notable books that are topping my shopping list this week. This includes Fantastic Four #559 and Astonishing X-Men #26.

Stick around after the break, or risk not know what to spend your hard earned cash on.

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