Superhero Comics 101

[Erik Setzer]

I've only ever had Mormons try to convert me. Which ended unsatisfactory for them, because I actually knew the Bible and could explain to them thoroughly why I held the beliefs I have, how they mesh with the message of Christ (and I'm not worried about Paul, the OT, or that fanfic known as Revelation), and why it means I wouldn't be interested in joining their church. I don't think they come across many people who can actually hold an informed discussion on religion, so when they do meet such a person, they're not very prepared for it.

Haven't had any LGBT people try to convert me, but then again, I'm not sure why they'd want to unless they were actually attracted to me, and that's clearly not an issue. Was hit on by a guy once, but he got the hint faster than I did. (Still ashamed I actually missed the innuendo there. Being hit on by a guy? Not a problem, I'll just politely decline. Not realizing he wasn't talking about actual smoking methods but rather something else? That one brings me great shame and dishonor.)

And then there's a beautiful meshing of the two, where my friend keeps trying to spread The Gay Agenda in Civ V, and gets frustrated I won't vote for it as a world religion when I'm trying to convert people to Hentai Voodooism instead. Also, I won't forgive that damn treachery at Vienna.


On the core thread topic of superhero comics, I finally found where the off-fight scene from Civil War II takes place... in a comic handed out on Free Comic Book Day, which I unfortunately missed this year. A pivotal moment, and you won't read it unless you were at a comic shop on a certain day or can track down a copy. Meh. (For those who've read Civil War II issue 1 and were wondering, they explain a lot of the shape everyone's in by a mishap where Thanos throws Medusa into Rhodey, which sets off one of his shoulder rockets that hits She-Hulk in the chest and explodes hard enough to wreck and set fire to everything. Rhodey was wandering through the fire looking for She-Hulk when Thanos popped out and put his hand through Rhodey, which finally pissed people off enough to all unload on Thanos at once.)

- - - Updated - - -

Also, comics-related but maybe not superhero (or is?), I started reading The Infinite Loop this morning (part of Humble Bundle's current book deal). Pretty fun read so far. The art style is different, but in a good way. Kind of vibrant.

You kind of have to enjoy any comic that involves using a Roman throne as a hoverboard to surf under a t-rex.

[Gotthammer]

Way to brand without knowing someone.

What should I have to fear from them? I am a little disgusted by it, yes, but I feel that way about alcoholism and rage-maniacs, as well as any sex and explicit torture in media. I am also disgusted when they show open heart or joint surgery on PBS (I can almost feel it happening to me). Disgust and fear are not quite the same thing (though one can lead to the other, admittedly).

Oh, the dictionary defence. Wonderful.

Anyways I'll put this here to point out how ridiculous that is:


No, but honestly, as an English major, there is nothing more hilarious than white/straight people who use the dictionary as their only defense.

You know what all my English professors have taught me? How useless the dictionary is, and how it could never reflect the intricacies of the relationship between language and culture.

The dictionary won’t save you. Sorry.

--

Ah, the classic “Oh, but the dictionary defines racism/sexism/{anything} as…”

Interesting from the perspective of a language major. Also, the “dictionary-definition” argument wouldn’t work for any subject if you study it at an advanced level.

You wouldn’t argue with a geneticist over the definition of a gene based on what is defined in the dictionary.

You wouldn’t argue with an astronomer over the definition of a black hole based on what is defined in a dictionary.

So why take a discussion on racism/sexism/oppression and boil it down to a dictionary definition of half a sentence?

In secondary school, at age 13, my answer to the question “What is a species?” was no more than a sentence, copied directly from the text book and corresponding to the dictionary definition.

At university, at age 21, my answer to the question “What is a species?” was a 2000-word essay which discussed different perspectives on the topic over the last hundred years.

When you bring in the dictionary definition to a discussion as a means of ending it, you are being nothing short of ignorant.

Also:


Definition of homophobia (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homophobia)
: irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals

As for why I feel you are? Well, you may think you're not but your words certainly paint the opposite case. For example you said:


I am a little disgusted by it, yes

So, umm... yeah ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I mean honestly that really covers it right there, but in the spirit of thoroughly backing up what I'm talking about there's unironic reference to "the gay agenda", gayness being "shoved in your face" and "flaunted" (which from the context of how it came up seems to be "LGBT people being shown to exist publicly either in the real world or on TV or in movies") so, you know, seems pretty much like you're really against LGBT people.

Oh and for clarity you originally asked:


How many public lynchings or beatings outside of predominately Muslim areas have you read about recently?

Bolding mine. I provided a bunch of incidents which you said didn't count because they weren't lynchings. So yeah, moving the goalposts on your own argument when I answered it. Not looking good.

There's also how you actually addressed what I posted:


Harassment and a little abuse you cannot even bring Assault charges for is hardly a lynching.

Now if you'd clicked the link, or even read what I'd quoted you would have seen this:

http://cdn3-www.musicfeeds.com.au/assets/uploads/newtown-bash-Cropped-671x377.jpg

http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/i/h/v/q/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.ghkafz.png/1448972566757.jpg

And seen the words "Police said a 23-year-old man was arrested at Newtown police station on Tuesday afternoon and charged with affray" and that police are investigating the other attack. Hardly "harassment and a little abuse". Also, you didn't say only lynchings (as if it's excusable that it wasn't :rolleyes: )


Woman is a jerk about PDA. Person still alive to post it to the internet. One woman is not a mob. I got grief from my wife's family about our PDA. This woman was just angrier.

If, again, you'd actually read what I'd posted you'd have realised there was no provocation - the woman was attacked for going to work and being trans.


Assaulted, but without intention to kill. In most cases, not even enough to call the group a mob.

What would a colloquial word for that be... it's on the tip of my tongue... oh I know where I saw the right one! Let me just get it...


beatings

There we go. It works so well, just like that time you used it originally ^_^

And just because I like irony one last quote:


And thank you for not paying attention to the rest of the sentence.

Though, on reflection, if it really upsets you to be called a homophobe I could call you a bigot and homophobic violence apologist instead :)

[Path Walker]

I've had a few gay men covet me, but none have managed to convert me to forsake all vaginas, no, I'm happy where I am.

So, did Christoph really defend his bigotry by saying its fine because none of the links he posted had any LBGT people being killed by hate groups? Like its fine for people to be insulted, assaulted and harmed as long as they can still draw breath afterwards?

I've seen attacks on gay men first hand, I've been in situations where my gay friends have been attacked in the street for no other reason than who they love. I've stood by them, fighting off attacks and waiting for police, who wont do anything to help, and that was in 2005 in the UK.

Wanting to be seen as equal isn't some insidious agenda, its wanting to not be terrorised for who you are. The fact that jumped up little idiots like Christoph can come here to call people (who happen to like others of the same sex which has happened since the very beginnings of human history) abnormal is proof of why there needs to be more education, because bigoted morons still exist and still think they can air their ****ing stupid opinions in public without any shame.

Also, you might want to consider AT LEAST doubling your estimate of the gay population, almost everyone credible out there thinks it's at least double the 5% you put.

[YorkNecromancer]

Way to brand without knowing someone.

...I am a little disgusted by [the thought that homosexuals exist]

In the very same breath you chastise one person for not knowing you, you call people disgusting without knowing them.

When I was in my mid-twenties, circumstances conspired to leave me briefly homeless. I was alone, my family lived 500 miles away, and I was f**king terrified. The people who first opened their doors to me? Were a gay couple. They let me live with them rent-free for three months. They shared their food with me, drove me to work, treated me like I was their family. We watched 'Doctor Who' together, played poker, and 'Soul Calibur II' and stayed up into the nights laughing. They turned what should have been a nightmare into one of the happiest times of my life; to this day, I like to think that's it's called 'being gay': because when the world hates you for what you are, the only way to deal with it is to laugh. When was back on my feet, I offered them money - enough to cover what they'd given me.

They turned me down flat, said never. Never. That when someone's on their last legs, it's your job to help them.

One of them was long-term unemployed due to clinical depression, so they didn't have anything, but they still refused to take my money, because they were two of the best souls it's ever been my privilege to know. Certainly two of the best I've ever been lucky enough to call friend.

But sure.

Be disgusted by them because they do stuff you'll never see, hear, or enjoy. Tell the rest of us how horrific they are, how wretched, how subhuman.

As you so eloquently put it, scientifically, they're f**king 'abnormal'.

...

http://www.reactiongifs.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/shaking_head_breaking_bad.gif

[The Girl]

Yeah... that wasn't ok. Have an issue with LBGTQ folks not acting how you think they should? Take your complaining somewhere else. Start that up again here and I'll ban your account.

Can we get this thread back onto comics, please and thanks?

[Morgrim]

Have Hawkeye and Spider-Man having arguments about burgers in the middle of combat, much to their teammates' frustration.

https://66.media.tumblr.com/fa83a9a7a2beaeb0905cbcc94d91e371/tumblr_o8219ymks11qa1qp7o1_1280.jpg
https://66.media.tumblr.com/96ef2339f9c75b52a7dc6cdf75f1e654/tumblr_o8219ymks11qa1qp7o2_1280.jpg
https://66.media.tumblr.com/b983de36e723309f45208832ba99c434/tumblr_o8219ymks11qa1qp7o3_1280.jpg
https://67.media.tumblr.com/6be91fdcb544a259f1036b234b181e1a/tumblr_o8219ymks11qa1qp7o4_1280.jpg

Source (http://richardgrays0n.tumblr.com/post/145312311007/spidey-and-hawkeye-discussing-burgers-at-five)

[Erik Setzer]

So... on the original topic, and the topic that it got turned into (maybe briefly?)... I finished up The Infinite Loop last night. It's a fun story, can be a tad bit confusing at times (but that's a side effect of being a time-"travel" story, they always get complicated), but still easy enough to follow along. The ending (such that it is) ends up taking the subtext and removes all subtlety from it, but that seems like it was a lot of the point.

Basic summary: Main character (Teddy, and the name actually has a meaning revealed in the story) is part of a team of people in the future who go back through time and wipe out "anomalies" to keep the timeline clean and pure and all that. But then she ends up in a certain location and time (I believe it's Stonewall?), and comes across an anomaly that happens to be a person, who she gives the name Ano. They fall in love, but it's the agency's job to wipe out anomalies, so she has to pretty much fight the system to keep her love.

The "Infinite Loop" is, if I'm getting the story-within-the-story right, the cycle of different groups being oppressed for being different, whether for religion, gender, sexuality, or just having been created out of thin air and dumped somewhere in time.

There's parts that make you think, and parts that are just amusing. I.e. when they come across a person wearing a suit I cannot find the words to describe (it's really tough) and there's an exchange:

"But we do have an eyewitness."
"Who? The drunk he-she in circus lesbian costume over there?" (Note: that's one of the bad guys. Obviously.)
"With all due respect, sir, I believe this outfit is rather a tribute to David Bowie."
"Tomayto, tomahto."
(Ouch.)

And there's a literally gender-fluid anomaly who keeps switching from a girl to a boy (the only hints are a visual effect and the hair changes length in some places), has the body of a child (around 10-12 years?), and swears and spits out sarcasm with pretty much every sentence.

Toward the end, they give up on all subtlety and us a scene of Teddy traveling through time to drop quotes from various figures in history (Susan B. Anthony, Malcolm X, Harvey Milk), and wrap up with a pretty clear message: Don't let other people try to hold you down for who you are or make you hate who you are, be proud of who you are and fight for the rights of all people, because if you let someone abuse one type of people, that's an approval of them abusing all types of people.

So yeah, as a comic and a social commentary, it works both ways.

But yeah, be careful reading it in public. Ano seems to have an issue keeping a top on early on, and there is a scene where introduces Teddy to certain means of enjoyment. That's the most respectful way I can put that. (Brief scenes, that help to set the story a bit more, but you probably don't want to explain them to someone seeing the page over your shoulder.)

[Erik Setzer]

EDIT

Hmm, the post I replied to is gone. So much for putting together a reasoned response.

Never mind, back to the action.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Got this in the post this morning :
http://pictures.abebooks.com/isbn/9780785198802-es-300.jpg

So much cooler than the husband.

[eldargal]

I've started reading the classic She-Hulk run by Dan Slott from about a decade ago, a few issues in to volume one and it is living up to its reputation, very good indeed. I hope she gets a new ongoing after Civil War II clears up because she deserves it.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

I've started reading the classic She-Hulk run by Dan Slott from about a decade ago, a few issues in to volume one and it is living up to its reputation, very good indeed. I hope she gets a new ongoing after Civil War II clears up because she deserves it.

Do you think I should wait till after the CWII to check She Hulk out?

Have you checked out Mrs Deadpool yet?

[eldargal]

It shouldn't matter too much, whatever happens in CWII the old She Hulk runs will still be good. The 2014 run by Charles Soule is great and so is the Dan Slott She-Hulk as mentioned, plus she is in A-Force which is great too but doesn't focus on her much as its a team book.

Not yet but I will.:)

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Another discovery, Lady Death :

http://orig10.deviantart.net/c441/f/2013/041/d/c/dc13444b0e5d4cfd5f585e63a0839712-d5uizmp.jpg

seems similar to Angela with the conquest of hell kinda thing going on.

[Mr Mystery]

I'd imagine the first issue is her going to the shops to get some proper clothes.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

http://comicvine.gamespot.com/lady-death/4005-1847/

http://static8.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_large/1/15776/323924-20797-124720-1-lady-death-a-mediev.jpg

[Mr Mystery]

I was right!

[Mr Mystery]

Sounds like DC/WB are in a bit of a flap.

Justice League is now a single movie, despite Zak Snyder begging to differ....

That's an awful lot to squeeze into a single movie.

Could it be DC/WB desperately trying to get shot of Snyder?

[eldargal]

I suspect so. I mean Dawn of Justice wasn't a failure from a financial point of view, but it was from a critical and audience reaction point of view. I mean the most you can say about it was that it's got people super excited for the Wonder Woman solo film. A lot of people are blaming Snyder for squandering a solid foundation. The same thing happened with Man of Steel, it didn't do terribly, but it didn't generate the kin of enthusiasm for the DCCU as Iron Man generated for the MCU, and DoJ failed to do that again as well, aside from Wonder Woman stealing the film.

[Mr Mystery]

I just don't get why you'd give someone with such a varying pedigree as Zak Snyder that big a property.

Let's run through the films he's made...

2004 - Dawn of the Dead re-make; I actually enjoyed this one. Nice change of pace from the original.

2007 - 300. It's alright. Astoundingly pretty, but fairly vacuous.

2009 - Watchmen. K. Now we're hitting the skids. Critically panned but I found it enjoyable enough, having at that point not read the source material

2010 - Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Oh.....bless.

2011 - Suckerpunch. First four letters pretty sum up this film. Like 300, it was a visually stunning film. But ruined by a non-existent plot, poor pacing, sod-all explanation, and a penchant for dressing the cast to look as nubile as possible for the inevitable up-skirt shots.

2013 - Man of Steel. Poorly paced, not actually Superman.

2016 - BvS. Already well covered.

So up to 2013.....ok. He makes box office, most of the time. But his films are pretty crap on the whole. SO WHY KEEP EMPLOYING HIM???

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Yeah, Wonder Woman was the only reason I watched Batman v superman, had no interest otherwise. Am tired of SH movies being male-driven too, where are my Scarlet Witch and Black Widow movies?

I hated 300, one of the most painful to watch movies iv ever seen, SO much slow-motion rubbish. Didn't think it was visually stunning either, just unimpressive CGI tripe.

[eldargal]

Yep, 300 is one of my most loathed films.

[Mr Mystery]

It's the 'airhead supermodel' stereotype of films.

Absolutely stunning visually, but nothing going on under the surface. Suckerpunch was somehow even worse. If you've not seen it, don't bother. I can sum up the plot as follows.

Girl kills abusive father/stepfather to protect little Sis.
Girl ends up committed to a psychiatric hospital, which is well grotty, innit.
GRATUITOUS UPSKIRTS! GRATUITOUS UPSKIRTS!
Some bizarre, non-sequitur actions sequences
SKIMPY OUTFITS! PANTIES PANTIES PANTIES!
Girl get's lobotomised. We think. We don't really know.
ROLLS CREDITS

[Psychosplodge]

It's a 90 minute music video passed off as a film

[Morgrim]

I liked 300. It was a very specific style, but it was a really enjoyable to watch style. Kind of like Avatar, the plot was a thin vehicle to link scenes together, and I liked having a movie that had plenty of female eyecandy and hot male-on-male not-even-undertones and some interestingly designed enemies. That also made a lot of male acquaintances uncomfortable.

If the guys get to have all that so much of the time I consider turn about to be fair play.

[Kirsten]

I enjoyed 300 and Man of Steel

[Mr Mystery]

But bollocks to all that........

Rumours abound Dredd 2 might just see the light of day..

Oh Dear Grudd, don't let this be some drokker lying to us.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Would rather it took the form of a netflix/amazon series myself, the dredd universe is too rich to be confined to films IMO. Still, any new Dredd is good I guess.

[Erik Setzer]

I actually enjoyed Sucker Punch... Sure, a lot of it was just pretty visuals and all, but there was at least something of a story tying them together. It was like taking the concept of Walter Mitty and throwing all kinds of fantasy and sci-fi elements into in and making it an even sadder story than Mitty's.

Then again, Pacific Rim is one of my favorite movies, and it definitely doesn't have an amazing makes-you-think story. But it does have a giant robot picking up a tanker ship and using it like a bat to bash a giant monster. And Idris Elba making an awesome speech. And so many awesome visuals that maybe speak to the kid in me, but that kid was super happy.

Also, I don't think reading the Watchmen graphic novel would really alter someone's appreciation of the movie, since it's damn near an exact retelling of the story. There's minor changes, and the one big change actually feels better on-screen.

If you could pair someone who could tell a good story with Snyder's ability to do visual stuff, it might make a pretty darn good film.

But for all that you might not like Snyder's work, just remember: Michael Bay seems to be working nonstop, always has a project. What kind of world is that?

[Al Shut]

He makes box office, most of the time.[...] SO WHY KEEP EMPLOYING HIM???

I think you may have your answer right there.

[eldargal]

Looks like Ms Marvel Kamala Khan will be getting a Marvel Legends figure this year, so hurray!

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Looks like Ms Marvel Kamala Khan will be getting a Marvel Legends figure this year, so hurray!

at f**king last, now how about an Angela figure...

[eldargal]

Angela is coming next year, hopefully early in the year.:) One of the Marvel toy news sites got the product entries from a retail computer system or something, they hav been accurate in the past and probly mean Ms Marvel is 2-3 months away from retail.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Angela is coming next year, hopefully early in the year.:) One of the Marvel toy news sites got the product entries from a retail computer system or something, they hav been accurate in the past and probly mean Ms Marvel is 2-3 months away from retail.

Oh seriously? thats great :D I'll definitely get an Angela figure to stand next to Lady Death, seems apt since they are both hell queens lol

What about a Shiklah figure? I want mrs deadpool too!

[eldargal]

Yup, she won last years SDCC fan poll much to the disgust of some collectors lol. I might have to commission a custom for Sera to go with her.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Yup, she won last years SDCC fan poll much to the disgust of some collectors lol. I might have to commission a custom for Sera to go with her.

Glad She's proving popular, why on earth were they disgusted? o_O

[eldargal]

Mostly because they wanted another character and don't consider her a proper Marvel character because she began with Spawn and only moved over when Marvel got the rights from Neil Gaiman.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

ah well, screw em' :P I want my angela figure!

[eldargal]

My feelings exactly.:) I was surprised she won the fanpoll actually, I expected Enchantress to win, she has been in no 1 spot on most fansites polls for years and years. It seems she is going to be in this years SDCC exclusive, which is both good and really annoying.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

My feelings exactly.:) I was surprised she won the fanpoll actually, I expected Enchantress to win, she has been in no 1 spot on most fansites polls for years and years. It seems she is going to be in this years SDCC exclusive, which is both good and really annoying.

I've noticed the marvel figure collection is a bit of a sausage party from my searches -_- do you have any super hero figures yourself?

[eldargal]

Marvel Legends from Hasbro isn't too bad, most of their waves are 2 women out of 6/7 total which is really high by industry standards. Oh I have heaps, my little cousins have taken a shine to action figures so I buy each wave of Marvel Legends and STar Wars Black series and get myself one too.:) They released a nice Captain Marvel in the 6" Marvel Legends last year which I recommend if you like that character, plus Mockingbird and Sharon Carter this year.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

should be an even 50/50 split IMO. Having a look at the Marvel legends site now, first one that caught my eye was the black queen jean grey : http://marvellegends.net/Figures/MLE07-08/JeanGrey_0.htm
still looks like mostly dudes to me though :/ am I looking in the wrong places perhaps?

[eldargal]

It's getting there, an upcoming X-Men wave has 3/7 women (Kitty Pryde, Rogue, Phoenix) and a rumoured X-Men second wave is 50/50 If the rumoured Wolverine is the new Laura Kinney Wolverine which hopefully it will be because the wave before it includes Logan Wolverine.
http://marvellegends.net/Line/MarvelLegends.htm
Mostly the newer waves dating back to 2014 or so

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

ooo a Hela figure!! And she's got a throne...wonder if I can find one of those seperately hmmm

[eldargal]

Hela might be available on eBay, she was in last years SDCC exclusive. Which I bought on eBay during SDCC, its like 4 times the price now. Hela loose is probably very expensive too, BUT with her being in the Thor film next year peeps are expecting she will be re-released then.:)

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

ah yeah, doubt id be able to afford that then, ill hope for a rerelease!

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

http://screenrant.com/underrated-female-superheroes-deserve-movies/?view=all

what do you think of this list? :D

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Lynda Carter is playing the US president in the next season of supergirl :
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/supergirl-wonder-woman-lynda-carter-905167

That will defo make season 2 better!

[eldargal]

Ooh wow! I hope Supergirl season two is more consistently good than The Flash season two. And the less said about Arrow the better.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Ooh wow! I hope Supergirl season two is more consistently good than The Flash season two. And the less said about Arrow the better.

I find them both watchable but they aren't really favourites if I'm being honest. Arrow killed off my fave character :(

I just hope Cat grant gets to stay....thats my biggest worry for supergirl season2..

[eldargal]

I enjoy the Flash, but the second season went a bit shaky in the second half of the season, and the finale was rubbish, just a rehash of the season one finale except he makes a different, and worse, choice.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

I enjoy the Flash, but the second season went a bit shaky in the second half of the season, and the finale was rubbish, just a rehash of the season one finale except he makes a different, and worse, choice.

meant to be a setup for the Flashpoint storyline, right? I know nothing about that so I can't really comment but I'll be curious to see how it goes. Sounds like Arrow will be changing directions for it's next season too, so maybe things will get better on that one.

[Erik Setzer]

Looks like Ms Marvel Kamala Khan will be getting a Marvel Legends figure this year, so hurray!

YEEEEEEESSSSSS. I will buy the hell out of that, to show that there is definitely support for a female Pakistani Muslim superhero! Also, because it's a really good comic.

- - - Updated - - -


Yup, she won last years SDCC fan poll much to the disgust of some collectors lol. I might have to commission a custom for Sera to go with her.

What about a statue based on this piece of art?
http://static2.comicvine.com/uploads/screen_kubrick/0/40/4829457-angela_queen_of_hel_1_cover_1280.jpg

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

omg id love a statue based on that art, they really should do figures of htem as a set/pair too IMO

[eldargal]

meant to be a setup for the Flashpoint storyline, right? I know nothing about that so I can't really comment but I'll be curious to see how it goes. Sounds like Arrow will be changing directions for it's next season too, so maybe things will get better on that one.

Yup. Hopefully season three will be good, its not like season two was bad, but it was kind of hit and miss and the finale was just meh. But still better than Arrow which has just completely lost the plot.

- - - Updated - - -


YEEEEEEESSSSSS. I will buy the hell out of that, to show that there is definitely support for a female Pakistani Muslim superhero! Also, because it's a really good comic.

- - - Updated - - -



What about a statue based on this piece of art?
http://static2.comicvine.com/uploads/screen_kubrick/0/40/4829457-angela_queen_of_hel_1_cover_1280.jpg

Yup, still a rumour at this point but the rumours this site has had about Marvel Legends for the pat few months have been 100% accurate, they seem to have a source with ready access to retailer computer ordering systems or whatever.

A statue based on that art would be great.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

It looks like Legends of Tommorow will be getting Vixen as part of their cast, but it will be a different incarnation it sounds like (?)

http://www.blastr.com/sites/blastr/files/styles/blog_post_in_content_image/public/maisie-richardson-sellers_OKAP_1.jpg

http://www.blastr.com/2016-6-24/dcs-legends-tomorrow-casts-new-vixen-season-2-time-travel-twist

I am pretty happy with this direction, I'm glad she isnt meant to replace the previous one but is like a different one from history, leaves it open for the original to come back. I am always happy to see more female heroes too!

[eldargal]

Ooh nice, still need to catch up on Legends of Tomorrow. Glad they are making a new Vixen, still hoping the old one gets her own spinoff.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Ooh nice, still need to catch up on Legends of Tomorrow. Glad they are making a new Vixen, still hoping the old one gets her own spinoff.

I agree! I'm glad they could still do one if the actress gets the time later on - I'm glad that option is still possible! I'm excited to give this new one a chance though, and it sounds like she will be main member of the cast which will be good.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

http://dailysuperheroes.com/sony-reportedly-still-planning-silver-sable-movie/23512/

http://i1.wp.com/d3qljroq8e8j0n.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/25123152/Sony-reportedly-still-has-plans-of-making-a-Silver-Sable-movie.jpg?resize=640%2C320

During the infamous Sony leak, we came to know that Sony Pictures had been planning to make spinoff movies with a number of characters from Spider-Man family. One of those characters was Silver Sable.

But a lot has changed since then. The studio has partnered with Marvel Studios in introducing a brand new Spider-Man. We have already seen Tom Holland portray the new webslinger in Captain America: Civil War and we will see him again in his upcoming standalone flick, Spider-Man: Homecoming.

But it seems like Sony hasn’t given up their hope on making a Silver Sable movie. That’s what Jeff Sneider suggests. During this week’s episode of Meet The Movie Press, the former The Wrap editor claims that he has heard about Sony still wanting to move forward with a standalone movie for the female antihero.

According to Sneider, the studio wants the British screenwriter Abi Morgan for the Silver Sable movie. They are talking with the Shame, The Invisible Woman and Suffragette scribe to pen the script.

----------------------


Never heard of this character before I'm happy to see more female led super-hero movies! She looks pretty badass though :
http://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Silver-Sable-540x356.png

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

The new Iron Man :
http://www.blastr.com/sites/blastr/files/styles/blog_post_in_content_image/public/Invincible-Iron-Man-1.jpg

never liked Tony Stark, the capitalist *******, but might give this one a chance.

[Mr Mystery]

Yarp. I'm intrigued (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-36731596)

Couple of witty comments, and of course some witless ones.

I do hope they give the title so someone who can do it justice.

[eldargal]

The new Iron Man :
http://www.blastr.com/sites/blastr/files/styles/blog_post_in_content_image/public/Invincible-Iron-Man-1.jpg

never liked Tony Stark, the capitalist *******, but might give this one a chance.

Oh wow the the white ****boy demographic is going to lose its ****. I think she looks magnificent.

- - - Updated - - -

However, the person who pointed out that Marvel could really use some black women writing their comics was spot on. Marvel does reasonably well with diversity in the pages, less so with the creators.

[Mr Mystery]

So far, main question is 'how does she get her magnificent head of hair in such a tight fitting helmet'?

I mean, obvious answer is 'that's your concern? Not the technology that goes into the suit itself, or the powers of the villains she'll be chinning on a regular basis?'

But....I think they're genuinely light-hearted comments, rather than poorly veiled rachelism.

[eldargal]

Her helmet is considerably larger than her head, I'd imagine she pulls it into a a ponytail and just tucks it in there.

[Psychosplodge]

I kinda liked RDJ's tony stark so that'll suck. He must have finally asked for too much money :D

Apart from that pretty much whatever. At least its a continuation not another reboot- heres Toni Starke or some nonsense.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

However, the person who pointed out that Marvel could really use some black women writing their comics was spot on. Marvel does reasonably well with diversity in the pages, less so with the creators.

one friend she isn't keen on it "another white guy thinking he's gonna write this when he can't even take care of his own daughters? HELL NO" to quote her. not sure what she meant by that last part about his daughters though.

[eldargal]

I don't know about anything with Bendis' daughters either, but I do know he gets a lot of flak from people of colour about how he writes people of colour. His 'I'm not black Spider-man, I'm spider-man' speech he gave Miles Morales in particular.

[Gotthammer]

This article comments on it (https://stitchmediamix.com/2016/07/06/the-reality-of-bendis-writing-blackness/):


I’m especially vexed that the man behind this is Mr. Brian Michael “My Spider-Man doesn’t see what so important about him being Black in a world that loves Blackness but hates Black people” Bendis.

Look, the second you take a legacy character of color and you decide that they’re going to express discomfort with the fact that people are excited by them being a person of color, you’re not someone I want writing any character of color.

By having Miles say that he doesn’t want to be the “Black” Spider-Man in direct response to seeing someone on television freaking excited about him being brown in a world where white superheroes crowd the skies, Bendis has ended up on my **** list.

(Note also that there’s definitely a “mock the supposed average tumblr user” vibe inherent in the language and character used as a foil to Miles just wanting to be “normal”.)

Bendis is white. Super white even. Sure, he has two adopted Black daughters (one who is African-American and another who is Ethiopian), but, as evidenced in his work, that doesn’t mean he knows **** about Blackness.

Things that happen to Black people, happen around him.

Over-average police brutality? Being followed around in stores because of your blackness? Having people refuse to date you because you’re black? Being labeled a “fast tailed girl” the second you start to get a hint of breast tissue?

He never grew up hearing the talk about what to do when the police confront you in order to have some hope of surviving. He watches news reports of Black people being killed by the police (122 so far in 2016 with the death of Alton Sterling) and knows that it will NEVER happen to him.

Bendis won’t (can’t) have access to the painful parts of Blackness, but he also doesn’t have access to the joyful parts of Blackness.

These are so many things that Bendis will never experience, that he just straight up cannot bring to the table when he writes a Black character, because the closest he comes to Blackness is through his daughters.

Bendis writes Miles being unaware of what it means to be the “Black Spider-Man” when people of color in public spheres talk constantly about how they strive to provide representation to children like them who grew up without seeing themselves in movies or shows.

In his books Miles is adrift, removed from Blackness and his Puerto-Rican-ness due to being orphaned and leaving his universe. He doesn’t interact with or exhibit Blackness in any meaningful way being being dark skinned. Miles exists in whiteness that’s nearly unbroken except for his friendship with Ganke and occasional hangouts with Nick Fury.

Remember what I linked to about “digital brown paper dolls (http://ohsoang.tumblr.com/post/144901889915/advanced-racism-ending-the-digital-minstrel-show)” in the Dragon Age fandom?

Miles is fast becoming one of them with Bendis’ colorblind approach to blackness.

I can only imagine that his take on Riri will also lack nuance and understanding of what it means to be a Black woman in a world dominated by white male heroes and villains.

And that’s messed up considering how he’s being tapped to write these Black legacy characters when he has no actual idea of what it means to be Black in America.

I’m annoyed at how Bendis keeps being handed opportunities to write young black people in comics when he has exhibited (via Miles) that he has no experience with or understanding Blackness in its many forms.

His writing is clearly coming from a place of white privilege and I am beyond pissed that Marvel keeps refusing to do the legwork and get Black creators (especially Black women) on their books that are about character who are Black.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

I don't know about anything with Bendis' daughters either, but I do know he gets a lot of flak from people of colour about how he writes people of colour. His 'I'm not black Spider-man, I'm spider-man' speech he gave Miles Morales in particular.

It's a fair point that it is better to hire people of colour to write people of colour. It's good they want more diversity, but they need to match that with the writers too I guess.

what did you think of the Silver Sable news btw? are you familiar with that character?

[eldargal]

The film spin-off from Spider-man? I'm surprised the yare going with Silver Sable rather than a higher profile Spider-man female character like Black Cat but maybe they figure she is too close to Catwoman lol. Hopefully they will do a good job.

[Mr Mystery]

I don't get why they wouldn't hire a person of colour to write a character of colour.

A massive part of Spidey's appeal to us bloke nerds is that, for the large majority of us, we were as feeble as pre-bite Peter Parker in school. We did get picked on by the Flash Thompson's of the world. We did unsuccessfully lust after our own personal Mary-Jane Watsons.

He was us, granted powers. And the whole moral 'great power, great responsibility' did resonate, at least with me. We'd been on the receiving end of abused power (however petty, it was still an abuse of power), and could get that revenge is a hollow thing, and drags you down to their level.

But that's speaking as a white nerd. Nerds of Colour will have had a far different journey throughout school - so this Spidey needs to also reflect that. I don't know how different, because I'm white. And it follows that a white writer would have to either do a hell of a lot of research and interviews to get it right - so why not just give it to a person of colour and get pretty much guaranteed veracity.

[eldargal]

I think part of the problem is most of these guys have made a career from writing white characters in white stories aimed at a presumed white audience, and some of the mare very good at that, but they think that means they are good at writing stories full stop. So they take the same approach writing black characters and black stories and mess it up, and have a nasty tendency to then ignore criticism on the basis that they meant well and tried hard. Then they think even making the attempt = criticism, not realising that people know when you are making a genuine effort to do well and get things right, and are forgiving of mistakes when you have the grace to acknowledge when you could have done better.

[Erik Setzer]

The new Iron Man :

never liked Tony Stark, the capitalist *******, but might give this one a chance.

I actually like Tony, but I'm cool with this, and it'll be a temporary thing (hold on, let me explain before you assume I mean that in a bad way!).

For those not keeping up with the comics, first, SPOILERS AHEAD. That said... Even before Civil War II got underway, Tony was dealing with some guys in his company trying to take over while he was "missing," away on a trip to Japan to try to spy on a new villain that'd popped up. But that's minor. Then CW2 comes along. Right off the bat, his best friend, Rhodey, gets killed by Thanos. Then Tony decides he wants to figure out how this guy Ulysses works, so he breaks into New Attlian (home of the Inhumans) and runs off with the kid to run tests (and learns his "precog" powers are basically like a supercomputer running analyses to figure out the most likely events that will happen in the future, which is properly called out as "profiling" in the Sam Wilson: Captain America series). The Inhumans weren't happy with that, so to show that you don't mess with them, they break into his bank account and steal all his money, send explosives to blow up nearly all his homes and garages, and break into his email server and release a bunch of emails and scandalous pics to the public. Also, being against the precog means Tony's going against his best friend's lover, Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel (who's sadly become pretty snide and nasty even toward her friends in some of the comics, which I hope they later excuse as her just being pretty torn up over Rhodey, because it feels out of character). Medusa said no to hitting Stark's company, because she didn't want to hurt people (physically or financially) who weren't involved in the "attack" on the Inhumans, but one of them decides to go off-script and have Stark Tower blown up anyway.

In short, he's pretty much lost everything at this point. Also, apparently he was adopted and is trying to find his biological parents.

Enter Riri Williams, a young woman who builds her own suit of armor from scrap and stolen items in her dorm room. She goes flying off to be a hero, stopping a speeding truck full of prisoners attempting a getaway (but wrecking her armor in the process) and basically acting like her apparent personal hero.

So we have a young woman who acts well as a protege for Tony and someone to carry on that style of hero into the future as they age up heroes over time. Tony doesn't feel like wearing his armor right now (and some folks don't want to see him), so it makes sense for Riri to take over using the armor.

In time, though, I think this will be their way of easing her into the stories, so they can later have her build her own suit of armor and take on her own hero name and persona. And Tony will likely step back into his armor at that point. So Riri as Iron Man will, I believe, be temporary, but she won't be a temporary character.


The one thing that does bother me, though (aside from the headlines saying "Black woman is the new Iron Man!" rather than "Riri Williams is the new Iron Man!") is that Bendis basically said in an interview they have no back story or anything written for Riri. They didn't even flesh out a character who's going to be taking over a major role in the Marvel comics. And that makes it too easy to assume it was a move to check in some boxes... which might be true, but still no reason not to enjoy it if it's well written (and so far Riri seems like she could be a cool character). The one thing they said they "knew" was she's "probably smarter than Tony," which is a bit much given that she's only 15. It's a ridiculous new trend where all the teenage super heroes have to be incredible geniuses smarter than anyone older than them. You've got Amadeus Cho (Hulk) who's "the eighth smartest person on the planet" and his super-genius sister; Squirrel Girl is doing tech courses in college and played up as ridiculously smart; Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) and Miles Morales (Spider-Man) were the heads of their schools' teams in a science competition so ridiculously advanced that one of the entries was a nuclear reactor that could fit in the palm of someone's hands. It's all a bit much. It'd be different if Riri was just really smart and could, in about ten years, surpass Tony. But already? Bit much. It's like they're trying too hard.

Anyway, yeah, I'm not critical of it or cynical or anything. I think it could be good and introduce a new long-term hero to the comics, and it makes sense in the story.

- - - Updated - - -


I don't know about anything with Bendis' daughters either, but I do know he gets a lot of flak from people of colour about how he writes people of colour. His 'I'm not black Spider-man, I'm spider-man' speech he gave Miles Morales in particular.

I don't know off the top of my head who's writing the Sam Wilson: Captain America comics, but they definitely make his skin color a topic in the comics. Not in a bad way, either. It feels a bit more authentic that way. SW:CA issue 10 was pretty big on that. It had Rhodey's funeral, and almost all of the other black heroes got together for their own private ceremony before joining the main one, in which Sam gave a speech about how Rhodey basically acted as someone for black kids to look up to and think, "I can be a super hero too!" (Not exactly phrased that way, but it was very clearly the intent.)

[eldargal]

I forget if we touched on this alreayd, but that's another thing disturbing about this, the fact the media are talking about a black 'woman' taking over Iron Man. 15 isn't a woman.

[Erik Setzer]

I forget if we touched on this alreayd, but that's another thing disturbing about this, the fact the media are talking about a black 'woman' taking over Iron Man. 15 isn't a woman.

That's another thing that felt weird to me, like they missed the fact she's a high school aged teenager. But I get the feeling no one writing the articles has actually bothered reading the comics introducing her, much less anything else around her.


In other news, Angela's rejoining the Guardians of the Galaxy, but they still haven't given a proper answer on whether Sera will be there. If Sera's not at the very least traveling on the ship with them, I'll join whatever protest march we can get with pitchforks and torches to head to the Marvel offices. They're a super-tight couple, there's no way in Hel that Angela would leave Sera behind, especially when they were trying to find an apartment to settle down in and live a relatively normal life TOGETHER. If they don't feel like having Sera participate all the time, that's okay, I'm a bit sad but I'll understand and be happy with at least having Angela back "out there." But if Sera's not along for the ride, I'm going to be pissed.

[eldargal]

Captain America: Sam Wilson is written by Nick Spencer, he of HydraCap fame lol. I actually really enjoy it, I nearly stopped reading it because of just how ridiculous HydraCap was and their obnoxious reaction to the outrage but decided not too once HydraCap resolved the way everyone knew it would.

[Erik Setzer]

Captain America: Sam Wilson is written by Nick Spencer, he of HydraCap fame lol. I actually really enjoy it, I nearly stopped reading it because of just how ridiculous HydraCap was and their obnoxious reaction to the outrage but decided not too once HydraCap resolved the way everyone knew it would.

Yeah, HYDRACap got explained in the very next issue, so I'm guessing it wasn't a retcon once there was public backlash, just a story they had in mind. It might have been in the works for a while... I'd been wondering why Red Skull showed up in Pleasant Hill. They were basically setting it up for this. And given that the whole deal with Pleasant Hill involved SHIELD using Kobik to rewrite people's minds so hardcore they even thought they looked different (and other people thought so as well), rewriting Cap's memories when she made him young again doesn't seem like a far stretch.

[eldargal]

Yup, and that's what makes it so farcical. Like no one really believed it was going to last, but htey insisted on the 'no its for realsies Rogers has been Hydra since childhood!' BS, which then had people pointing that if it were true having a character created by two Jewish guys literally to fight National Socialists actually be one was deeply problematic. Their response to the criticism was basically 'lmao cry more nubs'. Spencer is a good writer and it is a shame he tarnished his reputation with such nonsense to be honest, hell it would have been better if htey had just said 'yeah read the next issue it's going to be fine' and stopped acting like it was a permanent thing instead of a dumb stunt that lasted all of one issue.
I really liked the Pleasant Hill storyline, one of the few crossovers in recent times I've actually sought out all the main books and a lot of the tie-ins. I just hope they don't go down the 'Maria Hill is incompetent at everything except holding onto power' path with that whole thing, because its got unfortunately close to that at times, with her being held more accountable for Pleasant Hill than Fury was for half of the catastrophes he was responsible for.

[Erik Setzer]

As much as Maria Hill comes off as an ice-hearted... um... person, she does seem to have just picked it up from Fury, just without wasting time on any of the "charm" they tried to put into his character. The biggest problem is that SHIELD's not been capable of doing much of anything well lately, regardless of who's at the helm. And now we hear that SHIELD's being replaced by AIM redone as "American Idea Mechanics" or something like that and a "U.S.Avengers" team that will make a "patriot" feel it's a bit too much red, white, and blue (except Squirrel Girl, who's still rocking her normal outfit).

Speaking of U.S.Avengers, that's the one comic with a version of Cap that I have a mild problem being long-term (and I seriously doubt it will be). They show on the cover the Captain America from 2099, but I doubt she's part of the full-time team, because they already have two running around now and that's enough to wrap your head around. Throwing in a third will be extra confusing. But she's showed up doing a bit of time traveling in the New Avengers, so if that's the thing, rather than them coming up with a convoluted way to get her stuck in 2016 just to have yet another Captain America, that's cool. I like her showing up in the comics for adventures, but full-time in the basic timeline feels just weird on so many levels.

[eldargal]

Yup, SHIELD is being framed as unusually incompetent, and she just happens to be in charge at the time. Like I get that you're always going to have a situation where SHIELD screws up and the superheroes come to the rescue but its going a little bit over the top, with the superheroes now actively hostile to SHIELD in some cases, largely due to Maria Hill and Pleasant Hill.

[Mr Mystery]

Speaking of writers and wimmins...

Final screenwriter credits for Wonder Woman now revealed (http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/movies/wonder-woman/39227/wonder-woman-screenwriters-finally-confirmed)

Not being a reader, doesn't mean owt to me.

[Erik Setzer]

In GotG, they break into a Badoon prison to get Angela out. No word on how she ended up there, no word about Sera or anything. Sure, she only shows up toward the end, but it feels like I'm reading an entirely different character than the one in her own comic. If that trend keeps up, it'll be disappointing. The writer was so happy to have her "back," so now they're going to ignore what happened in her own series to make her whatever they think she should be?

[eldargal]

Figures. I think they wanted to be rid of the series to be honest, I mean it got cancelled while comics with lower sales (including Drax' solo title) are still going. Which writer is it? they might be on twitter so if you have twitter you could ask what's happening.

[Erik Setzer]

I have to look up the writer, can't remember right now, but definitely something I'm curious about. It just felt so weird seeing her as a prisoner and then gets in her armor and starts fighting, all with a smile on her face, like all of her characterization drained away.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

a few new photos from wonder woman movie :
http://www.ew.com/gallery/wonder-woman-exclusive-images/2666648_gal-gadot-and-director-patty-jenkins

[Mr Mystery]

Still just can't get excited by DC movies.

Though I am gonna watch BvS next weekend. Up the pub.

I really, really hope Wonder Woman doesn't even remotely suck though. Not only do Marvel/Disney need solid competition to keep them on their toes, but I don't want WW to be pointed to in coming years as justification for female lead superhero movies not being bankable.

[Erik Setzer]

Marvel NOW has series coming out for three different members of Deadpool's Mercs for Money... and yet we have no Angela series. They're given Luke Cage his own series, and Iron Fist a series, while they have their combined series. But no Angela. At least Gamora's getting her own series (while Star-Lord once again goes back to issue #1).

W...T...F.

And the new Avengers titles... You have over-the-top U.S.Avengers, and Occupy Avengers. So one Avengers group that looks like someone threw them into a blender with an American flag, and another that's named after a protest group? WHY?!?

And they seem to be hinting at a "romance" between Miles Morales and Gwen Stacey (as Spider-Gwen)... even though they're in different dimensions (though Spider-Woman and Silk tend to hop over to Earth-65 rather often). But then again, this is based on a pair of comic covers, one of them showing the two kissing, and we had Thor and Cap-Sam kiss on one cover and all it was in the comics was a "heat of the moment" thing (which tipped Thor's secret identity off a bit to Sam). So it could be a misleading cover to get people to see what's going on.

- - - Updated - - -


Though I am gonna watch BvS next weekend. Up the pub.

If you can your hands on the extended version, go for that. It's about a half hour longer, but I've heard it helps the movie make more sense.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Ordered the first volume of this awesome looking comic :
https://imagecomics.com/uploads/releases/Monstress_04-1.png
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1632157098/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Set in an alternate matriarchal 1900's Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steam punk, MONSTRESS tells the story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, a connection that will transform them both and make them the target of both human and otherworldly powers. About the Creators: New York Times bestselling and award-winning writer Marjorie Liu is best known for her fiction and comic books. She teaches comic book writing at MIT, and leads a class on Popular Fiction at the Voices of Our Nation (VONA) workshop. Ms. Liu's extensive work includes the bestselling "Astonishing X-Men" for Marvel Comics, which featured the gay wedding of X-Man Northstar and was subsequently nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding media images of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Prior to writing full-time, Liu was a lawyer. She currently resides in Boston. Sana Takeda is an illustrator and comic book artist who was born in Niigata, and now resides in Tokyo, Japan. At age 20 she started out as a 3D CGI designer for SEGA, a Japanese video game company, and became a freelance artist when she was 25. She is still an artist, and has worked on titles such as "X-23" and "Ms. Marvel" for Marvel Comics, and is an illustrator for trading card games in Japan.

----

strong female lead + badass lovecraftian monster? sounds like a win!

[eldargal]

I've been meaning to check that out, I like Marjorie Liu. She is also writing the current Han Solo comic which is very good also.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

I've been meaning to check that out, I like Marjorie Liu. She is also writing the current Han Solo comic which is very good also.

I'll let you know what I think then, it sounds amazing from the setting/backround to the beautiful art style. Looking forward to it. Surprised how cheap it is also.

[eldargal]

YAAAAAAAS:
https://67.media.tumblr.com/3205d15a5b8435ea2eb273b8dddbda2e/tumblr_oao8ieTfGu1sgr6zyo1_1280.jpg
https://67.media.tumblr.com/68326f9eb0c230fd2138705b95257d2f/tumblr_oao8ieTfGu1sgr6zyo2_r1_1280.jpg
https://67.media.tumblr.com/32c8f8edb056bac8fdc0de43ed1f7e8f/tumblr_oap86nb1ce1sgr6zyo1_1280.jpg

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Nice, are those photos of your own figures? love them all, either way!

Got the Monstress graphic novel and read a bit, I definitely think you'd like it Eldargal. The artwork is stunning too, and the world is this nice mix of eastern and western elements.

[eldargal]

Nope those are from SDCC, they revealed th 6" Marvel Legends Kamala Khan, Dazzler and Angela figures plus some other guys but who cares about them...

Excellent, glad it is delivering and I will definitely check it out.:)

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

yeah the Angela figure looks awesome, ill try and ebay one at some point probably. She'll look good stood next to Lady Death as the underworld queens.

[eldargal]

Marvel hires its first black woman creator for a Black Panther spin-off starring a lesbian vigilante couple. (http://comicsalliance.com/roxane-gay-world-of-wakanda/)

This is a start, Marvel.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Marvel hires its first black woman creator for a Black Panther spin-off starring a lesbian vigilante couple. (http://comicsalliance.com/roxane-gay-world-of-wakanda/)

This is a start, Marvel.

That sounds pretty cool, will probably buy it.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

FINALLY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lGoQhFb4NM

officially the first Superhero movie I've actually been excited to see.

[eldargal]

It does look rather good, also rather more excited about the Justice League film than I was after BvS.

Kamala Khan and Ms Thor are coming to the smol screen in Marvels new animated Avengers show. (http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/sdcc-marvel-announces-animated-secret-wars-skottie-young-style-rocket-groot?utm_campaign=sdcc-marvel-announces-animated-secret-wars-skottie-young-style-) Well technically it's the same show as Avengers Assemble, but not really.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Captain Marvel writer weighs in on Brie Larson casting :

http://www.blastr.com/2016-7-27/captain-marvel-writer-weighs-brie-larson-casting

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Wonder Woman’s legacy remains strong with comic book creators and fans 75 years later

http://www.blastr.com/2016-7-29/wonder-woman%E2%80%99s-legacy-remains-strong-comic-book-creators-and-fans-75-years-later

[eldargal]

Captain Marvel writer weighs in on Brie Larson casting :

http://www.blastr.com/2016-7-27/captain-marvel-writer-weighs-brie-larson-casting

Ooh missed this. I agree with Deconnick on this, I wanted a taller, older actress too but now the decision is made I'm going to support Brie Larsen and the film as much as I possibly can because there are plenty of creeps out there who want it to fail. If the script is solid and her performance is good there is no reason why she couldn't be Captain Marvel for the next decade or more.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, the chances of Poison Ivy getting a solo title post Rebirth is dependent on sales of her trade paperback currently available for pre-order, so if you have any interest in the character and want to check out her current mini-series, do consider buying it. It's called Poison Ivy Cycle Of Life And Death and its code thingy is JUN160347

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Ooh missed this. I agree with Deconnick on this, I wanted a taller, older actress too but now the decision is made I'm going to support Brie Larsen and the film as much as I possibly can because there are plenty of creeps out there who want it to fail. If the script is solid and her performance is good there is no reason why she couldn't be Captain Marvel for the next decade or more.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, the chances of Poison Ivy getting a solo title post Rebirth is dependent on sales of her trade paperback currently available for pre-order, so if you have any interest in the character and want to check out her current mini-series, do consider buying it. It's called Poison Ivy Cycle Of Life And Death and its code thingy is JUN160347

How old is Captain Marvel in the comics?

I litterally just pre-ordered the poison ivy one this second. She is by far my fave Gotham girl (a redhead with killer plants is kind of an unbeatable combo imo)

[eldargal]

They don't really say, so they can keep her age more or less constant indefinitely heh, but to be an actual colonel she would need to be at least 40 because you need to have 22 years experience in the military to qualify. Even allowing for some shenanigans due to her super powers everyone agrees she is mid 30s at least.

I haven't got around to reading it yet, but my BFF and lots of other people say it is excellent, and the single issues are in my to read pile. I ordered the trade on principle heh.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

They don't really say, so they can keep her age more or less constant indefinitely heh, but to be an actual colonel she would need to be at least 40 because you need to have 22 years experience in the military to qualify. Even allowing for some shenanigans due to her super powers everyone agrees she is mid 30s at least.

I haven't got around to reading it yet, but my BFF and lots of other people say it is excellent, and the single issues are in my to read pile. I ordered the trade on principle heh.

ah I see, so thats why people had an issue with her age then. I guess that makes sense.

[eldargal]

Yup. Personally I think of her, based on how she acts and looks, as somewhere between 35-38 but I could push it to 40 easily enough. If the film i taking a more origins approach, depicting her during or shortly after her empowerment it makes sense for her to be younger, to be fair.

[Erik Setzer]

Marvel hires its first black woman creator for a Black Panther spin-off starring a lesbian vigilante couple. (http://comicsalliance.com/roxane-gay-world-of-wakanda/)

This is a start, Marvel.

Ah... I'd seen a note about that series and I thought it sounded like the couple running around in Black Panther, but it's nice to see confirmation. They seemed like they could be an interesting story on their own, nice to see them breaking off from Black Panther to have their own series.

- - - Updated - - -


Yup. Personally I think of her, based on how she acts and looks, as somewhere between 35-38 but I could push it to 40 easily enough. If the film i taking a more origins approach, depicting her during or shortly after her empowerment it makes sense for her to be younger, to be fair.

I always get the feeling she's mid-to-late 30s, but could be 40s... I mean, heck, Peter Parker's clearly in his 40s and he still looks like early 20s a lot of the time.

My only issue with Larson is the hair... It's not really an "issue," either. But if the hair is longer, that's got to be an "origin story" or something earlier. I'd prefer seeing something with her current look and style, just to tie into the comics more (and maybe bolster their sales). I'm sure they can make Larson look like Carol Danvers otherwise.

Fun side note: This means we now have Lucas Lee and Envy Adams as Captains America and Marvel.

Amusing note on Captain Marvel: She has her own comic series, she's the leader of the Ultimates (which is another series, and, combined with Alpha Flight, puts her in charge of two official teams of heroes), and she's sort of the default leader of A-Force (well, actually, my vote is that Singularity is really pulling the strings, but she's so adowable that no one notices), so Captain Marvel is central to three of Marvel's ongoing comics series. Darned right she deserves her own movie by now.

[Gotthammer]

http://66.media.tumblr.com/1c03912c846ed199e145703ebc3a945d/tumblr_oaesfi1GS91toh90oo1_540.png


If anyone needed proof Suicide Squad was made by two eighth grade boys stacked in a trenchcoat.

-

I feel like every time I start feeling like this would be worth watching the production team says some sh!t like this and I just honestly….

[Mr Mystery]

From iconic, much loved character, to some tossers five-tissue-fantasy.

[eldargal]

I'm still hoping the production team are just trolling, like apparently a heap of the crap Leto was supposedly doing on set wasn't true. Preview screenings for Suicide Squad have had very positive reviews too apparently.

[Mr Mystery]

Still looking like a massive bag of elephant wank to me.

They resorted to using Ballroom Blitz in a trailed. Ballroom Blitz. A fine song, but one that when it comes to movies, I now associate with 'oh hey wow! Aren't we nutty! Looks, it's all zany'

This is how I see Leto's Joker....

http://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljvu1sNuzV1qccwkvo1_250.gif

[Al Shut]

They resorted to using Ballroom Blitz in a trailed. Ballroom Blitz. A fine song, but one that when it comes to movies, I now associate with 'oh hey wow! Aren't we nutty! Looks, it's all zany'

Could still be accurate. I remember Kung Fu Hustle having a Ballroom Blitz trailer, a movie that's both brilliant and completely nuts.

[Mr Mystery]

Oh dear, DC/WH. Oh dear oh dear. (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/suicide_squad_2016/reviews/)

Seems they've produced yet another ropey effort in Suicide Squad.

[Mr Mystery]

Seems Vanity Fair didn't like it one bit. (http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/08/suicide-squad-review)

If that review is to be believed, they have indeed reduced Harley Quinn to eye candy.

Definitely going on my 'will see it in the pub for free' list.

[Psychosplodge]

https://65.media.tumblr.com/7b498ac700ec2a1eff444c5244554bed/tumblr_ob9mt80BUX1r9s07oo2_1280.jpg

Sounds like leto is being a prick to everyone not just playing "the joker made me dark" for publicity

[Mr Mystery]

Doesn't surprise me.

First encountered him when friends were fawning over pics of him in his band. Fair enough, dude is buff.

Then I heard his music. God awful. Then I saw one of his videos with 'vox pops' of young girls saying what their hopes and dreams are and I nearly vomited.

There's something I just find slimy and creepy about him. And if stuff GottEGKirsten posted about him is true (sorry, can't recall which of our ladies shared it), then there's more than a hint of Saville Row about him, if you catch my drift.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

I'm not too bothered, as long as Wonder woman is good I don't care about any of the other DC films.

[Mr Mystery]

Buzzfeed confirm Harley Quinn reduced to five tissue fantasy, and the other women barring Amanda Waller there for mangst (https://www.buzzfeed.com/alisonwillmore/how-suicide-squad-uses-and-abuses-harley-quinn?utm_term=.krGkL2vzV#.iqA7Md4Ry)

[eldargal]

Blargh. By the sound of it they did indeed overstate Leto's Joker for attention, but intead of following it with a film not really about him they followed it with a turd. Though apparently Margot Robbie does well with what she is given so that's something. **** DC/WB, stop giving incompetent, overrated, arrogant ****witted white men control over your movies and let some actual competent people make them, you know, good.

[Mr Mystery]

All on Wonder Woman's shoulders now.

EG, remind us what the safe distance zone is again, just in case they botch that one too?

[eldargal]

There is no safe distance. My wrath shall be apocalyptic and absolute.

I am much more hopeful about Wonder Woman than I was with Suicide Squad, where basically I was just crossing my fingers and hoping against hope the appalling trailers and marketing were cleverly subversive. With Wonder Woman I like the director, and both the screenwriters have done genuinely good work in comics and teevee.

[Mr Mystery]

I'm beginning to wonder how long Zak Snyder's association with DC is going to continue.

He blew Man of Steel. He blew Dawn of Justice. And there's various and sundry pointing to his influence in Suicide Squad being a demeaning factor....

[Mr Mystery]

Uh oh.....possible facepalm alert....

Just read another review for Suicide Squad, and it mentioned that Dr Harleen Quinzel fell in love with Joker after he lobotomised her.....

I really hope this is a reviewer getting the wrong end of the stick.

[eldargal]

I'm fairly sure that is wrong, several reviews have said she had electroshock therapy after falling in love with him, none have mentioned anything before.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Pissed off Suicide Squad fans petition to shut down Rotten Tomatoes over terrible reviews

http://thenextweb.com/shareables/2016/08/03/pissed-off-suicide-squad-fans-petition-to-shut-down-rotten-tomatoes-over-terrible-reviews/

lol

[eldargal]

What a bunch of losers.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

What a bunch of losers.

I wonder how many of them downvoted the GB Trailer? lol

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McsaJ1Zwu7M

[Gotthammer]

https://66.media.tumblr.com/82828beffa4810251edf931912d2d5f5/tumblr_obd1o7GdHM1vpxkw0o1_1280.jpg

[Kirsten]

?

[Mr Mystery]

Really can't stand Leto.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

http://www.blastr.com/2016-8-5/supergirl-has-found-lex-luthors-sister-lena-season-2

Lex Luthors sister is in the next supergirl season. totally unfamiliar with the character...but cool! I like the actress :)

--

http://www.blastr.com/2016-8-5/hayley-atwell-says-shes-still-pushing-more-agent-carter

and Hayley Atwell says she's still pushing for more Agent Carter

[Mr Mystery]

Caved in and bought BvS.

So far, I think the reviewers got it about spot on.

[eldargal]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubKSV_5zVfQ

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Ms Marvel kicking ***. I love how Hands On she is.

[Mr Mystery]

Dear lord, I take it back.

It's worse than I was told.

Doomsday is crap! Batman somehow survives the red trouser trumpet lightning thing which shatters buildings.

Wonder Woman? Well, she's not that bad, but I'm thinking it's mostly because she's got few lines, her role so far being action based.

Oh, and Lois Lane nearly dying what feels like every five minutes is just stupid.

Lex Luthor is ****ing God awful

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Wonder Woman? Well, she's not that bad, but I'm thinking it's mostly because she's got few lines, her role so far being action based.

She was awesome, Heretic!! Industrial Inquisition are coming your way!

[Mr Mystery]

Just not feeling it.

Wonder if Lois Lane has changed her middle name to 'Liability'.

Film has the emotional weight of a tissue.

[eldargal]

Ms Marvel kicking ***. I love how Hands On she is.

Yup, like show she just grabs Captain America and carried him out of the building lol.

[Mr Mystery]

Aircraft at the parade thing.....nice formation, hold formation....nice formation.....second right? LATER, LOSERS....and nicks off.

[Gotthammer]

http://67.media.tumblr.com/86ce9fb8f46d63d539ec451dadf6ccb6/tumblr_obib9cJnuQ1tctq75o1_540.png
http://66.media.tumblr.com/7e0c88c5ec76b31c3a1245ba47e1f227/tumblr_obib9cJnuQ1tctq75o2_540.jpg

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

bought volumes 2 and 3 of ms marvel and also the first volume of the female thor last night. More I'm getting into these damn things the faster I seem to read them...they used to last longer damit

[eldargal]

http://67.media.tumblr.com/86ce9fb8f46d63d539ec451dadf6ccb6/tumblr_obib9cJnuQ1tctq75o1_540.png
http://66.media.tumblr.com/7e0c88c5ec76b31c3a1245ba47e1f227/tumblr_obib9cJnuQ1tctq75o2_540.jpg

I don't think it is necessary for them to read the comics personally but it is a good sign when they do. Margot Robbie said she never intended to read al the Harley Quinn comics she was given but she did anyway because they were so good. I have hopes for her solo HQ film because she was talking about how rubbish the Joker and Harley's relationship is, so hopefully she will drop him and hopefully kill him in her solo film #tangent.


bought volumes 2 and 3 of ms marvel and also the first volume of the female thor last night. More I'm getting into these damn things the faster I seem to read them...they used to last longer damit
Nice, glad you're enjoying Ms Marvel. I really like Thor/Mighty Thor too. You can get more of both in All New All Different Avengers too.:p

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Nice, glad you're enjoying Ms Marvel. I really like Thor/Mighty Thor too. You can get more of both in All New All Different Avengers too.:p

Ms Marvel reminds me a lot of a good friend of mine which endears me to the character. I was won over within the first few pages. Her expressions crack me up, she's very funny at times. I havent read any Thor aside from her cameo in the Angela comic, but that was enough to peak my curiousity I guess.

On the subject of marvel, I am still hoping for a proper Shiklah series.
http://s020.radikal.ru/i715/1407/f5/ec199eb54b62.jpg
(I still love her pet too)



I don't think it is necessary for them to read the comics personally but it is a good sign when they do. Margot Robbie said she never intended to read al the Harley Quinn comics she was given but she did anyway because they were so good. I have hopes for her solo HQ film because she was talking about how rubbish the Joker and Harley's relationship is, so hopefully she will drop him and hopefully kill him in her solo film #tangent.

Watched a couple of Suicide Squad reviews today :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=191ww6ec8Eg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF8pEaAO6qw

[eldargal]

Yep, she reminds me of my best friend and live in chum as well, especially the expressions. She is very funny sometimes.:) But always adorable. I think possibly the Mighty Thor run of hers is a bit better than the plain Thor run, but they are all good and Mighty Thor follows on from Thor so worth getting and reading them in order anyway.

[Mr Mystery]

ABC didn't discuss cancelling Agent Carter with Marvel (http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/agent-carter/40643/agent-carter-abc-didnt-discuss-cancellation-with-marvel)

Seems they just sort of did it. The bungholes.

Seems Marvel are keen to continue with Peggy's character, and one can't imagine Hayley Atwell saying 'no'.

Of course, with Hayley being Peggy in terms of 'correct age' (and not, y'know, a 30-something playing a teenage...), I'm hoping we might get various 'bonus' TV movies in the years to come. Give us a Peggy shape lens to see the development of S.H.I.E.L.D. throughout the latter half of the 20th Century. Why TV Movies? I just feel it'd suit that sort of storytelling better than releasing them into the cinema to help better set up the previous and following Avengers type stuff (in the same way Agents of SHIELD has helped colour the MCU in a way movies can't really do)

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

She's said she's up for it and loves the character :) That's a pretty poor move on ABC's side. I'd rather have more Agent Carter over the mediocre Agents of SHIELD.

[Mr Mystery]

Mini-series every now and then, irregular TV movies on occasion - either or both would satisfy me :)

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

I don't mind if it's once in a while. Why should TV *have* to conform to a yearly season pattern anyway? I'd rather have one good mini series every few years than something medicore every year personally.

[Mr Mystery]

Trailer for Luke Cage is looking suitably Netflixxy in terms of kwalitee!

Really looking forward to this one.

[Al Shut]

I don't mind if it's once in a while. Why should TV *have* to conform to a yearly season pattern anyway? I'd rather have one good mini series every few years than something medicore every year personally.

The biggest issue would certainly be the age of actors. Some series could do it others not so much.

[Mr Mystery]

Agent Carter is jammy in that respect.

It was left off in the 1950's, and we know she's still alive and kicking in Winter Soldier, set in 2014 (I think. Might be 2013?).

We also know via Ant-Man she was still involve in SHIELD to at least some degree (quite possibly high up, given the meeting she's at) in the 1980's.

So that's the best part of 4 decades open to new tales of awesomeness and derring do!

[Mr Mystery]

open letter from alleged WB employee having a pop at the bloke in charge for continually allowing **** ups without going after those most in control - also alleges WW is another steaming pile of poo (http://www.screengeek.net/2016/08/12/open-letter-from-former-wb-employee-bashes-ceo-zack-snyder-wonder-woman/)

Really far from convinced this is legit, and not some over zealous nerd.

[Morgrim]

Hey, Jupiter Ascending was a great film.

[Mr Mystery]

Haven't seen it to know either way, but I understand it didn't do terribly well at the box office.

And in other happy news - a smidge over three weeks until I can finally see Civil War all the way through!

Alsö wïk....nearly done watching Gotham seasons one and two. And yes, I do consider it better than Agents of SHIELD.

Which of course means WB/DC need to have a proper rethink about their movies. Their TV shows are all solid. The Arkham games are superb. Their animated films are likewise bloody good.

It's just their cinematic offerings. And each of those has but a single, unifying string....Zak Bloody Snyder either making or being allowed to influence.

Could ditching Mr Snyder be the move they need to get everything going properly in the cinema?

[Mr Mystery]

And finally - Sean Pertwee. Greatest Alfred Pennyworth evar

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

http://www.blastr.com/2016-8-19/image-day-supergirl-meets-wonder-woman-first-look-president-lynda-carter

awesome picture, can't wait for season 2!

[Mr Mystery]

19089

On the casting of Zendaya (I did have to google her) as Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man Homecoming...

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vnCjraHJWw

Curious what people think about this.

[Gotthammer]

http://67.media.tumblr.com/9adbcdce7dacca180551141515691901/tumblr_ocjlcwxguI1s8l3zso2_1280.jpg

http://66.media.tumblr.com/c19bb7b7113eed6f1616d64d88e39430/tumblr_ocjlcwxguI1s8l3zso1_1280.jpg


Can you believe margot robbie did this stunt on her own without any wires while wearing high heels

-

we had to hear stories about ****ed up **** jared leto was doing for a year for his 5 seconds of mediocrity while this woman was out here actually becoming a gymnast?????

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Damn, that is a crazy stunt, yeah - why didn't we hear about this sort of stuff? Who cares about Leto.

[Mr Mystery]

Because of Leto's ego?

And when we did hear about Harley, it was about how super serial (like, Leto super serial) they took getting her look right.

'Nuff rispek to Margot Robbie for her efforts. Still don't much fancy seeing the film though.

But in other news..... Squirrel Girl is coming to the TV! New Warriors is getting a half hour TV show...

http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/marvel/43362/new-warriors-tv-series-coming-from-marvel

[eldargal]

Shannon Purser for Squirrel Girl please.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Shannon Purser for Squirrel Girl please.

I had to google who that was, but yes! certainly looks the part!

http://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/vulture/2016/07/27/27-shannon-purser.w529.h352.jpg

http://cdn1.sciencefiction.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Squirrel-Girl.png

[Erik Setzer]

Because of Leto's ego?

And when we did hear about Harley, it was about how super serial (like, Leto super serial) they took getting her look right.

'Nuff rispek to Margot Robbie for her efforts. Still don't much fancy seeing the film though.

I enjoyed the movie, but I didn't expect something highbrow or anything, I expected a comic book movie... and that's what I got. It had funny moments, lots of action, some emotion to it, some crazy stuff that you might not accept outside of comics... It wasn't "perfect," but it was very entertaining.

And Leto's Joker wasn't bad. It was an interesting enough take on it that I was hoping to get more of him in an upcoming Batman movie or something, but then Leto went a bit nuts with it all, so... guess not.

In other super hero movie news... Doctor Strange is great. If you haven't seen it, go see it now. Just be careful if visual stuff can mess you up, because even outside of 3D that movie will screw with your vision. I have to give super props to the guys in charge of the effects and making the characters look natural as they're going all over the place. Also, Benedict Cumberbatch was perfect for the role. Great casting job there. Surprise star: the Cloak of Levitation.

On the comics themselves...

Civil War II is a mess. This is a second time in just a couple of years that they've ended up extending a series so you got to start seeing the aftermath before you see how it turns out. We haven't seen what happens to Tony Stark in CW2 yet, but we already know from Infamous Iron Man and Invincible Iron Man what happened to him. Both are interesting starts, though. My only complaint with Invincible IM is that there's a bit of cliche in Riri's back story, but since they've barely spent any time developing her, I guess that's not a surprise (just a shame). She works as a progression of that role in the universe, and, without doing spoilers, the way she takes on the role makes sense. I'm interested in reading more.

Champions is already on its second issues, and it's another post-CW2 series, with many of the younger characters (Ms. Marvel, Miles Morales Spider-Man, Hulk, Viv [Vision's daughter], Nova, and young Cyclops). They're idealists trying to fight for the people and set a good example, helping with cleanup and not being any more violent than they have to. So I give it about eight months before there's a plot point where they're forced to make a moral decision about whether to break their ideals or not. Ms. Marvel slotted herself into the leadership role in that team quickly.

And Captain America: Steve Rogers is an utter mess. The story is getting confusing and makes no sense and feels like too many deus ex machinas going on. I hope it'll get better, but... eh.

[Brenlak]

So I haven't kept up to date with my graphic novels I'm caught up to Siege in Marvel and I have to grab Flashpoint in DC, just wondering what comes next?

DC is easy enough it goes into the new 52, then the relaunch. Is the new 52 even worth grabbing, I do like some of the books Batman earth one is really neat, I'm digging the Wonder Woman too which is new for me! Green Arrow I didn't really like, did any of you find that the new 52 varied like this? Normally I can get behind anything they do but I find it hit and miss. How's the relaunch stuff?

Marvel is a mess right now, lol. I don't really do the Ultimates (I have the original X-Men run) but where does this Marvel Now! line come in? is it a separate universe from the rest of it?
Any info would be greatly appreciated, new staff at my local are impossible to deal with. I am a big X-Fan and am catching that one up pretty easy, its the rest that all seems so messed up, lol.

[thedestroyer]

I'm wondering if Bucky or Falcon will take over Captain America in the movies too... hard to not see Chris Evans as cap tho.