First Look at Chris Evans as Captain America

CBR has given us the first look at Entertainment Weekly's upcoming issue. It features a set visit to 'Captain America: The First Avenger', and an interview with Chris Evans, the man picked to wear the uniform.

Have to say that the costume looks pretty awesome, even though we haven't seen the helmet/mask yet, and the shield looks fantastic as well. My fears of Chris Evans as the Captain after playing the Human Torch in the awful 'Fantastic Four' movies are starting to disappear, as he definately looks different in this role. More noble than idiotic, sorry Johnny Storm.

'Captain America: The First Avenger' is slated for a july 18, 2011 release.

Deadpool Mania

Just a quick post to mention that since my internet is capped so I won't be making any entries until Monday when it's back to normal. It's annoying but it's prudent.

Anywho, just wanted to mention my love for Deadpool, a fantastic character. A crazy, fourth wall-breaking mercenary i'll be reviewing the first issue of DeadpoolMAX when things are back to normal.

So until then, apologies and see you soon.

Stuff I Want: The Venture Bros. Figures

I'm only a recent inductee to the world of 'The Venture Brothers', but this Adult Swim series is now one of my favourite TV shows. The show 's premise goes something along the lines of what Johnny Quest's life would be like as an adult. This idea gives us Dr. Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture, the 40-something, self-hating, self-medicating super scientist. The son of famous scientist/adventurer Dr. Jonas Venture, Rusty is a huge failure in comparison, and along with his two sons Hank and Dean and their trusty bodyguard Brock Samson, tries to do whatever he can to make a buck, get laid and survive his hectic lifestyle.

Now while the show presents the Venture family with many problems, The Monarch is their main antagonist. A man obsessed with the sweet sting of the butterfly, the Monarch leads his troop of deadly (sort of) henchmen in consecutive attempts in killing Dr. Venture. The henchmen are a vitel part of his operation, and even though battlions of them are constantly being slaughtered by Brock Samson, Henchmen 21 and 24 always seem to make it out okay.

Now that i've given you the plot over view, let's take a look at what inspired me to do it:

Rusty Venture and Brock Samson

The Monarch and Dean Venture

Henchmen 21 and 24

Yeah, Venture Bros. figures, and they're the coolest thing possibly ever. Already i'm scrabbling for money so I can get the Monarch and the Henchmen (my favourites of the series). These figures are made and distributed by Bif Bang Pow! who also hold the license to LOST, Dexter and Eastbound & Down merchandise, so definately check out their website here.

You might have noticed that Hank Venture is missing from the family, but don't be afraid, Bif Bang Pow! recently debuted the prototypes for their next figures including Hank Venture, their mystic neighbour Dr. Orpheus, the Monarch's better half Dr. Girlfriend and Guild of Calamitous Intent member Phantom Limb. I'm looking forward to the Dr. Girlfriend figure to complete the Monarch set, and Dr. Orpheus, because he's hilarious.

I never realised there were so many doctors in the series before...

BRAND NEW: First look at 'Hellboy: The Sleeping and the Dead' #2

Hellboy: The Sleeping and the Dead #2

Writer: Mike Mignola
Artist: Scott Hampton
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Cover: Mike Mignola
On sale: 02/02/2011
Price: $3.50

Hellboy is trapped in a dark basement littered with bones and small coffins, and the only way out is through the floating creature of death! For the first time, Mike Mignola teams up with artist Scott Hampton (Batman, The Books of Magic) for this gothic tale.

Looking Foward: What I Want from DC and Dark Horse for November. 2010

Batman Inc. #1

Bruce Wayne is back from his trek through time and realises that two Batmen are better than one. So with Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne handling the villains of Gotham City along as Batman and Robin, Bruce Wayne is free to go from country to country, all over the world, inspiring others to become their own nation's "Batman".

Written by Grant Morrison with art by Yanick Panaquette, this book has already created a lot of buzz, and with lots of guest stars sure to be popping up, I can't wait to start reading. And I have to say I hope he pays a visit to the Dark Ranger, the Australian "Batman", because i'm sure he could really use some help from the original.


Batwoman #0

Batwoman first appeared again sometime
during '52' and became more heavily
featured in 'Detective Comics' after the
disappearance of Bruce Wayne during the
events of 'Final Crisis', and the short run
she was featured in became highly popular
with both fans and critics.

Now DC is giving the people what they want with a Batwoman on-going series, and this issue #0 serves as
a precursor to it. With J.H. Williams returning to write the series along with W. Haden Blackman. Williams will also shoulder art duties for the first arc of the series, with Amy Reeder taking over for the second. After winning praise from both critics and the Gay and Lesbian community
for featuring a gay character in such a well
known title, this series is sure to be popular, and i'm certainly looking forward to seeing some of Williams' fantastic art again.

Hellboy: Double Feature of Evil #1

Hellboy returns with another one-shot before 'The Fury' starts up, hopefully sometime next year. This story features two tales from Hellboy's earlier days with the B.P.R.D., including a run in with zombies and another with mummies.

Written by Mike Mignola and featuring art from Richard Corben, this one-shot looks great to me, not only because i'm sure it'll have some great art an writing, it has mummies! When was the last time you read/saw something with mummies as the monster? Exactly. It's been a while.

After this we're getting 'Hellboy: The Sleeping and the Dead' in January, but hopefully this will hold fans over until then.

Nine Simple Reasons to Read (And Love) 'Hellboy'

Mike Mignola's 'Hellboy' has been a favourite of mine for a while now, and it pains me to admit it wasn't the comics that got me in, but Guillermo del Toro's 'Hellboy' films. Not that there's anything wrong with the movies of course, it just seems to be that there's a negative stigma of starting with the film adaptation of something before reading the original source material. But this post isn't about the movies, it's about the comics and the ten reasons why you should be reading them. So let's get into it.

No. 1: The Story

'Hellboy' has so many elements that make it a great comic book, but the story is the one that ties everything else together. The fact that a demon is helping to save human beings from monsters is enough to get anyone interested, but it is the complexity of the main character's story that draws the reader in and keeps them interested.

No. 2: The Characters

Every character in the book has their own fleshed-out lives, battles and demons, each of them is one person trying to hold back the storm. Abe Sapien, Kate Corrigan and Liz Sherman are the most prominent of Hellboy's friends in 'Hellboy', but in 'B.P.R.D.' we are also given the expanded characterisations of Johann Kraus, Roger the Homunculus, Ben Daimio, Trevor Bruttenholm and Lobster Johnson. Of course these are just the good guys, but the bad guys are just as developed and determined, although we'll tackle them later.

No. 3: The Art

A great comic needs two things: a good story and art that matches the tone of the narrative; 'Hellboy' has both. Mike Mignola has provided the art for the majority of the run, but has recently relinquished art duties to Richard Corben and Fegredo, and while both artists have different styles, they both provide the creepy tone that the series is made for. While not as tone heavy as Mignola's work, Fegredo brings the same sense of artistry to the comics. Corben's style is completely differentfrom both of the previous artists, but brings a sweaty and uncomfortable feel to the story, perfectly suited to 'Hellboy'.

No. 4: The Mythology

The amount of well known mythology used in 'Hellboy' is amazing, and getting the chance to remember some of the old stories from my childhood is great. Things like pagan gods, myths, the King Arthur story and Baba Yaga are all deeply intertwined with the story of 'Hellboy' and give it a sense of realism in our lives and our world.

No. 5: The Bad Guys

The good guys have Hellboy and the B.P.R.D., the bad guys have the Nazis, gods, monsters, witches, the Ogdru Jahad and pig monsters. Basically the deck is stacked against us, but the good guys keep fighting anyway.The variety of villains Mignola gives to us is astounding, with the real life Nazis and many other mystical forces each providing a different facet to the 'Hellboy' universe.

No. 6: The Fights

Not much to say about this part except that the fights are great. Whether it's Hellboy against an army of Nazis, an ancient fish monster or a group of giants, our hero always finds a way to fighting his way out of any situation. And when he isn't using a pistol or a sword, it's his massive, stone right hand that paves the way for a beating.In Hellboy's own words, "BOOM!".

No. 7: The Monsters

With a demon as the main character, and his best friend looking like a half-eel/half-man-fish, it's not surprising that the book is filled to the brim with a diverse range of monsters. Nazi gorillas, golems, giants, fairies, frog-monsters, witches and men that can't die, 'Hellboy' features a huge cast of different creatures. While most are enemies, some are allies for our hero, and each one has it's own unique design and it's own creepy features.

No. 8: The Places

While Hellboy himself works for the United States-based Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, he manages to globe trot quite a bit. From the mundane expanses of the Earth in Ireland, Germany, and England, to the African savannah, mysterious islands and the bottom of the sea. The story takes our main character all over (and under) the world.

No. 9: Hellboy

This one may be cheating a bit, but i'll count it anyway. Hellboy, the cigar-smoking, monster-fighting, beer-drinking demon from hell, sent to destroy the world and choosing to save it instead. He is the reason you should be reading this comic book. If he just went around punching bad guys the book would get old quickly (so it's good this only happens half of the time), the character is flawed and fallible. He doesn't save everyone and he doesn't know all the answers, and that's why we can relate to him.


Well, those are my reasons for reading 'Hellboy', and i'll admit that it wasn't easy to pick them out. The whole mystic of 'Hellboy' blends together so well that it's hard to determine which piece is the best or better than the others. For me, it's easily the story, with each new installment either moving the story forward or giving us an insight into Hellboy himself and what drives him to be the guy that always there in the eleventh hour to save the planet. Mike Mignola has said he's got 15 more years of 'Hellboy' left to write, I say bring it on.

EXTRA: 'The Beasts of Burden/Hellboy' one-shot is out this Wednesday 27th October, and i'll be reviewing it as soon as possible in my effort to beat everyone else to doing it.

Everything's Coming up Green and Gold

December is set to be a good month for me. Not Christmas, not working hard on various projects, not seeing my friends and family; no, December has two Iron Fist comics coming out.

Browsing December solicitations for Marvel last night I saw something that made me grin as an Iron Fist fan (note the colour scheme of the blog). Deadpool Team-Up #886 will feature the Merc with a Mouth teaming up with everyone's favourite kung-fu superhero, and Heroes for Hire #1 sees the business originally set up by Powerman and Iron Fist way back when, back and better than ever. Official solicitations:


DEADPOOL TEAM-UP #886
Written by SHANE McCARTHY
Penciled by NICK DRAGOTTA
Cover by HUMBERTO RAMOS
If it's crazy Kung Fu action you love then you've hit the jackpot! Deadpool and the Immortal Iron Fist grudgingly team up to put a stop to an ancient and villainous warlord. Iron Fist wants him captured, Deadpool wants him dead. Can the two work it out in time or will Deadpool have to take down Iron Fist as well just to secure his payday? Villainous villains, crazy Kung Fu and more yellow slippers than you can shake a stick at. This one's got it all!
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$2.99



HEROES FOR HIRE #1
Written by DAN ABNETT & ANDY LANNING
Penciled by BRAD WALKER
Cover by DOUG BRAITHWAITE
Variant Cover by BRAD WALKER
Variant Cover by HARVEY TOLIBAO
In the aftermath of Shadowland, Marvel’s greatest street heroes – Punisher, Moon Knight, Shroud, Elektra, Paladin, Silver Sable, Ghost Rider, Iron Fist, Falcon, Misty Knight and more – leap into one all-new series! Who has brought these dangerous loners into one fighting force? How is this network different from all other teams? Who is their first target, and what mysteries wait for them? Discover the answers and enter the action on Marvel’s mean streets, courtesy of fan-favorite writers Dan Abnett & Andly Lanning (THE THANOS IMPERATIVE, PUNISHER: YEAR ONE) and artist Brad Walker (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY)!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

All in all it's going to be a good month for me, not even mentioning the Green Lantern: Larfleeze Christmas Special one-shot and the second issue of Batman Inc., both of which i'm sure will be huge sellers. So until the time they come out and I can actually review them, i'll just sit back and prepare myself for a good December.