#5 Cable (Marvel Universe)

This Cable figure looks… well… awesome.  Cable is one of my favourite X-Men and this is one figure I would love to have on my shelf.  My favourite parts of this figure are the armour and his bionic arm.

#4 Steve Rogers (Marvel Universe)

This is the upcoming Marvel Universe release of Steve Rogers.  This is the uniform he wore when he returned from the dead and Bucky was still Captain America.  This Steve Rogers figure could easily stand on my Marvel shelf or with my G.I. Joe figures.  His design is that versatile, he could fit in anywhere.

#3 Fandral (Thor Movie)

Originally I didn’t like the Thor movie figures.  The design of the heads didn’t impress me.  Then I bought Odin.  Who would’ve ever figured an Anthony Hopkins action figure would impress me.  Now I have a Thor and Loki.  Later this year (hopefully) the new Thor figures will be coming to retail.  Many of these figures can be found already at toy shows and conventions.  I have already seen the repaint of Odin, Thor with his battle helmet, Hogun and Volstagg.  I want to own the Warriors Three.  Sadly I’ve only seen Hogun and Volstagg.  Fandral has not showed up anywhere yet.  So I have passed on Hogun and Volstagg for now, so I can get the complete collection.  Hopefully I will not have to wait until “Ragnarök” to possess my Warriors Three.  (Game Time – google Ragnarök to find out what I am talking about)

#2 Cobra Commander (G.I. Joe Renegades)

(photo credit Hisstank.com)

Now I know what you’re thinking, “Ed, you are a die hard G.I. Joe fan.  Why isn’t Cobra Commander #1 on your list?”  Well there is a reason for that… you just have to wait to see #1.  This Cobra Commander is one of the better releases.  Usually the Commander has a hood, or he has a shiny face plate.  This one is different.  If you look closely his left eye is exposed.  This is how he is shown on the G.I. Joe Renegades cartoon.  It is a radical redesign of an iconic character (not as radical as the Rise of Cobra movie version) and is a figure I can’t wait to get.

#1 Beta Ray Bill (Marvel Universe)

When I read the news recently that Hasbro was going to release a Marvel Universe version of Beta Ray Bill, I did a (very pathetic) happy dance.  Brent Chittenden and Ryan P can tell you how much of a fan I am of Beta Ray Bill.  At Fan Expo I searched every table trying to find the Marvel Legends version of BRB (which thankfully I found on-line yesterday).  So when this one comes to retail and you can’t find one on your shelf, I’ve probably bought it*.

* Crystal Ball Rule In Effect – I heard this at a CanJoeCon.  I overheard a guy say every Crystal Ball (G.I. Joe figure) is mine.  He bought every Crystal Ball no matter how many he had or the condition they were in.  I fear that may happen with me and Beta Ray Bill.

If you have any action figures that you can’t wait to grab, let us know in the comments below.  Also you can swing by the Comic Book Daily Facebook page and join the discussion there of what you can’t wait to pick up.  If you haven’t “liked” the page yet, make sure you do.  It’s good for you.

Writer: Matt Fraction

Pencils: Stuart Immonen

Colours: Laura Martin

Letters: Chris Eliopoulos

Cover: Stuart Immonen; Steve McNiven

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Things don’t appear to be going very well for Marvel’s heroes over in the main Fear Itself title. Their biggest and strongest have all been transformed, chosen to wield mystical hammers that have transformed them physically beyond anything imaginable. They have also experienced great loss on top of it all, adding more weight to each blow as they come. This week we’re checking in on the fifth issue of Matt Fraction’s mini-series, so saddle up and mosey your finger over to whatever apparatus you use to scroll down the page.

The Road So Far…

There’s nothing to fear except fear itself. In this case, the characters of the Marvel universe are faced with their worst fears as the Serpent slithers into their lives. Those fears are made reality as one by one they lose their own, and one by one they realize they may not win this battle. The Serpent has risen, and the tide of the battle may have swung forever against their favour.

Thor takes on Angrir and Nul, better known as the Thing and Hulk.

What’s the Story?

It’s hammer time in the streets of New York. The transformed incarnations of Hulk and Thing stand toe-to-toe with Thor, swinging their hammers wildly as they decimate each other and the entire city block they call their battleground. As their fight continues, the city landscape incurs greater devastation. With Thor on the ropes and Ben Grimm rushing him, Thor summons Mjolnir and delivers a destructive strike to Grimm’s chest, proclaiming his like for Grimm and the sadness that accompanied the blow’s delivery. He notes, however, that he doesn’t harbour the same feelings of comradeship with the Hulk. After some tense moments, Thor and Hulk clash one final time, with Hulk coming out on the short end of things as he’s sent literally into orbit; around the earth. During his disposal, Franklin and Valerie find Ben badly wounded, forcing Franklin to break a promise he made to his parents in order to save Grimm. Elsewhere, Tony Stark attempts to strike a deal with Odin to do what he does best: make weapons. He requests access to Odin’s workshop in order to help turn the tide in their favour. Meanwhile, Steve Rogers’ return as Captain America is greeted by Skadi, who gloats about killing Bucky. They battle for a moment before the Serpent arrives, proclaiming dominion over the earth just as the Avengers assemble on the scene. They’re quickly dispatched, with the final insult to injury coming when Rogers hurls his shield at the Serpent, who easily catches it and destroys it with his bare hands.

Cap and Skadi face-off

The issue primarily featured the three principle members of the Avengers: Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and Thor. With Thor’s piece of the story taking precedence, a fair portion of the issue centered simultaneously on his continued defiance of his father and his desire to protect earth from the present threat. I enjoyed the aura of duty and nobility inherent in how Thor acted combined with the remorse he felt in hurting his friend. It’s an interesting dynamic to the story where one of the Marvel universe’s strongest characters came across as dutiful and noble in every sense of the word, and I feel that’s a testament to Fraction’s writing. He’s additionally being written in such a way where he’s prepared to sacrifice himself to save the world, which further complements those qualities. Where the other two components of the trinity are concerned, there was a rather intuitive dynamic between both Rogers’ story and Stark’s. On the one hand, it would appear that the destruction of the shield is very much symbolic of ultimate defeat with the tide having turned decisively against Rogers and his crew. On the other hand, this part of the story is contrasted against Stark’s request to Odin. Stark asks permission to gain access to Odin’s workshop, whereby he intends to devise weapons of his own to use against the Serpent. This almost instills a sense of hope in the story, that as bad as things are going, there’s s still a glimmer of sunshine left in their darkening days.

The Pretty, Pretty Pictures

Iron Man tries to cut a deal with Odin to turn the tide.

Immonen’s work is top-notch from beginning to end, not letting up at any point concerning the level of quality of his pencils nor the overall action. The art nicely complements Fraction’s dialogue. I feel like the battle between Hulk, Thor and Thing was told very well in the opening pages where the dialogue is effectively a foreign dialect and a series of grunts. Here we see each character swinging their respective hammers, with Hulk ultimately connecting with Thor in one panel, and then in a series of panels in the middle of the page, we find Thor hitting the ground hard. As he’s there though, what would be the middle-right panel is broken up into three vertical panels displaying a close-up of Thor calling Mjolnir, another of the Asgardian hammer stirring, and then a final one as it arrives in his hand. Elsewhere, I thought the sequence of panels featuring Steve Rogers going against Skadi was nicely paced and highlighted the hostilities moment-by-moment. Beginning with them at a distance, the two face-off and converse, leading Skadi to proclaim with her arms outstretched that Thor is as good as dead. Immonen then draws the panel back into Skadi’s face, followed by a charging Rogers and ending with a close-up of the famed Super Soldier as he pushes on. I really enjoyed the page where Rogers hurls the shield at the Serpent. Beginning once he picks it up, he throws it directly at the Serpent who effortlessly catches and destroys it in a fantastically drawn and remarkably coloured page. As a whole, the artwork was as solid as it’s been throughout the entire series, even ending nicely on a visibly ominous note as Rogers and Hawkeye woefully stare off into the distance at the destruction.

The Serpent breaks the heart of America.

Final Thoughts

Issue five of Fear Itself was one of the better issues of the series, brimming with action and fantastic artwork, while posing some interesting twists and plot development. Stark’s request to Odin is curious, albeit sensible considering the way their battle against the Serpent and his Chosen is going. I don’t know if I like the potential for the plot development though. Although I doubt Fraction will create similar weapons to transform Marvel’s heroes, I suspect something will be created to help turn the tide. If the former is the case though, that’s a jokey plot device that works fine for the villains, but is ridiculous if we supplant the concept to the heroic figures of the story. Regardless, I liked the breaking of the shield as it serves as a nice accompanying plot device to the Stark story, again highlighting that although things are really, really bad, there’s still a chance to succeed. Thor’s story is developing rather nicely, and it would appear the Asgardian warrior will go out on his “shield” if we believe the previews at the end of the issue. The most peculiarly interesting part of the story though was Franklin Richards’ use of his powers, which considering their immensity, may very well be the thing the heroes need to succeed. Overall, issue five was a very good installment which definitely picked up the story’s pace, while developing some interesting elements as the mini-series enters its final two issues.

Characters are people too, essentially. They are characters, obviously, but at their heart what makes a character in any comic special is their humanization by the creators of that particular book. At the same time, if we have invested ourselves in a character, what happens to them SHOULD affect us. In this case of course I’m referring to the ever taboo topic of killing comic book characters. Some deaths are cheap, some become permanent, some are teased for an issue and then fixed the following one. As readers, one way or another we invest our time and money into them because we love them. Consequently, when they’re killed off, a convictive response should be expected.

Presently death in comics is the latest flavour of the week. Johnny Storm’s death in Fantastic Four, while Carter and Shiera over in Brightest Day are the latest examples of dead characters over the last year; the latter series also promises more before the final issues come into our grubby hands. Then there is the Death of Ultimate Spider-Man story, as well as Marvel’s apparent willingness to kill a character during every quarter of the year. There is however a distinct difference between the DC and Marvel examples. This isn’t to say that either are any less permanent because I feel like they probably are. The difference here lays in how the stories are presented. In Brightest Day, I honestly didn’t think for a moment that the Hawks would be killed off. There was no real forewarning from DC and from my recollection that has been the case for the longest time. However, Marvel makes it routine to not only say they’re going to kill characters, but they exploit that story device only to sell books. We ultimately become desensitized to the idea of it, and at least at the personal level, I brush it off casually all too often.

I’m sure we remember what we were doing when news broke that Steve Rogers was killed at the end of Civil War, or more recently when it was revealed Johnny Storm had been killed off; but in the latter case we knew from the beginning of the story that someone was going to die. And that takes away from the allure or surprise of it. In doing that, comics lose part of their magic while the story itself ultimately becomes a secondary purpose where the higher function is commerce to the detriment of what’s a better story, or the best story.

Ultimately when the business is run this way, it brings the phrase “comic book death” to another spectrum of analysis.

Until next time,

Over and Out.

For those of you who might be new to the column or may have forgotten, I don’t buy a lot of comics in floppy format. Traditionally I have one on going series and maybe a small mini series or two with the majority of my comic buying done in trade form (for the record I currently get Buffy the Vampire Slayer ongoing, GI Joe Hearts and Minds min, First Wave mini). But every once and a while a book comes along good enough that I must read it every month. A book I can not wait for.

So welcome to box 225 Secret Avengers!

It’s pretty well known at this point that I am a Brubaker fan so that was a point in Secret Avengers favor but what has really grabbed my attention is Ed has created an Avengers roster that not only has characters that I like and that are interesting but characters that could allow Brubaker to do any story he wants.

And he is doing any kind of story he wants!

I love the gritty pulpy books Brubaker writes like Criminal or Incognito or his run on Daredevil but the more a writer works in a certain genre the more I become curious if he could do anything else. The first story arc introduce us to the threat of the Shadow Council and was a cosmic action adventure. Nothing gets you away from the grim streets like a trip to Mars. It’s proof that this man is one of the most talented writers in comics. Hell, the latest issue was a great read despite the fact that when you boil it down, the entire issue was a Nick Fury/Steve Rogers conversation.

And now it’s tying in with The Marvels Project AND we get Shang Chi in the next story arc. The character line up alone with Beast, Ant Man, Moon Knight, Black Widow, War Machine, Nova and Valkyrie just leave the ideas endless. We’ve already had a Serpent Crown plot point which was awesome for an old school fan like me.

Essentially, if I was ever given an Avengers style book at Marvel, this would be the book I’d write.

And the art has also been fantastic. Mike Deodato drew the first arc and stretched his legs a bit. I really like how he drew Moon Knight and am looking forward to seeing more. I used to think he was just a really good “monster” artist due to his perfect renditions on his Hulk run but as it turns out, Mike can do a really good job on regular human sized characters as well.

In short, if you aren’t…WHY AREN’T YOU READING THIS BOOK?

Now before we go, I have a few things I wanted to mention. First off, it looks like I’m going to get to speak to writer Andrew Vachss in the very near future. We are going to be discussing his upcoming graphic novel Heart transplant as well as his new upcoming novel The Weight and numerous other things. Feel free to send me any questions you might have for Mr. Vachss.

Speaking of which, a frequent comic collaborator of Vachss, Geof Darrow has done a variant for First Wave #4 which is awesome in it’s apparent simplicity but then if you look at it, Darrow’s complexity starts shining through.

P:R (my abbreviation, because that’s what I do) is a web site that hosts contests wherein you can submit redesigns for established superhero costumes. It’s great fun and actually comes out with pretty phenomenal designs that I actually wished they would use.

Well, now it looks like Dean Trippe and co are taking on Captain America. (Whichever one, Steve, Bucky or Isaiah.) If you have an idea here’s the info below:

Steve Rogers may be a man out of time, but his red, white, and blue BDU is timeless. But that’s never stopped us before. Steady your quivering  hands, designers, because Project: Rooftop is putting out the call: Send us your redesigns of the Sentinel of Liberty, Captain America!

Feel free to chose your preferred shield-slinger (Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Isaiah Bradley, etc.), but you must choose someone who has operated under the title in continuity. Regardless of the man in the uniform, Captain America is a symbol as well as a warrior, and should represent America’s best ideals, even when others in power fall short of his moral standards.

Be sure to read our guidelines and send your entries as attachments to projectrooftop@gmail.com.

Entries must be received by August 1st, 2010.

Click here to check out our past events!

Do you know what I honestly thought was going to happen after Siege? I thought that Steve Rogers would be head of SHIELD, have his own little private black-ops team (made up of War Machine, Moon Knight, Beast, Marvel Boy & Scarlett Witch – none of this Nova and Valkyrie crap) and would eventually be made into acting-President of the United States.

Bucky would still be Captain America and Black Widow’s series (which I read yesterday and I have to tell you is all kinds of awesomeness) would have her eventually take over the reigns of SHIELD when Steve Rogers becomes President.

Okay.. so maybe it’s a little bit of fan wank, but hey – a guy can dream can’t he?

Well, either way – it looks like we’ve got a four issue mini-series coming from Ed Brubaker and current Fantastic Four artist Dale Eaglesham (whom I’m hoping will still be on the title, as when I interviewed Mr. Eaglesham before he really seemed genuinely jazzed to be taking on the FF.) Here’s the press release

Award-winning writer Ed Brubaker and artist Dale Eaglesham of FANTASTIC FOUR join forces this July to debut a new life, a new role and a new mission for the man formerly known as Captain America.

STEVE ROGERS: SUPER-SOLDIER, a four-issue limited series, reintroduces one of Marvel’s longest-running characters in an entirely new light. No longer Captain America and with his old sidekick wielding the famous shield, Steve Rogers must forge ahead and carve out a new place for himself in the Marvel Universe.

Brubaker explains the thought process that went into Steve Rogers’ latest foray into action following the blockbuster Siege.

“It felt like Bucky was doing a great job as Cap, fans dig him in the role [and] I enjoy writing him as Cap,” he says. “And it occurred to me that Steve was going to get put through the wringer on his way back to the present, and may have reasons for not wanting to put the Cap uniform back on and go all public for a while, if not forever.”

Those reasons remain classified information for now, but conjure up questions concerning Rogers’ long-time career as Captain America, his brief sojourn as Nomad and how he’ll acclimate to his new role.

“You’ll have to read SUPER-SOLDIER to find out,” Brubaker suggests. “Those questions are part of his journey, things he has to ask himself.”

Steve Rogers does not exist in a vacuum, of course, and the Marvel Universe’s reaction to his new mission may prove to be significantly different than their attitude towards his previous one.

“I don’t think the public at large will know anything about what he’s doing,” Brubaker says. ”He’ll be more like a James Bond for the Marvel Universe, operating covertly to save the world.”

Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of STEVE ROGERS: SUPER-SOLDIER may come in waiting to see if Steve takes on a new look or codename. Brubaker says that too will be revealed in the series.

“Definitely a new outfit, one that more suits his current role,” he promises. ”But most people are just calling him ‘Steve’ so far.”

So what do you think?

Pete DeCourcy is EiC of ComicBookDaily.com. He tumbls over at You Practically Rock and writes for The Simple Art of Crime. If you have any questions or demands of him, he can be reached via email at pdecourcy[at]comicbookdaily[dot]com

Do you know what I honestly thought was going to happen after Siege? I thought that Steve Rogers would be head of SHIELD, have his own little private black-ops team (made up of War Machine, Moon Knight, Beast, Marvel Boy & Scarlett Witch – none of this Nova and Valkyrie crap) and would eventually be made into acting-President of the United States.

Bucky would still be Captain America and Black Widow’s series (which I read yesterday and I have to tell you is all kinds of awesomeness) would have her eventually take over the reigns of SHIELD when Steve Rogers becomes President.

Okay.. so maybe it’s a little bit of fan wank, but hey – a guy can dream can’t he?

Well, either way – it looks like we’ve got a four issue mini-series coming from Ed Brubaker and current Fantastic Four artist Dale Eaglesham (whom I’m hoping will still be on the title, as when I interviewed Mr. Eaglesham before he really seemed genuinely jazzed to be taking on the FF.) Here’s the press release

Award-winning writer Ed Brubaker and artist Dale Eaglesham of FANTASTIC FOUR join forces this July to debut a new life, a new role and a new mission for the man formerly known as Captain America.

STEVE ROGERS: SUPER-SOLDIER, a four-issue limited series, reintroduces one of Marvel’s longest-running characters in an entirely new light. No longer Captain America and with his old sidekick wielding the famous shield, Steve Rogers must forge ahead and carve out a new place for himself in the Marvel Universe.

Brubaker explains the thought process that went into Steve Rogers’ latest foray into action following the blockbuster Siege.

“It felt like Bucky was doing a great job as Cap, fans dig him in the role [and] I enjoy writing him as Cap,” he says. “And it occurred to me that Steve was going to get put through the wringer on his way back to the present, and may have reasons for not wanting to put the Cap uniform back on and go all public for a while, if not forever.”

Those reasons remain classified information for now, but conjure up questions concerning Rogers’ long-time career as Captain America, his brief sojourn as Nomad and how he’ll acclimate to his new role.

“You’ll have to read SUPER-SOLDIER to find out,” Brubaker suggests. “Those questions are part of his journey, things he has to ask himself.”

Steve Rogers does not exist in a vacuum, of course, and the Marvel Universe’s reaction to his new mission may prove to be significantly different than their attitude towards his previous one.

“I don’t think the public at large will know anything about what he’s doing,” Brubaker says. ”He’ll be more like a James Bond for the Marvel Universe, operating covertly to save the world.”

Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of STEVE ROGERS: SUPER-SOLDIER may come in waiting to see if Steve takes on a new look or codename. Brubaker says that too will be revealed in the series.

“Definitely a new outfit, one that more suits his current role,” he promises. ”But most people are just calling him ‘Steve’ so far.”

So what do you think?

Pete DeCourcy is EiC of ComicBookDaily.com. He tumbls over at You Practically Rock and writes for The Simple Art of Crime. If you have any questions or demands of him, he can be reached via email at pdecourcy[at]comicbookdaily[dot]com

What do you think?

399311 as the combination?

I’m going to open comments on this one!