Kevin Maguire fired off the upcoming Justice League 3000 #1

At the end of July, I identified Justice League 3000 #1 as a book I was really looking forward to getting in October. I already ordered it from dcbservice.com. Then I found out from the good folks at thegothamrogue that Kevin Maguire was replaced by Howard Porter.

While Howard Porter is a great artist, I was looking forward to the legacy team of Keith Giffen, Kevin Maguire, and J.M. DeMatteis. They brought the action and the funny to Justice League and Formerly Known as the Justice League. I’m a huge fan of the team and would have purchased a phonebook they’d all collaborated on.

It’s reported that Justice League 3000 #1 is going for a darker tone which makes the creative team puzzling. Believe me, DC Comics, you put the best team on the book and it would have paid dividends. I’m still going to get it with Howard Porter on it (as I mentioned, it’s already ordered) but I’m only going to give it 2 issues to make an impression before I cut it from the subscription list. The industry could use a lighthearted, fun book, not another grim and gritty snoozefest.

The good news is that as soon as Maguire got on twitter to let people know he was fired, Brian Michael Bendis offered him Guardians of the Galaxy. Brian Michael Bendis is writing it, they’ve added Angela to the mix, and now I have Kevin Maguire’s art to look forward to? Guardians of the Galaxy is quickly becoming an event-title. DC’s loss is Marvel’s gain. With Guardians of the Galaxy set to explode into theatres, Guardians of the Galaxy could be a top ten book soon.

Lee Thompson Young RIP

Although I don’t go all the way back to The Famous Jett Jackson, I’m a fan of Lee Thompson Young’s. While I’m not a "Rizzoli & Isles" watcher, it’s on the list of TV shows I want to try. So I haven’t seen the first or last thing he did but I felt his impact on two of my favorite shows: Smallville and Scrubs.

On Scrubs, he played Derek Hill, the honest intern who, when pushed, tells everyone exactly what he thinks of them. Although he only appears three times, his appearances were memorable and welcome. And, thanks to the magic of reruns, I’ve probably seen his episodes at least 5 times.

On Smallville, he was Victor Stone, a.k.a. Cyborg. When I’d fled the Smallville show (every episode ended with Clark and Lana in the barn while she talked about how he was keeping secrets and they couldn’t be together), it was the introduction of heroes like Cyborg that brought me back. Justice continues to be my favorite episode where Cyborg teams with the rest of the Justice League (though they’re never called that in the episode).

I don’t know why he committed suicide and I can’t know what he was feeling. I wish he’d reached out and gotten help. I’m going to miss him whenever I see the things he’s done. Rest in peace, Lee Thompson Young.

Avengers Grab Zags Surprise

Today I spotted full boxes of Avengers Grab Zags at Toys ‘R Us. They’re blowing them out for $20 a box. It says on the box that there are 100+ toys and that the box contains 24 blind packs inside. I decided to take a chance and purchased a box.

When I got them home and opened them up, I was shocked to not only find that the checklist only had 24 toys on it but that I had all 24 of the toys. Sure, I didn’t find the ultra-rare Captain America, but I have a complete set of the Avengers Grab Zags. I don’t know if this is typical but it seems unlikely that I found the only complete set in the store.

What's awesome in the August 2013 issue of Previews

There are a lot of great things to order this month and I’m going to give you a run down of my favorites.

Nightwing Annual #1

By: Kyle Higgins, Jason Masters, Tony S. Daniel

DESCRIPTION: Robin and Batgirl grew up fighting side by side...but with Dick Grayson about to embark on a new crimefighting quest and Barbara Gordon no longer fighting under the Bat, is there anything left between them? Following the 'Batgirl: Wanted' epic, this is the story of a twosome with nothing left to lose, fighting for the only thing they can: each other!

What is the story with the New 52’s Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon? Did they have a relationship like they did in the original universe? I like Dick and Barbara stories and this promises to give a look back two of DC’s most popular Bat Family members.

Justice League 3000 #1

By: Keith Giffen, Kevin Maguire, J.M. DeMatteis

DESCRIPTION: Don't miss the debut of the new series starring the heroes of today-tomorrow! But what are they doing in the year 3000? And who (or what) brought them there? Get ready for a double dose of wonder as only the stellar creative team of Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire can deliver!

I’m not big on the future stories (except for Legion of Superheroes stories) but this has the same creative team as the Justice League of America title from the 80’s and they’re a fantastic team. With the team they have, this title promises not to be another ‘the future is so dark, what went wrong’ kind of titles.

Superman Wonder Woman #1

By: Charles Soule, Tony S. Daniel

DESCRIPTION: Beginning a bold new series that details the relationship between The Man of Steel and the Warrior Princess as rising star writer Charles Soule is joined by fan favorite artist Tony S. Daniel to tell the tale of a romance that will shake the stars themselves. These two super-beings love each other, but not everyone shares their joy. Some fear it, some test it-and some will try to kill for it. Some say love is a battlefield, but where Superman and Wonder Woman are concerned it spells Doomsday! This issue features an amazing wraparound gatefold cover that opens up to a triptych with Superman and Wonder Woman in the center!

One of the best things about the New 52 is the Superman/Wonder Woman relationship. It’s never been explored and I’m excited to see where it goes. It’s a historic relationship and one that fans will be talking about 10 years down the road.

Savage Dragon #193

By: Erik Larsen

DESCRIPTION: A NEW BEGINNING! It's the ultimate jumping on point for new readers and a bold new beginning as Malcolm Dragon takes over the title role from his famous father. Malcolm Dragon is not your typical teenager. He lives in an apartment by himself in downtown Chicago, he's a junior who's just transferred to a new high school, and he's trying his best to fill the shoes of his father, the Savage Dragon, fighting the forces of evil in the Windy City! New dangers! New adventures! Get in on the ground level of a whole new SAVAGE DRAGON!

Erik Larsen has been writing Savage Dragon since the early 90’s and last month’s #192 was solicited as the death of the Savage Dragon. Now, with the son taking over, it’ll be interesting to sample a title that I haven’t read regularly in at least a decade. Who knows? Maybe I’ll start getting the title again.

Superior Spider-Man #20

By: Dan Slott, Ryan Stegman

DESCRIPTION: From the fallout of NECESSARY EVIL, comes new beginnings and new twists that will be felt in the pages of Spider-Man for years to come! SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #20 is where it all starts! Do NOT miss this one! It's the first ever adventure for the Superior Spider-Man and the Black Cat. Felicia Hardy always cared for the Spider more than the man. But what happens when that man is Otto Octavius? Plus: A day Otto has been waiting for is finally here. Is the world ready for 'Dr. Peter Parker'... and what he plans to do next?

I remember hating the idea of Doc Ock being in Peter Parker’s body but look what he’s done: 1) created surveillance robots to seek out crime – no more patrolling, 2) ended the Mary Jane merry-go-round, and 3) Peter Parker, PHD. Black Cat’s always like a bad boy and they don’t come any badder than the current Peter Parker.

X-Men TPB Vol. 01 Primer

By: Brian Wood, Olivier Coipel

DESCRIPTION: Because you demanded it! The X-Women get their own book, from critically acclaimed superstars Brian Wood (X-MEN, ULTIMATE X-MEN, DMZ, The Massive) and Olivier Coipel (AVX, HOUSE OF M, THOR)! An old enemy shows up at the X-Men's door, seeking asylum from an ancient evil. John Sublime is back, but he's not who we should be afraid of! Who or what is Arkea? Meanwhile, Jubilee returns home - with an orphaned baby who might hold the key to Earth's survival - or its destruction! Against a backdrop of what seems like an alien invasion and an eons-spanning war between brother and sister, Storm puts together a team to protect the child and stop a new threat that could destroy all life on the planet! Plus: Jubilee's classic first appearance! Collecting X-MEN (2013) #1-4 and UNCANNY X-MEN (1963) #244.

What’s up with Jubilee and the baby? The first two issues of the all-female series were really good and I’m looking forward to reading the first collected volume. 

Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection TPB Cosmic Adventures

By: David Michelinie, Gerry Conway, Stan Lee, Colleen Doran, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Sal Buscema, Alex Saviuk, Gil Kane, Steve Ditko, and more

DESCRIPTION: With great power comes great responsibility, but what happens with unlimited cosmic power? When a science experiment goes wrong, Peter Parker's spider-powers are enhanced to an unbelievable degree! And the timing can't be beat - because with a cabal of deadly villains unleashing unpredictable attacks on Marvel's heroes, Spider-Man will need all his newfound might just to survive! But who or what is the real force behind Spidey's cosmic empowerment? And what battle is he destined to fight? Plus: Spider-Man teams up with the Punisher, deals with the return of Venom and battles the shrunken Psycho-Man in a totally tiny adventure! Guest-starring the Hulk, Magneto, Dr. Doom, the Frightful Four and more! Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #326-333 and ANNUAL #24, SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #158-160 and ANNUAL #10, and WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #59-61 and ANNUAL #6.

One of my favorites from back in the day, Spidey gained cosmic powers during the Marvel-wide Acts of Vengeance in which villains went after heroes who never usually faced them. The different villains who came after Spidey included Magneto, a Tri-Sentinel, and the Hulk but he was equipped with cosmic powers so the result was often hilarious.

Super! #2

By: Zack Dolan, Justin Piatt

DESCRIPTION: You'll be blinded by science, swoon over the complete roster of the People's Champions, and be swept away by Baron Blizzard and his evil hockey warriors! Hold onto your butts!

This is one I’m sentimental about. I supported Super!’s Kickstarter campaign and the first issue was really good. I’m looking forward to seeing where and how far this title goes.

Not Comic Con but Comic Con-like

People at work know me as the ‘comic book guy’ so it shocks them that I’m not going to Comic Con this year. I explain that I didn’t try to get tickets and that I didn’t want to go. Then people all ask me the question why.

Despite that opening paragraph, this isn’t a negative post. I’m glad so many have discovered the sheer and unadulterated awesomeness that is Comic Con. I’ve gotten tons of sketches, autographs, sat in endless panels, talked to hundreds of celebrities, and gotten my picture with Stan ‘The Man’ Lee more than once. The things I want now are Hasbro exclusive toys and that’s it. But instead of paying for tickets and parking and food for 4+ days and spending 6+ hours for those toys, I pre-purchase the toys on eBay and save a ton of money even with the generous speculator mark-up.

I envy the hardcore fan who camps out overnight for Joss Whedon but that’s not me anymore. The people who spend all of that time in a line deserve the good seats in Hall H, the 4 day pass with preview night, autographs from the Big Bang Theory cast, and all of the exclusive toys and swag they can carry. When I was willing to stand in the lines, I deserved it too.

I’ve found the activities around Comic Con to be less hectic and more satisfying. While I won’t be going to Comic Con, here is a list of what I’ll be up to at the show.

Wednesday, July 17 @ 8pm Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em Improv

Friday, July 19 @ 7:30pm Veronica Mars fan event (I’m going as a Kickstarter VIP)

Saturday, July 20 I’ll be downtown from about 12pm on. There is a 2pm Felicia Day signing at Geek & Sundry (in the Jolt’n Joes building), and @ 7pm I have tickets for the Thrilling Adventure Hour with a signing after the show

"Back in the Day" Review: Daredevil #196

Back in the Day: Daredevil #196 (July 1983) by Denny O'Neil & Klaus Janson

Thirty years ago this gem was released which tells the story of how Daredevil met Wolverine for the first time. Instead of initially fighting like most team-ups, the two are aware of each other and mostly get along. Of course it’s Wolverine from 30 years ago so he spends the issue pushing buttons while the Daredevil from 30 years ago spends the issue judging him for being too violent.

The issue starts in the hospital Bullseye is in (his spine is broken). Wolverine is there, acting on a tip from Tarkington Brown that the people who laced his skeleton with adamantium are looking to do the same with Bullseye, when there is an attack and during the confusion, Wolverine inhales knockout gas and is shot. When he wakes up, Daredevil is on the scene and the two quickly decide to team-up to locate Bullseye.

Along the way there’s disagreement about how violent Wolverine is but, to his credit, Wolverine manages to either brush the comments off with a joke or to imply that Daredevil is too soft. Daredevil never lectures and Wolverine doesn’t try to punch him – which was unusual for both each character back then. I loved it because they mostly got along and because it was Daredevil and Wolverine in one issue.

I never could resist a superhero team-up and back then Wolverine didn’t have his own title or routinely appear in 10 titles a month. This issue isn’t the greatest example of Daredevil’s greatness (it was just a few issue past Frank Miller’s brilliant run on the title) but a great classic team-up. I don’t know when Wolverine learned Daredevil’s secret identity but now you know when they first met.

Summer Movies So Far: Fast & Furious 6, Now You See Me, and Man of Steel

The Summer movie season is off to a great start. The first five movies I saw, Iron Man 3, Fast & Furious 6, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Now You See Me, and Man of Steel were great films. I don’t think the summer has ever started this strong. I’m going to review three of the movies I’ve seen so far.

Fast & Furious 6

I know it’s been out for 3 weeks but it has been the number one movie two weeks in a row so…better late than never.

As a big fan of the franchise, I had certain expectations the latest installment: all the cast reunited, bigger stunts, and fun dialogue between the team. I wasn’t disappointed.

This film reunites the team from Fast Five (Dom, Brian, Han, Gisele, Tej, Roman, and Mia), brings back Letty, and Hobbs is back with his new partner Riley (played by Gina Carano). Dom has retired to Spain where he and Elena are living together when Hobbs shows up to drop the bombshell that Letty is still alive. I’m not going to recap the entire movie but here are the things I like.

Despite the fact that the team is scattered across the globe they are all quick to respond to Dom’s call to arms and reunite in London. There are several mentions of the film about Dom’s team being family and throughout the film that’s exactly how it feels. There’s a lot of great dialogue between the team that helps reinforce that feeling of family.

I really love to the neat and tidy ending in this one. Dom and Mia are back in the house they shared in the first film. Dom is with Letty again and there’s a nice scene between him, Letty, and Elena. That scene establishes that there are no hard feelings and that the two women get along. And, as Elena was in the previous film, she’s partnered back up (permanently it appears) with Hobbs.

All this plus we get the tragic death of Gisele triggers Han to return to Tokyo where he is killed (they play his death scene from movie number three) and reveal who killed him (and the villain in the next film), Jason Staitham.

I know there are a lot of imperfections in these films but I still like these characters so much and I can’t wait for the seventh film.

Now You See Me

I had been looking forward to this movie for months since I saw the trailer. I love a good heist movie with an engaging group of criminals who pull off the impossible against all odd – movies like Tower Heist, The Italian Job, and Ocean’s 11. A good heist movie does seem like magic since you always see scenes that explain what the team did after they get a hold of their target.

Now You See Me is a cat and mouse game between The Four Horsemen (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, and Dave Franco), Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and his fellow FBI Agents, and Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) a magician trying to expose how The Four Horsemen do their tricks. I’ve been a big fan of Dave Franco’s since Scrubs and Isla Fisher is in my all-time favorite movie (let the speculation begin). Of course the rest of the cast is amazing and does a great job on the film The Four Horsemen’s on-screen chemistry is a lot of fun while Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine get a chance to do some really nice bantering, bragging, and scheming.

NOW YOU SEE ME pits an elite FBI squad in a game of cat and mouse against "The Four Horsemen", a super-team of the world's greatest illusionists. "The Four Horsemen" pull off a series of daring heists against corrupt business leaders during their performances, showering the stolen profits on their audiences while staying one step ahead of the law.

I don’t know what the end meant when The Four Horsemen got onto the carousel at the end – I’m going to have to see it again to see what happened. There’s a part where Dave Franco jumps around and kind of kicks Mark Ruffalo’s ass – funny and unique scene. Overall, I had a great time (I was on a 2nd date so that couldn’t have hurt) and I hope you’ll go see it.

Man of Steel

With a cast like Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Russell Crowe, Christopher Meloni, Kevin Costner, and Laurence Fishburne (not to mention the numerous Whedonverse alumni, BSG alumni, and even a guy from one of my favorite shows, Flashpoint), your movie had better not suck – and this movie doesn’t.

I’ve seen it twice now and am floored by the story which so effectively introduces Clark and his supporting cast while giving us flashbacks to the things that shaped him as the boy who would one day become Superman. The action is big, the scenes between Clark and the people he loves (or one day will) are gripping, heart-wrenching, and incredibly satisfying.

I’ve heard the critics complain that this Superman is too angsty. This is Superman for 2013, a Superman that has had things happen to him that some can relate to (bullying) and things that are completely unique to him as the only alien he’s aware of is himself. Just like Nolan did with Batman, Snyder grounds this version of Superman in reality and digs into his origin, childhood, and quest to find himself to make him a character we grow with and really care about. If you want Christopher Reeves’ interpretation of the character, you can purchase it on amazon.com.

I’ve also heard the complaints about him killing Zod. “Superman doesn’t kill!” you howl. Well this one did and instantly regretted it. Instead of a victory, Superman met with a failure that adds to his character. He’s not perfect but he sincerely tries to do the right thing each and every time. In a comic book, it’s easy and convenient to write an ending where Superman doesn’t kill (or write him on a long, boring walk across America – I’m looking at you Straczynski) but in the real world, lines blur and it the right answer sometimes presents itself in retrospect.

The movie was everything the fans deserved and a complete departure from the bland Superman Returns film from a few years ago.