Showing posts with label Marvel Comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marvel Comics. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Batman and Thanos



There are a lot of universe-spanning villains in comics, but Thanos stands out because of his unique motivation.  Sure, he wants to destroy half of all sentient life, but it is for more than just the sake of domination... he wants to impress the woman whom he has a major crush on - namely, the living embodiment of death!  How do you reason with a guy who has that kind of sensibility?  I like how Thanos has gone from a Captain Marvel villain to a nemesis for the entire catalog of marvel characters.  I have read rumors that he will be making an appearance in next summer's Avengers film, and while I take those with a huge grain of salt, the idea does intrigue me - it would be interesting to see if he could be effectively translated into live action.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Batman and Sunfire



I remember being interested by Sunfire when  I first saw him as a member of the all-new team in Giant-Size X-Men #1.  I had seen other fire controlling characters before but I liked his unique background and really dug his look based on Japanese dragon designs.  It was too bad that he departed so quickly, perhaps that was because he, like Wolverine, was somewhat of a loose cannon and the powers that be only wanted one bad boy on the team at a time.  I must not have been his only fan, though, because he still makes appearances in the various X-titles from time to time.  I've seen attempts as costume redesigns for him, but I am glad he usually reverts back to his original look - gotta love that mask!

Friday, October 7, 2011

Batman and Starfox



Starfox is a character that stands out amongst other outer space based heroes.  While most have noble or tragic motivations, Eros mainly seemed to get into adventures as part of a quest for excitement.  This lust for life is put into stark contrast when compared to his brother, the evil Thanos, who is obsessed with death.  That relationship gives some depth to Starfox, who one the surface may seem just to be a shallow skirt-chaser.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Batman and The Great Lakes Avengers



I thought that Squirrel Girl and the Great Lakes Avengers  were a good fit together.  I really enjoyed the various GLA mini-series and annuals written by Dan Slott.  They are a great take on the fun side of superheroics and something I would like to see more of in the Marvel Universe.  Hopefully they will resist the urge to make these characters more grounded and they will keep their humorous edge in future appearances.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Batman and Squirrel Girl



One of the things that has given me pause regarding the current DCU reboot is that so far, most of the fun characters are nowhere to be seen.  Metamorpho, the Metal Men, Elongated Man, The Shazam Family, Blue Devil and more seem to have been cast aside in favor of more grim and gritty titles.  I hope that changes soon as the diversity in character types makes for a more well rounded universe, in my opinion.  Marvel doesn't have as many fun characters, but I have to say I am charmed by Squirrel Girl.  Here's a character that is fun to read and really stands out among all of the more serious heroes as well as the other heroines parading around in glorified bathing suits.  I hope that Marvel find more outlets for Squirrel Girl, her adventures always bring a smile to my face.  Part 2 of this story is coming tomorrow!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Batman and Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends



Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends was appointment television for me when I was growing up.  I was a fan of the solo Spider-Man cartoon and remember thinking it was awesome that the new show featured Iceman as well.  I probably would have preferred the Human Torch over Firestar but his rights were tied up at the time.  I loved the way the series did not shy away from guest stars and by the end of its run, a good portion of the Marvel Universe had made appearances.  That was a precursor to shows like Justice League Unlimited and Batman: The Brave and the Bold which have done a great job with universe-building.  Another thing I remember is that each episode had its own title card at the beginning, something that Batman: The Animated Series would also use to great effect.  It is beyond me why these Spidey series have not come to DVD/Blu-Ray yet... I know that I would snap up season sets in an instant if they were solicited!  I used to have some grainy VHS copies, but it would be nice to see some crisp versions of these episodes (especially my favorite "Seven Little Superheroes") after so many years.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Batman and Spider-Man 2099


I remember when Marvel introduced it's line of 2099 titles and checking them out.  Spider-Man 2099 was my favorite of the bunch (although I did like Doom 2099 as well) and indeed is the one character from that initiative that has seemed to have any staying power.  He seems to pop up in a Spider-man related title or even a video game every now and then.  I definitely dig his look and the fact that he was a new character and not just a descendant of Peter Parker.  Have Miguel O'Hara and Peter Parker ever shared an adventure together?  That's a tale I would like to read.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Batman and Spider-Man (Retro)



I am curious about the Amazing Spider-Man movie, as it will be interesting to see how a new cast and director will handle the character differently from the Raimi/Maguire films.  It is a puzzling decision though that they are going back all the way to the origin again, as that ground was covered pretty thoroughly in the first movie.  The costume I am mixed on - while I am not crazy about the added pinstripes and metallic slippers, I like the new eye shape (closer to John Romita Sr., my favorite Spidey artist) and the use of actual web shooters.  I'm also very happy about the use of The Lizard as the villain, as we were teased with that possibility throughout the original trilogy with Curt Connors making small appearances.  Unfortunately set reports I've read sound like the design will be more Hulk-like rather than the lithe, lab-coat wearing visage from the comics.  I've never seen anything with Andrew Garfield, so I can't judge him just yet.  Time will tell whether this revitalizes the Spider-Man film franchise, but right now I am in the cautiously optimistic camp.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Batman and She-Hulk



I mentioned in a recent post how I was not in favor of the over-proliferation of Hulk-like characters, as it diluted the concept.  She-Hulk, however I can give a pass to.  Turning strong and green due to Gamma radiation is where her similarities with he cousin end.  Jennifer Walters not only retains her intelligence upon Hulking out, she prefers life as a She-Hulk, which makes for a very different character from the tortured and cure seeking Bruce Banner.  I first really took notice of She Hulk as a team member of The Avengers and The Fantastic Four.  I enjoyed John Byrne's brief run on her second series that used the conceit that Jennifer Walters knew full well that she was a comic character, and was disappointed that that aspect of the character has bot stayed with her.  I also very much enjoyed the recent Dan Slott She-Hulk series, he was able to strike the nice mix of action and humor that suits her.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Batman and Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos (Retro)



It was cool to see the Howling Commandos in action in the recent Captain America film.  It would have been nice to get Nick Fury in there, but since the Marvel movie-verse is using the Samuel L. Jackson Ultimates version, that wouldn't have worked with their timeline.  As much as I liked their inclusion, I wish that Dum Dum Dugan and the rest of the Howling Commandos had at least been referred to by name.  Hopefully a sequel will have some WWII scenes and they can get a but more due next time around.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Batman and Rogue



Rogue is a great idea for a mutant.  Her ability to absorb other characters' powers means she can go up against all types of opponents and the range of action that can be depicted is limitless.  I think the permanent strength and flight that she acquired make her a bit too powerful though, and I feel she is more compelling with only the temporary absorption abilities.  I'd like to see a more faithful version of Rogue in a future X-Men film. While I enjoyed Anna Paquin's performance in the earlier  X-films, it never felt like the comic book version to me.   Her character was sort of a hybrid between Rogue and Kitty Pryde - not only did we lose a lot of interesting back story Rogue had in the comics, she also seemed redundant when the actual Kitty was introduced.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Batman and Rocket Raccoon



The main thing I remember about Rocket Racoon's earlier appearances was that his self-titled mini-series was one of my first exposures to the art of Mike Mignola.  I was surprised to see him show up again after many years as a part of Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning's Annihilation saga, but glad because anthropomorphic characters are always fun in comics.  I have been enjoying his relationship with Groot (another character plucked from obscurity - A treelike creature from the earliest issues of Thor) in the back up feature of the Annihilators mini series and hope we can continue to follow his adventures.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Batman and Red Hulk



I've been on record as being against the dilution of characters by introducing too many offshoots.  Batman and The Hulk are two of the biggest offenders these days.  Batman is now incorporated and the Hulk now has Red Hulk, Skarr, She-Hulk. Savage She-Hulk, Red She-Hulk, Doc Samson, A-Bomb and more following in his wake.  It strikes me as a lack of inventiveness and risk taking by creators much in the same way that most big budget movies seem to be remakes, sequels or TV show adaptations.  That said, I have to admit I have enjoyed some of the stories that Red Hulk (or "Rulk") has appeared in and he admittedly has a very cool visual.  I enjoy the powerful art of Ed McGuiness as well, so I thought I would give this cover a shot.  So, OK - he's not such a bad character after all.  Still, I'd like to see some more entirely new comic concepts show up in the future.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Batman and Power Man



Luke Cage has come a long way since his first appearance in the 70's.  While I miss his yellow shirt and headband look, I am glad that at least his attitude has remained intact.  Cage was one of the first no-nonsense heroes that you could count on to tell it to you straight and you knew would never take any guff from anybody. Nowadays you'll see a lot of characters with the bad boy from the streets attitude, but when Power Man first hit the scene it was quite a new take on superheroes.  You had to admire a guy who would march into Latveria and say to Doctor Doom, "Where's my money, honey?!"  That takes nerve.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Batman and Medusa (Retro)



Medusa is my favorite member of the Inhumans and one of Marvel's best female characters.  I always thought that she had a great power and visual to go with it.  I have always felt that she was deserving of a much higher profile, so it's good to see her getting some more exposure with Marvel's recent cosmic titles and mini series.

This cover also gave me a chance to use Fin Fang Foom, a Marvel baddie that has long appealed to me.  I know it's a long shot, but I would love for Foom to make an appearance in the third Iron Man film.  C'mon, we've seen shell head mix it up against other armored foes multiple times already, time to give audiences something new that will really blow their minds!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Batman and Marvel Girl (Retro)



It will be interesting to see whether sequels to X-Men: First Class will include a young version of Marvel Girl.  Unfortunately, with the X-Films wonky timeline, we won't get to see the classic team together ina movie.  The Beast is already furry, Iceman is 15-20 years younger than Cyclops and Jean, and Angel doesn't enter the picture until years later.  That's one reason I was hoping for a real reboot of the franchise.  With the success of this latest prequel, it looks to be a while before anything like that comes to fruition.

I was recently reading some of those earliest X-Men tales by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and I had to laugh at how not just Cyclops, but the whole team seemed to have a crush on Jean Grey.  Even Professor X proclaimed his affections in a few thought balloons!  I think it's probably for the best that that particular story thread was soon forgotten!

Monday, September 12, 2011

Batman and Man-Wolf



The Wolf Man was always my favorite of the classic movie monsters, so a character that merged a werewolf with a comic book hero/villain was an easy sell for me.  I was also quite taken by the "Mark of the Man-Wolf" Spider-Man comic book and record set from Power Records that I listened to countless times as a kid.  You would think that J. Jonah Jameson's son transforming into a super-powered creature would have softened his views against masked vigilantes,  but it only strengthened his stance.  I guess he wouldn't be the JJJ we all know and love if it were otherwise, though!   I haven't seen Man-Wolf show up in the Spider-Man titles in years, and I hope that changes soon.  He is one of Spidey's better under-used adversaries and I am sure there are more stories to tell featuring him.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Batman and Hercules (Retro)



Hercules is a good example of a character whose personality is the main part of the appeal.  On the surface he seems very similar to Thor, and Marvel certainly has plenty of super-strong heroes.  Hercules stands out among them due to his bombastic over the top macho attitude and his love for adventure.  In an age where we see many reluctant heroes, Hercules loves a life of derring-do and is always looking for the next battle.  The producers of the animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold gave Aquaman somewhat of a makeover, and I have to suspect that they were a little influenced by Marvel's Hercules when it came to his attitude (not to mention his beard!)

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Batman and Ultron



Ultron is one of my absolute favorite Marvel villains.  From the creepy insect like design to the calculating, emotionless way that he enacts his nefarious plans, his presence in a story always meant that the heroes would have to pull out all of the stops to defeat him.  I was really hoping that Ultron would be the villain in the upcoming Avengers film but it looks like that role will be filled by Loki and and alien race (Skrulls?  Kree? that information has not been released yet).  Hopefully, with a sequel and the addition of Hank Pym, Ultron will make his theatrical debut in a few years.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Batman and Jocasta



Jocasta springs from my favorite era of The Avengers and I have always liked her as a character. I really like the look they came up with for her, attractive yet cold and robotic at the same time.  She seems to have been off the table for many years, but Dan Slott recently brought her back in his Mighty Avengers run and it was nice to see her getting some much deserved screen time.

This is a continued story, by the way - tune in for part two tomorrow!

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