NB of the Week

 OH SPOILS YOU'RE SO FINE, YOU'RE SO FINE YOU BLOW MY MIND HEY SPOILS -CLAP CLAP CLAP- HEY SPOILS!

Uncanny Avengers #5
Written by Rick Remender
Drawn by Olivier  Coipel

The first story from the high profiled, new series, though a very good read, was a bit of a let-down for me. Very simple, very "safe" story, especially with what Remender did with Uncanny X-Force. However, Remender wins me back with two main parts from this book.
The first is the very small prologue. In the first three pages, we get the introduction of the new baddies The Apocalypse Twins: birthed from the Horseman Pestilence and spawned from the seed of Apocalypse. And they stand in the way of the future of the Immortal Kang so naturally he appears and steals them, presumably to raise them as his own.
Second is for a story concept that is long overdue. As Wasp and Wonder Man join the team to help with the PR of a mutant/Avengers team, Havok really takes the lead, even giving orders to Captain America,
"Did Cap looked pissed?"
"Yeah. A Bit. Like he clearly isn't a fan of being given orders."
"Well, he's going to have to learn to stand down and accept my judgement calls."
On top of that, when the Avengers Unity Division (not sure how sold I am on the name) is introduced to the public, Havok steps forward to unmask himself and let everybody know who he is: the brother of mutant fugitive Cyclops.
"I never quite saw things as my brother did and later our views diverged even further. I don't see myself as being born into a mutant cult or religion. Having an x-gene doesn't bond me to anyone. It doesn't define me. In fact, I see the word "mutant" as divisive. Old thinking that serves to further separate us from our fellow man. We are defined by our choices, not the makeup of our genes."
It was in that moment that Havok just became the Xavier to Cyclops' Magneto and I love that idea. They have always been at odds with each other, mostly played under the banner of Alex having to live in the shadow of his older, always right brother. Only now it's moved beyond sibling rivalry. Alex has the chance to help in the way that he's has always felt Scott was doing better and that's to create a coexistence. Scott has fallen to the ways of that which he has fought so long against and Alex will be damned if he's going to let that dream fall with him.
Also Rogue apparently killed Wonder Man's brother, Grim Reaper.
Remender reminded me with this issue why he has what it takes to write a big book and I can't wait to see this take-charge Havok lead this team against the threat of the Apocalypse Twins and Kang. And if other villains get in the way, well I won't mind that too much either.

NB of the Week

Yeah it's late but I have a real good excuse that I'm not tellin' ya.

Saga #11
Written by Brian K Vaughan
Drawn by Fiona Staples

Ya know, instead of nailing at ya how amazing this book is, I'm gonna showcase the work of it's brilliant writer instead.
I first noticed Vaughan's name when he was writing some issues of Batman and doing the Cyclops and Chamber minis for Marvel in 2001 but it was a year later that he really stole my heart. He had the awesome Marvel MAX mini The Hood and then the amazing Vertigo book Y: the Last Man, which really got me.
Y tells the story of Yorick Brown and his monkey as they find themselves the last two males on Earth. Slowly but surely, he gets a rag-tag group of ladies that help him on his journey as he tries to help the world while trying to find his girlfriend (more the latter than the former though). It went for six years and 60 issues and remains one of my all time favorite Vertigo titles to this date (among such greats as Sandman, 100 Bullets and Preacher).

2003 brought his next great book in the form of Runaways at Marvel Comics. Six young kids get together whenever their parents force them to tag along to their stupid meetings but things aren't what they seem as the kids finally find that their parents are actually evil powered villains bent on taking over the world and they may be the only ones who can stop them. Vaughan's run went for 42 issues (18 in v1 and the first 24 in v2) before Joss Whedon took over for a six issue story. Vaughan was able to tap into teenage angst like very few comics have been able to do, which is one of the original concepts that made characters like Spider-Man so relatable. This is a book that felt like it went under the radar for a very long time and it's definitely worth trying out.

2004 gave us the political hero book Ex Machina, which is a title that I probably never would have tried if not for Vaughan's name attached (for I hate politics). Ex is the story about Mayor Mitchell Hundred, who became the world's first super-hero only to give it up and join politics, where he felt the harder battle was fought. Right from the start, you find this is not an "easy" book at times. Issue one shows us that as the Great Machine (his hero mantle), he was unable to stop both planes on September 11th. From there he tackles racism, corruption, gay-rights and everything in between. This was a very strong book and proved that Vaughan can write just able any subject and make you love every word. It went for 50 issues plus four specials.

In 2006, we were given the amazing graphic novel Pride of Baghdad, which I believe I spoke about at one point or another. After an American bombing, a pride of lions were freed from the zoo and roamed the streets of Baghdad. Told from their point of view, we follow their journey as they try to find their freedom again while dealing with the ramifications of our war. This is another political based story but it's an amazing one with beautiful art and is brilliantly strong. It may not be the best story for everybody but it's been read plenty of times by me.

Between all these, Vaughan did stints on Ultimate X-Men and Swamp Things as well as minis and issues in every direction. After Ex ended in 2010, he left for a while to work in TV (including LOST and the upcoming Under the Dome) but has now come back in the form of Saga. If you have any interest in the writings of Vaughan, these are the first books I would recommend, depending on your tastes but if you're as lucky as I have been, you'll fall in love with anything and all that he does.

Drax The Destroyer

Wrestling fans rejoice!
Reports are coming in that Marvel has found their Drax for the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy and they saying it's Dave Bautista. After many years with the WWE (under Batista, very creative), He's now following an acting career and MMA fighting (I think. I could be wrong on what he's actually doing). He was good in The Man With The Iron Fists but it was nothing that showcased acting from anybody, especially him, who said maybe ten words. He's also in the upcoming movie Riddick movie with Vin Diesel, which, again, will probably showcase nobody's acting.
Am I excited by this news? Meh. I think he's too big for the part, looking more " 'roided " than muscular (though this picture I found makes him look a lot smaller and more fitting in my opinion) but I wouldn't say I'm against it either. I love me some Drax but he doesn't have to recite Shakespeare to play his part so he may just surprise a lot of people.

Trailer Watch: Kick-Ass 2

I've watched the red band trailer for the new Kick-Ass a few time and I'm getting more excited the more I watch it. I was a little skeptical when Matthew Vaughn left and when they signed Jim Carrey but this trailer definitely wins me back a lot. this one could be just as awesome.

-IT'S RED BAND SO WATCH AT YOUR OWN RISK-

NB of the Week

There's No Running in Baseball!
-SPOILS BE AHEAD-

Thor: God of Thunder #6
Turns out that Gorr hates Gods because everybody he's loved has died from the horrible living conditions they've deal with (wife and unborn child especially). Instead of being mad, they all tell him that the Gods will hear them. Well after his blasphemous claims that Gods are nowhere, he is ousted. Only to come across a God. He takes something from him (looks to the the venom symbiote, really), kills the God and declares death to all that have forsaken him.

Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #6 (of 06)
I guess I shouldn't have expected much from this prequel because all we get in this issue was the revel that the reason Comedian was killed was because he saw the alien/squid that Ozy was gonna release. The Issue ends with his death and Ozy seeing the irony in him doing a job seemingly fit for the man he's killing.

Ultimate X-Men #24
Turns out the seed that they tried to give the world for free actually works. Mutants have a land of lush forests and green that seem to be slightly sentient. But not everybody is happy there. Obviously. Can't have mutants without unhappy people complaining. Not much happened here but it was still a good issue.

Ultimate Wolverine #1 (of 04)
Back when we were introduced to James Hudson (some of Wolverine, raised the the Canadian Hudsons), he was given a device with a Princess Leia hologram of his real pappy explaining some things. Turns out there was a hidden message behind that message (conveniently) of something called the Mothervine. What is it? Its only issue 1 so we don't know. All we know is that Wolverine was involved, possibly James' real mother and now Quicksilver. To be continued.
  
Age of Ultron #1 (of 10)
Shit is still hitting the fan. Black Widow and Moon Knight think they're the only survivors in San Francisco while another ten or twelve think they're the only ones left in New York. Just like issue one, nothing happens but it's a world that is literally decimated by Ultron and I can't wait to find out what happened and how it's gonna be fixed.

Green Lantern Corps #18
Apparently the First Lantern Volthoom isn't so much evil as he is just a jerk. This is part six in the First Lantern Saga and and all he's been doing so far is showing people the lives that they could have been leading if things went differently in their past. He makes them think it's real so they feel it all as such though so.... yeah, he's a jerk.

DeAndre Jordan Just Made Himself a Name

This was the monster dunk last night as Brandon Knight was dumb enough to try and stop DeAndre Jordan from getting the lob (small guard down low is never a good ending for the guard). This may be one of the best dunks I've seen in a long time. You just don't seem to get 'em all that often anymore.
Or maybe there are so many dunks that nothing stands out anymore. Either way, this is it. Enjoy.

King of the Nerds

Did anybody else watch this TBS show? 11 nerds of various degree and subjects competed to be crowned the King of the Nerds and it's hosted by none other than Booger and Lewis from Revenge of the Nerds. I'm all for anything that promotes "my people" and I do recommend watching it if you can but I have one problem with it. Everybody on the show talked about being bullied or teased at one point or another for being the nerd that they are. Myself and I assume most people who read this have felt that before as well and know that it's not a good feeling. So why are they doing it to each other?
I understand it's a competition show so there's gonna be an amount of back-stabbing and lying to get further and they need that kind of stuff to help make good tv but there's something very disheartening about people who have been teased, now teasing each other. One girl in particular seemed to be the brunt of most of it and even worse it's primarily done in the single interviews and not even to her face (which probably means that it was instigated by the crew more than the contestants). It was a great show and I think nerds of all kind should give it a go but I still have a problem with people becoming that which they know made their lives hard.
But boy was it the show fun as hell.

NB of the Week

THERE WAS A FARMER WHO HAD A DOG AND SPOILS WAS HIS NAME-O

Avengers #7 - The Last White Event
Written by Jonathan Hickman
Drawn by Dustin Weaver

What Marvel has done is really unfair to most every other book out there. Hickman gets two Avengers books with three issues a month. That's likely three weeks (or at least two if New ships the same week as regular) out of a month that he gets to steal from everybody and this week was no different.
As the story title suggests and fans speculated for a while, Hickman is bringing in the New Universe to our 616. Last issue ended with the new Captain Universe unlocking the language of New Adam to revel that his name is Nightmask. The Superflows are collapsing, the Universe is broken and our Earth is experiencing a White Event. "What's that?" you may ask:
"A white event occurs when a world is on the verge is ascending on a universal scale. A white event creates/alters heralds to shepherd the ascension, and a Nightmask always acts as forerunner of the change."
So it falls on the Avengers, with the creepy and ominous help of Nightmask and Captain Universe (who just keep saying "This is not a normal event" and "The machine is broken") to find these heralds. First up is the Starbrand, "some kind of planetary defense mechanism" and their fears may be realized when all that power is given to just some kid who's been ignored all his life.
This issue alone is a perfect example of how Hickman writes but on a larger scale. Throughout this book, we are shown four scenes from a college of different students that we presume are hints at who the heralds will be, when really each part shows us the future Starbrand as he just makes it through life: a nobody in the background. Hickman writes his stories this way. You may not see what parts are truly meant for until a while later when you see the full circle that was set up from the beginning. He is blowing the other books away and is quickly making Brian Michael Bendis' nine-year run a distant memory.

Can It Be True...?

This. Is Happening.
For. Real.

Superman Unchained

That's the now official title of the upcoming Scott Snyder/Jim Lee Superman comic. Which bothers me. I'm actually excited to see what Snyder will do with a Superman book and I'm sure the four issues that Jim Lee gets through will look great but that title gets me. The book was announced back in October. December rolls around and Django Unchained hits pretty hard. Oscar nominations are announced and Django is up for quite a few. DC starts publishing a comic adaptation (of which 2 of the 5 are out right now). Django wins some good awards. DC names their new Superman book Superman Unchained, while still publishing Django Unchained...
While I'm all for the book, I find it sketchy that DC chose a title so close to another movie that's still basking in its glory. Is that wrong? I just don't like making that connection first. Maybe it's just me.

Boobs of the Day

Evangeline Lilly
As I watch through LOST again (and yes, I am one of the seemingly few who loved the show and it's ending), I can't help but fall for Evangeline Lilly all over. She's smokin' hot and I would watch her in her tight and/or wet cloths from the show any day of the week. She hasn't done a whole lot since the show (Real Steel and the Hobbit are basically it) but I'm very much hoping she gets stranded on an island somewhere again. My fingers are crossed that the invite makes it out to ya on that island.
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