After all of discussion of Thunderbolts earlier this week, PTB and I thought it might be fun to discuss all of Marvel’s Heroic Age launches beginning with the centerpiece book, Avengers #1. Spoilers ahead.

PTB: I enjoyed Avengers #1, primarily because of the inclusion of Kang the Conqueror. I don’t know what it is about that character, but I’m a fan.

KevinMLD: i don’t really know anything about Kang except that he’s a guy that you have some like nostalgic appreciation of… Oh and that he’s a time traveler of some sort.

PTB: He’s a time warrior!

Read more of this article »

As is often the case, KevinMLD and I got into a discussion earlier in the week about comics. This time around it was the Heroic Age rebranding of Marvel‘s Thunderbolts, a book I wouldn’t have expected us to talk about under any circumstances…

KevinMLD: Did you read Thunderbolts?

PTB: No, you?

KevinMLD: Yeah, I thought it was kind of great for starring a bunch of characters I don’t know. It had a pretty great ending that I think you might have liked. The book might not be what it was billed as at all.

PTB: That sounds interesting…

Read more of this article »

I suppose there had to be a week without an issue of X-Men: Second Coming shipping. Every week for 14 weeks was just too good to be true. As anxious as I am to know what’s coming next, the break just makes the anticipation that much sweeter. There’s only one more issue of each of the titles involved before the finale, so I’m expecting everyone to put out some of their best work once things start back up.

While we’re waiting, it provides an opportunity to say a few words about two of the Second Coming tie in books that slipped through the cracks last month.

Read more of this article »

X-Men: Second Coming Chapter ø9 is available at comics shops everywhere this week. The book featured some great action and moved the crossover into the final act. More details will follow, among them will be what some would consider spoilers.

Read more of this article »

Well, maybe cancellation isn’t the right word. Marvel’s Siege miniseries ended this month and has ushered in the new Heroic Age for the company. As a result, the current line of Avengers books: New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, Dark Avengers, Avengers Initiative, are all ending. All four are being replaced with: Avengers, Secret Avengers, a relaunched New Avengers, and Avengers Academy. While the sum total of Avengers books is remaining the same, it’s strange to see all of these high selling books stop publication. I suppose after all the events they’ve spawned or been spawned by, they’ve run their course.

In the cosmic corner of the Marvel Universe, the ends of Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy weren’t even announced.  These books lead directly into the upcoming Thanos Imperative mini-series and there’s no word on whether they’ll return in some form or another once that series wraps up. In a way, I’m kind of glad they ended, as I was thinking of not continuing with each of them anyway.

It’s odd for so many books to end in the same month, but the endings are not limited to comics. The last few weeks saw the cancellation of a number of television shows including Scrubs, Better Off Ted, Flash Forward, Law and Order, and Heroes. Combined with the ends of 24 and Lost, the line ups this Fall look to be changing quite a bit. While I understand that they couldn’t last forever, it is both disappointing and somehow comforting that 24 and Law and Order were having their strongest seasons yet. It’s not all cancellations though as Chuck, Human Target, and Lie to Me (all shows I enjoy) have all been picked up for another season.

The last few years have produced a lot of TV and comics that I’ve really enjoyed. I can’t help but think that what takes its place just won’t hold my attention at all. It was kind of an aberration that there was so much going on that I followed to begin with.