Tag Archives: Second Coming

SDCC and Beyond!

by mutantaday

We were not able to attend the San Diego Comic Con, but we do have some SDCC updates.  First off Batman Beyond will be returning to comics some time in the future, once the current miniseries wraps. 

Art by Dustin Nguyen

In other DC news Grant Morrison will take on the character Captain Marvel in a title called Thunder World.  Morrison will also be writing for a new Bat-title which will team Batman with many unlikely allies, called Batman INC.  Then Geoff John announced Bightest Day will not be the end to the events of Blackest Night, there will be another story arc after Brightest Day.  Plus we will be seeing a Green Lantern video game and a Suicide Squad video game.

In Marvel news it’s finally official Joss Whedon will be directing the Avengers movie.  Also there will be a new X-title called Generation Hope.  This title will focus on Hope and the five new mutants born at the end of the Second Coming story arc.  This is a break down of what has happened thus far, we will try to keep you updated as always.

-Aaron M

We Came, We Saw, We Conquered?

by windiebird

(Cover by Adi Granov, Marvel Comics)

Man, what a death last week, right? What a WEEK last week, right?! So much has changed for the mutants and what does it mean that Hope has done her…ya know, Hope-y thing? Well done Marvel for getting me to buy ALL your dang mutant books! X-Men: Second Coming #2 out this week puts an end to the mutant crisis. Just in time for vampires! (yay?)

(Cover by Marko Djurdjevic, Marvel Comics)

X-Men: Hellbound #3 helps to finish off the big X-over but this is one team I’m not feeling too hopeful for. With all those hopeless odds stacked against them and Pixie giving in juuuust a bit too easily to evil, I’m willing to bet Magik is put through some serious paces here. Who knows where the team will end up by the end of it all?

(Cover by Mike Mckone, Marvel Comics)

Avengers Academy #2 keeps my favorite, new Avengers title going! Such a straightforward recipe that almost can’t be screwed up! Messed up teens struggling to better their lives while doing some good in the world but finding out that the world isn’t always such an easy place to find a second chance in. Loving the characters and story, I only see this improving.

No matter what anyone says, Girls Comics (Girl Comics #3 this week is the final installment) was a success to me. Nothing that changed the universe or any characters in major ways but SO much talented art, writing and editing too all in one title. It’s a bit pricey but well worth the cost if you can spare it. These women made something special. I can’t comment on X-Women or the other Women of Marvel titles this year but this was the one for me that I connected with (even with the cheesy title).

Hey Marvel! I’m reading your other mutant titles now! WHOA BABES! New Mutants #15 sets the team out on their own again, on a little vacation of their own! But as anyone who has read about the mutants before knows, mutants can never stay happy for long! The New Mutants are under attack once more by a paramilitary organization that wants nothing but to ruin a perfectly wonderful vacation! RUDE.

(Cover by Mark Brooks, Marvel Comics)

I’m quite happy that Marvel is doing Uncanny X-Men: The Heroic Age. Often, from any publishing company, a humongous crossover event will leave so many characters and teams dangling in limbo right along with the fans who are trying to figure out where their favorite characters are supposed to be in continuity! I can’t be ashamed to admit that I love me some continuous plot. I want to know where my people are and what’s going on. Even if it takes another comic to do so! These three stories should do just that, placing the Uncanny team firmly into the Heroic Age!

-windiebird

The Phoenix Crusade!

by windiebird

(Cover by Jimmy Cheung, Marvel Comics)

The Young Avengers and the Scarlet Witch are FINALLY coming back to the spotlight in the Marvel universe! Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #1 kicks the whole event off as Wiccan’s reality bending gets an unexpected kick up to the next level. Like Scarlet Witch level. Which will prompt him on a journey (or Crusade, if you will) to find the Magenta Maven herself to figure out what’s the haps with his newfound ability. I’m excited and Jesus is excited, so you should be too.

(Cover by Adi Granov, Marvel Comics)

Phew, Adi Granov does a mean cover, doesn’t he? X-Force #28 is the penultimate chapter of the fantastic Second Coming event and I couldn’t be happier for this wait to be over! Could Hope’s powers finally manifest? Is she really going to summon the Phoenix Force? Can Cable survive now that the TO virus is running rampant in his system? Just call me a hunk of burning questions, because this has been one king storyline, leading right into a relaunch of the X-Men title!

(Cover by Adi Granov, Marvel Comics)

X-Men #1 is just that title! I’m a little leery about the set-up (mutants vs. vampires?) but that could be because I’m relatively new to the whole Marvel experience. Or that it’s kind of a wonky idea. In any case, I’m sure an intriguing plotline will manifest at some point on this brand new day for our favorite mutants!

Man, what Bastards in this week’s Young Allies #2! Ha ha, I come at you with my puns, have at thee! With all the destruction and downright evil the BoE showed our Allies last month it’ll be a miracle if they can hobble together a happy ending for everyone. Very notable start to the series so I’m looking forward to where these characters can go.

-windiebird

Back to the X-Future

by windiebird

(Cover by Adi Granov, Marvel Comics)

X-Men Legacy #237 is our Second Coming installment this week! It’s Chapter 12 and the mutants are on their last leg in our current timeline AND in the future. It’s all coming down to Cypher and the X-Force to put a halt to the unending assault of Bastion’s Sentinel forces. Couldn’t be a darker time for our hapless heroes, I’m on pins and needles with this one!

X-Factor #206 is the third and final X-Factor tie-in for Second Coming. It’s Trask and the Mutant Response Division against the fully assembled team of X-Factor! The first two issues of this convinced me to begin picking up the series after the dust settles, if that tells you anything! Some mayhem-for-hire is sure to go down and we could all use a little more gay mutant in the world.

(Cover by John Romita, Jr., Marvel Comics)

It’s Wonder Man vs. the Avengers in Avengers #2 this week! With Kang’s shocking revelation last month and one Avenger still to join the team, it’s anybody’s guess as to how this will play out. Let’s hope those evil Avengers Jr. don’t ruin it for the rest of us!

The women of Marvel have the safety of the universe in their hands this week in Heralds #4! We have an all-star cast of the best and brightest women in the 616 against an old herald of Galactus!

The marvelous aqua lady gets some one-shot attention with Namora #1 and this princess packs a mean punch! She has found a wayward clan of Atlanteans but before she can get them to their new home, she has to go through The Kraken!

-windiebird

World-class Wednesday

by windiebird

It’s Wednesday and we hope your World Cup team is doing well! OR DO WE?! May your vuvuzelas be cacophonous and mighty, in any case. While we love a good ball bouncing, it’s comics that have us truly excited this week!

(Cover by Dustin Nguyen, DC Comics)

Batman Beyond #1 begins the 6-issue re-launch/reboot/re-imagining of the book based on the fantastic animated show of the same name. If you haven’t seen the show, you’re very much missing out. While I haven’t personally checked out the 30 or so issues of tie-in comic books in the past, I’m excited to jump on board now. Terry McGinnis (the future Batman) must find a criminal hunting down Bruce Wayne’s old nemeses. I’d love to see the franchise get some energizing life breathed back into it, this one’s not to be missed!

Birds of Prey #2 continues Gail Simone’s triumphant return to the title and you should be on this like beard on Odin. Even if you find Benes’ art a little “cheesecake-y” at times, it’s undeniably a lovely picture he paints. A very solid story arc coming out of Brightest Day and plenty of mystery in front of us!

Speak of the devil, Brightest Day #4 comes to us this week with (hopefully) more answers! The Hawks going to Hawkworld, Firestorm making gay babies together and the White Light still yanking Aliveman around by his invisible chain. Remember that the series has to cover a broad range of characters and stories, it’s really still in its introductory pages!

DC Universe Legacies #2 continues the 10-part series detailing the history of the DC universe. Quite a tall order and done very ably in the first issue. I wouldn’t say I had died and gone to comics heaven but I’m more than happy to keep up with this title. A little history never hurt anyone!

(Cover by Adi Granov, Marvel Comics)

New Mutants #14 is our Second Coming title this week! It’s chapter 11 and Hope is pretty damn pissed at one Mr. Scott Summers for potentially killing her father. Will her duet with Rogue end up activating her mutant power? Will unleashing Legion on the Nimrods be the mutants’ undoing? There’s a solemn silence as we await the fate of the dwindling superiors.

New Avengers #1 is our final new, new Avengers title! This will be my first time reading the book so I hope I’m not missing out on too much history. The Thing, Luke Cage, Jewel, Spider-Man & Wolverine all together for the greater good. How will they connect with the other teams and what does Steve Rogers have in mind for these heroes?

(Cover by Phil Noto, Aspen Comics)

Mindfield #1 gets a cover shot from me because the preview was fantastic! I love J.T. Krul on Oliver Queen, I can wrap my head around his Roy Harper and I can easily follow along with his creator-owned characters in Mindfield! Set in a just-post-9/11 world, the CIA has clandestinely (and successfully) created psychic agents to handle the new age of terrorism we find ourselves in. The secrets and shadows falling on these mental giants might break them beyond repair before they can do any good for the world. A thriller with a sci-fi twist, definitely give this one your attention if that sounds like your genre!

-windiebird

Uncanny Preview; Second Coming Ch.10

by mutantaday

Previews are fun! And they speak for themselves. Check out Uncanny X- Men 525 a.k.a Second Coming Chapter 10, coming out this Wednesday! After an off week of no coming [whink] I’m sure we could all use this! Enjoy!

Uncanny X- Men 525; Marvel.com

Uncanny X-Men 525 Variant Cover

Uncanny X-Men 525; Marvel.com

Uncanny X-Men 525; Marvel.com

Uncanny X-Men 525; Marvel.com

Shh, It’s A Secret

by mutantaday

TGIW, as they say, because we’re getting new comics (amazing how that whole publishing deadline thing works, huh?)!

Down below you’ll see our loving and hopeful post about X-Men Origins: Emma Frost, check it out today!

The war for Utopia is on in this week’s chapter of Second Coming! X-Force #27 is a little more tight-lipped in the solicits than usual so something even more major than a giant sphere wiping out a chunk of San Francisco might happen? Still an event you should not be missing!

X-Men: Second Coming – Revelations: Blind Science is set to flesh out the current plight of the X-Club as they were pulled from Utopia to investigate a nearby oil derrick causing some massive disturbances. Bastion caught them outside the bubble for a reason but what will it be and might they still help their fellow mutants inside?

Ah, Roy Harper. He’s been Speedy, Arsenal and Red Arrow. How far the mighty have fallen. The third installment of Justice League: The Rise of Arsenal pits this ex-Titan against the new Batman and his good friend Dick…Grayson. Completely off his nut following the death of his daughter Lian, Roy has been destroying just about every facet of his previous life. I hope DC lets him be a villain for awhile. Take out his frustration on the hero community, vent that anger without harming any civilians but I pray to Gog that they don’t make him another DC anti-hero. I like anti-heroes, I do. They have a place in stories.

Just not Roy Harper, please. I’m excited, though, J.T. Krul has written some highly intense comics in these.

Secret Avengers #1 is the next book in the new Avengers tag team of serials. Promising to be part-spy, part-superhero, the concept for this team could go to great places. Really, I was sold when I saw Beast on the cover but the mere fact that Captain Turtleneck put together such a covert team is a bold move that strikes my curiosity. What he needs from them and what they’ll do to make it happen should be quite a read.

Oh man, you guys, Justice League: Generation Lost #2 couldn’t come out soon enough! Having never read much of the old JLI stories, I still was joyfully brought along on this crazy ride. Maxwell Lord’s final “I’m On A Boat (And the boat is the world)” pose is worth the price of admission in issue 1 and it clearly is going to put this reunion of the JLI through some serious drama.

Green Lantern Corps #48 continues from the “Green Lanterns Can Do It Now!” issue with the first big storyarc in the Brightest Day, “Emerald Dawn”. Ganthet’s a GL, John Stewart is back and there is a shadowy threat hiding in the membership of the Green Corps itself. Not gonna lie, I’m reading this for the Brightest Day tie-in but I don’t have much invested yet. I’d like to see that change, though.

Green Lantern #54, THE RETURN OF RAGEKITTEH! Seriously, this cat is ridiculous. In the first 6 pages it rips this random thug on a subway to shreds. Some interesting feline commentary from Geoff Johns with this character? Did we even need feline commentary? It’s the commentary we need, not the commentary we want. All the Corps jammed onto Earth is causing some serious issues but the convention is still necessary until they can sort themselves out with the mysterious new White Lantern showing it’s shiny mug. Good times are sure to be had.

The Return of Bruce Wayne is on issue 2 of 6 this week and the plot is sure to thicken as he continues to bounce forward in time and his band of fellow superheroes races like mad through the timeline to find him.

Dazzler gets some tender loving this week in her very own one-shot of disco magic! She survived Necrosha but that doesn’t mean she’s safe! Mortis is bringing the hurt to the House of Dazzler. And not a Bedazzler in sight! What’s a diva to do?

Thanos Imperative: Ignition is the start of a beautiful friendship. Or, you know, the end of the universe! Looks like the universe’s best and worst will have to band together to fend off an impossibly villainous foe in this new crossover event. Let’s hope Siege didn’t take all the fight out of the heroes because they’ll surely be needed!

-windiebird

While They’re Poppin’ Fresh

by mutantaday

Since we will not be able to smack you in the face(s) with our…podcast…this weekend, I thought I’d share a quick rundown of the highlights and lowlights for me in this week’s comic releases!

(Cover by David Finch, DC Comics)

On Brightest Day #2, I have this to say. CALM DOWN CALM DOWN. Everyone, it is seriously only issue 2 of a 26 ISSUE SERIES, about %7.69231 of the entire story! To make sweeping judgments and accusations concerning where Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi are taking the characters is hasty and premature. I’m not saying the subtle threads of racism aren’t there or that the extreme violence isn’t off-putting at times but give the creators time to create, you know? I care to see what happens to these characters so I’m reading, plain and simple. I have faith that Johns isn’t here to do damage but to really shake things up, to rearrange the DCU into fascinating new shapes and let other authors do the same. I think that’s almost always a good thing. I’ve seen him write a diverse, inspiring JSA story or ten in his day and I know he’s got the talent to make this amazing.

I expect greatness and I hope to see it happen soon but let’s keep a little perspective as a readership, please.

(Scan from JLA #45, art by Mark Bagley & Rob Hunter)

As a new reader to JLA, I’m glad as a goose that they’ve taken a few issues to deal with the fallout from Cry for Justice & Rise and Fall. I dig the new team, love the interplay and that they’re already getting put through the paces in this new JLA/JSA crossover! I loooove the JSA so anytime they can get more attention and amazing story arcs, I’m all for it. Plus I have a major hearton for Alan Scott in his Green Knight outfit. Even if he is insane and he’s going to destroy the universe with his gay son. Story of my life.

Zatanna by Cat Staggs

Zatanna #1 is starting off strong and I’m liking it. An ass-kicking woman who is sure of herself, heroic & a vegetarian? I’m in like flint! Luscious art and an all-around success. Anyone familiar with Identity Crisis might feel a little uneasy about the opening scene but I think it’s an appropriate choice. Here’s why: the average person in the DCU (and in Zatanna’s audience) has no idea that Z was forced to do horrible things in response to Dr. Light’s reprehensible rape of Sue Dibny in the past. All they know is that he’s a villain. It’s a symbol from Paul Dini and a secret ritual for Zatanna herself, I feel. These beings who have done much wrong are easily overcome. Her part of Identity Crisis is dealt with, she’s recovered and rises above it. I can get behind that concept.

(Cover by John Romita, Jr., Marvel Comics)

Avengers #1 was two tons of fun! We’ll see how the other new Avengers titles turn out but the team banter already has me hooked. Plenty of humor, action and intriguing plot points. I’m down for more and I’m so glad Rueben has me more and more interested in the Marvel side of the aisle.

(Cover by Adi Granov, Marvel Comics)

All I wanted to do was press the big red button in X-Men Legacy #236! Hope is here to stay and the Nimrods are flooding in at full force! The Avengers aren’t doing much good but I’m sure they’re there for a reason. I know Greg Land gets much hatred for his work but it’s cinematic and neat. Maybe if he put ‘digital artist’ or ‘visual creator’ he’d get less flak but I really am only concerned with the end product when it comes to what I’m reading. Shiny people and some gorgeous scenery, me likey. He could draw his women with a little distinction but he works those pages out.

X-Factor actually makes sense to me now! Huzzah! Looks like they were playing Trask for a fool and they’re about to strike back HARD! I’d never read them before but I’m very much considering continuing once the dust settles from Second Coming. Quirky and offbeat always grab my attention and this team seems to have it in spades.

We’ll be heading to Zeus Comics this weekend for their quarter backissue sale and if you’re in the DFW area, do the same!

-windiebird

By Odin’s beard!

by mutantaday

(Cover by David Finch, DC Comics)

What’s that month-old fish smell? Why, it’s Aquaman! Here to save the day with some seriously fetid calamari! It’s Brightest Day #2 and we’re delving deeper into the mysteries of the white light of ~*~Feelings~*~ once again this week! Firestorm on the fritz, Aquaman commanding the dead, forests popping up in city ruins and 12 living once-dead folk, I’m hoping we start really getting to the meat of the story. The art is pretty, the story compelling (if vaguely and arguably racist at points) and it’s giving me a Green Arrow story. Heaven!

(Cover by Adi Granov, Marvel Comics)

Bastion is cooking up even more pain and anguish for our favorite X-people this week in X-Men Legacy #236 (Chapter 8 of Second Coming) as his plan to trap the mutant race on Utopia becomes a frightening reality! The X-Club trapped outside, Pixie stuck in Limbo and hardly any help on the way it’s looking damn bleak for the team. I’m sure they’ll manage a win by the end but I can’t fathom how. Be reading this if you haven’t been!

(Cover by John Romita, Jr., Marvel Comics)

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, Age of Aquariuuuuuuuuuuus! Earth-616 is getting all bright and shiny itself with a brand new Heroic Age! If you haven’t heard, the end of Siege is giving the Marvel universe a re-haul (as well as four new Avengers books). With this Wednesday bringing us the first in the promised quaternity, Avengers #1! Kang the Conqueror is back from the future for a mysterious purpose sure to put the newly ASSEMBLE’d team through their paces.  We’re also getting a backup feature of the oral history of the Avengers which will be…pleasurable.

I’m also excited uptown, downtown & midtown this week for the new DC Universe: Legacies series starting up, a 10-part book covering the entire history of the DCU! From the earliest masked heroes of World War II (where this issue begins) to the current day’s generation of super-people, we’re slated to get it all. Quite an undertaking but the previews up so far have my hopes up.

We also have the prologue to the new JLA/JSA crossover this week in JLA #45. Supergirl and Power Girl are locked in battle and no one knows why. With Alan Scott and his daughter clearly in trouble with the Starheart, that can’t be a good thing. Should be a great read. Then of course we’ve talked about the ongoing Zatanna series starting up, be sure to give it a go! Dini, Roux & Story, what could go wrong?

If you haven’t picked up an issue of American Vampire yet then you’re missing out on some beautiful horror. Issue 3 is out this week and both Stephen King and Scott Snyder are hitting their stride for their 5-part run together. The characters are real and their tribulations are visceral. Can’t ask for more in this flapper-era vampire masterpiece!

We also have the second part of X-Factor’s story during Second Coming and it’s sure to be bloody fun, the conclusion to Pixie Strikes Back (with one amaaazing cover!) & the second volume of Girl comics, a grab bag of amazing talent that you should absolutely pick up if you can afford to.

Don’t forget the abundance of Heroic Age comics that will provide extra background and clarity for the new books (bam, bam & bam!).

The Legion of Super-Heroes is back with another 1st issue, a Green Lantern tie-in and the destruction of a major planet are all promised in this one, check it out.

And lastly, the War of the Supermen rages on in the third installment of the series, sure to shock and amaze the world.

Phew, quite a lot of comics this week but be sure to check them all out at your local comic shop!

-windiebird