Comics Anticipation....Making Me Wait...

Waiting for comics that have been announced, but that have not come out yet is a big part of being a comics fan.  The new book has a writer you really like, an artist that is good, and a character or two that you really enjoy.  So it has to be GREAT!  Right?

Well......not necessarily.
Comics are a hit and miss media.  It's easy to make bad comics.  It's hard to make mediocre comics.  And it is almost impossible to make really, really great comics.  That magic lightning of comic greatness only ends up on the page once in a while.  But as fans, we keep hoping.  And when that next project sounds like it has increased odds of maybe, just possibly manifesting into our reality as a genuinely great book, well... we get all excited with the possibility.

Luckily, for me, I am a fan of mediocre comics and I even secretly love the really bad comics.  So there is plenty there to keep my attention.  But I still keep hoping that this next book is going to be the one that redefines what is possible in this incredible media called comics.  I am 100% positive that there are untapped riches of comics that have not been discovered or imagined yet.

So learning to enjoy the anticipation phase of comics is important.  Anything is possible when Writer X meets Artists Y and Z while exploring Characters A, B and C!
Also, to be fair, a lot of what we love about comic characters takes place between the panels and between issues anyway.  There has never been a Doctor Strange comic as cool as the Doctor Strange in my imagination.  And every time a new Doc Strange project is announced I think, maybe this time the good doctor's true mystical potential will make it onto a page.
Don't get me wrong, there have been Good Dr. Strange comics.  But there has never been a truly GREAT Doctor Strange comic....Yet.  But he is Sorcerer Supreme again, so maybe someday soon...

So what books are in Anticipation Mode right now?
Thanks for asking.

Guardians of the Galaxy.  Can Bendis unlock the wacky weirdness that is Rocket Raccoon?  And not ruin it with too much Tony Stark?

Fearless Defenders.  Will Dani Moonstar get a chance to show how incredibly cool she is while standing back-to-back with Valkyrie?  Hel Yeah!


Books that have passed out of Anticipation Mode and into actual comic pages?
The Iron man reboot.  A good book, so far.  But not Great.
The Fantastic Four/FF Fraction takeover.  Hickman's FFs were literally "fantastic" 80% of the time.  So Matt Fraction has big shoes to fill.  But he is doing a good job of making things fun and he is really capturing the "family" vibe of the Fantastic Four and the FF.  So far so good.

Young Avengers #1  Wow!  What can I say.  This time the actual book is better than my level of anticipation!  A Great Kick Off to new series with some of the most interesting young Marvel characters.  If you can get your hands on this book, read it.  Billy is doing well intentioned, but really stupid things (just like his mom, the Scarlet Witch does).  I mean, even Kid Loki was trying to stop him.

Newly moved into Anticipation Mode...Young Avengers #2
Can Kieron Gillen and James McKelvie keep things at the high level set by #1?  Will this be more than just one Great Comic?  Will if be a great Story Arc?  Or dare I say it, a Great Comic Series?  We shall see...  Anything is possible.

Anticipation can be fun.
-- Jay Larsen
PS: You can read my new Comic, Giga-Geekery #1, with a minimum of Anticipation.  Just Click Here and go get one!

New Year, Marvel NOW!

I have already said that I have an affinity for Marvel comic books, so I may be biased.  When comparing DC's New 52 "reboot" with Marvel NOW!'s "non-reboot", Marvel wins hands down.

Good things were already happening at Marvel in 2012: Fear Itself (the 2011 event) was finally over. Hickman's run on Fantastic Four and FF were amazing!  Bendis ran Avengers for longer than any other writer in Marvel history, and he did amazing things with them.  Fraction's Iron Man was solid.  Defenders got resurrected with a bang and retired with a whimper (sorry Marvel, it wasn't all good).

The big event of the Marvel year was AvX, Avengers vs X-men, which sounded like a gimmick, and ended up being pretty damned good.  I especially liked when Black Panther slaps the science out of Tony Stark just as he was going to go all Civil-War-Serious on us again.  (Tony only gets to tear the world apart once a decade!)  Cyclops started sliding into madness years ago (in my opinion) and the Phoenix Force just made it so everyone else could see it.  AvX managed to hit the other books without making them slaves to the "big event" (which shows that maybe Marvel is learning from it's past mistakes.)  Wolverine reopening the school turned out to be a really fun ride and showed what an ensemble cast book could be like, in Wolverine and the X-men.  New Mutants had a great year (thanks Abnett and Lanning) especially the "Date with the Devil" issue #37--possibly the best single issue I read all year!

Marvel did get bought by Disney last year.  This still kind of creeps me out and makes me worry, but so far so good.
Marvel movies did great: Avengers anyone?

So 2012 was a good year for Marvel.
And then they announced Marvel NOW! (which has to have CAPS and an Exclamation Mark!) the new "not a reboot" of the Marvel line.  Uh Oh!, I thought to myself.  Marvel is going to do a DC-style New 52 (which I did not think turned out well for DC).
But so far, so good in my opinion.

Marvel moved all their most popular writers and artists around, giving them fresh books to work on.  This resulted in some really good endings to some of the existing story arcs.  Fantastic Four, Avengers, New Avengers, Iron Man, Spider-man all got interesting stories that their old teams wanted to tell before they left.

And NOW! the new Marvel NOW! issues have been coming out (with more promised for later).
Bendis is on X-men now.  He did my least favorite thing and did a time travel story where the 1960's teenager X-men meet the new screwed up X-men.  I didn't want to like it.  But it is turning out to be really great.
Matt Fraction has taken the Fantastic Four on an intergalactic road trip.  And put a replacement FF team on Earth to hold down the fort.  I can't wait to see what happens next.
Fraction and Aja have are also 7 issues into a new Hawkeye series that is one of the coolest things being published right now.  It is hard to describe, but a joy to read.
The new Thor series is good.
Avengers is going cosmic, Hickman style.
Spider-man just killed Peter Parker (again) and replaced him with Doc Octopus!  (Don't worry kids, it is the 50th anniversary of Spider-man this year.  I'm sure Peter will come back to us somehow.)
And there are still more NOW! titles that have not come out yet.  Fearless Defenders, an all Girl X-Men Team, Nova, and Guardians of the Galaxy!  I am Groot!

This could end up being a great year for Marvel Comics!  I think they are doing a lot of things right with their "not a reboot".  It's a great time to jump on and Marvel didn't throw all their history and continuity into the garbage.  I like it so far.  But maybe it's just me?

-- Jay

The Hulk's Secret

We all know what Bruce Banner's secret is: He is always angry!
But do we really know The Hulk's Secret?
Finally revealed in a comic by Jay Larsen,
The Secret, The Musical

Well now we all know...
I think even the Avengers were surprised.

LarsenGeekery will be showing on October 20th 2012 at Bellingham ComiCon 12 - Bellingham WA.  I will have all my comics, greeting cards and posters there.  And my wife Evelyn will have all her great Geek bags, pouches, hero hoodies and lots more.
Join us if you will be in Bellingham next weekend.

Jay

Enter the Raccoon

Whoo Hoo!  A bit of unbridled joy is in order.
Rocket Raccoon just made a big entrance on the last page of Avengers Assemble #4

Oh yes he did, and the Guardians of the Galaxy, including Peter Quill, aka Star Lord, who was kind of dead last time we saw him.  But this Avengers title doesn't seem to fall within "normal Marvel continuity", if there is such a thing.
Oh well, I don't care.  I'm just glad to see my gun-toting evolved mammal back on the pages and out of Comic Character Purgatory, even though the Big S Guy might be sad to see him go.

I just got a stack of 70s and 80s back issues including a couple of old Star Lord books.  Corny Crap of the Best Kind!

 Meanwhile: Waiting for next month's Avengers Assemble.  Bring on the Racconiverse!

Gay Comics Mashup the News

Gay Comics have been all over the news lately.
Northstar and Kyle are getting married in X-men.
DC is teasing us by leaking that one of its long-term characters will come out of the closet in June.
(Should be Nightwing, but all their "somebody not seen since the relaunch" means it is probably some Earth 2 character.)
Prism Comics makes nothing but Gay (LGBT) Comics.
Personally, I am looking forward to the day (in real life and comics) when being Gay (LGB or T) doesn't mean anything weird or special.  But that day isn't today, apparently.  Soon I hope, but not today.

Anyway, I took a break from all this Gay Comic News to look at my blog stats and discovered that my top post of the last month has been "Gay Comic Mashup News" from March. (A lovely little Comic Theater Mashup, if I do say so myself, and I do.)
Apparently, according to Google, people find this post of mine by searching for "gay comics".
I tried that and found that my blog post does not appear until page 23 of the search results.  (Your results may differ, because Google does different thing for different people on different days.)
But holy cow, Batman.  People are wading through 23 pages of links before clicking on mine?  What's up with that?

Then I thought, well heck, if the words Gay Comics gets me more visitors, then who am I to not give the people what they want.
So, here it is.

Comic Mashup Theater Proudly Presents, for the purpose of increasing readership only, Another Day, Another Gay Comic Mashupdate:

Don't forget to check out the Super Furry Gay Love over at Super Ordinary Living Comics.

Thanos Glimpse Via Avengers Leads to Raccoon

In recent Marvel Comics history, if Thanos was being thwarted, that meant the Guardians of the Galaxy and one tiny raccoon with really big guns: Rocket Raccoon!!  I don't know why I find the little guy so appealing, but when it comes to the Raccoon I can only say, "I am Groot!"

So when Thanos was spotted for two seconds at the end of the Avengers Movie, my hope was kindled that the Guardians might be making a comeback after a couple of years of comic book cancellation purgatory.
Last week the cartoon, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, had the Guardians, complete with Groot and Rocket, show up for a cameo then split into space again.  That was fun, but I miss my regular Guardian cosmic fix.
But now Marvel is teasing us with Raccoon possibilities on the cover of Avengers Assemble #6, which won't be out until August.  And spilling the beans that Zodiac (the Avengers' current bad guys in the series) is being controlled by Thanos himself.

Sounds like a job for the Guardians, except that Peter Quill and Richard Rider were all busy getting dead that last time we saw them at the end of The Thanos Imperitive.  But if their foe Thanos made it out (and into the movies), maybe Starlord and Nova will make a return as well.

Don't know what the hell I'm talking about?  Go read the Guardian comics (the 2008 - 2010 ones, not the horrible 1970's Guardians) written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (two of the best writers in comics).

The Question of Little Blue Men

I really like the new Wolverine and the X-Men comic series from Marvel.
But what is up with the Bamfs?
Where did these little blue guys come from?

Mystical spawn of Kurt Wagner aka Nightcrawler?
Or invading Nac Mac Feegle (Wee Free Men) from Terry Pratchett's Discworld?
I'm sure I don't know, but maybe the writers at Marvel will let us know soon?

Geeking Out on Avengers...

OK, just saw the new promo for Avengers, the movie due out in May.
WOW!  This is going to be great!



This is why Avengers are going to win the Avengers vs X-Men thing.

Sorry Siona, X-Men are cool, but they are going to get schooled by the Avengers.

I know, I know, all you continuity geeks are saying: Hey, Movie Avengers are really an off-shoot of the Ultimates, which isn't really the same Marvel Universe as regular Avengers.  And it's Regular Avengers that are fighting Regular X-Men all year in the mega crossover event to end all crossover events.
Like I said, I know.  But did you know that Movie Avengers aren't really in the same continuity as the Ulitmate Universe?  Well, that's a lot of continuity to keep straight.  And it doesn't really matter if the story is good. But I am still excited to see this movie.

I have modest hopes that John Carter (of fraking Mars) is going to be better than its marketing so far would lead us to believe.
But I've got good feelings about Joss Whedon's Avengers.  It's already won the marketing war with fellow Disney movie, John Carter (of bleeding Mars).
And it will probably be better than Avengers vs X-Men, which will most likely fail to be the crossover event to make us forget about all other crossover events.

Avengers Assemble!

Strange Comic Mashup Tale of Fading Radiance

Comic Mashup Theater presents a simple mashup:

Dialog from Stephen Strange and a character known as Nebulous (sic)

Combined with some creepy 1970's posters for elementary school kids.

It doesn't get much scarier than that kids, without being in 3-D.
---
Strange Tales v.1 #162 by Marvel Comics.

The Zombie Death: A Comic Mashup Theater Announcement

Yes I worried when Disney Corporation bought Marvel.
First they fired all the Marvel Movie promotion people.  (Who needs the people who successfully promoted Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America?)
Then Marvel announced a bunch of layoffs.  (Probably after getting way too worked up over DC's New 52 roll out, which has given DC the sales numbers advantage for the last two months.)
But now Marvel is announcing book cancellations.
The Destroyers: Destroyed after the first 2 issues were already written and drawn.
Victor Von Doom: Doomed to Hell even though it was only a 4-issue mini series and they had already taken advanced orders for it (including mine).
Alpha Flight: Grounded for being too Canadian.
What else will be on the Marvel chopping block?  (Anything not Avengers or X-men related probably.)
Only Disney and Gunboat Willy know for sure....

Reality Needs Protecting From Insanity

I'm just not sure that this gang is the one to "protect reality from insanity".

Namor, Hulk, Strange, Surfer...

I am looking forward to this book, but not because these are the most sane characters in the Marvel Universe.

Defenders return in December.  I hope it is some cosmic yumminess.
And it's good to see Strange back in black.

Meet Me In America: Part 2

The thrilling Comic Mashup Theater conclusion to Meet Me in America

Meet Me in America is a mashup of random photos and script from
Captain America #1 (1941 Marvel Comics) by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.
Presented with love and respect for the original and with no claim made to the original copyright holders.
I have always loved that over-the-top language of the old comics and couldn't resist having some fun with it.  Go check out the original.

Rocket Raccoon knows Thunder when he hears it

That's not Thunder, Little Buddy, that's Thunder Echo!

Read my new Annihilators HC over the weekend.

I miss the Guardians of the Galaxy, personally.

But it is good to see Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning writing dialog for some of the most cosmic characters in the Marvel Universe.

But I really looking forward to the Rocket Raccoon and Groot reunion.

And it was definitely the most fun part of the book.

Rocket has gone mainstream and is working in the mail room of some huge corporation.

His best friend in the place is a shipping computer that looks a lot like the barcode scanners I work with every day.

He has some typical, BIG GUN MOMENTS!

But the best fun is when he is navigating the cubicles of Timely Corp and the unlikely rebels of the Forest Underground (talking mushrooms everybody).

I liked it, but I hope DnA find something more interesting for Rocket and Groot to do in the near future.

I give it a B

---

Annihilators HC: Written by DAN ABNETT & ANDY LANNING Penciled by TAN ENG HUAT & TIMOTHY GREEN II Covers by ALEX GARNER & SKOTTIE YOUNG

Happy Birthday Fantastic Four

They say the Fantastic Four is 50 years old today.  And I believe them.
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby launched the modern Marvel super hero genre with this book.
I wish Jack Kirby had gotten more of the credit for his share in the artistic creation of these types of books, but that is another story.
Maybe modern super hero books would have been just as interesting and cool had FF#1 not happened the way it did.  Maybe the Watcher can see that alternate What If and tell us what the world would have been like without the Fantastic Four, but I for one am glad that my life has been enriched by all the characters and adventures and great art work.
So I tip my hat (you can't see it, it is a metaphorical hat) in fond birthday wishes to Fantastic Four #1.
Thanks Reed, for being Fantastic.  Thanks Sue, Johnny and Ben.
Thanks Dr. Doom for being such an egomaniac.
Thanks Galactus for not eating our planet.
Thanks to the Silver Surfer for making sure Galactus didn't eat our planet.
And thanks to Medusa, and She Hulk, and everybody else that has ever stepped in to fill those Fantastic shoes whenever one of the founding members was temporarily unavailable or dead.
It's been great so far.
Happy 50th!

Thanos Imperative

I'm in the middle of reading Marvel's The Thanos Imperative because it has The Guardians of the Galaxy in it.  And I'm not sure which is cooler, that Cancerverse Hulk is a Tiefling.

 Or that when The Vision shows up saying, "I come in peace," that Rocket Raccoon responds in typical Raccooniverse fashion:

"That's great, but you don't mind me aiming my unfeasibly large gun at you, do you?"

Welcome to the Raccooniverse

Yes, Raccooniverse.

Rocket Raccoon initiating some bad guys into the Raccooniverse.

and inventing a new word.

That's one raccool raccoon...

Ever Wonder Where MODOK came from?

A dude with a head like that could only come from one place, the pencil of Jack Kirby.

Marvel's "Tales of Suspense #94" 1959

Created by AIM as a living super computer to plum the mystery of the Cosmic Cube.

He made the mistake of taking on Captain America while alienating his own AIM personnel.

Dissension in the ranks of the yellow bee keepers is what did him in.  But fear not, in classic comic book fashion, MODOK comes back from the dead at least 2 more times.

But if we talk about him too much, I'm afraid MODOK will get a big head.

Oooops, too late!

Life Drain Almost Complete

Sales Meetings suck the life force out of the world faster than even The World-Devouring Galactus!  Silver Surfer, Use your Power Cosmic to adjourn this meeting.

-----------------------------

Echoes:

Doodle by Jay Larsen

Galactus and Silver Surfer created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee at Marvel Comics (all rights reserved by the Inhuman Lawyers they employ to protect their kingdom from us mere mortals).

Glad to know I'm not the only Rocket Raccoon Fan

At the Marvel Panel at Emerald City Comicon 2011, Marvel Big Wig Brian Michael Bendis took a moment for our favorite evolved mammal and member of the Guardians of the Galaxy: Rocket Raccoon

In response to a fan request to see Rocket Raccoon in the future, Bendis replied, "I wouldn't be surprised if Rocket Raccoon turned up in the 'Ultimate Spiderman' cartoon -- that's the level of nerdiness that we're at."

Echoes:
Quote from CBR
Pic from Guardians of the Galaxy issue mmbmhble, from Marvel (insert legal disclaimer here).
By the way, "BRAKKA" is a classic sound blurb for a big gun.
Click on the pic and read the dialog.  It's classic Rocket.

Hugo Weaving Is The Red Skull

The costume looks great.  The skull looks great.  You know Hugo Weaving has the VOICE.  Let's just hope Cap can step up to the Skull's evil awesomeness.
Thanks to CA for the pic.

Friday is the start of Emerald City Comicon in Seattle.  See you there.