Invasion Done. Next, Civil War II.

Well, Secret Invasion came to its predictably underwhelming conclusion this week and Marvel's Dark Reign solicits have finally been released. Apparently it will all be a big What If Bendis Wrote Civil War series with Norman Osborn in the role of Tony Stark. The worst part about it is I finally get the returns of Hawkeye and Brown Wolverine and it's going to be Bullseye and Wolverine's son in the outfits.

The Teensy Weensy Stack

Wolverine #67
Mark Millar has definitely come up with some enjoyable possible-Marvel-future quirks which stem from the fact that the villains from his 1985 series clearly somehow win and take over the world. Which world that is remains to be seen, but it's surely one where Spidey doesn't get back together with Mary Jane... unless they adopt. I'm not sure how this will tie in with Fantastic Four yet, but props for bringing the badass back to Hawkeye. (A)

Green Lantern #33
The reasons for the retelling of Hal Jordan's origin begin to become clear as Geoff Johns shows the seed planting for the Blackest Night saga. I just wish it would hurry up and get here so I know that this was worth it. I do, however, like the way Johns clouds GL's identity from Carol Ferris. Always nice to give a reason why superheroes' girlfriends never realize their dudes' secret identities. (A-)

Thor #10
We're almost a year into this series and Thor still hasn't fought @#$%, save for a brief argument with Iron Man and an imaginary tussle alongside his pops in the underworld. Don't get me wrong, this everlasting setup is extremely well written and the art is beautiful, but can't something happen every once in a while? And how many pin-up covers of Thor just standing around can we possibly need? (B)

New Comic Book Day XVII

The color green takes center stage again this week with the releases of World War Hulk #4 and the Senestro War Parallax special. Of course since the rest of both the Marvel and DC universe's current stories take place after these events, there isn't much suspense left in either one. However, Hulk vs. Giant Dr. Strange should be fairly entertaining. Although, technically, Strange should just be able to toss Banner in another dimension with a wiggle of his little finger. This Wednesday also brings us another delicious installment of The Adventures of Bucky and the introduction of The Greatest Avenger Of All Time into the Marvel Adventures' continuity.

Ultimate Poop Stain?

(Click image to enlarge)

Well, looks like Ultimates 3, the sequel to Millar and Hitch's glorious widescreen Avengers saga, will come out after all. Marvel has released the first cover of Jeph Loeb and Joe Madureira's run to IGN. It looks... different. Madureira obviously went with a more traditional superhero redesign for several of the costumes and Loeb clearly decided he required a more blockbustery lineup for some reason. I blame Bendis. Other major observations follow in glorious list formation...

1. Apparently Valkyrie from the Defenders is suddenly competent.
2. Scarlet Witch and the Wasp bleached their hair.
3. Wasp is no longer Asian.
4. Hank Pym can beat his wife and help try to destroy America and still be on the team.
5. Wolverine and Spider-Man aren't in enough books.
6. Ultimate Black Panther fights dirty.
7. Thor starred in Cats.
8. Spider-Man has a giant wiener.
9. And most importantly, Hawkeye, once the coolest character in the Ultimate Universe, has become a 90's style douche.

My Obsession

Marvel Comics Super-Hero Squad figures are a shining light in an otherwise dark world. Their playful cherub like faces greet me every morning with warm smiles as they stand ever vigilant in their battle-ready poses, warding off the threats of villainy and initiatives. The joy of seeing an alive and well Captain America flanked by a non-clone Thor, a non-dick Iron Man, and a non-ninja Hawkeye is truly indescribable. My collection of series one is complete, with series two and three also on their way. I even broke down and bought most of the crappy Spider-Man movie ones, but not Unmasked Spidey and New Goblin. Never Unmasked Spidey and New Goblin. I know the future holds more classic X-men figures and I can only hope that Hasbro will follow the Mini-Mates and make Zombie versions as well. Probably not though, considering these are toys for three-year-old kids.