Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Wolverine #6: The Flawed Plan to Stop Wolverine.

So as I'm sure many have heard about Wolverine's Demon storyline, and other outlets have praised this particular issue. I'm about to do the opposite.

Not because I want to, not because I even care about reviewing it, and not because I want to go against the stream. It's because it genuinely makes no sense to me and has to be outright the worst plan Scott Summers has ever come up with. So I'm not going to review the issue, just Scott Summers' plan on taking down Wolverine. So if you don't want to be spoiled avert your eyes now.

In the issue, Cyclops plans on ripping the metal out of Wolverine using Magneto, then Namor to rip Wolverine's head off, followed by Scott's optic concussive force blasts to disentegrate/charbroil the body. I'll let the charbroil bit slide for now due to friction of the concussive force, but it should be noted that Cyclops doesn't have heat vision. His powers should work to pancake the body or parts of the body, and he can fine tune it to a concentrated beam to cut things like Logan's hand off. His power isn't heat vision, so it should not cook a body. Though one can also argue the friction of said beam at such a high velocity does generate heat to what it's hitting or cutting through.

Okay, one gaping flaw in this. It's too much of an advantage to sacrifice this early on in the game. Even for expediancy, it should be reserved for the last resort. One could commend Scott for the finality of his personal actions, but again it does seem a bit arrogant to think under these circumstances his power alone would work.

Instead of using Magneto to just hold Wolverine still while they find a way to stop him or if in last resort, kill him; Scott is going to have Magneto rip the metal out of Wolverine's bones. Adamantium being indestructible and all, it's needed for Namor to rip Wolverine's head off right? Well the bones may be adamantium, but the cartilage between them is not, otherwise how would Wolverine move? This is unneeded and cruel to do, not to mention the adamantium poisoning is the only thing making Wolverine heal slower than normal. While it may be needed for Cyclops to disentegrate/burn the body with his optic concussive blasts, it seems rather petty moreso. It also gives Wolverine an edge once they do it. He'll be able to heal faster, and Magneto won't be able to marionette him around. Add in the fact Wolverine has survived this before, and potentially worse when not demon controlled, it makes one wonder why Scott isn't reconsidering his plan to allow for the fact Demons could bounce back even faster after this. In Curse of the Mutants, they used nanites to turn Wolverine's powers off. With Magneto holding him steady because of the metal in his bones, there are far more options to stop Wolverine than if they rip the metal out. The simplest of which being they use said nanites again, and sedate him, as without his healing powers anesthesia should work. Even if it didn't because of the demons, with the metal still on the bones, Magneto can still marionette him around until a better solution is found.

The entire plan screams of just causing the most pain to Wolverine that they can, and less about doing anything intelligent to stop him or kill him. It reaks of pettiness, even in how Scott interacts with the others who tried to help Wolverine. He admonishes them for not telling him sooner, or at all.

To kick it off, Cyclops even watches as those who tried to exorcise the demons out of Logan battle Demon Wolverine to no avail. Again it makes me wonder one thing. You have the Master of Magnetism right there. A man who brought a metal bullet back from the deepest reaches of space, and all you do is let him watch Demon Wolverine tear up the town until you give the order to kill him? Why not just have Magneto stop all this and hold Wolverine steady until you decide on your course of action... It's all just a giant moment of confusion, misrepresentation of powers, and lack of strategic forethought or really lack of any kind of action except to murder a former teammate.

For now, I'm just left scratching my head as to what the heck is going through Scott's mind, as he completely ignores the power types at his disposal for usage in this mission and attempting to sacrifice his only pure control card to keep Wolverine from hurting others, yet not using Magneto's power at the start to help keep people safe while they figure out the best course of action.

If you want to read a review of the issue itself, you'll have to turn to other outlets. Wolverine issues aren't something I review unless X-23 is in them. This plan just had a hole the size a mack truck could drive through, and it surpirsed me no one has brought that up since Magneto is a pivotal part of the issue.

Reminder: X-23 v3 issue 6 hits Shelves Tomorrow

X-23 v3 issue 6 comes out tomorrow. So be sure to swing by your local comic shop to pick this issue up.

The comic has been getting better and better with each issue. Right now out of the X-Titles, it's outright one of the better regular series on the market.

X-23 has managed to get better and better, allowing even Gambit to shine as himself, and every character having their own distinct voice. They don't all sound the same, or quip the same, and Gambit even uses his trademark french.

Many props go out to the creative team of X-23, and especially Marjorie Liu. Even if the language is foreign, or the characters unfamiliar, they've been doing research, looking stuff up, and even just outright asking for language translations to use. That's a sign of a creative team wanting to make the best comic they can. It shows in the work too.

Now if only more people would start picking up this amazing comic.

This week, there may be a boost in sales because of MVC3, but only time will tell.

Friday, February 18, 2011

X-Men Anime Trailer



As with Wolverine and IronMan, X-Men will be receiving an anime too. Looks like it could be hitting sooner rather than later.

So far it looks like the line up will consist of Cyclops(hot off the heels of his recent Wolverine anime cameo), Storm, Beast, and Wolverine besides the aforementioned Armor. Yes, you also even saw Charles Xavier in there.

Expect lots of cameos to come just like Wolverine has had. Blade may even make an appearance as per the trend of cameoing the next Anime with the current that's happened with Wolverine being in IronMan, and the X-Men in Wolverine. Yup, Blade's anime is supposed to be next.

Sadly, it doesn't look like it will contain many or really any Academy X kids, including no X-23 in this promo, but one can only hope since this promo seems to be lacking Armor in it as well.

Remember to check out all 4 animes this Summer when they make their US premiere on G4.

X-23 v3 Issue 6 - Preview

Over at CBR they have a preview for X-23 v3 issue 6 up. It'll be on comic shelves this Wednesday, February 23rd.

You can check out the preview here.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Hanna & X-23

I know this is going to come up eventually, so let's get it out of the way right now.

Hanna was a screenplay written back in 2004, X-23's first appearance on tv was back in 2003(though her comic origin miniseries wasn't until 2005). I'm leaving out the Cassandra Cain, or even child assassins before that DC character, as those aren't my concern for this. Suffice to say, Batgirl wasn't the first to do it, and Hanna won't be the last.

The main difference between Hanna and those other properties, as well as what's different with X-23, is that it questions one's own humanity, and how they attain that question. Hanna uses what seems like bio-engineering to raise the question just as X-23's story does.

Hanna's quandry is based around her being trained to be an assassin to exact revenge on the government groups that are after her father, finding her humanity along the way. Out of the wilderness and into the real world, she discovers so much that her father never prepared her for, she discovers life.

X-23's quandry is that of a young girl created through science raised by abusive corporate interests to be the ultimate assassin. She never had a constant contact with those that would show her love and compassion. Those that did would end up dead by her manipulated hand. Even her mother sacrifices herself to bring X-23 to freedom. Once in the world, like Hanna, she discovers life and emotion as well as family.

Where Hanna was raised by her father, X-23 was raised by abuse. Therein lies the main difference that leads to a different kind of story, though still posing the same questions.

These two are very similiar, even using the same overtones, but the outcomes, and paths to those outcomes are entirely different. Where one is the story of revenge, the other is a story of freedom. One was raised to kill by her father, the other was told to stop killing except in the name of justice by her mother. Both question what makes one human. Does it glorify children committing violence? Not exactly. It's that path of discovering more to life than what one was taught. That in spite of the violence they were raised around, and raised to commit, they discover life and the appropriate times to use that violence to protect life. They go from being a metaphorical sword, to a shield.

It's not about children killing others, it's about attaining life outside of violence. The stark contrast of innocence and violence. X-23 grew up never knowing what right and wrong were until she was free. She grew up surrounded by hate until she was free. Hanna was raised with that distinction through love and compassion, but found the world more complicated along the way. Both overcome how they were raised to become more than anyone ever expected.

Both have their merits, both pose interesting questions. One doesn't nullify the other, but they both are far more than simply children committing violence and glorifying it. It's about finding where you belong in the world your own way instead of the place others tell you or try to force you into.

There may be a follow up entry to this, but that'll have to wait until after April 8th, as I don't know what was changed from the aforementioned original Hanna screenplay. For that reason, I've left many details I could have used about X-23's story out as well.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Hanna (A New Clip Escapes)

Seemingly proving me wrong right off the bat, a new clip for Hanna surfaces from news outlets. The people behind the film shared some clips with various outlets to start the media push, and I must say, it's just looking better and better with each clip. This is going to be a film to pay attention to as the hype ball starts rolling. So be sure to tell your friends, drag them to the theater if you have to. This looks like the underdog movie to see this April.

Doesn't hurt either that if this breaks the bank at the box office, it could help push an X-23 movie forward at Fox. Hanna comes from Focus Features, a subsidiary of Universal. Universal Pictures are also the people who brought Kick-Ass with the much beloved Hit-girl to the big screen. So it seems that Universal is well aware of the fact that young women can be competent and even hypnotizing action stars that prey on perception and clash against the norm of expectations with outstanding box office results.

Even Sucker Punch coming from Warner Bros. on March 25th pushes this trend. Seems only Fox is being left in the dust. The company that has the X-Men rights, and characters associated that could have put them in front of this trend, is just being left to the wayside.

Though I'm not counting out X-Men First Class yet. That looks like it'll be a fun movie coming from Singer and Vaughn at Fox.

As for Hanna, keep your eyes peeled for it to be released on April 18th, and if you love the soundtrack by the Chemical Brothers, be sure to pick it up.

So Fox, in the games of Chess that are modern movie trends, Universal has put you in Check. Time to make a move that won't end in Checkmate.

2013 could be your year Fox. For that to be so, you need to stop resting on your laurels and move forward once Hanna paves the way to prove yet again audiences will watch these kinds of movies. Especially if they are done right...

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

May 2011 Solicits

Via CBR:

X-23 v3 #10

Written by MARJORIE LIU
Penciled by Sana Takeda
Cover by KALMAN ANDRASOFSZKY
X-23 thought she had walked away from her past, but after her brutal discoveries in Madripoor, she realizes there are some crimes—of the heart and body—that cannot be so easily forgotten. But as memories begin to spin her out of control, an old mentor and maybe a new enemy come back into her life: Wolverine...and the vampire, Jubilee.
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$2.99





DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE #9

Written by MARJORIE LIU
Penciled by MARCO CHECCHETTO
Cover by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI
“COLLISION,” CONCLUSION
The mind-bending crossover with X-23 comes to its brutal conclusion as Daken is forced to decide which side he’s on and X-23 is forced to decide whom she can trust. Unfortunately, this is Madripoor...is it safe to trust anyone? Meanwhile, Malcolm Colcord must make a decision of his own; one of life or death, with the fate of the potentially-revived Weapon X program hanging in the balance.
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$2.99

Marvel VS Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds



Yes, today is the day. It is out in stores! Hurry up and go buy your copy.
It's available on PS3 and 360.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Hanna

Hanna is a movie coming from Focus Features, a subsidiary of Universal Pictures. The screenplay was written by Seth Lochhead and David Farr. The director is Joe Wright.

Hanna is the story of a blonde 16 year old girl who was raised in the wilds of Finland by her ex-CIA father. He trained her to be the ultimate assassin. The story revolves around this and much more. There are many twists and turns to the story which might include Hanna's origins.



This may be the closest we'll get to an X-23 feature anytime soon. I've got mixed expectations on how it'll do. It has much going for it in the story department and acting. It has a stellar cast, but the lead role casting may be a deterrent for average movie-goers to empathize with. Without name recognition or brand recognition this may be relegated to a feature with moderate to mediocre box office success. That's not to say it's a bad movie by any means though. This film could be a contender for many awards. Without actually having seen it yet, I can't make that call one way or the other. Mostly I'm basing the box office potential returns on average audience appeal, interest, and lack of a marketing push. On that same note though, it could explode at the box office thanks to good reviews and word of mouth among movie-goers.

This film could be quite interesting, and as I said, is the closest we may get to an X-23 feature for the immediate future. If it does well, it could bolster the odds of an X-23 feature happening farther down the line, but there are issues in that line of thought with modern media outlets. Namely the comparisons that will be made. If this movie does poorly, it also shouldn't reflect on X-23's possibilities; though it will in the eyes of studios sadly. This movie does make X-23 easier to pitch, but it also makes the possibility of it being made less likely in spite of the differences.

There are differences between this film and X-23's story, but are the differences enough for Fox to attempt this and fear the publicity of critics claiming they are just ripping off the idea or trying to capitalize on its success? Sadly, that's exactly what will happen as media outlets don't often bother to research what they say about various upcoming or released films. For that matter, they often compare movies based on books to another book becoming a movie without comparing the books to each other... So excuse me if my cynicism is coming across too much.

One can only hope that if this is a success or not, Fox still does their own attempt with X-23.

MVC3: Minimates!

Toy Fair 2011 has revealed a few surprises.

Marvel vs Capcom 3 minimates to be precise. Yes, X-23 will have one.


On the Marvel side there will also be:
Taskmaster
Super-Skrull
Dormammu
Magneto
Phoenix
Spider-man

On the Capcom side:
Zero
Amaterasu
Dante
Arthur
Felicia
Ryu
Chun Li
Trish
Crimson Viper
Viewtiful Joe

Saturday, February 12, 2011

MU 2011 Wave 4 X-23


She has arrived and I must say she is one beautiful looking 3.75" figure.
She includes elbow swivel, and upper thigh swivel.  This is the new female body type for Marvel Universe, and I must say, Hasbro has outdone themselves.

Just because I'm still on a high about this figure, I'll go ahead and include 2 of her wavemates. This one only because it was a DarkHawk armor that also used the name Talon.  That and this is his first figure ever made officially.  I'm also including Steve Rogers, as he featured prominently in her mini-series Target X.


Toy Fair 2011

Toy Fair 2011 is going on right now in New York. Why you should care?
Well if you're an X-23 fan and been following the rumors, there may a reveal of her Marvel Universe figure today. I'll update here once there are some photos showing up on the net.


New reports coming in, X-23 is confirmed for wave 4 of the 2011 MU series, along with Darkhawk.

Full MU rundown for those curious.

Team pack with Classic Avengers
First Appearance Iron Man, Classic Thor, Classic Hulk, Classic Wasp, and Classic Ant Man with winged Ant.

Team Pack with X-Force.
Warpath, Wolverine, and Deadpool.

Team Pack with Fantastic 4
Mr. Fantastic, The Thing, Invisible Woman, and Herbie.

Toys R Us 6 pack exclusive
Giant Size X-Men
Classic Storm, Classic Wolverine, Thunderbird, Classic Nightcrawler(same as secret wars), Classic Cyclops, and Classic Colossus.

MU 2011 wave 2 Cable with Baby Hope will have a running change to be packed without Hope.

MU 2011 wave 3 will be:
Falcon with detachable wings, includes Red Wing
Skaar
Modern Dr. Doom
Scarlet Spider
Dr. Strange (Variant Translucent Astral Form)

MU 2011 wave 4 will be:
Commander Rogers
Darkhawk (Classic Variant)
X-23
Namor (New sculpt)
Modern Ultron

New Comic 2 Packs are:
Deadpool vs. Task Master
Silver Samurai vs. Patch
Spider-Man and 80s Captain Britain
Classic Power Man and Iron Fist
Warlock vs. Thanos with Infinity Gauntlet
X-Men First Class Cyclops and Jean Gray
Wolverine vs. Sabretooth
QuickSilver and Wonderman

SDCC will have a color variant Sentinel on cardback like Galactus.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Rocket Racoon with Groot accessory. TBA on when.

All of this information is from Toyark, CTR, and TNI.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

X-Men: First Class Trailer is LIVE!




Looks good to me. What else needs to be said other than yes Hollywood can make a decent comic book movie without direct adherence to the comics.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

January Sales Charts are in!

January 2011

X-23 v3 #05
Cover Price: $2.99
This issue was ranked 51 out of 300 according to ICv2 which is based on Diamond U.S. to comic specialty stores. The issue has sold an estimated 27,855 copies to them.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Maintenance not going so well...

Due to recent developments and distractions, maintenance isn't going as fast as planned. Some of it is back up, other areas not so much yet. I also still need to update the covers section, and a few other spots. I do have a few other things in the pipeline to mention, but they are going to have to wait until I can finish getting everything back up to date again.

So this week will hopefully get everything back on track again. We'll see how it goes.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Will Be Down For Maintenance.

Routine maintenance this week. Cutting off some of the excess fat, and reworking entire sections to be more accurate. So any entry, or page you can't seem to find right now will be back by the end of the week.

Lots of improvements to come, among other things I've been dying to write about for awhile on here.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

CBR's X-Position Interviews Liu and Way

Today for X-Position, CBR interviewed Marjorie Liu and Daniel Way.

It gives some insights into what's to come. Including an upcoming arc dealing with Wolverine's adopted daughter. The focus seems to be more towards Daken, but there are a few tidbits about X-23 scattered throughout.

Sounds too awesome to be true. Can't wait!

My apologies for any readers here though. I knew this X-Position was coming up, and didn't post the news about how you could submit questions. I really suggest you should follow Marjorie Liu on twitter. She gives amazing updates about all her work, upcoming articles, and even some of the funniest things. You can find it here. I'm still loving the geek girls music video she posted that had Seth Green.