Marvel San Diego Comic-Con Recap

BY DAVID BERCK

A lot of things went down at San Diego Comic Con this year. Some people on the floor said it seemed more low key, but there was still plenty of buzz happening. As one of the "big two" in comics, Marvel certainly had a good amount of announcements going on and here's a somewhat brief recap of some of what went on.

For Marvel's cinematic universe, it was announced that Evangeline Lilly will portray Hope Pym, the daughter of Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), in Ant-Man. The movie is starting production this month, which is a little nerve wracking for some of the fandom, but Empire sat down with Marvel movie boss, Kevin Feige, and he reports that everything is fine, pointing to the time table for Iron Man 3 which was much more visually demanding. Corey Stoll was introduced as the villain, Yellowjacket. Interestingly enough, this character had a whole two-issue life span in the comics but is using a hero name that was a popular iteration for Hank Pym as an Avenger.

The Future of the X-Men After the Future has Passed

X-Men: Days of Future Past hasn't been released yet, but the hints and speculation about the next X-Men movie are already out there and picking up steam. Back in January, Hollywood Reporter published 20th Century Fox's intention to release X-Men: Apocalypse in May of 2016.

Since then, there's been rampant guesswork about who will appear in the movie and how director Bryan Singer intends to bring everything and everybody together to fight the iconic villain, Apocalypse. A multi-film crossover concept is also being beach-balled around the internets wherein Apocalypse's story unfolds through not only the X-Men, but hinted at through Days of Future Past and the X-Force movie being talked about (bring on Cable!!).

Hugh Jackman in...'Wolverine The Musical'

According to Hugh Jackman's spoof performance of "Who Am I?" from "Les Misérables"... being Wolverine isn't easy. So much pressure to look good and he can't even eat ice cream? Being a superhero is hard...even harder than being Jean Valjean! Check out Jackman's performance of "Wolverine The Musical" from his recent appearance on BBC Radio 1's The Matt Edmondson Show.

Does he hit the high note at the end? Watch to find out! Also, of course there's a plug for the newest X-Men film, "X-Men: Days of Future Past" which is in theaters May 23.



-Larissa Mrykalo

Fox Announces 'Wolverine' and 'Fantastic Four' Sequels Plus a Mystery Movie

Hollywood Reporter has announced Fox plans to release sequels to "Wolverine" and "Fantastic Four" in March and July of 2017, respectively. What's that? The first FF reboot hasn't been released yet? Apparently, Fox is confident enough in their new team that they don't think it matters!

Fans of the last Wolverine installment will be happy to hear that James Mangold will be returning to direct the follow up to "The Wolverine." No details as yet on storyline, but how cool would it be if Wolverine were suddenly Killable or if X-23 were introduced?

The biggest vague news is the untitled Marvel property under Fox control also being slated for a 2018 release. Speculation has already begun over the unnamed movie, but current front runners seem to be X-Force, which already has a completed first draft, according to Rob Liefield, and something involving the Silver Surfer. After all, if Stan Lee says there's no way a Silver Surfer movie doesn't eventually get done, who are we to argue with the Generalisimo? Do you have any guesses as to what Fox may have planned?

Just to clear up any confusion, Disney/Marvel Studios doesn't own the movie rights to any of the X-Men, Fantastic Four, or Spider-Man characters, so Avengers vs. X-Men won't be happening anytime soon. Daredevil and Ghost Rider have both reverted back to Marvel and are no longer under Fox or Sony control. Confused yet? Hopefully, this handy dandy Geek Twins article will help you keep the movie stuff straight. Or, you know, just look at the pretty picture they made.

Personally, I'm hoping Universal has a Man-Thing solo movie in the works.

-David Berck

Wolverine's First Appearance Up for Auction

Save your pennies and break that piggy bank open! A historic piece of comic art is coming up for bid through Heritage Auctions!

Believe it or not, Wolverine's first appearance was forty years ago as of this year, and his first appearance from "Hulk" #180 will be held for auction on May 15. The panel shows classic whisker-costumed Wolvie busting in on Hulk and Wendigo as they're battling it out and announcing his presence with authority. Whether or not this piece of art was still in existence was a matter of debate until now.

The owner, wishing to remain anonymous at this time, was given the page of original art work by artist, Herb Trimpe,  and is returning Trimpe's favor so to speak by donating "the majority of after-tax proceeds" to The Hero Initiative. The Hero Initiative was developed as a not-for-profit corporation that operates as a safety net for comic book creators. They've helped provide financial and other support to creators in desperate straights in return for the enjoyment provided by comic books over the years.

Nobody is quite sure what dollar amount this iconic piece of art will bring, but it's sure to garner a lot of interest, as Wolverine is, without question, one of the most popular comic book characters of all time.

-David Berck

Groovy! 'Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness' Fan Video

Wanna see something really groovy? How about a Marvel/Army of Darkness mash-up created by a fan and put on YouTube for us all to enjoy? In this Brian Rosenthal film, the worlds of Peter Parker, Wolverine, Ash Williams, Gwen Stacy and Iron Man collide, and it ain't pretty. Poor Spider-Man gets lost with Gwen in a parking garage and things go horribly wrong during yet another zombie apocalypse. Leave it to Ash to jump in to save the day!

"Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness" is the perfect mix of romance, gore and humor so check it out and let us know what you think! Remember kids, this is made by a super fan and is not associated with Marvel, Disney or the "Evil Dead' franchise.




-Larissa Mrykalo

New Comics: May 29, 2013

BY DAVID BERCK

This is an awesome week! There are plenty of different flavors of comics being released, covering horror, sci-fi, super heroes, alternative genres, and even a good ol' heist-related story. Lots to read and so little time to do it, so let's get to it!

AMIGO COMICS
Westwood Witches #1 (Of 4)
So there’s this guy who writes paranormal romance novels about witches. It’s a lucrative market right now, after all. Problems begin to happen when Jack Kurtzberg develops writer’s block and decides to move back to his hometown. That doesn’t sound so bad, right? The real problem is that his new neighbors are witches of the not-so-nice demon worshipping variety. Hilarity Chaos ensues. The cover is occulty and bloody. This bears checking out.