…until now.

“What he does isn’t very nice.”

“Back in black.”

“Not such a straight arrow.”

“Men fear a powerful woman.”

“The greatest hero in the Marvel Universe.”

I really like the throwback to the original New Avengers cover that was released when that series launched back in 2004. It’s fairly obvious who most of the characters are but there’s still a number of questions regarding the identities of the heroes that will be making up the roster. From what we can see, you can assume the team will be made of from the following core group:

1. Iron Patriot

Marvel teased this possibly new character a couple weeks back. While most people are pretty well sold on the fact that it’s Iron Man, the continuity of this idea just doesn’t sync up with the current Iron Man book and couldn’t possibly work.

2. Spider-Man (Black suit)

It’s blatantly obvious that Spider-Man, in some form, will be on the team but, much like Iron Man being the new Iron Patriot, the idea of Spider-Man running around in his black suit just doesn’t mesh with the stories and ideas that are appearing in Amazing Spider-Man currently.

3. Ms. Marvel (Retro)

Once you see the star logo on the only female character’s chest, you know it’s Ms. Marvel’s vintage outfit. Having always been a fan of her older suit, I’m happy to see her toss it back on. Although I don’t read her solo title so I don’t exactly know if she’ll be wearing it throughout the whole Marvel U or not.

4. Wolverine (Retro)

Another old school outfit? Well, I guess a Marvel book just wouldn’t be a true Marvel book if Wolverine wasn’t in it. I would go into detail about the continuity errors that Logan’s presence brings to the book but that got thrown out the window the moment the company initiated the “Wolverine must appear at least three times in every single issue of every single book we publish” rule.

5. Hawkeye

After teasing his return multiple times in Secret Invasion, it appears that Clint Barton will finally be getting his old purple suit back, complete with bow and arrow. I’ve already talked about the levels of awesome that this act is teetering on so we’ll just leave it at that.

While making assumptions is fun and all, there’s really no way to tell exactly what we’ve got heading our way in the pages of Dark Avengers. We’ll just have to wait until January to see just what Brian Michael Bendis and the gang at Marvel have in mind.

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Awesome Arena Exhibition Match: Superman (DC Comics) vs. The Hulk (Marvel Comics)

Combatant #1 - Superman

Comic Debut:
Action Comics #1 (June 1938)

Background:
Superman, known at the time as Kal-El, was born on the alien planet of Krypton millions of miles away from out solar system. When the planet’s future hung in the balance, Superman’s parents enclosed him in a capsule and launched him deep into space in an effort to save him from the forthcoming Armageddon. After the ship landed on Earth, Superman was taken in by the Kent family and raised as their own, going by his new Earth name of Clark Kent. Feeding off the power of Earth’s yellow sun, the couple quickly learned that they hadn’t adopted just any ordinary child. As he matured into a young man, Clark moved to Metropolis and donned a costume, created using the material found inside the capsule that brought him to the planet many years ago, to become Superman.

Powers / Abilities:
- Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, senses, intelligence, regeneration, and longevity
- Super breath
- Heat vision, x-ray vision
- Flight

Combatant #2 - The Hulk

Comic Debut:
The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962)

Background:
During the experimental detonation of a gamma bomb, scientist Bruce Banner rushed to save a teenager who had driven onto the testing field. Pushing the teen, Rick Jones, into a trench, Banner himself was caught in the blast, absorbing massive amounts of radiation. He awoke later in an infirmary, seeming relatively unscathed, but that night Banner transformed into a lumbering grey form that broke through the wall and escaped. A soldier in the ensuing search party dubbed the otherwise unidentified creature a “hulk”. Over the years, Hulk’s character has changed and evolved from an uncontrollable monster to a much more intelligent version that seemed to have Banner’s brain with Hulk’s power.

Powers / Abilities:
- Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, and durability
- Regenerative healing factor
- Genius level intellect in certain incarnations

If you’re new here, shame on you. It’s a simple process to vote so I don’t think I’ll go over it. Results will be posted this time next week so make sure you get your vote in quick and tell all your friends about this poll to. In order for there to be a clear cut winner, we need as many votes as possible!

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Amazing Spider-Man #585

The biggest Spider-Man story since NEW WAYS TO DIE continues! It’s Menace versus Spider-Man, and the loser ain’t walking away! Plus, Lily Hollister’s reaction to Harry Osborn’s shocking pronouncement and we come a step closer to revealing the Spider-Tracer Killer! All that plus…the secrets of Menace stand revealed!

Unfortunately, Marvel didn’t supply a cover for issue #586, most likely because it features something that will spoil something in the works. Regardless, the preview alone sheds some light on what could be the most important issue regarding Menace.

Amazing Spider-Man #586

No more secrets. No more lies. With Menace unmasked, the whole story of who he is and how he came to be is finally revealed and it promises to shake Peter Parker’s world to its foundation. Find out all the answers you’ve been demanding in this special Character Assassination interlude!

I still say Menace is Harry Osborn. Just wanted to get that out there. There was far too much tension between Menace and Norman Osborn during the New Ways To Die arc and the unexplainable scratches and bruises on Harry, following Menace’s battle with Spider-Man, seems a little too weird to me. Moving on…

Amazing Spider-Man #587

Spidey’s loved ones are in danger, but to save them he’ll have to face thirty of his deadliest foes. Meanwhile, Carlie Cooper and Vin Gonzales are in deeper trouble than they thought and Harry Osborn and Lily Hollister face the election results.

Looks like a pretty interesting couple of issues ahead in Amazing Spider-Man this upcoming February. While the Character Assassination arc can’t possibly top New Ways To Die, I’m sure it’ll still be worthwhile to pick up and check out. Meanwhile, in the other Spider-Man books, we’ve got the latest issue of Spider-Man Noir.

Spider-Man Noir #3

Young Peter Parker’s been given the power – but does he have what it takes in gritty 1930s New York? There’s only so much a kid like Peter can do against corrupt city politicians and slick gangland bosses. But when he gets unexpected inside info on the Goblin’s dirty dealings, it’s the chance of a lifetime for the Spider-Man to clean up the town!

For more info on all the books hitting store shelves next February, be sure to check out Marvel.com. In addition to the previews of the latest Spider-Man books, their site features a look at some of the other books that the company will be releasing as well.

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Obviously I tossed the third pic in for you to compare. the costume looks pretty decent though, aside from the fact that they added a mouth hole on the costume for the movie (little things like that bother me.)

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• Solid ending to a pretty entertaining story arc.
• Paul Dini’s writing is, as usual, wonderful.
• Dustin Nguyen’s art works very well with Dini’s writing.

The Bad…

• Despite the graphic, this arc has had very little to do with Batman R.I.P.

After months of suspense and unanswered questions, Batman’s Heart of Hush finally wraps in the latest issue of Detective Comics. As an R.I.P. tie-in written by Paul Dini and drawn by Dustin Nguyen, would this issue be the last we see of Bruce Wayne as Batman?

On a side note, in case you haven’t had the chance to read this issue, this review will contain some spoilers. If you’re really annoyed when people ruin comics for you, you should probably skip this review. Why not check out some of the new Watchmen posters or, better yet, go read Detective Comics #850.

So, for those you that stuck around, what you get out of Detective Comics #850 is the conclusion to a pretty interesting arc that has had really, despite the graphic on the top of the comic, very little to do with Batman R.I.P. at all. If you’ve read any of my previous reviews of any Detective Comics that Paul Dini has written, the man can almost literally do no wrong. His Batman is, in my opinion, the definitive version of the character and, while he does steer a little bit off the path that most people would associate with Bruce Wayne, Dini manages to actually add a little bit of depth to Wayne’s character, past and relationship with Selina Kyle.

Dustin Nguyen returns once again for the end of this arc and keeps his artwork relatively the same. His simple 2-D style has really become one of my favorites for the sheer fact that it’s not overly complicated which leaves simple minded people like me with the chance to really understand the story without being distracted by overly complex imagery. Despite it’s simplicity, Nguyen’s style really separates him from many other artists out there.

So, to answer the question I asked in the opening of this review, this is definitely not the last we see of Bruce Wayne as Batman. Actually, he seems quite content at the end of the issue and it’s a little tough to see how this story actually meshes with the one that Grant Morrison is working on in the pages of Batman as Bruce Wayne’s brain still seems to be… not… broken. That being said, issue #851 of Detective Comics, entitled Batman: Last Rites, seems like it will probably be somewhat more tied into the main time line that Batman’s working towards.

Detective Comics #850
9.1 out of 10 stars
9.1 out of 10 stars

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We’re not done yet though. In addition to these new posters, here’s a look at the newest trailers from the upcoming movie for those of you that haven’t had a chance to check them out yet.

You may now resume waiting in anticipation for the movie to come out. Sorry to interrupt.

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Best-selling comic book writer/director Kevin Smith (GREEN ARROW, Daredevil, Clerks) steps into Gotham City to write this 3-part miniseries event! Practically from out of nowhere, the mysterious masked killer known as Onomatopoeia returns and sets his sights – and sounds – against The Caped Crusader!

Written by Smith and penciled by Walter Flanagan, Batman: Cacophony looks to be pretty interesting assuming that it doesn’t suffer from the many delays that have plagued Smith’s other work over the years. I’m talking, of coarse, about his six-part Spider-Man / Black Cat book with Terry Dodson that was released sporadically between 2002 and 2006 and took roughly 5 years to complete.

With the scripts apparently already completed, I can’t imagine we’ll see the book take quite as long as his last one. Delays aside, Kevin Smith’s Spider-Man & Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do was, and still is, one of my favorite books because of it’s humor and mature themes. Naturally, I’m hoping that Batman: Cacophony will be right along those lines as well.

Well, maybe not humorous. Batman can’t see to do “funny”.

For more info on the book, be sure to check out DC’s official website or, for the best look at Batman: Cacophony #1, you should probably just grab yourself a copy of the book when it hits shelves next week.

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Starting next week, in case you didn’t catch my post earlier this week, Friday Night Fights kicks off on Spacebooger.com. In honor of the event, I decided to kick things off a week early with a punch that shows off a darker moment from Superman’s past. In one swing, he manages to prove that not only does he have the strength of a hundred men…

…he also has the arrogance of a thousand assholes.

Be sure to check out the true Friday Night Fights when they hit Spacebooger.com next Friday night and, if you have a site, be sure to toss your punch in by Friday at 6pm eastern time. For the full details, check out Spacebooger.com.

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However, in a shocking turn of events, it turns out that the Daily Bugle headline was was actually mistaken. Later in the day, Marvel released another image showing that Colbert had just won the popular vote but Obama had won the election.

Needless to say, I’m disappointed

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• Geoff Johns’ writing, as always, is top notch.
• Fantastic visuals by Shane Davis.
• Solid transitional book between Green Lantern’s “Secret Origin” story in Lantern #35 and the upcoming war in Lantern #36.

The Bad

• You really have to be reading Green Lantern to even remotely understand this book.
• I’m not sure why this is actually a “Final Crisis” tie-in. There’s very little connection between the main F.C. book and this one.

Full Review

I’ve been reading Green Lantern for a while now and, in large part because of the “Secret Origin” story that just wrapped up, I actually feel like I’m not completely lost in the story. During the Sinestro Corps War, I really felt like I couldn’t fully enjoy the book because I had no idea what was happening but, thanks to the great writing of Geoff Johns, all the pieces are falling into place and I now realize just how awesome the whole Green Lantern saga really is.

In the past, I’ve been pretty happy with most of the things that Johns has released, with the possible exception of Infinite Crisis, and Rage of the Red Lanterns is no exception to that. The book is piled high with great dialogue, wonderful interaction between Jordan and Sinestro and tons of action as well. Some of the bigger moments of the comic include the return of the Sinestro Corps, the first appearance of the Red Lanterns and, not to ruin too much of the book for those of you that have yet to read it, even an appearance by the new Blue Lantern as well. Johns, like his work on Justice Society of America, manages to keep all the story’s characters in check while still not getting us readers completely lost in the storyline. What a nice guy, eh?

Shane Davis’ artwork is just what the book needed to push this book to the limit. His rough, highly detailed style really helps the dark side of the Red Lanterns really come to life. Weather it’s Atrocitus, the apparent leader of the Red Lanterns, spitting out a pretty high volume of blood, fire, miscellaneous other substances or if it’s one of the Lanterns getting his head blown off, which actually happens, Davis makes sure all the panels of the book look pretty damn good. In retrospective, I’d say he did a pretty wicked job of doing just that and I really wouldn’t mind seeing him continue on into the following arc in Green Lantern #36. We’ll have to wait and see though.

Overall, Rage of the Red Lanterns is a pretty wicked book. If you’ve been following Green Lantern for some time, you’ll definitely want to pick this one up. If you’re on the fence about it all and don’t really know where to start, I’d have to suggest picking up Green Lantern #28 through #35 before jumping head-first into this one. It’s a great book regardless but you’re going to want to know who it is you’re reading about. Secret Origin (Lantern #28-35) will cover pretty well all of that for you.

Final Crisis: Rage Of The Red Lanterns
9.1 out of 10 stars
9.1 out of 10 Stars

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• Cover and interior art by Edwards is smashing
• Realistic dialogue, what’s said is what I would say

The Bad…

• Book wraps up with a mild “twist”

Full Review

To say that “1985″ was one of my favorite series of the year so far would only be half-right, and I’ll tell you why. First of all, Edwards’ art style was a little difficult to get past in the first couple issues, but I completely embraced it by #4, and #5 and #6 just steamrolled me with enjoyment. Now, I’m no art student, but it appears that he somehow blends watercolor paints (check the facial features) with frequent “striping” (a term I just coined, but you can see it on the faces and costumes of the heroes, especially Galactus). The “striping” gives Millar’s characters dark shadows, yet promote this sense of energy and classic exhilaration found in comics produced long ago. As you can tell, it’s difficult to describe, so I’ll post a picture to help. Check the explosion-quality, especially near Mr.Fantastic to understand what I mean. This art really feels like a classic piece, you just don’t see art like this in todays comics. The men aren’t overly muscular, and the women don’t have giant chests. It really feels antiquey.

In addition to Edwards’ art style, Millar is keen on providing the reader with a sense of realism in his characters’ dialogue. I honestly felt that I would’ve said darn near exactly what Toby said, especially when he steals Cap’s line. However, the weak “twist” that was put in to explain why this event happened isn’t particularly satisfying. I’d hardly call it a “twist” anyway, because as a reader I knew from day one something like this was going to happen, so it wasn’t a surprise. I’m sure the way it turned out was Millar’s intent, but it really felt to me like that wheelchaired-kid from X2. Wait a minute, he’s almost the same guy here! Regardless, Millar’s choice does allow for some connectivity between the real world and the world of the heroes, so I suppose he gets points there.

This series ends well with this book, as there are no plot lines left unattended, and the reader finishes with a sense of closure. I suppose you could say this issue is like the issues of yore–possibly from 1985–as they begin with a diabolical plot, and fully end, allowing the writers to move on to their next project without leaving plot lines hanging. Overall, a solid series with an ok ending.

1985 #6
8.6 out of 10 stars
8.6 out of 10 stars

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Friday Night Fights continues over at Spacebooger.com each and every Friday night. Keep your eyes peeled for the latest punch from POA on the newly relaunched FNF!

If you have a site of your own, why not toss your hat, or rather your fist, into the ring too? Check out Spacebooger.com to learn more.

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