Jump to content
  • Sign up for free and receive a month's subscription

    You are viewing this page as a guest. That means you are either a member who has not logged in, or you have not yet registered with us. Signing up for an account only takes a minute and it means you will no longer see this annoying box! It will also allow you to get involved with our friendly(ish!) community and take part in the discussions on our forums. And because we're feeling generous, if you sign up for a free account we will give you a month's free trial access to our subscriber only content with no obligation to commit. Register an account and then send a private message to @dave u and he'll hook you up with a subscription.

Recommended Posts

After female Thor, a black Captain America from Marvel

 

The mantle of the Captain America character in the Marvel series will be taken over by the Falcon, one of the first African-American comic book heroes

 

Marvel Comics recently announced that it would be making its character Thor a woman, following years of being a hammer-wielding picture of masculinity. And it's now continuing its commitment to greater diversity in its universe, announcing that the mantle of Captain America will be taken on by a black character, Falcon.

 

Captain America was originally Steve Rodgers, a relatively feeble man who is given superpowers by an experimental growth serum, and fights the Nazis in World War II. The character is currently at the heart of Marvel's big-screen outings alongside Iron Man, Thor and the Incredible Hulk, with two movies and a spinoff TV show.

 

In Marvel's comics series, Rodgers faces a terrible foe in Iron Nail, who drains him of his superpowers, rendering him an old and frail man. He will therefore pass his stars-and-stripes shield to Sam Wilson, an ally who goes by the superhero name of the Falcon – he has a winged suit that allows him to fly, and also has a telepathic link with birds. The character appeared in this year's Captain America movie sequel, The Winter Soldier, played by Anthony Mackie.

 

Falcon was created in 1969, and was one of the first African-American superheroes. But even in 2014, high-profile black superheroes are still relatively rare. The Avengers' Nick Fury being a notable exception, while African-American actor Michael B Jordan will play Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four in a forthcoming movie reboot – which is traditionally a white character.

 

"This is the fireworks factory we're arriving at, and now everything's going to blow up and be very pretty and exciting to look at," said Rick Remender, the author of the forthcoming book series. "I've been having a lot of fun writing Sam. It's a completely different attitude. The fact that he's not a soldier shifts things up a bit. Sam's not going to be Steve. Steve can be very rigid. That can be kind of joyless at times, whereas Sam is absolutely not that.

 

"He's a modern day man in touch with the problems of the 21st century. For most of his professional life, Sam has worked as a social worker, so he's seen the worst of urban society up close, and how crime, poverty, lack of social structure and opportunity can affect the community. So he's got perhaps a greater focus on the plight of the common man, and perhaps a greater empathy for the underprivileged than maybe even Steve himself."

 

In the new series of stories, Falcon will be mentored by the former Captain America in taking on the terrorist organisation Hydra. The series will carry the name All-New Captain America, and will debut in the autumn.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I just read Frank Miller's Ronin from the 80s. Bit of a mixed bag, really. I love the idea of the Samurai and his demonic foe being transported to the dystopian 21st Century future and there are some really great SF staples such as robots, sentient computers and a race of cannibalistic, underground mutants. The art is ace and Lynn Varley's paints are gorgeous. I can't stand his constant use of racism to try to provoke: having characters constantly argue about whether the hero is a 'chink' or a 'nip' and having a Swastika festooned character (in a Frank Miller comic, I'm shocked, really, never seen that before) repeatedly using racist slurs about the black gang on the next patch of turf. I'm sure you could argue that it's just a product of its time and that maybe Miller was just trying to highlight the issue of racism, given the hero is Japanese and the heroine is black, but it just feels cheap.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've read the first two, mate. Frank Miller did the covers, didn't he? Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo series is monumental. Ranges from short comedy sketches to epic stories of high adventure. It's like watching Kurosawa with talking animals. In fact, he pays homage to Lone Wolf with an assassin and son combo called Lone Wolf and Kid.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Just bought myself a few new novels 

Watchmen- Some of the concept work by Dave Gibbons is in the back of the book. Some really good stuff

Book 1-3 of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo (new DC 52) The mask that comes in the special box set of book three(death of the family) is great

25th anniversary Batman: Arkham Asylim - Grant Morrison

The Invisibles, Vol. 1: Say You Want A Revolution - Grant Morrison

Daredevil By Frank Miller & Klaus Janson Volume 1

Batman 75th Anniversary set: contain three book, Hush,Book 1 of the new DC Scott Snyder(The Court of Owls) and the Dark Knights Returns

51O%2BAfV-54L.jpg

 

61qC7uPnyEL.jpg

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Just finished Chronos Commandos - Dawn Patrol. Great little comic. Deffo worth a look.

 

Product description:

When the Allies and Nazis develop time-diving technology that could see the course of the Second World War derailed bycreatures from the Cretaceous, only the Sarge and his band of misfit soldiers can save the future - by saving history! Dinosaurs! Giant crocodiles! Time travel! Nazis! Albert Einstein with a machinegun! An astounding, fully-painted pulp spectacular! Buckle up, ladies!

 

Finished Kick Ass 3 recently as well and I'm eyeing up either Elephantmen or Batman - Bruce Wayne Murderer next.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Just read the comics that make up Avengers Disassembled. That story is brutal, to say the least. Scarlet Witch is one really complicated character as well, can't wait to see what she's like in the upcoming Avengers film.

 

Going to start reading House of M next.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anyone ever written a graphic novel just for shits and giggles? I got in touch with a graphic artist and he was trying to charge me 100 notes a page. Maybe I should do a graphic novel about someone who studies an art degree, can't get a job and so decides to be a cunt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Try getting in touch with artists in Poland.

 

I listened to a podcast about writting and getting stuff drawn a while back and the guest had found a artist in Poland to draw his stuff and said it was cheaper and the artists and him had a good understanding of what he wanted.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Found the name and link to podcast. Not sure if its on itunes/android download anymore but they can be listened to online. Pretty sure this is the one anyway. Series about writting graphic novels. The rest can be found via link

 

http://ifanboy.com/podcasts/making-comics-podcast-1-start-writing/

 

SHOW NOTES

 

Running Time: 00:14:13

 

It’s the first podcast of a new show on Making Comics! We’ve teamed with Andy Schmidt of Comics Experience to bring you a weekly dose of advice on breaking into and making comics! Andy is the founder of the online comic book school, as well as a former editor at Marvel Comics and IDW Publishing. Josh Flanagan has been working on iFanboy.com, talking, reviewing, and thinking about comics for over a decade, as well as writing and creating some of his own.

 

The first episode deals with, appropriately, where to start if you want to write comics. (Hint: it involves writing.)

 

 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have been completely neglecting DC since getting into Marvel fiction, so am probably going to have another read of Infinite Crisis soon (which I can barely remember now.) Might start by reading the OMAC project that ties into it for the first time, and then move on to Final Crisis, which I've not read either.

 

Also started several Inhumans books (vol 2, vol 4, and have also started Silent War), but haven't focused properly on any of them yet, so still not sure what they're like.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Managed to read Inhumans, vols 2, 3 (The Inhumans are strange to say the least. I'm not sure how much I'm actually into reading them, but they've grown on me after getting used to them more) and Silent War, the last one to try and work my way towards Civil War. But in the last hour or so I found out a huge ending point of Civil War accidentally by reading 5 issues of New Avengers - Illuminati.

 

Thought that was a great read though, and am going on to Secret Invasion to see what happened there shortly I think. Will read Civil War first though to find out what actually happened there as well, after trying to work towards it for a while now. It was also good to find out something that happened to Noh Varr in the Illuminati book. Years ago I read Marvel Boy by Morrison, but had never known what happened after that, so that was kind of awesome.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anyone know what the deal is with Marvel/Miracle-Man. I heard they were going to re-print the Alan Moore run when they got the license last year or whatever, but I haven't heard anything since. Apparently it's some of his best work and been out of print forever. 

I haven't got enough spare money to buy new comics at the moment and haven't for a while so I'm making my way through stuff from my read-pile that's about a metre high. Right now I'm reading the original Hellblazer series. It's not quite as good as Swamp Thing from around about the same period, but still a good read. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have just read Secret Invasion and Civil War. I didn't really get into Civil War that much, and hope they do a lot better with the Captain America film that covers it. I just don't really like the whole angle with that story though so might not like the film version either. Secret Invasion though, I thought that was way better, and it was maybe helped by reading New Avengers - Illuminati first to get an introduction.

 

Planning on going for two more before I probably have a break and read something other than Marvel : Dark Reign, which follows Secret Invasion, and the Infinity event that started in 2013.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 months later...

Just finished Bushido. Young lad is on a ship in the 17th century when it gets invaded by pirates and he goes overboard and washes up on Japan where he gets taken in and raised as a samurai. Fast forward ten years and the island is invaded by vampires who try to conquer the island by killing the shogun. Good read, 7/10, worth grabbing as a download if you can.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have just read the first 12 Hellblazer comics, to the point that the Newcastle storyline seems to be resolved (which was also running through the tv series.) This is brilliant. It was hard at first, as Hellblazer #1 looks kind of ancient (from 1988) and it was a bit hard to adjust, but the quality of the art/colouring picks up fairly quickly, and the writing is great.

 

I'm starting to partly like Constantine too, despite all his faults. I still thought the tv series was ok, but this is on another level really, and I think they should've made Constantine's character closer to what's here. Am going to have to read this in batches I think (trying to go through every Hellblazer issue.) because going through all of these quickly will probably drive me around the bend. It's probably going to take months, unless the later comics become a lot easier to read with improved artwork/lettering/colouring, etc, and that speeds things up.

 

I get the feeling that it's going to be one of the best comic series I'm going to read though, so looking forward to going through it (or at least trying to.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I underestimated this stuff in a big way and yeah I'll not keep posting, but shit, I can almost feel a lot of the inspiration here that Grant M got for The Invisibles. It's fucking freaky because that series was something that I never thought anything could ever touch, but Hellblazer is doing it. This stuff is genius, and they have a real feeling for the time too with the political aspects, etc. The way John is pissed off with things mirrors what so many of us actually talk about now. As if the social/political shite just goes around in circles. Brilliant comic.

 

It reminds me that my love for DC isn't so much about Superman, Batman, etc, it's also about Vertigo and what they've done there over the years. Amazing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Started reading Hellblazer recently after meaning to do so for a long time.

 

Really dark and pretty grim a lot of the time and very real with a touch of the Supernatural, so far anyway, i'm sure this will change.I've not watched the Constantine tv show but I can imagine it's quite a bit different to the comic books.

 

Also reading Astro City by Kurt Busiek which I highly recommend. It's set in a fictional city that houses tons of superheroes and each episode usually centres on the story of one or a group of them.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having a break from Hellblazer for a bit, currently reading the Uncanny X-Force series that started a couple of years ago. It's great to see Psylocke in good form too :

 

rSAVrs1.jpg

 

The next few pages from #1 here :

 

http://i.imgur.com/0rLJNli.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/cm30yj0.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/9DJhBMp.jpg

 

 

For anyone interested the series is in 3 trades : Uncanny X-Force - Let it Bleed, Torn and Frayed, and The Great Corruption.

 

Have also got loads of Uncanny X-Men to read as well. Am wanting to learn more about some of what's happened there over the years as there's tons of stuff that I still don't know about, I've only really gone through Astonishing X-Men and New X-Men to a decent extent.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm gonna start buying trades again soon. It's been 2 years I think since I stopped keeping up with the current titles. Not sure if I should pick up where I left off or try out some books I haven't read before. I've only ever really bought solo super hero comics and avoided all big events so I might pick up some X-Men and Avengers stuff.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Really enjoyed the Uncanny X-Force series mentioned in my last post. The ending could've been a bit stronger, but thought that the story and characters were great throughout the rest. If anyone ever reads that though, to make more sense of it all you're going to need Cable and X-Force #18 and #19 because it crosses over at the end.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share


×
×
  • Create New...