In the 1980′s Bernie Jay took over as Editor in Chief and released a title called “The Daredevils”, the book basically reprinted Daredevil issues, but also contained original content.  It was in this title that many of the issues found in this book were originally seen.

This week’s book is Alan Moore and Alan Davis’, Captain Britain: A Crooked World.  Originally printed in Marvel Superheroes #387-388, The Daredevils #1-11, and World of Marvel V2 #7-13, it continues Captain Britain’s story involving the mad man known as Jim Jaspers.  Price-wise, this is good with most paperback versions of this book being over ten pound and hardback versions even more expensive.

The story is typical Alan Moore, with its themes of imprisonment, corrupt governments, and rebellious heroes.  This time around however, it is coupled with Marvel’s superheroes.  The story is excellent, and introduces the villainous entity known as the Fury, who would later return to fight both the X-men, and most recently a combined team of New Excalibur, and the Exiles.

We see early glimpses of Captain Britain’s future wife Meggan in her early form.  There are early Psylocke appearances, with her working for the British agency known as S.T.R.I.K.E (Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies) alongside her lover, and fellow agent Tom Lennox.  In regards to Psylocke, this book also contains her first confrontation with the villainous Slaymaster, who she would later once again face, leaving her blind, before Captain Britain kills him.  An alternate version of Slaymaster would later hunt her down when she was part of the dimension jumping Exiles, as part of his plan to kill all alternative versions of Psylocke.

We see the true deviousness of the magician Merlyn, in his many guises, as well as his daughter Roma, who both manipulate all the cast as part of a larger scheme.  Characters such as Omniversal Majestrix Saturnyne, the Special Executive, and the Crazy Gang, and the Captain Britain Corps are introduced, who all later play various roles in the Excalibur series that starred Captain Britain.

The main villain in the story, correction, for most of the story, is Mad Jim Jaspers.  At the beginning of the story, we see an alternate reality Jim Jaspers destroying his reality after all that worlds heroes are killed by the Fury.  Strangely he initially helps Captain Britain escape the Fury, only to drop him in a graveyard where he once again encounters the nightmare machine and there is a shocking plot development.

Upon returning to the regular 616 universe, we discover that there is a Jim Jaspers in parliament, who has the same ideas, and powers as his alternate reality counterpart.  The inevitable confrontation between, Captain Britain, Jim Jaspers, and another cast member is brilliantly done.  However before we get to that we are treated to Moore’s dystopian England with people being placed in concentration camps, very much like his work in V for Vendetta.  What I really like about this book is that Moore and Davis were given a starting point for a story they didn’t create, they devised a way to get themselves out of that plot, and then basically revisited the idea in a much better way.

So extra content time, this book has quite a bit.  The “what you need to know” section is well done, with Captain Britain’s origin told very quickly, although frankly this is wasted as it is actually revisited in the book itself.  There is an article on Alan Moore’s career, although it doesn’t contain any references to him being a world-class idiot in relation to his outrage regarding Before the Watchmen.  Once again the writer/artist collaboration is not complete as there is no article relating to Alan Davies, but as with previous artists he has more work appearing in the collection, so it is a good chance it will be found in other volumes.

There is then a misleading article entitled the origin of Captain Britain, which in actuality is a publishing history of CaptainBritain, which in itself is not entirely complete, as it does not include his most recent appearances as part of the current Secret Avengers line-up, which was advertised a long time ago.  Then we have a cover gallery containing the eleven issues of “The Daredevils”, followed by a sketch gallery that is actually quite good.

Finally there are the recommended reads that are very good this time around and focus on both Captain Britain and Alan Davies with recommendations for classic Captain Britain books, and Alan Davies’ Uncanny X-men run from the early millennium.  The book reveals this time around are book 47 will be Fantastic Four: The End (written by Alan Davies), and book 59 will be Captain Britain & MI13:Vampire State (written by Paul Cornell)

Incidentally if you wish to buy more Captain Britain books then why not check out your local comic book store (for Cardiff that’s Fish4Comics who will order if they don’t have it, and the Comic Guru).  If you wish to learn more about Captain Britain, or anything relating to the Marvel UK universe, then frankly there is only one place to go and that’s a visit to www.itcamefromdarkmoor.blogspot.com.  It is a site run by a guy, who frankly is a legend when it comes to documenting the Marvel UK comics.

The next book to be released in the collection in two weeks time is Avengers: Avengers Forever part one.  This is a true classic Avengers story, written by Kurt Busiek and Roger Stern.

So with this book added that leaves the list now looking like this….

*Titles in BOLD have already been released*

Book 01: Iron Man: Demon in a bottle

Book 02: Uncanny X-men: Dark Phoenix

Book 03: Captain Britain: A Crooked World

Book 04: Wolverine

Book 05: The Mighty Thor: The Last Viking

Book 10: Spider-man: Kraven’s Last Hunt

Book 11: The Incredible Hulk: Silent Screams

Book 12: Wolverine: Weapon X

Book 16: The Mighty Thor: In Search of Gods

Book 21: Spider-man: Coming Home

Book 22: Spider-man: Revelations

Book 25: Spider-man: Blue

Book 26: Wolverine: Origins

Book 27: Captain America: The New Deal

Book 28: The Ultimates: Super-Human

Book 29: The Ultimates: Homeland Security

Book 36: Astonishing X-men: Gifted

Book 37: Astonishing X-men: Dangerous

Book 40: House of M

Book 43: Iron Man: Extremis

Book 44: Captain America: Winter Soldier

Book 45: The Incredible Hulk: Planet Hulk part 1

Book 46: The Incredible Hulk: Planet Hulk part 2

Book 47: Fantastic Four: The End

Book 50: Civil War

Book 53: The Eternals

Book 51: Fallen Son: Death of Captain America

Book 52: Thor: Reborn

Book 55: World War Hulk

Book 56: Thunderbolts: Faith in Monsters

Book 57: Wolverine: Old Man Logan

Book 59: Captain Britain & MI13:Vampire State

Book 60: Siege

The Guardians of the Galaxy (Aleta, Charlie-27, Martinex, Nikki, Starhawk, Major Victory, Yondu)

First Appearance: Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (1969)

Created by: Arnold Drake and Gene Colan

Joined the Avengers: Avengers #168 (1978)

Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None

A team of cosmic heroes from the far future, the Guardians of the Galaxy helped the Avengers out during the Korvac saga (one of the best Avengers stories of all time, and something any comic fan should seek out), against the unimaginably powerful Michael Korvac, and were afterwards granted official membership. A week ago, I would’ve said there wasn’t a chance in Hel of them getting a movie any time soon, but rumours are now swirling that they are the focus of one of the films Marvel is currently trying to put into production. It’s an interesting move from the company, as the Guardians, largely unknown to those who don’t follow the comics, are arguably a risky proposition for Marvel. Still, the villain from the end of Avengers is a good fit for them, so if the Guardians do get a movie between now and Avengers 2, their chances of appearing there are significantly increased. Even if they don’t show up in the Avengers sequel, I would firmly expect Marvel to one day want to do an Avengers movie based on the Korvac saga, which would feature the Guardians as key players. However it ends up playing out, the chances of seeing the Guardians of the Galaxy on screen have suddenly increased by a huge amount. Now, lets just hope Rocket Raccoon makes film!

Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell)

First Appearance: Marvel Super-Heroes #12 (1967)

Created by: Stan Lee and Gene Colan

Joined the Avengers: Avengers #173 (1978)

Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None

Captain Marvel was, for a long time, that rarest of things: a super hero who died in the comics, and stayed dead. Sure, he appears to be back now in the pages of Secret Avengers, but who knows how long that will last? What was interesting about Captain Marvel, an alien Kree warrior granted superpowers by the Nega Bands he wore on his wrists, wasn’t that he died, but how he died. After being exposed to Compound 13 during a battle with the supervillain, Nitro, Mar-Vell contracted cancer, and died, not in battle with his enemies, but in bed surrounded by his friends. The Death of Captain Marvel, written and drawn by Jim Starlin, is a very moving graphic novel, and well worth tracking down for Marvel fans. The idea of a superhero succumbing to cancer is an interesting one, and could be something worth exploring on screen. It’s unlikely to happen for a while though. He’s just not that well known a character, and there are potential issues arising from the fact that DC also have a character named Captain Marvel. Mark this one firmly as a maybe, at some point, a long way in the future.

The Whizzer (Robert Frank)

First Appearance: USA Comics #1 (1941)

Created by: Al Avison

Joined the Avengers: Avengers #173 (1978)

Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None

The Golden Age speedster who fought alongside Captain America as a part of both the All Winners Squad and the Invaders during World War II, Bob Frank was also for a while believed to be the father of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. Beyond Captain America himself, it’s unclear whether Marvel have any plans for their Golden Age characters on screen (though the Human Torch did have a brief cameo in Captain America: The First Avenger), but if the Whizzer’s going to show up anywhere, it’ll probably be in flashback scenes to the War in future Cap films. Don’t hold your breath though.

Two-Gun Kid (Matt Hawk)

First Appearance: Two-Gun Kid #60 (1962)

Created by: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

Joined the Avengers: Avengers #174 (1978)

Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None

One of Marvel’s many Old West characters who appeared in Western comics in the fifties and sixties, Two-Gun later time travelled to the modern era and joined the Avengers, becoming good friends with Hawkeye in the process. We’ll only see him on screen if Marvel Studios branches out into Westerns. And I can’t see that happening any time soon.

Wonder Man (Simon Williams)

First Appearance: Avengers #9 (1964)

Created by: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Don Heck

Joined the Avengers: Avengers #182 (1979)

Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None

One of the more powerful Avengers, Wonder Man was powered by ionic radiation by Captain America’s enemy, Baron Zemo, in order to infiltrate the team, but ended up turning on Zemo, and died helping the Avengers instead. His brain patterns were then used by Ultron to create the Vision, before Wonder Man himself came back from the dead. Sure, he’s died a couple more times since then, and got better every time (he seems to be one of Marvel’s favourite characters to kill off, alongside Jean Grey and Magneto), but Wonder Man remains a popular character. When he first came back from the dead, he was so traumatised by his death and resurrection that despite his efforts, he remained incredibly afraid all the time, causing him to hesitate in battle more than once. He also embezzled funds from his own company, before admitting to his crime live on the David Letterman show! No, really! These days, in the comics, Wonder Man seems to have turned on the Avengers, believing they do more harm to the world than good. He would be an interesting character to explore in the Avengers movie universe, but has so many ties to a number of other characters that to bring him in might overcomplicate things for the moment. He may show up at some point, but it’s a very long way off.

Ms. Marvel / Binary / Warbird (Carol Danvers)

First Appearance: Marvel Super-Heroes #13 (1968)

Created by: Roy Thomas and Gene Colan

Joined the Avengers: Avengers #183 (1979)

Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None

Ms. Marvel has been through her fair share of problems since joining the Avengers. She was visited by Marcus, a man from another dimension, who lured her to his own dimension and used mind control to make her think she loved him so he could impregnate her with himself, thus allowing him to be born into our world (yes, really). Effectively being raped, Carol was still under his control when she agreed to return to his dimension with him. But the effects of interdimensional travel proved too much for Marcus, and he died, freeing Carol’s mind, but leaving her traumatised. When she finally returned home, she was attacked by Rogue, the future X-Man, who permanently robbed her of her powers and memories. With the help of Professor X, her memories were returned to her, but she had no emotional attachment to them any more. She then gained cosmic powers, which soon began to fade away, and developed a severe drinking problem. All of which makes it all the more impressive that not only is Ms. Marvel still an Avenger, but one of the best. She, perhaps more than any other Avenger, strives to better herself and be the best superhero she can be. Throw in close ties to a number of other characters and Ms. Marvel is a pretty central character when it comes to the Avengers these days. She has a higher chance than most of showing up in a future Marvel film in the next few years. Don’t be too surprised if she’s in the mix for Avengers 2.

Falcon (Sam Wilson)

First Appearance: Captain America #117 (1969)

Created by: Stan Lee and Gene Colan

Joined the Avengers: Avengers #184 (1979)

Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None

Falcon didn’t want to be an Avenger originally. While he’s since become a proud member of the team, he was at first forced to join by Henry Gyrich, the Avengers government liaison, simply because he was black. Gyrich felt there weren’t enough minorities on the team, Falcon happened to be around. Simple as that. Falcon has a much longer history as Captain America’s partner than he does as an Avenger, and I’d be surprised if he didn’t show up in Captain America 2, but he won’t get more than a cameo in Avengers 2.

Jocasta

First Appearance: Avengers #162 (1977)

Created by: Jim Shooter and George Perez

Joined the Avengers: Avengers #211 (1981)

Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None

Another android created by Ultron to defeat the Avengers who ended up betraying him and joining the team, Jocasta was given the brain patterns of the Wasp, who just happened to be the wife of Ultron’s “father” Hank Pym, giving Ultron the mother of all Oedipal complex’s! See what I did there? Huh? Huh? Oh, never mind. Anyway, Jocasta won’t be in the Avengers sequel. If they’re going to use any of Ultron’s creations, it’ll be the Vision. In fact, don’t expect Jocasta to appear in a Marvel Studios film… well, ever.

Tigra (Greer Grant Nelson)

First Appearance: Claws of the Cat #1 (1972)

Created by: Linda Fite, Roy Thomas, Marie Severin, Tony Isabella and Don Perlin

Joined the Avengers: Avengers #211 (1981)

Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None

Greer Nelson started her superhero career as The Cat, wearing the costume which would eventually be taken up by Hellcat. She was later turned into Tigra in a mystical ceremony, becoming an actual cat person and a furry’s wet dream. She won’t feature in any upcoming Marvel movies though. If Marvel want a cat lady in their films, their much more likely to use Hellcat.

She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters)

First Appearance: Savage She-Hulk #1 (1980)

Created by: Stan Lee and John Buscema

Joined the Avengers: Avengers #221 (1982)

Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None

A blood transfusion from her cousin, one Bruce Banner, gave Jennifer Walters the ability to transform into her green-skinned, super strong alter-ego, the Sensational She-Hulk. Unlike her cousin, Shulkie (as she became affectionately known) keeps her intellect and personality when she transforms, and is one of the Marvel universe’s premier lawyers. If we do get a new Hulk solo film before Avengers 2, I would expect Jen to appear. Whether she gets her She-Hulk powers or not is another matter, but either way, if she is in the next Hulk flick, then a cameo in the next Avengers film is likely.

To be continued…

TOKYO,JAPAN– 15 May 2012 – NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc., a subsidiary of NAMCO BANDAI Holdings Inc. (TYO: 7832), announced today a fun-filled weekend of special events to occur during the upcoming MCM Expo London Comic Con (held from 25 to 27 May 2012 at ExCeL), including appearances by ShiftyLook writers and artists Ben McCool, Dean Haspiel, Matt Moylan, Dax Gordine and Jim Zub. There will also be a special appearance by comics legend Marv Wolfman, who will personally announce a new title he will be creating at the ShiftyLook Webcomics panel. ShiftyLook can be accessed at SHIFTYLOOK.com.

“MCM has the pulse of pop culture fandom in theUK, so we knew we had to go toLondon,” said Rob Pereyda, Producer & Editor-in-Chief of ShiftyLook. “We hope that fans in the UK have a chance to enjoy our wide range of events, including everything from autograph sessions, panel discussions and game tournaments, to our unbelievable Saturday night Chat Show Spectacular! Our events at MCM will be a can’t miss for fans of video games and comics alike.”

25 MAY 2012 (FRI):

MEET SHIFTYLOOK: Kick-off MCM Expo in style and meet ShiftyLook artists, writers, and staff, including Matt Moylan (Bravoman), Dax Gordine (Bravoman), Jim Zub (Wonder Momo), Ben McCool (Dirk Davies), Dean Haspiel (Dirk Davies), Marv Wolfman (SECRET TITLE TO BE ANNOUNCED AT MCM EXPO), and Rob Pereyda (Editor-in-Chief). This is your chance to get the down low on all the weekend’s festivities! (4:00PM to 4:30PM, GameSpot Stage)

26 MAY 2012 (SAT):

BRAVOMAN AUTOGRAPH SESSION: Snag a free autograph from Bravoman writer Matt Moylan and artist Dax Gordine. Limited number of free sketches available to people who pre-registered for a sketch on SHIFTYLOOK.com. Free Bravoman t-shirts while supplies last! (11:30AM to 12:30PM,ComicVillageAutograph Area)

DIRK DAVIES AUTOGRAPH SESSION: Snag a free autograph from The Five-Dimensional Adventures of Dirk Davies writer Ben McCool and artist Dean Haspiel. Limited number of free sketches available to people who pre-registered for a sketch on SHIFTYLOOK.com. (11:30AM to 12:30PM,ComicVillageAutograph Area)

SHIFTYLOOK WEBCOMICS: BRAVOMAN, DIRK DAVIES & MORE!: Namco Bandai Games is reimagining coin-op classics and needs your help! Join Bravoman writer-artist team Matt Moylan & Dax Gordine, The Five-Dimensional Adventures of Dirk Davies writer-artist team Ben McCool & Dean Haspiel, and Wonder Momo co-writer & Ace Kid writer Jim Zub as they show off their hot webcomics titles. Featuring a special appearance by comics legend Marv Wolfman as he personally announces a brand-new webcomic re-imagining a NAMCO arcade favorite! Moderated by ShiftyLook Editor-in-Chief Rob Pereyda. Free Bravoman t-shirts while supplies last! (2:00PM to 3:00PM, Stage B)

SECRET TITLE AUTOGRAPH SESSION: Snag a free autograph from comics legend Marv Wolfman hot on the announcement of a brand-new webcomic just announced at MCM Expo! (3:30PM to 4:30PM,ComicVillageAutograph Area)

WONDER MOMO / ACE KID AUTOGRAPH SESSION: Snag a free autograph from Wonder Momo cowriter / Ace Kid writer Jim Zub. (4:30PM to 5:30PM,ComicVillageAutograph Area)

SHIFTYLOOK CHAT SHOW SPECTACULAR!: ShiftyLook’s Cory Casoni hosts an action-packed chat show featuring stand-up comedy, thrilling guests, and live music! Guests include Dirk Davies team Ben McCool (Choker, PIGS) & Dean Haspiel (American Splendor, Bored to Death), designer extraordinaire Gavin “JamFactory” Strange (Senior Designer, Aardman Animations), and Bristol-based “gaijin” rock band Area 11 (Blackline). Special live Rob’s Corner segment by ShiftyLook Editor-in-Chief Rob Pereyda. Free priority tickets available on SHIFTYLOOK.com and free rush standby space available day-of-show as well. Since this event is off the main show floor, please remember to bring your weekend or Saturday MCM Expo ticket with you! (Doors: 7:00PM, Event: 8:00PM to 9:30PM, Crowne Plaza HotelLondonDocklands, West Suite)

27 MAY 2012 (SUN):

SECRET TITLE / WONDER MOMO / ACE KID AUTOGRAPH SESSION: Snag a free autograph from comics legend Marv Wolfman hot on the announcement of a brand-new webcomic just announced at MCM as well as Wonder Momo co-writer / Ace Kid writer Jim Zub. (11:30AM to 12:30PM,ComicVillageAutograph Area)

DIRK DAVIES AUTOGRAPH SESSION: Snag a free autograph from The Five-Dimensional Adventures of Dirk Davies writer Ben McCool and artist Dean Haspiel. Limited number of free sketches available to people who pre-registered for a sketch on SHIFTYLOOK.com. (12:30PM to 1:30PM,ComicVillageAutograph Area)

DIG DUG TOURNAMENT, CELEBRITY STYLE!: ShiftyLook & GameSpot folks get paired with fans in a Dig Dug fight to the finish for a fantastic prize (the winning fan gets the prize!) – do you have what it takes to tangle? Pre-register for the tournament on SHIFTYLOOK.com. (2:00PM to 3:30PM, GameSpot Stage)

BRAVOMAN AUTOGRAPH SESSION: Snag a free autograph from Bravoman writer Matt Moylan and artist Dax Gordine. Limited number of free sketches available to people who pre-registered for a sketch on SHIFTYLOOK.com. Free Bravoman t-shirts while supplies last! (4:00PM to 5:00PM,ComicVillageAutograph Area)

(Free registration for priority tickets for the Chat Show Spectacular, sketches from Dean Haspiel or Dax Gordine and the Dig Dug tournament is available on the ShiftyLook MCM page: http://shiftylook.com/news/shiftylook-at-london-mcm-expo-the-full-schedule/)

ShiftyLook is available worldwide in English, free of charge, through web browsers for PC, Mac, iOS and Android, and through free RSS feeds. Participation in the ShiftyLook community is exclusively through BANDAI NAMCO ID, the NAMCO BANDAI Group’s official user ID system, which is available worldwide. BANDAI NAMCO ID is not required to interact with the official ShiftyLook Twitter account (@ShiftyLook) or Facebook Page (fb.com/ShiftyLook).

So if you are heading to the event be sure to check them out

Regards

Muldwych

As mentioned HERE, Marvel has a new title coming called ‘The First X-Men’ and the details of which was announced over in Marvel’s live blog last night.

The story is a five issue limited series which comes out in August and will reveal that it was actually Wolverine who assembled the first team of mutants in the Marvel Universe.

The First X-Men takes place before X-Men #1 so I am assuming must be based in the 50’s as sees Logan attempt to recruit both Xavier (who turns him down) AND Magneto to his team so age wise for Xavier it must be the 50’s right?

It’s not like Xavier who put the X-men together in a school but more a mini army with soldiers which include on the team Sabretooth, Magneto, Bomb and a new female character.

This series IS canon and will be written by Christos Gage with art from Neal Adams.

There will be a cameo from a hobo Sub-Mariner (sweet) before he regained his memory in the pages of Fantastic Four which is a reason enough to get it in my eyes.

Here are some of the quotes from writer, artist and senior editor of the X-Men titles Nick Lowe.

“It takes place before the original X-Men and at a time when the government was snatching mutants up and doing scary things to them. Logan notices this and thinks somebody needs to look out for them. He recruits Sabretooth, who asks ‘Why?’ and so he pays him. Professor Xavier is a young man studying at Oxford, who’s engaged and wants nothing to do with this.” -Christos Gage

“There’s a character who calls himself Bombastic Aghast, but they call him Bomb. Wolverine saves him from a cave-in then gives him a leather jacket that fits like a tent. He looks ridiculous, but he thinks it’s his costume. Later, Wolverine buys him a jacket that fits, but he throws it back in his face. That jacket means so much to him and represents his relationship with Wolverine. That’s the origin of his costume.” -Neal Adams

“This is firmly set in continuity. This is not a What If. This is canon. This is key to Wolverine’s history and his relationships with other characters. This will answer questions that have been out there for decades.” -Nick Lowe

“They do encounter ‘hobo’ Sub-Mariner at one point.” -Christos Gage “He throws a car at Wolverine!” -Neal Adams

“We wanted this to be something you could hand to somebody who just saw the X-Men movies and they’d enjoy it as a good X-Men story. At the same time, for giant nerds like me, FBI agent Fred Duncan from the early stories is in there, and when Professor X talks about his brother you know it’s Juggernaut.” -Christos Gage

“There will be early versions of the Sentinels. I did the giant ones, now I’m getting to do different one.” -Neal Adams

“I had to have Neal draw a double page hobo Sub-Mariner vs Wolverine & Sabretooth spread.” -Christos Gage

“This is Wolverine as a soldier looking at a problem. When you try something, it doesn’t always work. This is one of Wolverine’s first steps toward working with mutants. To me, Wolverine & The X-Men is a far later step, but there will be contrasts and comparisons, definitely.” -Nick Lowe

“Wolverine was a mercenary, and mercenaries make a lot of money. Wouldn’t it be interesting to find that Wolverine’s mercenary work funded…” -Neal Adams

“The concept that Charles Xavier could pass for a human I don’t think has ever really been explored. At some point in his life, he made the difficult decision to step forward as leader of the X-Men and as a mutant. He could have wiped all of this out of the world’s collective mind. Why didn’t he? Stuff to think about.” -Neal Adams

My thoughts on this yet another X title announcement straight on the heels of X-Treme and Gambit are not possibly what Marvel would want to here but there is just too much X-Men titles. Through my podcast ‘House of M(uldwych)’ where ive been reading the trades and all available titles I have fallen in love with the X-Men but this to me seems a bit like a retcon to make Wolverine the first X-Man.

There are a couple of issues I have with this because I will tell you now I will be getting the title and if it wasn’t for the title I would be really excited for it but why name it ‘The First X-Men’ because the aren’t X-Men.

I think the team with Wolverine, Magneto and Sabertooth as soldiers before joining the school and Charles to become the X-Men is a great idea but don’t call them X-Men as the are not, they are just a group of mutants that came together and this alone does not mean they are X-Men.

Look don’t get me wrong I think it could be quite good as a really like Christian Gage but the art looks horrible and it just seems like a late attempt to ride on the success of X-men First class and to make Wolverine a bit more important to the X universe.

Regards

Muldwych

The more i see the more i love this and get excited so here is a full length 4 minute SUPER PREVIEW.

Regards

Muldwych

It wasn’t just us there, obviously, a great number of our friends in the UK’s thriving and ever-expanding indie comic creative community were in attendance, coming from far and wide all over Britain. There were also a surprising number of creators, guests and bloggers and interviewers who’d come from across the pond, which I found a little surprising for a relatively small show. Fun was had by all, and aside from niggling problems that happen to every con, there were no massive ructions erupting at all. That being said, particularly later into the Sunday, there was a definite air of disquiet and unhappiness on the con floor.

Now, as I said, we had fun. We met a lot of new and interesting people, learned some cool things, got a lot of interest and hey, even a fair few interviews, which was all very cool. However, most of that fun comes from just that: interactions, catching up with friends, and the community togetherness. Sadly, the show itself was almost universally a pretty dire affair for all exhibitors involved, judging by the large number of dissatisfied comments, discussions and blogs I’ve heard or read so far, not least the worrying article by Tim Pilcher for Bleeding Cool.

We had fun, but sadly, in terms of actual sales of our comics, this had to be one of smallest cons for us. In fact, out of the cons we’ve presented at so far (still a relative few because we’re so new), the only worse con we had was last years Bristol Comic Expo.

And this was not just us. I hear from a number of creators who’ve had less than successful weekends, some even saying they’d sold just two copies all weekend. A number of exhibitors didn’t even make back the cost of the table, let alone the travel costs that some would have had to pay. Given my teams great location in Cardiff, we didn’t have quite as many expenses as others, but we still only just about broke even if we’re entirely honest.

There is any number of reasons this could have been for, as Pilcher’s article over at Bleeding Cool suggests. But let’s start with some basic truths to try and mitigate this seeming too much like a total attack on BCE and it’s organisers, as it’s not, I know they’re great people and Bristol can be great too.

Bristol Comic Expo used to be one of the biggest UK comic conventions around. It’s in a positively fantastic location (within Bristol as well as Bristol itself), it was always reasonably priced, and they used to get some of the bigger, modern superstar names out of any UK con. However, in recent years, the con moved to being split across two hotels (always a massive mistake in my mind) and the ‘stardom’ level of their ‘big name’ guests had dwindled somewhat.

Whilst this weekend’s con was back in the great location, it still lacked the star quality that other shows, such as next weekend’s Kapow, now boast. What few names they could boast cancelled last minute, and there were a few I was expecting that I just didn’t see anywhere.

Likewise, as I understand it, there was no local media support which would have drummed up interest and avoided the appallingly low footfall at the con doors; I heard a peculiar rumour on the Sunday that ticket sales on the door were £20 a ticket, unusual as this was neither the price listed on the website, but also this seems a lot more money than most any cons charge; the con once again had split some parts of the show to over at the Ramada Hotel, but there was no signage or notice within the main body of the show to say this, so anyone exhibiting there must have felt out in the cold somewhat; inside the con, there were next to no visible con staff.

Despite having a large table and four exhibitors at our table, we had one chair; I looked around for someone to ask for another, and literally found no staff. After the third attempt, I stole one from an empty table and was done with it. Many other exhibitors complained of a lack of help at the show, and some even found that what staff they had found were quite short tempered or outright rude.

This however does not go for the frankly rather excellent little touch of an in-house café with Manga Maids waiting staff who wandered the halls taking orders from the exhibitors.

This is not to say that this was a poor show in terms of content. There was a great range of different projects, some fantastic professionals too, and I was catching up with old friends and learning about new projects almost every second I was there. The sheer number of creators on the UK indie comics scene is staggering, yet Bristol did a damn good job of having a wide range there.

But let’s not forget: this show is placed on a weekend that is immediately followed by Kapow the next weekend and MCM the weekend after that. Frankly, the simple date of this con probably left a lot of regular con goers holding out for the much bigger cons with more ‘hot shot’ guest lists than Bristol’s.

It’s left many an exhibitor wondering whether they would even go next year, some have already decided they definitely will not, so dissatisfied they are with this one and the meagre takings some of them got at the end of it.

In our case, I’m unsure. Frankly, I would love to say yes, as it’s a great location for us and we always have fun while there. But unless there are some serious changes, including a possible change of date and some serious planning on the Guest List front, then we simply couldn’t risk another con with such small returns.

With the number of cons in the UK constantly increasing (I learned about a whole new other con this weekend, yet again in London where they already have, what, five?), and many of these have big name backers or superstar guests, then all the UK comic cons, small and large alike, need to really up the game and get a little bit more competitive. For a smaller con like Bristol, they need to find a really big drawer, and what’s more, really push it in the media. Make it so people are talking about it the weeks leading up to and from the show.

As it is at the moment, as a small press indie comics creator, I hate to say it, but…there just isn’t the draw there to make me positive I’ll be there this time next year.

How did Wolverine’s solo film go so wrong? Hugh Jackman, who clearly cares about the character, was involved in a producing capacity, they hired Gavin Hood, the acclaimed director of Tsotsi, to helm the film, and they cast excellent actors in key roles. Who didn’t think Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth and Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool were two spot on bits of casting? So it’s a shame that this is the worst X-Men film to date. Think it’s better than X-Men: The Last Stand? Take another look.

We don’t usually start by talking about special effects, but the ones in Wolverine are so bad that they warrant an early mention. Ropey CGI is everywhere, from the scene where Wolverine leaps out of a plane and skims across the water, to the rubber faced cameo appearance from a youthful Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart), to Logan’s claws themselves. The scene where Wolvie is stood in a bathroom, just staring at his newly adamantium-coated blades is truly awful. The claws look rubbery, too and far too big. You could almost forgive it if this were the first film to feature Wolverine, but it isn’t. In all three of the previous films, including The Last Stand, which got a lot of things wrong, his claws were fine. Even in X-Men, nine years previously, they got the claws right. Not being able to make them work here is unforgiveable. As is the fact that one or two of the effects scenes do work perfectly well. Take the scene where Wolverine, on a motorbike, takes on a helicopter with assorted machine guns. It’s actually a pretty good action sequence with effects that work. It’s moments like this which make the rest of the scenes, where the effects work is so poor, particularly insulting. Was the entire budget blown on a couple of these sequences?

It certainly wasn’t spent on the confused, nonsensical script. It’s first problem is that it tries to cram in far too much. The opening third of the movie actually shows a lot of potential, but it’s potential the film never lives up to. The problem is, the opening third of the movie should be the entire film. We start in Canada, in the year 1845, and see the young Wolverine (Troy Sivan) first unleash his bone claws. It’s a nice little scene, and a nod to the comic series Origin, which works well. Then there’s the wonderful opening credits sequence, which sees Wolverine and Sabretooth fighting together in a series of major wars, before ending in Vietnam with the two shot by a firing squad. Naturally, this doesn’t kill them, and they are recruited by William Stryker (Danny Huston) to join Team X, alongside Deadpool, Wraith (Will.I.Am), Blob (Kevin Durand), Bolt (Dominic Monaghan) and Agent Zero (Daniel Henney). This all happens in the first ten minutes of the film. Logan’s time with Team X is essentially glossed over in brief, and it’s only another twenty minutes or so before he’s undergoing the adamantium bonding process. In an origin of Wolverine story, this should be the climax of the film. Barry Windsor Smith’s Weapon X storyline, which dealt with how Logan gained his adamantium skeleton, completely against his will, in the comics, was a classic story which put Logan through the ringer, both physically and emotionally, and ended with him escaping into the wilderness, his immediate fate unknown. In the film, it’s a ten minute scene, with Wolverine volunteering for the process, then running away and being absolutely fine. It’s a shame, as the story in the comics would’ve made for a genuinely compelling, hard hitting and bleak final act. Instead, it’s thrown away so that the producers can throw in as many other mutants as possible and absolutely ruin Deadpool.

Ah, yes. Deadpool. Much was made of the appearance of the merc with a mouth appearing in the film, especially with the casting of Ryan Reynolds. When he first appears, in the Team X sequence, it’s like Deadpool has stepped off the page. He just doesn’t shut up, and he’s the source of much of the comedy at the beginning of the film. He’s also an absolute badass, taking on a room full of gun toting mercenaries, and dispatching them all with his twin katanas. But then he vanishes for most of the film, only showing up again later as some kind of freakish amalgam of every other mutant we’ve seen, with wrist swords, optic blasts and teleportation powers. This is not Deadpool as fans know him. And it gets worse. The writers see fit to actually sew his mouth shut. This is wrong in every way. The point of Deadpool is that he talks. All the time. The merc with a mouth tag is there for a reason. To say you’re having Deadpool in your film, and then making it so he can’t speak, is a crime of Batman and Robin proportions!

But then, there’s a lot in this film which doesn’t make sense. I’m paraphrasing, but there’s a scene where the following is basically said.

Stryker: We shoot Wolverine in the head with this adamantium bullet, and he’ll lose his memory.

Some other guy: Oh, okay.. Cool.

What? No! How does that make sense? Here’s how that scene should’ve gone.

Stryker: We shoot Wolverine in the head with this adamantium bullet, and he’ll lose his memory.

Some other guy: Really? Is that… How does that work? And why do we want to do that? Can’t we just kill him?

Stryker: Well, it… Um… It just does. And it’s my plan. Don’t question my plan.

Some other guy: How does it even get through his skull?

Stryker: Shut up now.

Some other guy: And wouldn’t his healing factor just fix it? You know, this made much more sense in the comics.

Stryker: I have to go away now.

It doesn’t feel like they thought anything through when making Wolverine, and the film really suffers as a result. “We’ll show you the origin of Wolverine’s jacket,” they tell us, “which you didn’t really care about, but he’ll lose it before the film finishes, then lose his memory so he couldn’t possibly remember being given it. Despite him wearing it in X-Men. And let’s throw a young Cyclops in for no reason at all, but not actually have him meet Wolverine, because that would make no sense.” Yes. That’s your biggest issue with this film.

At least the casting isn’t bad.. Hugh Jackman’s as good as ever as Wolverine, and Liev Schreiber is a much more effective Sabretooth than Tyler Mane was. And then there’s the appearance of Taylor Kitsch as Gambit. You know, Taylor Kitsch who doesn’t really have the charm required to play Remy LeBeau, and whose accent fluctuates wildly with every word he utters. And as for Lynn Collins as Silverfox… Yeah, okay, maybe the casting wasn’t so great.

The sad fact is, X-Men Origins: Wolverine represents a wasted opportunity, and smacks of far too much studio involvement. Left to their own devices, I firmly believe that Gavin Hood and Hugh Jackman could’ve crafted a fine film together to showcase Wolverine. As it is, the film is a mess. It’s a real shame, as Jackman definitely deserves better. Let’s hope that when The Wolverine comes out next year, based on Logan’s time in Japan, and directed by James Mangold, we finally get the solo Wolverine film we all want.

1. X2, 2. Captain America: The First Avenger, 3. Thor, 4. Iron Man, 5. X-Men, 6. The Incredible Hulk, 7. Daredevil, 8. Iron Man 2, 9. X-Men: The Last Stand, 10. Ghost Rider, 11. X-Men Origins: Wolverine, 12. Elektra

Recommended Reading – Wolverine

There’s a lot of choice when it comes to trying to pick a Wolverine story you should read, largely because there have been a lot of very good ones. Do you go with Origin, the mini series written by Paul Jenkins with art by Andy Kubert and Richard Isanove, the mini series which finally revealed the earliest days of the life of the clawed X-Man? Or Barry Windsor Smith’s Weapon X storyline? There are so many choices that it’s hard to know… Nah, it’s an easy choice. The best Wolverine story of all time is simply titled Wolverine. The first series to feature the solo adventures of Logan, Wolverine was a mini series which came out in 1982, written by Chris Claremont, who was writing Wolvie over in Uncanny X-Men at the time, and drawn by Frank Miller. The series sent Logan to Japan, where he became embroiled in the machinations of Shingen Yashida, the head of the Yashida crime family and member of the Hand, a group of ninjas known for giving Daredevil a hard time, in order to protect the life of his fiancé, Mariko, who just happened to be Shingen’s daughter. This storyline is really the first time we get to see Wolverine acting as a ronin, the samurai warrior he was trained to be, and firmly establishes his ties to Japan, as well as his long standing enmity with the Hand. Claremont’s script is tight, expertly paced and genuinely emotional at times, while Miller is firmly in his element on art chores (after all, it was he who first introduced the Hand in the pages of Daredevil, making him more than suited to the martial arts action in this story). If you do try hunting Wolverine down (and you should), make sure you try and find the edition which also reprints Uncanny X-Men #172 – #173, which continues the story of Logan and Mariko. It’s this story which the upcoming Wolverine film is rumoured to be based on. Hope they get it right.

So I’m running a pool on The First X-Men and just what it means, put your answer in the comments below, send me a pound and the winner takes the lot.  We’ll find out the truth this Monday @ 5PM EST at Marvel.com but I’m guessing it has something to do with Bendis and some kind of X-Men reboot or something.

Here are a couple of my thoughts to get you started:

Complete reboot, with the original five

Magneto and Xavier with their first proto X-Men before Cyke et al

Steam Punk X-Men

X-Men lost in time

Sinister’s Victorian X-Men

En Sabuh Nur and the Egyptian X-Men…fo sho.

So, firstly, I would like to discuss Fanboys vs Zombies, written by Sam Humphries with artwork by Jerry Gaylord (behave yourselves), with inks by Penelope Gaylord (oh god, really?), and Colours by Nolan Woodward (phew).

“Why this book?” I don’t hear you ask, well, it is only two issues into its run, with the most recent issue only released on Wednesday, so it is a perfect chance to be able to pick the book up whilst  it is still on the shelves.

This book really goes for broke, the first two issues have a massive collection of variant covers including references Giant Sized X-men, Silver age Flash comics, and Star Wars.  In addition to this all the characters have been designed by Humberto Ramos, so that’s also very cool.

The first issue is a nice set up issue, it introduces the characters well, and establishes their collective history through the use of flashbacks.  The reason for the titular Zombies is shown, and handled in a very unique manner actually.  The artwork is very simple in places, but when it comes to the big wider shots, the level of detail is brilliant.  The writing in the first issue seemed a bit clunky at times, and the dialogue felt unnatural in places, but this is quickly resolved in the second issue.

The story basically revolves around a group of people who have been attending the San Diego Comic Con for a number of years.  The first issue finds the group splintered, with numerous arguments, and relationship break-ups causing friction.  The gang soon come together however, when a Zombie outbreak traps them in the convention centre (if I had a pound for every time that happened).

The second issue ramps up the story and the action, and by the time the issue ends the group has grown, but at a cost.

In summary this book is brilliant, there should be a film made of it.  People would hate it and, it would make comic and sci-fi fans look stupid, but it would be our movie.  Easily one of the best books I have read in a long time, thank you Boom! This one is going in my buy-pile.