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Marvel is proud to present your first look at artist Marc Silvestri’s explosive variant cover for AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1! Follow the adventures of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in this perfect jumping-on point featuring Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, the Incredible Hulk, Black Widow & Hawkeye! The all-new Zodiac are plotting to take down the Marvel Universe, but who are they? And when you see who’s pulling the strings – no fan is going to want to play catch-up on this series.
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| AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 variant cover by Marc Silvestri |
So be sure to pick up AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1, hitting comic shops everywhere and the Marvel Comics app, this March!
Join the conversation on Twitter with #Avengers.
AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 (JAN120638)AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 SILVESTRI VARIANT (JAN120640)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Art by Cover by MARK BAGLEY
Variant Cover by MARC SILVESTRI
Rated T+ …$3.99
FOC – 2/13/12, ON SALE – 3/14/12
By Ben Morse
On March 14, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes come together like never before as the stars of this summer’s big screen blockbuster “Marvel’s The Avengers” face a different kind of adventure in AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 by the celebrated creative team of writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mark Bagley. As we count down to this action-packed new ongoing series, over the next five days we will get Bagley’s insider insight on bringing these characters to life and also debut exclusive art from the first issue!
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| AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 inked preview art by Mark Bagley |
Thor walks in two worlds. He guards his home realm of Asgard, regardless of its location, and counts himself among the gods of the Golden Realm. However, he also relishes in being one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, standing shoulder to shoulder with his comrades as he will once more in AVENGERS ASSEMBLE.
Mark Bagley finds this dichotomy to be key in structuring his own portrayal of the Thunder God.
“He’s a god with a warrior’s soul,” Bagley relays. “Thor really respects ‘heroes.’ He knows we are just humans and he is a god, but he brings no prejudice to it, just an admiration for those who stand against the wall and defend those who are unable to defend themselves. He counts himself lucky to have companions like [the Avengers].”
However, while Thor might be comfortable with dwelling among mortals, the world surrounding him and those who live there won’t always feel similarly at ease.
“I’m going to try and have him look slightly out of place when in the ‘real’ world,” Bagley discloses. “I don’t know if I can, but I’d like him to look always a bit larger than the space he’s in. A huge regal presence in any room he’s in, with a ‘don’t mess with me’ vibe that drips off him.
“I see Thor as six foot six or so, wide and imposing. His helmet and cape help to add mass to his figure.”
To help him cast the Son of Odin’s visual profile, Bagley looks to creators both past and recent for inspiration and guidance.
“John Buscema’s run on Thor really blew me away,” he says. “John Romita Jr. was really something as well. [He] draws everything so stinking well that it is intimidating thinking about taking on a character he did so wonderfully. [And Jack Kirby] wasn’t called ‘The King’ for nothing.
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| Thor by Olivier Coipel |
“I have to [say] I’m a huge fan of [Olivier] Coipel’s recent work on Thor. I love the design of the current costume and the distinct look of Thor’s face that Olivier created. I’m not going to be shy about emulating that at all.”
There’s no official word on every location AVENGERS ASSEMBLE will span yet, but if Bagley has his way, the Thunderer will pay a visit to his most familiar haunts at some point.
“I got to draw Asgard in [FEAR ITSEF: THE FEARLESS] and it’s always fun to tackle something like that,” he notes. “That is so visually different and requires so much thought to design elements to portray the magnificence of that realm.”
As he rounds the corner on the first couple issues of AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, what Thor moment has been the artist’s favorite thus far? One he thinks will surprise fans in at least one regard:
“He wrecks a Humvee—but not in a way you would think.”
Check in again tomorrow when Mark Bagley assembles another Avenger and shares more exclusive art with us!
By Tim Stevens
The following is an excerpted transcript of a family therapy session between the team known as the Fantastic Four. Present are Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards), The Invisible Woman (Susan Richards), The Human Torch (Johnny Storm), and The Thing (Benjamin Grimm). There was some discussion of including the Richards’ two children in the session but it was determined that, at this time, it would be preferable for the Four to seek out a therapist especially suited to working with children in an individual and group therapy session to ensure the highest level of care for the children.
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| The Fantastic Four |
TIM STEVENS: Just to reiterate, as you have all made each other aware, I have seen all of you for other reasons at various times. However, even though all of you are in session together now, client confidentiality is still in place. So if there is something you discussed with me that you don’t want everyone else to know, don’t worry, I can’t mention it. By the same token, if there’s something you and I talked about that seems germane to what’s being discussed, I urge you to explain what you are referring to the rest of your family rather than just say to me something like, “It’s like what we talked about next week.” Does that make sense to everyone?
All four of them nod in quiet acceptance of his explanation.
TIM STEVENS: Good, then we can get started. Sue, you initiated this session. Would you feel comfortable telling everyone what made you feel it would be helpful to them and to yourself?
INVISIBLE WOMAN: Well, it’s been a really hard bit of time lately. Between—
Takes a moment to gather herself, continues
IW: —the multiple Reeds and the presence of all those villains in our home and Ben picking up that hammer and Johnny dying, I feel as though we’ve begun to grow apart and we don’t even know it yet.
TS: Thank you for sharing that. What I’m wondering now is if you can just tell us how you are feeling right now? If you had to focus purely on your own needs, not just share an assessment of the state your family, what would you or could you tell us?
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| The Invisible Woman |
IW: I guess I’d say I feel all over the place. My brother died but now he’s alive again. My husband hid things from me but he did it because he thought he could work with the other Reeds to save the world. And I’ve seen the other Reeds so I know I have the best, most human of the bunch. And Ben…it’s just wonderful to have him back, but…that was very scary.
TS: I’m wondering now if anyone else can relate to what she’s saying? Anyone else feel very…ambivalent about what’s happened recently? Or could just share how they are feeling in general right now?
There’s a long pause as everyone processes what they’ve heard. The Thing looks visibly uncomfortable.
TS: Ben, I can tell something is bothering you right now. Would you tell us all about what’s happening for you right now?
THE THING (rubbing the top of his head): Jeez, Doc…I just…Susie been so great with everything. I feel like she’s the only one who’s been…stable lately.
HUMAN TORCH (interjecting): I’ve been perfectly stable.
TT: You know what I’m saying Hothead. I just feel lousy I’m part of the problem.
IW: Ben…
TT: No, no. I know. When I was smashing up New York, I know I was…possessed or whatever. But the thoughts. About you guys hating me, about people thinking I was a monster…they were mine, you know?
MISTER FANTASTIC: I’m sorry Ben that you still feel that way all these years later. I wish I—
TT: Come on, Stretch. That’s all ancient history. That’s what makes me mad at myself. Why am I rehashing all that nonsense?
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| The Thing |
TS: Well, what do you think, Ben? Why might this be happening now?
TT: Isn’t that what we’re paying you for, Doc?
TS (laughs a little): Ok…fair enough. You all wrote a lot about what happened with Johnny and the Negative Zone doorway on your intake forms so I find myself wondering if that incident sparked something for you, Ben. Weren’t you in the middle of a period of not having your strength or durability?
TT: You can say it…I was normal.
TS: As you say. Anyway, that prevented you from taking Johnny’s place, right?
TT: He prevented me from taking his place. But if I was all rocked up…there wouldn’t have been a discussion.
TS: So is it possible that, for once, it wasn’t you being The Thing that made you angry or sad or isolated but the fact that you weren’t? You felt like a monster not because of your appearance but because of what you viewed as an inability to help your friends? Your family?
Things get very quiet again.
TS: I know that’s a lot to hear and to think about so I won’t ask you to really have an answer now. It is something to consider though. That this was not “ancient history” as you put it, but a very fresh, recent pain manifesting itself. Now, Johnny, you’re the focus of a lot of what’s going on with the team and family right now. How are you doing?
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| The Human Torch |
HT: Well, I’m glad to be alive and not been killed and resurrected every few hours, for sure.
TS: Is that all?
HT: I feel kind of weird right now, I guess. Like no one seems to know what to do with me.
IW (jumping in): It’s just so strange, Johnny. You’re my brother and I’m so glad you’re back. But it’s like…it’s like you are a different man, too. I think, for me at least, I’m still figuring out what that means.
TT: Yeah, I wonder…are you the type of guy who I can still prank? Or do I just have to pick on Spider-Man.
HT (laughing): I think we should always pick on Pe—err—Spider-Man. But I’m not that different, I promise.
TS: And you, Reed? You’ve been largely quiet.
MF: I have so many questions for Johnny, but Sue’s made me promise not to bombard him with them.
TS: Such as?
MF: Well, for one, what was being dead like?
IW: Reed!
HT: It’s ok, sis. Honestly, Reed, between the constant resurrections, it’s impossible for me to tell you. I saw lots, but who knows if I was dead or alive when I saw it.
TS: Reed, if we could just stay with you for a moment. How have you been as of late?
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| Mr. Fantastic |
MF: It’s been disconcerting. Seeing the Council made me so hopeful; to gather with people who are literally me seemed so promising. But…they were so reckless and arrogant… We could’ve done so much good.
TS: Was it just the missed opportunities?
MF: Of course.
TS: Nothing else?
MF: What else could there be?
TS: Well, you described them as reckless and arrogant, but you also said, in your own words, they were literally you. Does that bother you? Do you see yourself in them? Do you feel responsible for their actions?
MF: I…they’re not me.
TS: No, of course they aren’t. But they look and sound like you. I imagine that’s hard to process.
Silence
TS (glancing at clock): Well, I can see we are over on time. And I can tell you all have a lot to consider now, so we should wrap up here. Please consider what we discussed and try to keep the lines of communication open going forward. I will see you all soon.
The Fantastic Four will have their next session with Doctors John Hickman and Barry Kitson for February 22.Please see file FANTASTIC FOUR #603 for further information.
Tim Stevens, MA is a Psy D candidate and practicum trainee at a community mental health center.
We showed you the second incredible trailer for Spidey's new movie earlier this week, and now we've got a gallery of photos from the in-theater events in Los Angeles, New York and London, directly below!
And in case you missed it, you can watch the second trailer for "The Amazing Spider-Man" again, then scroll down to scope out our full gallery of photos from the event!
One of the world’s most popular characters is back on the big screen as a new chapter in the Spider-Man legacy is revealed in "The Amazing Spider-Man." Focusing on an untold story that tells a different side of the Peter Parker story, the new film stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, with Martin Sheen and Sally Field. The film is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay written by James Vanderbilt, based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, and Matt Tolmach are producing the film in association with Marvel Entertainment for Columbia Pictures, which will open in theaters everywhere in 3D on July 3, 2012.
"The Amazing Spider-Man" is the story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents’ disappearance--leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), his father’s former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors’ alter-ego, the Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.
Want more comics in the Marvel Comics App for iOS and Android? Your search is over! Check out these comics that just hit the Marvel Comics App and keep coming back every week for new additions to the growing library! That's right, we add new books every week to feed your need for super-heroic entertainment!
Don't have the Marvel Comics App? What are you waiting for?! Download it for iOS and Android!
Here's your official list of comic books hitting the Marvel Comics app today!
Digital Comics On-Sale This Week:
BATTLE SCARS (2011) #4
CAPTAIN AMERICA (2011) #8
CARNAGE USA (2011) #3
DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE (2010) #21
DEADPOOL (2008) #50
INCREDIBLE HULK (2011) #5
IRON MAN 2.0 (2011) #1
IRON MAN 2.0 (2011) #2
IRON MAN 2.0 (2011) #3
IRON MAN 2.0 (2011) #4
IRON MAN 2.0 (2011) #5
IRON MAN 2.0 (2011) #6
IRON MAN 2.0 (2011) #7
JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY (2011) #634
NEW MUTANTS (2009) #15
NEW MUTANTS (2009) #16
NEW MUTANTS (2009) #17
NEW MUTANTS (2009) #18
NEW MUTANTS (2009) #19
NEW MUTANTS (2009) #20
NEW MUTANTS (2009) #21
NEW MUTANTS (2009) #37
SCARLET SPIDER (2012) #2
SECRET AVENGERS (2010) #22
THANOS IMPERATIVE (2010) #1
THANOS IMPERATIVE (2010) #2
THANOS IMPERATIVE (2010) #3
THANOS IMPERATIVE (2010) #4
THANOS IMPERATIVE (2010) #5
THANOS IMPERATIVE (2010) #6
THANOS IMPERATIVE: DEVESTATION (2011) #1
THANOS IMPERATIVE: IGNITION 1 (2010) #1
ULTIMATE COMICS NEW ULTIMATES (2010) #1
ULTIMATE COMICS NEW ULTIMATES (2010) #2
ULTIMATE COMICS NEW ULTIMATES (2010) #3
ULTIMATE COMICS NEW ULTIMATES (2010) #4
ULTIMATES COMICS NEW ULTIMATES (2010) #5
VENOM (2011) #13.1
WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN (2011) #5
WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN: ALPHA AND OMEGA (2012) #2
X-MEN (2010) #7
X-MEN (2010) #8
X-MEN (2010) #9
X-MEN (2010) #10
X-MEN (2010) #11
X-MEN (2010) #24
Digital Collections On-Sale This Week:
5 RONIN
CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE VOL. 1
DEADPOOL CLASSIC VOL. 1
EARTH X
SPIDER-MAN: CRIME AND PUNISHER
X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX SAGA
The Marvel Comics App for iPad and Android (as well as the iPhone, iPod Touch and all Android devices) is available for free from the iTunes or Andriod App Store. Individual comics are priced at just $1.99 each with new content arriving every week.
By Ben Morse
On March 14, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes come together like never before as the stars of this summer’s big screen blockbuster “Marvel’s The Avengers” face a different kind of adventure in AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 by the celebrated creative team of writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mark Bagley. As we count down to this action-packed new ongoing series, over the next five days we will get Bagley’s insider insight on bringing these characters to life and also debut exclusive art from the first issue!
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| AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 inked preview art by Mark Bagley |
Even among immortals who command the storm, men wearing suits of armor beyond seeming imagination and legendary soldiers from another era, there has always also been room among the Avengers for “ordinary” people; though being one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes means even without super powers, you’re likely extraordinary in some way.
In AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, two mainstays of the team, Hawkeye and The Black Widow, will stand up right beside the likes of Captain America and Thor, with the title’s artist making sure they never get lost in the background.
“Hawkeye is the cocky buccaneer of the team—always has a smile on his face and is ready at a moment’s notice to write a check his butt can’t cash,” says Mark Bagley. “Natasha has earned her place on the team and [writer] Brian [Michael Bendis] will treat her thusly. She certainly isn’t going to be the ‘chick’ character.”
This will not be Bagley’s first experience with the Avenging Archer in particular, as he chronicled his adventures for several years in THUNDERBOLTS. However, Clint Barton has evolved tremendously since then, all the way to his brand new outfit.
“I’m taking [that] all into consideration of my approach to him this time around,” says the artist of Hawkeye’s modified look, which nods to his counterparts in the Ultimate Universe as well as “Marvel’s The Avengers” as influences. “I’m drawing him leaner than I did before, with cosmetic changes of a different haircut and stubble on his chin. Really though, the biggest difference is that it has been a long time since I drew him, and my approach has evolved over time.”
The Black Widow promises to hold her own as the sole female member of the book’s initial core cast. Natasha Romanov has always relied on a combination of cunning and brutal physicality, so Bagley will be honing her visual appearance to reflect proficiency in both.
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| AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 cover by Mark Bagley |
“[She is] sexy as hell, period,” he notes. “I see her as buxom, but not soft in any way. A real athlete’s body couple with confidence and grace.”
As you can see from the preview page above, Hawkeye and Black Widow will pair off for action immediately in AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1, and they’re already providing their artist with some of his favorite scenes:
“There is a nice couple of panels where Hawkeye looks in a rearview mirror, sees something coming at him, pops out of the vehicle window and shoots off a couple of arrows at something that is clearly way out of his league.”
Check in again tomorrow when Mark Bagley assembles another Avenger and shares more exclusive art with us!
Nine days from now, "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" rides into theaters. But fans have already gotten a taste of the Rider's new adventure with two awesome trailers from the film, both of which you can watch again right here on Marvel.com!
In case you missed them the first time around, check them both out below and watchJohnny Blaze hunts down evil as only he can. Then come back tomorrow for even more Ghost Rider on Marvel.com!
This April, prepare for the biggest super hero war in comics history as Marvel is pleased to present your first look at AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #1! From the powerhouse creative team of Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Matt Fraction, Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker, John Romita Jr., Adam Kubert and Olivier Copiel comes a groundbreaking event pitting Earth’s Mightiest against the X-Men with the entire Marvel Universe at stake. Cyclops and his team believe the arrival of the Phoenix Force will save mutantkind, but Captain America is convinced it will destroy the world! But who is right? Don’t miss out on all the action in AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #1 in comic shops worldwide and on the Marvel Comics app this April!
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Which team will reign supreme? Join the conversation on Twitter with #AvX!
For more on AVENGERS VS. X-MEN, please visit http://avx.marvel.com
AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #1 (JAN120625)Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, JASON AARON, MATT FRACTION, JONATHAN HICKMAN & ED BRUBAKER
Art by JOHN ROMITA JR.
Colors by LAURA MARTIN
Cover by JIM CHEUNG
FOC – 2/27/12, ON SALE – 4/3/12
Marvel is proud to present your first look at AGE OF APOCALYPSE #1, from the creative team of Dave Lapham and Roberto De La Torre. Spinning out of UNCANNY X-FORCE, the Amazing X-Men and the human resistance must fight tooth and nail to end the tyranny that has left their world ravaged! Continuing Apocalypse’s war on humanity, Weapon X leads the genocide that rains down upon this dimension, eliminating any who stand in his way.
“This new Age of Apocalypse book does the impossible – it revolutionizes an old concept without a reboot,” explains Senior Editor Nick Lowe. “If you’ve been reading Uncanny X-Force, you know where this is coming from and you’re already in. If you’re an Age of Apocalypse junkie, this builds on the alternate universe’s mythology is fascinating and troubling ways. And if you aren’t either and just want a ground-breaking, easy-entry book that will challenge everything you know about the X-Men, there hasn’t been a better jumping on point.”
Can anyone stop the evil Weapon X and who are the X-Terminated? Find out in AGE OF APOCALYPSE #1 with a cover by Humberto Ramos and Dean White that no fan can miss, hitting comic shops everywhere and the Marvel Comics app, this March!
AGE OF APOCALYPSE #1 (JAN120690)Written by DAVE LAPHAM
Penciled by ROBERTO DE LA TORRE
Cover by HUMBERTO RAMOS
Parental Advisory …$2.99
FOC – 2/13/12, ON SALE – 3/07/12
But before that, get a taste of what to expect with a special liveblog featuring writer Brian Michael Bendis, artist Mark Bagley and editor Tom Brevoort!
<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=7ebeeb7349" mce_href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=7ebeeb7349" >Next Big Thing: Avengers Assemble</a>
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Or, follow along here:
<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=fc850e7546" mce_href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=fc850e7546" >Jean Grey School: Biology Class</a>
And remember, you're only getting a taste of what it's like to be a Jean Grey School student on Twitter, so also pick up WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN #5!
See you in class!
Johnny Blaze roars into theaters once more in "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" on February 17, and to mark the event Marvel.com will bring you new stories on ol' Flamehead every day from now until the film's premiere! From looks at the film to looks at the character's rich history, check out Marvel.com every day for everything relating to your favorite Flamehead, and don't miss "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance," in theaters February 17!
By Jim Beard
A blazing skull atop a leather-clad, motorcycle-riding figure--it’s not an image that’s easily forgotten once witnessed. Caught between Heaven and Hell, the Ghost Rider roars into town and everything seems to go to blazes, the result of his quest to bring vengeance to wrong-doers and rid the world of evil. Sometimes he succeeds; other times the line between good and evil blurs and the Ghost Rider must choose a path that may further stain his everlasting soul.
First Ride
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| Ghost Rider vol. 1 #1 |
Johnny Blaze worked as a motorcycle stunt performer for the Crash Simpson Stunt Cycle Extravaganza and looked to its owner as the father he thought he’d lost along with the rest of his family. When Crash grew deathly ill, Johnny made the mistake of trying to sell his soul to Mephisto to save his surrogate father’s life. While Mephisto cured Crash's cancer, he died shortly thereafter in a stunt. Mephisto attempted to take Johnny’s soul in payment, but ultimately unable to snatch such a pure soul, he grafted a powerful demon onto it instead, transforming poor Johnny into a blazing, nightmarish figure.
Ghost Rider’s origin may be found in ESSENTIAL GHOST RIDER VOL. 1.
Blazing Champion
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| Ghost Rider #81 |
Now known as the Ghost Rider, Johnny turned it around on the Devil and attempted to use his new-found demonic powers for good. After trial and error he began to control the hellfire within him and used it to become a kind of super hero. His subsequent adventures brought the Ghost Rider into contact with many different entities, including other super heroes and eventually into a team called the Champions. All the while, Johnny worried that his fiery activities would sully the goodness of his sweetheart, Roxanne.
After many harrowing missions against the forces of evil, Johnny ran into a man without a soul, Centurious. Immune to Ghost Rider’s hellfire, Centurious captured Johnny’s soul in a crystal and revealed that it was a demon named Zarathos who’d inhabited the young man’s body all along. This situation created an internal struggle between Johnny and the demon, but Centurious attempted to end that clash of wills. Zarathos shattered the crystal, freeing Johnny and the other souls trapped within; its owner reformed the crystal, though, and drew the demon into it, freeing Johnny Blaze from the curse of the Ghost Rider.
The original Ghost Rider’s adventures can be found in ESSENTIAL GHOST RIDER VOL. 1-4, and CHAMPIONS CLASSIC VOL. 1-2.
Resurrecting the Ghost
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| Ghost Rider vol. 4 #1 |
Freed from Zarathos, Johnny Blaze wandered for a while, unsure of what path to take in his life. He discovered the existence of a new Ghost Rider, a man named Danny Ketch, and joined with him for several adventures once he realized that Zarathos had not returned in a new form. Eventually, Johnny would also discover that he had a brother he’d wiped from his memories…Danny, the new Ghost Rider. Together, they rode out against menaces, but, in some strange cosmic balance, Johnny lost his beloved Roxanne to a demon attack.
Trying to start his life anew, Johnny began to transform into Ghost Rider once again. He eventually discovered that a reconstituted Zarathos inhabited his body, but he attempted to make the best of it. Soon, those noble intentions would be shattered when a group of demons snatched up Johnny and took him straight to Hell to honor his long-ago pact with the infernal realm’s master.
These exciting tales may be found in GHOST RIDER: DANNY KETCH CLASSIC VOL. 1-2 and GHOST RIDER: ROAD TO DAMNATION.
To Hell and Back
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| Ghost Rider vol. 5 #20 |
Johnny Blaze, ever the clever and resourceful soul, eventually escaped from Hell, but returning to Earth proved to be no walk in the park. Back in the mortal realm, the Ghost Rider encountered many obstacles including the incredible Hulk, the angel Zadkiel and his own brother Danny, the other Ghost Rider. He also discovered an entire team of Ghost Riders from many different nations, and with them found himself in the middle of a war between Heaven and Hell.
Sadly, there’d be no rest for Johnny Blaze after that ultimate showdown. Killed in a battle against the ninja Hand clan and their strong magic, Ghost Rider received a reprieve from Heaven and returned to vanquish his enemies with an angelic host by his side. Finally, he then believed he’d been freed from the curse of the Ghost Rider. Time will tell if that’s true, or simply another cruel joke on poor Johnny Blaze.
Johnny’s later trials and tribulations may be found in GHOST RIDER BY DANIEL WAY ULTIMATE COLLECTION, GHOST RIDER: HELL BENT AND HEAVEN BOUND, GHOST RIDER: THE LAST STAND, GHOST RIDER: TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS, and GHOST RIDER: HEAVEN'S ON FIRE.
Ultimate Ghost Rider
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| Ultimate Comics Avengers 2 #3 |
In the Ultimate Universe, Johnny Blaze and Roxanne Simpson ran afoul of a gang of bikers who killed the young man and then tried to make a deal with the devil for power. They received their power, but Johnny made his own deal to save Roxanne and then trained for twenty years to become an instrument of revenge: The Ghost Rider.
The Ghost Rider sought out each member of the gang to kill them, but they’d all become very powerful men in business and politics. Johnny’s demonic hunt put him into conflict with the Ultimate Avengers, a battle that led to their initial defeat at the hands of the Ghost Rider. Ultimately, Johnny completed his cycle of revenge and, gaining Roxanne once again, agrees to continue as the Ghost Rider in the service of the Devil.
The Ultimate Ghost Rider can be found in ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS: CRIME & PUNISHMENT.
By Ben Morse
On March 14, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes come together like never before as the stars of this summer’s big screen blockbuster “Marvel’s The Avengers” face a different kind of adventure in AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 by the celebrated creative team of writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mark Bagley. As we count down to this action-packed new ongoing series, over the next five days we will get Bagley’s insider insight on bringing these characters to life and also debut exclusive art from the first issue!
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| AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 inked preview art by Mark Bagley |
Since he made his first smash on the Marvel Universe, forces from the military to various villains to the Avengers themselves have sought to capture and contain The Hulk, generally with limited success. AVENGERS ASSEMBLE artist Mark Bagley has similarly found nailing down the Green Goliath to an ongoing challenge, albeit one he rises to with vigor.
“Drawing The Hulk really pushes me outside of my comfort zone as an artist,” he admits. “I think I naturally tend to have an easier time with slighter figures, so it always takes me a while to get comfortable drawing The Hulk if I haven’t done so in a while. I look forward to having a chance to really settle on a consistent look to him.”
Along with writer Brian Michael Bendis, Bagley will be responsible for integrating The Hulk into the Avengers as a regular member of the group he helped found but quickly parted ways from in a fit of characteristic rage, rarely having looked back over the ensuing years.
“He’s had so many personality shifts over the years, from raging inarticulate monster, to a scientist’s brain in the [body of a] beast, to innocent childlike victim of the world,” Bagley says of The Hulk. “It’s gonna be interesting to see how Brian and I portray him as a member of the team. I would say it goes against the nature of the character, but as I said, there have been so many deviations from the Hulk’s original theme that I think we have some wiggle room here.
“It’s early yet, but I think I’m getting a pretty good handle on him. Our Hulk is capable of being calm, almost contemplative, while just beneath the surface, just behind the eyes is the creature, just ready to rage.”
Fortunately for Bagley, he’s got assistance in improving that grasp of the character not only from Bendis, but a variety of artistic influences as well.
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| The Hulk by Paul Pelletier |
“I loved every version [Jack Kirby] did as he evolved the character’s look,” he recalls. “I’m especially fond of the version he drew for a short while that had slightly hairy arms and [a hairy] chest. Both Buscemas [John and Sal] did great versions. Paul Pelletier has been doing some great work with the character lately.”
As Bruce Banner continues his struggle to balance his warring personas, the artist conveying his adventures will similarly strive to find middle ground between the Hulk’s most explosive actions and comparatively restrained moments.
“In the first issue [of AVENGERS ASSEMBLE] there is a small panel where he casually lifts a Humvee in one hand while gently rescuing a soldier in his other,” previews Bagley. “I think it has a nice sense of scale and decent visual acting.
“[But] I love drawing him doing things bigger than life. [Longtime Hulk artist] Herb Trimpe drew him lifting an entire castle out of the ground and flinging it—yeah, it makes no sense, but it did look great.”
Finally, when asked about how he’d be outfitting The Hulk as an Avenger, Bagley said he would not be straying from the norm:
“As long as we’re dealing with a brutish form of him, The Hulk works best in torn pants. I know Sal Buscema had him in trunks for years, but I’d rather not.”
Check in again tomorrow when Mark Bagley assembles another Avenger and shares more exclusive art with us!
Blade continues to hunt Deacon Frost into the Philippines in a clip from Friday's new episode of his anime, premiering at 11:00 p.m. ET only on G4!
Watch our EXCLUSIVE new clip directly below, as Blade finds himself face to face with a woman who has lost everything to a group of vampires, and look for new screenshots from Friday's episode later this week!
Stay tuned to Marvel.com for all things "Blade," and remember to check-in to the series on GetGlue during each week's episode to earn an exclusive digital sticker!
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You’ve read his amazing adventures in comic books and seen his spectacular stunts on the big and small screens. Now, get ready to experience Spider-Man like never before on the all-new storybook app, Spider-Man: An Origin Story, now available for your iPad or iPhone. As the first release in the new Marvel Reads storybook app line, Spider-Man: An Origin Story combines classic storytelling with state-of-the-art interactive features for only $3.99!
Designed to appeal to Spidey fans of all ages, Spider-Man: An Origin Story retells the now classic story of how Peter Parker transformed from a shy teenager to the super hero everyone knows and loves today. The app integrates brand-new illustrations with immersive music and sound effects to bring to life Spider-Man’s world and fan-favorite characters like Flash Thompson, Aunt May, and Uncle Ben. There’s also a series of mini-games that allows you to step into Spidey’s boots and overcome challenges that only Spider-Man can!
Last, and most certainly not least, the story is narrated by none other than one of Spider-Man’s creators, Stan “The Man” Lee! With the Spider-Man: An Origin Story app, you can experience the webhead’s first adventure with the aid of one of Marvel’s leading storytellers describing every web sling and Spidey sense tingle that our hero experiences!
Swing into adventure and excitement by purchasing Spider-Man: An Origin Story for only $3.99 on iTunes today! And stay tuned to Marvel.com for updates on future releases in the Marvel Reads line.
By Jim Beard
We’re charging up for the onrushing Omega Effect event which spreads out over three Marvel titles—AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #6, DAREDEVIL #11 and THE PUNISHER #10—this April. Mark Waid and Greg Rucka, the two gentlemen responsible for the writing end of the story, find their hands full with Spider-Man, Daredevil and The Punisher scrambling to stop the Marvel Universe’s leading crime organizations from securing the Omega Drive. With the info contained therein, one could blow the lid off of just about every single bit of criminal activity on the planet.
To celebrate the release of Omega Effect, we’re checking in with both writers and asking them a few pointed questions about this titanic team-up and their own writing relationship with each other on the story. We’ve already talked with Mark Waid, so up now: Greg Rucka!
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| AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #6 cover by Steve McNiven |
Marvel.com: Greg, what’s it like working with a writer like Mark Waid? Why’s he a great person to collaborate with on a project like Omega Effect?
Greg Rucka: Mark is, in my opinion, one of the best writers comics has ever seen. I’m a bad student of the medium and I don’t know a better way to say it. I loved comics but I was never the guy who growing up with them would [say] comics was it. I had a passion for them, loved them, but my depth of knowledge and my experience in reading them is really insignificant compared with so many other people out there in the medium. And there are a lot of people in the medium who came and got into the industry and work in the industry, and these are people who were raised on comics and loved comics. Comics are their religion. To such an extent, that they don’t know anything else.
And that’s a detriment. Your ability to name every single variation of Kryptonite and every first issue in which it appears is a great pop quiz skill, but is not a great writing skill, all right? So just because you can do that doesn’t mean you know how to write. It doesn’t make you a good writer. The same way you if want to write for movies, you don’t only see movies, you know what I mean? You have to actually pick up books and read them as well.
Mark is one of the very rare examples of somebody who’s love of comics and of the nature of collecting comics, of pursuing them, all of that is wedded with the knowledge and the skill set of being a writer, a teller of stories. That sounds so simple and you would think it is and it’s not. And it’s actually really very hard. So, when I am reading a Mark Waid script—I’ve had the good fortune of reading his scripts off and on over the last decade or so, and watching how his writing and his script style as evolved—[he] never forgets that he’s writing a comic, he never forgets what the purpose of the comic is, he never forgets the visual aspect. He is always in service of the comic story and his skill is remarkable in life. And I think nowhere is more evident than in the current DAREDEVIL. His work on DAREDEVIL right now is so visual if that makes sense. And then when we think about the craft involved, I mean, that book is incredibly dynamic visually. It’s the story of a blind man and you never ever get to forget that Matt is blind. So I think [Mark] has some extraordinary skills.
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| DAREDEVIL #11 cover by Marcos Martin |
Marvel.com: Okay, that said, how do you see yourself in what you do on PUNISHER?
Greg Rucka: I come from a prose background. I come from short story background and that led me into novels. So, I try to remember my visuals. My scripts tend to always be far more concerned with the emotional movement of a story than with the visual movement of a story [to the extent] of being a detriment. This is something I do try to address.
I’m working on the PUNISHER issue for Omega Effect right now. And I spent all morning working myself into contortions because I’m trying to figure out how to visually get across the information I want to get across rather than just have somebody say it. And I put myself in a hole. I was talking to Mark about this yesterday. The fact is that we set up a book about The Punisher where Frank doesn’t talk a lot, so that the means of getting readers up to speed is completely not fair. And if I try to put it there [for Omega Effect], it’s going to be glaring. This is a totally different thing. I spent today trying to doing a lot of “How would Mark do this?”
Marvel.com: We’re to understand there’s a new person in Frank Castle’s life named Rachel Cole who perhaps defies easy categorization. Mark Waid says she figures into what he calls the “emotional heart” of Omega Effect. What can you tell us about her?
Greg Rucka: One of the things that Mark had said very early on is that, to Matt Murdock, Frank is a lost cause. A lot of what I think Mark is doing is refreshing Daredevil right now; Matt is sort of “Happy Matt,” for lack of a better phrase. He has made an active decision to be happy, I would point out. As opposed to just deciding “Oh all that other bad stuff never happened—no I’ve just decided to ignore it.” So, when faced with Cole, and Rachel and Frank really come together in THE PUNISHER #9, Matt looks at her and thinks, “Well, I screwed up with Frank but maybe I can save this one.” And it provides a very interesting emotional center to what we’re doing here.
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| THE PUNISHER #10 cover by Marco Checchetto |
Rachel’s got a very specific story here. Her arc has a beginning, middle, and end. The book is called THE PUNISHER and people right now, I think, are thinking, well it’s not really about Frank, but Frank is sort of a presence in it. Everything that happens is about Frank because of his effect on everything makes it about him. So, Rachel’s story, her whole story is entirely ruled by her association with Frank and his presence in her life.
Marvel.com: We asked Mark Waid about how he looked at Spider-Man, Daredevil and the Punisher as characters and the phrase “id, ego and super-ego” came up. Is that how you think of them also?
Greg Rucka: I do not. That’s because I don’t tend to apply Freudian standards to my writing [Laughs]. That’s not to say it’s an incorrect assessment, but it’s not one that I’m terribly interested in. I don’t go there. It’s something Mark himself brought up a couple weeks ago, and I think it’s valid. But, I tend not to approach characters in that sort of archetype. I’m much more interested in them as characters I guess; that’s not demeaning [Mark’s opinion], it’s just [not] my value.
I was talking to [editor Steve] Wacker yesterday about a bit [in the story], and there’s no way to do it because it’s a film bit rather than a comic bit; it really relies on motion. But I really love the idea of how skittish Spider-Man is around Frank. This is all set up at the end of the first issue, and [they say,] “we all have to press each other for X amount of a plan” and for Peter it’s just watching the fuse burn down. It’s only a question of when. It’s not if, it’s when is Frank going to come off the rails on this thing. And being able to sort of play with that and try to show it—I’m still trying to figure out if the visual is there.
Marvel.com: Speaking of visuals, regular PUNISHER artist Marco Checchetto is providing some incredible continuity on Omega Effect by drawing all three parts of the story.
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| AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #6 inked preview art by Marco Checchetto |
Greg Rucka: He’s amazing. I got pages this morning and they’re just phenomenal. I love working with him and I love how effortlessly he is sort of jumping almost between styles, you know? I mean the AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #6 pages look different than the PUNISHER #10 pages. I don’t have another way to put it. They do look different. And it’s not that it’s a different artist at all, it isn’t, and it’s not that it’s not clearly Marco—there’s something else there. I don’t know how to put it [Laughs].
Marvel.com: So you’d say he’s got chameleon ability in his art.
Greg Rucka: Absolutely. And yet it still is unmistakably Marco. I love what he’s doing. I, in all honesty, the more I see from him, the more I love it. I certainly don’t want to undermine anyone else [because] I am consistently fortunate in that I get to work with great artists, but every issue that I don’t get to do with Marco, I kind of find myself saying, “Well, oh, I wanted Marco to draw this.” Does that make sense? That’s not me going, “this other artist can’t draw.” You know? Marco’s story telling is just delightful. I really, really like it. It’s got this dynamic and when you get to write 50 of the Hand swarming up the side of a building and then you get to see Marco draw that, it’s like “Aw, man! That’s awesome!”
Marvel.com: That allows us to segue into Omega Effect’s villains. Looking at the five distinct criminal organizations in the story, do you think they stand at different levels in the Marvel Universe or will they all end up in the same boat at the end of the story?
Greg Rucka: The power is the issue because they’re all holding each other at bay. That’s sort of what starts this off. There has been a stalemate in effect for a certain amount of time and Daredevil knows that isn’t going to last and so he’s going to uncork it. You know, the Exchange, featured in THE PUNISHER, factors into the story and frankly, of all the factions in Omega Effect, they’re the “weakest,” but they’re also acting as brokerage. So, I wouldn’t rate one more than the other; they’re all there to make everybody miserable.
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| AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #6 inked preview art by Marco Checchetto |
Marvel.com: We’ll wrap this up with same final question we asked Mark: The team-up in comics was once a much stronger “event” in comics—what do you feel is its status with today’s readers?
Greg Rucka: Wow. I don’t know. I suppose there is a marketing value to it. I mean, maybe you’ll pull people over from one book to another, if they’re engaged by the story. But I think part of the nature of a crossover, the abusive crossovers I should say, is that readership has come to believe that actually, they don’t really matter much. There’s a lot of sound and fury and it signifies nothing. How is this going to change anything in the books? And even when we’re told, you know, “Nothing will ever be the same!”
I honestly don’t know what it means [now] to the readership. Except maybe they’re probably more fed up. I will say that for what I am doing in THE PUNISHER, [Omega Effect] came along at a perfect time. This is the right story to be telling at this point in the overall story that I want to tell. And this actually sets up stuff that I have planned about 12 issues down the line that will actually bring Matt Murdock back in. And it has Peter Parker as well.
I think the biggest detriment [of a crossover] is that a lot of people will say, “Well, it’s a stunt,” and there have been a lot of stunts in the industry lately. I’m not sure that’s different than 20, 30 years ago, but I do think that there is a sort of stunt fatigue. That said, we’re telling this story because this made sense. This was not simply an issue of “How can we put these three characters together?” and let’s hammer something into place. This is Mark doing the Omega Drive story, and this led us very organically to, “Wow, Frank would really, really, like to get his hands on that and what he could do with that could be pretty impressive.” And then that by definition sort of led to the policy of “Under no circumstances do you give Frank the nuclear launch codes; especially if you are Peter Parker or Matt Murdock.” Because you know what he’s going to do and there is a moral obligation there to not let him.
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| AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #6 inked preview art by Marco Checchetto |
Marvel.com: It sounds like the best, truest definition of an event.
Greg Rucka: I hope so! I sincerely hope the readers say, “It’s a good story, and I want to read it. I want to know what happens here.” That, more than anything, else is what matters. And that’s the other thing: Mark and I are on the same page about this; we want to tell a good story. I have to say I’m really excited about it and I think it’s going to kick all sorts of tail [Laughs]. It’s been a lot of fun to write, and that’s always awesome.
Omega Effect begins in AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #6, on sale April 11
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| Marvel Select Hulk |
Captain America (WWII outfit): Available now
Thor (Thor movie outfit): Available now
Loki (Thor movie outfit): Available now
Hulk: Coming in April
Iron Man Mark VI (Iron Man 2 movie re-issue): Coming in April
Hawkeye: Coming in May
Mystery Foe: Coming in May
Marvel Select figures are sold at comic shops, specialty stores and most online toy retailers, so start your "Marvel's The Avengers" collection today!
Catch a glimpse of Spidey vs. the Lizard, the blossoming relationship between Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker, new questions about Pete's past and more in this brand-new trailer directly below!
Keep your eyes on Marvel.com as we count down the days until July 3, and in the meantime, what are you still reading this for? Watch the trailer now and enjoy!
One of the world’s most popular characters is back on the big screen as a new chapter in the Spider-Man legacy is revealed in "The Amazing Spider-Man." Focusing on an untold story that tells a different side of the Peter Parker story, the new film stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, with Martin Sheen and Sally Field. The film is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay written by James Vanderbilt, based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, and Matt Tolmach are producing the film in association with Marvel Entertainment for Columbia Pictures, which will open in theaters everywhere in 3D on July 3, 2012.
"The Amazing Spider-Man" is the story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents’ disappearance--leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), his father’s former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors’ alter-ego, the Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.
The next big Spider-Man epic begins in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #682, part one of Ends Of The Earth, by Dan Slott and Stefano Caselli! The Sinister Six, led by the vengeful Doctor Octopus, is back and they’re looking for revenge! Can Spider-Man & Earth’s Mightiest save the world before Doc Ock’s explosive endgame is revealed? Find out in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #682 hitting comic shops and the Marvel Comics app this March!
Join the conversation on Twitter with #SpiderMan.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #682 (JAN120658)Written by DAN SLOTT
Pencils & Cover by STEFANO CASELLI
Colors by FRANK MARTIN JR.
FOC – 2/27/12, ON SALE – 3/21/12
By Ben Morse
On March 14, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes come together like never before as the stars of this summer’s big screen blockbuster “Marvel’s The Avengers” face a different kind of adventure in AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 by the celebrated creative team of writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mark Bagley. As we count down to this action-packed new ongoing series, over the next five days we will get Bagley’s insider insight on bringing these characters to life and also debut exclusive art from the first issue!
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| AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 inked preview art by Mark Bagley |
There’s no hard and fast rule that says Captain America needs to be in charge of every Avengers team he’s a part of, but Mark Bagley tries to make sure Steve Rogers in the driver’s seat whether it’s official or not.
“I try and depict him as the de facto leader that all the other Avengers naturally, maybe even subconsciously, defer to,” he admits. “[Tony] Stark has a man crush on him. Thor just flat out respects him. Hawkeye would be jealous of him if he didn’t like and admire him so much. And [Black Widow] is smart enough to know Cap is the man—in a good way.”
Bagley brings his admiration of Captain America to AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, where it will fit well given the Super Soldier’s key role there as well as in this summer’s “Marvel’s The Avengers.” Cap remains relatively newly returned to his familiar place at the forefront of Earth’s Mightiest following his “death” and rebirth as well as succession by Bucky Barnes and the events of Fear Itself, but it doesn’t take long for the Sentinel of Liberty to step back into action; it never has.
“He’s a guy who is yanked out of his time and just accepts this wrenching experience with an ‘alright, what’s next?’ attitude,” Bagley reminds of Captain America’s early Avengers adventures. “I’ve always seen Cap as this solid, stoic natural born leader; a guy who doesn’t know how to quit. The kind of guy that people just naturally want to follow and are inspired by his mere presence: Perfect posture, chin up and looking ahead to meet any adversity.”
While Steve Rogers may not be a towering Thunder God or sporting emerald skin, Bagley wants to make sure the Star-Spangled Avenger still makes an impression, even amongst his impressive allies.
“He’s the peak of human development, so while not necessarily the tallest guy around, his musculature and bearing would have him stand out,” he explains. “I draw him with a really strong square chin, the classic dimple in his chin, and a shock of slightly unruly blond hair.
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| Captain America & Bucky by Mark Bagley |
“He can run faster and jump higher than anyone else. While Cap is not super powered, everything he does is amped up just a bit past what any other ‘normal’ human should be capable of. I try and portray him as always balanced and moving with authority, with his years of combat experience enabling him to think two or three steps ahead of his opponents.”
Bagley counts Mike Zeck, John Byrne and John Buscema among his artistic influences when it comes to Captain America, but looks to the first man who drew him, Jack Kirby, first and foremost.
“If I try and emulate anyone’s sense of power and grace when it comes to Cap, it would have to be him,” he says.
While Bagley teases he’s only just begun to focus on Captain America’s part in AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, he hopes that before all’s said and done he’ll have a chance to pit the hero against some familiar foes:
“I dig when he’s thrust into some sort of ultra-scientific conflict. A.I.M., Hydra—evil scientists coming up with wild things to challenge Cap.”
Check in again tomorrow when Mark Bagley assembles another Avenger and shares more exclusive art with us!
Marvel Minimates - "Marvel's The Avengers" (Toys "R" Us/toysrus.com)
- Captain America & Thor
- Iron Man MK7 & Hulk
- Hawkeye & Black Widow (exclusive)
- Loki & Nick Fury (exclusive)
Marvel Minimates Wave 45 (Specialty stores/comic shops)
- Captain America & Thor
- Iron Man MK7 & Hulk
- REDACTED & REDACTED (exclusive)
- Maria Hill & REDACTED (short-packed exclusive)
We can't show you the mysterious "Marvel's The Avengers" foes who will be in Wave 45, or even tell you their names, but be sure to pre-order them through your local comic shop, because once you see the movie, you won't want to miss out on them!
ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #7 (DEC110630)
Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Penciled by ESAD RIBIC
Colors by DEAN WHITE
Cover by KAARE ANDREWS
Rated T+ …$3.99
FOC – 2/6/12, ON SALE – 2/29/12
Watch it in full directly below and catch a new glimpse of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, the Black Widow and Hawkeye in action as they get ready to save the world when the film hits theaters on May 4.
Plus, aftter you watch the extended version, scroll down just beneath it to catch the original 30-second spot again!
Keep your eyes on Marvel.com in the coming weeks and months as we get ready for the premiere of "Marvel's The Avengers" on May 4!
Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures “Marvel’s The Avengers”--the super hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel super heroes Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.
Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon from a screenplay by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble in summer 2012.
In addition to "Marvel's The Avengers," Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including "Iron Man 3" on May 3, 2013; and "Thor 2" on November 15, 2013.
Welcome to FREE Mondays! Each week we focus on all of the newly digitized books you can read for FREE inside the greatest collection of Marvel comics available online: Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited! Plus, we'll let you know what's coming up next week for FREE, too! With each book, not only are you getting a free peek inside Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, but each free Digital Comic either gives you a look at a book featured in a recent collection or a comic that's in stores now.
How would you like to have two free digital comics to help get you through the school and work week? Here you go!
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1999) #667
DOCTOR STRANGE: FROM THE MARVEL VAULT (2011) #1
AGE OF X: UNIVERSE (2011) #1
THOR (2007) #618
FF (2011) #2
Find out what next week's free digital comics will be below!*
RUSE (2010) #1
5 RONIN (2010) #1
X-MEN ORIGINS: ICEMAN (2009) #1
SIGIL (2011) #1
POWER MAN AND IRON FIST (2010) #3
*All scheduled issues subject to change.
SCARLET SPIDER #2
Writer: CHRIS YOST
Artist: RYAN STEGMAN
The Story: Spinning out of Spider-Island, a new era of web-walloping action continues! Scarlet Spider makes some new friends and deadly enemies on the streets of Houston!
ON SALE FEBRUARY 8...$2.99
Marvel is proud to present your first look at artist Marc Silvestri’s explosive variant cover for AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1! Follow the adventures of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in this perfect jumping-on point featuring Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, the Incredible Hulk, Black Widow & Hawkeye! The all-new Zodiac are plotting to take down the Marvel Universe, but who are they? And when you see who’s pulling the strings – no fan is going to want to play catch-up on this series.
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| AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 variant cover by Marc Silvestri |
So be sure to pick up AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1, hitting comic shops everywhere and the Marvel Comics app, this March!
Join the conversation on Twitter with #Avengers.
AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 (JAN120638)AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 SILVESTRI VARIANT (JAN120640)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Art by Cover by MARK BAGLEY
Variant Cover by MARC SILVESTRI
Rated T+ …$3.99
FOC – 2/13/12, ON SALE – 3/14/12
By Ben Morse
On March 14, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes come together like never before as the stars of this summer’s big screen blockbuster “Marvel’s The Avengers” face a different kind of adventure in AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 by the celebrated creative team of writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mark Bagley. As we count down to this action-packed new ongoing series, over the next five days we will get Bagley’s insider insight on bringing these characters to life and also debut exclusive art from the first issue!
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| AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 inked preview art by Mark Bagley |
Thor walks in two worlds. He guards his home realm of Asgard, regardless of its location, and counts himself among the gods of the Golden Realm. However, he also relishes in being one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, standing shoulder to shoulder with his comrades as he will once more in AVENGERS ASSEMBLE.
Mark Bagley finds this dichotomy to be key in structuring his own portrayal of the Thunder God.
“He’s a god with a warrior’s soul,” Bagley relays. “Thor really respects ‘heroes.’ He knows we are just humans and he is a god, but he brings no prejudice to it, just an admiration for those who stand against the wall and defend those who are unable to defend themselves. He counts himself lucky to have companions like [the Avengers].”
However, while Thor might be comfortable with dwelling among mortals, the world surrounding him and those who live there won’t always feel similarly at ease.
“I’m going to try and have him look slightly out of place when in the ‘real’ world,” Bagley discloses. “I don’t know if I can, but I’d like him to look always a bit larger than the space he’s in. A huge regal presence in any room he’s in, with a ‘don’t mess with me’ vibe that drips off him.
“I see Thor as six foot six or so, wide and imposing. His helmet and cape help to add mass to his figure.”
To help him cast the Son of Odin’s visual profile, Bagley looks to creators both past and recent for inspiration and guidance.
“John Buscema’s run on Thor really blew me away,” he says. “John Romita Jr. was really something as well. [He] draws everything so stinking well that it is intimidating thinking about taking on a character he did so wonderfully. [And Jack Kirby] wasn’t called ‘The King’ for nothing.
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| Thor by Olivier Coipel |
“I have to [say] I’m a huge fan of [Olivier] Coipel’s recent work on Thor. I love the design of the current costume and the distinct look of Thor’s face that Olivier created. I’m not going to be shy about emulating that at all.”
There’s no official word on every location AVENGERS ASSEMBLE will span yet, but if Bagley has his way, the Thunderer will pay a visit to his most familiar haunts at some point.
“I got to draw Asgard in [FEAR ITSEF: THE FEARLESS] and it’s always fun to tackle something like that,” he notes. “That is so visually different and requires so much thought to design elements to portray the magnificence of that realm.”
As he rounds the corner on the first couple issues of AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, what Thor moment has been the artist’s favorite thus far? One he thinks will surprise fans in at least one regard:
“He wrecks a Humvee—but not in a way you would think.”
Check in again tomorrow when Mark Bagley assembles another Avenger and shares more exclusive art with us!
By Tim Stevens
The following is an excerpted transcript of a family therapy session between the team known as the Fantastic Four. Present are Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards), The Invisible Woman (Susan Richards), The Human Torch (Johnny Storm), and The Thing (Benjamin Grimm). There was some discussion of including the Richards’ two children in the session but it was determined that, at this time, it would be preferable for the Four to seek out a therapist especially suited to working with children in an individual and group therapy session to ensure the highest level of care for the children.
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| The Fantastic Four |
TIM STEVENS: Just to reiterate, as you have all made each other aware, I have seen all of you for other reasons at various times. However, even though all of you are in session together now, client confidentiality is still in place. So if there is something you discussed with me that you don’t want everyone else to know, don’t worry, I can’t mention it. By the same token, if there’s something you and I talked about that seems germane to what’s being discussed, I urge you to explain what you are referring to the rest of your family rather than just say to me something like, “It’s like what we talked about next week.” Does that make sense to everyone?
All four of them nod in quiet acceptance of his explanation.
TIM STEVENS: Good, then we can get started. Sue, you initiated this session. Would you feel comfortable telling everyone what made you feel it would be helpful to them and to yourself?
INVISIBLE WOMAN: Well, it’s been a really hard bit of time lately. Between—
Takes a moment to gather herself, continues
IW: —the multiple Reeds and the presence of all those villains in our home and Ben picking up that hammer and Johnny dying, I feel as though we’ve begun to grow apart and we don’t even know it yet.
TS: Thank you for sharing that. What I’m wondering now is if you can just tell us how you are feeling right now? If you had to focus purely on your own needs, not just share an assessment of the state your family, what would you or could you tell us?
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| The Invisible Woman |
IW: I guess I’d say I feel all over the place. My brother died but now he’s alive again. My husband hid things from me but he did it because he thought he could work with the other Reeds to save the world. And I’ve seen the other Reeds so I know I have the best, most human of the bunch. And Ben…it’s just wonderful to have him back, but…that was very scary.
TS: I’m wondering now if anyone else can relate to what she’s saying? Anyone else feel very…ambivalent about what’s happened recently? Or could just share how they are feeling in general right now?
There’s a long pause as everyone processes what they’ve heard. The Thing looks visibly uncomfortable.
TS: Ben, I can tell something is bothering you right now. Would you tell us all about what’s happening for you right now?
THE THING (rubbing the top of his head): Jeez, Doc…I just…Susie been so great with everything. I feel like she’s the only one who’s been…stable lately.
HUMAN TORCH (interjecting): I’ve been perfectly stable.
TT: You know what I’m saying Hothead. I just feel lousy I’m part of the problem.
IW: Ben…
TT: No, no. I know. When I was smashing up New York, I know I was…possessed or whatever. But the thoughts. About you guys hating me, about people thinking I was a monster…they were mine, you know?
MISTER FANTASTIC: I’m sorry Ben that you still feel that way all these years later. I wish I—
TT: Come on, Stretch. That’s all ancient history. That’s what makes me mad at myself. Why am I rehashing all that nonsense?
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| The Thing |
TS: Well, what do you think, Ben? Why might this be happening now?
TT: Isn’t that what we’re paying you for, Doc?
TS (laughs a little): Ok…fair enough. You all wrote a lot about what happened with Johnny and the Negative Zone doorway on your intake forms so I find myself wondering if that incident sparked something for you, Ben. Weren’t you in the middle of a period of not having your strength or durability?
TT: You can say it…I was normal.
TS: As you say. Anyway, that prevented you from taking Johnny’s place, right?
TT: He prevented me from taking his place. But if I was all rocked up…there wouldn’t have been a discussion.
TS: So is it possible that, for once, it wasn’t you being The Thing that made you angry or sad or isolated but the fact that you weren’t? You felt like a monster not because of your appearance but because of what you viewed as an inability to help your friends? Your family?
Things get very quiet again.
TS: I know that’s a lot to hear and to think about so I won’t ask you to really have an answer now. It is something to consider though. That this was not “ancient history” as you put it, but a very fresh, recent pain manifesting itself. Now, Johnny, you’re the focus of a lot of what’s going on with the team and family right now. How are you doing?
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| The Human Torch |
HT: Well, I’m glad to be alive and not been killed and resurrected every few hours, for sure.
TS: Is that all?
HT: I feel kind of weird right now, I guess. Like no one seems to know what to do with me.
IW (jumping in): It’s just so strange, Johnny. You’re my brother and I’m so glad you’re back. But it’s like…it’s like you are a different man, too. I think, for me at least, I’m still figuring out what that means.
TT: Yeah, I wonder…are you the type of guy who I can still prank? Or do I just have to pick on Spider-Man.
HT (laughing): I think we should always pick on Pe—err—Spider-Man. But I’m not that different, I promise.
TS: And you, Reed? You’ve been largely quiet.
MF: I have so many questions for Johnny, but Sue’s made me promise not to bombard him with them.
TS: Such as?
MF: Well, for one, what was being dead like?
IW: Reed!
HT: It’s ok, sis. Honestly, Reed, between the constant resurrections, it’s impossible for me to tell you. I saw lots, but who knows if I was dead or alive when I saw it.
TS: Reed, if we could just stay with you for a moment. How have you been as of late?
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| Mr. Fantastic |
MF: It’s been disconcerting. Seeing the Council made me so hopeful; to gather with people who are literally me seemed so promising. But…they were so reckless and arrogant… We could’ve done so much good.
TS: Was it just the missed opportunities?
MF: Of course.
TS: Nothing else?
MF: What else could there be?
TS: Well, you described them as reckless and arrogant, but you also said, in your own words, they were literally you. Does that bother you? Do you see yourself in them? Do you feel responsible for their actions?
MF: I…they’re not me.
TS: No, of course they aren’t. But they look and sound like you. I imagine that’s hard to process.
Silence
TS (glancing at clock): Well, I can see we are over on time. And I can tell you all have a lot to consider now, so we should wrap up here. Please consider what we discussed and try to keep the lines of communication open going forward. I will see you all soon.
The Fantastic Four will have their next session with Doctors John Hickman and Barry Kitson for February 22.Please see file FANTASTIC FOUR #603 for further information.
Tim Stevens, MA is a Psy D candidate and practicum trainee at a community mental health center.
We showed you the second incredible trailer for Spidey's new movie earlier this week, and now we've got a gallery of photos from the in-theater events in Los Angeles, New York and London, directly below!
And in case you missed it, you can watch the second trailer for "The Amazing Spider-Man" again, then scroll down to scope out our full gallery of photos from the event!
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One of the world’s most popular characters is back on the big screen as a new chapter in the Spider-Man legacy is revealed in "The Amazing Spider-Man." Focusing on an untold story that tells a different side of the Peter Parker story, the new film stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, with Martin Sheen and Sally Field. The film is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay written by James Vanderbilt, based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, and Matt Tolmach are producing the film in association with Marvel Entertainment for Columbia Pictures, which will open in theaters everywhere in 3D on July 3, 2012.
"The Amazing Spider-Man" is the story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents’ disappearance--leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), his father’s former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors’ alter-ego, the Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.
Want more comics in the Marvel Comics App for iOS and Android? Your search is over! Check out these comics that just hit the Marvel Comics App and keep coming back every week for new additions to the growing library! That's right, we add new books every week to feed your need for super-heroic entertainment!
Don't have the Marvel Comics App? What are you waiting for?! Download it for iOS and Android!
Here's your official list of comic books hitting the Marvel Comics app today!
Digital Comics On-Sale This Week:
BATTLE SCARS (2011) #4
CAPTAIN AMERICA (2011) #8
CARNAGE USA (2011) #3
DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE (2010) #21
DEADPOOL (2008) #50
INCREDIBLE HULK (2011) #5
IRON MAN 2.0 (2011) #1
IRON MAN 2.0 (2011) #2
IRON MAN 2.0 (2011) #3
IRON MAN 2.0 (2011) #4
IRON MAN 2.0 (2011) #5
IRON MAN 2.0 (2011) #6
IRON MAN 2.0 (2011) #7
JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY (2011) #634
NEW MUTANTS (2009) #15
NEW MUTANTS (2009) #16
NEW MUTANTS (2009) #17
NEW MUTANTS (2009) #18
NEW MUTANTS (2009) #19
NEW MUTANTS (2009) #20
NEW MUTANTS (2009) #21
NEW MUTANTS (2009) #37
SCARLET SPIDER (2012) #2
SECRET AVENGERS (2010) #22
THANOS IMPERATIVE (2010) #1
THANOS IMPERATIVE (2010) #2
THANOS IMPERATIVE (2010) #3
THANOS IMPERATIVE (2010) #4
THANOS IMPERATIVE (2010) #5
THANOS IMPERATIVE (2010) #6
THANOS IMPERATIVE: DEVESTATION (2011) #1
THANOS IMPERATIVE: IGNITION 1 (2010) #1
ULTIMATE COMICS NEW ULTIMATES (2010) #1
ULTIMATE COMICS NEW ULTIMATES (2010) #2
ULTIMATE COMICS NEW ULTIMATES (2010) #3
ULTIMATE COMICS NEW ULTIMATES (2010) #4
ULTIMATES COMICS NEW ULTIMATES (2010) #5
VENOM (2011) #13.1
WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN (2011) #5
WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN: ALPHA AND OMEGA (2012) #2
X-MEN (2010) #7
X-MEN (2010) #8
X-MEN (2010) #9
X-MEN (2010) #10
X-MEN (2010) #11
X-MEN (2010) #24
Digital Collections On-Sale This Week:
5 RONIN
CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE VOL. 1
DEADPOOL CLASSIC VOL. 1
EARTH X
SPIDER-MAN: CRIME AND PUNISHER
X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX SAGA
The Marvel Comics App for iPad and Android (as well as the iPhone, iPod Touch and all Android devices) is available for free from the iTunes or Andriod App Store. Individual comics are priced at just $1.99 each with new content arriving every week.
By Ben Morse
On March 14, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes come together like never before as the stars of this summer’s big screen blockbuster “Marvel’s The Avengers” face a different kind of adventure in AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 by the celebrated creative team of writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mark Bagley. As we count down to this action-packed new ongoing series, over the next five days we will get Bagley’s insider insight on bringing these characters to life and also debut exclusive art from the first issue!
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| AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 inked preview art by Mark Bagley |
Even among immortals who command the storm, men wearing suits of armor beyond seeming imagination and legendary soldiers from another era, there has always also been room among the Avengers for “ordinary” people; though being one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes means even without super powers, you’re likely extraordinary in some way.
In AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, two mainstays of the team, Hawkeye and The Black Widow, will stand up right beside the likes of Captain America and Thor, with the title’s artist making sure they never get lost in the background.
“Hawkeye is the cocky buccaneer of the team—always has a smile on his face and is ready at a moment’s notice to write a check his butt can’t cash,” says Mark Bagley. “Natasha has earned her place on the team and [writer] Brian [Michael Bendis] will treat her thusly. She certainly isn’t going to be the ‘chick’ character.”
This will not be Bagley’s first experience with the Avenging Archer in particular, as he chronicled his adventures for several years in THUNDERBOLTS. However, Clint Barton has evolved tremendously since then, all the way to his brand new outfit.
“I’m taking [that] all into consideration of my approach to him this time around,” says the artist of Hawkeye’s modified look, which nods to his counterparts in the Ultimate Universe as well as “Marvel’s The Avengers” as influences. “I’m drawing him leaner than I did before, with cosmetic changes of a different haircut and stubble on his chin. Really though, the biggest difference is that it has been a long time since I drew him, and my approach has evolved over time.”
The Black Widow promises to hold her own as the sole female member of the book’s initial core cast. Natasha Romanov has always relied on a combination of cunning and brutal physicality, so Bagley will be honing her visual appearance to reflect proficiency in both.
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| AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 cover by Mark Bagley |
“[She is] sexy as hell, period,” he notes. “I see her as buxom, but not soft in any way. A real athlete’s body couple with confidence and grace.”
As you can see from the preview page above, Hawkeye and Black Widow will pair off for action immediately in AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1, and they’re already providing their artist with some of his favorite scenes:
“There is a nice couple of panels where Hawkeye looks in a rearview mirror, sees something coming at him, pops out of the vehicle window and shoots off a couple of arrows at something that is clearly way out of his league.”
Check in again tomorrow when Mark Bagley assembles another Avenger and shares more exclusive art with us!
Nine days from now, "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" rides into theaters. But fans have already gotten a taste of the Rider's new adventure with two awesome trailers from the film, both of which you can watch again right here on Marvel.com!
In case you missed them the first time around, check them both out below and watchJohnny Blaze hunts down evil as only he can. Then come back tomorrow for even more Ghost Rider on Marvel.com!
This April, prepare for the biggest super hero war in comics history as Marvel is pleased to present your first look at AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #1! From the powerhouse creative team of Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Matt Fraction, Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker, John Romita Jr., Adam Kubert and Olivier Copiel comes a groundbreaking event pitting Earth’s Mightiest against the X-Men with the entire Marvel Universe at stake. Cyclops and his team believe the arrival of the Phoenix Force will save mutantkind, but Captain America is convinced it will destroy the world! But who is right? Don’t miss out on all the action in AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #1 in comic shops worldwide and on the Marvel Comics app this April!
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Which team will reign supreme? Join the conversation on Twitter with #AvX!
For more on AVENGERS VS. X-MEN, please visit http://avx.marvel.com
AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #1 (JAN120625)Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, JASON AARON, MATT FRACTION, JONATHAN HICKMAN & ED BRUBAKER
Art by JOHN ROMITA JR.
Colors by LAURA MARTIN
Cover by JIM CHEUNG
FOC – 2/27/12, ON SALE – 4/3/12
Marvel is proud to present your first look at AGE OF APOCALYPSE #1, from the creative team of Dave Lapham and Roberto De La Torre. Spinning out of UNCANNY X-FORCE, the Amazing X-Men and the human resistance must fight tooth and nail to end the tyranny that has left their world ravaged! Continuing Apocalypse’s war on humanity, Weapon X leads the genocide that rains down upon this dimension, eliminating any who stand in his way.
“This new Age of Apocalypse book does the impossible – it revolutionizes an old concept without a reboot,” explains Senior Editor Nick Lowe. “If you’ve been reading Uncanny X-Force, you know where this is coming from and you’re already in. If you’re an Age of Apocalypse junkie, this builds on the alternate universe’s mythology is fascinating and troubling ways. And if you aren’t either and just want a ground-breaking, easy-entry book that will challenge everything you know about the X-Men, there hasn’t been a better jumping on point.”
Can anyone stop the evil Weapon X and who are the X-Terminated? Find out in AGE OF APOCALYPSE #1 with a cover by Humberto Ramos and Dean White that no fan can miss, hitting comic shops everywhere and the Marvel Comics app, this March!
AGE OF APOCALYPSE #1 (JAN120690)Written by DAVE LAPHAM
Penciled by ROBERTO DE LA TORRE
Cover by HUMBERTO RAMOS
Parental Advisory …$2.99
FOC – 2/13/12, ON SALE – 3/07/12
But before that, get a taste of what to expect with a special liveblog featuring writer Brian Michael Bendis, artist Mark Bagley and editor Tom Brevoort!
<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=7ebeeb7349" mce_href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=7ebeeb7349" >Next Big Thing: Avengers Assemble</a>
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Or, follow along here:
<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=fc850e7546" mce_href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=fc850e7546" >Jean Grey School: Biology Class</a>
And remember, you're only getting a taste of what it's like to be a Jean Grey School student on Twitter, so also pick up WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN #5!
See you in class!
Johnny Blaze roars into theaters once more in "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" on February 17, and to mark the event Marvel.com will bring you new stories on ol' Flamehead every day from now until the film's premiere! From looks at the film to looks at the character's rich history, check out Marvel.com every day for everything relating to your favorite Flamehead, and don't miss "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance," in theaters February 17!
By Jim Beard
A blazing skull atop a leather-clad, motorcycle-riding figure--it’s not an image that’s easily forgotten once witnessed. Caught between Heaven and Hell, the Ghost Rider roars into town and everything seems to go to blazes, the result of his quest to bring vengeance to wrong-doers and rid the world of evil. Sometimes he succeeds; other times the line between good and evil blurs and the Ghost Rider must choose a path that may further stain his everlasting soul.
First Ride
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| Ghost Rider vol. 1 #1 |
Johnny Blaze worked as a motorcycle stunt performer for the Crash Simpson Stunt Cycle Extravaganza and looked to its owner as the father he thought he’d lost along with the rest of his family. When Crash grew deathly ill, Johnny made the mistake of trying to sell his soul to Mephisto to save his surrogate father’s life. While Mephisto cured Crash's cancer, he died shortly thereafter in a stunt. Mephisto attempted to take Johnny’s soul in payment, but ultimately unable to snatch such a pure soul, he grafted a powerful demon onto it instead, transforming poor Johnny into a blazing, nightmarish figure.
Ghost Rider’s origin may be found in ESSENTIAL GHOST RIDER VOL. 1.
Blazing Champion
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| Ghost Rider #81 |
Now known as the Ghost Rider, Johnny turned it around on the Devil and attempted to use his new-found demonic powers for good. After trial and error he began to control the hellfire within him and used it to become a kind of super hero. His subsequent adventures brought the Ghost Rider into contact with many different entities, including other super heroes and eventually into a team called the Champions. All the while, Johnny worried that his fiery activities would sully the goodness of his sweetheart, Roxanne.
After many harrowing missions against the forces of evil, Johnny ran into a man without a soul, Centurious. Immune to Ghost Rider’s hellfire, Centurious captured Johnny’s soul in a crystal and revealed that it was a demon named Zarathos who’d inhabited the young man’s body all along. This situation created an internal struggle between Johnny and the demon, but Centurious attempted to end that clash of wills. Zarathos shattered the crystal, freeing Johnny and the other souls trapped within; its owner reformed the crystal, though, and drew the demon into it, freeing Johnny Blaze from the curse of the Ghost Rider.
The original Ghost Rider’s adventures can be found in ESSENTIAL GHOST RIDER VOL. 1-4, and CHAMPIONS CLASSIC VOL. 1-2.
Resurrecting the Ghost
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| Ghost Rider vol. 4 #1 |
Freed from Zarathos, Johnny Blaze wandered for a while, unsure of what path to take in his life. He discovered the existence of a new Ghost Rider, a man named Danny Ketch, and joined with him for several adventures once he realized that Zarathos had not returned in a new form. Eventually, Johnny would also discover that he had a brother he’d wiped from his memories…Danny, the new Ghost Rider. Together, they rode out against menaces, but, in some strange cosmic balance, Johnny lost his beloved Roxanne to a demon attack.
Trying to start his life anew, Johnny began to transform into Ghost Rider once again. He eventually discovered that a reconstituted Zarathos inhabited his body, but he attempted to make the best of it. Soon, those noble intentions would be shattered when a group of demons snatched up Johnny and took him straight to Hell to honor his long-ago pact with the infernal realm’s master.
These exciting tales may be found in GHOST RIDER: DANNY KETCH CLASSIC VOL. 1-2 and GHOST RIDER: ROAD TO DAMNATION.
To Hell and Back
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| Ghost Rider vol. 5 #20 |
Johnny Blaze, ever the clever and resourceful soul, eventually escaped from Hell, but returning to Earth proved to be no walk in the park. Back in the mortal realm, the Ghost Rider encountered many obstacles including the incredible Hulk, the angel Zadkiel and his own brother Danny, the other Ghost Rider. He also discovered an entire team of Ghost Riders from many different nations, and with them found himself in the middle of a war between Heaven and Hell.
Sadly, there’d be no rest for Johnny Blaze after that ultimate showdown. Killed in a battle against the ninja Hand clan and their strong magic, Ghost Rider received a reprieve from Heaven and returned to vanquish his enemies with an angelic host by his side. Finally, he then believed he’d been freed from the curse of the Ghost Rider. Time will tell if that’s true, or simply another cruel joke on poor Johnny Blaze.
Johnny’s later trials and tribulations may be found in GHOST RIDER BY DANIEL WAY ULTIMATE COLLECTION, GHOST RIDER: HELL BENT AND HEAVEN BOUND, GHOST RIDER: THE LAST STAND, GHOST RIDER: TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS, and GHOST RIDER: HEAVEN'S ON FIRE.
Ultimate Ghost Rider
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| Ultimate Comics Avengers 2 #3 |
In the Ultimate Universe, Johnny Blaze and Roxanne Simpson ran afoul of a gang of bikers who killed the young man and then tried to make a deal with the devil for power. They received their power, but Johnny made his own deal to save Roxanne and then trained for twenty years to become an instrument of revenge: The Ghost Rider.
The Ghost Rider sought out each member of the gang to kill them, but they’d all become very powerful men in business and politics. Johnny’s demonic hunt put him into conflict with the Ultimate Avengers, a battle that led to their initial defeat at the hands of the Ghost Rider. Ultimately, Johnny completed his cycle of revenge and, gaining Roxanne once again, agrees to continue as the Ghost Rider in the service of the Devil.
The Ultimate Ghost Rider can be found in ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS: CRIME & PUNISHMENT.
By Ben Morse
On March 14, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes come together like never before as the stars of this summer’s big screen blockbuster “Marvel’s The Avengers” face a different kind of adventure in AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 by the celebrated creative team of writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mark Bagley. As we count down to this action-packed new ongoing series, over the next five days we will get Bagley’s insider insight on bringing these characters to life and also debut exclusive art from the first issue!
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| AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 inked preview art by Mark Bagley |
Since he made his first smash on the Marvel Universe, forces from the military to various villains to the Avengers themselves have sought to capture and contain The Hulk, generally with limited success. AVENGERS ASSEMBLE artist Mark Bagley has similarly found nailing down the Green Goliath to an ongoing challenge, albeit one he rises to with vigor.
“Drawing The Hulk really pushes me outside of my comfort zone as an artist,” he admits. “I think I naturally tend to have an easier time with slighter figures, so it always takes me a while to get comfortable drawing The Hulk if I haven’t done so in a while. I look forward to having a chance to really settle on a consistent look to him.”
Along with writer Brian Michael Bendis, Bagley will be responsible for integrating The Hulk into the Avengers as a regular member of the group he helped found but quickly parted ways from in a fit of characteristic rage, rarely having looked back over the ensuing years.
“He’s had so many personality shifts over the years, from raging inarticulate monster, to a scientist’s brain in the [body of a] beast, to innocent childlike victim of the world,” Bagley says of The Hulk. “It’s gonna be interesting to see how Brian and I portray him as a member of the team. I would say it goes against the nature of the character, but as I said, there have been so many deviations from the Hulk’s original theme that I think we have some wiggle room here.
“It’s early yet, but I think I’m getting a pretty good handle on him. Our Hulk is capable of being calm, almost contemplative, while just beneath the surface, just behind the eyes is the creature, just ready to rage.”
Fortunately for Bagley, he’s got assistance in improving that grasp of the character not only from Bendis, but a variety of artistic influences as well.
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| The Hulk by Paul Pelletier |
“I loved every version [Jack Kirby] did as he evolved the character’s look,” he recalls. “I’m especially fond of the version he drew for a short while that had slightly hairy arms and [a hairy] chest. Both Buscemas [John and Sal] did great versions. Paul Pelletier has been doing some great work with the character lately.”
As Bruce Banner continues his struggle to balance his warring personas, the artist conveying his adventures will similarly strive to find middle ground between the Hulk’s most explosive actions and comparatively restrained moments.
“In the first issue [of AVENGERS ASSEMBLE] there is a small panel where he casually lifts a Humvee in one hand while gently rescuing a soldier in his other,” previews Bagley. “I think it has a nice sense of scale and decent visual acting.
“[But] I love drawing him doing things bigger than life. [Longtime Hulk artist] Herb Trimpe drew him lifting an entire castle out of the ground and flinging it—yeah, it makes no sense, but it did look great.”
Finally, when asked about how he’d be outfitting The Hulk as an Avenger, Bagley said he would not be straying from the norm:
“As long as we’re dealing with a brutish form of him, The Hulk works best in torn pants. I know Sal Buscema had him in trunks for years, but I’d rather not.”
Check in again tomorrow when Mark Bagley assembles another Avenger and shares more exclusive art with us!
Blade continues to hunt Deacon Frost into the Philippines in a clip from Friday's new episode of his anime, premiering at 11:00 p.m. ET only on G4!
Watch our EXCLUSIVE new clip directly below, as Blade finds himself face to face with a woman who has lost everything to a group of vampires, and look for new screenshots from Friday's episode later this week!
Stay tuned to Marvel.com for all things "Blade," and remember to check-in to the series on GetGlue during each week's episode to earn an exclusive digital sticker!
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You’ve read his amazing adventures in comic books and seen his spectacular stunts on the big and small screens. Now, get ready to experience Spider-Man like never before on the all-new storybook app, Spider-Man: An Origin Story, now available for your iPad or iPhone. As the first release in the new Marvel Reads storybook app line, Spider-Man: An Origin Story combines classic storytelling with state-of-the-art interactive features for only $3.99!
Designed to appeal to Spidey fans of all ages, Spider-Man: An Origin Story retells the now classic story of how Peter Parker transformed from a shy teenager to the super hero everyone knows and loves today. The app integrates brand-new illustrations with immersive music and sound effects to bring to life Spider-Man’s world and fan-favorite characters like Flash Thompson, Aunt May, and Uncle Ben. There’s also a series of mini-games that allows you to step into Spidey’s boots and overcome challenges that only Spider-Man can!
Last, and most certainly not least, the story is narrated by none other than one of Spider-Man’s creators, Stan “The Man” Lee! With the Spider-Man: An Origin Story app, you can experience the webhead’s first adventure with the aid of one of Marvel’s leading storytellers describing every web sling and Spidey sense tingle that our hero experiences!
Swing into adventure and excitement by purchasing Spider-Man: An Origin Story for only $3.99 on iTunes today! And stay tuned to Marvel.com for updates on future releases in the Marvel Reads line.
By Jim Beard
We’re charging up for the onrushing Omega Effect event which spreads out over three Marvel titles—AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #6, DAREDEVIL #11 and THE PUNISHER #10—this April. Mark Waid and Greg Rucka, the two gentlemen responsible for the writing end of the story, find their hands full with Spider-Man, Daredevil and The Punisher scrambling to stop the Marvel Universe’s leading crime organizations from securing the Omega Drive. With the info contained therein, one could blow the lid off of just about every single bit of criminal activity on the planet.
To celebrate the release of Omega Effect, we’re checking in with both writers and asking them a few pointed questions about this titanic team-up and their own writing relationship with each other on the story. We’ve already talked with Mark Waid, so up now: Greg Rucka!
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| AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #6 cover by Steve McNiven |
Marvel.com: Greg, what’s it like working with a writer like Mark Waid? Why’s he a great person to collaborate with on a project like Omega Effect?
Greg Rucka: Mark is, in my opinion, one of the best writers comics has ever seen. I’m a bad student of the medium and I don’t know a better way to say it. I loved comics but I was never the guy who growing up with them would [say] comics was it. I had a passion for them, loved them, but my depth of knowledge and my experience in reading them is really insignificant compared with so many other people out there in the medium. And there are a lot of people in the medium who came and got into the industry and work in the industry, and these are people who were raised on comics and loved comics. Comics are their religion. To such an extent, that they don’t know anything else.
And that’s a detriment. Your ability to name every single variation of Kryptonite and every first issue in which it appears is a great pop quiz skill, but is not a great writing skill, all right? So just because you can do that doesn’t mean you know how to write. It doesn’t make you a good writer. The same way you if want to write for movies, you don’t only see movies, you know what I mean? You have to actually pick up books and read them as well.
Mark is one of the very rare examples of somebody who’s love of comics and of the nature of collecting comics, of pursuing them, all of that is wedded with the knowledge and the skill set of being a writer, a teller of stories. That sounds so simple and you would think it is and it’s not. And it’s actually really very hard. So, when I am reading a Mark Waid script—I’ve had the good fortune of reading his scripts off and on over the last decade or so, and watching how his writing and his script style as evolved—[he] never forgets that he’s writing a comic, he never forgets what the purpose of the comic is, he never forgets the visual aspect. He is always in service of the comic story and his skill is remarkable in life. And I think nowhere is more evident than in the current DAREDEVIL. His work on DAREDEVIL right now is so visual if that makes sense. And then when we think about the craft involved, I mean, that book is incredibly dynamic visually. It’s the story of a blind man and you never ever get to forget that Matt is blind. So I think [Mark] has some extraordinary skills.
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| DAREDEVIL #11 cover by Marcos Martin |
Marvel.com: Okay, that said, how do you see yourself in what you do on PUNISHER?
Greg Rucka: I come from a prose background. I come from short story background and that led me into novels. So, I try to remember my visuals. My scripts tend to always be far more concerned with the emotional movement of a story than with the visual movement of a story [to the extent] of being a detriment. This is something I do try to address.
I’m working on the PUNISHER issue for Omega Effect right now. And I spent all morning working myself into contortions because I’m trying to figure out how to visually get across the information I want to get across rather than just have somebody say it. And I put myself in a hole. I was talking to Mark about this yesterday. The fact is that we set up a book about The Punisher where Frank doesn’t talk a lot, so that the means of getting readers up to speed is completely not fair. And if I try to put it there [for Omega Effect], it’s going to be glaring. This is a totally different thing. I spent today trying to doing a lot of “How would Mark do this?”
Marvel.com: We’re to understand there’s a new person in Frank Castle’s life named Rachel Cole who perhaps defies easy categorization. Mark Waid says she figures into what he calls the “emotional heart” of Omega Effect. What can you tell us about her?
Greg Rucka: One of the things that Mark had said very early on is that, to Matt Murdock, Frank is a lost cause. A lot of what I think Mark is doing is refreshing Daredevil right now; Matt is sort of “Happy Matt,” for lack of a better phrase. He has made an active decision to be happy, I would point out. As opposed to just deciding “Oh all that other bad stuff never happened—no I’ve just decided to ignore it.” So, when faced with Cole, and Rachel and Frank really come together in THE PUNISHER #9, Matt looks at her and thinks, “Well, I screwed up with Frank but maybe I can save this one.” And it provides a very interesting emotional center to what we’re doing here.
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| THE PUNISHER #10 cover by Marco Checchetto |
Rachel’s got a very specific story here. Her arc has a beginning, middle, and end. The book is called THE PUNISHER and people right now, I think, are thinking, well it’s not really about Frank, but Frank is sort of a presence in it. Everything that happens is about Frank because of his effect on everything makes it about him. So, Rachel’s story, her whole story is entirely ruled by her association with Frank and his presence in her life.
Marvel.com: We asked Mark Waid about how he looked at Spider-Man, Daredevil and the Punisher as characters and the phrase “id, ego and super-ego” came up. Is that how you think of them also?
Greg Rucka: I do not. That’s because I don’t tend to apply Freudian standards to my writing [Laughs]. That’s not to say it’s an incorrect assessment, but it’s not one that I’m terribly interested in. I don’t go there. It’s something Mark himself brought up a couple weeks ago, and I think it’s valid. But, I tend not to approach characters in that sort of archetype. I’m much more interested in them as characters I guess; that’s not demeaning [Mark’s opinion], it’s just [not] my value.
I was talking to [editor Steve] Wacker yesterday about a bit [in the story], and there’s no way to do it because it’s a film bit rather than a comic bit; it really relies on motion. But I really love the idea of how skittish Spider-Man is around Frank. This is all set up at the end of the first issue, and [they say,] “we all have to press each other for X amount of a plan” and for Peter it’s just watching the fuse burn down. It’s only a question of when. It’s not if, it’s when is Frank going to come off the rails on this thing. And being able to sort of play with that and try to show it—I’m still trying to figure out if the visual is there.
Marvel.com: Speaking of visuals, regular PUNISHER artist Marco Checchetto is providing some incredible continuity on Omega Effect by drawing all three parts of the story.
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| AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #6 inked preview art by Marco Checchetto |
Greg Rucka: He’s amazing. I got pages this morning and they’re just phenomenal. I love working with him and I love how effortlessly he is sort of jumping almost between styles, you know? I mean the AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #6 pages look different than the PUNISHER #10 pages. I don’t have another way to put it. They do look different. And it’s not that it’s a different artist at all, it isn’t, and it’s not that it’s not clearly Marco—there’s something else there. I don’t know how to put it [Laughs].
Marvel.com: So you’d say he’s got chameleon ability in his art.
Greg Rucka: Absolutely. And yet it still is unmistakably Marco. I love what he’s doing. I, in all honesty, the more I see from him, the more I love it. I certainly don’t want to undermine anyone else [because] I am consistently fortunate in that I get to work with great artists, but every issue that I don’t get to do with Marco, I kind of find myself saying, “Well, oh, I wanted Marco to draw this.” Does that make sense? That’s not me going, “this other artist can’t draw.” You know? Marco’s story telling is just delightful. I really, really like it. It’s got this dynamic and when you get to write 50 of the Hand swarming up the side of a building and then you get to see Marco draw that, it’s like “Aw, man! That’s awesome!”
Marvel.com: That allows us to segue into Omega Effect’s villains. Looking at the five distinct criminal organizations in the story, do you think they stand at different levels in the Marvel Universe or will they all end up in the same boat at the end of the story?
Greg Rucka: The power is the issue because they’re all holding each other at bay. That’s sort of what starts this off. There has been a stalemate in effect for a certain amount of time and Daredevil knows that isn’t going to last and so he’s going to uncork it. You know, the Exchange, featured in THE PUNISHER, factors into the story and frankly, of all the factions in Omega Effect, they’re the “weakest,” but they’re also acting as brokerage. So, I wouldn’t rate one more than the other; they’re all there to make everybody miserable.
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| AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #6 inked preview art by Marco Checchetto |
Marvel.com: We’ll wrap this up with same final question we asked Mark: The team-up in comics was once a much stronger “event” in comics—what do you feel is its status with today’s readers?
Greg Rucka: Wow. I don’t know. I suppose there is a marketing value to it. I mean, maybe you’ll pull people over from one book to another, if they’re engaged by the story. But I think part of the nature of a crossover, the abusive crossovers I should say, is that readership has come to believe that actually, they don’t really matter much. There’s a lot of sound and fury and it signifies nothing. How is this going to change anything in the books? And even when we’re told, you know, “Nothing will ever be the same!”
I honestly don’t know what it means [now] to the readership. Except maybe they’re probably more fed up. I will say that for what I am doing in THE PUNISHER, [Omega Effect] came along at a perfect time. This is the right story to be telling at this point in the overall story that I want to tell. And this actually sets up stuff that I have planned about 12 issues down the line that will actually bring Matt Murdock back in. And it has Peter Parker as well.
I think the biggest detriment [of a crossover] is that a lot of people will say, “Well, it’s a stunt,” and there have been a lot of stunts in the industry lately. I’m not sure that’s different than 20, 30 years ago, but I do think that there is a sort of stunt fatigue. That said, we’re telling this story because this made sense. This was not simply an issue of “How can we put these three characters together?” and let’s hammer something into place. This is Mark doing the Omega Drive story, and this led us very organically to, “Wow, Frank would really, really, like to get his hands on that and what he could do with that could be pretty impressive.” And then that by definition sort of led to the policy of “Under no circumstances do you give Frank the nuclear launch codes; especially if you are Peter Parker or Matt Murdock.” Because you know what he’s going to do and there is a moral obligation there to not let him.
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| AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #6 inked preview art by Marco Checchetto |
Marvel.com: It sounds like the best, truest definition of an event.
Greg Rucka: I hope so! I sincerely hope the readers say, “It’s a good story, and I want to read it. I want to know what happens here.” That, more than anything, else is what matters. And that’s the other thing: Mark and I are on the same page about this; we want to tell a good story. I have to say I’m really excited about it and I think it’s going to kick all sorts of tail [Laughs]. It’s been a lot of fun to write, and that’s always awesome.
Omega Effect begins in AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #6, on sale April 11
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| Marvel Select Hulk |
Captain America (WWII outfit): Available now
Thor (Thor movie outfit): Available now
Loki (Thor movie outfit): Available now
Hulk: Coming in April
Iron Man Mark VI (Iron Man 2 movie re-issue): Coming in April
Hawkeye: Coming in May
Mystery Foe: Coming in May
Marvel Select figures are sold at comic shops, specialty stores and most online toy retailers, so start your "Marvel's The Avengers" collection today!
Catch a glimpse of Spidey vs. the Lizard, the blossoming relationship between Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker, new questions about Pete's past and more in this brand-new trailer directly below!
Keep your eyes on Marvel.com as we count down the days until July 3, and in the meantime, what are you still reading this for? Watch the trailer now and enjoy!
One of the world’s most popular characters is back on the big screen as a new chapter in the Spider-Man legacy is revealed in "The Amazing Spider-Man." Focusing on an untold story that tells a different side of the Peter Parker story, the new film stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, with Martin Sheen and Sally Field. The film is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay written by James Vanderbilt, based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, and Matt Tolmach are producing the film in association with Marvel Entertainment for Columbia Pictures, which will open in theaters everywhere in 3D on July 3, 2012.
"The Amazing Spider-Man" is the story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents’ disappearance--leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), his father’s former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors’ alter-ego, the Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.
The next big Spider-Man epic begins in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #682, part one of Ends Of The Earth, by Dan Slott and Stefano Caselli! The Sinister Six, led by the vengeful Doctor Octopus, is back and they’re looking for revenge! Can Spider-Man & Earth’s Mightiest save the world before Doc Ock’s explosive endgame is revealed? Find out in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #682 hitting comic shops and the Marvel Comics app this March!
Join the conversation on Twitter with #SpiderMan.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #682 (JAN120658)Written by DAN SLOTT
Pencils & Cover by STEFANO CASELLI
Colors by FRANK MARTIN JR.
FOC – 2/27/12, ON SALE – 3/21/12
By Ben Morse
On March 14, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes come together like never before as the stars of this summer’s big screen blockbuster “Marvel’s The Avengers” face a different kind of adventure in AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 by the celebrated creative team of writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mark Bagley. As we count down to this action-packed new ongoing series, over the next five days we will get Bagley’s insider insight on bringing these characters to life and also debut exclusive art from the first issue!
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| AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 inked preview art by Mark Bagley |
There’s no hard and fast rule that says Captain America needs to be in charge of every Avengers team he’s a part of, but Mark Bagley tries to make sure Steve Rogers in the driver’s seat whether it’s official or not.
“I try and depict him as the de facto leader that all the other Avengers naturally, maybe even subconsciously, defer to,” he admits. “[Tony] Stark has a man crush on him. Thor just flat out respects him. Hawkeye would be jealous of him if he didn’t like and admire him so much. And [Black Widow] is smart enough to know Cap is the man—in a good way.”
Bagley brings his admiration of Captain America to AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, where it will fit well given the Super Soldier’s key role there as well as in this summer’s “Marvel’s The Avengers.” Cap remains relatively newly returned to his familiar place at the forefront of Earth’s Mightiest following his “death” and rebirth as well as succession by Bucky Barnes and the events of Fear Itself, but it doesn’t take long for the Sentinel of Liberty to step back into action; it never has.
“He’s a guy who is yanked out of his time and just accepts this wrenching experience with an ‘alright, what’s next?’ attitude,” Bagley reminds of Captain America’s early Avengers adventures. “I’ve always seen Cap as this solid, stoic natural born leader; a guy who doesn’t know how to quit. The kind of guy that people just naturally want to follow and are inspired by his mere presence: Perfect posture, chin up and looking ahead to meet any adversity.”
While Steve Rogers may not be a towering Thunder God or sporting emerald skin, Bagley wants to make sure the Star-Spangled Avenger still makes an impression, even amongst his impressive allies.
“He’s the peak of human development, so while not necessarily the tallest guy around, his musculature and bearing would have him stand out,” he explains. “I draw him with a really strong square chin, the classic dimple in his chin, and a shock of slightly unruly blond hair.
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| Captain America & Bucky by Mark Bagley |
“He can run faster and jump higher than anyone else. While Cap is not super powered, everything he does is amped up just a bit past what any other ‘normal’ human should be capable of. I try and portray him as always balanced and moving with authority, with his years of combat experience enabling him to think two or three steps ahead of his opponents.”
Bagley counts Mike Zeck, John Byrne and John Buscema among his artistic influences when it comes to Captain America, but looks to the first man who drew him, Jack Kirby, first and foremost.
“If I try and emulate anyone’s sense of power and grace when it comes to Cap, it would have to be him,” he says.
While Bagley teases he’s only just begun to focus on Captain America’s part in AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, he hopes that before all’s said and done he’ll have a chance to pit the hero against some familiar foes:
“I dig when he’s thrust into some sort of ultra-scientific conflict. A.I.M., Hydra—evil scientists coming up with wild things to challenge Cap.”
Check in again tomorrow when Mark Bagley assembles another Avenger and shares more exclusive art with us!
Marvel Minimates - "Marvel's The Avengers" (Toys "R" Us/toysrus.com)
- Captain America & Thor
- Iron Man MK7 & Hulk
- Hawkeye & Black Widow (exclusive)
- Loki & Nick Fury (exclusive)
Marvel Minimates Wave 45 (Specialty stores/comic shops)
- Captain America & Thor
- Iron Man MK7 & Hulk
- REDACTED & REDACTED (exclusive)
- Maria Hill & REDACTED (short-packed exclusive)
We can't show you the mysterious "Marvel's The Avengers" foes who will be in Wave 45, or even tell you their names, but be sure to pre-order them through your local comic shop, because once you see the movie, you won't want to miss out on them!
ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #7 (DEC110630)
Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Penciled by ESAD RIBIC
Colors by DEAN WHITE
Cover by KAARE ANDREWS
Rated T+ …$3.99
FOC – 2/6/12, ON SALE – 2/29/12
Watch it in full directly below and catch a new glimpse of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, the Black Widow and Hawkeye in action as they get ready to save the world when the film hits theaters on May 4.
Plus, aftter you watch the extended version, scroll down just beneath it to catch the original 30-second spot again!
Keep your eyes on Marvel.com in the coming weeks and months as we get ready for the premiere of "Marvel's The Avengers" on May 4!
Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures “Marvel’s The Avengers”--the super hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel super heroes Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.
Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon from a screenplay by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble in summer 2012.
In addition to "Marvel's The Avengers," Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including "Iron Man 3" on May 3, 2013; and "Thor 2" on November 15, 2013.
Welcome to FREE Mondays! Each week we focus on all of the newly digitized books you can read for FREE inside the greatest collection of Marvel comics available online: Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited! Plus, we'll let you know what's coming up next week for FREE, too! With each book, not only are you getting a free peek inside Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, but each free Digital Comic either gives you a look at a book featured in a recent collection or a comic that's in stores now.
How would you like to have two free digital comics to help get you through the school and work week? Here you go!
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1999) #667
DOCTOR STRANGE: FROM THE MARVEL VAULT (2011) #1
AGE OF X: UNIVERSE (2011) #1
THOR (2007) #618
FF (2011) #2
Find out what next week's free digital comics will be below!*
RUSE (2010) #1
5 RONIN (2010) #1
X-MEN ORIGINS: ICEMAN (2009) #1
SIGIL (2011) #1
POWER MAN AND IRON FIST (2010) #3
*All scheduled issues subject to change.
SCARLET SPIDER #2
Writer: CHRIS YOST
Artist: RYAN STEGMAN
The Story: Spinning out of Spider-Island, a new era of web-walloping action continues! Scarlet Spider makes some new friends and deadly enemies on the streets of Houston!
ON SALE FEBRUARY 8...$2.99