Articles for March, 2018
It’s All About Fantastic Four on This Week in Marvel
by Marvel Comic Book News | March 31, 2018 at 2:23 am
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Flame on, gang! Get ready for a very special edition of This Week in Marvel! In this installment, Marvel Comics editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski, writer Dan Slott, and artist Sara Pichelli join Ryan for a dive deep discussion about the return of the FANTASTIC FOUR! The group talks about their love for Marvel’s First Family and then the new creative team teases the stories they’re most excited to tell when the new series starts this August. Download the episode from Marvel.com, check out Marvel Podcast Central, grab the TWiM RSS feed, and subscribe to This Week in Marvel on iTunes so you never miss an episode! Then head over to our Soundcloud hub to listen to more!
With new episodes every Friday, This Week in Marvel delivers all the latest Marvel discussion and news about comics, TV, movies, games, toys, and beyond! We want your feedback—as well as questions for us to answer on future episodes—so tweet your questions and comments about the show to @AgentM, @tuckermarkus, or @Marvel with the hashtag #ThisWeekinMarvel!
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The History of the Black Panther: 2007-2008
by Marvel Comic Book News | March 31, 2018 at 1:58 am
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For more than 50 years, the Black Panther has stood at the forefront on the Marvel Universe. With T’Challa appearing on the big screen again this year in both Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity War,” take a look back at over five decades worth of comic book adventures for the King of Wakanda! Set up by Tony Stark, T’Challa and Storm found themselves waylaid by Iron Man and the Sentinel Squad in BLACK PANTHER #22. When our heroes refused to leave the U.S. until the Civil War between Stark and Captain America ended, the situation worsened. Smarting from a vicious media spin on him and an attack by Black Widow in BLACK PANTHER #23, the Panther sought out Cap for answers while Storm contacted Reed Richards in BLACK PANTHER #24. When the final battle between Iron Man and Cap’s forces occurred in BLACK PANTHER #25, T’Challa and Storm fought at the resistance movement’s side until Steve Rogers surrendered in CIVIL WAR #7. With the Wakandan Embassy destroyed, Reed invited the Panther and Storm to live at the Baxter Building in BLACK PANTHER #26, and in FANTASTIC FOUR #543, he introduced them to The Thing and The Human Torch as the newest members of the team. Barely unpacked, T’Challa and Storm flew off with Ben and Johnny in FANTASTIC FOUR #544 to investigate the desecrated grave of the fallen hero Gravity, and their path took them to Epoch, the offspring of Ego the Living Planet. In outer space, the team battled the Silver Surfer while Epoch resurrected Gravity in FANTASTIC FOUR #545. Afterward, T’Challa helped to convince Galactus not to destroy Epoch in FANTASTIC FOUR #546. The Panther and Storm returned to Earth with Ben and Johnny in BLACK PANTHER #27 to find a Negative Zone monster running around the Fantastic Four’s headquarters. When T’Challa activated the Solomon Frogs to transport it away, the entire team ended up on an alien world controlled by the Skrulls. The aliens attacked them in BLACK PANTHER #28, but the battle ceased when a horde of cosmic-powered zombies arrived on the planet. The Fantastic Four learned that they’d landed in an alternate reality in BLACK PANTHER #29, but that knowledge provided little help in holding off the zombies. With no recourse, they teleported off the world in BLACK PANTHER #30 just as the flesh-eating monsters began to devour everything. Reed Richards returned to the Baxter Building in FANTASTIC FOUR #547 to inform the Panther and the others about a missing Invisible Woman. It all ended up in a huge skirmish against the Frightful Four in FANTASTIC FOUR #548, and a new confrontation between The Black Panther and his old foe Klaw. After the heroes triumphed over the villains in FANTASTIC FOUR #549, Reed discovered a rift in space-time that threatened the universe itself. He gathered up Gravity and The Silver Surfer to aid the team in FANTASTIC FOUR #550, and together with T’Challa and Storm they saved Eternity from dying and in turn, rescued the entire universe. Taking a breather, The Black Panther held off a psychic onslaught from the Psycho-Man in BLACK PANTHER #31, right before being whisked away with Thing and the Torch to another alternate reality, one with Skrulls posing as Earth gangsters. Captured on a planet populated by Skrulls posing as 1930’s Earth gangsters in BLACK PANTHER #32, T’Challa, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm placed their hopes in Storm to rescue them. She discovered in BLACK PANTHER #33 that one-half of that world featured shapeshifters obsessed with Earth’s 1960’s civil rights movement, and returned to rescue the Panther and his allies in BLACK PANTHER #34. Upon returning to Earth, Black Panther witnessed the final defeat of The Hulk by the Sentry and Tony Stark in WORLD WAR HULK #5, and found his sister Shuri and friend Monica Rambeau kidnapped by Erik Killmonger in BLACK PANTHER #35. The king of Wakanda made plans to invade neighboring Niganda to rescue the women in BLACK PANTHER #36. Once in Niganda, T’Challa entered into mortal combat with Killmonger in BLACK PANTHER #37, while his Wakandan forces moved to rescue Shuri and Monica. Upon spotting the Panther felled by his foe and about to be executed in BLACK PANTHER #38, Rambeau used her energy powers to zap Killmonger dead. During Secret Invasion, the shape-shifting Skrulls invaded Wakanda to seize its precious vibranium stores in BLACK PANTHER #39, but T’Challa rooted out all spies in his midst before being confronted with the awesome Super-Skrull. The Panther fought and defeated The Super-Skrull in BLACK PANTHER #40, though he found himself faced with two more soon after. A traitor close to him spoiled the moment, leading to T’Challa’s capture by the invaders. He managed a clever turnaround of the situation in BLACK PANTHER #41, allowing him and his people victory over their alien opponents.
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Announcing the Marvel Knights 20th Anniversary Trade Program
by Marvel Comic Book News | March 31, 2018 at 1:48 am
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Visionary creators such as Joe Quesada, Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, Garth Ennis, Christopher Priest, Steve Dillon, David W. Mack, Grant Morrison, Jimmy Palmiotti, Jae Lee, Kevin Smith, Jeph Loeb, and more created the stories that would change the comics industry! And together, with co-founders and editors Quesada and Palmiotti at the helm, they would become superstar legends for their revolutionary work! With Marvel Knights, Marvel traded traditional style for daring storytelling, creating new and bold tales for Marvel icons such as Punisher, Daredevil, the Inhumans, Black Widow, and Black Panther. By reinventing classic characters and focusing on strong stand-alone story arcs, Marvel Knights nearly recreated the Original Graphic Novel as monthly comic format—and became the industry’s spark that paved the way for the bright and intrepid stories of today’s heroes! This fall, in honor of the critically acclaimed imprint’s 20th anniversary, Marvel is celebrating the inception of Marvel Knights by bringing fans a uniform set of new trade paperbacks featuring the best of Marvel Knights, as well as two brand new Omnibus editions. Look through the covers here, then find your favorite in your local comic shop starting this September! SEPTEMBER: - DAREDEVIL BY SMITH & QUESADA: GUARDIAN DEVIL TPB
- COLLECTING: Daredevil (1998) 1-8, 1/2
- BLACK PANTHER BY PRIEST & TEXEIRA: THE CLIENT TPB
- COLLECTING: Black Panther (1998) 1-5
OCTOBER: - MARVEL KNIGHTS BY DIXON & BARRETO: DEFENDERS OF THE STREETS TPB
- COLLECTING: Marvel Knights (2000) 1-15
- FANTASTIC FOUR BY MORRISON & LEE: 1234 TPB
- COLLECTING: Fantastic Four: 1234 1-4, material from Marvel Knights Double-Shot 2
- DAREDEVIL BY BENDIS & MALEEV: UNDERBOSS TPB
- COLLECTING:Daredevil (1998) 26-31
- BLACK WIDOW BY GRAYSON & RUCKA: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION TPB
- COLLECTING:Black Widow (1999) 1-3, Black Widow (2001) 1-3, Black Widow: Pale Little Spider 1-3
NOVEMBER: - CAPTAIN AMERICA BY RIEBER & CASSADAY: THE NEW DEAL TPB
- COLLECTING:Captain America (2002) 1-6
- MARVEL KNIGHTS BY JOE QUESADA OMNIBUS HC
- COLLECTING: Daredevil (1998) 1-15, 1/2; Daredevil: Father 1-6; Marvel Authentix: Daredevil 1; material from Marvel Knights Double-Shot 1
DECEMBER: - PUNISHER BY GARTH ENNIS: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION VOL. 1 TPB
- COLLECTING:Punisher (2000) 1-12, Punisher (2001) 1-5, Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe
- MARVEL BOY BY MORRISON & JONES TPB
- COLLECTING: Marvel Boy 1-6
- DAREDEVIL: MARVEL KNIGHTS by BENDIS, GALE & JENKINS TPB
- COLLECTING:Daredevil/Spider-Man #1-4 & one-shot, Daredevil: Ninja #1-3, Daredevil (1998) #20-25
- DAREDEVIL BY MACK & QUESADA: PARTS OF A HOLE TPB
- COLLECTING: Daredevil (1998) 9-15
- JEPH LOEB & TIM SALE: YELLOW, BLUE, GRAY & WHITE OMNIBUS HC
- COLLECTING: Daredevil: Yellow 1-6, Spider-Man: Blue 1-6, Hulk: Gray 1-6, Captain America: White 0-5
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Star Wars Spotlight: Dawn of the Jedi – Prisoner of Bogan
by Marvel Comic Book News | March 31, 2018 at 1:25 am
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Every week, we comb through the digital archives of Marvel Unlimited to showcase a classic story from a galaxy far, far away. So kick back, pour a tall glass of blue milk, and remember tales of the Light Side, the Dark, and all the scoundrels in between…. In STAR WARS: DAWN OF THE JEDI – PRISONER OF BOGAN by John Ostrander and Jan Duuresema picked up two months after the first series in this epic tale of the early Je’Daii set roughly 36,000 years before the events of “Star Wars: A New Hope.” Originally published in 2012-2013, this Legends tale finds the one-time Force Hound Xesh trying to find balance on Tython’s moon Bogan. Prior to this series, in STAR WARS: DAWN OF THE JEDI – FORCE STORM, Xesh originally worked for the Rakatan Infinite Empire, a group of conquerors who enslaved Force-sensitives and used them to fuel their ships and weapons. While tracking Tython, a Force-tuned planet and home to the Je’Daii, Xesh’s ship crashed, leaving him the sole survivor but lacking key memories of the incident. He also found himself in the presence of his first Je’Daii; at first he refused to help them, but once he saw how they fought for each other, he jumped into the fray. Having switched sides, the Je’Daii sent him to Bogan in an effort to reacquaint him with the Light Side after spending most of his life in the Dark. He also hoped to regain some of the memories he lost in the crash. Xesh partially enjoyed his peaceful respite on the moon, but everything changed when the mad Je’Daii Daegen Lok attacked him with a trick dubbed the Mind Twist. Lok then showed Xesh a secret ship they could use to get off the moon and then described the vision he saw in a huge trench called the Chasm on Tython. The place had been forbidden because it drove explorers mad with visions. Lok accepted the unoffered challenge and, once inside, started muttering, “A creature with a single red eye…leading an army…a sword of flame…destruction…fire…death!” He conveyed this journey to the Council and all it got him was a trip to Bogan. After Xesh recognized a part of Lok’s vision—the Forcesaber—the one-time Force Hound agreed that he could build one. He then filled the ship’s batteries with Force energy and they flew off to get crystals from Krev Coeur and then forge it on Nox. The Infinite Empire had no intention of letting Xesh roam free, so Predor Skal’Nas sent Trill, his own Force Hound, to track Xesh through space. Meanwhile, Tem Madog, Master of the Forge on Tython, found himself befuddled by the Forcesaber they’d taken from Xesh. With a group of fellow Je’Daii, they soon sussed out that it could only be ignited by tapping into the Dark Side, something that not all of them could do at first. As Xesh and Lok crashed on the crystal-covered planet Krev Coeur, the Je’Daii landed on Bogan and figured out that the two had teamed up. Lok’s friend Hawk further explained the vision of shadow warriors wielding light swords. Hawk knew this vision well because he had seen it too while accompanying Lok on his journey into the Chasm, though he spent his time on Bogan telling himself it never happened. Guessing at the fugitives’ mission, the Je’Daii split up, one group going to Krev Coeur the other headed for Nox. Xesh and Lok obtained the materials they needed on the crystal world, then managed to create the hilt on Nox before moving on to find an army to lead. Daegon attempted to recruit those he fought against during the Despot War to no avail. While there, though, the Je’Daii managed to track them down. While escaping, Shae Koda got the drop on Xesh, but was attacked by a giant monster. He dove into the waters below to save her and then took her as his captive. Back on Tython, research into a recently discovered Holocron informed the Je’Daii of the looming threat known as the Rakatan Infinite Empire. An ancient race called the Kwa, who inhabited Tython many years prior, visited the Rakata homeworld via an Infinity Gate, giving them tech and information about the Force, which the Rakata then used to dominate every planet they came across. The Rakata wanted the Infinity Gates, but the Kwa destroyed most of the portals to keep the Rakata at bay. With this in mind, the Je’Daii decreed that Xesh and Lok be brought back to Tython to prepare for war. By that point, Lok, Xesh, and a Mind Twisted Shae had traveled to Shikaawa in another effort to raise an army from those once loyal to Queen Hadiya. However, that seemed unlikely once it was revealed that Lok actually killed the queen. After, Xesh and Lok fought against the Je’Daii, though even the Bogan fugitives fell apart when Lok tried to say he controlled Xesh. With Lok downed and Shae talking Xesh out of killing him, the group made their way back to Tython where the Council needed to take Lok’s visions seriously. To that end, they began making Forcesabers in their own forge, placing themselves on a dangerous path towards the Dark Side. From the Jedi Temple Archives Trill and Xesh were brood mates, which meant that they’d been taken in as slaves by the Rakatans at the same time. Thanks to a feeling in the Force, the young Trill stood up for Xesh, another child among grown ups who intended to harm them. The two would make a blood pact to watch out for each other as they grew up. Their master, Predor Tul’Kar, made them fight—and Xesh beat Trill. He was then ordered to kill her, but Xesh suggested gifting Trill to Tul’Kar’s superior Predor Skal’Nas, which Tul’Kar agreed to with relish. Trill saw this as a humiliating betrayal, even though Xesh clearly did it to save her life. Trill managed to infiltrate the Je’Daii by saving Sek’Nos Rath on Krev Couer, and when she brought him to Shikaawa to help stop Xesh and Lok, she was welcomed with open arms. After she realized that Xesh didn’t recognize her, she sent word back to her master that his memory blocks on Xesh worked and gave them the coordinates for Tython. With that information, the Infinite Empire set course for the Je’Daii stronghold, which led straight into DAWN OF THE JEDI – FORCE WAR.
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Flashback Friday: Wonder Man
by Marvel Comic Book News | March 30, 2018 at 11:26 pm
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Every Friday, we use the powers of Marvel Unlimited to look back at the very first appearance of a major character, place, or object that made waves this week. Simon Williams did his best to talk to the Hulk in this week’s AVENGERS #686 by writers Mark Waid, Jim Zub, Al Ewing and artist Paco Medina, but the Jade Giant preferred to communicate with his fists instead. The super powered pacifist known as Wonder Man tried to stop his fellow resurrected Avenger by appealing to his human side, but couldn’t get through. While he may not have been able to achieve his goal, he did give a few other heroes enough time for revelations, switch-ups, and other a few other surprises. To say that Simon Williams has evolved over his decades of comic book existence would be an understatement. In fact, when he debuted in 1964’s AVENGERS #9, he had no problem with violence. Back then, Williams was actually an inventor who stole money to support his company after Tony Stark’s latest innovation made his patents obsolete. Though he admitted his guilt, a mysterious woman offered to not only pay his bail, but to give him the chance to get back at Stark. The woman turned out to be the Enchantress who, along with the Executioner, worked with Baron Zemo at the time. They took Williams to Zemo’s secret South American fortress and bombarded him with ionic rays to increase his strength and grant him invincibility. Once the enhancements were complete, Zemo dubbed him Wonder Man and gave him his first costume, complete with belt jets to make him fly. While Wonder Man displayed enough power to take on the Avengers, Zemo kept a secret: Williams’ new abilities would kill him in one week! The Baron kept an antidote, though, and would give it to Williams weekly as long as he kept up his end of the bargain, which involved ingratiating himself to the Avengers by stopping the Masters of Evil from robbing a bank as the good guys watched. Wonder Man then got an invite to Avengers HQ, but his made-up story about being kidnapped and experimented on by Zemo did not ring true to Captain America, who had become obsessed with finding the criminal who facilitated Bucky Barnes’ death and his own fall into the icy depths that froze him for decades. At that juncture, Enchantress sent out a long range spell that distracted the Avengers into thinking Williams would soon die, leading them to try to find a cure. After luring the Avengers to Zemo’s stronghold, Wonder Man’s duplicitous nature came to light. Though the Avengers fought valiantly, Wonder Man fought for his life and defeated his foes. When Zemo planned to kill the Avengers, however, Simon remembered how valiantly they tried to cure him and decided to revolt against the masked madman. The heroes managed to free themselves, but in the chaos, Wonder Man was left behind to die without the antidote. That might have been the end of Simon Williams had the Avengers not saved his mind electronically, as revealed in 1968’s AVENGERS #58. Continuing his trend of infrequent Avengers appearances, he showed up in a coma several years later in 1972’s AVENGERS #102. After that, Wonder Man’s body was revived no less than three times to fight Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, but he finally regained his form and consciousness to join the team in 1977’s AVENGERS #160. Most recently, Simon’s taken on a pacifistic stance while appearing in UNCANNY AVENGERS. Flash Forward Wonder Man returned to his villainous roots in 2010’s AVENGERS #1; when Captain America asked him to rejoin the team, Simon not only declined but told the Sentinel of Liberty that most of the worst things happening in the world revolved around the team. In the following issue, Williams attacked the team, causing some damage before later confronting Iron Man in AVENGERS #7. Wonder Man’s big move then came when he assembled a team called the Revengers. The group attacked and defeated the Avengers living in the Mansion in NEW AVENGERS ANNUAL #1, but Iron Man imprisoned Simon and his new team soon after. Later, Wonder Man reappeared, apologized to Captain America, and helped him to save Janet van Dyne from the Microverse in AVENGERS #34.
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Power-Con 2018 toy exclusive reveal (3 of 3) – Uncle Montork & Dree Elle
by Daniel Pickett | March 30, 2018 at 10:00 pm
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Say hello to the third of three Power-Con 2018 toy exclusive reveals: Uncle Montork & Dree Elle from the Club Grayskull (Filmation) series! Sculpted by the Four Horsemen and produced by Super7, Uncle Montork & Dree Elle go up for pre-order (along with ticket pre-sales) on Saturday, April 7th at 9:00am Pacific / 12:00pm Eastern...
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