This week, it’s all about jumping on.
Check out this episode if you wanna know which of the debuting #1s you should get involved with.
Don’t forget to tell people about the show, subscribe and spread the word. The links can be found in the What Is Direct Edition? section.
-The Mast
It’s an episode dedicated to debuts as I check out five brand new starts from D.C.’s New 52.
-Iyare
I review five brand new comics including Invincible #82, Superman Beyond #0 and Ultimate Hawkeye #1.
-Iyare
A rare chance to get to know Iyare, The Mast and the mysterious Tania as the Direct Edition team bare all.
-Iyare
People of Earth, welcome.
I’m still alive. The riotous mobs that populate my city have yet to burst into my home and take my life, my TV and my vast amount of comics and comic memorabilia.
In a way, I suppose that is a perfectly relevant segue. Speaking of violence, I want to address a very important aspect of fantasy and comic book content. During a recent discussion about Marvel movies, a friend mentioned that she felt short-changed by how short the final showdowns tend to be. Now, this discussion has popped up a few times and I’ve never really bothered to turn the question mark toward comics themselves.
Why? Well, I never thought the criticism was truly accurate.
“Comic fights never typically last that long anyway.”, I’d say to whoever would happen to be discussing it with me. With the exception of Superman Vs Doomsday, not many fights spring to mind as being lengthy. The more I thought about it, the more I realised something truly interesting and came up with this article.
SHOULD comics have more of a focus on physical conflicts?
Superman's self-sacrificial battle against Doomsday remains a legendary, but brutal display of physical heroism.
One of the things I used to discuss with friends during my younger years, and still do, was fantasy comic fights. Who could beat who and why? Whilst certain idiots online managed to somehow sap the fun and enjoyment out of doing this on the internet, I still have fun discussing it with certain friends. It’s a part of the fun than fantasy brings.
Story is pivotal and indeed, it’s most important. With that said, do I enjoy seeing Spider Jerusalem let loose and beat someone with a chair leg? YES. Did I enjoy seeing Superman and Doomsday throwing blows with such force that it caused impact tremors? YES. Did I love seeing Hulk crushing opponents with his bare hands in the gladiatorial arenas of Sakaar? YES.
No matter how amazing a story can be, it needs physicality. If two characters are SO consumed by hate, you WANT to see them beat seven and a half kinds of shit from one another. Who DIDN’T punch the air when Wolverine finally decapitated Sabretooth?
I know there’s a big taboo regarding violence in mainstream comics, especially since kids may read them. Why, though? Kids also watch action movies and all manner of violence on TV. Granted, I’m not saying Marvel or D.C. should go to the lengths of Image, but a punch-up now and then would do some good.
Image Comics' Haunt LOVES the Ol' Ultra Violence
I long for the day when Lady Shiva and Batman get their own, 80-page fight issue. Granted, I think Lady Shiva would take him…but you never know. THAT’S why I want to see it.
Can you have fighting without getting too violent? Does it go against the idea that heroes are meant to keep the peace? Look at The Punisher, though. He is an outright murderer. He’s like Dexter (GREAT show, by the way). He commits murder…but only to those he claims are bad. Does that excuse him?
What do you think about this? In recent Marvel comics we even saw Bucky get his cybernetic arm torn off, then get a hole blasted through his chest. Do rules apply differently to injuries rather than direct harm of one another?
Daredevil finally puts an end to Bullseye during Shadowland.
Are there enough fights? Too many? Too few? Let me know. Also, let me know who you would love to see fight each other!
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That’s enough for you today. Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.
Don’t forget to subscribe here, subscribe on YouTube, follow us on Twitter and Like our Facebook page.
Finally, if you’re in London or any of the other areas affected by these riots, I want to say something to you. This is the real world, and vigilantism isn’t ever the answer. No matter how angry you get, please keep yourselves safe and leave it to those who are paid to handle this sort of thing.
Until next time, peace.
-The Mast
People of Earth, welcome.
It’s a time of crisis! London is being besieged by riots and looting as I sit here and type this article. It’s not quite Egypt, but it’s pretty shocking to see the infinite stupidity of some people. They’re breaking into stores and setting stuff on fire, it’s terrible.
Speaking of fire…let’s talk about this latest big teaser from Marvel!
Beginning in November, Jonathan Hickman will be helming something called Four. What is Four? Let’s look at the teaser.
Is The Human Torch on his way back, or will someone else entirely be joining the remaining three?
Naturally, due to this being the internet, everyone is buzzing with rage or curiosity. Many are immediately saying Hickman sucks for bringing Johnny Storm back already (An assumption), while some are saying that it will be a new member (An assumption).
I am a huge fan of Jonathan Hickman, let that be said. I think his Fantastic Four, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Secret Warriors runs were absolutely incredible. However, I think this is a mistake. I feel that bringing the Fantastic Four back in any capacity will be too soon. The Future Foundation has been a really refreshing take on things and has served to show us a post-Torch life for the Richards clan. Whether they bring him back or not, I think an official return for Marvel’s first family would be way, way too soon and serve only to reinforce the cynicism surrounding character deaths.
We’re already getting Cable: Reborn, what’s next? Jonathan Hickman is a so-called Marvel Architect (Alongside Fraction, Bendis, Aaron and Brubaker), so he should have these titles in the bag. Tom Brevoort openly stated there would be no Fantastic Four comic next year when asked. Someone specifically asked him, around the time that Hickman’s epic Three storyline was kicking off…or finishing, whether or not there’d be a Fantastic Four on-going next year. He said no.
What do you guys and/or girls think the potential is here? What do you feel the likely scenario is? I’ll be honest, I’m disappointed either way, right now. It’s too soon to be mentioning the Fantastic Four. If it’s a new #1, which is another likely possibility, I will be VERY disappointed in Marvel.
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That’ll about do it for me, I hope you enjoyed it.
On a more serious note, if you’re anywhere near these London riots, please do your best to stay safe and stay away from any areas of distress.
Until next time, peace.
-The Mast
People of Earth, welcome.
I’ve chickened out of doing my From Hell review until I can find time to do a draft I’m satisfied with. Thankfully, though, D.C./Warner Bros saw fit to give me the perfect topic of discussion for this Friday’s edition of The Mast Speaks.
By now you all know that the new Superman and Batman movies, The Man of Steel and The Dark Knight Rises respectively, both come out next Summer. You know that or one must assume you actually live on another planet. We’ve already seen what Batman looks like, as if we didn’t know already, but reveals on the other characters have been somewhat lacking. Likewise, we hadn’t even seen ANYTHING of The Man of Steel…until now.
EDIT: According to a reader and Jeff Legge, The Man of Steel is Summer 2013, not 2012.
Henry Cavill as Superman, the Man of Steel.
A high-res version can be found RIGHT HERE!
What do you think? Besides the abnormally long cape and truly ridiculous, Danny Zuko-esque hair style, I actually liked this. LIKED…this. Then I noticed the costume was designed with an almost scale-like texture. THAT didn’t bother me. What bothered me was the symbol being made of the same material.
I suppose this may seem picky, and it is, but the hair is what distracts me most of all. It just looks like he belongs on the set of Grease. Also, notice how his lower extremities are shrouded in shadow? Could this be a nod to the fact that they may be modelling him on the rebooted Superman? For those who aren’t aware, the rebooted Superman’s bodysuit is entirely blue and has no red underwear over the top. It makes sense, but I’m wondering if they have the balls to do that.
As is customary, with one leaks come a million leaks.
The first shots of Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle were released, and they’re slightly more worrying.
Selina Kyle rides the Batpod in The Dark Knight Rises.
Granted, that shot is allegedly a stuntwoman, but you can find the official first shot in glorious high-res RIGHT HERE!
Now, I am going to assume that this is a prototype and she hasn’t entirely adopted the Catwoman persona yet. If so, these pictures will be perfectly acceptable. Though, why would you release pictures like THAT? Nolan didn’t release shots of Bale in the Batman gear before he became Batman. It’s odd that he’d do so here. Then again, the first publicity shots of Whiplash from Iron Man 2 were of his primative tech, saving the final version until the movie.
She’s got the catsuit and she’s got goggles, but that’s not Catwoman. That’s, at best, Selina Kyle half-dressed as Catwoman. I am entirely into the casting of Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle. I believe that while she’s not typically the kind of sexy that Catwoman is, she has the acting ability to pull it off (See Rachel Getting Married or Love and Other Drugs). This, however, does not sit well with me.
She has to have the whip, one must assume. Part of Catwoman’s personality is that she even meows like a cat does. Why have a Catwoman who doesn’t meow and doesn’t have a catcowl? Now, we don’t know that this is the case, but speculation is what it is.
The most disappointing thing would be if she literally just played Selina Kyle, not Catwoman. It would be a remarkably stupid move, but who can say at this point?
As Jeff Legge rightly pointed out, D.C. seem to have really missed the boat with these sub-standard reveals.
What do YOU think of these first images? Are you pleased? Let-down? Optimistic? Pessimistic? Let me know in a comment.
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That’ll about do it for me this week. Thanks for your support, thanks for reading and all that good stuff.
As always, don’t forget to subscribe here, subscribe on YouTube, follow us on Twitter and Like our Facebook page.
Until next time, peace.
-The Mast
