SDCC 2013: Marvel show off new images of Lego, Skottie Young and Deadpool variants, Infinity covers and more!

Here are some more images that Marvel have put out from the Retailer meeting at San Diego Comic-Con 2013 earlier today, they seem to be teasing some interesting stuff here!

(Source: Bleeding Cool)

SDCC 2013: Marvel announce plans for Marvel NOW! two

Today, during the retail meeting at San-Diego Comic-Con 2013, Marvel talked about their plans to launch a second phase of Marvel NOW!. This means that several Marvel series still running from before the Marvel NOW! initiative was launched will be getting renumbered and several new ones will be released.

As well as this news, Marvel also showed the reception that the first batch of Marvel NOW! books got:

(Source: Bleeding Cool)

SDCC 2013: Superior Spider-Man/ Venom team-up officially announced. (UPDATE)

Remember my post a few weeks ago in which I reported on the rumours of a Superior Spider-Man and Venom crossover? Well, yesterday at San-Diego Comic-Con it was announced officially. The four-issue event was revealed by Superior Spider-Man writer, Dan Slott, via a very shaky phone-in to answer questions from the crowd at SDCC's Superior Spider-Man panel.

The issue will mark the first meeting between Flash Thompson as Venom and Otto Octavius as the Superior Spider-Man. The four-issue event will also be co-written by Christos Gage.

UPDATE:

Here's a better look at that cover by Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado:

Superior Spider-Man and Venom to crossover

There have been a few rumours spinning out of the recent Marvel retreat, Bleeding Cool have been reporting on a lot of them such as Francesco Francavilla drawing the 'Gaurdians of the Galaxy' Infinity tie-in, the cancellation of 'Astonishing X-Men' and the most recent, a possible Superior Spider-Man/Venom crossover.

This would be the first meeting between Otto Octavius' Spider-Man and Flash Thompson's Venom and it's something that I'd definitely be interested to read. Now, I'm pretty sure this is going to be the main Superior Spider-Man series rather than the Superior Spider-Man team-up series. I mean, Dan Slott has pretty much confirmed it over twitter:

Okay. Enough internettin' for one day. Lunch. Then I gotta finish breaking down this Superior Spider-Man/Venom arc. Ttyl! :-)
— Dan Slott (@DanSlott) June 30, 2013

Another thing that I thought I'd point out is that a few months ago Slott was once again on Twitter teasing things to come when he mentioned a Spider-Man related event "Bigger than Spider-Island", could this be a part of it? And let's remember, Spider-Island was a pretty major events with tie-in books from the Avengers, Venom, Spider-Girl, Cloak and Dagger and many more.


(Source: Bleeding Cool and Dan Slott's twitter)

Review: The Superior Spider-Man #11

Minor Spoilers for the issue below!

Superior Spider-Man has been quite a good series overall, I have to say, this issue wasn't the best., there were a few exciting moments but I don't feel it was as good as some other of this series' issues.

Just a brief summary of what this issue is about, Otto Octavius, along with J. Jonah Jameson, Glory Grant and Norah Winters travel to the supervillain prison, the Raft, for the execution of the Spider-Slayer, A.K.A. the man who murdered Jameson's wife. I have to say, I wasn't particularly excited by the premise of this issue, I think this is because I don't really care about Spider-Slayer as a villain, he's just not too interesting in my opinion.

This issue was Co-Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage, and they did do a good job on the issue. Basically, this issue did have good writing, I just wasn't too keen on the plot. The scripting aspect of the issue was good, and I really enjoyed one little scene between Otto and Norah Winters while on the raft and the college scenes on the first few pages, I just don't think the overall plot was as good as some other issues.

Now that I'm done talking about the writing, onto the art! The penciller for this issue was Guiseppe Camuncoli, who is a brilliant artist! He is one of three rotating pencillers for this series and his issues are some of the best in recent Spider-Man comics. He draws a really different Spider-Man to the other artists on the series, he appears more muscly and Camuncoli draws that well.

Another point on the art, the colours. The current Spider-Man colourist is Edgar Delgado, who has done all of the Superior Spider-Man series and a lot of the previous title, Amazing Spider-Man. He is a very good colourist and I think his issues with Camuncoli are the best for both of them. Camuncoli's pencils and Delgado's colours work together really well, and it makes some really good art.

Overall, this issue had an alright plot, good writing but brilliant art.

Rating: 6.5/10

Top comics for June 5th 2013

Welcome to Top Comics! I'm sure you can guess from the title what this feature's about, but if not here's what it's about: Basically, I'll pick out some comics that I think are the top ones for this week and that I think you should pick up. There are some pretty important and good-looking comics out this week so here we go!

Kick-Ass 3 #1

This is the third and final instalment in Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.'s hit comic book series, Kick-Ass. I have to admit, I've never had the chance to read Kick-Ass, but it's something that I've been interested in for a while; I'd flicked through the book and seen scans on comic book websites, but most recently, I read an interview with Mr. Mark Millar, he discussed this series and I have to say, it got me hooked. You've probably heard of this series from the movie that came out a few years ago and it's upcoming sequel, Kick-Ass 2; These were based directly off the books and you can see they've done extremely well, meaning that the comic series can only be as good, most likely, better. From what I've seen of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.'s previous work on titles such as the Ultimates ( Millar ) and Amazing Spider-Man ( Romita Jr.), this is set to be a great book and it looks like one of this week's must-reads!

Green Lantern #21

Recently, DC Comics writer, Geoff Johns, left the Green Lantern title, he'd been writing the book for around nine years. Basically, the new writer, Robert Venditti, has a lot of pressure on him to get this first issue right; I've spoken to Mr. Venditti recently about his upcoming Green Lantern run and I have to say, I'm certain he'll deliver. This is a new era for Green Lantern and I, for one, am excited to read it! Not to mention artist, Billy Tan, DC Comics recently posted some unlettered preview pages for this issue and his art looks like a great fit for this series! If you're a DC Comics fan or just a fan of comics in general, this is worth picking up. It's a good jumping on point for new readers and is set to be an exciting start of a great new run on the book!

The Movement #2

DC Comics launched two new series last month, The Movement and The Green Team. Both are great books but obviously I'm focusing on the Movement here. This new series is being written by current Batgirl-scriber, Gail Simone; Gail is a talented and brilliant writer and every book that she writes is always a good read. It's being pencilled by Freddie Williams II, a great artist who really shone on the first issue of the series, both creators make a good team and are really doing an extraordinary job on this series. If you're a bit worried about the fact you haven't been keeping up with this series, there's obviously an easy solution to that problem, pick up both issues of the series tomorrow; Trust me, it's really worth it, you'll definitely enjoy this series!

 

Superior Spider-Man #11

Onto the final comic in this feature, Superior Spider-Man! I honestly don't know how the writer of this series, Dan Slott, has come up with his ideas for this series but I love them. It has a lot of unique ideas and is a fun and witty book. In case you didn't know, Doctor Octopus is Spider-Man, this makes for a great ongoing series and despite any bad comments it's been getting, it's a truly amazing (or Superior) series! This issue is pencilled by returning Spidey artist, Guiseppi Camuncoli, who is a Spectacular ( How many adjectives are there that haven't been used for Spidey series?!) artist for this book. It's also co-written by Christos Gage, the last arc he helped to write with Dan Slott was the great Hobgoblin arc between Amazing Spider-Man 665 and 668, he and Slott make a good writing double team!

Conclusion

So, those were my top four picks from all of the comics coming out tomorrow. These are definitely worth picking up and I'm sure you'll enjoy them!

Roundup: All posts for the month of May!

Here's a round-up of all the posts on the blog in May!

Review: Superior Spider-Man #9

Review: Age of Ultron #7

Review: The Movement #1

Final Man Of Steel poster released

Interview: Ryan Stegman talks Superior Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Scarlet Spider and more!

The beginnings of something interesting in Batman #20?

Dan Didio and Ethan Van Sciver's... Bat-Cow?!

Review: Age of Ultron #8

Review: Supergirl #20

Full cinematic trailer released or Batman: Arkham Origins

Brett Booth to leave Nightwing after #21

Interview: Brett Booth on leaving Nightwing, JLA and the future!

New full trailer for "The Wolverine" released

Review: The Green Team: Teen Trillionares #1

Review: Teen Titans #20

Booster Gold to star in new ongoing series... Possibly

Preview for Hawkeye #11, "Pizza is my business", released.

DC release the first look at first Green Lantern issue Post-Johns

Batwing coming to All Star Western in June

Comics Catch-Up: Avenging Spider-Man #21 ( What you need to know )

DC Comics release Superman's 75th anniversary logo

DC Comics release eight new Superman Unchained variants

James Robinson confirms he's NOT writing Namor

Interview: Robert Venditti on taking over Green Lantern

Review: Justice League of America #4

Review: The Wake #1

Review: X-Men #1

Review: Earth 2 annual #1

Enjoy!

Roundup: Top 10 viewed posts of May

Here are the top ten viewed posts for the month of May!

Brett Booth's JLA, Image from Comic Book Resources

1. Interview: Brett Booth on leaving Nightwing, JLA and the future.

2. Interview: Ryan Stegman talks Superior Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099 and Scarlet Spider.

3. Interview: Brett Booth on Comics, Nightwing and more!

4. Brett Booth to leave Nightwing after #21.

5. Comics Catch-Up: Avenging Spider-Man #21 ( What you need to know ).

6. Interview: Robert Venditti on taking over Green Lantern.

7. Full cinematic trailer for Batman: Arkham Origins released.

8. James Robinson confirms he's NOT writing Namor.

9. Review: Teen Titans #20

10. Dan Didio and Ethan Van Sciver's...Bat-cow?!

Enjoy!

Comics Catch-up: Avenging Spider-Man #21 ( What you need to know )

Welcome to Comics Catch-up! This feature is where I help to get you up to speed for some of the biggest books out this week. This edition, Avenging Spider-Man! Here's what you need to know before reading #21...

Avenging Spider-Man 21

I'm sure you all already know what's going on with Spider-Man's head right now, but just in case, Doctor Octopus is inside Peter Parker/Spider-Man's head. Basically, Doc Ock is now Spider-Man. Ock has been collecting members of the Sinister Six, he currently is holding Sandman and Electro and is now after the Chameleon. There are a few problems here though, since the Chameleon is being held by S.H.I.E.L.D., in their Helicarrier, a mile above the earth. Oh, and the Chameleon is being targeted the KGB and wanted dead. Not too hard to get to him then....

After taking out an A.I.M. cell, Ock is taken aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier by Nick Fury Jr. , where he meets Agent Coulson, Hawkeye and Black Widow who, after Spider-Man's recent "odd" behaviour ( and by odd I mean killing one of his enemies and brutalising many other ), aren't too happy to see him on the helicarrier.

Ock sent his Spider-bots throughout the entire helicarrier and tired to track down what he was looking for, The Chameleon.

Then, everything went wrong. Otto had turned off all of the helicarrier's power ( But kept it in the air ), this allowed a group of armed attackers to board the ship and kill a large number of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. As well as this, the Chameleon escaped from his cell, murdered his guard and stole the face of his doctor. The two attackers attempted to kill Spider-Man while he was overcome with guilt but he managed to escape, while trying to track down the Chameleon, Spider-Man ended up coming into contact with Bruce Banner A.K.A. the not very happy Hulk.

So Spider-Man, Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Nick Fury Jr., Agent Phil Coulson, Maria Hill and the surviving S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are trapped on a powerless helicarrier a mile above the Earth with a group of trained and armed killers coming after them. Oh, and one of Spider-Man's oldest enemies is walking around the helicarrier wearing the face of his murdered doctor. Not much to worry about then...

Avenging Spider-Man #21 is released today, Wednesday the 29th of May, written by Chris Yost with interior pencils by Marco Checchetto.

Interview: Ryan Stegman talks Superior Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Scarlet Spider and more!

 
Harry: First off, Thanks for doing this interview, Ryan!

I'm going to start off with a few questions about one of the books you used to draw, Scarlet Spider!

How much of a say did you get in what the character was like,  considering Kaine was changed in a big way from his former villain identity?

Scarlet Spider by Ryan Stegman

Ryan Stegman: Hm...Most of that stuff was Yost. I got to re-design the character's costume and I made the decision to maintain his bulk, so to speak. I wanted him to look more intimidating than Peter. I do think I suggested we cut his hair and get rid of the beard so that he was more identifiable to the reader. But I think I may have suggested that and Yost said, "Oh yeah, I already planned on that." We were really on the same wavelength with everything.

Harry: Even though you don't draw the book any more, you're the cover artist on the series. Do you ever enjoy this more than interiors? Considering you still get to draw the character but you don't have to do as much for the deadline.

Ryan Stegman: No! I don't have anything against covers. I enjoy doing a few of those a month. But I'd lose my mind doing just covers. I like to tell stories. And I like to tell stories panel-to-panel. You can tell a story on a cover, sure, but you only get one image and story is generally subordinated to other aspects like design and making it "pop" of the shelves. 

I am currently in a week where I'm just trying to pump out four different covers and it's really tough because I like to think about a cover for a few days before doing it. Just marinate on it while doing other pages. Maybe I'll think about it when I go for a run, or something will come out of nowhere and hit you. But when you have to do a bunch of covers in a row you don't get that time to conceive and it makes it really, really hard.

Harry: Did drawing Kaine give you more experience for drawing web-slingers when it came to drawing Superior Spider-Man?

Ryan Stegman: Absolutely. I mean, I've kind of always drawn web-slingers in my spare time. But yeah, I really got to learn how to sequence action with Spider-characters throughout that book.

Fantastic Four by Stegman

Harry: You also had a run on Fantastic Four before it's renumbering, do you take a different approach to drawing team books than you do solo books?

Ryan Stegman: Yes. It's much harder! I really think about composition when I'm drawing on interior pages. And the more characters you have the more unruly the composition gets. Because there are so many variables that are difficult to control. So the planning stage takes longer. It all takes longer! 

Harry: Do you prefer any aspects of either type of book? For example, drawing backgrounds, there being less to draw in team books.

Ryan Stegman: I think I prefer doing a single character book because I can really connect with one character. The best example that I can give is that when I did my first issue of Amazing Spider-Man, 665, I felt like I connected immediately. I knew exactly what to do with the character. All my focus was on him. 

In Fantastic Four I felt like I really started to get it in my 3rd issue. Because I had all these little scenes with each character and we had to give each one their own emotional weight. So when I finally figured it out, my run on the book was essentially done!

Amazing Spider-Man 665 interiors
by Stegman

Harry: Onto your current project, Superior Spider-Man, which I'm really loving by the way!

This is obviously quite a controversial book, with one of Peter Parker's deadliest villains, Doctor Octopus, taking control of Spider-Man's body and taking on the role. Do you ever find negative comments distracting or unnerving or do you find it easy to carry on making the book and ignore them?

Ryan Stegman: Well, I only really get down when I read negative comments about my side of the book, meaning the art. Because I read the scripts. I read the book. I've read Dan's run on the book. I KNOW, in my mind, that it's a great story. So it's almost like an outsider looking in. I read negative comments about the story and just have a different opinion.

But when it's my art, that is harder for me to be objective about. Because I can't say definitively that what I do is good or great. That's for others to judge. So if somebody hates it I take it into account. Possibly to a fault! 

Harry: Are there any specific changes you make to drawing Spider-Man between Peter Parker and Otto Octavius?

Ryan Stegman: Only in his mannerisms and facial expressions. I draw Ock/Peter exactly as I would Peter just with arched eyebrows or maniacal smiles etc. 

Superior Spider-Man by Stegman

Harry: Do you prefer drawing the Superior costume or Peter Parker's costume?

Ryan Stegman: Both are cool. The Superior costume isn't different enough for me to really have much of an opinion. I will say that we did away with the webbing on the triceps that Parker had and that makes it way easier to draw!

Harry: On this series, there is a team of rotating artists, consisting of you, Guiseppe Camuncolli and Humberto Ramos. Are there ever times when you think "I would've loved to draw that issue" etc.?

Ryan Stegman: Well I'd love to draw every issue! But no, I am a huge fan of both artists and I love seeing how they do their issues. I'm really happy with the issues I got to do.

Harry: How is it decided which artist draws which issue?

Ryan Stegman: That's a question for Wacker! But I think he does a good job with that. He knows what our strengths are.

Harry: The writer of the series, Dan Slott, obviously starts setting up major storylines a long time before they happen. Does he usually tell you the things he's leading up to so you know a long time in advance?

Ryan Stegman: Yes. I'd like to take a journey through Dan's mind someday. It would be fascinating and terrifying. Dan will call me on the phone and just machine gun idea after idea and it's amazing. I could listen to him ramble on about this stuff all day. But yeah, I probably know what the plans are for the next two years or so right now.

Harry: (SPOILERS AHEAD) Now, the most recent issue of the series was #9, this was probably one of the biggest issues in the series and involved Otto Octavius erasing Peter Parker once and for all. Obviously this will have a major impact on the series, how do you think it'll change the tone of the book?

Ryan Stegman: Well, I drew the next issue so I don't want to give too much away. But you can rest assured that Ock is going to spread his wings and really be himself.

Inside the head of Peter Parker and Otto Octavius

Harry: This issue was mostly set inside Peter Parker/Otto Octavius' head. Was it fun to get to draw in such an odd setting?

Ryan Stegman: Oh yeah. It was awesome. I love drawing stuff that isn't real. Anything that will let me be imaginative and go nuts. And that was definitely an issue where I got to do that.

Harry: Will this change the way Otto acts in the series?

                                                                                Ryan Stegman: He will be more Ock-y than ever!

Harry: Onto some questions about a recent piece of news for the book, the return of Spider-Man 2099. Was it fun to draw such a classic character or was it a little bit intimidating?

Spider-Man 2099 convention sketch by Stegman.

Ryan Stegman: Well, if I was going to be intimidated by anything it'd be drawing Amazing Spider-Man. So no, this is just fun! I love his costume. And I just can't wait to get into the story and draw him in action. It's gonna be too much fun.

Harry: What can you tease about his upcoming appearance?

Ryan Stegman: Really, all I can say is that I hope we can bring him back right. I hope that it is so well received that we see a lot more of the character in the coming years.

Harry: One last Superior related question, is there anything you can tease for the series?

Ryan Stegman: No! Haha. Everything is under lock and key!

Harry: And just one general question. If you could draw any character or series from any publisher, who/what would you choose?

Ryan Stegman: My own characters! I love to create. Spider-Man is the gold standard at the big 2 for me. It's what I always wanted. Beyond that, the only thing that's really left is my own characters. In a perfect world I'd somehow alternate between Spider-Man and my own characters!

Harry: Thanks again, Ryan!

Ryan Stegman is one of three rotating artists on Superior Spider-Man, issue #9 is on sale now!

You can also catch him on his twitter page.

Review: Superior Spider-Man #9

Well, a lot of people are going to be upset with Dan Slott today. I'm not one of them, however, and I loved this issue.

I've loved every issue of Superior Spider-Man from the beggining and have loved Slott's whole run, and I've not been one of the "You ruined my childhood!" people.

Superior Spider-Man #9

Now that I'm done with that, let's get onto the full review!

The writing in the issue is very clever, as it always is with this series. It's an interesting plot and it had me hooked from the first page. Slott really writes these characters well, and comes up with some of the most unexpected twists in comics. I'm not going to spoil the story, you should definitely read it for yourself, but, obviously, people have already spoiled it.

I absoloutely love Ryan Stegman's art, I always think it's a shame with the rotating art team whenever he takes a break from the book. I do like Guissepe Cammuncoli and Humberto Ramos' art a lot, but I feel like Stegman's is a perfect fit for the book. Put together with the colours from Edgar Delgado, the art really adds to the book.

And because letterers never get any recognition in comic books, Chris Eliopoulos did a great job on the issue!

Altgether, another great issue in the series! Unexpected ending and a brilliant story, 10/10!

Comics Catch-up: Superior Spider-Man (What you need to know)

Welcome to Comics Catch-up! This feature helps to get you up to speed on some of the biggest books coming to the shelves. This week I'll be getting you ready for Superior Spider-Man #9!

Superior Spider-Man #9

As you've probably heard, Doctor Octopus is Spider-Man.

A few months ago Doctor Octopus swapped minds with the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker. Otto was placed into the body of Spider-Man and Peter into the dying body of his greatest enemy. Pete had only a few hours to live and had to move fast to defeat Ock. He escaped from Otto's prison cell and into one of his secret hideouts. He broke into Avengers tower with one of Ock's gold Octobots, which the villain used to complete the brain swap.

A final fight between Ock and Spidey took place, Parker tried to use the Octobot to get back into his body but failed. Ock was about to win, but Pete did all he could, he forced his memories into Octavius' brain and made him learn that with Great Power comes Great Responsibility. This supposedly turned Ock into a "hero". And with the Superior Spider-Man you should take the word "hero" very lightly.

Ock as Spider-Man

Although Peter Parker supposedly died in Ock's body, there was still hope for him, he was left as a "ghost" following Ock through his life, able to affect some of the former villain's actions. But he couldn't be heard or seen by anybody.

Since he became Spider-Man, Otto has brutalized most of the villains he's battled and killed Massacre, a man
who's killed hundreds.

Recently, Otto's been able to hear Peter's voice and has, obviously, been getting suspicious, And he's not the only one. The Avengers battled him and did a full brain scan on him to check what had suddenley happened to their team-mate. Ock thought he'd been found out andthis was game over for him, but to his suprise they didn't find anything wrong with him.



Otto kills Massacre

Looking over his brain patterns, Ock found an anomaly. This anomaly went by the name of Peter Parker. It was Pete who'd been found out, and Doc's preparing to get rid of him once and for all using the invention that allowed Ock to control his robotic arms
.

Get ready for a major story that's apparently going to make you angrier than when you read Amazing Spider-Man #700!

Superior Spider-Man #9 hits the shelves on May 1st, written by Dan Slot and with pencils and inks by Ryan Stegman. Also with colours by Edgar Delgado.