marvel comics | the m0vie blog

Ultimate Spider-Man – Vol. 4-6 (Hardcover)

Posted on October 18, 2009 by Darren

It’s probably hard writing the same comic with the same artist for the bones of a decade. Setting things up years in advance only to have them pay off down the line, trying to put a new slant on an existing mythology while updating it for a new audience. This middle section of the Bendis/Bagley run on Ultimate Spider-Man isn’t necessarily bad per se, but it lacks the energy and reckless fun which defined the start of the run and the sense of resolution that approached at the end of the run. It just is.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Your spidey-sense should be tingling...

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: bagley, bendis, brian michael bendis, carnage, cats & kings, comic books, hollywood, irresponsible, mark bagley, marvel comics, sam raimi, sinister six, spider man, spider-man 2, spiderman, spiderman 2, superstars, ultimate carnage, ultimate marvel, ultimate six, ultimate spider man, ultimate spiderman, ultimate universe | 1 Comment »

Ultimate Spider-Man – Vol. 7-9 (Hardcover)

Posted on October 16, 2009 by Darren

Five years in and the Ultimate Universe is starting to look a little cluttered. In fairness, it was a little bit inevitable, with so many classic storylines to play out and so many classic characters to reimagine in a relatively short space of time. Bendis tries to keep the toys from cluttering up the pram through various means, and none of these new characters seem forced (though some do feel gratuitous). I suppose that if the Ultimate line is supposed to offer a mirror to the mainstream history of Marvel, it’s only natural it should become cluttered. Still, like playing with your favourite toys, it’s only natural to make a bit of a mess…

No claws for alarm...

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: brian michael bendis, clone saga, Comics, Deadpool, graphic novels, hobgoblin, Knights, mark bagley, marvel, marvel comics, Morbius, review, Silver Sable, spider man, spiderman, The Talk, ultimate clone saga, ultimate comics, Ultimate Deadpool, ultimate hobgoblin, ultimate marvel, Ultimate Morbius, Ultimate Silver Sable, ultimate spider man, ultimate spiderman, ultimate universe | 1 Comment »

Ultimate Spider-Man Collection (Hardcover Volumes #1-3) (Review/Retrospective)

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Darren

In 2000, Marvel did something genuinely bold with one of its pop culture icons. Of course, the early part of the last decade saw a breath of fresh air at the House of Ideas, with iconic and influential (and occasionally iconoclastic) runs on books like New X-Men, Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, X-Statix, Punisher and other titles like Daredevil or Alias. However, the formation of the Ultimate line of comics was perhaps the most significant creative gamble taken at the time. The idea was simple, and the timing perfect. With Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man around the corner, and Bryan Singer’s X-Men proving that superheroes were the stuff of summer blockbusters, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to launch a line of books that would be easily accessible to new readers, free from decades of tangled continuity and plot developments.

And, appropriately enough, the character chosen to spearhead this new line was arguably Marvel’s most iconic character, Spider-Man.

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: bendis, brian michael bendis, Comics, Eddie Brock, green goblin, marvel, marvel comics, michael bendis, new avengers, peter parker, review, sam raimi, spider man, spider-man 3, spiderman, the amazing spider-man, ultimate, ultimate comics spider-man, Ultimate Fantastic Four, ultimate marvel, ultimate spider man, ultimate spiderman, ultimate venom, ultimate x-men, venom | 6 Comments »

The Ultimates by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch Omnibus (Review/Retrospective)

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Darren

The Ultimates got me into comics. I’d read a couple beforehand, of course, and picked up a stray issue in the nineties, but it was The Ultimates that convinced me that superhero comic books could be something bold and innovative and clever, rather than generic and plain. Looking back, I think that The Ultimates stands as one of Marvel’s crowning accomplishments of the last decade, with only New X-Men and Daredevil ever really coming close. A lot of people argue that it’s the cynical world view that sets Mark Millar’s origin story apart, and gives it a broad appeal, but I’d disagree.

I think that Millar’s story doesn’t work because it dismantles the conventional superhero narrative through glib nihilism and cool apathy, but rather because it vindicates that ideal by passing it through a crucible. In many ways, The Ultimates is perhaps the most optimistic superhero story I’ve ever read, if only because the idealism is truly earned.

Holding out for some heroes…

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: Avenger, brian hitch, brian michael bendis, captain america, comic books, graphic novels, iron man, mark millar, marvel, Marvel Comic, marvel comics, marvel omnibus, Millar, review, stan lee, the avengers, the ultimates, the ultimates omnibus, thor, ultimate marvel, ultimate universe, Ultimates | 5 Comments »

Green Lantern… The Other, Other Hot DC Comics Property

Posted on June 13, 2009 by Darren

Everyone knows Batman and Superman. Those dudes – and their supporting casts – are the nearly the only ambassadors for DC Comics to the world of mainstream cinema. With the exception of the odd stand-alone project, such as Watchmen or Road to Perdition, DC seems to be having a hardtime transitioning its properties to film. Marvel has managed to secure franchises for many of their lights, both greater and lesser – ask the X-Men, Spiderman, Fantastic Four, Blade, Iron Man, The Hulk and even The Punisher – leading me to wonder why DC has taken so long to get out there. Sure, perhaps Superman and Batman (and Wonder Woman) are the most iconic of their stable, but I’d also suggest that the Flash and Green Lantern also carry name recognition (though not to the same degree). I’m greatly anticipating Green Lantern as the second-biggest superhero event of next year (because Iron Man II has one of the best casts… ever), but I’m left to wonder: what the hell took you so long?