Fanboys Anonymous

By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth! If you know me, you know that I'm quite the fan of a certain master of the mystic arts in the Marvel Universe. Stephen Strange, aka Doctor Strange, is the one and only Sorcerer Supreme of the 616 universe, fighting an eternal battle to protect the innocent from the forces of evil. While it has been known for some time now that a Doctor Strange film is in its developmental stages, no word has previously been released about which lucky actor would take up the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme. Well... Until now.

CHUD.com recently let word out that Marvel has expressed interest in having Justin Theroux on-board for the Doctor Strange film project. Theroux, who is an American actor, director, and screenwriter, has worked with Marvel Studios before, having written the script for the 2010 film Iron Man 2.

It is still unclear at this time what Marvel Studios actually wants with Theroux (screenplay or actor... or both), though speculation by fans has mostly been geared towards sizing him up for the role of Stephen Strange itself. Talks of his resemblance to the character, his acting skill, his personality, and other qualities important to portraying a superhero have been spread like wildfire in the short time that this rumor has surfaced.

Well, as a devout Doctor Strange follower, I'm here to put my two cents in, as well.


The Look



In all honesty, the Doctor Strange "look" really isn't that difficult to nail. Plenty of suggestions from Johnny Depp to Patrick Dempsey have been bounced around, and they all, more or less, fit the bill quite well. Doctor Strange is an attractive Caucasian male in his early forties. Theroux, who is forty-one, is pretty much that. Throw in a nicely trimmed beard, and the man's got the look down pretty well. No complaints here.

The Acting


Honestly, clips of Justin Theroux acting on the internet are few and far between. That being said, the clips I did find point towards some pretty good work. The above is a compilation of scenes he did in the 2000 film American Psycho. Arrogance is certainly something that I see in this particular role and is something that Stephen Strange does exude many times, especially in his former life as a big-time neurosurgeon. Still, without any substantial material to really judge him on, I'm going to raise an eyebrow on the acting bit. But, who knows? We've seen obscure actors and actresses "wow" us in the past countless times. Who's to say that Theroux won't blow our minds, too?

The "Other Stuff"

As you can see from the picture on the left, Theroux has no problem doing Doctor Strange's signature mystical hand gesture...

But, seriously, Theroux seems like an all-around decent guy. He's been dating Jennifer Aniston for almost two years now, and the two were recently engaged. I'll give him some credit for being in a celebrity relationship that long.

On top of that, as previously mentioned, the guy has prior experience working in the comic book movie world. As the script writer for Iron Man 2, Theroux not only has worked with Marvel Studios before, but he's also delved personally into the inner-workings of a superhero. Theroux has also dipped his feet into comic book writing also, having worked on Iron Man: Public Identity, which was set after the first Iron Man film and before the second.

He also mentioned briefly a love for comic books as a young child in the Iron Man 2 interview below:

Jamie Foxx as Electro looking very sinister.

When Mark Webb first announced that Jamie Foxx was cast to play Electro in the next installment of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, I have to say that I was truly disappointed. I've caught a lot of crap from people calling me racist because they're changing the character from a white man to a black man. No! In fact, I fully support changing the race of some characters, especially if it works. As an example, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. As many people know, Marvel's "Ultimate" universe's Nick Fury was modeled after Sam Jackson and he just so happens to LOVE comic books, so he signed up immediately when asked to play the role of Nick Fury.

Any way... back to what I was saying.

I don't like Jamie Foxx as an actor. Sure, he may have been awesome in Django. I wouldn't know because I've been putting off seeing the movie since it stars an actor that I can't stand. But, these new leaked photos have got me PUMPED UP to see this movie. Just judging on the character design alone, I think I'm going to love Electro whether I hate Jamie Foxx or not.

The character design seems simple when you look at the behind the scenes photos. He just looks like a dude painted blue. But, when you look closer in the other photos, there is so much more detail. You can see bulging veins, silver-like contact lenses, and little LED lights lined within the hood of his hoodie to illuminate his face to give a glowing effect.

So far, everything looks awesome and I'm dying to see more from Electro and also curious to see what Rhino will look like. I'm itching with anticipation for this movie's release. Tell us what you think in the comments section below and let us know on our Facebook timeline. More info will come as we receive it!

Finally the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase One box set has released. To those of you who (like me) had this pre-ordered since it was first announced last summer, you may be experiencing the following symptoms:

• Euphoria
• Jumping for joy
• Telling strangers to kneel
• Fourth thing that is super funny

For some people, this was a must buy. Personally, I never owned any of the movies despite having enjoyed most of them. I was expecting some sort of collection. Anyone who didn't see this coming doesn't really understand how making money works. But that's a different sort of topic.

Whoa! I would trade a baby for that!

Looks bad ass right! Well, that's the point of promotional material. The die-hards and the collectors were sold before the idea was even pitched. This is a bit of digital magic to entice those that wouldn't typically consider buying something like this. Anyone can tell you to expect worse than this. Still, I was quite excited when I finally got my case.

Point that hand elsewhere, RDJ.

Not pictured: me squealing in delight.

Part of me wanted to keep it sealed. These are supposed to be pretty limited. That notion faded quickly. Give me my movies dammit! The case itself is pretty solid. But if you're expecting metal prepare to be disappointed. The clasps don't even lift. They're just hard plastic. It feels sturdy, but plastic will do what plastic does, which is wear and break. Once open, I kept the movies out of the case for this very reason. The S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem lights up blue if you press the button on the top of the case. Feels unnecessary. If I were, like, 10, and if this was pitched as a toy? I'm sure I'd lose my shit. Alas. The disillusionment of adulthood was too strong to over come. Either way, it wasn't the important part. The reason I bought the set lies within. So, let's crack the case open!

I wish it was a lot like this.

I didn't expect much from the interior, but what I did expect was... well... more.

The first thing I did was try to press the number pad. Don't judge

My biggest disappointment is with the... uh... I don't even want to call it the Cosmic Cube. I wasn't expecting a perfect replica, but god damn. This is a plastic white box that pulsates blue if you punch it. Huh.

Suddenly less imposing

The way the movies are stored is concerning. The cases are soft, and there was some slight damage caused just by shipping. If you aren't careful the discs are positioned perfectly to slide right into the interior, where they could damage. Speaking of the movies themselves... well. I adore the new covers. These are amazing. I sort of expected the packages to be bigger and more complete, but overall that's easy to set aside. There's a bonus disc full of content included as well. I'll get to that later. Now that the interior of the case was a huge let down, I turned myself to the upper half. Therein lies the goodies.

For my eyes only. Oh...

These are supposed to be S.H.I.E.L.D. reports on the various members of the Avengers. Each file contains really neat things that tie into the various movies.

Pictures included to rub my face in what the tesseract is supposed to look like.

This file contains information for both Widow and Hawkeye, the Tesseract, and Item 47. Most of the text is blacked out to give the feel of a still classified document. There are a couple cool pictures of the Tesseract, as well as my favorite thing in this file:

Uh. Amazing.

Files not included. You aren't missing too much.

This file was designed to look like the one seen in Captain America. Aside various enlistment papers and the photo seen to be included at the end of Captain America: The First Avenger, it has some vintage looking Captain America trading cards (slight foxing around the edges, of course), the doodle Cap made, as well as...

Oh...well..that's kind of really sad

The blueprint shall remain as crisp and unfolded as possible.

As Tony has been in the most movies thus far, his file is the most robust, and has some of the most awesome of things. Newspaper clippings, blueprints (even of the Mark 1 from Iron Man 1. Easily my favorite), and... oh cool. A ticket to Stark Expo. I sure hope when I go that Mickey Rourke keeps his Russian to himself. Anyway, this file is just full of cool shit.

I don't remember that napkin.

My excuse for the poor layering: I'm not Tony Stark.

The sketch of Yggdrasil looks like it was torn from a notebook. Cool.

I really like this one. The file is named for the place, rather than the man. We've got some I.D.'s (including a New York State drivers license for Tho... uh... Dr. Donald J. Blake.

He better get that renewed next year.

There's a hospital tag, belonging to XX, THOR, the drawing of Yggdrasil, as well as the infrared of Thor being cast out, and the page from the mythology book Dr. Selvig discovers.

I don't know what that Cryosync thing is supposed to be...

This one is pretty neat too, despite the decidedly "meh" film. There are some articles, as well as an official looking (mostly blacked out) document. They even have the Stark blueprints for the vehicles with the sonic... blaster... things... on the roof. Although my favorite is the Pingo Doce juicebox sticker. Were I a wasteful man I'd buy a Hi-C juice box and stick this thing on.

Remember this thing?

It's textured!

Lastly was an envelope that told me to open immediately. I was pretty tempted to not even open it, but curiosity got the best of me. Within were only two things. A rather mysterious card, as well as what looks as if it's supposed to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. keycard. (with a password on the back.)  The mostly blank card is the secret here. It lines up with a specific page somewhere within the files, which then directs you to a website. This website will only yield to you it's secrets once you put in... yep. The password from the other card. This leads you to a website with an exclusive look at Phase Two. (No, I won't share. The majority of it is about Iron Man 3. Wait a couple weeks. You'll be fine.)

Find the toe!

These files are mostly amazing. Any depression I felt at the lackluster cube and case interior is pretty much placated. And the movies themselves are exactly what you'd expect. Iron Man 1 and Iron Man 2 in my PS3 come up as "Iron Man 1/2 disc one"... which... makes me upset that disc two wasn't included for each film... But I'm sure I'm not missing out on much. That bonus disc of special features is pretty much a throwaway as well. It's mostly full of animatics, very few deleted scenes, and the kinda stuff you only watch once.

Final Verdict? Worth while! Especially if you have a blu-ray player (blu-ray only folks, sorry), and none of the films. The sale price was less than each of these films would cost (on blu-ray). If it is as limited as I was lead to believe the price may go up a fair bit. In which case, use this as a guide. I've broken down just about everything in the set. Now, at least you have the privilege to know what you're going to get with your money.

I wish it was numbered.

If you're the gambling type, don't get this set. I'm sure once Phase Three is finished the collection that gets released will be mind-blowing.

Welcome back all fanboys to yet another article and video of everything Super Smash Bros. 4 in terms of speculation, hype and wishes. Today we take a little look back at Super Smash Bros. Brawl, it was a game that had amazing music as almost every franchise Nintendo series had their music implemented in to the game. So with that being said how could they possibly top this for the fourth game? I think a simple answer would be to bring back all the songs from Brawl and give them another run on the Wii U and 3DS. Unless the developers want a completely new and original soundtrack for this fourth game and if thats the case than that is what we're here to discuss (in the video below).

I've been asked to choose music or better yet some songs I would like to see in Super Smash Bros. 4, so this week I decided to comprise two lists of ten songs. One list of ten is for songs to return from past games, the other is a list of ten new songs to be included for the first time. Otherwise make their debut in a Smash game.

The process was trickier than I thought it would be. Despite the time and thought put into both lists I still don't feel I gave enough songs from previous games and even songs that should be included the proper recognition they deserve but simply listed ten of my favorite songs from Brawl and then ten songs I would love to see included that haven't been used in Smash soundtrack yet. You can hear all my opinions in full in the video below, and leave a comment on the songs you would love to see either return or debut in the fourth Smash Brothers game.

Episode 19 of the I Got Gameplay podcast is now online. On this episode, Michael, Sean, Mike Paden and Brandon talk family about their fond memories of Lucas Arts and how the gaming giant lost its way before coming to a close.

You can check out this episode and the previous two by using the following links:

Lybsin: http://adf.ly/IwSX3

iTunes: http://adf.ly/IwSaK

Stitcher: http://adf.ly/IwSd0

If you'd like to join the discussion, like us on Facebook and comment on our page here: http://adf.ly/IwSfZ

You can also subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel at http://adf.ly/IwShu

(Note: the links use adf.ly, just click skip to go to your required destination.)

Episode 18 of the I Got Gameplay podcast is now online. On this episode, Michael, Sean, Mike Paden and Brandon talk family entertainment and if this market can surpass FPS shoorters as the next big niche or will it end up having a short stay such as its predecessors before it.

You can check out this episode and the previous two by using the following links:

Lybsin: http://adf.ly/IwSX3

iTunes: http://adf.ly/IwSaK

Stitcher: http://adf.ly/IwSd0

If you'd like to join the discussion, like us on Facebook and comment on our page here: http://adf.ly/IwSfZ

You can also subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel at http://adf.ly/IwShu

(Note: the links use adf.ly, just click skip to go to your required destination.)

Episode 17 of the I Got Gameplay podcast is now online. On this episode, Michael, Sean, Nick with Mike Paden and Brandon Liggan rant about their biggest peeves in gaming, they also discuss Mobile gaming and if it can surpass the home console.

You can check out this episode and the previous two by using the following links:

Lybsin: http://adf.ly/IwSX3

iTunes: http://adf.ly/IwSaK

Stitcher: http://adf.ly/IwSd0

If you'd like to join the discussion, like us on Facebook and comment on our page here: http://adf.ly/IwSfZ

You can also subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel at http://adf.ly/IwShu

(Note: the links use adf.ly, just click skip to go to your required destination.)

Welcome back Fanboys of all kinds I am going to be discussing to you briefly here and more so in this week's Smash video why I believe Paper Mario has untapped potential as playable character in the fourth Super Smash Brothers game.

There are some detractions that could cost this from becoming a reality. Firstly Mr. Game and Watch a veteran member of the roster already has the 2D style fighting character gimmick claimed and has had such since Melee on the Gamecube. Also if the developers decide they want give new skins or costumes to the characters a model of Paper Mario could be used simply as a more intricate skin change for Mario himself.

Now that we have gone through the negatives less accentuate Paper Mario's positives. He has a uniqueness unlike anyone else that could possibly be newcomers in the next game. That all comes with such a brand new and fresh move set he would bring to the table by spawning his own items and weapons at ease to help him during the midst of a fight.

He gets my simple seal of approval as far as a newcomer I think would be a great addition to the game, you can check out my full opinions on this ordeal in the video below.

A little while ago Nintendo revealed a new addition to Pokemon X and Y. This new Pokemon certainly seems to be a new form of Mewtwo or at least very closely related to it, and the images on Pokemon's official site make it seem like Nintendo is going the latter route with this one.

As you can see, they're calling this a "newly discovered Pokemon." Now I'm personally not crazy about the design. I mean why just take Mewtwo's tail, put it on its head, slightly alter the color and overall design, and call that a new Pokemon? Are the developers really out of ideas? To be fair, there are hardly any known details about this other than it has some relation to Mewtwo, so this could very well end up being some kind of alternate form. I know that's what I'm hoping for because that would make this design much more sensible. Plus a new form of Mewtwo could open the door for new forms of other old legendary Pokemon, which could be a pretty cool way to help keep the series fresh. Being able to catch legendary Pokemon from multiple generations in one game and doing something to alter their forms in some way sounds pretty awesome to me.

Like many of you, I'm really intrigued by and excited about what Game Freak and Nintendo are doing with Pokemon X and Y, and I trust their judgment. Despite the kind of lame design that almost looks like something out of Dragon Ball Z, I'm excited to learn more about this, whether it turns out to be Mewtwo and a half, Mewthree, or something in between. What do you guys think? When Nintendo reveals more about this "new" Pokemon, I'll have more to say. Until then, feel free to sound off below!

All-New X-Men has been an emotional roller coaster ever since its start ten issues ago. Writer Brian Michael Bendis has done a great job so far of not only plucking the original X-Men out of the past but also facilitating their transition into the present in a realistic manner. Readers see how each individual X-Man is changing because of this knowledge of their future and therein lays the intrinsic value of this series.

When last we left the Jean Grey School, old Scott Summers and his crew of rebel X-Men had showed up on the front lawn to recruit mutants for his new Xavier School. What I expected to be an all-out clash of fire and ice turned out to be a somewhat more mundane exchange of words and rhetoric. I think a lot of readers, including myself, expected some kind of action, but Bendis manages those expectations well through his dialogue. He shows that the situation is not an inherently violent one and that there is still some mutual respect between the Jean Grey School X-Men and the Xavier School X-Men.

Once again, we get another glimpse of Mystique and her escapades for obtaining cash. It's quite a shallow motivation and very unlike the complex character that is Raven Darkholme. With Bendis, I think we can expect some grander ulterior motives, but it's just not apparent yet when it should be after a couple of issues of plot building with Mystique and her crew. At this point, it's mostly going towards fueling mutant hate, which is quite frankly nothing we haven't seen before.

While the issue as a whole is quite strong, I found that the cliff-hanger ending was a bit melodramatic. I'll shoot myself in the foot if I turn out to be wrong, but I think it's pretty obvious that young Jean Grey is the one that will opting to be join old Cyclops. It just makes sense given the situation, and it would obviously create a huge opportunity for Bendis to capitalize on the dynamics between Emma/Jean/Scott. You're not fooling anyone, dude.

While cliffhangers can be effective when used correctly, this particular usage left me more annoyed than anything, which soured my perception of the entire book a tad bit. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book, but a stunt like this just wasn't my cup of tea. In any case, All-New X-Men #10 is a nice dramatic exchange between the two opposing X-groups and provides a nice foundation for some juicy events to come.


Score: 8/10

Welcome back Fanboys to another video predicting all that may come with the fourth Super Smash Brothers game, as we get closer and closer to the official unveiling of the game itself. This video in particular discusses the various unlockable features that may potentially be found within every member of the character roster.

Such as the Nintendo 3DS having it's own perk to it's version of the game which has been hinted towards having a more single player heavy aura surrounding it. The content you might be able to unlock in the 3DS version could also potentially be imported to the Wii U console as well, which is a good thing to keep in mind.

Unlockable avatars, backgrounds, and titles for an online gaming profile of sorts, new games modes for certain characters, different costumes and even different moves for roster members is all discussed within the confines of this video.

"I am The Cheese. I am The Best Character on the show. I am better than both the Salami and Bologna combined!". So now I ask where were you April 1st 2013 at exactly 12:00:00 AM EST time?!?!? If you were a fellow 90s child like my self you had your eyes pressed up against our new age flat screen TVs eagerly awaiting The Lost Episode of Rocko's Modern Life....and what pops on air....a jar of Mayo...with weird Elevator music....and no familiar buzz into the song we could have sung along with. I sat in bewilderment and messaged friends on Facebook and on Twitter asking the question on everyone's mind...WTF?!?!? Moments later I would notice a calendar and notice that the same people that would bring back Rocko's Modern Life are the same twisted individuals who would play Mayo with Elevator Music for 30 mins as the best April Fools joke on the planet. This Fanboy is taking a moment this April Fools day to say....Well played TeenNick and those at 90s Are All That. It was a well played tribute to the Rocko's Modern Life episode "Whacky Deli" as well as a great social buzz, trending world wide for a half hour as fans frantically were hashtagging to figure out what was going on. I'll leave you with these words of wisdom on this April Fools Day..."Delly Scores again....Powerful Warholian Tribute!" For Fanboys Anonymous This has Been The one and only Chris "The Dace Man" Dace...Whacky Deli Yeah! Whacky Deli Yeah! Sandwiches are good.

It's that time again, folks! The doctor is in! Having provided a fantastic four issues of Witch Doctor Mal Practice so far, Brandon Seifert and and Lukas Ketner are back for the fifth issue. With a long track record of brilliant writing and poignant art, I dived right in with high hopes for a laugh-out-loud and heart-pounding issue.

After a strong opening issue, Ultimate Comics Wolverine has a lot to live up to. With the promise of both development in Wolverine's and his son Jimmy's characters, writer Cullen Bunn faces the challenge of trying to balance two separate but connected timelines at the same time without overwhelming the readers with constant flashbacks and flash-forwards.

For the most part, this is achieved quite well, as the out of time portions of the book are clearly defined. It's nice that the locations of both timelines are aligned, orienting readers to time gone by and relative age. The plot moves at nice pace in this book, even stopping for a small detour so that Jimmy is able to spy on his now childless foster parents. Black Box, who has been previously underdeveloped, gets some dimension to his character, as well.

In the typical fashion of the Ultimate Marvel universe, there's a shock factor that goes into it all which is glaringly apparent in this book. From the "skinning" of some bad guys to a very, very continuity-impacting claim, the book is in no way short on action and drama. While not as strong as the opening issue of the series, Ultimate Comics Wolverine #2 provides for a nice segue into what is inevitably going to be a lot of explaining that has to be done.

Score: 8/10

Ahoy Ahoy there Dacitionians....Chris "The Dace Man" Dace back from the great beyond to pring you the top 10 comic book events that need to be incorporated into an animated TV series or given it's own run. It's hard to deny with the huge success of shows like Arrow, Smallville and The Walking Dead that comics are taking over prime time. So why can't a nerd like my self hope for some of these iconic stories to brought to life.

Coming in at Number 10 is, a bias pick of this fanboy, The Deadpool Corps. I know what you're thinking "Chris we just got a damn video game, calm the hell down". Well I'm an eager beaver and this run made me laugh. To witness Deadpool to come to life for a 12-24 episode run is wishful thinking...especially on the Disney channel... but one can hope right? That's why Deadpool Corps is coming in at number 10 go big or go home with five times the amount of Deadpool!




Coming in at Number 9 is a run that will eventually hit the big screens for all of us nerds to enjoy as hinted by the last block buster Marvel's The Avengers is....drum roll....The Avengers and the Infinity Gauntlet. Like I said this is coming to the big screen soon which why I ranked it at number nine but there's alot of material here with Thanos, that I find hard to believe will be covered in a two hour movie. One of The Avengers first major story arc could have had a great run with Earth's Mightiest Heroes, but I know what Disney is doing here. Milk this cow for what it's worth....heading to number 8!!



Landing in the Number 8 spot is one of Spider-Mans Arcs and probably would be another Rated R show...move it to HBO with Deadpool Corps...You're Welcome....This gem is Maximum Carnage and Minimum Carnage. I absolutely loved the Carnage comics I read thus far and looking forward into finding many more of these gems.Following the not so stable life of a serial killer,
Cletus Kasady, he does exactly what his name suggest....Absolute Carnage. Now there's still hope for Carnage to make a run on Disney XD's Ultimate Spiderman but that clearly means he's gonna be watered down and will probably not kill one single animated citizen of New York...sigh. To do Carnage justice they'll clearly have to do some animated film, which marvel seems to frown upon!! The only area where I feel like DC is kicking Marvels ass and why you don't see to many DC events on here. So hopefully one day we'll get to see Maximum Carnage and get to see the lunatic Cletus run around and kill hundreds of people. Spider Man needs a good villian to make us fans just go...whoa. Hopefully Cletus will be our man. Cletus2016 now on to number 7!!









In blackest day in brightest night, Beware your fears made into light, Let those who try to stop what's right, Burn like his power, Number Seven's Might! That's right flying by in a Yellow blur is ONE of Geoff John's masterpieces Green Lantern Sinestro Corps War. Setting up for another story here on the list, Sinestro's Corps Wars is a fantastic story where Sinestro is doing what he does best...being Sinestro. After yielding the light of Fear Sinestro has set his sites on the Guardians and his hell bent mission on breaking them. Though he may lose the Battle the war has only begun. A great read which would turn into a great miniseries. Sinestro has quickly become one of my favorite characters in the DC universe and to see him square up with Hal Jordan and all the other Green Lanterns on a tv screen would be absolutely amazing! Now on to the big number 6.




Coming in at 6 and wrapping up Part 1 of our lists is a Marvel event that did find its way to a video game and the reason it shows up at 6 Marvel's Civil War. Now this one was tough I enjoyed the series, which is why it made the list but there were a few things that irked me about it that kept it out of the top 5. The concept of Iron Man v.s. Cap is a great idea but i fell like Iron Man was batting for the wrong team and Cap should have been the guy in the middle with serious commitment issues. Even if Steve was pro registration it would have made more sense. He was a man built to serve his country and never once faltered from what was best for the American People until he went completely rogue in this mini series. Don't get me wrong I really did enjoy this huge crossover event but I guess I'm just being picky and and would have liked to see things a tad bit different, which could happen...insert smiley face. Imagine Civil War coming to the new Avengers cartoon and being a huge crossover for all Marvel shows and movies. It be epic and that's the reason we bring the only Civil War we can enjoy to number 6.



Join me next week when I bring you the top 5 Comic Book Events that need a TV Run.....So now for the Road Dogg rant.....As always check back regularly to see what  Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at, and no not just porn, as well as all other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. So for The Few, The Proud, and of course The Dacetacular, grab a beer, or in this case a phone and call up the Animation Studios, and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!

I'm not going to start off with a lame introduction to this issue, because I want to jump right in. WOW. Uncanny Avengers has impressed me a lot in the past, but this latest issue stands out even more than its predecessors as a truly well crafted and visually brilliant piece of work.

The book begins with the introduction of a long-time Avengers antagonist, Kang the Conquerer, who has a role that is yet undefined in the whole scheme of things. Still, there is a connection there that whets the appetites of readers without confusing them. Next, we jump into the recruitment of some new Avengers to the team. Writer Rick Remender has chosen his characters well, playing with individuals that are both connected to the current set of mutant Avengers but also that have been influenced greatly by the late Charles Xavier.

The most moving part of the book is Alex's speech to the media. Taking off his mask and identifying himself as the kid brother of the now mutant terrorist Scott Summers, he speaks truly to Xavier's dream and shows that he is indeed capable of leading this new collaboration between humans and mutants. But, then again, what's an Avengers book without some action? Another long-time Avengers villain shows up to ruin the day and some events occur that may be game-changing for one or two characters.

The writing style of Remender seems to have changed from the narrative-heavy style of the previous issues to a more hands off approach. This is complemented by the introduction of Olivier Coipel's artwork, which tells a whole other story by itself. There are no other words to describe this art than "eye candy." There is a fine attention to detail that is refreshingly potent, and the characters are expressive and dynamic. Heck, it's eye candy simply for the fact that Captain America takes three whole panels to put his shirt on (not to mention some classy highlighting of some female characters' assets)!

Uncanny Avengers #5 is an impressive book. If you haven't picked up a copy of this series yet, then I would recommend starting now while you still can. I would even go so far as to say that Uncanny Avengers stands as the flagship Marvel NOW! series and represents the pinnacle of what it means to make comic books.


Score: 10/10

Since the start, Uncanny X-Force has been a very strong book. With a great cast of characters, an interesting story, and drop-dead gorgeous art, this book has certainly been one of my favorites and is definitely not being released fast enough! Uncanny X-Force #3 dropped today, and I was right there to scoop it up!

Having been completely overwhelmed by Bishop at the end of the last issue, the mutant strike force reluctantly teams up with Spiral in order to find the missing girl, Ginny, who is also a new mutant with psychic talent. Sam Humphries does an excellent job at quickly and concisely filling readers in on the situation and allowing long-time readers to have their memories refreshed on past events and characters. Perhaps better than previous issues, the action in this installment flows very nicely and is not quite as hectic even considering the jump to an entirely different scene with an entirely different set of characters.

I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it again and again: Ron Garney's art is amazing. The penciling matches the tone of the series beautifully, and the transition from the real world to Bishop's inner mind allows for even more expressive artwork. On top of the great writing, this issue was simply visually stunning.

Uncanny X-Force is shaping up to be one of the top new X-books. We still have no idea what's going on with Bishop, but it's definitely something worth investing time in. The meshing of these characters is brilliant, showing that Humphries has a strong concept of each individual and knows exactly the direction that he wants to take with them.


Score: 9.5/10