Fanboys Anonymous

A masked vigilante known only as X dispenses justice without mercy to the criminals who rule the decaying city of Arcadia. When muckraking blogger Leigh Ferguson snoops down the wrong alley, she gets swept into X’s bloody war with a politically powerful crime lord!

That is the solicitation for tomorrow's release of Dark Horse Comics' X Volume 1: Big Bad.

Maybe only a few of you out there know of this character, but when 2013's series marked his return, he made waves. Even having never known or heard of X, I'm not surprised. With writer Duane Swierczynski and artist Eric Nguyen pulling gears, this hooded and caped vigilante—dubbed Dark Horse's most brutal and exciting character—should be on the radar of comic fans, especially those leaning towards darker antiheroes.


So who is X?

A vigilante based in the fictional city of Arcadia, the amnesiac citizen John Smith 24—injected with an experimental serum before he lost his memories of who he was—was supposedly killed and his body dumped in the river at the orders of crime boss Carmine Tango.


Some time later the dark vigilante, marked by a red "X" across his mask, appears in Arcadia, brutally battling it out with the city's organised crime elements. This character has the power to heal, but also possesses a sort of "blood memory," meaning that his body remembers every injury he sustains and will heal quicker the next time he suffers the same injury.

X is also distinguished by his attitude towards criminals. He gives everyone one chance only, marked by a slash across their face. If they do not change their ways, that slash will become an "X" and he will kill them. As the tagline reads, "Crime doesn't stand a chance!"

Aesthetics-wise, I myself am sold on the amalgam of some badass favourites here—Batman, Black Panther, Deathstroke, and Crossbones. The character is a little moodier than his sources, in fact.

Originally created for Dark Horse in 1993, X was first brought to us by Steven Grant, Doug Mahnke, and Jimmy Palmiotti in the pages of Dark Horse #8. The character's eponymous series ended in 1996, only to be relaunched last year. Despite the massive hiatus, it's safe to say that this otherwise exceeded expectations.


Sound off! Have any of you read X before? Let us know what you think. Comments below and thanks for reading!

Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana have been announced for their return to Pandora for the next three movies in the Avatar franchise.

Credit: Eric Charbonneau/Invision/AP Images

The two stars have signed on to reprise their roles as Neytiri and Jake Sully for three more sequels, Fox announced on Tuesday.

Director James Cameron recruited all-star screenwriters Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds), Shane Salerno (Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem), and duo Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) to collaborate on the screenplays for the next three installments of the award-winning sci-fi blockbuster.

Surprisingly, Stephen Lang—who played Col. Miles Quaritch—is said to also be returning for the next three films, despite his character dying in the first movie. "I'm not going to say exactly HOW we're bringing him back, but it's a science fiction story, after all," Cameron told Deadline.com.

Cameron revealed to the Associated Press last month that the sequels will "create a family epic in the mold of The Godfather that will introduce views to new cultures and go underwater" on the fictional moon Pandora.

With new technology, environments, and creatures across Pandora, the sequels have a lot of room to measure up to the major success of the original.


The three-time Academy Award-winning Avatar, which came out in 2009, remains the highest-grossing movie of all time, bringing in $2.8 billion worldwide according to BoxOffice.com.

Filming for the next three movies will be shot back-to-back in New Zealand, with Avatar II due in theaters in December 2016. Avatar III is scheduled to premiere in December 2017 and the final sequel in December 2018.

Are you looking forward for the return to Pandora in the upcoming sequels? Comment below and let us know.

On January 11–12, Team PIE hosted Defend the North, the first fighting game "major" (or large tournament) held in New York City. The event took place at the Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel and hosted over 300 gamers. I was only able to attend for the last day of the event, but that was enough time to meet new people, play some casual matches, and spectate at high-level matches.


People who wish to attend a fighting game tournament can either register for the entire tournament, or buy a spectator badge that grants access to the venue to watch matches, play games, and buy merchandise. I missed the first day, so I was only eligible for a spectator badge—or in this case, a wristband. I walked into the ballroom just in time to see the conclusion of the grand finals for King of Fighters. The competitors shook hands briefly and scurried away to earn more money, either by winning at a different game or by playing money matches with anxious challengers. Moments later, a tournament organizer announced that the top 16 competitors for Street Fighter 4 were about to play on the main stage, so I found an open seat with a clear view of the projector screen. The few people I met before Defend the North were in the top 16, so I ended up sitting alone, but that gave me the opportunity to make friends with strangers while we geeked out during the fights.

Image courtesy of Shadiq Williams.

High-level play in the Street Fighter 4 series can be methodical and calculated, requiring anticipation and pixel-perfect precision to maintain an advantage. It can also suddenly turn into a game of cat and mouse because of one mistake that puts you two 50/50 guesses away from death.

Watching the tournaments from home through a computer and being a stream monster is cool, but there's nothing like the experience of being in the audience. Of course, New Yorkers brought the hype train with them to the crowd, which helped some players stay focused and destroyed the morale of others.

Eventually, Team Pie's Zeus won with his patented Vega, the first time a Street Fighter 4 Vega player has won a major in the United States. I think he's the first Vega in the entire world to win a tournament of note. Only players who main Vega would know if this were true, but that's like trying to find a grain of sugar in snow.

Image courtesy of Luciano Alicea.

Next up was the adrenaline rush known as Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and its top 16 did not disappoint. Other tournaments had their share of nerves, but the amount of salt was raised exponentially when this game hit the main stage, as is always the case. For example, take this dandy:



One of the screaming spectators after the round ended is me. Don't worry. I'm too short to be seen in the shot.

UMvC3 featured impressive play from some previously unknown players such as Justin White, Dang, and Punisher. Most people watching Defend The North expected Chris G to win. He did just that by defeating Flocker, the Evolution 2013 champ, in the grand finals. In fact, I'm fairly certain Chris G did not lose one round for the entire top 16. His dominance in UMvC3 is likely to go unchallenged until he gets bored with the game. Unfortunately, I had to leave after Marvel ended to go be a family man.

Defend The North was a great event, and I'm sure it will only grow to become an even larger success next year. My next major of the year will be Atlanta's Final Round XVII. I'll be out of town with nothing to do but game for three days. It shall be glorious.

Until then, fellow geeks.

And as always, please comment if you feel the unmitigated desire to do so.

One of the rumors going around for Avengers: Age of Ultron was that Baron Wolfgang Strucker would be a secondary villain introduced in the film. The theory behind it was that it would be structured similarly to the James Bond film franchise's typical opening pre-credits sequence. A somewhat unrelated (but still at least marginally tied to the rest of the film) action set piece would reintroduce the characters and prevent the movie from having to dive right into exposition. Baron Von Strucker would fill that role and would also be used as a means to bring Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch into the mix.

Well, we now have our Baron Von Strucker: Thomas Kretschmann, who plays Abraham Van Helsing in NBC's Dracula. This guy really likes the "_____ Van/Von _____" names, doesn't he? Maybe he'll be the next Victor Von Doom as well. For those who don't know, Baron Von Strucker is normally an affiliate of the HYDRA organization, which we first saw in Captain America: The First Avenger. It makes sense why they would cast someone like Kretschmann, who has been a Nazi officer in both The Pianist and Valkyrie, so he clearly fits the bill for that look and the mannerisms.

Speculation could easily point to Von Strucker possibly setting up the third Captain America film, so while Kretschmann might not get much screen time in favor of James Spader's Ultron, the way this universe is set up, you can never look past the probability that his character could return in another film down the line. Chances are, Marvel's signed him on for a multi-picture deal, or he may even be someone that could translate over to the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. show to help bridge those films together.

What do you think about this casting decision and on Baron Von Strucker's place in the film in general? Sound off in the comments below!

WARNING: This article has been rated 'T' for the explicit use of Thinking.

The UK's two-faced—whoops, I meant two-headed—Conservative-Liberal Democrat government, fittingly known as Con-Dem, has decided to crack down on the film and music video industry!

Not only has a new set of classifications been proposed for DVD, but it is also apparent that the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) will extend their classifications system to the Internet through the likes of Google and YouTube, because all you naughty parents out there can't be trusted to let your children watch the right Internet content.

The Issue Observed

The news came from the BBC over the past couple of days, vaguely thanking Miley Cyrus, her hammer licking and crotch rubbing antics, and probably her anorexic look and godawful taste in underwear. Miley the Virus wasn't the only one to blame, however, although you can read of the extensive trauma she clearly caused this molly-coddled nation here.

Apparently—in this day and age of bad language, nudity, sex, violence, and general street trash ugliness broadcast over hundreds of television channels every day—film and music video releases have become the enemy and must be boycotted, because this proposal comes from the alleged mountains of complaints against everything except commercially broadcast television.

The BBC news service reported that some such complaints went toward the animated film Pirates! Band of Misfits for employing the word "crap"…

Let that sink in for a moment!

Others complained about the BBFC's 15-rating for Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis psycho-drama Black Swan, because it featured drug abuse and rug munching. Well, that's what TRAILERS, FEATURETTES, AND FILM CRITICS ARE FOR! Ask the film distributors: psycho-dramas rated 18 don't tend to make as much money as those daringly aimed at mid-teens. However, parents are not the only ones concerned about the visual content and the "intellectual property" or text within these products of the media industry. Institutions have been waging war for years against the sexualisation of children and the lowering of society's standards, which I do agree with. However…

"Sort your life out!"

The Issue Dismantled

I one hundred percent agree with parents who care about what is influencing their kids. But I'm also intelligent enough to know what's bad for me. I have a strong moral centre forged over a lifetime of unfortunate experiences. What could be a simple warning to the industry and to the BBFC to stop arsing around and give some films an 18 rating rather than a 15 has completely bypassed these crucial details.

1.) Why do minors have Internet access without their parents being aware of what they watch? I'm sure the exact same music videos as seen on TV are the least of a concerned parent's worries.

2.) What fifteen-year-old wanted to watch Black Swan anyway, unless it was purely for the steamy scene between Portman and Kunis?

3.) Rather than joining the witchhunt against the people who just make the stuff, get it rated, and then sell it—the people who work in the industry—and telling off the likes of Cyrus the Virus, why aren't we proposing that parents actually debate the content of media products with their spawn so that they understand the difference between fiction and reality, and why they think bad language is labelled "bad"?

4.) Why is the media so intent on making Cyrus a sensation for what she does, rather than warning her that she looks like a drug-addled teenage prostitute?

Licensed premises as in the DVD in your bedroom with the door locked!

My answers are: one, because the Internet is a modern living standard that parents and children largely take for granted; two, teenagers, hormones, puberty; three, because even the large numbers of people trying to be good parents and have the time for their kids can't be there all the time, unless the government wants to pay them to be; and four, because the media get paid to sensationalise, not to act as a moral compass for their readers.

Twerking is for twats, not just for Christmas!

Yes, smut should not be aimed at children. I don't know any adult in his or her right mind who would willfully smash Cyrus's back door in, which must say a lot for the majority of people who have made her as popular as she now is. But before Internet we had Madonna, who invented that same routine. Guess what? She was world famous too.

This issue comes down to the fact that not only do such artists lack self-respect and public responsibility, but so do the corporations that sell them and the people that buy them. This is now the world we live in and has been for a long time. If you lack talent, get your tits out; you'll have a future for as long as they stay generally horizontal.

However, the vitriol suddenly heaped upon the film industry isn't well thought out. Otherwise the people getting behind this sudden social-political brain fart would see that they're just prompting a return to the Mary Whitehouse era and the glory days of the Video Nasty, where they threw social issues under the rug and lived in ignorance.


Ignoring the Real Issue

Let's censor music videos on television! That will extinguish the power of suggestion from the minds of dirty little girls and boys. The last thing we need is teenagers discovering what causes horniness. You know what? We should probably remove sex education from the schools. With any luck, they'll never learn how to fuck, and we'll have fewer mouths to feed.

In the original days of strict censorship and classification, between the early 80s and, quite fittingly, up until the day Scary Mary shuffled off this sexually and emotionally repressed mortal coil, television was awful and violence and sex in movies were blindly shunned and often censored, because unlike the raping and murdering of everyone on this Earth from millions of Indians and Africans right up to the Irish next door at the hands of the British, fiction was public enemy number one.

So when all that stiff upper lip attitude started to fly out the window, the country realised just how sexually repressed it really was, and it's gotten scary. While women can laugh and howl about how many vibrators they own and young couples go about making home porn movies, endless vicars and bishops are being convicted of sex crimes against children, as are all the television personalities I grew up watching on TV.

Whitehouse was right about one thing, though: the destruction of morale. When all we see on television and in movies, even in music videos, is the exploitiation of women and the sexualisation of minors (and we've had some horrific clothing ranges for children involving lingerie, for Christ's sake), is it any surprise that sex attacks are commonplace? If you read my previous article on social networking and mental health, I talked about the way the game has changed in regards to socialising.

"I shalln't repeat myself! Tea and cake first, then Debbie Does Dallas!"

If the government thinks it's going to galliantly ride its high horse into the fray of ill-advertised movies and frantically masturbating schoolboys, they've got another thing coming. There is no return to the gloriously boring days of Maggie Thatcher—high tea, Sundays off work, the working class slaves going to bed early when the broadcasts end at midnight. The UK is a miserable place, and when somebody starts a fight, the whole damn tribe jumps on. We are quick to judge others and even quicker to defend ourselves when the red mist clears.

Back then, Whitehouse was fighting a bursting dam. Today we're just floating about in the deluge, and we've gotten so used to it that either exploiting sex is just business and everyday life or it's one of the last things that can be savagely discriminated against. We are swimming around in a literal AIDS bath of tacky entertainment and embarrassing schoolyard fights between overexcited revellers and armchair politicians, both of whom have never thrown a punch in their lives. All the while, the weary teenage hooker-styled pop star clones still shake their bony arses at us because they think that's what we want.

Whatever direction this empty proposal takes us in, the same will happen as always. In a short matter of time, the message will be lost. All it takes to win is to divide an audience, because you can't please everybody, so that other half that lost the war will just be waiting for the day they can have it their way again. And they will, with a vengeance, because repression knows not balance.

Impossibru Basterds

It's not as well known now as it should be, partly why the timing is so perfect to use the British public like a cockerquodger's fuckpuppet, but while the UK was once already in the grip of people shouting about questionable content in film and television, Europe had it sweet. They still do!


Unlike the UK in much of everything else, but for the massive influx of such American trash as Dominos pizza, Europe has remained very liberal since the end of World War II. They have a rich history of very explicit scenes of sex and violence in their movies. Notably, most of them don't have population problems, they don't lack in children's education, and they don't have major problems with sexually transmitted diseases either. Some countries are even having to close prisons for a lack of criminals (partnered with a more effective rehabilitation system).

Europe is hardly a den of sin, because what we frown upon and brush under the carpet for fear of shame, they investigate, experience, and debate and then educate. Half of our government is supposed to be Liberal, just one of two halves that don't have a fucking clue about politics.

The Conclusion

It's not nudity, sex, or violence that's a problem to society and should terrify parents. It's the speed and degree to which their children lose their innocence. The greatest thing about children is the simplicity in their understanding. They remind me that adults make things more awkward and complex, thinking they're doing the right thing, when all it takes is to make things click.

If you completely lost touch with your own childhood the day you became a parent, you're trying too hard. It's natural to be concerned, it really is, but your children learn as they grow, and what they learn is up to you before and after school, not the government.

How many of you have had a talk with your teens about sex, about the perverts to look out for, and about the difference between a person with a healthy physical and emotional future and a home-wrecking slut? Just saying, you need to be frank and teach your kids to be able to make distinctions, not hide them from the dangers so that they become so naive that they can be exploited too.

Example:A Beautiful Nude European Oil Painting vs. A SLUT!

We're always going to be treated as though we can't be trusted, let's face facts. This is what we pay taxes for; to be molly-coddled and punished for the actions of child stars discovering their sexuality on live television. That's not our fault. I never asked to see it, and I sure as hell never contributed to the TV ratings. The fact that most big-budget action films don't come with morality checks or they'd be less exciting and make less money is not our fault. I won't watch anything without a strong message. People teach irresponsibility to their kids by always finding something else to blame. You can't edit real life. This fact speaks volumes at this moment in time.

Sound off Fanboys and Fangirls! If you'd like to join this debate, please comment below and thank you for your attention and your wonderful patience.

Want to know what happened the past few days in nerd culture? WEEK IN GEEK is your quick fix to catch up with the rest of the Fanboys out there.

MOVIES

Michael Douglas Cast as Hank Pym in Ant-Man.

My take: I was as excited as a little boy could ever hope to be when Paul Rudd was cast as Ant-Man. I'm not a huge fan of the Scott Lang character, or any other upstart versions of popular heroes, but Rudd can do no wrong. I anticipate this film to be very unique from other Marvel offerings, and that is awesome. It sounds as though Douglas will be the old pro and Rudd will basically fumble through a learning curve using Pym Particles, an adventure film in the vein of Greatest American Hero. Can't wait for this..

Wonder Woman is Not Kryptonian

My take: This was just on the cusp of news from the previous week but I wanted to comment, so…what the hell, Internet?? This is a fine example of how we Fanboys and Fangirls should stay just that—"fans." Let the creative teams involved with the projects do what they're going to do in the way their creativity inspires. That's why they were given the job in the first place. The more we sway them with our whining, the more stunted projects will become and this particular project is already in trouble as it is.

Batman / Superman Rumors Abound.

My take: CONT'D! This movie sounds more like a cluster%#$@ with each rumor that pops up (I know I complain about this film a lot, so please, post your counter-arguments below! Prove me wrong, people, prove...me...wrong). Even the facts seem unbelievable. The movie will be a springboard for a "Justice League" movie, but does it need to LAUNCH into one DURING the movie itself? If we have Batman and Superman together, that's great, let's do a good film. Now there's Wonder Woman? Green Lantern? Flash? Even Aquaman now? All content and no quality. DC/WB are going to completely shoot themselves in the foot. Marvel took their movie franchise calmly and planned meticulously following the confirmed success of Iron Man. DC is scrambling to capitalize on nothing more than buzz, and it shows.

TELEVISION

Bill Paxton Joins Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

My take: Details on the role can be found here. I'm happy to see more and more "big name" actors taking to television. It gives credibility to the projects and offers the viewing audience more confidence with expectation. We know what Pullman can do (yes, you see what I did there, did it drive you insane?), and it gets us excited to watch. I haven't been interested in this series since episode 2 but might go back and check it out as they expand their character base. The main characters they introduced in the series were the opposite of what I had wanted. (She's a conspiracy theorist who lives in a van, is young and hot, and gets offered a government job?)

COMIC BOOKS

Superior Spider-Man Ends, Amazing Begins Anew (Again)

My take: Personally, I have really enjoyed Doc Ock running around in Peter's body. It has been a unique an extended take on the old "body swap" plot. Anyone who thought "Superior" was a permanent change should get their head examined and should have just enjoyed the ride from issue #1. I hope Peter's return will bring with it at least a few years of fun, zany stories without going dark and broody anytime soon.

Aquaman Gets a Second Ongoing Series

"Written by Dan Jurgens" is a phrase that tells me just how progressive DC isn't. Although I'm a big supporter of the underdog (Aquaman, Robin, etc,), I wonder about DC's long-term plans on this one. It's great they're loading the book with The Others, brand new characters (which debunks my earlier comment about being progressive) introduced in the original Aquaman series. They are also giving Aquaman a push with a potential video game and a role in the pending Justice League movie (aka "Batman vs Superman" LOL).

CELEBRITIES

Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) Rleased a Stream of Old Star Wars Images From Filming A New Hope.

My take: This was awesome, especially the playful shot of Harrison Ford with a gun to his head. Fans will never get enough of the original trilogy and horrible disasters like the prequels only serve to make them that much more special. Right now, on the cusp of new films coming out, I feel like I'm in a calm before the storm and there is no better time to appreciate the originals than right now..

Hello and welcome back to Dan's and my (Orion) article series on the one and only lunar Avenger, Moon Knight! In the last installment, We introduced you to the Fist of Khonshu and began our reviews with the three Essential Moon Knight trade paperback volumes. In this article, we'll review our favorite Moon Knight stories, so let's get to it without further ado.

A Bloody, Glorious Return
Review by Orion

As I said before, I wasn't introduced to Moon Knight through the material in the Essential books. It was probably for the better, too; it took me a grand total of three attempts to just start reading the first Essential book before I finally began to appreciate it for what it was. I was a naïve comic book reader back then who was used to modern storytelling and art, and it didn't help that the first story I read in the first volume wasn't even Moon Knight-centric. New readers may face the same dilemma when choosing the Essential volumes as their introduction to the character, so I'm going to suggest to you how I started reading everything Moon Knight.

After the end of his early run in 1999, Moon Knight experienced an utter lack of solo adventures until 2006 when Marvel launched a new ongoing series written by acclaimed crime fiction author Charlie Huston. Moon Knight (the third series, after Fist of Khonshu) reintroduced the character to the modern world in a grittier, Dark Knight-esque (the Christopher Nolan film trilogy version) light that defined Moon Knight for this age. This series was perhaps the most popular in the Moon Knight fandom, and rightly so. This also was how I was introduced to the Lunar Crusader. I knew next to nothing about him before I read the series' first collected trade paperback, "The Bottom," after finding Moon Knight's design cool in 2006's cross-platform RPG video game, Marvel Ultimate Alliance (which I'll talk about in the next article).

Coming into the third series, you don't have to know jack squat about Moon Knight. It helps doing a little research on his origin at least, but it's completely unnecessary. Huston does a bang-up job drawing you into Marc's story despite feeling as though you've just started watching a TV show in the third season. Add the beautifully gritty and powerful art by David Finch (pencils), Danny Miki (inks), and Frank D'Armata (colors), and you're instantly transported to the glum, violent suburbs of New York City.

In this series, you're introduced to Marc Spector as a broken, friendless man, and you'll watch him rise once more with a vengeance as a harrowing specter in white (pun intended). This ain't your dad's Moon Knight, either; this Moon Knight is out for blood and violence. As he's getting back into the swing of things, the ghost of Khonshu—disguised as a faceless Bushman (explained in "The Bottom")—is at Marc's heels, attempting to mold him into a ruthless avatar. Marc also has to deal with some of the more pressing external matters at the time, such as the Marvel Universe's Civil War event and the Superhuman Registration Act (SRA) and their aftermath. Both factions of the Civil War make their appearances within this series, but I'll leave that story for Dan to cover just after this review section, so stay tuned!

Moon Knight's new lease on life means he's making a lot of waves, too. He has run-ins with other heroes and Norman Osborn's Thunderbolts throughout the series over his new attitude toward crime, and it all shows how much of a bad-ass Moon Knight really is. There are thirty issues total in this series, and even after Huston and Finch leave the creative team, it still proves itself one of the strongest and most popular runs in the character's history. You can buy it all in five collected volumes, and these are a must-have for any Moon Knight fan, new or old.

Sadly, that's Mac Gargan as Venom. A shame, as Moon Knight versus Eddie Brock as Venom would've been epic.

Now I'm going to turn this over to my partner in crime so he can give you the scoop and his thoughts on the second story arc and trade collection in this series, "Midnight Sun." Take it away, Dan!

A Shining Knight in the Dark 
Review by Dan

Huston's last arc on the series he started, "Midnight Sun" was a pitch black and sometimes comical journey through not only the nights of New York City, but also the damaged heart of Moon Knight as he tried to turn his back on Khonshu after refusing to spill more blood in his name. This wasn't the first arc I read on Moon Knight (we'll get to that soon), but it was the first concerning the character with which I clicked, psychologically speaking. Set during Marvel's Civil War event, the twisted reputation of the White Knight also really came to the surface as "Midnight Sun" nodded toward his inability to take a side—although not for the lack of trying.

The fugitive Captain America won't allow him to join the resistance because as much as Moon Knight's trying to turn away from all the killing, who knows whether he'll be able to? At the same time, Tony Stark won't even let him register under the SRA because his multiple personalities reek of psycho. Great, none of your friends want you around because you're a loon, so you're stuck in the crossfire without a pot to piss in. I can relate to that. That doesn't stop the White Knight from trying to have his way, though—caught between the moon and New York City. (See what I did there?) All the while, Khonshu is so pissed at him for refusing to kill that he has chosen to haunt Moon Knight as the ghost of Bushman, the mercenary whose face he carved off in a fit of rage, thus giving "Midnight Sun" that certain American Werewolf grisly-apparition-of-a-half-eaten-friend vibe.

The real reason I wanted to highlight "Midnight Sun" is Moon Knight's encounter with a certain Punisher. They're so alike that it's possible I got into Moon Knight because I've been a fan of Frank Castle for so long. During the Civil War, which I read before this series, Punisher joined the resistance only to be made to look a total idiot by writer Mark Millar. I wasn't happy at all. Millar should not be allowed near Frank Castle. The only benefit from that would be a consistent artist.

With regard to their modi operandi, Moon Knight and Punisher are very similar. They only kill when they have to, despite what Millar would have you believe. They mostly work alone, as they don't get along with others because what they do is unpleasant business. Being a killer really does put them on a completely different wavelength from other heroes. Wolverine is a loner and Black Widow tends to go home alone at night for the same reason, so it's not hard to understand. These dark heroes are damaged beyond repair. They have chosen and accepted their way of life, and yet their understanding of the most likely consequences for what they do is more frightening than the consequences themselves.

The story of "Midnight Sun" sees Marc struggle to go in the opposite direction of the Punisher even as Khonshu taunts him, and yet he is still starkly compared with the death-dealing vigilante. When one of his most prominent foes makes an appearance, he may have to go against his vow never to kill again!

What this story arc pointed out really well for me—inside and outside of the lengthy conversation Moon Knight and Punisher have—is that it's not just other characters that don't understand Moon Knight and the way he lives; it's a great deal of writers, too. Is it best to have a bad interpretation of someone else's character, or to bend that character to your will, providing you have a writer who doesn't quite qualify?

"Midnight Sun" wasn't just a reflection of Moon Knight's being or his fictional problems; it was also sort of reactionary to the shit that die-hard Moon Knight fans have suffered, and as a Punisher fan, I was on board with that. That is a huge part of Huston's legacy.

Also, having read so many great stories that suffered from terrible art, I was drawn in by Finch's incredibly dark and moody, yet descriptive, penciling. I'd be surprised if "Midnight Sun" wasn't a standout Moon Knight arc for so many other fans of the character.

Back with a Vengeance
Review by Orion

Toward the end of the third Moon Knight series, Marc had been pitted in a corner (metaphorically speaking) by Osborn's Thunderbolts as they hunted him down on the orders of the U.S. government due to his violations of the SRA. He had no other choice but to fake Marc Spector's (the identity) death and retreat to Mexico to lay low for a while. While "Down South" (as the story arc was called), Marc struggled with Khonshu's influence over him, paralleling his struggle to separate his killer instinct from his heroic life. When he finally learned to tell Khonshu "No" and take back control of his life, he decided that New York City desperately needed Moon Knight back. Moon Knight wouldn't return without vengeance on the man who chased him into hiding, however.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight follows directly after the third series and is perhaps my favorite series aside from the first two Essential volumes that depict Moon Knight as a goody two-shoes hero and not a bloodthirsty vigilante. (I love bloodthirsty, Huston-written Moon Knight the most, just to set things straight.) Only the last two issues of the ten-issue monthly limited series carried the "Heroic Age" banner on its cover. This signified the beginning of the Marvel comics era in which their superheroes were reemerging from the doom-and-gloom of the "Dark Reign" era that Osborn spearheaded with his Dark Avengers. If you ask me, however, I'd say the entirety of Vengeance of the Moon Knight signified Moon Knight's arrival to the "Heroic Age" well ahead of Marvel's schedule.

Gone was the über-violent, face-ripping, forehead-scarring vigilante of the previous series. Gone was the hero who settled for his place on the D-List. This new Moon Knight exploded onto the first pages of this new series with a new suit, new gear, and new vehicles, looking to make a name for himself and to prove Osborn wrong in chasing him out of Marc's own town. Khonshu still nagged at Moon Knight to serve bloody vengeance upon the deserving, but Marc would have none of it. Gradually, Khonshu's presence and voice became larger and louder the longer Marc ignored him, which accumulated to an interesting climax that Dan will discuss in the next section.

Overall, this series was just downright fun and a fresh breath of air from the dank swamp of gloom and gore in which Marc found himself suffocating. He managed to patch up relations with Marlene and Frenchie and went toe-to-toe with some of the Marvel Universe's colorful characters of the time, including a tense conversation with Sentry (who was a part of Osborn's Dark Avengers at that point), a fun battle against Deadpool, and a fateful crossing of paths with his newly-resurrected nemesis, Bushman. The short-lived series ended with a special crossover issue in which Moon Knight joins Steve Rogers' Secret Avengers (which I'll cover a little later). Vengeance of the Moon Knight might not have been as well written or exciting as its predecessor, but it's definitely second or third in my top favorite Moon Knight series and worth a read.

Now I'll hand you to Dan as he takes you briefly back into the shadows…

A Lone Avenger and His Cab
Review by Dan

Following the events of "The List" and "Siege," Osborn, the Dark Avengers, and H.A.M.M.E.R. are gone. Unexpectedly, Daredevil returns as champion and leader of ninja cult the Hand's New York chapter. Here stands Shadowland, where the battle for the soul of New York City will take place! In the place where Bullseye had blown up an apartment block full of people to spite him, Daredevil builds Shadowland to police the streets of Hell's Kitchen and let it be known that his means of justice has changed with the times—no longer content with the presence of the law or the likes of the Avengers. One night, when Bullseye escapes captivity and hunts Daredevil down, Avengers Luke Cage and Iron Fist witness Daredevil brutally slay Bullseye. The mood and Daredevil, too, begin to change in unexpected ways.

Enter New York cabbie Jake Lockley (one of Moon Knight's many personalities), who drives into Hell's Kitchen, steps out onto the street, and totals the crap out of his own car just to be captured by a ninja patrol and locked up in a dungeon built into the sewers. He does this at Steve Rogers's request in order to find out what's going on behind the walls Daredevil had built up around himself. Finding out that nothing is what it seems, Moon Knight escapes only to find that Daredevil has hired his most bitter enemy, the Profile (introduced in the third series as an enemy-turned-spiteful ally), to eliminate him from the equation. In turn, the Profile brings in the one man who could remove Moon Knight altogether: his psychotic brother, Randall Spector, a.k.a. Shadow Knight (formerly Hatchet-Man), and contender for the title of Fist of Khonshu!

In the major, cross-title story arc of "Shadowland," a veritable cast of heroes and villains were employed to bring Marvel readers not only a who's who of New York's street-level characters, but also a story meant to give credit to characters not often given a chance outside the pages of their own series. As a result, Moon Knight wasn't given much time here, but from the get-go I was intrigued. I was introduced to the character for the first time through this event. His story wasn't finished within the main Shadowland event-titled books and wouldn't be the final one in the major "Shadowland" arc. Instead, within the pages of his three solo books, Shadowland: Moon Knight, I found so much more than I bargained for.

You see, when I said that Moon Knight is an ambiguous character, I'm really not saying just how much. He is haunted by the spirit of Egyptian god Khonshu, who compels him to slay his enemies and spill their blood. At the same time he is trying to reject the demands of his master, refusing to kill anymore. This was all news to me, however, and I was easily sucked in.

It turns out that he might have to kill his own brother in order to prevent worse things from happening, which might seem easy when your brother is a murderous madman who would kill everybody you know and love. However, it's not that simple when you're clinging desperately to who you are and don't want to lose your soul. This is the reason Moon Knight has several personalities; as someone who has killed a lot of people, he must keep trying to redeem himself in order for Marc Spector, his true identity, to survive. He lives as Steven Grant now in order to separate himself from the monster he originally was. Without redeeming Marc, there is no telling what Moon Knight would become.

His dark and twisted character, the Carbonadium armor under the cape, and the nightmarish mask beneath the hood made him not just your average bad-ass character, but also one that stood out for all the right reasons, and quite originally. If Batman is the Dark Knight, this guy is the nightmare evil people don't wake up from!



This Fist Of Khonshu For Hire!
Review by Dan

Following the events of "Shadowland" was Heroes for Hire—this mostly straightforward feature, with Misty Knight (absolutely no relation) employing New York's heroes to take down crime operations all over the city. What nobody knows is that the whole operation is being overseen by the Puppet Master for his own sick and twisted purposes!

The majority of the series was based around Misty, Iron Fist, and Paladin, but with greater input from other characters than Shadowland allowed. When I got up to Moon Knight's part, I found this to be a lot more fun. Not only was Moon Knight given a lot of action to shine through, but you just don't know what you're going to get: violence and threats of breaking every bone in a man's body (in alphabetical order), or ticklish gallows humor like when he asks Misty for information on how to knock out a velociraptor and then just brutally skewers it like some sort of angry chicken satay-stick-making psycho person.


The artwork of Heroes for Hire was also beautiful, giving the reader great pleasure in reading despite its huge copout of an ending. Literally, the finale was Scooby-Doo-esque, but the comic was still a hell of a fun read up until then!

Good so far? You're more than half way done, guys! Kudos to everyone who's made it this far, but let's keep pushing to the end. We saved the best for last: video games, other comics worthy of honorable mentions, and Batman. Yes, the goddamn Batman! Drop a comment below on what you think about everything we've covered here, and read our series finale here!

Jhonen Vasquez, best known as the creator and writer behind Nickelodeon's cult hit animated series Invader Zim and the Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, Squee! and I Feel Sick comics, stopped by the Cartoon Hangover office to give an interview on the upcoming Bravest Warriors episode, "The Puppetyville Horror," airing Jan. 23.

Vasquez, who has recently collaborated with artists on Marvel's Strange Tales for a storyline about MODOK, and also DC Comics' Beyond the Fringe, joined the Bravest Warriors animated series after developer Breehn Burns asked him if he was interested in writing for the series.

"I didn't know if I was going to be good at it, 'cause like I said, I'm not really used to handling other people's characters," Vasquez said in an interview with Cartoon Hangover.

Bravest Warriors, created by Pendleton Ward (Adventure Time) and set in the year 3085, chronicles the surreal intergalactic adventures of four teenaged heroes-for-hire as they "warp through the universe to save adorable aliens" with the power of their emotions.

The 11-episode first season of the animated web series began airing in 2012 and won the Shorty Award for Best Web Show in 2013. Now in its second season on Cartoon Hangover's YouTube, new five-minute episodes air every Thursday at 4 pm. With over a million subscribers, Bravest Warriors has quickly captured the Internet and attracted the attention of manufacturers, who have developed an array of merchandise now sold at Hot Topic.


"I love a lot of back-and-forth dialogue," Vasquez mentioned in the interview. "I always worry that I will come in really fat on a script." His dark humor has certainly generated a large fan base whose members ask repetitively for the return of Zim or JTHM.

Last November, Vasquez announced his contribution to Bravest Warriors and shared a video still from the upcoming episode on Twitter and Tumblr.

"One of the things I wanted to do was have the Bravest Warriors act strangely, sort of break them out of their characters a little bit," Vasquez said, who warned fans that Catbug will not be in "The Puppetyville Horror." His first idea regarding writing the episode was to make the characters not act or speak like themselves.

Vasquez also pulled in voice actor Dana Snyder (the voice of Master Shake in Aqua Teen Hunger Force). "We needed someone who sounded like a jerk, and Dana does amazing jerks," Vasquez exclaimed.

Vasquez started his career shortly after high school when he published his comic Johnny the Homicidal Maniac through Slave Labor Graphics (SLG) Publishing, and went on to write the popular animated series Invader Zim. His other notable works include the JTHM spin-off comics Squee! and I Feel Sick, as well as the album art for Mindless Self Indulgence's "If." He also directed and produced the music videos for Mindless Self Indulgence's "Shut Me Up" and The Left Rights' "White."

You can watch Jhonen in the full interview below.


Additionally, during the San Diego Comic-Con International last year, Cartoon Hangover announced they had teamed up with Viz Media to publish Bravest Warriors comics under their new Perfect Square imprint, which you can find here.

Are you as equally excited to see what Jhonen Vasquez brings to Bravest Warriors? Post your opinions in the comment section below.

Cult favorite actor and director Bill Paxton is set to join hit TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D this spring!

In about four episodes, Paxton will be on board to play Agent John Garrett, a Marvel character introduced in the 80s by Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiwicz during their Elektra: Assassin series. As Joss Whedon himself explained Paxton's character:

"A rough and tumble former cohort of Agent Coulson, with a little bit of attitude and cigar-smoking swagger. When Garrett got his promotion to Level 7, he refused to sit behind a desk and doesn't like the formalities of S.H.I.E.L.D. He's going to help Coulson solve some mysteries and isn't afraid to rig an explosive or two."

Paxton, a veteran of the industry for over three decades, is no stranger to science fiction or fantasy, being fondly remembered as Private Hudson in Aliens, Chet from Weird Science, and Severen in modern vampire western Near Dark (it's a love story better than Twilight). He also proved himself an untypical albeit successful lead actor in the 90s before going on to become an effective director with the dark thriller Frailty. He returned to the genre that made him famous last year with the postapocalyptic horror The Colony and will also co-star in the impressive looking Tom Cruise sci-fi actioner Edge of Tomorrow.

What do you guys think about this? Personally, I just really want a stare-off between Garrett and Nick Fury right now...

"Look into my eye!"

Comment your thoughts below and thanks for reading!

One of the many changes to DC's New 52 Universe was the absence of several beloved characters. One of the top names on fans' lips since day one has been Wally West.

For the three of you who just started reading DC post-Flashpoint, Wally West was The Flash in the DC Universe from 1987 to 2011. During that seemingly short time, he gave the series a shot in the arm after decades of the straight-laced Barry Allen, who died during a universal crisis. Wally had allies from The Teen Titans, he had youthful ignorance, and readers got to watch him grow into a role of which he never felt worthy.

The Flash Annual #3 cover

A story from USAToday covering The Flash character has let the cat out of the bag that Wally West will finally be making his highly requested return to the comics pages (see him again in April 30th's The Flash Annual #3). However, several characters have appeared in The New 52 with drastic character design changes. The new Lobo, for example, took the rough and tough, built-like-a-truck "main man" and turned him into a skinny emo boy. The Golden Age Green Lantern, Alan Scott, was famously featured on Earth 2 as a gay philanthropist. Will Wally return as his former self or will DC capitalize on his return with a major twist? Often, changes can be welcome, Alan Scott's development was greeted with open arms. Over in Marvel, Flash Thompson losing his legs in battle was a drastic retcon that has some interesting, lasting effects in his fight as Venom.

Robert Venditti and Van Jensen will co-write The Flash with art by Brett Booth starting with The Flash #30 on April 23, 2014. They are replacing the long-standing Flash team of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, who began the series from #1.

Full cover, The Flash #30

Personally, I'm on Team Wally. I started reading comic books in 1989 and followed Wally through his career all the way to The New 52. I can't wait to check out his return. It will be the first DC book I've picked up since issues #12 all came out and I dropped DC altogether for the first time since I first started out.

I can't imagine anyone is TRULY on Team Barry…unless…are you? Discuss below!