All Hallow's eve H25 style

In the spirit of halloween, sweets and sugar-hyped kids, here at WWDD it seems only fitting that we address a day that is so obviously close to Doom's heart. The only time of year where he can roam freely without question of reproach!

To get myself in the mood I thought, nothing says halloween like 'Marvel Zombies' but I hate zombies and chickened out and in the hustle and bustle to come up with a good halloween read I came across a limited edition of 'Halloween: One Good Scare' by H25 Festival that I didn't even know I had! (fear...terror)

Hutchinson, Fielding and Hartman do all the right things for a fast paced panic filled story that leaves you really wondering "..have I ever been scared...really scared?".

What would doom do? He'd throw on his best Captain America costume, get his treat bag out and go in search of so Haribo.

Happy Halloween!

Hardcore is as Hardcore Does

Once again, thanks go out to Orbital Comics as I've been able to pick up a whole new range of titles to read that I didn't know even existed before due to my staggering ignorance when it comes to comics. So expect a whole slew of posts to be coming your way about what I think are the most amazing new things but you have all read years ago and no longer care about.

But first up we have Hardcore issue one, brought to us courtesy of Kirkman, Silvestri, Stelfreeze and Image. Even though it was solicited two years ago as a part of Top Cow's pilot season it has only just arrived on the shelves, and not even all shelves, so get it if you see it.

But what is it I hear you ask, well, its bound to be compared with The Matrix and Avatar due to the idea of taking your mind and putting it in another body, but its done in an ever so slightly more realistic fashion, just about. The do attempt to explain some of the science, which I always appreciate, helps make the believing easy if you have some funky made up science to go with it. And the story? Maybe not the most original or deep, but still fun. 

We have a man trapped inside a body that isn't his own while his real body is surrounded by traitors that are itching to kill him, and he knows it, yet he cant return without help. Oh and he only has 72 hours until the connection breaks down and he dies anyway. So I imagine its going to be a fairly fast paced story, no mopping about being all whiny, he's gotta get moving.

Now, since this is a comic, that means there is art. ow it took me a little while to get to like it since everyone appears to have been horribly disfigured, but once you get past that style issue it actually really works. Its the sort of angular sharp art that the story needs, lots of harshness and fast movement. It may not be to every ones taste, but just give it a go, its actually rather good.

And What Would Doom Do? He would read, enjoy and patiently wait for issue two while making a list of all the people he would like to be able to take over the bodies of for a day, and its surprisingly unperverted.

Battle of the Variants..

The battle has begun! With Marvel claiming that their variant covers are pretty damn successful, they have been met with the accusation of artificially inflating sales through their multitude of covers.

Variant covers of issues was a very popular practice during the Avengers vs X-Men series, and if i'm honest I found myself not only getting pretty confused about whether I was getting the right issue, but it also left me feeling pretty pissed off if I ended up with the cover art that I didn't want cause the other ones were all sold out!

I like to keep all my comics pretty ordered and 'in sync' so in the case of AvX, having covers that didn't match was pretty annoying (not that im OCD or anything)..so in that aspect I kinda wished that they'd just bore off...Until I came across the next set of variants that they've got geared up.

With Marvel NOW fast approaching, Marvel have stated that there will be an increased number of variants, and one that definitely caught my eye is the one they've got lined up for Young Avengers #. The original cover - pencilled by McKelvie, will be rivalled by the artwork of the one and only Bryan Lee O'Malley (Scott Pilgram)

Cover by McKelvie

Cover by O'Malley

I am absolutely LOVING this. It presents the YA as what they really are...young, fun teenagers. It says soooo much but yet gives away so little, and I will be majorly bummed if I miss out on getting O'Malley's variant cover!

Did I also add that i'll be getting the original too?

And what would doom do? he'd bloody well dig deep and make sure he had enough pennies to pick up both versions of this bad boy, and pray to himself that this is the only awesome variant that this title has to offer, otherwise Latervia will be in some serious debt...

Kate Kane..Woman of the hour?

I'm slowly making my way through DC's new 52 and getting to grips with who's who and as I mentioned last month, Kate Kane aka Batwoman, is definitely one to watch.

With no relation to Batman, aside from being an insanely wealthy, none powered vigilante, Kane character is one of many DC characters now 'breaking the fourth wall' (so to speak), reppin' a diverse society as a red headed, army brat lesbian. I'm still playing catch up, (as I threw myself in at #12) but thanks to the good people at Wikipedia and Orbital Comics, I think i'm almost there.


Batwoman #0 provided a great back story to Kane and it read very much like a dark Manhattan Noir film, which I thought was pretty awesome. Kane is beautiful, slick, strong but pretty damn damaged (hey who isn't), but this only adds to her strength as a Gotham city's latest Bat. By the end of the issue I felt pretty caught up on Kate herself although, still pretty lost about what the hell was actually going on...(being 11 issues behind will do that do a girl)

On to #13 and it's all getting a lot clearer and my favourite comic noir has brought in the big guns in the form of Wonder Woman and can I just say woah...sexual tension much? I get the feeling they're doing this on purpose. But either way Kate and Diana are looking set to kick some arse and take some names.


There search for Medusa takes them through some pretty stunning art work (Blackman)- including a double page spread of them in a maze. If you were confused, then imagine how they must have felt.

It really does feel like this is beginning to build into something, and i'm pretty intrigued to find out the end result. So until November 21st i'll keep catching up.

So what would doom do? He'd stick on his best detective hat and mac and set out into the mean streets of Gotham in search of his next fix of Batwoman.

The Iron 3

Like the rest of the geekdom universe (and then some), we are KEEN about the new Iron Man film! Yesterday they released the official trailer and all I can say is BOOM. I think the Iron Man instalments have been 2 of the best Marvel films so far (Spiderman 2 still holds my top spot...) and by the looks of it this will be joining the ranks!

Not gonna lie but I really think this could top my Spiderman 2 top spot as the ultimate Marvel film...I can feel it in my waters!! (yes, my waters) Robert Downey Jnr is looking awesome, and War Machine is looking like the ultimate DON (see what I did there)...2013 is shaping up to be a pretty marvel-filled year...

So what would doom do? He'd start preparing to evacuate Latveria with his tale between his legs, cause 2013's Iron Man 3 is about to rain a whole lot of hurt and awesomeness on his metal wearin' magic arse. There's only room for one metal head.

Arrow: Bullseye or Near Miss

First off, I would like to apologise for the post title, its horrific, I know, but anyway on to the actual topic, Arrow. The new Green Arrow TV series, the first episode has now been seen, so I assume the bitching and moaning can start.

To begin with I am briefly going to mention the inevitable comparisons that will be drawn between this and Smallville. Both have imposing mansions and sinister bald men, both seem to have somewhat similar styles and both have leading male characters that put the rest of us 'normal' males to shame. Seriously I could barely look at myself in the mirror after seeing Stephen Amell, but this is only the pilot with plenty of room for it to develop,and I for one am looking forward to it.

For a pilot this was very good, well put together, already an engaging (if somewhat cliché  but then again what do you expect?) story that holds a lot of promise, coupled with some very impressive and well shot action sequences. Its exciting, just the right mix of violence intimidation and humour, whether intentional or not, for example, the line Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) delivers to Walter Steele (Colin Salmon) over dinner, superb. Also, COLIN SALMON!!!!! About time we saw some more of him, surely with his presence alone we have great promise for the show, we could certainly have a hit here.

I certainly think it benefits from being a little more gritty than previous hero based series have been, tends to add a bit more realism don't you think? It is by no means perfect, but then again what show is *cough* Firefly *cough*. However, it was enjoyable, it didn't drag by, it seemed well paced enough, but we will see if they can keep that up in future episodes. To give too much praise or criticism now would I feel be premature  the show has quite literally only just begun, what I will say is that it is worth seeing, and that I have high hopes for future episodes, a lot of work seems to have gone into it and I think that will pay off. 

So, is it a bullseye or a near miss? Well I'm going to annoy you all and say it was a near bullseye, but enough about me, What Would Doom Do?

Doom would watch, with a steady gaze and stern expression, then write a reminder on a post it note about the next episode and stick it on the fridge, along with with the gas bill, yeah, that really should be paid. 

They beat the crap out of Robin?!

Well obviously my first reaction was "Who the hell bitch slapped Robin?!"...and oddly enough that was all it took for me to buy Danger Club #4.

I'm pretty new to the work of Landry Walker and Eric Jones, but if this series is anything to go by then I am more than happy to get well acquainted. Without giving too much away (it REALLY is something you need to read for yourself!) This series pretty much takes Kick Ass and Lord Of The Flies, throws them in a big pot and stirs it up until it's over flowing with awesomeness.

It is dark right from the premise, set 3 months after the earth's mightiest heroes have all disappeared (presumed dead) in search of an intergalactic threat, leaving behind only their teenage sidekicks to defend the earth. But like all teenage-run societies, it is pretty much hell. Instead of banding together they are against each other, with the most powerful among them declaring himself their savoir and demanding loyalty.

Issue 1 kicks off with a small group of renegades plotting to overthrow the mini dictator and that's when it gets pretty fucking awesome. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the pages...the gruesomeness of it all is almost unbelievable! Not that gruesome bothers me, but the fact that these are all teenagers, kids who are so lost, and sad, that killing each other without any thought is one of the only releases. But this aspect is definitely my favourite if I'm honest and crude.

In every issue so far the double page spreads are the centrepiece to amazing scenes, and not just fighting, there's some cosmic shiz in there too that really doesn't disappoint. I can honestly say that by the end of each issue I constantly find myself saying "Huh? but that's not meant to happen?! What comes next?!". There have only been 4 issues so far and I really am thinking that a fairy tale ending seems impossible for these teenagers - especially the main protagonist Kid Vigilante. 

I can't express how exciting this series is already, and the first issue is definitely one of my favourite opening titles since the Young Avengers (I'm noticing a theme here...) It's smart writing, violent, awesome art and a humorous homage to superheroes past and present (we've even got ourselves a teenage Nick Fury and a withered Captain America!)

But what I particularly love is the detail of story telling by Walker and Jones. They work perfectly together to narrate and visualise harmony and disharmony simultaneously...which is rather..odd.
At the beginning of each issue we are presented with (an old comic style) opening page, and everything that Walker and Jones are attempting to tell us can be seen right here.We see a world that was once colourful, and full of heroes and friends who once helped each other, now turning on one another. This contrasts greatly with the story that lays ahead, and even more amazingly with the cover art and I bloody love it.

Danger Club is one of a few awesome titles comin' straight otta Image Comics at the moment - including Saga (Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples) and i'm very excited for  Eric Stephenson and Nate Bellegarde's forthcoming title Nowhere Men Nov. 2012). I'm very happy to say that my head is well and truly out of the Marvel/DC arse.

Saga

Nowhere Men

So, what would doom do? he'd start investing in some Latveria shares...how else will he fund this serious Image Comics habit that's about to take hold.

Marvel NOW! Point One: A collection of my thinky things

Well, its been bought, its been read, its been mulled over and thoroughly thought through.
So here are my rash and entirely irrational thoughts on Point one and the teasers contained within.

The framing sequence (or the stuff with Fury and Coulson) is good, solid art work with decent writing and lots of questions raised. Plus we get to see a badass Coulson, fantastic. Looking forward to more of Fury and Coulson and their crazy, frolicking fun.

Next up is the Star Lord introduction, yes, I will definitely be picking this up. I've been a long time fan of Peter Quill and I'm very interested in seeing how this develops and seeing Bendis' and McNiven's handling of the character, considering the last time they worked together we got the Sentry, I'm excited to see what happens. Plus the artwork is pretty, always a plus, thank you Mr McNiven. I think we have a top selling run here, I'm very excited to see how the Guardians of the Galaxy turn out, I was a fan of them before, and I hope to be a fan of them again, with a start like this, I think I will be. Over to you Bendis

Nova, no, sorry but no. I think it may be that I'm still biased towards Richard Rider, I don't seem able to move on from DnA's Nova and the Annihilation wave and War of Kings and all that cosmic awesomeness  I cant see myself picking up this new Nova, I didn't connect with him immediately as I did with Rich. And no Worldmind?! maybe this is still to come, but still.... It also felt like it was pandering to a younger audience, both in terms of writing and artwork. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that, but its just not for me, though I will still keep an eye on how it develops, maybe it can win me over.

Young Avengers/Miss America, again similar complaints as with Nova, but I will reserve judgement on this one till we see the rest of the team and let things develop a little. Young Avengers have a great selection of characters and relationships and I am a fan of Kieron Gillen ( did you see his work with Uncanny X - Men? Wow), so I'll probably be picking up the next few issues of this to see how things go. And I'm sure my co-contributor will agree, its not Young Avengers till we have Wiccan and Hulkling there.

Ant man, this is an odd one, really not to  sure what to make of it. Did I enjoy it? I think so. Do I love the work of Matt Fraction? Yes I do. Did I like the Artwork of Michael Allred? It's growing on me, it reminds me of the Golden Age, I may grow to love it, or hate it, only time will tell. I think this could be a slow burner, I'll be keeping an eye on it, and I suggest you do the same.

Cable and X-force, this is a definite yes, mostly because I love Forge, but still seems awesome to me. We had Forge fixing his own brain?! How can you not love it already? so far its been very well put together, and I particular like the Cable reveal at the end, thank you Sir Gabriel Hernandez Walta. Really looking forward to seeing the future of this one, very excited to see the introduction of the other characters. And I have no idea the direction the story will take, you never can tell with Cable, so even if its terrible at least it'll be fun finding out.
Gotta love some X-force.







What Would Doom Do?
Why, go read it again of course, then make a note of all the release dates for the titles he is most looking forward to, which just so happen to be the same as my favourites, me and Doom, sitting in a tree....

Uncanny Avengers #1......Meh

So, I've read Uncanny Avengers issue one, and as the title post says, meh. I didn't hate it, but neither did I love it. Did it feel like a brand new series, a paradigm shifting issue? No, it just felt like another issue except with a 1 on the front. Though it is still of course early on, I'm sure that as things continue I'll become far more enthralled by it. Perhaps I had just built it up far too much, after all the line up is fairly interesting, a new combination of heroes that we haven't really seen working together before. Both in terms of power sets and relationships.

Though I don't want to give you the impression that I didn't enjoy it, I did, its worth a read just for the few excellent moments, the last page for example did have me a little speechless, and the image of Captain America flying away with his legs spread? Priceless, an image that will  stay with me for years to come. Yes, the issue itself didn't fill me with joy like others have, but while not in itself the most impressive thing I've read, it has started laying the groundwork for what could be some really fun and captivating stories.

Now, as for the artwork, I like it, I like it a lot. Its clean and clear, not over done or too gritty, we don't have any over muscled steroid pumped heroes, instead we have some true comic artwork that shows people as they might actually be, just the right mix of reality and fantasy. Which I feel is also reflected by the writing, with characters admitting to the reality of their situation  such as Captain America admitting that they didn't do enough to help mutants. What we have here, I feel, is a slightly more grounded Marvel comic book, whether they keep their feet on the ground remains to be seen. But I certainly do like the combination of Remender and Cassaday, if they continue like this then I fear I may be writing angry letters to them if they attempt to split up, its not all about you two, think of the readers! Think of the readers!!

And What Would Doom Do?  He would calmly enjoy it, he would also add it to his pull list as he has seen the future and knows that big things are just around the corner. Big things. Just around the corner. He also has a soft spot for Havok so for that reason alone will be buying every issue.

Buffy Season 9? Say whattt?

In only a matter of months, Buffy season 9 will launch onto our screens! So to speak. Following on from the awesomeness that is Season 8, today Dark Horse Comics announced that they would be publishing the Buffyverse Sampler! (January 23rd 2013) to jump start us on to Season 9

Now i'm a Buffy nut, like mega...it's been a part of my life for too long now and i've loved every obsessive minute of it. But i'm not gonna lie, I was late starting on to the comics. Part of me wanted to leave it where it ended in Season 7. Continuing it completely through comics made me feel like it would become 'unattainable'. There was something about seeing this girl on TV actually living and breathing and going to high school- nowhere near popular but oh yeh fighting these vampires and demons- that made it so accessible and all the more real....I felt that taking it solely to the comics would make it so outlandish (anything goes) that it would become detatched....

But I got over myself, read Season 8 and loved it up so all was well. So then I was VERY pleased to hear about Season 9, and this sampler is the perfect way to get new fans up to speed and thrown into all the stories in the Buffyverse, especially as there are a lot of crossovers and it can get very confusing.

The sampler will be the perfect addition to what I hope will be an awesome series.

So what would doom do? Doom would stop cowering in his Marvel cave and jump on a dark horse, ride down to Sunnydale where he'd shake hands with Joss Whedon and make sure he got a signed copy of this sampler.

Antman is awesome.

From the tales of the sea to the microscopic wonders of the earth where we find the compardres of one of the Marvel Earth's Mightest Heroes...but also one of the most forgotten...Ant-Man.

 I'm not talking Eric O'Grady of even the great (not so late anymore) Scott Lang...but the one that started it all. Hank Pym.

As one of the founding members of the Avengers (why do people forget...him and Wasp were pretty much first on the scene!) Pym has always been a massive favourite of mine. This can be considered rather controversial considering his rather bumpy ride through his Marvel career- from the treatment of the his wife Janet Van Dyne, to single handedly creating one of the Avengers greatest foes (with obvious daddy issues) Ultron.

But on the plus side, you could say there has been some method to his madness. Ultron = Vision = loving up Wanda = William & Thomas = Billy (Wiccan) and Tommy (Speed) from the Young Avengers (can always loop everything together)

Every genius has his pitfalls, and Pym is no exception to this

So what makes Hank Pym so awesome?

Despite his obvious multiple personality disorder and complete and utter lack of self worth (displayed by his stints as Giant-Man, Yellow Jacket, Goliath and to an extent Wasp 2), he has remained consistent in his loyalty towards his team.

Pym has always tried to do what he thought was best for humanity. His choice to side with Stark and Richards during the Civil War (yeh I still live in the past and consider this his greatest offense. oops) came from a good place. He was determined to make amends for his wrongs but also save society from the 'monsters' that he knew superheroism could create. And who can forget his attempt to help young mutants and superheroes become the best they can be without veering into villainy through the Avengers Academy.

So FINALLY Pym could be making it to the big screen! An Ant-Man film has been in talks for years, and earlier this year, Edgar Wright finally plucked the sword from the stone when he released an Ant-Man themed teaser. And yesterday the film finally received a release date (yes!)

However, they've always been clear that the film would probably be based around Scott Lang (lets be honest now, it does kinda make for a more interesting sorry...but that also means Cassie and potential for a YA film?! or am I getting ahead of myself?!) But Wright has stated that he would like to pay homage to the great Hank Pym. So we can definitely expect to be seeing him for at least a 3rd of the film. However, it is still unclear as to whether or not my favourite genius will be making an appearance in Avengers 2.

Painting (c) What Would Doom Do

I for one will be a happy hank girl waiting in the ranks for his first Marvel NOW appearance.

So What Would Doom Do? Doom would gather up all the Hank Haterz and send them to work in the cold dark pits of Latveria whilst he sat back chillin with some Pym particles.

Hank Pym, saving lives since 1962

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? I hope so

You're all semi intelligent beings so I am just going to assume you've all heard of Philip K. Dick's master work Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep, the less well read of you may know it better as the film Blade Runner (though some may argue they are two entirely different stories).

Well, procrastinator that I am have only just got around to picking up Dust to Dust, Boom! Studios prequel to the aforementioned novel brought to us courtesy of Chris Roberson and Robert Adler. Though I also feel Orbital Comics deserves a small mention here since it was thanks to them that I was able to pick up the entire series at once, and a steal at only a £1 per issue, so I thoroughly recommend popping in if your in central London at any time, not only do they have all the current titles they also have an extensive back catalogue which is a pleasure to browse, not to mention the lovely, very friendly, very attractive and never pushy people that work there.

 But anyway, back to dust to dust, as mention it is a prequel to DADOES but you'll find there to be plenty for readers familiar with the work and those who have never heard of it. It works very well as a stand alone series due to the great story and beautifully fitting art work, I've only just started but am already hooked, there are androids, empaths, dust and even a cute little bunny. Its very easy to read, and the artwork just helps pull you along, its not as polished as some of the titles you may be used to, but this works, it works very well. Due in part to the story and world itself, its not a polished place and the artwork really reflects this. Its also refreshing to read a comic that looks like a comic and not a photoshop portfolio.

For those of you familiar with the novel we also get a glimpse at the beginnings of Mercerism, the war the androids fought in and a myriad of other nods and cheeky sidelong glances. It is unmistakeably a precursor to the exploits of Rick Deckard and a rewarding one at that. It also keeps the tradition of being very 'deep', with musings about life and emotion. What we have here is a comic book prequel that, dare I say it, Philip K. Dick himself would have been very proud of, its in keeping with the tone of the original, without just being a copy.

I recommend it, but What Would Doom Do? He would read this so hard it would be obliterated into tiny pieces forcing Doom to travel back in time to stop himself from reading it so hard so he can read it again. 

Avengers VS X-Men : A Loser’s story

After having it in my possession for over a week, I finally got round to reading the closing issue of Avengers VS X-Men. Why did I wait so long? Was it because I was too sad to see the story end? Was I not ready to see Hope finally accept her destiny? Was I attempting to delay the inevitably of the Scarlet Witch finally finding redemption for her “mutant genocide”.

Of course not.

The simple reason was that after all the hype I couldn’t bring myself to read what was sure to be a very unfulfilling and predictable end to an unfulfilling and predictable series. Harsh you say? Maybe. I guess I should focus on what went right with the series:

Iron Fist had some pretty sweet moments: 
Especially in the final Issue...one young Danny Rand finally earned his place on the Avengers mantle...but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before he goes berserk and puts that Iron Fist in the wrong place...

Mutant life was restored: 
Yes, one Wanda Maximoff managed to restore mutant life with the utterance of “No More Phoenix”...and with that the golden bird was gone, and its life force scattered - returning the powers of mutants all around the world.

A good set up to Marvel NOW:
Loose ends were tied up and nearly all the major marvel players were involved...exactly what you need before embarking on a new series.

But the amazing lead up to this one moment, (provided by my faves Jimmy Cheung and Allan Heinberg in [Young] Avengers: Children’s Crusade ) was somewhat deflated I felt...

So what was so wrong with it?

This shit just got real:
I found myself really comparing this series to real life, in other words ‘normality’ vs ‘difference’, this really would be a sociologists dream. I was quite confused by the idea of Cap and his band of superpowered heroes (but human let’s not forget) ‘waging war’ on those who were ‘different’ – Cyclops and his band of mutants. The Avengers became the very people that the X-Men have fought so hard against. It seemed all too like “Lets eradicate the ‘mutant threat’ by destruction and control”. And it’s safe to say that by issue 2 I was very much on the side of the X-Men.

Inconsistencies:
I’m a massive fan of Jim Cheung (who did the cover art for the main series) and although I knew that he didn’t illustrate the issues, I thought the calibre of the artwork would be off the scale...no offence to Romita...I just wasn't feelin it...although Kubert did a great job with the final issues. I felt the writing was great, but just didn't gel well with the art.

     Scarlet Witch who?:
All the hype and she was barely the eye candy of the main series which is a damn shame. Let’s be honest now, as per usual Cap and Iron Man were the stars of this show...Cho did a great job with AvX #0...Wanda looked ah-MAZING but she was definitely overshadowed.

    Heroes on the run: 
Umm, i'm pretty sure that Cyclops, Colossus, Namor, Majik, Emma Frost have saved the world like countless times...so what if they made a tiny little "let's erase the world and start again" mistake...who hasn't? I mean look at Iron-Man and Cap...Civil War and a few dead superheroes much? Talk about forgive and forget...

So what would Doom do? he'd have eaten the Phoenix for breakfast and worn Cyclops' silence of the lambs-esque shackles like a crown.

Nova, what else do you need to know?

Richard Rider, The Human Rocket, Bucket Head, Nova Prime, in short the legend that is Nova.

Now here is a character that has seen some changes, permanent changes, not those easily reversible changes that happens to the Earth bound heroes of the Marvel universe. You should see his conversation with Iron Man regarding the whole civil war thing. Also, a character to have one of the best series known to man spinning out of the Annihilation saga (which if you haven't read yet you really should) both of which come courtesy of that beautiful pairing of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. (I may have mentioned something about them previously...)

We have a man, who previously wasn't much of a player, he could fly about and shoot some stuff, but then that all changed he got hyped up, given a new costume, bombarded with tragedy and personal conflict and thrown out to the farthest reaches of the universe, not just ours either. The things he goes through, we go through, and he actually has a human reaction to the tragedy that surrounds him, he doesn't just shake it off. And it is this small detail that allows the reader to connect far more with him than you may have thought going in. Nova the boy became the Nova the man, and through both the Annihilation run and his spin off series we got to see this transformation. In all its beautifully drawn detail. Seriously, not a single bad looking panel from start to climax, at least that seems to be the case to my untrained eye.

I know, I know, you want me to give details, to tell you what happens, to be specific, but I just cant. Not because I don't want to, but because you need to read it for yourself. You really need to read it, it is, in my opinion at least, one of the finest comic books of recent years, it shows how truly cosmic Marvel can be. It has everything, violence, bugs, superpowers of a cosmic scale, humour, a bucket shaped helmet, unbelievable team ups, true tragedy, surprises and even sex. Yep, ole' Richie goes and gets the girl, or to be more accurate the deadliest woman in the universe goes and gets him.

What Would Doom Do you ask? He would read this series so hard it would melt in his hands, then start drawing Nova and writing his name in a girly school crush kinda way. I encourage you to do the same. What's the worst that could happen?

Who the hell are the Young Avengers?

I've been waiting to do a Young Avengers (The 2005 brainchild of Allan Heinberg and Jimmy Cheung) post for a while, but since the end of Children's Crusade (which is AMAZING by the way...go and read it, like now...whilst you're at it start from Young Avengers #1) it's all gone quiet, and we were all left waiting to know what would be next for our favourite young heroes.
Well today that question was finally answered.

With all the hype around Marvel NOW! starting to build, today Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie broke the silence and have finally brought them back to life! But not as we know it...This is the NEW Young Avengers...and i'm not quite sure how I feel about that to be honest.

The Young Avengers are my favourite characters/team on the Marvel roster, I literally love them, and i've followed their journey pretty much from start to end.

The team (without any spoilers for you YA newbies) of Wiccan (Billy Kaplan), Hulking (Theodore Altman), Iron Lad (Nathaniel), Patriot (Elijah Bradley) and later Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Vision (Jonas), Stature (Cassie Lang - daughter of Scott Lang, Antman II) and Speed (Thomas Shepherd) are teens aged 15-17, trying to juggle normal, awkward teenage life with the thralls of superherohood. But perhaps the most intriguing bit is that they all have special links to the Avengers of past and present. (dun, dun DUN!)

The amazing artwork of Cheung (whom I had the pleasure of meeting and babbling to at London's Super Comic Convention) and awesome writing of OC guru Heinberg are pretty much perfect. They completely capture the tone of the young teens and manage to balance the humour and trials of teenage-hood with the complications of heroism.

There are tears, tantrums, AWESOME revelations and plenty of sarcasm, making Heinberg's and Cheung's Young Avengers some of the strongest (characterwise), interesting and engaging Marvel characters to date. And I bloody love them. I can't express how strong the story for these guys is, and its definitely something to add to your collection, especially Young Avengers #1-12 and Avengers: Children's Crusade #1-9

Flash forward to 2012 (although only 5 months on from the last issue of the YA) and my favourite squad appear to be making a return...but whilst Wiccan, Hulkling and Hawkeye have remained, Speed, Patriot, Vision and Stature are nowhere to be seen (although readers of YA will know why Vision and Stature are unimportant to this heh). Instead, they are joined by Miss America (basically Patriot with long hair and boobs), Marvel Boy (Nor-Varr...last seen in YA /Runways: Civil War...but basically a Kree version of Speed...even sporting the white hair) and a young Loki.

Now, whilst I am more than excited for the return of the Young Avengers i'm keen to know what this means for the characters that have already been developed...will the same relationships remain? will Patriot be returning and most importantly will Speed play any role in this new line up?! Is there even any room for him now?! He's a personal favourite of mine (and many others) and very integral (kinda) to the story of the YA as well as Wiccan! Only time will tell...and i'm more than willing to give Gillen and McKelvie a chance...but they're really not giving anything away...especially with the reveal of 2 pages from Young Avengers #1...

I felt that this team was strong enough as it was, although the final issue of Childrens Crusade did leave you thinking "what's next...", and with pretty much all the questions answered and mysteries solved (not including obvious plot holes...), was CC #9 the unofficial ending for my favourite team??

So this is the next chapter for the Young Avengers...let's see what you got Gillen and McKelvie...

What Would Doom Do? he'd weep into his pillow ruing the day that he ever crossed the Young Avengers...but maybe he'd give this reboot chance...for a little while atleast.



RIP my Young Avengers?