The movie stars Nicolas Cage (Ghost Rider), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (McLovin from Superbad), and newcomer Aaron Johnson in the titular role. Though the movie is still more than five months away (April 16, 2010), buzz is starting to generate for the film.

If you want to give the comic a go, get your order in for Kick-Ass #8, as it promises to . . . well . . . kick ass.

Mark Millar and Steve McNiven bring us one of the most exciting Wolverine stories ever! The bad guys won. They banded together and the heroes fell and the villains have been calling the shots ever since. What happened to Wolverine is perhaps the biggest mystery of all.

For 50 years, no one has heard hide nor hair from him, and in his place stands an old man called Logan. A man concerned only about his family. A man pushed to the brink by the Hulk Gang. A man forced to help an old friend–the blind archer, Hawkeye–to drive 3,000 miles to secure his family’s safety.

Get ready for the ride of your life, Logan!

If you only pick up one Wolverine graphic novel this October/November, make it Old Man Logan.

Have you been reading the single issues as they’ve come out? Are you as stoked to sit down with this book and read it from start to finish as I am? Let us know below.

“The story begins with what appears to be Iron Man attacking a small village in Russia,” says co-writer Marc Guggenheim of Iron Man vs. Whiplash #1, out November 4. “He wipes out women and children. The whole town, basically, including the father of our eventual antagonist, inventor Anton Vanko.”

“Vanko counter-attacks and damages some of the armor, which he eventually fashions into his own set of weaponry which he hopes to use to enact payback. Meanwhile, Tony Stark is prosecuted by the International Criminal Court.”

The ICC prosecutes despots and war criminals, guaranteeing a story set on a large global scale. And in-continuity. Guggenheim also assures readers that Stark’s plate quickly fills up with a bit more than he can chew, thanks to the series’ far-ranging view.

“Tony is in Montana on the job when he’s arrested by none other than the Crimson Dynamo and the Red Guardian, who are sent on a bilateral mission to arrest Iron Man for the attack on the Russian village,” he says.

Iron Man fans will remember the original Whiplash, one of Iron Man’s very first foes from his early days as a super hero. Iron Man vs. Whiplash introduces a very different man who wears the name – and who poses a very particular, very personal threat to everyone’s favorite billionaire industrialist.

“Anton has no connection to the previous Whiplash,” Guggenheim explains. “Eagle-eyed readers might wonder if he has a familial connection to Ivan Vanko, the original Crimson Dynamo, but that’s really a story for another time.”

“As for the threat he poses to Tony…he blames Tony for the death of his father and the destruction of his entire village, including his friends and neighbors. And he’s determined to use Tony’s own technology as the tools of his revenge.”

In terms of powers and abilities, the new Whiplash represents a man who learns from his enemies and possibly even improves on their own weapons.

“What makes this version of Whiplash especially deadly is the fact that his technology comes from Tony Stark’s Iron Man tech,” says Guggenheim. “So it’s an even match, power for power, strength for strength. But Vanko is motivated by vengeance and that’s the added element, the x-factor – can I say that in a non-mutant book? – that gives him an edge over Tony.”

Tony Stark and Anton Vanko aside, one of the greatest participants in Iron Man vs. Whiplash might very well be Guggenhiem’s co-writer on the series – producer Brannon Braga, of “24″ fame.

“Brannon brings an incredible mind for all things action and sci-fi – as his work on ‘24′ and the ‘Star Trek’ franchise demonstrates,” he notes. “Honestly, for me, it’s like working with a legend. We have a really easy-going style, just batting ideas around back and forth.”

“And I have to say, he’s picked up the art of comic book writing a million times faster than anyone has a right to. It’s truly frightening to watch how he’s absorbed the form like a sponge. It’s humbling, actually. The guy is just that smart.”

You can check out all the action this November in Iron Man vs. Whiplash #1 – neck braces optional!
——

The first two issues of the Iron Man vs. Whiplash mini series are available for pre-order and will be the perfect way to get you psyched up for Iron Man 2 in theatres May 7, 2010.

Invincible #67  continues to test my patience with the series, as two Invincible-free issues in a row have Invincible’s on-again-off-again-villainous father (currently off-again) and hard-to-take-serious Allen the Alien gathering the troops for the final battle with the Viltrumite Empire. While that battle will surely be harrowing and violent like every other big conflict in this series, the lead up has been buddy-movie light. Coupled with Robert Kirkman’s tendency to write overexpository dialogue, the goofiness and lack of action have made the past two issues a bore.

Amazing Spider-Man #609 continues the mostly meh “Catching Up With the Clones” storyline (my name for it, not theirs). Revisiting a lousy storyline to see what has become of the second-rate supporting cast is a bit like watching the deleted scenes on a DVD–good for satisfying curiosities, sure, but you never expected them to be very good. But there is still time for this arc to pick up, and it hasn’t changed the fact that the series as a whole has been really good since the One More Day messphisto. And considering developments in Dark Avengers, we may be getting closer to resolving some of the fan grief over that storyline. Maybe.

And now, in the immortal words of M. Night Shamayalan: The Twists!

The Invincible Iron Man #19, the final chapter in “World’s Most Wanted,” seems to set up the reunion of the core Avengers trio–Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor. The only problem is that Tony Stark is little more than a vegetable after wiping his brain of all it’s secrets about Stark-tech armor and superhero registered identities. This 9-part storyline by Matt Fraction and Sal Larroca helped make this comic the 2009 Eisner award-winner for best new series, and it kept The Invincible Iron Man entrenched in the fallout of the various Marvel events of the past few years: The evil star of Dark Reign, Norman Osborn, enjoying the fruits of his post-Secret Invasion power grab, has been hunting down Tony Stark, as Stark races around the world meticulously eliminating any lingering bits and bytes of data from his armor safe houses and his own brain, all to keep Osborn from getting his hands on the superhero registration data from Civil War. And Civil War is what tore the original Avenging trio apart. So it was nice to see all of the big event ingredients come together in the end, as veggie-brained Stark plays his final hand against Osborn, calling in a favor that gives Doctor Donald Blake–shown in an undisclosed location with the new Bucky Barnes Captain America (who got the shield and suit from Stark and has been romancing regular Iron Man co-star the Black Widow) at his side–power of attorney over Stark. Donald Blake is the secret identity of this guy:

With Bucky Cap leading the New Avengers and the real Cap, Steve Rogers, in the process of a rebirth, look for the Caps , Thor, and Iron Man to work out any past issues, bring the rest of the New Avengers up to speed, and take on Osborn and his Dark Avengers head on.

That is, if the Dark Avengers can make it out of their current plight. The Marvel Heroes mayfind themselves having to save Osborn and company instead!

Dark Avengers #10 saw the other, bigger twist in the Dark Reign saga. Norman Osborn may be the big bad of the Marvel Universe, but that just means his villains have to be that much badder. First, his team had a drawn out battle with Morgan LaFey that saw them teaming with Doctor Doom and travelling through time. Now Normy and his team seem to have stumbled upon a cabal of villains a step above those in Norman’s own evil Illuminati group. Investigating the strange goings on in a small town in Middle America, the entire Dark Avengers team seems to have been neutralized by a super villain who hasn’t been seen for some time, but who played a huge role in the orignal Marvel epic event–Secret Wars. And with all the allusion to that event in the various titles of Dark Reign architect Brian Bendis’s other events that got us to this point (Secret War [singular] kicked off the hero divide that spilled into a Civil War, which unfolded into a Secret Invasion), is it a stretch to think he’s steering us back to where it all began? Rich at Comic by Comic had this all worked out (almost) more than a week ago.

So Molecule Man is back–and he has supernatural villains from various corners of the Marvel Universe at his side. The one that stands out the most to me, and promises a brand new day for a new chapter in Dark Reign (or maybe just the next companywide event) is Mephisto. If he and the others revealed at the end of DA #10 aren’t some sort of illusion, expect everything from Spider-Man’s marriage to the Hood’s powers to the alternaverse army of Doctor Dooms revealed in the recent Fantastic Four  to fold into an event bigger than anything Marvel has done before. The BIGGEST EPIC COMIC EVENT OF ALL TIME!!!

Okay, maybe that’s an overstatement. But it could be cool.

Haunt of Horror presents a collection of classic tales re-imagined by legendary horror artist Richard Corben.

First, it’s Edgar Allan Poe as you’ve never seen him before. Classic Poe stories and poems are transformed into weird and disturbing new comic-book fantasies, with the original Poe texts printed alongside the new tales as an added bonus. It’s a frightening new presentation of Poe-inspired murder, madness and monstrosities!

Then, Corben brings you a bold new interpretation full of eerie new spins on the poems and short stories of H.P. Lovecraft. Each adaptation is beautifully rendered in black and white with gray tones as only Corben can do it – along with a printing of the original source text by H.P. Lovecraft.

Not too shabby, right? Want more? How about picking it up for just $20? Done. Today only, and while supplies last, you can pick up a copy for $20 bucks.

Check out other cool horror stuff on our Horror Month page.

And now I’m left trying to figure out who I’d want to see cast as The First Avenger: Captain America.

The word on the street is that the movie is going to be Cap’s origin as a runt kid volunteering to become a World War II super soldier, so it will be a period piece or, if it is set in modern times, it will be heavy on the WWII flashbacks. It’s speculation at this point whether the movie will touch on plot points such as the U.S. military testing the super soldier serum on guinea pig black soldiers (from Marvel’s Truth: Red, White, and Black mini), which could create an interesting context for all those rumors about Will Smith being considered for the role of Cap (he just wouldn’t be Steve Rogers). There’s also no official word on how much if any of the plot will involve SHIELD or Iron Man or, as it happened in the comics, Namor the Sub-Mariner fishing a frozen-in-ice Captain America out of the ocean and thawing him out to become a modern-day Avenger (though it’s probably a safe bet the movie will at least get us up to the moment, even if the whole reawakening bit doesn’t play out until the actual Avengers movie).

The casting of Steve Rogers may need to cover two roles: the scrawny kid with a big red, white, and blue heart and no chance of passing his army physical, and the genetically-enhanced super man that he is tranformed into–the ultimate blond-haired, blue-eyed Nazi ideal ironically engineered to kick those Ratzis up and down Europe, while en route to popping Hitler one on the jaw. Cap will need to look like he was injected with super soldier serum–big, muscular, imposing. Before that, he’ll need to look like a sunken-chested twerp. I suppose it is possible that technology can make it so we’re always looking at the same actor’s face, even if a stand-in needs to play the body of pre-serum Steve.

I believe in the comics Steve Rogers is from Brooklyn, but one change they should make for the movie is to make him more of an all-America boy from the heartland. He can always move to New York when he’s older (and discover his inner cartoonist, just like in the comics), so such a change shouldn’t be a problem to anyone. This consideration has more to do with an actor’s ability to play country mouse over city mouse, more than it has to do with the actor’s look.

And even though we tend to think of Cap as older–mainly because he’s got the midset of all the other Marvel heroes grandfather–he’d be a kid in this origin story. Thirty-plus-year-old men don’t generally enlist in the military. Steve is going to be 18, 19, maybe 20, to start things off. Even if the story has him in the military for years, he won’t be more than 20-something by the time he winds up in ice. Casting that is going to be tricky. The best bet will be to cast someone young enough to pull off a clean-shaven, bright-eyed 20, but who can then man up convincingly enough to ultimately wind up as the man barking orders at Tony Stark and the God of Thunder in the Avengers. But you can’t just cast Jon Hamm or Matthew McConaughy or any other actor pushing 40 who have been suggested.

So who can be our Star-Spangled Avenger? Here are a few possibilities:

Blond hair, blue eyes, strong chin, all-American looks–it makes sense that Paul Walker’s name has been floated for the part for a while now. He’s young enough–but not too young–to play the age range necessary for Cap, from young roughneck recruit to eventual leader of the World’s Mightiest Heroes.

Channing Tatum has already played one super soldier in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, so maybe he could slip on the wing-eared mask as well. I’d worry that he’s a little too young, and pretty green as an actor. But then again, if he’s surrounded by the kind of A-list actors Marvel has been putting into it’s recent crop of movies, maybe there will be some impressive castmates around to help elevate the kid’s game:

And then there’s The Marine–John Cena. He’s a genetic freak, but he’s still relatively young. And I’m a pro wrestling fan who knows what the guy has to do every night in front of live arena crowds for WWE, so I don’t doubt his acting ability or his capacity for physicality. Like the other two, his name has already come up in the rumor mill, but wrestlers are always mentioned and quickly dismissed when it comes to super hero movies. But if you want to get across the idea that the pipsqueak Steve Rogers is transformed into the ultimate prototype super soldier, it wouldn’t hurt to have the beanpole end up looking like this:

Who would you cast as Captain America?

I get a little spoilery when I gush, so watch out. (And ew.)

Like Future Imperfect, Peter David’s inspired “What If?”-like digression during his run on The Incredible Hulk, in which he introduced one possible future where Bruce Banner outlived all the other Marvel mainstays by giving in to his dark side and becoming The Maestro, Old Man Logan is a digression into another possible imperfect future. It also involves the Hulk, as well as several other heroes, villains, and next-generation shades of gray, outliving the old world and the old ways. And, of course, it involves Wolverine, aka Logan, in what I think should go down as one of the great character-defining stories involving the old Canucklehead.

And in case you weren’t aware, Millar and Marvel have done more with this mini than just tell an awesome What If: Wolverine story. Old Man Logan actually ties directly to Millar’s other two recent Marvel projects–the enjoyable 1985 and his ambitious year-long run on Fantastic Four, which introduced the characters currently in the spin-off book Fantastic Force.

Old Man Logan is the only must read of that bunch, but I think it is admirably creative on the writer’s part to think outside the panel box like this and craft three stories simultaneously that are all bigger than themselves. The reader wasn’t beholden to any one story to understand or enjoy the rest, but if you happened to read all three like me, you got an enhanced experience. (So, thanks for that, MM.)

So what do you think–was Old Man Logan the book of the week? Could it be the best series of the year? Would you buy a “Lone Wolv’ and Hulk-Cub”  sequel that filled in the 20+ year gap between this and the characters’ reappearance in Fantastic Four?

For some, these books are an affront to their sensibilities. Seeing Jesus battle zombies (Jesus Hates Zombies Lincoln Hates Werewolves) or reading a story that chronicles Earth’s apocalypse at the hands of a man-made godlike superhero (Warren Ellis’ new Supergod series) might not agree with some people.

For others, a mutant messiah makes sense in the wake of “House of M” (Cable) and the story of God sending angels to cleanse the world after losing faith in humanity (Legion, which is a precursor to the upcoming film) or a story about a post apocalyptic world where every last superhero suddenly disappears (Rapture) are not only intriguing, they’re downright impossible to pass up!

Cable

Legion: Prophets 4 Issue Miniseries

Rapture

It’s okay if these titles offend you. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. I for one, am very much intrigued by these upcoming offerings and have been enjoying Cable recently and have dug Rapture thus far.

So are you excited about these titles or do you abhor them? Have another religion inspired title I didn’t talk about in the article? Feel free to voice your opinion or comment below!

My daughter only just reached the age where I can give her little figurines like these, so the target of my geeky good will has been my nephew, for whom I’ve been buying Squad figures since the first set. He’s swayed a little more toward the Star Wars set, but the kid has definitely got a little Marvel running through his veins thanks to Uncle Matt. Here he is with my girl Alexa to prove the point:

And here’s a sampling of his collection of “guys”–an admittedly mixed lot, featuring more than just Squad toys, but still, you get it:

So I was excited for Mason as much as for myself when I heard that Marvel was putting together an animated series featuring the Super Hero Squad, and the show premiered last night on the Cartoon Network!

Of course, going into the show, I was worried. Marvel’s attempt at a Squad comic book has been pretty miserable…a brutish, low brow version of the super cute characters, not particularly clever in the comedy and actually a little less adorable as a result. And the little bit I’ve seen about the upcoming Squad video game looks like it’s just a lot of punching and shooting. Clearly, where I thought Marvel was hoping to appeal to toddler boys and girls who prefer soft and cuddly, the House of Ideas had the idea to focus solely on luring hyperactive, bratty boys away from pulling the heads off of their sisters’ Barbies and gnawing the fur off of their Elmo dolls. My expectations for the cartoon were not high at all.

But as usual, lowering the bar allowed me to enjoy the show for what it was–a noisy mess about toys for boys. The show is definitely in line with the punch-em kick-em aesthetic of the comic and game, with a relentless packing of action into every possible second of the show. Hyperkinetic is an understatement for this show. BUT if you roll with it, give in to the mayhem–which I’d imagine would be easy for the average prepubescent boy wired on a bowl of Saturday morning cereal or a weeknight after dinner snack–there IS fun to be had. The writers manage to play just the right notes with characters ripe for comedy like Captain America (played as an over eager pit boss/excitable grampa), Silver Surfer (played as a new age surfer dude), and Thor (played as classic 80s Thor to the mosteth ridiculouseth of thine extremes). The Hulk stuff is predictable and tired for the most part, but even he earns a chuckle or two.

If my brother and sister-in-law think they can keep him in line afterward, I think my nephew would eat this show up. He’ll probably try to run through his bedroom wall after watching, though, because the show will fill his brain with crazy–it’s like cartoon crack.

I wish there were more about this show that might appeal to girls in a positive, productive way, mainly for the sake of my daughter, but also because it seems like a wasted opportunity for Marvel to reach a wider audience. The only female character of note in the series so far (they showed two full episodes) is Ms. Marvel, who is portrayed as a shrill, bossy, nagging buzzkill. If they can bring in Kitty Pryde or Rogue or Spider-Woman into the fold and strike a better balance between the chaos and the comedy, the show will have a better chance of succeeding with the My Little Pony crowd (or a better chance of being watched by me and my girl, at least).

There’s room for improvement–a lot of room–but there’s no denying the show is fun. Big, dumb, noisy fun. For now, I’m willing to give it another try next week, but I’m not convinced it needs to be added to the DVR queue just yet.

Marvel has finally released a peak at their upcoming Astonishing X-Men motion comic (scheduled for release on iTunes in late October.)

Unlike the Bendis/Maleev Spider-Woman thing, which is an original made-for-motion project, the X-Motion project is based on the existing and very successful “Gifted” storyline that was written by Joss Whedon and illustrated by John Cassaday (I hear they’re both quite good at what they do). This is cool, because if it is successful and the transfer to the new format works, we can look forward to more existing stories translated to the format. I’d love to see some Incredible Hulk circa 315-320, Walt Simonson Thor, and black-suit Cap released this way.

Another difference is that this motion comic project is being done with a completely different technique, by a totally different studio than Spider-Woman, Neal Adams’ Continuity Studios.

I’ve mentioned before how I’m buddies with Josh Adams, and it was because of this that I got to hang out with the Adams family for a short while a few weeks back and hear a little bit about the different approach Continuity has taken with this project from Neil Adams himself, over the best BBQ ribs I’ve ever had in my life (courtesy of Mrs. Adams).

Seriously–the best. If you envy me for anything regarding this story, envy me for the ribs. But it was also quite the fanboy moment for me and one of my dates for the BBQ, best-selling author/former dungeon master Peat, to spark a conversation with the senior Adams (on his birthday, no less) where he swelled with passion and excitement over his potential role in revolutionizing comics (again). I didn’t record this or transcribe it, and really I just summed it up for you right there, but I walked away from that conversation very excited about the finished project to come.

I had already been looking forward to any news about the Astonishing motion comic before I even knew Neal or Continuity was involved, but knowing some of the hard work, inventive strategies, and genuine respect and determination to retain the total integrity of the original creators’ work that has gone into it has me even more psyched. You see, I love me some comics…but I’m a lazy reader, I have limited shelf space, and I own an iPod. If, instead of “waiting for the trade” on some books, I can wait for the “motion pack” (or whatever the hell they’ll call a motionized tpb), and it will be just a small step away from a fully-animated film, that would be awesome.

Plus, now I have two Neal Adams food anecdotes to share.

Khary Randolph via his Facebook page

Matt Occhuizzo via Wednesday’s Child (click for more!)

I think this is a good thing for Disney, Marvel, and for comics in general. It hasn’t exactly hurt DC to be owned by Time/Warner. In fact, having coporate powerhouses heavily invested in the success of both Big 2 comic companies should provide a stabilizing force to a shaky comics industry and an even bigger push toward new audiences and new media. It’s not like Marvel wasn’t already run with “the bottom line” in mind and with the marketing and licensing suits having as much say as the creatives, right? And now, in addition to that big mouse-eared safety net, Marvel may get to exploit (in the good way) relationships with other Disney properties, like Pixar (The Incredibles already out fantastic the Fantastic Four!), Jim Henson Studios (Is Gonzo a mutant? Does Animal have a healing factor?), and ABC (Oceanic Flight 815 now departing for the Savage Land!).

I’ve been having fun contributing some amusing thoughts on this deal on Twitter all day. (Feel free to join in on the fun in the comments section):

>>Foggy Nelson replaced with talking/singing squirrel

>>Ultimate Jonas Brothers!

>>RT @BrianLynch: First Disney/Marvel collab. Hannah Montana refuses to reveal secret identity, goes to war w/ Iron Man.

>>Namor battles Ursula the Sea Witch for dominion over the seven seas

>>High School Musical 4: Die Mutie Scum!

>>The Shaggy D.A. to be reimagined starring Wolfsbane

>>New hero to fight crime with Flubber-based powers

>>Mary Poppins to nanny for the Richards fam

>>Mickey Mouse Club to introduce new Black+White King+Queen hierarchy

>>Scrooge McDuck becomes the new financier of the Avengers, adds Darkwing Duck and Gizmoduck to the roster

>>Maleficent look to become the new Black Queen of the Hellfire Club

>>Puck named 8th dwarf

>>Marvel Divas to add Ariel the Mermaid, Princess Jasmine, and Mulan to the line-up

>>Coming soon: The Sorcerer Supreme’s Apprentice

>>RT @joshuwain: “Finding Namor”

>>RT @BRIANMBENDIS bravo to @BrianReed for: “Face it Tigger, you just hit the jackpot!” now everyone can stop

>>RT @BRIANMBENDISno, i did not kill the wasp to make way for tinkerbell. but she would be a kick ass avenger

>>Sorry, Donald, but Howard the Duck is totally going to nail Daisy

If you’re not already following me @D18Matt, this is the sort of comedy gold you’ve been missing. :)

But Wolverine is cool. Overexposed, yes, but that’s one of his mutant powers.

He’s got one of the best power sets, personalities, and (in broad strokes) backstories in superhero comics. There’s a reason he’s on every other cover of Wizard Magazine, why his name gets top billing on the latest X-Men cartoon, and why he stars in at least four monthly comics that I can think of. I guess it’s also why he got his very own shitty feature-length movie.

That lovable dandy of a showman Hugh Jackman has taken such a liking to Old Man Logan that he’s already hard at work producing the (hopefully less shitty) sequel. And who wouldn’t take a shine to a hairy Canadian crank if it meant they got to wear those shiny, sharp shnikity-shnarling claws?

Now guess what the grand prize is in the latest UGO.com The Rush sweepstakes?

Shall I call you Weapon X, Logan?

DISCLAIMER: Adamantium bone grafts and memory implants not included. Contest void in Genosha.

Invincible, which is put out by Image Comics, is an impressive success story for writer/creator Robert Kirkman. Along with Kirkman’s The Walking Dead–also an Image title–Invincible managed to catch on with mainstream readers despite newcomer talent, original characters, and neither Marvel nor DC’s ad dollars or industry pull promoting it. Kirkman’s writing in the book is enthusiastic and the story just grows and grows and build and builds, hitting every cornerstone of the superhero genre with a cast that is well balanced between Kirkman’s clever inventions and familiar homages to classic characters and concepts from Marvel and DC. Kirkman has done so well for himself on these two titles that he’s declared an informal, non-violent war on mainstream creators working for the man at the Big Two publishers–insisting that all work-for-hire creators would be better served leaving the giants and following his lead in making creator-owned comics. (Personally, I think there is a place for both creator- and corporate-owned books, so there.)

From the first issue (this week we got #65), I said that Kirkman writes like a wish-fulfilling fanboy. I even used that as a criticism of the book for a while, before the first big twist of the series pulled me in and made me realize that Kirkman was more than just a fanboy hack. He was a fanboy writing the superhero comic he knew the rest of us fanboys wanted and maybe even needed. Invincible went from little-hero book-that could to sprawling epic. The character Invincible is a blend of the quirk and angst of Spider-Man and the power fantasy that is Superman, and the supporting cast covers every other possibility in between and beyond. And the art, by Ryan Ottley, has a satisfying mix of mayhem and emotion–the perfect blend of emoting and exploding faces. And Kirkman and Ottley have even managed to capture something that has been missing from comics for a while, and was taking in a frustrating way–a spot-on in all the ways that count recreation of the Peter Parker/Mary Jane Watson relationship from Spider-Man, through young super-powered lovebirds Invincible and Atom Eve.

Speaking of Peter and MJ, Amazing Spider-Man #603 continues to creep toward their inevitable reunion, but the current storyline with the Chameleon stealing Peter’s identity hinges on one huge flaw in logic that really tainted this issue. In order to steal an identity, the Chameleon does exhaustive research into that person’s life, and gives away that his research into Parker’s involved reading through journals and diaries. I work one job and don’t fight crime at night, and I have a hell of a time trying to squeeze in writing this blog or anything else…but I’m supposed to believe that, on top of his various day jobs, solo crime fighting, teaming up with the fugitive New Avengers, and juggling relationships with multiple women, Peter Parker has time to keep a diary? And more than that, I’m supposed to believe that the Chameleon couldn’t pick up from that or any other research that the guy is Spider-Man?! Disbelief suspended, but still.

Also, because some villainous traps are too effective for a writer’s own good, Spidey is now apparently immune to acid. I’ll wait to see the explanation on that leap in #604. Hopefully, it’s good enough to keep me interested in #605.

And finally, something I did come back for was Daredevil #500, the final issue by writer Ed Brubaker, who I’ve mentioned is insanely brilliant on Captain America, but has been just okay on DD. I actually stopped following DD after his first two story arcs, because they were just not all that engaging to me. But Marvel turned his departure from the series into a bit of an event, and the issue is fantastic. Brubaker wraps up a multi-part storyline that could lead to “a bold new direction” for Matt Murdock in future issues, and supplemental items in the book include a pin-up gallery, a reprint of Frank Miller’s Daredevil #191 (in which DD plays Russian Roulette with a banged up Bullseye), and a tight little stand-alone story written by Ann Nocenti and illustrated by David Aja. I love the way Aja’s art looks–his characters cartoony but alive on the page.

I won’t discuss the Rick Remender Punisher I bought on a whim, because, frankly (pun!) it wasn’t very good. But that’s all for the week. Sorry, DC…I’ll get you next time.

I didn’t really like the first issue of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr’s comic version (the movie went into production before the first issue was even released), and chose to sit out on it until it was collected, to see if the whole piece was worth it. If the comic is as good as this trailer, I’m sold.

Of course, we’ve got some time before we find out whether the MOVIE is as good as the trailer. It does co-star Nicholas Cage, after all, and that hasn’t worked out for me since Face-Off.

…That sounded wrong, but then again, so is this angle.