Posts Tagged ‘ Doom ’

For the monarch traveling abroad who does not wish to carry cash for those payments to local minions…

Via

Last year, it was announced to very little surprise that Fox would be rebooting the Fantastic Four – and this morning, AICN is running a story that the working title for the reboot is the Fantastic Four Reborn, presumably because that worked so well for the Superman franchise. The first two movies did decent box office but didn’t set the world on fire, were critically panned and generally dismissed by comic readers.

So of course I liked them.

They weren’t perfect by any means, but they were fun and frothy, weren’t overburdened by angst and set up the family dynamic pretty well. They did screw up Doom royally in the first one, but managed to slightly redeem the character in the second, so there is that. I also don’t mind the Galactus-as-cloud thing, either. After all, as much as I love the big guy, he’s going to look a bit stupid on screen.

In any case, I think that Fox, like Sony and Spider-Man, lose the rights to the FF (and the X-Men for that matter) if they don’t have a film in development for a period of time. Even if the rights did revert to Marvel, it seems likely that a new cast would take up the mantle – especially now that former Johnny Storm Chris Evans is playing Captain America.

So who could be the new Fantastic Four?

If Fox want to make it marketable, I think they’d have Reed and Ben in their early thirties, with Sue in her mid twenties and Johnny around twenty. I also think that they may want to think outside the box a little in casting – so who could they cast? Now bearing in mind that people can play a couple of years around their actual age….

Reed Richards – Reed’s smart, but he’s also supposed to be good looking. I mean, he snagged Sue Storm before he was all stretchy in the unmentionables and recent creative teams on the comic have gone out of their way to emphasize that he’s quite the catch. So…how about Jake Gyllenhaal?

Sue Storm – Beautiful. Poised. Smart. Always a few years younger that Reed, I’m okay (very okay) with Glee‘s Dianna Agron.

Johnny Storm – Chris Evans was note perfect for the role, but if we’re going younger it wouldn’t hurt to have someone who’s a bit of a teen heartthrob. Personally I’d like to have someone like Anton Yelchin in the role, but I think a more marketable bet might be somebody along the lines of…shoot me now…Zac Efron. Provided he got a haircut, some more acting lessons and did something about that permatan thing he has going on.

Ben Grimm - Michael Chiklis was also perfect for this role, perfect. Even so, I think that having the Thing be a man-in-suit is a bad choice, especially with the technology available these days. This is one role that I figure there’s some leeway on the age thing – we won’t see too much of Ben before he gets Thing-ified, so casting someone older with a bit of hair dye and smoothing a couple of wrinkles will work fine for me (and hey, he’s only 37). This guy’s got the physique going for the motion capture, an already gravelly voice, eyes that he can act with, and that apparently women find appealing, and, let’s face it, is the best thing by far about Grey’s Anatomy. Sure, he was already the Multiple Man, but nobody remembers that – Eric Dane.

As for Doom – someone European would be a start. Someone used to playing it dark. So how about True Blood’s Stephen Moyer?

Who would you rather see?

I haven’t been reading Doomwar…but after reading this, I’m definitely going to pick up the trade.

Via

Stuck on that last minute Christmas Gift?

You know you want it…

So let me get this straight: Eternity contains everything, including Hank Pym.

And because Hank Pym thinks everyone hates him…

Yeah, okay. I can live with that.

But really, Eternity loves Hank Pym!

Why? Because he’s Scientist Supreme!

Er…well, the title feels a little forced, but I guess I can live with that too. After all, it’s not like Hank’s the smartest guy in the room; Eternity admits that Reed Richards is a lot smarter but an explorer (presumably the Explorer Supreme!) and Stark’s an Engineer (Supreme!). I have a hard time thinking Stark’s brighter than Pym though, and Eternity doesn’t say he is – it’s just that these are the guys that Pym compares himself to most.

The fact that they’ve both been massive dicks to him in this series is probably another reason that Eternity calls them out.

Tangentially, you know who Pym doesn’t see as his equal?

That’s right, baby. Because Pym knows that no-one is equal to Doom.

Anyway. So it turns out that while Reed and Stark have the role of Explorer and Engineer locked down, Pym’s the Mage.

Er…like magic? He uses science like magic? So he doesn’t have to explain how he does what he does, kind of like how Forge could make anything before Warren Bloody Ellis blew him out his glory hole?

You know what? I like Hank Pym. I always have even with his many, many, many flaws – so I’m okay with this new role and the new-found confidence it instills.

You know what I don’t like?

Creepy ‘that’s-the-brain-patterns-of-your-dead-ex-wife-in-a-robot-your-robot-son-built-for-a-mate-you-weirdo-perv’ Pym-Jocasta moments.

At least Speed doesn’t like it either…

Back when Osborn first assembled his Cabal, before Namor and Emma Frost flipped him the bird, Doom and Loki started plotting behind his back, and the Hood lost his powers (or at least his first set), Osborn kept them all in line with a shadowy figure behind the door.

The secret of the man behind the door is apparently key to the end of Dark Reign – which makes some amount of sense, but would make even more if he’d appeared more than once in the whole shebang.

Anyway, over at Bleeding Cool, Rich Johnston claims to have the scoop on his identity, and when check out the solicit for Dark Avengers #11 (and oddly, Dark Avengers #12 has the exact same solicit), alarm bells start ringing:

The Dark Avengers are pitted against a foe they cannot defeat: A man with the power over every molecule in the world!

Molecule, you say? MM, Rich Johnston says?

Could Owen Reese the Molecule Man be the power behind the throne?

If so, the last we heard of him, he was being busted out of the Raft (which may be less secure than Arkham Asylum) at the start of Secret Invasion…

…and its not like Bendis doesn’t love plotting stuff a while in advance.

If it is the Molecule Man, it begs the question of what could defeat him; after all, this is a guy who took on the Beyonder (indeed, I think he actually created the Beyonder if I’m remembering my Secret Wars III correctly), and this was back before Bendis ham-handedly attempted to retcon the Beyonder into being an Inhuman, which I can easily dismiss as a fever dream.

So if Owen Reese has gone back to his evil ways and regained his powers, how are you going to calm him down?

Easy. Bring in his squeeze, Volcana.

Owen does love his Marsha-Mallow, and then Dark Reign would, basically be ended by love. And puppies and rainbows for all!

Posted via web from Comic By Comic’s Wonderous Posterous!

In this week’s Utopia #1, the kick-off of the big X-Men/Dark Avengers crossover, there’s a scene where various parties around the world react to the unrest in San Francisco.

Let’s take a look at that last scene again -

- er, doesn’t Loki look more like this at the moment?

Did anyone mention that to Marc Silvestri, or his assists?

Anyone, anyone, editors, anyone? Bueller?

I’ve criticized Captain Britain and MI:13 a little recently for not being all it could be (even though it’s still good).

So I just wanted to say that this week’s issue totally redeemed it in my eyes and I’m more annoyed than ever that next issue is it’s last.

For one thing, it’s virtually the only place in the MU where Doom is being portrayed as, well, Doom, as opposed to some incompetent whipping boy (yes, FF, I’m looking at you).

It also had some nice Captain Britain moments which, alas, I can’t find online just yet. So in lieu of that, a moment from an earlier issue…

I’ll miss this book.

The one-word review thing got tired (mainly because I didn’t want to repeat words over and over again) so instead, I’m going to be trying to do a very quick review of books I picked up this week.

Only no grading, because I could never do that consistently anyway.

Action Comics #878 – Four issues in to the new status quo and I’m still not sold. The only reason I’m still here is because (a) it’s got Lois, and (b) it’s going to loop back around to the other Superman books in a few months.

Batman #687 – You really have to tilt your head and squint to make this fit in with Battle for the Cowl – presumably because it fit in with writer Judd Winick’s scrapped version – but it’s not bad. Dick’s a bit mopey but it sets up the new status quo nicely enough, plus we get a scene where Dick and Alfred learn of Bruce’s death – which should probably have been shown sooner. Not a bad start.

Booster Gold #21 – It feels like this book’s got a kick in the ass after the last lackluster arc. Jurgens delivers the goods with what looks to be the start of a showdown with the time-traveling Black Beetle and some nice interplay between Booster and the new Batman. Wonder what happened to Booster’s ancestor, the second Supernova, though? The back-up – sorry, second feature – with Blue Beetle was fun but disposable. Good to see Paco and Brenda again, but the story felt like something more suited to Gail Simone’s old All-New Atom title as opposed to Beetle. Maybe it’s just me.

Flash: Rebirth #3 – A third slow issue about the fastest man alive. Huh. On the plus side, nice art, a last page reveal that makes the first page make sense, the return of two heroes – even if one of them appears to get wiped out again immediately – and one good line from Barry to Superman almost make the issue good. Honestly, though, if this is a big a deal as everyone makes it out to be, it should be a more interesting read.

Green Lantern Corps #37 – There’s an awful lot going on here: Sodam Yat’s so-obviously-not-final sacrifice, Arisia rallying the Daxamite population against Mongul, riots on Oa and rogue Guardian Scar generally raising hell and causing big, big problems. Tomasi, Gleason and co pack a lot in, but not so much that it’s unreadable. Although, seriously: Arisia, guerilla leader? Come on.

R.E.B.E.L.S. #5 – I’m not sure what’s going on with the art here. The character work is great, but the space battles look rushed. Story-wise, things move on a little bit, Vril Dox plots away and we finally see the real Starro. I kind of liked the big starfish version myself but whatever. It’s a quick read that may be better served in trade format.

Red Robin #1 – I’m on the fence here. On the plus side, I’m not as down on Tim and Dick’s interaction as everyone else seems to be – I didn’t read this as Tim being forced out of the Batfamily by any means. Similarly, I like that he has a clearly defined mission – find Bruce Wayne – that’s sending him globe-trotting across the, er, globe. I also liked the appearance of a certain Bat-foe, and I thought that Yost and Bachs make a pretty good creative team. On the minus side, I am a little worried that Tim – one of the most optimistic DC characters at one point – is now going all dark and moody, and that one of the character’s great assets in the past was his non-super supporting cast which are now all gone. Also, this paragraph is way too long.

Amazing Spider-Man #597 – I think for such a ‘big’ storyline, team Spidey could have assigned one penciller. Chechetto’s work here is actually very good, so good that I don’t think we needed Phil Jimenez on part one of the arc. Kelly’s story is tight and sharp, and full of nice moments as Spidey tries – and fails – to masquerade as bad-ass Venom in amongst the Dark Avengers. Good stuff. And two pages teasing the return of a classic villain in #600 made me realize just how much I’ve missed him. Good issue.

Deadpool #11 – Crazily good fun. I haven’t always been a fan of Daniel Way’s work, but this is just great – and Paco Medina’s art here is perfect for the madcap main character. Bullseye and Deadpool go at it, and neither really want it to end – and neither do I.

Fantastic Four #567 – The only reasons I’m still buying this right now are because I’ll be damned if I let this crappy run kick me off the book, the run’s almost over, and more importantly I hold out the teeniest, tiniest hope that it’s going to end with Doom coming back and kicking seven shades of shit out of his so-called Master. Also, I’m assuming that the guy’s permanently-shadowed apprentice is an alternate Reed Richards. Or Wolverine, because that’s just how Millar rolls.

Lockjaw And The Pet Avengers #2 – Severely, severely awesome. Pick this up.

Uncanny X-Men #511 – What a clusterfuck. Land’s art has people posing all over the place in confused fight scenes and Fraction’s script seems to assume that you just don’t care if a story makes sense. This whole Red Queen thing feels like it was just to get Psylocke back, and it’s been tortuous getting there. The book needs new blood, stat.

War Of Kings Savage World Of Skaar – Gorgon and Starbolt play Enemy Mine. Or, you know ‘Skaar, when the walls fell’ (bonus points for getting the misquoted reference!). Pointless and predictable, with merely adequate artwork and script, but oddly engaging all the same.

Wolverine #74 – Er, haven’t read it yet as I want to dig up #73 and read both in one sitting. But it sure looks pretty.

X-Men Forever #1 – I…okay, I can’t honestly say that this was a good book, but I can say I enjoyed it for what it was – a nice, nostalgic look at what might have been, complete with modern take on the corner box. Grummet’s artwork is as solid as ever (except for the oddly static cover) and there’s a sense that things will be different this time out – I fully expect the death of an established X-Man to prove a point in the first few issues. But ‘Remy Picard’? Seriously? I’d guess this is a fake name as LeBeau hadn’t been revealed as Gambit’s name at the time X-Men #3 shipped, and Jean Luc LeBeau hadn’t been…Jean Luc…Picard…oh. I’ll get my coat.

Angel: Blood & Trenches #4 – This has been an enjoyable throwaway series with gorgeous pencils by John Byrne. And I mean gorgeous. Unfortunately, the last issue here is a little rushed, and the final two page denouement feels completely unnecessary – honestly, there are some things that just feel a little bit off, and having Angel save Hitler is one of them. Otherwise, a decent read.

Hat tip to Gordon Dym

I’m curious.

Is there some kind of scheme afoot in Marvel to turn Doom into an also-ran, a second-rate villain?

First we have that whole out-of-character rant about the size of Miss Marvel’s ass, followed by a whupping at the hands of the Sentry and imprisonment for crimes against humanity.

Then there was that kow-towing to Norman Osborn thing because someone scary was hiding in the shadows.Oooh.

And now we have the latest in Mark Millar’s Fantastic Four run (which I’m actually quite enjoying otherwise), which has Doom’s masters returning to Earth – this following his defeat at the hands of the new kids just to make them look cool.

I’m sorry, but the ‘Masters of Doom’? I thought it had been established that Doom bows to no man. Hell, he doesn’t even bow to omnipotent beings with the power to destroy the universe. So the ‘Masters of Doom’?

I don’t think so!

IGN has a preview of Dark Reign, and it doesn’t look good.

I normally like Alex Maleev’s work, but he’s clearly best suited for street-level stuff. His Namor, here, is quite simply ugly. And I don’t mean that he doesn’t look handsome, I mean that he doesn’t look anything like he’s looked in the past seventy-odd years.

Oh, and he doesn’t look handsome. Or regal.

It doesn’t help that Bendis, who I liked on the character before, writes him like a lecherous drunk in this scene, hitting on anything with a double-X chromosome. (Thanks for the catch, Jace!)

“Hello, ladies…”
There is one redeeming feature, though. I quite like Bendis’ Doom in these pages (although I still don’t see Doom going anywhere at Norman Osborn’s invitation, no matter what)…

…of course, he’s probably about to call her fat or something.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still picking up the book but I wish it looked – and read – better.

…should be avoided at all costs.

In this election year, there is another alternative; a strong alternative. An alternative with vision.

Look around you. The people do not know what is best for them. If they did, they’d be all for putting fluoride in the water, increasing their taxes, limiting the number of children they have and supporting extra-dimensional research into new power sources.

Only one candidate can guarantee your safety against temporal incursions!

Only one candidate knows the best thing for you is to remove your free will!

Only one candidate promises to execute the opposition and permanently dismantle the electoral process once elected to power!

Cover at the top via IGN

With all due apologies to Djimon Hounsou (who I’d actually like to see as Black Panther), I’m not really interested in a Thulsa Doom movie.

I have little interest in seeing this Doom on screen.

However, this Doom I am!

Get rid of Julian McMahon and recast Doom, retelling his origin apart from the FF and I’ll be a happy man.

Tyrese Gibson says that he’s still considering playing Luke Cage in John Singleton’s still-in-development movie (that hasn’t been on any recent Marvel press releases, now I think about it).

Please?

I know I’m behind on this, but the best quote on Doom being arrested in Mighty Avengers #11 I’ve seen is this (which pretty sums up my thoughts perfectly)…

“Eh. Doom is Doom. He’ll bounce back quickly enough. Last time he lost his throne, it was because he got sucked into Hell. This time…the Avengers locked him in jail. Ooh. I’ll bet he’s just quaking in his little metal booties. “

Actually, Tony, no he doesn’t – because he is Doom. He is Doom, and you are nothing but an overstepping bureaucrat in a fancy suit with delusions of grendeur.

All you’re doing is coming off like Eric Cartman.

Sigh.

I’m fairly certain that you just can’t arrest foreign leaders on their sovereign soil for crimes against humanity without some kind of warrant or UN sanction but let’s that slide. Doom is in jail. However will he get out? Oh, that’s right – in a jailbreak the very next week…fine.

Yes folks, foreign dictators get jailed in super-villain gen pop in the Marvel U.

Double sigh.

Oh, and as far as the whole calling-Ms Marvel-a-bad-name thing goes, it’s way out of character for Doom to be that crass. Sure, Doom belittles women (and on odd occasions strips them of their skin*) but he belittles everybody.

You see, Doom is Doom. He belittles everyone else because they are not Doom, and are therefore completely inferior – serfs and peasants the lot of them. The thing is, he belittles them with class, not with badly constructed barbs such as ‘whore’s heart’ or ‘fat piece of furniture’.

Ah well. Maybe he’s a Skrull. Or a malfunctioning Doombot. I’ll take either.

*I tell ya, you skin one woman and that’s all they remember

The final issue of Sub-Mariner‘s latest mini series closed with Subby renewing an old acquaintance…

…which can only mean a return to glory for Super-Villain Team-Up!!

A man can dream, can’t he??

As I said over at PBR, last week’s FF was a great issue – but come on, when you’ve seen the old ‘look into my eyes and I shall switch bodies with you for I am DOOM!’ trick once, you’ve seen it twice, you’ve seen it a hundred times.

Not that Namor doesn’t have it coming, of course.

But…but wait.

If Doom and Reed switch bodies in the past, then is the Doom from the future actually Reed and vice versa? So is it really future Reed jumping into past Reed’s body? Or did he just create an alternate timeline?

I hate time travel!