From Marvel to DC, Geeks explores the popular and independant comic titles in the geek universe.
Next year, Marvel's merry mutants embrace the cosmic side of the X-Men comics in X-Men: Dark Phoenix. Inspired by the classic "Dark Phoenix Saga," this epic promises to see Sophie Turner's Jean Grey cut loose like never before. What's more, we're set to see Jessica Chastain's Lilandra enter the scene — the empress of an alien race that fear the Phoenix's power.
By Tom Bacon9 years ago in Geeks
Fox's latest X-Men spinoff, The Gifted, has introduced us to a dark dystopia in which the world's mutants are hated and feared. It's a world policed by Sentinel Services, where even an accidental use of a mutant power can be classified as an act of terrorism, and where mutant rights are pretty much nonexistent. Although the show doesn't (yet) feature any main X-Men characters, the series clearly pays homage to a wide range of classic comic book concepts.
2014 was a year to remember for fans of Marvel Comics. That was the year in which Thor Odinson became unworthy, with his ancient hammer Mjolnir left abandoned on the surface of the Moon. In a twist that's sure to go down in comic book history, we soon found Mjolnir wielded by a very different Thor; a female Thor, who was eventually revealed to be Jane Foster!
As any Marvel fan will know, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a lot more than just a series of blockbuster movies. It's a remarkable shared universe, one that extends to TV shows, tie-in comics, and even YouTube videos. But even the most fanatical Marvel fans can't know everything; there are some official tie-in comics that have mostly been forgotten. Many of these predate the days when Marvel was purchased by Disney; back then, the House of Ideas entered into promotional partnerships in order to raise funds for their films and TV series. As a result, they released some exclusive comics which have been largely forgotten — but which flesh out the MCU in ways that are sure to delight fans.
Introduced shortly before Geoff Johns's DC Universe — Rebirth #1 last year, Mr. Oz has been an enigmatic figure who stalked the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight. His identity has long been one of the most intriguing mysteries behind the popular "Rebirth" relaunch, but it looks as though the November solicits have finally revealed his identity. And it's definitely a secret that promises to shake Superman to his core.
It all began in May 2016, when comics book fans were rocked by a shocking revelation: Steve Rogers, the Sentinel of Liberty himself, had become an agent of Hydra. Writer Nick Spencer has been telling an intriguing tale, one that explores concepts of national identity at a time of unprecedented political turmoil in the United States. As a result, the story became incredibly controversial, and Spencer even received death threats over it.
Back in 1978, comic book readers were introduced to the latest superhero sensation: the man called Nova! Richard Rider was chosen to become a member of the Nova Corps, a galactic peacekeeping unit who police the galaxy. Over the years, Nova became a major part of Marvel's cosmic range, and fans have been longing for him to enter the MCU. Now, at last, we're finally hearing rumblings that this may be about to happen.
In March this year, Marvel Comics relaunched their X-Men line with the "ResurrXion," an attempt to breathe new life into a flagging comic book brand. It's been a tremendous success, but — in a twist that's sure to delight fans — we've just had confirmation that the "ResurrXion" will be literal. Death is always something of a revolving door in comics, and it looks as though the legendary founder of the X-Men is about to return.
Writer Jason Aaron's run on The Mighty Thor is pretty much redefining the whole franchise. He transformed Jane Foster into the new female Thor; he revealed the secret history of Mjolnir; and now he's taking another bold step. In this week's Mighty Thor #20, he's introduced us to a whole new hammer-wielder, who he's calling the War Thor. Better still, Aaron has introduced the new character in a breathtakingly organic way.
Editor's Note: Since this article was published, Jim Lee has stated that a quote we used in the introduction of this piece — "We have to stop the collapse of the comic book industry" — was misattributed to him. We worked from Newsarama's transcripts of the SDCC panel, which attributed the quote to Mr. Lee. The rest of the discussion of the panel and DC's sales strategies is, to our knowledge, correct.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is expanding at a far faster rate than anybody could have expected — including, it seems, Marvel’s visionary CEO, Kevin Feige! Spider-Man: homecoming Producer Amy Pascal shocked the world when she revealed that Sony’s upcoming Spider-villain films, Venom and Silver & Black, would be “adjuncts” to the #MCU, in a statement that has left fans fascinated.
It's a strange coincidence; just a few days after the release of a phenomenal Black Panther trailer, #Marvel Comics has quietly canceled the spinoff comic World of Wakanda. The publisher was thrilled to announce the series just last year, as it united Roxane Gay, poet Yona Harvey, and artists Alitha Martinez and Afua Richardson — and thus was the first ever Marvel title helmed by black women. The cancellation is a real blow for diversity in the comic book industry, and yet here's the catch; it was inevitable.
