What will the after credits scene of "Avengers" mean to Marvel?

For those of you who have seen "Avengers," there is a mid credits scene that shows....well something.  Here is my article on Comic Book Therapy about the scene

HUGE SPOILER WARNING. DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN "AVENGERS" OR DON'T MIND BEING SPOILED


I'll admit that the scene has no real connection to the plot and is more of a teaser than a huge reveal.

Comic Reviews for 4/25

Somewhat short week this week.  I attended Boston Comic Con this past weekend and had a great time. Click here to read my recap of that.  Glad it exploded the way it did.  It seems like Boston is more and more becoming a big stop for Cons.  Anyways, lets get started on reviews.

Dark Horse Comics

Angel & Faith #9:  Much like the TV show, Angel is better than Buffy right now.

Christos Gage ends the Daddy Issues arc well.  Long time fans of the series, and even knew fans will have their heart strings tugged at.  Gage has shown before that he has a great hold on Angel, but #9 puts that on display to it's fullest.  Gage's script perfectly shows why Angel is still an interesting character to this day and why fans love him still.  Faith also gets some time, but this issue is all about Angel and his hard decisions.  This issue will ultimately haunt Angel for some time, even if Faith forgives him.  Gage writes the action scenes with plenty of suspense and full of emotion.  You're reading this thinking "C'mon Angel!  GO ANGEL!" That doesn't happen very often in comics, let alone on a regular basis in the same series.  As always with Gage's scripts, I can hear the actors saying their lines in my head.  The only complaint I have is that I have to wait another month to buy #10.

Rebekah Issacs pencils her best issue to date.  Much like Gage's script, it's full of emotion, with the reader being able to see Angel's eyes and see how he feels instantly.  Darla going from sane to insane in three panels is simply inspiring, as Issacs hits every emotion pitch perfect.  Action scenes look great as always.  Even with highly populate scenes, characters retain a great amount of detail.  Issacs really has made a fantastic name for herself on this series.  Her career can only go up from this book.

Angel & Faith #9 gets 4.5/5.

Comic Reviews for 4/18

Now we are in full gear with Avengers vs X-Men.  The tie ins are starting to be released.  The same with Night of the Owls.  Was a good week, with a few books missing the mark, but most of them were good.  Boston Comic Con is this weekend (April 21st-22nd) and I will be there tweeting till the battery on my phone is dead.  Will hopefully catch a couple of panels as well.  But on with the show!

Marvel Comics

Avengers vs X-Men #2:  Gotta give the book credit, it doesn't lie about what it is.

The one thing that this event has had going for it is that both sides are very understanding.  This didn't happen in Civil War, where the pro-registration side were shown as evil bastards.  Jason Aaron delivers on lots of fighting, with minimal plot development.  But the title is called Avengers vs X-Men, so this shouldn't be surprising to anyone buying this.  And since it ships on a bi-weekly schedule, it's easier for one full issue to be fighting.  It looks like the next issue will leave Utopia, which works in it's favor.  Aaron goes against normalcy and adds dramatic narration, and it works very well.  It sets the tone of this event being an all out war, much in the way of the Civil War (the real one, not the comic one).  Friend against friend.  Tragedy is built throughout the issue.  While I question Wolverine attacking Hope right away, it still seems like great strategy.  One thing I'd like to see in the next couple of issues is a clear statement of what the Avengers and X-Men have planned if the Phoenix Force comes to Hope.

John Romita Jr. continues to be the master story teller.  A lesser artist wouldn't be able to contain all the detail in every character, or have them look anything but rushed.  Everything looks great.  Action scenes are brutal, with the reader feeling every broken bone from the heroes.  JRJR seems to have fixed the problem with Cyclops' eye beam, giving it the right amount of angle to make it seem like it's shooting into the background.  There are only two weak panels.  When Hope is running near the end of the book, and Magik bringing Dr. Strange into Limbo.  But when the rest of the issue is beautiful, who could care less.

Avengers vs X-Men #2 gets 4/5.

When Will C-List Books Come Back?

Hawkeye #2 (Marvel Comics, via IGN)

With the recent announcement of a new Hawkeye series, by the Immortal Iron Fist team of Matt Fraction and David Aja, it has become painfully obvious....when will C-lister books come back to Marvel.  C-listers are books that focus on character or teams that aren't as well known as your A or B listers.  Hawkeye, I'd say is a B-lister.  Many C-listers are fan favorites though, and have had fans clamoring for years for new ongoings.  Gambit, who seems to be getting a new ongoing in August, is one of them.  But why won't Marvel take chances like fans have been hoping?

Comic Reviews for 4/11

There are plenty of reviews this week.  I think there is almost 15.  Recently I started writing at Comic Book Therapy .  Make sure to check them out, as I'll be posting a few comic reviews, opinion pieces, and movie reviews there.  And while I normally don't do this on the comic site, go see Cabin in the Woods.  It's the best movie of the year so far.  With that said, let's get started

Image Comics

America's Got Powers #1: This review is up on Comic Book Therapy.  Click here to see the review.

Marvel Comics

Avenging Spider-Man #6:  The Omega Effect starts here.

Mark Waid and Greg Rucka take turns writing this issue.  It's one of the better examples of multiple writers, with different styles, cohesively.  It's impossible to see where one writer ends and where one begins.  With this issue focusing on Spider-Man, he gets the narrations for this issue.  The jokes are sharp and hysterical, especially the one about the "Punisherette."  Even Daredevil gets a few good quips in.  But the majority of the issue is recapping how each character got to this issue.  That's fine for new readers, but old readers will be turned off.  Each series (sans this one) has lead into the event well enough that this type of recap wasn't needed.  The team's plan is sound enough, and it should whet the excitement of fans more.

Marco Checchetto pencils are on top, as always.  The action scenes flow well, and I remember why he was one of the better Spider-Man artists in the Brand New Day era.  One thing that I noticed was how awesome his Reed Richards looks.  He might need to consider penciling an issue or two of Fantastic Four or FF.  Considering he has to pencils three issues for this month, the pencils don't look rushed.  Then again, this is the first issue, so only time will tell.

Avenging Spider-Man #6 gets 3.5/5.

What's in a haircut? (Well, mostly hair)

I'll be occasionally writing for Comic Book Therapy now.  Here is my first article for them: http://www.comicbooktherapy.com/ms-marvel-whats-in-a-haircut-well-hair-mostly/

It's about the new Captain Marvel and her new haircut

Comic Reviews for 4/4

Hello all. You all better have bought a comic on the Marvel app so you could get a $5 coupon last week.  Hard deal to pass up.  Otherwise, was a good week, even though there were some mediocre amongst the group.

DC Comics

Action Comics #8:  Even with a couple of months off, Rags Morales' art is still bad.

Grant Morrison has really shifted up the origin of Superman.  It's a story that could only happen with the new DC.  #8 is the end of this opening arc, and Morrison ends it in a great way.  The Fortress of Solitude is reimagined in a great way, coming out of nowhere, but makes sense by the end of the story.  Clark Kent gets more time in this issue, and I still hold onto the fact that Morrison is channeling Peter Parker when writing Kent.  That's well and fine, and it's a good way to bring Sups back to the present time.  The issue is one big fight, but Morrison gives the fight weight with the insane babbling of Braniac.  Even with Braniac and the enslaved human from a few issues ago using the same speech bubbles, the dialogue is easily distinguishable from each other.  The new Fortress of Solitude is brought in a smart way.  The end of this arc proves that Superman can be brought back into the present without sacrificing who he is.  It's been one of the problems with him, and it's one of the prime examples the new DC was a great choice story wise.

While I have nothing but praise for the writing, the art is bad.  Rags Morales is helped out by three other artists, and the affect is quite jarring.  It's clear where Morales art ends and others begin.  Brad Walker, Rick Bryant, and Bob McLeod do a commendable job, but going from artist to artist from page to page leaves the book having an inconsistent feel.  Not only that, the final few pages are inked and colored in a different feel, which faked me out.  I thought we had already got to the epilogue, but nope.

Action Comics #8 gets 3/5.