Some Important Differences to Note

The First Avenger: Captain America

"Captain America to be set during WWII."

Well, it was confirmed that the Captain America movie will be set during WWII. To me this makes sense. The point of these introductory/origin movies is to establish how the character became who they are. I feel to not put Captain America in WWII would be a great disservice to the character and the fans. Undoubtedly there are going to be people that are unhappy with this, and will proclaim that this movie is going to suck, and be the downfall of Marvel Studios. Likewise, some will proclaim that this is going to be the greatest movie ever. I say, wait until you see the blasted movie to proclaim anything about it. That really goes for any movie that has not been released, but I'll save going into that soap box message.

King of Kings as God of Thunder?

There's a rumor going around the many internets that Marvel is interested in WWE superstar Triple H to play the title role in the Thor movie (already scheduled for release on June 4 2010).

He certainly looks the part, and he's got a fair bit of experience swinging a hammer. But I don't know if he's got the acting chops to pull it off. Not to say that I don't think a wrestler can act, since that's pretty much what their job is. But Thor is a very involved character. The costumes, the godly presence, and most importantly: the dialect. I just can't see Triple H saying things like "verily", "forsooth", "I say thee nay!" and "the Odinson doth protest!". Then again, they could play down that aspect of the character the way they did in Ultimates.

But with casting Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man and Edward Norton in The Incredible Hulk, something tells me Marvel's leaning toward more serious actors to make more serious movies.

Now for something completely not serious, here's a music video made with clips from one of Marvel's earliest films, Captain America. (contains profanity)

Ten Reasons "One More Day" Is the Worst Spider-Man Story Ever

#4 - The Spider-Man Swings Alone

As much as the intended purpose of Civil War was to tear the Marvel Universe apart, it did an excellent job of bringing things together. After setting it up in House of M, Civil War established an over arching theme to the entire universe. You really got the sense that all of these characters, even in their own books, existed in the same universe at the same time. What happened in books like Captain America and Iron Man had ties to what happened in other books like Wolverine and New Avengers, and so on. Not in the sense that you had to read everything to get the whole story but that you’d get some bonus insight and background information if you did. One can argue that Marvel’s always been like that, but to me it seemed much more prevalent post Civil War. I was such a fan of this newly integrated universe that I started collecting five new Marvel titles after Civil War.

Right there in the thick of things was Spider-Man. This was a relatively new place for him. Before joining the New Avengers Spidey had mostly swung solo, sticking to his own book(s) and doing his own thing, barring the occasional team-up or special guest appearance. He was sort of where Daredevil is now, and even he has some dealings with The Hood to tie him into New Avengers. I, for one greatly enjoyed the character’s wider integration into the universe over the last couple years. Peter’s friendship with the Avengers, his mentor relationships Captain America and Iron Man, and even the new spin on old connections brought about by the unmasking. Realistically, what more could you have done with Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson?

"One More Day" and the resulting "Brand New Day" storyline have effectively wiped away those stories and pulled Spidey back into his own corner of the Marvel U. All of his relationship and character developments over the last twenty years, but specifically the last three, have been called into question. Who does Spider-Man know and not know? What did he do and not do? How will writers tackle the issue of Spidey's place in the Marvel Universe without throwing their hands up and saying "It's magic, we don't have to explain it."? Will it even be attempted or will Spider-Man just stick to his own books and drop by New Avengers merely to shoot webs at something and say a funny one liner? My money's on the latter.

The Weekly Pile

Top of the Pile: Mighty Avengers #5

It's a shame this book has been so delayed. With the extended periods between issues it's hard to keep up any kind of storytelling pace. The most you can hope for, aside from the creators getting their asses in gear and putting the book out on time, is that the issue is good when it does come out. Mighty Avengers comes through in that department.

Bendis' decent drama and snappy dialog always make his books an entertaining read. His use of random thought bubbles is a great way to give an extra dimension to the characters without having to delve into a lot of expository writing. Frank Cho's art continues to look fantastic and it's sad to know he's the reason the book's so delayed.

The Rest of the Pile

Captain America #31 - This book was very close to being the Top this week. Ed Brubaker continues to craft a compelling story even though the title character's been dead for more than six months.

Captain America: The Chosen #3 - Continuing the story of an aging Cap searching for his replacement.

Countdown #28 - See this week's Countdown Countdown

JLA #14 - The Injustice League, a large gathering of villains who seem to have gotten together just to get together. This may sound weird, but it reads more like a cartoon than a comic book.

Marvel Zombies 2 #1 - Nothing special here, just the same gory fun as the first series. Robert Kirkman continues to be one of my favorite writers.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #47 - I'm torn about this book. It hasn't been bad, it just hasn't been interesting.

Wolverine: Origins #18 - Wolverine fights Nazis with Captain America, Bucky, and a young Nick Fury.

Craptain America

So apparently this is Alex Ross' new design for a new Captain America, set to debut in January's Captain America #34. We don't know who's under the mask, although Marvel promises its not Steve Rogers as he's still dead. Putting aside the fact that this new fella is toting a handgun and hunting knife, which is totally not Captain America, what do I think of the costume? One word: Ugh. The black and ultra shiny red, white, and blue don't go together well at all. The triangular design is reminiscent of Ross' unused original movie Spider-Man costume, which I was also not a fan of. Just replace the red, webbed part with the American flag. I can really only think of one thing that would make this aesthetically unpleasing apparel worthwhile, and that's it this new Captain America turns out to be none other than Bucky Barnes. That'd also explain the weapons.

I know there are some people out there who think everything Alex Ross touches turns to gold, but I'm not one of them. He paints pretty pictures of already existing characters and costumes, but his original designs are hit & miss with me.

Nuff said.

(Of course, don't look at the Namor or Bucky-style arms or the Human Torch-esque flames which all scream World War II Invaders - enjoy the Alex Ross goodness.)