Noteworthy Marvel Minimates Toys R Us Wave 18 Figures

Totally skipped the Marvel Now minimate figures being sold at TRU for the reason that they're overpriced and hard to come by. The next wave of Toys R Us exclusives however, I might not pass on as its got Wolverine (again) and another Winter Soldier.

credit: Marvel Toy News

No photo has been released yet but here's the rundown of characters getting the Marvel Minimates treatment.

Marvel NOW! Thor & Absorbing Man
Age of Ultron Wolverine & Gold Ultron
Captain America & Red Skull/Arnim Zola
Falcon & Winter Soldier

credit: Marvel Toy News

My obvious pick from this set would be the Age of Ultron Wolverine and Golden Ultron plus the two-pack featuring Sam Wilson aka The Falcon and the good guy version of The Winter Soldier aka Bucky Barnes. The rest I'll probably sell, that's if I ever get to order this from the States given that these figures sell like hotcakes.

Source: Marveltoynews.com

INFINITY # 5 Review

Semi-spoilery review for INFINITY # 5 by Jonathan Hickman, Dustin Weaver and Jerome Opena.

THIS!

This is probably the weakest issue of Infinity. There I said it. Even though it's the weakest you still get to enjoy it as it's got it's moments. Sadly this was just a literal drag with nothing really happening (by that I mean now planets or ships getting blown up).

It's a standard 'talkies' issue reminiscent of a bad issue of Bendis written Avengers. Only it's not so bad because we get more Captain America coolness, a bit of spotlight on Thanos, Black Bolt and the Illuminati all in one sitting.

Still a must-read if you're following the intergalactic saga of the main Avengers team. Oh and it also sucks that after so much build-up on The Builders (Badump-tss) they get so easily knocked down a peg. You can't help but feel sorry that the Avengers had the ultimate deus ex machina, Captain Universe amongst their roster.

Who Will Be Revived in Brian Wood's X-Men Book?

Brian Wood's X-Men book has always been a shining beacon of hope for everything good about the X-Men. Now it looks like it's going to wallow in the resurrection pit for a while thanks to this new teaser. 

Artist Kris Anka will be onboard to crhronicle this 'resurrection' and hopefully, it's not really Jean Grey...

I'm tired Marvel! Please. Let us X-Fans have this moment to enjoy the return of Nightcrawler in Amazing X-Men, we really don't need Jean (if it is Jean) yet. 

Tony Stark Revealed to Be A - Iron Man # 17 Spoilers

spoilers for Iron Man # 17 by Kieron Gillen and Carlo Pagulayan.

Going back to the main title - TONY STARK REVEALED TO BE A-DOPTED. 

Yes, kids apparently Tony's not really a Stark, here's how it panned out in the comics.

Tony meets Pepper's fiancee and feigns ignorance. At this point in time, the Iron Man is ready to dig deeper into the secret history of his father Howard Stark and Maria Stark. He follows the trail...

A peek into the past reveals this:

And there Tony Stark finds the real Stark, Arno Stark who's been kept under some sort of coma for decades now.

Toys R Us Marvel Minimates Wave Series 17 Preview

My golly look at the size of that Hulk minimate figure. And it's not even the Hulk that we know, rather it's a robotic version of the Green goliath.

Of course this will not only make me NOT want to quit, this will also make me NOT want to sell my collection.

Look at the ecclectic set on this wave:

1. Superior Spider-Man version 2 and Ultimate Electro



2. Pepper Potts in Rescue armor + Robot Hulk



3. Sam Alexander Nova + Alien Symbiote Venom



4. Marvel Now Hawkeye + Marvel Now Black Widow



(But if there's really anything that I'd like to get, it has to be this one pack)

What's on the back?



So for the first time, we've got a bulky character being pegged as the 'army-builder'. Impressive.

Here's what they look like outside of their respective boxes/ containers.



These badboys come out end of the year.

S.H. Figuarts to Release Iron Man Mark VI Black Version

For realz fanboys and fangirls! S.H. Figuarts will be releasing an Iron Man Mark VI Black Version real soon.

I like this one because this is what the Marvel Now Iron Man is running around with (if not in his new deep space suit.) This bad boy will be sold exclusively from November 1-3,2013 at the Akibahara event in Japan. It's going to be priced at 4500¥ or $45.82 or Php 1994.09.

And too bad for North American collectors because this won't be distributed in the US due to licensing issues. Of course, there's always eBay and those online stores.

Source1, Source2

CAPTAIN AMERICA # 10 Spoilers - Somebody Dies

A major character dies just in time to shake things up a bit in Marvel Now title CAPTAIN AMERICA. Written by Rick Remender with art by John Romita Jr.

Don't think Remender will make things easy now that escape back to the 616 is in the clearing. In fact, rather than simplifying the situation, he flips it around.

Oh and SPOILER ALERT for this mini review.

The scans are basically the whole panels involving the 'death' of Agent 13, Sharon Carter while trying to get away from this big-ass Arnim Zola. I don't like cheap, comic book deaths (which this one really is) but I do like the big history Sharon has with Zola.

Dammit Sharon! Why do this?

Cap tries to return to the explosion site moments after getting back to the real world and when he looks back at the portal leading to Dimension Z, it's already been years. And no sign of Sharon Carter.



This last panel totally flips the whole scenario for Steve Rogers. He's probably been away for a day but he spent 12 years of his life in Dimension Z, his 'son' Ian is dead and Sharon's 'dead' as well. And now the flipside is that he's back but everything he needs is in Dimension Z and he's stuck. Plus the fact that he moved on 12 years while the Earth kinda stood still is also a jarring fact.

The tease towards the end of the issue is also something to look forward to in Captain America. Here's to hoping JRJR stays.

Psylocke and Female FANTOMEX CLUSTER Puts the X in Uncanny X-Force

I'm late with Uncanny X-Force vol 2 (with plot and script by Sam Humphries) and I'm quite surprised with this little panels featuring Psylocke and Cluster (the female Fantomex).

Check out these kinda cute and kinda raunchy panels from a recent issue of the Psylocke-centric X-Force

So yeah, it looks like that, Psylocke has unlocked the ability to swing both ways. I'll need to read further to understand why this happened and why she's not doing the horizontal mambo with the male, good guy Fantomex (which was who she was with when Remender's Uncanny X-Force run ended). 

It's fan service AND fan fiction all served up nicely in a few panels with great colors. 

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY # 5 Spoiler Review

Here's my review for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy # 5 by Brian Michael Bendis and Sarah Pichelli courtesy of course by Comicx Hub and Castle Geek.

Oh and it's spoiler heavy...

So this issue is an important issue because this is the second appearance of Angela in the Marvel 616 Universe. Other than that it also picks up what happens to this GOTG team after their fight, abduction and subsequent escape from the Badoon. 

All right I'm going to go out on a limb here and tell you as early as now - don't expect too much on Angela because while we get to see her vent and act all confused, she's hardly the POV character for the issue. That distinction belongs once again to Peter Quill aka Star Lord. And it's a smart move on Bendis' part.

The main drive relies on Peter Quill's solo adventure in a different part of the galaxy looking for his former teammate Mantis who has now chosen a quiet life. The reason for this is to make sense out of the recent 'flood of memory' that Quill got zapped with after the events of AGE OF ULTRON.

Tony Stark and Rocket Raccoon share some great page time with the former getting schooled by the latter. Some of the dialogue here is just comedy gold and the sheer situation that Stark is finding himself in is just hilarious such as his awkwardness with teammate Gamorra or when he tries to quote Star Trek...

While the Quill side of things do not crossover with Angela's story it does hint to something bigger and more destructive tying the book neatly to where Marvel is going in the next couple of months (hint: it's called INFINITY). That part is what really makes this book a nice find. It's going on two separate fronts, has its own spills and tumbles but still makes for a great issue.

Ms. Pichelli's art here was exceptional. It's gorgeous to look at and it's on the same level as Steve McNiven but it's distinctly hers. Also I'm not sure if it's just really the material she's handling but it's so far away from her previous work in Ultimate Comics Spider-Man. Really damn good.

And that ending?

I must say this.... Something wicked this way comes.

VERDICT: 9/10

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY # 5 is available now at CASTLE GEEK and COMICX HUB (order HERE). Also check out the variant covers also available online (Comicx Hub also has a variant sale)

SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN TEAM UP # 1 Review

SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN TEAM-UP # 1 by Christopher Yost and David Lopez from Marvel Comics. Still available at your nearest Castle Geek branches and online thru Comicx Hub.

This book is just plain awesome. Here's why:

- Spider-Man going around NYC acting all mysterious and crap like that. It doesn't have a pattern and it perplexes the adventures. It's nice to at least read a book where you get to see the 'new' Spider-Man kick ass AND enjoy it without the annoying POV of the Slotto. 

- It gives us a peek at how the Superior version of Spidey kicks Avenger ass. If you're a fan of say guys like Doctor Strange, you're going to end up with a frown especially after seeing the webcrawler punching the Sorcerer Supreme. If you're a Spidey fan (despite the status quo change) then you shall be pleased.

- Yost crafts a story that hits two birds with one stone here in this issue which is great. First he manages to weave an updated story of how the Avengers are doubting their mysterious teammate. It's also this fear that launches an all-out hunt and is the brunt of this issue. The second bird that gets hit is the subplot that gets carried from a recent issue of Superior Spider-Man where Jameson provides Slotto with his new SPIDER ISLAND. 

- It's very rare for a team-up book to have not only a chilling ending and at the same time adhere to the 'one-and-done" storytelling. Much props on that note. 

- Dave Lopez does a nice job for the opening salvo of this book. The movement and energy for this Spider-Man was well conveyed and when paired up with the colors provided by Rachelle Rosenberg, punches, kicks and energy blasts truly connect their intended targets.

- One problem with the art is that it's inconsistent when it comes to women. Cloak looks awesome (and weird because she's the gal in black now??) but when we first get our glimpse of the Avengers, you'll notice that Black Widow's rendition on that splash looks horrible. Inconsistent I tell you.

Overall, with that minor art hiccup, I'm saying this is a great book to pick up from last week's releases. Timely as well since things are again moving in Superior Spider-Man # 14 (check out my review HERE). 

SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN TEAM-UP # 1 is still available at Castle Geek and it's branches as well as online through Comicx Hub (Click HERE to order). 

New Avengers # 8 Spoilers - Atlantis versus Wakanda

Black Panther can be an asshole sometimes as seen in the issue of New Avengers # 8 by Jonathan Hickman and Mike Deodato Jr.

"LORDS OF CHAOS" As casualties pile up in the ongoing war between Wakanda and Atlantis, an Illuminati member is forced to make a hard choice.An Inhuman learns of the Illuminati's plans.Prelude to INFINITY: Everything falls apart.

So Black Panther is still a bad ass in my book but he's also a supreme class dick.

He frigging gloats over the fact that there are Wakandan troops in Atlantean territory.

Obviously Atlantis never stood a chance without Prince Namor at their side. I like stuff like for a number of reason:

(a) It brings tension and new dynamics to a team book.
(b) It shows a different side to a character in this case, T'Challa who is still pissed over the fact that Namor destroyed Wakanda when he was still possessing the Phoenix force back in AVX.
(c) It shows a desperate albeit failed attempt at returning. It shows a characters vulnerability (a word Namor despises so much.)

It's not world shattering but its definitely going to be a big issue for the team in NEW AVENGERS and even reshape the world politics in 616.

Learn the whole story in NEW AVENGERS # 8. Available at: