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Stills Of The Viper Released Today

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Good day, Wednesday Warriors. Today, two stills were released of Svetlana Khodchenkova as Viper in upcoming movie based on the iconic Marvel character, THE WOLVERINE. Look above this paragraph: THERE’S ONE!!!

My reaction to these stills are two fold: 1. Of course her name is Svetlana. I don’t think there is a an unattractive person in the world who is named Svetlana.

2. Sooooo?

I’ve been asking the same question over and over again, and that is: Why should I get excited for the Wolverine?

These stills feel like they are supposed to be a rebuttal, but it didn’t quite answer my question. I’m looking for deep character arcs that depict these beloved heroes and villains in new and surprising ways. I’m just looking for something new and this feels like the same old crap.

The sad thing is that despite X-Men Origins being universally hated, people will probably flock to see The Wolverine. Audiences will reinforce this behavior. Worst of all, they’ll go home and complain about it on the internet. Anyhow, if you are that person, than you have seen what the Wolverine has to offer and you are excited. There is nothing I can do for you, so here is the other still. At least one of us is happy.

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Afro Justice's Comic Picks of the Week

Here’s a fun history fact: the reason Golden Age comics are so rare is because kids were encouraged to donate them so they can be recycled for the war effoet. Now that that’s out of the way lets see what neat new comics we should consider buying.

TMNT VILLAIN MICRO-SERIES #2 BAXTER STOCKMAN

If you even remotely like the Ninja Turtles, you’re obligated to give this an honest chance. IDW has been doing tremendous work expanding the classic franchise and the future looks stunning with City Fall. Shredder is about the invade the city and, believe it or not, he has Leo on his side!

But for now, they’re shining the spotlight on assorted villains, and this week we get an issue dedicated solely to Baxter Stockman. With Erik Burnham — the co-writer of THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE FOOT CLAN — writing this one, you can bet my expectations are high! Plus, it seems like we’ll get an update on the status of the Technodrome.

Check out IDW’s extensive preview here.

SCARLET SPIDER #17

Easily my favorite Spider-related book out there, this issue marks a brand new direction for Kaine. After a hilarious encounter with a drunk Armadillo, our anti-hero was hit with an epiphany and is finally open to a relationship. The only problem is he has about a thousand obstacles heading in his direction. To make matters even worse one of those obstacles is an X-Man with 6 adamantium claws. That’s right, it’s time for Scarlet Spider vs. Wolverine. Come on, who honestly doesn’t want to see these two go at it?!

BATMAN, INCORPORATED #11

Despite what the solicits say, this is supposed to be an issue written by Chris Burnham with art by Jorge Lucas. We may be in the midst of Batman’s war against Talia but this issue gives us a little detour as we catch up with the Batman of Japan. Last seen in BATMAN INCORPORATED #0 (which was also co-written by Burnham), we’ll get to see what Jiro has been up to as well as his attempt at a date with Lolita Canary.

The idea of skipping an issue of the main story might be bothersome but it’s great to see an actual focus on other members of Batman Incorporated. This seems more what the intention of the series should have been. Batman helped set up allies in other nations to fight their own crime and assist him when needed. Yet we rarely got any updates as to what they were doing or how things were going.

Visit IGN for the final preview page.

GREEN LANTERN #20

We may have seen the epilogue and aftermath of Wrath of the First Lantern already but this was intended to be the final part to the battle. The overall story had some hit or miss moments but this is what the story was building towards. The bigger reason to pick up this issues is because it marks the end of Geoff Johns incredible nine year run. With everything he’s added to Hal Jordan’s mythos, you know he won’t leave the series in a whimper.

What you’ll want to note is this is one of those $7.99 issue we’ve seen a few times lately. It is an oversized issue set at 64 pages. We can also assume this is why Doug Mahnke has been missing the last couple issues. At WonderCon he mentioned having to do close to 60 pages. It’s going to be an exciting issue for GL fans but also bittersweet as we say goodbye to an era.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #20

This is a series with all of DC’s big guns. It’s supposed to be big on action and storytelling. Lately there has been a feeling that Geoff Johns is slowly amping up the excitement and with this being a prologue to Trinity War, we’ll want to pay close attention to what goes down.

Last issue saw the set up of several different things. There are new members but who knows if they’ll be able to survive this issue. We also saw a surprise attack at the Batcave which raised some questions. With a certain item that was acquired at the cave, it could change the relationship between Batman and Superman.

For those enjoying the Billy Batson back ups by Johns and Gary Frank, we’ll get the penultimate chapter with Billy versus Black Adam.

Go to CBR for the last preview page.

BATMAN: LIL’ GOTHAM #2

What I’m going to say is going to sound crazy, but BATMAN: LIL’ GOTHAM isn’t just a book I buy monthly in a digital format, it’s also a physical book on my pull list. Yes, I double dip with this book for good reason.

It’s just such a light-hearted, fun book with solid writing from Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs. Also, Nguyen draws the book, and his art is amazing in this series. It’s one of my favorite series, and it’s a fantastic book for all ages.

Sorry, there’s no preview. But trust us, it’s adorable.

JUDGE DREDD #7

If you’ve ever been interested in Judge Dredd and his adventures in Mega City One, then you should be reading this series. Duane Swierczynski is putting together this great over-arcing story with some fantastic artwork from Nelson Daniel.

Every issue has a back-up story, like many series do, but the difference here is that these ones are all great back-ups and all of them are relevant to what is going on in the main story.

There’s no preview, but if you’re a Dredd fan, it’s your duty to pick this up.

LOBSTER JOHNSON SATAN SMELLS A RAT ONE SHOT

Lobster Johnson is by far one of my absolute favorite Dark Horse/Hellboy characters which is why I am so looking forward to reading Lobster Johnson Satan Smells A Rat this week.

The issue is a single, self contained story starring Lobster and it is one reason why I would recommend it to anyone who is not familiar with the character or with the B.P.R.D. Universe.

Apologies, Hellboy fans, but there isn’t a preview for this one.

DAREDEVIL #26

We last left Daredevil in a pretty sticky situation and it seems he may have finally met his match. To make matters worse for Matt, his best friend is in dire straights.

This month’s issue will feature a special appearance from iron man who may very likely be the one guy that can help Foggy beat cancer.

The last few issues have demonstrate not only some great story telling, but also some really pretty art which is why I definitely can’t wait to check out this issue.

GREEN TEAM #1

Poised as the counterpoint to Gail Simone’s THE MOVEMENT, GREEN TEAM shows us how the other half lives in the superhero scene. A kitschy 1970s one-shot gets blasted into 2013, swapping flightsuited “Boy Millionaires” for a set of teen trillionaires who more closely resemble the “Rich Kids of Instagram,” and I can’t wait to see the excess. Bruce Wayne’s money (or more, even?) + teenage immaturity and angst = strong potential for a wild joyride of a story.

Art and Franco have some of the biggest imaginations in comics, and I’m anxious to see how the unbounded creativity they brought to DC’s all-ages titles (TINY TITANS, SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES) plays out in GREEN TEAM. I feel like this book’s motto is “Go big or go home!” and I’m banking on it going big. Ok, so I was sold as soon as I heard “famous actress with a cybernetic arm.” That can only be awesome.

There’s no preview, but here’s Tony’s interview about the series!

REVIVAL #10

REVIVAL has been steadily convincing me that I am, in fact, a fan of the horror genre. Its Midwestern sensibility and clever take on zombies has been charming me since issue #1. Seeley and Norton have brought the town of Wausau, WI to life — pun intended — and I’m enjoying the breadth of the series. There’s a Twin Peaks sort of feel to it; everyone in the series has a story, and it keeps getting more complex and interesting.

Apologies, but Image hasn’t released a preview for this one.

Really Kain trying to kill Wolverine, better men than you have tried and failed hundreds of times, anyway thanks to comicvine.com for the suggestions

Afro Justice’s Comic Cover of the Week

If there’s one thing comic book fans (and nerds in general) love it’s nostalgia and tributes this weeks comic book cover does just that. Take a look at the cover of Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man.

Wrap your minds around this, Miles Morales is imitating the actions of an alternate universe counterpart of his predecessor. If your minds are blown, or slightly singed then I’ve done my job.

Zombieland Not Picked Up By Amazon And Its Your Fault.

By Devon “The Man of your dreams” James

Last night, news spread that the Zombieland series would not be picked up for a full season by Amazon.com. Don’t be rude, you should at least feign surprise. What is genuinely surprising though is how fast Rhett Reese was to blame the fans.

In his twitter feed, Reese is quoted as saying

(Artist approximation of Reese’s Rage)

“Our Zombieland series will not be moving forward on Amazon. Sad for everyone involved…I’ll never understand the vehement hate the pilot received from die-hard Zombieland fans. You guys successfully hated it out of existence”

You can read the Tweets for yourself if you like.

Now hold up. I’m not going to get guilted for not liking the pilot. I know I sure as hell didn’t like the pilot and did my fair share of hating it out of existence, but maybe that is not the viewer’s fault. Maybe this just wasn’t a good pilot. Taking the characters that we loved from the movie and portraying them with actors whom we don’t even know presumed too much. There’s a reason why a series won’t last long when you swap out the principle cast. Movies bank on the audience developing an emotional relationship with the character. Its the only reason why we sit around long enough to see if they save the world. If we didn’t care, we wouldn’t spend 2 hours in a dark room to make sure that it happens. Just look at That 70’s Show, Spin City, X-Files, or the Schumacher Batman where replacing a vital character has lead to the death of the series (although, credit does have to go to terrible scripts).

Point is that even without all the other problems that I felt the Zombieland Pilot had, it was still hard to like because it made it impossible not to compare it to the movie.

And any one of these actors is a tough act to follow

So sure, I am among the culpable for not liking this series, but I can not go against my nature, and that nature will not bend in regards to seeing this series on a weekly basis. I am the consumer, but I won’t consume just anything, and we should have an obligation to consume especially when the creators put forth an inferior product.

I mean, c’m on. More realism was put into Bill Murray’s zombie and he was not even a real zombie in the context of the movie.

Besides, as far as series injustices go, Nerds are still carrying the guilt of letting Serenity bomb in the box office.

Avengers Cast May Be Replaced Over Unfair Salaries

By Devon “The Man of your dreams” James

Take a good look, this may be the new cast for the upcoming Avengers 2

Before Warner Bros. decides to take the Justice League movie seriously, there’s a few things from the Marvel model that they may want to take note of.

Despite being massively successful, the Avengers seems to be losing stars left and right. For one thing, Hugo Weaving, the guy who played the Red Skull doesn’t want to play the Red Skull again. Don’t worry, he said that if he has to, he will because he is contractually obligated to do so.

That might not seem like a big deal, after all, its not like we couldn’t just get someone else to wear all that make-up, but now, it seems possible that Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson may not return for the Avengers 2. In fact, Marvel has reportedly threatened to replace Hemsworth.

Contention seems to be arising because of salaries. As you may know, Marvel is notoriously stingy when it comes to paying their actors. Now that the actors have put in their time to make a billion dollar grossing movie, they are looking at their contract and wanting more than their $200,000 pay check. While this may seem like a good pay, consider that Robert Downey Jr. is earning somewhere between $50 million to $80 million on the Avengers.

$200,000 is not worth the physical strain of all those bench presses or the mental strain of eating all those egg whites that go into making the abs of the god of thunder a reality.

There may yet still be hope as the cast seems to be rallying behind Downey as he uses his valuable positioning to fight for the salaries of his cast mates. As you may know, Downey is the star of the Iron Man franchise. With the last installment already reaching $1 billion as of today with some projections that it will over take Avengers, there is still hope as RDJ may be too lucrative to piss off.

In other news of Marvel having a weird relationship with its cast, Natalie Portman didn’t want to return to the Thor sequel. Also, Jeremy Renner is reported to not be making a return as Hawkeye due to his public annoyance over how the character was portrayed in Avengers, and due to Marvel’s annoyance of their actors talking smack about their movies. I asked fans who responded with a unanimous “who cares”?

May
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Stills Of The Viper Released Today

May
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May
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Afro Justice’s Comic Cover of the Week

May
17

Zombieland Not Picked Up By Amazon And Its Your Fault.

Avengers Cast May Be Replaced Over Unfair Salaries