Batwing, Earth-2, and JLI #4 Previews!

Batwing #12

Written by: Judd Winick

Art by: Marcus To

 

 

Earth-2 #4

Written by: James Robinson

Art by: Nicola Scott

 

 

Justice League International #12

Written by: Dan Jurgens

Art by: Aaron Lopresti

 

  

  

 

A Few Things Wanted Out of Marvel NOW!

With Marvel NOW! starting it a few months, I've examined all the attention I could find on websites like Newsarama, Comic Book Resources, and Comic Vine. So what do I want to see out of the whole Marvel NOW! initiative? Here's a few things.

New/Past Avengers
Between the main team on Avengers, the New Avengers, and Uncanny Avengers all having been announced (with potentially more Avengers titles to be announced), we have to assume there are going to be  tons of new members or old members coming back from the past. From old members like Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, to potential new members like Silver Surfer and Nick Fury Jr.

Don't Forget About Nick Sr.
With Nick Fury Jr. becoming what seems to be the "main" Nick Fury in the Marvel NOW! teasers, some might wonder what is gonna happen to Nick Fury Sr. He's the original and while he isn't really doing anything important recently, I don't think that we should just "forget" about him.


Welcome Back Cosmic Marvel...
The Guardians of the Galaxy movie is coming soon. Nova is in that Ultimate Spider-Man tv show. It's time to go cosmic with the Marvel Universe. Maybe a Silver Surfer ongoing, bring the Fantastic Four back out to space a bunch, Guardians of the Galaxy and Nova ongoings would all be a step in the right direction.

...And Don't Let the X-Men Disappear (With Maybe a Few Reappearing?)
With AvX ending soon, the two teams seem like they will be brought closer than ever, despite one of the teams losing. Thusfar we haven't seen any books starring the X-Men besides All-New X-Men starring the original X-Men (Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, Angel, and Beast) coming to the present time and seeing how much the world has changed. So one has to wonder, when will we hear about an X-Men series starring the current X-Men teams. But maybe at the end AvX, the Phoenix force will bring back a few X-Men characters...like Nightcrawler and Jean Grey?


Joe Quesada Starts Doing An Ongoing Series
Jim Lee did it with Justice League...why can't Joe Quesada start drawing an ongoing series? Maybe the new X-Men ongoing series? Maybe an Avengers team? Maybe a new Spider-Man series or Iron Man or Thor? I think it's time. Come on, Joe, start an ongoing series.

Fantastic Four Doesn't Get Forgotten
I know that Invisible Woman is on the Marvel NOW! poster that was released a few weeks ago, but that doesn't mean the whole team will have a major role. Sure, the Thing is currently a member of the New Avengers squad, and may or may not stay there post-AvX, but the rest of the team has been rather sheltered from the broad Marvel U. Maybe we could get Human Torch AND Invisible Woman on the Avengers or maybe Mr. Fantastic and the Thing on the team. Or have FF team up with the Avengers and the X-Men frequently.


Tony Stark Stays Iron Man
I know this is kind of obvious, but I don't want someone else in the armor. I think I heard something about him giving up and not being in the armor anymore recently and I was like "Well, no thanks." But I hope the man behind that armor on the Marvel NOW! poster is Tony because that's who belongs there. 

Blue Beetle #11 Review!

Cover to Blue Beetle #11 by Paul Renaud

Blue Beetle #11

Written by: Tony Bedard

Art by: Ig Guara & J.P. Mayer

Issue title: "All That Glitters"

So normally I don't buy this series, obviously, but I can't resist buying an issue with Booster in it. So without further wait, I present my review of Blue Beetle #11.

Summary:

• The issue opens with a newscaster lady named Connie Burnett is interviewing a guy who is anti-superheroes named Thaddeus Miller and Booster Gold who is promoting supers, obviously
• Blue Beetle becomes the main focus of the conversation
• Booster announces that he wants to meet with Beetle and help him get his super-hero career together
• Meanwhile, Jaime is walking down the street in NYC and is talking to the Beetle scarab thingy and decides he wants to meet with Booster and has the scarab set up a meeting
• Later, when Beetle and Booster are set to meet, Booster seems kinda pissed since Jaime arrived late
• Booster begins fighting Beetle and explains why he did so, which is the fact that Booster knows his 25th Century History and mentions an invasion from the Reach Empire (which is where the scarab came from) to Earth and he wants to wipe Beetle out before the Reach gets worse
• Eventually Booster takes down Beetle, but Jaime's grandma (????) steps in between and stops Booster from killing Jaime
• (This will be continued in the Justice League International Annual next month apparently)

Thoughts

I really enjoyed this issue. Not enough that I'd spend another $2.99 monthly, which is a shame because if I had the money I would buy it. I really need a job... Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this issue and I now can't wait to see what this annual is all about. I kind of hope to see the Blue & Gold become best buds again, and hopefully since JLI is getting cancelled we can see more of Booster here in Blue Beetle, but in the meantime, it was a good impulse buy. Good writing, good art, solid cliffhanger for the ongoing series. 8/10

I have to say, Beetle did put up a good fight against Booster there for a while.

Earth-2 #3 Review!

Cover to Earth-2 #3 by Ivan Reis & Joe Prado

Earth-2 #3

Written by: James Robinson

Art by: Nicola Scott & Trevor Scott

Issue title: "Jade Knight"

Summary

• Alan Scott wakes up in the middle of the crash and wanders to a green light
• The light tells him that it is the power of the Earth and that he's the chosen one to contain the power the light contains
• Jay/Flash and Kendra/Hawkgirl are talking for a bit when Kendra randomly attacks him
• Jay and Kendra go at it for a minute til she takes Jay down and then helps him up
• Jay agrees to team up with Kendra (kind of) as "everything" is dying
• Back with Alan, he agrees to take the mantle of Green Lantern
• We see him in his pretty badass-looking GL outfit
• Meanwhile an unseen enemy notices that the Green has chosen a champion (Alan) and "in the name of the Grey" he must awaken
• He is killing everything in Virginia
• Alan and the light form his engagement ring that he was gonna use to propose to Sam (who's dead, bee-tee-dubs) into a GL ring
• Alan saves the survivors from the train crash and swears that everything he does as Green Lantern will be in Sam's honor
• Meanwhile, the Grey's champion kills stuff in Washington, D.C. and we see its Solomon Grundy(!!!!!!)

Thoughts

I have almost no issues here, minus one: Alan got over Sam really quick. But maybe that's just me, because I've never lost someone as close as my fiancee-to-be and then have a Green Light claim it's the Earth's energy and give me all it's power. Soooo yeah. This issue was amazing nonetheless and frickin' Solomon Grundy is the villain!!! That made up for the Sam thing. Green Lantern. Flash. Hawkgirl. Solomon Grundy. That's enough of a great cast to make an amazing book. 10/10

That Cover for "Rise of the Third Army"