Hello everyone I’m Jim Trabold welcome to the Ultimate Marvel Handbook.
Hey Daron how are you today bud?
Pretty good. Much better than the last few weeks that’s for sure.
I‘m good but been busy this week. I didn‘t slack on the column though. Very good week. We have a lot to cover so I think we better start
Indeed,Old chum. Off”¦to the colum-mobile!
Drew email cont
7) How did the Marvel GI Joe series end (i.e. what was the storyline) and does Marvel own the publishing rights to it anymore? Did they exist in, what I guess is now called Marvel 616? Did the Joe’s interact with anyone else in the Marvel Universe?
G I. Joe when it was Marvel never impacted or crossed over with Marvel 616 as far as I can recall. They did cross over with the Transformers though.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero the Marvel series. The final issue was published in December of 1994. It depicts the G.I. Joe HQ being mothballed. Although this was the last issue of the main series, it was not the last Joe comic published. Two months later, Issue #61 was republished with new art by Todd McFarlane as well as a new title: G.I. Joe Special #1.
Marvel gave up the rights. Currently Devil’s Due has the rights to G.I. Joe.
8) Same questions for the Marvel Transformers series.
Transformers of course was more my favorite of the two. Let’s cover it this way:
In issue 75 (cover-dated February, 1991), the Autobots and Decepticons had united under one banner after Autobot commander Optimus Prime surrendered to Scorponok, in order to end their civil war. United, they finally faced their ancient nemesis: Unicron. The Transformers won, but with heavy losses, including the deaths of Scorponok and Optimus Prime (again). Peace between the two Transformers factions was shortlived after Unicron’s death. Bludgeon, the new Decepticon leader, tried to strand the Autobots on Cybertron, which was apparently destroying itself. His plan failed and the final confrontation between the two factions played out, with the Autobots lead again by Grimlock. Optimus Prime is united with Hi-Q (his Powermaster) and given life by The Last Autobot. He returns to battle to save the Autobots and then exiles the Decepticons forever
But Marvel also did Gen 2.
A 12 issue series, the series expanded the original G1 mythos from the small War on Earth and Cybertron to enclose the whole of the Galaxy that was fast being altered into a likeness of Cybertron itself by the Cybertronian Empire, a race of later generation Transformers that evolved while the earthbound Autobots and Decepticons were deactivated. The events of this series were actually set in motion with a crossover from the G.I. Joe comic books #138-142, in 1993. Megatron returns to reclaim his leadership off Bludgeon and by the end of the series joins with Optimus Prime to fight against the G2 Decepticons and their genetic offshoot, the Swarm.
Marvel lost the rights to Transformers as well. IDW Publishing does Transformers now
9) Why is it Marvel “616”? I was always a Marvel man and not a DC fan but DC’s “Earth 1″ makes a lot more sense than calling your main reality “616.” What reality is Marvel “1”?
Well You can thank Alan Moore for the term 616. The term originated from writer Alan Moore’s run on the Captain Britain comic produced by Marvel UK in the 1980s, in which the main timeline was designated as “616” by Merlyn, the protector of the Multiverse.
Though some argued that stories produced by Marvel UK were not canonical within the greater Marvel Universe published in America, the designation was later confirmed by the main American branch of Marvel Comics in the Excalibur title, which frequently referenced Captain Britain’s early UK-published adventures.
Alan Moore, confirmed on an Internet message board that the number 616 was arbitrarily chosen by Alan Moore and had no significant meaning, saying it “was just a random number of no significance chosen because people always seemed to be talking about ‘earth 2’ or ‘earth 4’ but never any higher numbers.”
The Marvel universe we know and love is the main Marvel universe so as such you can consider it 1 but to put it this way most fans don’t. They say 616. Odd fact but true.
10) What is Sentry’s history? I hope you can be more coherent than the Marvel website.
Empowered by the enigmatic Professor’s secret formula, high school student Robert Reynolds became a superhuman. After trouncing the school bully who had tormented him, Reynolds sewed together a costume and made his debut as the heroic Sentry. One of very few super heroes active during the years just prior to the Fantastic Four’s emergence, Sentry gained new importance when the new wave of heroes rose to prominence. Almost instantly deducing Spider-Man’s secret identity, Sentry became a role model for the young hero, as well as an ally to the X-Men, an equal to Reed Richards and a friend to the outcast Hulk. The Sentry even battled Dr. Doom alongside the Fantastic Four and defeated his greatest enemy, the General, with the X-Men’s aid.
During this period, the Sentry married the love of his life, Lindy, and took the young Scout as his sidekick; but the arrival of the Void, a shadowy monster that exploited its enemy’s greatest fears, ended the Sentry’s charmed life. The Void nearly killed Scout, drove Hulk into a rampage, and murdered over one million people in Manhattan. Discovering that the Void had been the dark aspect of his own powers, the Sentry teamed with Reed Richards and Dr. Strange to create a system which made Earth’s entire population, themselves included, forget all about the Sentry. With the Sentry inactive and forgotten, the Void vanished. Years later, Robert’s memories slowly returned along with the Void, who rampaged across Europe, murdering many members of the Super-Heroes of Europe (SHE). The Sentry contacted his former colleagues, but the only one who recalled their shared history was the Hulk. As the Void returned to Manhattan, the pieces began to fall in place and the Sentry’s former friends assembled to defend him and the city. Remembering the dual nature of Robert’s powers, Sentry and Reed Richards reactivated the Watchtower, dispelling the Void and making the world forget the Sentry once again; however, Robert’s memories of the Sentry soon returned, and he demanded to be placed on the Raft, S.H.I.E.L.D.’ high-security prison for super-villains, claiming that he had killed his wife. During a mass breakout at the Raft, Sentry helped several other heroes subdue many of the escaping villains – notably Carnage, whom Sentry ripped in half. Inspired by this adventure, the other heroes soon formed the new Avengers, but Sentry vanished before they could invite him to join them. The Sentry stayed in hiding, but remained a person of great interest to S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers, who were both fascinated by his powers and worried that they may lead to another Scarlet Witch situation.
Eventually, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the New Avengers confronted the Sentry with several disturbing facts: The wife he claimed to have killed was alive, and the only reference in the world that could be found of the Sentry was in comic books, stories invented and written down by the imagination of a man. Unable to face these shocking events, the Sentry fled. Resurfacing as Robert Reynolds at his home, the Sentry was again confronted by the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D., along with the Inhumans and the X-Men. He cried, saying that he had warned them of the Void’s coming and that it was now too late. The group was suddenly attacked by the Void. Robert, along with the help of Emma Frost, discovered that the reason no one remembered him was not because of his own attempts to erase the Void, but because of the intervention and manipulation of his mind. Mastermind, hired by the General, had used the great mental powers the Sentry needed to contain his abilities to force everyone (himself included) to forget of the Sentry’s existence. Should the Sentry ever remember his life, then he would be struck by a fear of the devil attacking the world, hence the Void. With this new found knowledge, the Void disappeared, and Emma Frost resurrected the Sentry. The New Avengers offered him membership, partly to keep an eye on him and partly because they would need his power, which he accepted.
The Sentry was marketed with a hoax. Comic industry magazine Wizard reported that Marvel had discovered sketches by an unknown artist named Artie Rosen of a superhero created by Stan Lee immediately prior to the Fantastic Four. The Sentry miniseries was promoted as the first appearance of an unknown Stan Lee Silver Age hero. However, Marvel had made the whole thing up and Wizard had played along, for reasons revealed in the story.
11) How did Jean Grey die the second time (or was it 3rd, 4th or 5th). Last time I was reading regularly Jean had just come back from her original death (that is weird term).
Jean came back from her first “Death” in Avengers #263 which we find her in a cocoon where the Phoenix Force left her after the crash.
Madelyne Pryor (Jean Clone) died in X-Factor #37 (You can think of it as a second death but it’s her clone so it don’t count)
The second “Death” in reality would be Uncanny X-Men #281-283: Jean was believed to have been killed by Sentinels, during their attack on the Hellions. She survived, however, by taking a very risky gamble and transferring her consciousness into the comatose body of fellow telepath Emma Frost. She gained her real body back in the end.
The third death was when Wolverine killed her in New X-Men #148 Wolverine reluctantly stabbed Phoenix so she would not have to die in the intense solar heat
The fourth death: New X-Men #150: Seconds before they were to collide with the sun however, the Phoenix Force fully manifested within Jean and she saved them both. She tells him that by killing her, he helped her release the “Phoenix Consciousness.” Arriving back on earth, they encounter Magneto, who mortally injures Phoenix by transferring a large amount of electro-magnetic energy to her brain, inducing a “planetary-scale stroke.” As Phoenix died in Scott’s arms, she told him to live
The fifth death: New X-Men #151-154 Here Comes Tomorrow. She’s brought back to life in the far future and has to die yet again to fix the time line and make Scott reopen Xavie’s.
The 6th death: She came back in Phoenix Endsong. the Shi’ar resurrect the Phoenix Force prematurely in hopes of destroying it while it is relatively weak, resulting in a fragmented Phoenix. The Shi’ar references Jean Grey as the Phoenix’s Heart and a part of its very Self and hopes to kill her for good.
The revived Jean telepathically assaults the Phoenix-possessed Emma, forcing her to the ground. The Phoenix Force, shocked, exclaims, “Jean Grey, how are you doing that, without me… without my power?” Jean responds “I am you. Don’t you remember?” Jean then exorcises the Phoenix Force from Emma, telling the Phoenix Force she’ll understand everything once all their pieces are together in the White Hot Room. The Phoenix Force admits “Because you and I are One.” She then starts to go mad since the Phoenix is still unstable. But with the help of the Stepford Cuckoos, Emma Frost contacts all of the X-Men around the world to focus their love into Jean. Jean’s costume turns white as she tearfully exclaims “my friends.” As White Phoenix, she saves the team from a black hole event horizon created by the exploding Shi’ar ship. Before returning to the White Hot Room, Scott tells her to remember who she is. She asks Scott to remove his visor because she wants to see his eyes. Enveloped in his optic blast, she departs, giving Scott one last “goodbye.”
12) How old is Franklin Richards these days. In real time he would be in at least his mid 30s.
In comic time he’s about 8 years old.
Although the issue in which he was born was published in 1968, the character is plainly no older than ten years old even in currently published stories, and some stories suggets that he is much younger. The concept of “Marvel Time” places all Marvel Universe stories on a sliding time scale, so that the origins of characters like the Fantastic Four occurred a perpetual “ten years ago”
The rest of your questions will be here next week.
Dano emails
Jim,
Can you do a Paladin bio please? I ask as I thought Marvel had killed him off a few years ago but then he turned up for about 6 panels in Daredevil #79 to shoot ol’ hornhead and word is he’s going to pop up in the forthcoming Heroes for Hire series. He was one of my favorite supporting characters back then. Whats he been turning up in over the last few years?
Paladin
Real Name: Paul Denning
Aliases: None
Identity: Secret
Occupation: Mercenary
Citizenship: U.S.A.
Place of Birth: Unrevealed
Known Relatives: None
Group Affiliation: (Formerly) the Wild Pack, the Outlaws, also worked for the Hellfire Club
Education: Unrevealed
Height 6’2″
Weight 225 lbs.
Eyes Brown
Hair Brown
First Appearance: Daredevil #150 (1978)
Powers: Paladin possesses superhuman strength, the equivalent of three normal men.
Abilities: He is also a superb marksman and athlete.
Weapons: Paladin’s signature weapon is his stun gun, which fires a beam that disrupts the victim’s nervous system, typically rendering him or her unconscious. He has also been known to use more conventional firearms.
Paraphernalia: His costume is a padded armor with polarized eye lenses capable of night vision and a sealable, clear face mask that triggers an internal air supply.
History: Virtually nothing is known about the background of the mercenary who calls himself Paladin. It is not known why he decided to become an adventurer (beyond his obvious swashbuckling bravado) or where he got the special weaponry he uses. In his first recorded exploit, he crossed paths Daredevil while both were on the trail of the villainous Purple Man.
The Purple Man had manipulated the industrialist Maxwell Glenn into committing criminal acts for which he was being prosecuted, and Daredevil became personally involved, as he was dating Glenn’s daughter, Heather. In contrast, for Paladin, it was just business. He had been hired to take down the Purple Man by one former victims. Paladin and Daredevil crossed paths twice as they worked separately on the case, until on their third encounter they joined forces. The Purple Man eluded them both, however, when he fell into the water around Ryker’s Island Prison and presumably drowned.
Paladin was then hired by a woman named Marsha Roberts who wanted protection from her former boyfriend who had been transformed into a radioactive madman calling himself Phantasm. Similarly, Paladin was hired by Christine Michaels to track down her husband who had been transformed into Thermo the Thermatronic Man. Thermo was believed to be the so-called Street Stalker who was plaguing Manhattan, and Spider-Man bumped into Paladin when tracking him down. The two fought Thermo outside a nightclub, which alerted Dazzler, and it took the combined efforts of all three heroes to take Thermo down.
He next appeared at the Caribbean island resort of Utopia Cay on behalf of a consortium of casino owners who hired him to apprehend the criminal Baron Brimstone who had been robbing their casinos. Ever the womanizer, he bumped into the vacationing Janet van Dyne, whose identity as the Wasp is publicly known, and they began seeing each other romantically. Together, they defeated Brimstone and parted amicably. He looked her up again when he was in New York, and wound up helping the Wasp apprehend several of the Avengers’ foes who were forming Zemo’s Masters of Evil at the time. The Wasp chided the mercenary that he helped despite the fact he was not being paid for it.
Spider-Man came into conflict with Paladin when the mercenary was hired by Silver Sable to investigate a conspiracy against her native country of Symkaria. Spider-Man apologized for his intervention and helped Silver Sable and Paladin uncover an assassination plot. Paladin breezed off to another contract, leaving Spider-Man and Sable to deal with the assassination.
Being a true gun-for-hire, Paladin has often found himself working on either side of the law. For instance, he was once hired by Vincent Mangano, godfather of a Maggia crime family, to kill the Punisher (although he claimed to be in it just for the money so that he could retire). Paladin’s first attempt failed, however, and Mangano set up his favored hitman to aid him. The two were still unsuccessful, as the Punisher found an ally in the U.S.Agent, who himself was hired to apprehend the Punisher but switched allegiances when he learned his orders were influenced by Mangano as well.
Paladin continued to work for Silver Sable, joining her elite version of the Wild Pack, the Outlaws, alongside Sandman, the Prowler, and others. One of the Paladin’s first excursions with the Outlaws brought him into conflict with Excalibur, as Silver Sable traced stolen technology from her nation to England. Captain Britain and Excalibur were touring the nuclear facility and briefly fought the Outlaws until they uncovered the true culprit, Arnim Zola and teamed up against the genetic monstrosity behind his experiments.
He has even been hired by other costumed individuals, in particular the time when Diamondback sought help in rescuing her allies Asp and Black Mamba from the Serpent Society, who had imprisoned the two on charges of treason against the team. Paladin, Diamondback, and Captain America succeeded in rescuing the them, but almost immediately afterward, the three women were taken by M.O.D.A.M. to be a part of Superia’s army of female supervillains. Paladin and Captain America had to infiltrate a cruise liner full of women to rescue them, an aspect of the assignment that the ladykiller Paladin particularly enjoyed.
Although Silver Sable quickly abandoned the Outlaws as a team, Paladin was often hired to work with her as a recurring member of her Wild Pack.
At least once, Paladin was hired by the Hellfire Club to lead a group of mercenaries. At the time, Cable was on the trail of the mysterious Tomorrow Agenda, a program that Donald Pierce begun to seek out the power of the mutant Apocalypse for his own use. Cable easily dispatched the mercenary team in his search for Pierce, taking out Paladin with ease.
More recently, Paladin was hired by Adrienne Frost to recover a mystic samurai sword from the island nation of Madripoor. Unfortunately, the job went sour, as the sword was protected by the Rising Sons. Paladin retreated to Frost, who was then co-headmistresses of the Massachusetts Academy, where he encountered the young mutants of Generation X. Frost sent both Paladin and Generation X after the sword, and Jubilee became smitten by the flashy Paladin. After a desperate battle, and a near-death experience for Paladin, they managed to retrieve the sword, and Paladin parted company.
About the same time, Frost set herself up as the new White Queen of the New York branch of the world conquering Hellfire Club, and later, with her influence on Paladin, used him to steal billions of dollars from the London chapter. Frost later claimed that, when going into hiding to escape the London Club’s retribution, she killed Paladin supposedly.
In reality he lived and was hired to help bring in Matt Murdock, Daredevil. He will appear in Heroes for Hire.
Amazing Spider-Man 320-321
Avengers 251, 271,273
Captain America 381-382, 387-393
Contest of Champions 1
Daredevil: 150, 152, 154, V2 79
Defenders 62-63
Excalibur 36
Generation X 52-54
Heroes for Hire 10-11
Marvel Comics Presents 21, 86
Marvel Premiere 43
Marvel Team-Up 108-109
Moon Knight V3 15
Punisher: No Escape
Silver Sable 6-8, 15-17, 19,21,23,25,30,33-34
Spectacular Spider-Man 105-106
Cheers
Your welcome
Are we sure about the Heroes for Hire thing? I know Palmiotti and Gray said they wanted Paladin, but I remember reading that Marvel wouldn’t give him to them for the book. Has this changes?
John emails
Howdy Jim,
I have an Iron Man question which may even be common knowledge to the average Marvel Fan but it is driving me nuts so I need to ask. In the New Avengers whenever Iron Man is shown he is looking at a series of computer monitors when he is supposed to be in the Iron Man costume. Does he no longer actually wear the armor?
Actually now he doesn’t have to wear the armor to control it. He was can remote control any and all of his armors. He has been doing that as of late in New Avengers. He did it in battle with the last Adaptoid. So you are seeing it right he is not in the armor.
Thanks,
Greg emails
Hey Jim – as always great stuff. I had no idea Galactus was that high up on the Cosmic Food Chain in the Marvel Universe…
I was wondering, did you ever get the Ricochet concept material I sent you? I know sometimes yahoo can’t handle an attachment if it happens to be too big…
Yep Galactus is that much of a bad ass. The problem of late is they have not used him right. They have made him less cool and badass. They need to go back to that with him.
Oh and yes I got it. I would put it into my article but it takes a lot up of space. Very good script though and I hope you get a chance to show it off some day as a Marvel writer.
Jason emails
Hello,
Enjoying the Nexus and the Marvel Handbook as always.
A reader wrote in to ask you who has Apocalypse fought and what the outcome was.
In the X-Factor annual that tied into the “Evolutionary War” crossover, Apocalypse battled the High Evolutionary, one of the rare instances that Apocalypse has fought a non-mutant character. The fight was mostly them debating genetic/evolution ethics and theories while the Evolutionary fired energy blasts at Apocalypse (which he consistently dodged-the fight took place in outer space) and turning his own hands into bludgeons to hit the Evolutionary back.
If I remember correctly there was no clear winner and it was a brief fight. Apocalypse teleported away with the Evolutionary definitely not defeated.
Hope that helps!
Helps greatly. Thanks Jason for the help.
Manolis emails
hello!
Hey Manolis
i’ve got a Marvel query for you:
I remember a few months ago I had stumbled upon a character profile about Marvel’s Jesus analog superhero: a bearded long-haired superhero in a white uniform with long sleeves with sort of spiritual powers. I remembered last week as I was reading Thing #8 (everyone should!) and I think I spotted him in the panel with the heroes heading inside the casino but his back is turned to us. Do you have any idea who it is I’m talking about?
I believe you mean Aquarian
Real Name: Wundarr
Occupation: Prophet
Legal Status: Citizen of Dakkam, illegal alien on Earth
Identity: The fact that he is an alien is not widely known
Other aliases: Herald of the New Age
Place of Birth: Dekkam, second planet in the R Aquarii system (Earth designation)
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Hektu (father, deceased), Soja (mother, deceased)
Group Affiliation: None
Base of Operation: None
First Appearance: (as Wundarr) FEAR # 17, (as Aquarian) MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE #58
Cory emails
Cory here with more input: First off busy week 4 us all…and glad to hear that ya dad is doing better. So here goes everything:
Heh I had a busy week here. I‘m sure hoping it settles down some.
Thanks, Cory. He’s doing much better now. He went back to the doctor yesterday and his convalescence apparently surprised the doctors. Hopefully we’ll be able to keep him on his meds”¦
1- Personally I have to have my wisdom teeth extracted, and I believe that I have a high threshold for pain (or hope so…depending on the anesthesia)…but this had me wondering? Did Weapon X use anesthesia on Wolverine (not knowing of his Healing factor), or WAS his threshold for pain that high or elevated already to take that back then?
I believe they used anesthesia and after the process completed he woke up. I do recall some of it from Marvel Comics Presents. They had him under and then he woke up afterwards
Now this may be a bit nitpicky, but wouldn’t the anesthesia wear off a LOT faster than normal people? If Logan can’t really get drunk because his body flushes the alcohol out of his system too fast, and we’ve seen other poisons and such rendered nearly useless on him, you’d think an anesthesia would be the same, no?
2- Since Wolverine likes calling people names like “Rookie”, does anyone (except maybe Sabretooth) actually know that he is OLD old?? And has anyone in particular (except maybe Sabretooth) ever gave him the same treatment, like calling him “old man”?
Heh I like the rookie one. Another good one is Runt. The factor with that is Wolverine is smaller then most of his runts.
A few have called him old man. I think I recall Cable doing it once. Maybe even Jubilee. I have heard it just don’t recall who and when.
3- With all of this Civil War going on…does anyone remember what started this…with THE SCARLET WITCH? We now have the biggest thing in comics history going on and everyone just forgot bout her and those hundreds of villains from the Raft…half of which will be going after Spidey…I’m afraid to say? So has Marvel completely forgotten them or they are just on the backburner for now?
Actually Marvel has not forgotten them or Wanda. They haven’t forgotten Hawkeye either. I have a strange hunch those villains will make an impact on Civil War. For instance the Thunderbolts are recruiting a ton of villains. So none of it is forgotten. Wanda will appear soon enough I bet. So it‘s not on the back burner. You just have to keep your eyes open for it.
4- Speaking of ole Wanda, my co-worker believes that she will play a major role of sorts in the future….possibly by coming back to her former self…and using her powers to fix reality back…but eh…just a thought? what do you guys think?
Possible. It’s possible Marvel could use her for some type of Crisis in Marvel. Very much like the ones in DC. Use her to fix reality in her on ways. I could see that. Have her and Franklin do it
Well, I honestly see something like this happening. As much as I like the idea of Pete being outed, and a lot of the progressive changes that Marvel has made”¦I don’t see them keeping them for “too” long. A staple of the comic market seems to be regression. One of the main reasons I was such a big DC fan for so long was the progress they were making with so many characters, changing them/replacing them. But lately the seem to be regressing back to the Silver Age with their characters. As much as I don’t want to see this happen with Marvel, I definitely wouldn’t bet against it though.
5- Peep this out guys:
It has been rumored that the blond, blue eyed, 6’1″ Lewis is set to play He-Man in a new film adaptation of the popular 1980s character to be directed by John Woo, but so far, nothing is official.
Lewis is set to play Captain America in the 2009 movie adaption.
Lewis is currently dating actress Rosario Dawson.
HOORAY FOR STEVE ROGERS!!! IS THAT PERFECT OR WHAT?
I say Hooray for Lewis for dating Rosario Dawson. Wait, what were we talking about?
You know that would work for me. I think he looks good enough to play Cap. Heck I‘d have no complaints. I‘m hoping the Cap movie will go from 1940s to the present. I want the WWII story in there
6- As for my top 10 heroes last week, most like 6-7 were only anti-heroes…my bad. Here are my top females:
1- Rogue
2- Storm
3- Spider-Woman
4- Ms. Marvel
5- Psylocke
6- I. Woman
7- Mystique
8- Black Widow (natasha)
9- Blink
10- Jean Grey
Again, another good list
Short & sweet agian…thanks to my home computer being on the Disabled list. New Top 10…lol. Take care guys! Cory out…see ya in 7!
See you next week Cory. New top ten is coming up next
Top ten
Top ten Marvel females.
1. Rogue
2. Invisible Woman
3. Silver Fox
4. Mary Jane Watson Parker
5. Psylocke
6. She-Hulk
7. Scarlet Witch
8. Black Cat
9. Shanna The She-Devil
10. Ms Marvel
Next week: top 10 X-Men
It’s that time again everyone. This weeks top 5 Marvel books of the week.
1. CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE # 3: “Embedded” – Civil War has ignited across the Marvel Universe! Embedded reporters Sally Floyd and Ben Urich are driven into the heart of battleâ€â€a battle in which a hero will fall. Their investigations will take Sally into the heart of Captain America’s resistance, while Urich is about to get reacquainted with a certain green friend…
“The Accussed” – Despised by a nation, the lone survivor of the New Warriors’ team is behind bars. Without family, without a friend in the world and without a reason to go one, will this hero make a deal, or take a stand?
“Correspondence” – Juxtaposing stories of war throughout time with the Marvel Civil War, “Correspondence” adapts tales from World War I and more!
2. GHOST RIDER # 1: “VICIOUS CYCLE”
Once upon a time, Johnny Blaze made a deal with the Devil…and to no one’s surprise but his own, he got shafted. Now trapped in hell, with the Spirit of Vengeance bonded to his immortal soul and weighing him down, Johnny may have finally found a way out. But at what cost? From the depths of Hell to the glittering spires of Heaven, the Ghost Rider rides again in his first ongoing series in nearly a decade, blazing new trails and dispensing fiery vengeance in his wake. The demonic team of Daniel Way, Mark Texeira and Javier Saltares reunite to put ol’ Flamehead back in the saddle where he belongs. Ready or not, here he comes!
3. THUNDERBOLTS # 104: CIVIL WAR Tie-in!
When rogue Marvel heroes are on the loose, who better to hunt them down than people who know what it’s like to be on the lam? The EX-VILLAINS BECOME HERO HUNTERS! And whose hero butt gets served first?
4. X-MEN # 188: “SUPER NOVAS” Part 1
Mike Carey (ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR) and Chris Bachalo (UNCANNY X-MEN) take over the X-Men, or at least what’s left of them! As old threats are still having their effects, new, more deadly threats emerge from the unlikeliest of places. Threats that spell doom for the X-Men. Plus, what could possibly strike terror into the heart of…Sabretooth!? And who are The Children? This is the book you’ve been waiting for! A perfect starting point for any new reader!
5. ANNIHILATION: SILVER SURFER # 4: It all comes to a head in this issue as the Surfer confronts the sins of his past and, more importantly, determines his future path. Whatever you were expecting, we guarantee, this wasn’t it. It’s a whole new, senses staggering chapter in the Surfe’s ongoing saga!
Interlocking cover with all three other ANNIHILATION covers!
Guest starring FIRELORD, GALACTUS, and THANOS!
Trust me it was hard this week. I enjoyed way too many books. A lot of good stuff. Plus I didn’t put synopsis because of all the emails. I’ll make up for it next week.
The Civil War update!
(for the Super-Human Registration)
Agent Hill Civil War # 1)
Aunt May (Amazing Spider-Man #532)
Bantam (Civil War: Frontline #3)
Ben Urich (Civil War: Front Line #1)
Colleen Wing (Daughters of the Dragon # 3)
Dallas Riordan (Thunderbolts #104)
Doc Samson (Civil War # 2)
Dum-Dum Dugan (New Avengers #21)
Happy Hogan (Civil War #2)
Henry Peter Gyrich (Thunderbolts #104)
Hindsight Lad (She-Hulk # 8)
Human Torch (Amazing Spider-Man #532)
Invisible Woman (Amazing Spider-Man #532)
Iron Man (New Avengers: The Illuminati)
J. Jonah Jameson (Civil War: Front Line #1)
M (X-Factor #8)
Madrox (X-Factor # 8)
Mary Jane Watson (Amazing Spider-Man #532)
Mister Fantastic (New Avengers: The Illuminati)
Ms Marvel (Civil War # 1)
Nighthawk (Civil War # 1)
Rictor (X-Factor #8)
She-Hulk (She-Hulk # 8)
S.H.I.E.L.D. (Civil War # 1)
Spider-Man (Amazing Spider-Man # 530)
Sprite (Eternals # 1)
Thing (Civil War # 1)
Tigra (Civil War # 2)
Titanium Man (Amazing Spider-Man #529)
Wasp (Civil War # 1)
Wonder Man (Civil War #2)
Yellowjacket (Civil War # 1)
Hero Hunters (with Iron Man’s group)
Atlas (Thunderbolts #104)
Baron Zemo (Thunderbolts #104)
Backlash (Thunderbolts # 105)
Beetles (Thunderbolts # 105)
Blizzard (Thunderbolts #104)
Bushmaster (Thunderbolts # 105)
Doctor Octopus (Thunderbolts # 105)
Eel (Thunderbolts # 105)
Ironclad (Thunderbolts # 105)
Fixer (Thunderbolts #104)
Joystick (Thunderbolts #104)
Killer Shrike (Thunderbolts # 105)
King Cobra (Thunderbolts # 105)
Mach IV (Thunderbolts #104)
Mongoose (Thunderbolts # 105)
Ox (Thunderbolts # 105)
Porcupine (Thunderbolts # 105)
Pretty Persuasions (Thunderbolts # 105)
Quicksand (Thunderbolts # 105)
Radioactive Man (Thunderbolts #104)
Rattler (Thunderbolts # 105)
Smuggler (Thunderbolts #104)
Songbird (Thunderbolts #104)
Swordsman (Thunderbolts # 104)
Unicorn (Thunderbolts # 105)
Vapor (Thunderbolts # 105)
Vector (Thunderbolts # 105)
Whiplash (Thunderbolts # 105)
Whirlwind (Thunderbolts # 105)
X-Ray (Thunderbolts # 105)
(against Super-Human Registration)
Battle Star (Civil War: Frontline #3)
Black Bolt (New Avengers: The Illuminati)
Black Panther (New Avengers: The Illuminati)
Cable (Civil War # 2)
Captain America (Civil War # 1)
Cloak (Civil War # 2)
Dagger (Civil War # 2)
Daredevil (Civil War # 1)
Debrii (She-Hulk #8)
Doctor Strange (New Avengers: The Illuminati)
Falcon (Civil War # 1)
Firestar (She-Hulk #8)
Goliath (Bill Foster) (Civil War # 1)
Hawkeye II (Kate Bishop) (Civil War # 2)
Hercules (Civil War # 2)
Hulk (New Avengers: The Illuminati)
Hulkling (Civil War # 2)
Jane Foster (Civil War # 2)
Jennifer Walters (She-Hulk # 8)
John Jameson – She-Hulk #8
Justice (She-Hulk #8)
Luke Cage (Civil War # 2)
Namor (New Avengers: The Illuminati)
Nick Fury (Civil War # 2)
Night Nurse (Civil War # 2)
Patriot (Civil War # 1)
Prodigy (Civil War: Frontline #2)
Quicksilver (Thunderbolts #104)
Rage (She-Hulk #8)
Sally Floyd (Civil War: Front Line #1)
She-Hulk (as Jennifer Walters) (She-Hulk #8)
Silverclaw (Fantastic Four #538)
Siryn (X-Factor #8)
Slapstick (She-Hulk #8)
Solo (Civil War: Frontline #3)
Speed (Civil War #2)
Speedball (Civil War #1)
Spider-Woman (Thunderbolts #104)
Stature (Civil War # 2)
Stingray (Thunderbolts #104)
Thunderclap (Civil War: Frontline #3)
Timeslip (She-Hulk #8)
Typeface (Civil War: Frontline #3)
Ultra Girl (She-Hulk # 8)
Vision (Civil War # 2)
Wiccan (Civil War #2)
Wolfsbane (X-Factor #8)
Wolverine (Civil War # 1)
Yancy Street Gang (Fantastic Four #538)
Injured:
Human Torch (Civil War # 1)
Retired:
Firestar (Civil War: Frontline #2)
Apprehended:
Prodigy (Civil War: Frontline #2)
Speedball (Civil War: Frontline #2)
Casualties (dead):
Bantam – Civil War: Frontline #3
Cobalt Man – Civil War #1
Coldheart – Civil War #1
Crusader – Wolverine #42
Microbe – Civil War #1
Namorita – Civil War #1
Night Thrasher – Civil War #1
Speedfreek – Civil War #1
Issues and synopsis so far:
Amazing Spider-Man #529-531: After receiving a new costume from Tony Stark he goes to Washington with the man to speak to Congress about a Superhuman Registration act. Tony Stark as Iron Man pays Titanium Man to combat Spider-Man. Spidey agrees to stick with Tony no matter what.
Fantastic Four #536-537: Thor’s hammer returned to Earth crashing into Oklahoma and then put under U.S. Army protection. Six months later Doctor Doom, who had escaped from Hell during the hammers return, tried to claim the hammer for himself but was unable to lift it. After this, a man wearing a backpack with the initials “D.B.” is seen boarding a bus for Oklahoma.
New Avengers: The Illuminati: Iron Man was handed a copy of the Super-human Registration Act. He told the rest of the group about it. Reed Richards went along with Iron Man, but Namor, Dr. Strange and Black Bolt all disagreed and left. With most of the members gone, it implied that the team was over, with Mr. Fantastic telling Iron Man that it “was fun while it lasted” before leaving.
Civil War # 1: The New Warriors, filming a reality television show, and a cadre of villains in Stamford, Connecticut. The battle goes wrong for the heroes, resulting in villain Nitro creating an explosion that takes out a local school, the surrounding neighborhood, and all but one of the Warriors. This event catalyzes a government movement to register all super-powered beings as living weapons of mass destruction. The event has also turned the public opinion against the superheroes as many of them are blamed for the incident. Due to this, many superheroes Johnny Storm has been attacked by the public. Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D. tries to recruit Captain America to become part of the team that will force superheroes to register. Captain America refuses and after being attacked by S.H.I.E.L.D., goes underground. Iron Man, Yellowjacket and Mister Fantastic will deal with Cap somehow.
Wolverine 42: Wolverine learns of the events of Stamford, Connecticut and goes to help out. He also wants to personally deal with the true villain behind it Nitro. He also seems against the act.
She-Hulk # 8: She-Hulk is split. Jennifer is against the act while She-Hulk seems for it as she defends the remaining New Warriors. This brings back quite a few old New Warriors and explains who’s side they are on. John Jameson also talks to Captain America who’s gone underground
Amazing Spider-Man #532: We see the events through Spider-Man’s eyes here in this story and of course Peter talks to his family about the ramifications of outing himself or joining Tony. In the end he is wearing his original costume about to speak to the public.
Civil War: Front Line# 1: Iron Man shows his support for the Superhuman Registration Act by revealing his identity as Tony Stark in a press conference. Speedball is revealed to be alive after the Stamford Disaster, his kinetic powers having knocked him 500 miles away. He is promptly arrested by S.H.I.E.L.D., and is powerless as a result of the strain. Spider-Man meets with Sally Floyd making the proposal for her to investigate the Pro-Registration faction on Iron Man’s behalf.
Civil War # 2: We start seeing sides formed. As Iron Man leads a group of heroes against a super villain. Elsewhere we learn Captain America is underground and he’s building an army of his own. The Young Avengers get involved by fighting crime without registering. They are about to be taken captive till Captain America and Falcon save their butts. Reed and Sue seem more at odds as we see the biggest event in Marvel history so far. A Times Square press conference Spider-Man tells the world that “My name is Peter Parker and I’ve been Spider-Man since I was 15 years old. Any questions?”
Thunderbolts # 104: The Thunderbolts battle Quicksand as the press conference in Civil War # 2 takes place. We see their reaction. Baron Zemo and a few others are invited to meet with Iron Man and his crew. The Thunderbolts are asked to recruit villains to help capture the heroes who do not register. Zemo accepts and we find out Zemo has already been building quite an army of villains already.
Civil War Frontline # 2: Peter Parker is asked about his relationship to Norman Osborn, AKA The Green Goblin. Parker responds that Osborn deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison for what he did to Gwen Stacy. When shown a tape of the conference by S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives, Osborn becomes enraged. Spider-Man’s secret identity results in a media frenzy as Daily Bugle is swarmed by press. Sally Floyd meets with Firestar in a bar. Firestar explains her fears regarding the registration act’s effect on her life as a college student and any career outside of being a superhero. Claiming she can no longer afford to be Firestar, she quits, dropping her mask in the street. A protesting Prodigy is confronted by Iron Man. The ensuing battle takes place in full view of awed crowds and ends with a mass of black helicopters carrying the unconscious Prodigy. Speedball is beaten and transferred to maximum security prison.
Amazing Spider-Man # 533: “My name is Peter Parker and I’ve been Spider-Man since I was 15 years old.”, thus exposing himself to the attention of the main public, ranging from extreme enthusiasm to anger, and straining his relationship with J.J. Jameson, who felt betrayed by Peter. Currently, Tony Stark has forcibly drafted Spider-Man in a task-force to hunt the rebel heroes and bring them to justice – severely upsetting Peter as he felt blindsided by such a decision, perhaps most agitated about the possibility of having to confront Captain America.
Amazing Spider-Man # 533: “My name is Peter Parker and I’ve been Spider-Man since I was 15 years old.”, thus exposing himself to the attention of the main public, ranging from extreme enthusiasm to anger, and straining his relationship with J.J. Jameson, who felt betrayed by Peter. Currently, Tony Stark has forcibly drafted Spider-Man in a task-force to hunt the rebel heroes and bring them to justice – severely upsetting Peter as he felt blindsided by such a decision, perhaps most agitated about the possibility of having to confront Captain America.
Fantastic Four # 538: The Thing, Mr. Fantastic, and Invisible Woman are told by a doctor about Johnny’s condition. He is in a coma and should not be surrounded by negative energy until he wakes up. Sue and Reed argue about the registration act then go their seperate ways as Ben takes the first shift of watch. Yancy Street, Superheroes duke it out and civilians are protesting against the act. Ms. Marvel battles Silverclaw and Ben arrives and continues walking past after Ms. Marvel asks for his help. Ben talks to the people of Yancy Street and says that he’s not sure which side he is on. Puppet Master and The Thinker conspire to take out the heroes that are being carted off to prison before peace can be negotiated. DB picks up Thor’s hammer.
New Avengers # 21: Cap is attacked by S.H.I.E.D. agents and is able to defeat him, but finds that Agent Dugan, his friend, was sent to take him down. Cap wakes up to find Falcon there and is relieved to find out that he did not sign the Registration Act. Cap and Falcon go to Hank Pym, but find out that he is supporting Iron Man. When they try to leave Pym changes size and attempts to hold them until S.H.I.E.L.D. arrives. Cap breaks Pym’s nose and he and Falcon escape.
Wolverine # 43: Wolvie tracked down the truck that carried Nitro out of Connecticut, all the way to the bar. Wolverine heads out to track Nitro down and notices Iron Man flying in the area, Wolverine jumps him, and the two argue over the best way to deal with Nitro. Wolverine decides to go along with Tony’s team to track down Nitro aboard a S.H.I.E.L.D. ship. Nitro explodes, burning up the ship, all the soldiers and dissolving the skin and organs off of Wolverine, down to his skeleton. Wolverine finds Nitro later after healing
X-Factor # 8: X-Factor is warned about Quicksilver. Siryn argues with Monet about the logic of the Act, and Rictor asks about the X-Men’s position, with Siryn questioning X-Men leader Cyclops’ strange behavior around Layla. A Madrox dupe shows up to recruit X-Factor for SHIELD. X-Factor learns the truth of Decimation and House of M off Spidey thanks to Siryn. Quicksilver shows up at X-Factor later as the issue ends
Civil War Frontline 3 and Thunderbolts 105 will be covered next week
There’s another edition of the Marvel Handbook for everyone. So Daron what did you think?
Good stuff, though we seem a little light on emails this week, and really like on “stuff” to debate. Don’t forget about us each week, peeps, and I dare someone to get a good debate going. (I use the word dare, because after a few weeks of the same debate, someone’s gonna ask who started it all, and all the fingers will point back at you :)
Alrighty I’ll let you finish us off this week bud.
Notes:
1. Marvel.com pollWhose reaction to Spider-Man’s unmasking are you most looking forward to?
2. Digital comics Comics you can read online
3. Marvel is in the process of adding new bios and added a ton of new ones. Check them out here
4. As always your opinions on anything in the article or out on the shelves is welcome. After all you never know what type of response you will get.
5. Keep those emails coming and make sure to label them Marvel Handbook. The more emails the better
That’s it from my end. Reporting from my corner of the Marvel Universe I’m Jim Trabold. Have a great week and see you at the comic shop.
What are you all still hill”¦go home. Bye. Go home silly people, the shows over”¦
