New Beginnings - Thor #1

by Matt Puddy

It’s certainly fair to say that when Marvel announced its recent changes to its established line up some eyebrows were raised. Aside from the news that the newest Captain America was going to be black there was also the gender flip in the identity of Thor. Across the internet many fans of the Nordic god expressed various opinions on this revelation and now in issue one of Jason Aaron’s new comic we get to finally see what is really going on.

If you are wondering “Has Thor died?” (again) or simply “What happened to Thor to make this change?” then fret not it isn’t what you might think. If you read the recent story of Original Sin (also written by Jason Aaron) then you would be aware that at the end of the eight part series, the band of heroes - including Thor - faced off against an aging Nick Fury. As part of this fracas Thor was essentially disabled when Fury whispered a few select (and currently unknown) words to him. Whatever he said had such a huge impact that Thor dropped Mjolnir and as such as not yet been able to pick up the fabled hammer. He is now unworthy.

This isn’t where the comic begins though. It’s the misadventures of those pesky beings from Midgard that opens the tale. Searching deep underwater we meet a team searching the black depths of the ocean. Instead of underwater treasures, they are stumbled upon by massive Frost Giants emerging from an oceanic trench, being somewhat lead by Malkieth the Accursed, a combination that is terrifying at the best of times.

It’s not hard to consider how that particular situation is going to go so I’m not going to spoil it for anyone who enjoys a bit of wanton destruction.

All the while the Asgardian citizens are being divided emotionally. On one hand their All Father has returned from self-imposed exile giving reason to be happy. But this is to the detriment of their All Mother who has been faithfully watching over them and guiding them. There is a growing schism between the Asgardians as allegiances are divided. To add to this they also worry for and watch over Thor who is now a broken man. Unable to comprehend why he cannot lift Mjolnir anymore, he is a shell of a man. Not eating, not sleeping and only really talking on occasion to his hammer, imploring it to allow him to lift it.

It may not be Thor that is the issue though as no one can life Mjolnir from its resting place, not even Odin himself. On the news of the invasion of Midgard by Jotunheim, the decision to step in is made and a hammerless Thor steps into the fray to much poorer results than required. Gleefully unaware of other events Malkieth seems to be happy that the end of Thor is nigh. He has no clue that meanwhile on the Moon a woman has just easily raised Mjolnir because there must always be a Thor...

As a first issue this is more about situational presence than blasting the reader with a new Thor. By waiting until the end there is a certain tension and mystery built. It also builds an idea that you may know who the new maiden is but also you’re not quite sure. You feel the new inadequacy of Thor as he rides into battle; also the happiness and mocking in Malkieth when he see the weakness that has been exposed. All of this goes a long way to change the concept of who or what Thor really is. As someone who is not really a fan of Thor on his own, my thoughts are fairly one dimensional. Thor is a god. He has a mythical hammer. He does hero stuff. 

Sounds simply, right? But this comic has challenged me to rethink that. Thor is an identity and an ideal, a reference of power almost. It’s about the worthiness and intentions, not just the man – or now woman. A fairly heavy shift for a first issue comic!

Artistically Russell Dauterman has provided a sturdy issue. I liked the huge double page spread to reflect the enormity of the Ice Giants, but when taking time over smaller beings there was a lot of work put into supporting Aaron’s story. Thor looks broke and damaged, Freya and Odin are both full of pride, power and in their own ways care and concern for their son. This is quite possibly one of the most emotive pieces of artwork I’ve read in quite a while. There’s also a good use of implied imagery  which leaves you as the reader conjuring up even more visual ideas so kudos for that.

As I said I’m not a fan necessarily of Thor as a character, however that said this was still an issue strong enough to grab my interest. New readers will certainly enjoy it and fans will no doubt discuss the identity and what will happen for a while too.

Matt Puddy avoided all the usual MC Hammer jokes.

New Beginnings - Thor God Of Thunder #1 (MARVEL NOW)

Time travel can be a fickle beast can't it? Especially in fiction, where the myriad of possibilities enthral some while alienating others. Be it a narrative that crashes through time, with the audience experiencing things first hand like the Doctor and his companions, or showing disparate but connecting time zones like Cloud Atlas, it can be a very divisive storytelling device.

Personally I tend to love time travel stories, as they can maintain the thrust of a progressing plotline, whilst compellingly obfuscating certain details until the moment is right. With Thor God Of Thunder #1, Jason Aaron has chosen to do exactly that. The story initially moves back and forth between a young Thor, fighting and carousing alongside Vikings and the Thor of now, answering a young child's cries for help in deep space.

Well, I say cries, it's actually her prayers. This first issue firmly reestablishes that the Marvel Universe has various pantheons of Gods. I know that some readers will struggle with this, for a variety of reasons. Mark Millar's Ultimates' Thor neatly sidestepped this controversy by implying at first that he might simply be a madman with delusions of pagan deification. But this is Earth-616 Thor, the mainstay of Marvel comics and this character firmly believes he is a God. It's even in the title after all!

There's no hint of the Marvel Cinematic Universe take on it all here either. If - in order to suspend disbelief - it helps you to believe that there are older alien races with superior technology and physiology, and that these Gods are simply such as those who have bought into their own hype, then there's also nothing here to contradict that. Prayers for help could simply be a form of telepathic SOS after all.

The point I'm making here is that Jason Aaron has embraced Thor wholeheartedly in a way that even JMS didn't quite manage during his run. Rather than modernise Thor by blurring the lines as in the Ultimates or trying to blend the middle America with the fantasy of Asgard, Aaron presents us with classic Thor in a supremely confident way, without teetering into arrogance. Across three time zones, we see the God Of Thunder at various stages in his life, confronted by the same menace and responding as only Thor can.

Three time zones? Oh yes, that's the crowning jewel in this Asgardian treasury of a first issue. There is a menace that Thor has encountered before, first depositing the dead God of a Native American tribe on the shores of a Viking settlement, then later slaughtering a whole pantheon of alien Gods in deep space. There's a God Butcher on the loose. And so, several millennia from now, Thor the King of Asgard sits atop his throne - the last of his kind, waiting to face the one responsible for deicide in final glorious battle. According to interviews with Aaron, the story will continue to unfold across these three times, first showing us what Thor learnt from his first encounter, before setting up the beginning of the end in present day and culminating with the epic showdown in the future. As I said, supremely confident storytelling.

It reminds me of the way I felt about Brubaker's run on Captain America. Both the Super Soldier and the Thunder God are Avengers that failed to inspire me as a teenager. I flat out disliked their stories on the whole and gave them a wide berth. Brubaker made me put Cap on my pulllist and - damn it - I'm certain Aaron just sold me on Thor. Even JMS didn't manage that, though admittedly he came close.

The artwork from Esad Ribic is beautiful, like an ethereal painting that fits this story of dark fantasy and heroic majesty. Thor does look a little effeminate when he smiles, but it's a minor criticism in the grand scheme of things.

Last week's Iron Man fell short, but this book, Deadpool, Fantastic Four and All New X-Men are all a breath of fresh air. Thor God Of Thunder #1 embodies the quality I'll be holding Marvel Now to. It sets a nice high benchmark. I never thought I'd say that about a Thor comic!

Ben Fardon is pleasantly surprised! 

The Watcher - Marvel's Avengers Assemble

Dreams do indeed come true, over the last few years we’ve seen the threads of the Marvel universe come together and finally we see the culmination of all of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Most thought this ambitious task to be impossible, how could you make a movie with all these massive characters and their varied worlds and succeed? One man, Joss Whedon was assigned to orchestrate this very task and by Odin succeed he did! Every star has their moment to shine, all while making the best superhero action flick yet.

Loki returns and plans to rain destruction down on earth by using the Tesseract to allow an unknown alien force called the Chitauri to invade our planet. This obviously gains the attention of Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D - Fury decides that it is about time to bring together our heroes and find the troublesome demigod along with the Tesseract.

While on the awesome looking S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier the egos of our big heroes begin to clash as Loki gets under their skin. It takes one good man to bring them together as a team - all they needed was that little push. Once united they stand tall ready to defend Earth, the following battle with the Chitauri is immense. Each Avenger shows why they’re part of the team and how the down to earth characters like Black Widow, Hawkeye and Captain America can stand next to the more monumental Hulk, Thor and Iron Man and be their equals.

Joss manages to pulls strong performances out of all the cast members - he makes the characters and their motives believable. You will see that while they may be super-solders, intellectual giants, gods and raging green monsters, they’re all still like us at heart - not perfect.

Robert Downey Jr presents his usual swagger as Iron Man, Chris Evans is ever the honest leader as Captain America and Chris Hemsworth as Thor brings the Yin to Loki’s Yang. It's a shame his relationship with Jane Foster only briefly gets touched on. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is a lot less of a brat this time around, he is much more full of evil and disdain, driven on by the ordeal of his exile from Asgard.

Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk is great - as Banner he’s bigger than what we’ve been used to but at the same time very quiet and vulnerable. Using motion capture on his face adds a lot more of an emotional element, making his initial transformation into the Hulk quite intense and rather scary.

Last but not least, the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) both kick ass - a lot. Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) seems to show more of his deceptive side but it’s all still for the greater good. As always, Agent Phil Coulson played by Clark Gregg is wonderful and has some great moments, he will forever be a favourite of mine. Finally, newcomer Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders)  doesn't have a lot to do after the opening sequence, but I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of her in the future.

I struggled to find negative points to write about. I did see it in 3D and it didn’t add a lot but it didn’t feel intrusive ether. The few things that were niggling at me were the Chitauri being an army of faceless drones, ready to be beaten with little insight into their further motivations. Their massive battleships reminded me a little to much of the Transformers movies too. A couple of things were also left unexplained, like Thor’s hesitation to pick up his hammer - is this a worry about whether he is worthy? And was Loki’s staff affecting the emotions of our heroes, we’re just left to assume that this is the case. These are only really very small complaints and they don’t spoil the experience one bit.

During the earlier promotional interviews for the film, it was said that this would not be like Whedon’s usual work. This worried me due to the fact I loved most of his previous creations. Fear not! His trademark clever writing and wit is present in bucket loads, I laughed out loud and squealed with geek joy many times. He also directs the big blockbuster action sequences brilliantly, the movie feels big! It runs at two and half hours in length but never feels overly long, the editing keeps the pace up and gives the story chance to unfold nicely.

All that is left to say is assemble and enjoy the ride!

Stefan Harkins may go to see this movie again and again!

The Watcher - Summer retrospective

Today is the final day of Summer and with an exciting month ahead for comics with the launch of DC’s ‘New 52’, movies are going to take a back seat for a little while. But before the detox begins, lets pause for a moment to look back this year’s comic book films. It certainly has certainly been one hell of a ride filled with magic, mystery and retro style galore.

Kicking it all off in fine style was Kenneth Brannagh’s ‘Thor‘. The first of two Avenger’s movies from Marvel Studios this Summer, Thor had me grinning from ear to ear, having reawakened a long AWOL childlike sense of fun within me. Here was a comic book film that embraced the colour and the magic of the source material whilst still proving to be dramatic and weighty. Kenneth Brannagh, a long time favourite of mine proved to be an excellent choice, one who set the bar very high, with stunning effects, winning performances and honest humour. It has recently been announced that Brannagh will not be returning for Thor 2, but hopefully this means he can finally get on with making series three of Wallander.

‘Green Lantern’ faced a similar challenge to ‘Thor‘, introducing a less well known character to audiences, helping the studio to build a new franchise etc, but it felt like there needed to be a stronger hand at the creative rudder. I personally had great fun and find myself a little puzzled by the backlash. One advantage may have been that I went in with little knowledge of the comics and therefore no expectations. I even thought the CGI worked! One niggle would be the ‘multiple bad guy’ syndrome that did resulted in an overall lack of focus.

‘X-Men: First Class’ sounded like a terrible idea on paper - a prequel that was also a reboot? Superhero film in an already crowded marketplace? Forget about it. But it worked and probably gave us the Superhero film of the Summer. Classy, dark and yet colourful and schlocky? You bet your mutant loving ass! With Matthew Vaughan and Bryan singer back on board the future looks very, very exciting. This film also gave us an undeniable new star in Michael Fassbender, who attacked the role of Magneto with such conviction that you might even have left the theatre asking ‘Ian McWho?’

Finishing Marvel Studio’s final one-two punch in the lead up to next year’s ‘Avengers’ was ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’, a rather ironic title considering his relative tardiness in reaching the screen. I’ve heard a lot of praise for this film, and by and large I agree. The performances are top notch, the effects superb, and the story makes sense, but on the whole I wasn’t so much overwhelmed with excitement as simply "whelmed". I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that I’ll always prefer Chris Evans as Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four movies. He wasn’t terrible as such, but the character of Steve Rogers is a little too virtuous for my liking, but that’s just me - I like my heroes nice and flawed.

Of course, we also had 'Cowboys And Aliens', directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man) who is boldly striking out on his own here without the comfort of Marvel Studios and it’s a move that has largely paid off. A long time coming, and with a genius concept this was a breath of fresh air after all of the superheroics. It is however a shame that original leading man Robert Downy Jr. bailed - his presence might have upped the humour content slightly and Daniel Craig - while a superb actor - isn’t quite the same.

So that’s it - Summer’s over and like a kid in a sweetshop, we’ve gorged ourselves silly. But cheer up - now we get to watch proper films like ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ and feel all clever, or maybe go for a run or read some actual comics! But I do find myself already contemplating next year - with Marvel Studios and DC bringing out the big guns with ‘Avengers’ and ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, 2012 is shaping up to be on hell of a year already.

Robert Barton-Ancliffe is also looking ahead to the 'Man Of Steel' in 2013

New Beginnings - The Mighty Thor #1

As I start writing my review this week I have one resounding thought running as my internal monologue. So what do I say? Normally I have a good understanding of the character and background, some of the more outstanding nuances and foibles and know where I’m going but this week, if I’m honest, I’m finding things tricky. Not because the comic is bad or it looks wrong, but because I am very aware of the timing of both the launch and the recent movie tie-in that Marvel have put on our cinema screens.

Having not read anything that is specifically about Thor, or really followed him outside of brief encounters as guest appearances or crossovers, you could say that I have a completely innocent perspective, but isn’t that what it’s all about?

The first thing I need to mention about the issue is the cover. It’s bright, powerful and full of energy. There is a point around the centre of the image that everything is bursting out of which is great to see. It also adds some further intrigue, as you see not only Thor staring out at you but also the Silver Surfer.

The issue has been written by Matt Fraction, who I am liking more and more. Currently writing on both Fear Itself and Invincible Iron Man, you get the feeling that he is covering all bases. Especially seeing as he recently stepped down from Uncanny X-Men! From the outset there is a very human and theological point made revolving around the fall and rebuilding of Asgard and essentially who or what is god. A very bold step made in a nondescript way for all religions. But it does leave you wondering where it is all going. By the end of the issue I can see tangible links between religion, the Norse “guests” and Galactus. That said, I may be over-thinking what was really being put forward here about the significance of beings in the grand scheme of things no matter who or what you are.

As an opening issue I am also not surprised to see multiple storylines and narratives which don’t seemingly cross as yet, but that is all to come I’m sure. A sticking point for me, however, was the lack of continuity with the other titles. Especially considering who is writing them. Given that we are in the infant stages of Marvel's big event you would think that a pivotal character would be bound closer to it.

The writing has an easy to follow, almost literal, feel to it but at times can be a little word heavy. I did find myself skimming at one point and still fully grasping all around me. This could also be the storylines and diversity.

The outstanding pieces for me though were Coipel’s big pages. There are a couple where a single page is dedicated to an image and the odd word. Supported by Mark Morales inking, I think that the two pages containing the Silver Surfer are phenomenal. In a simple combination of body positioning and posture - entwined with an understated but apt background - there has been created two images which, although contradictory in elements, speak more than anything else in the entire issue. It’s just a shame that at this point in time they have nothing to do with the cover character. Normally I am a fan of huge amounts of detail and fine line work (for example Larroca) but in this instance I’m sold! Conversely though, I’m not completely taken by the smaller frames.

The individual elements of the issue are good, but can come across as confusing when put together. I am also left with an overwhelming idea that this has been created to capture an audience off of the back of the cinema release even though it follows more the current environment as opposed to the screenplay.

I’m unsure about this one, beautiful yet flawed.

New Beginnings - Journey into Mystery #622

Tying in well with both Book One of Fear Itself and also the ending of Siege, Journey Into Mystery gives a new insight into how things ended and how they are beginning again.

Gillen has written a really nice piece that begins with a fable type piece complete with magpies. Following their tale leads you back to a very young, almost confused Loki...

Delving deeper into the new Marvel event, Fear Itself, this week we have Journey Into Mystery.

As an aside I have also read Uncanny X-Men (amongst others) this week, which seems an odd statement to highlight, but both have been written by Kieron Gillen.

The reason I bring this up is that I feel the two titles show a good diversity to his writing ability and style. Gillen is a relatively new comic book writer from what I know and has spent a lot of time working on Marvel titles following in some very big footsteps on Thor and now Uncanny X-Men too. Keeping the former in mind it puts Gillen in good stead for writing on Fear Itself as well.

For a character that at the end of Siege made what was an almost unfathomable sacrifice (for a god) we are now given the story behind it. Why Loki did it, what he is now and more importantly what he can and may become.

It’s well written from all angles, the fable, the narrative (which is frequently used instead of moving from first to third person) and the actual story. As I mentioned before, I also read X-Men and the contrast is really quite big. Gillen has displayed that he is well versed and also able to write not only a good story, but also one that fits and feels right. He plays to the characters well. It was clear that this god of mischief had a streak buried deep within him that couldn’t be contained.

The artwork by Dougie Brathwaite is soft with a lot of detail work. This is further enhanced by the colouring and shading. It’s good artwork but doesn’t set my world on fire with its look, however, its feel fits perfectly. It’s not clean and sharp, meaning you actually study it, as you’re not always sure everything is perfect and well defined. The colours are muted and from a lighter palette giving an almost aged feeling, which is perfect because it now feels like it fits with the story. This is a tale born of the days of yore, ripped from the pages of the Norse Gods.

I think the only thing that I found strange is that it also felt wrapped up. This isn’t a one shot or a point one. This is a smaller piece in a bigger puzzle but you’re not given an overwhelming need to follow onto the next issue. It is almost too contained within this issue and works better as a precursor. From another aspect it has completely thrown me as it’s effectively re-introduced a dead character that wasn’t counted on before, or his impact, within the grand scheme of things for Fear Itself so I now have no clue what this could mean.

It’s interesting but is it enough? Of the two Gillen titles I’ve read this week, it’s certainly the stronger as far as storyline goes but I’m still not sure. I may consider it as a Fear Itself tie-in but I don’t think I’ll be fighting to grab it off the shelf just yet.

Matt Puddy fears nothing! Except deadlines.

The Watcher Retrospective - Hammer time!

Since the brief glimpse of Mjolnir, Thor’s legendary hammer in the epilogue to Iron Man 2, advance publicity for Marvel Studios’ latest has gathered pace, with two official trailers and several lengthy clips all over the net. Thor, with his magical origins, epic family drama and none-more-super powers (well he is a god) seems the perfect fit in a world where big budget, fan-pleasing comic book adaptations are now routine.

Back in the day however, before FX technology (not to mention public demand) was good enough, only the most iconic superheroes got a shot at big screen glory. Marvel themselves seemed content to carve out a live action niche on the small screen. The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988), while ostensibly a sequel to Kenneth Johnson’s fondly remembered T.V. series, was also a ‘backdoor pilot’ for a Thor television series, with star Bill Bixby seemingly content to give the God of Thunder a leg up.

Banner, now living peacefully and on the verge of a cure for his destructive Hulk-outs, receives an untimely visit from ex-student Dr. Donald Blake, who needs help with a ‘little problem’. Echoing the comic book continuity, Blake has stumbled upon an ancient tomb in the Scandinavian wilderness and finding Mjolnir, summoned Thor himself. Thor is slightly retconned here as a long dead Viking king, rather than actual god, whom Odin has barred from Viking heaven, Valhalla, for "the sin of pride." From his initial appearance - in which he not only demands to have some booze before wrecking Banner’s lab, but also manages to goad the Hulk out of his two year slumber seemingly for fun - it is easy to see Odin’s beef.

Although this initially makes our new hero seem like a bit of a tool, it nevertheless sets up a neat ongoing theme for a series, as Thor must learn humility and seek redemption (possibly by beating up some bad guys week after week?) It was probably also due to the needs of an ongoing series that the distinct personalities of Blake and Thor are here cast as two separate people, rather than sharing a body as in the comics. This allows Blake, played by Steve Levitt as an equally flawed character, and the buff yet likable Eric Allen Kramer as Thor, to share some entertaining banter, whether bonding over pitchers of beer in a biker bar, or discussing the seemingly endless torment of Thor’s life in purgatory. The original odd couple, if you will.

Overall however, the format proved too limiting for a series. Although Thor here is not a god, his sheer power and pure fantasy origins clearly demand more colourful enemies than the rent-a-thugs the budget affords him. Also, whilst Blake’s situation is likened time and again to Banner’s own struggle, the interplay with Thor is too comfortable by story’s end and he ultimately lacks Banner’s innate hubris.

Of the clips of Thor 2011 released so far, it appears that director Kenneth Brannagh is going for a similar character arc for the title character, played by Chris Hemsworth - immense appetite, lab wrecking and humour aplenty, but with the presence of a fully realised comic book world, together with a stellar cast and some nifty effects. He seemingly has more tools than just a hammer to craft an epic worthy of a GOD.

Robert Barton-Ancliffe just hopes that this Thor is mighty enough to withstand the dreaded 3D conversion

The Watcher Retrospective - Hulks on film

Marvel fans are in for exciting times at the movies. With two dazzling Iron Man films; the imminent release of Kenneth Brannagh's Thor; plus a steady stream of Captain America footage knocking our socks off - all the pieces of Marvel's ambitious plan for a shared screen universe are finally coming together.

'Nuff said? Well... let's spare a thought for the Hulk. His two big screen outings - the Eric Bana starring 'Hulk' (2003) and Ed Norton's reboot 'The Incredible Hulk' (2008) - although financially 'successful' are both seen as relative failures by fans, critics and even the studio. To add insult to injury, Hulk has now not only been recast once more, but is set for whipping boy duties, as it's rumoured that his above mentioned Marvel team mates are set to 'get medieval on his ass' in 2012's 'Avengers'.

Ironic then, that over thirty years ago, 'The Incredible Hulk' (1977) ruled television for five years, practically shaping the rules of the live action superhero genre alongside DC’s Superman (1979) and establishing the Hulk himself as an iconic character; who doesn’t remember that catchphrase, "Don’t make me angry, you wouldn't like me when I’m ANGRY!", or appreciate the haunting closing theme 'The Lonely Man' as genre music at its finest?

Watching the series now is something of a revelation. Eschewing the camp approach of the 1960s Batman, producer Kenneth Johnson made a virtue of perceived limitations. Unable to recreate the fantastic scope of the comics, the series is grounded in believable reality (wink, wink, Christopher Nolan), following David 'Bruce' Banner's lonely journey from town to town, barely one step ahead of the paparazzi. The combination of Bill Bixby's charismatic 'everyman' in Banner and Lou Ferringo's imposing yet heartfelt Hulk gel surprisingly well and with considerable pathos. Suspension of disbelief is definitely required, but it adds up to an altogether more real Hulk than Bana, Norton and their CGI alter egos.

That's not to say the 1970s vibe doesn't also deliver a few chuckles. The decision to have Banner's first 'Hulk Out' be the result of a flat tyre is wonderfully silly. Not to mention the frequent use of slow-mo, the Hulk's almost prescient proclivity for ripped jeans, and a format somewhere betwixt 'The A-Team' and 'The Littlest Hobo', all of which provide just the right balance of nostalgia, action and entertainment, while still showing a genuine respect for the character from all involved.

Tellingly, Norton's film paid frequent homage to Johnson's series, not only including that catchphrase, but hardware, stars, music cues, those chilling green eyes and even Ferringo as the voice of the Hulk. But somehow, Norton's over-earnest portrayal, the CGI Hulk's lack of genuine substance and perhaps most importantly, a complete lack of humour render this Hulk a little lifeless. Lets hope it's third time lucky for Marvel Studios.

So, far from the lesser son of the screen Marvel, Hulk is actually its trailblazer. Notably the TV Movies that followed the series pioneered both the now obligatory Stan Lee cameo, and with the inclusion of both Thor and Daredevil, also introduced the concept of the shared Marvel universe to a wider audience. Hulk's most important contribution of all is the proof that screen superheroes could be portrayed both with fun AND credibility, which considering the HUGE success of Marvel Movies in recent times, deserves kudos indeed.

Next time, Robert Barton-Ancliffe turns his attention to the God of Thunder

FACT x IMPORTANCE = NEWS

A little later than planned but here it is, the best in TV, film, gaming and comic book news from across sci-fi, fantasy and more.

RETURN OF THE STEWIE

Following on from our preview of the new Family Guy Star Wars spoof a few week ago, here's a new and somewhat funnier trailer.

RELENTLESS ONSLAUGHT

I have been reading comic since the Eighties, but it really kicked in to high gear in the Nineties when I found an American comic shop and some friends who also read US comics. One of the first storyarcs I read was the sprawling Onslaught saga that engulfed the entire Marvel Universe. You may complain about recent crossovers, but they have been a bargain compared to the financial commitment required to read the whole Onslaught story.

Despite that, I still have a misplaced sense of affection towards Onslaught. A few years back, Marvel released Onslaught Reborn, which was a crushing disappointment. Now they're bringing the super villain back once again in the forthcoming Onslaught Unleashed. I have to hope this is better than the last one! The miniseries writer, Sean McKeever, spoke to Newsarama this week.

In other news, Marvel announced that the video game tie-in to the new Thor will be voiced by Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston as Thor and Loki respectively.

SHOOT THEM IN THE HEAD

Series one of AMC's The Walking Dead comes to an end this weekend but this week has been dogged by petty drama behind the scenes.

Deadline.com ran a story earlier this week saying that Frank Darabont has basically fired all of the writers from the first season and is planning to use only freelancers for season two.

Talking to TVGuide.com today, Robert Kirkman tried to clarify the situation, "It's kind of unfortunate that it's being reported that our writing staff has been fired because that's not the case. It makes Frank look bad. I don't think Frank wants it out there that he's just firing people off of a successful show seemingly for no reason."

Among the writers apparently let go is Chic Eglee, who was set to be the showrunner for series two if Darabont had left as originally planned. Eglee's previous credits include Dexter, Dark Angel and The Shield. "Chic didn't want to be second-in-command on a show when he's used to being a top dog," explained Kirkman. "And so he decided to go off and do something else, which is something that happens and is not a big deal."

AMC would only confirm that there will be some changes behind the scenes before pre-production begins on the second season.

THE JOKE"S ON YOU

Another production causing controversy was The Dark Knight Rises. Earlier this week it was reported that Chris Nolan would be using cutting room floor footage of Heath Ledger and CGI to put a Joker cameo into the third film. Today Hollywood Reporter carried a story quashing those rumours, after they spoke to Nolan and his wife/producer Emma Thomas at an awards season party for Inception. Which is a bit of a shame really, I think that's something I would've liked to see.

GOING FOR GOLD

Finally this week, Diamond have announced the Gold Sponsor Books for next year's Free Comic Book Day. Titles from Dark Horse, DC, Marvel, Image and others have been revealed - or in the case of DC, teased over at the Free Comic Book Day website. Free Comic Book Day 2011 will be on Saturday 7th May.

Ben Fardon loves Free Comic Book Day, but is struggling to find his Christmas spirit.

New Beginnings - Avengers Prime #1

Lurking amongst the other four big Avengers titles launching the Heroic Age is Avengers Prime, a series focusing on the ‘Big Three’ Avengers; Thor, Captain America and Iron Man. Taking place between scenes at the end of Siege, though there are internal inconsistencies on this, the three are assessing the ruins of Asgard and also bickering quite a bit.

Considering the Heroic Age is meant to be about heroes being heroes again and not fighting amongst themselves, it seems a bit odd that writer Brian Bendis would play so heavily on the in-fighting between the three (well, between Stark and Rogers, with Thor stuck in the middle), especially when he has to drive Rogers out of character so much to make it work. Steve here completely contradicts everything he stood and died for in Civil War, making him look like a hypocrite for no particularly good reason or effect.

Before long, the three are sucked through a damaged Asgardian portal and dumped across the nine realms of Norse mythology, lost and alone. Well, Thor’s not lost, obviously. Which only really serves to further make him seem like a third wheel.

Splitting up the characters is a mistake. All these three characters have solo books. Therefore, they don’t really need a joint title doing character pieces on them, unless it’s going to focus on them as a group and as friends. Splitting them up robs the book of its reason for existing, especially as you don’t gain any sort of extra insight to the three when they’re alone. Steve manages to get into a fight with some goblins, which is fun, but all it serves to do is put him in a rough approximation of his Captain America costume – which tells us what exactly? That he’s Captain America? Well, a) we know that and b) he isn’t any more, which is what these new Avengers titles are all trying to establish.

The biggest problem is though that we already know what happens next. This issue takes place before Avengers #1, which still has Tony and Steve hostile to each other and Thor stuck in the middle. If the rest of this series does go on to have some manner of reconciliation between the three, it’s immediately irrelevant, because the reader already knows it doesn’t stick.

The only real saving grace for the issue is the art by Alan Davis, quite possibly one of the best artists currently working in the medium. That’s a bit of a shame really though. I’d like to think there’s more interesting titles he could be putting his talents towards. He seems wasted on this title, even if he does draw the nine realms very nicely.

Avengers Prime really does feel like a waste of time. It’s so busy retreading old ground that we should all be moving away from, with little in the way of return or reward, that it forgets to do anything worthwhile with itself. It’s a character study that doesn’t study its characters.

Martin S Smith is an author and blogger. He’s just released his first book, The Redundancy of Flightless Birds, and reviews stuff every week over at The Taste of Rising Bile.