If there’s one thing Marvel has proven over the last several years it’s that Iron Man is as popular as ever. With the character’s succes in movies come a renewed level of interest in his comic book exploits as well.

Fortunately, Marvel isn’t resting on its laurels and keeps turing out great stories for its major characters, Iron Man included. Now, with things heating up in the Marvel U and Tony Stark having problems, a new Iron Man is coming to take matters into his (or her) own hands.

That’s the story in Marvel’s upcoming Invincible Iron Man #518. The story, from writer Matt Fraction and artist Salvador Larroca, concerns “the Spymaster’s rampage within Stark Resilient and that incident’s bloody end. The Mandarin is throwing everything he’s got at Tony Stark including amped up super villains. With a big target painted on his back, can Tony Stark make it out alive? Can the new Iron Man save him in time?”

I guess we’ll see when Invincible Iron Man #518 hits comic shops, the Marvel Comics app, and Marvel Digital Comic Shop on June 6. In the meantime, check out some previews for the comic after the break.

Continue Reading →

One thing Marvel never seems to get tired of is pitting its creations against each other. After all, what do you do when you’ve concurred all the super villains in the universe?

The latest example of this is Marvel’s upcoming Avengers versus X-Men. Not content with just one new series, Marvel is also dropping some tie-in books lioke the one we’ve got a preview of today.

This one, called AVX VS #1, comes from the creative team of Jason Aaron & Adam Kubert and Kathryn & Stuart Immonen. It features “pulse-pounding battles” as Iron Man faces off against Magneto & Thing takes on Namor.

Look for AVX VS #1 to arrive in comic stores on April 25. Check out the preview after the break.

Continue Reading →

Due to the fact that two different movie studios own the rights to The Avengers and The X-Men, we will probably never see a movie here those two teams meet, let alone fight each other. However, we still have the comics.

Marvel has already released the first issue of Avengers vs. X-Men and it was, putting it mildly, damn cool. The second issue is coming soon and we’ve got previews for it for you today.

Here comes the Marvel PR stuff:

From the powerhouse creative team of Jason Aaron & John Romita Jr. comes the second part of the groundbreaking event pitting Earth’s Mightiest against the X-Men with the entire Marvel Universe at stake! As the all-powerful Phoenix Force hurtles ever closer toward Earth; The Avengers storm the beach of Utopia, determined to save mankind at any cost! This is what you’ve been waiting for all year, and now you’ll get the chance to see some explosive matchups and who comes out on top.

Look for Avengers vs. X-Men #2 to drop on April 18. Click through for some preview pages from the issue.

Continue Reading →

The Hulk is one of those characters you might think writers would have a hard time creating stories for. After all, his power is pretty much only “hulking out” when he gets angry and smashing things. Cool, but not very deep and seemingly not very conducive to great storytelling.

Fortunately, the folks at Marvel don’t seem to have that problem and manage to spin complex tales involving this character and its alter ego, Bruce Banner, pretty much all the time. In fact, with the upcoming release of Hulk #50, you can clearly see just how far these stories have come.

Check out all the info below from the official Marvel press release as well as preview pages from the comic after the break. Look for Hulk #50 to hit stores on April 4.

Red Hulk’s hostile encounter in Las Vegas during Circle of Four is coming back to haunt him! The end of the world may be upon us, but that’s not all that’s headed for Red Hulk;

“The Red Hulk didn’t get out of that Venom story unscathed,” explains Jeff Parker. “Something followed him out of hell and it’s going to make the supernatural territory of Marvel break open and swallow our anti-hero whole!”

The stakes grow even higher, as a mysterious figure lurks in the shadows waiting to destroy Red Hulk and his fellow comrades! Will Red Hulk’s might be enough to match ghoulish malevolent magic? Can the help of Doctor Strange, Iron Man, Daredevil and more aid Thunderbolt Ross?

Continue Reading →

What’s with all these mutants? All they seem to want to do is fight with each other. Can’t we all just get along?

Fortunately, at least if you’re a fan of Marvel’s sprawling mutant epics, we can’t. And this latest series looks to continue the tradition.

Here’s all the info from the official press release:

Spinning out of the critically acclaimed Uncanny X-Force, the Amazing X-Men and the human resistance must fight tooth and nail to end the tyranny that has left their world ravaged! Continuing Apocalypse’s war on humanity, Weapon X leads the genocide that rains down upon this dimension, eliminating any who stand in his way.

“This new Age of Apocalypse book does the impossible – it revolutionizes an old concept without a reboot,” explains Senior Editor Nick Lowe. “If you’ve been reading Uncanny X-Force, you know where this is coming from and you’re already in.”

“If you’re an Age of Apocalypse junkie, this builds on the alternate universe’s mythology is fascinating and troubling ways. And if you aren’t either and just want a ground-breaking, easy-entry book that will challenge everything you know about the X-Men, there hasn’t been a better jumping on point.”

Age of Apocalypse #1, written by Dave Lapham and pencils by Roberto De La Torre, hist store shelves on March 7. Check out some preview pages after the break.

Continue Reading →

Even though some may criticize us for a bit of self promotion, I don’t care. When one of our team does something cool outside of their work at The Flickcast, I want to make sure to bring it to as many people’s attention as possible.

Case in point today is The Flickcast co-founder Chris Ullrich’s new venture into indie comics and comics publishing. The first comic out of the gate for this new venture is called Believer. Here’s the synopsis:

Believer tells the story of Jack Hollenbeck, disgraced Los Angeles police detective turned tabloid reporter and occasional private investigator who is hired by a mysterious woman and her aging father to locate an an ancient object of incredible value . . . and incredible power.

During the course of Jack’s investigation and search for the object, he soon realizes things are not what they seem as sinister forces, human and otherwise, converge on Los Angeles to prevent him, by any means necessary, from finding the object.

Aided by a woman he doesn’t really trust and relying on his wits, a few friends in the police who don’t hate him, and his knowledge of ancient magics he’s extremely reluctant to use, Jack must brave all manner of hardship to find the object before someone else does and uses its power to enslave mankind.

Believer was written by Chris Ullrich and Joseph Dilworth with pencils by Kris Carter. Economics being what they are in the startup world, the creators are currently running a Kickstarter campaign to help raise finishing funds for the comic series. Why not give them a buck or two?

You can check out some preview pages for Believer after the break.

Continue Reading →

As its done in the past with other big screen adaptations of its comics, Marvel has gone ahead and put together a comic book prelude for The Avengers for fans to enjoy. This one, called “Fury’s Big Week,” will be eight issues with the first released for free on Marvel’s comics app this Sunday.

Yes, you read that right. It’s going to be free. That’s nice. Too bad the rest of the issues won’t be. Oh well.

Here’s the scoop from the official press release:

“We’ve worked hand-in-hand with Marvel Studios to create an exciting story set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that sets the stage perfectly for the most anticipated film of the summer,” said Axel Alonso, Marvel Editor in Chief. “Now, for the first time. you’ll find out just what happened to some of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes on the road to Marvel’s The Avengers.”

What is the Avengers Initiative? And what are the secrets of S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury? The answers arrive in Marvel’s The Avengers Prelude: Fury’s Big Week and the first issue is free this Sunday only on the Marvel Comics app!

Check out some preview pages for the comic after the break.

Continue Reading →

Marvel is continuing its trend of releasing comics loosely tied to its movie franchises with the latest upcoming release: Winter Soldier. Of course, if you’ve seen the Captain America movie (or remember the comics) Cap loses his beloved sidekick Bucky and has to deal with that loss.

But don’t worry, it seems Bucky is alive and well . . . with a little catch. Here’s the official info from Marvel:

Steve Rogers most trusted partner and a former Captain America, Bucky Barnes, must tackle his greatest challenge yet as Winter Soldier #1 hits store shelves everywhere this February! After going toe to toe with the Nazis and being assumed dead for decades, Bucky Barnes went through hell and back as the Soviet Union rebuilt his war torn body into their own one man army known to all as the Winter Soldier. But what if he wasn’t the only one?

From the blockbuster creative team behind Captain America, Ed Brubaker and Butch Guice send Bucky back into the shadows to take down the remaining ex-Russian sleeper agents and dismantle their diabolical plot. Teamed with the Black Widow, the former Captain America will have his hands full when he finds out that he trained them all AND that Doctor Doom is involved! With the entire Marvel Universe thinking he’s dead, Bucky will have to tackle this threat head on with limited resources.

Winter Soldier #1 hits store shelves on February 1. Until then, check out some preview pages after the jump.

Continue Reading →

When you happen to be one of the biggest comic book and media companies in the world and you have all these characters you’ve created over the years, it must be difficult to figure out what to do with all of them. Well, if you’re Marvel, it seems like they’ve found an answer: have them fight each other.

Much like they did during the “Civil War” event from a few years back, a bunch of characters from the Marvel U, The Avengers and X-Men specifically, are being pitted against each other in a brand new upcoming comics event.

Here’s all the scoop directly from Marvel:

The Avengers and X-Men have learned that the all-powerful embodiment of both death and rebirth known as the Phoenix Force is on a crash course for Earth…and it needs a new host to unleash its immeasurable power. But what is the shocking decision tied to the Phoenix’s return that will pit the Avengers against the X-Men? And when good friends become bitter enemies, what does this mean for the future of the Marvel Universe?

Continue Reading →

As spider-themed superheroes go people most likely think of Spider-Man first. Well, another spider is ready to grab your attention and fortunately for fans of the original web-slinger, this new character doesn’t stray too far from the original.

I’m talking about, of course, the Scarlet Spider. Haven’t heard of him? Well, here’s some info on him and a bit about the upcoming comic series he’s about to star in.

Kaine – the all-new Scarlet Spider – finds himself on the run in Texas after saving New York City from becoming the world’s largest spider nest during Spider-Island. But when his escape is stopped by a super-powered crime syndicate, Kaine must put an end to their corruption the only way he knows how…violently.

“Scarlet Spider is a book that can deal with a character much like Peter Parker but at darker, more difficult place in his life,” said Stephen Wacker, Marvel Senior Editor. “The violent choices he’s made through years of struggle—the sins of youth, so to speak—have come at a brutal cost. He may hope that the things he’s done will be left to the dusty, yellowed pages of history, but someone ALWAYS remembers who you used to be.”

Check out previews of the new series after the break. Scarlet Spider #1, written by Chris Yost with art by Ryan Stegman, hits comic shops everywhere in January.

Continue Reading →

Many times when previews arrive for upcoming comics we will take a few moments and talk about them and how cool they seems. This time around, however, we’re going to let the preview artwork for Marvel’s upcoming Carnage speak for itself — mostly. Besides, we didn’t do that with the trailer from earlier today so really, why start now?

Even though the artwork is pretty impressive, we do want to provide a bit of the story, just to help set things up. Here’s the scoop on the comic, which is written by Zeb Wells with art by Clayton Crain, directly from Marvel:

Leaving a wake of bloodshed, no one is safe from Carnage’s lunacy – even the Avengers! Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man and more of Earth’s Mightiest must go on a brutal hunt to capture Cletus Kasady before the American heartland falls under his mass-murdering spell.

Sounds good, right? Ok, let’s get to the images.

Check them out after the break. Look for Carnage #1 to arrive on December 7th.

Continue Reading →

Even though it may seem Marvel just tries to capitalize on anything with the letter “X” in it, that really isn’t the case. In fact, they are able to keep coming up with new and different ways to tell stories that involve some characters from the X-Men universe but each time the comics manage to be unique in their own way and not just a clone or rip-off of previous books.

Case in point is the upcoming series X-Club, which features writer Simon Spurrier and artist Paul Davidson. Here’s the scoop on the book directly from Marvel:

The X-Men’s team of supreme scientists have finally created the world’s first elevator….TO SPACE! But just as they’re about to launch this majestic innovation, chaos erupts and the X-Men are to blame. It’s up to Dr. Nemesis, Madison Jeffries, Dr. Kavita Rao and Danger to clear their name before the experiment backfires.

See, it’s an elevator to space. Is that cool, or what? Check out our preview for the comic after the break. Look for X-Club #1 to arrive in December.

Continue Reading →