Here’s another preview of the Astonishing X-Men motion comic from our pals at Marvel. This time around its Episode 4, written by Joss Whedon with art by John Cassaday. Here’s the info directly from Marvel.

Marvel is proud to unveil your first look at episode 4 of the Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic! Based on the acclaimed story by superstars Joss Whedon (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and John Cassaday (Captain America), the X-Men are faced with a mysterious new villain and a possible cure for the mutant gene!

Now Cyclops, Wolverine and all your favorite mutants must face the greatest threats of their lives and, before it’s all done, experience one of the most jaw-dropping moments in Marvel history!

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Welcome to another edition of The Pull List Comic Reviews! We’ve got a lot off good issues to get through, so let’s get to it. As always, WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.

PULL OF THE WEEK:

S.W.O.R.D. #1 – Marvel Comics – $3.99 US
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artists: Steven Sanders, Jamie McKelvie
Score: 9.0

Spinning out of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s seminal Astonishing X-Men run, S.W.O.R.D. is the new title focusing on the organization entrusted to ensure that alien invasions are kept to a minimum. The Sentient World Observation and Response Department’s co-commander, Abigail Brand, has enough on her plate as it is, but having Henry Peter Gyrich – yes, THAT guy – as your co-commander simply can’t be a good thing.

After making a name for himself with the critically acclaimed Phonogram series, Marvel thought that writer Kieron Gillen would be able to handle the launch of a new, ongoing series that has a lot of ties to it, and boy were they right. The juggling parallels between what Agent Brand must endure and the various plot threads that Gillen must keep going wasn’t lost on me; in fact, I’d say it only added to the story’s flow. Imagine Men In Black done up right.

So new that he could be considered a rookie, artist Steven Sanders is anything but. Sharp, clean pencils fill this issue from cover to cover, and while his interpretation of how Beast looks takes a little getting used to, ultimately it’s nit picking on an otherwise near-perfect comic. His rendition of Gyrich, especially, should be noted, as the character has never looked more dick-ish.

About as entertaining as an issue can be, this first issue manages to draw you in with quirky moments – Beast’s lovesick commentary, Lockheed’s binge drinking – and stunning revelations – hello, Kitty! – made this an incredibly easy selection for our Pull of the Week.

OTHER PULLS:

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As we’ve done previously, we’ve got a preview of the brand new Marvel motion comic Astonishing X-Men: Gifted. Featuring the talents of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday, this project offers fans a cool way to enjoy a great comic story on their favorite portable device like an iPhone or iPod Touch.

Even though I’m a fan of reading paper comics and I hope they don’t go away any time soon, this is just another way in which new fans can potentially be brought into the fold. Which is a good thing. Plus, with this kind of story and the talent involved, you have to expect this to be a pretty big success for Marvel. Hopefully, that will mean more comics will be getting the “motion” treatment.

So, check out this preview and enjoy it. Also, as we agreed to do in order to bring you cool things like this, following is Marvel’s “official” info about this project and this preview.

Marvel is proud to unveil your first look at episode 2 of the Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic! Based on the acclaimed story by superstars Joss Whedon (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and John Cassaday (Captain America), the X-Men are faced with a mysterious new villain and a possible cure for the mutant gene! Now Cyclops, Wolverine and all your favorite mutants must face the greatest threats of their lives and, before it’s all done, experience one of the most jaw-dropping moments in Marvel history!

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Excelsior! Sorry, couldn’t resist. Actually, that word completely applies in this case seeing as how the X-Men were created by the great Stan “The Man” Lee and Jack “King” Kirby. Still, its a pretty good day today and a pretty cool thing we have to share with you right now.

Our pals at Marvel have provided us with a new video showing a bit of behind the scenes with the folks who make the Astonishing X-Men motion comic. Hosted by producer Kristine Stone, you get a tour of the production facility and get to meet many of the people responsible for putting this cool project together. All in all, not a bad way to spend a few minutes.

You get to learn some things and have a little fun too. What could be better than that? Not much, so be sure to check out the video after the jump. The Astonishing X-Men MOCO is available now at iTunes and on Hulu.

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As we do each week, here’s the list of all the Marvel comics on sale this week. We’re sure you know that new comics come out on Wednesday and some of the ones we’re excited about this week include the new Astonishing X-Men #32, Captain America Reborn #4, Psylocke #1 and The Torch #3.

And, as we do each week, be sure and check out some of the great art from a few of these upcoming comics after the jump.

Comics On-Sale:

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #610

ASSAULT ON NEW OLYMPUS PROLOGUE

ASTONISHING X-MEN #32

ASTONISHING X-MEN #32 SHS VARIANT

BLACK WIDOW: DEADLY ORIGIN #1

BLACK WIDOW: DEADLY ORIGIN #1 LAND VARIANT

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If last week was light, this week is heavy.

From DC Comics this week, we have the latest in Blackest Night event books with the main book and Green Lantern. Considering Spike TV’s SCREAM AWARDS aired last night (I think) and Geoff Johns did win Best Comic Book Writer, its probably within reason that you ought to pick these books up.

Though some dude from the Twilight “saga” did also win Best Breakthrough Performance over Chris Pine, so maybe those fans shouldn’t be trusted. Blackest Night is some good fun.

Today is MarvelFest in New York City, and this is certainly Marvel’s week for comics.  I mean Dark Avengers Ares written by the awesome Kieron Gillen. Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham’s awesome take on Fantastic Four is back, as well.

If you, like me, were waiting for the trade of Old Man Logan than you want to get the edition that comes out this week, as well as the first trade to the awesome “World’s Most Wanted” arc in the Eisner winning Invincible Iron Man. You want to pick that up.  Also Esad Ribic joins Jason Aaron on the Dark Reign The List Wolverine.

As I said, today is MarvelFest, where they are going to suspend the motion comic of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s first issue of Astonishing X-Men three stories high on the old Virgin Megastore building. As I write this it is cold, rainy and generally miserable here in NYC, but the good news is there are plenty of umbrellas and rain coats to go around and the show will go on.  I’m looking forward to it. Should be quite a sight and a fun time.

As always, we here at The Flickcast care about what you read, so leave us a comment and let us know what you liked/didn’t like from this week’s comics. For a more complete list of what comes out this week, check out the one at Midtown Comics.

Like many things in life these days, a music video about a rather famous group of mutants and the comic chronicling their adventures is probably something that’s inevitable. So, its with almost no surprise at all, really, that we bring you this brand new music video about the Astonishing X-Men.

To be honest, the video is actually kinda cool but I’m not sure if that means it really is or if it just means I’ve given up. I like to think its the former. Anyway, as with videos of this sort provided by our friends at Marvel, we’ve got to include the following bit to explain the video and satisfy the legal department. So, here you go and enjoy the video after the jump.

Marvel is proud to unveil the official Astonishing X-Men music video, “Rise Up”, David Ari Leon, Guy Erez, Bronx Style Bob, Christian Altman and the Marvel Music Group. Featuring previously unseen footage from the hotly anticipated Astonishing X-Men motion comic, based on the acclaimed story by superstars Joss Whedon (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and John Cassaday (Captain America), “Rise Up” will have you cheering for more!

Marvel is also proud to present MarvelFest NYC 2009, an all-new interactive outdoor experience in New York City to celebrate the iTunes release of the groundbreaking Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic on October 28th. Join celebrities and the biggest names in Marvel history to commemorate the Astonishing X-Men premiere, projected three stories high in Union Square at MarvelFest!

For complete details and official rules regarding MarvelFest NYC 2009 please visit www.marvel.com/fest.

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Previously, we were able to bring you the first news of the upcoming event known as MarvelFest and told you that it would, in part, be held to commemorate the launch of Marvel’s new Astonishing X-Men motion comic. Now that you have that info and, I’m sure, planning on attending, we can bring you this new video which gives us a bit more info about the event and also provides some decent comic relief as well.

I won’t spoil the content of the video except to say that if you’re a fan of shows like Robot Chicken, you’ll probably like this video as well. And, because we agreed to do so, here’s the other info we have to share with you about the video:

Marvel is also proud to present MarvelFest NYC 2009, an all-new interactive outdoor experience in New York City to celebrate the iTunes release of the groundbreaking Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic on October 28th. In honor of this unprecedented event, Marvel.Com unveils a very special episode of the critically-acclaimed Marvel Super Heroes: What The–?! video series, taking you behind the scenes of what could’ve been! Join celebrities and the biggest names in Marvel history to commemorate the Astonishing X-Men premiere, projected three stories high in Union Square at MarvelFest! For complete details and official costume contest rules regarding MarvelFest NYC 2009 please visit www.marvel.com/fest.

Be sure to check out this very cool (and funny) video after the jump.

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Welcome to the new The Pull List Comic Reviews! We’ve expanded our weekly offering of comic reviews to a whopping 10 issues each week, so kick back, enjoy and let us know what caught your eye this week! Also, the prerequisite WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.

PULL OF THE WEEK:

Daredevil #501 – Marvel Comics – $2.99 US
Writer: Andy Diggle Artist: Roberto De La Torre
Score: 9.5

Following the events of Daredevil #500 and the Dark Reign – The List: Daredevil one-shot, Matt Murdock is now in control of The Hand. But what he doesn’t know is that other players are moving their chess pieces into position, and Matt doesn’t like surprises. Meanwhile, Foggy and Dakota try to figure out what Matt’s up to over a box of doughnuts.

Writer Andy Diggle has really amped up the playing field for Daredevil and his little corner of the Marvel Universe, so much so that you might not recognize your favorite horned-hero once you get to the end of this issue. Diggle has managed to dramatically shift the title character into new, uncharted territory, and admittedly it’s a great ride. Sacrifices aside, this is definitely not your daddy’s Daredevil…

I think one of the keys to making a Daredevil story great is the choice of artist. Many artists have come and gone with a few making significant contributions to the character – Frank Miller, Bill Sienkiewicz, David Mack and Alex Maleev come to mind – so it’s no wonder that artist Roberto De La Torre fits right in with some really beautiful work. This could be the run that puts him firmly in the public’s eye.

Overall, a near-perfect issue that’s also suited for newcomers to jump on board. Even if you missed the aforementioned issues leading into this new arc, do yourself a favor and enjoy what most people will be talking about this week.

OTHER PULLS:

Astonishing X-Men #31 – Marvel Comics – $2.99 US
Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Phil Jimenez
Score: 9.0

When S.W.O.R.D. Agent Abigail Brand has a run-in with The Brood, narrowly escapes and is on a collision course for San Francisco, who’re you going to call? That’s right, the Astonishing X-Men! Naturally, Abby’s boyfriend Beast jumps at the rescue mission to save his sweety, but what really raises eyebrows here is the return of Laurie Collins, also known as Wallflower. Not all is how it seems, however…

Superstar writer Warren Ellis has proven that he’s not perfect, if the last arc is any indication. He’s not a superstar for the hell of it, though, as he bounces back in a big way with this first installment. Full of action and those X-Men moments we know and love, this issue’s got everything we could possibly want. But how does new-to-the-title artist Phil Jimenez compare to the previous arc’s Simone Bianchi? It’s a step up, no question about that. Jimenez’ art is dynamic in every sense of the word, which makes it a no-brainer for this title, especially if Ellis continues to make this story as fun as the first chapter was.

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Its Monday so that means it time to share with you all the great comics that will be coming out from one of our favorite comic publishes this week. So, following is a list of comics and trades from Marvel that will hit store this Wednesday.

Some of the titles that look pretty interesting to us include a new The Torch, a new Cable, issue #2 of Strange Tales and a brand new issue of Astonishing X-Men. As always, be sure to check out all of the bigger cover art after the jump and stay tuned later this week for a brand new installment of The Pull List comics reviews.

Comics On-Sale:

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #608

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #608 DJURDJEVIC 70TH ANNIVERSARY VARIANT

ASTONISHING X-MEN #31 WRAPAROUND COVER

ASTONISHING X-MEN #31 CHAREST VARIANT

ASTONISHING X-MEN #31 SKETCH VARIANT

BLACK PANTHER #9

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