Everyone knows that Wednesday is new comic book day. While picking up your new issues consider looking at some of the trade paperbacks and hard covers of past issues and story lines. But which ones should you choose?

That’s why every Tuesday, The Flickcast will recommend a collection of comics that are just as good, if not better, than the issues you are currently buying. Books that deserve to be read, and bought the next time you walk into your local comic book store.

X-Statix was a book ahead of its time, in fact, its probably book that can’t exist in any time, and that’s what makes it so good.  First published in 2001 during the Grant Morrison New X-Men era, the story of this group began in X-Force #116. Marvel at this time was willing to take risks and chances.

Their movies were making money, and they wanted edgy comics that matched. Thus, X-Force was turned from a military group mutant team to a group of mutants that star on a reality show, and only save people if it will help their fame.

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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.

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It’s been year since the release of a quality X-Men title. Not since X-Men Legends and its sequel has there really been a game that captured the essence of Marvel’s band of merry mutants, especially with the pitiful movie tie-in titles that have been released.

When X-Men: Destiny was announced by Activision and Silicon Knights, the makers of Too Human, players hoped their prayers would be answered as they would get to experience what it was like for an emerging mutant caught between the turmoil of the X-Men, Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants and the humans who seek to end the “mutant menace”.

Instead, what they got was a half handed execution that feels like a franchise cash-in rushed out in order to hit the holiday game season before the larger releases like Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3.

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People who complain that DC Comics reboot their universe too many times needs to take a look at Marvel Comics Ultimate Universe line.

Founded in 2000 with the debut of Ultimate Spider-Man, the Ultimate universe was always intended as a continuity free entry point into the Marvel Universe. Characters and origins were updated to feel as if they were created in the 2000′s, and many of the movie properties of Marvel took several ideas and storylines from the Ultimate Marvel universe. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, the Ultimate Universe became confusing and has been rebooted not once, but twice in ten years! Let me say that again, twice in ten years. Even with all the odds stacked against it, Ultimate Comics X-Men #1 turns out to be a decent issue.

Peter Parker, the Spider-Man, is dead. Wolverine, Cyclops, Professor X, and Magneto are also in the ground. This ain’t your papa’s Marvel Universe. The issue begins with a scene that could have been ripped out of an X-Men movie. Karen Grant a.k.a. Jean Grey, who has changed her name for safety reasons, visits the parents of a little girl who has just discovered she is a mutant. Karen discusses options with the mother while the father of the little girl is upstairs with her.

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At Comic Con, the Flickcast got our first hands on with X-Men: Destiny to mixed reviews from the team. While the game is still some time away, there lies a lot of potential for the game to take a turn for the better or the worse. When we had the chance to talk to Denis Dyack, who also headed up past projects such as Too Human, it helped sooth some of our concerns. Now, with PAX this weekend, the team at Silicon Knights gives us some further insight into the game with its new Powers trailer and a host of new screen shots.

In the new X-Men: Destiny screens, our main characters Aimi, Grant and Adrian can be seen in costumes different from their original character designs. The most notable are Grant fighting alongside the Juggernaut in similar wardrobe and Aimi who is wearing what looks like a New Mutants style uniform. This could be a sign that over the course of gameplay, certain decisions will not only change the world in front of the characters but the appearance of the characters themselves.

In the Powers trailer below, all three power sets that can be chosen by any of the game’s three characters are seen in action. At Comic Con, we chose the Density Control which used close by rock and asphalt to create a melee focused set, giving players an experience similar to that of the X-Man Rockslide. Energy Projection looks to be more of a sniper class where players will have the opportunity to take out enemies from a distance, playing more like Cyclops. Shadow Matter looks like it combines a mix of the two giving players some distance attacks and other close up enhancements.

Take a look at the trailer and screens below. As always, stick to the Flickcast for more on X-Men: Destiny as it approaches its September 27th release for XBox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and Nintendo DS.

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According to previous reports, Fox was looking at a Fall 2011 start date for the Christopher McQuarrie script for Wolverine 2 starring Hugh Jackman and directed by James Mangold. It now looks like production will not begin until the Spring of 2012.

Even though the studio says it never gave an official production start date, there are many rumored factors that would push back the start date.   The bulk of the screenplay takes place in Japan, and most of the shooting would be on location. According to studio insiders, it’s currently very difficult to find suitable shoot locations in Japan due to all of the weather-related considerations and current rebuilding process. It is now being rumored that the shooting will take place in Canada in conjunction with a secondary filming location.

The other factor that is being rumored to affect the start date is that production will wait until after Jackman finishes making Les Miserables.

The production has already faced some set backs, when Darren Aronofsky bowed out as director in March. By June, 20th Century Fox found their director after one of the most highly anticipated announcements of the summer. That set up the studio thinking that it could begin production in the fall.

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Recently, we got the chance to get hands on with X-Men: Destiny for the first time. In our demo we got to check out the first level of the game where we had the opportunity to choose between the game’s three possible protagonists Aimi, Grant and Adrian. When a massive Purifier attack hits downtown San Francisco, the player must also decide on the spot which of the three power sets they would like to equip their character with.

The early level surprisingly has a lot of conversation within it as players meet members of both the X-Men and Brotherhood who are both fighting against the Purifiers. Because of the noise in the Activision event, we couldn’t really hear the dialogue at the time but the gist we got was that both sides were already actively beginning to recruit this new mutant to their side.

X-Men: Destiny plays much like a standard 3D street brawler with the added bonus of mutant powers. There are your basic light, heavy, special and grab attacks along with blocking and dodging mechanics as expected. The gameplay itself was fun but the story possibilities are definitely the most intriguing part for us.

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Bob Dylan said it best when he sang about changing times, and now that songs is more prophetic than ever in the comic book industry. Hard to believe Marvel was once going out of business and having a fire sale, as their films are some of the biggest blockbusters of the summer season, and they’ve got more properties on TV and other media than ever before. Between facts like that and the fact that DC is panicking and rebooting their entire universe back to the basics, they feel like it may be time to join in the fun.

That’s where Marvel: Season One comes in. Rather than what DC is doing and mess with the ongoing continuity of their books, Season One is taking their most popular characters and giving old fans and new a chance to relive some of their early adventures with a separate series.

“With Marvel Season One we’ve assembled a group of great creators who’re delivering exciting, iconic, in-continuity stories of our most popular heroes,” said Tom Brevoort, Marvel SVP/Executive Editor. “If you’re a new fan, you can start your journey into comics with Season One and if you’re a seasoned fan you’ll find some thrilling new insight into your favorite characters.”

The complete first wave of Season One graphic novels includes:

• Fantastic Four: Season One by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Stephen King’s The Stand, Television’s Glee) and David Marquez (Secret Warriors), on-sale in February 2012

• X-Men: Season One by Dennis Hopeless (Legion Of Monsters, Lovestruck) and Jamie McKelvie (Generation Hope, Phonogram), on-sale in March 2012

• Daredevil: Season One by Antony Johnston (Daredevil) and Wellinton Alves (Nova), on-sale in April 2012

• Spider-Man: Season One by Cullen Bunn (Fear Itself: The Deep, Sixth Gun) and Neil Edwards (Fantastic Four), on-sale in May 2012

Not only will this be a way to introduce fans of the films to the original medium in which they started, but it’ll be great fodder for classic comic fans to see how modern artists re-imagine some of the great stories Lee and Kirby thought up decades ago. Expect to see these books hit shelves starting next year and check out the early covers from the first wave after the jump.

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It’s gearing up to be an X-Man-y type of summer. First with the release of X-Men: First Class (there’s an awesome review of the film here) and then the release of the game  ­X-Men: Destiny this fall

The game puts players into the role of a newly minted member of the X-Men in a detailed storyline that forces them to make choices that ultimately decide the destiny of their character.

But September is a long way off, so to tide you over, here’s two trailers that offer a behind-the-scenes look at the production of the game, featuring two of its voice talents, Milo Ventimiglia and Jamie Chung, as well as offering a glimpse of the game’s universe and story. Take a peek after the fold.

X-Men: Destiny hits shelves September 27^th for PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, and Nintendo DS.

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Looks like Old Spice is still producing weird commercials, but now they’ve  got a brand new spokesman in Fabio. Improvement?

While the Dark Knight Rises teaser was pretty awesome, it’s nowhere near as awesome as the trailer mashed up with Batman: The Animated Series.

Lady GaGa’s Born This Way has got an X-Men makeover, and now there’s even a killer video to go along with it.

Beastie Boys get an amazing new music video for the classic hit Sure Shot, but this time with the Muppets from Sesame Street.

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As a fan of all-things X-Men I was slightly worried about a movie featuring the origin of the group and the lives of the young and future X-Men. Turns out I really had nothing to worry about because X-Men: First Class was awesome and director Matthew Vaughn did a bang up job.

Now, the movie is soon to arrive on Blu-ray, which is the only way to see it. We’ve got all the info on this release for you below, straight from the official press release. Plus, read carefully (especially if you’re attending Comic-Con in San Diego) for a special prize commemorating the film’s arrival on Blu-ray.

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS

The Ultimate Blu-ray and DVD Experience Arrives on First Class Friday, September 9th

BONUS OFFER: First 1,000 Fans to Pre-Order A Blu-ray or DVD

During San Diego Comic-Con Receive a Limited Edition X-MEN: FIRST CLASS T-Shirt!

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We cover a lot of things here at The Flickcast and one of them is comics. Sadly, we don’t get to do as much comics coverage as we would like but we still try to bring you cool stuff when we see it.

Case in point this time is a preview for Marvel’s upcoming series Ultimate Comics X-Men with issue number one. From writer Nick Spencer and artist Paco Medina comes a story featuring Iceman, Kitty Pride and the Human Torch “who discover the true history of the x-gene as the divide between Mankind and Mutantkind grows deeper than ever before.”

“Who are the X-Men and how will they handle the fallout of this universe shattering discovery?” That’s just something you’re going to have to find out for yourself when the first issue arrives.

Judging from the preview images, it looks to be a very cool series. We’re looking forward to it.

Check out the preview after the jump. Look for Ultimate Comics X-Men in comic book stores on September 14th.

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