Sup Geeks and Geekettes,

I present to you the Comic Con trailer of Thor. Enjoy!

Brought to you by TrailerAddict

Well, geeks and geekettes,

The next chap to take on the roll of wearing the purple shorts and playing the role of Bruce Banner/The Hulk is Mark Ruffalo. This has been a short casting process since Edward Norton will not be reprising his role as the Hulk for the anticipated film The Avengers. The news was out at last night’s Marvel Panel at this years Comic Con in which the Marvel had to make the deal quickly to have the whole Avenger cast at Comic Con on time.

(via /Films)

The Punisher almostMAX

Garth Ennis’ Punisher MAX series got me back into comics when I moved to the states 3 years ago. Ennis gave Frank Castle some respect by shaping up the Punisher series into an excellent crime saga, arguably as good or better than Sin City.What made the series compelling was the insights into Frank’s tortured and twisted psyche and the crazy logic behind the stories. “Up is Down and Black is White” is a violent, frank (no pun intended), and touching look at human slavery. In “Man of Steel” the Punisher was placed in the real world by squaring him off against a psychopathic Russian war criminal in the sands of Afghanistan. Jigsaw was nowhere to be seen. Frank went after real monsters: people who were just like him. Ennis understood Frank Castle and explained him better than anybody else.

I was saddened when I read that Ennis was ending his run after the “Valley Forge, Valley Forge,” story arc, but I decided to stay with the series. I wanted to see what others make of Frank’s suicide mission. I’m pulling the plug 3 storylines after Ennis’ departure. I’m taking the title off my pull next time I drive down to my “local” comic book store. (Which is in another state, more than a 100 miles away.) The Punisher didn’t become a bad comic. It just became one more comic in the bunch.

Then came the other Punisher titles. In a move right outta the 90s, a decade that almost marked the extinction of the comic book industry, different Punisher comic books started appearing in my pull. Marvel started putting out series set in the Marvel Universe continuity as well as random one-shots that deviated considerably from the original MAX series. It felt like I was paying Marvel child support for an ugly kid I didn’t want anything to do with.

“YOU ARE NOT THE FATHER,” Maury told me, so I ended our relationship. Let Marvel pin the kid on another sucker.

I’m telling my local store to replace Frank with “Stephen King’s The Stand.”

This isn’t the 90s anymore: Michael Jackson is dead and the Punisher shouldn’t be a part of the Marvel U.

Why Stan, why???

Yup, boys and girls, true believers all. The rumors have been confirmed by both parties. The Disney Company has bought Marvel Entertainment. Besides the waves and waves of shock and nausea, and flashing images of animated musicals featuring heart-wrenching duets between Iron Man and the Hunchback of Notre Dame, I have yet to decide whether this is good new or bad news.

On one hand, this gives Marvel great economic stability. Although the company’s movie business has been doing well, Iron Man made a gazillion dollars for example, the comics side of the business has been lagging behind, like all the rest print industry. Marvel has a bad track record in it’s finances, having declared bankruptcy a few years ago.  With the Disney juggernaut behind it (Ha! Ha! bad Marvel pun!) we can, hopefully, be assured Spidey and Friends will still swing their web on print for years to come.

However, that is exactly what scares me. Disney has has bought and/or allied itself with many different brands over the years with bad consequences. The Muppets, for example, have all but disappeared from pop culture’s conscience since Disney grabbed them. And don’t even get me started on those Mickey Jedi plushies going around. Disney has so many things going on, and has such a strong corporate culture we’re risking either losing the Marvel essence forever, or even worse, the Disneyfication of the Marvel universe. (Imagine a Hulk/Goofy crossover…oh, the humanity!)

I think Disney will handle Marvel with the same respect it handles Pixar, basically leaving the company alone and not interfering. But, will Disney resist the temptation of product placement within Marvel’s comics, for example? Will we be seeing Peter Parker taking MJ to the latest Disney musical on Broadway?

Overall, this might be a win/win situation for both companies. Disney is getting a huge library of some 5,000 characters with a solid fan base and a proven track record in Hollywood, and Marvel is getting the support of the biggest entertainment company in the world, potentially allowing it to reach markets it never dreamed of. Let’s see how we fans fare with this deal.

Thanks to Gabo Pagan for this awesome pic you NEED to see!

I’ve personally been a supporter of Barak Obama since before the U.S. primary. I think he’s got what a leader needs to inspire the masses, especially the young folk. But an Obama/Spider-Man crossover??? I think that’s a weee bit too much.

Amazing Spider-Man #583 will feature that Obama cover you can see posted here. Why? Cuz according to Marvel editor-in-chief, Obama’ll dig it.

Quesada said, “When we heard that President-Elect Obama is a collector of Spider-Man comics, we knew that these two historic figures had to meet in our comics’ Marvel Universe… Historic moments such as this one can be reflected in our comics because the Marvel Universe is set in the real world. A Spider-Man fan moving into the Oval Office is an event that must be commemorated in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man.”

But wait, there’s more!

Turns out that this is not the only appearance of the Incredible Obama-Man. He’s cameod in Savage Dragon and, apparently, an upcoming issue of Thunderbolts will feature an assasination attempt on the president elect. (Way to start a presidential term, guys…sheesh!)

It’s amazing to see how a man, who isn’t even president yet, has inspired people and has made such a huge dent on popular culture already. I really wish our collective hopes will be proven right during his presidency.