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The biggest success for comics over the past five years hasn’t actually been comics at all: it’s been the movie industry. Superhero films are gigantically big business now, with The Avengers pulling in over a billion dollars worldwide, and the industry paying top-dollar for any new comic rights they can get their hands on. At the same time, superhero films are in a very good critical position as well - Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy won Oscars! Top directors are almost literally battling for the chance to get their hands on characters like Daredevil or Luke Cage.
While movies have taken the characters and distilled them into their most winning core – the comic book version of Iron Man was essentially revitalised by Robert Downey Jr’s energetic portrayal of Tony Stark – the comics themselves have struggled to keep up that mindset. Whilst the Iron Man of the movies was flying about, smashing racecars and saving the world, his comic book counterpart was busy being a fugitive, living a miserable life as he attempted to clear his name. The X-Men in X-Men First Class may have been enjoying themselves, but the X-Men in the comics were hounded, segregated on an island and blocked from society. In terms of tone? Mainstream superhero comics have been downbeat rather than optimistic.
Take any comic book version of a character and compare them to the film version. Hal Jordan is nominally dead right now in the DC Universe, but in the films he was Ryan Reynolds! Even Professor X, who is lovely Patrick Stewart and James MacAvoy in the films, has spent the last decade at Marvel being a terrible bastard. And, y’know, dead. For all that the movies may offer superheroes as a safety net for people wanting to be inspired, comics have been offering superheroes as corrupted, agonised people. Now, this isn’t bad storytelling – it’s always been the way. Drama requires a little tragedy from time to time, and comics have had a long time to dwell on their characters. Eventually you run out of ways to move a character, so things have to take a turn for the darker.
And that’s why it’s going to be so fascinating, two years from now, to sit in a cinema. Because two years from now, Gwen Stacy will die.
Whoa! Spoiler. True, though. The relaunched Amazing Spider-Man trilogy are setting us up for some major tragedy just around the corner. They’ve hired an actor to play Green Goblin, they’re bringing in a Mary Jane, and thematically the first film made it blatant that Gwen has to die for the narrative to be complete. The first film hammered the point that Peter Parker is dangerous for Gwen Stacy, and his decision not to end their relationship (which seemed sweet at the time) is going to look very ominous in two years time.
The other films coming up aren’t going to be much different. If Kick-Ass 2 remains true to the original comic, then fans are going to line up for a horrible rape sequence midway through their movie, followed by a lot of murder and horror. The Man of Steel has been marketed as a brooding, mournful take on the most iconic superhero of all time, while the Wolverine franchise is soon going to introduce doomed love interest Mariko Yashida. And if this wasn’t enough, the next X-Men movie will take us into the Days of Future Past dystopia.
In essence, the movies are going to hit unsuspecting audiences with a wall of ‘darker and edgier’ storytelling all at the same time. Comic book fans have been experiencing this for a while now, with formerly silly characters getting brought back, made miserable, killed off, tortured, or turned evil. The only notable upbeat characters of the last few years have been, perhaps, Stephanie Brown, Pixie, and Squirrel Girl. For the most part, comics have moved their attention towards an older audience, with more mature stories – well told stories, but stories which focus on human drama and horror rather than fantasy and idealism.
Film fans have no idea what they’re going to get into. While comic fans are aware that Gwen Stacy is doomed, the majority of film fans have no idea what’s coming up. It’s going to be MASSIVELY shocking for to see her die. People were prepared to see Uncle Ben die, because it’s what he always does – but adorable Emma Stone? Killed off halfway through a blockbuster trilogy? Film audiences expect superhero films – with a few exceptions – to be comforting, safe, and for all-ages. That’s a big twist for them.
What they’re going to get over the next few years are an unexpectedly brutal series of events, which could completely sour the idea of superheroes as comfort food. Comic fans accepted the move away from all-ages stories – how will film fans react? And Spider-Man is barely going to scratch the surface - are we eventually going to have to deal with Iron Man’s alcoholism? To what extent might that Ant Man film deal with Hank Pym’s history of domestic abuse? Is Channing Tatum still going to die in GI Joe 2?
The reaction of film fans to these next two years of superhero films will determine the future of comic book stories, I think. The reaction people have to this upcoming ‘darker and edgier’ period of films could have massive implications for comic companies. There’s a perception in general that comic books are fun entertainment for kids – but if movies now subject audiences to an onslaught of rape, murder, abuse and horror, what will that do for the next generation of comic fans? If the films are rejected by the public, will that mean the superhero genre of cinema will fall out of favour?
Films tentatively suggested for future release include a Lobo movie, Ant Man, and several Mark Millar projects such as Nemesis and Wanted 2. It’s interesting, isn’t it? There’s little hope for a Wonder Woman or Black Panther film, and yet film companies think audiences can support super-violent, misogynistic works. Films aimed not at all fans, but a smaller, older demographic. Just like happened in mainstream superhero comics! Rather than films suggesting a brighter future for comics, could their turn towards darker and edgier stories actually be the thing which helps to bury the medium entirely?
Frankly I’d just as soon not see the excess of grimdark and nihilism spill over into the movies anymore than it already has. It’s been choking the life out of superhero comics for years.
Paul Hoppe said, on 3/23/2013 10:48:00 AM
I felt that Nolan’s Batman is already going into that direction. It’s very “realistic” and “gritty”, especially the last one. People seemed to have liked it though. But I guess no major beloved character died.
Drama has always been a part of the Marvel Comics, the flaws and humanity made them so interesting. But nowadays it’s *only* drama and horror, and very little joy.
John said, on 3/23/2013 11:51:00 AM
Do people really not know that Gwen Stacy is doomed? That comic came out 40+ years ago. It’s not exactly a state secret. Even novices learn that one pretty fast. I knew when I was 9 years old.
Al™ said, on 3/23/2013 12:02:00 PM
Dark and grim is getting tiresome for me. I don’t need that kind of tone on a steady basis, but it seems as though ‘dark and grim’ is what sells.
gene phillips said, on 3/23/2013 12:27:00 PM
“Super-violent” I get, but which one of the upcoming projects named here is inherently “misogynistic?”
I would caution that even if the original comic-book series is misogynistic, that doesn’t mean that the adaptation will be. WANTED the movie was like a breath of fresh air next to the dimwitted original.
Richard Caldwell said, on 3/23/2013 1:06:00 PM
Marvel’s “Heroic Age” really was just limited to press releases.
Stuart Moore said, on 3/23/2013 1:18:00 PM
This article makes a LOT of assumptions about where these movies are going.
Jesse said, on 3/23/2013 3:30:00 PM
I think you might have a point however movies, especially expensive licensed movies are products by committee. Whedon has A LOT of rope due to Avengers’ success. On the other hand you have Green Lantern, Superman and Watchmen coming off spectacular failures and Snyder has so little latitude that they brought Nolan in to watch over him. On a further note Punisher Warzone was an ultraviolent mess that spawned a Marvel proclamation that they would do no more “R” movies. Comics are an irrelevant little piece of media that matter little to corporate bottom-lines this allows editors and writers to satisfiy their tiny constituencies with violence and idiocy. Let’s see how much creative direction is allowed with real money on the line. I expected very little in a family friendly world of maximizing Netflix’s downloads and Disney amusement parks attendance.
Joe S. Walker said, on 3/23/2013 4:12:00 PM
Absurd premise. Like the studios have always been so slavishly faithful to the comics.
Ryan Reynolds doesn’t want to be Green Lantern again. Funny article.
Richard J. Marcej said, on 3/25/2013 8:08:00 AM
I thought they dealt with/covered Tony’s alcoholism in “Iron Man 2″.
STAM said, on 3/25/2013 6:24:00 PM
Maybe the reason why the comic book movies like Avengers do so well is because they aren`t like there comic book counterparts. They are fun. You can take your whole family to them. Maybe when the Hollywood superhero movies become dark and gritty like their comic book counterparts they will lose their mainstrean appeal,and flop at the box office,so be careful fo what you wish for.
respectfully
“the amazing Stam”
MattComix said, on 3/25/2013 7:02:00 PM
Man, I wish a modern Avengers comic could be arsed to be even half as fun as the movie.
george said, on 3/25/2013 8:29:00 PM
Interesting that moviemakers (or at least Whedon, Nolan and Raimi) know how to sell superheroes to a large mainstream audience, while keeping the fanboys happy, but comic-book makers no longer know how.
rinsmith said, on 3/26/2013 6:29:00 AM
It’s true, most superhero movies are rated PG-13. Therefore, most of them, with maybe a few exceptions, are viewed as family-friendly. I think that ‘s one of the reasons “Kick-Ass” caused such controversy, especially since it had a young girl as a superhero sidekick. I think it may have caught a lot of parents by surprise. Though one would think the title and the fact it was R-rated was a dead give away. But maybe they thought, “hey, there’s a young girl in it, it can’t be that bad.”
Last year, Marvel received a letter from the mother of a young fan, Anthony Smith, who had hearing difficulties, and had been told by doctors that he would require a hearing aid. The mother was wondering if there were any heroes who had ever had hearing difficulties, who might serve as the inspiring spark for Anthony to accept the hearing device.
On getting the letter, editor Bill Rosemann not only pointed her to Hawkeye, who has in the past suffered from hearing problems, but also spread the letter to the Marvel offices.
And that’s what led Marvel to create a new character called The Blue Ear, who doesn’t let his hearing problems stop him from saving the day. Created with Marvel staffers Manny Mederos and Nelson Ribeiro, the character is based on Anthony himself. You can read Blue Ear’s origin story in my original post announcing the character,
Now, though! That’s not the end of The Blue Ear’s work with Marvel. Last month Marvel held a special event honouring him, as they partnered with Phonak, a hearing aid supplier. Anthony and his family were invited along, as Marvel unveiled a new poster which will be distributed nationally, in which we see Iron Man meet a young boy who is being bullier for having a hearing aid. Written by Christos Gage and drawn by Paco Medina, the poster encourages people to never feel like they should be ashamed of their disability:
The event also saw Iron Man attend in person – awfully nice of him to teleport over from the 616 Universe – and meet Anthony. After receiving a copy of the poster from Iron Man, the Avenger also then gave him a second gift – an Iron Man costume of his own.
Which, he immediately put on.
As I said last time – isn’t it now time for The Blue Ear to join The Avengers?
2 Comments on The Blue Ear Triumphantly Returns to Marvel Comics, last added: 3/8/2013
This is really cool. I also have hearing aides and not needing good hearing to enjoy them is part of what made me love them so much.
Tara S. Congdon said, on 3/7/2013 10:24:00 PM
This poster collaboration between Marvel and Phonak was NOT a good move on Marvel’s part. It’s insensitive and demeaning, because it sends the message that deafness makes you lesser of a person, and that you can only be normal and happy if you can hear again – which, I assure you, does not happen in many cases with hearing aids. I have no issues with what Marvel did for this particular kid, but this poster is going to be disseminated widely and be seen by many children for whom hearing aids don’t work. Imagine being a child who can’t hear, who can’t understand speech even with a hearing aid, sitting there looking at that poster with its implicit message that you can’t perform better or be happy if you can’t hear even with the “aid” of technology. How painful.
I wrote a column about this before I saw the exact poster. I suggest you read it and the comments below it at http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-933554 and think real long and hard about the messages this poster is sending to children who should always be told they are wonderful human beings in the first place, even without technology.
A new Marvel Now teaser has announced that writer Kieron Gillen and artist Greg Land are going to be working together on a project called ‘Invincible’. Which, this will either be an Iron Man series or something for Robert Kirkman to merrily sue out of existence. Most likely the former.
Rumours have surrounded this project for a few months now, which makes it strange that Marvel are announcing it now, in a random week, and not at SDCC. This does seem almost certainly to be an Iron Man tease, given Matt Fraction’s previous ‘Invincible Iron Man’ series, which wraps up later this year. Also, there’s the metal font which gives things away. And the fact we all know Marvel aren’t going to cancel Iron Man. So those are the reasons why this is an Iron Man series, then.
There’s not really much to say about this, I guess. Shame Steven Sanders isn’t drawing it?
2 Comments on Kieron Gillen and Greg Land go Invincible, last added: 7/30/2012
Via that very best of methods: the Dustin Weaver giganti-cover. The covers for issues 1-3 of Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers relaunch have been revealed by Marvel today, establishing that more X-Men have moved over to Cap’s Crew. While there are no surprises about which members of the Avengers movie cast made it into the series (all of them), the cover does still hold a few surprises. So! Who’re The Avengers?
Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Hulk and Thor are all members of the Avengers – unsurprisingly – and they’re joined be fellow non-surprises Spider-Man and Wolverine. But also in amongst the shiny heroes are Sunspot and Cannonball from the New Mutants, as well as Captain Marvel, Spider-Woman and Falcon. This represents perhaps the first time that two minority characters males have been on the main Avengers at the same time, I believe, although that still feels a bit of a low ratio for what’s meant to be a world-spanning team. No sign of Redwing yet either, which is a worry.
There’s also some whizzy technology in the background, suggesting that Hickman will be basing the team in Nick Fury’s helicarrier. The most intriguing part, however, looks to be the mystery character on the far left, silhouetted by the explosion Steve Rogers is manfully walking away from. For my money, this looks like it’s meant to be Shang Chi, but.. well, it could be anybody really. Anybody else got a better guess in mind?
Hickman, artist Jerome Opena and colourist Dean White will start the series off in December. There are still several more characters yet to be revealed as team-members, so don’t lose hope yet, Jarvis fans!
15 Comments on Marvel Reveal Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers Lineup, last added: 9/4/2012
Sixteen heroes and heroines is as far away from the classic, two-tiered, AVENGERS setup as one could envision.
SRS
Talmidge said, on 9/4/2012 11:56:00 AM
hey, cool cannonball is in the Avengers, he’s one of my favorites. Maybe now he won’t be portrayed as absolutely incompetent.
dan said, on 9/4/2012 11:59:00 AM
Pretty sure you’re incorrect about minorities on The Avengers previously. During Johns run The Falcon and Black Panther were both members. Triathlon and Firebird, Firebird and Living Lightning, etc. at various times.
Johnny Memeonic said, on 9/4/2012 12:07:00 PM
One of Hickman’s earliest Marvel works was a pretty cool Sunspot/Cannonball buddy story so their inclusion should be entertaining.
Really a shame though that we’re being denied the art skills of one of the industry’s most innovative modern artists due to the demands of being a Marvel architect.
Kurt Busiek said, on 9/4/2012 12:19:00 PM
>> This represents perhaps the first time that two minority characters have been on the main Avengers at the same time, I believe >>
Oh, sure. Make a claim like this a week after I packed away my AVENGERS reference volumes.
But I think the first time two minority characters were active on the Avengers roster was in the 1970s, when the Black Panther and Mantis were both on the team, though Mantis’s membership may not have been formalized until she left.
By my run, at least, there was a period that Triathlon, Photon, Silverclaw, Living Lightning and Firebird were all active at once.
Zach said, on 9/4/2012 12:20:00 PM
Steve, you are definitely wrong about the minority thing. Ben Grimm (Jewish) and Luke Cage (black) were on the same Avengers team for years. And that’s just off the top of my head. You’re posting this stuff for the whole internets to see, why not do a bit of checking before making a false statement like that?
Zach said, on 9/4/2012 12:21:00 PM
Also, Moon Knight (Jewish) and War Machine (Black) were on Brubaker/Ellis Secret Avengers at the same time.
Zach said, on 9/4/2012 12:22:00 PM
if we’re counting Young Avengers:
Wiccan (Jewish and gay)
Patriot (Black)
Hulkling (gay)
Snikt Snakt said, on 9/4/2012 1:24:00 PM
Sorry guys, Jews see themselves as WHITE first, religion second…
Nate said, on 9/4/2012 1:25:00 PM
Can we count Scarlet Witch as Roma?
As for this lineup … yawn. Same ol’ same ol’ at this point.
Steve Morris said, on 9/4/2012 1:37:00 PM
Whoa whoa, I said I thought it was the first time, not definitively that it was! And I meant to say minority males, not minority characters – sorry!
Zach said, on 9/4/2012 1:47:00 PM
Snikt Snikt – really? Glad to know you have the ability to speak for all Jews. Super helpful skill to have.
Niels van Eekelen said, on 9/4/2012 1:55:00 PM
When they mentioned several New Mutants would be headed to this book, I thought for sure that would include Cypher–his modern power set seems right up Hickman’s alley. (Of course, he could still pop up.)
I like Sam and Roberto, especially with a proper amount of bromance, but as New Mutants go, they’re not ones that will get me to pick up an Avengers book.
Kurt Busiek said, on 9/4/2012 3:04:00 PM
>> Sorry guys, Jews see themselves as WHITE first, religion second…>>
Aside from the fact that you’re mistaken on that score, the claim wasn’t “non-white,” but “minority.”
Dave said, on 9/4/2012 3:06:00 PM
Where is the Vision? Get him in the game, Hickman!!
Marvel announced earlier this week that one of its primary characters, Iron Man, will be starring in an all-new direct-to-video anime feature titled Iron Man: Rise of Technovore. The film, done in partnership with Sony Entertainment Japan, re-teams Marvel with the anime production house MADHOUSE, who previously did a four-part anime project for the publisher titled Marvel Anime.
In addition to Iron Man, the feature will also feature anime renditions of longtime adversary Ezekiel Stane (the primary antagonist in the first Iron Man live action film), along with prominent Marvel heroes such as Black Widow, Hawkeye, the Punisher, Nick Fury and War Machine.
“Marvel is excited to present an all-new Iron Man adventure featuring the high-tech adrenaline he is known for, in the beautifully rendered anime style of our friends at MADHOUSE,” said producer Megan Thomas Bradner. Long-time Marvel TV animation writer Brandon Auman (The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Iron Man: Armored Adventures) wrote the script, with Japanese director Hiroshi Hamasaki helming the project.
Iron Man: Rise of Technovore is already in production at MADHOUSE’s Japan studios and is planned for a spring 2013 debut, timed to coincide with the release of the live-action Iron Man 3 on May 3, 2013. Further information about this direct-to-video animated feature is expected at New York Comic Con during the Marvel TV Presents Panel on Saturday, October 13 at 4:15pm in Room 1E13.
0 Comments on Marvel Announces Iron Man Feature With Japan’s Madhouse as of 10/11/2012 2:05:00 AM
It has been suggested to me that running Big Two teasers as news is destroying the very fabric of comics; however, when they are a cute, clever Image, I reserve the right to run them.
This refers to some yet to be revealed storyline involving the character Iron Man, as far as I can make out.
2 Comments on Iron Man is semi-nude in new Secret Origin teaser, last added: 2/10/2013
Hmm, I wonder if either Pepper or Maria Hill might be getting pregnant? Tony did do the deed with both of them during Fraction’s run.
Torsten Adair said, on 2/9/2013 10:42:00 PM
So Teen Tony becomes Baby Tony?
They did that already with Magneto.
And have they swept the mind meld with the other-universe Tony Stark under the rug? Hmm… Doctor Doom, Iron Man, Spider-Man… who is next?
Isn’t it ironic that when we are retired, and finally have time to do all the things we wanted to do earlier, our bodies no longer have the stamina to do them?
Isn’t it ironic that the more intelligent a person is, the less likely they are to have kids and thus are less likely to pass along their DNA?
Isn’t it ironic that when something is truly funny we actually start crying?
Isn’t it ironic that the foods we like the best are usually the ones that cost the most?
Isn’t it ironic that the people the boss likes the most are usually the ones that talk behind the bosses back in the worst ways?
Dr. Robin S. Rosenberg, co-editor of What is a Superhero, author of Superhero Origins: What Makes Superheroes Tick & Why We Care (forthcoming 2011). Take the SUPERHERO SURVEY!
I finally took some time to draw some more superheroes. Using primarily handheld tools such as pencils, pens and markers, I've made something I am genuinely fond of. I've been sketching away and I just couldn't stop inking and coloring. Although, this is a formidable team, I always thought it was sort of lame that they only had one female member for so long and she was only an inch high. Maybe we can get Kang the Conqueror to alter the past and enlist some ladysupes to the Earth's Mightiest Hero roster.
With The Avengers still alternately hammering and smashing box office records wherever they go, anticipation has already started building up for the next phase of Marvel’s multi-year plan to ultimately become so successful that Dan Slott can write a Squirrel Girl movie and have it hit #1. Sequels to Captain America, Iron Man and Thor have all been announced, and while Chris Hemsworth
(pictured yesterday)
has been talking up the possible villains for Thor Too, most of the recent debate has swirled around director Shane Black’s vision for Iron Man 3. You’ll remember Iron Man 2 with fond memories, of course, and how wonderful all the subplots and persistent minor characters were. That scene, with Iron Man talking endlessly to Nick Fury about things that were in no way important to the plot or progression of the film? Classic right? Well now it looks like Shane Black is going to keep sub-plot fans rolling in clover, and just throw anything he can at the screen to see what happens.
On top of reports that Ben Kingsley has been in talks to play the classic certainly-not-racist villain ‘The Mandarin’ in the movie, now come reports that James Badge Dale, a man no stranger to endless subplots after a season of nothing happening in Rubicon, may be playing ‘Iron Patriot’ in the film. You may be confused at this news, as Iron Patriot was in the comics a costume worn by Norman Osborn during Marvel’s sadly under-subplotted ‘Dark Reign’ branding, and Normie surely isn’t allowed outside of the Sony studio. Well, yes, it is rather strange, but it looks like Marvel have co-opted the design to fit in with Iron Man’s themes (militarisation, patriotism, big metal suits with blammblamm guns)
Hopefully with all this – oh and Extremis too, that’s showing up at some point too somewhere - appearing in the movie, Black will still be able to find a few minutes for Tony Stark to grow an emo fringe and start belting out swing numbers to Bethany McCabe, even while Pepper is sat right there you guys.
10 Comments on Iron Man 3 to allegedly feature Extremis, Mandarin, Iron Patriot; probably Venom at this rate, last added: 6/1/2012
Funny you menion Unicorn – how awesome would it be to have Hammer return with his army of super-villains like in the older comics?
Micah said, on 5/30/2012 3:41:00 PM
I really like the Extremis idea. But why not have a genius mole inside Shield worm his way back through Stark’s hack and steal armor designs. He sells them on the black market to Mandarin who finances low-budget bad guys to fight Ironman while he develops his own armor. You’ve got elements of Armor Wars and the archnemisis. Sell a crap-load of toys, done.
rich said, on 5/30/2012 4:22:00 PM
That would be very awesome. I remember that Michelline/Layton run fondly. It would be a great opportunity to bring out a bunch of bad guys that might not sustain an entire movie. Hammer’s super-villain hitmen — Not badass enough to survive one match with ol’ shellhead, but enough to provide a good skirmish.
Jason A. Quest said, on 5/31/2012 6:57:00 AM
Haven’t these people learned from the Schumacher Batman films and Spider-Man 3 that throwing progressively more characters at the screen doesn’t make for a better film?
Josh said, on 5/31/2012 8:08:00 AM
I have a soft spot in my heart for Spymaster. The constrictor would also be cool too (they could say he adapted the tech created by Ivan Vanko)
Micah said, on 5/31/2012 11:39:00 AM
The antagonists for the shumacher films were always cobbled together with the loosest of strands. And Spiderman 3 was a conglomeration of 3 movies, with no room for characterization and too much room for dancing. Armor wars would work because it does both: lots of characters with a unifying theme and simple plot.
Snikt Snakt said, on 5/31/2012 12:21:00 PM
I would love to see Hammer’s hi-tech goon squad take on Iron Man in a movie. Make it as destructive to a city as the end battle in Avengers.
Bring on the Raiders!!!
(those 3 blue guys w/gimmick weapons)
David Scholes said, on 6/1/2012 12:12:00 AM
ome very interesting villains here and, of course, appropriate to Iron Man.
I think IM3 will do well but as an individual super hero movie I don’t believe it will be up there with the Avengers. The same comments apply to Thor2 and Captain America2.
Primarily known for his tendency to get slimed, actor Bill Murray is also known to be a rather reclusive fellow. He keeps to himself, and doesn’t have an agent or manager to book work for him. Instead of having to look through job offers, he instead asks of anybody who wants to work with him (although preferably not Dan Akroyd) that they leave a voice message on his answerphone, which he checks whenever he gets tired of staring at himself, deadpan, in the mirror.
This made it rather difficult for when Robert Downey Jr wanted to bring in Murray for a role in the Iron Man movies, as the actor either didn’t pick up the message or was on Captain America’s side during Civil War. In an interview with Esquire magazine, questioneer Scott Raab mentions in passing to Murray that poor ol’ Downey Jr wanted him for a part in the movie, but had no way of getting hold of the actor. Raab mentions this as an example of Hollywood’s inability to grab hold of Murray when they are looking to Assemble, and doesn’t give us the details. Did Downey Jr leave a series of increasingly desperate/drunken messages? Did he sing at any point? We may never know.
What part Downey Jr had in mind for the star of Garfield is anybody’s guess, although the obvious choices would likely be either Tony Stark’s father Howard, Pepper Potts, or the voice of Jarvis. Or perhaps something even more left-field? Fans have long contested that Murray would be the perfect choice to play Groot, if the Guardians of the Galaxy were ever to show up in the Marvel film universe.
We may never know.
10 Comments on Robert Downey Jr wanted Bill Murray to be in Iron Man, last added: 6/4/2012
Maybe Captain Ultra was going to make an appearance.
Ron said, on 6/2/2012 2:21:00 PM
M.O.D.O.K.!
Joe Lawler said, on 6/2/2012 2:34:00 PM
If it was for Iron Man 2, I would guess the part Gary Shandling ended up playing.
jacob goddard said, on 6/2/2012 2:50:00 PM
Fun fact, Murray played The Human Torch on a Fantastic Four radio show in the 60s.
It consisted of actors reading the comic into a mic.
You can hear them turn the pages.
Jesse said, on 6/2/2012 3:57:00 PM
Bill Murray never a bad choice his recent work has been brilliant.
Chris Hero said, on 6/2/2012 7:44:00 PM
Murray and Ackroyd are said to still be friends. Ackroyd is one of the few people who can easily get ahold of Murray. It’s why Murray did the Ghostbusters video game.
@ Jacob
I profiled the radio show and interviewed the producer for COMICS SCENE magazine way back in the early 1990s. They didn’t read straight from the comic. These were scripts that lifted large passages of dialogue from the comics, but they had been modified for sound … and time constraints. Smilin’ Stan Lee narrated each episode.
Michael Aronson said, on 6/4/2012 5:19:00 AM
This makes me sad. He could’ve been the only good thing about Iron Man 2.
Marvel Now! was always going to claim some victims before relaunching, and now it’s made revealed (through that most sneaky of revealers, the solicitations listing) that nine of their current books will die in order for Marvel Now! to live.
Those nine titles are: Captain America, Fantastic Four, FF, Incredible Hulk, Invincible Iron Man, New Mutants, The Mighty Thor, Uncanny X-Men and X-Men Legacy.
This isn’t completely surprising in every case, because Brian Michael Bendis already said that Uncanny would end and several of the other books were winding up long-standing runs with big name creators. Matt Fraction was already set to leave Invincible Iron Man, while Jonathan Hickman and Ed Brubaker were both already known to be leaving the Fantastic Four titles and Captain America, respectively.
What does this mean for the characters? Well, Captain America, Thor and X-Men Legacy’s Rogue are all in a team together anyway, while Iron Man will surely find a place in one of the Avengers titles. But what of the Fantastic Four? They’ve completely dropped off the map, apparently, and the World’s Greatest Superhero Family look set to pack up their bags for a one-way trip to the one place they’ve never been before: comic-book limbo.
It’s interesting to note that most of these books were handled by the ‘Architects’ of Marvel, and that some low-selling titles like the beloved Journey Into Mystery have survived this new purge. Dan Slott’s Amazing Spider-Man also escapes the destruction, so that much-teased ‘big change’ in issue #700 isn’t going to see the book cancelled, thankfully.
Three X-Men books are chopped, including flagship Uncanny X-Men. Which is a massive surprise, because most were predicting that the pointless titles – adjectiveless X-Men and Astonishing X-Men – would be the two to go. New Mutants was expected to go, and does. But it’s still surprising to see just how big a change Marvel seem to be making. What new books are going to replace these ones, which surely were the backbone of the Marvel Universe?
15 Comments on Marvel Cancel NINE Titles!, last added: 7/10/2012
i know marvel doesn’t care much about my personal collecting proclivities, but i just want to buy sequentially numbered continuously published stapled floppy paper issues of Wolverine and Uncanny X-Men, and i wish they’d stop making that increasingly difficult to do.
the rest of their titles they can do whatever they want with, enumeratively and regards to publishing schedules. i’ll buy them in collected trades depending based on quality and whim. also, speaking for from an objective aesthetic/OCD point of view, it’d be nice if they just left Fantastic Four alone. as the start of the “Marvel Era” it makes for a nice benchmarker. but i guess that was also scraped a while ago during Heroes Reborn so whatever.
horatio weisfeld said, on 7/10/2012 11:22:00 AM
It blows my mind that any of this would blow anyone’s mind.
Joe Lawler said, on 7/10/2012 11:37:00 AM
I’m surprised that so many people are posting about being surprised that someone is surprised by this.
Kevin said, on 7/10/2012 12:03:00 PM
It’s new! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Please?
Rob Barrett said, on 7/10/2012 12:15:00 PM
If JiM survives Gillen’s departure by more than a month or two, I’ll be surprised.
Synsidar said, on 7/10/2012 12:24:00 PM
It’s strange, if not surprising, that Marvel is, essentially, trying to push subscriptions, but never uses the marketing techniques that regular magazine publishers do for selling subscriptions. The company is just too dependent on sales of single copies through stores.
SRS
Joe S. Walker said, on 7/10/2012 12:31:00 PM
As song lyrics go, it’s more a case of “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”
Roberto Briceno said, on 7/10/2012 12:34:00 PM
And this is why I lost interested in a lot of Marvel and DC books. I use to read Fantastic Four pretty much fucked that up many of times with ending the series then starting it over again.
Piss on Marvel and DC for the lack of ideas and for having a bunch on cunts running the companies.
Creator-own comics books have been a life savers.
Ron said, on 7/10/2012 12:49:00 PM
This is a good time to start reading some creator-owned books.
If the indies were smart they would start new arcs at the same time the big two decide to pull a reboot. Maybe even publish some point one issues.
Dennis V. said, on 7/10/2012 12:58:00 PM
I am so sick and tired of Marvel restarting their titles. They just started many of these a little over a year ago and already they’re going back to #1’s. $#@!
Ralf Haring said, on 7/10/2012 1:11:00 PM
This post was intentionally and ironically incredulous, right? Please?
No one believes these books are being purged. None of this is surprising. It’s a creative reshuffle/renumbering of their main titles. Nothing is being “purged”. No one “escaped destruction”. It is not a surprise that top titles are affected. No one was predicting nor did they expect that ancillary titles would be affected. The books that will “replace this backbone” are exactly the same books with different creators.
This article was shockingly bad.
Steve Morris said, on 7/10/2012 1:16:00 PM
Sometimes you want to go….. Where everybody knows your name….
Apollo9000 said, on 7/10/2012 1:17:00 PM
Granted the number on a comic never held much weight for me but I understand long time readers being a bit erked by the frequent relaunches/ reboots.
Since I’ve been a weekly/ monthly reader ( only a couple of years) I tend to pick out books based on premise and creative teams.
I understand Marvel simply playing creative musical chairs with their reboot as a opposed to DC, who made a bit of a misstep with their relaunch by not getting new talent on their books.
Fear not true believer, Cap, Stark, Thor, Hulk, the Fantastic Four, and the various mutants will be front and center in a new book by next March.
This info now confirms what more than half of the Marvel Now books will be.
Make of that what you will.
Snikt Snakt said, on 7/10/2012 1:28:00 PM
Buy what titles you like, regardless of the number on the cover.
Marvel should’ve done what DC has and started their universe from scratch again. Give people a new/fresh jumping on point, w/new creative teams. Just renumbering the same old garbage only works so long these days…
Cancel the Ultimate line, its time has long since passed. This goes for Bendis too!
Dave said, on 7/10/2012 1:43:00 PM
I’ve got a great idea. All issues of all comics should be #1’s, just with a new volume number!
So Fantastic Four, for example, could start with Volume #612, Issue #1, then go to Volume #613, issue #1, etc!
The author is: Sherman Alexie, a poet, filmmaker and established author of adult fiction. Real words he wrote: "All my white friends can count their deaths on one hand."
The illustrator is: Ellen Forney, who teaches at Seattle Cornish College of the Arts, and her art is better than words can describe: see for yourself
The age range is: anyone who reads the first page, because after that, you're a goner.
The promo copy (here) reads: This National Book Award Winner was read by Sara Lewis Holmes BEFORE it won the award, a first for her. She wishes to congratulate Sherman Alexie on winning that very cool statue and thank him for writing one of the few books she's kissed this year.
Isn't it great to have been AHEAD of the game?! Yay for you, you prescient reader!
jama said, on 11/15/2007 8:39:00 AM
Are you sure you don't like this book because the author grew up on fried baloney?
Well, now I must read it (I know you're gasping because I haven't).
Sara said, on 11/15/2007 9:05:00 AM
I saw that about the fried baloney, and my heart skipped a beat, Jama. Think he still likes them? Or would he be sick of them? I'd LOVE to share a baloney sandwich and talk books and poetry with him.
jama said, on 11/15/2007 11:18:00 AM
I'm sure he still likes fried baloney. I think you should invite him to lunch.
The National Book Awards were recently given and Sherman Alexie won in the Young People's Literature category for his first foray into YA, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. (Little, Brown). This is cool. I like Sherman Alexie and have read a number of his books for adults. I was keeping my fingers crossed for Kathleen Duey, though, and I'm bummed she didn't win for A Resurrection of Magic: Skin Hunger. But it's cool that her book gets a silver finalist sticker and I'm showing her cover in this post and not Alexie's. (I hope you found the right shoes for the ceremony, Kathleen. Zappos seldom does me wrong.)
The New York Times Book Review recently published a special section on children's books (which features a review of Alexie's aforementioned award-winner). You can find it here. Be sure to click on The Best Illustrated Books of 2007 for a wonderful slideshow.
I can't stop watching Gossip Girl. Oh I love that Chuck Bass. Anyone else think he's Logan Huntsberger with a healthy dose of 1980s James Spader?
I've been light on the blogging lately--busy, busy pre-holiday stuff. And I'm off work all next week, eating pumpkin pie and whatnot, so my blog will be pretty quiet. After the holiday, I'll be back with more updates to listings in the 2008 CWIM. Stay tuned!
I'm happy for Alexie, too, becuase he's a great writer, though I haven't read this book yet.
Also Denis Johnson, whose Jesus' Son is linked in my mind to Alexie's The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven because they're both these incredibly interwoven story collections.
Isn’t it ironic that when we are retired, and finally have time to do all the things we wanted to do earlier, our bodies no longer have the stamina to do them?
Isn’t it ironic that the more intelligent a person is, the less likely they are to have kids and thus are less likely to pass along their DNA?
Isn’t it ironic that when something is truly funny we actually start crying?
Isn’t it ironic that the foods we like the best are usually the ones that cost the most?
Isn’t it ironic that the people the boss likes the most are usually the ones that talk behind the bosses back in the worst ways?
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Frankly I’d just as soon not see the excess of grimdark and nihilism spill over into the movies anymore than it already has. It’s been choking the life out of superhero comics for years.
I felt that Nolan’s Batman is already going into that direction. It’s very “realistic” and “gritty”, especially the last one. People seemed to have liked it though. But I guess no major beloved character died.
Drama has always been a part of the Marvel Comics, the flaws and humanity made them so interesting. But nowadays it’s *only* drama and horror, and very little joy.
Do people really not know that Gwen Stacy is doomed? That comic came out 40+ years ago. It’s not exactly a state secret. Even novices learn that one pretty fast. I knew when I was 9 years old.
Dark and grim is getting tiresome for me. I don’t need that kind of tone on a steady basis, but it seems as though ‘dark and grim’ is what sells.
“Super-violent” I get, but which one of the upcoming projects named here is inherently “misogynistic?”
I would caution that even if the original comic-book series is misogynistic, that doesn’t mean that the adaptation will be. WANTED the movie was like a breath of fresh air next to the dimwitted original.
Marvel’s “Heroic Age” really was just limited to press releases.
This article makes a LOT of assumptions about where these movies are going.
I think you might have a point however movies, especially expensive licensed movies are products by committee. Whedon has A LOT of rope due to Avengers’ success. On the other hand you have Green Lantern, Superman and Watchmen coming off spectacular failures and Snyder has so little latitude that they brought Nolan in to watch over him. On a further note Punisher Warzone was an ultraviolent mess that spawned a Marvel proclamation that they would do no more “R” movies. Comics are an irrelevant little piece of media that matter little to corporate bottom-lines this allows editors and writers to satisfiy their tiny constituencies with violence and idiocy. Let’s see how much creative direction is allowed with real money on the line. I expected very little in a family friendly world of maximizing Netflix’s downloads and Disney amusement parks attendance.
Absurd premise. Like the studios have always been so slavishly faithful to the comics.
http://www.avclub.com/articles/ryan-reynolds-doesnt-want-to-be-green-lantern-agai,94203/
Ryan Reynolds doesn’t want to be Green Lantern again. Funny article.
I thought they dealt with/covered Tony’s alcoholism in “Iron Man 2″.
Maybe the reason why the comic book movies like Avengers do so well is because they aren`t like there comic book counterparts. They are fun. You can take your whole family to them. Maybe when the Hollywood superhero movies become dark and gritty like their comic book counterparts they will lose their mainstrean appeal,and flop at the box office,so be careful fo what you wish for.
respectfully
“the amazing Stam”
Man, I wish a modern Avengers comic could be arsed to be even half as fun as the movie.
Interesting that moviemakers (or at least Whedon, Nolan and Raimi) know how to sell superheroes to a large mainstream audience, while keeping the fanboys happy, but comic-book makers no longer know how.
It’s true, most superhero movies are rated PG-13. Therefore, most of them, with maybe a few exceptions, are viewed as family-friendly. I think that ‘s one of the reasons “Kick-Ass” caused such controversy, especially since it had a young girl as a superhero sidekick. I think it may have caught a lot of parents by surprise. Though one would think the title and the fact it was R-rated was a dead give away. But maybe they thought, “hey, there’s a young girl in it, it can’t be that bad.”