Thor: The Dark World Trailer Arrives Via Bifrost!

Marvel's Phase 2 kicks off next week with the debut of Iron Man 3, but Marvel Studios is already getting amped for the November release of Thor: The Dark World, their first venture into the Fall season. Check out the trailer below!

Dipping into Thor's comic mythology, T:TDW finds the god of thunder facing off against the Dark Elves of Svartálfaheimr led by the vengeful Malekith. With a battle raging on at least two worlds, Thor must turn to his decietful brother Loki for help. Hilarity ensues.

Directed by Alan Taylor (Games of Thrones), Thor: The Dark World reunites stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, and Sir Anthony Hopkins. Joining them for this installment are Doctor Who alum Christopher Eccleston and former Lost island resident, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje.

Journey back to Asgard on November 8th!

Shut Up and Take My $5: Thor God of Thunder #7

We’ve all been there: two issues in your hand, you can only afford one. What is the broke geek to do?! Sean Sorensen is here to guide you in your thrifty comics crusade by providing you with the one issue each week that'll make you say, "Shut up, and take my $5!" It always feels good to get the most "BIF! BAM! POW!" for your buck, doesn’t it?

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This week’s releases could make a wallet cry. (Mine certainly did!) There were just too many quality books for one week to handle: Saga #12, Hawkeye #9, Uncanny Avengers #6, Batman #19, Thor: God of Thunder #7, Age of Ultron #5, and more! The list is rather daunting, but in the end, it was an Asgardian TIME CRASH that won the day.

That’s right, folks: Thor has gone Who. And that’s why Thor: God of Thunder #7 is the pick of the week.

Jason Aaron has been penning one of the best runs on Thor since Walt Simonson was at the helm. He has taken the character across time and space hunting Gorr the God Butcher, and, in the process, we have gotten to know three distinct Thors. There is the brash and impetuous young Thor, the modern Thor that we all know and love, and Thor the All Father from the end of time. All three have been encountering Gorr in their respective times, until now.

Aaron has thrown modern Thor and future Thor together, and the result is awe-inspiring. The beginning of the book reads like a Doctor Who episode: Old Thor is questioning his younger self as to where in life he is and promptly tells him to forget everything he just said. I was waiting for River Song to step out and chastise future Thor for spoilers! We get the Asgardian version of wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey as future Thor complains about time travel. Oh, and they get drunk together. I’m very glad Jason Aaron decided to go the humor route with the two Thors. The humor is a nice juxtaposition to the utter despair we see towards the end of the issue at the hands of Gorr.

Aaron has created an amazing villain in Gorr the God Butcher. So many times Thor just faces off against something he can solve with his Hammer, but Gorr is different. He is determined and brutal. He shows no mercy to any deity, and his vendetta spans all of time. And the worst part? The more you learn about him, the more you kind of start to sympathize with him. In this issue Gorr does something I wouldn’t have thought possible. It is a true “well, shit...” moment, and it sets up the rest of the arc to be an emotional and action packed roller coaster. I can’t wait.

Esad Ribic’s art takes what is already an amazing Thor book and makes it a perfect Thor book. This man was meant to draw and paint Thor. He had an amazing run on Conan and has taken that style and applied it to the God of Thunder. Everything is epic. From a dark scene in a cosmic Library of the Gods to Thor and Thor sailing off into the cosmos to confront Gorr, everything looks amazing. He uses a combination of pencils and paint to give every page a wonderful fantasy atmosphere. Even some of the more Sci-Fi looking bits in future Asgard look like they could fit in a Conan book.

Simonson was the master of Thor the superhero; Ribic is master of Thor the god.

If you are a Thor fan, this is the book to buy this week. If you are a comics fan, this is the book to buy this week. If you are a Thor and Doctor Who fan? You have no excuse not to buy this issue. Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic are giving us a run for the ages on Thor (pun intended). If you have extra cash this week, I would recommend grabbing any of the back issues you can. The first trade doesn't come out until June and it would be a crime to wait that long to catch up on such an amazing run.

Shut Up and Take My $5: Indestructible Hulk #6

We’ve all been there: two issues in your hand, you can only afford one. What is the broke geek to do?! Sean Sorensen is here to guide you in your thrifty comics crusade by providing you with the one issue each week that'll make you say, "Shut up, and take my $5!" It always feels good to get the most "BIF! BAM! POW!" for your buck, doesn’t it?

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<ALERT>

Hope this message reaches you in time! For the love of all that is holy: do not - I REPEAT - do not buy Dial H #11. I was wrong. Oh God, I was so wrong. What a waste of money...

</ALERT>

Now back to our regularly scheduled review...

This week, Marvel shined with three strong offerings in Age of Ultron #4, Thanos Rising #1, and Indestructible Hulk #6. These three books left the rest of my reads in the dust. But, you ask, who would win in a battle between The Hulk, Ultron, and Thanos? It’s actually a really easy question to answer.

Hulk. Smash.

Hulk has never been a favorite of mine. I feel like the Jekyll and Hyde bit has been done to death, and you can only watch the Hulk smash so many things before it actually get’s boring.

Enter Mark Waid.

In one arc, he managed to make both the Hulk and Bruce Banner fresh and exciting again, all without stripping away the core characters. For once, a writer is allowing Bruce Banner to grow and stretch his legs a little, making the Hulk's appearances all that more satisfying.

There is so much to love about this issue’s story. Bruce Banner is his own mad scientist version of the Future Foundation. With unlimited funds from S.H.I.E.L.D. and his own hand picked team of assistants, Banner is a sight to behold. Want to make a portal to Jotunheim using a sliver of Uru metal from Mjolnir? Sure. Why not? They can do that.  And do it, they did.

Opening the way to the one of the other nine worlds brings us some nice scenes with the Hulk vs. Frost Giants, with some help from Thor. The twist? This is not the Thor we were expecting. Somehow Banner’s portal landed them in a time before Thor’s involvement with the Avengers. Banner’s interaction with Thor is pure gold, including a comment about how the Thor he knows “drinks a Shake Shack dry once a week.” Kudos to Waid for making this Thor a lot like the Simonson Thor from the 80’s, complete with Shakespearian voice. It’s a great touch and jives perfectly with the art for the book.

Oh, did I forget to mention that this arc is being penciled by Walt Simonson? My bad.

I don’t think there could have been a better choice to pencil this story. There is something about Simonson’s art that just shines any time he is drawing anything having to do with Thor and crazy mad science. This issue is chock full of Simonson sound effects, Simonson energy circles, and Simonson motion lines. For fans new and old, this issue is an artistic treat.

But - and sadly yes, there is a “but” - Mr. Simonson’s art does suffer just a tad from the coloring job done on the book. This could be the crotchety old fan coming out, but I think Simonson’s art lends itself to the old pen and paper days. The digital color just doesn't work as well with his pencil and ink style. It comes off like someone tried to color a page that was meant to be black and white. But this is a small quibble; it’s still a gorgeous book.

There you have it, folks: Indestructible Hulk #6 has been found worthy of your $5. Between Mark Waid’s mad science and old school Thor fun and Walt Simonson’s fantastic art, this book delivers on every page. If you still need some convincing, I will direct you to this spoilerific splash page from the end of the issue. If that doesn’t sell you, you must be a fun-hating robot.

Shut Up and Take My $5: New Avengers #4

We’ve all been there: two issues in your hand, you can only afford one. What is the broke geek to do?! Sean Sorensen is here to guide you in your thrifty comics crusade by providing you with the one issue each week that'll make you say, "Shut up, and take my $5!" It always feels good to get the most "BIF! BAM! POW!" for your buck, doesn’t it?

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This week’s books have forced me to a near-impossible decision. Three books are all equally amazing this week, and each are easily worthy of your one and only purchase. Saga #11, Chew #32, and New Avengers #4 are absolutely fantastic. But if you can only buy one book this week I’m going to have go with... New Avengers #4.

Excuse me while I run and hide from all the Saga and Chew fans!

Here’s the deal: Saga was an emotionally heavy book this month, and Chew was comedic gold (Google: Torta-Espadero, trust me.) They’re great, but they aren’t exactly reaching into new territory.

New Avengers, on the other hand, is doing something very different and very interesting. We get to see some of the greatest heroes in the Marvel Universe walking that fine line between being a hero and a villain.

For the uninitiated, Jonathan Hickman’s New Avengers focuses on the Illuminati, the all-powerful secret group of heroes who have taken it upon themselves to solve the world’s greatest problems. Their actions have always danced in the lines of morally gray (e.g., launching the Hulk into space or keeping all of the Infinity Gems themselves for “safe keeping”), but in this month’s issue, we see these characters grappling with the idea of destroying an Earth from another universe to protect their own. Doomsday devices are being built; unspeakable spells are being researched. And the best part? Despite their substantial combined intelligences, they can’t figure out a better plan. Nor do they fully understand what is happening.

(On a side note, Hickman will now and forever be the writer who in one frame showed me that Blackbolt is a silent Fonz.)

Art wise, making this week’s $5 choice was an even harder decision. If you base your book buying primarily on the art, then I have to steer you towards Saga #11. Fiona Staples is a master and this issue in particular is absolutely gorgeous. But that isn’t to say that Steve Epting is drawing stick figures in New Avengers. His pencils teamed with Rick Magyars shadowy inks and Frank D’Armata’s red hues provide a wonderfully foreboding canvas. Every page looks like it could be the end of the world. It adds to the desperation the characters are showing and really shines when a certain World Eater shows up. Still, I think Staples' Saga is the winner in this tight match-up.

Like I said, this week gave me a pretty tough decision, but in the end, Hickman’s New Avengers won out. Saga is always amazing, and Chew is always so very original and gut-splittingly hilarious; but there is just something about New Avengers. It’s a different Marvel book. The Illuminati aren’t there to save the day; they’re there to pick the best of many incredibly crappy options, while trying not to kill too many innocents in the process.

So there you have it, folks: the $5 goes to a big two book over creator-owned this week, but if you happen to find some change in the couch, you could consider Saga and Chew a valuable investment as well.

Comics Primer: What You Need to Know For "Age of Ultron"

Marvel’s latest event is upon us! The “Age of Ultron” has dawned, and you have no idea what’s going on. You might have some questions like: “Who the hell is Ultron?”, “Where did this event come from?” and “Why have I not heard about this?!” Thankfully for you, I am here to answer some of your questions, and get you ready to jump into what should be a very cool event from Marvel Comics.

Who is this Ultron character?

Let’s start with the basic question here. Ultron hasn’t been seen around the Marvel U. for a while now, so some of the new readers may have no clue who he is. Ultron first appeared in Avengers #54, but he truly debuted in Avengers #55. Originally created by Hank Pym (aka Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Yellow Jacket, Golaith, or Wasp, depending on his state of mind), Ultron is an aritifical intelligence that gained self-awareness and that decided all organic life must be destroyed. With an adamantium body, he is one of the Avenger’s most powerful enemies. He is nearly indestructible, but is often ultimately bested by the Avengers. Any time the Avengers do manage to defeat him, however, Ultron is able to transfer his consciousness into a new body.

Now, I hear you. You’re saying, “Oh boy, another mad AI bent on destruction,” but Ultron is not the same as every other AI that’s rebelled against organic life. Ultron has an obsession with the Pyms and their family, giving way to some of the most interesting moments of Ultron’s history as a villain. Ultron is constantly attempting to punish his “father” Hank Pym, while having a strange oedipal fascination with his “mother” Janet Pym (nee van Dyne, aka The Wasp.) He actually created a bride named Jocasta, modeled after Janet -- weird, right? Ultron also created a son, The Vision, who betrayed him and joined the Avengers to defeat him.

To summarize: Take a sociopath and give it nearly infinite intelligence, an indestructible body, and the capability to create infinite copies of itself. This is why Ultron is one of my absolute favorite villains.

Hit the jump for the full primer on Ultron!

Click to read more ...

Tony Stark Suits Up In New 'Iron Man 3' Trailer

Marvel's Phase 2 launches this May with Iron Man 3, and the studio is giving fans what they've wanted to see ever since Ol' Shellhead hit the screen in 2008. Check out the latest trailer below!

Two words: Hulk. Buster. I'd be lying if I said I didn't sqeal like a little girl when those suits flew in. With reports stating that the main suit we see in IM3 is the Mark 42 (or 47 depending on what you read), expect to see old favorites like the Stealth, Space, Hydro, Extremis, and, of course, the Hulkbuster armor.

One tiny, fanboy thing does bother me, though. A global threat clearly looms on the horizon (in the form of the Mandarin, played by Sir Ben Kinglsey), and the world, according to a news reporter, is asking, "Where is Tony Stark?" Not, "Where are the Avengers?", who clearly saved the world in New York not too long ago. I understand wanting to keep the focus on Tony Stark/Iron Man, but when the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been fleshed out so well in the last several years, culminating with The Avengers, suddenly forgetting the team exists seems a little silly. Again, just my fanboy senses going off.

Iron Man 3, directed by Shane Black, suits up on May 3rd.

New "Iron Man 3" Trailer Features "Extended Look"

During the Big Game on Sunday night, we got a glimpse at some brief action from Iron Man 3, featuring what looked to be a doomed, mid-air rescue attempt by ol' Shellhead. However, you can see the full trailer here! It doesn't debut a whole lot of new footage, but features a special "extended look." Check it out!

Iron Man 3 kicks off Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on May 3rd.

Review: With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story [Movie Monday]

Greetings, human! We at OTF are starting a new weekly post that we're calling "Movie Monday." Beginning today and running until the end of the year (at least), we're watching and reviewing movies that we think should be of particular interest, importance, or delight to you, our wonderfully geeky audience. Most are documentaries, but a narrative or two may be thrown in there if it's fun.

Today's entry is a documentary scrutinizing the most revered near-nonagenarian in the nerd universe, "With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story." We hope you'll enjoy it! --OTF Editorial Board

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When you mention the name Stan Lee, several things come to mind. Among them, the legendary heroes of the Marvel Universe, clambering fans at comic conventions, and teenage enthusiasm embodied by an 89-year-old man. There’s probably little you don’t know about the living mascot of Marvel Comics, mainly because he’s never shy about sharing an anecdote from his prolific 73-year career in the comics industry, but there might be a few sides of Stan that you haven’t seen, such as Stan the loving husband and father or Stan the businessman. With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story, an entertaining documentary as gregarious as its subject, and colorful as any Marvel comic book, takes a look at Stan Lee’s life beyond the pages populated by heroes and villains, but also leaves the viewers, fan or not, scratching their heads about many of the dealings in Stan’s career.
 
Populated with testimonials by comic historians, writers, artists, celebrities, and Stan himself, With Great Power explores Stan’s early life in New York during the Great Depression and his budding career at Timely Comics (which would become Marvel) alongside industry giants Jack Kirby and Joe Simon in the 1940s. At the tender age of 18, Lee was hired as a creative head at Timely following a mass exodus of artists and writers, leaving briefly to fight in the army during World War II as part of an elite team of “playwrights” (among them William Saroyan, Frank Capra, and Theodore “Dr. Seuss” Geisel). We also get a rare glimpse of Stan’s home life with his wife of 65 years, Joan, as they bicker playfully, dance in their living room, and share their differing opinions about Stan’s man cave of an office. They even open up about the daughter they lost as an infant, an experience that shaped them both in years to come. It’s definitely the most touching portion of the documentary. Everything else, however, you’ve undoubtedly heard or seen before.
 
Talk of the creation of Spider-Man and The Hulk is nothing new to fans, especially if you’ve popped in Disc 2 of your favorite Marvel movie. We all know that Peter Parker is the superhero with teenage problems, and Bruce Banner is Lee’s take on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for the atomic age, but Stan’s enthusiasm in how he tells these tales of creation keeps them entertaining. But don’t expect much more beyond that. More compelling subjects that fans might hope to hear about are touched on briefly, at best. The feud between Lee and Steve Ditko over the creation and writing credits for Spider-Man is explained away by the mention of a letter Stan wrote granting Ditko co-creator status, and Lee briefly explains that Jack Kirby‘s departure from Marvel stemmed from a newspaper article that highlighted Lee while downplaying Kirby. Having opened that can of worms, one would have expected to then hear about the ongoing battle between Marvel and the Kirby family, but that particular subject is noticeably absent, despite Stan speaking highly, and thoughtfully, of his departed friend and colleague.
 
As the documentary continues to chronicle Stan's work in the comics industry, the comic pages give way to television and movie screens as the film touches on how Stan’s superheroes, and Stan himself, made the move to California to Marvel Productions to bring about such projects as the famous Spider-Man cartoon and equally infamous Fantastic Four live action film. Having branched out into this new medium in the 1970s and 1980s, Stan took the opportunity to get in on the “next big thing” in the 1990s with Stan Lee Media, a doomed victim of the “dot com” craze that went bankrupt after less than two years as a result of fraud and lawsuits. However, in the wake of failure, the ever-resilient Stan still managed success in POW! Entertainment, a production company that kept his creative juices flowing with projects such as the 2006 Sci-Fi Channel original movie Stan Lee’s Lightspeed and the reality series Who Wants to Be a Superhero?.
 
The documentary concludes with the reaffirmation that Stan, despite being 89 years old, is personification of the phrase, “You’re only as old as you feel.”  His perpetual eagerness to create and produce keeps him out of retirement and young at heart (even though that heart now has a pacemaker, making Stan even more like Tony Stark). He is just as much of a fan of his own creations as the people who read Marvel comics, watch Marvel cartoons, and go see Marvel movies. Interviews on the red carpet at the premieres of such films as The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man maintain this as he gushes over how excited he is to see his creations brought to life like never before and entertaining fans and new audiences alike.
 
With Great Power feels more like an episode of Biography than a documentary, but any fan of comics will enjoy the glimpses at the man behind “The Man” and the stories of how he helped create some of the most popular, relatable, and influential characters in American culture. Like Stan, With Great Power simply wants to entertain, and like Stan, it largely succeeds.

Verdict: Recommended. To a comic book fan, it's a double-edged sword, providing rare glimpses into the life of a larger-then-life creator, beloved by millions, but also rehashes much of what you might have already heard, yet still manages to keep it all entertaining.

"With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story" is available to watch now via iTunes, Amazon, Xbox Marketplace, PlayStation Network, YouTube Movies, and a wide assortment of video-on-demand partners.

EDIT: Aside from the multitude of digital distribution sources, the movie is also now available for purchase on DVD from Amazon.

"Iron Man 3" Trailer Arrives

Just as he kicked off Marvel Phase 1, Iron Man is the vanguard of the next group of films from Marvel Studios. Check out the trailer for Iron Man 3 below!

Tony Stark looks to be in line for a tragic beatdown he finally goes toe-to-toe with Iron Man's most famous villain, The Mandarin (finally portrayed on screen by Sir Ben Kingsley). Sharp-eyed fans will also spot a hint at the inclusion of the Extremis serum at work, as Tony summons his gauntlet from across the workshop.

Since building hype for a movie is now an artform, anticipation for the second Iron Man sequel began at SDCC in July when an extended preview was shown for a select group in Hall H. Follow that up with a teaser for the trailer this past weekend, and you have a marketing snowball that will only build until the film's release on May 3, 2013.

Directed by Shane Black, Iron Man 3 stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle, who are joined by series newcomers Ben Kinglsey, Guy Pearce, James Badge Dale, and Rebecca Hall.

Movie Review: 'The Amazing Spider-Man'

Andrew Garfield is more of a Peter Parker in 60 minutes than Tobey Maguire was in three movies. There, I said it.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has returned to theaters 10 years after his blockbuster debut, but only 5 years after we saw him last. In a time when Hollywood is plagued with reboots and remakes, the Spider-Man franchise received much attention for starting itself over with a new cast and crew while the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire trilogy was still fresh in our minds. It is arguable that we have seen most of this story before, but this team of filmmakers, led by director Marc Webb, has chosen to take the key details and spin their own take on Spidey's story. Filled with humor, spectacular action, and likeable characters, The Amazing Spider-Man delivers what many might think we should have received the first time around.

Peter Parker, the awkward yet likable teen, once again finds himself the snack of a radioactive spider, receiving the iconic bite that grants him the amazing arachnid powers that turn him into the Big Apple's premier crime fighter. However, this time around, Peter is not just the orphan living with his elderly aunt and uncle due to circumstances unknown. This "untold story" introduces the mystery of Richard and Mary Parker, the enigmatic parents of the wall-crawler, who have a past more clouded than Mysterio's fish bowl. Seeking answers about his parents, Peter encounters Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), the brilliant geneticist with ties to the Parkers. As the mystery begins to unfold, Connors' work with reptile DNA reaches that "mad scientist" level as he tests his regenerative serum on himself (naturally), turning himself into The Lizard, a villain Spidey fans have been waiting to see ever since Dylan Baker stepped on screen as Connors in Spider-Man 2 (2004). Challenged with stopping The Lizard, avoiding the NYPD, and running errands for Aunt May, Peter Parker certainly has his hands full as he returns to the big screen.

Again, it can be said that we've seen this all before. Peter gets bit, suffers tragic loss as a result of his own arrogance, struggles with star-crossed love, and fights a green dude, but the differences lie in the details. At the forefront of it all is Andrew Garfield, the 28-year-old who looks just young enough to pass for 17. Blowing Tobey Maguire's stiff, monotone performance out of the water, Garfield embodies the awkward yet brilliant outcast that is Peter Parker, but also throws in those snarky quips that fans of the Spider-Man comics will appreciate. Perfect casting. Joining him is Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, who brings a refreshing, strong female presence to the franchise, cleansing our minds of Kirsten Dunst's incessant whining. Rhys Ifans as Dr. Connors/The Lizard provides the ideal foil to Spider-Man, seeking the secret to regrowing his lost arm but losing his identity in the process, while Peter seeks the truth about his past and tries to find his own place in the world. Rounding out the cast are Denis Leary as Capt. George Stacy, the sardonic yet noble father to Gwen, who engages Peter in some of the film's best banter, and Martin Sheen and Sally Field as Uncle Ben and Aunt May, Peter's surrogate parents and moral compass. Uncle Ben still provides the words that help shape Peter into a hero, but the writers managed to say "With great power comes great responsibility" without actually saying it.

If you're a Spider-Man fan, this is probably the film you feel you should have received back in 2001. While Sam Raimi remained very faithful to most of Web-Head's history, Marc Webb treated it with respect. It was a thrill to finally see the web-shooters and hear the wisecracks, as well as see The Lizard actually wearing the white labcoat - small details that fans acknowledge and appreciate. While the film chose to omit certain familiar pieces, such as The Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson, and Mary Jane Watson, this was not the story that required them. One prominant detail that did make its way into The Amazing Spider-Man was the iconic connection between Spidey and his beloved New York City. One of the most memorable sequences in the film involves a sensational display of NYC pride as Spider-Man's supporters offer the superhero a helping hand, an echo of the now unshakeable post-9/11 spirit present in Sam Raimi's first film. The scene also evoked the memory of a quote from Spider-Man himself in Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1 by Joss Whedon, a man who knows a thing or two about this stuff.

You can't say 'I love New York.' Tourists can love New York. Me? Who grew up here? Who's lived here my whole life, who's crawled over every stone and swung from every cornice... I AM New York. - Spider-Man

Next time you're in Manhattan, I guarantee you'll catch yourself glancing skyward, expecting to catch a quick flash of red and blue.

While The Amazing Spider-Man does ask the audience to re-experience some familiar moments, the film as a whole offers a new take on an old favorite. Andrew Garfield's performace alone is worth the ticket price. Let's hope it has the potential to reinvigorate the Spider-Man franchise, and possibly prompt the ultimate goal of a Sony/Marvel Studios accord for future joint endeavors...hint hint...

The Amazing Spider-Man is in theaters now.