[IGH] at the Movies: Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War opened on May 6th. After anxiously waiting and trying to free up my schedule, I was finally able to see it this past weekend. I can’t tell you what a relief that was. I’ve been avoiding all mentions of Civil War on my social media. It hasn’t been an easy task. I’m really proud of my friends for not spoiling the movie, because it was worth the wait.

There are a lot of reviews out there that can better dissect what works and doesn’t work, so I’m not going to dwell on that. Instead, I want to talk about some of the things that made an impression on me. 

Obviously, this post will contain spoilers

Spider Island Infests NYC!

This Wednesday, the web hits the fan as Spider Island overtakes NYC.  The summer of 2011 will be known as the summer of the Marvel cross-over events.  Marvel’s Fear Itself is kicking into high gear and the hammer-fest still has a ways to go before the grand finale.  There’s also the mutant version of a messy divorce that is Schism, happening on the west coast.  (From what I understand Wolverine & Cyclops go to war with each other over the decorative china).  Meanwhile on the East Coast our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man leaps right into Spider Island, one of the biggest Spidey-centric cross-overs in years.  In preparation for the event the Marvel Marketing Machine (alliteration!) has the web-head’s home town covered.  More on that in a bit.

He looks like Sesame Street's resident meth addict.

The thing that makes any super-hero “super” is that they’re one of a kind.  Someone with skills or abilities beyond normal people, and they use those abilities to be a symbol and a beacon for everyone else.  So... what happens when everyone else gets to have your super powers too?  It’s no secret that the Earth-shattering event that is the crux of Spider Island involves every man, woman, child & apparently some of the animals in New York City mysteriously gaining the powers of the Amazing Spider-Man.  The pieces have been falling into place for a few months now, first with teasers and rumors, then with the prologue “Infested: The Road to Spider Island”.  Manhattanites begin showing displays of spider-proportionate strength, sticking to walls that they shouldn’t, and other high flying acrobatics.  All the while watched by a menacing furry green figure that fans immediately will recognize as the Jackal.  The Jackal may be the most hated and despised villain of the whole spidey-verse; however that’s mostly because he was responsible for the never-ending clone saga.



While the mention of the Jackal may be enough to give fans who remember the clone saga a headache, I personally am psyched to see how Dan Slott treats the character.  The Amazing Spider-Man has been helmed by Slott since last November and in my opinion we’ve seen some of the best new stories in years.  He’s earned my trust and I am ready and raring to go for his latest tale. 


There are tons of rumors and spoilers circling the internet in the wake of San Diego Comiccon, but to be honest I hate spoilers.  I prefer to stay away from the message boards and let the story unfold.  I have however read some interviews and info that came about from the SDCC Spider-man panel and the things implied have me incredibly excited for the future.



The fallout of Spider Island will be truly epic and the possibilities for some amazing storytelling seems boundless.  Millions of normal people swinging around Manhattan?  Crazy.  All the other super-hero denizens of Manhattan also getting spider-powers?  Wild!  What about the villains, them too?  Holy Web-shooters Batman!  Ready for the big one?  J Jonah Jameson, spiderfied.  ::mind ‘splode::

The Amazing Brush-Head

The idea of not only seeing my favorite super-heroes slug it out, but the entire ASM supporting cast fighting alongside them is something that, as a  fan, I honestly would never have even thought of as a possibility.  The other twist will be that Peter Parker will get to swing mask-free without fear of exposure for the first time since Civil War.  In fact, Dan Slott has said this will be a Peter Parker story. 


And who better to save the day?  As a fan I’ve always identified with Peter Parker on a very personal level.  The struggles he’s gone through as Peter, especially in the past few years have really struck home and solidified my connection to the character.

It begs the question: Where did MJ's shirt go?

If your excited as I am, then you wanna celebrate the kicking off of this event.  Maybe even get the down-low from the creators?  Well, Dan Slott and crew are obliging in a big way this week.  First, there’s "Spider Island in the Club" at the People's Improv Theatre tonight 7/26 at 8pm. Tickets are a mere $5 and you'll get to hear it straight from the man himself. Sponsored partly by Midtown Comics you can also count on plenty of great prizes and giveaways. Then Wednesday night to celebrate the release of the aptly numbered issue #666 Dan Slott, Fred Van Lente & Joe Caramanga will be doing a signing from 6 - 7pm at MidTown Comics downtown store. I'm going to do everything I can to get to both, so check it out and keep an eye out for us!

This post was brought to you by the letter "Ooooooooo"

Review: Amazing Spider-Man #654.1

This post is SPOILER-FILLED so if you are allergic to spoilers,

go read another tasty article on [insertgeekhere].

This week, I continue my Marvel Point One journey with Amazing Spider-Man. This is probably the Point One title that I am most familiar with; @Getsuyobi is a huge fan. I was also an avid viewer of the cartoon.

In this issue, we follow Flash Thompson, Peter's high school bully/friend. We find out pretty quickly that Flash is, wait a dramatic beat, the new Venom. He isn't evil though; Venom is being used by the military for covert ops. Flash, as a wheelchair-bound veteran, has the skills and desire to be willing to risk using Venom. 

 As we follow Flash on his first mission, we see that he can communicate with Venom, but he is in control. The mission takes them to a party filled with a lot of powerful people, including a terrorist that he bugs. We learn that Flash is only allowed limited time as Venom to prevent bonding with it. When the mission concludes, we go back to Flash's life. We meet his girlfriend Betty and learn that Marla Jameson, Jonah's wife, has died. Betty tells Flash that Peter is upset about it, so he goes to cheer him up. 

As he heads over, he is thinking about how Peter has got himself together, good job, nice girlfriend, Carlie Cooper... then he sees him talking to MJ, his ex. Flash doesn't know Peter is telling MJ that he is upset that he let Marla die as Spider-Man. Flash is tempted to interrupt but gets a Venom distress call. He has to don the suit to rescue someone he met at the party from the terrorist he tagged. He goes in, without backup, because of the ship's shielding. As he rescues the captive, he gets trapped by a terrorist called Flag Smasher, who looks like Batman. Flag Batman throws a bomb at Flash, and the resulting explosion gives Venom a chance to take control. Venom chews up Flag Batman, literally, and then spits him out. Best part of the book: Its not cannibalism if you don't swallow. So the mission succeeds, but the government guys realize that only 99% of Venom came off Flash. He also has greasy looking hair. They suspect that Venom bonded with Flash. And Flash has plans for Peter.

I enjoyed this issue for a few reasons. One, there was great background given without it feeling forced. We got to learn about Peter through someone else's eyes. There was also good background given about other characters and the universe. Two, I felt like I was starting at a new story. This felt like the beginning, not jumping in during an arc. Granted, this was also a great intro for the new Venom book coming out soon. That's almost a downside. Dan Slott told such a great story that I am more interested in what happens to Flash as Venom than Spider-man.

Based on Marvel's Point One initiative, this is a great read for new and old readers. I don't know if I liked it enough to add it to my pull list but I can see myself raiding @Getsuyobi's stash.

Next week, there is no Point One issue coming out but hopefully there will be more news on new titles added to the Point One lineup. It has already been announced that Daken: Dark Wolverine and Alpha Flight will be added. I'm not sure how I feel about those titles being reader friendly but I'll find out when they are released. This may also be a hint of things to come; many of the current Point One titles have movie franchises - will Daken join his daddy on the big screen?!

My Point One Journey so far:

* Review: Wolverine
* Review: The Invincible Iron Man
* My Point One Plan
* The info about the Point One Initiative


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