WEEKLY WATCHER 3/9/2011

Hey there True Believers,

This week Marvel released some teaser posters for the upcoming Thor and X-men: First Class movies. There is a lot of mixed buzz about both of these films. I hear just as much consternation and doubt as I do excitement and praise for both titles. It seems like every one keeps waiting for new images, trailers, interviews – ANYTHING that releases more details to help tip the scales of judgment one way or the other. Oddly – Both of these posters seem VERY lack luster to me. Not giving any more away than has been previously.
With the Thor banner – yeah I am pretty sure we all know who was cast in it. Idras Elba being the most obscure actor on the poster to American audiences. Is Heimdall more predominant in the film than we thought? Is THAT the only gem of knowledge we can gleam from this? Or did the studio think that Elba was simply more recognizable to American audiences than the basically unknown-to-Americans Tom Hiddleston who plays Loki (which anyone that knows anything about Thor – is kind of infallibly the Villain)??? With the X-men: First Class poster – um, why are we seeing this film? OH yeah – THAT is right, I remember now. Because we can not help our selves. Curiosity in the most glaring voyeuristic fashion has us at the edge of our collective nerd seat. We all want something that is amazing – to be as awesome and spot on as the first X-men movie was. But I think every one loves a train wreck in some regard as well. And there is plenty to suggest that X-men: First Class may be a film that Marvel will wish we all forget in a couple of year when they reboot the franchise AGAIN.

This week in comics is rather tepid. But that might be the quiet before the storm. As NEXT WEEK marvel starts moving out the first of the “FEAR ITSELF” story arch that promises to consume the entire Marvel Universe (i.e. – all the standard titles) for the summer. For those of you such as my self that have been following the Age of X story arch in the X titles – the Third chapter continues on this week with X-MEN LEGACY #246. But back again to FEAR ITSELF. Is it JUST me – or is Cyclops TOTALLY making the “Blue Steel” face in this poster??

Here is the official list of Marvel Releases this week.

Comics On-Sale:

5 RONIN #2 AJA COVER

5 RONIN #2 BROOKS VARIANT

CAPTAIN AMERICA & THE KORVAC SAGA #4

CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE FIRST THIRTEEN #1

HAWKEYE: BLINDSPOT #2

INCREDIBLE HULKS #624

INCREDIBLE HULKS #624 CAPTAIN AMERICA 70TH ANNIVERSARY VARIANT

NEW AVENGERS #10

ONSLAUGHT UNLEASHED #2

PUNISHERMAX #11

SIGIL #1

SIGIL #1 MCGUINNESS VARIANT

SUPER HEROES #12

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #155

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #155 PICHELLI VARIANT

UNCANNY X-FORCE: THE APOCALYPSE SOLUTION #1

VENOM #1

VENOM #1 QUESADA SKETCH VARIANT

VENOM #1 SIQUEIRA VARIANT

X-23 #7

X-23: INNOCENCE LOST MGC #1

X-MEN LEGACY #246

Collections On-Sale:

DEADPOOL VOL. 5: WHAT HAPPENED IN VEGAS TPB

DEADPOOL VOL. 6: I RULE, YOU SUCK PREMIERE HC

GIRL COMICS TPB

HULK VOL. 6: WORLD WAR HULKS TPB

MARVEL ADVENTURES THOR: BRINGERS OF THE STORM DIGEST

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN VOL. 13 HC

NEW MUTANTS: FALL OF THE NEW MUTANTS PREMIERE HC

POWER PACK CLASSIC VOL. 3 TPB

SHADOWLAND: MOON KNIGHT PREMIERE HC

THOR THE MIGHTY AVENGER VOL. 2 GN-TPB

ULTIMATE COMICS THOR PREMIERE HC

WOLVERINE WEAPON X VOL. 3: TOMORROW DIES TODAY TPB

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