Thor is a favorite character of mine and I’ll give any new book he’s in a shot. Add Jason Aaron to the mix and you’ve got something that’s probably going to be great.

Throw Thor against a villain named the God Butcher? You, sir, have my interest.

Here’s Marvel’s press release on the matter:

New York. NY—August 7, 2012— This November, the all-powerful Thor embarks on a journey that hurtles him through space and time in Thor: God Of Thunder #1, kicking off the all-new ongoing series from the blockbuster creative team of writer Jason Aaron and artist Esad Ribic! As part of Marvel NOW!, Thor: God Of Thunder joins a number of titles that will take the Marvel Universe in an exciting all-new direction, as the industry’s top creators join the top Super Heroes to deliver all-new ongoing series, great for new and lapsed readers alike!

Throughout the ages, the gods of the Marvel Universe have been vanishing, their mortal worshippers left in chaos. NOW! the Mighty Thor follows a trail of blood that threatens to consume his past, present and future selves. The only hope for these ravaged worlds lies with the God of Thunder unraveling the gruesome mystery of the God Butcher!

“Jason and Esad have created a Thor story for the ages, and a villain unlike anything our hero has ever faced,” said Marvel Editor In Chief Axel Alonso. “Combine Jason’s trademark storytelling with Esad’s majestic visuals and the result is a story of breathtaking scale that is sure to thrill a new generation of readers. This is going to be a book to watch.”

Marvel NOW! is the culmination of Marvel ReEvolution, the groundbreaking new initiative to evolve the comic book experience through innovation. With Thor: God of Thunder, Marvel NOW! ensures fans will discover an entirely new perspective on the Son of Odin.

“Thor, by definition, demands stories of a grand scale,” explained Jason Aaron in an interview with Marvel.com. “This story spans millennia – from the Viking Age to the far flung future. And it takes us all across the Marvel Universe as well. From Earth to the far corners of space, and from all new otherworldly cities of gods to an Asgard like we’ve never seen before, we definitely cover a lot of ground in our initial arc.”

Each issue of Thor: God Of Thunder includes a code for a free digital copy on the Marvel Comics app for iOS and Android devices. Additionally, each issue of Thor: God Of Thunder features special augmented reality content available exclusive through the Marvel AR app – including cover recaps, behind the scenes features and more that add value to your reading experience at no additional cost.

“Not only does every book with the Marvel NOW! logo feature a new superstar creative team and blockbuster story, but they also come with all-new incentives for our retailer partners,” explained David Gabriel, Senior Vice-President of Sales, Marvel Entertainment.. “We want to make sure every comic shop nationwide is fully stocked to meet the high demand we’re already seeing for Marvel NOW! And want to make sure their voices are heard throughout this exciting time. Stay tuned for more news on how Marvel will be working directly with retailers to make sure our programs address their needs.”

An all-new direction! All-new threats! All-new weapons! This is Thor NOW!

This November, Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic redefine what it means to be worthy in Thor: God Of Thunder #1!

For more on Marvel NOW!, please visit now.marvel.com and join the conversation on Twitter using #MarvelNOW.

*Retailers should keep an eye on the Marvel Mailer and Diamond daily for special announcements concerning Marvel NOW!

THOR: GOD OF THUNDER #1
Written by JASON AARON
Art & Cover by ESAD RIBIC
ON SALE THIS NOVEMBER!

Sunday night the newest NASA rover Curiosity landed on Mars. Because of the 14 minute delay between sending and receiving information we had images available right after we knew it had safely landed. Today the first color image was released. While it doesn’t look like much, try to remember where it’s coming from. The image is of the wall of the Gale Crater where the rover landed. When it landed a lot of dust blew up and they expect images will get better when they test the robotic arm and remove the dust cover on the camera. Check out the Mars Science Lab page for more.

It’s a well known fact that studios other than Marvel have rights to make movies with Marvel characters and can continue to retain those rights as long as they’re in production on a new film within a certain timeframe.

This is why you’ll never see Sony not in the midst of making a new Spider-Man, or Fox lapsing on an X-men (or mutant related) film.

Fox also owns Daredevil, which is under a similar contract.

Variety is reporting that Fox has until October 10th to begin shooting a new Daredevil film or they lose the character. They’ve been working on a script for a while now, but they haven’t even formally signed director Joe Carnahan to the deal. Getting a director negotiated, signed, and through pre-production by October 10 seems to be a stretch.

But Marvel is willing to play ball and give them extra time…

…as long as they hand back rights to Silver Surfer and Galactus.

With those two characters back in Marvel’s hands, there’s only one place I want to see the Avengers movies heading, and that’s into the realm of Galactus, the devourer of Worlds. What better way to test the Avengers?

Carnahan’s Daredevil is said be a gritty, 70s style street crime film, which I’m also happy to see.

Basically, Daredevil being in development hell for the last few years may be the single greatest thing that’s happened to Marvel Movies since the Avengers….

Hello all, and welcome to this installment of the Indie Books column on Big Shiny Robot (or phrase that however you want). I’m Janine K. Spendlove, and Bryan Young very graciously invited me to tell you a little bit about myself and my most recent book, War of the Seasons: The Half-blood. I will endeavor to introduce myself without coming off like a profile for an online dating service, though if I fail I’m sure you’ll let me know.

As my bio on my website (WarOfTheSeasons.com) states, I’m an active duty United States Marine currently stationed in Washington, DC. My primary speciality is KC-130J pilot, though in my spare moments I spend time with my family, run marathons, and, of course, write! I’ve spent many an hour on my deployments and travels in the Marine Corps coming up with plots and story ideas, and I’m so glad I’ve had an opportunity to share them through Indie publishing.

My most recent novel, War of the Seasons: The Half-Blood (published through Indie Publisher, Silence in the Library) had its inception on one of my many flights. The sequel to War of the Seasons: The Human (published by Silence in the Library in 2011), we get to go back to AiIionora six months after we last left it. Our lead character, Story, finds herself once more on a quest, and yet again battling with enemies new and old as she races against time. And of course, she has to face the consequences of her decisions and actions both in The Human, and in The Half-Blood.

While I by no means consider War of the Seasons to be on par with Star Wars, I’ve tried to emulate George Lucas’s story telling pattern with the original trilogy, where The Human sets the stage for a broader fantasy arc with a strong female lead and world building, yet was a self-contained adventure in and of itself. The Half-blood is my Empire Strikes Back in that it’s darker, grittier, and our strong heroine is faced with the repercussions of her decisions, and people she loves suffer for it.

So, if you’re looking for an adventure with a spattering of romance and plenty of action in another world filled with trolls, dwarves, elves, and faeries, then War of the Seasons is for you! Welcome to Ailionora.

If you’re interested in being the focus of a future Indie Books column, email editor(at)bigshinyrobot and let me know!

It’s taken me a long time to read this book. Not because it was bad, boring, or slow, like…say…Fate of the Jedi: Vortex… It took me a long time to read because I was savoring every moment. It’s not a book I wanted to end.

For a long time I avoided as much of the EU as I could, save the X-Wing and Wraith Squadron series. The fact that they let Michael Stackpole go and Aaron Allston was working on other series was always shocking to me.

I’ve been to plenty of conventions over the years and a question you always hear asked is “When are we getting more books in this series?”

Well, the time is now and the wait has been frustrating but well worth it.

Aaron Allston has given us a fast paced Wraith Squadron novel that feels equal parts Star Wars, Mission: Impossible, and The Guns of Navarone. But there’s so much more to it than that. It even opens with the most ridiculous Temple of Doom dance number opening with Piggy standing in for Willie Scott. Sure, it’s a distraction for the job they’re working on, but that’s the kind of fun you should expect from Allston’s latest (and hopefully not last) foray into the lives of Wraith Squadron.

The book doesn’t just deal with breathless military action, intrigue, and suspense, though. It also deals with much larger issues of getting older and not wanting to see the next generation take your place and get killed doing so. It deals with racism and prejudice, greed, military largesse, but never in a way that isn’t fun. You’re dragged through this mystery of a mission, working hard to unravel things, but like the Wraiths, you’re jerked to the next place before you can quite put your finger on what happened at the last place.

The book kept my heart pounding and a smile on my face, which is the best I could ask for from a Star Wars book. It deals with the Wraiths smashing a conspiracy to steal Alliance materiel and sell it on the black market…  The thing is that the story is almost just a really interesting coat hanger that you can hang the things that really matter onto. The characters and the action of this are what matter. The Lecersen Conspiracy is ancillary.

More than the long, multi-book epics, this book captured the feeling of Star Wars for me than any of those have (save, perhaps, Legacy of the Force.)

I want to see more standalone books like this with a sense of humour. And given the spot it ends, I’d love to see many more books in the series. I’d love to see more books set during the time of the original X-Wing books as well.

For Allston’s part, this book is everything he’s best at. It has a warmth and humour beneath the horror of what war is really like. But there’s also that pulse pounding intrigue that keeps you moving.

Like I said, as fast paced as this book was, I took it slow simply because I didn’t want it to end. That, and I thought the title implied an ending much more sinister and depressing and I was in no hurry to get to that point. I was foolish to think I wasn’t going to like the way things turned out, save a few surprises along the way.

There are going to be lots of satisfied Wraith Squadron fans after this book.

I would give this 5 of 5 stars as far as Star Wars books are concerned.

It comes out Tuesday, August 7th. You can order a copy from Amazon.

I’m not one to front. I have no problem admitting that I had no idea what a Hellboy was until I saw the first movie in theaters. Holy Hell was I sold immediately. The solid one liners and insane visuals had me in awe. It was my introduction to what the Hellboy universe had to offer. It was also my first look into the world of Guillermo Del Toro, a dude who has since become one of my favorite people in existence. He fits in right above Henry Rollins and right below Kyle Kinane.

None of my viewing partners had any knowledge of the comics, or any other comics for that matter, so I had to take my research into my own hands. I picked up a few of the trades on the internet and was blown away by how on the head Del Toro’s film was compared to Mike Mignola’s source material. Sure there were a few adjustments. Tinkering is to be expected when any book is transferred to the big screen.

Because the town I was living in at the time lacked a real comic book store, I was unable to quench my thirst for any Hellboy themed merchandise. I set my sights to the internet. I was blown away by the amount of statues and busts and super bummed at the lack of moderately priced figures. I pretty much chalked my search up to a loss and just read as many of the books as I could, sticking to the Hellboy titles and saving all things B.P.R.D for later. I figured it was only a matter of time before my path crossed with that of some sweet Hellboy figure looking for a new home.

Fast forward a few years. I’m on a trip to Universal Studios and me and the main squeeze decide to check out a movie make-up exhibit where a lot of Hellboy movie prosthetics and props were on display. Like every exhibit in every theme park, there was a gift shop. I was stoked to finally have the chance to stock up on a few trinkets and figures. What I wasn’t stoked on were the prices. Especially the price of the 8 inch Hellboy Qee. I was just getting into limited vinyl toys and wanted so badly to add this to my collection. I think I remember the shop wanting $80. This was a little too rich for my taste. When we go back to the hotel I took a look on the interwebs for a better deal. No dice. Not even Ebay or Amazon offered a better deal. I added the item to my wish list. I closed the window. I cried myself to sleep on a fold out couch bed in the living room of our hotel. I wasn’t sleeping on the couch because Emily found my crying as a weakness and thought a night on the couch would toughen me up. I was sleeping on the couch because I was on vacation with Emily, her family, and her younger brother’s girlfriend who looked like Gollum if he had spent all day in the sun and riding on water rides. All the ladies in one room. All the men in the other. All the Patricks stay the shit out of our rooms.

Faster forwarding to a year after that. I had just received a bonus check from work for being the best and wanted to treat myself. As I was depositing the check in the bank, I knew exactly what a fraction of it was going to. Not groceries, not cat litter (use to learn the toilet like an adult), but a sweet ass vinyl figure of a man with a giant red right hand. Sitting down at my desk, a diet green tea Snapple in hand, I fired up the computron and meandered my way on to Amazon.com. What’s this? The 8 inch Hellboy Qee is but $46? Have the clouds parted to allow the Lord above to shower me with glorious rays of low low prices from her bosom?

The figure came and because I’m a dummy who cares little about reselling his figures, I opened it. I play with it. He sometimes fights my Bart Simpson Qee. He’s got a match scheduled with Homer Simpson Qee should the figure ever get released.

If you’re looking to get your hand on one of these bad boys try Amazon and ebay. They don’t go for much more than $50 and I think that’s a fair asking price. No one likes the fact that the new trend in toy collecting is charging an arm and a dick for vinyl figures.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @patdelaney1985

Thanks for reading.

Today’s review is going to be National Comics: Eternity by Jeff Lemire.

Before I review the actual issue, we need to talk about two things; National Comics and Kid Eternity. National Comics used to be an anthology series back in the forties, and DC’s current approach at reviving this old title is to do a series of One Shot stories to showcase some older or more obscure characters. This is the first in the series and it re-introduces the character Kid Eternity to the new DC Universe.

Last time anybody really saw Kid Eternity in the spotlight was in Grant Morrison’s mini-series titled Kid Eternity, and later his own ongoing with the same name as well. Well written and a little loony and wonderfully dark, definitely worth a look. Previously Kid Eternity’s powers used to be that he could call upon dead spirits to get help. His name was unknown and he would go by the name of Kid Eternity until he later found out his real name of Christopher Freeman, brother of Freddy Freeman (Captain Marvel Jr. and later actually Captain Marvel). Boom! That’s what he was, and I could go into more detail, but you can do that yourself. Let’s get to the actual book at hand.

This issue does a great job at starting on square one. We’re introduced to Christopher Freeman, a coroner for the police department, he’s a bit of slacker and only gets to keep his job due to his deceased father’s reputation. His powers are different this time around, rather than calling on the spirits of the deceased by speaking their name he has to make physical contact and pull their spirit out of limbo, at that point the spirit walks around on our plane visible only to Kid Eternity (A.K.A. Christopher Freeman). He then talks to them to figure out how they were killed… and that’s the basics of the story.

The writing is fantastic, Lemire does a great job as normal with some great dialogue between the dead and Chris. His introduction of the character is also well done, we get a good feel to his personality while also getting a great understanding as to why he is the way he is. The rest of the cast is also well written, we get a good feel to everyone and I feel like they all get some sort of character development rather than getting some stock personalities.

The art is good too. Solid artwork by Cully Hammer and Derec Donovan. The art really sets the tone, realistic allowing for the bit of fantasy of having ghosts around. Fantastic use of shadows in my opinion (in other words, they didn’t go overboard on having too many shadows and darks around), but more than anything, I was really pleased with the faces on the characters, no two characters felt similar.

Definitely worth a look. If this is what DC wants to do with National Comics and Kid Eternity, then I have no problems with it. A great read, I felt like I got more out of this issue than I get out of most television shows.

I give this issue a 4 out 5.

It’s a great introduction to an old character with a new twist. The writing and art work well together, and I really enjoyed it, even if it didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat.

Two Questions though: Why didn’t he (or anyone else for this matter) call himself Kid Eternity? I couldn’t have made the connection of the name and characted if I didn’t already know enough about him. ALSO! Why did he wear red glasses, what purpose did they serve?

National Comics: Eternity is published by DC Comics in Single Issue format at 3.99.

All Images used in this review are property of DC Comics. In other words, I don’t own these images.

P.S. I get the feeling that DC wants to do a sort of Pilot Season (a la Top Cow) where they decided who gets to keep a title depending on the reception and sales of the issue.

Drinking Game Alert! Take a shot everytime I mention “Kid Eternity” take a double shot whenever I use “Eternity” or “Kid” separately.

Taco Bot is a favorite local comic shop employee of Arse-bot and Mexicus Prime and makes a delicious pancake. You can check out more of his comic book reviews over at Aldo’s Writing Space!

It is being widely reported that Christopher Eccleston, the tenth Doctor, has been added to the cast of Thor: The Dark World as its villain.

Or a villain, anyway.

He’s playing Malekith the Accursed, a Dark Elf.

Walt Simonson (one of my favorite artist/writers on Thor) did some very cool things with his creation during his tenure. At one point, Malekith took control of the casket that was the object of power in the first Thor film and covered the Earth in a deadly frost.

The reason I say a villain, is because in the comics, Malekith struck a deal with Surtur on behalf of Loki. We know that Loki is in this film and speculation has run high that Surtur might be a part of this film. The one piece of art other than the logo I’ve seen for the film seemed to imply a lava setting… And Surtur is a giant fire monster…

In any case, I’m happy to see Christopher Eccleston do more genre work. I adored his work on Doctor Who and, as a giant Thor nerd, I’m very happy to see him cast. Malekith is a crazy character, unbalanced perhaps, and I’m sure Eccleston’s take will be incredible.

The Doctor’s return gets closer with each passing day. With no date set just yet, we’re just given a “fall” release, the anticipation for the 7th series of Doctor Who keeps building. We know Amy and Rory’s time on the Tardis will be soon be coming to a close, but it looks like they’re going out with a bang! Here is the trailer for the upcoming series of Doctor Who!

I know this is the panel you’re all dying to see…

I will be moderating and participating on the “Why We Love the Prequels” panel.

“Why We Love the Prequels” is 10:30-11:30 on Sunday, August 26th, on the Behind the Scenes Stage with Pablo Hidalgo.

“Why We Love the Prequels” is a discussion of Episodes 1-3 in a positive light, with panelists sharing their perspectives on their place in the Star Wars Saga. From Darth Maul to Darth Vader and all points in between, learn what we love about the Prequels and why they should be held in the high esteem they deserve. Any questions about why you should like the prequels will be answered!

Panelists include:

Bryan Young – Author, Filmmaker, and Star Wars Journalist
Kyle Newman – Director of Fanboys
Tom Hodges – Star Wars Artist
Pablo Hidalgo – Star Wars Writer and Expert
Jesse Hildreth – Senior Lighter on The Clone Wars
Eric Geller – TheForce.Net and Suvudu

We’re still working on a couple of other surprise celebrity panelists, so we’ll have an announcement on them as soon as possible.

The panel was so popular at Celebration V that they saw fit to put us in an even larger room.

We’re all excited to see you there!

You can read the report and see pictures from the original panel here!