HAWKEYE!!!! WOO HOO!

Back in my first Avengers reviews I mentioned that the West Coast franchise of that group was a gateway into comic collecting for me.  I also mentioned that Clint Barton was my favorite character.

Molly's Marvel Mania

 As I pointed out in my Disney Planning excursions, I use AllEars.net frequently for Disney World menu and other information. One of their main reporters is Molly, and frankly her write-ups, videos and Instagram posts from the parks have been a source of sanity for my family during these excessively annoying times.  I’d feel safer in a Disney Park now than I would in most other places. They know how to deal with people, how to engineer in safety and have insanely high standards for cleanliness.
 

Avengers 2- The New Order Changeth

ULTRON!

If any list of Avengers' villains doesn’t have him in one of the top three spots (arguably the top two) it’s wrong, period.  For me, his combination of nigh unstoppable power, species dominating goals and familial ties to the team puts him at number one. 

He was one of the first major foes of Englehart’s West Coast Avengers when I started collecting comics, and his Unlimited arc in Buseik’s and Perez’s run brought me back to Marvel after a long absence.

This fandom gave me higher expectations and more demanding requirements than my usual insane levels for the latest excursion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

COMPLETELY SPOILER FREE ASSESMENT:

Favorite Spoiler Moments from The Avengers

I was good.

I held it together and wrote a review of the new Avengers movie without specifically referring to any spoilers that couldn’t be figured out from the trailers.

However, doing that has made me darn near ready to explode into an uncontrolled, nerdly rave filled, “HOLY GUACAMOLE, DID YOU SEE THE PART WHEN…” without being able to stop myself for weeks on end because the film was simply way too much fun.

Therefore, in no particular order, here are ten moments I wouldn’t have wanted given away before I saw it, but I really need to geek out over before I burst.

Top Secret Beyond This Point!

DON’T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO RUIN SURPRISES IN THE AVENGERS 2012 MOVIE!!!  GRAB THE KIDS, GO SEE IT, HAVE A BLAST AND THEN COME BACK!

Echoes of the Future

The reason for the title is that I'm hoping this show will lead the way to characterization and story taking point in projects over continuity and spectacle. Those are the core of every good comic book run. Hey, I can dream!

How about that Echo show? Only five episodes but it packed in a boatload! Cultural history, an outstandingly portrayed character who went through personal and power based transitional arcs, a fun, well detailed and relatable supporting cast, and an excellently developed villain.

Wandarin’ 'Bout Vision

 

Yeah yeah yeah, of course there's a spoiler warining.

How could anyone talk about this series without spoilers?

Fantastically Addicted

I was happily saving money by not buying any regular monthly comics after DC’s Nu52 debuted. (I still expected to buy some trades of course…I’m not naïve enough to think there’s any universe that would keep me from following Grant Morrison’s Bat-insanity, or buying a Paul Cornell written Etrigan.)

Then I accidentally started collecting Fantastic Four.

This is highly odd as I have never been a big fan of the Fantastic Four.

I need to qualify that last statement, as normally when I say something along those lines, I’m completely full of crap.

Inside the Mind of a Toy Addict Part 4- Price Hikes and Hunting

Part 1, 

Part 2

Part 3

Toy Biz finished their license with two final build a figure waves featuring MODOK and Mojo. (2006) The era of “hard to find” figures was kicking off. However, the prices were still low, and MODOK is incredibly goofy and ridiculous thus rendering him awesome. Therefore, when the love of my life, and my enabler, came back from shopping one night and told me she saw boxes of them being unloaded in an aisle at Toys R Us, I jumped in my car and drove to the mall. The excitement of finding the whole MODOK wave still in shipping cartons led to the purchase of the Mojo wave as well.

 
As should be crystal clear by now, I do have a problem.

 

Amalgamations Accumulate!!!

LEAGUE OF AVENGERS (JLA/AVENGERS)

(Please click on images to see full size and bask in the power of MSPaint.)
It had been years since the break up of the All Star Invaders after the end of World War II. Many new heroes began to appear, but there were very few instances of cooperation.  Then one fateful day, there was an invasion of evil alien sorcerers, the Appelokians.  They enraged the Hawlk sending him out of control as a diversion.  As the heroes were dispersed dealing with the invasion, the rampage was reported to all the sidekicks in the Fantastic Tower.  They contacted their mentors simultaneously.  The heroes broke control of the Hawlk, and he helped deal with the remainder of the invasion.  After combining their forces on this day unlike any other day, they vowed to defend justice against any evil that threatened it, and the LEAGUE OF AVENGERS was born.

"And there came a day, a day unlike any other…

When Jeff saw a superhero movie and wouldn’t shut up about it for days.”

OK, that day is pretty much exactly like any other, but that’s not the point.

The point is - we got an Avengers film.

More importantly, we got THIS Avengers film:  the superhero movie I’ve been waiting my whole life to see.

The first comic books I bought with an eye on continued collection were from the Avengers’ family.  I followed Thor, Iron Man and the West Coast Avengers all through high school and into college.  (Stopping shortly before the whole Crossing mess made Marvel, amazingly, even worse than it already had gotten in the nineties.) 

Finding WCA #1 was also my first space filling quest.



Daredevil- Born Again, Again

Poor Mathew. The defining story in the comics for Daredevil was Frank Miller's "Born Again." This was a tale where The Man Without Fear lost EVERYTHING, (friends, job, law license, home, other stuff) and then battled his way back from the bottom.

Captain America: Last Movie before the First Avengers

Gotta love when a Golden Age comic gets recreated on screen!

I was really looking forward to watching Captain America on the big screen for several reasons:

1) Marvel Studios’ excellent track record.
2) A Golden Age superhero movie actually set during World War Two.
3) A very limited amount emotionally invested in the character.

Daredevil Birthday Surprise Post

Daredevil Through a Kid’s Eyes

Or

Happy Birthday Dad! Watch Me Have An Identity Crisis 

Hi friends Anabelle here, kind of a plot twist if you’re an avid “kid’s eyes” reader, but it’s my dad’s birthday so bear with me. Father - thank you for shifting your posts around so this “present” can go up on your birthday, and happy birthday!!! 

Ahem. 

Nights with the Moon Knight.

Yes, this is late, and Doctor Strange will be later. My wife really got in to the Universal Horror Films, transitioning them from sporadic appearances to "every other Thursday."  

I'm so proud.

I'm really liking the fact that Marvel Studios continues to select deep cut characters, allowing me to experience these stories almost like a normal person.

In Brightest Day and Beyond

The Comic Book Resources website did another voting poll.  This one is for the most popular characters in DC and Marvel.  I recorded my votes this time to let me post about the differences between the companies’ characters (again!) and how any given day of the week could easily change the order, and content of my votes.

And I’ll probably write that post someday.

Public Written Apology to Norm Breyfogle

Although I was originally a Marvel collector, it wasn’t long before I added Batman titles to my pull list.


This is because of one fundamental truth of comic books:

There is no better comic than a good Batman story.

We Are Pleased

Usually, I can easily spew forth all kinds of observations about movies, and then I’ll agonize trying to come up with a fun title.

I’ve had this title and a blank page for over a week, and I’m not sure why.  Its late enough that some spoilers probably snuck in.

G. I Joe: Reta-late-tion

Hey, I saw G. I. Joe: Retaliation!

I made fun of the first one, but did like it.  That meant seeing this was inevitable.

Fine…

I realize this review is 658 days late, but I believe there is acceptable justification for my delay.

What If: The Show Figured Out What Made the Best Episodes...

 And then didn't stick the landing?

The What If show after three seasons finally grabbed on to the idea that the fun ones are the most enjoyable episodes. They followed that logic all the way through for the most part, then had a pointless, tragic, self sacrifice for the finale. 

 

“Avengers…” Spoilers- Top layer

Click here for spoiler free review.

Click here for layer 1 characters spoilers.