We’d all heard murmurings of a Watchmen prequel, but it wasn’t until the last 24 hours that DC announced anything official on the subject. The miniseries and one-shot epilogue under the “Before Watchmen” title will be released over the course of 35 weeks, as of summer 2012. Now, I don’t know if you’re anything like me, but I’m very torn about this. On one hand, I absolutely adore the Watchmen, and on the other hand, I don’t feel like it can be the Watchmen without Alan Moore.

This is the thing, those are exactly the same concerns that I had about the new DC52 Swamp Thing, in which I was proven wrong in my skepticism (I just read issue 6 and it’s really good – if you’re not pulling it, you should be). I love Alan Moore’s writing and characters and all that stuff, which leaves me feeling very sentimental, but it would also be really neat to see someone else’s spin on them. Especially Silk Spectre, who, being the girly that I am, is most definitely my personal favorite. In an interview, J. Michael Straczynski explain that it’s similar to Moore’s use of Alice (Alice in Wonderland) or Wendy (Peter Pan) for his own creations – they’d be sticking to Moore’s characters but adding a little at the same time.

I do believe it’s going to be something worth checking out, it could go either way really. DC has been on a roll over the last little while and I see no reason why this should be any different – Before Watchmen has some fantastic names behind it, fantastic artwork (as I can see from what’s been released), and of course, the best of characters. Whether Alan Moore backs it or not (he never does) shouldn’t matter when you have those foundations. I believe that they can use his bases to make something new and wonderful.

Add it to your pull lists when the time comes! You know you want to!

Oh, and on a quick side note; I know I’m a little late on the game, but the iPad/iPhone/iPod Batman: Arkham City Lockdown game is a whole bundle of amusement. Reviews report lags, but I haven’t had a single one, so rest assured and try it for yourselves!

You know what’s more awesome than comics? Nothing. But what comes to a close second? Movies, and even better superhero movies! That’s what we’re going to talk about today, the comic book movies you should know about and be excited for hitting us in the good ol’ 2012! The list may seem short, but these are what I consider to be the top 3 most anticipated superhero/comic book movies. But fret not, because at the end I’ll list the rest. Never say I don’t take care of the readers!

The Avengers – May 4th

This could easily be the most anticipated comic book movie ever. Never has there been such a concerted effort to get one movie done and planned to a tee. This is the culmination of 5 movies worth of preparation and teasing. It’s been carefully configured and planned out and this is the year we finally get to see it. This movie has a lot at stake, Marvel has pretty much thrown in all their chips, betting on this hand of cards. But everything about it right now is exciting as all hell. I mean the sheer excitement for the trailer was palpable, and as we near the release date, you can bet that there will be Avengers mania! This movie has been given everything it needs, a set of stellar actors who’ve shown in each of their movies that they understand these characters, Joss “King of the Nerds” Whedon as the freaking director, and one hell of a marketing campaign. I’m sure we’ve all got our fingers crossed that it’s worth the wait.

Amazing Spider-man – July 3rd

This movie can be described with one word: Redemption. This is Sony’s one shot to get it right again, and if you’ve seen Spider-man 3, you know they’ve got a lot to make up for. But will it do anything different for us? It is another origin story, as though everyone and their dog didn’t know how Spider-man got his powers. However, it is the introduction of Curt Connors/The Lizard to the realm of movies and that could add something of interest to the movie. Not to mention, it’s a completely different cast from the first set of movies. So while Tobey Maguire is off starring in The Great Gatsby (which I’m actually insanely excited about), Andrew Garfield (The Social Network, and Doctor Who once, huh.) will be playing everyone’s favorite nerd/superhero alongside Emma Stone (Superbad! and friggin’ Zombieland) as Gwen Stacy and Rhys Ifans (He was actually Xenophillius Lovegood in Harry Potter and Nicky’s oldest brother in Little Nicky, because that was my favorite Adam Sandler movie) as The Lizard. It’s got a lot of promise, despite what I may or may not think about the new costume. And hey, if it’s really awful, then maybe Marvel will be able to get the license back from Sony and we’ll see him woven into the Marvel Movieverse! Total win/win!

The Dark Knight Rises – July 20th

Oh man, talk about saving the best for the last! As you should all know by now, Batman is my favorite character of ever. Like seriously, I have a tattoo of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy with “Bat Nerd” written on a banner. My fandom goes over the upper limit on this one. Christopher Nolan has taken a broken and dying franchise of films, and made us forget what the name Schumacher means to the Batverse (Well, almost). Batman Begins continues to be one of my favorite movies of all time, The Dark Knight was critically praised and applauded by nearly everyone (I say nearly because there was probably one or two grouches who refused to comply with “mainstream” attitudes towards the movie) and just like the last two movies I’ve mentioned in this article, The Dark Knight Rises has a lot riding on it. Not many films have amazing sequels, and even fewer have amazing threequels (pardon the term, but it seemed right, I apologize). And the last time we saw Bane as a villain was in one of those aforementioned Joel Schumacher movies, not a terribly good sign. Well that’s where you’re wrong! Look at what Nolan has done with the last two movies and the images and characterizations we’re hearing regarding Bane, and even Catwoman. It sounds like it’ll fit perfectly into the universe he’s helped form. I have the highest hopes for this film as do many others, and  you can expect to see me on the midnight opening for this movie.

Those are the movies I’m sure we’re all waiting to see with baited breath and Avengers/Spider-man/batman shirts waiting to be worn on release day. But what if you don’t care about these movies? What if there’s something other comics related movies that you want to see? Well I’ve got them! There’s G.I Joe: Retaliation, Ghost Rider and The Hobbit! There’s also loads more than is speculated to come out this year (most notably Dark Tower, the Stephen King series, although it has no attached release date yet). Oh it will be a glorious year in comics and movies. Oh yes it will!

Until next time comic fans, I’m gonna go polish off my copies of Batman Begins and Dark Knight, and lock myself in a closet with a laptop until The Dark Knight Rises comes out! Happy reading!

As this was covered in The Watchtower Podcast (by the almighty leader of our band of comic rebels Jeff Moss and Donnie “Questy” Coulter) this week, you should check it out there! But lemme just summarize it. DC screwed up with their copyrights and they’ve had to pay DC Shoes a ton of cash to use their logo. Hence, they decided they no longer wanted to do this and thus they created a new logo. There, context!

Have you ever seen anything more boring?

Alright so how does this new logo fair? Well, considering the initial logo, holy crap was it boring. Simple grey and white, incredibly corporate and literally nothing exciting about it. Well not long after, DC revealed their logo in it’s entirety, and by god they really thought this through!

Color makes a difference, surprisingly.

Now this is DC’s official logo. This is what you’ll be seeing on the books, the trade and the hardcovers. This oddly makes a significant difference to me. The colour and the way it will likely be colour coded with each separate issue isn’t entirely different from the variations we’ve had on the “swoosh” logo recently. The little peel back part is obviously versatile and lends itself well to being changed. DC, in their official release of this logo, put out this image but they also gave a picture of what it will actually look like on our beloved books.

I'd love to meet the guy who thinks we'll be at #708 by May of this year

Obviously, it’ll take some getting used to. We will gripe and we will moan, but in the end it will be the most inconspicuous change on the cover. Besides it looks great, just sitting there in the corner. It’s subtle and small in a way that we will never be bothered by it.

I think what’s most exciting about this logo however is the images that came out before DC’s official release. These fantastic logos that DC is referring to as their “secret identity” logos.

Oh god so good

This is awesome. I mean, look at them! The concept alone is brilliant. Beneath the surface is something amazing, something fantastical, something surreal and different. It is an image that summarizes comics! Beneath the cover of these books is something awesome and fascinating and interesting. It’s even the basis of most of the superhero books DC puts out! This is a real and interesting way to take a previously boring logo and turning it into something incredible. I’d like to see more of this logo in use.

Whatever your opinions on the logo, we can all agree that DC has clearly thought this through. They’ve been able to justify it and it does look pretty good sitting in the corner of the books. At the end of it all, I’m sure we’ll get used to it and then get mad again when they change it again! That’s it from me, comic fans! Maybe I’ll see you at our Avengers vs. X-Men Party? I bet I will *wink wink nudge nudge*

Later!

It’s been a while since I last posted anything, and I apologize for that, but I have caught up on a couple of titles and I’m here to tell you all about them!

First off, I’ve caught up on Batman. The first thing I have to say about this weeks issue (#5) is that it’s kind of trippy, but in the best way way possible. Not giving anything away, but the page layouts are some of the coolest that I’ve seen in comics. Although at first the layout confused me a little, once I realized what it was doing, it really put me into Batman’s mind frame at that moment in time. For those of you that have been following, you’re all fully aware of how Batman’s absence is effecting Gotham, but its something relatively new to see him so vulnerable. I’ve always seen Batman as this tough, nothing-can-get-to-me, character, so seeing him so childlike in his bewilderment is very off in my books. I know a large part of this is because I’m looking at him stumble around, “not listening”, but in my mind I have Christian Bales voice for everything he says, but it still just doesn’t feel right. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, despite how tempting it is, but I can say that I’m looking forward to having my tough Batman back.

Next up on my list of titles that I’ve caught up on this week is Supergirl. Now you all know that I like Supergirl for a list of reasons, from her being a young woman like myself, to her slightly angsty, independent attitude. The best thing about this weeks issue has to be her stubbornness, I’m not sure what’s so appealing about it, but I love it. I love that she’s determined enough to follow through to wherever the sunstone is leading her, even though we all know it wont be good news. Although I’m finding the story a little slow in patches, I find that Kara’s character makes up for it entirely. We all know that sweet girl who thinks she’s totally independent and can handle all her stuff, but when we see her upset, it’s a little like watching a friend cry. You just feel for them. As for Reign, who we really meet in this issue, I don’t like her. I’m not saying I don’t like her because she isn’t cute and blonde, but because you know she has no good intentions at all. The worst part is that she’s not sure why she’s so mean either. As always, I’m going to keep following and see if the story speeds up enough for my liking.

As always, I am in love with Wonder Woman. I can’t help it. The thing I’m really loving about the new 52 Wonder Woman is how not tacky she is. Tacky can be good in some situations, don’t get me wrong, but I love how Diana is just a down to earth, responsible, very pretty, woman…Amazon…both. The other fantastic thing about this series is the interaction with the Gods, I absolutely love that they’re not all perfect human like creatures. Wonder Woman is simply satisfying all my needs as a comic book reader, it has a fantastic story that it’s following, the art work is amazing – I especially like all the different angles that are used for some panels, its light enough to understand everything on the first read, but written in a way that leaves you waiting for more. I have to say it, by far my favorite title right now. You really all ought to read it, its worth it.

I shall leave you with that for the time being, I shall make a point of posting more often, and I shall let you know all my thoughts on the latest comics!
Much love, and feel free to come by the shop – I can help you find whatever you’d like!

Bee

I’d like to take a moment from the jokes and the carefully crafted posts that make me look wittier than I actually am, to wish you all a Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel, Feliz Navidad, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Kwanzaa, and Happy Holidays! It’s time for giving and celebrating what we have, and those around us who make our lives fuller and worth living. Make sure to spend some time with your loved ones, watch some holiday specials, drink some eggnog and enjoy the festivities. It only comes around once a year, and it goes by in a blink, so make the the best of it while you can. I for one can’t wait to get home and watch Muppet Family Christmas, open up some gifts, and enjoy the company of those around me.

Once again, from all of us here at The 4th Wall, Happy Holidays and have a safe and wonderful Christmas!

Before my wonderful christmas eve post, I’d like to give you some useful information for next year’s Christmas season. After all, the day is almost upon us and I’m sure, last minute shopping aside, we’ve all already gotten our presents bought and wrapped. But I’m going to let you in on some secrets on how to make the holiday season a little easier for yourself this time next year.

#1: Make/Request a list

It has always been the tradition in my household to make a list for my parents. I’ve always done things this way because let’s face it, as a pop culture nerd and comic book lover, I’ve always had very specific things to ask for (nothing perverse, I swear). But as I’ve learnt this year, not everyone does this! Some people spit in the face of efficiency and let caution fly as they tell their family and friends to “be creative” or “get something nice”. While I get the novelty of receiving things that people had to really consider, it’s so incredibly frustrating to get you a great gift. Anyways, for those of us who enjoy receiving graphic novels, toys or any sort of very specific gift, I would definitely recommend making a list. It’s a great way to tell people exactly what you want and that way their shopping experience becomes a dozen time easier. Parents, the same goes for you. Ask for a list or at the very least a starting point. Everyone’s lives will be so much easier and Christmas won’t feel like a big ol’ guessing game.

#2 Take Inventory

One of the most common phrases uttered in the shop is “My son/daughter/friend/lover likes Batman/Superman/Spiderman/Walking Dead but I’m not sure what he/she/they/mi amore has already”. Well, my second tip is to go and find out. Be sneaky, be upfront, just find out what they might have. Pretend you want to borrow some books and go rifle through their shelves! It avoids an embarrassing moment when the recipient has it already and they give you that awkward forced smile as they say “thank you” and you can just tell they’re gonna ask for a gift receipt later on in the evening.

#3 Measure your time

A common issue that I’m sure occurs around the world is last minute shopping. I’m sure people have reasons for waiting that long to go out and buy gifts (I honestly can’t think of any but nobody could hate themselves that much to go through that experience without good reason right?). My advice is to get all your shopping done as quickly as possible. The likelihood of whatever item your looking for being in stock increases greatly and if you need a book ordered (because we do that for you! It’s true!), we can order it in time for the holidays. Plus, you’ll be able to sit home, relax and enjoy the holidays on the 23rd and 24th instead of hectically wrapping those mittens you fought a pregnant lady for at Sears the day before.

#4 When it doubt, gift certificate!

Look, I know some people have strong opinions when it comes to gift cards or gift certificates. Some people believe that it’s like telling a person to go do their own christmas shopping. But if we’re going to be honest, there is not one person on this Earth who would turn down a gift card to anywhere for anything on the basis that the giver “didn’t think hard enough”. A gift certificate is one of the most miraculous inventions ever. The recipient gets to pay nothing for something essentially. So hey, you know your friend likes comics but you know literally nothing about comics, buy a gift certificate (by golly, we do those too!). They’ll thank you for it because now they can afford that book they’ve been eyeing and your Christmas shopping workload is cut in half.

Alright comic fans! Here’s hoping your holiday shopping is done and you can enjoy the real joys of the season! The family, the friends and the comics! You’ll be hearing from me again on Christmas Eve. It’s only 3 days away!

All December long at both 4th Wall Locations, DC Comics New 52 back issues (#1-3) are on sale for just $2 each!* Why that’s 30% off! 2/3rds the Cover Price! $1 Cheaper on the issues you’ve missed!

AND If you buy 5 New 52 issues at just $2 each, you get one New 52 back issue FREE!

What a great time to check out Aquaman or Swamp Thing! Stuff a stocking with Batman or Supergirl! Fill out that Red Hood & The Outlaws story!

And with more issues coming in every week, what better time to jump in?

The 4th Wall’s New 52-Nie Sale! All December long at both 4th Wall Locations!

*In Store purchases only, does not include ComicPull purchases or Variant Cover issues

We are soon leaving the third month of the New52 and it has been gearing up. Aside from the excellent titles from the last few weeks (Batman, Justice League, Action Comics and Green Lantern all come to mind) this week has seen some excellent issues.  I wanted to list what I thought were the three best issues from this week, and give my thoughts on what makes them so great and why you should be picking these up!

Aquaman: I think what makes this book so phenomenal is Geoff Johns’ writing. The way the characters interact with Aquaman, and how he is portrayed just make this book excellent. Everyone makes jokes about Aquaman and Johns’ spends half his time addressing these jabs. I’ve personally realized how stupid every argument for Aquaman’s “suckiness” has been. He is really cool and this book just dispelled all of the bad things I’d ever heard about him. The enemy he’s facing is interesting and this issue brings up an interesting moral dilemma that I hope continues to be fleshed out over the course of this story arc.

The Flash: Oh man. I freaking love this book. It is just so cool. The Flash was never a character that interested me beyond being the comic foil for the Justice League. But this book has flipped it around completely. I never realized the range of Flash’s power beyond running really really fast, and this book is playing with it in an interesting way. One thing that makes me love this book above all else is the art. Francis Manapul knows how to make good, dynamic and movie style pages. The way he places his panels and arranges the effects (my god that beautiful “splash” sound effect in issue #1) just makes it feel like a television show on paper! His style is almost cartoony, but it’s endearing and mature at the same time. This book made me care about the Flash, much like Aquaman, and I think that is what the 52 is about.

Green Lantern New Guardians: This book is just a straight up guilty pleasure for me. What got me excited about the Green Lantern was the emergence of the other colors in the spectrum, after the Sinestro Corps War. I was intrigued that nobody had ever considered that if Green and Yellow existed, why didn’t the others? Overtime, I’ve fallen in love with the Red Lanterns and the other lanterns just seem so exciting and cool. Putting all these elements together into one book has huge potential for awesome. Not to mention that they’ve taken some of the better lanterns to fill out this book such as Arkillo and Bleez (though I wish they’d give her the intelligence she so recently gained in Red Lanterns #3). And that splash page in issue #2! So cool!

There you have it, a nerd’s humble opinions on some of the best new titles the new 52 has to offer! Tune in next week when I inevitably talk about Uncanny X-men #2 (out next week!) vs. Wolverine and the X-Men #2 (out this week!).

Happy reading!

It’s Marc again, and now that we’ve been reacquainted let’s get down to business shall we?

If you’re anything like me, you’ve had a passionate and sometimes fleeting romance with the X-Men. Once upon a time, this was the only Marvel title I would read. Anything involving the X-Men would captivate me because of the depth and meaning to the X-Men’s problems. They’re outcasts who deal with racism, homophobia and various other higher social messages that made them a captivating team. That being said, they were always one of the more topsy turvy titles that went all over the place and got kinda confusing for me personally.

But recently, with the releases of Uncanny X-Men #1 and Wolverine and the X-Men #1, I’ve decided to dip my toes back into the material, something I haven’t done since the Messiah Complex book. So let’s get up to speed together. From what I’ve been able to understand, there was a Schism between Wolverine and Cyclops(Wolverine kept leaving the toilet seat up and Cyclops just couldn’t take it anymore). This split isn’t entirely unexpected considering the tense relationship they’ve always shared. They decided to separate into two teams that can do as they choose (and Marvel gets to make two new #1s, very shrewd).

Wolverine and the X-Men #1 was released first and I have to say I really enjoyed this book. It was fantastical and interesting, especially since our resident bad-a** Wolverine is now the headmaster of an institute similar to Xavier’s. The way in which we are introduced to the school and its students is sweeping and very well done. I may not know who any of these characters are, other than those formerly of the Original X-Men, but I felt that the roster at the back of the book and the fairly simple introductions are good for a start. It also ends on a good note, throwing in some general chaos to start the series off. All in all it’s a great intro book and I’m very excited to see what direction this takes. Verdict: Definitely worth picking up.

Uncanny X-Men #1 is recently released and this follows Cyclops and those who decided to stay with him. This includes such dubious characters as Magneto, Namor and the nearly naked Emma Frost (seriously, she’s always rocking like 3 pieces of fabric?). I was pretty confused by the whole situation, and especially this “other self” that apparently occupies Colossus, which turned out to be Juggernaut which is pretty damn cool. A quick wikipedia search cleared that up for me, so in the end it’s not all that confusing. It just requires a little extra research if you weren’t already privy to the little details. On the whole, this book was definitely interesting, and Cyclops’ new attitude is interesting. He adresses the fact that the X-Men’s original goal of mutant acceptance by society has been on the back-burner for too long and they need to do something about it. This serious tone is what will have me returning next issue. This book is also much more in the nitty gritty than Wolverine and the X-Men, so if you want to se the team gets elbow thick in fighting and a familiar enemy then this is what you should buy. Verdict: As with Wolverine and the X-Men, you should definitely pick this up.

Ultimately, I think you should check out both books. If you’re a bigger fan of Wolverine, it still might be worth checking out Uncanny X-Men and vice versa if you’re a bigger fan of Cyclops. Both books have their merits and in my opinion, they both seem like they’re going to lead to interesting things. And of course, there’s always the possibility that the two teams are gonna duke it out, which would be awesome.

Well that’s it for this post, come on down to your nearest 4th Wall (they’re both pretty dang awesome) and pick up one or both of these books! If you’re a fan of the X-Men, you won’t be disappointed.

-Marc