Movie Talk - Iron Man in the MCU

Next up on the list is Iron Man. Now, I have to admit that I’m not that much of a fan of Tony Stark. I really wasn’t that exposed to the character in my youth. I did see the animated series from the 90’s but some of that show wasn’t really good. I will say that the show’s theme in the second season rocked. Since the movies have come out, I’ve gotten around to somewhat like the character.

I actually saw Iron Man through some unconventional means (it was bootlegged and I didn’t buy the bootleg either) back in 2008. I actually got to see both sequels through the usual conventional means when they were released in 2010 and 2013, respectively. I know I’ve seen Iron Man on TV somewhere. I know I saw Iron Man 3 again in the barbershop. Since I haven’t seen the movies recently, I decided to re-watch them… through conventional means. Kids, don’t pirate.

Movie Talk - Thor in the MCU and Guardians of the Galaxy

Today, I’ll be looking at the Thor movies. Since Thor’s world is also in that cosmic place with this universe, I’m also including Guardians of the Galaxy since I don’t want it to be all by its lonesome. While Thor isn’t one of my favorite heroes, I still wanted to see the movie. I went to see it with a group of friends back in 2011 in Murfreesboro. As for the sequel, I decided to wait for it to come to Blu-Ray since I really wasn’t jazzed about it. I was in the same boat with GOTG. Since I didn’t know much about the characters, I just decided to wait to see it on Blu-Ray as well. Since I hadn’t see Thor since 2011, I was able to re-watch it online.

Movie Talk - Captain America in the MCU

Since the Avengers are popping up in theatres next month, I think it’s finally time to look at all of the Marvel Cinematic movies. The only ones I won’t touch are The Incredible Hulk and The Avengers. I went into depth with TIH last month and I might as well save The Avengers for the eventual look at the new movie. Today, it’ll be Captain America’s movies.

I’ve got to say that I’ve started to gain a fondness for Captain America over the last few years. He’s pretty much the essential part of the Avengers. Without him, it doesn’t feel right. The movies have definitely helped in that growing fondness. I saw Captain America: The First Avenger with a friend in Smyrna. It was also the first time I went to Panda Express. As for the sequel, I really wanted to see this one in theatres and was able to do so. I also made these movies a part of my re-watch.

Tales From the 50 Cent Bin! - Captain America #1

Now, I’m in the present… or at least 2004. It’s close enough. Today’s issue is Captain America #1. This was the start of Ed Brubaker’s long run on Captain America and it all started with the Winter Soldier arc. As you can probably tell by the title, most of Brubaker’s arc influenced the recent movie from 2014. I don’t know if I picked up the first trade to Brubaker’s run because of the movie or because of word of mouth. The issue was written by Brubaker. I haven’t read much of his work outside his stuff on Captain America. I know he’s been on Batman and Daredevil. The artist is Steve Epting and I even know less about him. So, let’s get to it.

Captain America #1

Writer: Ed Brubaker
 Artist: Steve Epting
 Colors: Frank D’Amata
 Letters: Randy Gentile
Editors: Tom Brevoort, Andy Schmidt, Nicole Riley, and Molly Lazer

Tales From The 50 Cent Bin! - Captain America #247

Now, I’ve gotten to Captain America aka “Mr. Stars and Stripes.” While he’s not one of my top 10 comic book heroes, I’ve always liked the guy. To me, the Avengers don’t feel like a thing unless he’s around. Unlike the other two heroes, I’ve looked at, I actually own some stuff related to Captain America. I’ll be looking at two first issues that are part of trade I own. Today, I’ll be looking at Captain America #247 from the War and Remembrance trade.

This issue started a short but good run for the character. The writer was Roger Stern while the penciller is John Byrne. Both also co-plotted on the issue. I actually looked at an issue from this trade last year that had Cap almost run for office. Joe Rubinstein handles the inks for the issue.  So, let’s see what happens while Cap is out doing his thing.

Captain America #247

Writer: Roger Stern

Pencils: John Byrne

Inks: Josef Rubinstein

Colors: George Roussos

Letters: Jim Novak

Editor: Jim Salicrup

Tales From the Library! - Thor: Ages of Thunder HC

And now, it’s time to show a wee bit of fondness towards Thor. I’ve said it before, but I might as well say it again. I’m not a big fan of Thor. He does have his cool points, but I really haven’t gravitated towards his books. I like it more when he’s in a team setting. So in saying that, why am I talking about a hardcover featuring Thor? A couple of years ago, I picked up this HC at the library because I simply hadn’t read it. I remember liking it when I first read it. Since I did it with Iron Man, I might as well do it with Thor.

Thor: Ages of Thunder contains a series of one-shots that looks at Asgard at various points in its past. The one-shots were Thor: Ages of Thunder, Thor: Reign of Blood, and Thor: Man of War. It also contains a one-shot special called the Thor God-Size Special. It takes place in Marvel’s current continuity. All of them were written by Matt Fraction. I think I’m catching a trend with this Fraction guy. The HC houses a crapload of artists that include artists like Patrick Zircher, Khari Evans, Doug Braithwaite, and Mike Allred. 

Tales from the Library! – Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1: The Five Nightmares

Now, it’s time to show a little love to the man known as Tony Stark. I have to be honest in that Iron Man isn’t one of my favorite characters. Even though I like the movies, I’m just not a fan. Some years back, the public library in my hometown acquired Matt Fraction’s entire run on Iron Man. I decided to check out the first few volumes and did like what I read. Since Iron Man is gracing us with his presence in Avengers: Age of Ultron, I decided to re-check that first volume and see if it’s really any good.

The trade includes the first seven issues of Invincible Iron Man. At this time, Tony Stark had become the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. after the fiasco with Marvel’s Civil War which is one story I have to cover on here one day. If I remember correctly, these issues came out at the time when Secret Invasion (another event I might look at) was being released. The Five Nightmares is written by Matt Fraction. He’s done a lot of work for Marvel in the last decade. He’s even done stuff for Image as well. The artist on the book is Salvador Larroca. He’s also been in the industry for a long time.

Invincible Iron Man: The Five Nightmares

Writer: Matt Fraction

Artist: Salvador Larroca

Colors: Frank D'Amata and Stephane Peru

Letters: Chris Eliopoulos

Editor: Alejandro Arbona and Warren Simons