CoW: Cover of the Week #17

Avengers vs X-Men #5

      I have to say. This one was tough. It came down to the Stegman variant of AvX #5 and Det. Comics #10. In the end AvX won out thanks to a little mystique and creativity. There was just something about the placement of the Phoenix Force across Hope's eyes and the way her attention sort of turned toward the camera/reader. And the tears... It just did me in. I would love to have it as a poster, without that obnoxious AvX banner Marvel is posting over everything.

AVENGERS VS X-MEN BATTLE REPORT #3

Hey there Clashers, we’ve been covering  one of the most major clashes in comic history. Avengers vs. X-Men has been phenomenal so far and  just keeps getting better.  This week is action packed with the release of VS issue 1, containing two battles too epic for just a few panels. Now to jump into things.


AVENGERS VS. X-MEN BATTLE REPORT #3 

by Hector Ramirez, Darryll "YTC" Carter & Frankie Rodriguez


Avengers Academy # 29

   The teens that were left on Utopia (Gen Hope crew), were all captured and being "held" at the Academy. And what do we get for it ... A race between Transonic and Lightspeed , Sebastian Shaw planning something to free the Gen Hope crew and NAKED HERCULES! *sigh* NEXT!!!

Uncanny X-Men # 11

   Red Hulk vs. Colossonaunt. And it ain't pretty. Winner of said bout is in the bottom.


New Avengers # 25

  The secret history of the Iron Fist ... and the Phoenix. And when we say they have history and they are connected ..  . we're NOT kidding.

Secret Avengers #26
A  team has been sent into space to try to intercept the Phoenix. Those of Kree influence realize that the Phoenix reaching Hala is in the best interest of the Kree and they cannot let their teammates capture it. As they contemplate that, Captain Marvel shows up and propose they kill the Avengers. No battles but the Phoenix put a serious hurting on War Machine and Thor.

AvX: VERSUS # 1

Oh how glorious. There is no plot in this title, only the two fights. First was Iron Man vs. Magneto which Tony won only because Magneto was caught by the gravity of the situation when he sensed the Phoenix destroy one of the planets he was drawing power from. Stark ceased this distraction knocking Erik out as he floated there barely conscious he says “Wanda, find Wanda. You’re going to need my daughter.” Next, Namor goes up against The Thing, although Namor would have seemingly been at an advantage since they were fighting underwater. Keyword being seemingly. Namor employs the help of a large carnivorous fish but Ben rips two of the fishes fangs out and uses them to pin down Namor by the throat.


Avengers vs. X-Men Round 3

   Logan fails to dispatch Hope Summers and is incinerated down to the bone. Captain America finds out about his attempt and isn’t happy about it. The Avengers split up to locate Hope and as they were flying over the ocean Cap confronts Logan  and with the help of Antman knocks him out and throw him into the water. In a sense that’s a win for the Avengers, but it also removes Wolverine and his cohorts from their ranks.


AvX BATTLE RESULTS

Red Hulk vs. Colossus (Juggernaut powered) - Winner: Red Hulk ;
     Not out of strength but because Thunderbolt Ross is an cunning bastard.

Magneto vs. Iron Man - Winner: Iron Man ... wait ... really? Um ... yeah. 
     Just attack Magneto when he's distracted by sucker punching him.

The Thing vs. Namor - Winner:  The Thing ... 
    That's just brutal.

Wolverine vs. Captain America ... and Giant Man . . . Winner: Captain America & Giant Man
     Wow, Cap. Showing that you have class. But then, the stakes being what they are, I guess I understand.

Avengers: 4 
X-Men: ZERO
Wolverine: Zero

AvX Round 3 Impressions
   Now with every Battle Report, one of the CBC will give their impression of the particular Round Issue at the time. And now for this Battle Report's Round Impressions, we got to Darryll "YTC" Carter:


Leave it to MARVEL to have an event that gets me reading there comics again. I havent read a MARVEL comic in so long and have been meaning to jump back in. AvX seemed like a good place to start. I’m more partial to X-men myself and I’m somewhat impressed with how Cyclops has managed to outplay the Avengers. While, Hope is in the wind and Wolverine as well, I’m feeling more confident about my fellow mutants chances in this whole shindig. I also feel like Cap might be headed toward one of those rude awakening scenarios. Let’s hope not, though he’s been surprisingly obtuse and cavalier about this whole thing in my opinion. And as far as Rachel is concerned, She was the last person I expected to help Scott and his mutants out. I was expecting Rogue. I guess Wolverine nose isn’t working as well as it used to. Or maybe it is…



Injury List
Namor got a fang to the throat but will live.

Colossus let himself get knocked out by the Hulk.

Wolverine just recovered from being burned and tgot beat up by Cap and Giant Man. Yay.

Iron Man is still feeling it from Magneto.

Magneto's jaw ain't as strong as it used to be.


NOTES 

- So ... the Utopia kids are prisoners in Avengers Academy ... For what crime?

- Hope burned you Wolverine and you want more. That won't spell disaster.

 - Iron Man won by sucker punching Magneto ... I'll let that one slide as long as it doesn't happen again.

- Hope is gonna be like her dad and do what she feels she has to.

- Looks like Danny Rand will have no choice but to help Hope soon as we learn more about the connection of the Iron Fist and the Phoenix.

- CAPTAIN MAR-VELL is back and he is asking Carol and Protector to betray the Avengers. Well, Protector, I wouldn't be surprised. He TORTURED Scarlet Witch's son: Wiccan and some of the other Young Avengers during Civil War.

- Rachel helped her daddy. I am a little surprised but not at the same time.

-So Mar-vell is back. Scarlet Witch is coming. So, with Hulkling and Wiccan be driven apart by their parents?



NEXT: SCARLET WITCH

AVENGERS VS X-MEN BATTLE REPORT # 2

by Hector Ramirez & Frankie Rodriguez

   Welcome once again Clashers to Avengers vs X-Men Battle Report. We are gonna catch you up to the event as well as lay out what happened, who got hurt and more. One thing I will express is an apology to you all and especially Hollatchaboiy who was correct, Nova is in a coma right now. 

In New Avengers #24:

    This issue actually takes place right before the fighting begins in AvX # 1. It shows Captain America gathering the troops together. And when he does, we get marital discord. First, we have Storm who walks out after the mere mention of the Phoenix. Then, we have Luke Cage and his wife, Jessica Jones-Cage. After a heart felt plea for his wife and daughter to come home on national tv, Luke Cage sees his wife returning with daughter and Squirrel Girl. Yet, what happens later is that Jessica has decided to leave the Avengers, with their daughter ... forcing Luke Cage to have to choose between his family or the Avengers; a choose that Jessica did not like to give to Luke. 

Wolverine & The X-Men # 9: 

The staff and students of the Jean Grey School are made aware of the approaching Phoenix Force through technology and telepaths. Captain America comes to ask for Logan and Hank's help. Logan tells the staff and Gladiator tries to inform Warbird of the Phoenix but can't. So,he is coming to Earth. 

Avengers # 25: 

Thor returns in time to raid an AIM facility. Cap is feeling the stress of being leader of the Avengers. Meanwhile, the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree Empire (thought he was dead) sends Noh-Varr (aka Protector) to stop the Phoenix Force no matter what.

Avengers vs. X-Men Round 2: 

    The fight has begun between the two teams and boy, is it big. We got Namor saying he is beating up the Avengers with a heavy heart. We got Red Hulk going up against Colossus. We have Iron Man vs Magneto and  Emma Frost. We have Quicksilver joining the Avengers vs Magneto. We have Magik vs Dr. Strange. Wolverine being called a traitor by Domino and Sunspot. And the reveal that Storm and Black Panther have been seeing a marriage counselor. 

   Meanwhile, Beast, Valkyrie, War Machine, Ms. Marvel, Protector, Vision, Captain Britain & Thor are in space ... about to take on the deadly Phoenix. And Hope, angry that she is being put out of the fight, figures out that all this is for her and Wolverine tries to kill her. TRIES being the operative word. 

INJURY REPORT:

Avengers: 

 - Luke Cage & Jessica Jones-Cage's marriage is pretty damn broken. 

 - Black Panther & Storm's marriage is hurting pretty bad.

X-Men: 

 - Cyclops must have several concussions ... as does Captain America.

- Bruises and cuts from all combatants.

- Beast JUST had his stomach fixed up after having Sabertooth rip his guts out.

- Multiple members of Generation Hope have broken noses including Transonic.

- Wolverine, Spiderman & Generation Hope suffering burns because of our little Mutant Messiah.

CASUALTIES: 

  None ... yet. 

NOTES: 

 - First, while Cyclops believes all mutants are soldiers ... he has Generation Hope hang back with Hope. Hmm ... how very ... Rogue-like for him. 

- Captain America is in full war mode here. He reminds me of how he was during Civil War. And Red Hulk is more than happy to follow orders. Red Hulk's military man like personality shines through. 

- Wolverine tries to kill Hope instead of just take her and Spidey tells him to stop. Like that was gonna work. 

- Dr. Strange vs. Magik. I don't know about you but we are looking forward to this. 

 - Countess Von Doom has a thing for Hulks. And it is kinda nasty. 

 -  The space team is staring down the Phoenix, with only Beast having any real experience with it. 

 - Wolverine is honest and upfront with the staff of the Jean Grey School about the Phoenix. 

- Quentin & Rachel feel the Phoenix coming and it knocks them out. 

 - This it the second time that Jessica Jones-Cage has ran away from her husband. The 2nd! Does not bode well, that marriage. 

 - Storm and Black Panther stop to have a martial spat between the war. I would normally say that that is insane but this is Black Panther and Storm we are talking about. 

  - The Battle between Red Hulk & Colossus shakes the shoreline. Oh wow. 

 - Sunspot calls Wolverine a traitor after saying that he and the other mutants in Utopia had their head up Cyclops' butt too long. 

 - Captain America went into the Jean Grey School; had a Danger Room pop quiz ... and only got a B-. 

- The Protector is planning to stop the Phoenix for the Supreme Intelligence. But at what cost? 

 - Thor vs. The Phoenix ... another battle that we have never seen but always wondered about is about to happen.

 - Hope developing her Phoenix powers more and more as it gets closer. And notice ... she did NOT kill Wolverine or Spidey. 

- There isn't much reaction from the JGS X-Men yet but I am sure we will see it soon enough. 

- Gladiator is heading toward Earth to save his son; to hell with the rest of the planet & the X-Men. 

 - Second part of that, Gladiator said it was okay to activate the Death Commandos ... you know them. The Shi'ar force that was responsible for killing nearly every single member of the Grey blood line save for Cable, Nate Grey & Rachel. And Rachel got to watch it all. So ... yeah ... Rachel is gonna be PISSED.

NEWS EDITION #22 - JL DOOM TAKES MANHATTAN, AVENGER VERSUS X-MAN, IMAGE'S GENERATION LAST

Here we are again with news for the week.


JUSTICE LEAGUE DOOM TO PREMIERE IN NYC

by Frankie Rodriguez 

    The long awaited Justice League Doom animated movie is coming and will be seen in grand fashion. MTV Geek and Warner Home Video will be holding a grand premiere for the new animated movie on February 13th at the New York City's Paley Center for Media.

    The new animated film is an adaption of the JLA's Towel of Babel storyline that was originally written by current Daredevil scribe, Mark Waid. Rewritten for animated movie format by the late, great Dwayne McDuffie, the story revolves around the Justice League being picked off one-by-one by villains. Yet, these villains are able to take down the League because these plans were made and stolen from Batman. These plans were made by the Dark Knight himself in case any of the Justice League ever went rogue.  The cast of the League in the movie are  Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern Hal Jordon, Flash, Martian Manhunter, Cyborg (who has become a founding member of the League with the new 52 continuity) & of course, Batman.

      The voice cast is solid with Nathan Fillion as Hal Jordon, Carl Lumbly reprising his role as Martian Manhunter (from the Justice League/Unlimited cartoons), Susan Eienberg as Wonder Woman (from the JL/U cartoons), Michael Rosenbaum as The Flash (yet as Barry Allen this time), Bumper Robinson as Cyborg, Tim Daly as Superman (voice of Superman in Superman the Animated Series) and of course, Kevin Conroy as Batman. Villain voices include Phil Morris as Vandal Savage, Alexis Densiof (Wesley from Angel) as Mirror Master, Claudia Black (from Farscape/Stargate SG1 fame) as Cheetah and more.

   The production crew and members of the voice cast will also be at the red-carpet premiere in a special panel to answer questions as well as enjoy the movie on February 13th. Justice League Doom will hit stores on DVD and Blue-Ray on February 28th, 2012. And expect a special review on JL: Doom on the February 29 edition of Comic Book Clash.


AVENGERS & X-MEN TIE IN BATTLES WITH VERSUS

by Frankie Rodriguez 

    Remember when we ended the year with news of Marvel's huge Avengers vs X-Men maxiseries event? Well, we have follow up cause Marvel seems to be going to give face a real hard look at their battles with a tie-in miniseries called AvX: Versus!

    The miniseries was announced that it will be focusing on actually one on one battles between members of the X-Men and members of the Avengers, with 2 stories each issues and a rotating creative team, much like it's daddy book Avengers Vs X-Men. Marvel Senior Vice President Tom Brevoort commented about the new miniseries:

We’re only doing tie-ins in the core Avengers and X-Men titles. Avx: Versus is the least essential lead of AvX, yet it will probably be the best-selling. It is wall to wall combat, taking moments of conflicts in the main series and giving them the room to breathe they need and require. There’s not a lot of subtext. There’s not a lot of conversation. Literally, from the first page, someone is punching someone else. This is all about those quintessential questions of who would win in a fight.

    So we got confirmation that the tie ins will be in the main Avengers and X-Men books, expect for Versus. The first issue's creative teams and battles were revealed by Senior Editor Nick Lowe to be Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert in an Iron Man versus Magneto bout followed by Kathryn and Stuart Immonen working on Namor vs The Thing, two characters that have a long history with each other.

Editor-in-Chief of Marvel, Axel Alonso added about why Versus exists:

There’s a lot of story across the twelve issues of AvX… Game changers no one will be able to anticipate. There’s a lot of fights, but you always wonder, what if there was more room for this fight, or this fight?

 And Lowe did promise that fan favorite fights were definitely not going to be ignored, such as a long demanded and awaited battle between Rogue and Ms. Marvel; as well the oddly demanded fight of Pixie vs Squirrel Girl. And most bouts will be given different locales for each battle; much like different levels to fight in a fighting game. And since the casts of book books are so massive, this is merely another great arena for battles to happen and tell the stories.

Brevoort stated:

 In the course of 'AvX' #2, there are about forty characters fighting in the very first skirmish and we aren't going to be able to spend more than a page or two on it. They're going to be pretty exciting pages, but there's a lot more you can do with any of these conflicts. All of these things will work in lockstep. You won't see bouts in 'Versus' that aren't in some way reflected in the main book, but you will see them in much greater depth.
 

And unlike every event since Civil War, there will NOT be a Frontline tie-in book. Brevoort explains why:

This is the uncut heroine of this event. Doing a ground level, normal people view didn't seem as appealing of our characters grinding each other into the dirt.

 AvX: Versus # 1 written by Jason Aaron & Kathryn Immonen with art by Adam Kubert and Stuart Immonen will hit selves in April.


THE LAST NEW GENERATIONS OF HEROES SAY "HELL YEAH"

by Frankie Rodriguez

     Image Comics has become the premiere house for independent comics, including very different looks at superheroes. And come March, what may be the final generation of heroes have come. From Eisner and Harvey Award winning writer Joe Keatinge and cult favorite Elephantmen artist Andre Szymanowicz bring able this new and final generation of heroes in time for Image's 20th Anniversary.

   20 years after the emergence of super heroes collapsed Sports and Entertainment industries and changed the world economically, a new generation has come out, trying to survive this very different landscape. This new superhero epic, according to the creators, will give you a very different look at superheroes and their effects on the world. And writer Keatinge says the creation of Hell Yeah is attributed cause of Image Comics.

Keatinge stated:

HELL YEAH exists because Image Comics exists. I read superhero comics my whole life, but when Image Comics debuted, it made me realize all the rules and restrictions I saw in other superhero comics didn't have to exist. Anything could happen. You could kill lead characters in first issues. Obliterate long-standing villains in a page turn. They could be in different tone than what's normally presented by the diversity shown in anything from YOUNGBLOOD to CASUAL HEROES. They didn't have to be noble, they didn't have to maintain the same status quo. It was turned into a genre where the term 'impossible' didn't exist. Due to all this my imagination went into over drive and after twenty years of percolating in my brain, HELL YEAH was born.

Our story starts with Ben Day, a college student who finds out that his other selves throughout the Multiverse are being murdered and why these murders are interesting to even the world's most popular and powerful super-celebrities. Szymanowicz stated how much he is enjoying drawing this new world and story:

I've been having a ball drawing HELL YEAH and watching how these characters develop, and at the same time its just a great blend of mainstream and indie comics coming together. On one hand they are just like how I was at this age: aimless, going to rock shows and trying to find someone to date. Then there's the side of it where they are in this superhero world and can sorta kick somebody's ass (or get their own handed to them) from time to time.

And Image Publisher Eric Stephenson added:

Nothing excites me more than raw, undiluted creativity, and HELL YEAH delivers that in spades. Joe and Andre are dragging superheroes kicking, screaming and spitting blood into a brave new world where the impossible is possible, nothing is sacred and no one is safe. HELL YEAH, indeed.

HELL YEAH #1 written by Joe Keatinge with art by Andre Szymanowicz will hit selves and digital on March 7th, 2012.


 
VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 2 TRAILER .. .  CAUSE WE KNOW IT'S YOUR ADDICTION!!


A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
  Welcome Ladies and Gents, to the end of one Era and the Beginning of a new  Era. Comic Book Clash is evolving. We are going through changes. Added some new staff, Added more content. And there will be more. Comic Book Clash is making a name for itself  and we are building our own niche in comic book dom. You are gonna see more new names, such like Jake Estrada (Under the Net) and Darryll (Batwoman).
    You will be seeing those names for a while. We have a whole lot planned this year and certainly more than just news and reviews. You will be seeing all sorts of different content, such as the surveys and countdowns. We are even doing something special for Spider-man's 50th Birthday. But, we want to hear from you, our fans, our readers as to what you would like to see.
   We are gonna be hitting the independent scene hard this year alongside looking at the big 2. This is a very big year and you will see A LOT of names and faces get reviewed, interviewed and more. But we need you to spread the word. Say what you like. Say what you don't like. Comic Book Clash is always looking for more staff; send us a sample of your writing and what you would like to do to francisco.k.rodriguez@gmail.com with the title CBC Staff Writing Sample. We will get back to you with an answer about a position with us within 48 hours. 
     There is a lot more that is to come, including our 1st Year Anniversary extravaganza but more on those later. Remember, support CBC. Support J1Studios. We are doing our best to give you all sorts of content in comics, music, anime, tv and more and we always love your support. Tweet it. Tell your friends. We'd love it.
  Well, till we are ready to unravel our plans for our 1 year Anniversary, that is all for now. Feel free to check out all the reviews this week and all the special content. We got an independent book and one book from each of the Big 2. Plus we got another countdown and survey. I hope you enjoy them all. And do forget to read the J1Studios comics (we can't review for obvious reasons) and listen to the music, including Shinigami's & Forafire's latest, SPIN DASH AUDIO. Till next time Clashers. 


SERAPH (aka Frankie Rodriguez)


PLACES TO GO, THINGS TO SEE

One of the few Tokusatsu Reviews I know. Great guy with a good set of reviews, a few countdowns and some specials. Tokusatsu is special effects in japanese but it is what the genre of live action stuff like Power Rangers and Kamen Rider Dragon Knight are based off of. Toku Time or Reviewtopia: Toku Time is where you can find him.

Johnny Saturn that was recently the subject of the first UNDER THE NET: Johnny Saturn


AND OF COURSE, THE NEWLY RELEASED SPIN DASH AUDIO:

The new Sonic Remix album by Shinigami and Forafire. Plus, hit the rest of J1 Studios for other comics, tv and more.  Downloads for Spin Dash Audio for FREE