The Watcher - Captain America: The Winter Soldier

by Jack Meldrum

Oh.

Wow.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is fantastic. Not merely 'good for the genre' or 'good but-flawed', but out and out tremendous. It's the best MARVEL movie ever made, by any studio. It's so good I genuinely believe it deserves Oscar nods for screenplay and director. It's a turning point for superhero movies and modern blockbusters, a rousing, earth-shattering film without a single bad scene or awkward moment. At all.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier has totally redefined what a superhero movie is. When we look back in a decade, we'll mark at as the point where 'superhero' stopped being a genre and started being a form – a method and style of making any kind of movie, where character and action are irrevocably intertwined and everything exists in this kind of hyper-real, impossible state that you believe in wholeheartedly. It's a sublime political thriller in the vein of The Manchurian Candidate, and it has the best action I've seen in a Hollywood film in my short life – easily the best in a decade at least. It's a tense, chilling film about trust and conspiracies where a man flies around on a jetpack wing suit.

Everything works. From a wonderful opening scene that introduces us (and Captain America, still played note-perfect by Chris Evans) to Anthony Mackie's scene-stealing Falcon to the gut-busting mid-film twist to the fantastic final action sequence, The Winter Soldier is a testament to how the most important part of a movie is the screenplay. There's not a wasted line or a superfluous scene. Action happens because it should, not because someone worried we might be bored. Characters behave like real, complex human beings who just happen to have superpowers and deep moral codes.

And – SPOILER ALERT – there's one of the most shocking, nauseating twists you can imagine in any movie, revealed during a terse conversation with a man who lives inside a gigantic tape-reel IBM computer. For real. It's one of the best scenes in the movie and you don't question it for a second.

The eponymous Winter Soldier is also one of the best things in a very, very good movie. Sebastian Stan has perhaps thirty words in the whole thing but he acts the pants off it. He's chilling and menacing and goddamn relentless and there's never a doubt that he really would kill you, right now, if he was asked to. Despite the soaring unreality of the film, it's totally compelling, to an extent where several times I questioned how this movie even existed. It's that potent.

I can't even tell you about my favourite scene – one totally overflowing with cleverness and unbelievable use of multiple story threads – because it's pure spoiler and you deserve to see it untainted. But you do absolutely deserve to see it. The Winter Soldier is one of the best movies of the year so far, quite possibly the best superhero movie ever made. Unlike The Dark Knight, it's dark without being morose, and it's smart without being smug. It's a fantastically watchable, shockingly well-handled film that mines the source material for every bit of good stuff it can and then creates a transcendent movie experience.

This one's gonna go far.

Jack Meldrum tried to upload himself to his pocket calculator. It's still trying to compute his ego.

The Watcher Retrospective - Captain America: The First Avenger

by Jack Meldrum

As of writing it's been just over 24 hours since I saw Captain America – The First Avenger in cinemas for the first time. Not that it was the first time I saw it, as I've had the movie on DVD since roughly six months after it first came out.

But seeing it on-screen reminded me just how good this film is. 

The ultimate strength of Captain America is that it fully embraces the message delivered by Doctor Abraham Erskine – that a 'weak man knows the value of strength' and that, to steal a quote from Disney's Hercules, 'the strength of a hero is the strength of his heart'. It's an absolutely unironic celebration of goodness, of honesty, of courage and idealism. There's no jingoistic nonsense because Steve Rogers (played to perfection by Chris Evans) is not a jingoistic man. He's not even a patriot, if one considers how patriotism so often plays out. He's a man who believes wholeheartedly in the values his country is supposed to be about. And the movie believes in him in the same way.

Joe Johnston (who also did the sublime Rocketeer and the really underrated Jurassic Park 3) opens the film with the present-day discovery of the frozen Cap and then uses the prolonged flashback that is the rest of the picture as justification for montage after montage – an approach that delivers surprisingly effective results. It's the Second World War as we know it in movies, not necessarily as it was, and because the Captain is such an impossibly fictional character, it works. Johnston's clichéd beats aren't clichés, because he's using them to absolute best effect – embracing the impossible nature of the material and selling it to us as he knows we'll understand.

Hugo Weaving is the standout, though. His Red Skull - a man so evil the Nazis said 'maybe he's a bit much, ja?' - is a glowering menace and somehow totally believable, even when he's fondling the Cosmic Cube and shooting laser beams at Hitler's cronies. Toby Jones' Armin Zola is equally terrific, with a curious amoral/moral bent that suggests he's not totally comfortable with the Asgardian-derived superweapons he's asked to churn out. Skull and Zola form the backbone of the film's narrative and structure, driving the plot forward with their sinister 'kill everyone, remake the world' super-scheme. Their sublime construction and performance means that any time the film's jovial WWII stuff feels a little flabby, we cut right back to these tight, taut interactions between man and monster and it all feels fine.

The movie is, frankly, an impossibility – made less so now by the presence of the totally incredible sequel, but still something so honest and heartfelt it's unbelievable it dropped in the cynical year of 2011. It's a film I never expected to work, and yet it does, and it does it by kneecapping cynicism from the word go and going out of its way to treat what it does as what it is. It's silly, stupendous stuff.

So when I say the sequel is a total masterpiece, you know where I'm coming from.

Jack Meldrum volunteered for the super-soldier programme, but they said he was too super already. 

Why Should I Read... The Ultimates?

I hate Captain America. There, I said it.

I'm a lifetime comic nut and I have watched all the classic good guys and bad guys waging war through the eons with each other. But there's no villain, no matter how disturbed or vile, in fact no other character that I detest more than Captain America. I have never been one to enjoy the mainstream, let alone embrace the American dream. The idea of this star spangled moron running around in spandex being everything that Americans should stand for - and bleating about how much better things were a few years back - is just so stomach-churningly irritating. Anyone who's encountered me on this subject knows that my staple response to this insipid super soldier is that he's a whining pussy liberal. He's a throwback to the Golden Age of comics, when villains were laughable and the realism that draws us in and allows us to believe the unbelievable was just plain absent.

This is why I was never big on the Avengers. I didn't really get behind a lot of the headline heroes from yesteryears. After a few years without comics, I returned to the stores and steered clear of both the big universes, and went for the kind of the things I have written about in previous articles. So when my erstwhile comic retailer suggested the Ultimates (One and Two) for reading on a business trip, it's safe to say I baulked at the idea. Then he flipped to the page where Captain America is smashing some guy's face until he died. Oh, and he cracked a terrible joke about the French while he did it.

So I bought Ultimates One and Two.

The Ultimate universe is based on a wonderful comic staple; what if? Where events and individuals are changed to show alternate outcomes. Ultimates is actually one of the best examples of this I've read. The changes they make aren't drastic. Some of them aren't even significant - Nick Fury can be a grizzled old black guy who smokes cigars and is missing an eye, or a grizzled old white guy who is missing an eye and smokes cigars. It doesn't make a whole heap of difference, unless you're a casting agent.

What is wonderful about the Ultimates is that a lot of the stark truth (no pun intended) of stories you may have already come to know is brought to the forefront. The veneer of the Golden Age of comics is stripped away, and the very harsh reality of everything that's only been hinted at for our group of heroes is shown, often in a very intense way. I don't know if you realise this, but on discovering your have abilities beyond the norm, the regular response is not "Right, I need a spandex suit and a lawyer, I'm about to go assault people!" even if a guy who looks suspiciously like Samuel L. Jackson tells you it's OK. If a person decides to do that, even in the Marvel Universe, they better have either a damn good reason, or a damn good therapist.

Ultimates takes this premise and runs riot with it, highlighting all the issues that before may have only been approached tongue-in-cheek, or passed over entirely. Subjects such as addiction, depression and spousal abuse are covered, and although not the central focus, they are covered well. These aren't new premises for the as-was Avengers, but it could put off those readers who are loyal to the original team. It shouldn't, nothing is being dishonoured here, just remoulded for a modern age.

There are touches to the action, too. The Hulk is my favourite example. Back in the day, our big green wrecking machine threw things and punched stuff, but ultimately left with a body count no worse than an original A-Team episode. But stop and think for a moment. If a scientific accident causes a man to become a monster with no rational thought and immense strength, do you really think that there won't be a casualty or two? Ultimates doesn't. It's this conceptualisation which epitomises the Ultimates for me. I feel like I'm being told the adult version of the history I've learned as a child. This lack of propaganda appeals to me, in a way that the Avengers never did.

These articles aren't meant to be a review. There is enough of those. I want to persuade you to pick up the books, and enjoy them in the same way I have. The Ultimates is damned good reading, especially if you're familiar with the 'regular' Marvel Universe. This is apparent with the new range of movies, as much of the story and character backgrounds are from Ultimates - including this universe's S.H.I.E.L.D. and it's most famous agents. So ultimately, it comes down to this; how can Samuel L. Jackson be wrong?

Chris Boyle will warn you away from Ultimates 3. Yuck. Jeph Loeb, get out!

The Watcher - Marvel's Avengers Assemble

Dreams do indeed come true, over the last few years we’ve seen the threads of the Marvel universe come together and finally we see the culmination of all of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Most thought this ambitious task to be impossible, how could you make a movie with all these massive characters and their varied worlds and succeed? One man, Joss Whedon was assigned to orchestrate this very task and by Odin succeed he did! Every star has their moment to shine, all while making the best superhero action flick yet.

Loki returns and plans to rain destruction down on earth by using the Tesseract to allow an unknown alien force called the Chitauri to invade our planet. This obviously gains the attention of Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D - Fury decides that it is about time to bring together our heroes and find the troublesome demigod along with the Tesseract.

While on the awesome looking S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier the egos of our big heroes begin to clash as Loki gets under their skin. It takes one good man to bring them together as a team - all they needed was that little push. Once united they stand tall ready to defend Earth, the following battle with the Chitauri is immense. Each Avenger shows why they’re part of the team and how the down to earth characters like Black Widow, Hawkeye and Captain America can stand next to the more monumental Hulk, Thor and Iron Man and be their equals.

Joss manages to pulls strong performances out of all the cast members - he makes the characters and their motives believable. You will see that while they may be super-solders, intellectual giants, gods and raging green monsters, they’re all still like us at heart - not perfect.

Robert Downey Jr presents his usual swagger as Iron Man, Chris Evans is ever the honest leader as Captain America and Chris Hemsworth as Thor brings the Yin to Loki’s Yang. It's a shame his relationship with Jane Foster only briefly gets touched on. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is a lot less of a brat this time around, he is much more full of evil and disdain, driven on by the ordeal of his exile from Asgard.

Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk is great - as Banner he’s bigger than what we’ve been used to but at the same time very quiet and vulnerable. Using motion capture on his face adds a lot more of an emotional element, making his initial transformation into the Hulk quite intense and rather scary.

Last but not least, the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) both kick ass - a lot. Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) seems to show more of his deceptive side but it’s all still for the greater good. As always, Agent Phil Coulson played by Clark Gregg is wonderful and has some great moments, he will forever be a favourite of mine. Finally, newcomer Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders)  doesn't have a lot to do after the opening sequence, but I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of her in the future.

I struggled to find negative points to write about. I did see it in 3D and it didn’t add a lot but it didn’t feel intrusive ether. The few things that were niggling at me were the Chitauri being an army of faceless drones, ready to be beaten with little insight into their further motivations. Their massive battleships reminded me a little to much of the Transformers movies too. A couple of things were also left unexplained, like Thor’s hesitation to pick up his hammer - is this a worry about whether he is worthy? And was Loki’s staff affecting the emotions of our heroes, we’re just left to assume that this is the case. These are only really very small complaints and they don’t spoil the experience one bit.

During the earlier promotional interviews for the film, it was said that this would not be like Whedon’s usual work. This worried me due to the fact I loved most of his previous creations. Fear not! His trademark clever writing and wit is present in bucket loads, I laughed out loud and squealed with geek joy many times. He also directs the big blockbuster action sequences brilliantly, the movie feels big! It runs at two and half hours in length but never feels overly long, the editing keeps the pace up and gives the story chance to unfold nicely.

All that is left to say is assemble and enjoy the ride!

Stefan Harkins may go to see this movie again and again!

New Beginnings - Winter Soldier #1

If during 2011 you followed Fear Itself then you will know that one of the epilogues revolved around Captain America and the realisation that Bucky didn’t really die. This revelation, although emotionally tortuous for Cap, meant that Bucky had now found a purpose which took him back into his comfort zone of the shadows.

The premise that has been created is one of espionage, secrets and complete deniability as now the world thinks that Bucky is dead meaning he can start to address some of his former issues with only Captain America, Nick Fury and the Black Widow knowing he is alive. So Bucky is using the window of opportunity to begin his own personal quest for redemption.


The story opens with Natasha and Bucky infiltrating a Department X establishment only to discover the stasis tube they were looking for is now vacant. Ed Brubaker is writing this new title and has built upon his previous work including when Captain America, in a climactic moment, gave Bucky his memories back. With more flooding back, Bucky has remembered that the Russian program that was used to create his Winter Soldier persona wasn’t limited to simply himself - there are more sleeper agents out there. Although it is a short fracas it does very quickly set the tone of the comic. This isn’t a nice soft friendly title filled with morals and ethics. There is the occasional lighthearted moment, for instance where they pass a joke about whoever alerts the guards is buying breakfast but underneath it all this is still a combination of soul searching and finding the truth.

What does slowly dawn on them is that there is a lot more to this than they know and in a moment of instinct their whole world gets turned upside down, introducing an enemy they know little about and a bigger situation for them to deal with. “Comrades” of Bucky are also at work and targeting the self-proclaimed ruler of Latveria...


Although there is a lot of narrative used in this issue, Brubaker has still written an incredibly strong opener. For anyone new reading the comic with a limited knowledge of Captain America and Bucky (like myself) it gives enough information to take you in without overloading or overwhelming you either. At the same time it doesn’t leave you feeling like you’re missing something or have to read decades of back issues to understand all the minute details. It’s easy to pick up and easier to grasp.

Another nice point to make is that it doesn’t waste time and throws you straight into action without it being gratuitous or simply for the sake of being exciting. There is a genuine hook to this title with a healthy pace to keep the reader involved and interested.


The artwork is something that may win or lose people though. Butch Guice has given it a finely detailed look with character. There is a lot of the story given to you by the look and feel of it all, its style even changes throughout depending on the context it is showing, a soft unrestricted imagery used for when Bucky and Natasha are in bed for example. It’s a nice touch but must be so labour intensive.

If I know I was a Cap and Bucky fan I know I would love this title. Part of me is attracted to it in the same way I enjoy X-Force with the whole black ops/wetwork scenario that it's painting. You also get a feeling of longevity as well. The story potential behind this set up is huge seeing as it is all off of the radar.

People will enjoy this comic and I can see it doing well so I would suggest getting in on it at the beginning, even if just to try it, as I’m sure that most (if not all) will enjoy it.

Matt Puddy is gearing up for a trip to the Hyborian Age next week.

The Watcher - Summer retrospective

Today is the final day of Summer and with an exciting month ahead for comics with the launch of DC’s ‘New 52’, movies are going to take a back seat for a little while. But before the detox begins, lets pause for a moment to look back this year’s comic book films. It certainly has certainly been one hell of a ride filled with magic, mystery and retro style galore.

Kicking it all off in fine style was Kenneth Brannagh’s ‘Thor‘. The first of two Avenger’s movies from Marvel Studios this Summer, Thor had me grinning from ear to ear, having reawakened a long AWOL childlike sense of fun within me. Here was a comic book film that embraced the colour and the magic of the source material whilst still proving to be dramatic and weighty. Kenneth Brannagh, a long time favourite of mine proved to be an excellent choice, one who set the bar very high, with stunning effects, winning performances and honest humour. It has recently been announced that Brannagh will not be returning for Thor 2, but hopefully this means he can finally get on with making series three of Wallander.

‘Green Lantern’ faced a similar challenge to ‘Thor‘, introducing a less well known character to audiences, helping the studio to build a new franchise etc, but it felt like there needed to be a stronger hand at the creative rudder. I personally had great fun and find myself a little puzzled by the backlash. One advantage may have been that I went in with little knowledge of the comics and therefore no expectations. I even thought the CGI worked! One niggle would be the ‘multiple bad guy’ syndrome that did resulted in an overall lack of focus.

‘X-Men: First Class’ sounded like a terrible idea on paper - a prequel that was also a reboot? Superhero film in an already crowded marketplace? Forget about it. But it worked and probably gave us the Superhero film of the Summer. Classy, dark and yet colourful and schlocky? You bet your mutant loving ass! With Matthew Vaughan and Bryan singer back on board the future looks very, very exciting. This film also gave us an undeniable new star in Michael Fassbender, who attacked the role of Magneto with such conviction that you might even have left the theatre asking ‘Ian McWho?’

Finishing Marvel Studio’s final one-two punch in the lead up to next year’s ‘Avengers’ was ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’, a rather ironic title considering his relative tardiness in reaching the screen. I’ve heard a lot of praise for this film, and by and large I agree. The performances are top notch, the effects superb, and the story makes sense, but on the whole I wasn’t so much overwhelmed with excitement as simply "whelmed". I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that I’ll always prefer Chris Evans as Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four movies. He wasn’t terrible as such, but the character of Steve Rogers is a little too virtuous for my liking, but that’s just me - I like my heroes nice and flawed.

Of course, we also had 'Cowboys And Aliens', directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man) who is boldly striking out on his own here without the comfort of Marvel Studios and it’s a move that has largely paid off. A long time coming, and with a genius concept this was a breath of fresh air after all of the superheroics. It is however a shame that original leading man Robert Downy Jr. bailed - his presence might have upped the humour content slightly and Daniel Craig - while a superb actor - isn’t quite the same.

So that’s it - Summer’s over and like a kid in a sweetshop, we’ve gorged ourselves silly. But cheer up - now we get to watch proper films like ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ and feel all clever, or maybe go for a run or read some actual comics! But I do find myself already contemplating next year - with Marvel Studios and DC bringing out the big guns with ‘Avengers’ and ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, 2012 is shaping up to be on hell of a year already.

Robert Barton-Ancliffe is also looking ahead to the 'Man Of Steel' in 2013

New Beginnings - Captain America #1/Captain America & Bucky #1

This week we have a double header of titles, both from Ed Brubaker, with Marc Andreyko also aiding on the writing for Cap & Bucky. Now, having never really read anything of Captain America and only having seen him as an extra character in my normal Marvel pull list, this was a new experience for me.

The first thing to make clear is that the timing is impeccable, considering that the new beginning is in synch with the release of the Captain America film and also the variant cover of the new Captain America title features Chris Evans carrying the shield. The release is almost certainly there to entice viewers of the film into the world of comics, but from what I can see it doesn’t waste time on recapping too much and heads straight for the meat of it all. Cap & Bucky is similar in this fashion as well, although it nicely focuses on Bucky for the entire issue meaning that you don’t get two titles hitting the same points home but instead you receive a complimentary pair. The stories in them do not match but the shaping of the relationship does which counts for more. I would suggest that this is the major benefit of having Brubaker writing both.

The stories are both well written and I found myself drawn into Masks (in Cap & Bucky) because of the back story. You are presented with a deep founded reason as to why Bucky has gone on to become who and what he is (was) by the exploration of his childhood and adoration of Captain America as he had been presented at the time, a symbol of hope, power and strength.

American Dreamers (in Captain America) is still good, but for the casual reader there are a few gaps in the story meaning that you can only get into the surface level of what is actually happening on the pages in front of you. On one hand this does mean that you are reliant on the glimpses of the past you are given so you get left wondering what has gone on, but on the other, the lack of information means that there is also intrigue. It’s a fine balance to try and manage but it shows through experience in the writing.

Whilst the two comics in writing are complimentary I found that the artwork is more opposing. Drawing for Captain America you have Steve McNiven with strong, clean and fine style. What is lacking in the detail of the full frame, McNiven makes up for it with the huge amount of details that are included in every facial expression. A huge amount of the story is conveyed through the look of every character and this adds further weight to words on the page.

By comparison Chris Samnee has taken a more dated approach. There is far less detail and a lot heavier colouring and everything is much smoother. The colouring is quiet dark, but then again so is the story it is following, something that is easy to miss. Given that this story is also based in the past and not bouncing between times like Captain America is, you tend to feel that this is a comic more of the original series and not 620 issues in.

I've found that these two comics are both enjoyable to read, but for different reasons. Even though they are penned by the same person, the story in one is stronger than the other and the artwork is conversely set as well. Both, however, are great titles and stories for people who are interested in Captain America then either or both of these titles are well worth picking up. Even for someone like myself who doesn’t find Cap an appealing character to follow the comics were still a good read.

Matt Puddy likes his toast cut into Super-Soldiers with his soft boiled eggs.

The Watcher Retrospective - Captain America

If you’re reading this, you know the score. Harry Knowles is gushing, SFX have rated it 4½ stars, and we’re mere hours away from our first glimpse of the First Avenger, as ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ storms onto our screens on Friday 29th July 2011. As the last member of the big screen Avengers steps up to the plate, Marvel Studios seem almost unstoppable.

But Cap has certainly paid his dues on the road to big screen glory. Arriving in 1940, the first issue of Timely Comics ‘Captain America’ was a bold statement of intent to the pre-war USA, featuring the star spangled hero punching out none other than Adolf Hitler. Creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby wanted to show the world how an average Joe, empowered by nothing more than an unwavering moral compass (and some performance enhancing drugs) could, and should, fight evil.

And lo, a pop culture icon was born. The true blue Yin to the dark and powerful Yang of DC’s Batman and Superman, Captain America has become one of the world's most enduring superheroes, blazing a path for others to follow for seventy years. And as with any true pop culture icon, TV and movie execs have long sought a slice of Cap’s sweet, sweet American pie.

Like most self respecting heroes of the 1940s, Captain America was first the subject of a black and white movie serial. In the age where audiences thrilled to the likes of Flash Gordon and Zorro, the character seems almost tailor made for a weekly adventure serial. Nazi hordes! Astonishing feats of daring-do! Death-defying cliffhangers! Last minute rescues! Its no wonder this age of filmmaking inspired the likes of Indiana Jones and Star Wars. Its just a shame all the filmmakers had to go on at the time was barely a single page of the comic, let alone a whole issue. And so the titular Republic Serial features not U.S. Army private Steve Rogers battling the very real Nazi menace, but a slightly overweight District Attorney named Grant Gardner fighting the domestic threat of the terrifying Scarab, who seeks to wreak ‘purple death’ on middle America. More of a "What if... Ray Charles made a Captain America Movie?".

But while the ‘real’ Captain America fled the critics and took a little Arctic snooze through the 1950s, he was reborn proper as a member of the Avengers in the 1960s, and pretty soon, cartoon glory beckoned. And why not? It worked for Spider-Man right? All he needed was a catchy tune. And based on the sample below, I’m quite frankly astounded that this enterprise didn’t propel him into the pop-culture stratosphere like a Hydra Rocket.

Slowly, ever so slowly, though, Marvel were starting to get their act together, licensing their properties for TV and starting to exercise some quality control. So while the Seventies brought pretty faithful TV adaptations of Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk, we were also treated to two Captain America TV movies. Okay, so the producers took one or two tiny liberties. Steve Rogers? Check. Super Soldier Serum? Check. Gnarly biker dude, intent on fighting wrong doers because they used to take the mick out of his dad? Er... check. Like almost all TV from the Seventies however, this version does have an irresistible kitsch charm when taken in small doses. Plus, with the second movie guest starring none other than Sir Christopher Lee as the dastardly ‘Miguel’, its got to be quality right? See for yourself!

Luckily, by the late 80s, the likes of Richard Donner ('Superman' (1978)) and Tim Burton ('Batman' (1989)) had finally cracked the secret formula of how superhero movies should be made. And so finally, we got ‘Captain America’ (1990), the adaptation True Believers had been waiting for. All the elements are there. The World War II origin is present and correct, Steve Rogers is the working class boy made good, frozen in the Arctic for fifty years, battling the Red Skull through the ages. Based on a little known Captain America story from the 1970s, ‘Captain America’ (1990) is an even more faithful adaptation of the source material than Zack Snyder’s ‘Watchmen’ (2009). In the absence of a decent clip, however, I’ve reproduced the original story below. Lovely artwork, good lettering.

Of course, Friday is the day, and we will finally get to see ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ in all its red white and blue glory, safe in the knowledge the character is in safe hands. As I mentioned above, Marvel Studios are currently in unbeatable form at the box office. With director Joe Johnston, no stranger to rip roaring adventure with ‘Raiders Of The Lost Ark’ (1981) and ‘Rocketeer’ (1991), a strong cast headed up by Chris Evans ('Fantastic Four', 'Sunshine'), all lovingly presented in that patented Marvel Studios Shiney-Vision, it looks like Captain America can finally stand up and be counted. Welcome to the 21st Century Steve, you’re gonna love it.

Robert Barton-Ancliffe is looking forward to Matt Puddy’s review of the all new Captain America #1.

New Beginnings - Red Skull: Incarnate #1

For those of you who are fans of Greg Pak’s work you may have previously read Magneto: Testament. Set in a similar vein Red Skull: Incarnate explores the early years of Captain America’s most notorious adversary.

Set in the economic depression of Germany after the First World War - when even the simplest of foods cost millions of Reichmarks - we are introduced to the orphan Johann Schmidt. To say that an environment creates a person (in this day and age) is a controversial statement at best, but, here we have the story of a young boy becoming the product of a bleak and desperate system.

In this first issue Pak has focussed on the environment that Schmidt was subject to, including the treatment and expectation befitting an orphan. As an interesting style choice the direction of the story is more aimed and the why of things as opposed to the feeling it evokes. You see Johann struggle and strive but never really have an outburst (saving for the end) which encourages the reader to really feel for the main character. Now this would seem like a fairly normal writing ploy that most authors would use, but usually in the case of a hero or anti-hero, not an individual who will become a hate-filled Nazi. Pak has pulled off a great feat of misdirection that actually makes the reader sympathise with the plight in front of them.

As an aside, there is another great little touch in that the issue is “authentic”. Pak has taken the time and effort to ensure that the events of the Weimar Republic have been reflected as accurately as they can whilst also playing a part in the comic too.

In the afterword Pak has said he was drawn to the project after seeing David Aja’s cover work, and I can understand why. The cover itself invokes the propaganda posters of World War 2 which fits this title fantastically.

Inside is the work of Mirko Colak. I don’t really know much of Colak’s work with the exception of Secret Warriors a couple of years ago, but from what I’ve seen I can say like it. Colak uses a fine line style for the most significant parts of the frame and a softer style for the surrounding. This gives a very nice effect of framing the key parts and naturally draws your attention throughout the issue.

I would say that there are times when I found some of the frames a little barren though as there is an inconsistency when it comes to background. These scenes seem to sit outside the conventional framework but when you look at them a second time they are all moments of significance in the creation of the mindset. All of them have a direct psychological impact on Johann whether obvious or not in the outset.

The issue is cunningly written and cleverly drawn. I would almost go so far to say that if it hadn’t been preceded by Magneto: Testament that it would have created its own waves within Marvel BUT it would have been a title that people only caught onto after and then got on back order. With the help of Magneto however I can see this becoming an instant hit to fans of Pak and/or Captain America.

Matt Puddy speaks for us all when he says you should really give this one a go. Impessive work from Pak and co.

The Watcher - Five reasons this Summer is looking Shiney!

X-Men: First Class – released June 1st in the UK

Colourful, sexy, epic, fun! Lots of glimpses of the young cast, 60s setting and stunning action, underpinned by tense snatches of conversation between the commanding central duo - James ‘Professor X’ McAvoy and Michael ‘Magneto’ Fassbender - which not only tease the plot nicely, but also hint at the pair’s fractured destiny. Director Matthew Vaughan and producer Bryan Singer seem to have the X-Men back on track. Here is a piece that promises the weight of Singer’s X-Verse, together with fresh characters and a welcome dash of colour. The sea-based action looks original and epic, and I like the pulsing prog-metal soundtrack here. Let’s hope the proper film score is equally suited to the tone. True to the comic’s? Possibly not. Too cool for school? Hell Yeah!

Green Lantern – released June 17th in the UK

This movie could be a big gamble for DC – competing in a summer dominated by Marvel Studios productions, Green Lantern, a relative unknown outside the comics community, has to stand apart. What we’re offered looks thrilling. Outer space has never looked so good, the appeal of flying through the stars so thrilling and in contrast to many earth based superhero films, this offers plenty of strange new worlds and characters for the genre to explore. Ryan Reynolds seems to be acting with conviction, but will he be lost under all that CGI? Early criticisms of the CGI Lantern suit are still a worry, but when seen in the context of the fully realised CGI world of the Green Lantern Corps, we might just be in for a visual feast on a par with Avatar. Either way it looks like a lot of fun. What do fans of the comic think?

Transformers: Dark Of The Moon – released July 1st in the UK

Having neither found the time, nor inclination to see the first two Transformers movies at the cinema, this trailer had me stand up and take notice. From the Apollo 11 teaser, echoing Alien, to a serious looking Shia LaBeouf, this actually intrigues me. The stakes, with what looks like a full scale invasion, collapsing skyscrapers and a breathless pace, look impossibly high. Whether 2D or 3D, I think I’m sold – and I didn’t even notice the absence of Megan Fox!

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part II – released July 15th in the UK (TBC)

I can’t remember the point when I stopped waiting for each new J.K. Rowling adaptation with eager anticipation. Was it that having completed the books I kind of lost interest, or is it simply that the film series has proved a little inconsistent? Either way, the above trailer has sparked my interest anew. After a relatively dull part one, we’re promised plenty of Wizarding mayhem as seven years worth of plots finally come to a spectacular conclusion. There are glimpses of many minor characters making a welcome return (did you spot Julie Walters in what’s sure to be a stand out moment?), and the effects look better than ever. Hopefully the knockout character moments from the book won’t be lost under all the bluster, and also, hopefully they’ll leave us wanting more rather than simply relieved that it’s all over!

Captain America: The First Avenger – released July 29th in the UK

This trailer promises a pretty faithful re-telling of Captain America’s WWII origins, with a cleverly rendered ‘weedy’ Chris Evan’s volunteering for an experimental procedure to produce the perfect soldier/model. Although the WWII setting has been done to death, ‘The First Avenger’ promises a new take on a classic genre, with tantalising glimpses of Cap in action against not only Nazi soldiers, but also Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull and hordes of Hydra agents. This trailer is stunning on the big screen and the whole thing has than unmistakable Marvel Studios sheen. The reference to Howard Stark also set my fanboy senses tingling. Fingers crossed, this does Thor and Iron Man proud! Roll on the Avengers!

Robert Barton-Ancliffe ran out of time to include Cowboys And Aliens, due out in August. Here at Proud Lion, we have every faith in Jon Favs to deliver something quite special!

New Beginnings - Fear Itself: Book Of The Skull

For 2011 Marvel is giving us Fear Itself as its event arc. As both a main title and also a number of crossover stories, it is set to pan out across the whole Marvel Universe and (as per a recent interview with the Fear Itself panel) will set the tone for the next few years.

There have been many teasers in the recent weeks, with all of the Marvel titles displaying double page spreads of sneak shots into what is to come and so in anticipation of this we are presented with the Fear Itself prologue, Book of the Skull.

Written by Ed Brubaker and pencilled by Scot Eaton the story opens around Baron Zemo and Sin, the Red Skull’s daughter. This is also to set the scene for the whole arc as Sin is the main antagonist for the entire event. In what appears to be a fraught partnership the two are searching for a lair of the Red Skull to remove a very special item. Sin knows this to be the key to a phenomenal amount of power and like any good super villain she will stop at nothing. It’s short, it’s punchy but it puts a great deal in place for the reader, especially for those who have no idea of the characters involved.

This was the case entirely for me. My knowledge limit is that Baron Zemo was the original leader of the Thunderbolts and I had no idea who Sin really was, although the passing resemblance and the cover art did give things away. To this end it made for a slightly diluted opening, as I have no history and prior knowledge to base anything on. Flaw or strength, I’m not really sure yet as I have no preconceived ideas for the story to live up to.

What Brubaker does then is takes a step back in time to when the Red Skull was creating this scenario. I’m not going to spoil anything by giving the content away but you do witness the combination of Cap, Bucky and Namor in pursuit of the Red Skull. The characters personalities and actions really shine through and Brubaker has done a fantastic job - his pedigree shows. The Red Skull being the consummate Nazi complete with undying loyalty and devotion to the Fuhrer; Captain America and Bucky being the ever good duo and Namor with his resolute fighting spirit and temper.

The story holds you and draws you in but at the same time leaves rather large holes for you to peer into and question. It works well as this is simply a teaser in itself.

My criticism would be that no matter how well the story has been written, or how well it has been illustrated, I am still left with an overwhelming feeling that even though it has looked pretty and read well, I still have absolutely no idea of what is going on with the arc. I know that there is a huge tie in with Thor. I know that Odin will be brought into disrepute. I even know that we will see a new Ghost Rider (whether or not this is a part of the bigger whole I’m not sure) but all of this I gained from taking a look around the internet. I’ve found more of a buzz there than created in this issue. I still think it’s going to be big although I’m not sure it will compare to previous world breaking arcs like Civil War or M-Day, however I am very happy to wait and see and (hopefully) be proved wrong.

Matt Puddy knows no fear...

FACT x IMPORTANCE = NEWS

Clear the decks! Prowling The Savannah is back after festive hibernations. Tomorrow we bring you the first in our new weekend column series from new contributor Kate Townshend. Then on Tuesday the long awaited Big Game Hunting gaming column begins with another new contributor. All very shiny!

But first, the news from this week has basically been eclipsed by the release yesterday of these two pictures...

Your thoughts?

Ben Fardon is loving the Oscar baiting films coming out right now, but is really looking forward to the 2011 blockbuster season!

New Beginnings - Avengers Prime #1

Lurking amongst the other four big Avengers titles launching the Heroic Age is Avengers Prime, a series focusing on the ‘Big Three’ Avengers; Thor, Captain America and Iron Man. Taking place between scenes at the end of Siege, though there are internal inconsistencies on this, the three are assessing the ruins of Asgard and also bickering quite a bit.

Considering the Heroic Age is meant to be about heroes being heroes again and not fighting amongst themselves, it seems a bit odd that writer Brian Bendis would play so heavily on the in-fighting between the three (well, between Stark and Rogers, with Thor stuck in the middle), especially when he has to drive Rogers out of character so much to make it work. Steve here completely contradicts everything he stood and died for in Civil War, making him look like a hypocrite for no particularly good reason or effect.

Before long, the three are sucked through a damaged Asgardian portal and dumped across the nine realms of Norse mythology, lost and alone. Well, Thor’s not lost, obviously. Which only really serves to further make him seem like a third wheel.

Splitting up the characters is a mistake. All these three characters have solo books. Therefore, they don’t really need a joint title doing character pieces on them, unless it’s going to focus on them as a group and as friends. Splitting them up robs the book of its reason for existing, especially as you don’t gain any sort of extra insight to the three when they’re alone. Steve manages to get into a fight with some goblins, which is fun, but all it serves to do is put him in a rough approximation of his Captain America costume – which tells us what exactly? That he’s Captain America? Well, a) we know that and b) he isn’t any more, which is what these new Avengers titles are all trying to establish.

The biggest problem is though that we already know what happens next. This issue takes place before Avengers #1, which still has Tony and Steve hostile to each other and Thor stuck in the middle. If the rest of this series does go on to have some manner of reconciliation between the three, it’s immediately irrelevant, because the reader already knows it doesn’t stick.

The only real saving grace for the issue is the art by Alan Davis, quite possibly one of the best artists currently working in the medium. That’s a bit of a shame really though. I’d like to think there’s more interesting titles he could be putting his talents towards. He seems wasted on this title, even if he does draw the nine realms very nicely.

Avengers Prime really does feel like a waste of time. It’s so busy retreading old ground that we should all be moving away from, with little in the way of return or reward, that it forgets to do anything worthwhile with itself. It’s a character study that doesn’t study its characters.

Martin S Smith is an author and blogger. He’s just released his first book, The Redundancy of Flightless Birds, and reviews stuff every week over at The Taste of Rising Bile.