Boom! Wham! Pow! The ComiQuad is a column dedicated to the spandex-laden world of comics and superheroes. It goes up each Tuesday (and on rare occasions, Wednesday) and will alternate between comic book reviews and other comic book news. Reviews shall try to be spoiler-free. Zam!
Can you believe that there hasn’t been a ComiQuad post since last year?
Well, now that my “start the ComiQuad off with an offensively overused joke” resolution is complete, it’s time to positively move forward into the vast, shining horizon of 2012. In addition to a presidential election and a looming apocalypse (which may be the same thing), this year comes bearing many gifts for superhero fans of film and television alike.
The Avengers – First among this summer’s usual parade of superhero films is the much anticipated The Avengers. Over the past three years, Marvel Studios has released five different films– The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America– that are all meant to form a head on May 4th. Under Joss Whedon’s directorial guidance, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth and Scarlet Johansson will team up as Marvel’s classic crime-fighting crew.
The Amazing Spider-Man – Just five years after Sam Raimi’s hit Spider-Man trilogy comes the reboot, The Amazing Spider-Man by director Marc Webb. This time around, Andrew Garfield will be playing the high school-aged superhero. Emma Stone will be playing Gwen Stacy, Parker’s second most notable interest behind Mary Jane Watson. Marvel Studios’ second major movie will be in theaters on July 3rd.
The Dark Knight Rises – The grand finale to Christopher Nolan’s famed Batman trilogy will descend into theaters on July 20th. It will feature the acting talents of Christian Bale as Batman, Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman and Tom Hardy as supervillain Bane. Numerous trailers have made their way around the internet, and many people wonder if this year’s film will be able top the performances delivered in 2008’s The Dark Knight.
Ultimate Spider-Man (TV Series) – Sometime in “early 2012,” Spider-Man is slated to star in his own animated series on the Disney XD channel. The series, written by comic book veterans Brian Michael Bendis and Paul Dini, will feature Peter Parker, voiced by Drake Bell, a year into his crime-fighting career. The show will feature guest appearances from Avengers characters debuting in this summer’s movie.
Green Lantern: The Animated Series – In the spring of 2012, Cartoon Network will be airing Green Lantern: The Animated Series during its planned “DC Nation” block of television. The show is computer-animated and will feature Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps. as protagonists and Atrocitus and the 28 Days Later-inspired Red Lantern Corps. as the antagonists. The show’s first episode premiered early this past November and garnered generally positive reviews.
The Shorts of DC Nation – Included within Cartoon Network’s “DC Nation” scheduling block, alongside season 2 of Young Justice and Green Lantern: The Animated Series, will be a series of a cartoon and live-action DC superhero shorts. They include Plastic Man, Super Best Friends Forever (a show featuring Batgirl, Wonder Girl and Supergirl), Doom Patrol, a live-action Blue Beetle, a chibi Teen Titans (featuring the same voice actors from the 2003-2006 cartoon), a Wallace and Gromit style Batman short and more.
The Mysterious Unknown – There are also a series of undated superhero projects that may or may not be coming during this wildly unpredictable year. Marvel is working with ABC to create A.K.A. Jessica Jones, a television show based on superheroine Jessica Jones and an animated Incredible Hulk series written by Guillermo del Torro.
DC Comics is also in negotiations with the SyFy Channel and the CW to create series based on heroes Booster Gold and Deadman, respectively. Both are in very early development but still maintain the possibility of coming out this year.
If one of your resolutions this year was to stare at a screen and watch copious amounts of superheroes kicking butt, I’m proud to inform you this will be the year your resolutions will actually come true. Who needs a gym membership anyway?
