Just announced at USA Today (and Fred Van Lente's Twitter feed) was a "Captain America: The First Avenger" prequel comic series (titled "Captain America: First Vengeance") that will have its first issue released for free on Super Bowl Sunday at captainamerica.com (and then release Feb. 8 on iTunes powered devices). This series will be eight issues long, leading into the release of the film with one-off issues that develop the characters to where they stand at the beginning of the movie.

It will be written by Van Lente and illustrated by a rotating list of artists, including upcoming "Hercules" artist Neil Edwards and former "Captain America" artist Luke Ross.

Do you like comics? Do you like free things (that you occasionally should donate to because you're a good person)? Do you like funny things? Are you a slacker?

If you answered yes to any of those things, there's a chance you'll like Jeff Parker and Erika Moen's new straight-outta-Periscope webcomic Bucko that launches February 1st (but if you check right now you can read the first comic because it's 2/1 somewhere). As a big fan of both of the creators works, I was excited to see this via The Weekly Crisis today, and even more impressed when I read the first actual comic.

Support this comic folks, as it will surely be a fun time for all.

For those wondering what it is, read the intro after the jump.

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On this week's 4 Color News and Brews, Brandon and David take viewers through their favorite books of the month.

On this first segment though, they throw down some disgusting begging towards a creator, take a look at the worst of the month, and then spotlight the books that didn't quite make the cut.

Leave us a comment if you like the show, and make sure to become a subscriber to our YouTube channel as well!

This week on Art of the Week, we've got a slew of incredible offerings from talented artists all across the industry. To start, I've got a commission from Mahmud Asrar in which he depicts Pixie from the X-Men in absolutely gorgeous fashion. Phenomenal work from the upcoming "Star Wars" artist, and there is even more awesome to be found after the jump.

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This week on Multiversity Comics Presents, our interview series here at MC, we've got Image Comics' Publisher Eric Stephenson chatting with us about Image's success from 2010, where they are headed in 2011, and the overall health of the medium. Everyone here at MC was very excited about this interview, and it turned out even better than we could have expected.

Thanks to Eric for talking with us, and check out the interview after the jump.

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Zack Synder ("300," "Watchmen") has been searching for his Superman/Clark Kent since being given the reins of the upcoming Christopher Nolan produced Supes film, and now he's found him. Henry Cavill ("The Tudors," "Stardust," "The Count of Monte Cristo") will be donning the tights as the Man of Steel.

Although, like everyone, I have limited experience with the relatively unknown Cavill, what little I have seen is impressive. He has gravitas and an air to him that makes it feel like he could be a very successful Kal-El, plus he looks the part. I'm eagerly seeing what will come out of this movie.

Look for more of this coming soon, hopefully.

Today brings a special 4 Color News and Brews edition, in something we're calling 4 Color Raw. This is unedited, uncut greatness from the 4 Color duo of Brandon and David, as they discuss their all-time favorite comics chronologically from the beginning of their comic book fandom.

It's chock full of ridiculousness, but you probably figured that by seeing 4 Color. Expect to see more Raw videos in the future, and make sure to check out the other FIVE segments after the jump.

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Written by Mike Carey
Illustrated by Mirco Pierfederici, Gabriel Hernandez Walta, Carlo Barberi, Walden Wong, Paco Diaz, Paul Davidson

Mutantkind’s final war starts here.

If you don’t know which side you’re on, check your DNA.

Based off my childhood, I'm conditioned to expect X-Events that begin with an "Alpha" comic to be amazing. Does this one do the Alpha name justice?

Find out after the jump.

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Marvel Press Release

The end of the Fantastic Four is here! Huge choices that dramatically impact the Marvel Universe are made this February in Fantastic Four #588, from the superstar creative team of Jonathan Hickman, Nick Dragotta and Mark Brooks! Following up on the sold-out hit Fantastic Four #587, Marvel is pleased to present your first look at the FINAL issue of the long-standing series, guest starring all your favorite Marvel heroes! But the story isn’t over yet because where one door closes, another opens. It’s now up to Reed, Sue, and Ben to make life-changing decisions of their own volition that set them on a course destined to change the Marvel Universe in Johnny’s honor!

“The reaction from fans and retailers to Fantastic Four #587 was overwhelming and we’re excited to show fans, who have been chomping at the bit, to see what’s next!” exclaims SVP of Sales, David Gabriel. “It may be the end of the series, but it’s the beginning of something much bigger.”

Say your final farewells to the Fantastic Four, this February in Fantastic Four #588!

Check behind the cut for a four page preview

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In a live press call hosted over at CBR, Stephen Wacker (Spider-Man editor extraordinaire) accidentally revealed the mystery of the new Venom, who will be appearing in Amazing Spider-Man 654.1. This was completely accidental, not supposed to actually be known, and then quickly reprimanded by Rick Remender.

However, this is the internet, and once something gets out on the internet, it spreads like wildfire. And we know who the new Venom is. We also respect your right to not to be spoiled (as we were, accidentally - but we forgive you Stephen!), so we won't say it out loud.

If you would like to know who the new Venom is, take a look behind the cut for the answer (as well as additional information on the series, including preview pages). If not, move along. The issue comes out February 9th, and all your questions will be revealed then.

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Axe Cop: The Movie - Part 1 from Peter Muehlenberg on Vimeo.

There are no words that can ultimately sum up how amazing Peter Muehlenberg's live action Axe Cop video is. Just watch the above video and pray that more are made.

KICKAXE!

DC released the above image as well as some additional information today on the Source Blog, confirming that Flashpoint is going to be a mega-event and one that is ... well, involved. As DC notes, Flashpoint will be "an epic five issue series, one with a scope so big and ambitious that there will be fifteen mini series expanding on the events, along with several important one shots." FIFTEEN ADDITIONAL MINI SERIES. Yes. You read that correctly. Can anyone remember the last time something similar happened? Because we can!

So, what are these mini's and what do they talk about? Well, let's let DC say it for themselves:

Whatever Happened to Gotham City?

FLASHPOINT: BATMAN KNIGHT OF VENGEANCE #1-#3
FLASHPOINT: DEADMAN AND THE FLYING GRAYSONS #1-#3

Whatever Happened to the World’s Greatest Super Villains?

FLASHPOINT: CITIZEN COLD #1-#3
FLASHPOINT: DEATHSTROKE & THE CURSE OF THE RAVAGER #1-#3
FLASHPOINT: THE OUTSIDER #1-#3

Whatever Happened to the Aliens?

FLASHPOINT: ABIN SUR THE GREEN LANTERN #1-#3
FLASHPOINT: PROJECT: SUPERMAN #1-#3

Whatever Happened to Science & Magic?

FLASHPOINT: FRANKENSTEIN & THE CREATURES OF THE UNKNOWN #1-#3
FLASHPOINT: SECRET SEVEN #1-#3

Whatever Happened to Europe?

FLASHPOINT: EMPEROR AQUAMAN #1-#3
FLASHPOINT: WONDER WOMAN AND THE FURIES #1-#3
FLASHPOINT: LOIS LANE AND THE RESISTANCE #1-#3

Everything You Know Will Change in a Flash

FLASHPOINT: LOST KID FLASH #1-#3
FLASHPOINT: THE WORLD OF FLASHPOINT #1-#3

Holy geez. Collector hungry kids, get your wallets ready.

While this is a rather epic in scope event, I've gotta say that some of these sound pretty intriguing. Citizen Cold? Project: Superman? While I sincerely hope that (unlike Blackest Night) Flashpoint can be read on it's own and enjoyed, it'll be interesting to see the writer and artist teams of these books. I'm almost getting ready to guess that Johns himself will be writing more than a few of these, and you can probably put money down on Gail Simone writing Secret Seven.

(via source)

Last week, we introduced not only a new weekly poll feature, but asked you who you thought would die in this week's Fantastic Four. 51 people voted, and 52% of you were right - Johnny Storm is no longer with us. But now that the issue has come and gone, we want to know - how did you like it?

Obviously we liked it, giving it a 9.9 rating. Now we want to know what you thought! Was it everything you wanted it to be and more, or below your standards? Did you spoil it for yourself and still love it, or did spoiling it take away the impact?

Fantastic Four #587 is already an historic issue, so give us your thoughts in this week's poll! And feel free to leave comments below to expand on your thoughts for this issue.

There has been a lot of talk lately (especially on this site!) about All Ages comics, focusing on comics for young readers. It honestly feels like most people either outright ignore comics for kids, and those that want those comics don't seem to realize that they do in fact exist - they're just not typical for adult readers. See, the adult readers complaining about the loss of something like Thor: The Mighty Avenger enjoyed that book at all because it still resonates with adult readers. It's fun, light hearted, full of great values, and a pleasure to read. But just because we don't have that or Brian Clevinger's Captain America doesn't mean we don't have all ages comics at all, and DC certainly has the best titles for comics for kids: Tiny Titans and DC's Super Pets.

Normally, Friday Rec is used as an analysis area for us to take a look at comics we have loved in the past. We break them down, talk about why they matter, and the influence they've had over us. However, this Friday Rec is different, because Tiny Titans and Super Pets aren't books that are inherently geared towards an audience my age. Instead, they are perfect entry point for younger readers to get into superheroes.

For a few thoughts on these fantastic kid comics, take a look behind the cut.

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DC certainly made a great move among fans when they announced right before NYCC that they would be "holding the line" and make a linewide change to their comics: the books will lose two pages each, but will firmly be priced at $2.99 (outside of select minis). Marvel responded with eyerolls, with both executives and creators insisting that the loss of pages will ultimately hurt the stories and that the prices for the issues really seek to benefit retailers.

However, it looks like DC's play in their first month may already be changing hearts and minds over at Marvel, according to a report from Rich Johnston at Bleeding Cool. Starting in May, Marvel may be trying a similar technique. While this doesn't seem to be a linewide thing yet, apparently Marvel will test out the 20-page $2.99 books to see what the changes are in sales. Marvel creators will not lose any money on the changes, and all previously submitted and accepted 22-pages will remain published. Marvel also wants to try and increase the amount of issues per year in any given series from 12 to 13, which could be an interesting tactic.

We'll know more about this by May assuredly. Or if Marvel comes out and makes a statement soon, which is also highly plausible.

(via source)

Written by Cullen Bunn
Illustrated by Brian Hurtt

In a decaying mansion in the blackest heart of the Louisiana bog, Drake uncovers more secrets of the Six... and angers a spirit that wants to ensure the gunslinger never leaves the swamp alive! It's man versus some of the meanest man-eaters to ever crawl out of the marsh!

One of the most horrendously underrated ongoing series out there today, The Sixth Gun continued to fire on all cylinders with its latest chapter. Wanna know what I thought? Click it up, son!

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Those of you who has been following Powers since it first arrived from Image Comics from a young Brian Bendis and Mike Oeming know that one of the earlier issues featured comic scribe Warren Ellis doing a ride along with Agent Walker as he does research for his comic book, Powers. Of course, the issue ended in somewhat of a disaster for Mr. Ellis, but I don't think there is anything that can actually stop him.

And clearly Mike Oeming believes such, as he once again illustrates Warren Ellis into Powers, this time into a new role (and clearly a more powerful one). The image seen here will appear in an upcoming issue of Powers, which will be starting up regularly again soon (assumedly now that Takio is completed). Needless to say, the return of the series is an exciting one, and to have uber-Ellis in it is even more incentive to be reading along (not that there was ever not an incentive to follow Brian Bendis and Mike Oeming's epic cop/hero comic).

(via source)

As a supplement to my Multiversity 101: Myths and Realities post from earlier, I wanted to share all of the responses I got from creators about the industry's inability to draw in new readers (and what books they think would be good to hook new readers). I polled a wide variety of creators and critics from around the industry with two main questions, and the responses were equally varied but often insightful. The questions were:

The industry as a whole is having difficulties bringing in new readers, particularly young ones. What do you think the main roadblock facing publishers today is?

If you could only pick one book for new readers, what would you recommend and why?

Check out what everyone thought after the jump, and as a homework assignment, buy a non-comic fan that you know one of the books these folks recommended.

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Written by Robert Kirkman and Benito Cereno
Illustrated by Ransom Getty

As the Viltrumite War rages on within the pages of INVINCIBLE, the Guardians of the Globe are the last line of defense on Earth. New York is under siege, and the Guardians are called in. El Chupacabra is brought along on his first mission, but he’s hiding a dark secret that could tear the team apart! Featuring a special guest-appearance by The Astounding Wolf-Man!

The latest chapter of Robert Kirkman's long-awaited Guardians of the Globe mini-series has finally arrived, bringing a familiar face to fans of the Kirkman-verse to the book and continuing the revolution of the GOTG. How did it stack up? Clickity click to find out!

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Written by Scott Snyder
Illustrated by Jock

Now at the mercy of the deadly Mirror House, Dick Grayson must fight for his life against one of Gotham City's oldest and most powerful evils!. Be here for the shocking conclusion to "The Black Mirror," the first arc by the highly anticipated new creative team of writer Scott Snyder and artist Jock!

The Snyder/Jock era of Detective Comics is only three issues old, but it's already blazing a trail of entirely creepy, completely riveting and immensely unique storytelling that combines to form one of the best Bat-books running. How did the latest issue play itself out? Click below to find out!

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Whenever fan fervor boils over to the point of a near online movement, it's hard not to stand up and notice...and that's what happened recently when Marvel announced that they were canceling Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee's beloved (but short-lived) Thor: The Mighty Avenger. This book was a) all-ages friendly, b) critically lauded and c) beloved by fans, yet it only lasted eight issues before it met its demise.

Fans started to question whether or not Marvel (and the industry as a whole) was interested in pursuing new - and young - readers if they had no interest in keeping books like that going.

Then it came out that Brian Clevinger and Gurihuru's upcoming ongoing series Captain America: The Fighting Avenger was being downgraded all the way down to one-shot, and then even Clevinger had to stand up and question what was going on.

"You may recall that this was intended to be an on-going series. It was downgraded to a four issue mini-series and then two issues - you get both of 'em in this one-shot. Captain America: The Fighting Avenger will be one of the last "all ages" issues of anything Marvel will produce for quite a while. Because they 'aren't profitable.'

What I mourn here is the largest comics publishers in America giving up on fun and accessible comics."

But what's the reality of the situation? Why are these books being canceled before they get the chance to shine (and in Clevinger's case, before they get a chance to be released)? Are all-ages comics really failing, or is that just a myth?

Find out the myths and realities of this controversial subject after the jump.

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Written by Scott Snyder
Illustrated by Mateo Santolouco

A night on the town goes horribly wrong when Pearl and Henry have a run-in with some vicious bootleggers who aren't what they appear to be. Plus, a figure from the past comes back to haunt our heroes in the conclusion of this 2-part tale of booze, bullets and blood.

Part 2 of American Vampire's third major storyline wraps up with this issue. Do Scott Snyder and guest artist Mateus Santolouco continue the upward trend the book has maintained thus far? Click below to find out!

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Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Illustrated by John Romita, Jr.

The Avengers team up with the incredible RED HULK as the Hood makes a crazy power move to bring the Infinity Gauntlet together once more. But the Hood has no idea the power he is toying with and who is coming to earth to challenge him for it. Another earth-shattering chapter of Avengers crazy by Bendis and Romita Jr! Plus: another illustrated chapter of the oral history of the Avengers!

So far, this arc has really been making the Bendis plus a classic Avengers set-up seem like a match made in heaven. Will it continue? Check out my review after the jump.

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Written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente
Illustrated by Khoi Pham, Tom Palmer and Bob McLeod

THIS IS IT!! THE MARVEL UNIVERSE'S LAST STAND! The Chaos King unleashes his ultimate attack against reality as we know it -- and our survival depends on a boy, his god, and their ragtag band of allies: The Mighty Thor! The Incredible Hulks! The Dead (and Living?) Avengers! The X-Men! Alpha Flight! But are they enough to stand against THE ANTI-ETERNITY ... The force that seeks to negate all existence itself? In this issue, the universe dies and everyone wins! ...What?

Will Hercules and Amadeus Cho make it out of this deal alive? Will humanity? WILL EXISTENCE? Find out by buying this book, or read my review and prepare for the astonishing!

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As revealed in an interview with Newsarama, Mark Millar has stated that the upcoming Death of Spider-Man story in Marvel's Ultimate line will be his last endeavor in the Marvel Universe. Not that there is any friction between him and Marvel - far from it. Millar simply feels that now is the time in his life to focus solely on creator owned endeavors, and given the amount of success that he's been having with his creator owned books, you can't really blame him.

Millar's been with Marvel since 1996, launching his creator owned line Millarworld in 2004. The Ultimates in 2000 were Millar's first mainstay at Marvel, which led to further runs in Fantastic Four and Marvel Knights Spider-Man, as well as 1985 and Old Man Logan. Now, with the success of a film like Kick-Ass and other properties of his optioned for films, now is pretty much the best time to be Mark Millar. Nemesis and Superior are selling like hot cakes, Kick-Ass 2 is coming out, and the man claims that there will be future announcements at the Comic Con that he started for England - Kapow! - stating that the artist on this new book will be none other than Dave Gibbons (although we've heard rumors of this for some time now). So while Millar and Bendis once again team-up for Ultimate storytelling, it looks like this is your last chance to see Millar do anything with the Marvel heroes.

We wish Mark all the best with his creator owned endeavors, but really we don't need to because his books frequently sell out and he's doing quite well! Although - and this is just a guess here - but I still don't think we'll see the final issues of War Heroes coming out any time soon.

(via source)

ComiXology announced today that they are releasing a Retailer Tools and Pull List service that will allow retailers to create digital storefronts. What does that mean? That any comic retailer, say Floating World Comics in Portland, can create a ComiXology storefront and sell books out and split the profit (assumably) from there. Given that many retailers shared a disdain for digital comics because it cut this out of the equation, this is a nice offering from ComiXology.

But it's also a really confusing one. Why do digital comics need another layer added between the comics themselves and the consumers. I recognize this as a good guy to retailers, but really, why do this through a digital storefront instead of the ComiXology app itself? It seems to be adding an unnecessary wrinkle, but we'll see as more information comes out about it. Details are a little sketchy right now, but we'll have more on this subject later.

Also, if you'd enjoy a decent discussion about this, talk to Dean Trippe on Twitter. He's as confused as we are.

(Via The Beat)

Other than what basically amounts to a supporting role in Justice Society of America, Dr. Fate has been getting the short end of the stick over the last few years. Frankly, its not really treatment befitting the eminent sorcerer of the DC Universe. That said, magic based books, especially within DC's jurisdiction, have historically been pretty fickle sellers. Case in point: the wonderful Shadowpact series meeting the early demise that it did. That said, I do think there's a place for Dr. Fate in today's market, if given the proper spin and the right creative team. The story would need to breathe, it would need to push boundaries and really explore the psychological element that is inherent to magic itself. Frankly, you'd need a mind thats just slightly detached from reality to bring the warped landscapes, striking imagery and gut wrenching psychadelia required of a book about a world class sorcery. To me, that warped mind is none other than Grant Morrison. And backing him up with the far reaching, somewhat jarring but fundamentally beautiful imagery is would have to be Esad Ribic. Click below for my reasoning.

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With very little fanfare, Marvel has released the following teaser image for Fantastic Four #588, the last issue of the book before it is relaunched as simply "FF" in March (and before FF is relaunched as Fantastic Four #589 in give or take two years...)



(source)

Written by Paul Cornell
Illustrated by Pete Woods

The last place Lex Luthor expected his quest for the Black Lantern energy to take him was Arkham Asylum – specifically to the cell of The Joker! What clues about Lex's quest could The Joker have to offer, and why on Earth would Lex trust him? Get ready for a one-of-a-kind confrontation between comics' two greatest villains, as brought to you by the twisted minds of Paul Cornell and Pete Woods!

Cornell and Woods are back with arguably the best Luthor story imaginable, and the upward trend of issues continue. Last issue we had Luthor, Savage, and the Secret Six, but now? Now we have his polar opposite, the Clown Prince of Crime.

While we might certainly be feeling the loss from the Jimmy Olsen back-up, a Joker-centric fracas is certain to be entertaining. So as much as we all may love Superman/Batman team-ups, how does the "team-up" between Luthor and the Joker play out?

Find out after the cut.

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If you listen closely, you can hear the entire Multiversity writing team wetting their collective pants today as Marvel officially announced a brand new Hercules ongoing, titled simply "Herc", launching with two issues in February in the wake of Chaos War. It seems rumors of the book's demise were greatly exaggerated a few months ago when all around crafty mofo Fred Van Lente announced the end of The Incredible Hercules, leaving at least THIS reporter to believe that Herc may be something a LITTLE different than what we saw before (and yes, I am trying VERY hard to not spoil Chaos War for those who have not read it right now.) However, with Greg Pak AND Van Lente back on board, along with new series artist Neil Edwards, the book is guaranteed to include completely awesome badassery to the maximum.

Want more info? Read Chaos War. It's in there.

(source)

Written by Brian Wood
Illustrated by Ryan Kelly

There's nothing more exciting than college life in the big city. But complications can follow you from dark places – and not just from your boring hometown. In THE NEW YORK FIVE, Riley's sister Angie is making a name in the Lower East Side with her new band, and now Riley is the black sheep of the family. Lona's murky past appears to have been hiding an alarming proficiency for stalkerism, and Merissa and Ren will confront uncomfortable situations involving older men. But who is the "five" in THE NEW YORK FIVE? Find out as Vertigo reunites this cast with its stellar creative team of Brian Wood (DEMO, DMZ, NORTHLANDERS) and Ryan Kelly (LUCIFER, Local) in this standard-sized 4-issue miniseries.

The New York Four is one of the most unassuming and charming graphic novels I've ever had the pleasure to accidentally find in a comic shop and read on a nice train ride home. The youth it captures so vividly relates to my own life as well as speaks true of friends that I know, and I remember immediately texting people when I finished reading to tell them they had to go get it. Of course, I never in a million years imagined that there would be more to the story, so consider my surprise and excitement at the announcement at last year's NYCC that the New York Five would be out in January!

And now it is January. So grab your iPod, put on the National (I have High Violet on myself), and check out my thoughts after the cut.

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The Canada Reads book battle is just around the corner, as the five greatest novels of Canadian literature from the 2000's will be squaring off February 7, 8 and 9 on CBC Radio One. Incredibly enough, Multiversity favorite Jeff Lemire's graphic novel "Essex County" is amongst the contenders, and we're all pulling for him.

Also vying for him to become the champion? Sara Quin of the band Tegan & Sara. Check out her celebrity champion video below, and stay tuned to find out if Lemire can pull off the big win.

On the last part of this week's 4 Color News and Brews, Brandon and David go through an extra set of reviews on this huge week. They talk Green Lantern Corps #56 from Tony Bedard and Tyler Kirkham, Memoir #1 from Ben McCool and Nikki Cook, Superior #4 from Mark Millar and Leinil Yu, and Wolverine #5 from Jason Aaron, Renato Guedes and Jason Latour.

If you like our stuff, make sure to leave us a comment and to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Here's a nice little story for your afternoon: Little Noah, a five year old television fan, wrote a letter to PBS Kids saying that he enjoys their programming but would like if they had a new super hero show called Super Heroes To The Rescue. As a downpayment to this, he attached a dollar to the letter, hoping it would help fund the show.

While it didn't neccesarily fund an entirely new show, PBS gave a grand response in return by creating a website dedicated to Noah featuring the two heroes they have on their network. The site reads, "Dear Noah: Thank you for your dollar. We are glad you love PBS KIDS so much! The good news is we have two super hero to the rescue shows that we think you will enjoy, Super Why! and WordGirl. Love, PBS KIDS."

This is entirely adorable in every single way imaginable.

(via source)

Today/yesterday is the day that Fantastic Four #587 hits, offering up fans the answer to the question every fan of Marvel has been asking themselves for several months now: Which one of Marvel's First Family is going to die? Or rather - it would have if the answer hadn't been spectacularly branded across news sites all over the internet, both comic based and non-comic based (with that Examiner one being particularly awful). It seems that Marvel, in their effort to buzz up a reaction to the comicbook outside of it's readers, decided that the smartest move was to tell the press who dies, thus allowing that information to spread across the internet like wildfire and essentially eliminate any mystery that may have been having. Even Jonathan Hickman said in an interview, "in today's society there's no such thing as compartmentalized information. It was never not going to get spoiled."

Unless, like me, you turned your cellphone off, stopped checking your e-mail, and decided that for this time you are simply going to ignore the deafening roar of the internet as it tries to scream the answer to you. Why? Because pure and simple, some of us like reading our stories.

For some thoughts on the art of storytelling as well as the behavior of a business, check behind the cut.

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UPDATE: We now have confirmation from Paul Tobin that the issue is being reformatted to a single story that acts as the Avengers Academy annual, as seen on Twitter (thanks to @Max_Barnard for the heads up!).

Basically, exactly what happened to Brian Clevinger's Cap ongoing has happened here - and that's kinda sorta really disappointing.

Original article

It appears that Paul Tobin's "Arcade: Death Game" is going under some changes, for better or for worse.

Apparently, the three-issue mini that WAS Arcade: Death Game has now been cancelled. According to the latest Previews cancellation list, the title has been marked as cancelled by publisher for every issue. There is no word as to if there will be a re-solicitation for the title or if this is just truly gone as of now, but this is certainly an odd development for a story that could have bene pre-ordered in it's entirety now. Granted, if pre-orders were incredibly low, Marvel could've made the decision to pull the plug on it, but that's certainly not a great vote of confidence to it's own content.

Paul Tobin is one of the biggest All Ages writers Marvel still has left, considering he is the man behind both their all ages Spidey book and the general Super-Hero title. As the writer of a three-issue mini, you'd think that this would be a good way to bridge the gap between all ages stories and the Marvel U. However, with Young Allies cancelled, and Brian Clevinger's Cap ongoing brought down to a one-shot from an ongoing, things aren't looking great for the title. Marvel promises "an exciting announcement soon," so we'll see what happens with this, but it isn't looking too sunny from where we sit.

(via source)

Written by Jonathan Hickman
Illustrated by Steve Epting

One of the four will fall!

This is it. This is the most talked about book of the year already, even though we're only at the end of the first month. I managed to survive reading the story without it being spoiled for me (despite attempts from all angles to ruin it). Now that I've sat down and fully digested the story as it unfolded, what is the final word on "the Last Stand"?

As a note, mild spoilers are discussed. No names will be mentioned, but it is rather hard to discuss the story without alluding to certain elements. However, we at Multiversity love you as well as respect your right to enjoy the story on your own clock, so I'll do my best. There is even an entire paragraph hidden behind a spoiler warning to help you navigate, and not reading that paragraph won't take away from the review. It's not like there isn't a lot to talk about with an issue such as this.

Find out my thoughts after the cut.

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Some weeks are big. This week? HUGE. Comic fans from around the world are going to be filling the pain after this week, which makes our job as discerning readers with only $20 to spend even more difficult than usual.

Find out what we'd buy in this huge week of Comics Should Be Cheap! after the jump.

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We figure it might help to let you guys know what's coming out this week in comics, so welcome to our weekly feature! Our reviews come out tomorrow, so be sure to look over this list to get a preview of what we may or may not be reviewing tomorrow. We've added all of our own personal recommendations into this list as well, so be on the look out for bolded titles. Whenever you see one of those, it means we think you should be reading it. So keep your eyes open!

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Today brings the ending of Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting's "Three" arc in Fantastic Four, with issue #587. It also brings the death of one of the legendary foursome of adventurers and superheroes, all executed in stunning fashion by the creative team (look for a review tomorrow).

However, with Marvel trying to build-up hype for this book, the death was spoiled for many as early as last night via major media, with news sites and TV stations around the world openly sharing whose demise was met well before many people even had the chance to get to their local comic book store.

So we want to know - did you make it through the day spoiler free? Did you get it spoiled? If you did, did you pursue the information yourself just to get it out of the way because you KNEW it would be spoiled eventually (I know I did)? Let us know in the poll, and share your SPOILER FREE thoughts on the book and Marvel's execution in the comments.

How did you find out who died in Fantastic Four #587?

Intentionally sought out spoilersSpoiled Against Your WillMade it Through the Day Spoiler-Free

The internet is a silly place full of even more silly things. Among them, the insanity that is Kanye West. The man is,quite possibly, the single most deranged entity on the entirety of the internet. It is with that in mind that the folks over at Periscope Studio have decided to take a recent image by Colleen Coover and add a Kanye West tweet to it. The end result is quite possibly the best image I've seen all days.

Could this be the start of a wonderful new trend? I can only hope so.

(via source)

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On the second part of this week's 4 Color News and Brews, Brandon and David have their first section of reviews and a new theme song. They take a look at Wolverine and Jubilee #1 from Kathryn Immonen and Phil Noto, Morning Glories #6 from Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma, and last but not least, Invincible Iron Man #500 from Matt Fraction, Salvador Larocca, Nathan Fox, Kano, and Carmine di Giandomenico.

If you enjoy our reviews, leave us a comment and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Written by Jim Zubkavich
Illustrated by Edwin Huang & Misty Coats

"ONE THOUSAND OPAS AND A DEAD BODY," Part Five

Rampaging army of the demonic dead? Check.
Witty banter amidst a wild chase scene? Check.
Brain-busting action climax? Check.

See how the first story arc of Image Comics’ hit new action-comedy series wraps up in this head-smashing comic maelstrom.

Fantasy just got its head kicked in.

The first arc of this series has been wildly entertaining, and the last issue of it is now here. Can our unnamed heroes take down a massive demon and his hordes? I'm sure, but the end result isn't as important as the journey is.

Find out what I thought of this issue after the jump.

Also, if you missed out on this arc, I highly suggest jumping in come March when Image is releasing the first trade for just $9.99. It's highly recommended. Check out more at the Skullkickers site.

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Sarah is undercover, Chuck is flying solo, and Ellie wants to name her and Awesome's kid "Grunka" (or something of that sort) in this week's episode of "Chuck." In short, all is running like usual in the world of Chuck.

Find out what I thought of this episode after the jump.

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Victor Gischler started the first X-Men #1 in twenty years when he started ... well, X-Men. And how did he begin it? By having the X-Men fight Vampires! Dracula was murdered and his son moved in to take over, but lo and behold Cyclops found a way to defeat them.

But what about Dracula? And the rest of the vampires? The final fate of the vampires was left up in the air at the end of the story, with us only knowing that Dracula had returned and taken over. With Dracula then subsequently appearing in Fear Itself teasers, we all knew it was safe to assume that the Vamps would be spreading their influence across the Marvel U during the crossover - and now we know the first instance.

Marvel has released the teaser (seen here), announcing a new one-shot from Gischler dealing with a new kind of Vampire as well as a(n assumedly) new character to go with it, because if the new God of Fear isn't bad enough, what we need is more vampires to ruin all of our heroes' collective afternoons! Not only that, but Marvel promises that he will be a Big Bad among Big Bads, naming him as a "game changer". Hmm. Art details will be held by Goran Parlov, and the one-shot is set for release of April.

It looks like in the days of Twilight, Marvel is really pushing to make Vampires relevant in the Marvel U. The nice thing about it, though, is a) Marvel is allowing a lot of shots to be taken at Twilight (as seen in Deadpool and Ultimate Comics Avengers) and b) Marvel is using actual vampires... so let's cross our fingers that this is entertaining.

Take a look at the press release information after the cut, including a solicit.

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Just a few weeks back, news surfaced that David E. Kelley's "Wonder Woman" TV show had been shelved because of no network picking it up for pilot season. Then, in what is turning into a trend for the day, Kelley's adaptation came back to life as NBC picked it up for the upcoming pilot season.

No casting details are known, nothing is set in stone, but it looks like they are green lit for at least a pilot. There will be more of this for sure coming, so look to Multiversity first for more details.

What a weird day for Wizard. First it was announced that they were dead, now it looks like everything is being shifted instead of closed, as they just shared a press release stating that they will be going online under the title "Wizard World" and rolling out a 12 city Comic Con Tour.

More on this as it develops, but you can read the entire press release after the jump.

(Via Newsarama)

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This week on 4 Color News and Brews, Brandon and David celebrate David's birthday and talk about comic book news. The big news? Lots of comic movie buzz, as they talk the announcements from The Dark Knight Rises as well as Spider-Man and X-Men: First Class images.

There's also talk about DC and Archie dumping the comics code, Kieron Gillen taking over Uncanny X-Men and a whole lot more.

As per usual, if you like our brand of ridiculous, leave us a comment and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Well this is certainly a shocking piece of Monday morning news.

According to a scoop over at Bleeding Cool, Wizard Magazine - the #1 print source of comic news in the last twenty years - is dead in print. As the report goes, the magazine staff has been laid off, the freelance staff have all their work cancelled, and the doors for that venture are closed effective immediately. Wizard Magazine used to be one of the biggest entities in comics (reportedly at one time selling more than most comics), but with the onset of digital media and sites like this one, Wizard isn't exactly the fastest way to get your news any longer. Not only that, but people have had issues with the content, the tone of the content, and the way that they run things. Either way, Wizard has always been a good source for comic fans, and it's the only steady magazine in the past two decades that I personally had been reading on a semi-regular basis for comic news and interviews, as well as general content.

If this isn't a sign of the times, then I don't know what is.

(via source)

In this new post I'll be throwing down every Monday, I'm going to be looking at the best art I've found online over the past week. The trick? It has to have been posted during that week, if not created during that week. This makes it a little more difficult, but also a lot more interesting in my mind.

The first I'd like to feature is this lovely Kitty Pryde and Lockheed piece from Gabriel Hardman, an artist who has quickly risen in my mind thanks to the excellent art he posts constantly through his Twitter account. If you're not following him, you're missing out on some great art.

You can find my other favorites after the jump (which heavily features Periscope Studios' phenomenal Tumblr page, which you should check out), and if you find any good pieces throughout the week, please share them with me by emailing me at david@multiversitycomics.com.

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This past week was a bit of a watershed moment for comics...and I bet most readers didn't notice or care and, frankly, I'm gonna go ahead and say thats a good thing (for once). Even without the graphic to the left, you'd probably recognize the familiar seal of the Comics Code Authority. It's been prominent on most comic covers for longer than most of us have been alive, let alone collecting comics. However, on Thursday, DC Comics announced that it would no longer be seeking the approval of the CCA on its comics starting in April. DC had been one of the biggest names still submitting to the authority of the Code, so this move was a huge blow to the organization. As it turns out, the hits kept coming as on Friday Archie Comics, the only company left submitting to the code, also announced they would no longer be submitting their books for approval, leaving the CCA affectively defunct. While many fans and commentators (myself included) see this as a monumental entry in the "win" column, I want to take a moment to look back at the history and reign of the Code and break down the implications of this particular sunken ship.

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