Everything looks super sized; the cast, the sets and even the explosions, the wide shot 18 seconds in is particularly impressive. Director Joss Whedon is keeping his cards pretty close to his chest, and the trailer shows less than it feels like it does; but he does introduce the main characters and the villain, so it’s enough to get me excited.

Oh, and if your wondering where the hell is the Hulk, just wait to the end. Check out the trailer below and get back to us with your thoughts.

Marvel says:

Marvel is pleased to present your first look at Ultimate Comics Ultimates #1, from the critically acclaimed creative team of Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic! Iron Man, Hawkeye, Nick Fury & Thor are back together after the monumental events of Ultimate Comics Fallout! One of the biggest villains that ever faced the Ultimate Universe has returned. But with a teammate out of action, can the remaining members save the world as they struggle to find their place in the Ultimate Universe?   Ultimate Comics Universe Reborn kicks off this August in Ultimate Comics Ultimates #1!

ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #1
Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Art by ESAD RIBIC
Cover by KAARE ANDREWS
Variant Cover by ESAD RIBIC
ON SALE – 24/08/11

Marvel says:

Marvel is proud to present your first look at Invincible Iron Man #504, from the Eisner Award-winning team of Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca! Fear Itself has transformed the City of Light into a City of Stone! With chaos erupting worldwide, one of Tony Stark’s oldest, most dangerous enemies unleashes himself on an unsuspecting Paris. But why has this criminal mastermind lured the Armored Avenger half a world away…and what role do both play in the Serpent’s plans for the human race? Peer into the madness of Fear Itself as Marvel’s man of science collides with a monster made of stone this May, only in Invincible Iron Man #504!

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #504 (MAR110618)
Written by MATT FRACTION
Art and Cover by SALVADOR LARROCA
X-Men Evolutions Variant by BRANDON PETERSON
On Sale – 18/05/11

To tie in with a landmark issue number, the first release was The Invincible Iron Man 500.1 and I’ve got to say it was a disappointment, writer Matt Fraction provided a basic first person re-telling of Tony Stark’s entire life story. Apart from running over a few helpful plot points and setting up familiar adversaries ( The Mandarin) the issue didn’t offer much more than a simple search on Wikipedia could provide, and it only takes one viewing of Jon Favreau’s Iron Man to find out Tony Stark has major issues with booze and woman. I think Fraction failed to provide the springboard Marvel set out to provide with the point one releases, the end two preview pages did more to persuade me to buy the next issue than anything.

ED – Yeah, this put me off Iron Man a lot, which is a shame because #500 was a great jumping on point…

Just from the cover art I became interested in the next point one, Wolverine 5.1. Whilst at first I was worried Jason Aaron might rely on the lazy inner monologue technique used in Iron Man, these fears were immediately dashed as Aaron set up a double narrative between Logan fighting cannibal hillbillies and his girlfriend setting up a surprise birthday party! Aaron used the situation and action to convey the character rather than dialogue heavy exposition, the issue was violent but still comedic, and the artwork was interesting and nicely coloured; we even met further characters in the Marvel universe (we’ll be coming to Deadpool next time!) An epilogue set up the narrative for the next issue and left me wanting to find out where Logan might be heading…

ED – HELL! Didn’t tell you that did it?

The February releases finished with the highest issue number point one, The Amazing Spiderman 654.1. Once I got over the fact that Peter Parker is not the primary character in this issue (Didn’t I just see him on the cover?) I enjoyed it. The use of panels within the pages are really kinetic and the plot points exciting; The spy and espionage elements to the narrative were even reminiscent of classic James Bond (Flash Thompson very quickly ends up putting on a tux and uses dance to get close to a
girl, it’s Sean Connery in a Venom Symbiote!). Although the end two preview pages did interest me enough to continue reading, I was left wondering why Spiderman only now takes over the narrative drive, and who will have it in issue 655?

ED - I thought it was more a Venom 0 than a Spiderman.1. I guess they figured noone really needs a jumping on point for Spiderman. Not surprised you were confused though, they just used the issue to get people to buy Venom #1.

In part 2 of the point one feature, I’ll take a look at the March releases, including Hulk 30.1, Deadpool 33.1 and Uncanny X-Force 5.1.

Will Pond.

Your First Look At FEAR ITSELF #2

Marvel is proud to present your first look at Fear Itself #2 (of 7), from comics megastars Matt Fraction and Stuart Immonen. The comic blockbuster of 2011 is here and fans and critics everywhere are asking “Who are The Worthy?” Seven hammers of unfathomable power have fallen to the far corners of the Earth and the race is on to see who will be the Serpent’s champions. With the Asgardians leaving the Marvel Universe to fend for itself, can the Avengers repel a foe that gets stronger the more he’s feared? The Marvel Universe’s worst nightmare comes true this May as the event iFanboy.com calls “a huge, epic story that is exactly the kind that comic books are made for” continues, only in Fear Itself #2 (of 7)!

FEAR ITSELF #2 (of 7) (MAR110612)
FEAR ITSELF #2 (of 7) IMMONEN VARIANT (MAR110613)
FEAR ITSELF #2 (of 7) McNIVEN VARIANT (MAR110614)

Written by MATT FRACTION
Penciled by STUART IMMONEN
Cover by STEVE McNIVEN
Variant Cover by STUART IMMONEN
Variant Cover by STEVE McNIVEN

On Sale – 4th May 2011

Matt Fraction is writing a comic blockbuster with movie blockbusters in mind, but it’s still great to read. With the release of Thor at the end of the month it’s apparent that fleshing out the father/son relationship between the two Asgardians is something that the film also shares (if the trailers are anything to go by). It sets up the series for old and new audiences alike, though Steve Rogers had much less of a role in this book, but I can imagine as the film release gets closer, he’ll step up to the wicket (or ‘the plate’ for all you yanks). Especially as he isn’t Captain America at the moment… OOOO, maybe he’ll start Captain America Incorporated!!

Immonen’s art is a safe bet. It does exactly as its told and doesn’t take any chances, while its impossible to fault something merely for being safe (as safe is still good right?) I do like things to be a little more interesting. I want my dragons to be unlike anyone else’s dragons, I want my panels to show more movement than just up and down, and left to right… Who am I kidding though? This is a mainstream comic mega-event. They’re not going to do anything to put people off if they can help it, and it still looks great, I’m just in a picky mood.

There was a worry amongst some, that Fear Itself would be the premature end of The Heroic Age, something many people welcomed after some dark days in Marvel comics. It’s safe to say though, that even with the real world issues Fear Itself touches upon, heroes do still seem to be heroes, and the tone does still seem to be light, and Fear Itself is still perfect escapism. At the heart of it, there is a villain whom is being awakened who will surely endanger the world. Who do you think might try and stop this villain if not for heroes? This was a great start to what promises to be a great read. One that I hope won’t ask me to spend ALL of my money, but may offer me more depth where I want it. You shouldn’t fear Fear Itself… because it looks quite good.

Joe Innes.