X-Ray Vision

I now have the pleasure to introduce to you a new Today.com blogger! This fellow, who has taken to calling himself Captain Otter, is a good friend of mine and I have to admit, the guy knows his stuff when it comes to comics.

His forte is definitely in comic movies, I have seen this guy sniff out every update possible on Iron Man 2 and Thor. Don’t get me started about how much he’s looking forward to the Avengers movie. You should definitely check out Captain Otter to keep updated with minimal effort on your part. Also make sure you remind him that Rocket Raccoon’s Rambling Rants would have been an awesome blog name. Ladies love alliteration.

- Gonzo

There are many sidekick type characters in comics, some of the more notable names being Robin and Aqualad. Yes, one of the first sidekicks I thought of was Aqualad, don’t judge me. The point is, the position of sidekick has been an oft maligned one, especially when Speedy, sidekick to the Green Arrow, got revealed as a drug addict!

That is why I propose to make Bob, Agent of Hydra, the leader of all sidekicks. He may not have the qualities of a hero, but he does everything you need done by a sidekick. Mostly the job of sidekick requires the aforementioned sidekick to provide comic relief. Bob does this excellently. It is not the sidekick’s job to save the day; that is the hero’s responsibility. Bob takes this to heart and does his best not to get killed or do anything and stay as far away from the violence as possible. Unfortunately for him, Deadpool often drags him along on dangerous adventures and hilarity ensues. That is why I say we should all vote Bob for President of the sidekicks. He’ll keep you laughing even if he doesn’t keep you safe.

-        Gonzo

One of the potential match ups in the new Spider-Man movie pits our favorite webslinger against Morbius, the living vampire. This would make sense, as director Sam Raimi does enjoy horror movies. How well would Morbius fit into a Spider-Man movie?

I think if Morbius is in the movie, it will have to have a darker tone than the previous Spider-man movies. Sam Raimi knows how to do a good horror movie, I’d like to see him incorporate some of those elements in. I’d also like to see a hotter Mary Jane. With the darker elements, Raimi will just have to be careful to not make the movie seem at all reminiscent of Spider-Man 3 and that terrible haircut Peter Parker wore. All in all, I think Morbius could be a very interesting villain to introduce, we will just have to wait and see how it plays out.

- Gonzo

One of the most intriguing characters in comics is Question. He is a faceless detective solving crimes and whooping ass. He also hooks up with the Huntress in the Justic League animated series.

What I like about the Question isn’t the average superhero. He doesn’t go looking for bank robbers or purse snatchers to beat down, but instead uses his background as a journalist to look for clues and fight corruption in the government. This faceless hero takes down the faceless criminals in positions of authority using detective skills that rival those of even Batman.

I also like the fact that he is very much a human. He often gets beat up, and was nearly killed on his first adventure. He is a capable fighter, but is still susceptible to a henchman with a gun. I think the Question is one of the most underrated heroes around and urge you to check out his comics.

- Gonzo

I have been very excited about the live action Green Lantern movie for a while, but damnit, I want some updates. I hope they choose an actor for Hal Jordan in the near future, I am growing very impatient.

This has the potential to be an awesome movie, I just hope the ring powers are used in creative ways. If all I see is giant green fists punching criminals I will be extremely disappointed. I’m also anxious to see if Kilawog makes it into the movie. That big guy has always been one of my favorite Green Lanterns.

I’m assuming that the villain will be Sinestro, so I’m hoping they announce who is playing him soon after they make announcements about Hal Jordan’s actor. I just wonder if they’re going to go CGI or what for the aliens. Hopefully the movie is somewhere close to as cool as this Green Lantern trailer, made by one very devoted fan with more time than I have.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am getting more and more excited for Thor. I know I still have a while to wait, but some recent casting announcements have me intrigued.

First off, Chris Hemsworth has been cast as the one and only Norse God of Thunder, Thor. For the 99% of you reading this who have seen the new Star Trek, Chris Hemsworth is Kirk’s dad in the movie. For those of you who haven’t seen the movie, IMDB tells me that Hemsworth was also in the TV show Marshall Law for one episode. Can Kirk’s dad really be bad ass enough to play Thor? Or big enough? We will find out soon enough.

The second casting announcement was that Tom Hiddleston will be playing Loki. I haven’t seen anything this guy has been in, but I hear that he is a good actor, and did a lot of theater work. That kind of acting background seems like it will help, but I was left questioning this decision. Then I saw a picture of Hiddleston. The dude looks crafty and a little bit evil, he is gonna be a sweet Loki.

With all the pieces in place I am excited to see what comes out as the final product. For now all I can do is sit back and wait. As a reminder there is still a contest going on , so check it out for your chance to win a free comic.

-        Gonzo

I have decided to start a contest here. The premise is simple, I will present a question and the answer in the comments that entertains me the most wins a comic book! See, it is easy as pie. I’m hoping this idea takes off and it can become a weekly thing, especially since I have been trying to thin down my collection a bit.

The inaugural question is: if you were Aquaman, how would you use your powers to impress people? The prize for this will be Detective Comics #665. Leave a comment below and if it entertains me the most you win! Haven’t decided on a deadline yet, I’ll keep you guys updated. Maybe I’ll even come up with a snazzy name in the future!

I know that I liked Taylor Kitsch’s portrayal of Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. He looked the part, he didn’t overdo the accent, and his attitude was perfect. He actually did a much better job than I was expecting. The best part is he really likes the character, and he recently said that he would love to do another movie that explores Gambit’s history a bit deeper.

I am all for a Gambit movie. He has one of the most interesting stories out of all the X-Men, and the whole running with thieves things is pretty bad ass. I think Kitsch would be a very good Gambit, so I’m hoping somebody gets a good script put together. At least a script better than Wolverine’s. Plus we all know that movie would have some good looking women, they can’t resist Gambit. Although if Kitsch can’t play the role, I would be glad to take over and seduce those women.

- Gonzo

Today I would like to share with you some of the work of my favorite comic artist. This is, as suggested by the title, Jim Lee. I have always been drawn to his work, mostly due to the large amount of detail he puts into all of his drawings. Even with all the detail, things never look too cluttered. Even with my superb writing skills, I think the best way to explain would be to just show some of his work.

You are impressed, right? I know I am. I have started collecting comic art, so my next step is to just make about $5000 from this blog so I can afford an original Jim Lee sketch. Donations are welcome That is all for my artist spotlight for the day, if you have any other examples of great Jim Lee work let me know.

- Gonzo

I’m not sure if I informed you all of this great news, but I am now also doing some writing for the website Bam! Kapow! . Now looking over that last sentence’s punctuation I am starting to wonder if I should be writing for anybody. All those exclamation points and periods have me questioning myself. Anyways, Bam! Kapow! is a great site devoted to comics, video games, and other awesome things, and provides insider news on movies.

One article that went up today (not by me) is about the 10 most expensive comics . This article says that the comics should be in museums, rather than auctioned off to people with pockets much deeper than mine. I have to agree, but mostly just because my pockets are rather shallow and can’t even afford Amazing Fantasy #15 at a measly $65,000. If I had the money to get one of those comics, rest assured it would be enshrined in a beautiful display case, and I would insist on visitors checking it out. But they must remember to look with their eyes and not their hands. That’s just as good as a museum right?

Well I will continue to write here to help get myself rich enough to afford one of the comics on that list. If you feel like seeing what I’m up to over at Bam! Kapow! just look for the articles written by Jordan Gonzales. Here is my latest one with some updates on Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 .

-        Gonzo