We’ve embarked on this silly online odyssey to pay homage to Orson Welles, whose famous October 30, 1938 broadcast scared the pants out of thousands who tuned into his radio play late and thought it was the real thing.

The inspiration for doing a blogging challenge on this theme came from My Elves Are Different, which, for a couple of years now, has organized an annual summer zombie apocalypse called Blog Like It’s The End Of The World.

So hide the children, lock your doors, watch the skies, and join us for Blog Like It’s The War Of The Worlds! Sign up today!

House of M was the first Marvel book I ever read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's safe to say that I was looking forward to this one, especially the way that the last three or four issues of New Avengers had the little "Next! House of M!" icon at the bottom of the last page. Well, we finally got it. However, I was kinda let down by this one. There was a moment earlier in the Avengers Secret Invasion tie-ins that mentioned three things the Skrulls needed to happen to ease the pressure on their invasion. They needed Nick Fury gone, they needed the mutants in check, and they needed the heroes not to trust each other. Of course, these three necessary components take the form of Secret War, House of M, and Civil War. So you have the presupposition that the Skrulls had something to do with these events. But really, they just got lucky. These events all happened in rapid succession and as far as we can tell, the advance scouts and sleeper agents just happened to be there when they happened. I know this does sorta feed into the notion that this does reinforce to the Skrulls that the invasion was in fact prophesized, and I know that retcons are a bit of a taboo for fans these days, especially when they're done to events that happened so recently, but Bendis wrote Secret War and House of M. He's been planning Secret Invasion since Avengers: Disassembled. So why not take the plunge and make the Skrulls more than bystanders? It's his story! He can make it work. This book just seemed like a great missed opportunity. I find that saddening especially since Jim Cheung was on the art for this book and his gorgeous work was wasted on a middling book. This one was a misfire.

Mighty Avengers #18 (****)

I don't have a lot to say about this one (you'll notice a bit of a theme for that, but I'll discuss that at the end of this article). I do love the way Bendis writes Nick Fury. Mighty Avengers 12 and 13 were really fun, and I'm glad they went back to this portion of the back story. Sure, it's designed to further flesh out the characters before the launch of Secret Warriors, but it's a good little one off story that also builds up Maria Hill a little further, which I always appreciate. All the Secret Warriors are fun characters. Bick Fury is the badass he should be. It's just a great book, and it makes me excited for Secret Warriors, so it was a success from that perspective.

Avengers: The Initiative #17 (***1/2)

I like Eric O'Grady. I should probably read the Kirkman issues. I don't really have a whole lot to say about this one either. The overt actions of the Skrulls were a little sill, but I like the way they're smart enough to realize that they need to mkake sure Spider-Woman is protected. It's also possible that the use of Jessica Drew dupes came as a response to Maria Hill's little LMD ambush on the Helicarrier, which is a nice touch (if one that may be completely fabricated in my own mind). Plus you've got that little Mutant X semi reveal that was a bit weird. Sure seems to me that they're trying to intimate that Mutant X is Jean Grey. Which means it's probably Madelyn Pryor. Or someone else that has long, flowing red hair. That was a bit strange. This was a good, if middling, read.

Secret Invasion: Thor #2 (***)

I don't get the same sense of energy in this book compared to the Fraction one shots. Obviously, it's not going to read like the JMS book, and the Thor that we see in the JMS book is different from the Thor that we saw in those first two one shots, but that's not the problem. Even still, this book just doesn't feel right. Maybe it's Beta Ray Bill, but I don't have a problem with the character or particularly how he's written. I guess it might be the way Fraction cuts between the battle at Asgard and the child birth scenes in nearby Broxton, Oklahoma, but I don't necessarily hate the device. Perhaps it's the execution. I also wonder if I would like this more had the two Fraction/Zircher one shots not come out yet. They created a quality expectation for any Fraction penned Thor book, and these first two issues haven't lived up to that. The third issue shows some potential promise with some possible Thor/Beta Ray Bill team-up action. Hoping this will pick up and turn into something worthwhile.

Deadpool #2 (****1/2)

Complete madness. Deadpool training Super Skrulls is a recipe for disaster. HILARIOUS disaster! We've got a lot of nice moments in the course of this book, including the realization that Deadpool's DNA replication not only grants his impressive healing factor on these new Super Skrulls, but also his complete mental imbalance (and presumably his penchant for breaking the fourth wall). Deadpool wreaks havoc on the Skrulls and basically ruins an entire batch of Super Skrulls (who had already killed a completely separate batch of Super Skrulls as a "training exercise") singlehandedly. Of course, we find out at the end that this was planned by Nick Fury from the beginning, and all is right with the world. The humor is still there and solidly done. Personally, I still prefer Nicieza's humor over Way's thus far, but he still brings the funny well enough. And it's perfect acceptable for a Deadpool book. It's a positive start to the series and I'm looking forward to the continuation of the book.

War Machine: Weapon of SHIELD #33 (***)

I've gotten a bunch of the Iron Man: Director of SHIELD issues, mostly for 25-50 cents apiece at various cons or Wild Pig sdales. Haven't actually read any of them yet, but this one is a Secret Invasion book and War Machine has officially taken the title over, so it's as good a time as any to start reading the book, especially considering the book is ending in a few scant months to be replaced b a Greg Pak War Machine book. So was it good? I guess. Christos Gage wrote this one, and it doesn't exactly have the same flair that he puts into, oh...I don't know...let's say THUNDERBOLTS (Woo! Thunderbolts!). It's a pretty good book; nothing about it is bad or painful, but it's just okay. I didn't get much out of this, and it's one of the few tie-ins that didn't add too much to the worldwide scope of Secret Invasion. Not necessary to be read, but it's okay.

-------

So here's the deal. I'm getting really burned out by the whole capsule review thing. Not really sure how to fix that, but I think I'm going to take some time to try and find a topic I can write about that isn't a review or tied to any specific book. It's been too long since the whole aborted look at the nature of various event structures to go back to that one (yeah, I know. Lame), so I'm really looking for something along the lines of the "In Defense of Civil War 7" article I wrote about six months back. Hopefully, the inspiration will strike me soon enough.

Batman, Deadpool, the Green Ranger & War Machine by Jeta Grove Studios, raising the bar for Mighty Mugg customs.

found via toycutter - view more HERE

Easily one of the best movies of 2008 and arguably THE best of 2008, Ironman is a great, fun, exciting movie even if you know nothing about the Marvel character.  Many say the Dark Knight is better, I say Ironman.  Mainly because I like Marvel in general and Ironman in specific more than DC.  But if nothing else they are equal.  Consider this the Light Knight. It is more light-hearted, funnier and yet still has a strong plot with depth. It is just a different kind of story.

The acting is all around excellent.  The subtle attraction and teasing between Tony and his assistant Pepper Potts plays well throughout the movie.  The script shows its strength by using both comedy and action to tell an interesting story.  The special FX are through the roof. And the Ironman armor is one of the best designs so far, including comics and animation.  It is just believable enough that you wish it were real, but just fantastical enough that you don’t get bogged down with technicalities. 

Extras/Blu-ray Quality: The Blu-ray has some of the best graphics to date in the medium.  It is in 1080p format and it pushes Blu-ray players well into their full capabilities.  If you want to show off what a HDTV with a good player can really do this is one of the movies to do it.  Since Ironman was such a box office hit, there is little need to rave about the movie, you most likely know if you want to see it or not.  But I can’t stress enough how more amazing it is on Blu-ray.  If money is an issue then of course a regular DVD has good enough quality to enjoy this excellent movie.  But if you have the equipment and are still debating whether to spend the extra money, that is where I say yes.  Ironman will remind you why you spent all that money on a HDTV and a Blu-ray player.  Either way regular or HD, treat yourself.  There are a lot of great extras. Things like looks at Ironman and his armors, commentary and featurettes. 

Acting: 9 of 10

Action: 9 of 10

Script/Plot: 8 of 10

Pace: 8 of 10

FX (if any): 10 of 10

Overall: 10 of 10

Price: $39.99, less with new item sales.

Recommendation:  Buy this movie!  If you like Marvel movies, get it.  If you like the superhero genre, get it.  If you like fun action movies, get it.  Seeing a pattern?  This movie rocks on so many levels and the increased detail with Blu-ray along with quality sound, makes this a must have for 2008. 

Brian Brickner

Now avaliable to pre-order from bigbadtoystore. This set includes Iron Man, Guardian, Vision, Human Torch, Ben Reily Spiderman, Crossbones, Ultimate War Machine and Kang. The build a figure for this set is Ares!

Blog Like It's The War Of The Worlds!

The blogging challenge takes place on October 30th – the 70th anniversary of Orson Welles' famous War of the Worlds radio play - a production that had thousands of late-arriving listeners believing the Martians were invading.

If you have a blog, on October 30th we want you to blog like the Martians (the kind that Welles borrowed from H.G. Wells) are actually invading. Tell us what things are like in your town (whether you’re in Woking, Grover’s Mill, Edmonton, Courtenay, Etobicoke, Houston, Berlin, Adelaide, Beijing or anywhere else) as the Martian tripod war machines march through with their heat rays and poison gas, snatching human snacks off the streets and leaving a wake of destruction and red weeds. Be sure to pass the word along to all of your blogging friends so we can make this War of the Worlds truly world-wide!

Register beforehand with us by responding to this post in the Comments section. Tell us you’re in and give your blog’s address. We'll add your blog to a list of sites around the world reporting the Martian invasion, so other people can read of your exploits. After it's all over, as a Hallowe'en treat, we'll post some of the highlights from the different blogs here on Not A Planet Anymore.

The inspiration for this online adventure came from the site My Elves Are Different, which has been hosting an annual zombie apocalypse-themed challenge called “Blog Like It’s The End Of The World”. We thought it was such a great idea that it ought to be adapted for an alien invasion – and with the anniversary of Welles’ little pre-Hallowe’en show on the horizon, we just couldn’t resist.

To get all of you in the mood for this challenge, here’s a link to Welles’ War of the Worlds broadcast on Youtube (broken into convenient segments that allow for bathroom breaks).

Join the fun - take part in "Blog Like It's The War Of The Worlds" on October 30th!

Now, in choosing a dream roster for any team, there are a few pitfalls one must avoid. First, many people tend to believe that the original roster for any team is their best roster, and I have no doubt that many people would choose a team of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Henry Pym and the Wasp. While I like all of these characters, I don't believe that they all need to be present in a dream roster. Another trap to avoid relates to the saying that the Golden Age for any comics fan is when they were twelve; in other words, the team you grew up reading is bound to be your favorite. For a Roger Stern fan like myself, it would be really simple for me to choose those characters he used during his run on the book and create a roster from them. However, I don't think that's quite fair, and I'm going to do my best to create a more diverse roster than simply "the Roger Stern Avengers" (although, truly, those Avengers did rock, and if you haven't read the first series Avengers from about issue #230 to #290, you're missing a treat). Finally, we should consider how many members the roster should have. It would be simple to create a roster of two dozen characters (especially when you have so many members, like the Avengers do) and be done with it. However, that's simply too many characters for one book; there would be no room to develop them or for the reader to get to know them. Some years ago, when Captain America was chairman, he designated a membership of six. I agree that six or seven Avengers is a good number, and I'll be shooting for that.

One more note before I start: I love the Avengers. They are my favorite super-hero team in comicdom, and I truly believe that you can do a lot of interesting things with any six of them that you'd throw together. Honestly, were I asked to write the Avengers, I'd be tempted to choose all but one of the heroes at random, and then I'd have the fun of making the randomly chosen heroes gel into a cohesive team. That being said, while I can argue for and against any member on the roster, I recognize that you can do interesting things with a different group than I've chosen, and hopefully we can generate some good debate on our choices. So, who would I choose?

Captain America: There's simply no debate on this issue. While I believe that Iron Man and Thor, while great characters and wonderful in the Avengers, aren't necessary for the book to feel like the Avengers, Captain America is. Without him, the Avengers just don't feel right. I also insist that he be chairman. I've enjoyed a lot of other chairmen over the years, and I actually grew up when the Wasp was in charge (and quite liked her in that role). However, Cap is simply too inspirational in the role for me to be comfortable with anyone else in command. I consider this slot to be the only non-debatable choice on my roster.

Vision and the Scarlet Witch: I know these two aren't a couple anymore. I know the Scarlet Witch is no longer an active hero. I really don't care. Restoring Wanda to her former role in the Marvel Universe would be simplicity itself. As for them not being a couple anymore, I'm fine with that. I list the characters together, since they'll always be a couple in my mind, but I'm at peace with them being separate people now, moving on with their lives. Bringing in the younger Vision from Young Avengers will provide even more reason for the two of them to stay apart. Still, they are Avengers from way back, and their powers are fascinating; I like the flexibility of them both. I think they provide color and interest to the team, as well as experience and well developed personalities (well, Wanda does; the Vision gives us the opportunity (yet again) to rebuild his personality in a different way).

The Black Knight: I like Dane Whitman, and think that he's never served so well as when he is with the Avengers. While he isn't a powerhouse, he does give the team a foothold in the realms of magic, which is a nice way to involve them in plots that are a little different than their more mainstream foes. He's also a scientist, and that tends to get overlooked. He's the only scientist I plan on including on this team, in the hope that this will give his scientific skills a chance to shine.

Living Lightning: Every team needs a newer hero that is just learning the ropes (ok, ok, they don't, but it sounds profound, and if you don't think about it too hard, it makes perfect sense). I enjoyed the Living Lightning during his stint with the West Coast Avengers. His powers are unique (and have a great visual) and he's Hispanic, which helps to create at least a little diversity (although a synthezoid and a gypsy may be diverse, they don't have much resonance with real world readers). If Dan Slott's comics are to be considered in continuity (and I believe they are) he's also gay, which could be a lot of fun to explore, if Marvel doesn't hamstring the writer and force the writer to make him a eunuch.

Mrs. Peel: The group needs another woman, and she always seemed very skilled at....I'm sorry? What? Wrong Avengers? Heh, heh, whoops. Sorry about that. Moving on!

Ms. Marvel: The group needs another woman, and she also provides the "strong person" role in the group. I was a fan of Ms. Marvel when I first read her appearances in the Avengers that were printed back in the late 70s and early 80s, and while I wasn't thrilled with the alcoholic plotline they used when she was re-introduced to the team as Warbird in the late 90s, now that she has reclaimed the Ms. Marvel name, I think she's become much more interesting. She's got the same military background as Captain America, without having as many ideals. She's a good person, but she's been forced to confront the world for what it is, and I find that very interesting.

So, there's my team. Captain America leads it, and it includes Vision, Scarlet Witch, the Black Knight, Living Lightning and Ms. Marvel. I'm willing to bet it's not your team. Feel free to tear this one apart, and then let's see what you have. I'll lay money yours includes Hawkeye.

Gee, that's a real sucker bet, isn't it?

Before I get into the meat of this, we have to throw up a disclaimer. We've been working for 5 months now to create our own version of the Marvel Universe and its continuity. I think this exercise sets aside all of the plotlines and positioning we've put out there. It's just a simple way of gathering all of our favorite characters into our favorite team.

Like you, I've always been a huge fan of the Avengers. Reading one of their adventures is parallel to listening to someone's greatest hits collection. You always expect the best and don't want to be distracted by the amateur stuff (although most bands usually throw a new track into the mix too). That said, I agree that every good Avengers team has at least one longshot member on it, if for nothing other than offering an outsider's perspective on the ultimate superhero pantheon. The best incarnations of the Avengers offer balance...between genders, between powers, between strength and weakness, and between overall attitudes. You can see the archetypes, but you're not distracted by them. The proud, quiet warrior. The hot-headed know-it-all. The underrated wallflower that suddenly bursts out of their shell. Reading a good Avengers tale is like watching a revved up version of the Breakfast Club.

There are things I like about your choices and some that I don't. Living Lightning does not resonate with me at all. Can't recall a single appearance of his. For someone who has a near-complete run of West Coast Avengers, that's probably a problem. I dunno. Maybe I need to go back and reread some issues. I've enjoyed the latest appearances of Ms. Marvel, but prior to the last two years or so, she means nothing to me. Having her on the same team as Cap seems like overkill in the "military background, strong leader" realm. My other thoughts are explained in my choices. So, without further ado, here's my Dream Team:

Captain America: I agree wholeheartedly that Cap is the backbone of the best Avengers teams. He has not only the spirit and the drive, but he possesses the knowledge and organizational skills acquired from years of military training to make the team formidable.

Hawkeye: Surprise, surprise. Hawkeye plays off Cap so brilliantly. He looks up to him while also offering a cocky counterpoint to Cap's authority. These two can be the best of friends and the bickering old men on the stoop at the same time. And he's been through a lot recently, which plays into good storytelling.

She-Hulk: My first two picks are just plain dudes with a hell of a lot of training, so I figured we should start getting into some superpowers. She-Hulk offers big power with the sexiness and attitude to match. She and Hawkeye have a brief fling in their past, which makes things even more interesting.

Vision & Stature: I like the idea of Vision & Scarlet Witch, but I feel like that ship has sailed. There's a lot of bad feelings and messed up continuity there that I don't want to touch. So, here's where I get my rookie pick and angle for a bit of the old school as well. Let's grab two of the Avengers minor league players and give them a promotion. Vision has great powers and a quirky personality (mixed with a bit of the old "let's transfer someone else's memories into a robot"). Stature is a legacy character whose powers reflect one of the founding members without all the baggage attached. I'm completely fascinated with her emotional state and how she'd react to playing with the big boys. There's also something to be said about adding some youth to the team.

Firestar: She "retired" from being a hero in the wake of the Superhero Registration Act, but I think having Captain America leading the team again would bring her back around. She has the elemental and flight powers I'm looking for and she adds another emotional dimension...possible love interest for Hawkeye or possible youthful competition for Stature.

Falcon: This is not my Affirmative Action pick. Falcon may not have a lot of power, but he has the experience and the history. There's also the potential for a face-off with Hawkeye since both see themselves as Captain America's right-hand man, both are orphans and both have criminal beginnings. Plus, I just like the way he looks.

I was tempted to add Hercules or Black Knight, just because I always liked them on the Avengers, but that would be too similar to the Stern years. I think I've struck a decent balance with this grouping. Pretty evenly split along gender lines. Half of the team consists of heavily trained fighters with less (or no) powers. There's a strong type, a metal dude, a black guy, some flight, some youth, and a character with long distance energy-based abilities. Therefore, my team looks like this: Captain America is in charge. Hawkeye, She-Hulk and Falcon are his core players. Firestar is the reluctant participant. And Vision and Stature are the wide-eyed rookies.

What do you think of that?

Gasp! Hawkeye you say? On your Avengers team? What a surprise. Yawn.

I kid because I love. We both agree on Captain America, so no comments there. I like Hawkeye as an Avenger. I do. I like his relationship to Captain America, as well as his relationship with She-Hulk (they've had some interesting run-ins over the years). He's a strong hero and he brings a lot to the team. Yet I'd simply prefer not to see him in the group. I've come to the conclusion that Kurt Busiek was right when he had Hawkeye leave the Avengers to lead the Thunderbolts; Hawkeye has outgrown the role he tends to be placed in with the Avengers, especially with Cap as the leader. Bring him back for an occassional guest shot, but I just don't see him as a regular member. He'd be bored with it, and I would too.

I must have written "She-Hulk" as a potential member for my team five times and erased it that many times as well. The reasons to include her are many and varied. She's got a long history with the team. She's experienced and powerful. She's got an interesting personality, and her personality plays well against the personalities of other characters. However, I didn't include her for two reasons. First, like you, I was trying to not recreate the Roger Stern team. Second, in the end, my favorite She-Hulk stories have never been during her time with the Avengers. I like her so much better in her solo stories, or when she adventures with the Fantastic Four. I have a lot of great She-Hulk moments in my head, and none include her Avengering. It seems that her being in the team restricts her, and makes her conform to the rather dull "superstrong superwoman" character. She needs room to have a personality, and with few exceptions, she's not given that in the Avengers.

You know I agree with Vision, so no argument there. I would gladly give up the Scarlet Witch for Stature. I agree with everything you say about her, and these two could be a great pair (paired for now, because they come over from Young Avengers together). I think that Stature has more potential than any other neophyte hero in the current Marvel Universe and I truly hope that they explore it.

Firestar? Honestly? I have honestly never liked this character. Kurt Busiek did some wonderful things with her in his run on the title, but even then, she wasn't actually that interesting; she just had the good fortune to be plopped down in the midst of interesting events. I mean, she got to help Cap, Thor, Iron Man and the Black Panther fight an army of Ultrons....it would have been impossible for her to not look cool. She just seems so dull and I can't imagine what she could bring to the team that we couldn't get elsewhere. If you want someone with her powers, what about Firebird? She's very close, and she's a more interesting character, because she's a devout Christian. The major comics companies never want to tackle religion head-on, but I think she'd be fascinating on the team if they kept that facet of her personality in mind when writing her.

The Falcon is a great character, and I like him a lot, but I also can't see him on the Avengers long term. Besides, my concern would be that a team including Cap, Falcon and Hawkeye would soon splinter into two smaller teams, with the non-superpowered trio and the superpowered quartet. Surely we could find a better minority member than that (and isn't it sad how few there really are to choose from?); I'd much rather see Black Panther filling that role (he almost made my list).

Hmmm. So, we're in agreement on Cap, Vision and Stature. Shall we try to hammer out a dream team we can both agree on or shall we agree to disagree? I have a lot more Avengers I can trot out if you want to continue this.

No, no, we're going to hash this one out. I can outlast you!

Seriously though, I can't believe your flippant dismissal of Hawkeye. Granted, he's been the outright leader of a few teams, but that doesn't make him any less of a team player. I always think it's good to have a second-in-command who knows what the hell he's doing and talking about (see the current political situation for a PERFECT example of what NOT to do). Besides, how else are we going to spin off another incarnation of the West Coast Avengers?

I'll give you the removal of Falcon. He was my Hail Mary pass anyway. I've always liked the character, but his similarities to Hawkeye's role may be a bit of overkill.

I picked Firestar over Firebird because I can't stand the namby-pamby way Firebird was always written. The reason overtly religious types aren't used well in comics is that they're either instantly cliched or ridiculously boring. Firebird straddles the delicate line between those two horrible choices. Besides, Firestar is a mutant. Muties represent!

I'm still going to fight for She-Hulk. It's either her or Hawkeye. Someone has to have that history with Cap to build a team around, otherwise it just seems like Cap's recruiting whatever is left over from the hero ranks...and that does not instill confidence in the Avengers name. She-Hulk provides the toughness for the team while also acting as a potential mentor for Stature. Good stuff there.

I like Black Panther, but I've always had a problem with a foreign sovereign being part of the team. Whether it's Namor, T'Challa or Thor (not to mention other "gods" like Ares), their presence always seemed forced and out of place. Besides, what powers does Panther really have to offer that would help the team?

The lineup seems to be begging for someone in a big metal suit with a bunch of built-in weaponry. Iron Man is an Avengers icon, but I can understand any sort of apprehension with adding him to a team alongside Cap, given the current circumstances. War Machine may be a better choice. He has past Avengers team experience, he's a minority, and he carries an awful lot of firepower. Plus, he adds the Tony Stark influence without being Tony.

If we remove Firestar, we still need someone with energy-based abilities. I'd suggest the ultimate elementally proficient member of the Marvel Universe: Crystal. However, when I envision a framed portrait of "The Avengers" hanging on a gallery wall, her inclusion rings false. She just doesn't have that oomph. I suppose I'm willing to sacrifice She-Hulk and give you back Ms. Marvel. She has flight, strength and energy powers, but she doesn't have as close a relationship to Captain America.

If we have War Machine and Ms. Marvel, I think we can then add another member who may not have big power but does have a big personality. I say we bring back Beast. He gives us a scientific outlook as well as a bit of intellectual humor and some mutie street cred. And hey, there are no other blue people on the team.

So...my first attempt at a compromise Avengers lineup is as follows: Captain America, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, War Machine, Beast, Vision and Stature.

Well, I obviously can't argue with Cap, Ms. Marvel, the Vision and Stature, so we're closer. That gives us only three characters to hash out.

I love the idea of bringing the Beast back. I think he's wasted in the X-Men, to be completely honest, and he's never as much fun. Being stuck as part of Marvel's Mopey Mutants (and, were I an editor at Marvel, that would be my next pitched title for a new series: The Mopey Mutants), the Beast is forced to become sullen and more subdued. In the Avengers, he's able to spread his metaphorical wings and be more of a star. Plus, when he's normally been a member of the team, the team has been overflowing with scientific experts, forcing the Beast away from that role. In this team, he'd be their only real scientist, enabling him to focus more on the science which he so enjoys. Yes, the Beast is in.

War Machine. Man, that's a toughie. You mention that, when you envision the Avengers, Crystal just doesn't fit (a sentiment with which I must wholeheartedly agree). Sadly, War Machine feels the same way to me. I've always hated the name and the armor with the huge guns; they scream mid-90s comics to me, and that is not a compliment. It never really seemed to fit Rhodes' personality anyway; while he has been a soldier, I don't think violence is his first recourse, as the name and armor seem to suggest. However, that's easily fixable, and I like James Rhodes, so I think this is a perfect idea. I'd prefer to fiddle with the armor a little and come up with a new name; there certainly should be something snappier than War Machine out there. I think I'd prefer Armor Guy, in a nod to X-Factor's Strong Guy, but I know that we could come up with something even smarter.

That leaves Hawkeye. I'm not sure that I follow your logic that Cap would pick Avengers he has personal ties with. On numerous occasions Cap has led groups of Avengers that he's not personally friendly with, and he used to pick teams based on their complimentary powers, and not on their personal relations. I think he relies on his leadership skills to bring them together as a team, and if he only surrounds himself with personal contacts, he'll never develop newer contacts amongst other heroes. So, I don't think Hawkeye gets a pass just because he shoots pool with Cap.

However, I am okay with including Hawkeye, mostly because we just included James Rhodes. Rhodes currently doesn't have any real relationship with anyone on the team, and while we could play with that to make Rhodes an outsider, I'd rather not go that route. It was done with the Falcon when he was on the team, and I'd hate to play that card again. Rhodes and Hawkeye have some history, and that should help draw Rhodes more organically into the group.

So, there's our Avengers: Captain America leading Vision, Stature, Beast, Hawkeye, James Rhodes and Ms. Marvel in their fight to protect the world from those forces against which no single hero can prevail! Earth's Mightiest Heroes!

I agree that War Machine is a horrible name that instills more fear than security. I'm glad you feel the same way that I do about Beast. You make good points about his near irrelevance in the current X-Men mythology. I miss the days of the quip-ready, happy-go-lucky Hank McCoy. All in all, I think this would be a good field team for the Avengers. I'm not sure we achieved "Dream Team" status...hard to do without including the iconic Iron Man, Thor and Wasp...but I would sure like to read about this team's exploits.

Agora é a vez da War Machine. Ou seja, mais uma porrada na cabeça.

Confiram abaixo:

Valeu rapaziada!

Brandão!

No iPod toca: 40 Oz. To Freedom - Sublime

O tempo lá fora é de: friozinho.

Ac/Dc uploaded another new song from their new album "Black Ice". The new song is titled "War Machine".

Listen to it here at the band's official site:

http://www.acdcrocks.com/

My thoughts?

It fucking rocks! Definitely better than "Rock N' Roll Train"!!! In "War Machine" Brian Johnson sounds almost exactly like Bon Scott when he's singing! How fuckin' cool is that! Yeah!

I'm really looking forward to "Black Ice" now!

Kev

The band's November 9 show at Boston's TD Banknorth Garden sold out within 15 minutes as did the November 21 Columbus, Ohio, gig at that city's Schottenstein Center. Toronto fans took all of 30 minutes to snap up sell every single ticket for the 25,000-seater Rogers Centre.

read more | digg

Guns, Guns, Guns...Screw war machine its all about WAR DESTROYER by Jin Saotome (John Mallamas)

More pics HERE

I confess I haven't read any comics with War Machine in them since... well, since before James Rhodes was War Machine. I mean, the guy is pretty much by definition a second-rate Iron Man, right? So why waste time and money? Well, this issue has forced me to reassess my opinion of War Machine, and of the previously awful IM:DOS series. We have a new creative team this issue, and while I'm not about to go out and buy everything Gage or Chen do, it's a refreshing change from the overblown nonsense that's gone before.

The story starts with the scene we've already seen in Avengers: Initiative, an emergency recording of Tony Stark tells Rhodey that all Starktech is off-line and that he can trust no one, which is good because the Skrull Yellowjacket is standing right next to him. Rhodey fights through the Skrull armada and a New Warriors amalgam Super-Skrull to a military satellite Stark has built in secret. (How do you build and launch a satellite without anyone knowing about it? Maybe Stark uses the same contractors who built the Batcave.) There he meets Cybermancer, a former member of Force Works who I also know nothing about, and we get an obligatory "How do I know you're not a Skrull?" paranoia scene before they decide to team up against the invasion.

Rhodey is written well, carrying his wounds and the burdens Stark has placed on him with quiet dignity. He doesn't moan about being alone and out-gunned—he seems more comfortable in this situation than he did at the Initiative. The book is mostly action, with just enough dialogue to give it a little depth. It remains to be seen if War Machine can carry the book for more than a few issues, but for now it's a quick, good read. (Grade: B)

- Andrew C. Murphy

Strike Force (kinda) held their show, Young Guns 3, on September 13th in San Jose, California.

I say kinda because they never got to finish their show because the gate to the cage was broken and it couldn't be fixed. If this all sounds familiar to you, let me direct you to an earlier Strike Force show which featured a bout between James Irvin and Bobby Southworth.
Southworth locked up Irvin and tried to press him up against the cage as a man standing directly on the other side thought "There ain't no way they're gonna push through. Oh shit!". This resulted in Irvin sustaining an injury and the bout was declared a No Contest.
I chuckled when I heard this and thought "I bet someone got fired for that."
Apparently not.

James Irvin vs. Bobby Southworth

"So, Mr. Machine. What Makes You Want To Work At This Particular Packing Plant?"

Koppenhaver oughta start job hunting. What could have surely turned out to be a career ending in the Hall of Fame </sarcasm> has come to an end.
War "Jon Koppenhaver" Machine has been cut from the UFC. War Machine has long been more "fuck up" than "success" in his short career in the UFC.
He got together with his shirtless bros and beat up on a guy at a bar.
He was about to get sued by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling for using the name War Machine when they had a wrestler named War Machine so Koppenhaver legally changed his name to War Machine.
He turned down a fight with a relatively unknown opponent.
And finally he thought he had to right to speculate on Evan Tanner's death and claim that it was a suicide because Tanner "had nothing" and continued on to pity a man who accomplished more in his 37 years than Koppenhaver could ever accomplishing in 100. Finally, Senor Machina said
"I for damn sure guarantee you that if I'm in my 40s and I didn't make enough money and I don't have my own gym to support myself or whatever, I'll probably kill myself too."

As if that wasn't enough Conflict Robot seems to have a bit of an ego. He was offered a fight with tough fighter, and new UFC prospect, Brandon Wolff.
Skirmish Apparatus fills us in:

“I said, ‘Who in the hell is [Brandon] Wolff?’ So, I looked him up and made some phone calls. I’ve got a lot of friends in Hawaii — ‘Rude Boy’ (Troy Mandaloniz), Kendall Grove, my trainer. I got the same thing from everybody. They all said the guy is savage, sick, tough as hell, a really tough fighter and a really tough fight. Basically we all came to the conclusion that I have nothing to gain from the fight. He has no name, no fans other than the guys in Hawaii, and I thought that if I beat him, then no one is really going to care because I beat someone with no name. And if I lose, everyone is going to say I lost to a guy with no name, so I said [expletive] that.

“I want to fight someone with a name. I said, ‘Give me Josh Burkman. Give me Dustin Hazelett. Give me someone with a name.’

“They went back to the UFC, and Joe Silva said, ‘No. That’s the best fight I’ve got for him; take it or leave it. It was kind of threatening — like if I didn’t take it, they’d kick me out of the UFC. So, I was kind of pissed off and decided to play hard ball too. I said I’d wait for another opponent.

“Joe Silva — he was pretty much on a power trip. He was like, ‘I already told you that I already have Wolff for War Machine. I don’t know who he is thinking he’s negotiating with me. You know what? I’m sick of this guy.’ Then he brought up the Evan Tanner thing. ‘He made a dumbass comment on Evan Tanner. He’s not supporting the UFC. You know what? War Machine is cut.’ And they cut me.”

So Mr. Machine believes he can just skip the whole "working your way up" part of MMA stardom and skip right to the good stuff! Well luckily for the fans, he found out that it doesn't work that way.

Unless of course, you're Brock Lesnar.

More hilarious shit talking from Shamrock. More greasy beard from Kimbo.

If you haven't already heard, Ken Shamrock will be facing Kimbo Slice on October 4th in Elite XC and Ken is pissed.
There have already been threats of leg breaking and names thrown around such as "jabroni".
Shamrock seems to be hyping a fight like only he can.
Ken has said that he is insulted, having to fight a guy that hasn't proved anything and who is as inexperienced as Kimbo Slice but it's hard to say that they aren't in the same league.
Shamrock's last win of note was against Dan "The Beast" Severn at UFC 6 in 1995.
With that being said, there is no reason that Ken shouldn't beat down Slice. His experience has to count for something. He even dropped Tito with a hard right in one of their encounters. If Slice's cardio problems are still a factor, that and his lack of experience should tell the tale of his first MMA loss.
Keep an eye on this pre-fight hype because this bout is bound to produce a book full of hilarious quotes.
Look for Ken to get worked up and accidentally call Kimbo "Tito".

First up, as thoroughly hinted at in the first instalment, Col. James 'Rhodey" Rhodes (Terrence Howard) will get a chance to don armour and become War Machine for the film, in news that will surprise no one but please everyone Secondly, while Favreau sees the Mandarin as the overarching villain behind the series (he's thinking three as well as two), he doesn't know how to do him onscreen, what with the arcane powers and racial stereotyping that don't fit that well into Iron Man's world. But since he talked about his fascination with the new Cold War that seems to be brewing, we might see a villain like Crimson Dynamo, of whom there have been twelve comic incarnations but who would at least fit in Iron Man's world, being another man in a suit, but this tme one who can use electricity to devastating effect.

awesome.

I just read online that Jon Favreau is planning not only and Iron Man 2, but but 3 and 4 as well. In the next Iron Man flick, Rhodey (Terrance Howard) may become the new War Machine. In the subsequent films, The Mandarin, Iron Mans arch-nemesis from the comics, will become the series main protagonist, ala The Emperor from Star Wars. Also in the next few movies, we may see some tie-ins to The Hulk and Captain America which could serve to build towards the Avengers movie. Also, Jon Favreau's character Happy Hogan will have a larger role in the next few films. 

More Info: http://www.darkhorizons.com/news08/080912k.php

As a futurist and an avid gamer, I really enjoyed a recent article on TechRadar that explores what the Playstation 4 may be like. Author Dean Evans points out that under the hood we'll see an improved version of Sony's current Cell processor similar to those found in IBM's latest blade servers. In my opinion, this does seem plausible. Oftentimes, components that start off in expensive, high-end hardware tend to trickle down into consumer-grade products within a few years. According to Mr. Evans, we'll also likely see a chipset upgrade to the 802.11n standard, external power supply, a much larger HDD, improved graphics processor, and more onboard memory. Also, the Playstaion 4 may be Sony's first console to forgo an optical drive, meaning that all its games will be downloadable to its high-capacity (at least 3-5 TB) hard disk drive. As for when this new machine may be released, Kaz Hirai states that, "If you look at the history of the way we've managed our console business, we always try to hit a 10-year life cycle." Taking that into consideration, the Playstation 2 was released in October of 2000, putting it's end date sometime in 2010. However, the Playstation 3 overlapped it's predecessor's life cycle by 4 years. If this happens again, we can look forward to the Playstation 4 being released during the holiday season of 2012.  

More Info: http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/consoles/playstation-4-everything-you-need-to-know-464657

El director Jon Favreau revelo un poco de lo que nos podríamos esperar para la segunda entrega de Iron Man en el cine, cuya fecha tentativa de estreno seria el 30 de abril del 2010. Las sorpresas no son grandes, pero si muchas. La primera seria la inclusión del villano por excelencia del Hombre de Hierro, hablo del Mandarin. Ese hombre con diez anillos que recibió un leve guiño en la primera entrega de la pelicula ahora se convertirá en el antagonista de la segunda. También se hablo de War Machine, el mas leal amigo de Tony Stark, Jamie Rhodes, podría tomar un papel mas importante en la secuela y convertirse en Maquina de Guerra. Favreau también declaro que los Avengers y Nick Fury jugarian un papel importante en la película.

Aunque recién se comenzó a escribir el libreto y todo esta mas en conversaciones, estas ideas son las mas seguras que tendríamos para una próxima película de Iron Man. Solo dos años mas...Dos años mas...

Our good mate Devin at CHUD just sat down for an hour-long interview with Jon Favreau as the latter gets going on Iron Man 2 - and he got some choice tidbits on the next film.

First up, as thoroughly hinted at in the first instalment, Col. James 'Rhodey" Rhodes (Terrence Howard) will get a chance to don armour and become War Machine for the film, in news that will surprise no one but please everyone.

Secondly, while Favreau sees the Mandarin as the overarching villain behind the series (he's thinking three as well as two), he doesn't know how to do him onscreen, what with the arcane powers and racial stereotyping that don't fit that well into Iron Man's world. But since he talked about his fascination with the new Cold War that seems to be brewing, we might see a villain like Crimson Dynamo, of whom there have been twelve comic incarnations but who would at least fit in Iron Man's world, being another man in a suit, but this tme one who can use electricity to devastating effect.

There's lots more over on CHUD, so head over there for news on Fav's plans for the action, his own character, Happy Hogan, and why he doesn't want to do what The Dark Knight did.

They will be available for the Xbox 360 and separately for download on Windows PC.

Thats right folks - they didn't forget us PC Gamers on the Beta!

These betas will serve as an early chance for players to practice the tactics needed for survival in the intense chaos of Call of Duty: World at War’s Pacific and European theaters. No that isn't wrong - BOTH THEATERS!

Players will experience the game’s new squad system, as well as fan favorite perks and kill streaks. One more time folks - Squad Based Play! New PC time for me. I hear a credit card yelling for me to use it for the first time! I'm going to be shopping for a new system so I can even play COD World at War!

The full on battle will commence on November 11, 2008 when Call of Duty: World at War is released to retailers nationwide! The Allied War Machine's  public World at War server should be up and running on that same day! To stay up to date on all things Call of Duty - Join the Machine and get involved in the group.

Want to know how to get the Beta Keys?