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They told you I was inactive? I was here the whole time. Vance Astro sees all.

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DC New 52 vs. Marvel NOW

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In the last two years, DC & Marvel decided it was time to try something new that would generate some interest for their publications. Two different marketing schemes, but with similar outcomes & variables. The question is which one do you like more? Which of the two did the best job of making YOU, want to read..this is what I thought.

The Big Picture

I have pretty much always been "a Marvel" as far as comics are concerned because too me they always had the better roster and the more interesting stories, but with Marvel getting very predictable, gimmicky, and almost devoid of any real creativity before Marvel NOW, I started to read and enjoy more DC books. With these latest developments, i'm finding these publishers almost neck & neck in terms of quality and the changes they've made to get me interested in what they are doing or planning to do.

DC Comics\New 52 Universe

THE GOOD

A.The Integration of Vertigo & Wildstorm

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Although this may be a problem for those of us that were already reading Vertigo & Wildstorm books but I think by adding them to the more popular imprint, it grants them more exposure and also suggests that DC has the faith in them that they will help carry the flag for DC as a publisher. This also shows that DC didn't forget about those imprints as they are moving forward, they are making them a part of their overall plan moving forward.

B.Better Villains make better Superheroes

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I've never really taken DC's villains very seriously, I find most of them to be poorly designed & cheesy. I also feel that many of them run out their usefulness in a short time. Some of them, just based on their powers and how they've been handled in team books and against other superheroes than their arch-enemy don't even appear capable of defeating the character they were created for. The New 52 revamp seems to have breathed new life into villains like Black Manta, Captain Cold, Cheetah etc. that I previously thought were pretty lame, but they also brought in New villains like, The Court of the Owls\Talons, He'l, Anguish, Saiko, Grotesque, Reach etc. who are not only interesting but a bit different from what you're used to seeing from DC. I'm used to villains with corny names and ridiculous costumes.

I think they are doing a good job of creating a rogue gallery for characters like Barbara Gordon\Batgirl who didn't really have villains of her own before I also like how they are producing a bunch of one-shots or single issues within certain ongoing series, specifically about certain villains such as Darkseid, Two-Face, Deadshot, & Killer Frost so that a newcomer to DC (like me) can get some incite their bad guys.

C.Everyone Included

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DC has so many different types of books now. It's like they are just throwing tons of ideas out there and seeing what sticks. A character like Grifter who hadn't had a solo since WildC.A.T.S. was an Image property, may have never seen an ongoing again but in the New 52, So many characters are getting a shot. DC is even kind of trying to do something for readers that are into the arcane, the occult, magic, witches, etc. with books like Demon Knights & Justice League Dark. Minority characters like Batwing & Vibe are also doing the solo thing. It's like no matter what type of books you like DC is trying to capture that audience.

D. Attention, Please!

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Aquaman may not have been a book that you picked up before, because Aquaman kind of had a bad rep. Alot of parodies and jokes have been made about the character and his "supposed" uselessness over the years but I think the introduction to New 52 gave readers the urge to try something new and pick-up books they probably weren't interested in before. I think DC had been actually trying to revamp Aquaman and make him more bad-ass over the years but people weren't taking to him but I think the idea of the New 52 kind of alerted people that there would be changes and new developments with their characters. This isn't just an Aquaman thing, this could apply to any character that you didn't really like before. Maybe you weren't a fan of Harley Quinn before, because you thought she was kind of a goofy love-sick sidekick of the Joker, the New 52 did some work on Harley to try and change your mind. In other words the marketing scheme raised the awareness and the writers gave you a reason to keep reading.

THE BAD

A. Ever Changing Creative Teams

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I don't know what's going on at DC but it's like they can't keep writers any more. It seems like on certain books writers change monthly. Green Arrow for instance has had 3 different writers and it's only 12 issues long. It seems like creatively everyone isn't on the same page. Just recently Batwoman's creative team quit over issues that they were having with editorial interference in their work.

B. If It's Not Broke, Don't Fix It!

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I understand that DC made alot of mistakes in the past and that they are trying to cover them with this reboot\retcon but it seems at this point they are making alot of changes just for the sake of making changes. Cyborg doesn't need to be a founding member of the Justice League. We all know that DC was started in an era where that wouldn't have made any sense, we also all know that DC isn't really doing much with Cyborg. You make him a founding member of your biggest and most recognizable team and he can't even get a miniseries? How about the JSA being an Earth-2 team? What was the purpose of taking them out of the prime continuity? Why make Alan Scott gay after over 60 years? Why all the ridiculous costume changes? The Justice League looks great now. Superman's costume makes more sense than that whole "underwear-over-tights" thing he used to do, Wonder Woman's costume has some minor changes, Batman's costume is looking more like armor now than spandex; and it goes on like that down the line, but what is this nonsense that DC is doing with Lobo? Why does Bronze Tiger actually look like a Tiger? What is Power Girl wearing? If you wanted to cover up her "boob window" that's cool, but why not better design her costume? Why does Superboy look like he's stuck in a game of Tron? What did they do to Poison Ivy & Black Canary? The new costume designs should have been far better than this. I've seen alternate universe versions of characters that look far better than this, why when you reboot..this is what you get?

D. The Ones We Left Behind

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Although DC has brought in alot of characters from their other imprints and they also brought back and revamped alot of characters from their previous continuity, there are alot of characters that have yet to appear in this continuity that are actually decent characters. What happened to their Milestones imprint? They added Icon & Rocket to their Young Justice costume but where are they in comics? Static Shock is the only Milestones character i've seen so far.

E. Continuity Inconsistencies

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Many readers probably won't notice and it all depends on what you read, but if you..like me are one of those people who decided to try out multiple books with the relaunch, you may find quite a few continuity errors. They don't really confuse me when I'm reading but they do cause a problem if you're trying to follow the stories between books.

Marvel Now\All-New Marvel Now\Marvel Universe

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THE GOOD

A. Attention, This is Not a Reboot

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I thought that DC, rebooting their universe instead of simply making necessary changes did them a disservice. These two comic publishers have existed for FAR too long for you "start over". What Marvel actually did was take the things that we already liked about them and the characters we already enjoyed and continued to expand on them.They've made alot of mistakes and ridiculous changes over the years, but they don't give up..they keep it moving.

B. Let's Take a Risk

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Unlike DC, Marvel has never really been able to capture a female audience or really keep solo & team books with female characters as the focal point afloat. Marvel said "that's cool..let's try again!" They now have an all female superhero team in the Fearless Defenders and an all-female X-Men team. The Fantastic Four is made up of almost all female members and characters like Ms.Marvel\Captain Marvel,Lady Sif & Red She-Hulk have secured solo titles. Marvel isn't putting out as many minority based titles as they used to but they did just release a Mighty Avengers book that is made up entirely of different ethnic groups & genders.

C.Hickman over Bendis

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If Avengers is going to be the most important book in the Marvel Universe, it needed a new writer. I feel like Hickman is taking the Avengers back to what they used to be where as Bendis spent 6 years tearing them apart and then reforming them without considering team chemistry. Hickman's "plan" for the Avengers was INSTANTLY better than what we had come accustomed to from issue #1.

D.Hiding the Heavy-Hitters

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Marvel has a habit of taking characters that are uber-powerful off of earth and hiding them away, even in times where Marvel Earth is facing some of their biggest threats. It seems that's a thing of the past. Where they previously didn't use Blue Marvel at all, he's now become an Avenger. Where Thor was "dead" for major events and Hulk was depowered or M.I.A. they've brought him back into it. The Avengers as a unit are probably more powerful than they've been in years or maybe ever.

E.Making Old Favorites New Again

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The changes in creative teams all over the Marvel Universe is getting me excited about comics again. If you take a book like Captain America for instance, I had my doubts of it being any good after such an AMAZING Brubaker run especially considering that for alot of it..Bucky was Captain America. After Remender's lackluster Secret Avengers starring Steve Rogers..I didn't think he would be able to pull a solo Cap book off. I was complete wrong. Although it's alot different from Brubaker's run, it's just as good.

F.Back to the Basics

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Although Marvel is still doing an event every year, they are still making it so that all these events aren't spilling over into their books so heavily that it actually hurts the story, if they even allow tie-ins at all. Each character is having their own individual adventures again. Marvel NOW can be your starting point. If you weren't a Marvel fan before, this is a good place to start getting into some books.

F. Villains Wanted and Gained


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Alot of Marvel characters that I actually liked have had garbage rogue galleries for some time. Daredevil for instance (although like Spider-Man all his villains were just copied from Batman) has had some interesting additions to his list of enemies as of late. Marvel seems to be taking more of an interest in the villain element in their comics.

THE BAD


A.The Events Still Aren't Good


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Moving into Marvel Now, their first event was "Age of Ultron" and it was god awful. Marvel hasn't had a good event since Civil War\Initiative. They've been mostly marketing schemes to raise suspense and then they are full of ridiculous twists and turns that lead to a conclusion that will be overwritten within a few years.


B.Media Matching

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Apparently Marvel is trying to match their animated series,films & comics so characters like The Falcon who don't deserve to be an Avenger...get to be again. Putting a character you don't care about in a film or an animated series isn't OK and then changing the comics so that the character can have some relevance there to pretend you DID actually care all along is even worse. Let's be honest Marvel, lack of exposure isn't why nobody likes the Falcon. He's sucks. He's not interesting, his powers are boring, and he's no actual help to the Avengers. I'm sorry to say this but neither is Black Widow. You don't EVER need Black Widow on a team with decent street level Avengers. She has no skills that they actually need or can't get from other characters. Just because the Avengers film made her a founding member doesn't mean Avengers Assemble should kick off with her on a short roster they don't need her on. I fear the same thing is happening to the Guardians of the Galaxy.

C.Call Your Team Something Else

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Although most Avengers Books are actually good now, there are too many Avengers books..way too many. One of which Avengers Initiative was cancelled some time ago with an extremely similar but less entertaining book, Avengers Academy..which was turned into Avengers Arena with Marvel NOW! Avengers Arena is so bad and such a pointless book. I would rather them bring back the Marvel Knights giving exposure to actually good character instead of wasting our time with a book where Marvel pretends they are willing to effect their status quo by killing off a bunch of characters they don't care about! Also the Illuminati book is called "New Avengers" although it doesn't actually follow an "Avengers" team. I understand that they are using the popular name to sell the book but that just minimizes the attempts they made at "taking risks". We can believe you are a risk taker if you are afraid that a book as important as New Avengers wouldn't sell unless it had "Avengers" in the title. Avengers A.I. also comes to mind, why couldn't Marvel just have created a new team under a new name? You're milking the "Avengers" enough don't you think?


Conclusion

There are probably some things that I left out, but just going off memory these were the things that I thought should be noted when talking about these two marketing plans. I wouldn't say that either is really ahead as far as holding my interest because DC has alot of more books now that I find interesting than I think they did before. I would have liked though if DC simply revamped and not rebooted. I feel like the reboot is kind of making it hard for me to keep reading books that I liked before because I feel like those books were already moving in the right direction and the changes made don't really enhance them. Several of the Batman related books, for instance; had been on a roll without taking away anything from the villains and supporting cast. After the Night of the Owls arc I kind of lost interest in Batman: The Dark Knight.

I know these revamps\relaunches happened quite a while ago, but what do you think about them? Have they increased your interest in their books? Did they completely let you down? Were you disappointed? What are your thoughts?

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Vance Astro's Battle Forums Track Record


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Kazuya Mishima vs. Iron Fist (Debating for a character outside of comics) 
Wonder Man vs. Spider-Man (Endurance) 
Namor & She-Hulk vs. Wonder Man & The Thing (Schooling on She-Hulk) 
Black Panther vs. Iron Man (Schooling on Iron Man) 
Hulk vs. Anyone Who Can Stop Him (Breaking Down Hulk) 
Daredevil vs. Blade (Backing Up Daredevil) 
Iron Man vs. Solomon Grundy (Backing up Iron Man) 
Champion of the Universe vs. Sentry (Uncovering Myths about both characters) 
Thanos vs. Sentry (Supporting an unpopular opinion) 
Colossus vs. She-Hulk (Schooling on She-Hulk) 
Classic Dr.Strange vs. Sentry (Supporting an unpopular opinion) 
Daredevil vs. Batman (Classic Debate) 
Batman vs. Deadpool (One of my first real debates) 
Batman vs. Shang Chi (Tearing down misconceptions about Shang Chi's fighting skill and causing Gambler to concede with my argument) 
The Guyver vs. Spider-Man (Interesting debate from back when Anime vs. Comics was allowed) 
Out of the  X-men, who could Storm? (Massive debate against Storm) 
Wonder Woman vs. Thanos (Schooling on Wonder Woman) 
Broly vs. Sentry (Angry Comics vs. Anime debate) 
Cheshire vs. Elektra (Defending Elektra vs. Gambler) 
Daredevil vs. Karnak (Classic Debate) 
Captain America vs. Daredevil & Punisher (Defending Daredevil & Punisher vs. tough crowd) 
Daredevil vs. Kraven the Hunter (Defending Daredevil)
Ms.Marvel vs. Donna Troy (Defending one personal favorite vs. a bigger favorite)
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What More Can Marvel Do for Daredevil?

      

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Daredevil's solo title is no stranger to Eisner Awards and critical acclaim. As of late it seems though that he isn't making the same impact on the Marvel Universe that he used to. The question now becomes, with Marvel NOW should he be appearing in more books? He has his own solo titled and a miniseries that just started but is that enough? Marvel has been doing events since Disassembled and Daredevil hasn't had much of a role in most of them and I think his lack of  exposure  is hurting the character immensely. Is it possible to  expand  the market and the amount and type of people who are  exposed  to Daredevil without taking away what's unique about him? His books are obviously written well, how can Marvel get more people to read?
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I Want My Araña Back!

    

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Marvel, YOU OWE ME ONE! I sat there and read all of your garbage events although I knew half way through that they would suck. I gave you my money along with everyone else and with that you can still exist. If you don't know, Marvel used to have a hispanic superhero, called  Araña. She was a fairly unique character until she was depowered in Ms.Marvel and she later became Earth-616's Spider-Girl. I first of all feel like it was detrimental to May Parker (the real Spider-Girl) because she's been the only Spider-Girl we knew for years. Even in other universes like Earth-9997 when Spider-Girl appears, it's May. Now you have Anya Corazon running around in Julia Carpenter's old costume with no unique abilities trying to make something of the "Spider-Girl" name. Of course when they gave Anya her first ongoing since becoming Spider-Girl it flopped, but what did they expect? When has this type of marketing EVER worked for them? The same thing happened to the female Ghost Rider, Alejandra and the female Wolverine, Laura Kinney.I want Marvel to change  Araña back . Whatever they have to do for her to get her original powers back, they should go for it. Maybe it won't help her get an ongoing series or will it guarantee that ongoing will sell but at the very least it eliminates the # of characters they've created that have been completely ruined.
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The Potential of Miles Morales & Victor Alvarez

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As many know, black superheroes have trouble selling and making their on comics as an industry. This blog will point out why I believe that Miles Morales & Victor Alvarez (Spider-Man & Power Man) may have the best chance to change that for Marvel Comics.  
  
Point 1. Mass Appeal 
Both Black and Hispanic readers often feel like the are under-represented in comics and at this point I think it's more than a "feeling", it's more like reality. I understand that Marvel is a really old company and there was a time where minorities and women were second class citizens but once Marvel began adding characters of those types in their publications, I felt like it was fine to take baby steps in integrating them in the universe but from what i've seen in the time i've been reading comics, it's like they are taking baby steps but also backpedaling. They try to build a character up and they drop the ball when they see an opening. I feel that what always set Marvel apart from other publishers is that people view their characters as more relatable than others. I feel that Miles Morales\Spider-Man and Power Man would be alot more relatable than the black heroes that Marvel had been previously pushing like War Machine, Black Panther, & Blade. First of all they are still young, they are getting used to their powers. I feel that older readers (18-35) which is the usual demographic will read about these characters because they will find their stories and abilities interesting and that younger readers will like them because they are also young and those characters have personalities and go through things away from being a superhero that will resonate with them. Younger readers will also, kind of grow up with these characters. When I was a kid characters like Jubilee,The New Warriors,The New Mutants, they were teenagers, now that i'm an adult I don't think they are but I am starting notice a transition between their maturity both physically and storywise..which is interesting. 
 
What's also good about Spider-Man & Power Man is they are regular street levelers who happen to be of both black and hispanic origin. They aren't of a character type that would alienate them from different types of readers or stories or characters. For instance if you take Blade for instance..he's a Vampire Hunter; because of the type of character he is..it limits what types of things he can do without derailing the character and making him do something OOC. He doesn't belong among superheroes, and we know anti-heroes are never the focal point of any fictional universe..that automatically sits him in the back. Spider-Man or Power Man could be placed among just about any superhero team and not appear out of place.
 
Point 2. Powers 
Spider-Man & Power Man aren't the most unique heroes around but they have an interesting set of abilities that set them apart from the characters they take their names from. The reason this is important is, this is probably why a character like the Falcon can't keep a position on the Avengers because all he can do is fly. He brings nothing to the team that other more popular characters aren't capable of. A character like Cage probably has a problem holding his own book because his powerset is so generic that it's hard to make villains for him. Usually when a villain is created they have their own abilities that counter those that the heroes have, how many powers can you use to try and counter super-strength before is becomes repetitive or you run out of idea? You may not know that Luke Cage even has his villains..but if you were to look them up you won't be surprised by how pathetic most of them are.   
 
Point 3. Newcomers 
I feel that Marvel made their beds with previous black character as far as how they've written them for years and how they've tried to push them to make sales. With two new heroes, they have a chance to do something different. They aren't as big on retcons as DC so something like what DC did for characters like Aquaman will happen. I think Marvel has had previous openings to sell certain characters and they didn't take them, and now it's too late. To use Blade as an example again, he had 3 successful films and  his last ongoing ended 2 years after the release of the final film in the trilogy completely with subpar writing and art, which gives the impression Marvel didn't even try.

 
Point 4.The United States of the Marvel Universe 
The United States and especially New York is the focal point of the Marvel Universe. That's where most of the heroes reside, that's where the most superhero related activity happens. A character like Black Panther may have trouble surviving because where he resides seems disconnected from the rest of the Marvel Universe. When he was involved in events like Civil War it allowed to be apart of something bigger and that's where writers saw success. 
 
If Power Man were to get his own series, and Miles can keep his book going...I think these two characters have the best chance of breaking that mold of minority characters that don't sell, what do you think?
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Community Star: Vance Astro

Welcome to another exciting week here at the Community Star Awards! Did you miss us? Well, it's only been a week, so you're going to have to learn how to be more patient. Today, we are honoring what I like to call an original viner, since he's been here for quite a few years. On top of that, he recently moved on from regular, everyday user to become a moderator for the site. Please, sit back in your chairs and give a roaring round of applause, which he will not be able to hear, for Vance Astro!

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In the Comic Vine Blog-O-Sphere World, Vance Astro wrote quite a few blogs, in his time here, and I've picked out a few you all may enjoy. Back in May of 2008, Vance Astro wrote his first blog for the site called, "Skrull Theory." It all ties into Marvel's Secret Invasion a few years back. Were Vance's theories correct? Read on to find out!

Last larger blog that Vance wrote was a little over a year ago and it's another great theory piece on who will be on the Avengers and what the Heroic Age will consist of. He also has a list for his ideal members of the Avengers. Check it out in "Astrovik Report: Thoughts on the Avengers."

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Aside from the many, many blogs Vance has written for the site, anyone visited the Daredevil page? Well, Vance Astro has over 41,000 points on that page. Forty-one THOUSAND! The page is incredibly well-written and split into sections. If you need to know anything about Daredevil, it's probably on that page and you can thank Vance Astro for the majority of that work.

We're doing a new thing here on the Community Star. Each week, we'll be interviewing the winner in a hard-hitting Barbara Walters-esque interview. This week, I really take Vance Astro's nose to the grindstone and find out some very interesting and controversial information.

Here we have Vance Astro, the winner of this week's Community Star award. Vance, thank you for being here today. How does it feel to win this award?

InferiorEgo: Hello Vance! It's wonderful having you here today to answer my hard-hitting questions. Now Vance, you've been on this site for quite sometime. How does it feel to win this award?

Vance Astro: I couldn't have done it without my lord and savior, Ororo Monroe. RAINDROPS UNITE!

IE: A Storm fan I see. Very interesting. You've more recently become a moderator of the site. How soon do you predict the power to go to your head?

VA: We'll just pretend it already hasn't.

IE: I better steer away before the banhammer falls squarely upon my lap. You've been on this site for quite sometime. What is your favorite memory from your time here at the Vine?

VA: My favorite memory on the vine would have to be Marvel vs. Capcom 2 avatar week. Me [and] a few people decided to wear them and then it was a trend for like a week and then we switched to something else.

IE: Not only a Community Star winner, but also a trend-setter. Vance, the first .5/5 star book you reviewed was Dark Reign-M.O.D.O.K #1 and that was back in Oct of 2009. Do you still feel that strongly about the book?

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VA: This is by far the worst and most pointless tie-in i've ever read. If Marvel wants to try and make something for the kids..keep it out of Dark Reign.

IE: Well, I guess we'll just have to agree to... um... agree. You are a bit of a Marvel fan, and you have over 40,000 points on the DareDevil page. Is there any other character you know that much about or are you just super-into DD?

VA: I think there are alot of characters that I could have the same amount of points for. I made it my duty to get Daredevil done right though because being my favorite character I didn't like what I was seeing information wise on his page.

IE: It's nice to see that amount of dedication and attention to detail put into that page, and we all thank you for it. Now that you've won the award, what do you plan on doing now?

VA: I'm going to go buy some rims to increase my street cred. Also be on the look out for my fragrance it's called "SLAUGHTERHOUSE".

IE: I always said the way to a woman's heart is through nice rims, as long as they're not spinnin' rims. You have one minute left before the plane you're on explodes... what do you do?

VA: [S]cream the lyrics to the theme from Good Times.

IE: Ain't we lucky we got them? Thanks for your time, Vance!

Give your congrats and cheers to viner Vance Astro for all of his hard work, over the years, on the vine! We'll see you guys next week! Be sure to get your votes in on Tuesdays now! You'll see a voting thread up then!

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Happy Birthday 30th Birthday She-Hulk


 The Ol' Girl still got it....
 The Ol' Girl still got it....
 
In 1980 she debuted in her own comic,Savage She-Hulk #1.Sadly her comic was cancelled.But she's still around and I still love her as a character.Also for Women's History Month,Marvel will be launching "Girl Comics" which will be a 3-issue anthology starring Marvel's female superheroes.
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Siege Theory


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Whenever there is a new event in Marvel I make one of these blogs to kind of give my opinions on what I think will happen during the event and here what other people have to say about it.It's more or less a prediction thread for people to get out their ideas about what they believe will happen based on what we've seen in the previous events.Here are the other ones....  
 
Dark Reign Theory Blog
http://www.comicvine.com/myvine/vance_astro/dark-reign-theory/87-37786/  
Dark Reign Theory Thread
http://www.comicvine.com/forums/gen-discussion/1/dark-reign-theory/377769/?     
Skrull Theory\Secret Invasion Blog 
http://www.comicvine.com/myvine/vance_astro/skrull-thoery/87-29858/  
 
So now I will make my first predictions. 
 
Dark Avengers 
A.They will replace Ares.I think Ares will leave the team and join the Secret Warriors so he can be with his son.Plus Siege will go into Asgard and I don't think Ares wants to be against Thor. 
B.Thor vs. Sentry (World War Hulk style).I think there is going to be an instance that comes down to a showdown.None of the Dark Avengers can really take Thor.I think Norman will send Sentry at him and Thor will ultimately get the win but it will be an epic fight. 
 
New Avengers\Mighty Avengers\Avenger Resistance\Young Avengers 
A.The Avengers whom are beyond the law and aren't legally able to be Avengers will be one team.Cuts will be made. 
B.The Mighty & New Avengers will get new Rosters.
C.The Avengers Resistance which is essentially the New Warriors anyway...will just be the New Warriors. 
D.The Young Avengers will have the Vision as a member a new Member but also gain a new member.My guess would be Thor Girl.She's not going to work for Osborn.  
 
 
This is all I have so far.Anyone else got any input?
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Dark Reign Theory

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Ok..I did one for Secret Invasion so I will do one for Dark Reign..this is basically where I explain what I think will happen based on the clues I have been given.
What is Dark Reign?
Considering what is going on right now and what other major events have gone down in the last 6 years It could be one of these choices.

A.The registration act comes in to play again..Secret Invasion is over so now Iron Man & his Mighty Avengers\Initiative still have to enforce the law.According to Dan Slott..something big will be happening with the registration act in Dark Reign.I don't know what it is but I am excited.So it's possible that with the heroes still bickering with each other..it will give the villains the time to strengthen up and try and take over the Marvel Universe.There will be a Dark Illuminati.Maybe they were created for the sole purpose of taking out the biggest heroes in Marvel...leaving everyone else with no directions.

B.The Skrulls win Secret Invasion.As bad as the skrulls are getting owned there is still a chance for them to win.A conversation between skrulls went on where it was said that if Janet was a skrull than they win and in Secret Invasion #7...at the end Wasp looked as if she was emitting some type of dark energy  or getting ready to explode.Also there is a cover shown where the Avengers are reaching for her as if something happens to her.So Dark Reign could be the superheroes and earth forced to live under the REIGN of the skrull empire.

What will be the conclusion of Secret Invasion?
Well either the skrulls win or they don't.It's definitely a possibility that they do but I doubt they will.The thing is this event is still missing something..a huge moment,a big bang.Avengers:Dissassembled ended with the death's of several Avengers,House of M ended with the shortening or the mutant population,Civil War ended with Cap's death,so what will SI's big bang be?

A.Well alot of people though Iron Man would die but his comic is so far passed SI and he's still alive.
B.People also though it would be the end of the registration act because the heroes are working together but if you have been reading Iron Man you would know that's not it either.
C.My guess is that something will happen involving Sentry and he will be the difference maker to save them all.Remember we haven't seen him since Secret Invasion #1 when he was scared off my the skrull vision.We saw him come back as what looked like the Void but you never know with the Sentry.

Who is the Evil Illuminati?
A.Well there is a very blury picture of who they are all are so let's start with what we know.
1.The Original Illuminati is Iron Man,Mr.Fantastic,Professor X,Dr.Strange,Namor,Blackbolt,and Black Panther was asked to be a member but he declined.
B.The characters in the Evil Illuminati match up with the people in the original
1.Dr.Doom\Mr.Fantastic
2.Professor X\Emma Frost
3.Namor\Namor
4.The Hood\Dr.Strange
5.Loki\Blackbolt
C.That only leaves Iron Man and the last person the picture who we can't make out..so Who could it be?
1.Maybe Norman Osborn? He's a villain who worked under Tony and had to listen to whatever he said,no matter how ridiculous and is good with tech.
2.Ezekiel Stane? Iron Man not only showed him why he's Marvel's tech guy but took of his armor and proceeded to kick his ass.
3.Spymaster? He is one of Iron Man's oldest villains and Iron Man almost killed him twice.
4.Maybe a new Iron Man villain..who knows?


Who are the Dark Avengers?
-There are 5 heroes seeming to be...Iron Man,Ms.Marvel,Hawkeye,Wolverine,& Venom


A.Iron Man
-Well we know from the solicitations that his name is the Iron Patriot
-The artist of the picture is Deodoto Jr.The same artist as the Thunderbolts so they could be Thunderbolts in disguise
-There is a lightning bolt in the background.
-Norman Osborn would be the likely choice considering he is the leader of the the Thunderbolts.He is also good with the use of tech.
-Citizen V who was once the leader of the Thunderbolts is also a likely choice because of his leadership and American orientation.
-Lastly it could be Mach IV.He wears American colors and he has stolen alot of Iron Man's tech and used it so he would be familiar with it.
B.Ms.Marvel
-Since Ms.Marvel isn't confirmed as a Mighty or New Avenger it could be her.
-Ms.Marvel gave Ultra Girl the costume seen in the picture but her hair was cut shorter to resemble classic Ms.Marvel
-Moonstone has the length of hair for it the right color and she was a Thunderbolt.
C.Hawkeye
-It could be Swordsman because his costume is extremely similar to Hawkeye's and they were both Thunderbolt's.
-It could be Hawkeye (Clint Barton) and Maya could have gone back to being Echo.
-Taskmaster has a bow and is using Hawkeye's skills for it that he stole with his reflexes.
-Bullseye is a Thunderbolt and has the marksmanship.
D.Wolverine
-He looks to either be a tall,slender male or a female.
-He could be Daken because he is the only Wolverine clone with 3 claws in up top but his 3 comes out of his wrist so the placement is off.
-X-23 is his female clone but her 3rd claws are in her feet.
-No Thunderbolts are similar to Wolverine...but Bullseye was in Weapon X..I doubt it's him though.
E.Venom
-We haven't seen Toxin at all and he was supposed to be on the Initiative
-Eddie Brock is Anti-Venom and Gargan is current Venom..who knows what will happen between them.
-Maybe Vincent Gonzales...he hates Spider-Man and it would be epic for him to find out that it's Parker.

What will happen to the Avengers?

Mighty Avengers
-Well the new roster is Iron Man,The Vision,Hercules A Hulk (maybe Rulk or Green Hulk),Hercules,Jocasta,Scarlet Witch and two un-identified characters.
-Dan Slott mentioned wanting to use Wonder Man and Beast in some issues so that leads me to believe Wonder Man won't be on the team again..but where does he go?
-Did Ms.Marvel lose her powers? In her last comic she didn't user her powers at all and she cut here mother off when she asked her if she still had them.
-What about Sentry,Black Widow,and the Wasp? Do they die? Does the Wasp Die? Will they ever find the real Hank Pym & Jessica Drew? I'm guessing Black Widow will being going over to New Avengers because Cap is on the team and she's his ummmm sextoy or girlfriend I guess.So what about Sentry? I can't even begin to imagine what will happen to him.
-The one new member looks lIke Noh-Varr..maybe he will be the new Captain Marvel in Cap's death.
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Skrull Thoery

Ok.I have some theories on who I think is a skrull based on the hints and clues I have seen or at least I think I have seen.

No Caption Provided
SKRULLS (Update  8/12/08)
Sly'bn the God
Sl'gurt the God of War
Princess Anelle
Queen Veranke
Ch'gra
Chrell
Crusader
Criti Noll
Dalx
De'Lila
Dezan
King Dorekk I
King Dorekk VII
Royal Priest Dro'ge
Ambassador Grrix
Commander H'kurrek
Hybrid Dorekk VIII\Hulkling
Ethan Edwards
Jazinda the Hunter
John Lennon
Captain Khn'nr
Kl'rt\Super-Skrull
Korya
Lyja the Lazerfist
Morrat
Pagon\Elektra
Paibok the Skrull of Power
Pit'o Nilli\Captain America
Prime Skrull
Queen R'kill
Agent Rl'nnd
Siri\Elektra II
Skrull-X\Mimic
Empress S'byll
Talos
Titannus
Velmax
Delegate Wor'il
Xavin
General Zedrao

GOOD SKRULLS (Update 8/12/08)
Crusader
Xavin
Jazinda
Hulkling

SKRULL REPLACEMENTS (Update 8/12/08)
Blackbolt
Elektra
Revolutionary
Cobalt Man
Cyclone
Captain Marvel
Crusader
Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
Hank Pym
Sue Storm
Irvin Griffin
Spider-Woman
Magnitude
Longshot
Kirby\Kerberos
Brother Voodoo

SKRULL COPIES & FUSIONS
Reed Richards
Daredevil
Spider-Man
Sue Storm
Echo
Colossus\Nightcrawler\Wolverine\Human Torch
Thor
Ms.Marvel
The Vision\The Void\Blackbolt\Iron Man\Ant-Man
Wolverine\Ultron\Iron Man
Nova
Captain America\Iron Man
Thor\Blackbolt\Multiple Man

SKRULL SUSPECTS
Spider-Woman\Jessica Drew
-Either the Skrull Princess saying that she wants to take part in the Invasion and pointing out Jessica as the person she wants to copy is an indication that she is a skrull not to mention all the time the New Avengers thought she was anyway or she's not a skrull because...

A.There is too much inforamtion on her being a skrull and Marvel wouldn't get anything out of just revealing her,especially seeing as how they gave little or no hints about the other people who were revealed.
B.Nick Fury Trusts her.
C.Jessica brought Iron Man,Elektra's skrull carcass after she was killed.So if she was a skrull she would have known that Blackbolt was a skrull and was in the Illuminati.Knowing Iron Man would discuss the situation with the Illuminati and Mighty Avengers...she wouldn't have taken the body to Tony...in fact,she wouldn't have been the one to alert him at all because then more people would know there was skrulls out there and then would be looking for them She could also be a skrull because how do we know Nick Fury knows if she is a skrull or not but he did say he had been watching her for quite sometime.And as far as all the information we have been given...we could either assume it's because Marvel is just giving this one away or because Marvel wants us to believe it's not that easy and when we doubt she's a skrull because we've been given so much info on it...she really is.
D.First she supposedly kills Echo,then tells Tony that he's a skrull and gives him this story of how he's a skull and he doesn't know it.It is possible that she thinks Iron Man is a skrull and is trying to trick him to get it out..but all signs are leading to her being a skrull (Updated 6/12/08)
E.
We were pretty much just shown the Queen Veranke turning into Jessica Drew...i'm keeping the hope alive though (Updated 7/7/08)

Stephen Strange\Dr.Strange
-He is sucking hard at being Sorcerer Supreme.
A.Unable to hold simple spells for long periods of time.
B.Unable to fix his hands after Hulk broke them although he's already done it before.
C.People seeing right through his spells. He may not be a skrull though because during the fight with the Hand he was stabbed in the stomach.That would have killed a skrull but not Dr.Strange.

Tony StarkI\ron Man

-He's the most unlikely and the most likely as well.

A.Civil War..killed off alot of characters,the registration act would allow him to keep tabs on everyone as well.
B.Luke Cage has been saying he's a skrull since he found out Elektra was one.
C.He's been making some weird happy ass faces...especially in Mighty Avengers when he tells Jarvis that he trusts him. D.Bendis and Quesada said Iron Man isn't a skrull but maybe they were just saying that to throw us off. I don't think Iron Man is a skrull mainly because the Editor and Chief and Bendis who has been writing New Avengers for a while said he's not.Maybe this is the one thing we can count on being true.Also...Iron Man has had some injuries that a skrull wouldn't have survived.First of all,Extremis would have revealed him as a skrull because the virus makes you go through a series of painful things such as throwing up your organs so it can make new ones,he also purposely stopped his heart once and blew off half of his own foot..he was also just uploaded with a virus that caused him to have a seizure and screw extremis.Also when the skrulls captured the Illuminati during the Kree-Skrull War...The skrulls said the Iron Man's intellect is all he had and his armor was no use to them.His intellect was his power.He's also killed and attacked several skrulls already.I think he's safe.
D. Jessica Drew who has said she is a skrull and alot of signs point to her being a skrull said he was a skrull (Updated 6/12/08)

Hawkeye\Ronin\Clint Barton (Updated 6/12/08) 

First of all Hawkeye appears out of nowhere and than quits being Hawkeye because Cap gave Kate Bishop his name.Would the real Hawkeye have fought for his name back? Also in the issue where he returns (please go back and read)..he has sex with Wanda walks toward the bathroom,turns around and looks at her and when he turns back to the door he makes a goofy ass face and then it cuts to somthing else.I also noticed Jarvis and Blackbolt making goofy ass faces too..and they are both skrulls.

Hawkeye could not be a skrull because

A.Wanda was the first person to see him meaning she was probably the one who revived him..she's already done it twice.
B.Why would a skrull Hawkeye who know one knows exists go have sex with a mutant that has nothing to do with Invasion and is possibly depowered.
C.Ronin killed the skrull posing as Hawkeye.He might still be a skrull not knowing the Clint skrull was a skrull,I doubt that though.Nobody who has been through Strange's magic skrull test has been proven to be a skrull. (Updated 6/12/08)

Luke Cage\Jessica Jones\Danielle Cage

Ok.I have noticed a few things about Cage and his family that don't add up.

A.Danielle Cage has green eyes.

B.Luke Cage promised his grandmother on her death bed that he wouldn't curse but he's been using profanity alot lately.In fact the whole time during Secret Invasion when he's fighting the "fake" Luke..he's cursing.There is an issue of New Avengers where Cage chews out Spider-Man..but does not curse yet now all of a sudden he can't control himself.
C.There is a woman that appears in the circle in Mighty Avengers #14 who appears to be pregnant.You can't really see her whole stomach because she's wearing a jacket but she has the same hair color and facial features as Jessica Jones.
D.If one of these characters is a skrull then they all are.If Cage is a skrull,Jessica would have to have know to have his baby...and I know she wouldn't willingly have a skrull baby.If Jessica is one then Cage would have known when she laid a skrull egg...and Danielle is self-explanitory.
E.When it was found out that Cage got away from the police in Harlem during Civil War...Jessica had a shocked look and Danielle made a goofy skrull face which looked sort of suprized...but if you think about it,Danielle would have been too young to know what was going on.Danielle also makes a goofy ass face before the last panel in New Avengers #38.Another weird face is made at the end of New Avengers #31.
F.Jessica Jones never let's Danielle go unless she gives the baby to Cage.New Avenger #33 is the first time where anyone but Cage and Jessica held the baby.She gave the baby to Echo but never actually took her hands off over her except for a second.Something is wrong with that.You can see in almost every panel that they are in while Echo is holding the baby that Jessica Jones never leaves Echo's side hand has her hands between her arms touching Danielle.

The reason I don't think Cage or his family are skrulls is.

A.Black people can have green eyes although it would make more sense if Jessica's eyes are green.

B.Cage could just be really pissed right now.

C.The woman in the circle might not be Jessica...but It really could be.I don't know who else it could be.Also Maybe Cage wasn't there when Danielle was born.

D.Maybe Yu didn't think about the fact Danielle would be too young to know that it was Cage who got away from SHIELD.

E.Cage independently looked for Jessica after the battle with the Hood's Gang and has flashbacks about being with her.Jessica and Cage also argued about the registration and the safety of the baby.Jarvis knew about the conversation yet he didn't her the whole thing.So who would Jessica and Cage be putting up a front for.Why would two skrulls argue over things happening in someone their copyings life if not to appear normal in front of everyone else.

F.Cage passed Strange's test and if Black to the Future was really forshadowing to what could happen in the future...Danielle Cage is not a skrull.

Cyclops \Scott Summers
His judgement has been poor but it seems he has a plan.His behavior has been out of the ordinary as well.Also there seems to be plenty of skrulls with his powers and skrulls with a majority of mutant power...Who would be more likely to know all there powers then the leader. (Updated 6/12/08)

Wolverine\Logan\James Howlett
He's on several teams at once and hasn't explained it well.Has been way to nice for Wolverine.There are several skrulls with his claws.However...like Iron Man,Wolverine has taken attacks that would have killed a skrull but not him.There could be a Wolverine skrull on another team though.

Black Widow\Wasp\Ares\Wonder Man
I have no idea about these guys.I'm going to guess they aren't skrulls because there is supposed to be one on every team and on the Mighty Avengers it was Ms.Marvel.Ares wanted the team to run away while he dealt with the supposed skrulls though...he could have been protecting them.If they left and he stayed...he wouldn't actually have to fight them because know one would be around to see that he wasn't he could have just lied and said he did.

War Machine\James Rhodes
There's no clear evidence....he's not.I wouldn't say he is though.
-There will be a comic coming out soon called "War Machine:Director of Shield" So I would assume Marvel isn't starting a new series for a skrull (Updated 6/12/08)

Henry Gyrich
He can't remember anything and he's a bigger douche than normal.

Mariah Hill I haven't seen any evidence she's not and she would be a great asset to the Invasion.Bendis and Quesada have taken interest in her since Civil War though.


Madame Hydra/Viper (Updated 6/12/08)
Alot members of Hydra seem to be skrulls,It's possible the leader is as well.She also seems to know something about Jessica Drew that nobody else does.

NOT SKRULLS

Echo
Daisy Johnson
Ms.Marvel
The Hulk
Thor
Deadpool
Moon Knight
Black Panther
Storm
Ghost Rider
Captain America (James Buchannan)
Captain America (Steve Rogers)
Captain America (legally Steve Rogers)
Agent XIII\Sharon Carter
Cable
Bishop
The Sentry
Dr.Doom
Hercules
Iron Fist
Black Tarantula
Heroes for Hire
She-Hulk
Cloak
Captain Britain
Black Knight
Spitfire
Pete Wisdom
MVP
The Scarlet Spiders
Justice
Rage
Slapstick
Debrii
Gauntlet
Gambit
Fury's Team -Howling Commandos
Spider-man
Swordsman
Venom
Green Goblin
Penance
Moonstone
Doc Samson
Crossbones
Human Torch
The Thing
Franklin Richards
Thor Girl
The Young Avengers
Skrull Busters
Runaways
New Warriors
Professor Charles Xavier (Updated 7/7/08)

SAVAGE LAND\KNOWN SKRULLS

Ok so now we have to Wonder...

A.Are the duplicate heroes in the Savage Land skrulls?

B.What are the skrulls doing with the people they duped?

C.Is it possible that some of the heroes on the ship are the real thing or clones?

1.We know Iron Man is the real thing and the one on the ship is a fake.

2.We know the real Ms.Marvel is the one on earth not the one wearing the old Captain Marvel suit because the real Ms.Marvel gave that suit to Ultragirl.

3.We know the Scarlet Witch on the ship is a fake because of House of M.

4.We don't know the Beast on the ship is a fake because the one on Earth evolved into that Dog thing.

5.We know the Thor on the ship is fake because of Ragnarok

6.Captain America and Mockingbird is a toss up.Captain America is dead here but that could be a clone.Mockingbird remembered the date Hawkeye gave her but that doesn't mean she's not a clone or a skrull.She also said the Captain America on the ship was the real one.We know the Hawkeye on the ship is a skrull and so is Spiderman and Vision.

7.The Luke Cage who is gets off the ship is using profanity as well as the one we think is real.Maybe one is a clone and one is a skrull.I'm sure if they were both skrulls they would know.I think the more likely result is the Cage on earth is the real one.

8.I'm not sure about Emma either.Maybe the one on the ship is the real one and maybe not.The one who isn't on the ship though has undergone a secondary mutation...a skrull wouldn't be able to do that because there is no one on Earth with Diamond skin for her to imitate.They could both be skrulls of clones though.

9.The Phoenix on the ship could be a real one or a clone.The Phoenix is more powerful than the Sentry whom the skrulls said they could not imitate.This is the first indication that there maybe clones on the ship.This could also be the real Phoenix.

10.The Sue Storm on the ship is obviously fake because of Civil War...there has to be a real Sue Storm on earth.I would assume that is a clone.The Skrull version already turned out to be Lyja.

I am assuming that the Skrulls have the real heroes somewhere and they will return after the Invasion.

DECEASED (update 9/18/08)

1. Spitfire-turned into a Vampire and killed by Blade
2 .Skrull Priest-Killed by Cyclops
3. Savage Land Skrulls-Killed By the Avengers and Iron Man
4. Captain Marvel
 


SKRULL FACE THOERY 

This thoery has always worked for me so far...All the skrulls that have been revealed except Revolutionary...has been seen making weird faces before they are discovered.Blackbolt was always making all types of faces in Illuminati because he couldn't talk,but in Illuminati #4(I believe) which is just before BB's reveal...he makes a happy kind of face and points at Iron Man..and we all know Blackbolt is unhappy because he can't talk.Jarvis's face is almost always normal as it should be but in SI#2,Jarvis makes this really cheesy happy faces when he's talking to Tony.Elektra as well makes some pretty random faces and one just before Echo shishkabobs her.This may mean that because of the faces they have made..other characters are skulls.

1.In the issue of New Avengers where Clint Barton retruns...he has sex with Wanda...he then gets of the bed and walks toward the bathroom.Before opening the door he turns back and looks at her and then when he turns back...he makes a shocked face.The scene cuts to something else so it never shows what suprized..maybe it was a skrull?

2.Danielle Cage has made faces since her birth that show emotions she couldn't possibly understand at her age.When Cage got away from SHIELD i Harlem and Jessica realized it from the report on the news..Danielle had a shocked look on her face.She couldn't possibly have understood that report at her age.Also Cage and Jessica had a light argument in the bed room in one New Avengers comic...in the last panel of there argument,Danielle is in her baby carriage with a weird look on her face.
SKRULL INVASION
SKRULL INVASION
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