Infinity #1 Review

Infinity #1 
Jonathan Hickman, Jim Cheung 
Marvel Comics 
$4.99 (oversized issue)

I’m a lifelong Marvelite and I almost didn’t buy this.

Why? Well, when it comes to Hickman’s writing I’m very fickle. I loved his run on Fantastic Four and FF, but lost interest in his Avengers titles very early on and I have no desire to read East of West or The Manhattan Projects. I find he’s great at coming up with a very strong premise, but he usually loses me in a delivery that’s bogged down by pseudoscience and convoluted dialogue. Maybe I’m still just having a hard time seeing the Avengers without Bendis’ words behind them.

Even though I’m not reading Avengers or New Avengers, I found the story to be mostly accessible and self-contained. To his credit, the lush, broad, sci-fi scope Hickman employs really does make it feel pretty epic. Cheung’s art is nothing less than stunning in many places. Truly excellent. He even sneaks in a few familiar faces from the Star Wars universe into the background. That always earns you points in my book.

I hope that this issue, with its unfamiliar characters and concepts, serves to set the stage and that the focus will turn to the characters that we know and love as they face Thanos’ latest end-of-the-world scenario. I have my doubts that Hickman will deliver that, but I’m going to be along for the ride to find out either way and I just might enjoy it regardless.

Oh, and that 4.99 price tag? That accounts for it being a pretty thick funnybook, but it’s only longer because it includes the Free Comic Book Day Infinity teaser. So, if you already have it, you’ll be getting it again. It just costs more this time. 

Rating: 3 .5 out of 5 infinity gems

A Handy, Anti-Troll Guide to Marvel NOW!

It’s no big revelation that the online comic book community is overpopulated with trolls. The combination of online anonymity and staunch viewpoints can turn ordinarily timid, shrinking violet fanboys into raging, foaming-at-the-mouth lunatics at the very mention of a change of the status quo in their favorite funnybook. I use the word "favorite" lightly, because you'd be hard-pressed to get one of these jokers to name something they actually enjoy.

And to a certain extent, that’s OK. We all have opinions. Some of us are just better at voicing them without opining about our childhoods being “raped” while our Dorito taco shell crumbles into the keyboard and Mom yells downstairs about that Code Red Mountain Dew stain on the couch.

The biggest problem with trolls is that they are very often just plain wrong. Despite the wealth of knowledge available on the net, some people reach conclusions based on whatever first impression their Hot Pocket-fueled brain manages to muster.

Such is the case with Marvel NOW!. There’s been a great deal of speculation about what it’s really all about. There’s a common assumption that this is basically Marvel’s version of DC’s New 52 reboot – a reset button for the entire Marvel Universe. The scope of the event is also somewhat unclear to some. Which books with this affect? How long it will last? Will Emma Frost still have a big rack?

So, to combat the misinformation, I’ve compiled this handy, dandy Marvel NOW! overview. Next time you encounter an anti-Marvel troll, feel free to throw this link at them, tell them to defog their coke-bottle glasses and read a few facts for once.

Or, you know, just tell them that every character in the Marvel Universe is getting adamantium claws and watch their heads explode.

So, what is Marvel NOW?

In essence, it’s a new jumping-on point for current and potential readers wherein Marvel’s creative teams have been shaken up and the characters enter the next great chapter of the Marvel Universe.

Axel Alonso, Marvel’s editor-in-chief, offers this concise, informative response on Marvel.com: “Marvel NOW! is the next chapter in the ongoing saga of the Marvel Universe. From October through February, we’ll provide at least one great reason for readers—old, lapsed or new—to go into a comic store each week: a new issue #1, featuring an exciting new creative team and driving concept, that’s an easy entry-point into the Marvel Universe. Each and every one of these launches is built to last”

Like I need another reason to go the comic shop every week.

DC's New 52 was a very mixed bag of cats for me, but I really enjoyed its launch. There were many, many books that piqued my interest and I loved being able to finally “jump on” DC books with great characters, writers and artists at a new #1. The problem was, when I picked up those new numero unos, I discovered that they didn’t play by the same rules. Batman kept most of his continuity, Green Lantern kept it all, Superman kept none. Action Comics focused on a different time period that Superman. Now there’s Earth 2. This was meant to simplify the DCU? It wasn’t a complete and clear reboot and I’m sure it lost new comic readers quickly. I mean, it lost me and I love comics more than any other media. Marvel NOW! will accomplish all of the fun of the New 52 launch without the confusion of mixed continuity. To top it off, we’ll get all the fun of the launch for over four months!

Time will tell if “each and everyone” is built to last. I have little doubt that Avengers and X-Men will thrive due to their fan-base and new creative teams (Rick Remender and John Cassaday on Uncanny Avengers, Brian Bendis and Stuart Immonen on All-New X-Men and Jonathan Hickman and Jerome Opena on Avengers). However, there are smaller books focusing on more obscure characters with less established writers and artists that will struggle to find an audience that can sustain them. I’m looking at you Journey Into Mystery (starring Lady Sif by Kathryn Immonen and Valerio Schiti) and X-Men Legacy (starring Professor X’s jerk son Legion by Simon Spurrier & Tan Eng Huat).

So, this is a total reboot of the Marvel Universe, right?

Nope. No. Not at all. But you might think so if you get all your info from your tweeps. If you trust what Marvel says, then it’s clear:

“Marvel NOW! is the next step in Marvel story evolution and character evolution. It’s not a reboot.”  - Joe Quesada, Marvel’s Chief Creative Officer. Marvel.com

“… because we are not wiping the slate clean—we’re just trying to tell these stories from a clean point of view and allowing a good jumping-off point for new readers.” – Joe Quesada, Marvel.com

"Everything's going to be one nice melting pot of Marvel Universe goodness," says (Tom) Brevoort (Marvel’s executive editor), who insists that Marvel NOW! is not a reboot. "This is the same Marvel Universe you were reading about the month before and the same characters. They haven't gone back to square one — all of that history isn't out the window." – USAToday

"With Marvel NOW! everything that happened yesterday and the year before STILL happened.” – Dan Slott, Amazing Spider-Man writer via Twitter.

 “It is not a reboot.”  - Axel Alonso, Marvel.com

If you don’t trust what Marvel says, it’s still clear. Just check out the October and November solicitations for the first round of Marvel NOW! Nary an origin story in sight. It’s all new stories for well-established characters, with a lot of new elements mixed in. In short, IT’S NOT A REBOOT, DUDE!

Will this affect the entire line of Marvel Comics?

Yes. Well, OK, just the Marvel Universe proper (i.e. 616). Starting in October and running until February of next year, another Marvel book will be assimilated into Marvel NOW! every week. Many of the titles focusing on Marvel’s bigger characters (i.e. Avengers, Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, X-Men) have been announced for October and November releases.

Interestingly, Daredevil and Spider-Man are noticeably absent from that list. With the popularity and critical acclaim of Mark Waid and Dan Slott’s runs, it will be interesting to see if they keep them on those titles once they become part of the event. I would not be surprised if Daredevil and Amazing are some of the few titles that won’t get the “creative team shake-up” part of Marvel NOW!, but you never know. The precedence that has been set thus far is new creators on every new title, so maybe Mr. Slott and Mr. Waid will be moving on.

What’s important is that this event does not start off strong and go out with a fizzle. Marvel’s “architects” have already staked their claims on one, if not more, big Marvel titles. Will there be enough talent to go around? This remains to be seen.

Here’s a list of Marvel NOW! titles that have been confirmed as of August 21: 

October

MARVEL NOW! POINT ONE (64-page one-shot)

Various Writers and Artists

UNCANNY AVENGERS
RICK REMENDER & JOHN CASSADAY

November

INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK
MARK WAID & LEINIL FRANCIS YU

ALL-NEW X-MEN
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS & STUART IMMONEN

IRON MAN
KIERON GILLEN &  GREG LAND

THOR: GOD OF THUNDER
JASON AARON & ESAD RIBIC

CAPTAIN AMERICA
RICK REMENDER & JOHN ROMITA JR.

A+X  (A book that I’d imagine will rotate artists and writers in and out every month)
Various Writers and Artists

X-MEN:LEGACY
SIMON SPURRIER & TAN ENG HUA

FANTASTIC FOUR
MATT FRACTION & MARK BAGLEY

FF
MATT FRACTION & MIKE ALLRED

DEADPOOL
GERRY DUGGAN & BRIAN POSEHN &  TONY MOORE

JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY (The only book mysteriously retaining its current numbering …)
KATHRYN IMMONEN & VALERIO SCHITI


Beyond

AVENGERS

JONATHAN HICKMAN & JERONE OPENA

NEW AVENGERS

JONATHAN HICKMAN & STEVE EPTING

I’m salivating for the release of Uncanny Avengers, Hulk, X-Men, Thor and Captain America. Fantastic Four will most likely be necessary since I’m a sucker for a new take on Marvel’s first family and with the brilliant comedian Brian Posehn on Deadpool, I may finally become a fan of the merc with a mouth. I’ll admit that I have very little interest in the others, but the good looks to far outweigh the bad.

No doubt Marvel has more up its sleeve, but this first round of books is pretty damn impressive.

The Wrap
So there you have it, a brief summary of all things Marvel NOW! with a little color commentary thrown in for good measure. I hope this goes a little way to give you a better understanding of just what Marvel is up to with this relaunch (not a reboot).

Remember, this article makes the perfect gift for the online, anti-Marvel, mouthbreathers in your life. Maybe we can make Marvel NOW! into a kind of 12-step troll recovery process. Hmmm … that sounds like another article entirely ...

‘Til next time, loyal reader. In the meantime, make mine Marvel (NOW!)!

The Hawkeye Games

"The Hawkeye Games"

Mixed-media

Artist: Matt Wheeler

And Max Power uttered, "I hate you, Joss Whedon!"

I'm proud to feature our first-ever post by contributing writer Max Power! One of the goals of this blog is to begin to feature opinions and articles that run the gamut of fandom. At times, we're going to be fawning nerds and other times we're going to be blasphemers, but it's all going to come from a place of love for all things fanboy.

So without further ado, here's Max's first (and incredibly relevant) article "I Hate You, Joss Whedon." (!?!?!?!)
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Before we start, let’s make sure we understand each other. Of the volumes that will be written on Marvel’s Avengers most of it will be deservedly positive. This will not. This is not a review of that film and you should not read it as such. This is an attack on one of fandom’s metaphorical “girlfriends” and I will offer no quarter. The other thing I would like to state right up front is that, I get it. We are lucky to have these movies.

In the good old days of the late 80’s and early 90’s, we fanboys had little in the way of cinematic Marvel fare to enjoy. Oh, sure we had quality DC coming out the whazoo. The first three Batman’s treated me very well, thank you. I also hold dear three of the four Reeve Superman’s (Not III, as the woman being turned into a robot by a giant computer scared the hell out of me.) But as for Marvel? Well, I’m the guy who watched the Matt Salinger, Captain America and convinced myself it was good because he does a flip over an oncoming car. So I get it, we are blessed to live in a time where Ghost Rider who can’t even carry his own monthly, can have not one but TWO films starring that guy from Con-Air. The fact that I can plunk down my hard earned Washington’s and watch Thor punch The Hulk in the face is nothing short of a miracle. And yet…I hate you Joss Whedon.
               
Firstly, let me disabuse you of the notion that this man is some geek genius. Up till now his claim to fame has been Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Hot chicks and vampires, Eureka!!) a spinoff of that aforementioned opus with the guy from Bones and the Sci-Fi mish-mash that is, Firefly. Near as I can tell, Firefly is a show that gained popularity by virtue of not being god-awful and then getting cancelled which usually propels you to levels of undeserved acclaim in our little sphere of entertainment. If a Sci-Fi show makes it to air and doesn’t run forever, then the sooner it is cancelled the greater it would have been had the idiots at the network not been so short-sighted. This is a geek-math formula of inverse relationships that almost never fails. Shockingly, the film Serenity based on Firefly performed poorly in theaters and those “characters” were never heard from again. And for the record, the man did not write Toy Story. He wrote a DRAFT of Toy Story which in no way was the shooting script. (In all fairness Whedon is the first to admit this, a fact his adoring fans gleefully ignore.)
               
When I heard Whedon was to direct The Avengers I was possibly the only grown man with Captain America undies balled up in a drawer not turning cart-wheels at the announcement. It seemed like an overly telegraphed overture to fandom. Marvel seemed to be saying, “We have no real vision for this film but you guys likes this dude right?” It felt like when Lucas started cramming Episodes II&III with OT characters, “This is what you like, right,Right, RIGHT?!?!” But that’s just my read on it and in no way a salient argument against Mr. Whedon having his crack at these storied characters. What is in my opinion a good argument is that this guy is a one-trick hack with annoying fetishes he cannot restrain.
               
I have the same problem with Whedon’s work that I have with Kevin Smith, Brian Michael Bendis and whoever the hell wrote most of The Gilmore Girls. Not every character, in every situation, and at all times can have the same voice and precise comedic timing. When one character in an ensemble is the “funny one”; they become the cipher for the audience. This character breaks the tension, points out the absurdity we are all perceiving and drags it into the light. This in turn acknowledges that the story isn’t fully asking you to forget how ridiculous these scenarios are and that then allows us to accept them and roll with it. When John McClane quips about how ridiculous it is that he is once again trading bullets with someone who more than likely has some odd member of his family in danger, you can rest easier in your chair and say,” See, even he thinks this is nuts!”  You are then comforted knowing that the movie doesn’t think you are stupid. It realizes it can’t fool you and it has to admit to you what it’s trying to do. Because the “funny” character pointed this out to you in a charming fashion, you forgive it. These characters usually steal the majority of the scenes they are in and in doing so, become our favorites. Peter Venkman, Jack Sparrow and Han solo, are all excellent examples of this. Without the majority of the film’s characters treating the proceeding’s with the most grim, seriousness there is no contrast for the “funny”  character. This is the problem with Whedon’s work, every character has the “funny” voice. It becomes a Pro-Wrestling match where after every move, the wrestlers turn to you and wink.
               
 All the characters this man writes have Second City levels of comedic timing and never miss the opportunity to hit you with the snarkiest snark. It quickly becomes too much of the same thing. His body of work plays  like being at a party with some jackass, who encouraged by a successful first joke will now back you into a corner and deliver and evening-long one man show. You never get a break and it never stops. Heroes are funny, villains are snarky, side-characters; HILARIOUS.
                
 Consider what made Seinfeld the perfect ensemble. Each member of that glorious foursome brought something different to the table, offering you a fresh voice and the opportunity to contrast and appreciate the different styles on display. Elaine was the easily flustered bitch, Kramer the oddball, Jerry the detached, quipper and George the neurotic. Imagine a show where everyone had Kramer’s idiosyncrasies or George’s foibles; all you’d be able to think is “What is wrong with these douche bags? How come no one in this group can function as a human-being?”
               
Oh, Whedon tries for the barest semblance of variety in his characters, but it’s the same carousel of stock archetypes every time. There’s the loyal nerd, the tortured leader, the tough guy who’s secretly nice, and so on. Now, granted in many cases these are tried and true character molds, but not when they all sound exactly the same. Read a random line of script from any climax scene in any episode of Buffy that does not have a name attached to it and you’d never know who was talking. On the other hand every one of Han Solo’s lines are 100% swarthy-douchey, awesome sauce and are thus easily distinguished. The same goes for absolutely all of Bill Murray’s lines in Ghostbusters.
                 
Whedon brings this bad habit to every project he works on, not just his WhedonVerse (blargh) material. His X-men run is mostly Claremont lifts with everyone talking like the kids on Buffy or the crew of Serenity. Wolverine, having never really been “ha-ha funny “ in his printed career is suddenly the Dennis Leary of mutie-town USA.
               
Oh and don’t get me started on this guy’s pathological fixation with small kung-fuish women. Joss let me tell you something my friend; no one gives a flying Norse fuck about the Black Widow. That is why she had five minutes of screen time in Iron Man 2 and why she has never, ever carried a monthly book for any extended period of time.
               
You honestly haven’t worked out your desire to see small women kick guys in the face by this point in your career? It bothers me most because it manages to be unbelievable in a movie where a god is fighting an alcoholic in a flying tank suit. If you have to have these Uber-Chicks wrecking all life on the globe at least fucking sell it to me. When Hilary Swank played a boxer her back looked dense enough to shrug off a small armament.  If Summer Glau kicked anyone in the face they would easily chase her down on what is now her broken foot and throw her into the nearest speeding vehicle.
                
 My sister is currently in France and is a tiny woman herself, albeit without Kung-fuish tendencies.  As result of the early European release she had already seen the film while I lingered in anticipation. Eager for some tidbits I asked her some tentative questions. She reported to me that Loki had the most screen-time to which I replied “Excellent”. Then she told me that he was followed closely by ScarJo to which I replied, “Of-fucking-course”.  The amount of lines, action and general time on-screen that this character is given is shameful when you consider all the extra Gamma-irradiated smashing that could have occupied it.
               
Joss, I don’t care about poorly executed fight choreography from a buxom red-head or that you managed to once again shoe-horn your character archetypes into a new project re:Coulson=Xander=Wash. Our medium needs strong female characters, that’s not up for debate. The problem is that you have been forcing the same character on your audience for the last decade and a half. She just traded a wooden stake for a Beretta (kept the awful Kung-fu though). This was a film for icons and legends. The Black Widow is not an icon. She is back-up Captain America’s girlfriend. She was however, the fastest, easiest way for you to put Buffy back on the screen and you couldn’t pass that up. Could you? Please from this time forward direct all Marvel movies. Get Pepper Pots into that armor she’s running around the comics in and you can put Tony in a coma or something. Jane foster did not back-flip into nearly enough Frost Giant’s in Thor. Summer Glau just screams She-Hulk.
               
It was recently debated at Spin-Off.com  that maybe Whedon should be allowed to have a crack at the Star Wars universe. I will close by saying, No-Fucking-One wants to see a trilogy of films about Super Leia flipping around Star Destroyers and helmet kicking Storm-Troopers while evading snarky British-actor portrayed Imperial assassins.   
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If you'd like to contribute to Salt City Fanboy, either as a writer, an artist, or otherwise, shoot me an email at saltcityfanboy@gmail.com.

"Avengers" Super Bowl Trailer Review

As all self-respecting Marvel comic (and movie) fans know, a big, flashy "Avengers" trailer ran during last night's Super Bowl, and maaaan ... was it pretty or what? (the answer is "yes")



The question is: will this movie be just another pretty face, or are we going to fall head over heels in love with it?

"We have a Hulk."
Yes, you do. And an archer, a spy, a super-soldier, a norse god and a "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist." The questions is: do you have a plot? It's clear that the movie is being marketed with the characters, and that makes sense. If you've seen any of the other Marvel movies, the thought of having all of them together in one movie is a great selling point. However, you'd better be able to tell a good story once they're all assembled, or it's all for naught.

So far, I'm not seeing that. As @JasonWasulko pointed out, the plot is "Avengers don't get along with each other. Aliens invade. Avengers get along to fight invading aliens. #avengersplotinatweet" On the surface, that's fine with me, but I pray that Whedon makes it more interesting than that. I have a long-standing respect for the man's work and trust him to respect the property, BUT six cool characters running around punching things does not automatically make for a good movie.

So ... those were Skrulls, right?
At one point in the video, you can see something jumping out of those alien ships. I've slowed it down to review it frame by frame, but I can't pick up on any detail that confirms or denies that the enemy is the rumored alien race of Skrulls. As long as the villian is not invented especially for this flick and they are something that stems from the comics, I'll be happy. My biggest concern is that the heroes end up being the only element of the story that are straight from the books. The villains are every bit as important to include. We know we'll have Loki. Anyone else?

The Genuine Article
To me, one of the best things about this movie is that we are getting the exact version of the characters as they appeared in other movies - the genuine article. The costumes look the same, the effects look the same, and all of the actors (except for Ed Norton) are returning to reprise their characters. This just adds so much credibility to the film for me. By starring in their own movie, each character and actor has earned a seat at the table, giving us what will be an unprecedented movie-going experience. Where else have we ever seen several major movie characters all together in one film?

In Conclusion
Ultimately (no pun intended), I have faith in Whedon to pull it all together and not skimp on the story. Right now, it's clear that the marketing is all about who's in the movie, and maybe it should be. I just want this to work so badly that I'm craving signs of great storytelling and I'm not seeing that quite yet. That said, May 4 is still a ways off, and I certainly want to go in spoiler-free(ish).

In the end, maybe it's better that this is all we know so far. I, for one, will be there opening night, ready for the ride of my life with the immortal Lando Calrissian's line running through my head: "C'mon old buddy, don't let me down."

This Means (Another) War!

Do we really need another Avengers vs. X-Men crossover? Yes. Yes we do.

It was announced this week that Marvel's first big event for 2012 will pit the Earth's Mightiest Heroes against the Children of the Atom in a 12-issue miniseries. Naturally, that has invoked some criticism from mother's basements all around the world. Entirely well-thought-out arguments include: "Didn't they just do a Civil War?," "This doesn't make sense because there are X-Men on the Avengers." and my personal favorite, "MARVEL SUX!" Ah, trolls.

Anyway, Marvel is pulling out all the stops for this one and loading up on the creative talent involved. Writing this latest epic are Brian Bendis, Jason Aaron, Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction and on art duties we have my personal all-time favorite, John Romita Jr., as well as Olivier Coipel and Adam Kubert. I mean, are you kidding me? Even if the writers blow it (which I highly, highly doubt) this series is going to be beautiful. Just check out Coipel's stunning preview art below.

On top of all this, you can purchase this series in print and digitally on the day of its release, but if you buy print, you get a digital copy for free. So, I recommend marching your sweet little behind down to your local comic book shop and buying the print copy there. Then, check out the digital version, or better yet, give a budding comic book fan your digital code. Spread the love, people.


Cyke and the gang sign up to have their butts handed to them by Cap's team
(Click to enlarge, Fanboys)



Top Billing: Cable vs. The Avengers

This December, Cable is hunting Avengers. And that's impressive because he's ... you know.. dead.

Nevertheless, Nathan is returning somehow and he's picking up where he left off - protecting Hope, the first mutant born after the Scarlet Witch uttered "No More Mutants." You see, he had been jumping around through time with Hope to protect her after Bishop decided that she must die because she's the catalyst that creates the dystopian future that he's from. After run-ins with the new X-Force and Stryfe in "Messiah War," they return to the current timeline and Cable promptly bites the big one and Hope (now full-grown) puts together her team "Generation Hope."

So, how does all of this lead to Cable going after the Earth's Mightiest Heroes? It's not entirely clear at this point, but it's definitely something worth looking forward to with Jeph Loeb & Ed McGuinness at the helm of this four-part miniseries called "Avengers: X-Sanction."

No matter how you feel about the ever-polarizing Loeb, you have to admit that it's going to be interesting to see these characters interact and that McGuinness' art will be outstanding. Now if it was Cable's creator, Rob Liefeld, handling the pencils I'd be singing a very different tune about the whole project, so I suppose Ed's art might just have me overlooking the potential pitfalls ahead. Time will tell.

For more details, check out the a complete run-down at Comics Alliance.

Captain America: The First Avenger Review

When it was announced that director Joe Johnston  would be at the helm of the Cap movie, my first thought was "uh oh, Jurassic Park 3," my second thought was "oh, but Rocketeer!"

Well today I found out where on that crazy spectrum it fell. Spoilers after the jump, but I'll give you a hint: it's better than Jumanji.

I've had a very hard time sitting back and enjoying the ride with both this movie and "Thor." I attribute that to the fact that I know very well that we're getting an Avengers movie next year and I know where these characters are going. I won't go so far as to say that these two movies are basically 2-hour trailers for the Avengers as some have implied, but I can't help but want to see the story lines move faster - to get to the good stuff. Because of this I found myself waiting for scenes to be play themselves out as I watched. When the current issue onscreen is "Will Cap get into the Army?" you think "Of course. Get on with it." When Cap might not survive the super serum - "Of course he will. Get on with it."

I'm quite confident that I'll enjoy this movie much more on the second viewing. I'll know how much of the story is going to be told and I will be able to appreciate each scene without wondering if there's going to be a Baron Zemo cameo. Now, this is not to say that I did not enjoy this movie. In fact, I did very much. I just feel that Johnston (like Branaugh with Thor) is saddled with very high expectations of the Avengers. There's not much he can do about that other than go out and make a damn fun movie. Thankfully, hes done just that.

Set almost entirely in the WWII era, Cap is completely an origin tale, which are notoriously hard to pull off. Especially to hardcore comic fans. We know eveyone's origin by heart. Want to know why? Because Stan Lee presented them to us in about a page and a half 70 years ago. They're simple, quick plot devices that get us to the punching. Yet, it's pulled off here. The origin is still simple, but by putting together a fantastic cast and giving them all "real", three dimensional characters to play in these scenes, they makes you care. Even, Stanley Tucci's Abraham Erskine, the doctor that gives Cap his powers is interesting. Most movies these days don't have main characters that are so well fleshed out. Kudos to the writers here - they gave us a large side of story with our extra large helping of special effects.

I would say that the biggest success of this movie is Chris Evan's Steve Rogers. I had my doubts, but Evans fits the role so perfectly, it wasn't at all jarring to see the Human Torch play Cap. Cap is written exactly as he should be: honest, noble, determined, strong and heroic. He just all around good. To me, that's Cap. They do take him on kind of a weird tangent with the whole USO show deal, but I suppose they needed a plot device to allow Cap to prove himself on his own. By this I mean, instead of having someone else deploy him into a battle to be heroic, Cap has the opportunity to break away and be heroic on his own terms.

Once he becomes full-on WWII Captain America, the story becomes fast-paced and exciting. Lots of punching. Hugo Weaving makes a great Red Skull and it's great to see them face off. Cap uses his shield a lot, and it looks amazing. Anytime someone got CLANG-ed with that bad boy, a smile sprang to my face. The Howling Commandos were also smirk-inducing. Some very good character actors used there as well and they're always in on the action.

One thing I could have definitely done without is the lasers that the Red Skull's organization, Hydra, uses. Not necessarily from a story perspective, but more from an aesthetic feel of the WWII era scenes. I suppose it offended my delicate sensibilities to see lasers being shot in otherwise very well done period shots. After all, if they had lasers in the 1940s, then what's so impressive about Tony Stark's tech in the 2000's? Right? I wish they stuck to bullets and found another way to work in the power of the cosmic cube. Oh yeah. Did I not mention the cosmic cube? Seems like something they might use in the Avengers movie, huh? I wonder.

So which end of the spectrum? Firmly on the Rocketeer's end. Hopefully higher with repeat viewings and more time spent with Evans as Cap. Avengers Assemble!