The X-Axis – 28 July 2013
It’s a podcast weekend (and it’ll be a few weeks before we pick up again), so don’t forget to check that out in the post now. Meanwhile…
Gambit #15 – Having largely tied up the storylines that covered its first year, Gambit finds itself in an odd position. The series is being cancelled with issue #17, so it would feel a bit odd to start something completely new now. On the other hand, you can’t really do several straight issues of filler to end the book.
House to Astonish Episode 111
Paul and I hit a milestone in our first three-digit, one-number, palindromic podcast edition, and to mark the occasion we’ve got a handy recap of all the major news out of San Diego for you. We’re talking about IDW’s new Artist’s Editions, the republishing of The Maxx, the continuing partnership between IDW and 2000AD and Walt Simonson’s new creator-owned series, Dynamite’s new Twilight Zone and Heroes books (as well as Howard Chaykin’s return to The Shadow), Dark Horse’s Ghost and Terminator series, five new titles from Monkeybrain, DC Digital’s upcoming new books, the launch of a new Harley Quinn title, Marvel’s latest addition to the X-books, Wolverine: Origin II, the return of the Marvel UK characters and the Avengers movie sequel. Oh, and something to do with a big superhero movie from Warners…
We’ve also got reviews of Hunger, Tomorrowland and Mysterious Strangers, and the Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe stole the sun from our hearts. All this plus the mountains of Belgium, the Refreshers Event and Lobo Meets the Smurfs.
The podcast is here, or here on Mixcloud, or available via the embedded player below. Let us know what you think, in the comments, on Twitter, via email or on our Facebook fan page.
Remember, you can also help put Paul’s imminently-arriving new son through college with our Redbubble store – shirts that will look fantastic on you, we imagine.
Charts – 21 July 2013
After last week’s hiatus, the march of the massive number one hits resumes…
32. Kings of Leon – “Supersoaker”
YouTube is sparking some odd video clips these days. That thing above is, obviously, not a video in the conventional sense – and it’s billed simply as an audio track – but by the same token it’s not a lyric video, nor is it just a still. It’s, well, over three and half minutes of various camera angles of a neon sign.
The X-Axis – 21 July 2013
Back to a more typical level of X-related output this week…
A+X #10 – Judging from upcoming solicitations, Marvel have finally conceded the commercial limitations of this format and decided to introduce a six-issue serial – which is the equivalent of a three-issue regular story arc, but still suggests a belated recognition that the appeal of a book that’s actively billed as utterly inconsequential is pretty limited.
Charts – 14 July 2013
The X-Axis – 14 July 2013
A mostly quiet week, but we do have the X-books’ first full-length Infinite book…
Astonishing X-Men #64 – Given that Astonishing X-Men doesn’t sell that well, and is sitting out the big autumn crossover, it’s hardly a surprise to learn that the book is being cancelled in October. Originally conceived as a flagship vehicle for top name creators, Astonishing long-since ceased to be anything of the sort, and basically continues to exist through sheer inertia. Rich Johnston is reporting that they’re going to relaunch it, which is depressing but hardly surprising.
Money in the Bank 2013
The X-Axis will be up… mmm, probably Monday night at this rate. Best get this post done first, since there’s not much point previewing a show after it’s happened.
We do have a podcast up today, though, so check that out one post below.
Anyway. Time again for one of the more important B-shows in the WWE pay-per-view calendar. The winners of the Money in the Bank ladder matches win title shots – one for the WWE Title, one for the World Heavyweight Title – that they can cash in whenever they want. That rule has been taken absolutely literally, so the winner basically gets to hang around for months on end waiting for an ambush attempt. Once in a blue moon a well-meaning babyface actually plays fair and uses his title shot to headline a major show, but that’s not a very smart idea.
So in practice, the winners of these matches will go on, at some point in the next year, to be major players. That’s why this show matters. This is the point where they really win the title; the actual cashing-in is usually a bit of a formality.
Will I be watching this one? Um, probably not, because I don’t have time. Still, let’s see what’s on the card…
House to Astonish Episode 110
We’ve got a pretty hefty slab of chat for you this time round, with discussion of Ales Kot being replaced on Suicide Squad, George Perez going exclusive at Boom, all the announcements out of the Image Expo (including DRM-free digital comics), Marvel’s new Inhumans-led direction, and a blitz through October’s solicitations. We’ve also got reviews of Trinity of Sin: Pandora, Sheltered and Superior Foes of Spider-Man, and the Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe will not be cowed. All this plus Mark Millar’s DeathWilly, the Man-Duck and 22 pages of beautifully rendered pulleys.
The podcast is here, or here on Mixcloud, or available via the embedded player below. Let us know what you think, in the comments below, on Twitter, via email or through our Facebook fan page.
Don’t forget you can now get House to Astonish t-shirts and hoodies at our Redbubble store, which helps keep our website and hosting going while helping keep your torso warm.
