What I'm looking forward to in 2016;

Most Importantly;

THE WEDDING; The year is finally here, the year I marry my beautiful fiancée. Planning has gone into high gear and items are being ticked of our long list of things still to do. I continue to get more excited as the day gets closer. At the same time as being incredibly nervous, more because I hate public speaking and supposedly have to give a speech. But it's okay as I will have my trustee companion BB-8 on my sleeves, when I finally get around to buying the cufflinks that is.

5 Things I just simply can't wait for;

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Blu-Ray
Why; The ability to watch the new Star Wars film as many times as possible is something I can not wait for. I still plan on seeing it at least 5 times in the cinema, 2 so far, 1 more planned and a couple more after that.

Netflix Marvel's : Daredevil Season 2
Why; March 2015 is the speculated date that the new season of Daredevil will be hitting Netflix. Another weekend that I will be using my TV, iPad & iPhone to watch as may episodes as possible.

Spider-Man #1 (Bendis & Pichelli)

Why? Spider-Men is one of my favourite all time Spidey tales. It was also the first time both the 616 universe and Ultimate universe collided. Well since the recent Secret Wars event Miles Morales will be making his way to the 616 and to New York where he will become the Spider-Man. With Peter Parker gallivanting around the world doing his best Tony Stark impressions with his newly found company Parker Industries this leaves Miles Morales to be the sole Spider-Man in New York. This title has been a long time coming but I am certain it will be worth the wait and I can not wait to see the creative duo of Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli once again teaming up to tell the tales of the character they both helped create.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Why? I still haven't finished returning to the cinema to watch Star Wars The Force Awakens. But we enter 2016 knowing there will be another Star Wars film. One of the new 'Anthology' or 'A Star Wars Story' films. With a December release date a trailer can't be far off and I for one cannot wait to at least finally get some teaser footage for this film. Am I worried there might be to much Star Wars coming, right now NO! Rogue One has the potential to be another hit and has a very exciting cast behind it.

Star Wars Celebration

Why? I was continuously checking the internet last year during Star Wars Celebration, checking out any news, announcements being made. They had a great Live Stream of the event, obviously the highlight being the Force Awakens Panel with another teaser trailer attached. Well when it came to an end and they announced the next Celebration will be in London, I went into meltdown and was there at my laptop the minute tickets went on sale. I've got full weekend tickets and I can not wait to get there. I hope to get to a few panels but also I'm looking forward to being in a room with like minded people talking Star Wars and spending way too much money on Star Wars merch.

5 Things I'm Really Looking Forward to;

Marvel Comics: Civil War 2 (Bendis & Marquez)

Why? Civil War by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven is the reason I got into comics books. I still remember the day my dad came up to London with me to Camden to head to Mega City Comics. There I picked up a copy of the Civil War TP and first issues of Avengers Initiative and The Mighty Avengers. The cynic in me is saying this is simply being done because of the Captain America film being released with the same name but in Bendis and Marquez I trust. Just a shame that it would seem the event has taken Marquez away from Invincible Iron Man.

Marvel Studios: Captain America Civil War

Why? Have you seen the trailer? More importantly have you watched Winter Soldier? I only ask as Civil War will again be directed by the Russo brothers, who have also been put in charge of Avengers Infinity War. Winter Soldier is easily the best Marvel Studios film to date, yes I enjoyed Avengers and yes I enjoyed Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Marvel Studios: Doctor Strange

Why? It can't be long until we get a trailer. Coming out the second half of this year, Marvel Studios are giving another genre, or possibly a new genre, a go with their Sorcerer Supreme. With Cumberbatch on board this has the potential to be another great addition. And remember many questioned Guardians of the Galaxy and that didn't turn out to bad did it?

Black Widow #1 (Waid/Samnee & Samnee)

Why? I missed out on this creative team's work on Daredevil, I'm steadily catching up through trade paperbacks. But Black Widow is a character who has come to prominence in the Marvel cinematic Universe. Black Widow comes back to the shelves with this same creative team of Waid & Samnee for All-New, All-Different Marvel! Where will they take the character? That's what I look forward to finding out, plus any excuse to finally pick up a Samnee monthly book is reason enough to grab this when it comes out.

Star Wars Rebels Season 2/3

Why? Season 2 is returning 20/01/2015 in the USA and the 23/01/2015 in the UK after its mid-season break. This is a brilliant programme with engaging characters bringing to life the birth of the Rebellion. Season 2 has kicked into high gear re-introducing fan favourite characters from The Clone Wars and including appearances from Original Trilogy favourites, including Lando Calrissian and in an upcoming episode Princess Leia. With a third season confirmed the future for Star Wars Rebels gets brighter and brighter.

April has been a brilliant month to be a fan of Marvel and Star Wars...

As sporadic as always this was meant to posted at the beginning of the month. April seems to be a great month for pop culture. Especially if you are a fan of Marvel and Star Wars. This month sees the release of the highly anticipated Daredevil TV Series and the even more anticipated Avengers: Age of Ultron. Along with announcements expected to be made at C2E2, Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo. Finally we have the Star Wars Celebration to look forward to, which is now the end of this week again more on that later.

Right first up. April 10th saw the release of the Daredevil Netflix series. And it is fantastic!! I have used every spare hour, or even not spare, to watch this series. I finished it the Sunday evening after its release and very much plan on re-watching it. I had high hopes for this series and it has been on my radar since its announcement however long ago. The casting is perfect, Charlie Cox plays Matt Murdock brilliantly alongside Elden Henson who really brings Foggy Nelson to life. The fight scenes in this series are incredible. I don't want to write to much just now as I don't want to give away any spoilers but if you haven't watched it yet. What are you doing? Get on Netflix now and give it a watch!

Next Avengers: Age of Ultron is out now and I already seen it twice! This is another great instalment into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not quite as bigger game changer as some of the other films, but lets not forget we have Civil War approaching next year. I was not disappointed by the portrayal and appearance of two of my favourite Marvel characters Vision and Scarlet Witch, as played by Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen. There was no need for my concern that there would be to many characters for the film they all played off each other really well. The major disappointment was the lack of a Star Wars Teaser Trailer before the film.

Star Wars Celebration ran from the 16/04/2015 till the 19/04/2015. 4 days of Star Wars madness. If only it wasn't in America and so far away I would have definitely tried to go. But without attending there was still plenty to take in, with there very impressive live stream feed from the event. The convention opened with a panel that had both Writer and Director of Force Awakens J.J. Abrams and producer Kathleen Kennedy in attendance. The new cast members, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaacs took to the stage, followed by a familiar droid and the new fully functioning, not CGI, BB8, how the hell does that thing work? Finally original cast members took to the stage, Anthony Daniels, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Peter Mayhew. This was a panel not be missed and althoug not being there I got to watch the whole thing live at home. Now rumours stated a new trailer would be released, which was true, and that this may contain original cast members which was also true. I've lost count of how many times I've watched it but the fact that this has been viewed 88 million times within 24 hours of release says it all. The new teaser trailer creates far more questions than answers, which obviously is its purpose, all I now know is I want it to be the 18/12/2015 more than ever. Check out the trailer below.

As if the panel and trailer for the upcoming film weren't enough another trailer made its debut in the form of EA Games Star Wars: Battlefront. This unfortunately did not contain any gameplay footage, but did display game engine footage. However the press and people who got to see a scripted demo of the game have confirmed the gameplay graphics are just as impressive as the in engine visuals. I've had my copy pre-ordered for sometime but the news of the free downloadable content on the 01/12/2015, The Battle of Jakku, linking directly into Force Awakens is another reason worth pre-ordering this for. Here's still to hoping a collectors edition will be announced. See what you think of the in engine footage below.

Now there are a couple more things I am really excited about, Saturday saw the Star Wars Rebels panel take place. This included new details and footage from Season 2, unfortunately there was no news on the home release of Season 1 on Blu-Ray or DVD. Season 2 looks to be as good or even better than the first, with fan favourite Clone Wars characters making their first appearances. Rebels was a huge success as far as I am concerned and I look forward to seeing the crew of The Ghost become part of a larger Rebellion. For the Season 2 trailer check it out below.

Finally also on Saturday there was the Star Wars Marvel Comics panel, this saw the announcement of not one but two new titles to come from the publisher, although these were announced prior to the panel. As expected one of these is be part of the Journey To The Force Awakens publishing initiative, called Shattered Empire coming from writer Greg Rucka and artist Marco Checchetto. Along with the announcement of Lando #1 a limited series from Charles Soule and Alex Maleev, so that will certainly be a limited series worth checking out.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens... "Chewie, we're home"...

That's right Star Wars Celebration has begun, and what better way to kick it off than to start with a Force Awakens panel. Most importantly we get another teaser for the film. Anyone else super psyched for when we finally get a feature length trailer? But these teasers are definitely doing their job. I'm sure you have already seen it but check out the teaser below, I'll add the original first one for good measure too. Enjoy!!

Let's take a journey, A Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens...

I'm catching up on Star Wars announcement galore it would seem. Along with the gaming and film announcements. Disney and LucasFilm have announced a rather rigorous publishing initiative during the approach to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. This will see more than twenty print and digital items being released.

There will be novels for young adults, comics, along with encyclopaedias, sticker books among many others. The few that really caught my eye, are the trilogy of books to be released bridging the gap between Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and the upcoming Episode VII: The Force Awakens. With the first book title announced, "Star Wars: Aftermath", written by Chuck Wendig. Also Marvel will have another comic title being released linking into this intiative with no more announced than the title "Star Wars: Journey to The Force Awakens.

I'm sure more will be released regarding this in the coming weeks and months with Episode VII fast approaching. For more information and the other titles that will be coming out click the link below;

Click me and take come on a journey to... okay just click me

Well since initially having this as a draft more info has been released for the two titles that mainly caught my eyes from the news above.

Star Wars: Aftermath by Chuck Wendig will be released in September by Del Rey books. This will take place after the destruction of the second Death Star. Not much has been given away but I will add a quote with a little snippet of what we could expect;

"Obviously I wish I could tell you more about the story, but I can’t just yet. What I can reveal is that you will be introduced to a sweeping new cast of characters, along with a fan favorite from the films. And who knows what other familiar faces will pop up along the way? And once you’ve seen The Force Awakens in movie theaters, you may find that certain names and places in Aftermath have a relevance you never knew — so keep your eyes wide open!"

So we can expect to meet new characters who may or may not be in the coming film along with possible new locations. I'll be looking to get this when it comes out, I aim to be as clued up as possible before the next Star Wars film, plus I do like a good Star Wars novel. I just hope they may release this as paperback at the same time as hard back but they may well be just a dream.

There is quite a lot more info on the official announcement if you want to check this out click on the link below;

Yes another link

Again arriving in September a little more has been announced regarding the upcoming Marvel comic. The title has received a little extension and is now, Shattered Empire #1. According to the post on the Star Wars website the image to the left, beautifully illustrated by Phil Noto, is in fact the cover to the first issue. However no further information regarding creative team has been announced, I expect we will get further details at either several upcoming comic and Star Wars events, so I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for any news coming out of C2E2, Star Wars Celebration, San Diego Comic Con and Special Edition NYC.

For what little more they may have said in there official announcement click on the link below;

Click Me

Oh and I forgot to mention above that when re-reading the original announcement for their publishing programme I noticed that Marvel will be releasing a C3-PO comic, I could have read this wrong, anyway would this be the comic your looking for? If I see anything more I'll try and post as soon as possible or maybe a little sporadically.

Star Wars: Rogue One & Star Wars: Episode VIII director and release date...

So as always I am a little late at getting this one on-line although it was all over my twitter feed the day it was announced. So Disney have announced the title of the first solo, stand-alone, not an episode Star Wars film and it is Star Wars: Rogue One, let the rumours and theories commence. As previously announced the director is Gareth Edwards and the first actress to be announced for the film is Felicity Jones, recently nominated for an Academy award for her role in The Theory of Everything. No further information was announced regarding plot but this is due for release December next year and looking to begin filming in London in the summer of this year.

The other surprise announcement is the Director for Star Wars: Episode VIII, considering VII isn't even out yet. It has been confirmed Rian Johnson, the critically acclaimed director of Looper, will both write and direct Episode VIII. J.J. Abrams will stay on as an executive producer. If that wasn't surprise enough they also announced the films release date as 26th May 2017, 40 years and a day after the release of the original film, Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977. With very little plot info released for Episode VII it is as difficult as it is easy to get excited for Episode VIII, but I can only imagine my excitement will multiply once Episode VII finally hits cinema screens this December and I will be wanting May 2017 to come around as quickly as I have December 2015, it will be here before we know it.

For more check out the official announcement at starwars.com or click on the link below;

Yep, that's me I'm the link

Star Wars: Battlefront!!... Footage to be shown at Star Wars Celebration 2015...

This is the year of Star Wars, as if I wasn't already excited enough for the news that will come out of Star Wars Celebration 2015, it has been officially announced the first peek and footage of game play from the upcoming EA Star Wars Battlefront game will take place at the event on April 16 to 19. This game was announced 2 years ago at E3, and I have been long waiting for footage to finally be shown, it does certainly look like they are still aiming to release the game this year currently stating winter 2015. It's very likely the release will be close to the date of Star Wars Episode VII.

If like me you can not make it to Star Wars Celebration there is a twitter page where hopefully anyone else will be able to follow the news and reveals; +EAStarWars . For more on the announcement click the link.

A link I am, click me you should

In 11 Months Time... STAR WARS! STAR WARS! STAR WAAARRS!

In 11 months time Star Wars will be being played in cinema screens across the world. Are you looking forward to it? I am!! I'll be posting the most recent trailer every month it gets closer! So prepare to see this popping up every now and then until we get an extended trailer!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Here's what I'm looking forward to in 2015 so far...

After a great New Years eve, a few to many drinks, and a days recovery. Another year has flown by, and now its time to look ahead. Here's what I'm looking forward to in 2015 from the world of comics, movies, tv and more...

So to begin with...

STAR WARS! STAR WARS! STAR WARS!

The comics are back at Marvel with Star Wars #1 coming out this month and their not holding back with their creative teams. Star Wars #1 has the superstar creative team of Jason Aaron and John Cassaday. Princess Leia is being written by none other than Mark Waid and illustrated by Terry Dodson. Darth Vader is written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Salvador Larroca and Adi Granov. There is also a comic coming out involving Kanan from Star Wars Rebels. Its important to remember that this is all considered canon.

Obviously there is the new film Star Wars Epidose VII: The Force Awakens coming out at the end of the year, hoping for more trailers not to spoil it but to get a better idea of things, and hopefully plenty more inbetween. We'll be getting more Star Wars Rebels, more books and hopefully some cool memorabilia, statues and actions figures. I already have my eye on the statues coming out for Star Wars Rebels.

COMICS! COMICS! COMICS!

There's plenty to look forward to in the world of comics in 2015 but here a just a few I can't wait for;

Marvel's new titles;

Marvel continue to release exciting titles with exciting creative teams. New artists, new writers. The one issue I am really looking forward to from the 2015 solicitations so far is the Thor Annual #1 released in February, with stories from various creators, including Noelle Stephenson and drawn by Marguerite Sauvage, so more of a anthology if you will.

Image Comics are continuing there fine form of publishing comics by great independent teams. 2015 will finally see the release of Southern Cross by Beckly Cloonan and Andy Belanger! Also lets not forget Injection should soon get a release date for its first issue coming from the fantastic, already tried and tested, team of Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire. With Image Con coming soon in the new year there will probably be plenty more to be excited about in no time.

MOVIES! MOVIES! MOVIES!

There are plenty of decent films to look forward to this year. First one I'll be heading to a cinema to see this year is Big Hero 6 from Disney Animation, the first Disney animated film inspired by a Marvel comic, although there have bee several creative changes. Already out in America this will be in UK cinemas the earll part of 2015 and I am really looking forward to it. There's even an animated Stan Lee cameo I understand.

Marvel Studios Avengers Age of Ultron hits our screens at the end of April. I don't think I need to say much more. We will get another trailer in a couple of weeks time. Hopefully we will see a few more of the new characters. Mainly just a short glimpse of the Vision played by Paul Bettany would be nice. The Vision is one of my favourite characters, and if you like what you see I strongly recommend you check out the Avengers A.I. comic by Sam Humphries and Andre Lima Araujo!! Anyway this is my second most anticipated film of the year!!

Another Marvel Studios film to hit the screen this year is Ant-Man, which will finally be released. Long has it been in development and hitting a sticky patch when fan favourite director Edgar Wright withdrew from the film, the mastermind who had put together the film. Creative differences may have been the reason for the split, but Marvel found a new director and during this Tuesday's two hour premier of Marvel's Agent Carter we will finally get a teaser for the film released, but there are a couple of teasers of the teasers below.

I have been a Pixar fan since I was 5 and my dad took me to see Toy Story in the cinema, the first film I ever saw on the big screen. For the first time Pixar did not release a film in back to back years. That means this year will see the release of Inside Out, which I had my apprehensions about at first but after seeing the below trailer I can not wait for! The other film by Pixar that should be seeing a release this year, but currently doesn't have a trailer is The Good Dinosaur, which I am also really looking forward to.

STAR WARS! STAR WARS! STAR WARS! I reckon we will find out more in April during the Star Wars celebration and coming out a week before Christmas this film will be like an early Christmas present. I am excited to see how JJ Abrams rejuvenates this franchise, the cast is exciting and the first teaser has left me asking more questions than giving me answers. MILLENIUM FALCON!!

VIDEO GAMES! VIDEO GAMES! VIDEO GAMES!

Batman Arkham Knight (02/06/2015)

A game that has been delayed from 2014, a fan favourite and one that genuinely looks stunning and to really take advantage of the next gen consoles power! One of the reasons I wanted a PS4 and I can not wait to get this when it is finally released. Here's to hoping there are no more delays.

Star Wars Battlefront (2015)

The game I have been waiting for since Battlefront 3 was cancelled. The game I was hoping would be put into production when Disney brought Lucasarts. Battlefront 3 in production by EA DICE the studio behind the popular Battlefield series. We won't see a firm release date for this until later in the year but at the moment it has been announced we are looking at a Holiday 2015 release.

Final Fantasy XV (2015)

The game I have been waiting for since the release of Final Fantasy 13. Originally named Final Fantasy Versus 13. I really am excited for this game, no firm release date yet, a Demo will be available for those who buy Finaly Fantasy Type-0. Check out the trailer below for the stunning gameplay footage!

Witcher 3 (19/05/2015)

I'm very much a fan of a good RPG. Having found the start of Dragon Age Origins a little tedious, although I have been told it gets good after about the first 5 hours. I have been looking out for a new franchise. I had heard a little about the Witcher series. Unfortunately it has had an odd release the first game on PC the second on PC and Xbox and finally the third to come out on all next gen consoles. I've decided to grab the Witcher 2 to play on my Xbox and also grabbed the first novel featuring the Witcher by a Polish author, I've been looking for a new series of books to read and the fact these inspired a game that I am really looking forward too is even better. Witcher 3 is another game that has been delayed a couple of times but hopefully this means we will have a problem free launch unlike some games that have been released recently.

SUBSCRIPTIONS! SUBSCRIPTIONS! SUBSCRIPTIONS!

I have this thing where I sign up to subscriptions in the new year. A couple of these I have been looking to subscribe to for quite some time. One of these is Loot Crate, the other is Marvel Unlimited. I got my first Loot Crate at the end of last year and I look forward to getting January's and starting of a new years worth of these! Marvel Unlimited is something I have been looking to get for a while as well to be able to catch up on those critically acclaimed arcs that I couldn't afford to buy or miss. Also for the extensive back catalog other than recent modern titles.

Finally the other subscription I have signed up to is Beer Bods. I have recently got into drinking Ale. My dad is an Ale drinker, and for several years I have passed on going to the local Beer Festival with him. We have a new tradition before Football on a Saturday that sees us heading to a local Micro-Pub close to me before a game. Surprisingly I have really got into this and Beer Bods is an exciting subscription service that sends you 12 beers for 12 weeks and on a Thursday you try one of these. I look forward to receiving my first box of beers and what I'll be looking to enjoy.

TELEVISION! TELEVISION! TELEVISION!

I don't get much time to watch Television programmes but there are a certain few that I make sure I take the time to watch. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is one of the programmes I make sure I watch, the Season 2 mid-season/ winter finale was brilliant, and the series is going from strength to strength since the shake up of Captain America Winter Soldier. I don't want to give away to many spoilers but I strongly recommend if you are a fan of the cinematic universe you take time to watch this series.

A newer series to come out and fill the mid-season gap of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is Marvel's Agent Carter, this hits screens in America on Tuesday the 6th with a 2 hour premier, staring Hayley Atwell returning to her roll of Peggy Carter in Captain America The First Avenger. I'll be looking forward to checking this one out!

Like many I am waiting for Star Wars Episode VII to come out and also one of those that was sad to see the end of Star Wars Clone Wars series. But in Clone Wars place and to fill the gap while we wait for Star Wars Episode VII we have Star Wars Rebels! Rebels is several episodes in and returns to screens on Monday 5th. Set between Episode III and Episode IV we follow a screw of rag tag rebels and their stories! I look forward to there return tomorrow.

Game of Thrones! Game of Thrones! Game of Thrones!! I can't wait for Season 5. I don't think I need to say much more.

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE! Here are my highlights of the year from 2014...

So another year has gone by. A much busier year, a lot less posts than I would like. What will happen in the year to come I can't say but I here are my highlights of the year from comics, to movies, tv and more! I hope you all have a wonderful New Year!

My favourite writer of 2014: Sam Humphries

Why? If your not reading Legendary Star-Lord then you should be!

My favourite artist of 2014: Jacob Wyatt

Why? Did you see those issues of Ms Marvel and Edge of Spider-Verse #5? Well go and check your local comic stores back issues, now, if they have any left!

My favourite colorist of 2014: Matt Wilson

Why? The new Thor just looks incredible and thats partly because of the beautiful colours done by this guy, and many other titles he colours! For example The Wicked + The Divine!

My Favourite Publisher of 2014: Image Comics

Why? "Well sometimes superheroes just get boring and Image do a great job of offering more diverse titles and filling in that gap, The Wicked + The Divine, Southern Bastards, I could go on listing for quite some time."

My favourite single issue of 2014: Edge of Spider-Verse #2 (That Spider-Gwen issue)

Why? "This is when superheroes don't get boring!"

My favourite event of 2014: Spider-Verse

Why? "Every Spider-Man EVER! Need I say more"

My favourite cover artist of 2014: Julian Totino Tedesco

Why? "His covers for the Marvel Event Original Sin were the best thing about the series! And now he's lending his fantastuc to S.H.I.E.L.D.!"

My favourite title of 2014: Thor God of Thunder/ Thor (Avengers NOW!)

Why? "By far the most consistent title this year. Aaron and Ribic have done a brilliant job on this title, King Thor is the stand out for me though. Then they throw in the curve ball of a new Thor, I was a doubter, and now believer... go on what are you waiting for? Go pick it up!"

My favourite collection of 2014: Ms Marvel Volume 1
Why? "This is one of my big highlights of the year. This book proves why Marvel are as successful and influencial as they are. Kamala Khan is the breakout character of the year! Well done to G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona"

My favourite independent collection of 2014: By Chance and Provedence (Becky Cloonan)
Why? "Becky Cloonan is by far one of my favourite artists, I have each issue of her self published comics, more than once, so when she collected these in to white neatly package Tome I had to get my hands on a copy!"

My favourite up and coming writer of 2014: Noelle Stephenson
Why? "Have you been reading Lumberjanes from BOOM! Box? Well you should be! Noelle Stephenson is the creator and writer of this wonderful little comic, she has also completed her online comic Nimona which will soon be coming to print. Check out her stuff you'll dig it!"

My favourite up and coming artist of 2014: Babs Tarr/ Russell Dauterman
Why? "Well I just couldn't decide. Babs Tarr is the exceptional find now illustrating the newly rejuvenated Batgirl title for DC Comics! Russell Dauterman is the new star of the Thor comic working alongside Jason Aaron to create a truly wonderful new take on the character! Look out for more from these two next year!"

 My favourite up and coming colorist of 2014: Ruth Redmond

Why? "Ruth Redmond started of as coloring extraordinaire Jordie Bellaire's intern. Now she is covering several titles from different publishers. You may have seen her work in All New Warriors! Keep an eye out for more from her next year!"

My favourite film of 2014: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY!!!!
Why? "I Am Groot"

My favourite video game of 2014: Game of Thrones Episode 1: Iron from Ice (Telltale Games)
Why? "I've read the books. I watch the TV programme! And now there is a game worth playing. A year in the waiting and TellTale have finally released their first episode of  there Game of Thrones series based on the TV programme and it did not dissapoint!"

My favourite TV programme of 2014: Star Wars Rebels/ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2
Why? "There are only 2 programmes I make sure I watch at the moment and that is Star Wars Rebels and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2. They are both currently on mid-season breaks. I miss them so."

Just a few Honourable Mentions;

The Wicked + The Divine

"Kieran Gillen and Jamie McKelvie along with Matt Wilson, continue there indredible form from last years Young Avengers with there new independent creator owned title The Wicked + The Divine you should check it out!"

Jason Latour/ Robbi Rodriquez/ Rico Renzi

"They are only the creators of the break out character of the year for me, Spider-Gwen, and because of the huge fan response we will be getting a Spider-Gwen title in the new year! I'm not excited about this... much"

Declan Shalvey/ Jordie Bellaire

"I couldn't do a highlight of the year list without including these two. They continue to create fanatstic covers and were instrumental in the revival of Moon Knight alongside Warren Ellis earlier in the year. Bring on Injection from Image comics next year!"

TellTale Games

"They developed my Game of the Year. They continue to develop my favourite games. Walking Dead and Wolf Among Us (Fables) are all done so far. Borderlands just out with Game of Thrones, and now a Minecraft game just announced being produced. This studio is only on the up and up! And I for one hope it continues, there episodic gameplay is something I love and can't wait for more!"

In 4 Months Past... Time Ran Out

So there has been a long absence since I last posted something on here. The incredible thing for me was that I didn't even get anything SDCC related onto the blog through July, life has just been far to busy and quite frankly my chrome book doesn't stand up to my previous laptop and can be annoyingly frustrating at times.

But back to the blogging, I'm not going to make any promises of this being my return, it may well even be another 4 months from this post that I finally post something else again, but we will just have to wait and see.

It has been a busy 4 months for the comic world and film and here is a quick well actually fairly long look at what caught my eye and I had hoped to post about.

Image Expo (Tokyo Ghost, Drifter, Injection, Southern Cross)

To begin, and to my surprise it is not Marvel related. The Image Expo that tagged itself to to the beginning of SDCC this year had some of the most exciting announcements of the convention. Image continue to produce some of the best independent comics out there, there philosophy is luring and attracting some of brightest and most promising talents in the business and the titles announced at this expo were testament to that. I am only going to write about the ones which caught my eye but there are plenty of titles to keep an eye out for in the Image solicitations as they are released month by month.

Injection #1 (Source Comic Book Resources)

The two which shouted out at me the moment they were announced while I was keeping up with the live blog of the event were Injection from the creative team of Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire, who just finished their run on probably one of the best arcs of Moon Knight I have read. The creative team alone has gotten me really excited for this one. The other title that screamed manically at me is Southern Cross from Becky Cloonan and Andy Belanger, if any of you have read my previous posts you will be well aware of my love for Cloonan's comics. Andy Belanger is a creator I am not particularly familiar with but I look forward to seeing his artistic talents in this creator owned voyage.

Other titles that grabbed my attentions were Tokyo Ghost from Rick Remender and Sean Gordon Murphy, Drifter from Ivan Brandon and Nic Klein. For all the other exciting titles keep your eyes peeled to the Image Solicitations as and when they are released.

DC Bat Universe (Gotham Academy, Batgirl, Gotham by Midnight, Arkham Manor)

Next, and still not Marvel, DC have suddenly and surprisingly announced a new group of Bat-centric titles from creators that have mainly had a independent background. In order of my favourites, Gotham Academy with the incredibly exciting creative team of Becky Cloonan, Brendan Fletcher and Karl Kerschl who will be taking us into the halls of a school funded by Bruce Wayne and being Gotham this will not be your run of the mill highschool. Then there is the re-vamp of Batgirl which sees the long standing fan favourite writer Gail Simone handing the character over to Brendan Fletcher, Cameron Stuart and newcomer Babs Tarr, this is yet another exciting line up and the preview work and what has been revealed so far has already gathered quite the online following including it's own tumblr by the creators for the flurry of fan art. Finally not to be forgotten from the hype of the previous two announcements there will also be Arkham Manor from Gerry Duggan and Shaun Crystal along with Gotham by Midnight from Ray Fawkes and Ben Templesmith. Arkham Manor sees Bruce Wayne's home become the new Arkham Asylum and Gotham by Midnight sees a group of detectives that investigate the mysterious in Gotham led by Spectre.

Gotham By Midnight

Spider-Verse (Spider-Gwen)

Okay now it's time for some Marvel news. Spider-Verse begins this month well the run up to with the Edge of Spider-Verse titles beginning to roll out. These being 5 one shot issues focusing on alternative universe Spider-Men or Women. From the known to the new, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Gwen which I am most excited for and already hope will receive her own stand alone title, Dustin Weaver creates is own alterate universe Spider-Man, there looks to be a sort of pulp horror Spider-Man and the second favourite of the 5 I'm looking forward to is the team-up of Gerard Way and Jake Wyatt for there interpretation of a alternate universe Spider-Man.

As mentioned the most exciting title for me from the 5 is Edge if Spider-Verse #2 from Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez, who sounds like a Marvel character himself but is part of the creative team from Vertigo comic FBPD. They will be bringing us an alternate universe Gwen Stacy who was in fact bitten by the spider. Rodriguez has killed it on the design and there have already been several Spider-Gwen cosplayers at comic conventions. I have high hopes for this issue and really hope I'm not disappointed, Latour has already stated should there be a demand he would be more than happy to write more Spider-Gwen.

The other Edge of Spider-Verse title that has caught my eye is the offering from Gerard Way and Jacob Wyatt. This has potential on so many levels as Jacob Wyatt is one of the rising stars, having worked on his creator owned title and recently on a couple of Ms Marvel issues and well Gerard Way has been around long enough with Umbrella Academy and Killjoys for us to know he can write a good comic it will be interesting to see what he does with his own take on a Spider-Man origin.

Marvel Star Wars (Star Wars Jason Aaron/ Cassaday, Darth Vader Gillen/ Larocca/ Granov &, Leia Waid/ Dodson)

SDCC saw the a announcement of some long awaited news since Disney acquired Lucasfilm and it was officially announced that Marvel will be taking over the Star Wars franchise when it comes to the comics and so the titles and creative teams were finally announced.

There will be a stand alone Star Wars title written by Jason Aaron and illustrated by John Cassaday. Darth Vader will get his own title written by Kieren Gillen and illustrated by Salvador Larocca and Adi Granov and finally Princess Leia will get her own solo title from Mark Waid and Terry Dodson. I can't help but think a better artist could have been found for Leia that more suited the Princess but Dodson may well prove me wrong. These have been confirmed for 2015 so I imagine in the coming months more info and hopefully preview art will be released.

Avengers NOW! All- New Captain America (FalCap) Thor (Female) Superior Iron Man (Tony Stark Gone Mad Scientist) 

Marvels big SDCC announcement was the upcoming Avengers NOW! initiative much like the Marvel NOW! and All-New Marvel NOW! initiatives this sees many new titles and characters beginning from #1 with creative changes, mainly focusing on the characters within the Avengers team. The 3 big announcements are the upcoming changes to the big three Avengers, Captain America, Superior Iron Man and Thor. The mantle and shield of Captain America will be finding a new wielded in Sam Wilson a.k.a Falcon now dubbed Falcap, Steve Rogers has had the super soldier serum removed from his system and now resembles a man of his proper age so obviously he is required to hand over the mantle to someone he trusts. This will be brought to us in the pages of All-New Captain America from Rick Remender & Stuart Immonen starting in November. 

Tony Stark will be moving to San Francisco and after the major fall out from Original Sin, his antics in New Avengers and the events at the beginning of AXIS see him become the Superior Iron Man, an adjective once again made popular by the successful run of another Marvel heavyweight Spider-Man, this sees Tony go a little mad scientist and he will come head to head with another Marvel character recently moved to the area Daredevil. This take on the character certainly sounds interesting and with a new creative team to Marvel of Tom Taylor & Yilidray Cinar may well be worth checking out.

Thor also gets a major shake up. Thor Odinson no longer being deemed worthy of Mjolnir finds the hammer in someone else's hands, a mysterious female. It has been pointed out that this is not Thorita, Lady Thor. This is Thor and the God of Thunder is now a woman. In Jason Aaron I trust and he will be joined on this new era of Thor by Russell Dauterman, he will certainly need to be giving his A-Game as he will be replacing the critically acclaimed Essad Ribic on art duties for the character. This female character who now holds the hammer is shrouded in mystery and it has been confirmed we will have to wait to find out who it is.

Other new titles announced for Avengers NOW! included Angela: Asgards Assassin from Gillen/ Bennett/ Jimenez and Stephanie Hans, Bucky Barnes: Winger Soldier from Ales Kot and Marco Rudy. Deathlok is getting a new series starting in October from Nathan Edmondson and Mike Perkins. Two Inhumans feature in the image, Medusa and Inferno, this may be a continued push for the Inhumans as a whole or NYCC may see the announcement of a solo Medusa title can't really see a solo series for Inferno. Scarlet Witch features in the image also another character that is currently in Uncanny Avengers I have more on my ideas as to why she is in the image in the AXIS section below. Doctor Strange and Ant-Man both are present in the image and with there solo films confirmed or in production it is likely they will see there own individual titles especially considering they were both heavily involved in Original Sin it's only a matter of time.

AXIS

With Original Sin coming to an end, well ended by the time this is posted, AXIS now known as Avengers & X-Men AXIS has been getting a big promotional push. From Special Edition NYC we learnt about the first arc of 3 issues coming in October "The Red Supremacy" which sees the return of the Red Skull in his Onslught duds. This arc sees both the Avengers and X-Men battling the Red Skull on Genosha where he has turned the once mutant country into his base with enslavement camps and this is where he is spreading his message of hate across the world with his new found Charles Xavier mutant powers.

We learnt more about the 2nd arc 'Inversion' during SDCC and since. This arc sees heroes becoming 'bad' guys and villains becoming 'good'. The X-Men team up with one of their greatest villains. Tony Stark goes a little mad scientist and moves to San Francisco to become the Superior Iron Man as teased during the Avengers NOW! initiative. With the AXIS of Evil apparently winning where does that lead the Marvel Universe and what can possibly take place in the third arc to rectify this. Marvel are churning out event after event at the moment and it is understandable why many are apprehensive about this but from the solicitation for both the first and second arc this may be just as exciting and successful as the Avengers vs X-Men event from 2 years past.

Theres also several big teases in the solicitations for the issues during the second arc. The formation of the Astonishing Avengers in issue 6, and with the Uncanny Avengers on hiatus during this event and Remender teasing he will be on a new book by the end of this AXIS is it difficult to put two and two together and believe this will be Astonishing Avengers? Looks as though Remender is just working his way through all the pre-fix adjectives that haven't been before the word Avengers. Bleeding Cool certainly seem to think so and they also think Esad Ribic will be on art duties. Also from the solicits that have since been released issue 5 teases a new sorceress supreme, could the Scarlet Witch be gaining the mantel of Sorceress Supreme and with Marvel's big publishing push for female led titles and the character appearing in Avengers: Age of Ultron next year could she be getting her own title, 'Scarlet Witch Sorceress Supreme'? This would certainly answer why she is in the Avengers NOW! promo image.

Guardians of the Galaxy

So the film I had been waiting 3 years for was finally released at the end of July and is now the highest grossing film in America this year, surprised? I'm not. I've seen the film 3 times now and it was everything I expected and some. I'm counting down the days until the release date is confirmed for the Blu-Ray and then I will be counting down the days until the release date. This film take the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a completelt new and exciting direction and with Guardians of the Galaxy 2 confirmed to be directed by James Gunn and already announced to be released in July 2014 I now only have another 3 years to patiently and excitedly await the sequel. If you haven't yet got to see this I stongly recommed you find a cinema that it still showing it and see it NOW!

And so to end this long and wordy post why not a few teaser videos for some TV shows and Video Games I'm looking forward to coming this Fall.

Star Wars Rebels: October

Agents of Shield Season 2:

Star Wars Episode VII: Set pics from Abu Dhabi and a secret UK location.

Well this has been in draft form for some while and since initially writing the below, JJ Abrams himself has got involved in the leaking of set pictures for the upcoming resurgence of this much loved franchise, so I will leave my writing below and add links to the sites with the pictures, which makes me only indirectly involved in helping anyone see the leaked set pics.

http://www.tmz.com/2014/06/02/star-wars-episode-7-photos-from-set-tmz-tv/

http://www.tmz.com/videos/0_ady00hdz/

Photos from sets in Abu Dhabi are showing promising images of  non CGI sets and animatronics much like the original trilogy. I am aware this is something that fans wished was used more in the prequel trilogy which unfortunately ended up being heavily CG dependent.

Also further images have been revealed of a possible Millenium Falcon construction and X-Wing, as Bleeding Cool have noted it looks like the design for what is presumably an X-Wing is closer to the Ralph McQuarrie design that its predecessor in the original trilogy. This seems to be a strong design point across all new Star Wars developments since Disney purchased the franchise. Star Wars Rebel's the CG Animated series is also strongly influenced by the original McQuarrie concept art, bringing in the original design for Chewbacca as a new species and character in the series. Not much can be taken from these set pics other than it is promising that they are sticking with traditional techniques rather than relying on that green screen.

Star Wars: Another Stand-Alone film confirmed with announcement of Director Josh Trank

Although we are yet to find out who, what and where these stand-alone films will include. Josh Trank ,the director of Chronicle the critically acclaimed film with its own take on super heroes, has been announced to be working on one of the stand-alone Star Wars movies beyond the core Saga. Trank is currently directing the new Fantastic Four for 20th Century Fox. We are certainly looking at Star Wars films aplenty in our future. For the official press release check it out below;

   

"In addition to the episodes of a new Star Wars trilogy, Lucasfilm and Disney continue development of multiple stand-alone movies that will offer new stories beyond the core Saga. The newest director to come on board is Josh Trank.

"We're thrilled to welcome Josh into the family," says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. "He is such an incredible talent and has a great imagination and sense of innovation. That makes him perfectly suited to Star Wars, and for this new slate of movies that reach beyond the core characters and storylines of Episodes I through IX."

Trank states, "The magic of the Star Wars Universe defined my entire childhood. The opportunity to expand on that experience for future generations is the most incredible dream of all time."

Trank captured imaginations worldwide with his critically lauded directorial debut Chronicle, a fresh and engaging take on the superhero genre. Trank is currently at work on The Fantastic Four for 20th Century Fox."