New life-sized Alex Ross Marvel Comics superhero mural takes center stage in lush, giant-sized, pull-out poster book

April 12, 2021, 5:00 am

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Review by C.J. Bunce

If you only know Alex Ross from his extensive work with the DC Comics superheroes, get ready for a great book of poster art featuring all-new paintings of the superheroes of the Marvel universe.  Bar none, Alex Ross is the creator whose coverage has received the most views and feedback in the past 10 years of borg (early on we looked at some of our most favorite of his artworks here and you can see all our coverage of his projects here).  You’ve probably already checked out Alex Ross’s previously reviewed art overview books Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross, Rough Justice: The DC Comics Sketches of Alex Ross, and The Dynamite Art of Alex Ross.  Although Ross has created countless covers and projects like Marvels over the years, what you may not be aware of are full-figure, painted portrait, images of the Marvel Comics superheroes Ross installed last year in Marvel’s New York offices as a life-sized mural.  All 35 individual character posters used in the mural are now available in a giant-sized book, The Alex Ross Marvel Comics Poster Book, full of premium cardstock, ready-to-frame posters, including a 44″x16″ foldout of the entire connected image.

We’ve shared his 1990s DC Comics character posters before (see here and here).  Here’s what that looked like together in a single image that has been reproduced in prints millions of times since:

Ross’s painted art is a favorite of comic book fans everywhere.  His unique style has become a trademark of sorts, and a must-have for a sure-fire successful launch of many new series.  His prints, like those shown above and those in The Alex Ross Marvel Comics Poster Book, regularly sell at comic conventions for $20 each, which makes a book like this, listing at $24.99, a steal (Ross’s original color painted superhero works go for $4,000 to $25,000).  Publisher AbramsComicArts was careful to have each character poster include on its reverse the description of Ross’s influence and design for that image, further making it easy to separate the poster prints.  This book will find itself eventually selling as frameable prints all over the Internet.

Included is a discussion by Ross of the commissioning of this project, how he selected these 35 characters of all the hundreds of available heroes to incorporate in this project, and an image of four tiny superheroes he wanted to incorporate in 1:1 scale that would have been too small for the mural.  As a bonus, the back cover pulls out to show a pencil-sketch print with Spider-Man taking center stage.  The highlight of the book is a fold-out of approximately 44″x16″ of the entire mural.  It looks like this image, but in brighter, more crisp detail:

Here is a video of Ross discussing his creation of this project:

A must for Alex Ross fans, superhero poster collectors and fans of Marvel Comics.  You can order The Alex Ross Marvel Comics Poster Book now via Elite Comics or your local comics shop, or pre-order it here at Amazon (it lists an April 20, 2021, release date).

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borg 10-year celebration–The Not-to-Miss Top Comics of the Decade

June 13, 2021, 5:00 am

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We’re continuing our ten-year celebration of borg today with our favorite comic books.  If you missed them, check out our Top 40 movies here and our Top 40 TV series here.

We reviewed thousands of books and comics that we recommended to our readers since June 2011, and some even made it onto our favorites shelf.  We don’t publish reviews of comic books that we read and don’t recommend, so this shortlist reflects 21 comics and creators we view as the Best of the Best.

So let’s get going!

Best Superhero Series (tie) — Black Widow (Marvel Comics).  Phil Noto’s art and colors were incredible and Nathan Edmondson’s story didn’t let up once.  Full of action, espionage, and intrigue.  A great series to catch-up on in a trade edition.  Hawkeye (Marvel Comics).  Before Black Widow, Matt Fraction and David Aja set the stage for a successful Tier 2 superhero story.  If you don’t usually go for the dramatic superhero book as opposed to the masked action story, this may be the one exception you should check out.  

Best Sci-Fi Series – Copperhead (Image Comics).  Fans of sci-fi Westerns like Firefly should take note.  There’s a great series released by Image Comics–Copperhead.  It features one of the best characters of 2014, the tough Sheriff Bronson, large and in-charge in an off-world, sparsely populated town.  Writer Jae Faerber and artist Scott Godlewski created an instant hit complete with plenty of alien crime.  

Best Tie-in Comic Book Series: Star Trek The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation² (IDW Publishing).  Writers Scott and David Tipton and Tony Lee and artist JK Woodward’s painted artwork throughout this limited series was stunning.  Probably the best depiction to-date of Star Trek characters in a comic book, Woodward took a fanboy’s dream job of merging two of the biggest sci-fi franchises together for the first story ever attempted and delivered a great looking series.

Best Supernatural Comic Book Series – Ghost Tree by Bobby Curnow and Simon Gane (IDW Publishing).  Haunting, mythic, and sweeping, this story of a man reflecting on his past and coming to terms with the present incorporates Asian legends to form an emotional, curiously funny tale.  

Best Retro Comic Book (Ongoing Series) – Miss Fury (Dynamite).  The 2013 Miss Fury series was a unique take on the world’s first superheroine.  Writer Rob Williams and artist Jackson Herbert concocted the surprise hit of the year–a book that might not have been on pull lists yet it was swiped off the store shelves every week as readers couldn’t get enough of the series–a non-stop, action-filled, fun read–it’s a comic book series that will remind you why you love comic books in the first place.

Best Retro Comic Book (Limited Series) – The X-Files Year Zero, aka The X-Files Mystery Magazine (IDW Publishing). Writer Karl Kesel crafted both a great Mulder and Scully tale and a film noir mystery in this five-issue limited series, flipping from the present to the past in a tale that is worthy of being canon for the franchise.

Best Comic Book Writer – Matt Kindt, Dept.H (Dark Horse).  Kindt pulled together an incredibly nostalgic assemblage of the best action concepts: classic science fiction of the H.G. Wells variety, G.I. Joe Adventure Team-inspired characters, and a fun character study and whodunit that will have you digging out your old game of Sub Search. 

Best Comic Book Interior Artist – Mike Mayhew, The Star Wars, Star Wars #15, Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Storms of Crait, etc. (Dark Horse).  Mike Mayhew’s great artwork make a 1974 George Lucas script something bigger and better than it otherwise might have been.  Superb interior work on several titles, with a specialty in getting Star Wars just right. 

Best Comic Book Cover Artist – Alex Ross, Mighty Mouse, Planet of the Apes/Green Lantern, Batman ’66 Meets Wonder Woman ’77, The Shadow/Batman, Marvel Legacy, The Mighty Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman ’77 Meets The Bionic Woman, etc.  Alex Ross had another banner decade, providing the best nostalgia for fanboys and fangirls with his classic painted artwork.  And as always, he didn’t just paint a few covers, but hundreds, across nearly every major title.  

Best Comic Book Cover Multi-Artist Event — Betty & Veronica Issue #1 variant covers (Archie Comics).  Reaching out to a few dozen comic book artists to create their impressions of the world’s oldest–and longest published–frenemies provided a brilliant and beautiful result, reprinted in a collected volume.

  

Best Graphic Novel (tie) Wonder Woman: The True Amazon, Jill Thompson (DC Comics).  Writer/artist Jill Thompson is probably the best creator in comics today.  Her origin story of Wonder Woman is vibrant, and she presents a flawed, complex, and ultimately strong and fearless heroine.  The best Wonder Woman book we’ve ever read. Minky Woodcock, The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini (Titan Comics).  Cynthia von Buhler was a double threat on this book.  As a writer, she combined a well-researched story pulled from her own ancestral research, tying in historic events and weird supernatural pieces of America’s past.  As an artist, she revealed a beautiful style mixed with realistic characters and places, and nostalgic colorful layouts conjuring artists of the Golden Age of comics.

Best Single Issue – Hawkeye Issue #11 (Marvel Comics).  Writer Matt Fraction and artist David Aja set a new standard for writer/artist partnerships as they created a silent story told from the perspective of rescued pooch Arrow aka Pizza Dog aka Lucky.  It’s a standalone issue that folks will look back on for years as an example of the best work of both creators.

Best Retro/Reboot Comic Book Series — Afterlife with Archie (Archie Comics).  Who would have guessed someone could make Archie and friends so accessible to any demographic in the 2010s?  And whose brilliant idea was doing it via a horror genre story of zombies taking over Riverdale?  Smart writing by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and spooky atmospheric illustrations by Francesco Francavilla.  

Best Superhero (Limited) Series – X-Men: Grand Design/X-Men: Genesis by Ed Piskor (Marvel Comics).  Ed Piskor took the brass ring and took fans of Marvel Comics past and present to relive the the history of Marvel in a few comic book issues.  His styles, his choices, his paper selection, his color work, his lettering, all made this series stand apart.

Best Crossover/Mash-up Series – Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by writer James Tynion IV and artist Freddie Williams II (DC Comics/IDW Publishing).  A great idea executed wonderfully, combining two key franchises in a way fanboys and fangirls will keep coming back for.  Williams once again shows why his eye-popping Batman and TMNT layouts are the best for both properties you’ll find in any series today.

 

Best Comic Book One-Shot – Radically Rearranged Ronin Ragdolls, No. 1 (Kevin Eastman Studios).  A single issue that is screaming to be its own series with a quick but thoroughly crafted world and unlikely but superb superheroes.

 

Best Comics Moment – Detective Comics arrives at Issue #1000, various writers and artists (DC Comics).  Even more so than past events, the #1000 issue’s look at Batman really brought the best out of every writer and artist that participated, and documented a key high point in comics history.

Best Comic Book Surprise/Best Borg Comic – Star Wars No. 108 (Marvel Comics) – A big win no one could have predicted–the return of Valance, The Hunter.  For anyone who read the original Star Wars comics in the 1970s and 1980s, this issue came out of nowhere.  It also showed that these stories and characters are still loved by fans, and there is a market for the Expanded Universe aka Legends stories today.  

Best Online Comic – Aztec Empire by Paul Guinan, David Hahn, and Anita Bennett (Big Red Hair Comics).  Probably one of the best uses of comics in a web format so far, the great storytelling and vivid, quality artwork was a fresh look at a history lesson–for comic readers and history fans.

We hope you find something you haven’t read from the past four days–and past ten years–of recommendations. 

Thanks for reading!

C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg

Namor, the Sub-Mariner–Marvel sneaks long-awaited first mutant into the MCU in Comic-Con trailer

July 27, 2022, 5:00 am

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He’s certainly the most overdue of 80 years of Marvel characters to make it into the live-action world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner, created by writer-artist Bill Everett in 1939, was Marvel’s first mutant and the leader of the undersea world of Atlantis, frequently forgotten in recent years because of his DC Comics counterpart, Aquaman.  That’s Namor and Everett above as depicted in a fantastic tribute by artist Alex Ross.  Along with Captain America and Human Torch, the original Big 3 included Prince Namor.  He’s also the first superhero anti-hero, so it probably makes sense Marvel is sneaking him into the MCU as they did Silver Surfer in the second Fantastic Four movie.  Audiences internationally who have not followed the comics of eight decades past or only know of the character in spotty revisits over the years will now meet him this year in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, as what appears to be the villain.

   

Namor’s origin is getting wedged into what will be a sad tale for the MCU.  It’s about death, a subject comics usually deals with by changing the guy in the suit or bringing him/her back to life.  Transitions these days, like the loss of beloved lead actor Chadwick Boseman, have been shown to be better suited for Marvel’s streaming platform–think the in-between exploits of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki in his series, or The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, another transition story expected to serve as a springboard for the forthcoming Anthony Mackie star vehicle Captain America: New World Order. 

The challenge for director Ryan Coogler is introducing Namor–be he prince or king now–as a key player, boosting Wakanda’s influence and T’Challa’s successor, while not looking like an Avatar or Aquaman knock-off.  And certainly not relegating Namor to secondary player status like Black Manta as happened in Aquaman.  Or getting lost and forgotten like Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four 2.

Check out the San Diego Comic-Con trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, including the original cast returning minus Boseman, plus first looks at Tenoch Huerta as Namor.  Also watch for the actress expected to take over for Robert Downey, Jr.’s Iron Man, Dominique Thorne as Ironheart, a new character from the 2016 comics, likely created for just this purpose, who will get her own Disney+ series in the coming year or two.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever arrives in theaters November 11, 2022.

C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg

Retro fix–Jack Kirby-inspired Alex Ross conjures psychedelic 1960s for Fantastic Four: Full Circle

September 6, 2022, 5:00 am

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Review by C.J. Bunce

Maybe, just maybe, modern readers may not think to go back and dig up early comic books introducing key superheroes that have spanned decades.  Maybe classic art styles don’t work for everyone.  For fans of the artwork of wunderkind artist Alex Ross, and for those who might not otherwise search out classic Fantastic Four stories, a new graphic novel may do just the trick.  Billed as the first graphic novel Ross has written and illustrated (not counting Kingdom Come, which he illustrated and co-wrote from his original story concept) it arrives in comic shops this week: Fantastic Four: Full Circle. 

Something about the imagery harkens back to Jack Kirby, but this is a new Alex Ross story, inspired by Kirby.

In Fantastic Four: Full Circle Ross re-introduces a storyline and a classic big bad guy from the past for a new generation of readers.  Another psychedelic entity from the past has the appearance of a mix of Freddie Mercury and Ziggy Stardust.  Ross utilizes different media, painted, pencil and ink, all fully colored.  It has the look and feel–and characterization– of Chris Evans’ Johnny Storm and Michael Chiklis’s Thing from the first Fantastic Four movie (another reboot is on its way but hasn’t been cast yet).  Reed Richards looks like John Wayne’s son, actor Patrick Wayne, and Sue looks like Kirby’s version– a bit like Angie Dickinson.

The story is surprisingly giant in scope, with a version of the Fantastic Four that would be a great inspiration for future films.  Best of all, Ross gets the humorous banter among the family just right.

Here is a preview, courtesy of the publisher:

The 64-page graphic novel is being published in a non-standard, over-sized 8.7×11.2-inch hardcover with jacket from Abrams ComicArts and Marvel as part of a new initiative called MarvelArts.

Fantastic Four: Full Circle also includes a fold-out cover sporting the Fantastic Four origin story.  It’s a gorgeous book, with all the style you’d expect from Alex Ross.  Pick up a copy this week at Elite Comics, or your local comic shop.  It’s also available here at Amazon.

Review–Bionic Man, Volume 1: Some Assembly Required

September 15, 2012, 10:10 pm

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By C.J. Bunce As much as I want to jump ahead and discuss the current story of The Bionic Man in Issue #12, which features a character we all have wanted to see since the series started, let’s catch up with the first compilation of Dynamite Comics’ adaptation of the original Six Million Dollar Man […]

Classic science fiction and fantasy converge in The Complete Flash Gordon Library, Volume 1

October 26, 2012, 10:30 pm

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Review by C.J. Bunce Re-think all you know about Flash Gordon.  Volume One of the eagerly awaited library edition of the original Flash Gordon color newspaper comic strip, Flash Gordon: On the Planet Mongo: The Complete Flash Gordon Library (Vol. 1), is now available and it will cause you to second guess what you think you […]

Review–DeConnick and Noto update DHP’s Ghost in new limited series

October 28, 2012, 10:10 pm

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Review by C.J. Bunce Elisa Cameron, aka Ghost, has been a character in the Dark Horse universe since 1993.  She has appeared in various limited series from time to time and thanks to the ongoing anthology series Dark Horse Presents, she has gained popularity over time, including being ranked 15th last year in the Comic […]

Review–Raymond and Moore’s Flash Gordon: The Tyrant of Mongo

January 1, 2013, 10:10 pm

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Review by C.J. Bunce The second volume in the high-quality restored hardcover library edition of the original The Complete Flash Gordon Library was released December 18, 2012, and it measures up in every way to the first volume, reviewed here at borg.com this past October.  Volume 2, along with Volume 1, made the borg.com Best […]

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Today Dark Horse revives classic Star Wars characters in new series

January 8, 2013, 10:01 pm

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Review by C.J. Bunce It’s exactly the place long-time Star Wars fans always wanted to see more Star Wars adventures take place.  Not before the original trilogy.  Not during the Clone Wars.  We’re talking about the time our favorite characters were at their best–between Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. Marvel Comics originally had the […]

Review–The Dynamite Art of Alex Ross

January 22, 2013, 10:10 pm

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Review by C.J. Bunce If you have already checked out Alex Ross’s prior art overview books Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross and Rough Justice: The DC Comics Sketches of Alex Ross (reviewed at borg.com earlier here), you can see a new side of Alex Ross in his third coffee table format book, […]

The Shadow: Year One, a great introduction to the classic masked crimefighter

February 22, 2013, 10:20 pm

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Review by C.J. Bunce Ever since the success of Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One, everyone has climbed aboard to use the Year One tag to sell copies.  Many times the Year One is not an origin story but a random early story that fails to satisfy readers’ expectations.  A successful twist on the Year One was Andy Diggle and […]

Review–Dynamite’s stuck-out-of-time Miss Fury offers faithful, stylish update to the original superheroine

March 31, 2013, 10:10 pm

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Miss Fury was the one of the first female superheroes, created 42 years ago this month by June Tarpé Mills (1915-1988)–one of the few early female comic book creators.  Written and drawn by Mills, Miss Fury is also the first female superhero created by a woman.  Original Miss Fury works were signed merely Tarpé Mills–to mask […]

First look–Mike Mayhew to bring “The Star Wars” to a galaxy near you

April 2, 2013, 10:00 pm

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First it was Mike Mayhew and Star Trek and Doctor Who. Then it was Mike Mayhew and Green Arrow. Then it was Mike Mayhew and The Bionic Man and The Bionic Woman. Now it’s Mike Mayhew and Star Wars. Isn’t it great when the stars align and the people creating new entertainment are in sync with your view of the […]

Dream Thief–The next big thing… and your own digital swag

April 5, 2013, 10:10 pm

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Ok, I’ve been holding back.  I landed my hands on the first issue of Dark Horse Comics’ new series Dream Thief a few days ago and WOW–I am convinced it’s the next big thing.  It’s one of those from outta nowhere books that comic book stores better start ordering in droves for its May 2013 […]

Grimm adaptation of TV series coming next month from Dynamite

April 16, 2013, 10:10 pm

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Following the further exploits of Portland detective Nick Burkhart, his partner Hank Griffin, Blutbad werewolf pal Monroe, and girlfriend Juliette, Dynamite Comics has released some teasers and cover art for its new ongoing monthly series Grimm, to be released in May.  The story is written by show writers David Greenwalt and Jim Kouf, with final script by […]

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Classic Battlestar Galactica returns for 35th anniversary

May 6, 2013, 10:02 pm

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Marking the 35th anniversary of the original Battlestar Galactica TV series, Dynamite Comics is bringing the original series back for an ongoing monthly comic book series beginning next week.  The Alex Ross cover art for the first three issues have been released and they look great, with homages to other 1970s science fiction posters.  The cover […]

Grimm–Dynamite’s new monthly a must-read for fans of the TV series

May 8, 2013, 10:25 pm

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Grimm fans who attended Free Comic Book Day Saturday and this week’s comic book Wednesday were treated to a double dose of their favorite series with both a free full-length comic story and an action-packed Issue #1.  Now in its second season on NBC, Grimm is in contention for the best fantasy series on television.  And unlike the typical […]

Review–Battlestar Galactica Issue #1 from Dynamite Comics

May 9, 2013, 10:10 pm

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Before Starbuck was played by a woman he was played by Face on The A-Team.  Before Richard Hatch was Zarek he was Apollo.  And Adama was played by Lorne Greene, not Edward James Olmos.  Vipers were distinctive and cool.  Viper pilots had helmets that were equally cool, with a bit of an Egyptian aura.  These were the […]

Review–IDW’s anthology of Tarpé Mills’s classic Miss Fury

June 7, 2013, 10:10 pm

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Miss Fury was ahead of her time.  The superhero moniker and nickname of Marla Drake, she was less a femme fatale, cast aside by the males that shared the comic page as with other contemporary tales, instead planted in the center of the action.  She was a true heroine, who, while maintaining her sex appeal and […]

borg.com–800,000 views and our second anniversary

June 29, 2013, 10:10 pm

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We kicked off borg.com as a way to catch up on entertainment news, books and movies back on June 10, 2011.  We’ve posted what’s new each day to provide “your daily science fiction, fantasy, and entertainment fix” for two years now and continue to forge ahead as we tick past our 800,000th view by readers today. We want to […]