Ant-Man Slated For Fall 2015 Release; S.H.I.E.L.D. News

Yesterday, Disney announced that Marvel's Ant-Man will be hitting theaters on November 6, 2015. The film, which will be directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World), was announced at the Marvel panel at San Diego Comic-Con, where a small amount of test footage was screened for fans in Hall H. Though Ant-Man is one of the founding Avengers in the comicverse, this will be the character's first introduction to the Marvel cinematic universe.

It was also announced that the third installment of the Iron Man saga (May 3, 2013) will be released in both 3-D and 2-D, as will Thor 2: The Dark World (November 8, 2013). The sequel to 2011's Asgardian adventure will also feature celebrated British actor and Doctor Who alum Christopher Eccleston as a new villain and will see former Chuck star Zachary Levi in the role of Fandral. Levi will be replacing original Fandral Josh Dallas, who is now a series regular on ABC's Once Upon a Time.

For more details, check out the Hero Complex post here.


IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE AVENGERS YET AND DO NOT WISH TO BE SPOILED, READ NO FURTHER. BUT ALSO, GO RENT THE AVENGERS, BECAUSE WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WITH YOUR LIFE?


Marvel announced at last weekend's New York Comic Con that Clark Gregg's Phil Coulson will be joining the cast of the upcoming S.H.I.E.L.D. television show. Coulson, whose untimely demise at the hands of the villainous Loki has been the subject of much debate, was first introduced in 2008's Iron Man and quickly became a fan favorite. It is unclear how Coulson survived (or if he survived - even legitimate death is rarely lasting in the comic book world, unless your last name happens to be Parker or Stacy and your first name rhymes with "pen"), with rumors ranging from resurrection to fakeout to Vision, but overall the announcement has been met with a resounding cry of, "Coulson Lives!"

Cover Art for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Evil Edition) Released

This morning, OniPress scribe and artist Bryan Lee O'Malley tweeted the cover art for the Evil Edition of the colorized second volume of his Scott Pilgrim series, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, featuring evil-ex #2: Lucas Lee.

Photo: OniPress

O'Malley mentioned in the tweet that the edition would go on sale at New York Comic Con next week (October 11-14). It's unclear whether half will be sold at the con and half online at a later date, as was the case with the variant edition of the first volume after it debuted at San Diego Comic-Con in July. OniPress is expected to make a formal announcement of their sale plan sometime in the next week.

The regular edition, with cover art featuring Knives Chau, will be available in November.

If you missed it, check out my review of the first color volume, Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life, here.

Bryan Lee O'Malley on Twitter: @radiomaru
OniPress on Twitter: @OniPress

Review: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life (Color Edition)

(Photo: OniPress.com)

The Scott Pilgrim saga is one of my all-time favorite series. Writer/illustrator Bryan Lee O'Malley (Lost at Sea) gives readers a six-volume epic about post-adolescent love and life in a video game-ified version of Toronto that is the perfect balance of fantasy and reality. If an Empire Records DVD and a Street Fighter arcade box moved to Canada and had a baby, it would be Scott Pilgrim.

OniPress originally published the books in 5.5" x 8" black and white editions, which was reflective of its manga-inspired style. In March, it was officially announced that deluxe, 6" x 9" full color hardback editions of the book would begin rolling out in August. And here we are.

I just finished my color copy of Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life, and I'm very pleased. The story, of course, remains the same, and the remastered lettering is as clear and easy to read as ever. It's the art the really benefits in this edition. The bump in the book's size gives the panels a little more breathing room, which only adds to the immersive effect of the color.

Oh man, guys. The color.

Now, I'm not knocking black and white at all. At no point in my original reading did I stop and think, "This is awesome, but I find the lack of color disturbing." It's also worth noting that the first chunk of volume 4 was printed in color, along with some shorts and other materials, so not everything had been left to the imagination up until this point.

But the color. Is. Awesome.

A lazy or ill-conceived color job can totally destroy the integrity of a piece, but colorist Nathan Fairbairn (Batman Incorporated, Swamp Thing) does a beautiful job here, adding a gorgeous layer of depth that lifts  each panel off the page without upsetting the tone or eclipsing the core designs.

As an added bonus, the back of the book is loaded with extras, including O'Malley's notes on the origins of the series, along with early character sketches, the original pitch, and more. I particularly enjoyed the pages where he discusses walking around Toronto to scout locations and lays the pictures he took alongside the color panels.

The book is a must-have for fans, or for anybody who really was legitimately bothered by the black and white originals (but were you, I mean really?). If you're only interested in the bonus material at the back, be aware that it only covers the first book, not the entire series. More will be released in the subsequent volumes.

Precious Little Life, Color Edition, is out now ('cause it's after August, in case you didn't realize). For an extra $15, you can get a copy of the Evil Edition, which features a Matthew Patel variant cover (the Scott portrait from the front of the regular edition is featured on the back), from the OniPress web site. Update: The OniPress site currently shows that the Evil Edition is sold out.

(Photo: OniPress.com)

If you're a hardcore fan, an extremely limited Collector's Edition was put together that includes the Evil Edition of the book, a numbered bookplate signed by Bryan Lee O'Malley, five 9x12 art prints depicting both versions of the cover and three of the volume's biggest moments, a 2" metal Scott Pilgrim 1-up coin, eleven vinyl stickers of some of O'Malley's favorite panels, a hand-crumpled setlist belonging to Trasha of Crash and the Boys, two embroidered scout badges featuring Scott and Patel, and a digital download code. 

Unfortunately, this collector's set, which was limited to 1,000 pieces and retailed for $100, is sold out. However, there are still a few floating around on eBay. Keep an eye out and you might get lucky. I love mine for the 1-up coin alone.

The color edition of volume 2, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, is scheduled to ship in early November. Check your local comic shop, book store, or Amazon for pre-order options.