Geez, you go away on business for a couple of days and Marvel have the indecency to release a fully fledged teaser trailer for possibly the most anticipated comic book movie of all time; The Avengers. SO please watch the trailer and then join me after the jump for a Sidekick's view:

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I am the Watcher. Of various films and TV programmes. I’ve watched loads of ‘em. And do you know what you need to make a film or a TV programme? Actors. You need people to play the many characters who will be appearing in said moving picture show, otherwise all you’ve got is a script scrolling across the screen or images of places where not much is happening.

The thing is, there are a number of actors who become so very linked to one of the parts they’ve played, that when you see them in something else, certainly to begin with, you can only see them in that part. A good actor can overcome this, and by the end of whatever it is you’re watching, they’ve become this new character, all trace of that other part you know them for gone and forgotten, at least temporarily.

But, sometimes, your brain starts to ask the question. “What if…” you ask yourself, “What if they were that other character I know them so well for? How would that change what I’m watching now? Would it make it better? Worse?” And then you’ve rewritten the entire film in your head. We’ve all done it. I know I have. So, here, for you, I present five of my own personal what ifs.

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With the recent reveal that Cable will be returning after 'dying' during X-Men event, Second Coming, we now have some more information about the direction that his return will take. It seems that Cable will be taking on The Avengers in an attempt to safeguard his 'daughter', Hope, and her future prosperity. With this mini-series being written by man of many lives, Jeph Loeb and drawn by fan favourite Ed McGuinness I pose the question; Is Cable the new RULK?

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So recently I have been getting back into comics, which if you read my article here you will already know. It has been around 7-10 weeks now since I started my standing order (pull list) and since then I got my hands on some back issues for Batman Incorporated and am trying to snap up some All-Star Superman as well.

Since returning to comics I have come across a couple of things I’ve noticed that weren’t apparent in the industry when I was previously collecting. The first, which I’d like to discuss now, is the over use of superheroes and the amount of comics they appear in each month.

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The latest Marvel Studios film, Captain America: The First Avenger, has been out in the UK now for just over a week. It’s doing quite well at the box office, and has had, for the most part, some pretty solid reviews. But among the film going fans, be they comic geeks or not, opinions seem to be a little divided. Not in an extreme manner, we’re not talking huge arguments between those who loved it and those who hated it. But whereas there seem to be widely agreed upon opinions on the previous films in the Avengers franchise, there appear to be two differing groups when it comes to Cap. You have those who loved it (which includes myself, who actually holds it up as the best Marvel Studios film to date), and those whose opinion is best described as “It was okay. I liked it, didn’t love it.”

Like I say, it’s not like there are any massive differences, but it did get me thinking. There’s no such thing as a universally held opinion. You’ll always find someone who disagrees with you. But a quick poll of the other Avengers films should yield the following results, generally speaking: Iron Man is awesome, and a great start to Marvel’s shared film universe. The Incredible Hulk is dumb, but fun. Iron Man 2 is hugely flawed, too much of a set up, yet also quite likeable. Thor is a spectacular blend of superheroes with epic fantasy and some Shakespeare thrown in for good measure.

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Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is a 90lb weakling from Brooklyn who wants nothing more that to fight for his country in WW2. Unfortunately, he’s a 90lb weakling, which is not exactly a quality high on the list of your average Army recruiter. However, what he lacks in brawn, he more than makes up for in fight and spirit, which is what catches the eye of Emile Erskine (Stanley Tucci), an enigmatic German scientist with a Super-Soldier serum that should be right up Steve’s alley. It is a resounding success, but while Steve is put to work as a USO sideshow, selling war bonds and socking “Hitler” in the jaw up and down the Eastern seaboard, Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving) and his ultra-Nazi offshoot Hydra are harnessing the power of an ancient artefact with an aim to make Hitler’s plans for world domination look positively anaemic. A punch-up between the two seems more than inevitable.

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Somewhere in the dark and nasty regions, where nobody goes, stands an ancient castle. Deep within this dank, and uninviting place, lives Bumchin “Allo!”, overworked servant of "the thing upstairs" “Bumchin! Write a Review!” But that's nothing, compared to the horrors that lurk beneath the trap door, for there is always something down there, in the dark, waiting to come out...(usually its Dan)

So this week I’ve decided to review some of the Ultimate storylines from Marvel. I thought it was appropriate with all the news surrounding the “Death of (Ultimate) Spider-man”.

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So here it is, your first look at the movie version of The Avengers. Underwhelmed? I know I am.

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Link: http://marvel.com/news/story/15733/marvels_the_avengers_begins_production

Yeah I know, I got excited when I saw the headline too, what we've got is a little less than mind blowing; four chairs and CGI SHIELD logo but wait those chairs say Captain America, Thor, Iron Man and Hulk, characters we already knew were in the movie!

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Of all the Avengers titles out there, Avengers, New and Secret, the adjectiveless one is easily my favourite. This Avengers title feels old school, it's filled with big stories that span time and space, it is worthy of calling itself an Avengers book.

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