Andy Wood

The comic book event of year continues as fans, retailers and critics agree—Secret Invasion is a smash hit! Secret Invasion has everyone asking “Who Do You Trust?” as the fate of the Marvel Universe may be in the hand from the intergalactic threat known as the Skrulls. In order to fully understand the Skrulls’ plan and how our heroes are working to stop them at all costs, these tie-ins give you the full scope on just how serious and dangerous the Skrulls really are! 

Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers #1 starts us right in the middle of the Skrull’s armada arrival to Earth. How will both teams react with a Skrull on each? These two teen teams have to do what they can to push the Skrulls back, but can they trust their Skrull teammates?

Mighty Avengers #15 takes a trip back to the past around the time of Avengers Disassembled and reveals a major hero as a Skrull impostor. Find out just how long a certain hero was out of the picture and had a charlatan in his place.

New Avengers #42 also takes us back to the formation of the New Avengers and reveals just who was behind the breakout that brought the new team together. Make sure to check this out as the true start of the Secret Invasion started here.

Avengers: The Initiative # 14 spotlights how the Invasion has affected the Initiative and how much potential damage can be dealt by possibly having a Skrull in every state. With a special ex-Avenger Delroy Garret assuming the mantle of the greatest Skrull-Hunter Earth has seen, the Skrulls couldn’t possibly stand a chance. Right? 

Ms. Marvel #28, featuring a not so happy Carol Danvers, drops us right in the middle of Manhattan as the Skrulls begin to spread and destroy. Having battled the new-age Super-Skrulls, and potentially losing someone she cared deeply for, Ms. Marvel has her sights set on anyone with green skin and is ready to hand out the bruises.

Now that the Invasion is underway and the world’s greatest heroes face impossible odds, have the Skrulls already won? Marvel urges retailers to check their orders on Secret Invasion and all tie-ins, as they continue to sell out quickly at Diamond. The Skrulls are here…and Who Do You Trust?

Joss Whedon, the father of things like BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, ANGEL, and FIREFLY has been writing THE ASTONISHING X-MEN for the last few years. This new issue GIANT SIZED ASTONISHING X-MEN Issue #1 marks the end of Whedon’s run on the series in a double-sized issue that promised "someone will die."

The sporadic nature of the release of the issues of this series seriously debilitated the build-up to this finale. The hype surrounding Whedon’s last issue only lent itself to the let-down I got when I finished read the book.

The last few issues of this series took the X-men team into space to visit the planet of their new nemesis Ord, a world that lives in fear of Colossus coming to kill their entire world. In retaliation they launch a gigantic planet killing missile towards Earth. The X-men are busy battling on Ord’s home world, and Kitty Pryde phases herself into the missile to try and stop it from destroying Earth.

Ord actually tries to help Colossus and dies in the process which is kind of an interesting switch from where he started at the beginning of the series, and some of the other less than friendly to the X-Men join in on the side of right when the chips are down.

This issue guest stars most of the stars of the Marvel Universe as they try to figure out how to stop the giant missile hurtling through space towards Earth. While it is fun to see Whedon write a lot of the other characters, it seems like a typical cheap comic book ploy to get people to shell out five bucks for a book they normally wouldn’t pick up.

Universal Studios Hollywood has confirmed in the following press release that the King Kong ride, that was part of the backlot tour and lost in the fire, will be replaced by a new "experience," while the New York Streets sets will be reconstructed:

Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal CityWalk have taken a "the show must go on" stance and are open for business as usual after a much-publicized weekend fire that damaged the King Kong backlot attraction and one area of film sets that were frequently visited by the Studio Tour.
All rides, shows and attractions are open and operating normally, including the new and much-acclaimed "The Simpsons Ride," which opened to spectacular reviews just weeks ago and joined "Revenge of the Mummy — The Ride" and "Jurassic Park — The Ride" as stand-out Universal Studios Hollywood thrill-ride experiences.

Neither Universal CityWalk, the popular entertainment, dining and retail complex nor the Universal CityWalk Cinemas were impacted and have also opened for business as usual. The Gibson Amphitheatre, the Sheraton Universal and the Universal Hilton Hotels are fully operational and were not affected by the incident.

Universal Studios Hollywood’s parent company, NBC Universal, has announced its determination to rebuild and replace the film sets that were lost in the fire. Specifically, the New York Streets sets will be reconstructed and a new, compelling guest experience will ultimately replace the 22-year-old King Kong attraction.