How Iron Man 3 Could Have Successfully Launched Phase Two (But Didn't)

This past weekend, Tony Stark returned to the big screen once again to launch "Phase Two" of Marvel's incredible cinematic universe. From the trailers alone, audiences knew that this would be the best Iron Man film to date, with plenty of action and the coolest bad guy yet: The Mandarin. Iron Man 3 promised to start things with a bang, hyping up audiences for the far off Avengers 2.

Where To Next?: Scott Pilgrim

Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim series is arguably the biggest indie comic from the past 10 years, and after the Edgar Wright movie starring Michael Cera came out in 2010, it has exploded into a comic and film phenomena.

Unfortunately, the series is only 6 books long, so many fans crave more once they're done. It's one question I've seen all over the internet: what comics are similar to Scott Pilgrim? or what should I read next? And, all over the internet, there doesn't seem to be a single useful answer. Sure, there are some decent suggestions that share similar ideas, but when people want more out of Scott Pilgrim, it's the feel of it they crave, not one specific theme.

So, here is a list of comics, films, TV shows and whatever else I can find that have the same charm as the Scott Pilgrim series, and that fans of the comics will likely enjoy.

Before Watchmen: Rorschach #1-4

When I first heard about the Before Watchmen series, I was skeptical to say the least. Watchmen always seemed like everything that needed to be said was said and there wasn't much more that could be expanded upon. There's always to prequels and backstories for every series, but I couldn't think of anything that could really add to the Watchmen universe by exploring the past experiences of certain characters. However, after enjoying his work on Joker and 100 Bullets, I couldn't stay away from a Brian Azzarello Rorschach story.

Top 5 "What If?" Arcs in DC Comics

We all love superheroes, however, sometimes following the main continuity of your favorite hero can get a bit tiring. Sometimes we'd like to see heroes thrown into unnatural situations without having to worry about how the story will affect the entire comic universe, or how everything all led up to this. This is where we get are great "What if?" stories; that mini-series or story arc that takes a look outside of the box and is not limited by the restrictions of continuing a decades-long plot. Here, I'll take a look at the 5 best stories that take place outside of the main DC Comics continuity, and show how things could've been for our favorite heroes.

3 Weird Things You Can Learn From The First Issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

We all know the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They're a gang of pizza-eating, surfer-slang-using mutated turtles who hang out and beat up bad guys, all while having a ton of fun. However, the original TMNT comics by Eastman and Laird are a very different story than the famous cartoon series. Rereading the very first issue of this significantly darker take on the story might just open your eyes to what the TMNT are really about, and these are the three weirdest things you'll learn upon revisiting the turtles' past.

Power Rankings: Neil Gaiman

Power Rankings is a series where I'll select a director, actor, writer, artist, etc. and rank their 5 best pieces of work. 

It's hard to put a label on the genre or style of Neil Gaiman's work. Whether it be a novel, lengthy comic book series or two-part Batman story, there is always something about it that makes it uniquely Gaiman in structure and content. Growing up in UK as a part of a Scientologist family, Gaiman was part of the "British invasion" of comics which included Grant Morrison and Jamie Delano. In the 90's, Gaiman also took a swing at the world of fiction, where he was a huge success once again. Here we'll take a look at Gaiman's 5 best pieces of work, whether they be comics or books.

Power Rankings: Grant Morrison

Power Rankings is a series where I'll select a director, actor, writer, artist, etc. and rank their 5 best pieces of work. 

Where to even begin when talking about Grant Morrison? The Scottish comic-book guru is known for his psychedelic stories, eccentric behavior, occult dwellings, alleged communication with John Lennon from beyond the grave and ranking as public enemy number one on Alan Moore's list. You either love Morrison or you can't understand why anyone would read anything written by this guy. His stories can often come off as confusing or strange, with odd plots that prove extremely difficult to follow. However, I've always said that the best way to read a Grant Morrison series is to let go of all preconceived notions you have about comic books and just enjoy the ride. Now let's take a look at Morrison's impressive body of work, and which 5 prove to be his best.

Hellboy: In Hell #1 and #2

    Series creator Mike Mignola has spoken about the death of Hellboy for a while, even hinting at the death of the character being adapted to complete Guillermo Del Toro's film trilogy. Now, the moment has finally come, Hellboy lies dead after defeated the dragon, but is he really gone?

Judge Dredd #1 (2012)

    With the recent release of the film Dredd 3D, it's not surprising that some new comics would be on the way, and Duane Swierczynski brings us the first one.