Len Wein Talk at Graphic 2013

 What's Onion:  Len Wein @ The Playhouse (Opera House) 

Comic book legend and Creator of The Wolverine lets us in on how he started out and his career to date.

Len Wein, Comic book writer and all round good guy

Len Wein is a man who's inspired generations and it was clear as soon as I walked in the The Playhouse that he was still doing just that. With everyone from the kids down the front dressed as the Joker & friends to the hard-core comic fans who couldn't stop reading their latest graphic novel until Len himself walked out on stage.

He talked us through his very early career, ditching school and doing the DC Comics tour every month until everyone in the offices knew his name... using that to his advantage when he went in with his school friend, Marv Wolfman, to pitch their first story (he actually drew that but quickly turned his hand to writing instead!). Taking us on a journey through his working with Golden Age & Silver age greats, his Fanzines, his back and forth between DC & Marvel plus of course his most famous creations, The Wolverine, Swamp Thing and his personal favourite The Human Target.

The very first time anyone (other than Len & a few others) saw Logan aka Wolverine, in the last panel of The Incredible Hulk #180, 1974.

A really great interview with an easy going, very likeable guy who just makes me wish I could have been there, wearing Mickey Mouse ears with everyone else in his office so I could see the look on Stan Lees face as he left for the day (that was one of many crazy stories Len shared with us, another being that the famous pirate hat was actually only ever worn once and it was just the image that kept coming back to haunt him!).

Well worth the trip down to the Opera House on a sunny spring day (not that hard really!)

Len tells a mean story, on paper and in person.

Marvel: Agents of Shield

 TV Series:  Agent Coulson... is that you?

Super heroes, bloody everywhere these days, thank Zeus. Without them I'm not sure how I'd get through my week. 

Personally I'm waiting for the day some mad scientist offers me the chance to really show the world how good I am at breaking stuff... I don't normally have access to gamma-ray-emitting type devices or bio-engineered spiders (although I did see a huntsman once that were big enough) to really get a chance to be in a marvel movie.

Agents of Shield is just the kind of show that might show us all just what a mess we could make with weird technology attached to our arm. The supers in it seem to be your average Joe, down on his luck and given a second chance, only to find its not only giving him super strength but also a nasty case of mental health issues. 

Thats where Shield come in, sweeping up the mess made and helping you get back on your feet yet again... men in black with a conscience?

The show is set after the battle of New York in the Avengers movie and we catch up with Agent Coulson and his small, 'handpicked' team of agents... hold up, back up a little... wasn't Coulson killed in Avengers I hear you ask! Well, yes he was, but he has made  a remarkable recovery and is back... there are hints that something may have been done to him whist out of the game but we will have to watch more to really find out!

In true Marvel fashion, the show doesn't take itself too seriously, with jokes and puns interspersed with the action and pretty big special effects for a TV show (and the reason it's in this blog!) it a fun little roller coaster ride with characters that are likeable enough. Actually I found the characters a little stereotyped, with the nerdy, useless in battle but brilliant in the lab, scientists (Fitz and Simmons) and the two hard as nails field agents (Ward and May) who are pretty much unstoppable in a fight with mere humans and the newbie, Skye, who's the alternative, grungy hacker with a heart (but which side is she on?) and finally Coulson, who has a little too much compassion for somebody at his level. 

It all feels a bit teen novel to me, but it is early days so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt for now (the Marvel fan coming out of me there!) I think its got a lot of potential and if you haven't already, its worth a watch... especially after reading back this recommendation... its not the most positive of things so let  point out the good stuff.

Lola, Coulsons classic car,  is pretty cool. Its old school with all the best bits of a 007 car on steroids (well it flies on jet wheels for a start) and the fight scenes are long and aggressive enough with sprinklings of super-tech thrown in for good measure.

I'm hoping the writers are allowed to tie the storylines in with the upcoming movies like Thor: the Dark World and maybe get the odd cameo with Iron Man or something. 

This has a lot of potential, I will be watching every week and if it takes off will blog more to keep you lot up to date!

Head over to www.agentsofshield.com for more.