I'm not sure if this is intended to be an all ages book or not, given that making any sense of the characters in it seems to require some knowledge of Claremont's work in the 80s, but it's cute and fun in any case. Wolverine is played to the hilt as a grumpy, reluctant teacher for naive, perky, resourceful Kitty Pryde. (Yes, the title is also odd, since this is really about Kitty, with Wolverine serving more of a mentor role. But that's okay.)

The Wundagore story, in which Kitty's name becomes a good bit more literal than usual, is especially fun. It also allows for the sort of house-style art to really shine, as Espin is given a chance to render all kinds of human/animal hybrids. The children are especially cute.

All told, this is a pretty simple, fun romp through old Claremontian themes (there's even an X-Men team volleyball game, for Pete's sake). But there's something to be said for that, I think. There's a reason that era is considered the X-Men's best, and Van Lente nails Claremont's style better than Claremont has in years.

Anyone looking to purchase this trilogy is already a fan of the SPIDERMAN movies and wants to know how they stand up in the magic of blu ray. We all know that the original SPIDERMAN was an amzing film - a rare treat of exemplary action with superb acting for a change. Tobey Maguire and cast finally brought to the comic action movie acting ability that made the film believable. With Tobey Maguire was born Peter Parker/Spdiderman. We also know that with SPIDERMAN 2 the same cast and crew came together with a film that far surpassed the hugely succesful and critically acclaimed original to be the best in the trilogy. All that was good in the first was raised many notches. SPIDERMAN 3 was still a good film but certainly not a match for 1 and 2. Very enjoyable but a little lackluster in comparison.

Now for the blu ray test. All I can say is AMAZING. The source they are working from on the original is not as superb as the other two which makes the picture quality slightly grainy in its 1080p hd presentation. But this in no means is a bad thing. It is still a very vivid picture with blacks and colors strongly presented. You quickly get used to the slight grain and the film becomes the best presentation you will ever see of it. With SPIDERMAN 2 the caliber raises. All grain is gone and the picture remains crystal clear and vibrant throughout. All fight/action scenes are awesome and the entire film will leave you breathless. SPIDERMAN 3 has a picture of the great quality the same as the second film and it helps immensely to raise the quality of the film itself much higher for you will be in awe watching the richness and awe striking special effects.

With all three films the English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio is of the highest quality.... Dialogue is strong and crisp with all speakers in strong, heavy use for action sequences and it seems even the smallest scenes manage to work the rear speakers which is rare. These three films are at their best here and perfectly made for the high standards of blu ray. You cannot imagine how great these films appear in blu ray till you actually see them for yourself. You will never be able to view them another way again.

I do agree that the only flaw with this set is the absence of substantial special features. They do provide the 2nd disc with SPIDERMAN 3 that is all features but do not have it for SPIDERMAN 1 or 2. Having all this would have made the set perfect. So it is not perfect but it still cannot make me lower my 5 star rating for the blu ray presentation of these films is exemplary.

If you are developing a blu ray library and love these films this SPIDERMAN HIGH DEF BLU RAY TRILOGY is a definite must. Highly recommended.

The X-Men films are kind of a huge letdown as a whole, aren't they? The first two are pretty good, but everything good they had going for them was completely destroyed once The Last Stand came to fruition. Thank you, Brett Ratner. And X-Men Origins: Wolverine just drove the franchise even further into the ground; kudos, Gavin Hood. So there probably isn't any reason to get excited over a new X-Men film even if it is a prequel to the X-Men films people actually enjoy. Why would we want to see another comic book movie with limitless potential only to drop the ball yet again? Not only does X-Men: First Class take that ball and run with it but it uses it in all the right ways and reminds you why you loved the X-Men in the first place.

The cast is way better than it has any right to be. Everyone fits their character incredibly well and works fantastically as a cohesive unit. Kevin Bacon seems like a bit of an odd choice for Sebastian Shaw at first, but any doubt you may have is washed away once you finally see him absorb energy. His role as the main villain may be significantly smaller than you may imagine, but his more than qualified acting chops make nearly every scene he's a part of memorable (nothing really tops his first scene with young Magneto though). James McAvoy does an excellent job handling Charles Xavier. He's gentle, kind, and really seems to care about helping his fellow mutants. Michael Fassbender as Magneto manages to have the strongest on-screen presence. He's intense, powerful, and emotional; the best-rounded character of the film.

It was gratifying to see McAvoy and Fassbender make the roles of Professor X and Magneto their own without completely rehashing what Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan established the first time around.... That is often a problem when it comes to prequels; these younger actors wind up focusing on mimicking the older version of who they're meant to portray without putting their own spin on it. Luckily, that wasn't an issue here.

No expense was made when it comes to the special effects either; Azazel is a perfect example. By the end of the film, you still won't know anything about the character other than the fact that he can teleport like Nightcrawler and is a master swordsman. His teleporting ability is just as fun to watch as Nightcrawler's was in X2 and his fight sequences (especially the one with a particular blue mutant) are always quite engaging. Most of Magneto's scenes involve some pretty hefty CG and it's pulled off rather well. The metal fillings scene is a personal favorite along with the Argentina bar scene (pay particular attention to the slow building yet unnerving music used during that scene along with the weapon used at the table). Then there's the obvious scene of Magneto reversing the missles that's being shown in nearly every advertisement these days. Beast is probably a high point of the special effects. Nicholas Hoult portrays Hank McCoy rather flawlessly (other than one scene that I won't spoil); brainy, shy, not sure of himself, and ashamed of his mutation. Beast's transformation is one of the best scenes in the film though. It gave me flashes of An American Werewolf in London. It's a shame we didn't get to see more of him as Beast because the one good long scene we see of him is really impressive.

One of the things that make X-Men: First Class so good is that we get to see how these characters grow into the superheroes and super villains that we know and love today. And again, while the film loosely follows the comics it still manages to blossom and mature into something exceptional on its own while also planting the appropriate seeds to line up with the Bryan Singer X-Men films.

So by now you have an idea of how good the film is, but is there anything bad about it? Some characters feel really underdeveloped; Riptide, Darwin, and Angel come to mind, but the biggest disappointment is Havok. There are no connections that he's actually the brother of Cyclops and many will be upset about that. Plus his character doesn't really feel very useful in comparison to both Beast and Banshee who at least put their powers to good use on several occasions throughout the film. Other than a few minor gripes about certain characters, which could surely be rectified in future installments; there really isn't much to complain about with X-Men: First Class.

Do not let other 20th Century Fox comic book related films put you off, X-Men: First Class deserves to be held in the highest regard right next to Marvel's best. The cast is practically overflowing with talent, the storyline is both sharp and absorbing, the special effects are probably the best they've ever been in any X-Men film, and the appropriate connections are made to the best parts of the original films. X-Men: First Class should be the standard for all X-Men films from here on out. It's intelligent, engrossing, and spectacular. It's easily the best X-Men film yet.

Mr. Nolan, is that a gauntlet on the floor? Brother, I am more giddy than my giddy aunt. I saw the midnight showing of the AVENGERS last night and, at the end, my face hurt from grinning so big. I am so wired I can't form a coherent thought, and so here, instead, is a salvo of stream-of-consciousness impressions, in whatever order.

Mark Ruffalo is simply terrific as the Hulk's alter (and calmer) ego. I actually prefer his interpretation of Dr. Banner over Bana's and Norton's. Ruffalo steers away from the deadening angst that made me fidget in earlier Hulk pictures. He finds a balance. This Banner exhibits a dry sense of humor but exudes this quirky, low simmer edginess. And I love Ruffalo's interactions with Downey, Jr., two swaggerful eggheads matching their test tubes against each other and applying big words. I like that there's respect between their two characters. There's an intriguing twist involving Banner's relationship with the Hulk, of which I won't say more. The Hulk - and this seems to be a unanimous impression - hijacks the movie.

Comic book geeks like me have recently been dogging Marvel's latest company crossover event, AVENGERS VS. X-MEN. And, yet, this film demonstrates that, sometimes, there's nothing more exhilarating than eyeballing an epic hero vs. hero scrap. Mjolnir, meet the Hulk's face. Have you ever wondered what happens should Thor's enchanted hammer go up against Captain America's indestructible shield?

The plot revolves around the far-ranging machinations of Loki, Asgardian god of mischief. Those who've read the AVENGERS' origin in the comic books should note a smidgen of familiarity, but only a smidgen. The Tesseract artifact plays a part. The bad guys Loki recruits as an invasion force aren't Skrulls. Not exactly.... Certainly they pose an extinction level threat, alarming enough that some assembly becomes required.

Captain America is well utilized here, although I'm hating his awkward modern-day costume. I vastly prefered his more practical WWII outfit.

You and me, let's kowtow to Joss Whedon. His storytelling has big scope; it has grandeur. He orchestrates a sprawling, high-profiled cast and just about gets away with not slighting anyone. He does rely some on your familiarity with the character development sunk into the prior films. He manages to tie in various plot threads from previous Marvel pictures. Although Stark, Cap, and Banner get the lion's share of the spotlight, Whedon devotes time and space to side characters like the slinky but lethal spy, the Black Widow, and the likable, unobstrusive Agent Coulson. If you assume the Black Widow's defining action moment surfaces in that early interrogation scene, you'd be all kinds of not right. Scarlett Johansson ticks off Whedon's Buffy box, not only in things assskickery but also in terms of strong character beats (the Widow's dialogue with Loki happens to be an acting showcase). She's so much more here than when she was showcased in IRON MAN 2. But if I could pick out two people who may have been underused, they would have to be Maria Hill and Hawkeye. I do feel that Cobie Smulders was wasted.

I love that, like in the comics, Thor never gives up on his half-brother.

The first half hour is essentially a slow burn set-up that may or may not keep you engaged. And at times Whedon does sacrifice narrative for those wild action sequences, and that's okay, because Whedon treats us to a series of marvelous cape-on-cape violence (in true Marvel fashion, these heroes harbor instant grudges against each other). But all those violent "misunderstandings" merely whet your appetite. Joss doesn't disappoint. The extended climactic combat sequence - as the Avengers hold the line against a horde of grotesque invaders from deep space - is off the charts and immensely gratifying. I'm reminded of the 1990s X-Men cartoon in which the camera would often track the X-Men in frenzied action, as they hurtle in and out of the picture, occasionally mingling with each other only to break off again into individual skirmishes. I was mesmerized by Whedon's sweeping, organic approach to the battle scenes.

No surprise, there are heaps of whip smart one-liners, plenty of them generated by a smirky Robert Downey, Jr. - and yet even Chris Hemsworth's regal thunder god elicits chuckles. No contest, though, the brutalizing Hulk - rendered to savage life in astonishing CG - captures two of the film's biggest laughs.

For pure escapism and sheer fanfare and fan service beyond expectation, THE AVENGERS is the best superhero movie I have ever seen. I have to see it again. But you, you make sure to stick around for the embedded scene during the post-credits and then for the post-credit scene. You may wet your pants.

Hours and hours later, I'm still big grinning. Joss Whedon actually pulled it off.

DC Comics, whatchugonnado?

What I have is the Blu-Ray 2-disc edition. I must say I'm digging the crystal clear, hi-res video quality of the blu-ray disc. We've probably all gotten spoiled by the extras on the Lord of the Rings packages, so the following bonus stuff probably won't overwhelm anyone:

- Audio Commentary by director Joss Whedon
- "Marvel One-Shot: Item 47" - A short film in which we learn what happens to the one piece of alien tech not collected by S.H.I.E.L.D. in the aftermath of the New York battle (00:11:20 minutes)
- "The Avengers Initiative: A Marvel Second Screen Experience" - use your iPad, iPhone or laptop to access the S.H.I.E.L.D. data base to immerse yourself in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, dive into the Avengers Comic Book History, and much more
- Gag Reel, which is hilarious (00:04:04 minutes)
- Deleted/Extended Scenes (totaling 00:14:58 minutes):
* Alternate Opening - Maria Hill being interrogation by the World Security Council (you could see why Whedon scrapped this)
* Extended Scene - "Loki & Barton Strategize"
* "Steve Rogers - Man Out of Time" - This is the best deleted scene of the lot as it explores Steve Rogers' ties to his past in clearer detail; it also features another cameo by Stan Lee and that waitress
* "Nick Fury & World Security Council"
* "Extended Viaduct Fight" - Raw footage of Black Widow and Hawkeye battling Chitauri aliens
* "Fury & Hill Discuss the World Security Council"
* Extended Scene - "Banner and Security Guard" - Banner gets a pep talk and a motorcycle
* Alternate Ending - Maria Hill still being interrogated by the World Security Council
- 2 Featurettes:
* "A Visual Journey" (00:06:26 minutes)
* "Assembling the Ultimate Team" - Whedon and cast members talk up each other (00:08:06 minutes)
- Soundgarden Music Video - "Live to Rise"
- There's also a code provided which when entered on AvengersAssembleOffer.com allows access to a Free Digital Comic Book Offer and a Free Marvel Poster Offer

And if you intend to pick up the basic Avengers DVD, you'll be treated to only these following Special Features:

- Audio Commentary by Joss Whedon
- "Assembling the Ultimate Team" featurette

Some info on what's included in the Phase One: Avengers Assembled 10-disc, 6-film super-set (which may or may not come in an officially issued S.H.I.E.L.D. briefcase):

* Marvel's The Avengers (Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray)
* Captain America: The First Avenger (Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray)
* Thor (Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray)
* Iron Man 2 (Blu-ray)
* The Incredible Hulk (Blu-ray)
* Iron Man (Blu-ray)
* Bonus Disc - "The Phase One Archives" (Blu-ray)
* Collectible packaging with exclusive memorabilia from the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Super fast response,great packing,got it before I knew it was coming.Great detail with the figure,my son loves it.

The Scarlet Witch looses control of her reality altering powers and kills and wounds many of the Avengers. Magento takes her to Genosha and asks Professor Xavier to try and help her. He fails. The Avengers and X-Men meet to discuss her fate. Quicksilver pleads with Magneto to save her. His only response "What would you have me do?" Quicksilver goes to the Scarlet Witch and urges her to remake the world.

The world burns white and is reborn where Mutants rule and the Sapians are on the path to extinction.

The House of M series was my return to the comic world and I have enjoyed it. In the previous issues, there were a few references of Magentos war with the Sapians and how he won and founded the House of M.

These stories tell of that war. There are five comics in this graphic novel.

Rise: Magnetos life has a tragic beginning as a child in Auschwitz, his liberation, growing up in Eastern Europe, the tragedy of his family and his first battle with the sentinels.

Revolution: Here we see the Mutant revolution, Magneto meets Xavier and how the Nation of Genosha was founded.

Reign: Here we see the efforts to get Genosha recognized and the effort to find allies. Vice President Trask of the US decides to send a team to solve the mutant problem and we get to see what happened to Professor Xavier.

Retaliation: Magento deals with the attack and decides to retaliate against Trask. Here we get an answer to the Scarlet Witch. There is another fight with the Sentinels and we see what happened to Genosha but with a surprising change.

Rex: The aftermath and the founding of the House of M. Magneto announces who he is to Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch.... Magneto has everything he dreamed and yet he kind of looks like King Lear.

Overall, I liked this branch of the House of M as it was a good story and it added some answers to the previous stories.

Thor is Marvel's best superhero movie yet. It is even better than the first Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk films. It is also the most visually stunning of any Marvel film, with gorgeous fantasy settings, great costumes, and spectacular special effects.

In the same way as Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight worked just as well as a crime drama as a superhero movie, Thor works just as well as a standalone fantasy film. Even if I had not known that I was watching a comic book movie, I would have been just as happy with the story. In fact, I would say that you don't actually need to be familiar with the characters or the comic mythology to enjoy the film.

The story is set half in Asgard, the realm of the gods, and half in our world, Earth. Thor, the son of the king of Asgard, the wise Odin, is a proud and arrogant king-in-waiting. He makes a foolish mistake that brings his world to the brink of war and his father exiles him to our world as punishment, and maybe to teach him how to be a better man. On Earth, Thor makes some new friends and even begins to fall in love with a pretty scientist. Meanwhile, in Asgard, his brother Loki begins to put into motion a plot that may threaten Thor's home.

Two things about the film really stood out to me. The first is the absolutely beautiful settings and solid world-building in the movie. Asgard looks amazing, with settings such as the Rainbow Bridge, a crystal structure with colored lights running through it, spanning a sea that flows into a massive waterfall, cascading down into the open cosmos. Also, great costuming really makes the gods stand out, and adds to the film's epic feel. The second thing was the character of Loki, the film's antagonist.... Watching the trailers, I expected a greasy, honorless villain (someone like Wormtongue from the Lord of the Rings). Instead I got the story of a hero, told in reverse. Loki's story mirrors his brother Thor's, but where Thor starts out as an arrogant royal brat and through his time on Earth comes to realize what it means to be a hero, Loki begins the story as a mischievous but honorable man, and over the course of the film turns into a really bad guy. As Thor rises, he falls. And when his final plan is revealed at the end of the film, it totally fits his personality and everything you know about him. In other superhero films, we're used to seeing the bad guy go on some kind of mindless rampage at the end of the film. We saw it in The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, the Spider Man movies, the Fantastic Four...but not here. Loki acts like a man with a purpose. Actually he has two purposes, both very personal to him. One is to do commit a terrible act of destruction, partly out of self-loathing and partly out of a twisted sense of honor toward his father. And the other is simply to beat his brother, proving himself Thor's equal. He is easily the deepest villain of any of the Marvel films so far.

The film is directed by Shakespearean actor Kenneth Branagh (Gilderoy Lockhart!), who handles the epic material perfectly. More than any Marvel film so far, this one focuses on the hero's journey. Even more than a comic book movie, this is a fantasy film about a hero. Expect father-son drama, palace intrigue in the realm of the gods, and an epic confrontation between two brothers who have been become very different people over the course of the story. There is also plenty of humor, with a few real laugh-out-loud moments. And there is a very sweet, almost cute romance woven into the story. It carries an innocent, young-love kind of feeling. It also takes the two characters, one a god more concerned with war and glory, the other a scientist more concerned with solving the mysteries of the universe, and brings them down to earth in their budding love for one another.

I would recommend Thor to any lover of fantasy films, as well as any fans of comic book movies such as Marvel's Avengers lineup. It is solid fantasy fun with a strong sense of the epic and the heroic. And when you see Thor finally wield his hammer and summon the lightning, you'll want to stand up and cheer.