It was really strange watching the 1990 version of Captain America: The Movie after many years have went by since the first time I gave it a shot. With my anticipation for the upcoming big-budget Captain America: The First Avenger growing by the day (especially after just listening to the amazing orchestral score CD), I thought I would revisit the film that has taken a relentless beating by critics and fans of the legendary Marvel Comics character alike since its aborted release more than two decades ago.

First a little background about the film. In the late 1980′s, Israeli wannabe movie moguls Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus purchased the rights to make a feature film based on the character of Captain America, created in 1940 by the writer-artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, for their prolific film company Cannon Films. Cannon also had the rights to make a film based on Marvel’s Spider-Man and had just bought an option to bankroll a fourth Superman film from that franchise’s producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind. Clearly the Cannon boys were aching to break out of the low-budget B-movie ghetto they had built their company’s reputation on. But when Superman IV: The Quest for Peace went into production, the film’s budget had been cut drastically at the 11th hour from nearly $40 million to $17 million, resulting in a cheaply-produced product that swapped out the groundbreaking visual effects from the first Superman feature for cut-rate effects that would sadly be out of place even in a SyFy Channel original movie [...]

Captain America: The First Avenger
Directed by Joe Johnston
Starring Chris Evan, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones
Release Date: July 22, 2011

In 1992, 9-year-old me entered a video store and struck gold. Among the shelves and shelves of VHS tapes was a single copy of Captain America: The Movie. Already a comic (not to mention Captain America) fan, you can only imagine how excited I was to view what I assumed would be a masterpiece. The movie was anything but and left much to be desired, but 9-year-old me loved the hell out of it. Despite its shortcomings and flaws, watching Captain America throw his shield for the first time just blew my mind. Fast forward to nearly 20 years later, I wondered if the latest Marvel Studios movie, Captain America: The First Avenger would do the very same thing.

With America just stepping into World War II, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) wanted nothing more than to serve his country. Despite being constantly rejected by recruitment agencies due to his meek size, Rogers’ unflagging persistence pays off and catches the attention of a scientist by the name of Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci). Erskine enlists him in a top secret super solider program. Injected with a Super-Soldier serum and bathed in “Vita Rays,” Rogers is transformed into a perfect human specimen. He becomes more than just a super soldier, but a symbol for America. He becomes Captain America [...]

If you have read Captain America comics since you were a wee lad like me, then you are probably excited about Marvel’s newest blockbuster Captain America: The First Avenger.

I for one can hardly wait to see the Star Spangled Avenger appear on the silver screen for the first time, mixing it up with his arch enemies Hydra and the Red Skull. While these villains are certainly not to be underestimated, there are quite a few Cap villains that are. We at Geeks of Doom believe that every dog deserves his day so we are proud to present Top 5 Underrated Captain America Villains.

These villains might be underrated for a reason, but someone out there digs them. Continue reading to see who makes the list!

Flag Smasher
Don’t feel bad for Karl Morgenthau. Sure, he is number five on the list but he has so much going for him. He was the son of a Swiss Diplomat, his choice of weaponry includes a spiked mace and a shield, and he was one of the few Captain America foes to give him a run for his money. [...]

The world loves superhero movies. For every release, it seems that audiences can’t wait to see the next superhero flick. And see it you will. Because if there’s one thing that people love more than the average movie, it’s Harry Potter. But now that Harry Potter’s done, you have time for more superhero movies! Yay! But, if you’re anything like the rest of the world’s population, based on sales, you probably don’t read a lot of comics and you might be a little confused by the convoluted plot lines and science fiction elements you see in these films. It may be a little tough for the average moviegoer, but that’s why I’m here!

So, in honor of this week’s Captain America: The First Avenger, I’m going to take the time to sit down with each and every one of you in a feature I like to call Captain America 101 to discuss some of the characters and terminology that you’ll be seeing in this weekend’s #1 movie, that is, unless the world decides to see Harry Potter again, but I digress.

Let’s get to it, soldier! [...]

If you have been a huge fan of Captain America like I am, then you should be excited about Marvel’s newest blockbuster Captain America: The First Avenger.

The movie looks like it will be the best Marvel movie yet, but we here at Geeks of Doom don’t want to neglect Cap’s comic counterpart. I mean without the comic, there would be no movie. So, here to spread some comic love, we’re proud to present Captain America’s Top 5 Partners In crime.

Continue on to check out the list!

Diamondback
So we all know the best partners in life are the ones that challenge you and no partner changed Cap more than Rachel Leighton, aka Diamondback. As a founding member of the villain super-group The Serpent Society, Diamondback was initially called upon by her group to take down the good Captain, but his crime fighting ways got the best of her. Maybe it was his earnest demeanor or maybe it is because women love a man who wears an American Flag as a costume but she was smitten the first time they met. Diamondback eventually switched sides for Cap and they went on several missions together, proving once again that when you are patriotic, blond, and pumped full of government sanction drugs, the ladies will turn over a new leaf for you in a heartbeat. [...]

Captain America: The First Avenger Soundtrack
CD | MP3
Alan Silvestri
Walt Disney Records
Release Date: July 19, 2011

This summer movie season has brought us the now customary overpowering glut of blockbuster superhero epics, and with them some interesting but ultimately unmemorable orchestral scores. It’s disappointing when esteemed composers like Patrick Doyle and James Newton Howard are put to work on movies such as Thor and Green Lantern and they can’t even be moved to create good music for them. Neither musical score packed even the slightest amount of the mystery, tension, and high adventure all classic action-movie scores bring to their accompanying films, although to be fair Doyle’s Thor soundtrack had its share of moments worthy of the God of Thunder. If the music doesn’t care about the characters and the on-screen action, then why should we? Most composers tend to fall back on the same musical motifs that do little to stand out as nothing more than the components of a standard soundtrack. It all sounds nice, but you won’t be humming the themes for hours or days after you see the movie or purchase the soundtrack CD [...]

Joe Simon: My Life in Comics
The Illustrated Autobiography of Joe Simon
Written by Joe Simon
Hardcover
Titan Books
Release date: June 21, 2011

I am a big fan of books that cover comic book history, particularly the golden age of comics. Joe Simon: My Life in Comics takes a look at that period through the eyes of the man who helped create Captain America, and I was looking forward to reading it. My Life in Comics turned out to be almost everything I had hoped for, but came up a little short. There are a lot of good anecdotes to be found in this book, I just wish certain events in Joe Simon’s life had been looked at a little longer.

Joe Simon is perhaps most famous for joining with Jack Kirby to create the Captain America character in 1941, but he was responsible for much more than that. Before there was Jack and Stan Lee, there was Simon and Kirby, creating thousands of pages worth of entertainment and hundreds of characters that live on to this day. My Life in Comics looks at Simon’s life, from his childhood days, through his prolific career, into his twilight years. Simon tells the story of how he and Kirby jumped from publisher to publisher as different ideas were created. The autobiography spends most of its time dealing with the partnership and friendship between Simon and Kirby [...]

DC Comics released the official covers from the upcoming Green Lantern family of titles Monday, which you may have noticed were missing from their initial announcement. Although I’m not entirely sure why they withheld the covers, it is convenient that these were released the same week that the live-action Green Lantern film hits theaters. It’s also a great way for us to kick-off our Green Lantern Week of Geek!

In case you’ve forgotten, and I don’t see how that’s possible, these new covers and titles are a part of the relaunch initiative that DC Comics has planned for September, so if you’ll be going to see the new movie this weekend, make a note of the titles that you’re interested in here, because you’ll be able to start fresh with the comics in the Fall.

I’ve included the covers along with each of their solicitations, so check them out here [...]

I know there are a lot of people out there who will be going to see Thor this week, and I’m betting that a lot of these people have never read any of his comic adventures. I’m here to present a few comics that are worth checking out if after you leave the theater you want to check out some of the god of thunder’s printed adventures.

If you want to check out the original stories that brought the god of thunder into the Marvel universe, there are two ways to do that. If you’re on a budget, you can pick up a volume of Essential Thor (there are 5 volumes currently available). These are nice black and white reproductions of the original Stan Lee/Jack Kirby stories (along with other creators in the later volumes) and each volume has about 25 issues each, so you get a lot of value. If you have a bit more money to spend, you might track down a copy of The Mighty Thor Omnibus. This is a massive hardcover that collects almost 40 issues’ worth of material and presents them in beautiful color. It is a little bit pricier, and may not be for the casual fan [...]

Recorded May 8, 2011.

Our May Doom Of The Month will be the first volume of X-Men First Class! If you want to read along with us, head on over to Instocktrades.com or DCBService.com to pick up X-Men First Class for a super price! Be sure to check back at the end of May for our special review episode.

Check out Episode 62 of Comics of Doom, the official comics podcast of Geeks of Doom. In this episode we review the new live-action Marvel Studios movie Thor. Click HERE to open the podcast player in a new window.

Podcast player is here below, along with an Episode Guide.

Listen now!

E-mail us at comicsofdoom [at] gmail.com
Follow us on Twitter – @ComicsOfDoom
Subscribe to the Podcast: RSS | iTunes | Zune [...]

Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor, is easily one of the most powerful weapons in the Marvel Universe and one of the most coveted, along with maybe the Silver Surfers’ surfboard and maybe Jarvis (come on having your own butler, please…). So with the Thor out in theaters I started to consider what I’d do if I had that badass hammer. Now, I’m a caring guy of course so I’d wanna bring the rain to the parched and crush some evil here and there, but there are also those guilty pleasure sorts of things that would just be fun.

There’s the five things I’m thinking of right about now. So head down the rainbow bridge with me and let’s talk five things that would just be fun to do with that hammer of Thor [...]

(WARNING. SPOILERS. A LOT OF THEM. MAYBE NOT TOO MANY, CONSIDERING I HAVEN’T REALLY SEEN THE MOVIE. SO DON’T CRY IF YOU DIDN’T REALLY WANT TO KNOW THAT THING ABOUT THAT PART IN THOR THAT HAPPENS IN MINUTE 30. BECAUSE IT’S IMPORTANT. AND WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND THE LIVES AROUND YOU FOREVER. NOT ALL OF YOU WILL MAKE IT OUT OF THE THEATER WITH YOUR LIMBS INTACT DUE TO THIS REVELATION. THANKS. AND STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM SOMETHING BORROWED. YOU WERE GOING TO ANYWAY. NEVER MIND THEN. HOPE YOUR MOM’S DOING WELL BECAUSE IT’S MOTHER’S DAY AND YOU REALLY SHOULD CALL HER ONCE IN A WHILE BECAUSE SHE MISSES YOU A LOT.)

After seeing the trailer(s) to Thor late last year, I didn’t think it looked all that promising. Why? Because it’s about a guy (sorry, god) who fights with a really big hammer and has a hat with feathers. While that may work in a comic book, its translation to live action may just end up goofy. On the positive side, I do remember thinking Thor could be good… in comparison to Captain America. Why? Because he’s dressed like an American Flag, and while that might work in comic book, its transla… you get the idea [...]

Thor: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
CD | MP3
By Patrick Doyle
Buena Vista Records
Release Date: May 3, 2011

One of the things I love most about seeing a movie for the first time is experiencing its music score. I have many favorites but the ones that affect me the most are the great adventure scores, from Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s jaunty and propulsive The Adventures of Robin Hood to John Williams’ endlessly hum-worthy Raiders of the Lost Ark. The best of these scores tend to plant themselves deep in my mind and always pipe up at moments when I need those sounds the most and my MP3 player is nowhere to be found. They calm my soul and motivate me to conquer each of life’s challenges, be they minor or potentially life-threatening, with a hearty laugh and my arms jutted forward like I could take off flying at any moment [...]

Every year that a Marvel blockbuster makes its way to theaters, it’s a big hit. But the box office isn’t the only place where Marvel makes a smash — toy stores are also hit by the mighty power of Marvel, and this year is no exception.

I love action figures, but my favorite toys of the Marvel line have always been the sound effect toys. The toys that take an iconic piece of the movie of the year, add foam, and add sound effects. My personal favorites being the Thing and Hulk hands that were released a few years ago. And this year’s awesome toy is Thor Lightning Hammer, Thor’s mighty hammer Mjolnir, brought to us by Hasbro! And I gotta tell you, it keeps my love for these toys alive [...]

At some time today, Mondo, the Alamo Drafthouse’s collectible art boutique, will be offering up a new limited edition Thor print, based on the upcoming Marvel movie hitting theaters tomorrow.

This new print, by artist Ken Taylor, goes on sale today (Thursday, May 5, 2011) and is guaranteed to sell out immediately. Follow @MondoNews on Twitter for the “on-sale now” announcement and prepare to buy quick.

The prints is 24″x36″ and will have a limited edition of 380. The price is $45 [...]

Are you excited for the release of Marvel Studios’ Thor on Friday, but you don’t know your Baldr from your Bilfrost? Well, the good folks at Geeks of Doom have got you covered!

Marvel Comics delved deep into traditional Norse mythology to create the backdrop for Thor, pulling gods, monsters, giants, and exotic locations to populate their modern take on the old legend. Few people realize this, but Norse Mythology is the manliest thing to ever exist; even manlier then an Ultimate Klingon Fighting League. We’re talking Dungeons & Dragons on steroids. We’re talking honey mead-swilling, giant axe-swinging, buxom maiden-screwing, giant troll-wrestling hurricane of 100 percent, grade-A he-beef. Why do you think Power Metal loves it so much?

In honor of Thor, Geeks of Doom jumps two skullcrushing boots first into the world of Viking gods. So grab a stein of mead, a side of boar, and enjoy Geeks of Doom’s NORSE MYTHOLOGY A-Z (Or At Least Y Anyway) [...]

Hulk VS Thor
Blu-ray | DVD
Directed by Takuji Endo and Sam Liu
Screenplay Christopher Yost
Starring Matthew Wolf, Graham McTavish, Kari Wahlgren, Bryce Johnson,
Grey DeLisle

As much as we love our heroes, there is one question that anyone who has ever picked up a comic book encounters: “Who would win in a fight…?” In Hulk Vs Thor, we get to see that fantasy scenario played out in an epic battle for Asgard.

Year after year, Asgard is watched over by Odin, the All Father. For one week each winter Odin must rest, leaving Asgard vulnerable to attack. Many may try to claim Asgard, but their attempts are always thwarted by Thor (Matthew Wolf) and the other Asgardian warriors. With hopes of defeating Thor, Loki (Graham McTavish) has kidnapped Dr. Bruce Banner (Bryce Johnson) in order to take control of the Hulk, the only power to ever equal the God of Thunder’s. What follows is a mystical tale of bravery and loyalty, accented with all the fist-pounding, hammer-swinging action you would expect from the two titans of the Marvel universe [...]

It’s time to begin our Thor – Week of Geek, leading up to Marvel’s highly anticipated film Thor, out in theaters this Friday.

To kick off the event, you can get to reading some discounted digital comic books from the Thor universe over at ComiXology, which is running a sale today on Loki issues #1-4 by and Balder the Brave issues #1-4 for only 99 cents each.

Note, the sale is only for today, Monday, May 2, 2011 and ends at 11pm EST in North America.

You can download the digital versions for the iPad or iPhone of issues of these two Thor-related Marvel comic book series for only $.99 each at the ComiXology App [...]

The first episode of Doctor Who Series 6 is finally here! And in The Impossible Astronaut we find our heroes, the Doctor and his companions, separated for an unexplained reason. They are reunited by numbered TARDIS Blue envelopes containing a summons, taking them to the United States, where a Stetson-wearing Doctor explains to them they must travel back to Space 1969.

But there’s more than this Doctor is telling them, for his next few moments will have deadly consequences, and set a path for his companions to travel back in time where they will meet a new dangerous villain known only as The Silence.

During TARDISblend 23, we review the events of The Impossible Astronaut, and speculate how everything ties into both the upcoming episodes of Series 6, and the unanswered questions and clues left over from Series 5. We discuss the oddities surrounding the 1103-year-old Stetson Doctor, and ponder the absence of his TARDIS as well as a couple of other confusing issues [...]

BBC America is continuing their heavy online promotion for Doctor Who, which launched Series 6 this weekend on Saturday, April 23, and here at Geeks of Doom we’re winding down our Doctor Who Week of Geek event. Previously, we brought your attention to their video series of “Top 11′s for the Eleventh Doctor“; but now they want to find out from YOU — the fans — what you would do if you had your very own TARDIS or Time Machine.

Cast and crew from Doctor Who helped kick off the campaign with their own video wishes of what they would do with a time machine. You can view these videos from Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Steven Moffat, and Toby Whithouse at the bottom of this post [...]