Hello, friends, and welcome back to another edition of The Sunday Post. Coming up later in The Watercooler, I have news on the latest trailer from Marvel Studios, some Spider-Man updates, an exciting new Panel Bound Comics recommendation, and much more.
But first, a podcast update. FFW+ was cooking last week with not one, not two, but three new episodes. Robby and Kyle covered Joss Whedon’s “Astonishing X-Men” in the latest Marvel Comics 101 pod, and Kyle shared his thoughts on both The Sheep Detectives and Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu on Screensaver. That last one was released as a Friendly Freebie, in case you missed it. Look for the latest episode of Kyle, Listen! from Friends From Work contributor Neil Scharnick on FFW+ this week.
If you feel like you are missing out because you are not subscribed to FFW+, there is no better time than now to take the plunge. And any NEW sign-up who commits to one-year subscription will be entered into a drawing for the “The Astonishing X-Men” comic collection that was featured last week.
Elsewhere on the Friends From Work Podcast Network, I was a special guest on The Sons of Gunn podcast last week. So, if 100 minutes of listening to me talk about all things DC tickles your fancy, check it out. This week, while regular host Jaylen remains away, Matt will be joined by another special guest- Kyle Schonewill!
Now let’s head over to…
THE WATERCOOLER
THIS WEEK IN THE MCU
The first trailer for X-Men ‘97 season 2 was released last week, revealing that the 9-episode sophomore season will debut on July 1st, only a month away. An extensive interview from Entertainment Weekly with producers Larry Houston, Eric Lewald, and Julia Lewald revealed even more details about season 2. The three talk about the arrival of Apocalypse, the looming impact of Gambit’s death in season 1, and reveal that work has already started on season 4, with the expectation that seasons will now be released annually.
"Ancient Egypt Apocalypse gives us this massively powerful mutant backstory. No one is born evil, but we see how circumstances led him to become the villainous Apocalypse. Present-day Apocalypse is constantly trying to cull the herd of the weak so that only the strong survive. Future Apocalypse is how his vision becomes reality, perhaps."
"They want everyone to know it's only gonna be a year now between seasons, not two-and-a-quarter years. It's gonna be a year until the next one and a year until the next one [after that]. They are on schedule now. One of the reasons they're on schedule is we've gone over, given notes on, responded to not only all the scripts for season 3, all the animatics for season 3, we are in season 4 giving script notes. So that's how deep they are into the development."
According to Nexus Point News, Michael Johnston (Obsession) will voice Nathan Summers in season 2 of X-Men ‘97.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day graces the cover of the newest edition of Empire magazine, and the team revealed several exclusive images last week. Reporter Ben Travis also talked to Marvel President Kevin Feige, director Destin Daniel Cretton, and stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jon Bernthal about the upcoming movie (set for release on July 31st).
“It is the first Spider-Man film that we’ve made in the MCU that is focused on the classic elements of Spider-Man. He’s doing the Spidey thing of living in a rather sad, small apartment, listening to the police scanner and going out and using his great power responsibly.”
“This is the first time in my tenure as Spider-Man that I was kind of welcomed into the writers’ room. [We would] meet once every two weeks to pitch ideas and discuss our ambitions and what we wanted to try and do. My pitch when I came to the table with it was called ‘Spider-Puberty’. What happens if Peter Parker is losing control and things are changing? ‘Spider-Puberty’ was my tagline pitch to the studio — which was immediately shot down. But they liked the kernel of the idea and it grew into what we have in the movie now.”
“Frank Castle is perfectly at peace in a world of absolute darkness. He’s not looking for a buddy, he’s not looking for a friend, he’s not looking for a hand to pull him out of the hole that he’s in. He’s fine living in there. In fact, all he wants to do is dig deeper. I think, begrudgingly, Frank would tell you, if he had to be honest, he does care about Peter.”
BEYOND THE MULTIVERSE
All eight episodes of Spider-Noir are now available on Amazon Prime Video. The show is certified fresh with a score of 92% among critics at Rotten Tomatoes, and the audience score currently sits at 93%, as well. Have you had a chance to check it out yet?
TRUE BELIEVERS RUMOR OF THE WEEK
There is reason to believe that the latest trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released this week. Make sure to follow Friends From Work on all social platforms so you don’t miss it, and then join in the discussion on our Discord server.
PANEL BOUND COMICS PICK OF THE WEEK
Indiana Jones: The Further Adventures Book 1 and 2
Every once in a while, something you did not even know existed pops up and instantly becomes a must-have item for your collection. That happened last week for me, when Marvel announced that they were releasing two gorgeous hardcover volumes of “Indiana Jones: The Further Adventures.” Did I know that Marvel Comics released comic adaptations of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade plus additional original adventures in the seventies and eighties? Absolutely not. But now that I do, they are must-haves.
Our friends at Panel Bound Comics have both volume 1 and volume 2 available for pre-order right now. Some of Marvel’s biggest creators took their turn writing or drawing for Indy, including writers Walt Simonsen, John Byrne, Larry Lieber, Christopher Priest, and Dennis O’Neil, and pencillers John Buscema, Steve Ditko, and David Mazzucchelli.
Remember to use code “FRIENDSFROMWORK” for a discount off all purchases at PBC.
That’s a wrap for today. Have a great week, everyone!
-Greg
