Brian Michael Bendis

Bobby Drake, aka Iceman, became comics' biggest gay superhero last week — again, but also for the first time, because nothing is ever simple in superhero comics. In a scene by Brian Michael Bendis and Mahmud Asrar in the pages of Uncanny X-Men #600, the older of two Bobby Drakes (from two different points in time) acknowledged his gayness to the other, younger Bobby. The younger Bobby had previously come out in a very similar scene in All-New X-Men #40 back in April, also by Bendis and Asrar. (Both scenes involved an unsolicited confrontation, an intrusive Jean Grey, and an acknowledgement of teammate Angel's good looks.) While I have a few problems with how all of this was executed, from Jean's willingness to violate people's privacy to Marvel's willingness to taunt readers with an inexplicable six month delay between the two coming out scenes, I think that how Bobby came out matters much less than the fact that he came out at all. It's an especially welcome step forward coming less than a week after Marvel editor-in-chief Axel Alonso fumbled the coming out of another Marvel character.

Marvel has revealed a slate of new titles at a retailer summit in London ahead of this weekend's MCM Comic Con, including the long-touted second Iron Man book from Brian Michael Bendis, International Iron Man, which sees him reunited with his former Daredevil collaborator Alex Maleev. Marvel also announced a new Punisher series from Becky Cloonan and Steve Dillon; a Nighthawk series from David F. Walker, with no artist named; and a Hyperion series from Chuck Wendig and Nik Virella, plus a digital first five-issue mini series, X-Men: The Worst X-Men Ever, from Max Bemis and Michael Walsh, which is not about Maggott and is therefore misleadingly named.

However much polish its first season might have used, Sony PlayStation’s Powers isn’t having trouble attracting name actors and sci-fi icons. Following Michael Madsen’s SuperShock-ing role last week, Battlestar Galactica icon Tricia Helfer has joined the series for Season 2, but will she be suiting up?

Moderately-received though it may have been, Sony PlayStation original Powers nonetheless continues to pull some impressive casting. Following last year’s coup of Sharlto Copley in the leading role, Tarantino favorite Michael Madsen has joined Powers Season 2 in the key role of aptly-titled superhero “SuperShock.”

Well, this is weird. Mary Jane Watson, model, nightclub owner, and ex-wife of Peter Parker (it's a fact, you gotta deal with it) is making a transfer to the Iron Man supporting cast in the fourth issue of Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez's Invincible Iron Man this December. Marvel made the announcement on its website today, declaring that she will take on a new, "unexpected" role.

The Marvel Comics line is about mid-way through its giant line-wide crossover event Secret Wars, in which reality has been rewritten by god-emperor Doom, and the heroes have been re-imagined more than a dozen times over in different domains paying tribute to stories from throughout Marvel's publishing history. One of those domains is a version of House of M, another reality-rewriting crossover event that cast the Marvel heroes in different roles, which ran ten years ago. House of M launched the current era of Marvel events, kicking off a steady steam of universe-shaking storylines that continues into Secret Wars. To mark the tenth anniversary of House of M, and ten years of event-driven storytelling, we're asking you to determine which of these events was the very best.

Like Daredevil before it, Marvel’s Jessica Jones has been mostly under wraps over the course of production, leaving fans eager for a taste of Netflix’s next Defenders series. And while Marvel itself isn’t budging on a release date, Jessica Jones co-creator Brian Michael Bendis is almost bursting with praise of the new series, including our new Luke Cage.

Sony PlayStation’s first original series, Powers managed to handcuff a second season to debut in 2016, for which the first season finale left a staggering mystery. Now at Comic-Con 2015, the Powers panel reveals the addition of fan-favorite writer Ben Edlund, some candid reflection on Season 1, and a major new superhero to boot.

Starting this fall in the Marvel comic book universe, Spider-Man will be a half-black, half-Latino teenager. Starring in the character’s flagship series by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli, Miles Morales has given a new generation of comic book readers a superhero that reflects our diverse culture. But fans also learned recently that the newest iteration of the web-slinger on the big screen will once again be Peter Parker, as British actor Tom Holland, the third white actor to play the character since 2002, was announced as the new Spidey.

Everyone loves comic book trivia, but with 75 years of superhero comics behind us right now, there’s always some new obscure fact to learn. That’s why ComicsAlliance is going deep into the minutiae of your favorite characters in our continuing video series. You think you know comics? Well, here’s a few things you might not know! With her Netflix series rapidly approaching, this week we're taking a look at Marvel's former superhero private eye, Jessica Jones. Find out how Disneyland changed Jessica's life, her strange connection to Galactus, and just how strangely intertwined her life is with Spider-Man's, as well as several other equally interesting facts.