Brian Michael Bendis

In a strange twist this year, Wizard World Philly finds itself competing for attention and the industry's big names with Heroes Convention in Charlotte. But Wizard World Philly - today through Sunday at the Convention Center - can still boast hosting perhaps the biggest name in the industry. This is the year Brian Michael Bendis hits town. "This my first Philly convention ever, ever, ever," said Bendis, best known for helping launch Marvel's Ultimate line with "Ultimate Spider-Man" and a landmark run on "Daredevil.

Of all the titles in Marvel's Ultimate line, "Ultimate Spider-Man" truly lives up to its title. More so than the other "Ultimate" titles starring the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, "Ultimate Spider-Man" stays true to the core concepts of the character. The only difference is that the world of Peter Parker is being poured today, in the 21st century, as opposed to the "classic" version, created in the early 1960s. This means that, unlike in other titles starring Spidey, we get a teen still dealing with the responsibilities and repercussions of his powers rather than a seasoned veteran married to Mary Jane.

Thanks to Marvel Comics, America's heroes got to read a special story starring their favorite heroes recently. In April, Marvel announced it had joined the "America Supports You" program, a Department of Defense campaign to showcase and communicate America's support of the men and women of the U.S. armed forces. As the centerpiece of the partnership, Marvel created a custom comic book featuring beloved and well-known superheroes in the storyline. More than 1 million copies of Marvel's "Salute Our Troops" comic book were distributed in May to the troops and their families in the United States and abroad.

Get ready for a Black Panther Party! Reggie Hudlin's first "Black Panther" story arc focuses on the history of the fictional country of Wakanda and on the main character, T'Challa, who lives there. For his second "Panther" story arc (starting with issue No. 7), Hudlin plans to put the spotlight on some of Marvel's other black heroes and heroines. "There's no question that Marvel has been the leader in terms of diversity in their comic book characters," said Hudlin. "One of the things I've always appreciated about Marvel is that . . . their black characters were always individuals . . . not cookie-cutters and simply representing all black folk.

Radical's latest offering is quite a wild "Ryde. " Indeed, "Ryder on the Storm" is the type of book that changes direction constantly and has more layers than an onion. Just when you feel you have the story and players figured out, everything gets turned upside down. Indeed, the first issue has a whopping 52 pages of story and writer David Hine expertly makes use of every one of them. The result is a horror story worthy of Steve Niles , a crime story worthy of Christos Gage and dialogue worthy of Brian Michael Bendis . There is also a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a riddle.

Seven years in the making, " Avengers " No. 1 is well worth the wait. No, it didn't take the creative team of Brian Michael Bendis , John Romita Jr. and Klaus Janson seven years to produce the issue. They are all way faster than that. Most people in the industry are way faster than that - or else they'd starve. The only possible exception would be a book that announces Kevin Smith as its writer and Jim Lee as its artist. In that case, seven years between issues would not be far-fetched.

MICHAEL JACKSON bowed out of last year's Grammy Awards show when producers wanted him there to celebrate the 25th anniversary of "Thriller. " This year, he'll be there. Michael, in fact, will be a focal point of the show, with an unprecedented posthumous tribute. The Grammys will broadcast a 3-D video clip he made for "Earth Song," that was to be integral to his London comeback concerts - shows that never happened because of his June 25 death in Los Angeles. Usher, Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson and Smokey Robinson will perform alongside the clip, which producer Ken Ehrlich says will be the first time an awards show will feature 3-D. "Whenever we would do a show with [Michael]

THIS IS a great time to be a Spider-Man fan. Besides the highly anticipated "Spider-Man 3" hitting theaters today, Marvel has come out with enough titles featuring Spider-Man to choke a comic shop and has enough trade paperbacks available to fill a library. Most importantly, the material is diverse enough to be enjoyed by both new and old fans of the webslinger and appeal to a variety of ages and tastes. For those who want a young, wise-cracking, high-school-aged Peter Parker who is arguably the most like his movie counterpart, there is "Ultimate Spider-Man.

With April's "Secret Invasion" crossover set to kick off, many Marvel fans are apprehensive. This is because talented writer Brian Michael Bendis is the driving force behind the even "Invasion" and his efforts on previous big events like "Secret War" and "House of M" were mixed, at best. Bendis doesn't have a reputation as a blockbusters guy, but "New Avengers" No. 38 shows he may be the perfect scribe for this one. For the uninitiated, it was discovered recently that the shape-shifting aliens known as Skrulls have invaded the Earth.

Radical's latest offering is quite a wild "Ryde. " Indeed, "Ryder on the Storm" is the type of book that changes direction constantly and has more layers than an onion. Just when you feel you have the story and players figured out, everything gets turned upside down. Indeed, the first issue has a whopping 52 pages of story and writer David Hine expertly makes use of every one of them. The result is a horror story worthy of Steve Niles , a crime story worthy of Christos Gage and dialogue worthy of Brian Michael Bendis . There is also a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a riddle.

" New Avengers " seems to be a misnomer. A majority of the lineup has been together for more than five years, and it therefore can be argued they are the most experienced as a unit of all four recently launched/relaunched " Avengers " teams in the Marvel Universe. Plus, the team's biggest guns all seem to have more important and visible gigs elsewhere. Luke Cage is now in charge of the Thunderbolts ; the Thing is still a member of the Fantastic Four . Spider-Man and Wolverine , of course, appear in enough titles every month to clear cut a whole forest.

Seven years in the making, "Avengers" No. 1 is well worth the wait. No, it didn't take the creative team of Brian Michael Bendis, John Romita Jr. and Klaus Janson seven years to produce the issue. They are all way faster than that. Most people in the industry are way faster than that - or else they'd starve. The only possible exception would be a book that announces Kevin Smith as its writer and Jim Lee as its artist. In that case, seven years between issues would not be far-fetched.

MICHAEL JACKSON bowed out of last year's Grammy Awards show when producers wanted him there to celebrate the 25th anniversary of "Thriller. " This year, he'll be there. Michael, in fact, will be a focal point of the show, with an unprecedented posthumous tribute. The Grammys will broadcast a 3-D video clip he made for "Earth Song," that was to be integral to his London comeback concerts - shows that never happened because of his June 25 death in Los Angeles. Usher, Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson and Smokey Robinson will perform alongside the clip, which producer Ken Ehrlich says will be the first time an awards show will feature 3-D. "Whenever we would do a show with [Michael]

For a variety of reasons - which will be revealed in the "Best of 2009" column - Comics Guy has not reviewed many Marvel comics in 2009. But he could not let the year come to a close without a look at "Dark Avengers," arguably the most entertaining title the publisher puts out. The biggest key to the book's success is writer Brian Michael Bendis' portrayal of the team's leader, Norman Osborn. As most fans know, Osborn is best-known as the Green Goblin, a Spider-Man foe who reached iconic status 35 years ago when he killed Spider-Man's girlfriend Gwen Stacy and shortly after that heinous act accidentally impaled himself with one of his own gliders.

When Marvel's "Secret Invasion" was announced last year, I thought DC's big crossover, "Final Crisis," would eclipse it by far. Why? Because "Final Crisis" looked to be an epic, multiverse-spanning saga that promises to affect the most iconic, popular superheroes in the world. Compared with the somewhat cliche "aliens among us" theme for "Secret Invasion," I just didn't see much of a contest between the two. But after only one issue, Marvel has served notice to DC that it had better bring its A game to "Final Crisis" because "Secret Invasion" No. 1 kicks butt.

With April's "Secret Invasion" crossover set to kick off, many Marvel fans are apprehensive. This is because talented writer Brian Michael Bendis is the driving force behind the even "Invasion" and his efforts on previous big events like "Secret War" and "House of M" were mixed, at best. Bendis doesn't have a reputation as a blockbusters guy, but "New Avengers" No. 38 shows he may be the perfect scribe for this one. For the uninitiated, it was discovered recently that the shape-shifting aliens known as Skrulls have invaded the Earth.

Take some of the most powerful heroes on Earth, add an equally strong political metaphor, toss in a formidable and immediate crisis and add a sense of foreboding caused by a long-term threat and what do you have? "The Mighty Avengers," a book that is finally hitting on all cylinders. The Avengers have long been seen as Marvel's answer to DC's Justice League; that is, a team consisting of the Marvel universe's most powerful heroes. However, the launch of "New Avengers" saw that team become a collection of Marvel's more popular heroes, like Wolverine and Spider-Man.

The Vindiola Brothers swaggered into the Convention Center yesterday after tying on cloth masks and draping pastel capes over their T-shirts and shorts. People gawked, smiled, and snapped pictures of the duo. But one onlooker had the audacity to shout: "Who are you supposed to be?" A more elaborate Spider Man and two Ewoks who had walked by earlier were a lot easier to recognize. The real-life brothers, Rigo, 25, and Brennan, 14, of Drexel Hill, didn't miss a beat. "We're the Vindiola Brothers - Neighborhood Super-Heroes," came the reply.