Should I bust out that walker, old man? Nah, I’m just kidding.  You’ve only got 40 years, and 356 days on me. Congratulations.  Regardless, why this is a special occasion for me is I’ve followed X-Men comics since literally 1986.

My first memory is an ad with Wolverine that had a banner over it saying “Serious?” and I thought that was the character’s name.  Soon after, somehow, my parents bought me a poster of Wolverine slashing with blood streaked claws.  To say this was inappropriate for a six year old to have is just putting it mildly.  However, I’ve been hooked on Marvel, and especially X-Men comics, ever since.

(Insert Beatles music here) So today is your birthday, so happy birthday to you.  In celebration Marvel is having parties everywhere.  Here are some of the parties happening  at participating Barnes and Nobles around the country:

NYC
SPECIAL GUESTS IRON MAN AND SPIDER-MAN

150 E 86TH Street
New York, NY

Joe Quesada
Chris Claremont
Greg Pak
Klaus Janson
Fred Van Lente

ATLANTA
SPECIAL GUEST WOLVERINE

2900 Peachtree Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30305

Daniel Way
Paul Jenkins
Mark Bagley

LA
SPECIAL GUEST HULK

The Grove at Farmer’s Market
189 Grove Drive Suite K 30
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Jeph Loeb
Craig Kyle
Chris Yost
Mark Waid

PORTLAND
SPECIAL GUEST ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN

Clackamas Towne Center
12000 SE 82nd Avenue
Portland, OR 97266

Brian Michael Bendis
Jeff Parker
Rick Remender

SEATTLE
SPECIAL GUEST CAPTAIN AMERICA

2675 NE University Village Street
Seattle, WA 98105

Ed Brubaker

Clayton Crain

I’ll be making it to the NYC party, because I really have no excuse, its about four blocks from my apartment.

Hey, readers: pipe up and let us know what are some of your first Marvel memories?

I might cry. Really. Rex Mundi is ending, Fear Agent, and I just don’t know what else to say anymore. Remender spoke with Comic Book Resources on the end of his project:

“This will lead us into our sixth arc, which will pretty well be the most nonlinear story I’ve ever written,” Remender said. “Time consumption, the null bang and more Jellybrains… unbridled imagination is the name of the game on this last arc. It’s also a good place to set it down and take a break for a while.”

Remender is wrapping up it so he can focus on his Marvel work.  Though Heath will return for a lead-up to the “Fear Agent” movie.  Well at least there is that happy news.  Remender said he didn’t want to feel like he the character was overexposed or being overextended with the feature film gearing up and his involvement with that.  So, he will be setting up a prelude to the film as a relaunch.

He did, however, feel a pang of sadness, having worked on the character for as long as he has.

When you invest so much time in a character — we created Heath in 2004 — you become very connected. Writing Heath is a joy, never a moment of pause to catch his voice or wonder how he’d react,” Remender said. “I know the character in and out and that makes writing an exercise in showing those nuts and bolts to the reader, it’s just a pleasure to write ‘Fear Agent.’”

Sad, but hey. There’s gonna be a movie, so not that bad really.

Well,  I guess last night.

• People are lining up for “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” by the thousands. Its already shattered the overnight Box Office Record previously held by “The Dark Knight”. And really? Really? There are more Harry Potter fans than there are of Batman? Pssshhhh.  (I’m seeing it tonight). [LA Times].
• Internet Jesus Warren Ellis will be appearing at the San Diego Comic Con to promote his latest animated work, Marvel Anime.  He wants to make sure that you realize that he will only be in town for 36 hours and then getting the eff out of there.  He usually likes to make some kind of line that if you want to find him at San Diego he’ll burn you with his Stabby Stabby Vision, or if you see a man running down the street in flames, that’s him. [Warren Ellis].
• There’s going to be a “Twilight” Manga! Strangely, I think this is the best venue for the series, screw the idea of it being a “novel.” I haven’t read them, don’t plan to, especially because Meyer’s literary explanation for the reason that the Vamps can go to school with normal humans is because the town is so foggy that it blocks out the sun. [The Flickcast].
• Natalie Portman in “Thor.” I realize we got to this quite late, but I think its mostly because of my depression in the hopes that she would play the female version of Loki. I don’t know, I just think that would rock. Regardless, I’m glad she’s going to be in the movie in what should be a extremely strange movie for Marvel, but nonetheless ridiculously fun. [MTV's Splash Page].
• I’m fired up as hell that Rick Remender’s “Fear Agent” movie is a go.  To be honest with you, I will literally buy anything with that guy’s name on it. Easily one of the most original minds writing in comics today, Rick is a only just recently a father, so any support given him helps his kid go to school.  And trust me, you will not be ripped off. “Gigantic” “The End League” all of it is just brilliant stuff. This is just a big win in the department of quality that this is moving forward. [Hollywood Reporter].
• Wow, that’s a lot of movie talk. How about Joe Kelly, and Eric Canete (current artist on “The End League”) doing a Deadpool vs Spider-Man special? I know, I know, it seems like Deadpool is getting more guest appearances in comics than Wolverine. However, I quite honestly can’t think of a more perfect team-up creatively to deliver this book. Oh yeah, there is also that awesome Skottie Young cover. [CBR].