Category: Comics

  • Marvel’s Avengers: Iron Man- What I Learned from the Prequel Comic

    Marvel’s Avengers: Iron Man- What I Learned from the Prequel Comic

    So I picked up the first prequel comic to the Marvel’s Avengers video game coming out this May. It centered around Iron Man trying to figure out who stole his operating system and was selling it to criminals. The real takeaway, however, was that this is our first real look into the world in which this game takes place, so I wanted to go through and point out a few things that I noticed and thought were interesting.

    Well-Oiled Machine

    Remember the opening scene in Age of Ultron where the Avengers were pretty much unstoppable until Hawkeye got hit? Yeah, well, I feel that level of cohesion here. Cap actually uses the word cohesion now that I think about it…

    Either way, the Avengers are kind of getting their butts kicked by some D-listers (Titania, Absorbing Man, Whirlwind, and Beetle) before they kick into gear. I’m talking callouts, co-op, buddy moves. The particularly fun one is ‘Jade Wall’, where Iron Man slammed Titania into Hulk’s massive body.

    Normally, this would just be the Avengers teaming up and stopping bad guys. But since this is a precursor to a video game, one has to wonder if these team-up moves will integrated in gameplay? I would like to fly people into Hulk’s chest at Mach 5!

    Tony v. Bruce

    We’ve seen a scene in the game where game where Tony and Bruce were at each other’s throats, which I thought was due to the rather extraneous circumstances. But in this comic, Tony and Bruce get into a heated argument when Tony implies Bruce let his tech slip to S.H.I.E.L.D.

    I suppose that this means the two don’t necessarily get along, even before the events of A-Day. This is a far cry from the ‘Science Bros’, but could make for some interesting, and dramatic, storytelling.

    S.H.I.E.L.D.

    Speaking of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury (who has hair like in Earth’s Mightiest Heroes) talks to Iron Man about a deal they had, working together. It seems he and Bruce were working on something big at a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility (in New York), and we know that S.H.I.E.L.D. lent the Avengers the Chimera Helicarrier used on A-Day. I feel that S.H.I.E.L.D. might have more of a presence in the game than we’ve seen so far.

    I would also like to note that Beetle was imprisoned in The Vault, which is a famous Marvel prison. I guess since they used The Raft in Marvel’s Spider-Man, they wanted to make sure there was a distinction in their supermax facilities.

    Cliffhanger Ending

    So, spoiler alert, it turns out that Spymaster was the one stealing Tony’s software. That’s because S.H.I.E.L.D. was secretly scanning Iron Man, Fury noting that he and the Avengers possessed too much power for there not to be contingencies.

    Iron Man stopped Spymaster, but he went down letting Tony know that they lived in the Information Age, and his final words were: “Too much data, Stark… you can’t keep it safe.”

    I wonder if Tony’s OS being out in the wild is a plotline they’ll pull on in the game, or if maybe it contributed to the tragic events of A-Day. Either way, it was real ominous, and I think there’s more to it.

    Well, that’s it for me True Believers. Did you spot any other interesting tidbits in the comic? Let me know in the comments below. Face Front, and I’ll see you in the Multiverse!

  • My Thoughts on Amazing Spider-Man #25

    So the last time I paid $8.00 for a comic book, it was December of 2012, and Spider-Man died! Trepidatious is probably an understatement on my state of mind when picking up Amazing Spider-Man #25, the first milestone comic in Spencer’s run, and slapped with a $8.00 price tag. “60 pages of Spider-Mania!!!” the front cover touts (and yes, with three exclamation points). I picked it up, I read it cover to cover, and here are my thoughts.

    This was very unexpected. Usually with these milestone issues, Marvel goes big. So I was thinking there was going to be an all out battle with Kindred, he makes some big move, some grand entrance, establish why he’s a threat, who he is, and how he’s going to give Spidey a hard time. None of that. In fact, Kindred had a rather small role in this issue, which is actually a tad frustrating because I want to know more about him. But I did read an interview with Nick Lowe in a recent Previews issue, and he suggested that while #24 and #25 are important, Kindred is going to be a whole thing, so I guess we’ll have wait longer.

    Mysterio was still alive, which was nice, but come on. Did we really think they were off Beck with Far From Home out this year? The more interesting part is the script Kindred gave him, that Beck himself apparently wrote. And the fact that it stars May Jane. I’m actually quite excited for that story.

    On the topic of MJ, we know she’s got a comic coming, The Amazing Mary Jane. The Previews also suggested that this would be a set up issue, so I think MJ’s story here was more to that end. But if the Mary Jane comic is anything like this little adventure, then sign me all the way up. MJ and Carlie Cooper vs. the female Electro, saving an old acting rival of hers? It was so much fun, and I loved every second of it. This Syndicate story seems intriguing as well. I’m a classic Sinister Six guy myself, but we’ll see where this goes.

    Next is Spider-Man. Why am I 5 paragraphs in and just now getting to Spider-Man? Maybe because his story was more of an action-packed pep talk to get Curt Connors back on his feet. I don’t know why, but I always get the feeling Lizard is going to die whenever he shows up, which I really don’t want to happen. But even in the Slott era, they always made it seem like Curt Connors’s next transformation will be his last. They keep putting the poor guy through the wringer, and I really hope he can just find some peace with his family, because I do love the Lizard, and I do love a happy ending!

    So, paragraph 5 ended up being more about the Lizard. Paragraph 6: Spider-Man! Gee, nothing really happened with Pete! I mean, he decided to go back to school, and he fought those weird color-alien-robot things with Jameson, but… Wow. This Amazing Spider-Man comic had very little Spider-Man in it. I don’t know how I feel about that.

    I will say, however, that my absolute favorite part was the tease of Miguel O’Hara falling from the sky and smashing into our time! And back in his blue suit no less! I read Spider-Man 2099 when it relaunched off Superior Spider-Man, and it was my favorite comic of the time. I unfortunately didn’t finish the run (I stopped around the Civil War II tie-in), but that’s a Marvel Unlimited binge for another day. Especially now that O’Hara is back!

    Other than that, there was a little funny story about having a bot write a Spider-Man comic. The issue was pretty good, though if I had to complain about something, I’d say that it was a lot of setup and very little payoff. I guess I’m used to the milestone issues being the payoff issues, but if anything #24 had more plot reveals and master planning than this one (including the Chameleon!) But hey, at least Spider-Man didn’t die this time! Amazing Spider-Man #25 put a lot of pieces into place, and I for one can’t wait to see how they play out!

  • 4 Marvel “What If?” Comics that Actually Happened!

    You know that awkward moment when Marvel’s been around so long that some of their “What If?” stories start making it into the canon?

    Let’s take, for instance, what if Captain America had been elected President of the United States? You mean, like in the Ultimate Comics United We Stand arc?

    How about this one: What if Hulk had become a barbarian? Can someone say Skaar, son of Hulk!? Because I sure can!

    Ooh, I got one: What if Spider-Man’s clone lived! No, but Ben Reilly got hit by the Goblin’s glider and turned to dust! There’s no way he can come back from that! You know, unless Miles Warren gathers the dust and revives and kills Ben repeatedly until he breaks free and becomes the new Jackal.

    This can’t be! How many more? Is Marvel really making comics out of “What If” stories? Okay, here’s one they could never have done! What if… stay with me now… what if somehow Jane Foster became Thor! Yeah, because that could never happen.

    I’m out True Believers. I’ll see you in the Multiverse. Unbelievable…

  • Ghost-Spider is so Much Better than Spider-Gwen

    Spider-Gwen (2015)

    Spider-Gwen vol. 1 and 2 were weird. Let’s face it, they were. My best friend Eileen told me when she first saw Into the Spider-Verse that she squealed with excitement when Gwen came onto the scene. She said that even though she’d never read a Spider-Gwen comic, she had been aware of her character and aesthetic for years. Upon hearing this, I desperately wanted to suggest some comics to her, but they’re all… just strange.

    Let’s start with the big-bad, Matt Murdock. Why? I get that he’s Earth-67’s version of Kingpin, it’s all flip-flopped, but… why? It was just such a strange choice for her main villain. She was constantly fighting with his army of Hand ninjas, then she was working for him for a bit… It was strange. Not to mention her ongoing feud with Frank Castle. Again, why?

    Then we veered off into super crazy stories, like entire issues centered around two Watchers arguing with each other, and then Gwen going to Madripoor to fight MORE ninjas and Wolverine! It was just so oddball, and strange, and sometimes it didn’t really feel like the writer, Jason Latour, even wanted to write a Gwen Stacy story.

    Spider-Gwen (2015) #21

    It wasn’t all bad. Turning Gwen into the quintessential dimension-hopping Spider led to fun adventures like Sitting in a Tree and the time she hung out with 616 Gwen Stacy, creating the splinter 617 universe. I loved that story. There was also Spider-Women, with Silk and Jessica Drew, where an evil Cindy Moon terrorized Gwen and took her powers! Gripping storytelling!

    The personal, more Gwen-centric issues were the ones I favored. I liked watching her try to save Harry from himself, or struggle to tell Uncle Ben she’s the reason Peter died, or try to keep her dad safe, or come to terms with the Gwenom Symbiote. I have to say though, the Mary Janes were CRIMINALLY underutilized. She was always blowing them off, for something or another. And granted, that’s a classic Spider-Hero staple, but it was just so easy sometimes to forget she’s a drummer in a band. Seriously, the issue with Mysterio and the haunted house was, I honestly think, my favorite of those original volumes.

    And then the whole thing ended with her publicly outing herself and going to jail. Like… What!? I just think that, for my friend Eileen, who can get pretty nerdy but not that nerdy, the original Spider-Gwen comics weren’t very accessible. She’d disconnect when it came to all the Hand and Matt Murdock and freaking Frank Castle stuff. And that was a lot of the stuff.

    This leads us to Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider. Seanan McGuire’s so-far 9-issue run has quickly become one of my favorite comic books, and a great, accessible, Spider-Gwen story. Actually, let me back up. From issue 5 and up, because the first 4 were forced to tie into Spider-Geddon, which I do not blame her for. And even those had a cool story arc! (Also, what’s with #1’s launching inside of big events now? I don’t think that’s a great idea, but that’s a topic for another time, as is Spider-Geddon.) But once McGuire was free of the tie-in shackles, she picked up where Latour left off and ran with it!

    Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider #1

    These stories are personal. Gwen’s trying to date Harry, and form a better connection with her band. They’re action packed. Her fight with the Man-Wolf in issue #9 was nothing short of epic. They’re heroic! Gwen’s become something of a ‘Hero for Hire’, but when she leapt into that massive fire in issue #7 to save as many people as she could, honestly one of the best sequences I’ve read this year. The Gwenom Symbiote is slowly unraveling, creating challenges for our hero to overcome in and out of battle! She’s getting a better, more relatable relationship with her dad. But most importantly, McGuire is setting up a big-bad who should have been in the Spider-Gwen comics from the start:

    MILES WARREN! You all remember him? Everyone’s favorite pedophile with an obsessive hangup on Gwen Stacy! He’s also known as the freaking Jackal! Okay, hear me out. Go back to vol. 1 and 2, and replace Matt Murdock and the Hand with Miles Warren and a clone army. Replace Frank Castle with an Earth-67 version of Ben Reilly or Kaine. I mean, right? A clone with Peter’s face haunting Gwen for her original sin? The Jackal writes himself as a Spider-Gwen antagonist!

    Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider (2018) #5

    Listen, I have nothing against the original Spider-Gwen comics. Without them we wouldn’t even have Spider-Gwen as a character. But we forget that she was meant as a one-off for Edge of Spider-Verse #2, kind of like Peni Parker, help out in the Spider-Verse storyline and never be seen or heard from again until the likes of Spider-Geddon. And maybe stretching a one-off character story into an entire comic series because she took off in popularity may not have been the best idea in hindsight. Of course Spider-Gwen merch was flying off the shelves (like Eileen said, the aesthetic is so unique), but the comics weren’t really representative, I believe, of what a Gwen Stacy with Spider powers story should be. The Ghost-Spider comics, however, are knocking it out of the park. Which begs the question, why are starting at #1 AGAIN in August!?!? Anyways, Face Front True Believers, enjoy the Mary Janes hit single Face it Tiger below, and I’ll see you in the Multiverse.

  • Miles Morales Spider-Man #2

    Y’all reading that new Miles Morales? Yeah, so TL;DR, Miles’s girlfriend’s cousin got roped into a ‘mind controlled kids’ operation that also happened to rope in Rhino’s niece. So Rhino and Miles teamed up to stop it only to find out that Tombstone was behind it! When they couldn’t figure out how to work together properly, Tombstone got away, but none other than… Captain America… showed up to help save the day…

    So I was able to get past Rhino and Spider-Man teaming up. Rhino’s a Spidey villain, and though I found him going a little too soft on Miles, I respected his motivation and I think that a Miles/Rhino duo is a fun situation! And then Tombstone is back in the mix, he’s always underutilized, so why not? But… Captain America shows up out of nowhere to help? Yeah, y’all lost me. But hey, I’ll keep reading! What do you guys think?

  • All-New, All-Different!

    All-New, All-Different!

    WARNING! You are about to enter Old Face Front territory. Why do you want to go down there? There’s nothing down there for you! Scroll back up, and get a taste of the All-New, All-Different Face Front!

    I mean, if you really want to keep scrolling, I suppose I can’t stop you. It’s not all bad, there’s some pretty cool stuff down there, actually. But be warned, if you continue, I won’t save you!

  • The Dark Secrets of Dan Slott: An Amazing Spider-Man Story

    Dan Slott told us all that Doc Ock was going to kill Spider-Man, two years in advance. And no one noticed.

    Now, I want to make this perfectly clear. I disagree with 98% of the decisions Dan Slott has made in his 10-year tenure on The Amazing Spider-Man. He did things rash. He did them bold. He challenged the status quo of everything I loved. He made me seethe with anger and cry in sadness. I’ve screamed his name and cursed his legacy. I’ve wanted to come face to face with him in the ring for 3 minutes of playtime. I despised Slott, and everything he stood for. But shock me, the man can tell a story. Strap in, because everything is about to come to light, but I have to tell the full story for you to truly grasp this.

    My Origin

    Let’s track this from the beginning. I was introduced to Spider-Man through the first Raimi film in 2002. After I saw that movie, I fell in love with the character. I ordered a large book called Spider-Man: The Ultimate Guide from a Scholastic book order (remember those kids?) and learned everything I could about Peter Parker, his life, his friends, his foes, everything. I then moved on to TV shows, videos games, and toys. When I was 12, I got a Rhino figure that came with an offer to start getting the series Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man mailed to me, so I sent it off and soon I was getting comics monthly. I am kind of a stickler for chronology, so I never wanted to start reading The Amazing Spider-Man, because how do you jump in on a series that’s been going since 1962 in 2005? I read issues here and there, but never fully committed. Well, I got to college, where there was a comic book store within walking distance, and I saw the front cover to Spider-Island Part 5. That’s when I started reading The Amazing Spider-Man. Y’all know what I’m talking about.

    The Amazing Spider-Man #700

    One late December evening in 2012, I walked into Pop Culture Comics and paid $8.00 for the big one: The Amazing Spider-Man #700! This was it. The close to Spider-Man’s 50th anniversary and his final battle against longtime foe Doctor Octopus atop Avengers Tower! And he lost. He died. Doc Ock took his body, and became the Superior Spider-Man. I was livid. Hot. Angry! I couldn’t believe it. I posted my rage on Facebook. I stormed around the house in anger. What did I just read??? Marvel was in a tizzy advertising The Superior Spider-Man, and I knew for a fact that there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in Mephisto’s Realm I was going to pick that up! I convinced myself to read the first few issues, but I made a declaration. That’s when two things happened: I shot myself in the foot, and I realized that Slott and I aren’t so different. Because, and these were my exact words, I said: “The only way I’ll read the Superior Spider-Man is if the Green Goblin comes back and beats the crap out of Otto Octavius!” I reached the end of the fourth issue, and guess what happened. Take a guess who made a surprise ‘post credits’ appearance at the end? The Green mother shocking Goblin. Was I psychic? Did I read Slott’s mind? No, but I consider myself to be a good storyteller, and the fact that he took the route I would have spoke volumes to me.

    The Superior Spider-Man

    I hate the Superior Spider-Man. I hate it. I hate everything about it. The only good thing to come from that entire year of torture was the costume, and all credit for that belongs to Humberto Ramos. I was honor bound by declaration to finish reading the entire series, but I faltered. I nearly quit. Massacre was one of the Brand New Day guys that didn’t have such a lasting impact. He forced Spider-Man to get new armor and vow that no one dies after killing Jameson’s wife, and he killed longtime Spider-Man character Dr. Kafka. I was sick and tired of him, because he was literally just a guy with a gun giving Spider-Man a hard time. Then, Octavius, in Spider-Man’s body, killed him. Spider-Man took a life. I said I was done. I was not going to pick up another issue.

    And I didn’t, for a little bit, but when I went into the comic book shop, I noticed a trivia question on the white board: What issue was Mary Jane’s first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man. #42, I stated, simply attempting to show off my knowledge, but it turned out that I had won a free comic. The next issue of Superior Spider-Man was sitting there, and I figured, hey, if I’m getting back on to this garbage series, Marvel’s not gonna get my money for it! So I nabbed it for free. But it’s like Slott knew. It’s like he was in my head. So he threw me crumb. Now, the Avengers were on to Octavius. He knew I couldn’t resist even the slightest chance of this maniac being stopped! So I had to keep reading! But then Ock eliminated Peter’s lingering spirit, and I got upset all over again! It was an emotional roller coaster, which leads me to the confrontation I had with Slott himself.

    The Confrontation

    Marvel.com published an article, an interview with Dan Slott: Peter Parker Returns in The Amazing Spider-Man #1! I leapt with joy and I celebrated to the high heavens! This was music to my ears! Now, this was back when Marvel.com had a comment section (remember that kids?) and so, in my excitement, I made a comment. Now, I was… younger, and I definitely wasn’t the refined commenter I am now. So, my comment consisted of a poor attempt to retell a Kevin Hart joke where he makes excuses by explaining his bank account, and then I said how dare you mess with my emotions for an entire year! Then, unexpectedly, Slott replied.

    Now, I’ll never truly know if it was him, it is the internet after all, and that comment section has long since been deleted, but I really feel like it was. The username seemed legit, and so did his response. He took my Kevin Hart to mean that he was only writing comics for the money. Not my intention, but, I botched the joke and I can see where he was coming from on that. He said that he wrote comics because he loved the characters and he wasn’t doing it for a paycheck. Then he flipped my “how dare you” comment, and said it was the equivalent to stating “How dare you put turns and loops on this roller coaster”. He said a straight roller coaster was no fun, and that’s what kept it exciting. Then he called me rude! Well, he said “If my stories cause emotions that make you react in such a rude manner then I’m glad! That means I’m doing my job!” Something to that effect, again, all of these comments were deleted. I was offended by that, I’ve only been called rude 3 times in my life, this was one of them, another was a customer that was upset she was wrong and I was right, and the last was actually warranted, I was kind of fooling off while a teacher was talking, but still!  I didn’t appreciate that. I replied attempting to make my intentions clear, but he never responded, and I’ll never know if he saw it… But that was it! Westbrook v. Slott! Anti-climactic, sure, but I spoke to him! Pretty cool, if you ask me.

    The Conspiracy

    This all leads to the big conspiracy. Slott’s deepest darkest secret. I’ve known for years, but I never had the right outlet to get this information to the public… until now! It was in the game, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. Months after I’d read Amazing Spider-Man #700, I’m pretty sure it was after Peter had returned. I popped the game in because I like to replay levels, it’s very fun. I played for a while, then started browsing the gallery. The art, the costumes, and the character profiles. Now, for those of you who don’t know, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions had its own female version of Doc Ock from 2099, created specifically for the game. I read her bio, and was shocked at what I found! Here’s what it said:

    “Dr. Serena Patel heads Alchemax’s Shadow Division, a section performing the same kind of sick experiments that led Miguel O’Hara to try to leave to company years ago. Human testing, gene splicing, addictive designer drugs- nothing is off limits to Patel. Because of this, she knows her lab is a prime target for the vigilante known as Spider-Man.

    Anticipating reprisals from the S-Man’s one-man war on Alchemax, Patel fashioned an assault suit to counter, restrain, and, if necessary, destroy him. To maximize the suit’s effectiveness, she patterned it after the one worn by her idol, Doctor Otto Octavius, who according to historical records, may have possibly destroyed the Heroic Age’s Spider-Man in a climactic final battle.

    Patel’s goal as the Doctor Octopus of 2099? For history to repeat itself.”

    This can’t be right, I thought. The game came out in 2010, so how were they referencing events that happened in 2012! I went to the game credits, and read carefully until I saw all I needed to see: Story by Dan Slott. He knew! He knew, he had been planning it the entire time, and he told us! He told everyone! He’s an evil genius. The little things he did in each comic that paid off big time later was nothing compared to this! Slott was bold enough to put this point blank in a game, in the bio of a new villain, and no one was any the wiser. Curse you, Dan Slott. Curse you!

    Yes, Dan Slott is an evil genius. Yes, he killed Spider-Man and made Doc Ock do treacherous things in his body. I will never forgive him for that. But for all the relative bad, he’s done a solid of good.

    Brand New Day

    In some respects, I have to give Slott the benefit of the doubt, at least in the beginning. He was dealt a bad hand. After literally having Peter make a deal with Satan, destroying his marriage and concealing his identity from everyone that knew it, Marvel handed the series to Slott and said “Here ya go!” Not how I’d want to walk into writing Amazing Spider-Man. So he made Brand New Day. It’s universally trashed, and no one really likes to talk about it. Heck, Slott himself joked about it in a recent enough issue. But let’s look at the things that stuck: Anti-Venom, Mr. Negative, Big Time Suit, Yuri Watanabe/Wraith, Horizon Labs. And Phil Urich Hobgoblin. I’ll get to him. I even used the title Brand New Day to relaunch my blog after a lull period. It wasn’t perfect, but that’s the thing about Slott. As we’ve established, he creates things now, plants seeds, and then when we’ve all forgotten about it, he digs them up later. He’s a long-term story teller, and as a fellow seed-planting long-term guy myself, I can respect that about him.

    Spider-Man 2099

    Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions revealed more of Slott’s schemes, but not in such a direct way. I believe that it was a testing ground for two things, and one of them was Spider-Man 2099. Miguel O’Hara hadn’t been seen or heard from for years. But when Shattered Dimensions came out, there was a surge in Spider-Man 2099 popularity. All of a sudden, Spider-Man: Edge of Time came out featuring a Spidey 2099 story straight from Peter David himself. Then O’Hara showed back up in comics, in Superior Spider-Man, and eventually his own comic was relaunched. With David back at the helm! Slott brought back the year 2099, and by consequence, brought my favorite author, Peter David, back into the fold.

    Spider-Verse

    The second thing Shattered Dimensions was a testing ground for was the Spider-Verse. And boy, did that work. People were intrigued by the notion of several Spider-Men, united against a common foe. So what did Slott do? He got every Spider-Man ever made and created the Spider-Verse. Spider-Gwen spawned from this, all of the Silk seeds that were planted payed off, Superior Octopus seeds were planted, Kaine got a moment to shine. Spider-Punk, Ham, Noir, Miles, 2099, digging up Morlun from the freaking 90’s! And the Spider-Verse has only grown, giving us an untold number of alternate costumes for games and toys, the Spider-Man Unlimited mobile game, and now a feature film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The Spider-Verse was a stroke of genius, and arguably Marvel’s most successful arc in years. All due to Slott.

    Amazing Spider-Man #797

    So I chose to write this before reading Amazing Spider-Man #800. It’s the end of Slott’s run, and I want to say everything I have to now. But I have to comment on Amazing Spider-Man #797, because Slott made me so happy. One More Day destroyed three things for me. 1.) Spider-Man and Mary Jane, a relationship I am a major shipper for, which, if you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you know. 2.) The Green Goblin’s greatest weapon, his knowledge of Peter’s secret identity. It was the one thing that set him apart, and made him Spider-Man’s worst enemy. And 3.) The Hobgoblin. More of a Brand New Day creation, but Phil Urich caused a whole lot of damage and for some reason or another, Spider-Man could never stop him! He and Massacre were two villains I’d had more than enough of.

    And, as if Slott’s heard me, as if he knew, in one issue, he fixed all three. Peter and Mary Jane kissed, and while they did not get back together, it’s the start of something that could be! Goblin finally remembered Peter’s identity! Finally! And Phil Urich died! At the hands of Norman Osborn! He’s in my head, I tell you! What are the odds that the ONLY three things that have been consistently bothering me about The Amazing Spider-Man for years were all rectified in one issue? Like I said, I think we’re more similar than I’d like to admit.

    The End (Of an Era)

    So, there it is. Dan Slott has jerked me left and right on his metaphorical roller coaster. And yes, it was definitely a bumpy ride, but in the end, when it came down to it, I appreciate everything he’s done. I didn’t always agree. I fumed with anger and shouted with rage. But my hat’s off to you, Mr. Slott. You kept me guessing, you made me think. You challenged everything I know, and while I may not be your biggest fan, you will always have my highest respect. If we meet one day, when I hopefully get a job at Marvel, I can only pray that we get a chance to work together. Because we’re the same, you and me. And I’d love for you to get a chance to see that. I could talk for hours about the nuances and seeds and stories of Dan Slott, but I’ll leave that for later. For now, let’s see what you do in Marvel’s Spider-Man PS4, and when you finally bring the Fantastic 4 home! Face Front Dan Slott, you deserve it.

    PS. I really hope you still don’t think I’m rude!

  • Marvel Problems #010

    Well, when you’re working a low-paying job, you’ve got big boy bills to pay, and your blog isn’t really making you any money *cough* thanks a lot *cough*, luxuries like comic books kind of fall out of the budget. I would love to go to the comic book store, but I feel strange when I just browse and don’t buy anything, especially since a lot of comic book stores close down. But I should really go more often.

  • Face Front San Diego Comic-Con 2018 Party!

     

    Hey y’all! It’s Falcon from the hit Face Front web show, Sam Says! As you can see in the video above, I wasn’t lucky enough to get into San Diego Comic-Con… but a lot of people weren’t, so I’m gonna make sure y’all don’t miss a thing! Keep it here for all the latest Marvel news going on at SDCC 2018! Don’t worry y’all, if we can’t make it to Comic-Con, we’ll bring Comic-Con to us!

    Marvel Live Stream Thursday

     

    Marvel Live Stream Friday

     

    Marvel Live Stream Saturday

     

    MOVIES

    A brand new book notating the first 10 years of Marvel Studios! This looks like a fun read, unfortunately it’s not coming out until next year! Well, maybe that’s so it can include information from Avengers 4! Click Here for more information.

    Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse had some new announcements, 3 in particular. They’ve confirmed Spider-Man Noir, Sp//dr (Remember her? Little girl, big robot?) and Spider-Ham. Voiced respectively by Nicholas Cage, Kimiko Glenn, and John Mulaney. Also this new image which may or may not be my new wallpaper! Also, Peter is 40 years old and has a bad back?!

    Venom put out some new info also! One of the four “Lethal Protector” Symbiotes, Riot, has been confirmed as a villain! And Tom Hardy says he’d love to go toe to toe with Tom Holland, with hopes they’ll cross paths somewhere down the line. I… don’t have my fingers crossed, but anything is possible.

    GAMES

    New story trailer for Marvel’s Spider-Man PS4, as well as the premier of the Velocity Suit, the 3rd and final pre-order suit, and the debut of the Spider-Man themed PS4 Pro! I’m so excited for this! Honestly, it looks better and better each time. The Velocity suit is unique, it is an Insomniac original creation after all. And if you’re looking to pre-order that PS4, well, Click Here.

     
     
     

    New trailer from Marvel Battle Lines, the new mobile card game. Yet another mobile game, and a card game at that, but, it’s always worth a look.

    New trailer from the VR game on Oculus Rift, Marvel Powers United VR. It’s actually around the corner! It looks so cool, I can’t wait!

    Marvel Future Fight has FINALLY put out an original soundtrack! Click Here for a link to the album on Spotify. I highly suggest The Arrival of X-Men and Luna Snow- Tonight.

    Spider-Man will go down swinging against the Red Goblin in Spider-Man Unlimited! I do like this game, it’s still hanging in there. Lesser games would have already pulled the plug, so I’m glad Spider-Man Unlimited still has a place. Oh, and make sure to use the code “REDGOBLIN” to play as the Red Goblin! He’s super fun!

     

     

    TELEVISION

    New trailer from season 2 of Iron Fist! Danny is dishing out some street justice after Daredevil made him promise to protect the city. I actually enjoyed season 1, it picked up in the second half, so let’s hope this season can outdo it!

    New clip for Marvel Rising, pitting Ms. Marvel and Squirrel Girl against Ghost Spider, aka Spider-Gwen! I’ll post an article about this show/movie soon…

    A sizzle reel for Cloak and Dagger’s last episodes! The show, especially yesterday’s episode, has been nothing short of fantastic, and they promised on Twitter that season 2 would be… Mayhem! I mean, an actual super villain for these two to fight isn’t such a bad idea!

    News from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.! Clark Gregg is returning, but they only mention that he’s directing the first episode… I have no idea if Agent Coulson is coming back, he does have Captain Marvel to shoot, but it would seriously suck if he actually died… again. Also, Deke is back? Shouldn’t he have, you know, faded from existence?

    The X-Men show we never knew we wanted, The Gifted, is back for season 2! And Lorna’s having a super baby! Usually mutant powers don’t manifest until puberty, but I guess it’s the grandchild of Magneto, so… Also the Inner Circle is in full force! And here’s to hoping that the ‘real’ underground is Morlocks!

     

    COMICS

    Spider-Geddon, or what looks to be Spider-Verse part 2, is launching in October! Also announced are two new comics, Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider (Great, because I was devastated when I heard they were canning Spider-Gwen’s comic) and The Superior Octopus (Bleh! No thank you! Superior Spider-Man is a year of my life I do not want to relive!) For more information, Click Here.

    Marvel Knights are coming back! With Daredevil, Black Panther, Punisher, and Karnak? What an interesting team… Click Here for more.

    The Uncanny X-Men return to comics this November.

    TOYS

    Marvel Legends graces us with another wave of Black Panther figures in December, including King T’Chaka, Black Panther (with a head that doesn’t look like Drake), Ulysses Klaue, and Okoye (and after all the hard work I put into the BAF!) Click Here for more pics and info!

    Marvel has announced the Masterworks collection, selling lifelike props from the MCU, including: Captain America’s shield, Iron Man Mk I helmet, Baby Groot, the Eye of Agamotto, and T’Chaka’s ring! Click Here to buy them now!

    Into the Spider-Verse has new toys! Now, I know I clowned on the knee joints in an earlier post, but they’ve got a Scorpion (also confirming he’s in the movie!) Sp//dr (with a Peni Parker!), Spider-Verse Mighty Mugs, and a Marvel Legends Miles and Gwen 2-Pack! Boom! I apologize, I was too harsh earlier…

  • Cover Story: Amazing Spider-Man #700

    Enjoy this first in a new segment I’m doing called: Cover Story

    This cover is a variant of The Amazing Spider-Man #700, and one of my favorite comic book covers of all time. The artist is Marcos Martin, and he does an astounding job capturing the core of Spider-Man in one single picture. Here we see the likes of J. Jonah Jameson, Robbie, Betty, Flash, and Harry all enjoying a New Year’s party. But, Mary Jane is worried about Aunt May, who seems to have one question on her mind: Where is Peter?

    No doubt Mary Jane is wondering the same thing, and of course we know the answer. He’s up in the sky, battling for the fate of the city against the Green Goblin. I can’t express how in love I am with this cover. You can literally imagine an entire story around one scene. Peter promises his friends he’s going to make it in time for New Year, but the Green Goblin enacts a scheme that will destroy the city at midnight. While all his friends are yelling Happy New Year, Peter just barely puts an end to Goblin’s treachery, and causes an even greater rift between himself and the people he loves.

    This cover speaks the timeless words “With great power, comes great responsibility”. It takes us back to the simple, 60’s days of Spider-Man, where he’s constantly losing valuable time with his friends and families because of the obligation he has to protect the city. A cover, I think, was especially needed for this issue, because it’s the one where Doc Ock kills and takes Spider-Man’s place for the next year, changing everything. It’s also an added bonus that issue #700 was the last of 2012, leading into the new year and ending Spider-Man’s 50th anniversary. That honestly made me a little mad when I read it way back when, because this monumental year for Spider-Man was ending on such a sour note, but this cover art is one saving grace that, I feel, capped the year of Spidey with a Thwip!

    Thanks for reading True Believers, and stay tuned to the Face Front Blog for more Cover Stories!