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  • Watch Me Rise: Why We Need Marvel Rising

    I worked at Toys ‘R’ Us up until it closed. And one thing I always noticed was the DC Superhero Girls. A whole big section of figures, dolls, play sets, vehicles, and Legos. They have a TV show. They have comics. They have toys. My buddy has a daughter, and I’m trying to start her liking Marvel young (because what kind of friend are you if you don’t turn your friend’s kids into Marvel fans!) I got her a little plush Spider-Man and Black Panther, but in terms of girl stuff, there’s not a lot to choose from. Your options are a 0 points of articulation, poorly painted Titan Series Black Widow, or a sexy Spider-Gwen bombshell statue. Even if I wanted to, I can’t find suitable Marvel merchandise for a 4-year-old girl. Heck, on Free Comic Book Day 2016 and 2017, I picked up an issue of DC Superhero Girls for her!

    That leads me to my next issue. Around the time Wonder Woman was coming out, everyone was making a big deal about the ‘first’ female led superhero movie. That’s when I began to think, really think, where are all of Marvel’s female superheroes? They’re all on teams; heroes like Jean Grey, Storm, Rogue, and Invisible Woman, in the X-Men and Fantastic 4 (none of which can currently be in the MCU, so… no merchandise). Heroes like She-Hulk, Elektra, Mockingbird, and maybe until recently Wasp aren’t recognizable to the general public. The teaser trailer to Jessica Jones literally said “It’s time the world knew her name.” Because outside of comics, no one knows female Marvel Heroes! Aside from Black Widow…

    This leads us to the big resurgence we’ve seen in the past few years: Spider-Gwen, Silk, Kamalah Khan, Jane Foster Thor, Moon Girl, X-23 Wolverine, the push on Squirrel Girl, and the big, BIG push on Captain Marvel. The comics literaly peg her as the most popular hero in the 616 Marvel Universe. The thing is, you can put out as many new heroes as you want, but Marvel has never had a Wonder Woman. And maybe, with Marvel Rising, they can.

    If Marvel Rising can do what DC Superhero Girls has done, I think we all can consider it a success. It spotlights all the female heroes that Marvel has had trouble getting popular outside of the base comic reading community. Squirrel Girl, Ms. Marvel, Ghost Spider, and Quake, who may be more popular because of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but not enough for little girls to want Quake dolls. They just had a comic on Free Comic Book Day 2018, which I was all too happy to get for my buddy’s little girl. Once this show premiers, maybe we’ll get action figures, and dolls, and play sets, and Legos. This is the first step to getting Quake in the same conversation as Harley Quinn and Gwen in the same conversation as Starfire. Once Captain Marvel comes out (on my birthday!) next year, she’ll hopefully be in the same conversation as Wonder Woman. But little girls need more from Marvel than Black Widow and Scarlet Witch. They need dolls. They need t-shirts. They need posters. They need Marvel Rising.

  • 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…

  • The ‘Videos’ Tab

    No, Sam Says didn’t disappear, don’t panic! You can now find Sam Says and the Face Front News Flashes (which were scattered in posts throughout the blog) under the new ‘Videos‘ tab! I realized I had quite a few videos, and ideas for a lot more, so… viola! Don’t say I never did anything for you… And keep an eye out because I’ll be adding more to it!

  • Marvel Problems #008

    About 4 years. Countless hours. Hundreds of dollars. Prestige level 60 Spider-Man with level 60 Captain America and Cyclops in tow. So many cool costumes, from Jim Lee Jean Grey to Netflix Daredevil. Awesome sidekicks like Quake, Falcon, and Firestar. A Marvel game where I could be whoever I wanted, fight whoever I wanted, and live the dream in the Marvel Universe. Gone. In the blink of an eye. Marvel Heroes… Never forget.

  • Oscorp Conspiracy Mystery Grand Prize Leaderboard

    Face Front User

    Score

    Spider-Soldier

    20

    stark18

    5

    Welcome to the leaderboard to determine who will win the Mystery Grand Prize for the Oscorp Conspiracy! Here’s how to win it:

    1.) Contribute to each part if the Oscorp Conspiracy (CLICK HERE for the latest).

    2.) Points awarded on placement. Participation is 5 points, 2nd place is 10, 1st place is 15. If there is a 3rd place for that particular part, then 3rd will be 10, 2nd will be 15, and 1st will be 20, so on and so forth.

    3.) Points are tallied at the END of each part of the Oscorp Conspiracy.

    Keep track of each part below!

    Oscorp Conspiracy Part 1: Word Search for Answers: SUCCESS

    Oscorp Conspiracy Part 2: Target Acquired: DEFEAT

    Oscorp Conspiracy Part 3: You’re Hired: IN PROGRESS

    Oscorp Conspiracy Part 4: COMING SOON!

  • Marvel’s Spider-Man has Become Just as Good as Spectacular Spider-Man!

    Marvel’s Spider-Man is a relatively new show that began airing last year, and while people agree it’s not bad, no one has called it spectacular. Literally. The Spectacular Spider-Man, a show that aired March 8, 2008 (How do I know the exact date? Because it was my birthday!) is said by many to be the best Spider-Man show to date. This is a pretty universal opinion. I myself feel like it’s the 90’s series, but that’s neither here nor there. But yesterday marked Marvel’s Spider-Man’s first appearance of the classic Spidey foe Venom. And yes, I know that Venom showed up in the first season, but this is VENOM! I mean, Eddie Brock + Symbiote = Spider-hating powerhouse! And when I was watching this episode, a thought crossed my mind: This is just as good as the Venom debut episode in Spectacular Spider-Man. Blasphemy! Heresy! I know, I know, but first, before you lambaste me, hear me out. In this article, I’m going to match up these two episodes: Dead Man’s Party and Nature vs. Nurture. Hopefully, by the end, you’ll see what I do. I literally pulled out my old Spectacular Spider-Man DVDs and re-watched the episode just so that it was fresh in my mind, so I put in the work for this one! Here’s what I found.

    The Premise

    Marvel’s Spider-Man: Peter turns in Spidey footage to Jameson that is far superior to Brock’s, and not only does Jameson put Eddie on blast, but he gives Peter his assignment on the V2-52 (The Symbiote in this show). Eddie gets steamed, even after Peter surrenders the assignment, and states that he always comes out on top. While on the assignment, Eddie sneaks into the lab, but the V2-52 gets loose, and bonds with him.

    Spectacular Spider-Man: Having lost the Symbiote (Because Spider-Man was wearing it), the Conners family can no longer pay Eddie, so he’s let go. Eddie, who already doesn’t trust Peter, walks in on Spider-Man destroying the Symbiote, and blames him for taking his last chance. The Symbiote, still alive, then bonds with Brock, and he vows vengeance on Spider-Man.

    First off, all of the setup in the Spectacular Spider-Man was in the previous episode. So walking in to the two episodes I’m comparing, you literally have no clue why Eddie hates Peter and Spider-Man. But that’s why so many people love Spectacular, because of the overarching story, which I won’t fault it for. While Spectacular took the Ultimate comics route of making Peter and Eddie childhood friends whose parents died together, Marvel’s Spider-Man ran with the tried and true Daily Bugle competitors. And honestly, you don’t need a whole season to tell that story. In several previous episodes, we’ve seen Jameson praise Peter’s work, resulting in an annoyed grunt from Eddie, but this episode is where they truly butt heads.

    The Plot

    Marvel’s Spider-Man: Peter and Miles want to throw a party while Aunt May is out of town. Peter is apprehensive, but Miles turns him around. They invite all of Horizon High, but Flash decides to throw a party the same night. So aside from Gwen, Anya, Aleski, and awkwardly Max Modell, not much is happening when suddenly the power goes out…

    Spectacular Spider-Man: It’s Thanksgiving, and all of Midtown is prepping for the big parade. Meanwhile, Peter is preoccupied making sure Aunt May is okay, after the recent heart attack she’s suffered. Fresh out of the black suit, he quits working for Tombstone, and tries to get a jump on Thanksgiving dinner, but is not doing too well. He then finds the Gene Cleanser from the Lizard episode he kept, and ponders his actions as Spider-Man. Suddenly, he’s pulled out of the window by a web…

    The plots of the episodes are not that far off from each other. One’s focused around a party, one’s focused around a holiday. Of course Spectacular holds more emotional weight because Aunt May is recovering from a heart attack, but again, just based on the two episodes and no previous context, they match up pretty equally.

    Venom Attacks

    Marvel’s Spider-Man:

    • Peter finds Eddie in his room. He talks about Peter’s privilege, then attacks him.

    • Peter flees to protect his friends, Venom pursues.

    • Not able to find Peter, Venom threatens to return to the party, but is soon confronted by Spider-Man.

    • Spider-Man tries to convince the V2-52 to take him back, but it doesn’t work.

    • Spidey and Venom fight, loud noises fail to stop Venom, but Miles shows up with flash bangs.

    • After a fight with Spider-Man and Miles, Venom escapes.

    Spectacular Spider-Man:

    • Venom beats and restrains Peter at his house, then threatens to go after everyone he loves.

    • Peter meets Venom at the hospital and fights to protect Aunt May. Venom gives up, claiming he knows who Peter loves most.

    • Spider-Man stakes out the parade, keeping an eye on Mary Jane because Brock had gone out with her to hurt Peter, but Gwen is the real target and gets strung up to a balloon.

    • Spidey and Venom fight, Spidey trying to save Gwen the entire time.

    • Eddie talks about Peter’s privilege, and the Midtown students save Gwen.

    • Peter convinces the Symbiote to take him back, but it’s a trick. He leaves Eddie unconscious on the roof and buries the Symbiote in cement.

    Do you see! In both, Peter tried to get the Symbiote back. In both, Eddie talked about Peter having more than he did. In both, Venom attacks Peter at home and threatens his loved ones! And each had an added bonus the other didn’t. We got more of a suspenseful thriller in Spectacular as Venom chased after Peter’s loved ones (complete with jump scares). And in Marvel’s Spider-Man we got an action packed team-up with Miles and Spidey vs. Venom! One thing I did find strange about Spectacular is that Spidey never tried sound, even though he knew that was the Symbiote’s weakness. The biggest difference, however, is that in one Spider-Man defeated Venom, and in the other he escaped. Now, Venom was the season finale villain in Spectacular, and, I mean, who better, but by putting Venom in the middle of the season, Marvel’s Spider-Man can continue the story, and who knows what kind of damage Venom can do!

    End Tag

    Marvel’s Spider-Man: Venom vows that he’s just getting started, and reminds us that he know’s Peter is Spider-Man.

    Spectacular Spider-Man: Before she leaves Peter’s house after a Thanksgiving dinner, Gwen kisses Peter, Venom’s voice echoing “We know who you love the most.”

    Both of those are anticipatory wait and see moments. Wait and see how Peter will address Gwen kissing him, and wait and see what torment Venom has in store for Spidey. One, I unfortunately had to wait half a year for, because it was the season finale and Spectacular Spider-Man had to move to Disney XD. With the other, however, I get my answers next week! But I can honestly say that I’m just as excited on an adrenaline level for Marvel’s Spider-Man as I was on an emotional level for Spectacular Spider-Man all those years ago.

    So as you can see, these episodes are not so different. I enjoyed Dead Man’s Party just as much as Nature vs. Nurture. Marvel’s Spider-Man may not have the emotional heft or long term storytelling that Spectacular Spider-Man did. But it is a darn good show, and I think it has finally reached a point where it can be considered at least equal to its predecessor. I really hope that people will begin to see that. But don’t take it from me! Go watch this episode if you already haven’t and see for yourself! Then you let me know.

  • Oscorp Conspiracy Part 2 Prizes!

    Hey there True Believers! As a thank you for helping me stop Oscorp, (and a little motivation if you haven’t) I’m going to give out prizes for Part 2: Target Acquired!

    HERE’S HOW TO WIN!

    Head to the Oscorp Conspiracy Part 2: Target Acquired and help identify all of the targets Norman Osborn is after!

    1st Prize goes to the person that identifies the most Targets on Oscorp’s list.

    2nd Prize goes to the person that identifies the next most Targets on Oscorp’s list.

    Participation Trophy/Avatar goes to anyone who contributes in Oscorp Conspiracy Part 2: Target Acquired.

    1st Place:

    *Spider-Man Animated Series Season 3 Episode 4: Enter the Green Goblin! Not only is it an episode from the best Spider-Man show ever made, but it’s also about the Green Goblin targeting and kidnapping people, so, I think it’s a fitting first prize for Part 2 of the Oscorp Conspiracy!

    2nd Place

    **Amazing Spider-Man Issue #569! An issue where Norman Osborn gathers the Thunderbolts, and sends them after Spider-Man!

    Participation Trophy/Avatar

    ***Just like Part 1: Word Search for Answers, anyone who participates in Part 2 of the Oscorp Conspiracy will be granted this Trophy, that can also double as an Avatar, so all members of the Face Front Blog can know of your achievement! And don’t try to cheat by saving this image, it’s too big for the Avatar picture! So it’ll be cropped weird and everyone will know you’re a fraud!

    Oh yeah, and did I forget to mention that if you contribute the most to stopping the entire Oscorp Conspiracy once and for all, then you win a MYSTERY GRAND PRIZE!!!!

    So stop stalling! If you want to get the prizes, CLICK HERE to get started!

     

    NO PURCHASE NECESSARY!

    *Episode comes in form of iTunes, so make sure you register to Face Front with the same email you use for iTunes! If you are already registered and need to change it, you can do so under Your Account.

    **Comic comes in form of Comixology, so make sure you register to Face Front with the same email you use for Comixology! If you are already registered and need to change it, you can do so under  Your Account.

    ***”Participation” counts as leaving any comment in the comment section for Oscorp Conspiracy Part 2: Target Acquired deemed relevant to helping solve the Oscorp Conspiracy.

  • The Whole Marvel/Fox Deal in a Nutshell!

  • Marvel Problems #007

    This being my favorite Spider-Man show, ever, of all time, I think that this problem hits me twice as hard as the others. I heard somewhere that he was going to find MJ in London, modeling, with her memories erased. Also, if Spider-Man Unlimited was a loose continuation of this series, as it is often said to be, then one could assume that he did eventually find her. But the thing is we’ll never know for sure. As far as I’m concerned, Peter and Madame Web are still lost in a void of reality, searching for, but never finding, Mary Jane Watson.

  • Yay! Into the Spider-Verse Toys- Oh, Wait, Never Mind…

    So, like any Marvel fan with a pulse, I am stoked for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. I’ve been reading Miles since issue #1, and Donald Glover himself gave me the backstory behind his conception (I promise, that article is coming!), so this movie is a dream come true for me. The only, the ONLY, thing that could pump me up even more is toys! Well, that’s what I thought…

    Okay, so let’s take a look at ‘ol Miles here:

     Mhmm, okay, very nice. I like the aesthetic, the ‘spray painted’ chest spider, I dig it, I dig it. Electro-shock web blast, always a nice touch, given his power set. Great articu- STOP! Hold the phones! Where are the knee joints? He can’t bend his knees! Okay, I can live without the ball joints on the legs, but the little brother can’t bend his knees! He’s Spider-Man! Spider-Man’s always in some kind of crouched pose or another! Like… bruh, Hasbro, who thought this was a good idea!? The figure is beautiful! Even if he doesn’t have that polished Marvel Legends look, it works for a movie tie-in figure, but… you’re gonna cut costs on the knee joints? Oh no, no, no, no… Let’s look at mentor Spidey.

    Great! He’s top heavy, like in the trailers. The balled fist has that ‘animated’ look about it, I’m really digging the… He can’t bend his knees either, can he? Dude, come on! What, am I supposed to sit him down and have him eat a burger all day? I don’t care if that’s what he does in the trailer, he also teaches Miles to be Spider-Man! And what’s included in ‘Does whatever a spider can’? Bending your knees! Oh, don’t worry, Gwen has locked knee syndrome too.

    And Prowler gets the same treatment:

    Look, I get it. They’re kid’s toys. They’re not for the hardcore Legends collectors. But even the kids deserve better than this! Just… why! The figures look great! It’s just the knees… Well, I’ll still probably pick ’em up, I want all the merch from this movie and MSRP is only $9.99, I guess I just won’t be able to pose them a ton… heck, maybe I’ll leave these guys on the cards. The box art is legit.

    Well, those are the main figures, then there’s this Collider play set:

    Okay, them calling this a play set is a tad insulting. The 46″, $100, Mega City Play Set I have, that’s a play set. The Sky Rider and Alleyway play sets I’ve got from back in the day, those are play sets. Heck, that weak Spider-Man: Homecoming Vulture Attack Play Set barely makes the cut, but it’s a play set. This is a 3D target game practice with Miles Morales. It’s not a play set. Cool idea, looks like fun, but don’t call it a play set.

    There’s some more kiddie stuff, like the Titan series and this cute little shock strike Miles Morales:

     Neat stuff, cool for the kids, but honestly, I’m more excited for this advent calendar-like Movie Countdown board:

     

     

    It’s filled with stickers and knick-knacks, and I’ve become quite the knick-knack collector. All in all, everything looks like great fun, but if we could just have the knees bend on the main figures, that’d be great! Make a mental note for next time Hasbro!