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  • 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!

  • Marvel Problems #006

    I mean, I can’t be the only one, right? Especially when she starts flirting (or not, since Cap’s seen it up close and that wasn’t it) with Bruce at the bar in Avengers Tower. That and the ‘missed my window’ shower scene at the Barton farm just, I don’t know, unsettles me. It’s awkward, weird, cringe worthy, definitely forced, had no payoff in Infinity War,  and every single time the ‘Bru-tasha’ scenes come up, I either fast-forward, or go do something else until it’s over.

  • I Challenged Insomniac! Game On!

    If you follow Face Front on Twitter, then you might realize that I have just openly challenged Insomniac Games! Like a lot of you True Believers out there, I missed my chance at a Collector’s Edition for Marvel’s Spider-Man PS4, and Insomniac isn’t planning on making more! So, I issued an… ultimatum of sorts.

    If they agree to make more, I’ll fire up my physical copy of Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage (which is actually my first ever video game) and it will be the only, I repeat, the ONLY game I play until I complete it 100%! I’m talking Dragon Shores roller coaster and unlimited super breath baby! Will Insomniac accept? The ball is in their court! Stay tuned True Believers, this could get very interesting! Let the Spyder-Man Ultimatum begin!

  • Ant-Man and the Wasp Review and Discussion

    Now that everyone’s had a chance to see it, let’s talk about Ant-Man and the Wasp! This page is more for discussion, to see what you guys think, but you can get all my thoughts in the latest episode of the Face Front Podcast RIGHT HERE! Remember, there’s SPOILERS for the movie, so don’t listen if for some reason you haven’t seen it yet! But in the mean time, what’d you guys think about the movie? Comment below!