Tag: Marvel

  • Ultimate End: Brian Michael Bendis No More

    This is a game changer. Brian Michael Bendis is leaving Marvel! And not only that, but he’s going to DC!!! Now, we’re all (presumably) adults here, so we’re not gonna chastise him or call him a traitor, but I just can’t help but wonder what led to this? Brian Bendis is Marvel’s dude! He’s the go-to guy. It seems like every other Marvel event has been written by Bendis. The Ultimate Universe exists (well… existed) because of Bendis! Miles Morales, Jessica Jones, the reason Samuel L. Jackson is currently Nick Fury, it’s all due to Brian Michael Bendis! So what happened?

    Granted, he’s had some missteps, Civil War II gets grilled a lot, and I have to say Disassembled was a bit of a mess. But everyone has a bad day at the office. And when you look at just the sheer contributions Bendis has made to the Marvel Universe over 17 years, it’s unprecedented. Secret Invasion, AvX, Age of Ultron, so, so many more. The movies borrow so much from the Ultimate comics, especially Spider-Man movies. Ultimate Spider-Man lasted an entire run, from 2000 to present, had a very popular video game, and a TV show! This guy literally belongs in the same conversation as Stan Lee.

    My theory as to why he left dates back to when Miles took off, then all of sudden they wanted him in everything. Miles legitimately got in, like, three big adventures before Secret Wars (2015) assimilated him into 616. Like, he’d probably be writing Miles, then Nick Lowe or someone bursts in and goes “Brian! Get this: Spider, wait for it, Men!” Then he had stop and do Spider-Men. So then he goes back to the adventures of Miles, then Lowe, or maybe Quesada, bursts in and goes “Brian! Galactus comes to the Ultimate Universe!” Then Brian has to stop and take out half the Ultimate Universe in Cataclysm. Then when he finally goes back to Miles they say “Brian! Guess what? Ultimate Universe: Gone! Secret Wars!” Then he literally has to destroy the entire universe he created and squeeze Miles into 616. I can see how that’d be jarring from a storytelling point of view, and with Marvel doing big events every 30 seconds, and recruiting Bendis to do half of them, maybe he’s overwhelmed?

    I don’t know the full story, no one but Bendis does. All I can say is, he was one of the first names I learned in comics, and he’s done a bang up job at Marvel. Whether he’s feeling oversaturated, or maybe he just wants a change of scenery after 17 years, we’ll never know. I’d personally like to know what DC put on the table for him, someone so ingrained in the Marvel Universe, to turncoat. But, for now, I guess all we can say is Face Front Brian Michael Bendis, I hope you find what you’re looking for.

    P.S. If Marvel needs someone to write Miles, I’ll gladly do it!

     

  • Fate of the Fantastic 4

    Let’s begin by watching the video below:

     

    I watch this and I shed a tear. There they are. The Fantastic 4 at their best. Johnny showboating and acting a fool, Reed analyzing the situation, Ben itching to fight and Sue keeping the team together with her levelheadedness. Zooming around the city in the Fantasticar and chasing down their greatest nemesis, Dr. Doom.  So what happened? Why has Marvel’s first family of super heroes been pushed into myth and legend?

    I believe (in my own conspiracy theory sort of way) that the big Secret Wars event Marvel had back in 2015 existed for three reasons:

    • Bring about the end of the Ultimate Universe.
    • Bring Miles into the 616 continuity (because, logic).
    • Officially put an end to the Fantastic 4.

     

    At its heart, Secret Wars was about Mr. Fantastic’s final battle with Dr. Doom. Doom, who made Johnny into the sun, Sue his wife and turned poor Ben into a wall, as a means to finally conquer his greatest foes. I believe that Marvel was giving the Fantastic 4 their last hurrah, a farewell in the form of a cataclysmic, universe-changing, 9-issue event. In the end, Doom admitted (verbally, and very reluctantly) that Reed Richards was indeed smarter than him, and Reed fixed Doom’s disfigured face. Now Reed and Sue are off remaking the universe with their kids, Ben’s in Guardians of the Galaxy, Johnny is with the Inhumans, Doom is Iron Man and the Baxter Building is Parker Industries’ main base of operations. Seems like a queue for a ‘The End’ title card if I’ve ever seen one.

    I don’t know about you, but considering everything, to me this is just sad. The Fantastic 4 were more or less Marvel’s first comic book (Cap and Submariner aside), and they ushered in many of Marvel’s greatest characters and stories: Black Panther, Inhumans, Galactus, Silver Surfer, Skrulls, and more! Spider-Man, Marvel’s most popular hero, had the FF on the front cover of his first issue (Not Amazing Fantasy #15, but the actual Amazing Spider-Man #1)! The Fantastic 4 have a long, rich comic book history, and now it’s as if none of it ever existed.

    Now, you all know as well as I do that 20th Century Fox has the rights to produce Fantastic 4 movies, not Marvel Studios. You all also know as well as I do that this is the most probable reason that the FF are getting the shaft. Just to be clear, I’m not here to point fingers or name names. It makes sense that Marvel is focusing all of the toys and games and theme park rides on the Avengers and other MCU heroes raking in millions of dollars for the company in merchandising. That’s not a problem. What is a problem is the fact that if Marvel were a search engine, and you typed in ‘Fantastic 4’, it would bring up a screen saying ‘No results found’ and ‘Did you mean The Avengers?’

    Let’s go over an example from the game I got the video from, Marvel Heroes (great game by the way). I’ve been playing since the beta in 2013, so it’s pretty easy for me to recognize when they make changes to the game. Luckily, this game was launched before the cleansing of the FF began, so they all made it into the game as playable characters. But as time goes on, I can see the where they have made active efforts to remove the Fantastic 4. For instance, later in the game you get to the Helicarrier, where Nick Fury discovers that Doctor Doom is behind everything, and he tells you to go talk to Sue Storm about Latveria. Once you do, she gives you a nice little history lesson on the Fantastic 4 and their run ins with Doom in the past. Now when you approach Nick Fury at this point in the game, he tells you to go talk to Silver Sable. And she give you no relevant information on Latveria. And where Reed Richards stood ready to craft materials for you is now Hank Pym. And I have now recently discovered that, unless you previously owned them, the Fantastic 4 are no longer able to acquire as playable characters. Like, what? Why would they go and do that? That’s not leaving the FF out, that is full on removing and replacing them.

    Look as hard as you wish, you won’t find the Fantastic 4 anywhere. Their comic book is cancelled, so unless it’s in the pages of another hero’s book, they won’t be found in the comics. Where are they in games like Future Fight and Contest of Champions? Absent, and I’ll bet a million to one they don’t show up in Lego Marvel 2 or MvC Infinite either. The Marvel animation? I saw the Thing in one episode each of Avengers Assemble and Ultimate Spider-Man, and all four of them in the opening sequence of one episode of Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. Mind you, this is out of 4 seasons of Spider-Man, 3 seasons of Avengers, 2 seasons of Hulk, and 2 seasons of Guardians of the Galaxy. Early on in these shows, auxiliary FF characters such as Dr. Doom and Galactus would show up a little more often, but definitely not anymore. How about toys? Not one iota. Now recently enough, Hasbro’s Marvel Legends line just put out a Sue Storm figure with H.E.R.B.I.E included and rumors of a Human Torch on the way. And on the topic of progress,  there is a Thing and Human Torch comic coming up with Marvel Legacy, which I think is great, but is it a sign of tides turning? While I always remain hopeful, it’s hard to be optimistic.

    But through all this, there’s one thing that’s got me confused: The X-Men are making a comeback. They’ve got about 50 new comic series on the shelves, Marvel Legends left and right (found 90’s Cyclops at Comic Con, he’s the best!), and they just showed up in Future Fight while they’ve been in Contest of Champions and Marvel Heroes from the start. And while absent from animation, they’ve got Legion and The Gifted on the live action side of television. Not long ago, the X-Men were in the same sinking ship as the Fantastic 4, but I guess Bobby froze the water and they ice skated to safety. What’s the difference? Why do the X-Men get to come back but the Fantastic 4 are still lost in the Negative Zone of Marvel marketing?

    I realize not many people liked the first two Fantastic 4 movies (I did, but hey, that’s me). I also realize that pretty much no one liked the reboot (I didn’t either, but hey, that’s me… and everyone else). I would like to think I speak for all of us when I say we want them in the MCU. (Wanna hear my premise for an MCU Fantastic 4 movie? No? Okay…) But with 20th Century Fox somehow still thinking they can revive a franchise that they’ve dug a grave for and buried, then dug up and buried again, there’s little chance of that happening. I know they’re a movie studio, and they want to make money, but it just upsets me that no one over there cares about what they’re doing to these characters. The Fantastic 4, heroes that Marvel in days of old would display loud and proud on the front cover of every comic, now pushed into the dark recesses of the Marvel Universe.

    Listen guys, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. The Fantastic 4 are gone. For good? Who knows. But for now, most definitely. I can’t help but look up at that video, and flip through the old comics, and wonder why Marvel’s first family, the Fantastic 4, met such an unceremonious end. Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Thing, and the Human Torch, four real heroes that have been cast out and forgotten. I don’t want to accept it, and I’m sure you guys are holding out hope as well. But for now, and for the foreseeable future, it’s flame off for the Fantastic 4. So let us bid them farewell, and hope with all of our hearts that, one day, they make a safe journey home.

  • Marvel Heroes Omega

    WARNING: This post contains ‘gamer lingo’, words like XP and gear and beta. If you are not fluent, you may get a little lost. Don’t worry, I’ll try and keep it simple.

    So, I played Marvel Heroes Omega today. Actually, I started playing Marvel Heroes back in 2013 in the PC beta, but yesterday was the official console launch. They’ve been in beta on consoles for about a month (which I also played), but now that they’ve fully launched, I’m going to assume that this is the most perfect version of the game they were after for this date. So, with that in mind, I’m going to talk about it!

    So I played around with Spider-Man, who I bought the character pack for in the beta. He’s my favorite hero and, after 4 years of playing him in the PC version, I have a pretty good idea of what he can do. I was playing on PS4 with my brother playing as Black Widow. He’s a DC fan, and literally doesn’t like any Marvel hero except for Widow, so that’s fine. I am a big fan of the couch co-op they added, which for obvious reasons couldn’t be done on PC. It’s like when we played Ultimate Alliance back in the day, and it’s way more fun to run around these levels with a friend than it is doing it by your lonesome. We played through the Hell’s Kitchen level, where you’ve got to fight Venom, Electro, Shocker, and Doc Ock, in an attempt to secure the Tablet of Life and Time.

    I’ve been through this mission quite a few times, having been on the game for so long. But I must say, they’ve definitely changed the level up. It’s a bit more streamlined for consoles. For instance, Electro would show up at random times and places in the PC version, and you and a group of other players would have to box him in and beat him. Now, he’s got his own little power plant, and his goons! They also changed the Venom fight, not drastically, but, well, Alistair Smythe used to be in the level and now he’s not… The Shocker and Doc Ock fights are basically the same.

    I like the gameplay and controls. You can assign which attacks you want to which slots, which makes it nice and easy. I like playing consoles better than PC, I grew up on PlayStation, and a good Duelshock feels right in my hands. In the PC the moves were attached to A, S, D, F, G and H on the keyboard. But using the good old X, square, circle and triangle just feels so much better, and you can access a secondary set of moves by holding L2.

    Like the PC version, this one has gear. I feel like the inventory is a lot smaller, which is burdensome when you try to pick up a mask or web shooters and Spider-Man complains “I only have two arms here… usually!” But I overcame inventory in the PC, so I think I can do it here. The system is also simplified, with big green arrows on each piece of gear telling you “Oh, this will make you stronger!” and big red ones saying “Nah fam, trade this in for crafter XP.”

    Speaking of XP, more powers unlock as you get higher in level, which would be a problem for my brother, because Black Widow caps at level 10 unless I fully unlock her which would allow her to go to 60. Luckily we finished the level as he hit level 9. But it’s a little jarring, since My Spider-Man on the PC is not only level 60, but has prestige as well, so not having access to all his powers makes me a little impatient. I had to hit level 10 just to web swing!

    Now, there are some things I take issue with. For instance, everything is so much more expensive! Like, leaps and bounds. Things you didn’t have to buy, with real or in-game currency, in the PC version are being sold here! Also, the character selection is drastically decreased, as are the costumes, and the sidekicks are absent. But I feel all that will come in time, so I’ll be patient. Except for the Fantastic Four, who have been removed from both versions of the game, but that’s a post for another day. Now this next issue made me very upset. I saw a Spider-Man loot box, with a chance at the Spider-Man Homecoming costume, the hooded version, Spider-Gwen, Amazing Spider-Man, or Iron Man’s Mark 47. Each cost 250 G’s (currency that can only be acquired with real money). I had 500 from the Spider-Man character pack I bought, so I said hey, why not, any of those costumes would be sweet, and I get two chances! What the loot box failed to mention, however, was that I also had a chance to get NO COSTUME AT ALL! Which was the case with both boxes I opened, so now I have zero G’s, no new Spider-Man costumes, and a bunch of useless junk I’m probably going to trade or dismantle later. Stupid me, I guess. Costumes in the PC version have always been for sale, which is why I like Marvel Heroes. No BS ‘chance’ crap like in pretty much every Marvel mobile game, you get what you pay for. But I actually discovered that this is the only way to get the Homecoming stuff, even in the PC version, a chance draw through Fortune Cards, which makes me very sad after how long I’ve been supporting this game.

    So, never buying loot boxes again. But other than that, all I’ve ever wanted, since I played the PC beta back in 2013, was for Marvel Heroes to come to PlayStation, and now I finally have that. It’s a great start, and there is room for improvement, but so far, I think that newcomers will be able to jump right in and have a good time. PC players can stick with that, heck, I have more characters and costumes in the PC version, so I’ll still play that too. But playing on the PS4, well, that’s just a dream, that’s finally come true.

  • First Inhumans Trailer!

    Watch the trailer below!

    Marvel has dropped the first trailer for Inhumans, and I’ve got to say, I am very pleased. This looks like an Inhuman comic coming to life. A Maximus coup, teleporting Lockjaw, and the costumes are so comic accurate and colorful! Oh, and Attilan is on the moon! And this is a TV show! Granted, the first two episodes are going to be in IMAX theaters, but that just makes me even more excited. What are you guys thinking? Comment below, let’s start a conversation.

  • Marvel’s Spider-Man: All-New Animated Show

    So Spidey’s been put through the wringer quite a few times on TV. Everyone has their favorites, people tend to lean towards either Spectacular Spider-Man or the 90’s series (it’s 90’s for me, but Spectacular is a close second!). Then there’s Ultimate Spider-Man. Now, Ultimate Spider-Man definitely has its episodes. The season 1 finale pitting Spider-Man against the Green Goblin, the Spider-Verse and the Return to the Spider-Verse, responsible for animated debuts of Miles and Spider-Gwen respectively. And for some reason, I really like the Iron Spider episode (real early season 1). But for the most part, I admit Ultimate was inferior to previous incarnations. And you all know why, so I won’t get into all that.

    But Ultimate Spider-Man is gone, thankfully with an actual (and full circle) ending, which is more than most cartoons get these days (*cough* Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Tron, Thundercats, Young Ju- oh wait… never mind). Now they’ve got this new show, simply called Marvel’s Spider-Man, conveniently coming out around the same time as Homecoming. Now, I have to say, I like what I see so far. Here’s the clip:

    So apparently this is the first of six shorts telling Peter’s origin, similar to what they did with Secret Wars earlier this month. They name dropped a ton, so let’s dig in.

    • Harry, science nerd. Kind of defeats the purpose of his friendship with Peter because Peter always helped him with science, but I guess this new direction they’re taking has them connecting on a nerdy level, so I’m fine.

    • Smythe is a student, and his dad is a teacher at Midtown! Now, we all know Alistair went rogue because his dad died dishonored and with no respect on his name, which I think might be a little dark for the show, but maybe they’ll go the 90’s route and put him in a coma, forcing Alistair into some Spider-Slayer action!

    • Liz Allen. Hm. She had quite the role in Spectacular and even played a good supporting part in the 90’s series, but it looks as if they’re using her as the main girl here. You know, because of Homecoming. I’m not gonna make any assumptions, but I really miss the days of Spider-Man and Mary Jane (Dang Mephisto… dang One More Day… gosh dang Brand New Day!!!). Also the neck tie reminds me of Pepper from Iron Man: Armored Adventures, but that may or may not be related to the fact that I’ve started re-watching that show from the beginning…

    Now, I like the animation just fine, some people were complaining about it in the Scorpion clip (Found Here!) but I think it’s fine. Peter is nerdy, which is good. And the tone of the show seems perfect. I’m gonna wait on the other five parts to come out, but I’m already excited. I’m a little upset that we still don’t have a release date, but let’s hope it’s soon!

    So what are you guys thinking? Comment below, let’s talk! New Spider-Man show, yay or nay? Let me know!