Following the huge success of the Games with Gold promotion Microsoft has had for XBOX Live Gold subscribers, they have announced to continue the plan indefinitely.This follows several free months of games, both AAA titles and Live Arcade games that have been accumulating on my console. I look forward to this, as I don’t plan on getting rid of my XBOX 360 any time soon and will not be purchasing an Xbox One in the near future either. I’ve learned to let launch issues work themselves out early on, plus the launch titles don’t look too appealing. You can only play Swap Force so many times before you realize its the same game, even if its on a new system. It is worth noting that Xbox One is not mentioned to be involved in this promotion, in case you were wondering.
Microsoft is has said that “At E3 2013, we launched Games with Gold as a limited-time program to thank our Xbox Live Gold members,” reads a new post on the News Wire. “Within that short period of time, we’ve seen an overwhelming response, with more than 120 million hours played with Games with Gold titles. Today, as a part of the Week of Xbox Live, we’re excited to announce that we are making Games with Gold an ongoing benefit for Xbox Live Gold members on Xbox 360.
“Whether they are blockbuster AAA or popular arcade titles, Games with Gold continues to offer a diverse mix of games with two free Xbox 360 titles a month – yours to keep and at no additional cost,” it continues. “According to recent surveys, 97 percent of participating members have given their stamp of approval for Games with Gold, and we’re excited to continue bringing you great games every month as part of our ongoing commitment to providing great value on Xbox 360.”
In case you haven’t seen, Halo 3 is the free game until October 31 <- you can get it from Xbox.com or through your Xbox dashboard. If you’ve not played it, then I recommend you pick it up while its free and finish the Master Chiefs (first) trilogy.
Hot damn, now is the time to start avoiding the internet if you don’t want to ruin Thor: The Dark World. Marvel has unveiled over 30 images from the film and they really give us the impression that this is a fantastical world and that we’ll be seeing a side of the Marvel Universe not touched upon yet, the mystical. I’d like to point out we get some good looks at the dark elves, Malekith, and Kurse in this set as well. Get your fix before the film hits IMAX 3D later this month and remember to avoid any and all popular websites (except this one, of course) if you want to remain spoiler free.
Also, we have word that there will be two credits sequences, one during and one after for The Dark World. So as usual, please stay until the movie is completely over.
This week we got a double dose of Infinity tie-ins with Avengers and New Avengers titles. On top of that, Hunger concluded to mixed results, we have issue 4 and the series rating below.
Avengers 21
“Emancipation” is probably an over exaggeration for the title of Avengers 21. It picks up immediately after Infinity 4’s awesome conclusion and shows us the next strategy that Captain America and the Galactic Council have planned out. What I find most disheartening about the recent Avengers books is that there are only a few Avengers being seen, mostly Captain America and Captain Marvel, as they work with Gladiator, the Kree, and Skrulls to fight the builders and their Aleph army. Despite this lack of super hero focus, this issue gave us some visually amazing and “fuck yeah!” moments in the book.
The first comes with the Accuser Corps as they feel insulted by the Supreme Intelligence. Ronan and his hammer are just as wicked cool as Thor and his hammer in the previous Infinity issue. It gets me that much more excited to see Lee Pace as him in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy. There also seems to be the return of the spaceknights, a welcome throwback, and what appear to be creatures that look like Yondu, who will be played by Michael Rooker in the Guardians film as well.
This is also the issue where last resort measures are taken and Annihilus is allowed to unleash his Annihilation Wave into the universe from the Negative zone. Imagine a swarm of hive minded insects let loose to eat and destroy and consume. This may sound familiar to another entity which will be covered in a later review, Ultimate Gah Lak Tus. A swarm of insect like creatures who’s intent is pure elimination.
The real purpose of this book is to show that the Ex Nihili and Abyss are working to bring Captain Universe back to life in what is referred to as a ‘miracle.’ It is at this point in which Captain Universe gets to shine as an Avenger, rather than just a metaphor speaking guide for lost souls. It is here, the seeds of why the Builders are really advancing are sown. That a glimpse is seen as a final, damaged Builder retreats to another universe and leaves all the remaining Alephs to self destruct, destroying as much as possible.
Avengers 21 isn’t a huge issue in comparison to what has recently come before it, but it sows the seeds for what is to come. I made the mistake of reading New Avengers 11 first and while it wasn’t out of order, this sheds light on that issue which makes Hickman’s goal and end point very clear. Avengers 21 sets the stage for Infinity’s climax and conclusion.
Rating: 8/10
New Avengers 11
New Avengers from the beginning has been a series that continually surprises and amazes me with what you can do with the most powerful people in the Marvel world. It never ceases to be dark and serious, but also surprising and fun. This issue proves to be no exception.
Picking up at the fall of Attilan around the end of Infinity 3, we see our first and last glimpse at Maximus the Max and Lockjaw. They seem to have a plan that isn’t touched upon again in this issue, but I assume it will be seem sooner than later. Immediately after, we find our Illuminati at an incursion point, a constant for the series. Here, a ‘herald’ from the other world descends and we get our first shock of the book, an Aleph. This totally caught me off guard and makes me wonder why this anti-Universe has an them as well as ours.
Without delving into details, they go with the Aleph to meet his masters, which Namor declares that “in [their] seemingly unending string of bad choices, this has the potential to be the worst.” I agree as their motives for going with the Aleph are unclear, but we meet…Builders! And some funky, different looking Ex Nihili that make me respect the gold and black omega symbol that much more. It is one of these Ex Nihilo that discover the Ebony Maw’s creature within Doctor Strange, a whisperer.
From here, shit gets real. We discover the builders used the Superflow to travel between universes, but it has collapsed (due to a white event). These builders also know that the Avengers have defeated the other builders from Avengers 21, due to the failed/dying builder from the end of that book escaping. It is here that we learn why the builders are headed to Earth, they are attempting to destroy ALL of them in every Universe. Much like the Illuminati have been doing at each incursion, except the builder tasks them with destroying their own.
So now we have why the builders have been tearing through space for all this time and why their path was directly at Earth. They are trying to destroy every existence of Earth to prevent the superflow from collapsing and killing everything. Jonathan Hickman blew my mind, since he’s been sowing these seeds since Avengers 1 and New Avengers 1.
If that was the book, I’d be content, but somehow they managed to through in Thanos’ forces attacking Wakanda and nearly defeating them, only to withdraw to Necropolis. Here, Thanos discovers the bombs the Illuminati have been making for incursions and his prisoners, Terrax and Black Swan. He ponders why they would store the ability to destroy their planet, leaving us hanging on what Thanos and crew plan on doing with these weapons.
New Avengers 11 is a book filled to the brim with information, relevance, and intrigue. We now know what the builders plan on doing and that Thanos has his sights on Wakanda. Will the Illuminati heed the words of the builders and destroy their Earth (probably not) or find a way to fix the superflow before it all collapses? I’m not sure but the next issue is post Infinity #6 and that’s way too far for me.
Rating: 9/10 – must read
Hunger 4 / Hunger Series
I was going to buy Hunger purely for the covers only. Adi Granov is by far my favorite artist and has been since I saw his designs for Iron Man, most remarkably the Extremis suit. However, as I’ve read through Hunger, I’ve found some love and hate for the series.
Joshua Hale Fialkov has done something in Hunger that I respect and even revere. He brought back relevant Ultimate Marvel characters and put them to use. Rick Jones was made the savior of all universes before Ultimatum by the Watchers (Ultimate Origins) and has been more or less off the radar ever since. Now we get to see what the Golden Boy has been up to and needless to say, he’s now fighting 616 Galactus who has merged with the Gah Lak Tus swarm. Between himself and Ultimate Versions of the Silver Surfer and Captain Mar Vehl, they need to stop the creature that has but one desire, consume.
A fun fact is that this is the second book this week to feature Hala, home of the Kree and Ronan as a main character. I feel this is to introduce people to the character before the Guardians of the Galaxy hits theaters but it is welcome to see the Accuser get some face time.
With the (almost dramatic) death of Mar Vehl in Hunger 3, we see Rick Jones has merged with his armor and has a Gah Lak Tus killer built into it. He has accepted his duty as savior of the universe and attempts to save the Kree people only to be caught by Galactus. One of the weaker points in this issue alone is the fact that dialogue gets super repetitive. “No” this and “No more die” that. We get it, you’re super heroes and fight for good, now put those words to actions.
Finally we get to the self sacrifice portion of the book and find out that Rick Jones has pulled the trigger, effectively destroying Galactus and the swarm. The Kree survive and Silver Surfer thinks all is well, but we find out that it is not. The Gah Lak Tus swarm is destroyed but Galactus (see, this is super confusing) is only weakened and headed for Earth. Rick Jones and the Watcher are outside of any known universes and a journey is in store (more books?), not before the Watcher is seen being consumed and adapted by the Gah Lak Tus remnants!
The issue I have with Hunger is not that the story is weak, but that it serves as a prequel to Cataclysm. It has no definitive ending, except Captain Mar Vehl is dead and the Kree live on, only to be murdered by Fialkov when he destroys the Ultimate Universe later. If Bendis is writing the main series, it’ll be a slow, drawn out death that may even get us through the next year. If you’ve been an Ultimate Comics fan since before the Loeb-otomy/Ultimatum (or a fan of Adi Granov’s cover work), then you should pick up this series, otherwise you’re better off reading a recap online.
The biggest talk in Marvel comics right now may be Infinity, soon to be followed by Inhumanity, but where my mind tends to wander is the Ultimate Universe line. As I’ve said before, I cut my teeth on comics with the Ultimate series and it gave me a reason to stay into comics as a whole. From ultimate Spider-Man, the Ultimates, and Ultimate Origins, I’ve read every issue ever released and currently find myself at the precipice of losing it all.
A few weeks back I read an article on CBR with Joshua Hale Fialkov, current writer of Ultimate Comics Ultimates and soon to be Ultimate X-Men for Cataclysm, in which he stated that if the Ultimate Universe were to end, he would “be out of a job.” I took this as a sign from above that they were only teasing the end of the UU and it would in fact be another relaunch, much like after the end of the much loathed Ultimatum and to a lesser extent the post Death of Spider-Man titles. After it was all said and done, the status quo would be changed and another rebuilding would occur, leading us into another strong future of the Ultimate line.
This worked out great with post Death of Spider-Man as Jonathan Hickman reinvented the Ultimates and gave us a truly terrible villain in Reed Richards. To say it best, he took the series places we couldn’t even predict. Brian Michael Bendis gave us Miles Morales in place of Peter Parker. He is younger and of mixed races, breaking the mold on what everyone’s notion of what Spider-Man is. Despite initial hesitation, and BMB’s super slow story pace, it is growing into a series that could flourish on its own for years. Brian Wood’s Ultimate X-Men has been compared to that of the Walking Dead, the surviving mutants placed in a secluded area and the ‘in-fighting’ that occurs among the mutants. All three titles cemented the once fractured Ultimate comics and if another interview with Fialkov is to be believed, those will be the metaphorical concrete boots for the series.
In yet another interview with CBR, Fialkov is asked about his reintroduction of the Ultimate Vision from the original Gah Lak Tus trilogy. A few sentences from his interview, some implicit and some not so, lead me to believe the Ultimate Universe will be ending and it will do so in the next 6 months. He refers to himself as the Housekeeper for the Ultimate characters, in which “Leading up to what is the end of an era, I want to make sure that all these dangling pieces that have been explored but then fallen off to the side — as many of them, especially the ones that I love, brought back to the foreground and really explored.” The end of an era, indeed. This signifies that even he feels that something is coming to a close and what better time to explore unresolved stories. You don’t tie up loose ends in the middle of a story, but rather at the end and it feels as if these loose threads may form the noose that stifles the life from these characters.
As he concluded the interview, one more sentence hit me hard and actually made my heart sink in my chest. “That’s why me murdering the entire Ultimate Universe, as I soon will do…” Fialkov stated. I respect his work and feel he truly gets the characters, especially how he understands the uniqueness in their ultimate versions, but this strikes a nerve as he considers it murder. I’m sure it was an over exaggeration for the interview or perhaps my personal involvement with the series, yet for him to casually state it as murder makes me place him as guilty for what is essentially a victimless crime. Life will go on, I’ll still buy comics and follow the 616 and Cinematic universes as usual, nothing will change. But it will always be his poor word choice that makes me place blame for the conclusion of something so impactful in the world of comic books.
As I prepare myself for the Cataclysm and the stages of loss that will come with losing the Ultimate Universe, I can’t help but feel we’re losing an opportunity. A stage for new, upcoming writers to step in and spin their own tales on characters that are not already established and breath fresh air into books that have decades of continuity. The so called “art” of retroactive continuity problems did not exist and we will lose that luxury in the months to come, and I think that hits me hardest. If you’re looking for any suggestions from the Ultimate Universe for reading, we’ll be posting our favorite stories from the past 14 years of issues soon so you can grab a taste before the curtain ultimately falls.
Many people were outside enjoying the fall weather, pumpkin ales, and football games this weekend, but while you were out experiencing Fall as a season, others were experiencing it as their favorite fictional characters at New York Comic Con. Not as popular as the San Diego counterpart, NYCC is still a big time for comic publishers to present their new series (Marvel has Ghost Rider and Silver Surfer series incoming) and video game publishers to show off what’s about to be released in terms of tie-in titles. In case you weren’t following it along the way, here’s a quick recap of everything this weekend that I found to be more than interesting. Pick your topic for more information on it.
Movies, TV, and Comic Books
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Per director/writer James Gunn, initial filming has wrapped on the film. This means that there will be some more revealing tweets from the director as the days go, but no more on-set pics (unless they do pickups). Don’t expect a trailer soon, but we may begin to see promotional art coming to light. My hopes are a Superbowl trailer in 2014. He put a message out on Facebook to publicly thank those involved.
“And that is an Official Wrap on Guardians of the Galaxy. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to all of you involved with this film. Everyone down the line has been one hundred percent supportive of me and the Marvel team at every turn, and although I can be harsh or hurried at times, it has not gone unnoticed or unappreciated. I feel profoundly fortunate to have been surrounded by the people on this film – because of your talent, your insight, your passion, your liveliness, and your friendship. From the cast to the producers to the costumers to the A.D.s to the stand-ins to the P.A.s to the extras to the stunties and on and on, this movie is what it is because of all of you. Thank you thank you thank you a thousand times, from the bottom of my heart. I love you all.” — James Gunn
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Evan Peters (American Horror Story) has confirmed that he WILL have silver hair in DOFP when he plays Quicksilver. We reported earlier that the scene will be filmed at 3600 frames-per-second and had intense lighting to ensure everything was exposed properly on the film. I guess the biggest surprise is that Bryan Singer is following source material for once.
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The Thor films are always going to be about family and loyalties, as those are were their conflicts exist. We get the father/son relationship struggles between Thor, Loki, and Odin, but what we’re going to get in Thor: The Dark World is a glimpse at Odin’s father, Bor. He will be played by Tony Curran (Gladiator) and is considered the person who built Asgard, including the prisons in which Loki and some marauders are kept. The closer we get to TDW, the more excited I get. I feel Alan Taylor and Marvel will have a lot of surprises in store for us and truly flesh out Asgard and the Nine Realms.
On ComicUI’s Facebook, we reported that Sony is shopping around some alternate titles for the film that truly sucked. I hope they don’t pick either of them and diminish the film’s actual meaning. That doesn’t mean we can’t get some good news and at NYCC, Sony showed off the faithful and iconic suit we’ll see Peter Park showing off in ASM2. I love the white eyes and the webbing on the suit, which mimic Ultimate Spider-Man but also feel very Raimi-series-esque. I can’t wait to get my eyes on that thing in action.
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Doctor Who has been one of my most recent fascinations. Starting with the 2010 Christmas episode, I’ve seen all the 2005-present series and a few of the older ones. This November marks the 50th anniversary of when the show first aired and for that episode, we get a bunch of eye candy all at once. First up is the second to last episode for Matt Smith as the Doctor. He’ll be leaving the series in the following Christmas episode. Secondly, David Tennant is returning for the episode as the 10th incarnation of the doctor (also Billie Piper as Rose Tyler!!!!!) and he looks every bit the part, especially having been out of the role for 4 years. Lastly, John Hurt as a previously unseen incarnation of the Doctor who had some part in ending the Time War (which kicked off the 2005 series). Lots of questions and I’m sure plenty of answers. I’m truly excited, so check out these images that will been seen in SFX Magazine.
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Star Wars: TCW was one of my favorite television shows of the past 5 years. Starting with the premiere, I caught it weekly until the show was recently ended by Disney (to make room for Rebels, which I have renewed faith). This show went dark and serious and really showed how an animated series could be thought provoking and still child accessible. If you haven’t had the chance to watch it, I encourage you. With the ending, which I feel was just and extremely well done, there were a handful of episodes left that served to lead the show directly into Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith. Including several Jedi being killed, Storm Troopers going crazy, and more dark sided goodness, including the ultimate fate of Darth Maul I hope. Dave Filioni, producer and director of the series, has said that the production on the remaining episodes has completed and in early 2014 we can watch them. Via which means, I’m not sure, but there’s a disturbance in the force that says it’ll be a digital method, with an ultimate disc based released later in the year.
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Star Wars Rebels is also due to air next year as well and we have our first look at the main villain, The Inquisitor. This show takes place 14 years after Revenge of the Sith and focuses on the Empire’s efforts to destroy the remaining Jedi in the galaxy (still?). The art style seems very VERY close to The Clone Wars, but a big more refined. There appears to be more lighting and detail in this image, as well as a kick ass new type of double bladed lightsaber. Take a peek and let me know what you think of the Inquisitor. Click for a bigger version.
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Apparently this is a thing. Neil Gaiman and artist Mark Buckingham created a superhero comic years ago and was left on a cliffhanger, specifically issue #24. So when Marvel’s Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada showed a video of Gaiman talking about MiracleMan #25, it could only mean one thing. Starting January 2014, MiracleMan will return in reprints of old material and culminating in the ending of the arc and release of issue 25. It appears several variant covers are being made for the release, including one done by Brian’s favorite, Skottie Young.
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Beenox has been making Spider-Man games for a while now and next year they’re set to release a tie-in for Amazing Spider-Man 2 on current AND next gen consoles. From this teaser, it seems the world is a bit darker, but doesn’t seem to stray too much from the original Spider-Man 2 formula: open world sandbox. With GTA released, I hope ASM 2 takes the sandbox genre to new heights and really sticks its landing. Take a look at the trailer and maybe mark your calendars for next spring?
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A week before the release of the game and they’re still unveiling characters for the upcoming TellTale title. The newest additions to the cast include: She-Hulk, Shocker, Pyro, Nightmare, Absorbing Man, Malekith, Kurse as a bigfig, Taskmaster, Power Man, Iron Fist, Havok, Polaris, Moon Knight, Aunt May, Superior Spider-Man, and two different versions of Electro. The most exciting news is Moon Knight, but the funnest part is playing as Aunt May. Apparently she has no super powers, but instead a large hand bag to smack villains with. Also announced was Day 1 DLC and it includes The Dark World characters: Malekith, Kurse, Odin, Sif, Volstagg, Hogun, Fandral, and Jane Foster.
Here’s a peek at Superior Spider-Man and how they created a LEGO poster from the original Ryan Stegman art.
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Endless runners are big in the app store right now and they come via Temple Run or side scrolling views. Apparently there has been a Marvel endless runner available in Korea for some time now and we’ll finally be getting it state side. Titled “MARVEL RUN JUMP SMASH” has players doing just that. You can play as Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow, and a few others as they run…forever. It may not be the best game out for mobile (Avengers Initiative is, but sorely needs an update) but it looks to be a time killer which can be played in your downtime. Have a look at the reveal image and gameplay below.
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There you have it, people: all the greatest news of NYCC all in one post and available here at ComicUI. Don’t forget we’re giving away a first print issue of Infinity #1 still when Facebook gets to 150 likes. Get all your friends onto ComicUI and you could have yourself some free stuff for the effort.
I guess I hadn’t realized that Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD wasn’t confirmed for an entire season, just a plethora of episodes at the beginning. Now, however, we have confirmation that ABC has faith in the Marvel show and have picked it up for a full season. As I’ve stated in my thoughts on the show, I think Agents of SHIELD has potential to be something filling and unique for the Marvel universe. Its no Smallville or Arrow or whatever TV show DC is working on, but their shows aren’t connected either. They don’t take the big pieces from the films and show what happens when the little people are affected by them.
Anyways, this season we’ll get to uncover the truth behind Coulson’s resurrection, who the Rising Tide actually is (I think someone is behind it), and if Fitz/Simmons ever fall in love. Not really on that last one. Here’s the full press release and tune into ABC next Tuesday for more of Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD.
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ABC has picked up new hit drama “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” for a full season, it was announced today by Paul Lee, president, ABC Entertainment Group.
The series opened as TV’s highest-rated drama debut in nearly 4 years (since 11/03/09) and ranks as the No. 1 new show of the 2013-14 season among Adults 18-49 (4.0 Live + Same Day rating/5.7 Live + 3 Day rating). On average, “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is No. 1 in its Tuesday 8 o’clock time period, and has more than doubled the young adult delivery in the hour year to year (+150%).
“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” stars Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson, Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May, Brett Dalton as Agent Grant Ward, Chloe Bennet as Skye, Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leo Fitz and Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons.
“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Marvel’s first television series, was co-created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen (“Dollhouse,” “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”), who also serve as executive producers along with Jeph Loeb (“Smallville,” “Lost,” “Heroes”) and Jeffrey Bell (“Angel,” “Alias”). “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is produced by ABC Studios and Marvel Television, and is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1-channel surround sound.
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A bit of news that surprised me is that IT Crowd (which just aired its VERY last episode the same week as SHIELD premiered) and Bridesmaids star Chris O’Dowd will be making an appearance as “Richard” in Thor: The Dark World. He’s the date of Jane Foster played by Natalie Portman who was chosen by Kat Denning’s returning Darcy.
Popular rumor is that he’s Donald Blake, a previous love interested of Jane Foster from Thor (2011) that made a passing reference in a name badge worn by the depowered Thor. However, we have received an updated that he is in fact just ‘Richard’ but we ponder the hiring of another high profile actor for such a small role. Check out the photos of O’Dowd as Richard in a fancy restaurant scene.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is out this month and a week later Thor: The Dark World will be hitting IMAX 3D cinemas across the nation. In keeping up with tradition (Iron Man 3 had a LEGO poster), LEGO has given its aesthetic to the last Thor: The Dark World poster and it still looks pretty sweet. You can see Two-Face Malekith the Accursed (Fun Fact: The original poster has him pre-face damage, but LEGO has the battle scarred Malekith on theirs. Design choice?), Loki, Odin, and the Warriors Three all in their LEGO forms. Don’t expect them all to make appearances in LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, but then again an entire level is in Asgard fighting the Destroyer Armor. Take a peek at the poster below and even further down for the original.
I’ll be the first to admit when news and posts are lacking on ComicUI. Especially the last week, there were no updates since the SHIELD editorial and honestly, I’d say its my fault. But then again, there hasn’t been any mind blowing news the past few days either. Comic sales are kinda slow this month since Marvel is pacing out Infinity actually and Ultimate Universe is coming to Cataclysm. Movies are pretty rare this time of year, unless you’re looking for the 18th Paranormal Activity film. Mind you, Thor: The Dark World is out at the end of the month in select IMAX 3D outlets. This is your warning to start avoiding spoilers on the internet RIGHT NOW. I’ve seen a few and they’re there, so lay low.
I guess the real reason updates are slow is that video games are coming into fruition right now. With Grand Theft Auto 5, I’ve sank a few days into the game and a few more into Online with friends. Thankfully, I didn’t suffer from any online outages or losses, so its been a rather pleasant experience. Money to buy cars and garages and houses seems to be a pain in the proverbial ass, but its still awesome.
Next up we have Skylanders Swapforce at the end of this week and the preorders are placed. If you’re looking for the best deals and places to find them, leave a message below and I’ll give you all the details you could want. Toys R Us seems to be the best place right now, with a few cool variants at Wal-mart. I have an issue with variants, which is obvious in my comic collection.
After that we have the much anticipated LEGO Marvel Super Heroes. With 155 playable characters, crazy looking vehicles, and just a sheer amount of depth, you can count on me sinking a few hours into the single player mode and some more into Free Mode. The Guardians of the Galaxy are playable and of course the infamous Agent M (Ryan Penagos), Marvel’s social media guru. I met him at C2E2 this year and almost swooned. Its a problem.
Battlefield 4 is in beta right now (open beta) which is worth a passing mention, but I don’t see myself purchasing it anytime soon. Not yet at least.
Lastly, South Park: The Stick of Truth is out this December 10 and despite the fact its a single player experience only, I could not be more excited for a video game based on current media. The gameplay looks like it is truly from the show, there are tons of references throughout that cover the show’s 17 years on television, and (the most overhyped aspect) is that Matt and Trey created a map for the town, which they’ve never done before. Since its being put out by Obsidian and Ubisoft, I expect an above average game experience that will be a cult classic.
Such a shame I don’t own a Nintendo 2/3DS either, because Pokemon X/Y are out tomorrow. I’m not sure which version I’d get, but I can tell you that I want to play them. Badly. So expect me to pick up a 2DS and give it a go eventually. Let me know if you’re playing because I want to hear your thoughts!
If you’re looking for thoughts or views on any of the above games, feel free to let us know because we’re gonna be knee deep into them until calendar end. Until then, check back as we update you with the best and brightest comic news in the industry.
Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD has now shown 2 episodes and I have to say that I’m hooked. Immediately after the pilot episode aired, I wouldn’t have been so sure, but after watching “0-8-4” this week, I know they’ve got a sure fire formula for bringing me in.
“But Chris! You’re Marvel’s #1 proponent, even in times of trouble and turbulence you’ve stood your ground and never faltered.” That’s how I imagine people would react to my lackluster impression of the Pilot, but I found that I have been out of serialized television shows for so long I didn’t know how to react. My weekly watch list consists of Aqua Teen Hunger Force (Aqua TV Show Show now), Tosh.0, Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and South Park. These shows aren’t known for keeping a narrative or portraying character growth over a season and that’s something I need to get into.
Similar to my distaste for the first season of Breaking Bad for its slow pace and lack of spectacle, SHIELD had a very slow pilot episode but was immediately followed by a stronger second helping. This is much to the fact that it focused on how this rag tag team, the Coulson Crew, needs to overcome differences and work together in order to tackle the ongoing super human dilemma in that universe. My core belief is that the Pilot and 0-8-4 are in fact the opening movie for the film and benefit from being watched together, as one episode alone was not enough to build the characters and how they need to tackle the Rising Tide (if you understand the vernacular). The first episode ended half heartedly and the second picked up almost immediately from there, however its ending was much more satisfying as whole and I can’t stress how much better I felt when it was over than the week prior.
SHIELD has captivated my imagination by not shying away from death, action, betrayal, and the most exciting part, underscoring how the bigger super heroes (and villains) from the cinematic offerings are affecting SHIELD and the everyday going-ons in the world. We get a reference to Coulson finding Thor’s hammer and it being the last 0-8-4, the recent Iron Man 3’s Extremis powering humans to meta-levels and then also causing adverse reactions, and lastly the cosmic cube powered Nazi weaponry that still exists in the world. With these factors in the background, it brings relevance to SHIELD and what the crew is up against in this show.
Mind you, my foremost concern (that will probably be quelled as the episodes go on) is that we still have some very unrelatable characters in the show right now and the biggest complaint I hear is about Skye, the non-SHIELD hacker who is added into the team in a haphazard way. She of course clashes with the one track minded Agent Ward who is the ultimate human soldier. Between him and Melinda May (great alliteration), they seem to be the Jason Bournes of the show, with one shrouded in mystery and the other with an ego that can’t fit on the plane. These are all flanked by the scientists, FitzSimmons (Fitz and Simmons, how clever). One focuses on biology and the other on technology, which has been really neat to see the quadrocopters bring forth personality in tech form, much like Iron Man’s dummy robot. Fun fact, they’re named after Snow White and the 7 Dwarves so far, so let’s see how far they take that Disney reference.
All of these distinct personalities and abilities are all shepherded by the one and only Agent Coulson. Yes, he ‘died’ in the Avengers. Yes, he apparently was in Tahiti for a while. No, not everything is as it seems. From the initial passing sentence by Maria Hill “He can never know,” to his super reflexes in the pilot, and more so the constant mentioning that he was in Tahiti, something seems up and they’re not going to reveal it to us just yet. I assume it’ll be a full season mystery to be revealed in the finale or perhaps a mid season cliff hanger to get us back next spring for the final episodes. Either way, that’s the biggest hook for me to see the show. Damn you, Joss Whedon and your sly ways.
On a side note, they have had one major cameo from the larger Marvel universe both episodes so far, but I don’t think that’s needed for the show to succeed and have fun at what it’s doing (but I’m not complaining at the small roles either, they seemed very appropriate). Seeing Maria Hill and Nick Fury give Coulson a hard time is rather humorous and the actors seem to be really relishing in their roles, something that’s gives the dire circumstances a lighter mood.
The point of this isn’t to rate the show on just two episodes, but encourage those who didn’t truly like the starting point to keep going for a few more. I found myself drawn back in to the great mixture of mystery and science that this show is throwing at us and I’m now ready to commit myself weekly for the season. If you’re ready to learn more about SHIELD and the B or C list characters from the comics, then I suggest you stick around as well.
New Avengers from the beginning has been a series that continually surprises and amazes me with what you can do with the most powerful people in the Marvel world. It never ceases to be dark and serious, but also surprising and fun. This issue proves to be no exception.
