NYCC Day 2! Marvel Video Games! DCU! Green Lantern Animated Series!

Hey there Geekscapists! Jim Pellegrinelli with some more NYCC panel coverage for you.  Here are some panels I was able to check out this Saturday:

Marvel’s Video Game Panel

They told us from the start, there would be a lot to cover in this panel, and man, they weren’t kidding. It’s funny, of the two big companies, Marvel is the one that always seems to have the upper hand with video game development (Arkham Asylum being the one notable exception) and the size and scope of this panel continued that trend.

First up, Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions. While the game itself is already out, the news from the panel was DLC, specifically, four cosmic Spider-Men for each of the four dimensions. The cosmic costumes will be available very soon, possibly within the month-no price given for the DLC as of yet.

Next up was Marvel Super Hero Squad: Infinity Gauntlet. The new game is coming to 360, PS3, and the Wii, you control multiple heroes at once (at the demo booth you could play with two). Usual suspects like Spider-Man, Hulk, Wolverine and Iron Man will be there, along with non-gaming regulars like Black Widow, Nova, She-Hulk and Falcon (according to the screenshots). Which further tarnishes my own opinion of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, whose character roster seems to consist mainly of X-Men, even when the Civil War storyline doesn’t call for it. What I would have given for this kind of roster selection in that game!

The story loosely follows the original Infinity Gauntlet story (this is a kids’ game after all) with a broad sense of humor (Hulk farts – this is Marvel Super Hero Squad after all). There looks to be plenty of content – playing through the storyline unlocks various challenge modes, including hack attack, and racing. Voice casting was also mentioned, and includes such notables as Mark Hamill (as the Red Skull) and George Takei (as Galactus!).

Following on the heels was another Super Hero Squad game, Marvel Super Hero Squad Online, their new MMOPG. This game seems capable of an even greater roster variety for players. According to the developers, eventually, almost any and every Marvel character would be playable.

At this point I couldn’t help myself, and shouted out ‘Howard the Duck!’

Which, to my pleasant surprise, was a notion they didn’t summarily dismiss. In fact, they affirmed that Howard, and even the notorious Squirrel Girl could eventually become a part of the action. As to whether or not they actually will, I suppose we have to wait and see. The game comes to Mac and PC in the first quarter of 2011.

After that came what was probably one of the bigger games of the show – Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Writer Frank Tieri talked briefly about the storyline (Doom and Wesker team up, hilarity and some greater threat ensue) and we got some more exciting news. The previous day’s Marvel vs. Capcom panel had unveiled two new Capcom characters, Sir Arthur (Ghouls & Ghosts) and Spencer (Bionic Commando). Today we got the two new Marvel characters (who had already been leaked on various sites – DAMN YOU INTERNET!). The loudest cheers went up for M.O.D.O.K. Seriously, how can you NOT love a game where you get to play as M.O.D.O.K.? And how could I resist showing you the video?



They showed the Magneto trailer next. Most of his moves we’ve been seeing since Marvel Super Heroes circa 1995, but his new specials do look pretty awesome, and seeing a classic character get updated with modern quality graphics is pretty nice. Given the fan response to this game at the convention (the line to play was ten deep and they had seven stations), Capcom will be raking in the cash upon release this spring.

Next were two games from Sega. First up: Thor, God of Thunder. We saw a short teaser trailer for the game (which showed almost nothing) then the game’s producer gave us a brief tease of the storyline, which seems pretty typical Thor. Loki causes trouble, Thor has to journey to the different worlds outside of Asgard, where he’ll fight Ymir, Surtur, and Ulik, before facing a final boss. Game will be released in time for the film, but the storyline is totally independent (I scratched my chin dubiously at that one). The full public unveiling of the game won’t take place until December, release date looks to be timed to coincide with the film. I’ll have a little more on this game in an upcoming article.

After that, the audience got a look at Captain America: Super Soldier. Writer Christos Gage talked about the storyline, which is set in World War II, and leads up with Cap investigating a Hydra force that possess advanced technology. The game is separate from the movie in terms of storyline, but releases in July to coincide with the film (hmmm, I’m sensing a pattern here…). We’ll see era-appropriate villains along the likes of Red Skull, Baron Strucker, Arnim Zola, Madame Hydra, and Iron Cross. The gameplay looks fairly similar to Arkham Asylum in terms of the combat mechanics, but Cap’s fighting style, thankfully, is different – much more acrobatic, and with defensive and long-range combat options via the shield. I’ll share more of my thoughts on this one in the aforementioned upcoming article.

Then came the X-Men Destiny trailer. No reveals, no hints, no NOTHING. Um, thanks for replaying a trailer everyone in the room has probably already seen. Can I have this five minutes from this panel back?

But then Xmas came early (see what I did there?), and our present: Capcom’s X-Men arcade game is coming to Xbox Live and PS3 as DLC! On-line multiplayer and all! Halleh-frakkin’-lujah! No price tag, no exact release date, but coming soon! SOON!!!

DC Universe Panel

I got to this panel a little late (after they had gone over some Wonder Woman details), but here are highlights for you:

Good response to a slide showing a $3.99 price with a line through it. One fan joked ‘So it’s $4.99?’ Yes, a number of DC books are holding prices at $2.99, though with only a 20 page count instead of a standard 22.  My ambivalence remains steady.

Batman and Robin will continue with Dick Grayson as Batman after Grant Morrison’s departure.

Birds of Prey’s next storyline will be the Death of Oracle. We got a cover image of Batman standing at her tombstone, complete with epitaph, ‘She Saw Into Our Souls.’ Writer Gail Simone promised wide-reaching consequences from this storyline, which, given how much DC’s heroes rely on Oracle, seems fitting. After that, we’ll FINALLY get that Catman/Huntress date, then a team-up with the Gotham City Sirens.

Paul Levitz talked about, how, in line with traditions of old, the DC readership would get to pick the new leader of the Legion of Superheroes in an upcoming storyline. Look for a URL and details on how to vote in issue #6. My vote’s for Polar Boy. Later on he revealed we’d be learning who would become the appointed 30th century Green Lantern of sector 2814.

Supergirl #60 will see a new creative team, new storyline, and a new villain, who ties into Geoff Johns’ Adventure Comics run.

We got a glance at the cover to Green Arrow #7; the Into the Woods storyline will wrap, and GA will be getting a new (and major) rogue in the upcoming storyline, Who Is the Black Arrow?

James Robinson talked about the JLA, showing a teaser image of Batman and a Dark Supergirl. Issue #50 will bring us the Crime Syndicate, along with a new villain. After that will be a new storyline called Shadow War, which kicks off with Eclipso murdering the Spectre (um…isn’t he technically dead already?). Look for a resurgence with Obsidian, Robinson is going to challenge the character and take him to new heroic heights.

Robinson went on to talk about a 12-issue Shade series, with three different artists handling the story, each tailored to handle specific sections of the plot. He let slip that he’s working on a Hawkman project, then backpedaled and mentioned his upcoming Congorilla one-shot.

Tony Bedard talked about his books, R.E.B.E.L.S., and Green Lantern Corps. The GLC will turn up in R.E.B.E.L.S., where he’ll also spend some time developing some character relationships/romances. The next GLC storyline will deal with the Weaponer who made Sinestro’s first ring. The Weaponer apparently thought that his life would turn out great after that, but it turned out to be the biggest mistake he ever made, and he’s out for payback.

Discussion shifted to Stracynski’s new Superman Earth-1 book, which takes place when a 21-year old Superman comes to Metropolis and has a ‘Gethsemone’ moment where he realizes how much he could have for himself if he uses his powers for personal success. The book will also explore the idea that Krypton’s destruction may not have been an accident, and it will feature a re-vamped Jimmy Olsen, who’s a bit batshit, taking crazy risks for his pictures.

After that came a discussion of the new Weird Worlds book, which will have three features: Aaron Lopresti’s Garbageman, Lobo, and a new cosmic character, Tonga (which is Spanish for thong), who combines ‘the power of the Silver Surfer with the personality of Sarah Silverman.’

Teen Titans was up next. With the addition of Damian Wayne/Robin creating some friction, a new storyline will kick off with issue #100, and we’ll soon see a new female Titan.

Gail Simone managed to work in some discussion of Secret Six (who apparently weren’t part of the planned topics-WTF?!?!?). In the current storyline, not everyone will come back from Skartaris. After that, there will be a crossover with Paul Cornell’s Action Comics, then a crossover with another DC team. I did get selected to ask an audience question, and I asked Simone if we would see the demented Six villain Junior again? She said nothing was planned for him yet, but that the ‘Get Out of Hell Free’ card from that story would in fact be used by someone, and it would NOT go well.

Green Lantern – the Animated Series

I ended up camping through another panel in order to guarantee myself a seat in this next panel, which for some unknowable reason the convention decided to stage in a VERY small room, given the high level of fan interest. This was our first real official word on this upcoming series, which was only recently announced. Anticipation was high, and rightfully so – Marvel may have the edge in games, but in animation, DC consistently turns out better product. Geoff Johns moderated, and from the show we saw Producers Jim Krieg, Giancarlo Volpe, and Executive Producer Bruce Timm. Since Jim and Giancarlo were relative unknowns compared to Timm, we got a brief bio on each: Volpe worked on King of the Hill, Last Airbender (the series, not the movie, relax!), and Krieg worked on Fox’s Spider-Man and X-Men series, and on Batman Brave and the Bold.

So here’s the skinny: Green Lantern will be a science fiction series, and most of the action will take place in space. It seems that on the frontier of Green Lantern territory, there’s trouble a-brewin’. Green Lanterns are getting killed, and the Red Lanterns are responsible, as their territory intersects. The Red Lanterns will be the major villains of Season 1 (though there will be others). Sinestro (and his corps) WON’T be appearing, and in fact it feels (given the discussion) that he won’t even be mentioned as he’s such a major part of next summer’s movie.

Given how prevalent GL has been lately and will be in coming months, the show is NOT doing an origin story to launch. Hal Jordan will (in typical fashion) launch himself into the thick of the trouble with the Red Lanterns. He’ll have a buddy-cop type of relationship with Kilowog (who is ‘the Murtaugh to his Riggs’), and a contentious one with the Guardians.

Concept art came next, and we saw designs and models for Hal, Kilowog, Salaak, Carol Ferris (who’ll pretty much be the only other major Earth-based character), Aya (a new GL created for the show) the Guardians (including Ganthet and Sayd) and Red Lantern villains Atrocitus and Zilius Zox. We also saw the vehicle design for the GL Interceptor; it was explained that it gets GLs around space faster than the rings can and conserves energy, in addition to being a regular set they can use, and undoubtedly another merchandising opportunity. Also, as a pilot, how could Hal NOT want to fly around what’s supposed to be the universe’s fastest jet?

We got about 20 seconds of test footage (voiced by Bruce Timm, so no hints as to cast yet), which, while darker than the show will look finally, did provide a good indication of the general animation quality. Said footage consisted of Hal and Kilowog taking on a group of Manhunter robots (so consider that another bonus character reveal).

With regard to plots, unrevealed characters, and other specifics, the main answer we got to audience questions was ‘Tune in and see.’ While no announcement was given as to casting, voice recording has been done for five episodes so far. Total number of episodes for the first season is 26, and they’re aiming for a prime-time slot. The stories will largely be stand-alones, but with an overall season arc. They are being held to network standards and practices, so while there will be death (and they were kind of coy if the Red Lanterns would vomit blood, it sounds more like they’ll make ring constructs and maybe breathe fire) nothing will be too graphic. Don’t hold out hope of seeing any other Lantern Corps besides Green and Red the first season, but after that, maybe. The one last major plot hint? While the show is space based, we will be seeing a fair amount of Carol Ferris…so the possibility of at least seeing her as Star Sapphire seems pretty possible. It’s still kind of early to know just what kind of show this will be, but so far, I’m cautiously optimistic.

Green Lantern – Emerald Empire Panel

This panel was kind of underwhelming to me. Most of the news and topics of discussion weren’t anything terribly new. For what is clearly going to be their most significant intellectual property in terms of market presence, this panel didn’t trot out anything that exclusive or unfamiliar. Most of the panel time was devoted to audience Q & A, which given the scope of most audience questions, kills a lot of momentum. Overall a disappointment. Some quick highlights:

Tony Bedard repeated his earlier talk about the Weaponer storyline in GL Corps, with the addition that it will feature a Sinestro/Kyle Rayner fight taking place during the Greenwich Village Halloween parade.

We’ll see more of Saint Walker in the Entity search over in the main GL book, and we’ll see what the Indigo Tribe is up to with Black Hand.

The pact between Atrocitus, Ganthet and Guy Gardner will be revealed in time for this spring’s Lantern crossover. It’s going to cause a lot of friction, and there will be a brawl between Hal and Guy in the crossover’s first issue.

The Flash will appear in the next issue of GL, to give Hal a quick ‘WTF?’ reaction to learning that Hal is working with Sinestro.

More mention of the Larfleeze Xmas special, another mention of the Dex-Starr Valentine’s Day special (guess that IS a real thing – cool), there will be a follow-up to the Dex-Starr back-up story from earlier this year, and a book focusing on one of the other corps (but no mention of which corps).

Talking about John Stewart, Tony Bedard said that a lot of discussion revolves around John needing to get laid. Bedard gave the convention the Freudian slip of the day: ‘I like that character. He seems very untapped.’

There was an audience member in a really great Larfleeze costume, complete with mask. His question to Geoff Johns was what was his most prized possession? Johns answered his comic with Larfleeze’s first appearance, which seemed to gratify Larfleeze. He tried to walk off with the microphone stand after getting his answer.

That’s all for now. Back soon with coverage on all the great video games I saw (and PLAYED!).