Tag: Avengers

E3 2014: ‘Disney Infinity 2.0’ Goes Ultimate With The Announcement Of The Spider-Man Play Set!

by Josh Jackson

Whoa, Disney Infinity 2.0 hasn’t been announced for more than a month and we already have our second play set on its way!

Scheduled to launch day and date with the Marvel Super Heroes starter pack, (which comes bundled with an Avengers play set already), early buyers will also get the chance to swing through New York with Spider-Man, starring in his own adventure alongside some of his amazing friends.

Centered around a plot by The Green Goblin and Mysterio to harvest Venom’s symbiote, Venom clones are running rampant throughout the city, and it’s up to the web slinger to stop this latest attempt to take control of the city. Thankfully, he’s not the only one who has arrived to stop the threat, with Nova, Iron Fist, Nick Fury and Venom himself joining the fight, complete with their own figures to display when you’re not playing.

The Spider-Man play set will come bundled with the wall crawler and Nova, while the other three will be sold seperately, likely as individual characters and in a set. While details on pricing, bundles and future characters aren’t known yet, I’d be willing to bet that it would cost around $35 like the play sets for the previous games. Plus, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Goblin and Mysterio bundled with Avengers villain, Loki, at some point. After all, Randy, Syndrome and Davy Jones were all released for the first game, so it wouldn’t be too much of a shock.

If you wanted to know more about the upcoming play set, check out the trailer below and tell us if you’re planning on emptying your wallet for the Marvel and Disney mash up. Both Disney Infinity 2.0 and the Spider-Man play set are rumored to release on September 23rd.

http://youtu.be/clajnwqBNr4

Has Walmart Leaked The ‘Disney Infinity 2.0’ Roster?

by Josh Jackson

After Disney Infinity 2.0 was announced last month, questions were running rampant as far as what Marvel and Disney characters would make the cut. Well, thanks to Walmart, we might have the answer… only months before it was intended.

Thanks to a recent preorder listing, the figures shown on the monster retailer’s website matches many of the figures that were recently confirmed at E3, bringing some credibility to the listing. From Guardians of the Galaxy to the recently announced Big Hero 6 and a few surprises in between, it looks like we’ll have a ton of new figures to collect throughout the next year and beyond.

If you don’t want to be spoiled, stop reading here. For everyone else, below are the list of figures that might make their way onto store shelves for the next Infinity release.

-Stitch

-Donald Duck

-Tinkerbell

-Hiro and Baymax from Big Hero 6

-Drax

-Rocket Raccoon

-A Guardians of the Galaxy Play Set, including Star Lord and Gamora

This is in addition to Groot, who was already announced, rounding out the Guardians. When including the recently unveiled Merida from Brave and Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, (who’s likely in to promote the DVD release of her self titled film when it inevitably hits in a few months), the roster is getting pretty huge, which means a shrinking wallet for us!

While seeing a GotG or Big Hero Six set isn’t surprising in the slightest, seeing characters like Tinker Bell and Donald Duck are welcomed surprises, especially considering Goofy can’t be following too far behind. The game desperately needs more Disney characters, so it’s good to see that they won’t get completely overshadowed by the inclusion of Marvel into the franchise. Yet, there are still some glaring omissions, namely Ferb, who was teased back when Fineas and Agent P were shown for the original, but has yet to be revealed, and Aladdin, who is strangely absent for a game that contains Agrabah guards, the Cave of Wonders, and even Abu in the form of an elephant. I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re just scratching the surface of what 2.0 will have to offer.

So what do you think, Geekscapists? Do you like what you see so far? And who else do you want to see make the cut? Check out the latest reveal trailer and let us know what you want to see from the upcoming sequel.

Source: vinylmationkingdom.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYBb8JyjSsU

Take An Early Look At Marvel’s Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. With TONS Of Photos!

by Bigyanks

Last night I was able to attend a sneak preview of Discovery Time Square’s newest exhibit, Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. Discovery teamed up with NASA to add an educational feel to the mix and give real world explanations on how things function, like what happens to Bruce Banner’s brain when it transforms into the Hulk, or Captain America’s nervous system while defrosting.

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The event started off with some keynote speakers, including Marvel’s Senior Editor Nick Lowe and NASA’s Head of Science John M. Grunsfeld, all explaining what we’d expect to see and stressing that this was a preview event. Actually, I heard that a lot before walking into the exhibit, which is weird since the following morning was supposed to be the grand opening. When Nick Lowe mentioned thanking comic book fans, maybe 5 people cheered, and then he proceeded to get heckled by some woman up front just kinda shouting out JACK KIRBY!

First, you should know crews were still working to finish the exhibit. That meant that I wasn’t able to experience the full exhibit because most of the electronics still down and based on the “blacked out” areas a lot of carpentry was still not completed. There were some museum employees dressed as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and employees of the company behind the tech of the exhibit, but they were in regular clothes and so i couldn’t tell who to ask questions about certain stations. So in theory i can only report to you what they told me it would do, according to whatever employee i found wondering aimlessly through out the exhibit.

Once everything is up and running, the tour starts off by you getting your own personalized S.H.I.E.L.D.  badge. You can scan your picture, enter some basic info, and you use this to access the different stations at the exhibit. Which was a problem, since they gave no one any ID’s so unless there was an employee in the room to scan a temp ID, you couldn’t access any of the stations. Upon entering the exhibit you are lead 30 at a time, into a white room by some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, you’re scanned, and you receive a message from Agent Blake (Titus Welliver) asking for you help.

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You then enter the Avengers briefing room, where you are given a rundown of what’s happened in the Marvel universe up to the point of the Avengers movie. The volume was really low in this room so i couldn’t exactly hear what was said, but from here on out you just sort of free roam into the the other labs. I have the feeling that this will be a somewhat guided tour to get people to move along and not hog up the different interactive elements of the exhibit. In between the briefing room and the next room is an array of customs from the b-squad of the avengers, Phil Colson, Maria Hill, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Nick Fury.

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The second room is an SSR exhibit showcasing Captain America. In this room you are shown the biological changes Cap went through while being defrosted and you can also compare your strength and agility on various workstations.  This room also contain various movie props like the Vita-Ray chamber, Cap’s current and retro suits, and shields.

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The third room is the S.H.I.E.L.D. Bio-lab, and here you get to examine the science behind the Hulk. Since the main draws in this room were barely working, I was told that you get to stand in front of the Incredible Hulk and he mimics your movement. Some key moves that triggers some vibrations and loud noises are the Hulk’s clap and wall punch. Sounds cool. The other key thing in this room is the Tessaract machine that was on top of Stark Tower. I was told that you get to scan your hand print and it activates the machine, causing loud noises and the room to shake, but you know, it wasn’t working. The only thing working was seeing how Dr. Bruce Banner’s mind alters once he starts transforming into the Hulk.

http://youtu.be/CpeMCSmgNzI

The next area is a hallway labeled as the SECURE CONTAINMENT ROOM, this is the only area in the exhibit where nothing was down. It consisted of props of the villains including Hydra, Chitauri, Red Skull and Loki suits and weapon such as Loki’s sceptor.

By this point I was getting kind of disappointed that nothing was really working. Things started to look less and less finished by this point and pieces were “blacked out” and walled off. I only mention this because the official opening was in less than 24 hours and that didn’t seem like something feasible.

The next room was Thor’s room, and NOTHING was working here. Thor’s costume was on display, the light shinning on it was still working. There was supposed to be  holographic representation of Mjolnir, and I’m sure it would have looked cool. There are other areas to see here but there was no employee around to tell me what they were supposed to do.

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Now onto what i am sure should be the pièce de résistance, which it was not. This could be described as Tony Stark’s workshop, and like a true workshop things are roped off and not fully working. I don’t think the floor was even fully finished, since I saw multiple people tripping over part of the Arc Reactor. The only thing visible was Iron Man’s suite, but it was roped off and you had to be 20 feet away. There was some neuroscan station, but again no employee was around to explain anything to me, nor scan an ID card.

The last room, of course, is a gift shop.

Overall, I think that this will be a solid Marvel’s Avengers exhibit. It is unfortunate that nothing was properly running while i was there, but if it does what they say it will, I expect this exhibit to be packed. The layout of the place is very stunning and cool and clean just how you would expect a S.H.I.E.L.D. lab to look. I overheard an employee say that this was built in a sound stage out in Hollywood and brought over in trailers. There were signs stating this exhibit was opening the next day, but honestly nothing seemed ready and I don’t see how it could be fully functioning anytime soon. i would suggest people wait a month or two before dropping any kind of money on this. On my way out i was given a  free pass to return, so hopefully i can see it in all its working glory!

Take a look at the photos I took at the exhibit below, and let us know if you’ll be headed there yourself!

Check Out Some Gorgeous Concept Art From Marvel’s Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N.

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: An awesome new Marvel exhibit is set to open in New York on May 23rd, and we’ve got some of the first pieces of concept art!

Marvel’s Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. is a completely immersive, interactive exhibit experience that brings visitors into the world of The Avengers. Leading EdTech innovator Gamedesk created S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) based educational pathways for the exhibition, bringing to life the science behind Marvel Super Heroes and allows fans to participate in a simulated recruitment, as if they were being trained as agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Within the exhibition, visitors will map out the stars to find Asgard, learn to operate Iron Man’s suit, witness the neurological effects of Bruce Banner’s transformation into the Hulk, physically test themselves against Captain America, and receive access to some of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most highly guarded artifacts recovered after the Battle of New York such as Captain America’s Birth Pod, the Tesseract Portal Device, Loki’s Scepter, a hermetically sealed Chitauri and more.

The exhibit looks (and sounds) absolutely awesome, and we can’t wait to see video from the exhibit (since we’re not in New York to attend it ourselves). Take a look at the concept art below, and let us know if you’ll be checking it out!

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The exhibit opens on May 23rd, and you can head here to secure your tickets.

First ‘Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman’s “The Fantastic Four”‘ Trailer Debuts Online!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: We cannot wait for this to come out.

All the way back in April of 2013, we hosted a ‘Roger Corman’s Fantastic Four Reunion‘, which featured some of the film’s prominent cast and crew, as well as documentary producer Mark Sikes. The group was just about to start production on the Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman’s ‘The Fantastic Four’, and today, the first trailer for that documentary was released.

I still haven’t had an opportunity to watch Corman’s version of The Fantastic Four, but have read up on its troubled production extensively, and am very excited for the documentary to release. You can take a look at the trailer below, which features some excellent interview clips with Corman himself, as well as a multitude of cast and crew members.

Be sure to let us know what you think, and if you’re excited to see the full feature!

Back in 1994, legendary B-Movie filmmaker Roger Corman produced one of Marvel’s first movies. It was a feature film adaptation of The Fantastic Four, which at the time never saw the light of day. It has since been bootlegged and leaked, and has gained a cult following over the years. Director Marty Langford has created a documentary called DOOMED!: The Untold Story of Roger Corman’s “The Fantastic Four,”  which gives us the full behind the scenes story of the film’s troubled production and release.

Geekscape Comics: Preview ‘Avengers’ #23!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Marvel has just sent out the first preview pages for next month’s release of Avengers #23 by Jonathan Hickman and Leinil Yu. Take a look at the full press release below, and bask in that beautiful artwork!

Are you reading Avengers currently? What are your thoughts on the series?

This November, the Marvel Universe stands on the brink of destruction – and today, Marvel is proud to unveil your first look at Avengers #23 – a tie in to Infinity! From the blockbuster creative team of Jonathan Hickman and Leinil Yu – the tide is turning as the Avengers make their final stand against the Builders. But as the fight makes its way back to Earth – our heroes are met only with more destruction and ruin! Thanos, the Mad Titan stands triumphant atop the place they once called home! But to get to him, they must first dispatch his sinister lieutenants. It’s the fight you’ve been waiting for – the Avengers vs. the Black Order! Don’t miss one heart-stopping moment as Infinity races toward it’s epic conclusion in the pages ofAvengers #23 this November!

 

Every issue of Avengers #23 includes a code for a free digital copy of that same comic on theMarvel Comics app for iOS and Android devices. Additionally, each issue of Avengers #23features special augmented reality content available exclusive through the Marvel AR app – including cover recaps, behind the scenes features and more that add value to your reading experience at no additional cost.

 

Join the conversation on Twitter with hash tag #MarvelINFINITY, and don’t forget to follow us at @Marvel [www.twitter.com/Marvel]!

 

For more on Marvel’s Infinity, please visit www.marvel.com.

 

AVENGERS #23 (SEP130667)

Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN

Art & Cover by LEINIL YU

FOC- 10/28/13 On-Sale – 11/20/13

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The S.H.I.E.L.D. Debrief: Season 1, Episode 01 – ‘Pilot’

by CJC

“The world is full of wonders.”

On the surface, Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD treads where Heroes, Alphas, and even the 70s’ Tomorrow People have dared. In practice, it’s a gleaming hour of pure fun tumbling through the fully realized Marvel universe to bring to life the potential of a new and exciting corner of superheroes. Only these heroes are less super, and more suited, as the premise (and all the ads) points out. It’s about the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division, which has been seen in glimpses in previous movies and at the forefront of The Avengers. The concept itself — a ragtag team of ‘who would’ve thought it’ agents and non-agents working together to fight the odds — does not blow away on its own. It will be the cases and the characters that make it.

However, peppered with quick one-liners and quiet visual gags, Agents of SHIELD redeems its flagging concept with its unending sense of humor and the subtle delivery of twists. Rather than throw them in your face with act breaks and music of impending doom, SHIELD chooses to roll just as naturally into its secrets as it does into everything else, helping you roll with the flow instead of be distracted by gags.

“This is the new world.”

In the realm of tie-ins, SHIELD does a complete job fitting itself into the niche of Marvel movie-verse. From direct references to billionaires in flying suits (said in the show as if it’s not crazy at all) to super-soldier serum to the ultimate question of is this team going to be able to act like a team: SHIELD delivers a Marvel super rollercoaster. Add in references to “with great power” and a Clean Slate concept, and the show’s not only self-referential but gleefully self-aware (as well as rival-aware). It’s grounded in both our world and theirs, when Ward mentions cosplay girls surrounding Stark Tower, allowing us to experience what would be an extraordinary thing (superheroes!) in a way we can understand (geekery and fanning!).

How is Coulson alive? Will the show ever solve that mystery?
How is Coulson alive? Will the show ever solve that mystery?

It’s interesting to note that the superheroes — the crowning Heroes of New York! — are considered to be at a security level unequal to knowing that their beloved Coulson is alive. This is highly indicative of the kind of operation Nick Fury runs. People only know what he believes they should know, and it casts an intriguing, darker light when you remember that this is an operation run by humans deciding what’s best, and they use the superheroes like tools; assets to be respected, but ultimately steered. Behavior like this has gotten villains in the past in trouble, and it would be glorious to see its effect on SHIELD in the future.

“We’re not exactly a team.”

It’s not uncommon for the Whedons to turn typical concepts on their heads, but SHIELD is only halfway there due to a slightly underdeveloped cast of team members and a lukewarm plot that’s a mix of Luke Cage’s origin story and Iron Man’s Extemis storyline. The strong members of the cast naturally include Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson, whose consummately overworked everyman is tempered perfectly by his quick and quiet delivery of wit. He can stand his own against superheroes and unruly teammates alike, with the occasional splash of badassery — like his ability to duck like a mofo; though, really, who didn’t expect those car doors to come flying off? Ming-Na Wen follows, as Melinda May, and Coulson’s second-in-command (they don’t say as much, but come on). Her quiet no-nonsense attitude is different than Coulson’s half-smile pleasantness, but she harbors the same ‘this is why I’m in SHIELD’ skills beneath. She was also introduced with the best possible hook: a seemingly uninjured, and capable, agent choosing a desk — something Coulson or Maria Hill would kill to get away from. We look forward to knowing more about her simply from that.

Melinda May was a great contrast to Coulson.
Melinda May was a great contrast to Coulson.

The rest of the crew suffers from less introduction — or too much introduction. Brett Dalton as Agent Ward is brought in as our point-of-view, letting us see him in action before he’s introduced to the story. At first, he’s the typical vigilante-type agent: the lone-wolf who’s too cool for the world. However, in getting to see Coulson systematically break him down with his differing tactics is pleasant enough to hopefully keep him from becoming just impossibly annoying with his snobbery and disagreeing. He might be an effective foil for Coulson, should he learn to operate on his level, but, for now, we can hope he just won’t get in his own way and that any reveals for him in the future, though not hinted at yet, are intriguing.

Chloe Bennet plays Skye. Let’s pause on that for a moment because… Skye. Also, because I originally mistyped it as ‘Skype’. Skype suffers the most from unflagging tropes: the sassy, overly skilled hacker, who has a quip for everything and nobody can possibly be better than her. It takes a certain kind of person to let you feel okay watching your favorites get taken down a notch, and Skye doesn’t quite fulfill that before besting Coulson, and SHIELD, at encryption. Luckily, Coulson has a few other things up his sleeve, but Skye, though she possesses a few quality lines (including that cough-and-miss-it comment about cosplay), trends dangerously towards the cliche. The hope for her is that now that her ‘recruitment’ is out of the way, she can begin to blossom. And hopefully not into some kind of double-crosser, thanks to whatever techno-gadget she shoved into her bra.

Yep, Skype was pretty annoying.
Yep, Skye was pretty annoying.

Ian de Caestecker and Elizabeth Henstridge play Fitzsimmons. Yes, Fitzsimmons the unit. This joke is made early on, but it’s unfortunately prophetic, as the two don’t manage to separate from each other much in terms of character development or usefulness. The power of bickering accents aside, they are also cloaked in a sense of typical characterization they must shed — and likely will, if Whedon’s past is any indication. So we’ll give them another episode or two before any full analysis.

We’ll end with a shout-out to Ron Glass, and the opening of the floor to you, to agree, disagree, or just do what internet commentators do.

Let’s all just agree on one thing: Lola’s not making it through the season.

Don't touch her.
Don’t touch her.

James Spader Is Ultron In ‘The Avengers: Age Of Ultron’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: The latest star to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe has just been revealed.

It’s Lincoln‘s James Spader, and he’ll appear in The Avengers: Age of Ultron as Ultron himself.

Spader was an excellent addition to last year’s Spielberg period drama, and looks simply fantastic in NBC’s upcoming series The Blacklist. Do you think he has what it takes to pull off Ultron? Anyone else you’d rather see in the role? Sound out below!

Spader, of course, will be joining the yet-uncast Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch as newcomers to the Avengers sequel. Anyone else you’d like to see in the film?

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Source: Deadline

Watch The Full Trailer For ‘Avengers Assemble’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Disney XD’s Marvel Universe block is less than two months from getting a new addition, and the first trailer for Avengers Assemble has just debuted online. The show looks decent… but it probably won’t make up for the cancelation of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Avengers Assemble will premiere on Disney XD on July 7th, but you can download the first episode on iTunes right now! Take a look at the trailer below, and let us know if you’re looking forward to the show!

An animated series parallel to the record-breaking blockbuster movie Marvel’s The Avengers, “Avengers Assemble” sees Iron Man leading the team of mightiest heroes – Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow and newcomer Falcon – who combine their powers to battle threats no single hero could overcome. When the Avengers assemble, evil doesn’t stand a chance. The voice cast includes: Adrian Pasdar (“Heroes”) as Iron Man, Fred Tatasciore (“Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness”) reprising his role as Hulk, Roger Craig Smith (Wreck-It Ralph) as Captain America, Travis Willingham (“Shelf Life”) as Thor, Troy Baker (“Ultimate Spider-Man”) as Hawkeye, Laura Bailey (“The Super Hero Squad Show”) as Black Widow and Bumper Robinson (“The Game”) as Falcon. Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, Duncan Rouleau and Steven T. Seagle of Man of Action Studios (“Ben 10,” “Generator Rex”) will serve as executive producers.

Geekscape 288: ‘Hitman’ and ‘Deus Ex’ Movie Producer Adrian Askarieh!

by Jonathan

This week on the show we’ve got Adrian Askarieh, producer of the film versions of ‘Hitman’ and the upcoming ‘Deus Ex’! We’ll talk about returning to the Hitman franchise, what it takes to make a solid adaptation and whether or not the future of Hollywood lies in video game properties! We’ll also discuss ‘Iron Man 3’ and what films this summer look to be the biggest at the Box Office! Ian Kerner also calls in to opine the destruction (or lack thereof of Krypton! Plus, are comic book adaptations drying up the source material and how is the landscape of Hollywood becoming more homogenized? PLUS! I revisit memories from my earliest days in broadcasting!

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:00 — 25.7MB)

Geekscape 287: The Roger Corman ‘Fantastic Four’ Reunion!

by Jonathan

Almost 20 years ago, one of the most notorious comic book films of all time was produced: Roger Corman’s ‘The Fantastic Four’! For most of its existence, this unreleased gem, which fans either loved or bemoaned, was only available through bootleg fan copies at comic book conventions. A VHS or DVD copy was the Holy Grail of Geekdom! Now, on the eve of production on the documentary ‘Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman’s “Fantastic Four” Movie’, original cast members Rebecca Staab, Joseph Culp, Carl Ciarfalio and documentary producer Mark Sikes (who was a casting assistant on the film) talk about what it was like making the film, being in the film and looking back 20 years later! Geekscapist Satori claims “This is a really great ep, probably my favorite since you’ve been on Toadhop.” and “This is BRILLIANT!!!!” Who are we to argue with a longtime Geekscapist? Enjoy!

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:18:17 — 31.4MB)

Geekscape 277: Ken Kristensen, Zero Charisma and Vigilante Ex-Cops!

by Jonathan

Writer Ken Kristensen drops by to talk about his Image book ‘Todd: The Ugliest Kid on Earth’… and he brings gifts! Jonathan talks ‘Warm Bodies’! Star Wars spin off movies! The Luna Brother’s ‘Sword’ is getting made! The filmmakers behind ‘Zero Charisma’ call in to talk geek cred! Paul Walker is the new Agent 47! There’s a vigilante cop loose in Los Angeles… is it Frank Castle? Plus! Can you be a hero after smashing someone in the head with a hatchet?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:22 — 22.6MB)

‘Avengers Initiative’ Mobile Game, Now With More Captain America!

by Derek Kraneveldt

All the way back in September, Marvel and Wideload Games released a funky little game for mobile devices (well, iOS and Android anyways) called Avengers Initiative. We reviewed the title just a day after it released, and while it definitely had (and continues to have) room for improvements, it was a decent title at the right price.

Upon release, Wideload stated that subsequent DLC packs would be released for the game, furthering the plot while adding Avengers and other goodies. Today the first pack is available, all for the low, low price of free (as long as you’ve already purchased the game of course).

Captain America is now a playable character, but he isn’t the only thing that’s new. The change log points out plenty of other additions too:

– Optimized for iPad mini and iPad Retina display
– Added support for iPhone 5 resolution
– Captain America now fully playable, improve your skills with Captain America’s agile takedowns and tactical shield attacks
– Fight aboard the Hydracarrier against Taskmaster and the forces of Hydra.
– Go up against Hydra War Drones, Skrull, Hydra Brutes, and Taskmaster himself.
– Added new Hulk costumes, including Mr. Fixit
– Added new Captain America costumes, including WWII Super Soldier
– Added Russian language support
– Unlock new Marvel XP audio logs including Mockingbird’s undercover mission and new Captain America Awards
– Fixed Verizon iPhone 4 framerate bug
– General bug fixes

Sadly, the one feature that I really wanted is still strangely absent: iCloud Support. $6.99 puts the game on both my iPad and iPhone, but SAVES DON’T TRANSFER!

In any case, the update is free for existing players. If you’re interested in the game, you can try the lite version for free, and then get the paid version if you deem it worthy!

Played the Captain America update? What do you think?

Do We Already Know Who The Villain In The Justice League Movie Is?

by Eric Diaz

So it seems we now know who the main villain is probably going to be in the upcoming Justice League movie, and it is quite possibly exactly who you might expect it to be; Darkseid, the God of Evil, and the DC Universe’s #1 bad guy. The rumor comes from Latino Review’s El Mayimbe, and if you’ve heard the name before, it’s probably because he has run many rumors in the last several years (especially concerning super hero movies) that have turned out to be very accurate. He’s as trusted a source as it gets when it comes to this stuff.

Darkseid being the villain makes sense. As I said, he’s the DC Universe’s biggest threat, and the kind of bad guy that would require Superman to actually need a lot of help to defeat. The opening storyline of the New 52 Justice League book seemed like a rough draft for a JL movie, and I doubt that was a coincidence. (although the similarity to that story and the Avengers movie might mean some story tweeking will be in order, just so the general audience doesn’t have even more reasons to see JL as a rip-off of Avengers.) Since Thanos is going to be the villain in Avengers 2, part of me is slightly surprised that Warners is going with Darkseid, since Thanos was inspired by Darkseid in the first place, and Avengers 2 is no doubt coming out first, having already claimed the May 1st 2015 weekend. But hey…I remember when two “giant asteroid coming to the destroy the Earth” movies came out the same summer, and Armageddon and Deep Impact both  ended up doing ok. So maybe two craggy faced alien despots won’t make America’s heads explode.

The Justice League movie has no director or casting yet, but it scheduled to be in theaters summer 2015, along with Avengers 2 and Star Wars: Episode VII, giving sad and lonely nerds everywhere a reason to delay any suicide attempts till at least 2016.

Marvel’s Phase One Box Set Gets An Updated Release Date, Plus Extra Content!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Better late than never right?

EW today released some new info regarding the highly anticipated Phase One box set. The fantastic looking bundle was originally set to release back in September, but was delayed due to a lawsuit over the case design.

We now have a new release date for the 10-disc set (featuring a slightly different looking briefcase), and while it’s still months away, I can’t help but get excited. New pre-orders are set to start later today, while the set will be available on April 2nd (just 133 more days).

The set will also include additional content that would not have been there had it hit shelves on time including never before seen clips, and a Phase Two preview featuring “footage, concept art, and a few new surprises.”

I’m in. How about you?

Source: EW

Geekscape Comics: First Look At ‘A-Babies vs X-Babies One-Shot’!

by Shawn Madden

It’s the tie-in to end all tie-ins coming at you from the creative team of writer Skottie Young and Gurihiru. The Phoenix is coming…and bringing the babies with it in an all-out war! Find out whom amongst the teams will live, who will die, and who will succumb to diaper rash.

A-BABIES VS. X-BABIES #1
Written by Skottie Young
Pencils by Gurihiru
Cover by Skottie Young

Full Roster Revealed For ‘Marvel Avengers: Battle For Earth’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Just a couple weeks until launch means that it’s the perfect time for more Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth news! The brawler is set to launch on October 30th for Xbox 360, while Wii U players will have to wait for launch day (November 18 in North America).

Ubisoft today revealed the full roster of playable characters for the title, as well as a cool piece of key art to show them off. Here is who you’ll be able to suit-up as:

1.      Black Widow
2.      Captain America
3.      Doctor Doom
4.      Dr. Strange
5.      Hawkeye
6.      Human Torch
7.      Iceman
8.      Iron Man
9.      Loki
10.     Magneto
11.     Phoenix
12.     Queen Veranke
13.     Scarlet Witch
14.     Spider Man
15.     Storm
16.     Super Skrull
17.     The Hulk
18.     Thor
19.     Venom
20.     Wolverine

Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth is a motion-based title (for Xbox 360 users, the Kinect Sensor is required), so it will be interesting to see how it plays. The game certainly looks cool, but of course, gameplay is everything! Check out the gameplay trailer below, and let us know if you’re planning on picking this one up!

Geekscape Comics: WWE’s CM Punk To Write Intro To ‘AvX’ Hardcover

by Shawn Madden

WWE champion and longtime comic book fan Phil Brooks, who you guys probably know better as CM Punk, will be writing the intro to Marvel’s upcoming hardcover edition of Avengers vs X-Men. A quite vocal supporter of the comic industry, Brooks said this about the opportunity:

“I worked really hard to get to where I’m at and it’s cool to be afforded opportunities like this. To me, it’s hard work paying off and I’m having a lot of fun right now. There’s good and there’s bad, but if you don’t stop to smell the roses, so to speak, it’s all for naught. If I had to describe my writing style, it’s very sarcastic and self-deprecating. You’ll be able to tell it in the foreword.”

Marvel Editor In Chief Axel Alonso also commented:

“Who understands the theatrical nuances of a good smack down more than WWE champ CM Punk, who brings the same muscle and heart he beings to the ring to his brilliant intro for Avengers vs. X-Men.”

Source: USA Today

Geekscape’s AvX Wrap Up and Marvel Now Preview Episode

by Jonathan

AvX has come to a close and Uncanny Avenger’s has ushered in the beginnings of Marvel Now! So… what do we think? Was AvX a giant event worth experiencing? Does Scott Summers deserve to be public enemy number one? How will Marvel Now integrate the Avengers and X-Men teams and lead to a better Marvel Universe? Enthusiast and expert Ian Kerner is on the podcast to help me figure it all out!

Subscribe to the show on iTunes!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:23 — 30.2MB)

The Justice League Movie: A Mostly Coherent Guide To Super Friends on the Silver Screen

by Joe Starr

A lot of ‘to do’ and ‘ruckus’ has been made over how Warner Brothers should go about making a Justice League movie. Does Batman need to show up at the end of Man of Steel? How do we introduce people to all the characters? Should there be nipples?

While Marvel has had insane success with the first phase of their movie universe by bridging multiple hero movies into a shared storyline leading to The Avengers, 99% of all other movies with an ensemble cast typically manage to give you a story and characters within the first 10 or 15 minutes. And if Avengers has taught us anything about audiences at super hero movies, you don’t need to justify crazy powers, clashing genres, or put everyone in dark black leather. The crowd just wants to be entertained.

So my advice to Warner Brothers? Regardless of how Man of Steel does, just go make a Justice League movie. People know who Superman and Batman are, a lot of people kind of remember Wonder Woman, and that’s really all you need to get on board.

In fact, to help out, I’ve graciously spent 15 minutes of my life outlining a movie for you and casting the roles. You’re welcome. Please pay me. I need to see a dentist.

JUSTICE LEAGUE!

So the first thing you need to do is give a quick nudge to where we are in the world. And how do we do that without Iron Man touch screen and holo displays? THE NEWS. Show us all 17 24 hour news channels in the DCU doing a quick blitz of President Lex Luthor, who was elected after the entire city of Gotham was held ransom by Bane and is now entering his second term with a strong anti metahuman agenda in response to Superman, explaining that in the wake of the recent death of American fighter pilot Steve Trevor, who crashed on  a mysterious Amazon Island, which recently appeared out of no where, these strange Amazon warrior tribes represents a clear and present danger to the United States and we’re gonna wipe the place out. USA! USA! USA!

Yeah that’s right, suck it Marvel! Ed Norton as Lex Luthor! I’m about to American History X a bunch of superheroes with SCIENCE! Eat a dick, Ruffalo!

We cut to chaotic footage of the D Day style invasion of the Amazon Island. It looks like a modern Saving Private Ryan but with 300 looking warrior ladies instead of Nazis.

“Victor can you believe all chicks with swords? It looks like something out of Revenge of the Titans, a great movie I saw in 3D 7 times! OH GOD ARROWS!” A young terrified marine named Victor Stone (John Boyega) saves a buddy with awesome movie taste by punching out a warrior lady but then gets nailed by a ton of friendly fire and some guy is like OH GOD MEDIC! And they cut back to Amy Adams as anchor Lois Lane at Daily Planet and she’s like ‘yeah so that was an awful thing to see. Here’s some cats in a wheelbarrow.’

Yeah I just watched Attack the Block. So what? 

We cut from the Victor Stone POV to a bunch of armored ladies forcing Princess Diana (that’s unfortunate) to evacuate because they need to make sure she’s safe and protected. Throw in some statues that look exactly like Lucy Lawless because who else would play Hippolyta in the eventual Wonder Woman movie? We get some tossed in lines about ‘that man that crashed in the iron bird…I thought he would recover! What happened?!’

Hi, I’m Katrina Law. I’m on the show Spartacus where I kick the crap out of people and am super beautiful. I’m literally the only actress on the planet currently qualified to play Wonder Woman. 

The Amazons maybe didn’t kill that pilot like the president says they did? OH SNAP SOMETHING IS ROTTEN ON THE ISLAND OF… Does it have a name? Sorry, I’ve been spending all my money on Avengers books my whole life. How stoked are you guys about Marvel Now? LOTS of really cool titles dropping and…Ok.

JUSTICE LEAGUE.

That’s where you throw the title. See? Just jump into this shit. Instead of overthinking about how to make this OK for an audience, just punch them in the face with it, show them how cool it looks to have Xena chicks beating the shit out of the cast of Blackhawk Down and have them be like ‘holy balls, what the eff word?!’ when the title drops. In addition to blowing everyone’s minds out of their buttholes, now we know Batman exists and that the Nolan Bat movies and Man of Steel are this movie’s Phanton Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, and A New Hope. Welcome to Empire Strikes Back.

Wait Joe! Remember at the end of TDKR when Batman retires and the Looper guy replaces him? Well, we’ll deal with that later. Ok? Hey look, a private jet owned by Wayne Enterprises!

Bruce Wayne is watching the news on the invasion from his private jet.

Bruce: “It’s hell over there, Alfred. A completely unprovoked act of aggression on a people we know nothing about.”

Alfred is played by Michael Caine again because that dude doesn’t turn anything down ever.

Alfred: “Well sir, perhaps you could show them what happens to acts of aggression in your city.”

Bruce: “That’s the problem, Alfred. This isn’t my city.”

Reveal of METROPOLIS! Batman is in Metropolis! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH.

Honestly? I don’t know who the hell should play Batman. But right now I’m going with Dustin Clare, because male DC heroes should never be played by American actors. ‘But a Bruce Wayne this young could never fit the Nolan timeline!’ you say? New 52 Batman banged Talia and had a 12 year old son in 5 years.

Argument invalid.

DAILY PLANET: Clark! Get in here! Yeah Perry? You’re covering the premiere of Honey Booboo The Movie tonight! But I thought I was covering President Luthor’s dinner? Are you kidding? You look awful on camera. Lane is covering the dinner! You’re covering this crap. GET ON IT.

People keep telling me I need to learn how to format scripts and I keep telling them to stop trying to hold me down. That scene was magic.

Also this movie needs to have a sense of humor about Green Lantern, where people always mention that they heard about what happened in Green Lantern and no one believes any of it because it just sounds ridiculous.

At the dinner, Luthor reinforces his stance on metahumans, that aliens like this…Superman not only spit at the law, they spit at the human spirit and the idea of human achievement. But in the spirit of human achievement, thanks to a partnership between Lexcorp and the Pentagon, the poster boy casualty of the Amazon Invasion, Victor Stone, has been saved! Project: Cyborg! Cyborg, covered in lots of cloth and gauze, waves to the cameras and asks the President when he can get back out there! Everyone claps because America. Also, Lois Lane hits on Bruce Wayne a bunch! “Hey Bruce we all thought you were dead after the Bane incident but when you ended up being fine we were all weirded out that you didn’t take your house back from those orphans and he’s like ‘Lets just say Gotham is in good hands and I’m focusing on a global scale.” See? Addressed. At some point he decided to unretire and then wink at the Grant Morrison fans with a seriously thin Batman Inc reference. It’s this movie’s unfinished Cap shield.

And then Diana from the Island busts in and is all like YOUR FAULT! ALL OF IT! Bruce Batmans up in a some kind of bad ass mobile costume suit up sequence and defends the president against her! It’s the first Batman sighting since the Gotham City siege!

Hey! Also in the room! It’s a catering guy! It’s a misplaced plane! No! It’s Superman! Still played by Henry Cavill because I really want his movie to be awesome! High powered Lexcorp soldiers led by Amanda Waller still played by Angela Basset who’s been by the President’s side in like every scene he’s in are escalating the crap out of things! The president points to the cameras and says C WE REALLY NEED 2 DO SOMETHING THESE GUYS R A MENACE K THANX. Lexcorp troops are going to kill Wonder Woman and Superman is all like woah due process and they’re ‘like suck a dong Superman’ and so he grabs Wonder Woman and Batman and flies them to THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE. Wonder Woman and Superman fight because she’s freaked out and he locks her in a cell because chill lady.

Batman and Superman take a moment to size each other up. Everyone gets boners in the audience, except for people who are wondering where Thor is. You know where he is? He’s a hot lady in a cell in the Fortress of Solitude because Wonder Woman should be DC’s Greek God based Thor and her movie should have been the Clash of the Titans remake but in present day and how hard is that to figure out?

President Luthor announces a big Skynetty computer AI defense system to track and deal with metahuman threats. He laughs and reminds everyone that people always accuse him of being a Brainiac so that’s what it’s being nicknamed. Batman tries to check out the Brainiac project by breaking into Lexcorp. In one room he sees a big global map with different areas located, squints his eyes and says ‘Atlantis…?’ and then Cyborg attacks him because these heroes have to get on the same page, am I right??

But then it turns out that Luthor built Brainiac with what he thought was Krypton tech but it turns out to be whatever it is that Brainiac actually is and I’m not exactly sure what that is because looking at his Wikipedia page gave me a migraine. But any way, Brainiac attacks and Cyborg is saving people and Batman is in the holding cell Cyborg and Amanda Waller dumped him in all like ‘let me help you’ and Wonder Woman is like ‘let me help you’ to Superman and he’s all like ‘I dunno lady I’m a boy scout and you’re dangerous’ and she’s all ‘ughhhhh you’re an idiot but also my sexy male equivalent.’

And then Brainiac hits the Fortress of Solitude and trashes it. It’s on. Superman and Wonder Woman show up in Metropolis to fight it’s AI hordes. Cyborg goes against orders and lets Batman out and the team comes together. At some point Batman picks up a bow and arrow and says WELL THIS IS JUST STUPID staring right into the camera. Eventually Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Cyborg beat Brainiac through a series of progressively escalating CG action pieces that make up most of the third act of the movie and the world forgives Warner Brothers for Batman and Robin but not for the Matrix sequels.

NEVER FORGET

Brainiac not being completely dead is teased. At the end of the movie after the good guys win, Supes salvages the fortress to begin building a new structure so that they can keep an eye over the world they’re trying to protect. You know, like an Avengers Watchtower.

And then Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern shows up and Batman is like ‘oh, you’re real?’ and in the background a wacky homeless guy who earlier bet another homeless guy that ‘there’s no way a guy ever fought a purple jizz fog because how stupid does that sound?’ just quietly hands his buddy three bucks. And Green Lantern says ‘But seriously guys, I hate to sound ridiculous, but I’m a galactic peacekeeper, and Earth is about to be invaded. By Mars.’ And then there is this crazy shot of White Martian fleets mobilizing.

HEY we’re in the sequel to rub John Carter in Disney’s face a little more!

And there you go. You get the big three anchored by a young every man people can get behind because he served his country. You get Lex Luthor as a legit bad guy that isn’t scamming real estate agents: He’s the POTUS. You get guns vs. swords and you get super heroes vs. AI robot hordes. You get a Martian Manhunter tease. You get an Aquaman nod.

Because you guys HAVE to have an Aquaman nod.

*sighs, waits for millions of dollars to roll in*

Geekscape Comics: First Look At Jerome Opeña’s Pencils For ‘Avengers #1’!

by Shawn Madden

Take a first look at the artwork for Jonathan Hickman and Jerome Opeña’s upcoming Marvel NOW! Avengers title. If you read Uncanny X-Force you definitely know that Opeña is going to be bringing us one of the best looking Avengers books in a long time.

The greatest heroes in comics together on one unbeatable team! Now shipping twice a month, the Avengers “go large,” expanding their roster and their sphere of influence to a global and even interplanetary level. When Captain America puts out his call – who will answer? Big threats, big ideas, big idealism – these are the Avengers NOW!

Source: Newsarama

 

Geekscape Games Review: ‘Avengers Initiative’

by Derek Kraneveldt

On Wednesday we gave you a look at Marvels latest mobile title, Avengers Initiative. The game released yesterday, and after putting a few hours into it and clearing the first campaign, I’ve got a pretty strong opinion on the title.

Note: Avengers Initiative is available for iOS as well as Android devices. The review is based on the iOS versions of the game, though the Android edition should offer a similar experience.

Intro Video

I was hooked on Avengers Initiative from the start. After a short loading screen, Nick Fury brings you up to speed with a very flashy and very sharp looking cutscene. The story is simple: a lot of baddies have escaped from the Vault, and it’s up to you to find them, fight them, and send them back where they belong.

We mentioned on Wednesday that the game takes an episodic approach (as explained in the story, simply too many villains have escaped for the team to stick together, each episode will have you playing a different hero). You buy the game for $6.99, you’ll get to play the first chapter featuring the Hulk, and subsequent episodes will be delivered free of charge. Telltale Games typically takes the same approach, and it works wonders for them (insert obligatory The Walking Dead praise here), Marvel has to be hoping for that same success.

In-Game

As you can see from our screenshots, the game looks great (especially on Apple’s retina devices). Hulk is extremely detailed, complete with a lot of polygons and some great textures. He even shows off some strong facial animations throughout the episode. This carries to other characters as well – each one looks fantastic. Sometimes it’s really hard to believe that visuals like this are being pushed from your cell phone. It sounds almost as good as it looks too, Avengers Initiative features some very strong voice acting and sound effects.

The game may look fresh, but gameplay wise, it feels more like a skin on a two year old title. Infinity Blade was released to much fanfare in 2010. The game was designed from the ground up for touchscreen devices: no virtual joysticks or buttons, just taps and swipes to control your onscreen hero. Combat has you doing the same, tapping and swiping to dodge and block your opponents advances, while you wait for an opening to strike.

Wendigo Fight

Now isn’t all bad: Infinity Blade and its sequel are fantastic, addicting titles. The developer could have done much worse when choosing a game to take inspiration from. Sadly however, some of Infinity Blade’s strongest and most addicting features are strangely absent from Avengers Initiative. 

Your Infinity Blade hero is infinitely customizable. Every piece of armor, every weapon, and there is even jewelry to give you magic abilities and stat bonuses. You find items in chests, by defeating creatures, and with credit you’ve saved from battling multitudes of enemies. It makes the game exponentially more replayable as you strive to master all of the possible equipment. Avengers Initiative sees very little of this: Hulk has a few costumes you can purchase which give you stat bonuses, but the quantity and level of customizability is nothing compared to that of Infinity Blade. I’ve finished the Avengers Initiative campaign, and I honestly can’t see myself returning until another chapter is released.

Costume Screen

Another huge oversight by developer Wideload Games is iCloud support. With games like Infinity Blade and Batman: Arkham City Lockdown, I can jump into the game on whatever device I’m currently holding and not have to worry about it: if I play Infinity Blade on my phone while on the bus, I can open it on my iPad later and be in the exact same spot. By not including this, I’d have to run separate campaigns on each device, essentially meaning I’m going to end up playing Avengers Initiative on only one of them

Avengers Initiative is a lot of fun, and the title has some great presentation (though loading screens are sometimes a bit too frequent). The gameplay that Epic Games introduced with Infinity Blade works perfectly here, I simply wish that Wideload could have introduced some of their own innovations to the formula. Hopefully with the episodic nature of the title, they will build on what the game has to offer instead of simply throwing a new character into the same situations.

As mentioned above, the title is priced well at $6.99 (though it is plagued with a ton of in-app purchases). It’s a good buy at this level, had it been priced higher however, I wouldn’t be so sure.

Avengers Initiative scores a respectable 3/5

‘Avengers Initiative’ Mobile Game Launches Tomorrow!

by Derek Kraneveldt

I’m a huge fan of mobile games. More often than not I find myself away from home with nothing but my mobile phone.

Five years ago, that was a bad situation unless you were lucky enough to have a portable console with you. Oh how things change: I can now have dozens of AAA titles in my pocket, on a device that I always have with me anyways.

Hulk

Today Marvel gave us a look at Avengers Initiative. It’s a pretty smooth looking new title that takes Telltale’s approach to gaming – the game will be episodic. You purchase the title for $6.99, and later episodes will be delivered to you free of charge.

Tomorrow, us iOS and Android owners will step into the Hulk’s shoes. From the trailer (posted below) it appears as though a lot of villains are causing a lot of havoc. Nick Fury has made it your responsibility to stop them.

At first glance, Avengers Initiative looks remarkably similar to Epic Games’ Infinity Blade. While I’m a sucker for originality, I’m also a huge fan of that title. It’s perfectly suited for a touch screen, and rather than have to use a virtual joystick and fake buttons, you swipe and tap around, which leads to a much better and more natural experience. If Avengers Initiative can offer the same quality story and addicting gameplay that the Infinity Blade series does, Epic Games’ will have some serious competition on their hands.

The graphics look great, the sound seems solid, and the gameplay is tried and true. Check out Avengers Initiative on your mobile devices tomorrow, and look for our review in the upcoming days.

 

Geekscape Comics: Line-Up Revealed For Marvel NOW! ‘Avengers’ Title

by Shawn Madden

Well, it appears we now know who is on the team of Jonathan Hickman and Jerome Opena’s upcoming Avengers title! So, from what we can see here is we’ve got Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Cannonball, Wolverine, Hulk, Captain Marvel, Falcon, Black Widow, Sunspot, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Hawkeye and well…I have no clue who that last one is. There appears to be a trend of mysterious background characters in these interlocking covers. I definitely had been wondering what they were going to do with the New Mutants squad with their series coming to an end in two issues. Check out the squad!

Source: Bleeding Cool

Geekscape Comics: ‘Avengers Vs. X-Men’ Gets Another Hastings Deadpool Variant!

by Shawn Madden

Earlier this year, Hastings released a special variant cover for Avengers Vs. X-Men #1 in which we saw Deadpool taking bets on who was going to come out on top of the epic battle. Well, it looks like we now know who’s going to be cashing in with another special variant for issue #12!

• Extra-sized final issue!
• It’s all come down to this! The final battle—as the world burns!

Source: CBR

Geekscape Comics: Marvel Reveal Daniel Acuña’s ‘Uncanny Avengers #1’ Variant!

by Shawn Madden

Marvel has released a beautiful new variant for the Uncanny Avengers #1. There’s quite a few variants that have been revealed for this issue which looks to be one of Marvel’s biggest launches yet. I have a feeling that this variant is going to be a hot one.

Marvel is pleased to present your first look at the UNCANNY AVENGERS #1 ACUNA VARIANT from artist Daniel Acuña! From the ashes of Avengers VS. X-Men an all-new, all-different Avengers assemble – enter the Uncanny Avengers! From the blockbuster creative team of Rick Remender & John Cassaday, Captain America and Wolverine begin a quest to create a sanctioned Avengers unit cast from the ranks of the Avengers and the X-Men. This October in Uncanny Avengers #1, watch as Captain America, Wolverine, Havok, Thor, Rogue, and the Scarlet Witch come together to take down the Red Skull and protect the Marvel Universe!

An all-new direction! All-new threats! This is Uncanny Avengers NOW! This October, Rick Remender & John Cassaday redefine what it means to be Earth’s Mightiest in Uncanny Avengers #1!

Source: Marvel

‘S.H.I.E.L.D’ Pilot Greenlit, Whedon At The Helm

by Derek Kraneveldt

Deadline reports that ABC has ordered a pilot for a S.H.I.E.L.D television series.

Joss and Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen (Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena) are set to write the pilot, and Joss Whedon is set to direct (bearing scheduling conflicts). It had been known that Whedon was set to do a Marvel television project, and now it’s officially in the works.

As Deadline states, this is the first order for a live-action series based on the Marvel universe established in the recent films. No characters, plotlines, or information of any other sort have been revealed about the upcoming show but you can expect numerous S.H.I.E.L.D. affiliated characters from the comics. Production is set to start immediately, with no planned release date announced.

So, what are your thoughts? Excited? Glad that Whedon is returning to TV?

Joss Whedon

 Joss Whedon, director of good things.

Geekscape Comics: Interlocking ‘All New X-Men’ Covers Reveal Who WON’T Be Dying In ‘AvX’

by Shawn Madden

Fans worried that Marvel may be killing Scott Summers or Emma Frost can now breathe a sigh of relief. Earlier today I received images of all three of the interlocking covers for the new upcoming series All New X-Men. In these covers you definitely see that the two characters will be surviving Avengers Vs. X-Men, which further leads me to believe that  my theory [click here to see who I think it’s going to be] for who will be dying at the end of this event may be correct. This also goes to show that the character in Marvel NOW! promo image everyone beli

ved to be a re-design for Scott Summers may actually indeed not be the character. There also appears to be a mystery character in the background of the first part of the cover. I guess we’re going to have to wait a few months before we find out just who that is. Check out Stuart Immonen’s interlocking covers for All New X-Men! His artwork is definitely going to be a welcome addition to X-family.

Geekscape Comics: Get A First Look At Skottie Young’s Marvel NOW! Variants

by Shawn Madden

Check out the Skottie Young Baby variant covers for a good chunk of the Marvel NOW! debut issues below. Thanks to the guys at Bleeding Cool for this first look at these covers. Tell your kids in advance that I am sorry for their college funds disappearing. I can’t wait to get my own hands on the Uncanny Avengers and Deadpool ones.

Uncanny Avengers

Deadpool

Fantastic Four

All New X-Men

Indestructible Hulk

Thor: God Of Thunder

Invincible Iron Man

A+X

Geekscape Comics: The Four Characters Most Likely To Die At The End Of ‘AvX’!

by Shawn Madden

Avengers Vs. X-Men is nearing the epic-conclusion with issue #11 hitting stands in three weeks and the finale shortly after. We all knew that this story would not be ending happy for everybody. At the end of the storyline one major character WILL die as seen by the cover of AvX: Consequences.

Based on the numerous interviews with the creative teams behind these books you can detect that this incident will have a greater effect on the X-Men than the Avengers. This most likely implies that the character that will die will indeed be a mutant. So, let’s discuss the most likely candidates to go out at the end of AvX.

Scott Summers

This seems to be the one on the top of everyone’s list. Personally, I have to disagree with him though. It’s too obvious and I can’t see Marvel building up the character over the past years just to lead to this. And, even though Marvel is denying it, that Marvel NOW! teaser image features a character that sure does look alot like Mr. Summers.

Emma Frost

Based on the cover to number 11 andseeing her and Cyclops going at it she is definitely on the list. And my personal pick to die. She’s one character I really can’t stand and hope is the one that Marvel takes out. One can only hope right?

 

Hope Summers

The “mutant messiah” is a definite candidate for being the one that goes out here. This battle began over her and most likely will end with her. I think she will make the ultimate sacrifice and that is how she is going to be the one who will “save the mutant race”. Phoenixes tend to flame out, particularly if there’s some noble world-saving to be done in the process, so it stands to reason that Hope would follow in Jean’s footsteps.

Charles Xavier

The top candidate is definitely Xavier. With the plot synopsis for X-Men: Legacy containing the line “in a post-Avengers vs. X-Men world that may – or may not – be without Xavier himself” it is highly possible that Xavier could sacrifice himself to save the mutant race or possibly even Scott from The Phoenix Force. In New Avengers #29, he stated “I’m prepared to stop Scott, no matter what the cost.” That one doesn’t sound too good for ol’ Charles.

So, these here are just my thoughts but there is quite a bit of evidence indicating that Xavier may die at the end of Avengers Vs. X-Men. So, who do you think is going to die? Sound off in the box below!