Angry Web

If you are a fan of that great geek god Nathan Fillion then you have no doubt watched Castle. Well now Marvel fans have a reason to be excited for next season. Not only is there a Castle comic coming out, but there will be a Marvel character appearing on the show. There is no word yet as to who the character will be unfortunately. Could it be a very popular and well known character, or will it be a lesser known and used one? I for one am excited to see what happens this season. What do you think?

This is a post by Jonathan London, and used with permission, from the site GeekScape.net.

It’s been a little over a week since the end of the San Diego Comic Con and the theatrical release of Captain America and already the fine folks at the House of Ideas are continuing their PR barrage into our mainstream consciousness. Today, spoilers be damned, it seemed like every outlet, from USA Today to The Huffington Post to your parent’s Twitter, was abuzz with the latest major development from the comics industry leader. Are you ready for it? Are you sure? I’m guessing you’ve already read it somewhere… so I might as well spoil it for you (in case your parent’s Twitter hasn’t yet):

Spider-Man is black.

Did you read that correctly? Let me write it again. Spider-Man is black. No. Wait. That’s not entirely correct. Spider-Man is Hispanic. Strike that. My bad. Spider-Man is Blacktino. Actually, let’s be entirely accurate here… ULTIMATE Spider-Man is Blacktino. Read the rest of this entry »

The super hero who is half human and half spider is now also half black and half hispanic. After the death of Peter Parker, Marvel made their move towards a new Spider Man in ”Ultimate Fallout” No. 4 which will be released tomorrow.

The new Spider Man’s name is Mile Morales who puts on the costume in an effort to pick up where Peter Parker left off in his quest to fight crime and defeat the Green Goblin once and for all.

“He’s younger than Peter Parker, he’s coming from a completely different background, a completely different world view,” Bendis (creator) said. “It’s Peter Parker’s death that inspires this kid to step up.”

The “Ultimate” series is separate from the traditional “Spider Man” series where Peter Parker is alive and well.

This is certainly a different direction for Marvel as they are showing an effort to identify with different cultures but is this just a cheap way to appeal to different audiences? Why did it have to be a person of mixed races instead of either a black male or hispanic male?

My Spidey Sense is tingling and I smell a marketing stunt…

Jerry’s Artarama has released 3 videos on their youtube channel, each clip being almost 10 minutes and a combined total run time of approximately 30minutes. All the clips along with many other videos on “how to” about art are Hi-Definition (720p) so you are able to get crystal clear picture and all the filming is done by professionals.

You can check out the links to the videos at ComicArtFans or at Jerry’sArtarama youtube channel. Also a side note, Jerry’s Artarama is working on a DVD with Adam Hughes which will run approximately 90 minutes and take the viewer through Hughes complete process from start to finish for a convention sketch (you know…the sketches people wait in line forever for…the ones that cost $200/piece…maybe more now days), so be on the look out for that and see you at San Diego Comic Con.

Recently I met Adam Hughes at WonderCon and asked him, “Will you be doing any sort of instructional video series in the near future?”

Adam Hughes replied, “There will be a DVD coming out soon for the walk through I did for ImagineFX recently.” (This is what he stated in a nutshell)

So be on the look out for future ImagineFX issues, the company is known for giving video tutorials with their magazine subscriptions and Adam Hughes art process for their cover for an earlier issue of ImagineFX, you can read my little shout out HERE.

Enjoy guys! I will be putting up my mini interviews with Adam Hughes and Stuart Sayger at this year’s WonderCon.

Comics are convoluted.  There are decades of storylines and characters, reboots and retcons galore, and quite frankly it’s pretty darn difficult to keep up with them all.  For example, were you aware that in the Marvel 616 Universe (and if you know what that is you’re already ahead of the curve) Captain America currently is not Steve Rogers, but actually Bucky, Rogers’ WWII little buddy who was kidnapped by the Russians, frozen in time, given a cybernetic arm, and made an assassin until he had mental breakdown, became an anti-hero seeking redemption for his crimes, and eventually took over the shield after the original Cap died.  That’s right.  Steve Rogers died.  But it’s okay.  He’s alive again.  And actually he didn’t die; he was shot and transported through time and space.

Like I said, pretty convoluted stuff.

Well fear not fellow geeks.  Marvel Comics is currently in the middle of their .1 comic campaign which is “Geared for new and long-time readers alike” and “the perfect jumping on points for the biggest super hero series in the world!”  Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wolverine, Thor, Cap, the Hulk, and various super hero teams like the X-Men and Avengers are all getting the .1 treatment.  In a nutshell, these editions weed out decades of backstory to catch you up with where these characters currently stand which will help set up the next great story arc.

But why jump on now?

Well one reason is that in a few months you’re going to get about 4 hours worth of Cap and Thor and then you’ll have to wait an entire year for Avengers.  When you’re not at the local Cineplex paying huge amounts of money on movie tickets, you could be sitting on your couch paying huge amounts of money on comic books.  Storylines and characterizations are being taken from modern day books so catching up will help you get a better grasp on both.  For example, if a Captain America movie were made just a few years ago, Bucky would not be the badass/possible future villain that will be showing up in theaters in July.  Old Bucky incarnations were more akin to Burt Ward’s Robin from the Adam West Batman series.  Even Sam Jackson’s face can be seen on the pages of Marvel’s Ultimate line.  He actually licensed his likeness to the comics long before Iron Man was made.

So true believers, head down to the local comic book shop and pick up a few .1 shots.  If you don’t, Sam Jackson will come after you. 

No more nursing?

A small shout out to everyone who loves the awesome concept art that brings games to life, it seems that some of the concept art for Batman: Arkham City is now out, if you would like you can check it out here. There are about 9 new concept art shots that are sure to make any Batman fan…drool? So go ahead and check them out, seems that this game will definitely beat “Batman: Arkham Asylum,” and that game in and of it self was superb.

Well enjoy and again, go HERE to view the newly released screenshots.

Cheers!