It’s a question I’ve wrestled with all day. Do I spend the extra cash to witness Whedon’s superhero extravaganza, The Avengers in 3D, iMAX or just settle for the normal 2D experience. After a bit of research, it seems apparent that the film was shot with only 2D cameras, with no iMAX or 3D cameras in sight. This means any 3D or iMAX versions of the film were converted entirely in post. Generally speaking, these conversions are never perfect, and should be treated as such — but that doesn’t mean they can’t be good either. Read more…
There’s nothing I hate more than someone who spoils a film for me, but for some reason Mavel seems intent on doing just that. The Avengers won’t even hit theaters nationwide until May 4th, but every day leading up to that will undoubtedly prove a significant challenge. Just today I received an e-mail from Marvel offering an exclusive clip from the film and asking me to pre-order the soundtrack. Clips have been pooping up on Facebook, and movie blogs since screenings of the film began earlier this month, and just this week they’ve launched an entirely new set of commercials with even more footage than before. Read more…
The Avengers hasn’t officially premiered yet — save for a few early screenings — but director Joss Whedon is already discussing some of the extras we can expect with the eventual DVD and Blu-ray release. As he revealed in previous interviews, Whedon ended up filming quite a few scenes, with his first cut weighing in at a hefty 3 hours in length. Back in March, Whedon revealed that he managed to cut that time down to 2 hours and 15 minutes. Admittedly, it would be a bit of a pipe dream to expect all forty five minutes of deleted footage to be included as extras, but in a recent interview with Collider, Whedon stated his intent to include at least half an hour worth. By industry standards, that’s a whole hell of a lot.
It’s just a rumor, but Latino Review claims to have the scoop regarding the plot of Iron Man 3, including its potential villain — if you can call it that. Since it’s just a rumor, I’m not really sure how much of a spoiler it’d be but better safe than sorry. If you absolutely want to avoid any rumors about the film, and considering The Avengers hasn’t even hit theaters yet, that might not be a bad idea, then read no further. Otherwise, hit the jump.
Fans of Marvel’s animated universe are getting ready for next month’s premiere of Ultimate Spider-Man — well, most of them any way. Some are still wondering what happened to Marvel’s The Spectacular Spider-Man which ended its run after two seasons, despite being well received by fans and critics alike.
Today, Paramount and Marvel are set to release their latest trailer for The Avengers. It’s available via Apple.com, so we won’t be able to stream it for you, but if you’re so inclined, click here to visit Apple’s trailer page. The film is still set for early May, so we only have a few more months to wait and from what we’ve seen so far, I really hope it’ll be worth the wait. What little has been revealed seems promising enough, but even with all the press floating around the set, there’s always that chance the film could fail to deliver — especially when dealing with such a star-studded cast. There’s a lot of egos involved, and it’ll be interesting to see if they function dynamically. Whedon certainly had his work cut out for him, so let’s hope it pays off. The Avengers will hit theaters May 4th.
This has been a long time coming, but now they’re finally here. Starting today, Marvel will be releasing its digital graphic novels via Apple’s iBookstore. So far there is over sixty titles available from their catalog from popular titles like X-Men, The Avengers, Spider-Man and more. I know many of you are still comic book purists and have to physical copies, but for those of you who’ve embraced the digital age, this should provide a welcome alternative. Marvel’s promising new releases each week, as well as free previews for each graphic novel, including an extended preview for New Avengers Volume 1. Read more…
The other week we showed off a little teaser for Lego’s upcoming Lord of the Rings product line, but it’s not the only film license they have in the works. With Marvel’s The Avengers coming to theaters this summer, Lego will be dropping a few sets to tie-in with the film. I’m not posting photos of all of them as they might actually spoil a few scenes from the film, but if you just have to see them, click here. Otherwise, just click on the break for more.
Digital comics have been growing fast and both DC and Marvel have had to make many changes to adapt to changing technology. How do they do it? MashUp Radio, hosted by Peter Biddle, will be featuring Marvel’s Ryan Penagos (the Editorial Director for Marvel Digital Media Group and Marvel.com), and they’ll be discussing it in-depth on their podcast. It’ll go live at 3pm, so if you can, be sure to tune in for what is sure to be an interesting discussion!
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Dec 20, 2011 in Comic Books
I might have procrastinated a bit this holiday season, but thanks to the magic of the world wide web, and the recent proliferation of digital content, I’ve been able to fulfill most of the leftover shopping without having to leave the comfort of my house. Of course, I’m not sure that’s a good thing but I digress. If, like me, you’ve grown fond of your fireplace and would rather curl up next to one than fight those last minute lines, here’s a nice alternative. It might not be the answer for any of your Comic purists, but Marvel is currently offering 30% off their annual digital subscription service. Find out how to save after the jump.
I confess, I love Kotobukiya’s bishoujo line. They’re easily collectible, are often equal parts sexy and cute, and for whatever reason, my wife loves them as much as I do. Not only that, but each of these figures are based off a sketch by one of my favorite artists, Shunya Yamashita. Recently, Kotobukiya posted images of their upcoming Storm bishoujo figure, and the fan reaction hasn’t been as positive as one would expect. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Nov 10, 2011 in Comic Books
Marvel has a special treat in store for any true believers looking to pick up the first issue of the upcoming series Avenging Spider-Man. For the first time ever, you’ll be able to purchase a physical copy of the issue and receive a digital copy absolutely free. Fans will be able to access the free issue through either the Marvel online store, or via their official app for your iOS or Android device. Hopefully this will be the start of a new trend but for some reason I have a feeling that this will only be a one-time offer. Still, if you’ve never given digital copies a shot, this is a great opportunity. Personally I find the format to be rather organized and clutter-free, but nothing really beats thumbing through those pages. On the other hand, it can also be a great opportunity for collectors who want to keep their first issue pristine without having to worry about missing the story.
He’s made plenty of cameos throughout recent films, but we’ve never really seen Agent Coulson get his hands dirty. That’s about to change — the S.H.I.E.L.D. operative finally gets his chance to shine in this special one-shot, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer. Like the one-shot The Consultant — included on the Thor DVD/Blu-ray — tied together the events of The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man films, this clip is used to fill the gap between Iron Man 2 and Thor and is included on the upcoming Blu-ray and DVD release of Captain America: The First Avenger. We’re only posting a teaser, but if you want to see the clip in its entirety, you can click here, or wait until you pick up your copy of the film when it hits stores next week.
Marvel and Paramount released their latest trailer for The Avengers aheadof their upcoming event at New York Comic Con next week. I’m not sure if they still plan on debuting any new footage at the event, but I hope it’ll still happen, as I’m anxious to see more. It’s not that I’m excited for the film, so much as I found this latest trailer to a bit underwhelming, and I think some additional footage might ease my concerns. Generally speaking, I’ve been a huge fan of everything Joss Whedon’s directed to date, but I simply wasn’t sold on it. Sure, it was nice to see all those characters in one place, but at the same time the dialog seemed a bit stiff, and and the prospect of juggling so many stars already seems daunting enough as it is. Also, am I the only one who cringed when Bruce Banner showed up at the end? It just wasn’t the same without Norton.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Aug 3, 2011 in Comic Books
This morning in a USA Today exclusive, Marvel revealed the identity of Parker’s replacement for the Ultimate Spider-Man series, Miles Morales. If some of you recall, Marvel decided to kill off Peter Parker in their ‘Ultimate‘ universe with their recent “Death of Spider-man” story arc leaving the role vacant in their alternate universe. Unfortunately not much is known about Morales apart from being of Spanish and African decent. However, the article contained a bit of trivia that caught my eye — the choice was inspired by Donald Glover’s #donald4spiderman twitter campaign. While he didn’t land the role in the upcoming reboot, Donald managed to catch author Brian Bendis’ attention. After seeing Glover wearing the costume during an episode of Community, he immediately thought “I’d like to read that book.” Awesome, right? I’m a huge fan of Glover, so I’m curious as to what he thinks about it all. For those who care, Parker can still be found alive and well in the latest issues of Amazing Spider-Man. Miles will have his official debut in Ultimate Fallout #4 which hits stores tomorrow, August 3rd.
As any fanboy can tell you, it’s always fun to speculate about the future of our favorite franchises. Today, I’ve decided to take a look at Marvel’s — specifically The Avengers. I’m sure some of you are probably wondering why I’d even bother when they haven’t even released the first film. That’s true, they haven’t. On the other hand, Marvel’s shown that they often plan their films well in advance. This is fairly evident when you look at 2008’s Iron Man, and The Incredible Hulk. Obviously we wouldn’t be able to nail down a plot for the film — that much will remain up in the air. Instead I wonder if we’ll be seeing any cameos from the Marvel’s universe. With an estimated budget of $150,000,000, there’s a chance we’ll get one. Here’s a quick list of candidates we’d like to see.
Marvel’s film universe is working out pretty well for them, with all of the Avengers setup films released and the team-up flick ready to go for 2012, but Marvel’s not getting complacent. They’re ready to go after another media format: television! Marvel Television head Jeph Loeb confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con that four live-action shows are currently in development: The Hulk, AKA Jessica Jones (otherwise known as Alias), Cloak & Dagger, and Mockingbird. Imprint fans will be happy to know that Luke Cage and Carol Danvers will indeed be making appearances in AKA Jessica Jones. But wait! There’s more! There’s also new Marvel animation hitting the small screen, like Ultimate Spider-Man, an animated version of Joss Whedon’s well-received run on Astonishing X-Men, and a Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H series. That last one will have pretty much every Hulk permutation imaginable, from Red Hulk to She-Hulk, all on the same team. Whole lotta smashin’ goin’ on. Read more…
These Star Wars hoodies look cool by themselves, but every image I’ve seen of someone wearing one has them looking like a Japanese Sentai hero, or a Mexican Luchador. I really can’t decide if I want one or not. On some level, looking like a Sentai might be awesome, but you’d also look like the least intimidating thief to ever step in a 7-Eleven. If it’s looking like a superhero we’re worried about, we may as well pick up one of these officially licensed Marvel hoodies instead. Sure, they don’t provide a makeshift helmet, but at least they look silk enough to wear out on a regular basis — the Spider-Man ones do, any way. If you’re looking to pick one up yourself, each of these hoodies will run you $49.99 via ThinkGeek.
With all the exciting announcements from this week’s E3 press conferences, it’s nice to finally be able to take a break from gaming news. Thankfully, Paramount has released it’s latest TV spot for the upcoming film Captain America: The First Avenger. Like the other trailers, this TV spot features quite a bit of action shots, and includes a brief confrontation between Steve Rodgers and Red Skull. The film looks fantastic, but I’m not sure if it’ll be able to top X-Men Origins or Thor in terms of box office performance. Then again, I should note that both of those films were better than I expected going in. Anyone else looking forward to it?
With the upcoming release of Captain America: The First Avenger, I felt we should take a moment to reflect on the Captain’s previous bid for box office gold — probably because it wasn’t much of a box office bid in the first place. Few of you probably remember 1990’s Captain America, seeing as it it never receieved a domestic theatrical release. those of you who have seen it probably were unlucky enough to stumble across a copy at your local Blockbuster — you know, those places people used to go to rent films.
Last week, fellow fanboy Mike Sacco posted the X-Men: First Class trailer that premiered on the film’s official facebook. Like most of you, I was pretty excited about the new direction the series will be taking with this prequel of sorts. The trailer itself did a great job of selling us on the premise — the young Charles Xavier befriends Erik Lensherr and forms the original X-Men, amidst what we came to know as the cold war. Recently, IGN broke down the trailer piece by piece to show us all the little easter eggs we missed the first time around, and if you’re big on Marvel lore, or some hints about the plot, you’ll want to give it a watch. Read more…
I know a lot of you are probably excited for X-Men First Class due out in theaters later this year. For those of you who haven’t heard much about the project, the film covers the beginning of the X-Men saga, when Magneto and Charles Xavier first learn of their powers, working together in an effort to better life for mutant-kind. No doubt the story leads up to the formation of the original X-Men we’ve come to know and love. So far, the official facebook page only has this teaser logo, but according to the guys over at Collider, we can expect a trailer to be posted on the facebook page sometime tomorrow — so keep your eyes peeled. Read more…
Of all the ads that were broadcast during this year’s Superbowl, only two of them had me drooling with anticipation. Marvel debuted not one, but two trailers for their upcoming blockbusters. First there was the latest trailer for Thor, and while we’ve seen a bit of that footage dating back to San Diego Comic Con, there was some new content mixed in. As for Captain America, I believe this is the first public trailer to be shown any where, and it looks pretty interesting. We even get a glimpse of Red Skull, which gave me goosebumps. Check out the trailers below, though I’m not sure how long they’ll be up.
Following the success of their earlier bishoujo figures, Kotobukiya went ahead and expanded their bishoujo line to include figures from both the Marvel and DC universes. The figures, modeled after designs by popular artist Shunya Yamashita, have been selling out at various comic conventions over the past few years. This year, they’ve announced two brand new bishoujo figures. From the DC universe, they’ve brought us Supergirl, and for Marvel they’re introducing the Invisible Woman, Susan Richards. I have quite the collection going, but if they keep releasing these, I’ll never be able to keep up. The figures retail for around $65 each, and will likely be available by the time New York Toy Fair rolls around later this year. No word on if either will have a con exclusive.
