A Darker Spider-Man
April 15, 2007 | 2 Comments
I am certain that putting Spider-Man back in the black suit was primarily a marketing ply to bring him inline visually with the new Spider-Man 3 film coming out this summer. It can’t help but sell comics if the book on the newsstand looks just like the character on the big screen.
However, I have been pleasantly surprised by how they are playing out this change in the books. First of all, in the wake of Civil War, Aunt May was shot by a sniper hired by the Kingpin. All evidence indicates this bullet will be lethal, but for now she hangs on, in a coma, sustained by life support. He vows to avenge her by all necessary means. In fact, as you can see in the image on the left, he intends to find who is responsible and he “is going to kill them”.
Additionally, Peter Parker decides not to take the pardon offered by new director of S.H.I.E.L.D, Tony Stark/Iron Man. This leaves him as a criminal fugitive in defiance of the Superhero Registration Act. As part of this he remains a member of the New Avengers who are now made up entirely of heroes in a similar situation. Now led by Luke Cage, the New Avengers are made up of Wolverine (Logan), Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew), Iron Fist (Danny Rand), Ronin (unknown), Echo (Maya Lopez; formerly Ronin), and the surprise addition of Doctor Stephen Strange. This is a group who are known far more for street level crime fighting as opposed to global/galactic/cosmic level events. They start right out fighting Elektra and The Hand, but Spider-Man is here to fight the Kingpin’s crew.
This newly formed team is certainly darker, with a much more aggressive take on crime fighting. The US government considers all of them criminals and this combined with their plans, means they will be taking out their aggressions in potentially lethal ways. I would not want to be a street thug in the Marvel Universe with these guys out for vengeance. The image below shows that they are not implying this, but stating it outright.
Al of this leaves us with a Spider-Man who has turned to much darker tactics. His life has taken a dark turn. So… using the black costume as a symbol of his new stance both to fans reading the book and to criminals he will encounter in the Marvel Universe is a nice and accurate touch. Again, the marketing aspect of this change had me a bit hesitant about their decision to make this change, but I’m loving the story lines that are emerging.
Tags: "black suit", "Spider-Man 3", aunt may, avengers, danny rand, dark, doctor strange, echo, elektra, iron fist, iron man, jessica drew, lethal, logan, luke cage, marvel, marvel universe, maya lopez, new avengers, power man, Ronin, shield, spider-man, spider-woman, stephen strange, the hand, tony stark, vengeance, Wolverine
Spider-Man 3: NBC.com Exclusive HD Preview
March 6, 2007 | 2 Comments
If you don’t like to know much about upcoming movies and truly appreciate the surprise and enjoyment of seeing things for the first time in the theater, stop reading now.
NBC.com is running an exclusive HD preview of Spider-Man 3. The catch is that it will only be online until 12AM tonight! (Of course then you’ll just have to look for it on YouTube or Google video…) This is more of a clip, or full scene than a preview. It is a full 7m 31s long clip that shows three major scenes and then ends with a few short clips in preview style.
First it starts with Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson hanging out in a web expressing their love for each other. This then cuts to a scene with Peter telling Aunt May his intentions to ask MJ to marry him. Aunt May tells a touching story of how here and Ben met, as well as the fact that they would have been married 50 years if he had not been killed. She then gives Peter her engagement ring to give MJ.
This then cuts to Peter on his scooter where he is attacked by the new Green Goblin. After throwing him around quite a bit, the Goblin removes his mask, revealing Harry Osborn, and tells Peter he is going to kill him. Peter argues that he did not kill Harry’s father Norman and the chase begins.
This fight continues for a majority of the preview. The fight is particularly brutal. At one point Peter nearly loses Aunt May’s ring, but is able to fight off Harry long enough to get it back. At this point Harry starts pulling out some of his special goblin weapons.
Peter is able to use them back against him and catches Harry off guard. He finally gets enough distance between himself and Harry to setup a clothesline of webbing to surprise and takedown Harry.
We then see Harry fall four or five stories onto the pavement where he is seen unconscious. Peter rushes too him and begins CPR. We are left wondering if Harry is in fact alive. Having seen other clips in other trailers, Harry does end up in a hospital, so this must mean he survived.
This is where the “scene” portion of the preview ends. We then see the text “and the story continues…” Then it transitions into a series of clips from the movie. The most significant being of Sandman and Venom. I really love how they show Sandman as able to become huge in this clip.
Finally we are treated to our first clear, high quality shot of Venom. Sadly, it is the same shot we have seen blurry in previous leaked and official trailers.
I continue to be excited about this movie, but I am starting to think they are showing us too much. If this is the entirety of the Goblin vs Spider-Man action in this film, I will be a little let down that it was shown so completely to us. As much as I enjoyed this, I do appreciate secrecy and surprises in the theater.
Tags: "black suit", "Spider-Man 3", aunt may, ben parker, engagement, film, goblin, Green Goblin, harry osborn, mary jane, mary jane watson, mj, movie, nbc, nbc.com, peter parker, preview, ring, Sandman, sony, spider-man, spiderman, spiderman 3, theater, trailer, venom
Spider-Man 3: The Video Game Trailer
February 28, 2007 | 2 Comments
With both Spider-Man 2 and Ultimate Spider-Man video games, Activision put together possibly the greatest product tie-in video games. IGN gave these scores of 8.8 and 8.4 respectively, which says a lot (scores from GameCube versions).
The development team is claiming that they have improved on the previous games with a larger, more detailed map of Manhattan as well as the ability to go underground in the sewers and subway systems. In previous games, they left things wide open for you to swing and explore the city, taking on thugs and side missions as you so desired. In this game they have enhanced this piece immensely, causing alternate story lines to spawn based on your actions as well as setting up competing city gangs who need to be kept under control.
Of course all the villains from the movie will be included, we can expect Venom, Goblin, and Sandman. They also promise to bring in a few other Spider-Man bad guys who aren’t in the movie, just to keep things interesting.
The trailer above leaves me with very high hopes for this game. More than anything, I hope they can find a good way of harnessing the Nintendo Wii controller for even more engaging game play.
But, hey who am I kidding, let me swing around New York city as Spider-Man and there really doesn’t need to be much more of a point in the game than that…
Tags: "black suit", activision, city, comic, comics, gamecube, manhattan, new york, Nintendo, peter parker, spider-man, spiderman, venom, video game, wii
Marvel Civil War Concludes
February 25, 2007 | 3 Comments
Civil War concluded this week after 116 issues of lead-in and direct tie-ins. This has been a monumentally large event in the Marvel Universe. Many have criticized it for it’s delays or for it’s political allegory. I however think this was one of the most brilliantly engaging comic series ever. Even more significant will be the impact it will have for years to come.
From here on will be spoiler filled.
The series concludes with a huge fight amongst the two sides. The resistance is winning, Captain America is about to take out Iron Man when a group of civilians (firefighters, EMS, police) tackle him. As he looks around him, he realizes how much the fight has cost the people they should be fighting to protect. To prevent more bloodshed, he orders his team to stop fighting and surrenders.
Anyone who fought is offered a pardon. Some take the opportunity to register. A few leave for Canada to form a new Omega Flight. Others decide to remain underground as the new lineup for the New Avengers.
Here is a list of the major milestones from the series:
- Nitro kills 600 people and all of the New Warriors except Robbie Baldwin (Speedball) in Stamford, CT
- Superhuman Registration Act is enacted
- Spider-Man’s identity revealed as Peter Parker
- “Thor” returns, he’s actually a clone/cyborg creation
- Goliath/Bill Foster is killed
- The Thunderbolts get a new roster (including Green Goblin, Bullseye, Venom, and Penance)
- Negative Zone Prison is created
- Robbie Baldwin (Speedball) becomes Penance
- Reed Richards (Mr Fantastic) and Sue Storm (Invisible Woman) separate temporarily, their marriage rocked
- Captain Marvel returns, from the past
- Captain America surrenders and goes to prison
- Tony Stark (Iron Man) is appointed director of S.H.I.E.L.D, Maria Hill is demoted
- The 50-state Initiative begins; placing a sanctioned super-hero team in every state
- May Parker is shot; (Peter Parker’s aunt)
- Spider-Man ditches the Iron Spidey Suit, returns to the Red and Blue as he switches sides. At the conclusion he regresses further into the Black Suit
- New Avengers get a new roster (Sentry, Iron Man, Captain America leave. Doctor Strange, Iron Fist, and a new Ronin join)
- Mighty Avengers are formed
The next big thing to watch in the Civil War aftermath will be following The Initiative. There are around 63 issues in this crossover event. It will primarily highlight how the Initiative is being created, run, and what these new superhero teams will have to face. I am looking forward to this continuation.
Tags: "black suit", bill foster, civil war, goliath, mark millar, may parker, mighty avengers, mr fantastic, negative zone prison, new warriors, penance, peter parker, Reed richards, shield, spiderman, stamford, sue storm invisible woman, thor, thunderbolts
Spider-Man Pewter Chess Set
August 14, 2006 | 6 Comments
SOTA Toys is releasing a $499 pewter Spider-Man themed chess set this August. I have to admit, the geek in me was intrigued… at first.
I really like the board itself. It’s themed like a rooftop in fairly ornate detail. This includes a non-flat surface creating a much more three dimensional and real experience. I was surprised to have not seen this idea sooner, it’s just brilliant.
The cast for pieces is good, at least on first glance:
Heroes
King: Spider-man (red & blue)
Queen: Symbiote Spider-man (black)
Knight: Punisher
Knight: Moon Knight
Bishop: Daredevil
Bishop: Black Cat
Rook: Cloak & Dagger
Rook: Blade
Pawn: Spider Tracer
Villains
King: Green Goblin
Queen: Doctor Octopus
Knight: Scorpion
Knight: Sandman
Bishop: Electro
Bishop: Lizard
Rook: Venom
Rook: Rhino
Pawn: Spider Slayer
This list is where I became frustrated. To begin with, why have both red & blue suit and black suit Spider-Man? What a terrible cop out. Let’s instead put Black Cat in that spot. Hell, if Spider-Man wasn’t also Peter Parker Black Cat would still be attached to Spidey. Alright, don’t like Black Cat? How about Spider-Girl? Or one of the three Spider-Woman characters? Surely any of these would be better. I’ve got no love for the clone-saga, but frankly I’d take Scarlet Spider over two Spider-Man’s on the chess board…
Next, what’s with Moon Knight?!? I suppose they fought alongside each other occasionally, but I’d much rather see Human Torch, Silver Sable, or even Firestar in this lineup. Cloak and Dagger seemed strange at first, until I realized they first appeared in a Spider-Man comic, leading me to accept them far more readily. The rest of the heroes are good choices.
On to the villains… this is a tough one. Spider-Man has one of the deepest rogue galleries of any super hero I’ve ever encountered. The ones chosen here are a solid list. At first I really wanted a female in the “Queen” slot, but as I poked around in my head, I couldn’t come up with an A-list (or even B-list) female villain for Spidey. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not free of complaint when it comes to the villain list…
First off, we have Blade on the good side, but no Morbius on the bad? Who did Blade show up to fight? The dude kills vampires exclusively!
This lack of match-up has me concerned for Daredevil, Punisher, Black Cat, Cloak and Dagger, and Moon Knight. These guys all fight organized crime. That’s their shared niche and where Spidey teams up with this crew. Where are the major crime villains? Where’s Kingpin? Tombstone? Hammerhead? The Enforcers?
As I said before, there are a lot of villains, so I can understand them leaving some out. What I don’t get is why, knowing this, they would decide to make all the pawns the same? One or two unique spider-slayers is tolerable, but why not pull some other thugs up as pawns when you got all these other big names to choose from: Beetle, Chameleon, Carnage, Shocker, Hydro Man, Mysterio, Morbius, Man Wolf, Kraven the Hunter, Vulture, or Hobgoblin?
Back on the hero side, I’d love to see them use regular people, friends, and family as pawns instead of the lame spider tracers. For instance, take your pick from these: Mary Jane, J Jonah Jameson, Aunt May, Gwen Stacy, Betty Brant, Flash Thompson, Robbie Robertson, or Harry Osborn. Wouldn’t that be a lot more fun? Imagine having to sacrifice Gwen Stacy to take down the Green Goblin. It just begs to be setup this way!
In conclusion, with the stiff $499 price tag, they could have, should have, gone the extra mile to make this chess set irresistible to all fans. At this price they need to do something, their target market will all have similar complaints to mine… Save your money or buy more comics.
Tags: "black suit", aunt may, Beetle, Betty Brant, black cat, blade, Carnage, Chameleon, chess, cloak, Cloak and Dagger, dagger, daredevil, doc ock, Doctor Octopus, electro, enforcers, firestar, flash thompson, game, goblin, Green Goblin, gwen stacy, hammerhead, harry osborn, hero, heroes, hobgoblin, human torch, Hydro Man, j jonah jameson, kingpin, Kraven the Hunter, lizard, Man Wolf, mary jane, moon knight, Morbius, Mysterio, organized crime, osborn, pewter, prowler, punisher, rhino, Robbie Robertson, Sandman, scarlet spider, Scorpion, Shocker, silver sable, spider slayer, spider tracer, spider-girl, spider-man, spider-woman, spiderman, spidey, the enforcers, tombstone, vampire, vampires, venom, villain, villains, Vulture
Spider-Man 3: Venom First Look
July 23, 2006 | 51 Comments
Here it is, the first image of Venom from the upcoming Spider-Man 3. It was released as a wallpaper on the official site. There is also another great wallpaper of Peter ripping open his shirt to reveal the black suit underneath.
The Venom shot is clearly Eddie Brock (Topher Grace) and not Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire). This image also shows him with really sharp teeth as we would expect Venom to be. In the background it appears the setting is a church. I would assume this scene is occurring just after Peter fights off the symbiote as shown in the trailer.
On another quick note, I’m very excited about the Spider-Man 3 movie blog they have created. Hopefully it is used well for intimate looks behind the scenes or direct communication with actors, directors, etc.
Tags: "black suit", "Spider-Man 3", eddie brock, image, peter parker, pic, spider-man, spiderman, symbiote, Topher Grace, trailer, venom, wallpaper
Second Spider-Man 3 Movie Teaser Poster
July 14, 2006 | 15 Comments
Above is the second Spider-Man 3 movie teaser poster. In many ways I think this new poster is cooler than the first, though not as surprising. I like the way the black seems to be invading from both sides, crowding out the red suit. This invasive nature is true to the original symbiote and I would venture to guess we’ll see the suit bring out a meaner streak in Peter Parker in this film. It certainly looked that way in a detailed look at the trailer.
Once again a small bit of information and detail about the film has me excited to see how it all plays out on May 5, 2007.
Tags: “black suit”, "Spider-Man 3", "Tobey Maguire", Bryce Dallas Howard, comic, comic book,"black suit", comic books, comics, Fun Whatnot, marvel, movie, movies, peter parker, spider-man, spiderman, Toby Maguire