Category Archives: Spider-Man
The Spider-Man/Marvel Movie Deal is Finally Happening!
Apparently this news hit super late last night, after I’d already gone to bed. So believe me when I say this is a good start to my day! Marvel Studios and SONY Entertainment have finally reached an official deal for Spider-Man to start appearing in Marvel movies, and for the Marvel production team to help SONY make their next Spidey flick.
A good day indeed
What this means is that Spider-Man is going to appear in Captain America: Civil War, and then possibly future Marvel movies. And when SONY releases their next solo Spider-Man film in 2017, Marvel’s producers are going to have a hand in it, and it will also tie into the larger cinematic universe. They’re going to find a new actor to play Spider-Man, and this pushes a few of Marvel’s other movies back to later release dates.
You can read the full press release here.
Personally, I think this is cool news, but hardly necessary. The Marvel Cinematic Universe was getting along just fine without Spider-Man, and has a lot of big, exciting movies planned. As much fun as a Spider-Man cameo in Civil War is going to be, I wouldn’t want him overshadowing their plans for Black Panther in that film. And I am far far more interested in the Ant-Man, Black Panther, Dr. Strange and Captain Marvel movies than I am about yet another solo Spidey movie (even though I loved both Amazing Spider-Man films).
Plus I’m perfectly happy with Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man, I thought he was great in the role. I would prefer Marvel and SONY just conscript the two Amazing Spider-Man films into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and go from there. Those films definitely fit the Marvel aesthetic. And Garfield could hold his own against Robert Downey Jr. and the others. My only request is that Marvel convince SONY to drop that ‘secret dad’ subplot that the Amazing films were obsessed with.
Who wants a new origin story?
So what do you henchies think? Is this good, bad or are you indifferent? Sound off in the comments!
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The Universe Hates Me
I come to you today in sorrow and rage, dear readers. Once I was a man who believed in fairness and joy, who believed that the universe was here to help us all in our times of need. I had always treated the universe well. I respected its awesome power – but it has betrayed me. It has played a cruel trick on my heart, casting aside my love and respect, and replacing it with an icy blackness that tears at my very soul. The universe has hurt me. It has hurt me deep.
You may recall my overwhelming joy last Summer when I learned that one of my all-time favorite comic book characters, Phil Urich, was going to get an action figure. Phil Urich was my Peter Parker. He was the affable young superhero whose Green Goblin series brought me into comics in the 90s. And for the first and probably last time ever, Phil was going to get an action figure in his Hobgoblin persona. He’s such an obscure, minor character that never in my wildest dreams did I think he’d ever get any sort of action figure.
Do you remember, dear readers? Do you remember that moment when the universe shined its light upon me and gave me a gift as pure as the fallen snow?
For never has there been something so beautiful
That moment was lies and deceit, dear readers. That moment is gone now. Only sorrow remains.
For you see, I was perusing the Internet the other day when I stumbled upon this post at i09, which linked to this person’s photobucket account. It seems the Hobgoblin action figure is going to be up for sale soon, and some people have already gotten their copy.
But here’s the thing…Hobgoblin is a build-a-figure.
What’s that, you may ask? What could that possibly mean? It’s simple, really. Instead of simply buying a Hobgoblin action figure off the shelf, like a rational human being, the Hobgoblin figure has been dissected, and the pieces have been scattered into different packages. There are 6 figures in this line of toys, and a piece of Hobgoblin has been placed into each one. This means I have to buy all 6 figures in order to then assemble Hobgoblin.
Though I do like that Ultimate Spider-Woman
Do you see the travesty in this, dear readers? Do you see it?! In order to get the one action figure I want, I now have to buy SIX action figures! That’s going to cost $60-$70 instead of the simple $10 of a single action figure! Sixty-freakin’-dollars! What do they think I’m made of, money? Because it sure ain’t money!
And on top of that, I’ve got to somehow find all six action figures! Do you realize how hard that might be? Action figures like this are a specialty item these days. You can’t find every figure in every store, sometimes there are store exclusives, or they’re sold out of all the cool ones!
What are we to do, my friends? What hope do we have in this life against such a cruel and twisted universe?
This is why we can’t have nice things.
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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 1/24/15
Time to ease off the massive reviews, finally! We’ve just got a few comics this week – or at least the few comics I was in the mood to buy and read – and they’re all Batman and Spider-Man comics! How cool is that? Those two are arguably my two favorite mainstream superheroes, so this is kind of a big deal.
Comic Book of the Week goes to Amazing Spider-Man #13 for another entertaining chapter of Spider-Verse, though it’s not necessarily a spectacular standout. This is still just a Big Event I enjoy reading.
I’ve missed you, Superior Spider-Man!
We’ve also got the Spider-Verse tie-in that is Scarlet Spiders, as well as new issues of Batman Eternal and Batman and Robin. In fact, I didn’t hate this week’s Batman Eternal for once! I would say this is a solidly cool week.
Comic Reviews: Amazing Spider-Man #13, Batman and Robin #38, Batman Eternal #42 and Scarlet Spiders #3.
Marvel Universe To..Do Something, Possibly End
Marvel revealed the details of their upcoming Secret Wars event today, simultaneously kind of announcing the end of the Marvel Universe. I guess it all depends on what you want to read into Marvel’s marketing dialogue. Personally, I’m in a wait and see kind of mood, but the rest of the comic book Internet media is pretty convinced this is a reboot and will mark the end of the Marvel Universe as we know it. Those are definitely some major headlines.
What we know is that Secret Wars will see a clash between the regular 616 Marvel Universe, the Ultimate Universe and a bunch of other alternate realities. They will combine into Battleworld, and will mostly likely get into a bunch of fights with each other, this being Secret Wars, after all.
Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso said, “Once we hit Secret Wars #1, there is no Marvel Universe, Ultimate Universe, or any other. It’s all Battleworld.”
Beta Ray Bill had better survive
Alonso and company went on to say that at the end of Secret Wars, we’ll have a new, re-shaped Marvel Universe. I guess the idea is that the 616 Universe, the Ultimate Universe, and bits and pieces of the other alternate universes will all combine into a new, singular universe that will be christened All-New Marvel.
Is it a reboot? We don’t know yet. Marvel were quick to point out that all of the characters’ histories remain in tact. Secret Wars is a story moving forward, so everything we already know happened, then Secret Wars happened, then things changed into All-New Marvel. Secret Wars isn’t going to wipe out or rewrite the past, just the future. That sounds like a weak Band-Aid to me, but it’s the sort of Band-Aid a company like Marvel is going to try and use to appease fans. Personally, I’ve grown past the point of getting freaked out over every little change. I’m more interested in the basic idea that Marvel keeps putting out quality comics.
Which means I’m just going to wait and see what Marvel produces in the Fall. Will it be a blank slate reboot? Maybe. Or will it be business as usual, but with a few random characters crammed in, like Miles Morales in 616? Maybe that too.
Something has to happen to him…
I’m more excited than anything else. Marvel is putting out great comics these days, and there’s no reason why my favorite books, like Ms. Marvel or Silver Surfer, can’t just continue in this All-New Marvel. So until the company announces a weak-ass New 52-style destruction of all my favorite comics, I’m just going to coast along and hope for the best. There’s probably very little that will ever get me to stop reading comics.
But I will take it personally if they put the New 52 whammy on Kamala Khan!
What do you henchies think? Are we going to get a full reboot? Is this Marvel’s secret way of making their comic universe more like the movie universe? Are you going to stop reading Marvel forever? Let us know in the comments!
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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 1/10/15
Prepare for some reading, my friends. We’ve got a very interesting stack of comics this week, and I was apparently in a wordy mood. I wrote a little more in depth than usual, especially for the first issue of the new Ant-Man series. What can I say? After that great first trailer, and all the other neat Ant-Man stuff coming out this week, I was really in the mood to dive in.
Ant-Man #1 captures Comic Book of the Week for its funny, heartfelt introduction. It’s clear from this first issue that Marvel really wants to do right by Ant-Man ahead of his movie. This isn’t just a cheap movie tie-in, this is a legitimately interesting comic.
Stiff competition came in the form of the first issue of The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1, one of the funniest comics I’ve read in a long time. I’ve included some choice moments in my review. We’ve also got a new Amazing Spider-Man, the second issue of Angela: Asgard’s Assassin, and another crummy Batman Eternal.
You can also check out my review of Peggy Carter’s new Operation S.I.N. #1 over at Word of the Nerd. Much like the Agent Carter TV show, the comic is quite entertaining.
Comic Reviews: Amazing Spider-Man #12, Angela: Asgard’s Assassin #2, Ant-Man #1, Batman Eternal #40 and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1.
Henchman-4-Hire 