Category Archives: Spider-Man
6 Super-Villains That I Want to See On the Big Screen
The best superhero movies are also the ones with the best villains. Would Spider-Man 2 have been so great had Doctor Octopus not been such a sympathetic and tragic character? All four X-Men movies have given Magneto a starring role, and for good reason. And the late Heath Ledger redefined the Joker with his incredible, Oscar-winning performance. The superheroes may be the stars of the flick, but a great super-villain can easily steal the show!
The only super-villain recognized by the Academy
There have been some fantastic super-villains on the big screen. From General Zod’s immortal demand that Superman “KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!” in Superman 2, to the gregarious Loki pulling double-duty as the villain in both Thor and The Avengers. But being the notorious comic book geek that I am, I know of many classic and fantastic super-villains who have yet to see any motion picture love. So here is my list of 6 super-villains who have never appeared in feature films before, but definitely should!
Review: Scarlet Spider #3
Scarlet Spider continues to make me happy. I was worried about a third issue slump of some kind, but I’m pleased to say it did not happen. The quick introduction is over, and Scarlet Spider does not disappointed now that we’re into the meat of the series. It looks like it will stand on its own two legs now. After this issue, I have a lot more faith in writer Christopher Yost to give us a great series.
Scarlet Spider #3
It helps that Scarlet Spider is pretty damn badass in this issue.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
Oddly though, he still doesn’t have his ‘name’. Nobody calls him Scarlet Spider, especially not himself. That’s not a problem, just a little weird. But then ‘Scarlet Spider’ is definitely a more marketable comic book title than ‘Kaine’. Yost has a lot of fun building up the supporting cast this issue, and giving Kaine a new sort of spin on being a superhero – he’s not hiding his identity. All the friends he’s made so far know where he lives, know his name and know that he’s the Scarlet Spider. It’s kind of neat, actually, and used to great effect.
How exciting is it that the Scarlet Spider comic book is actually really good?
Review: Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #8
Sara Pichelli is back and ain’t life grand! This is it folks, the first perfect grade Ultimate Spider-Man comic since I started reviewing the Miles Morales saga. This issue has everything! Some serious drama for Miles, a fun and funny fight with a super-villain, growing storylines, fantastic art and a random visit with Aunt May and Gwen Stacy! Even the cliffhanger is kind of exciting, even though it’s almost identical to last issue’s cliffhanger.
Ultimate Spider-Man #8
Still, this book is riding high on a plateau of pure awesome!
Comic rating: 5/5: Great!
Last issue’s cliffhanger with the sudden appearance of Uncle Aaron at Miles’ school does not disappoint, and writer Brian Michael Bendis gives us a wonderfully wicked wrinkle in Miles’ new life as a superhero. Not only does Uncle Aaron threaten Spider-Man, but he provides a double whammy with the possibility of shattering Miles’ personal life as well. These are serious stakes facing our hero, which are long overdue in this series. As I said in my last review, so far Miles has mostly just had a few easy fights with a couple of lame super-villains. Kangaroo? Omega Red? Please. Well now the Prowler is going to prove to be a real thorn in our hero’s side.
But that’s just one part of this stellar issue. Miles’ may have a lot on his mind when it comes to Uncle Aaron, but the whole rest of the world seems to be conspiring against him too. Bendis is playing quite the game of chess with this comic. Spoilers and synopsis after the jump!
New, Slightly Lame, Clip from Upcoming Ultimate Spidey Cartoon
I haven’t written really anything about the upcoming Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon, but not for any particular reason. I just haven’t gotten around to it. Well clips have started sprinkling up on the web, and I thought I’d share this one. It…I dunno, it feels kind of off-putting for some reason.
I recently watched both seasons of Spectacular Spider-Man, the latest Spidey cartoon. It was a good, solid Spider-Man show. I don’t know what to make of this new cartoon quite yet.
Though I’m not too keen on the idea that Spider-Man is basically going to be attending SHIELD’s superhero school, alongside Luke Cage, Nova, White Tiger and Iron Fist…mostly because I don’t particularly care about any of those characters.
Anyway, I’ll try to write more about this series another day. Also, check out more clips here.
The Slingers Reunion 12 Years in the Making!
One of my favorite comic books of all time was Slingers from 1998-1999, about a team of four college students trying and failing to be superheroes. It was a cute little series, but it didn’t have the traction to make it past 12 issues. That sucker got cancelled!
Maybe if they were called Wolverine & the Slingers...
But since comic book characters never truly disappear, the four heroes have lived on in the Marvel Universe, popping up from time to time in various roles and stories. Usually in the background, rarely in any important capacity. As a fan, it’s basically just been a game of hide and seek over the past decade trying to spot all the appearances. Usually they only appear individually, never as a team.
That is until Avengers Academy #26 this week, when two of the Slingers finally came face-to-face for the first time since their series was cancelled all those years ago! Writer Christos Gage clearly did his research on the characters to add a personal touch to the encounter, so for a Slingers fan like myself, it was a giddy little thrill – emphasis on ‘little’. This is a tiny, minuscule moment. They barely appear on the same page together.
But in a pair of talking heads, Gage has them confront one another, seeing as how they’re on two different sides of the current Avengers Academy conflict. Ricochet is with the Academy, Prodigy is with the other guys.
This is the moment, more than a decade in the making!
For a Slingers fan like myself, that’s quite the fun little tidbit.
But does that make any sense to anybody else? There’s a lot of continuity squeezed into that little confrontation. Follow me after the jump for a fun history lesson on one of my favorite comic books of all time!
Henchman-4-Hire 