Author Archives: Brett

Sneak Peek – Marvel Universe Spider-Man

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Official Press Release

Marvel® Universe: Spider-Man™

MVL Spider-Man Packaging

When he was 14 years old, Peter Parker was bitten by a spider that had been irradiated in a nuclear experiment. Something in the spider’s venom changed him, over night, from the nerdy kid he’d been to something else entirely. Given incredible strength, speed and stamina, he reveled in his power. The tragic death of his uncle threw Peter’s good fortune into fierce perspective, giving him direction. From that day on, he vowed to battle evil wherever he could find it as The Amazing Spider-Man.

Detailed with defined “muscles”, pose this Spider-Man action figure in a battle-ready pose with his “spinning” web accessory aimed at the enemy! Fully articulated, he’s ready to make a stand in your collection.

Action figure comes with a “spinning” web accessory and a S.H.I.E.L.D. file with a secret code.

SUMMARY:
Articulated action hero figure comes with a “spinning” web accessory. Figure comes with a S.H.I.E.L.D. file with secret code! Ages 4 and up.

MARVEL and all related character names and the distinctive likenesses thereof: TM & © 2008 Marvel Characters, B.V. All rights reserved. This action figure is produced under license from Marvel Characters, B.V. Marvel, Spider-Man: TM & © 2008 Marvel Characters, B.V. All rights reserved.
®* and/or ™* & © 2008 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

Sneak Peek: Marvel Universe Comic Packs: Dark Wolverine and Dark Spider-Man

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Marvel® Universe Comic Packs: Dark Wolverine™ and Dark Spider-Man®

MVL Secret Wars #4 MVL Secret Wars Dark S-M and WolverineMVL Secret Wars #4 Dark S-M and Wolverine PackagingDeep beneath Thunderbolts Mountain, the monstrous Venom™ is changed into a virtual copy of the hero Spider-Man by the evil genius of Norman Osborn. Elsewhere, the rage-filled son of Wolverine is recruited to replace his father. Both men become members of Osborn’s Dark Avengers™, a group of criminals masquerading as the heroes whose names they’ve stolen.

Get in on fast-paced action and excitement as you stage battles with your Dark Wolverine and Dark Spider-Man action figures! Recreate your favorite scenes from the included comic book or create your own super-powered showdowns. With these mighty articulated action figures, the fate of the world is in your hands!

Includes Dark Avengers #1 comic book.

SUMMARY:
Vividly colored comic pack includes Dark Avengers #1 comic book and Dark Wolverine and Dark Spider-Man action figures. Ages 4 and up.

MARVEL, all related character names and the distinctive likenesses thereof: TM & © 2009 Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Licensed by Marvel Characters B.V. All rights reserved.
®* and/or ™* & © 2009 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

Friday Fun – The NAACP Does Comics

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There’s not a whole lot as far as history when it comes to Your Future Rests, a comic book produced by the NAACP in 1964.  It’s goal was to get people engaged politically.  It stresses voting and civic engagement to improve education, living standards and employment.

You can read the full comic at http://www.ep.tc/problems/34/index.html.

Thanks for http://www.ep.tc/ and it’s amazing collection of these fantastic nuggets of history.

Sneak Peek – Marvel Universe Skrull Soldier

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Marvel® Universe Skrull Soldier™

MVL Skrull SoldierMVL Skrull Soldier Packaging

Though the Skrull Empire had vast resources and powerful technology, the backbone of its all-conquering armies was made of these humble soldiers. Each one was trained to use his shape-shifting abilities to create confusion among their enemies, making them vulnerable to the surprise attacks and sabotage that were the Skrull Empire’s signature. For a thousand years, these soldiers were what allowed the empire to bring an entire galaxy to its knees.

Intricately detailed down to the last muscle, this articulated Skrull Solider action figure is ready to fight! Send him into combat with his weapon accessories to fight for the fate of the world or leave him posed for action on his stand as a warning against evil-doers everywhere. The battle is just beginning and the power is in your palm of your hands!

Figure comes with weapon accessories and a classified file with a secret code.

WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD – Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.

SUMMARY:
Articulated action figure comes with weapon accessories and a stand for display after you’re done enacting all of your fiercest good-versus-evil battles! Figure comes with a classified file with a secret code. WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD – Small parts. Not for children under 3 years. Ages 4 and up.

MARVEL, all related characters: TM & © 2009 Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Licensed by Marvel Characters B.V. All rights reserved.
®* and/or ™* & © 2009 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

Sneak Peek – Iron Man 2 Iron Assault Truck

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Iron Man 2™ Iron Assault Truck

MVL Iron Assault TruckMVL Iron Assault Truck PackagingWhen Iron Man needs secure, powerful ground transport, this is the vehicle he turns to. Equipped with the latest in electronic countermeasures, it is all but invisible to enemy radar. Protected by high-tech defenses, this truck slips into enemy territory unnoticed, and uses its devastating missile attack to destroy the bad guys’ base!

When your Iron Man figure has the need for speed and power, this Iron Assault Truck vehicle is the perfect choice! Flip open the cockpit to set your Iron Man figure at “the wheel”. No matter what enemies he has to take on, your “metal-clad” warrior’s vehicle is sure to chase them down in no time. And when it does, slide the switch to fire the four missile accessories. For ground battle, this tough truck can’t be beat!

Vehicle comes with Iron Man figure and 4 launching missile accessories.

SUMMARY:
Battle-ready vehicle with a cockpit that flips open has four firing missile accessories for even the toughest conflicts! Vehicle comes with Iron Man figure and 4 launching missile accessories. Ages 4 and up.

Iron Man 2, the Movie © 2010 MVL Film finance LLC. Marvel, Iron Man, all related character names and their distinctive likenesses: TM & © 2010 Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.
®* and/or ™* & © 2009 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

Review – Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne

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We knew this would happen the second he was presented as “dead.”  Sooner or later, Bruce Wayne would return.  Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #1 by DC is the beginning of the journey as Wayne begins his journey through time.  Written by Grant Morrison there’s a lot I liked about the series, and a lot I hated.

The problem as a whole for DC, to me, is the history is very dense.  If you don’t know it, there’s a lot you don’t get.  This knowledge of continuity often makes or breaks issues, and in this case it comes close to breaking it.

The issue picks up on the heals of Final Crisis.  The series picks up as Bruce is paying his respects to Anthro as Anthro’s tribe investigates who the mysterious man in the cave is.  It’s another Morrison take on the superhero mythology and man vs. god.  The problem is, if you didn’t read Final Crisis, this would go over your head.

There’s other references to earlier Morrison work that he’s been building upon, and if you know those, you’ll really dig this.  If you don’t, or know some, you might not enjoy it as much.

It’s the perfect example of “DC dense.”  Here’s hoping for a more open and accessible Batman post his return.

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Sneak Peek: Marvel Super Hero Squad – Iron Fist and Black Costume Spider-Man

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Marvel® Super Hero Squad – Iron Fist™ and Black Costume Spider-Man®

MVL SHS Iron Fist and Black S-MMVL SHS Iron Fist and Black S-M PackagingSpring into action with this exciting two-pack of super-powered characters! Set these little Green Goblin and Spider-Man figures up for a big showdown with the bad guys and decide whose mighty abilities are going to win today’s fight! Even when they’re not taking on evil villains, these chunky collectibles’ battle-ready poses prove they’re always ready for a super hero rumble.

Figures come with poster.

SUMMARY:
Collectible, fun two-pack of stylized Marvel characters includes Iron Fist and Black Costume Spider-Man figures! Figures come with poster. Ages 3 and up.

MARVEL, Super Hero Squad, Spider-Man, Green Goblin, Iron Fist, Wolverine, Bishop, Deathlok, Iron Man and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries, and are used with permission. Copyright © 2008 Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Licensed by Marvel Characters B.V. All rights reserved. Super Hero(es) is a co-owned registered trademark.
®* and/or ™* & © 2008 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

Sneak Peek: Spider-Man Triple Battle Truck

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Spider-Man™ Triple Battle Truck

MVL S-M Triple Battle Truck 1MVL S-M Triple Battle Truck Packaging

You and your Spider-Man figure are ready to track down your toughest foes — no matter where they run! This cool vehicle starts out in battle truck mode, but you can easily convert it to a fighter jet vehicle or even an attack boat vehicle! From thrilling jet engine sounds to ferocious speeding boat sounds and cannon blasting sounds, each vehicle activates new sounds to really intimidate your opponents. As the engine light glows, you can activate the 11 heroic phrases to get yourself and your figure ready for action and let your enemies know that you’re ready and raring to chase them down. When you reach them, launch your web missile accessory and the battle is as good as won!

Vehicle includes a Spider-Man® figure and firing web missile accessory.

SUMMARY:
Awesome electronic vehicle with lights and vehicle sounds is really three vehicles in one: a battle truck vehicle, a fighter jet vehicle and even an attack boat vehicle! Different vehicles activate new sounds! Vehicle includes a Spider-Man® figure and firing web missile accessory. Requires 3 “AAA” batteries (not included). Ages 4 and up.

MARVEL, all related characters: TM & © 2009 Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Licensed by Marvel Characters, B.V. All rights reserved. http://www.marvel.com
®* and/or ™* & © 2009 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

Open Digital Standard

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This is an article I’ve wanted to write for a while.  GeekWeek has an excerpt from Graphic.ly CEO Micah Baldwin about setting a standard for digital comics.

Since I started this business, something that’s been bouncing around my brain is the fact that if somebody were to buy a comic book on comiXology and then want to read that comic, for whatever reason, on Longbox, they’d have to buy it again. Fundamentally, that’s the reality. If I get a book on Panelfly, and then I get into comiXology and it’s also in their library, I have to rebuy it. What’s interesting is that if you look at it, that’s primarily driven by the technology and not necessarily by the publishers. I think that’s lame. It’s lame that somebody can’t take a book they bought on my system, decide they don’t like Graphic.ly and would rather go read it in comiXology and then actually go do that.

Digital comics is in it’s infancy with numerous different applications coming to market, some already in the market and many more to come.

Questions we as consumers need to ask are:

  1. Who owns the comics I purchase?  Do I?  Is it licensed?
  2. Can I take the comics I purchase to another service?  Another computer?
  3. What happens if a service closes?

There are technical issues to consider.  Each of these applications have different features and I’m sure the back ends are very different from each other.  But let’s go beyond the technical issues.

What I think you’ll see, is one app dominate.  This will become the defacto application.  That race is wide open.  One will become the iTunes.  Now, how long did it take for iTunes to open up the music you purchased so you can play items purchased on different services or devices?  How much more did you have to pay for that?  How much of a headache was it for the consumer leading up to this.

Here’s where it should be easier, there is no “iPod” for digital comic books.  There is no device driving digital sales and digital sales driving the sale of a device.  We can and should be able to read our comics on our PC, Mac, iPad, iPod, PSP, PS3 and whatever else may come.

Until there’s an open standard.  And my rights as a consumer have been made clear, I’ll be sticking to the physical medium.  I own that comic book I purchased at the store.  I can take it where I’d like.  I can read it when I want.  And there’s no worries about it becoming outdated and upgraded out of existence.

Until this is settled, call me skeptical.

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