Marvel Trying Same Day Digital Comics - Just Barely

We live in the digital age. The print medium is dying faster than a terminally ill cancer patient with full blown AIDS and a history of heavy meth use. Newspapers are dying and so are magazines. Most are trying to survive by adapting to the digital medium, providing their content online instead of in print. Naturally, you would think the comic industry would get in on the act and in some ways they have. Marvel Comics does offer an extensive library of comics online through a web based interface. But it's clumsy, clunky, and most of the content is old and dated. It takes months if not years for more contemporary comics to make it online and by then everybody has read the spoilers and there really isn't much point in getting them.

Fanboys of many types dream of being able to wake up on a Wednesday morning, log into the internet, and access their comic subscription the same way many newspaper subscribers can now access theirs. It would be the holy grail of comic fandom, allowing people who don't live near comic shops to access their subscriptions. It would also save many from the weekly rectal surgery that is waiting for subscriptions to arrive in the mail. This process has been agonizing for decades because the books almost never arrive on time. And in the age of spoilers, it's really redundant. That is, until now.

Marvel Announces Same Day Digital Trial

It seems Marvel is finally taking the step and offering same day digital comics. But there's a pretty big catch. They're only offering one (not a type) count em one comic. It's the Iron Man Annual and oh yeah...you can only access it if you have the Marvel app for the Ipad. Even though the Ipad has become the new holy grail of tech heads, there are only about 2 million out there right now and that's a pretty limited audience considering how few of those may be Marvel comic fans. They claim this is just a test run, but they're setting themselves up to fail right off the bat. There are far better tests they could do, but no. They have to be extra careful and by careful I mean willfully retarded.

It's the same story as the music business years ago. Everybody was getting their dick caught in a toaster because people were downloading songs illegally. They couldn't stop it because tech heads were always going to find a way. So what did they do? They made new avenues to download that same content legally through Itunes. Now Itunes is the biggest supplier of music in the world. They offer the same service Napster once did, only it's legal and the quality is better.

The same thing is going on with comics right now. Every week when new comics are released, those comics are scanned in scanners most anybody can pick up at a Best Buy and turned into a file format that people can read. They're easy to make, easy to distribute, and easy to share. They're never going to be stopped. Marvel can try suing the users and the distributes. It won't work. They'll just become about as beloved as the RIAA, who currently rank somewhere between the KKK and the Nazis in terms of fan support.

So here's a radical business model for Marvel and other comic companies. Instead of trying to fight these online comic distribution centers, why not one-up them the way Itunes did? Take the comics you create, put them into a new file format that's of a much higher quality than the bootlegs, and make them accessible through an Itunes-like program that they run on their end. Heck, since it's a comic they can still put in Google ads for extra money so they can still keep their sponsors. Like Itunes, they can charge a few bucks for each comic or a lump sum for a subscription or event. It's practically a guarantee that fans would line up in droves to subscribe (and more importantly fork over their hard earned money) to get this service. Now this may mean comic shops would go the same way as CD stores, but they could adapt as well by offering gift certificates or CD compilations of comics in addition to limited prints for the collectors.

It makes so much sense that a nutless monkey could think of it. This is the future whether Marvel likes it or not and this one tease is like a hot girl just showing half a nipple at a strip club that clearly says fully nude on the front. I personally would be willing to pay extra if it meant I could access all my comics on Wednesday morning from an online interface. It's clear Marvel, DC, Dynamite, and every other comic company want my money. I'm willing to give it to them too, but the subscriptions are a pain in the ass and there's only so much an ass like mine can take. Nuff said.

X-men Supreme Issue 12: Revenge of Weapon X Part 3 is LIVE!

This is it! The concluding chapter to the Revenge of Weapon X arc for X-men Supreme is complete! This is a big moment for this fanfiction series. This is the first big arc of the many that will unfold. I've spent the first half of Volume 1 setting a lot of these characters up and distinguishing them from their comic and cartoon counterparts. There's going to be plenty more on the way as new characters enter and old characters change. For now, Revenge of Weapon X is a taste of the awesome to come!

Issue 12: Revenge of Weapon X Part 3

As always, I implore everyone who reads this blog or goes to my website to take some time to read and review. I really want to get some feedback at this point in the series. There's so much more I want to do and I want to do it right. I can't do that without some strong feedback so please contact me or post your comments on each issue. Thanks to all those who have joined the X-men Supreme series and I assure you there is plenty more to come!

Jack

X-men Supreme Update - Bio for Dr. Abraham Cornelius

Just a few more days before the final issue in the Revenge of Weapon X arc and the last bio for the major players is up. I added Sabretooth and General John Wraith thus far and last but not least is the brains behind the operation, Dr. Abraham Cornelius.

Bio - Dr. Abraham Cornelius

This rounds out the bios to the Weapon X gang so readers of X-men Supreme now have everything they need to understand the major characters involved. Now this isn't to say that every character in Weapon X has been revealed thus far. This is just one arc and it's impossible for all the secrets of Weapon X to be revealed in a single arc. The history of this program is very extensive in the comics and as such it's going to be pretty extensive in this fanfiction iteration as well. I want to say more, but I'd be getting into spoiler territory and you know how I feel about that.

The final issue of the arc is set for release in a few days so stay the wait for the final part won't be much longer. As for website updates, I'm getting some materials together to update the pics section. For now, my focus is on completing the Weapon X arc. True awesome in any fanfiction series starts with one chapter at a time. Nuff said.

Jack

Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #2 - Awesome for All Ages

It's been quite a while since I've followed a Spider-Man comic. Despite being one of my favorite comic series after X-men, I've found little awesome to celebrate in the pages of Marvel's latest releases. I'm among those disgruntled fans who saw One More Day and was so disgusted that I can't even look at a 616 Spider-Man comic without going into convulsions. Maybe I'm weird, but when the writers and editors completely undo 20 years of continuity because they ran out of ideas for a married Spider-Man I get a little pissed. It seemed the only viable Spider-Man comic after that was Ultimate, but then another One More Day caliber shit storm hit the fan called Ultimatum and that fucked everything up just as bad. It's not that Ultimate Spider-Man makes me sick to my stomach. It's the fact that the art is so fucked up it's like a manga comic fucked a stick figure and shit out a bunch of deformed images. Compared to the iconic imagery of Mark Bagley, it's a hell of a downgrade and it's also hard to take a comic book seriously when you can't look at the art without rolling your eyes at how lame it is.

But all is not lost for a comic book Spider-Man. Recently, the Marvel Adventures line launched an ongoing series of Spider-Man and the Avengers (but the comic is titled Super Heroes) that take place in a fresh continuity that caters to all ages. Under the pen of Paul Tobin it's basically like Ultimate, just not on a bigger scale. While that may seem like a turn-off for some, it doesn't stop the books from being awesome and Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #2 demonstrates that in a way that an 8-year-old and an 80-year-old can relate to and not in an Ancient Greek kind of way.

The issue starts off innocently enough. Teenage Peter Parker is carrying some groceries when he get the attention of a dog that looks strikingly similar to Lockjaw, the adorable pet of the Inhumans. The dogs name Attila an even greater clue, but that doesn't come into play. What does come into play is that the dog is snatched by some thugs riding on a motor scooter. It sounds pretty lame and it is. I mean seriously, who steals a fucking dog? Where's the money and street cred in that? It's contrived, no doubt about it. But it serves a purpose. It gets Spider-Man in costume and into hero mode.


Naturally, Peter helps the pretty lady owner of the dog (who looks like Crystal of the Inhumans by the way) and beats the thugs to a pulp. It's hardly surprising and anything but an epic battle, but then again this is an all ages comic. You can't exactly have the guys gang up on the woman and try to rape her. That's more in line with the MAX series. But the conflict isn't without danger. During the fight, a little girl gets caught in the crossfire and Spidy has to be the hero and save her. This being a kid comic, he does just that and the girl is nice and cute about it. If this were Ultimate she would probably be a scantily dressed teenage skank and while I have nothing against those kind of women, this actually does work better.


At least they maintain the theme of Spider-Man being on the shit list of the police. They still treat him like a criminal so that's one theme they maintain despite the age appeal. That's one less reason for the older readers to roll their eyes and bitch. At least the little girl is grateful, showing once again that kids can have far better manners than adults in uniform. Thanks to the kid Spider-Man is free to return the dog to it's owner, but wouldn't you know it? The owner is gone? Either she is part of the Inhumans or she's just a very shitty owner.

So to find her, Peter enlists the help of his current girlfriend, Sofia. For those of you wondering "Wait...who the fuck is Sofia?" That's one of the unique twists to this series. Gwen Stacy is alive in this, but there are other characters like Sofia who is a friend of a teenage Emma Frost that revealed to her Peter's identity. In the comics that led up to this, she grew close to Peter and they became boyfriend and girlfriend. It helps that Sofia is a mutant that can talk to animals so she understands Peter in a way other lovers haven't. She's not the most interesting character thus far, but she has some depth and she's got good chemistry with Peter to make this kiddy universe that much more unique.


So Sofia (who also goes by the codename Chat), tries to help Peter by talking to the dog and locating the owner. It's not successful. Apparently dogs don't have very good communication skills. They think in terms of which scents smell good and which trees are fun to pee on. They're practically on the same level as stoned college students. So they're basically stuck and have to go to school with this animal, hoping the owner will turn up.

While this plot is unfolding, another story develops involving the Torino crime family. Like Sophia, the Torinos are a unique manifestation in this all ages continuity. They're a crime family that Spider-Man has been harassing to no end and like most mobs, they don't like that. So they're putting out increasingly bigger bounties on the guy and one of them is a familiar looking guy with a bald head who boasts he never misses. If you think that sounds like Bullseye, give yourself a gold star and a hit of ecstasy. There's no subtlety here. Tobin has to make this comic have broad appeal and that means no complex character plots. It kind of kills any sense of mystery, but it's pulling some rehashed old plot out of old comics and trying to make it seem new. As the old saying goes, you can't make shit shine.


But Bullseye is just half the story. The other half involves a teenage boy named Carter Torino. As the name implies, he's an heir to the Torino family. Despite that name, he's remarkably well-adjusted. Anybody whose watched the Sopranos knows that kids in mob families tend to get fucked up pretty extensively. This guy looks painfully normal and not in a good way. It does make for a potentially interesting plot though because when he joins Peter's school, Peter is the lucky guy who has to show him the ropes. Seriously, they couldn't draw this up any better if they had pain mixed with flakes of gold and silver.


To make matters even more awkward for Peter, Carter hits it off with Gwen Stacy. Mob kids just can't seem to resist pretty blonds and Gwen just can't resist attracting psychopaths and having their demon babies. Carter puts on the charm and Gwen seems to fall for it as you would expect any ditzy blond. It's a far cry from the sweet girl of the 616 comics or the edgy girl of the Ultimate comics. It seems like something that's just thrown in there to make Peter bang his head against the wall. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but a little subtlety wouldn't make this comic X-rated. Tobin seems too cautious for his own good here.


So there's a missing dog that looks like Lockjaw and a kid from the Torino mob family going to Peter's school. It sounds like quite a plot that could lead to a very interesting conflict. Halfway through the comic you're left wondering what this is going to lead to. Well unfortunately, this is where the comic once again takes another turn that leaves those two little plots on the back burner. The story that basically overtakes the rest of the issue involves a visit from Shang-Chi, also known as Iron Fist. Apparently he does high school assemblies now and he just happens to be giving one in Peter's school when all this is going. Not that I have anything against getting the greater Marvel universe involved, but this is just another contrived plot. I know I say the world contrived a lot, but until I find something that works better this is what I'll keep on saying.


What happens next is fairly predictable, but that doesn't make the action any less enjoyable. Shang-Chi gets some unexpected visitors during his assembly. As is often the case, Ironfist is on the shit list of a lot of ninjas. Perhaps they don't like him wearing such bright colors, but whatever the reason they want to kick his ass and once again they do their best to try. Not to be outdone, Spider-Man gets in on the action and the fight that follows is classic beat-em-up.


It's not over too quickly and it doesn't drag either. For the students in the assembly, they watch on as if it's a staged event. I admit I would probably do the same. How many chances do you get to watch ninjas getting their asses kicked in a high school assembly? It sure would have made high school a lot less boring, that's for sure. Peter channels his inner Karate Kid and earns some praise from Shang-Chi in the process. It makes for a satisfying fight that kids and adults alike can appreciate it.


The problem is the comic runs out of ink at this point. There's no further development with the dog or Carter Torino or Bullseye. Spider-Man just fights the ninjas with Ironfist and that's it. Even though the fight was fun, it essentially cock-blocks the story. Whoever was interested in seeing where the first two plots set up in the beginning were going they end up being disappointed. Apparently, they weren't as interesting as ninjas. It's not entirely flawed logic. It has been scientifically proven time and again that ninjas make a comic more awesome. It's not without it's charms here either, but just doesn't fit the plot. If only the Torino crime family was a family of ninjas then Tobin would have something. Unfortunately, the issue ends on an incomplete note and basically leads readers onto follow the next issue. It's not really a cliffhanger, but it's still a semi-effective tease.


Now it bears repeating that this is a kids comic. It is drawn like a kids comic and it carries itself as such. Despite this, there is plenty of appeal here and the art is worlds above the migraine inducing work of Ultimate Spider-Man. Tobin's dialogue is also pretty crisp here as well. He has a solid feel for these characters and is able to give them a decent voice that doesn't feel bland or boring. Even so, the plot is spotty and the contrived aspects of the story keep it from being truly special. It says a lot about the other Spider-Man comics that this is probably the most well-crafted and the least painful to follow. That takes away nothing of what Tobin has done here and ensures the series has the pull it needs to keep readers interested.

For what Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #2 brings to the table, it earns a respectable 3 out of 5. It has it's flaws and it suffers from messy storytelling. But it's a solid title and demonstrates the great potential in the Marvel Adventures line. Since Ultimate has been utterly ruined, it leaves readers like me hoping that this line gets expanded to include other facets of the Marvel universe like X-men, the Defenders, the Fantastic Four, and SHIELD. There's a great deal of potential here and there's also a solid market for an alternative from 616. Ultimate once filled that void, but thanks to Ultimatum it's about as meaningful as Paris Hilton's views on foreign policy. Paul Tobin is on the verge of doing something special here and this series is definitely worth following, if for no other reason than to have a Spider-Man universe that is fun, entertaining, and not soul-crushingly lame. Nuff said.

God of War #2 Review - Brutally Awesome

I've made no secret on this blog that I love God of War. There are just too few ways to describe the kind of awesome that Kratos and the God of War story brings to the table. With the success of the video games it's only natural that the creators would want to milk this cash cow until it was a withered hide rotting in the Texas sun. As a fan I say milk away! DC Comics and their Wildstorm division put together a nice little mini-series that takes place between the events of God of War 1 and God of War 2 while also taking a trip back into Kratos's past as a Spartan warrior. Under the pen of Marv Wolfman, the story is pretty kick-ass and by God of War standards that ranks at least ten levels above traditional kick-ass.

Issue two picks up where issue one left off. Kratos is now the God of War and in search of the healing Ambrosia of Asclepius. Standing in his way is the usual army of monsters that includes a giant spider that makes the one form Lord of the Rings look like a pussy. But since Kratos no Froto and monsters have a strange tendency to die horrible deaths around Kratos, it's not too big a deal. However, this is not the meat of the story. That tale is far more engaging than the usual slaughter which in and of itself would still be pretty fucking sweet.


Since the first issue, the main story is divided between Kratos's current journey and the one he went on before he became the Ghost of Sparta. This isn't the first time he's sought out Ambrosia of Asclepius. Shortly after the birth of his daughter, Calliope, he makes a promise to save her from death by seeking the healing power of the Ambrosia. Standing in his way are some pretty nasty beasts. As usual, Kratos shows his ass-kicking aptitude in taking them down, but in doing so he reveals another side to himself that wasn't too clear in the game. He may still be a mean, ruthless, bloodthirsty warrior in battle, but he is still a dedicated father and husband at heart. His desire isn't for glory this time. He wants to save his daughter and keep his promise to his wife. For a guy that doesn't have a whole lot of redeeming qualities, this offers some much needed depth that only adds to Kratos's awesome.

The only problem with this premise is that the story about his journey as the new God of War pretty much ends here for this issue. The rest of the issue is spent in the past. That's all well and good but there isn't even a mention of the other story going on. There's no parallels or past musings. While it's nice to keep things in one time, it ignores the other half of the story. Thankfully the half it doesn't ignore is still pretty fucking sweet and could easily stand on it's own.


However, Kratos won't be making this journey alone as he so often has in the games. This time he's going to have some traveling company from his Spartan brethren. Captain Nikos and a contingent of Spartans have caught up to him and seek to accompany him on his quest. It isn't out of sheer charity either (seriously, Spartans were not famous for their charity). Nikos wants to ensure that the Ambrosia of Asclepius is used for the benefit of all Sparta and not just his daughter. It seems reasonable enough, but plenty suspicious. Kratos may be a brute, but he's no fool. Even so, he does what a good Spartan is trained to do and heeds his captain's orders.


In addition to the Spartans, there are other warriors in seek of this Ambrosia of Asclepius for their own reasons. The race to this healing elixir is like a race to keys to Scarlett Johanson's panties and it's not being led on a whim. The god so Olympus are pulling the strings like they always do and it is here where the comic takes on themes that are central to the classic mythology of old.

Just as in the epics of the Illiad and the Oddessy, these gods are not shy about manipulating humans for their own amusement. Forget the merciful and compassionate shit, the Olympians are hardcore and they want to be entertained. Hades has a warrior prince named Alrik who seeks the Ambrosia to save his dying father. Poseidon thinks his warrior, Herodius, is superior because he fights to save his entire village. It's basically a divine dick-measuring contest and since Ares is one of the biggest dicks in mythology, he's got a leg up and they all know it.


Poseidon seems especially intent on not losing to Ares. Maybe it's because Ares gets to bang Aphrodite more than any other god or maybe it's because he was able to rape more boys and woman than he could (that's not a joke by the way, that was remarkably common in Greek mythology), but he doesn't want Kratos to succeed. He's willing to send a plague to the island of Thera to play this game. It goes to show just how cruel and petty these gods were and how far they were willing to go to one-up each other. If Poseidon any of them had any idea what would happen to him in God of War III he would understand. But this is still the past and he quickly sees just how dangerous Ares's favorite champion is when Kratos bitch-slaps the Satyrs.


As a result, Poseidon gets pretty desperate and has Herodius unleash his entire army of Thera upon Kratos. Unfortunately, these are Spartans we're talking about here. In comics and in real history they are without a doubt some of the best warriors in history. They devour war the way American's devour cheeseburgers. It goes without saying that Herodius walks into a hell of a shit storm and his men pay the price.


It eventually leads to a confrontation with Kratos. Here Herodius makes the stupid mistake of trying to gain pity with this guy. He might as well try to sweet talk a hungry grizzly while kicking it in the balls. Even his laments about his people dying aren't enough to change his fate. Kratos could care less. He's out to save his daughter and nothing is going to get in his way. If Herodius's people have to die because of it, so be it.


Needless to say, Poseidon is pretty pissed and pretty emasculated as well. He basically has to endure Ares's gloating for what must be a billion lifetimes in the eyes of a god. His warrior had an entire village riding on him and he couldn't do jack shit against Kratos. In the grand scheme of things the god of the seas should have known better, but like all arrogant gods he underestimated his enemy.

Now for anyone who is familiar with mythology, it's pretty clear what happens next. A mighty god has just been humiliated by a fellow god. What's the most logical recourse? Surely beings as advanced and powerful as gods are above throwing a hissy fit like a 14-year-old girl who just realized she was twenty bucks shy of buying a new Gucci purse. Well as powerful as these beings are, logic is not one of their strong points. They overreact the same way Led Zepplin drinks. They go all out in trashing everybody and everything around them and since the Olympians are usually reluctant to flight each other, they take their rage out on humans. It's the equivilant of punching a pillow for them only doing so inflicts mass death.


The seas turn against Kratos and his men. They get thrown into a storm that makes Hurricane Katrina look like a gentle breeze on a tropical resort. Poseidon goes all out to making sure his manhood remains intact and Ares has fewer reasons to gloat. It seems kind of stupid that Kratos and his Sparten brethren would try to hold their boat, which even by Ancient Greek standards is still pretty shitty, in one piece. But they try and of course they fail. But Poseidon doesn't stop there. He has to rub even more salt in the wound because when you're dealing with the gods, if it isn't horrifically inhumane it's not worth doing. He forms a whirlpool that drags Kratos and his men into the seas. Even for a Spartan, it's not a fair fight and this is where the comic ends.

It's a nasty cliffhanger, but in a good way. The story grabs the reader by the balls (or clit if you're a woman since this is a comic full of hot, muscular Greek men) and keeps squeezing them. The excitement and action makes for a great read and the inclusion of classic Greek Mythology themes offer a real sense of legitimacy. It's not some Disney remake or a total knock-off of the original myths like in other comics. These gods share the same qualities as the ones from thousands of years ago and Kratos fits nicely into that plot. It works so well as a comic it makes you wonder if the Ancient Greeks would be fanboys today if they were still around. Except they would probably demand more comics with attractive young boys to go along with the beautiful women.

But the biggest problem with this issue is that it loses track of the story that began in the first issue. Granted, it does a nice job of fleshing out Kratos's past, but if it's not linked to the events going on in the present then what's the point? It seems like it's just telling it for the sake of telling it and not to make the connection. That's what really keeps this issue from being a strong follow-up to the first issue. That and the art was too dark. I don't mean to say that it didn't fit the theme of the book. It most certainly did. God of War is a dark story all around and the art should reflect that. However, the art here is so dark it's hard to really make out the details of what's going on at times. A little extra color would go a long way to making this comic more vibrant and graphic. A character as bad-ass as Kratos deserves nothing less.

The final tally for issue #2 is a solid 4 out of 5. The story is great and so are the themes that guide it. However, the issue was a bit too narrow with the plot. There are still four issues to go so there's plenty of time to work out the details of the other plot as well. Most God of War fans probably could care less because both stories do an awesome job of demonstrating Kratos's ass-kicking awesome. And really, that's what's most important in a God of War comic. Nuff said.