My Thoughts On The All-New, All-Different Marvel Books

So, I went ahead and got the free preview book for the All-New, All-Different Marvel, which begins in October. As such, I’d like to give my thoughts on a few specific ones, general looks at the rest, and just talk about a few things I feel might be missing from the new Marvel Universe as a whole, as it’s being shown here. Also, not gonna bother talking about the ones already revealed that I talked about before, so if you notice some rather notable books missing from this article, click here to see if I mentioned them already. Let’s start off with probably the obvious…

Additional Avengers Books

I told ya. ^_^ So, in addition to the All-New, All-Different Avengers, AKA Earth’s Mightiest Most Dedicated Heroes, and the all-superheroines A-Force, we’ve got a couple other Avengers teams. The first is the Uncanny Avengers which, as shown above, will star Rogue, Steve Rogers, Human Torch, Doctor Voodoo, Quicksilver…um, some woman I don’t recognize, the Amazing Spider-Man, and the back-from-the-dead Deadpool…because, let’s be honest, we knew he would be. lol The other team is the New Avengers, which will star Songbird, Hulkling, Wiccan, Hawkeye, Squirrel Girl, and Sunspot as part of the new Avengers Idea Mechanics. On top of that, there’s a new Illuminati book, which apparently is now about a team of villains, and a new Ultimates book, which features Black Panther, Blue Marvel, Miss America, Captain Marvel, and Spectrum going up against Galactus. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is getting written by one of the show runners for Arrow, of all people. Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. will apparently have Dum-Dum Dugan teaming with Elsa Bloodstone and the monsters of the Secret Wars Howling Commandos. And lastly, there’s gonna be a Contest of Champions book, which may or may not tie into the game, and has Maestro pitting heroes against one another in an arena. And that’s not even the end of the team books, because guess who?

The X-Men Titles

Yup, you can put down the riot helmets and posters, they’re still around, folks. We have three books with the name X-Men in them: Extraordinary X-Men (Storm, Iceman, Colossus, time-displaced Jean Grey, Old Man Logan, Nightcrawler, and Magik), All-New X-Men (time-displaced Beast, Iceman, Cyclops, and Angel, along with the All-New Wolverine), and Uncanny X-Men (Magneto, Mystique, Sabertooth, Psylocke, and Fantomex). There’re also three other X-Men related books: Old Man Logan, which features the aged Logan existing in this new world, All-New Wolverine, which has X-23 stepping into the role, and Deadpool…’nuff said there. XD Supposedly, in the eight month gap between Secret Wars and the new books (which I’m guessing they’ll fill us in on later), there was some sort of incident between Mutants and Inhumans, which will help explain this new status quo for the two sides, as present day Beast will be joining the Uncanny Inhumans as a result of that.

Spider-Man Incorporated?

In addition to the Spider-Man book I mentioned starring Miles Morales, as well as the relaunched Spider-Gwen, there are several other Spider-related books coming out. Amazing Spider-Man will have Peter launching a new and improved Parker Industries worldwide, bringing back the Spider-Mobile, and pulling the old Tony Stark trick by having his superhero identity be his ‘bodyguard’. Also, for those wondering, he’s not still married from Secret Wars, and the book will probably never even mention what happened in One More Day, so don’t expect to see me buying this…which is sad, because otherwise, this looks like it’ll be nice, crazy fun. Web Warriors will feature Spider-Gwen teaming up with Spider-Girl, Spider-Ham, and a few other Spider-Men from various realities as some sort of Spider-Man Incorporated-like team…because why not at this point? Silk is ‘apparently’ turning heel, although I don’t know if I buy it just yet. Carnage is coming back after sacrificing himself during AXIS, so it’ll be interesting to see if he’s still a hero or not. Spider-Man 2099 is sticking around, with a new costume to boot. Then there’s Venom: Spaceknight… … …If Rom doesn’t show up, I’ll be so sad. lol Before I continue, though, there’s something specific I need to discuss…

Spider-Woman PREGNANT?!?!

…Yeah, Spider-Woman’s a mom now. And, as I understand it, the new books pick up approximately 8 months after the end of Secret Wars, so I think the implication is that Jessica is about a month or two away from delivering the baby… … …Okay, first off, I will admit to having to stop myself from squeeing at the idea of Jess having a baby. lol Also, I DO kinda find the whole single-mom-being-a-superheroine schtick kinda awesome. However, if I’m correct and the implication is that she’s still active as a heroine while carrying the baby, can I just ask one question: WHY?!?! That is super dangerous, not only to Spider-Woman, but to the baby! Now, maybe I’m way off, and the series actually picks up with her either finding out she’s pregnant or as she’s having the baby, but I REALLY hope she’s not putting on the costume and gliding through the night skies while carrying the kid. Also, who is the father? Is she even dating anyone currently? Oh, PLEASE don’t let this be another ‘mystical pregnancy’ storyline. I learned of Avengers #200 just last year, and I still haven’t gotten the bad taste outta my mouth. Otherwise, though, as I said, kinda excited to see the kid. lol

Uchuu KITAAAAAAAAAA!!!

500 geek points to the first person who gets that reference. ^_^ Also, a million geek points says that’s Kitty Pryde posing as Star-Lord in the new Guardians of the Galaxy book. With that said, two questions come to mind: Where is her fiancé (the new Star-Lord book SUGGESTS time travel, but I have no idea), and what’s with all the dudes on the team besides her? It’s Thing, Drax, Venom, Rocket, and Groot, with Rocket as the only one who isn’t some buffed up powerhouse. I know Gamora left (and I’ll get back to that later), but where’s Captain Marvel? Mantis? ANY of the other space-faring superheroes that aren’t bulky dudes? Other than that, as I said, Star-Lord looks like he might be travelling through time, the Uncanny Inhumans are gonna be kicking ass as the next big superhero team, Drax is entering the interstellar octagon, Angela might be running Hel, Karnak is getting a solo title, and Nova has Sam teaming up with either his dad or Richard Rider, I can’t tell. And Howard the Duck is getting a relaunched solo where even the creative team are openly acknowledging how silly it is to relaunch it so soon.

SO MANY SOLOS! XD

Getting back to the Avengers, there are a lot of them getting their own solo books, so let’s do a quick rundown of each. Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers will apparently be in the middle of a schism of some sort in ‘Sam Wilson, Captain America’, which could get more than a little awkward for the foreseeable future. Ms. Marvel is gonna be fangirling like a crazy person over the fact that she’s an Avenger (and in record time), which I can’t wait to read. The Totally Awesome Hulk is more than likely gonna turn out to be Amadeus Cho, all things considered, especially given that both Greg Pak and Frank Cho LOVE the guy. Daredevil is supposedly gonna be teaming up with Gambit… … …’kay. Doctor Strange, Invincible Iron Man, and Captain Marvel, already said my piece on them. All-New Hawkeye might be All-OLD Hawkeye, as Clint Barton may be joining in the old heroes club for some reason and having a clash of some sort with Kate Bishop…not sure what’s going on there. Scarlet Witch is finally getting a solo book that will last longer than 4 issues. Vision is starting a new robotic family…in which family sitcom hijinx are almost certain to follow. lol Astonishing Ant-Man is apparently going back to his villainous ways, although he’s got his fingers crossed on the cover, so probably a ruse. And then there’s the last book I wanna talk about…

The Mighty Thor

Okay, I had a big talk about this on Deviant Art recently, and I gotta be honest with you guys about this. While I like the idea of Jane Foster in the role, there exists many problems with it and this book in general. Now, her getting the name Thor doesn’t bother me as much as a lot of people, since it’s not like she’s a usurper or anything, Odinson GAVE the name to her. What bothers me is that this is the only time someone else has taken up the hammer and kept the name Thor, unlike in the cases of Beta Ray Bill and Thunderstrike. Also, the mystery behind what Fury said to Odinson probably won’t pay off in the long run, Odin is being a colossally sexist douchebag for reasons that are out of character for even him, and Jane’s voice and mannerisms just feel off for the character, although her inner monologue makes up for it a little bit. And how the hell did the inscription on the hammer change anyway (which should probably have had the inscription instead say ‘if THEY be worthy’ from the beginning, as opposed to the former ‘he’ or current ‘she’. More gender neutral, and let’s face it, women have held the hammer before now anyway)? Don’t get me wrong, I’m still very excited to see her as a member of the Avengers post-Secret Wars, and seeing Odinson still be active and badass is good, but it feels kinda tainted by, I’m sorry, bad writing. So, what would I have done differently? I would’ve had Jane gain Mjölnir for a short time, then do what they did with Thunderstrike by having her gain a new hammer of her own with her own badass identity while Thor regains Mjölnir and have the two running at the same time as God and Goddess of Thunder. And before you think it wouldn’t sell well, I would just like to remind that, back in the day, Thunderstrike at one point was vastly out-selling Thor.

So, that’s all well and good, but what’s missing from this equation? Well, looking at the books present and the characters on the banners, I notice that Black Panther only shows up in the Ultimates book so far, Inferno isn’t appearing on the cover for Uncanny Inhumans and may have been swapped out for Reader, and Citizen V and Red Wolf have yet to show up at all. Other than those present on the banners, though, the most notable absentee from the new books is probably Black Widow, which is odd since her solo title was doing really well. Further compounding her absence, however, is a rumour on Twitter I’ve been trying to track back to its source regarding her possible DEATH. I don’t know where this rumour started, but if it’s true, I can tell you for a fact that a lot of people are gonna be ticked off. Other absentees are Gamora, who is supposed to be getting her own book soon, the Fantastic 4, although I already assumed that would be happening, Loki, who has been on a huge roll since the first Avengers movie came out, All-New Ghost Rider, who just got started last year, and while they’re on team books, it’s odd that Rocket Raccoon, Storm, Squirrel Girl, and She-Hulk’s solo titles are apparently not being renewed. As such, I get the feeling this isn’t all there is planned.

Anyway, that’s all I gotta say about the new books so far. Lemme know what you think in the comments section, and we’ll see if any more books get announced between now and October. Ja né!

More Post-Secret Wars Wishes & Expectations + Which Ones I’ve Gotten Right So Far

So, back in February, I made a list of 10 things I either expected to happen in the post-Secret Wars Marvel Universe, now referred to as either the NEW MU or All-New, All-Different Marvel, or what I simply hoped might happen. Well, four months and a birthday later (yeah, I turned 30 on June 3rd, much to my dismay at now officially being ‘old’), I looked back on what these wishes and expectations were and which ones I got right. So, let’s take a look at these first before I go through a few more.

#1 – Wolverine Brought Back

CONFIRMED! According to recent banners for the All-New, All-Different Marvel, Old Man Logan is apparently gonna be a part of this new universe…which hopefully doesn’t result in us having to see the incestuous children of the Hulk and She-Hulk from his universe (EW), but nonetheless should result in some interesting scenarios. And, in addition to him being back, my other request was confirmed as well, since not only is X-23 sticking around, but she might be inheriting the position of Wolverine from him. I’ll get back to her later, though.

#2 – Tony Stark Becomes Good Again

CONFIRMED! On top of that, he seems to be the new flagship character for this new age. Of course, as I’ve mentioned before, this leaves us with more than a few questions, but it could prove to keep things interesting, at least.

#3 – Ms. Marvel Sticks Around

CONFIRMED! Not only is she sticking around, but she’s having a team-up with Captain Marvel, and is joining the Avengers! Also, Ms. Marvel #1 is getting reprinted AGAIN in September (which I believe makes at least 8 times now) with a bunch of #1 issues of female led comics. 😀

#4 – A New Young Avengers-like Team Book

…Ehh, not exactly. I mean, the new Avengers team kinda has shades of it, in that 3 members are teenage inheritors to legacy hero titles, but I wouldn’t really call it a team that specifically focuses on teen superheroes. In fact, the more I learn about the Young Avengers (because I didn’t read the book, which I admit is totally my bad), the more I realize that team needs to be brought back with them picking up where they left off.

#5 – Miles Morales Stays

See Ms. Marvel. In other words, CONFIRMED! lol Also, apparently, while Spider-Gwen will apparently be keeping her Earth, she’s apparently gonna be doing some dimension hopping between her world and the mainstream one, so expect some team-ups between the two.

#6 – One More Day Reversed

…Maybe? Looks like they MIGHT be, but I don’t really know yet. We’ll see. And speaking of which, I heard someone suggest that the reason Iron Man is being made Marvel’s flagship character is because, for the longest time, Spider-Man was considered the guy in Marvel, the most recognizable hero in their roster of characters, their answer to DC’s big name heroes like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, and it would be inappropriate for them to have him be their guy when he made a deal with the literal devil of their universe. And granted, that WOULD be a reason to lessen his overall importance and position in Marvel, but considering he’s being replaced with the guy that cloned his believed-to-be dead friend to hunt down superheroes for the oh-so-terrible crime of wanting to keep their identities a secret, mind wiped Captain America to cover up his own crimes, and basically screwed over his world by perpetuating the idea that they could stop the incursions when he knew it was outside of their ability to do, something he admitted to being a liar about, I somehow doubt that’s the case… … …Seriously, I hope that this new take on Tony Stark takes steps to see him make up for all of these terrible things. If I may be allowed to get up on my soap box for a second, I WANT to like Iron Man. I NEED to like Iron Man. We need a character like him to be on the heroic side of things. And the same goes for Spider-Man. I need to know that this guy can look back on what he did in One More Day and legit say to himself “…I screwed up. HORRIBLY.”, and then work to make up for what he did, really take responsibility for his actions. We need heroes who can do more than just save the day when called upon. We need heroes that, when they make mistakes, will learn from their mistakes and spend everyday afterward making up for them and never do it again.

#7 – A Simpler History

Not confirmed yet, but hopefully, we’ll get some simplification, particularly where it relates to Jean Grey and the Phoenix.

#8 – Old Heroes Retaking Their Mantles

Actually, if anything, DISPROVEN, at least for the moment. Sam Wilson is still Captain America, Jane Foster is still Thor, and it looks like we might even be getting MORE of these, as X-23 looks to possibly be taking up the mantle of Wolverine, and there’s been rumours afloat regarding a new Hulk…which, combined with news that the possible future evil Hulk known as Maestro is gonna be sticking around, makes me concerned as to what’s happened to Bruce Banner, and wonder if She-Hulk might just need to use that cure on him after all.

#9 – The A-Force

CONFIRMED, thank goodness! 😀

#10 – Character Histories Merged

Not really confirmed yet, but we’ll see. In fact, I’d be very shocked if Miles is the only survivor of the Ultimate Universe, with characters from that world becoming merged with their counterparts… … …Seriously, I can’t stress this enough: Fuck Marvel Universe Aunt May, Ultimate Universe Aunt May is AWESOME. XD

Soooo, yeah, about half of them confirmed, four of them still up in the air, and one that’s actually been thankfully disproven… … … … …Let’s try my luck with a couple more! ^_^

#11 – X-23 Joins The All-New, All-Different Avengers

During Marvelous May, I made a list of possible recruits for the All-New, All-Different Avengers…I can’t believe I didn’t add Laura to that list. And right now, with the reveal of her in the Wolverine costume, I think the odds are better than ever that she might be joining this team, unless she’s otherwise too busy with the Wolverines (assuming they’re still around post-Secret Wars) or the X-Men (because I would assume that, as the apparent successor to the Wolverine lineage, the X-Men would WANT her on the frontlines of their team). And, before anyone points it out…again, I am aware that Logan didn’t want Laura to become Wolverine and live the same life that he did. Well, first off, that didn’t stop Dick Grayson from becoming Batman for a time. And secondly, honestly, I think most of us knew she would eventually take up the role of Wolverine if Logan was unable, because, as his clone/adopted daughter (which I just realized how weird that must sound to non-comic fans, lol), she’s a lot like him.

#12 – The Return of Otto Octavius

I think the end of Spider-Verse pretty much made it obvious that this was gonna happen. The second he realized he was gonna disappear and that Peter would retake control of his body, it was clear he was setting up plans to orchestrate his later return. Now, the question remains, will he come back as the Superior Spider-Man, or as Doctor Octopus? Honestly, and I know I’m gonna take flak for this…I think he should continue to wear the Superior Spider-Man costume and have those powers. It makes him a bigger threat. Hell, let’s go one bigger: What if evil Tony DOES wind up being his own separate character from good Tony post-Secret Wars? Could we possibly see a Superior team-up?

#13 – The Fantastic 4 Taking A Break

While I suspect the team won’t up and vanish, it looks like the individual members might be doing their own things for a while, with Thing joining the Guardians of the Galaxy and Human Torch helping out the Uncanny Inhumans. And again, I know a lot of people suspect that, because Marvel Studios doesn’t own the rights to Fantastic 4, they’ll just phase the team out completely, but I honestly don’t believe that to be the case. Still, don’t be surprised if the team takes a break from the spotlight for a little while, at least AS a team. Although, in the absence of the Fantastic 4, we could be seeing more of the Future Foundation.

Anyway, I think that’s all for now. Let’s see what happens when Secret Wars ends before I look back on these again or make any more. In the meantime, lemme know what you guys think of the odds of the predictions that are still up in the air happening, how things are developing overall for the NEW MU, and if there are any predictions you guys have too. Ja né!

Confirmation: Spider-Man Now A Part Of The Marvel Cinematic Universe + My Thoughts On The Matter

So, every now and then, when I can’t quite go to sleep, I do a quick, routine check of social media, just to make absolute certain I’m not missing anything. Y’know, put my mind at ease. Well, last night was one of those nights. And what did I find? THIS:

And I Quote…

“Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel Studios announced today that Sony is bringing Marvel into the amazing world of Spider-Man.  Under the deal, the new Spider-Man will first appear in a Marvel film from Marvel’s Cinematic Universe (MCU). Sony Pictures will thereafter release the next installment of its $4 billion Spider-Man franchise, on July 28, 2017, in a film that will be co-produced by Kevin Feige and his expert team at Marvel and Amy Pascal, who oversaw the franchise launch for the studio 13 years ago. Together, they will collaborate on a new creative direction for the web slinger. Sony Pictures will continue to finance, distribute, own and have final creative control of the Spider-Man films. Marvel and Sony Pictures are also exploring opportunities to integrate characters from the MCU into future Spider-Man films. The new relationship follows a decade of speculation among fans about whether Spider-Man – who has always been an integral and important part of the larger Marvel Universe in the comic books – could become part of the Marvel Universe on the big screen. Spider-Man has more than 50 years of history in Marvel’s world, and with this deal, fans will be able to experience Spider-Man taking his rightful place among other Super Heroes in the MCU.”

…YEAH. So, Spidey’s apparently coming home to Marvel and will be playing a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, obviously, with a decision as big as this, there’s going to be more than a few questions. Namely, can this partnership stand the test of time? Can both companies keep their egos in check to make this as great as they can? Who will be playing Spider-Man? Will Spider-Man even be Peter Parker, or will it be one of his replacements, like Miguel O’Hara or Miles Morales? What does this mean for the other Marvel movies? Well, right now, it’s looking like Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and Inhumans will all be pushed back a little, with Inhumans actually marking the end of Phase 3, but all things considered, that’s not so bad in the long run.

As for the lead role…well, here’s my personal reaction to the suggestion that Andrew Garfield won’t be Spider-Man anymore:

Seriously, unless they find a truly superb replacement, or want to go a different route than Peter Parker, I’d stick with Garfield. He knows what he’s doing, he knows the character, and while I get that this is a reboot, we don’t need to change EVERYTHING all over again for the second time in this movie franchise. Speaking of, I would avoid having the new movie be yet another origin movie. We KNOW the character’s origins. We’ve seen movies that tell the origin twice now. We don’t need three in fifteen years. And finally, and this is admittedly a long shot, but if Marvel Studios could re-cast J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson, that’d be GREAT.

Yeah, I know, long shot. Anyway, leave your thoughts and feelings on this matter below, and we’ll see how things develop from now until 2017. Ja né!

Contemplating Avengers Fic For Next Year – Amazing Spider-Man or Ultimate Spider-Man?

So, as the title suggests, I’ve played with the idea of doing an Avengers fanfic. I mostly blame that on the fact that I can’t seem to get THIS song outta my frakking head…

…but I digress. The Avengers are a large group. In fact, I’m fairly certain every major superhero in the Marvel universe has been a member of at least one incarnation of it. Some have been a part of SEVERAL, *COUGH!*Iron Man*COUGH!*. As such, I can pretty much get away with having whatever Marvel heroes I want on my own Avengers team. The question is, who? Well, there’s plenty to choose from, but I think I’d want the team to be diverse and not have a lot of powers be shared by multiple members. Also, for obvious reasons, I wouldn’t want more than one character with the same alias. So, with that out of the way, I’m left with a simple question: Amazing Spider-Man or Ultimate Spider-Man?

Now, lemme clear something up: When I say “Amazing Spider-Man or Ultimate Spider-Man?”, what I really mean is “Peter Parker or Miles Morales?”. Now, if you’re wondering why I would even ask such a thing…Well, you probably haven’t been reading the comics as of late. Plus, as is my custom with writing superhero teams, I like a diverse team with multi-ethnical flavour, so the temptation to include Miles partly stems from that (though I will admit that I object to making a hero black JUST BECAUSE Obama was elected). There are other reasons too, but I’ll get into that in a bit. First, let’s look at why I would go with his predecessor, Peter Parker, The Amazing Spider-Man.

First appearing in 1962’s Amazing Fantasy #15, Peter Benjamin Parker was the average high school bully-magnet nerd, albeit with a real talent and passion for science. However, his life changed the day he was bitten by a radioactive spider. Initially trying to cash in on his success by becoming a novelty TV star in a costume, called ‘Spider-Man’, his failure to stop a fleeing burglar, seeing it as not being his problem, resulted in the crook murdering his Uncle Ben. Realising his new powers came with a responsibility to use them wisely, Peter instead dedicated his life to fighting crime. He has since been a member of both the Avengers and the Fantastic Four.

Thanks to the spider bite, Peter possesses superhuman strength, enough to bench press 10 tons, enhanced speed and agility, insane levels of durability, and can crawl along walls. Using his advanced scientific mind, he also created a pair of web-shooters, which are strapped to his wrists and shoot a synthetic polymer adhesive, very similar to a spider’s webbing, used either to tie up foes or swing between buildings. The webbing is fired by placing the right amount of pressure on the trigger in his palm with his middle and ring fingers, which was designed intentionally as to avoid accidentally firing them by making a fist. He’s also created spider-tracers, which are tiny devices that send out a signal for him to track down. He even developed his own martial art, ‘The Way Of The Spider’, which uses his abilities and arsenal to their fullest potential. But the greatest asset to his abilities is his Spider-sense. To quote Wizard of ScrewAttack!, the Spider-sense “gives Peter omnipresent detection of his surroundings. This is how he’s able to swing through New York without looking where he shoots his webs.” Of course, even with such an ability, Spider-Man has to be able to react to its warnings, so if he thinks he’s not in danger or simply isn’t able to move fast enough…well, you get the idea.

For all of his abilities, both superhuman and otherwise, Spider-Man isn’t perfect. He does possess an inferiority complex, probably at least partially due to years spent being bullied for his lunch money. He’s a bit anti-social, again, probably because of being a bully magnet, has a bit of a fear of women…which is odd, seeing as how many girlfriends he’s had (gotta be the tights. Oh yeah. lol), can be somewhat accident-prone without his Spider-sense, and has apparently dealt with severe amounts of Oedipal guilt, and if you don’t know what that is, for the love of God, DO NOT LOOK IT UP. And yes, I suppose I should bring this up: Because he’s CONSTANTLY agonising over the meaning of right and wrong, and has this little irritating problem with acting like a grown-up, he once traded life with his wife for life with his repeatedly dying aunt to the devil, and not because she was dying, but because it was his fault, meaning it was less about her and more about his own pain. And for those wondering, NO, if I EVER write Amazing Spider-Man, I am not including the events of One More Day and the deal with Mephisto to his back-story. You can make whatever argument you like, IT WAS WRONG, DAMMIT.

So, there’s the arguments for and against Peter Parker. Now, let’s take a look at his arguably lesser-known successor from another universe, this is Miles Morales, the Ultimate Spider-Man.

First appearing in 2011’s Ultimate Fallout #4, Miles Morales exists in the Ultimate universe, which is usually used for modern retellings of long-time superheroes without having to reboot the entire franchise, something other comic book companies might’ve wanted to consider. Regardless, Miles is of mixed heritage, being half Mexican and half African-American, and is the nephew of the Ultimate universe’s Prowler. An Oscorp scientist was using Peter Parker’s blood to recreate the formula that turned him into Spider-Man. However, Prowler stole the formula, but one of the spiders created through it snuck into his duffel bag. It then bit Miles when he was visiting his uncle, whom he was unaware was the Prowler. At first, due to the urgings of his friend, Ganke, he engages in super-heroics, but quickly quits. However, following the death of the Ultimate universe’s Peter Parker when he saves his family and friends from the Green Goblin, Miles realises that he could’ve been there to help him, and after learning of Peter’s story from Gwen Stacy, decides to become Spider-Man, later being allowed to join the Ultimates.

Through the bite of the genetically engineered spider, Miles possesses most of Peter’s abilities, although his Spider-sense isn’t nearly as effective. He also has Peter’s web-shooters, which were given to him by Aunt May and Gwen after they accepted him as the new Spider-Man, and a similar aptitude for science. However, Miles has two abilities unique to himself. The first is that he can camouflage himself into his surroundings, including his clothes, to make himself unseen by most opponents. The other is the venom strike, an electrical touch that can be conducted through clothes, and even across certain materials like the Amazing Spider-Man’s webbing, to paralyse the target. Speaking of, it should be noted that, during a cross-over event called Spider-Men (one of the only post-One More Day stories I’m actually tempted to buy), an altercation born out of confusion between the Amazing Spider-Man and the Ultimate Spider-Man resulted in Miles actually disabling his predecessor with the venom strike, although one could argue this was simply due to a lack of understanding on Peter’s part of Miles’ unique powers.

With all of that said, however, Miles has his issues as well. For example, while mainstream Peter Parker is generally portrayed as having been bitten by the spider roughly in his mid to late teens, Miles was THIRTEEN. While quitting superhero activities as quickly as he did might seem odd, when you consider that he was 13-years-old, having to bear the weight and responsibility of being Spider-Man, and is the son and nephew of thieves, trying to determine if he really could be a good person (the whole nature vs nurture thing), it becomes a bit easier to understand. In fact, he’s arguably more sympathetic than Peter, as they both tend to deal with their problems in similar fashion, and often-times have made the same mistakes (aside from one rather big one I already mentioned), but one actually IS a teenager, while the other simply BEHAVES like one. Plus, just try not to feel at least a little sorry for a kid his age that has to fight the worst criminals and horrifying super-villains comic book New York has to offer. If he doesn’t grow up to be completely mentally unstable, it’ll either be the work of a miracle, or because he was killed in action.

So, there you go. Arguments for and against both the Amazing Spider-Man and the Ultimate Spider-Man. Who would you rather see written alongside Earth’s Mightiest Heroes? Leave your comments below, or simply vote for your favourite. I’ll probably be doing similar polls for other heroes of the Marvel universe, so keep your eyes peeled. Either way, you can probably expect the Avengers fic to come out either Spring or Summer 2014. Ja né!

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• The Spider-Man Universe Is Expanding: Venom, Sinister Six Getting Their Own Series (news.softpedia.com)
• Newswire: Sony firms up plans to turn Spider-Man into its own Avengers-style movie universe (avclub.com)

Happy Birthday to ME! ^_^ + 10 Favourite Marvel Superheroes

Yep, it’s still my birthday, and having listed my 10 favourite DC heroes, it’s now time to list my favourite Marvel heroes. And I think I’d like to start of with THIS guy, just so I can get my issues over, done with, and outta the way first thing so that I may end on a happier note…

#1 – Peter Parker, AKA The Amazing Spider-Man

………*sighs, putting down the fedora* Okay, here’s the REAL truth. You wanna know why it is that I’m so bothered by the writing of Spider-Man these days? The deal with Mephisto, the back-tracking of his character, the refusal to let him grow up, and now the Superior Spider-Man nonsense, all just to name the biggest problems. It’s not just because it’s really crappy writing, even though it is. It’s not just because it makes me feel afraid to get into any Marvel character since they could do the same with them, and I still do feel that at times. No, at the core of it, it’s a really simple issue: The Amazing Spider-Man was my hero, right along with Batman. They were both brilliant heroes who fought for the good of mankind, even when it felt like the whole world could be against them at times…and now, my image of Peter Parker will ALWAYS be marked by what he did in One More Day, until such time happens as the deal with Mephisto is reversed, which considering recent events, probably isn’t happening.

And while I generally tend to side with my comic book loving idol, Linkara, here’s a point where I disagree with him: Spider-Man isn’t dead. Why?  Because rather than just kill the mainstream Peter Parker and be done with it, they instead have opted to keep him on constant life-support as to continuously wail on his balls over and over and over again. And it is sickening to those of us who are hoping to see Pete somehow emerge from all these events with his dignity restored, but considering he’s now made deals with the devil, been brain-swapped with Doc Ock, been unknowingly raped by his Aunt, and now been beaten by Doc Ock in the landscape of his own mind, if Peter DOES return, any kind of dignity he ever had is long since gone.

ANYWAY, rant over…for now. As for my favourite interpretations of the character, while the pacing of the 90’s Spider-Man cartoon could be insanely fast in some episodes, it was still a good show overall and represented Peter pretty well. Likewise, I really liked the Tobey Maguire movies too, albeit there were a few moments I might wanna change up. Also, while the Ultimate Universe can be very up and down, I will say that if nothing else, Ultimate Peter Parker went out a badass hero in those comics, and his replacement, Miles Morales, has been pretty awesome too.

#2 – Anna Marie, AKA Rogue

…Yeah, without a doubt, Rogue is my favourite Marvel hottie. Mind you, it’s impossible to touch her and not wind up in a hospital at best, but still plenty to admire about the girl. Strong, smart, beautiful, and a desire to do real good in the world, even when it’s prejudiced against her and her kind. She now serves on both the X-Men and the Uncanny Avengers. Probably my favourite take of her was on the old X-Men animated series, though the problem with that show back then was that if you missed a single episode, you were frakked. lol

#3 – Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man

I AM IRON MA-Why does everyone associate that song with the character? Seriously, they’re not even close to being the same character. Anyway, Tony Stark is one of the five founding members of the Avengers, and has long since been one of the major characters of the Marvel Universe. While his every move hasn’t exactly been very heroic (the Superhuman Registration Act, for example), he’s since gone to great lengths to redeem himself and rebuild his reputation and his standing with his fellow heroes all the way from the bottom to the very top. As for my favourite portrayal of Iron Man, gotta go with Robert Downey, Jr. While the plot of the Iron Man movies have occasionally been swing and miss, Rob pretty much OWNS the role.

#4 – James ‘Logan’ Howlett, AKA Wolverine

ADAMANTIUM RAGE!!! Wolverine is frigging awesome, albeit kinda psychotic on a number of occasions. Still, you can’t help but feel bad for Logan sometimes. His past is a never-ending spiral of pain and sorrow, he’s doomed to outlive everyone around him, and again, for some reason, the Marvel civilians are still assholes toward mutants. And yet, despite all that, he’s still a badass saving both ordinary humans and mutants from the worst scum of the universe as a member of both the X-Men and the Uncanny Avengers. Plus, probably one of the best and most famous Canadian superheroes. ^_^ And with all due respect to Hugh Jackman, my favourite interpretation of the character is from the old cartoon.

#5 – Ororo Munroe, AKA Storm

And another mutant, and possibly one of the most powerful X-Men ever. Storm has always been frigging awesome in how she can command the weather however she sees fit. She now acts as co-leader with Wolverine. Hard to pin down a favourite interpretation of the character, since I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a bad one, so take from that what you will.

#6 – Dr. Bruce Banner, AKA The Incredible Hulk

Say it with me now, HULK SMASH!!! Hulk is freaking awesome. Another of the founding members of the Avengers, Hulk might be lacking in self-control and can be a problem for the good guys, but when he’s on their side, it’s officially a bad day to be a bad guy. What’s funny is that his abilities are actually quite similar to Golden Age Superman: Uncanny leaping ability, insane amounts of strength, and virtually indestructible. In fact, if I may be so bold, his physical strength may be even greater than Superman’s. Again, hard to pick out a favourite version, but the one in Avengers is pretty awesome.

#7 – Natasha Romanoff, AKA The Black Widow

Former assassin turned heroine and member of the Avengers, Natasha Romanoff is too awesome for words. Again, this is based generally off the version in Iron Man 2 and Avengers, but she was amazing, even managing to outwit the trickster Loki. Not too thrilled with her choice of weapons, a pair of revolvers. But that’s the old-school Batman fan in me, and I guess in a world like the one she’s in, without powers, you kinda need some equalizers.

#8 – Thor Odinson

The God of Thunder and son of the Asgard God, Odin, Thor is another Marvel Superhero with power approaching that of Superman’s. In fact, the two have fought on two occasions. During the first bout, Thor managed to best Superman, but the second battle didn’t go so well with the God of Thunder. Still, one could have a FAR worse win/loss record against the Man of Steel. And I know, I sound like a broken record, but Avengers interpretation for the win. lol

#9 – Jennifer Walters, AKA She-Hulk

Okay, real simple. Take everything that’s awesome about the Hulk. Now slim him down considerably, but still musclebound and retaining his abilities. Now make him a hot chick. Thus, She-Hulk is born, and she is AMAZING. ^_^ Kinda stuck for a favourite version of her, and before anyone brings up Age of Ultron, if anyone believes the people killed in this comic are really dead, please slap yourself. HARD. lol

#10 – Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America

Okay, I’m a proud Canadian, and even I love Captain America. In much the same way that Superman embodies hope in the DC universe, so too does Steve Rogers in Marvel. Given the superhuman serum because of how dedicated he was to protecting peace, freedom, and justice, Captain America fights not for himself, but for others. And again, my favourite interpretation of the character is probably from the Avengers movie, though I REALLY loved his cameos in the Spider-Man cartoon. Also, just gonna throw this out there, Captain America and Thor fighting legions of the undead, best part of the otherwise shitty Ultimatum. ^_^

So I don’t ever wanna hear that I got nothing good to say about Marvel superheroes, okay? I just listed my 10 favourites. lol Anyway, that’s it for me, and it is now officially time I went to bed, so I am outta here. Ja né!