Bullet Points: Avengers Initiative

Hulk looks like he's having fun, but don't be fooled - he's wishing someone could kill him

Marvel knows a big thing when they have it, and honestly when it comes to their latest focus of movies, big things have been few and far between of late. Seems like any Marvel flick that doesn't feature Robert Downey Jr. is doomed for mediocrity. On the strength of Mr. Tony Stark and Joss Whedon, The Avengers has been absolutely steam-rolling everything from the box office to the BluRay, and everything in between. With a property which can do no wrong, Marvel Entertainment now attempt to conquer mobile gaming by way of Avengers Initiative, an Infinity Blade rip-off.

There have been quite a few Infinity Blade rip-offs of late, however most tend to put their own spin on things rather than straight re-skin the source material. In all honesty, that is exactly what Avengers Intitiative feels like, rather than its own experience. The game is set to unfold in four separate chapters spanning The Hulk, Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man, where each chapter costs $7. As the Avengers' most powerful and volatile member, I was excited to see what The Hulk would be able to do, expecting building leaps, wall runs, limb ripping, and general chaos. What I received instead was a literal stroll down memory lane, using memories stolen from Chair Entertainment.

+ Infallable Infinity Blade gameplay
-  Uninspired re-skin of Infinity Blade
-  IAP fueled customization system
-  Sad excuse of a Hulk

The Avengers' Hulk was a quivering, snarling, white-hot bowl of gamma-irradiated terror. Hulk as he's presented in this title is more doctor than destroyer, casually walking up to enemies, waiting for the player to initiate the battle, then half-heartedly taunting before engaging in the repeated swing of fists. Give us the Hulk. Let us barrel through enemies like the unstoppable freight train the green guy is. We want to jump over mountains and gamma clap helicopters mid-flight. Avengers Initiative is a sad cash grab that deserves to be disrespected as Loki was at film's end. If the other chapters plan to be much the same as this, shame on you Marvel.

Ultimate Comics: Spider-man #1: Meet Miles Morales

Written by Eric Blackwood

Back in 2000, Marvel Comics launched their Ultimate Marvel Comics line with Ultimate Spider-man and Ultimate X-Men. Later on, The Ultimates (The Avengers) and The Fantastic Four were added to the line. The idea behind it was to re-imagine the comic publisher’s superheroes and characters and update them without having to refer to or worry about the preexisting Marvel Comics continuity, which exists in a universe known as Earth 616. On Earth 1610 (the Ultimate Universe), after suffering a bullet wound from The Punisher's rifle, an unmasked Spider-man was killed at the hands of Green Goblin on his front lawn, though not before defeating Kraven the Hunter, Sandman, Electro, and The Vulture. All in a days work! Peter managed to kill Green Goblin after a slug fest that ended with Parker crushing the Goblin under a dropped truck. This Spider-man was gangsta ‘til the end. 

Flashforward to the Ultimate Fallout six issue mini series, which took a look at everyone’s reaction to Peter Parker’s death. In issue 4, the reader is introduced to a new character donning a Spider-man costume fighting The Kangaroo (yes, he calls himself the Kangaroo). Enter Miles Morales. At the time, little was known about the character except that he seems to have Spider-man’s abilities (proportionate strength of a spider, wall-crawling, spider-sense), he is younger than Peter (who was 16 when he was killed), and he is half African-American and half Hispanic. Fanboys offered their usual reactions to not only killing off Peter Parker but having someone else wear the suit and making the person behind the mask of mixed ethnicity. But how can one judge from only reading a seven page preview? Which brings us to Ultimate Comics: Spider-man #1 (Vol. 2).


Issue one gives the reader very little insight as to who Miles Morales is. We are introduced to the character with his parents trying to enroll him in a charter school in Brooklyn, NY. This is in stark contrast to Peter Parker whose parents died in a plane crash, leaving him to live with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. It will be interesting to see how Miles comes to realize that “with great power comes great responsibility” considering how Peter fails to save his Uncle Ben from being killed, which eventually leads Peter into becoming Spider-man. It is likely that Peter’s death strongly influences Miles but this is yet to be seen. As the story progresses, we see how Miles acquires his spider abilities. Without spoiling anything, it was similar to how Peter obtained his (in Earth 616 and Earth 1610). And although Miles seems to have the same powers as the original friendly neighborhood Spider-man, it seems that things aren’t exactly the same.

The story is interesting so far, and I'm curious to see how it develops. There was no action in this issue and Miles doesn’t really 'use' his powers. In fact, the book ends when he discovers something is different about himself. The next issue teases “Who is Miles Morales?” and drops September 29.

Impressions: Deadpool MAX #1

Written by Eric Blackwood

Deadpool MAX from Marvel Comic's Max line stars everyone's favorite anti-hero in a story meant for mature readers. The first issue was written by David Lapham and illustrated by Kyle Baker. Deadpool definitely belongs under this imprint, however, this first issue needed more Deadpool. Sounds a bit backwards, doesn't it?

The general premise appears to be that the CIA hires Deadpool to do what he does best to their enemies. Also, to kill them. The first issue tells a complete story - no cliffhangers - but the mature content is provided more by the supporting cast instead of the title protagonist. I just hope that Wade gets some more spotlight in the next issue. All in all, it was good read and I look forward to Deadpool MAX #2.