Marvel Entertainment, one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, has announced it will exclusively distribute single issue and collected edition foreign language digital comics worldwide with iVerse, an innovator and unique voice in the mobile publishing field.

This multi-year agreement reinforces both Marvel’s position as one of the leading global entertainment brands and the number one comic book publisher in the world, while also bringing its unparalleled library of popular characters and acclaimed stories to the widest possible global audience. This foreign language content will launch in late 2012 with staggered releases worldwide.

“Marvel and iVerse both recognize the opportunity global publishing content expansion brings to Marvel fans worldwide,” explained Peter Phillips, SVP & General Manager, Marvel Digital Media Group. “This partnership with iVerse allows us to introduce Marvel’s rich history of exciting, action packed stories to new audiences who want to know more about the Avengers, Spider-Man, Wolverine and more in their native languages.”

Marvel and iVerse first partnered to distribute single–issue, English language digital comics in 2009. The ComicsPlus app, available through the App Store and Google Play, currently offers a robust selection of Marvel Digital Graphic Novels.

“At iVerse we believe that there is an unprecedented opportunity to expand readership by providing content in readers’ native languages,” said Michael Murphey, CEO, iVerse. “We are lifelong fans of Marvel – their characters and their content. It’s truly an honor to be able to partner with them to bring this spectacular content to the world on as many platforms as possible.”

Soon you can experience the greatest comic books, featuring the Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, Wolverine and more worldwide in foreign languages for the first time ever in the digital realm.

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This is yet another game that will be added to the list of many Spider-man games that have come out over the years, but how does it compare to the others? The Amazing Spider-man is a third person adventure video game that is based on the movie of the same name. However, the game takes place after the events of the movie and for the most part serves as an epilogue to the film.

The plot of the game is very interesting, which is to be expected since the game was written and scripted by Seamus Kevin Fahey of Battlestar Galactica. The plot of the game is that Alistair Smythe, the new Oscorp executive, decides to continue Dr. Connor’s research and create more cross-species (a human and animal hybrid), but they soon escape into Manhattan. To fight against the cross-species, which unfortunately includes Spider-man as well, Smythe creates robots to take them out.

The robots soon begin to make everything worse, and Spider-man is forced to fight against both cross-species and robots if he wants to save the city. The characters are great and memorable. Even though they didn’t get any of the actors from the movie, they did get great and accomplished voice actors such as Steve Blum, Sam Riegel, Claudia Black, and even Bruce Campbell. The characters you have are, of course, the cheesy-joke spewing Spidey, the deeply troubled Dr. Connors, the brave and determined Whitney Chang and even more interesting characters.

One thing that must be said before you play this game is that if you have not seen “The Amazing Spider-man” then this game will contain heavy spoilers, and in the first few levels, too. This would be fine if the game came out on the same day as the movie, but it came out June 26^th and the movie came out July 3^rd. While annoying (especially if you haven’t seen the movie) it won’t ruin the game for you, though, especially when it comes to the graphics.

The graphics look great especially when you are in the city it can look quite beautiful. What’s more important is that the gameplay feels great. Web-swinging, wall-crawling, and combat are all very simple to learn and soon you’ll feel like you’re Spider-man himself! One of the most useful gameplay mechanics the game has employed is the “Web Rush” system, which helps you easily pinpoint an area you want to get to.

By using the “Web Rush” mode you go into a viewpoint where time is stopped and you can pick which area you want to web-swing to or which enemy you want to attack. This gives you time to plot your strategy and figure out where you have the ability to web-swing to. Despite the fact that you have the ability to stop time, it does not make this game a walk in the park because of it. In fact, if you are in the “Web Rush” mode too long, time will return to normal.

The enemies you face will range from regular human enemies, to mutated humans, and robots. The combat is very smooth and there are two different ways you can take on enemies; you can either just attack all of them at once or you can take the stealth route and take out each of them one at a time. In regular combat you will be punching and kicking a whole group of people and if someone is about to attack, your Spider Sense will go off and you will be able to dodge their attack. Once you figure this out, the regular combat becomes simple and you will be able to get through ten enemies without taking any damage.

However, when your enemies are heavily armed, this sort of approach does not work, mainly because even Spider-man can’t easily dodge multiple bullets flying at his head. In this sort of situation it is better to sneak around and take them out one at a time. Even this isn’t easy, because once your enemies find out you have taken out one of their comrades they start searching for you!

They don’t just yell threats at you either; instead they start actively searching for you with flashlights and not just on the ground or in front of themselves, but on the ceiling and in the air vents. If you don’t keep moving they will find you and kill you! Then there are the boss battles which include giant robots, Rhino, Vermin, Iguana, Black Cat, Iguana, Scorpion, and the Lizard.

They all have their own way of attacking and fighting and you will have to employ different strategies to beat each of them. One example is when you are fighting Rhino; you can’t just attack him head on because his armor protects him. In order to beat him, you have to stand in front of a large van and wait for Rhino to charge at you and at the last second leap out of the way and he will be lodged in the van and you can then attack him.

However, there are critiques I have to make about this game and one of them is that the game is pretty easy when you get a handle of the controls. Even though you can increase the difficulty on the game, it doesn’t get that much harder, and besides maybe the bosses, you’ll find yourself breezing past your enemies. Another problem is that many of the side missions are very repetitive, basically all being the same except for a few exceptions.

Overall, this is a fun and enjoyable game and you will feel like Spider-man playing it, which is ultimately the most important expectation out of a Spider-man game. If you like Spider-man the character, the other Spider-man games, or if you just like feeling like a superhero you should take a look at it.

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Marc Webb’s ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ hit theaters July 3, 2012, hoping to reboot the smart-mouthed web-slinger in more modern times. It features a shiny, slick new type of hero and takes a darker perspective on Peter Parker’s life. While the film certainly is not bad by any stretch, there are some issues with the directions it decided to take. Here are the most pressing issues we noted in no particular order. Massive spoilers ahead for the movie so please proceed with caution.

10. Spider-Man’s jokes were not very good. One of the biggest complaints about Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man’, mostly from comic book nerds, is that he was not very funny. Spidey is known for cracking jokes and being really good at one liners. It is one of his most distinct character traits because, while Peter Parker is a mild-mannered guy, Spider-Man is sarcastic and mocks his adversaries.

Marc Webb’s Spider-Man attempted to replicate this behavior, but the humor did not live up to promise. Many of the jokes were ruined because they were shown in the trailers, and the others fell flat due to long, awkward pauses. He offers a few zingers to the Lizard throughout the course of their fights, but most are easily forgotten.

9. Difficulty connecting with the characters on a personal level. Parker’s origin story is a compelling one and it is also wrapped in mystery, which the movie emphasizes to a large degree. The mysterious disappearance of Peter’s parents torments him for much of his life and, while it is easy to sympathize with him, you never get a chance to root for him. This is due to Andrew Garfield’s portrayal of the character. He plays Parker as very awkward, which makes sense, but he tends to overdo it with that lopsided grin and stammering dialogue.

It got to the point where I mentally reenacting a running gag from the RiffTrax of the ‘Twilight’ films, where Kevin, Mike, and Bill would say, “Line?” whenever there was a huge awkward pause between Bella and Edward. Peter’s painful awkwardness and angst left me feeling distant rather than connected to him.

8. Illogical decisions from normally intelligent people. There are several moments where characters do something stupid to increase the drama. For instance, Peter notices that the Daily Bugle is offering a reward for photos of the Lizard, so he decides to patrol the sewers and straps his camera to a wall.

This is pretty smart. What is not smart is that Peter does not remove his name from the back of the camera while masquerading as a masked vigilante that the police want to apprehend. Why in blue blazes didn’t he scratch his name off of a camera he was using while fighting crime? That is inexcusably stupid and as predicted, the Lizard finds the camera and figures out his secret.

7. The end credits scene. The attentive eye will have recognized the bad guy teased at the end of ‘The Avengers’ (2012). But this end credits scene was infuriating because it was impossible to see Dr. Connors’ visitor. Nothing. No face, no distinctive clothing, no distinctive voice, and no lead up to help piece together who he was or who he was working for. We assume the intention was to get the audience frothing with theories about who he could be, but I felt ripped off because there was no buildup to this mystery man and there were no clues. The scene added nothing to set up a sequel and that is the most disappointing thing of all.

6. Peter Parker’s lack of concern for his mother. Unfortunately, this problem is not limited to ‘the Amazing Spider-Man’. There are a lot of male heroes who tend to focus on the loss of their fathers instead of both parents. This is understandable because boys tend to look up to their fathers, but it was still annoying that Peter did not mention anything about his mother. It felt like she did not matter, despite the fact that she was probably just as loving and nurturing as his father. It would have been nice to see him appreciate her even though she did not work with Dr. Connors.

Stay tuned for Part 2!

Image Courtesy of   The Amazing Spider-Man

The article 10 Things From ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ That Bugged Me (Part 1) appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Everyone knows that all the most highly anticipated blockbuster movies generally come out in the summer and this summer is no exception. Already several blockbusters have been released such as ‘The Avengers,’ ‘Prometheus,’ ‘Men in Black 3,’ and ‘Brave,’ but that doesn’t mean that there is nothing left to see. In my case my two most highly anticipated haven’t even been released yet or been out that long, but I’ll get to those two soon.

First I’ll talk about my longshot movie which I doubt a ton of people are excited for or even know about and that is ‘ParaNorman.’ ‘ParaNorman’ is a stop-motion film made by the creators of ‘Coraline;’ it is about a boy named Norman who has the ability to talk to the dead and has to use his abilities to save his town from a witch’s century old curse. He’ll have to fight against ghosts, witches, zombies, and worst of all, adults in order to save his town.

I really enjoyed ‘Coraline’ so when I heard that the same creators were making another stop-motion children’s film I was immediately interested. I think the other reason I was intrigued by this movie is the fact that it reminds of Neil Gaiman book The Graveyard Book. A bit of a coincidence since ‘Coraline’ is based on Neil Gaiman’s book of the same name. Anyway, this is one unreleased movie that I know I have to see.

The next movie I’m excited to see is ‘The Amazing Spider-man.’ Even though I was initially uncertain about this movie since it struck me as odd to immediately reboot the series rather than just make a sequel. However, my previous skepticism left me after I saw more and more of the trailers and realized this movie might finally give me the Spider-man I always wanted in the previous film series.

The Spider-man that is constantly spewing out corny jokes even when he is fighting someone clearly intent on killing him, which I always felt was missing from the previous films. I also like that his love interest is Gwen Stacy like she first was in the comic books and that they also put in the web shooters. The video game is also pretty good and since the game is a sequel to the movie that leads me to be hopeful that the movie it is based on is also excellent. This is a movie I’ve been waiting for all summer and I can’t wait to see it!

Lastly, but certainly not least, the movie I have been waiting four years for ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’ I love Batman and I love Chris Nolan’s movies, so the Chris Nolan Batman films are really a match made in heaven for me. To this day ‘The Dark Knight’ is my favorite movie, so I waited anxiously for the eventual sequel knowing that it would be a good movie. Even though I am not sure this movie will be better than ‘The Dark Knight,’ (mainly because The Joker is my favorite Batman villain) but I do know it will be worth watching. Every time I see the trailer for ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ I get chills and unbelievably excited.

These are the three movies that left this summer that I want to see and I’m certain I’m not the only one. The summer may be almost over, but that doesn’t mean all the summer movies have already been released.

Image Courtesy of  The Amazing Spiderman

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The following is a list of games that will be released in June of 2012 with their respective dates and console releases. The games coming out in June of this year vary from several re-releases to a couple movie tie-in games to some unique original projects which have the potential of becoming some of the hottest games of the year! It will be interesting to see which of these games will last the span of time or fall into the abyss shortly after their release.

Action

6/5- Madagascar 3: The Video Game (Nintendo Wii, DS, 3DS, PS3, Xbox 360)

6/10- Pinkmin 2 Selects (Nintendo Wii)

6/12- 4 in 1 Action Pack (PS3)

6/12- Gravity Rush (PS Vita)

6/12- iCarly: Groovy Foodie (DS)

6/12- Lollipop Chainsaw (PS3, Xbox 360)

6/12- Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection (PS Vita)

6/12- Phantom Breaker (Xbox 360)

6/19- Disney Pixar Brave: The Video Game (PC, Nintendo Wii, DS, PS3, Xbox 360)

6/19- Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (Nintendo Wii, DS, 3DS, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox 360)

6/19- Steel Battalion Heavy Armor (Xbox 360 Kinect)

6/26- The Amazing Spider-Man (Nintendo Wii, DS, 3DS, PS3, Xbox 360)

‘Pinkmin 2 Selects’ is a re-re-release of the popular Nintendo classic and is a greatest hits release of the re-release of ‘Pinkmin 2′ for the Wii.

‘Lollipop Chainsaw’ is a new take on the zombie “beat ‘em up” genre, led by SUDA 51. The story, written by James Gunn (Dawn of the Dead), is about Juliet Starling fighting off hoards of zombies at her school, San Romero High, with the living head of her boyfriend. The GameStop pre-order exclusive includes the alternate costume Ashley Williams from the Evil Dead Series.

Just like the PS3 and Xbox 360 release, the ‘Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection’ is a high-definition remake of Metal Gears 2 and 3 for the PS Vita.

‘Lego Batman 2′ is a sequel to the popular Lego Batman game, but this time, players have the opportunity to play as other DC super heroes, as players fight off minions of the Joker and Lex Luthor and, like the other games in the Lego series, players have the option to drop in and out for co-op play.

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ is a return to the Spider-Man movie tie-in games, and like the movie it is based on, this is going to be an attempt to revive the series after the abysmal failure that was Spider-Man 3 the movie/game as well as the lack luster standalone Spider-Man games.

RPG

6/1- End of Nations (PC)

6/12- Gungnir (PSP)

6/18- Pokemon Conquest (DS)

6/19- Sid Meier’s Civilization V: Gods and Kings Expansion (PC)

6/19- The Secret World (PC)

6/26- Guild Wars 2 (PC)

6/26- Record of Agarest War 2 (PS3)

‘Pokemon Conquest’ takes Pokemon battles and adds a new twist to it. Instead of the turn-based combat in a typical Pokemon game, it now has a tactical RPG combat system, where the player controls his team of Pokemons on a battlefield while defeating other warlords and having them join your party in conquest of the Pokemon Kingdom.

‘The Secret World’ is a very unique MMO that has done something almost no MMO has ever done. ‘The Secret World’ takes place in the modern world and is based on every myth, legend, and conspiracy that exists in this world. Players are thrown into the game with a clean slate. You play the game the way you want; there are no classes or leveling in the game. Players make their own decisions on what their characters will become, and they can choose the abilities that they want. This is definitely one of the more unique MMOs to come out this year.

‘Guild Wars 2′ is the long awaited sequel to the MMO ‘Guild Wars’. ‘Guild Wars 2′ features dynamic events that change as time progresses, and the events the players participate in affect other events in the game. The series also introduces a new, more action-based combat system to bring in more rapid-paced, intense action.

Shooter

6/1- Inversion (PS3, Xbox 360)

6/1- Max Payne 3 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

6/12- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Future Soldier (PC)

6/26- Spec Ops: The Line (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

‘Max Payne 3′ is the very long awaited sequel to the Max Payne series. The game focuses on a new shooting mechanic for more precision gun play and also revamps the famous bullet time as seen in the original Max Payne series. ‘Max Payne 3′ also features a multiplayer mode that features the combat system and cinematic feel of the single player game and the traditional modes of the average multiplayer mode. ‘Max Payne 3′ is a new perspective on the original Rockstar series for the PS2 and Xbox.

‘Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Future Soldier’ is a continuation of the Ghost Recon series. There are several different modes in the new Ghost Recon series, such as co-op with up to three other players, PvP mode, and Guerrilla mode (players and teammates fight waves of enemies). The game also introduces Gunsmith mode, in which the player customizes all their weapons for an increase in game customization.

‘Spec Ops: The Line’ is a third person shooter that will attempt to give players a truly brutal war experience. As the player leads their delta squad through the remains of a destroyed Dubai, the players will be thrown into a unique battle zone of sand, sand, and more sand. This detailed focus on the in-game sand mechanics offers a very unique experience in desert combat. Players will be fighting their way through gunfights that take place through intense sandstorms as well as sand avalanches. This is indeed true desert combat at its core.

Sports

6/12- DiRT Showdown (PS3, Xbox360)

6/26- Summer Stars 2012 (Nintendo Wii)

Simulation

6/5- Sims 3 Katy Perry’s Sweet Treats Pack (PC)

The article June Game Releases for 2012 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Santa Monica, U.S.A. – True Believers, get ready for spectacular news – Activision Publishing, a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard and Spider-Man Merchandising L.P, a subsidiary of Marvel announced some amazing pre-order exclusives for fans that reserve an early copy of The Amazing Spider-Man video game in North America.  Fans Can Take on the Rhino Challenge and For the First Time Ever – Play Stan Lee as Himself!

Planned to launch June 26, 2012 the game brings Spidey back to the thrill of free-roaming through Manhattan in an original epilogue story to Sony Picture Entertainment’s upcoming feature film.  The pre-order exclusives for The Amazing Spider-Man video game are available and include the Rhino Challenge from GameStop and a special mission featuring a fully playable Stan Lee from Amazon.com.

The Rhino Challenge

Take control of the massive, genetically engineered villain Rhino and rampage around Manhattan in an exclusive game play challenge of pure destruction!  As Rhino, players will be able to unleash his formidable powers to destroy anything and everything that gets in his way in a timed event full of speed, combo streaks, and of course, a ton of things to break!  Unlock able for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation3 system only.

Play as Stan Lee for the First Time Ever

All the rumors can officially be put to rest – for the first time ever, fans will be able to play Stan…Lee as himself in The Amazing Spider-Man.  Players will take on the role of Stan “The Man” Lee in his own special mission across Manhattan, borrowing abilities from his old pal Spider-Man as they help Stan collect pages of his latest script in a spectacular race around Manhattan.

Stan’s mission is punctuated with his witty banter that fans have come to know and love, and a special surprise waits for them at the end of the mission – after all, it is Spider-Man’s 50th anniversary this year!

Go beyond the feature film and find out what happens next in The Amazing Spider-Man video game, which brings Spider-Man’s free-roaming, web-slinging action back to New York City.

Players take on the role of a young Peter Parker discovering his new Spider-Man powers and added Super Hero responsibilities, using the game’s innovative Web Rush mechanic to swing freely around Manhattan, combat a variety of criminal activities and take on classic Marvel Super Villains.

Set against an original story crafted by Hollywood writer Seamus Kevin Fahey (episodes of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena and the re-imagined Battle star Galactica) that takes place entirely after the events of the upcoming feature film, The Amazing Spider-Man video game delivers a brand-new, immersive and cinematic adventure allowing players to truly harness the power of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

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Considering the recent demise of Bandai’s North American anime licensing branch, and the closure of Tokyopop’s North American manga licensing offices in 2011, that old Western cliche seems still to hold true in America: There ain’t enough room in this town for the both of us.

In place of several publishers, licensors, and distributors that once offered a selection and variety to the translation and quality of the Japanese-imported anime and manga, the landscape now features two sole skyscrapers: Funimation for anime, and Viz Media for manga.

Unlike the North American comics industry, which has a “big two” of DC and Marvel, along with several notable smaller publishers such as Dark Horse and Image, the manga scene has steadily been thinning out since the early 2000s, and today, Viz is really the only big name in the business.

The easy answer is to blame the bad economy, but escapism into a fantasy world never gets old, and that is exactly what manga and anime sell. North American comics are more or less stable, and the video game industry is now even larger than the film industry in North America.

Escapism booms during economically tough times, but manga is busting. And on the anime side of things, Funimation’s nearest competitor, 4Kids, is now in bankruptcy. What have Funimation and Viz done that other companies have not?

For starters, they did not make stupid business decisions like Bandai’s North American wing, and they went with safe and solid titles. Funimation and Viz were both able to acquire several properties during the late ’90s that would each have been flagship titles for lesser companies.

So is it a simple matter of strong-arming the competition into destitution? Selling established North American comics such as Batman or X-Men to North Americans is a much easier task compared to importing Japanese media. A certain level of cultural and linguistic empathy bolsters the potential sales of DC and Marvel’s comics in America. Add a familiar name to that, and by comparison, half the marketing is done before you even start to sell an issue of Spider-Man.

That creates a larger market for those titles. Dragon Ball, on the other hand, had several failed attempts at being introduced here before it caught on like wildfire, because it was a very Japanese title.

Take some characters from the Journey to the West (a story that would be instantly recognizable within Asia), add in a Shaolin monk and ubiquitous references to ladies’ underwear (some of which, such as Bulma’s name, didn’t even carry over), and you have a mixture of nonsense that turns out as popular as green tea in Asia, and as popular as, well… green tea in North America, at least at first.

Companies cannot afford to follow the model of Dragon Ball. They need to create something familiar and established to give it appeal, and that ends up meaning one thing: a lack of innovation.

Viz and Funimation are successful because they play it safe, licensing only the most popular titles and then holding on to them for as long as possible. At the same time, Japanese content creators are realizing the same thing, and putting out nothing but the same familiar archetypes season after season, year after year.

Remember the original GameBoy, with its blocky grey body, its green screen, and its inexplicably purple buttons? Who said the buttons on that thing should be purple? Who knows? It was a weird decision, a silly risk, but it made for one of the most iconic handheld platform designs to this day.

Anime needs purple buttons. Just a few weird, innocuous twists to pull it out of the ordinary, make it interesting, and make it iconic. Dragon Ball would probably be too risky and foreign to introduce into today’s market, but surely something like 2008‘s Kaiba would have been warmly appreciated stateside.

Playing it safe results in diminishing returns at best. Funimation and Viz may be doing well for the moment, but when the mediocrity reaches a fever pitch and fans are aching for something novel, plucky risk-taking little companies will be the ones reaping the rewards.

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‘The Amazing Spider-Man‘, starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone and directed by Marc Webb, swings into theaters July 3, 2012 and recently released another full-length trailer online. The franchise reboot offers substantial departures from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, but are these changes improvements or downgrades? Let’s take a look at the three main differences between the two.

First, we have our leading men: Andrew Garfield vs. Tobey Maguire. Tobey Maguire first donned the Spidey mask in 2002 at 27 years of age and played a relatively believable high school nerd. His portrayal of Peter Parker focused on the shy, sweeter side of the character rather than the sarcastic side, which rubbed a portion of the comic book fans the wrong way.

However, Maguire appealed to many audience members who knew Parker by name only and were not avid comic book readers, because he was soft-spoken, timid, and easy to relate to. They did not mind the lack of one-liners because Raimi’s script provided many funny moments besides Spider-Man himself.

Based on the trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield, age 29, seems to be leaning towards the more snarky, misunderstood side of Peter Parker. We get a few pretty good one-liners from him in the trailer, indicating that his Peter Parker will be closer to the duality shown in the comic books.

Peter Parker is the penultimate mild-mannered guy akin to Clark Kent while Spider-Man is the wisecracking crime fighter. While this appears to be an improvement, it also begs the question if Garfield will be able to show Peter’s kind heart as well.

Second, we have our leading ladies: Emma Stone vs. Kirsten Dunst. Kirsten Dunst is probably the largest complaint about Raimi’s Spider-Man from comic book fans besides Spidey’s lack of one-liners. While she is a lovely actress, Dunst often failed to emit the sharp tongue and fierce independence that Mary Jane Watson has in the comic books.

She played her much softer in the first film and she wasn’t able to participate in any roles other than the love interest, the damsel in distress, and the supportive but troubled girlfriend. Furthermore, Mary Jane was not written up to standards in the widely disliked ‘Spider-Man 3’ (2007) because her complaining about Peter’s success made her seem petty and unlikable.

Emma Stone, however, is a rising star due to her work in comedies like ‘Superbad‘ (2007), ‘Zombieland‘ (2009), and ‘Easy A‘ (2010) where she is incarnates a sarcastic, tough female lead. This has also drawn criticism from Spidey fans because Stone looks like the perfect Mary Jane but director Marc Webb decided to go with the character of Gwen Stacy instead: who is less known to general public and not nearly as strong a personality as Mary Jane Watson.

Thus, casting Emma Stone is an improvement over Kirsten Dunst, but casting her as Gwen Stacy might be a bit of a miscalculation. Third, we have our villains: Willem Dafoe vs. Rhys Ifans. Willem Dafoe’s portrayal of Green Goblin is very well-known and mostly enjoyed by the fans because he showed the slow spiral of the character from a cold, slimy business man to a maniacal super villain.

He showed some hints of sympathy here and there, but for the most part, he was the hardcore bad guy who gave Spider-Man a serious run for his money.

The Amazing Spider-Man has chosen Dr. Curt Connors, aka the Lizard, for its first villain. The choice is very interesting and wise because the Lizard is generally a sympathetic character because he and Peter Parker were friends before the life-changing accident that turned him into a walking reptile.

Dafoe will be a hard act to follow, but the new trailer shows some great potential for action sequences by having the Lizard claw his way through the roofs of cars and sling poor Spidey around with his monstrous tail. However, Rhys Ifans is not as well-known as Willem Dafoe and has not worked on many action films so it will be interesting to see how he handles the role.

Time will show which Spider-Man will ring true with the general public. There are fans on both sides of the fence and some who straddle it, waiting for July to roll around and give them a definite answer. All that can be said is that these two films take different approaches to the beloved web-slinging hero and that no matter who portrays him, Spider-Man fans want a respectful adaptation and plenty of fun along the way.

Image Courtesy of  https://www.facebook.com/theamazingspiderman

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New York City is one of the most filmed cities in the world, having served as the backdrop for countless amounts of movies and television shows. Although the island of Manhattan may be relatively small, there’s always a popular film location or famous monument just around the corner. On Location Tours brings together the best of the best in film locations on its TV and Movie Sites tour, where movie buffs can sneak a peek at some of New York City’s most iconic spots.

The On Location Tours: New York TV and Movie Sites tour is a perfect way to blend the sights of the Big Apple with real life scenes of television shows and movies that everyone loves. Tour goers are able to experience the hustle and bustle of the city while riding on a comfortable coach bus around Manhattan. A movie and television expert leads the three hour guided tour around town, stopping multiple times along the way at important film spots.

Starting off near Times Square, the heart of the theater district, the tour brings the busload of excited fans through midtown Manhattan. Central Park, New York City’s most prominent outdoor space, was the set for multiple movies and television shows. Besides being a beautiful park in the center of skyscrapers, Central Park is one of the most filmed locations in the world.

As the tour bus drives past the park, the guide points out what movies were filmed there, as well as television shows. Not far from the entrance of Central Park is the Plaza Hotel, where the Pulitzer Fountain sits. Although it isn’t the exact fountain found in the beginning credits of the television show Friends, it is this fountain where the inspiration came from.

As the tour bus sails through the heart of Midtown, other important locations are pointed out, including Rockefeller Center. Famous shows such as 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live are continuously filmed there. Rockefeller Center’s signature ice skating rink is also one that shouldn’t be missed.

Not far from Rockefeller Center is the location of the New York City Public Library, the biggest in Manhattan and the set of many movies including ‘13 Going on 30‘, as well as the famous scene of Carrie’s failed wedding to Mr. Big in the Sex and the City movie. Further south on the tour, movie enthusiasts are able to catch a glimpse at the towering Empire State Building. Not only made famous by its staggering height and history, the Empire State Building can be seen in popular movies such as ‘King Kong‘, ‘Sleepless in Seattle‘, and ‘Elf‘.

The On Location Tours: New York TV and Movie Sites tour isn’t just about spending hours riding through the city while seeing the film locations behind the windows of the bus. There are several stops along the way where people are able to get out and take pictures in front of some of their favorite sets.

One of the most unique stops along the way is on the small block where the Cosby Show’s house is. On a quiet side street further downtown, everyone is able to check out the front stoop where the Huxtable’s lived. The tour also stops at Washington Square Park, in the heart of Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, and at the apartment building where the cast of Friends lived.

This television and movie tour is a fun and enjoyable way to see the sights of New York City while also diving into the sets of cinema favorites. Movies such as ‘Spider Man‘, ‘Where Harry Met Sally‘, ‘Miss Congeniality‘, ‘Serendipity‘, and ‘Hitch‘ are among dozens that are highlighted on the tour, as well as shows like I Love Lucy and Gossip Girl.

For all those who love movies and television, this tour is a great way to spend half a day immersed in New York City’s most popular, and also sometimes hidden, film spots. For more information on reserving tickets for a tour, visit On Location Tours.

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This April, The Avengers and the X-Men — the two most popular franchises in comics history — go to war. Marvel has announced the Avengers VS X-Men, a landmark twelve-issue pop culture event bringing together the world’s greatest super heroes — Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Magneto and more — for an unforgettable battle beginning in April 2012.

Avengers VS X-Men is written by a team of the top-selling authors in the comic book industry today: Brian Michael Bendis (Avengers, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man); Jason Aaron (Wolverine & The X-Men, Wolverine); Jonathan Hickman (Fantastic Four, Ultimate Comics Ultimates); Ed Brubaker (Captain America, Winter Soldier); Matt Fraction (Invincible Iron Man, The Mighty Thor).

This unprecedented assembly of acclaimed writers is joined by a trio of the industry’s superstar artists: John Romita Jr (Avengers); Olivier Coipel (The Mighty Thor); Adam Kubert (X-Men: Schism).

The Avengers and X-Men have learned that the all-powerful embodiment of both death and rebirth known as the Phoenix Force is on a crash course for Earth – and it needs a new host to unleash its immeasurable power. But what is the shocking decision tied to the Phoenix’s return that will pit the Avengers against the X-Men? And when good friends become bitter enemies, what does this mean for the future of the Marvel Universe?

Shipping twice monthly, this epic twelve-issue limited series will be available in comic stores and on the Marvel Comics app on the same day — additionally, each print issue of Avengers VS X-Men includes a code for a free digital copy of the issue on the Marvel Comics app at no additional cost to fans or retailers.

“Avengers VS X-Men brings together the most powerful forces in comics for a super hero war like you’ve never seen before and will never see again. We all want to see the best of the best go against each other — Lakers & Celtics; Ali & Frazier; Yankees & Red Sox; and in comics it’s the Avengers fighting the X-Men,” said Axel Alonso, Editor in Chief, Marvel Entertainment.

“We’ve brought together the biggest writers, biggest artists and biggest characters for the biggest story we’ve ever told. This is the kind of high-octane action-packed story that fans demand while also having a profound effect on every character involved—and reshaping the Marvel Universe in its wake.”

Plus, for the first time ever, fans can watch and take part in the groundbreaking Avengers VS X-Men live Kickoff beginning at 3:00pm ET today on Marvel.com and http://new.livestream.com/marveluniverse. A unique event produced in collaboration with Livestream.com’s cutting edge streaming services and the Hangout functionality provided by Google+, they will be bringing the writers and editors of AVX directly to the fans.

Make sure to follow Marvel on Google+ as five lucky True Believers will be chosen to join in on the AVX hangout with their favorite writers and editors. Even if you’re not part of the Hangout, your questions can still be answered via Facebook and Twitter using hashtag #AvX—just make sure to send in your questions before the press conference ends.

For more on Avengers VS X-Men, please visit http://avx.marvel.com

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Marvel fans can celebrate the New Year with the biggest change to the world of digital comics in 2012. Beginning with January’s Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #6, all Ultimate Comics Universe titles will be polybagged with a code for a free digital copy on the Marvel Comics app for iOS and Android devices at no extra cost.

This comes after the incredible success of the digital copy so far. In February, these codes (redeemable for the same print issue as purchased) expand to the rest of the Ultimate Comics Universe, as new arcs begin with Ultimate Comics X-Men #7 and Ultimate Comics Ultimates #7.

“The groundbreaking stories told each month in the Ultimate Comics Universe are some of the best comics being published today,” said David Gabriel, Senior Vice-President of Sales, Marvel Entertainment. “Looking at the tremendous response to our digital copy code offer with Avenging Spider-Man #1, it’s clear that this is something fans want to see more of and we’re delivering it on a scale never seen before, with no extra cost to retailers or fans—and historic benefits for our retail partners.”

The Ultimate Comics line made history in 2010 with the first line of comics to be offered digitally on the same day print editions hit stores, beginning with Ultimate Comics Thor #1. With its inception in 2000, the Ultimate Comics Universe re-imagined the world’s most popular super heroes, including Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Wolverine and more, for a new generation.

It continues to be one of the most acclaimed and best-selling comics initiatives of the last decade, with the 2011 introduction of an all-new Spider-Man heralded as one of the most important moves in pop culture history.

In 2012, no fan can miss Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Ultimate Comics Ultimates and Ultimate Comics X-Men, as they begin red-hot new storylines and each issue includes a code for a free digital copy on the Marvel Comics app.

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Marvel Entertainment announced recently that the hotly-anticipated NOOK Tablet from Barnes & Noble will offer readers access to the greatest graphic novels of all time. Featuring the Avengers, Spider-Man, Wolverine and more of the world’s most popular super heroes, NOOK Tablet launches with a digital library of your favorite Marvel graphic novels — and more of your favorite stories are on the way.

NOOK Tablet utilizes the world’s most advanced VividView^™ Touchscreen, offering readers a chance to experience the action-packed epics of Marvel graphic novels in Barnes & Noble’s fastest, lightest tablet with the best in HD entertainment.

“This is a huge opportunity for Marvel — and the entire comics medium — to reach a wider audience than ever before thanks to Barnes & Noble’s exciting new NOOK Tablet,” said Peter Phillips, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Marvel Digital Media Group. “Barnes & Noble is committed to offering customers a broad array of Marvel graphic novels, both digitally and through their massive in-store selection, which can only help bring fans into our exciting world of Super Heroes and unparalleled storytelling.”

Users can purchase digital copies of their favorite Marvel graphic novels through NOOK Bookstore™, with a selection including such hits as Civil War, Invincible Iron Man, Captain America, Thor by JMS, Astonishing X-Men, New Avengers, Marvels and more! These graphic novels will also be available on the highly-acclaimed NOOK Color.

“We’re excited to bring NOOK customers the largest available digital collection of graphic novels from Marvel Entertainment,” said Theresa Horner, Barnes & Noble’s Vice President of Digital Content. “The high resolution of our VividView color touchscreen makes the action virtually jump off the page, and takes graphic novels to a whole new level of entertainment.”

Starting this week, the world’s greatest super heroes, their most acclaimed stories and most powerful graphic novels arrive on NOOK Tablet.

Experience NOOK Tablet at any Barnes & Noble bookstore or at www.nook.com

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The series everyone’s talking about kicks it up a gear in this first look at Avenging Spider-Man #2 With Free Digital Code. From the blockbuster creative team of Zeb Wells and Joe Madureira pit the team-up of Red Hulk & Spidey against an unstoppable army of Moloids.

The new feature introduces with every purchase of a polybagged issue of Avenging Spider-Man #2 a special code to be redeemed for a free digital copy of the issue on the Marvel Comics app. As a result of the overwhelming support for the first free digital copy promotion, Marvel has proudly announced that from now on, every issue of Avenging Spider-Man’s action packed first arc will be polybagged with a code for a digital copy.

That means that #1, #2 and #3 will all be including a copy for your for iOS and Android devices, free of charge.

“At New York Comic Con we heard from fans and retailers that this was the most exciting digital comics move of the year because of the added value it gives every copy of Avenging Spider-Man,” said David Gabriel, Marvel SVP of Sales.

“Based on initial orders of over 100,000 units for the first issue—and the steady increase in orders since we’ve begun promotion on this plan—we knew that including a code for a free digital copy in future issues of Avenging Spider-Man not only excites our retailers, but incentivizes fans to come into stores for one of the year’s hottest new releases.

It’s a win-win for everyone with no extra cost to readers and an increased revenue share for retailers.”

This November, no fan can miss the release of Avenging Spider-Man #1. With J. Jonah Jameson held hostage, can Spider-Man and Red Hulk fight back the hordes of underground dwellers to save the day? The high octane web-slinging action continues in December, available in stores with free digital copy and on the Marvel Comics app.

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