Spider-Man Swings By Disneyland Park this November!

Spider-sense tingling!

Spidey is making his Disneyland Park debut on November 16 to usher in the new re-imagined Super Hero HQ. Visitors of the park will be able to pose with the web head, snap pictures, get an autograph or just hang out with him before he goes to fight Venom, Green Goblin, Doc Oc, or any of his infamous villains.

Super Hero HQ also has some other cool stuff to check out. Read about it below:

Super Hero HQ is the West Coast home base of some of the greatest heroes in the universe. It’s the place to go, not only to meet some of those heroes, but to discover the super hero in yourself. You can tour Treasures of Asgard and cross the Bifrost to come face-to-face with the mighty Avenger, Thor. Virtually suit up as Iron Man and check out the Hall of Armor at Iron Man Tech Presented by Stark Industries, play some of the latest games in the Game Center and pick up some Super Hero gear to take with you on your journey home.

It seems like Disney is finally utilizing their Marvel brand, increasing exposure and such for those beloved heroes. Now if only Spidey and crew can make the crowds disappear then all will be good.

Ant-Man Gets A Sequel With The Wasp! Plus Phase 3 Date Shifts!

A ant sized sequel coming.

Ant-Man was a more intimate Marvel movie small on epic scale but big on heart and humor. Now its getting a sequel!

This time, Wasp is joining. Titled “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” it is set to be released in July 6, 2018. It will also be the first studio picture with a heroine in the title and a main lead.

However, Ant-Man and the Wasp getting released in 2018 caused some shuffling for the movies in Phase 3. Here is Marvel’s full presser:

Now that Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has officially reached its conclusion with the release of Marvel’s “Ant-Man,” we have new details on what to expect in Phase 3!

Following our hero’s debut adventure in this summer’s “Ant-Man,” Scott Lang will return alongside Hope Van Dyne on July 6, 2018 with Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp.” The sequel will mark the first Marvel Studios film named after its heroine.

Additionally, Ant-Man’s second adventure will lead to a couple of other films shifting their dates, with Marvel’s “Black Panther” moving up to February 16, 2018 and Marvel’s “Captain Marvel” landing on March 8, 2019.

Finally, three untitled Marvel Studios films will premiere on May 1, 2020, July 10, 2020, and November 6, 2020.

The announcement of “Ant-Man and the Wasp” follows the success of “Ant-Man,” which has earned $178.5M domestically and $231.3M internationally for a global total of $409.8M. It’s the #9 film of the year domestically, and opens in its final international market, China, on October 16.

“Ant-Man” followed one of this year’s biggest blockbusters, Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” which has earned $458.9M domestically and $946M internationally for a global total of $1,404.9M, making it the #2 film of the year domestically and the #6 film of all time globally.

Stay tuned to Marvel.com for more exciting announcements on Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the future.

Phase 3 is looking quite packed. As a Marvel and comic book fan boy, I cannot wait.

Get Ready For Some Of Marvel’s Black Panther Greatness With Ta-Nehisi Coates

Marvel Comics just gained another great writer for arsenal! This time it is for their upcoming Black Panther series. Announced today, Ta-Nehisi Coates will be joining Marvel and penning T’Challa’s adventures.

A refresher on Coates: he is a national correspondent for The Atlantic, author of the critically acclaimed “Between the World and Me” and, as of this month, a nominee for the National Book Award’s nonfiction prize. But he is also a super geek and unabashed Marvel fan. The proof? Check out his twitter:

For those of you not reading Marvel comics, Black Panther and Namor are at each other’s throat and Namor soldout Wakanda to Thanos, destroying the city. It’s pure comic geekness and to see an acclaimed writer like Coates gush and reference over it is just awesome. The series is set to begin next spring, but how did Marvel coax Coates to write for the first black super hero? From the New York Times piece:

Writing for that comics publisher is a childhood dream that, despite the seeming incongruity, came about thanks to his day job. “The Atlantic is a pretty diverse place in terms of interest, but there are no comics nerds,” besides himself, Mr. Coates said in an interview.

His passions intersected in May, during the magazine’s New York Ideas seminar, when he interviewed Sana Amanat, a Marvel editor, about diversity and inclusion in comic books. Ms. Amanat led the creation of the new Ms. Marvel, a teenage Muslim girl living in Jersey City, based on some of her own childhood experiences.

“It was a fruitful discussion,” he recalled.

After that event, Marvel reached out, paired Mr. Coates with an editor, and discussions about the comic began.

The series’ storyline is titled “A Nation Under Our Feet,” and it will be a yearlong story line written by Mr. Coates and drawn by Brian Stelfreeze. It is inspired by the 2003 book of the same title by Steven Hahh and “will find the hero dealing with a violent uprising in his country set off by a superhuman terrorist group called the People.”

I am ecstatic to see what Coates will bring to Black Panther and to Marvel in general.

You Ever Want To Rave While It’s Raining Blood?

If your favorite part from the first Blade movie was the rave scene in which it rained blood, well, you’re very eccentric and you’re also very lucky because according to comicbook.com, BBQ Films will host a “Blade Rave” at New York Comic Con on Oct.  9, inspired by the 1998’s Blade film. Here is the highlight to satisfy your blood rave cravings:

This is no ordinary gathering. As the ancient prophecy foretold, you will party with the spirits of the 12 vampire houses and awaken the legendary La Magra, the Blood God. Vampires have lived among humans long enough. This October, come celebrate our rightful place atop the food chain. Spread the word. Sharpen your fangs. And plan to wear something that you don’t mind getting a little…bloody.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

• A classic rave straight out of 1998
• A screening of the original BLADE film
• Costumed actors bringing BLADE scenes to life
• Sword-fighting demos from SWORD CLASS NYC
• Vampire dance moves from THE DANCE CARTEL
• The vampires of POISONOUS PINUPS
• A relaxing space styled after Deacon Frost’s Lair
• Projected visuals by Sean Dack
• Raffles & giveaways of limited BLADE-themed merch
• Secret special guest appearances
• And most importantly, (synthetic) BLOOD RAIN from within Terminal 5. Step into the splash zone and experience the BLADE RAVE from the film!

Music will include The Crystal Method, Pictureplane, A Place Both Wonderful and Strange, and DJ Choyce Hacks.

Visit the BBQ Films website to preorder tickets while they’re still available.

No idea if Blade will actually show up. From what we have been hearing, he is still talking to Marvel about reviving the daywalker and, so far, talks have been really good. Here’s hoping we get more Blade stuff in the future.

Who Is The Brainiac In Justice Leauge? Well, Maybe Brainiac.

Devin over at BirthMoviesDeath.com  has an interesting behind the scenes look at the tumultuous state of affairs in regards to the sequel to Man of Steel and the upcoming Justice League. According his sources, Brainiac will be the villain for the DC superhero team up. What is interesting to note is that sources told him and El Mayimbe from HeroicHollywood.com that Brainiac was the original chosen villain for the sequel to Man of Steel, which, much like Pacific Rim 2, is now put on indefinite hold:

It was [Man Of Steel’s] underperformance that led Warner Bros to scrap sequel plans and instead shove Batman into the next Superman movie, giving us Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice* rather than Man of Steel 2. Rumors have been flying – rumors I have heard as well – that Superman’s solo movies are essentially dead, that WB doesn’t want to give the Big Boy Scout another movie until they have established the entire DC Movieverse.

…

According to Mayimbe the sequel [to Man of Steel] would see Brainiac arriving on Earth, looking not for Superman but his cousin, Kara Zor-El, Supergirl. She was actually set up in a prequel comic that DC released that we were told was canon; in it Kara was a member of the Kryptonian ‘Explorer’s Guild,’ who had been tasked with terraforming worlds. That means she might have been out in space when the cataclysm befell Krypton.

…

According to HH Man of Steel 2 was always going to be a split-hero affair, but in this case it was going to spend a lot of time on Supergirl. She would get about half the screen time, and over the course of the film Brainiac would create Bizarro to hunt her down. That means Man of Steel 2 would have Supergirl, Brainiac and Bizarro – quite the Silver Age line-up. Whose neck would get snapped this time?

I trust El Mayimbe’s sources, but I suspect that a lot of this stuff is scrapped now, especially as every whisper I hear about Justice League contains the word ‘Brainiac.’ I suspect elements of this story were cannibalized for the eventual team-up as well as BvS, whose main physical threat is, I believe, a cross between traditional Bizarro and another well-known Superman villain**

Interesante how Warner Bros just ditched Superman in favor of more Batman focused film in Batman Vs. Superman: Screw You Kal El (not actual title). It seems that Warner Bros really have no clue how to make an honest good Superman film. What a pity.

The Wrap Seemingly Confirms Rachel McAdams For Dr. Strange!

The Wraps Jeff Sneider has confirmed that Rachel McAdams will star alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tilda Swinton, and Mads Mikkelsen for Marvel’s Dr. Strange.

 

CONFIRMED: Rachel McAdams tells TheWrap at Toronto that she will star opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in Marvel's DOCTOR STRANGE.

— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) September 14, 2015

Awesome news and awesome cast. Dr. Strange is looking like something special and will hopefully introduce some crazy new trippy things to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It releases November of next year.

First Look At Chloe Bennet As Quake For Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Check out Skye..er…Daisy Johnson, aka Quake for Marvel’s Agent of Shield. Looks like an almost exact replica of her comic book costume.

Agents of Shield returns this fall for their third season on ABC. It will loosely follow the “Secret Warriors” comic by Jonathan Hickman. Quake played a large role in that series and will likely do the same in the TV show. Season 2 of Shield amped up the excitement and introduced several new concepts to the MCU, especially the Inhumans. Let us see where Season 3 goes. Get your security clearances ready.

Marvel’s Jessica Jones To Premiere November 20th!

Marvel’s JESSICA JONES to premiere on Netflix on November 20 at 12:01 a.m. PT! Mark your calendars.

Here is the teaser trailer:

Jessica Jones will be set in the same cinematic universe as Daredevil and Avengers. It is about a former super heroine who experiences something dramatic that causes her to give up and become a private detective. I cannot wait.

Batman Pushing Aside Superman?

There are whispers and hints which have been circulating for quite some time regarding the focus of Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (actual title). Will the time be spread equally between Supes and Bats? Or will one character have more attention? While not a direct sequel to Man of Steel, Warner Bros had assured us in the past that Supeman would get as much focus as Batman (even though Bats got top billing). In fact, there have been statements that the movie directly ties with Man of Steel and will handle its consequences, implying a Superman heavy narrative. However, things may have changed.

Heroic Hollywood  has an interesting scoop, stating that their sources are hinting that Warner Bros want more Batman in the film because of how great Ben Affleck is portraying the costumed vigilante:

“The latest hot rumor I am hearing is that Warners is requesting more Batman be put into the movie and less Superman.  Supposedly, Ben Affleck’s Batman is so good that he is blowing Henry Cavill’s Superman right off the screen.

Like it or not, Batman has become the crown jewel of the DC Universe. Look at what is going in the video-game space with the Arkham series, or the fast-tracked Batman Lego movie spin off.  Let alone the upcoming Suicide Squad is all Batman villains/characters. It is apparent how much more valuable the Dark Knight currently is than Superman.

With Ben Affleck riding high off of Argo and Gone Girl, he is one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. So it only makes sense Warners would want more of the potent combination of him and the Batman.”

What is interesting (and confirms this focusing shift on Bats) is the fact that Warner Bros has already announced the next few Batman films with Affleck directing and starring, but is still dragging their feet with the Man of Steel sequel, which still does not have a director, a screen writer, or a solid release date. In fact, it is put on definite hold, if rumors are to be believed. This bodes poorly for Henry Cavill’s Superman, who had potential but is now looking to be a side character in his own follow up movie. Warner Bros seems to have no clue in how to handle Superman. It is as if they are ashamed of his comic book roots, re-configuring him into a dark and grim character, which goes against his usual hopeful and idealistic demeanor. If this rumor is true, then it is a shame because Supeman is an amazing character. He just needs a competent creative team.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice drops in theaters on March 25, 2016

Battle Chasers Revived in Video Game Form!

Fans of Joe Madureira’s short lived comic series Battle Chasers may now rejoice as it is returning in video game form from Madureira’s own game studio Airship Syndicate, which is also co-founded by his brother Steve and former Virgil co-founder Ryan Stefanelli. The game, called Battle Chasers: Nightwar, is to continue where the comic left off, almost 15 years after it ended in a cliffhanger. It’s 3D isometric like Diablo but with turn based battles like a traditional JRPG. Think Chrono Cross but with Joe Mad’s American Manga aesthetics.

Polygon has done a write up on the game and the developer, which can be found on their site. In the meanwhile, check out some art:

The game is set to release next year and there will be a kickstarter for it in six days. Check out the site here.

I love the brief comic when it appeared and it seems Joe Mad’s artwork has improved from 15 years ago. The game hearkens back to classic old school JRPGs and I absolutely cannot wait for it.

Check out some footage for the game below: