15 Tony Roballo – When I Call You

This Brasillian DJ is still fairly unknown and I’m waiting for him to burst into the scene. When I Call You sounds just like an electro-house track straight out of the New York underground with a slight hint of Latino in the vocals. I’ve heard a small amount of his stuff, but all of it is high quality electro-house with really funky vocals and beats over the top that make you want to dance instantly. It would just be nice if his stuff was a little easier to find…but definitely worth the hunt.

Tony Roballo – When I Call You

14 Phoenix – 1901

Of course this French four piece had us all hooked back in 2006 with Long Distance Call from their second album It’s Never Been Like That, but it hasn’t been until this year that they’ve really made the big time, and when I say big time, I mean huge time. The success Phoenix have experienced all over the world in the past year has been mind-blowing and much delayed. Their cool style of pop-rock seems effortless, smoothed over with backing synth and catchy vocals. 1901 is another contender for summer/festival anthem of the year. Easy to listen to and impossible to hate, it will have everyone in a good mood.

Phoenix – 1901

13 La Roux – Bulletproof

I have to admit, this song dropped a several places in the countdown the day the UK duo dropped out of their set at Adelaide Parklife, filling the festival with a strong sense of hatred. But it’s still extremely difficult to stay mad at such a catchy, happy, synth-fuelled song. La Roux have burst onto the scene this year with a range of addictive synth-focused songs accompanied by the soft vocals of the fiery redhead, but Bulletproof stands out as the best by far. The video clip is also well worth a viewing in its cool geometric element.

La Roux – Bulletproof Video Clip

La Roux – Bulletproof

12 Fagget Fairys – Feed The Horse

This Danish lesbian duo know how to make good music. They are somewhere between ghetto funk and electro pop. With dirty, sex driven vocals and catchy electro basslines to back, Feed The Horse is nice little number for the dance floor and very open to remix abuse. I personally recommend the Gambit edit. This song isn’t as ghetto as their other tracks, a bit more electronicy, enough said, now just listen.

Fagget Fairys – Feed The Horse (Gambit Edit)

Fagget Fairys – Feed The Horse

11 Zoot Woman – Live In My Head

With their second entry in the countdown I can’t get enough of these guys. They have a seriously cool and addictive sound and the album Things Aren’t What They Used To Be is full with it, making it well worth the five year wait. This song is particularly passionate, bordering synthpop and rock. Choosing which of their songs to put in the top 50 for 2009 was really difficult because they’re all amazing and I didn’t want to put in anymore than two, but this one is a standout, so make sure you take the time to listen if you haven’t already.

Zoot Woman – Live In My Head

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=9397046

I will be the first to admit that I am somewhat jaded to the Marvel movies in general. I found Iron Man to be a little over rated, Hulk was ok at best, Spiderman 3 and Xmen 3 were both abortions of movies (thank god Bruce Campbell shows up to give spiderman help). There also is no question that Singer does a better job directing a movie than whoever the hell screwed up x3, even if he has obviously never read a comic book. I would like to see a Hollywood nerd (maybe a Kevin Smith type) to advise on and make recommendations on the movie. I dont know that Smith would make a better movie, but I think he would at least stay true to the characters, and I personally would not mind seeing a script provided by Smith.

Today we appreciate the slick lines of Steve Lightle on a few covers of Classic X-Men (later renamed X-Men Classic).  Lightle was cover artist for this title during 1989 and 1990.  He worked on a run on Legion of Super-Heroes and Doom Patrol, but he is primarily known for his cover work.  There’s an interesting interview with him here.  Click on images to see them larger.  Above, Classic X-Men #40.

Wolverine gets a free flight courtesy of the Black Queen.  Another Mistress of Darkness drawn by Steve Lightle is Umbra, shown here.  Above, Frontispiece for Classic X-Men #40. 

Phoenix knocks out Professor X while the team looks on in horror.  Another amazing team shot by Lightle is here.  Above, Classic X-Men #42 

Above, X-Men Classic #48.  Looks like another fun time in Man-Thing’s Nexus of All Realities.  Amazing wallpaper of Cyclops by Steve Lightle here.  The site says it is art by John Byrne, but that is incorrect.  It’s totally Steve Lightle.  And so is this cover for X-Men Adventures!

This comic came out after the success of the 90s X-Men cartoon!  I hope you’ve seen enough art to appreciate Lightle’s smooth lines and extreme shadowing.  His dynamic use of blacks and whites makes him a superb choice for covers.  He’s definitely an artist worth looking into!

X-Men: Legacy #230

This series, in my eyes, has improved leaps and bounds from where it use to be. I feel like this is sorta the loop in type of comic that goes along with the main plot, but doesn’t directly impact it–the sort of venue to get lesser known characters out in the open and start developing them. However, following Rogue in the last few issues, the series has started to become more down to earth and has gotten a real feel for what it is. While I’m glad that this series isn’t just a Rogue spin-off, I do appreciate that it focuses on our Southern Bell and throws her into the chaos that is Utopia.

So in the last few issues that villain back from Generation X, Emplate, has resurfaced from the dimension that he was thrown into, apparently now able to navigate through it and the real world. With his arrival of course comes Emplate’s hunger for mutant life energy so he is bent on finding a new Penance to feed off of (if you don’t know Penance, I’m sorry but the plot is entirely too long for me to write here, just follow this good ol’link: Penance). In his search, he discovers Ms. Roxie Washington, AKA Bling! (can I mention how much I hate the “!” at the end of her codename. Why?), a mutant with powers similar to Penance’s.

Anywho, Roxie gets abducted, taken to his dimension, only Trance can see the portal where Emplate took Roxie (apprently due to her astral form), Rogue borrows Trance’s powers to hope dimensions where she finds Emplate’s goon and he unleashes some ectoplasmic worm things that attack Rogue. Rogue defeats the ghost worms and heads back to Emplate to get to the bottom of shit, she inadvertently discovers the navigation system and tells it to take her back to Utopia. Meanwhile, while all this is happening, The X-Club is trying to create a device that would seal and remove extradimenional portals.

Okay, so now on to this issue. Rogue is locked in Emplate’s draining grasp when her own powers kick in and absorb his ability. She then leeches on to Emplate and begins to counter his own drainage–ultimately nullifying his ability. Trance’s borrowed powers fade causing Rogue to return to the present dimension, leaving Bling behind. However, Rogue’s plan still works, sending Emplate’s lair into Utopia, which is effectively sealed by Doctor Nemesis and the X-Club.

Emplate, now unable to change his solidity, tries once more to harvest Bling’s energy, but this time, due to his inability to become intangible gets a blast of diamond shards from everyone one’s favorite lesbian diamond. He then is thrusted back into his dimension and sealed–likely to resurface sometime or other with revenge against Bling, Rogue, and the X-Men.

(Bling) Having Rogue come riding to the rescue, and sweep me up in her womanly arms? Kind of hot.

(Trance) God, you are such a slut!

Hahaha, got to love the gayos that is happening in the Marvel world. Anywho, the issue ends with three one page epilogues, each recapping what has happened. One with the X-Students all asking Roxie how it went, another with Scott confirming Rogue’s spot here on Utopia, and the third is the lead in to X-Men: Legacy’s part in Necrosha. Any guesses on whose lips those are on Gambit’s card when he changes over to Apocalypse’s horseman? I’m actually sort of clueless.

Rating: 3/5 art was great, story was a little meh, nice use of a large cast

Film review

In stills from Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog,” a young Tiana, our heroine, is shown with her parents, and, with a touch of “Fantasia,” is shown dancing with Prince Naveen after both of them were turned into frogs by dark voodoo. Surprisingly, “The Princess and the Frog,” in addition to its visual and auditory elements that will delight the kiddies (as well as the adults), seems to make progressive sociopolitical statements almost as boldly as Disney’s “WALL-E” makes.

I’m such a fag. I love Disney movies.

Not the live-action Disney movies. Most of them suck. The animated Disney movies. Most of them rock.

Disney lost its mojo with its animated films for a while from the 1960s to the 1980s and then regained it with 1989’s “The Little Mermaid.” Since then we’ve seen a string of modern classics from Disney, including “Aladdin,” “The Lion King” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” all worthy to be categorized with Disney’s classic animated films from the 1930s to the 1950s. (I’m not including in this list some of the other excellent animated films by Disney, such as “Toy Story,” “Finding Nemo,” “Ratatouille,” “WALL-E” and even the current “Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” since they are computer animated, and computer technology wasn’t available to the Disney artisans way back in the day.) 

“The Princess and the Frog” is worthy of Disney’s finest, such as “Pinocchio,” “Cinderella,” “Peter Pan” and “The Jungle Book,” and while “Princess and the Frog” has many elements of past animated Disney films — such as the charming prince, the damsel who dreams of a better life, the spoiled brat who competes with our heroine for the hand of the prince, the evil sorcerer (although it’s usually an evil sorceress), and even the wishing upon a star – it modernizes the genre as well.

“The Princess and the Frog” gives us Disney’s first black heroine at the time that we have the nation’s first black president. “Princess and the Frog” also shows us New Orleans, and we can’t help but think of Hurricane Katrina when we are shown New Orleans these days, and I have to wonder whether “Princess” was conceptualized before or after Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005.

Moreover, “The Princess and the Frog” doesn’t flinch in showing us the raced-based class differences in New Orleans.

The heroine, Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose), is the daughter of poor black parents. Her father (voiced by Terrence Howard) works hard but can barely keep the family afloat, while her mother (voiced by Oprah Winfrey) is a seamstress to a spoiled rich white girl whose father, Big Daddy La Bouff (voiced by John Goodman), buys her whatever she demands.

In one memorable scene, the “camera” pans from the rich area of New Orleans to the slums of New Orleans, a striking contrast that seems to be a political statement, except how can simply portraying things as they are be deemed “political”?

While “Princess and the Frog” shows these socioconomic differences based upon race, and makes it clear that Tiana’s main obstacle in achieving her dreams is the color of her skin, it at least somewhat sanitizes the racism, too. Tiana’s mother is portrayed as healthier and happier and brighter than someone in her station in life probably would be, and even the spoiled rich white brat (whose tantrums and loud-mouthed antics, even as an adult, lend the film a lot of laughs) ends up redeeming herself, which is unlikely in the real world.

Unlike most of Disney’s princes, the prince in “Princess and the Frog,” Prince Naveen (voiced by Bruno Campos), isn’t noble and admirable, but is a playboy who needs to grow up; he’s more like Peter Pan than he’s like “The Little Mermaid’s” Prince Erik. The chemistry between the responsible Tiana and the irresponsible Prince Naveen is inevitable, of course, and a bit reminiscent of the chemistry between the responsible Princess Leia and the irresponsible Han Sol0 (if I may geek out for a moment). 

Ray the Cajun firefly (get it? Ray of light?) reminds me a bit too much of Sebastian the crab of “The Little Mermaid” (Roger Ebert compares Ray to Jiminy Cricket, but I think that’s a weak comparison), but the character of Ray nonetheless works wonderfully, and his seemingly unrequited love affair with Evangeline (I won’t go into any detail about that) gives the already poignant film even more poignancy.

Louis the alligator, who, with Ray, helps Tiana and Prince Naveen in their quest to be turned from frogs back into human beings, also wants to be human so that he can be a jazz musician, and this is a bit reminiscent of wooden puppet Pinocchio’s desire to be a real little boy.

“The Princess and the Frog” also takes on the subject of good food, not to the extent that “Ratatouille” does, but to a significant extent, as Tiana’s dream is to open a restaurant — one that brings people together, she proclaims — and the one thing that she inherits from her father is his gumbo pot.

The villain in “The Princess and the Frog” who is responsible for the protagonists’ amphibianization is Dr. Facilier, also called the “Shadow Man.” He’s a wonderfully conceived villain – I love his purple eyes — even if he is a bit too reminiscent of the X-Men character of Gambit (a.k.a. Remy LeBeau), who also hails from New Orleans and who also possesses a black top hat and cane and, especially, a flying deck of cards.

And it’s nice to see a male Disney villain for a change. Most of Disney’s villains seem to be women — think of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Cinderella,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “One Hundred and One Dalmations” and “The Little Mermaid” (and in “The Lion King” the villain was an effeminate male [come on, now, Scar is gay, and come to think of it, Captain Hook seems to be a bit light in the loafers as well...]).  

The “Shadow Man’s” voodoo opposite is the good voodoo practitioner Mama Odie, of whom we don’t get enough. (She’s a bit too reminiscent of the good voodoo priestess Minerva portrayed in “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” however.)

If Disney’s portrayal of the stark socioeconomic differences between blacks and whites in New Orleans doesn’t get the wingnuts going (crying “class warfare”), then Disney’s unapologetic portrayal of voodoo and occultism – with even silouetted evil spirits conjured by the villain to pursue our protagonists – will get them going (crying “Satanism” or “witchcraft” or the like).

If the wingnuts hate it, then it must be good.

With all of the apparent progressive sociopolitical statements that we didn’t see in the earlier Disney animated films but that we surprisingly saw in “WALL-E” (with “WALL-E’s” anti-corporate, pro-planet and apparent anti-baby-boomer messages), in “The Princess and the Frog” we also get excellent, infectious music (the setting is New Orleans, after all) that made me tap my feet like Larry Craig on crack. (My favorite song is titled “Dig a Little Deeper,” which delivers a timely message.) We also get some breathtaking Fourth-of-July-like visuals, not only with the purples and greens and blues of the watery settings, but the whites and the yellows of the fireflies and even the Halloween-like purples and greens of the voodoo magic.  

While it often feels derivative, which might be unavoidable, given the number of films that precede it, “The Princess and the Frog” is undeniably entertaining and is a near-perfect film.

My grade: A

Woah! Two updates in one day, enjoy it while it lasts. I just wanted to let everyone know about the Holiday Throwdown @ The Riverhouse on the 16th. It’s being held by the rad little guys of The Hamilton County Young Democrats.

The players that night will be Flannel Boy, Axis 1, DJ Dust, Gambit, Talk, and DJ Lights n’ Sounds.

Of course with all HCYD events, it is 18+. One unusual thing about this event is that there won’t be a cover, but this is only if you write two statements encouraging local politicians to vote for green legislation. (It’s hip to be green you know.) If you don’t write the two statements then you have to pay. Oh, five bucks, little man, put that shit in my hand. Nong, nong, ning-a ning-a nong nong!

Read below for the official statement from Repower America

Proceeds to benefit RePOWER AMERICA

Launched in 2008 in a pioneering speech by Al Gore that hit the reset button on America’s clean energy goals, Repower America was first introduced as a bold plan to “repower” our country with 100% clean electricity and revitalize our national energy infrastructure. At its core, Repower America stands for the importance of investing in energy efficiency; clean, renewable and diversified energy sources; a unified national smart energy grid that connects these renewable energy sources to every part of the country; and clean car technology.

In his Repower America speech, Vice President Gore linked America’s current national security, economic and environmental crises to our dangerous over-reliance on carbon-based fuels. Reducing this dependence on foreign oil by investing in renewable energy sources here at home presents a solution common to all three problems. New clean energy jobs in a new clean energy future will repower America – creating millions of new jobs, hastening our economic recovery, strengthening our national security and preserving our planet for future generations. With a clean energy economy, everybody wins.

Building on this momentum, the Alliance for Climate Protection launched the Repower America campaign to galvanize the American public around a bold new clean energy plan and a revitalized national energy infrastructure that will:

* Jumpstart our economy and create millions of jobs;
* Help end our dependence on foreign oil;
* Reward innovation and job creation, not polluters; and
* Help solve the climate crisis.

Efforts to secure passage of comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation that supports Repower America’s objectives are conducted by the Alliance’s sister nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, the Climate Protection Action Fund.

Join the movement to transition America to a clean energy economy and help solve the climate crisis.

This all sounds like a good idea to me. I’m in. Are you?

Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu

WDSU-TV, Gambit and the Times-Picayune are all reporting Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu WILL run for mayor of New Orleans after he initially said he would not.

I’ve thought all along that he’d scope out the rest of the field then jump in near the qualifying deadline if he thought he would have a good shot. He obviously thinks he does.

Now let’s see how this affects the other white candidates in the race, especially John Georges and Leslie Jacobs.

Movie review of Bad Timing:

Director Nicolas Roeg has managed to take a half hour story and extend it for 129 minutes.

(http://www.artistsinlet.com/movies/bad_timing/bad_timing.htm#top)

The Cover for X-Men #1 (V2) by Jim Lee from Marvel.com.

Jeremy graciously put a juicy leftover turkey sandwich on my table when covering the new WWE comic books. I’ll look at the limited sampling of artwork and break it down. I’m not even going to venture into the writing which seems to be linking famous historical happens to modern wrestling situations. I’ll leave that for March 23rd when the comics come out and I can properly piss on them.

In the first link Jeremy provided (I suggest enlarging it with a simple click) the top left cell shows a Mayan that is proportioned well. In the next cell over, HHH has an awfully small head in comparison. The artists didn’t look at HHH’s ring attire because he always wraps his right hand and forearm. HHH also has the iron cross on his elbow pads. Look at photos 8 and 9 for proof from this week’s Raw. John Cena is prominently featured in cells 4 and 6. They pulled the same issues with Cena’s attire because they forgot his wrist and arm bands, didn’t give him a belt for his clam diggers, didn’t show any underwear and they gave him high tops instead of low tops. Look at photo 17 for everything but the foot wear. I also feel like I’m playing a game of nude photo hunt at the bar because Cena doesn’t have wrist tape in cell 4 but does in cell 6. Hopefully, Mickie James will be missing articles of clothing in her issue of the comic.

This cover from Spawn #158 by Greg Capullo is an example of good comic book art.

In Jeremy’s second link, we have a scene in cell 2 with (from left to right) Matt Hardy,  Kofi Kinston, Batista, R Truth and I think CM Punk or John Morrison. The first problem I have with this picture is the fact that aside from skin pigmentation, the art work feels like “insert head here”. As the picture at the top of the article shows, one can show diverse body types while still making a great comic like X-Men. Wolverine is a great character but it was often pointed out how short he was. Batista should not be matched in size by our pudgy friend Matt Hardy. Cell 4 presents a couple of problems. The most glaring to me is that Batista and Randy Orton don’t have any tattoos. They don’t need to be as detailed as the real ones but they shouldn’t be presented without them. The second problem is that Batista goes from talking to swinging a chair. I realize that comics don’t show every action but he goes from standing still without a chair to swing one through the ropes at Randy Orton. They need to show some action in between those two events.

I can’t wait until March for further evaluation. Maybe by then, I’ll have brought my own art back to this site for people to mock. - Kevin

This is not a hate post – far from it. It combines two of my loves: bad pop music from my tween years and geek culture.

It’s a parody I wrote of O-Town’s Liquid Dreams, a song upon which we all look back and cringe. However, it’s perfect for tribuarody (tribute/parody, a term originated by my IRL nerd girl dream man Kevin over at The Redding Mineshaft).

As the song was released in 2001, there’s no karaoke version on YouTube, but here’s the song so you can sing along (I’ve spared you the dancing in the original video – you’re welcome)

Nerd Girl Dreams by Allegra

Posters of space surrounding me, of home worlds and sci-fi and fantasy
Every night he visits me and reduces me to squee.

Now this hot nerd, he’s not your average nerd
He’s a neuromantic dream hopped up on caffeine
And he’s so fine designed to pwn your mind
He’s a fighter pilot millionaire and sex machine

I dream about a man who’s a mix of Harrison Ford
Just a little touch of the tenth Time Lord
Wielding the Master Sword, throw in a Body Electric
And you’ve got the star of my nerd girl dreams

Castiel’s angel lips to kiss in the dark
Underneath Draco Malfoy’s dark mark
When it comes to the fight Scott Pilgrim’s got might
And I’ve got Neo to show me the light.

Now this hot nerd, he’s not your average nerd
He’s a counter-cultured being from the comic scene
And he’s so fine designed to pwn your mind
He’s a fighter pilot millionaire and sex machine

I dream about a guy who’s a mix of Bret and Jemaine
A little more Mal and a little less Jayne
Channeling young Bruce Wayne, throw in a body like Gambit’s
And you’ve got the star of my nerd girl dreams

Looks ain’t everything he’s gotta have a way off the colony
Like Major Lee (Major Lee!)
My mama doesn’t mind it, she knows that I’ve been blinded
By tractor beams – I’m pulled up every time I dream
My
Nerd girl dreams, my nerd girl dreams
Fan girl screams in these nerd girl dreams

I dream about a man who’s a mix of Harrison Ford
Just a little touch of the tenth Time Lord
Wielding the Master Sword, throw in a Body Electric
And you’ve got the star of my nerd girl dreams

I dream about a guy who’s a mix of Bret and Jemaine
A little more Mal and a little less Jayne
Channeling young Bruce Wayne, throw in a body like Gambit’s
And you’ve got the star of my nerd girl dreams…

I tried to include a little bit of everything. Major Lee refers of course to Lee Adama of Battlestar Galactica, my current geeky obsession. I was tempted to write a whole Allegra Hates post on Gaius Baltar, but his character flaws have been thoroughly explored by other nerds who weren’t late to the BSG party (I can’t believe I watched 4.5 seasons of a show when I was constantly distracted by an urge to punch a main character!)

By Mike Carey (writer), Daniel Acuña (artist), Daniel Ketchum (associate editor), Nick Lowe (editor)

The Story: Rogue has entered Emplate’s dimension using the astral projection power of Trance to search for Bling!.  She found her, but also got discovered and is now running from astral monsters.  In the meantime, her teammates are trying to bail them both out.

What’s Good: I really enjoyed the whacked-out settings Acuña brought to life for this issue.  We’ve got a weird, other-dimensional castle, retro-tech, bizarre monsters that look like Cambrian explosion rejects, and chase scenes galore.  Acuña also drew an effective Scott Summers.  Given that Acuña is playing penciller, inker and colorist, he does pull off some of his trademark effects well, like where he changes color abruptly without the inker’s lines to separate the changes.  With Acuña, black is only used for true shadows and the rest of the definition he gives with different patches of color.

My first thought on the story as a whole was that it felt a bit empty.  Nothing had happened except that Rogue’s conflict had been decided.  But on second glance, this is a passable rescue plot set in a really original place (for this team).  And the X-team on Earth is working pretty hard on making this rescue a success, which drives up the tension even more.  The bits with Dr. Nemesis and “the smart team” were fun to read.  And, this issue is dominated by an effective chase conflict with Rogue.  Not sure why I had an initially negative reaction to the book, unless the art had a hand…

What’s Not So Good: Acuña’s art takes a bit of getting used to.  Since I’m talking about some of it here, I obviously haven’t completely come around to it yet.  I mentioned the great setting and background work above.  On most characters though, his style rubs me the wrong way.  The body proportion distortions, the occasionally crude and generic facial expressions, and the stock poses give all the characters an unnatural look.  And, just as an aside: The dumbest looking, least related cover of the week award goes to…. Legacy #229!

Conclusion: Diehard X-fans should certainly get this.  Carey has publicly stated his mission of really developing Rogue and Gambit and a few other, so if you’re a fan of any of those characters, you should get the book.  If you’re an occasional reader and you don’t get this issue, I don’t get the impression you’ll be missing out on something that to sends ripples through the X-universe.

Grade: C

-DS Arsenault



It had been a pretty long while since I started expecting the sequel to Marvel Ultimate Alliance (2006) sequel and finally, I have got it and finished the game twice. It is a bit odd, because I had really expected much more from this game and at the end, it kinda feels like a dissapointment. Because of my console, the version I will talk about is the Wii version of the game.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, previously known also as Fusion, basically follows the same path of the original game in terms of gameplay. Up to four players can join during anytime of the game, choosing 4 characters among 26 playable Marvel heroes and villains and overcoming each obstacle on their way. One of the new aspects of the game is the fact that now, thanks to the fusion power the characters are able to combine their powers, realeasing a powerful blast of mixed abilities. This new feature, apart from the story, are the only new attractions of the game, so we can say there’s a bit lack of originality.

The characters have improved in a lot of aspects, specially the visual one, but surely fans of the previous game will be struck by the fact of not having really new superpowers. Indeed, almost all the attacks of the first game have come back, with the exception of few that were changed, into something a little bit better, or something even worse. Teamwork is still the same, and the enemy’s level of intelligence becomesa challenge in some moments of the game, but there’s nothing really splendorous. Expectations about the new characters like Jean Grey, Penance, Psylocke, etc. fade quickly, as you realize some are the obvious replacement of the ones in the first game that didn’t enter in this second round (like Psylocke, who is basically Elektra). Some others continue being as good as they were, and pretty few have become really stronger.

The game’s plot follows the Civil War story, on which the heroes have to choose between accepting the Act of Registration from the Government, or not. Depending on what you choose, some characters will be available or not, and missions will change, according to the story you’re playing. Nevertheless, the way the plot is told becomes sometimes quite boring, and you just skip the info in order to start playing the missions. The S.H.I.E.L.D. blue points, where you save your progress and change your team are now spread in not very useful locations, unlike the previous game, and you can’t change characters who have died in battle anymore. You have to bring them back to life using the Fusion, and in the Wii version, there are no costumes for the characters. 

Bosses have a balanced level, and the locations, although they are not as exotic as in the prequel, are now made with more detail, giving the game a pleasant visual effect. Missions have become shorter in lenght and not very dinamic in some moments. A good improvement from the first Wii version is that the Wii Remote Control is now more enjoyable without being an irritating feature. Attacks are not made by the control’s movement anymore, and isntead, it is required only in specific actions.

So, in general, MUA2 it’s the same game as the first one with some improvements but no really outstanding feature, a story that can be sometimes hateful, and cool characters that still, have something which doesn’t really fit at all. A good avergae game, but the first one is really missed by the player while he plays this one.

So, here’s a list of all the playable Wii characters, with a brief opinion of mine (based on my playing with them), and more images. Leave your comments as you wish!

1.- Captain America: He’s basically the same as in the first game, and his attacks are overpowered by most of all the other characters. A shield is not very useful, really… Grade: Useful in some moments.

2.- Iron Man: With some new improvements, Stark’s armor is not only a reliable backup, but also quite an offensive fighter. He’s not only powerful but also resistant. Grade: Essential for victory!

3.- Thor: The mighty Nordic God might not seem trustful in this game, but hides great power in his hammer. Strong and offensive, clearly a great choice. Grade: Good choice!

4.- Hulk: This new ally it’s powerful by nature. His only “but” is that he requires “rage” for some of his attacks, but it’s a good companion in rooms full of enemies… Grade: Good choice!

5.- Spiderman: The web-head neighbour it’s the master of agility, and along with his spider powers becomes a useful tool whether for running away, or fighting multiple enemies at a time… Grade: Essential for victory!

6.- Mr. Fantastic: Thanks to his elastic powers, he can reach enemies that are not close to him, but his physical power from the last game, went from 5 to 2 so think about it… Grade: Not the best, not the worst.

7.- Invisible Woman: Susan’s powers have increased from 5, to extra 5, becoming quite a good heroine to play with. Not only will she protect her mates using big shields, but also her “fusion” abilities end up with massive destruction! Grade: Essential for victory!

8.- Human Torch: Johnny’s fire power is strong, and used in a proper way, becomes destructive, besides, his combinations with the other heroes always result in total blast, surely, one hell of a flame! Grade: Good choice!

9.- The Thing: Ben’s physical power it’s the same, but unlike the first game, he’s a little bit faster. This allows him to act like a big bull enemies can’t run from!!! Grade: Good choice!

10.- Wolverine: The iconic X-Man, remains the same as in the prequel, but his lack of power is far more visible. It’s not a good idea to use metal claws against metal armors… Grade: Useful in some moments.

11.- Storm: Storm’s lightnings are a good weapon when a lot of enemies surround you, but… apart from that she has nothing really good to add, except (maybe…) her fusion compability… Grade: Useful in some moments.

12.- Cyclops: This new player seems to have a poor gameplay, but his optical powers ban that statement and make him a good mate rivals can’t deal with. Grade: Good choice!

13.- Jean Grey: She’s probably one of the best newcomers to the game. Not only can she revive with her powers, but also ask her Phoenix’s soul for help and play with telekinesis as if she were playing with dolls. Grade: Essential for victory!

14.- Iceman: Basically the same as always, Iceman icy powers are useful for freezing enemies once and for all, trapping them in what can become a massive punching bag. Fast, agile, and a good shooter… what else do you ask? Grade: Good choice!

15.- Gambit: Another newcomer who impresses with her explosive cards. His shooting ability is stunning, and more when his cards fly everywhere without even aiming at an enemy! Grade: Good choice!

16.- Psylocke: This lady’s pink powers are not very realiable and you’d prefer to take Jean instead of her. Her pink blade is probably a good weapon, along her butteflies, but she’s not the latest warrior… Grade: Useful in some moments.

17.- Deadpool: This mercenary is everything but rubbish. He shoots as fast as you blink your eyes, teleports, jumps, throws granades and starts the massive attacks as fast as he says: “Hello!” His resistance and health powers… make him the perfect back-up. Grade: Essential for victory.

18.- Daredevil: Not a very impressive character, Daredevil shows us agile movements and baton-based hits. Nothing really amazing. Grade: Not the best, not the worst.

19.- Songbird: Another newcomer who seems to offer a lot, but at the end is just another normal mutant. Her sonic powers are only impressive when the fusion is made. A bad point: she can’t attack while she flies… Grade: Not the best, not the worst.

20.- Blade: The old vampire hunter was weak and this new version of him… is still weak. Surrounded by all the other mutants, he barely even disappears among them. Some attacks have become stronger, and the gunshot is probbaly his best feature. Grade: Useful in some moments.

21.- Ms. Marvel: We still wonder why did she return. She’s not amazing and her attacks do a damage level of mediocrity. The only plus is that she’s strong, but in that case… better take Hulk or the Thing. Grade: Stay at the base.

22.- Penance: This mysterious guy doens’t seem to be strong or physically impressive, although visually, he is. Has energy attacks based in getting pain, but his really strong point is the “fusion” move, that ends up sometimes in total destruction. Grade: Not the best, not the worst.

23.- Luke Cage: This warrior is anything but spectacular. Maybe his fists against the ground are something but aparte from that… the chain, the punch… just don’t really work. Grade: Stay at the base.

24.- Venom: One of the two villains available, Venom it’s one of the best newcomers. His slow melee moves are compensed by really good attackas using his symbiotic abilites, which are able to drain enemy’s life in less that 1 minute! Grotesque, sometimes is the best… Grade: Essential for victory!

25.- Green Goblin: The explosive pumpkins he throws make up for his lack of physical damage. Basically that’s all he does… oh, did I mention he launches missiles? Grade: Not the best, not the worst.

26.- Nanyte Nick Fury: This android version of Nick Fury is strong, and has some good attacks… but he’s lack of visual compability with the rest of heroes, makes him a little odd. Apart from that… his sniper rifle deserves some views. Grade: Not the best, not thw worst.

We do feel sometimes the need of using Dr. Strange, Ghost Rider, Moonknight or Colossus right? Hahaha… among all the mentioned, who’s your favorite???

PD: Sorry for writing such a long entrance…

A  guerra civil dos super poderes chegou!

 Esqueça a história de que super-heróis estão sempre do lado do bem e contra os horrores do mal.

Depois do mega sucesso da 1ª versão, a Marvel veio com mais uma super seqüência do game bem sucedido. Ghegou:  Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. Agora com uma jogabilidade bem melhor.

 Diferente das tramóias do Dr. Destino, na versão original do MUA, agora o game se reinventa e traz uma explosão da Guerra Civil.

Em Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, os heróis consagrados da Marvel podem escolher o lado em que ficarão. Isso tudo depois de muitas catástrofes e por uma crise social e política, em que os Estados Unidos cria uma lei que obriga qualquer super-herói a ser registrado como armas de destruição em massa e os tornam agentes especiais do governo norte-americano.

A sua primeira decisão, é escolher qual lado irá ficar para jogar: do Homem de Ferro que é a favor da nova lei ou do totalmente contra, Capitão América.

Escolheu? Agora vamos lá… é só escolher mais 3 super heróis e montar seu time(no PS3 por exemplo você consegue jogar com mais 4 amigos – multiplayer). Pode escolher qualquer um dos mega sucessos das HQs da Marvel, como o Homem-Aranha, Wolverine, Nick Fury, Homem de Ferro, um dos integrantes do Quarteto Fantástico, Fomem Gelo, Hulk, Demolidor, Tempestade, Gambit e Jean Grey ,que antes era apenas telepata, agora tem vários ataques para perto ou longe muito eficientes.

Tá em inglês, mas dá para entender! Mostra todos os heróis que você pode jogar no game e o perfil completo dele:

Nesta nova versão, você pode combinar  ataque entre 2 personagens. Tipo, Tempestade e Gambit, você conseguirá um tornado de cartas energizadas. E quando você combinar e atacar… Ah, prepare-se porque o efeito visual está bem melhor que antes. E que tal o Hulk, pegando qualquer coisa do cenário e atacando? Agora pode!!!

Os personagens podem interagir com o cenário onde estiver. Porém, só é possível destravar uma roupa extra dos personagens(na versão original do game eram 3).

Quanto mais você jogar com o mesmo personagem mais vai acumular experiência, evoluir e ganhar novos poderes. E quando chegar nos chefões, prepare-se para suar com estratégias de ataque.

Durante o game, os personagens conversam entre si para trocar opiniões e estratégias de luta. Quando eles perguntarem para você, é só escolher uma das 3 alternativas de respostas. As perguntas são meio obvias, mas cada resposta seguirá um raciocínio:

Agressive = vermelho à agressiva

Diplomatic = branco à você não sabe se aceita ou não. Fica em cima do muro

Defensive = azul à você não se compromete mesmo

Neutral = sem cor  é uma resposta genérica

 Olha ai o trailer oficial do game:

 EXTRAS:

*Curiosidade: o Yellow Jacket, o gigante, é inspirado no game do God of War.

 ** A  Activision, que distribui o game, falou que a expansão Fusion para o jogo Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, terá 3 novos personagens das histórias em quadrinhos: o Cable, o Carnificina  e o Psylocke, que trarão novas habilidades para os heróis e vilões, além de novas missões.

 *** O jogo tem versões para os consoles: Wii, DS, Xbox 360, PC, PSP, PS2 e PS3.

Marvel X-men Super Hero Squad are on the loose !

• Weapon X
• Wolverine
  
• Emma Frost
• Nightcrawler
• Colossus
• Angel
• Gambit
• Beast 
• Iceman
  
• Mystique
• Juggernaut
  
• Apocalypse
• Sentinel

As a special Halloween surprise, Marvel made a tribute to the greatest music video of all time:

Possibly the best part of this is Stan Lee filling the Vincent Price voiceover role.

Szanowni uczestnicy zajęć. Na minionych spotkaniach poznaliśmy różne sposoby rozwiązywania gier macierzowych, poszukiwania wartości tych gier i odpowiednich strategii czystych i mieszanych. W celu ułatwienia sobie życia, sprawdzania, czy się nie pomyliliśmy i w kilku innych celach polecam Państwu znalezioną w sieci aplikację o nazwie “Gambit”. Umożliwia ona poszukiwanie rozwiązań gier macierzowych i rozwiniętych, znajdywanie równowag i kilka innych rzeczy, które nam się jeszcze mogę przydać.

Program można pobrać ze strony http://gambit.sourceforge.net/. Jest to program darmowy i open-source’owy. Mam nadzieję, że jeszcze nam się przyda.

I am totally off my rocker for this amazing artwork by Corey Lewis for Strange Tales #3 from Marvel Comics!   Many thanks to Robot 6 at Comic Book Resources for featuring this preview!

The X-Men as a band is a great concept and I am loving who Corey picked. Of course the amazing thing about this story is that it features Longshot searching for Dazzler! It’s exciting to see such a great talent taking one of my favorite eras of the X-Men and making it so contemporary and fresh! Let’s just say that this mohawk Storm has a very special place in my heart already!

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When a film series becomes old what do you do? Make it fresh by starting at the beginning, let’s just hope this is the last time they do this.

The film focuses on the violent past of the mutant Wolverine and his relationship with his half-brother Victor Creed. The plot also details Wolverine’s early encounters with Colonel William Stryker, his time with Team X and the bonding of Wolverine’s skeleton with the indestructible metal adamantium during the Weapon X program.

In the other three films of the X-Men franchise, all the mutants seem accepted and allowed to be normal in regular society. However, in this one they sort of feel isolated and in its own universe, so it was hard to connect them to real people.

A lot of the film was not explained: like why does Wolverine stay at one age for the rest of his life although he grows older as a kid. And also why does Colonel Stryker decide to make Blackpool XI halfway through the movie. So many things dididn’t seem explained to me and I was furthermore lost.

The movie seemed by as soon as the first hour was over they started to really push towards the end and starts turning everything to become very incoherant. Though I did like the characters introduced I thought many were introduced simply for the fact of another spin-off.

Despite these negatives there were suprisingly some positives. The opening sequence is awesome and catches you right away, the action sequences are pretty exciting to watch, and the cast actually does try their hardest with this cliche-ridden script. Ryan Reynolds I thought does an awesome job as Deadpool and out of all the characters I would love to see him have a spin-off movie.

Despite some of the positives this film is really overall dumb and compared to other superhero films pretty weak especially for the X-Men franchise. Be sure to see a Deadpool or Gambit spin-off in the makes soon.

4.5/10=Some Old Bullshit!!

We are postponing the final two parts of SCARETOBER due to Midterms and such, but for all you loyal fans here is a small interlude between the episodes! PLEASE be patient and look forward to BACK-2-BACK Podcasts in a SINGLE WEEK!

This is a special Interview we had with Comic-book Artist Dennis Calero and Comic-book Writer Jordan D. White! Don’t miss the fun times we share with some of the Comic-book world’s finest, including a discussion about their project, X-Men Noir.

Click here and Enjoy our Special Interview!

This is a screen shot of a young Storm that was in the extras section of X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

One of the producers of the X-Men series, Lauren Shuler-Donner, has confirmed a couple of X-Men spin offs, along with some really juicy and exciting details about each.

Here’s what she had to say to Empire:

X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2
“It’s actually the story we wanted to use for the first Wolverine film, but [Fox head honcho] Tom Rothman preferred to set the character up with an origin story first. What’s cool about this part of the saga is that Wolverine will be fighting in a different style to what we’ve seen before. Mariko’s father has this stick-like weapon, so Wolverine will have to fight against that. There’ll be samurai, ninja, katana blades, different forms of martial arts — mano-a-mano, extreme fighting.”

X-Men: First Class
“We want it to be like the recent, darker Potters. It should not be a kiddie movie: we’re in the X-Men world so you can’t suddenly change the tone. The First Class comics are really fun — they’re funnier than any other comics I’ve read. Basically in each one the kids are fighting strange villains, sometimes it’s aliens, sometimes it’s monsters. I want to get a flavour of that world.”

X-Men Origins: Deadpool
“I don’t see it as a problem that Ryan [Reynolds] is also playing Green Lantern. I mean, look at Harrison Ford – he was in Stars Wars and Indiana Jones at the same time and everyone was fine with that. Green Lantern could not be more different to Wade Wilson. Green Lantern is a guy who finds a ring and is thrust into this world, much like Spider-Man. Wade Wilson is a bad ass, a wise-cracking mercenary, who will go out and kill anyone for money. But the thing about him is that, underneath it all, and he wouldn’t want you to know this, sometimes he’s not such a bad ass after all.”

I am so confused why of all the amazing stories from the X-Men series, they would give Deadpool an Origins movie. Magneto, Storm, even Beast have more interesting back stories with possibilities of some major on-screen action.

I am most excited about X-Men: First Class. I was worried that they would take the First Class concept and turn it in to some sort of tween movie, but it sounds like Lauren Shuler-Donner knows exactly what she needs to do to keep the already existing X-Men fan base, and grow on it.

I love Lauren Shuler-Donner because she is the one producer of the X-Men series that never has a problem running her mouth about what to expect. She keeps the fan base excited! Now get started on X-Men Origins: Storm!

Hollywood can be useful.  And “Wolverine” is a prime example of taking advantage of big Hollywood.  Talk about big action and great one-on-one (and two-on-one) mutant fight scenes!  And it brings us back to our boyhood.

The movie also made me realize how tragic the Wolverine character is.  Get this, the military kills his wife and steals his memory from him after he basically won all the major wars for America, together with Sabretooth (played by Liev Schreiber, awesome character).

The special effects, visual effects, and stunts were incredible, carried out by a small army of people.  The character of “Gambit,” a New Orleans mutant, played by Taylor Kitsch of course adds to my like of this movie as well.  Kudos as well to Ryan Reynolds (“Deadpool”) whom my girlfriend recently noted she hasn’t been too impressed with since “Van Wilder.”

South African born director, Gavin Hood, took a comic book to a whole new level.  He isn’t the first to do so, but this was definitely one of the best.  I can’t wait for the next part in this series.  I actually wish I would’ve caught this in the theater, but it was sold out when I tried.  (I know I give up too easily.)

Finally, Hugh Jackman.  Ever since Jackman hosted the Oscars I have been like what the f@$%??  I wasn’t ready for him saying, “The musical is back!” and all that business.  Well Hugh, you keep up with your “Wolverine” character and you’re still cool in my book.  Dance your pants off!