Hero of the Week #26: Spawn

SPAWN (Image: TMP)
Real Name: Al Simmons
First Appearance: Spawn #1 (June, 1992)
Group Affiliation: Hell (former)
Gaming Credentials: Todd McFarlane's Spawn: The Video Game (1995); Spawn: The Eternal (1997); Spawn: In the Demon's Hand (2000); Spawn: Armageddon (2003); Soul Calibur II (2003)
Infinite Wars Cumulative Ranking: DNR


When I look at a character like Spawn, and the video games he's headlined, I can't help but ponder the fact that the likes of Hawkman will only make their video game debut in next year's MMO, DC Universe Online. I guess that's just my penchant for the classics talking...

Today's feature is a little duplicitous in nature.

This isn't a celebration of Spawn as much as it is an acknowledgment of an interesting development over in the comics. Not that it isn't worth spotlighting a character who's managed to star in four of his own video games, and guest-feature in a fifth. Truth be told, over in the comics, Spawn's world has changed quite significantly, even seeing the titular role handed over to a brand new guy called Jim Downing.

Spawn was one of the flagship characters that launched Image Comics as a power to be reckoned with, in 1992. Todd McFarlane, creator of Spawn, partnered a coup with other prominent artists of the time to launch a studio that put greater emphasis on the value of creators. Erik Larsen, Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, Rob Liefeld, Jim Valentino, and Whilce Portacio, made up the rest of the Image founders, whose legacy is one that has allowed for some of the brightest talent of the past decade to enter the comics industry through independent works.

Robert Kirkman is among the talents to emerge through Image's publishing practises, creating the highest selling independent comic of today, The Walking Dead, along with several other projects that include the immensely popular superhero classic, Invincible.
This success has afforded Kirkman the rare distinction of being inducted into "founder" status within the Image fold, some fifteen years after the company's creation. Now, he unites all founders but Jim Lee for a project that will see the superheroes of the original Image Comics clash in Image United -- a series not without precedent, but still reasonably significant as a curiosity, all these years later.

It's fair to say that the original Image Comics properties created by the founders were very much products of their time. In retrospect, many are regarded with severely mixed feelings, not surprising of practises that placed emphasis on a certain brand of visual flair over writing. This quality of Image Comics, however, was all about graphics and characters for the video game generation. They were influenced as much as they influenced.

Having defined a popular perspective on comics over the course of the nineties, the rise of Image coincided with a mainstream swell in video game releases that saw direct overlap. The first Spawn game was released only three years after the character's debut, and saw Todd McFarlane go on to form an on-going relationship with video games that has led to lending his artistic approach to video game releases, often with results of mixed quality, similar to his comics [ie; the terminally infamous action figure battle game, Evil Prophecy].

Love or hate the exploits of bombastic chain-swinging nineties bad asses like Spawn, they're an important footnote on the landscape of both comics and video games as mediums, and that's good enough to make Spawn our representative HOTW!

The last Spawn video game was in 2003, but you'll find Image United #1 on shelves now from Image Comics! Check listings for subsequent release schedules.

<< Hero of the Week 12/06: Dr. Doom       [Home]       Hero of the Week 11/22: Sandman >>

Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9011190

Hero of the Week #25: Sandman

SANDMAN (DC)
Real Name: Wesley Dodds
First Appearance: Adventure Comics #40 (July, 1939)
Group Affiliation: Black Lantern Corps, Justice Society of America (former)
Gaming Credentials: DC Universe Online (TBA)
Infinite Wars Cumulative Ranking: #123



Last week's HOTW [Dr. Fate] was inspired by the Smallville two-parter set to feature the Golden Age heroes of the Justice Society of America, which has since taken on a life of it's own as a TV movie, Absolute Justice.

Written by fan-favourite reverend of reverence, Geoff Johns; the characters -- which were a vital part of solidifying his status as an A-list writer -- appeared to be in proven good hands, but 1up poster, Sune, raised the fair question of whether or not these colourful characters could reach the screen without becoming garrish parodies of their printed selves. As if to respond, a teaser trailer was released a couple of days later:

If you ask me, the brief glimpses featured immediately put to bed any concerns about the quality of treatment the classic characters will receive. It's difficult to gauge exactly how prominent the JSA will feature in their iconic forms, with an odd glow on shots of Dr. Fate and Sandman suggesting their costumed escapades might be relegated to flashbacks of better days -- a visually expressive interpretation of their golden age days. Not that I'm complaining! I'll take what ever I can get!

Through the course of the trailer we also get pretty clear glimpses of pseudo-Superman Clark Kent; Smallville regular, Green Arrow; the Golden Age Green Lantern's ring; and memorabilia from the JSA Brownstone, which includes a classic painted groupshot featuring; Star-Spangled Kid, Atom, The Spectre, Flash, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Hourman, Mr. Terrific, and others. If you don't know who all of these characters are, then you'll have to take my word for this being a very cool detail.

Of particular personal note is the trailer spotlight on The Sandman.

Chances are you're more familiar with the Marvel villain of the same name who featured in the third Spider-man film, and a handful of recent related video games. Though more obscure, the Golden Age DC Sandman predates his grainy counterpart by almost thirty years, having officially debuted mere months after Batman, in the pages of the July 1939 issue of Adventure Comics.

Much like early Batman; The Sandman owed his origins much less to the superhero phenomenon being established by The Phantom and Superman, steeped moreso in the tradition of adventure and detective mysteries found in pulp magazines like those that starred The Shadow, or The Spider.

Sandman's early adventures dealt with an array of detective exploits that brought him into conflict with murderers and felons, whose fates were sealed through Wesley Dodds' sleuthing, sneaking, and clandestine operations, sponsored in part by his special sleeping gas administered through a gun. It was for this reason he donned the eerie visage of the gas mask that has become iconic to the character. It's interesting to see the unique early design of the character faithfully recaptured in the Smallville trailer, featuring the trademark face mask, rather than a more conventional WWI gasmask design found in stories like those told in the nineties adult reimagining, Sandman Mystery Theatre.

Despite the strength of his early pulp-inspired aesthetic; The Sandman actually only existed in this incarnation for a very short time. As superheroes gained momentum in the 1940s, Sandman was given a complete makeover after his first few years, retooled as a hideously indistinct yellow and purple caped crusader. The character borrowed further from the popular conventions of superheroes of the time, gaining a young sidekick, inspired by the likes of Robin and Bucky, called Sandy.

While many of the World War II heroes were granted sustained age in the comics, the Wesley Dodds Sandman was killed off earlier in the 2000s. Continuing a theme of legacy that has spiralled out of the influence of the Golden Age characters, Dodds' sidekick, Sandy, eventually replaced him as The Sandman. It's entirely plausible that the Sandy version of Sandman will be the character featured in Smallville, alongside other legacy characters (like Stargirl), but for the sake of my own fandom, let the Wesley Dodds original be our Hero of the Week!

For the best source of Sandman adventures, I would strongly recommend the first volume of the Golden Age Sandman DC Archive Edition, and the collected editions of the modern Vertigo retelling of the Sandman's early career, Sandman Mystery Theater. The character has also made a cameo return as one of the undead Black Lanterns featured in Blackest Night. An upcoming JSA Blackest Night mini-series seems reasonably likely to take a closer look at the zombified hero.

<< Hero of the Week 11/29: Spawn       [Home]       Hero of the Week 11/15: Dr. Fate >>

Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9010580

Hero of the Week #24: Dr. Fate

DOCTOR FATE (DC)
Real Name: Kent Nelson
First Appearance: More Fun Comics #55 (May, 1940)
Group Affiliation: Black Lantern Corps, Justice Society of America (former)
Gaming Credentials: DC Universe Online (TBA)
Infinite Wars Cumulative Ranking: #122



If you've had your ear to the ground, you'll know all about the announcement that superstar comics writer, Geoff Johns (Blackest Night; Green Lantern; Flash: Rebirth), will be writing a special guest-appearance on TV's Smallville by the Justice Society of America! Not only that, the two-parter has since been upgraded to a full fledged movie-length special, suggesting more than a passing cameo by Hawkman, Stargirl, and our Hero of the Week, Dr. Fate!

Johns is no stranger to these characters!
It was in the pages of JSA -- alongside fellow Hollywood alumnist, David Goyer -- that he first established his reputation and knack for indulging historically rooted characters, and bringing out the best in them for the modern age. Johns returned to the team for one last run in 2007, but has continued to maintain their presence as elder statesmen in the DCU through many of his projects, including his current event-titles; Blackest Night and Flash: Rebirth.

While you're almost certainly familiar with aspects of the writer's work, there's also been ample opportunity to get to know the good Doctor, as well!

Despite being one of the great heroes of the Golden Age of comics (1940s) -- Dr. Fate's mystic presence has spanned the decades, reaching as far as the most recent present! The helmeted agent of order has registered modern appearances you might have seen in animated episodes of; Superman, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, and most recently, Batman: Brave and the Bold. The original Dr. Fate even holds the distinction of being one of the few characters to gain membership with both the Justice League and the Justice Society!

The introduction of the JSA as battle weary predecessors to Tom Welling's Superman and the other heroes of Smallville should be a very interesting experiment in exposing the uninitiated to the concept of legacy in DC comics.
Whilst the nineties animated versions of characters walked closer to their comic book counterparts than was previously customary, there is a still significant divide between the interpretations of the much-loved Bruce Timm attributed cartoons, and the material that inspired them. The gap between source material and the mainstream, however, appears to be ever closing as cartoons like Batman: Brave and the Bold, and movies like Iron Man, introduce design and concept tropes taken specifically from various eras of comics. The Brave and the Bold series, in particular, deserves a lot of credit for borrowing heavily from less popular eras in comics, such as Batman's adventures of the fifties and sixties.

Modern comic book superheroes as we know them owe much of their origins to the pulps of the twenties and thirties. The era of characters like Doc Savage and The Shadow overlapped with early appearances of the first comic book heroes, seemlessly bleeding in to the dawn of Mandrake the Magician, The Phantom, Superman, Sandman, and Batman. The influence of the thirties and forties, and those periods that followed, continues to be a great source of inspiration and homage to modern comic books, even if the value of this history is sometimes mischaracterized and misinterpreted in the internet age. This reverence for the past and indulgence in it's ideas has been key to DC's recent turnaround that has included a rare domination of the top ten selling comics and the reexpansion of brands like Green Lantern and the Flash.

It's interesting to see how perceptions have been, in part, shaped by the presence of these characters in other entertainment mediums. Spider-man made perhaps the most significant transition in the modern age, establishing himself as a multimedia icon early through his animated adventures in the sixties. Rarely has a year gone by since that the character hasn't found his way into television programming, spawning multiple TV series, video games, and some of the biggest grossing cinematic blockbusters the world has known. This presence in the pop culture zeitgeist has arguably been invaluable to maintaining the illusion that Spider-man is a less complicated or storied character, fostered through a sense of familiarity and regularly constructed 'do-overs.'
The fruits of DC's crossmedia labours appear to be baring similar results, with the nineties Timm cartoons gaining cult-like status amongst a fiercely dedicated fanbase.

It will be very interesting to see how perceptions change after Dr. Fate and the JSA get their time to shine in Smallville, and next year, join the ranks of the Massively Multi-player Online extravaganza, DC Universe Online! Video games have long been an oversight for the DC icons, but they'll be out in force when players get the chance to literally jump into the DC Universe and experience face-to-face encounters with the likes of Superman, Batman, and even Dr. Fate, too!

The original Dr. Fate died a few years back in the comics (of mystically reverted old age), but you'll find his resurrected undead corpse waging war on the living in the pages of Blackest Night!
You can also find the newest wearer of the helmet of nabu (Kent V. Nelson) in the pages of Justice Society of America, who probably won't have to wait long to face-off against his predecessor in a Blackest Night mini-series. All of this makes him a pretty good choice for HOTW!

Just in case you're interested -- check out some of the previous HOTWs to come directly from the Golden Age: Batman (1940); Captain America (1941); Superman (1938); Hawkman (1940); Aquaman (1941); Joker (1940); Scarecrow (1941); Green Arrow (1941); Solomon Grundy (1944).

<< Hero of the Week 11/22: Sandman       [Home]       Hero of the Week 11/08: Magneto >>

Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9009878

Hero of the Week #23: Magneto

MAGNETO (Marvel)
Real Name: Max "Erik" Eisenhardt
First Appearance: X-Men #1 (September, 1963)
Group Affiliation: The Brotherhood (former)
Gaming Credentials: Uncanny X-Men (1989); X-Men: Madness in Murderworld (1989); Wolverine (1991); X-Men (1992); X-Men (1993); X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995); X-Men: Children of the Atom (1995); Marvel Super Heroes (1995); Marvel vs Capcom (1998); X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000); Marvel vs Capcom 2 (2000); X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001); X-Men: Next Dimension (2002); X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003); X-Men Legends (2004); X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse (2005); Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects (2005); X-Men: The Official Game (2006); Marvel Ultimate Alliance (2006); Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009); Marvel Super Hero Squad (2009)
Infinite Wars Cumulative Ranking: #774

It was just last month that Magneto made his triumphant return to the ranks of a once Decimated mutant populi in the pages of Marvel's Uncanny X-Men [#516]. It was in an act of curious symmetry, Magneto suffered a similar fate to his film counterpart [X-Men: The Last Stand] when the Scarlet Witch, a mutant herself and Magneto's estranged daughter, uttered a simple incantation -- 'No More Mutants!'

Thus, in one simple act, homosuperior were reduced from millions to less than two hundred, stripped of their powers and restored to humanity! In Uncanny #516; Mags returned to reveal his powers had been restored via a one-time deal with the High Evolutionary, and now he's returning to full strength in video game DLC near you in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2!

Magneto rounds out a pack of characters that also includes; Juggernaut, Carnage, Psylocke, Cable, and Black Panther!

Curiously enough, this makes the second time PS3 and 360 users have been able to download the Master of Magnetism, having had the opportunity to add DLC to the previous Ultimate Alliance. It's arguably a testament not only to the strength of the villain-cum-hero-cum-villain, but the enduring X-brand that's earned it's fair share of spite from the comics reading audience.

I don't doubt you'll find a strong argument from many enthusiastic fans, but for the most part, the X-Men have been reduced to irrelevance over the course of the decade. It started strong with the influence of famed writer, Grant Morrison, who along with collaborator Frank Quitely, set about completely reinventing Marvel's merry mutants for the new millenium. It was, I believe, an incredibly successful project, steeped in the same kind of referencial indulgence of Morrison's recent DC work, with a healthy dose of unique twists and compromise with the then-strong film franchise.

Through the course of Morrison's run with the "New X-Men" he created a spiral of plottwists that included the reveal of an alternate identity for the thought-dead Magneto -- Xorn. Xorn subsequently became the posterchild for the convoluted dissassembly of Morrison's work that unfolded following the Scot's departure, resulting in years of regression that have returned the X-Men to a very unflattering creative position. Through the constant reshuffling, Marvel have reverted the brand to an insular continuity desperate to recapture the heydey of the eighties and early nineties, with absolutely none of the panache.

Through cartoons, film, and video games, the X-Men brand has created a very interesting cult audience for interpretations that deviate somewhat from the origins of the comics. X-Men Legends and the Ultimate Alliance sister series draw their inspirations from a unique combination of influences, both the films and animation, as well as traditional X-Men 'lore' and the Ultimate reinterpretation popular in the early 2000's.
This confluence of ideas hasn't necessarily created anything resembling a definitive interpretation of the X-Men, but it's another fascinating example of how alternate mediums are able to foster a completely different view of very similar properties [ie; Carnage].

Ever present in all of these crossmedia interpretations is Magneto, easily the greatest arch-nemesis of the X-Men, despite often falling somewhere into the company of anti-heroes. It's fair to say the X-Men have a great cast of villains beyond the Master of Magnetism, but you need only look at the above listed gaming credentials to recognise the importance of the villain. He's a very curious inclusion for the MUA2 DLC pack, but sure to be a popular inclusion amongst fans.

For more Magneto you can find Uncanny X-Men available monthly from Marvel Comics [even if you might be better served sitting it out], and, of course, check out DLC channels to get a hold of the first exciting pack of heroes and villains for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2!

<< Hero of the Week 11/15: Dr. Fate       [Home]       Hero of the Week 11/01: Solomon Grundy >>

Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9009145

Hero of the Week #22: Solomon Grundy

SOLOMON GRUNDY (DC)
Real Name: Cyrus Gold
First Appearance: All-American Comics #61 (October, 1944)
Group Affiliation: Black Lantern Corps
Gaming Credentials: DC Universe Online (TBR)
Infinite Wars Cumulative Ranking: #327



Y'know, in the course of the past twenty-plus weeks, I've really begun to appreciate how absent the DC Universe has been in video games. Between Batman and Superman they certainly have the number of games to rival the competition, but it's a pretty narrow view of things. Perhaps that's part of the reasoning behind the upcoming release of DC Universe Online -- the long coming MMO representative of the entire DC universe of comics.

Solomon Grundy might be the type of character you'd go straight to when thinking about the heroes and villains who've never made the transition to video games, but after fifty-five years as a regular bruiser for some of the most prominent characters (and some not so), you'd kinda figure he might factor in somewhere into the production of a video game. I mean, when it comes to villains who take a poundin' but keep on reboundin', Grundy's right up there with zombies and Eggman!

Rising from Slaughter Swamp, Solomon Grundy began his career bedevilling the Golden Age Green Lantern, whose vulnerability to wood was exploited by a monster made of the bark and marsh of the swamp. Since then, Grundy has become a sparring partner for the A-list of DC comics, regulary clashing with the Justice League, Justice Society, Batman, Superman, and the modern Green Lantern.

The origins of the villain were even recently explored in a seven-issue mini-series where Cyrus Gold - the man cursed to die and rise again as Solomon Grundy after his murder in the 1890s - raced the calendar to escape his curse. The story also featured the likes of Poison Ivy, Bizarro, and The Demon, Etrigan! After battling for seven days toward the truth, Cyrus Gold appeared free from his curse, only to rise the next Monday courtesy of a Black Lantern powerring! The saga continues in upcoming Blackest Night issues of Superman/Batman!

Solomon Grundy is also among the confirmed heroes and villains featuring in the superhero MMO, DC Universe Online. He'll no doubt be ready to bruise with your playable character as you navigate the ranks of heroism (and villainy) in the game. Grundy is also our Halloween Hero of the Week!

<< Hero of the Week 11/08: Magneto       [Home]       Hero of the Week 10/23: Carnage >>

Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9008491

Hero of the Week #21: Carnage

CARNAGE (Marvel)
Real Name: Cletus Kasady
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-man #344 (March, 1991)
Group Affiliation: NA
Gaming Credentials: Spider-man 2 (1992); Spider-man & X-Men: Arcade's Revenge (1993); Amazing Spider-man: Lethal Foes (1994); Spider-man & Venom: Maximum Carnage (1994); Venom & Spider-man: Seperation Anxiety (1995); Spider-man (2000); Ultimate Spider-man (2005); Spider-man: Friend or Foe (2007); Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009)
Infinite Wars Cumulative Ranking: #543

Today; 1up reported [video] that Cable will follow Psylocke in the growing list of PS3/360 Ultimate Alliance 2 DLC updates to the moderately popular Marvel action-brawler. For today's HOTW, however, I want to take you back to the previous week, when Carnage was announced as the first character joining the MUA2 cast.

My first instinct is to call it an unlikely announcement, but that would fly in the face of updates like 1up's, which have described the villain as a "fan-favourite" inclusion. The thought occurs that neither assessment is actually especially wrong, which connects in a curious way to a lot of the discussion that's been undertaken on my 1up blog over the past few months...

When last we saw Carnage in the comics, he was being taken on a one-way trip into deep space courtesy of The Sentry. It was the debut of the hero into official Marvel continuity, and was also the stage upon which the company were launching a brand new all-star line-up for the long-running -- and then-recently disassembled -- Avengers franchise. A super-villain prison break was the event to bring the new team together, consisting of many new inclusions featured in Ultimate Alliance 2, but I'm just getting distracted now.

The point I'm trying to make is, that, as an indication of the worth of the Carnage character to the current Marvel Universe, The Sentry took the symbiote villain into deep space and quite literally ripped him apart!

While, yes, this was a suitably 'bad ass' moment within the fiction, it was also the realisation of a contempt writer Brian Bendis had previous voiced for the widely maligned character. This is significant because being ripped in half in deep space is, generally speaking, not a fate likely to befall a Dr. Doom, or Magneto, any time soon. You don't get bisected and left to experience Newton's laws of motion first-hand, unless you're reasonably expendable, and that's pretty much the case for the once heavily promoted villain.

Comics fans in the aggregate have come to regard the symbiote characters, Carnage in particular, as conceptually unmotivated characters of little substance or worth. While I might not necessarily agree with such sweeping dismissal, it's difficult to make a case for the character when the sum of his influence generally revolves around lengthy Dragonball Z-esque tours of murdered bystanders and super-powered fight rematches.

Gamers have very different expectations for Carnage.

As the titular star of one of the first memorable outings for Spider-man in a video game; Maximum Carnage; and a feature villain in several others, it's easy to see how gamers could have a different perspective on the character.
Their experiences have probably been more positive partly due to the fact that video games, particularly in the technologically prohibitive early nineties, are and were more forgiving to a character built almost exclusively around gimmick-driven action.

While mainstream story-driven successes like Batman: Arkham Asylum have at least introduced a counter argument, it's fair to say we're in an age sympathetic to the same mindset of the action-driven nineties. Ergo; despite being completely uninvolved (and still drifting in space) during the superhero Civil War and reviled by many comics fans, it stands to reason that there's a market and a different identity in video games, for a character like Carnage.

My reaction to the character tends to be reponsive to the opinions around me.
As a comics fan; I think it's a disappointing and short-sighted mob mentality that dismisses any potential the Carnage character might have. At the same time, in respect to video games, I think the inclusion of Carnage also speaks to the negatives of that audience, who are in a contrasting rut of familiarity and shallow concepts [RE: the proliferation of shooters].

Take what you will from the striking similarity between some screenshots of Carnage's living costume in action and the nineties-styled chainz, bladez, n XTREME powers in the open-world superhero game, Prototype. Maybe Marvel are taking a little back for themselves?

At present, it seems character DLC isn't going to be the platform for new elaboration in the game's story, so narrative influence probably isn't a criticism to dwell on too extensively. Not in respect to Carnage specifically, at least. Previously on the blog, I did talk a little bit about the potential for the MUA franchise to represent the Marvel Universe more elaborately. You might like to check that article out, as well as recent story-driven blogs about Oddworld Abe, Tekken 6, and Street Fighter, to get a sense of the continuity of discussion!

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is currently available for all major platforms.
There is currently no release date for the PS3/360 downloadable content pack, which will include; Carnage, Psylocke, and Cable. More characters are expected to be announced in coming weeks, and can be previewed upon availablity at the MUA2 developer blog.

<< Hero of the Week 11/01: Solomon Grundy       [Home]       Hero of the Week 10/18: Flash >>

Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9007781

Hero of the Week #20: Flash

FLASH (DC)
Real Name: Wally West
First Appearance: The Flash #110 (December, 1959)
Group Affiliation: Justice League, Titans
Gaming Credentials: Justice League Task Force (1995); Justice League Heroes (2006); Justice League Heroes: The Flash (2006); DC Universe Online (TBR)
Infinite Wars Cumulative Ranking: #21


It was only a few years ago now that Flash was one of the most prestigious characters and series being published within the DC pantheon. Alas, even superheroes can fall on hard times, and after intervening in the events of DC's Infinite Crisis, the Wally West version of the character slipped into obscurity.
After being briefly (and unsuccessfully) succeeded by his junior [Bart Allen], the West version of the character is now to be upstaged by his predecessor, the Silver Age's Barry Allen, who is part of a revamp designed to restore DC's iconic vision of the hero via Flash: Rebirth.

The hard-luck story of Wally West continued this week when it was revealed that recently defunct developer, BottleRocket, were six months into working on a solo game starring the scarlet speedster!

If DC's nominations for the 2008 fighting crossover Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe are anything to go by, then there's a good chance the game was set to further establish Barry Allen as the most significant character to be dubbed the fastest man alive, but there's a modern flair about early screenshots of the game that speak to the Wally West version.

A rare moment for the Flash, appearing idle in development screenshots leaked by BottleRocket.

Rightly or not, video game adaptations haven't got the greatest reputation these days.
Comments on 1up's feature detailing the aborted Flash game come with mixed opinions in the comments section, many expressing lethargy, despite the recent triumphs of Batman: Arkham Asylum. To their credit, one game hardly assures quality investment from all studios handling comic book properties, but gamers should take something positive away from a long awaited live demonstration of possibilities.

Licensed properties like comic book superheroes might be a way for studios to bet on installed fanbases, but they aren't without their greater purpose. Characters with vivid expectations provide an end goal that may require various lengths of technical and conceptual innovation. I talked a little about this in a previous blog about the potential of the upcoming Green Lantern game, and think the same potential applies to Flash, to a less elaborate extent.

Once upon a time the mere existence of Sonic the Hedgehog was enough to consider the possibility of a Flash video game (which roughly equates to the Sega platformers inspired by the TV series, in the early nineties).
These days however, we expect a little bit more than running quickly from one side of the screen to the other. As the games move into more realistic territory, the balance between creating the illusion of superhuman speed and keeping the player in control becomes key. The development of motor racing in video games has created one of the most prominent new perspectives for what is expected of speed in a game, and is probably the logical reference point for any modern engine attempting a game about a character who runs fast.

Taking a character like this off of the racing track can clearly be a tricky thing.
The balance between high speeds and directional gameplay have been something the Sonic franchise has struggled with in it's various 3D modern equivalents, where controlled high speed running has been captured through the use of race tracks. For a superhero, who has become a regular fixture of sandbox cityscape environments, these kinds of options become less flattering.

It's a tricky situation for any character, but a superhero like the Flash has an entire universe of fiction to draw upon, making his transition to video games potentially about much more than just moving quickly. Batman: Arkham Asylum reminded us how valuable a world of fiction can be when filling in the gaps of design and motivation that make gameplay function.

You might not know it to look at them, but the Flash has one of the greatest lists of villains you'll find in superhero comics. Don't let the hokey costumes and gimmicks fool you! Under the watchful eye of writers like Mark Waid and Geoff Johns, the beloved Flash rogues (who actually call themselves The Rogues) have developed into characters as fleshed out and elaborate as any comparable hero. Their potential to exist in an interactive world and even become playable options is as exponential as imagination. It doesn't hurt that Flash is also associated with some of the best known superheroes in comics, also, who have just as much claim to cameos and guest spots as Captain Cold or Zoom!

It's been a busy weekend, so I'll leave it to you to ponder what might've been had BottleRocket finally brought the Flash back to the spotlight. The various incarnations of super speedsters will be present when DC unleash their MMO, DC Universe Online. Team Flash are also readily available in the DC Comics mini-series, Flash: Rebirth, telling the tale of the return of former HOTW Barry Allen, his arch-nemesis Professor Zoom, and the adjusting purpose of Wally West! West will also star in co-features when a new Flash series launches in the future.

<< Hero of the Week 10/23: Carnage       [Home]       Hero of the Week 10/04: Green Arrow >>

Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9007311

Remembering T. Haseloff
1991-2009

Hero of the Week #18: Green Arrow

GREEN ARROW (DC)
Real Name: Oliver Queen
First Appearance: More Fun Comics #73 (November, 1941)
Group Affiliation: Justice League
Gaming Credentials: Justice League Task Force (1995); Justice League Heroes (2006); DC Universe Online (TBR)
Infinite Wars Cumulative Ranking: #24


A guy in Robin Hood cosplay might not immediately sound like an impressive superhero specimen, but not too long ago, Green Arrow was one of the hottest properties selling comics. Since, the character has made the transition to animation in Justice League Unlimited, and live-action with a stylized interpretation in Smallville. He's been floating around movie developmental hell, as part of a DC Universe prison-movie called Supermax, and has also just been announced as the latest confirmed character for the action MMO, DC Universe Online!

Still not convinced? Once upon a time the character was compared negatively with Batman due to the derivative nature of his vigilante persona, but I think since Green Arrow developed a strong brand of his own, that's a great way to sell the character. I mean, it's not that you're going to get GA gliding around the city fighting clown-chic terrorists, but if you've been a fan of the tool-wielding escapades of the Dark Knight [ie; Arkham Asylum], you can at least understand the language that lies beneath the green jersey and uber-Errol Flynn goatee.

It hasn't necessarily been anything inherent to the concept of a bow-and-arrow superhero that's driven Green Arrow into the upper echelon of superhero comics. Like Batman, it's the gritty urban crime drama that's unfolded around his saga, with occasional splashes of superhero epics like dealing with his return from the dead, that have made this such an intriguing character. Not that being a modern-day Robin Hood hasn't presented an interesting layer to the character, communicated through his strong liberal leanings.
This side of the character brought him to be briefly serve as Mayor of Star City in the mid-2000's, and has created the beloved dynamic of tension between he and Hawkman, who represents a more extreme dynamic of justice than the romantic Green Arrow's. Not that GA isn't prone to cutting corners and confronting the shades of grey that make up superhero justice. GA has famously delt with drug addiction and HIV through his sidekicks, and alongside buddy partner Green Lantern, race relations, in seminal stories from the '70s that remain a pre-Watchmen benchmark in the constructive clash of reality and fiction that has come to define modern comics.

Green Arrow is a politicized urban vigilante that represents the type of diversity in characters you'll (theoretically) encounter throughout the course of your playtime in DC Universe Online. He's also a prime example of how DCUO will be able seperate itself from a homogenized medium that has typically imitated, and subsequently been crushed by, World of Warcraft.

While the ability to create and develop superhero avatars will be common to other MMO games, it's the opportunity to interact with a world vividly established over seventy years of comics, film, and television, that will make this a whole new experience. DC has the benefit of drawing upon a long list of iconic fictional environments like Metropolis, Gotham City, and Green Arrow's Star City, that will encourage gamers to seek out the equally famous characters that reside within. With any luck, quest-like storylines running through the game will also be able to capitalize on the strong characterization of heroes like Green Arrow, replicating not only the good-vs-evil struggle of their regular adventures, but also more complex reactions, like the Ultimate Alliance-esque riff that formed in DC's 2004 series Identity Crisis, over similar themes of invasive law enforcement.

You can currently find Green Arrow appearing in both the Green Arrow/Black Canary on-going series shared with on-again-off-again flame, Black Canary [Duh!], and in the mini-series building toward a new JLA team, Justice League: Cry for Justice. Check out DCcomics.com for more info, and keep an eye on DC Universe Online (also on MySpace) for more character announcements, like the one that made GA this week's HOTW!

<< Hero of the Week 10/18: Flash       [Home]       Hero of the Week 09/26: Deadpool >>

Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9006061

Hero of the Week #17: Deadpool

DEADPOOL (Marvel)
Real Name: Wade Wilson
First Appearance: New Mutants #98 (February, 1991)
Group Affiliation: X-Force (upcoming)
Gaming Credentials: X-Men Legends II (2005); Marvel Ultimate Alliance (2006); X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009); Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009)
Infinite Wars Cumulative Ranking: #56


In the scheme of things; Deadpool is still a relatively new character in the world of Marvel comics. Despite debuting some thirty-years after many of his popular Marvel contemporaries, you need only take a tour of the internet to see just how ingrained in the culture the character has become. Even a dubious cinematic debut -- which deviated drastically from popularized versions of the character -- served only to energize what has already been a growing phenomenon that far exceeds the guest-villain status of his early appearances.

Co-created by infamous nineties penciller, Rob Liefeld; Deadpool was far from the crowning jewel of the company when he first appeared in New Mutants. Resembling an unremarkable mish-mash of DC's Deathstroke (Slade Wilson) and a dark Spider-man, the villain developed a special place in his scarred heart for menacing the young mutants led by Cable, who soon became X-Force.
After a string of recurring appearances as villain, Deadpool earned two four-issue mini-series in '93 and '94 that allowed talent such as Mark Waid to add new material, before eventually gaining a true foothold of popularity in 1997 with the first issue of an on-going series.

Some of the best known comedic beats were established with the first issues of the nineties series, written by Joe Kelly, where he built strong ties with other secondary Marvel characters (ie; Taskmaster), and played heavily with references to mainstream and obscure pop culture, including elements unique to the comics themselves.
It's these traits that have endeared the character to a broad audience of both comics fans, and others, such as gamers, who were readily included in Kelly's gag-filled mining of pop. He bridged the gap with non-comics readers with simple and classic comedy, initiating running gags that would continue as other writers took over, and a decade later would become internet "memes."

Deadpool joined the cast of Ultimate Alliance 2, reprising his role from the previous game, which itself carried over from appearances in X-Men Legends II. This recent return to form -- not to mention the previously referenced farce of his role in the X-Men Origins: Wolverine spin-off -- makes him a must-have HOTW for 2009!

The game not only features the quip-heavy dialogue you'd expect, but also capitalizes on the unforgettable addition of the character's legitimate superheroic skills. Armed with a healing factor borrowed from Wolverine and an arsenal of lethal weaponry he wields with little regard for others; this merc' with a mouth can kick butt with the best of them, and still has a tendency to fall into line with the other heroes, like so many other popular bad guys turned anti-heroes.

Of course, his moral compass isn't the only thing that's changed as Deadpool has gained popularity...
The comedy of the character has arguably suffered dramatically in later iterations, as Deadpool, at times, becomes an obxious parody of himself. Many late-coming fans have been oblivious to the things Deadpool has mocked, creating a self-fulfilling indulgence of bad internet humor, and shlocky gimmicks, like the recently added Alley McBeal-esque, 'Deadpool Vision.'

This (de)evolution of the character has made navigating comic appearances a minefield, compounded by the company's recent expansion of series and guest-spots, so be warned newbs!

Fortunately; Marvel have also begun to reintroduce previous runs of the series through trade paperback collections, and in amongst the thoroughly average work, there are still occasionally digestable helpings.

Deadpool: Suicide Kings was a mini-series that recently wrapped, and had DP on the run from The Punisher - framed for a bombing he did not commit! Though not terribly complex, the action-packed mini had Deadpool team-up with fellow urban heroes, and Ultimate Alliance 2 playable characters, Daredevil and Spider-man, as well as the Punisher himself, in their battle against super-strong mobster, Tombstone. All in all, it was a fun romp, and a soft and cushy entry point into the world of Marvel comics.

Deadpool of parallel Earth-2149 also dropped in for some fun, terrorizing heroes posted in Florida near the Nexus of Realities in Marvel Zombies 3, before spreading the plague as a decapitated head in Marvel Zombies 4!
"Z-Pool" now stars alongside the original in, Deadpool: Merc' with a Mouth, but as much fun as a decapitated zombie head might sound, you might be better served checking out MZ3 and MZ4.

No matter how you slice and dice it, Deadpool is one of comics' newest icons. With this success comes promise of a solo-film starring Ryan Reynolds, and with a bit of luck, a long awaited forray into gaming. With so many unique reference points, a Deadpool film and game has the potential to do the comedic equivalent of Arkham Asylum. Here's hoping we get that same irreverence and reference-filled mania that made the character great to begin with! The possibilities are endless!

Remember! For your chance to win a PlayStation 3 Slim, Marvel Civil War comics, and a copy of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, all you have to do is blog about where your allegiances lie -- Captain America, or Iron Man? I know who I'm with! For more information about the competition, dare to register, and visit the competition page!

<< Hero of the Week 10/04: Green Arrow       [Home]       Hero of the Week 09/18: Iron Patriot >>

Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9005223

Hero of the Week #16: Iron Patriot

IRON PATRIOT (Marvel)
Real Name: Norman Osborn
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-man #14 (July, 1964)
Group Affiliation: H.A.M.M.E.R, The Avengers, Thunderbolts, The Cabal
Gaming Credentials: Spider-man (2000); Ultimate Spider-man (2005); Spider-man: Battle for New York (2006); Spider-man: Friend or Foe (2007); Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009); Marvel Super Hero Squad (TBA)
Infinite Wars Cumulative Ranking: #759

With the release of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, we've all been reliving the fun of picking sides for the superhero Civil War. I went with Iron Man (over Captain America), but what if we didn't have to choose? What if we could have the best of both heroes in one single, iconic, All-American unit? Allow me to introduce you to the Iron Patriot!

Iron Patriot: Director of HAMMER and leader of the (Dark) Avengers!

Whoa there! Do not be fooled, true believer! This all-too-perfect a solution is exactly that!

In fact, it was the cunning scheme that has allowed Norman Osborn [aka; Green Goblin] to seize control of the world's most powerful intelligence agency (SHIELD), and become one of America's newest beloved heroes as the leader of the Avengers! This "Dark Reign" is the legacy of all that went down in the Civil War -- the future resulting from our MUA2 decision! Allow me to explain: technically, Iron Man won...

In a final grand battle between the two factions, Captain America surrendered so as to avoid further collateral damage from their in-fighting. Iron Man was promoted to Director of SHIELD, while Cap's incarceration allowed his enemies to position themselves to assassinate him, ahead of his trial.
The death afforded established unregistered heroes some freedom of movement, as IM accepted some responsibility for publically parading Cap, and the sympathies of both the establishment and public returned to the gallant heroes whose identities remained hidden. So while the likes of Daredevil, Iron Fist, Hawkeye, and other Secret Avengers continued to fight the good fight on the streets; Iron Man led the official Avengers against some of the worst of the worst, who threatened America, and the fate of the world.

Despite the grace afforded to the unregistered heroes, every so often the two groups would clash, or in rare instances, team-up. It was the unveiling of a Secret Invasion that forced just such a team-up, when evil shape-shifting Skrull aliens were revealed to have infiltrated all corners of the Marvel Universe. Unfortunately, that included infiltrating SHIELD, which allowed Norman Osborn to fire the war-winning shot that ended the Invasion, and branded Iron Man a corrupt coward-cum-fugitive. Which brings us back to the present.

After ousting Tony Stark, Norman seized all property funded by SHIELD, including the most recent incarnation of his armory. Seeking a design that would inspire the public to rally behind his (Dark) Avengers, Osborn attempted to merge the iconography of two of the team's greatest icons -- Iron Man and Captain America. Thus, he donned the armor, tweaked it to his own specs, and gave it a red, white, and blue paint job, creating the Iron Patriot!

Like his cinematic counterpart; Norman Osborn was long thought dead, after being impaled upon his own Goblin Glider. He returned in the late nineties to bedevil Spider-man once more, however, and before becoming Iron Patriot, served as Director for the Commission on Superhuman Activities -- a role that allowed him to manipulate the team of government-sponsored villains, (redeemed and/or pacified), called The Thunderbolts.

It's through this association that he joins Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 as a playable character, appearing alongside other T-bolts such as; Songbird, Venom, and Penance.

If you're looking for more Norman Osborn/Iron Patriot, you won't have to look hard!
Dark Reign is currently spread across the entire Marvel catalogue. You'll find plenty of spillover events and guest appearances in various titles, alongside Iron Patriot's regular starring role in Dark Avengers.
Also currently hitting stands are a series of special Dark Reign: The List specials that have Osborn and his Dark Avengers targetting specific threats to his sinister domination. You can find more information on all of that via Marvel.com and their Dark Reign mini-site!

Remember! For your chance to win a PlayStation 3 Slim, Marvel Civil War comics, and a copy of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, all you have to do is blog about where your allegiances lie -- Captain America, or Iron Man? I know who I'm with! For more information about the competition, dare to register, and visit Mike Cruz' blog!

<< Hero of the Week 09/26: Deadpool       [Home]       Hero of the Week 9/11: Spider-man >>

Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9004603

Hero of the Week #15: Spider-man

SPIDER-MAN (Marvel)
Real Name: Peter Parker
First Appearance: Amazing Fantasy #15 (August, 1962)
Group Affiliation: Secret Avengers
Gaming Credentials: Questprobe #2 Spider-man (1978); Spider-man (1982); Spider-man & Captain America in Dr. Doom's Revenge (1989); The Amazing Spider-man (1990); Amazing Spider-man vs Kingpin (1990); Spider-man: The Video Game (1991); Punisher: The Ultimate Payback (1991); Spider-man: Return of the Sinister Six (1992); Spider-man & X-Men: Arcade's Revenge (1992); Spider-man & Venom: Maximum Carnage (1994); Amazing Spider-man: Lethal Foes (1994); Spider-man (1995); Spider-man & Venom: Separation Anxiety (1995); Marvel Super Heroes (1995); Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems (1996); Spider-man: Web of Fire (1996); Marvel vs Capcom (1998); Spider-man (2000); Marvel vs Capcom 2 (2000); Spider-man: Mysterio's Menace (2001); Spider-man 2: The Sinister Six (2001); Spider-man 2: Enter Electro (2001); Spider-man (2002); Spider-man 2 (2004); Ultimate Spider-man (2005); Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects (2005); Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006); Spider-man: Battle for New York (2006); Spider-man 3 (2007); Spider-man: Friend or Foe (2007); Spider-man: Web of Shadows (2008); Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (TBR); Marvel Super Hero Squad (TBR)
Infinite Wars Cumulative Ranking: #2

Coming off the announcement of Disney's intended acquisition of Marvel Comics, how could I not defer to the company mascot for this week's HOTW? Not only is Spider-man one of the most enduring and recognisable characters to come from comics, but he also has a rich pedigree in gaming, spanning four decades and a mammoth library of titles! [You might have noticed the absurd list of games, compiled above...]

There's a lot to like about Spider-man video games!... Maybe not quite THAT much, but still...

Batman: Arkham Asylum might have declared it's legitimate contention for "Game of the Year" by succeeding where previous Batman titles have failed, but hype might've twisted the perception of it's value to comics games as a whole. You simply cannot go past Spider-man for some of the boldest movements in comics licensed games, both for storytelling, and innovation in gameplay.

At their heart, most video game mascots are effectively super-heroes. Ergo, when it came to adapting comics characters into the medium, it was easy to slip them into existing conventions popular at the time. Most heroes translate easily into a basic system of jumping and fighting, with the odd trademark projectile thrown in for good measure. Spider-man, however, suggests a whole new set of expected abilities that are unique and inherent to the character.

Few games can claim to have tackled wall-crawling and web-swinging before Spidey jumped into platformers in the eighties and nineties, and even now, they remain trademarks of the character that are rarely repeated. They're the skills around which you might claim the modern Spider-man gaming dynasty was built. Just as they once provided a point of differentiation to rival platforming titles, so too did they provide a foundation for games that explored with expanding his movements around the iconic New York cityscape.

Spider-man (2000) might not have played as significant a role as the likes of GTA, but it made the first important step in establishing superheroes in a city. Though it only featured the tops of buildings, it provided a blueprint that was iterated upon until Spider-man 2 (2004), where an entire Manhattan was built for players to swing through!

Big City Nights: Swinging through the streets of NYC is a vital part of any Spider-man experience.

Like Mickey to Disney; Spider-man has been front-and-centre for the Marvel brand in video games, appearing in an expanding list of titles that boast larger chunks of the Marvel Universe. Capcom made an agile fighter out of the webhead with their Versus series of titles, while Ultimate Alliance made him party to a tour of the greatest evils alongside the greatest heroes! Even Spidey branded games, like the less notable, Friend or Foe, recall the classic Marvel Team-Up model!

As an indomitable pop culture icon, Spider-man has dominated not just comics and games, but also film, television, and just about any inanimate object you can think of. The Disney acqusition will no doubt take full advantage of this, particularly as the character angles for a fourth feature film, and who knows what else! That's why he's our HOTW!

Should you find yourself seeking more Spider-man, you'll find the web-slinger appearing three-times a month in Amazing Spider-man and monthly in New Avengers. In October, Marvel will relaunch Web of Spider-man with a new volume, and have recently done the same for Ultimate Spider-man. You can find more information from Marvel.com and good comics sites!

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths: The Comic Book Fight Club is updated with varying consistency, promising a feature fight for every Friday on the calendar (even if sometimes they're late). The site acts as an information resource, discussion site, review blog, and proportionate good time to that of a spider.

<< Hero of the Week 09/18: Iron Patriot       [Home]       Hero of the Week 09/05: Scarecrow >>

Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9003974

Hero of the Week #14: Scarecrow

SCARECROW (DC)
Real Name: Jonathan Crane
First Appearance: World's Finest Comics #3 (Fall, 1941)
Group Affiliation: The Society
Gaming Credentials: Batman: The Animated Series (1993); Adventures of Batman & Robin (1994); Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (2004); Batman Begins (2005); Lego Batman (2008); Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009); DC Universe Online (TBA)
Infinite Wars Cumulative Ranking: #313

By inferrence, if not popular demand, I am compelled to spotlight Scarecrow as Hero of the Week!
If there's a phrase I've heard more than 'zOMG Mickey & Spidey' this week, it's that Scarecrow "steals the show" in the critically acclaimed comic book release, Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Since his creation in the forties, Scarecrow has gone on to be one of the enduring stars of the famous Batman rogues gallery, but arguably never quite reached the A-list status he received from appearing in the cinematic revamp, Batman Begins. The character gets another boost into the mainstream consciousness through Arkham Asylum, where the outlandish potential of the villain is explored with a fitting visceral interpretation sure to solidify his status with gamers.

Over the decades, Scarecrow has been interpreted in a multitude of ways. The movie appearance inspired a new subset of horror fans who saw great potential in the fear-inducing villain, while in the comics, the character has ranged everywhere from an inconsequential weakling fighting out of his weight class, to a torturer fixated on the torment of his victims. With a consistent undercurrent of "fear" -- the Scarecrow has proven to be as versatile a character as The Dark Knight himself.

One of my favourite interpretations is of a Dr. Jonathan Crane who, after years of experimentation with fear gasses and innoculations, has himself been rendered almost incapable of feeling such an emotion. A distanced character of esoteric interests and reference, unaffected by the threatening world around him, and consequently empowered to devise his own nightmares.
This version was implied in a 2004 B&W Geoff Johns/Tommy Castillo back-up story in Batman: Gotham Knights #49. It suggests a version of the Scarecrow motivated to commit crimes both in the interest of experiencing the fear of others, while also dancing with the fate of fearing Batman himself. A poetically double-edged sword of horror and delight for the demented villain.

Batman: Arkham Asylum makes full use of the context of the character, using it to create scenes in the game that capture an unsettling atmosphere befitting of the gothic Arkham setting. It's no doubt those Silent Hill-esque scenes of nightmarish hallucination are what led many to proclaim Scarecrow as the unlikely star of the game, even though battling the villain takes on a disappointingly conventional and stilted "video game" approach. I discussed exactly that in a previous article about the game, which you might like to read.

Despite any flaws, I think Arkham Asylum has to be considered a resounding success. It has made a contrasting effort to balance the harmony of game and comics license, and in doing so, consequently made it impossible to deny Scarecrow as this week's HOTW!

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths: The Comic Book Fight Club is updated with varying consistency, promising a feature fight for every Friday on the calendar (even if sometimes they're late). The site acts as an information resource, discussion site, review blog, and frighteningly good time.

<< Hero of the Week 09/11: Spider-man       [Home]       Hero of the Week 08/25: Joker >>

Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9003394