Hero of the Week 2010 #9: Green Arrow

GREEN ARROW (DC) (2009)
Real Name: Oliver Queen
First Appearance: More Fun Comics #73 (November, 1941)
Group Affiliation: Justice League, Black Lantern Corps
Gaming Credentials: Justice League: Task Force (1995); Justice League Heroes (2006); Batman: Brave and the Bold (TBA/2010); DC Universe Online (TBR/2010)
Infinite Wars Ranking: #25


A few weeks ago, the HOTW featured Golden Age Green Lantern in response to a brief cameo in the JSA movie-length special, Justice for All. Let's face it, though. If you want green jeans in a feature role, you can look no further than the DCU's most proficient archer in arms, Green Arrow.

GA found his way into the HOTW proceedings last year, and if you missed out on that laboured entry, you might like to go back and acquaint yourself with it. For those not so inclined, allow me to reassure you that the goateed adult Green Arrow of the DC comics isn't nearly as much of a punk as the guy in Smallville. He's a bowman whose skills and character have gone far beyond the Robin Hood tinged exploits of a poor man's Batman, creating a legacy within the DCU that includes long running membership with the JLA, a partnership with Black Canary in all senses of the word, and a string of allies and partners who've trained beneath him.

It's those people closest to Green Arrow who've suffered the most in the comics, however, which is what has brought the emerald archer to my attentions for this week's feature.

Printed concurrent to DC's epic Blackest Night event, but taking place before (and after); Justice League: Cry for Justice has been an exercise in infamy.

Writer James Robinson -- better known for his work on Starman -- turned in what was admittedly one of the worst comics I read in 2009.
Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to review more than the first issue [elsewhere], but I'm sure you can find plenty of other sensible reviews that adequately describe just how awful this mini-series was, and how mentally challenged it's depictions of justice and the Justice League were.

Over the course of six issues, the story meandered through different events, spotlighting different characters, but in the end, despite all the attention heaped upon Mikaal and Congorilla, the heaviest consequences of the final issue were reserved for Green Arrow and co. In brief; it all came down to the destruction of Green Arrow's iconic home, Star City, and the death of it's residents by the will of JLA uber-villain, Prometheus. Which itself was preceeded (in issue #5) by the dismemberment of GA's bow-slinging son, Red Arrow (aka; Arsenal), who will no doubt miss the arm Prometheus removed whilst disguised as Captain Marvel.

If all of this sounds slightly ridiculous to you, don't worry. It is!
The pay-off of the entire series, which was originally conceived as the opening arc to a new JLA on-going series, is Green Arrow's choice to seek the ultimate "justice" -- by putting an arrow through the skull of the unbeatable villain. Something that occurs, canonically, after GA spends some time as a Black Lantern in other series, but doesn't seem especially influenced by that.

The wanton destruction of a home city was part of a 1994 shake-up of the Green Lantern franchise, which resulted in a contrived fall from grace for the most famous Green Lantern, Hal Jordan. That decision, which led to his villainous turn as Parallax, was finally rescinded with the 2005 mini-series, Green Lantern: Rebirth, which effectively acknowledged the stunt as a long-running bad idea. One has to wonder if Green Arrow's predicament, which kicks off a promised big year for the character with a bang, won't lead to the same regrettable and avoidable conclusion.

Green Arrow's exploits continue in next week's Justice League: Rise and Fall special, before unfolding into mini-series detailing The Rise of Arsenal and The Fall of Green Arrow. It will be here that the success of the Cry For Justice story may really be determined, assuming anyone can forgive what was otherwise an incredibly poorly executed seven issue arc. For more info, be sure to check out DCcomics.com!

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Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9022700

Hero of the Week 2010 #8: Sinestro

SINESTRO (DC)
Real Name: Thaal Sinestro
First Appearance: Green Lantern #7 (August, 1961)
Group Affiliation: Sinestro Corps, New Guardians, White Lantern Corps
Gaming Credentials: DC Universe Online (TBR/2010); Green Lantern (TBR/2011)
Infinite Wars Ranking: #284



'And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from darkness,' - Genesis 1:2-1:4.

In the world of DC comics, the first light to splinter from the white of existence was green -- representing the fundamental expression of life's will to live. This power of will was harnessed by the Guardians of the Universe, who granted control over it's power to their intergalactic police force, the Green Lantern Corps. Other energies manifested from life to create an entire spectrum of emotion and would-be ring barers: Yellow (fear), Orange (avarice), Red (rage), Violet (love), Blue (hope), Indigo (compassion).

It was in the Green Lantern saga, Sinestro Corps War, that we were first introduced to Sinestro as leader of his own Yellow Corps of fear-inspiring baddies. He was defeated by his protege and arch-nemesis, Hal Jordan (with help from Kyle Rayner), but not removed entirely from the board. The actions of he and his Corps inspired the initiation of a new Green Lantern law -- authorized lethal force. It also resulted in the defeat of Anti-Monitor, whose helpless form was tossed through the gulf of space until it landed in Sector 666, from whence a new threat to the universe did rise -- the central power battery of the Black Lantern Corps!

Flash forward a couple of years, and you have the biggest event of 2009/2010 -- Blackest Night!
It turns out the darkness didn't much appreciate the creation of light, and thinks the universe would be a much more peaceful place if the light of life were extinguished! Enter Black Hand and Scar; heralds of a creature representative of the darkness personified, and master over death -- Nekron!

Sinestro and representatives of all the other Lantern Corps have no only had to unite against the power of Nekron and his endless hordes of raised Black Lantern corpses, but also deputize several representatives in order to double their might as the affectionately dubbed, New Guardians!
The universe's champions of light line-up as: Hal Jordan (green), Ganthet (green), Sinestro (yellow), Scarecrow (yellow), Carol Ferris (violet), Wonder Woman (violet), Atrocitus (red), Mera (red), Saint Walker (blue), Barry Allen (blue), Indigo-1 (indigo), Atom (indigo), Larfleeze (orange), and Lex Luthor (orange). Unfortunately, as we've seen in the pages of Blackest Night, even this mighty assembly hasn't had much luck against Nekron and the Black Lantern battery.

In Blackest Night #7, we've seen the situation go from bad to worse as the end game finally becomes apparent. Nekron, who's nested on Earth and enslaved the heroes you once thought had died but he allowed to be resurrected (Superman, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, etc) -- and he's uncovered his ultimate prize: THE ENTITY!

What's The Entity, I hear you ask, intrepid reader?
Each power in the cosmic emotional spectrum has a creature inherently linked to it. When Green Lantern went nuts and started calling himself Parallax? Huh! That was actually the sinister machinations of the yellow fear creature! Similarly, Kyle Rayner and Sodam Yat, a couple of green ring slingers, have also been boosted up by possessing the power of the green will whale, Ion!

The Entity represents all life in existence and is a shiney white creature that -- if destroyed -- will wipe out all existence. Which would be really bad news for all of us pathetic humans, but fortunately, just as the other creatures can be used for great power, so too can the white light of The Entity be taken as a weapon. ENTER SINESTRO: the most qualified guy you never expected to save the day at the last minute!

Yes, indeed! The fallen Green Lantern who became one of the greatest villains in the universe actually managed to do what he'd always set out to do -- save us!

Sinestro's version of saving us led to some distinctly Nazi overtones, which actually makes his possession of the white power somewhat unpleasant, but I trust the heroes will have an ace up their sleeve if they need it. For the time being, this exciting development makes Sinestro the undisputed Hero of this Week!

If you've missed out on the exploits of Blackest Night, extra print runs of this top selling series should make it possible for you to catch-up. Don't let the plethora of tie-in titles intimidate or confuse you. Satellite stories add plenty of character-specific fun, but to get all the key points of the story, check out Blackest Night #1-7 (already on sale), Blackest Night #8 at the end of the month, and Green Lantern #44+! Hopefully you'll enjoy the epic cosmic madness! More information is available, as always, at DCcomics.com!

Sinestro deals damage with the yellow light of fear in test screens for DC Universe Online!

Sinestro also recently appeared in his earliest guise (as a dodgy Green Lantern) in the Direct-To-Video animated feature, Green Lantern: First Flight. He'll appear alongside Hal Jordan again, in 2011, when Ryan Reynolds takes the feature role in the first live-action Green Lantern movie. As if that wasn't enough, you'll also find Sinestro front-and-centre in the inevitable movie tie-in game, and DC's long coming Sony MMO, DC Universe Online. So fret not, you'll be able to Sinestro to your heart's content for years to come!

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Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9021745

Hero of the Week 2010 #7: Lex Luthor

LEX LUTHOR (DC)
Real Name: Alexander Luthor
First Appearance: Action Comics #23 (April, 1940)
Group Affiliation: Orange Lantern Corps, New Guardians
Gaming Credentials: Superman (1978); Superman: The Game (1985); Superman (1987); Superman: Man of Steel (1988); Superman: Man of Steel (1992); Superman 64 (1999); Justice League: Injustice for All (2002); Superman: The Man of Steel (2002); Superman: Shadow of Apokolips (2002); Superman Returns (2006); Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe (2008); DC Universe Online (TBR/2010)
Infinite Wars Ranking: #323

I know what you're thinking! Lex Luthor -- Hero of the Week?!
Not a hoax! Not a dream! Not an imaginary story! This week's HOTW might not be someone you want to leave your kids with, but when the Earth is in peril, he stands ready to protect it on not one, but two different Earths. Intrigued? So you should be!

It's a parallel universe Lex Luthor that joins the Justice League in DC/WB's latest DTV animated feature, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. While the name borrows from the 1985 seminal DC crossover, Crisis on Infinite Earths, the story actually owes far more to Grant Morrison's 1999 heroes-as-villains graphic novel, JLA: Earth 2, which itself borrows from a mid-sixties JLA story which introduced a universe where the DCU's heroes and villains were reversed!

The Kryptonian Kal-El of this universe is Ultraman -- leader of the Crime Syndicate of America!
It's from those villains that the last hero alive, Lex Luthor, has fleed, with the hopes of recruiting a crack team of Justice League heroes who can counter the CSA and end their tyrannical reign over the Earth, once and for all. Oh, and there's also the little matter of Owlman (Batman's counterpart), who has plans to destroy all the universes. Whoops!

The story of the feature was originally conceived as a bridge between the Justice League animated TV series and it's amped-up sequel series, Justice League Unlimited. As that never eventuated, it's been dusted off and remade as a feature film unto itself, featuring a more faithful version of the DCU, rather than that of the cartoon series. You'll notice a contemporary Martian Manhunter fighting alongside fellow JLA original, Hal Jordan, Earth's feature Green Lantern and a star on the rise thanks to some incredible comics (ie; Blackest Night), and a 3D live-action feature coming next year with Ryan Reynolds in the feautre role.

What's so significant about Green Lantern?
It's in Blackest Night that Lex Luthor once again rises to the challenge of evil, joining the collective of coloured-ring baring deputies now known as The New Guardians. It was receiving an orange ring of avarice from it's principle barer, Larfleeze, that brought Luthor to the epic end game -- a battle against the guardian of non-existence, Nekron.

For those who don't know: it's Nekron that raised a Black Lantern central battery from the broken corpse of the Anti-Monitor, and spread black rings across the universe to recruit the dead as his/it's undead Corps. Yes: zombie Black Lanterns. No: it's not as silly or complicated as it sounds!

The universe's champions of light line-up as: Hal Jordan (green), Ganthet (green), Sinestro (yellow), Scarecrow (yellow), Carol Ferris (violet), Wonder Woman (violet), Atrocitus (red), Mera (red), Saint Walker (blue), Barry Allen (blue), Indigo-1 (indigo), Atom (indigo), Larfleeze (orange), and of course, Lex Luthor (orange).

As you'll already no doubt know, if you've read previous HOTW articles about the subject, the cosmic emotional spectrum that makes up the powers of life are: Will (green), Fear (yellow), Hope (blue), Love (violet), Rage (red), Compassion (indigo), Avarice (orange), Death (black). Each power in the spectrum manifests rings, most of which have abilities that somehow reflect their emotions in execution, which is possibly bad news for the New Guardians team-up -- since the greedy who wield an orange ring are only made more so!

Fortunately, Lex Luthor and other less desirable allies of the New Guardians have just as much to lose from the destruction of all life and existence in the universe, as any hero. So today, we mark Lex Luthor's two triumphs of good as our motivation for this HOTW! You'll find all the action in the Blackest Night mini-series, and in the pages of Green Lantern. For more information, be sure to check out DCcomics.com!

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Hero of the Week 2010 #6: Silver Surfer

SILVER SURFER (Marvel)
Real Name: Norrin Radd
First Appearance: Fantastic Four #48 (March, 1966)
Group Affiliation: Heralds of Galactus
Gaming Credentials: Silver Surfer (1989); Marvel Super Heroes in War of the Gems (1996); Marvel Ultimate Alliance (2006); Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007); Marvel Super Hero Squad (2009)
Infinite Wars Ranking: #35

I let these things stack up a bit there, but if we all just pretend the post-date is totally accurate, we can remember that the great, all-seeing inspiration for this week's HOTW is something I haven't really given a lot of attention. Namely, Marvel's kid-friendly super-deformed toy-inspired animated series, Super Hero Squad! The direct inspiration? Revelations about Silver Surfer's super-deformed kid-friendly past as a herald for the devourer of worlds, Galactus! [Gasp! Shock! Awe!]

Superhero History Lesson: Norrin Radd was chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool, shootin' some B-ball with his favourite lady squeeze, Shalla-Bal, when disaster struck! Galactus showed up with a serious case of the cosmic munchies and decided the peaceful planet Zenn-La was ripe for the picking. Recognising that the consumption of all life on their planet would put a serious crimp on his love-life, Radd made the noble sacrifice of offering himself as a herald to Galactus in exchange for the promise that the Devourer of Worlds leave Zenn-La alone.

One cosmic chrome coating later -- Norrin Radd is the Silver Surfer.
Perks include a cool energy-based surfboard to cruise around on, near limitless abilities granted by the power cosmic, but on the major bummer side, he was stripped of his emotions and sent to find other planets to condemn to death. Heavy, dude! Fortunately, when it came to consuming Earth, the Surfer got slapped around, fell into the loft of blind sculptress (and Thing's main squeeze), Alicia Masters, and remembers his inner humanity and uses the power cosmic against his master. Yay!

Chances are you'd know all this if Rise of the Silver Surfer had managed to be a better film.
Otherwise, there's probably an equally good chance that you picked this oh-so useful information up along your way through life from other cartoons and video games. Which you'll get another opportunity to do through Super Hero Squad, which, as already mention, squishes the Marvel Universe action down to funny little squat dimensions, and generally makes it silly and cute.

It's fun, it's got a buttload of superheroes and villains that once never had a shot at cartoon stardom, and it's not all together awful. All in all, a great gateway drug to get you hooked on the real thing. As far as cartoons based on toylines go, it puts a lot of the eighties to shame, while playfully winking at the decade and making a Hulk poop joke.

Over the past few decades he's fallen into supporting character obscurity, but the Silver Surfer remains one of the great Marvel characters. I was disappointed that he didn't return for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, but what're you gonna do? Maybe check out some of Marvel's cosmic comics, which have made a quiet but successful return throughout the late 2000's!

It wasn't too long ago that Silver Surfer locked horns with Beta Ray Bill [who recently replaced him in the Planet Hulk animated feature] in the three-issue Godhunter mini-series, and you'll probably find him hanging around in a variety of series Marvel have teased for 2010! I'd love to give you more information, but it's a bit sketchy right now. So be sure to stay tuned to Marvel.com for more information!

<< Hero of the Week 02/21: Lex Luthor       [Home]       Hero of the Week 02/07: Green Lantern >>

Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9019970

Hero of the Week 2010 #5: Green Lantern

GREEN LANTERN (DC)
Real Name: Alan Scott
First Appearance: All-American Comics #16 (July, 1940)
Group Affiliation: Justice Society of America
Gaming Credentials: DC Universe Online (TBR/2010)
Infinite Wars Ranking: #115



The first thing you might have noticed about this Green Lantern is that he's wearing a lot of red.
It's fair to say that this probably isn't your father's Green Lantern, your Green Lantern, and maybe, if you're a super-advanced-infant, not even your grandfather's! If you aren't a genetic freak, however, it probably is just your grandfather's GL -- the 1940s Golden Age original, Alan Scott!

If the runaway success of the Green Lantern franchise in comics hasn't captured your imagination yet, then there's a good chance it will very soon, when Ryan Reynolds steps into the role of Hal Jordan in his third comic book feature, Green Lantern. Of course, that's only a tangential point of interest, because the chances of seeing the original Green Lantern in there any time soon are slim!

Unlike the multitude of other Green Lanterns you'll find in DC comics (and animation), Alan Scott does not hold ties with the ring wielding cosmic policeforce created by the Guardians of the Galaxy. [Scott]'s ring is fashioned from an ancient mystic lantern that existed for thousands of years on Earth, before falling into his hands. Which, believe it or not, makes this particular Green Lantern a very interesting and unique character in the pages of DC comics.

Scott possesses many of the quaint traits that might turn your nose upward when examining older superheroes, but don't let his ring's inability to effect wood and his subsequent battles with the villainous Sportsmaster (wielder of sports equipment) put you off a classic. Afterall, not all of the Green Lantern's exploits have suffered the so-assumed maturation of the comics medium.

The Lantern's undying arch-nemesis, Solomon Grundy, is one of the facets that have withstood the test of time, launching last year into a simple but interesting action-packed mini-series [featured accordingly as HOTW]. There's also the modern incarnation of the Justice Society of America, which is what's hopefully been featured to it's fullest potential in Smallville, running alongside the introduction of Checkmate, another organization Scott briefly held membership with. Not to mention the inspiration the character provided for that previously mentioned franchise which has already been turned into one of DC's biggest cashcows with Blackest Night, and will no doubt continue to expand as we look forward to the feature film -- [now confirmed to be in full 3D, kids]!

I'm surely not doing a great job of selling the character, but sometimes the best way to experience the expansive universe of comic books is to learn at your own pace. I've written in the past about certain popular misconceptions that surround the penetrability of comic book fiction. The simple truth is: as a pulp medium in constant production, one of comics' greatest talents is to tell a story about neverending worlds, which in turn, does not mean you need to catch-up on the last sixty years, but rather, should jump in wherever you like and appreciate the massive world you can play in.

A product like the Smallville TV-movie will probably struggle to adequately capture the spirit that made the mid-2000's resurrection of the JSA brand delightful, but it provides the asterisk that will hopefully spur some of you to explore more. As you do, you will find new branching points, and this is how you will learn to love these characters, and decide which ones it is you do. That's certainly how I came to regard Green Lantern Alan Scott as one of my favourites.

You'll meet Alan Scott and many other characters in the Sony MMO coming some time in the future, DC Universe Online. Another fine cross-promotional product that will give you a glimpse through the looking glass, and provide threads for you to follow to exciting new comic book adventures. It's a good time to become a fan! You can also find Alan Scott fighting the good fight in the pages of JSA, JSA: Blackest Night, and in tiny cameos in the core Blackest Night. Check out DCcomics.com for more info on all that!

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Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9019133

Hero of the Week 2010 #4: Black Panther

BLACK PANTHER (Marvel)
Real Name: T'Challa
First Appearance: Fantastic Four #52 (July, 1966)
Group Affiliation: Wakanda, Fantastic Four (former)
Gaming Credentials: Marvel Ultimate Alliance (2006); Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009)
Infinite Wars Ranking: #121



Last week, BigMex posted an enlightning post regarding Marvel's "new" animated series, Black Panther.
Adapted from the opening arc of Reginald Hudlin and John Romita Jr's 2005 revamp of the comic; the cartoon was actually previewed quite some time ago [at the July 2008 San Diego Comicon], and I have to admit, I'd all but forgotten about it! So nice work, BigMex!

The six episode animated series finally debuted in Australia (of all places), on the free-to-air digital children's station, ABC3. A joint production between Marvel Animation and Black Entertainment Television (BET); the series is an almost literal translation of Hudlin and Romita Jr's work on the comics, animated in a style reminiscent of recently popularized motion comics, which add limited animation to existing comic book art.

For those of us unwilling to accept the transition of internet flash animations to broadcast television, the stilted movements of comic book cut-outs ican be a little jarring on screen. With an open mind and a little adjustment time, the end result is actually surprisingly satisfying!

With twice Academy Award nominated actor, Djimon Hounsou, lending his Benin accent to the title role of Black Panther aka; T'Challa, there are fanboy fantasies to be fulfilled, following a long line of rumors that the actor might replace previously touted Wesley Snipes, in a live-action version.
A fact that speaks somewhat to the attempts to enfuse the comic with a greater sense of ethnic authenticity than is typical of this type of project.

John Romita Jr's artwork gains a new context from the manner in which everything is animated, and the voices that come out of each blocky, liney face. The entire project shifts away from familiar superheroics ala; Spider-man or any of Romita's other popular projects, and exudes a more exotic quality. My limited references look toward an almost retro European tone and rhythm to the show, with maybe a little hop hop fusion in the background, and interesting shadowy emphasis on a Black Panther, who is as uncompromising as he is successful.

It's interesting to think of the series as a possible introduction to the character, for a good many.
Despite being a regularly associated ally of the Fantastic Four, briefly joining their number, and having served extensively with the Avengers; Black Panther remains one of the more obscure second tier heroes, minimalized partially, perhaps, because of his specific demographic. It's something that tends to happen a lot in American comics, which, as a silver lining, makes the animated series all the more intriguing and fresh.

These days the vogue for animated series seems to be more faithfully inspired by the comics themselves, boasting a lot of once unlikely guest stars. Black Panther can't quite compete with the likes of Batman: Brave and the Bold or even Super Hero Squad, but is noteworthy to the Marvel fan for the inclusion of characters like Ulysses Klaw, Black Knight, a Radioactive Man, and Batroc the Leaper, new models of Deathlok (who are suitably spooky), and Storm -- the African X-Woman who went on to marry Black Panther in later issues of the comic series.

As a six episode animated series, it's utterly fascinating. A remarkable trinket if it ever makes it to DVD, perhaps to be the only of it's kind as Marvel explores their new relationship with Disney. As a representation of the character, it's not surprising that it's a fanboy's delight -- it's literally the first six issues of the 2005 series! Well worth a look for anyone, particularly if you wondered who the character was during his appearance as a playable character in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance -- itself a curiosity, likely sponsored by Marvel's push for the Storm/Black Panther Wakandan union!

Best of all, it's got as many smarts as it does muscles.
Though still relatively uncomplicated, Black Panther jostles as much with his role as a national leader (in fictional Wakanda), as he does with his nemesis, Klaw. There's a relationship with the US, neighbouring nations, on the Panther's mind, as well as flying around on hi-tech bikes and kicking guys in the face!

<< Hero of the Week 02/07: Green Lantern       [Home]       Hero of the Week 01/24: Flash >>

Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9018435

Hero of the Week 2010 #3: The Flash

FLASH (DC) (2009)
Real Name: Barry Allen
First Appearance: Showcase #4 (October, 1956)
Group Affiliation: New Guardians, Justice League, Flash Family
Gaming Credentials: The Flash (1991); The Flash (1993); Mortal Kombat versus DC Universe (2008); DC Universe Online (TBR/2010)
Infinite Wars Cumulative Ranking: #15


RebelFM: Podcast spin-off featuring 1up alumnists discussing various things 'video game.'
What they're rebelling against, I do not know, but in the most recent episode (01/20), I do know they gave pause to consider some of the popular concessions granted to developing MMOs when they're released. This was a specific reference to Star Trek Online and it's underdeveloped options, but as the talk went broader, there was a notable absence from their discussion!

During the week, DC announced that they'll be publishing a weekly comic series to conincide with the long anticipated launch of their DC Universe Massively Multiplayer Online game. In essence, the game will take on the role of an interactive parallel universe in the DC multiverse stable, allowing players to interact with versions of the iconic DC Universe stable, while also potentially contributing to the recorded canon reflected by the comic series.

It's the stable of resources and potential vision for the game exhibited by DC/Sony that has really made this, I think, the MMO to watch. DC Universe Online promises a lot of different things for a lot of different types of gamers. There's the inevitable cross promotion aspect, where DC will no doubt use the strength of their characters and storytelling to hopefully recruit new readers to both the MMO inspired comic series, and their other monthly published titles. There's also the simple aspect of presenting an MMO game that finally breaks away from the tropes established through RPGs and World of Warcraft.

For all intents and purposes, DC Universe Online looks set to meet gamers on conventional console gaming terms. Players will develop a character, lead them toward a path of good or evil, and interact with the world and their enemies through gameplay mechanics more reminiscent of adventure games than the stat-centric decision making established by WoW, and often imitated by others.

One would expect typical MMO grinding to be replaced, in part, by the use of the massive stable of NPC "hero characters" ready to appear in the game. Storytelling has been lacking in a lot of MMOs, but with DC, the promise of established heroes moving around the world should place greater emphasis on conceptually driven motivations to deepen your lust for power in the DCUO world.

Excessive Force: Players in DC Universe Online will have the potential opportunity to run with the Flash!

The Flash is already confirmed to be among the growing list of heroes and villains who will transition into the world of the game, and why wouldn't he be?
This time in last year's HOTW rotation we were talking about the return of the famous Silver Age hero in the pages of Flash: Rebirth. Since then, all reservations about the resurrection of the famously killed-off hero have dissipated as the Barry Allen Flash has been fully reinstated as the premiere speedster of the DCU. Rebirth reestablished his roots in the world, while the blockbuster success of Blackest Night has shown the Flash and his inspirational powers of hope to be one of the greatest powers, beyond even the supposed headlining hero, Green Lantern.

What does all this mean?...
In 1985 DC launched a landmark twelve-issue maxi-series called Crisis on Infinite Earths.
The intention of the story was to not only tell a spanning cosmic epic, but also streamline DC's various properties, who, through the course of acquisitons and fifty years of publishing, had been divided into brand-centric parallel universes. With the introduction of the villain called Anti-Monitor, DC had their means to create an in-fiction justifiying factor for the unification of their stable of characters and brands into a single, fluid, interacting universe.

As publishers are wont to do, DC wanted to add another layer, namely the death of the Flash.
In comics history, his tale was one of self-sacrifice, as he used his powers of superhuman speed to destroy the Anti-Monitor's big energy weapon, and allow a smooth merging of key Earths. For twenty years, this was one of the most respected deaths in a brand of fiction that has often regarded death with fickle fingers. This created a considerable legend around a character who was already of great significance for kick-starting the Silver Age of comic books in the 50s, and arguably was a figure related to a similar movement that created the so-called Modern Age of comics.

The expansive time and inferrences of meaning might make it seem complicated, but it's really not. A character was involved in a lot of significant things, died, and has now returned. It could've gone horribly wrong, but it didn't. Thus, the wheel of Boëthius remains a ruling principle, this version of the Flash being a chief example of how art imitating life will create ups and downs in a repeating cycle.

In the comics, Barry Allen was succeeded as Flash by his nephew, Wally West.
That Flash was, apparently, ripe for a video game of his own and was a HOTW last year for that very fact. Fortunately, DC have a very successful history of creating co-existing legacies that can currently be seen in Blackest Night and Flash: Rebirth [available soon in collected editions], which features up to four generations of Flash characters, all of whom are reasonably likely to put in time in DCUO. Hussah!

You'll also currently find Barry Allen wielding a blue ring of hope in the pages of both the central Blackest Night series, and also his own three-issue mini-series, appropriately named, Blackest Night: The Flash. Check out DCcomics.com for more info on that.

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Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9017749

Hero of the Week 2010 #2: Hulk

HULK (Marvel)
Real Name: Dr. Bruce Banner
First Appearance: Incredible Hulk #1 (May, 1962)
Group Affiliation: Avengers (former)
Gaming Credentials: Questprobe featuring The Hulk (1984); Incredible Hulk (1994); Marvel Super Heroes (1995); Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems (1996); Incredible Hulk: The Pantheon Saga (1997); Fantastic Four (1997); Marvel vs Capcom 2 (2000); Hulk (2003); Incredible Hulk (2003); Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (2005); Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006); Incredible Hulk (2008); Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009); Marvel Super Hero Squad (2009)
Infinite Wars Cumulative Ranking: #6

In 1976 the impossible happened -- Superman met Spider-man!
Twenty years after that landmark crossover, expectations were further defied by the announcement of a DC versus Marvel crossover mini-series! Against all odds, the two comics giants would surrender control of some their most popular characters, to allow fans to vote for the outcome of battles between their heroes! Marvel won the 1996 clash as determined by popularity of the time, but the great irony of the event was that it documented some of the most amicable days shared by the two rival companies.

It's unsurprising that there would be a sense of rivalry between two companies who dominate the space of a particular medium, friendly, or not. Until recently, Marvel had spent the majority of the modern age of superhero comic books reeping the benefits of a domination of the top ten sales month to month. That came to an end, however, in October 2009, when DC captured six of the top ten comics -- a first for the company since the sixties!

Ordinarily the HOTW is inspired by something positive in cross-media adaptations, or significant comic book developments. There is something like that contributing to this week's Hero, but I'm inclined to say the Hulk isn't the only green-eyed monster motivating this week's feature.

It's impossible to deny that DC have spent the best part of 2009 in the control seat. Successful marketting of the Blackest Night, Flash: Rebirth, and Batman: Reborn events helped propell them to the top of the sales charts, while creative vision ensured there was enough substance behind it all to make them worthy of the praise.
It wasn't necessarily their best year. Honestly, I would claim that DC have been on a creative high spanning the best part of the last five years, while Marvel have been scattershot with their ideas, struggling to find diversity and the hits to balance their many creative misses.

During the week, Marvel renewed hostilities by announcing a trade scheme being offered to comics retailers that would allow them to exchange the removed covers of select DC issues for a limited edition variant cover for their event mini-series, Siege.
The DC titles targetted were tangential issues of the Blackest Night event, each of which came with promotional plastic powerrings upon release a few months ago. For retailers, the attraction of this offer would be the potential to sell the variant Siege cover for a high price, whilst sacrificing the relatively low income the back issue market now represents, on issues that might've been over ordered in accordance with the powerring promotion.

On his Twitter account, Marvel editor, Tom Brevoort, plays it innocent in a string of posts, offering an open palmed suggestion (on raised hands) that retailers send the innards of DC's issues to soldiers overseas. It smacks, however, of a hollow gesture of phony goodwill coming from a company that's inciting the destruction of competition product in favour of very, very unremarkable replacements. It could be argued that variant chase covers create a false economy, harboring the kind attitude which turned a booming multi-million dollar print industry sour in the early nineties. Brevoort sniped, presumably with a hint of knowing irony, "We're doing this because we're in the business of selling content rather than Cracker Jack prizes. And we need retailers..."

The skeevy move feels in keeping with the character Marvel have developed over the past few years as slightly juvenile, and slightly antagonistic. High prices, unremarkable releases, cheap gimmicks (as opposed to the fun and clever DC powerrings), and a string of dud storylines, have helped create an aura of negativity around the once proud House of Ideas. Fortunately, it hasn't all been bad, with some of their mistakes being smoothed over with small victories, such as the recent spike in quality of Amazing Spider-man comics, which had been shedding sales after deleting twenty years of history with their One More Day storyline.

The fight between the two major companies continues in other mediums, extending to DC's triumph in 2009 with Arkham Asylum, and the 2008 battle between Iron Man and The Dark Knight in the cinema. "Planet Hulk" marks one of Marvel's final animated gestures before their purchase by Disney instigates what will surely be a renewed effort -- one more likely to challenge the animated powerehouse of DC's feature and serialized productions.

Planet Hulk adapts the 2006 story of the same name, which saw the incredible Hulk propelled into space by a collective of heroes known as The Illuminati. Mr. Fantastic, Iron Man, Dr. Strange, and all of Earth, ultimately felt the full brunt of Hulk's rage as he returned to the planet with alien allies and a new penchant for strategic warfare. World War Hulk was the slightly more inclusive follow-up to Planet, and may yet be a future project to spin-out of the animated escapades of the green goliath on other worlds.

The legacy of these events continues to be felt in the comics, where life isn't getting any easier for the Hulk!

After spending the past year competing for attention with a Red Hulk, a Red She-Hulk, his son Skaar, and a slew of other characters, the entire Hulk family will now come under threat from a collective of Marvel's deadliest and most brilliant villains. Dr. Doom, MODOK, the Red Ghost, the Wizard, and more will wage war on the Hulks to end their violent lifestyles once and for all!

All of this makes Hulk a very worthy HOTW.
That, and the whole "green-eyed monster" motiff sat rather well with Marvel's latest stunt...

<< Hero of the Week 01/24: Flash       [Home]       Hero of the Week 01/08: Wonder Woman >>

Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9017004

Hero of the Week 2010 #1: Wonder Woman

WONDER WOMAN (DC)
Real Name: Diana
First Appearance: All-Star Comics #8 (December, 1941)
Group Affiliation: New Guardians, Amazons, Justice League
Gaming Credentials: Justice League: Task Force (1995); Justice League: Injustice for All (2002); Justice League Chronicles (2003); Justice League Heroes (2006); Justice League Heroes: The Flash (2006); Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe (2008); DC Universe Online (TBR)
Infinite Wars Cumulative Ranking: #13

It's not easy being Wonder Woman!

Not only does she have to contest personal nemesis, manipulative gods, and the over ambitious villains who spill over from her Justice League colleagues, but she also shoulders the burden of being a public female superhero. If you haven't thought about it before, you might not realise that that burden involves more than super sanitary products, hairspray, and double-sided tape -- there's a very important real-world countenance to being a significant female pop culture icon.

In the comics, Wonder Woman has the conflicting duality of being both a diplomat of peace, and a sword-wielding kicker of butt from the Amazon island of Themyscira. She's not just a card carrying member of the JLA, but also an icon to man and super-man alike -- a heroic figure who has adopted the United States of America as her home, and adorned herself in the red, white, and blue, of the flag.

Here in the land of non-fiction, she's regarded as one of the trinity of major popculture icons, alongside Superman and Batman, that headline DC comics. While it's a reasonable title for a character that's weathered seventy years in print, it's not necessarily an accolade that lines up with her in-fiction portrayals, or her penetration as a comic book hero.

Truth be told, it's been a good few decades since Wonder Woman has cracked the top of any sales chart. One would like to think DC comics would have the dedication to keep their character alive in the face of any adversity, but there's every likelihood that, were a contract not in place to demand monthly publication as a stipulation of DC's ownership, the heroine would've fallen out of print long ago.

These varying factors have led Wonder Woman to be an incredibly complicated character, despite the relative simplicity of her design as a beacon of truth and justice. DC have struggled to find a definitive account of the character, constantly revamping their approach in an effort to bring Wonder Woman to the level of intrigue that her status as the best known woman in comics suggests.

The release of Bayonetta has renewed discussion in the webspace about sex relations in games.
Speaking relatively, video games have actually been reasonably progressive in the acknowledgment of strong female role models. There's the unfortunate omnipresence of double-D busts that come with characters like Lara Croft or Mai Shiranui, but even those prominent curvacious figures have contributed something to the battle of sexes along with iconic female heroines like Samus Aran, Chun-Li, and Sonya Blade. Heck, by 1988's release of Super Mario Bros. 2, even Princess Peach was burning bras and smashing glass ceilings, as she went from damsel in distress, to gliding playable protagonist!

It's fair to say American superhero comics have had their fair share of femme fatales, as well.
Behind Wonder Woman is a long line of lady liberators ready to represent the fairer sex, including Catwoman, Invisible Woman, She-Hulk, Powergirl, Batwoman, Storm, Jean Grey, Supergirl, Ms. Marvel, Hawkgirl, Witchblade, and a whole host of others, each running the gamut of personality traits, powers, and roles within their stories. Even so, for the most part, women remain a slight minority in a world where boof-headed hunks of muscle spend their time busting faces and oozing testosterone.

This first HOTW of the year was inspired by the release of DC's Blackest Night #6, which converts several of their iconic heroes into barers of Lantern powerrings that represent different aspects of the cosmic emotional spectrum. Wonder Woman numbers among these, converted into a violet-themed "Star Sapphire" for her capacity to love [pictured right].

Blackest Night has been heavily anchored by the manifestation of characters who represent these coloured rings and emotionally driven Corps. Wonder Woman -- famously referred to as an ambassador for peace -- rightly fits the bill for the violet power of love, but there's a reasonable argument to be made about her conversion which has resulted in an even more suggestive pink costume than her traditional star-spangled panties and golden bustier. An argument over whether or not this is a just depiction of a character whose responsibilities go far beyond breaking the jaws of evil doers and spreading goodwill to all of mankind.

It's the type of dialogue that consistently arises in comics, represented, but not defined by, the phenomenon of Women in Refridgerators -- a phrase coined by writer Gail Simone and her collaborators on an original site that discussed the use of women as disposable mcguffins [referring to the demise of a Green Lantern's girlfriend in the nineties].
When Fangirls Attack is a prominent hub for links to these types of discussions, and an extension of the "WiR" phenomenon, which arguably borders on sensationalist argument, but is a symptom of a realistic male dominance of the superhero super-genre.

Wonder Woman -- as a long standing popculture icon as relevant to video games as she is comics -- will always be a heavily scrutinized figure. Unfortunately, this high profile status and the jostling claims to the character have harmed her as a fictional entity, as much as it's helped. Wonder Woman may remain in the spotlight, but corporate sensitivities have frozen the character in an often bland state of mediocrity. Discussing the definitive Wonder Woman has become a nigh impossible task, with alarmist opinion often undermining any involvement of complexity the character might have in events like, Final Crisis; where she was dispatched by a mind controlled Mary Marvel, or Blackest Night; where she now shares the sexually provocative design of the Star Sapphire character(s).

This dissemination of characters and their handling by creators is something I don't think video games have really succumbed to, which, in a strange way, has allowed a more open acceptance of sexuality. Bayonetta is one example of a character that will inevitably offend, but I wonder if the conditions of video games have allowed a lighter, and consequently, better balanced analysis of what it means to be an empowered female in the modern world. The Lara Croft phenomenon of the mid-to-late nineties certainly proves that there can be more to a character than overt sexuality, and that attentions can lapse, just as easily.

Video games aren't generally regarded for their penetrating reflection of the human condition.
They certainly do, however, reflect as much as any other artform or entertainment exploit, speaking to the best and worst of our society. Video games and comic books have so many things in common, but by boosting characters like Samus and Chun-Li to the very top of the pile in their early days, it seems gaming has had an advantage over the print medium.

Wonder Woman introduces Raiden to the bloody-side of her Amazon fist!

Wonder Woman featured as one of the hard-hitting heroes in Mortal Kombat versus DC Universe in 2008, and will return to video games later this year as one of the many iconic heroes walking the world of DC Universe Online. In comics, you'll find Wonder Woman appearing prominently in DC's mega event series, Blackest Night, in her own three-issue spin-off, Blackest Night: Wonder Woman, and in her solo series, Wonder Woman. Check out DCcomics.com for more info!

<< Hero of the Week 01/17: Hulk       [Home]       Hero of the Week 12/31: Black Hand >>

Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9016004

Hero of the Week #31: Black Hand

BLACK HAND (DC)
Real Name: William Hand
First Appearance: Green Lantern #29 (June, 1964)
Group Affiliation: Black Lantern Corps
Gaming Credentials: DC Universe Online (TBA)
Infinite Wars Cumulative Ranking: #603

If you read the penultimate HOTW for 2009 [The Hood], then you already the score -- I'm finishing the year with representatives from the corporate "big two" and I'm forgoing my usual desire to tie that somehow to video games. I've regularly brought a comic book perspective to aspects of video games and I suppose I'll just have to embrace that (unless you offer gainful employment to freelance writers who could use the work, and are really willing to change this time! No, really!!! BABY!!!).

If you read the afforementioned previous HOTW, you probably also noted a hint of cynicism toward the once proud House of Ideas. At the beginning of the decade, they were instrumental to turning around the slump comics incurred in the mid-to-late nineties, reinvigorating the creative landscape of four-colour heroes with a renewed emphasis on characters and urban pseudo-realism. By the middle of the double-ohs, many of the key players in Marvel's turnaround were elevated into new positions of power, and sadly, their touch wasn't as golden at the top. A problem DC hasn't struggled with as they elevated some of their brightest talent from writers-for-hire, to architects of a DC Universe that will hopefully find it's way into the MMO gamespace in 2010. [There's that game connection!]

At the forefront of DC's hike to the top has been Geoff Johns, who's of special note today for his role in moving forward the Green Lantern franchise and spinning his work out into the DC-wide undead extravaganza that has been Blackest Night!

Putting a face to the name, at least until the real big bad revealed himself, was Black Hand: a villain who started the year a typically trounced upon halfwit out to cause problems, and has ended it as one of the most threatening figures in comics! As a scion of Nekron -- guardian of the universe and master of the dead -- Black Hand hasn't actually been dishing all that much mayhem himself, but like any general, is as culpable for raising armies of undead Black Lantern versions of characters as the murderous zombie-lanterns themselves. Moreso, if you consider the notion that the exhumed bodies are merely psychologically intriguing vessels through which Nekron is attacking the heroes!

It was in Green Lantern #45 that readers were introduced to the first official Black Lantern -- Black Hand himself! Detailed in an entire issue dedicated solely to the villain was a man twisted and demented, so obsessed with death that he had become barely human, ultimately willing to murder his entire family as a sacrifice to his idol, Nekron. In that story, Black Hand was elevated with a single chilling page, depicting his own suicide! The sinister and slightly disturbing character study, a trademark of Geoff Johns, and a terrific way to establish the creepy tone of the event and it's villain!

Blackest Night wasn't the only story to put DC on top in 2009, but it was instrumental to one of their first sales victories in an estimated four decades! Blackest Night #4, along with several related issues, pushed DC into the top six slots of top ten issues sold in October 2009 -- a rare win for the company who've often failed to garner the same blind dedication Marvel's media presence has. Of course, events like Batman: Reborn and Flash: Rebirth have also kept DC bouyant in the 'event' stakes, while quieter efforts have maintained the company's prestige when it comes to more experimental fare.

Just as they did in the comics; DC also succeeded in defying expectations and redefining what it means to make a licensed video game. Batman: Arkham Asylum was an undisputed Game of the Year contender for it's high-concept simplicity, attention to franchised detail, and competence in bringing a character to life whose exploits in the medium have often been less than admirable. It's little wonder that we're now looking toward a Batman sequel -- to say nothing of their efforts to crack the MMO genre open with story-driven adventures, free roaming superheroics that have the potential to defy the standard of stat-counting, and the iconic characters gaining traction in all mediums, in DC Universe Online!

Blackest Night player, Sinestro, is confirmed for DCU Online, while Black Hand remains an outsider possibility.

DC won't be able to rest on their laurels in 2010, however, as Marvel initiate their Siege counterfire that already looks like a vast improvement over some of their recent failures. It also paints a stark contrast to the continuation of DC's Blackest Night juggernaut, which, although well orchestrated and enjoyable for it's simplicity, has been spread quite thin! Fortunately, there's plenty on the DC horizon with announcements preparing fans for the return of Bruce Wayne from his in-universe fake-out death, and a new effort to explore original graphic novels with a pair of single-volume stories coming in the form of Earth-One Batman, and Superman.

With that, we bring 2009 to a close!
Barring unforseen distraction, we'll do it all over again in 2010 with a brand new sweep of influences to steer observation across the world of superheroes and beyond! If you haven't quite had enough for this year, ring in the new one with more me via the Best of 2009 recap, or head over to The Comic Book Fight Club and vote in the Annual Year-End Infinite Wars DC vs Marvel Fantasy Fights, whilst wondering why updates stop at July. Hey, it's been a big year, and you are my favourite readers!

Happy New Year, folks!
Hope it's a good one for us all!

In case you missed them, DC's 2009 HOTWs: Batman (06/08); The Flash (06/15); Green Lantern (06/29); Superman (07/13); Hawkman (07/20); Batman (08/11); Aquaman (08/17); The Joker (08/25); Scarecrow (09/05); Green Arrow (10/04); The Flash (10/18); Solomon Grundy (11/01); Dr. Fate (11/15); The Sandman (11/22); Two-Face (12/13); Black Hand (12/31).

<< Hero of the Week 01/08: Wonder Woman       [Home]       Hero of the Week 12/27: The Hood >>

Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9015028

What Ever Happened to the Comic Book Fight Club?...
Seasons Greetings, True Believers!

Y'know, it's a pretty fair question: what did happen?
Long time readers will know I've often been fairly ambitious with my time, but in 2009, more than ever before, time got away from me! 2009 was to be the first year the Infinite Wars would reflect the weekly goings on in comics. Even now I have a hefty stack of comics to my right, no less than two for every week, that were chosen when contemporary, to be our classic Friday Night Fight (with extra madness for Mondays)!

For the time being, I have every intention of working my way through the 2009 stack. Though not quite hot off the press by now, each issue is a worthy addition to our hallowed halls of hard hits! There is still the statistical element of crowning a grand hero (or villain) for Season 2009, as well! I've got my fingers crossed for a late surge up the ranks by Hawkman, but I've got a nasty feeling when I finally feature Blackest Night #1, his chances might diminish just a fraction...

It was a series of events that conspired against regular updates on the Infinite Wars this year, not the least of which was the passing a very dear friend and family member, in October. Things like that tend to take a lot of wind our of your sails, and, hey, I haven't exactly hit that "dot com" boom in the four years we've been doing this dance of review, discussion, and appreciation.

I've been sharing the wonderful world of superheroes on a blog I've managed to keep better updated, partially dude to it's lack of format: http://sixarmedsamurai.1up.com/.
Be sure to check it out, bookmark it, click the thumbs up, read stuff, and just enjoy a slightly different perspective to the Infinite Wars. Hey, don't feel like you can't drop a comment to make me look good, either!

Like so much about 2009, I'm a little late to the punch, but I've finally settled on a series of scintillating match-ups for our Annual Year-End DC versus Marvel Fantasy Fights!
Be sure to check back regularly for the polls (located top-right in the site menu), and vote for the hero or villain who is most worthy of victory! Last year DC completely swept the pot, but it's a whole new ball game, with brand new pairings inspired by the parallels between stories and ideas from both of the major publishers. If you've got a Fantasy Fight suggestion, it's probably not too late to suggest it in the comments, either!

I hope everyone's holidays have been fantastic and your new year starts the same!
Not sure what lies ahead in 2010, but we'll cross that bridge when it comes!

Cheers!

Hero of the Week #30: The Hood

THE HOOD (Marvel)
Real Name: Parker Robbins
First Appearance: The Hood #1 (July, 2002)
Group Affiliation: The Cabal
Gaming Credentials: -
Infinite Wars Cumulative Ranking: #331

Throughout the year I've been pleased to deliver a HOTW that at least has some tenuous connection to video games. For the most part, that's meant characters who have, at some point in their fictional careers, appeared in the medium, assuming their selection was based on some other influence. Well, with the year about to end, I figure it's time to abandon convention and take these last opportunities to acknowledge characters that shaped 2009!

Second only to the dastardly Norman Osborn [aka; Iron Patriot, aka; Green Goblin, aka; former HOTW] in both command and villainy; The Hood was an unlucky omission from this year's comic inspired action-RPG adventure, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2. The hero-v-hero aspects of the Civil War-inspired game no doubt bumped out the villain, who, over the past two years, has been elevated from gun-toting jerkass schlub, to devil-dealing 'Kingpin of Super-Villains!'

The Hood acts as gateway for Dormammu to escape the Dark Dimension and attack, in New Avengers.

As a major player in Marvel's Dark Reign of Osborn: The Hood has gone from controversially beating up former-Avenger, Tigra, to playing host to one of the biggest baddies of them all, in Dormammu, before being stripped of those demonic powers, and boosted instead by Loki, who led him to some Norse rune stones that can make his every wish a reality! It's all part of the job description when you throw in with the most powerful forces of machiavellian evil on Marvel's Earth -- The Cabal!

The Hood represents the attitudes of the current Marvel regime, whose last few years have been a hit and miss mixture of conspiracy and alleged longterm planning. He's a character typical of the type of villain that's emerged throughout this decade, one who plays just a fraction ahead of the heroes who are usually off-side per their own internal conflicts and self-generating headaches, which, in the case of The Hood's meteoric rise, were the direct legacy of 2006's Civil War.

After some less desirable efforts, Dark Reign has proven to be something of a success for Marvel in '09. Creatively less on-song than their DC counterparts, Marvel have been somewhat scattershot in their approach to the many properties under their umbrella. Dark Reign supplied an unlikely creative boost to many corners of the Marvel Universe, providing the apparent shock evisceration of The Punisher, twists in the Marvel Zombies saga, and an A+ shift that took their flagship New Avengers book out of crossover-hell, and drove it forward with a new sense of purpose and excitement!

Iron Man leads Marvel's multimedia charge as their great white hope of 2010.

If you're a gamer with only a casual interest in comics, then chances are your immediate reference point is Marvel Comics. Marvel have assured themself a dynasty of familiarity, starting way back in the sixties with the Spider-man cartoon, right up to the noughties with the advent of blockbuster superhero films, and, of course, video games. Cross media exposure has long been Marvel's ticket to ride, but in 2009, they showed unfortunate signs of weakness as DC gained traction with the ever growing Batman franchise.

2010 will provide a double-whammy of Iron Man when the sequel to the film and it's tie-in game arrive in the second-quarter, but it remains to be seen if they'll improve upon this year's creatively disappointing release based on X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and the under achieving Super Hero Squad and Ultimate Alliance games. It's a state of mediocrity that echoes the coasting of the comics, which were challenged for the first time in decades in sales by DC's powerhouse Green Lantern/DC Universe event, Blackest Night. It will be interesting to see how -- if at all -- Disney addresses issues of quality within Marvel's future output.

As you've no doubt gathered by now, it's been easy to be cynical about Marvel's direction over the past few years. Much moreso than many fans might have you think! Fortunately, while Iron Man 2 might be yet to fully convince, there's still plenty of promise for 2010. The comics in particular have a serve of treats that will begin with what's promise to be a uniquely fast-paced 'event' in Siege, which elevates the stakes of Dark Reign. There's also positive things happening in the world of Amazing Spider-man, which went from carcinogenic just a year ago, to classic by the end of '09!

I'm sure I could go on and on, but it's the holidays, and I'm sure you get the picture.
Watch out for one final villainous HOTW before we ring in the new year. who represents DC's '09!
If you haven't already, you might also like to reflect on the year via my Best of 2009. You should also vote in the Annual Year-End Infinite Wars Marvel vs DC Fantasy Fights poll at The Comic Book Fight Club! Happy Holidays!

Or, finally, check out Marvel's 2009 HOTW offerings here on 1up: Wolverine (06/01); Captain America (06/22); The Punisher (07/06); Iron Man (07/27); Spider-man (09/11); Iron Patriot (09/18); Deadpool (09/26); Carnage (10/23); Magneto (11/08); Dr. Doom (12/06); War Machine (12/20); The Hood (12/27).

<< Hero of the Week 12/31: Black Hand       [Home]       Hero of the Week 12/20: War Machine >>

Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9014675