• Marvel Legends Icons and 2-Packs
• DC Universe/DC Superheroes
• Castlevania

So read on for more details…

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Shortly after the fighting game X-men Children of the Atom, Capcom wasted no time in putting out more games featuring Marvel’s pantheon of super heroes. This game in particular is one of the more slept-on Capcom fighters (although not to the degree of Project Justice and Tech Romancer). Taking control of one of six Marvel heroes (Spider-man, Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Psylocke) or one of six villains (Shuma Gorath, Blackheart, Juggernaut, Magneto, and Thanos and Dr Doom via use of a code), you must fight your way up the ladder to meet Thanos in a plot loosely based on 1992’s Infinity Gauntlet storyline.

The game play is similar to most other Capcom fighters, with six attack buttons, three for punches, three for kicks, each differing in speed in power. Special moves are done via quarter and half circle motions, as well as charging. However, since these are superheroes, don’t expect your garden-variety martial-arts maneuvers like in street fighter. Your fighter can jump up to several feet high, ‘normal’ attacks fire projectiles, special attacks can cause serious damage, and super moves take up the entire screen. It’s not as zany as in Darkstalkers, but you’re still not gonna see any of these moves in the next Street Fighter game. The main difference that sets this game apart from other Capcom fighters, although it isn’t much, is the addition of the Infinity Gems. They appear throughout the match, and grant your character special powers when you use them. Of course this regulates multiplayer games into bouts of “who can get to the gems the fastest” although an experienced player can destroy any newbie player who plays in that manner.

This game is often overlooked due to the fact that at the time of it’s release, it was just one of many 2-d fighting games. However, it was a Capcom fighter. Moreover, it was a good game based on a Marvel property. Capcom of course went on to use the engine to produce several more Capcom fighters, most important of which being the Marvel Vs Capcom games. This is still a good game to check out if you run across the arcade cabinet, even better if you can find a copy of any of the home ports. Also of interest is the SNES spin-off “War of the Gems”, which is a side scrolling beat-em-up in the vein of Capcom’s “X-men Mutant Apocalypse”.

X-Men #200
Written by Mike Carey, art by Humberto Ramos & Chris Bachalo, cover by David Finch

Just look at that David Finch variant cover. Beautiful, no? I imagine that the gatefold variant we have showing will be wildly overpriced in your local shop, but if it’s not, that’s definitely the version I’d get.

As for the book itself, Mike Carey’s been writing some strong X-Men stories lately, if not as epic as Brubaker’s space opera in Uncanny. And with the arrival of last week’s Endangered Species crossover/prologue-to-the-real-crossover, this book is the big kickoff to not only that, but what may well be an important story for the upcoming fall crossover, Messiah CompleX. If you’re planning on following the X-stories for the next few months, this is a book you definitely don’t want to miss. And hopefully, if Carey’s previous work is a good indicator, we’ll even get some good storytelling out of it.

To be perfectly honest though, I really just want to own that cover. Awesome.

Well at least they’re being upfront about it.

This is a promotional image that popped up online on Omelete.com for some reason. A new animated series for the X-Men has been in the works for some time, and we’d heard they would “focus” on Wolverine, but I didn’t imagine he’d get top billing like that. Take a look at Xavier in the background. He’s got new legs like Lt Dan.

Where is there room for the other major X-men players? Will there even be any character development for secondary characters? I realize thats a lot to assume from a single image, but they’re the ones who put Wolverine in 400 pt font.

Marvel is producing this themselves, not unlike the Avengers or Iron Man movies they’ve already released. Steve Blum will play Wolverine, no word yet if he’ll use the same voice he always uses in every role he’s ever played.

Bragging to all your friends that you’re the one who bought them: Priceless

Don’t worry, they didn’t really kill Wolverine and auction pieces of him off, Ferengi style. These are just the claws they used in X2: X-Men United. So that’s still pretty cool. I mean, it’s not like they were the claws from X3, right?

ComicsAlliance.com has a lengthy article on the sale, and some further insight into other movie memorabilia auctions, including costumes for Superman ($115,000), Batman ($63,000), and the Rocketeer (only $23,000 – what a savings!).

The next pair of Avengers destined for the Marvel Minimate treatment in wave 16 were announced earlier today on Raving Toy Maniac. Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch make their minimate debut. Pictures below. Can’t wait for this two pack!

 

Don’t forget to check after the jump for more information on minimates and lots of additional pictures of other properties with the minimate license!
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Astonishing X-Men #19
written by Joss Whedon, art by John Cassaday

Hey you! New comics come out on Thursday this week! I realize that this could be considered late notice… but maybe it’s just early notice for next week?

Um, so while this is allegedly the kickstart to Whedon and Cassaday’s final arc on the book, it’s really the mid-point of their final 12-issue arc. Regardless, with its strangely delayed release schedule, now’s as good a time as any to remind you that it happens to be coming out, specifically today.

I suppose I could try and sell the concept to you, but if you’re not reading it already, I somehow doubt you’re going to pull your head from your rump and give it a fresh shot now. And if you are reading it… Man, how horrible was that “Dangerous” arc? I hated that. Crippled Professor X driving a truck? Was this really the same guy who’s written the other 12 issues we’ve gotten? Anyway, if the last 6 issues are any measure, these final 6 should be awesome. And according to the image, it arrives in November! So, you know, you should keep an eye out for it. In November.

(Or today.)