MOVIES Coming Soon released nearly 15 minutes of B-Roll and behind the scenes footage of Thor: The Dark World October 17^th. Most of the footage jumps around so it’s hard to get a timeline on anything but the sets look spectacular. Brian Tyler’s score is played during the footage, which at times feels out of place. The music though, only builds further anticipation for this film which is set to be released in 18 days at the time of this writing on November 8^th, 2013. In the film, viewers can expect to see Thor battle an ancient race of Dark Elves lead by Melekith the Accursed. Thor: The Dark World is set after the Avengers film and is the second film in phase two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

MOVIES Coming soon has a collection of thousands of early looks at footage, extended spots and behind the scenes footage like the Thor: The Dark World footage below. The footage is the kind that those who don’t like to know anything about the film before seeing it should probably avoid. If you’re the paranoid type who is afraid this kind of video will spoil anything, fear not. The clips are very short and only tease plot points of the film. So, if you’re the adventurous type or if you like seeing behind the scenes clips of your favorite films, the video below will not disappoint.

Sound off in the comments about anything in the footage you were struck by, or send me a tweet @MarkAvo. I’d like to know what you thought.

Marvel Comics dropped a bomb on the Internet Monday when they announced the return of Miracleman. The publisher announced that Miracleman will return with updated coloring and high resolution finishes. In addition to a modernization of the existing art, Marvel has announced that the final unpublished issue will be coming to a local comics store near you next year. Neil Gaiman will also be writing new content to finish the story. In an exclusive interview with Marvel.com Gaiman said:

“A comic that started over 30 years ago, that hasn’t been seen for over 20 years, is still regarded as one of the strangest, most groundbreaking, most remarkable super-hero comic’s there’s been.”

Miracleman, also known as Marvelman, is widely regarded as one of the best super-hero comics of all time. The character originated in 1953 but it is the work from 1982 through the 90’s that captured the comic world’s imagination and wonder. Storytellers Alan Moore, Garry Leach, and Alan Davis started the work in a British anthology called Warrior.

In 1985 the stories were republished and numbered. It was at that time that the title was changed to Miracleman. Neil Gaiman took up the story with artist Mark Buckingham in issue 17. Gaiman’s last issue to be published was 24. The final issue, although written and illustrated, never saw print. The fans will finally have their ending this winter. Included below is a preview of variant cover art for issue one courtesy of Marvel Comics.

UPDATE 7:45:00PM 10/17/2013: This story has been altered from its original version to correct an error regarding the date of the Marvelman name change to Miracleman. We incorrectly stated that this name changed happened with issue #17 when it instead happend with issue #1.

Last week’s episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., “the Asset”, managed to do two things: Introduce a super-powered protagonist, and get me to pay attention to a member of the team not named Coulson. Said villain is Professor Hall, AKA “Graviton” (at least in the comics) who can control gravity and use it as a weapon. Said team-member was Skye, who did an amazing job of running around in a low cut dress. At first I wasn’t sure if this was actual character development or hormonal manipulation, but then she jumped into a swimming pool. At this point, dripping wet and still running around in that amazing dress, Skye became my absolute favorite character.

This week’s new episode, “Eye Spy”, opens with a bunch of red-masked men in business suits boarding a train in Sweden. People find them a little un-nerving, and there is a young woman with some sort of power that follows them onto the train. She smashes the light panel, plunging the train into darkness. When the lights come up, she’s gone, all the Red-Masks are dead, and one of them is missing his briefcase.  His briefcase full of diamonds!

Cut to Coulson and team, who are en-route to Sweden to investigate the theft. Coulson briefs the team on the Red Masks, who were former military operatives, dressed identically and given identical cases to throw off the diamond heist.  The young woman who pulled the heist is Akela Amador, a former S.H.I.E.L.D. operative personally trained by Coulson. Agent May thinks Amador has gone rogue, Coulson thinks she can be saved. Spy stuff ensues. Girls kick each other. An eyeball explodes.

Okay, I’m solidly on board now. Last week was light and fluffy, but this week was everything I’ve been waiting for. Intrigue, cool twists, and some solid development for our intrepid Agents. We get some solid running gags throughout the episode, and Skye says penises. The team is starting to develop some of that great, patented Whedon patter. Oh, and Agent May kicks some ass!

I still have some miss-givings with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., namely with Fitz and Simmons. I get that they’re two halves of a mightier, geekier whole, but they do very little for me other than provide the techno-babble that our beloved genre spews so much of. The writers have caught on to the short-comings of Agent Ward, and made a few jokes about how robotic he is. Fitz and Simmons, though? Just background chatter. I’m sure something will be done to make these two more interesting, more vital feeling to the team. As it stands, though, their roles could be adequately filled by JARVIS without anyone caring.

We’re starting to see elements of a greater Marvel universe at play now, first with Graviton, and now with whatever evil agency is behind Amador’s actions. If we start seeing elements of AIM, Hydra, or other insidious Marvel baddies, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will have crossed over from a mildly entertaining diversion to a fully integral part of the Marvel cinematic experience. Between this and Arrow, I am most definitely getting my Super-hero fix. It’s a really good time to be a geek!

With all of the excitement for next-gen consoles coming in November, Microsoft is reminding you not to forget about the existing hardware. A lot of families may be behind a generation for financial reasons. You may enjoy your legacy games and want to insure you have adequate for playing them years from now. To that end, Microsoft has announced a few deals for this holiday season on the XBox 360. Beginning this week and ending January 4^th, most retailers are knocking $50 off these three bundles (all include one month XBox Live Gold):

• 250GB w/ Kinect includes Kinect Sports: Season Two, Kinect Adventures, Forza Horizon ($400)
• 4GB w/ Kinect includes Kinect Sports: Season Two, Kinect Adventures ($300)
• 250GB w/o Kinect includes Halo 4, Tomb Raider ($300)

Sony Santa Monica has announced that their DLC plans for God of War: Ascension have come to an end. A balancing update is still in the works and online support is not ending. There will also be a double XP event this weekend. Haven’t bought the DLC yet? Haven’t bought the game yet? Good news. A digital version will be available via the PSN Store this today and all of the DLC will be going on sale to celebrate. The soundtrack will also be free for a limited time.

I’ve never made any secret of my ridiculous joy at playing the LEGO video games, so I’m obviously anxious for November’s LEGO Marvel Super Heroes. If you’re not convinced, download the demo that’s available today on XBox Live and PSN. I don’t need a demo to know I want to play as brick versions of over 100 of my favorite characters. Just 100? Nah, they’ve also announced an Asgardian Character Pack for day one DLC to celebrate the upcoming Thor 2: The Dark World. That expansion will add Kurse, Hogun, Malekith, Volstagg, Odin, Fandral, Sif, and Jane Foster.

It must be safe to say that Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX was a success for Square Enix as they have announced Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX for 2014, exclusive once again to PS3. This will include Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, PSP’s Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep Final Mix, and cut scenes from Kingdom Hearts Re:coded on Nintendo DS. The Final Mix versions were previously exclusive to Japan. Ideally the timing should be perfect for you to finish the two ReMIX titles to get yourself Squared away in preparation for Kingdom Hearts III on next-gen in 2014.

WWE 2K14 (October 29^th) will have a new mode this year, and it will be decidedly difficult. In 30 years of Wrestlemania, The Undertaker has the longest standing perfect record at 21-0. Countless greats have taken their shot, but the undead phenom has buried them all. Can you break it? Better yet, can you defend it? You have two options in the mode. Playing as the Undertaker you will take on an infinite number of contenders with no health bar reset between bouts. You will lose, but your goal will be to top the leaderboard in stats, finishers, reversals, and streak length. As a challenger you can choose from any existing Superstar on the roster, or choose your created grappler. This will not be a normal match as The Undertaker will be extremely overpowered, like a 21-0 psychotic, supernatural  beast should be. He’ll do anything to win, so expect unconventional tactics, like shutting down the arena’s lights.

New York Comic Con saw WB Montreal reveal another of the hired guns set to kill Batman in Arkham Origins in just a few weeks’ time. Lester Buchinsky, AKA Electrocutioner, isn’t the first rogue in the Dark Knight’s gallery you would name. He probably isn’t even number ten. But he’ll still try to kill Batman come October 25^th.

This week’s addition to the PS Plus Instant Game Collection is Poker Night 2. The true joy of this one is the crazy cast of characters. It’s bumping Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower, but the weekly update will also launch an extensive sale on a plethora of Capcom content. And don’t forget the spend $50 get $10 deal is still going on the PSN Store; between the Star Wars Pinball “Balance of the Force” pack and the Wolf Among Us season pass you’re already in for $30.

Speaking of Zen Pinball tables, Doctor Strange is the next table coming from their Marvel line. Coming in December, expect this table to cover all the great beats of Doctor Strange: Clea, Wong, Baron Mordo, Dormammu, Nightmare, Shuma-Gorath, etc.

Bioware has made no secret of their plan to make a Mass Effect 4, regardless of the fact that (spoiler alert) their main character most decidedly dies during almost all of the mixed endings in the third game. Marc Walters, the writer on Mass Effect 3, has explained a bit of their plan, if not the details. According to Marc, “the idea is that we have agreed to tell a story that doesn’t relate necessarily to any of the Shepard events at all, whatsoever.” He elaborated that “one of the key things is that it has to be Mass Effect. It can’t just feel like a spin-off. It has to feel like a Mass Effect game at its heart… without the Shepard character or the Shepard specific companions.” The obvious route is prequel. Shepard’s choices in the third game had a huge and varied impact on the universe, the consequences of which can’t easily be scripted away without sacrificing the players’ choices. Bioware met with a lot of grief when they ended Shepard’s trilogy, but I still enjoyed and can’t wait to get back to that universe. I’m expecting a story during the war between humans and turians but I wouldn’t mind seeing one that happens before humans even leave Earth. I can even foresee a trilogy featuring the rachni war, the krogan rebellion, and human expansion. Where would you like to see the story go? Where do you think it will go?

Amazing X-Men #1 will be the return of the fan favorite mutant, Nightcrawler. He’s been missing for a number of years but his return has been teased since the beginning of Wolverine and the X-Men #1. Will the Elf’s return be another hit for Jason Aaron? The story sounds intriguing as Wolverine and a handpicked team attempts a rescue mission in a swashbuckling pirate themed adventure. With Ed McGuiness on art, and based on the first look below, it appears that the answer will be a resounding yes.

AMAZING X-MEN #1
Writer: JASON AARON
Artist: ED MCGUINESS
Cover Artist: ED MCGUINESS
On-Sale: 10/14/13

Brian Michael Bendis is one of the hardest working writers in comics today. Francesco Francavilla is one of the most in demand artists in comics today. They bring their unique skills together to produce an Infinity tie for Guardians of the Galaxy #8 to be released October 30th, 2013. Over in The Mighty Avengers, Thanos and his armies have attacked earth while the prime Avengers team is off world. While the Mighty Avengers fight Thanos’s armies in New York, it’s up to Peter Quill and the Guardians to rescue a beseiged S.W.O.R.D. station in orbit above the earth. Francesco’s art look amazing but don’t take my word for it, see for yourself below:

 I know I’ve shown you a lot of Francesco Francavilla art lately. Feel free to thank me on Twitter @MarkAvo.

Al Ewing and Greg Land made an outstanding opening statement with Mighty Avengers issue #1, and their follow up attack is more of the same. Greg land continues to deliver on pencils despite what his detractors would say. The diverse group of characters comes to life on the page with Land’s restless style – which is perfect for the electric dialogue provided by Ewing. Al is extremely humble on his Twitter feed. He was handed “yet another” Avengers book and has made it intriguing to anyone suffering from event fatigue. The story is bigger than life, the characters are compelling and funny, the stakes couldn’t be higher, and there’s still a nunchaku wielding neon Spider-man.

Despite being an Infinity cross-over, Mighty Avengers is easily read as a standalone. Despite that, in Marvel style, it still fills you in on what’s going on over in the main Marvel Now event. It’s refreshing that this rag-tag bunch of super-heroes gets to take on Thanos and his minions but it’s a treat when the Watcher shows up in this comic just one week after appearing over in Guardians of The Galaxy.

The book starts with Dr. Strange being manipulated by Thanos’ Knight Maw into performing dark magic against his will. We then meet up with the latest member to make an appearance, The Blue Marvel. He responds to the attack on New York because it’s a “level 7” and his monitoring system has only ever seen a level 4. While he speeds towards New York, things get out of hand and our Mighty Avengers are taking a beating. That’s when something beautiful happens and the citizens of New York call on the Avengers to assemble. Proving they may be down but not out, this new Avengers team still led by Luke Cage, gives the beating right back.

Al Ewing has been very vocal about his passion for this book and these characters. When I asked him over Twitter why he was so excited about the Mighty Avengers, he answered me very succinctly tweeting, “It’s fun super heroics with a communitarian streak. It’s the people’s Avengers. This first arc, I get to lay out those concepts.” The community aspect he was talking about comes through clearly in this issue. The heart of this book really is the about the people’s Avengers, and that’s what makes it so good.

To keep the conversation going, follow Al Ewing on Twitter @Al_Ewing and Me, Mark Avo @MarkAvo.

The teaser from SDCC has finally found its way onto the web. Watch it while it lasts folks! Edit: It didn’t last so here is a different video with a bit more information.

So, the other bots (and my coworkers and friends) keep sending me all the new promo images from “Thor: The Dark World.” I am sure they all chuckle as they think that one day I will be reduced to a quivering pile of goo, or at the very least a kneeling fangirl. My latest case of the vapors arrived with this image:

Let’s all sit and blink quietly for a few moments, shall we?

I know I’m a broken record on this, but I love love LOVE that Marvel is keeping a lid on the Malekith imagery. Too often in recent years a movie’s high point will be included in all of the nineteen trailers that hit for a blockbuster release. But Thor’s Big Bad remains relatively mysterious. Instead they’ve focused on the action, the secondaries that everyone loves (WHAT UP, Heimdall and Sif!), a little hint of a triangle between Sif, Jane, and Thor (do not want), and of course our favorite Trickster.

Oh, and apparently there are new promo images for Thor, too… Whatever, I don’t know.

August 30th a new issue of Empire will drop and will have stills from the upcoming Marvel film Thor: The Dark World. Asgard will have been at war after the destruction of the Bifrost and we will be seeing a lot of fighting between the 9 realms. These stills from Empire show a bit of that including some shots of the bad guys from this film, including a great shot of Christopher Eccleston as Malekith. I’ve thrown a few of my personal favorites below but be sure to check out Empire for the rest.