Earlier today Super Hero Hype released an exclusive photograph of the new costume from Amazing Spider-Man. It looks like they are moving towards a hybrid of Amazing Spider-Man, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man and Ultimate Spider-Man. I love it. While I think the gold sunglasses made sense in the Amazing Spider-Man, I am glad to see the white back for this next movie.

It also looks like the silk screen texture is closer to the Sam Raimi’s costume, which has a bit of nostalgia for me. The fact the eyes are more expressive, similar to Ultimate Spider-Man is also very awesome. I am excited for this movie. Hopefully they iron out some of the issues they had during production of the Amazing Spider-Man. What do you think of the costume?

News broke from The Hollywood Reporter that Paul Giamatti is in talks to play the Rhino in the sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man, which I think is an inspired casting choice. Giamatti is an excellent actor and it would somehow be fitting that the other half of the duo from Sideways got his chance to play a Spidey villain.

From the Reporter piece:

The role is a dream part for Giamatti, who in the past has said the Rhino was one of his favorite characters when he was a boy.

“I thought Rhino was the greatest thing when I was a little kid,” he told ShowbizSpy in March 2011. “It was a guy who was basically in this rhinoceros outfit and I always thought, ‘Why don’t they have The Rhino in one of their movies,’ but maybe The Rhino wasn’t that big of a deal for anybody but me…If they ever go with The Rhino I would be ready and waiting.”

Around the same time he was also on Late Night with Conan O’Brien where he talked about the character: “The Rhino was fantastic. He was, like, a Russian guy. He was real fast and he hit stuff real hard.

That right there has me sold that he’s the man for the job.

Also buried in the article is news that Felicity Jones is up for a role. I don’t recognize her off the bat, but she was in the Agatha Christie episode of Doctor Who, a favorite of mine. Judging by her looks and status as a British person, I would imagine she could be a great choice as Betty Brandt. But who knows?

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Spectacular maybe?) is set to hit the screen next summer, so this stuff better get organized fast.

From the press release:

On his journey to become the Ultimate Hero, Peter Parker has handled tough challenges. From learning to team up with fellow Super Heroes (including The Avengers!), to fighting baddies from across the Marvel Universe, to remembering to pick up groceries for Aunt May, Spidey thought he had things all webbed up. Now in Season 2, his world’s been turned upside down as his teammates become roommates, and they’re left to face foes without the help of S.H.I.E.L.D. But when iconic Marvel villains like The Lizard, Kraven, Electro, the Rhino and Doc Ock team up to take on the young heroes, it’s time for Spidey to discover the “great responsibility” of being a leader. Catch the one-hour SPECIAL PRIME TIME PREMIERE of Ultimate Spider-Man Season 2, January 21 at 7p/6c on Disney XD. And keep up with the team every Sunday at 11a/10c inside Marvel Universe.

Here’s a trailer for the new season! Sound off in the comments and let me know if I should be watching this show.

On his journey to become the Ultimate Hero, Peter Parker has handled tough challenges. From learning to team up with fellow Super Heroes (including The Avengers!), to fighting baddies from across the Marvel Universe, to remembering to pick up groceries for Aunt May, Spidey thought he had things all webbed up.  Now in Season 2, his world’s been turned upside down as his teammates become roommates, and they’re left to face foes without the help of S.H.I.E.L.D. But when iconic Marvel villains like The Lizard, Kraven, Electro, the Rhino and Doc Ock team up to take on the young heroes, it’s time for Spidey to discover the “great responsibility” of being a leader. Catch the one-hour SPECIAL PRIME TIME PREMIERE of Ultimate Spider-Man Season 2, January 21 at 7p/6c on Disney XD. And keep up with the team every Sunday at 11a/10c inside Marvel Universe.

For those of you that have been living under a rock, you may not have heard about the ending of the Amazing Spider-Man series. Doc Ock worked some magic and switched bodies with Peter Parker. If either of them tries, they can recall memories from the others’ life. The catch is Doc Ock has a very short time to live, hours in fact. During this time Doc Ock’s body dies, and Peter’s consciousness goes to the afterlife. He sees all of his loved ones, most importantly Uncle Ben. Ben explains to Peter how proud he is of him, and that he has fought the good fight.

After resuscitation from the medical staff at Rikers, Peter is motivated and recharged from his talk with Ben. Doc Ock (Peter) escapes from Rikers Island with the help of the Sinister Six. During a final confrontation with Spider-Man (Doc Ock), Peter fails to transfer himself back into his own body. While Octavius’ body is dying, Peter’s life flashes before his eyes. Somehow Otto sees this, only now with himself in place of Peter during the moments that shaped the super hero he became. Because of this Otto vows to use the powers for good. He will not only be Spider-man, but The Superior Spider-Man.

And now for issue number one of The Superior Spider-Man. There isn’t a great way for me to review this without spoiling some of the issue, so… spoiler alert.

Otto Octavius has been living life as Peter Parker to the fullest. He has revamped Spider-Man’s costume (see Avenging Spider-Man 15.1) and has been successfully juggling work, super heroics and Mary Jane. The issue begins with Spider-Man attempting to stop a bank heist being committed by the new Sinister Six. The fact these six c-list bad guys are using the name Sinister six really bothers Otto. Although he can’t stop them, he does manage to get some nano-spider-tracers onto the leader, Boomerang. I mentioned they were c-list, didn’t I?

I don’t want to spoil the entire comic, so let’s just say the meat and potatoes of it is Otto in Peter’s body acting like a real douche bag. This is aimed at his co-workers and MJ. He is such a douche that he spends an entire conversation ignoring what she’s saying and staring at her chest while wearing a bluetooth headset. MJ questions why Peter is wearing the headset during dinner. It turns out those little nano-spider-tracers not only tell Peter where they are, but he can hear everything they are saying. Rather than go after them immediately, something the old Peter Parker would have done, he has decided to set a trap for them where they plan to strike next… Horizon Labs.

This time the Superior Spider-Man is prepared and does virtually everything right. Including lots of dramatic booby traps. He even called the media 30 minutes ahead of time so they could witness the spectacle that he has set into motion. Having taken it very personal that these c-listers were galavanting as the Sinister Six, Otto intends to make an example of them. After a very short battle, just Boomerang is left. Spider-Man gets the best of him and begins to beat him nearly to death. When he pulls back for the death blow, something stops him. A police officer says, “Good work, wall-crawler. We’ve got it from here.” Spider-Man stares down, stunned.

Now for the worst part that completely ruined any excitement I had for this issue:

Obi-wan Kenobi style Peter Parker is standing behind Spider-Man. Obi-Peter had just stopped Spider-Man from killing Boomerang, and states, “You can’t hear me, can you? You don’t even know I’m here. Doesn’t matter. You don’t get to kill. I won’t let you. I don’t know how, but I am still in the fight! I am Peter Parker. And I swear I will find a way back!”

*Audible groan*

I understand this REVIEW has been more of a RECAP thus far, but I did so to help prove my point. At the end of Amazing Spider-Man, Peter is at peace with his demise. He finally gets to go be with Gwen and Uncle Ben. Otto Octavius is now burdened with the guilt and responsibility Peter felt for all of the mistakes he made as Spider-Man. Otto vowed to take on that responsibility and not only to continue Peter’s legacy, but to do it better.

I liked the thought of watching Otto struggle with the morality side of being a super hero, while being very successful with everything Peter wasn’t. The weird feeling of watching Otto eat dinner with MJ gave enough fire in the reader to want Peter Parker back. But not immediately. As the reader, I was hoping for a slow burn that could turn into an amazing climax when Peter finally comes back. More figurative and less literal. Maybe when Otto reached back to kill Boomerang he had some memory flash backs from Peter’s life that stopped him. Rather than Peter Parker’s “ghost” literally stopping him. They couldn’t make it through the entire first issue of this new series without saying, “Oh boy, look everyone, Peter is still in this. We’ll hit the reset button soon enough, winkface”.

Enough about what I thought, what did you think?

It’s not often that a comic book comes out that causes such uproar among its passionate fans. Amazing Spider-Man #700 happens to be one of those that has fans of the wall crawler all riled up.  With a hefty price tag of $7.99 we get a hefty amount of content. Almost 100 pages of content are in this book. It is also virtually ad free, save for a couple of in house Marvel ads. Alright, so what’s the big deal? Fair warning, it’s hard to talk about this book without talking about the “controversial” ending so be warned there are spoilers ahead.

Dan Slott has been crafting this story, dropping hints here and there over the last 100 issues. Doctor Octopus is slowly dying after receiving repeated blows to the head over the years, and has one last bit of revenge to act out against Spider-Man. Two issues ago it was revealed that Ock had switched bodies with Pete leaving our hero in the dying body of one of his greatest villains. How did Ock do this? By using an Octabot that implanted Ock’s consciousness in Pete’s body. Pete, in Ock’s body, breaks out of The Raft while forming his own “Sinister Six.” Finding the Octabot, Pete devises a plan to switch bodies.  Pete tries to use the Octabot after confronting Ock, but discovers that Ock has put metal plating in his suit to block the connection. While gloating Ock starts getting flooded with Pete’s memories. And he starts to replace Pete in those memories. He starts to get overwhelmed after realizing how good of a person Pete was and changes his mind. He doesn’t want the memories, however Ock’s change of heart is too late. Pete is too fargone and is dying in Ock’s body. He tells Ock that he is Spider-Man now and passes on after telling him that “With great power, comes great responsibility.” Ock vows that he will protect those that Pete loved and proclaims himself the “Superior Spider-Man.

That’s right folks, Peter Parker is dead and Doctor Octopus is Spider-Man! Controversial??? I think not. Interesting??? I think so!  It’s because of this ending that Dan Slott has been getting death threats. Let me say that one more time. Dan Slott has received death threats because of a COMIC BOOK! That’s kind of ridiculous. This won’t last forever, Pete will be back. However, in the meantime it will  make for an interesting story. This is no different than Captain America or Batman dying when Bucky and Dick Grayson took over for them. When those characters switched we got some really good stories out of their books. And I’m willing to give Spider-Man the benefit of the doubt because of that.  I guess I just don’t understand the outrage. Not liking a story is one thing, but people are being ridiculous.

As far as my thoughts on the book itself go, I really enjoyed it. There are some really good moments in this book, such as Pete having a near death experience and having a heart to heart with the likes of Uncle Ben and  Gwen and Captain StacyI think Ock as Spider-Man will be interesting for a little while. And that’s how long it will really last, just a little while. I can’t wait to see where Dan Slott takes us in the Superior Spider-Man. The words being used to describe the book are “Dark and weird.” And where  the art is concerned I think Humberto Ramos knocked this one out of the park. There are also two fun back up stories in this issue, one by JM Dematteis and Giuseppe Camuncoli, and the other by Jen Van Meter and Stephanie Buscema. You also get a cover gallery of all 700 issues of ASM and a letters page with the letters answered by Stan Lee followed by Spider-Man memories by different people in the comics industry. There is a bunch of stuff packed in this book!

Whether you get your books digitally, or from your local comic shop, you are also going to want to seek out Avenging Spider-Man 15.1 which is also out this week.  It also serves as both an epilogue to ASM #700 and a prologue to Superior Spider-Man #1. From writer Chris Yost and artist Paco Medina, this issue takes a look at Doc Ock’s first week in Pete’s body as Spider-Man. We get some good moments out of this issues like Ock’s revelation as to why he never beat Spider-Man, or his thoughts on Pete’s relationship with Mary Jane. If you finish ASM #700 and/or Avenging Spider-Man 15.1 and you feel like you want to continue with this story don’t forget to check out Superior Spider-Man #1 which is on sale January 9^th.

Known mostly for his loud mouth and ability to back it up there is one thing you may not know about the WWE Champion CM Punk. He is a huge comic geek. The self proclaimed “Best in the World” will now have his words read instead of heard. He will be writing the introduction for the Avengers vs X-Men hardcover collection which will be released next week.

As excited as this wrestling fan is for that I’m curious what the sales numbers on the the AvX hardcover will be. First being released in a limited hardcover it includes all 12 issues of AvX, all 6 of the AvX Vs series, and the previously digital only infinite comics. Also a code to redeem a digital copy of the book will be available. And all you trade waiters can get this for a mere $75. That’s not a typo, I said $75. For what was Marvel’s biggest event of the year I would figure they’d want to sell as many copies of the collection as soon as they can, but with it being so pricey I don’t see it flying off the shelves.

For Immediate Release

WWE^® CHAMPION CM PUNK^® PENS INTRODUCTION TO THE LIMITED EDITION AVENGERS VS. X-MEN HARDCOVER

The Hottest Comic Of The Year Is Now The Most Anticipated Collection of 2012

 New York, New York, October 24, 2012 – The best-selling comic event of the year, hits store shelves in a limited-edition, oversized collection with the Avengers vs. X-Men Hardcover featuring an introduction from WWE Superstar and Champion, CM Punk! Worlds collide as one of the top performers in WWE provides insight into the new landscape of the Marvel Universe in this one-of-a-kind introduction! Experience the pop culture event like never before as your favorite heroes like Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Wolverine, Cyclops, Magneto and more go head-to-head with the entire Marvel Universe at stake!

“To say I’m flattered to write the intro for the biggest comic book crossover EVER would be…well it wouldn’t be me,” said WWE Champion CM Punk. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s super cool, but it also makes sense. Best superheroes in the world?  Check. Best writers in the world (plus Ed Brubaker)? Check. Best artists in the world?  Yup, them too. Best wrestler in the world. That’s me!  So it’s the best team of all time!  We are all the best!  Now you will read the best!”

The Avengers vs. X-Men Hardcover features the top talent of the industry including top-selling authors: Brian Michael Bendis (Avengers, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man); Jason Aaron (Wolverine & The X-Men, Wolverine); Jonathan Hickman (Fantastic Four, Ultimate Comics Ultimates); Ed Brubaker (Captain America, Winter Soldier); Matt Fraction (Invincible Iron Man, The Mighty Thor) and even more! This unprecedented assembly of acclaimed writers is joined by a cavalcade of the industry’s superstar artists including John Romita Jr (Avengers); Olivier Coipel (The Mighty Thor); Adam Kubert (X-Men: Schism) and others.

“There is no better person who understands the theatrical nuances of a good rivalry than WWE Champion, CM Punk,” said Marvel Editor In Chief, Axel Alonso. “We couldn’t be happier to have him to share his praise of our biggest event yet with his fans, and ours.”

With a limited print run, the Avengers vs. X-Men Hardcover includes a number of bonus features that enahnce the Avengers vs. X-Men experience even further including:

• Exclusive (to the collection) behind the scenes extras utilizing special augmented reality technology with the Marvel AR app powered by Aurasma.
• Avengers vs. X-Men Infinite comics in print for the very first time!
• A code for a free digital copy available exclusively through the Marvel Comics app & Marvel Digital Comics Shop!

The Avengers and X-Men have learned that the all-powerful embodiment of both death and rebirth known as the Phoenix Force is on a crash course for Earth…and it needs a new host to unleash its immeasurable power. But what is the shocking decision tied to the Phoenix’s return that will pit the Avengers against the X-Men? And when good friends become bitter enemies, what does this mean for the future of the Marvel Universe?

You’ve heard It’s Coming—and this November witness every punch thrown, every shield slung and every blast blown out in the Avengers vs. X-Men Hardcover!

All your favorite super heroes enter the fight—and only one team will emerge victorious!

For more on Avengers vs. X-Men, please visit http://avx.marvel.com

AVENGERS VS. X-MEN HARDCOVER

Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, JASON AARON, ED BRUBAKER, JONATHAN HICKMAN, MATT FRACTION & MORE

Art by FRANK CHO,  JOHN ROMITA JR, OLIVIER COIPEL, ADAM KUBERT & MORE

Cover by JIM CHEUNG

$75.00 – Rated T+

ISBN: 978-0-7851-6317-6

According to Variety, Shailene Woodley is in early talks to play the second love of Peter Parker’s life, Mary Jane Watson. If this ends up being true, having MJ in the second film could introduce a lot of interesting avenues for the second film. I imagine she would be more of a background character, rather than creating a love triangle. Possibly she could pick up the pieces if the inevitable does occur for Gwen on the big screen.

Some rumors are also buzzing around possible villains for this second film. Variety stated that, “lightning features prominently in the [after credits] scene.” This statement hinting at Electro for the villain. If I am completely honest, I do not remember ANY lightning. I feel strongly that this series will stick closer to the animal villains from Spider-Man’s rogue gallery. Such as Rhino and Scorpion. With Oscorpe and how it has been trying to utilize mother nature to it’s advantage, Electro would feel really out of place.

Of course, I could be wrong. What do you think of the MJ casting news? Any villains you’d like to see on the big screen?

The boys from The Big Movie Mouth-Off (including our very own Jerk-Bot, Jeff Vice) have been busy reviewing movies all summer and giving all kinds of passes for advanced screenings.

We have a collection of their superhero movie reviews from the summer movie season.

Be sure to hit them up on Facebook. And you can listen to the podcast (featuring myself, Clang! Boom! Steam!, and Jeff and Jimmy) by subscribing to the Big Shiny Robot! podcast feed!

First up: The Avengers!

Then, The Amazing Spider-Man:

And finally: The Dark Knight Rises:

Day 2 of Comic-Con started off with 3 big panels in Hall H. First up was Big Bang Theory. They started us off with a gag reel. There was the customary Q and A in which we really learned nothing, but fans got to have fun and talk to their favorite celebrities. Later on in the panel they brought an astronaut out to offer actor Simon Helberg, who plays Howard on the show, a trip to outer space. He declined, so they offered it to one of the many people who asked questions in the Q and A. A young lady won it and will now get to fly into space. All in all there wasn’t much learned, but we got a few laughs.

The second panel of the day is the one I looked forward to the most, AMC’s The Walking Dead. Which kicked off with a kick ass trailer for the upcoming third season where we got to see plenty of Michonne, The Governor, the prison, and a returning Michael Rooker as everyone’s favorite racist redneck Merle Dixon! The trailer gave me the chills and I may have wet myself a little bit! The Nerdist, Chris Hardwick, was the moderator for the panel which included Robert Kirkman, Andrew Lincoln, Sarah Callis, Laurie Holden, David Morrisey, Norman Reedus and others.  We then got the same Q and A treatment in which we learn nothing about the upcoming season that we didn’t already know, but got to know the actor’s favorite moments and opinions about their characters. However we did learn that the show’s third season will start on October 14^th, 2012.

-uFA

Lastly for me in Hall H was the Game of Thrones panel. The author of the novels, George R.R. Martin, was the moderator. On the panel were the actors who play  Danyrus, Rob Stark, Catlin Stark, Ygritte, and Theon. I’m not bad mouthing his work, however George Martin seemed to be a very awkward moderator and to me came across as a dirty old man. We got the usual fandom in the Q and A. A recap video of season 2, and a video introducing us to the new members of the cast including the bombshell that Diana Rigg will be playing the Queen of Thorns. To close out the panel we got a date for the series return next year, March 31^st 2013.

The Walking Dead seemed to be the best panel of the day because the rest didn’t really give us much in terms of info or footage for the upcoming season. All in all not much was learned, but I didn’t seem to mind. The pure geekdom and energy from the thousands of people there was amazing.

I then closed out my day by returning to the floor and demoing Marvel Heroes. Marvel Heroes will be a new free to play game that is in the style of Diablo. It will be online, and you’ll get to play with other people. The characters available to me in the Demo were Wolverine, The Hulk, Scarlett Witch, and Iron Man. It seemed like a perfect blend of Diablo and Ultimate Alliance. In the demo level Professor X tasked me with fighting the Purifiers and Sentinels to get to William Styker before Magneto. Well in true comic book fashion of course the villain got there first and I ended up having to save Styker from Magneto in a cool boss fight. There will be a beta soon, and I will report back with more about the game then.