Posts Tagged ‘Comics’

Marvel Universe MMO to be “Free to Play”

Friday, April 29th, 2011

Gazillion Entertainment held an event in San Francisco this week and revealed a few tidbits on what we can be expecting from the new Marvel Universe MMO. “Free to Play” seemed a bit of a suprise to us, but with all the other power MMO’s (besides WoW) heading to free subscriptions (relying on in-game “microtransactions” only) this seems to be the safest route of attack for a game that has to compete with other hero games like NC Soft’s City of Heroes…anyhow here’s a few confirmed goodies.

What we know for sure:

  • Marvel Universe will be free-to-play, and was planned that way from its inception.
  • It’s being developed by Secret Identity, a sub-group of Gazillion that was formed in late 2009 specifically to build Marvel Universe.
  • You can play as Marvel characters, and other players can be the same hero as you at the same time, which the devs believe creates “lots of problems and lots of opportunities.???
  • You won’t have to choose only one character, but will be able to play as all of them.
  • Some of the characters you will play as are: Captain America, Iron Man, Wolverine, Hulk, Thor, Spiderman, Nova, and Squirrel Girl.
  • Doctor Doom will be the game’s main villain (at least at launch).
  • You will play through existing stories that are told in the comic books.
  • The game world exists within the canon Marvel Universe–this is not an alternate reality scenario.
  • Marvel Universe is being made primarily for adults (as opposed to Gazillion’s other kid-focused Marvel MMO, Marvel Superhero Squad). They want to target core gamers first, and also make it accessible for everyone else.
  • So does that mean I can’t make my own super hot hero chick that flys around in lingerie saving lives and kicking ass? Looks like it. /sadface

    [Source]

    New Wonder Woman outfit: Downgrade or Upgrade?

    Thursday, March 31st, 2011

    Before and after, we actually prefer the before...

    (Yahoo) – When “Wonder Woman” announced that Adrianne Palicki had been cast in the title role, buzz on the superhero show quickly shot through the roof. But then fans got a look at the ill-advised costume. Outrage quickly ensued. And hell hath no fury like a comic fan outraged.

    The anger stemmed from Wonder Woman’s shiny, rubber-like pants and high heels. It looked like a cheap version of a “sexy” Halloween costume. Fans cried out, this is no way for a superhero, especially one of the most beloved of all time, to dress.

    The blogosphere immediately went into cynical overdrive. Commenters on EW’s article speculated that the show would be canceled in a matter of weeks. SlashFilm wrote that the outfit did little to inspire confidence in the show’s prospects.

    Apparently the producers of the show were listening. Some photos of the actress on the set have surfaced, and eagle-eyed fans quickly spotted the changes to Wonder Woman’s threads. The shiny pants have been replaced by a more natural-looking fabric. Her footwear has gone through a transformation as well. The bright boots, which were once blue, are now red. And, even more important, no more high heels.

    But even though some of Wonder Woman’s outfit has changed, much of it remains the same. The red bustier is still intact as are her trademark tiara and lasso of truth. Time will tell if these modest changes to Wonder Woman’s threads have a positive effect on the show when it premieres on NBC this fall.

    Wizard World Austin this weekend, check out this lineup!

    Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

    (Press Release) – Join tens of thousands of fellow fans as they converge on the Austin Convention Center at Austin Comic Con to celebrate the best in pop culture. Austin Comic Con brings it all – Movies, Comics, Toys, Video Gaming, Games, TV, Horror, Wrestling, MMA, Original Art, Collectibles, Anime, Manga & More! This is Texas’ best new Comic Con! Austin Comic Con is brought to you by the group who produces the most widely attended Comic Con tour!

    FRIDAY
    2:00-2:45 P.M.
    WIZARD ART SCHOOL W/GREG HORN
    Superstar Marvel and DC artist Greg Horn (Blackest Night covers) leads a discussion on digital art and takes you through his creative process.

    3:00-3:45 P.M.
    THE INCREDIBLE HULK Q&A W/LOU FERRIGNO
    The original Hulk, Ferrigno sits down for an exclusive Q&A about the classic show and his status as a pop culture icon.

    3:00-3:45 P.M.
    THE ART OF ‘CHEW’ AND ‘SWEETS’
    Indy art sensations, Rob Guillory (Chew) and Kody Chamberlain (Sweets) join the Wizard World Tour and discuss their breakout Image hits.

    4:00-4:45 P.M.
    WOMEN OF WRESTLING W/TORRIE, LITA, TARA, CHRISTIE AND JACKIE
    Join Torrie Wilson, Amy Dumas, Lisa Marie Varon, Christy Hemme and Jackie Haas as they talk about the ups and downs of being a woman in professional wrestling.

    WIZARD ART SCHOOL W/ALÉ GARZA
    Fan-favorite artist Alé Garza (Superman/Batman) takes fans on an artistic tour of his style and storytelling.

    5:00-5:45 P.M.
    BIONIC BUDDIES
    The Bionic Woman, Lindsay Wagner, and co-star Richard Anderson discuss the pop culture hit and its continued popularity with fans across the world.

    5-5:45 P.M.
    WIZARD SCHOOL: HOW TO SCULPT WITH THE SHIFLETT BROTHERS
    The fan-favorite sculptors take fans and aspiring toy and statue makers through their creative process.

    6-6:45 P.M.
    JAMES O’BARR Q&A
    The Crow creator talks about his dark creation and the plans for a new Crow franchise in the movies.

    7:30-10:00 P.M.
    THE MATRIX SCREENING (FREE)
    Relive the movie phenomenon that changed filmmaking for a generation! Starring Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne, this visual feast is NOT to be missed.

    8:00-10:00 P.M.
    DRINK & DRAW W/UNCLE STAPLE
    Join Uncle Staple of STAPLE! Independent Media Expo, and some of comics’ top artists and newcomers, as they join forces to raise cash and art for charity. (Club Deville, 900 Red River St.)

    (more…)

    Taffeta Darling, here to knock your block off!

    Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

    Taffeta Darling
    Our September Gamette of the Month by far needs not much of an introduction, she should very well be introducing us. We met her at several of the Dallas Comic Cons this year and it was no hurdle for her to charm the BG Crew. If you don’t see her doing some cosplay around Texas, you may very well find her storming comic shops loading up on her favorite books or planning her next Dr. Sketchy’s show. So again, say hello to her if you see her, go and visit her slamming website, and give Taffeta Darling a round of applause for gracing the pages of BusyGamer.

    Tell us who your favorite character is and why they’re better than Superman. If your favorite character is Superman, you lose this round.
    Enid Coleslaw [if you don't know who that is, you lose this round]. She’s just trying to figure herself out and find her place in the world. Sadly she paves and leaves a path of heartache for herself and just about anyone who cares for her. Supes has a lil heartache and struggles with his family and heritage on a different scale. Enid had and has the strength to keep family in the heart but seek out the world and it’s meaning. Clark is pretty predictable, and no matter what, he’ll will always run home.

    Tell us in haiku/Why we should read comic books/Because haikus rock.
    * inward adventures * free my mind o book of art * the beacon to shore *

    You get to choose one awesome super power but then you have to take one lame super power as well. What are they and why?
    Lame Power – Ultra Flatulence boost, that projects ya 2 feet into the air, because it’s a natural occurrence, and every gal could use a boost. A Super Power – flying. Duh. no wait, breathing under water.. ah crap, maybe invisibility.

    Our super power is being super sexy. Is it working?
    I’m sorry, what was the question? I got lost in your sexy, sexy eyes.

    Read the full interview and pictorial here!

    Wonder Woman gets a makeover, at 69.

    Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

    (NY Times) – Wednesday is a good day for Wonder Woman. This 69-year-old superheroine, published by DC Comics, will don a new, and less revealing, costume and enjoy the publication of Issue No. 600 of her monthly series.

    The costume ties into an alternative history for the character devised by J. Michael Straczynski, the new writer of the series, and into a quest by DC to shine a critical and creative spotlight on the heroine, who stands with Superman and Batman in its primary triumvirate of superstars, despite her series’s modest sales.

    In the reimagining of her story, Wonder Woman, instead of growing up on Paradise Island with her mother, Queen Hippolyta, and her Amazon sisters, is smuggled out as a baby when unknown forces destroy her home and slaughter its inhabitants.

    Mr. Straczynski, who created the television show “Babylon 5??? and wrote the screenplay for “Changeling??? in 2008, starring Angelina Jolie, said in an e-mail message that he wanted to address “the wardrobe issue??? as soon as he took the job.

    “She’s been locked into pretty much the exact same outfit since her debut in 1941,??? Mr. Straczynski wrote. “If you’re going to make a statement about bringing Wonder Woman into the 21st century, you need to be bold and you need to make it visual. I wanted to toughen her up, and give her a modern sensibility.???

    He added, “What woman only wears only one outfit for 60-plus years????

    Given Wonder Woman’s pre-eminence as a female character in the largely male superhero pantheon, her looks have always been a matter of more than casual interest, to both fanboys and feminists. In a 2006 interview about her work on the series, the novelist Jodi Picoult said: “One of the first things I did was ask if we could give her breast-reduction surgery, because as a woman, I know you wouldn’t fight crime in a bustier. But I was somehow shot down by DC.???

    The new costume was designed by the artist Jim Lee, who in February was named co-publisher of DC, alongside Dan DiDio. Given the assignment, “my first reaction was, ‘Oh my gosh,’ ??? Mr. Lee said in an interview. But he welcomed the challenge: “When these characters become so branded that you can’t change things, they become ossified.???

    The new look, with an understated “W??? insignia, a midnight blue jacket and a flinty fusion of black tights and boots — is darker than the famed swimsuit-style outfit, and aims to be contemporary, functional and, as Tim Gunn of “Project Runway??? might say, less costumey.

    Given the hope that the character will one day have her own international film franchise (a feature has long been gestating at Warner Entertainment, DC’s parent company), one test of the design was to imagine how it would look standing next to, say, Batman’s politically neutral ensemble. “The original costume was the American flag brought to life,??? Mr. Lee said. “This one is a little more universal.???

    Mr. Lee has drawn his share of sexy superheroines (the X-Men’s Rogue among them), some in skimpy costume, and knows what many fans will ask: “Why am I covering up her legs???? Ultimately, he wanted her to look strong “without screaming, ‘I’m a superhero.’ ???

    The arrival of Issue 600 is a bit of comic-book sleight of hand, or, as DC calls it, a return to historical numbering. Wonder Woman’s first self-titled series, which begin in 1942, ended with No. 329. The character was then overhauled, her previous continuity erased, and she starred in Volume 2 as a heroine new to the world. That incarnation lasted 226 issues. Another new direction spurred a third volume (and, to collectors who care about such things, another Issue No. 1) that ran for 44 issues. Do the math, and what would have been Issue No. 45 is now Volume 1, No. 600.

    The new costume will almost certainly be better received than the curveball thrown Wonder Woman in 1968, when she lost her powers, dressed mod and practiced martial arts. It took the attention of no less than Gloria Steinem to protest the change, and to help get the Amazon back into her star-spangled duds. Ms. Steinem went on to use Wonder Woman, resplendent in red, white and blue, on the cover of the first issue of Ms. magazine in 1972. A cover line proclaimed, “Wonder Woman for President.???

    That’s the kind of attention Mr. Straczynski thinks she deserves: “Wonder Woman is a strong, dynamic, vibrant character who should be selling in the top 20, and I’m going to do all I can to get her there.???










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