Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Ohhhhh Davey... This summer's looking like another doozy for superhero movies. With the Spiderman franchise reeling from a lackluster third movie and a failed musical, and Iron Man 3 not seeing the light of day for a while, the Marvel universe needed a new superhero movie to blow open the box offices again. Speaking of Iron Man, at the end of the first one, we were introduced to the 'Avengers', a group of superheroes that fights "the foes no single superhero can withstand." This summer we get a look at the first Avenger, Captain America, played by Chris Evans (wasn't he the Human Torch, though). From the trailer, it looks like the dialogue is going to be very well-written and the action well-placed. Set during World War II, I'm interested to see how they tie in the rest of the Avengers, considering the Avengers movie coming out in 2012. Additionally, the Red Skull arc needs to be done well, given the flop of a Captain America movie from the early 90s. All in all, it looks promising. Hopefully, they don't kill the genre for good...

Marvel vs. Capcom 3

It's really a great time to be an older video game fan, with classics like NBA Jam (clearly won't compare) making a return for next generation systems. The video game companies, specifically Capcom, are answering more of our prayers by releasing Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Ten years ago, the 2nd version of Marvel vs. Capcom turned my free time into ridiculous blasts of energy, huge punches and mind-numbing graphics (maybe not that serious). The characters in the new version will be mostly the same, along with a new graphics engine that allows for 3-dimensional fight scenes. All in all, MvC3 looks like it's going to be just as addicting as the 2nd. Sadly, it doesn't drop until next year. Keep your eyes peeled for more...

Dear Marvel Comics

The last super-empire is finally falling to the Magic Kingdom... SMH

via The Guardian:

The Walt Disney empire is to buy the superheroes stable Marvel Entertainment for $4bn (£2.5bn) in a star-studded Hollywood deal that unites family names such as Mickey Mouse with lucrative characters including Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk and the X-Men.

Disney hopes to put Marvel's 5,000 characters to work on its television channels and in video games, theme parks and movies. The agreed takeover is for a mixture of cash and stock, with Disney shares accounting for roughly 40% of the buyout price.

While Disney has traditionally been known for its wholesome family creations ranging from the Little Mermaid to Lion King, Hannah Montana and Pocahontas, the purchase of Marvel adds an edgier, more violent element – it recently scored a box office success with Iron Man, a movie starring Robert Downey Jr as a billionaire inventor who creates a hi-tech suit of armour to battle evil.

I suppose the recession had to hit every sector in some way. It's just a shame when its an entity that doesn't need it. Marvel, for over 70 years, you've blessed my preteen fantasies with images of superhumans in the most human of situations. It's been nothing short of fantastical how comic books shape young men. Even if comic books and their sharp decline in sales were the reason for your bankruptcy in 1996, I still see the genius in your art. What I can't see the genius in is being sold to Disney. Though economic pundits (who are basically speculators) write the move off as brilliant, I can't help but thinking the Magic Kingdom and the Marvel Universe wouldn't be able to coexist well. By that I mean, if Zac Efron shows up in the next Iron Man movie I will burn any Disney or Marvel paraphernalia that I've ever owned. I'm serious. And if Tobey McGuire breaks into song during the next Spiderman, there will be riots. No, I'm not prophesying that Disney will take the hotness that is Marvel and turn it into a superhero-laced High School Musical, but it's a far stretch for Disney to venture into this lane. Hannah Montana's secret identity seriously cannot compete with that of Bruce Banner, nor should it have to...