The Only New Movies I've Seen This Year Are Marvel Movies

Leave me alone, I'm watchin' mah stories.

Despite the crowds full of people that won't be quiet or turn off their cellphones, I still love going to the movies. I'm even the sort to keep my ticket stubs. I don't even let the apparent stigma that it's somehow sad to go alone get to me. If I want to go see something, I go for it. Regardless, 2014 has been a pretty light year for me as far as theatrical experiences go.

With the release of Guardians of the Galaxy, it dawned on me that it'll only be the third movie I've actually gone to see this year. As the image up top suggests, the first two were Captain America: The Winter Soldier and X-Men: Days of Future Past. It seems only Marvel characters have enough allure to actually get me to the theater these days. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 fell through the cracks somehow, but I did at least plan on seeing it. I may have also flirted with the idea of checking out Godzilla for a moment or two, but that's honestly it.

Maybe I've been too distracted, or maybe it's just been a mostly ho-hum year for mainstream movies. Beats me. I really enjoyed Winter Soldier and Days of Future Past however, so hey — quality over quantity!

As I look through the list of films yet to be released this year, there's only a small handful I have any interest in. While it's been nice to keep the list of movies I actually attend short and sweet for a change, I miss the days of seeing them more frequently. Maybe 2015 will turn things back around, or maybe I'll only end up seeing Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man! Shrug.

Side-note: I look damn good in a top hat. For more, feel free to check me out on Twitter & Facebook!

Marvel vs. Capcom's Attack Names Would Be Pretty Weird In Comics

Can't we all just get along?

With Marvel vs. Capcom: Origins on sale for just over $3, it was clear that there was no better time to finally make the purchase. This compilation of the original Marvel vs. Capcom and Marvel Super Heroes is a wonderful journey through mid to late 1990s arcade nostalgia. Of course, the anime style attack names shouted by the characters throughout each match comprise one of the first quirks you're reacquainted with as you begin battling your way to either Thanos or Onslaught. Just as Street Fighter gameplay is riddled with cries of "Hadoken" and "Shoryuken," Capcom's Marvel based fighters assault your ears with the likes of "Berseker Barrage," "Charging Star," and "Spider Sting!"

Hearing all of this again made me imagine how bizarre (and cluttered) mid-battle dialogue would become if comic books followed the same convention. I took to Photoshop to see what it might look like. Behold:

New Captain America and Thor FanArt Frenzy!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Despite the recent nature of Marvel's major character shakeups (with Falcon replacing Steve Rogers as Captain America and an undetermined female character taking over the mantle of Thor), the announcements have already captured the imaginations of comic fans all over. It might not be on the level of the recent Batgirl fanart just yet, but plenty of artwork featuring the new Cap and Thor designs is beginning to pour in. That means it's FanArt Frenzy time!

This striking Thor piece is from DeviantArt user TheRedKid.

Weekly Want May 26-Jun 2 feat. Kre-O Grimlock & More

Me Grimlock say empty your wallets now!

Toys and collectibles. I often want them. On the "Weekly Want," I share the latest product reveals and promo shots that have struck my fancy. Last week's "Weekly Want" had cool thangs such as Revol Mini Iron Man Mark VI and Transformers Masterpiece Wheeljack. Now, let's move on to all of the lovely wallet draining goods from May 26th through June 2nd!

I Actually Miss Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Slap Happy Individuals Excitedly Learning Dance.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. got a fairly slow start that left a lot of people cold. The initial reactions were positive to mixed, with a bit more "meh" as the pilot's followup episodes rolled on. After such a warm reaction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies that preceded it, the show had a lot to live up to. However, it's a bit of a "backup story" by nature. It was never going to have the juiciest of juicy fan-pleasing Marvel spectacles, but some viewers might have expected a bit more. I've seen it put it this way: the show we got is less "marvel at Marvel" and more "NCIS: Marvel." I suppose it's understandable if people were a bit let down.

Weekly Want May 12-19 feat. Batman, Godzilla, TMNT, & More!

If you've kept up with my recent posts, this should come as no surprise.

I was apparently too busy to get a "Weekly Want" post up last week, but I featured the likes of Captain America Figmas and LEGO Ghostbusters the week prior. What madness lies ahead this week? Stay tuned, lovely readers:

Weekly Want April 7-14 with Play Arts Kai Watchmen, ARTFX+ Star Wars, & More!

New feature time! This is the "Weekly Want," showing a small compilation of cool action figures and other geeky goods that had new promotional shots released over the past week. Here are a few of the rad items that caught my eye between April 7th and 14th:

5 Geeky Cereals I Wish I Could Really Buy!

So, I regularly peruse pop-culture t-shirt sites like Teefury. Day in and day out, they feature incredibly awesome and eye-catching designs that homage properties or characters that I more than likely have interest in. The results are most often in the realm of "Whoa, that's cool!"

Lately, some of my favorite designs have been of fictional cereals that immediately call some of the more famous Kellog's brands to mind. I'm pop-culture obsessed enough to love cereal mascots and box art, so thrusting characters from other mediums like freakin' Iron Man into that format is totally up my alley. Here are five notable examples:

Captain America FanArt Frenzy!

This week's FanArt Frenzy will break from the established format a bit to focus only on Captain America drawings! No need for flowery introductions, let's get right to it!

Steampunk Captain America by Brian Kesinger

My "Like" Affair with Captain America

I like Captain America. LIKE. He may not be my favorite character, but he's always been a part of my life in some form or another. He even made his way into several of my earliest childhood drawings:

Even so, as time went on it seems I often pushed good 'ol Cap aside in favor of other characters. For shame.

Marvel Select Captain America and Black Widow In Package

These new in-package shots of Marvel Select Captain American and Black Widow come to us from the Art Asylum Blog. They're set to show up in Disney Stores soon. Check out the hype:

Next time you’re at your local Disney store, be on the lookout for the new Thor and Hawkeye Marvel Select action figures...then come back in a few weeks for Captain America and the Black Widow! We all know that Captain America is the biggest superhero of the summer, so this month will bring another opportunity to add more Cap to your collection! This figure features Captain America’s iconic shield, as well as packaging that can be used as a background to display the figure! Plus, not only do you get a gorgeously detailed Black Widow, but Ant Man is along for the ride as well, which pretty much makes this a 2-for-1 deal! You know there’s just no way you can resist adding these figures to your collection! Only at the Disney Store, DisneyStore.com and MarvelStore.com!

New Avengers Promo Art Released - Loki & More

Click to view images in full size!
As seen above, new Avengers movie promo art has been released. Thanks to SpiderMedia.ru for the original posting. The new image of Loki is wonderful, and it's always nice to see more of the full Avengers team assembled. Like the original team promo art first seen at the Licensing International Expo in Las Vegas in June 2011, you'll likely catch images like these used on various forms of merchandise in the coming year, such as action figures, video games, candy wrappers, soda cans, and so on.

Filming of Marvel's The Avengers is nearly complete, and it's set for release on May 4, 2011. Keep your eyes peeled for many more updates to come!

PS: If you missed it the first time, the promo image from SDCC 2011's Marvel Booth is absolutely amazing. Check it out HERE.

Michael Crawford Reviews Marvel Select Captain America and Red Skull

Michael Crawford of MWCToys.com has uploaded a review of the new Marvel Select Captain America and Red Skull figures based on the designs from the Captain America: The First Avenger film. If you've been trying to decide whether or not to buy, they've been given a pretty good score. Check out the full review HERE.

If you like what you see, here are some purchase links for your convenience:

Amazon.com:

Marvel Select First Avenger Captain America ($16.49)
Marvel Select Red Skull ($16.49)

Entertainment Earth (Pre-Order):

First Avenger Captain America ($18.99)
Red Skull ($18.99)

Big Bad Toy Store(Pre-Order):

Cap ($18.99)
Red Skull ($18.99)
 

Marvel Minimates Wave 42 Revealed

Straight from Marvel.com, here's a great look at Diamond Select Toys' Marvel Minimates Wave 42. Consisting of four two-packs, here's the rundown: Armored Thor with Beta Ray Bill (metallic), Civil War Captain America (removable helmet) with Arnim Zola, Thunderstrike with Stone Man and Eric Masterson as Thor (rare variant) with Stone Man. As usual...Beta Ray Bill for the win! These guys will be available in September in comic shops and the interbutts, so watch out!
 

The Avengers SDCC 2011 Concept Art Posters

The Marvel Booth at San Diego Comic-Con 2011 has been releasing exclusive posters (by Ryan Meinerding, Charlie Wen and Andy Park) for next year's big-damn movie event The Avengers. The posters feature conceptual art of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in stunningly gorgeous detail. When combined, the individual images create this beauty of a promo image:

Click to view in full size!
Damn. There you have it, the live action Avengers...assembled. Can you say excite?

Thanks to TheHDRoom for the combined poster, and Marvel.com.
 

Avengers Promo Art Leaked (with new Captain America design)

From the Licensing International Expo in Las Vegas, here's a look at some early promotional artwork from 2012's big Marvel Comics movie, The Avengers. Pieces like this are used to attract merchandisers to the property. Yeah, I don't imagine that will be all that difficult! Still, you may see this very image gracing assorted Avengers merchandise next year, perhaps even action figure packaging.

Although the image is just an iffy-at-best photograph taken at the expo, it isn't without merit. Interestingly, it shows us Captain America in an entirely new costume, giving an early glimpse of what he might look like in the film. It also gives us a nice look at Hawkeye's design, and a general feel for how the team might appear when fully...assembled on screen. Clever, wasn't it?

The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon, is expected to hit theaters on May 4th, 2012.