Avenging Spider-Man Annual #1 Review

There's been a real renaissance of fun, lighthearted superhero adventures at Marvel lately, and you can add one more book to the pile with Avenging Spider-Man Annual #1. Though little more than a slightly longer installment of the main series, it succeeds in offering another worthy team-up between the webbed wall-crawler and Yancy Street's favorite son.

Rob Williams and Brad Walker step in as the creators for this standalone adventure (though it's not as if Avenging has ever had a stable creative team). Williams kicks off the adventure with a clever idea -- what if two brothers go digging for relics of past superhuman battles in Central Park. The result is the uncovering of a device that makes everyone in Manhattan fill with rage and attack each other. I take it that's supposed to be a change from the usual status quo there.

Needless to say, the script is a fun and breezy read that offsets the slowly darkening tone of Amazing Spider-Man nicely. Williams doesn't always pace his humor well, with too many jokes and pop culture references flying about in the early pages, but in this case too much humor is probably better than not enough. The two brothers and their constant bickering provide a fun counterpoint to Peter and Ben's prickly relationship. The limited invovlement of Franklin and Valeria Richards also adds a ncie touch. Only Williams' choice of villain leaves something to be desired.

Walker's art offers an appreciable shift from his usual harsh style. Most notably, his facial work is more relaxed and expressive. Only rarely do characters suffer from "Brad Garrett face." Walker's Spidey is also highly dynamic and detailed.

If books like Wolverine and the X-Men don't completely fulfill your desire for goofy superhero antics this week, you might consider giving this annual a try.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Before Watchmen: Minutemen #4 Review

Minutemen was always the Before Watchmen book with the most potential for interesting character development. Luckily, Darwyn Cooke has been able to realize that potential. Though issue #4 is fairly scatterbrained in its focus, Cooke manages to deliver some memorable moments featuring just about every player in this troubled group.

Though Hollis Mason's flash-forwards still serve as a framing device, this issue hops all about the lives of the Minutemen during the post-WWII era. The tragic death of The Silhouette provides a loose sort of link between the other conflicts. But the general theme of this chapter is disillusionment. We see everyone from Nite Owl to Silk Spectre to Comedian weighed down by the harsh realities of life in the world of Watchmen. Tonally, this issue is very much a bridge between he more optimistic adventures of earlier chapters and the world as we see it in Alan Moore's story. Surprisingly, Silk Spectre enjoys the strongest scenes of all the characters. Cooke is able to showcase a very different and more genuine side of her character than readers are accustomed to.

Unsurprisingly, the art is a maor selling point once again. Cooke captures all the vibrant energy of this supposed Golden Age of super-heroism without ignoring the seedier visual elements. Cooke is able to capture many of the hallmarks of the original series, from it's rigid grid structure to its many visual gags and games, without remaining bound to those hallmarks or failing to exercise his own unique talents.

If not as focused as it could be, Minutemen #4 is nonetheless proof that there are interesting stories to explore in the shadow of Watchmen, as well as creators talented enough to bring them to life.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Report: Kingdom Hearts 1.5 Coming West Next Year

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix may be coming West in the second half of next year, according to a new report.

Though Disney has yet to confirm the repackaged version of the original Kingdom Hearts and Chain of Memories will be localised, comments made at Goldman Sachs' Communacopia Conference suggest this may be about to change.

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We start the year right out with a big title "Epic Mickey 2," and another big title that hasn't been announced yet, but coming mid-year, and continuing to grow in the social space.

According to Business Insider, Disney Interactive's CFO Jay Rasulo explained that next year would see two big releases, one of which hadn't been announced yet.

He said, "We start the year right out with a big title "Epic Mickey 2," and another big title that hasn't been announced yet, but coming mid-year, and continuing to grow in the social space."

While Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix has technically been announced, it hasn't been for the West and Business Industry definitely seems to think it's the most likely candidate given that none of the studio's upcoming movie slate really carry enough weight to justify the "big" prefix in terms of game tie-ins.

With Epic Mickey 2 out November 18, it seems Rasulo is referring to the company's financial year which runs from October 1 to September 30. So this means whatever the title is, it should be launching sometime after next March. Which is when Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix arrives in Japan. Coincidence? Time will tell.

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix was announced for Japan last week at the Tokyo Game Show, and will be released exclusively for the PS3.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and has missed Sora, Goofy and Donald. Bad. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com