Syan Rican Vs Movies: Ant-Man

  Ever since Marvel announced plans to make an Avengers movie, the question in fans' mind has always been about how Ant-Man and Wasp would fit in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fast forward to two Avengers movies and Ant-Man had yet to make his MCU debut. Ultron, the creation of Hank Pym in the comics has already appeared in this Universe but his "father" had yet to grace out screens. But Marvel didn't sit on their laurels for long, the story of Hank Pym and the Pym Particles had yet to be told. Enter the last film of Marvel's Cinematic Phase Two: Ant-Man.

"So.. We're calling the Avengers, right?" 

The One Where Everything Ends: Marvel's Secret Wars

The latest episode of the The Syan & Rican Podcast is out!

"This Doombot is beautiful. I must have his face."
- God King All-Father Doom

Episode 22 - The One Where Everything Ends

Rican's Free 2 Play Friday: Marvel Hero - Doctor Doom

Rican's Free 2 Play Friday, a weekly look into free-to-play gaming such as MOBAs, MMOs, Team Shooters, and more! This week we look at Marvel Heroes 2015, the MMO/Action RPG's 2nd anniversary and their newest playable hero: Doctor Doom.

"Everything dies.

You. Me. Everyone on this planet.

Our Sun, our Galaxy. And eventually, the Universe itself.

This is simply how things are.

It's inevitable and I accept it."

  Marvel Heroes went from an almost unbearably unplayable Diablo clone, to one of the more creative Diablo clones in recent memory. Between character balance fixes, client upgrades, endgame content patches, and special events; it feels now more like an actual Action RPG/MMO than a regular ARPG with a wonky social component. Today I look at the big system revamps and events that have accompanied the game's 2nd year anniversary, and the release of one of the games original villains, and most requested hero/villain since Magneto: Doctor Doom.

"I openly loathe you, Richards!"

Comic Critique: Thor, The Goddess of Thunder

Marvel Comics have done much to bring a more balanced view of the world in the last several years.  We have had Carol Danvers step up to the mantle of Captain Marvel, becoming the preeminent female superhero of the Marvel Universe. We have had newcomer fangirl Kamala Khan take up her idol’s mantle in kind by becoming the new Ms. Marvel.  Spider-Man spinoff characters Silk and Spider-Gwen have sprang to life, with the latter actually outselling Spider-Man himself multiple times.  Storm, She-Hulk, Spider-Woman, Black Widow, Squirrel Girl, and others have gotten their own ongoing series.  No longer relegated to limited series or team member status, women are finally getting a spotlight in the center of the Marvel Universe.

She may seem all fun and games, but don't tickle Thor.
Seriously. Don't tickle Thor.

Floating high in space (and sometimes grounded down in the middle of Oklahoma), the shining citadel of Asgard has always represented the pinnacle of power in Marvel.  The Mighty Thor was the hero who seemed to be simply entertained by joining with his friends and their mortal adventures. After all, he is a god and they are just men.  The world of Thor is one of the few in Marvel Comics that allows for a more “pure” fantasy experience.  Where the others are often in New York and occasionally travel to other parts of the world, with the rare few exploring new worlds across the cosmos, Thor with a swing of his hammer and a call out for the Bifrost can be in a lush green forest filled with elves, or an icy mountainous landscape where he must face the Frost Giants, or a dark murky bog with all sorts of mythical beasts.  Thor’s writers are never as constrained by any of the rules that hold back other heroes.  In fact, to me, Thor’s best stories are when he’s just doing his thing in any of the Nine Realms EXCEPT Midgard (Earth to us Muggles… wait, I mean humans). With Mjolnir at his side, he was the only hero who was worthy of this power.

Comic Critique: Marvel's The Black Vortex Event

The Black Vortex, the last comic event before Secret Wars changes the game (RIP Marvel 616 Universe 1961-2015), is a crossover primarily between the Guardians of the Galaxy and the All-New X-Men in which they come across an ancient artifact of unimaginable power.  A mirror to the most powerful, yet potentially darkest, reflection of whoever looks into it and submits to its power, the Black Vortex is released upon the cosmos after being hidden away for millennia.

Like a cool version of the Mirror of Erised

The series begins with an ancient planet 12 billion years in the past, where the inhabitants worship a Celestial who they call the Godhead. One of these worshippers is a woman named Gara who calls out to the Godhead to look upon them and allow her to explore the cosmos. Soon after this, the Celestial leaves the planet and the Black Vortex mirror is all that remains. Gara submits to the power of the Vortex and turmoil erupts across her planet as we see she is the sole survivor of her species. In the present, Mr. Knife, a villain who has been harassing Star-Lord in his regular series, has found the Black Vortex and presents it to Thane, the son of Thanos who debuted in 2013’s Infinity event.  All of Knife’s subordinates, the Slaughter Squad, have used the power of the Vortex and become a major threat.  Kitty Pride and her boyfriend Star-Lord see that they cannot let the already powerful Thane use this artifact and steal it and flee from the pursuing enemies.

Rican's Free 2 Play Friday: Marvel Heroes 2015

Rican's Free 2 Play Friday, a weekly look into free-to-play gaming such as MOBAs, MMOs, Team Shooters, and more! This week we look at Marvel's foray into the MMO/Action RPG space in their recently revamped Marvel Heroes 2015.   

  On Tuesday, March 17, 2009 Gazillion Entertainment, founded by Diablo and Diablo II designer Dave Kosak, announced a 10-year partnership with Marvel to release an action/RPG MMO. The game was to have the same feel of the Diablo franchise, with the Marvel Universe as its backdrop, and the social components of an MMO including: hubs, an in game economy, and perpetually updated endgame content. The result of this was Marvel Heroes, which was released on PC (and a Mac Beta is now available) June 4, 2013, after a long gestating closed beta and later open beta.

Oh, so much promise wrapped up in such a shite game!

Avocados At Law: Daredevil Season One Review

   On December 31, 2009, The Walt Disney Company purchased Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion. At the time, many had feared that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (spearheaded by one Kevin Fiege) would derail into itself and take away the wittiness and bite off the Marvel movies. A similar situation has ensued during the Lucasfilm/Disney deal that has given the House of Mouse (and by extension, Marvel Comics) control over the Star Wars franchise. At the time, and even currently, most Marvel movies are PG-13 fare that skirts into the young adult with some rare glimpses into serious adult entertainment. Around of October of 2013, rumors began swirling that Netflix was going to get first dibs on Daredevil as a series, that would eventually lead to a Defenders mega series (similar to Marvel's Phase One). Fans wondered what tone the show would have, especially after the last portrayal of Daredevil in FOX's Ben Affleck critically panned bomb; and the tepid first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Enter Netflix's Daredevil:

"Ben who?"

The One With The Live Studio Audience: Avengers- Age of Ultron review

Another new episode of the Syan & Rican Podcast is now available!

We review Avengers: Age of Ultron and look into the potential future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially what could happen when Civil War hits the big screen or when Thanos finally enters the fray.

Five babyfaces, two tweeners, and a heel

The One With The Live Studio Audience

Give it a listen and post your thoughts either here or on the Syan & Rican PodOMatic homepage!

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I can't be the only one who wants to buy this statue, right?

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Thanks!