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Superhero Economics: Bruce Wayne vs. Peter Parker via H&R Block

Random Reviews: Marvel Heroic Roleplaying

Being a big fan of comic books and roleplaying games, I have always had an interest in super hero roleplaying games.  When I was younger I played the old TSR Marvel Superheroes RPG quite a bit.  I have also tried my hand at GURPS Supers, Champions, and Mutants & Masterminds.  So when the new Marvel Heroic Roleplaying game by Margaret Weiss Productions was announced at GenCon last year I was intrigued.

The new game is based on the Cortex system.  My only experience playing a Cortex based game is the discontinued Serenity RPG, but outside of the types dice used and plot point there are not a lot of similarities.  I understand it is much more similar to the Leverage RPG, but I having never played that game I can’t really speak to that.

The game mechanics are very different from roleplaying games I have played in the past.   For one thing, there are no ability scores.  Instead, the player will describe their action and assemble a dice pool based on their power sets, affiliations, specialties and other factors.  The Watcher (i.e., GM) resists these actions using either the power sets, affiliations and specialties of characters he controls, or the Doom pool if the effect is not aimed at a Watcher controlled character.  Depending on what you are trying to do succeeding  on the roll can allow you to stress your opponent, create assets you can use, or inflict complications on other characters (among other things).

Both the players and the Watcher can increase their chances of success by spending plot points (in the case of the players) or dice from the Doom pool (in the case of the Watcher).  At the start of any given session there are not a lot of plot points or doom dice available, but the game mechanics encourage both to flow freely during the course of any given scene.

Despite the complexity of assembling dice pools, Marvel Heroic Roleplaying is not a rules heavy game like Champions or Dungeons & Dragons.  If you can describe it, you can attempt to do it.  It also stresses cooperation between the players and the Watcher in order to tell the story.  Depending on your group you might find this to be a blessing or a  curse.

What it does well

Because of the somewhat loose nature of the rules, characters with differing power levels can work together in a group and everyone still has a chance to affect the outcome of the scene.  Daredevil and Black Widow can be on a team with Thor and Iron Man without the first two wondering why they are there.  This is very good for simulating the comics the game is based on, which often throw these types of characters together in teams like the Avengers.

The game also does a good job at using bonuses to dice pools and plot points to encourage players to act like the characters from the comics.  For example, one of Spider-Man’s distinctions is “Wisecracker”.  If he can work it into an action, he might gain an extra die (perhaps by distracting Doc Ock with a crack about his weight) or a plot point (if he annoys the chief of police).

What it does not do well

If you are interested in creating your own superhero, this is probably not the game for you.  While there are rules for creating your own datafile (i.e., character sheet), they are just as loose as the rest of the game.  As a result, they are much better suited for “I want to make a hero datafile for Nova” than “I want to make my own superhero”.  If creating your own superhero is your goal, you are probably better off with a system like Mutants & Masterminds.

This game also will probably not appeal to someone who prefers comprehensive rules to handle any situation that might occur.  If you can’t imagine a game without drowning rules, you will be a lot happier playing Champions than Marvel Heroic Roleplaying.

Final Thoughts

I am definitely going to give Marvel Heroic Roleplaying a try.  The system is innovative and flexible—If this is what Leverage is like I can see why so many gamers were creating Leverage hacks.

While I doubt I will start a long term Marvel Heroic Roleplaying campaign, it seems like the perfect game to break out for a few sessions when my group grows tired of slaying dragons.  Although, to be fair they can do that in Marvel Heroic Roleplaying too!

Thoughts on the Amazing Spider-Man teaser trailer

The teaser trailer for the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man movie is out.  Feel free to check it out below.

I have to admit Andrew Garfield makes a better Peter Parker than I thought I would.  Nevertheless, the trailer leaves me with several concerns.

My biggest reservation is that I simply think it is too soon for a reboot.   I understand that bringing back the old cast simply wasn’t feasible.  There was also no way Sony was going to let this property revert to Marvel without squeezing every last dollar they could out of it.  So a new movie with a new cast was inevitable.

That isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  I just wish the movie didn’t go all the way back to the origin story.  A soft reboot, like Marvel did with The Incredible Hulk after The Hulk flopped, would have worked better.   Most people who are going to see this movie already know how Peter Parker became Spider-Man, and if they don’t, the briefest of recaps should suffice.

See that wasn’t so hard!

Another thing that seems odd is that it looks like the movie is going to play up the fact that Peter Parker’s parents were secret agents.  This is a part of Spider-Man’s backstory that is probably best ignored.  It complicates Peter’s origin and yet makes him a less relatable character. 

One of Peter Parker’s strengths as a character is that for all of the strangeness in his life he remains relatable.  This works because he was a relatively ordinary kid prior being bit by a radioactive spider.  Adding fantastic elements into his life prior to the spider bite eats away at this ordinariness.

Of course, maybe I am just making too much of the scenes where his father says goodbye to him and when he finds the old attaché case. 

I certainly hope that is the case.

Animated Spider-Man is dead, long live animated Spider-Man?

I am a huge fan of the Spectacular Spider-Man animated series.  It probably shouldn’t be a surprise, since Greg Weisman, the Supervising Producer of the show, was the creator of the immensely popular Gargoyles series.

Perhaps even more importantly, Greg Weisman was a lifelong Spider-Man fan.  Weisman was interviewed more than once on the Spider-Man Crawlspace Podcast, and his enthusiasm and respect for the character never failed to shine through.  He was dedicated to creating the best Spider-Man animated series he could and it showed.

Spectacular Spider-Man managed to be contemporary while maintaining the excitement of the Lee-Ditko and Lee-Romita days.  It was accessible to kids while rewarding the long-time fan with subtle references.  Frankly, I consider Spectacular Spider-Man the platonic ideal of what a Spider-Man animated series should be.

Nevertheless, the series was troubled nearly from its inception.  The series originally aired on Kids’ WB, but was not renewed due to the merger of WB with CW.  The second season of the show, which was already produced, was eventually picked up by Disney XD. 

By the terms of the contract Disney XD had to wait a year before they could broadcast Spectacular Spider-Man.  Once they could, they decided to run the first season before airing the second.

The net result was that there was an unusually long gap in production which would make a third season unlikely at best.  After all, the people involved with the show have to eat and many had moved on to other projects. 

Nevertheless, I held out hope that Spectacular Spider-Man was the little show that could and that we would see a third season materialize.  Then Disney bought Marvel.

At first glance, this might seem like a good thing for the show.  After all, Spectacular Spider-Man was airing on Disney XD.  The problem is that the series was originally produced by a subsidiary of Sony Pictures.  While the rights had reverted to Marvel in the interim, it seemed likely that Disney would like to create their own Spider-Man project rather than revive someone else's take on the franchise.

On April 13, 2010, this is exactly what happen.  Marvel announced a new animated series called Ultimate Spider-Man would be added to the Disney XD.  Tom Brevoort confirmed that this was the final nail in the coffin for the Spectacular Spider-Man series.

So what do I think of the prospect of a new Spider-Man animated series?  I am trying not to judge Ultimate Spider-Man before I see it, but I have a hard time believing it will be an improvement over Spectacular Spider-Man.

One strike against it is that it will be based off of the Ultimate Spider-Man comic series, which is a series I have mixed feelings about.  Many of the best elements of the Ultimate Spider-Man comic series had already been incorporated into Spectacular Spider-Man anyway. Making a series that is even more like the Ultimate Spider-Man comic simply doesn’t add to the appeal for me.

Another concern is that Marvel has announced that this series will feature Spider-Man teaming up with various other Marvel characters.   I really enjoyed the self-contained nature of the “Spider-Verse” in Spectacular Spider-Man.  It allowed the stories to focus on Peter Parker’s character development, rather than spending half the episode explaining who Doctor Voodoo is.

I wish Marvel the best of luck with the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series.  I love the character of Spider-Man and I want him to gain a brand new generation of fans.  To be honest, good or bad, a new animated series is probably the best way to ensure this happens.

I just hope Ultimate Spider-Man is something I will want to watch as well.

New Decade, New Spider-Man

I am a fan of the Spider-Man film franchise. A lifelong fan of the character, I felt that Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire managed to bring Spider-Man to life on the big screen with a care rarely seen in superhero movies. When it was announced they were both on board for Spider-Man 4, I was truly looking forward to more films with the two of them.

Apparently, it is not meant to be. Sony has recently announced that Spider-Man 4 will no longer include Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire and that they are going to reboot the franchise. They are looking for a younger cast and are planning on making the franchise “grittier”. It also sounds like they are hoping to focus more on Spider-Man’s high school years, which were rushed through the first time around.

So as an avowed fan of the franchise so far, what do I think?

Recasting Peter Parker

The recasting of Peter Parker has both pros and cons. Tobey Maguire was a great Peter Parker. He gave us a Peter who was thoughtful, emotional, and believably nerdy. Tobey Maguire’s performance as Peter Parker emphasized that Peter is an everyman, which is what made Peter’s actions as Spider-Man all the more heroic.

On the other hand, I was much less of a fan of Tobey Maguire’s performance when he was behind the mask. His quips as Spider-Man always seemed a bit hollow. Tobey also specializes in conveying his emotions via his facial expressions, which was impossible when his face was hidden behind a full-face mask.

So maybe it is time for a new Spider-Man. Regardless, whoever gets the role should realize that they have pretty big shoes to fill.

A new director

I will miss Sam Raimi. He was a fan of the character and it showed. People often complain when novels are brought to the big screen about how much is left out. How much more complex is this when you have a character with a forty year publication history behind him? Sam Raimi did such an amazing job because as a fan he had a personal vision of Spider-Man to guide him.

This doesn’t mean that the new director won’t be up to the task. It does point to what factors Sony should look to when hiring the new guy. Once again, whoever comes in as director will be judged against the high standard Sam Raimi set.

Rebooting the franchise

I am a worried that it is too soon to reboot the franchise, but continuing the existing series with a brand new cast and new director seems like an equally dubious prospect. Personally, I would rather that they put the franchise on hiatus for a few years.

Of course that will never happen. Spider-Man is a major cash cow for Sony Pictures, and they want to milk it as much as they can while they still have the rights. I used to speculate that Sony would simply buy Marvel rather than let the rights revert back. Now that Disney owns Marvel, that option is off the table. So assuming that the rights will eventually revert to Marvel, it seems more logical to continue with Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi during the time they have left.

According to all reports that was the plan. After Spider-Man 3, Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi seemed ambivalent about doing a fourth installment. Sony went to great lengths to get onboard for Spider-Man 4. So it is a bit of a shock when Sony announced their intention to reboot the franchise instead.

We will probably never know what happen behind closed doors. Regardless, it seems obvious that rebooting the franchise wasn’t Sony’s first choice.

It wouldn’t be my first choice either.

A younger cast

I don’t have a problem with this. Frankly, Tobey Maguire was always a bit old for the part of Peter Parker. While he managed to pull it off pretty well, this is something that became harder to overlook with each successive movie. I think a younger actor playing the part would help underscore how extraordinary it is that Peter chooses to be a hero at an age when most of us were still trying to figure out how to score booze.

A focus on the high school years might also give face time to more of Peter’s supporting cast. While there were a few cameos, only Mary Jane and Harry Osborn had any significant roles in the movies. I would love to see characters like Flash Thompson, Liz Allen, or even Ultimate Spider-Man cast members like Kong get a chance to shine.

A grittier Spider-Man

I hope this is just marketing talking. While I have enjoyed the occasional gritty Spider-Man story (i.e., The Death of Jean DeWolf), it isn’t really where the character belongs. While Peter Parker is often burdened by his own sense of responsibility, being Spider-Man is also a release for him. This sense of fun is as important to Spider-Man as his ability to stick to walls or spin webs!

Final Thoughts

Spider-Man 4 has the deck stacked against it. The first franchise was spectacular, but it seems unlikely that lightning will strike twice. I wouldn’t count Spidey out yet though… he does his best work when the odds are against him!

Thoughts on Ultimate Comics: Spider-man #001

I have enjoyed the Ultimate Spider-Man comic book over the years.  Sure, it suffered a bit from decompression and the dialogue was occasionally long-winded, but it was a decent reimagining of the Spider-Man mythos for the new millennium.

So I was a bit worried when it was announced that all of the Ultimate comic books would be coming to an end with the Ultimatum event.  The few titles to survive the event would be relaunched under the Ultimate Comics brand.

It turned out my worries were at least partially justified.  The Ultimatum event hijacked Ultimate Spider-Man issues #132 and #133, turning them into barely coherent garbage.  Seriously, I hate few things more than when you can’t follow a comic book you have read for years straight because it is tying into an event.

They followed this up with two Ultimatum: Requiem: Spider-Man issues (say that three times fast) which seemed to be an excuse to dump some filler issues that wouldn’t work anymore.  I mean, it has a repentant J.J. Jameson writing Spider-Man’s eulogy and he chooses to write about some time Spidey battled Hydra in Tony Stark’s office?  Please.

Marvel, if you want me to read fill-in issues, please don’t be so brazen as to call it a “mini-series” and charge me $3.99 an issue for it.  This merely insults my intelligence and makes me less likely to buy your comics in the future.

Not surprisingly, when I picked up my comics this week I actually intended to drop Ultimate Spider-Man from my pull list.  However, since the comic shop guys had already pulled Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #001 for me, curiosity got the better of me and I figured I might as well read it.

I am stunned to say I actually enjoyed it.  Starting six months after the Ultimatum: Requiem: Spider-Man, the book manages to ignore most of the garbage that was Ultimatum.  Brian Bendis did use the six-month gap introduce a couple of plot twists for longtime readers.  He also killed off a character that I did not expect him to in the final few pages of the first issue.  In any case, after so many months of disappointment I was very impressed with this comic.

So will I stick with it?  I am not sure.  The biggest factor against sticking around is the price.  The first issue was $3.99, and frankly that is too much to be paying for a mere twenty-two pages of entertainment.

Another problem I have is with the new artist David LaFuente. In general, I enjoy his work in the comic.  Unfortunately, his art style has one fatal flaw that is tough for me to let go: his Spider-Man looks extremely cartoony.  Spidey’s head is extremely large in proportion to the rest of his body.  In fact, his proportions often seem closer to those of a Warner Brothers cartoon character than to a comic book character.

Since I don’t mind stylized art, this probably wouldn’t bug me as much if it was consistent.  However, Spidey is the only character who seems to suffer from this issue, which makes it stick out even more.

Still, maybe I will get used to Spidey’s big head over time (or David LaFuente will tone it down).  On the other hand, the price is not going to go away.

Maybe I should just start picking it up in the trades?

Random Reviews: Amazing Spider-Man #600

It has been awhile since I have talked about non-D&D related comic books on this blog, and what better book to start back up with than Amazing Spider-Man #600?  I know this review is a little late (since it has been on the stands for two weeks now), but this was such a treat for Spider-Man fans I figured it was worth encouraging anyone who was on the fence to pick it up.

The first thing I should mention is that Amazing Spider-Man #600 is huge.  At a time when many comic books charge $2.99 or $3.99 for a mere twenty-two pages of story, Amazing Spider-Man #600 cost $4.99 for over one hundred pages of story with no ads.  More importantly, unlike many of the oversized issues Marvel puts out, every story featured was brand new.  Bravo, Marvel!

Since there are multiple stories in this book, I am going to go over each of them individually.  While I am going to try to avoid revealing the major plot twists, there may be some minor spoilers revealed.  So proceed with caution.

Last Legs

The main story of the book, featuring Doctor Octopus as the villain.  Ostensibly, this story is about the marriage of Aunt May to J. Jonah Jameson Sr. (the estranged father of Spider-Man’s long time nemesis J. Jonah Jameson Jr).  However, the main plot revolves around Doctor Octopus, who has recently found out that he has a degenerative neurological condition brought on by his years of trading punches with superhuman foes.

Since he doesn’t have much time left, Doc Ock decided to make the most of it with one of his more ambitious plans.  In reality, the plan is not that different from Shear Strength, a recent episode of the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon.  Since I liked that episode, I won’t hold it against them.

The story is pretty good, but it did feel a bit padded at times.  It was packed with guest stars, including Daredevil, the New Avengers, and the Fantastic Four.  While it was nice to check in on them considering the city-wide destruction Doc Ock was causing, in reality only the Human Torch played any substantive role.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, everyone made it to the church on time.  The wedding went off without a hitch.  Well, maybe one hitch, since a certain redhead made an unexpected appearance at the end of the episode.

4 out of 5 spiders

Identity Crisis

Written by Stan Lee, this is an out of continuity piece that has Spider-Man being psychoanalyzed.  Spider-Man shows up unexpectedly at the office of Dr. Gray Madder (got to love those old-style Stan Lee names).  I will just say that the session gets very strange, even considering how strange Spider-Man’s life is to begin with. 

This was a fun story, if a bit of a fluff piece.  Still, I am glad that they gave Stan Lee some pages.

4 out of 5 spiders

My Brother’s Son

This was an Uncle Ben story.  A young Peter Parker is upset and both Uncle Ben and Aunt May are at a loss as to why.  It delves deeply into Uncle Ben’s psyche, mostly his concerns as to whether or not he is raising Peter the way his late brother Richard would want him to.  He loves Peter, but isn’t sure he always understands this smart but shy young boy who is nothing like him.  Perhaps most distressingly, he wonders if Peter ultimately resents him because he isn’t his real father.

I won’t reveal the resolution, but I honestly found it to be a very touching story.  Considering that this was only a five page backup, the emotional depth it reached was pretty impressive.

5 out of 5 spiders 

If I Was Spider-Man

Peter Parker is sitting in the park watching some kids play on the jungle gym.  They start talking about Spider-Man, specifically what they would do if they had his amazing powers.  Peter listens in and is alternatively amused and disappointed by what they have to say.

I will be honest.  This story did nothing for me.  It doesn’t help that it comes right after the Uncle Ben story.

1 out of 5 spiders

The Blessing

Aunt May is at the graveyard visiting Uncle Ben.  Since she is getting married again, she is worried that she is betraying her late husband.

The odd thing is that the main story shows a shorter version of this with Aunt May in the cemetery expressing the same sentiments.  While they are similar, there are enough differences that it is distracting.

Frankly, the shorter version of this is all we needed to see.

2 out of 5 spiders

Fight at the Museum

Peter Parker is covering a superhero exhibit at the museum when he comes face to face with his greatest shame: The Spider-Mobile.  Kids start making fun of the car, causing Peter to get defensive about it.

I will admit this one was stupid, but I enjoyed it.  Even if I was a bit thrown by Jeff Albertson making a cameo appearance on a Segway. 

3 out of 5 spiders

Violent Visions

The paraplegic psychic Madame Web is having disturbing visions of the future and incidentally giving teasers for the upcoming year of Amazing Spider-Man.  She is the violently attacked by a young blonde girl.  The end.

I could care less about Madame Web.

0 out of 5 spiders

Final Thoughts

Despite some clunkers at the end, I really enjoyed this issue.  Aunt May’s remarriage doesn’t really compare to Spider-Man confronting Uncle Ben’s killer (Amazing Spider-Man #200), the introduction of Venom (Amazing Spider-Man #300), or the (obviously not permanent) death of Aunt May (Amazing Spider-Man #400).  In the end though, we get several strong stories in one jam-packed issue.  That has got to be worth something in this day and age!

Random Reviews: Spectacular Spider-Man Season 2 Premier: Blueprints

I am very glad to see this series return to the small screen.  The first season of Spectacular Spider-Man did an amazing job at putting a new spin on old classics while still remembering what made us love it in the first place.  After the show was dropped in the wake of the WB/CW merger, I wasn’t sure that this series would find a new home.  Luckily for us, a second season of Spectacular Spider-Man was picked up by the Disney XD channel.

I will try to keep my review of the season two premier, Blueprints, fairly spoiler free.  Still, read it at your own risk, as some spoilers are inevitable. 

This episode begins with Peter dealing with the fallout from season one’s finale.  He is concerned about the disappearance of Eddie Brock/Venom, confused about the kiss he shared with Gwen Stacy, and unsure of how to help his Aunt May, who is still recovering from her heart attack.  Oh, and he is trying to figure out how to keep from freezing his butt off in the middle of winter wearing a costume he designed in spring.

All of this is complicated by the arrival of Mysterio, who interrupts an animated cameo by Stan Lee.  I am not sure I buy Stan the Man as a dock worker, but that hardly matters.  Good to see you Stan!

Another complication is in the form of that wild, untamed creature known as the cheerleader (to paraphrase Harry Osborn from season one).  Namely, Liz Allen has set her sites on Peter Parker, and quickly manages to distract him from talking to Gwen about their kiss.

Spidey has a number of skirmishes with Mysterio that do not go well.  I won’t spoil for you who wins, although I thought renaming the show The Marvelous Mysterio was a bold move.  Not that you should read anything into that.

By the end of the episode, several new status quos are set up.

1. Peter becomes an exclusive freelance photographer for The Daily Bugle.
2. Peter resumes his student internship at ESU.
3. Norman Osborn takes an unhealthy interest in mentoring Peter.
4. A mysterious new villain named the Master Planner (well, new to the series) is introduced.

So, what did I think?  Well, it was a very strong season opener.  It managed to setup a number of subplots that will likely continue throughout the season and still fit in a respectable amount of web-swinging action.  I also continue to be impressed by how well this show caters to the old-school fan while remaining accessible to young children.

So if you like Spider-Man and enjoy animation, you should definitely check it out.  I also cannot recommend it enough for parents with Spider-Man loving children.  After all, I used to watch tons of Spider-Man as a kid, and I turned out fine! 

Right?

The Amazing Turd Blossom

For the record, I was not a big fan of the recent Spider-Man storyline “One More Day”. I don’t feel the need to rehash what was wrong with it, since that was covered so thoroughly elsewhere. Suffice it to say that regardless of my opinion on the “Spider-Marriage I felt “One More Day” was poor storytelling and a dramatic cheat to anyone who has been reading Spider-Man over the years. They might as well said "a wizard did it!"

That being said I am oddly conflicted at how much I love the current “Brand New Day” storyline. The first two months have delivered on everything I want out of a Spider-Man comic book. The book is funny. Peter Parker is a regular guy with the kind of issues a regular guy with super powers would face. Now if only I didn’t cringe every time I though about how we got to this point, the book would be perfect.

Up until now I have been at a loss at how to describe my feelings towards Spidey at the moment, but thankfully George W. Bush has come to the rescue with his unique “mastery” of the English language. The current storyline on Amazing Spiderman is a Turd Blossom!

Thank you Dubbya!