x-men

Gandalf to officiate at Captain Picard's wedding

Few actors have gathered as much geek street cred as Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, with credits for "Star Trek," "The Lord of the Rings," and "X-Men" between them. Now, there's news of a crossover most of us didn't see coming: McKellen says he will officiate at Stewart's upcoming nuptials.

Let's savor this for a moment. Gandalf will be officiating Captain Picard's wedding. Magneto will be helping Professor Xavier get hitched. I know it's too much to hope they'll do it in costume, but a gal can dream. I'm imagining McKellen in a Magneto costume with a Gandalf hat and beard, while Stewart dons a "Star Trek" uniform and sits in a clear plastic wheelchair (just in case Magneto decides to act up).… Read more

X-Men pinball delivers mutant mayhem

Stern Pinball has officially started churning out the X-Men pinball game it hinted at back in June.

The machine comes in three different flavors. The base model is the X-Men Pro ($5,699) and includes a backglass graphic with all the X-Men mutants crammed together in an explosion of awesome.

Then you have the two X-Men Limited Edition machines ($7,999) which include a few extra playfield options, such as a motorized "Ice Slide" ramp, pop-up Night Crawlers, color-changing LEDs, and a magnetic spinning disc that basically rules. The two versions of this machine include an edition with … Read more

Like Phoenix, Marvel gives digital coupons a second chance

A Marvel digital-comics sale in January came with an unusual perk: a $5 coupon for a print comic book. As a lead-in to its Avengers versus X-Men story starting in April, Marvel is giving the coupon a second chance to power up both digital and print comics sales via its iOS (download) and Android (download) comics apps.

"The coupon bumped [digital comic] sales about 25 percent," David Gabriel, senior vice-president of sales for Marvel, said in a phone interview yesterday. Peter Phillips, the general manager and senior vice-president of the Marvel Digital Media Group, added that it was &… Read more

Android Atlas Weekly: Nexus Prime Watch (Podcast)

Nexus Prime sightings, Google Wallet Hacked, in a good way, and HTC security flaws. All that and more on this week's episode of Android Atlas Weekly for October 5th, 2011.

NEWS

iPhone 4S vs. the competition http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-20115636-233/iphone-4s-vs-the-competition/?tag=cnetRiver

Samsung Releases Teaser Shot of Nexus Prime http://www.pcworld.com/article/241162/samsung_releases_teaser_shot_of_nexus_prime.html

Might this be the Nexus Prime? http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-20115325-251/might-this-be-the-nexus-prime/?tag=cnetRiver

Samsung to show off Nexus … Read more

Comic book heroes then and now

It's amazing to think how many comic book characters--some from decades ago--are still relevant to pop and geek culture today.

Lately, it feels like there's no end in sight to the surge in superhero-movie releases. In our gallery below, we look at the original comic depiction of several larger-than-life beings compared with their most recent movie equivalents. The differences are astounding, and truly indicate how far animation and artistic quality has evolved over the years.

While we didn't feature every comic book character who's had a makeover recently, we think you'll still enjoy our selections consisting of mostly Marvel (Stan Lee) and DC comic stars. The gallery includes Captain America, Thor, Superman, Green Lantern, Iron Man, Tin-Tin, Spider-Man, X-Men, and Batman. Think there's someone we missed that should be on the list? Leave a comment with your suggestions and we may revise the gallery down the line.

On a related note, it's worth sharing that DC Comics plans to reboot all of its franchises beginning this September.

The 404 834: Where an iPad 2 can do more than a kidney (podcast)

Wilson's out sick today, but Mark Licea joins us to fill in with a review of "X-Men: First Class." The movie came out today, but Mark's a diehard fan of the comic series so he checked out the 12 a.m. showing. The spoiler-free review is positive, but as usual, the true believers might leave the theater disappointed by the lack of continuity with the original storyline.

Speaking of movies, we also take a moment to point out the most ridiculous trailer of 2011 for "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." From title to content to technology, we should remind you that it's not a joke--this is a serious movie, starring James Franco who falls in love with a primate.

The 404 Digest for Episode 834

Chinese student reportedly sells his kidney to buy an iPad 2. " Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is the WORST. White ninja crashes into Apple store.

Episode 834 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

X-Men arcade game mutating on PSN, XBL

In 2007, Konami teamed up with Ubisoft to release the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game on Xbox Live Arcade. The move prompted a number of requests for other licensed Konami arcade beat-'em-ups like The Simpsons and X-Men. Three years later, one of those requests is being granted.

Konami announced today that 1992's X-Men arcade brawler will be released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3's downloadable game services later this year. It will mark the first time the game will receive a home release on any platform.

As in the original arcade game, players will get … Read more

The 404 684: Where Blair Butler puts us in a choke hold (podcast)

Jeff and I are a little intimidated by today's guest, Blair Butler, because she not only loves video games and comic books, but also knows a ton about martial arts moves like the rear naked choke, which makes her one of the coolest guests we've had on the show! Blair joins us after a busy weekend at New York Comic Con 2010 to chat about all the news from the show, as well as her Fresh Ink segment on G4's "Attack of the Show."

The Javitz Convention Center here in New York once again opened its doors to the New York Comic Convention, and Blair tells us the East Coast chapter has been quickly catching up to San Diego over the past five years.

Among the many announcements from the show, we're especially excited about AMC's television adaptation of Robert Kirkman's monthly black and white comic series "The Walking Dead." The story is about a small-town police officer (played by Andrew Lincoln) from Kentucky struggling to survive in a world taken over by flesh-craving zombies. Blair is super psyched to watch the series when it debuts on Sunday, October 31, but in the meantime you should definitely check out her review of the comic in this list of the best graphic novels for comic novices on G4TV.

Remember Konami's classic X-Men beat-'em-up arcade game from the early '90s? Marvel revealed plans for an update on Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network that will feature six-player "drop-in" online multiplay, custom matchups, and various difficulty settings. Fans of the original game will enjoy the classic look of the game, and players can use all the original characters including Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Dazzler. Konami plans to release the update later this year.

Tune in for lots more video game and comic news with Blair, including the best and worst costumes, a Pedobear dancing to Michael Jackson, Stan Lee's hockey/superhero mashup "The Guardian Project," and much more from the front lines. Thanks to Blair for an awesome show, and thanks to you for listening!

Episode 684 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Claws and effect

You may be aware of Activision's X-Men Origins: Wolverine game as well as the hit movie it's based on. It stars Wolverine, a mutant with extensible blade-like claws and a personality like his mammalian namesake: ornery, solitary, and ferocious in a fight. Some may argue, but there's little doubt that the brooding anti-hero is the most popular of the X-Men. Fans will love this free pack of five wallpapers based on the game, the movie, and the comic.

The pack contains five different wallpapers, each in five different sizes to accommodate a wide range of screen sizes … Read more

Accused 'Wolverine' pirate calls charges 'ridiculous'

The FBI has accused the man who allegedly was first, or among the first, to upload a pirated copy of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" that circulated online in April. What authorities have apparently yet to do is identify the original source of the leak.

On Wednesday, after Gilberto Sanchez was charged in New York with violating federal copyright laws by posting "Wolverine" to a file-sharing site a month before the film's theatrical release, he told reporters from The New York Daily News: "It's just ridiculous. I bought it from a Korean guy on the … Read more