Symbiote-Symmetry

 

Yes, it’s that time once again! For today’s post we have a brief entry in the occasional series where I endeavour to highlight the visual or narrative symmetry between the Spider-Man and Spider-Girl comics. For this entry, a look at another example of Symbiote-Symmetry, once again delivered by MC2 co-creator, artist extraordinaire and friendly fella, Ron Frenz. And yes, it’s another Venom Symbiote post too so consider this a sort of  Venom: The Last Dance tie-in!

 

First up, we have the trippy one-shot Carnage tale, Carnage: Mind Bomb. Specifically, this gnarly cover by artist Kyle Hotz, who’s unique rendition of the psychotic red symbiote inspired the look of Carnage in the Spider-Man Unlimited animated series:

 

And here’s an interior page from Spider-Girl #83 depicting the Venom symbiote bonded with Normie Osborn (after receiving a hellfire burn from the vigilante Darkdevil) as drawn by Ron Frenz:

 

 

Until I stop seeing the systematic similarities of symbiotic and spidery symbolism, I remain

 

frogoat

 

 

Evolution of Spider Girl in Video Games (Updated)

It was well overdue. Having uncovered a few more previously unknown video game appearances, I decided to do a little tweaking to my original Evolution of Spider-Girl in Video Games video. Unfortunately, I no longer have the raw video files to completely remake and update it as I wanted to, so I've been forced to use the uploaded video itself as my starting point, with a few (hopefully subtle) edits spliced in.


Here's the video and it's description:






A small updated look at the video game appearances of May 'Mayday' Parker aka the Amazing Spider-Girl. I will likely revisit this again in the future if I can get better footage of some of the games featured. The years noted are the year the character appeared (has far as I've been able to ascertain) and are not necessarily the year the game was initially released.Here is a list of the games appearing in this video:

 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006)

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (2010)

Marvel Super Hero Squad Online (2011)

Marvel: War of Heroes (2012) 

Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Spider-Man Unlimited (2014) 

Marvel Heroes 2015 (2015)

Marvel: Avengers Alliance (2015)


 It's still a Spider-Girl World!


Until I unlock the skills and time necessary to produce as many videos and blog posts as I want, I remain


frogoat

The Evolution of Earth X Venom (May Parker) in Other Media

Having recently tracked down the necessary elements needed, I decided to finally put together this long-overdue video demonstrating the Evolution of Earth X Venom aka May Parker in Other Media.

The years noted are the year the original media was released and, where different, the year the character appeared (has far as I've been able to ascertain). Here is a list of the appearances in this video:

Earth X Hardcover Book Clamshell by Graphitti Designs: A Music Video included with the release animated by David Riske (2001)

Activision's Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro as an Alternate Costume for Spider-Man as voiced by Rino Romano (2001)

Gameloft's Spider-Man Unlimited mobile game (2014) though the character wasn't added until January 2017. The voice actress remains uncredited. If anyone has any information, let me know!

Music: 'Tangled Web (Peter & May Parker)' from the Earth X Soundtrack by Scott Vladimir Licina

I don't claim to own any of the trademarks or copyrights on the characters, concepts or music featured in this video. It was made purely out of love of the character and I make no profit from this video. Please support the media and games featured in this video by buying a copy. Made under 'Fair Use' as the video does not affect the copyright and trademark holders from profiting and promotes their works.

Until I get more time to put into these things (maybe when I retire a millionaire), I remain

frogoat

The Buzz in Spider-Man Unlimited

As I discussed here, The Buzz aka Jack Jameson has been added to the Spider-Man Unlimited mobile game. As I haven't made a video in quite sometime and because I'm trying to put out more content more often, I decided to put this short video together to show off The Buzz in action.

If anyone is interested, here are links to posts about my earlier MC2 related videos:

The Evolution of Spider-Girl in Video Games

The Evolution of American Dream in Video Games

Black Suit Spider-Girl in Spider-Man Unlimited

Black Suit Swiney-Girl in Spider-Man Unlimited


I hope everyone enjoys and if you'd like to see more content like this, please let me know!

Until I run out of MC2 characters to make videos about, I remain

frogoat

What's The Buzz: Spider-Man Unlimited

A somewhat unexpected bit of MC2-related news this time. The Spider-Man Unlimited video game for mobile devices is adding another character to the roster: Jack Jameson aka The Buzz! To be honest, there isn't really any further information to add at this point, but below you can see the official character image produced for the in-game character card.

The games developers have once again surprised me. I didn't expect another MC2 character to be introduced into the game at this point, particularly one without....you know....a spider-motif. Keep them coming, Gameloft! So far we've had May 'Mayday' Parker aka Spider-Girl in her regular costume, her black costume, unmasked and as 'Spider-Woman' post-Spider-Verse; Felicity Hardy in both her Scarlet Spider costumes; Peter Parker as Spider-Venom; April Parker as both Spider-Girl and Mayhem; May Parker of Earth X aka Venom and, of course, May 'Mayday' Porker aka Swiney-Girl.

With the way things are going, perhaps we'll see Darkdevil, Kaine and others from everyone's favourite corner of the multiverse. Seeing as being spider-related doesn't seem to matter as much anymore, may I suggest Stinger?

Until I stop being surprised by obscure and left-field choices in the Spider-Man Unlimited video game, I remain

frogoat

My Trivial Problems

I've been more active with this blog lately. I'm not entirely sure what's led to this, but I'd like to assure anyone who's out there reading this (if anyone actually does read this...) that I don't plan on stopping anytime soon either.

A few odds and ends: Since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hit the big screen, I noticed my little Mainframe video received several hundred more views than it had in a very short time. Obviously, this is due to a SPOILER-ific cameo by a certain singing celebrity who voices the Guardians of the Galaxy-related character coincidentally also named Mainframe. For the record, the two characters are not related. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the film for it's wonderful character depth and character exploration. Seriously, go check it out!

I've considered doing more 'Evolution'-style MC2 videos, but presently I feel there is limited material to draw from. What little material I have been able to track down to use in future videos also comes with the extra complication of having unidentified or unverified voice actors. This applies to Stinger's recent appearance in the Marvel Avengers Academy mobile game and various symbiote-related characters featuring currently in the Spider-Man Unlimited mobile game. Sadly TinyCo's Avengers game has listed credits and Gameloft's Unlimited has not updated it's in-game credits in sometime. Hopefully, this will improve in the near future.

Speaking of hope....I am conflicted about whether to address Hope Pym in other media. Hope Van Dyne bares very little resemblance to her comic counterpart in the Ant-Man film. In addition, it is the film version who is featured in other media, such as the Lego Marvel's Avengers video game, making them an adaption of an adaption. I highly doubt this version of Hope will turn to villainy, despite my early speculation when the character was announced for the Ant-Man movie. Then again, Tom Defalco and Ron Frenz are given a mention in the films credits. Perhaps I should consider the film version etc when creating a future MC2 video? I am befuddled.

I have a similar conflict with adaptions of Cassie Lang as a character. Until recently, 'Stinger' was the superhero identity of the MC2 character, almost exclusively. Cassie's alias in the main Marvel Universe was Stature but recent developments in the Ant-Man comics have led to her adopting the Stinger nomenclature and costume. Not only is Cassie a character who originates in the regular Marvel Universe, she's quite different. With MC2-related concepts feeding back into the main Marvel Universe, it's muddied the waters when determining which version of the character is being adapted. The obvious exception is the Ant-Man movie's adaptation of Cassie, who is too young to suit up as a hero just yet.


Until I resolve my trivial problems, I remain

frogoat

Black Suit Swiney-Girl in Spider Man Unlimited

I've edited another video for the MC2-related character Swiney-Girl. Considering how short this video is, you wouldn't believe how long it took me. Swiney-Girl is voiced by Chiara Zanni, if I haven't mentioned it before. Please enjoy!

Until I run out of other media to mine for MC2-related material (and pigs), I remain

frogoat

Black Suit Spider-Girl in Spider Man Unlimited

Another little video project I've been working on.

 

Until I figure out a better use for my limited free time, I remain

frogoat

Mayhem for Spider-Man Unlimited

I covered it months ago but now it's finally materializing: Mayhem will soon be playable in the Spider-Man Unlimited mobile game. There is no official release date yet. Here is the leaked card art:

Mayhem

What I wasn't expecting and what I'm pleased to share with everyone is the addition of Spider-Girl to the game. What? She's already been in the game for two years? Oh....but this is the REAL Spider-Girl, April Parker, dontcha know? 

Spider-Girl (April Parker)

This appears to be April's costume prior to her downward spiral into Mayhem. I hadn't thought this costume would be on the cards for the game. Maybe there is hope for other MC2 Spiders. Gerry Drew, anyone?

While I continually find Gameloft's dedication to representing MC2 characters, I'm still baffled by their lack of attention to detail, such as the newly available Black Suit Spider-Girl's first appearance being given as Spider-Girl #97, when it actually debuted back in Spider-Girl #75. It's even featured on the cover, so it's not that hard to figure out. Let's hope in future they either correct this information or at least pay more attention in future.

But nevermind all that. Tomorrow is Christmas and it's about time I headed to bed.

Until I stop spending time (...and money) on this bastion of MC2 representation in other media, I remain

frogoat

Black-Suit Spider-Girl and Earth X Venom Hitting Spider-Man Unlimited

It looks like with the newest update of the mobile phone game Spider-Man Unlimited set to arrive shortly, MC2 fans will be treated to a few familiar playable characters.

Of course, the release times aren't know yet, but assets from the game, along with material officially released by Gameloft make mention of Black-Suit Spider-Girl, Spider-Venom and Venom (May Parker).

The Venom of Earth X has also been referred to as 'Venom X' so obviously the titles are still up in the air at this point.

The update also sees some major changes to the game's rank-up system and a new filtering system for the player's team of Spider-folks.

Until I stop being excited by this stuff, I remain

frogoat

The Evolution of Spider Girl in Video Games

The Evolution of Spider-Girl in Video Games

A little project I have been working on. Hope you enjoy it!

Until I find something better to do at 3 AM, I remain

frogoat

Mayhem Coming to Spider-Man Unlimited

A recent interview on Marvel.com has shed some light on upcoming additions to the mobile device game Spider-Man Unlimited. Gameloft's Vitaliy Gladiyenko discussed the future updates, including the addition of more Symbiote characters to the game along with the introduction of 'Collections' which will aid players in sorting and finding their favorite characters. For me, the most exciting new character coming is the Spider-Girl's own Mayhem, aka April Parker. Here's a quote from the interview:

Marvel.com: Can you clue us in to what other Spidey heroes and symbiote villains we might see in this story?

    Vitaliy Gladiyenko: Sure! Besides some of the symbiotes, that have been released by now, you'll be able to play as five brothers and sisters: Scream, Lasher, Agony, Phage, and Riot. There will be also some exclusive additions to the roster, like Kingpin Venom, Eddie Brock as Toxin, Venom X, Mayhem, Mania, Scorn, and some others. As you can see, it's really raining symbiotes!

The interview can be found at this link:
 http://marvel.com/news/video_games/26887/symbiotes_invade_spider-man_unlimited

It's nice to see another MC2 addition coming down the line again. I'm still convinced someone working on the game is a fan. I wonder if we'll get the symbiotic Spider-Girl costume seen in Spider-Girl #100 at some point? Or how about Earth X Venom?








Until they make Lil' Benjy a playable character, I remain

frogoat

Playing Catch Up

While I was planning on making a more extensive post about particular topics soon-ish, I felt the urge to put keystrokes to computer screen and make another entry on here on my much-neglected blog. So I'll briefly touch on various little things not worthy of a full post (or perhaps not until later, when I find time) and see how far that takes me.

The mobile-platform game Spider-Man Unlimited continues to be the only video game I can find time for in my busy schedule. Considering I can play it anywhere (at home, at work, on the loo) certainly lends itself to my lifestyle far more than a console game. Rumblings behind the scenes at Gameloft have told us Spider-Ham and Spider-Ham related characters are coming very soon.

 Interviews with the development team previously indicated they would have to build a know new character model for smaller characters such as Spider-Ham However the most recent character added to the game, Annie Parker (from the Renew Your Vows story) appears to use a scaled down version of the female character model...which sometimes glitches back to the standard size while retaining the proportions of the smaller character.

But more importantly, the character comes with a new voice over. The credits of the game currently don't indicate any new additions to the voice cast and the dialogue can't simply have been designed for little Annie because when kicking an enemy, she'll sometimes exclaim 'Taste my hooves!' So, positing a theory here....I think this new voice over is intended for a female Spider-Ham related character....namely Swiney-Girl.

Moving onto comics now, I finished and thoroughly enjoyed the MC2 back-up stories in the Spider-Island mini series. I have some very mixed feelings about the actual events leading into the story (both Spider-Verse and Secret Wars) but I believe on it's own merits the entire 31-page mini-epic was a strong read and a welcome return to down to earth, emotionally based storytelling for Mayday. On a more personal note, the story ended around the one year anniversary of my fathers death. Seeing May struggling to define her role in her family while dealing with the guilt and anger she feels surrounding her fathers passing hit home for me. I generally try to avoid placing personal bias into my thoughts about a comic, but once again I find myself truly connecting with May's swath of emotions. Her journey in many ways reflects my own. Learning to live without a loved one after they die is something that permanently alters your outlook and irrevocably changes your life. I respectfully and sincerely appreciate Tom, Ron, Sal and the entire creative team for their dedication to portraying the fallout of such a life-altering event.

I'm very glad May is not stuck wearing her fathers old costume.

On a lighter note, the ongoing series Web-Warriors will feature Mayday's Spider-Girl--erm I mean Spider-Woman as a recurring member of the cast. Judging by the first issue, I like the concept of a reality-hopping team reminiscent of the Exiles comprised of Spider-People. I think the series could be a fun ride, but I do question how Friendly Neighborhood May can be if she is flitting about across the Multiverse. Obviously, it's not the writers fault May comes to the series a changed character from the one Spider-Girl fans remember, so I won't hold that against them. Honestly, I found the characterization fairly on-target, all things considered. But why hasn't she been on any of the covers?! I'm giving this a chance. Stay tuned, I guess.

Until I find the time to actually write a wordy and well-researched blog entry again, I remain

frogoat

Look Who the Cat Dragged In!

So, it's only taken me this long to pull this particular Spider from the portal. I can't tell you how happy I am right now.

 

 Until the next MC2 character is added to the game, forcing me to game hard to satisfy my obsessive need to collect everything MC2, I remain

 frogoat

 

Costume Analysis: The Spider-Girl Unlimited Costume

 

The Spider-Girl (May 'Mayday' Parker) 'costume skin' used in the Spider-Man Unlimited game uses a distinctive mix of both the original Spider-Girl series costume design and the Amazing Spider-Girl updated costume design.

Love the cool pose but what is with the speech balloon?

 The adjective-less Spider-Girl series costume was obviously not designed for Mayday originally, being first worn by Ben Reilly. Despite being designed for a man, the costume works aesthetically for a female character. When the Spider-Girl series was relaunched as Amazing Spider-Girl, Ron Frenz took the opportunity to make some slight alterations to the design to further suit May.

Notice the BIG eye pieces on the mask with the distinctive pointy bit at the top? While the original Spider-Girl series featured this eye design, the Amazing Spider-Girl series matured the look with smaller eye pieces.

The web-shooters here are not from the adjective-less Spider-Girl run, instead more closely resembling the 'bracelet' look Ron Frenz refined for Amazing Spider-Girl. Arguably May's web-shooters design changed over time during the original series, but this design seems to be taken from the Amazing series. With me so far?

Another big thing to note is the lack of 'blue'  in the underarm or axillary region. The updated Amazing Spider-Girl costume had more blue coming across the chest, enhancing the 'feminine' look already apparent in the costume's design. So, together with the Amazing Spider-Girl web-shooter 'bracelets' and the Spider-Girl style eye pieces, the Spider-Man Unlimited game presents a hybrid of both designs.

Until I find more time to work on this poor semi-abandoned blog, I remain

frogoat

Mayday as Spider-Woman in Spider-Man Unlimited

The Spider-Man Unlimited mobile phone game created by Gameloft will soon be adding Spider-Island themed characters to it's already extensive roster. In addition to a new playable Spider-Island Mary Jane character, it looks like we will also be getting a new playable costume for the MC2's own May 'Mayday' Parker in the form of her current appearance as 'Spider-Woman' in the Secret Wars tie-in series Spider-Island which recently started publication.























Last year, the MC2's Spider-Girl became the first female Spider-Character introduced into the game. Then the MC2 took home another first with the Scarlet Spider (Felicity Hardy) becoming the first playable character introduced with the new 8-Star Rank called Titan. And now this! I wonder if there is an MC2 fan amongst Gameloft's development team?

The recent Mary Jane love going on with the current 'Manga Mary Jane' Event which allows players to snag the new Mangaverse Spider-Woman aka Mary Jane and the upcoming Spider-Island promo image both make me very happy, too. These instances and past uses of Mary Jane over other female love interests within the game (for example the Valentines Day Event) suggests people at Gameloft know how important Mary Jane Watson is to the Spider-Man mythos. Good going, Gameloft!

Until actually manage to obtain these new characters, I remain


frogoat 

Felicity Hardy Confirmed for Spider-Man Unlimited

Well, after the current Mysterio update for the Spider-Man Unlimited mobile game, I think it's safe to confirm Felicity Hardy, aka the MC2's own Scarlet Spider will soon be a playable character. Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself:

The Spider-Man Unlimited facebook page gives her debut event dates:


June 15th – 21st
New Spidey: Scarlet Spider (Felicity Hardy)
Event:  Release Event (Titan)


Well, there ya go then. Who's next, Gameloft? There is a nice trend starting up recently of MC2 characters popping up all over the place in unexpected ways! Mainframe in Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. and Hope Pym appearing in some form in the upcoming Ant-Man movie. Spider-Girl and now Felicity Hardy in the Spider-Man Unlimited game. Maybe there is something to that?

Until the world stops throwing MC2 characters into the fray, I remain

frogoat

Felicity Hardy Coming to Spider-Man Unlimited?

A recently leaked image of Felicity Hardy- Scarlet Spider coming soon to the Spider-Man Unlimited mobile game. This would be the characters first appearance in another medium, and the games second MC2 character to appear after Spider-Girl (May Parker) who was the first female Spider-Person to be introduced to the game. Keep in mind, it’s not official yet, so things may change.

I'm rather excited to see the character included in the game, as now I can have another reason to keep playing. I look forward to more MC2 character being added in the future too, perhaps Mayhem, Dark Devil, Gerry Drew, Kaine in his duster jacket and armor and why not a Black Suit Spider-Girl for good measure?

I can dream. Until the game is retitled Spider-Girl Unlimited guest starring other Spider-People, I remain

frogoat

Something Fun

I don't always beat the tar out of Daemos....

 

...But when I do I'm Spider-Girl.

The One True Voice of Spider-Girl?!

I've missed the ol' blog, so I've decided to run my mouth (via the keyboard) until I feel better. All aboard the magic school bus, friends!

I've dedicated way to much of my free time (and the expensive kind of time, as well) to playing the heck out of Spider-Man Unlimited. Let's not dance around it, I'm a Spider-Girl fan through and through. I started playing this mobile game as soon as I heard Spider-Girl was going to be added to the roster of available Spider-Men as the first Spider-Female available to play. Laura Bailey does a brilliant job as the voice May 'Mayday' Parker. She sounds like the character has always sounded in my head. I've been digging around and I'm certain the talented Mrs Bailey is the very first person to voice the character. 

For some reason my phone makes Spider-Girl appear 'shiny'.

Well....if you want to get nit-picky (and I know many comic fans are want to do just that) Tasia Valenza voiced the original Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) in the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006) game which featured an alternate costume of Spider-Girl. But she was still flying and shooting her blasts, it was just a different character 'skin'. 

Can you spot the Spider-Girl?

Also, Tara Strong voiced an unidentified 'Spider-Girl' character (a member of the 'Spider-Friends' team) in the Marvel Super Hero Squad Online (2011) who wore a different mask exposing some of her face as well as her hair.  But again, not exactly THE Spider-Girl. So there you go, Laura Bailey is the first person to voice May 'Mayday' Parker.

Thoughts?

 The Super Hero Squad version is probably related to this 'Spider-Girl' from the Spider-Man and Friends toy line. This incarnation was included not only in the toy line but also has a self-titled song on the 'Spider-Man and Friends CD' Album (2004) which ties-in to the line. Check out Track 4, 'Spider-Girl' . 'She's smart and strong and lots of fun and she gets along with everyone!' Sounds about right.

I believe she's Spider-Man's 'cousin'. Because Kids.

Until I hear Joshua Keaton is providing the voice of Spider-Girl for the Marvel Heroes 2015 update, I remain

frogoat