Tag: Marvel »

ComiXology announced today a free, new submission portal for comics self-publishers called comiXology Submit. The company, developer of one of the first and most successful comics reading/buying apps on the App store, hopes to help comic book creators make money from their self-published efforts via ComiXology's digital platform, which is already used by the likes of Marvel and DC. ComiXology has nearly 30,000 comics and graphic novels to choose from, with over 900 of those available for free

The service will begin as an invite-only beta, and will allow creators a way to sell their stuff via the comiXology platform. There'll be some sort of approval process, and once ready, comics will be uploaded to the comiXology portal, available on iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire, Windows 8 and the Web, with Guided View technology. This lets indie comics creators use the same panel to panel navigation system that the big guys use, and it will be applied to these self-published works entirely for free.

Initially starting out as invite-only/private beta, comiXology Submit will allow creators a free portal to easily access the comiXology platform. Submissions will go through an approval process and when approved comiXology will transform the uploaded work with their Guided View technology – for free. Then the work goes on sale worldwide with the creator and comiXology splitting the profits evenly.

“...having a way to let self-publishers participate ... is good for our customers, for comiXology and for comics,” said co-founder John D. Roberts in a press release. “Having the most diverse material possible serves comiXology’s mission. It’s great that we can now open our platform to self-publishers and deliver a whole new wave of creative works to our customers.”

CEO David Steinberger feels the same way, noting that the company has come a long way since it started in July of 2009 with just a "handful of comics," he said. "We are happy today, with the announcement of comiXology Submit, that we now have a turnkey system to service this incredibly vital part of the marketplace. ComiXology Submit, helps keep the promise to our customers of having the best and most diverse comic books and graphic novels available worldwide.”

If you're a comic book creator interested in self-publishing your work via the comiXology platform, head over to submit.comixology.com and add your contact information. The platform should become available to anyone in the near future who has one or more comics, graphic novels, a webcomic, and even short one-shot comics creators.

Things are looking pretty grim. A despicable race of alien beings has planted a doomsday device called “The Cosmic Fuse” deep inside the Earth’s core. Rather than wait for a team of semi-washed up actors lead by Hillary Swank to ride a drill train through the center of the Earth we’ve enlisted the help of Verticus, the world’s first (so far as I know) free-falling superhero.

Verticus is a new “endless faller” headed to the App Store courtesy of Moonshark, Controlled Chaos Media (creators of Texting of the Bread), and Stan Lee. Yes, that’s Stan - The Man - Lee. The comic book legend has created a special story and superhero for his first iOS outing, as well as supplying his own voice as the player’s mission commander. Commence geeking out. I was able to have a chat with Moonshark’s CEO, Matt Kozlov, and he filled me in on the whole world-saving affair.

The titular do-gooder must fall his way through the Earth’s atmosphere, past cities and their streets, and beyond its very center in order to reach and diffuse the alien invaders’ bomb. Then he has to make it through to the other side. This isn’t a mere dodge-em-up, however. The fledgling hero will have both offensive and defensive abilities to aid him in his task, as well as a number of upgrades to earn and unlock through multiple playthroughs. So there’s obviously plenty of incentive for multiple replays, what with the upgrades and new suits to earn. It’s also possible (though not necessary) for players to purchase in-game cash to speed up their development if they so desire.

Verticus is slated for a release sometime this fall (we all see what you did there, Moonshark). If you’re too excited to sit idly by and wait for the action to commence, you can also check out the game’s official Facebook page for more details. Oh, and you can enter to win one of a few pieces of official Verticus artwork signed by Stan Lee while you're there, too. Wait, what?

Marvel have announced a new episodic touch combat game for iPhone and iPad, Avengers Initiative. In this first episode, to be released Thursday, you play the Hulk. As the Hulk, you are tasked with defeating a large group of evil super-powered villians who have escaped from a top secret holding facility in an event known as The Pulse.

The Pulse was first introduced in the Facebook Marvel game, Avengers Alliance. Both that game and the iOS game are interconnected with a system called Marvel XP. This allows players to unlock in-game items and level up between the two games.

The gameplay itself takes some big cues from Infinity Blade, if you are familiar with that, the game plays in a similar way. The game functions by using touch and swipe mechanics to fight various foes in the game. You will face a series of enemies in different locations as you progress through the story. The game has full retina graphics and looks great on both the iPad and iPhone. Take a look out our fifteen minute walkthrough below of the beginning of the game to get an idea of the art style and gameplay.

Future episodes will hopefully follow quickly with the first one expected before the end of the year. In later episodes you will have the opportunity to play other members of the Avengers.

Marvel's Avengers Initiative will be released this Thursday, worldwide, for $6.99. It is not a free to play game. In-app purchase will be available to help power up and create custom uniforms for the Hulk, but will not be required to complete the game.

Just about everyone in the world dreams about having super powers. Flight, strength, x-ray vision, that kind of stuff. While DeNA (think Mobage) and Marvel Entertainment’s upcoming Marvel: War of Heroes may not bestow impossible abilities to its players, it does put them in charge of a slew of iconic heroes.

Assuming the role of a S.H.I.E.L.D agent players will collect cards featuring various Marvel heroes and craft their own super team. Powers and abilities can be fused and upgraded as well, making an already powerful legend even more so. If you’re thinking it sounds similar to the more than a little popular Rage of Bahamut, that’s because it is. And because it’s being crafted by the same developers. Although the story – which is a thing that actually exists in this freemium card game. I know, right? – is all original and comes directly from Marvel itself. As does the art, actually, which is ridiculously awesome.

Marvel: War of Heroes is due to hit the App Store this fall. Anyone with even the slightest interest will be able to check it out for free, but those of us who are already curious can head over to the official website to pre-register. Why? Because it earns a free rare card, among other things. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from playing similar Mobage titles it’s that rare cards, no matter how useful they might be to my strategy, can pay off big. Also it might actually be really cool.

This week at 148Apps.com, we celebrated the unbelievable 40th birthday of Atari. Writer Lisa Caplan says, "It’s a tiny bit depressing that many of us here are older than Atari. Still as OG’s (original geeks) most of us equate the name with our and their glory years of gaming. Recently the former giant has been reinventing itself, having previously released their VCS catalog and a few arcade hits in a Greatest Hits package for iOS, and with more recent forays into the App Store like Circus Atari and Centipedes Origins. They are also winding up a contest for indie developers who took their original, maybe the original video game, PONG and remade it for iOS. The finalists have been announced and can be found here. The company turns 40 today and much of the recent flurry of activity is to celebrate the occasion."

Read more about the legacy of Atari at 148Apps.com.

GiggleApps.com stayed topical this week with a review of Avengers Origins: Hulk. Amy Solomon writes, "Avengers Origins: Hulk is a new universal interactive storybook apple ication that introduces the classic Marvel character, the Hulk, to children. I really enjoy this re-telling of such a classic story, narrated by Stan Lee who does an outstanding job as one would expect. I enjoy how this story unfolds, especially for children who may be new to this character as this app opens up with a thoughtful introduction, walking readers through Bruce Banner’s difficult childhood, becoming a scientist and the details of the faithful day that Banner becomes mistakenly affected by gamma radiation, developing the uncontrollable ability to turn into the Hulk when he is angered."

Read more about the Green Goliath's kiddie adventures at GiggleApps.com.

Finally, 148Apps.biz writer Carter Dotson reports that, "A new report by Localytics shows that more users are sticking with their apps, and iOS users are more likely to stick with apps than Android users are. Where in 2010, 26% of users would open up an app once, and the same percentage would use it 11+ times, now only 22% launch an app just once, and 31% will use it 11+ times. This may show that users over time are either starting to find apps that they would show an interest in using long-term, or app quality is starting to increase. The long-term trend will be interesting to see: will users continue to come back to their apps? Or is this a temporary blip?"

Read more about this new research at 148Apps.biz.

And thus ends another exciting week across the 148Apps network. Join our conversation on Facebook or Twitter to learn more about contests, promos, sales and more. See you next week, true believer!

This week at 148Apps.com, Kevin Stout examined the question more than a few of us are asking: Why won't Nintendo release any games for iOS? Stout writes, "Nintendo recently reported its first annual loss, showing that perhaps 3DS isn’t enough of a success. Nintendo hasn’t even released its legacy games on mobile platforms where others like Sega have (Sonic the Hedgehog). While current CEO of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, is in charge, it’s unlikely that Nintendo will acknowledge its mistake. When asked about releasing Nintendo games for smartphones, Iwata replied, “This is absolutely not under consideration. If we did this, Nintendo would cease to be Nintendo….”'

Read Stout's full commentary and analysis at 148Apps.

Meanwhile, Amy Solomon at GiggleApps took a look at a new Marvel Avengers app for kids: Avengers Origins: Assemble! is a very enjoyable universal interactive storybook that tells the tale of how The Avengers became a cohesive group after meeting Captain America. I really enjoy how these characters are introduced, making this a great primer for children new to Marvel comics. Interactive moments are included throughout that children will also enjoy such as dragging the tools used by each Avenger to their rightful owner."

Read Amy's full review at GiggleApps.

Last, but certainly not least, 148Apps.biz writer Carter Dotson reported on results from a recent MocoSpace study: "MocoSpace has announced the results of their new “Y U Play?” study that tries to answer the question of just why people play mobile games, anyway? The answer for the majority of people appears to be just pure entertainment. 34% of people like to play mobile games because “the games are fun,” and 32% do it because they are bored, or want to kill time."

Read more about the fascinating study at 148Apps.biz.

That's the week that was. Keep up with all of the latest news, reviews, trends and contests by following us on Twitter or liking us on Facebook. Have a great weekend - and we'll see you in seven days!

Augmented reality apps are fun to play around with and display extra information about the world around us. But the Marvel AR app uses augmented reality to get extra information about fantasy worlds that we aren’t living in. With the Marvel AR app, users will be able to see additional features for their Marvel comics by using their iOS devices’ camera.

Select Marvel comics, the first of which to use the new app is Avengers vs. X-Men, will include behind the scenes footage, 3D action scenes, video recaps of past events, and more. Comics designed for use with Marvel AR will start featuring the AR red and white logo to flag throughout the book when the app should be used. Users will simply hold their iOS devices up to the comics and then will be presented with the bonus features.

This is a great way for comic readers who still enjoy buying the print editions to get to use their iOS devices to interact with their comics. The Marvel AR app is free.

The other day we told you about how Disney was reviving Peter Pan for the iPad, and now it seems the company is poised to do the same for The Incredible Hulk. The company just launched Avengers Origins: Hulk for the iPad, and it looks to be a fun romp for fans of one of Marvel's greenest and most volatile heroes.

The app allows readers to learn the origin story of The Hulk on their own, or have it read to them by none other than Stan Lee. Along the way are interactive sections where users can let out Hulk roars, toss cars and do all sorts of other fun stuff that only those exposed to specific amounts of Gamma radiation can do.

The app looks like a great way to get kids into comic books, and we hope that Disney and Marvel will be teaming up for more of these in the future. Let's just stay away from the darker stuff, no one needs the interactive scene where they forcibly coat Wolverine's bones in Adamantium.

Today marks the arrival of over 60 Marvel graphic novels on the Apple iBookstore. Fans of the popular comic books can now find their favorite Marvel heros including the Avengers, Spider-Man, the X-Men, Captain America, the Hulk, and others. These graphic novels (compilations of several comic book issues) range in price from $8.99 to $24.99 and free previews are available for each title.

After purchase, these titles will be optimized for and viewable through Apple's iBooks app on the iPhone, iPod, and iPad in full, vibrant color. Marvel has announced that it will be releasing new titles every week, and an extended preview of the New Avengers Vol. 1 is currently available for free.

To view all of the Marvel graphic novels currently available for download in the iBookstore, go here. Marvel fans can now add iBooks to their favorite ways to read and reread the stories of their favorite mutant heros.