The big question facing the comic book industry right now is, “How do we get comic books into new readers hands?” One way of doing it? Have them write the comics. Marvel, along with parent company Disney, have just launched an online comic creator tying into the hit Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes cartoon. The comic creator lets user put together their own comic, with their own dialogue, and possibly have the chance to see their story published in an actual Marvel Comic. So, that’s pretty nice.

To find out more, we chatted with Michael Pasciullo, Marvel Entertainment’s Senior Vice President of Brand Management & Communications about what went into making the comic creator, what they hope to get out of it, and where it’s going next:

MTV Geek: So, how’d you guys strike on the idea of doing this comic creator?

Michael Pasciullo: It’s definitely one of those situations in which you see how beneficial it is, not only for us but also for our fans, that Marvel and Disney are part of the same family. We always thought that a “comic book creator” program would be a great way for kids to engage with our characters and we were looking into ways to make it a reality. At the same time, we were talking to some people at Disney about a few of the initiatives that we were looking to pursue and they showed us this amazing Comic Creator app they had already developed for Disney.com’s Create (Disney.com/Create). At that point, it was very simple to put one and one together, combining Marvel’s characters with Disney.com’s Create program and the result was the Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes! Comic Creator.

Geek: It reminds me a bit of the "How to Draw Comics The Marvel Way" book I had as a kid... Is this the next evolution?

MP: I think it absolutely is. When “How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way” came out, it was simply genius. It gave myself and every other kid out there that loved Marvel and all of Marvel’s characters, an opportunity to go from reading about their favorite heroes to being able to draw and pose their favorite heroes. It gave you this great sense of ownership. The Comic Creator app takes that to a whole other level. Now kids have the opportunity to not only create stories featuring Earth’s Mightiest Heroes but they have the creative freedom to tell those stories graphically as well. Just as you hear some of our top artists today talking fondly about the fact that “How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way” got them into art, I think ten years from now, you will hear a few comic book writers saying that, “the first comic book story that I ever wrote was on the Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes! Comic Creator. Read more...

Tags apps, Disney, DISNEY XD, Marvel Comics, The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes

Since the dawn of video games, board game companies have been trying to port their titles over to the electronic medium. However, when compared to full-length RPGs and platformers, board game adaptations have never pushed the limits of story depth or graphical prowess, and have became a tough sell when costing $50 or more. The audience for such games simply was not there, and adapting a board game became a sure fire way to lose money.

With the arrival of mobile app stores, though, developers have been given an easier road to success. Mobile apps can be programmed inexpensively by small teams, and have very low distribution costs. This is allowing board games apps to exist in a marketplace that caters to small consumer niches. Board game fans are now experiencing a golden age of video game adaptations, as countless classics are available for $5 or less. Today, I’ll be giving capsule reviews of some great board games available in the iOS App Store:

Carcassone

One of the all-time greats of modern board gaming, the highly strategic worker placement game Carcassonne comes to the iOS platform with a deluxe edition.  The features packed into this game include online play, avatar support, and user rankings. This app was also recently upgraded to support the higher resolution iPad screen, and supports "play by mail" between users on any device. Make this game your Words With Friends replacement!

Some of the new electronic additions even improve the game, such as the app’s ability to track placement of tiles. This allows players to monitor what is left in the deck and determine whether a spot has been permanently blocked.  This greatly increases the level of competitive play, and makes Carcassonne a must-buy.

Read more...

Tags apps, Blokus, Carcassonne, Settlers of Catan, Zooloretto

You can continue the adventures of the Green Hornet using your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch with comiXology's new Green Hornet comics app (in partnership with Dynamite Entertainment). We chatted with comiXology CEO and co-founder David Steinberger about the new app and what digital comics readers can expect!

MTV Geek: What titles were included in the app’s lineup?

David Steinberger: We currently have five different Green Hornet series that are included in this App: Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet, Green Hornet: Year One, The Green Hornet Strikes Back, Green Hornet: Blood Ties, The Green Hornet: Parallel Lives. Overall we have 30 Green Hornet comics so far and more to come.

Read more...

Tags ComiXology, Dynamite Entertainment, Green Hornet, Green Hornet: Blood Ties, Green Hornet: Year One, IPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet, The Green Hornet Strikes Back, The Green Hornet: Parallel Lives