Ah, May! The weather gets a little warmer, high school kids nervously attend their proms and the movie studios begin to release their would-be blockbusters, eager to start the summer box-office rush early.

And do you know what that means? (Besides, of course, the promotional giveaway toys at Burger King and McDonald’s.) That’s right: the dreaded movie tie-in video games.

Usually a prime example of rushing a game to market before it is truly done, these games are almost always buggy, miserable wastes of time.

Read the rest of this post

While Marvel’s lawyers have been doing plenty of work on their own to hurt interest in the new movie “Iron Man,” some are suggesting an even more interesting scenario: that the release this week of the videogame Grand Theft Auto IV (to excellent reviews) will have an impact on how many people are willing to buy tickets to “Iron Man”’s opening weekend.

Read the rest of this post

Man, there’s been a lot of comics-related news this week. Marvel Entertainment is keeping it going with its serious push into online territory. Marvel just hired former Sony Pictures Digital EVP Ira Rubenstein to head up its new Global Digital Media Group. With big budget high-profile motion pictures like Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk on tap for this summer, what does Rubenstein have in mind for online?

I spoke with Rubenstein yesterday about his plans. Since he just started his new gig, he wouldn’t get too specific about budgets or plans to launch dedicated web series, but he definitely has the Marvel faithful in mind.

Read the rest of this post