Property review: Afro Samurai

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Administrator

Afro Samurai screengrabAfro Samurai

Funimation Entertainment, 2007

Afro Samurai is a concerto of high-quality hack and slash

There were never that many black samurai in history. Save for their fictional counterparts, let’s just say diversity wasn’t the thing in ancient Japan. But for all of that lack of attention to historical detail, Afro Samurai manages to evoke sympathy and more than enough interest with its protagonist and story.

One of the things we’ve come to love about Afro Samurai in the years since its first release and airing are the characters.

True, Afro doesn’t say too much but Ninja Ninja more than makes up for that. Afro is your Afro Samurai coverclassically stoic protagonist who doesn’t say much and chooses to let his actions speak louder than his words ever could. Ninja Ninja is — spoiler alert! — his consciousness, saying the things he wishes he could say out loud and looking like a smaller, more cool version of himself. The dynamic between the two characters, both voiced by the incomparable Samuel L. Jackson, is the meat of the plot and carries the story, though Afro’s quest to own the No. 1 headband and be the No. 1 fighter in the world is important as well.

Make no mistake, though, the duo roaming around chopping people to death in that quest is the draw of the story.

And while the characters are interesting, it’s their stories and history that make the show. How exactly Afro comes into possession of the No. 2 headband and his quest to run from his past of violence and death is riveting. Within five episodes the Empty Seven Clan is introduced and the fights for the No. 2 headband are detailed. The art style of the fights is gorgeous and the soundtrack, composed by the RZA, is worth replaying. Though everything isn’t wrapped up nicely and neatly, the five episodes tell the story at a nice pace and put the action at the forefront where it should be.

We even appreciate the naturally developed ending, which leads to Afro Samurai Resurrection, though it isn’t quite as good as the original. But with a stellar voice cast, beautiful animation and a pretty good plot and soundtrack, Afro Samurai is worth starting from the beginning.

Plot: 10

Animation quality: 10

Casting: 10

Score: 30 out of 30 or 10

HOW WE GRADE

We score the prop­er­ties in three cat­e­gories: Cast­ing (or voice act­ing in cases of ani­mated), plot and sim­i­lar­i­ties to its source mate­r­ial. Each cat­e­gory receives points out of the max­i­mum of 10 and 30 overall.

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Otaku Corner: Tenjho Tenge Vol. 1

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Administrator

Don’t miss a great fighter anime in Tenjho Tenge

Brandon-2012-cutoutWelcome back, readers, to another edition of Otaku Corner. I know that most of you wanted to get back to the battle between Ryuzaki and Light in “Death Note,” but in this edition, I think we all need to take a mental nap from that EPIC battle. For now, let’s take a break from an EPIC game of cat and mouse and enjoy a nice high school anime filled with romance, comedy, and yes, my fellow fighting otaku, plenty of beat downs. Grab some popcorn, get your other favorite anime-viewing snacks and refreshments together and kick back for the first volume of Tenjho Tenge (Heaven and Earth).

Based on the worldwide smash manga series originally appearing in Shuiesha’s V Jump”comics by Oh! Great, and produced by Geneon Entertainment, Tenjho Tenge focuses on 15-year olds Souichiro Nagi and “Bob” Makihara (aka the Knuckle Bombs) who are newly enrolled students at Todou Academy with plans of conquest as they did with their previous schools. However they soon discover that Todou is not some ordinary Japanese high school, but is really a school that was founded to teach and preserve various martial arts. After DESTROYING the senior class, Souichiro and Bob are single-handedly defeated by Maya Natsume, captain of the Juken club and her second-in-command Masataka Takayanagi. Souichiro is then hunted down by Maya’s sister, Aya, Tenjho Tenge dvd coverwho instantly falls in love with Souichiro because of a Natsume woman’s tradition. This sets off events in which the Juken Club is involved in a decades-old feud.

The first four episodes have a strong background story, especially with Souichiro after he was defeated by Masataka Takayanagi that reminds him that losing is never an option. In between the romance and chase of Souichiro by Aya, we learn more about the sisters Natsume who are strong willed but have their own unique abilities. Here’s a heads up: Tenjho Tenge nearly goes beyond the standards of fan service with the panty shots, views of the Natsume sisters’ breasts and the usual tough guy talk and battles that will make its viewers think it’s a cross of Fist of the North Star and Battle Royale but in an acceptable viewing format.

Besides the four episodes, the DVD includes, in addition to upcoming Geneon titles, clean openings and closings with the two main songs. I especially enjoyed having Lyndsey listen to TT’s opening song EVERY episode (yes, my evil plan did work. Editor’s note: No, it didn’t. He thinks it did. That opening — Bomb-a-Head — is one of the worst songs I have ever heard). I want to commend Geneon Entertainment’s U.S. branch for producing and dubbing alongside BangZoom! Entertainment and for choosing the great cast that included Johnny Yong Bosch, Stephanie Sheh (Bleach) and Wendee Lee (Cowboy Bebop) playing their respective roles. In short, Tenjho Tenge Volume 1 gets a 4.

Tenjho Tenge is, without doubt, a mix of all anime high school dramas , but with more kick. I’m very excited that this series will re-release its awesomeness soon thanks to the good folks of Discotek Media since Geneon USA is no longer in business. But for good laughs, martial arts action, high school romance (minus the overused clichés) and fan service, TT is good for you. Now to give the HBJ group their new official theme song, Bomb-a-Head.

Brandon Beatty is editor-at-large for Gaming Insurrection. He can be reached by email at brandonb@gaminginsurrection.com

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Top 5 on The Strip: Asian superheroes

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Administrator

Psylocke

Psylocke

Betsy Braddock wasn’t born Japanese. No, that didn’t happen until she switched bodies with Kwannon, a Japanese assassin. Braddock’s original body was compromised by the Legacy Virus, and Kwannon died. The six-armed mutant Spiral the cause of the mind switch to start with, and whenever Spiral is involved, things never end the way they’re supposed to.

Doctor Light-Kimiyo Hoshi

Doctor Light

Kimiyo Hoshi was an astronomer who happened to be observing a subtle battle between the Monitor and Anti-Monitor. The Monitor activated her as part of his plan to keep the positive universe ahead. Bright, sexy and a doctor? Sign us up for positive sexual healing.

Silver Samurai

Silver Samurai

Keniuchio Harada is the illegitimate son of a Japanese crime boss. He learned he was a mutant and then applied his skills to further his crime aspirations. You can’t say he didn’t put them to good use as a criminal because he later managed to turn over a new leaf and stay on the straight and narrow. Well, until Blindspot forced him to forget that he was a superhero.

Naiad

Naiad

In her human life, Naiad was a protestor in Alaska that was set on fire and killed. After that, she became a powerful elemental force in the DC universe. Not too much can be said about someone who’s basically a part of nature itself. She makes waves wherever she wants. Sea what we did there?

Sunfire

Sunfire

Shiro Yashida comes from the same clan as the Silver Samurai, but is significantly less criminally inclined. He’s neutral, though the fact that he can generate plasma from his body and was listed as one of the “Legendary Twelve” mutants (as an elemental) is important enough that his presence is necessary in quite a few fights. Most of the time, however, he chooses not to get involved in the X-Men’s affairs despite being a member.

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Strip Talk #14: My love of anime began with comics

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Administrator

Lyndsey-101612-cutoutMany a time, my origins as a comic book nerd has come up in this column. And it’s no surprise, given that I spend a lot of time researching my favorite franchises and characters as well as playing various video games involving superheroes and villains teaming up. But what’s a little less well-known about me is my love for anime.

True, you can see some of that fervor spilling over in the Anime Lounge, the newest addition to The Strip. As I’ve pointed out before, I watched a lot of anime when I was in college and didn’t really pick it up again until after the end of my marriage. But, my love for anime really began with comic books. I loved to imagine my favorite characters in cartoon form and what better way than to read manga or watch anime? As it turns out, I preferred my adventures in animated motion form so I stuck with anime mostly, but I have been known to read a little manga in my day.

Comic books paved the way for my love, though, because it was printed material and I loved to read. I still do. Believe it or not, I parlayed my love for samurai and their history into a love for the X-Men that still stands today. That love of the X-Men turned into a need to watch the legendary Fox animated series, which in turn lead me to other series that became anime in the form of Cartoon Network’s Toonami. The long, convoluted chain of like breeding love actually got its start even further back because I originally got into comic books through Archie Comics and the printed tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

So you see, this relationship with comics and roundabout relationship with anime merely began with a simple exposure to mutated amphibians, mutated people with special powers and kids living in Riverdale. How I managed to move from samurai to the X-Men, I’m not sure, but I do know that I equated the group with samurai being farmed out on retainer from a lord — that’d be Charles Xavier — who wanted his interests respected and protected in the world. My fondness of the romance between Archie, Betty and Veronica led directly to my preference for romantic comedy anime and just about any anime dealing with the start of relationships.

It’s amazing how young love can shape future viewing habits.

Lyndsey Hicks is editor-in-chief of Gaming Insurrection. She can be reached by email at gicomics@gaminginsurrection.com

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Anime Lounge #04: Junjou Romantica 1

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Administrator

Junjou Romantica banner

Series: Junjou Romantica

Episodes: 1-12

Premise: Junjou Romantica is broken up into three storylines: Romantica, Egoist and Terrorist. Romantica is the story of main couple Misaki Takahashi and Akihiko Usami, who are brought together by Misaki’s older brother, Takahiro, so that Akihiko can tutor Misaki for college entrance exams. It happens that Takahiro announces at the meeting that he is getting married. Akihiko Anime-Loungeand Misaki are upset for different reasons: Misaki, because it means he is losing his brother somewhat after the death of his parents; Akihiko, because he is in love with Takahiro. Romance commences, with a reluctant Misaki along for the ride. Egoist focuses on Nowaki Kusama and Hiroki Kamijou’s developing relationship. Nowaki is considerably younger than Hiroki, who is a classic Japanese literature professor. Thus, their relationship centers on their everyday struggle to be a couple on equal footing. In Terrorist, Yo Miyagi and Shinobu Takatsuki become reacquainted after the end of Yo’s marriage to Shinobu’s sister. Shinobu is in love with Yo, but Yo doesn’t take him seriously. The resulting relationship between the two is interesting and deals with their pasts as brothers-in-law and their age difference. One protagonist in each couple knows of another in another couple. For example, Akihiko was in a relationship with Hiroki and Hiroki works with Yo.

Is it worth watching?: Yes. If you love romantic stories, this is probably for you. A word of caution, though: If you do not like yaoi, do not watch because the series’ relationships are all between men. If you can get past that, you’ll come to love the characters and their relationship struggles.

Breakout character: Akihiko Usami. I love how the character moves from strange to endearing as he struggles to get Misaki to realize that he loves him and that their relationship is destined to be. He’s funny yet smart, and he’s equal parts strange with an obsession with bears in general.

Funniest episode: Episode 4 — “Fear is often greater than the danger itself” — Misaki gets drunk off chocolates and falls asleep cuddling Akihiko’s shirt. This shows Akihiko that Misaki loves him but isn’t ready to admit to it.

Where it’s going: The second series focuses on the trials and tribulations of the three couples and introduces other characters that will become the focus of spinoff series.

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Strip Talk #13: Let’s talk a minute about comic book movie reboots

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Administrator

Lyndsey Hicks, editor in chief

I am by no means someone who doesn’t love movies. I do, especially those of the comic book variety. I just have this thing where I can’t stand seeing a story done a million times with different people and different takes on the subject.

Let’s start with exhibit A, “Spider-Man.” Now, I sat through “Spider-Man,” “Spider-Man 2” and “Spider-Man 3” because I can look at Tobey Maguire all day long and twice on Sunday. He was perfect as Peter Parker, though the abomination that was “Spider-Man 3” is a whole other topic. But did Spider-Man really need to be remade? No, it didn’t, and I’ll tell you why: The movies were fine the way they were. We didn’t need a fourth movie, and we certainly didn’t need a new franchise because someone at Sony couldn’t come up off some money for Maguire and Sam Raimi.

In exhibit B, I’m looking directly at you, Mr. Frank Castle. Seriously, there have been more Punisher reboots than there have been actual people who saw the Punisher movies combined. The crazy thing is, I loved Punisher: War Zone and I thought Ray Stevenson did an excellent job in the lead role. But I’m of the mind that if Marvel had actually bothered to cast him the first time around or waited to do that Punisher film, there wouldn’t have been three attempts. Let’s face it, the Punisher isn’t that hard to do. You get someone to be sufficiently tortured because of the loss of his family and you make it work well. Mark Harmon manages to accomplish this every week as Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs on “NCIS,” so I’m not understanding how this can’t be made to work in a motion picture of this caliber.

In exhibit C, the X-Men find themselves raising their hands to answer the question of which group of people need not apply for more reboots. Like “Spider-Man,” I’ve seen all of the films in question except for “X-Men: First Class,” and I’m not exactly dying to see it. Why should I? What was the point of redoing “X-Men”? And, who thought it was cute to replace Patrick Stewart? Whoever made that call should be ashamed of themselves. I don’t care how good folks supposedly were in First Class; do not take away my beloved Patrick Stewart. I will not go see your movie.

In the final exhibit, we have Superman. Now, why someone thought ruining the Man of Steel’s legacy as singlehandedly wrought by Christopher Reeve with his bare hands molded from clay of the earth was a good idea, I’ll never know. But ruining Superman’s legacy as wrought by Christopher Reeve with his bare hands was a bad idea, a really bad idea. I have nothing against Brandon Routh who tried and miserably failed to fill Reeve’s shoes, but there will never, ever be another Superman as long as I live and breathe other than the late Mr. Reeve. And I will go on the record now: I realize that Henry Cavill’s fine self has been tapped to play Clark Kent in yet another reboot, but he will fail and fail completely to this child of the ’80s.

My major problem with all of these reboots ― and I’m blaming Marvel for this because they seem to be the worst at this ― is that if it doesn’t work, I have to ask why the companies don’t realize it just isn’t going to work. Rhetorically speaking, if it doesn’t work, why keep banging your head against the proverbial wall trying to force it? It doesn’t make sense to keep trying to find that “right fit” because you’re never going to find it for some projects. In some of these cases, the right fit was found and then torn up because of money, which is usually the root cause of the problem. Because believe me, none of these reboots would have happened without an unlimited supply of money.

Folks, if you’re on your third reboot, maybe it’s time to look elsewhere for that source of comic book gold. Obviously, the ink isn’t subjective to the Midas Touch.

Lyndsey Hicks is editor-in-chief of Gaming Insurrection. She can be reached by email at editor@gaminginsurrection.com

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Otaku Corner #12: Death Note Vol. 5

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Administrator

Death Note heats up in Vol. 5

Brandon Beatty, editor-at-large

Hello readers, and welcome back to “Otaku Corner,” the section of GI that covers quality anime and manga series for those who deserve the best in Japanese animation. Thus, with this great expectation, our motto is “For the otaku, by the otaku!” (patent pending). I’m continuing our coverage of the worldwide smash manga series Death Note, written by Tsugumi Ohba, illustrated by Takeshi Obata and English adapted by Viz Media LLC.

Before I get into the review, I want to give those who have not yet read the manga a quick summary of the story plot: Death Note is the story of Light Yagami, a top student with immeasurable prospects who suffers from an extreme case of boredom. That changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook of death dropped by a shinigami (Japanese god of death) named Ryuk. Any human’s name written in said notebook dies, and after a few uses on known and would be criminals, Light vows to use the Death Note to rid humanity of evil. However, Light’s work does not go unnoticed by law enforcement authorities who, in turn, send world-renowned detective L to stop Light aka Kira.

In volume five of Death Note, Light and L (aka Ryuzaki) are playing masterful-yet-blistering mind games via TV, hidden cameras, police officers and even on a college campus! These actions ultimately led Light and his cohort (yet disposable girlfriend) Misa Amane to be confined by Ryuzaki in separate locations. After weeks in confinement, Light was able to dispose of the Death Note and his memories of using it. As a result, Ryuzaki forces Light’s father, Soichiro who is head of the Kira Task Force to perform a final test of Light’s and Misa’s innocence, which resulted in Soichiro performing a mock execution that not only clear Light and Misa, but also continued the partnership of Light and Ryuzaki. Later on Ryuzaki and company established a new base of operations ( largely bankrolled by Ryuzaki), that with new resources leads the task force to find that Kira has returned; only, this time he’s using his powers to the benefit of the Yosuba Group, an multinational business group.

However, this victorious gain is not without setbacks as Aizawa leaves to return to the NPA because of a disagreement with Ryuzaki, and Matsuda’s near death forces the task force to form a new plan. Fortunately, clear heads prevail, and at the end, readers are introduced to the Kira Eight, a group of men who work for Yosuba who are  dedicated to destroying anyone (including their own members) who would stand in their way to obtain absolute power. This is seen at the very end when one of their members is “sacked,” meaning that poor individual is another victim of Kira.

Fans of Death Note will not be disappointed in the new arc as it forces the main characters to again join forces against Kira in a new persona: Greed. As I continued reading, I realized that these eight men are after power and are determined to use Kira to achieve these goals, instead of simply joining forces to use their combined talents to be a success. Obata-san has again performed the skillful combination of plot and philosophy, this time adding in a mix of corporate corruption. The usual supporting cast of Ryuk and Rem (Misa’s shinigami) make their appearances but do not endanger the new plot, coming in only when absolutely needed. Obata-san’s drawings continue to succeed in keeping the plot fresh, especially when presenting the Kira Eight where one of the men truly has the appearance of a demon. I have, so far, in reading this series, not been disappointed as every new volume has without fail brought the elements of ethics and mystery without being silly. I also would be wrong in not giving Viz Media their lion’s share of the credit, thanks in part to the great translation and adaptation of Alexis Kirsch and the Shonen Jump graphic novel team. This again proves that Viz was the right choice in unleashing Death Note upon the U.S.

Will the Kira Eight prevail? How long will Ryuzaki and Light continue their “alliance?” Will the Death Note claim more lives? And, will Misa succeed in wrapping Light around her little finger? The answers to these burning questions and more are coming in the future of Otaku Corner.

Brandon Beatty is editor at large of Gaming Insurrection. He can be reached by email at gicomics@gaminginsurrection.com

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Anime Lounge #03: Toradora! Ep. 1-12

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Administrator

Series: Toradora!

Episodes: 1-12

Premise: Toradora! revolves around two characters mostly: Ryuuji Takasu and Taiga Aisaka. Ryuuji has a crush on Minori Kushieda, while Taiga has a crush on Yuusaku Kitamura, Ryuuji’s best friend. Ryuuji and Taiga have a run-in on their first day of second year, and later discover that they are next-door neighbors. Ryuuji has an undeserved reputation as a delinquent while Taiga is known as the “Palmtop Tiger” because of her diminutive size and With the mutual goal in mind of capturing the hearts of each other’s best friends, Ryuuji and Taiga decide to team up.

Is it worth watching?: If you love school/romance anime, you’ll probably love Toradora. There are some genuinely funny moments, but darker themes such as abandonment and maturation are explored. The only stumbling block that really came up immediately was the tsundereness (cold outside, warm inside) of Taiga. She kind of grates on your nerves but eventually you learn the reasons behind it. I grew to like the character immensely.

Breakout character: Ryuuji is a scene-stealer, even as a main character. He shines as the voice of reason throughout the first half of the show, and makes an impression as someone who has a lot on his shoulders but manages to keep a level head despite the inequities of his life.

Funniest episode: Episode 1 (Tiger and Dragon) has probably one of the funniest scenes in the series. After Taiga and Ryuuji agree to team up to land their respective crushes, Ryuuji visits Taiga’s opulent apartment next door. The horror that greets him forces him to clean. Taiga is completely helpless when it comes to domestication, and Ryuuji is not. Hilarity in the form of the depths of Ryuuji’s neat-freak nature ensues.

Where it’s going: With the plan to snag their respective crushes in full swing, Ryuuji and Taiga begin to learn something more about their own relationship and how to work with their growing dependence on each other. Taiga’s foil in Ami Kawashima has been introduced, so it’s interesting to see just how far Ami is willing to go to cozy up to Ryuuji, where Kitamura’s feelings have evolved after his previous confession to Taiga and her rejection and just how Minorin feels about Ryuuji.

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Top 5 on the Strip: Spider-Man’s weirdest foes

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Administrator

J. Jonah Jameson

What’s the deal with some dude putting your paycheck in your hands and then constantly snatching it away because he wants to fire you on a whim? We couldn’t work for J.J. Simply put, there’d be a labor dispute, and he’d be sued a million times over. All because he was having a bad day.

Mysterio

Spider-Man’s foes, though grounded in reality most of the time, sometimes give us the distinct impression that there’s problems afoot in the world that we don’t know about and don’t want to know about. Case in point: Mysterio’s head is screwed up, figuratively and literally. All we know is that in one version, he’s a special effects master and in another, he’s an android, sent by the special effects master, from a different dimension. Right.

Venom

Eddie Brock’s version has made our Top 5 list before and for pretty much the same reason: He’s weird and awesome. Anytime you go around screaming “We want to eat your brains,” you make a list of weird. And also, referring to yourself in the plural third-person point of view because your body has bonded with an alien symbiote automatically means you qualify for the crazy.

Doctor Octopus

The guy has four tentacles welded to his back that he can telepathically control to kill. That’s all that needs to be said about him.

Green Goblin

Dear Norman Osborn, We at GI would like to thank you for being sufficiently crazy and paranoid because you mixed chemicals that gave you a green hue and sent you on a killing spree. We do appreciate the myriad crazy attempts you and your (equally crazed) offspring have made over the years to kill Peter Parker. But, please, do us a favor and lose the tights the next time you’re resurrected. Sincerely, Gaming Insurrection folk

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Marvel character highlight #12: Spider-Man

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Administrator

Name: Peter Parker

Affiliation: The Avengers, Future Foundation, Heroes For Hire, New Avengers, Secret Avengers, Superhuman Task Force (pro-registration superheroes), Outlaws, New Fantastic Four, Secret Defenders, mentor to Misfits, Frightful Four, Eddie Brock (Venom), Ben Reilly (Scarlet Spider), Horizon Labs, Daily Bugle, Daily Globe, Front Line, Tricorp Research

Special abilities: A radioactive spider bite gave Parker the abilities of a common house spider. With the arachnid abilities, Parker has superhuman strength and agility as well as secondary abilities that most common spiders have. These include:

1. Wall-crawling

2. Mark of Kaine: He can burn or tear distinctive scars in the faces of others.

3. Superhuman strength: Spider-Man can press lift approximately 10 tons. He can leap several stories in a single bound and must control his punches because a normal thrown punch could possibly kill a human.

4. Superhuman speed

5. Superhuman stamina. He can also hold his breath much longer.

6. Superhuman durability: He is more resistant to some types of injury and can heal faster than normal humans.

7. Superhuman agility, equilibrium and reflexes: He has perfect balance and his reflexes are about 40 times greater than those of a normal human.

8. Foreign chemical resistance:He has a higher tolerance for drugs and diseases than normal humans, and he can recover from the effects of larger doses rapidly.

9. Spider-Sense: Spider-Man possesses an extrasensory “danger” or “spider” sense,” which warns him of potential immediate danger, and links with his superhuman kinesthetics, enabling him to evade most injuries.

10. Radio frequency detection: The spider-sense also enables him to track certain radio frequencies.

Background: Peter Parker was an average student in Forest Hills, N.Y., an orphan living with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben Parker. Peter showed an early aptitude for science but was bullied throughout his school years. During a high school science trip to a laboratory, Peter was bitten by a radioactive spider, which transmitted its mutated venom to Peter through the bite. Peter then began developing spider-like traits and super powers. Parker, as Spider-Man, has battled numerous foes within the Marvel universe throughout his crime fighting career and nearly as many as his civilian alter ego. More recently, Peter has given up existence of his secret identity and life as he knew it through a deal with demon lord Mephisto to protect his family and spare his loved ones from further pain.

Relationships: Richard Parker (father, deceased); Mary Parker (mother, deceased); Benjamin Parker (uncle, deceased); May Parker (aunt); Will Fitzpatrick (grandfather, presumably deceased); Jay Jameson (step-uncle); John Jonah Jameson (step-cousin); Ben Reilly (clone, deceased); Kaine (clone); Spidercide (clone, allegedly deceased); Guardian (clone, deceased); Mary Jane Watson-Parker (ex-wife, ex-fiancée); May Parker (daughter, allegedly deceased); Philip Watson (former father-in-law); Madeline Watson (former mother-in-law); Gayle Watson-Byrnes (former sister-in-law); Venom Symbiote (former symbiote)

First Versus game appearance: Marvel Super Heroes, 1995

Appearances in other media: Spider-Man (2002 film), Spider-Man 2 (2004 film), Spider-Man 3 (2007 film), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012 film), Spider-Man (1967), The Amazing Spider-Man (1977), Spider-Man (1981), Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981), Spider-Man (1994 animated series), Spider-Man Unlimited (1999), Spider-Man: The New Animated Series (2003), The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008), Ultimate Spider-Man (2012), Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (2010 Broadway musical), Spider-Man: From Beyond The Grave (1972 radio show), Spider-Man (1982 video game), Questprobe: Spider-Man (1984), The Amazing Spider-Man (1990 video game), The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin (1990 video game), Spider-Man: The Video Game (1991), The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (1992 video game), Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six (1992), Spider-Man/X-Men in Arcade’s Revenge (1992 video game), The Amazing Spider-Man 3: Invasion of the Spider-Slayers (1993 video game), The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes (1994 video game), Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage (1994 video game), Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety (1995 video game), Spider-Man Animated Series (1995 video game), Spider-Man: Web of Fire (1996 video game), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), Spider-Man: The Sinister Six (1996 video game), Marvel vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (2000), Spider-Man 2: The Sinister Six (2001 video game), Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro (2001 video game), Spider-Man (2002 video game), Spider-Man 2 (2004 video game), Marvel Ultimate Alliance (2006), Spider-Man: Battle for New York (2006 video game), Spider-Man 3 (2007 video game), Spider-Man: Friend or Foe (2007 video game), Spider-Man: Web of Shadows (2008 video game), Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009), Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2010),Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), Spider-Man (2000 video game), Ultimate Spider-Man (2005 video game), Marvel Super Hero Squad (2009) , Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet (2010), Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (2010 video game) and Marvel Super Hero Squad Online (2011), Spider-Man: Edge of Time (2011 video game), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012 video game)

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