Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 DLC Pack Returns

GameFocus: Long story short: Activision did not had a full-time license for the Marvel Ultimate Alliance franchise, meaning that when the license expired, the DLC pack featuring five new characters - Psylocke, Carnage, Black Panther, Magneto and Cable - was removed from both PSN and Xbox Live last December, leaving late adopters with no access to the promised content.

After lots of hate mail and unnecessary comments, HeroHQ confirms the return of the DLC pack:

"We made our case (your fan support helped), begged, pleaded, cajoled and didn’t give up and were able to convince the ‘powers that be’ to bring MUA2 DLC back!! This is really happening.

In terms of timing, now that it’s been approved, we need to coordinate to get this back up on Xbox Live and PSN. As soon as I know definite timing, I will let you know.

And this is important – I want to make sure this is super clear from the beginning – all good things must come to an end and we are only allowed to have the MUA2 DLC back up through the end of 2010. So there will be about a 6 month window to download the content again, and then it will be gone for good. It’s not a strategy and not our choice, this is just what is allowed so I’m giving you all the advance notice I can."

X-Men Legacy #237 Spoilers

The issue starts with Magneto keeping the wave of Nimrods at bay on Utopia. In the future X-Force hits Master Mold hard while Cable and Cypher arrive at Master Mold's "Processing Core". Cypher is found by Master Mold's main intelligence and tells Cypher that he will not be a threat and can easily erase his mind. Back in San Francisco the X-Men fight the Nimrods on the Golden Gate Bridge. Hope and Rogue arrive in time to save Storm and the others. Back on Utopia Magneto uses Utopia to destroy the Nimrods by manipulating the iron buried in it's core. Cypher becomes overwhelmed by Master Mold and it seems as though his mind is going to be completely annihilated. Cypher however is able to trace the pattern of numbers Master Mold is using to destroy him and over ride their flow. He is able to over come Master Mold's hold and shuts him down completely. Back in San Francisco the Nimrods all fall mid battle with the X-Men. X-Force finds Cable and Cypher, Cypher is unconscious but still breathing. X-23 attempts to step through Bastion's portal leading to the past, but she is nearly killed. Nothing organic can pass through the portal. In San Francisco, Hope confronts Cyclops about sending Cable into the future knowing they have no way of returning. Cyclops tells her that he did what he did to save everyone and Cable was aware of the situation. Hope still upset yells at Cyclops and still doesn't agree with what he's done. Suddenly something begins to emerge from Bastion's portal. Cable slowly comes through, over taken completely by the techno organic virus. Bastion along with Creed and Lang watch from a distance. Bastion mentions that while they have defeated Master Mold and the Nimrods, they are still trapped inside the dome with him.

Notes: There is no Psylocke in this issue. :(

X-Men: Vampires Will Never Hurt You

While we're short on news, here's some more from X-Men #1.

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X-Men Legacy #237 Preview

Cover by: Adi Granov
Writer: Mike Carey
Pencils: Greg Land
Inks: Jay Leisten
Colored by: Justin Ponsor
Lettered by: VC's Cory Petit
Variant Cover by: David Finch

The Story: SECOND COMING, Chapter 12
X-Force cuts their way through a dangerous future trying to cut off Bastion’s armies at the source. They better hurry as the X-Men in the present are falling left and right.

In Stores: June 23, 2010

New Mutants #14 Spoilers & Art

Spoilers: The issue starts with Xavier entering Legion's mind. Xavier asks Legion to join him outside for a moment. Legion is under the impression that is isn't supposed to leave his "room". Xavier reassures Legion that he is not a prisoner on Utopia and that it's okay. Legion asks why they need him. Xavier tells him he needs all the dangerous personas that live in his psyche. Outside Utopia Cyclops rallys all the remaining mutants and asks them to step up and fight for the survival of mutant kind and he tells them that they're all X-Men that day. Rogue finds Hope crying. Rogue asks if Cable taught her not to cry, Hope tells her that he didn't mind when she cried, but to cry later. Hope tells Rogue she won't stand around and let people die on her behalf and asks Rogue to join her on the battlefield. The X-Men can barely fend off the Nimrods and they realize they're coming faster and faster. Colossus' arm is wounded by one of the Nimrods and he tells Cyclops they need more help. In the future X-Force locates and infiltrates the Master Molds location. Back in the past the Nimrods are ready to destroy Colossus as Legion and Xavier arrive in time to save him. Legion is easily able to destroy groups of Nimrods at once. At that moment Cyclops finally arrives with a group of X-Men. (Psylocke included) In the future X-Force continues their mission they realize that there are two Master Molds and only one is producing Nimrods. Suddenly though the second Master Mold becomes active, Wolverine tells them they have to worry about both now. Back on Utopia a group of mutants (Scalphunter, Random, Sack) decide to join and help fight the Nimrods. Toad tells them not go because the Nimrods are no longer attacking Utopia. Suddenly a group of Nimrods appear and destroy Sack. In Utopia's infirmary the security alarm goes off Beast decides to leave and fight, Magneto in a weak state gets up and tells him to watch the other wounded and he will see to their enemies.

Notes: Psylocke appears in only one page and has no dialogue.

X-Solicits for September 2010

X-Men #3
Written by: Victor Gischler
Penciled by: Paco Medina
Cover by: Adi Granov
Variant Cover by: Marko Djurdjevic
Variant Cover by: Gabriele Dell’otto
“Mutants Versus Vampires,” Part 3
In a desperate bid to fend off an endless horde of vampires, the X-Men do the unthinkable: They resurrect Dracula. Will the former Lord of the Vampires go along with Cyclops’ scheme to take down Dracula’s upstart son, Xarus? Meanwhile, Wolverine sets off to rescue Jubilee, unaware of the chilling transformation she has undergone. To attempt to free his former teammate, Wolverine must embark down his darkest path yet.

Uuncanny X-Men #528
Written by: Matt Fraction
Penciled by: Whilce Portacio
Cover by: Terry Dodson
“The Five Lights”
Second Coming is nearing it’s end, so you’ll soon get all kinds of info as to what’s coming from Matt Fraction (Iron Man) and Whilce Portacio (Hulk). Here’s something to whet your appetite- Kitty Pryde & Emma Frost’s first encounter since Kitty took her trip in a bullet. Part 3 (of 5)



Wolverine: The Road To Hell #1
Written by: Jason Aaron, Marjorie Liu, Rick Remender & Daniel Way
Penciled by: Guiseppe Camuncoli, Will Conrad, Renato Guedes & Jerome Opeña
Cover by: Mico Suayan
This September, Wolverine starts down the road to hell and we want to take you along for the ride…it all starts here! With all new material by the creative teams bringing you Wolverine, X-23, Daken: Dark Wolverine and X-Force, The Road to Hell is packed with clues and signposts to help you find your way through the brand-new launch of Wolverine’s own family of books! You won’t want to miss it, because bonus material includes a second look at the first issue of Namor the First Mutant #1 and an exclusive preview of the November launch of an ALL NEW X-BOOK! You won’t want to miss it!

X-Men: Curse Of The Mutants - X-Men VS. Vampires #1 (of 2)
Written by: Various
Art by: Various
Cover by: Nick Bradshaw
Lock your doors, board up the windows, arm yourselves with stakes and sunlight…and it still won’t protect you when the vampires stalking the X-Men set their sights on you! The X-Men have their work cut out for them as they‘re pitted against a terrifying new clan of vampires in all the B-movie-styled glory we can print in four colors! Baby, this is one comic book with bite! Four brand new tales of horror await PLUS the first part of Night Screams, from Uncanny X-Men #159, the classic tale of Storm’s struggle with Dracula himself by Claremont and Sienkiewicz!

Origins Of Marvel Comics: X-Men #1
Written by: Chris Yost, Mike Carey, Peter David, & Others!
Penciled by: Greg Land, Mark Brooks, Nick Bradshaw, Jill Thompson & Others!
Cover by: Mike Del Mundo
The origins of your favorite X-Men written and drawn by the best in the industry collected in one place! Cyclops! Wolverine! Magneto! All the big characters’ origins boiled down to one beautiful page that every reader will cut out and tape up on their wall!

New Mutants #14 Preview

Cover by: Adi Granov
Writer: Zeb Wells
Pencils: Ibraim Roberson
Inks: Lan Medina
Colored by: Brian Reber
Lettered by: VC's Joe Caramagna
Variant Cover by: David Finch

The Story: SECOND COMING, Chapter 11

The X-Men are losing the battle against the Nimrods and Cyclops knows it. Desperate times call for desperate measures and no measure is more desperate than enlisting a mutant with multiple personalities, each possessing its own power. That’s right, Legion is let out of prison to fight on the X-Men’s side.

In Stores: June 16, 2010

Uncanny X-Men #525 Spoilers & Art

Spoilers: The issue starts with Hope confronting Cyclops about sending Cable into the future. She tells him that she hates him more than anything for killing her "father" and her eyes begin to glow red. Hope storms off and Cyclops tells Emma that Hope's eyes looked just like his. Cut to San Francisco outside the dome. The Fantastic Four arrive as the Avengers do and they begin to analyze the dome. Dr. Nemesis and Iron Man inform us that the dome is "impregnable" nothing can get in or out and the X-Men are going to be killed soon by the Nimrods. The X-Men (including Psylocke) fend off the Nimrods in the city, meanwhile in the future X-Force realize that all the X-Men are dead in that future. Cypher informs X-Force that Bastion's forces are sending the strongest Nimrod's to the past and five at a time. Back in the present Cyclops orders Xavier to bring Legion into the fight against the Nimrods and asks Rogue to protect Hope on Utopia. The Avengers, Fantastic Four and the X-Club realize they can't destroy the dome. Dr. Nemesis predicts that everyone inside the dome will be dead in a few hours.

Psylocke Spoilers: Betsy only appears in that one page where she takes down the Nimrod with Iceman. Fantomex finishes the Nimrod off after Iceman freezes it.

X-Men #1 First Look

Uncanny X-Men #525 Preview

Cover by: Adi Granov
Writer: Matt Fraction
Pencils: Terry Dodson
Inks: Rachel Dodson
Colored by: Justin Ponsor
Lettered by: VC's Joe Caramagna
Variant Cover by: David Finch

The Story: SECOND COMING, Chapter 10
Things have never been worse for the X-Men. They're stuck in an impregnable dome of Bastion's creation. As if that's not bad enough, inside this dome is a portal to the Days of Future Past timeline through which thousands of Nimrod Sentinels are pouring. Cyclops has sent Cable, Cypher and X-Force on a suicide mission into the future to destroy the portal, but do they stand a chance?

In Stores: June 9, 2010