Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD (1998 television film)

**Once, a loooong time ago, the Marvel brand was not the cinematic behemoth that it is now. Yes, youngsters, there was a time before X-Men, Iron Man and Blade. Novelist Brian Baer took a 90-minute look into that dark time recently and came back with this dispatch of what he witnessed.**

The 90's was a weird period for Marvel. Between the chromium covers and bankruptcies, the company had found success in animated series, namely with X-Men and Spider-Man. They attempted to spin that momentum into live-action properties in 1996 with a made-for-TV movie/pilot for a Generation X TV series. That show wasn't picked up, but in 1998, they gave it another try with an adaptation of their long-running super-spy, Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD.

PANEL TO PIXELS: The Wolf Among Us (2014 video game)

**Panel to Pixels is a new column that will examine video game adaptation of comic books. I've discussed video game's take on specific characters only a couple of times in the past. And really, I had always figured this blog would focus on film and television. However, after playing this game I felt the need to share it. And once the flood gates are open, you know how it goes...**

Comic books and video games have had a long history together. Sadly, that history has largely been marred with sloppy, second-rate productions that are more about cashing in on a licensed character than they are about making a decent game (Superman 64 immediately springs to mind). That said, there have been some shining examples of how good a comic book video game can be. The Arkham series has created a bankable franchise out of Batman and his ever-expanding rogues' gallery and a game based on X-Men Origins: Wolverine ended up being far, far better than the film of the same name. Again, those are the rarities. Whenever a comic-based game is announced it's always met with a healthy dose of skepticism, even if the company working on it has a proven track-record in designing top-notch licensed content.

COMMENTARYCAST: Blade (1998 DVD)

Blade is the first new CommentaryCasts to be posted in this new format. Starring Wesley Snipes, this 1998 film is the first to kick-off the modern "Golden Age" of comic book films. That's especially interesting since the studio that released it, New Line, didn't promote it as such. It's not too odd considering the cinematic pedigree of movies based on comics at the time (and let's not forget that this was only a year after the Great Bat-Implosion...also called Batman and Robin). But it's cool to see the cinematic juggernaut that comic book movies (and Marvel especially) have become, with much thanks going to the strong foundation that Blade laid. Brian and I discovered that even with dated cgi, it's still an incredibly entertaining action flick.