15 Craziest Comic Book Retcons
Anyone who reads superhero comics long enough becomes familiar with the term "retcon." Basically, a retcon is any case where new stories change the details of old ones and rewrite the history of that universe. We're seeing the latest example of a major comic book retcon in the pages of Avengers right now. Avengers #676 introduced readers to Voyager, a heroine who is supposedly the forgotten sixth member of the original Avengers team.
Whether or not Voyager is who she claims to be, this is just the latest in a long, often complicated history of Marvel and DC adding new details to classic characters and storylines. From Jean Gey's confusing relationship with the Phoenix to Superboy-Prime's punch heard round the multiverse, here are the 15 biggest and craziest examples of comic book retcons.
Ready Player One: Exclusive New Photo – IGN First
All month long, IGN First is spotlighting the Films to Watch in 2018. Today, we take a look at Warner Bros.' Ready Player One, the science-fiction action film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Ernest Cline's best-selling novel. The film stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, T. J. Miller, Simon Pegg and Mark Rylance.
In the year 2045, things are bad for the people of Earth. Humankind is on the verge of chaos, but folks find solace in OASIS, an expansive virtual reality universe. Created by eccentric genius James Halliday (Mark Rylance), OASIS takes on a new importance when Halliday dies and leaves his fortune to whomever first finds a "digital Easter egg" hidden in the VR world. Enter Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), an ordinary young man who joins the contest and, of course, soon finds himself on a fantastic and dangerous adventure.
Opinion: The Australian Government’s Response to the Video Game Industry Is Garbage
“It all comes down to this. Australian jobs. 21st Century jobs. High-tech, cutting-edge jobs.”
That was Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull earlier this week. In case you’ve entered this article in an optimistic mood let me qualify straight away that he was not talking about Australia’s video game industry. He was talking to the media about Australia’s newly-announced Defence Export Strategy and the government’s plan to grow Australia's defence industry to become a top 10 global defence exporter by 2028.
It’s a big, bold plan supported by a big pile of cash and all outlined in this big, juicy PDF packed with actionable items and brimming with buzzwords.
WoW: Battle For Azeroth Expansion Drops This Summer
Blizzard has finally confirmed a release window for World of Warcraft's next expansion, Battle for Azeroth, which is expected to drop this summer.
That's still a bit vague, what with the last Friday of the season falling on September 21, but the good news is pre-orders are now live.
Players who pre-order receive an immediate level 110 character boost, and can "begin the journey to unlock the expansion’s new playable Allied Races," Blizzard confirmed in an update.
UK Daily Deals: Xbox One X 1TB With Extra Controller, PUBG and Tom Clancy’s The Division for £450
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Xbox One X With Two Games and a Controller for £450
Snag the hottest Xbox One X deal at Argos and save £104.97. Not only will you get an Xbox One X 1TB console, but also Tom Clancy's The Division, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and an extra controller in orange or pink. You need to add everything to your basket separately via the below links.
Vermintide 2 Overhauls Loot System From First Game
Fatshark's sequel to Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide was announced last year and some big gameplay changes are planned for the sequel, including some much-needed improvements to the loot system.
In an interview with PC Gamer, game designer and producer Victor Magnuson said a lot of players felt the loot system in the first game was "too harsh or hard to get good loot." Despite addressing as many of the concerns as they could, ultimately their hands were tied because some elements "were inherent to how the system was built from the start."
Nintendo Switch Outsells Wii U Lifetime Sales in 10 Months
Nintendo's latest console has already outsold the Wii U - and in less than a year, shifting over 14 million units since its March 2017 launch, compared to the Wii U's 13.5 million lifetime sales.
The company's financials are a rousing tale of the Switch's success, which is the fastest-selling home console in US history, and managed to sell a whopping 7.23 million units in the last quarter alone, reaching 14.86 million consoles sold at the end of December.
Australian Government Finally Responds to 2016 Aussie Games Industry Report
The Australian Government has finally issued its response to the 2016 Senate Environment and Communications References Committee report on the future of Australia’s video game development industry.
The brief, 14-page response, which is littered with blank pages and white space, addresses the original report’s eight recommendations. Only one was supported “in principle” (a recommendation that the government should facilitate dialogue between the video game industry and other groups that could potentially benefit from the production of so-called ‘serious games’, like health care, education, and other sectors) but the government stressed that “it considers such developments are an initiative for industry to pursue.”
Looking Back at the Hearthstone World Championship: 5 Next Level Plays
The recent Hearthstone World Championship finals in Amsterdam saw the top 16 players in the world fight it out over four days of competition. There were some absolutely unbelievable games and series’, and while many of the players brought very familiar line-ups, the sheer skill and depth of knowledge on display ensured that it was hugely entertaining.
With that in mind, I thought it might be fun to highlight some of the plays that most impressed me while watching the tournament. These aren’t meant to be definitively the best. Instead, they’re an insight into the high level thinking of the top players, and also a good way for more casual Hearthstone fans to appreciate the incredible depth that this game offers. (More experienced fans can probably skip each “background” section below.)
Watchmen TV Pilot to Be Helmed by Leftovers’ Nicole Kassell
Nicole Kassell has been brought on board to direct the pilot of HBO's potential Watchmen series.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kassell will executive produce the project alongside showrunner Damon Lindelof, who is also writing the script.
This isn't the first time Kassell has worked with Lindelof, as she directed a couple episodes of Lindelof's critically acclaimed HBO series The Leftovers. Check out IGN's "No Room at the Inn" and "It's a Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt World" reviews for our thoughts on her work. Kassell's directorial credits encompass a number of other shows, including Westworld, Vinyl, The Americans, Better Call Saul, and Castle Rock.