SDCC '22: Marvel Studios Animation Panel News: I Am Groot, Spider-Man, What If?, Marvel Zombies, and X-Men '97

 

San Diego Comic-Con is indeed the mecca of all things in the world of hobbies and popculture, so it comes as no surprise we've been bombarded with a ton of news online from the folks at Marvel Studios - who held their Marvel Studios Animation panel today and talked about the upcoming animated shows hitting in the next two years - namely I Am Groot, Spider-Man: Freshman Year, What If...? Season 2, Marvel Zombies, and X-Men '97!

Thanks to Comic Book Movie, a live blogging recap of the entire panel was handled on site, with previews and information of these upcoming shows shares with those in attendance as well as the world.

The first trailer and poster for the 5 episode "I Am Groot" series has landed online, with the series hitting Disney + on August 10. Additional episodes are being produced as well.

Spider-Man: Freshman Year will debut on 2024. Still and first looks were shown. It will feature a ton of supporting characters like Nico Minuro of the Runaways, Harry Osborn, and Amadeus Cho, as well as villains like Rhino, Scorpion, and Doc Ock. The series takes place before Captain America: Civil War, and a "Spider-Man: Sophomore Year" is already in development.

Peter Parker and Spider-Man’s appearance in Spider-Man: Freshman Year. #SDCChttps://t.co/taavQtaKjd pic.twitter.com/K3081kUuPe

— BD (@BrandonDavisBD) July 22, 2022

Spider-Man: Freshman Year will include Nico Minuro of the Runaways, Lonnie Lincoln, Amadeus Cho, Harry Osborn, and more.

It is set before Captain America: Civil War.https://t.co/taavQtaKjd pic.twitter.com/9MR4UlMEfy

— BD (@BrandonDavisBD) July 22, 2022

Oh, and Charlie Cox will also be in the series and lending his voice to reprise his role as Daredevil. Doctor Strange will be appearing in the series as well.

Daredevil will appear in Spider-Man: Freshman Year, played by Charlie Cox! #SDCC https://t.co/taavQtaKjd pic.twitter.com/OHQ2OTeuKW

— BD (@BrandonDavisBD) July 22, 2022

Marvel's What If...? Season 2 will be released on early 2023. A third season is already in development, and yes the Marvel Zombies are also getting their own series as well.

And finally, X-Men '97 comes to Disney + on Fall 2023! Picking right where the original series leftt off, Magneto will lead the team on behalf of his friend Charles Xavier, and familiar allies will appear such as Bishop, Cable,  Morph, and Forge, and enemies such as Mr. Sinister, The Hellfire Club, and more. You can check out the images via Comic Book.com.

Marvel teases "Civil War" and "Age of Ultron/ Marvel Zombies" crossovers for 2015

After announcing to the world in this past weekend's New York Comic Con that they were going to bring a new "Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars" crossover event in May 2015, Marvel is further upping the ante by teasing even MORE events that revisit past ones and may further establish that something big is going to go down next year, where Avengers: Age of Ultron hits theaters and more of the Marvel Universe's landscape changes drastically.

The teaser seen on top (via Superherohype) of course is revisiting the classic 2006-2007 comic book event called "Civil War", which was written by Mark Millar and illustrated by Steve McNiven. The event saw a "Superhero Registration Act" enacted that divided the hero community and saw Iron Man champion the pro-registration team while Captain America rebelled and fought with the anti-registration side. Spider-Man was caught in the middle, and initially sided with Iron Man until tragic events made him defect to Cap's side. Unfortunately he revealed his secret identity to the world, and lots of changes were done to the Marvel Universe when all was said and done.

How this 2015 teaser speaks about revisiting a classic, we'll just have to wait and see.

On the flip side, Marvel also released a teaser image of a "Age of Ultron/ Marvel Zombies" crossover (via CBR).

What does it all mean? Again, we will find out soon enough from the House of Ideas themselves.

Yakuza/ Ryu Ga Gotoku has Zombies?!

Once I popped online to check on the gaming news, I see this eye-opening post over at Kotaku:

It appears that newest game in Sega's action crime Ryu Ga Gotoku/ Yakuza series is adding zombies to the mix... yes, ZOMBIES! This must be why the latest entry is called "Yakuza: Of The End", since it has hordes of the undead roaming around the streets of a destroyed Kamurocho. As Kotaku states, this pic was confirmed and shown in the latest issue of Famitsu, and several other scans show the Japanese Self Defense Force trying to contain the situation as best they can. The plot sounds a lot like Resident Evil 2 and High School Of The Dead to me. But hey, even if it's far-fetched, if you have Kazuma Kiryu beating up zombies senseless and dating/ saving hot hostess girls at the same time, I'm in!

No release date has been given for the new Yakuza game yet in Japan. Expect more details to arise (pun intended) soon.

Watch Out For The High School Of The Dead!

I'm a fan of the zombie genre, and it's been picking so much steam over the last few years that I couldn't be more excited of the things to expect in the coming months ahead. With Robert Kirkman's seminal graphic novel series "The Walking Dead" getting the TV Series treatment and Capcom's Dead Rising 2 shuffling closer and closer, zombies are still the ever the "in thing" as far as monsters and survival horror stories are concerned. However, there's new blood that I recently learned about from a friend that I want to explore, and it involves the anime series adaptation of a long running and currently published manga that deals with Japanese High School students banding together to fight the zombie apocalypse that threatens their very lives. Guess what the title of this is:




Yes. With a title like that, I'm game and it'll work for me!

The premise sounds awfully like your typical zombie story, laced with love, action, and social commentary. This time, however, it's done in wonderful Japanese animation, as a anime series, I'm all eyes and ears as I enjoy that genre very much as well. Written by Daisuke Sato, HSOTD follows a 17 year old kid named Takashi Komuro, who notices the initial signs of the outbreak and does what he can to avoid it and survive. However, he has to band together with several other people from his high school, including his childhood friend and love interest Rei Miyamoto, in order to increase their chances for survival. Throw in their 26 year old school nurse, and you got one heck of a survival horror team that shades of the game Left 4 Dead and even comedic zombie flick Shaun Of The Dead! Hey, anything can happen when it comes to anime, and you'd best check out the opening of this one!

High School Of The Dead Anime Opening
Now, for the PV!

High School Of The Dead Anime PV
Animated by Madhouse (Trigun), High School Of The Dead premiered in Japan last July 5 and is scheduled for 12 episodes.

Prepare For... Night Of The Living Trekkies!

This concept is... Fascinating.

As posted in io9, the publisher of the infamous "Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies" novel will be releasing a new tale of brains, brains, and MORE BRAINS by mixing things up with a little "Star Trek" flavor to it! Entitled "Night Of The Living Trekkies", the story's going to be about the living dead invading a Star Trek convention. When all hell breaks loose, a band of Trek fans have to band together "to seek out life" and protect themselves, using their wits, strengths, and every Trek knowledge they have to get out alive, be it with phasers or the Klingon way! This is so fun a concept that I can hardly contain my excitement, and I can't wait to read it once it's out!

For more info on Brains and Starships, check out the post on io9. Excelsior!

Marvel Zombies... Animated?!XD

While browsing the web, I happened to catch these interesting youtube vids from a fellow pop culture friend of mine who found them on the web. Anyone familiar with the 1966 Marvel Toon's will remember that infamous Captain America show with the catchy music.


Now, imagine that paired together with Colonel America from the Marvel Zombies universe, and what do you get?

Colonel America throws his Gory Shield!XD

EXACTLY.XD Here's the Marvel Zombies version of the Mighty Thor intro. Goryific!XD

The God of Hunger, Mighty Gore!XD