Everybody knows....

....that Rick rocks. I regularly get asked..'why does Rick rock so hard..?' Nobody knows, all you need know is 'Rick Rocks.'

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Brand new exclusive range of Marvel caps, all going now for a measly £15, grab one whilst you still can....

Iron AirForce

Art by Rudey

Latest custom trainers to roll out of Stark Industries.....SOLD..!!

It's the SupaMuthaFkinVillain ya'heard…

Words by GiT

Beef Rap plays in the background as I try to gather my thoughts, but I can't help but get sucked in, it samples the Doom march from the 80's Spiderman animated series, my introduction to Spiderman, and my favourite supervillain Dr.Doom. Must… concentrate…..

As a kid I couldn't afford to buy comics, I had to read what I could around mates' houses, and the only cartoons I saw were those on terrestrial TV. It says a lot for the power of Spiderman and Marvel that with the minimal exposure I got, I'm still hooked to this day. So much so, that I left a cushy 9-5 to come work at a place where I can indulge my Marvel madness to my hearts content. Spiderman & Marvel aren't top of my lists of likes though, that spot is securely taken by all things musical, so you can imagine my excitement when in the year 2000 (a year after it's release) I stumbled across an LP named 'Operation Doomsday.' The cover features Dr.Doom holding a mic, I had to buy it there & then even though I knew nothing about the MC.

I sacked off everything I had to do that day, went to see Quinton then quickly hurried home. From that day on Hip-Hop changed drastically for me, for the better that is. It was only many months later that I made the connection that this was actually Zev Love X from KMD, already an established favourite of mine. Most people into Hip-Hop are now aware of who MF DOOM is, his background, the beef with Grimm & M.I.C, his discography and the loss of his brother, so I won't bore you with all the details.

What I wanna talk about is the cheeky, nah scratch that, the arrogant genius of the man & his new strategy. I first became aware of this new ploy whilst reading the stonesthrow message board STMB, it seems he ain't been turning up to his shows. Worse still, it's been reported that not only has he no showed, but he's sent an impostor in his place. Not only do you pay for a show where the MC doesn't show, but he sends an impostor that lip syncs to a cd, bare faced cheek.

Let it be known that a lot of message boards are filled with whiney little bitches, you can imagine the response that this line of action from DOOM got. Ok fair enough, I wouldn't be best pleased if I'd spent my hard earned money to see a show and the act didn't turn up, but you have to love the genius of it. This is the same man who was selling 'collectors edition' paper masks at his shows, all marked on the reverse with '001 of a 1000 run', you can't help but love that. And this new strategy is a villainy masterpiece, whilst he's kicking back plotting his next act of debauchery, his impostor army are out gathering funds to further finance more sinful deeds.

'Why am I so amused by this' you might ask..? Because, he's DOOM, he's the baddest villain the world has ever known, what else would you expect from him? Free sweets with every LP, hell no, you're more likely to take off the shrink wrap and get blasted with toxic gas. Many rappers have taken on personas, but has anybody ever immersed themselves in it so thoroughly before..??? I think not… I can't help but recall the line when DOOM raps to his deceased brother Subroc 'everything's going according to plan man'. Is this another stage to the villains dastardly plot..??? Will DOOM take the world by storm with his forthcoming 'DOOMposter' LP. Who knows, one things for sure, I'll be getting a legitimate copy, I'm happy to fund this brand of villainy… 'Stay tuned for more spine tingling adventures of……'

SO, a million angry posts, a dissolved marriage, and resurrected best friend later, how is everyone feeling?

Words by Lyle Pollard

All right, I've been waiting until I had something to really rant about that WAS NOT the Spider-Man and Mary Jane marriage-Retcon. Really I have. It took awhile, and I came up with some real ways of totally avoiding the topic. Then, after I thought about it, I figured, I may as well talk about the proverbial "elephant in the room". There's no point tap-dancing around it. It's been on the news. It's been in the papers. It's all over the internet. I thought it wise to get this off of my chest, and move on.

So here we go!

First off, you should know that I'm a huge fan of the Spider-Marriage. When I first really got into comics, it was in 1991, and Spidey had been married for 3 years. It was how I came into it, and I had no problem with it. I accepted this as Spider-man, and it never once aged him in my eyes to have him married. I was 11, and it seemed fine.I watched Peter and Mary Jane go through their trials and tribulations, and they had a child who was stillborn, and they worked through a lot. They split up, they worked it out, and, with JMS at the helm, the marriage was even INTERESTING to read about again. It had been a long and wonderful trip. Then came an interview with Joe Quesada.

"I don't think the Spider-Marriage works. We need to get rid of it." (I'm paraphrasing, of course)

The thought astounded me. He said it aged him? He said that it made Peter Parker a character that no one could relate to? What was wrong with it? It was one of the longest standing marriages in comics aside from Reed Richards and Sue Storm! Why end it? Were the writers that incompetent? Were they THAT hindered by not having a Peter that could play the field? I couldn't do anything but lash out in disbelief that they would even consider it. Killing her would age the character more, so would divorce, so the marriage was safe, right?

Then came "One More Day".The fans knew something was amiss when the solicitation read about the "controversial" Spider-Marriage and "resolving" the status of it "forever". Message board after message board was filled with the angry, the level-headed, and the indifferent. Some saying that it would be horrible no matter what, some saying that it would be worth a chance, and some saying that they didn't care, so long as it was well-written. Then there were the few who were just thrilled to have the marriage gone.
It was discussed, it was argued, and it was formulated how such a thing as a marriage would be undone without killing off Mary Jane or without them divorcing. Everything from mind-wipes to acts of God were discussed, and it all boiled down to (what most people feel, anyways) to be the most ridiculous explanation possible: A deal with Mephisto, Marvels embodiment of the devil.SO, a million angry posts, a dissolved marriage, and resurrected best friend later, and how is everyone feeling? Betrayed? Bitter? Hopeful? Tired?

All have been felt by the fanbase, and there's no need to reiterate all of those arguments here. We've heard them all, and I've said a good portion of them. So, what happens now?Now we have a "Brand New Day", literally and figuratively. We have a look at a new status for our wall-crawler, new supporting cast, and some of the best creative teams out there, including the man that ALL Spider--fans have been wanting for years: Dan Slott! So, how are things, now?
Well, after having read the first part and being as unbiased as I can, All I can say is that the story isn't bad. It's actually pretty good. It's hard, almost impossible to read it without thinking of the context in which this new status quo originated, but if you can, you're likely to enjoy it. Multitudes of people seem to be buying it, and a lot of people seem to care less.

Which one you are depends entirely on who you are I suppose. Go to your local comic shop, pick up a copy, and read it right there in the store. Ask your clerk at the desk what he thinks, discuss, then decide whether or not to buy it. If you read it, and it grabs you, then hand over your money. If it seems like something you don't want to be a part of, then just put the book down, and walk away. The world will not end if you miss that one issue of Amazing Spider-Man. I promise you. Still, if you are any kind of Spider-Man fan, you should at least read it.

I will guarantee you one thing, and it's one thing that everyone can agree upon: Spidey will still be there, whether you agree with the changes or not. It may change back, it may change again in a different way. Who knows? Either way, he'll still be there.

I hope that takes care of the big creature in the living room....and hopefully, we'll be able to discuss something else that hasn't been brought up everywhere on the planet next time!

(Hash’s note: While Lyle hit all the points correctly, I think that there’s a couple of things I should mention. 1^st off, while all of fandom has always loved the marriage by about 95% myself included, within the comic industry, it’s always been a huge argument between writers whether it works or not. But Marvel EIC Joe Quesada’s actions ended up being far more than just erasing the marriage. Pete and MJ make a deal with the devil to save May’s life, and the devil asks for their marriage because of it’s ‘purity,’ Sorry, but this is a Spider-Man comic, this is so far out there, it’s too weird.

Also, Pete and MJ making a deal with the devil!? What kind of people are they? Not the ones I’ve read about for my whole life. But Quesada had another mission, he felt that Pete and MJ were way to old now, claiming they were now in their early 30’s. Which I think is BS, but whatever. So now, he’s erased their marriage, but all the past stories supposedly stay the same. But also now, he’s de-aged Peter to the point where he’s just finished his science degree @ uni, which places him somewhere in his mid 20’s. Which doesn’t seem like the worst idea, but it doesn’t make any sense. On top of that, he brought his best friend/worst enemy Harry Osborn back from the dead. Harry died nearly 20 years ago in our time, and had one of the most touching deaths in comic history. Not only does it piss on the story, but how does it make sense again with all the past stories? Apparently he’s back from rehab, and doesn’t remember his Dad is the Green Goblin… But does he remember he was the Green Goblin since 1972!???

Also, Flash Thompson doesn’t remember anything, hasn’t got the brain damage he’s suffered from the last 7 years. There’s new girls, (who have apparently been around for a while!?) and Pete and MJ have had a break for some reason… And Pete has moved back in with Aunt May, and is looking for a job. Aunt May remembers NOTHING AT ALL. Which is a huge mistake… May had become FAR more interesting than she had ever been in history, after JMS handled the ‘reveal,’ between them SO well. For the 1st time ever, I really didn’t wish for May to be gone! Oh yea, and it looks like they’ve turned MJ into a super hero, ughh.

BUT, and this is a BIG BUT, JQ seems to have something ready for the GIGANTIC backlash that is on now. They’ve got a back door at the end of One More Day, so it can all turn back to normal. On top of that, the creative teams for a ‘thrice monthly,’ Amazing Spider-Man comic are insane! Writers-wise they’ve got the immensely talented Dan Slott, co-creator/script writer of Back to the Future! : Bob Gale, as well as the shit hot Marc Guggenheim and Zeb Wells. Art-wise, fresh from Civil War; Steve McNiven, industry giant Phil Jiminez, graffiti influenced graphic designer Chris Bachalo, and the fantastic Salvador Larroca.

As insulted as I am from the ‘change,’ pissing history, and the overall lack of respect for Spider-Man Mytho’s-which until now was the strongest of ANY long running super hero-the offering on the table right now seems to good to pass up. So I’m telling myself that ‘it’s only a comic book, go pick it up!.’ Although, it better be something truly amazing, otherwise I’ll join the huge worldwide tribe of people that will quit their fave hero. Seriously, go to youtube and type in One More Day Spider-Man, you’ll find TONS of people showing distaste and even BURNING the comics! Given it’s a bit far… But it goes to show the dangerous water Marvel are treading with Spidey right now! Hash rant over, sorry Lyle!)

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next crime!

Highburn Studios

www.highburn.com

Unreal Tournament 3 Competition

Words by Saj Ismael

So it's a rainy Saturday morning. There's no food in the house and the only thing on TV is yet another episode of Friends. Life is hard, but thanks to your pals at Urban Species, there is a solution. Take out your weekend blues with a pistol in your hand and with mindless aliens yurning for an ass-whooping. Behold Unreal Tournament 3 on PC!

Unreal Tournament 3 marks the return of the world's premiere first-person shooter to the PC, and its debut on PlayStation(R) 3. The threequel unleashes the full power of Unreal Engine 3, taking graphics, gameplay, and challenge to a whole new level. Players engage in intense battles with other human players online, or against Unreal artificial intelligence that sets the industry standard. With the most powerful futuristic weapons and vehicles available, this is FPS action at its best!

To be in with a chance of winning a copy of the game on PC, just tell us which one of these games is not a first-person shooter. Is it:

A) Halo 3
B) Goldeneye
C) Mario Kart

Send your entry to info@urbanspecies.co.uk

If you're gonna do the 80's.......

Words by Paul Aston

So we've finally hit 88mph. The Delorean has left its burning tracks and where are we? The 80's. The goddamn 1980's. Like mirror image Star Trek movies, everyone knows that the only good decades are the odd ones.

"But it's retro" I hear you cry, and so it is. "It's cool, just look at the colours", that too is true. There really are the colours. All the colours of the neon artists bin. I think you're missing the point.

Look at the last great retro revival, the 70's. It kicked off in the 90's when, like the 70's there was a new kind of dance music and new drugs sweeping the nation. That was good, we were riding the wave of chemicals and beats and were looking for a little guidance. The 70's provided that with a loose attitude to sexual morals, a love of booty shaking and no small amount of wicked visuals. It was, as the Dame said, a case of history repeating itself.

So what do we have now that warrants such a fascination with a decade that paradoxically birthed both the businessman and the bankrupt? Is it the culture? Is it the prolific amount of cheap cocaine? Or, like that bad old times? is it that we are so culturally bankrupt we're looking to the US for our cool? And this is the thing, the US is leading the way in comics, movies and TV. Especially TV. If you think about it, the only must watch things, the only things that set you apart from your fiends are the cool shows from the US that you found first. It's the modern day equivalent of the dad who goes to the states on business and brings back a pair of Nike Air Jordan Trannyfuckers for his kid, six months before everyone else gets them.

But, if you want to be trip down memory lane, take a Strawberry double dip, take a Purple Ohm. Wear your baggiest pants, cut your hair into a big fat bowl and get nicely toasted. You see, mercifully, the 80's produced the best thing ever, the so called Second Summer of Love. A time of ground breaking musical and cultural convergence, both indy kids and ravers would find themselves in a field, loved up and creating a scene that so scared the government they passed laws to try and stop it. THAT was proper retro, take the idea of free love and drugs and do it with the street smarts of the new generation.

You see, I'm not just writing this because of the visceral urge I feel to disembowel the 19 year old Nathan in the Frankie Says t-shirt down Brick Lane. I'm writing this because I was fucking there, and I don't want to go back.

You're so close, and if you want to do the 80's. Do them goddamn right.