Gabbing Geek 51, Battle Lines, is so contentious you’ll think it was a presidential debate where every single candidate is Donald Trump. We talk about corporate wars at Marvel, the latest salvo in the battle of the video streaming giants, our epic Geek Book Club discussion of Armada, and our latest game: Battle Royale. You can start listening to this amazing, ferocious episode right now or jump after the break to find out more!
In a bold move on the streaming video front, Amazon yesterday announced that users of its Amazon Prime Video streaming service (which is part of a Prime annual subscription) can now download videos to mobile devices. They’ve also dropped the word “Instant” from their video offering–perhaps as a nod to the ability to watch a video without streaming it that moment. Downloading videos is currently supported on both the iOS and Android Amazon Video apps but will not be supported on laptop and desktop computers. Not every title will be available for download but Amazon original series (Transgender and others you haven’t heard of) and several key properties that Netflix is about to lose (such as Hunger Games, 24, and Star Trek Into Darkness) are all downloadable today.
Netflix has been the industry leader in the streaming video space for years but Amazon has been pushing back hard both on the pricing option (comparable by itself but there are other benefits to Prime such as free shipping and streaming/downloadable music) and the original programming front. Now that Amazon is pushing the functionality gameboard piece, we will have to wait and see if Netflix responds. Netflix has always said that they would not support downloading content but they also didn’t have a major competitor offering downloads.
Will Amazon Prime Video’s new feature make it attractive to travelers and influencers? Are you more or less likely to use this service now?
Episode 44 of the Gabbing Geek podcast covers Back to the Future reboot news, the new Apple Music service, and the just revealed Spider-Woman #1 cover. Then we discuss some influential LGBTQ characters from geek properties before launching our toughest trivia contest yet! Find out who wins by listening right now or jump after the break to find out more!
Continue reading Gabbing Geek 44: Freedom, Freed ‘Em, And Free Dumb!
While DC and Marvel are the best known of the different superhero producers, they haven’t been the only ones. In 1993, Malibu Comics attempted a superhero line of its own. Called the “Ultraverse,” the books featured a series of characters called “Ultras” who did the superhero thing. There was a Hollywood Superman type called Hardcase, a kid who grew a giant muscled body in some sort of gooey version of Captain Marvel called Prime, and a superhero team made up of seven strangers who were all riding a San Francisco trolley when a mysterious energy beam gave everybody onboard superpowers. That team was called The Strangers.
The most popular of the bunch was arguably Night Man.
Continue reading Slightly Misplaced Comic Book Case Files #24: Night Man
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