And there came a day, a day unlike any other, when Earth’s mightiest heroes and heroines found themselves united against a common threat. On that day, the Avengers were born—to fight the foes no single super hero could withstand! 

Yesterday in select cities nationwide, thousands of people were treated to a back-to-back marathon screening of all six Marvel Studios films. From Iron Man all the way to the midnight premiere of The Avengers, this epic, butt-busting extravaganza was sold as THE best way to celebrate the arrival of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

The roster of films was impressive, but the time commitment was daunting. For true Marvel movie fans was this celebration a good thing? Is the act of subjecting yourself to hours upon hours watching these films worthwhile? Does it diminish the quality or enhance the context when you watch them all back-to-back?

These were all questions I had to ask myself before settling in on my seventeen hour quest through the Marvel Movie-verse, and they were all questions that were answered quite emphatically by about the fifth hour.

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One of my goals this year for PAX East was to play every single game featured in the Boston Indie Showcase, a hand-picked collection of excellent mobile games created by independent developers. After checking out all the other games featured in the showcase, I was excited to see what Not Without You had in store for me on the show floor.

Out of all the games in the Boston Indie Showcase, most of which were very puzzle-heavy, Not Without You was definitely the most challenging of them all.

The blue furry creatures of Not Without You need your help escaping from the lab, which would be easy peasy, if the creatures didn’t move in tandem with one another. Using the environment and obstacles placed in your way, your task is to arrange these creatures in the right formation to lead them out of the lab doors in as few moves as possible.

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There’s a lot at PAX East, which takes place this upcoming weekend, to be excited for- the show floor will be jam packed with tons of exciting games, the concerts at night will be rockin’, and there’s endless free play areas for console, PC, tabletop, and card games.

But one other thing you should definitely make some time for is the panels- they’re a chance to catch up with some of your favorite people in the industry, learn more about making videogames a career, or ask your favorite developer or community manager a question. Here’s some of the panels I’m most excited for this weekend.

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PAX East rapidly approaches, which means you’re probably starting your packing list right about now. And whether you’re a PAX East veteran or attending for the first time, it may be tricky, downright overwhelming even, figuring out exactly what to bring with you.

Well, allow me to pack for you. Here are some things you must absolutely bring with you this weekend. This stuff, and underwear. You may need underwear.

Portable gaming device

Believe me, whether you’re waiting in line to play a game on the floor, sitting and waiting for a panel to start, or killing time in the bathroom line, you’re going to want a portable gaming system with you.

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Another WonderCon has come and gone. This year was slightly different than any year previous as this was the first time that WonderCon was held in Anaheim, CA and not its typical home of San Francisco.

Many people I spoke to enjoyed the change in venue, and liked the added space that the Anaheim Convention center seemed to provide.

One of the best things coming away from a comic book convention is the chance to look at pictures of the costumes, ruffle through your free swag, and watch fun videos captured around the convention. Enjoy them all after the jump.

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Any serious toy collector knows that it’s not Toys R Us that has the top quality new toys you need to display on your shelf. It’s the low production run collectibles that are sold at the comic book retailers that come from Diamond Select that you need to watch out for and snatch up the section they hit the rack. This past week at Toy Fair, Diamond revealed their upcoming slate of Marvel licensed products. This year’s line focuses on the Avengers movie, the Amazing Spider-Man film and a new lineup of Minimates.

Both the Avengers movie versions of the Hulk and Hawkeye are getting their first Marvel Direct treatment since the Hulk model will be updated from previous films and Hawkeye never his from his brief cameo in Thor.

In addition, the Amazing Spider-Man will be getting figures and busts made in the likeness of bother Spider-Man and the Lizard. These are the first images allowing people a true full unshadowed view of the Lizard who was disguised by shadow and fleeting high speed motion in the recent trailer.

Though Spider-Man purists may be able to get past the redesign of the Spider-Man costume, it is going to be a challenge for some to get over the look of the Lizard who somewhat resembles the look of the Goombas from the early 90s Super Mario Bros feature film. The duo will also be getting a Minimate treatment as well.

The Minimate line will also be giving other characters the treatment for the first time with new Minimates such as the new Ultimate Spider-Man and Dazzler. Take a look at the full gallery below and make sure to let us know what you think about all the upcoming Marvel characters from Diamond Select.

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One of the really unique things about the Penny Arcade Expo is the show’s dedication to showcasing independent games and their creators. While you can wait in crazy long lines for the bigger titles on the show floor, playing the indie games can be really rewarding. You’ll get more time to play each game, and usually you’ll get to talk to the game’s creators.

I try hard each year I attend PAX East to play every single one of the games featured in the Boston Indie Showcase, but this year will be a little different. Because for 2012, the six games chosen to be showcased are all mobile! Which means, not only can I play them before PAX, but so can all of you!

Four of the games featured are for iOS, two are for Android, and one is for Windows Mobile. I’ll be playing all of them before PAX East, which takes place in Boston, MA in early April, and reviewing them for you here at The Flickcast, but if you’d like to learn more about each game right now, you can check out the descriptions here.

For a taste of what the Boston Indie Showcase was like in the past, check out our coverage from PAX East 2011.

The Flickcast returned to Toy Fair on Monday to check out the newest figures, games and collectibles coming out in the next year. (Just in case you didn’t see last year’s gallery, check it out here)

Like the announcement last year of a new Thundercats reboot, this year was graced with a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line which we will talk more about in the coming days. We also got to take a look at the newest assortment of Skylanders coming out for this year’s Skylanders Giants. We also had the privilege to talk to the master scribe and artist Todd McFarlane about the latest lines he has coming out this year for Halo and the Walking Dead. Stay tuned for that later this week too.

There was tons of licensing going on this year, see the Dark Knight Returns Mr. Potato Head if you don’t believe us. LEGO also expanded on their licensing of the DC and Marvel franchises with life sized Hulk, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman pieces as well as further expansion of their Star Wars line.

Surprisingly, Portal 2 had a huge presence on the show floor as well with Companion Cubes, Portal Gun replicas and even Cave Johnson Portraits.

Take a peek below at all this plus way more with our look at the show floor of Toy Fair 2012.

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At 5:30 AM Pacific Time on Tuesday, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed their nominations for this year’s Oscars.

Hugo leads with 11 total nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. The Artist scored 10 nods.

Some of the nominations were a big surprise, especially in the Best Picture catagory. While films like The Artist and The Descendants were a shoe-in, especially after their performance in the Golden Globes, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and The Help were also recognized. Also curiously, there were only nine pictures nominated as opposed to ten, which we’ve seen the past two years.

Best Director is chock full of veteran Oscar nominees. Woody Allen, Terrance Malick, Alexander Payne, and Martin Scorsese have earned almost 40 nominations all together. Michel Hazanivicus, however, is up for his first nomination.

Most notably absent from several catagories was Drive, for Best Picture, Best Actor for Ryan Gosling’s spectacular performance and Best Supporting Actor for Albert Brooks. It dig snag a nomination for Sound Editing, but I would have liked to see it recognized a bit more.

The Oscar buzz continues until the Academy Awards ceremony airs on Sunday February 26th. You can see the full listing of nominees after the jump, and let us know what you think of the nominations!

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The comic book world is abuzz with anticipation of next year’s battle royal between the Avengers and the X-Men. The event series kicks off with a prologue issue that sets up two of the most critical characters in the series, Hope Summers and The Scarlet Witch. The issue is written by Brian Michael Bendis and Jason Aaron with art by Frank Cho, a veritable dream team of creators.

“This March, fans worldwide cannot miss the prologue to the biggest pop culture comic event of the year as Marvel is pleased to unveil the trade dress and cover to Avengers VS. X-Men #0! Just before the Avengers and the X-Men go head to head, superstar creators Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron & Frank Cho set up the crucial roles of the Scarlet Witch and Hope Summers in the coming storm.

With all eyes on Wanda and the Mutant Messiah, both sides have already made up their mind on where allegiances SHOULD lie …but what about those caught in the middle? The drums of war are beating and fans should be ready for the essential opening to the event that will change everything you know about the Marvel Universe in Avengers VS. X-Men #0!”

Check out the awesome full cover after the jump.

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Those who live in Los Angeles or the surrounding areas have probably been to the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park at least once in their lives. Whether it was for the Haunted Halloween Nights last month, or to check out the fun and exciting rides and attractions, most people (locals in particular) probably think they’ve seen all the park has to offer. They’re wrong.

In just 4 months, Universal Studios Hollywood will unveil their new Transformers ride, which is only one of the huge attractions coming to the park. Also coming soon, you can see a smaller version of “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter”, which is currently thrilling attendees at Universal Studios in Orlando.

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Freddie Mercury is a musical genius. If you ever doubt that fact go watch Highlander and enjoy a fantastic film that is made nigh classic by its soundtrack from Mercury’s band Queen. His loss ranks amongst the most tragic music industry passings, and he remains an icon to this day.

Bear McCreary, composer of such classic TV shows as Battlestar Galactica and The Walking Dead, has teamed up with his brother Brendon and Metalacolypse creator Brendon Small to honor the late rock icon. In a tribute show benefiting the AIDS Project LA the three musicians will take the stage together and put on a show.

There are often really cool things to do when you live in Los Angeles, but I have to say this event might out do them all. I implore anyone and everyone who lives in the LA area to check this out. Not only are you assured of getting a great show, but you also are contributing to a worthy cause. My fingers are crossed that they rock out to an epic version of Princes of the Universe.

Full details on the event after the jump.

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