Since most of the major Marvel Universe players have found their way already into the Minimates line, ArtAsylum is now able to give some spotlight to some of the heroes, villains and storylines from the past. This time in the 43rd wave of the Minimates line, which also marks the ten year anniversary of the product, the Marvel Minimates will focus on the “Death of Jean Dewolff” storyline.

Back in the mid 80’s when comics were beginning to mature in both artistic merit and story themes, editor on the Spectacular Spider-Man Jim Owsley gave writer Peter David the task of knocking off detective Jean DeWolff. The character of Sin-Eater was created as a way to kill DeWolff. Interestingly enough, the biggest impact of this story is the indirect creation of Venom as Eddie Brock claimed to have found out who the real Sin Eater was, only to be disproven by Spider-Man catching the real killer and costing Brock his job.

You can check out Art Asylum’s interview with creator Peter David here on their site and check out the full gallery of the collection after the jump.

A year and a half ago, we came home from San Diego Comic Con and were given the chance to review the XBox Live Arcade rerelease of one of our top games of the previous decade with Marvel vs. Capcom 2.  The game was an instant hit and was quickly brought over to the PlayStation 3 as well.

It’s not surprising that soon after, seeing the game’s tremendous success, that Capcom announced Marvel vs. Capcom 3. With a super stylized trailer, the hype hasn’t died down. Even last week at release, it was almost impossible for players to get a hold of the Special Edition of the game, a problem not usually seen in retail anymore.

As we have talked about with our previous hands-on experience, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 brings the series’ classic feel and action back with a shiny new coat of graphical paint and effects that players expect and demand.

Gameplay:

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: The Fate of Two Worlds doesn’t change the formula that brought Marvel vs. Capcom 2 so much success. The game relies on single round matches between two 3 on 3 teams. Players have three basic attacks of increasing strength, their special attack button, and two assist buttons. These assist buttons can be used to either call in teammates for a quick attack or to switch the character the player is in control of for the fight.

As players throw more attacks and successfully defend against their opponents, they increase their combo meter which builds at the bottom of the screen to unleash Hyper Combos. These hyper combos are special moves that can deal tremendous damage if successful.

This simple control scheme allows for all levels of players to enjoy the game. Expert players will learn advanced combos, juggling and snap backs to eliminate their opponents while newer players will be able to feel like they are setting off tremendous attacks even by just button mashing.

It is an interesting dynamic compared to other fighting games where experience will almost always prevail. While it may be frustrating for an “expert” to get beaten by a lucky combination from a “newbie”, it also makes the game more exciting that outcomes aren’t always so predetermined in multiplayer.

It’s no surprise with the amount of sponsorship Capcom has given to the New York Comic Con that they’d have some big announcements for their most anticipated new title, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: The Fate of Two Worlds. Not surprisingly, these announcements came in the form of additions to the roster.

First up is Magneto, returning from his stint in Marvel vs. Capcom 2, this former mutant terrorist turned X-Men gets the HD makeover with all of his favorite Hyper Combos for the next generation of Marvel vs. Capcom combat.

Also buffing up the Marvel side of things is M.O.D.O.K., the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing. The leader of A.I.M. may seem like an odd choice for a fighting game with his limited mobility but Capcom has shown in the trailer below just what kind of technology this former technician is equipped with to put him toe to toe with Capcom’s best.

Speaking of Capcom, their classic hero Arthur from the Ghosts ‘n Goblins series will make his series debut as a playable character. Fans of the series will remember the underwear wearing knight in all his boxer glory as an assist character in the first Marvel vs. Capcom.

Finally, the Bionic Commando Spencer will be added to the series as well. Take a peek at the video below showing the Mortal Kombat-esque “Get over here” attack that Spencer possesses.