In both good and bad news for comic-book fans, Comic-Con 2005 brought news “that Microsoft and Marvel Enterprises Inc. have signed a licensing agreement that will see Marvel characters appear exclusively in Massively Multiplayer Online Games on the upcoming Xbox 360.” (No explanation was given for what really makes Massively Multiplayer Online Games different. They’re defined as “thousands of players across the world playing the same game simultaneously”—which is more or less what a regular multiplayer online game is. But enough quibbling.) This is good news for comic book fans because it allows further interaction with the characters and settings they’ve come to love/obsess over. The bad news is that, while you do get to play your favorite Marvel heroes, you also have to put up with the online multiplayer format, enduring both cranky servers and ceaseless streams of ridicule from people who never leave their houses. Nothing drives people to madness quicker than hearing “pwnz0r3d, n00b!” every 10 seconds from a 31-year old software developer who still lives with his parents.

—Posted by David Kiefaber