The Long Beach Comic Con Is This Weekend

 

For those of you living in Southern California, be sure to head out to Long Beach this weekend as the First Annual Long Beach Comic Con is taking place at the Long Beach Convention center from October 2nd through the 4th.  Think of it like a smaller version of the San Diego Comic Con, but this one might actually have some actual comic books on the sales floor.  Oh hand will be tons of writers, artists and editors from the comics industry including the likes of Stan "The Man" lee, Jeph Loeb, Scott Lobdell, Rob "Can't Draw Feet" Liefield, Geoff Johns, Mark Waid and many more.

 

There's also going to be a big exhibit hall with vendors selling all sorts of stuff we nerds love like toys, t-shirts, collectibles and god knows what else.  Nintendo will also be on hand with a large booth on the floor which is sure to be showcasing a number of upcoming games.  There will also be some special movie screenings going on at the con, including the upcoming horror film Trick R' Treat (which I can't wait to see) and Thomas Jane's new detective film Give 'em Hell Malone.

 

Somehow, I've managed to convince the lovely people who are putting on the convention that I'm actually a real journalist and have snagged myself a press pass for the event (yay perks for running this site, over a year later I finally get one), so you can be sure I'll be covering the goings on at the convention as best I can, much in the same way I have before for the SD Comic Con and Wonder Con up in San Francisco.  I'll be wandering the sales floor and taking photos and sneaking into some of the panels upstairs if I can.  I'll be back with a full rundown of the event early next week.

 

If you plan on going to the convention, email me or leave a comment in this post and maybe we can get an impromptu Geek-tastic gathering going.  Long Beach is a great city with a great many bars.  I'm sure we can all share a pint somewhere nearby and talk comics and other nerdiness. 

 

I hope to see some of you there!

You Will Respect Art! This I Command!!!

 

Robert Burden is an great painter.  He's also an incredibly big geek.  He's been working on a series of paintings recently for a while now in which he is immortalizing his favorite childhood toys into large scale, almost mural sized oil paintings.  The detail of his work is astounding, and as opposed to most other nerd art I've seen in which the subjects are painted as people, Robert has gone out of his way to make paintings of the toys as they really are right down to the joints.  His Riddler painting even shows the figure after it has broken apart into many pieces.

 

Unfortunately, there's no direct link to his gallery, but if you go here, click on "open toy box" and then click on "paintings" in the bottom left corner of the screen, you'll be able to see the works he has completed so far.  His subjects include many of the exact same toys I had growing up, including figures from such popular properties as He-Man, TMNT, Thundercats, Voltron, Silverhawks and more.  Here's his take on He-Man's faithful friend, Battlecat.

 



 

If you'd like to see how Mr. Burden makes such wonderful pieces of art, check out this great time-lapse video of his work on Battlecat.  Maybe it's just me, but I found it to be incredibly interesting to watch.  The next piece in his toy series will involve Star Wars figures and Tauntauns.  That's all I know right now, but I can't wait to see it.

Super Mario Bros. 2 Is Hardcore!!!

 

Ok, so this is just a video of some dude playing Super Mario Bros. 2 while offering a running commentary on the game about how hardcore it is, but it's so damned hilarious that I couldn't help but post this for you all to enjoy as well.  I seriously laughed out loud (or LOL'd as the young kids today say) while watching this, and I'm pretty sure if you've ever played this game before, you will too.

 

The video also serves as a solid reminder of just how batshit insane Super Mario Bros. 2 was.  Dinosaurs that shoot eggs from their mouths?  Ninja's shaped like stars? Rocketships that can be plucked from the ground?  Flying faces that chase you because you stole a key?  Killing a fat ass frog by choking him with vegetables?  Yeah, this game was damned crazy, but who cares.  Most of us didn't play through every level of the game anyways.  We used the warps to go ahead levels faster, because warps are for hardcore motherfuckers!  And that's what we were!

It's A Nightmare On Rorschach Street

 

This is the first official trailer for the remake of the original Nightmare on Elm Street that is set to come out in April of next year (why the hell isn't this coming out around Halloween like it shoud?).  It stars the amazingly talented Jackie Earle Hayley (aka Rorschach from The Watchmen) as Freddy Krueger and is basically another of the many franchise reboots we've seen lately like Rob Zombie's craptastic Halloween films and the suprisingly excellent Friday The 13th remake.

 

I have a couple of thoughts about this trailer.  On the positive side, Jackie Earle Hayley as Freddy Krueger is awesome.  As sad as I was to hear that Robert Englund wouldn't be reprising the role of the red and green sweater wearing serial killer, I couldn't imagine a better actor to step in and replace him.  Haley is an immensely talented actor, and he's got just that right amount of creepy and crazy-looking to him to pull off the role well.  It also seems to me that they're staying pretty true to the original look of the character as well, which is nice.  The glove, the sweater and the hat are all there.  Obviously they've changed the makeup a bit.  You don't really get a good look at Freddy's face in this trailer, but from what I can see, it looks like they're going for more of a realistic "burn victim" look with the makeup.  I'm ok with that.

 

On the negative side, I'm slightly concerned with possible changes they're making to the character history of Freddy Krueger.    In the trailer we obviously see some of the townsfolk who chase him down and burn him, but is it just me or is pre-dead Freddy acting like he's innocent here?  He's hiding and crying out that he didn't do whatever they're chasing him for.  Does this mean the filmmakers are veering away from Freddy Krueger's child killer past?  If so, then the whole character of Freddy Krueger is completely changed from who he was before.  In the original films the townsfolk murdered and burned an admitted child killer who had escaped the law.  They had committed the act to avenge those he had slain, and to prevent more from being killed.  When Freddy came back, it was in an act of evil vengence against those who had killed him.  It was the act of an evil man coming back to commit more evil.

 

If that is changed, and Freddy is an innocent man murdered for crimes he didn't commit, then wouldn't his coming back be a sort of justified vengence killing to repay the townsfolk for their evil deeds?  Admittedly, it's sort of a twisted way to get vengence on those who have done you wrong, but still, it changes Freddy from a source of pure evil to a source of understandable anger.  I'm not sure if I like that, and I really hope I'm wrong about the plot changes.  Maybe that's just how it looks in the trailer, and the film has the original story intact.  I sure hope so.

 

On a random note, I find it thoroughly entertaining that one of the main characters in the film is being played by actor Thomas Dekker, whom most of us nerds know as John Connor from the sadly cancelled Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles TV show (curse you Fox TV, I shake my fist at thee).  This means that we'll get to see a quasi nerd crossover we never thought we'd ever get to see.  John Connor vs. Freddy Krueger.  That's right folks.  He's fought machines and will one day topple Skynet, but can he defeat the Dream Master?  Since he's not a chick named Nancy, I'm betting the odds of that happening are pretty slim.

 

Finally, there's no word on whether Johnny Depp will appear in a cameo role in the film, only to be immediately sucked into a bed within five seconds time.  Somehow I doubt that'll happen seeing as how his paycheck alone would be bigger than the entire film's current production budget.  Still though, that would be pretty awesome.

 

Oh well, one can dream.

Noyes Notes: Avengers Assemble - An Introduction

So I've decided to start writing a monthly column about The Avengers and the benevolent Mr. Roach has been oh so kind as to allow me to spew my thoughts all over geek-tastic.com. However, I realize that a lot of crap has happened in the last couple years with these teams. If you haven't been in the loop then odds are you'll be really lost and confused. So the following is a recap of what I feel are the important events in recent Avengers history, much of which as been created and written by Brian Michael Bendis who is my hero. Seriously, dude's amazing! If you are caught up, then this might be a fun recap for you if you haven't reread this stuff in awhile. Either way, enjoy!

Before I get started I'm sure some of you may be wondering who the hell I am and why you might care to read my insights about these comics. Well, my name is Mike Noyes. I'm in my early 30's and I live in San Francisco with my wife and two cats. I've been collecting comics off and on (currently on!) since I was a kid. Currently my collection runs almost 1500. Outside the Avengers books, I also currently read most X-Men books and I'm trying really hard to stick with Batman (curse you Grant Morrison!). I am, however, enjoying "Streets of Gotham" (thank you Paul Dini!) Some of my other favorite books include "Watchmen" (duh!), "Sandman," "Transmetropolitan" (pretty much anything Warren Ellis, really) and "Bone."

My biggest passion is film and I'm current in the (never ending!) process of finishing my thesis film for my Master Degree in film. I've written and directed several short films, most of which can be seen on my Facebook or long forgotten MySpace page. I've written several screenplays, none of which have ever been made, but I keep trying! I've written theatrical and DVD reviews for movies.insidepulse.com since March '06 and I'm really excited for the opportunity to finally write about my second favorite love: comics! All right, enough about me. Let's talk spandex!

The newest era of The Avengers began in 2004 with "Avengers Disassembled" written by the brilliant Brian Michael Bendis. I can honestly say I'd only ever read and owned one "Avengers" book in my life ("Avengers" Annual #10, the first appearance of Rogue.) They had never really interested me as a team as I'd always been an X-Men fan (my largest run on "Uncanny" goes from 142-320 with over 250 in my total collection.)

I'd gotten out of comics for a few years but was starting to be drawn back into the world of spandex, capes and superheroes. A friend put "Disassembled" in my hands. I must say I was hesitant. I had never liked The Avengers, why would I start now?

Well, never let it bet said that I'm completely unwilling to try new things. I read Bendis's four issue arc ("Avengers" #500-503) and became an instant fan. What followed was a frenzy of reading everything I could to start catching up.

I started buying "New Avengers" monthly and picked up all the trades to complete my run. Around that time "Might Avengers" was getting started so I started buying that as well. But I'm getting ahead of the story.

In "Avengers Disassembled" the team is attacked from all sides. A dead Avenger shows up and explodes, killing Ant-Man (Scott Lang, not Hank Pym). Vision crashes and unwittingly releases a crap load of Ultron robots. She-Hulk goes nuts and rips Vision in half. Then a bunch of alien ships appear in the sky! Just about every hero in Manhattan shows up. In the end Hawkeye sacrifices himself to destroy a Kree warship. They also learn that Scarlet Witch has completely lost her mind and control of her reality altering powers. And while none of what they faced was real, the devastation very much was and the Avengers disband.

2004 also saw the launch of "New Avengers." An attack on a high security prison called The Raft where all the super villians are housed brings together Spider-Woman, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Captain America, Spider-Man, Iron Man, and the mentally unstable  Sentry. In the end Daredevil chooses not to join the team as he has other issues to deal with but the others are joined by Wolverine (he really is on every f'in team!) Iron First, Doctor Strange and the mysterious Echo. More on this series later.

In 2005 Bendis followed this with "House Of M," but more on that in second, as Bendis delivered another important story in 2004: "Secret War." In "Secret War" Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., uncovers a plot by Latverian Prime Minister Lucia von Bardas to fund a group of B-List super villains with advanced technology, presumably that of previous Latverian dictator Doctor Doom (who was trapped in Hell at the time), as a means of wreaking terror on American soil. Fury attempts to convince the President of this threat, but he won't listen. So he, the bad ass that he is, decides to handle the threat on his own. He enlists Captain America, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Black Widow, Luke Cage, Wolverine and Daisy Johnson, a superhuman S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to over throw Latveria.

How this event plays out we don't learn at first. We cut to a year later and a series of attacks is unleashed on the heroes involved leaving Luke Cage in a coma. None of those involved seem to remember what happened. After winning the battle they confront Fury and learn the truth. It turns out that the attack on Latveria was a huge mistake. Fury had the heroes minds wiped of the event and is forced to go underground, leaving S.H.I.E.L.D.

All right, "House Of M." Here Scarlet Witch recreates the entire Earth giving each superhero their own perfect existence. Spider-Man is married to Gwen Stacy; Cyclops and Emma Frost are married; Dr. Strange is a psychologist; Carol Danvers (usually known as Ms. Marvel) is now Captain Marvel, America's most beloved superhero; Gambit is a criminal; Steve Rogers is an aged veteran; and Wolverine is now in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s House of Magnus Red Guard, and wakes up onboard a helicarrier sleeping next to Mystique. No one remembers anything of the real world, no one accept Wolverine that is.

So it's up to Wolverine to track down all the heroes and make them remember the truth so they can set things right. The moment when Spider-Man is forced to remember his entire troubled past is brutally tragic. His life really is better here, but he now knows it's a lie. This series also introduced us to the young mutant Layla Miller, whose mutant power was to make people remember the real world.

So the heroes go after Magneto, now ruler of Genosha, who they think has caused all this. However Layla Miller helps Magneto remember the truth too and they all learn that it is Scarlet Witch that has done this. She freaks out again and utters three words that will truly forever alter the Marvel Universe: "No More Mutants."

Things go back to normal but 99% of all mutants lose their powers. Now there are only 198 left. The aftermath of this is covered in a handful of books, the two most important being "Decimation: X-Men - The Day After" and "Decimation: X-Men - The 198." But, as this is a column about The Avengers and not the X-Men, I won't recap those here. However, they are certainly worth reading.

In 2006 yet another epic story rocked the Marvel Universe: "Civil War." A battle between a group of villains and the superhero team New Warriors ends tragically when Nitro uses his powers to destroy several city blocks including a school. Three New Warriors, three villains and 600 civilians including children are killed. This is the catalyst to bring the Superhuman Registration Act to the Senate which as been brewing since Nick Fury's Secret War. The act would require every person with superpowers to register with the Government and reveal their identities to the authorities. Some heroes lead by Iron Man, champion the cause while others, lead by Captain America, rebel against it saying that it is a violation. This escalates to a violent war between the clashing heroes in New York. When Captain America looks around and sees that he's doing more harm then good he surrenders and turns himself in ending the war. Later when he is about to go on trial he is assassinated. (But we know now that he's back, no on in comics ever really stays dead. I'm still convinced Jean Grey will be back at some point. And Kitty Pryde better be frakin' back!) (stupid Joss Whedon!)

So the Registration act goes into effect and heroes either sign up with the Government or go underground. The adventures of the group that goes underground are chronicled in "New Avengers" (now consisting of Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Doctor Strange and Ronin (who we later learn his Hawkeye, but wait he died, didn't he? I guess not). Meanwhile Iron Man, now the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. starts his own team of Avengers. This team, consisting of Iron Man, Spider-Woman, Black Widow, Ms. Marvel, Sentry, Wasp, Wonder Man and Ares, is called "Might Avengers," this comic launched in 2007.

At this point it begins to become more apparent that events have been leading up to the next major event in the MU. In fact, upon further inspection, you can actually look back as far as "Secret War" and the first issue of "New Avengers" to see the beginning machinations of this even. The Raft break out in "New Avengers" #1 was orchestrated by the Skrulls!

Yes, it is now 2008 and the trilogy that Bendis began with "Avengers Disassembled" and "House Of M" comes to a climactic conclusion with "Secret Invasion."

It turns out that the alien race known as the Skrulls are pissed at Earth. They advance their shape shifting ability so that they can completely mimic a superhero in look, personality and powers so that not even Hank Pym, Prof. X or Reed Richards could detect them. They systematically begin to kidnap heroes, villains and even regular humans if they are important enough, and replacing them with Skrull agents. We learn that some of our favorite characters have actually been Skrulls for the past couple years. The first blatant hint of this comes in New Avengers when Wolverine kills Elektra only to learn she's a Skrull. We also learn that Nick Fury has known about this for a long time and has spent his time underground putting together a team of new heroes that he knows the Skrulls would not be interested in replacing.

At the beginning of "Secret Invasion" the Skrulls finally make their presence known and invade. They take out Stark Tech, Iron Man's technology, crippling just about everything, including Iron Man's suit. Battles wage everywhere and chaos ensues. As with all good final battles, this one ends in New York. By this time we have learned that Spider-Woman is the Queen Skrull and Wolverine is about to kill her when Norman Osborne, formerly the Green Goblin, currently the leader of Thunderbolts (a team of villains turned good) comes out of nowhere and shoots her in the head. Osborne is now the hero of the day. Iron Man is ousted as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s leader and is held responsible for all that went wrong.

So now we are in the midst of Dark Reign. Norman Osborne has been put in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D., which he dismantles and renames H.A.M.M.E.R. (he hasn't thought of what it stands for yet). Realizing the need for a legitimate Avengers team he creates his own team, Dark Avengers, from villains, having them take on the mantle of heroes. Moonstone becomes Mr. Marvel, Bullseye becomes Hawkeye, Daken, Wolverine's son, takes on the mantle of his father, Venom becomes Spider-Man and Noh-Varr becomes Captain Marvel. Osborne convinces the still unstable Sentry and Ares to stay on the team. The other two Avengers teams (having undergone a few roster changes) have gone underground.

On top of that we are also in the middle of the Avengers/X-Men crossover event Utopia. The X-Men are now living in San Francisco (which excites me to no end as that's were I live and I love seeing my city in a comic!). An anti-mutant group, Humanity Now, marched into SF which led to rioting. Cyclops and his X-Men could not contain the chaos so Osborne came in and used the even as leverage to start his own Dark X-Men team much along the lines of his Dark Avengers.

Whew... that pretty much brings us up to date. The Might Avengers current roster is lead by Henry Pym who he has taken on the mantle of Wasp, as his ex-wife Janet died during Secret Invasion. He leads: U.S. Agent, Stature, Quicksilver, Jocasta, Hercules, Amadeus Cho and Vision. Loki disguised as Scarlet Witch is leading them to his/her own agenda and they don't realize it. In the last episode a very powerful and evil Inhuman showed up in China and laid waste to China's super team. Now it's up to The Might Avengers to stop him.

The New Avengers currently consists of Luke Cage, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman (finally herself), Wolverine, Ronin and Mockingbird who was found alive amongst the other people kidnapped by the Skrulls. They are trying to deal with The Hood and his team of super villains and at the end of the last issue it looked like The Hood finally gained the upper hand.

There obviously is a lot more to all this, but I think I've written enough. If you've never read this stuff and what you see here interests you, I highly, HIGHLY recommend going out and picking these books up and reading them. You won't be disappointed. Well... Civil War is a little uneven... but whatever.

Okay, so now we're all caught up. From here on out I'll be recapping and reviewing each of the three Avenger titles ("New," "Mighty" and "Dark") as they come out and filling you in on any other Avengers news that seems applicable.

See you next time true believers!

Mattman's Weekly Batman Update

Hey Guys,

 

Not much has happened to me since the last update. I got the other 2 Joker teeth I was hunting down in Arkham Asylum in the Arkham West Map, honestly they were right under my nose. Now I just have to get the rest of the Challenge Levels completed.

 

Not much has happened in the Batman Universe either. Just the latest issue of Detective Comics. I really like what DC did with the Batman re-launch and Detective Comics as a title in general. The title of Detective now focuses on the new Batwoman Kate Kane. Batwoman was a character from the silver age that they later dropped in the late 70's. She was basically a girlfriend for Batman so it wouldn't appear that he and Robin were gay.

 

In the DC comics series 52 a few years back they introduced a new Batwoman into modern DC continuity. The new Batwoman Kate Kane is a vigilante in Gotham that works outside of the main Bat-Family. She is Jewish, a lesbian and is heir to the second wealthiest family in Gotham. The decision to focus on her as the star of Detective Comics is a refreshing and bold move and I welcome it.

 

This week:

 

Detective Comics# 857

Written By Greg Rucka and Penciled by J.H. Williams III



 

Did I mention that the art by Williams is beautiful? Because it is. Just look at it. The story is pretty solid too. It's really fun.

 

This issue is the end of a four-part story Elegy. In the story Batwoman has been battling with the new villain Alice. Alice is a beautiful goth version of the Lewis Carroll storybook character, just sinister in nature.

 

This issue begins with Batwoman discovering her father was kidnapped by Alice. Her father, a miltary man in retirement was able to pass a message to Batwoman that was in military code.  It communicated to her that Alice was planning to use chemicals to kill all of Gotham by air. This leads Batwoman to a military base where she is able to catch Alice just as she's leaving and her plane contains equipment to spray all of Gotham, confirming Batwoman's fears.

 

Batwoman manages to board leading to a final showdown between Batwoman and Alice, but not before Batwoman's father recognizes Alice as his other daughter Beth. In the final struggle Alice falls to her apparent death, just before she goes she tells Batwoman that she has "their" father's eyes. 

 

I can't wait to see where they take this character next!

 

Tune in next week. Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!

Mattman

New GT Web Comic: It's Always The Last Place You Look

 

 

And just what is going on here, you ask?  What's Batman up to, you wonder? Well, click on the image above and find out for yourself.

 

Or, ya know, click here too.  Either way works really.

Disney's Dark Princesses

 

 

A wonderfully talented artist by the name of Jeffrey Thomas has posted up his vision of darkened versions of the Disney Princesses, and they're absolutely mind blowingly awesome.  These were all drawn long before the Disney/Marvel merger was announced, but let me just say that I would read any Marvel comic that starred these dark and evil looking versions of the princesses.  Especially Mulan (my personal favorite Disney Princess).

 



 

Seriously Marvel Comics, if you're listening . . . hire this guy and team him up with some A-Class writing talent and get these books made.  These are goldmines waiting to happen.

 

You can see the rest of the gallery here, which includes incredible dark versions of Alice In Wonderland, The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, Cinderella, Jane (from Tarzan), Sleeping Beauty, Nala (from The Lion King), Belle and Jasmine. 

 

I honestly can't tell which of these images is the coolest,  They're all so great in their own ways.  Pocahontas blood covered and with human skulls on her outfit?  Belle looking like that chick from The Ring?  Ariel with a hook hand?  Too awesome for words!

Dr. Horrible Takes Over The Emmy's

 

 

I hate awards shows with a mad and burning passion, so it can safely be assumed that I was not watching the Emmy's when this little bit of glory actually aired on TV.  However, we thankfully live in the age of the internets now and I can ejoy every second of this amazing clip without having had to sit through hour after hour of red carpet coverage, badly written presenter comedy and long and droning speeches that make up every award show ever.

 

Have I said lately how much I love the internet?

 

Anyways, what we have here is a short little clip in which Dr. Horrible temporarily takes over the Emmy's Award Show.  The bit was done due both to the fact that the internet-only series was actually nominated for an Emmy, and that Dr. Horrible himself (aka Neil Patrick Harris) was the show's host.

 

As awesome as NPH is though, I have to give major credit to Nathan Fillion for really stealing the show here.  Nathan (aka Captain Hammer, Mal, Captain Tightpants, etc.) plays the stumbling and bumbling hero to perfection here.  Every second in which he's speaking is pure comic gold.  Also, brief cameos by Felicia Day (Penny) and Simon Helberg (Moist) round out the clip and make me wish that a full length feature film of Dr. Horrible was a reality.

 

As I said, I don't watch award shows, but I'm willing to bet good money that this clip was the coolest thing to happen on any award show in at least the last ten years.  When are we getting a real Dr. Horrible sequel damnit!?!?!

Will The Marvel Universe Be Torn Asunder . . . By Lawyers?

 

 

What the hell is going on in the comic book world lately?  First there was the big news that DC would be losing the rights to Superman in the next few years, then we find out that Disney bought Marvel, and that was quickly followed up by Warner Brothers restructuring all of DC Comics and shaking up the entire company's management staff.  Now comes this . . . . .

 

The Heirs of comic book legend Jack Kirby are suing Marvel comics and Disney for the copyrights to every character Kirby ever made.

 

The heirs to Kirby, who co-created the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Avengers, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Captain America - and had a hand in creating Spider-Man, pretty much completing the set - have sent out 45 notices of copyright termination to companies including Marvel Entertainment, Disney, Paramount (distributors for Iron Man, Hulk and the next five Marvel movies), Sony (the studio behind the Spider-Man movies, 20th Century Fox (X-Men and Fantastic Four) and others, expressing intent to own copyright on Kirby's creations. The notices did not only involve comic books and movies; apparently, Hasbro and Universal also received notices, for the toy and theme park rights as well.

 

The Kirby estate is taking the claim seriously, hiring Marc Toberoff, the attorney who's been representing the Siegel estate in the recent Superman/Superboy lawsuits. While Marvel itself has offered no comment on the notices yet, Disney issued a statement saying, essentially, that it's not a big deal:

 

"The notices involved are an attempt to terminate rights seven to 10 years from now, and involve claims that were fully considered in the acquisition."

 

Holy crap!!!  Is it possible that Disney/Marvel could lose the copyright to half of their universe's characters?  Say it ain't so!  DC potentially losing Superman was bad enough, but the X-men not being Marvel?  Captain America?  Iron Man?  It's unthinkable.  And the fact that the same lawyer from the Supes/DC case is running this just gives it the potential to be really, honestly, pants wetting scary. 

 

Disney may be saying things are fine right now, and I'm sure they're already amassing their entire nation-sized staff of soulless lawyer robots to fight this lawsuit to the bitter end, but what if the Superman case has set a precedent that other creators like Jack Kirby can follow?  If this happens, what then would stop people like Stan Lee and Steve Ditko from suing Marvel as well?

 

The world is going to hell in a handbasket people.  I fear that this is just the beginning.  Before you know it, dogs and cats will be living together.  It'll be mass hysteria!

Mattman's Weekly Batman Update

Hello,

 

I know that I've been sucking about updates lately and last weeks post was my first in a long time, but this week I almost didn't post AGAIN! What's to blame? Batman: Arkham Asylum, that's what. I finally got the game for my birthday last weekend and then truly didn't start playing it until Wednesday. I finished it at 9pm Thursday and by 4am I had 239 of the 240 Riddler Challenges. I still can't find 2 of the 10 teeth on Arkham West. Where are they!?! Where? Oh, Where?

 

Needless to say I was addicted. The game is flawless. It was everything I was dreaming a game about Batman (or any game for that matter) could be. Honestly, even when I was a small boy and I first played Batman for the NES in 1989 with it's terrible game play and shitty graphics this was the game that I pictured in my head. Aside from my obvious bias towards this game it's truly one of the best games I've ever played in life, hands down.

 

I could talk about the game for hours and might just do so in a future post. Perhaps a complete review? But on to this weeks Batman titles:

 

Batman and Robin# 4

 

Written by Grant Morrison and Penciled by Philip Tan

 



 

Trust me this title is well written. If you know anything about Grant Morrison then you know that. It sucks that Frank Quitely left the series but we will get by.

 

So I guess Red Hood is back. Again. Yeah, I know stupid. But it's Grant Morrison so I'll wait it out. Who is the new Red Hood? Who knows? The First Red Hood was the Joker and the second was Jason Todd. In the Battle for the Cowl story line that just wrapped up literally a few short months ago Jason Todd appeared to "die". Of course he did just fall into water from a high altitude and even Richard Kimble survived that.

 

So who is he? I guess we'll find out. He has shown up back on the scene with a new sidekick, Scarlett and the two of them are already making a name as murdering vigilantes. First they off a B-List Supervillain Lightning Bug, then they kill a Santo and some other villains that are having a "legitimate" business meeting with the Penguin. Batman and Robin show up in time to stop the Red Hood and Scarlett from killing the Penguin too. The Red Hood and Scarlett are video taping the whole thing and ask Batman if he is indeed aiding a "known felon". The issue ends with Batman questioning the Red Hood if he is Jason Todd?

 

Batman: Streets of Gotham# 4

 

Written by Paul Dini and Penciled by Dustin Nguyen

 



 

This issue was a nice little self-contained tale. It was written by Paul Dini. How could it not be?

 

For those of you paying attention Tomas Elliot (a.k.a. Hush) had reconstructive surgery to look exactly like Bruce Wayne shortly before Bruce's "death". After Bruce "died" he began to go out of his way to attempt to blow the Wayne family fortune by donating billions to Gotham. Dick and Alfred got wise to his plan and have begun to keep him in check by having various DC Universe heroes babysit him. This way they can be in disguise as Wayne Enterprises Associates insuring that Tommy can only donate what is approved by Wayne Enterprises board of directors and that Bruce Wayne appears to be alive, throwing the trail off of anyone that would connect Bruce to Batman. This issue begins by showing  him being monitored by The Creeper in disguise.

 

Then it shifts focus to the tale of The Broker, an individual that makes his money by selling the city's Supervillains thier locations for hideouts. It's interesting when you can see that The Broker is actually bothered by the horrors that he has helped facilitate , but he chooses to turn a blind eye. After all it's just business right?

 

The issue ends with Batman asking The Broker for information on his clients. The Broker chooses not to give them up, even after an intense beating from Batman.

 

Batgirl# 2

 

Written by Brian Q. Miller and Penciled by Lee Garbett

 



 

I know the cover to this issue is fucking awesome. Unfortunately, it's not what Batgirl's new uniform is going to look like. This is simply a snapshot of Barbra Gordon's classic uniform. I know because at the end of this issue they have a picture of what the new Batgirl uniform will look like and it's kinda disappointing, but still worlds better than the hand-me-down that Stephanie Brown inherited from Cassandra Cain, and has been wearing for the last two issues. That uniform just sucks.  But this is the preview of her new uniform and look:

 



 

But other than that disappointment the issue was really good. I found myself enjoying this read more than any other of this week.  I think it was the dynamic between Stephanie and Oracle. I love reading Oracle. I really like her in her current position. She has truly established herself as a powerful new character. I think this book is beginning to set up a working relationship between Oracle and the new Batgirl and I already love it.

 

The issue begins where the last left off with Oracle confronting Batgirl and trying to talk her out of taking up the mantle of Batgirl. Of course Stephanie ignores Barbara, but not after seriously thinking it over. Stephanie spends the rest of the issue fighting Drug-Dealers. Then when she attends a frat party at her new college she finds the punch has been spiked with a potent drug.

 

The Drugs at the party are tied to the same Drug-Dealers that Batgirl has been fighting. Stephanie comes across this information with the reluctant help of Oracle. There is even a touching scene in the Batcave when Stephanie is admiring the uniforms in the cave and Barbara reminds her that those costumes aren't something to aspire to, as they belonged to fallen heroes.

 

Anyways, the trail of the Drug-Dealers eventually leads to a cliffhanger splash page that reveals the mastermind behind it all is none other than: The Scarecrow!

 

Tune in next week. Same Bat-time, same Bat-Channel.
Mattman

Friday Happy Hour

 

In honor of the fact that tomorrow is Talk Like A Pirate Day, I've decided to devote this week's Friday Happy Hour to one of the most popular pirates of our times.  He's not a very good pirate by any means.  He's not particularly bloodthirsty, he's sort of a coward, and he's pretty much completely insane.  Come to think if it, when you really take a look at him he's actually a rather crappy pirate.  The ladies love him though, and he does have a certain charm about him.  So, without further ado, I give you this week's geeky drinking concoction to help you celebrate tomorrow's pirate themed festivities.

 

The Captain Jack Sparrow

 

Recipe:

 

• 2 oz Cabo Wabo® anejo tequila


• 1 oz Captain Morgan® Private Stock dark rum


• 3 oz Minute Maid® limeade soda


• 1 splash maraschino cherry juice


• 1/2 oz 99 Oranges® orange schnapps


• 2 maraschino cherries

 

Instructions:

 

Drop the cherries and some ice into a highball glass. Pour the Cabo Wabo anejo tequila, Captain Morgan Private Stock dark rum, Minute Maid limeade and 99 Oranges orange schnapps into the glass. Add a splash of maraschino cherry juice on top, and serve.

Talk Like A Pirate Day!

 

Arrgh!!!  It be that time o' the year again!  It be Talk Like A Pirate Day on the morrow!  If'n any of you stinkin' bilge rats don't be speaking like a salty sea dog, I'll be forced ta run ya through with this here sabre.

 

That's right folks, one of the coolest internet born holidays ever is upon us once again.  Talk Like a Pirate Day is here, and I'm going to be loving every second of it.  If you happen to see me tomorrow, chances are I'll be drunk on rum and hopefully will have a wench or two in hand.  Afterall, one must celebrate in the timeless traditions of the day.

 

I hope you all have a merry Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Geek Item Of The Week

 

Zombie Shooting Range Targets

 

The zombie apocalypse is coming.  We all know it is.  The rise of the undead is inevitable .  It's only a matter of time really until the deceased rise from their graves to terrorize the living and feast on our flesh.  Your only hope of survival is to be prepared, and the best way to do that is to train yourself in proper zombie self defense.  That's where these handy new shooting range targets come in.  The living dead may be slow, but they are great in number and as they shuffle slowly towards you to devour your brain, you're going to be very thankful indeed that you spent time at your local shooting range practicing on these fairly accurate representations of zombies.

 

Be prepared folks, that's all I can say.  Once the apocalypse begins, those with the best aim will have the highest chances of survival.  Only head shots kill a zombie, and only those who practice will be able to pull off a headshot time and time again.

Wes' Book Review: Twilight

 

Unless you've been living under a rock (or in Canada) for the last year or so, you've heard of Twilight. References to it are everywhere; Team Edward shirts, Team Jacob shirts, tween girls wrapping a line around the San Diego Convention Center that would make George Lucas jealous. Inevitably anyone familiar with the basic laws of physics knows that for every action, there is an equal or opposite reaction, and react vampire and Gothic lore fans did. For every dozen twilight fans there was another dozen self-proclaimed nerds shouting that the way vampires were portrayed in the books (probably more the movies but I'll get to that) was "wrong". I never personally understood this myself as vampires have been shown many different ways in many different forms of media. The Nosferatu of the original black and white classic film is about as far from Angel and Spike portrayed in Buffy the Vampire Slayer as the vampires from 30 Days of Night are from Edward Cullen of Twilight. Personally defending the books myself with arguments like this.

 

The one thing I seemed to share with self-proclaimed haters of the Twilight series was that neither of us had actually read the books or seen the movies. The books MUST be horrible, they HAVE to be for vampires to sparkle and be dreamboats who every girl aged ten to twelve seems to have fallen in love with. Wait though, aren't Angel (and to a lesser extent Spike) complete dreamboats in the Buffy and Angel series? That's when it struck me that not only was I being a hypocrite, but I was doing so while being completely ignorant to what I was bashing. That isn't like me at all. When I attended the funeral services for a friend of mine who passed away recently, his girlfriend told an amusing anecdote about how Dan had read all the Twilight books just so he could make fun of the girls in Team Edward shirts from a more knowledgeable standpoint. That settled it.

 

I had to read Twilight and review it for myself.

 

Sure, it might be terrible, but it couldn't be worse than other books I've read. The Silmarillion comes to mind. Heck, I've even read the Bible three times just so when people would ask me why I was an atheist in Temecula (the California bible belt) I could at least explain my point of view from a stance that wasn't ignorant. Twilight couldn't be much harder than those.

 

So here we go;

 

Told from the point of view of Isabella (Bella from now on) Swan. The book begins by following Bella from her move from Phoenix, Arizona to a perpetually rainy Forks Washington. Bella, for your money, could not, even with all the combined efforts of NASA, the US Military, and MIT, be more ordinary if she tried. The efforts Stephanie Meyer went to to make Bella the perfect character for any female human to identify with were so perfect it made me laugh out loud every time her exceptional levels of plainness slapped me in the face. She's tall, but not too tall, has straight brown hair, is clumsy, poor at sports, becomes overwhelmed to the point of tears over almost any occasion, is a little smarter than everyone else in her class due to Phoenix's superior school system in comparison to that of the one ruling over her Forks high school, and spends the entire book questioning why anyone would love or even be interested in her. Bella's character for these reasons, as I've heard from male friends of mine, is a big reason why the entire series should be written off.  What's so exceptional about her that anyone should care what happens to her, most of all the exceptional Edward (we'll get to him in a bit). Though this is how the book identifies itself as being strictly for women (and gay men to a certain extent). There ISN'T anything exceptional about her, and somehow beyond ALL odds she manages to attract the attention of not only every boy in her school, but of the dreamiest male since Brad Pitt swaggered his way onto the set of Thelma and Louise.

 

Edward is introduced as a member of a family (the Cullens) who are beyond any regular measure of attractiveness and athleticism. Edward somehow can NOT keep his eyes off of her, and reacts ALMOST violently to Bella's presence in his class. Bella can not understand the hatred this beautiful Edward has towards her with almost no excuse what-so-ever. Edward is the first archetype of the dime store romance novel introduced. Tall, chiseled from white stone, with high cheekbones and eyes that "smoulder" so often I thought about making "smouldering eyes" a drinking game (every time you read it, take a drink). Edward at one point saves Bella from being crushed by a car with his supernatural vampire abilities leaving Bella with a ton of questions about this superhero roman god in finely tailored clothing who attends high school. I also enjoyed the almost Superman/Clark Kent obvious secret identity thing here. No one notices of course when he stops a full sized van from crushing the perpetual Louis Lane that is Bella. Eventually Edward's malice towards Bella fades into an attraction, and from there develops into a deep and intense love.  A love so deep and pure I couldn't help but laugh and laugh and laugh at it's ridiculousness. Again though, this is where the book shows that it isn't written for me, it's written for my girlfriend (oh dear god is this book ever written for my girlfriend).

 

While Edward and Bella's relationship begins to blossom and they talk more often,  Bella meets a young boy named Jacob Black who unravels all the questions that Bella has of Edward with his tales of Native American folklore. Jacob Black would be the second dime store romance novel archetype. Why else would there be a well built Native American boy in the story? They don't cover it in this story, but I can smell romantic tension from a few books away. Evidently what happened is the Cullens came to Washington long ago to hide from the sun, which comes out in Forks a total of seven days a year, and made a deal that they would not ever enter the Native's reservation land in exchange for the natives not ever selling them out as being vampires (as harmless as they promised to be towards humans). Of course Bella is already far too in love with her picturesque Edward to even care that he's a vampire. Then Edward takes Bella to a meadow and reveals much about himself, how and when he became a vampire, and to the chagrin of vampire fans everywhere that vampires don't burst into flames when in contact with direct sunlight, but instead sparkle.

 

 

The translation via myth of course is that they hid from the sunlight because of bursting into flames, but evidently it was just that they would be highlighted because of their sparkly weakness. Actually the vampires in this story don't really have ANY weaknesses. They're unbelievably strong, much stronger than any vampire I've read about or seen previously.  They play baseball with each other only during thunderstorms to hide the boom of the bat [yes I know vampires playing baseball, I laughed too]. Edward is the fastest of of his family, which is saying a lot because at times they run fast enough to keep pace with a full speed Mercedes. Some of them even carry over minor mental abilities that are exaggerated in the process of being turned into a vampire. Edward can read minds, has a "sister" Alice that is prescient, and another "sibling" Jasper who has the ability to calm or excite people as he wishes.  According to Edward the only way to kill one of their kind is to tear them into pieces and burn the remains.

 

I use quotes around sibling and sister because this isn't Edwards family per se, just his coven. A group of vampires that has sworn off human blood in favor of hunting only animals. That is where you also, though, discover Edward's almost impossible attraction to the plain and hapless Bella. Evidently her blood is too tempting. It's used to explain the avoidance when they first met after his almost outburst of violence at their first encounter. It's Edward's heroin if you will. Having been a vampire that has sworn off the blood of humans for so long, being around Bella is the ultimate temptation, like an alcoholic that eventually has to start attending New Years parties where champagne is served I guess. He's always on the edge of giving into his animal instincts, but is unable to resist being near Bella, who always appears as a vision of beauty to him and smells irresistible.

 

It's also revealed in the story that Bella is the only person Edward has ever met who has a mind that is completely unreadable. So while Edward can pry information from the mind of anyone around him, Bella gets to keep her thoughts a mystery from him. Why any woman would find this to be desirable is completely beyond me (it's true, there really does need to be a sarcasm font).  The real action of the story is pretty anticlimactic. It happens when, while playing baseball, the Cullens run across a trio of vampires. One of the new vampires decides he's going to hunt Bella and the family instigates him by protecting her. She flies back to Phoenix to hide but he follows her there and supposedly kidnaps her mother. Bella is lured away from Alice and Jasper (her protectors), just before Edward arrives, by the hostage scenario. Of course just as Bella is about to be killed the Cullens sweep in and save the day. At one point Bella is almost turned into a vampire, but with some careful blood consumption, Edward saves Bella, and proves his love for her by not drinking her bone dry, in one fell moment.

 

Bella admits to Edward during her recovery process that she wants badly to be a vampire so she can spend all of eternity with him (not for men), and he refuses because "oh boo hoo I'm a monster, I can't damn you forever". It's pretty typical vampire fare to be honest. Then Edward takes Bella to prom, against her wishes, because of her aforementioned inherent clumsiness. Bella thinks she's being turned into a vampire and disappointed to find out that it's just Edward's efforts to make sure that, in spite of his condition, she experiences as much of a normal human life as possible.

 

There you have it, the story of Twilight. Now for my impressions.

 

This book is pretty much exactly what I thought it would be. Though I had hoped that it would be written poorly, it's actually well put together. It drags on in sections much in the same fashion as a Stephen King novel (though being fair I can NOT stand Stephen King because of this fact). Twilight is saccharine sweet, and is in no way shape or form meant for your average man, but couldn't possibly be in any way shape or form be MORE for your average woman. It panders to the awkward teenage girl inside every woman which hopes that in spite of one's overwhelming averageness, an extraordinary man will sweep in and add an element of excitement to their lives. I've read studies saying that every single demographic of women loses self confidence when hitting the age of puberty, and when you take this fact into account with how the character of Bella is structured, it's almost nigh impossible to believe that this book could ever NOT be insanely popular. If this series continues in the vein that was started here with this first book, as I've said to friends and family before, this couldn't be a larger boon to Buffy fans.

 



 

The parallels between Edward and Angel are almost too many to count. Yes, I understand Buffy is a much cooler character than Bella, but the steamy forbidden relationship between a high school girl and an ancient creature of the night who broods and is sexy can not be ignored here. I'm sorry to all my Buffy fan friends who have latched on to hating this book.  No, I didn't personally enjoy the book myself, but it's already too similar with the Joss Whedon series for you to be able to complain. A lot of people will escape into the sparkling vampires argument, but anyone who watched the Angel series knows they did away with the no sunlight at all thing pretty quickly there, which leaves Angel and Edward sort of in the same boat.

 

If there's any reason to not like this book as a man, it's because the romance of the situation is over the top and described from a female point of view that a lot of us will never understand. We've never been awkward teenage girls longing to be loved by someone who is completely above our station in life, but that didn't stop a lot of us from enjoying Pretty in Pink. I've been arguing since comic-con that the vehicle that all of nerdkind has been waiting for to get girls into our culture has finally arrived and read this book in hope that I could maybe prove myself wrong, but as someone who considers himself a pretty big fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel series I can say without a doubt, you may not LIKE Twilight, but we certainly have no room at all to bash it.

The GI Joe Team Has Never Looked So Stylish

 

 

These super cool retro-styled GI Joe and Cobra posters were created by illustrator Dave Perillo, and hot damn if they aren't the coolest things I've seen all week.  If any of these images were put onto a t-shirt, I'd buy it in a second.

 

Also, these two posters alone are about a billion times cooler than anything that happened in the GI Joe live-action movie.  I wish the film had been an animated feature with this style of art.  I would have loved the crap out of that film.

 

I'm not sure which of the characters shown are my favorite.  The Baronness and Scarlett look gorgous, but Zartan's master of disguise outfit is just too damned hilarious and Firefly looks so cute holding his little pack of dynamite.  Oh, who am I kidding.  My favorite is the Baronness.  She's always my favorite.

 

(Via IO9)

An Animated Night Of The Dead Remake? In 3D?

 

 

Apparently so.

 

The zombie classic Night of the Living Dead is about to get another remake, and this time it's going to be animated.  Computer animated, to be exact.  That's right, we're in store for a CG animated zombie apocalypse and it's even going to be in 3D.

 

Titled “Night of the Living Dead: Origins,” the re-imagining is being directed by newcomer Zebediah de Soto and produced by Simon West and Simon West Productions president Jib Polhemus.

 

On the story front, De Soto, who wrote the script with David R. Schwartz, wants to update the tale partially by bringing out the characters’ backstories and make what he called “an American-style anime.”

 

The latter will be done by using new technology the filmmaker is inventing. De Soto, along with partner Gus Malliarodaki founded New Golden Digital, a digital effects company which develops cutting-edge hardware and software.

 

An American-style anime?  Tech the filmmaker is inventing?  These phrases don't exactly fill me with a whole lot of confidence about this project.  I hope I'm wrong.  Really, I do.  I love just about every zombie movie ever, and the idea of an animated one is cool if it's done well.  If it's done badly, well then the whole thing will just come out looking cheesy and akward.

 

There's no release date yet for the film, but seeing as how it's animated it's probably going to be a while.  I'll keep my eyes out for this one though and will update you as I hear stuff.

Random Awesomeness

 

Reason #387 why our President is a badass.  His lightsaber skills are unmatched.  I've even heard a rumor that he once settled a trade dispute with China by besting their minister of trade in one-on-one combat.  His opponent came away minus an arm, and Obama walked away with a solid trade treaty.

 

This is how proper politics is done folks.  Aggressive negotiations indeed.

Pirates Of The Caribbean 4 Is Given A Name

 

 

Another great bit of news to come out of the D23 Expo last weekend was the official name of the new Pirates of the Caribbean film.  The fourth installment of the franchise will be called Pirates of the Caribbean:  On Stranger Tides.  It is set to be released in the summer of 2011.

 

I'm a huge Pirates of the Caribbean fan, and while I recognize that neither of the two sequels that have come out so far have been all that great, I still can't help but love the character of Captain Jack Sparrow and can't wait to see more of him on the big screen.  Hopefully, with the boring story of the side characters Wil and Elizabeth finished and out of the way, this new pirates film will be able to focus on that which it should have always been focusing on in the first place . . . . Pirates.

 

At the end of the last Pirates film, we saw Captain Jack racing  after Captain Barbossa to try to be the first person to find the fountain of youth.  A film that solely focuses on Jack vs. Barbossa would be something that I would absolutely love.  And those lucky fans at the D23 were treated to something very awesome indeed.  Mr.  Johnny Depp himself showed up in full Jack Sparrow regalia to announce the upcoming film.

Star Tours To Close In 2010. New Ride in 2011

 

Over the weekend, the Walt Disney Company held a huge event called the D23 Expo, which basically was like the 100% Disney version of the SD Comic Con.  The event was held at the Anaheim Convention Center and for three days Disney executives including CEO Bob Iger and the head of animation John Lasseter and many more made large public announcements about a number of big Disney events, movies, shows, etc.  One of the biggest bits of news that I was personally floored by was the long awaited official announcement of a forthcoming new Star Tours attraction at the Disneyland Theme Parks.

 

I'd posted a few months back some news that Lucasfilm had been secretly filming scenes for the new attraction, but since then we haven't heard anything from Disney at all about when this new ride of awesomeness would be bestowed up0n us.  Wel, we finally have some information about when things will be changing for the ride.  During the expo, it was announced by Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo that that would be closing the existing Star Tours attraction in October, 2010.  Then, this happened:

 



 

So there you have it.  The brand new Star Tours in 3D ride will be opening sometime in 2011.  I'm assuming by their lack of a more specific date that it will be somewhere around Christmas 2011, but that's ok.  A year without Star Tours won't kill me.  What may kill me though is if the new ride is heavily prequel trilogy influenced.  Sure, I'm ok with a podracing scene in the new ride seeing as how that race and Darth Maul were the only good things to come out of Episode One.  But if there's more than a 50/50 ratio of prequel trilogy to original trilogy stuff, I'm going to be thoroughly annoyed.

 

Overall though, prequel stuff aside, I'm pretty damn happy with this news.  I love Star Tours, but it definitely has been needing an update for well over a decade now.  I've ridden the ride more times and blown up more Death Stars than I can count.  I know the script of the ride by heart, and I definitely know that to escape a Star Destroyers tractor beam all you have to do is ease off on your main thruster.  It's time for a change.  Star Tours opened back in 1988, so to say that the technology used in it is dated is a bit of an understatement.  I've seen motion simulators at the local mall that have the same basic tech.  Star Tours needs to be made great and awe inspiring again, and now it will have the chance to do it.

 

Making the ride 3D will be one cool addition, new digital effects are sure to enhance the experience as well, and I'm sure the motion control of the ship itself will be even more finely in tune with the video so that the feeling of actual space travel will be all that more real.  While I will definitely mourn the loss of the original attraction, I will wait with baited breath for the new ride to open.  Here's to hoping that it will blow my mind just like the original did to a 10 year old Pat the first time he rode it.

Games for 9/15

Well, fellow writer Xtina beat me to the punch with Wet, that is gonna be fucking awesome, BUT . . . .

 

I still have my own list of games being released on the same day.

 

And a good way to start it is:

 


 

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2!

 

The storyline is supposed to start post Secret War then lead into Civil War, and by leading into it I mean a fight between heroes and villains that create the explosion in Stamford, and thus creating the Registration Act. Which side will you pick?

 

Some of the good improvements are fusion power attacks. They seem more epic in the trailer. As cool as they are, I hope they really aren't that often in the game.  A brawler really doesn't need that many cut sequences in my opinion. If you're like me and grabbed that nifty pre-order, you get the blessing of having Juggernaut as a playable character! That's right, that bashy smashy tank gets to be controlled by you!

 

And of course, everything is adapted to current storyline like Gorgon being the new Venom and his new look. I wonder if you could pick genetically created Thor? Or Giant Man for that matter, probably not.

 

This game is being run on the Havok engine, which has been used to run Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, Super Smash Brothers Brawl and Motorstorm. Now do you get the idea of what this engine has to offer for this game? All these games are examples of shit loads of stuff all happening at once on the same screen. That means this engine IS designed to handle the carnage. Awesome? Yes. Good outlook? Yes. Creamed my pants? Definite yes.

 

How do you make a game that has tons of baddies, super powers, established characters we know and love even better? Fucking Multiplayer is how! You get a friend in on the destruction, and possibly race each other to blow up that truck in Stamford just for the fun of it! A Little cold? Maybe, but I'm really assuming it's gonna have a cutscene and a predetermined character falling into it. Now all of this sounds like good fun!

 

And second on my list...

 


 

Monday is the start of the new NHL season, but Tuesday is videogame release day! So that means NHL 10 will also be in my hands!

 

The improvement I'm seeing is an increased AI of the players.  Unless you play the game with an AI that's turned down to "clay pot" then you probably won't notice the difference. Now there is a real impact of "puck sense" meaning if a player is near a puck he'll do something to get it in his possession and none of this "static" cling where the puck all of a sudden is on the players stick. If they are near it, they'll do something about it, especially if you're one of the ones like me that actually plays the goalie.  When a puck lands behind you he doesn't do jack about it. Why? Because the AI for skaters will have him move his stick near it and it gets glued to him.  Goalies don't always function like this, they will either cover it up or, like the video says, get it out as quickly as possible, and look fucking good doing it.

 

And the shooting goals while on your knees? It's ice, you'll slide, why the hell not? This obviously makes a drastic change. They are no longer thinking like hockey foosball figures. They don't have to be on their two feet anymore to keep playing. Basically a lot of these improvements are "If it can be done in real life, you can do it here."

 

If you want to play the asshole on the ice and try to draw fights or penalties, the face washing mechanic is there. Meaning you rub your stinky glove all over the face of the opposing team member. Also after the play you can do a dirty trip, etc.

 

There are the obvious staples to this game, like keeping track of trades in the NHL and updating it on your game, etc. And of course multiplayer.  Don't worry, that's all still there.

 

When the weekend is over, Im glad that this Tuesday will bring some happiness to me with goodies like these.

 

If you are getting any of these games, and want to join in on a brawl of  Marvel Ultimate Alliance, message me at Johann@gamesand.me

Wet is Red Hot

There are few things I take more pleasure in then watching a hot woman kick major ass. Especially if I can pretend to be that woman, even if it is only for a video game. This is why I got all giddy when I saw a preview of the game, Wet, a couple months back.


Wet, short for Wetworks, is a third person shooter about a gal named Rubi who is on a mission. The game, released by Bethesda Softworks, stars Rubi as a gun-for-hire that agrees to track down and bring back a wealthy man's son. Of course any of us who live in the real world know that nothing is ever as cut and dry as all that, so Rubi is going to have to fight her some bad guys in order to complete the mission and get paid.


All I can say from playing the demo is Rubi is nothing sort of bad ass. Voiced by the ever lovely Eliza Dusku, Rubi not only demonstrates her superior shooting skills, but she also wields a brutally nasty sword. Set in a very Quentin Tarantino-esque vision, the game looks to be like a cross between Kill Bill and Grindhouse with some film noir thrown.


Besides shooting and slashing, Rubi can jump, slide, run up and across walls, use bars to do some superb acrobatics, shoot two bad guys at once and then some. You also don't want to piss her off because it looks like she has a berserker mode in which everything goes red and everything in site is going to die. Oh, and I can't forget that Rubi regains her health by taking a big swig of whiskey after which she throws the bottle in the air and shoots it. This girl is hardcore. Eat your heart out Clint Eastwood!


There is something to be said about the music as well. Fast paced rock and a bit of country ala Johnny Cash sets the soundtrack from some intense game play. Everything from a shoot out in a banquet hall to a crazy scene down the 101 Freeway and that is just in the downloadable demo.


Wet comes out for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on September 15th. I can't promise it will be good as I have yet to see any reviews, but if the demo is anything to go off of I believe it should be a resounding success and I will certainly be getting Wet. :P


-Xtina

Mattman's Weekly Batman Update Returns!

Hi,

 

I'm back. A lot has changed while I was gone. I have been reading ALL of it. Dick Grayson is Batman. I love it. I love the way they did it. I love all the writers and artists that have contributed to it. They have done a great job. Honestly I hope Bruce Wayne NEVER returns as Batman at this rate.

 

Damian Wayne (Bruce Wayne's Biological Son that he fathered with Talia Al Ghul, the daughter of Ras Al Ghul) is now Robin. He is nine years old, he was raised and trained by the League of Assassins, he has a tendency to kill, he is a brat, he is impulsive and doesn't listen. He is great. I love him. I love that Dick feels that he must take over raising him after Bruce's "death". I love the fact that Dick's way of raising him is the only way Dick knows how, the same way Bruce raised Dick: as Robin. I think it shows that the Dick's upbringing was awesome but at the same time a warped vision of childhood and his relationship with Damian mirrors his own relationship with Bruce, when Dick was the same age. However I feel the truth of the relationship is closer to Bruce's failure with Jason Todd. I hope Dick can succeed where Bruce failed.

 

Tim Drake is now Red Robin. First the Red Robin persona was seen in Kingdom Come (a alternate future version of the DC Universe) and his secret Identity was Dick Grayson. Later, as with so many of the popular designs from the Kingdom Come story, DC tried to introduce Red Robin into current continuity. First the resurrected Jason Todd obtained the outfit from a Batman on an alternate earth. Lame, I know. Then some Robin villain named Ulysses Hayden Armstrong got his hands on the outfit shortly before he took the identity of Anarky another long-time Batman extreme vigilante/villain. Even lamer? Yes. When Tim learns that Dick wishes to disobey Bruce's order's by becoming Batman after his death, that Dick intends to replace Tim as Robin with Damian and that Dick does not support Tim's belief that Bruce isn't dead, Tim takes on the persona of Red Robin. He feels that since his mission to prove that Bruce is still alive is a dangerous one that may put him at odds with many known heroes, he would take on a persona that would not be associated with Batman or Robin.

 

Batgirl is revealed to be Stephanie Brown: the daughter of  the Batman and Robin villain The Cluemaster, she was a vigilante for quite some time as The Spoiler and was Tim Drake's long-time girlfriend. She briefly took on the role of Robin when Tim quit the role after his father's death. Batman quickly fired her though, when she deliberately disobeyed a direct order of his during her training period.  He asked that she not return as Robin, or Spoiler for that matter. She eventually put into action a Gang War in Gotham when she attempted to gain favor in Batman's eyes by enacting one of his famous contingency plans. The plan backfired and put Black Mask into a position of power. Stephanie was tortured by the Black Mask. It had appeared she had died in a hospital. It was later revealed that her death was faked with the help of Leslie Tompkins to insure her protection after her identity had become compromised.

 

Now Stephanie Brown is Batgirl. Honestly this news is barely a few weeks old. I know that Pat just wrote on this site his dis-pleasure at this news. I will have to agree with him that I also wish that Barbra Gordon could don the Batgirl outfit again too. I think they could come up with great storyline to get her out of the wheelchair too. I also agree that all other Batgirls, long-time and short-time have been stupid. But I think that Stephanie Brown was a great choice. As a long-time Batman reader I was really afraid that when I found out who the new Batgirl was, it would be someone of the caliber of Huntress, Casandra Cain, or  Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe, whoever the hell that is. I really do wish that Barbara Gordon was the choice but I was afraid that they would never do that. So with all the possible outcomes this was something I never considered and I am very pleased with it. It could have gone MUCH worse. I am interested in seeing where the writers take it.

 

That sums up quite a bit. There is quite a bit more though. Kate Kane the new Batwoman is the star of Detective Comics. Black Mask has returned to Gotham. Riddler is masquerading as a hero Private Investigator. Catwoman, Posion Ivy and Harley Quinn live together. In last week's Batman Two-Face successfully broke into the Batcave and scarred one side of the giant penny. I could go on, but let's get to this weeks release:

 

Red Robin# 4

 

Written by Chris Yost and Penciled by Ramon Bachs

 



 

This month in Red Robin Tim continues his quest to prove that Bruce Wayne is still alive. For anybody that has been reading we all know that Bruce Wayne is indeed alive but it's pretty ambiguous. We saw him die at the hands of Darkseid, we know that the heroes buried his body but we also know that Bruce is alive. This is because Darkseid's Omega Sanction beam that he shot Batman with, gives the victim "death that is life". At the end of Final Crisis we see Bruce in what appears to be the early history of man writing on a cave wall the symbol of Batman.

 

Now Tim is in Iraq and working with the help of Ras Al Ghul and his resources in the League of Assassins. He has found a valuable clue to Bruce's fate: the same symbol we see Bruce drawing on a cave wall at the end of Final Crisis.

 

The issue also gives some insight into the falling out between Dick and Tim via flashback. It shows an argument between the two before Tim leaves the country as Red Robin. At the end of the argument Tim asks that Dick not allow Damian to ruin the good name that they had built as Robin.

 

This issue was a good read. I really enjoy everything I'm reading now. Every Batman title is a gem. Batman and Robin, Batman, Batman: Streets of Gotham, Detective Comics, Red Robin, Batgirl, and Gotham City Sirens! Man they are all awesome!  For next week: Batman and Robin, Batman: Streets of Gotham, and Batgirl. I can't wait!

 

Tune in next week. Same Bat-time, same Bat-Channel.
Mattman

Friday Happy Hour

 

The Sissy Klingon

 

I know I post a lot of Star Trek themed drinks here for Friday Happy Hour.  I just can't help myself, especially when they have such awesome names as the Sissy Klingon.  The very moment I read the drink's name, my mind instantly flashed on the above photo of Mr. Worf from the Next Generation episode when Q made the crew all act as if they were Robin Hood and his Merry Men.

 

Worf, obviously, was not very merry at all.  That's ok though, he never is.  You can be plenty merry however if you have one or two of these wonderfully named beverages.

 

Recipe:

 

• 1 shot Flor de Caña rum


• 1/2 shot Raspberry Pucker


• 1/2 shot Bombay Sapphire gin


• Cherry Bomb Jolt

 

Instructions:  Mix the booze together in a shaker and pour over ice. Add the Jolt to taste.

Will The Real Batgirl Please Stand Up?

 

Some of you may question my choice for this post's headline, what with Barbara Gordon being paralyzed and all, but please know that I chose it for a very specific reason.  I genuinely want to see what that title refers to actually happen.  I think it is high time that DC Comics finally did right by Ms. Gordon and removed her from the wheelchair she's been sitting in for two decades and got her back to doing what she does best . . . fighting crime as Batgirl.

 

What got me thinking about this post was the recent news that over in the Bat-books a character by the name of Stephanie Brown, a hero originally known as the Spoiler and then for a time was Robin, has now become the new Batgirl.  I don't know about you, but upon hearing this my initial reaction was something along the lines of, "Ugh, really?  The Spoiler?  Really?  Is that the best DC could come up with?"  Do any of you out there actually give a care at all about Stephanie Brown as a character?  Maybe it's just me, but I'm sick and tired of seeing all these second rate characters being granted the cowl, cape and tights that should only be worn by Barbara Gordon.

 

Admittedly, Barbara Gordon wasn't the first Batgirl.  The original Batgirl was a woman named Betty Kane.  She appeared in the Bat-books back in 1961 as a love interest for Robin, but due to an editorial change and a general decline in the sales of Batman books at the time, both she and the original Batwoman (Kathy Kane) were quickly dismissed and forgotten about.  In fact, the two were so unpopular that they were officially retconned in 1985 during the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline so it's like they never existed at all.

 

It was in November of 1966 that Barbara Gordon appeared as Batgirl for the first time.  She was originally created as a deal between DC Comics and the ABC television network, who very badly wanted a new female character for their Batman TV show starring Adam West.  The move turned out to be a good one and Batgirl became very popular with both readers of the comics and viewers of the show.  Soon enough, Barbara Gordon's status as a caped crimefighter was cemented into the Batman mythology and for the next 22 years she fought alongside Batman and Robin as a trusted and loyal friend.

 

Then, in 1988, there came a guy named Alan Moore and a little one-shot (no pun intended) comic called Batman: The Killing Joke.  In this story, Barbara Gordon was shot through the spine by The Joker and has ever since been paralyzed from the waist down.  For a long time, the character of Batgirl was officially retired from the Bat-family.  Barbara Gordon herself evolved to become the information broker/expert computer hacker known as Oracle, but the world was Batgirl-less for a full decade.

 

The first woman to take on the role of Batgirl after Barbara Gordon was Helena Bertinelli (also known as The Huntress).  She donned the cape and cowl for a short time in 1999 before being forced by Batman himself to stop because she wasn't being heroic enough.  After her came a mute martial arts expert name Cassandra Cain.  This Batgirl had both Batman's and Oracle's approval and she held the position for many years before recently stepping down after the "death" of Batman.  Then, some teenager named Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe (yeah, I've never heard of her either) was Batgirl for a bit before Oracle told her to stop.  And now we have Stephanie Brown stepping up to the plate as the all new Batgirl.

 

Pardon me if that entire list of wannabe Batgirls leaves me feeling entirely underwhelmed.  Huntress, Cassandra, some punk kid nobody, and now the Spoiler?  When the hell is DC going to get their heads out of their asses and restore Barbara Gordon to her rightful place as the one and only Batgirl again?  She's the definitive Batgirl after all.  She's the most well known and well liked of them all.  She's the only one that non-comics fans have even heard of.  Her appearance and costume are the quentissential version of the character.  To have to keep watching one wannabe after another pretending to be Batgirl is disheartening to say the least.  To give a proper comparison, it would be like if this current "death of Batman" story went for over 20 years and we were forced to endure watching people who weren't Bruce Wayne pretend to be Batman for the next two decades.  How would that make you feel?

 

Why is it then that after 21 years, Barbara Gordon is still paralyzed?  No other hero has to put up with this.  Batman had his back broken too, and he recoverd in about a year.  Steve Rogers (Captain America) got shot through the neck, which as gunshots go is a little more serious than through the spine, and he's coming back soon.  For Christ's sake, even Aunt May, who has to be somewhere around 90 years old, was shot in the stomach and has managed to make a full recovery.  So why is it that Barbara Gordon is still sitting in a wheelchair.

 

And don't go giving me that, "Because it was Alan Moore" bullshit either.  Just because Alan Moore wrote it doesn't mean it can't be undone.  Everything in comics can be undone.  No exceptions.  If Bucky can come back from the dead, all bets are off s far as I'm concerned.  The fact that Barbara Gordon is still wheeling herself around instead of leaping off of Gotham City rooftops is a crime.  That crime is made even more glaring when you consider the fact that The Killing Joke wasn't even a regular continuity story.  It was never meant to have a major effect on the regular line of comics, so why is it still doing so?

 

I know that Oracle is a very popular character and that fans love her, but come on people, wouldn't you rather see Barbara Gordon running around as Batgirl instead of people like the Spoiler?  And just think of how awesome the new Oracle/Batgirl combo could be.  In her time off from wearing a costume, Barbara Gordon has clearly defined herself as one of the smartest women in the DC Universe.  As a hacker and general source of information, she's even more skilled than Batman is in certain areas.  A properly written Batgirl comic with Barbara as the title character could be filled with incredibly smart stories that show off both her intellect and her fighting abilities.  Just think how awesome it would be to see her and Batman working on a case together and trying to one-up each other with who knows more about whatever they were hunting down. 

 

It's not like she would have to stop being Oracle either.  She's already set up the Birds of Prey organization.  All she would have to do would be to appoint someone to take over her day to day duties as information dealer so she can go running around and beating up thugs.  In the meantime she can still supervise the group from a distance and occasionally lend a hand as Oracle when needed.  She could become both an individual hero again as well as a leader of a group of female heroes.  She could go on to truly become the female version of Batman that she was designed to be.  She's every bit as smart and as tough as he is, it only seems right.

 

In 20 years, will anyone really remember what the Spoiler did during her run as Batgirl?  Do any of you actually think her run as Batgirl will be more than two or three years in length?  I personally doubt it will even run that long.  Please, if anyone from DC Comics is out there, please bring Barbara Gordon back as Batgirl.  Just say that some new spinal surgery technique has been discovered that can restore the use of her limbs.  It's not a difficult storyline at all to write.  We fans will love you for it.  Even bitter and jaded fans like me .