Final Crisis #4 - Up until this issue, this series has been practically impossible to figure out what was going on.  I know I am not alone on this.  After reading this issue, I think I finally understand what is going on now.  I have to say that this has been the best issue of this series so far, with some good scenes (even if some where a little cliché) that are just the kind of thing that reminds me of why I love comics. Overall the whole series has been a big disappointment when compared to the hype that followed it.  So far I have enjoyed all the “tie-in” series\one-shots with the “Final Crisis” banner a lot more.  Hopefully this will get better by the end, but somehow I doubt it, considering the drama that seems to be going on behind the scenes on this book.

FC: Submit #1 - I liked this issue, and I think it was a mistake not to convey somehow that it takes place before Final Crisis #4.  I read Submit after that issue, not knowing any better, and it would have made my reading of Final Crisis #4 a lot more enjoyable.  Even though this was a good story, some of the dialogue seemed a little cheesy at times and I think Morrison made Black Lightning sound a little bit too preachy. The only other thing that kind of bugs me is the idea of the newspapers, and heroes running around delivering them.  Having someone like the Ray do that I can understand, he can travel pretty fast, but having BL running around on foot with Justifiers everywhere is just kind of silly.  A little bit of a plot hole if you asked me.

FC: Revelations #3 of 5 - I really have been enjoying Greg Rucka’s work on this series, and I think the art really fits the overall tone of the book perfectly.  I am glad to see more being done with the new Question, I enjoyed what Rucka did with the Crime Bible series and I was happy to see that story continued here.  It was also good to see a new character like Radiant be introduced last issue.  It makes more sense to have another entity like the Spectre around but be sort of his opposite number.  I am looking forward to the next issue of this and see how things turn out.

FC: Rouges’ Revenge #3 of 3 - What can I say?  Johns delivered an excellent end to another awesome story. I am so glad things ended the way they did (trying to stay spoiler free here), but I don’t see how they could have ended any other way.  Regular readers of my blog know I love John’s work, so no need to go on about it here.  I will however say I would like to see more of Scott Kolins work, I didn’t appreciate it enough until I saw it again in this title.  He has a very gritty style that fit perfectly for this book.  This was one of the Final Crisis tie-ins that was definitely worth every penny.

FC: Legion of 3 Worlds #2 of 5 - Holy shit, this is the greatest comic I have read in a while.  Which is pretty much a given for me considering its 1) Johns writing, 2) Perez doing the penciling, and 3) its about the Legion.  This is like Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one.  The obvious care and hard work that was put in this title just pours off the page.  I LOVE IT!!  I hate it when books are late, but if they need time on the next one, then so be it.  I am willing to wait for this kind of quality in this one case.

FC: Resist #1 - Here is another book I liked better than the series that it is tied to.  Rucka did a good job with this one, I really like the interaction with Mr. Terrific and the rest of the characters.  I have to admit I was beginning to wonder how the heroes were going to pull their asses out of the fire up until this issue, and I am actually looking forward to seeing one hell of a battle come out of this.

FC: Rage of the Red Lanterns #1 - Wow this comic is really something.  There is a lot of going on here, some of it might be lost on you if haven’t been reading the Secret Origins arc in Green Lantern, but it might not be too bad if you are picking this up cold.  Once again, Johns delevers a great Green Lantern story that I really enjoyed.  I am really looking forward to watching this play out in the GL titles, it should be a lot of fun.

Well that is it for now.  Next time I will either cover the New Krypton or Batman R.I.P. stuff I have read so far.

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NEW “HERO” CHOSEN BY FANS IN ‘CREATE YOUR HERO’ CAMPAIGN –NEW MICRO-SERIES ‘HEROES: DESTINY’ PREMIERES TONIGHT ON NBC.COM, HULU AND SPRINT WIRELESS PHONES

Fans Select ‘Santiago’ as the #1 Fan Favorite to Star in Mobile/Online Series; Robert Urbina Set for the Role of ‘Santiago’ and Lina Esco, Andrea Thompson also Star

BURBANK, Calif. – November 10, 2008 – After more than one million votes were cast, today NBC and Sprint announced the winning hero in the “Create Your Hero” campaign.

The winning character will star in the new online live action micro-series, HEROES: DESTINY. The first of four episodes will premiere tonight exclusively on online at NBC.com and on Sprint phones, one episode to be released every Monday at 9pm et/pt starting November 10.

Also announced today was the casting of Columbian-born actor, Roberto Urbina, to bring the character to life. Urbina stars in a story created by the show’s award-winning writers and produced in collaboration with the series creators.

Lina Esco (”Cane”) and Andrea Thompson (”24″) will also star in the innovative micro-series, being filmed on location in Los Angeles. Based on the Aspen Comics’ online illustrations which brought Santiago to life on NBC.com, the micro-series will be directed by Eagle Egilsson (”CSI: Miami,” “The Wire”).

“For the first time ever, Sprint and NBC gave Heroes fans a hand in the creative process,” said Bill Morgan, Senior Vice President, Corporate Marketing, Sprint. “And with the ability to vote and ultimately watch the new micro-series exclusively on mobile with their Sprint phones, we are demonstrating even more ways that our technology allows people to interact and be entertained.”

“Create Your Hero” began last season with fans selecting the characteristics of the new hero, including gender, name, special powers, personality and physical features. Each week fans voted on a different trait, which gradually evolved into two final character candidates: “Audrey” and “Santiago.” The winning hero, Santiago, 23, is an only child and lives with his mother in Lima, Peru. He works as an auto mechanic and hopes to go out in the world one day and accomplish something that makes his mother proud.

“We developed this campaign directly with Mindshare Entertainment as not only a great way to engage the fans with their favorite show,” said Barbara Blangiardi, Senior Vice President, Creative Partnerships and Innovation, NBC Universal, “but as an innovative project that connected Sprint’s marketing objectives seamlessly with our content, enhancing the overall viewing experience.”

The four-episode micro-series premieres tonight on NBC.com, Hulu, and Sprint wireless phones with sneak previews running each week during Heroes on NBC. The concept for the “Create Your Hero” project was developed in conjunction with “Heroes” creator Tim Kring. The production is a partnership between Mindshare Entertainment and NBC Universal Creative Partnerships & Innovation. To see HEROES: DESTINY the series, please log on to http://www.nbc.com/heroesdestiny.

Tags: create your hero, Heroes, heroes: destiny, NBC, press release, sprint, Television, Web Series

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R2-D2’s inner workings revealed in Friday’s
episode of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS

What is R2-D2 made of?  Audiences will find out, both literally and figuratively, in ”Duel of the Droids,” an all-new episode of the hit animated series STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, premiering at 9 p.m. ET/PT Friday, Nov. 14, on Cartoon Network.

In the episode, Anakin, Ahsoka and replacement droid R3-S6 (aka “Goldie”) embark on a dual rescue/sabotage mission when they discover R2-D2 is being held at General Grievous’s secret enemy listening post.

Writer Kevin Campbell (”Disney’s House of Mouse,” ”Jackie Chan Adventures”) created a little extra work for the Lucasfilm Animation crew when he used the unusually vivid word ”splayed” to describe how R2-D2’s internal mechanisms would be removed and exhibited across an examining table. That gave the production team ample opportunity to delve into Artoos’s inner workings, as well as to have a little fun at director Rob Coleman’s expense.

Loyal astromech droid R2-D2 is followed by his temporary replacement, R3-S6

“Dave (Filoni) and the designers - particularly Killian Plunkett - figured out what was actually inside Artoo,” Coleman says. ”He’s the ultimate Swiss Army knife, and we all love the myriad things that come out of him, but having to build and animate all of that is another story. Lucasfilm Animation’s Gary Scheppke got a box full of ’Artoo bits,’ and the modelers - basing it off the actual hardware - crammed it into the model inside the computer. There are definitely some recognizable pieces on that table from the films, as well as all the things that show up for the first time in this episode - a cutter wheel, suction cups, etc. Then they animated in a few things like a pea shooter and a boxing glove just to get my attention. They’re funny guys.”

Campbell says he took pride in the opportunity to add some history for Artoo and his capabilities, showing some aspects of the droid that audiences haven’t seen before.

“I love that we’re adding back story to the back story. We discover that when Princess Leia hides the Death Star plans inside Artoo in Episode IV, it’s not the first time he’s been entrusted with important information,” Campbell says. ”I also like that we get to play with Anakin’s emotional side. The Jedi are saying he gets too attached, that he’s willing to risk everything to get Artoo back. He’s a Jedi, and yet he assigns sentimental value to an inanimate object. I can relate to that, because that’s real loyalty.”

Ahsoka Tano finds herself in lightsaber combat with General Grievous

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Nicieza & Tomasi on Robin & Nightwing R.I.P.

As has been suspected and discussed over on the CGS forums this has been planed for a while.

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Congratulations to the American public, you very well may have saved us and the World from the brink of disaster.

This is truly a happy day!! 

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This whole thing has snuck up on me, I really didn’t believe anything really big would happen to Batman, I have heard it all before, just like we all have.  That was until I read Batman #680, then I new something was up.  With this new news, it has hit me like a sledge hammer.

Suffice it to say I am pissed off.  First Didio cancels the Legion, and now this!!

Fuck you Didio!!

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BLUEWATER INKS DEAL WITH LIONSGATE FOR COMIC SERIES

BELLINGHAM, WA— October 27, 2008— in 2009, Bluewater and Lionsgate will be developing a line of comic books based on the cult/ horror favorite films “Leprechaun” and “Warlock”.  After their successful series “Vincent Price Presents” Bluewater delivers more horror to comics.

“Working with Lionsgate on this end is like coming back full circle for me.  I worked on the marketing for “Leprechaun 4: In Space”, said Bluewater publisher Darren G. Davis. “I loved this little character and have always wanted to do something with him.  As for “Warlock”, this was another cult film that I enjoyed, so having this opportunity to partner with Lionsgate again is going to great”.

The “Warlock comic series is described as, The Warlock is on a mission to destroy a book that contains a spell which imprisoned six other Warlocks. If the book manages to be destroyed, the dangerous Warlocks would be released back into the world free to cause chaos and destruction. It’s up to a rag-tag group of people to prevent the Warlock from carrying out his plan.

“Warlock will appeal to both fans of the franchise and readers who know nothing about the horror series”, said writer Nick Lyons.  The book will be drawn by Jacob Bear and colored by John Hunt.  Matt Bellisle will be doing all the alternate covers to this title.

“Leprechaun” will be written by another Lionsgate alum Zach Hunchar, who just finished writing Insane Jane for Bluewater.   “Leprechaun” is an immensely popular horror franchise and I’m excited about expanding the mythos. It takes two of my favorite things … Ireland and horror. I’m extremely excited to continue to explore the things that scare me and entertain me. I’m very happy Bluewater chose me for this task.”

“Leprechaun” the comic series is a tale of revenge and mayhem. This is the tale of Lubdan, the king and sole survivor of the Leprechaun. The last of the Leprechauns! A treasure dealer stumbles across his pot of gold and steals it. In this modern age, he finds buyers all over the planet through on-line auctions. Iubdan finds the thief after the gold is shipped to humans across the globe. Unbeknownst to Iubdan, the Cluracan, a war-like race intent on genocide, helped the human find the gold. A new curse is discovered that weakens Iubdan while he is not in possession of the gold and will eventually kill him if he does not recover them all in enough time. He quickly realizes he cannot locate the gold without help. The treasure dealer’s last sale was to a computer expert, who agrees to help Lubdan, in exchange for his life. Together, they race against time to learn of the gold’s locations. Lubdan’s quest takes him all over the planet, across time and space. Battling greed, the genocidal Cluracan and new mystical adversaries, Lubdan must save all life to save himself.

Kris Carter will draw “Leprechaun”. And Micheal Kingston will be writing the 2nd story arch.

For more information on Bluewater Productions, go to www.bluewaterprod.com or check them out in your local comic book shop!

# # # #

ABOUT BLUEWATER:
Bluewater Productions, Inc. is one if the top independent production studios of comic, young adult books and graphic novel titles.  In the tradition of great storytelling and cutting edge art, Bluewater storms onto the comic book and graphic novel scene. With more titles than ever, including smash hits such as the 10th MUSE, THE LEGEND OF ISIS,  VINCENT PRICE, ROGER CORMAN PRESENTS and RAY HARRYHAUSEN PRESENTS. Bluewater is poised to continue to produce engaging stories with art from both the top names in the industry alongside with up and coming stars. Visit Bluewater Productions online at http://www.bluewaterprod.com.

ABOUT LIONSGATE:
For more information, visit http://www.lionsgate.com

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Read the rest of the article at the link above

Alan Martin: Tank Girl Resurrected
By Nicole Powers
Oct 24, 2008

Hollywood nearly killed Tank Girl. Dodgy movies have a way of doing that to people. Tank Girl’s creators, writer Alan Martin and artist Jamie Hewlett, would be the first to say the 1995 big screen incarnation of the cult comic strip character, which they had zero control over, wasn’t all that it should have been. Indeed they might even say it was a “shit sandwich” (well, actually, Martin did). Fortunately, Tank Girl’s superhuman, and her fuck you spirit would never allow a bunch of scummy film execs and industry cheese weasels to have the last word. Down but not out, after a hiatus of over a decade, she put her Tank Boots back on, and kicked, screamed and farted her way back from near oblivion, with a little help from Martin.

In the process of documenting Tank Girl’s past for a best-of book called The Cream of Tank Girl (out October 2008), Martin found a renewed passion for his foul-mouthed, mutant kangaroo-humping friend. Original draftsman Jamie Hewlett may have moved on to pastures new with Damon Albarn and their virtual Gorillaz band, but Tank Girl has found new pen pals to roughhouse with.

With a slew of fresh Tank Girl adventures already in print, in the bag, and on the horizon, Martin and his badly behaved progeny are smashing (”Sleesh! Plock! Glump!”) their way into one of their most prolific periods ever. We sat down for a long distance chat with Martin, and took a gander at what the future holds for Tank Girl.

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First Press Release | Star Wars: The Old Republic

LUCASARTS AND BIOWARE
REVEAL STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC

OCTOBER 21, SAN FRANCISCO – LucasArts and BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today announced the development of Star Wars®: The Old Republic™, a story-driven massively multiplayer online PC game set in the timeframe of the Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™ franchise. Star Wars: The Old Republic, being developed and published by BioWare and LucasArts, represents an innovative approach to interactive entertainment, featuring immersive storytelling, dynamic combat and intelligent companion characters.

In Star Wars: The Old Republic, players will explore an age thousands of years before the rise of Darth Vader when war between the Old Republic and the Sith Empire divides the galaxy. Players can choose to play as Jedi, Sith, or a variety of other classic Star Wars roles, defining their personal story and determining their path down the light or dark side of the Force. Along the way, players will befriend courageous companions who will fight at their side or possibly betray them, based on the players’ actions. Players can also choose to team up with friends to battle enemies and overcome incredible challenges using dynamic Star Wars combat.

“Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is the most critically acclaimed Star Wars game in LucasArts history and a preeminent example of our company’s interactive storytelling heritage,” said Darrell Rodriguez, President of LucasArts. “For a long time, we’ve long wanted to return to the franchise in a grand way, and we felt that the best setting for it was an online world that would allow millions of people to participate in the experience together. We knew that the developer capable of working with us to deliver an engrossing story with a fully-realized online world was BioWare.”

“Traditionally, massively multiplayer online games have been about three basic gameplay pillars - combat, exploration and character progression,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, Co-Founder and General Manager/CEO of BioWare and General Manager/Vice President of Electronic Arts Inc., “In Star Wars: The Old Republic, we’re fusing BioWare’s heritage of critically-acclaimed storytelling with the amazing pedigree of Lucasfilm and LucasArts, and adding a brand-new fourth pillar to the equation – story. At the same time, we will still deliver all the fun features and activities that fans have come to expect in a AAA massively multiplayer online game. To top it all off, Star Wars: The Old Republic is set in a very exciting, dynamic period in the Star Wars universe.”

Added Dr. Greg Zeschuk, Co-Founder and Vice President Development Operations, BioWare and Vice President, Electronic Arts Inc., “Star Wars: The Old Republic is set roughly 300 years after the events of Knights of the Old Republic, a timeframe that is completely unexplored in the lore. BioWare has been able to add to the Star Wars history in developing the game’s story and has created an overarching narrative that players can enjoy, regardless of their play style. Our goal is to offer players an emotionally rewarding experience that combines the traditional elements of MMO gameplay with innovations in story and character development.”

Additional details on Star Wars: The Old Republic features, gameplay and release date will be announced at a later time. For more information about Star Wars: The Old Republic and to sign up for future product updates, please visit www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com.

###

About LucasArts
LucasArts, a Lucasfilm Ltd. company, is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide for video game console systems, computers and the Internet. Based in San Francisco, Calif., as well as on the Internet at www.lucasarts.com, LucasArts was created in 1982 by George Lucas to provide an interactive element to his vision of a state-of-the-art, multifaceted entertainment company.

About BioWare
BioWare develops computer, console, handheld and online video games focused on rich stories and memorable characters. Since 1995, BioWare has created some of the world’s best-selling titles including the award-winning Baldur’s Gate™ and Neverwinter Nights™ series, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™. Original BioWare-created IPs include Jade Empire™ and the 2007 Game of the Year, Mass Effect™. With studios in Edmonton, Canada, and Austin, Texas, BioWare is hard at work on the epic fantasy RPG, Dragon Age™: Origins. In 2008, BioWare was acquired by the world’s leading electronic entertainment publisher, Electronic Arts. For more information on BioWare, visit www.bioware.com.

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world’s leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA SPORTS Freestyle™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

LucasArts, the LucasArts logo, STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks in the United States and/or in other countries of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © 2008 Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. or Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.

BioWare, Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Jade Empire are trademarks or registered trademarks owned by EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. in the U.S. and/or other countries. EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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