10th Apr2012

Batman: Arkham Unhinged #1

by Jeremy

 

the cover to Batman Arkham Unhinged #1

Did you love Batman Arkham City? Did you blast through the storyline? Collect all the collectables? Unlock all the unlockables? If you just can’t get enough of the latest award-winning Batman video game, then you should probably pick up Batman: Arkham Unhinged. It’s a prequel to the video game, and goes into the roles of the heroes and villains. According to DC Comics the comic book is:

A prequel to the game created with the developer, Rocksteady, this first issue features content previously available only as a digital released and explores the Catwoman/Two-Face rivalry and how it leads them into the clutches of Hugo Strange.

I did love the game, I did like the story line. With so many Batman books out now (five), I’m not sure if I’m ready to add another one that was created with the company that also created the video game. DC already has a lot of competition for any of my extra money with so many great indie books being released. I feel like if they had some bigger names involved (Paul Dini, for instance… he did help with the video game story line right?) with the creation, this Batman comic book would distinguish itself from just another chance for the video game to get some extra exposure, and make some more money.

Unless I read an outstanding review somewhere, I’m probably going to pass on this one. If you decide you want to pick it up, and for some reason you don’t know where your local comic book shop is, just click on this: Batman: Arkham Unhinged #1 and let Amazon.com do the work.

Category : Batman, Comics
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24th Mar2012

The Weekend Link Dump 03/24/12

by Jeremy

Ender's Chair

It was a long week for me, didn’t get in front of the computer a lot, but I did see a lot of interesting stuff going on with updates from Wondercon and upcoming movies (comic book and otherwise), SWTOR’s free weekend trial and more. If you have some time to kill, here’s what I found of interest this week:

  • AMC Theaters is running a marathon of the Marvel Comics movie universe; leading up to, and finishing with the new Avengers Movie.
  • ScreenRant.com has a photo of the what is purported to be the movie poster for the sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine.
  • Orson Scott Card’s classic science fiction novel is being turned into a movie. That movie, Ender’s Game, has a blog.
  • More movie news, after Michael Bay’s big announcement about changes to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle origin, original creator Kevin Eastman chimes in as well.
  • A spoilerific interview with Scott Snyder about Batman #7.
  • Star Wars: The Old Republic is offering a free trial this weekend. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should. The free trial goes until Monday morning. There goes your weekend.
  • “Researchers have proposed building a nuclear clock that would lose only one-tenth of a second over 14 billion years, the current age of the universe. It would be 100 times more accurate than current atomic clocks…”
  • A cool look at the way music is used in Mass Effect 3. Scroll down and look at the comments, Bioware’s Audio Lead gives his opinion!
  • Just because we’re geeks doesn’t mean we have to live up to the old stereotype about our fashion tendencies. Lifehacker.com helps out.
  • Finally, for all the info on last weekend’s Wondercon, ComicBookResources.com has you covered.
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27th Feb2012

What You Shouldn’t Miss This Week 02/27/12

by Jeremy


Batman Beyond Unlimited #1

Every week we bring you the new releases of the week from comic books, movies, video games and television that you won’t want to miss.

Kombat: Komplete Edition comes out on February 28th. It is the Game of the Year Edition of Mortal Kombat plus much more. It features all of the game’s downloadable content:  All four downloadable characters, “Klassic” fatalities for Sub-Zero, Scorpion and Reptile and 15 throwback skins. If that wasn’t enough, it is also bundled with a digital version of the original Mortal Kombat film, from 1995.

The new SSX for Playstation 3 also comes out on February 28th. One of (what I thought was) the most fun, snowboarding video games returns. With so many new features, including online multi-player racing, this looks like a must buy if you own a PS3! Here is a trailer for a closer look:

From DC Comics, Batman Beyond Unlimited hits your local comic book store on February 29th. In this new chapter of the future Batman (Terry McGinnis), a new gang of Jokerz causes chaos in Gotham City. Also collected here is the first two digital chapters of Justice League Beyond (for the first time in print).

Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie is in theaters on March 2nd. The brilliant and/or twisted and disturbed minds behind the Awesome Show, now have a movie…Tim and Eric are given a billion dollars to make a movie and they squander it all. Now, on the run, they are looking for a way to pay it all back.

If you check out any of these things this week, let us know what you thought. Or, if we missed something tell us in the comments below, or on Facebook or Twitter.

Category : Batman, Comics, Gaming, Movies, Platform
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21st Feb2012

Raising A Geek Child – Part 1

by Jeremy

 

Lego Friends

Normally when you think of a geeky child, you think of a boy. That’s valid. Growing up, most of my geeky friends were boys, we read comic books, watched sci-fi television and movies, and read lots of books. We had seen all of the Star Wars movies multiple times, we read the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. We played with Lego’s as long as was acceptable and we could quote Monty Python until everyone else left the room disgusted. Most of all, we couldn’t understand why Princess Peach and Princess Zelda kept getting into their horrible situations.

My oldest child recently celebrated her fifth birthday, and upon going over her presents, I realized she was destined to travel down the same path I had. Last year she received a couple of Lego sets, the general ones with all different color blocks, some wheels, doors and windows. Just enough random parts to make about anything you wanted to make. Thanks to Lego releasing their new Lego Friends line she received even more. At first I thought it was no big deal. She liked Lego’s: its something we enjoy doing together, and now they come in pink and purple so they match her Disney Princess and Barbie toys. Her mother and I also got her a Nintendo DS, something she had been asking for since her cousin got one earlier in the year. Ok, Lego’s, Nintendo, it’s all just a coincidence right?

The day after her birthday, I had to stop at my LCS (local comic book shop) and pick up that week’s titles. My daughter came into the store with me, I pointed out the Smurf and Alvin and the Chipmunks comic books. I asked if she wanted to get one for her birthday. She pointed at The All-New Batman: The Brave and The Bold and asked if that was the Red Tornado on the cover. After I caught my breath, I informed her that it looked like him, but it was in fact Mister Miracle. She told me she hadn’t seen that episode (on Cartoon Network’s Batman: The Brave and The Bold), and wanted to buy it. I again pointed her in the direction of the other kids comic books I thought she would be interested in. She declined, and picked up the Batman comic.

On the inside I was smiling, but also thinking: just because I love most things Batman, I hope she doesn’t think that she has to as well.

-Stay Tuned Tomorrow for Part 2

 

Category : Comics, Parenting
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11th Feb2012

The Weekend Link Dump 02/11/12

by Jeremy

Powerglove Promo Poster

In our constant scouring of the internet, we have found some interesting things this week: sequential art workshops, a list of the best fictional scientists, a good substitute for Valentine’s day cards and a video game inspired music video.

  • Want to further your art skillz? Enroll in a class, workshop, for a full year, or just online at the Sequential Artist Workshop.
  • Do you feel like Valentine’s Day is just a holiday perpetuated by large corporations to get at more of your pocket change? It’s not all true, it’s actually based off of the pagan festival of Lupercalia, which has to do with a Roman fertility god, and a lusty she-wolf. It’s weird, yes, but here is where you can buy things to celebrate Horny Werewolf Day!
  • Today’s crazy scientists were probably influenced by childhood hero’s just like the rest of us right? Wired magazine put together a list of the Best Fictional Scientists from TV and Movies.
  • And finally, what if there was a power metal version of the Batman movie theme, and the video looked like an old platform side-scroller adventure game? If this was actually possible, it would be Powerglove’s video for the song Batman. Dig the bass player’s Koopa troopa shell shoulder pads.
Category : Uncategorized
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09th Feb2012

An Update On My Reading of Super Gods by Grant Morrison

by Jeremy

Action and Detective Comics covers

Normally I wait until the end of a book to give a review, but I had to give a quick update because of how amazing this book is. I am only 100 pages into the book, and I know that I will reread it. In the foreword Morrison explains that growing up, his world was one threatened by nuclear holocaust and war. Because of this, the comic book pages of super heroes was an inviting escape for him. The early chapters have been about the beginning of super hero comics (the “Golden Age”), and their archetypal places in our history.

Morrison starts the first chapter by elaborating on how Superman put the “action” in Action Comics. He dissects the very first cover (the iconic image of Superman smashing a green car, as men scurry away) and explains that when you saw it, it was something new, exciting and that you couldn’t help but want to know what was going on inside. Then he turns around and talks about Superman’s dark other half: Batman.

Batman’s first appearance was in Detective Comics (#27). Just as Superman lived up to the name of Action Comics, Batman embodied the word detective. Morrison points out how The Dark Knight is drawn as a more static character: perching on gargoyles or studying clues. Superman’s power came from the yellow sun and Batman thrived in the shadows.

The following chapters go over the other early Golden Age characters: Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, Flash and Green Lantern. He again discusses where the ideas for the characters came from, as well as the mind-set of the country that embraced them so quickly. I feel like these are things that even an a casual comic book fan would enjoy, but it is kind of hard for me to determine, I’m far from a casual fan.

Category : Books, Comics
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05th Jan2012

Bat Thoughts – Beards

by Jeremy

This week’s Bat Thoughts combines two great things, Batman and Beards. You may ask, “Wouldn’t this had made a great topic for ‘No Shave November?” I would answer, “Of course, but I hadn’t thought of it then, so we’re doing it now, get off my back.”

Batman does not just see a beard as a hipster accessory or a sign of laziness. To him, beards are much more complex, facial article. Obviously, he realizes the importance of a beard in a good disguise, whether it is a small goatee/mustache combo, or the full-on hobo look. Batman also sees the tactical advantage in a beard. Next time you’re attacking someone with a beard, try grabbing them on the sides of the beard and kneeing them in the face. When they are on the ground and you’re holding two handfuls of facial hair, you too will come to see beards as Batman does. Being Batman also gives beards some extra uses, like when your utility belt gets stolen, you can keep your extra Shark Repellent Spray in your beard. Perhaps you’ve used all of your Bat-Rope, use that chin-stache hair to fashion a long braid to escape whatever trap you’ve found yourself in.

As you can see, when your mind is as highly trained as Batman’s, Beards become even more incredible.

Category : Batman, Beards
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15th Dec2011

Bat Thoughts – Star Wars: The Old Republic

by Jeremy

Through my extensive research of the many things “Bat” (that means I read a lot of comic books), I have picked up a lot insight into the way the Caped Crusader thinks (I also watch the movies a lot). With the impending release of the new MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, many people are excitedly discussing the game all across this internet. Here is my addition to that dialog.

WARNING: GAMER LINGO BELOW!

I know the first thing on most people’s mind is, what kind of character would Batman play as? Well, that is easy. Of course, he would play a melee dps. Probably something like a Jedi Sentinel, he has lots of experience with this kind of thing, it is the obvious choice. You may say, what about some sort of support role, he is good at leading and organizing the other Gotham City vigilantes, the Outsiders, even the Justice League of America from time to time. Yes, that is true, but he is just doing that because he has to do it. He doesn’t like having to tell the other costumed super heroes how to do their job. They should know how to do it already, he just does so, because he knows they’re going to screw up his plans if he doesn’t help them out. His main function is inflicting pain and suffering on the twisted criminals of his city.

The question that you should ask is not even what Batman would play, but if. That answer: OF COURSE NOT! Are you not familiar with Batman? He’s busy, saving the city, and the world, from evil doers. I imagine he pays someone to play for him, so if he ever needs to jump online as a high level character to smite The Calculator’s evil virus in the game, he would be prepared. Of course he may just leave it up to others in the Bat family (like in Oracle: The Cure #1-#3, or Red Robin #18-#21).

Do you have a particular situation or question that you wonder what Batman’s stance would be on? Leave a comment here or on Twitter.

Category : Batman, Gaming, MMORPG, SWtOR
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13th Dec2011

The Viral Campaign Rises

by Reed

And here. We. Go.

The viral campaign for the Dark Knight, explained to you in this handy YouTube video, was one of my all-time favorite marketing campaigns. It was my favorite because it allowed the consumer (the fans, movie-goers) to get involved in the movie by unlocking clues pertaining to Joker, Harvey Dent and Gotham City. It was extensive and although it carried a lot of information for the fans, you didn’t have to follow it to enjoy the movie. The Dark Knight Rises has been relatively quiet from a marketing standpoint up until a couple of days ago.

Both Wired and Empire have posted “documents”, one being a CIA Bulletin that features information on a “Dr. Leonid Pavel” (with the image of actor Alon Abutbul), and the other being a communications transcript. How it ties into the story is unknown, but some are starting the speculate that it may involve Hugo Strange. If you’re interested in following this campaign, some early outlets to latch onto are the twitter feed @Firerises and www.operationearlybird.com. @Firerises has tweeted the same documents as Wired and Empire, while Operation Early Bird features a map of the world showing locations that are hosting early bird IMAX screenings of the 6-minute TDKR prologue.

Stay tuned, because I know I will be following this very closely!

Category : Batman, Marketing
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