Der erste DC Animated Film 2010 wird “Justic League: Crisis on Two Earths” und bietet das komplette DC Superhelden Line-Up dank der Justice League Franchise. Die DVD und Blu-ray werden in den USA im Frühjahr 2010 veröffentlicht. Heute gibt es einen neuen Trailer.

Full review posted to comixtreme.com.

Story: 4.5/5
Art: 4.5/5
Overall: 4.5/5

Hungry Heart

Story & Words: Peter J. Tomasi
Penciller: Patrick Gleason
Inkers: Rebecca Buchman, Tom Nguyen
Colorists: Randy Mayor, Gabe Eltaeb
Letterer: Steve Wands
Editor: Adam Schlagman
Cover: Gleason, Buchman & Mayor and Buchman (variant by Greg Horn)
Publisher: DC Comics

This issue is mostly battle scenes, as we see the Green Lanterns (with help from the Indigo Tribe) defending Oa from the Black Lanterns. Killowog faces the Black Lanterns of recruits who try to stir up his guilt for failing to keep them alive. And the Black Lanterns reach 100% power…and prepare to Devour WILL. With things looking bleak, Kyle seizes on an idea that might just buy the defenders an edge–and sets his plan into motion. Unfortunately, an Alpha Lantern’s interference sends things in a less than desireable direction.

The ending of this issue was pretty much what I expected as the story progressed–from the moment the Alpha Lantern showed up, I had a sinking feeling…and the heroic action that resulted left me all the more sunk. The final page, seeing the body and the ring’s declaration that its Green Lantern was deceased and flying off…totally heart-breaking. Especially given WHO it was.

The action in this issue was so fast-paced that I hardly noticed the art. Where I did notice it, it didn’t seem all that bad. Gleason’s art seems much more well-suited for the alien characters; and even the cartooney aspect that usually bothers me so much didn’t really show through in this issue. The story was basically a straight-forward battle sequence followed by a fairly typical “heroic death” sequence. While significant in and of itself, it’s nothing special, and is rather formulaic in execution.

On the whole, a mostly average issue tending toward the better side for me as one who generally has not liked the visual style of the title’s artist. While the death at the end sucks, it fits in with the story, and provided me the biggest “Oh, crap!” moment since the end of Blackest Night #1. I must also applaud all involved for not letting this slip beforehand–I had no idea this was going to be the issue’s end when I bought the issue.

As usual, I certainly recommend this to anyone following the title anyway or Blackest Night as a whole.

Story: 7.5/10
Art: 6/10
Whole: 6.5/10

The Son & the Stars Part One

Writer: Tony Bedard
Artist: Andy Clarke
Colorist: Jose Villarrubia
Letterer: Swands
Asst. Editor: Rex Ogle
Editor: Brian Cunningham
Cover: Kalman Andrasofszky
Publisher: DC Comics

This issue opens with a brief re-telling of the origin of L.E.G.I.O.N. and what got characters to the current R.E.B.E.L.S. status quo. The characters deal with the ongoing conflict with Starro, and we see Dox losing control as his son is taken by agents of Starro, and the forcefield he’s created to contain Starro is endangered. As Dox and crew jump into action to deal with this, they encounter seveal Sinestro Corps members…and discover that something even WORSE is chasing the sinestros. The issue ends on a relatively high “holy crap…that’s awesome!” moment (though it was topped by this week’s ending of Green Lantern Corps #42).

The writing’s solid, and the art is good stuff. There’s a distinctive style to the visuals that sets this apart from a lot of other comics; sets it above, actually. It fits the story and gives a definite feel that adds to the narrative.

On the whole, not a bad issue. I’m somewhat familiar with the characters, mainly from giving this series a try for its first 3-4 issues. I’d dropped the book for boredom and not really caring about the characters. This issue doesn’t do much to change that…but the context of the Blackest Night tie-in makes things a bit more interesting. And the ending has me VERY interested in what comes next–all the moreso if it adds a lasting element to the status quo BEYOND Blackest Night. Didn’t take much, but this certainly out-did the Doom Patrol tie-in last week, which earns it additional credit in my sight for that alone. Not as good as the Booster Gold issue this week, or GL Corps…but still a worthy chapter of the overall Blackest Night story.

Story: 7/10
Art: 7/10
Whole: 7.5/10

Aufgrund der sehr guten US-Verkaufszahlen der DVD & Blu-ray zum neusten DC Animated Universe Film “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies” hat Warner bereits beschlossen, dem ungleichen Duo ein Sequel zu spendieren, welches wohl auch bereits 2010 erscheinen wird. Zuvor wird aber der Film “Justic League: Crisis on two Earths” erscheinen.

In Deutschland ist der neuste DC Animated Universe Film “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies” noch nicht erschienen. Am 20. November dürfen dann aber auch deutsche DC Fans den Film auf DVD kaufen. Der Film wird in Deutschland als 2 Disc Special Edition und als Single DVD komplett ohne Bonusmaterial erscheinen. Auf die Blu-ray Veröffentlichung verzichtet Warner leider erneut, wie schon beim Film “Green Lantern: First Flight”. Anbei ein Making Of zum kommenden Film, welcher auf der Comic-Story von Jeph Loeb basiert.

Superman/Batman – Public Enemies (2-Disc Special Edition) jetzt vorbestellen
Superman/Batman – Public Enemies jetzt vorbestellen

Quelle: Batman News

Dead Reckoning; The Coming of…The Clique!

DOOM PATROL
Writer: Keith Giffen
Penciller: Justiniano
Inker: Livesay
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Colorist: Guy Major
Cover: Justiniano, Andrew Mangum, Guy Major
Associate Editor: Sean Ryan
Editor: Elisabeth V. Gehrlein

METAL MEN
Plot: Keith Giffen
Dialogue: J.M. Dematteis
Art: Kevin Maguire
Colorist: Guy Major
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Associate Editor: Sean Ryan
Editor: Elisabeth V. Gehrlein

It took me 3 attempts to make it all the way through this issue. The first two, I got hung up in the main feature. At the third attempt I managed to get through the main feature, and then all the way through the co-feature with no trouble at all.

I’m not entirely sure what was going on in the main story. To my knowledge all the characters are new to me–none of them rang any bells for me. We’re introduced to a bunch of characters contextually, though to be honest–I’m not sure if those are characters that are part of the current book, or references to the previous incarnation of this title, or what.

But as standard in Blackest Night comics so far, we see dead rise to elicit emotional response from the living, the aim being to ripen a heart with strong emotion before the subject is killed to power up the Black Lanterns.

The art’s quite good, to keep it simple. Though I’m unfamiliar with the characters, there’s no trouble telling them apart nor in following the action. And nothing to the visual style gave me any pause to contemplate quality.

The story itself was not enjoyable for me. I was not interested in the concept of this Doom Patrol before, and I’m not now after reading this issue. That’s not to say the story itself is bad–it’s not–but it doesn’t appeal to me.

This reminds me a bit of my early days in reading X-Men comics: being entirely unfamiliar with the characters and having no real sense of continuity, who characters were, and so on. While the story structure seems good, it just doesn’t interest me. However, for sake of following the entire Blackest Night event, I still intend to pick up the next issue.

If Doom Patrol’s your thing, this’ll be well worthwhile I think. If not…it doesn’t seem like it’s going to–from this issue, at least–add much to the Blackest Night event. Moreso the other way around–the event’s inserting something into this title’s story.

The Metal Men co-feature has nothing to do with Blackest Night, and seems quite timeless. A group of “female” robots have been activated by an arrogant creator seeking to outdo Magnus’ Metal Men. These girlbots proclaim themselves The Clique, and stir up trouble that gets the Metal Men involved (though they were quite happy enough to begin with, shopping with Magnus for a birthday present to give Tina–aka Platinum.)

I’m somewhat familiar with Magnus from 52, as well as the Metal Men from same as well as elsewhere around the DCU. They’re hardly my favorite characters; basically a take ‘em or leave ‘em situation. However, something about this story kept a sense of fun about things with some goofiness and the fantastic.

I was more engaged by this story than the Doom Patrol, and while I find The Clique to be a stupid/stereotypical element, it still works overall.

As a whole, I’m not entirely satisfied with the purchase as just a comic. In addition to simply being a Blackest Night crossover issue–the first tie-in of the event that’s not a Green Lantern book or mini-series–this issue is the first of several that are part of DC’s “ring promotion,” wherein retailers could order a bag of rings for every X number of copies of this issue they ordered. This issue came with a Yellow Ring. My inner fanboy was almost giddy at receiving the ring at no additonal cost–and for sheer enjoyment of starting a collection of the colored rings, this issue was more than worth its cover price to me.

Doom Patrol
Story: 4/10
Art: 7/10

Metal Men
Story: 6/10
Art: 7/10

Whole: 6/10

Full review posted to comixtreme.com.

Story: 3/5
Art: 2.5/5
Overall: 2.5/5

バットマン、スーパーマン、ワンダーウーマンの三人は奇妙な同じ夢に悩まされていた。どこかに閉じこめられた巨大な存在がここから出せと叫んでいるのだ。やがて三人の周辺で不可思議な事件が起こりはじめる。

実は三人はこの世界のカギを握る特別な存在「トリニティー」であり、怪事件は時空に生じた綻びが原因だった。

その事実にいちはやく気づいた怪人エニグマは、魔女モルガン=ルフェイを訪ね、同盟を持ちかける。彼とモルガン、そしてデスペロの三人でもうひとつの「トリニティー」を結成し、大いなる力を横取りしようというのだ。

52,Countdownに続く週刊DCコミック第三弾。ライターはアストロシティなどでお馴染みのカート=ビュシーク、作画はアルティメットスパイダーマンのマーク=バグリー(ただしこのシリーズは毎号二部構成で、前半15ページがビッグ3サイドの話でバグリーの担当、後半7ページはヴィランや他のヒーローの話で別のアーティストが描いている。バグリーの負担を減らすための措置だろうが、多少の違和感は否めない)

【ネタバレ感想】
期待はずれかも知れない。

ビッグ3が超存在によって選ばれた云々でまずがっかり。

ティームアップの魅力の一つは、普段別行動をとっているヒーロー同士が、どうして今回は協力することになったのか、その理由づけだと思うのだ。

たとえばゴッサムシティにゾンビが現われて手に負えないからデッドマンに助言を求めるとか、敵がグリーンランタンを倒すため黄色いコスチュームのヒーローを騙してけしかけるとか、そんなやつね。

そのへんが斬新かつ理にかなったものだと、ははあ、その手があったか、と感心するし、逆にありきたりなものだったり無理のあるものだったりすると、あーこの話はダメかもしれない、と早くも嫌な予感がしてしまう。

で、それでいうと、この神様かなんかに選ばれたから共闘します、てのは質的に最低レベルのアイデアではないかと。

だって、これ、どんなヒーロー同士の組み合わせにも使えちゃうよ。バカでも思いつくよ？

それに加えて、この作品の場合、ビッグ3は自分たちが選ばれた戦士だという自覚がないので、状況がよくわからないまま敵の送り込んでくる雑魚を撃退する、という展開がずっと続く。表面的にはたいした事件でもないので緊迫感も薄いし、三人の関係に波風がたつこともない。いまのところ三人いる必要もない。

まあ、ギャングバスターとかホークマンとか、脇役やゲストの活躍は結構楽しめるし、ワンダーウーマンが同僚に「あなたはこの世界をより良いものにしようとしてる。だからみんなに疎まれるのよ。スーパーマンはこの世界を変えようなんて思ってないわ」と言われてはっとするとか、いいシーンもあるので駄作とまでは言わないけど、この話にあと30話付き合う気にはとてもなれないなあ。

Kirin Hobby is now accepting preorders for Harley Quinn from the Cover Girls of the DC Universe line of statues by DC Direct. And if you missed the first run, now’s your chance to get the popular Wonder Woman and Zatanna statues. The re-release for these 2 sold out statues is scheduled to arrive in time for Christmas! Also scheduled to be re-released is the sold out Sasuke Chidori Statue by Toynami from the popular series Naruto. Reserve yours now!

New in stock are the Revoltech Yamaguchi II Getter Dragon and Neo Getter action figures from Kaiyodo, Marvel Select Hulk and Iron Man from DST, Emaretta (Shunya Yamashita) from Yamato. And back from popular demand, Tokidoki’s Mozzarella and cactus friends vinyl toys make for great holiday gifts. They’re now in stock and ready to ship!

Enjoy!
Edward

Creators’ Labo #021 Emaretta-chan (Shunya Yamashita) [Figure] by Yamato
Revoltech No.075 Neo Getter 1 [Action Figure] by Kaiyodo
Revoltech No.074 Getter Dragon [Action Figure] by Kaiyodo
Tokidoki: Mozzarella the Moofia Vinyl [Figure] by Strangeco
Tokidoki Cactus Friends: Bruttino & Carina 2-Pack [Figure] by Strangeco
Tokidoki Cactus Friends: Bastardino & Polpettina Vinyl 2-Pack [Figure] by Strangeco
Mazinkaiser: Max Alloy Mazinkaiser (Mazinger Z) [Action Figure] by Max Factory
Cover Girls of the DC Universe: Zatanna [Figure] by DC Direct
Cover Girls of the DC Universe: Wonder Woman [Figure] by DC Direct
Cover Girls of the DC Universe: Power Girl [Figure] by DC Direct
Cover Girls of the DC Universe: Harley Quinn [Figure] by DC Direct
Cover Girls of the DC Universe: Catwoman [Figure] by DC Direct
Cover Girls of the DC Universe: Black Canary [Figure] by DC Direct
Marvel Select: Iron Man [Action Figure] by Diamond Select
Marvel Select: Incredible Hulk [Action Figure] by Diamond Select
Naruto: Sasuke Ultimate Chidori Statue [Figure] by Toynami
Naruto Shippuden Series 1: Naruto & Deidara Set of 2 [Action Figure] by Toynami

World’s Finest Book One: Nightwing & Red Robin

Writer: Sterling Gates
Penciller: Julian Lopez
Inker: Bit
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Assistant Editor: Harvey Richards
Associate Editor: Sean Ryan
Editors: Elisabeth V. Gehrlein & Michael Siglain
Cover: Phil Noto
Publisher: DC Comics

Granted, Tim Drake/Wayne lives in a world of the fantastic, where men and women with powers and abilities beyond those of Mortal Man abound. But in the half-year of comics (presumably far, far less than 6 months’ in-continuity time), this is AT LEAST the second time he’s up and jetted back home for one crisis (Black Lanterns) or another (helping Chris Kent in this issue). Seems somehow a bit disjointed to me.

This issue sees Red Robin dealing with a motorcycle gang, with a last-minute assist from who he assumes to be Connor (Superboy), but turns out to be Chris (Nightwing). Chris convinces Tim to return with him to Gotham to free Flamebird from Penguin’s captivity. The two have to work together to deal with this foe, who is aided by the Kryptonite Man (I do long for the days when Kryptonite was rare and precious commodity in the DCU!).

This is but the first issue of four, spotlighting interactions between the various characters that make up the “Superman family” and the “Batman family.” It’s a bit early (too soon, really) to know for sure where the overall story is going to go. As-is, I can’t help but wonder if this will read more as a series of one-shots than a single direct narrative.

The writing itself is quite solid, though–Gates seems to have a good feel for the characters of BOTH “families,” within the current status quo (though it’s beginning to seem like Flamebird and Nightwing are spending almost as much time being knocked out and one, the other or both being taken prisoner as Adam West and Burt Ward’s Batman and Robin did in the 60s tv show!)

The art’s good stuff here, and captures much of the feel of the characters involved as I’d tend to expect them based on reading them in their respective series of late. I do like the art, and find it a good fit for these characters in and of itself. Really no complaint there.

Since World’s Finest is here purpoted to be a mini-series–and thus one should be able to assume self-contained to the mini’s run–this would seem to be a good point to jump aboard and get a look at the various characters in the status quo of late, without having to invest in multiple lengthy, over-arching stories. Just four issues, peek in, get a feel, and go from there.

Based on that, this is worth giving a look-see. The creative team is strong, and we are given a glimpse at the potential held in bringin the characters from both “families” together. In some ways, this might just be “Superman/Batman Lite,” teaming the characters up without hijacking the individual titles.r

Story: 6/10
Art: 8.5/10
Whole: 7/10

7734

Writer: James Robinson
Penciller: Fernando Dagnino
Inker: Raul Fernandez
Colorist: Blond
Letterer: John J. Hill
Asst. Editor: Wil Moss
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover: Cafu, Santiago Arcas
Publisher: DC Comics

There’s a tone about the Superman family of titles lately. A lot of it’s visual–or at least, the visual that is associated with the unfolding story. More and more, I find my surface opinion, my initial thoughts toward these books colored by a disinclination TO like them in the first place. DC set out to do something that would drastically affect the feel or tone of the Superman books, and in that, they’ve succeeded. Whatever my feelings about the individual writers and/or artists, I’m beginning to feel like it’s a bit of a chore, following the main books.

This issue sees General Lane confronting Mon-El, trying to recruit him into the group made up of Metallo, Major Force, the Parasite, some magical character newly-introduced, and Atlas. When a plan to rebel is executed, a more “human” (or would that be “humane”?) side of General Lane is seen, with words exchanged between the two (and an editorial note indicating that Adventure Comics #2 takes place between the pages of this issue).

I have to admit I’m gladdened at the tighter continuity in the Superman books; the fact that while it’s not the same sort of direct continuation we had for over a decade with the triangle-numbering we’re still getting a larger well-connected narrative. At the same time, there’s a lot that I’m just not buying into. Chief among these elements is the “ressurrection” or “retcon” of General Lane’s being alive now, after the character’s fitting end in Our Worlds at War a few years ago. Though we see some of his human-ness here in this issue, it doesn’t do much to round him out, make him more than a caricature at present. To a large degree, this reads as “What If… General “Thunderbolt” Ross opposed Superman instead of The Hulk?” And while there’s no overt reign of darkness, the gathering of these “supervillains” as a military unit/black ops squad just reads as fairly ridiculous.

The art of the issue is not bad–it’s got its own style that sets it apart quite distinctly from others, and maintains a definite consistency with prior art teams on this book. While it admittedly not bad art by any means…the style just is not to my liking, which continues to taint the story as I have a hard time really getting into it, for noticing the art. If the visual style doesn’t bother you, or you’re a fan of the specific style, it may well be a great selling point. To the creative credit, I found myself quite surprised to discover that the creator credits on this issue seem to match those of the previous issue: something that seems quite rare in contemporary times, and as such, worth noting toward the positive.

This issue’s cliffhanger felt entirely out of nowhere–after an issue full of Mon-El dealing with Lane and 7734, we’re suddenly taken back to Metropolis and the Guardian leading the Science Police to engage the randomly-just-now-showed-up character likely to be the focus of the next issue. (We couldn’t get another couple pages of of Mon-El dealing with his place in the current status quo and end on that sort of note, with these last couple pages serving as a jumping-right-into-the-story kickoff for the next issue?)

Whatever the case, I find that it is presently the recollection of the last couple times I’ve tried to drop the Superman books that keeps me coming back–the idea that since it’s gotten GOOD within about 6 issues of my dropping the titles, hopefully I have but to wait out a few more issues.

As-is, if you’re not particularly invested in the current status quo flowing through the Superman books, this issue’s probably going to do nothing to “sell” you on the status quo nor to hook you into this title, to say nothing of the whole family of books.

Story: 3/10
Art: 5/10
Whole: 4/10

The Boy of Steel

Writer: Geoff Johns
Penciller: Gary Frank
Inker: Jon Sibal
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Letterer: Steve Wands
Assoc. Editor: Wil Moss
Editor: Matt Idelson
Covers: Frank w/ Anderson
Publisher: DC Comics

The silver age is apparently back. This issue–while including smaller moments of Clark and his parents, and of Luthor and his own life, as well as some of LUthor’s interaction with Clark (establishing them as acquaintances if not exactly best buds)–primarily focuses on the Legion of Super-Heroes and their first meeting with Clark, and allowing him to tag along “back to the future” with them. While in the future, recently-introduced elements (I believe from Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes) are established as being present from the get-go of things. It’s also pretty easy to fit the original silver age story of the characters’ first meeting between the pages here. The issue’s finale introduces another character whose presence means the current Superman is all the more NOT the character I grew up on.

The story itself isn’t bad–Johns has a great handle on things. However, I’ve bristled for years now at elements being “snuck” back into the Superman mythos that I’ve thought make him too much “super” and not enough “man” and this story really puts aside any sneaking and is quite overt at putting things back into the mythos. At the same time, I imagine that going back to re-read Superman and the Legion will reveal references to what is shown in these pages.

I’ve been curious as to exactly what is and is not official cannon in the Superman books of late, so I’m glad to see his secret-since-Infinite-Crisis origin revealed at last. The execution seems to be working quite well, even if I don’t like the content all that much.

The art team provides fantastic visuals. Even Clark as “Superboy” comes across as pretty realistic–he looks rather awkward in the costume and it’s easy to see that he’s not entirely comfortable in it yet. At this point, Frank is pretty much my favorite Superman artist, and very certainly in the ranks of Dan Jurgens, Jim Lee, and Alex Ross.

Again, while far from enamored at the undoing of so much of the Superman I grew up with from 1989 to present…I can’t deny that in and of itself, the story and art are both of high quality, and taken apart from my preferred continuity, this issue has some of the best Superman work of the last decade.

Story: 8/10
Art: 9/10
Whole: 8.5/10

“When Doves Cry”

Written by: J. J. Krul
Art: Ed Benes
Inks: Scott Williams & Ed Benes
Colors: Hi-Fi Design
Letters: Rob Clark Jr.
Assoc. Editor: Adam Schlagman
Asst. Editor: Rex Ogle
Editors: Eddie Berganza & Brian Cunningham
Cover: Benes, Rob Hunter, & Rod Reis (variant by George Perez)
Publisher: DC Comics

In a way, when you get right down to it, there isn’t a whole lot to describe for this issue. The various Titans continue to deal with their respective Black Lanterns, who are dredging up some very specific and painful emotional reactions from the living heroes. However, as we see the Black Lantern Hawks accosting Dove, we witness an interesting reaction that is likely to play a key role in upcoming chapters of the Blackest Night event.

As a mini-series–as with the Batman and Superman ones that also ended this month–this doesn’t have a very satisfying conclusion, as we’re basically left with a lead-in to these characters joining the bigger party of the event now that their “foundation” and “connection” to the overall story has been established. While the incursion of the Black Lanterns was saved for the actual kickoff of the event with Blackest Night #1, this first wave of minis seem like they would have been better-served as either prologues, or triple-sized one-shots, to launch the respective characters into the event as a whole.

Despite that, as a reader not steeped in Titans knowledge nor invested in the ongoing series, it’s great to have a series that is reasonably accessible to chronicle the characters’ involvement in the event without having to have ongoing plots in the main book competing with the story elements of the event I’m following.

Donna Troy is forced to face her dead husband and child, and must overcome what her eyes tell her to act based on actual knowledge. Beast Boy faces the same challenge with his lost love, and has some self-realization in handling things. Dove (who seems to be the same character I recall being killed in Armageddon 2001 almost 20 years ago) is in a similar predicament as then, but doubled.

The visuals are very well-done, and really accentuate the story itself. The “big moment” of the issue with Dove is something that would not come off the same way with bad visual work. There’s also a bit at the end of the issue that really illustrates the way story and visuals work together in a comic in a way that isn’t possible with the same subtlety in a prose work.

As the final issue of a 3-issue arc, I don’t recommend this issue unless you can snag the first two; but taken with those first two and as its own story tied to Blackest Night, this is well worth your while. I suspect the older Titans fans more familiar with the characters and their history will appreciate things more; but for me, this has exposed me to characters I haven’t had much exposure to in awhile–if at all, and has put down groundwork for me to care about their involvement if they continue to play much of a role in Blackest Night.

Story: 7.5/10
Art: 8.5/10
Whole: 8/10

Full review posted to comixtreme.com.

Story: 4/5
Art: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5

Full review posted to comixtreme.com.

Story: 4/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

ANTHONY HOPKINS

Anthony Hopkins has been cast as Norse god Odin in Marvel Studios’ Thor.

Read more HERE.

Odin is Thor’s father, the ruler of the Norse Gods, and one bad azz mamma jamma you don’t want to mess with.

ODIN

Other confirmed cast for the Kenneth Branagh directed THOR, which has a confirmed release date of May 20th, 2011, includes:

Chris Hemsworth as Thor – the God of Thunder
Tom Hiddleston as Loki
Natalie Portman as Thor’s human love interest – Jane Foster
Jaimie Alexander as Thor’s Asgardian love interest – Sif
Colm Feore as a yet to be revealed villian
Stellan Skarsgård as a top-secret as yet unrevealed role

For more info on all of these casting updates click HERE.

——-
——-

With just a few days left until Halloween, I thought it was time to look into the creepy comics that have hit the shelves this year. I don’t think I’ve gotten ‘em all, but here are the 2009 Halloween editions I managed to find, all in one dandy column.

Everything But Imaginary #326: A Bag of Halloween Treats
Inside This Column:

Here is a portfolio piece I am working on, that for once is not connected to a client, like most I’ve been churning out lately. So I will let you in on it’s progress,, as I do it.Zatanna is from DC Comics universe. There is a sorta tale I somehow found myself involved with this character very loosely.. I’m torn in if I should tell it, though?

ps: Check out the real life Zatanna .. Misty Lee.

Welcome to the first post here on “So… Is It Good?”, where I try to provide an in-depth look into a video game each review and basically answer the question that is the title of this blog. For the first review, I’ll be taking a look into Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, a fighting game which crosses over characters from the Mortal Kombat and DC universes.

Let me first state that I am not a Mortal Kombat fan. The first game from this series that I played was Mortal Kombat for the SNES, and I thought that it was choppy and too gory for my tastes. However, over the years, I saw the the series got smoother (not less gory though), and when I saw that Mortal Kombat was going to face off against the DC Universe, I thought that maybe it was finally time that I gave Mortal Kombat  a chance again. So I went out, and bought the game for the PS3, which is the version of the game that I will review.

So I unwrapped the game, opened the case, took out the disc, and inserted it into my PS3. Excited at seeing some of my favourite DC superheroes and the Mortal Kombat characters that I’ll newly encounter fight it out in 3D, I awaited the opening movie… which was non-existent.

Of course, a good game doesn’t HAVE to have an opening movie, so let’s move on. First, let’s take a look at the core of any fighting game, the fighting system.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is the type of fighting game where certain button combinations allow you to pull off a special move (like the Street Fighter series) instead of the other type where you pull off preset combos based on what buttons you press (like the Virtua Fighter series). That said, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe generally falls into the camp of fighting games where you try to chain normal moves and special moves together to make long combos.

In the game you have your four basic attack buttons, a block button, a grab button (that initiates Klose Kombat, which will be explained later), a throw button, and a 3D movement button. The 3D movement button is used so that when you hold it, the D-Pad allows for 3D movement. The D-Pad is normally for 2D movement, meaning that up is jump, and down is crouch, while the L-Stick is used for 3D movement, so up means to go away from the screen, and down means to come towards the screen. The 3D movement button basically allows you to do the 3D movements with the D-Pad as well. And so, those are the buttons for this game, and while that’s all fine and nice, the main problem I have with this is the fact that they decided to name the attack buttons the following: Attack 1, Attack 2, Attack 3, and Attack 4. This is a rather lacking description of the buttons, however, it is actually quite fitting, because there isn’t a theme that is visible when trying the same buttons for the characters. For instance, Attack 1 for Batman and Sonya Blade are quite different. Some would say that this provides variety for the characters, which is a good thing. I would agree, if only there was actual variety! After going through some of the characters, I found that even though the visual effects are different for the buttons pressed and the character chosen, many of them provide basically the same effect, with the same range, and the same time frame with only little variation between the characters. Of course, everyone has the classic Mortal Kombat uppercut.

Even though the basic moves for the characters are quite similar, the characters are different from each other because of their unique special moves. These special moves are the moves that allow each character to be different, because the moves produce different effects and are used differently, which mean that each character has to combo them with different moves. Special moves are fairly easy to execute in this game, since most of them consists of very simple button presses. For example, to throw Batman’s Batarang, one simply has to press down, forward, and then Attack 1; Liu Kang’s Bicycle Kick is back, back, forward, and then Attack 4. The special moves are also easy to pull off before you’re allowed a lot of time to input them, unlike many other fighters where the buttons must be pressed in rapid succession.

There are also “Pro Moves” in this game, which are moves where a Special Move gets extended; for example, Batman can throw two Batarangs in quick succession instead of just one. These Pro Moves are harder to pull off than the regular Special Moves, because your button presses much be timed exactly right. For example, to do Sonya Blade’s Bicycle Kick followed by an Air Bicycle Kick, one must perform the Bicycle Kick, and just before the last kick connects, one much input the buttons for the Bicycle Kick again. In my opinion, these Pro Moves are a good part of the system, and adds a lot more depth into each character’s movesets. Now, most of these Pro Moves aren’t listed in the Command List of the game, leaving us to figure out what they by observing the CPU or by trying different combos ourselves. Now, this would fine, however, some of the Pro Moves have nonsensical button combinations! For example, you’d think that to get Batman to throw his Batarang twice you’d input that move twice, right? However, in this game, they decided that it’d be better if throwing two Batarangs was done by inputting the buttons for the Batarang, followed by the buttons for the Smoke Capsule! And this isn’t just for one or two Pro Moves, it’s for a fair amount of them, so you’d be better off looking at a guide for these Pro Moves instead.

The fighting system of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe also includes Kombo Breakers and Rage. Basically, throughout a match, your rage bar fills up. When it fills up halfway, you get a Rage counter, so when it fills up fully, you get two Rage counters. These Rage counters can be used to do two things. The first thing is a Kombo Breaker, which allows you to break your opponent’s combo at the cost of one Rage counter, allowing you to counter attack and quite possibly turning the tide of the battle. The other thing that you can do with Rage counters is activate Rage mode temporarily for the cost of both your Rage counters. Rage mode basically makes you immune to being stunned. This means that while you’ll take damage for your opponent’s hits, you won’t be stunned by any of them, and can counterattack at anytime. This can also be used to turn the tide of battle in your favour.

One last thing to note about the general fighting system is that there is chip damage for any move (chip damage is damage taken when blocking a move, in some games, you only get chip damage for blocking certain moves, however, as I just mentioned, any move can cause chip damage in this game).

Now that we’ve gone over the basic system, it’s time to go over what I like to call the “mini-games”! There are three mini-games in the fighting system, and each can be initiated by certain actions during a match.

The first mini-game is called Klose Kombat, which is initiated by using the grab button when the opponent is close enough. This brings the two characters close together and the initiating player gets to attack with one of the first buttons, while the other player tries to getting which button the initiating player will press and press it before he/she does, thus countering the attack and ending Klose Kombat mode (if the initiating player attacks successfully a few times, Klose Kombat mode automatically ends).

The second mini-game is called Free-fall Kombat, which is initiated when one player pushes the other off a ledge (this is not available in all the stages) and they fight in mid-air. It’s a button guessing game just like Klose Kombat except that if the player guesses correctly, the roles are then flipped around. Also, in this mini-game, successfully attacking fills up a bar, which when filled up to at least half-way, pressing R1 will start a special attack. This game ends when time is up (at which point, the two players crash into the ground) or when the special attack is used.

The third mini-game is Test Your Might, which is initiated when one player slams the other into the wall (also not available in all stages), the initiating player will then proceed to slam the other player through the wall and through the walls inside that building. The players then mash all four attack buttons in a tug of war that will determine how much damage is dealt to the player being slammed through the walls of the building.

So generally, while many characters play similarly, their special moves and pro moves provides them with their uniqueness. The Rage system also gives the players a way to change the tide of the battle. The mini-games also provide another way to change the tide of the battle. The fighting feels a bit slow-paced, since characters rarely move when attacking. In my opinion, the mini-games make the game feel a bit “party-ish” since they can result in the loss of a lot of health, and this is from something that depends a lot on luck.

Moving on, let’s examine the roster that Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe provides. Like I mentioned before, the characters mostly play the same in the basics, but their special moves make them different. This is actually quite nice, since it allows for players to easily learn the basics first, and then move on to the special moves of a characters, without having to start over at the basic moves again when they are learning a new character. The special moves for the characters are done quite well, and there’s quite a variety amongst the characters. However, I must point out that there are characters who are quite imbalanced in the game. For example, Superman, Darkseid, and Shao Kahn’s ground stomps cannot be blocked, only jumped over. There’s also the Flash, who’s been agreed on as pretty imbalanced. From what I’ve seen, Superman, Darkseid, Shao Kahn, Flash, and Raiden are fairly imbalanced… advantageously so. (For those of you that say that Superman should be all-powerful, I point the the Hulk from Marvel vs Capcom as an example of how to balance a supposedly all-powerfull character.)

Of course, I can’t mention a Mortal Kombat game’s fighting system without mentioning the Fatalities, now can I? Of course, they aren’t mentioned anywhere in the game, so you’re supposed to figure them out, but how on Earth anyone suppose to figure them out is quite a mystery to me, so you’re better off with an online FAQ or a guide. For the most part, most of the Fatalities and Heroic Brutalities are fairly average. However, there are some pretty lame ones (such as Superman just freezing the loser of the most and then hitting the frozen block of ice) and some pretty cool ones (such as Batman’s sonar Batarang). My favourite one though, is Liu Kang’s one where he summons a Mortal Kombat machine and drops in onto the loser.

Now, that I’ve gone over the fighting system quite thoroughly, let’s look at the different modes available in the game.

First, there’s the Story mode. The story of the game is that the two universes are merging together somehow, and the two universes think that it’s the other universe’s fault, which causes them to fight each other. Now while the story seems to be a standard crossover story, it is actually executed quite well in Story mode. In Story mode, you pick either the DC side or the Mortal Kombat side to play out, and you go through the story, using most of the characters from the side you picked, and getting cutscenes between each fight. I find this kind of story mode to be quite welcoming, since it tells a coherent story, rather than having to go through each character’s story and piecing the story together from whatever bit of story I get, if this game has done anything right, it’s the story mode. However, I must point out that there is this infuriating bug for Story mode. If you finish both the DC side and the the Mortal Kombat side, then the next time you play Story mode, and you choose one of the sides, it just plays the ending for that side. The only way around this bug is to have at least one side’s story still running while playing the other side. For example, I finish the DC side, then I play the Mortal Kombat side, but before I finish the Mortal Kombat side, I start the DC side again and finish at least one fight for it; this way, after I finish the Mortal Kombat side, I can still play both sides. Of course, you can just make a new profile too (for PS3 users, I don’t know if this is the same for the XBox 360 players).

Next up is the Arcade mode, which is where you get to choose a character and be pitted in a series of matches against the CPU. This is your standard arcade mode. You can also get endings for the individual characters. I fairly enjoyed some of the endings; some of them build on the story, and some pay homages to the DC Universe or the Mortal Kombat games.

There is also a Kombo Challenge mode, where you basically try to finish a combo for a character that the game gives you. It’s a nice mode, which tells you some of the combos that you can pull off for each character.

Of course, there’s a VS mode and a Training mode.

Now, onto the Multiplayer mode. Multiplayer mode in this game is done by having a lobby, where you can then challenge anyone that’s logged in (who can choose to accept or not) or get challenged by someone else. Should someone accept your challenge, or you accept someone else’s challenge, you then enter a room with that player, and continously play matches against him/her until This is an okay way to do it, except that if I want to play other players rapidly, its quite a bother. The main problem with multiplayer is that it lags… a lot. I estimate that at least 40% of all the games I’ve played on multiplayer have lagged. This is, of course, very upsetting when you’re in the middle of a fight. (Of course, this might be just for me, but I was using a fairly good Internet connection, and there is barely any lag when I play SoulCalibur IV, Street Fighter IV, or any other games for that matter).

Overall, I feel that Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is a decent game. Its has a nice variety in its roster of characters, and the fighting system is solid, if a bit “party-ish” because of all the things that can turn the tide of the battle due to luck. The story mode is quite good, and the arcade mode is quite nice (and its gives new spins on the story told in Story mode), and both modes give some replay value to the game. However the bug in Story mode is frustrating and the lag in multiplayer is appalling. For me though, this game was not worth the full $70 CAD that I paid for it, and although I enjoy the game a bit, the fighting system just isn’t one of my favourites. However, I highly recommend this game to people who are fans of Mortal Kombat already. I would also recommend this game to people who’s never played a Mortal Kombat game, but only if they can find it for around $40 CAD.

JLU DC Universe 3 figure packs consisting of :

• Fire
• Ice
• Green Lantern John Stewart
  
• Wonder Woman
• Question
  
• Flash

Mattel DC Infinite Crisis Shazam pack RARE figures lot featuring :

• Black Adam – Teth Adam
  
• Shazam Captain Marvel – Billy Batson
  
• Mary Batson

Yesterday was a momentous occasion for fans of film, television, gaming, anime, manga, and everything in between. On the 24th of October I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the ‘London MCM expo 2009‘ where it seems tens of thousands of fans of all ages gathered to appreciate what it was they represented.

I, along with two of my very good friends awoke at 6 AM, were showered and ready by 6:40 AM and then we left for the mini bus which subsequently set it’s course for London at 7 AM. We arrived and after parking quickly followed by queuing for a short while, we were finally available to venture the ExCel building. The inside was amazing, the hall roughly the size of a football pitch comprising entirely of stalls from all variations of game developers, comic providers, and small upcoming businesses were selling their specialities. Some of the attendees themselves had astonishing costumes, from the Power Rangers, to Godzilla, to many a hero from the DC universe. It was, in a sense, ever nerds dream.

I’m not afraid to show my nerdy side, and there is nothing wrong with appreciating good craftsmanship, even if it does include intergalactic conquests and funny looking protagonists. This year there were notable appearances from Elijah Wood, Craig Charles, Tom Baker, the cast of ‘Merlin‘; ‘Warehouse 13‘ and the writer and illustrator of the upcoming comic book adaptation ‘The Losers‘. Unfortunately due to time being well spent, or not so well spent depending on your perspective, I was not able to pay much attention towards the guests, it may seem trivial but I went straight to the ‘free comics‘ DC stall, it was worth it. It was my first time at the London Expo, but I have to admit, it will most certainly not be my last, in fact I’m thinking of attending both London Expo May 2010, and San Diego Comic Con 2010, we shall see. For those who have never been, I recommend it to be something you do at least once in your life time, there is no doubt that you’ll enjoy it.

To see the photos, click here.

Je vous parlais ici de Green Arrow, cousin de notre ami Robin Des Bois et accessoirement, un des personnages jouable sur DCUO. Aujourd’hui Sony nous gratifie d’images d’un nouvel héro : Bizarro un clone maléfique de Superman et ses collants.
Pour rappel le jeu prévu pour le 1e trimestre 2010 sera disponible sur PS3 et PC (le jeu étant développe par Sony). Ce MMO vous permettra d’incarner le super héro de vos rêves et s’annone dors et deja comme un conccurent de Champions Online.

SCREENSHOTS :

ARTWORKS :