Scott Snyder teases Batman #4

Batman writer Scott Snyder has given a brief tease of what we can expect in December's issue of Batman.

“Greg Capullo and I are having a blast with this story. Jon Glapion and FCO, too – and it’s one we both care a lot about. And as a thanks to everyone out there who picked us up, here’s a hint of what’s coming… Because next issue we’re finally going to learn Bruce’s reason for being so resistant to believing in the Court – a reason that dates all the way back to his childhood, and some of the blackest days of his young life. And The Court of Owls (if it exists?) will finally spring its most deadly trap on Batman – a trap buried deep beneath the city, in the darkest bedrock. Okay, to Gotham. And remember, The Court is always watching!"

Source: DC Comics Blog

Teen Titans #3 preview

Scott Lobdell has talked to Out magazine regarding the gay character Bunker, who debuts in Teen Titans #3. They also have a preview of the issue.

“We wanted to show an interesting character who’s homosexuality is part of him, not something that’s hidden,” says co-creator Brett Booth, who has created the re-launch along with Scott Lobdell. “Sure there are gay people who you wouldn’t know are gay right off the bat, but there are others who are more flamboyant, and we thought it would be nice to actually see them portrayed in comics.”

His accepting background and positive spin on life make Miguel’s outlook a stark contrast to the other gay characters in the DC Universe, such as Batwoman, Apollo, and Midnighter, among others. But according to Booth, Teen Titans is all about diversity, so trying to depict yet another aspect of a specific community seemed logical. “Does it scare the sh*t out of me that I might inadvertently piss off the group I want to reflect in a positive way, you're damn straight (pun intended!).”

Read the rest of the article here.

Check out the PREVIEW here.

Source: Brett Booth's Blog

Dark Horse Star Wars highlights for February

I'm really looking forward to the return of the Knights of the Old Republic comic and the Dawn of the Jedi looks really interesting. I just hope that alternative cover for #1 shows a vision of the future (early Jedi should be using what instead of a lightsaber? Answers on a postcard (or the comment box).

STAR WARS: DAWN OF THE JEDI #0
John Ostrander (W), Jan Duursema (A), and Rodolfo Migliari (Cover)

On sale Feb 1
FC, 32 pages
$3.50
One-shot

It began with the mysterious pyramid ships-the Tho Yor-scattered to the eight corners of the galaxy, and ended with the establishment of an Order that would change the universe forever.

Here's your first look at the Star Wars of 25,000 years ago-before there were lightsabers, when the ties to the Force were new, and before the Jedi spread out into the galaxy.

o The official guide for readers of Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi!
o The Ostrander/Duursema team returns to Star Wars!
Dark Horse tells the origin of the Jedi!

STAR WARS: DAWN OF THE JEDI #1 (of 5)
John Ostrander (W), Jan Duursema (P/Cover), Dan Parsons (I), Wes Dzioba (C), and Gonzalo Flores (Variant cover)

On sale Feb 15
FC, 40 pages
$3.50
Miniseries

On the planet Tython, in the center of the galaxy, an order of warrior monks strives to maintain peace and to balance the mysterious power known as the Force. But a stranger is coming-one who will destroy both peace and balance, and open the galaxy to exploration and conquest. This is where it all begins!

John Ostrander and Jan Duursema of Star Wars: Legacy fame reveal the mythic age of the Jedi's beginnings!

o A series that establishes the beginnings of the Jedi!
o The Ostrander/Duursema team returns to Star Wars!

STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC-WAR #2 (of 5)
John Jackson Miller (W), Andrea Mutti (P), Gigi Baldassini (I), Michael Atiyeh (C), and Benjamin Carré (Cover)

On sale Feb 8
FC, 32 pages
$3.50
Miniseries

The Mandalorian Wars heat up as this new series about the Old Republic takes off!

Can a pacifist survive in a war zone? Jedi Zayne Carrick is having a hard time of it, first drafted and now caught in the crossfire between the Mandalorians, the Republic Navy-and even fellow Jedi!

o Discover why the Knights of the Old Republic video games and comics are among the most beloved in the history of Star Wars!
o New reader-friendly introduction to Star Wars comics!
He's not a Jedi-he's a spy!

DC Nation coming to Cartoon Network in 2012

Batman Arkham City Nightwing trailer

Indy plays Uncharted

Indiana Jones himself plays as Nathan Drake in Uncharted 3.
He might be being put on the spot and Ford's attitude obviously betrays an 'I'm being paid to be here' air, but come on, he's playing a game that would never have been made if it wasn't for his character's films.
Just geek out and enjoy Harrison Ford playing Indian-- I mean Uncharted.



And here's the launch trailer for Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception to boot:


Source: Starburst

New Knights of the Old Republic mini!

STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC—WAR #1 (of 5)

John Jackson Miller (W), Andrea Mutti (P), Gigi Baldassini (I), Michael Atiyeh (C), Benjamin Carré (Cover), and Dave Wilkins (Variant cover)

On sale Jan 11
FC, 40 pages
$3.50
Miniseries

If you’ve ever heard of the Knights of the Old Republic video games and comics but didn’t know where to start—this is it!

The Republic and the Mandalorians are at war! Jedi are joining the fight, despite the noninterference stance of the Council. One Jedi, however, has found himself on the front lines against his wishes—the peace-loving Zayne Carrick has been drafted!

• The return of one of the most popular eras in Star Wars video games and comics!

• The perfect entry point into the Star Wars galaxy!

• Blockbuster new Star Wars game on sale 12/20/11!

Scott Synder clears up some Bat-continuity questions

So basically, Bruce is early 30's, Dick is early 20's, Tim is mid-late teens and Damian is 10.

Arkham City Challenge maps

Review - Batman: Year One

BATMAN: YEAR ONE

The latest of the DC Animated features is based upon the classic Frank Miller arc from Batman 404-407. The original tale is held in such reverence that much of the dialogue, storyboarding and story structure have been lifted verbatim. This has both pros and cons.

Pro:
- We get the noir-style inner monologues.
- Gordon remains the focus.
- It remains sutably adult.
- The action is great.

Con:
- many scenes from that comic that take place over a couple of panels seem far too short
- some exchanges work well in print, but are out-of-place in film
- Atmospheric moments seem silly (Batman crashing the dinner party)

Whilst many of the DC features feel too short, this one comes in at the right length, even though it is shorter than most (this comes in at just over an hour, whilst most others are 75min). The action sequences were beefed up just enough that they flowed well without feeling tacked on. Gordon's one-man war on crime seeps deseration, but his affair with Essen is over in a flash. I couldn't help but feel that more of the plot needed developing, especially when one considers the short run-time (it only barely qualifys as a feature). We needed to see more insight into Gordon's relationships with his wife, Essen, Dent and even Flass and Loeb.

The biggest downfall comes from the sound design and voice acting. I wouldn't mind so much if this wasn't a problem with all the DC Animated features. It is more noticable in Batman: Year One however as some of the voice actors actually step up and, well, act. Eliza Dushku's Selina Kyle and Alex Rocco's Carmine Falcone are the stand out performances. The rest of the performances, whilst acceptable, come off as the rest of the sound design - a bit flat. The number of sound effects are kept to a minimum, rather than thinking about how to make the characters seem like they're in a living environment. The first day of the Sound Design module when I did my Film Production degree we learned about atmos tracks. The recording of a location's ambient sounds to lay down as a background track so that all of your scenes have an extra depth. FIRST DAY. Why don't these animated features have atmos tracks? They take three minutes to record and can be looped. It might seem like a minor quibble from someone who knows too much about it, but it's a simple thing that would really help to suck you into the movie.

My rating:

Batman: Year One suffers from the same problems as the rest of the DC Animated Features. So whilst it is entertaining, I'm afraid that I can't give more than 6/10 because it has done nothing to set itself apart from the pack.