by A.J. Focht

Last Wednesday saw the first big batch of DC’s new 52 released. Reviews were as mixed as they were for Justice League #1 the previous week. A few of the comics were praised here and there, but there seems to be one clear winner for the week. Animal Man #1 has caught everyone’s attention, and I have yet to hear a bad word about it. For reviews on all of last week’s releases, check out Nerd Bastards‘ full report.

Potential major *SPOILERS* for The Avengers have been leaked. If you don’t want to know who the big secret villain is, just skip the next paragraph.

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by Steven-Elliot Altman (SG Member: Steven_Altman)

Our Fiction Friday serialized novel, The Killswitch Review, is a futuristic murder mystery with killer sociopolitical commentary (and some of the best sex scenes we’ve ever read!). Written by bestselling sci-fi author Steven-Elliot Altman (with Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse), it offers a terrifying postmodern vision in the tradition of Blade Runner and Brave New World…

By the year 2156, stem cell therapy has triumphed over aging and disease, extending the human lifespan indefinitely. But only for those who have achieved Conscientious Citizen Status. To combat overpopulation, the U.S. has sealed its borders, instituted compulsory contraception and a strict one child per couple policy for those who are permitted to breed, and made technology-assisted suicide readily available. But in a world where the old can remain vital forever, America’s youth have little hope of prosperity.

Jason Haggerty is an investigator for Black Buttons Inc, the government agency responsible for dispensing personal handheld Kevorkian devices, which afford the only legal form of suicide. An armed “Killswitch” monitors and records a citizen’s final moments — up to the point where they press a button and peacefully die. Post-press review agents — “button collectors” — are dispatched to review and judge these final recordings to rule out foul play.

When three teens stage an illegal public suicide, Haggerty suspects their deaths may have been murders. Now his race is on to uncover proof and prevent a nationwide epidemic of copycat suicides. Trouble is, for the first time in history, an entire generation might just decide they’re better off dead.

(Catch up with the previous installments of Killswitch – see parts ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, and FIVE – then continue reading after the jump…)

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by A.J. Focht

Wednesday August 31st marked the beginning of the DC universe relaunch. The first edition of Justice League was released with mixed reviews. Regardless of what the critics thought about DC’s decision to reboot, thanks to healthy pre-orders, Justice League #1 is was the best selling comic of the year before it even went on sale. The first issue managed to sell out in a few days; the second order only lasted another couple of days. DC has now called for the third printing of the comics.

The DC reboot isn’t the only place that Superman’s costume got an overhaul. Close ups of Henry Cavill’s suit from Man of Steel reveal it looks a little like a scaly diving-suit; honestly, if you removed the crest and painted it orange and blue, it would make an excellent outfit for Aquaman. The images are missing the traditional cape, meaning director Zack Snyder is either going sans cape, or it’s going to be done in CG.

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by Maple Suicide

A new column which features recommendations from App addict Maple Suicide.

>Instagram – iOS 4.0 devices FREE
This App has been released only through Apple so far, but it has become my “go-to” when it comes to editing and sharing photos throughout different social networking sites. One of the unique things about this application is that it has created its own social networking site, only accessible through Apple product iOS devices. The interface to the social aspect of this application is pretty similar to Twitter. You can follow other people’s Instagram photo feeds (including a bunch of us Suicide Girls!). Instagram is equipped with 16 custom designed filters as well as the option to keep the photo as is. You can also send the photo to your Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and others. Instagram is unique, fun, and addicting!

>TweetDeck – iOS & Android devices FREE
TweetDeck is an application that allows you to link and manage multiple Twitter and Facebook accounts simultaneously. Most members and fellow SG’s tend to have personal/private profiles, as well as a profile for their alias/screen name, so this application is very handy. You can link up multiple Twitter and Facebook accounts, update them all at once, or make updates on them individually. TweetDeck streamlines photo updates too, allowing you to avoid the hassle of logging in and out, and going back and fourth between apps. TweetDeck also has features within its settings that give you options for image upload hosts, font size, as well as having Deck.ly built into the app (used for tweets that are more than 140 characters). TweetDeck definitely has made social networking easier and more convenient for me.

>GasBuddy – iOS, Android, Windows Phone & Blackberry FREE
I just moved to Chicago and try my best not to do any driving for two reasons: people here can’t drive properly and the city is too beautiful to not walk everywhere. However, sometimes I’m forced to get behind the wheel, and I unfortunately still end up doing a lot of driving to and from places. As you can imagine, when I need to fill up my tank, I try to spend as little as possible on gas. GasBuddy helps me find the cheapest fuel no matter where I am. I reckon I save about 50 cents a gallon, and the app offers directions to each station it suggests. GasBuddy is useful for anyone who’s on a road trip or just drives a lot and wants to find a good deal.

by Steven-Elliot Altman (SG Member: Steven_Altman)

Our Fiction Friday serialized novel, The Killswitch Review, is a futuristic murder mystery with killer sociopolitical commentary (and some of the best sex scenes we’ve ever read!). Written by bestselling sci-fi author Steven-Elliot Altman (with Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse), it offers a terrifying postmodern vision in the tradition of Blade Runner and Brave New World…

By the year 2156, stem cell therapy has triumphed over aging and disease, extending the human lifespan indefinitely. But only for those who have achieved Conscientious Citizen Status. To combat overpopulation, the U.S. has sealed its borders, instituted compulsory contraception and a strict one child per couple policy for those who are permitted to breed, and made technology-assisted suicide readily available. But in a world where the old can remain vital forever, America’s youth have little hope of prosperity.

Jason Haggerty is an investigator for Black Buttons Inc, the government agency responsible for dispensing personal handheld Kevorkian devices, which afford the only legal form of suicide. An armed “Killswitch” monitors and records a citizen’s final moments — up to the point where they press a button and peacefully die. Post-press review agents — “button collectors” — are dispatched to review and judge these final recordings to rule out foul play.

When three teens stage an illegal public suicide, Haggerty suspects their deaths may have been murders. Now his race is on to uncover proof and prevent a nationwide epidemic of copycat suicides. Trouble is, for the first time in history, an entire generation might just decide they’re better off dead.

(Catch up with the previous installments of Killswitch – see parts ONE, TWO, THREE, and FOUR – then continue reading after the jump…)

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by Aaron Colter

Alright. It’s back to the grind of shouting about changing our government to better suit the lives of the modern many.

I’ve posted a few times about Anonymous and LulzSec (even got a chance to write about how Alan Moore and David Llyod feel about their V for Vendetta mask being used as a symbol), as well as other groups that have taken actions against organizations that have restricted the freedom of speech or information in the world. In my opinion, the reaction of authorities in the United States and around the world to the actions of whistleblowers, data-leakers, online protestors, and those merely offering public support such as journalist Glenn Greenwald (who recently noted that President Obama’s handling of CIA operations are basically the same as George W. Bush) have been far too harsh (eg. threats of unreasonably long jail sentences for first-time and/or young offenders who dare to take a stand against authority, even if they’re within their rights), and worse, dangerous to the basic rights of individuals.

It’s already come out that the Justice Department helped Bank of America try to destroy Wikileaks, that the FBI targets non-threatening Americans for political beliefs, that the government gave $1.2 trillion in tax-payer money to major banks who continue foreclose on people (often illegally), which has horrible consequences on health beyond financial devastation, that the poor have a huge tax burden while social programs continue to be cut, and that the Obama administration is trying to push for a settlement against those that gambled us into a recession and the SEC is playing cover-up, all of this while military actions are literally wasting millions each day to perpetuate a system of violence in a region we are largely ignorant about, which results in billions being wasted at home on projects that do nothing to secure our freedoms or safety.

So, what’s to do be done? The U.S. government is clearly not operating in the best interests of the majority of its citizens, some of this due to incompetence and mismanagement, some due to corruption, some due to bigoted religious beliefs, and some because the two-party system doesn’t encourage actual representation. An armed revolt against our own country in the vein of Egypt will hurt millions and it’d take years to rebuild in the aftermath. Non-violent means of persuasion are therefore the best tactics available.

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by A.J. Focht

After months of rumors and unfounded speculations, there is finally some solid evidence of the presence of the Skrulls in the upcoming Avengers movie. A recent change to the Avengers IMDb page has confirmed that Cobie Smulders (Robin from How I Met Your Mother) is not only playing Maria Hill, Nick Fury’s second in command, but she is also cast as Anelle, the Skrull Princess. How large of a part the Skrulls play is still unknown, but I’m betting they’re Loki’s mysterious army.

While the Avengers are prepping for an apparent intergalactic invasion, the writers of Captain America 2 are discussing what’s going to happen next. Screenwriters Chris Markus and Stephen McFeely recently revealed details about plans for the sequel. There is a high possibility that the second movie will revisit Cap’s past, during an intentional six-month break that was left in the first movie. They are torn at the moment though because they feel it would be a shame not to visit present day Captain America.

On screen superheroes are hotter than ever, and the CW is looking to cash in further. After ten successful seasons of Smallville (six of which were good) the CW canceled the show, which left a large gap in their schedule. Rumors of everything from Nightwing to Raven have floated around, but nothing has come to fruition. Most recently, we hear Supernatural creator Eric Kripke is looking to fill that slot with a Deadman series. Deadman is a lesser known ghost superhero with several powers, including possession of others. Kind of a cool in concept, but I doubt it has the fan base to get past a pilot.

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