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 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 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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By Keith Daniels

There have been many video games based on Games Workshop’s venerable Warhammer universe, but thus far none save Canadian developer Relic Entertainment and their Dawn of War PC strategy franchise seem able to do it right. Now, with the forthcoming multiplatform third-person action game Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, Relic are trying to make lightning strike twice with a completely different platform and style of game.

Space Marine looks like a mix of Darksiders and Gears of War, with the player taking on the role of one of the titular walking tanks so heavily armored that he doesn’t need any wimpy cover system.

SuicideGirls spoke with Space Marine’s producer Andy Lang about the Warhammer 40,000 [AKA “40K”] universe, Nobs, and what life is like during crunch time for a game developer.

Read our exclusive interview with Andy Lang on SuicideGirls.com.

by A.J. Focht

When we left off last week, Gamescom 2011 was just starting over in Germany. Most of the major publishers were present to show off what they’ve done since their last junket (E3 for most them). Some favored highlights include updates on Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, with developers Bethesda offering up details on a whole new crafting concept for the game. Blizzard was also on the scene with information on upcoming Cataclysm patches and the announcement of a new “Inferno” difficulty mode being added to Diablo III.

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For more details from the event, check out Kotaku’s Gamescom 2011 recap.

Gamescom was just the start of a round of gaming conventions. This weekend the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) takes place in Seattle, Washington. Any games that weren’t showcased at Gamescom are bound to show up here, including the debut of the next game from Portal developers. For a full PAX schedule check here.

One last bit of news from the gaming world; apparently Nintendo shareholders are impressed with the company’s plans for the 3DS. The night after Nintendo revealed its plans for a 3DS-focused closed-to-public event at the Tokyo Game Show, their stocks jumped 9%. Let’s hope that the fans who are actually going to be playing the updated system are just as impressed.

Video games didn’t hold all the convention news last week, as D23 2011 (the Disney expo) took place last weekend as well. This meant more Avengers teasers, and lots of them. Early footage of the film was shown where Loki has been captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. While I am pretty sure this will be part of the start of the movie and ultimately inconsequential, I was more intrigued to hear about his “army.” He could be referring to the Ice Giants, but I’ve got an odd feeling (maybe more of a desire) that it’s the Skrulls. MTV has cast interviews you can check out here.

Other superhero related news this week includes the iTunes-released trailer for the forthcoming Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance film. Nicolas Cage is back as Johnny Blaze, and the new CGI is looking wicked.



There have also been reports coming out about Iron Man 3. President of Robert Downey Jr’s production company, Schmoes Know, had a lot to say on the matter, including the transition from Jon Favreau to new director Shane Black. The third movie in a trilogy is always tricky, and Downey recently mentioned there are still element of the movie he is not satisfied with.

Marvel also unveiled its next big thing: Shattered Heroes. Once Fear Itself has ended (most likely coinciding with the ends of Spider Island and Schism), we’re told the Marvel world will see its heroes trying to pick up the pieces of their lives post-catastrophe.

A last bit of comic news; ComiXology digital storefronts launched Tuesday, with over 100 comic book retailers participating in the program. The digital storefront allows you to purchase your digital copies, and support local stores. It’s not the most practical thing –– since you can purchase exactly the same content direct from the publishers –– but I’m all for helping out mom and pop comic shops.

by Bob Suicide

Being the old man that I am, I remember gaming back when we used simple controllers with a limited amount of buttons, sat on our butts for days on end –– without a single save point in sight –– and I liked it. When DDR came out, I was suspicious of this “new” interactive format, and wholeheartedly believed it was part of some giant government conspiracy to get me off my couch. Not being particularly “rhythmically coordinated,” the government’s devious plot failed.

However, little did I know that this set a dangerous precedent, and that something far greater was looming on the horizon of interactive gaming: the Wii. I was actually working at GameStop when the Wii came out. Those were dangerous times on the front lines of the war of retailers vs. consumers. Many a man was lost, either trampled by the hordes of moms trying to bag “the ultimate Christmas gift” or nagged to death with the sonic onslaught of “is it in yet?”

But, after the dust settled and we finished mourning the loss of our beloved brethren, the Wii didn’t really live up to the hype. Ok, I know that’s not an entirely accurate statement to make considering the sales of the Wii and the ground it has made in expanding the casual gaming market. But, as a hardcore gamer, has the Wii ever really provided a satisfying gaming experience? Not really. Sure, Zelda was fun and the console lends itself well to rails shooters like Resident Evil. However, I have two Wiis and I can say with certainty that mine have been used as doorstops more than they have served as relevant gaming consoles.

Needless to say, when the PS3 Move was released it seemed like Sony had missed the marketing mark yet again, since their sad “EyeToy with a wand” failed to capture the hearts and minds of the consumer the way the Wii did. And I joyously snarked –– as any fanboy does –– at their lame attempts to regain relevancy.

So when the Kinect made its debut I sneered at the projections people were making. And I wasn’t alone. Even Penny Arcade gods Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins scoffed at the idea of a motion-sensitive gaming experience that could galvanize the hardcore market.

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by A.J. Focht

The thought of any remake is normally enough to make me cringe. When a cult classic like Evil Dead gets set for a reboot, my first reaction is to grab my torch and pitchfork. But with both Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell involved in the project, it’s hard not give it my support. Campbell recently commented on the movie, reassuring horror fans that they aren’t just ‘farting out a sequel.’ He had this to say about the project and the new director:

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