Amazon is now accepting sign-ups for for notification of pre-orders for The Clone Wars: The Complete Season Three on DVD and Blu-ray. There is no date and there is no price, though it’s pretty safe to assume the pricing and release pattern will match the first two season, with an October release date and in the $30-$50 zone, depending on where you buy.

The biggest thing of note is the artwork they have accompanying the sign up. It’s in the same style as the last two seasons, but features blue coloring and a very determined looking Anakin. It’s the new model Anakin, too.

You can sign up for alerts by visiting Amazon here.

Next on the list for The Clone Wars update is from The EU Cantina. They were at the Star Tours premiere in Florida this morning and got a chance to wrestle some tidbits out of Dave Filoni.

From their report:

On the return of Savage Oppress and Asajj Ventress in Season 4: it is safe to say that they will return.
On the appearance of Darth Maul in future episodes: Dave could not confirm, and commented upon Maul’s rather obvious death in The Phantom Menace, but warned that our heroes would be in for big trouble in the future.

Filoni also confirmed (in a roundabout way) that Admiral Ackbar was indeed in the trailer for Season Four shown at the end of Season Three.

MandyBu, from TheForce.Net, was also in attendance and said that the subtitle for Season Four would be “Battle Lines,” according to Filoni.

I think the biggest tidbit here is the non-confirmation confirmation of Darth Maul’s appearance. I, for one, am ready to see more Darth Maul. As much as I loved The Phantom Menace I felt he was short changed. Add to that the fact that every time Filoni and crew brought in an element of Phantom Menace in Season Three it was riveting, then yes: I’m all for Darth Maul and Savage Oppress on The Clone Wars.

The hit show on Cartoon Network, Young Justice is coming to DVD on July 19! Produced by Warner Bros. Animation this new series follows the adventures (and sometimes, misadventures) of Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian and Artemis as they execute missions given to them by Batman and bring down the bad guys from the DC Universe.

Being a big fan Teen Titans when it was on the air, I was pretty excited for this series, and it met my expectations. The animation is fantastic, the episodes are full of great action, the stories are skewed a bit towards a slightly older audience (but still appropriate for the main demographic of children) and the producers have done an excellent job intigrating the DC big-hitters while still keeping the focus on this team of side-kicks. If you have yet to check out Young Justice I highly recommend picking up this DVD when it hits shelves.

Official Press Release:

THE NEXT GENERATION OF DC UNIVERSE
SUPER HEROES PUT THEIR TRAINING TO THE TEST AS WARNER HOME VIDEO RELEASES YOUNG JUSTICE SEASON 1 VOLUME 1
ON DVD JULY 19, 2011

One Disc Featuring Four Fantastic Episodes of the Brand-New
Cartoon Network Show from Warner Bros. Animation

BURBANK, CA (May 4, 2011) – The newest Warner Bros. Animation–produced hit series on Cartoon Network finally arrives on DVD as Warner Home Video (WHV) unleashes its secret weapon with Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1. These DC Universe teenage super heroes have quickly proven to be a hit as the favorite show among boys 9-14. With non-stop action, Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1 comes to DVD for the first time on July 19, 2011.

In Young Justice, being a teenager means proving yourself over and over — to peers, parents, teachers, mentors and, ultimately, to yourself. But what if you’re not just a normal teenager? What if you’re a teenage super hero? How much harder will it be to prove yourself in a world of super powers, super villains and super secrets? Are you ready to come of age in such a world? Are you ready for life or death rites of passage? Are you ready to join the ranks of the great heroes and prove you’re worthy of the Justice League? That’s exactly what the members of Young Justice — Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian and Artemis — will find out: whether they have what it takes to be a proven hero.

These teenage heroes collectively become the Justice League’s secret weapon against the forces of evil. The young protégés must put their super hero education to the test and band together to covertly fight the evildoers that exist on Earth-16. Utilizing The Cave as their home base, the teen heroes will take on under-the-radar missions that would be impossible for the league’s famous and identifiable elders to handle secretly.

While the team works to take on more super hero responsibilities, they are in constant training by the Justice League to eventually take their place alongside the great heroes. Red Tornado is their supervisor; Black Canary is in charge of their training; and Batman determines and directs their assignments. Of course, in true teenage fashion, the members of the team push the limits of their missions, often turning a simple assignment from Batman into something significantly larger.

“DC fans have been vocal about their love for Young Justice, so I am particularly pleased to announce our first DVD release,” said Sam Register, Executive Vice President Creative Affairs, Warner Bros. Animation.

“We are thrilled to bring the newest and youngest members of the DC Universe to homes with the release of Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, WHV Executive Director of Family and Animation Marketing. “As a brand new series, Young Justice is already a favorite and will continue to excite fans with its group of crime-fighting teenage super heroes.”

Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1 is executive produced by Sam Register and produced by Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman. The voice cast includes Jesse McCartney as Robin, Khary Payton as Aqualad, Jason Spisak as Kid Flash, Nolan North as Superboy, Danica McKellar as Miss Martian, Stephanie Lemelin as Artemis and Bruce Greenwood as Batman.

Episodes:

Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1

1. Independence Day, Part 1

2. Independence Day, Part 2

3. Welcome to Happy Harbor

4. Drop Zone

About Warner Home Video:

With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc., commands the largest home entertainment distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video’s film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Video and New Line Cinema.

About DC Entertainment:

DC Entertainment, home to such iconic DC Comics properties as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, MAD Magazine, and Fables, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its superheroic characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, and interactive games. Publishing over 1,000 comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Comics is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world.

BATMAN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics.

About Warner Bros. Animation:

Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) is one of the leading producers of animation in the entertainment industry, with an innovative and talent-rich roster boasting some of the most accomplished writers, producers and artists working today. The studio is on the cutting edge of animation technology, and has both CG and traditionally animated projects in current production and development. In 2010, WBA unveiled three new theatrically released CG cartoon shorts that feature iconic Looney Tunes characters Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, rendered in stereoscopic 3D. For television, WBA currently produces Batman: The Brave and the Bold, MAD, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated and Young Justice for Cartoon Network, and will soon launch The Looney Tunes Show, ThunderCats, Green Lantern: The Animated Series and more. WBA also creates the highly successful series of DC Universe Original Animated Movies for DVD. Producing for multiple platforms including TV, digital and home entertainment both domestically and internationally, WBA is highly respected for its creative and technical excellence, as well as for maintaining the Studio’s rich cartoon heritage. It is also the home of the iconic animated characters from the DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes libraries. One of the most-honored animation studios in history, WBA has been honored with six Academy Awards®, 35 Emmy® Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, an Environmental Media Award, a Parents’ Choice Award, the HUMANITAS Prize, two Prism Awards and 20 Annie Awards (honoring excellence in animation).

Things get added to Netflix’s Instant Watch service all the time. Normally we don’t deem it newsworthy unless it’s a significant add, like the recent CBS deal. This is one of those times. Marvel has announced that they’re bringing nearly their entire catalog of animated shows, spanning nearly 50 years, to Netflix Instant watch! Starting tomorrow, April 29th, you can relive someone the greatest adventures ever put to thousands of frames of celluloid! Here’s the list of launch day shows and what’s coming later. Check back with me afterward, and I’ll tell you what’s missing.

Streaming April 29th:

• The Incredible Hulk (1996-97)
• Spider-Man Unlimited (1999-2001)
• Iron Man: Extremis (2010)
• Astonishing X-Men: Gifted (2010)
• Spider-Woman: Agent of the S.W.O.R.D. (2010)
• Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes (2006)
• Silver Surfer (1998)
• Black Panther (2010)
• Iron Man: Armored Adventures Season 1 (2009)

Coming Later This Summer:

• Marvel Action Hour: Iron Man (1994-1996)
• The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes! Season 1 (2010)
• X-Men: Evolution (2000-03)
• X-Men (1992-97)
• Spider-Man (1967-68)
• Spider-Man (1981-82)
• Spider-Man (1994-98)
• Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends (1981)

Coming This Fall:

• Iron Man (1966)
• Thor (1966)
• Captain America (1966)
• Hulk (1966)
• Sub-Mariner (1966)

That my friends, is a mighty impressive lineup. Some of these shows are more obscure than others, and I’m not personally a fan of the motion comics. The fact that they are adding shows like Silver Surfer and Spider-Man Unlimited are simply astounding (in the good way)! I am a bit sad that there are a couple shows missing from this list though. Notably, The Incredible Hulk (1981-82), Marvel Action Hour: Fantastic Four (1994-1996). Those two were pretty great. Also missing is Avengers: United They Stand (1999-2000), but well, that’s ok by me.

Let us know what you think, is Marvel missing anything else? Are you excited?

Big thanks to Alonso Frias for the heads up!

We are giving away two DVD sets of The Avengers: The Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Vol. 1 & 2.

For those of you getting more and more excited about the upcoming Marvel films, this series is a must see. Together, these volumes contain the first 13 episodes from the popular TV show. The DVD’s come out on April 26th, 2011.

The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes! Volume 1 includes episodes 1-7 plus an exclusive look at the evolving characters and storyline of Season 2, and The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes! Volume 2 includes episodes 8-13 plus another exclusive sneak peek at Season 2 that reveals what makes the Marvel Super Heroes and Villains so unique.

Featuring your favorite animated Super Heroes – Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and The Hulk – The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes! sees planet Earth threatened by Super Villains, time traveling conquerors, alien invaders, mythical beasts and rampaging robots — all bent on the total destruction of humanity. Unfortunately against these impossible odds, no individual hero has the power to save the world and just when all appears to be hopeless, the most skilled champions in the Marvel universe join forces to form the mightiest Super Hero team in history. The Avengers come to the rescue when the fate of the world rests on their shoulder

These sets will be released Tuesday, April 26. For those who don’t want to wait for the contest results, you can preorder them on Amazon here.

The contest will be open until Friday, April 29th. Winners will be announced on Monday, May 2nd.

To enter, all you need to do is shoot us an email at editor (at) bigshinyrobot.com. Make the subject “AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!” For an extra chance to win, you can go to our facebook page and invite all of your friends to like us. Or you can ask your followers on twitter to follow us @BigShinyRobot. Just be sure to mention in your email that you’ve done it.

I came across this at Bleeding Cool today. Coroner records has put out an album featuring metal versions of songs from the Studio Ghibli movies! Take a look at the trailer down below! If you like what you hear and want to pick it up it available on both iTunes and Amazon. I really like the songs that are in the trailer and am thinking I’m gonna check it out. The tracklist and official press release from Coroner Records will be up after the trailer:

1. Tonari No Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro) – Disarmonia Mundi feat. Sophia Aslanidou
2. Kimi Wo Nosete (Laputa：Castle In The Sky) – Disarmonia Mundi feat. Yoko Hallelujah
3. Teru No Uta (Tales From Earthsea) – Blood Stain Child feat. Ettore Rigotti
4. Gake No Ue No Ponyo (Ponyo On The Cliff) – Destrage feat. Yoko Hallelujah
5. Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke) – Living Corpse feat Yoko Hallelujah
6. Country Road (Whisper Of The Heart) – Disarmonia Mundi feat. Sophia Aslanidou
7. Itsumo Nandodemo (Spirited Away) – Blood Stain Child feat. Claudio Ravinale
8. Arrietty’s Song (Japanese version) (The Borrower Arrietty) – Disarmonia Mundi feat. Sophia Aslanidou
9. Yasashisa Ni Tsutsumaretanara (Kiki’s Delivery Service) – Destrage feat. Yoko Hallelujah
10. Toki niwa Mukashi no hanashio (Porco Rosso) – Disarmonia Mundi feat. Yoko Hallelujah
11. Sanpo (My Neighbor Totoro) – Living Corpse feat. Yoko Hallelujah
12. Nausicaa requiem (Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind) – Neroargento feat. Yoko Hallelujah

Coroner Records is really proud to announce the upcoming release of a new album of extreme metal covers of Studio Ghibli songs entitled “Princess Ghibli”.

The project called “Imaginary Flying Machines” (from the title of a short film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, which is exclusively shown daily at the Ghibli Museum) puts together bands from Europe and Japan (Disarmonia Mundi, Blood Stain Child, Destrage, Living Corpse and Neroargento) that reinterpret 12 very famous songs taken from the films produced by Studio Ghibli, bringing the soundtracks that have made ​​dream many fans of Miyazaki in a new musical dimension, more aggressive and faster, without ever losing the melody and the magical atmospheres typical of the original versions.

The album has been recorded, produced and mixed by Ettore Rigotti at The Metal House Studio (Disarmonia Mundi, Destrage, Slowmotion Apocalypse, Stigma, etc…) and mastered by Alessandro Vanara.

Our correspondent with the Japanese connection, Miss Mecha, is back with another look at the X-Men Anime. You can read her review of the first episode here.

I am happy to report that Madhouse really delivers in Episode 2 of their new X-Men anime. We see some great, fast-paced action as the X-Men really come together as a team, and the characters start to interact in more familiar ways. Furthermore, they kick ass together – an essential of any X-Men cartoon! It’s a solid episode that features new plot development around mutant hunting, the appearance of the enemy (The U-Men), and some really awesome robots. At first I expected them to be the Japanese version of Sentinels, but these robots were new…different. These have been made by the U-Men to be smart, drive motorcycles, pilot futuristic jets and be sufficiently armed to the teeth.

Let’s face it; the normal Sentinels we’ve seen in past animated series are, for the most part, pretty average at best (and at worst, some of the most poorly designed robots ever). Classic example: the very first episode of the 1990’s X-Men Cartoon, “Night of the Sentinels Part One”: those sentinels were – although capable of shooting huge laser beams – really, really stupid. “Identification error: non-living objects. Begin tracking…” Ugh, seriously? Why couldn’t you put a higher-end infrared system in those things? Or, how about when the Sentinel marches right through the front end of a mall, destroying a major portion of the building as it says to the terrified people below, “Do not be alarmed. I am here to serve and protect.” Really? Really!? (For the record though, I loved that series.)

Overall, this week’s episode was a great watch and I’m fully recommending it. My outlook on where the series is going has improved tremendously, and I can hardly wait for next week’s episode!

Want the specifics?

—–Detailed review and spoilers below!—–

The episode opens with two insane-looking scientists who are apparently in charge of the U-Men, an organization of rogue scientists who want to capture mutants in order to utilize their powers to destroy all of mutant-kind. They have advanced technology and an army of robots at their disposal. It’s no surprise to me that we find out in this episode that their labs are in an abandoned Japanese hospital…because there is always messed up sh*t going on in abandoned Japanese hospitals!

The X-Men arrive in Japan in an attempt to locate the kidnapped Hisako Ichiki, and they meet with the Ichiki family at their home in the snow-covered Tohoku region. Apparently, Hisako went missing one day when she had to take the bus to school (her parents normally drover her). Other mutant children have been going missing, as well, and that there is a lot of fear from people in the area that believe that mutants have been causing strange, dangerous accidents. “Will there ever be a day when people will understand mutant kind?” – Ichiki-san.

Wolverine, who knows a bit about the U-Men, has heard that they may have been hiding out in Japan and could be behind these mysterious circumstances. While discussing this with the Ichikis the phone rings and we learn that another young mutant has gone missing. Doesn’t this seem like convenient timing to anyone? Oh wait, “IT’S A TRAP!” Wolverine and Cyclops go to investigate, only to find out that they have been tricked by the Ichiki’s. Cyclops and Wolverine are intercepted on their way by U-Men robots – a test by the scientists to determine their power levels and abilities. Storm and Beast are also intercepted, and we see some excellent robot smashing.

The characters have really started to feel like the X-Men. Wolverine claws through any obstacle in his way while making familiarly sarcastic remarks, Storm absolutely obliterates a bunch of robots with ice, Beast’s strength and calculated intelligence are a fantastic asset, and Cyclops is showing more signs of being the leader he should be…though he is going through a lot with the loss of Jean. It seems as though Scott is still struggling somewhere between the need for revenge and the need for peace, and every thought of the innocent mutants who are suffering at the hands of the U-Men tugs at his insides. Repeatedly, Logan yells at him to get it together, because he’s “acting like a rookie,” but he also shows an admirable amount of compassion for the grieving Scott.

After the battle with the robots, the X Men travel to the abandoned hospital that has become a lab for the U-Men. It is immediately apparent that there is some serious mad-scientist, crazy-work going on here. Green lights illuminate a series of doors in a creepy hallway (which, by the way, looks nothing like an abandoned hospital anymore…more like an abandoned insane asylum with technology exploding down its hallways). From the shadows, the missing boy mutant appears and completely loses control. In an Akira-like explosion of flesh and mutation, the boy changes beyond any recognition of his former self, and the X Men are forced to destroy him.

Cliffhanger of the week: Hisako Ichiki and Emma Frost are found alive in the lab. Next week on X Men: “Armor – Awakening!”

Overall verdict: This show is getting to be pretty awesome. I can’t wait for more!

I’d like to introduce you to our newest robot, Miss Mecha! She’s going to be covering mainly the anime beat, so please, welcome her and check out her stuff.  Without further ado:

American viewers will either Love…or Hate the new X Men Anime

Greetings BSR readers! Allow me to introduce myself as Miss Mecha, here to bring you anime news from Japan. Nippon has been my second home since 2006. I’ve lived in Tokyo and Saitama and spent many days wandering through the streets of Akihabara and the lesser known Nakano Broadway. Though I’m currently living in the United States, my job allows me to travel back and forth between the US and Japan so I’m lucky enough to venture back to my favorite places in Tokyo every now and again.

I’m here today to tell you about the new X Men Anime on Japan’s Animax satellite network. I managed to get a hold of the first episode that premiered on April 1st and decided to give it a go. I want to let you know going into this article that I tried to watch it with as open a mind as possible. Why do I need an open mind for this? Well, let me explain.

I’ve been an X Men fan since I was about six or seven years old. I started watching the 90s cartoon and reading the comics when I was very young, and my subsequent love of comics and geeky things in general probably directly stemmed from my early watching of X Men (along with heavy influence from Star Wars and the Power Rangers, of course).

Since I really care about the characters, I knew it would be really important to go into this with an open mind, because I suspected they would really take regional liberties with the characters to make them more appealing in the Japanese market. Honestly, I couldn’t have been more spot on with my guess. It’s a decent conversion to anime, but fans of the original comic and characters (especially those who don’t like anime) will probably want to steer clear of this series. G4’s Attack of the Blog reports that they’ll be airing the series later this year (presumably with their own subtitling or dubbing). I’m thinking, however, that they may want to reconsider their decision to bring the series over later this year if enough people catch wind of just how regionalized the series is. Honestly, I don’t think the US ratings would be that good.

Here’s why:

DETAILED SPOILERS BELOW!!!

The episode opens with your fairly typical anime scene of gripping action and excitement. Brilliant colors and sharp stylization that are characteristic of any anime are very apparent. In general, Madhouse animation company has produced some absolutely stunning series and films, so I wasn’t surprised that the quality of animation is great. The screen pans up and across the faces of our newly anime-ized X Men….and Wolverine looks like a complete psycho, might I add. He looks a little too strange and different from the Logan I prefer…but it works for this series. The women have shining eyes and huge breasts – again, this is no different from what you’d expect in any anime (and to be fair, Jim Lee had em drawn pretty big back in the day as well, so this is not really a “change” per se).

Pan further up and there’s Jean Grey turned into The Phoenix and ready to explode everything in her path. She starts flinging objects at our heroes and Wolverine slices through a big chunk of rock – so far pretty typical showcasing of the X Men Powers, but with that slightly shiny “glow around the edges” that you see in many action anime series.

Professor X fails to make contact with Jean, and explains that this must be the work of Mastermind. Scott, who loves Jean in any universe, jumps in to risk his life in an attempt to save her. Here’s where we have the first really obvious sign of Japanese influence. The scene cuts to the clouds, where an “innocent” Jean pleads with Scott to kill her before she hurts anyone else. Here we see the inner innocence of Jean, which is a common element associated with blue sky and clouds in anime. As expected, it’s too late to save her, and Scott must suffer as he watches his love be torn away from him. Now, this is ridiculous, but I honestly can’t help but laugh during this scene because Cyclops looks like a pretty-boy, muscly, Japanese-cool-guy while he’s obviously supposed to be suffering and making me sad. His shiny hair flicks back as he cries out, “I LOVE YOU!”

Okay, so here is where I’ve probably lost any of you that don’t enjoy anime, and to be honest, I totally understand why you wouldn’t be crazy about this. It’s very much the kind of show that will do well in Japan…which means that it might not do very well with the masses in the US. The dialogue is especially rough for those who aren’t used to Japanese speech patterns. It’s fun to translate from a “learning Japanese point of view,” but American fans will miss the things that you’d get from prior, established X Men cartoons. Familiar phrases and coined trademarks of the X Men franchise will not be found in these scripts, because the slang and emotion need to be conveyed in a way that makes them accessible and enjoyable to a Japanese audience – AKA: tons of their slang, none of ours. Alas, no “Hey Bub!” from Wolverine here. Admittedly though, the writers do make him a bit snarky in their own way. At one point he sarcastically asks Cyclops if he’s renewed his license since he hasn’t flown the X-jet in a year…and this feels like a truly Wolverine moment. Cyclops assures him that he’s always been a more stable pilot, anyways. After that scene I felt a bit more assured that they’re trying to keep the inner core of these characters intact.

Throughout the episode, characters are introduced in a jumbling manner that is a bit rushed. Again, I have seen this before in so many anime. This haphazard-speedy-introduction of characters is something I always complain about when I watch the first couple of episodes of an anime, so I’m going to give the show a few more chances to prove itself. Beast is thus far my favorite in this version of X Men. He teaches a squid to communicate with humans..and it’s kind of neat.

The weakest character so far – Storm. They just haven’t made her a strong, second-in-command type like they have in other series. New to the series we’ll see Hisako Ichiki, a young Japanese girl from the Tohoku region of Japan. The X Men need to save her from mysterious kidnappers, and her mutant powers have not yet been revealed.

In the end, my assessment of the show is that it’s pretty average so far. It does have some cool action sequences, and the plot shows promise as they begin to talk about “mutant hunting” but I have to admit I’m a bit skeptical about the outlook of this show. Come on Madhouse animation company! Don’t let me down!

You can see the trailer here:

For more info, stay tuned. I’ll be watching each week as more episodes are released.

There was a big WonderCon presentation for The Clone Wars in San Francisco over the weekend with quite a few teases and hints dropped for Season 4.

There was also a video shown (now on StarWars.Com) that is pretty impressive. The three highlights, in my opinion, are General Grievous killing Gungans, Admiral Ackbar, and a Besalisk Jedi with a pair of double-bladed lightsabers. And there was the underwater battles with clones… Actually, all the imagery made me happy.

The EUCantina did a pretty comprehensive tweet up of the WonderCon panel as they were present (sadly I was not.) Some of the biggest bits of news:

• All of the major characters will have new or upgraded models as they move forward.
• They were tempted to have the Wookiees tear arms off the Trandoshans in the season finale. Cartoon Network wasn’t so keen on the idea.  (They’ve censored the show before).
• Filoni was asked if the Savage Opress and Darth Maul story arc will be resolved and we will be seeing that.
• Asajj Ventress will be back on the show.
• There were no announcements about who she would be playing, but Filoni said we’d be pleased with who Katee Sackhoff was playing on the show.
• As has been reported before but people don’t seem to pay attention, George Lucas comes up with all of the ideas for the show’s stories.

Lighting/FX supervisor Joel Aron and my good friend and TCW lighting artist Jesse Hildreth then took to twitter to tease me about what they know on Season 4. (here, here, and here.)  They’re far too good at keeping secrets, publicly and privately.  It’s maddening.

I expect this will be as detailed as any information about Season Four until its release draws closer.  I will be at Comic-Con and most likely Dragon*Con, so I’ll be live tweeting those events for you.

Something that has been poking around in the media the last week or so is that Stan Lee & Arnold Schwarzenegger are teaming up to bring you The Governator, the adventures of Arnold’s post-political career as a superhero. What you may not have known though, is that the Governator is going for a four-pronged media blitz, with a 3D movie, merchandising, cartoon and comic in the works. It was just announced today that Archie Comics will be publishing the Governator comic series.

The premise behind the series is this: Arnold decides to take on villainy that no one else can. He uses his vast resources to create a secret hideout beneath his home, hire a team of techy teens to act as support. He then uses his vast array of technology, including a state of the art motorcycle, various “super suits” and cutting edge weaponry to take the good fight to the streets. Now, if you’re like me, at first glance you might be thinking to yourself how ridiculous the concept is. Then the trailer came out and my opinion changed from “ridiculous” to “ridiculously awesome”! Take a look for yourself.

So yeah, aside from the music used, I’m kind of excited to see this. I’m not all in yet, but I am extremely curious to see what comes out of it. Let us know what you think, and watch for The Governator’s media blitz in 2012!

UPDATE: Here’s the full teaser image from the folks at Archie Comics!

WonderCon had a good amount of news coming out of it, but sometimes there is so much that some really cool stuff can get passed over pretty easily. One of those thing in my opinion is the full Thundercats trailer that came out of the convention. I was a bit iffy on the show as a whole, but after seeing this, I’d say it’s a good (Sword of) Omen(s)! Yeah, that was terrible, you’ll forgive me after you watch it though.

Pretty good, eh? In fact, the only thing I still can’t wrap my head around is Lion-O’s character design. I am drinking the Kool-Aid though. Thundercats will be airing later this year on Cartoon Network. Watch for it!