The Smallville episodes “Society” and “Legends” now have an official episode name, “Absolute Justice”. As reported, the episode would guest-star Justice Society of America members Hawkman, Stargirl, and Doctor Fate. Well with the episode trailer we may get more than three JSA members, check out the video below!

Even if the other JSA members are brief flashbacks, that’s still amazing! Just look at the painting at the end! This is defiantly one of those “cool moments” you watch Smallville for!!!

Can we get Geoff Johns to write all episodes of Smallville from now on please?

It’s getting to be about that time where you should be asking yourself what your going to buy your loved ones for Christmas so that they shut up for the rest of the year. And since Nintendo offers products for a wide range of audiences, they probably have something for you. (Even if you aren’t holiday shopping and just looking for a good video game to play.)

The first item on the list is The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks!

Coming to the DS December 7th. Following in the footsteps of Phantom Hourglass, this is obviously a must have if your a Zelda fan. It offers up to four player multi-player (I assume online mini-games. But maybe they’ll surprise me.) Watching the videos for this game has got me really excited because it looks like a good blend between the fore mentioned PH, and Wind Waker, in that you traverse the world with a train rather than a boat. Another feature of this game is that you control a phantom (A bulking statue.) by drawing lines on your touchscreen. Honestly this is the game I most anticipate this season, and for 34.49 You’d be hard up to find a better video game for your money. Order Spirit Tracks on Amazon here!

Next up, the newly released New Super Mario Bros. Wii!

Through the years growing up, I’ve received Super Mario Games for Christmas more than five times, and I was never disappointed. I’ve had the honor of already giving this one a try, and I can personally guarantee it’s fun for the whole family. While I do have some gripes with the multi-player, It is still fun to play four player, and the single player game is even better. You can read my full review of the game here. And you can order it at three dollars off from Amazon through this link!

The next item on the least would be a good gift idea for anyone under the age of 80, and especially if they are a fattie! I am of course talking about Wii Fit Plus!

I’ve literally seen this game change robots lives. A boy that never leaves the house aspiring to train himself to do 50 push-ups. A 55 year old woman provoked to touch her toes for the first time in her life. Wii Fit is a really good idea for everyone. And this one surprisingly has a warning on the back for (Mild comic Violence.) so who knows what your getting yourself into. You can buy the whole bundle on Amazon for ten dollars off! Which is an amazing deal, or if you already have the balanced board you can get the updated disk for under twenty dollars!

Despite the fact that this isn’t a Nintendo release, I’m adding it to the list because it’s for the Wii, and looks like a cool game.

Resident Evil: The Dark Side Chronicles

This is a follow up to the Umbrella Chronicles, and it looks like they fixed most of the problems. On top of the fact that this one follows my two favorite games in the series, RE2, and RE4. Although this title was released last week, I still haven’t gotten a chance to play it. But I have to say I want to! You can buy it on Amazon here! And seriously, it’s less than a week old and it’s already discounted four dollars. I’ve never even heard of new video games being discounted before Amazon.

Mario & Luigi Bowser’s Inside Story

This is another game that’s been released for a few weeks now, that I haven’t been able to try yet. (Robot doctor’s make a lot of money, but people start throwing around the term “Malpractice” and I have a bunch of law suits on my ass, good thing I’m also a lawyer.) I’m really excited to get my hands on this game, it looks to be in the same vein as Super Mario RPG. Which if any of you had played would instantly perk your ears at the mention of something similar. I am a big fan of the DS system, and Nintendo is about the most reliable company, I’m literally going to buy this the second I get the time and money. You can buy your copy here at Amazon.

The last item up on the list are all the Wii virtual console, and Wii-ware games. Read my Top Ten Wii-shop list here!

Additionally Nintendo is having a special offer for the holiday season, where they are offering you several games that you can download and try them before you buy them! Which is a pretty cool promotion, and they aren’t being stingy either, there are some good games for you to demo on there site today!

The Wii-Ware list includes

BIT.TRIP BEAT

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a Darklord

NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits

World of Goo

And a brand new entry in the Pokémon game series, Pokémon Rumble. (If the kids in your life are anything like mine, they will eat this up like asparagus! Yummy!)

And for virtual console

Indiana Jones’ Greatest Adventures (SNES)

STREET FIGHTER II’: CHAMPION EDITION (TG16)

And MORE!

UPDATE: Nintendo just announced this big Black Friday offer. To bad you won’t be able to get it on Amazon, but if your up at 5am you might be able to get your hands on one of these little honeys.

BLACK FRIDAY NINTENDO DSI BUNDLES COME LOADED WITH MORE THAN $20 IN SOFTWARE VALUE

Limited-Edition Bundles Include a New Color, Won’t Last Long

REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 23, 2009 – Two extraordinary releases from Nintendo are about to give Black Friday holiday shoppers an incredible value – but they won’t last long. Starting Nov. 27, U.S. consumers can purchase Metallic Blue or White Nintendo DSi™ systems that come pre-installed with more than $20 in software value. These Nintendo DSi bundles are priced for the holidays and will be available while supplies last at participating retailers nationwide.

“These limited-edition bundles come packed with some of the great Nintendo DSiWare games and applications that have made Nintendo DSi such a big hit with shoppers young and old,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “The special price and pre-installed titles make the bundles a huge value for the holidays.”

Fans of global gaming superstar Mario™ will be especially eager to get their hands on the Metallic Blue Nintendo DSi, which comes pre-installed with five Mario-themed Nintendo DSiWare™ titles, including:

• Mario vs. Donkey Kong™: Minis March Again: Can Mario and his Mini Marios rescue Pauline from Donkey Kong’s clutches yet again?
• Dr. Mario™ Express: Mario once again dons his stethoscope to battle the forces of illness in this downloadable version of the classic puzzle game.
• WarioWare™: Snapped!: Wario™ returns with more manic action made especially for the Nintendo DSi system. WarioWare: Snapped! uses the built-in Nintendo DSi Camera to make players the star of the show by placing them right into fast-paced mini-games.
• Mario™ Calculator: Mario and Luigi™ take a break from their normal adventures to dedicate their heroic talents to working with numbers.
• Mario™ Clock: Mario Clock includes both analog and digital clocks that use the system’s internal clock or allow you to offset the time however you like.

The White Nintendo DSi bundle is designed for anyone who has a passion for brain teasers. The special White system bundle comes pre-installed with the following Nintendo DSiWare title:

• Brain Age™ Express: Arts & Letters: Test your spelling in Word Attack, enjoy literary classics in Reading Aloud and tune your musical skills in Piano Player.
• Brain Age™ Express: Sudoku: Solve a variety of puzzles at three different skill levels using the touch screen and an intuitive interface.
• Brain Age™ Express: Math: Players can enjoy a mix of new and familiar exercises, including Change Maker, Triangle Math, Sum Totaled and Multi Tasker.
• Clubhouse Games™ Express: Card Classics: Play familiar favorites like Blackjack and Five Card Draw, or test your ability in the fast-paced Last Card, Last Card Plus and President.
• Photo Clock: Experience all the enjoyment of a photo album while ensuring you won’t lose track of the time.

Beyond the pre-installed titles, Nintendo DSi owners also have access to a wealth of additional games and applications in the Nintendo DSi Shop. Owners with wireless broadband Internet access can exchange Nintendo DSi Points™ for the titles and wirelessly download them directly to their Nintendo DSi systems. A Nintendo Points Card™ can be purchased at retail locations, or Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased online directly through the Nintendo DSi Shop.

Anyone heard about this Harry Potter amusement park thing? Well apparently it’s supposed to open spring 2010 at the Orlando Universal resort.

Below is the video that gives us our first glimpse of the park! Now with a legitimate video!

Oh! And don’t forget to buy your copy of Harry Potter the half blood prince, it comes out on Blu-ray, and DVD
December 8th. (The Blu-ray is a much better deal because it comes with the DVD as well! And is on sale from Amazon through this link at less than half price!)

Lucasfilm has been gracious enough to give us another advanced look at this week’s Clone Wars. This looks to be like quite a thrilling horror style episode and I’m terribly excited about it.

From the press release:

In pursuit of Poggle the Lesser, Jedi Master Luminara Unduli descends deep into the catacombs of Geonosis, where she uncovers an even greater threat to the galaxy in “Legacy of Terror,” an all-new episode of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, airing at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, November 20 on Cartoon Network.

When Luminara disappears while tracking the Geonosian warlord, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker lead a platoon of clone troopers in search of her. Following her trail, the heroes descend deep into the lair of the grotesque Geonosian queen – Karina the Great – where they discover that the hive is alive and teeming with undead defenders.

Though the episode finds Luminara confronted by agents of evil deep within the darkest bowels of Karina’s underground nest, actress Olivia d’Abo saw her character’s strength reflected by the grave nature of the circumstances. Rather than succumbing to despair, Luminara embodies the teachings of the Jedi Order even in desperate times. Despite her thoughtful and meditative nature, she is nonetheless a dedicated protector of peace and justice – and a formidable warrior when called to action. Faced with the potential escape of her quarry, she doesn’t hesitate to follow Poggle into the heart of darkness. Devoted to her noble cause even at the risk of life and limb, she is the quintessential Jedi Master – brave, strong, sage and selfless.

“Luminara is a Jedi, so she’s always going to have that ability to focus and remain calm,” says d’Abo “I’m thrilled to be playing a role that requires such wisdom and strength; it is really empowering.

Despite Luminara’s seemingly desperate plight, d’Abo relished the opportunity to tap into imagination and celebrate the creative spirit of the “galaxy far, far away.”

“The themes and characters in the [live-action] films have had such a major influence on me and everyone I know,” says d’Abo. “As a child, Star Wars allowed me to fall into another world that was more vivid, more defined, more authentic and so much more exciting. There’s nothing lightweight about the philosophy of the films, and I am finding that The Clone Wars series is just as timeless.”

Though perhaps best known for her role as Kevin Arnold’s older sister in TV’s The Wonder Years, d’Abo boasts a career that has included such iconic genre properties as Conan the Destroyer, Green Lantern: First Flight and Ultimate Avengers.

“I love science-fiction, the fantasy genre, and comic books,” she says. “They tend to stand the test of time because of their marvelous content; these kinds of projects will always capture people’s attention by providing far-away settings we’d like to escape to. I’ve been really lucky with all my roles and projects because I have an innate understanding of what they require. I just jump in and make them my own.”

THE FLASH: REBIRTH #5

DC/ JOHNNY DC

*  ADVENTURE COMICS #4 Preview Available

* AZRAEL #2 Preview Available

* BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #37 Preview Available

* BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL

* BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM #6 Preview Available

* BATMAN: UNSEEN #4 (OF 5) Preview Available

* BLACK LIGHTNING YEAR ONE

* THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #29 Preview Available

* THE FLASH: REBIRTH #5 (OF 6) Preview Available

* GREEN LANTERN CORPS: EMERALD ECLIPSE

* JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA VOL. 3: THY KINGDOM COME PART TWO

* JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA 80-PAGE GIANT Preview Available

* THE OUTSIDERS #24 Preview Available

* SHOWCASE PRESENTS: DC COMICS PRESENTS – SUPERMAN TEAM-UPS VOL. 1

* THE SPIRIT BOOK 4

* SUPER FRIENDS #21

* SUPERGIRL #47 Preview Available

* SUPERMAN/BATMAN #66 Preview Available

* TINY TITANS #22

* VIGILANTE #12 Preview Available

* VIOLET LANTERN PROMOTIONAL RINGS

HELLBLAZER #261

VERTIGO

*  AIR #15

* HELLBLAZER #261

VICTORIAN UNDEAD #1

WILDSTORM

* THE AUTHORITY: THE LOST YEAR #3

* VICTORIAN UNDEAD #1 (OF 6) Preview Available

* WORLD OF WARCRAFT #25

TRINITY BOOKENDS

DC DIRECT

*WOMEN OF THE DCU SERIES 2 VIXEN BUST

*TRINITY BOOKENDS

For more info and previews on upcoming DC releases, check out dccomics.com. Also be sure to check back this afternoon for the Monitor Tapes with highlights from DC releases in February 2010!

Previews and info provided by DC Comics

I know, I know, I’m late this month, and I missed last month, for which I sincerely apologize. It was kind of a shitty month anyway, and its sole highlight will get a mention here, so it’s all good, right?

I’ll spare you the Tim Tebow speech and dive right in:

BLACKSAD VOLUME 1 HC (Dark Horse, $29.99)

As announced at the San Diego Comic Con earlier this year, Dark Horse is reprinting all three volumes of the hardboiled anthropomorphic detective series in a deluxe oversized hardcover. These have been unavailable to English-speaking audiences since original US publisher iBooks went out of business a couple of years ago. Beautifully illustrated, and a winner of several European awards, Blacksad is a highly accomplished genre work that should not have been languishing in reprint limbo for this long. Check out this preview and you’ll see why.

MESMO DELIVERY (Dark Horse, $9.99)

Another reprint, this time of the American debut by the Brazilian artist Rafael Grampá, which was originally published by AdHouse Books just last year. The story, which centers on two truckers who make special kinds of deliveries, is a bit slight, but heavy on style and gore, and Grampá’s art, an unholy fusion of Geoff Darrow and Frank Quitely, is simply stunning. The new edition comes with a new cover, a new introduction by Brian Azzarello, a sketchbook section, and pin-up art from Eduardo Risso and Craig Thompson, among others.

THE BRONX KILL HC (DC Comics/Vertigo, $19.99)

See, I’m what you would call a hardcover fetishist and even I think they are marketing the Vertigo Crime line the wrong way. A line of books that is designed to recall old pulp paperbacks should mirror their format and price range as well. Otherwise, the currently $20 hardcover-only line will have a hard time finding and maintaining an audience, regardless of the quality of material. Which, so far, hasn’t exactly been blowing my skirt up. Ian Rankin’s Dark Entries and the upcoming The Chill by Jason Starr are both supernatural thrillers, rather than crime stories, and the blatant mislabeling aside, it kind of irks me that they would get two of today’s most popular crime novelists and have them write John Constantine-type stories (literally, in Rankin’s case) instead of what they do best. I hope this is more along the lines of what we were initially promised.

JOE THE BARBARIAN #1 (DC Comics/Vertigo, $2.99)

Grant Morrison being back at Vertigo makes people happy. His fans rejoice because that is where he has arguably done his best work, while his detractors breathe a sigh of relief because he is temporarily not involved in messing with their beloved superheroes. He is joined by Sean Murphy, a promising young artist, whose debut graphic novel Off-Road I rather liked, for a project Morrison describes as Home Alone meets Lord of the Rings, and which strikes me as the perfect premise for Morrison’s unbridled imagination. And the fact that this was recently expanded from 3 issues to 8 only seems to confirm that.

DAYTRIPPER #2 (DC Comics/Vertigo, $2.99)

The Brazillian twins Gabriel Bá and Fabio Moon established themselves as two creators to watch out for with De:Tales, a collection of short stories which recalled Paul Pope’s tales of urban romance with touches of South American magical realism. A few years later (and with a couple of high-profile projects under their belt), Daytripper sees them returning to Brazil, as they attempt to chronicle a man’s life over the span of 10 issues, in what appears to be yet another leap in their maturation as storytellers.

HICKSVILLE: NEW DEFINITIVE EDITION (Drawn & Quarterly, $19.99)

Dylan Horrocks’ near-forgotten semi-classic about a small town where everyone reads and treasures comics is back in print, and rightfully so. Horrocks may not be the cartoonist that most of his D&Q peers are, but his understatedness and warmth make this celebration of the art form a lot less elitist than it could have been in someone else’s hands, and therefore required reading for everyone claiming to be a comic book lover.

KING OF THE FLIES VOLUME 1 (Fantagraphics, $18.99)

The first volume of Mezzo and Pirus’ suburban horror trilogy finally gets a US release, after only a couple of chapters saw the light of day in Heavy Metal magazine half a decade ago. If you’ve missed your regular dose of Charles Burns after Black Hole ended, these preview pages suggest that this is bound to scratch that particular itch.

NEXT MONTH: On time!

Check out also:

Previews Reviews for August 2009

Previews Reviews for September 2009

FACE YOUR DESTINY ON MARCH 9, 2010 – FINAL FANTASY XIII LAUNCHES IN NORTH AMERICA
Multi-Platinum Singer Songwriter Leona Lewis
Offers Brand New Song “My Hands” As Game’s Theme Song

LOS ANGELES (November 13, 2009) – Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in North America announced today the highly anticipated street date for FINAL FANTASY® XIII. This latest project in the multi-platinum FINAL FANTASY series promises to be intensely compelling and will be available for both the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft on March 9, 2010.

I was surprised how quickly I began to hear about FFXIII so shortly after FFXII came out. And not just heard, there was some really cool images and videos out as well, and so I’ve had my hopes up since about 2006. I just didn’t know  how long I’d be waiting. Well it was a long time coming, but we waited, and now it’s here. Everything I’ve seen about FFXIII makes me want to play it as soon as humanly possible, and now my only hope is that it doesn’t disappoint.

(I believe I heard at some point that Final Fantasy XIII Versus was supposed to come out the same day as the main game, but I can’t find any evidence of the reality of this fact. So there might be another wait ahead?)

You can pre-order your copy of FFXIII on Amazon.com by clicking this link!

Some cool game shots below!

(Click the images to make them bigger.)

This is the footage they showed at this years E3.

I’ve got a great feeling about this episode, the second part of four involving the Geonosian campaign. I really like the idea of these two Padawans on a Guns of Navarone type mission all on their own. And I’m terribly excited to see Barriss Offee getting the animated treatment.

From the press release about this clip:

Operating without the supervision or protection of their respective Jedi Masters, Padawans Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee embark upon a desperate, last-ditch effort to destroy the droid foundry established by Poggle the Lesser on Geonosis. But when their descent into the Geonosian catacombs becomes a deadly journey into darkness, they must rely on each other’s strengths to find the light and complete their mission in “Weapons Factory,” an all-new episode of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, airing at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, November 13 on Cartoon Network.

“The one thing I really think is great about The Clone Wars is how it has a message in it of courage and loyalty and honesty and hard work,” says Meredith Salenger, who provides the voice of Barriss. “Barriss is very bright, honest, professional and brave. She would much rather sacrifice herself for the protection of others and the completion of her mission. Just learning those things – the tenets of the Jedi way – is important for kids. The Jedi have good values.”

Perhaps best known for her starring role in Disney’s The Journey of Natty Gann, Salenger welcomed the opportunity to embody one of the Jedi role models from George Lucas’ “galaxy far, far away.” Of particular interest, though, was the prospect of exploring a new type of interpersonal dynamic within the Order – specifically the burgeoning friendship between Ahsoka and the strait-laced Barriss.

“Her Jedi Master is Luminara Unduli, who is very by-the-book and ordered. As a loyal student, Barriss tends to be just as structured in her approach to dealing with situations,” Salenger says. “However, I think the more time she spends with Ahsoka, the more she tends to improvise a bit and trust her own instincts. Like most relationships, you are always learning from your friends who have different attitudes about life. When Barriss is with Ahsoka, her vulnerability and curiosity come out. With best friends, you can’t help but be influenced by one another.”

A newcomer to the world of voice acting, Salenger found herself influenced – and inspired – by the cast and crew of The Clone Wars, though she also found herself drawing from her own well of inner fandom.

“Who isn’t a Star Wars fan? I remember standing in line outside the movie theater with my Dad when the very first Star Wars came out. I honestly feel blessed to be part of it – though since working on the show, I’ve learned a lot more about the Star Wars universe,” she says. “Working with Dave [Filoni] is like working with the most creative and imaginative guy ever. He is so much fun; he is so good at directing the actors and creating a visual of the scene and what our characters are going through. I thank him all the time for bringing me on board.”

For all the latest Star Wars news, be sure to follow me on The Examiner.

Kick-Ass

Trailer Park | MySpace Video

Here it is. The moment you’ve all been waiting for. The official teaser trailer for Kick-Ass. I can’t wait to see the reaction to this one.

I’ve been singing the praises of what I’ve seen of this film for a long time and I hope now that you’ve all had an official taste, you’ll all want to be first in line to see it, just like I do.

You can pre-order the trade of the comic’s its based on here on Amazon.

[nggallery id=rescuehawkeye]

Official Press Release from Marvel:

Spinning out of Dark Avengers and New Avengers, Clint Barton (AKA Ronin) is Norman Osborn’s prisoner…but the mightiest women of the Avengers intend to change things! New Avengers Annual #3, from award winning writer Brian Michael Bendis and red hot artist Mike Mayhew present the team of Jessica Jones, Spider-Woman, Mockingbird and Ms Marvel on a quest to save their captured comrade—no matter the cost! But are the Avenger’s playing right into Norman Osborn’s hands.

Critics continue to praise New Avengers, with IGN.Com raving, “Bendis has proved to be one of the most consistent comic book writers; not only of his generation, but in the history of the form. Across myriad titles and years worth of work, the man has produced dependably good, and oftentimes great, comic books.”

Will Jessica Jones and her teammates be able to save one of their own or will their daring attempt be met with disaster? The fate of Clint Barton will forever change the Avengers and New Avengers Annual #3 has the answers!

NEW AVENGERS ANNUAL #3 (OCT090535)

Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS

Pencils and Cover by MIKE MAYHEW

Rated T+ …$4.99

FOC – 11/12/09, On Sale – 12/02/09