We’re back with another pair of previews from The Clone Wars. This is the conclusion to the Onderon arc, so my guess is that things are going to heat up for all involved. It will prove to be interesting to see how the Jedi (or, just Anakin, by the looks of this) justify their Jedi code with the parameters of their mission.

Here’s the official blurb:

As a full-scale revolt embroils Onderon, the rebels strike a decisive blow against the planet’s Separatist-aligned king. Unfortunately for the rebels, such victory comes at a high price in “Tipping Points,” airing this Saturday, October 27th at 9:30am ET/PT on Cartoon Network.

Episode Trivia:

• An unscripted response from the lead droid gunship mechanically intones “by your command,” a nod to the classic Cylons from the original Battlestar Galactica series.
• Hondo’s yacht is named the Fortune and Glory, a nod to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, wherein Indy and Short Round talk about seeking out “fortune and glory.”
• When Lux points out to Ahsoka that Steela’s courage is all well and good but, “What good would that do us if she gets herself killed?”, it’s a deliberate echo of a line Luke Skywalker delivers about Han Solo in Episode IV.

We’ve been treated with two new clips from Saturday’s new episode of The Clone Wars. Hopefully it isn’t suddenly and deliberately yanked without warning like the entire DC block, which I was the only thing that made the time switch to Saturday bearable.

Here’s the rundown on “The Soft War”:

After an unsuccessful rebel attempt to rescue Onderon’s true king, Ramsis Dendup, an unexpected ally steps forward to halt Dendup’s execution and aid the rebel cause in “The Soft War,” airing this Saturday, October 20^th at 9:30am ET/PT on Cartoon Network.

Episode Trivia:

• Gregg Berger joins the cast of The Clone Wars as General Kalani. He is a veteran voice actor known for his work on Transformers (as Grimlock), G.I.Joe (as Spirit), and perhaps most famously, Garfield (as Odie).
• David Kaye plays General Tandin. He’s known as the voice of Clank of Ratchet & Clank videogames, the voice of Optimus Prime in Transformers: Animated and Megatron in Beast Wars: Transformers.
• General Kalani is the first super tactical droid seen in the series. A more robust version of the spindly tactical droid introduced in Season One, several tactical droid designs will appear throughout Season Five.

IGN got a new Skyfall trailer, replete with Adele’s new title track for the film. It’s a great song and much more worthy of being in the Bond mythos than some of the songs we’ve had. (I mean, really, have you listened to the song for Octopussy? It sucks worse than Octopussy, which is saying something…)

Skyfall comes out next month and be sure to watch this space as we’ll be leading up to it with a Bond retrospective.

The rebellion begins in this brand new clip from The Clone Wars – Season 5. Ironic that Anakin would be responsible for training a rebellion…

It’s going to be interesting to see how the show handles a war that is increasing its number of human participants and involves fewer and fewer droids to die. Will that cost soak the hands of the Jedi in a blood they can’t wash off?

It’s a fascinating arc I’m interested in seeing, but I’ll be honest: I’m dying to see what’s going to happen with Maul and Deathwatch…

Here’s the breakdown for tomorrow’s episode:

In the next episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and Rex travel to Onderon, a world under Separatist control. There, they will train a group of insurgent rebels – including Lux Bonteri – to help take back the capital city of Iziz from the rule of a duplicitous king. “A War on Two Fronts” marks the beginning of an explosive four-episode story arc starting this Saturday, October 6^th at 9:30am ET/PT on Cartoon Network.

Peter Pan is one of my favorite of the Disney movies. Everything about it brings a smile to my face. And every time I hit a Disney park I HAVE to go on the Peter Pan ride. (It’s amazing how much better the ride is at DisneyLand as compared to Disney World.)

You can sign up through Amazon to pre-order the Blu-ray.

This is one I’m definitely picking up.

Universal Studios is in their 22nd year of their Halloween Horror Nights.

This year as part of their haunt, they’re including The Walking Dead.

In this video, Greg Nicotero, Co-Executive Producer and Special Effects Make-up Artist for the show, personally gives viewers a look at some of the most iconic scenes inspired by the post-apocalyptic wasteland that is the center of AMC’s Golden Globe-nominated, Emmy Award-winning television series. Caught in the middle of a high-intensity struggle for survival, guests will fight off hordes of flesh-hungry, “walkers,” or zombies. No place is safe as you make your way through. Will you survive?

This haunted house is one of the horrifying experiences guests can enjoy at Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights 22, which was just named the nation’s best Halloween event for the fifth consecutive year. This year, guests will not be able to escape the horror that awaits them.

This first appeared on Huffington Post.

It’s very easy for people to dismiss The Clone Wars as “just a kids show.” It’s a cartoon, which is often (mis)categorized as a medium just for kids, it’s Star Wars, which some people (mis)categorize as something only kids and misanthropic basement dwellers enjoy, and it’s on Cartoon Network.

I’m here to let you know that it’s okay to enjoy the show. It’s for everyone. Sure, some of the episodes that kicked off the series might have been aimed at a younger audience, the show today bears only a passing resemblance to then. First, the visuals on the show rival our expectations of what we’ve wanted The Clone Wars to be since Alec Guinness mentioned it in 1977. Then, the Lucas animation department is the only one working today I’d match toe-to-toe with Pixar animation, the work, passion, and artistry they’re pouring into the show is unheard of. Third, the writing is expanding the mythology of Star Wars in ways that fill in gaps between the classic films and the prequels, add intriguing shades of gray, and give us wonderful science fiction quandaries on weekly basis.

Don’t believe me?

Check out the new trailer for Season 5 (which starts on Saturday):

This show is simply incredible. If you can buy into the mythology of Star Wars, this show is the best thing going on on television.

I’m a nerd for Star Wars across the board. I spend more time studying and pondering it than most (in fact, I just started a series on the official Star Wars website about the film influences on Star Wars and The Clone Wars). If you’re like me, the next EXCLUSIVE clip from Season 5 is going to make you salivate:

That’s the Jon Favreau voiced Mandalorian Pre Vizsla, the Sam Witwer voiced Darth Maul, and the Clancy Brown voiced Savage Opress, meeting up with the leaders of the criminal organization Black Sun, which made its first appearance in the 1996 Star Wars novel Shadows of the Empire. On Mustafar, which is the planet where Obi-wan and Anakin have their final duel in Revenge of the Sith. This show is just dripping in Star War mythology, but never in a way that gets in the way of enjoyment for anyone in the audience.

Take my word for it. Check out this show. Season 5 starts on Cartoon Network on Saturday 29th. Set it up on your DVR. You owe it to yourself.

Bryan Young is an author, the editor in chief of the geek news and review site Big Shiny Robot!, and an unabashed fan of Star Wars.

This first appeared on The Huffington Post.

This coming Wednesday, DC Comics is launching their first ever series with a brand new character from The New 52. The book is called Talon and it’s spinning out of the pages of Scott Snyder’s monumental run on Batman and his Court of Owls storyline.

Talon is a renegade named Calvin Rose, the only assassin to escape the clutches of the Court of Owls.

This first zero issue sets him on his path and it’s a great read from Scott Snyder, co-writer James T. Tynion IV, and artist Guillem March. It has all the feeling of The Fugitive mixed with a Harry Houdini adventure. And since it’s tied in some small way to the Batman mythos (and Snyder), I’ll certainly be adding it to my comic hold.

The thing I love about the things Snyder is involved in is the literary sensibility he brings every issue he works on. He brings something to the table that isn’t often seen in comics and I’m really glad he’s doing it.

Don’t take my word for it, though, DC has been kind enough to give us a look at the first five pages of Talon #0 and I think it speaks for itself.

Bryan Young is an author and the editor in chief of the geek news and review site Big Shiny Robot!

Talon #0 hits comic book stores on Wednesday.

I can’t imagine a better clip to get me excited to watch the season premiere of The Clone Wars all over again. If you’re interested in reading my review of the Season 5 premiere you can find it here.

In the meantime, enjoy the above clip. The Clone Wars makes its premiere Saturday, September 29th on Cartoon Network. Check your local listings for the exact time, but I guarantee you don’t want to miss it.

And if you want a taste of what the Premiere felt like, the Star Wars website put up this video from the event:

This originally appeared on The Huffington Post:

With their launch of #0 issues for each of their New 52 books, DC Comics has offered us a window into revamped or revised character backstories in their new shared universe. Many of these stories have been utterly fantastic retellings of the early days of our favorite characters.

The great minds at DC have worked hard to bring new readers into the medium, and these #0 issues are a great step, giving us a look at the early days of these characters, and creating new jumping-on points next month.

And in a world with a deficit of relatable female characters, Wonder Woman stands as a shimmering example of what comics can be for some people.

Wonder Woman #0 comes out tomorrow, but you can get a sneak peek of it now.