Once again, the fine people at Archie have given us a look at the products they have in store for September! The monthly books don’t contain any surprises, aside from Archie’s 625th issue not having any real details available.One wonders if anything special is in store for the book. Surely not a relaunch with a new #1 (I hope not, anyway)! Oh that left a bad taste in my mouth. To cleanse the pallet, the very nice looking Best of Archie Deluxe Hardcover looks especially nice. Unlike other hardcovers, this one seems to back up it’s slightly higher price tag with a truly beefy page count. Is there anything you’re looking forward to? Read on, you may find something to your liking!

ARCHIE #625

SCRIPT: Frank Doyle
ARTIST: Fernando Ruiz
COVER: Dan Parent
Shipping Date: 9/14/11
On Sale at Comic Shops: 9/28/11
Comic, 32 pages, 40 lb. glossy stock, Full-Color
$2.99 US
ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #222

“FANTASY TIME, PARADE REST”

Archie and Dilton share a love of reading in “FANTASY TIME” but Archie will have to leave his head in the books instead of in dreams if they’re are going to come true. After Veronica is named Homecoming Queen, she enlists her friends to build the biggest, most spectacular parade float Riverdale has ever seen. Their work is a success but they’re too tired to enjoy it in “PARADE REST.”

SCRIPT: George Gladir
ARTIST: Stan Goldberg
COVER: Dan Parent
Shipping Date: 9/7/11
On Sale at Comic Shops:9/21/11
Newsstands: Week of/2011
Digest, 160 pgs, 30 lb newsprint, Full-Color
$3.99 US
ARCHIE & FRIENDS DOUBLE DIGEST #9

“DINNER FOR ONE”

Betty dons her Superteen costume and goes head to head with the consumer, only to find his appetite is too much for her. About to admit defeat, Jughead comes to her rescue and challenges the evil Consumer to a battle of the stomachs. Can Riverdale’s bottomless pit defeat the insatiable Consumer? Find out in the conclusion of “DINNER FOR ONE.”

SCRIPT: Frank Doyle
ARTIST: Dan DeCarlo
COVER: Dan DeCarlo
Shipping Date: 9/14/11
On Sale at Comic Shops:9/28/11
Newsstands: Week of/2011
Digest, 160 pgs, 30 lb newsprint, Full-Color
$3.99 US
BETTY #194

“HOW SWEET IT WAS”

All of Betty’s dreams come true when Archie asks her to be his date at the dance. But she’s forced to wake up when she can’t afford to buy a new dress. Never one to sulk, Betty gets a job and with Archie at her side. She may not dance the night away, but she still gets Archie in the hilarious conclusion. In the second feature, KATY KEENE, Skipper Mason goes on a monkey chase and gets more than he bargained for. LIL JINX makes an appearance in “SOUNDS FISHY,” and Archie goes classic in “ERRANT BOY” FROM 1957. Finally, everyone’s favorite witch shows up in SABRINA “STRANGE LOVE.”

SCRIPT: Frank Doyle
ARTIST: Fernando Ruiz
COVER: Dan DeCarlo
On Sale at Comic Shops: 9/14/11
Newsstands: Week 9/28/11
Comic, 32 pages, 40 lb. glossy stock, Full-Color
$2.99 US
B&V FRIENDS DOUBLE DIGEST #218

“MY BROTHER’S KEEPER”

In “MY BROTHER’S KEEPER” Betty tries to show Veronica the error of her superficial ways by helping those in need. Too bad Betty just proves Veronica right and gets left in the rain. Maybe Veronica will learn one day, but that won’t be any time soon for the spoiled Ms. Lodge.

SCRIPT: Frank Doyle
ARTIST: Fernando Ruiz
COVER: Dan DeCarlo
Shipping Date: 9/21/11
On Sale at Comic Shops:10/5/11
Digest, 160 pgs, 30 lb newsprint, Full-Color
$3.99 US
JUGHEAD DOUBLE DIGEST #174

“THE DARK SAGA,” LET’S GO GEO”

When Gladys tells Jughead he looks like teen vampire heartthrob, Basil Loverton, he wants to know more about the new movie craze. Taking it as a compliment, he plays into it on his date with her the next night. Unfortunately, Gladys isn’t the only one who thinks Jughead looks like her idol and a mob of fans swarm poor Juggie like wild animals. He manages to get away but must end his tortured romance before it even begins – just like a teen vampire. In “LET’S GO GEO,” Dilton shows Archie and Jughead a new internet scavenger hunt. Leave it to Jughead to find a way to include food and follow along as “Geo Snacking” is born.

SCRIPT: George Gladir
ARTIST: Pat Kennedy
COVER: Fernando Ruiz
Shipping Date: 9/21/11
On Sale at Comic Shops:10/5/11
Digest, 160 pgs, 30 lb newsprint, Full-Color
$3.99 US
KEVIN KELLER #3

“KEVIN KELLER in LET’S GET IT STARTED…”

Kevin Keller is the new kid in Riverdale and the gang has made him feel right at home. When Wit Masters, a trivia game show for rival high schools comes around, Dilton and the crew want Kevin to represent them for the win. Too bad Kevin has a fear of public speaking. Will he pull it off and get Riverdale the winning championship for the third year in a row or will he choke in front of the big lights? Follow along as Kevin, his family and everyone you know and love from the Archie Universe face this challenge together.

SCRIPT: Dan Parent
ARTIST: Dan Parent
COVER: Dan Parent
Shipping Date: 9/28/11
On Sale at Comic Shops: 10/12/11
Comic, 32 pages, 40 lb. glossy stock, Full-Color
$2.99 US
MEGA MAN #6

“TIME KEEPS SLIPPING” Part Two: Dr. Wily has vanished! Roll has been kidnapped! Dr. Light is in federal custody! What’s Mega Man to do?! The blue bomber teams up with Cut Man and Ice Man to investigate the ruins of Wily’s castle and search for clues, but what dangers await within? And who are these two, new, powered-up Robot Masters?!

SCRIPT: Ian Flynn
ARTIST: Chad Thomas, Gary Martin, John Workman and Matt Herms
COVER: Patrick “SPAZ” Spaziante
Shipping Date: 9/28/11
On Sale at Comic Shops: 10/12/11
Comic, 32 pages, 40 lb. glossy stock, Full-Color
$2.99 US
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #229

“GENESIS” Part Four: Our 20th Anniversary of Sonic celebration ends with this blockbuster issue! Sonic tackles the treacherous Metropolis Zone alone, while Sally leads her friends through the perils of the Oil Ocean Zone! At the end of the gauntlet lies the Death Egg and an epic battle! Will the world ever be the same again?!

SCRIPT: Ian Flynn
ARTIST: Tracy Yardley!, Terry Austin, John Workman and Matt Herms
COVER: Patrick “SPAZ” Spaziante
Shipping Date: 9/21/11
On Sale at Comic Shops: 10/5/11
Comic, 32 pages, 40 lb. glossy stock, Full-Color
$2.99 US
SONIC UNIVERSE #32

“INSIDE JOB” Part Four: The explosive finale to the Scourge Arc! Sonic’s evil twin is running with the Destructix, and they’re fighting for their lives to escape Zone Jail! If the rioting prisoners don’t get them, the Zone Cops will! In the mad dash for freedom, who will escape – and who will be left behind?

SCRIPT: Ian Flynn
ARTIST: Tracy Yardley!, Jim Amash, Phil Felix and Steve Downer
COVER: Tracy Yardley! & Ben Hunzeker
Shipping Date: 9/7/11
On Sale at Comic Shops: 9/21/11
Comic, 32 pages, 40 lb. glossy stock, Full-Color
$2.99 US
WORLD OF ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #11

“WHAT THE DO DID,” “THE ULTIMATE PEP TALK”

Pop tells the boys women change their hair after traumatic events and after breaking a date with Betty for another girl, Archie’s guilt gets the better of him when he’s sees her with a new hairstyle. He invites her to a night on the town but it all backfires for poor Betty when Archie enlists the help of a specialist for her supposed depression. Betty won’t be changing her hair again anytime soon after this fiasco in “WHAT THE DO DID.” On the eve of his 25th anniversary at Riverdale High School, Coach Kleats recounts some of the highs and lows of his career only to reveal that obstacles often come from within.

SCRIPT: Craig Boldman
ARTIST: Stan Godlberg
COVER: Fernando Ruiz
Shipping Date: 9/28/11
On Sale at Comic Shops:10/12/11
Newsstands: Week of/2011
Digest, 160 pgs, 30 lb newsprint, Full-Color
$3.99 US

GRAPHIC NOVELS:
ARCHIE FRESHMAN YEAR BOOK 2

Archie and his friends have forever been chronicled in the latter portion of their high school journey, but after many long years, the story of how “the gang” all met up was finally told in the first volume of Archie Freshman Year Book 1: The High School Chronicles. But that wasn’t the whole story!

In this second volume, Eisner-winning writer Batton Lash answers more questions that fans have been asking for decades about the early years of life at Riverdale High. See what happens when Jughead and his family move, Betty and Veronica become internet celebrities, and Reggie breaks out and finds himself a new group of “Pals ‘n’ Gals.” Catch Chuck’s first real foray into the world of comics and find out whatever happened to Pencilneck G.

SCRIPT: Batton Lash
ARTIST: Bill Galvan, Al Milgrom
COLORS: Glenn Whitmore
Direct Market On-sale: 9/7/2011
6 x 9” Trade Paperback 128 pgs
978-1-8797-9471-9
$9.95 US
ARCHIE: THE MARRIED LIFE BOOK 1

This giant graphic novel collects from Life with Archie Magazine 1-6 the most critically acclaimed storyline in Archie Comics history, following two separate paths for Archie as a newlywed if he had married Betty Cooper or if he had married Veronica Lodge. Archie Marries Betty features the newlyweds as they move to the city to pursue their dreams and are faced with seemingly endless disasters engineered by a sinister figure from the past, and also includes the moving story of the death of their former teacher Miss Grundy. Archie Marries Veronica showcases the newlywed couple struggling to balance business and conscience while trying to keep Mr. Lodge’s sensibilities from destroying their ideals, their hometown – and their marriage. Find out what happens to all of your favorite Riverdale characters! Based on an outline by Emmy® award-winning Batman producer Michael Uslan, written by comic book veteran Paul Kupperberg and featuring the fluid and lush artwork of longtime Batman artist Norm Breyfogle.

SCRIPT: Michael Uslan, Paul Kupperberg
ARTIST: Norm Breyfogle, Andrew Pepoy, Joe Rubenstein
COLORS: Glenn Whitmore
Direct Market On-sale: 9/14/2011
6 5/8 x 10 3/16” Trade Paperback 320 pgs
978-1-9369-7501-3
$19.99 US
BEST OF ARCHIE COMICS DELUXE EDITION

This gigantic 432-page hardcover edition is an essential introduction to new readers and a must-have companion for longtime Archie fans, featuring the best Archie tales in a beautiful full-size volume. Includes classic tales covering every decade of Archie’s history from some of the biggest creative names in the company’s history, including Bob Montana, Harry Lucey, Dan DeCarlo, Samm Schwartz, Stan Goldberg, Dan Parent and more. Hand-picked by Archie historians and experts, the stories collected in The Best of Archie Comics Deluxe Edition take readers on a veritable pop culture tour of America, from the World War II era to the swingin’ 60s to the present – including anecdotes, memories, historical highlights, exclusive content and more from Archie creators. This large hardcover deluxe edition is printed on quality paper and contains an additional 16 pages of extras not found in the smaller digest paperback version. The Best of Archie Comics Deluxe Edition is the flagship title of Archie’s 70th anniversary and will receive intense publicity, marketing and sales support through 2012.

Various authors/illustrators
Direct Market On-sale: 9/28/2011
6 5/8 x 10 3/16” Hardcover 432 pgs
978-1-9369-7502-0
$29.99 US
MEGA MAN – VOLUME ONE “LET THE GAMES BEGIN”

MEGA MAN is the hit new action-adventure series from Archie Comics! Dr. Light wanted to build a better tomorrow with his new Robot Masters, but the evil Dr. Wily reprogrammed them to take over the world! Now it’s up to one little robot to save us all – MEGA MAN! Don’t miss the first heroic adventures of Rock, a simple helper robot who takes up the fight for the greater good! This volume contains Rock’s transformation into Mega Man, his first battles with the famous Robot Masters, and his titanic clash with Dr. Wily!

MEGA MAN VOL. 1 collects MEGA MAN #1-4 plus variant covers, exclusive sketches and special features!

SCRIPT: Ian Flynn
ARTIST: Patrick “SPAZ” Spaziante, Chad Thomas, Ben Bates, Jamal Peppers, Rick Bryant, Gary Martin, John Workman and Matt Herms
COVER: Patrick “SPAZ” Spaziante
Direct Market On-sale: 9/14/2011
978-1-8797-9485-6
5 x 7 3/8” Trade Paperback 112 pgs
$11.95 US
SONIC ARCHIVES VOL.16

The best-selling SONIC ARCHIVES graphic novel series continues! The hunt for the evil Ixis Naugus goes into full swing as Sonic and his best friend Tails continue the World Tour Saga! Can the power of friendship overrule the wills of interdimensional machine-gods? What is the sinister secret of Sand Blast City? And are those duck-bill platypus warriors riding crododiles?! You won’t want to miss all of the first time appearances for characters like the Iron King and Queen, Jack Rabbit and his Sand Blast Freedom Fighters, and the debut of the Secret Service!

SONIC ARCHIVES VOLUME 16 collects SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #59-62 featuring digitally re-mastered art and special features!
SCRIPT AND ARTIST: Various
COVER: Patrick “SPAZ” Spaziante
978-1-8797-9479-9
5 x 7 3/8” Trade Paperback 112 pgs
$7.95 US
SONIC UNIVERSE – VOLUME ONE

“THE SHADOW SAGA”

Enter the SONIC UNIVERSE with the first ever Graphic Novel collection of the new hit comic series! SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG, the dark and grim Ultimate Lifeform, embarks on his first mission for the Guardian Units of the Nation! He will travel across time and space, fighting deadly killer robots and facing down beings of god-like power! SONIC UNIVERSE VOL. 1 collects the entire “Shadow Saga” storyline from Sonic Universe #1-4 plus exclusive sketches and special features!

SCRIPT: Ian Flynn
ARTIST: Tracy Yardley!, Jim Amash, Teresa Davidson and Jason Jensen
COVER: Patrick “SPAZ” Spaziante
978-1-8797-9486-3
5 x 7 3/8” Trade Paperback 112 pgs
$11.95 US

Speculation has run rampant about the release of The Clone Wars Season 3 for home systems. Amazon has put up preorder pages with no dates, but the best guess has been “October.” People have been dying for answers, but they have to wait no longer.

Lucasfilm announced today the official release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Season 3. It hits your television October 18th, 2011.

For the last two years, the DVD and Blu-ray have come out just after the start of the new season, so hopefully we’ll be getting Season 4 before the 18th.

Their press announcement:

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (June 20, 2011) – Pull back the starry curtain and reveal the secrets of the galaxy – with Star Wars: The Clone Wars™ The Complete Season Three, coming to DVD and high-definition Blu-ray Disc on October 18th from Lucasfilm Ltd. and Warner Home Video. Featuring stunning high-definition animation as well as a host of behind-the-scenes bonus materials, the complete collection explores the untold stories of “a galaxy far, far away” and reveals the magic behind the making of the cutting edge series.

Relive all 22 Season Three episodes – featuring familiar faces including Jabba the Hutt, Greedo, Tarkin and Chewbacca the Wookiee, as well as assassins, bounty hunters, witches, monsters and mysteries surrounding the very essence of the Force itself – and then explore the Lucasfilm vaults with behind-the-scenes insights on the making of the remarkable series. Bonus materials include five behind-the-scenes featurettes, each with director and crew interviews. And exclusive to the Blu-ray disc, The Jedi Temple Archives provides in-depth access to an extensive database of creative materials – including early test animations, concept art, 3D turnarounds and more than 30 deleted/extended scenes.

“In our third season, we told stories we couldn’t have imagined when we first started making the show,” says Supervising Director Dave Filoni. “George expects the best, every week, so we keep raising the bar. Everything’s gotten better. This series is for everyone that’s ever wondered what went on during this period, and we’re exploring it all. Sorcery, the Force and even Darth Maul’s origins. We are doing things that just wouldn’t have been possible before, and the animation is up to the challenge of bringing the layered Star Wars galaxy to life. And it looks spectacular in high-definition.”

Created and executive produced by George Lucas, the first-ever TV production from Lucasfilm Animation explores the tumultuous time between Episodes II and III, expanding the scope of Star Wars beyond anything seen in the feature films. Featuring the voices of Matt Lanter (90210), Ashley Eckstein (Her Universe apparel line), Dee Bradley Baker (American Dad), James Arnold Taylor (Johnny Test), Catherine Taber (Just Like Heaven) and Tom Kane (Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes), the third season also features a formidable line-up of guest stars – including Emmy-winner Seth Green (Robot Chicken), Sam Witwer (Being Human), Clancy Brown (Superman: The Animated Series), Jaime King (Sin City) and Oscar-nominee Liam Neeson.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season Three will be available on October 18th for the suggested retail price of $44.98 for DVD and $59.99 for Blu-ray.

Special Features:
Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season Three is presented in widescreen with English, Spanish and French 5.1 DTS audio and English, French and Spanish subtitles. Bonus features include:
· Featurettes
o Creating Kamino
o Hutts and the Underworld
o Witches and Monsters
o Secrets of Mortis
o Chewbacca Returns
· Blu-ray Exclusive – The Jedi Temple Archives
o An extensive database exploring special effects footage, early concept art, 3D character and object turnarounds, early animation and more than 30 deleted/extended scenes. The Archives is a rare look at the assets in various stages of creation for The Clone Wars, with a wealth of surprises and never-before seen moments sprinkled throughout

Synopsis:
Mystery and adventure await the heroes of the Republic in the transformative third season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. As the dark side grows ever stronger and the Jedi Knights are pushed to their breaking point, alliances will be tested, truths will be questioned and galaxy-changing secrets will be uncovered to shake the very foundations of the Star Wars universe. From the nature of the Force itself to secrets about the destiny of “The Chosen One,” surprises wait at every turn – all while the fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance.

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS THE COMPLETE SEASON THREE
Street Date: October 18, 2011
SRP: DVD $44.98, Blu-ray $59.99
Run Time: Over 500 Minutes
MPAA Rating: TV-PG
Closed Captioned: Yes

You can preorder it here.

It’s hard to objectively write about a title that I played repeatedly in my childhood. Many of us have memories playing through Ocarina of time over and over again… Or maybe I was the only lonely kid that wasted his summer doing every side quest I could get my hands on.

My usual hate of ports made the play-through of Ocarina an interesting experience. Normally I find nothing more frustrating than buying a brand new game console, and finding the best title available is a port of an old game. You can then understand that it was with great trepidation that I unwrapped my review copy of Ocarina on Thursday. It’s even harder for me to write the rest of the review because I’ve had nothing but fun since I started playing it again. This game in no way is boring or overly familiar.

I can’t play the game in 3d it makes me sick, like all other 3DS games I get headaches and vertigo, so I left the 3d effect on as long as I could to get a good feel for it. It looked phenomenal… gorgeous… wonderful, then i was ready to puke so it got turned off. The 3D is done in this game in such a way that it doesn’t seem to simply be an after-thought. It’s also not put so in your face that it comes off as tacky. The game itself is definitely more than a simple port, it is a remastered conglomeration of Ocarina of Time and The Master Quest, rebuilt for someone who simply loves Zelda. The imagery on the game itself looks much better. The more crisp imagery, and increased polygon count take away the feeling that the game is a simple port, and truly a reimagining. This is going to sound flowery, and I’ll probably label myself as a fan boy by saying this, but I instantly fell in love with Ocarina all over again by playing the 3DS version.

The controls on the 3DS were edited slightly to utilize the touch screen for inventory management, and the accelerometer is put to use aiming your sling shot, bow and arrow and hook-shot. Contrary to my initial worries the accelerometer made it easier to hit targets with the projectile weapons, especially on the midway style shooting games.

The soundtrack to the game is nothing new, but still one that takes my breath away. The music fits the game play perfectly, and is beautifully mixed, orchestrated, and integrated into the game. If I had a gripe, it’d be the consistent yelling of adult Link while I hack at enemies, but even that is me splitting hairs.

From temple to temple I found myself becoming re-enthralled in the Ocarina story line, and obsessing over the next free moment I would have to play the game. The nerd-rage fueled gamer in me would like to be upset that Nintendo chose to port Ocarina instead of developing a brand new Zelda title for my enjoyment. However, the fun-loving side of me refuses to put down the 3DS. I’m a hypocrite, I’ll admit it, but I love this game. The only disappointment I really found was the lack of connectivity to the standard 3DS features, (tag-mode, etc.) I would have loved to maybe tag data to other systems, or even share my latest Poe catch with a friend, that aside.. It’s a killer title.

This game is worth every penny, and a necessity for anyone owning a 3DS. With the dry summer ahead this has the promise of giving plenty of replay, and hours of extra questing.

I’d love to know your thoughts on the matter, comment below:

Score:

• Graphics : 9
• Audio: 10
• Controls: 10
• Replay: 9
• Overall:9.5

MAD Magazine has been a staple for satire and parody for over half a century. Recently, the usual gang of idiots started up their own blog. It has a lot of what you’d expect, past highlights, current stuff, and  random idiocy. One thing I expected was previews of the current issue, and they didn’t disappoint. What did surprise me (in a good way), is the way they’re going about it.

This month’s issue, #510 features one of MAD’s famous movie parodies, featuring who else, Green Lantern. I think this is interesting in a couple of ways, first it’s nice to know that Warner as a company doesn’t have a problem with making fun of itself, seeing as they own MAD, DC, and of course Warner Pictures, so it’s a trifecta of incestuous humor. The peerless artwork of Tom Richmond also sets this apart. Have a sneak peek at The Green Lunkhead!

While this is really cool (the background Lunkheads being the most inspired), the MAD blog also offers a rare look at the original pencils for this double page spread. While it’s pretty similiar, there is a pretty significant difference in “Hack Boredom’s” ring construct…

Oh MAD, how I wish you were ballsy enough to use the one-fingered salute in the final artwork. MAD #510 is due on shelves June 29th, reserve yours today!

This is one of my favorite chapters for a couple of reasons, and as usual it boils down to the fighting and the cliffhanger. Last episode, Gail was the one in peril, not Captain America. The time bomb planted in her plane could go off at any time! Can Captain America fight off the Scarab’s goons in time to warn her? Well, probably, but who cares? The brawl has an extra air of urgency to it, and it’s choreographed really well. It’s also a tiny bit slapstick-y, what with the guy getting slammed onto the rolling dolly, but again, who cares? This isn’t the type of movie you watch to painstakingly analyze every moment. You pop it on, maybe turn down the lights and become a kid again for 15 minutes. Let’s do that now, and together let’s watch Chapter 9 of Captain America: Triple Tragedy!

This week’s supplement is yet another chapter poster. I really like these, even though they are all similar aside from the screen inset and the chapter title. I hope you all like them too! Until next week, Keep your flag waving and your spirits high!

This movie looks incredible. The Muppets have always been one of my favorite things in the world and I will be first in line for this movie. It looks like a return to form for them. And the interiors of the old Muppet Theatre look sooooo good.

I really, really, really can’t wait for this.

As we wait, let’s talk about who your favorite Muppet is. I might have to go with Kermit… But there’s so many I love. Lew Zealand is pretty damned notable….

What about you?

This year has been dubbed the “Year of the Geek” with regards to the blockbuster movie season. With Thor, Super 8, and X-Men: First Class under our belts already and Captain America: The First Avenger and Cowboys and Aliens just around the corner there is no lack of choices for whatever your geeky tastes are. Entering the geeky fray this weekend is Warner Bros. and DC’s Green Lantern – a rare foray for WB and DC into their relatively untouched roster of superheroes aside from Batman and Superman. So how does Green Lantern stack up? Unfortunately not that well . . .

Perhaps where this film suffers the most is a rushed, and undeveloped story and a gross under-use of some potentially interesting characters. The film really jumps right in to bestowing the power ring to Hal Jordan who is shortly after inheriting a power ring from the dying alien, Abin Sur, is whisked away to the Green Lantern base-planet of Oa. Here we are introduced to three Green Lanterns we will see shockingly little of after they attempt to train Hal Jordan in the ways of being a member of the Green Lantern Corps. After becoming frustrated and beaten down by his would-be trainers Kilowog and Thaal Sinestro, Hal simply gives up and returns home. Yes, after less than one day spent traveling to Oa, learning about the Green Lanterns, and getting frustrated because he can’t immediately wield his ring as well as some the the Corps’ best members, Hal Jordan returns to Earth and gives up. Running parallel to Hal’s story, we have Hector Hammond, a scientist and son of a U.S. Senator, become exposed to some remnants of the yellow, physical manifistation of the power of Fear, Parallax, when he is summoned to study the body of the deceased Abin Sur. This of course putshim on track to becoming the film’s main – but relatively weak – antagonist. The film whisks along at a steady pace as it desperately attempts to set up some romance between Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris and present scenarios on Earth that forces Jordan to don his ring and become a hero – including a crashing helicopter and an increasingly crazy Hector Hammond drunk from the power and influence of Parallax. It’s not long before our hero prevails in a relatively anti-clamactic showdown with Parallax and he is accepted by the Green Lanterns as a formidable member.

Nearly all of the main characters aside from perhaps Hal Jordan himself suffer from a lack of character development. Ryan Reynolds does a decent enough job as Hal Jordan, and we do see his character grow a bit over the course of the movie from being a brash and arrogant pilot, to being quite humbled, to finding strength and confidence in himself once again by the end of the film. Blake Lively as Carol Ferris wasn’t terrible casting, but does little more than serve as a love interest for Hal – though, she does have one of the funniest lines in the movie in a scene that I don’t want to completely ruin, but it involves the iconic (and not really effective in “real life”) way in which classic superheroes have hidden their identity over the years. Peter Sarsgaard doesn’t get much to do in the film as Hector Hammond aside from being crazy on screen and screaming a lot. Frankly, I thought Hammond was an incredibly one-dimensional villain that the writers tried to provide some humanity for with an unconvincing troubled relationship with his father and being “in love” with Carol Ferris – things that supposedly helped attribute to his going insane and evil, but fell flat. As a villain, Hammond never seemed that menacing or much of a threat.

Perhaps the most grossly underused character of the film is Mark Strong’s Sinestro. I really enjoyed Strong’s portrayal of the character but he was given shockingly little to do in the film. Most of his screen time is spend standing in front of the Green Lanterns giving a speech, or standing in fron of the Guardians giving a speech. There are a few scenes in which he’s given more to do, but they are rather brief. The scene in which he attempts to help train Hal is pretty strong as he not only physically pummels this new human Green Lantern, but also completely demoralizes him while doing so. There was obviously a lot of contempt for Hal since he is now the bearer of Sinestro’s mentor’s ring and it would have been nice to see more development in the relationship between Hal and Sinestro – especially for anyone who is familiar with the comics and knows where the Sinestro/Hal thing is heading. In this film, the two interact very little and it seems the progression of Sinestro’s disdain for Hal to his respecting of Hal happens too suddenly and with little impact since their relationship wasn’t really expanded upon.

There was also little use of some other familiar Green Lanterns that could have played a more expanded role in the film, such as Tomar-re and Kilowog – perhaps two of the more recognizable Green Lanterns from the source material, especially Kilowog. It seems as though they made their brief appearances, and then were essentially forgotten about until the end of the film.

As far as the special effects go, this was one of the aspects of the film I thoroughly enjoyed. I was quite concerned about the full-CG Green Lantern suits, but I thought the fit the characters well. Each Green Lantern donned a suit that was clearly a Green Lantern uniform, but varied a little depending on the wearer’s physical appearance – for example Tomar-re is a “fish-like” alien, there for you can see some scale details worked into his suit. The power ring manifestations were also well done.I was concerned how well they would translate on screen with the possibility of looking too cartoony, but the folks working on the visual effects for this film seemed to have taken a lot of time on the look and feel of all the CG in this film and it definitely paid off. This is a film that I’m sure most expect to be heavy on the computer generated special effects, frankly, it almost had to be, and it seems the studio allowed to ample budget to make sure the effects didn’t look cheap or too cheesy.

As for the climax of the movie and the battle between Hal Jordan and Parallax, I felt there could have been more. What was included wasn’t bad by any means, and it was quite exciting, but it seemed all too brief and Parallax for supposedly being such a large threat to the Green Lanterns as whole was fairly easily disposed of by such a new, human member of the Corps. It was fun though to see Hal Jordan truly become a Green Lantern and have confidence in the power he weilds and take it to a giant yellowy-brown glob of pure fear.

Some of this may sound a bit nit picky, but I hope none of it comes off as fan-boy anger. In the interest of full-disclosure my superhero “expertise” (if you could even call it that) tends to lean towards the world of Marvel superheroes. I’m not super familiar with Hal Jordan and the Green Lanterns aside from knowing the basics from Justice League cartoons and some collected storied in trade-paperback form, so I felt like I was able to go into this film with little expectations and an unbiased view on the character. The fact is, I didn’t hatethis film at all, but I also didn’t think it was that great. Most of my frustrations come from seeing some really good potential in this film and Warner Bros.’ inability to expand and capitalize on that. There were numerous opportunities for the script to expand on some character development and relationships, weave plot lines together better, and really produce some incredible action and visuals with all of the freedom that the Green Lantern power ring allows for. Ultimately though, the entire film felt quite rushed and at times just downright didn’t make sense on a few occasions.

I can’t recommend just skipping Green Lantern all together, but I wouldn’t recommend rushing out opening weekend either. It’s great to see DC and Warner Bros. exploring other heroes from the DC roster and I hope they continue to do so instead of just dipping into the Batman and Superman well over and over again. There just seems to be some of that “magic” lacking that Marvel has seemed to be able to tap into with the likes of the Iron Man films and the universe they’ve created that’s leading up to The Avengers. I honestly hope WB and DC can find their own stride with their films so we can see other superhero greats get the big screen treatment, but if Green Lantern is any indication of how they plan on handling these films, there is definitely room for improvement.

With last year’s Batman XXX: A Porn Parody, it was proven that you can titillate and entertain, while being extremely faithful to source material. Since the success of that movie, there has been a veritable explosion (no pun intended) of Superhero porn parodies. Some have been better than others (not that I’d know), but with the upcoming Spider-Man XXX, hopes are high for another faithful adaptation due to the direction of Axel Braun, he who helmed last year’s Batman. The people at Vivid entertainment were kind enough to send along a rough cut of the opening credits and the official poster for the film. Electro aside, it’s pretty faithful to the Raimi movies.

Well, faithful in style, at least. I’m really surprised that they’d include the Black Widow and not the Black Cat. Well, if nothing else, Spider-Man will be sure to shoot a sticky substance from his body, and there’ll probably be some web-slinging too. What do you all think of Superhero porn? Is it sexy, or just silly?

In an interview with CNN, George Lucas talked about how there are no plans for him to return to the directors chair in the Star Wars universe, though he did say he was having a lot of fun in the Star Wars universe on television.

One bomb he dropped on the audience was a show in production called “Star Wars: Detours.”

What is Star Wars: Detours? Well… We don’t know. And the girl at CNN, Becky Andersen, had no idea how big that tidbit was. Could this be the show with Seth Green? The title makes sense for the vague descriptions of Seth Green’s show that we’ve got.

Only time will tell.

You can watch the interview here.

If you’ve got a minute and want a different Star Wars fix, Play.Com got an exclusive video of Ewan McGregor talking about the first time he saw Star Wars from the Blu-ray editions, coming in September. You can preorder the Blu-rays here.

Even after all of the 52 relaunched DC titles have been announced, speculation is still running rampant. One of the big rumors going  around was that with the upcoming relaunch, Clark Kent and Lois Lane would no longer be married. While this hasn’t been confirmed yet, gossip site PopCornBiz’s interview with DC Comics Co-Publisher Dan DiDio strongly hints at it.

When asked directly, this is what DiDio had to say:

“Let’s just say it’s being reexamined,” “…because it’s something that I think is something that is so valuable to the character’s story that you really want to explore all facets of it. Not just as it exists currently.”

While he’s not coming right out and saying the marriage is dissolved, he really seems to be hinting that’s the case. DiDio goes on to say that “We really went back to the core of the character,” I suppose that’d include Clark Kent/Superman being in a love triangle with himself! If other rumors floating around are true, Superman’s new paramour may actually be the re-imagined Wonder Woman. I myself actually wonder if Clark Kent is going to exist at all, but I admit that’s just wild speculation on my part.

It goes without saying that if this change is true, it echoes changed done to Spider-Man recently where his marriage was annulled by the mystical forces of Marvel Editorial Mephisto. Ultimately, even though that storyline was almost universally jeered, it resulted in some of the most dynamic and enjoyable Spidey stories in years. In Superman’s case, it remains to be seen if that brand of lightning will strike twice, but up until now, no one has seemed to complain about the Super-marriage impeding story possibilities like the web-head’s did.

My feelings are mixed on this issue, as I don’t feel like the Superman coming out of the DC relaunch will be my Superman anyway. Let us know what you think!