Well, I’m a little surprised, to be honest. This series has taken its time meandering through the comics and I’m a little taken aback by this move.

AMC announced that David Morrissey has been cast as the Governor and will be appearing in Season 3. Will Season 2 finally bring us to the prison.

According to them:

David Morrissey has been cast in the role of The Governor in the network’s critically acclaimed hit series The Walking Dead. The Governor, a character from Robert Kirkman’s graphic novel, is the leader of Woodbury, a small settlement of survivors, and becomes the chief antagonist for Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group.

The Governor will appear in The Walking Dead Season 3, a 16-episode order from AMC, which begins production this spring in Atlanta.

Morrissey is a BAFTA winner and has appeared in a bunch of British television shows that I’m not at all familiar with, which means he’ll probably be amazing. I wonder how his red neck accent is.

Season 2 continues Sunday night.

Wow.

This trailer really blew my hair back.

There’s really nothing else to it. It’s just… Wow.

From the press release:

Season Four of Star Wars: The Clone Wars concludes with a nail-biting, two-part finale arc beginning Friday, March 9 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on Cartoon Network with “Brothers.”

After being used as a weapon of vengeance by Count Dooku and Asajj Ventress, the dark warrior Savage Opress embarked on a galaxy-spanning quest to find his long-lost brother, the legendary Darth Maul. Maul lives in the depths of a ruined world as a shattered madman barely held together by dreams of vengeance. Savage conspires with the scheming witch Mother Talzin to heal Darth Maul’s body and mind, so that the brothers can begin a new crusade of vengeance against the Jedi.

The saga continues on Friday, March 16, in “Revenge,” as Obi-Wan Kenobi finds an unlikely ally when battling against the dreaded brothers.

Maul returns as you have never seen him before as the action-packed season culminates in a climactic finale that builds suspense until the very last moment.

It’s no secret around these parts that I’m DYING to see the John Carter of Mars film, and it’s no secret that I’m absolutely in love with the source material. Therefore, it should be no secret that I am also excited to see what Marvel pulls out as far as comics for this series is concerned.

The world of Barsoom is a rich and fertile land for storytelling in any medium and I really hope the movie helps propel that along.

From the press release:

Marvel is pleased to present your first look at, John Carter: The Gods Of Mars #1, hitting comic shops everywhere March 2012! From the creative team of rising stars Sam Humphries (Sacrifice) & Ramon Perez (Jim Henson’s Tale Of Sand), the heroic John Carter makes his return to Barsoom not to save it from Martian beasts…but Martian GODS! This new series, in collaboration with the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate, is an all-new graphic fiction adaptation of the legendary John Carter novels AND considered part of the official canon set by Burroughs. No fan looking for added depth to the rich John Carter mythos can miss this.

As our hero finds himself in the land of the dead, all hope looks lost. But nothing will stop John Carter from saving Mars from the terror of those looking to destroy it and this March, the next chapter of one of the greatest action stories ever told begins in John Carter: The Gods Of Mars #1!

JOHN CARTER: THE GODS OF MARS #1 (of 5) (JAN120655)
Based on the Novel by EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS
Adaptation by SAM HUMPHRIES
Art by RAMON PEREZ
Cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO
All Ages …$2.99
FOC – 2/27/12, ON SALE – 3/21/12

These are quick and dirty and there isn’t much new footage but a little more to tide us over until the movie drops.

A few times each month Mexicus Prime will be teaming up with another member of BSR to review a completely random comic. Top or bottom of the pile; first, last or middle issue of a story arc – literally anything he can get his hands on will be haphazardly reviewed with extreme bias.

FERALS, ISSUE 1

AVATAR PRESS COMICS

STORY: DAVID LAPHAM

ART & COVERS: GABRIEL ANDRADE

COLOR: DIGIKORE STUDIOS

Mexicus Prime – Not so much random here. I am really starting to get into this new series from AVATAR PRESS and wanted to share my love with y’all. As a fan of horror and most sub-genres, I had to give this new title a few reads. With all the glitz and glam associated with werewolves and vampires now-a-days it’s refreshing to read something more catered to the monsters that gave me nightmares as a kid.

Right from picking this book up you can feel the quality in the paper and overall weight of the comic, which is on the complete opposite side of the spectrum (production-wise) to let’s say, “Avenging Spider-Man”. Just a solid feeling, well colored book, the way a comic costing $3.99 should feel.

David Lapham, as first introduced to me by Vagatron, has been one of my favorite writers and someone who can help me indulge myself in material that’s, generally speaking, a bit twisted. Picking up this title was not difficult on that merit alone. It was the chance to experience a new artist whom I’ve never seen before, Gabriel Andrade. Thank God -or Merlin for that matter- that Gabriel’s work is superb! The panels were pretty general for the most part, but the realistic artwork really jumps off the pages. I prefer his style to Javier Barreno’s (which I do enjoy). I feel that he tells a better story with his art, and unlike the title “Crossed”, is a little easier to digest.

The story in issue 1, for the most part is what you would expect an AVATAR PRESS werewolf comic to flow like (Sex, Violence, & Gritty suspense). I really enjoyed the suspense and danger in the comic, but wasn’t really surprised until jumping ahead and reading issue 2. In issue 1, you’re left with (story-wise) an ending you were waiting for from the first few panels of the first page. In closing, I’d suggest reading/ sinking (your teeth) into the first 2 issues of the series to see if this suits your “Mature Reading” needs. I’m glad I did.

Arse-bot – Jesus Christ. I really don’t think Mexicus Prime could have picked a genre in which we have a more different taste in. I don’t mind a good “horror” comic, but as far as fucked up imagery goes, it’s not really my taste. I knew within the first few pages that I wasn’t going to dig this title when (SPOILER) a mutilated body is found in the woods with his own dingaling dismembered and shoved into his mouth. Werewolves are obviously violent creatures, but to go as far as to consciously go through the trouble of dismembering a penis and shoving it into the victim’s mouth? (END SPOILER) Seemed a bit over the top for me.

That being said, Andrade’s art was very good, and I agree with Mexicus that all of the images, whether they be mundane, violent, sexual, or sexually violent really jump off the page. For me though, Lapham’s story was nothing terribly unique in this first issue. If you take away the way-over-the-top graphic violence of this story, you basically have a pretty standard “small mountain town being terrorized by monster” story; but for those of you who like a little fucked-uppedness in your comics, there is definitely some flare added to this story that you’ll probably enjoy.

At the end of the day, Ferals just isn’t my cup of tea when it comes to picking up comic book titles – but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad purchase. I have plenty of friends who would find this to be right up their alley (read: all of them), and I know there’s a pretty big market for this genre out there. If you consider yourself to be a fan of this genre and like somewhat similar titles like Crossed, then Ferals should not disappoint. For the rest of you like me who prefer the pages of your comics filled with standard superhero fare, I’d probably pass.

 
The sun is rising across the United States, and at retailers everywhere you can finally purchase the standard edition PS Vita. A large group of gamers have already gotten their grubby mitts on the first edition bundle a short week ago. Should you pick one up today? Is it worth the price tag? Read on to find out.

My first impression with the system will always be that it is quite large. The 5″ display is nestled between dual analogue sticks, a d-pad, and the standard circle, square, x and triangle buttons. It’s about 1/8 or 1/4″ thicker than the PSP 3000 and weighs a bit more.

The weight is a direct result of the amount of hardware included.The front and back touch screen, quad-core processor, and advanced video processing make for a beefy unit. The back touch screen is being thrown around by Sony as a “game changer” or rather one of the systems pieces that make it a game changer. Depending on which game utilized it I found it to be more of a gimmick than anything.

Whether stroking the back to help Drake climb a rope, or tapping the back to push a robot off a cliff in Little Deviants the current utilization seemed a touch forced. Little Deviants used it in a creative way, and Uncharted utilized it in a non-obstrusive way, but I found myself using the analog stick to perform the same tasks with a touch more comfort.

Display:The display is gorgeous and the capabilities of the handheld are mind bending. The games are all visually stunning. Uncharted looks so close to a PS3 title I found myself wondering whether I’d ever turn on the console again. Everything was crisp, the water and lighting effects were rendering perfectly with no delay, and even the distance the games were rendering was up to snuff.

Touch Screen and OS: The touch screen is quick and responsive and the operating system on the console is a stroke of genius. The bubbly interface wouldn’t be my first choice for icons, however, the way it differentiates items to be launched and what’s currently running is perfect. The flawless multitasking is something to be envied by the mobile and pc industry alike. The Web-OS style cards, that are simply peeled away to close is another design stroke of genius. At any given point I’ll have 3-4 items running in the background and a game running. Generally I would leave NEAR, the Playstation Store, Maps, and any of the games I’ve been playing recently and the system runs as if nothing has changed. Jumping in-between a game and an app is simple and fast. Press home, slide to the app you wish to load, tap it and, voila app loaded.

Bluetooth: I’ll touch quickly on the bluetooth integration for the Vita. It’s amazing, there I said it. Full a2dp support allows you to pair any bluetooth device such as your Jambox, or any headset for that matter, and utilize it for in game chat during multiplayer or to simply give yourself a better sound experience. Jawbone LiveAudio and Uncharted: Golden Abyss = handheld bliss, just saying.

3G: Im a huge proponent of having data wherever, why ever, however. I can’t figure out tho, why spending monthly money to have data on this one is worth it. If you don’t have a smart phone or tablet, it makes total sense to have the Vita with you for maps and other application utilization. If you have a smart phone, then the need to utilize the 3g portion of the Vita goes away almost entirely. I have loved not worrying about WiFi when searching for a nearby person or quickly looking something up, but realistically I could get by without the data plan. Setting up the data plan through the device also lead to a huge headache, after 3 attempts I finally moved to my laptop and set the connection up through At&t’s main site. I realize that using the early access bundle not everything was ready for the full launch. But AT&T and Sony should have had their information together for the mobile site to ensure that the device was a quick set up. Once it was configured the data ran beautifully, it was simply the set up stage that caused tears of frustration.

The Price: You’re paying a bit of geek tax to purchase this guy on day one, and it’s worth it. The amount of hardware put into Sony’s latest handheld makes the value proposition very strong. The amount of titles available at launch also put forward a tempting proposition. You can walk into the store to pick up your handheld and leave with Uncharted, ModNation Racers and, Hot Shots Golf to provide yourself with hours of game play opportunities.

Battery Life: As with any device dedicated to gaming, the battery life is a tough battle. The 2100 mAh battery does a good job at keeping the system alive for about 4 hours of gameplay. My only complains are based on the lack of warning that you’re running low, and if the system powers down due to battery drain, it doesn’t give you a message or heads up at all. The screen goes black, and causes you to panic ever so slightly. When recharging it generally takes 30 minutes of sitting on the charger untouched before the unit will find life again.

Application Availability
This is probably the biggest frustration I had with the console itself. When shopping for Vita software in the Playstation Store, I found it frustrating how many items simply said, “not Vita compatible.” I understand that it is a different genre of code, and the game has to be built for use on the console, but I had hoped that Sony and developers would prepare for launch by making some of the SEN titles easily transferrable. On a positive note, I love that a huge chunk of the PSP releases are available in the Store for download, and will play on your Vita. I also hope to see growth in the “App” section of the Playstation Store. Currently the only application you can purchase for the Vita is the extended service plans of varying lengths, LiveTweet (thank god they released this, I was going to write an entire section bitching about the lack of twitter integration.) Flickr, and Netflix. These are 3 very important pieces of the application puzzle, but I hope to see more come. I’m impressed with how fast a Netflix application was brought to the handheld. This section has a bright future.

Summary:

Pros:

• Gorgeous display, beautiful graphics
• Quick and simple multi-tasking
• Easy access to the Playstation Store
• Well designed “mobile” version of the Playstation Store
• Quick development for applications seems to be bringing, “must have” apps to the store
• Bluetooth Integration all around is stellar
• Near Integration — People are actually using it!!!
• Great list of launch titles, and a bright future of more software releasing quickly

Cons:

• Rough 3g setup through the device
• No warning on battery drain shut down
• Wait time on charging when battery is fully drained
• small list of apps currently available in the store
• The Sony web browser is still clunky, I don’t know when they’ll get that running smoothly

Should you buy one? I say yes, this is the strongest handheld launch I’ve seen Sony do yet. There are actually titles for this one worth playing Hot Shots and many others will keep you grinding away for hours, while Uncharted gives you the blockbuster play you need. This system is worth the investment in this robots eyes.

For me, DC/WB Animation’s direct-to-video series has been incredibly hit or miss. Even the ones I like tend to be compared to the original comic stories they were based on unfavorably. When I heard about Justice League: Doom, I was going in expecting another fair to middling comic adaptation. Boy, was I wrong. Let me just say that if you’re on the fence about grabbing this flick, GET IT! As to why I think this is an insta-buy, read on.

The premise of JL: Doom is that Batman, being the über-prepared guy he is, has a series of countermeasures to be used if his fellow Justice Leaguers ever go rogue just sitting on the Bat-Computer. Now, what do you think would happen if someone without the Dark Knight’s altruism got their hands on them? If you’re thinking a bad day for the JLA, you don’t know the half of it! JL: Doom is adapted from writer Mark Waid’s  JLA #43-46 Tower of Babel arc, originally published in the year 2000. Adapting the story for the screen is the late Dwayne McDuffie. The man knows how to bring superheroes to the screen, based on previous experience on the JLU animated show as well as past DC DTV’s. In fact, the biggest strengths JL: Doom has going for it is that while it takes the major story beats from Tower of Babel, it isn’t a slave to it. McDuffie throws stuff out that works on the printed page, but wouldn’t translate to the screen. Simultaneously even if you know nothing about the League, the film’s opening scene gives you a basic understanding of all of the characters.

The opening fight introduces you to the JLA nicely.

One of the most refreshing, yet possibly controversial changes in JL: Doom is that the villains are completely different from the source material. In the movie this works because each villain is the opposite number of a hero. It’s a kind of storytelling shorthand that lets the movie jump straight to the action in the limited time it has, rather than the months long story the original told. For those who remember the original story, Ra’s Al Ghul has been replaced by the immortal Vandal Savage. The motivation behind the plot remains the same, which is slightly irksome as it’s definitely a Ra’s plan. I forgave this, as it is changed enough to fit Savage as well.

Of course when you have a cast so large, it is a bit difficult to focus on all of the personalities present. McDuffie does manage to give everyone a shining moment, including the unexpected appearance of Cyborg, but since this is essentially a Batman story guest-starring the JLA, your mileage may vary in regards to if your favorite character gets enough screen time. That being said, besides Batman, the character I actually connected to the most in the film was Hal Jordan/Green Lantern, which surprised the heck out of me. In most incarnations, Hal is presented as a cocky jerk who has overconfidence that’s only matched my his willpower. In JL: Doom however, Hal’s attitude is clearly shown to be due to his absolute lack of fear. That makes his bat-planned takedown all the more poignant when he shows his nobility. I won’t go into spoilers, as it needs to be experienced first hand. I will say that it is just another reason why it’s so sad we lost McDuffie and his vast talents. This is a Green Lantern that I would gladly read/watch/pay 10 bucks at the theater for. It doesn’t hurt that this Hal actually uses his ring to make things other than guns.

"The cat's in its cradle, Star Sapphire!"

In the film, the JLA is of course triumphant, but it’s the journey here that is important, not the destination. In JL: Doom, the League feels like a team of true equals that play to each other’s strengths. It’s hard to explain in words, but the action just flows. One aspect that brings this story to legendary status is that once the threat is over, there are still things to resolve. Namely, Batman’s paranoia getting the League into this mess to begin with. Again, no spoilers here, but it’s handled very well, with the Leaguers and especially Batman discussing their viewpoints in a manner that doesn’t come off as preachy or forced at all. It may not sound very compelling, but trust me it’s one of the strongest moments in the film when Batman refuses to back down when faced by his accusers.

Don't look now, but I think Bats just got hit on the nose with a rolled up newspaper.

When it comes to the production side of things, the voice direction by Andrea Romano is top-notch as always. It helps that most of the cast have played these characters before. It was nice to hear Tim Daly and Kevin Conroy reprise their roles as the World’s Finest team. Michael Rosenbaum as the Flash is a nice touch as well, though it is a little jarring once you realize he’s playing Barry Allen rather than Wally West, but he adjusts his performance accordingly. Nathan Fillion is my favorite Green Lantern voice actor and his acting made the aforementioned scenes what they were. If he can bring half of the game he brings in this movie to the CGI GL animated series, it’ll be the best show on TV.

Animation wise, JL: Doom uses the same character designs as the previous Justice League film, Crisis on Two Earths. The villains are completely new designs however, and they work very well, although Star Sapphire has a softness to her at times that is very anime-esque. This isn’t a bad thing in and of itself, but I felt her in-costume look didn’t match up as well as the other baddies. Otheer than that, the visuals are beautiful, the color palette seems toned down a bit from the previous film. The tell-tale sign is the baby blue of Superman’s uniform. I think it’s works much better than the darker hues WB animation has used for Supes up to this point. The opening credits are an inspired sequence of the contingency files on the Bat-Computer and sets up the premise of the film without the aid of dialogue.

My bottom line is Justice League: Doom is a day one purchase. Whereas I was content to wait for the older DC DTV’s to hit the discount bins, I was happy to pay full price for this one, and I suggest you do so as well, be it on Blu-Ray, DVD, or Digital Download.

Well, if last night’s episode doesn’t quell the constant belly-aching of those who claim there isn’t enough zombie action on the show, then there is nothing that will shut them up.

Last night’s episode was tense and heartbreaking, forcing each character to make horrible choices to protect both the group and more importantly their loved ones. The pair of fellas Rick was forced to kill Old West Style last week had friends and they’re not about to move on without putting up a fight, so naturally Glen, Hershel, and Rick spend as much ammunition fighting walkers as they do living, breathing humans.

Back at the camp things aren’t going any better and Shane is going off the deep end, telling lies confessing his love to people, and asserting as much control over the situation as possible.

For me, the situation with Shane is far more interesting than the business with the zombies. Shane is a barreling freight train, running down the tracks at top speed, ready to crash headlong into whatever gets in his way. And if the comic book is any indication, it’s not going to be pretty.

Since day one, I’ve been saying that I find the human element more interesting than the zombie one in this series, comic or otherwise, and I think after this episode people might start seeing things my way. The fractures in the group, the decisions the people are making, are vastly more intriguing than assholes being pinned down in a firefight by zombies. Look at the decisions Glen is making as far as Maggie is concerned? Every decision he made fighting zombies was predicated on the last 6 episodes of relationship building between them. This episode wouldn’t have been half as good without the so-called “boring” episodes.

Though I will give one bit of concern: Now that Sophia has been found it feels like the writers have no idea what to do with Daryl. If he’d have been in the town with the boys, there wouldn’t have been a contest and it would have turned into an action movie, so it was the right decision to keep him out of the action, but I hope they know what they’re doing with the character. By all accounts though, they’ve made all the right moves so far, I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on this one.

Also: that dude’s leg?

Wow. That was one of the best moments of gore on the show since they had to chop up zombies to rub their parts on their clothes.

I don’t think I’m off base on my assessment of these episodes at all, but I’d still like to hear your opinion. Especially if you disagree with me.

And I also hope to see you come out to see our screenings of The Walking Dead on the big screen in coordination with Brewvies and City Weekly. (More info here.)

I had the opportunity this weekend to chat with anime voice actor Vic Mignogna. Vic is famous for his portrayals of Edward Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist and Tamaki Suou in Ouran High School Host Club, as well as for his work as Broly in Dragon Ball Z and Death Scythe in Soul Eater. You might even know him from my personal favorite – Fullmetal Panic – as the American soldier Kurtz Weber.

Vic is currently promoting the recently released Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, now playing in cities across the U.S. and Canada. (You can find a full list of locations here). The film, which premiered on January 20th in North America, follows the adventures of the Elric brothers to Table City as they attempt to track down an escaped prisoner. Events in the film take place during the plot of the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood continuity.

And Vic’s not only a talented voice actor, singer, and media guru – he’s one of the geeks! Listen as Vic shares with us awesome stories about growing up with Star Trek, his trip to Japan where he met Romi Paku, voice actor antics, cosplaying at conventions, and upcoming projects like “Star Trek Continues,”  which I’m psyched to see develop over the next year!

Listen to the interview here!

Above: Vic as Captain Kirk and as a Klingon (at right).

For more about Vic, check out his website at www.vicsworld.net. You can find tons of cool stuff (like upcoming convention appearances) on his official fanclub’s website at www.risemboolrangers.com. Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos comes to DVD April 24th (and you can pre-order it now). Also, make sure to check out the Star Trek Continues Facebook Page!

Hey guys! Vagatron here with another convention sketch and this one is pretty sweet! Poison Ivy, in glorious color, sketched out for my wife by Rafael Navarro at Wonder Con 2011. Rafael is best known for his award winning work on Sonambulo. He has also contributed work on animated shows like Rugrats and Mucha Lucha!

Again, we are asking if you have a sketch you think others may be interested in seeing, let us know by dropping us a line at editor@bigshinyrobot.com!