“The Shadow Warrior” is set on Naboo and details the manipulations of the Gungans on the part of the Separatists in the hopes that the Gungan Army will march on Theed against the Naboo.

There is a lot to like in this episode that managed enough to overpower the fact that the story went by far too quickly, too quickly to give it a satisfying climax.

In the first act, we learn that the Gungan Boss (who looks strikingly similar to Jar Jar) is under some kind of mind control (it doesn’t matter what kind) and is going along with the Separatist plan. The plot is discovered, Anakin and Padme bring him to his senses, but before he can rescind his orders he’s stabbed by the Gungan traitor (whose name is startlingly similar to the evil Cardinal in The Three Musketeers). With no other options and the Gungans ready to march on the former commands of their leader, Jar Jar is forced to take the mantle of the king and handle negotiations with the likes of General Grievous.

Last week, I mentioned that this story line could easily be compared to Akira Kurosawa’s Kagemusha and if anyone denies that it was an inspiration you could easily call them a liar. Kagemusha is about the double of a feudal lord who is forced into service after he’s been wounded so his enemies don’t know he’s been killed. It’s a much richer, deeper story though, where the shadow warrior struggles to find his place in the world and is eventually cast out, despite his service. It’s a heartbreaking film and has one of the most gut-wrenching endings I’ve seen in a Kurosawa film. Wisely, the makers of The Clone Wars only take the premise from the film and infuse it with an energy uniquely Star Wars. There is so much homage to the films in these episodes it was fantastic.

First, it was great seeing classic Episode 1 sets and music on this show. Whatever anyone might say about The Phantom Menace, the musical cues leading into Otoh Gunga and the reveal of the underwater city are nothing short of breathtaking and seeing wisps of it animated on the show was exciting. There are a lot of fans who seem to think that The Phantom Menace was irrelevant but, in my opinion, I just don’t think they’ve thought it through and episodes like “The Shadow Warrior” help tie the importance of that film into the context of the greater saga. This is where it all began and even Dooku admits as much, saying that the Sith have their hands in everything.

Dooku was another excellent addition to the episode and his fight with Anakin was fantastic. There were hints of the fight with Yoda in Attack of the Clones, there were specific sounds and motions from that fight incorporated here, but there was also a healthy dose of The Empire Strikes Back. Dooku has objects floating around Anakin’s head, distracting him from the fight, in the same way Anakin later does to Luke on Cloud City. In classic Clone Wars fashion, though, the fight was amped up times four because there were four Magna Droids present, helping Dooku make short work of Anakin.

There is one part of the episode that I think some fans of General Grievous might take issue with, and that’s how quickly the Gungans make short work of General Grievous in capturing. It isn’t without sacrifice though and it literally takes an entire army against Grievous to take him down. Whatever anyone might say about the story content and implications of the scene, it was beautifully rendered. The storms gathering in the horizon and flashes of lightning were expertly put together and it makes sense, too. Using weather to enhance the mood of a scene is particularly Kurosawa-esque, and it’s no surprise they used it here. For a live action director, Kurosawa directed the weather the same way he’d direct an actor.

I’m also glad to see that Tarpals, a Captain in Phantom Menace and a General by this time, is given his due. I’ve always liked him as a side-character as much as, say, Nien Nunb or Admiral Ackbar. He had some great moments in Phantom Menace and he’s given a great scene in this episode that is worthy of him. I don’t want to say too much about the scene in case you haven’t seen the episode, but you’ll know it when you see it.

My biggest problem with this episode is that I could have seen it extended and the themes from the source material better explored. I felt the denouement came too easily. Though I do love the idea that Palpatine is using his own pieces on both sides, Anakin and Grievous, against each other and as bargaining chips, I though it ended far too swiftly. I honestly thought that when Palpatine proposed the trade of captives we were seeing a foreshadowing of the next episode. That it was resolved in a scene and a half was a little disappointing, but then I have to remind myself how much they’re really accomplishing in a 22 minute show.

All in all, this is an episode I wouldn’t hesitate to watch again. Top tier? Maybe not as much. Great TV? Definitely.

Next week, it looks like we’re getting Gulliver’s Travels by way of Willow starring Artoo and Threepio. I’m excited.

I have never bought a set of Magic: The Gathering cards. Actually, I grew to loathe them. Really. Whenever I would drop in to my local comic shop they always seemed like the nuisance barrier between me getting my hold and then getting the hell out of there before I was questioned about codas, Snapcasters or if Acidic Slime is a mediocre card or not.

With that said, my present day self can see the appeal of this strategy card game. Magic: The Gathering has lasted over fifteen years without a dip in popularity. It doesn’t have a television show, consistent advertisements or a toy line driving it. That type of staying power says a lot in our ADD here today, gone today culture.

What it does have is a hard to the core fan base that will no doubt enjoy Wizards Of The Coasts’ latest offering, Innistrad.

During PAX Prime I managed to hobnob with WoTC’s Adam Colby to talk about Magic, no less and why I should be playing it.

Me: Ok, so what would you suggest as a good jump in point for someone like me who has never played?

Adam Colby: Duels Of The Planeswalker 2012. It’s a self-contained video game available on Xbox, Playstation and the PC via steam. It is the best way that we’ve ever found to get people into the game or to re-introduce people to the game. A lot people might say they used to play and then life gets in the way… as it always does. Friends move away after high school or college. You get a job; you get a family or whatever. The video game is a great way to interact so you can play it after your done with homework or the kids have gone to sleep or whatever because it’s right there on your PC or console. It’s self contained that means you don’t have to worry about keeping up with the latest sets and making sure that you have the playsets of the all strongest cards. Its got a wonderful tutorial which you can play for free, you can download the demo for free on all three platforms and the investment is $9.99 or ten bucks depending on your platform. The amount of value that you get out of it or the amount of playtime that you get for the cost is among the top of all downloadable games that you’ll find.

Is this out now?

AC: Yes, It came out in June and the expansion ‘Ascend Into Darkness’ came out on September 14th. It is on all three platforms. It features additional decks; additional game modes including…well, the original featured a game mode called ‘Archenemy’. Which allows you to play with friends or a couple of Ai’s against an ‘Archenemy’ who was armed with not only a standard Magic deck but a deck of these evil, horrible, vicious scheme cards that allowed him to do horribly devastating things to the players. The expansion for the first time allows you the player to wield that evil deadly scheme card deck and basically play as the ‘Archenemy’.

What makes this video game and expansion pack a must play?

AC: Well, the card game, features three new Planeswalkers to the game including Ajani Goldmane, who is one of the original five Planeswalkers. Liliana who is also one of the original Planeswalkers and a new Planeswalker that is exclusive to Duels, Ral Zarek. He’s a red blue planeswalker so he’s got a fiery temper but a lot of brains up there. Liliana makes her entrance as essentially the host of the content that is part of Innistrad. Which is the fall set that comes out for paper magic and there is six preview cards for Innistrad in the new expansion as well as Liliana’s deck that is filled with all of the kind of horror things that Innistrad will be filled with.

I’ve never played before so give me a little overview on Magic: The Gathering?

AC: Every year in the summertime we release a core set. That is Magic in its purest form. It’s got the dragons, the angels, the goblins, the demons and all the things you would expect to find in a magical world. It’s Magic flavored. Then in the fall, we visit a plane. Sometimes it’s a new plane sometimes it’s a revisited plane and that features a sort of a theme for the block. Last year we revisited, Scars Of Mirrodin and we saw the favorite plane of Mirrodin invaded by the old enemies, the Phyrexians. That war that resulted in Phyrexia essentially destroying Mirran and then rebuilding it as New Phyrexia.

So, what’s the line up for this fall season?

AC: It’s a brand new world that we’ve never been to before, Innistrad. It is a world of gothic horror. All of the things the you would imagine to find in that sort of Elizabethian Victorian horror setting of vampires and werewolves, zombies and creatures made of other creatures, ghosts, those kinds of things. Those are all the denizens of the world of Innistrad.

Only fantastical creatures then?

AC: Ah, there are also humans but humans play a role more similar to cattle. They are essentially livestock. Something has gone array in the world and the humans are being purged fast. Something is going on there that will be revealed as the sets come out.

When does Innistrad come out?

AC: On September 30th… and on the first Friday of February 2012, ‘Dark Ascension’ comes out and it continues the storyline and the card mechanics.

Tell me more about how the card mechanics differ from Magic sets of past?

AC: Ok. Now, while the setting of Innistrad is very cool and the art and story are wonderful the new mechanic we revealed is something that we’ve never done before. Double faced cards (He shows me the card). So, we have a card that may start off as the Mayor Of Avabruck, a small hamlet in Innistrad. As the evening progresses he becomes (He flips over the card) the Howlpack Alpha. He is in charge of the local Werewolf pack. We have a bat that flies around during the day (He shows me another card) and in the evening becomes (He flips the other card) a Stalking Vampire. And we have our mad scientist, local test subject (He pulls out another card) as he performs more and more experiments this thing becomes (He flips it) Ludevic’s abomination. As you can see these things change rather dramatically from one phase to another. This changes the dynamic of a Magic game pretty significantly. It’s going to be really exciting and a lot of fun to play.

The Innistrad launch parties begin today!

More info here.

I had to Google half the names that Adam Colby dropped during the interview.

Like me if you know nothing about Magic…this is a great place to get some of the terminology down.

They should have made a ‘Cronenberg Scanners’ card as it fits with the horror theme.

And here is the official trailer:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6eUQ5DTqtU

DC Announced today that they would have 100 graphic novels available for the Kindle Fire. This is a pretty big deal for Amazon, since I think comics on tablet devices are a big deciding factor for some geeks. Add to that the fact they have access to the Kindle Library and streaming media they can wirelessly stream to their TVs, and it looks like Amazon might have a huge hit on their hands. Hell, even I’m tempted to get one (but not for reading, I need eInk for that).

We’ll see how this shakes out, but I think it can only mean good news for readers and creators. Also Amazon. Now if we could only get them to pay sales taxes and treat their employees better. They’re starting to get to be worse than Wal-Mart.

From the DC release:

BURBANK, Calif., Sept. 29, 2011- DC Entertainment, the first publisher to offer more than fifty comic book titles on the same day in digital and print, is now taking the world of digital books by storm. The comic book giant has worked with Amazon to bring 100 of its original graphic novels exclusively to Amazon’s newly announced Kindle Fire, including best-selling graphic novels WATCHMEN, BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY and SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE, which are available for the first time digitally.

“We’re thrilled to work with the leader in digital books to bring many of the world’s most beloved and best-selling graphic novels to Kindle readers,” stated Jim Lee, co-publisher of DC Entertainment. “We’ve learned from the success of DC Comics – The New 52 that making our graphic novels available whenever and wherever our readers want is critical to the future growth and health of our publishing businesses–both in print and digital format.”

“We’re excited that DC Entertainment has made 100 of their graphic novels available for customers to read exclusively on our just-announced Kindle Fire,” said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President, Kindle Content. “Some of these graphic novels, including ‘Watchmen,’ the bestselling — and considered by many to be the greatest — graphic novel of all time, have never been available before in digital format, and we think customers will love them.”

DC Entertainment graphic novels will be available to Kindle Fire customers. WATCHMEN and SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE are available for pre-order now in the Kindle Store (www.amazon.com/kindlestore) and readers can soon purchase other DC Entertainment graphic novels.

The following 100 DC Entertainment titles will be available in the Kindle Store, with more titles to be added in the near future.

All Star Superman
All Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder, Vol. 1
American Vampire Vol. 1
Batman and Robin, Vol. 1: Batman Reborn
Batman and Robin, Vol. 2: Batman vs. Robin
Batman and Robin, Vol. 3: Batman Must Die!
Batman and Son
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham City
Batman: Hush
Batman: R.I.P.
Batman: The Black Glove
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Batman: The Long Halloween
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
Batman: Year One
Blackest Night
Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps Vol. 1
Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps Vol. 2
Blackest Night: Rise of the Black Lanterns
Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps
Brightest Day, Vol. 1
Brightest Day, Vol. 2
Brightest Day, Vol. 3
Daytripper
Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile
Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm
Fables Vol. 3: Storybook Love
Fables Vol. 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers
Fables Vol. 5: The Mean Seasons
Fables Vol. 6: Homeland
Fables Vol. 7: Arabian Nights (and Days)
Fables Vol. 8: Wolves
Fables Vol. 10: The Good Prince
Fables Vol. 11: War and Pieces
Fables Vol. 12: The Dark Ages
Fables Vol. 13: The Great Fables Crossover
Fables Vol. 14: Witches
Fables Vol. 15: Rose Red
Green Lantern Vol. 3: Wanted Hal Jordan
Green Lantern: Agent Orange
Green Lantern: Blackest Night
Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns
Green Lantern: Rebirth
Green Lantern: Secret Origin
Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War
How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less
Identity Crisis
Kingdom Come
MAD About Oscars
MAD About Superheroes
MAD About Superheroes
MAD About the 50’s
MAD About the 60’s
Marzi
Planetary Vol. 1: All Over the World and Other Stories
Planetary Vol. 2: The Fourth Man
Planetary Vol. 3: Leaving the 20th Century
Planetary Vol. 4: Spacetime Archaeology
Superman for All Seasons
Superman: Earth One
The Dark Knight Strikes Again
The Flash: Rebirth
The Joker
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Vol. 1)*
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Vol. 2 )*
The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes
The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll’s House
The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country
The Sandman Vol. 4: Season of Mists
The Sandman Vol. 5: A Game of You
The Sandman Vol. 6: Fables and Reflections
The Sandman Vol. 7: Brief Lives
The Sandman Vol. 8: World’s End
The Sandman Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones
The Sandman Vol. 10: The Wake
The Sandman: Dream Hunters
The Sandman: Dream Hunters (P. Craig Russell)
The Sandman: Endless Nights
The Unwritten Vol. 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity
The Unwritten Vol. 2: Inside Man
V for Vendetta
Watchmen
We3
Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1: Unmanned
Y: The Last Man, Vol. 10: Whys and Wherefores
Y: The Last Man, Vol. 2: Cycles
Y: The Last Man, Vol. 3: One Small Step
Y: The Last Man, Vol. 4: Safeword
Y: The Last Man, Vol. 5: Ring of Truth
Y: The Last Man, Vol. 6: Girl on Girl
Y: The Last Man, Vol. 7: Paper Dolls
Y: The Last Man, Vol. 8: Kimono Dragons
Y: The Last Man, Vol. 9: Motherland

We are excited to share with you some exclusive images of the upcoming episode of Transformers Prime, which airs on The Hub TV Network.

The upcoming October 1 episode is the first of a three-part season finale, and the plot summary is:

One Shall Rise – Part 1: When Earth becomes plagued by natural disasters, the Autobots come to the horrible realization that Dark Energon is the source of the bizarre events.

Dark Energon is essentially a corrupted version of energon, which is the fuel that the Transformers use.  It is extremely powerful and can make them faster and stronger when ingested, but it is also highly addictive.  (Hear that, kids?  Don’t eat Dark Energon).

The first image we have for you is called Megatron Volcano, and with the bit about natural disasters mentioned in the plot summary, I think I can safely assume that a volcano is erupting behind Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons.  (That, or it’s an impressive fireworks display, which would also be really cool).  Megatron is voiced by Frank Welker, one of the greatest voice actors to ever speak in a cartoon.

The next image is simply a menacing closeup, but if the purple eyes are any indication, then Megatron is utilizing Dark Energon.   Unfortunately the art only gives up the briefest of glimpses into the new episode, so be sure to tune in to find out what happens.

Transformers Prime airs this Saturday at 8:30 pm ET, 5:30 pm PT.

The Muppets are on a mission with their new Fan-a-Thon: to get “a bazillion” (or even “gazillion”) likes on Facebook.

I’m fully on board with this mission, because if there is one thing I really and truly want it’s for there to be more awesome Muppet movies in my future. Admittedly, the Muppets hit a bit of a slump at the end of the 90’s, but I’m confident that this new movie will bring them back to us in exceptional fashion. Jason Segel and a fantastic creative team have taken up the mighty task of bringing the Muppets back, and I can’t help but root for them every step of the way. Mostly because I feel that the Muppets have become so much more than the characters themselves- in many ways they are symbols of hope, inspiring creativity, and friendship that deserve to be remembered and, in my opinion, carried on into the future.

“My hope still is to leave the world a bit better than when I got here.” – Jim Henson

Jim Henson’s 75th birthday would have been September 24th, 2011 – and the Muppet Mindset Blog posted a lot of great articles for the occasion. One article in particular, “Jim Henson’s 75th Birthday: The Effect on the World,” is especially heartfelt and a must-read. The following quote from the post really spoke to me as someone who has adored the Muppets my whole life:

“James V. Carrol (Muppet Fan Artist):  At five years old, my parents took me to see the theatrical debut of The Muppet Movie and it greatly impacted my life. I remember everything about that day. The illusion was so real that I actually believed the Swedish Chef broke the projector in the middle of the movie. Most people mistake becoming rich and famous as the goal of the film, but it’s about sharing your journey with other likeminded individuals who may be very different in every other aspect of their lives. That kind of positivity, no matter what the challenge, is how I always think of Jim Henson and is only a fraction of what his work continues to mean in my life.”

Head over to their site and give the article a read.

Passing the Muppets on to another generation is a huge deal, and it’s even bigger if this movie is as much the achievement I hope it will be. If you haven’t seen the latest trailer, “The Pig With the Froggy Tattoo,” watch it here and then head over to facebook to give the Muppets as many “likes” as you can.

And if you love Muppets music, check out the new “Green Album” featuring covers by OK GO, The Fray, Andrew Bird, Rachael Yamagata, Weezer and Hayley Williams, My Morning Jacket, Alkaline Trio and more. You can preview some of the tracks from the Album here.

Finally, the ultimate question to you, the readers. Who is your favorite Muppet and why? My favorite Muppet has always been Kermit – for his ability to bring the “whole gang” together, every time, no matter what the obstacles may be.

Despite their questionable business practices and stubborn unwillingness to collect sales tax for the benefit of the country, I’m a big fan of Amazon’s Kindle and the accompanying digital publishing that goes with it. I think it’s revolutionizing (and democratizing) the way books are marketed and sold in the world and that’s a good thing.

An even better thing is the fact that they’ve diversified their Kindle so it can do more.

Amazon announced today four new Kindle models, all priced under $200 and that can only mean good things for consumers and publishers alike.

The cheapest model is the one I’m most excited about. At $79, the basic Kindle makes it more affordable than ever for people to get into the digital reading game. For my money, if I didn’t already have a Kindle, this is the one I’d buy. I much prefer the no-frills approach and the eInk. I don’t need a device that does a hundred things, I’ve got a hundred other gadgets that do a hundred things. My Kindle is for reading. Period. No games, no movies, no web browsing, and that’s how I like it.

But offering a cheaper version means more people with Kindles, meaning the market for digital books (like mine) goes up.

The next two models are the Kindle Touch and the Kindle Touch 3G. They’re an eInk version of a tablet. If I were splurging I’d consider this, but on some level I’d feel too tempted to do other things with my Kindle, and I really, really, really ONLY want to read on it.

The last model is clearly Amazon’s answer to the Nook, The Kindle Fire. It’s back lit, full color, plays movies, and more. The best thing about this device is free streaming of video content for Amazon Prime customers. Now if I could only hook it up to my TV.

At the end of the day though, more and varied eReaders on the market means more and varied readers, which is good news for authors.

And if you happen to pick up one of these new Kindles, don’t hesitate to check out some of my books for reading. You won’t regret it.

Lucasfilm has once again given us an advanced look at this week’s episode of The Clone Wars.

I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to see this next episode pulled off. I wrote about it at length in my review for last week’s episode, but here’s an excerpt:

Cartoon Network has a preview of next week’s episode, The Shadow Warrior, here. Between the clip and the title, I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am. In 1980, George Lucas produced an Akira Kurosawa film called “Kagemusha” (literally The Shadow Warrior) about a feudal samurai leader who is killed in battle but knows that his family and kingdom will perish if anyone discovers it. His dying command is that his double fill in for him until the danger has passed. It’s a heartbreaking, beautifully told story about the double. It was Kurosawa’s first color Samurai film and paved the way for the masterpiece Ran. Based on the clip for the next episode, it’s pretty obvious that Jar Jar is the shadow warrior.

Kurosawa homages are my favorite. And so far the Jar Jar episodes have all been top-notch, too. If you love this show, do yourself a favor and watch Kagemusha before the next episode. Something tells me this episode will be twice as good with that knowledge.

This could end up as one of my favorites.

Here’s the synopsis from the Press Release:

In “Shadow Warrior,” this week’s episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the peace and unity that followed the defeat of the Trade Federation blockade seen in Episode I are shattered as the Gungans inexplicably march towards war against the Naboo city of Theed. Padmé Amidala rushes to investigate, discovering that General Grievous and his droid army stand poised to invade the planet. An unlikely imposter standing in for an injured Gungan leader may help stop the growing conflict, while Anakin Skywalker’s search for answers takes him into the shadowy lair of the enemy. There, the Jedi hero enters into an epic battle against his sworn enemy, Count Dooku, at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, September 23rd on Cartoon Network.

Apple has finally announced the date for its annual iPhone event, “Let’s Talk iPhone”, and that date is Tuesday, October 4 at 10:00am PT.

Apple Sheep, iPhone-lovers, tech geeks, the media, and just about any group that is interested in what Apple has up their sleeve with their next iPhone have been (im)patiently waiting for Apple to reveal when the unveiling will happen. A lot of speculation had this date pegged for mid to late September and after these dates came and went the next round of speculation on the unveil date marked the calendar for October 4 – and it looks like “they” were right.

Only Apple knows for sure what they have in store for those of us with wads of cash in hand, ready to fork it over for the latest and greatest they have to offer, but of course the last several months have been ripe with rumors. From a curved screen and new processors, to two new models of iPhones (one supposedly with a more “reasonable” price) and a completely new look, it will certainly be interesting to see what Apple has in store for their faithful customers come next Tuesday.

It’s tough to argue that the iPhone is still the most dominant smart phone on the market right now with new Android phones being pumped out left and right and Windows phones quickly gaining their own fan base. But the fact remains there has been ridiculously high demand for each version of the iPhone thus far and I can’t imagine this being any different.

For me personally, unless Apple reveals a new iPhone that absolutely blows me away, I will most likely hang on to my iPhone 4 until next year’s model. I have jumped on every other iPhone (skipping the original, getting the 3G, skipping the 3Gs and jumping to the iPhone 4) and have been satisfied. I just have a hard time shelling out $300+ every year just to have the latest iPhone that may or may not be a big stride ahead of the previous year’s model. I can’t exactly say what it would take for me to upgrade to this year’s model. The fact that it will have a faster processor is almost a give-in, but how much faster will it have to be to entice me? I like the design of the iPhone 4 so a new form-factor probably wouldn’t be enough, and there are rumors that this could be a “World Phone” supporting GSM and CDMA bands – but I’m not really a world traveler so this particular feature would be of little use to me. I’m still excited to see what Apple has in store with their new iPhone, I’m just not sure I’ll be jumping to the latest model this year.

That all being said, what I am most excited for is iOS 5. Beta testing has been going on for a while now and you can find no lack of information on what’s in store for the latest operating system. The most exciting thing for me? Better notifications. The notification system in iOS has been perphaps the number one complaint of iPhone owners since day one, and it is getting a much needed overhaul in this next update – taking some notes from the fantastic and unintrusive way Android handles notifications.

Whether you plan to upgrade or not, it is certainly going to be interesting to see what Apple unleashes on the masses next Tuesday, and of course we here at BSR will be typing out the announcements as they happen as quickly as possible during the event!

Warner Brothers Animation announced today that fan favorite and all around badass Nathan Fillion would be filling in the shoes of Hal Jordan in the upcoming Justice League: Doom. He joins Tim Daly as Superman and Kevin Conroy as Batman, making this one exciting movie to look forward to.

Justice League: Doom is the next full length feature after Batman: Year One and features the Justice League fending off more villains than you could shake a fist at.

From the press release:

Primetime television stars Nathan Fillion and Tim Daly, the reigning voices of Green Lantern and Superman, respectively, join an exciting group of actors reprising their famed cartoon roles in Justice League: Doom, an all-new entry in the popular series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies due in early 2012 from Warner Home Video.

Justice League: Doom finds Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Cyborg and Batman on their heels when a team of super villains discover and implement the Dark Knight’s “contingency plans” for stopping any rogue Justice League member. The story is inspired by Mark Waid’s much-heralded “JLA: Tower of Babel.”

Fillion, the star of ABC’s hit TV drama Castle, made his debut as Green Lantern/Hal Jordan in the recent Green Lantern: Emerald Knights. Fillion made his initial DCU bow as the voice of Steve Trevor in the 2008 hit Wonder Woman.

Currently headlining the cast of ABC’s popular Private Practice, Daly originated the title character’s voice in the landmark cartoon, Superman: The Animated Series. He has reprised the role in two DCU films: the 2009 extravaganza Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and the 2010 thriller Superman/Batman: Apocalypse.

In addition to current primetime stars Fillion and Daly, the cast is a grand reunion of the original group of actors who provided the voices of the Justice League for the cartoon of the same name and its follow-up, Justice League Unlimited. Reprising their roles are Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series) as Batman, Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville, Breaking In) as Flash, Susan Eisenberg (Superman/Batman: Apocalypse) as Wonder Woman and Carl Lumbly (Alias) as J’onn J’onzz/Martian Manhunter. Bumper Robinson (A Different World, Transformers: Animated) joins the cast as Cyborg.

The Justice League faces two sets of villainous teams in the film – The Royal Flush Gang and a sextet of notable evildoers. The latter group includes three voice acting alumni of the Justice League animated series: Phil Morris (Smallville, Seinfeld) as Vandal Savage, Olivia d’Abo (The Wonder Years) as Star Sapphire, and Alexis Denisof (Angel) as Mirror Master. Also opposing our heroes are Carlos Alazraqui (Reno 911) as Bane, Paul Blackthorne (The Dresden Files) as Metallo, and Claudia Black (Farscape, Stargate SG-1) as Cheetah.

David Kaufman (Danny Phantom) also reprises his Justice League role of Jimmy Olsen.

The film is executive produced by Bruce Timm (Batman: Year One), and directed by Lauren Montgomery (Batman: Year One), who is also credited as producer alongside Alan Burnett (Batman: The Animated Series). Justice League: Doom is the final script from the late Dwayne McDuffie (All-Star Superman, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths). Casting and dialogue direction is once again in the capable hands of Andrea Romano (Batman: Year One, SpongeBob SquarePants).

Pictures from the set of The Dark Knight rises seem to be coming out faster than rats on a sinking ship and I’m still not convinced it it isn’t all on purpose.

These pictures of Anne Hathaway in the new Catwoman costume are really the first bits of pictures to come out that have made me more excited for the movie instead of less.

I like how the costume reminds me of a great mix between the 60s Catwoman costume and the newest one by Mike Allred and Darwin Cooke.

You can see the full set of photos here.