I look forward to the NHL’s opening day like fat girls look forward to the new Twilight baby making movie. I hear in this one he knocks her boots so hard she trades her Timberlands in for a wheel chair. That being said, it should come as no surprise that the one video game title I look forward to the most is not the one where I’m fighting dragons with my wizard stick but the one where I’m slamming the opposing teams leading scorer into the side boards. September 13 could have not have come soon enough. Or so I thought. . . . .

If you purchased NHL 12 and have made any attempt to play the game online, then you are already familiar with the freezing bug that has yet to be addressed by EA Sports. On the game’s release day, forums across the internet were flooded with angry posts from players all over the world complaining about the freezing bug that stretched across all platforms. The game’s most popular modes, “Be A Pro Mode” and “Hockey Ultimate Team (HUT)”, were the most plagued. I was unable to play more than two games at a time in either mode without the game freezing up, forcing me to restart.

Luckily, two days after the game’s release, someone was able to figure out a quick install/delete/restart trick that has helped me to avoid any freezing problems since. Instructions can be found here http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/7534597.page) . The overall consensus is that games “New Tuner Set” is to blame for the freezing. It’s insane to me that a such a small feature could cause such a huge problem. Hey EA! Get better testers! People are going to buy Madden no matter what. Move some of the reliable guys from the FIFA department over and have them run through some exhibition games. Better yet, answer my friggen emails. I will test the crap the out of a hockey game.

With the freezing issue solved, I was able to enjoy the game the way I hoped I would.

Because I was forced to wear woman’s shorts and kick a soccer ball around for damn near 16 years I have thoroughly enjoyed the games “Be A Pro Mode” since it’s addition a few years ago. BAP allows to either create your own or choose an existing player and control them through their career. Your coach will start you out with limited ice time, but as you complete tasks from your coach your playing time increases allowing you more chances to raise your numbers. When you finish your shifts on the ice you can sit in on the action or choose to simulate to your next shift. BAP is definitely a fan favorite and with the additions they made this season I can’t imagine popularity will take a hit.

New this year is the “Legends in NHL 12” feature. By completing player specific tasks within the game you can unlock a few of the NHL’s most famous players. Steve Yzerman, Borje Salming, Patrick Roy, Jeremy Roenick, Gordie Howe, Mario Lemieux, Ray Bourque, Chris Chelios, and Wayne Gretzky can all be added to any team once they are unlocked. Strangely enough, yelling at Chris Chelios soo much he asks another player on the ice to switch spots with him, will not gain you an XP in the game. Yeah I did that. Bitch Chelios. I didn’t play in any of the Cup Final games that lead to Detroit’s last championship either. Can I have a ring too?

A new physics engine makes this installment the the smoothest yet. Every hit is different, the puck seems more “live”, and the animation of the goalies is nuts. If you are a hardcore hockey gamer there is no reason not to jump all over this game. With a growing online community of competitive players, I really think the NHL gaming community is one of the best out there. I have yet to encounter any overly racist, homophobic 12 year old’s. That’s a huge plus for serious online gamers.

If you are remotely interested in trying your hand at a hockey, maybe you should try out last years model instead of dropping the $60 on a game that has yet to be patched. With the adjustable difficulty levels on both versions you can jump in where ever you feel comfortable and learn the basics before deciding to update to NHL 12. But if you’re like me, you’ve already earned Gordon Bombay like numbers and had a killer time doing so. Despite the in game freezing, Ea has once again proved why 2K should stay on the court and out of the rink.

If anyone out there wants to lace up and skate it out, hit me up on Xbox Live, Patrick 3009.

After the events of the season premiere, we’re left with a broken Mon Cala, Prince Lee Char and Ahsoka are in exile, looking to find a way to fight back at Tamson, the shark-like Separatist leader. Anakin, Padme, Kit Fisto, and Jar Jar have been captured, as well as pretty much any soldier in fighting shape.

The episode revolves around the Separatists hunt for the missing Prince, and the Prince’s quest to untie the Mon Cala and the Quarren people to fight back. The themes explored in this episode are very much similar to those in The Phantom Menace, with the Gungans and the Naboo uniting.

Altogether, this might have been one of the darkest episodes of the show, not just in terms of lighting under the water, but in tone and emotion. There is a lot of torture and killing in this episode. It’s a little intense, but in a good way. Like Guillermo Del Toro says, there should be frightening things in children’s stories.

The main torture scene, however, had a beautiful brutality to it that was very fun to watch on the show. The Karkaradon General, Tamson, nicks a pinhole in Padme’s mask, slowly leaking water into her helmet while Anakin is trapped inside of electric eels, keeping him contained. I was hoping he’d take another step to the dark side with Padme drowning, but Master Fisto was there and reminded him to use methods that fit within the light side of the force. Beyond that, Jar Jar helped save the day with his “Gungan Water Burp” that was, to be honest, pretty gross. But the kids loved it.

There were plenty of film references in this episode, too. From the get-go, Kit Fisto references Sallah’s infamous line from Raiders of the Lost Ark: “Asps. Very dangerous.” It brought a smile to my face, but not more than the climax.

It’s no secret that Jaws is a favorite film of mine, and watching the final showdown in this episode was one of the most satisfying experiences I’ve had watching this show. Tamson has an array of blades loaded with explosives that he’s exploding enemies with. Lee Char manages to get his hands on one and embed it into Tamson’s shoulder. Enraged, Tamson charges Lee Char who shoots repeatedly at the shark-like creature with varied results until… Well, “>if you’ve seen this scene in Jaws, you know what happens.

I squeed like a thirteen year old fan girl. It was a incredibly satisfying moment.

Coming back to the violence, I’m impressed and a little surprised. The stakes are raising in the series as more and more flesh-and-blood species are caught up in the wider conflict. More people can die. There’s more gravitas to losing a battle. It’s heartbreaking.

It brings me to something Dave Filoni told me in an interview. He explained the Palpatine’s plot was so insidious (no pun intended) that he was forcing the Jedi to make increasingly uncomfortable decisions and causing the deaths of many people. They’re supposed to be peacekeepers, and drawing them into a bloody, protracted conflict that forces them to tear off a little piece of their soul each time. Seeing it come to fruition is a thing of beauty and I’m grateful of the job they’re doing on this “kids show.” It’s so layered and deep in the mythology of Star Wars that I sometimes wonder how much kids are getting out of it. And it makes me think that, just like the movies when I was a kid, kids watching these now will grow up with the entire Star Wars saga and these shows and as they get older the colors will become less black and white and they’ll see all the shades of grey folded carefully into each episode of the films and the show.

It’s an intensely well crafted experience that is clearly in the hands of people who care about the stories as much as we do.

Overall, Prisoners is a solid episode. Not my favorite, but very, very solid.

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. We’ll see next week.

Lucasfilm has been kind enough to once again give us a sneak peek at this week’s episode of The Clone Wars.

There is little more to say about this than I can’t wait for the conclusion of this arc and see what’s coming next.

And did Kit Fisto just drop an Indiana Jones reference? I think so.

From the press release:

In “Prisoners,” the must-see conclusion to the epic two-part season opener of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, all appears lost as the Republic army and its allies the Gungans have been captured by Riff Tamson and his seemingly invincible Karkarodon forces. The future looks as murky as the turbulent undersea battlefields of Mon Calamari, but there still are holdouts. Now all depends on Ahsoka Tano helping young Prince Lee-Char find the internal strength to unite the fractured races of his planet to drive out the Separatist invaders in a pulse-pounding battle airing at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, September 23rd on Cartoon Network.

Scott Snyder has once again that he understands Batman better than any other writer working in Gotham now, or in recent memory.

Batman #1 breathes a fresh start into Bruce Wayne and Gotham, beginning with Batman’s return from the events of Batman, Inc. (though it’s only implies and not necessary to know for the book.) It’s a very refreshing, classic take on the Bat. It’s back to basics and it suits the book perfectly after so many years of increasingly outlandish situations. This is the Batman I know and love and, while it seems familiar, there are still surprises to be had. In fact, the ending has such a fresh twist and take, that Batman #2 has skyrocketed to the top of my must-read list for next month.

An interview I did with Scott (being published here and on Huffington Post tomorrow) seems to shed even more light on potential directions this story might go and the possibilities are beyond exciting.

Take this snippet:

I know a lot of people think that Clark will bring down Bruce if Bruce ever went too far they’d wind up on different sides of the fence. I really feel that Bruce would beat Clark and the person that would wind up bringing him down would actually be Dick Grayson, almost his figurative son, so that relationship is one of the richest veins in all of comics and I’m very, very interested in it in terms of the stories being very different. Detective was really about Dick facing a Gotham that was changing and adapting so it could be a more vicious enemy to him.  Gotham was trying hard to convince him that his strengths were weaknesses and why he’d never be a good superhero, that’s what it does.  Bruce is a really different creature.  The things that scare Dick don’t scare Bruce. 

As soon as you read the book, come back and read this again and I guarantee you’ll get the chills.

There are hints of all the best eras of Batman in the book. There are recent villains, classic Batmobiles, modern gadgets, and a great feeling for the character. One important aspect of Bruce that I think lesser writers gloss over is his preposterous optimism about Gotham and its future and it’s on display in fine form during a society party. And the whole scene reminded me (in the best ways possible) of Tim Burton’s first Batman film, with Bruce having to duck out of the party after eavesdropping on Commissioner Gordon getting a police call in the middle of the festivities.

Aside from the simple, startling set-up, sharp writing, and decisive command of the character, there are plenty of other talents on display. Greg Capullo’s art has never looked better and his sequential storytelling has taken a quantum leap forward. His level of detail is a complete contradiction to how clean the art looks, all a testament to the solid inking on display by Jonathan Glapion. To top off the art team is the colorist FCO Plascencia (who most of you know as the regular colorist on Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley’s Invincible) and you have probably the finest looking book of DC’s new 52.

Some might complain that Dick Grayson looks like a young, wiry teenager no older than 17 years of age, but I have little frame of reference for when and where this book takes place. Aging Dick down can breathe an interesting dynamic into relationships with Bruce, Tim, and Damian (all present in the book) and I’m dying to see where it all goes from here.

Batman #1 comes out 9/21 and it’s $2.99.

I recommend you get in to the comic shop as early as you can. Batman is, arguably, DC’s most popular character and, when word gets around that the relaunch of the book bearing his name is incredibly well-written, gorgeous to look at, and accesible to new readers, it will be selling out like crazy.

This MIGHT be my favorite book of the new 52. Animal Man #1 was fantastic and Swamp Thing #1 was, too, but there’s something to be said about the Batman. He’s my favorite character in comics and, since this is such a damn fine book, that might make it my favorite of the relaunch.

Official Press Release – 9/20/2011: Warner Home Video, Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation proudly present an action-packed hour of first looks at DC Universe Animated Original Movies properties on Friday, October 14 from 3:00-4:00 p.m. at New York Comic Con.

Central to the panel will be the world premiere of the animated short Catwoman, starring Eliza Dushku (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dollhouse) as the voice of title character. The 15-minute short will be included on the release of Batman: Year One, which streets October 18 on Blu-ray, DVD, for Download and On Demand.

The panel will also include the very first footage to be seen from Justice League: Doom, the highly-anticipated next entry in the ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies.

The panelists, which include the ultimate voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy, DCU executive producer Bruce Timm and casting/dialogue director Andrea Romano, will offer a glimpse into the 2012 DC Universe Animated Original Movies slate, give away some exclusive prizes to inquisitive audience members, and quite possibly welcome a few surprise guests to the stage.

An autograph session with the panelists will immediately follow the panel.

– Big Shiny Robot will be at NY Comic-con! Will you? Be sure to check out Big Shiny Robot for all your New York Comic-con 2011 news! –

Madhouse’s exceptional X-Men anime will finally be here October 21st on G4. After watching the series this past Spring from Japan (you can read parts 1 and 2 of my review here), I’ve been dying to see what the North American audience reaction will be. According to Marvel, both the Iron Man and Wolverine anime series have been a huge ratings boost for G4 in the 11 PM – 2 AM time slot – “jumping +50% over the August 2010 time period average with homes and climbing +75% among Total Viewers.”

“Actor Scott Porter takes on the voice of Cyclops in “X-Men,” the optic-force blasting deputy leader of the team. In the series, the X-Men are reunited following the death of a teammate, and are summoned by Charles Xavier to track down Hisako Ichiki, a missing teenage girl in Northern Japan. There, they encounter the fanatical and anti-mutant group, the U-Men, and discover what was important enough for Xavier to bring them back together. The answer is something that could potentially bridge the gap between mutants and humans, or tear the two species apart forever. ”

Personally, I feel that X-Men has been Marvel’s strongest anime series thus far. The characters were pretty well fleshed out and the story had me hooked by the end of episode two (a feat for an anime considering they generally take several episodes just to “get going” on the plot end of things). I was also extremely pleased with the animation and artistic direction.

Episode One begins with Phoenix – how awesome is that?!?

Here’s the awesome intro that ran in front of the series in Japan:

So, make sure to check out the X-Men anime this October 21st on G4. Later this Winter we’ll also get to see Marvel’s fourth anime production – Blade.

Cartoon Network and Adult Swim will host nine panels, two screenings and three autograph signings for fan-favorite series at New York Comic Con at the Jacob K. Javits Center, Friday, October 14 through Sunday October 16, 2011. (The lineup includes some seriously awesome panels for my personal favorites – The Venture Bros, Robot Chicken, and Adventure Time!)

Big Shiny Robot will be at New York Comic Con this October! Will you? Be sure to log on to Big Shiny Robot for all your upcoming New York Comic Con 2011 news!

See the full lineup for both networks below; please note all times, dates and locations are subject to change.

CARTOON NETWORK & ADULT SWIM PANELS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14

ADULT SWIM: The Venture Bros

4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Location: IGN Theater

Talent: Jackson Publick (co-creator) and Doc Hammer (co-creator)

The Venture Bros show creators Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer, perennial Comic-Con favorites, will discuss their original series and answer questions that have been submitted by fans on AdultSwimPresents.com/NYCC.  Launched on Adult Swim in August 2004, The Venture Bros. is an inspired spoof of 1960s action cartoon shows such as “Johnny Quest.” The animated series follows the bizarre misadventures of the Venture family, which includes world-renowned Dr. Venture, his dimwitted sons Hank and Dean as well as Brock Samson, their bodyguard assigned by the government to keep an eye on the family who is then promptly forgotten by the Feds.

ADULT SWIM: Robot Chicken

5:15 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Location: IGN Theater

Talent: Seth Green (co-creator), Matt Senreich (co-creator), Zeb Wells (writer) and Doug Goldstein (head writer and co-producer)

Seth Green (co-creator), Matthew Senreich (co-creator), Zeb Wells (writer), and Doug Goldstein (head writer and co-producer) discuss their incredibly-popular and award-winning series Robot Chicken and provide a sneak peek of season 5.5, premiering Oct. 23^rd at 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Adult Swim. Created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, the Emmy Award-winning Robot Chicken uses stop-motion animation to bring pop-culture parodies to life in a modern take on the variety/sketch show format.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15

ADULT SWIM: Superjail!

4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Location:  Room 1A06

Talent: Christy Karacas (creator and executive producer) , Stephen Warbrick (creator and executive producer), Jackson Publick, Janine DiTullio

Join creators and executive producers Christy Karacas and Stephen Warbrick with Jackson Publick and Janine DiTullio as they discuss their Adult Swim series Superjail! and preview never-before-seen footage! Fast-paced animation, flying guts, creepy underlings, and plenty of prison fights dominate the Warden’s chaotic prison in Superjail!. The blood flows like wine and the line between criminal and keeper gets blurrier by the minute.  Picture a kaleidoscope of entrails meets Jon Waters meets Shawshank damnation plus a sweaty muscle woman minus primetime sensibility. You are hereby guilty of being given what you asked for.

ADULT SWIM: Eagleheart

4:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.

Location:  Room 1A06

Talent: Chris Elliot, Jason Woliner, Andrew Weinberg, Michael Koman, Maria Thayer

Join series star Chris Elliott with Jason Woliner, Andrew Weinberg, Michael Koman, Maria Thayer as they discuss the live-action comedyEagleheart and show exclusive footage from the upcoming new season.  Produced by Conan O’Brien’s Conaco Productions and Dakota Pictures, the series premiered in February and recently wrapped production of its second season, which is slated to premiere in the spring of 2012. Every episode ofEagleheart promises violence, suspense, intrigue and copious amounts of needless bloodshed as Marshal Chris Monsanto (Elliott) blindly kicks, punches and shoots his way to what may or may not be a legitimate solution to his case.

ADULT SWIM: The Heart, She Holler

5:30 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.

Location:  Room 1A06

Talent: Patton Oswalt, Kristen Schaal, Heather Lawless, Leo Fitzpatrick, Joe Sikora, John Lee (executive producer), Alyson Levy (executive producer)

Adult Swim presents The Heart, She Holler, an original live-action series that explores the dramatic lives of a small community living in a hillbilly town.  Series stars Patton Oswalt (United States of Tara), Kristen Schaal (The Flight of the Conchords), Heather Lawless (Be Kind Rewind), Leo Fitzpatrick (El Camino), and Joe Sikora (Shutter Island) join co-executive producers John Lee and Alyson Levy to show never-before-seen footage of this new original live-action series that will premiere on Adult Swim this fall.

ADULT SWIM: Delocated!

6:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Location:  Room 1A06

Talent: Jon Glaser (creator and executive producer), Steve Cirbus, Janeane Garofalo, Jacob Kogan, Yung-I Chang, Ali Farahnakian

Delocated! creator/executive producer and star Jon Glaser is on hand along with Steve Cirbus, Janeane Garofalo, Jacob Kogan, Yung-I Chang and Ali Farahnakian to reveal exclusive footage from the upcoming third season of the show premiering on Adult Swim this fall as well as answer questions about the series.  Delocated! is a live-action series about “Jon,” who after testifying against the Russian Mafia has to live undercover through the witness protection program.  After existing quietly in an anonymous suburb, “Jon” accepts an offer to participate in a reality show based on his life.  In order to protect his identity with television audiences—and more importantly, the Russian mob family the Mirminsky’s—he wears a ski mask and has his voice surgically disguised.

ADULT SWIM: China, IL Exclusive Screening and Q&A

7:15 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Location:  Room 1A06

Talent: Brad Neely (creator) and Daniel Weidenfeld (executive producer)

Adult Swim presents an exclusive screening of a never-before-aired episode of their newest animated comedy China, IL.  Frank and Steve Smith are brothers who teach in the history department of a state university in China, IL.  They also happen to be legends in their own minds who will often sacrifice facts, lessons and syllabi for the sake of being awesome.  Created by Brad Neely and produced by Titmouse, Inc., China, IL is a reverseAnimal House where the teachers are crazy and the students just want to learn.  Creator Brad Neely and executive producer Daniel Weidenfeld will be on hand for a lively Q&A.

ADULT SWIM: Black Dynamite

8:15 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Location:  Room 1A06

Talent: Michael Jai White, Byron Minns, Kym Whitley, Carl Jones (executive producer), and Scott Sanders (producer)

Black Dynamite is an exciting new animated series coming to Adult Swim in 2012 and is based on 2009’s critically-acclaimed feature film. The series further chronicles the exploits of Black Dynamite and his crew.  Cast members Michael Jai White (Black Dynamite), Byron Minns (Bullhorn), Kym Whitley (Honeybee), executive producer Carl Jones, and producer Scott Sanders will host a Q&A and show never-before-seen footage! Room

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16

CARTOON NETWORK: Adventure Time / Regular Show Panel and Q&A

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Location: 1A06

Talent: Adventure Time – Pendleton Ward (Creator/ Lumpy Space Princess), Jeremy Shada (Finn) and Tom Kenny (Ice King); Regular Show talent includes creator J.G. Quintel (Creator/ Mordecai), Bill Salyers (Rigby) and Sam Marin (Pops, Benson, Muscle Man).

Cartoon Network is dominating Monday nights with the FUNNIEST night on television, and we’re bringing the inside scoop to Comic Con!  Join creators and talent from Adventure Time and Regular Show as they talk about how these two comedy hits came to life, screen upcoming episodes, share what’s in store for your favorite characters this season, answer questions and more!

The panel features Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward (Lumpy Space Princess), Jeremy Shada (Finn) and Tom Kenny (Ice King); Regular Showtalent includes creator J.G. Quintel (Mordecai), Bill Salyers (Rigby) and Sam Marin (Pops, Benson, Muscle Man).

Adventure Time introduces viewers to unlikely heroes Finn and Jake, buddies who traverse the mystical Land of Ooo and encounter its colorful inhabitants. The best of friends, our heroes always find themselves in the middle of heart-pounding escapades.   Regular Showfeatures Mordecai, a six-foot-tall blue jay, and Rigby, a hyperactive raccoon, great friends and groundskeepers at a park whose attempts to escape their everyday boredom take them to fantastical extremes.

CARTOON NETWORK: Ben 10 / Generator Rex: Heroes United Screening and Q&A

12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Location: 1A22

Cartoon Network’s top animated action heroes – Ben 10 and Generator Rex – team up for an exciting panel at New York Comic Con…and for an out-of-this-world adventure! In the middle of a battle, Ben Tennyson is drawn into a vortex and lands in an alternate world infected by nanites! Ben must team up with Rex to defeat a common enemy who covets the Omnitrix and Omega Nanite! ) and I said if it was for press than it was fine but if it was consumer driven we would prefer to keep it simple because most people don’t care or even know anything about omega nanites.  So including that descriptive language is fine, but let’s keep it simple: In the midst of battle, Ben Tennyson is drawn into a vortex and lands in an alternate world infected by nanites…the world of Generator Rex!  Ben and Rex will face off before realizing they must unite to battle a common enemy who threatens both of their worlds!

CARTOON NETWORK: Level Up World Premiere Screening

2:00 p.m.  – 3:30 p.m

Location: 1A22

It’s time to “Level Up” your Comic Con experience with the WORLD PREMIERE SCREENING of Cartoon Network’s funniest original movie for the video game age!  Level Up introduces three high school gamers who unwittingly open a portal from an online game, allowing the in-game creatures and mayhem to escape into the real world!  The trio must put aside their differences and join forces to play the game for real in order to save their neighborhood (and the world!) from ultimate evil! Be among the first to see Level Up before it premieres on Cartoon Network in November, with an explosive TV series to follow in 2012.

ADULT SWIM AUTOGRAPH SIGNINGS

Friday, October 14

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.                             Venture Bros Signing
Location: Room 1E07
Talent: Jackson Publick, Doc Hammer

2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.                             Robot Chicken Signing

Location: Room 1E07

Talent: Seth Green (co-creator), Matt Senreich (co-creator),

Zeb Wells (writer) and Doug Goldstein (head writer and co-producer)

Saturday, October 15

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.                             Black Dynamite Signing
Location: Room 1E07
Talent: Michael Jai White, Byron Minns, Kym Whitley,

Carl Jones (executive producer), and Scott Sanders (producer)

CARTOON NETWORK – LOUNGE INFORMATION

Cartoon Network and Adventure Time will take over the registration lobby of the Jacob Javits Center at New York Comic Con from October 13 – 16, with the CARTOON NETWORK LOUNGE.  A fully-immersive experience, the CARTOON NETWORK LOUNGE will be a must-see destination for fans of the network, as they can catch up on their favorite Adventure Time episodes, grab some exclusive giveaways, play their favorite video games and so much more.  In addition to other giveaways, Adventure Time fans should stop by to get their free New York Comic Con exclusive 2″ Finn figure, while supplies last.  The toy is a limited-edition update to one of the figures from Jazwares toy line, which is currently available for sale at Toys”R”Us retailers nationwide.  Additionally, at the CARTOON NETWORK LOUNGE, fans can try their hand at three all-new video games that will be released this fall:  Ben 10 Galactic Racing, Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion XL and Generator Rex: Agent of Providence.

DagoBot is back with more PAX coverage!

My love of video games is almost matched by my love for funny books. One company stands heads and shoulders above it’s competition for consistently putting out high quality stories and masterful visuals based on video game properties. But, that’s not all Dark Horse does. I met up with Dark Horse Editor, Dave Marshall at PAX Prime 2011 and got to pick his brain about Mass Effect, Dragon Age & Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Big Shiny Robot!: What does Dark Horse have coming out this Fall that the BSR readership needs to get their hands on?

Dave Marshall: We have a bunch of exciting titles that we are talking about at this show. Star Wars: The Old Republic, we are working on the third series right now. We are doing Mass Effect comics. We are launching our third series in October. We are just starting to talk about Dragon Age comics. Not much else to say there other than it’s coming. And…The Art Of The Mass Effect Universe. It’s a really beautiful coffee table art book that will cover concept art for all three games. We are also doing Rage comics..with a collection of that series coming out in November and we are doing Valve comics that also comes out in November that collects all of the Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress 2 and Portal 2 comics that Valve produced.

BSR!: Is your primary focus on Video Game I.P.’s or Franchises?

 

DM: Yes, that is my focus. Although I also work pretty heavily on our Star Wars line. This year is our twentieth anniversary of doing Star Wars comics and in addition to that I do things like our Avatar: The Last Airbender comics, and Conan comics.

 

BSR!: As far as working with the Mass Effect universe, Are you working on stand alone stories or do these work as a bridge between the games?

 

DM: Each series is a stand alone story. But, they are also all canonical. That’s a really important part of all the video game related stuff that Dark Horse does. We work directly with the developers. It’s not some tangental thing that we are off doing on our own that they just approve. Our Star Wars: The Old Republic comics are written by Alexander Freed. Who is the lead writer on the game. Our Mass Effect comics are written by Mac Walters. Lead writer of Mass Effect 2 & 3. These guys develop these stories. They build them into the larger canon of the games. We do create them in such a way that you can pick up any volume and know whats going on. You could be a science fiction comics fan and never have played Mass Effect and enjoy it. But we work very hard to have it fit into the larger universe in a meaningful way.

 

BSR!: Are the stories developed for the comics ideas that were left out of the games or things that maybe didn’t fit with the direction that the game was going in? Or were these ideas that were built on the foundation that they had already set?

 

DM: The kernels of these ideas come from all kinds of places. For Mass Effect: Invasion for example, Mac Walters really loves the character Aria T’Loak so it’s going to follow Aria defending her space station Omega against these monsters that have this sort of Reaper influence. So, it’s not necessarily something that is left out of Mass Effect 3 but gives a real lead in to what the galaxy is going to be like when people jump into Mass Effect.

 

BSR!: After Mass Effect 3 comes out and we get the conclusion of Shepherds epic story, do you plan on continuing with the universe?

 

DM: We do plan on continuing all of our programs. We don’t have anything announced at this time. Certainly we love working with Bioware, We love these games. We want to continue working on them for as long as fans are buying the books.

BSR!: Are people picking up the comics and then getting the game? Or vice versa?

 

DM: You know, anecdotally yes. We always like to think that we are telling stories that will be enjoyable even if you have no history with the game. Of course, the majority of our audiences are people that know and love these franchises. And that’s cool. It’s what brought us to it as editors and as creators. So, you know we are happy to make books for them and if we bring along some new people along the way all the better.

 

BSR!: Are these stories are available in trade paperbacks as well?

 

DM: Yep, all of our comics are coming out in trades. The Rage series comes out in November and the second Mass Effect series that we did, Mass Effect: Evolution, which tells the origin of the Elusive man that’s coming out in October. The same month as Mass Effect: Invasion. Star Wars: The Old Republic, the first two series, Blood Of The Empire and Threat Of Peace are both in trade now. And…The Lost Suns, which we are doing right now, will be out in the winter.

 

BSR!: Looking ahead to 2012, what’s on the horizon?

 

DM: Like I said, more details are coming in terms of Dragon Age. Like with Mass Effect, we are working directly with the core development team to tell a story that Dragon Age fans are going to get really excited about and will help introduce those unfamiliar to the universe. As a general rule, I like to start working on a comic series a year before the first issue goes on sale. So, that can give you some sense of how far out we are thinking.

 

BSR!: Do you play video games yourself?

 

DM: Oh, of course yeah. I mean, that’s really a big part of how Dark Horse got into this. Is that I and other editors are big gamers. We were just astonished at how few video game comics had come out and how few had been successful. We really tried to reverse engineer that. Sort of figured out, why is it this way? Why aren’t these comics being made? Why aren’t they succeeding and just getting in there and try to figure out how to make it work.

 

BSR!: What franchises or properties haven’t you worked with that you would love to get a crack at? And do it the right way.

 

DM: Well, we come to shows like PAX specifically to go to demos and see what’s exciting. In a lot of ways it’s no brainers. Things like Fallout. Which we did the Fallout: New Vegas graphic novel. Things like the The Elder Scrolls. Things like Red Dead Redemption. These great critically acclaimed popular franchises that have powerful stories. They have compelling characters. They have worlds that extend beyond the experience of getting together and shooting a bunch of your friends. We get inspired by that it really sparks our imaginations. We don’t go after any comic series that we can’t work directly with the developer. Where we can’t contribute in an important and significant way to the larger arc of what they’re creating.

Bioware & Dark Horse Comics present ‘The Art Of The Mass Effect Universe’ dropping in February 2012.

Star Wars: The Old Republic ‘The Lost Suns’ the series consist of five issues. 1-4 are available now.

I still haven’t played Dragon Age: Origins 2.

There is so much material crammed onto the Star Wars Complete Saga Blu-ray set that it’s difficult to know where to begin.

Instead of leaving an elephant in the room throughout the whole review, we’ll address the few changes to the films first. There are some changes made to the films and you’ve read all about them. As I’ve watched through the films in what little time I’ve had, I haven’t noticed anything major outside what’s been discussed. There are no evil surprises lurking in some unknown corner of the films for you. The changes that had attention brought to them were clearly the biggest, most notable changes that people took umbrage with. There were a number of great changes made, though. In the prequels, most of them involved polishing up effects that had instances of clipping in them, other effects were cleaned up. One of my favorite changes so far has been an update to Han being unfrozen in carbonite. If you’re not a giant Star Wars nerd you won’t even notice anything’s been done.

But there are two things I want to say about the changes:

Firstly, whether there are changes on this particular version you disagree with or not, you knew going into this set that there were going to be changes from the original theatrical releases that you didn’t like. One or two more shouldn’t enter into your decision whether or not you buy this set.

Secondly, for the most part, the vast majority of the changes are invisible. They are the upgrades to sound and picture quality people have been asking for all these long years. There are massive stretches of film where there isn’t a single, perceptible change in the films. People talk about the Special Editions as though George Lucas took a giant digital crayon to every frame of the film and it simply isn’t the case. I understand that for some people, some of the changes take you out of the film. I understand and respect that, but you knew that going in when you pre-ordered your Blu-ray set, a few more isn’t any reason to cancel your pre-order, especially since the original three films make up barely a third of the reason you’d buy the set.

Now that that’s out of the way, we can talk about everything else. I’ve tried to divide things up in some logical manner so you can skip ahead to what you’re interested in reading about. It’s a big set and this is going to be a big review. I’ll go over Picture and Sound Quality, Deleted Scenes, Documentaries, and Other Bonus Features. Hopefully, that will give you an idea of what I think of the set overall.

Picture and Sound Quality

One of my fondest memories was the first time I popped in my VHS tape of the brand new widescreen THX release of the Star Wars films in 1995 and thinking to myself, “Wow. These films have never looked better and I don’t see how they could with anything less than a movie theatre.” I was an incredibly naive 15 year old boy back then and the picture quality has improved so much with each subsequent release it’s ridiculous. Lucasfilm has consistently been able to maximize the most of every format they’ve released the films in and this Blu-ray is no exception. The picture and the colors and the sound is absolutely stunning.

The films are all crisp and clear, adding a definition and subtlety of color to them that I’m not even sure I realized watching the films on 35mm in 1997. Nothing about it, though, looks unnatural. There’s still that worn in grain and lived in feeling to the films. It’s not super-sharp in that live televised football sort of way. It’s much more painterly than that. Watching the films in the past you got that “lived in” look, but never has it been more apparent how “used” the Star Wars universe is. The painstaking attention to detail across all six films comes out when you can see the textures of cloth and furniture and set pieces and sets and props. It’s astounding.

The colors are brilliant and have never looked better. Ever. On the big screen or otherwise. As I write this, I’m rewatching The Empire Strikes Back and watching the Milennium Falcon make its escape from Cloud City and I can’t imagine the lighting looking any more beautiful. Maybe it’s because I’ve come to appreciate good lighting more and more over the years, but the films (aside from the minor changes) look flawless. It really has to be seen to be believed. All of the films look fantastic, but I have to say, Revenge of the Sith and The Empire Strikes Back are the standouts in picture quality. I’m not sure if it’s because more care and love were put into them or if they were just shot better, but they looked…more flawless than the rest.

And the sound… The sound mix (aside from one infamous addition) is utterly breathtaking and it taxes my sound system to the limit. In fact, this set might be the reason I upgrade (and get a bigger TV). I tested the films in a system with much better sound than mine and I felt like I was in a THX certified movie theatre. It was all mapped perfectly, the music was sweet and golden, and everything came together beautifully. Like I said, they’ve once again outdone themselves with the medium at hand.

Deleted Scenes

I was curious as to why the deleted scenes from the previous releases of the prequels weren’t included on this set. Not that I’d get rid of my old sets anyway, it’s just slightly annoying that my bonus features are spread over twenty some odd discs. But in some ways, that’s a good thing. We weren’t given the same material regurgitated over and over again. All of the behind the scenes material and deleted scenes featured are all new to this set. And there’s nothing more awe-inspiring than seeing new material from the Star Wars films we all know and love.

This is one of the biggest reasons to get the set. These are the historical documents of filmmaking attrition that we can learn from.

I’ll break the deleted scenes down by film:

Episode I and Episode II – There’s a reason these are deleted scenes. There’s not much to see here, just bits of scenes and animatics. nothing mind-blowingly impressive.

Episode III – By far, the best deleted scene for the prequels included in this set is the animatic directed by Steven Spielberg of the Obi-wan/Grievous chase. Spielberg wanted a first hand primer in how to work an animatic and supervised the making of this one. It’s VERY impressive and has a lot of flourishes that would have been nice to see in the final film (though some did find their way inside). The only problem with this sequence is that it went on for far too long.

The other major deleted scene from Episode III is the an animatic of Order 66 as it was originally to occur, combining the Wookiee attack and Order 66 simultaneously. Obviously it’s different and not as emotionally disturbing as the final version, but they did show what was to be the end of Quinlan Vos. It was brutal and amazing and would have been great to see in the final film.

A piece of a scene had clones guarding the Jedi Temple after Order 66 dressed as Jedi. Tem Morrison in disguise as Jedi guarding the temple was great, though I understand the scene had too much humour too it and the mood of the film needed to be dour at that moment.

And though I’d’ve loved to see the scene of Yoda communing with Qui-Gon, I can see where it would have dragged the film back a little.

Episode IV – As I watched the scenes with Biggs and Luke, I was reminded of Curt and Steve from American Graffiti. These scenes are amazing to watch, but it’s a very good thing they didn’t make it into the final film.

I’m wondering why they included the crazy woman on Tatooine and the blue milk scenes on the disc. They’re fun, but have zero re-watchability.

One of the most fascinating things was the original rough cut of the Cantina scene. It was assembled out of the original shoot and seemed to utilize every scrap of footage they shot. It’s a good thing they did the reshoots they did, though, especially when it concerned Greedo’s closeups. Watching a side-by-side of the original Greedo and the one that made it into the movie is almost cringeworthy.

Episode V – The extended scenes on Hoth might be my favorites in this entire set. It doesn’t matter that they aren’t terribly well-acted and have all the charm of a daytime soap, there’s something oddly…. alluring about them. They brought a smile to my face. They would have fleshed out Leia a little more, but would have changed the dynamic of the love triangle completely. In fact, you can see with this the careful balancing act they had to perform in the editing room to keep the love story completely balanced and appropriate. They had to strike a middle tone and these scenes showed how precarious a position they were in.

Which leads us to the alternate Han-Leia kiss… I can see this being the prefered version for fangirls everywhere. And the line, “Okay, Hotshot” will find its way into the Star Wars lexicon of quotes.

Lobots capture is almost heartbreaking and somehow adorable and later, it’s weird hearing Leia and Luke say “Boba Fett” in an extended scene.

Episode VI – The building of Luke’s saber is incredible and would have added a different layer to the film. The fabled sandstorm is amazing to see, though it’s easy to see why they cut it. They did explain what Luke does with the ladder on his X-wing, though. He simply discards it. The supply of X-wing ladders must be inexhaustible.

In the new bunker scene, the piles of Stormtrooper bodies is actually comical, but not more comical (and cringeworthy) than watching Crix Madine try to fill in for Admiral Ackbar.

And that leads me to the one deleted scene that I think would have improved the saga if it had been included. “Jerjerrod’s Conflict” documents the scenes where Palpatine orders the commander of the Death Star to blow up Endor if, somehow, the rebels manage to destroy the shield generator. It would have added so much more to Luke’s conflict and tension to the battle over all. There are as many reasons for not showing at putting in, so I can’t complain. And the bits of footage they had on the disc could hardly be put in the film and communicate the story seamlessly.

Documentaries

This is the second biggest reason to get the complete saga set.

One of the things that set me down my career path was behind the scenes documentaries and I’ve sought out everyone I could ever get my hands on in the Star Wars universe and they managed to put the most elusive one I’d ever hoped to see on the ninth disc in this collection. SP FX The Empire Strikes Back is a documentary I’ve been trying to track down for the better part of two decades and I always turned up empty. I’d have paid full price for just that one documentary at this point, making this set worth more than it’s suggested price 9 times over. Getting to watch that specific documentary for the first time was as exciting to me as seeing a new Star Wars movie for the first time and I’m happy for the chance to finally see it.

But the documentaries don’t stop there. There are scores of other documentaries. The Creatures of Return of the Jedi is an interesting look at the creature shops for the sixth Star Wars film (even though I’d seen about an 1/8th of it in From Star Wars to Jedi). My favorite documentary, aside from the SPFX special was probably the retrospective of The Empire Strikes Back that featured interviews with Irvin Kershner, Lawrence Kasdan, and George Lucas and their parts in creating Empire and crafting its story. It was inspiring and made me want to quit what I was doing and get back to writing in my notebook.

This is, by no means, an exhaustive collection of Star Wars documentaries, but an excellent cross-section that gives you a pretty good taste of what there is. Again, though, there aren’t any documentaries that appeared on previous DVD releases, so be sure to hang on to your older versions.

There is also scores of new material in the archives. Each film has sections divided up by local and you can choose to watch smaller mini-documentaries that are prop (or character or costume or location) specific. They run 3 to 6 minutes or so and are all incredibly enlightening. I’ve been a lifelong student of Star Wars and there are plenty of stories I hit upon that I’ve never heard and pieces of the archives I’d never even known that existed. They’ve pulled out all the stops on this one. All told there’s close to three hours of documentaries and interviews of that nature, enough to keep you busy for a long, long time.

Other Bonus Features

The other two most notable bonus features are the commentaries (from the previous release and scene-specific commentaries edited masterfully together from a dozen or more other interviews) and they are, as ever, worth your time. I’ll be honest, of all the special features I’ve explored, these are the ones I’ve had the least time with. I’ve skipped around here and there on them enough to know that I’ll be visiting them as soon as I can.

And then there’s the spoofs. They cut a 2-plus hour montage of Star Wars references in the popular culture over the last 30-plus years. There’s a smattering of everything and footage from things I didn’t know existed. Sure, there’s the pre-requisite clips from Simpsons, Family Guy, and Robot Chicken, but they pulled in Weird Al, Clerks, LOTS of Saturday Night Live (sketches I didn’t even know existed), The Daily Show, That 70s Show, and dozens of others. The most surprising inclusion to me, though, were some of the fan films (Chad Vader, TROOPS, etc.) and Eddie Izzard’s canteen routine. And then halfway into his canteen routine, they actually cut into the lego version of it. I was giggling like an idiot.

In Conclusion

For fans who complain that Lucas just packages the same old thing over and over and over again, there is hours and hours and hours of material I’ve never seen released before that is worth the price of admission alone. Add to that the films that look and sound better than they ever have in history, with commentaries new and old to inform you on the making of the saga, and you have a collection that is well worth every penny a few times over.

I’ll admit, I was a little exhausted when the “controversy” was happening. I was filled with anxiety about some of the changes. And yeah, there’s still some changes I don’t like. But after a day and a half of watching vintage documentaries, brand new retrospectives, and watching people involved with Star Wars talk about it on the discs with the same level of passion and enthusiasm I have for the movies, all of my Star Wars fandom was renewed and refreshed and I couldn’t be more glad for this set.

Do I wish they release more bonus features and bonus discs of the original versions on Blu-ray, too? Sure. I’ll buy that set, too. In the meantime, I’ve got more than enough on this set to keep me more than happy.

You can buy it here on Amazon.

Hello all of you dust-collecting-plastic-lovers. It’s time for another edition of the Additions to the Nerdorium. September has been more forgiving on my wallet. But, October is going to be mucho espensivo. That’s Spanish for, “I can’t afford to eat lunch this month.” Let’s get down to the nitty gritty:

Egon Spengler – “Ready to Believe You”
$20.00 MattyCollector.com

Figures like this are what makes Matty’s Ghostbuster’s line so special. I’m really happy they are exploring all of these “variants” of our boys in grey. This is the second figure of the “Read to Believe You” set. The first being Ray, the third will be Peter (slated to come out later this Fall). For those who haven’t seen Ghostbusters in a while (for shame), above is the snippet from the movie this is in reference to.

PROS
• The same quality of detail we’ve come to expect from Matty.
• Finally Matty is including some extra accessories. This time with three different stages for the PKE Meter.
• The Library ghost! She’s the first spook we see on screen and is still one of my favorite.

CONS
• Egon’s body is another recycled body. This is to be expected with the “Believe You” series.
• I really wish they’d do a new head sculpt on some of these “variant” figures. Essentially this is a recycled head and body.

Master Chief – Halo 10th Anniversary
$14.99 ToyWiz.com

Oh Halo, I love you so much. The clip above is to prove how awesome I am. On the other hand, McFarlane Toys, you guys kinda suck. Let me some up how buying a McFarlane Halo figure goes down for me 80% of the time (Yes, I did the math):

Step 1: Stumble on a new figure.
“Oh a Halo figure! It’s the original Master Chief, but in scale with the rest of my figures. It comes with an Assault Rifle. Not a bad price either. This will make a great desk ornament.”

Step 2: Busting open the package.
“Shit yah. I can’t wait to set this guy up. Should I have him crouching? Maybe I’ll try to make him teabag another one of my figures.”

Step 3: Realization of terrible articulation and loose joints.
“What the fuck is this shit? Why does his ankle articulate from left to right instead of front to back? I’m going to need pliers to adjust this. What a bunch of dog shit. Now I can’t fit his gun correctly in his hands nor pose him in any dynamic fashion.”

Step 4: Acceptance.
“Fuck it. This guy is going to just stand straight up and hold his gun like he does on the cover of the game (as well as the same pose of every other Halo figure I own).”

Step 5: Buyer’s remorse.
“Man, why did I buy this? I’m done buying McFarlane Toys.”

Step 6: Rinse and repeat.
“Oh a Halo figure! It’s the…”

PROS
• Resemblance to the biologically and cybernetically (real word, promise) augmented human we were introduced to ten years ago.
• With each figure in this series you get a piece of the Legendary Shield. Giving you a reason to fight the buyer’s remorse.

CONS
• Frustrating articulation. No great way to pose this guy. Especially regarding the gun in his hands.
• Only the one accessory. I wish these figures would start coming with a secondary weapon.

Millennium Falcon (7965) – LEGO Star Wars
$149.98 ToysRUs.com

Not so long ago, in a toy store in the suburbs of Salt Lake, I stumbled on a re-release of the LEGO Millennium Falcon. With a fat paycheck in my account I thought to myself, “Fuck it.” I missed out on the original release of Han’s ride and didn’t care to pay for the giganto version. You can imagine how excited I was when I saw this on the shelf.

PROS
• At 1254 pieces, this sucker took me a little over 4 hours to build.
• Great set of mini figs – Han, Chewie, Leia, Luke, Kenobi and Darth Vader.
• It’s the Millennium Falcon!

CONS
• Lightsaber hilts are no longer chrome. They have been replaced with a standard grey LEGO color. Boo.
• I’m greedy to say so, but a C3PO and R2 mini fig would’ve been the icing on the cake.
• The cockpit only fits one mini fig. Han must, in fact, ride solo.

In conclusion this month has been far more forgiving. You do the math, I did it earlier for that McFarlane stat. Egon is a wonderful addition to my Matty figures. The Millennium Falcon is gigantic and looks awesome. Master Chief is kind of forgettable. Until next month, or whenever I buy some more nerd shit.