What Is Techno Again?

Showcase: November ’09

November comes to an end at Impulse Creations with another graphic novel Showcase. It’s been a mild month here in Pennsylvania, and hopefully everyone stuffed their gobs on Thanksgiving. Before long New Year’s will be upon us, so get crackin’ on spreading that cheer.

Anyway, to read the full article … well, you know what to do. But here’s a few teasers first. (I hope you like the new look!)

“Brian Azzarello’s 100 Bullets Vertigo series shoves one hundred untraceable bullets and a gun in your hands, arms you with a flawless vendetta, and points you in the right direction.” - 100 Bullets Vol. 1: First Shot, Last Call

“… The Chained Coffin and Others lathers on the ancient spooks and chills …” - Hellboy: The Chained Coffin and Others

“… suddenly we understand how the Man of Steel got so … well … legendary. He experiences the bizarre, pulls off the impossible, and all the while never loses sight of the miraculous life that knits the universe together.” – All-Star Superman Vol. 2

Tags: 100 Bullets Vol. 1, All-Star Superman Vol. 2, Hellboy: The Chained Coffin and Others, Impulse Creations, Showcase
Posted in Comics, Impulse Creations, Writing | No Comments »

Pull-O-Rama: November ’09

November’s Pull-O-Rama is now up at the Impulse Creations forums. This time it features reviews of Cinderella: With Love from Fabletown, Berserker #3, The Darkness #81, and Resurrection #5. Below is a quick teaser, but you can read the full article by clicking here.

“Roberson handles Fables with the same spark and color as Willingham, organizing an entertaining and revitalized trip through the pages of our beloved fairy tales.” - Cinderella: With Love from Fabletown

“Berserker #3 grabs you by the innards and refuses to let go.” - Berserker #3

“The Darkness #81 doesn’t exactly sparkle with flawlessness … but at least the issue offers fans a comic both written and drawn by Hester.” - The Darkness #81

“… The suspense that develops with the passing of each issue keeps Guggenheim’s comic on its feet and running.” - Resurrection #5

Tags: Berserker #3, Cinderella: With Love from Fabletown, Impulse Creations, Pull-O-Rama, Resurrection #5, The Darkness #81
Posted in Comics, Impulse Creations, Writing | No Comments »

Holiday Gaming

The holidays are almost upon us, which means sooner or later we procrastinators really need to start, you know, shopping and stuff. December is always a wonderful time of year for gamers—sure, November starts the race … especially on Black Friday … but the real joy comes in the first real snow-flying month (unless you live in California … jerk).

In celebration of our favorite time of year, I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at December sales and landmark events in the past seven years—that’s the entire 21st-century thus far according to the good ol’ Gregorian calendar. So sit back and read on, and I hope you enjoy. The full feature is up at RadNerd, but here’s a brief preview:

Developers, publishers, and gamers put down their controllers and join hands for that special time of the year when they break fingers and rush out in a mad stampede to buy the latest and greatest of the tie-breaking holiday season. The winter holidays are as big and influential for the gaming industry as summer is for popcorn movies, and this season will fall in line just like a pixel-decorated, shining … okay, insert your own politically correct object here. Let’s just say Charlie Brown would weep with joy and throw that stick figure excuse for an ornament-hanger in the trash with all the annually recycled wrapping paper. Here are the top December games of the last seven years—because 2000 doesn’t technically count (and no one loves it).

2001

One year in and the holiday season has a bundle of soon-to-be favorites to offer gamers in exchange for their merry good cheer. Of course, it was also a year of new tidings: the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube, and Xbox entered the popularly dubbed console war.

PS: I hope you like the banner.

Tags: Holidays, Nintendo, PlayStation, RadNerd, Xbox
Posted in Gaming, RadNerd, Writing | No Comments »

Frolic with 3D Heroes and Chocobos This Spring

UPDATE: The official launch trailer for 3D Dot Game Heroes has been added below. Looks like the game also has some Final Fantasy flair (think: orbs), and it ought to give the LEGO series a run for its cube-shaped money.

Spring holds some pretty nifty things in store for us gamers, two of which are sure to be a hit. Final Fantasy XIII finally (no pun intended) struck a release date for March 9, 2010, but while you’re drooling over gorgeous pixels, you better prepare for a throwback to nostalgic blocky ones.

FFXIII will hit the North American shores only four months after its Japanese debut, and the game will be available on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles—a simultaneous first. Details about the game’s battle system, gameplay mechanics, music, and modes have officially surged the internet. Players can set a line-up of commands in a single turn via a multi-slot ATB gauge, which allows for a string of consecutive attacks or a fiercer pounding by expending multiple slots. The Paradigm Shift lets characters switch roles mid-battle to roll with the ever-changing punches. And as previously described, Gestalt mode transforms summons (Eidolons) into a vehicle/passenger force—Odin changes into a horse, Shiva into a motorcycle, etc. The latter feature sounds a bit odd, but depending on how it’s implemented into the game, it could be pretty cool.

Plus, fans of the English pop and R&B singer Leona Lewis can hear her song, “My Hands,” included in the soundtrack’s mix. “Leona is a natural fit with the game’s powerful themes and strong female protagonist,” revealed Tom Corson, EVP/GM, RCA Music Group. “We’re delighted to be part of this effort, bringing great musical artistry to Final Fantasy XIII which is a riveting and dynamic gaming experience.” You can listen to the track here. What do you think? A potentially perfect fit, or a bit strange for a FF game?

On a later note, Atlus will be importing the pixel-heavy 3D Dot Game Heroes for US release on the PS3 this upcoming May 11 for the hopeful price of $40—especially generous for an import. The game looks like The Legend of Zelda with a touch of Dragon Warrior, which is an awesome combination as far as I’m concerned. Players will explore monster-plagued lands and dungeons and solve puzzles in a quest to save a kingdom from the devastating effects of a 2D to 3D world conversion. Hot damn, sign me up!

Which of these games do you plan on playing?

Tags: 3D Dot Game Heroes, Atlus, Final Fantasy XIII, Leona Lewis, PlayStation 3, Square Enix, Xbox 360
Posted in Gaming | No Comments »

Just Plain Savage, Doc

If you’ve been reading any DC comics lately, you’ve probably spotted the Batman/Doc Savage Special preview at the end—or maybe you picked up the actual issue, which released this past Wednesday. Chances are you noticed something about the Azzarello-penned comic: Batman and guns don’t usually mix.

My latest op-ed for Impulse Creations connects the Bat with Doc and traces the lineages of both back to why Batman and guns aren’t a stellar combination. Here’s a quick preview; click here for the full article.

Batman co-creator Bill Finger once said, “Batman was originally written in the style of the pulps.” Pulp magazines are perhaps best known for their sensational cover art and exploitation style of fiction, which interested readers with sex, violence, and drugs while escaping the label of pornographic or obscene. One of the larger-than-life pulp heroes goes by the name of Doc Savage, a sort of contemporary renaissance man: You name it, he does it. In fact, the nostalgic icon shares a lot in common with the Caped Crusader. Scientists honed Savage’s mind and body to near-superhuman potential, granting him formidable strength and endurance, a photographic memory, martial arts mastery, and considerable knowledge in the sciences. On top of that, Doc was considered a master of disguise and voice imitation. This isn’t a far cry from the ninja-trained Bruce Wayne, and in the beginning, the superhero was more pulp than the hero who we know today.

Originally, Batman carried a gun and showed no remorse about righting evil-doers with armed violence. But it didn’t take long for creators to realize the flaw in their line of thinking: For a hero whose parents were murdered in the heat of gunfire, it doesn’t make much sense for their crime-fighting son to pick up the smoking gun and start wielding it. Logic won over, and Batman’s gun-slinging days faded from continuity.

Tags: Batman/Doc Savage Special, Brian Azzarello, DC, Impulse Creations, Phil Noto
Posted in Comics, Impulse Creations, Writing | 1 Comment »

Gamers, Yes We Can

In a move that would probably make Rupert Giles (since we’re on a Whedon note here today) cry and babble on about standards and the delightful smell of musty books, libraries across the United States have declared this Saturday, November 14, “National Gaming Day.”

Yes. Libraries. Dewey, prepare to catalog.

The American Library Association has joined gamers worldwide in believing that games have the power to positively teach not only historically, but critically. From the old school method of wash, rinse, and repeat to latter day solving of complex puzzles, thinking on your feet, and using strategy and smarts to crush baddies, gamers are well aware of the potential of video games as mind-developing agents.

Potential, that is. Some games just kind of rot our brains, we admit, and some industry-loathing individuals will stop at nothing to prove that all video games offer is senseless violence, gore, and mental breakdowns, but more and more games are being used to stress thinking skills and creativity. Titles like Scribblenauts solely foster creative and verbal expansion … even if they don’t always work.

But when it comes to history, libraries aren’t commending the bashing in of dates and names. Instead, they’re finding worth in a game’s ability to recreate events and figures and immerse someone in a time period, exposing him to an unfamiliar, detail-rich world—and developers remember to do their homework nowadays. Games like the Italian Renaissance-themed Assassin’s Creed II and the World War II-exploring The Saboteur are pushing the boundaries of what a video game can accomplish, and not only in terms of graphics and gameplay.

As ALA President Dr. Camila Alire explains, “We have found that by adding board and video game formats to library collections we are providing users with tools to build strong literacy practices while sharpening technical and critical thinking skills.”

Try eating that for breakfast, Jack Thompson. We’ll stick to our army of librarian white knights.

Tags: American Library Association, National Gaming Day, November 14
Posted in Books, Gaming | 2 Comments »

Dollhouse Faces the Attic (Again)

Dollhouse will most likely be turning off its lights and shutting its doors due to its so far poorly received second season. After a short first season that lazily drew in fans and numbers, Fox showed Joss Whedon’s latest creation a little mercy by allowing it another chance to nail ‘em.

Any Whedon fan knows that his shows take a bit of time to strengthen, but the result is always well worth it. Fox hasn’t exactly treated Whedon with the same faith before; in fact, the ever-popular cult show Firefly met its death in its first season mostly due to Fox’s own errors (aka, mixing up the episodes, because that makes sense). Firefly may be the reason why Fox granted Whedon some leniency with Dollhouse, but the show continues to falter. Now, there’s a good chance it’s getting the axe according to sources like Hollywood Reporter.

What do you think? Are you a member of the unimpressed crowd, or do you believe all Whedon needs is a bit more time to develop plot and characters? Will you be disappointed to see Fox switch off Dollhouse and put the actives to rest? I’m not completely behind star actress Eliza Dushku, but I admit I was falling for the show and its many characters later into its prior season. This time around, though, it hasn’t been winning me over, but perhaps the concept could benefit from another Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel treatment—turning it over to Dark Horse, ideally, or IDW Publishing for reincarnation. Buffy especially has found tremendous success in the medium.

At the least, Whedon will have more time to work on his sequel to the musical web short, “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.”

Tags: Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Eliza Dushku, Fox, Joss Whedon
Posted in Movies/TV | 6 Comments »

RadInk: Peter and Max

As you can probably tell from the Books section of this blog, I enjoy spotlighting a few books from time to time. It’s definitely an area of my writing that has gone somewhat unfulfilled—comics, video games, and movies receive the bulk of my love and attention writing-wise, but that doesn’t mean I’ve lost heart for a good book. Quite the opposite, actually.

So I’ve decided to try something new. Keep an eye out for Rad Ink, a new ongoing feature over at RadNerd that promises nerdy book reviews. I’m kicking it off with Peter and Max: A Fables Novel by Bill Willingham. Head over to the website to scope out the full review, but here’s a preview:

Most books and comics never make it out of their papery, multi-colored form or burst out of their speech bubbles, and that’s okay—we nerds like ‘em just the way they are. Here at RadNerd, we don’t always need fancy pants movie adaptations endorsed by big budget Hollywood mouths or plastered with Nicholas Cage’s face. A little less Nick is good for everyone. We love movies and TV just as much as the next joe, but sometimes going back to to the roots of what we adore just sounds better. You know … all those crazy words and stuff. Letters are like atoms for the literately-inclined.

Bill Willingham broke that single medium rule by breaking his popular Fables series out of its panel-defined shell, giving the world Peter and Max: A Fables Novel. Yeah, you heard me. Novel. Got it? Good. Screw comic blockbuster, Willingham and his right-hand, illustrating man Steve Leialoha decided to appeal to the bookworm in all of us … or at least try to coax its shriveled body out into daylight again.

Tags: Bill Willingham, Fables, Peter and Max, RadNerd, Steve Leialoha
Posted in Books, Comics, RadNerd, Reviews, Writing | No Comments »