Talking with voice actor Kevin Conroy and writer Paul Dini about Batman: Arkham Asylum was fantastic, but the roundtable stepped down to earth when I got the chance to interview developer/game director Sefton Hill. From gameplay to inspiration, Hill broke the game down to its pixels, giving us a verbal walkthrough of what we’ll experience when playing Arkham Asylum tomorrow.

You can read my final B:AA interview over at the Girls Entertainment Network.

Kevin Conroy might stun with the awesomeness of his voice acting as Batman, but Paul Dini is someone many fans, including myself, admire. His creativity spans years and never ceases to be fresh and entertaining. I’ve interviewed Dini before, but never face-to-face, so it was a pleasure to talk to him about his storytelling in Batman: Arkham Asylum, which comes out this Tuesday. (Holy guano, Batman!)

Yeah, if Dini wrote it, you know it’s gonna be good. So rest assured, gamers.

You can read my interview with Paul Dini over at the Girls Entertainment Network. Part 3 with Rocksteady Studios developer Sefton Hill should be up on Monday.

One of my life dreams has been accomplished—marked off the list of to-dos: I met Kevin Conroy. And interviewed him, no less! Hearing Conroy talk on recorded interviews, and even hearing his voice as Batman on television or in Batman: Arkham Asylum, doesn’t do the real thing justice. He truly commands a room, and his laugh holds so much authority and power, it’s almost intimidating.

You can check out my interview with Batman over at the Girls Entertainment Network.

Last day in San Diego

My last day at San Diego Comic-Con consisted mostly of saying goodbye to a lot of great people: the GEN crew, David LeVack, Beau Ryan, Leo Camacho, Rick Basaldua, Archaia’s Mel Caylo, Top Cow’s Filip Sablik, and more. Joined by my friend Josh, I spent most of the day really exploring the floor and doing a bit of shopping—something I really never had a chance to do the days prior.

Although one of my scheduled appointments didn’t pull through, I did meet someone I’ve been talking to on Twitter for awhile now: Ryan Penagos, aka Agent_M. After the Marvel games panel—where games like Ultimate Alliance 2, Iron Man 2, and Superhero Squad were showcased (topped off with the adorable Little Big Planet announcement of Wolverine, Captain America, and Iron Man sackboys)—I met Ryan and we talked for a few minutes.

Ryan and I

Josh and I walked around some more, browsing through Artists’ Alley, where I met and got Scott Williams’ autograph and talked with Steve Ellis (who did a great werewolf sketch for me) earlier in the day. Mel Caylo introduced me to some Archaia creators, who were nice enough to give me some comics of theirs to check out. In addition to buying my first Mighty Mugg (Wolverine), I picked up the first issue of Mercy Sparx (from Devil Due’s Publishing) and the artist signed my copy. The floor closed a few hours earlier than usual, and dinner consisted of a spicy chicken sandwich and PinkBerry for dessert.

The GEN girls!

The Girls Entertainment Network’s Scott Pilgrim Week and contest is now over, but you can catch the review of the fourth book here. Also, be sure to stop by and check out my San Diego Comic-Con co-interview with creator Bryan Lee O’Malley.

All the SP articles are here.

In line for Hall H

When Saturday arrived, I knew the trip was going way too fast. After meandering the floor, I eventually headed outside to add to the massive Hall H line. Saturday brimmed with television and movie extravaganza, and I hoped to make the Lost panel—rich with cast members and secrets. But the trek up and down the lawn by the convention center told me I wasn’t going to snag a seat in time, so I ended up attending the next panel, which focused on the upcoming Solomon Kane movie.

After meeting Dan Panosian and earning a Wolverine sketch, I eagerly met one of my artistic idols, Dustin Nguyen. Both artists remembered me from past interviews, and Nguyen let me have a sketch for free and kindly joined in for a photo.

Dustin Nguyen and I

After chatting with a few of his industry peers, I zipped across the floor and outside in a direct line for the Omni Hotel. There I met and participated in a roundtable with Watchmen director Zack Snyder. Later that day, I also interviewed Batman: Arkham Asylum developer Sefton Hill, writer Paul Dini, and Batman voice legend (oh my god squee!) Kevin Conroy—roundtable style. Conroy’s voice is even smoother in person, mind you.

Creator David LeVack and I ate dinner at TGIF’s and then I joined him for his portfolio review session. An hour or two later, Jill Pantozzi (aka TheNerdyBird) joined us and we met and chatted with dozens of creators—such as artist Ben Templesmith, Geoff Johns, Zuda writers/artists including David Gallaher and Steve Ellis (High Moon), and James Robinson (Starman), to name just a few. Oh, the stories I could tell …

That night I crashed at the hotel in preparation for the last day of SDCC.

More in-depth write-ups of the panels and interviews mentioned will be coming soon!

A pirate cosplay group

The panel commenced with the immediate confirmation (which we all knew) that Batman is missing—not dead. Dini, who currently writes Streets of Gotham and Gotham City Sirens, said, “Hush is back, and he’s making trouble in both books.” With a “one-man stimulus plan … Gotham is proclaiming him as their new savior … He’s after Harley right now; pretty soon the Joker’s going to hear about this, and he doesn’t like the sound of Harley stepping out on him.” Bandages aren’t the only thing that’s in, though. “[Mr. Zsasz is] going to get a new look, and he’s going to have a big dream to accomplish.” According to Dini, artist Dustin Nguyen worked on the redesign.

Brian Miller (Smallville), who will be helming the new Batgirl title in the fall, cryptically admitted, “There are waffles in the first issue, and we can eliminate one suspect: It’s not Bet Kane.”

Greg Rucka commented on his gorgeously illustrated Batwoman book (Detective Comics), saying much to everyone’s incredulity, “It actually gets better looking. I think JH is changing the form. I think he’s changing the language of comics with this.” He told the audience that when we open issue #858, we won’t even recognize that it’s Williams’ art.

As far as the recent installment of second features are concerned, writer Mark Andreyko said that the co-feature and the decision to move Kate Spencer (Manhunter) to Gotham City received a “huge vote of confidence from the company.” The features highlight “supporting characters who might not be able to support their own monthly.” Andreyko reported that Jeremy Haun will be the artist for the feature as of issue #4, and as for what we’ve seen before from him, Andreyko raves, “The stuff he’s doing on Manhunter blows that out of the water.

Fabian Nicieza announced the new Azrael series coming in October, stating that it “flows from the Batman and Detective annuals, which I’ll be writing, as well.” The two Batman annuals will feature Batman and Robin as well as the Question; Michael Lane takes over as Azrael. “He’s clearly a character who has some issues and some flaws,” Nicieza stated. “We’re gonna see what direction he goes in and how the other characters in Gotham deal with that … He’s a guy who clearly needs redemption, and we’re trying to figure out a way to help him instead of throwing him into the abyss.”

Chris Yost (Red Robin scribe) talked of Tim Drake, explaining that they’re dealing with “a character who’s in an incredibly dark place.” He added, “Anyone who wasn’t Tim Drake would probably be in an asylum … This book is really examining where he is now.” Yost continued, “He’s on this crazy, delusional quest to find Bruce Wayne, and even Superman says he’s dead … Fairly surprising things are gonna happen.”

To follow up on Battle for the Cowl, Tony Daniel will be coming on Batman for multiple issues in an effort to create a cohesive universe. “There are substantial, long-lasting changes to Gotham, and we’re not gonna let up on that. That’s our promise to you guys.”

In the question and answer portion, the panelists noted one of the unique qualities about the new age of Batman comics: “All of these books can sit within the same sandbox and kind of coexist on their own.” As for the origin issues? “We live in perpetual deadline peril.” Seven issues will be uninterrupted JH Williams III, and then Jock (Mark Simpson) will come on for a three-issue story starting in Detective #861.

Although DC remains tight-lipped on the identity of Batgirl, the panelists revealed that the costume will be familiar at first, but by the end of the third issue a new outfit will be showcased. “[The book] will have the lightest tone while still dealing with serious subject matter.”

Writer Peter Tomasi and artist Adrian Saef will present Batman: Blackest Night, which “really brings the Batman universe, in an interesting way, into Blackest Night.”

What about some of Gotham’s other prominent costumed individuals? Sterling Gates is scribing a World’s Finest issue, focusing on Dick Grayson’s travels. Selina Kyle will be dealing with the new Black Mask soon, and reportedly there will also be quite a bit of Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon interaction this year.

I love the Top Cow comic The Darkness, currently written by Phil Hester and illustrated by Michael Broussard. I got to talk to Hester at the Con, and he was one of the most delightful and easy-going people I talked to the whole time. Three cheers for Hester!

You can read my interview with him over at the Girls Entertainment Network.

I can’t stop reeling from everything I soaked in and experienced at San Diego Comic-Con—one of them definitely being the chance to play two highly anticipated games: Scribblenauts and Batman: Arkham Asylum.

I’m finally about to plunk down the cash for a Nintendo DS, and Scribblenauts ranks first on my list of games to buy (and I’m taking suggestions, by the way). But that doesn’t come out until next month. Batman: Arkham Asylum, on the other hand, lurks just around the corner.

At the Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment booth, I snagged two temporary Scribblenauts tattoos that I refuse to ever use just because they’re so damn cute. The WBIE member also let me have the last chattering teeth wind-up toy, too. Hell yes!

You can read my preview of both games over at the Girls Entertainment Network.

Okay, so this technically didn’t happen until Friday of San Diego Comic-Con, but I friggin’ interviewed Zack Snyder! Eeeeeee! The man has excellent tastes in jeans, I might add. Not that, erm, I was paying attention to anything like that. Not at all.

You can read my roundtable interview with the director of Watchmen and get the scoop on the director’s cut and more over at the Girls Entertainment Network.

And yes, there’s a picture of him.

Beautiful and warm San Diego

My second day of San Diego Comic-Con began by wandering the floor and meeting The Darkness writer Phil Hester. After a pleasant chat and plans for an interview later that day, I headed for the Batman: New Dynamic panel, led by Dan DiDio. After lots of jest about the possible (and largely improbable) identities of the new Batgirl, I sought out the 24 panel but, not to my surprise, the line had already been sectioned off.

The Capcom booth bustled with crowds surrounding the stage, cheering over Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and the chance to win associated prizes. An hour spent there finished with a trip past the G4 booth, where I caught a glimpse of Elijah Wood in the midst of camera-frenzied fans.

Jessika and I playing Marvel vs. Capcom 2

I caught Phil Hester for the interview, and I was guided behind the booth to lead what was a memorable and casual talk filled with enthusiasm and some good laughs. I snapped a picture and took a brief break in preparation for another one of my most anticipated events of the day, the Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment booth tour. Bypassing the tight security around the large booth was quite an ordeal, but once inside, my frustration was calmed by friendly, excited faces who showed me and let me have hands-on time with both Scribblenauts and Batman: Arkham Asylum. The WBIE professional who assisted me for the majority of the tour wore a Batman shirt, and we gleefully chatted about classic Batman graphic novels, recent comics, and even figurines. I ended up leaving the enjoyable experience with some temporary Scribblenauts tattoos and the single remaining wind-up Joker chattering teeth (modeled after the ones in the game) from that day.

Finally meeting one of my favorite comics guys, Mel Caylo

Joined again by Rick Basaldua and this time comic creator David LeVack, as well as some other new faces, the Girls Entertainment Network crew and I dined at a seafood restaurant—where I split an oven-roasted chicken meal and rice and enjoyed a rich comic talk with two friendly guys in the industry as well as all-around great company.

My feet ached and I could hardly stand, and two more days remained, but the amount of fun was almost unbearable. In a good way, of course.

More in-depth write-ups of the panels and interviews mentioned will be coming soon!

Mandy, Becky, Jill, Jessika, and I at dinner

Actors Evan Peters, Aaron Johnson, and Clark Duke

The first clip rolled, scaling up a city building to a red-winged, costumed hero at the top. “At some point in our lives,” the narrator begins, “we all want to be a superhero.” The crowd below looks up and smiles a la Spider-Man, and when the man dramatically jumps off, he crashes painfully into a taxi cab far below. “That wasn’t me,” the narrator winces. “That was some Armenian guy with a history of mental health problems.”

Meet Dave Lizewski (actor Aaron Johnson), a curly-haired comic nerd who proposes an interesting idea to his two friends: with all these superhero comics, why hasn’t anyone tried to become a superhero? “Probably because they’d get their ass kicked,” his friend offers, followed by a crack about Paris Hilton.

Screenwriter Jane Goldman, creators Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., and actors Clark Duke (Marty) and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Red Mist) arrived on stage shortly after Vaughn, ready to dish about the upcoming, sure-to-be-controversial film.

The second clip revealed one of my favorite scenes in the series so far: the memorable standoff between Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz) and Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage)—out of costume, of course. After an unnaturally calm debate about how much being shot in the chest would hurt, Mindy Macready’s loving father finally pulls the trigger. The blast knocks Mindy to the ground, and a few seconds later she sits up, examining the bullet-proof vest underneath her jacket. By agreeing to suffer two more rounds, she cons her dad into stopping by the bowling alley with an extra promise of ice cream. Hot fudge sundae it is, baby doll.

Dave Lizewski, aka Kick-Ass (actor Aaron Johnson)

By the time the third clip plays, Dave has decided he wants to be Kick-Ass. He gets mugged early on in the film, and now attacked.

“What the fuck are you looking at?” asks one of two guys trying to steal a car. “Nothing! Get the fuck out of here!” Dave backs off, and we hear, “Like every serial killer already knew, eventually fantasizing just doesn’t do it for you anymore.” As he returns donning his green and yellow costume in full daylight, the two laugh at how ridiculous he looks. Once Dave starts to intimidate them, however, things escalate. They fight, and one of them stabs Dave in the stomach, leaving him to die in front of the Capri Pizza Spaghetti. Staggering into the street, he immediately gets run over by a car.

The fourth clip commences after Dave has recovered from the hospital. Loud rap music floods the drug dealer Rizul’s apartment from outside as he approaches, claiming to be a friend of Katie’s. “Who the fuck are you supposed to be?” asks the man at the door. “The Green Goblim?” Dave manages to get inside, where a woman in a red dress and boots playfully exclaims that she’s Rizul. The real Rizul, however, keeps his eyes glued to the screen in front of him, controller in hand.

Dave finally gets Rizul’s attention, and announces, “I’m Kick-Ass, and this is me giving you a message. Leave Katie alone!” “Or what?” Rizul demands. “Or I’ll come back and break your fucking legs!” Kick-Ass swears. He shoots a taser at Rizul’s head, and in the struggle, Dave is pushed to the ground. Just when things start to get ugly … they get uglier.

A knife plunges through Rizul’s chest, and he collapses. Hit Girl, wearing a purple wig and dressed in black, smiles, “Okay, you cunt. Let’s see what you can do now.” Cue a series of acrobatics and gruesome stabs to the head and chest. Even a thug returning obliviously from the bathroom—who proceeds to show off his skill with knives—can’t beat Hit Girl’s prowess. The scene ends with her bloody knives jutting through the door, surprising the doorman and earning young actress Chloe Moretz a standing ovation as she steps on stage.

Red Mist (actor Christopher Mintz-Plasse)

The panelists finally give the green light to premiere the trailer. Red Mist jumps down on a dumpster, hurting himself in the process. We see Hit Girl at her computer, Kick-Ass in his room, and Red Mist asking, “Wanna go fight some crime?” In between villains and thugs, Hit Girl shoves a gun in a guy’s mouth; we hear, “With no power … comes no responsibility.” Then debuts a Batman look-a-like using guns, clones dressed in red and black, a series of head shots, a driving sequence, explosions—and best of all, Hit Girl reloading her twin guns in mid-air. At the end, she teases Kick-Ass: “Just contact the mayor’s office. He has a light that shines in the sky. It’s in the shape of a giant cock.”

So what makes Kick-Ass—in which “the script was finished before the comic”—so successful, the panelists were asked? “It’s just about telling good stories,” commented Jane Goldman. The crew plans to release the movie within the first quarter of next year; one of the biggest issues remains trying to nail the music to avoid it being outdated by the time of release.

“[We] wanted it to be true to the comic,” said Romita Jr, who also admitted he tried to “act as if I’m working on the book” when inquired about the animation sequence.

Writer Mark Millar confirmed his desire for a three-arc series; when prompted, the sweet and somewhat shy Chloe Moretz briefly mentioned the three months of training with martial artists she underwent. It’s hard to imagine foul words and incredibly gruesome action scenes being born out of the talent of such a small girl, but judging by the way Moretz blew the audience away on screen, she just might steal the show.

Encouraged by the strong approval of the Hall H audience, the impressive trailer ran a second time—ending the panel with a bang.

Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit Girl/Mindy Macready (Chloe Moretz)

What’s better than getting a full-on tour of Wallace and Gromit’s Grand Adventures and Tales of Monkey Island on your first full day of your first convention? Getting that, a free pin, your first assets disc, and a code redeemable for the entirety of Wallace and Gromit. I know, I’m a sucker for the little things. But hey, it was a landmark moment for me—and it did make me eager to jump on my write-up of my visit to the TellTale Games booth, which was fun!

Read about my impressions of both games over at the Girls Entertainment Network.

I was like a kid at Lakeside Amusement Park on the first day of San Diego Comic-Con, because I entered the cool hotel room at the off-site Konami event and relaxed with the Silent Hill: Shattered Memories demo. After I played through it, I talked with developer Jay Boor, who gave me the scoop of the game and took all of my straight-to-the-point answers (half of which he had to be careful how he answered) in stride, the great guy.

Read all about the demo, see the trailer, and check out my interview with Boor over at the Girls Entertainment Network. Now … let’s kick some ICE! Just kidding.

Joining Rantz were panelists David Turner (COO Longbox Inc.), Jeff Katz, Kieron Gillen, and Jamie McKelvie. The talk began with the expected statistics and an explanation of Longbox’s origins. Longbox stands as publisher and device independent—allowing the program to run on handhelds, e-readers, gaming systems, and more—and will launch on Mac and PC as well as two other platforms this fall. In conjunction with development partner Quicksilver Software, Longbox addresses both user and publisher standpoints, fostering a sustainable enterprise “without increasing [publishers'] development time; without increasing their expenses.”

Jeff Katz (American Original Productions) admitted that when he saw the program, his “jaw hit the ground.” Longbox has received a positive response because it surpasses just being a modified PDF viewer. “It’s revolutionary in a lot of ways,” said Katz.

Writer Kieron Gillen revealed that Longbox will offer comics in both serial narrative and trade form, and artist Jamie McKelvie added that it will virtually eliminate the matter of not being able to find a comic that may be out of print. Simply put, Longbox acts to remove barriers and answer the questions, “How can we bring people into comic shops? How do we get to where they are?” Creators—particularly those attached to independent titles—can make a living at the same time readers can access the content they want. In addition to ninety-nine cent monthly comics, Longbox also gives “ongoing subscribers and consumers incentives to buy the trades when they come out so they don’t feel like they’re double-dipping,” which I agree is a more prominent road block than it may sound. Trades are convenient: They’re easy to organize, locate, and they often include extras that you don’t find in the original monthly issues—which tend to easily become lost in the shuffle.

Not to mention the current economic condition creates difficult situations for comic buyers. While publishers like Marvel and DC might be bumping up their prices by a dollar and boasting how the change evens out to something allegedly generous (by their standards, anyway), Longbox eliminates the pressure that every comic book must be golden to be worth the cash. With subscriptions, twelve issues can be bought for only ten dollars—normally that stack would cost over thirty dollars, depending on the comics. Various incentives will also be available to shoppers, rewarding them with free comics practically each month; up to eight-issue starter packs refresh every month, as well. Longbox’s unique design intends to “open people up to different comics and open the audience up in different ways.”

Seeing the Longbox player work its magic in person, however, stood as the shining moment of the panel. The start screen introduced the program as a virtually breathing entity—complete with a Comic Book Resources news feed (now only if we could get a GEN feed going, hmm?), current featured comics, and weekly comic releases. The option screen allows the user to decide if he/she wants to download comics in the background. Most of the flexibility, though, resides in the store, where you can browse comics a variety of ways. Exploring the full catalog, flipping through new releases, and following the rating system (set by pubishers with the option for “parental guidance”-esque subaccounts) are a few of the ways you can navigate the storefront. Comics will frequently include a five to eight-page preview, and the storefront features hyperlinks that refer to titles, allowing the user to “toggle from script to pencils to inks.” Users will be able to search for comics via multiple heuristics. Your library also breaks down the user’s inventory by different categories—such as publisher, writer, artist, etc.—in order to facilitate navigation.

The reader, however, acts as the heart of Longbox, presenting a wealth of convenient modes designed for user compatibility. Switching from single- to double-page views, implementing on-screen control and hotkeys, browsing through a DVD-styled shelf as well as quick navigation for chapters and volumes for trades are only a few of the options available at your fingertips. The program features a spoiler guard on the easily clickable pages that appear at the bottom of the screen, preventing accidental glances from ruining a comic by showing only a standard Longbox logo instead of the page preview. The bookmark function allows you to keep your place in a larger comic; you can also save and export text for bibliographical purposes and access your recent viewing history. A built-in directory’s commentary, featuring extra content from creators, can be turned on and off, and manga sticklers will be happy with the ability to browse pages right to left with the press of a button. The zoom function magnifies areas and lets the user rescale; additionally, the program pre-selects “attention areas to predefine zoom regions so readers can toggle forward and toggle back,” making viewing ideal for smaller screens. Subtitles will be available for international readers, and the minimal view cuts down on perhaps undesired user interface.

At its launch, Longbox will provide comics from more than seven publishers, including Dabel Brothers, NBM, Archaia, Shadowline Silverline, Top Cow, Boom, and many creator-owned books. If something goes wrong with your computer, a backup of your files will already be prepped. Hoseley wrapped up the panel by saying, “the current size of the direct market is not, how we say, robust.” The focus of Longbox will be centered on offering “affordable entertainment rather than, how do we capture the existing mass market?” People who purchase digitally will also be directed into direct market shops, and a formalized admissions process for unestablished self-publishers will be set to ensure quality content. In addition, back issues will be available after undergoing a thorough clean-up process. “There’s a lot of stuff that doesn’t exist in digital format, and it’s going to require scanning,” Hoseley stated. The second-tier launch will add on a social friending service, and prepaid gift cards are in negotiation.

Hoseley finished, “We’re trying to make everyone make more money, including retailers and print.” As a brief witness to the power of Longbox, the program looks fantastic and easy to use. I have to admit I was impressed with the visceral attention to potential problem areas, which seem to be largely countered. For those who are wary of the reader’s capabilities, seeing is believing, and I personally can’t wait for its debut. Unclear, however, is the possible effect Longbox might have on online comic shops, but the argument of print versus digital will most likely keep the playing field even. People will always have a preference between print and digital comics, but with a convenient, comfortable reader that virtually tricks the user into thinking they’re holding a real comic in his hands, a mix between print and digital might very well be the future of comics.