The Muppets: Ringing of the Bells

While not as uber-awesome as the recently posted Bohemian Rhapsody, this Muppet tune definitely got me more in the Christmas spirit... and proved yet again that the Swedish Chef is awesome!

Game On! New Tron Legacy Poster and Image

I was in elementary school when the original TRON came out and I fell in love with the world of fighting programs dueling it out via light-trailing cycles on the massive and ominous game grid. Ever since I first heard that Disney was making a sequel to this legendary film after 25+ years, the 7 year old me has been giddy with excitement! I watched the teaser trailer over and over until my wife was ready to smack me. And now, via HeyUGuys, we have the first official poster and a still image for the new film due out sometime around Christmas 2010. I'm sorry... I must go squee in the corner.

P.S. I've included the trailer below these images in case you missed it the first go 'round.

Click on either image to see the high-res version.

...and the awesome trailer:

Comic Reviews - A Light Shines in the Blackest Night

Okay geeks of all stripes! I've been overwhelmed with school these past few weeks but this post will catch me up on all my pull list reviews. All of these issues except for Blackest Night: The Flash #1 came out two weeks ago and BN: Flash came out last week. But what a great group of issues these were! DC really is really amping up the Blackest Night storyline! So dig in...

Superman: Secret Origin #3
This series is such great fun! John's writing and Franks art evoke classic Superman in a way that I haven't seen in years. In this issue, Clark arrives in Metropolis for his new job at the Daily Planet. Most of the story revolves around Clark meeting the iconic DP staff and the bumbling ways he does it would make Chris Reeve proud. The iconic scenes are all here too. Clark opening his shirt to reveal the big "S" and flying off to catch Lois falling from a rooftop. It's all brilliantly written and I can't wait to read more!
Score: 4.5 out of 5

Superman #694
The tales of Mon-El standing in for Supes while he's away on New Krypton have been hit and miss. I love the character and the writing of Mon-El but the stories don't always click. This one is written to be a turning point in the series and, hopefully, will lead to bigger and better things for the series. Mon-El, coming to grips with his new life and where he fits in the scheme of things, pays a visit to Smallville. After some heart-to-heart chats with Conner and Ma Kent, he returns to Metropolis in full force (with a new Superman-inspired costume courtesy of Mrs. Kent). In Metropolis, the action ramps up with a showdown between Mon-El and Bizarro. The final page reveals that it's not just Bizarro that Mon should be worrying about with the appearance of the Parasite! Not a bad issue. It got my attention and I'm going along for the ride.
Score: 3.5 out of 5

Detective Comics #859
Of all these new heroes standing in for DC's big three, Batwoman is the one that's really not clicking for me. I absolutely love the artwork of J.H. Williams III but I'm not digging the storylines thus far. This second storyline is better than the first but it's uneven. I like the flashback sequences to Batwoman's origins but, when the story returns to modern times, it is just so weird that I just can't get into it. The Gotham that I love just doesn't mesh with these shapeshifting monsters and demonic cults.
Score: 2.5 out of 5

Justice League of America #39
Since almost all of the JLA's major players left some months ago, this title has been hit and miss. I've liked seeing some of the B and C list characters being utilized but none of the stories have really hit. This trend has started on an upswing with this issue as Blackest Night finally makes it to the JLA. The team heads into the Hall of Justice to check on the bodies of their fallen enemies only to find that they've of course risen as Black Lanterns. They come face to face with Zatara which makes for an amusing showdown between him and Zatana as they jockey for a magical upper hand. After that situation is cleared up, it's b-lister vs b-lister as fallen heroes Vibe and Steel return. Then the big finale as clearly depicted on the cover is the return of Dr. Light. I said this was the start of an upswing and I hope that is the case because this issue was pretty good.
Score: 4 out of 5

Green Lantern #48
More brilliant writing from Geoff Johns this issue as we see the various corps of lanterns starting to form an uneasy alliance. Even the Red Lanterns start to set aside their rage in an effort to destroy the Black Lantern menace. I absolutely loved the twist that, to get Agent Orange into their alliance, the team had to concede to his wish that, after the Black Lanterns are defeated, he will get his very own Guardian. The issue ends with the team pretty much solidified and the countdown to the end of Blackest Night beginning.
Score: 5 out of 5

Blackest Night #5
This issue picks up directly after the events of Green Lantern #48 with the newly formed rainbow rodeo (as Hal calls it) preparing to chase down the missing Black Lantern battery. Meanwhile, back on Earth, the heroes are holding off against the recently revealed mastermind behind Blackest night...Nekron! Nearly all the DCU heroes, including Superman and Wonder Woman, seem to arrive on the scene. As the battle rages, it is revealed that any time a Black Lantern tries to harm Dove (of Hawk & Dove) that she emits a white light that has the ability to completely them. The Lanterns then, as I'd predicted when this series began, combine the color spectrum to create white light and fire on the Black Lantern battery. Oddly, this attack seems to have no effect. Then the tide turns as Nekron revives the skull that Black Hand has been carrying since the series began and resurrects Batman as a Black Lantern! As if that's not bad enough, Black Lantern Batman spits out rings that, instead of claiming the dead as Black Lanterns, begins to claim those who have died and returned! Superman! Wonder Woman! Superboy! Kid Flash! Green Arrow! Then Nekron reclaims Batman's black ring and turns him back into a skull. (And don't think I didn't notice the quotation marks when Nekron called him "Bruce Wayne"... that's not the real Batman!) Then the new killing rings turn on the recently returned Hal Jordan and Barry Allen. Will they become Black Lanterns? I doubt it but I can't wait to find out!
Score: 5 out of 5

Blackest Night: The Flash #1
In what I'll vote for as cover of the week, this issue mimics the iconic image from the first issue of Flash: Rebirth with the Black Flash standing in for Barry. The storie begins somewhere during or slightly after the events of Flash: Rebirth with Barry still battling Thawne after it is revealed that a time-travelling Thawne is the cause of a lot of Barry's suffering throughout his entire life. Meanwhile, the Rogues are making plans of their own. The new Capt. Boomerang seeks out his father in the hopes of talking to him when and if he is resurrected. Capt. Cold appears to be doing the same in tracking down his sister, the Golden Glider. As the new Boomerang mopes around the graveyard, he witnesses the rising of Thawne as a Black Lantern (or Black Flash as he refers to himself). Yes. You heard that correct, now there are two Thawnes in this timeline. Barry, in an attempt to figure out what's happening and if the Black Lantern is the cause of all his misery by resurrecting Thawne, heads to Gorilla city to speak to Solovar only to find Solovar killed and the city taken over by Gorilla Grodd. Barry then faces off against a Black Lantern Solovar only to run away. As he's running, the Black Lantern rings reach 100% power and Barry calls all the speedsters to Coast City. What's his plan? I don't know but with the issues these past two weeks, Blackest Night has reached a head and I'm dying (bad pun fully intended) for the next issue!
Score: 4.5 out of 5

New Kick-Ass Poster featuring Red Mist

Earlier this month, fans got a look at both the teaser trailer and the 1st poster for the Mark Millar comic-turned-movie Kick-Ass. Today, via AICN, we are treated to the 2nd poster, this time featuring Superbad's McLovin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) as the Red Mist.

The Red Mist is one of several nutjob superheroes who teams up with the title character Kick-Ass in his war on crime. And, just as Kick-Ass couldn't fly, Red Mist says he can't read your mind... but he can still kick your ass.

Click here to see the teaser trailer and here to see the 1st poster.

Click on the Image for a Larger Version

Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow Gets Down!

To go along with the newly released Iron Man 2 poster featuring War Machine, Paramount also released a photo of Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow. Now, like every other red-blooded male, I'm a Scarlett fan but I didn't think she had the look for the Russian superspy but this pic has gone quite a way to assuaging my fears. What are your thoughts? Comment and let me know.

Click on the image for a larger version.

Iron Man 2 Poster Revealed!

This post is for those couple of geeks who have been living under a rock and haven't already seen this newly released Iron Man 2 poster featuring our hero standing back to back with War Machine (this time around played by Don Cheadle). So will these two armor-wearing bad boys team up or will they face off on opposite sides the way that they did in the original storyline?

Click on the image for a larger version.

The Muppets Sing "Bohemian Rhapsody"

This video made my day! I can't say much more than that. Just watch.



Via GeekDad

Comic Reviews - A New Black Lantern and Wally's New Flash Costume Revealed!

For those that missed last week's comic reviews, I have begun putting spoilers in my reviews. You have been warned...

Flash: Rebirth #5
There's a reason Geoff Johns won Spike TV's "best comic book writer" award. I've said in the past that the man could write the entire DCU and I'd be happy and I stand by that after reading this next-to-final issue of Flash: Rebirth. At the end of the previous issue we learned that the Barry actually created and generated the speed force and that Reverse Flash was generating a negative speed force to counteract the real deal. Naturally a battle ensues. This issue picks up with the team of speedsters trying to take down Reverse Flash. The team is getting their rear handed to them most of the issue. Meanwhile, back at the West home, Wally's kids realize that their power fluctuations and aging have been caused by the fact they they are sharing a single connection to the speed force. Iris/Irey touches Jai's hand and absorbs his part of the connection and she gets full speed powers. I assume this means Jai is a normal kid now but that remains to be seen. Irey, now calling herself the new Impulse, rushes off to help the speedsters against Reverse Flash. Wally uses a trick to give the speedsters a boost. This also serves to give a lot of them new costumes including Wally's own updated costume which Flash fans have known was coming for a while. (See below for an image of Wally's new duds.) But even after all this, the speedsters can't bring down Reverse Flash. Reverse Flash reveals that he's been the cause of everything bad that's ever happened to Barry throughout history and that he can manipulate time. He then rushes away through time to kill Iris and thus give Barry no reason to ever have escaped death all these years. The next issue is the final chapter in this saga and I am dying to see where this ends up!

Score: 4.5 out of 5

Wally's new threads revealed!

Superman/Batman #66

Blackest Night finally hits Superman/Batman this issue with the return of Solomon Grundy as a Black Lantern. The story this issue centers around Fran Langstrom working with Frankenstein and the Bride to capture the Man-Bat and return him to his human form. While all this is going on, both Bizarro and a newly resurrected Solomon Grundy are wandering around Gotham. Bizarro comes across the team of heros as they are capturing Man-Bat. Thinking they are hurting his friend, Bizarro attacks the team and runs away with a mid-transformation Man-Bat in tow. But Bizarro's mistaken rescue is is cut short when he runs into Black Lantern Grundy only to have his own heart ripped out. Next issue... Black Lantern Bizarro? I sincerely hope so!
Score: 3.5 out of 5

Top 5 Non-Video Games

The two of you that listen to the Of Garnet and Black podcast that I co-host have already heard what my top 5 non-video games are so this post is no surprise. I just wanted to take a moment to flesh out and explain why I picked these games out of the huge stack that I have played over the years. If you're ever in the mind to shut down your game system and try some traditional gaming fare, I offer my 100% geek guarantee that you absolutely can't go wrong with any of the games on this list. Hell! I play a few of these even more than I play my Xbox 360!

5. Munchkin (Steve Jackson Games)
Like Apples to Apples and a few other games that didn't quite make this list, Munchkin is one of those games that you pick up out of mere curiosity and are just floored with how fun it is! The basic premise of Munchkin is deceptively simple. It's a parody of the fantasy RPG genre played with cards (all drawn by Dork Tower's own John Kovalic). Each player has a character that they arm with weapons and gear and try to accumulate as many levels and as much loot as they can. The winner is the first person to get their character to level 10 (or level 20 if you're playing with the epic rules). The fun comes in with the fact that the gear ranges from things like a broad sword that can only be used by female characters to the infamous boots of butt-kicking. Fantasy humor not your thing? That's okay because Munchkin comes in various flavors! There's Star Munchkin (sci-fi), Munchkin-Fu (kung-fu), Munchkin Cthulhu (Lovecraftian), Super Munchkin (comic books), Munchkin Impossible (spies), The Good the Bad and the Munchkin (western), Munchkin Bites (goth/vampire) and Munchkin Booty (pirates). And once you get 'em all you get Munchkin Blender and mix the rules up for all out chaos!
Check out the official Munchkin site and get your copy now!

4. Hero Quest (Milton Bradley)
This game came out in the very early '90s during my high school years and, to this day, I can't think of any game that kept me up so late on the first night of play. Me and a couple of friends picked this one up on a whim at Toys 'R' Us and opened the game right after dinner. The next thing we knew, the sun was rising and we took a breakfast break before digging back into the game. The brief description is that it's Dungeons & Dragons: the board game. It's a simple set of rules in which each player controls a generic fantasy character of the barbarian, wizard, dwarf or elf and another takes on the role of the Dungeon Mast... er... the evil Lord Zargon. It's all played on a single board with interchangeable pieces including doors, treasure chests, furniture and the like. The basic set includes a book of 14 scenarios and rules to create your own. There were several expansions that included new quests and new monsters but I only ever stuck to the core set. This games no longer being made, but if you ever run across it at a swap meet or somewhere online, it's definitely a keeper!

3. Magic: The Gathering (Wizards of the Coast)
The reason games like chess, checkers and other classics stick around is that they are based on a simple premise but can be developed into include complex strategy. That's why Magic: The Gathering is still the top of the heap when it comes to CCGs (collectible card games). The basis is deceptively simple. You collect lands which in turn power spells. Spells are played to reduce your opponent's life points to zero before he does the same to you. I've taught others to play this game in less than half an hour but after 16 years of playing, I can still learn a new strategies and ideas. Since I picked up an early beta deck back in 1993, there have been 10 revised core sets and 50 expansion sets (with more already planned). It's that kind of expansion and flexibility that makes Magic: The Gathering the one CCG that's going to be around when all the imitators that have come since are long forgotten.
The official Magic Experience website

2. Netrunner (Wizards of the Coast)
Speaking of CCGs that have been forgotten, Netrunner is a game from the creators of Magic: The Gathering that came and went back in 1996. Like Magic, the principle of Netrunner is simple. One player takes the role of a "runner" (translated computer hacker) and the other "the corp" (i.e. corporation). The hacker uses his deck to try and hack the corporations systems to steal data before he is killed by the security measures (dubbed ICE) within the corp's network. What I loved about Netrunner is the nature of the game itself. The runner and the corp both used entirely different sets of cards which allows for some amazing and fun strategies to develop. But the best part was that the corp plays it's ICE cards face-down so there is an element of bluffing involved. The runner doesn't know if the ICE he's about to attack will set off a minor alarm or fry his brain. Netrunner, while forgotten now, won all sorts of awards and accolades when it was released and I'll give it another now by announcing it as my favorite CCG of all time.

1. Dungeons and Dragons (TSR/Wizards of the Coast)
The granddaddy of all modern RPGs (role playing games), Dungeons and Dragons, was released by a small company called TSR (best known for making tactical miniatures games) back in 1974. At that time, I was still in diapers and more interested in sticking dice in my mouth than rolling them. It took nearly 10 years before I picked up my first d20 (that's a 20-sided die for the uninitiated) and graph paper but I've not been without them since. In the 35 years since it's inception, D&D has undergone lot of changes. It became Advanced Dungeons and Dragons for a while. There have been multiple editions. Hell, the game itself was bought from TSR by Wizards of the Coast (the creators of Magic: The Gathering). To this day, avid players debate over which edition is the "best" but at heart I think they'll all agree when I say that D&D's central idea of some friends gathering around a table, rolling dice and creating their own tales of heroism with what I refer to as "collaborative storytelling" has never wavered. It is for that reason that D&D holds the top spot in my gaming heart and likely always will.
Visit the official Dungeons and Dragons website.

Man! Writing this list has made me want to play some games? Anyone up for Magic: The Gathering on Xbox Live Arcade?

Kick-Ass Might Not Fly... But He Can Kick your Ass

To go along with the teaser trailer released yesterday, Lionsgate now gives us the 1st official poster for Kick-Ass and, just like the trailer, it lives up to the title of the movie. The poster features Aaron Johnson as the title character and the tagline says it all...

Click on the poster to see a larger version.