Tagged: DC

‘Mortal Kombat Versus DC Universe’ A Reality?

  • News
  • April 18, 2008

There were rumors back in Fall 2007 that the next Mortal Kombat game would pit the Kombatants against superheroes from the DC Universe, but they were quickly scoffed at and ignored.

After all, how could these two universes possibly come together? Would DC really allow Scorpion to rip Batman’s head off? Foolishness!

Well, all those people look like the fools now. Mortal Kombat Online has gotten wind that Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is a reality.

The Mortal Kombat series is good at violence but poor when it comes to the comic book universe (see Malibu’s Mortal Kombat comics). On the flip side, the DC superheroes are great at comics and poor when it comes to fighting games (see Justice League Task Force on the 16-bit consoles). Can these two great tastes combine and taste great together?

Not many details about the title are known at the moment. Future details (and an official confirmation from Midway) may be forthcoming on developer Ed Boon’s website, Noob.com.

 

(via Joystiq)

New York, New York, by Michael Davis

  • News
  • April 18, 2008

If you can make it there you can make it anywhere…

I hate Los Angeles.

I hate it here. I hate the food with its damn “tofu” slant. I hate the weather, always freaking sunny. I hate the girls (Asians girl exempt) and that ridiculous “Valley Girl” dialect. I hate the car culture, where what you drive defines you. I hate the stupid way they treat “stars” like these people walk on water. Listen, I enjoy Tom Cruise’s movies but unless Tom is writing me a check he and Katie can wait on line just like me at the airport. I hate gangs and would not shed a tear if they killed each other in a massive gang war.

But most of all, I hate the laid-back way they approach things in L.A.

Case in point, last week I had a severe migraine. I mean bad. I get them so bad sometimes that I go blind and my head feels like it will explode. Trust me, my description does not do the pain justice, let me put it this way, the only two times I have ever considered suicide is once when I was in such pain from a migraine and the other is when Bush won his second term. Anyway, I was sitting on my couch talking to Denys Cowan on the phone enjoying some all to brief relief from the pain when I heard my dogs barking from my backyard. I thought little of this as the barking could be from a number of reasons. Then the barking became crazed and I thought maybe there was a squirrel or something in my back yard then Mac (MY PIT BULL BOXER MIX) went ballistic! I asked Denys to hold on, then went outside to see what Mac and Dexter (my golden retriever) were losing their minds over. (more…)

‘Prototype’ Videogame Morphs Into New DC/Wildstorm Comic

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  • April 17, 2008

DC Comics/Wildstorm recently announced that they’ll be publishing a comic book based on the upcoming Prototype videogame from Sierra Entertainment.

From the press release:

PROTOTYPE puts gamers in control of Alex Mercer – a genetically mutated shape-shifter with no memory of his past hell-bent on solving the mystery of his existence – as he tears through a densely populated New York City moving with Parkour-style fluidity and consuming anybody that gets in his way…assuming their physical identity, memories and abilities. Fueled by a three way war between Alex, the military and its elite Blackwatch division, and a viral outbreak known as the Infected, players will venture deep into a dark conspiracy 40 years in the making.

What the press release doesn’t go into is that this game has a great comic book pedigree. It’s being developed by Radical Entertainment, the makers of The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, one of the best superhero games ever made. In that game, players were given free reign to smash anything, bound across the city at will, fight the army or even throw civilians around for no good reason whatsoever.

With Prototype, Radical Entertainment looks to have taken everything they did with Hulk and expanded on it. Different powers, different story (sorta shady goverment types messing with superpowered guy who’s not 100-percent mentally stable), and more realistic graphics, thanks to the power of PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.

My only complaint? The character has one of the worst outfits in modern games: a hoodie. Yup, he looks like every other wannabe thug. One look at this amazing trailer for the game, though, makes me forget all that.

 

The Weekly Haul: Reviews for April 17, 2008

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  • April 17, 2008

This past week in comics wasn’t anything too special, with DC essentially laying an egg. Luckily a handful of independents rose to the occasion, and Marvel had some strong offerings, including a big surprise for best of the week. On that note…

ghostrider22cover-5750318Book of the Week: Ghost Rider #22 — Any time a comic is so good I have to read it three times before I can move onto the next book, it’s a lock for the top spot. This is darn close to a perfect issue from the first page, which starts off brilliantly ("I’ll never forget the first time I saw a dead body").

Jason Aaron continues the story of Johnny Blaze searching for answers from the angel who turned him into Ghost Rider, a quest that has led him onto a highway filled with evil, cannibalistic demons. It’s an epic fight, overloaded with crazy elements in the way of Quentin Tarantino (yet less self-obsessed).

In addition to the demons, there are evil gun-toting nurses on motorcycles and a still-living cannibal slowly feasting on a deputy. Aaron slowly pulls all of these elements together, leaving off just as they’re all about to literally collide. Oh, and did I mention it also has the line of the week? "The day I can’t catch a dead horse… is the day I give up and rot."

Lastly, I have to give a ton of credit to Roland Boschi for his art. It’s kinetic and loose in the way of Leinil Yu, though not as busy. Combined with Dan Brown’s colors, it makes for some of the best superhero art on the rack.

Runners Up:

X-Factor #30 — I promise this high ranking isn’t just to placate the great Peter David, who took serious umbrage with my review of She-Hulk #27. No, the latest issue of X-Factor (like most of the run) is worthy of serious praise on its own merits. Arcade’s plans for destroying the team, and all of Mutant Town, play out with expected brilliant insanity, and the weakened X-Factor can barely keep their heads above water (or remaining on their shoulders).

In the previous run of this series, one thing David did exceptionally well was crafting great stories without ever bringing in stock villains. Here, he brings in a stock villain but does it in keeping with the series’ tone. Beyond that, the last page is one of the best I’ve ever seen, with an emotional stomach punch that humanizes one of the Purifiers and a true "Hey, May!" cliffhanger.

Fear Agent #20 — The best of a good crop of small-press titles. I’ve always heard this series praised for its goofy sci-fi plots and fun elements, but this issue is one long emotional swan dive that’s surprisingly touching. Rick Remender intertwines his characters’ harsh pasts with their bleak futures to explain their confused ambitions. A very small story in the grand scheme of things, but a very well done one at that.

(more…)

ComicMix Six: Top Political Campaigns in Comics

smiler2-1805729It happens every few years, just like the Olympics or locusts: People lucky enough to live in democracies hold an election.

Sometimes they’re voting for a President or a Congressman, and sometimes they’re voting for a mayor or dogcatcher. People in comics vote, too, and their choices are often as stupid as ours.

That’s why, with primaries on the horizon and campaigns dominating the headlines, we’ve decided to take a look at some of the most notable attempts (successful or otherwise) at obtaining political office in the comics world… in typical ComicMix Six fashion.

*Sigh* If only it were that easy to ret-con a disappointing election in the real world…

6. Myra Fermin, Mayor of Hub City (DC): In the most corrupt city in the DC Universe, Myra ran on a platform promising to clean up the mess. And she won, because there had to be a reason she couldn’t sleep with the Question.

5. Gary "The Smiler" Callahan, President (Vertigo): This mayoral candidate gave Spider Jerusalem a lot to write about in Transmetropolitan. At first, Spider liked him more than his predecessor, "The Beast." And then, Spider learned the truth. Basically, The Smiler was sort of like Rudy Giuliani, but without the combover.

(more…)

What’s All This About a Comic Convention in New York?

  • News
  • April 17, 2008

Anybody know anything about this little get-together of a few comic book fans that’s supposed to happen in New York at some point soon?

No? Me neither.

Luckily for you, there are a few people who are paying very close attention (bordering on obsessive, in some cases) to all of the New York Comic Con hub-bubbery. Sure, you can check the official NYCC website, but where’s the fun in that?

If you really want to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous lists of events, Heidi MacDonald over at The Beat is compiling an impressive list of everything that’s anything related to the New York Con. Not only will you be able to stay up-todate with all of the latest NYCC happenings, but you can also witness her descent into madness. Big convention chaos will do that to the best of ’em, I guess.

Once you get tired of watching Heidi’s sanity slip-slide away, check out the YouTube profile of ItsJustsomeRandomGuy, the creator of those "Marvel vs. DC" videos that have managed to meme themselves around the comics scene in recent years. The popular online filmmaker was commissioned to do some NYCC-themed shorts for the show, and has his very own panel on Saturday. (Also, I think he stole my "Thorbuster Iron Man" action figure, as it disappeared a few months back… right about the time he posted <a href=”

Video #3.) I’m watching you, mister.

Finally, keep an eye here on ComicMix tomorrow for a comprehensive list of all the places you’ll be able to find our news team, comics creators and assorted ComicMix roadies throughout the show.

‘Catwoman’ Cancelled With Issue #82

  • News
  • April 16, 2008

After DC released its last round of solicitations, people naturally assumed Catwoman was being cancelled with issue #81. That’s just unfounded nonsense. It’s actually being cancelled with issue #82!

According to writer Will Pfeifer, Selina Kyle will get one more issue in August before her solo title officially gets the axe. Did she have to spend one of her nine lives to do it? If so, does she have any more to spare in order to get a series relaunch?

Perhaps in the future, but as of now, Pfeifer has no information on any future plans for Catwoman. Fans will just have to be happy with one extra helping of their favorite cat buglar for the time being.

‘Watchmen’ Action Figures Revealed

  • News
  • April 16, 2008

Back in 2000, DC Direct created figures based on Alan Moore’s Watchmen to celebrate the comic’s 15th anniversary. Unfortunately, a dispute caused Moore to pull out of the project and the figures were scrapped, never to see the light of day.

Fans wondered if they’d ever have a chance to own a plastic version of The Comedian and place it upon their computer desks for all the world to see, right between the empty bottles of Mountain Dew and the economy bag of Doritos.

Wonder no more, because Watchmen action figures are on the way! Since Moore steadfastly chooses not to have anything to do with Zack Synder’s film adaptation of Watchmen, apparently it’s kosher to make action figures based on it!

DC Direct will debut all of the figures at the New York Comic-Con on Friday, but Entertainment Weekly scored an early look at two of them: Nite Owl and Rorschach. The figures will be released in January of next year, which is enough time to buy them all before the film is released on March 6.  

Review: Three Pieces of Middle

These three books have almost nothing in common – they’re from three different publishers, in entirely different genres, and by very different creators. But they all are middle chapters in long-running series, so they raise similar questions about maintaining interest in a serialized story – when the beginning was years ago, and there’s no real end in sight, either, what makes this piece of the story special? (Besides the fact that it’s printed on nice paper and shoved between cardboard covers.)

exmachina-621-7885143Ex Machina, Vol. 6: Power Down
By Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, Jim Clark, and JD Mettler
DC Comics/Wildstorm, 2008, $12.99

Ex Machina gets to go first, since it’s the shortest and it’s also the closest to the beginning of the series. (Both in that it’s volume 6 and because all of the [[[Ex Machina]]] collections are so short – this one collects issues 26 to 29 of the series, so we’re only into the third year of publication.) The premise is still the same – an unknown artifact/item gave then-civil engineer Mitchell Hundred the power to hear and command all kinds of machines, which he used to first become a costumed superhero (stopping the second plane on 9-11, among other things) and then successfully ran for mayor in the delayed election of 2001-2002.

This storyline begins in the summer of 2003, and provides a secret-historical reason for the blackout of that year. (This is too cute a touch for my taste – Hundred’s world is different enough from our own that this “explanation” couldn’t be true in our real world, and so the fact that both worlds had identical-seeming massive blackouts, on the same day, from different causes, stretches suspension of disbelief much too far.)

(more…)

DC’s Killing Fields, by Mike Gold

  • News
  • April 14, 2008

chp-9129134How many times can you run a stunt into the ground in one month before you just look like you’re totally bereft of originality? DC Comics’ June, 2008 solicitations, as published in Diamond Distributing’s Previews catalog, offers no less than six phony death and/or resurrection stunts.

Gotham Underground #9 asks the musical question “Will Penguin pay the ultimate price?” Well, who cares? If he’s dead, he’ll get better. Death has no sting in the DC universe.

Batman #678 is the third part of their “Batman R.I.P.” arc. “Is it truly the end for one of the world’s finest heroes?” the solicitation asks.  Forgive me, but how many times have the sundry world’s finest heroes R’ed in P? Hell, I’ll bet if you ask them they would have wanted to stay dead at least a bit longer in order to get some rest in peace. I should add Robin #165 to this list as it ties in to Batman #678 and has Robin holding a dead-looking Batman on the cover. Maybe – probably – the old buzzard isn’t dead. The fact is, it doesn’t matter.

Booster Gold #10: “Someone from his past must live and someone must die!” My wife informs me (happily) that Ted (Blue Beetle the Second) has already been resurrected. The death – if it actually happens – well, again, who cares? If it was somebody important, he/she/it wouldn’t be killed off in Booster Gold. Unless the stunt has grown so lame that DC is willing to bury it in a title such as this.

(more…)

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