PULPS!-Second Column from Mark Halegua!
Marvel announced these a while back, but it seems more appropriate to show you these on Flag Day: to promote Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel is running “I Am Captain America” variant covers on selected titles through June and July, with all-new artwork from Joe Quesada, Marko Djurdjevic, Alex Maleev, Skottie Young, and Ed McGuiness, among others.
Personally, I’d love to have a few of these as posters.
We never quite cottoned to The Transformers in any incarnation but we do recognzie it has a fervent following. We also recognize the following news will be most welcome by diehard fans of the animated incarnation. It certainly will help pass the time until the third feature film is unleashed. Here’s the formal announcement:
This summer, loyal fans and collectors can finally bring home a new installment of the ongoing animated saga of TRANSFORMERS as FORTRESS MAXIMUS, SCORPONOK and rest of the Headmasters make their U.S. home entertainment debut in TRANSFORMERS: THE JAPANESE COLLECTION – Headmasters DVD set from Shout! Factory, in collaboration with Hasbro, Inc.
THE TRANSFORMERS – Headmasters is the first part of the rare Japanese trilogy that followed the popular “Generation 1” animated series. Available for the first time in North America, this collectible 4-DVD set features the complete action-packed episodes from the Headmasters series and contains the original Japanese language tracks along with updated English subtitles, a rare art gallery and more! Poised to attract an audience of pop culture enthusiasts, kids and parents who grew up with the American animated series, TRANSFORMERS: The Japanese Collection – Headmasters is priced to own with a suggested retail price of $29.93.
TRANSFORMERS: THE JAPANESE COLLECTION – Headmasters4-DVD Set
Synopsis:
Optimus Prime lives again, the energy of the Matrix has been released and peace reigns on Cybertron . . . but all that is about to change with the startling arrival of the newest breed of Transformers warriors — the Headmasters! Bonus Features Include:
Announcing All-New Doc Savage Novels!
BOSTON, MA—JUNE 14, 2011: Altus Press is excited to announce the launch of The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage, the first in a new series of blockbuster novels starring the legendary pulp superhero in nearly 20 years.
Written by prolific pulp writer Will Murray, who has won acclaim for his unequalled ten-year tenure ghostwriting Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir’s Destroyer action-adventure series, The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage is a continuation of the well-received Doc novels Murray wrote for Bantam Books back in the 1990s, along with the late Lester Dent. The posthumous collaborations will be published under time-honored byline, Kenneth Robeson.
“These new novels are kicked-up, over-the-top exploits of the Man of Bronze, pitting him against forces and foes never before encountered,” promises Murray. “This is not some comic book scripter’s concept of Doc Savage. It’s the real deal.”
Fully authorized by Condé Nast, trademark holder of Doc Savage and based upon unpublished outlines and manuscripts originally written by Lester Dent, the originating writer of the seminal Street & Smith superman, and licensed from the Heirs of Norma Dent, The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage begins with a searing story set in the summer of 1936, The Desert Demons!
“I’ve always had an uncanny knack of writing novels that are more topical when published than when I wrote them,” Murray revealed. “Witness Nick Fury; Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D: Empyre. Published in 2000, it reads like a blueprint for the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., right down to the use of passenger aircraft piloted by terrorists to decimate U.S. cities.
“In The Desert Demons, a rash of unexplainable tornado-like outbreaks wreak havoc in California, calling Doc Savage and his men into action. And what action! Men and machinery are swallowed up by the scarlet cyclones, never to be seen again. Some chapters read like news reports of the Spring of 2011. Let’s hope we have a happy ending in real life! The entire Doc Savage cast is back for this reintroductory episode, including fan-favorite Patricia Savage.”
Murray also reunites with his other Doc Savage collaborator, award-winning artist and sculptor Joe DeVito, who will paint the covers from never-seen photographs of model Steve Holland, who posed for the best-selling James Bama covers as the living embodiment of the Man of Bronze. These vintage photos were donated to the project by Mr. Bama.
DeVito notes, “Working with Doc Savage again might best be described as revisiting old friends: both figuratively and literally. Collaborating with Will Murray, working from classic photos of the late Steve Holland provided by Jim Bama to illustrate the first super hero of them all… I guess I can also describe it as FUN!”
The Desert Demons will be released in July, followed by a second wild exploit, Horror In Gold, by late summer. Seven new novels are planned. Murray promises the familiar characters in their rightful time period, but with a definite edge to them.
“Since I wrote my last Bantam Books Doc,” Murray commented, “a lot of writers have taken a swing at the bronze man, and struck out. It was painful to watch. So Lester Dent and I have come out of semi-retirement to show everyone how Doc Savage is done. With the recent release of Python Isle, the first of my original seven Doc novels to be released as audiobooks by Radioarchives.com, I’m proclaiming this the Summer of Doc Savage. Doc is back. For real this time.”
The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage will be released in a variety of formats:
—6″x9″ trade paperbacks which will be available to bookstores and comic shops everywhere, as well as to individual purchasers through the official Wild Adventures of Doc Savage website, www.adventuresinbronze.com.
—6″x9″deluxe hardcovers which will contain an illustrated Afterword detailing the background creation of each novel, as well as bonus articles and biographies by Will Murray and others—available in this edition only. These will also include signed bookplates autographed by Will Murray, artist Joe DeVito, and “Lester Dent” (in facsimile).
—e-book formats available for all the most popular e-readers: Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, Barnes & Noble Nook, and Apple’s iBookstore (for the iPad and iPhone).
Website: www.adventuresinbronze.com
Facebook Page: The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8TNkeHk3Fo[/youtube]
In the year 2000, American McGee’s Alice took the story of Alice in Wonderland and turned it on it’s already twisted head. As a sequel of sorts to the books, the game opens with an accidental fire destroying Alice’s home in Victorian London, in which her parents and sister die. Alice then attempts to commit suicide (due to survivor’s guilt) and is committed to Rutledge Asylum. While there, her shattered psyche has her (and players) revisiting the Wonderland of her childhood, now decayed under the rule of the Queen of Hearts. By the game’s end, she destroys the Queen (who some believe to be a manifestation of her own insanity) and restores Wonderland to its original charm and glory, and is declared stable (or stable enough) to leave the asylum.
Perhaps that wasn’t for the best, however. In [[[Alice: Madness Returns]]] (out now on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360), it’s eleven years since Alice left Rutledge (and, ironically, eleven years after the original game). Alice is living with and being cared for by a child psychiatrist in London (as his oldest patient), and the death of her family continues to stalk her. Her madness has manifested again, and now she finds herself returning to Wonderland – albeit the Wonderland that we now know to be imagined – in order to restore order to its now-recurring chaos. This time, though, there’s an bigger question fueling her madness: was the fire that caused it all accidental?
The game divides its time between two settings: Victorian London, with its bleak, muted color palette, and the visual mind-bender that is Wonderland. Take Tim Burton, throw him in a blender with Dali and Picasso, and add a dash of steroids and heroin, and you’ll have a rough approximation of the visuals here. The settings are stunning, from the steampunk-esque Hatter stage, to the underwater follies of the carpenter and the Walrus, to the card bridge and the Queensworld…it’s all, well, fairly crazy actually. The animation is also fluid, as Alice jumps, twirls and floats through demonic paranoias and her own destroyed psyche, made visual in Wonderland. She can even shrink in size to pass through keyholes, which also gives her a new perspective on the layout of a level, revealing hidden clues as to where to go next, or thing she just couldn’t see at normal size.
At it’s heart, Madness Returns is a platformer, but there’s a heavy bent on action. Alice has many weapons at her disposal to use against the negative densiens of her mind. At first, black slime with babydoll faces known as “ruins” populate the land, and Alice can dispatch them with her trusty Vorpal Blade (which goes Snicker-Snack!) or a Pepper Grinder (basically a hand-cranked machine gun). Later she gains a Hobby Horse, which she uses as a melee club to bash and smash. All of these weapons flow effectively into one another for combos, and when combined with the dodge move, become invaluable in escaping hasty death from an onslaught of enemies. After traversing some areas, the foes become more familiar, namely the Card Guards, only now more…demon-esque.
As a platformer, there’s also a good amount of gathering collectibles, and each one has it’s own use. Scattered throughout the land are memories, which piece together the story for Alice (and the player). There are also teeth, which Alice gathers from fallen foes or smashable objects, and are used as currency in the game to upgrade weapons. It all seems like typical fare for an action platformer, but teh setting and storyline are really what set this one apart. There’s some truly messed-up things here, and the game really pushes the M rating.
If there were one complaint to make towards the game, it’s more about the little hiccups you encounter during gameplay. Sometimes, Alice will get hung up on an invisible wall or something in the floor, usually after releasing the “shrink” button on the controller. It’s a minor setback, but when the animation is usualy so fluid, getting held up in a graphical glitch can take one out of the moment. Also, the level layout is preposterously long. One chapter can have several individual sections, feeling like their own levels, but are really part of the chapter istelf. Sometimes this works to move the story along, and sometimes it gives the player the feeling of the developers trying to drag out the length of the game. Alice herself even comments on this, in a manor, when asked repeatedly by various characters in the game to do tasks for her, acting as though the level would be much shorter had they simply done teh task themselves. But then, it wouldn’t be a game then, would it?
While it isn’t a perfect game, it is certainly a fun one, and visually, one that will take hold of you, with it’s abstract settings and newspaper cut-out style cut scenes. It’s all very stylized and slick. As an added bonus, the original American McGee’s Alice is included on the disc (unlockable by download on an online pass included with new copies of the game). Playing through it is definitely a treat to those not familiar with the original, though I will say, it hasn’t held up well over time.
If you’re looking for solid action, decent platforming and puzzles, and a intriguing storyline, you needn’t look much further than here. While it may seems a bit unfair at times with the number of enemies beset upon you, the story is one certainly worth going through, and the adventure is truly a fascinating one. Horiffic though it may be for our heroine.
Rating (based on a scale of BUY IT, RENT IT, SKIP IT):
BUY IT!
You can tell the final film in the Harry Potter series is nearly upon us. All manner of licensed material is being dumped into the marketplace, but few come with their own trailer. Check this out.
Get ready to transform yourself into a real wizard when you order Harry Potter Chess! Each richly-illustrated chess manual teaches you the skills to play like a master — whether you’re a beginner or already know the game. The authentic, scaled-down replica of the giant wizards chess game from Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone™ lets you bring chess-playing fun to life — right in your home! Each piece is “enchanted” with its own special effect: Knights neigh, Queens glow, Bishops crash and Rooks float as if by magic! This set is not available in stores so order yours today before this limited time offer disappears.
Your Complete Harry Potter Chess Collection Includes:
It’s not really Monday anymore, but this is way too good to let wait.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR1DdMeVqTw[/youtube]
Yes, it’s short… it’s still in previews. You’ll see the full thing in the fall, but you won’t see it on Broadway– only on Sesame Street as it starts its 42nd season. I can’t wait!
by Philip Jose Farmer
Holmes and Watson take to the skies in the quest of the nefarious Von Bork and his weapon of dread… A night sky aerial engagement with the deadly Fokker nearly claims three brilliant lives… And an historic alliance is formed, whereby Baker Street’s enigmatic mystery-solver and Greystoke, the noble savage, peer of the realm and lord of the jungle, team up to bring down the hellish hun!
This edition also contains a brand new afterword by Win Scott Eckert and a bonus preview of the new Kim Newman novel, Moriarty: The Hound of the D’Urbervilles.
[[[BATMAN: NOEL]]] DELUXE EDITION HC
Written by LEE BERMEJO
Art and cover by LEE BERMEJO
On sale NOVEMBER 2 • 112 pg, FC, 7.0625” x 10.875”,
$22.99 US
Inspired by Charles Dickens’ immortal classic A Christmas Carol, BATMAN: NOEL features different interpretations of The Dark Knight, along with his enemies and allies, in different eras, from writer/artist Lee Bermejo (JOKER).
In this spectacular, oversized graphic novel, Batman must come to terms with his past, present and future as he battles villains from the campy 1960s to dark and brooding menaces of today, while exploring what it means to be the hero that he is.