Author: Karl Cramer

SDCC: Mortal Kombat Versus DC Universe Explained

SDCC: Mortal Kombat Versus DC Universe Explained

The biggest North American comic convention wraps up another show. The hall is closed and the lights are off. But the videos from the show floor live on. 

Way back when Mortal Kombat Versus DC Universe was first announced fans worried that Superman would be a horribly unbalanced character. A veteran reader of many Silver Banshee attacks Superman storylines, I speculated that since the Mortal Kombat universe was steeped in magic, this would explain how Sub-Zero could freeze Superman or Scorpion could set him on fire. Turns out I was right.

 

Midway has released the video shown (seen below) at San Diego Comic-Con where creator Ed Boon explained to fans how his guys can beat up their guys. And it looks amazing! The video also explains new in-fight mechanics: close combat and free fall combat. Also in the video were fights featuring Batman, Flash, and Catwoman.

 

No word yet if the villain from the Superman Returns movie shows up: A rock. A really big rock.

 


Watchmen Comic Gets Animated on iTunes

Watchmen Comic Gets Animated on iTunes

Creators have been struggling with how to bring comics into the digital age: CD-ROMs, subscription based services like Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, or for free on the web like ComicMix.

A full-page ad in the most recent issue of Entertainment Weekly magazine gave readers a link to download the premiere episode of Watchmen Motion Comics for free on iTunes. Motion Comics is Warner Premiere’s new videos of comic books animated with full audio.

In many ways, it’s like those old Marvel cartoons where they took comic art and moved mouths and use limited animation to move cut-out pieces of art. But this time, they’re using modern digital manipulation technologies. The effect is weird, but it works. It’s Dave Gibbons’ art, but it’s moving.
 

Go to Comic-Con On Your Xbox

Go to Comic-Con On Your Xbox

The best way to experience the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con is to be there. The second best is to constantly refresh ComicMix.com. But the third might be to fire up your game console.

The Xbox 360’s online video service offered excellent coverage of last year’s Comic-Con. Not only did they show footage premiered at the con, they also offered daily wrap-ups, interviews with comic creators, and videos of entire panels. I didn’t fly out to California, but I saw J. Michael Straczynski’s Babylon 5 panel as if I had a front row seat.

To borrow a phrase from one of their upcoming games, this year the coverage will be “bigger, badder, and more bad ass.” Xbox LIVE has partnered with Warner Bros. and DC Comics to show a weekend’s worth of footage. For free! Hosting the events will Larry Hyrb, better known by his Gamertag as Major Nelson, the public face of Xbox LIVE. To start things off right, the service reposted their daily wrap-ups from last year.

Now if they could just figure out how to download a convention T-shirt, I’d be set.
 

Comic Books You Can Hear

Comic Books You Can Hear

You make no excuses that you’re a superhero fan. You buy your weekly stack of comics. You watch the blockbuster movies. You tune in to the TV shows. How can you possibly cram more superhero adventure in your life? Audiobooks. You can listen to comics while commuting, driving, or walking. (We’re not going to list exercising. We’re talking about fanboys here, after all.)

I just happened on GraphicAudio.net and figured it was worth mentioning here, as the company offers DC Comics based audio adventures and the tagline “A movie in your mind.” The recordings feature full cast, special effects, and musical score. They’re available as an audio CD, an MP3 CD, or as a digital download. They even adapt massive events like 52 and Infinite Crisis.

There are currently seven recordings available:

  • 52: Part 1
  • 52: Part 2
  • Batman: The Stone King
  • Infinite Crisis: Part 1
  • Infinite Crisis: Part 2
  • JLA: Exterminators
  • Superman: The Never Ending Battle

While I lightly mocked fans who buy these, I have to confess, I own the BBC audio adaptations of Batman: Knightfall and The Death and Life of Superman. And I loved them. Anyone know how to convert cassettes into MP3s?

Spider-Man Musical Casting Call

Spider-Man Musical Casting Call

Remember a year ago there we’re all these crazy news stories that producers were working on a Spider-Man Broadway musical? Julie Taymor directing. Music by Bono and the Edge from U2. A plot that revolves around a Spider Goddess. Yeah, that one.

Well, it looks like it’s going forward. Playbill reported that a reading of the story was scheduled to take place on July 12-13. And now an open casting call has been  announced for July 28 at New York City’s Knitting Factory. They’re auditioning three roles:

  • Peter Parker: male, age 16-20’s, great rock voice, nerdy with understated sex appeal and a good sense of humor.
  • Mary Jane: female, age 16-20’s, girl next door, strong pop/rock singing voice.
  • Spider Goddess: female, age 25-35, rock vocals. Sinead O’Connor-type with a Middle Eastern /Bulgarian/Greek/ twist. Foreign, world music types are great, foreign accents are great. All ethnicities will be considered.

Think you have what it takes? Bring headshot, resume, and sheet music of 16 bars of a pop/rock song that shows your range. For more info e-mail: spidermancasting [at] gmail [dot] com

E3 2008: ‘DC Universe Online’ Playable at SDCC

E3 2008: ‘DC Universe Online’ Playable at SDCC

On the Cheap Ass Gamer E3 podcast, Robert “Shipwreck” Goode found out some great news from a PR rep for DC Universe Online, the highly anticipated comic book based MMO role-playing game. The game will be demonstrated at San Diego Comic-Con and the public can play it!

He also got some hands-on time with DCUO and reported it departs from the usual point-and-click play of MMOs like World of Warcraft. Playing more like a traditional PlayStation 3 game, he described it as an "action MMO."

Over at Massively.com, a gaming website devoted to all things MMO, they talked with the developer dynamic duo of SOE-Austin VP of development John Blakely and DCOU Creative Director Chris Cao.

Some of the highlights from that article include: 

  • The storyline will explain why all these new heroes (you guys) start popping up.
  • One PvP battleground is the "Tomb of Isis," which forces everyone to eventually team-up when a very angry Black Adam finds opponents fighting around his wife’s grave.
  • The SDCC demo will be the “Brainiac Attacks!” event.
  • Another event scenario will be “Thanagarians Invade.” Expect regularly released events, much like Warcaft holidays.
  • They still haven’t finalized the business model (the cited reason why Microsoft canceled Marvel Universe Online). Play for free after buying the retail copy? A monthly fee? In-game ads plastered all over Metropolis? It’s anyone’s guess at this point. 
E3 2008: New ‘Spider-Man: Web of Shadows’ Gameplay Footage

E3 2008: New ‘Spider-Man: Web of Shadows’ Gameplay Footage

Even Sam Raimi would be hard-pressed to choreograph a great fight between Spider-Man and the Vulture. I mean, c’mon. Adriane Toomes is an old man who dresses like a carrion-eating bird. He’s not one of Spidey’s A-list bad guys.

After watching Activision’s latest footage for the Spider-Man: Web of Shadows videogame, I believe a man can fly… and fight! The battle highlighted developer Shaba Games promise to bring Spider-Man’s mid-air battles to life.

Also note Peter Parker giving in to his dark side and letting the black costume take control. The balance between the classic and black costumes is supposed to be a major point of the game.

Video of the gameplay is posted after the jump.

 

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E3 2008: More on ‘Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 Fusion’

E3 2008: More on ‘Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 Fusion’

Consider it the worst kept secret since Spider-Man’s secret identity. (Well, before One More Day.) Through stock reports and other PR events, Activision had pretty much said that a sequel to Marvel: Ultimate Alliance was on the way.

As we reported earlier today, they revealed the official name at Activision’s E3 press conference: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 Fusion. The subtitle comes from the heroes now combining their abilities for “an astonishing number of powers.” The demonstration teased Iron Man’s laser beams and the Invisible Woman’s forcefield building up to something but they stopped before showing the result. In the original MUA, when two characters attacked the same enemy, a bonus would be added for performing the combo. A “+2 to damage” sort of thing. The new system is more along the lines of the Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer videogame adaptation, where the Human Torch filled Invisible Woman’s force bubble with fire so she could hurl it as a bomb.

As for as the storyline, Activision didn’t confirm the rumors that it revolved around the Civil War story from the comics (despite Brian Bendis’ saying as much in our recent interview with him). If anything, the footage shown made it seem like Latveria was attacking the world.

The series has been an odd mixture of the Ultimate and classic Marvel universes, but Wolverine was shown now wearing his yellow uniform from Astonishing X-Men, as seen in the video posted after the jump.

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E3 2008: PS2 ‘LEGO Batman’ Bundle Announced

E3 2008: PS2 ‘LEGO Batman’ Bundle Announced

Is there anyone who wants a PlayStation 2 that hasn’t gotten one at this point? Well, the answer must be "yes" because, to the embarrassment of the next-gen game systems, people are still buying the PS2 in greater numbers than its online, Blu-Ray PlayStation 3 brethren. Not surprising when you consider the latter is a $400-500 purchase.

If you’re not billionaire Bruce Wayne, and you’re quite happy with regular DVDs and keeping your gaming largely offline, then you might want to consider Sony’s upcoming LEGO Batman bundle for the PlayStation 2, announced at the recent E3 technology convention. For $149.99 you get the latest model of the PS2, LEGO Batman, and a DVD of Justice League: The New Frontier. It’s a package that seems geared specifically for the comic fan.

Even LEGO Catwoman would consider that a steal.
 

E3 2008: ‘DC Universe Online’ Premieres

E3 2008: ‘DC Universe Online’ Premieres

The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is the annual event where the videogame industry tries to outdo each other by dazzling the press with the best games coming down the pipe. After exciting the crowd with big exclusive titles like Resistance 2 and Little Big Planet, Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA) President & CEO Jack Tretton brought out Jim Lee to talk about DC Universe Online.

All those years of comic convention showmanship paid off when Lee played off an earlier joke by Tretton that this was the stage where Jack Palance did his one-armed pushups at the Oscars — by doing a set himself before taking the microphone. (And thanks, Jim, for breaking the stereotype of the out-of-shape comic fan to a mass audience.)

Lee went on to discuss how his role as Creative Director for the project fulfilled his 12-year-old fantasies of comics and videogames.

"This is really a dream project for me," said Lee. "When I was a kid, my parents wanted me to become a doctor and follow in my father’s footsteps. Meanwhile, I wanted to read comic books, and even started my own comic book line. As far as my other obsession? I remain an avid gamer today. Hooked on MMOs and even started playing Everquest on launch day. I was the first Paladin to get Fire Avenger."

Pausing while the crowd of videogame journalists laughed, he added, "No, it sounded cool at the time!"

Explaining that DC Universe Online will allow PlayStation 3 and PC gamers to become actively involved in the DC Comics world, Lee asked the crowd to imagine being a hero or a villain alongside the likes of Superman, Batman, or the Joker.

Then he introduced the first footage of the game, which I’ve posted after the jump.

 

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