In 1980, we were all transfixed by the show COSMOS, hosted by the late Dr. Carl Sagan. Now Seth MacFarlane is producing a new COSMOS, headed by Neil DeGrasse Tyson and with strong ties and much respect for the original. We’ll tell you just what those are as Neil talks about his plans for the series, Plus DC decides it’s a look at the future for the next Big Event.
COSMOS premieres on NatGeo, Fox and several other outlets this Sunday (March 9th). See more at CosmosOnTV.Com
The ladies from the FX Animated series ARCHER provide it all. Beauty, brains and belly laughs. Aisha Tyler, Amber Nash, Judy Greer and Jessica Walter talk about the show, their best lines and how different (or similar) they are to the characters they play. Plus Amazon saves RIPPER STREET and METAL HURLANT hits The U.S.
A few days ago I decided enough was enough. My rig was light on hardware, but I had a few good programs and some decent resources at my disposal, so it seemed time to take on Jinteki Corporation, whose work in the biotech sector I can only assume is more sinister than the public realizes. I made a run at a few of their servers in the hopes of scoring some of their secret agendas, but it wasn’t long before they’d lured me into a trap that put an end to my attempt at hacking them. Then again, I’m sure I’ll make another run at them in the near future since all of this happened in Android: Netrunner, a card game I’ve recently become enamored with.
Prior to six months ago, I hadn’t played a tabletop game in years. This is probably not very unusual for an adult; but even as a kid, I didn’t play them often. My infrequent interaction with board and card games probably had something to do with the fact that I’m an only child who wasn’t particularly socially skilled, meaning a group of playmates with which to play games wasn’t a given for me. But it was probably also partially due to the fact that most of the board and card games I was exposed to never struck me as particularly unique or engaging. Sure, a game of Scrabble here or a hand of Uno there could be fun, but I never found myself jonsing for another round of either, or any of their ilk.
Then what happened six months ago, you may ask? A friend of mine introduced me to a slew of new titles over the course of a two-day gaming marathon. They ranged from card game Dominion, to storytelling game Fiasco, to the Game of Thrones board game, to name a few. Over more than 15 hours of gaming, I found that I liked almost every game we played. A couple more get-togethers after that turned into me introducing other people to some of the titles I’d enjoyed most, and I realized that as quickly as I’d started wanting to play a board or card game once a month, I’d moved on to wanting to play one once a week. When my gaming Sherpa introduced me to Android: Netrunner a few days ago, it only took a single playthrough for me to immediately want my own set of the game.
But how was tabletop gaming able to suck me in so fast? The larger selection, greater uniqueness, and higher quality of titles today are certainly big factors. And I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that a lot of my friends are into tabletop gaming now too. Of course the combination of more engaging games and a circle of friends to play them with will make the experience of gaming now much better than my childhood experiences. Ultimately, I don’t think my status as a tabletop game convert can be entirely credited to the games themselves, or the people I play them with (fun and lovely as both are). Like many other things in my life, my gaming geek outs can be traced back to a pretty simple fact about me as a person:
I am a fangirl.
When I get into a new TV show, I move incredibly quickly from pilot viewing to binge watching. When I like a book that kicks off a series, I don’t wait to finish the first installment before buying the rest of them. And when I started doing improv, I was going to at least three shows a week before I’d finished my level one class. But this behavior doesn’t come from a conscious decision on my part to get more into the things I like. And I’m also not a fangirl of things like Doctor Who and the Mountain Goats because something about them made me love them exponentially more than other shows and bands, respectively. I’m a fangirl because (for better or for worse) anything I love, I love intensely. My favorite movies and comics may bring out signs of this propensity, but the trait itself is ingrained in me independent of any specific work. Trekkie or Browncoat, Gaimanite or Potterhead, I think all fanboys and fangirls have this in common. We couldn’t keep ourselves from nerding out about the things we like if we tried. Then again, who would bother trying? Embracing my status as a fangirl makes it easy to unabashedly delve headlong into anything I think is cool and have a great time doing it.
Speaking of which, I’ve got some reading up to do on Android: Netrunner expansions, because new packs of cards are released monthly so you can keep customizing and honing your personal deck. How cool is that?!
Doctor Who has gotten a number of videogames in the last couple of years, from games for the Playstation 3 to a Nintendo 3Ds version of the card game Top Trumps. Doctor Who: Legacy is the latest in the series, a game for iOS and Android tablets and phones that packs a great deal of addicting gameplay into a simple mechanic.
At its core, Legacy is an iteration of the “Line up three jewels” game as seen in the many variations of Bejweled. The big different is the player is not limited to moving an “orb” only one spot, but anywhere on the screen, within a number of seconds. With orbs sliding out of its way as you go, this simple change allows a deft player to set up a number of combos in one play. It’s s skill that takes a bit to get used to, but opens up a great deal of strategy.
In the game, you play The Doctor and his companions, each of whom are assigned one of five orb colors on the game board, with a sixth (pink) for restoring hit points.. You are presented with wave upon wave of villains who attack you with energy blasts and special attacks, shaving down your health. When you line up three or more of one color, the character assigned to that color attacks the enemies, or the pink orbs restore health to the team. Combos allow more than one character to attack at once, and multiplies the total damage. Your characters have varied attack and hitpoint values they add to the team, and each has special powers that become available every few rounds – change orb colors, increase damage, or restore health. Combining that with the flexible orb placement on the field, the game keeps itself fresh, more than simply swapping jewels endlessly.
Like all free-to-play games, there’s an option to buy items, represented here by Time Crystals, which allow you to continue playing if you’re well into a long level, are used to rank up your characters for greater power and strength, and to buy packs of extra companions. The game is exceedingly fair about making the crystals available in the game as well, and with patience, you can score all the companions as random rewards for completing levels. As a thank you for buying, the game allows you access to the “fan area” after your first purchase of 5 or more Crystals. The fan area offers extra levels, special “fan versions” of companions, and more bonuses to be added later. It’s a fair value for at least that first five bucks; indeed the game itself would be worth that if they had chosen to charge.
One caveat – the game needs an internet connection at startup to sync with the servers and download updates, so have one ready before you play. Right now the developers are running a special “Advent Calendar” promotion via their facebook page – Liking their page gives you access to promo codes for extra companions and outfits for your characters. There’s a lot of value packed into the game, and it’s a welcome addition to your portable device.
(March 28, 2013- Bellingham, WA) – Motionworks, the new digital comics experience, is proud to announce an exclusive relationship with Space Goat Productions, the premier comic book talent management and production company. Space Goat is now Motionworks’ exclusive service provider of art and animation services. Titles can be viewed at www.Motionworksent.com.
With its worldwide network of top comic book talent and its veteran management team, Space Goat will be the sole art provider and packager for the Motionworks titles.
“We’re thrilled to be a part of this exciting evolution in storytelling,” said Shon Bury of Space Goat Productions. “By matching top talent with these exciting concepts, we can supply strong storytelling that will keep readers surprised and thrilled.”
Motionworks Entertainment recently launched with James O’Barr’s Sundown, a Gothic Western. Combining both motion and music, Motionworks offers an immersive, multilayered experience. Other properties quickly followed, including Octane, The Interactive Ruppie Girls and Katie Greaven. These stories are available via iOS and Android platforms.
It is exciting to get our artists involved with new storytelling technologies,” said Bury. “How people find, buy, read and enjoy comics is changing. Artists with experience in the new formats are going to be more valuable and better prepared for the future.”
“It’s all about telling stories and engagement,” said Alexis Alarcon CEO of Motionworks. “We have great ideas and we have a great platform. And now, thanks to our relationship with Space Goat, we will have a steady stream of strong creators to bring it all to life”.
You won’t need magical powers to take a journey down the Yellow Brick Road; just point your favorite browser to the latest Chrome Experiment, “Find Your Way to Oz.” Developed in collaboration with Disney and UNIT9 in anticipation of the upcoming film, Oz The Great and Powerful, this experiment takes you through a dusty Kansas circus and leads to a vibrant land, following in the footsteps of the Wizard himself.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/_2iDDI6Stx0[/youtube]
Like any good circus, there’s plenty to keep you entertained: compose your own music, play with a fun photo booth and create your own movie with a zoetrope. The path to Oz also involves confronting an ominous tornado; surviving it completes the journey, enabling fans of the movie to watch an exclusive unreleased clip from the film.
Chrome Experiments like “Find Your Way to Oz” would have been impossible a few years ago. Since that time, the web has evolved and allowed developers and designers to create immersive beautiful experiences. For “Find Your Way to Oz” the 3D environment was built entirely with new technologies such as WebGL and CSS3. It’s enhanced by rich audio effects thanks to the Web Audio Application Programming Interface (API). The photo booth and zoetrope were built using the getUserMedia feature of WebRTC, which grants webpages access to your computer’s camera and microphone (with your permission).
For the best experience, you’ll need to use an up-to-date computer built to handle intense graphics. It also works best with a webcam and a modern browser that supports WebGL and WebRTC, like Chrome. The experience also works best on For tablet or smartphone users, we have a smaller scale yet equally enjoyable experience that you can try with the latest Chrome browser on your Android device, iPhone or iPad.
If you want to learn more, or run away and join the developer circus, you can get an explanation of the technologies used on the Chromium blog or in Google’s technical case study.
In a move widely expected to happen after the exclusive with Amazon expired, Barnes & Noble today announced a partnership with DC Entertainment to put graphic novels featuring DC Comics and Vertigo characters like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Sandman to the NOOK Tablet and NOOK Color, as well as Android tablets via the NOOK for Android app.
With the addition of DC Entertainment content, Barnes & Noble is also introducing Zoom View, an all-new NOOK Comics feature designed for NOOK Tablet and NOOK Color. Zoom View allows readers to focus in on individual panels in graphic novels and comics, allowing them to fully enjoy the stunning artwork and compelling storytelling that brings this genre to life. Zoom View will be immediately available on all DC Entertainment titles.
“Our goal is to reach the broadest possible audience and this new partnership with Barnes & Noble brings Batman, Superman and many other iconic DC Comics and Vertigo characters to the millions of NOOK Tablet and NOOK Color readers,” said Jim Lee, co-publisher of DC Entertainment. “The new Zoom View feature makes our comics even easier to read, and emphasizes the graphic and artistic storytelling that is paramount to our art form.”
“Barnes & Noble is committed to offering NOOK customers a wide selection of digital graphic novels, and we’re excited to offer DC Entertainment’s fan-favorite collections on NOOK,” said Jim Hilt, Vice President, eBooks for Barnes & Noble. “The new Zoom View feature makes the reading experience even more interactive, and takes these graphic novels to a whole new level of entertainment.”
With more than 100 DC Entertainment graphic novels now available, the world’s greatest superheroes, their most acclaimed stories and most powerful graphic novels are on NOOK. More titles will be added every month and can be purchased at www.nook.com/dccomics, or directly on NOOK Tablet, NOOK Color, and Android tablets via the NOOK for Android app. DC Entertainment’s graphic novels are also available in Barnes & Noble retail locations.
Key DC Entertainment titles that are available immediately include graphic novel titles from DC COMICS – THE NEW 52, including Justice League, Vol. 1: Origin, Animal Man Vol. 1: The Hunt, Batman Vol. 1: The Court of Owls, Justice League International Vol. 1: The Signal Masters, Catwoman Vol. 1: The Game, Green Lantern Vol. 1: Sinestro, Stormwatch Vol. 1: The Dark Side, Green Arrow Vol. 1: The Midas Touch, Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Blood, and Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 1: Faces of Death.
Other best-selling graphic novels including Watchmen, All Star Superman Vol. 1 and 2, Fables Vol. 1-15, The Sandman Vol. 1-10, Superman Earth One, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 1-2, V for Vendetta, Batman: Hush, and Batman: Year One, among many others.
Former BOOM! Stuidos exec/writer Ian Brill has been teasing us all week with some images and today he finally unveiled what he’s been up to. His new book is bypassing the Diamond distribution system and while he’s not alone in this bold step, he is one of the ore high profile people doing this. Here’s the formal release:
June 8th 2012 – Los Angeles – When Ian Brill set out to write a new vision of Dracula, he called on some of the greatest talents in comics to bring it to life —Tonci Zonjic (WHO IS JAKE ELLIS?), Rahsan Ekedal (ECHOES, SOLOMN KANE), Declan Shalvey (THUNDERBOLTS, 28 DAYS LATER), and Gabriel Hardman (HULK, BETRAYAL OF THE PLANET OF THE APES). This June 13th, comic fans everywhere can find DRACULA WORLD ORDER at select retailers across the North America and exclusively worldwide digitally on comiXology across their entire platform including iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire and the web.
Following in the foot steps of Sam Humphries’ OUR LOVE IS REAL and SACRIFICE, Ian Brill’s DRACULA WORLD ORDER is self-published by the author and is offered digitally on comiXology while at the same time a very limited 300 copy print run will be available from these retailers:
4 Color Fantasies in Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Beach Ball Comics in Anaheim, CA
The Beguiling in Toronto, Canada
Collector’s Paradise in Winnetka and Pasadena, CA
Comix Experience in San Francisco, CA
Desert Island in Brooklyn, NY
Laughing Ogre Comics in Lansdowne, VA, Fairfax, VA and Columbus, OH
Featuring an all star cast of today’s best artists and written by Ian Brill, DRACULA WORLD ORDER tells the story of how the greatest villain of all, Count Dracula, takes advantage of a world on the brink of economic collapse. In a world where the top 1% of the population are vampires, the rest of the human race are prisoners…or the 1%’s next meal. Dracula’s own son Alexandru leads the 99% in rebellion against the Vampire elite – in a battle that will leave you breathless.
Within four startling chapters Tonci Zonjic (WHO IS JAKE ELLIS?), Rahsan Ekedal (ECHOES, SOLOMN KANE), Declan Shalvey (THUNDERBOLTS, 28 DAYS LATER), and Gabriel Hardman (HULK, BETRAYAL OF THE PLANET OF THE APES) bring their amazing talents to Brill’s story. With Zonjic, Jordie Bellaire (BETRAYAL OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, FANTASTIC FOUR), and Stephen Downer (DRACULA: THE COMPANY OF MONSTERS, DRACULA THE UNCONQUERED) bring searing color art, with the amazing Josh Krach lettering the book. All of this under an amazing cover by Shalvey and Bellaire.
Advance praise for DRACULA WORLD ORDER:
“This would be incredibly cool even if it didn’t have some of my favorite artists working! Brill is making one of those books that get me excited about comics, and I would like to read a lot more of this. Read DWO and spread the word, this is the real deal!” says Jeff Parker, writer of HULK and THUNDERBOLTS.
Brill will be celebrating the release of DRACULA WORLD ORDER is dual signings on the release date. He will be at Beach Ball Comics in Anaheim, CA from 12-2 and Collector’s Paradise in Winnetka, CA from 5-8.
Hard to believe it’s been thirty years since that magical summer when tons of great films were released including Steven Spielberg’s E.T.: The Extraterrestrial. The film will celebrate the occasion with several events beginning with an exclusive airing Friday on The Hub on at 9 p.m.
It’s the season of Spielberg, it seems, as first Jaws, then E.T. and the Indiana Jones films finally make their Blu-ray debuts. The sea thriller will be out in August while the other two are scheduled for October releases.
Here are the E.T. release details from Universal Home Entertainment:
Universal City, California, May 30, 2012 – E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Academy Award®-winning director Steven Spielberg’s magical adventure, celebrates its 30th Anniversary with its first-ever release on Blu-ray™ this October. Featuring an all-new, digitally remastered picture that delivers six times the resolution of DVD, as well as all-new 7.1 surroundsound, the E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Anniversary Edition Blu-ray™ Combo Pack includes the 1982 theatrical movie, an all-new interview with director Steven Spielberg, and “The E.T. Journals” featuring never-before-seen footage from the set of the film. The Blu-ray™ Combo Pack also includes UltraViolet™, a DVD and a Digital Copy of the film, offering fans a chance to relive the mystery, laughter and wonder of the iconic movie anytime, anywhere on the platform of their choice.
BURBANK, CA (March 5 2012) – A betrayal. A reluctant leader. A journey like no other. A roaring return for a mighty menagerie of animation icons. Join Lion-O, Panthro, Snarf and more as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment releasesThunderCats: Season 1, Book 2on DVD June 5, 2012. The two-disc set includes eight action-packed episodes from the second half of the acclaimed first season of ThunderCats. Starring Will Friedle, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Madeleine Hall, Satomi Kohrogi, Matthew Mercer, Eamon Pirruccello, Kevin Michael Richardson, Dee Bradley Baker, Clancy Brown, Corey Burton, Robin Atkin Downes and Larry Kenney, ThunderCats is executive produced by Sam Register with Michael Jelenic and Ethan Spaulding producing. The DVD set is priced to own at $19.97 SRP and has an order due date of May 1, 2012.In this reimagining of the seminal series from the 1980s, the ThunderCats are back in an all-new animated series that purrs with sensational stories starring your favorite characters in a sharp new telling of the story of prince Lion-O’s ascension to the throne — and those who would thwart his destiny at any cost. Along with Lion-O, follow the adventures of Tygra, Panthro, Snarf, Cheetara, WilyKit and WilyKat. As the threats of Mumm-Ra ring in their ears, these determined Cats know what they must do: find the Book of Omens, which holds the key to their future. Using his powerful Sword of Omens to achieve “sight beyond sight,” Lion-O guides his friends across the lands, facing vicious foes and making new allies. Prowl with the ThunderCats in this all-new adventure series through outer wastelands, magical forests, other dimensions and even to the legendary temple that conceals their ancient secrets! (more…)
At its core, Legacy is an iteration of the “Line up three jewels” game as seen in the many variations of Bejweled. The big different is the player is not limited to moving an “orb” only one spot, but anywhere on the screen, within a number of seconds. With orbs sliding out of its way as you go, this simple change allows a deft player to set up a number of combos in one play. It’s s skill that takes a bit to get used to, but opens up a great deal of strategy.
