Animated Supergirl Goodness!

If you are a fan of the Warner’s Home Video series of DC animated features (and who isn’t??) there is some GREAT news! The next new release will be an adaptation of the Supergirl From Krypton story arc from Superman/Batman# 8-13! As long time readers of Superman/Batman will tell you, this arc is very possibly the highpoint of the series. This is the second feature to be based on Superman/Batman (public Enemies was the first).

Kevin Conroy and Tim Daly are back voicing Batman and Superman respectively. AND the luscious and quirky Summer Glau (Serenity, Sarah Conner Chronicles, Dollhouse) will be voicing Kara Zor-El.

And on top of that viewers will eb treated to another 10 minute Showcase short featuring green Arrow!

With Batman: Under The Red Hood slated for a late July release and Superman/Batman Apocalypse coming in the fall Warner’s continues to completely dominate the animated superhero arena!
Below is the official Warner’s press release release

THE END IS NEAR!WORLD’S FINEST WAGE WAR WITH DARKSEID IN ALL-NEW DC UNIVERSE ANIMATED ORIGNAL MOVIE SUPERMAN/BATMAN: APOCALYPSE AVAILABLE FROM WARNER HOME VIDEO SEPTEMBER 28, 2010!
Andre Braugher, Summer Glau, Ed Asner join popular voices Kevin Conroy & Tim Daly; New DC Showcase GREEN ARROW on Special Edition Blu-ray & 2-Disc Special Edition DVD
To save an earthbound Kryptonian, the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight unite once again – this time to battle the powerful forces of Darkseid – in Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, the ninth entry in the popular, ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies coming September 28, 2010 from Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation. The highly anticipated, full-length film will be distributed by Warner Home Video as a Special Edition Blu-Ray™ and 2-Disc Special Edition DVD as well as single disc DVD. The film will also be available On Demand and for Download.
Fan favorites Tim Daly (Private Practice) and Kevin Conroy (China Beach) return to their seminal roles as Superman and Batman, respectively. The celebrity-laden guest cast is headed by Andre Braugher (Men of a Certain Age) as the daunting Darkseid. Sci-Fi heroine Summer Glau (Serenity/Firefly, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) provides the voice of Supergirl, and seven-time Emmy Award winner Ed Asner (Up) reprises his Superman: The Animated Series/Justice League role as Granny Goodness.
Based on the DC Comics series/graphic novel Superman/Batman: Supergirl by Jeph Loeb, Michael Turner & Peter Steigerwald, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse is produced by animation legend Bruce Timm and directed by Lauren Montgomery (Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths) from a script by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Tab Murphy (Gorillas in the Mist).
After a spaceship splashes down in Gotham City Harbor, Batman and Superman encounter a mysterious Kryptonian with powers as great as those of the Man of Steel. The Kryptonian is soon revealed to be Kara, cousin of Superman, who takes her under his wing to educate her about the ways of Earth. However, the villainous Darkseid has other plans. Seeing an opportunity to finally defeat Superman, Darkseid abducts and gains control of Kara, utilizing the powerful Kryptonian to do his bidding. It’s up to Batman and Superman to save Kara, but they’ll have to take the fight to Darkseid within his hostile world – where unknown, deadly threats lurk around every corner, including a brainwashed Kryptonian able to match Superman blow-for-blow.
In addition to the feature film, the Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Special Edition Blu-Ray™ and 2-Disc Special Edition DVD include the third DC Showcase animated short, Green Arrow. Screenwriter Greg Weisman’s story finds Oliver Queen at the Star City International Airport to pick up his girlfriend, only to be forced into action as Green Arrow to protect the 10-year-old Princess of Vlatava from his old nemesis Merlyn the Magnificent and the League of Assassins. The short features the voices of Neal McDonough (Desperate Housewives) and Malcolm McDowell (Entourage). Bruce Timm is executive producer.
Superman/Batman: Apocalypse 2-Disc Special Edition DVD features more than 1 1/2 hours of exciting extra content, including:
· Feature film (est. 75 min)
· DC Showcase: Green Arrow(10 min)
· Sneak Peak at the Next DC Universe Animated Original Movie (10 min)
· Featurette: Supergirl: The Last Daughter of Krypton – A comprehensive look at The Maiden of Might from her introduction in the classic age of comics to her death in the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event to her appearance on Smallville and beyond.
· 2 bonus episodes from animated television series handpicked by Bruce Timm
Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Special Edition Blu-Ray™ will include more than 2 1/2 hours of intriguing bonus features, starting with all of the content available on the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD and adding:

· All-New Featurette: The New Gods. A primer on the wealth of material and stories contained in the New Gods series, along with a deeper understanding of why these characters – and especially Darkseid – are so memorable and important to the DC pantheon.
· All-New Featurette Pods
· Orion – The mightiest warrior on either New Genesis or Apokolips, Orion follows an almost Shakespearean arc culminating in the slaying of his father, Darkseid. This mini-featurette shines a light on this classically tragic character.
· Mister Miracle – This mini-featurette focuses on the greatest escape artist the universe has ever known and how he was traded in a peace effort to be raised by Darkseid, the enemy of all New Genesis.

· 2 additional bonus TV series episodes handpicked by Bruce Timm
· Digital copy on disc of the feature film

“Great things happen when powerful entities come together, and the partnership of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation is proud to continue this popular film series by once again uniting the two most popular characters in the DC Universe in a story that truly tests their strength, trust, loyalty, ingenuity and heroism,” said Matt Bierman, Senior Vice President Production, Warner Premiere.

“It is a testament to the larger-than-life nature of Jeph Loeb’s blockbuster storylines that two of the first nine DC Universe movies are based on his work,” said Geoff Johns, Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment. “Superman/Batman: Apocalypse lets us see Superman and Batman in action side-by-side again, but this time along with Supergirl and one of DC’s greatest villains, Darkseid.”

“Just as Superman and Batman stand atop the DC canon of characters, so do the respective seminal voices of Tim Daly and Kevin Conroy in the hearts and minds of fans. Superman/Batman: Apocalypse will no doubt please comic-centric and mainstream audiences alike – particularly in the performances of Daly and Conroy opposite dynamic actors like Andre Braugher and Ed Asner, and fanboy favorite Summer Glau,” said Amit Desai, WHV Vice President of Family, Animation & Partner Brands.

That's 30!

Mitch

NEWS & EVENTS FOR THE WEEK OF 6/30/10

BATMAN BEYOND LAUNCHES & WONDER WOMAN #600 THIS WEEK!

One great week passes us and another awaits us! DC's string of landmark issues continues this week with the release of Wonder Woman #600. Not only that but they'll also finally be releasing a book that many of you have been asking about - Batman Beyond #1! That's just a small sliver of all the great books that will be gracing our fine shelves this Wednesday so make sure you take a look at the list on the right and make sure you don't miss anything.

And of course a very big thank you goes out to both Rafer Roberts and Malcolm Jones for coming to the store for their Plastic Farm signing. We were absolutely delighted to have them along and we hope that those of you who came in and checked out their stuff dug it! If you missed them we have lots of Plastic Farm books for sale so be sure to give them a look!

For the rest of the news including our top picks, ways you can save additional money, great Magic the Gathering events and some other cool incentives we offer, keep reading!

OUR TOP 5 PICKS FOR THIS WEEK:





MTG 2011 CORE SET PRE-RELEASE & RELEASE



It's time again for a new set of Magic the Gathering to be released! Starting in mid-July, players will be able to try their hands at the new MTG 2011 Core Set and take part in some great events at Comic Book Jones to commemorate it's release.

First off is the 2011 Core Set Pre-Release Party which will start at Noon on Saturday, July 10th and feature a draft style tournament. Entry is $15 and this gets you 3 packs of the new set before it hits shelves the following week. We will have special pre-release only promos, giveaways, and door prizes, including the card pictured to the right so make sure you come down to check it out!

The very next week we have the official 2011 Core Set Release Party starting at 4:00pm on Friday, July 16th which includes a sealed tournament. The cost is $30 and each player will receive 6 packs. As with the pre-release there will be special day only promos and giveaways and door prizes. On this day we will have plenty of booster packs, fat packs, intro packs and booster boxes for sale so make sure you come down to take advantage of all the new set has to offer. As with our out MTG booster boxes, prices are locked in at $120 per box.

Both tournaments are swiss style and have a cap of 15 players. Players will be awarded a spot to play on a first come first serve basis, so get here early if you have to!

OFF WITH THE TOP OF MY HEAD!!

WHAT UP WORLD!!

Another exciting week in the world of comics. This week we finally get the scoop behind who the Red Hulk is and why he is the Red Hulk also another awesome chapter of Second Coming and The Avengers have to fix the time stream, not to mention that Green Arrow's new series kicked off this week. So let's get right to it.. I've got something to say!



X-MEN LEGACY #237

All seems truly lost as the waves of Nimrod Sentinels keep coming through the worm hole and beating the hell out of the X-Men. Cable and X-Force are battling for the fate of the Mutant species as they battle none other than Master Mold and Hope steps up to the plate and shows everyone what Cable has been teaching her since her birth and disappearance.
In the present, wave after wave of Nimrod Sentinels keep coming through and are stronger and stronger each time because they have the capability to learn from one attack to another. Every time one person destroys one with their powers or their surrounding the rest learn how to counter that attack and gain yet another advantage. Magneto, weak and still recovering from bringing the missile that held Kitty Pryde, joins the fight and isn't going to lay down and die along side his fellow mutants.
After Rogue talks to Hope, the two women join their comrades and fight back the Sentinels, to Hope's advantage, she has a gun from the 27th century, so the Sentinels cannot learn how to counter her gunning them down.
In the future with the help of Cypher's ability to talk to machines, they shut down the worm hole and destroy Master Mold. They also break Bastion's control over Trask just to watch the man kill himself because he doesn't want to be a part of Bastion's minions anymore. The only thing that really sucks is that the worm hole won't allow anything organic to pass through, which means that after everything they've done to save everyone, they can't save themselves.
My favorite part is when Hope confronts Cyclops after the worm hole is shut down. Cyclops attempts to console her about Cable but to no avail, Hope is just about ready to tear his head off his shoulders when the last person they expected to see passes through the shrinking worm hole....Cable.
This story just gets better and better and as much as I'd like to guess what could happen next, I cant. Two more parts to the story left, so lets hope this story goes out with a literal bang!

5 out of 5



THE AVENGERS #2

After Kang showed up last issue and told the Avengers that they need to find a way to get to the future and stop their own children from destroying the future, the Avengers seek out whomever they can to help them create a time machine. Luckily, they get in contact with Marvel Boy who is now going by the name The Protector and ask him if he's able to create a time machine in which they can travel to the future to set things right. Protector agrees to help them but refuses Iron Man any usage of any Kree technology because he says that the world isn't ready for it and they would kill each other with it. Protector creates the time machine and they begin to view several different time lines in the future. If you know your Marvel futures, you can see the 2099 universe, Days of Future Past, Future Imperfect, The Avengers Next, Iron Man 2020, Spider-Girl's universe, The Age of Apocalypse, The Guardians of the Galaxy and Death's Head 2's universe.
They find the future they're supposed to go and fix, they witness Immortus get killed by their children and see that in doing so, something broke the time stream. Leaving behind the image of the Maestro from the Hulk's Future Imperfect future. As the team is about ready to get everything they need in order to go on this mission, none other than Wonder Man comes crashing through the machine and destroys everything and battles the team telling them that he told Steve Rogers "so". He fights the team to a stand still and really gives everyone a good beating when there's a flash of light and out of nowhere pops up Apocalypse and his horsemen who resemble to me: Wolverine, The Silver Samurai, Scarlet Witch and the Red Hulk. What does this all have to do with The Avengers kids? What does this all have to do with Kang and Immortus? What's Wonder Man's beef with the Avengers and potentially what they might do? Who knows but I can't wait to find out. The Avengers are back and better than ever!

5 out of 5



GREEN ARROW #1

WOW! That's what I really have to say about this issue. It's amazing from start to finish. Writer J.T Krul sets up so many plots in this issue alone that I can't wait to see what he's got in store for the emerald archer. Ollie is now a fugitive and what better place for him to hide than in the newly grown forest that popped up after the events in "Justice League: Cry For Justice" and "Blackest Night". He's literally become Robin Hood of the 21st century.
Queen Industries has been sold off since Ollie's been outed as Green Arrow and the new owner of the company is an overly eccentric woman named Isabel Rochev, who has some mysterious ties to Ollie's father Patrick Queen.
After a press conference talking about what the Mayor and Police Commissioner are going to do to help the people of Star City after the tragic bombings due to Electrocutioner, The Police Commissioner gets stabbed and dies. He was a dirty cop anyways and many people had it out for him, especially Ollie since he was the one who took his mask off and outed him.
Ms. Roschev unveils to the Mayor her new addition to Queen Industries in the hopes of helping Star City in it's time of need...Queen Industries Police Force or as she puts it "Queen Industries Royal Guard".
Hal Jordan shows up to talk to Ollie about what's been going on and to talk about the forest that mysteriously popped up. He enters the forest and loses all his powers. He finds Ollie standing next to a tree with the White Lantern symbol on it.
What's going on? What's this forest got to do with Star City and all the people that died? Why did Hal lose his powers when he entered the forest? All questions that will be answered. This is my new favorite book and I'm sure it will be yours too.

5 out of 5



HULK #23

The question that's been on everyone's mind for the past two years is "WHO IS THE RED HULK?". Well, after last issue's shocking last page reveal, we finally know that General Thadeus Ross has been the Red Hulk.
Since The Hulk's creation all those years ago, General Ross has had a strong hatred for not only Bruce Banner but for his green alter ego The Hulk. He's longed for the power that The Hulk has. Growing up in a Military family and joining the Military himself, Ross has always longed to be the strongest. "Might makes right, that's the American way." Every time Ross would go up against the Hulk, he always lost. No matter what The Hulk always came out on top and made Ross look like a fool which in his mind made America look like a fool. Ross has gone to great lengths to destroy the Hulk and uphold his reputation. He released the Abomination in a failed attempt to kill him. Ross would again and again go to great lengths to destroy The Hulk and try to save face along with some how saving his daughter Betty. After losing her the first time, Ross was hellbent on killing The Hulk. When she returned, he sacrificed himself to save her. Time and again Ross would go toe to toe with the creature and fail miserably. The Leader at one point, would turn Ross into a weapon to defeat The Hulk, as always he failed. After the assassination of Captain America, Ross had finally had enough. He was approached by The Leader and M.O.D.O.K with a plan that would finally rid the world of The Hulk and make Ross the hero he thought he was destined to be. During the events of "WORLD WAR HULK", The Hulk was blasted with the Catharsis Ray, which drained him of his powers, just enough for him to be brought into captivity. Little did everyone know that this same ray retained that energy and it would be used to power up Ross turning him into The Red Hulk. A life model decoy would replace him in the world as he would do The Intellligencia's bidding in return for the chance to finally kill The Hulk.
His first mission was to get revenge on The Abomination for failing him so many years ago, The second mission was to get a base for The Intelligencia. After going head on with The Hulk and losing, Ross was taunted by an L.M.D of himself with M.O.D.O.K's voice telling him he was a failure. This sparked him to turn against his former allies and to align himself with the one person he hated more than The Hulk, Bruce Banner.
Now on a mission to stop The Leader and his gang, The Red Hulk has taken out M.O.D.O.K, left The Leader a simple man once again and destroyed their L.M.D of Glenn Talbot on national t.v., letting the world know that he's in charge now.
This issue was amazing, with so much back story and insight into General Ross, it couldn't have been better. The story was awesome and the cast of artists was incredible. The next chapter in the story of The Hulk and company is going to be ridiculous.

5 out of 5

OFF WITH THE TOP OF MY HEAD!!

WHAT UP WORLD!
Happy Belated Father's Day to all the dads out there. I hope everyone enjoyed the Plastic Farm signing on Saturday. I, myself couldn't make it but I heard nothing but good things about it. Also, Happy Summer everyone. I really hate the summer because I hate the heat but I love going in the pool and enjoying BBQ's with friends and family. This weeks books was pretty awesome to say the least. Not only did The Hulk return this week but Avengers Mansion is back and Luke Cage moved in.
Let's get to it.. I've got something to say!



NEW MUTANTS #14

This storyline just gets better and better as it goes along. The X-Men are trapped behind the dome that Bastion unleashed and are facing off against wave after wave of Nimrod Sentinels. Cable and X-Force are literally killing their way to the source of The Sentinel army and Hope and Rogue join the rest of their mutant brothers and sisters in fighting back possible extinction.
On Utopia, Scott and Emma are doing their best to coordinate whoever they can to attempt to put a dent in the onslaught of Sentinels making their way through the wormhole from the future as more and more waves come through. Colossus and company are taking a beating, literally and it gets to the point that all hope seems lost. Seeing Colossus have his arm broken while in his steel form really gives us readers the sense that this is no joke and if something doesn't turn the tide soon, extinction is closer than we think.
Hope stormed off after watching Cable get sent into the future on a suicide run. Cyclops sends Rogue after her because the two share a connection after Hope seemingly wiped out all of Rogues extra personalities during "Messiah Complex". The two girls talk and again, Hope shows how she is just a girl inside of a soldiers body. A quick pep talk and the two get ready to join the rest of the team on the Golden Gate bridge.
In the future, Cable and X-force kill their way to the Sentinel Hub where they see thousands of Sentinels getting sent into the past. Their objective is to kill Master Mold and destroy the wormhole on this side. My favorite part of this issue was when the team sees the infamous DAYS OF FUTURE PAST "dead or apprehended" wall on which all of them and the rest of the X-Men are all dead. Seeing this really gives the sense that they are on a suicide mission and no matter what at some point they are all going to die if they don't do something about it now.
I cant wait for the next part because eventually we're going to see Hope either fail or succeed as the Mutant Messiah.
At this point, if you're not reading this storyline then I strongly suggest you get down to the store and do some serious catching up. This story will have serious ramifications on the future of the Mutant species and the X-Men as a whole.

5 out of 5



THE NEW AVENGERS #1

Rounding out the tidal wave of "new" Avengers books, this week we got the final book, The New Avengers. Steve Rogers asks Luke Cage to head up his own team of Avengers because he feels that Luke has stepped up not only as a hero but as a leader since Steve was assassinated. At first Luke isn't interested but after a little incentive he takes the position and begins to fill his roster. Luke not only gets his own team of Avengers but he also gets the AVENGERS MANSION! He buys it from Tony Stark for a dollar. Luke, Iron Fist and Jessica Jones begin to move in when they are threatened at gun point by Victoria Hand, whom Steve has appointed as their liaison. After smacking her, she leaves and Luke gets a note from Steve asking him to take her in and give her a second chance. Luke then begins recruiting for his new team of Avengers. On the roster we have Luke, Jessica, Spider-Woman, Ms. Marvel, Iron Fist, Spider-Man, Wolverine and rounding out the team none other than The Thing.
All the while behind the scenes, something is trying to break through to our dimension and is seeking out the Eye Of Amagotto. Taking over Stephen Strange, Damion Hellstorm and Dr. Voodoo.
In the middle of talking in the Mansion, The Eye Of Amagotto shows up out of nowhere and then Dr. Strange, Hellstorm and Dr. Voodoo show up but they aren't themselves. They've been possessed by whatever force is trying to take over.
I'm so excited about this book. It's like being a kid all over again and reading the Avengers for the first time. With each page, I got chills and goosebumps. Out of all the Avengers titles I think everyone should be reading this and if you're not then your a fool plain and simple.

5 out of 5



DARKWING DUCK #1

Everyone's favorite Disney Caped Crusader finally makes his way into the comics medium. Drake Mallard has since retired as St. Canard's masked avenger, Darkwing Duck and is now working for Quackwerks, a security company that developed crimebots that basically replaced the police force. Throughout the issue, Drake has many flashbacks to his time as Darkwing because he's miserable with the life he leads now. St. Canard hasn't seen any Super Villains in five years time which means there is no need for Darkwing Duck. In his office none other than MegaVolt, now reformed and working for Quackwerks is Drake's cubical partner. Launchpad is no where to be found other than in flashbacks and as always Gosalyn is causing trouble at her school. A strange memo keeps Megavolt after work where he's kidnapped by his fellow Super Villains, Bushroot, The Liquidator and Quackerjack. They inform him that it's time to get back to work. Back at the Mallard house, Crimebots come crashing in, looking for Honker for downloading music. Gosalyn thinks this is the perfect time for Darkwing Duck to make his re-appearance.
I was a big fan of the cartoon as a kid and to see Darkwing Duck back in action brings back so many memories of running home from school and being glued to the television. Everyone should be reading this book. It's fun, exciting and laugh out loud funny. Thankfully, Boom Studios!, decided to turn this book from a four issue miniseries into an ongoing. Get your copy now before they fly off the shelf.

5 out of 5



INCREDIBLE HULK #610

It's been well over a year since The Red Hulk drained Bruce Banner of all of his Gamma radiation and prevented him from turning into his green alter ego The Hulk. This issue marks his triumphant return to comics, not only do we learn about how Betty Ross got transformed into the Red Hulk but we also see Bruce absorb all the Gamma radiation out of all the Hulked Out Heroes and the Hulked Out A.I.M soldiers. Freeing Hank Pym, Hank McCoy, Reed Richards, T'challa and the other abducted heroes, they along with Doc Samson help Bruce reverse the process of the Cathexis Ray. Battling the Leader and M.O.D.O.K and winning, the heroes reverse engineer the Ray to absorb all the Gamma radiation. In doing so they overload the system and an explosion is immanent. Bruce being the crazy hero that he is jumps into the ray and begins absorbing the radiation into himself trying to stop the machinery from overloading. Doc Samson in a last ditch effort to help Bruce does the same but unfortunately meets his own demise.
The stage has now been set as The Hulk has returned and Skaar is looking to settle the score finally. Next issue is going to be nothing short of epic on every scale. The Intelligencia defeated, The Hulk returned and the identities of the Red Hulks revealed, this book is going to burn your finger tips it's going to be so HOT!

5 out of 5



BRIGHTEST DAY #4

Things are really heating up in this book now. Hawkman and Hawkwoman travel through the gateway of their bones reliving each and every incarnation of their lives, ending up on the other side in a strange land known to us as Hawk World. Ronnie Raymond is attacked by Jason's dead girlfriend and is covered in salt after she disappears. If you remember, Black Lantern Firestorm turned her into salt when he killed her during "Blackest Night". Some fisherman are out on a boat when they are attacked by some Atlantean's but who could they possibly be and what ramifications do they have for Aquaman and Mera?
The white ring brings Deadman to Dove where he explains what he knows is going on so far and asks for her help. At the same time, Hawk shows up because he senses Dove is in trouble. After a quick fight, the three make their way to Hawk's brother's grave, Donald Hall the original Dove. If you remember during "Blackest Night", a black ring hovered over Donald's grave calling out to him but never resurrecting him. What secrets does he hold and what do it have to do with the White ring and the White Lantern Corps?
This book is heating up like I said and I for one cannot wait to see what Geoff Johns and company have in store for these recently resurrected characters. We haven't even seen what Captain Boomerang is up to and unless your reading "Titans" you have no idea that Osiris is working for Deathstroke in an attempt to help return his sister Isis and Black Adam to the land of the living.
This book is awesome and just like "Blackest Night", this book kicks your ass every issue.

5 out of 5

More Gaming Goodness!!

For those of you NOT following the goings on at E3 (The Electronic Entertainment Expo going on in LA this week)you may have missed out on the news that Microsoft is releasing a new version of the X-Box 360. The smaller, shinier Xbox 360 has built in WiFi, 5 USB ports, 250 GB, touch controls, and retails for $299. Best of all, it is already on it’s way to stores!

In fact there is a lot of good news related to the new, slimmer X-Box. Reports are that Microsoft has solved the heating issues that have plagued the console from the earliest days and made the term “Red Ring Of Death” THE most dreaded phrase in gaming history. I, myself, have had my X-Box repaired THREE times because of the RROD issue so this is great news.

Another issue that goes under the heading of SOLVED is the noise the darned thing makes. As any X-Box user knows, when you boot it up the unit sounds somewhat like a Saturn 5 rocket at lift-off! Well, Gizmodo reports, “We did turn on the Xbox (touch with audio feedback when you press!), and it sounded very quiet. Almost silent in the somewhat noisy room, but this is just at bootup, with no DVD spinning and nothing really happening.

Still the new unit IS much quieter AND the huge power brick has been reduced in size as well.
Also the new motion sensor, Kennect controller will not need and external power source with the new console (though it will with the older X-Box consoles).

And there is still MORE good news! If you want to buy an X-Box Elite, Limited Edition, or Arcade console, you are going to find that THEY have been slashed by a cook Fifty Bucks! Not bad for a back up unit!

With my Elite slowly wheezing it’s way to a final demise, I for one plan to grab a new console in the very near future!

That’s 30!

Mitch

OFF WITH THE TOP OF MY HEAD!!

What up world!
Another week goes by and damn was it good, not only was this a pretty awesome week in comics but The World Cup started this week and True Blood season 3 started up on Sunday!
Plenty to talk about so here we go!



YOUNG ALLIES #1

Even with all the new Avengers books coming out, I've really been looking forward to this book. It's the perfect combination of Young Avengers, Runaways and honest to god teen angst. This book is centered around Aranya and Nomad, these two young ladies are finally coming into their own after battling back the Secret Empire in the backup stories in recent issues of Captain America. The two girls are swinging around the city when an attack draws their attention to Midtown Manhattan. They aren't the only one's to heed the call of every super hero. Gravity, Firestar and a brand new hero by the name of Toro are also drawn to the fight against none other than the unknown children of some notorious villains callings themselves The Bastards Of Evil.
Everything about this issue was great. The story is very quick paced but isn't rushed along. Writer Sean McKeever delivers a little history on the new guy Toro and how this small child can transform into a Bull / Man half breed and at the end of the issue there's a guide to reading up on all the young heroes.
It's great to see things come full circle since Civil War and with the Heroic Age in full swing things are looking up even if something major were to happen which is the case at the end of this particular issue. Do yourself a favor and make sure you add this book to your pull list and stat!

5 out of 5



HACK / SLASH: MY FIRST MANIAC #1

I've been talking to people about this book for YEARS and finally it's made it's way to Image where hopefully it will get more mainstream attention than at it's previous publisher Devil's Due.
Writer and Creator Tim Seeley along with artist Daniel Leister delve head first into the tragic events that sent innocent Cassandra Hack from quiet school girl to Slasher Killer.
This issue shows Cassie's not so secret origin as she kills her mother "The Lunch Lady" and saves some of the girls from her school only to be ridiculed and secretly blamed for these tragic murders. Cassie does what most people would love to do; She fights back and hard. She comes to the conclusion that no matter how much pain she's in physically or emotionally that she now has a mission and she's going to fight and kill every slasher she comes against.
I do believe this is the start of the new series of Hack / Slash at Image but even if it's not and it's a mini series leading up to the Third installment of the book, do yourself a serious favor and get this book. I promise you will not be disappointed at all. In fact you may find just like I and many others did that this book will become the top of your pile every month.

5 out of 5



AVENGERS ACADEMY #1

This book was so worth the wait and totally not what I thought it was going to be. The Heroic Age being in full effect, The Avengers are now taking all the recruits that Norman Osborn kidnapped and experimented on and are trying to shape them into the future of The Avengers and heroes in general.
Justice, Henry Pym, Tigra, Quicksilver and Speedball are the teachers for the new generation of heroes at the Avengers Academy where we're introduced to the new students: Finesse, Mettle, Striker, Hazmat and Veil along with Reptil.
These young teens have all been taken from their homes and their dormant superpowers have been kicked into high gear by none other than Norman Osborn himself. In doing so Osborn also forced them all to have to learn and deal with their new found powers quickly with little to no training.
The main focus of this book is that they don't want these kids falling in with the wrong crowd because of their power sets, each one of them could at any given time turn sides and become a greater threat than a help. That's the secret the teachers keep from the kids until they snoop around and find out for themselves.
I was expecting something more along the lines of Avengers: The Initiative but as you read this issue you come to realize that centering on a smaller group of characters and having more of a reason to do so makes more sense and it makes it easier for us readers to follow than to have to remember 20 different new characters names and stories all at once.
Christos Gage and Mike McKone do an amazing job on this book so far and I cannot wait to see what they've got in store for us!

5 out of 5



UNCANNY X-MEN #525

Chapter 10 of the "Second Coming" storyline and things are on fire! Literally. Bastion's force field is holding in everyone from Utopia and San Fransisco and holding out The combined forces of The Avengers, The Fantastic Four and The X-Club. Meanwhile, X-Force makes their way to the "Days of Future Past" future on their suicide mission to stop Bastion's army of Nimrod Sentinels from continuing their way into the past and head first into the X-Men battling back the tide on The Golden Gate Bridge. Hope has a serious fight with Cyclops about sending Cable into the future knowing damn well that he only had one jump left in his time jumper and no way back. This story line just gets better and better. The outcome will truly be nothing short of epic. Being a really big fan of the future time lines seeing the giant wall of wanted posters with all the dead mutants on them gave me a serious chill. I cannot wait to see what happens next to X-Force in the future..Do they succeed or are they all killed? We'll all just have to wait and see. My real question is when are we going to see Hope actually do something other than sit on the sidelines and watch as everyone around her dies or disappears.

5 out of 5



SECOND COMING REVELATIONS: HELLBOUND #2 (OF 3)

Magik got sent to Hell and a team has been sent after her. The X-Men are in dire need of a teleporter since Bastion had them all taken out or taken off the playing field. Now on a mission to locate and retrieve Magik; Pixie, Cannoball, Anole, Gambit, Dazzler, Northstar and Trance are literally fighting back Hell itself as they search for their missing team mate. While everyone is coping with their current situation, Gambit turns into his horseman persona Death and somehow turns on his team mates and begins recruiting them for whatever cause he's suddenly got. Things are not looking good for the group and if something doesn't happen soon they'll all be stuck in Hell and who knows what will happen then. This book is really weird and very quick. This mini being only three issues long, things need to move fast and they do but at times you're almost lost as to what the hells going on. It's not only disorienting for the characters but also for the reader as well. I hope in all the rush, that this story doesn't get lost in the grand scheme of things and actual parts such as Gambit losing his friggin mind play out in the long run of the story.

3 out of 5

JONAH HEX TAILGATE PARTY & RAFER ROBERTS SIGNING THIS WEEK!

JONAH HEX TAILGATE PARTY & RAFER ROBERTS SIGNING THIS WEEK!

First and foremost, a big thank you to every one of you who took the time out to vote for us on the Dark Horse Comics Facebook page for Best Comic Book Store in NYC! With your help we were able to defeat all the heavy hitters and be voted the best! Thank you so much! As promised, Dark Horse will be sending us a box of free stuff to give away so stay tuned for some free giveaways in the coming weeks. Once again thanks so much, we are truly humbled and grateful for your continued support.

Onward! Great week coming up with a healthy dose of new Marvel titles including two (count em!) new issues of Amazing Spider-Man! This along with the next installment in the X-Men Second Coming storyline (which has been absolutely fantastic if you haven't been reading) and the first issue of New Avengers is sure to make this week even better than anticipated.

But that ain't all folks because we have a ton of things going on this week and it all kicks off tomorrow where we will painlessly show you how to save money on your utility bills. In fact, just bring in a copy of your bills and you will receive 20% off everything in the store without having to sign up for anything (read more below for the full scoop). In addition we are having the Jonah Hex Tailgate Party this coming Thursday, June 17th and Rafer Roberts in for a signing on Saturday, June 19th. All information of which can be found below!

OUR TOP 5 PICKS FOR THIS WEEK:




JONAH HEX TAILGATE PARTY!

The next tailgate extravaganza of the summer has been locked in. Come join us at the store on Thursday, June 17th starting @ 9pm to check out Jonah Hex! Starting at 9pm, join us for some free food and drinks and our special tailgate sale where we pick a number out of a hat and everything in the store will be between 10% - 70% off! Wowee! We're still not sure if there is going to be a midnight showing for this movie but we will be having a tailgate regardless. If you haven't been to one of our tailgates before, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?

RAFER ROBERTS SIGNING - SATURDAY JUNE 19TH



Ah, another glorious CBJ signing! This time we have Rafer Roberts of Plastic Farm coming in to sign some books and chat it up with all you knuckleheads. He will be coming by on Saturday June 19th and it will definitely be a fun time so make sure you stop by, say hello and buy some books! He will be here from noon until we close at 9pm. Not familiar with Plastic Farm? Here's the rundown:

Written and (mostly) drawn by Rafer Roberts, Plastic Farm follows the life of a man named Chester and his slow descent into complete insanity and chronicles how that madness reshapes the world around him. Chester has had a rough childhood, has a magic cowboy that rides a dinosaur living inside of his head, and is now, late in life, sitting in a nameless airport bar during a blizzard telling his life story to a group of people who really couldn’t care less.

Mass Effect 2 Is Coming To A Theater Near You!!!

Legendary Pictures which is currently working on a screen adaptation of World of Warcraft, has acquired the rights to another big time gaming franchise. According to the Hollywood reporter, The developers who produces Dark Knight, 300 and Watchman are in the early stages of bringing the Mass Effect franchise to the big screen.

Mass Effect is an action-packed role-playing game set in a science fiction universe. Players are cast as Shepard, a human agent tasked with protecting the universe from an all-powerful extra-dimensional force determined to enslave all life in the galaxy.

RPG developer Bioware launched the series in 2007, following it up with an outstanding sequel earlier this year.

According to the report, Bioware bigwigs Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk will nab executive producer credits as part of the deal.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Mass Effect 2 ( and it’s predecessor Mass Effect), the game is equal parts space opera and tactical shooter, with some light RPG elements thrown in. You might think that this mix of gaming types would produce a disjointed experience but Mass Effect 2 is an unusually smooth and intuitive game to play.

The characters are all nicely fleshed out with distinct back stories, and if they are a bit formulaic, each is very well realized.

In my opinion, Mass Effect has the potential to be the most successful film franchise ever realized from a video game. It blends the melodrama and idealism of Star Trek with the grittiness, moral ambiguity and taut battle sequences of Battlestar Galactica.

It should be one hell of a ride!

OH and be sure to check out the IDW Mass Effect Comic Book series still on sale at CBJ !!!

(Gotta love those shameless plugs!!!!!)

That’s 30!

Mitch

OFF WITH THE TOP OF MY HEAD!!

WHAT UP WORLD!

Another week and another dollar spent...or not? This week I'd like to address something I watched at the store on Wednesday.
Not only is Comic Book Jones everyone's favorite hangout spot and your local comic shop but it's also Socko's dream come true and everyone that works there's livelihood.
Every time you spend money in there it goes to help pay for something. Whether it be the electricity or the weeks books, every dollar this store makes goes right back into itself. My point is, some asshole decided it was a good idea to STEAL from them. He got a fraction of what we all would've liked him to get. Without getting all preachy and sentimental, Don't ever think about stealing from Comic Book Jones because if you do, you will get caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent and on top of that you might find yourself in dire need of a new face because if not one of them, one of us, their friends, family and loyal customers might be right behind you ready to beat the living crap out of you. This place means so much to so many. Don't even try to F_ _ K with it. The end!

now with that said, this week was kinda small but pretty awesome regardless.



THE THANOS IMPERATIVE #1 (OF 6)

If you've been living under a a rock or just completely ignoring The Guardians of the galaxy and Nova for the past three years then you know this is the book to be reading right now.
From Annihilation to now, everything has been set so that this story can happen. Abnett and Lanning are master wordsmiths and have completely revitalized the galactic side of the Marvel Universe. This book is nothing short of amazing. Recently during the "Realm of Kings" story line, a fault line was opened up in the universe after Vulcan and Black Bolt fought to the death and detonated a gene bomb. The bomb opened a rift in the universe which leads to another world exactly like our own except death doesn't exist and all of our heroes have become demonic versions of themselves led by none other than Captain Marvel.
With the fault line open, this Cancerverse is making it's way into our world and trying clear the way so that it has room for none other than all the alternate versions of everyone we know and love...doesn't this sound like "The Infinity War", where doppelganger versions of everyone fought their 616 counterparts? yes it does except this time around Thanos isn't trying to get the Infinity Gauntlet, he's the avatar of death and everyone's gunning for him. Luckily for our heroes they have him in custody and are about to bring him to the Cancerverse to attempt to stop everything at the source
This story has been building for three years and with minor similarities to older cosmic stories aside, it's pretty damn good. Do yourself a favor if you've been sleeping on the Cosmic Marvel Universe, then go pick up "Annihilation Vol. 1 HC" and I promise you'll be hooked and burning through everything to get to this mini series.

4 out of 5



AVENGERS PRIME #1

I'll be honest, out of all the new Avengers titles coming out, I was pretty excited to read this one because I wanted to see exactly how bad the rift between Thor, Iron Man and Steve Rogers had become since Thor's apparent death in "Disassembled".
Both Steve Rogers and Iron Man attempted to help Thor battle back the oncoming of Ragnarok but ultimately were sent back to Midgard aka Earth because Thor knew that eventually everyone would die because that is the cycle the Asgardians must make.
During the aftermath of Civil War, Thor was reborn into this world and Steve Rogers was dead. Iron Man asked Thor if he wanted in on what he was doing and then when Thor declined, he threatened him. Iron Man doesn't remember anything he's done because of the events in "America's Most Wanted". This sets the stage for these characters to try and make amends with one another.
These three heroes haven't been together in a long time and to finally see them all together is exciting.
That part was excellent about this book, the thing I really didn't like was that due to the damage caused by Norman Osborn and the fall of Asgard. The Rainbow bridge which was a pathway to the Nine Worlds was damaged. All three heroes were talking about how to help Thor deal with it and what they could do when they're whisked away to different Asgardian worlds and are forced to again be in some kind of conflict other than the problem at hand which is repairing their fractured society.
Another reason why I really didn't care for this story (so far) is because it doesn't fall in line with anything else. If it had come out and finished before the launch of ANY of the new Avengers books it would have been great but the fact is it didn't.
Overall not a bad issue but just really bad timing.

3 out of 5



BRIGHTEST DAY #3

Slowly but surely the mystery is unraveling around why 12 specific people were brought back after "Blackest Night". We see some serious interaction between the White ring and Deadman as he faces off against The Anti Monitor. Ronnie and Jason are in the hospital after the explosion where The Atom split the two apart from the Firestorm matrix. Aquaman and Mera's part in this issue is probably the best part. They're standing on a beach and Aquaman's trying to call out to the sea creatures and continues to call upon UNDEAD sea life. He's the first out of everyone who, after this decides to start figuring out what really is going on. Martian Manhunter follows the trail and sees that he's not the only Martian that made it through to Earth. Hawkman and Hawkgirl see what Hath Set wanted with them remains. He created some kind of doorway with the bones of each and every lifetime they've lived.
This book is good. Hands down. I just cant wait for something big to happen already though. It's a great paced book.

4 out of 5



RED HOOD THE LOST DAYS #1 (OF 6)

This book is awesome! So we all know that in between Crisis on Infinite earths and Infinite Crisis that because Earth 2 Superman made a break in the shell that encased them off from the rest of the earths that some people were able to elude death. Jason Todd is one of those people who shortly after his death came back and clawed his way out of the grave. This story pretty much picks up from that point and divulges how Talia Al Ghul finds Jason catatonic after escaping a mental hospital and brings him back to the League Of Assassins. He's completely out of it but can defend himself when attacked almost like a second instinct. Ra's Al Ghul wants nothing to do with Jason other than finding out how he cheated death and just deals with him because of his daughter's infatuation with Batman. He tells Talia that she has to get rid of him. She does the opposite. She dumps him in one of the Lazarus Pits. This story should have come out a long time ago but finally after the long wait we can finally see what happened between his apparent death and now. Jason Todd has been a really cool character since his return and turn to the dark side and I think this has something big to do with Bruce Wayne coming back. Definitely check this book out!

5 out of 5



HAWKEYE AND MOCKINGBIRD #1

It's about time Hawkeye got his own book again and this time he brought Mockingbird. This is another great book mixing Superheroes and Spies. Hawkeye and Mockingbird own and work for their own unit called The World Counterterrorism Agency, W.C.A for short. It's a mix of ex S.H.I.E.L.D members and the armed forces and of course everyone's favorite spy to hate Dominic Fortune. There is so much going on in this book at once it's like a remember the 80's super flash back. Years ago, Mockingbird was raped and drugged by the Phantom Rider and now his ancestor has mysteriously showed up. Someone else from Hawkeye and Mockingbird's past as well Crossfire. I know your probably going who? what happened? well Marvel decided to give you a history lesson in the end of the issue by going over the couples lives.
This book is awesome and everyone should read it! period! tell your friends!

5 out of 5

Sometimes You Don't See The Bad Guys Coming

Since the 1970’s Comic Books have periodically looked at the world of drug abuse and the toll it takes on our young. Two landmarks in this area were storylines in Green Lantern and The Amazing Spiderman comics in which major characters were revealed to be hooked on drugs.
In these stories drugs were depicted as what they are…lethal weapons that the user turns on himself. I remember these books vividly and the images are still startling. The message was simple. Drugs and the world they come from are ugly and deadly.

But times have changed and there are some problems that even superheroes can’t solve. Today, more than ever, addictive drugs take a tragic toll on our young people. Most recently drug abuse has taken on a “respectable” disguise. No longer do we hear about Heroin, Cocaine or Acid…all words that conjure up dark images of the drug world. We no longer see the “pusher” on a street corner.

Today it’s all about “prescription” drugs. Except that all too often there IS no prescription and the internet is the pusher.

In short society has cleaned up drug’s “image”.

In the DC Storyline Justice league: The Rise Of Arsenal , Roy Harper (Speedy) is once again in a battle with drug addiction. But this time the drugs don’t come from a needle, cooked up in a spoon in a seedy flophouse. This time the drugs come from a bottle with little script on it. This time the drugs are “legit”. But they are no less deadly.

There is another difference. If Roy loses his battle with drugs, a fictional character dies. When our children lose the same battle they die for real. And our children don’t get to come back for Brightest Day. In the real world dead is dead. Think about it.

Check your email boxes on any given day. How many solicitations do you get for Vicodin or Oxycondone? Both are POWERFUL and ADDICTIVE pain killers. They also produce euphoria which makes them attractive as a “recreational” drug. If you have a responsible physician, these drugs are hard to get prescriptions for and almost never have a refill option.

But on the Internet you can get these drugs with no problem at all, and in virtually any quantity. The companies that sell these drugs online are more deadly than any stereotyped Pusher from an old Kojak episode. Online pushers can kill THOUSANDS through their neglect and complete disregard for the damage they do. Go to one of their sites. Yes there is a form to fill out, but all that does is give the pusher an alibi.

The CDC just finished a study that shows 20% of High School students abuse prescription drugs. That is more than coke, meth or ecstasy! And you can bet they are not JUST raiding mom and dad’s medicine chest.

From Business Week – June 3, 2010

“In the survey, 16,460 high school students were asked if they had ever taken prescription drugs such as OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, Adderall, Ritalin or Xanax, without a doctor's prescription.

The abuse of prescription drugs was widest among whites at 23 percent, followed by Hispanics at 17 percent, and black students at 12 percent.

In addition, the abuse of prescription drugs was most common among 12th graders (26 percent) and lowest among ninth graders (15 percent), the researchers found. But, prescription drug abuse was the same for boys and girls, at 20 percent.

This is the first time a question about prescription drugs has been asked in the survey, Eaton said. The next survey will be in 2011, with the data being released in 2012. This will be the first opportunity to see trends in the abuse of prescription drugs, she noted.”

Think it’s hard for a kid to get dangerous drugs from “The Net”? Check this out from Cleveland.com


“Internet makes illegal prescription drug sales easy
By Damon Sims
July 15, 2008, 10:17PM

With his homework in his hand, the kid would hop off the bus, walk half a block home and grab the mail.

"I've got to stuff to do," he'd tell the baby sitter as he closed the door to his room and ripped open the envelope he'd been waiting for, the one addressed, not to him, but the crazy name he'd made up just for this.

He was so grateful -- and relieved -- when he saw the package inside.
Once again, the money he'd wired had gotten through; the order arrived without customs agents stopping it; and he had another 90 tablets of Valium to help tame the anxiety therapists hadn't been able to.

And he was only 11 years old.

The sixth-grader was ordering prescription drugs off the Internet illegally. And his parents had no idea.

"I'd do it behind their backs on the computer," says the Olmsted Falls boy, who's 16 now and doesn't want to be identified.

"I figured it would be a hell of a lot easier getting them off the Internet instead of going to a bad part of town. It only takes about five minutes to do. It's real easy." “

Real easy. It’s also real easy to get REAL dead.

It is easy to identify the villain in the black hat who twirls his moustache and laughs maniacally as the train comes around the bend. It is a lot harder to combat the bad guy when he couches himself in the respectable image of a doctor or pharmacist. Online drug sales, as they exist today are nothing less than criminal. It has to be stopped or changed to make it IMPOSSIBLE for our children to buy narcotics over the Internet.

This column is for two of the best friends I ever had. They lost their child to the real life bad guys.


Who’s next?

Be a HERO …talk about this. Write about this. Get ANGRY about this. Awareness is the best weapon we can wield against a villain far more deadly than any we find in a comic book.

The lives of our children are NOT negotiable items.



Mitch

Captain America and Thor Movie Costumes!!!!

Here it is boys and girls! Concept art for both the Captain America and Thor movies! You can see the heavy influence of the “Ultimate Universe” on Cap’s look and Thor’s costume is spot on ! Enjoy!!

That’s 30!

Mitch