Review: Tomb Raider #17

June 23, 2015

Holy crap, did you see the E3 Rise of the Tomb Raider? I am so excited for that game now and in turn re-energized about this comic. One of the big motivating factors to read this comic is that it will connect the two games. It's always nice to get that little bit of extra information or canon. Obviously we open with Not-Grim who turns out to not be Grim. Okay I'm gonna let you figure this out, there's a guy who looks exactly like a guy we know is dead, that we are being led to believe is not dead, who is he? if you said identical twin brother (that we've mysteriously never heard about) you would be correct. I did not dig this plot from the beginning, we already had a return from the dead story with Alex, we didn't need another one. It also devalues Lara's intelligence, she called the sister to let her know Grim was dead, how did she avoid finding out about an identical twin. Even if we let that go how come the rest of the crew don't know?

The rest of the issue is spent on Lara and Not-Grim escaping. Lot's of questionable tactics get employed, like wrapping a snake around a metal bar and getting it to constrict to bend the bar. The majority of the issue is fairly standard with nothing particularly memorable. however things get good at the end when Lara is reunited with her friends. The final panel in this issue makes you want to read the next one.

I'm not really sure how they are gonna wrap up everything neatly to be shuffled into the next game. Will the next issue relegate this series to the non-canon half of my brain, or will it become the connective tissue that makes me feel more in the know?

Score: 2/5

Tomb Raider #17 Writer: Rhianna Pratchett Artist: Derlis Santacruz Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.50 Release Date: 6/24/15 Format: Ongoing, Print/Digital

Review: 2000 AD - Prog 1936

June 23, 2015

Dredd is putting on a great story about redeeming a family name with a proper mix of explosions. I'm not just a sucker for well-handled (more specificaly, well-colored) flashbacks in comics: you have got me on the hook with any pictorial narrative which successfully integrates Irishness and small-town justice. What I really like about this run of Dredd is that the story revolves around tarnished legacy and a son trying to do better than his father; but, the story has been functioning well as an action-mystery since before the main thrust of the plot was even revealed. Harry is a new character for me and Absalom is creepy, cool, sinister, and slick. I was once somewhere between neutral and sour on black and white titles which made extensive use of grays. That was before I started reading the Progs. Trevallion's grays allow for the simplest of wrinkles (or the most complex, in the case of Harry's old mug) on a person's face to bring a scene to life. Trevallion's eye for twisted scenes has me quite sadistically looking forward to more of the nitty-gritty of this story.

Slaine just wrapped up Book Two and holy crap I had no idea this book was ending (my notes for this part of the issue just say "wtf Slaiiiiine"). Slaine just started to trade blows with the Primordial and even though Slaine was working hard on a verbal beat-down, he mostly got beat to hell. Even when the protagonist of this series is getting his ass handed to him it's very hard to look away. I am going to miss seeing this art in every issue: this was a long run, and a welcome departure in style, even for a stylistically diverse anthology like this one.

Helium puts in another solid chapter, only giving me reason to look forward to more from this proven creative team, and Outlier kind of lost me this week, meaning I need to go back and do my research on the previous run.

Score: 4/5

2000 AD – Prog 1936 Writers: Various Artists: Various Publisher: 2000 AD Price: £1.99 (Digital) £2.49 Release Date: 6/24/15 Format: Weekly; Print/Digital

E3 2015: Atlus – Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight

June 23, 2015

This was the second dungeon crawler that I checked out from Atlus, the first being Dungeon Traveler 2. Like DT2, I had never played the first Etrain Odyssey so I was lost on the stories continuation. Not that you really get to play enough of any demo to get the story. The bases of this game where similar to DT2, in which you’re playing in first person and crawling through dungeon style of levels and having RPG encounters. The difference is that at times creatures will appear on the map that you’re probably too weak to take on and so you must avoid them.

With the 3DS’ second screen you have a constant map running and you can outline the walls to help you actually see the map for the way it is. Otherwise it doesn’t just unlock the next section when you walk into it.

The 3D was okay. It was actually my first time checking out the 3DS and while I could care less about 3D, it was actually pretty impressive. I couldn’t turn it up all the way because that instantly hurt my eyes, but otherwise it was pretty damn good if that’s your thing.

The characters and story were interesting and definitely got me interested in playing more. There’s support characters that can show up and help you in a certain areas and the options of defeating enemies was varied enough to not get boring. You basically can’t just attack your way through, you need to spice it up or when you do accidently run into a bigger enemy you’ll be screwed.

The artwork was definitely impressive and frankly I’m kind of glad to see so many Japanese games that use their style of artwork making it to North America. It’s a nice change up from just being on the cover art and then looking at a 3D sprite that doesn’t come close to the 2D artwork.

The game is due out soon and if you have a 3DS I would definitely get it. Again I don’t see myself sitting down and playing it for five hours at a time, but short bursts here and there is definitely something I’d do.

OFFICIAL GAME SITE: atlus.com/eo2u

E3 2015: Atlus – Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & The Monster Seal

June 23, 2015

This was another sequel that I had never played the original game to, but unlike things like Afro Samurai 2, Dungeon Travelers 2 seemed more inviting to new players. After all it’s a dungeon crawler and I do mean that in the strictest sense of the words. What I found interesting about it was the fact that you play in first person almost like Doom running down hallways and exploring dungeons or just maps laid out like dungeons. The combat is like a turn based RPG and that’s all pretty straight forward.

If you like anime’s or manga though you’ll dig the game because it’s basically a harem style of story. You’re the one lone male character and you’re collecting female team members (16 in total) and customizing them with five different base classes and sub-classes. The classes are where you can really tweak your characters which all come with a blank slate of sorts, and make them match your play style. Changing their classes and such will also change their look which is a big part of the game because the art is great.

The game is going to be out this summer for the PS Vita and cost $39.99. Personally I enjoyed it as it was entertaining, but a bit mindless. I wasn’t so worried about failing my task and could kind of just enjoy the battles and the characters. Since it’s on a portable, I doubt you’ll sink several hours at once on it, but if you have a few minutes to kill it would be worth it.

OFFICIAL GAME SITE: atlus.com/dungeontravelers2/

E3 2015: Atlus – Persona 4: Dancing All Night

June 23, 2015

I’ve never gotten into Persona. I’ve tried and ultimately it’s a franchise that’s fun to hear about, but not something I want to play myself. But a dancing game… well that really is for different market now isn’t it? Persona 4: Dancing All Night is a pretty basic dancing game. Apparently it’s only for the PS Vita which is strange because I played it on a PS4, I don’t know if something hasn’t been updated, but I couldn’t find anything suggesting that it was coming to the PS4. More than like that was just the PSTV compatibility though.

At any rate, it’s a decent dance game. I played on “normal” and found it to be somewhat challenging on a controller. You only use the side three buttons and often times you use them together. There was a special bonus that I was never skilled enough to use, but I got through the songs just fine. The demo I played had four songs, but the full version will have a ton of music from the franchise remixed and whatnot.

The game itself is going to have a story mode that goes across 27 stages. They really didn’t go into details on what that would entail so I can’t say what that will be like, but it’s interesting to have a dance game with a story mode.

Overall I think this is a game for two types of people: Persona fans and rhythm game fans that are happy to see a resurgence in rhythm titles. Personally I wouldn’t play it again, but considering how many people I saw play it and love it I would decide for yourself based on whether you fall into the two aforementioned categories.

OFFICIAL GAME SITE: atlus.com/p4dan

E3 2015: Atlus – The Deadly Tower of Monsters

June 23, 2015

The Deadly Tower of Monsters was probably the most North American feeling game at the Atlus booth. The rest of the games were very Japanese manga/anime inspired and then there was Deadly Tower. The game is a 3-D action adventure in which you hack and slash your way through the game and story playing as three different characters. The charm is that you’re climbing a tower and at any given point you can fall (and may need to at times) all the way back down or just a level or two. The lower levels are also visible at times which shows how connect the platforming world it.

The other bit of charm is that it’s filmed like a 1950’s sci-fi movie with bad special effects intentionally included. For instance, a giant gorilla shows up at one point and he looks normal from the front, but then there’s a cut scene and you can see the hands are just on some sticks and you can actually see human hands holding the sticks. It’s basically Plan 9 From Outer Space as a video game. And it’s pretty damn great because of it.

The humor is cheesy, but in a good way. Sure a younger audience may not get the jokes or care that the main character’s name is Dick Starspeed, but they’ll still enjoy an action adventure game that’s put together very well. But if you get the references then you’ll really, really enjoy playing through the game and fighting waxy looking dinosaurs and men in ape costumes.

The game is coming this fall and will be out on the PS4 and the PC. I don’t know if it’s going to be full retail or not as it kind of had a downloadable only vibe to it, but either way it’ll be worth checking out.

E3 2015: Atlus – Lost Dimension

June 23, 2015

Out of all the games I saw at E3 Atlus’ Lost Dimension was one of the most interesting. The premise of the game is that you and your team have been sealed in a tower by a villain named “The End”, which is a nice bit of meta. The goal is to clear each level of the tower using your team who all have special and different abilities. That’s the strategy RPG element of the game which is turn based and pretty straight forward. Use your strategy to defeat the bad guys in the room and make sure you use your turns wisely. That part looked good and seemed to handle just fine, frankly it’s not why you’re going to want to play this game it’s just the most interactive part so being polished and straight forward is a good thing. The characters though are all interesting and have their own powers that make for different game play. One character teleports, another copies other people’s skills and overall it makes the game very balanced.

The real reason you’ll want to play this game is because you’re told that there are traitors among your team.

Here’s where the fun part comes in.

Between each level you and the team vote someone off a character or rather you vote to have them eliminated. This is based on who you use in the combat area, but also the conversations you can have with the different characters between the levels. You have to watch your party and figure out their tendencies in order to figure out the traitors because you don’t want to end up with them still on your team at the very end.

Now when it comes to replay value you’re probably wondering if there is any if there’s a mystery of “who’s a traitor”, but it’s actually randomly generated each time you start a game. Which of course makes for many paths and a lot of replay value in my opinion.

The game is coming to PS3 and PS Vita frankly if they could port it to PS4 that would be great too. I’m very excited to play the full version because I really enjoyed the twist of the snakes in the grass. That and the pairing with the turn based strategy is just an interesting combination. It’s releasing this summer so look for it if this is in your wheelhouse.

OFFICIAL GAME SITE: atlus.com/lostdimension

E3 2015: Little Orbit – Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends

June 23, 2015

Kung Fu Panda is one of Dreamworks’ biggest titles and a personal favorite of mine. They’ve been increasing the franchise’s brand into the game market and the next installment is going to be Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends which is set to release around the time of the third film. This game is really easy to sum up. It’s a platform fighting game. Think Super Smash Bros., but you’re not limited to one console and there’s a theme to the characters rather than just grabbing whoever can be licensed. I forget the total number of characters, but there’s actually going to be quite a few for Legends. There’s a mixture of characters from all three movies so obviously I couldn’t see all of them due to the film not being out yet.

The voice cast lent their voices to the game to make it more authentic to the films and there’s plenty of Easter eggs from the films that play out in the form of character moves and locations.

If you like brawlers like Smash Bros, but you crave a change of scenery then this is going to be something for you. It’s very family friendly due to the franchise so if you have young kids it’s something the entire family could actually enjoy. Button mashing can win matches so it’s not like one person will dominate each match.

The game is releasing on every platform and I mean every platform with online play available on everything accept I believe the 3DS. If you’re a Kung Fu Panda fan then you’ll have some fun with it, but really if you’re a family of gamers or brawler fan, you’ll have the most fun with Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends.

E3 2015: Little Orbit – Adventure Time: Finn & Jake Investigations

June 23, 2015

If you’re familiar with video games, then seeing the word “Investigations” at the end of the title is pretty telling of what this game is like. It’s a point and click type adventure game, but with action segments. It’s more in line with Tell Tale Games’ old style of adventure games rather than their newer stuff. It’s also geared heavily towards a younger crowd, but some older Adventure Time fans might find something to enjoy here. The basic story is that Finn and Jake are trying to solve mysteries in the Land of Ooo. To do this they’ll need to inspect crime scenes, and then make a guess at the end to solve the mystery. You’ll also pick up items and combine them together to unlock other areas or to solve sections of a mystery to proceed.

There’s also a battle system, but it’s there for fun and has no penalty for failure. You basically can die as many times as it takes for you to get past it, but it didn’t look to be that difficult as Finn and Jake can team up for power moves that unlock once the fist-bump bar fills up.

The developers have made sure to pour a lot of Easter eggs and references from the show into the game which is sure to please a lot of fans. I don’t know if every Adventure Time fan will enjoy this game as it may be too easy for some, but there is a lot of game to enjoy. If you played a previous Adventure Time point and click, then you’ll also be happy to know that the amount of dialogue from the voice actors has increased to the thousands compared to the hundreds from before.

If you’re not a fan of the series or point and click action games, then this is definitely not for you unless you’re looking to become a fan. The game is going to be out on every major system so you’ll be able to get it for anything that you currently own. The game will be out this November so look for it then.

E3 2015: Versus Evil – Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma

June 23, 2015

Alright I have something to admit… I have never played the first Afro Samurai (outside of a demo) nor have I read the manga or watched the anime. It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s that I’ve never plopped down the money to do so. That said, I probably wasn’t the best choice to check out Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma because a lot of, well everything, had to be explained to me. If you are a fan of the series, then you’ll be pleased with to know that everyone that was involved with the first game came back to make the sequel which features an all new original story picking up for the events of the last game.

As I was told, this was a labor of love since it brought back the creator of Afro Samurai as well, meaning this wasn’t a shallow sequel or cash grab. What was also reiterated to me was the fact that the developers really listened to the fans feedback from the first game and have attempted to solve the repetitive battles by giving Kuma three different fighting styles to use throughout the game. They really soaked in the feedback and made every attempt to fix the issues people had with the first game which great since clearly a lot worked and didn’t with the first game.

The big difference from the first game to the sequel is that you play as the character Kuma which is the dude with the bear head. Being unfamiliar with the story I can’t really say I know if he’s on the side of good or evil, but he’s who you’re playing as.

The demo I played, which was on a brand new engine, was heavy on the story and being unfamiliar with the game I can’t really say if it improved or not and with it being a beta still the small glitches I encountered aren’t worth commenting on because the likely hood of them being there in the final product are pretty slim. That and every game I touched I seemed to break so it could have just been me (seriously I broke a lot of games).

Overall I think it’s a game that’s really going to please the fans of the franchise. It’s possible that it could pick up new fans since it is an action adventure game and it’s not like you really need a lot of prior knowledge to jump into the game and understand how to play it, you’ll just be a bit lost on the story. I do wish I could remember the engine it was running on since it looks wonderful and with the intentional style from the manga/anime, again making it a good looking game.

It’ll be out next year I believe and will be on all major platforms meaning X-Box One, PS3 & 4 and X-Box 360.

E3 2015: Versus Evil – Skyshine’s Bedlam

June 23, 2015

You may remember Bedlam from the trailer I posted just before this year’s E3. It had this great art style that I can only describe as 2000 AD inspired, but more in line with the 80’s than present day. The 80’s is a good place to start with Bedlam as it’s clearly a little inspired by Mad Max, which was actually the creator’s goals. To really sum it up it’s like Oregon Trail meets Mad Max. Something that really stood out to me as I played or watched several games being played is that creators really want players to play their game at length. They don’t want you to get bored and that’s something that the creators of Bedlam were very aware of. Each time you start a game a map is generated and the four different fractions that control the land are reshuffled making for a different experience each time. Your goal as the player is to travel from one end of the map to the other end in the hope of finding a haven of sorts in the post-apocalyptic world.

To do this you’ll need resources and a crew that will help you. After picking your own fraction you’ll go off in a giant bus looking thing that is actually housing a lot more than it looks. To reach different points on the map you’ll need to use resources and if you run out of rescores then you lose the game and basically die. I died. That’s the part that’s very much like Oregon Trail in which you need to make smart choices and use resources in a wise way in order to continue towards the end.

That’s all one part of it, but as I said the map is spread out with different fractions. Some will be friendly, most will be hostile and that’s when the battle system comes into play. As it was explained to me the different characters in your group are like chess pieces meaning they all have their unique movements. You then move your character to line up kill shots against whoever is attacking you. If you’re close enough, you can also melee. Since everyone is a sprite and using guns in this post-apocalyptic world there’s a lot of great sprite deaths.

Your team is made up of people with different roles; for instance, a sniper, heavy weapons and the rest of your typical video game gun classes. As they do better though you’ll level them up and pick up Elites. Elites are rarer characters and you’ll need to complete a side quest to unlock them, usually by finding an item that belongs to them. The Elites make the battles easy because they’re basically your ringer which is fun and helpful.

Overall I don’t know if I would spend a huge amount of time with the game personally because there was almost too much to do. I know that’s a weird complaint, but then it’s not really a complaint. I just don’t know if I would be able to invest the proper amount of time into the game in order to succeed with it, but if I could I would probably play the hell out of it. There’s little nuances for every type of gamer and really the fact that you can do so much should be commended for those that have the time.

I really enjoyed the art style and it hooked me on the game in a big way. I wish I could say it reminded me of this or that artist, but it really didn’t. It seemed more like a familiar well-worn style of art, but I really enjoyed it.

Bedlam is releasing soon on Steam so if you like the combination of gameplay and worlds then you should definitely check it out. Oh and don’t think that the creator’s just saw the new Mad Max film and decided to make a game, this is something they’ve wanted to make since the original films were popular which just goes to show that everything comes back around again.

Check out Bedlam on Twitter and Facebook

Trailer Time: Dragon Blade Starring Jackie Chan, John Cusack and Adrien Brody... Yup

June 22, 2015

This trailer is exactly what you'd expect from a movie starring Jackie Chan, John Cusack and Adrien Brody... meaning it looks terrible. Such a weird casting of stars, I mean I get that all of them are basically bored, but come on... you're telling me you want to put out what honestly looks like the most laughable movie of the year? Its in select theaters in September because it already made money in China.

A massive success this year in its native China, "Dragon Blade" brings action spectacle on a grand scale to US audiences. Featuring an international cast led by Jackie Chan, John Cusack and Academy Award-winner Adrien Brody, the film features the fight for the Silk Road when East and West collide. When corrupt Roman leader Tiberius (Adrien Brody) arrives with a giant army to claim the Silk Road, Huo An (Jackie Chan) and his group of trained warriors teams up with an elite legion of defected Roman soldiers led by General Lucius (John Cusack) to maintain the delicate balance of power in the region. To protect his country and his new friends, Huo An gathers the warriors of thirty-six ethnic nations together to fight Tiberius in an incredible epic battle. The film is directed by Daniel Lee ("Black Mask") and produced by Jackie Chan and Susanna Tsang.

Michael Keaton to Star in and Produce 'Imagine Agents' at Fox

June 22, 2015

As announced on The Hollywood Reporter, award-winning publisher BOOM! Studios is excited to reveal that Michael Keaton (Birdman, Batman) will star in and produce a film adaptation at 20th Century Fox of the comic series Imagine Agents, created by Brian Joines.

Written by Joines (Krampus) and illustrated by Bachan (Rocket Salvage), Imagine Agents is the story of two agents who work for clandestine organization I.M.A.G.I.N.E. to keep kids’ imaginary friends under control. Little do they know that an abandoned “friend” from long ago is about to disrupt the status quo and turn everything upside down. The series was published from October 2013 to January 2014, with a collected edition released in December 2014.

“Imagine Agents has been the most rewarding project I've worked on and the fact it's going to be a movie with Michael Keaton, whose work had a huge impact on my teenaged years and indirectly played a role in my decision to become a writer, is just a mind-blowing continuation of that reward,” said Joines.

BOOM! has a first-look feature film deal at 20th Century Fox that includes first-dollar gross on films based on any of its comics, which the publisher splits with its creators.

BOOM! Studios Founder and Chief Executive Officer Ross Richie will produce the film with Keaton and Anonymous Content’s Michael Sugar. President of Development Stephen Christy will executive produce with Anonymous Content’s Eli Selden. Senior Vice President of Film Adam Yoelin will co-produce in cooperation with Anonymous Content’s Ashley Zalta.

Keaton, best known for his roles in Beetlejuice and Batman, is coming off his award-nominated performance as washed-up superhero actor Riggan Thomson in New Regency Pictures’ Birdman and is currently filming The Founder, a biopic about Ray Kroc, the founder of the McDonald’s fast-food chain.

Ys Chronicles II Confirmed on iOS & Android

June 22, 2015

DotEmu, developer and publisher specializing in modern releases of beloved retro games, confirms that Ys Chronicles II will be available on iOS and android. Originally released for PSP in 2009, this action-RPG will debut on mobiles and tablets in a version specially adapted for touch gameplay. In Ys Chronicles II (also known as Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished – The Final Chapter), you play as the adventurous Adol Christin, who, after collecting the sacred books in Ys Chronicles I, must continue his quest to unravel the true secrets of the island of Ys. As Adol, you’ll show off your swordsmanship, discover new weapons, and for the first time use magic to free Esteria from evil in the second chapter of this renowned series.

Get ready, Ys fans – this fantastic sequel will be coming to your mobile and tablet!

First Second Books Reveals Their Winter Line Up!

June 22, 2015

If you follow the site or the podcast then you know that I'm a pretty big fan of everything that First Second Books publishes. Everything that I've checked out has been a hit and so I'm very excited about this Winter (aka early next year) list because some favorite titles are returning, but also some new titles from some of my favorite creators. Check out the full pdf below, but here's the cheat sheet version:

The Nameless City, by Faith Erin Hicks – “This tale of unexpected alliances has everything: winning characters, a sumptuous setting, and sharp observations about power and history.” – Scott Westerfeld. We’re thrilled to be publishing this amazing new middle-grade trilogy from Faith Erin Hicks.

Delilah Dirk and the King’s Shilling, by Tony Cliff – Delilah Dirk is back in this globe-trotting, adventure-filled tale in which she must perform her most difficult tasks yet: wearing dresses and dealing with her mom!

Apollo, by George O’Connor: the eighth volume of the New York Times Best-Selling Olympians series tells the story of Apollo, the god of music, the truth, and prophecy.

The Glorkian Warrior and the Mustache of Destiny, by James Kochalka – in the final volume in the Glorkian Warrior trilogy, the Glorkian Warrior faces his greatest and most terrible foe: small children.

The Show, by Bastien Vives, Michael Sanlaville, and Balak – the fourth volume of the action-packed, medieval-meets-magical tournament fighting Last Man series!

Sweaterweather, by Sara Varon – we’re republishing Sara Varon’s classic, charming, and heartwarming out-of-print short story collection – with some marvelous all-new material added.

The Flash: The Complete First Season -- On Blu-ray & DVD September 22, 2015

June 22, 2015

Just in time for its second season, catch up with the #1 show on The CW as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC Entertainment release The Flash: The Complete First Season on Blu-ray^TM and DVD on September 22, 2015. The Flash delivered the most-watched series premiere in The CW's history, and original episodes averaged 6 million viewers weekly throughout the season. Fans that purchase the set will be able to watch all 23 electrifying episodes, plus three hours of extra content, including episode commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes and a gag reel. The Flash: The Complete First Season is priced to own at $59.98 SRP for the DVD and $60.10 SRP for the Blu-ray. Central City forensic investigator Barry Allen is, always charming and – as a result of a scientific experiment gone awry – now the fastest man alive! He’s The Flash, zigzagging through the action-packed new series from the creative team behind Arrow and based on the supersonic DC Comics character. With his life shadowed by his mother’s murder and his father wrongly convicted of the crime, Barry finds that his newfound power of super speed grants him the ability to move through Central City like an unseen guardian angel. Barry quickly discovers he’s not the only “metahuman” created by the explosive disaster – and not everyone is using their new powers for good. Now, to protect the innocent, Barry and his close friends who know his secret, race to combat evildoers in one astonishing adventure after another.

With Blu-ray’s unsurpassed picture and sound, The Flash: The Complete First Season Blu-ray release will include 1080p Full HD Video with DTS-HD Master Audio for English 5.1. The 4-disc Blu-ray will feature a high-definition Blu-ray and a Digital HD copy of all 23 episodes from season one.

The Flash stars Grant Gustin (Arrow, Glee), Candice Patton (The Game), Rick Cosnett (The Vampire Diaries), Danielle Panabaker (Justified, Necessary Roughness), Carlos Valdes (Arrow), with Tom Cavanagh (Ed, The Following), and Jesse L. Martin (Law & Order). Based on the characters from DC Comics, The Flash is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti (Arrow, Brothers & Sisters, Everwood, The Mysteries of Laura), Andrew Kreisberg (Arrow, Fringe)Game of Thrones, The X-Files Sarah Schechter (Arrow, The Mysteries of Laura, Pan) and David Nutter (Game of Thrones, The X-Files).

BLU-RAY & DVD FEATURES

The Fastest Man Alive!
Creating the Blur
The Chemistry of Emily and Grant Screen Test
Behind the Story: The Trickster Returns!
DC Comics Night at Comic-Con 2014 Presenting Gotham, The Flash, Constantine and Arrow
Audio Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Gag Reel

23 ONE-HOUR EPISODES

Pilot For Air
Fastest Man Alive
Things Your Can't Outrun
Going Rogue
Plastique
The Flash s Born
Power Outage
Flash vs. Arrow
The Man In The Yellow Suit
Revenge Of he Rogues
The Sound And The Fury
Crazy For You
The Nuclear Man
Fallout
Out of Time
Rogue Time
Tricksters
All Star Team Up
Who is Harrison Wells?
The Trap
Grodd Lives
Rogue Air
Fast Enough

BASICS Street Date: September 22, 2015 BD and DVD Presented in 16x9 widescreen format Running Time: Feature: Approx 968 min Enhanced Content: Approx 180 min

DVD Price: $59.98 SRP 5 DVD-9s Audio – English (5.1) Subtitles – ESDH, Latin Spanish, French

BLU-RAY Price: $60.10 SRP 4-Disc Elite 4 BD-50s BD Audio –DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 – English, Castilian Spanish 2.0 BD Subtitles – ESDH, Latin Spanish, French

Arrow: The Complete Third Season -- Pick Up The Blu-ray & DVD September 22, 2015

June 22, 2015

Just in time for Arrow’s fourth season on The CW, viewers can catch up with the action-packed series as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC Entertainment release Arrow: The Complete Third Season on Blu-ray^TM and DVD on September 22, 2015. Averaging 4.2 million viewers weekly for each original episode, Arrow is The CW’s #2 show among Total Viewers, behind only The Flash! The release contains all 23 thrilling episodes from the third season that will have you on the edge of your seat, plus almost three hours of extra content, including episode commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. Arrow: The Complete Third Season is priced to own at $59.98 SRP for the DVD and $60.10 SRP for the Blu-ray. Oliver Queen’s Arrow has become a hero to the citizens of Starling City – but he will quickly discover that doesn’t mean he can lead a normal life in the spectacular third season of the hit series based on the DC Comics character. A new wave of diabolical masterminds – including the insidious and pervasive havoc wrought by the lethal and secretive League of Assassins – threatens all he holds dear. Team Arrow has grown into a powerful force, but the dangers and secrets that bind them together often put them at odds with each other, as the shadows cast by Malcolm Merlyn and the omnipotent Ra’s al Ghul trigger shifts in loyalties and alliances that test them to their core. For matchless heroism under fire, this action-packed 5-disc, 23-episode Season Three can’t be beaten!

With Blu-ray’s unsurpassed picture and sound, Arrow: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray release will include 1080p Full HD Video with DTS-HD Master Audio for English 5.1. The 4-disc Blu-ray will feature a high-definition Blu-ray and a Digital HD copy of all 23 episodes from Season Three.

Arrow stars Stephen Amell (Private Practice), Katie Cassidy (Gossip Girl, Melrose Place), David Ramsey (Blue Bloods, Dexter), Willa Holland (The O.C.), Emily Bett Rickards (Flicka: Country Pride), Colton Haynes (Teen Wolf, The Gates), with John Barrowman (Desperate Housewives, Doctor Who), and Paul Blackthorne (The River). Based on the characters from DC Comics, Arrow is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti (The Flash, Everwood, Brothers & Sisters), Marc Guggenheim (Eli Stone), Andrew Kreisberg (The Flash) and Sarah Schechter (The Flash).

SPECIAL FEATURES

Second Skins: Creating The Uniforms of Arrow
Nanda Parbat: Constructing The Villain’s Lair
Two Arrow Audio Commentaries
Arrow at Comic-Con 2014
The Man Beneath the Suit – Atom’s First Flight
Gag Reel
Deleted Scenes

23 ONE-HOUR EPISODES

BASICS

Street Date: September 22, 2015 BD and DVD Presented in 16x9 widescreen format Running Time: Feature: Approx 976 min Enhanced Content: Approx 183 min

DVD Price: $59.98 SRP 5 DVD-9s Audio – English (5.1) Subtitles – ESDH, Latin Spanish, French

BLU-RAY Price: $60.10 SRP 4-Disc Elite BD Audio –DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 – English, Castilian Spanish 2.0 BD Subtitles – ESDH, Latin Spanish, French

Will Lill Comics Reveals Two New Titles

June 21, 2015

We've got two new issues coming from Will Lill Comics to check it out. Dartman #1 Writer: Richard D. Irving Artist: Lee Melton and Bobby Penafiel Cover: Dan Solano Price: $3.99 (.99 digital) Format: 24 pags, b/w Publisher: Will LIll Comics

Info: This one shot features the adventures of Dartman as he tries to bring to justice The Springer, who murdered an innocent man and save the lives of two hostages.

Grafix Chronicles #4 Writer(s): Lloyd Smith, Jr., Ron Fortier Artist(s): Phillip Fried, Dick Ayers, David Vance, Joe Arnold Cover: Steve Busti and Dick Ayers Price: $3.99 (.99 digital) Format: 24 pages, color Publisher: Will LIll Comics

Info: In this issue, our first color issue, we have 3 great stories. First up is "Toombora" by Lloyd Smith Jr, Phillip Fried and comic book legend Dick Ayers. Next is "The Black Rose" once again by Lloyd Smith Jr and David Vance. And lastly, "Brother Bones: Needle Justice" by Ron Fortier and Joe Arnold. Cover by Steve Busti and Dick Ayers.

CBMFP 190: Thorsday

June 21, 2015

Exciting news today... we have a new ending! I know it's been forever and a day so I thought I would lead with that so that people would actually listen to the great work that Erin put into making it. For actual news covered on the episode we're back on the Fantastic Four train and it's stopping at the Denny's station... fun! Sony has some Spider-Demands and they reveal how Hollywood really runs and also how out of touch with society they are. Finally I went to this year's E3 so I'm going to talk about video games since I made twelve-year-old me proud by finally going to E3. Books covered on this episode:

Thors #1
Lesbian Zombies From Outer Space #2
The Ghost Fleet (no spoilers, but we do talk about the series as a whole)

Previously on the CBMFP...

Homicycle Racing to DVD and Digital August 11, 2015

June 21, 2015

In a city riddled with corruption, drugs and gangs, a veteran cop is murdered by a vicious king pin, sparking a brutal crime wave. Only one man can stop the bloodshed – a ruthless, motorcycle riding vigilante bent on bloody revenge called HOMICYCLE who’s now picking off the killers one by one. Armed with an arsenal from Hell, he’s cleaning the streets by decapitation, nail gun and motorcycle madness! Is he a gun-toting savior on a path of righteous redemption, or is he literally HELL ON WHEELS? "It’s like Ghost Rider, but made in the 70s. I can dig that" - horrormovies.ca

HOMICYCLE (DVD) BEF-DV-107 SRP: $14.99 Street Date: August 11, 2015 Director: Brett Kelly Starring: Candice Lidstone, Ian Quick, Peter Whittaker Production Year: 2014 DVD Tech Specs / Info: 2014 / 70 mins. / Horror / Color / Not Rated / 16x9 / Region 0 / English SPECIAL FEATURES: Audio Commentary by Director Brett Kelly, Trailer Vault