The Powet forums are down, as I’m sure you’ve discovered by now.

While we work to get them back up, Shwiggie was kind enough to set us up with a temporary forum here.

Check back here for updates, or on the temporary forum.

We’re also working on getting the normal layout back for the front page.

-Crazy

IDW, the publisher currently bringing Transformers comics to the stands, has released info about a Movie Prequel Comic that will be starting in February 2007. It’s a four-part mini, with the books being 32 pages each, and it’s being written by Chris Ryall (Zombies VS. Robots) and Simon Furman (more Transformers books than can possibly be listed), with Don Figueroa (not as many as Furman, but plenty nonetheless) on art. Interestingly, Ryall also happens to be IDW’s Publisher and Editor-in-Chief.

Here’s what he had to say about the book:

This is no peripheral movie tie-in. Rather, it’s a fully realized, generations-spanning tale that also sets up and explains much of the backstory in the coming movie. With Paramount and Hasbro’s assistance, we’re able to show you the characters and explain some situations that are integral parts of the movie. It should also assuage any early fan trepidation and show that this prequel and the movie together are going to comprise quite an epic TRASNFORMERS story.

Ultimately, while I’m unfamiliar with Ryall’s previous work – and I’m a little curious how the writing chores are being split up – with big guns Furman and Figueroa attached to this project, this books is sizing up to be a pretty safe bet for my money. And what’s more, if that blacked out image is any indication, this book should provide a clear look at what some of the characters – if not all – will look like, at least with Cybertronian alt-modes.

UPDATE: Wizard has a short blurb on the book with the full version of the blacked-out image colored.

A free trial of the Wii Internet Channel is now available for download from the Wii Wares section of the Wii Shop Channel.

It is surprisingly easy to use. So much so that I easily posted this news update with it.

And don’t worry! Powet and it’s YouTube videos work fine with it.

Marvel released their first glimpse of what the Silver Surfer will look like in the Fantastic Four sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer, and this image is it. To be honest, this image really tells me nothing, as with nothing around for comparison or reference, this might as well simply be a drawing. That said, we’ll get our first look at the character in motion once the trailer releases today with Night At The Museum.

More details from the article at USA Today:

With computer-generated imagery techniques similar to those used to create Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, the slippery Surfer, voiced by Doug Jones, “will look somewhere between gun metal and fluid metallics so you can see the body motion, the breathing, the muscle tone, the mood,” says Marvel Studios CEO Avi Arad.

The Surfer’s mood is key to the story. After striking a deal with the evil Galactus to save his planet, the once-human Surfer wreaks havoc throughout the cosmos. “He is a highly emotional being, trapped inside fluid metal,” Arad says.

Marvel is putting out a new bust. This bust features Rachel Grey as she appeared on the cover of Uncanny X-Men 468 where she is sporting a new tattoo forced upon her as marker by the Shi’ar identifying her as a carrier of the phoenix force.

 

Action Figure X-Press has gotten themselves an exclusive version of the bust where Rachel is using some of her phoenix abilities.

 

Halo fans would do well to hop on Xbox Live Marketplace and get the new video documentary on the role of the Brutes in Halo 3. For those of us without access to the 360’s video download service, its also on GameTrailers.

At seven minutes, Bungie staff speak of the shortcomings of Brutes in Halo 2, and the masive overhaul the species will get in the sequel. With the Elites no longer in the Covenant, Brutes will become the dominant enemy in Halo 3’s campaign.

Much of the video is concept art and early animation tests, but we do see about 2 minutes of gameplay an in game graphics. Bungie.net is quick to point out everything is a work in progress and while there are new weapons in the video, they may look and/or function differently in the final game.

I got to hand it to Bungie on this one. As secretive as they continue to be, they are offering more access than many other developers do to the process of forming the game. It doesn’t come close to what fans have been clamoring for, but its more of an inside look than other AAA titles for 2007 like Mario Galaxy or Metal Gear Solid 4.

The hotly anticipated trailer for the 2007 Transformers movie from director Michael Bay is now online at Yahoo UK.

At 1 PM EST, this trailer will be available in multiple formats on the US Yahoo Movies site.

Joseph Barbera now joins his partner William Hannah in history. They formed the production duo Hannah-Barbera, responsible for the most recognizable and loved cartoons outside of the old Disney and Warner Bros vaults.

In 1940, their first short for MGM “Puss Gets the Boot” had the dual distinction of being the nominated for an Academy Award and the first in many, many Tom And Jerry cartoons. In the 60s, they went solo and created The Flintstones, Jetsons, Jonny Quest, and Scooby Doo. And even into the 90s working under Turner Broadcasting, they produced Cartoon Network’s earliest breakout hits.

William Hannah passed in 2001, but just last year Joe Barbera wrote and produced a new Tom and Jerry short. It is a testament to his talent and longevity that he return and finish his career with the characters that made him famous 65 years prior.

read more: Wikipedia, AP Obituary

thanks to Sindra and Matt