‘Before Watchmen‘ has already shaken the comics community and a lot of opinions have been raised as to whether the books will be good or bad, or if it is right on wrong to continue the stories.

But something you can’t argue with is seeing some talented artists try their hand at these classic characters. Amanda Conner is a personal favorite of mine, and a fan at Megacon a couple weeks ago commissioned a Silk Spectre piece from her. The fan recorded the whole thing and posted this time lapse of her sketch, ink, and color of the Watchmen character.

If this is indicative of her work on the final book, a collaboration with Darwyn Cooke, then I’m going to buy at least one of these Before Watchmen titles and enjoy it.

In a related news, IDW publishing is releasing a hard cover Art Of Amanda Conner book, taking preorders now.

Evilquest is yet another Xbox Live Indie title that deserves its time in the spotlight. Built in the vein of classic 8 and 16-bit Action-RPGS like Chrystalis and SoulBlazer, Evilquest brings back that retro action that you love. Of course, there is a twist; instead of playing the hero intent on saving the world, you play as the villain who wishes to destroy it. You play as a legendary dark knight who is thrown into prison after being betrayed by a subordinate. After escaping, you vow revenge, killing everyone in your way. Evilquest is easy to pick up and play, and of course you can build your character’s skill levels as you go along. For $1, Evilquest is an excellent throwback to the games of old, so check it out and support independent game developers.

Remember all those old school wrestling games like Wrestlefest, WWF Arcade, Sega Slam, and (more specifically) Nintendo’s Pro Wrestling? You know, how Pro Wrestling gaming used to be before we were spoiled with games like WWF Attitude, WCW/NWO Revenge, No Mercy, Fire Pro Wrestling Returns, and Smackdown vs Raw? Well Xbox 360 Indie developer Action has bought back that retro feel thanks to Action Arcade Wrestling. It’s got a small, but varied selection of wrestlers, and it’s easy to pick up and play. You can even edit your own wrestlers and arenas. There are several match types available including steel cage and tag team. While it doesn’t have the bells and whistles of other wrestling games, it does bring back that nostalgic feel that’s been missing from video game wrestling. At only one dollar (80 ms points), the price is right. By the way, tell your friends to support the developer as well, as word is he’s making a sequel.

While remakes, spinoffs, and re-releases of the demon summoning franchise Shin Megami Tensei series seem to be released every few months these days, for the longest time the releases were confined to Japan only. In Japan, the franchise is the third most popular RPG series after Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. However, the game didn’t hit U.S shores until almost a decade after its 1987 debut on the Game Boy, largely in part due to its religious themes and Nintendo of America’s stance against such material. Thankfully Sony, just beginning the recognize the popularity of RPGs like Suikoden, Vandal Hearts, and the upcoming FFVII, had few such restrictions.

The first SMT game to be released in North America was part of SMT spinoff series Persona. What’s so unique about this game, and much of the SMT series in general, was that the game didn’t take place in some sci-fi/fantasy timeline, but instead in Modern Day Tokyo. Instead of summoning demons, the characters summon figments of their psyche. Playing as your typical nameless RPG hero, you and your friends, a group of Japanese high school students, find yourselves at the center of some weird happenings after visiting a sick classmate. From there, it’s up to you and your crew to save the city from a demonic threat. You do most of the exploration in a first person view (at least until one of the many random encounters, this being an JRPG and all), while you go into an isometric view for battles and conversations. The game underwent several changes for its U.S release. It was re-named Revelations: Persona, and its cast underwent several changes to make them more westernized. In many cases, characters were given different faces. One character originally named Masao was renamed Mark and made into an African-American. Several places were also renamed as well, and some enemy names were changed in order to avoid referencing Japanese folklore.
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We’ve been very busy trying to bring the latest and greatest news that came out of Toy Fair 2012 over the past week. As a result, we wanted to bring all of that coverage together in one place for easy reference. You will find links to all of the Toy Fair 2012 related news coverage below. As we continue to update with more information in our post-mortem analysis of what went on, we will update the list below with any new articles.

Toy Fair 2012: Hasbro Acquires STAR TREK License
Toy Fair 2012: Hasbro Media pre-show event � GI Joe
Toy Fair 2012: Hasbro Media pre-show event � Marvel Legends
Toy Fair 2012: Mattel�s MOTU Classics announcements
Toy Fair 2012: Better images of the SDcC GI Joe Transformers Shockwave HISS Tank
Toy Fair 2012: Bandai Thundercats (or lack thereof)
Toy Fair 2012: Playmates TMNT
Toy Fair 2012: Mattel’s Voltron
Toy Fair 2012: Avengers Cologne

As seen above in the banner:
“Patriot Cologne, inspired by Captain America, pays homage to the confident, stand-up-to-bullies, hard-working average Joe in everyman. The cologne features hints of green lime and white pepper with finishes of dry oak wood, sandalwood and tequila.”

Read on for more of the heroic scents unveiled.

[Source: ComicBookMovie.com]

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