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Welcome, Poweteers, to a brand new original column where we explore the top (and bottom) 5 items we think are relevant to any of a variety of topics that span the imagination. Sit back, read, and respond!

The late Don Cornelius, the creator and the longtime host of the legendary Soul Train, the show which revolutionized black music television. Can anyone do the same for gaming?

This month is Black history Month, which is the 28 (or 29 if its a leap year) days out of the year to recognize the achievements and contributions Black Americans have made towards science, sociology, history, civics, and entertainment. That last one is especially important, as our people have made many advancements in the field of entertainment, and I’m not just talking about Spike Lee and Tyler Perry either. Since before the days of Motown, we have made unprecedented contributions to movies, books, television, video games, and even pop culture in general. Within this legacy is an untapped well of potential for video game companies looking to create the next big gaming hit. There have been attempts to tap into this well before, although with limited success, as seen in this week’s Maximum Letdown. Don’t get me wrong, I love EA’s Def jam fighters and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, but they don’t even begin to scratch the surface to what decades of movies, music, and literature can contribute to video-gaming, and don’t even mention crappy ‘thugsploitation’ games like 25 to Life and 187 Ride or Die. This list features 5 properties that are either created by Black Americans, or feature Black Americans in leading roles. I even give suggestions to what platforms they can be released on, as well as possible pre-order bonuses/downloadable content. Hey, if they can make games out of Desperate Housewives, then they can make games out of anything.
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Fun Publications, the folks who run the Botcon convention, have posted a picture on facebook revealing the box art for the 2012 convention box set. As seen above, the art features each of the six characters in the set; Metalhawk, Overlord Gigatron, Shattered Glass Tracks, Shattered Glass Ultra Magnus, Shattered Glass Treadshot and Shattered Glass Soundwave.

Botcon will be held in Dallas, Texas this year from April 26th to 29th.

I had really high hopes for this game. Obviously it wasn’t going to be the next Madden out the gate (or even NFL Blitz), but there was a lot to like about it, and for the right reasons. For one, it’s development team features several black female programmers, and the developer, Nerjyzed Entertainment is headed by a black female CEO. The company’s mission is to produce games which promote the more positive aspects of minority cultures. While BCFX is a good note to start on, it tends to fall flat during the execution.

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DC Entertainment today revealed the first cover for the forthcoming “World’s Finest” comic book. This book reintroduces Power Girl to the “New 52” and teams her with Huntress. It is a fish out of water story, as both of these characters are from “Earth 2” and are lost in the new DC Universe.

Which is to say, they are going back to the silver age origins of both characters. Nothing wrong there. They even got a silver age throwback, George Perez to draw the cover. Kevin Maguire is said to be doing interior artwork.

Except, this is a pretty disturbing cover. The goal of the New 52 was to modernize the characters, then why does Power Girl look like a throwback? She’s got a new cape, knee high boots, gauntlets and a terrible haircut. This is a lot worse than just taking away Superman’s red speedo. The ‘boob window’ and the crazy sexuality of Power Girl is what helped make the character. It is why the run with Palmiotti/Grey/Conner was so popular. She is supposed to be ridiculously, comically attractive. Dude’s fawn over her, she kicks their asses. That is the way it works.

This cover, much like the new DC logo that it will bear in the top left corner, is completely uninspired.

Hoping Kevin Maguire can do something with this design. I also hope Paul Levitz brings some levity (if you’ll excuse the pun) to the stories. It would be a pity if one of the most entertaining and beautiful books of the old 52 ended up being a drag.

Around here, aDam and myself just can’t get enough of end-of-world scenarios. Sure, they’re depressing and bleak, but they can be uplifting and thrilling too. This particular one is a comedy with Steve Carell and Keira Knightly. It is the second movie by writer Lorene Scafaria, who also directs.

The trailer has a few good laughs, and since the film is rated R, there is a good chance there is stuff that won’t be spoiled by advertising.

I like the part with Gillian Jacobs making out with Knightly best. Yes.

Major Breaking toy news: Hasbro has landed the rights to produce toys based on the popular science fiction series Star Trek. No formal details were announce other than they would launch with the next Star Trek movie in May 2013.

A posting on StarTrek.com does make mention of KREO toys being part of the agreement, meaning ships from the Star Trek universe will be represented with the brick building toys.

This news comes just a few days before Toy Fair in New York City, which typically showcases major new releases from toy manufacturers and designers. It is unlikely that any new Star Trek toys will be on display since the first release isn’t due for over a year.

Previously, Star Trek toys were handled by Playmates. They launched a relatively well received line for the 2009 Star Trek movie, but the second wave of figures was delayed to to June 2010 and then ultimately cancelled.

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