Beta keys are going to be given out to all attendees of the panel at SDCC for DC Universe Online.
We also got to hear ahead of time some of the big names on the voice acting cast for the new game.
Kevin Conroy – Batman
Mark Hamill – The Joker
Gina Torres (Firefly) – Wonder Woman
Adam Baldwin (Firefly) – Superman
James Marsters (Spike from Buffy) – Lex Luthor
Michelle Forbes (Ensign Ro from ST:TNG; Admiral Cain from BSG, and about a hundred other things) – Circe.
This game has been in development for a very long time under the art direction of now-DC Co-Publisher Jim Lee, but it looks like they are going about it the right way, with this news just further confirming that.
The latest issue of Toyfare, 152, came out yesterday with lots of teasers and announcements as a precursor to this weekend’s New York Toy Fair. Word is racing acrosstheinternet that among the announcements was a MOTUC vs DCUC Comic 2-pack exclusive to Toys ‘R Us. The pack will reportedly come with DC Comics Presents #47 where Superman was pitted against the most powerful man in the universe. Pictures of prototypes for a (DC) comic accurate He-Man were leaked on ebay holding the mystery sword and shield accessories shown at the Gallery 88 art show. I’ve included the prototype photos below. The Superman to be included has been said will be the same as that included in the Gotham 5-pack
This is huge news because it will mean the first time any MOTUC figure will be released at retail. This 2-pack is supposedly the first of several. It would appear that there will be a Skeletor 2-pack, but not with whom he might come. Lets hope drums up more interest in He-Man and MOTUC so Mattel will increase their production numbers more and get these figures out to fans that want to buy them but refuse to get in line for Mattel’s shady subscription service.
DC Universe classics is a hard enough line to collect without having so many store exclusives! I delve into some of whats available now at a few retailers, but if you can’t find the figures featured in this review at your local big box, theres always the amazon links below. Happy Hunting!
In what appears to be a clear and obvious direct response to the Disney acquisition of Marvel, DC has announced today that it is restructuring. After a 40 year courtship, DC and Warner are going ahead with their merger!
Warner Bros., parent company of DC, has created DC Entertainment to better leverage the greater potential of DC Comcs properties across all media outlets. This new company will be headed by Diane Nelson.
From the release:
DC Entertainment, a separate division of WBEI, will be charged with strategically integrating the DC Comics business, brand and characters deeply into Warner Bros. Entertainment and all its content and distribution businesses. DC Entertainment, which will work with each of the Warner Bros. divisions, will also tap into the tremendous expertise the Studio has in building and sustaining franchises and prioritize DC properties as key titles and growth drivers across all of the Studio, including feature films, television, interactive entertainment, direct-to-consumer platforms and consumer products. The DC Comics publishing business will remain the cornerstone of DC Entertainment, releasing approximately 90 comic books through its various imprints and 30 graphic novels a month and continuing to build on its creative leadership in the comic book industry.
Current President and Publisher of DC Comics, Paul Levitz, was effectively demoted back to editorial and writing roles. He has already been slated to work on Adventure Comics.
So what does this mean? Sounds like Warner and DC are actually merging for the first time since DC became a subsidiary of Warner in 1969. Warner has largely stayed out of DC Comics’ editorial decisions as near as I can tell with the expection of the DC Implosion. That being said, I didn’t do much research. Frankly, Marvel was managing to do more on their own, than what DC was able to do under Warner’s wing. We’ll see how this plays out with a non-editorial person in the top seat.
Obscenely long official press release can be seen after the jump
Mattel has been hard at work lately trying to meet the concerns of fans of the DC Universe Classics line. One of the initiatives to try and better meet demand is to offer “open stock” to online retailers. This is basically a solid case of a single figure. So if Shazam is doing really well, but Killer Moth isn’t getting any orders, the online retailers can adjust their orders and order a few more cases of Shazam without worrying about getting Killer Moths that there is not demand for. Unfortunately the Wave 6 and 7 chases will not be offered in open stock due to an error or some sort, but it is the intention of Mattel to offer the Wave 8 variants in open stock. This is really great news for fans who order online.
In addition to this news, Mattel also announced that they were able to redirect all remaining stock of the KB Exclusive Maskless Batman Beyond and Sonic Arm Cyborg to online retailers. The status of these figures was in question since KB Toys has gone into liquidation and the exclusives were difficult to come by in the first place.
Great news all around and its good to see Mattel trying to address the concerns of fans and correct some early mistakes in the line’s life.
Gift Guide is a series of articles highlighting some of our top picks for gift suggestions. Each article covers a specific genre with explanations of why we think these items make worthy gifts.
Today’s Gift Guide topic is graphic novels. When you think about the term graphic novel today, often it is associated with comic books and superheroes. This is not always the case, however. Today’s list is comprised of half superhero stories and half non-superhero stories that are equally, if not moreso, compelling.
American Born Chinese
Gene Yang weaves together three separate stories. The first is a folk tale of a Monkey King who must come to terms with his true nature after declaring himself a god. The second storyline follows a young chinese boy that moves to America. After living there for a while, he meets another boy who recently moved from China and is quickly frustrated at his culture shock. The third plotline follows the sitcom of a boy in high school who’s Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee, comes to visit and immediately and deliberately follows one stereotype after another, completely embarassing the high schooler.
Why we like it: In addition to winning the Michael Printz Award, what could be considered the young adult literature equivalent of the Newbery Medal, the book takes a hilarious and light hearted look at racial stereotypes, coming to terms with, and appreciating this heritage.
The success of The Dark Knight means WB wants to do another Batman movie. But the success of Iron Man, Hulk, Spider-Man, X-Men, etc means WB has to try harder to do other movies.
The Wall Street Journal talks to Warner Bros. Pictures Group President Jeff Robinov, and he states that of 8 big summer movies planned before 2011, at least 4 of those will be DC properties. The good news is none of those is going to be Justice League. WB plans to launch individual films following the Marvel Entertainment model. From the article:
The studio is set to announce its plans for future DC movies in the next month. For now, though, it is focused on releasing four comic-book films in the next three years, including a third Batman film, a new film reintroducing Superman, and two movies focusing on other DC Comics characters. Movies featuring Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow, and Wonder Woman are all in active development.
Supermax, the Green Arrow prison break movie from David Goyer, is my big hope. Green Lantern and Wonder Woman are long overdue, and Flash has enormous potential for chases and special effects.
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