TV News: Smallville/Absolute Justice clips!

CW has provided 3 clips from the upcoming Smallville on Friday.


Tune in this Friday, February 5 for Smallville’s “Absolute Justice” and the Justice Society of America!

Smallville Trailer - Absolute Justice



Smallville Webclip 1 - Absolute Justice



Smallville Webclip 2 - Absolute Justice

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TV REVIEW: THE CLONE WARS, THE MANDALORE PLOT

Last week's somewhat controversial (see below) episode of The Clone Wars was "The Mandalore Plot" in which Obi-Wan was dispatched to the neutral world of Mandalore to investigate recent attacks from Mandalorian-armored warriors on the Republic. If you are only familiar with the movies this may not mean much to you but in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, the Mandolorians are the people of Jango and Boba Fett, a proud race of warriors and bounty hunters who have fought against the Jedi numerous times over the history of the galaxy.






Obi-Wan meets with the leader of the Mandalorians, the Dutchess Satine, with whom he has apparently had some sort of history. These Clone Wars episodes often have very herky-jerky beginnings and almost always leave you feeling like you've missed an episode. Although, this is a proud tradition of en medias res that goes back to 1977's Star Wars, which made you feel as though you were coming in at the middle of a story that had already started. In any case, Obi-Wan and Satine have tons of chemistry and this gives us a glimpse at the very uptight Jedi's interior life and their relationship and choices serve as a nice dramatic counterpoint to Anakin and Padme.

The Mandalorian capital and its occupants are somewhat surprising in that the city is depicted as quite big, clean, and modern (whatever that means a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away) and filled with strangely blonde and Nordic looking people, nothing like the rather swarthy Fetts that we have seen so far. There are some very subtle architectural and decorative allusions to the Mandalorian armor throughout. This is a big contrast from the way that the Mandos have been described in the EU until now, as a traditional, nomadic people who are ruled by a single Mandalore.



Shortly after a reference to a captured Mandolorian warrior's having "taken his life" we witness a Mando terrorist attack and another suicide. This season I am constantly amazed by what this "children's show" gets away with and it makes me excited to see what the live-action show will be like in a couple of years. If a kids show is going to be this dark...Anyway, Obi-Wan and Satine venture off to the moon Concordia, from where all of the problem Mandos seem to be coming. Concordia seems to more like the Mandalore that we were expecting, and itself seems to be a reference to the planet Concorde Dawn which plays a big role in Mandalorian history in the EU.

Over the course of the episode we find Separatist involvement, a Mando turncoat, some typically dry Obi-Wan humor, Jon Faveau, and a couple of good battles. Overall this was a good episode and a great return to form after the lackluster "Lightsaber Lost" episode from the previous week and it cannot be overstated how cool it is seeing Mandos in action. This is something that Star Wars fans have been wanting for a very long time. Also, it is great to have an episode that spotlights Obi-Wan, as he is a welcome departure from the youthful energies of Anakin and Ahsoka. That said, there is something discordant about the depiction of the these fancy-pants Mandalorians and the way that their culture is depicted as almost the opposite of what has been described thus far.



For the most part, this Star Wars Expanded Universe has done a pretty good job about maintaining consistency between the different media and merging all of these disparate elements into one epic story but with this new series there have been some bumps in the road. Karen Traviss, an author of several well-received Star Wars novels that focus on clones and Mandolorians, recently quit writing Star Wars largely because of the fact that The Clone Wars series and its spin off media are venturing into this territory and disregarding the hard work that she has done fleshing out this corner of the Star Wars universe. I really hope that the writers of The Clone Wars find some way to reconcile with the established continuity. If they do, the next couple of episodes from this story arc will be quite eventful.

Patrick Garone
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TV News: Supernatural Preview

The CW presents two clips from this Thursdays Supernatural, on at 9 PM EST.

THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME

The angels send Anna (guest star Julie McNiven) back in time to kill John (guest star Matthew Cohen) and Mary (guest star Amy Gumenick) Winchester before they can conceive Sam (Jared Padalecki) knowing that if Sam was never born then Lucifer won't be able to use him as his vessel. Castiel (Misha Collins) sends Sam and Dean (Jensen Ackles) back to 1978 so they can stop Anna, and the two brothers are reunited with their parents. Mary recognizes Dean as a hunter since he visited her in the past once before but tries to keep the truth from John.



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Comic News: IDW Announces Two Sold-Out Titles in One Week

New comics series TRANSFORMERS: Last Stand of the Wreckers #1 and G.I. JOE: COBRA II #1 both going toG.I. JOE: COBRA II #1 2nd printing cover second printing


The excitement keeps growing for IDW Publishing's TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE comics, with two new sold-out series last week. On Wednesday, January 27th, IDW released G.I. JOE: COBRA II #1, a continuation of the acclaimed COBRA series, and TRANSFORMERS: Last Stand of the WRECKERS #1, a new miniseries spinning out of IDW's ongoing story. Both comics flew off the shelves and are already sold-out though Diamond. Under license from Hasbro, IDW is rushing to a second printing for each, and fans can expect them in stores on February 10th.

"This is a really exciting time for fans of both TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE," said Andy Schmidt, editor of both lines of comics for IDW. "We've tried a lot of new things and had a lot of success due to the support of not only the existing fan base but also many newer fans who are discovering these comics for the first time."

TRANSFORMERS: Last Stand of the WRECKERS #1 2nd printing coverIn TRANSFORMERS: Last Stand of the WRECKERS, fan-favorite writer and artist Nick Roche helms the five-issue series, which rounds out IDW's trifecta of new TRANSFORMERS comics, including the new ongoing series and TRANSFORMERS: BUMBLEBEE. WRECKERS gives fans a taste of what's been happening off of Earth as the WRECKERS investigate a prison planet that fell to the evil DECEPTICONS three years ago. Called "a festival of awesome" by TFormers.com, the second printing of WRECKERS #1 will feature a variant cover by Roche.

"TRANSFORMERS fans braved some pretty bad Chicago weather to come out and get TRANSFORMERS: Last Stand of the WRECKERS#1 on Wednesday. Both old and new fans of TRANSFORMERS alike were quickly drawn to the book due to the amazing art by fan-favorite Nick Roche. And honestly, nobody can resist a Kup story," said Jimmy PS Hayes of Graham Cracker Comics in Wheaton, IL.

Written by Mike Costa and Christos Gage, G.I. JOE: COBRA II continues the danger and suspense of the acclaimed G.I. JOE: COBRA series, as the G.I. JOE team penetrates the evil COBRA organization and eventually comes face to face with COBRA COMMANDER himself. The masterful art of Antonio Fuso gives new layers to the subtle yet undeniable divide that fans have witnessed within COBRA, highlighted in the celebrated G.I. JOE: COBRA Special #1. The second printing of G.I. JOE: COBRA II #1 will offer an exclusive new variant cover treatment.

"With the recent success of the G.I. JOE comics, we were on top of this new series and made plans to bring it in. Early demand caused us to increase quantities before release and we still sold out the first week," commented Mike D'Elia of Astro-Zombies in Albuquerque, NM.

TRANSFORMERS: Last Stand of the Wreckers #1 (of 5; $3.99; 32 page; full color; 2nd printing) will be available in stores on February 10th. Diamond order code: DEC09 8305.


G.I. JOE: COBRA II #1 ($3.99, 32 pages; full color; 2nd printing) will be available in stores on February 10th. Diamond order code: DEC09 8306.
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Toy News: Hasbro Announces the Start Of N.E.S.T. GLOBAL ALLIANCE Promotion for Its TRANSFORMERS Toy Line Featuring Special Edition RAVAGE Figure

The Transformers Adventure Continues As Hasbro Invites Kids To Join The AUTOBOTS And The Elite N.E.S.T. Team


Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS) announced today the start of a special promotion for its popular TRANSFORMERS toy line and is inviting kids and fans to "Join the N.E.S.T. GLOBAL ALLIANCE." BUMBLEBEE and the AUTOBOTS, the heroic protectors of Earth, need help from their human allies as the planet continues to face the threat of the evil DECEPTICONS.

N.E.S.T., a secret partnership between the AUTOBOTS and humans dedicated to stopping the DECEPTICONS, was most recently featured in the blockbuster movie TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN. Now, by collecting three different stickers included in specially marked TRANSFORMERS products available this spring, kids and fans can join the N.E.S.T GLOBAL ALLIANCE and mail away for a special edition RAVAGE figure not available anywhere else.

The promotion kicks off with the N.E.S.T. ALLIANCE PACK, a special edition 2-pack of new TRANSFORMERS action figures featuring the popular BUMBLEBEE and SOUNDWAVE characters. In addition to the two figures, the N.E.S.T. ALLIANCE PACK includes a N.E.S.T. GLOBAL ALLIANCE Mission Guide and Redemption Form, one starter sticker, and a N.E.S.T. Agent Patch, officially making them part of the alliance. The N.E.S.T. ALLIANCE PACK is the only product in which the Redemption Form is available and is necessary to participate in the promotion. The ALLIANCE PACK is recommended for ages 5 and up and is available for the approximate retail price of $19.99.

Additional stickers are available in specially marked TRANSFORMERS toys at retailers nationwide. Once the necessary three stickers have been collected and placed onto the N.E.S.T. GLOBAL ALLIANCE Redemption form, consumers mail them away to receive their special edition RAVAGE figure. The promotion requires a payment of $4.95 for shipping and handling charges to receive the special edition figure and the offer is good while supplies last. Requests must be postmarked by April 30 and received by May 14.

For more N.E.S.T. action fans can watch online webisodes of "Cyber Missions," featuring new TRANSFORMERS adventures. "Cyber Missions" finds the AUTOBOTS working with humans in the N.E.S.T. global alliance to defend Earth against the revenge-seeking DECEPTICONS. There will be 12 webisodes total which began airing online at http://www.TRANSFORMERS.com in early January and new webisodes will continue to air throughout the year.

To learn more about the special promotion visit http://www.TRANSFORMERS.com.
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Comic News: One Will Rise In SECOND COMING

X-MEN: SECOND COMING (JAN100608)
X-MEN: SECOND COMING FINCH VARIANT (JAN100609)
Written by Christopher Yost & CRAIG KYLE
Pencils & Variant Cover by David Finch
Cover by ADI GRANOV
Rated T+ …$3.99
FOC—3/11/10, ON-SALE—3/31/10

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Comic News: I Am An Avenger

Don’t miss the brand new Avengers #1, from the superstar creative team of Brian Bendis and John Romita Jr, this May!

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DVD News: Halo Legends Heroes Journey Sweepstakes begins today!

WARNER HOME VIDEO PROVIDES OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME FOR FANS IN HALO
LEGENDS HEROES JOURNEY SWEEPSTAKES




Fans Compete Online to Win Behind-the Scenes Trip to Microsoft’s 343 Industries, Xbox 360 Elite & Blu-rays/DVDs in conjunction with Feb. 16 release of Halo Legends

Halo fans can dip even further into the mythology of the upcoming episodic Halo Legends film release by participating in the Halo Legends Heroes Journey Sweepstakes. Starting February 28, 2010, fans are invited to make an active search for special codes on the film’s social networking pages, and entrants will be eligible to win the coveted grand prize – an exclusive, behind-the-scenes trip to Microsoft’s 343 Industries, the production company behind Halo Legends. Other prizes include the Xbox 360 Elite, as well as Blu-rays and DVDs of the film, which will be released by Warner Home Video on February 16, 2010.

Fans can enter the sweepstakes through http://HLSweeps.com. The sweepstakes centers around a virtual trading card game hosted as a Facebook application. Collecting up to four distinct codes each day provides access to Halo Legends virtual trading cards and additional sweepstakes entries. The cards are organized into sets which, upon completion, grant to exclusive content (video clips, still images, information) from the Halo Legends movie. In addition, each card expands in size and provides additional details about its place in the episodic film.

Daily codes are available on http://HaloLegendsDVD.com, http://facebook.com/HaloLegendsDVD, http://myspace.com/HaloLegendsDVD and http://twitter.com/HaloLegendsDVD. Each unique code equates to two additional cards and one sweepstakes entry. Fans can invite their Facebook friends to their Heroes Journey Squad to trade virtual cardsand help complete collector sets – in order to more quickly unlock the exclusive content. Facebook participants can also crate a wish list of up to five cards, and feed an alert about the cards on the wish list to friends.

Collector cards offer fans new insight into Halo Legends. The collector cards are created from both character models and still images fro the film, and are displayed across 40 (??) individual, beautifully-designed virtual cards.

The sweepstakes features a Grand Prize for one (1) lucky winner plus one (1) guest to take a 3-day/2-night journey of their own to 343 Industries in Redmond, WA for a private screening and a chance to meet some of the creative team behind Halo Legends. In addition, the Grand Prize winner will receive an Xbox 360 Elite and Halo Legends on 2-Disc DVD or Blu-ray. There will also be three (3) First Prize winners who will receive an Xbox 360 Elite and a Halo Legends on 2-disc DVD or Blu-ray. Ten (10) Second Prize winners will receive a Halo Legends standard edition DVD. The sweepstakes is open to all residents of the United States and Canada (excluding Quebec).

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER. Sweepstakes begins at 12:00:01 AM Eastern Standard TIME (“EST”) on January 26, 2010 and ends at 11:59:59 PM EST on March 2, 2010. Open to individuals who are, as of Entry, registered users of Facebook, 18 years of age or older; legal residents of, and physically located within the 50 U.S. (including D.C.) and Canada (except Quebec).

This Sweepstakes is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by FACEBOOK, nor is FACEBOOK associated with the Sweepstakes in any way. Any questions, comments or complaints regarding the Sweepstakes must be directed to the Sponsor or Administrator, and not to FACEBOOK. Void in Quebec and where prohibited. Go to: http://HLSweeps.com/Rules.html for Official Rules.

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Comic News: Marvel Comics On-Sale 2/3/10

Hey there True Believers, here’s your official list of comic books, collections and posters arriving in comic stores on February 3rd, 2010.


For more information on any of these titles, and on upcoming mighty Marvel releases, please visit http://marvel.com/catalog/?date=2010-02-03 or contact your local comic book retailer at 1-888-comicbook. Stay tuned each week for a brand new list of Marvel releases so that you’ll never miss your favorite heroes in action!

Comics On-Sale:
CABLE #23
CRIMINAL: THE SINNERS #4
DAFFODIL #2
DEADPOOL TEAM-UP #896
GHOST RIDERS: HEAVEN'S ON FIRE #6
INDOMITABLE IRON MAN (B&W) #1
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #23
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #23 DEADPOOL VARIANT
IRON MAN MAGAZINE SPECIAL EDITION
MARVEL HEARTBREAKERS #1 (MDCU)
NOVA #34
NOVA #34 DEADPOOL VARIANT
REALM OF KINGS SON OF HULK #1
REALM OF KINGS SON OF HULK #1 GOLDEN VARIANT
SIEGE #2
SIEGE #2 DELL'OTTO VARIANT
SIEGE #2 QUESADA VARIANT
SIEGE #2 QUESADA SKETCH VARIANT
SIEGE: EMBEDDED #2
SPIDER-MAN NOIR: EYES WITHOUT A FACE #3
SPIDER-MAN NOIR: EYES WITHOUT A FACE #3 CALERO VARIANT
THE TORCH #5
ULTIMATE COMICS X #1 ADAMS COVER
ULTIMATE COMICS X #1 FOILOGRAM VARIANT
ULTIMATE COMICS X #1 SPOILER LINE-UP VARIANT
ULTIMATE COMICS X #1 VILLAIN VARIANT
WOLVERINE WEAPON X #10
WOLVERINE: SAVAGE #1
WOLVERINE: SAVAGE #1 DEADPOOL VARIANT
X-MEN NOIR: MARK OF CAIN #3
X-MEN NOIR: MARK OF CAIN #3 CALERO VARIANT

Collections On-Sale:
DARK TOWER: THE FALL OF GILEAD PREMIERE HC
DEADPOOL VOL. 3: X MARKS THE SPOT PREMIERE HC
DOMINIC FORTUNE: IT CAN HAPPEN HERE AND NOW TPB
HOUSE OF M: MASTERS OF EVIL TPB
IRON MAN & THE ARMOR WARS GN-TPB
IRON MAN: TALES OF THE GOLDEN AVENGER GN-TPB
STAR COMICS: ALL-STAR COLLECTION VOL. 2 GN-TPB

Posters On-Sale:
IRON MAN LEGACY POSTER

*GNTLT= Amazing Spider-Man: The Gauntlet tie-in
*S= SIEGE tie-in
*XN= X-Necrosha tie-in



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Comic News: BOOM! Studios announces CODEBREAKERS

THIS APRIL
CRACK THE CODE

BOOM! STUDIOS PRESENTS

CODEBREAKERS


The Elite Cryptanalysis Unit of the FBI

Clandestine Thrills and Excitement that only BOOM! delivers!

Busting foreign spies on domestic soil. Cracking the code on drug and human trafficking. Shutting down the mob. These are the tasks of the FBI’s elite Cryptanalysis Unit. This April, BOOM! Studios brings you CODEBREAKERS, a four issue mini-series that focuses on the proud few who examine the encrypted information of criminals in support of law enforcement investigations and prosecutions.

But what happens to the Cryptanalysis Unit when one of their own goes missing? Is it a puzzle the puzzle-solvers can't solve? And will this cipher reveal dark truths about... themselves?

Written by comics newcomer Carey Malloy with art by upcoming fan-favorite Scott Godlewski, CODEBREAKERS sports covers by UNTHINKABLE’s Julian Totino Tedesco and THE SURROGATES’ Brett Weldele.

“I can’t wait for fans to get a hold of this book,” said BOOM!’s Managing Editor Matt Gagnon. “Inspired by our modern obsession with the technical aspect of law enforcement, CODEBREAKERS totally delivers realistic action that will have you dying to turn the next page.”

CODEBREAKERS #1 features two covers in a 50/50 split, illustrated by Julian Totino Tedesco and Brett Weldele. Written by Carey Malloy and featuring interior art by Scott Godlewski, CODEBREAKERS #1 carries a Diamond Code of FEB100743.

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