TV NEWS: New Supernatural Clips For 4/1

Here are clips for next week’s Supernatural episode.


Supernatural "Dark Side of the Moon" (All new Thursday 9/8c)

Supernatural Trailer - Dark Side of the Moon


Supernatural Webclip - Dark Side of the Moon
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COMIC REVIEW: Aladdin: Legacy of the Lost #2 (Radical Publishing)

Adventure reigns supreme in the second issue of Radical Publishing's three-issue miniseries, Aladdin: Legacy of the Lost. Though I wasn't blown away by the first issue in terms of action, Ian Edginton's story did keep me engaged enough to see if this issue would deliver. This issue delivered in so many ways.




The story so far, if you missed the first issue, follows Aladdin, who has escaped after being betrayed by the sorcerer Qassim and discovered a magic lamp. Now he lives in an opulent palace outside his hometown of Shambhalla as a "Golden Prince" with the Djinn of the Lamp beside him. This issue opens with Aladdin parading through Shambhalla, creating a spectacle that has piqued the interest of King Rhokari and awakened the ire of Princess Soraya. After a visit as the Prince, Aladdin reveals himself to Soraya. He returns to help the king regain his love, and is once again betrayed by Qassim. Through the fray, Soraya is captured, and the adventure begins. The next 40 pages bring Aladdin (and us) on an adventure you'd expect from a tale of Aladdin. Part Arabian Nights, part Ray Harryhausen, we see creatures, magic, action, and so much more.

Just like with the first issue, Patrick Reilly and Stjepan Sejic outdo themselves with the lush paintings that accompany Edginton's story. From the Shambhalla city streets to the lands above and below, we are treated to a feast for the eyes that never leaves the reader wanting.

With films like Clash of the Titans and Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, I'm sure stories like this will be in high demand. Readers should pick up this series to get a dose of classic adventure and beautiful sights.

Stacey Rader
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COMIC NEWS: I'M A MEMBER OF THE GUARDIANS OF THE GLOBE

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COMIC REVIEW: The Darkness: Origins, Vol. 1 (Top Cow)

The Darkness is one of those characters that I feel like I know something about, even though I've never picked up a Darkness book. With all of the reading I do about comics, that happens to me all the time. When I found out there was a book about the character's origins, I decided it was something I needed to read. Though this is not normally my cup of tea in art style or in story, I'm glad I took the time to read it. Garth Ennis and Marc Silvestri have put together an epic origin story that is a good jumping on point for anyone who is curious about this indie icon.



For the uninitiated, here's the basic info you need to know about the Darkness: Jackie Estacado, on his 21st birthday, learns that he has inherited dark powers from his father. These powers allow him to do pretty much whatever he wants, as long as he gives in to the darkness that holds them. Jackie is a mob hitman and a playboy. His new powers help him with the first part. The second? Well, that's another story. The curse of having his new powers is that if he conceives a child, he will die, passing along the power to the child. Oh yeah, and there's Angelus--the light being determined to destroy the Darkness in the hopes of ruling with light, law and love (for her, of course).

About the only other Ennis I've read is his work on Punisher a few years ago, so this makes the second time that Ennis brought me to a character I wouldn't have otherwise had any interest in. He mixes gritty mob violence with supernatural violence and sometimes witty dialogue. (My favorite line was when someone describes the Darkness' power as "the Force on crack".) Reading this book, I got the impression that inheriting this power is actually going to make him a better person, which is saying a lot, considering he's essentially a demon. Lucky for us, he only makes bad things happen to bad people.

Silvestri is best known to me as one of the guys who helped start Image Comics, and for that I am eternally grateful to the guy. Though I didn't really read a lot of early Image, I am fully supportive of their current titles (I'm looking at you, Walking Dead, The Sword, the currently on hiatus Madman Atomic Comics). Silvestri's art has that '90s feel to me: a lot of lines, lots of girls in thongs and metallic looking bras, and lots of little monsters with sharp teeth. It's not a knock against the style at all. Silvestri is a great artist and very successful at what he does; it's just not my style. That being said, I think it works here. The Darkness got its start in the latter part of the '90s, so you get that same feeling from this book you might have back then.

This book was definitely something that should be on a required reading list for anyone interested in comics. If you're like me and it's not something you'd normally pick up, I encourage you to give it a try.

Stacey Rader
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THE ETERNIAN OBSERVER: Hyper-Detailed Edition

For those of us following Mattel's great but frustrating Masters of the Universe Classics line, there has been tension from the beginning over how much influence the 2002 cartoon and toy series would and should have on this new "Classics" line.


MOTUC obviously takes its visual cues from the classic 1980's action figure line, with its chunky aesthetic, and is deeply nostalgia-based. But at the same time, the inaugural figure was a MYP character, King Grayskull. Other 2002-exclusive characters have been released or are scheduled to release such as Zodak, Keldor and Count Marzo. There have been lots of other nods to the 2002 series in the form of accessories, deco, or bonus heads. This is not to mention the fact that the bios are largely straight from the 200X series and its associated comics. While we understood that this was a "Classics" line we were also told that it would draw from the entire spectrum of Masters of the Universe, including 200X, Princess of Power and New Adventures. Surely, there must be a happy medium?

Since the reveal of Keldor and his infamous swords, there has been controversy and a regular back and forth between Toyguru and the fans. Keldor and Skeletor in the MYP pilot, was depicted as using a pair of ornate short swords that connected together to make a double sword. In some early versions of the 2002 show, these were meant to be analogous to the old mini comic half-swords but this idea was later discarded (as were the swords themselves). The bottom line, toyetically speaking, was that the swords were very cool-looking. Cut to MOTUC Keldor, who will be released with a pair of purple half powerswords. You know, those same half-swords that have been released with every other character in the line. The ones that don't fit together.

When he has been asked about this, Toyguru invariably goes into a tortured explanation about how the 2002 Keldor swords were originally meant to the powerswords so the half swords are actually the "classics" versions of the Keldor swords. And that the anime "hyper-detailed look of 200x has been retired. That's all very interesting but whatever the design lineage, the half-powerswords just do not look good. Keldor looks kind of silly dual-wielding a pair of half-broadswords.
Now, I think Keldor is an amazing entry into the series and that he comes with a good deal of new tooling for a bonus MOTUC figure. I appreciate that the reality might have been that there was not tooling for a pair of new swords, so it became necessary to plug in the half-swords, but why close the door on the possibility of simplified 200X-inspired swords in the future? Why stubbornly insist that the half-swords are "correct" because they happen to be based on a discarded idea from the 2002 show, which technically is not even "canon" in MOTUC anyway. If you are talking about continuity in MOTUC, what is Keldor doing with two halves of the powersword anyway?

Recently, the increasingly snippy Toyguru replied to a post on He-Man.org with a long message about the Classics design versus the "anime" design of the 2002 figures, specifically regarding the possibility of of a MOTUC He-Man inspired by his 200x appearance. Personally, I think this is a weak case because, apart from the leaner proportions, 2002 He-Man is not that different from classic He-Man. A He-Man with a 2002 style harness and a new head-even just longer hair-would do the trick, because according to Toyguru having a pouch on the loincloth constitutes "hyper-detail." Apparently, when you walk around in cargo pants, you are super ultra hyper detailed, and you should not expect to be made into a MOTUC figure.

When fans say that they want more 2002 influence in MOTUC, that doesn't mean that we want to go back to the exaggerated style of that line. I'm not talking about Man-At-Arms with a huge and ridiculous Metroid ball on his shoulder, or a Battle Lion that is a foot tall, or Trap-Jaw with a weapon arm that is longer than the figure is tall, I'm talking about touches that are integrated into the Classics style that would look good with the figures that we already have like we've already come to expect based on figures like Webstor, Tri-Klops and Whiplash. I'm talking about a Skeletor that doesn't look like he is wearing a rain bonnet. I'm talking about a Trap Jaw that does not have a cup holder as one of his arm attachments. I'm talking about a He-Man that doesn't look like he's trying to pass a stone.

Putting aside the idea of the style in which they were presented, some design elements were better in vintage and some were better in 2002. I just want the ones that make for better looking action figures. So, Mattel, please start looking for a character to package the 2002 Keldor swords with. I think 200x decoed Evil-Lyn would be a great choice.

Patrick Garone
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COMIC REVIEW: Rise and fall of Green Arrow and Green Arrow #31 (DC)

This has to be one of the saddest books I've read in a long time. The Justice League one shot takes place right after the end of Cry For Justice. Cry For Justice was a 6 part series DC put out right around the time Blackest Night was hitting. The last 2 books being the most powerful of the series, paints the picture for these books.




As Rise And Fall begins, we start with some flash backs from Green Arrow. One of which was him putting an arrow threw Prometheus' head. At the end of Cry For Justice he does the same but with good reason. He literally had to pull his granddaughters body out of a collapsed building that Prometheus caused. Now I ask you, what would you do in his place? The Flash (Barry) and Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) learn the truth and set out to confront GA on the murder of Prometheus. Face to face with his friends and wife he starts to explain why he did it, but just as he does he uses a device to escape, to hunt down the man that planted the device for Prometheus.

Green Arrow #31 picks up right where Rise And Fall leaves off. With GA on the "run" trying to finish what he started. Green Lantern and the Flash are trying to find him before he kills again. The Flash comes off as a bit of a jerk throughout the book. We all know Barry is a Cop but to see him be so cold took me back a little bit. After a little bit of searching GA finds his man but unfortunately he gets away. These books are a must read if your a fan of the DCU or just a fan of powerful stories. This one is a bit of a tear jerker, I'll tell you that.

Big Rick
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