Dark Horse Digital reaches a new landmark, turning one year old this Friday. To thank our loyal fans, Dark Horse announces an anniversary appreciation discount.

This weekend, Dark Horse Digital is offering 10% off all titles in the web store, with an additional coupon to newsletter subscribers and new subscribers who have signed up by this Thursday. And yes, the coupon stacks with an even greater discount off your order!

The sale starts this Friday (April 27) and ends Sunday (April 29) at midnight PST—so head over to Dark Horse Digital and sign up for the Digital Newsletter to maximize your discount on some incredible comics.

Dark Horse Comics launched its standalone comic-reader app and digital store on April 27, 2011 and has received incredible support from the continuously growing digital-comics fan base.

Since then, Dark Horse Digital has grown significantly in numbers and readership featuring it’s most popular, best selling titles including Star Wars, Buffy, Serenity, Hellboy, Conan and Mass Effect as well as exclusive digital only comics such as Falling Skies, Prototype 2 & Dragon Age. Dark Horse Digital also provides sales and discounts for its reader base on a weekly basis. We currently offer thousands of comics and are continuing to increase the digital availability of the Dark Horse back catalog.

Dark Horse Digital is available through all modern web browsers and features cloud storage in both the Android (beta) and iOS apps.

In the meantime, the creator of The Escapist’s Zero Punctuation Reviews (TM) and author of 2010’s runaway hit novel Mogworld is back with his hilarious follow-up. Jam takes the prophecies of the Mayans and turns them on their ear, with a twist on the apocalypse that no one could have expected. The first chapter will run in the newly released digital edition of Mogworld, available today for Nook and Kobo eReaders.

Since 2007, Croshaw’s animated Zero Punctuation reviews have packaged prescient criticism with frenetic animation, off-color humor, and rapid-fire delivery, making him a household name in the gaming community. Mogworld was his first foray into published fiction and has sold through multiple printings! Now, the debut novel finally makes it’s way to tablet readers, marking the beginning of Dark Horse’s foray into digital prose!

Additionally, readers will have a chance to get their first look at Jam, which is set for release later this year. Jam, a dark comedy pitting a handful of twenty-something slackers against a singularly sticky apocalypse, which is set for release later this year.

“You asked for it – by Christ have you been asking for it – and it’s finally here, the Mogworld eBook” said writer, Yahtzee Croshaw. “Now I just have to stop procrastinating on the audiobook version.”

Mogworld is available today for both Barnes & Noble’s NOOK™, as well as the Kobo Vox eReader.

Jam arrives on sale on October 10, in print as well as digitally.

The article Dark Horse to Celebrate First Year of Digital appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

I hate to say it, but I think Issue 7 is where Season 9 jumps the shark. Issue 6 tempted us with a potentially juicy plotline with plenty of character development. But in this issue, Buffy and Spike kvetch about their relationship for the billionth time, giant bugs fly around in spaceships, and the issue ends on a truly facepalm-worthy note.

At the end of issue 6, Buffy decided to have an abortion after discovering that she had become pregnant. Rather than follow up on that dramatic decision right away, Issue 7 opens with a pointless scene involving Buffy’s inane roommates (apparently, their names are ‘Tumble’ and ‘Anaheed,’ but I prefer to think of them as ‘Hipster Chick’ and ‘Guy Who Looks Like Stephen Stills from Scott Pilgrim’).

Earlier, they freaked out when they learned that they were living with the Slayer and decided to vote her out of the apartment a la Survivor. But lo and behold, both of them ended up voting in Buffy’s favor when push came to shove. They go to tell Buffy about her reprieve, only to find her stuff in boxes.

It turns out that Buffy has found some new digs. She is now living on an alien spaceship belonging to Spike, her on-again/off-again vampire sex toy. Not only does Spike have a spaceship, but it is crewed by a bunch of giant talking bugs. After some more pregnancy angst (which seems like more of a plot device than genuine emotion), Buffy segues neatly into relationship angst with Spike.

Buffy whines about her desire for a normal life, Spike complains that Buffy is using him, and I roll my eyes because we have all heard this conversation a billion times before. Seriously, these two are stuck in some sort of emotional Groundhog Day where they are doomed to have the same arguments over and over — and over again. Come to think of it, that pretty much describes all of Buffy’s relationships.

Since this is, after all, an issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there has to be a battle. Sure enough, Detective Dowling soon comes under attack by a bunch of zompires. Like all law enforcement officials in the Buffyverse, he is incompetent and unable to defend himself, so he radios Spike for help. Spike naturally obliges (he is, after all, the new Sensitive Spike™, complete with soul), though he makes Buffy stay behind because of her ‘condition.’ Buffy watches the battle from aboard the spaceship until she remembers that she is the title character and jumps into the fray.

Naturally, she kicks butt, and afterward she and Spike end up having a romantic scene amidst the carnage, and we get to see them natter on about their relationship some more. *Sigh* Just as it is revealed that they both want normal lives, Plot Contrivance rears its ugly head, and a random zompire jumps up and rips Buffy’s arm off. Instead of screaming frantically before passing out due to blood loss, Buffy just stands there looking confused. No, it is not because of her hardy Slayer constitution. Apparently, Buffy is a robot!

This issue felt like a gigantic letdown. Having Buffy grapple with an unexpected pregnancy could have interjected a strong human element to the comic. Instead, we are subjected to a mélange of tired tropes. Spike’s spaceship and its bug crew seem like they were lifted from the pages of a bad sci-fi comic, and Buffy-like robots were done to death on the TV show. To series newcomers, the ending might have been a shock, but series veterans are liable to roll their eyes at yet another Buffybot.

In one of the last panels, ‘Buffy’ says that “I think this means I’m not pregnant,” which suggests that writer Andrew Chambliss could be using the Buffybot as a way to extricate himself from the Buffy-is-pregnant plotline. I suppose it could have been worse: she could have woken up and realized it was all just a dream. Still, it will be a shame if such an intriguing plotline is cut short so abruptly.

The article Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 9, Issue 7 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

It is easy to see why Daisy Head may very well have the world at her feet. She is the daughter of well-known actor Anthony Head, and her sister Emily is becoming one of the faces of The Inbetweeners, playing Simon’s love interest, Carli. Daisy certainly doesn’t lack confidence, inspiration, or a spring in her step as she spoke to Toonari Post about her hopes for her future in the acting industry.

Talking to her, it was easy to forget Daisy is the same age as me. She seemed to have a very good idea of where she would like to go and what she would like to do, and has the confidence and backing to make it all the way. Daisy was raised in Somerset, England but since her dad was one of the stars of Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer as she was growing up, a lot of her time was spent in Hollywood, watching, learning and being inspired by what was around her.

“Of course, my dad has been a big influence on me,” said Daisy as she recalled her younger days. “It was something I got into at a young age and he’s been a real help in me becoming an actress.”

Daisy trained in theater and dance and did a lot of theater work growing up in Bath, Engalnd at the Theater Royal near her home. She landed her first TV role ten years ago in the British crime drama Rose and Maloney, before going on to appear in ITV’s Trial & Retribution, Doc Martin and several episodes of British medical drama Holby City. Her break came in 2010 when she appeared in the Rules of Love musical, and she went on to appear in her first film, The Last Seven, alongside the likes of Danny Dyer.

“It was great to be involved in a film, I wasn’t star struck, it wasn’t a big budget thriller so it felt much easier to be a part of, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was very professional,” Daisy recalled.

The 20-year-old revealed she had just missed out on a lead role in a film in 2012. She couldn’t reveal the name of the film, but being considered for lead roles shows how Daisy has progressed and matured in the last few years. At the beginning of 2012 she appeared in the TV movie Endeavour on ITV, and the spin-off to Inspector Morse, playing Jenny Crisp in a cast that included Michael Matus, Shaun Evans, Jenna Harrison and Danny Webb. Endeavour received positive reviews and Daisy was only too happy to play her part.

“It was fabulous to be a part of, it was such a great cast and it was brilliant to film,” she said. “I played a young girl with a good role in the story, it was really enjoyable to be around the cast and I’d love to do something similar again.”

She has certainly followed in the footsteps of her sister by appearing in shows such as British comedy drama Doc Martin and Trial & Retribution, but Daisy is part of a close-knit family and the support is clearly strong as she appears at premieres with both Emily and her father regularly.

Despite her recent break into the world of film and TV, Daisy is still keen to continue her roles in theater production, and is returning to Los Angeles in a few weeks to further enhance her skills and knowledge of theater in the States.

“It’s something I’ve always loved doing and I definitely want to keep going,” she said, referring to her passion for theater. “I’m going back to America this month and hopefully I can get a lot out of it.”

To her credit, Daisy is not getting ahead of herself. When asked about her hopes for the next few years, she accepted that it is an unpredictable industry and doesn’t want to put a marker on where she wants to be in five or ten years’ time.

“I think it’s difficult to say, I’m very lucky to have had the roles I have been given and the backing I’ve had from my family is always something which makes me want to continue. But you can’t predict where you’ll be because you don’t know what’s going to come up. I’d love to continue doing what I’ve done so far, theatre and TV but I just want to take things one step at a time.”

Daisy is clearly a very level-headed girl, and as said before, for someone her age it is a credit to her that she is keeping her feet well on the ground. From talking to her, it seems certain that whether it is in England or in the US,  Daisy has a big future in acting.

Image Courtesy  of  Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

The article Daisy Head: Aspiring Starlet in Conversation appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Throughout her young life, Buffy has faced all sorts of challenges. Not only has she saved the world innumerable times, fought a smorgasbord of vicious hellspawn, and experienced the drama of romancing the undead, but she has also come back from the dead on two separate occasions. This is a woman who has literally been there, done that. But now the Powers That Be have decided to throw a new challenge at her: a baby.

At the end of the last issue, we saw a shocked Buffy contemplating a positive result on a home pregnancy test. In this issue, Buffy struggles to come to terms with the fact that she is going to have a baby. An unplanned pregnancy would be frightening enough for any woman, but for Buffy, it is even more catastrophic. Being a Slayer pretty much precludes her from having a normal life, even in this crazy post-Seed world.

Buffy ends up turning to Robin Wood, who fans may remember as the principal of Sunnydale High during the final season of the TV show. His mother Nikki was a Slayer too, and she also found herself unwed and pregnant. She wrestled with the question of whether or not to have her baby.

Robin tells Buffy how stressful it was having a Slayer for a mother. Each night he would lie in bed, waiting to see if his mother would actually make it home alive. Nikki’s Watcher offered her the chance to put down her stake and give up slaying, but in the end she could not resist her calling. That proved to be her undoing, and she was eventually killed by Spike.

Robin’s tale naturally makes Buffy doubt the wisdom of having a baby, but he insists that she can do it. He points out that she has already been through so much more, and that she has a close-knit bunch of friends who will help her out. Buffy, however, does not share his optimism, and the issue ends with her deciding to have an abortion.

Spike has some scenes of his own in this issue, and we are reminded once again that he still has feelings for Buffy. It looks like he may have finally screwed up the courage to tell her how he feels, but his announcement is preempted by her decision to have an abortion. Which is really too bad, considering it might have ended one of the series’ more annoying subplots. I have never been a fan of Spike, and his incessant angst over his relationship with Buffy got old a long time ago.

I was starting to have my doubts about Season 9, but this new storyline has me interested again. It could have very easily become a Very Special Episode, but scriptwriter Andrew Chambliss handles the material sensitively without resorting to melodrama or histrionics. The new focus on real-life issues reminds me of vintage Buffy, and it will be interesting to see how the writers handle Buffy’s pregnancy.

Personally, I would love to see her actually have the baby. It would take the series in an interesting new direction, and it would certainly be a lot more interesting than if she just decides to have an abortion. It would be nice if Buffy finally got to be a full-fledged adult, and motherhood might just do the trick.

The article Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 9, Issue 6 Review appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The future of Marvel Digital Comics has arrived; you can download the Marvel Comics app 3.0 for your iOS device right now. This all-new update takes the unparalleled Marvel Comics app experience to the next level a stunning new interface; broader array of search and browse functions; improved performance and stability; easier management of purchases and downloads; and more!

In celebration of this exciting new upgrade, the Marvel Comics app is offering a special sale on the biggest new launches of 2011, including FF, X-Men Schism, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man and more until Tuesday, December 6, 11pm EST. So why wait? Upgrade your Marvel Comics app now to take advantage of this unprecedented offer.

“Marvel is committed to giving our fans the best digital reading experience possible and with this latest upgrade to the Marvel Comics app, I’m proud to say we’re delivering just that,” said Peter Phillips, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Marvel Digital Media Group. “So whether you’re a fan of Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine or the Wizard of Oz, you’re going to find some great comics to read—and they’re going to look better than ever.”

Dark Horse Comics are taking digital moves as well to expand the reading experience for their fans and readers. Their digital evolution continues after seeing huge success with digital sales. Dark Horse Comics will now make their comics available digitally the same day they are on sale in comic shops.

Beginning December 14, all titles from Dark Horse Comics will be on sale the same day in both print and digital format, allowing new-technology readers to access their favourite comics at the same time as their print-oriented counterparts. Dark Horse Digital launched its standalone comic-reader app earlier this year and received incredible support from the continuously growing digital-comics fan base, a new type of comics fan eager to adapt to new technologies.

Since then, Dark Horse Digital has grown significantly in numbers and readership with the additions of several key titles to the digital roster, including Star Wars, Buffy, Angel & Faith, and Dollhouse. Dark Horse Digital also provides weekly sales and discounts to its readers, currently offers over eight hundred comics, and continues to increase the digital availability of the Dark Horse back catalog.

The article The Digital Future of Your Favourite Comics appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The wait is finally over for fans of Joss Whedon fantasy, as Dark Horse and Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products announce the arrival of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dollhouse and Angel in the Dark Horse digital store.

As rave reviews and support for Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9 and the all-new series Angel and Faith continue, casual and hardcore fans will now be able to experience previous Buffy, Angel, and Dollhouse comics on all-new platforms! Buffy, Angel and Dollhouse are licensed through an agreement with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products.

Now, fans are encouraged to head over to Digital.DarkHorse.com to download issues of all three of these titles today, with multiple issues available for purchase. Fans can now download the first twenty issues of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 #1-20, as well as Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 9 #1,2 &3.

“This marks another important turning point in Dark Horse’s digital initiative,” said Dark Horse president and founder, Mike Richardson. “Joss Whedon’s incredible characters have become some of our most popular, and now fans from all over the world can see them like they never have been seen before!”

“Our history with Dark Horse has been incredibly successful, giving fans of these characters all new ways to enjoy their stories,” said Jeffrey Godsick, president of Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products. “This transition opens a whole new chapter in our relationship and will give readers an exciting opportunity to experience the comics on some of the hottest digital platforms.”

Going forward, Dark Horse will release a mix of new and backlist titles weekly. Stay in the know on all of your favorite titles, and sign up for the Dark Horse Digital newsletter at https://Digital.DarkHorse.com.

Even if you’re not a Whedon fan, there’s still new kicks in the horizon. Venom is on the run from his country and he’ll have to turn to the one person he despises the most for help in your first look at Venom #11.

From critically acclaimed writer Rick Remender and red-hot artist Lan Medina, Venom has nowhere left to go and when he’s able to finally find some help; it may be the worst decision he’s made yet. That’s right, it’s the team-up you never thought you’d see as Venom teams with Jack-O-Lantern. How bad can things be that Flash Thompson has to side with his archenemy? Find out this December, in Venom #11.

The article Buffy, Angel and Dollhouse Join Dark Horse Digital Store appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

This week saw the release of the latest installment in Dark Horse Comics’ popular continuation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past fifteen years, BtVS was a cult TV show that aired from 1997 until 2003. Sarah Michelle Gellar played Buffy Summers, a high school student with a supernatural calling.

As ‘the Slayer,’ she had the duty to protect the world from vampires and other supernatural nasties. Buffy’s friends, Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Willow (Alyson Hannigan), were in on her secret, too, and they were often called upon to help Buffy out each week as she battled the forces of darkness.

As the seasons wore on, Buffy romanced not one, but two vampires, Willow became a lesbian, and the Summers family was enlarged by the addition of younger sister Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg), who was actually a sophisticated hiding place for a magical MacGuffin known as The Key.

When the series ended in 2003, Buffy was finally able to destroy the Hellmouth that had turned her hometown of Sunnydale into an evil-magnet for seven seasons. Although Buffy vanished from the small screen, series creator Joss Whedon decided to continue her saga in comic book form.

Teaming up with Dark Horse Comics, he produced a popular series of comic books that functions as an eighth season of the TV show in paper form. Season 8 ran for 40 issues until it came to a dramatic end in January 2011. At the end of the series’ final arc, Buffy smashes a powerful artifact that acts as the source of all magic in the world.

In Season 9, Buffy must adjust to a radically different life. The line of Slayers will come to an end with the demise of the present generation. With magic gone, Willow (who had evolved into a powerful witch during the course of the TV show) can no longer use her spells. Buffy’s life takes a turn for the mundane, and she now works as a waitress in San Francisco, while the other members of the Scooby Gang have scattered.

Although much has changed for Buffy, vampires are still a problem. In Issue 3, Buffy encounters a mysterious stranger named Severin. He has the ability to kill vampires by generating bolts of energy with his hands, something that should not be possible since magic has supposedly vanished from the world.

It soon becomes apparent that the demise of magic is affecting vampires in an unusual way, and newly-sired vampires are even more terrifying than the older versions. Eager for answers, Buffy tries to reconvene the Scooby Gang, but her old friends are reluctant to return to the fray.

The events that ended Season 8 have allowed the writers to ‘reboot’ Buffy in Season 9. Without magic, the characters get to experience something resembling a normal life for the first time in ages, and the new emphasis on mundane life is reminiscent of  Season 1  of the TV show.

Back then, Buffy was a high school student trying to juggle the supernatural business of fighting evil with the more pedestrian demands of life as a teenager.  You can also see echoes of that in Season 9. At one point in Issue 3, there is a nifty callback to the first episode of the show, which I really appreciated.

Overall, I think Issue 3 was quite well done. The story unfolded at a brisk pace and left the reader eager to read the next installment. Scriptwriter Andrew Chambliss has done a decent job of imitating the writing found in the TV show. The only complaint I have is the artwork.

Georges Jeanty’s ability to make the characters look like the actors who played them seems to vary from page to page. He does a nice job of making Willow look like Alyson Hannigan, but Dawn does not really look anything like Michelle Trachtenberg. Also, on some pages, Buffy ends up looking like she is twelve years old. Although these hiccups are fairly minor in and of themselves, they do distract from the overall effect.

OVERALL GRADE: A-

The article Comic Review: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9, Issue 3 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.