The American gay community and its supporters have had a lot of political and social spotlight in the last two weeks. First, President Obama publicly supported gay marriage. That was followed a week later with an official endorsement and support from the NAACP for gay marriage. Then a day after this, DC Comics jumped into the fray with the announcement that one of their core characters would be outed. That’s right, one of the company’s iconic characters; Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, Robin, Green Lantern, or Green Arrow, will come out of the closet and reveal to be gay.

President Obama’s approval of gay marriage is no surprise as he was for it back in 1996 and is the most liberal person to be President in decades. As an organization, the NAACP has been moving steadily down the liberal path for some time and will do a lot to support President Obama. DC’s decision, however, is more puzzling. It is one thing to add a gay super hero to their character roster. However, to decide to out one of the iconic characters in American pop culture is a more bold move, and will in my opinion backfire.

Which ever character DC has chosen to out, they will not be the first gay comic book character. Marvel comic books character, Northstar, was the first gay superhero in comicdom but Northstar never became a well-known character, nor prominent outside the Marvel comics sphere. By comparison, everyone knows Wolverine, even if you do not read comic books. In the ensuing years after Northstar, other gay characters have been introduced. Colossus of the Ultimate X-men line from Marvel, Batwoman in DC, as well as two lesbian characters in the DC title “Outsiders.”

Fanboys and girls took these changes in stride. After all, in a world where people can fly, shoot lasers out of their eyes and hands, and a regular man can beat out Superman, writers try to make it as close as possible to reality. Yes, in a world where all this is possible, there would be gay super heroes and villains. Besides, as one Orlando, Florida area comic bookstore manager said, “they are just following the current social trends.” And he is right, comics left the space of silly kid fun a long time ago. Social realism has been injected in the story lines and characters for years. Characters have been made drug addicted, alcoholics, wife beaters, in the 1970′s black characters where introduced, as were stories about racism. So what is so different now, and what is the big deal?

I have a few answers. The first, I believe it is a cardinal sin in writing to change anything about a well-known character for any reason other than storyline. If you violate that rule, you typically lose the audience. An example of this is the change in powers for Superman, following the “Death of Superman” storyline. After the mega sales caused by the death of Superman, it was revealed that he was in fact not really dead, just in a super coma. Once he returned, his powers were energy based, and his hair was long. Calling the fan reaction lukewarm would be charitable as best. Sales for the comic dropped way below expectations, given he was back from the dead. Over the years various characters have been tweaked and changed in effort to stay fresh, or increase sales. Origin stories can change a little, sometimes costumes can alter, and you can change their powers a bit, but you cannot change say, Batman into a black man. If you make too drastic a change, you will lose readers.

Can there be anything more of a blatant pander, than changing Superman into a gay alien? Will we be faced with seeing Wonder Woman, not in love with Steve Trevor, or secretly Superman, but with Supergirl? There is no original storyline which will makes sense, other than “Oh, well they were secretly gay all these decades.” And that is a problem. Millions of people have grown up with these characters, millions more still enjoy them and now they will watch as decades of story, of character meaning, go out the window just to make a point. Here is why this matters.

Wonder Woman is from an island of amazons; no men. So it is really easy to make her a lesbian. If they ever make a movie for Wonder Woman, will the movie version incorporate a possible impending revelation? What do you do with integral characters like Steve Trevor who was the main reason she wanted to leave her cozy little island in the first place. What if it is Batman? What are the implications, justified or not, of a gay Bruce Wayne, living with young boys dressed in tights? Will this affect the millions of kids who would be future audiences — which super heroes are they going to be cheering on?

To me, the issue is not about having a gay super hero. If super heroes existed, there would naturally be a few. Rather, the issue is changing an iconic character for a political or social statement. The racial unrest of the 60′s and 70′s prompted the creation of characters like the Black Panther, Falcon, and Black Lighting. They did not; however, turn Captain America into a black man from the Bronx.

What DC is doing is wrong and stupid. I love comics, but I will not be buying a comic with one of the major heroes turned into a gay character. Neither will many others. I predict many parents will stop buying those comics for their children. If a movie comes out, if they do not hold true to the original characters, I will not see that either. This will be because DC destroyed an iconic character and all its rich history. The hero, whomever it turns out to be, will not be that character of old, any longer. There is no Superman without Lois Lane. There is no Batman without the tension of Catwoman. There is no Wonder Woman without Steve Trevor. There is no Green Arrow without his doggish ways, and love of the Black Canary. I could go on and on. These are icons. You do not change them.

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Almost one year after the live-action series ‘Smallville’ wrapped its ten-season run on television, the story of Clark Kent’s journey to becoming Superman gets to live on, as DC Comics launches ‘Smallville: Season 11′, a new series written by former ‘Smallville’ writer Bryan Q. Miller, which follows the characters and stories from the television series into their new lives in print.

Issue #1 of ‘Smallville: Season 11′ begins six months after the events of the final episode and gives updates on the lives of Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, and Chloe Sullivan-Queen. It is written by Miller, who also wrote nine episodes of ‘Smallville’, and will be released in print form next month. However, eager fans can purchase a digital copy of the issue right now through the DC Comics App, which itself is free to install on any tablet.

‘Smallville: Season 11′ opens in early-morning Metropolis with a voiceover proclaiming that, “Earth is a much safer place now than it’s ever been,” as Oliver and Chloe are shown sharing a moment atop their Watchtower base, and Lois, clad in a Superman T-shirt, sleeps alone in her and Clark’s apartment. The action then cuts to Lexcorp, where the silhouette of Lex Luthor ominously announces that, “Like much of the city, I’m waiting for him.”

Lex’s role in this story is somewhat of a mystery, given the events which transpired in the ‘Smallville’ finale. During a confrontation with his half-sister Tess Mercer, all of Lex’s knowledge-based memories were erased, while the final scene, set in 2018, revealed that that Lex will become President of the United States. Therefore, Lex’s journey in the Season 11 comic is expected to detail his efforts to regain all of his memories, and what sets him on the path towards a political office.

The remainder of the first issue of Season 11 is spent showing Clark, now fully dressed in his Superman attire, rescuing members of a Russian space shuttle, and then flying off with the closing declaration, “I’m just doing my job.”

All in all, issue #1 is a fairly low-key affair. It is spent re-establishing familiar characters who will be a part of the new storylines, and setting up where they are six months after their television journeys came to a close. The next chapter will have its digital release on Friday April 20, with part three to follow on Friday April 27, before all three parts are released in one print issue on May 2.

As for Miller, fans can stay up-to-date with him by following him on Twitter at @bryanQmiller. It is also worth checking out the always-reliable KSiteTV website for news regarding upcoming issues and any other ‘Smallville’-related news.

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In the third installment of the official Diablo III comic book, our mopey hero returns home seeking the punishment he has been craving since the first issue.

The issue begins on a cool note, as a band of Khazra goat demons argue with the thugs who are pursuing Jacob. In a truly creepy moment, the thugs’ leader, Ivan, starts bleeding from his facial orifices as he strikes a bargain with the demons.

It soon becomes apparent that Ivan is possessed by a sinister force—a force that offers to make the Khazra great again if only they will reveal Jacob’s location. The Khazra spend about five seconds contemplating the offer before declaring that Jacob and his wizard friend, Shanar, are hiding beneath them.

Thankfully for Jacob, Shanar has some more nifty wizard tricks up her sleeve, and she deploys several new in-game spells, including Mirror Image and Electrocute. Meanwhile, Jacob engages in some expository combat with Ivan that reveals that the madness affecting Jacob’s people is apparently spread by blood.

A well-placed lightning bolt from Shanar knocks Ivan to the ground, which gives Jacob an excellent opportunity to rid himself of the madman who has been pursuing him for the past three issues. Common sense suggests that it might be a good idea for him to use his flashy magic sword to lop off Ivan’s head. Sadly, common sense is not Jacob’s strong suit.

Instead of killing Ivan, he uses his sword to carve glyphs into his chest. Shanar is naturally confused, and Jacob explains that he will return to his home city of Staalbreak with Ivan and the other thugs so that he can face justice for killing his father.

The problem is, Jacob’s plan is epically stupid. I understand that he feels guilty about killing his father (he has, after all, been moaning about that since the first issue), but the idea that he will find justice back home is just laughable.

He knows his people are suffering from an insanity-inducing plague of unknown, but undoubtedly sinister, origin, yet he is willing to let them sit in judgment of him. That is not nobility. That is not ‘doing the right thing.’ It is a logic fail of titanic proportions, and Jacob richly deserves the slap that Shanar administers to try to jolt some sense into him.

Naturally, things go to Hell as soon as Jacob returns home. The townspeople start to stone him as soon as he enters the city. He is dragged before the constable (who has the face of a demonic Kewpie doll) and is cheerfully informed that there will be no trial. Jacob was found guilty as soon as he fled the city. Jacob begs for a chance to address the people, and the constable agrees, provided Jacob surrenders his super powerful magic sword.

Because Jacob has all the common sense of a head of cabbage, he agrees to this proposal and is promptly hung from a gibbet by his wrists. The townspeople start stoning him again, and they refuse to listen to his attempts to warn them about the plague. He spends an entire night hanging from the gibbet before Shanar saves his sorry butt once again.

Throughout the issue, readers have cause to question Jacob’s intelligence. If he did not know about the blood plague, then his decision to return home to face justice would seem noble, but he knows something is rotten in Staalbreak. He watched his father go crazy. He saw Ivan and his minions eat a boar while it was still alive.

Heck, he even heard Ivan speaking in the voice of a demon! All these things suggest that Jacob’s countrymen are under the influence of something nasty, but he seems oblivious to the danger he faces. He apparently believed that all he had to do was address the people, and they would realize that something evil was afoot. Calling him naïve would be the understatement of the year.

This is the second time Jacob’s masochistic guilt has gotten him into a dicey situation from which Shanar has had to rescue him. We can only hope he has finally learned his lesson.

The article Diablo III Sword of Justice: Issue 3 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Considering the recent demise of Bandai’s North American anime licensing branch, and the closure of Tokyopop’s North American manga licensing offices in 2011, that old Western cliche seems still to hold true in America: There ain’t enough room in this town for the both of us.

In place of several publishers, licensors, and distributors that once offered a selection and variety to the translation and quality of the Japanese-imported anime and manga, the landscape now features two sole skyscrapers: Funimation for anime, and Viz Media for manga.

Unlike the North American comics industry, which has a “big two” of DC and Marvel, along with several notable smaller publishers such as Dark Horse and Image, the manga scene has steadily been thinning out since the early 2000s, and today, Viz is really the only big name in the business.

The easy answer is to blame the bad economy, but escapism into a fantasy world never gets old, and that is exactly what manga and anime sell. North American comics are more or less stable, and the video game industry is now even larger than the film industry in North America.

Escapism booms during economically tough times, but manga is busting. And on the anime side of things, Funimation’s nearest competitor, 4Kids, is now in bankruptcy. What have Funimation and Viz done that other companies have not?

For starters, they did not make stupid business decisions like Bandai’s North American wing, and they went with safe and solid titles. Funimation and Viz were both able to acquire several properties during the late ’90s that would each have been flagship titles for lesser companies.

So is it a simple matter of strong-arming the competition into destitution? Selling established North American comics such as Batman or X-Men to North Americans is a much easier task compared to importing Japanese media. A certain level of cultural and linguistic empathy bolsters the potential sales of DC and Marvel’s comics in America. Add a familiar name to that, and by comparison, half the marketing is done before you even start to sell an issue of Spider-Man.

That creates a larger market for those titles. Dragon Ball, on the other hand, had several failed attempts at being introduced here before it caught on like wildfire, because it was a very Japanese title.

Take some characters from the Journey to the West (a story that would be instantly recognizable within Asia), add in a Shaolin monk and ubiquitous references to ladies’ underwear (some of which, such as Bulma’s name, didn’t even carry over), and you have a mixture of nonsense that turns out as popular as green tea in Asia, and as popular as, well… green tea in North America, at least at first.

Companies cannot afford to follow the model of Dragon Ball. They need to create something familiar and established to give it appeal, and that ends up meaning one thing: a lack of innovation.

Viz and Funimation are successful because they play it safe, licensing only the most popular titles and then holding on to them for as long as possible. At the same time, Japanese content creators are realizing the same thing, and putting out nothing but the same familiar archetypes season after season, year after year.

Remember the original GameBoy, with its blocky grey body, its green screen, and its inexplicably purple buttons? Who said the buttons on that thing should be purple? Who knows? It was a weird decision, a silly risk, but it made for one of the most iconic handheld platform designs to this day.

Anime needs purple buttons. Just a few weird, innocuous twists to pull it out of the ordinary, make it interesting, and make it iconic. Dragon Ball would probably be too risky and foreign to introduce into today’s market, but surely something like 2008‘s Kaiba would have been warmly appreciated stateside.

Playing it safe results in diminishing returns at best. Funimation and Viz may be doing well for the moment, but when the mediocrity reaches a fever pitch and fans are aching for something novel, plucky risk-taking little companies will be the ones reaping the rewards.

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Marvel is celebrating over 3 million fans on the Marvel Facebook Fan Page, and thanking their supporters in the Marvel Universe. Be sure to head on over to www.facebook.com/marvel for your first look at exclusive art from upcoming comics, news, & previews from Marvel video games all day long. And that’s not all because they have even more Mighty Marvel surprises up their sleeves that you’ll have access to ONLY through their Facebook fan page.

Don’t forget to check Marvel out on Twitter, YouTube, GetGlue, and Google+ to further enhance your Marvel experience. With so many ways to get your daily dose of all things Marvel, there’s no reason not to get involved. But in order to get your exclusive look on tons of great Marvel stuff, stay tuned to www.facebook.com/marvel. With over 3 million fans strong on Facebook, Marvel thanks you for making yours Marvel.

In related news, Marvel has announce that Avengers: X-Sanction #3 has sold out at Diamond and this March will be back exploding off store shelves with Avengers: X-Sanction #3 Second Printing Variant. Here’s your second chance to catch the Eisner Award-winning writer Jeph Loeb and superstar artist Ed McGuinness as they pit Cable against the Avenger’s most dangerous member – Red Hulk. Leading into the comics event of 2012, Avengers Vs. X-Men, and with every issue of this red-hot series selling out – fans can’t miss this.

“Ed and I are so grateful to the fans, retailers and readers who’ve made this book such a success,” exclaimed Loeb. “It’s great having Cable back in the Marvel Universe kicking butt and taking names — and as a lead up to the blockbuster Avengers vs. X-Men — you ain’t seen nothing yet!”

Cable stands face to face with Red Hulk as time continues to slip away; will Cable save the future? Find out in Avengers: X-Sanction #3 Second Printing Variant as Loeb and McGuinness send Cable against the Avengers, while the fight for the future rages on.

For more on Avengers VS X-Men, please visit http://avx.marvel.com

Image Courtesy of   https://www.facebook.com/Marvel

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Marvel announces the Marvel Universe line of comics perfect for fans of all ages, launching in April 2012 with the debuts of Marvel Universe: Ultimate Spider-Man #1 and Marvel Universe: The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes #1. Fans of Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk and all the Avengers should look for the Marvel Universe logo to find the most exciting stories they can imagine.

“The Marvel Universe line of comics not only clearly lets fans know they’re in for great stories, but also lets parents know where to find great stories to share with their kids” said Axel Alonso, Marvel Comics Editor in Chief. “The Marvel Universe line also includes the best all-ages stories we’ve told recently and we’re bringing them to millions of new fans through ambitious new initiatives. So when you see the name Marvel Universe, you’ll know it stands for the best all-ages super hero storytelling in the world—in print and digital media!”

In Marvel Universe: Ultimate Spider-Man #1, from Man Of Action, Dan Slott, Ty Templeton & Nuno Plati, Peter Parker must balance battling Super Villains and the drama of high school! But fear not True Believer, there is no menace too diabolical and no test too challenging for Spider-Man!

Then, in Marvel Universe: The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes #1, the creative team of Chris Yost  and Adam Dekraker, present not one, but TWO new action-packed Avengers stories to catch you up on the adventures of Earth’s Mightiest through the eyes of Agent Coulson.

No fan of the Avengers or Spider-Man can miss out on these new action-packed Marvel Universe series, sure to excite fans of all ages! So make sure you’re the first in line this Spring to catch Marvel Universe: The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Adventures #1 and Marvel Universe: Ultimate Spider-Man Adventures #1 as the Marvel Universe line starts here.

The article Marvel Universe Kicks Off This April appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

DC Comics recently released the second installment of Sword of Justice, their new five-part series set in the world of Diablo, Blizzard Entertainment’s hit ARPG.

Issue #2 picks up right where its predecessor left off. Jacob ends up killing his father in self-defense, but it seems as if the old man’s mind had been poisoned by some mysterious ailment. With his last breath, he warns Jacob not to touch his blood. Back in the present, Jacob is still in the mysterious cave he discovered in the previous issue, staring at a glimmering sword that protrudes from the ground.

Jacob pulls it free, much to the relief of the hooded woman who had been guarding it. She introduces herself as a wizard named Shanar, and unlike most comic book females, she is actually somewhat modestly clothed. No chainmail bikini for her! She delivers some exposition about the sword, but her spiel is cut short when thugs from Jacob’s homeland pay him a visit. Jacob is reluctant to see them killed, so he forces Shanar to pull her magical punches.

In a nice nod to Diablo III, Shanar fights with wizard spells that will appear in-game, such as Electrocute and Wave of Force. Of course no good deed goes unpunished, and Jacob is rewarded for his mercy by being knocked unconscious and taken prisoner. Thankfully, Shanar returns to Jacob’s side and helps him to escape his captors. But the bad guys prove to be persistent, and Shanar uses a teleportation spell to whisk herself and Jacob from their grasp.

They end up in the Black Marsh near the Forgotten Tower (two areas that will be familiar to players of Diablo II), but the issue’s last panel suggests that they might have exchanged the frying pan for the fire.

The first issue was understandably a bit heavy on the exposition, but scriptwriter Aaron Williams has toned it down in Issue #2. He has also done a nice job of incorporating some of the newer lore that has been developed for the Diablo universe. The bit about the Crystal Arch in the High Heavens fits in nicely with the Book of Cain.

And speaking of lore, it is interesting to note that Williams told IGN that he had originally planned to have a scene in the Forgotten Tower. He ended up dropping it because the Tower apparently shows up in Diablo III and he did not want to create continuity problems. If the Tower does indeed make a comeback in Diablo III, it would be nice if we actually got to see it; in Diablo II, we only saw the (rather expansive) basement!

Despite Williams’ obvious talent, there are some plot issues that left me scratching my head in confusion. Take the battle in the cave, for example. Jacob tells Shanar not to kill the thugs, which seems spectacularly unwise given the circumstances. His decision to show them mercy might have been more believable if he were trying to reason with them, but he makes no such attempt.

Instead, he fights in moody silence and refuses to deliver killing blows. But what does he hope to gain by holding back? Does he hope his enemies will just get frustrated and leave him alone? Perhaps Williams was trying to show Jacob as naive and good-hearted, but instead he comes dangerously close to being ‘Too Stupid To Live’.

Similarly, when Shanar helps Jacob escape after he is captured, it seems hard to believe that she would not attack the thugs while they were busy dismembering their dinner. They were totally distracted; it would be the perfect opportunity for Shanar to take them all out. At the very least, she and Jacob should have discussed some sort of counterattack. Instead, she and Jacob just run off into the woods. That sort of behavior seems to be dictated by plot necessity rather than logic.

Those matters aside, Issue #2 was an enjoyable read. Overall, the story remains compelling, and it will be interesting to see what else Williams has in store for Jacob and Shanar.

The article Diablo III: Sword of Justice Issue #2 Review appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

DC Entertainment, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company and home to iconic brands DC Comics, Vertigo and MAD, revealed a new brand identity. The new identity is reflective of the company’s mission to fully realize the value of a rich portfolio of brands, stories and characters, distinguished by incredible breadth and depth across publishing, media and merchandise. A new logo for DC Comics was also introduced, closely aligning with DC Entertainment’s new mark.

“It’s a new era at DC Entertainment and the new look reflects a dynamic, bold approach while at the same time celebrates the company’s rich heritage and robust portfolio of characters,” stated John Rood, EVP of Sales, Marketing and Business Development for DC Entertainment.

“It was just a few months ago that Superman, Batman and many of our other Super Heroes were updated when we launched DC Comics – The New 52 and now it’s time to do the same for the company’s identity while remaining true to the power of storytelling which is still at the heart of DC Entertainment.”

DC Entertainment worked with Landor Associates, one of the world’s leading brand consulting and design firms, to develop an identity that creates a visual connection among the company, its three brands DC Comics, Vertigo and MAD and its vast array of properties as well as celebrates the power of the company’s stories and characters.

The design of the new DC Entertainment identity uses a “peel” effect – the D is strategically placed over the C with the upper right-hand portion of the D peeling back to unveil the hidden C – symbolizing the duality of the iconic characters that are present within DC Entertainment’s portfolio.

“It was our goal to capture DC Entertainment in a dynamic and provocative identity. Our solution is a living expression which changes and adapts to the characters, story lines and the ways fans are consuming content,” explains Nicolas Aparicio, Executive Creative Director at Landor’s San Francisco office. ”The new identity is built for the digital age, and can easily be animated and customized to take full advantage of the interactivity offered across all media platforms.”

The new brand identity will come to life across all consumer touch points in order to create a clear and consistent message in support of DC Entertainment. The new identity will begin to appear on comic books and graphic novels as well as new websites in March. Consumers will also see the new identity rolled out over time on other DC Entertainment products from Warner Bros. including film, television, interactive games and merchandise.

“We believe our new brand identity will strongly resonate with our loyal fans who will want to proudly express their affinity for DC Entertainment and their passion for their favorite stories and characters, this new look allows them to easily do this.

In addition we were excited to update our identity, it’s not often a company gets to revisit something as important as its brand and we took the opportunity to make sure it represented the multi-media business we set out to build with the formation of DC Entertainment,” said Amit Desai, SVP of Franchise Management for DC Entertainment.

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The Hub Television network, a destination for kids and their families, has acquired the hit animated series “The Super Hero Squad Show” from Marvel Animation. The popular half-hour series, which features the world’s best-known Super Heroes including Iron Man, Wolverine, Hulk, Thor, and Captain America will join The Hub’s Monday through Friday lineup beginning Monday, January 30.

“We’re delighted to be adding ‘The Super Hero Squad Show’ to our lineup,” said Margaret Loesch, President and CEO, The Hub. “This terrific, high quality series is a bullseye for our key demographic and is perfectly aligned with our strategy of building our schedule with strong, beloved brands that audiences know and embrace. Additionally, we’re thrilled to be associated with Marvel Animation. As one of the world’s preeminent character-based entertainment companies, Marvel has a superb reputation for providing quality entertainment.”

“The Super Hero Squad Show” entertains young fans and their families with a unique mix of action, adventure, humor and satirical storytelling as Marvel’s greatest super heroes unite to protect Super Hero City from some of the world’s most infamous super villains. “The Super Hero Squad Show” was produced in 2009 by Film Roman and Marvel Animation.

“Marvel Super Heroes have always entertained fans of all ages in our comics, and we’re proud to offer an animated series that families can enjoy together,” said Jeph Loeb, Head of Marvel Television. “With the most exciting super-powered adventures, The Hub can now offer the greatest fun of all– experiencing Marvel for the very first time. So whether you want to fly with Thor, suit up with Iron Man or smash with Hulk, this series has everything your family wants to see from our heroes.”

The Hub is a multi-platform joint venture between Discovery Communications and Hasbro, with a goal of entertaining, enlightening, empowering and educating children and their families. The cable and satellite television network features original programming as well as content  from Discovery’s library of award-winning children’s educational programming; from Hasbro’s rich portfolio of entertainment and educational properties built during the past 90 years; and from leading third-party producers worldwide. The Hub lineup includes animated and live-action series, as well as specials, game shows, and family-favorite movies.

To find the channel in your area, please visit http://www.Hubworld.com and check the channel locator at the top of the page. Visit The Hub on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/hubtvnetwork.

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Although Diablo III has been postponed until 2012, fans of the series can tide themselves over by picking up the first issue of Sword of Justice, which hits the shelves this week. Set in the same dark-fantasy world as the game, SoJ is a five-issue comic series published by DC Comics which takes place during the twenty years that elapsed between the ending of Diablo II: Lord of Destruction and the beginning of Diablo III.

The issue starts with a nice little summary of the overarching story of the Diablo universe.  Sanctuary (the world of mortals) was created by angels and demons as a place of refuge. Despite the best intentions, Sanctuary was almost destroyed twice, and each time it owed its salvation to Tyrael, the Archangel of Justice.

We then segue out of the past and into the present, where a young wanderer is confronted by an old beggar who claims to be able to see the future. He knows that the young man’s name is Jacob and that he is being pursued by hostile men. He tells Jacob to seek out a mysterious mountain.

At first, Jacob doesn’t believe the old man’s ramblings, but after almost dying of thirst in the desert, he stumbles upon the mountain that the old seer described. Inside, there’s a great cave whose walls are carved with scenes from his past, and a shining sword protrudes from the stone.

Seeing the scenes on the wall bring back painful memories for Jacob, and the reader finally starts to understand what the young man is running from. Video game tie-ins often leave a lot to be desired, but SoJ manages to be a compelling read. Scriptwriter Aaron Williams has a done a nice job with Jacob’s characterization, and he has a knack for incorporating subtle humor into the dialogue.

The story he’s crafted appears promising, and it will be interesting to see how SoJ fits in with the storyline of Diablo III when it’s finally released. The art, however, may not be to everyone’s liking. If you’re one of the fans who thinks that Diablo III isn’t dark and gritty enough, then you might want to steer clear of SoJ.

Joseph Lacroix’s work is visually appealing, but his highly-stylized drawings may not appeal to those looking for gritty realism. All in all, SoJ is a promising addition to the world of Diablo. It could have easily become a cliched ‘young warrior finds a magic weapon’ story, but it looks like they’ve managed to create something fresh and new.

The article Diablo: Sword of Justice Issue 1 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Next year, critically acclaimed creators Rick Remender (Uncanny X-Force) & Gabriel Hardman (Hulk) take readers deep under cover in Secret Avengers. Captain America has tasked Hawkeye with putting together a brand new team, ushering in a new era for the Secret Avengers. When the call is put out for heroes to save the Marvel Universe from its most dangerous foes, the biggest powerhouses will answer.

America’s Secret Soldier — Venom, The UK’s premiere super hero — Captain Britain, Founding Avenger — Giant-Man and more will join ranks to create a team that will have fans everywhere demanding more. Packed to the brim with action, intrigue, insurmountable odds and covers by legendary artist Arthur Adams — no fan can miss this!

“Our opening arc will have a big secret war, a big secret new world, a big secret new race, a big team death, a big secret team betrayal, and begin a secret affair. High stakes, intrigue, and tons of character drama as we unearth the mystery surrounding familiar automaton villains reimagined as members of a new species — The Descendants!” exclaimed Remender.

“I’m a tremendous fan of Gabe’s work; he’s one of the best storytellers in the business, always puts clarity first, while still managing engaging and dynamic action. I’m beyond excited to have him joining me on Secret Avengers. And having Art Adams on covers is truly a dream come true.”

Kicking off this January in Secret Avengers #21.1 by Remender and red-hot artist Patrick Zircher, fans can get a taste of what we’ve got planned before Gabriel Hardman jumps on board as the ongoing artist with Secret Avengers #22.

“Secret Avengers gives me the opportunity to draw an exciting group of heroes who I’ve never drawn before as well as design new villains and new worlds. Hawkeye, Beast and Valkyrie have been favorites of mine since I was a kid. That combined that with the crazy big, black ops tinged action/adventure makes this a book I had to draw,” explained Hardman.

“Rick is known for his wildly inventive scripts and he really delivers with Secret Avengers. This is an epic story that will have big repercussions. That’s the kind of storytelling I like to be involved with.”

With Hawkeye at the helm, Captain America’s strike force team must dodge Adaptoids, Descendants and the biggest threats to the Marvel Universe — without anyone knowing, in Secret Avengers.

Finally, while the Secret Avengers takes exciting new leaps, the Dark Angel saga is coming to an end. Don’t miss the shocking conclusion to the critically acclaimed Dark Angel Saga from the blockbuster creative team of Rick Remender, Jerome Opeña & Dean White, this December in the polybagged Uncanny X-Force #18.

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Marvel Entertainment announced recently that the hotly-anticipated NOOK Tablet from Barnes & Noble will offer readers access to the greatest graphic novels of all time. Featuring the Avengers, Spider-Man, Wolverine and more of the world’s most popular super heroes, NOOK Tablet launches with a digital library of your favorite Marvel graphic novels — and more of your favorite stories are on the way.

NOOK Tablet utilizes the world’s most advanced VividView^™ Touchscreen, offering readers a chance to experience the action-packed epics of Marvel graphic novels in Barnes & Noble’s fastest, lightest tablet with the best in HD entertainment.

“This is a huge opportunity for Marvel — and the entire comics medium — to reach a wider audience than ever before thanks to Barnes & Noble’s exciting new NOOK Tablet,” said Peter Phillips, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Marvel Digital Media Group. “Barnes & Noble is committed to offering customers a broad array of Marvel graphic novels, both digitally and through their massive in-store selection, which can only help bring fans into our exciting world of Super Heroes and unparalleled storytelling.”

Users can purchase digital copies of their favorite Marvel graphic novels through NOOK Bookstore™, with a selection including such hits as Civil War, Invincible Iron Man, Captain America, Thor by JMS, Astonishing X-Men, New Avengers, Marvels and more! These graphic novels will also be available on the highly-acclaimed NOOK Color.

“We’re excited to bring NOOK customers the largest available digital collection of graphic novels from Marvel Entertainment,” said Theresa Horner, Barnes & Noble’s Vice President of Digital Content. “The high resolution of our VividView color touchscreen makes the action virtually jump off the page, and takes graphic novels to a whole new level of entertainment.”

Starting this week, the world’s greatest super heroes, their most acclaimed stories and most powerful graphic novels arrive on NOOK Tablet.

Experience NOOK Tablet at any Barnes & Noble bookstore or at www.nook.com

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Recently, the Superman reboot, Man of Steel, has been building its cast for some time now.  However, Warner Brother Studios put the brakes on the release date and extended it to June 14, 2013.

There is some speculation on why this delay was put into place but nothing official has been given out by either the producers or the studio.  The copyright issue on Man of Steel is pushing the date a little too close as production is being delayed along side its release.

The Man of Steel cast has had its fill of rumors, and big names.  Now, the cast is pretty much set with Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Michael Shannon, Christopher Meloni, Russell Crowe, Julia Ormond, Harry Lennix and Antje Traue.  But, with the release date pushed it’s unclear if the cast will stay the same.

No word has come out from the producer, Christopher Nolan, about any cast changes.  When asked about the Man of Steel delay, Henry Cavill, who will play Superman said, “they broke it to me gently…it’s okay, it’s nothing to do with me…I just focus on the character and do my job.”

Cavill also showed his excitement for the movie to start filming.  “I’m really raring to go.  It’s exciting, humbling, and about time to get started,” Cavill said.

The reason why the movie has been delayed about six months is, at this moment, unclear.  Some believe that there are problems with the script that Kurt Jonstad needs to finish.  This accusation could be true.  The script has gone through many changes, and writers since David Goyo penned it.

The more popular belief for the delayed release is that Warner Brothers does not want to go into competition with other big name releases coming out in 2012, such as Quentin Tarantino’s Django: Unchained, Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, or Disney’s Lone Ranger.  Alongside this competition, 2012 is already a big comic-book movie year with The Avengers, and The Amazing Spider- Man.

The copyright issue is said to be pushing it close but not necessarily a problem for the film.  The contract dictates that the movie must go into production before the end of 2012.  With everyone in the cast and crew in place they can easily make that deadline.

Man of Steel is scheduled to come out a little less than two years from now.  With many (including Cavill) antsy for the project to start this delay comes as a disappointment to some but many look at it in a positive light.

The newfound time will allow the writers to fix bugs in the script, and the production team can take its time to make sure everything falls into place.  Nevertheless, it still is a long time till its release in 2013 but having patience always pays off.

cinemafestival / Shutterstock.com

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Sergeant Rock, the DC Comics war hero, has been trying to get his moment on the big screen for years now.  Scripts and directors changed, causing Sergeant Rock to seem as though there is no set direction to head in.  Recently the director that originally set to direct the movie, Guy Richie, is back on the project after leaving a few years back.

Sergeant Rock became a big DC Comic character rising in popularity starting in 1959.  Robert Kanigher first wrote the mythology of Rock, when Rock in World War II.  He was first a private deployed in Africa.  After all his superior officers were killed he became the leader of his platoon named Easy Company.  He does not have any “super” powers but he is the best shot in the army, unbeatable in close quarters fighting, survives multiple bullet wounds, and is close to superhuman strength.

There are many different takes on how the story of Sergeant Rock ends.  One ending consists of him being killed by the last bullet shot in World War II while protecting a child in the crossfire.  The other take is that he survives the war and joins the Suicide Squad along with Superman.

Guy Richie got his break when he directed Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels introducing Jason Statham, Nick Moran and Dexter Fletcher.  His next film was Snatch with Jason Statham, Brad Pitt and Benicio Del Toro, which was similar in style to Lock Stock.  He then went to create RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes.

For a while Richie wanted to create a comic book movie.  He had his eyes set on doing the DC Comic character Lobo (an alien bounty hunter and mercenary) but Sherlock Holmes 2 called and he had to leave his project behind.  Now that Sherlock Holmes 2 is just about done, he has been put back on Joel Silver’s Sergeant Rock.

As of now, the script has changed two times, the first began with Sergeant Rock’s origins in World War II, but the second draft put him in a war in the distant future and was to be directed by Francis Lawrence (Water For Elephants).  When Richie returned to the project the script was redrafted and he is currently reviewing it.

Joel Silver is one of the most well known action producers of all time.  He has worked on projects like Lethal Weapon, and the Die Hard series.  But more recently, he is credited with producing The Matrix and V for Vendetta.  With his producing for Sergeant Rock, this could be one of the rare success that follow DC movies (not including the Batman franchise).

Sergeant Rock has been sitting around the offices of Hollywood for a while now.  It seems with DC coming out with a lot of new movies (Green Lantern, Man of Steel, and The Dark Knight Rises, and Batman: Year One) it seems logical to keep Sergeant Rock on the backburner for now.

But with action producer Silver and with a director like Richie on the project it seems like a great prospective film for the next couple of years.

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As the new Superman movie’s release date was announced for December 2012, the pre-production began. Man of Steel, the movie has its fair share of rumors spreading around about who shall be cast.  Rumors have been floating around that Christopher Meloni is in talks with Warner Brothers and Zack Sydner, the director.

There are no details about whom he will play if he accepts the offer except that he will play a general. I know what you’re thinking.  But no, Michael Shannon will play Zod. The real wildcard was who will play Superman’s mother, Lara Lor-Van?

At first, there were rumors of Connie Nielson taking the part, but it was confirmed to be false, as Synder chose Julia Ormond as his first pick.  The offer was officially given out June 22, 2011 and accepted some time later.

Julia Ormond’s most recent and well-known movies include The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Che. She won an Emmy for her supporting role in Temple Grandin, in 2010. She also appeared on many other television shows such as Law and Order and Nurse Jackie. Right now she is finishing up her most recent movie My Week with Marilyn, starring Emma Watson, and Michelle Williams.

She will be playing opposite of Russell Crowe as Jor-El. The rest of the cast, that is certain to appear consists of Henry Cavill playing Superman, Amy Adams playing Lois Lane, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, and Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent.

The plot of the movie is kept under lock and key. Diane Lane said this on Jay Leno Show, “Of course, there is a lot of secrecy these days, with the Internet and everything and rumors get started, so I had to read the script under lock and key in a room. You go to the offices, and it is a locked door and the curtains are drawn, and, so that was the time I had.” The only leaked details about the plot was that Synder wanted to make the movie as if the other Superman movies do not exist. In other terms, he wants to start at square one.

He said to contactmusic.com, “[l]iterally, the one thing that everyone can start to think about is that we’re making a movie that finally goes with the approach that there have been no other Superman movies. If you look at ‘Batman Begins’ there’s that structure: there’s the canon that we know about and respect, but, on the other hand, there’s this approach that pre-supposes that there have not been any other movies. That is what we’re going with.”

Many fans of the movies are bitter about Synder’s idea because they feel the story should be pushed along and not rebooted.

With many spots on the cast still not filled, there is still a lot of work for the filmmakers to do. With extremely little information about the plot and many offers given out, rumors have spread like wildfire. Julia Ormond has been officially named the mother of Superman but her shooting dates are unclear as of yet.

DFree / Shutterstock.com

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Man of Steel, the newest Superman movie is reaching the final stages of casting.  With each day passing more and more actors fill the parts, as the movie edges closer to the shooting date.  Recently, Empire announced that, Russell Crowe would play Superman’s Krytonian father Jor-El and Superman’s Kryptonian mother, Lara Lor-Van, would be played by Julia Ormond.  Now, the new rumor that has spread is that Christopher Meloni will join the cast in Man of Steel.

Christopher Meloni is best known as Detective Stabler in the crime series Law and Order: SVU.  After being on the cast for 12 seasons he decided to drop out of the show after he could not make a deal with NBC.  Christopher Meloni has been nominated for three Prism Awards in the last decade but alongside those three nominations comes one nomination for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Law and Order.

Meloni has been rumored for some time now as being cast in Man of Steel.  At first, rumors speculated that Meloni would play Lex Luthor (his bald head would be perfect) but instead he will be playing a general in the United States Army.  When asked about his part in the movie by Vulture.com, the only thing Meloni said was, “I can’t tell you, or I’d have to kill you.”  With details under raps there has not been any specific details on who Meloni will really be playing.

Most of Meloni’s shoot will take place in Vancouver, Chicago and in Edwards Air Force Base.  With his shoot last about five months there is no telling how much screen time Meloni will receive.  Filming is scheduled to start around August or September so the pre-production process should be just about in its final stretch.  With the movie coming out in December of 2012 there should be ample time for us to get the details on the script and the cast before it releases.

Christopher Noland (The Dark Knight, Inception) will produce Man of Steel and Zack Snyder (300, Dawn of the Dead) will be the director.  With this duo the movie looks very promising.  Keeping Noland’s previous works in mind, one could assume the movie will be very over the top but well done.  After coming off Sucker Punch, which did poorly at the box office, Snyder will be given a shot behind the camera.  Dawn of the Dead, and 300 were visionary movies, and Zack Snyder will definitely bring his unique and flashy direction to the movie.

With the Man of Steel cast being filling up one after the other and pre-production rapping up, it is occupying the minds of many, as its secrets and its script is held under lock and key.  With Noland and Snyder behind the project, it will it be an exciting movie to see in the cold winter (depends where you live) next year.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/kazzcreation/4980761024/

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