“Guitar Hero: World Tour” adds more instruments; KISS bassist gets controller
“Guitar Hero: World Tour” takes the next step for the franchise, as, following in the footsteps of “Rock Band,” the game now allows gamers to play all the parts of a rock n’ roll band.
In addition to guitar, “World Tour” opens up the microphone, bass and drums for a four-player game, or as many as eight can play head-to-head.
Another cool new feature is the music studio, in which gamers can create their own music, although unfortunately there’s no way to add lyrics.
Even if you don’t make your own music, there’s a great set list, with about 80 songs including Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” R.E.M.’s “The One I Love,” Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” and Korn’s “Freak on a Leash.”
There are some problems with the included controllers – the drums, especially, seem to have issues – but as a positive, “World Tour” is compatible with previously released “Rock Band” peripherals.
And, if you want a guitar that will intimidate the neighbors, Hip Street Online has just the thing for you.
The “Gene Simmons Axe” is an axe-shaped guitar controller compatible with PlayStation 2 and 3 Guitar Hero and Rock Band. The guitar is a three-quarter size replica of the bass guitar used by the KISS bassist and vocalist, allowing gamers to rock and roll all night.
Even at three-quarters size, the guitar is larger than most replica guitars, and will likely intimidate others invited over to play “Guitar Hero” or “Rock Band” – especially if you paint your face and/or spit fire. The Gene Simmons Axe retails for $79.99.
“Guitar Hero: World Tour” retails for $59.99 for the game, or $189.99 for the game with band kit. It is rated T for teen audiences.
THE NEXT LEVEL
by Matthew Price
Assistant Features Editor
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Batman: Back someday, says executive
Batman’s not necessarily dead, just out of the picture for a while, says DC Comics senior vice president and executive editor Dan DiDio. It seems that’s information readers have, but not the DC characters, as February solicitation information for “Batman” tie-in title Nightwing says, “Batman is dead.”
DiDio tells the New York Times that several months of Batman-less stories are planned.
“You realize in their absence how valuable the character is,” said DiDio. “Bruce Wayne will always be back as Batman someday.”
In the near future, DC plans a “Battle for the Cowl” storyline as well as “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader,” written by award-winning novelist and comic-book writer Neil Gaiman.
- Matt Price
Happy Thanksgiving!
Whether you’re spending Thanksgiving with family, friends, or the Justice Society of America, Happy Thanksgiving from us at Nerdage!
- Matt Price
Is Batman dead? Writer says it’s “the end”
DC Comics superhero Batman is apparently dead at the conclusion of “Batman” #681, the final part in the “Batman R.I.P.” storyline.
The “Black Glove” society, a group of evil billionaires, have buried Batman alive as the comic begins. Batman escapes, but apparently perishes, along with Black Glove leader Doctor Hurt, in an explosion. (Just prior, Doctor Hurt claimed to be Batman’s long-thought-dead father, Dr. Thomas Wayne.)
Is Batman really dead? The upcoming storyline in the Batman comics is called “The Battle for the Cowl,” and writer Grant Morrison told the Telegraph that this issue marks “the end of Bruce Wayne as Batman.”
Still, unlike the recent comic-book death of Captain America, there’s no body seen on-panel — so whether Bruce Wayne is permanently finished as Batman remains to be seen.
UPDATE: Late on Wednesday, DC Executive Editor Dan DiDio gave further explanation of the issue to the New York Daily News.
“He’s not dead, though he’ll definitely be gone for a while,” DiDio said. “Batman and Bruce Wayne have been around long before me and they’ll be around long after me.”
– Matthew Price
Assistant Features Editor
Sterling Gates: Rising star and DC exclusive
In addition to being interviewed in this week’s Wizard (for like the third month in a row), DC Universe Executive Editor Dan DiDio talks up Sterling Gates as a rising star to Newsarama. He also announces that Gates has signed an exclusive with DC.
Sterling is one of the rising stars here at DC. You always get the question of where are the new writers coming from, and who are the talents we’re looking to grow, and Sterling is definitely one of them. We just put him under an exclusive contract as well, because we have a lot of belief and faith in his abilities. He’s done a great job with Supergirl – he’s been able to take what’s been going on in the Superman books and bring that level of focus and depth to Supergirl and I feel as if he’s really solidified the direction of that series. The great part also in New Krypton, we’ve had the introduction of Supergirl’s parents in Kandor – that really helps to build a strong supporting cast for that series, and Sterling has a great handle on what to do with that book. He’s the writer for the future of Supergirl.
Lots more in the link about New Krypton, and more of DC Comics’ plans for 2009.
– Matt Price
Retro Thursday: Blue Monday
In June 2001, I talked with Chynna Clugston (then Clugston-Major), of the comic-book series “Blue Monday.” It was one of my favorite comics, mixing influences like “Ranma 1/2″ and “The Apartment” into a witty, oddball mix. The url in the article no longer works for a free sample of “Blue Monday,” but you can download it here, courtesy of Oni Press. A new “Blue Monday” series is scheduled for December.
The following article ran in the Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman on June 22, 2001. I had only been writing “Word Balloons” for The Oklahoman for about four months.
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Fans of witty teen films will be grateful for the comics work of Chynna Clugston-Major. Her “Blue Monday” captures the wit and charm of teen-age life portrayed with an exciting, Japanese-influenced style.
“It’s about a group of outcast kids that are completely obnoxious and find themselves endlessly amusing without being self-destructive,” Clugston-Major said.
“They listen to a lot of music, daydream nonstop, are totally hormonally challenged and have a penchant for mischief and pulling pranks on one another.”
“Blue Monday” features the imaginative Bleu Finnegan, a blue-haired sophomore who is obsessed with Adam Ant and Buster Keaton.
Her friends include the temperamental Clover Connelly, recently moved from Ireland, and the hyperactive Erin O’Neil.
Then there are the slightly voyeuristic guys. Victor Gomez, who is alternately in love with each of the girls, is a music fanatic who writes poetry. Rounding out the cast is the argumentative Alan Walsh, first-generation American son of an English family.
“These were the kids at your high school you thought were big losers because they wore the weird clothes and had the bizarre haircuts, and you figured they were probably on glue or smoking banana peels, or both,” Clugston-Major said.
When in high school, she said, outside of the Hernandez brothers’ “Love and Rockets,” Evan Dorkin’s “Hectic Planet,” and Jamie Hewlett’s “Tank Girl,” there weren’t comics she felt were aimed at her age group.
Clugston-Major claims several cinematic and comedic influences in the creation of “Blue Monday,” including John Hughes (”Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Sixteen Candles”) and “Savage” Steve Holland (”Better Off Dead,” “One Crazy Summer”).
“Other than Mr. Hughes, ‘Savage’ Steve Holland is a definite major influence! I also like to keep in mind people like Charles Addams with his morbid sense of humor and Billy Wilder and his amazing comedic prowess. When I’m writing about hopeless cases such as Bleu Finnegan, I like to think of Jack Lemmon in ‘The Apartment,’ or with Clover Connolly, I imagine the kind of attitude Lauren Bacall had in ‘How To Marry A Millionaire.’”
Her artistic influences are also a smorgasbord, including one of Japan’s leading manga artists, Rumiko Takahashi (”Ranma 1/2″), the artist responsible for the well-known Archie Comics style, Dan DeCarlo and the Hernandez brothers.
An interesting element of “Blue Monday” is that each issue has a “suggested sound track” of work Clugston-Major recommends to go along with the issue.
“Most of the time the songs alone give me an idea for a scene, so I have to stick them in there just for that person who’s going to look it up and play it while they read or after – it doesn’t matter which.”
The first issue of Clugston-Major’s “Blue Monday: The Kids are Alright ” is available as part of Oni Press’ free comic download program at www.onipress.com/freecomic/.
Upcoming projects for Clugston-Major include the Oni Press Color Special 2001 anthology
In August, “Hopeless Savages,” which Clugston-Major is working on with Jen Van Meter and Christine Norrie, will be released by Oni.
Also in development at Oni is a new series, “Scooter Girl.”
Jackman on “Wolverine” and “X-Men: First Class”
At the press junket for “Australia,” Hugh Jackman talked briefly about “Wolverine” and his thoughts on the upcoming “X-Men: First Class.”
“Doomsday” episode of “Smallville” online
If you haven’t seen the “Doomsday” episode of “Smallville,” you can give it a look online here. I’m going to have to wait til I get home, since you have to install the viewer to see CW shows online. I’m interested to see what “Smallville” does with the character, who recently got taken on by a whole fleet of Kryptonians in “Action Comics.”
– Matt Price
Comics shipping 11-26-2008
“Batman R.I.P.” comes to its conclusion; New Krypton continues in “Superman” 682;
Full list and commentary after the break.
Sterling Gates on “Supergirl” 35 at Newsarama
OU graduate Sterling Gates, now the writer of “Supergirl,” talks to Newsarama about issue No. 35, in which Gates, with artist Jamal Igle, made sense of some of Supergirl’s tangled continuity.
Gates tells Newsarama: “She’s had a couple different versions of her origin, and we wanted to make sense of that not only to the readers, but also to ourselves. This version of Supergirl — Kara Zor-El — was reintroduced so we could get back to the roots of the character, making her origins understandable and streamlined. As time went on, however, I felt like the streamlining got a little rocky. Now, I want to definitively state and be able to point to an issue and say, ‘This is it. This is her true origin.’ That’s what this issue represents.”
