MTV Movie Awards: Transformers Revenge of the Fallen clip
Other than debuting a tiny bug-sized Decepticon, we don’t get a lot here that’s brand new — Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox running, stuff exploding, giant robots. I enjoyed the first movie well enough for what it was, and I got a nostalgic thrill out of Peter Cullen reprising his role as Optimus Prime. We’ll see what the second one brings.
- Matt Price
Eiffel Tower goes down in new G.I. Joe clip
New clip from G.I. Joe showing Baroness and company taking down the Eiffel Tower in order to … steal something, I guess. This movie still seems pretty aggressively goofy. I admit, at age 7 I was a pretty huge G.I. Joe fan. Not sure whether in 2009, it’s going to be able to do much for me. Then again, if there’s enough ninjas and explosions, I’ll at least have to give it a try.
- Matt Price
MTV Movie Awards clip of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The MTV Movie Awards debuted this footage from “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” in which Dumbledore meets a young Tom Riddle.
Alternate takes on superheroics: Cory Doctorow, Greg Van Eekhout
I’ve been reading a lot of Cory Doctorow lately, and the man makes it easy for readers to get into his work, as he has released most of his work free under Creative Commons license on the internet. Check it out for yourself at www.craphound.com. Doctorow is the co-editor of Boing Boing, and is well-known for his opposition to digital rights management.
Doctorow mixes his take on superheroics with a take on activism in “The Super Man and the Bugout,” in which the world’s pre-eminent superhero grew up a Jewish boy in Toronto. Doctorow captures the dilemma of the super man in a world that no longer needs him for his physical strength — but may still need his courage.
If you like alternate superhero stories — and I do — you might also like “Last Son of Tomorrow” by Greg Van Eekhout, hosted at Tor.com. It’s also got a skewed look at the relationships and difficulties of being a superhero that I enjoyed.
- Matt Price
Comics Q&A: Kevin Maguire
Kyle Roberts and Matt Price discuss the career of artist Kevin Maguire in this week’s Comics Q&A. With “Spider-Man: The Short Halloween” on the stands and a new “Metal Men” in the works, Kevin Maguire is on the mind of comic-book fans. Comics Q&A discusses his beginnings on “Justice League” and some of his career highlights.
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- Justice League 1, drawn by Kevin Maguire
Megan Fox is NOT Wonder Woman
Despite a fun viral promotion from the Web site www.wonder-who.com, Megan Fox has no plans to play Wonder Woman. She told the Times Online she has no interest in portraying DC Comics’ premiere superheroine.
“Wonder Woman is a lame superhero,” she said. “She flies around in her invisible jet and her weaponry is a lasso that makes you tell the truth. I just don’t get it. Somebody has a big challenge on their hands whoever takes that role but I don’t want to do it.”
Once Warner Bros. and Joss Whedon parted company on the “Wonder Woman” film, in development since 2005, I lost much hope of ever seeing it brought to the screen as anything I wanted to see. However, the success of the direct-to-DVD “Wonder Woman” animated movie, with Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion, got my hopes up again somewhat.
Megan Fox is already signed for “Fathom” and has been rumored for She-Hulk. I think the best bet for a “Wonder Woman” film is probably to go with an unknown, but whether or not Warners thinks the character herself is strong enough to carry good box office receipts is another question.
Is Wonder Woman a lame character? Well, I’ll admit, her comic books throughout history have been less consistently good than those of Superman, Batman, Spider-Man or the X-Men. But she is the best-known female superhero, and there is enough quality source material from which to develop a movie. (The Greg Rucka and George Perez runs are the most worth reading, and available in trade paperback format.)
This summer’s superhero movies — “Watchmen” and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” — didn’t crush box office records like last summer’s “Iron Man” and “Dark Knight.” So maybe there’s not a mad rush to make a “Wonder Woman” film. Still, superhero movies have been very successful in the last decade, and Wonder Woman is one of the best-known not to receive a movie update. Unless superhero movies start to bomb on a regular basis, a Wonder Woman movie would seem to be only a matter of time.
- Matt Price
Local author to sign at Moore Public Library
Jessica Akers, author
Local author Jessica L. Akers, who has written a book for young adults, will sign at the Moore Public Library on Saturday. Check out the full release:
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Young Adult Fiction author Jessica L. Akers will be signing copies of her newly released novel The Speaker at the Moore Public Library on Saturday, May 30, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Akers developed a passion for writing at a very young age. “I would write stories, draw pictures, and make them into books. Then I’d take them to school and my teacher would read them after recess.” Akers remembers. Akers got her inspiration for The Speaker while writing another book. She says that a line from the book just popped in her head and she immediately needed to know more about the girl who was talking and immediately The Speaker was born.
The Speaker takes place in Rapid City, South Dakota, revolving around the life of Nata Francis, a young Sioux Indian girl who discovers she has inherited the gift of orenda from her dearly departed grandfather. This gift is a sacred and honored power to possess, but Nata sees it all as a hoax and extreme inconvenience. It is not until one summer night, when a boy who needs help only Nata can give that she realizes she must accept this gift as well as her destiny. Nata must choose between following her head or following her heart.
Akers is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. Akers has worked in production and has written articles for The Vista and is a member of Oklahoma City Writers, Inc. For updates on upcoming books and other events please visit www.jessicaakers.com.
Terminator, Star Trek comics go mobile
Given the advanced technology in the future worlds of “The Terminator” and “Star Trek,” it’s perhaps not surprising that the comic books based on these franchises are among the first big-name comic books making the leap to the iPhone.
Publishers IDW and Dark Horse have made “Star Trek” and “Terminator” comic books available in the iPhone App Store this summer, tying in to the release of the movies “Star Trek” and “Terminator Salvation.”
The first iPhone comic book from veteran publisher Dark Horse is “Terminator: Death Valley.” In Death Valley, Calif., two Terminators have been sent back in time to kill John Connor as a boy. Each of the four issues is available for 99 cents from the App Store. The story also is available in print as part of “Terminator Omnibus” Vol. 2, which contains “Death Valley” and four other “Terminator” miniseries for $24.95.
“Death Valley” is by Alan Grant and Steve Pugh and originally was published in 1998. “Death Valley” is meant to be the first in a line of comics apps from Dark Horse.
“This is an evolution for the comics industry, and we look forward to bringing our tradition of innovation and creativity into this new medium,” Dale LaFountain, chief information officer of Dark Horse, said in a release.
IDW’s “Terminator Salvation” prequel also is available on the iPhone, with each of the five issues going for 99 cents or the entire graphic novel for just $3.99.
Warner Bros. and IDW Publishing present the “Terminator Salvation” graphic novel prequel, which takes readers through a series of events that have transpired since Judgment Day, leading up to “Terminator Salvation”.
IDW made its entry onto the iPhone in late 2008 with “Star Trek Archives” and gained even more momentum with “Star Trek: Countdown,” a prequel to the 2009 “Star Trek” movie.
Selected “Star Trek” comics from IDW are available via iVerse, which also distributes iPhone comics from Red 5, Image, Archie Comics, Antartic Press, Boom! Studios and others.
- by Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Two Terminator games come to iPhone
"The Terminator" for the iPhone
In addition to seeing “Terminator” at the cinema or reading the comics, gamers can become characters from the “Terminator” franchise in new games for the iPhone.
In “Terminator,” an iPhone game from Dark Horse Comics and Big Head Games, gamers take on the role of Resistance fighter Kyle Reese in a top-down shooter.
The game features an episodic story mode and ongoing quick-play mode.
In quick play, Reese attempts to rescue fallen Resistance soldiers. T-800s and Hunter-Killer tanks attempt to stop Kyle at every turn. Power-ups, health bars and improved weapons, such as bazookas and Gatling guns, help Kyle stay on his feet.
A planned update will take Kyle underground to face the machines on their turf.
“Combining Dark Horse Comics’ extensive catalog of material and our game-development expertise has been a great experience and opportunity that we hope to continue long into the future,” Big Head’s 
business director, Dave Vout, said in a release.
Also available as “Terminator Salvation” is in theaters is an app of the same name, a 3-D third-person shooter in which gamers can play as John Connor and Marcus Wright.
Gamers have six available weapons, including a shotgun and grenade launcher.
The “Terminator Salvation” game download was available for $4.99 at press time at the Apps Store; “The Terminator” was available for $2.99.
by Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
DVD review: Venture Brothers season three
Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer bring back their Jonny Quest parody “The Venture Brothers” for a third season, now on DVD. And while the show still has many laugh-out-loud moments, the increasingly “uncensored” nature of the show may make some uncomfortable.
“The Venture Brothers” of the title are Hank and Dean Venture, boy adventurers who fail at nearly everything, but are often bailed out by their superstrong bodyguard, Brock Sampson (Patrick Warburton). Dr. Thaddeus Venture, the brothers’ father, is a scientist and former boy genius who struggles with feelings of inadequacy, as he’s never become the hero his father was. This season’s focus is on Dr. Venture’s arch-villain, the Monarch, and his girlfriend, the manly voiced Dr. Girlfriend.
While the first two seasons of “The Venture Brothers” had moments of adult innuendo, the third season goes for full-frontal, with a lot more strong language and non-blurred-out animated nudity.
There are also fewer extras, which makes the DVD set feel less authoritative, though there are commentaries on the episodes. The packaging of the set remains top-notch, as the DVD menus have been made to resemble early 1980s video games. The season, presented on this DVD in 16:9 ratio, maintains its funny moments, but falls somewhat short of the quality of the first two seasons.
- Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
