NewsOK Comics Podcast: Supergirl 41, Captain America 50, Wolverine Weapon X 2 and Batman Battle for the Cowl 3
Kyle Roberts and Matt Price review some of this week’s comics, including Supergirl 41, Wolverine: Weapon X 2, Batman Battle for the Cowl 3 and Captain America 50.
Below, see an image gallery from “Wolverine: Weapon X” 2, written by Jason Aaron with art by Ron Garney.
New Human Target clips hit the web
Check out these four clips from FOX of the new Human Target series, planned to launch at midseason. Human Target stars Mark Valley, Chi McBride and Jackie Earle Haley.
Clip 1
Clip 2
Clip 3
Clip 4
Source: ENI News
Unknown sells out, second print set for June
Mark Waid’s “Unknown,” from Boom! Studios, has sold out in its first week of release.
Boom! will send the book back for a second print to meet demand. The second print will feature a black-and-white variant of the Paul Pope cover to the book, and is scheduled to ship in late June.
Boom! describes “Unknown”: Revered as the smartest person alive, Catherine Allingham is the world’s most famous private investigator. Follow her adventures as she sets out to solve the one mystery she’s never been able to crack! A new original mini-series from Mark (KINGDOM COME) Waid in the vein of RUSE with international superstar Minck Oosterveer.
Queen intrigued by Adam Lambert
Rolling Stone reports on the rumors that Adam Lambert has been offered a spot with the band Queen, with whom he performed on Wednesday night’s “American Idol” finale.
The band’s guitarist, Brian May, told Rolling Stone that he hopes to talk to Lambert at some point. “Amongst all that furor, there wasn’t really a quiet moment to talk,” May tells Rolling Stone in an e-mail interview. “But [drummer Roger Taylor] and I are definitely hoping to have a meaningful conversation with him at some point. It’s not like we, as Queen, would rush into coalescing with another singer just like that. It isn’t that easy. But I’d certainly like to work with Adam. That is one amazing instrument he has there.”
More in the link.
– Matt Price
Wolverine for casual gamers
THE NEXT LEVEL
Former Oklahoman Paul Benjamin is putting words in Hugh Jackman’s mouth.
Putnam City North graduate Benjamin wrote the “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” game for the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 2. Benjamin, who now lives in Austin, Texas, talked to The Oklahoman about his X-perience recrafting Wolverine’s origin for game players.
Paul Benjamin
“The Wii/Playstation 2 version of X-Men Origins: Wolverine blends story elements from the Wolverine movie and the Xbox360/Playstation 3/PC version of the game with a dash of story elements unique to the Wii/PS2 version,” Benjamin said. “I don’t want to give away too much, but essentially, you play Wolverine’s origin as he loses his girl, goes after Sabretooth/Victor Creed for revenge, and gets his bones laced with the indestructible metal ‘adamantium.’”
Characters in the game include Wolverine, Sabretooth, Silver Fox, Deadpool, Blob, Wraith, Gambit and General Stryker. Because the Wii edition was aimed at more casual gamers, the amount of bloodshed in the game is less than what will be found in the “Uncaged” edition for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and personal computer, Benjamin said.
“Though both versions shared cinematics and followed similar storylines, many other elements of the game were taken in different directions,” Benjamin said. “Where the Uncaged Edition on the other consoles embraces the extreme violence of the Wolverine character, the Wii/PS2 version adopts a feel that is more in line with Wolverine from the three X-Men movies. There’s still plenty of fighting, but there’s almost no actual bloodshed portrayed in the combat.”
The Wii combat also took the specific advantages of the Wii controller into consideration.
“You use the Wii controller in a very kinetic fashion to throw doors open, for example, and to lunge across the room at an opponent in a way that is unique to the Wii,” Benjamin said. “Because this version was developed separately with these considerations in mind, many of the story details end up being different as well.”
Writing for a video game involves writing a lot of different dialogue for a lot of events that could transpire, depending on how the game is played out. While it’s complex, Benjamin, who also writes for Marvel Comics, says it’s very rewarding.
“You have to try to cover all bases,” Benjamin said. “Ultimately, the fun of writing for games is seeing how the gameplay designers apply your words to the game. The coolest part of writing for this game was hearing Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber delivering my dialogue as Wolverine versus Sabretooth.”
By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Surrogates trailer released
The Surrogates stars Bruce Willis and is based on the graphic novel by Robert Vendetti and Brett Weldele from Top Shelf. In “The Surrogates,” it’s 2054, and mankind experiences most of its life through surrogates, androids that the user can dial into and control. When the deaths of surrogates start affecting the humans controlling them – something that isn’t supposed to happen – it’s up to investigating detective Harvey Greer to unravel the mystery.
411mania reports on TNA wrestling’s OKC show
Shawn S. Lealos went to last night’s TNA Wrestling show at the Bricktown Events Center, and has a report at 411 Mania. Sounds like there were some changes in the show after I talked to James Storm, as Beer Money faced off against Lethal Consequences instead of Rhino and Abyss.
The Scott Steiner-Samoa Joe bout sounds like it was quite a show, and sounds like everybody overall had fun. Look forward to TNA returning to Oklahoma City in the future.
– Matt Price
Twinprov is back with Terminator rap
With Terminator Salvation in theaters, comedy duo Twinprov — aka Clint and Buck Vrazel — returned to the NewsOK studios to share their take on Terminator. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Christian Bale and more face the satirical wit of Twinprov in this video, introduced by BAM.
Flash revealed in DC Universe Online
Wally West, aka the Flash, will be one of the superheroes in “DC Universe Online,” the massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in the DC Comics Universe.
Information from Sony Online Entertainment on the Flash: The Fastest Man Alive, Wally West easily runs at light speed, vibrates through objects, create explosions through friction – and, when at agonizing top capacity, can manipulate time and bridge dimensions.
The Flash is a time-honored member of the Justice League. The latest in a long line of Flashes, each with their own unique way of tapping into the primal “Speed Force,” Wally is determined to live up to the noble legacies of speedsters such as Barry Allen, Max Mercury, and Jay Garrick.
Flash’s enemies call themselves the Rogues Gallery. This deadly collection of brutal foes includes Captain Cold, Heatwave, Mirror Master, and the lethal speedster Zoom – villainous threats not just to Keystone City, but the world.
TNA wrestlers to Storm into OKC tonight
Former tag-team champions Beer Money come to Oklahoma City tonight as part of TNA Wrestling’s “The Frontline Revenge Tour.”
Despite getting some static for his beer-swilling persona the last time he was in Oklahoma, James Storm, one-half of Beer Money, says he’s ready to put on a show.
“Watching TNA on TV and then watching it live is two totally different things. When you’re watching it on TV, you don’t get to see what most of the wrestlers can do, because most of the TV matches are between three and five minutes long,” Storm said in an interview with The Oklahoman. “When you come to a live show, the matches are a lot longer, between 10 to 15 minutes long, and the crowd gets more into it. … These guys are amazing athletes, they do crazy things.”
Matches will start at 7:30 tonight at the Coca-Cola Bricktown Events Center, 425 E California Ave.
Storm and former partner Chris Harris were the successful tag team America’s Most Wanted, starting in 2002. Since 2008, Storm has been teamed with Robert Roode in the tag team Beer Money, which twice has won TNA’s World tag-team championship. Roode and Storm were paired after singles rivalries with wrestlers Booker T and Sting, respectively. The two had wrestled one another previously, and agreed to team up, but needed a name.
“I overheard somebody say they needed some beer money, and it just fit,” Storm said. “Because I drink all the beer and (Roode) makes all the money.”
Storm was a state champion wrestler in high school and was awarded a basketball scholarship to Austin Peay State University.
“We hit a lot harder than what people think,” Storm said. “A lot of people think it’s quote-unquote fake. … It’s just like that movie, ‘The Wrestler.’ Guys put their bodies on the line.”
Storm and Roode will face the tag-team of Rhino and Abyss in tonight’s show. Other wrestlers and performers scheduled to appear include Mick Foley, “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner and Samoa Joe.
– by Matthew Price
From Thursday’s The Oklahoman
