Sony Online Entertainment showcasing Free Realms, DC Universe Online
SAN DIEGO — Video game fans can get an up-close look at two MMORPGs from Sony Online Entertainment at Comic-Con: Free Realms, available now, and DC Universe Online, release date to be determined.
Margaret Krohn, apprentice game designer with SOE, said Free Realms took elements of lots of other kinds of games and melds them into a deep, immersive online game. The game, which is free to play, lets gamers choose from a large list of jobs and tasks. If you get bored of one particular kind of job, you aren’t stuck with it — you can switch.
SOE staff said Free Realms has close to 5 million users and is a family-friendly game.
DC Universe Online has been in development for a while, as I played a version of it at last year’s Comic-Con. It continues to near completion, but it won’t come out until it’s ready, said Herb Ellwood, senior UI designer for the game.
The game will feature a fully built out Metropolis and Gotham City, and every item in the game comes from a DC Comic, except for the player-created characters. However, those characters will still fit in the DC style, as every item that can be used to create a character was approved by artist Jim Lee.
- Matt Price
Comic-book themes for iGoogle
SAN DIEGO — In honor of Comic-Con International, Google has launched comic themes for iGoogle. (iGoogle is also sponsoring wireless at the con.) If you’d like to personalize Google with comic book and comic-strip themes like Superman, Hulk, Peanuts, Hellboy and more, click here.
- Matt Price
Superman books continue to build
Sterling Gates and Greg Rucka
SAN DIEGO — A group of all-stars held court on Superman at the Superman: Two Worlds panel at Comic-Con International: Geoff Johns, James Robinson, Ian Sattler, Matt Idleson, Francis Manapul, Tulsa-born Sterling Gates, Jamal Igle, James Robinson and Greg Rucka.
The upcoming Codename Patriot arc is part of the overall plan building into a major Superman storyline in 2010, said Robinson, who is writing “Superman,” currently starring Mon-El.
“General Lane has been a factor in these books, obviously, what we want to make him into is the supreme strategist,” Robinson said. “He has literally plans, and layers on top of these plans, which are all leading up to this event in 2010. We’ll see how it grows until eventually all the pieces come together and we’ll have an event that you’ll all love.”
OU graduate Sterling Gates will get his name on perhaps the most successful comic book of all time, Action Comics. He and Greg Rucka will co-write an Action-Supergirl crossover that will feature Kara at odds with her former best friend, Thara, who now wears the Flamebird costume.
Gates also talked about his new miniseries, World’s Finest, which will deal with the issue of Bruce Wayne being missing from Superman’s circle after Batman’s presumed death. Each issue of World’s Finest will pair a member of the Superman cast with a member of the Batman cast.
- Matt Price
Green Lantern First Flight debuts at Comic-Con
SAN DIEGO — The Warner Bros. animated film Green Lantern First Flight debuted for around 4,000 excited fans in Ballroom 20 at Comic-Con International.
Producer Bruce Timm introduced the film, and led viewers in a recitation of the Green Lantern oath. Tricia Helfer, who voices Boodika, provided a taped introduction.
Christopher Meloni voices Hal Jordan, who goes on his first Green Lantern Corps mission in “First Flight.”
The film has a “Training Day” vibe, as Jordan is trained by the stern Green Lantern Sinestro, who, as comics fans will know, harbors a secret.
There are definite changes from the comic-book continuity, and some plot holes have to be willfully ignored. But it’s nice to see characters like Kilowog, Ch’p and of course Hal Jordan come to animated life.
- Matt Price
DVD review: Doctor Who Planet of the Dead
“Planet of the Dead,” one of David Tennant’s final episodes as the Doctor, comes to DVD. Some won’t like the price – it’s one episode for a suggested $15 retail. But on its own merits, “Planet of the Dead” makes for a fine episode, though not a classic.
Michelle Ryan (the recent “Bionic Woman”) plays Lady Christina de Souza, a jewel thief who gets caught up with the Doctor when the bus on which they’re traveling goes through a rift in space.
They are catapulted across galaxies to a barren planet, where the Doctor, Christina and the other bus passengers must find a way back to Earth without destroying themselves. But the desert planet may not be as barren of life as it seems.
At this point, Tennant plays the wisecracking, always-prepared Doctor with ease. The Doctor is the last Time Lord, a human-looking alien who saves the day in times of crisis and frequently travels through time and space in the TARDIS, a ship that resembles a 1950s police call box. He’s stuck without the TARDIS on the planet of the dead, however, and must come up with another way back.
The desert adventures of, and charisma between, the Doctor and Christina will be enough to keep fans entertained, as will the Doctor’s interactions with a secret military unit back on Earth.
- Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Anime Marvel superheroes, Stan Lee among Friday Comic-Con highlights
The largest gathering of comic-book fans in the United States is happening this weekend in San Diego. More than 125,000 fans are gathering at the San Diego Convention Center.
Among scheduled activities at Comic-Con:
→Marvel has partnered with Japanese animation studio Madhouse (“Paprika”) to create four anime versions of classic Marvel Superheroes.
Teaser trailers for two of the anime versions will debut today in a panel hosted by writer Warren Ellis (“Planetary,” “The Authority”), who is writing some of these anime adventures. The series is scheduled to debut on the Animax channel in Japan in spring 2010.
→Those who want to show off their Marvel Comics fashion can enter the Marvel costume contest by 3:30 p.m. today in San Diego at the Marvel Booth, No. 2429 at the convention center.
→Marvel fans today also have the chance to meet the primary architect of the Marvel Universe, Stan Lee. Those who have their numbers drawn at the Marvel booth will have the opportunity to meet the co-creator of Spider-Man, Hulk, Iron Man and more.
→Other Iron Man happenings include one of the most anticipated events at this year’s convention. The planned “Iron Man 2″ panel will feature talent and clips from the coming film from 4 to 5 p.m. Saturday.
→For DC fans, Zack Snyder will host a screening of the director’s cut of “Watchmen” at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
DC Comics has panels scheduled focusing on Superman, Batman, Green Lantern and more.
More movies and television shows are tying in to Comic-Con each year, even those without a clear tie to comics or genre entertainment.
But Comic-Con is still the premiere place for breaking comic-book news, meeting comic-book creators and finding out about upcoming events.
- By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
James Cameron shows off Avatar to fans
A lengthy portion of James Cameron’s Avatar was screened for fans at San Diego, who packed Hall H of the San Diego Convention Center at Comic-Con International.
According to the Hero Complex blog at LA Times, the CG-animated “Avatar” is set on the forest planet of Pandora. The Na’vi, the inhabitants of that planet, are peaceful blue humanoids whose world is invaded by the human military.
“I don’t want to say it’s important, because then it sounds like you’re making a documentary,” Cameron is quoted as saying at Hero Complex. But it’s “something with a conscience. In the enjoying of [the film], it maybe makes you think about the way you interact with nature and your fellow man.”
More about Avatar at NewsOK.
- Matt Price
Jonah Hex movie poster revealed
The movie poster for Jonah Hex, based on the DC Comics property, was revealed by Yahoo Movies.
DC announces new motion comics
SAN DIEGO — Motion comics are still in an experimental phase, said DC Comics and Warner staffers at Comic-Con for the Motion Comics panel.
New scenes from the motion comics Batgirl: Year One and Superman: Red Son were debuted. Those working on the motion comics said they are trying to maintain the same story in a different medium.
With the exception of Watchmen, all the other motion comics have a full voice cast.
The idea is to take the existing work, and build a “house” on top of it, making it into a motion comic. DC’s Paul Levitz said there’s a pacing to comic-book scripting that’s very specific, and the goal is not to upset that when translating it to this new form.
For a limited time, fans can download a free episode of Red Son, featuring an Elseworlds story in which Superman first landed in the USSR. The episode can be downloaded at itunes/TV/Superman.
- Matt Price
Thursday photos from Comic-Con International in San Diego
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- Eddie Berganza and Geoff Johns
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- Sterling Gates and Greg Rucka
