City of Heroes announces Going Rogue expansion
THE NEXT LEVEL
In the City of Heroes, the line between hero and villain will blur.
This week, NCsoft and Paragon Studios announced the development of “City of Heroes Going Rogue.” This is the first major expansion of the “City of Heroes” game franchise since “City of Villains” in 2005.
“City of Heroes” is a long-running massively multiplayer online game featuring comic-book style superheroes. In “Going Rogue,” hero characters can become villains, and villain characters will be able to redeem themselves and become heroes.
This is a long-standing tradition in comic books, which inspired “City of Heroes.” The archer Hawkeye in Marvel Comics, for example, began his career as a villain, before becoming a member of the Avengers and a hero. DC Comics’ Sinestro was a member of the Green Lantern Corps before becoming the most dangerous enemy of the intergalactic peacekeeping force.
In “Going Rogue,” hero and villain characters will enter a parallel universe called Praetoria. Praetoria is governed by Tyrant, who is an evil version of Statesman, the protagonist of “City of Heroes.”
As gamers search for Tyrant, resistance will arise to face them from all sides, causing heroes and villains alike to question their loyalties, the company announced in a release.
The “Going Rogue” game will introduce a new alignment system allowing players to explore shades of gray. Hero archetypes will be able to cross over to the villainous Rogue Isles, and villain archetypes will be able to visit virtuous Paragon City.
Missions, behaviors and decisions will affect the character’s moral compass, which could lead to a change in the character’s alignment.
Going Rogue will also introduce two new fictional characters into the game’s storyline that exemplify the possible changes. Maelstrom is a pistol-wielding hero gone rogue, and a Desdemona is a demon-summoning villain who has been redeemed.
“City of Heroes has brought a fresh new perspective to the MMO stage with its foray into the super-powered hero comic book genre, and we are excited to present gamers with even more innovative content in Going Rogue,” Brian Clayton, general manager and executive producer at Paragon Studios, said in a release. “For years, players could choose between playing as a hero or a villain. Now we will present a third, malleable path where players can be affected by the results of their actions, enabling them to further develop, unveil new perspectives, and overcome new challenges.”
– By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
DVD, special celebrate Powerpuff Girls
Three super-powered kindergarteners are turning 10. The Powerpuff Girls will celebrate their 10th anniversary with a Cartoon Network marathon and special on Monday, and the release of all 78 episodes on DVD on Tuesday.
Creator Craig McCracken said those working on the show were trying to entertain themselves as well, and he thinks that added to the show’s appeal.
“Even though ‘Powerpuff’ kind of gets labeled a kids’ show or a girls’ show, it was always made for all audiences, just like ‘Bugs Bunny,’” McCracken said in a recent phone interview. “We were just making ourselves laugh and trying to come up with entertaining things. I think people pick up on that sincere creative expression of just making fun cartoons.”
Super-powered sisters Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup will return for an all-new animated special, “The Powerpuff Girls Rule!!!,” at 7 p.m. Monday. This will follow the marathon, which includes McCracken’s favorite episodes, airing from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The DVD will include all 78 episodes, and lots of extras, including the Christmas special, the special that airs Monday, and a new documentary.
After “Powerpuff Girls,” McCracken was the executive producer of another show, “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends,” which recently wrapped production. McCracken said he’s glad to be out from the grueling deadlines for a while. He’s working with Cartoon Network on the Cartoonstitute, a program to search out new potential animation projects. He also plans to work on a graphic novel.
“There’s something about doing your own comics or graphic novels or things like that, where it’s your drawings, your words,” McCracken said. “There isn’t the whole big crew and committee and getting stuff approved by everybody. It’s more like an intimate, direct approach to cartooning. I’ve been talking to some publishers and I’ve got some ideas that I want to explore in that medium.”
- by Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Favorite movie superhero?
Who’s your favorite motion-picture portrayal of a superhero? Christopher Reeve as Superman (shown)? Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man? Michael Keaton as Batman? Matt Salinger as Captain America? (OK, probably not that one.)
What are your thoughts?
– Matt Price
Superhero shoes – now available
Got an e-mail recently saying the superhero shoes at www.limitedsoles.com should be available for the holidays. There’s an option of Batman, Superman or the Joker. There are fewer than 2,000 of each pair available, though. Full release and images after the break.
“City of Heroes” comes to Mac
Good news for Mac owners — City of Heroes, the popular superher massively multiplayer online game, will come to Apple Macintosh this year. The Mac version will be available for public beta testing with the release of the game’s thirteenth expansion, Issue 13: Power and Responsibility later this fall.
Full release and artwork after the break.
Green Hornet gets director
According to Superherohype, Stephen Chow, the star and director of “Kung Fu Hustle” and “Shaolin Soccer” will direct and star in “Green Hornet” alongside Seth Rogen.
Green Hornet is set for relase June 25, 2010, and was written by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg.
Chow said: “I’m excited to be taking on ‘The Green Hornet’ — obviously, I’ve been a huge fan of the show since I was a kid. The idea of stepping into Bruce Lee’s shoes as Kato is both humbling and thrilling, and to get the chance to direct the project as my American movie debut is simply a dream come true. I’m grateful to my friends at Sony, who have shown so much faith in me for so many years. I’m looking forward to working with Seth, Evan, Neal, and the team at Sony, and I’m eager to get started.”
– Matt Price
Superhero shoes
If you’re interested in superhero shoes for a Man of Steel, a Caped Crusader or even a Clown Prince of Crime, Limited Soles has a new product line you might want to check out.
These shoes from ACI International are available in three different styles, each featuring one of three DC Comics characters – Superman, Batman and The Joker. The shoes retail for $110 per pair and are available exclusively at www.LimitedSoles.com.The Superman 
shoe is limited to only 1,938 pairs, to celebrate Superman’s 1938 debut. Batman’s exclusive shoe is limited to 1,939 pairs, for his 1939 debut. If you’re more interested in the bad guys, The Joker’s shoe is limited to 1,940 pairs (also his debut year).
Each pair is individually numbered for authenticity and comes with custom packaging.
– Matt Price
Anthology focuses on unusual superheroes
From Friday’s The Oklahoman:
By Matthew Price
WORD BALLOONS
Unusual superheroes populate “Who Can Save Us Now?,” a superhero prose anthology from 22 writers, including Will Clarke, Jennifer Weiner and Sam Weller.
The anthology was edited by Owen King (“We’re All in This Together”) and John McNally (“America’s Report Card”).
Heroes include the creepy Silverfish, the cuddly-but-deadly Meerkat and dozens more.
“The idea was that superheroes mean really different things to different people,” King said. “And what we hoped, and we’re very happy with the way it turned out, is that would be reflected in the narratives.”
King’s character in the anthology is the Meerkat, a television producer who gains the powers and abilities of a meerkat.
“I was on the treadmill one day, trying to think about anything other than running,” King said. The show ‘Meerkat Manor,’ which he had been watching regularly, popped into his head.
“All of a sudden I had this idea that it would be funny, and it would also present an interesting conflict, to give a character the powers of a meerkat,” he said. “Because they’re cute and cuddly looking, but if you watch the show, they’re really brutal cold-blooded killers.”
He imagined a character with meerkat abilities who would be associated with a cute animal, and wondered what that would do to the hero’s self-esteem.
“I thought it would be interesting to put a character with self-esteem issues into a city that I thought had some self-esteem issues, which was Cleveland,” he said.
King’s co-editor John McNally created the creepy hero Silverfish for the anthology.
“My interest in superheroes was limited mostly to TV as opposed to comic books, so it wasn’t a genre I felt like I knew intimately,” McNally said, adding that he read “The Dark Knight Returns” and “a few other things in the Frank Miller mode” in college.
“Place is always really important to me in my own fiction, and the first thing I thought was I write a lot about the southwest side of Chicago, which is a very blue-collar place,” McNally said. “And I thought, what if we have a superhero who’s living in kind of a small bungalow on the southwest side of Chicago?”
McNally tells the story of the Silverfish — a hero who takes his namesake seriously, going so far as to survive on hair, glue and other silverfish food. McNally’s tale is told from the point of view of the Silverfish’s butler.
“I have this butler who’s living in small quarters on the southwest side of Chicago with the Silverfish, who’s been called the ‘creepiest superhero,” McNally said. “The title, ‘The Remains of the Night,’ is a play on ‘The Remains of the Day,’ the novel by (Kazuo) Ishiguro from the point of view of the butler.”
Other stories take different points of view, as well: “Girl Reporter” by Stephanie Harrell features the point of view of the “Lois Lane” type character, while other stories feature a sidekick or fan of the superhero of the story.
Both McNally and King (son of writer Stephen King) would like for “Who Can Save Us Now?” to lead to more superhero stories.
“It’s piqued my interest in terms of wanting to do something more,” McNally said. “I felt like there was a certain freedom to that story, that I found myself just having a lot more fun with it.”
King agreed.
“My fondest dream is that this will make enough of an impression that we could do it again,” he said. “I can easily think of another set of writers that I’d love to ask, ‘What’s your superhero?’”
Superhero cakes
USA Today and BamKapow are all talking about superhero cakes this week. And several of the ones linked are very cool. Though they are pretty heavy in fondant, which is great for making stuff pretty or interesting, not as great for tasting. (“Ace of Cakes” guy is crazy about using fondant, for example.)
However, there’s an Oklahoman who I think is the best superhero cake maker on the planet. (Several of you will already know I’m talking about my wife, Annette, so you could say I was biased… but seriously, I think these are the coolest superhero cakes ever.)
Legion of Super-Heroes cake.
Spider-Man bust cake.
Superhero poker hand, starring Golden Age DC Comics heroes.
Wolverine’s fist breaking through the birthday cake.
A couple non-superhero cakes, after the cut.
Meeting “Feedback”
SAN DIEGO — Ran into Matthew “Feedback” Atherton, the winner of the first season of Sci-Fi Channel’s “Who Wants to Be a Superhero?” while walking the hallways of Comic-Con International. He was about to shoot an online Webisode in full “Feedback” gear, and told me to keep an eye out for it. When I have a link, I’ll post it here.
He’s a gracious and fun guy, and I look forward to continued success for him. It’s great that the “Superhero” winners so far have been guys who understand and love the comics medium and the superhero genre.
– Matt Price
