The North Remembers

HBO Home Entertainment have announced that the second season of Game Of Thrones will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on February 19.

Along with the ten episodes, Game Of Thrones: The Complete Second Season will also include episode commentaries, a featurette on the Battle Of Blackwater Bay, a roundtable with the cast and crew, character profiles, and a look at religion in Westeros.

In addition, the Blu-ray will also include an in-episode guide, a featurette on mythology in Westeros, an interactive guide to the Kings, and “dragon eggs” (a.k.a. easter eggs, though can they still be called easter eggs if you tell people about them?).

The DVD will retail for $59.99 while the BD will be $79.98.

The third season of Game Of Thrones begins airing March 31 on HBO.

It’s been a long time coming folks, but I’ve finally gotten ahead of my backlog of comics and so I’m thrilled to finally present to you another Pullbox! The Marvel NOW! Initiative is under way (a clear reaction to the New 52, but at least the continuity has remained the same), and with it comes a flurry of new directions, writers, artists, and team-ups for our favorite heroes. DC meanwhile has a pair of smaller events under way with “Death of the Family” in Batman and “Rise of the Third Army” with Green Lantern. But most excitedly may be the start of a new limited run of origin stories from IDW based on the Borderlands video games! With that, here is this week’s Pullbox!

IDW – Borderlands: Origins #1: “Roland” – Everyone knows how much of a bad ass Roland from the first Borderlands game is, but little is known about his time as a Crimson Lance soldier with The Atlas Corporation. This story takes a look at just how he fell out of Atlas’s grace and what happened that turned this supreme soldier into a Vault Hunter.

Written by Gearbox Software Creative Guru Mikey Neumann, this first of four origin stories does a great job of expanding the Borderlands universe even further and holds a special place in my heart because I played my first playthrough of the original Borderlands as Roland. The only thing this comic lacked was how Roland acquires his patented turret. Otherwise, fans of the series will not be disappointed by both the tremendous art stylings of Augustin Padilla and how Mikey begins to further flesh out the characters that started it all for this fan-favorite shooter franchise. Great story, great action, great art makes this an easy addition to anyone’s Pullbox this week!

Marvel – X-Men Legacy #1 – Legion, one of the most powerful mutants on the planet and Professor Xavier’s prodigal son finally shows his face again. While the Avengers and X-Men fought over the Phoenix Force, Legion continued to fight his own personal demons in the Himalayas. With the aid of an old friend of his dad’s, Legion constructs a psychic prison that keeps his most malevolent personalities at bay. But when Legion is overwhelmed by the psychic outburst that occurs when his dad is killed by Cyclops, there is a prison break.

Legion has become one of the most interesting characters in the Marvel Universe over the past few years as the shades of gray become even more vague with him as he slips further and further into himself. To continue to see the ramifications, however, of Professor Xavier’s death and tie it directly into him makes this a storyline to watch. I can’t wait to see where Legion goes from here and I’m thrilled that he is being brought back after sitting out the Avengers vs. X-Men event. A strong start to this relaunched title, no doubt.

Marvel – All-New X-Men #1 – New mutants are popping up all over the world and Cyclops is trying to outrace Wolverine’s Jean Grey School in terms of recruiting them. Meanwhile, Beast is facing a terminal illness on his own as he refuses to share the burden with his friends and so before he leaves this plane of existence, he needs to make things right with Cyclops. Not necessarily the one of the current time, however.

This issue got off to such a strong start with Beast’s illness and Cyclops recruiting new mutants left and right. Then Brian Michael Bendis decided to send Beast back in time. Just because. There is nothing I hate more than time travel as a mechanic to kick off a new book because you are just trying to set a tone for why people should read this and time travel always ends up confusing people. Time travel and parallel universes are the two things that need to be held off of more often because they can end up with so many ramifications and therefore should be saved for major events. It even led to a confusing first-issue cover with the original five X-Men that almost made me want to pass up this book. Issue #1 and Bendis is already jumping the shark. Damn him and his time travel.

DC – Batman #14 – Alfred has been abducted and Commissioner Gordon is next on the Joker’s list as he wishes to remove all distractions from Batman’s life in order to harden him into the person he once was. To do this, Joker has finally deduced who the people are under the masks and is re-enacting all his first crimes with Batman, but out of order to keep the Dark Knight on his toes.

This is the best story in comics right now. After lying dormant for a year, the Joker has returned with the ultimate scheme. And for once it has purpose that even we can understand. Not only to hurt the people of Gotham randomly, but to drive a stake through Batman’s heart in the process by eliminating all those around him. You can’t stop turning the page to see what the Joker does next and how he will inventively eliminate his targets. Not only is he forcing Batman back to the way he once was, he’s also changing himself by ostracizing Harley and riding this scheme out solo. I look forward to every one of these chapters each week and get giddy just thinking about what I may read in each one. A must read for sure.

DC – Green Lantern Corps #14 – Guy Gardner and his troops fail to overcome the Third Army soldiers with only Gardner escaping the unfortunate fate of assimilation. The Guardians quickly change their plan, however, and turn this minor setback still into a victory by then revoking Gardner’s ring and sending him back to Earth. With only two original Earth Lanterns of Sector 2814 left, The Third Army may be poised to carry out the Guardians’ mission of complete and total emotional annihilation.

This story is moving along at a snail’s pace right now as each issue is the slow, methodical elimination of the main Lantern threats for the Guardians. It is setting itself up so that once the action does start, it’ll be hot and heavy, but as it is all this table setting is starting to bore me. Stay with this a few more issues folks to see if it starts to get good, but if The Third Army ends up leaving a sour taste in my mouth like the Blackest Night and Brightest Day events, this could be the end of my following the Green Lantern books. Step on the gas with this one DC!

Indiana Jones And The Bag Of Holding

WaterField Designs has announced that they releasing a mini version of The Indy, their leather iPad shoulder bags that look like they’re inspired by the ones Harrison Ford used when portraying the famous adventuring archeologist Dr. Henry Jones, Jr.

Like the regular Indy, the mini version is made of soft, distressed leather, and has two pockets, one of which is zippered, and two internal compartments, which are also sealed with a hidden zipper. The bags come in black or brown, with a choice of six accents that include Pearl (off white), Pine (green), Flame (red), and Copper (a reddish brown). But while the regular is a 16oz bag with dimensions of 10.3″ x 12″ x 1″, the mini is 14.4oz and is 10″ x 8.25″ x 1″.

The bag retails for $169.00 and can be ordered from WaterField’s website, http://www.sfbags.com/products/indy/indy-bag.php

Hulk Smash…That Empty Space On Your Desk

Gentle Giant have announced that they’ll release a mini bust of The Hulk based on The Avengers in 2013.

Modeled after the way he looked in Joss Whedon’s film, the Hulk Avengers Movie Mini Bust is 10 ½”x 9″x 9 ½” and will retail for $95.

It is currently available for preorder at http://www.gentlegiantltd.com

Dredd Locks

Lionsgate Home Entertainment have announced that Dredd — the movie based on the iconic comic book series — will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on January 8.

Along with the movie, both versions will also include featurettes on the original comic, the special effects, the 3D, and the building where the film is mostly set, as well as a motion comic version of the prequel comic Dredd.

The DVD will retail for $29.95 while the Blu-ray will be $39.99.

May The Sculptor’s Hand Be With You

Gentle Giant have announced that they’ll release four Star Wars statues in the second quarter of 2013.

First up are a pair of mini busts for Max Rebo and a Battle Droid. Retailing for $75 each, the Max Rebo Mini Bust is 5″x 6″x 4½”, while the Pilot Battle Droid Mini Bust is 2 7/8″x 2 7/8″x 6 ¾.

Next, they have a Sandtrooper On Dewback Animated Maquette, which is sculpted in the style of the original Clone Wars cartoon that came out between Episode II and Episode III, and not the one currently airing on Cartoon Network (though they do share some stylistic similarities). It will be 13 ¾”x 13 ¾”x 14 ¾” and will retail for $399. Though if you preorder it by December 1, Gentle Giant will also give you a $100 gift certificate.

Finally, they have a Darth Maul Spider Statue, which is inspired by the character’s return in The Clone Wars cartoon, but is designed with a more realistic look befitting how he appeared in Episode I. Its dimensions are 18”x 18” x 14 ½”, it will retail for $399, and as with the Sandtrooper maquette, preordering by December 1 gets you a $100 gift certificate as well.

All four can be preordered from Gentle Giant’s website: http://www.gentlegiantltd.com

Let’s Give The Boy A Hand

Marvel Comics have announced that the first issue of a Dexter comic book will be out in February.

Like the TV show of the same name, the comic will be based on the series of novels by writer Jeff Lindsay, who’s also scripting the five issue series. Dalibor Talajic (Deadpool) will be handling the art.

Lindsay also has a seventh Dexter novel, Dexter’s Debut, due out next year.

Mick Foley has to make some changes to his Survivor Series team, CM Punk finds himself between a rock and a hard place, and the King returns in this week’s Sleeper Hold!

Main Plot Overview:

Long time no talk recap folks. Sorry for the delay, but it’s been a crazy time here at EGM with the insane rush of games coming in for the holidays. Things are settling down a bit now though and so I was able to relax and watch a little Monday Night RAW.

And boy, did a lot happen on RAW last night. Ryback got his revenge on the rogue referee that cost him the title at Hell in a Cell and decimated the poor fool. AJ Lee confronted Vickie Guerrero once again about her supposed affair with John Cena. And leading up the triple-threat Survivor Series main event where John Cena, CM Punk, and Ryback will face off for the WWE Championship, last night’s main event put Cena and Punk against each other in a singles non-title match that saw both men give it their all. At least until Punk tried to run away and then met Ryback, who was still very hungry after his short match with the rogue ref, halfway up the ramp. As Punk began to backtrack away from Ryback, he attempted to escape into the crowd, However, Cena caught him and brought Punk back into the ring to get the win before Cena and Punk then both grabbed the WWE title in a moment dripping with tension and obvious symbolism.

I don’t know who is going to win the WWE Title on Sunday, but I’d love for it to be Punk one more time to cap off his full year as the champ and move into sole possession of the 8^th longest title reign in history. I’d also like to see what Ryback would do as champ and maybe even set him up to take on some other unstoppable monsters like The Big Show or Kane down the line. Basically, as long as it’s not John Cena because he’s actually been developing well over the past few months into someone I can at least stand and I think giving him the title now would unravel this all again.

Match of the Night:

There has been a heavy focus in recent months on the tag team division. And to help show off this resurgence, the first 8-man tag match I can remember seeing in quite some time took place as the teams of Rey Mysterio/Sin Cara and Justin Gabriel/Tyson Kidd took on the Primetime Players and Primo/Epico, showing off all four teams’ interesting styles of offense in the match.

The match started off at a normal pace with the heels in control, but once a couple of hot tags were made by the faces, business picked up. With as many high fliers as there were in the ring, it was no surprise to see guys like Sin Cara leap off the top turnbuckle to the outside or for Tyson Kidd to hit a hurricanrana when they got their chance, but the moves all seemed to happen one right after another and so the match had the fastest pacing I’ve seen in some time, especially from Rey Mysterio who many thought might have lost a step, once everyone got into a rhythm. The big highlight of the match, however, was back-to-back finishers with Mysterio’s 619 and Gabriel’s 450 splash on Darren Young to end the bout. All things considered, the quick pace, tight maneuvers, and over-the-top finish made this an easy choice for Match of the Night.

Promo of the Night:

In an outpouring of emotion from everyone in ring and from the WWE Universe, it was great when Jerry “The King” Lawler came down the ramp in hour two to take his headset back from Good Ol’ JR (Although it was great hearing JR again for these past nine weeks. I really wish Michael Cole would go away).

To hear Jerry talk about how his experience was like It’s a Wonderful Life and how much he appreciated the outpouring of love from everyone in the locker room and the WWE Universe was a special moment and I for one am thrilled King pulled through. Of course, the whole moment would go sour when CM Punk would crash the party and Paul Heyman would fake his own heart attack right in the middle of the ring.

But this special promo wasn’t done for then Mick Foley came shambling down to the ring to belittle Punk about how special it was that Jerry was okay. How it was a damn miracle he was there and that for a short period of time he was dead. It was the most emotional I had ever seen Mick Foley and I think even Punk was a little stunned, but he kept his cool and turned it back on Mick as he always does. As a whole though, this was easily the best moment of the night on RAW.

Shocker of the Night:

With the main event at Survivor Series changed to a triple threat match between Punk, Cena, and Ryback, Mick Foley had a gap in his Survivor Series team that needed to be filled. Leaving it up the WWE Universe, Santino Marella, Zack Ryder, and late ballot entry The Miz, who defected from Team Ziggler, the Universe decided shockingly for The Miz by a landslide. Miz admitted that he didn’t like Mick and Mick admitted he didn’t like Miz, but they both hated Ziggler more.

It also led to an interesting storyline developing with the Miz being forced to partner with Kane later that night in a tag match against Rhodes Scholars and Daniel Bryan becoming jealous. Where that may lead, I don’t know, but the whole scheme stinks of turning the Miz into a face with him teaming up with other faces for Survivor Series.

Cheap Pop of the Night:

The emotional rant of Mick Foley about how it was a miracle Jerry Lawler was there in Columbus was not a moment that I felt was cheap in any way. But it needs to be said that it would be a Foley moment if he didn’t shout out the location of RAW at least once an evening and before Mick started preaching to Punk, he couldn’t help but mention last night’s venue in Columbus, Ohio. Mick is nothing if not consistent and we love him for it, but he also gets the Cheap Pop of the Night.

Aliens Among Us

A+E Networks Home Entertainment have announced that they’ll release a DVD boxed set of the History Channel show Ancient Aliens.

Inspired by Eric von Daniken’s 1968 book Chariots Of The Gods, and produced with help from Daniken, the show explores the theory that aliens have visited Earth, and that these visits and their technology have shaped human history.

The show is also known for having inspired the 2011 South Park episode “A History Channel Thanksgiving.”

The thirteen-disc collection includes all forty-two episodes, though consulting producer Giorgio A. Tsoukalos did say this past July that the show would have a fifth season.

The collection will retail for $99.95.

Golden Eye

In the fifty years since Ian Fleming’s superspy made his cinematic debut with 1962’s Dr. No, there have been some good James Bond movies and some not-so-good James Bond movies. But Skyfall isn’t just a good James Bond movie, it’s just a good movie, period. Not only does it boast some of the best acting we’ve seen in this series, but it’s easily the best directed and photographed, and both rank alongside any other movie this year. More importantly, it has some truly spectacular action that’s driven by what is easily the best Bond story that wasn’t based on one of Fleming’s stories.

After a mercenary steals a list of undercover agents that are embedded in terrorists groups, the buyer of the list uses it to tease and torture James’ boss, M (Dame Judy Dench). What follows is the smartest game of cat & mouse that we’ve ever seen Mr. Bond play in his long career.

Much of the credit for the film’s high quality belongs to director Sam Mendes, who previously helmed American Beauty, Jarhead, and, most appropriately Road to Perdition, an adaptation of a graphic novel that he treated (and shot, and casted) as seriously as he does Bond here. Not only did he shoot this like it’s a drama, but he clearly pushed Dench, Daniel Craig (Bond), and the rest of the cast to not rest on their laurels like so many actors do when starring in a genre film. Though he also casted well, bringing in such solid actors as Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney, and Javier Bardem.

Similarly, he seems to have pushed scripters John Logan (Hugo) and the writing team of Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (who’ve cowritten every Bond film since 1999’s The World Is Not Enough) to treat this seriously as well. The result isn’t just a smartly written film, but a seriously good thriller that will engage even those who’ve never seen a James Bond film before.

Though if you have, you’ll enjoy Skyfall that much more, as the film also pays homage to the series in ways that will bring a grin to longtime fans. We won’t spoil anything, but suffice it to say this honors the series nicely without being heavy-handed about it.

In fact, the only thing that might strike fans as a sour note is Bardem, who plays the bad guy with such scene-chewing glee that some might find him unintentionally laughable (or think he’s auditioning to play The Joker in the next Batman movie). And, at times, he kind of is. But if you buy into his shtick, you’ll find it brings some unrepentant psychosis to the proceedings. Especially the scene where he first meets Bond, a face-off that’s on par with when Robert Di Niro and Al Pacino had coffee in Heat.

But even if you think he’s silly, this can’t ruin what is easily the best movie of the year after The Avengers (which was a lot more fun but not as well acted, directed, or shot). It may not become your favorite 007 adventure — to co-opt an advertising phrase, you never forget your first Bond — but if you’ve ever enjoyed a James Bond movie before, you’ll really dig the old man’s latest adventure.

SCORE: 9.0

Inject the Venom

Kotobukiya have revealed that they will release an Marvel Fine Art collectible statue of Venom in June.

This 1/6 scale Japanese import stands 1o-inches tall and includes base that’s meant to be placed next to Kotobukiya’s Marvel Fine Art statue of Spider-Man.

The statue will retail for $209.99.

To Blu-ly Go…

CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Media Distribution have announced that the Blu-ray of Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Second Season will be released on December 4.

Like The First Season BD, the twenty-two episodes on this collection have been meticulously upgraded to high-definition. This includes the episode “The Measure Of A Man,” which is not only presented as it appeared on air, but they’ve also included an extended version with deleted and alternate scenes, as well as a rough cut of the episode with different footage as well.

Also included is this five-disc collection is a two-part making-of documentary called ““Making It So: Continuing Star Trek: The Next Generation: Strange New Worlds (Part 1)” and “New Life And New Civilizations (Part 2),” a gag reel, and a round-table with the cast that includes Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard), Jonathan Frakes (Commander William T. Riker, Brent Spiner (Lt. Commander Data), Michael Dorn (Lieutenant Worf), LeVar Burton (Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge), Marina Sirtis (Counselor Deanna Troi), Gates McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher), and Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher).

The collection will retail for $130.00.

Joke’s On You

Kotobukiya have revealed that they will release an ARTFX statue of The Joker that’s based on the 1988 graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke in May.

This 1/6 scale Japanese import stands 11-inches tall and includes base with a motion that will turn on the light and click the camera. The LED light can even be positioned however you like on the base.

Written by Alan Moore, and drawn by Brian Bollard, Batman: The Killing Joke is considered one of the more important stories in Batman lore, as it’s the book where [SPOILER ALERT] The Joker paralyzed Barbara Gordon, ending her career as Batgirl (which, ultimately, lead to her career as Oracle). It has since inspired elements of the games Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, as well as both Christopher Nolan’s and Tim Burton’s Batman movies.

The statue will retail for $129.99.

For The Animals

Soundgarden have announced both the formats and the pre-order bonuses for their new album, King Animal, which will be available on November 13. It is their first album in sixteen years.

Fans who pre-order the album on the band’s website, http://soundgardenworld.com, before 11:59 PST on November 7 will get a password to the pre-sale for three small shows the band are doing at Irving Plaza in New York City on November 13, The Phoenix Theater in Toronto on November 16, and the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles on November 27. Though be warned: getting a password does not guarantee you’ll get a ticket, since the shows are first-come, first-serve.

King Animal will also be available on CD, a deluxe CD with demos of three songs (“Worse Dreams,” “Black Saturday,” “By Crooked Streets”), 180 gram vinyl (which comes with MP3s of the album), digital (which also includes the three demos), an exclusive iTunes version (which includes the three demos plus a fourth for “Halfway There”), and a boxed set that includes the deluxe CD, vinyl, and digital versions, a DVD of the band playing in Hyde Park, and 5 lithographs.

Pre-ordering any version also gets you an instant download of the song “Been Away Too Long.”

The CD will be available for $12.99, the deluxe CD is $15.99, the digital and iTunes versions are $14.99, the vinyl version is available for $24.99, while the boxed set will be $99.99.

There’s also a King Animal t-shirt available for $24.99, though if you get something else as well, the shirt is just $20.00.

Rockin’ Out

Funko have announced that they’ll release Pop! vinyl action figures based on the Rocky movies on January 17.

Not only will there be one for Rocky Balboa, Funko will also release Pop! figures of his opponents Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang, and Ivan Drago.

The Pop! figures will retail from between $9.99 to $10.99 each, depending on where you buy them.

World Atlas

With the people behind The Matrix trilogy sitting in two of the three directors chairs, and a story that spans time from the past to the present to the future, you’d think the movie Cloud Atlas would be an epic and intelligent sci-fi film. But as they say, two out of three ain’t bad.

Instead, Cloud Atlas is more than just a sci-fi film. While this epic and intelligent films does have some elements of sci-fi in much of it, it’s also a drama, a morality tale, a philosophical dissertation, and more.

Based on the 2004 novel by David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas consists of six inter-connected stories that, in the book, were told in chronological order and then reverse chronological order, starting in the 1800s before moving thought the 1970s, a cyberpunky future, and on to the aftermath of a collapsed society where everyone talks like the kids from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. But in the film, the scenes from different periods are all mixed together like the editor hit “blend” on Avid by accident.

Still, all six share numerous elements — some deep, some superficial — as if to make a larger point about destiny and history repeating itself. It’s a point driven home by the fact that stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Keith David, Hugh Grant, and Doona Bae all play multiple roles. But not in a Eddie Murphy/Klumps kind of way; instead, they play different people in the different time periods (though they do wear make-up to distinguish themselves).

But while it would’ve been easy for Mitchell to tell a single story that runs from one time to the next, something of grand design, he instead chose to tell six stories that are only tangentially and thematically connected. Sure, it’s implied that some things that happen in one time period have inspired or led to the events of the next, and having the same actors play multiple roles in the different time frames imply a connection as well, but it’s neither that direct nor even spelled out.

Credit for translating such a complicated and subtle story to the screen belongs to Andy and Lana Wachowski (who wrote and directed The Matrix movies) and Tom Tykwer (who wrote and directed Run Lola Run), who cowrote this film’s complex screenplay together but split up to direct the scenes from different time periods (not surprisingly, the Wachowskis took the cyberpunk scenes).

Though credit also has to go to the talented cast, all of whom have the skill to play such disparate but still somewhat similar roles. Granted, Hanks is always good, as are Berry, Sarandon, and Broadbent, but Grant is more impressive here than he has been in a while, while Doona Bee — who was previously in The Host and Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance — has such an expressive face and soft approach that she more than holds her own alongside such vets.

That said, while Cloud Atlas doesn’t collapse under the weight of its lofty ambitions (which it very easily could’ve done), it’s not without its flaws. The most glaring of which is the make-up, which is sometimes quite excellent, but is also, at times, distractingly bad. Especially since the actors don’t just play people in different times, but of different genders and even ethnicities and races as well.

There’s also a character in the post-collapsed-society story whose presence is never explain nor makes any sense, and thus threatens to undermine the whole storyline by being so inexplicably cartoonish.

The futuristic parts also serve as a reminder of how the Wachowski’s are really at their best when working in sci-fi. Granted, that’s like saying Woody Allen should only make funny movies like Annie Hall and Love & Death, but if the shoe fits that well….

There’s also the question of whether Cloud Atlas is, ultimately, any good. It’s an immensely interesting movie, and even at nearly three hours long, it’s never boring; it moves along at a nice clip. But while it’s the kind of movie you might have to see a couple times to fully comprehend, it’s also, ironically, not the kind of movie you’d want to watch over and over. In fact, if you’re in it for the story, you might be better off just reading the book (maybe even before seeing the film, if you can swing it). Still, as a movie, this epic, intelligent, and occasionally sci-fi-flavored drama is definitely worth seeing, especially on the big screen. Just don’t expect to get it all at once.

SCORE: 7.5

Licence To Thrill

This week, Activision released 007 Legends, a James Bond game that has you shooting your way through scenes from five of his classic films: Goldfinger, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, License To Kill, Moonraker, and Die Another Day.

And it’s awful.

But don’t worry, Bondheads, we’ve got you covered.

This week, the new Amazon imprint Thomas & Mercer reissued all of Ian Fleming’s original James Bond novels and stories. Available in paperback and on the Kindle, this fourteen book series runs from the original spy novel Casino Royale, which was originally published in 1953, on up through Fleming’s last, 1965’s The Man With The Golden Gun, while Octopussy And The Living Daylights collects four short Bond stories.

They even made a trailer for these reissues, which you can see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Mp-KLQ_kRE&feature=youtu.be

Besides Casino, Golden, and the Octopussy collection, the reissue series also includes the 1959’s Goldfinger, 1955’s Moonraker, 1963’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, which are the novels, obviously, that inspired three of the films in 007 Legends.

Though it should be noted that some of Fleming’s tales were dramatically altered in the transition from the page to the screen. For instance, while the 1973 movie Live And Let Die is based loosely on the 1954 novel of the same name, that book, and the 1960 short story “The Hildebrand Rarity” also inspired the 1989 movie License To Kill. Also, there was no Space Shuttle in Moonraker when that novel was published in 1955.

All of the Bond books retail for $14.95 each for the paperbacks and $7.00 for the Kindle versions.

The Bourne Announcement

Universal Studios Home Entertainment have announced that The Bourne Legacy will be released on DVD and in a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack on December 11.

Both versions will include deleted scenes, commentary, a featurette on the motorcycle chase, and a second featurette on how the movie came to be in relation to the other three.

In addition, the DVD/BD combo will add featurettes on star Jeremy Renner prepping for the role, the locations, the characters of Aaron and Marta, and two about the wolf sequence, a digital copy, as well as Universal’s usual interactive extras.

The DVD will retail for $29.98 while the DVD/BD combo will be $34.98.

When You Wish Upon A Star…

Funko have announced that they’ll release a series of plushies based on Disney characters, as well as an action figure of Buddy from Elf, in November.

On November 1st, the company will release Pop! Plushies of Cinderella, her nemesis the Evil Queen, Tinkerbell, and Ariel.

Then, on November 15, they’ll release a Pop! Vinyl Figure of Buddy, Will Ferrell’s character from Elf.

Good Times, Bad Times

In the thirty-two years since drummer John Bonham died and the band broke up, the remaining members of Led Zeppelin — singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, and bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones — have occasionally reunited for various causes. But it wasn’t until 2007, when they paid tribute to their friend and mentor Ahmet Ertegun (who had signed them to Atlantic Records in 1968) with a sixteen song concert at London’s O2 Arena, that the threesome had played a full show together.

Capturing that epic show in its entirety, Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day is a two-hour concert film that was shot by Dick Carruthers, who previously worked with Plant, Page, and Jones on the Led Zeppelin DVD nine years ago.

Visually speaking, Celebration Day is a fairly typical concert film. Or to be more accurate, concert video, since it has all the quick cuts and trickery of a concert that was shot for a home video. Granted, it is just the show and nothing but the show — it’s not concert clips interspliced with interviews and backstage footage like so many other concert videos — but it otherwise has all the shots you’d expect. There’s footage from the nosebleed seats, a bunch from the middle of the floor by the mixing board, and tons shot on stage. Most annoyingly, there’s a bunch of times when they cut to shoddy, low-res footage that looks like it was shot by some jackass on his iPhone. If I wanted to see that nonsense, I would’ve just watched the bootlegs of the show on YouTube.

Which is why, like a fairly typical concert video, you really only need to see this once. Though when you do, it’s best to see it on a really big screen with a good sound system. Seeing Celebration Day in a theater was clearly the way to go, as the bigger picture really gave this a sense of immediacy you won’t get watching it on your iPad.

But while you really only need to see this once, you’ll want to hear it over and over. Granted this isn’t like seeing Zeppelin in 1969, or even 1979, since in the years since they last all played a full show, Plant, Page, and Jones have all grown in different directions. Plant can’t hit the high notes as often as he used to (though he can still sometimes hit them, and still has a great voice), Page’s fingers aren’t as fast as they used to be, and Jones isn’t as spacey on the keyboards as he was in the ’70s (though he’s still rock solid on the bass). But even thirty-plus years later, there’s still a real spark whenever these guys play together.

Not surprisingly, some of the old magic came back in what they played that night as well. While they tore their way through such expected classics as “Black Dog,” “Rock And Roll,” “Whole Lotta Love,” “Kasmir,” and “Stairway To Heaven,” (but, oddly, not the song “Celebration Day”), they also busted out such relatively lesser known songs as “In My Time Of Dying” and “Nobody’s Fault But Mine.” But the kicker was “For Your Life,” a track from 1976’s Presence that they’d never played live before.

As great as that track was, though, it also served to highlight how Jason Bonham, who took his late father’s place at this show, is not his father’s son. He’s not a bad drummer by any stretch of the imagination, and when he goes off at the end of “Rock And Roll,” he sounds like a chip off the old block. But for the most part, he’s not nearly as good — or as powerful, or as distinctive, or as thunderous… — as his old man.

Still, even if you’re just as casual Zeppelin fan, Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day is worth seeing once (on a big screen, if you can swing it), and worth hearing a bunch of times. It may have been Led Zeppelin on the stage that night — without John Bonham, there is no Led Zeppelin — but even at three-quarters strength and thirty years older, these guys still rock.

SCORE: 7.5

Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day will be shown in theaters across the country on Thursday, October 18. For theaters, tickets, and showtimes, visit http://www.fathomevents.com/concerts/event/ledzeppelin.aspx?d=10/18/2012.

It will also be released on CD, DVD, Blu-ray, vinyl, and digitally on November 19. For more info on it, visit http://www.ledzeppelin.com.

iD

At a press event held on the Fox lot in Los Angeles recently, Fox Home Video discussed and showed clips from the upcoming 3D version of I, Robot, which will be released on Blu-ray on October 23.

The 2004 sci-fi film was chosen for this upgrade because of it’s enduring popularity, a especially on Blu-ray, as well as the fact that the movie’s action scenes just seemed perfect for 3D. And in showing off select scenes from the film, Showing off select scenes from the film, it was clear Fox made a good choice. While one scene did have some flying glass coming out of the screen, most of the scenes merely gave the film’s images more depth.

The Fox representatives also said that while the conversion took a while because this was the first film to undergo this upgrade, and that they did it using only one workstation, it would be a much shorter when they do movies in the future. At which point someone sneezed the word, “Simpsons.”

Along with the film, which is presented in HD in both 2D and 3D, the I, Robot 3D DVD/Blu-ray combo pack will also include a commentary by director Alex Proyas and screenwriter Akiva Goldsmith, a photo gallery, and a making-of featurette.

The disc will retail for $39.99.

Cinemascope

Marvel and Walt Disney Studios have made a couple quick announcements about their upcoming movies.

Iron Man 3, which is due out May 3, and Thor: The Dark World, out November 18 of next year, will now both be available in 3D.

In addition, Ant-Man will be released on November 6…of 2015.

Set your watches accordingly.

Ghost Boat

ECP and StarVista have announced that they present a horror-themed cruise next October (2013) that will include concerts by Alice Cooper and Dee Snider, as well as appearances by the stars and directors of numerous classic horror films.

Among those slated to appear are Kane Hodder (who played Jason in the Friday The 13th movies), Ed Gale (Chucky from the Child’s Play films), R.A. Mihailoff (Leatherface from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies), Joe Dante (director of The Howling and the Gremlins films), Mary Lambert (director of Pet Sematary), and many others.

Starting in Miami, Florida on October 28, 2013, the cruise will sail for a week, hitting such scary spots as Nassau, Half Moon Bay, and Freeport.

Tickets for the cruise — which include all meals, concerts, and other onboard activities — start at $729 per person. Reservation can be made by calling 855-770-1313 (toll free) or by visiting shiptoffear.com

Universal Appeal

Funko have announced that a 9-inch tall DC Universe Batman Pop vinyl figure has just been released.

Even cooler, while most of the action figures have the Caped Crusader wearing his black and grey ensemble, one in ever six figures in stores will instead having him wearing his blue outfit instead, making these figures into instant collector’s items.

Total Pot-head

Warner Home Video have announced that they’ll release the last chapter of the Harry Potter saga in a six-disc DVD/Blu-ray boxed set on November 13.

Along with the two movies on both DVD and Blu-ray, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Parts 1 And 2 Ultimate Edition will also include all of the extras from when these films were released individually, including deleted scenes, trailers, multiple making-of featurettes, digital copies of both movies, and a tour of the film’s London studio.

The box will retail for $64.99.

Smarter Than The Average Bear

Universal Studios Home Entertainment have announced that Ted  — the talking bear movie directed by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane — will be released on DVD and DVD/Blu-ray combo pack on December 11.

Along with an unrated version of the film, the DVD will include a commentary, a making-of featurette, and a gag reel.

Those same extras are also included on the DVD/BD version, which also adds deleted scenes, alternate takes, a featurette on the fight choreography, and a digital copy.

The DVD will retail for $29.98 while the DVD/BD combo will be $34.98.

Toys That Will Never Be In The Attic

Funko have announced that bobble-heads based on the upcoming game Angry Birds Star Wars and the recent movie Ted will be out in November.

Coming November 8, just three days before the DVD and Blu-ray, the Ted Wacky Wobbler Talking Bobble-head will bring this loveable and agreeable scamp to your desk, and he’ll even recite lines from the film.

Two weeks later, on November 22, Funko will issue Wacky Wobbler Bobble-heads of the Angry Birds Star Wars characters Luke X-Wing Bird, Darth Vader Pig, and Stormtrooper Pig. They, however, will not talk like Peter Griffin. Or Stewie Griffin. Or Brian Griffin….

Do Authors Dream Of Electric Books?

Amazon Crossing have announced that they’ll a sci-fi novel inspired by (and somewhat connected to) the movie Blade Runner will be published on November 27.

Written by Rosa Montero, Tears In Rain is set in a world where Blade Runner is a movie, but replicants are actually real (and, oddly, aren’t big fans of Blade Runner). But when replicants start dying before they’re supposed to, tensions between them and humanity start to rise.

The novel will be available as both a trade paperback (for $14.95) and an ebook ($9.99).

Who Needs This…Who Who?

BBC Home Entertainment have announced that a 41-disc boxed set of Doctor Who will be released on November 20.

The Doctor Who: Limited Edition Gift Set will include the first six seasons of the show since it’s return in 2005. Besides the season with Christopher Eccleston playing the ninth Doc, the four with David Tennant playing #10, and first of Matt Smith as the eleventh Doctor, this collection also includes the Doctor Who specials: The Woman Of Doctor Two, The Timey-Wimey Of Doctor Who, and The Destinations Of Doctor Who.

Also included are a sonic screwdriver, 3 art cards, and the comic book Doctor Who At Comic Con.

The collection will retail for $294.00, and will be proceeded a week earlier by Doctor Who: Series Seven, Part 1, which presents the recent episodes on both DVD ($24.98) and Blu-ray ($29.98).

Leveling Out

Cartoon Network have announced that the second season of the video game show Level Up will premiere on October 23 at 7:30 (ET/PT), which is a new time slot for the show.

The live-action show is about a group of high school kids who have to cope with the usual teenage issues: dating, bullying, having the bad guys from your favorite video game come to life to try and kill you. Y’know, typical stuff.

Recall, Recall, Recall

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have announced that the new Total Recall will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 18.

The DVD will include the theatrical version of the movie, a gag reel, a mode called Total Recall Insight Mode that lets you view making-of footage while you watch the film, a featurette called “Science Fiction Vs. Science Fact” that has a real tech expert examining the film’s futuristic technology, and a featurette about the sets called “Designing The Fall.”

The two-disc Blu-ray version will include all of the above extras as well as both the theatrical version and an extended cut of the film, with a commentary on the longer version, additional making-of featurettes, and a playable PS3 demo of God Of War: Ascension.

There will also be a three-disc DVD/BD combo pack that includes both the DVD and BD versions.

The DVD will retail for $30.99, the two-disc BD will be $35.99, while the three-disc DVD/BD combo will be $40.99.

Clothes To The Edge

Her Universe — the geeky clothing company for women that’s run by Star Wars: The Clone Wars voice actor Ashley Eckstein — have announced a new line of dresses and hoodies that are designed to be worn both on Halloween and on other days as well.

Dubbed their “Everyday Cosplay” line, it includes a blue Star Trek hoodie that gives you Vulcan ears when you pull up the hood ($60.00), a similarly styled Star Wars Princess Leia hoodie that gives you the bun-like hair style ($60.00), the Star Wars: The Clone Wars Ahsoka Tano Tunic top ($40.00), which is a pull-over with a hood that turns you into the feisty Jedi, and a Doctor Who T.A.R.D.I.S. dress ($26.50 to $28.50).

In addition, Her Universe is also offering, for a limited time, a Star Wars tote bag that shows Darth Vader and some Stormtroopers trick or treating ($12.00).

“I have a tub full of Halloween costumes that I have spent a lot of money on which I’ve only worn once,” Eckstein says in the press release. “My goal for our ‘everyday cosplay’ line is for girls to be able to wear these fashionable costumed looks on Halloween and all year round.”

The Doctor Who T.A.R.D.I.S. dress is currently available at Hot Topic and on hottopic.com, while the rest can be found at heruniverse.com.

CM Punk continues his unending quest for respect and not even Mr. McMahon would get in his way! All the details inside this week’s Sleeper Hold!

Main Plot Overview:

Monday Night RAW this week was one of the most adrenaline fueled, emotion driven episodes we had seen in quite some time, but that’s what happens when the Chairman of the Board is back in town. Yes, Mr. McMahon was present in Sacramento, CA, for his annual state of the WWE address. However, CM Punk would not let him finish since he felt that Vince McMahon, for the longest time, had been the most disrespectful one of all to Punk.

With a slap that no one would soon forget, Punk walked out of the ring laughing as Mr. McMahon writhed on the ground. But no one pushes Mr. McMahon around and gets away with it and with more venom and anger than we had seen probably in his entire feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin now more than a decade ago, McMahon said if Punk didn’t face him that night, he’d simply fire him. With an insane gleam in his eye, Punk gladly accepted.

And surprisingly, it was an interesting match. Heck, Vince put on a better match with Punk than John Cena has in half of the matches he’s had with Punk. At first, the WWE champ dominated the much older McMahon, but Vince doesn’t back down from a fight and when Punk thought his point had been made and turned his back, he made a vital error. The match then took on a somewhat old-school ECW vibe as Kendo sticks and announce tables soon became the theme of the match as the men battled and beat each other down. Finally though, Punk, with a pair of Kendo Sticks, wailed on Mr. McMahon’s back and it looked like he would be down for a while.

Then came Ryback.

Punk ran out of the ring though ‘like a scalded dog’ as JR so eloquently put it in his Oklahoma drawl, but there the injured, one armed John Cena came down to the ring and blindsided Punk, threw him into the ring, and Ryback got his last meal of the night. When he went to hit his finisher though, Punk wriggled out of his grasp and this time ran through the crowd. McMahon then drabbed the mic, his eye bloodied from the confrontation, and laid out an ultimatum for Punk. At Hell in a Cell he had two choices. Face John Cena for the WWE Championship. Or face Ryback for the WWE Championship.

Honestly, it’s clear that Cena is nowhere near 100% and that these Ryback interventions have been to try to build him up to Championship status in a short time. This ‘ultimatum’ is just another move by WWE to see how Cena heals after another week of rest and rehab. At this point though, I think Ryback versus Punk would make for a very interesting PPV match because Ryback is clearly a beast and the crowd loves him flaunting his power. Ryback would never come out victorious though because the ‘Punk is scared of Cena’ storylines are ripe for the picking once John is healthy again enough to continue his feud with CM Punk should Punk ‘choose’ Ryback.

Match of the Night:

There were some solid matches during this RAW. From Antonio Cesaro again dominating to Ryback being fed Epico and Primo and doing his maneuver on both men (yes, he put almost 500 lbs on his shoulders and walked around the ring carrying them). Of course, my favorite part of Epico and Primo is Rosa Mendes who seems to wear less and less now whenever she comes to the ring.

But no, these would not be our Match of the Night. In fact, hell no! As in Team Hell No versus Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio in a tag match was the winner. Kane and Daniel Bryan continued their winning ways after their odd mix of teamwork resulted in Kane choke slamming Dolph Ziggler (and Ziggler selling it very well as always) and getting the 1, 2, 3.

The best part of this match though was how it had a very old school tag team match feel with the heels dominating and isolating Daniel Bryan for a large chunk of the match before Kane got the hot tag and went crazy. And then we still saw glimpses of Team Hell No’s disfunction as the two would then tag each other in and out for the end of the match until finally Kane’s choke slam would prove to be the deciding factor. It was one of the better wrestled matches I’ve seen in a while and that’s a credit to all four combatants and it ended with a clean victory fitting of the faces that Kane and Daniel Bryan are becoming.

Promo of the Night:

I wanted to give this to possibly to Daniel Bryan and Kane arguing more backstage with special guest Larry King for when Daniel Bryan said that Kane looked like someone slapped him in the face with a Fruit Roll-Up, but one great line does not a promo make, no matter how funny it was.

No, and not really that surprisingly, it has to go to when CM Punk interrupted Vince during the State of the WWE address. It felt like they had wanted it to be more a Vince/Stone Cold promo of old, but Punk and McMahon went much darker and deeper than that and it felt more like the pipe bomb that Punk dropped a year ago as he started talking about how Vince held him back and didn’t know what to do with him. And then the slap was a great exclamation point as Punk then chastised those who cheered him because they were doing it only to be ironic. WWE has to be careful though because if they push Punk too hard with this heel arc, although he plays a great one, he’s getting dangerously close to ‘crazy Austin’ territory and all the work he’s done over the year could begin to unravel.

Shocker of the Night:

There really wasn’t much that was shocking on this episode of RAW beyond CM Punk, but in order to keep this from being dominated by Punk, I’m going to choose the Divas Championship match between Kaitlyn and Eve because it was actually well wrestled even if it was only a 5-minute match. Kaitlyn, still nursing her ‘injured’ ankle would finally cash in her Championship match as number one contender and dominated Eve for much of the match hitting some great maneuvers and even showing off some strength herself until said injured ankle gave way on an atomic drop.

Eve, ever the opportunist, would lock Kaitlyn into a painful looking submission maneuver that focused on the ankle (it looked like a cross between a figure four and an ankle lock) and Kaitlyn would have to tap out. But this was a rare women’s match that I enjoyed watching for the actual wrestling and not just the hot ladies in skimpy clothing. Definitely a shock to me.

Cheap Pop of the Night:

For some reason Larry King was on the show, promoting his new Hulu series I believe, and so a promo between him, Kofi Kingston and the Miz (looks like they’re finally going to give Kofi another singles push with a focus on the IC belt) erupted when the Miz demanded everyone sing him happy birthday.

Besides this though, there were two cheap pops in this segment. Larry King started it off by exclaiming his love for Sacramento and the Kofi did the same thing when he took the stage and the microphone. A good segment all around for Miz and Kofi as Kofi did some high-flying acrobatics off the stage and onto the Miz, but the pair of pops (which even the Miz pointed out) to get a rise out of the crowd for the pointlessness of Larry King was easily the Cheap Pop of the Night.

The Believers

On the date he releases the theme song to Call Of Duty: Black Ops II, Nine Inch Nails mastermind and Academy Award winning composer Trent Reznor has announced that his other band, How To Destroy Angels will release their second EP on November 13.

Available digitally and on vinyl, An Omen EP will include six songs, including the first single, “Keep It Together,” which can be heard here for free http://soundcloud.com/howtodestroyangels/keep-it-together

The band — which includes his frequent collaborators Atticus Ross, Mariqueen Maanig, and Rob Sheridan — have also announced that their first full-length album will be released by Columbia Records next year, and that some of the songs from Omen would be included (though they didn’t say which).

Man Of Steel

Marvel and Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan have announced that they’ll release Iron Man: Rise Of Technovore, a new feature-length anime on DVD in the spring of 2013.

The movie is being produced by the anime studio Madhouse (the Marvel anime TV shows of Blade, Wolverine, X-Men, and Iron Man), written by Iron Man: Armored Adventures scribe Brandon Auman, and directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki (Texhnolyze).

Joined by Black Widow, War Machine, Nick Fury, The Punisher, and Hawkeye, the anime, according to the press release, “explores a confrontation between Iron Man and the villainous Ezekiel Stane, who develops new bio-technology that seemingly outclasses the Iron Man armor.  After Stane unleashes a terrorist attack and sets Tony up to take the fall, Iron Man must evade S.H.I.E.L.D.’s man hunt and find a way to clear his name.”

More details of the project are slated to be announced on Saturday at the “Marvel TV Presents” panel at New York Comic-Con.

Sorry to do this to you again folks, but next week EGM will be at New York ComicCon so the Pullbox will be in hiatus for another week. Luckily we are here this week and it was a good week for comics with the AvX event wrapping up. Instead of focusing on that though, we’re going to look at a few comics that we don’t want you to forget about, including a couple of new #1’s. With that, here’s this week’s Pullbox!

Marvel – Minimum Carnage #1 (One-Shot) – Someone has broken Cletus Kasady, a.ka. Carnage, out of prison and he’s looking to go on a killing spree in a whole new universe! The micro-assassins who broke him out of jail want to get back to their home dimension, but Venom and Scarlet Spider may have something to say about that as Kasady leaves a trail of blood miles long to get to where he needs to.

Starting and ending in a one-shot, the bulk of this six-issue mini-series will carry over in a crossover between both Venom and Scarlet Spider over the next couple of months. Looking like the next issue will be your standard “Who are you? I hate you. Let’s fight. Wait, we’re both good guys. Team-up!” while Venom and Scarlet Spider try to figure out what universe they end up in. All I know for sure is that whenever Carnage is involved, the action is likely to be epic and Kasady will do something so deranged that you may crap yourself. He’s one of the best villains of all-time for a reason folks and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Marvel – The Defenders #11 – Finally, the massive Concordance Engine story arc that seems to have been going on since this series started will come to an end…next issue. This issue at least has explained what the heck the Concordance Engine is and it is an interesting take on the creation of the Marvel Universe. What the Engines do is pull the miracles from all the alternative universes out there into one universe, the Marvel Universe, in order to prepare for an epic confrontation between all those with powers and the dreaded Death Celestial, who actually acts exactly like DC’s Anti-Monitor.

The idea of what these Engines are is one of the most creative ideas the Marvel folks have come up with in a while. Basically saying that one universe was supposed to have mutants and the X-Men, while another would have the Fantastic Four, and another would have Spider-Man, but these engines pulled these unique situations into one world to prepare it for this final battle. A great idea and good action as things finally start to come to a head and we learn that John Aman was indeed always a good guy all along, but I personally can’t wait for this story to be over next issue.

DC – Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #1 – Three short Batman stories come together to help give us insight into just how Batman works, and in the case of these particular stories, how he overcomes his mental and physical weaknesses to be the badass superhero that he is.

One of my favorite DC Comics for a long time was Legends of the Dark Knight, so to see it return in this form brought a smile to my face. Each individual story had a special charm about it while also giving us a great look at how Batman operates. It even took the time to make fun of itself at one point by referencing the infamous Adam West ‘Bat-Shark Repellant’. Add-in a great confrontation with Amazo in one story and really I can’t wait to see where this new monthly goes from here and for me is a must-add to the Pullbox.

DC – Before Watchmen: Rorschach #2 (of 4) – Rorschach survived his surprise encounter with a bunch of gangsters only to collapse inside his favorite diner from internal bleeding. After spending three days in a hospital bed, Rorschach healed, and readied himself again to go after Rawhead, the head of the little criminal empire that Rorschach wants to take down and that meant shaking down every two-time thug he sees.

Great, gruesome action throughout this book as Rorschach’s methods of interrogation are amazing to see on the comic page. The lengths he will go to for justice show why this is most everyone’s favorite character from the original Watchmen. And doing his internal dialogue through his journal entries is brilliant as we get to see what really makes the character tick and how unwavering he is in his one-man war on crime. One of the best of the Before Watchmen books, if you get only one of these series, I think Rorschach should be it.

Image – Non-Humans #1 – In the future, inanimate objects take on life and develop souls. Action figures, teddy bears, store mannequins, and, of course, robots, all become sentient and its all people can do to try to keep this from spreading further. In fact, all creative thought becomes outlawed in order to keep this unknown plague from spreading into anything else and overthrowing what humans have come to know. So the internet, TV, movies, video games, and more, are all destroyed. And during it all, one cop is just trying to keep the peace between these new creatures and the old human race.

This was one of the craziest books I’ve read in a while. From serial killer dummies to drug dealing teddy bears, this book is like a little kid’s nightmare come to life. I was disgusted, shocked, bewildered, and I want more damnit. At least for another couple of issues anyway just to see how things develop in this weird and crazy world. There are so many questions this book brought up that I need to see a couple more issues and so for the time being, I’d recommend picking this up as you might be surprised at much you enjoy it.

Hey there folks. Sorry for the gap between episodes, but much like with The Pullbox, I’ve been on the road a lot for EGM and so some things needed to be sacrificed for the sake of gaming. But this week I was around and happened to check out this week’s Monday Night RAW. So, here is this week’s Sleeper Hold!

Main Plot Overview: Due to AJ slapping Paul Heyman the week before at his ludicrous marriage proposal, he brought up that she could be fired for that as she was explicitly warned weeks prior to never touch another wrestler or manager ever again. So, Heyman wished to insert himself into the GM picture. But soon after, Vickie Guerrero with Dolph Ziggler close behind, argued why she should be the new GM. Things went really crazy though when Kane and Daniel Bryan showed up, saying it was their faults to begin with for what they put AJ through and it wasn’t her fault.

Finally, AJ, now on probation as GM, would come to the ring and in order to settle it would put all four men in the ring in a tag team match. CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler vs Team Hell No (Kane and Daniel Bryan incase you missed that a couple weeks ago as well). Later on in the evening though, AJ would add the stipulation that she would be guest referee to make things extra spicy.

In the main even, Ziggler would leave Punk to fend for himself and Kane and Daniel Bryan would easily capitalize and send Punk reeling with a choke slam, further validating Team Hell No as a tag team and adding more fuel for whatever pipe bomb CM Punk will want to drop next week. On a side note, AJ looked phenomenal in her referee uniform, especially when she got down on the mat to count the 1, 2, 3. Just saying.

Match of the Night: In a match that was worthy of a PPV, Savior of the Masses Damien Sandow and Sheamus put together one of the best cable TV matches I’ve seen in a long time and serves as Sandow’s stand-out moment so far in WWE. Worthy of a title match, this non-title bout so the fight go all over as Sandow attempted to escape several times, but got pulled back in by Sheamus. But Sandow was merely catching his breath it seems as he did a masterful job of turning the tables on Sheamus again and again.

Even with his tag team partner Cody Rhodes at ringside, Sandow put on a legitimate show against the Great White with no interference from the Rhodes at all. Until the end at least, when Rhodes, who was only trying to help Sandow to his feet after a boot near the turnbuckle by Sheamus, received one half a Brogue Kick that knocked both men out and saw Sheamus victorious. Sandow and Sheamus is a bout that I would love to see again for a title shot down the line and hopefully WWE took notice of Sandow’s in-ring skill as both he and Rhodes should be pushed not only as a team, but individually as well.

Promo of the Night: With all the writers at WWE Headquarters going crazy waiting to see if John Cena will be able to wrestle at Hell in a Cell, new feuds need to be fueled and fast incase John can’t go and a new main eventer needs to be crowned. So, while celebrating ‘J.R. Appreciation Night’ in Oklahoma City, who is filling in of course for the still recovering Jerry Lawler, CM Punk decided to crash the show and put J.R. in his place. After belittling poor Jim Ross and making fun of Stone Cold Steve Austin for a little while, Jim finally had enough and began his exit up the ramp.

Then Ryback showed up. Much like last week when Mick Foley was helped by Ryback after Punk’s unwarranted assault, Ryback escorted J.R. back to the ring and stared down the WWE Champion until he left with Paul Heyman screaming ‘You get paid to fight!’ CM Punk of course carried this promo and made it worth while, but the possibility of putting Ryback over as a main eventer has much of the WWE Universe intrigued because many of us do not think Ryback is ready for such a major jump in air-time. But with him taking down more established competition like Tensai earlier in the evening, the WWE knows they may need to push him faster than they want to if Hell in the Cell is going to sell.

Shocker of the Night: One moment more so than any other in the evening had my jaw dropping. It was when Antonio Cesaro hit his Neutralizer onto Brodus Clay. Not only was it impressive that Cesaro basically dead-lifted the behemoth of a man that is the Funkasaurus, but that he held it there for several seconds before forcefully slamming him down to the mat for the win. It wasn’t the longest match of the night or the most impressive overall, but that one moment was stunning and I’m still shocked at Cesaro’s show of strength.

Cheap Pop of the Night: With it being ‘J.R. Appreciation Night’ in Oklahoma City, many would think that just having J.R. there doing commentary would be enough to mark it as our Cheap Pop of the Night. But because of CM Punk’s interruption, there was little Boomer Sooner magic going on. No, the Cheap Pop of the Night came during the ridiculous World Heavyweight Championship debate between Big Show and Sheamus where Sheamus hammed it up for crowd by noticably dropping the city’s name several times. Although the debate was really nothing but a time kill as Big Show left the ring instead of fighting the Great White in the end, Sheamus’s love of name-dropping earned him our Cheap Pop of the Night easily.

In The Arms Of No Sleep

EMI Music have announced that The Smashing Pumpkins’ 1995 album Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness will be reissued on December 3.

Like the reissues of the band’s previous albums Gish and Siamese Dream, Mellon Collie is being digitally remastered, and will be available in both its original form on both CD and, for the first time, vinyl, as well as a deluxe edition boxed set with numerous bonus tracks.

Along with the remastered album, the deluxe edition will include three discs of b-sides, remixes, and outtakes, some of which have not been release before. Also included is a DVD with footage from two shows they did in 1996 and two books with notes and lyrics.

Sit Down And Read To Cancer

Marvel Comics have announced that they will issue a series of alternate covers to benefit the cancer charity Susan G. Komen For The Cure in October.

These exclusive covers — which will appear on eight individual issues — will have exclusive, pink-themed artwork. The issues will also include a one-page advertorial that will run throughout all their comics in October, as well as on their website and social media sites.

The issues that will feature the special Susan G. Komen variant covers will include Avengers #31, Captain America #18, Fantastic Four #611, Invincible Iron Man #526, Captain Marvel #5 (all of which are out October 10th), The Mighty Thor #21, Uncanny X-Men #20 (October 17), and Wolverine #315 (October 24).

In the announcement, Dorothy Jones, VP, Marketing at Komen said, “Komen is thrilled to partner with Marvel Entertainment in the fight against breast cancer this October. This partnership will allow us to share critical information with this important audience, empowering them to take positive action for their breast health and for the women they love.”

My Plushious

Funko have announced that they’ll release a series of toys based on The Hobbit…now!

Available for the characters Gollum, Gandalf The Grey, and Bilbo Baggins, the toys include POP! Vinyl figures, Wacky Wobbler bobble heads, and plushies.

The first of three Hobbit movies, An Unexpected Journey, will be out December 14, with the other two to follow on December 13, 2013 (The Desolation Of Smaug), and July 18, 2014 (There And Back Again).

Sorry to have missed the past couple of weeks folks. Lots of various fall preview events have pulled us, the EGM Staff, into a dozen different directions and so certain things had to be sacrificed. But we are back this week and have a brand new Pullbox ready to go!

IDW – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #14 – Raphael is taught an important lesson about his temper as Casey Jones and April O’Neil are officially welcomed into the family. Meanwhile, Baxter Stockman begins to learn just how deep General Krang’s resources go and the Shredder begins to hatch his latest scheme in the hopes of finding someone to replace Karai as his number two!

The big reveal this issue that propelled TMNT #14 into my top spot this week is in the picture directly above this entry. Yes, the creation of the Technodrome is underway and with it means the likelihood that Shredder and Krang will finally form their partnership sooner rather than later. Also, with Shredder ready to make a move, the action will likely start to pick up again as this issue’s main focus was Raphael’s needed lesson in anger management. All told though, Kevin Eastman hasn’t lost it as this remains one of the best-written comics on the market today and should appeal to TMNT fans new and old alike.

Marvel – Wolverine and the X-Men #17 – It’s the issue we’ve all been waiting for. Nevermind AvX, this is much more monumental to the X-Men universe. Finally, we have explained to us what the heck Doop’s job is at Wolverine’s academy!

Taking a short break from the AvX event for a more light-hearted moment, this issue shows us that Doop is indeed an X-Man and more than pulls his weight around the academy, even if no one but Wolverine sees it. Just seeing what Wolverine needed to do to recruit Doop though will have you cracking up, and when you see how much of a ladies man he is, you might just fall on the floor. A well-written issue that was a much-needed change of pace from the seriousness of the AvX event and its upcoming fallout, this is a great one-off story to get into this series.

Marvel – X-Men Legacy #274 – A lot has been going on in the world of the X-Men and now more than ever, mutants are hated and despised because of the acts of Cyclops and the rest of the Phoenix Five. But Rogue is a hero. And so she keeps on doing heroic things. But it’s not easy to be heroic when Magneto comes to her in the middle of a train wreck and starts pouring his heart out to her.

Nice to see this little lover’s spat finally get resolved, even if it wasn’t in the way we expected. This loose end needed to be taken care of for a while and this one-off story does that while also waiting for the rest of the AvX books to wrap up. It also features several great shots of Magneto (one is above) and a lot of great art in general for such a simple story so kudos to  David Baldeon (penciler), Jordi Tarragona (inker), and Rachelle Rosenberg (colorist) for the style that drips off this book.

DC – Batman: The Dark Knight #0 – Continuing the DC series of Zero Issues that tell more elaborate back stories of some of our favorite heroes, this tale of Batman looks at what he does when he learns that Joe Chill is the man who killed his parents and wants to know why.

More so than any other of the Zero Issues from DC, the Batman ones I think have been the best because they’ve only added slight twists to the classic tale or told never before heard stories of Batman in the early days involving his training and whatnot. This one with Joe Chill was particularly interesting because it turns Joe Chill from a low-ranking mob hitman into nothing more than a common mugger looking for his next score. Same basic premise, but it adds an interesting twist to the character as Batman learns the hard way that there are just bad people in the world on all levels of the social ladder. A solid read for all Batman fans if you can get past the fact that yes, we have heard this one before.

DC – Red Lanterns #0 – The birth of Atrocitus, the Rise of the Manhunters, the creation of the Green Lanterns, and the spawning of the Red Lanterns is detailed in another continuation of the Zero Issues from DC.

Another story we’ve heard before, but with more detail and another twist as we finally learn just how it is Atrocitus was able to survive while the rest of his planet in Sector 666 got turned to ash. Great art, especially if you love the color red, and a chilling tale of how Atrocitus watched his family burn around him and how he rose up to hate the Guardians more than anything else in the universe. I especially loved the design of the Manhunters and the sequence when they started annihilating everyone in their way. A solid read if you’re a fan of the Red Lanterns or even Green Lantern for that matter, but again, a story we’ve heard before, just with more details now.

Brothers In Arms

Adult Swim have announced that a special Halloween episode of The Venture Brothers will air Sunday, October 28 at 11:30PM (ET, PT).

Written by co-creators Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer, and directed by Publick, A Very Venture Halloween will predate the next season of the satirical action ’toon, which is set to air next year.

C’Mon Up To The Rising

Warner Home Video have announced that The Dark Knight Rises will be released on DVD, in a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack, and a limited edition version of the DVD/BD combo on December 4.

While the DVD will include a featurette called “The Journey Of Bruce Wayne” and a digital copy, the DVD/BD combos will add an hour-long documentary on the Batmobiles, a multi-part making-of documentary called “Ending The Night,” the original trailers, and art galleries. As for the limited edition, it will come in a special Bat Cowl package.

Along with Rises, all three of Nolan’s Bruce Wayne movies will be released together as The Dark Knight Trilogy, which includes all the relevant extras as well as an exclusive book about the series.

As if that wasn’t enough, Warners will also release The Dark Knight Trilogy Ultimate Collector’s Edition next year, though they didn’t say what that would be.

In addition, the film will also be available through such digital sources as iTunes, Xbox Live, the PlayStation Network, Amazon, Vudu, CinemaNow, and your cable or satellite providers.

The DVD will retail for $28.98, the DVD/BD combo will be $35.99 for the regular edition and $39.99 for the limited edition, while The Dark Knight Trilogy will be $38.99 for the DVD and $52.99 for the Blu-ray.

Loving The Alien

Fox Home Video have announced that Prometheus will be released on DVD, Blu-ray, and 3D Blu-ray on October 9.

While the announcement did not detail the extras on the DVD, it did say that the two-disc BD would include a commentary by director Ridley Scott, a second commentary by writers Damon Lindelof and Jon Spaihts, deleted and alternate scenes that include an alternate opening and an alternate ending, “The Peter Weyland Files,” a second screen app, and the movie on DVD and digital.

Meanwhile, the 3D BD will include all of the aforementioned extras but will also add a 3D version of the film (naturally), screen tests, pre-viz footage, the Weyland Corp archive, a making-of featurette called “The Furious Gods: Making ‘Prometheus’,” and “Enhancement Pods.”

Fox also didn’t announce the prices for either version, but Amazon has the DVD listed as $29.99, the BD at $39.99, and the 3D BD at $49.99.

Time Lord

Time travel doesn’t make sense. Once a moment has passed, it’s gone. It’s not a place you can go back to, no matter how much plutonium or Gallifrean technology or the sun’s gravitational pull you use.

But as a concept, time travel is one of the greatest tropes in science fiction. Be it in Doctor Who, the Terminator movies, or Star Trek, some of the greatest sci-fi stories have involved someone going forward or backward in time.

Looper is not as good as any of those, unfortunately, but it is a damn fine sci-fi movie that uses time travel to great effect.

Written and directed by Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom), the film centers on a hit man named Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Except that instead of killing people in his time, which is the year 2042, Joe is a Looper, and kills people who are sent back by the mob from twenty-five years in the future. It’s a good job, if you can get it, but the retirement plan is a bitch: you eventually have to kill your future self. At least, you’re supposed to. When Joe’s future self (Bruce Willis) finally blinks in, he manages to escape, leaving the younger Joe to deal with his disappointed employers while hunting down old Joe.

While it’s easy — and appropriate — to compare Looper to The Terminator, it actually plays much more like 12 Monkeys (which, perhaps not coincidentally, also starred Willis). It has a similar approach and tone, in that it takes the subject matter seriously. Yes, there are a couple of funny bits, but there’s nothing tongue-in-cheek or wink-wink about it. If anything, it tries to account for everything, making time travel as plausible as it can.

Credit for that belongs to Johnson, who is as smart a screenwriter as he is a director. Looper has a decidedly noir-ish approach to its dystopian future, but it never lingers on things, or tries to make things too flashy, too futuristic. In fact, both the script and the way its short are actually closer to a real-world thriller than a sci-fi movie, which helps grounds what is otherwise a tale of impossible fiction.

Though it helps that the cast is solid, too. Not only do we (mostly) get Willis the actor (Pulp Fiction) as opposed to Willis the action star (Die Hard), but Gordon-Levitt more than holds his own when the two face off. The same can also be said for Emily Blunt, who plays a woman who has a run-in with the two Joes, though it’s Jeff Daniels who, as a mob boss, really stands out as being effortlessly authoritative.

Sadly, Looper is far from perfect, especially in the latter half. There’s some love shoehorned in for no reason, a momentary lapse of Willis-esque action, and a coincidence that’s way too convenient (and rather unnecessary). But the biggest issue is the logical flaw with the premise. Specifically, why would you ask a hit man to kill his future self, why wouldn’t you get someone else to do it? Admittedly, if someone other than young Joe had been tasked with killing old Joe, this would’ve been a much shorter movie, but given how smart this script is already, it’s hard not to think they would’ve found a good, and plausible, workaround.

Still, Looper is a smart, thoughtful, and ultimately satisfying sci-fi movie that will perplex those who aren’t paying attention, or are expecting Willis to shoot up the place with bullets and one-liners (well, more than he does). But for serious sci-fi fans — or really anyone looking for a smart crime thriller with a futuristic twist — Looper will entertain, engage, and ultimately satisfy…even if there’s no way it could ever happen.

SCORE: 8.0

Oh What Fun We’ll Have

FUNimation have announced the anime DVDs and Blu-rays they have slated for release this December.

Is This A Zombie: Season One: Limited Edition kicks off the month on the 4th. The DVD will retail for $64.98.

That same days sees the release of DVD/BD combo packs for Level E: The Complete Series ($64.98), both the movie and the OVA of Shakugan No Shana ($34.98 each), and both the Ova Series: Limited Edition and Movie Collection: Limited Edition for Tenchi Muyo! ($69.98 each).

Then, on the 11th, they’ll release a DVD/BD combo pack for Baka And Test: Season Two: Limited Edition ($69.98), and DVDs of A Certain Magical Index: Season 1, Part 1: Limited Edition DVD ($64.98) and Season 1, Part 2 ($59.98).

The following week sees the release of One Piece: Season 4 Voyage 3 on DVD ($39.98), Shakugan No Shana: Season 2, Part 1: Limited Edition on DVD/BD combo ($69.98), and a regular edition of Shakugan No Shana: Season 2, Part on DVD/BD combo ($64.98).

Finally, they’ll end the month, and the year, with Mass Effect: Paragon Lost on DVD ($29.98) and Blu-ray ($34.98).

Generation X

Gen Manga have announced that issue 15 of their manga anthology Gen is now available.

Along with the latest installments of Android Angels, Psycho, One Is Enough, Stones Of Power, Alive, and Anomal, the issue also features the first chapter of Flavor by Aji-ichi.

The issue is available digitally and, for a limited time, in print for $1.99 at http://genmanga.com/issues/index.html

Been A Long Time Since…Well, You Know

Fathom Events have announced the dates and theaters for the limited theatrical run of Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day, a concert film recorded when former Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones reunited for a one-off gig at London’s O2 Arena on December 10, 2007.

It was the first full show the threesome had played since the Zeppelin played the Eissporthalle in Berlin, Germany on July 7, 1980, the final show of their Tour Over Europe and the last before drummer John Bonham died on September 25, 1980. While the three have played together on rare occasions since then — including at Live Aid in 1985, and when they jammed at the 1995 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony — the O2 show was their first full gig since 1980.

The screenings will be held on October 17 and 18.

A complete list of participating theaters is located here: http://www.fathomevents.com/upcoming/alllocations.aspx?eventid=1138

If you’re busy those night, however, don’t sweat it too much, as the concert will be released on CD, DVD, and Blu-ray on November 19.

Heil In The Sky

Entertainment One have announced that the DVD and Blu-ray of Iron Sky — in which a bunch of Nazis who’ve been living on the Moon launch an invasion of Earth — will be released on DVD and a DVD/BD combo pack on October 2.

Along with the film, both versions will also include a commentary, the original trailers, a making-of featurette, and behind-the-scenes footage.

The DVD will retail for $19.98 while the Blu-ray will be $24.98.

It’s the end of the world as we know it…

I admit that the old adage of ‘not judging a book by its cover’ holds a great deal of truth in it. Take this new web series Cybergeddon, brought to us by Anthony E. Zuiker (the creator of the hit series CSI and its various spin-offs on TV), for example. On the surface, the very idea of a web series makes people skeptical because they’re not used to seeing the same quality of programming on the internet as they are in a theater or on TV. Then with a name like Cybergeddon, you might giggle due to the assumption that it’s just another end of the world type of project that has permeated the pop culture the past few years.

But Cybergeddon is different. Not only does it produce the kind of quality you’ve come to expect from some big budget blockbuster, but it tells a deep, enthralling story with well-fleshed out characters and dialogue that will have you laughing one minute and wanting to change all the passwords on your computer the next. And that trepidation comes from the fact that more so than most other ‘end of the world’ scenarios, this one is very possible and a very real threat.

Cybergeddon stars Missy Peregrym (Rookie Blue) as Special Agent Chloe Jocelyn, a hacker turned top cyber cop for the feds and who brings down the greatest cyber-terrorist the world has ever known in Gustov Dobreff (Olivier Martinez). But when Chloe makes things personal on her quest to bring Gustov down, he makes a vow to never forget her face and that he will raise the stakes next time they meet. And so after a year of rotting in a Ukrainian prison, Gustov sets in motion his end game that will knock the world back to the Stone Age as no electronic device is safe from his hacking.

With great action, an intricate plot on par with a lot of thrillers out there, and tremendous acting from everyone involved, Cybergeddon delivers in ways many movies and TV shows only wish they could. From comic relief provided by Rabbit Rosen (Kick Gurry), to the gruff, by the book Frank Parker (Manny Montana), to Chloe’s perfectionist attitude, the main characters of this cast play off each other astoundingly well and are a joy to watch, no matter the size of the screen. And Olivier Martinez plays a villain who in only a short time reveals many more layers to him than your typical insane, egomaniacal bad guy in most other projects along these lines.

Sponsored in part by Norton Anti-Virus (a rather obvious choice) and Yahoo!, Cybergeddon does a great job of making you believe how real it could be, but keeps you entertained from beginning to end. Broken up into chapters averaging 10 minutes in length and which have been slowly going live even as you read this, Cybergeddon is a must-watch for anyone who likes a good thriller, good action, or just knows what the heck a USB drive is as it brilliantly blends elements of CSI with computer hackers. I was fortunate enough to see an advanced screening of the entire series (it equals a solid 90 minute movie total) and can promise you this is one web series that you will not want to miss, even with its cheesy title. You can check out most of the chapters right now, as well as a lot of fun ‘behind-the-scenes/making of’ aspects of the series, over at Cybergeddon.yahoo.com.

SCORE: 9.0

As the wizard sails by…

Cruises Cruises Cruises, Inc. have announced “Wizards At Sea,” a week-long family-friendly cruise next July for fans of Harry Potter and other magical stuff.

According to the press release, the cruise will include a film festival, classes in magical subjects, round-table discussions, a costume party and contest, trivia contest, a scavenger hunt, a vendors room, and karaoke party.

These events will take place while the boat sails from Seattle up to Alaska, with stops in Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, Glacier Bay, and Victoria, B.C.

Fares for the cruise start at $1139 per person, based on double occupancy, and the fee for the Wizards event is $150.

For more information, visit wizardsatsea.com.

Just don’t tell them that witches are allergic to water.

Sin Eater

Aniplex Of America have announced that a limited edition DVD boxed set of the anime Garden Of Sinners will be released on November 20.

The eight-disc set will include all eight movies, trailers, fourteen postcards illustrated by character designers Takashi Takeuchi and Sudo Tomonori, and a 36-page booklet with numerous posters and other images.

The collection will retail for $149.98.

Natty Dredd

When adapting a book into a movie, it’s important to show respect to the original story. You don’t have to follow it slavishly, but you also shouldn’t do anything that shows you never bothered to read the book.

It’s a lesson that the makers of Judge Dredd learned the hard way in 1995 when, contrary to the original comic books, they showed the title character removing his mask, and were instantly rejected by the fans. It may not seem like that big of a deal, but in doing so, it showed fans of the comics that the filmmakers didn’t love the books as much as they should’ve. (That the film also had a cliché script, bad jokes, and Rob Schneider didn’t help matters.)

It’s also a lesson the makers of the new Dredd seemed to have learned as well, though smartly before they made their film. Not only does the man keep his helmet on the whole time, but the movie also takes as gritty and brutal an approach to this dystopian story as, you guessed it, the original comics.

In Mega-City One, which stretches from Boston to Washington D.C., the peace is kept by Judges, one-stop shops for justice who serve as the police, the courts, and, when necessary, the executioners. Of these, the toughest is Judge Dredd, who’s like a cross between Dirty Harry and The Punisher if both followed the rules like Ned Flanders.

In the film, Dredd (played by Karl Urban from The Lord of the Rings) is tasked with giving a field exam to a rookie Judge named Anderson (Olivia Thirlby from Juno). But when they investigate a murder at a high rise that’s under the control of a drug lord called Ma-Ma (Lena Headey from Game Of Thrones), things go from bad to worse faster than anyone can defiantly growl, “I am the law.”

Directed by Pete Travis (Vantage Point) and written by Alex Garland (28 Days Later) — both of whom, like the creators of the original comic, are British — Dredd plays out like a cross between the original Die Hard and The Raid: Redemption, but with a decidedly more raw and brutal approach. If anything, this looks and feels much more like an ’80s action flick in how it’s not shy about getting bloody, and sometimes even relishes the gore. Which just drives home the idea that Travis, Garland, and other people working in the film have clearly read the comics.

This goes for Urban as well, whose voice never rises above a low rumble, even when spouting one of the movies dark jokes. Though his performance will be the one that could put people off. He’s such a sourpuss, and a number of his lines are so dour, that some might think he and the rest of the movie is so bad that it’s unintentionally funny. Though only if they’ve never read the books either.

For her part, Thirlby serves as a great partner for Dredd, as she’s neither a damsel in distress nor the comic relief. In fact, she so holds her own that she almost steal the movie away from Urban the way Scarlett Johansson stole The Avengers and Anne Hathaway stole The Dark Knight Rises. And the same could also be said for Headey, who is as much of a sadistic bitch as she is in Thrones. She’s just a lot less subtle about it here.

In the end, though, Dredd isn’t as effortless and exciting as the Iron Man, X-Men, or animated Batman movies. But then, I say this as someone who’s not as big a fan of Judge Dredd as a character as I am Iron Man, X-Men, and Batman. For those who are, or anyone who appreciates the brutality of an ’80s-style action movie, though, Dredd is a solid and engaging thrill ride, one that isn’t afraid to get its hands dirty. Which, for people who love the original books, is very respectable.

SCORE: 8.0

Big Man on Campus

Collectible company Gentle Giant have announced nine new statues and mini-busts for fans of Star Wars, The Walking Dead, The Hobbit, and Marvel Comics. All are available for pre-order now.

For Star Wars fans, especially those who remember the original Kenner action figures, Gentle Giant are releasing 12-inch tall replicas of Gamorrean Guard and Bobba Fett toys, as well as a 20-inch tall recreation of the Cantina Playset. All are exact replicas of the Kenner originals, and even come in the original plastic packaging, with Boba even able to shoot his rocket. The Boba Fett and Gamorrean Guard figures are $85 each, while the Cantina Playset, which does not include any figures, is $89.

Gentle Giant are also releasing a number of mini busts, starting with Droopy McCool, the flutist in the Max Rebo Band. This statue is 5-inches tall, and will retail for $70.

Another upcoming mini bust features Gollum from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings looking like his usual happy self. Befitting his physical size, his mini bust stands 5 & 1/8-inches tall, and retails for $65.

Two characters from The Walking Dead are also getting mini-busted: the Well Walker zombie and Sheriff Grimes. Both are slightly taller than 6-inches and retail for $75 each.

Finally, two Marvel Comics characters are getting busted as well. The statuesque Venom Mini Bust is 8 & 3/8-inches tall, while the Iron Man Avengers Deluxe Mini Bust, which is modeled after the way he looked in The Avengers, is 7 & 3.8-inches tall. Both retail for $85.

All of these collectibles are limited numbered editions.

For more information about any of these, or to preordered, visit Gentle Giant’s website here http://www.gentlegiantltd.com

By the power of neck springs…

Funko have announced that, in honor of the show’s 30th anniversary, they’ll release a series of Wacky Wobbler bobbleheads based on the classic cartoon Masters Of The Universe on December 20.

Besides He-Man and his nemesis Skeletor, they’ll also be issuing Wacky Wobblers for the sidekicks Orko and Beast Man.

Fata Morgana

Entertainment One have announced that a sixteen-disc boxed set containing every episode of the sci-fi show Sanctuary will be released on DVD on October 23.

Besides the fifty-nine episodes, the box will also include a sixteen-page guidebook, making-of featurettes, bloopers, outtakes, deleted scenes, episode commentaries, and other extras.

The collection will retail for $149.98.

Film School

Criterion have announced that their December 2012 slate of special edition DVDs and Blu-rays will include Terry Gilliam’s sci-fi classic Brazil, Godfrey Reggio’s visual tone poem Koyaanisqatsi and its sequels, and the first film by The Dark Knight Rises director Christopher Nolan.

Kicking off the month on December 4 is Brazil, the dystopian classic by former Monty Python cartoonist and writer Terry Gilliam. Besides both the director’s cut and the original theatrical versions of the movie, the two-disc collection also includes commentaries, and a documentary on the infamous battle between Gilliam and the studio that led to the two versions of the film, the original trailer, making-of featurette called “What Is Brazil?”, and other extras that include interviews, unfilmed storyboards, and other items from Gilliam’s personal collection. The collection will retail for $49.95.

That same day Criterion will release Purple Noon (Plein Soleil), which was the first adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley. Besides the movie, this disc will include archival interviews with actor Alain Delon and Ripley writer Patricia Highsmith, the original trailer, and a new interview with Denitza Batcheva, an expert on Noon director René Clément. The DVD will retail for $29,95 while the Blu-ray will be $39.95.

This will be followed a week later by Following, the directorial debut of Christopher Nolan, who’s best known for Inception, Memento, and a bunch of movies about some idiot who dressed like a bat or a rat or something. Along with the film, which is getting a new 5.1 surround mix on the DVD and a DTS-HD Master Audio one on the Blu-ray, the disc will also include a commentary by Nolan, an interview with Nolan, the original trailers, a short film by Nolan called Doodlebug, and more. It will retail for $29.95 on DVD and $39.95 on Blu-ray.

That same day sees the release of The Qatsi Trilogy, which includes 1983’s Koyaanisqatsi, 1988’s Powaqqatsi, and 2002’s Naqoyqatsi. Besides the films, this three-disc set will include new interviews, a 40-minute demo version of Koyaanisqatsi, an interview with musicians Philip Glass and Yo-Yo-Ma, the original trails, and other extras. It will be available on both DVD and Blu-ray for $79.95 each.

Insert “Back In Black” Joke Here

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have announced that Men In Black III will be released on DVD and in a DVD/Blu-ray combo packs on November 30.

Along with the movie, the DVD will include a gag reel, “Partners In Time: The Making Of MIB3” featurette, and the music video for Pitbull’s theme song, “Back In Time.”

Meanwhile, the DVD/BD combo will add more making-of featurettes, including one about the M.I.B. in the ’60s, as the Spot The Alien game. There will also be a 3D version of the DVD/BD combo that not only includes a 3D version of the film but featurettes on the 3D conversion and a look at the 3D models.

Lastly, Sony will release a limited edition Men In Black Trilogy Blu-ray with the three movies on BD and a bobble head of one of the worms.

While Sony’s announcement didn’t include prices, a cursory look at Amazon revealed that the DVD will retail for $30.99, the two-disc DVD/BD combo pack will be $40.99, the three-disc 3D DVD/BD combo will be $55.99, while the Trilogy gift set will be $95.99.

Jackie Blue

Lionsgate have announced that they’ll release Tarantino XX: 8 Film Collection—a boxed set with Reservoir Dogs, True Romance: Director’s Cut, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill Volume 1, Kill Bill Volume 2, Death Proof, and Inglourious Basterds—on November 20.

While the movies will all be augmented by the extras on their respective Blu-ray collection—which include numerous commentaries, making-of featurettes, deleted scenes, and more—this 10-disc set also comes with two new extras: “Critics Corner: The Films Of Quentin Tarantino,” a discussion of his work by film critics; and the retrospective documentary “20 Years Of Filmmaking.”

The set will retail for $119.99.

Old Gods Need Clothes Too

Miles To Go Clothing have announced that they’ve just released a new shirt inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s classic horror story “The Call Of Cthulu.”

Published in the magazine Weird Tales in 1928, the short story has since inspired such games as World Of Warcraft, Lost Souls, and even Scribblenauts, as well as countless movies, comic books, and a great but misspelled Metallica song.

As for the shirt, it’s printed on 100% cotton American Apparel t-shirts using discharge ink, which actually re-dyes the fibers permanently to avoid cracking.

It’s available in black or navy, though the latter is a seriously limited edition run of only twenty.

The shirts are available from http://store.milestogoclothing.com for $25.

Even cooler, if you use the code “egm,” the shipping is free.

Oh My Guinness

The Guinness World Records people have announced that the 2013 edition of their venerable book series is available…NOW.

Guinness World Records 2013 features a number of conversation-starting records, including the tallest living dog, the largest hot dog commercially available (which, hopefully, doesn’t have anything to do with the tallest living dog), and the largest collection of sneakers.

It also includes a number of game-related records, including the longest gaming marathon, the most expensive PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 games sold at auction, and the best-selling console of all time (here’s a hint, it’s not Nintendo’s Virtual Boy).

The hardcover edition of the book is available for $28.95, while the ebook will be $29.99 when it is released on October 13.

Mystery To Me

Shout! Factory have announced that the twenty-fifth volume of the cult shot Mystery Science Theater 3000 will be released on DVD on December 4.

Mystery Science Theater 3000: XXV will include their skewed view of the movies Robot Holocaust, Kitten With A Whip, Operation Kid Brother, and Revenge Of The Creature.

In addition, the four-disc set will also include introductions by introductions by Joel Hodgson and Mike Nelson, Life After MST3K: J. Elvis Weinstein, Jack Arnold at Universal, Life After MST3K: Bill Corbett, and four exclusive Mini-Posters by artist Steve Vance.

But wait, there’s more: if you preorder this collection from Shout! Factory’s website https://www.shoutfactory.com/?q=node/216213, you’ll get a fifth DVD with the season one serial Radar Men From The Moon.

The collection will retail for $59.97.

Guitar Hero

Capitol/EMI have announced that a 20th anniversary deluxe edition of Megadeth’s Countdown to Extinction — songs from which have appeared in such games as the original Guitar Hero, G.H.5, Brutal Legend, and FlatOut2 — will be released on November 6.

Besides a remastered version of the original album, the two-disc collection will include a 1992 concert recorded at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, four postcards, a poster, and liner notes by music journalist Kory Grow.

Megadeth have also announced a Countdown To Extinction 20th Anniversary Tour, on which the band will play the entire album. Tickets for the tour go on sale September 13 (the 12th if you’re in the fan club).

The dates are as follows:

NOVEMBER

9: Providence, RI: Lupo’s at the Strand

10: Huntington, NY: Paramount Theatre

11: Worcester, MA: The Palladium

13: Wallingford, CT: Oakdale Theatre

14: Sayreville, NJ: Starland Ballroom

16: Atlantic City, NJ: : House Of Blues

17: Niagara Falls, NY: Rapids Theatre

19: Stroudsburg, PA: Sherman Theater

20: Columbus, OH: LC Pavilion

24: Myrtle Beach, SC: House Of Blues

25: Charlotte, NC: Fillmore

26: Atlanta, GA: The Tabernacle

28: Kansas City, MO: Midland Theatre

December

1: Salt Lake City, UT: Great Saltair

2: Boise, ID: : Knitting Factory

4: Reno, NV: : Grand Sierra Theatre

6: Las Vegas, NV: House Of Blues

7: Pomona, CA: Fox Theatre

For more information about the tour, visit the band’s website http://www.megadeth.com

Dethtour

Dethklok, the semi-fictional metal band whose exploits are celebrated in the Adult Swim ’toon Metalocalypse, have announced that they’ll launch a U.S. tour on October 30 in Norfolk, Virginia with Machine Head, All That Remains, and The Black Dahlia Murder.

The tour starts just two weeks after the “band” release their new album, Dethalbum III.

In addition, the band have released a video for their new song, “I Ejaculate Fire,” which you can watch here.

Just don’t do it while you’re at work. Or in church. Or anywhere near kids.

10/30/2012:Norfolk, VA @ Norva

10/31/2012: Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory

11/2/2012: Silver Spring, MD @ Fillmore

11/3/2012: New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom

11/4/2012: Worcester, MA @ Palladium

11/5/2012: Montreal, QC @ Metropolis

11/7/2012: Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy

11/8/2012: Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE

11/9/2012: Columbus, OH @ LC Pavilion

11/10/2012: Detroit, MI @ Fillmore

11/11/2012: Grand Rapids, MI @Orbit Room

11/13/2012: Fargo, ND @ The Venue

11/14/2012: Minneapolis, MN @ Myth

11/15/2012: Milwaukee, WI @ Rave

11/16/2012: Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom

11/17/2012: Kansas City, MO @ Midland

11/18/2012: St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant

11/20/2012: Denver, CO @ Fillmore

11/21/2012: Salt Lake City, UT @ Great Salt Air

11/23/2012: Seattle, WA @ Showbox SODO

11/24/2012: Portland, OR @ Roseland

11/26/2012: Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater

11/27/2012: Hollywood, CA @ Palladium

11/28/2012: Phoenix, AZ @ Marquee

11/30/2012: Dallas, TX @ House of Blues

12/1/2012: Austin, TX @ Stubbs

12/2/2012: Houston, TX @ House of Blues

12/4/2012: Orlando, FL @ House of Blues

12/6/2012: Chattanooga, TN @ Track 29

12/7/2012: Charlotte, NC @ Fillmore

12/8/2012: Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle

For ticket information, go here http://www.adultswim.com/presents/dethklok-tour-2012/index.html

Peanuts & Cracker Jack Not Included

Major League Baseball Productions in Association with A+E Networks have announced that they’ll release gift sets containing documentaries and recordings of pivotal games for fans of both the New York Mets and the Boston Red Sox on September 18.

For fans of New York’s other team, the New York Mets 50th Anniversary Collector’s Set is a 10-DVD boxed set that includes an new documentary called New York Mets’ 50 Greatest Players, five complete games including game 4 of the 1969 World Series and game 6 of the 1986 World Series, as well as seasonal highlight films from the ’60s, ’70s, ’80, ’90s, and ’00s, all of which is housed in a 26-page photo heavy book. It will retail for $99.95.

Similarly, Fenway Park: Home Of The Boston Red Sox: 100th Anniversary Collector’s Set is a 12-disc collection that includes the new documentary Fenway Park: 100 Years As The Heart Of Red Sox Nation, six complete classic games including game 6 of the 1975 World Series when Carlton Fisk hit the game-winning home run, and seasonal highlight films from the ’60s, ’70s, ’80, ’90s, and ’00s, as well as a 28-page compendium. It will retail for $129.95.

For those who only want the documentaries, though, both are available individually for $19.95 each.

Mantle Is Coming

Dark Horse have announced that the next entry in their series of Game Of Thrones collectibles will be a statue of Peter Dinklage’s character Tyrion Lannister, which will be available on February 20.

The detailed statue will stand ten inches high and shows when Tyrion charged into the Battle Of The Blackwater, a moment from the second season that was chosen by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the writers/producers of the HBO show.

You can watch a making-of video for the statue at Dark Horse’s blog here: http://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/1105/making-tyrion-lannister-statue

The state will retail for $199.99.

Who Says Crime Doesn’t Pay?

Paramount Home Video and CBS Home Entertainment have announced that the latest seasons of CSI, CSI: New York, and CSI: Miami will be released on DVD on September 25.

For fans of the original, CSI: The Twelfth Season will include all twenty-two episodes as well as behind-the-scenes featurettes. This six disc set will retail for $63.98.

Next, CSI: NY: The Eighth Season has its eighteen episodes augmented with delete scenes, making-of featurettes, and a gag reel. This five disc set will retail for $55.98.

Finally, the prettiest one, CSI: Miami, concludes its run with CSI: Miami: The Final Season, a five disc set that includes commenaries, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and making-of featurettes. It will retail for $55.98.

Dark Shadows

Image Entertainment have announced that the second half of Ghost Hunter’s seventh season will be released on DVD on October 2.

Besides the thirteen episodes, Ghost Hunters, Season 7, Part 2 will also include previously unseen footage.

The four-disc set will retail for $24.98.

Death To False Metal

Warner Home Video have announced that the fourth season of the rockin’ ’toon Metalocalypse will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 30.

Besides the dozen episodes — which feature such eclectic guests as Corpsegrinder from Cannibal Corpse, John Hamm from Mad Men, and director Werner Herzog — Metalocalypse: Season Four will also include a 90-minute movie of Nathan Explosion reading Shakespeare, a series of band member “StaresDowns,” a look at Dethklok fan art, and other extras.

The DVD will retail for $19.98 while the Blu-ray will be $28.99.

Coincidentally, the new Dethklok album, Dethalbum III, will be released by Williams Street Records two week prior, on December 16. Besides the regular album, which will be available digitally as well as on CD and vinyl, there will also be a deluxe edition CD with a bonus making-of documentary on DVD.

DC’s Issue #0’s started this week, but was there anything of any real note in them to check out? Couple this with a light week from Marvel and on the Indie front should make this an interesting Pullbox! Find out below!

Marvel – Venom #24 – Hellstrom has brought the demon inside Flash Thompson to the surface, but is he strong enough to force it back down? Or is the symbiote even stronger than both the possession and in his host combined? Agent Venom must find help as soon as possible before whatever it is inside him ends up destroying him though.

Seeing the Venom symbiote’s ferocity again like it was in this issue was a refreshing sight and seeing what Thompson’s desperation would push him to do again made this issue a fun read. The end reveal of what Hellstrom’s master plan felt a little cheesy and a little more oddball than I’d expect from the son of the devil, but could be entertaining if pulled off well in the next issue. As is though, I’ll be picking it up just to see what Venom does next as the demon inside him is ready for an interesting fight!

Marvel – Avengers Academy #36 – The Clean Slate nanotech meant to de-power the world of all its superheroes is ready to go and the Academy’s revolt against the plan has pushed up the timetable of its release by Jeremy Briggs! Half the team still has to reclaim their powers though if they have any hope of going after Briggs and his hired help in time to stop the missiles full of the nanotech.

I haven’t loved every issue, but most of Avengers Academy has been a fun and entertaining read and this 4-issue story arc has been no exception as you finally start to see many of the characters come into their own and mature. Much how real people might if there were in a real academy tailored to folks with super powers. The entire story does have a bit of a funny feel to it though as it’s also a bit too neat at certain points. It makes me feel that this is all just some Danger Room test or something and the last issue of the story will end with the kids coming out of stasis or the like. After all, how would you figure out if a bunch of super powered kids were ready to graduate to the big league? Maybe I’m reading too much into it. Either way, this book is only good at this point depending on how early you got into it, being the most rewarding for fans who’ve been there since Issue #1. As is, you might want to wait until after this story.

DC – Batman: Detective Comics #0 – Looking to go into the origin stories of every DC superhero, DC’s Issue #0 initiative for Detective Comics tells of one of Bruce Wayne’s last training exercises. In the Himalayas, he searches for a master of martial arts and body control called Shihan Matsuda. There, Bruce will learn some of his most valuable lessons of both mind and body, but they will come at a terrible cost.

I’ve been one of the biggest critics of the New 52 since it started a year ago. And this Issue #0 program is just another poor idea by DC to push comics as it delays current storylines of major characters by another month, forcing us to read stories we already know for most of our favorite heroes. At the very least though, this particular book, that could make sense as part of Batman’s back story, was a good read and helped us learn where Batman acquired some of the techniques that allow him to slow his breathing, control his body temperature, and increase his pain resistance. It also explains part of the reasons why he keeps most people at arm’s length in his never-ending crusade against crime in Gotham.

The worst thing about this book and the rest of the Issue #0 run though is DC blatantly ignoring the histories of some of their most celebrated characters. By claiming James Gordon and the Phantom Stranger (who is next in the Pullbox) just appeared in the DCU a few months ago literally throws away DECADES of history and sends the wrong message to new fans. Honestly, DC should be embarrassed by how they do things now and if I didn’t feel a responsibility to keep reading comics, I’d probably stop. Even with their relaunch of Spider-Man a few years ago, at least they didn’t suddenly change that Spider-Man’s first appearance wasn’t in Amazing Fantasy #15.

DC – The Phantom Stranger #0 – Judas Iscariot, one of history’s most infamous villains, has been brought forward to a council of wizards to pay for his crime against humanity. As part of the Trinity of Sin, Judas must now walk the earth for eternity until he atones for his crime, now as The Phantom Stranger!

The Phantom Stranger’s origin has always been in question, but the constant theme of dealing with heaven and hell has always been there, so making him Judas Iscariot and making his quest one for atonement isn’t a bad idea. And since he’s had so many origins over the years, banging an official one out and making it readily available for the public was a very good idea by DC. But completely ignoring his past 50 years of history though cannot be forgiven and on top of this slap in the face to long term fans, the book itself isn’t even that great a read once you get past the first few pages. Hopefully this can lead to some more interesting adventures featuring Phantom Stranger since he’s been eerily quiet (even for him) during the New 52, but DC better get their act together before long term fans stage a massive revolt.

Valiant – Archer & Armstrong #2 – After dispatching the lower level thugs of ‘The One Percent’, Archer is captured by some more imposing figures. Armstrong is there to help bust him out, but not before Archer has a vision and understands what he must do to save his friends. Now, in the vein of National Treasure and The Da Vinci Code, Archer and Armstrong are on a scavenger hunt around various holy locations in the hopes of finding the six pieces to The Boon, an item of immense power that everyone else is dying to get and only Armstrong has the clues to find!

This was an amazing read and is yet another feather in the cap of Valiant Comics and their triumphant return to Pullboxes and comic book stores everywhere. The dynamic between Archer and Armstrong is great to watch and this epic movie feel to what they’re doing makes it all the better. Not to mention, unlike many other comics out there, this still has a feeling of unpredictability while taking jabs at today’s more prominent organizations like the American government and the Catholic Church. Ninja nuns anyone? Fred Van Lente continues to show off as a tremendous writer in the industry and this is easily my favorite new indie of the year so far. Bravo on every front. Get on this book NOW folks.

Amazing Fantasy

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have announced that The Amazing Spider-Man will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 9.

The film will come in a variety of formats, starting with a DVD that will include a commentary, a production art gallery, deleted scenes, footage of the stunts being rehearsed, and a digital copy.

There will also be a three-disc DVD/Blu-ray combo pack that will include a second screen app with interviews, storyboards, and previsualization sequences, as well as numerous making-of featurettes, while a four-disc version will add a 3D version of the film and a look at how the film was made in 3D. Finally, there will be a limited edition gift set that pairs the four-disc version with collectible figures of Spider-Man and The Lizard.

The DVD will retail for $30.99, the three-disc combo will be for $40.99, the four-disc version is $55.99, while the gift set will be $95.99.

Playtime Is Coming

Funko have announced that they’ll release a series of POP! Vinyl Figures based on characters from Game of Thrones on November 1.

There will be six figures in total: Khal Drogo, Ned Stark, Tyrion Lannister, The Hound, a White Walker, and Daenerys Targaryen, the latter of whom comes with a lil’ dragon.

All are expected to be $9.99 to $11.99.

Hot Stuff

The Rolling Stones have announced that they’ll release a new greatest hits collection called GRRR! on November 13 in the U.S. and November 12 in the rest of the planet.

The collection will span the group’s entire history, starting with their first single in 1963, a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Come One.” It will also include two new songs — “Gloom And Doom” and “One Last Shot” — they recorded recently. Other songs on the collection include the classics “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “Jumping Jack Flash,” “Brown Sugar,” “Honky Tonk Women,” “Get Off Of My Cloud,” “Tumbling Dice,” “Miss You,” and “Start Me Up.”

GRRR! will be available in a variety of formats, including a three-disc CD set with fifty tracks, a version of that collection on vinyl, a deluxe version of the CD that adds a thirty-six page hardcover book and five postcards, and a Super Deluxe Edition Box Set that has eighty tracks on four CDs, a 7-inch single, the aforementioned hardcover book and postcards, and a poster.

A little late this week due to the Labor Day hangover, but it wasn’t the best episode of RAW this week either as, although we all love CM Punk as much as the next guy, as you’ll see, it was a bit too Punk-centric for my tastes. So here is this week’s Sleeper Hold!

Main Plot Overview: Things kicked off big time on RAW as Punk ambushed Jerry Lawler and kicked him in the back of the head again. Lawler was so hurt, he would not take part in this episode of RAW as Punk continues his rampage looking for respect.

Punk could do no wrong in his hometown of Chicago though until he decided to skimp out on the Champion vs Champion match he had lined up against Sheamus by GM AJ Lee. Punk, claiming to take a personal day (after all, it was Labor Day).

Punk would not completely leave the arena since his Night of Champions opponent John Cena was still to be in action though and when Cena’s Falls Count Anywhere match with Alberto Del Rio went to the back room, Punk intervened and hit a GTS on Cena on the hood of a parked car. This gave Del Rio the win and we also then saw our Shocker of the Night shortly afterward.

Match of the Night:  There wasn’t much going on this night in wrestling aside from CM Punk stealing the whole show, but one other rivalry that’s brewing is Dolph Ziggler vs Randy Orton and talk about putting on a show. These two guys are both some of the most technically sound wrestlers on the RAW roster and with each one hitting great spots, this match was a joy to watch. Although it ended on a classic heel move when Ziggler grabbed Orton’s tights, everything up to that point was terrifically tight and a shoe in for Match of the Night.

Promo of the Night: Just in order to break up the CM Punk love, we’re giving the Promo of the Night to the Kane/Daniel Bryan anger management sketches. They’ve been hysterical watching Bryan and Kane work out not only their personal issues with each other, but in general. Kane, of course, is angry because he’s the Devil’s Favorite Demon, his real dad being Paul Bearer, etc. And Daniel Bryan is just being angry at the WWE Universe. They also set up the hysterical ‘Hug It Out’ option, which the WWE voted for, but devolved into Kane wreaking havoc as always.

Shocker of the Night: Although it came in the final 15 seconds of the show, this was easily the most exciting moment of the night. After knocking out John Cena and helping Alberto Del Rio pick up a win, CM Punk got into a car and started driving away. But before pulling all the way away, the driver rolled down his window, and Paul Heyman stuck his head out. What this means for the WWE Champion and John Cena’s match at Night of Champions, we will have to wait and see until next Monday, but at least we have something to look forward to now.

Cheap Pop of the Night: Easily the Cheap Pop of the Night came during everytime CM Punk opened his mouth as he related everything to his Second City home of Chicago. Even when he stormed out of the arena, he expected his hometown crowd to understand as he related it to them taking the day off for Labor Day. So all night long, CM Punk’s lovefest with Chicago takes the Cheap Pop of the Night.

Medicine Ball

Warner Home Video have announced that the first half of the new season of Doctor Who — which, depending on when you read this, will either begin this Saturday or just began this past Saturday — will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 13.

Besides the first five episodes, Doctor Who: Series Seven, Part One will include deleted scenes, the “Doctor Who At Comic Con” featurette, and “The Science Of Doctor Who” featurette.

The DVD will retail for $24.98 while the Blu-ray will be $29.98.

Rip This Joint

The Rolling Stones have announced that they’ll release three limited edition boxed sets of their infamous 1973 concert in Brussels, Belgium around November 16.

These oft-bootleg shows are infamous not only for being among the band’s best, but also because they happened after the band had their shows in France cancelled on them by the French government.

The Collector’s Edition, which is limited to 1727 copies, includes the two shows the band did at the Forest National Arena on October 17, 1973, on 180gram vinyl, as well as a limited edition book signed by Mick Jagger, a Rolling Stones watch, and a lithograph from that show. It will sell for $750.

There’s also the Platinum Edition, which has a version of the litho signed by Jagger, is limited to 173 copies, and costs $1250, and the Art Edition, which has the regular litho but adds a signed photo print; it is limited to 73 copies and will be $1500.

For those who just want the music, though, the Stones have their own concert download service, http://stonesarchive.com, which includes one of the Brussels shows as well as concerts from Los Angeles in 1975, Virginia in 1981, and Tokyo in 1990.

The band have also announced that a new documentary about their career, Crossfire Hurricane, will be get a theatrical run around the same time, followed by showings on HBO in the U.S. and BBC Two in England.

Who’s Still Watching The Watchmen

Warner Home Video have announced that a Watchman boxed set — which will include both the movie and the original graphic novel — will be released on October 9.

Besides a hardcover edition of the original book, the box will also include Watchman: The Ultimate Cut — which is the Director’s Cut of the film with the animated movie Tales of the Black Freighter integrated into it — as well as the motion comic version of the book and, on a DVD, the theatrical version of the film. And all of this is housed in a special lenticular package.

The collection will retail for $74.98.

A slightly less busy Pullbox this week that looked very similar to last week in terms of what we’re covering, but very different in regards to content. Without further ado, here is this week’s Pullbox!

Marvel – Uncanny X-Force #30 – Evan, a.k.a. Genesis, a.k.a. the Boy Apocalypse, is on the road trip from hell as Daken’s new iteration of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants attempts to jog his memory of what his life’s purpose is as they hope if he remembers, they’ll be at the forefront of Apocalypse’s new army. So as Shadow King plays countless games with the boy’s mind, X-Force and the rest of the X-Men are lost as to what to do to go about getting Evan back before it’s too late.

Anyone who is a fan of Apocalypse as a villain will love this issue. Not only does it show off the lengths Daken, Sabertooth, and Shadow King are willing to go to torture the boy into reminding him what he is supposed to become, but we finally start to see Evan show off some of Apocalypse’s more infamous powers, like shape-shifting, as his rage forces him to push himself to the limits as The Brotherhood breaks down everything he has ever known bit by bit. Surprisingly, much of the book revolves around Evan, which hasn’t happened since X-Force took the boy in, and the X-Men themselves only get a few panels explaining their concern about the creation of a new Brotherhood. Again, if you’re a fan of Apocalypse, pick this issue up.

Marvel – Wolverine and the X-Men #15 – Wolverine and the rest of his school prepare for what will likely be the final battle with the Phoenix and everyone on campus, from Krakoa to Toad to Iceman have different ways of getting ready for what could be (but most likely won’t) be their final battle.

Okay, we get it. I’m honestly kind of tired of the whole Avengers vs X-Men event now. It’s coming to a head and this issue just felt like a waste of ink and paper. It was interesting to see some of the asides, like Toad with Paige Guthrie, and Professor X with Quentin Quire, or even Iron Man and his little think tank having at it before Broo the Brood shows them all up, but in terms of forwarding the actual story, very little happened of note here and it makes you wonder how long Marvel will drag this out at this rate. I’m ready for it to be over already and at this rate, I’m almost rooting for the Phoenix.

DC – Batman Detective Comics Annual #1 – During the Night of the Owls debacle at Arkham Asylum, it seems that Roman Sionis, a.k.a. the original Black Mask, had escaped and hypnotized much of the staff into believing he was still in his cell. Now, Batman has to find a way to stop him before he forms a new False Face Society and begins a new reign of terror over Gotham.

This is probably my favorite Batman related comic since the New 52 launched because it feels like an old-school Batman story in terms of its pacing, the action, and the villains involved. Bringing back Roman Sionis into prominence is a good thing, even if the entire mind-control battle between him and The Mad Hatter (read the book to better understand!) came out of left field a little bit. Batman fans should definitely pick up this book, especially if they’re looking for a solid point to get back into Detective Comics incase they missed some of the Night of the Owls stuff.

DC – Green Lantern Annual #1 – The battle between Hal, Sinestro, and Black Hand finally comes to a head. Meanwhile, halfway across the universe, some of the origins of the Guardians comes to light as they free the source of power that will drive their Third Army, which we also finally see just what that Army will be!

I really don’t know what to say about this comic aside that it is a must-read if you are at all interested in the upcoming Green Lantern crossover event. 16 issues (17 if you count this prologue) across four titles will change the face of the Green Lanterns forever as it seems a being called The Original Lantern and who can effortlessly wield all spectrums of light is powering a Borg-like entity for the Guardians. The Guardians have realized the only way to ensure order in a chaotic universe is to destroy free will. Therefore, making the universe of a hive mind seems to be the way to go and although I’m not really a fan of this direction, it could provide a very interesting new threat to the DCU. The most exciting part of this book though is that in freeing The Original Lantern as their power source, the Guardians have also stirred up a long lost remnant of their race! This could possibly lead to an entirely new cast of Guardians down the line to replace these power-mad ones. Time will tell on that front though as Hal Jordan first has to worry about coming back from the dead again.

IDW – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: April O’ Neil #1 (One-Shot) – April feels tired of sitting on the sidelines and wants the turtles to know she can be an integral part of the team as well. She may not be a ninja, and she might be able to bash skulls even like Casey, but her intelligence and ability for subterfuge can be just as valued as being a human for her has its perks. Of course, after the mess she caused, it’ll be unlikely she’ll be brought back to Stockgen again.

I wasn’t going to do a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic two weeks in a row originally. But after reading this and absolutely geek-gasming at what this book laid out, I couldn’t resist. Fans of the original cartoon series and Archie series of comics will immediately pick up on a failed experiment that April lets loose during her antics in this issue, best known as Slash, the Evil Turtle. Whether or not Slash will exhibit his same low-level intelligence as his previous incarnations is yet to be seen, but his obsession with palm trees at least remains the same. And considering how much of a fan favorite rogue Slash ended up becoming (he even had his own badass action figure), it’ll be interesting to see what other mutants start popping up in the issue of TMNT in the months ahead. We also see one of the main characters of this book finally have some direct interaction with Rock Soldiers, who up until this point, had been seen only with Krang and Baxter Stockman and kept hidden from the TMNT. All in all, this book may not look like much if you just glance at the cover but old-school TMNT fans must pick this up.

CM Punk’s quest for respect continued along with much more as RAW rolled into Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this week!

Main Plot Overview: After being kicked in the head by Punk the previous week on RAW, Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler was the one searching for an apology. But instead, CM Punk only apologized for Lawler being what he considered a low standard for the WWE Hall of Fame. A man who never won the WWE Championship and never had a Wrestlemania moment. A man who Punk considers to act far too juvenile for his position in the WWE Universe and for that, Punk apologized. Seeing how furious that made Lawler, Punk challenged The King to a match that would Main Event the evening and with the WWE Universe voting on the stipulation of it being a cage match (tables and No DQ were also options).

To no one’s surprise, Punk demolished Lawler. But Punk was not done after making him tap to the Anaconda Vice. No, Punk locked himself and Lawler inside the cage and continued to pummel the Hall of Famer, demanding he call him the best in the world. As Lawler refused, Punk continued to drop elbows and knees into Lawler’s cranium until finally John Cena, the now official number one contender after AJ Lee decided for CM Punk before his Main Event match, came running down and yelled at the crew to lift the cage. When it did, Cena rolled in, chased Punk out, and RAW faded to black.

Match of the Night:  Although John Cena wasn’t part of the Main Event match of the evening, he was in our best match of the night against The Miz in a non-title match. Just because the two needed some work I guess.

The lack of storyline aside, if you were looking for some solid in-ring action last night, this was the match to watch as the two wrestlers showed that they had worked in the ring several times before. Each hit very solid spots including reversing each other’s finishers into DDTs and other high impact maneuvers. It would finally be Cena though (of course), who would channel the power of his jorts and go SuperCena on Miz, hit his Five Knuckle Shuffle, and hoist Miz over his head and hit an Attitude Adjustment to end the match by getting the 1, 2, 3.

Promo of the Night:  It was very tempting to put Punk’s belittling of Jerry Lawler as the top promo once again, but instead, as scripted as it may have been, I think there was a few heartfelt moments there, and so HHH’s seeming goodbye to the WWE Universe, was my Promo of the Night.

With lines like ‘Thank you for letting me play the game’ and how hard a pill it is for any wrestler to finally decide to call it quits, I think HHH’s speech gave some interesting insight actually to the inside of a wrestler’s mind before he hears his music, steps through a curtain, and runs down that steel ramp all with the idea of entertaining people in mind. It was a nice moment, and for that, we thank you again HHH.

Shocker of the Night:  This was a difficult call as there really wasn’t anything shocking about last night’s RAW, so this week we’re looking at something that was just a bit more out of character.

A very solid tag match between the team of Randy Orton and Sheamus vs Alberto del Rio and Dolph Ziggler would be won by Orton and Sheamus as for once Orton worked as a solid teammate and helped Sheamus in his time of need.

As chaos ensued outside the ring between the ref and Alberto Del Rio, Ziggler, looking to take advantage of the distraction grabbed his Money in the Bank briefcase and looked to strike Sheamus down with it. In an unusual twist of character though, Orton jumped into the ring and wrestled the briefcase from Ziggler and then performed a signature backbreaker on the Show-Off. This set Sheamus up to hit a brilliant Brogue Kick and the two faces walked away victorious. Not the most shocking of moments, but definitely out of character for the typically loner-type that is Randy Orton.

Cheap Pop of the Night:  Last year, when R-Truth made his way to Wisconsin, he was definitely not in his right mind (well, even less so than he currently is) and even the likes of Michael Cole immediately got on his case when he confused Milwaukee and Green Bay. This led to a chorus of boos the likes of which has rarely been seen for even the most despised of heels.

But, looking to turn a positive into a negative, this time around R-Truth blamed the mishap on Little Jimmy pranking him last year. So when he grabbed the microphone and announced to Little Jimmy that he wouldn’t be fooled again and was well aware that he was in Milwaukee, there could have been no other moment that we picked as our Cheap Pop of the Night. Especially as the ensuing ‘Yes’ chant led to a count out win for Truth after Daniel Bryan went berserk and started arguing with the crowd again.

A bit late this week. Clearly must still be recovering from the trip to Gamescom. Either way, after catching up from the missed week before, we ready for another edition of the Pullbox!

Marvel – Secret Avengers #30 – Many of the villains of the Marvel Universe start to get wise to Venom’s act and soon what seemed like an easy snatch ‘n’ grab turns into all out mayhem! And with it, Taskmaster bolts for Max Fury with the Third Crown. Lucky for them, it seems the completed Crown will not work on the head of a Life Model Decoy. That doesn’t mean the Secret Avengers are out of the woods yet though…

Tons of action, great banter between Venom and Taskmaster and later Hawkeye and Vengeance, and a cliffhanger that sets up this story arc possibly coming to an end soon. If it doesn’t end soon, you can expect a lot more conflict and action in the coming issues as it looks like some of the Secret Avengers are falling under the power of the crown. And it’s interesting how once again, being just a robot, how Max Fury is left all alone. If you haven’t been reading Secret Avengers, now is not the time to jump in, with such a convoluted story line, but if you have, keep going!

Marvel – Astonishing X-Men #53 – After being blown up at Northstar’s wedding, Wolverine starts to put himself back together and Beast helps this small team of X-Men figure out who has Karma, who put her up to this, and just what they’re going to do about it. And Northstar is none too happy about having his wedding crashed by exploding nanobots.

I think the best part of this comic was that we are really starting to see how far Iceman’s powers go. For a long time he was considered an Omega level mutant who was only held back by his own inhibitions and lack of imagination. In this book, as we have in a lot of other recent X-Men stories with Iceman, we see just how far he is able to push himself as he’s split up his consciousness, pulled himself back together from almost nothingness, and in this issue created an absolute monstrous ice creature. The rest of the issue though was rather lackluster, but hints at something larger as it looks like yet another new X-Men villain is in the business of existing simply to make their lives miserable and prove they are not as special as they think.

DC – Batman Incorporated #3 – In order to see just how far Leviathan has permeated the power structure of Gotham, Batman dusts off an old disguise, fan-favorite Matches Malone, to see if he can’t stir up some trouble in Gotham’s underbelly and get a few snitches to point him in the right direction. Unknown to him though, the snitches might be in Leviathan’s pocket, too.

Bringing this long-time alias back to life, after the real Matches Malone was killed by the Ventriloquist some time ago, and having Malone’s new crew being other members of Batman, Inc. was just a stroke of genius by Morrison. And he needed it considering how much momentum this book lost in the launch of the New 52. Finally though it seems to be back on track. And the idea of Robin having his own second identity now, although a bit too early in his life for my liking, was a nice touch as now everyone who has ever worn the yellow cape has matured into something more. And keeping with the red theme that now permeates Nightwing’s costume to match Red Hood and Red Robin, Damian decided to do the same as his new moniker is Redbird. What this means in the future, we will have to wait and see, but at the very least after ‘Matches’ stumbled into a Leviathan trap, I think he’ll be happy to have Redbird around next issue. 

DC – Green Lantern: New Guardians #12 – After finally realizing who has been pulling the strings of members of each lantern corps, Kyle and the others must band together to stop Invictus once and for all before he brings chaos to every star system in his path. But will the secret that Sayd has kept for so long also drive this group apart once their mission is accomplished?

Honestly, for what was supposed to be an epic final battle with Invictus, this issue felt flat in a lot of ways and was more about the upcoming drama within the Green Lantern Corps as Invictus folded like a house of cards after the Lanterns figured out what his power source was. It was also mostly about how no one in this New Guardians Group could trust one another, even after all they had been through and Kyle is left there twiddling his thumbs. The only interesting thing this issue brings up is the corruptions amongst the Guardians and how Kyle will fit into that picture as the fabled ‘Third Army’ that has been built up over the last few months will finally come to fruition in the next couple of issues. 

IDW – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #13 – The Turtles are still rattled after nearly losing Splinter to the hands of the Shredder and even Splinter himself isn’t the same. But when Casey Jones stumbles into the sewers, beaten and bloodied once again by his father, Raphael has enough and goes out to wreak vengeance on the old drunk. Splinter feels this is a perfect time to teach his son a lesson of ninjitsu though. Meanwhile, the Shredder realizes that Karai is not fit to serve him as his second-in-command, even though we find out that she was the one who resurrected Shredder, her grandfather. We also see Krang finally show off his true form, that of a living brain!

Even though Shredder and Krang were two short asides for the main part of this story, this is obviously setting up the team-up that fans of the 80s cartoon have been waiting for. Shredder needs a new second-in-command, Krang needs someone more competent than Baxter Stockman. The ending to this book was shocking though and makes me wonder just how dark Kevin Eastman will take his original characters in the next issue as Splinter is definitely different after his encounter after his old nemesis. If you haven’t been getting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles yet, now is a great time to get on board as it looks like business is about to pick up!

After an eventful Summerslam PPV, the WWE found itself in Fresno, CA, the site of RAW episode number 1004, to witness the fallout of the biggest event of the summer.

Main Plot Overview: CM Punk continued his quest for respect last night and in the process earned the right from GM AJ Lee to name his number one contender for Night of Champions and to the delight of the WWE Universe, Punk wanted to name John Cena, but one condition. And that was that John had to admit CM Punk was the best wrestler in the world.

When John refused though, after a long tirade about how important it is to always believe in yourself and that no matter how many times you fall down you need to get back up, and a bunch of other trivial self-help garbage, the title picture remained muddied. CM Punk, still looking for that respect, then demanded Jerry Lawler, the man who said Punk turned his back on the WWE Universe, offer him an apology and say the same thing. Although Lawler did apologize, he refused as well to say that Punk was best in the world, and thus got what he deserved. A kick upside the head by Punk.

It’ll be interesting to see how this long, drawn out story goes and why the WWE feels the need to insert Lawler into this shenanigans (now dubbed Minister or Propaganda by Punk), but as long as CM Punk remains champion, as he has now for nine months and counting, things will definitely remain interesting.

Match of the Night: Quite honestly, as is typical of RAW as it shakes off the post-PPV hangover, many of the matches were very one-sided, not clear-cut, or just plain not interesting. There were a couple of contenders for the Match of the Night though.

The Divas #1 Contendership Battle Royale just because of all the ladies being in the ring at once. Randy Orton vs Alberto Del Rio was actually very enjoyable for the most part until the ending. But the match that stood out above all others was the Dolph Ziggler vs Chris Jericho rematch of Summerslam, with the stipulation that if Ziggler lost, he’d lost his MITB briefcase, and if Jericho lost, he’d lose his job.

This match had the great pacing and top-notch technical acumen that we saw the night before during the PPV, but this time there was actually something of worth on the line (even though if you follow Jericho at all, you knew he was going to lose because he’s about to start touring with Fozzy, his band, once again). The match started off with Ziggler coming out of the gates on fire, not wanting at all to relinquish his briefcase, but Jericho started hitting a few great spots including both an axe handle smash and missile drop kick off the top rope. When he would go for his patented lionsault though, things would go awry as Ziggler countered with a pair of knees to the gut, followed by his Zig Zag to end it. Great pacing and tight wrestling all around made this an easy pick for Match of the Night.

Promo of the Night: This was an easy one as RAW kicked off with none other that Mr. Paul Heyman and his client Brock Lesnar. The pair were coming down to the ring to obviously gloat after their huge win over HHH at Summerslam where Brock ‘broke’ HHH’s arm and made one the WWE’s most resilient fighters tapout.

But not only did they gloat, but Heyman, in classic feel fashion, deemed Brock the new ‘King of Kings’ and therefore the entire WWE Universe must bow down now to Brock Lesnar. The pure intensity on Heyman’s face, while Brock danced around in one spot like he always does like he’s about to hit someone, as he made this proclamation was absolutely a joy to watch and I recommend you check out the video of it over at wwe.com if you can find it.

The best part of the whole promo though may have been when they called Scott Armstrong down to the ring and Heyman told the referee to hurry up because it was live TV (of course, he may have been taking his time because they wanted to make sure they could fill three hours again), and then Lesnar got right in the referee’s face, who was told by HHH to let the two fight, and Lesnar said ‘Good job’. Armstrong then ran away before he wet himself. Absolutely brilliant way to kick the show off.

Shocker of the Night: The Shocker of the Night didn’t come in a promo or a match announcement, it came in an actual match when AJ decided it best for Kane to tag with Zack Ryder against Daniel Bryan and The Miz. This comes just a few months after Zack Ryder’s big push and feud against Kane where Kane literally push Ryder off the stage in a wheelchair and tried to do…things…with his girlfriend of the time, Eve.

Just as shockingly though was the two seemed to be working well together until Daniel Bryan, the latest target of Kane’s wrath, entered the ring against the Big Red Monster and Kane was ready to get revenge for his upset loss at Summerslam. Daniel Bryan would have no part of it though and ran straight out of the ring, through the crowd, and out of the arena, resulting in a countout win for Kane and Ryder.

Luckily, things resumed some sort of normalcy when in his rage at having lost Daniel Bryan a second time, Kane took his rage out on Ryder, delivering a Tombstone Piledriver that was originally intended for Daniel Bryan the night before.

Cheap Pop of the Night: During the Cena tirade about how important it is for someone to believe in him/herself, he kept dropping little facts about Fresno, CA, from their location to their football team and had the crowd eating out of his hand. Considering how polarizing John is typically amongst WWE fans, this was a rare moment where it seemed he had 100% of the folks in attendance behind him, even if he had to kiss their butts to do so. Therefore, it was with ease to name John Cena’s little self-help speech about Fresno the Cheap Pop of the Night.

Bunch of Whack Jobs

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have announced that the second season of the ABC sitcom Happy Endings will be released on DVD on October 2.

Besides the twenty-one episodes, Happy Endings: The Complete Second Season will also include deleted scenes and out-takes.

The three disc collection will retail for $45.99.

Lil’ Superfriends

Funko have announced that they’ve just released the DC Universe Mini Wacky Wobbler Bobblehead 4 Pack.

These 3-inch bobbleheads include a stoic-looking Batman, a frowny Superman, a happy version of The Joker, and a Green Lantern who looks like he just saw the Green Lantern movie.

The set of four retails for around $29.99.

Knights In Sweet Service

Funko have announced that they’ve released four vinyl figures of Hello Kitty dressed as the members of Kiss. And no, we did not just make that up.

Each of the 5.5-inch tall figures are dressed to look like the members of Kiss in the ’70s, with one each for The Demon (Gene Simmons), The Starchild (Paul Stanley), The Catman (Peter Criss), and The Spaceman (Ace Frehley).

Each will retail for $11.99, though you might want to get the Spaceman and Catman ones before the other two kick them out and replace them with different toys wearing the same outfits.

It Was A Graveyard Smash…

Funko have announced that some newly redesigned versions of their Star Wars Mini Monster Mash Up Bobbleheads are available now, with more coming on September 20.

The 4.5-inch tall bobbleheads turn such favorite Star Wars characters as Yoda and Darth Vader and gives them a monster make-over. Vader, for instance, is crossed with Frankenstein’s monster; Yoda has a zombie thing going on; while the Stormtrooper has a skeleton look about him.

The Darth Vader, Stormtrooper, and Yoda ones are now available; the mummified Tusken Raider and Grim Reaper-looking Jawa one will be September 20.

World’s Finest

Cartoon Network has announced that the sixth season of Robot Chicken will kick off on September 9th at midnight with the Robot Chicken DC Comics Special.

The twenty-two minute long special will, of course, parody such DC Comics characters as Batman, Superman, and the other Super Friends, and will feature such guest voices as Neil Patrick Harris (Two-Face), Nathan Fillion (Green Lantern), and Megan Fox (Lois Lane).

The season will then continue the following week with regular 11-minute episodes that will include appearances—well, vocally, anyway—by Elizabeth Banks, Whoopi Goldberg, Kat Dennings, Sam Elliot, Ben Foster, Gillian Jacobs, Zachary Levi, Sara Chalke, Stanley Tucci, Olivia Wilde, and both Patrick and Jon Stewart.

Always Wear A Rubber

Criterion have announced that they’ll release a DVD boxed set of four cult classic Japanese rubber suit monster movies on November 20.

When Horror Came To Shochiku, which is named for the Japanese film studio that made these low-budget flicks in 1967 and ’68, will include the movies The X From Outerspace, The Living Skeleton, Genocide, and Goke, Body Snatcher From Hell.

All four have had their picture and sound digitally remastered, and are presented in the original Japanese mono with English subtitles.

The box will retail for $59.95.

Apocalypse Now

The Criterion Collection has announced that they’ll release a special edition of Jean-Luc Godard’s post-apocalyptic drama Weekend on DVD and Blu-ray on November 13.

Besides giving the film a digital restoration, both editions will include a new video essay by film critic Kent Jones, archival interviews with the cast and assistant director Claude Miller, an excerpt from a French TV show on Godard that includes on-set footage, the original trailers, and a booklet with an essay by critic and novelist Gary Indiana. In addition, the Blu-ray will include an uncompressed monaural soundtrack.

The DD will retail for $29.95 while the Blu-ray will be $39.95.

Rash, Rash, Ooh What You Do To Me…

The Criterion Collection have announced that they’ll release a special edition of Akira Kurosawa’s classic Rashomon on DVDs and Blu-ray on November 6.

As with all of their releases, Rashomon will feature a new digital restoration of the film, with the Blu-ray also getting an uncompressed monaural soundtrack.

In addition, the film will also include a new English subtitle translation, as well as an introduction by M*A*S*H and Nashville director Robert Altman (no, not the Bethesda guy), and commentary by Japanese film historian Donald Richie.

Also included in both versions are excerpts from a documentary on the film’s cinematographer called The World Of Kazuo Miyagawa, a making-of documentary called A Testimony As An Image, a vintage audio interview with star Takashi Shimura, both the original and rerelease trailers, and a booklet with an essay by film historian Stephen Prince, an excerpt from Kurosawa’s autobiography, and the two short stories by Ryunosuke than inspired the films.

The DVD will retail for $29.95 while the Blu-ray will be $39.95.

Why’d It Have To Be Really Big Snakes

Paramount Pictures have announced that Raiders Of The Lost Ark will return to theaters—IMAX theaters, that is—for a one week run starting September 7.

It’s an obvious crass marketing movie, clearly designed to promote the upcoming Blu-ray boxed set Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures, which includes all four films in high-def—including a new edition of Ark overseen by director Steven Spielberg—as well as tons of making-of featurettes, trailers, and other extras. But since we haven’t seen this movie on the big screen in thirty years…we’ll allow it.

For a list of participating theaters and show times, visit the official IMAX website.

Flash Forward

Blizzard and Gallery Books have announced that the next Starcraft II novel, Flashpoint, will be released on November 6.

Written by Chrisie Golden—who’s written numerous Starcraft, Warcraft, and Star Trek novels—Starcraft II: Flashpoint, according to the release, “follows Jim Raynor, Sarah Kerrigan, and the crew of the Hyperion as they battle their way across Dominion space to find their one hope of refuge from the tireless forces of Emperor Arcturus Mengsk.”

The novel is set after the events of the game, and also serves to set up the upcoming add-on, Heart Of The Swarm.

The book will retail for $15.26 for the hardcover while the eBook will be $12.99.

A decent haul this week saw a couple of new number ones permeate the pile and make things interesting for this week’s Pullbox!

Note: Due to EGM’s presence at Gamescom, the Pullbox will be put on hiatus next week.

DC – Batman and Robin #12 – The new villain Terminus finally reveals himself to Batman and looks to not only destroy the Dark Knight and Boy Wonder, but all of Gotham as well!

This book was one of the most anti-climactic ends to a story arc I’ve read in quite some time. Not only did Batman easily dispose of this new villain, permanently, but the entire sequence with the bomb played out way too much like The Dark Knight Rises and it makes me wonder how much comics and movies go hand-in-hand nowadays. At the very least, we know now Batman can hopefully move on to a villain with a little more gravitas than the awful Terminus and get this book back on track after this issue jumped off the rails. Not pleased with it at all right now.

DC – Deathstroke #12 – Lobo is ready to wipe the Earth from the galaxy baby and only Deathstroke is in his way! How Lobo escaped in the first place also surfaces and it makes Deathstroke realize he has a lot more problems on his hands than just the last of the Czarnians.

Now this is how you finish off a story arc. The end battle between Deathstroke and Lobo was epic and Deathstroke’s finally few pages of dialogue really helped you see the inner workings of the character more than anything else up to this point. The art is classic Rob Liefeld meaning you either love it or hate it, but considering how much action this book had in it, I think he was the right guy for the job. The big question now is to figure out where Slade goes from here after collecting one of his biggest bounties in quite some time.

Marvel – Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe #2 – Deadpool has a new voice inside his head calling the shots and it spells disaster for the entirety of the Marvel Universe as no one is safe as Deadpool hasn’t just broken the fourth wall, he’s shattered it!

I really thought I would be enjoying this spoof spin-off of Deadpool’s usual over the top antics a lot more, but it may in fact be too crazy even for him as it moves away from the goofy and into the dark comedy realm a bit, and I’m not really sure how I like that. The Avengers, Spider-Man, Dr. Doom, and The Incredible Hulk all fall victim to Wade Wilson in this issue and do so far too easily for my liking. I mean, I’ve wanted to shoot Spider-Man in the head for a long while, too, but this left a surprisingly poor taste in my mouth, even if Spidey’s gruesome demise was at least awesome to watch. I’m still not sure how to feel about this one, but I’ll definitely be picking up Issue Three to see just where it can go from here.

Marvel – Gambit #1 – Out of the bayou, off campus from Wolverine’s school, and on a mission to get himself into some old school trouble, Remy LeBeau, best known to the Marvel Universe as Gambit, is looking to cause some trouble with some very interesting characters.

I really didn’t know what to expect from this comic, but a cross between the spy gadgets you might get in an Ed Brubaker book crossed with the crazy thieving scenarios of something like the movie Entrapment, but with a Marvel twist (and no Catherine Zeta Jones in spandex unfortunately), left me just scratching my head in a perplexed, and definitely not entertained sort of way. The coolest thing about Gambit is his power and we barely saw even a glimmer of that in this book and then the entire ending was like diving off a cliff into three feet of water. It made no damn sense and didn’t make me want to do it again. A disappointing start for this new book and yet another Marvel #1 in recent weeks that just left me asking ‘why?’.

Valiant – Archer and Armstrong #1 – The top 1% of America is actually part of a sadistic religious cult who trains children inside an amusement park and only lets the one who can rise above them all out into the real world. His mission is simple: destroy the evil that cannot be named, but who conveniently hangs out in a dive bar in New York City as is actually named Armstrong. What the…

So, yeah, my summary is exactly what happens in this first issue of this new series from Valiant Comics. And as crazy as it sounds, wow, it was really good. It got off to a slow start and I admit it gave off a weird vibe, but by the time I finished it, I seriously cannot wait to see what happens next in what could turn out to be one of the most enjoyable odd couples to watch as Archer, the boy who rose above it all, and Armstrong, a tank of a man who doesn’t seem all that bad but is branded evil by this religious cult, will have to work together in short order I’m sure. Take what you will from the comic’s clear political statements, the point is the comic is well-written, thoroughly entertaining, and setting itself up to be something that could be a regular here in the Pullbox. Do yourself a favor, and pick this up.

Dredd Fan

IDW have announced that they will begin a new series of Judge Dredd reprint editions, starting with a 248 hardcover edition called Judge Dredd: The Complete Brian Bolland.

IDW have also announced that these same comics will get a similar colorizing treatment as their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimate Collection, which will be released as monthly editions starting in the spring. These 32-page comics will be colored by Charlie Kirchoff, who recently colored some Doctor Who comics.

As for Judge Dredd: The Complete Brian Bolland, it will retail for $49.99 when it comes out in November.

O.D. (Original Director)

Think Tank have announced that The Art Of Rap, a documentary directed and hosted by Ice-T, will be released on DVD, VOD, and other digital formats on September 18.

Besides the film, the DVD will also include a commentary by Ice-T and producer Paul Toogood, a featurette called “The Making Of Something From Nothing: The Art Of Rap” with Dr. Gaye Theresa Johnson, Assistant Professor, Black Studies Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, as well as deleted interview segments with such people as Eminem, Ice Cube, and KRS-One.

The 25^th anniversary of Summerslam is right around the corner and with the card only half-booked, it would be interesting to see how storylines continued to develop before heading into one of the most anticipated PPVs of the year.

Note: Due to EGM’s presence at Gamescom next week, there will be no Sleeper Hold until the week following Summerslam.

Main Plot Overview: CM Punk is tired of being disrespected and confronts AJ at the top of RAW to demand that the main event at Summerslam no longer be a triple-threat match as he can lose the belt without even being pinned or submitting. AJ does not care though, looking fantastic in an all-white power suit (have I mentioned before on this how much I love her?) and continues to supposedly disrespect Punk by making the main event of RAW John Cena vs Daniel Bryan in a warm up match for the two before Summerslam (the Big Show and Randy Orton were also in action). Punk demanded a match though and so AJ said it wasn’t up to her, but the WWE Universe as they got to vote to see if Punk would face Kane, Rey Mysterio, or The Miz (the two not picked faced off later that night, in this case being Kane and Miz).

Later in the evening, after the brilliant main event match (more on that in a bit) Punk would continue his gradual heel turn as after Big Show again stormed the ring and John Cena went for an AA, Punk pushed the two of them again. Punk then talked about how he felt he was being walked all over and that part of the reason is his fault, as Cena pointed out in an earlier promo, and so it was no more Mr. Nice Guy from CM Punk. The show then ended with Punk looking to do more damage to the two men in the ring, but Big Show popped up and knocked out both Cena and Punk with a pair of WMD punches, which basically is just to instill doubt in people’s minds that Punk may not walk out of LA the champ.

Match of the Night: I was pleasantly surprised that the best match of the night was actually the main event. Nothing else was particularly special, although the CM Punk vs Rey Mysterio and Christian vs Alberto Del Rio matches had some very good moments.

Yes, amazingly, the John Cena vs Daniel Bryan match was the match most worth watching last night as Bryan carried Cena with a match that saw several finishers countered into submission maneuvers, submission maneuvers countered into finishers, high flying moves off the ring apron, and Daniel Bryan’s continued descent into madness as he tore up ‘YES!’ signs in the crowd and even got into shouting matches with some of the more vocal members of the WWE Universe.

No surprise that Cena was put over in this match with Summerslam less than two weeks away and him in the WWE title match, but Daniel Bryan continued to impress with his in-ring skills, including a flying headbutt clear across the entirety of the ring, Sure, Cena hit his few patented maneuvers, but see Daniel Bryan work with him though the match was a thing of beauty and it actually made so you couldn’t look away as you didn’t know what was going to happen next.

Promo of the Night: Although it was the shortest promo of the night, when CM Punk knocked over Cena and Big Show and grabbed the microphone after Cena’s main event match, the venom he spewed for the next minute solid was spectacular. With shades of the anger he exhibited when he dropped his infamous pipe bomb last year, Punk’s monologue called out everyone around him, including Jerry Lawler, and talked about how important the WWE Championship really is and that the WWE Universe did not truly understand what went with carrying that belt around.

The promo was also critical as it took another step towards Punk’s heel turn, even though much of the crowd still agrees with Punk and so he is in the murky ‘anti-heel’ phase now where he may be mad all the time and he might take some cheap shots (although he legitimately beat Mysterio earlier in the evening), he makes good points and is still one of the best wrestlers in the WWE, making a strong portion of the fan base able to forgive some of the things he says and does. And for that single minute there, backed up by the pure rage that Punk holds at bay, many of us hoped Punk wouldn’t stop talking and RAW would end on another of his rants.

Shocker of the Night: This was a difficult one in that there wasn’t really much to be shocked by over the course of the night. But if we had to choose something, it would probably be a couple of things in the CM Punk vs Rey Mysterio match. The big shocker here was that Rey Mysterio hit his patented 619, but since the WWE didn’t want the champ to look weak against a random opponent, and so Punk could keep yelling ‘Best in the World!’, Mysterio supposedly got greedy and Punk countered Mysterio’s high-flying maneuver follow-up to the 619 and was able to capitalize for the win.

Also just as shocking was that Mysterio looked like he was dressed up as The Riddler from Batman Forever as he was wearing all white with a big green question mark in the middle of his chest. And I thought I was a big comic book fan.

Cheap Pop of the Night: Alberto Del Rio made the mistake earlier in the evening of calling AJ ‘crazy’ and in doing so prompted her fury, putting Del Rio in a match against Christian, that also could have been a Match of the Night contender had it not ended cheaply with a distraction by Ricardo Rodriguez. After the match was over though, with Del Rio victorious, he was shocked to see Sheamus on the Titantron, with Del Rio’s keys to his custom Ferrari. Sheamus then proceeded to talk about how he was going to see how San Antonio (the location of last night’s RAW) treated him and in doing so got thunderous applause from the crowd.

It was humorous to see Sheamus TOUTing his escapades the entire evening throughout San Antonio, continuing the cheap pops, but the best part of the night was when he brought back a filthy Ferrari that Ricardo then had to clean up. But for this blatant imagery and constant mentioning of San Antonio, Sheamus gets our Cheap Pop of the Night.

Indy 500

Paramount Home Video have announced the extra features they’ll include on Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures, which will be released on Blu-ray on September 18.

Besides digitally remastered versions of the first three films — the first of which, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, was personally overseen by director Steven Spielberg — the five-disc boxed set will also include the original trailers, the original making-of featurettes from each movie’s respective DVD edition (and BD in the case of The Crystal Skull), interviews, as well as a new two-part documentary called “On Set With Raiders Of The Lost Ark.”

The collection will retail for $99.99.

Welcome To The Occupation

Capital/I.R.S. Records have announced that R.E.M.’s 1987 album Document will get the deluxe reissue treatment on September 25.

Besides a digitally remastered version of that album — which includes the songs “The One I Love” and “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” — the two-disc collection will also include a recording of their oft-bootlegged September 14, 1987 show un Utrect, Holland. Sadly, though, it’s not the complete show, as it omits their covers of Clique’s “Superman,” Iggy Pop’s “Funtime,” Wire’s “Strange,” Hugo Largo’s “Harpers,” and Peter Gabriel’s “Red Rain.”

The collection also includes four postcards and new liner notes by journalist David Daley.

Along with the two-disc CD collection, the album will also be released on 180g vinyl by Mobile Fidelity.

Sending Out An S.O.S.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have announced that Rescue Me: The Complete Series will be released on DVD on September 25.

The twenty-disc collection will including gag reels, 90 deleted scenes, 31 making-of featurettes, 2 commentaries, 1 extended scene, AND PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE!

No price for collection was announced.

Three’s Company

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have announced that every episode of the original Charlie’s Angels will be collected in a massive boxed set, due out September 25.

The twenty-seven disc set will include all five seasons of the show, as well as a featurette called “Angels Forever.”

No price for this collection was announced.

The Greatest Show In The Galaxy

BBC Home Video have announced that two classic Doctor Who stories will be released on DVD on August 14.

For fans of Doctor #3, John Pertwee, Doctor Who: Spearhead From Space: Special Edition not only has that four-episode story arc, but also include two audio commentaries, making-of featurettes, and other extras. It will retail for $24.98.

As for those who prefer the seventh medicine man, Sylvester McCoy, Doctor Who: The Greatest Show In The Galaxy pairs that story with a commentary, deleted and extended scenes, and other extras. It will also retail for $24.98.