Atlantica Online

Aside from comic books, one of my interests is playing PC games specifically MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online RPGs). Ive tried almost everything from Ragnarok Online to FF to World of Warcraft, etc. I was browsing through comicbookresources.com and saw the advertisement for a new free MMORPG. Now, I usually just ignore the ads whenever I see one for another mmorpg as there are practically tons of them out there right now.

But as they say the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Seeing that it offers a unique take on mmorpgs, being a strategic turn based type in contrast to the standard (beat-em-up style and potions all you want) style out in the market, isactually what made me click that link which eventually directed me to the games website. I browse around the site trying to decide if this game is actually even worth my time. The graphics, based on the screenshots, is top notch and the concept is very much appealing. So I decided to download the installer (the file is quite big >2.0GB) and give it a try.

The game feels very much like a typical console RPG (which is a good thing) where there’s a lot of quests to be done and levelling is not much of task as I was able to level up without even noticing since I was having a lot fun completing the quests. And when I say there are a lot of quests, believe me as there’s really a lot which keeps the game fresh and entertaining. Partying up with other users is also a lot of fun and the battle system (turn based) is actually what makes this game shine. The graphics will definitely invite you to try it but its the gameplay which is going to hook you on. The game publisher (ndoors) is so confident that users will like Atlantica Online that they even have an offer to buy your character (in cash) if you happen to don’t like the game.

The community is very friendly and helpful as well. Different people from different countries playing the game and having fun at the same time. The lag is non-existent which is surprising since the graphics is really good. The game is really fun and there are a lot of events happening round the clock (Betting Arenas, PVP, Treasure hunt, etc.)

In conclusion, I really liked this game and this would probably be keeping me up all night for quite some time. I strongly MMORPG fans to try this game out as not only is it going to be free (forever) but it even boasts a great battle system, full of content, great community and very professional handling by the management. Before I go I’m leaving you with an in game screenshot of my archer (I’m still at level 18 after 2 days) and I hope we can someday have an adventure together in game. Click on the image to enlarge.

Action Comics 869 Recalled?

Last week saw DC pulling out the All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder #10 from their shipping list due to printing errors. But that’s actually only one of the three which has been pulled out from their original shipping schedule last week, the other two is Action Comics #869 (part 4 of the much anticipated Brainiac arc) and DCU Decisions.

To those thinking that the reason Action Comics #869 was pulled out was because it contains swearing like All Star Batman #10, couldn’t be more further from the truth. The two covers below, one from the solicitation and the other one the actual cover shows the reason. Click the pictures to enlarge.

To those who can’t see the difference with the two pictures, the first one (the original image) shows Superman drinking beer with his dad while the edited one shows them drinking soda.

Just goes to show how much the publisher cares about Superman’s image (they won’t allow him to look cool, not even in the cover). I think the people in DC Comics would make for good publicists.

As to the reason why DCU Decisions was pulled out, no word on that yet.

Original image of the Batman and Robin #10

If you think that the cuss words in the comic-which slipped to public due to printing errors-is inappropriate. Wait ’til you see the real image for that particular page. Click on the page for the bigger picture which shows Batgirl grabbing the two guys *alls.

Diamond Sales charts for August 2008

Marvel continues its dominance over DC in the comic sales charts as Secret Invasion trumps Final Crisis and Batman: RIP.  Watchmen from DC Comics continues to be strong though for the graphic novel department.

TOP 300 COMICS FOR AUGUST 2008

TOP 100 GRAPHIC NOVELS FOR AUGUST 2008

Marvel and DC December 2008 Solicitations

It’s that pleasant time once again, the time for the solicitations for issues arriving in the near future (3 months from now). Solicitations give you a chance to take an advance peek but need to be careful though as spoilers are lying all over the solicitations.

DC Comics December 2008 Solicitations: Click here

Marvel Comics December 2008 Solicitations: Click here

Is Eva Longoria being cast in the Avengers Movie?

It seems that the Desperate Housewives star is being cast in the 2011 Avengers Movie as she was seen carrying Avengers comic books prior to leaving the Marvel Studios. Word is she’ll be playing the wasp or people are just thinking too much on this and that she really just went to the studio to get comics for her husband Tony to read while waiting for the start of the NBA season (duh!). Speculate away.

Source: Flawed Hollywood

Superman Begins: Ideas for the New Superman Movie pt. 1

2008 was a big year for comic-based films. Not only did we see the success of the Movie the Dark Knight, we’ve also seen the great offerings from Marvel in Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk. Marvel definitely showed their rival a thing or two on how to make films out of their properties and it seems that Warner Bros. is learning from it and already started to rethink their film strategy. One of the outcomes of that meeting is the decision to reboot the Superman Film Franchise.

Following the direction of the Dark Knight, DC/Warner is planning to make the universe for the new Superman a bit darker. It seems that they weren’t happy with the response they got from Superman Returns and decided to start a clean slate. I personally think it’s a great idea to reboot it but that just leads us to more questions such as how do you make Superman appealing in this day and age.

STORY. Well, the first thing that they’ve to look for is a great material or story to start with. It’s a given that a lot of people will watched a Superman movie regardless of the story but a Superman movie with great story will definitely attract new audiences (that’s the power of a good word of mouth from a satisfied customer) and will ensure that the film franchise will have strong legs to last for 3-6 movies.

Great stories come from great writers and the best place to start when looking for a great writer for a comic-based film is no other than the comic industry itself. DC/Warner did a great job by getting a writer who understands both medium (film & comics) in David Goyer. And what would a great comic writer assigned to write the origin for a character in a film based on comics do,  he would based the story of the film on the greatest story written in comics for that character which just happens to be the origin story of that character in Batman’s case. The Batman Begins writing team did a great job by loosely basing it on the Batman: Year One comic by Frank Miller. There are a ton of great stories in comics for DC characters just lying around, waiting to be used and it would be wise to use them. There’s definitely no need to re-invent the wheel in this case-use successful and great storylines from comics and adapt them into films and stop coming up with new stories which might not get a great reception from the audience.

The same thing can be done for the Superman franchise, the first thing to do is to select a great writer who knows his comic book stuff and knows his way around in film production. Fortunately, there are two comic book writers who fit the bill – Geoff Johns and Mark Millar.

Geoff Johns is the current writer of the long running Superman title Action Comics and he’s doing one heck of a job. To those of you not reading it, now would be the perfect time to start. Geoff’s storyline on Brainiac would be great if adapted to a movie (here’s a preview of part 1 of the Brainiac story) – I’m sure a lot of people share my opinion of not wanting to see another Superman movie with Lex Luthor as the villain. Just a side note, I can’t help but mention that the Superman drawn by Action Comics penciller, Gary Frank, is eerily similar to Christopher Reeves. Also, Geoff used to be the assistant of Richard Donner, director famous for the Superman Movies (what a coincidence) and had some experience writing in film/television as well (Blade series, Justice League Unlimited, Naughty or Nice and Smallville). Geoff’s stories show all the things we’ve come to love with the character and he’s great in crafting new storylines out of the old stories as well. If you want a writer who can effectively show you all the elements you loved from the character of Superman, then Geoff’s definitely your best bet.

If you want something unconventional or unique to start with your Superman Film Franchise, Enter Mark Millar. Mark Millar was the writer of the mega successful Marvel event Civil War and the recently produced into film short series, Wanted. Wanted 2 is already being planned and Kick-Ass, another comic series written by Millar, is already being produced into film right now. If there’s any writer who has shown the most passion in rebooting the Superman franchise (prior to the official reboot announcement) in the last few years, it is Mark Millar. Mark Millar has publicly proclaim his desire to do a Superman Movie and even went as far as to confess that doing a Superman Movie is probably his main mission in life. Millar even shares that he has an idea for a Superman Trilogy epic for 10 years now and was pitching it to Warner even prior to Superman Returns. So what’s stopping Warner from getting a writer who can breathe in new life to the Superman franchise and who is definitely passionate on doing it? Well, Mark Millar is currently on contract with Marvel, DC’s rival company. So unless Millar finishes his contract to Marvel or decide to sign with DC, Warner won’t even consider him.

So it looks like Geoff Johns is the best person for this job afterall. So to the executives of DC/Warner, please do yourself and the fans a favor and bring Geoff Johns in the Superman Films. I’m sure you won’t regret it. Well, that’s it for part 1, join me again for part 2 as we complete the cast of the Superman franchise including the director for the movie.

Geoff Johns joins Jim Lee in DC Universe Online

Just an update to the DC Universe Online, the massive multiplayer online game, coming out in 2009. Jim Lee, who design the characters for the game will be joined by fan favorite writer Geoff Johns who will be doing the origins of the characters. DC sure is putting all of their big guns in this project.

I’m a bit worried though that being involved here would affect Johns’ productivity in comics since he’s writing quite a lot right now – Action Comics, JSA, Green Lantern, the two Final Crisis tie-in Rogues Revenge and Legion of Three Worlds and the recently announced Flash: Rebirth. On a positive note, I’m sure that a lot of elements seen in his comics will be included in the game. So if you enjoy any of Geoff’s comics, better check this game out. And most importantly, the game will also be coming out for PC so there’s still hope for us PC gamers. Click on the link for more info.

Related post:

Batman: Video Game

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is a Skrull

Secret Invasion issue 6 just came out and as I was re-reading issue 5, I noticed something that I didn’t notice when I first read it. There’s one splash page there showing some notable and known figures such as Obama, John Mccain, the pope, Oprah, a southpark character (Kenny?), Paris Hilton, etc. One of those figures is the President of the Philippines saying that “the earth is now part of the skrull empire”.

Now, to those of you who don’t know, Leinil Francis Yu is from the Philippines and he just included the President of the Philippines as one of those people taken over by Skrulls. This can either be a great thing-Leinil showing his admiration for the President by including her in there-or this just shows Leinil’s utter disgust for the current government. Anyways, here’s an explanation from Leinil’s deviantart site regarding this matter. Click the pic below to see who else is a skrull.

Batman: Video Game

Most people are probably wondering why there isn’t a “The Dark Knight” video game to take advantage of the success of the film with the same name. Well, most probable reason is Warner Bros. didn’t expect the movie to be this successful and the second reason is – almost all of the Bat-related video games which came out in the past suck in terms quality.

It’s about time that we get a Bat-related video game that doesn’t suck as Eidos will release Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2009. Arkham Asylum isn’t related to the movie in any way but you can definitely see the influence of the movie and the comics with design of Bat’s armor in the game. The story is scripted Paul Dini, famous for crafting the Bat-universe in the animated series, and will pit Batman against most of his rogues.

The game is said to not only be a Beat-em-up style gameplay but will definitely feature Batman’s detective skills and his stealth. Sounds like MGS meets Tenchu. The game will be available for release 2009 in XBOX360, PS3 and PC (another reason for PC Gamers to celebrate). Here are some screenshots of the game.

While waiting for the game, Bat-fans might want to check out the Lego Batman video game. Following the success of the two Star Wars and the Indiana Jones game, Batman will also get the Lego treatment and an original story to boot. Click here for more on this story. The game will be release on September 23 on all platforms.

Before I go, here’s an old Batman 3D (mini mates) short movie created by the class of 2004 students from Dave School with voice from Adam West. Don’t you wish you can go to this school and create your own movies as well. Anyways-after watching this and playing that Lego game-you’ll have to admit that it’s fun seeing the Bat Universe in blocks-form (or in any form that is).

UPDATE: Aside from the two games mentioned, there will also be a Mortal Kombat versus DC Universe to be released on November 2008 and will be available for PS3 and XBOX 360. The game will be playable online and will feature all the big guns from DC Universe-Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, etc-fighting against the Mortal Kombat crew. If you love MK and DC or you simply want to play your favorite DC superheroes in a fighting game, then you better watch out for this.

If you’re more into online gaming than fighting games, then the DC Universe Online game is the one for you. DC Universe Online is basically your typical MMO (Massive Multiplayer Online) game, similar to City of Heroes/ Villain, and will feature character designs by Jim Lee. The game will be released sometime 2009    and will be available on PS3, XBOX 360 and PC. This is DC’s answer to the well received City of Heroes / Villains game-a game which allows players to create their own superheroes and interact with other superheroes created by other users but encountered issues due to some characters created by the players being too similar to some licensed characters from both DC and Marvel Universes-but is probably a few years too late.

Marvel is also planning to do a similar one for their heroes but decided to scrap the idea in the end. Probably seeing that there’s not much market for this kind of game now as compared to before. Anyways, hope everything works well for the DC Universe Online game.