Avatar: The Last Airbender- The Promise Part 2 Hits #1 On Charts

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AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER—THE PROMISE PART 2 HITS #1 ON THE CHARTS!
 
June 18, MILWAUKIE, OR—In an amazing show of demand for Dark Horse’s latest graphic novel, Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Promise Part 2 soared to the top of the BookScan charts and the New York Times bestseller list last week!
Written by Gene Luen Yang, author of the National Book Award–nominated American Born Chinese, Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Promise Part 2 follows the Airbender television series and ties directly to the brand-new smash-hit television series The Legend of Korra!
Ever since the conclusion of Avatar: The Last Airbender, millions of fans have been hungry for more—and it’s finally here! The Promise rejoins Aang and friends for exciting new adventures, beginning with a face-off against the Fire Nation that threatens to throw the world into another war, testing all of Aang’s powers and ingenuity! 
Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Promise Parts 1 and 2 are must-have additions for any Airbender fan! This is the latest release in an ongoing partnership between Nickelodeon and Dark Horse to bring you the very best in Airbender books.
Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Promise Parts 1 and 2 are on sale now!
Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Promise Part 3 is on sale September 26, 2012!
About Dark Horse
Founded in1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Felicia Day, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, including The Mask, Ghost, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Its successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Emily the Strange, Tim Burton’s Tragic Toys for Girls and Boys, Serenity, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material.
 
About Nickelodeon Consumer Products
Nickelodeon Consumer Products manages the world’s number-one TV-based licensing business, representing leading properties such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer, and managing merchandising for Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTVN International, and Spike TV.
Nickelodeon is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 16 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

The Dark Knight Rises Trailer # 4

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The new and probably final trailer for "The Dark Knight Rises" was just released. Most of it is clips you have seen, but it gives you more insight on the plot and film. Trust me you haven't seen anything the film is 2 hours and 45 mins. Based on this trailer it seems Bane knows that Bruce is Batman, which would be wonderful since he does that in the comic "Knightfall", you'll also see some elements of "The Dark Knight Returns" and "No Man's Land" in here. This looks like Nolan will end with a bang.

A Retro Look Back At Yu Yu Hakusho (Sega Genesis)

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It's Tuesday so you know what that means. It's time to travel back into the past and take a look at another game from the 16 bit era. This time I take a look at one of my favorite Anime's "Yu Yu Hakusho" for the Sega Genesis.


Dearest Otakus & Geeks

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Dearest Otakus and Geeks,

It's been far tooooo long and I miss every last one of you cool ninjas & pirates! As always, I was away with good reason, since it IS any artists busiest time of year. But I'm not returning without goodies. As of late, I have been working on my brand, Indian Pussy Brand, complete with a new site, store, and tons of goodies. Though my last iPukeKAWAiI installation, was just a bit over a month ago now, there's still tons to do in the next month.

In short, I'll be back with goodies in art, fashion, and now ... MUSIC! Otakus and Geeks is also letting me grow here as an artist, so I'll also be a bit more visual in my sharing and some other future treats for the blog I love calling home. All of this will begin August 1, right in time for some of the East Coast's dopest anime & comic conventions!

Don't worry! I'll still be posting until then, but in the mean time, let's hear from you. If there's any fan art, music, news or cool what have you's that you'd like me to consider covering ... reach out! Let's build.

Sun, August 5 @ 1pm
(& every Sunday thereafter)
This Week in ... ! <3 IKB



Until then ... iPukeKAWAiI
~je t'adore!

Battlefield 3 Gamers Want A Dinosaur Mode -- Get #BF3Dinos Trending

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Battlefield 3 Gamers Want A Dinosaur Mode -- Get #BF3Dinos Trending
Battlefield 3 might get a Dinosaur mode, a mode which has been requested for the FPS even before it was released, and not just by me. The mode has been the topic of conversation for nearly a year now, but nothing has been confirmed by DICE. But thanks to Twitter, DICE might take a look at making Jurassic Warfare a reality. If you're confused, let me back up.

First, Battlefield 3's community manager, from the official @Battlefield account, recently tweeted,
"@zamielk No, at this time there is no word on a dinosaur DLC. Would you like one? And if so, would it be humans vs. dinosaurs? ^KB"
Dinosaurs were then brought up again thanks to a post on Reddit yesterday. The BF3 Community Manager posted these encouraging words.
"Glad to see the enthusiasm.
Really, though, if this is something you guys want the best way to go about it is to try to get #BF3Dinos off the ground on Twitter.
If that sh*t trends it's pretty hard to ignore."

Battlefield 3 Gamers Want A Dinosaur Mode -- Get #BF3Dinos Trending
To prove these dino-lovers meant business, word spread and sure enough, #BF3Dinos became a trending topic. DICE hasn't officially acknowledged the public outcry, but I think it's fair to say they're paying attention now.

What say you? Do you think DICE should add a Dinosaur Survival Mode to Battlefield 3? I kind of want that more than anything. I shall add my tweet as soon as I post this!
Source: Examiner

All The Walking Dead #100 Covers… Adlard, Silvestri, Quitely, McFarlane, Phillips, Hitch, Ottley…

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All the covers to Walking Dead #100 shipping on the same day that San Diego Comic Con starts.





Charlie Adlard…








Marc Silvestri…

Frank Quitely…



Todd McFarlane


Sean Phillips


Bryan Hitch…


Ryan Ottley


Charlie Adlard (wraparound)
 
Charlie Adlard (black and white wraparound 1:200)

Charlie Adlard (chromium wraparound)




Rosario + Vampire Review

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Tsukune Aono is a normal high school teenager, who is unable to get into any private school due to his poor grades. However, with the help from his parents, he gets enrolled to a private school called Yokai Academy. When he arrives at the school, he soon discovers that Yokai Academy is a secret private school for supernatural monsters and mythological creatures disguised as humans, and any human who finds out about its existence will eventually be killed without mercy.

The Devil & Her Love Song (Manga Review)

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Story- In "The Devil and Her Love Song" a girl named Kawai Maria transferred from her old all girls Catholic school to Touzuka High School. It is a public school that has horrible standards. Maria is very observant and is honest. I mean she is the personification of truth serum. She can actually sense your true feelings. She is very sharped of tongue and straightforward with everyone. This makes people call her the devil. However she sings like an angel! Only two boys at the school talk and associate with Maria. Will she drive them away with her devilish charm or win them with her angelic voice?


I love this manga. It is well written and the characters easy to connect to in a high school setting. People are misunderstood and sometimes it can lead to isolation and bullying. I for one commend Maria for being herself throughout the manga and seeing the people around her understand and come to like her. She is my favorite character. The themes of judgement, what people are truly thinking, being who you are, and most importantly learning about the truth, is what makes this manga a must read for everyone. I almost cried at one point of the story because it is so powerful and it really speaks out to me.


Art- The art in the manga (as you can see fro this picture) is gorgeous. It has its own unique style that I love. It really sets the groundwork for this type of story line.


Final Grade A+ 10/10- I love this manga so much and it goes to show to never "judge a book by it's cover." Manga Rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


WAR'S NO GAME IN THINK TANK

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New thriller from Top Cow's Minotaur Press

BERKELEY, CA - June 12, 2012 — Image Comics and Minotaur Press, an imprint of Top Cow Productions, proudly announce the newest addition to their critically acclaimed line: THINK TANK. From the creative minds of Matt Hawkins (LADY PENDRAGON, PILOT SEASON: THE TEST) and Rahsan Ekedal (ECHOES, Solomon Kane), THINK TANK #1 blends taut action with the actual science of today.

Child prodigy, inventor, genius, slacker… mass murderer. These are all ways to describe the brilliant Dr. David Loren. When a military think tank’s smartest scientist decides he can no longer stomach creating weapons of destruction, will he be able to think his way out of his dilemma or find himself subject to the machinations of smaller men?

Debuting in August, THINK TANK is a four-issue science action thriller that will appeal to fans of other hit Image series like MANHATTAN PROJECTS and THE ACTIVITY.

"Dr. Loren's life and situation are my commentary on American so-called exceptionalism in a modern day setting with real science and weapons that you've never heard of that do actually exist,"  said writer Matt Hawkins. "The drones you see on TV flying in Afghanistan are decades-old technology. We marvel at these but the stuff coming out of DARPA and actual think tanks today rivals some of the most creative stuff you see in the best science fiction."

Published under Top Cow Productions' Minotaur Press imprint, the 32-page, black-and-white THINK TANK #1 will be in stores on Wednesday, August 1st, 2012 for $3.99. It is available for pre-order now in the June issue of Previews (order code JUN120435).

Tsumitsuki (Sin Dwellers) Manga Review

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Title: Tsumitsuki (Sin Dwellers)
Author: Hiro Kiyohara
Illustrator: Hiro Kiyohara
Pages: 183


Story - In the town that Takada Chinatsu moved to, there's a legend about demons called Tsumitsuki that possess the feelings of guilt a person has over their sins. Those who are possessed are slowly devoured, body and mind, as the demon manifests. As one of Takada's friends starts acting strangely, her classmate Kuroe steps in to help... but his true motives are hidden behind a mask.


"Tsumitsuki" is one enjoyable read from start to finish. It's broken down into five different chapters. Each chapter centers around a character that feels guilty of a sin they have committed. Enters the protagonist Kuroe who is truly a guy who will give you the chills. Without spoiling it, Kuroe is not your usual guy, he is a son of a priest who happens to have an awareness of demons and the spiritual realm. He is the main character of this Manga, however he is not the focal point of the story. Author Hiro Kiyohara focuses the story on the those possessed by the Tsumitsuki. The concept is scary, anyone with a high level of guilt over something they feel was wrong can be possessed. Hiro Kiyohara does a swell job of making you feel sorry for the people possessed. With each page turned, you see the character's mind and body slowly being devoured and you can't help but feel sympathy regardless of what they did. "Tsumitsuki" has a some great themes of revenge, redemption and fate, I love how "Tsumitsuki" is symbolic of how guilt that we consume in ourselves can end up destroying us. Overall the story is amazing! It's dark, gritty and intense.


Art - I love the art style of "Tsumitsuki." One of my favorite things about this art style is "Kuroe." Kuroe has these cold, haunting eyes, that you usually don't see from someone suppose to be the hero. The environments and action are all drawn out well, this is one good looking Manga.


Final Grade A-/9.0 - "Tsumistsuki" is a Manga you should check out. Great characters, chilling theme and concept, and it has heart and emotion. 


Cool Geeky Music Covers & Remixes

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It's Monday and you know that means O & G readers. It's time for Music and today I wanted to share some awesome music covers of some of your favorite geeky tunes. These tunes come from almost every genre of music. Check out these awesome covers from Youtubers. Post some cool themes you find in the comment section. 


TRON Legacy End Titles (Rock Cover)


Shedder Theme (TMNT) Cover/Instrumental


Batman Theme (Rock Cover)


Spiderman 60's Theme Cover


Final Fantasy Techno Remix


Star Wars Theme (Acapella Cover)


Pokemon Theme (Jazz Cover)



Venom Movie May Tie Into The Amazing Spider-Man

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Earlier today, Matt Patches over at Hollywood.com had a chance to talk with The Amazing Spider-Man producers Avi Arad and Matthew Tolmach, and during the inteview, he took the opportunity to ask them about Sony's planned Venom movie, which Chronicle director Josh Trank is rumored to be directing.

With the success of The Avengers, it makes perfect sense for Sony to want the part of the Marvel Universe they acquired during the '90s to work together as a whole, so one can expect that they'll take a similar real-life science approach with Venom's origin story as they do with Spider-Man and The Lizard in the upcoming reboot.

Arad explained the bigger picture plans for the Venom movie:

"It's an Eddie Brock story. We want to be as close to the comics as possible. Especially in Eddie Brock's story. But again, pseudo-science is becoming science. All these tidbits about webs, artificial webs, is a huge industry now. Spiderwebs have unique qualities that will be huge for communications, fibers, and so forth. So we have taken the approach that we want to make the huge amazing movie about Eddie."

"He was a journalist. He had the wrong story, he got in trouble for it, he got fired," Tolmach continued, going on to explain how they're approaching characters like Venom. "The whole essence to us for the Marvel characters is stay close to the bible, stay close to the emotional story, and the rest is fun. Look for the worlds to make sense with one another."

"Hopefully,all these worlds will live together in peace someday," he added, which gives us the biggest possible hint of what they might have planned

While there's nothing in The Amazing Spider-Man that even hints at Eddie Brock or his alien symbiote alter ego, that doesn't means that the already-planned 2014 sequel won't try to set something up or that they're eventually building to having Spider-Man fight Venom in a third installment.

Oh, wait. They already tried that.

Regardless, you can look for a lot more on Sony's The Amazing Spider-Man, including our own interviews with director Marc Webb and the cast, in the weeks leading up to its North American release on July 3.


June 9, 2012

Book Review by Lenni - “Now A Terrifying Motion Picture: Twenty-Five Classic Works of Horror Adapted From Book to Film” by James F. Broderick

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Ever have this argument while walking out of a movie theatre?
“The book is better!”
“No, it’s not! The movie was way better!”
Then the conversation degrades into a series of grunts and clicks unrecognizable to any but the purest book or movie geek.
With so many books being adapted to film; “Harry Potter,” “Hunger Games,” and (may the literary gods help us) “Twilight” – not to mention the recent hemorrhage of comic movies – I’d wager you all have had or overheard this argument at least a dozen times in the last few months alone. This book takes you through 25 classic horror movies and their book counterparts in order to reconcile the two.
From Amityville Horror to Village of the Damned, Broderick takes you through the history of the book and its impact on the horror genre to the movie and the differences in the imagery in the movie as compared to the film.
For all of these titles, if you haven’t read or seen the source material, you’re getting full summary of each one. This can be tedious if you’ve already seen the movie or read the book but there are always cool little factoids about the authors, actors, or directors you may not have known before.
From a scholarly perspective, this is an interesting read. The discussion of the transformation of a printed story to film is fascinating; especially when you get into the mind of a man like Alfred Hitchcock or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Learning about the author’s style versus the director’s style and how the tension in the book is placed on the screen is fascinating, though it may drag in some parts of the book.
I would best recommend this book for very rabid fans of horror in any form. If you see a movie and not care about anything but what’s on the screen in front of you for 120 minutes, this book will bore you. However, if you want a detailed discussion of your favorite horror films and books, Broderick’s book is not a bad place to start.

Dark Horse Comics Collects Guillermo del Toro's THE STRAIN

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DARK HORSE COMICS COLLECTS
GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S THE STRAIN!

JUNE 8, MILWAUKIE, OR—Acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and novelist Chuck Hogan bring their New York Times best-selling series of novels, the Strain Trilogy, to Dark Horse Comics with an ongoing adventure that takes a terrifying spin on the vampire genre. 
Renowned comics creator David Lapham (Stray Bullets, Silverfish) and artist Mike Huddleston (The Coffin, Butcher Baker) join forces in this comic book adaptation unlike any other—bringing del Toro and Hogan’s vision to life in a story that casts a deadly plague over the whole of humanity. The Strain Volume 1, collecting issues #1–#6 of this ongoing series, is a horror story unlike any other!
When a Boeing 777 lands at JFK International Airport and goes dark on the runway, the Centers for Disease Control, fearing a terrorist attack, calls in Dr. Ephraim Goodweather and his team of expert biological-threat first responders. Only an elderly pawnbroker from Spanish Harlem suspects a darker purpose behind the event—an ancient threat intent on covering mankind in darkness.
Praise for Guillermo del Toro’s The Strain:
“[The Strain] is one of the scariest comics on the stands, as genuine surprises await the reader at every turn of the page. Usually, such big reveals are left to the final moment, but with The Strain there’s almost a cliffhanger every few pages and that makes this series a truly surprising, and enjoyable, read.”—Broken Frontier
“One of the year’s best books. If I were to give you one bit of advice while reading this book, don’t read it in the dark.”—Comic Buzz 
The Strain Volume 1 is on sale November 14 in comic shops everywhere!
About Dark Horse
Founded in1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Felicia Day, and Guillermo Del Toro, and comics legends such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, including The Mask, Ghost, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Its successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Emily the Strange, Tim Burton’s Tragic Toys for Girls and Boys, Serenity, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material.



Star Trek Cast Voice Overs Announced for the Game

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PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND NAMCO BANDAI GAMES ANNOUNCE
ACTORS CHRIS PINE AND ZACHARY QUINTO TO REPRISE ICONIC FILM ROLES AS KIRK AND SPOCK
 FOR UPCOMING STAR TREK™ VIDEO GAME
     Pine and Quinto Lend Their Voice and Likeness to Highly Anticipated Video Game Releasing In 2013
LOS ANGELES, CA – (June 5, 2012) – Paramount Pictures and leading video game publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today announced that actors Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto who starred as Captain James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock in producer and director J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek (2009) film reboot, will reprise their roles in the Star Trek™ video game. The highly anticipated co-op game is set to release in early 2013 on Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. 
“We are thrilled to have these incredible actors, lending their voice to the legendary characters of Kirk and Spock in the video game realm,” said LeeAnne Stables, Paramount Pictures’ President of Consumer Products and head of the studio’s video game unit. “Players are in for a truly authentic experience with the combination of talent we have assembled bringing this action adventure game to life.”
In addition to Pine and Quinto, other actors from the 2009 film are depicted in the game including actress Zoe Saldana, in the role of Lieutenant Uhura, Simon Pegg as the benevolent Scotty, Karl Urban as the beloved Dr. “Bones” McCoy, John Cho as Sulu and Anton Yelchin as Chekov.
“There are certain elements at the core of Star Trek – insurmountable odds, exploration, villains like the Gorn and heroes like Kirk and Spock,” said Carlson Choi, VP of Marketing and NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. “Our goal is to pull gamers as deep into the Star Trek universe as possible and an integral part of that is the talent that make these characters their own."
The game’s original story is being penned by BAFTA award winner and God of War writer Marianne Krawczyk in collaboration with Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, writers and producers for the upcoming Star Trek film. Built from the ground up as the ultimate co-op experience, the Star Trek video game lets players control both Kirk and Spock in a sweeping journey of epic proportions across unexplored planets and enemy battleships with the latest 23rd century weapons and gear. Kirk and Spock’s complementary personalities result in the most fully realized and varied co-op experiences for this console generation.
Under a license from CBS Consumer Products, Star Trek is being developed by Ontario-based developer Digital Extremes (Bioshock 2, Unreal Tournament, Dark Sector, The Darkness II) with production being overseen by Brian Miller, Senior Vice President at Paramount Pictures and Game Producer.
For more information on the Star Trek video game, please visit www.startrekgame.com  and follow the game on Twitter at www.twitter.com/star_trek_game.
For more information about NAMCO BANDAI Games, please visit http://www.namcobandaigames.com.
© 2012 Paramount Pictures Corporation.
® & © 2012 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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About NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.
NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., part of NAMCO BANDAI Holdings Inc., is a leading global publisher and developer of interactive content — including all major video game consoles, iOS, mobile and online.  The company is known for creating and publishing many of the industry’s top video game franchises, including PAC-MAN®, TEKKEN®, SOULCALIBUR®, NARUTO™, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN™, Dragon Ball®, GALAGA®, RIDGE RACER® and ACE COMBAT®.  More information about the company and its products can be found at www.namcobandaigames.com or www.facebook.com/namco.
About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.