Wolverine #70
Written by: Mark Millar
Art by: Steve McNiven

SPOILERS!!!!!
Continuing in the “Old Man Logan” storyline, Wolverine finally reveals what happened in the past that made him give up fighting or “popping” his claws: himself.

Yep, in the past he was the reason the bad guys won. Being cleverly tricked by a certain Mysterio-us villain, Wolverine unwittingly killed his teammates, giving the upperhand to the villains of the world. After realizing his own berserker-y ways, he exiled himself from the world. Vowing to never hurt anyone again.

Some cool scenes in this book are not only the vicious and extremely bloody (How is this not a Marvel MAX series?) fight scenes, but the conversation between Hawkeye and Logan about what happened in the past. Millar’s writing really conveys that Logan is truly sorry and, in ways, suicidal, about what he has done. Once again, this story arc is proving to be one of Wolverine’s best…evar…

McNiven’s art stands out again. It is cinematic and detailed and all around really, really purty. Fight scenes are fluid and gorgeously brutal. He really has a visual idea of how this broken down Wolverine and his world look.

Millar and McNiven ought to team up much more after this.
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What could end up being one of the biggest films of the year has hit Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital Download this week. The Dark Knight, Chris Nolan’s latest Batman film, has seemingly leaped the chasm that separates “superhero” films from their more pseudo-important dramatic brethren and looks to be headed for a coveted Best Picture Nomination. With a theatrical re-release also in the works, it’s no wonder that everyone is buzzing about this film and snapping up a copy for home in droves.

The Dark Knight is a big film. Being huge in scope and grand in execution, you may think the film would fall a little flat on the home screen. To my surprise, the power of the film translates well, despite the fact that it’s not on a huge IMAX screen. Once again, after a home viewing, I am more convinced than ever that this is one of, if not the, best films of the year.

The DVD and Blu-Ray editions of The Dark Knight can be purchased in a variety of money grabbing editions. On the Blu-Ray side, I counted three versions at my big box retailer. There are sets with a the “Special Edition” moniker that give you the discs packaged with either a Joker or Batman mask. In addition there is another deluxe edition that includes a model of the Batpod and one more that features the Blu-Ray case molded in the shape of Batman’s mask.

If you have the means, the Blu-Ray version is recommended and by far more informed videophiles than myself. The Dark Knight was shot using the IMAX format and as such, has a level of detail in the film that can best be translated using an HD format. Those viewing on DVD, while still getting a great movie to watch, will be losing out on some of the amazing visual power that this movie contains.

The special features go into great detail on the planning and execution of this grand vision. The stunts in the film are spectacular and seeing how they were both planned for and shot in IMAX is a treat for anyone interested in how movies are made. There is also a long documentary on the psychology of both the Batman and Joker that is a very interesting watch for those looking for a more in depth look at the characters and how they were portrayed in the film. With over 3 hours of special feature content, it’s heaven for movie fans and Batman fans alike.

The Blu-Ray edition of The Dark Knight also comes with a set of BD-Live features that include the ability to create your own commentary using your webcam and upload it for the world to see. Pretty neat idea, as long as some of usual webcam stuff we see on 360 and PS3 can be avoided. There is also the ability to watch this film in tandem with Chris Nolan for the first 100,000 folks who bought the Blu-Ray. Cool idea and here’s hoping that more community style viewing experiences will be created in the future. It must also be mentioned that each copy of The Dark Knight comes with a Digital Download of the film. I love this feature and I’m glad it was included in the package. If there is one movie I want on my portable device at all times, this would be it.

The Dark Knight is one of the greatest films of the year, and it deserves to be in your collection with this worthy set of home versions.

It’s been big news in the Batman world for the last month or so. Kevin Smith pens a new three issue tale of the Dark Knight. Pretty damn exciting I’d say and something I’ve been looking forward to for some time. For those of us SModcast fans, the world of Kevin Smith and his band of brothers has introduced us to a variety of cool people. One of our personal favorites has been Walt Flanagan, the comic book shop manager with the great stories and the raspy laugh. When word hit that Flanagan was handling the art chores along with Smith’s writing, the excitement went up another couple of notches.

Well, the day is here and I’ve just finished the first issue. And it sucks. Sorry guys. It’s hard on me, too.

I have very concrete reasons for my rather brutally honest critique. Here they are in no particular order:
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The pre-Halloween shenanigans continue. It’s the greatest time of the year, and the entire family gets involved. My wife, myself, my son -and yes – my dog. Here is a picture of Ernie the dog doing a test-run in his unbelievably kick ass Batdog costume:

Happy Monday!

We’ve posted a few articles here on Robot Panic that should give you all an indication that we’re big fans of pinball. From the Midwest Gaming Classic to awesome arcades like SS Billiards, our lives are blessedly filled with avenues in which to play them. Which makes it all the more sad when you notice just how few new pinball experiences there are these days. Sure, the classic games still hold all their power but it certainly is nice to get a new board to play on every once and awhile.

Those that continue to have an obsessive love for pinball all know that there still is one company (and I mean that. Only ONE) still holding the torch aloft. Despite the glory days of pinball going the way of the dinosaur, one company is still giving fans of the silver ball something to look forward to every year. And that company is Stern Pinball.
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Traveller’s Tales certainly has established their formula for the LEGO genre of games. Grab a popular franchise, add plenty of characters in LEGO form, throw in a ton of collectibles and throw in some great level design with plenty of destructible items. While there have been plenty of LEGO games, topped most recently by the Indiana Jones version, LEGO Batman sets itself at the top as one of the most unique for a variety of reasons.
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Our good friend, Tyler Durden84 send us this review/article on the classic DC comic, The Killing Joke. This is a book any Batman and/or comic fan should own! Hell, anyone who enjoys a damn good story should own this! It’s Alan Moore at his finest and it’s a legendary book.

For those of you who have never read this classic, be warned. Tyler gives away a shit-ton of the plot and highlights of this story. So, consider this your spoiler warning.

Enjoy!

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