Things from Another World: All In-Stock Orders Ship with Two Free Comics!

from Things from Another World:

This Saturday marks the ninth annual Free Comic Book Day, and we couldn’t be more excited to get you some free books! All in-stock orders placed this weekend will get two (2) free comics included in the shipment.

That’s not the only exciting thing starting Saturday! You’ll also save 20% off most in-stock products all month long. That’s right, we’ve doubled our normal in-stock discount this May, and that means one of two things a) more money in your pocket or b) more comics in your collection. 😉

Free Comics and 20% off most in-stock products starting 12:01 AM (PST) on Saturday, May 1. Quantities are limited for these free FCBD comics, which will be included with in-stock orders while supplies last* (we’ve likely got enough to go through early next week), so make sure you get to TFAW this weekend to get your free comics and save 20% off your in-stock order.

Find Out How to Get Free Comics This Weekend!

Save 20% Off Most In-Stock Products May 1 – May 31

*Sorry, we cannot take requests for specific FCBD titles.

Guild Wars 2: The Elementalist Revealed

from NCsoft:

The Elementalist Revealed
Announcing our first Guild Wars 2 profession: the Elementalist! This powerful class channels the destructive power of nature, making fire, air, earth, and water do their bidding. Elementalists can inflict massive damage in a single focused lightning attack, incinerate mobs with a fiery blast, freeze opponents in blocks of ice, or trap them in giant rocky hands! Watch this versatile spellcaster in action here!

A Sneak Peek at the Combat in Guild Wars 2
Enter the mind of Lead Designer Eric Flannum as he explains what makes combat in Guild Wars 2 exciting and cool. Don’t miss this first look at the visceral, dynamic Guild Wars 2 combat system! Head over here to read the full article.

The Official ArenaNet Blog is Live!
We’re extremely excited to announce the launch of our brand-new ArenaNet Blog! It’s going to be packed with interviews, art, videos, behind-the-scenes info, and all kinds of ArenaNet goodness. The whole thing kicks off with a post from studio head Mike O’Brien defining the vision for Guild Wars 2. Click here to get it straight from the source.

Split Reason: April 2010 Newsletter

from Split Reason:

It’s been a fun month over at SPLITREASON! Between new products, partner stores, Super Street Fighter IV and Monster Hunter Tri, we’ve had our hands full! Nothing shakes the dust off your Wii mote faster than a sea monster with an appetite. Not only have we learned to slaughter an array of epic beasts, we can cook raw meat to perfection — well done! Who says video games aren’t educational? No more Kraft Dinner for us, from this day forward we feast on Epioth.

We’re excited to announce the launch of the Sarcastic Gamer Store, fresh off the presses with 5 kick-ass designs for gamers and more on the way! Get your personal pwn protection today.

No month would be complete without a new contest to keep the creative plasmids flowing. We’ve commenced our first annual Lego building contest offering up some awesome Lego prizes, free t-shirts, and store credit for each contest entry! Unleash your inner child and help us build a greater future, one block at a time.

Win Wednesday season 2.0 hit the blog a few weeks back. We’re giving away an iPOD touch for the season finale, so keep your laser sights locked on Twitter for a chance to win.

If you’re looking to save a few bucks this month, the active promo of the moment is: NERDALERT — Go get yourself 10% off! (promo expires on May 15th, 2010.)

We’d also love to send a big “Oh Hai Guys” to our friends over at Thrillist for featuring some of our products and offering a great service to serve your laziness. Cut down hours of web surfing and blog trolling by allowing Thrillist to discover the hidden gems of teh interwebs, and deliver all things awesome directly to your inbox.

Now, step into the light, and see what’s new at SplitReason.com… (Don’t forget to hook up with us on our Facebook page for future perks and promotions).

An Extraordinary View of the Future Shines in “Saturn Apartments” Manga Series from VIZ Media

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, brings the newest title from its partnership with Japan’s IKKI magazine to domestic audiences with the release of Saturn Apartments on May 8th. Created by Hisae Iwaoka, the manga series will be published under the VIZ Signature imprint, is rated “T” for Teens, and will carry an MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN.

Far in the future, humankind has evacuated Earth in order to preserve it. Humans now reside in a gigantic structure that forms a ring around the earth, 35,000 kilometers up in the sky. The society of the Ring System is strictly stratified: the higher the floor, the greater the status. Mitsu, the lowly son of a window washer, has just graduated. Five years after his father disappears and is assumed dead, Mitsu takes on his father’s occupation. As he struggles with the transition to working life, Mitsu’s job treats him to an outsider’s view into the living-room dioramas of the Saturn Apartments.

“Saturn Apartments delivers a brilliant vision of a future where Earth is just beyond the grasp of humanity,” says Daniel Gillespie, Editor, VIZ Media. “As Mitsu endeavors to become an adult, he treats us to touching insights on working life, dreams and ambitions, class tension, the value of community and family, and the perplexing loneliness that occurs when people are forced to live on top of one another. It’s a poignant metaphor for urban life, drawn with stunning intricacy and irresistible cuteness.”

Hisae Iwaoka is the creator of several one-shot manga, including Hana Boro (Flower Cookies) and Shiroi Kumo (White Clouds), both of which were serialized in IKKI magazine. Saturn Apartments is her most recent series. A noted artist and illustrator, her installations also have been displayed internationally in the group show “Tokyo Girls Bravo,” which was curated by famed artist Takashi Murakami.

Saturn Apartments is the latest series to be published as part of VIZ Media’s partnership with Japan’s IKKI magazine, bringing a diverse collection of exceptional manga series to audiences in North America. From action to comedy to drama, slice-of-life stories to surrealist fantasies, the uniting themes these works share are an uncommon emphasis on creative quality and on pushing the boundaries of the manga norm. Saturn Apartments is also featured online at SIGIKKI.com, the groundbreaking web destination for a broad range of unique manga designed for mature audiences.

For more information on other VIZ Signature titles and to check out a sneak peek of chapters one through eight of Saturn Apartments, please visit SigIKKI.com.

ThinkGeek <3s your mom (and $10 off)

from ThinkGeek:

Dear overgrown zygotes,

Years and years ago, two people who loved each other very much made you. Our musical friends Paul & Storm remind us that our Moms gave us life, love, a home, food, and clothing and in return, we gave her stretch marks and extra weight that never quite went away. It’s time to rectify this imbalance, and we’re here to help.

No matter what your Mom likes, we have the perfect Mother’s Day gift — even if your Mom isn’t a geek, which is darn near impossible considering how geeky YOU are, friend.

We love Geek Moms!
Get the maximum amount of ThinkGeek to your geek mom this Mother’s Day. Use code GEEKMOM for $10 off your order of $40 or more, now through 4/30/10 11:59pm EDT.

Geek Tested, Mom Approved — Mother’s Day is May 9th!
Assuming you’re not awfully glad to be a Beta, you probably have a mother who deserves an awesome gift for Mother’s Day. We’re stocked full of all sorts of gizmos, gadgets, and doo-dads that your maternal figure will love. We have shirts Mom can wear, umbrellas to keep her dry, brownie pans so she can love you with food, and tons of gifts for new Moms and their geek babies. You can even get Mom a pair of Onion Goggles so she doesn’t cry in the kitchen; unless, of course, she’s crying because you’re such a disappointment.

Find more What’s New items at ThinkGeek!

Giant Monsters Invade San Francisco

from VIZ Pictures:

NEW PEOPLE and VIZ Cinema welcome the 3rd and latest installment of TokyoScope Talk — War of the Giant Monsters — on Friday, May 7th at 7:00pm. Join Otaku USA Editor-in-Chief Patrick Macias, Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters author August Ragone, and Japanese film critic Tomohiro Machiyama at the Bay Area’s hottest film venue for a fun and lively discussion on the “kaiju” (monster) movies featuring rare images and clips of Godzilla, Mothra, Gamera and other iconic creatures from classic Japanese sci-fi cinema. General admission tickets are $10.00.

VIZ Cinema invites Bay Area monster fans to a 5-day Kaiju Shakedown: Godzillathon!, running Saturday, May 8th thru Thursday, May 13th. Featured will be rare screenings of the Big G’s 4 most-loved films including Godzilla vs. Hedora (1971), Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972), Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974). Details and screening times at: vizcinema.com.

Don’t miss a rare chance to see the beauty and enormity of Godzilla in stunning 35mm prints with English subtitles and a premium THX-certified sound system! These events may sell-out. Ticket prices: General Admission: $10.00; Senior & Child: $8.00. Advance tickets on sale at: newpeopleworld.com/films/films-5-2010/#godzillathon.

TokyoScope Talk — War of the Giant Monsters will feature a special raffle giveaway of premium monster collectables including the brand new DVD release from Shout! Factory of Gamera: The Giant Monster (1965). The revered classic features the original Japanese version of the film presented with fresh English subtitles and anamorphic widescreen produced from an all-new HD master created from original vault elements.

VIZ Cinema is the nation’s first movie theatre devoted exclusively to Japanese film and anime. The 143-seat subterranean theatre is located in the basement of the NEW PEOPLE building and features plush seating, digital as well as 35mm projection, and a THX-certified sound system.

NEW PEOPLE offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan and is the creative vision of the J-Pop Center Project and VIZ Pictures, a distributor and producer of Japanese live action film. Located at 1746 Post Street, the 20,000 square foot structure features a striking 3-floor transparent glass facade that frames a fun and exotic new environment to engage the imagination into the 21st Century. A dedicated web site is also now available at: NewPeopleWorld.com.

J!NX: Curse of the Techno Mummy

from J!NX:

New J!NX Classic Tee: Techno Mummy
Thousands of years from now, archaeologists will discover a tomb… well, maybe not so much a tomb but a hole where somebody died. A lone gamer, shut away and forgotten, with nothing but his consoles and peripherals to keep him company in the afterlife. Nobody will have warned those excavators, nobody will have told them about the Techno Mummy’s Curse. Woe be to those who disturb the Gamer’s eternal sleep…

Talesworth Adventure
If you haven’t had a chance to play Talesworth Adventure, you need to make some time. In addition to last week’s mention on Kotaku, it was reviewed on DIYGamer and JayIsGames. Before you know it, you’ll be putting off those TPS reports in your attempts to get Questy past the 30 rooms of peril before him.

“RiffTrax Live: Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza!” DVD

RiffTrax Live: Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza!

It may seem seasonally inappropriate to be watching a Christmas DVD at this time of year, but RiffTrax has just released RiffTrax Live: Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza!, the follow-up to their first live DVD, RiffTrax Live: Plan 9 from Outer Space.

The RiffTrax Live: Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza! show was recorded in San Diego, California, on December 16, 2009, and included “Weird Al” Yankovic as its guest riffer. On the DVD case, “Weird Al” and Rifftrax regulars Michael J. Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy invite you to join them “for a festive night of hilarious holiday comedy that is destined to become traditional Christmas viewing”.

What do ice-skating reindeer, pipe-smoking santas and a parade of aquatic champions have in common? You’ll see them all in the RiffTrax Live: Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza! The stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000 have a sackfull of delightful and demented shorts to riff live onstage. Some of the forgotten gems of Christmases past prove to be the perfect targets for the rapid-fire riffs of Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett. And if that wasn’t enough, they’re even joined by comedy legend “Weird Al” Yankovic for a musical short about the wonders of pork! It’s funnier than Ernest Saves Christmas and far less creepy than The Polar Express!

Skipping the host segments, non-RiffTrax-created videos, and musical performances that supplemented RiffTrax Live: Plan 9 from Outer Space‘s movie and pre-feature short film, Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza! opens with a brief introduction by Mike, Bill, and Kevin, then jumps directly into its line-up of riffable short films and commercials:

  • Christmas Toyshop (B&W) — On Christmas Eve, a boy and girl are visited by Santa, who tells them a bizarre story about a toyshop where the merchandise comes to life after the store closes for the night. The toys mindlessly sing and dance until a giant, villainously-dressed “spider-dog” kidnaps one of the dolls, in stereotypical Snidely Whiplash fashion, forcing her friends to take up arms (in the true spirit of holiday peace) to save her. The short begins as live action, switches to animation to tell Santa’s story, then reverts back to live action when the story is revealed to be a dream (or eggnog-fueled nightmare, depending on how you view it).
  • A Visit to Santa (Colour) — Two children express a desire, in badly dubbed, unintelligible dialogue, to visit Santa on Christmas Eve. The equally garbled Santa has one of his elves whisk the children to his castle, the interior of which looks more like a washed-out, 1970s basement rec room. A narrator then abruptly takes over Santa’s storytelling duties, describing Santa’s travels and activities around the world. After the tedious story, Santa unceremoniously dismisses the children and wishes the viewers a “Merry Christmas”.
  • Christmas Rhapsody (B&W) — Shot in the style of a nature documentary, this live action short follows the life cycle of a little tree that, after reciting a depressing litany of reasons why it’s so “small and of no account” in comparison to the surrounding trees, is predictably chosen by an undiscerning family as its Charlie Brown-esque Christmas tree. Despite waxing rhapsodic about the honour, the melancholy-voiced tree fails to ever achieve the “rhapsody” of the short’s title.
  • Three Magic Words (B&W) — Weird Al, a vegetarian, teams up with the RiffTrax guys to riff on an ode to the quality, freshness and flavour of pork. The short stars a trio of musical butchers who praise the virtues of pork in endless song as they attempt to help Mrs. Newlywed, possibly the dumbest housewife who ever lived, prepare a special meal. It’s not clear how this short qualifies as a holiday selection, unless Mrs. Newlywed’s dinner party is supposed to be a Christmas season get-together, but it’s still one of the funniest entries on the DVD.
  • Gaylord (B&W) — An old TV commercial for a walking toy dog is presented to Kevin as a Christmas gift from Mike and Bill, supposedly because it made them think of Kevin, much to Kevin’s indignation.
  • The Night Before Christmas (B&W) — The classic poem is retold, in a combination of live action and animation, by Santa, who foists his lame toys and cheesy acting on a pair of children whose father evidently inherited some DNA from the Three Stooges, minus the comedic talent.
  • Jimmy Jet! (B&W) — Bill receives his gift from Mike and Kevin, an overenthusiastic TV ad for a toy flight simulator.
  • A Christmas Dream (B&W) — A girl opens her gifts on Christmas morning, then, inexplicably, goes straight back to bed. Santa appears in spirit form to give her a moral-laden dream in which the old ragdoll she discarded comes to creepy life, via stop motion animation, to battle the girl’s new toys for her affection.
  • Sports (Colour) — It’s a “Parade of Aquatic Champions”, though the swim stars don’t seem to be very champion calibre, and many don’t actually swim on-screen. There’s no Christmas theme, either, other than Bill saying that the short is a holiday viewing tradition in his family. (Bill begins to sing a modified Christmas carol, another family tradition, but is quickly cut off by his co-riffers.)
  • Ding-A-Lings (Colour) — Mike’s gift from Bill and Kevin, an ad for a line of toy robots, is targeted to children but rife with unintentional innuendo.
  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Colour) — Rudolph’s screen debut, a poorly animated precursor to the beloved Christmas special that airs on TV every year, gets the biggest laughs of the DVD, particularly a scene between Santa and Rudolph that’s undermined by a naughty double meaning in what Santa says to the young male reindeer.

The performers are presented in small, individual boxes on the right side of the screen while they’re riffing, the same set-up used in the first RiffTrax Live DVD, except that on that DVD they appeared to the left of the screen. As noted in a review of RiffTrax Live: Plan 9 from Outer Space, the boxes only show up intermittently, and it would be preferable if the riffers were always in view. The primary attraction of a live performance is getting to see the entertainers do their thing, and the riffers’ physical reactions to what’s happening in the films really enhance their lines. (As a side note, fans of Doctor Who‘s Fourth Doctor may be distracted by the long, multicoloured striped scarf that Bill wears throughout the show.) A contest winner is announced during Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza!, but less intrusively than in the previous DVD. The winner’s two appearances are fairly brief and, rather than simply dropping the contest announcement into the middle of proceedings, it’s fully integrated into the show’s flow, with Kevin teasing the contest winner and making him a part of the act.

Red and green theatre curtains add festive flair to the menus, with Christmas music playing pleasantly on the main screen and part of the Scene Selections sub-menu. The single bonus on this DVD is a behind-the-scenes slideshow of photos set to an instrumental version of the Christmas carol “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear”. The images aren’t captioned, like in the other RiffTrax Live slideshow, but text isn’t really necessary for such self-explanatory pictures.

For anyone who enjoys MST3K and Cinematic Titanic‘s riffings of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, RiffTrax Live: Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza! is a merry addition to your holiday DVD collection.

Order directly through the RiffTrax website.

RiffTrax Live: Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza! and RiffTrax Live: Plan 9 from Outer Space are distributed by RiffTrax and Legend Films.

Dark Horse Continues Conan’s Epic Career with Comics Legend Roy Thomas

from Dark Horse Comics:

At last weekend’s C2E2 convention, Dark Horse Comics announced that it would continue telling the epic tale of Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Cimmerian with the return of legendary writer Roy Thomas. Thomas introduced the comic-reading public to Conan in 1970, when he began the highly successful Conan the Barbarian for Marvel Comics, a title he wrote for ten years. Conan and comics fans will also remember the former Marvel editor in chief’s classic tales from lauded runs as a writer and editor on The Savage Sword of Conan and as the writer of King Conan. Now, in 2010, Thomas returns to the character he helped ingrain into the consciousness of the comics community with Conan: Road of Kings.

“Conan the Cimmerian is one of the most important people in my life — even if he never really existed — and it was a genuine thrill to be asked by Dark Horse publisher Mike Richardson to scribe a year’s worth of his darkly epic adventures,” Thomas said.

Continuing where Conan the Cimmerian #25 leaves off, Thomas’s Conan: Road of Kings will tell a twelve-issue epic about the next stage in the adventurous hero’s illustrious life, beginning with a new #1 issue. Featuring art by Mike Hawthorne (Fear Agent), Road of Kings begins this December.

“Conan: Road of Kings picks up the barbarian on the Vilayet Sea, at nearly the easternmost edge of Robert E. Howard’s map of the Hyborian age, and has twelve breathless issues to deliver him — black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand — to the westernmost shores of that age undreamed of,” Thomas continued. “To reach his destination, he must travel the fabled Road of Kings that winds its way through the civilized kingdoms — but along his path lurk inhuman monstrosities, malevolent sorcerers and not a few power-crazed men and women who are determined to see to it that he doesn’t make it.

“Dynamic artist Mike Hawthorne and I intend to make Conan’s westward odyssey a chapter in the Cimmerian’s life that readers won’t soon forget,” Thomas explained. “This will be a quite different take on Conan’s life than the one I pioneered at Marvel in the seventies and the nineties, with new adventures, new antagonists, even new and alternative sides to characters you thought you’d met before.”

The current Conan creative team of writer Tim Truman and artist Tomás Giorello are set to continue their adventures with the Cimmerian, as well. Jumping ahead in Conan’s timeline, King Conan: The Scarlet Citadel features the adventurer years in the future — after he’s become the king of Aquilonia — and adapts one of Robert E. Howard’s original Conan tales. This four-issue miniseries will hit comic shops in early 2011.

Dark Horse Comics is also slated to continue its run of successful Conan reprints with King Conan Volume 1 on sale August 25, The Savage Sword of Conan Volume 8 on sale September 22, and Conan: The Newspaper Strips Volume 1 on sale September 8, all featuring the writing talents of Thomas alongside other greats, like Doug Moench, John Buscema, Gil Kane, Ernie Chan, and more!

Conan, Kull and Solomon Kane are published under license from Conan Properties International LLC, a subsidiary of Paradox Entertainment Inc.

Boba’s Back! Daniel Logan Speaks

from StarWars.com:

The explosive multi-part finale of the second season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars kicks off this week on the Cartoon Network, with the airing of “Death Trap,” an episode that introduces young Boba Fett to the series. Daniel Logan, who played Fett in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, returns to the role as the visual inspiration and voice of the character.

“It’s been about 10 years since I last played Boba,” says Logan. “Time flies when you’re in Star Wars. It wasn’t very hard, but I was very nervous the first day going into the studio with [supervising director] Dave Filoni and the rest of the crew. It was kind of like going on the set again. They made me feel very welcome. Dave was such a great director, and he knows exactly what he wants. We worked together really well, and I love how Boba came out in The Clone Wars.”

Fett is slightly older than he was last seen in Episode II, and because he too is a clone of Jango Fett, he physically resembles exactly the clone cadets serving the Republic. “I see Boba as looking at himself as a unique character,” says Logan. “He is Jango Fett’s son. In his heart, he is the only one. And he sees the clones as clones. They may resemble his father, but they will never be him at heart.”

Logan has been a fixture in the fan community since his appearance in Episode II, and can often be found at conventions and events where he interacts directly with Star Wars fans. Keeping tight-lipped about his appearance in The Clone Wars has proven a challenge. “I found out about being in The Clone Wars a little over a year ago, and it was very hard, because I’d go out to conventions, and people would always come up to me and ask, ‘Hey, Daniel! What are you up to?’ I was dying to say, ‘Boba’s back!’ but every time I wanted to, I had to pull myself back. Now that I’m able to say it, I’m very excited, and I probably won’t be able to stop talking about it for a couple of weeks. Or a couple of months, actually!”

Daniel Logan features as Boba Fett in “Death Trap,” airing on April 23rd, and in the two-part season finale airing on April 30th on the Cartoon Network.

VIZ Media Offers a Battle of Brains Versus Brawn in New Manga Series “Maou: Juvenile Remix”

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, brings Maou: Juvenile Remix to North American audiences on May 11th. The new series, by Megumi Osuga and Kotaro Isaka, will be published under the Shonen Sunday imprint, is rated “T+” for Older Teens, and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.

In the city of Nekota, where rapid modernization threatens everything the longtime residents hold dear, one young man stands up to oppose the progress. Inukai and his team of vigilantes, known as Grasshopper, protect the citizens from the rising crime wave and the greedy businessmen bent on turning every block into a strip mall. But what is this public hero’s true motive? Is this angelic man really a devil in disguise?

Ando is a high school student who has the power to make others say out loud what he’s thinking. In this chaotic city, these two will come together to weave a story of courage, determination and confrontation. But will this be enough to uncover Inukai’s secrets and stop the plot to control the city?

“It’s a cat and mouse chase and battle of wills between two sides with differing ideals as creator Megumi Osuga and Kotaro Isaka set the stage for an engrossing story with Maou,” says Alexis Kirsch, Editor, VIZ Media. “The new series shows that as crazy as one’s ideas may seem, as long as you believe in yourself and tackle problems head-on, one has the power to change the world. This is the perfect addition to our Shonen Sunday library and we are excited to bring this intriguing series to our fans.”

Megumi Osuga made her debut in Shonen Sunday R with the manga series, Tonpachi, and also had a short series called Honou no Ana no Yomi featured in Shonen Sunday Super. Maou: Juvenile Remix launched in Weekly Shonen Sunday in 2007.

Born in 1971 in Chiba Prefecture, Kotaro Isaka is one of the most popular Japanese novelists and has received numerous awards. He has many titles under his belt, and most of them have been turned into live-action movies.

To read free previews of Maou: Juvenile Remix or for more information on other Shonen Sunday series, please visit shonensunday.com.