Trying to figure out how to spend your hard-earned cash this week? You know you wait with baited breath for your Tuesday Best Buy visit and your Wednesday comic shop visit! Well, here’s a list of the good stuff coming out this week – don’t waste your money on anything else!
Well…put down your special edition Street Fighter IV controller, there’s plenty of good stuff coming out this week!
Have a seat and let The Pault Keeper help you figure out…
Buy most of these items using the Amazon link below!
DVD/Blu-Ray:
Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder (DVD or Blu-Ray)
We all love Futurama, don’t we? The three previous straight-to-DVD movies were pretty inconsistent, with some hilarious bits, but definitely some jokes that fell flat. Into the Wild Green Yonder is supposed to not only be the end of the series, but the best of the DVD movies so far. Will Fry and Leela actually become an item? What will Bender do to endanger mankind this time?
Akira (Blu-Ray)
Akira was the anime that started it all. I mean, sure, Asian animation had been a part of American television and cinema for years before, but Akira is the film that showed that you could keep the excellent storylines and style of the original movies without dumbing it down. To this day, Akira remains one of the best anime films ever and on Blu-Ray for the first time, there’s no doubt it’s never looked better.
Sex Drive (DVD or Blu-Ray)
I really enjoyed the hell out of Sex Drive. Had it come out ten years ago, it would be a phenomenal hit, like American Pie was. Even the music in the film seems mostly late 90’s in flavor. It may seem like another coming-of-age teen comedy, but it’s definitely better than many of the rest (especially College…yech!) Ian and his buddies steal his brother’s car and drive cross country so that he can meet a girl he met online. Along the way, they meet up with some sarcastic Amish people (Seth Green!), discover the horrors of the glory hole, and meet some sexy abstinent chicks. James Marsden does a hilarious job as Ian’s older bully brother. I don’t think I’ve ever seen James Marsden in anything this funny. I almost didn’t recognize him. Plus, the donut costume that Ian wears is pretty freakin’ great.
Video Games:
Shellshock 2: Blood Trails (Xbox 360 & Ps3)
Not sure what to make of this one. It’s a sequel to a first-person Vietnam shooter, but this one seems to have either zombies, or rage virus infected Vietnam soldiers. My guess is that we’re actually looking at drug or fear-induced hallucinations, rather than actual zombies. That just seems like a stretch for a sequel to a realistic shooter. It would be like having a sequel to Platoon where they fight zombies. Still, the game is $40, brand new. Can’t beat that!
Killzone 2 (Ps3)
I don’t really know much about the Killzone series. This is apparently the Ps3’s answer to the Xbox’s Gears of War series. The sequel to the popular Ps2 game is apparently set two years after an alien race called the Helghast assaulted mankind. You and your fellow soldiers are now taking the fight to the enemy’s home world of Helghan. I’ve never played the first one, but wow…this game looks spectacular. If you only use your Ps3 as a Blu-Ray player, this is probably THE game to get to finally break out the controller.
Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop (Wii)
Finally, Dead Rising comes to the Wii. Not sure the new control scheme is enough to make it worth the double dip if you already own the game for the Xbox 360. Still, if you haven’t played or don’t own Dead Rising, you’re missing out on one of the best zombie games of all time. You play Frank, a photographer who gets trapped in a mall during a zombie apocalypse. The game is an absolute blast – Capcom really did a great job of covering all the bases – if it’s in the mall and can be used to kill a zombie, it’s in the game!
Comic Books
Green Lantern #38
Geoff Johns’ Green Lantern is definitely one of the most consistently good comic books on the market. Half space adventure/half super hero comic, Green Lantern is wholly entertaining taken in chunks, either the extended storylines or the done-in-ones. However, what sets it apart from other books is that, since before issue #1 of this volume, its been building to this summers Blackest Night crossover. Truly epic storytelling and after the shocker at the end of last issue (cover says it won’t stick for long), I can’t wait to check out the latest chapter of Rage of the Red Lanterns. The Origins and Omens back up is a plus too – those have been better than I expected.
Atomic Robo: Dogs of War Trade Paperback (Red 5 Comics)
I love Atomic Robo. I hate to describe it as Hellboy with a robot instead of a…um…hellboy, but that’s the easiest way. This trade collects the Dogs of War miniseries, where Robo is in World War II, fighting against the science freaks and devastating weird weaponry of Nazi Germany. The art in Robo is amazing, the storyline and dialogue are a lot of fun – Red 5 really knows how to make good comics. If you like quirky, high adventure, pick this comic up. I have a hard time finding it at my local comic store, but that’s what the internet is for!
Star Trek: Countdown #2 (IDW Comics)
I’m not sure how I feel about this series, actually. It seems a LOT like the origin of Superman. Spock (Jor-El) realizes that a sun is about to go supernova, and will destroy Romulus (Krypton). Together with his scientist friend Nero (Zod), they defy the Romulan Senate and set out to find the technology that can save the planet. My guess is that Nero’s friends and family end up dying, and he goes back in time to change the past, ending up in Kirk’s time and causing havoc. While I like the idea, it just reads too similar to Superman‘s origin. Still, I absolutely love the attempt to connect the continuity (this is set after the events of the last Trek movie, Nemesis, and even features many of the same characters) with the reboot. It shows respect for the fans. I wonder how much of this, if any, will make it to the final film?
Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 #5 (ASP Comics)
Mice with swords. Do you really need to know anything more? If you haven’t picked up Mouse Guard yet, you’re missing out on one of the most beautifully drawn books on the market today. This isn’t kiddie stuff – you can see from the cover that this owl had his eye stabbed (happened in issue #4), and the mice have met some pretty grisly ends. Still, an adult storyline with fuzzy mice stabbing things…sign me up.
Purchase many of the items above using the links in the slideshow below!