Last month, Amazon released 14 pilot shows and wanted to hear viewers feedback on deciding which pilot to move forward with.

Co-writer/executive producer of “Zombieland,” Rhett Reese, took to twitter to announce that “Zombieland” the series is officially dead. Well – through Amazon at least. Check out Reese’ tweets below:

Our Zombieland series will not be moving forward on Amazon.Sad for everyone involved.

— Rhett Reese (@RhettReese) May 17, 2013

I’ll never understand the vehement hate the pilot received from die-hard Zombieland fans.You guys successfully hated it out of existence.

— Rhett Reese (@RhettReese) May 17, 2013

Anyway, we did our best, and we’re very proud of our team.

— Rhett Reese (@RhettReese) May 17, 2013

“Zombieland” rated a 3.7 out of 5 stars based on over 5,000 reviews. However, the lowest-rated pilot, “Browers,” rated a 3.1 and the highest-rated, “Those Who Can’t,” grabbed a 4.4 stars.

Well, personally I’m officially bummed. I highly enjoyed the pilot and was wishing it the best. I hope Rhett Reese will look for other options for “Zombieland.” Maybe even start a KickStarter, since, well, that’s what everyone else is doing these days.

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Tweets by @dweebofthedead

Chuckie Valdez, Amazon Cancels ‘Zombieland’ Series; Fans “Successfully Hated it out of Existence”

Remember last year when the CW was working on that Wonder Woman prequel? As you may recall, the concept was dropped after execs opted not to pick the project up for a pilot and it was thought to be done with. Well, apparently that isn’t the case, as Amazon is still actively being worked on according to CW’s Mark Pedowitz. While at the network’s upfront today, Pedowitz told reporters that despite the series not being being up for the fall run, Amazon is still very much being worked on.

“Oh God yes,” Pedowitz replied, when asked whether the project was still alive. “It’s being redeveloped. We don’t want to produce something” that doesn’t do the franchise justice. “It’s the trickiest of all the DC characters,” he added

It was rather unorthodox to see a series move into casting before it is picked up for a pilot, but a show like this relies heavily on the actress that is selected for the role and whomever is chosen will play a big part in how the character of Iris, which is how she is thought to be named for the series, is written. Amazon will take on the early years of Wonder Woman, with a teenager who was raised as a warrior in a far-off land placed in a modern world.

In regards to the version that was not picked up, Pedowitz said “the basics” were there, but the execution was lacking. You have to give them credit for not just running with the first idea they had. Fans of the new series Arrow can attest to that, as that series has been quite impressive so far. The last time the Wonder Woman character was attempted on the small screen, David E. Kelly was behind it, with GI Joe: Retaliation star Adrianne Palicki playing the lead role. That pilot was so bad, NBC quickly opted to pass on the project. Hopefully this one will work out and Warner Brothers can see the potential the character has for a feature film.

Josh "ecksmanfan" Johnson, Wonder Woman Prequel is Still in the Works at CW

A horse shot my parents in an alley when i was a young boy. RT @shaunh22: @ssnyder1835 Why don’t you like horses?

— Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) January 16, 2013

A horse shot my Uncle Ben. RT @juventuz: @ssnyder1835 Read Batman 16 finally, you got something against horses? — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) January 17, 2013

As a boy, I thought a horse killed my father. He was my father RT @broughstuff: Batman #16 was awesome, but what’s snyder got against horses — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) January 17, 2013

I hate horses. RT @taitanorules555: @ssnyder1835 do you hate horses because why did you make freeze kill a freaking horse? — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) January 18, 2013

Mr. Snyder continues to avoid answering the hard hitting question of why he dislikes horses. The writer seems to have a personal vendetta against our equine friends. Where does this deep-seated hatred come from? One could not venture to guess, but we have obtained this footage of someone taking their hatred from the land of fantasy to the reality. Is that Scott Snyder punching a horse in the face? It’s not for us to say, but it does look like him doesn’t it?

GIFSoup

Mr. Snyder continues to taunt fans about horse hatred. Earlier today he sent out the link to the following Amazon review [click to see larger image] through is personal Twitter. This man must be stopped before more fictional horses are destroyed. I propose a petition to prevent Mr. Snyder from ever writing a My Little Pony book. Just think what he would do to them?! *if you can’t tell, this is an article in the style of The Onion making fun of the supposed horse controversy and the gif is from Blazing Saddles.

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Scott Snyder’s War On Horses Continues

Now that Smallville has come to an end on the youth-oriented CW network, execs have been scrambling to find a replacement for the hero oriented series. Earlier this year, the CW introduced Arrow, a gritty and darker take on the Green Arrow, who played a major role in Smallville, though the two series are not connected. With that series proving to be successful, the network is looking to add one more DC character in Wonder Woman.

The new series, which has yet to be green lit for a pilot is said to be centered on a younger Diana, currently being called Isis, before she becomes the famed hero. CW President Mark Pedowitz recently stated that Amazon would be  “an origination story in the sense that Smallville was an origination story.” take that for what it’s worth.

Casting for the series has been underway for a few weeks now, despite not having a pilot ordered. But the fact they are moving forward with casting shows they are fairly confident in the project. Today, STV have learned that Amy Manson is being eyed for the lead role in the series. Manson has had roles in several “geek” shows, including Torchwood, Being Human and Misfits.

I think most would agree that this series is fighting an uphill battle with fans of the character and casting will play a major part in whether this show is successful. Is Manson right for the role? Is she enough to keep this series from collapsing like the most recent failed attempt with Adrienne Palicki? Only time will tell.

Josh "ecksmanfan" Johnson, Torchwood’s Amy Manson Up for CW’s Amazon

“At this time, no. And regarding your next question, regarding is Batman going to make a trip to [Arrow’s] Starling City, they’re not in the same state.”

At this time, the planned Wonder Woman series, called Amazon, has yet to have a pilot ordered, but folks seem confident in the project as the casting process is under way. Just for clarification, Pedowitz did say the series would be “an origination story in the sense that Smallville was an origination story.” So what about a crossover involving the CW’s current hit Arrow and the upcoming Amazon? There seems to be a larger possibilty there.

“I think they all could exist in the same world, but whether they do or they don’t is depending on what the showrunner wants to do.”

Sounds like there may be potential there, assuming the writers and such can find a way to make it happen. What do you guys think, would you want to see Diana show up in Starling City? Does she belong there at all? Of course, Amazon would need to be picked up for a series run for all this to happen and even then, I think it may be a long shot. As long as Tom Welling doesn’t make an appearance as Superman, I’ll be happy.

Josh "ecksmanfan" Johnson, CW President Talks Character Cross-Overs

Chronicles female superhero’s life as a young Amazonian, before she becomes a warrior princess with super powers. Iris, comes from a remote, secluded country and until now has spent most of her life as a soldier and a leader on the battlefield. Because of relentless brutality of her life at home, Iris looks at our world with absolute awe and astonishment. She’s delighted -and just as often horrified – by the aspects of everyday life that we take for granted: skyscrapers, traffic, ice cream. It’s all new and fascinating and sometimes slightly troubling – to her. Iris is completely unschooled in our world, our culture, our customs. And she’s completely inexperienced at interpersonal relationships. She has no social filter, does not suffer fools, and tends to do and say exactly what’s on her mind at all times. She’s bluntly, refreshingly honest. She can tell when you’re lying to her. And she doesn’t have time or patience for politics or tact because she’s too busy trying to experience everything our world has to offer. There are too many sights to see – and things to learn – and people to care for. Hers is a true, noble, and generous heart. And she will fight and die for the people she loves. Iris is a fierce warrior with the innocent heart of a romantic – and she will fight to the death to make the world safe for innocents and true romantics everywhere.

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, New Synopsis For CW’s Amazon Emerges

I’ve been given the chance to once again interview author Peter Clines about his newest book -14- that just hit stores and e-stores a few weeks ago. After reading and reviewing -14- and realizing this book was by far one of my favorite summer reads this year I reached out to Peter and he agreed to do this interview. I hope you folks enjoy and go pick up a few of his amazing books.

Your newest book is simply titled -14- .  Can you explain it a bit for some of those who haven’t read the synopsis of the book yet?

14 is about a guy named Nate who moves into an old apartment building and notices a few odd things about his new home.  Nothing major or earth-shattering, just a couple odd things that are easy to brush off.  One of them is an apartment on the second floor that has several padlocks on the door—apartment #14.  But as he gets to know his neighbors, he starts to realize that almost every room in the building has something odd about it.  And well… anything past that would be giving things away.

It’s been a tough sell at times because it is so mystery-heavy, and anything you get told takes away from that bit of dramatic impact in the story.  I was up at Crypticon in Seattle over Memorial Day weekend with a few advance copies, and the way I sold it to people there was “How would you explain LOST to someone without giving anything away?”  And they’d usually grin and say “People crash on an island and stuff happens.”  So that’s how I’m explaining 14 (and hoping most other people explain it for as long as possible).  This guy, Nate, moves into an old apartment building and stuff happens.

What was your inspiration for writing -14-?

A couple things.  It was one of those lucky moments where a bunch of ideas were in my head and they all happened to fall together to make a story.

A good chunk of it was the building I first lived in when I moved to Los Angeles.  It was really old and brick and had paint that would peel off the walls in big sheets.  It also struck me how odd it was that I didn’t know any of my neighbors, even after I’d lived there for almost a year.  Which is really odd when you think of, say, a college dorm.  It’s the exact same living arrangement but you know everyone, you hang out together, and sometimes crash in each others’ rooms (for various reasons).  It got me wondering why things were so different in an apartment building.  The tenants eventually bonded over the big Griffith Park fire in 2007, the one that threatened the Observatory.  A bunch of us ended up on the roof, just watching the fires and drinking all night.  And we all started talking and got to know each other.  And suddenly we were this little community with shared interests and hobbies and we were trading DVDs and sharing meals.

True story—it turned out one of my downstairs neighbors, Hunter, was one of the founding members of the sci-fi band Gwar.  He was Techno-Destructor.  I got to wear his claw once.  We hung out a couple of times and played games.  He’s very cool, and his kid’s a big superhero fan.

Anyway, when I moved out, my girlfriend and I joked about leaving a note for the next person who moved in to find.  And that got me thinking about the kind of things you could find that other tenantsleft behind.  Maybe deliberate or accidental.  I mean, who really knows what happened in their apartment before they moved in?

And part of it was Nate.  I’ve seen lots of characters in lots of books who have great jobs and careers, or who live on the fringes or even are total anarchists.  When the plot of their given book gets going, they can take long vacations or tell their secretary they’re out for the day or do whatever.  But it seems rare to have a character who’s just trapped in a job and can’t do something else, no matter how common it is in real life.  They don’t make enough money to really live, but they also can’t afford to quit.  I’ve been there, and I think a lot of other people have, too, so it struck me as an interesting type of character that people would be able to relate to.

-14- was a definitely different book in all the best ways, any chance for a sequel to it or is this a stand alone project?

For the moment it’s just a stand-alone thing, although I have had a few random ideas for “what happens next.”  Maybe somewhere down the line I’ll have some big interlocking universe like Stephen King and we’ll see some of these characters again.  For now I think we can let them rest, though.  Seriously, they deserve some time off.

With you having written five different books, what has been your best experience with them and, which book is your personal favorite?

Probably one of the best experiences was The Junkie Quatrain, the interlocking short stories/ novella I did for Audible.com last year.  It was a short deadline at a time when my girlfriend and I were tight, financially speaking.  So I threw myself into it and I kept thinking about Robert Louis Stevenson writing Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde to pay the rent, or old stories from Ray Bradbury about writing stories for grocery money.  It was a bit stressful, but it also made me feel really close to all the giants that started out the same way.  Not that I’m a giant.  I get some joy just from being in that same low position they once were.

Past that, it’s really tough to pick a favorite.  There are things I’m exceptionally proud of in each book.  There’s things in each book where I look back and sigh and kick myself for not realizing I should’ve done this instead of that.  I would have to say my favorite book is “the next one,” because I’m still amazed that I get to keep doing this.

We all have favorite authors, my list isn’t a short one but you are definitely on it sir, so who are your favorite authors?

There’s so many.  Ray Bradbury’s been one of my favorites since I was very young.  He was just amazing.  I wrote him a fan letter in college and was thrilled when he wrote back.  I still have the letter, and living in LA I had a few chances to hear him talk.  It was really sad for me to have 14 come out the day after he died, and I felt very cheap doing any sort of promotion for it at all.

As a native Mainer and someone who gets lumped into horror, I have to love Stephen King.  People can bitch all they like, but he is the 20th century’s Charles Dickens (and possibly the 21st century’s, too).  Craig di Louie is another Permuted Press author whose stuff I love so much I have to say I hate him (not really, but it keeps me from gushing all over him).  Lee Child’s books are fantastic.  Neil Gaiman is brilliant.  More people should know about Dan Abnett (I met him a few years back at the San Diego Comic-Con and his table was deserted.  I just got to stand there and talk with him for fifteen minutes—he autographed a copy of Ravenor for me).  Mira Grant a.k.a. Seanan McGuire.  Iain McKinnon.  Eloise J. Knapp.  I also love the classics—Edgar Rice Burroughs, Harper Lee, Steinbeck, Dumas, Hawthorne (we all hated his stuff in school, but Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote some very, very creepy stories when you look back at them).  And there’s great young adult authors (some before there was such a thing as “young adult”) like Lloyd Alexander and Alexander Key and…

Like I said, too many.

At this juncture in your career what has been your biggest challenge as a writer?

Only one?  Hmmmm…

I don’t know.  It shifts from day to day.  Sometimes I put a ton of work into the Facebook fan page, interviews, or other promotional-type stuff.  There are days I spend hours doing damage control of one type or another.  I don’t think there’s any one thing that’s more challenging than anything else.

Silly as it sounds, the biggest challenge is probably getting outside and talking to people.  I’ve got a home office, so I work here, eat here, sleep here… On a regular day I usually see my girlfriend and my cats and that’s about it.  But you need to get out and see people and talk to people.  That’s the interaction that helps you get a sense of how people talk and react.  I’m very lucky to have a lot of friends who I can just go out for coffee with or spend a day playing with little toy soldiers or watching bad SyFy movies.

With your books being popular, and in my opinion easily transferred to a screenplay, have there been any Hollywood types looking at your work that you can speak of?

That I can speak of… no, probably not yet.  Not saying there hasn’t been interest, but I think I need to wait on some things before any loud announcements are made.

But even then, that doesn’t mean a movie is a sure thing.  There’s no point in cheering or getting excited.  It’s fantastic having interested parties who honestly love my stuff, but the nature of film is that you need to hit this sort of critical mass of interest, if that makes sense.  Studio heads, producers, actors… a lot of people have to be interested.  Unless the one guy who likes your book is Steven Spielberg, JJ Abrams, or James Cameron, it’s still an uphill battle.

For anything you want to see made into a movie, the best thing is for people to be talking about it.  Lots of people.  If a million people went into work tomorrow talking about how cool 14 is, there’d be a movie in the works by the end of the month.  Until then… I’m just very glad some cool people are interested in making things happen.

What is your advice for getting over writers block?

I know this sounds kind of silly but my advice is just keep writing. I think in most cases writer’s block is just fear. It’s this paralyzing worry that the words I put down are going to be wrong or inferior in some way, and then my whole story will be tainted somehow and never live up to the version in my head and –wham—there goes my Nobel Prize for Literature. Odds are those first words will be wrong and inferior, but that’s not the end of it. That’s why we edit and do multiple drafts. Words gets rewritten and edited and sometimes completely cut out of the story. It doesn’t have to be perfect on the first draft, just on the last one.

So if you’re stuck with writer’s block, just start writing. Write anything. Catch up on email, review some books on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Write up lists of favorite birthday presents you’ve received, beloved pets, favorite television shows, characters, people you’ve slept with, people you wish you’d slept with. Just write. It’s like any sort of exercise, and the longer you go without doing it the harder it is to get going again. So just write and don’t worry about being wordy, because this is all early-draft type stuff that no one’s ever going to see. And eventually you’ll be free enough to steer your writing back to your book or screenplay or short story.

I’ve got a little ranty blog where I talk about writing stuff at least once a week. Not agents or publishing or anything like that. It’s just tips and suggestions and observations about writing and storytelling, culled from my many, many years of screwing things up and doing it all the hard way. I’m also thinking about putting out a Kindle book later this year kind of assembled from/inspired by the blog. The working title is currently The Ed Wood Guide to Storytelling. Just because.

Well there you have it folks, I hope you pick up Peter Clines newest book -14- and also I hope you enjoyed the interview! Until next time keep reading those books and stay tuned for more interviews and news!

Michael Worthan, An interview with Peter Clines

Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk and the rest of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are coming your way in the limited edition “Marvel Cinematic Universe – Phase One: Avengers Assembled” Blu-ray box set, and soon!

This 10-disc, six-movie collection brings together “Marvel’s The Avengers” and the five films leading up to this year’s blockbuster super hero flick, “Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” and “Thor”! Also included is a bonus disc, “The Phase One Archives,” and more!

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Trailer For The Marvel Cinematic Universe Blu-Ray Box Set

In the gameplay reveal trailer Stan Lee talks about the game and what it’s like to be a playable character. The game comes out on June 26, but Stan Lee is only available as a pre-order bonus from Amazon for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Marvel says to pre-order for Stan- “He can fight crime and run the baddies out of town, and he even swings from building to building, just like the famous Webslinger!”

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Stan Lee Gameplay Trailer From Amazing Spider-Man

David Doub, the writer, sets up the book nicely.  The reader understands the era and the basic points of the plot.  The plot, while fairly mundane, is written well enough and is an interesting one.  The character work leaves something to be desired though.  We learn next to nothing about Ms. Tilney, besides that she is a woman in London and she has a little bit of spunk.  What is she about?  Why does she all of a sudden want to interview a murderer?  It’s not exactly explained and leaves the reader a tad cheated.  She is the main character, our window into the world that Doub is creating, and we can’t relate to her.  It’s frustrating, considering that the reader can see that Doub loves the little world that’s being created in front of us.  Doub needs to figure out how to go from panel to panel though, as there are a few leaps of logic and the reader is a little lost.  How are characters getting from place to place and figuring this stuff out?

But near the end of the issue, we switch to prose form.  It’s an interesting change, and one for the better.  Doub’s writing becomes very descriptive, giving the reader a great idea of everything going on.  The reader is hooked, even before we know that it ties into the original story.  After reading the prose part, Doub might want to consider turning this into a book.  It seems more of a novel instead of a comic book.

Sarah Elkins pencils the issue, and her pencils have a distance look.  They are very cartoony, which give the comic an almost Sherlock Holmes feel.  That’s the ones with Robert Downey Jr.  The characters are expressive, but much like Doub’s script, she lacks any personality.  After reading the issue, I had trouble remembering what she looked like.  The other characters have distinct looks, and were easy to remember.  Vicondesa Joamette Gil, who did the lettering, needs to work on it more.  The connections for the bubbles are constantly hidden by other connections or one of the character’s hand, making some of the conversations confusing.  Multiple times, I would read a few pages, not understand how we got there, then have to go back and realize that a certain bubble wasn’t spoken by the character I thought originally spoke.  Now, this could either be a problem on Elkins part, or Gil, is not apparent.  But for future issues, the two of them need to communicate more.

But the biggest mistake of all has nothing to do with the writing, penciling, or lettering.  It’s that at no point in this issue, does it tell us there is going to be another issue to this.  It just says “End.”  This greatly affected how I read the issue, as I felt short changed on every aspect of the story.  It was short, had no resolve of any kind, and made me think I wasted the half an hour that it took to read the issue.  Yes, I read this for free, but it still angered me.  After doing some research, I found out that it was the beginning of a new comic series.  That’s comic book making 101.  Make sure your reader knows that they need to come back next month.  What if someone had picked this up on the shelf based on cover alone?  They would have been furious.  Considering the issue is $4.99 on Amazon, that would leave any reader questing whether their money was well spent.

The Trials and Tribulations of Ms. Tileny gets 2.5/5.

MrComicBook, The Trials and Tribulations of Ms. Tilney Review

Spoiler warning for all of Season 8 and 9

As usual with Buffy, she is having a hard time dealing with the repercussions of her decisions.  At the end of Season 8, she decided to destroy the Seed, which housed all magic in the world.  Willow is unable to connect to magic, thus destroying an important part of her life.  Dawn and Xander are trying to lead a normal life, but that is never possible when you are related to Buffy Summers.  But Buffy tries to keep going, finding a place to live and a somewhat steady job.  The first night in her new place, she gets black out drunk.  Then she is hounded by a demon who wants her to pay her student loans.  But something else is coming after her.  A certain person with powers is hunting Buffy, because Simone, a Slayer, sent him.  She is non to happy with how things turned out with the Seed.  The final issue pertains the controversial story line that was mentioned earlier.  Considering it’s a very big thing, it will not be in this review.

Joss Whedon writes the first issue, and Buffy vet Andrew Chambliss writes the rest of the issues.  It’s never apparent to the reader when the switch is made, as Chambliss has a knack for writing in Joss’ voice.  Some will not like the direction that these two have taken Buffy.  But there is no doubt that these five issues have some great writing.  The character progression feels natural, and their voices are there.  While the dialogue is not as spot on as Angel & Faith, it’s still better than most of Season 8.  Buffy and the Scoobies have always been a witty group, but this Season seems to be more in tune with Season 6.  The group is not necessarily as happy as they could be.  It’s an interesting turn given last Season, and one that not all readers will like.  Chambliss balances the big cast well, always giving the reader just enough of the fringe characters without losing focus of Buffy and whatever adventure she is on.  Even the controversial scene is handled very well.

George Jeanty, the penciler for most of Season 8, is back again.  His pencils have improved quite a bit since that time.  The characters look more like the actors, especially when they are giving odd expressions.  The action scenes flow better as well.  Occasionally characters lose a bit of detail when they enter the background, but again, it’s not as big a problem as it was in Season 8.  One thing that Dark Horse has done this season is know when to give Jeanty a rest and bring in a fill in artist.  Even just giving him one month gives Jeanty enough time to make his next arc look that much better.  The fill in artist for the fifth issue is Karl Moline.  His artwork is suitable, and he captures the look of the actors well.  He pencils the controversial scene, and handles it very well.  Readers can really feel that Buffy doesn’t know what to do with this news.

Extras are skim, but good for the price.  All are sketches by Jeanty, with a few being the designs of new characters.  There are alternate covers and promotional materials as well.  Die hard fans will like these, and considering Dark Horse sells two covers for each issue, it’s nice to have all the covers in one spot.

This collection is $9.67 on Amazon, so Buffy fans don’t have much of a reason to not get it.  It’s a great collection for a season that is proving to be much better than the previous season.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 Vol. TPB gets 4/5.

MrComicBook, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 Vol. 1 Review

Spoiler Warning for Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 and all of Season 9

The story is classic Angel.  It deals more with the investigative side of our favorite fluffy puppy vampire, while trying to find a way bring back Giles.  And Faith is there as well, to help Angel along with his rehabilitation.  Pearl and Nash, two cohorts form when Angel was possessed by Twilight attack Angel.  They are not happy that Angel decided to give up the fight at the end of Season 8.  While this is going on, Faith is trying to help local slayers deal with the fact that they aren’t as powerful as they use to be anymore.  The fifths issue is a one and done that deals with Harmony, and her sex tape that leaked.  It also brings back the fan favorite character Clem.

Christos Gage (Avengers Academy) has been writing some of the best Angel material since the show ended.  While IDW’s series about Angel was good, it constantly got bogged down by things.  The writing wasn’t as spot on, and the art lacked the Angel look that a book starring him needs.  The script is full of character, and has a surprising amount of wit.  Writers seem to forget that Angel is at his best when he is happy and funny.  Gage writes these characters as if he had been writing them for years.  He knows when to tone down the jokes and be serious.  The one and done is hysterical, and Gage writes some great gags.  Faith was used well in Season 8, and Joss Whedon made a great case for her having her own series.  Gage writes her great here, showing how much she has grown sense her first appearance in Season 3.

Rebekah Issacs pencils most of the issue, with Phil Noto penciling the one and done with Harmony.  Issacs pencils are nothing short of stunning.  They capture the spirit of their actor counterpart, while Issacs makes her own mark on them.  They are expressive, and ever tiny expression captures the spirit of the actor.  Action scenes flow perfectly, and Issacs creates some great looking monsters.  The book is set in London, and unlike Buffy and San Francisco, London feels like another character in the book.  Besides Gage’s script using British speak, she perfectly captures the energy that London has.  Phil Noto’s issue looks a little rushed, but it’s still good.  He nails the comedic tone that Gage was going for, but occasionally a few panels look down right ugly.  His work on Uncanny X-Force shows he can do great on interiors, so I’m not exactly sure what happened here.

As a long time Buffy fan, I can tell fans of the series that this is the type of Angel series they have been waiting for since the abrupt ending that was Season 5.  If you are questioning where this takes place in seasons, this should technically be Season  7 for Angel.

The extras section has a good amount of the price.  Most of it is sketches from Rebekah Issacs, including one funny Boston related cover.  It’s not much, but considering some won’t pay as much as $10 for this collection, it’s a fair amount.

The book is only $9.67 on Amazon, which makes it a steal.  It’s a phenomenal series that should be read by any fans of Joss Whedon’s work (I’m looking at you Avengers fans).

Angel & Faith Vol. TPB gets 4.5/5.

MrComicBook, Angel & Faith Vol. 1 TBP Review

I knew nothing of this series of books before reading this hardcover.  Let alone that it’s a long established series of books and this hardcover takes place in between two of them.  Over the span of these five issues, the reader gets a hold on the nuances of this universe and how everything works.  The way vampires are presented is genuinely different, which keeps it from being boring.  The series was clearly written for fans of the series, delving deeper into the mythology of what people already know.  While I won’t be reading this series anytime soon, it surprisingly worked as a gateway to a bigger universe.  The stories of vampires past was interesting, and handled well.  These classic characters are barely changed, but it’s enough that you could imagine this happening to them and not messing up the story they are originally from.  Characters could have used some more depth, but this is a tie-in story.  If you’re reading this series, you are most likely a fan of the series and have a basic understanding of these characters and their interactions.  This is mostly evident when the characters are talking about events and relationships that happened in the novels.  Not the worst atrocity committed by a tie-in comic, but does hinder the enjoyment.

But the book doesn’t hide where it gets it’s influences from.  House of Night: Legacy seems like a mashup between Buffy, Harry Potter, and Twilight.  Kids have the wit of Joss Whedon, complain about boyfriends like it’s the only thing in the world, and they go to a school to learn how to be a good vampire.  The mashup sounds like it shouldn’t work, and there are points where it doesn’t, but it does work.  House of Night does fall into some of the generic story points for books like this.  The students discuss classic tales of heroes who were vampires, and how their god, Nyx, helped them.  But in the present day, Nyx helps them with simple self confidence problems that are solved by one sentence spoken by a supporting character.  Doesn’t Nyx have something else to do besides helping this one girl in the middle of Tulsa?  If the stories of Cleopatra and others hadn’t been in the same hardcover, I might have taken them a little more serious.  But I couldn’t help but laugh at these situations.  The humor can seem a little out of place, as these characters suddenly being witty bastards after speaking generic lines for a few pages is jarring.  The school aspect all but yells that it’s copying things from Harry Potter.

The artwork is one of the better aspects of this collection.  Each story is penciled by a different artist, with the school scenes penciled by Joelle Jones.  Her artwork blends the fantasy and high school well.  The backgrounds were what struck me, with a great amount of detail added to them.  But then again, she only pencils about half the book, so it’s no surprise that everything is detailed.  The five artists who handle the stories of ancient vampires fit their stories well. Most of them give the story a hue that matches the “element” that the story is talking about.  While not surprising, it still makes the images pop off the page.

The biggest gaff this collection commits is the lack of extras.  No sketches, no interviews, nothing.  Even though I’m not a fan of this series, I would have liked to read a little bit about the series.  Then again, the book is rather cheap on Amazon, so whoever buys this is already saving a bunch money.  Fans of the House of Night: Legacy series would be wise to pick this series up.

Now I’m going to give this HC a 3.5/5. But, taking into consideration that I’m not a fan of the series, or that I had never heard of it before, I’d say fans of the series would give this HC a 4/5.

House of Night: Legacy HC is available on July 17th

MrComicBook, House of Night: Legacy HC Review

Who will Batman kill to save his own daughter? Right out of the gate that should tell you we’re dealing with a different kind of Dark Knight here. More ruthless, dangerous…the costume is familiar and yeah, there is a Wayne under the mask, but we’re looking at a man desperate to save the only family he has left. EARTH 2 is about to become a very bad place to be a bad guy.

And of course, what is Batman without Robin. Earth 2 writer James Robinson and World’s Finest editor Wil Moss speak on this particular Robin:

Helena Wayne has been taught how to be the perfect Robin. Assured as a detective, fighter, scientist, pilot and all around crime-fighter she’s been groomed by Batman to be the perfect caped manhunter (or should we say manHuntress) when she grows up.

Before coming to the main DCU Earth and taking up the mantle of Huntress, Helena Wayne fought crime alongside her father as the Robin to his Batman on Earth-2! But how did she come to be on this Earth? And why did she decide to become Huntress? You’ll get some clues in next week’s HUNTRESS #6, but for the real scoop, pick up WORLDS’ FINEST #1!”

Also featured will be Supergirl and Wonder Woman. Supergirl’s story will feature on her true motives and an incident that prompts her to take on the identity of Power Girl. Wonder Woman is teased as the last of the Amazons due to the events opening Earth 2 and she is out for revenge at any cost. We delve into the mystery about how she became the last Amazon.

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, DC Earth 2 Character Sketches And Info

#1 in Sci-Fi

#1 in Fantasy

#1 in Historical Fantasy

#7 in Hot New Releases

#41 of ALL ITEMS in the kindle store

RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 24, 2012

$14.95 print; $7.99 digital; AmazonEncore

 

SYNOPSIS

The author Arwen Dayton

Five thousand years ago, the Kinley built a ship capable of traveling faster than light. It carried a group of scientists to the distant planet Earth with a single mission: peaceful observation. But when the ship was destroyed, the crew found themselves stranded in Egypt during the reign of the pharaohs. With no way home, they buried their technology deep beneath the desert and sent a last desperate message into the stars…

 

Today the Kinley homeworld hovers on the brink of extinction. An enemy that nearly obliterated their race has risen again—now with the ability to destroy them for good. A lone Kinley soldier named Pruit is sent on a desperate mission:  she must follow the ancient beacon back to Earth and recover the secrets to faster-than-light travel.

 

 

Spanning five millennia and vast reaches of space, Resurrection transports readers on an astonishing quest that will forever alter the fate of two extraordinary worlds.

 

Agent Burgos, RESURRECTION By Arwen Dayton Its #1 On AMAZON!