Since last week’s Comic-Con in San Diego, many of the millions of Twilight fans have been anxious to get a glimpse at what the members of the New Moon panel got to see in the legendary Hall H. Most of that footage probably won’t be leaked online for some time, but one thing we do get is an image of the illustrious vampire clan, the Volturi, from the new film.

The Volturi, according to Twlight lore, is one of the oldest vampire clans, operating from the city of Volterra, Italy, eating people and hunting werewolves whenever they choose. In New Moon, Edward rushes to the clan for a solution, which is when we get the first appearance of the dark group. Don’t expect to see much of them, as the Volturi have a more prominent role in Breaking Dawn, the fourth book in the series. Check out the image in full after the jump.

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After a hectic week at Comic-Con, I return home for… more comics. It was a lighter week in Pulls which is a good thing after the Con ravaged most of our bank accounts. It was a Marvel and DC heavy week, with the notable exception being Bad Kids Go to Hell #2, which was reviewed yesterday in advance. But for now, on to the rest of this week with the Pull of the Week.

Pull of the Week:

Thunderbolts #134 – Marvel – $2.99

Score: 8.0

Something has been missing in the Thunderbolts since the “Dark Reign” started. As great a job as Andy Diggle has done with the series and the new team, it just felt like not all the pieces were where they should be. This issue is the first to feel like those pieces are coming back on the table as former Thunderbolts make their return to the series. Thunderbolts #134 joins former criminals and T-Bolts Fixer and Mach IV as they work on creating an updated M.A.C.H. suit when they are visited by Songbird who comes to them looking for help as she knows she is the target of Norman Osborn’s Thunderbolts team.

Meanwhile, the further mistrust of the Thunderbolts is shown between a confrontation between the Headsman and Mr. X, possibly two of the most lackluster character names in Marvel. The theme of a team of lunatics who can’t trust each other for various reasons becomes increasingly evident in this issue. To further it, the big secret revealed at the end of the last issue is explored further that the leader of Norman’s team, the Black Widow II, is actually working for Nick Fury, though his intentions of having a mole within the Thunderbolts hasn’t been revealed yet. Widow reports to her team that they are off to hunt down a Thunderbolt which inevitably leads to the team placing an attack on Songbird before a somewhat shocking reveal at the end of the issue.

What works so well in this issue is the return of characters that are actually likable. People like Songbird, there is something about the hot girl with the pink hair who has a bad girl past that make her an attractive character. The return appearances from Fixer and Mach IV add to that feel good emotion from the book as they were the people associated with Songbird at her height when she was the leader of the Thunderbolts. It looks like Diggle’s entire run could be seen as a redemption of Songbird. She has been beaten after being under Norman’s leadership when she was teamed with the likes of Venom and Bullseye and then further dragged across the gravel by almost being killed by her former teammates.

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We cover a lot of video games from publisher Activision here at The Flickcast. Of course, there’s also many other companies producing or distributing cool video games that we’re fans of. One such company is the powerhouse Electronic Arts. They make a lot of games and we try to play them all. They also produce games based on movies and one such game is the upcoming G.I. Joe: the Rise of Cobra, based on the movie of the same name.

I got a chance to take a look at the game and its trailer during the recent E3 event in Los Angeles. And now, thanks to the the magic of the Internets, I can bring that trailer to you right here. In the trailer you can see that the game tries to capture all the action, explosions, gunplay and spirit of the movie and, if this trailer is any indication, seems to do a pretty good job at it. Games based on movies have gotten a lot better lately and this one looks like its no exception.

The game hits store shelves on August 8 and the movie on August 7. Check out the trailer after the Jump.

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Things are never going to be the same for the Punisher. That may be true but it also seems to apply to a lot of characters in comics these days. Still, I guess change is inevitable and sometimes, even necessary. So, I’ll try not to complain too much.

Confused about what I’m talking about? Fortunately, I don’t have to try and explain and will instead leave it to the very capable hands of the Marvel PR machine. Here’s all the info from the official press release.

And, as always, check after the jump for the full-sized cover art.

Dark Reign The List brings the most dramatic changes ever to Punisher! Dark Wolverine faces off against Frank Castle and the Punisher’s (after)life is altered forever! Beginning with Punisher #8, don’t miss four special Rest In Pieces Variants, all clues to the startling changes ahead for the Punisher!

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At San Diego Comic Con, there were tons of chances to sit down and talk with the creators of tons of new titles coming out for PC, XBox 360 and PlayStation. I was given the opportunity to talk with Michael Wilford, CEO of TwistedPixel, the creators of The Maw and ‘Splosion Man which are both available for XBox Live Arcade. A review of ‘Splosion Man will be coming later this week as well as exclusive video of Michael Wilford playing through the first level of the game with us and giving developer commentary as he progresses through the level.

John Carle: John Carle from the Flickcast standing here with Mike Wilford who is the CEO and Producer on ‘Splosion Man which is one of the XBox Live Summer of Arcade featured titles. If you could just tell us a little bit about the game and the ideas behind it, like where it came from.

Michael Wilford: Yea, you bet. The main premise of the game is we tried to make the most crazy, nonsensical, hilarious, off the wall game you’ve probably ever seen. It’s really simple to play. It’s about a character named ‘Splosion Man. He’s made out of ‘splosion and he just runs around and all you do is ‘splode. Every face button does the same thing. It’s kind of like a jump but it blows up everything around you. You can do a triple jump in the air and bounce off walls. It’s really simple to play but we end up throwing a lot of stuff at you and it gets really challenging later.

JC: What was the inspiration behind the character?

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One of the great things about Comic-Con is all the cool trailers for movies you might not have heard of that get released. One such movie is the horror/sci-fi action film Pandourm. In case you’re not familiar with the film it concerns two astronauts who wake to find themselves drifting through space and with no memory of who they are.

They believe that they must be the only ones aboard the spacecraft, but can hear sounds coming from its center. Exploring the spacecraft, the astronauts start to learn that a terrible event has occurred on board which might affect the survival of the entire human race. Damn, isn’t that always the way it is?

Pandorum, which features Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster and Cung Le, hits theaters on September 18th. Check out the full trailer after the jump.

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It looks like Comic Con broke this week’s comics, because there is a whole LOT of nothing to read this week.

Sure, I suppose you could find reason to get Detective Comics #855, because it was (quite honestly) the best book to come out last month.  I don’t think  you’ll get a better schooling in comic book design sense than reading this book.

Then there is the new trade paperback of the Eisner-award winning Best New Series Invincible Iron Man: World’s Most Wanted, but if you know what’s good for you you already have these single issues. Also, congrats to Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca on their win for that series.

Really,  however, you should just buy The Surrogates: Flesh and Bone, which is a prequel to the original series, that the movie (starring Bruce Willis) is based on.  Don’t know anything about this comic or movie? Check out our coverage.  

Though if you really think about it and are willing to try new things, there’s probably something this week for you. If you want to see for yourself Midtown Comics has a great listing of what comes out this week. As always we care about what you read, so let us know what you liked/didn’t like from this week’s or any week’s comics in the comments.

Happy reading!

The 1980s were an amazing time for horror cinema. From the rise of Troma Films to the uncanny popularity of the slasher film, the genre was certainly made into a whole new beast in that decade. One director was able to help move the world of monsters and creatures into the public eye with 1986′s Night of the Creeps.

The film was able to turn horror and scifi on it’s side and add some comedy for flavor. At the time it may have been forgotten rather quickly, but then it was resurrected by a swarm of fans calling it a “cult classic”.  Not looking back on Creeps, Dekker moved on to other projects, some of which include 1987′s Monster Squad and a handful of episodes of Tales From the Crypt.

Now, the fans have spoken once again, and Night of the Creeps‘ popularity has warranted it’s first release on DVD and Hi-Def Blu-Ray this October. The DVD is packed with features, deleted scenes, trivia, and commentary from the director himself. We got a chance to talk about the surprising success and DVD release of Night of the Creeps with Dekker himself, and you can check out the video interview after the jump. Creeps hits DVD shelves October 20th.

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Amidst all the excitement at Comic-Con in San Diego over Iron Man 2, Tron, Avatar, Chuck or various other properties, a little show you may have heard of, and that got its start at Comic-Con, still had a packed panel and wowed fans. I’m talking about, of course, NBC’s Heroes.

Even though, in the opinion of some, the show has been a bit rocky lately, that’s doesn’t seem to be dampening fans enthusiasm for the show’s fourth season. One of the way’s NBC tried to enhance that enthusiasm is by showing a brand new “sizzle reel” preview of that fourth season exclusively at Comic-Con a few days ago.

Well fear not if you weren’t there to see it in person because we’ve got it for you right here. This video is a brand new, extended preview trailer entitled “Road to Redemption.” In it, you’re treated to lots of cool glimpses of your favorite characters and what they’re doing next season. Plus, there may be a few surprises in store as well.

Check out all the Heroes Season 4 action right after the jump. Heroes begins its fourth season on Monday, September 24th.

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Looks like the Chinese government has made an offer that gamers can’t refuse. According to The New York Times, the Chinese Ministry of Culture has just banned all online games that feature organized crime. By today, games like The Godfather, Mafioso Hitman, and Gangster were unavailable to gamers. Links to Internet games that included organized crime were also blocked.

The China Youth Association for Internet Development reported last year that 70 percent of all juvenile crimes were “induced by Internet addiction.” These kinds of games, according to the Ministry of Culture, “embody antisocial behavior like killing, beating, looting and raping,” and “gravely threatens and distorts the social order and moral standards, easily putting young people under harmful influence.”

Although the rules are unclear, “severe punishment” is in store for anyone who violates the terms of the decree issued on Monday.

This isn’t the only time China has restricted technology and gaming. In June, China started requiring computers sold domestically to include filtering software to weed out pornography and other things the government found inappropriate. This restriction was recently lifted after computer manufacturers put on the pressure. Back in March, 1Up reported that  yet another World of Warcraft expansion was delayed due to the use of skeleton avatars. When the game was eventually released in China, the entire Death Knight class was not included.

What do you guys think? Is censorship the solution to violence sparked by videogames? Or is moderation the key?

Due to last week’s craziness of San Diego Comic-Con, we regretfully weren’t able to bring you a Weblink Wednesday or Fan Film Friday. Since we’re all about fairness here at The Flickcast, we have decided to give you the best of both worlds this week with The Legend of Neil.

Created by the same team who brought us The Guild, The Legend of Neil is a web series about a regular underachiever, Neil Grimsley, who gets transformed into the world of Zelda and has to fight off all kinds of things from orcs to skeletons to gay dragons, all while pissed off and confused. The series is strictly a comedy for gamers, especially those who’ve spent many hours playing Legend of Zelda. The show has a few fun cameos along the way, including legendary fangirl and star of The Guild, Felicia Day.

Originally created as an independent series by Effin Funny, the show was later picked up by Atom Films, which had a syndication deal with Comedy Central. This means that Comedy Central owns syndication rights to Neil and may decide to change the medium to TV in the future (though there are no formal plans). Season two just kicked off on Monday, and you can check out the premier right after the jump. Be warned, the series is funny, but also NSFW.

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Last week on The Flickcast, Chris and Matt jumped into full Comic-Con preview mode to discuss all the great things at the Con like Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, the Tron reboot, Torchwood: Children of Earth, Iron Man 2 and how fun it is to say the word “Hufflepuff” while doing a British accent.

This time around, the boys are live at Comic-Con in San Diego and have a special guest on the show, writer/producer Mark Verheiden, who’s many credits include Smallville, Time Cop, Battlestar Galactica and Heroes. Among the topics covered are how Comic-Con has changed over the years, the status of Mark’s various other projects like Ark and Quatermaine, the end of Battlestar Galactica and what, exactly, Starbuck really was.

As always, if you have comments, questions, critiques or offers of sponsorship, feel free to hit us up in the comments, on Twitter and at Facebook, MySpace or via email. Thanks for listening.