You could count on one hand the amount of decent animated programming on television today. Some as easy to get to as Fox’s Family Guy, but others are more buried. One hidden gem in particular is Adult Swim’s The Venture Bros.. For those not in the know, the series started off as a spoof of old adventure cartoons like Johnny Quest, but in three seasons, turned into so much more.

Last we left the Venture cast, Brock had quit his job as the family bodyguard, Hank and Dean lead their clones to be sacrificed for battle, and Henchman 21 was holding the decapitated head of his close pal, Henchman 24. Where do we go from here? Check out the extended trailer for the next season below, and Venture Bros. picks back up again in November with full episodes on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim.

Go Team Venture!

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It’s been a recent trend in cinema that movies have been reexamining the value of 3-D as a viable way of making and promoting new films, something our own Matt Raub has been a fan of. Not to be left behind, the video game industry has also taken a look at this gimmick as a new way to bring value to new properties as well. While some of us are old enough to remember the Virtual Boy, Nindendo’s first attempt at 3D technology, we also remember the terrible headache’s that also accompanied it after only a short time playing. Now, Capcom has partnered with Nvidia to give it another shot with Resident Evil 5 coming for the PC in September.

Capcom looked to the PC with its almost limitless possibilities for intensifying the horror experience of Resident Evil 5, deciding that 3-D would be the way to bring the most scare for your buck to players. Everything in Resident Evil 5 from gameplay, cut scenes and even menus are in 3-D. During gameplay and cut scenes, the 3-D effects will focus on “out of screen” effects with items or people popping in and out of the screen towards and away from the player, much like 3-D movies have done. There will also be an adjustable level of depth which players control to give a more distinct visual distance between items in the player’s foreground and background.

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Here’s a list of some of the new movie and TV shows coming to DVD and Blu-ray this week that we’re looking forward to seeing. Also, there’s some classic and not-so-classic movies hitting Blu-ray for the first time this week as well.

Of all the new releases, we’re particularly interested in the Criterion version of The Last Days of Disco, Batman: Brave and the Bold and the debut of thirtysomething, Booker and Wiseguy on DVD for the first time.

Check them out.

Movies

Adventureland ~ Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds,(DVD and Blu-ray)

Children of the Corn ~ Peter Horton, Linda Hamilton, R.G. Armstrong (Blu-ray)

Duplicity ~ Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Julia Roberts (DVD and Blu-ray)

Fighting ~ Channing Tatum, Terrence Howard (DVD and Blu-ray)

How Bruce Lee Changed the World ~ Bruce Lee (DVD)

The Informers ~ Kim Basinger, Billy Bob Thorton (DVD and Blu-ray)

The Last Days of Disco (Criterion Collection) ~ Chloë Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale, Chris Eigeman (DVD)

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Sheri Moon Zombie is a name that, in the past few years, has become quite prominent in the world of horror. She got her start back in 2003′s House of 1000 Corpses and worked her way up from there, all alongside her husband Rob Zombie. We recently got a chance to talk to Sheri about the upcoming Halloween 2 release, and how her character makes an interesting return.

Those who remember Zombie’s first Halloween know that Deborah Myers, Sheri’s character, offed herself in the second act. It seems like her role only got bigger after death, as she’s pretty consistent throughout the newest film. In the interview, Sheri spills on H2, working with Rob, her role as Suzi X in the animated The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, and even the work she did on Showtime’s Californication.

Check out our exclusive interview after the jump, and a special thanks to Midtown Comics in Manhattan for letting us shoot there! Also, be sure to check back all this week for more coverage of Rob Zombie’s Halloween 2.

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We’re sure most have you have noticed that The Flickcast has done more and more coverage as of late on PC MMOs like the trailer for World of Warcraft‘s Cataclysm expansion and our in depth interviews and coverage of DC Universe Online . Well a new MMO has popped up seemingly out of nowhere and put itself dead center in our radar. That game is Guild Wars 2.

The original Guild Wars came out in 2005 and has sold over six million units since its release. The most unique aspect of Guild Wars was its non-subscription based model. Most MMOs charge a fee, usually around $10 a month, to play. Guild Wars bucked that trend with no fee at all, instead relying on players purchasing expansions to keep funding for the game’s ArenaNet servers going. Instead of keeping massive zones constantly running, the game focused on “instanced” play where areas would only exist once a player launched in to them with their group. The other advantage of Guild Wars came from the low technology requirements to run it on PC’s, allowing a lower level of entry for new players.

The trailer released for the upcoming sequel, Guild Wars 2, just blew us away in what might be one of the best MMO trailers of recent memory. The combination of animatic style artwork combined with the real gameplay footage is simply amazing. Unlike Star Wars: The Old Republic which was entirely CGI with its announcement trailer, Guild Wars 2 shows off just what the world looks like in engine with full effects.

Just take a peek after the jump and you’ll be as sold as we are on it.

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John Carle was right, this week will likely break my wallet. Its an Arvid Nelson fest with the end of Rex Mundi this week and the post-apocalyptic Zero Killer. It may, however, not be the end for Nelson’s Holy Grail epic as Johnny Depp has long been developing the movie.

From DC we have Batman and Robin #3, The Flash: Rebirth #4, Detective Comics #854,  Green Lantern # 45 and Kevin Smith’s new Batman The Widening Gyre. From Marvel, we have part 5 of the very good Utopia arc, with Dark Avengers # 8 that shows Matt Fraction is capable of writing an event in fewer than nine parts.  Also we have Secret Warriors #7.

As always, we here at The Flickcast care about what you read, so leave us a comment and let us know what you liked/didn’t like from this week’s comics. For a more complete list of what comes out this week, Midtown Comics has a great listing of everything.

Happy reading!

Are you wondering how a series that’s only hit issue #13 recently could be releasing issue #900 in October of this year? Well, to be honest, we’re a bit confused ourselves. Fortunately, as often happens, our confusion can be cleared up with the liberal application of this official Marvel press release. And, as always, be sure to check out the larger cover art from this mysterious comic after the jump.

It is I, the whimsical Wade Wilson, wishing you a wonderful warning (That’s not too much alliteration is it?) – Buy Deadpool #900, with seven all new stories, my first team up and more!  It seems like only yesterday I was starring in Deadpool #13, but here I am, at the apex of comic glory!  This issue is so big only the most hardcore Deadhead (Isn’t that the name for fans of the Grateful – Shut Up!) creators could handle it!  In the first of seven stories, “Pinky Swear”, is presented by Joe Kelly and Rob Liefeld.

“One Down” is brought to you by Charlie Huston and Kyle Baker and “Close Encounters” is created by Jason Aaron and Rick Staggs.  Mike Benson and Damian Scott deliver “Shrunken Master” while Fred Van Lente and Dalibor Talijic present “Silent But Deadly.”  “What Happens in Vegas” is told by Duane Swierczysnki (Is that how you spell it?) and Shawn Crystal.  And lastly, we have “Great Balls of Thunder on the Deep Blue Sea” by Victor Gischler and Sanford Greene  Watch as your favorite crimson comedian faces off against probe-happy aliens (They didn’t even offer us a drink!) and killer mimes (Did their guns have silencers? Bwahaha)!  But the fun doesn’t stop there, I also meet a shrink that’s crazier than me (You’re crazy?) and partake in a heinous assassination (My favorite type!)!

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First, there was Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins and then Willem Dafoe. Now, there’s three more actors confirmed for Andrew (Wall-E) Stanton’s big screen version of John Carter of Mars. Along with the casting news, there’s also a few spoilers concerning Martian politics and things of that nature, so be aware.

Minority Report‘s Samantha Morton and The Wire‘s Dominic West have joined the cast of the Walt Disney version of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic novel. Morton will play Dafoe’s daughter, Sola, while West’s character will be the Zodangan prince Sab Than, who feels that he should be the one to rule all of Mars. Rounding out the three new actors is Rome’s Polly Walker playing the role of Sarkoja, who is described as “a merciless, tyrannical Thark.” Is there any other kind?

The film, in case you’re not aware, centers on a Civil War veteran (Kitsch) who finds himself mysteriously transported to Mars where he becomes embroiled with the planet’s warring people and kicks a lot of green butt. The movie is expected to start production early next year for a release in 2012.

Fans of Apple’s advanced operating system known as OS X have another reason to be happy this week. Besides the OS X’s stellar reputation for ease of use, security and reliability, its now going to get a brand new update in the form of OS X 10.6 (aka Snow Leopard). This new OS, which we’ve talked about before, is being released by Apple this Friday, August 28th, so you can go to the store and pick up the $29.00 upgrade version — if you’re already running Leopard — and go to town.

Conveniently, you can also pre-order the update version at Apple’s website for delivery on the 28th. Shipping is free but it will still cost you sales tax. No getting around that one. Finally, you can do what I did and pre-order it from Amazon and wait until Monday for it to show up. If you do that, you wait a couple extra days but pay no sales tax or, if you’re an Amazon Prime member, no shipping. That’s the best deal going right now.

Remember, before you go ahead and buy the upgrade version, you can only install the upgrade if you’re currently using Leopard on your Mac. If you’re not, you’ll need to buy the Mac Box Set, available for $169 for a single user or $229 for a Family Pack.

As announced today on Rock Band’s official website, this week looks to be a big week for Downloadable Content. With the goal of reaching 1000 songs in their library by year’s end, Harmonix welcomes Billy Idol, Tom Petty and Fleetwood Mac in to the Rock Band family of musicians. In addition, a new track from Jet will also be available.

Coming this week to XBox Live on August 25th and the Playstation Network on August 27th for $2.00 a track (160 points on the Microsoft Store):

Billy Idol – “Mony Mony”
Billy Idol – “Rebel Yell”
Fleetwood Mac – “Don’t Stop”
Fleetwood Mac – “World Turning”
Jet – “She’s a Genius”
Tom Petty – “I Won’t Back Down”
Tom Petty – “Runnin’ Down a Dream”

In addition, the Wii which is catching up to the catalog of XBox 360 and the Playstation 3 has a ton of tracks coming in, each for 200 Wii Points ($2.00) including some from recent Flickcast Interviewee, Rob Zombie.

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Besides some of the other comic book companies such as Marvel, DC and Darkhorse we feature regularly at The Flickcast, there’s another one that keep putting out very interesting and entertaining books. That company is Moonstone and they’ve got a treat for all you fans of The Phantom: A double sized comic mini-series featuring the character and some of your favorite villains.

For the full 411, check out the details from the official Moonstone press release. Also, be sure and check out the cool comic art after the jump.

Coming this December from Moonstone, a mini-series that pits the Phantom against The Hammer, a group of ex-KGB agents intent on restoring the USSR to its place as a world super-power. Each of the six issues will feature a chapter from the Phantom’s tale, as well as stand-alone stories spotlighting characters you’ve come to know and love from Moonstone Books.

In the main feature, The Phantom uncovers The Hammer’s plot to destroy the United States in retaliation for the downfall of their former empire. The Ghost Who Walks, trailing what he believes to be an ordinary arms dealer, finds himself embroiled in a nuclear weapon purchase. If The Hammer succeeds in detonating the device, the entire US eastern seaboard will pay the ultimate price. It’s up to The Phantom to see that they don’t.

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As we showed you, we got a special first look at San Diego Comic-Con of Marvel Super Hero Squad for the Ninendo Wii from developer THQ. Our video, seen here,  gives an exclusive first look at the game’s Battle Mode pitting the Silver Surfer against Magneto.

For those new to the Marvel Super Hero Squad brand, it started out as a Marvel Universe toy line for the younger generation, with more rounded edges, smiling characters and toned down imagery. The game set to be released in October of this year is also tied in to the upcoming Marvel Super Hero Squad cartoon series, debuting in September on the Cartoon Network. The game’s story is written to be a lost episode of the show.

Marvel Super Hero Squad will feature 21 Playable characters in the game between its Adventure and Battle Modes. The character list currently includes Iron Man, Hulk, Wolverine, Thor, Silver Surfer, Captain America, Magneto, Spider-Man (who must be unlocked through gameplay), Storm, the Abomination, Juggernaut, Doctor Doom, Ms. Marvel, Falcon and the Thing. There will also be multiple unlockable costumes for every character. More characters are expected to be announced in early September. There will also be a Walmart exclusive SKU with a yet to be announced bonus character only available if the game is purchased through Walmart.

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