To boldly be published in comic book format!

Star Trek #1 is an ongoing series by IDW Publishing. The new comic book series is based on J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek while telling stories that are “re-imaginings” of the adventures of the 1960′s classic Star Trek TV show. Basically, take the fun, hip crew you liked from the 2009 film, mix them with the classic, brilliant drama of the 1960′s TV show, and you have an intriguing concept that appeals to new and old Star Trek fans alike.

Based on the original series episode titled Where No Man Has Gone Before, Star Trek #1 begins with the Enterprise finding the distress beacon from the Valiant, a vessel thought to be lost. After crossing the galactic barrier, Enterprise crewman and one of Kirk’s best friends, Gary Mitchell gets sick and begins to display psychic and telekinetic powers. Gary is now temparmental and angry. Captain Kirk has decide what to do about his good friend before he harms himself or worse, the Enterprise.

The issue follows the same basic first act of the episode it is based on with minor changes. Spock and Uhura are still dating like in the movie, and Kirk is still very new to command. Gary Mitchell even makes a joke about how he was ahead of Kirk in the Academy, and now Kirk is his superior officer. Robert Orci, one of the screenwriters for the 2009 Star Trek, is listed as creative consultant on the issue which I believe is the reason why the story feels fresh and modern even though it’s based on an episode over 40 years old.

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There’s an old adage that says, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” If there was any character in the DC Universe that didn’t need a reboot, it was Batman. Batman had been strong before the reboot.

He fought Darkseid, traveled through time, discovered his lost son, Damian, and founded Batman Inc., an international corporation devoted to stopping crime funded by his alter ego, Bruce Wayne. The stories and characters of the Batman mythos did not need a reboot.

So how is Batman in the New 52 DC Universe?

I’m pleased to report that he is still awesome. In fact, Batman hasn’t changed much at all post-reboot. His costume is different, but every detail of his story is exactly the same as it was before the relaunch.

Batman #1 is truly meant for old comic fans, and people who have never read a comic before but know who Batman is. Although, the writer could have spent a little more time explaining who the various Robins were; the book does use a clever exposition device that gives you their name, their current code name, and their relation to Batman.

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Yesterday, we brought you our first batch review of DC’s newest line of rebooted books, and today, we’re finishing up on the massive 15 books that were released.

Hawk and Dove #1

Written by Sterling Gates | Art by Rob Liefeld

Hawk and Dove #1 is the worst book of the DC ‘New 52″ week one. The plot is a mess as it mentions and references things specific to old DCU continuity. The art is only good if you like to see characters constantly grit their teeth in every panel.

Seriously, how is Rob Liefeld still getting work? Unless you have read Brightest Day, this story will not make any sense. Do not buy this book.

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The first week of DC Comics New 52 has past. Following the release of Justice League #1, last Wednesday DC released its first week of full comic releases of the new relaunch. Excitement has never been higher for DC Comics, and one single question has been asked by comic fans, new and old, everywhere.

Are the books any good?

That’s what the DC Comics ‘New 52′ report card is here to answer! Each and every week, I will read and review each and every book of the ‘New 52.’ Letting you, the reader, know exactly which ones to buy, which ones you should avoid, and which ones you should give to your friend that has never read comics before.

So let’s get started. This week’s books are Action Comics, Animal Man, Batgirl, Batwing, Detective Comics, Green Arrow. All books will be graded on a scale of A to F. Check in tomorrow morning for our second half of last week’s comics. Withoutt further adieu, let’s get started with our first book: Action Comics #1.

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You will believe that man can fly, no wait, run really fast.

More so than any of the other DC Comics #1′s, including Justice League #1, Action Comics #1 is the flagship book of DC. Superheroes were created in the original Action Comics #1 way back in June of 1939.

The editors of DC Comics must have realized this as well so they gave the job of reinventing their original book and superhero to Grant Morrison, superstar comic writer and creator of one of  the best Superman stories of all time known as All Star Superman. So how is Action Comics #1? Well, it can be summed up in one simple sentence.

Welcome back, Superman.

Action Comics #1 is a refreshing, brand new take on the character of Superman. By going back to the roots of Superman, in his humble beginnings in 1939, Grant Morrison has created a Superman that is more modern and relevant than ever.

The issue begins with a young Superman. He can’t fly, but he can run real fast and leap buildings in a single bound. His costume is nothing but a t-shirt, a cape, and a pair of jeans. Superman grabs a CEO of a company that mistreated his workers, bribed city officials, and used illegal cheap labor.

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As a fan of the Star Tours attractions on both coasts, I was excited to go to the D23 panel on the making of Star Tours: The Adventures Continue… I crowded into the 1,000+ seat ballroom, not knowing what Imagineer insights awaited me.

In true Disney fashion, the panel was a professionally crafted presentation, with no room for questions..errr, I mean error. In this panel, lead Imagineer, Tom Fitzgerald, spoke with the aid of Powerpoint and took us on the journey to bring this attraction into the future.

Tom Fitzgerald, began his Star Tours story in 1998 when George Lucas summoned the Imagineer team to his ranch to watch the pod race, and only the pod race. After seeing the infamous scene, the Imagineers decided to wait to see the rest of the film, hoping against hope that it would the pod race would be scrapped for something way cooler.

Ok, so Tom said, “In fact, we did think it was a great idea”, but I can read between the lines. Interestingly back in 1998, way before the 3D onslaught, the Imagineers knew the ride was going to be in 3D.

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Comic-Con in San Diego is great event that excites the senses like no other. The sights and sounds are unlike any others (and unfortunately, sometimes so are the smells). Those of us lucky enough to see Comic-Con in person would be remiss not to allow others the opportunities to see them as well.

From beautiful women in sexy costumes to guys decked out in full combat gear and gigantic booth displays and monstrously oversized robots, visually Comic-Con has everything. And you can’t forget the celebrities.

Where else in the world could someone see Hulk Hogan signing autographs and ten minutes later find Wonder Woman having a beer at the bar. (Wonder Woman wanted to make sure everyone knows she does not encourage underage drinking). We had some other great photo galleries during the show and now we’ve got a brand new one with a bit more epicness.

As always, we send out a special shout out to the fanboys and fangirls who spent hours of hard work creating some of the best costumes we have seen. Each year, people keep getting better and this year’s Con was proof again of that.

Take a peek below at more amazing pics from Comic-Con 2011 from San Diego.

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With E3 over, the next big summer event in the geek world is Comic-Con in San Diego. Every year, more than a hundred thousand people descend upon San Diego, taking over the city and enveloping it in geekdom.

There isn’t a corner you can turn without seeing a Green Lantern T-shirt or a bar you can walk into that doesn’t have a revised comic book inspired martini list. It is nerd paradise.

But, Comic-Con isn’t all Batmobiles and conversations with Jim Lee. There is a darker side to the Con that becomes increasingly apparent (and annoying) once you get there.

As much as we love the Con, there are a few things we wouldn’t mind living without for our week in San Diego.

Twilight

The past few years, Comic-Con has been invaded by screaming teenage girls and even louder overeager cougars in search of their first glimpse of the latest trailers of the Twilight saga. Twilight is not comics. It’s not even geek.

Ask any person on the street to tell you what they imagine a vampire looks like before Twilight came out and not a single one would mention “sparkles.” The vampires that most people love revolve around sex and violence, not good Christian values and celibacy. Real vampires don’t shimmer, they kill people.

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Since the creation of The Flickcast, there has rarely been a time or topic that I’ve felt strongly enough about to write an editorial rant, until now. There is a new fad swooping through the brains of up and coming actresses who feel like they need to close in on a wide and constantly sought after demographic. I’m talking, of course, about the close group of people across the globe who can be referred to as “nerds.”

Back in the day (and by “the day” I mean when Lord of The Rings were just books that nobody talked about and the closest thing we had to a superhero movie was Christopher Reeve wearing guyliner and blue tights) the concept of a “nerd” was someone with awkward social skills who took solace in the worlds of science fiction or fantasy.

Today, the line has obviously been blurred between what’s considered “cool” and what’s considered “nerdy.” Some of the biggest movies of the year are one’s involving Orcs or robots from space. That’s all fine and dandy, but enjoying these things isn’t what makes you a “nerd.”

Since the explosion of Felicia Day, who’s best known for her work with Joss Whedon on Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog or on her own series, The Guild (a webseries about the social misadventures of real gamers), there have been hundreds of copycats hoping to rake in some of that sweet nerdy celebrity. And given how much money the video game and comic book industries are now making, it’s ripe for the picking.

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This week’s pick is from the wonderful world of Cannon Pictures with the 1987 feature The Hanoi Hilton. It was directed by Lionel Chetwynd and tells the story of downed American airmen who suffered greatly at the hands of their North Vietnamese captors in the infamous Hoa Lo Prison.

The film stars Michael Moriarty (LCDR Williamson USN), Paul Le Mat (Capt. Earl Hubman USAF), David Soul (Major Oldham USMC), Lawrence Pressman (Col. Cathcart USAF), Doug Savant (Lt. Ashby USAF), Jeffrey Jones (Maj. Fischer, USA), Jesse Dabson (Seaman Rasmussen USN), and John Diehl (Capt. Murphy USAF).

The film opens in the fall of 1964 where U.S. warships are patrolling the waters off of North Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin which is where the events leading up to the war happened. Michael Moriarty plays Cmdr. Williamson who is a Navy aviator who is being interviewed by the press who are trying to determine if American involvement in this police action is what’s needed.

Williamson declares that it is the duty of America to lend a hand to whomever requires its assistance and that they are there at the request of the South Vietnamese government, and at the request of President Lyndon Johnson. Williamson also adds that it is the right of all nations to determine their own existence, and that Communism must be stopped by all freedom loving peoples in the world.

This was what became known as the famous “domino theory” which stated that if one country in a hemisphere succumbed to Communism, others would fall along side it. That was one of the major arguments for American involvement in southeast Asia during this crucial time during the Cold War.

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This week’s pick is The TNT original film Andersonville (1996) from acclaimed film maker John Frankenheimer (Seven Days in May, Against the Wall). The film stars Jarrod Emick (Pvt. Josiah Day), Frederic Forrest (Sgt. McSpadden), Ted Marcoux (Martin Blackburn) Gregory Sporleder (Dick Potter), Cliff De Young (Sgt. John Gleason), William Sanderson (Munn), Peter Murnik (Limber Jim), Frederick Coffin (Collins), Olek Krupa (Olek Wisnovsky), Jan Triska (Captain Henry Wirz), and William H. Macy (Col. Chandler).

Andersonville was the most infamous of Confederate prisons during the American War between the States. It was made to house only eight thousand or so Union troops, but in its short existence, it housed nearly thirty thousand Union POWs. From 1864-65 nearly seventeen thousand men lost their lives due to starvation, disease, and at the hands of marauding gangs of prisoners known as the “Raiders”who murdered and stole from their fellow inmates.

The film opens in Virginia in April of 1864 where Union troops are pushing back Confederate forces. Josiah Day (Emick) acts as a runner between his unit and the main force which has encountered heavy resistance.

While running back to tell his Sergeant that their commanding officer has ordered them to break through the rebel positions, Pvt. Day is shot and taken prisoner. When he arrives at a clearing, he realizes that Confederate forces have overrun his unit who have now joined him as prisoners.

The men are ordered to lay down and to stay put until they’re moved in the morning. If any of them attempt to rise or flee, they’ll be shot. Josiah’s cousin attempts to escape and he is shot down instantly. The rest of the men lay quietly until the following morning.

The next day the men are taken to a rail head where officers and enlisted men are separated. Pvt. Day and Sgt. McSpadden’s (Forrest) Captain tells them that they are in charge and to look after the rest of the men. Sgt. McSpadden assures the Captain he will, and that they will all one day meet again in Boston.

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In honor of the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the American War between the states, this week’s pick is the 1993 epic Gettysburg directed by Ronald F. Maxwell and adapted from the novel The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. The film dramatizes the events of the Civil War’s most decisive battle. The film stars Tom Berenger (Lt. General James Longstreet (CSA), Jeff Daniels (Col. Joshua L. Chamberlain (USA), Martin Sheen (General Robert E. Lee (CSA), Kevin Conway (Pvt. Buster Kilrain (USA), C. Thomas Howell (Lt. Thomas Chamberlain (USA), Richard Jordan (Brigadier Gen. Lewis A. Armistead (CSA), and Sam Elliot (Brig. Gen. John Buford (USA).

The film opens with narration and a map concerning the movement of the Confederate States of America’s Army of Northern Virginia which was planning an offensive into the north in order to lure the Federal Army of the Potomac into a decisive action which could end the fighting and allow total succession of the south from the rest of The United States of America. The narrator (Morgan Sheppard) tells how Lee’s army advanced through the mountains of West Virginia into Pennsylvania undetected.

Lee hopes that the army will succeed and if so, A letter has been prepared by Confederate President Jefferson Davis and is to be delivered to the desk of President Abraham Lincoln once the Army of the Potomac is destroyed, and Lee’s army controls a huge area north of Washington D.C. What both armies don’t realize yet, is that the most decisive and bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil is about to commence in and around the small Pennsylvanian town of Gettysburg.

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