Back in 1982, a movie called TRON about a programmer that is thrown into his own video game universe took the nerd world by storm. For decades, guys and girls alike were hot gluing LED ropes to black leggings so that they can look like their favorite science fiction hero. Now, those fans are getting the opportunity to live it all over again as TRON: Legacy hits theaters this December.

With that amount of fan hype involved, it’s almost understandable that a publishing company as big as Marvel would want to jump on into pimping the film with some awesome crosspromotion. Not to mention the fact that Disney and Marvel are one in the same now.

Starting next month, 10 different popular titles will get special TRON-ized variant covers by artists like Mark Brooks (Avengers: The Initiative) and Brandon Peterson (Uncanny X-Men).

The books you need to look for are as follows:

Amazing Spider-Man #651, Avengers #7, Avengers Academy #7, Captain America #612, Incredible Hulks #618, Invincible Iron Man #33, New Avengers #7, Secret Avengers #7, Thor #617, and Wolverine #4.

Before they even hit shelves next month, be sure to check out each of these variant covers after the jump, and get your TRON on December 17th!

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I think it’s safe to say that people are looking forward to the upcoming film Tron Legacy. With the release date of the film getting ever closer each day, Marvel has decided to throw us a bone and send over a preview for the comic book adaptation of the film that started it all: the original Tron.

These pages will surely go a along way to build interest in the film and the comic. Written by Peter David with art by Mirco Pierfederici and covers by Greg Land and Salvador Larocca, the comic features what Marvel calls a “stunning new visualization” of the original Tron film.

In addition, you can learn the secrets of the Tron universe, discover its cast of dynamic characters and witness the events of the legendary film in an all-new comic event with Tron: Original Movie Adaptation #1. Plus, once you absorb at this info, you’ll be more than ready to experience the exciting movie sequel, and comic adaptation, coming soon.

Tron: The Original Movie Adaptation comic hits store shelves on November 3. Until then, check out some preview pages after the jump.

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Welcome to this week’s On the Radar where we delve into all corners of the entertainment, tech and geek Internets for news, views and whatnot that may have escaped our regular coverage this week. Let is know if we missed something interesting. Otherwise, on to the links!

• Though it may not really have a reason to visit, the Green Lantern film site has gone live.

• In an effort to bring you some of the best trailer mash-ups of the week, here’s a brief rundown:

• Tron abides. The TRON Lebowski

• Three’s Company meets The Shining

• A joke? Sure, probably in there somewhere. Pee Wee meets The Hulk

• I vote for the one that takes place in space. Star Trek Vs. Star Wars: The Trailer

• You have to go deeper. Inception 1950′s Trailer

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With Disney’s acquisition of Marvel it was likely we would see comics coming from the publisher that are traditional Disney titles or movie tie-ins. An example of this is the upcoming prequel graphic novel for Disney’s Tron: Legacy film called Tron: Betrayal!

Here’s all the scoop on this graphic novel from our friends at Marvel:

Tron: Betrayal! bridges the story between the first Tron film from 1982 and the the new film and tells the story of Kevin Flynn, who is now in charge of the world’s largest video game company, Encom. The break-through game developer has built the Grid, a digital world filled with living programs except now the new virtual world is about to develop a life of its own and, in order to control it, Flynn’s going to need the help of an old friend: Tron.

Showcasing a key time of the mythology of the Tron world, TRON: Betrayal #1 will show the early days of the Grid, and the first appearances of the heroes and villains that will be seen in TRON: Legacy.

Sounds interesting. If it’s half as good as IDW’s prequel comic from J.J. Abrams recent Star Trek film, it might just be worth a read.

Check out the previews for this graphic novel after the jump. Tron: Betrayal! hits store shelves on October 6th.

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Promptly following it’s premier at their Comic-con panel, Disney’s Tron: Legacy new trailer has hit the web. For those of you looking for some glowing spandex action, this trailer does not disappoint. With flying L.E.D. motorcycles and L.E.D. covered razor Frisbees, we can expect lots of colorful action, especially in 3D.

It also features the first glimpse of the CGI versions of a young Jeff Bridges’ Flynn. Unfortunately, the technology has not improved much since it was used with Patrick Stewart’s Professor X and Sir Ian McKellan’s Magneto in X-Men: The Last Stand four years ago. It appears that instead of Flynn, we are watching the characters interact with the Tom Hanks character from Polar Express.

Tron: Legacy stars Oscar Winner Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Garrett Hedlund (Eragon) and Olivia Wilde (Year One). Rookie director Joseph Kosinski has brought to life the imaginative script of co-writers Richard Jefferies and Adam Horowitz. You may recognize Adam Horowitz’s name from his days as a co-producer and writer on the hit TV show Lost.

With Tron: Legacy being written by someone so heavily involved in Lost, do you think we can expect a similarly mind boggling story line from Tron:Legacy?

Tron: Legacy will be hitting theaters December 17th, but until then keep it here for all your Tron: Legacy news and check out the trailer after the break.

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Normally when things like this come out we try to do a full writeup and explain all the pics or the trailer or whatever new bit of info has surfaced. This time, however, I think I’ll let the photos do the talking for themselves — especially as those photos just happen to be some awesome new ones from Tron Legacy.

Coming from our pals across the pond at Empire Magazine, these new pics are from a new article in the magazine hitting newsstands today. Needless to say, they look pretty damn awesome.

Having just watched the first Tron again recently, I like the direction they are going with this new film. Can’t wait to see more. What about you guys? Does this get you excited for more Tron Legacy?

Check out more pics after the jump. Tron Legacy hits theaters on December 17.

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Remember how lame the Nintendo PowerGlove was? Well, it looked cool, but it was pretty useless when it came to actual video game usage. If there were only a device that was equally cool as it was functional, the gaming would would be rocked pretty hard.

With that in mind, behold the new line of TRON controllers!

As a tie-in to the upcoming Disney film, the studio is releasing a series of gadgets that will make you feel like you’re Flynn himself, all while sitting on your couch in your living room. The controllers will be available for all Next-Gen systems, and each run for about $50.

Not a console gamer, but still want to enjoy the TRON awesomeness? For PC users, there will also be a TRON blue gaming keyboard and mouse from Razer. Topping it all off, Monster is releasing a pair of TRON headphones for $350, earbuds for $99, and a light-disc shaped iPod dock for $250.

Check out some of the cool new gadgets after the jump. All of the items are expect to have a fall release, so needless to say, the tail end of 2010 will be pretty heavy with all things TRON. Thanks to Gizmodo for the heads up.

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Another day at E3 brought even more interesting stuff including a visit to the Sony and Nintendo booths to check out the new Playstation Move and the Nintendo 3DS. Both were pretty amazing devices and promise to take gaming as we know it into new and different directions.

We also managed to see a few of the notorious booth babes here at the show but, as one of my colleagues in the press observed, their weren’t as many this year as they would have liked. I won’t make a value judgement on the quantity or the quality of booth babes in attendance this year except to say that they were all lovely and willing to be photographed. What more could you ask for?

We also visited the G4 booth and managed to snag a pic of X-Play’s Morgan Webb hard at work. Those guys sure know how to put on a show. Check out all the pics after the jump.

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Somebody must have brought the idea of viral marketing to Disney executives last year because they have been coming out of the woodwork with some pretty impressive new strategies. They started with Tron Legacy last year at San Diego Comic-Con with the exclusive “Flynn’s Arcade” party, which opened up into a huge crowd of gaming and film fans alike.

Now, they’re getting a bit deeper into the world of Tron, as a fake campaign has begun for the release of “Space Paranoids Online”, one of the original games created by Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) and ENCOM, the character and company from the original Tron film.

The trailer also leads fans back to EncomInternational.com, which is a neat viral site used to show off the films fictitious evil company. You can tell from the site that the film’s main plot is that ENCOM plans to integrate the world into their video game universe, much like in the original film.

Check out the trailer for “Space Paranoids Online” after the jump, and be sure to catch Tron Legacy in theaters and IMAX 3D on December 17th.

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After long months of waiting and after viewing any and all material we could find on Tron Legacy, Disney has released a full blown trailer for the film. Fortunately, the wait seems to be worth it as the trailer looks pretty darn awesome.

In it we get a better idea of the film’s story and meet most of the major players, especially Garret Hedlund as Sam Flynn, Bruce Boxleitner as Alan Bradley and Olivia Wilde as Quorra. We even get a quick glimpse of Academy Award Winner Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn. Plus, there’s quite a bit of the awesome look of the film which, even with these few images and sequences, looks great.

In fact, the film looks so visually complex and interesting, I’m actually going to admit it’s one I may want to see in 3D. Although, I’m pretty sure it will looks almost as stunning in plain, old 2D.

Maybe I’ll just have to see it both ways. Heck, while I’m at it, why not IMAX too? Why not indeed.

Check out the trailer after the break and prepare to be blown away. Tron Legacy hits theaters on December 17th.

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While legions of fans are getting ready for Disney and Tim Burton’s release of Alice In Wonderland tonight at midnight, a good portion of the attendees are also going for a special glimpse at Tron: Legacy, which will be attached to the beginning of most screenings. That’s right, Disney is already starting the marketing for the film, which won’t be in theaters for another 9 months.

With that said, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Disney is already planning on expanding the franchise to their TV network geared more towards kids between the ages of 6 and 14. The show reportedly a 10-part Tron micro series that will follow the events of Legacy, and premiere in the fall of 2011.

No word yet on whether the show will be a mix of CG animation and live action, such as it will in the upcoming film, but you can expect it to look as stunning as some of the images and graphics we have seen from Disney on the project thus far.

As well as news coming in about the upcoming animated series, we also recently got our hands on some new stills from the upcoming Tron: Legacy film, which hits theaters this December in 3D and IMAX. Check them out after the jump.

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I’m a sucker for movies about country singers. Despite the fact that listening to country music makes my ears bleed, I never pass up on a good country drama. The genre traditionally leans toward biopics (Coal Miner’s Daughter, Sweet Dreams, Pure Country, Walk the Line) and Crazy Heart is no exception.

Jeff Bridges plays Bad Blake, a washed up Country/Blues musician who has been relegated to performing in bowling alleys and other undignified venues. Blake is a raging alcoholic who stumbles off the stage mid-performance to go puke, then returns to finish a set.  He drives his pick-up from town to town and beds middle age women who still remember him from his golden days.

He tersely thrusts his show notes to whatever band he happens to be playing with that night, and  can’t be bothered to rehearse. It’s a gamble as to whether he will even show up on a given night, and to what condition he’ll be in.

To make matters worse, his former protégé, Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell), has become a country music superstar, and regularly plays to packed stadiums. There is clearly some bad blood between the two, because anytime Sweet’s name is brought up, Blake bristles.

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