LOOK! UP IN THE SKY!

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope. It's probably the most important DVD release of this year. The Max Fleischer Superman 2 DVD set. Seventeen classic cartoons that have inspired animators and artists for decades are coming to DVD on April 7th. This is something that no true fan will want to miss.

Here's a taste;

IT'S MISTIE TIME - PART 4 : PUMAMAN

EPISODE 903: 1998 - PUMAMAN (DONALD PLEASANCE & WALTER GEORGE ALTON - 1980)

Bearing an almost uncanny resemblance to TV's 'Greatest American Hero', PUMAMAN (or, as Tom prefers it throughout: Pyou May-min) centers around some paleontological shlub named Professor Tony Farms (Alton) who has 'weird feelings when danger is near' and eventually discovers, thanks mostly to ancient Aztec spirit-guide in human form, Vadinho, that he has the following abilities of a PUMA: flight and walking through stuff. Yes, PUMAman. Whatever. Meanwhile, some bad guys led by Kobras (Pleasance), have taken possession of an ancient Aztec mask with which they can control anyone just by creating a mock-up of the target's head. Yep. However, the only caveat is that PUMAMAN can utterly ruin their nefarious plans and so he must be killed. Surprisingly (not really), one of Kobras' victims daughter, Jane, has a thing for Tony (Pyou May-min) and, even when under mind control, seeks to aid him. Back at PUMAMAN central, Vadinho teaches the incredibly whiny and unforgivably bland Tony how to use his powers augmented by a special belt that once worn gives Tony several of the following: slacks, a lovely cape, and pretty boots. Eventually, after many long minutes of Tony soaring through a moving matte backdrop, he vanquishes evil, saves the mask, and watches Vadinho return to his space ship (??). THE END!!

CLASSIC LINES:

Running through the fully Italian cast

Mike: "At least this movie will have nice shoes."

Jane sits reading the ancient Aztec inscription on the mask. :"It's a curse!"

Crow: "It says the 'F' word."

Kobras' (Pleasance's) big head pops on screen

Mike: "It's an egg! Oh, wait, it's just Donald Pleasance..."

Tony sitting in a room full of skeletons mulling over some bones

Crow: "Oh who am I kidding? I can't build a cat!"

Fadinho looking confused as Tony runs from him in the dark, flipping on lights

Tom: "Wow! Look at all the Farrah Fawcett posters!"

Tony climbs into a dumbwaiter trying to escape the bad guys

Mike: "Ironic: he looks like a waiter and he's dumb! Ha... sorry."

Tony punches a hole in the roof of the mansion

Mike: "Thank goodness they made the house out of peanut brittle."

Tony consistently whines about his powers to Fadinho while he's being trained

Fadinho: "Come this way."

Tom: "I'll kill you over here."

Jane is seen walking up the path to her father's mansion in huge boots

Crow: "Man, with those boots she has to use high-altitude baking directions."

Another quick close up of Kobras

Mike: "Hey, a cantaloupe! No, wait, it's just Donald Pleasance."   

IT'S MISTIE TIME - PART 3: THE HORRORS OF SPIDER ISLAND

EPISODE 1011: 1999 - THE HORRORS OF SPIDER ISLAND (STARRING ALEX D'ARCY AND BARBARA VALENTINE - 1962) 

This movie was far funnier than it was intended to be, I can attest to that for sure. The entire group of dancers cast for this romp were so incredibly stereotypical of their respective countries (ya know, sort of like a UN with Hee-Haw cast members) that it made my head hurt even considering how they tried to pull it off since each and every one was actually GERMAN! Yes, the film is German dubbed, ridiculously, in American. The lady played by Gerry Sammer as May was the resident American and given such an over-the-top Southern drawl meets East German accent that she'd switch cadence in one sentence! Good stuff.

So anyway, the movie is primarily the story of a talent company run by big, boxy beau, Gary, and his lady-servant/girl friend, Georgia. They hire ten ladies to be part of a dance troupe in Singapore but don't actually make it thanks to their plane going down over the Pacific. They all manage to wash up on the shore of SPIDER ISLAND (AHH!!!) and proceed to turn the tropical haven into a hedonistic sex romp... oh, and there might be a few spiders. Maybe. Smarty Gary (D'Arcy) heads out to see what HORRORS might be hanging around the SPIDER ISLAND thanks in part to the discovery of the 'Professor' dangling from a giant web. Well, as big dumb-ass leading men will do, Gary gets nipped by a GIANT SPIDER and, instantly, becomes one! AHH! Oh, and the transformation (later mocked perfectly by Mike) consists of a bit of hair on his face, one giant Fang Face fang, and some costume gloves from the studio's grab-bag. SCARY! Soon, the women, after 28 days of farting around on the island, finally get naked in a lagoon and swim around much to the over-enjoyment of Tom Servo who faints a few times. Eventually two more guys show up to see the professor's progress (evidently he found Uranium, which could answer the GIANT SPIDER issue, though nothing else was even damaged or affected) and hit on each and every one of the women promising them rescue and marriage. Gary-Spider comes round, the smart fellows figure out its natural fear of FIRE, and proceed to chase him into a conveniently placed quick sand bog. THE END! Ya know, now that I rewrite this nonsense, it really wasn't as bad as I thought!

CLASSIC LINES:

We see a long row of women waiting for their turn in Gary's talent agency:

Crow: "It's a dames and broads audition!"

Gary walks into the room full of women looking as 'shapely' as possible:

Mike: "I'm Guy Box-Body."

A Lady named Caroline just gets finished performing her dance:

Georgia: "Thank you. You dance wonderfully!"

Mike: "For a cow!"

After the plane crash we see the lifeboat full of everyone bobbing along:

Tom: "We've been in the lifeboat for an hour, would you stop chewing on my foot!"

The ladies and Gary are safely ashore on the island:

Georgia: "Oh Gary!"

Mike: "There, there... take comfort in my beefiness."

Gary, hanging around the island shirtless in his tight Chinos, turns his back to us:

Crow: "He has Torgo area..."

The panicking girls see an oceanliner passing by on the horizon:

Tom: "Uh, where should we spill this oil, Captain?"

Three of the women are out investigating a dead spider:

Tom: "The Dixie Chicks go big game hunting."

The two men (Bob and Joe) are chatting about the ladies:

Bob: "Having a good time with the chicks?"

Mike: "Ah, mine's from Minnesota."

Gary-Spider screaming as he rapidly drowns in the quick sand:

Mike: "Well, he found out too late that Cocoa Wheats can't be beat."

MARVEL ZOMBIES 4 OR WTF????

Apparently the 'geniuses' at Marvel have decided they need more money and are going to be bringing us another unnecessary addition to the Marvel Zombies saga. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not made because they are continuing the epic. I hated it from the very beginning.
What ticks me off is that they are taking my beloved monsters from the Marvel Universe and including them in this craptacular comic series. Why not just learn to write something original?

In completely unrelated news;

Seems that someone has the stainless steel cajones to think they can write the concluding, sixth book of The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy. I normally don't use a lot of profanity here at family friendly Penguin Comics, but seriously? Someone needs to receive a large quantity of go fuck yourself and stop this or I will be outside with a damned picket sign when the book comes out.

There! I'm done.

IT'S MISTIE TIME - PART 2 : EPISODE 420 - THE HUMAN DUPLICATORS

EPISODE 420: 1991- THE HUMAN DUPICATORS (STARRING RICHARD KIEL AND HUGH BEAUMONT - 1965)

As bad movies go, this one wasn't only rotten to the core, but just about as boring as witnessing paint cure. Basically, Richard Kiel -the acting and projecting dynamo that he so obviously is- plays Dr.Kolos, a being from another part of the galaxy who has been sent to Earth by his superiors, three heads emblazoned in green, yellow and blue who also happen to be exactly the same. They want Kolos to re-inhabit our world with HUMAN DUPLICATES of everyone, for some stupid reason like conquest or something. The acting prowess of Richard Kiel locates an at-first-unwilling Dr. Dornheimer and tells him he, too can be a part of android creation. Ah, but his blind niece, Lisa suspects trouble afoot. Fast forward a bunch of days (it lost me here) and the new duplicates are now effectively stealing from government SPACE RESEARCH CORPORATION. Enter cop Glenn Martin who swears to get to the bottom of all this mess, with or without his exceptionally irritating girlfriend, Gale. But soon, he, too, has been snagged by the evil robots and subsequently duplicated. Bummer. Finally, once Kolos discovers he, too, is an android by proxy of his odd 'humanity', everyone explodes. Wow. Oh, and Hugh Beaumont's in it, too. Trust me.

The invention exchange was classic and made me laugh stupidly all the way through. At first, the Mads couldn't send theirs due to a sudden attack of the sillies (see: goofy laughing fit), so Joel and the bots send up theirs: a huge Chopper Beanie that doesn't, much to the bot's chagrin, "Go through the roof." Then, the Mads send theirs amid fits of chuckling: a William Conrad fridge alarm. Then they really lost it. Very funny.

CLASSIC LINES: 

Joel :(After Kolos beams to Earth) "Oh no, he got beamed into The Song Of The South!"

Tom : (As Kolos goes up to a huge mansion) "So what's his mission?"

Crow : "I don't know, selling band candy or something."

Kolos : "I am Kolos!"

Crow : "And Diet Kolos!"

Crow : (Seeing Glenn's dapper suit) "Woah! Did he pull that suit off the Riddler!"

Gale to Glenn : "But I already have a dinner date (Oh, her voice is nasally Bostonian)

Glenn : "Break it."

Crow : (Emulating Gale perfectly) "Jeez, what a dickweed!"

Glenn : (Wandering around Dr. Dornheimer's study with a glass)

Crow : "Any more booze over here?"

Dr. Dornheimer : (Making a duplicate of an Asian Woman)

Crow : "Look! HUNAN Duplicator!"

A PUP NAMED SCOOBY DOO

In conjunction with our contest below I thought it would be nice to throw up some video so our faithful readers can see what they are trying to win.
Here ya go:

IT'S MYSTIE TIME - PART 1: EPISODE 405 - BEING FROM ANOTHER PLANET

Welcome to the very first episode of IT'S MYSTIE TIME, where I watch and review a movie riffed upon by those geniuses at the amazing and historical show, Mystery Science Theater 3000. I have no idea how many I'll do a week, only to say it'll at least be one. So, without further ado, on with the show!

EPISODE 405: 1991 - BEING FROM ANOTHER PLANET (STARRING BEN MURPHY AND NINA AXLEROD - 1982)

Though MT3K is mostly known for riffing on movies that are, shall we say, something less than classics, on the rare occasion a film slips through that really isn't as bad as you'd expect. BEING FROM ANOTHER PLANET (aka: TIME WALKER) happens to be one of them. No, the plot and story isn't completely without  it's sizable holes, and no, the acting is most definitely up to snuff, but, for what it was, it's a relatively decent flick.

Basically, we have the unearthing of a sarcophagus from the tomb of King Tut -no, not his tomb- and it's subsequent delivery and opening at a local University. Some X-Rays are taken and it seems that the mummy has been buried with more than the general details, including a fistful of gems and a triangular doohickey that they all, eventually fit in. Some thievery later, the mummy escapes to reclaim his ill-gotten booty leaving a trail of stupid students in his wake. Finally, it turns out that the mummy is actually an alien (surprise surprise) and all ends with him leaving in a flash of light with the professor who led the initial dig in tow. No harm, no foul.

Now, you take Joel and the bots and thrust them into their torturous theater, and you get acres upon acres of silly humor that just serves to escalate the drab film to catastrophic levels. 

CLASSIC LINES:

Joel: (Upon the professor's entry into the tomb) "Whoops, somebody stepped in a Tut pile!"

Crow: (At a gathered crowd of students) "Looks like ABBA in college!"

Student: (Looking at the shoddy mummy) "Doctor, why would they do such a hasty burial?"

Crow: "Oh, Like I was there!"

Professor: (Eyeing some green goo) "What is this stuff?"

Tom: "Guaca-mummy!"

Student to his girl (After pawning mummy's gem) "Name your restaurant, baby!"

Crow: "Sizzler!"

STOP, CAUTION - Radiation Label shown

Joel: "Caution! Snow angels in progress!"

Suzie to Professor Doug (At elaborate Egyptian artwork on wall) "Doug! Look!"

Joel: "Oh yeah, I got drunk and wood burned my cabinet."

Though I am a professed Mike fan, I'd have to say this is by far one of my favorite Joel's. Check it out... and circulate the tapes!

S-

A CONTEST!!

We here at Penguin Comics like giving stuff away. To show the love we have four sets of A PUP NAMED SCOOBY DOO Seasons 2,3 & 4 for our lucky readers. Just email us here at dwaltzwriter@yahoo.com and we will select our winners at the end of the month.
Simple stuff, huh?
Good Luck!

MARTYRS

I have to write this immediately after viewing mostly due to the fact that this was, without a doubt, the most disturbing movie I have ever seen. Ever. I took a plethora of notes. Two pages, in fact, but I really don't feel it's even necessary to consult them. I had a vague notion going in to this film that it was going to be something slightly to the left of normal. It was supposed to redefine the whole shoddy Torture-Porn genre as we know it. It did so much more than that. I couldn't take my eyes off it in a way one can't flinch for a second when driving by a really serious and gruesome car accident. It was laborious and painful to watch, it wasn't good in the sense that it was decent, and it most certainly will haunt me for a long long time.

MARTRS - 2008 (French) Dir. Pascal Laugier, Torture/Pornography/Horror - 135 Minutes. R for so many reasons.

Lucie (Mylene Jampanois) has escaped her tormentors. She has been rescued. Yet, still haunting her is a terrible visage of an inhuman creature that seeks to shatter her psyche and destroy her at every turn. The doctors and filmmakers are baffled and Lucie herself decides to offer up little of her horrendous past. But little Anna (Morjan Alaoui) is shown what the professionals do know in order to get to know Lucie a little better and help her release some of her demons in any way she can. In fact, Anna becomes a tool for Lucie.

Fifteen years later and Lucie is sure she has found her tormentors living a peaceful, simple life with their teenage kids. Lucie has finally lost control and decides the only way to slay her own demons, including the creature who constantly nips at her heels, is to slaughter the very family who held her captive. And she does, with furious vengeance. With shotgun in hand, she systematically murders the family. Yet, inexplicably, the creature still haunts, and hunts her.

Anna is called and she arrives to help clean up the damage before anyone can find out, but fr Lucie, the pain f not satiating the beast becomes too much and she, too, succumbs to her own horrid past. Anna must carry on alone. 

Soon, Anna discovers a cupboard, in fact a portal, into the very torture chamber in which Lucie was kept prisoner. She finds a frail, beaten soul deep within it's walls and tries to save her. But, no sooner does she pry a knife out of the poor woman's hand, does the 'Company' arrive. Now, even as she does her best to fend off the inevitable, Anna herself becomes the unwitting next victim. But, as she is explained the why's of the necessity of a torture (achieving Martyrdom), Anna finds a way to persevere. But the process is just about as painful and gag-inducing as you'd expect up to and including a flaying. Just so very wrong.

No, I won't spoil the ending. I suppose some of you might want to seek this out, but be warned: gruesome and vivid do not even come close to describing this movie. I need a shower.

MOONSHADOW 1985-1987

With all the WATCHMEN hype it made me think of another 12 issue series that was done around the same time that is, hopefully, more bulletproof cinematically than WATCHMEN. I am speaking of the series known as MOONSHADOW.
Written by J.M DeMatteis and painted by Jon. J. Muth, MOONSHADOW tells the story of the titular character and his adventures towards becoming a man. His mother was a hippy his father a G'L Doses, a speherical alien with a big goofy grin. Moonshadow, or Moon for short lives a contented life in a menagerie with his mother and a host of other alien creatures gathered by the G'L Doses. Moon becomes enamored of one that goes by the name of Ira. Covered in fur with a bunny tail and a bowler hat, Ira is a symbol of debauchery and when Moon, his mother and Ira are ejected from the menagerie into the real world, Ira is nothing but pleased. Moon experiences death, life, war, happiness and sadness through the twelve issues.
The artwork on these is breathtaking. The words are such a part of the art that to change the style of how it is put on page would be a disservice of the greatest magnitude.
When it was first released I couldn't wait for each issue. It was bi monthly so I waited two months between issues. Then, much later it was re-released by Vertigo through DC Comics and a final special one shot that gave us the final chapter in the saga of Moonshadow.
My lovely wife bought me The Compleat Moonshadow a few years back and I devoured it, my original issues long gone to whatever ravages of time befell them. The trade paperback makes it easier to lug around, but it has one flaw. It includes that special one shot issue.
Not necessary. I got all the story I needed with the original twelve issues. The closing chapter wasn't needed.
This is a great story and with WATCHMEN bringing about a resurgence of reading comics, you might want to check this out.
This is my favorite comic book ever.

WATCHMEN (2009)

I went to see this in IMAX with my buddy Stew, my family and friends at IMAX this weekend. (Stew's review is a little further down the page). I have read what people said. I have watched people discuss it on television. It is being analyzed to death. With that I have three, brief comments.

1. It was a great movie and I will see it again.

2. If a tenth of the people who saw it decide to go pick up the comic and read it, I will be ecstatic. If that reading sends them in search of more comics then the effect will be tenfold.

3. I would like to personally thank Jackie Earle Haley for giving us the best portrayal of Rorschach that anyone could hope for. If he isn't nominated for an academy award next year for this then something truly stinks in Hollywood.

There, that's it. Go see the movie, read the comic. If you like Alan Moore then I recommend FROM HELL, the comic, not the film. And be sure to find SWAMP THING by Alan Moore. Great stuff. I envy you the first time discovery of this material.

I gotta go.

THE ZETA PROJECT

We get a lot of cartoons here at Penguin Comics to review. I had never seen this ZETA PROJECT before. Seems that it's a spinoff of the BATMAN BEYOND cartoon from a couple of years back. Now, the other day at the Compound we had our cable go out. My youngest son, Daniel, wanted to watch something so I plopped this disc in.
He was hooked. He has watched both discs repeatedly.
I decided that the best review would be a little Q&A with Dan The Man.
First, a plot synopsis:

Zeta, a robot programmed by the U.S. government to fight the country’s enemies using weaponry and a holographic self-projector, evolves to the point where he acquires both emotion and a conscience. As the value of human life became evident, he flees the government, who believes he has been reprogrammed by a foreign power. On the run, Zeta encounters Rosalie “Ro” Rowan, a street orphan who is wanted by the law herself. Join Zeta and Ro in The Zeta Project: The Complete First Season as they set out across America to find both Ro’s parents, and Zeta’s creator who can prove the robot is acting of his own free will.

Now onto the review!

Penguin Comics - First, can you tell me what The Zeta Project is all about?
Dan The Man - Its all about a robot that teamed up with Ro.
PC - What was your favorite part of the series?
Dan - The part where Zeta teams up with Batman.
PC - Who was your favorite character in the series?
Dan - Zeta and Batman and Ro.
PC - Was there things in the series that you didn't like?
Dan - No
PC - Was this a series that you liked a lot and why or why not?
Dan - Yes because it had fights and Batman in it.
PC - Would you have bought this with your own money?
Dan - Yes
PC - Was the animation art a good fit for this story?
Dan - Yes because I thought the art was awesome.

This was the most fun review I have done in a while. When I told Dan that he was doing this with me he took it very seriously. So serious that he took the day off of school to write his answers to my questions. I think that him saying that he would spend his own cash to get this one is quite a testament to how good this series is.

WATCH THE WATCHMEN

Look, I'm sick and tired of everyone, including myself just the other day (in fact), yelping all over WATCHMEN because it's supposed to be, according to Alan Moore himself (as well as thousands of rabid fans), 'unfilmable'. This is just absolutely, stunningly, untrue. What Zack Snyder has done with the source material is nothing short of breathtaking and borderline epic. Is the movie perfect? Hell no! Is the film a direct carbon copy of the graphic novel? Nope. Is the movie even watchable? Without an iota of doubt.

From the opening credits featuring bits of the comic that would have otherwise fit jarringly into the movie, to the ending NOT featuring a giant, city-levelling space squid, WATCHMEN is a treasure to behold and a wild ride comparable only to the finest roller coasters. The script taken from the comic is just about as dead on as you could want without having someone physically read it to you, which, by the way, is exactly what happens in the illustrated comic now available which also happens to be very good, only a bit disconcerting since the same GUY does every character. But, it does include a direct narrative reading so you do get an embedded BLACK FREIGHTER reading as well. Anyway, there are so many beautifully filmed scenes in Snyder's flick that it's almost too difficult to name them all here, so I won't. But I will name a few.

A) Watching Doc Manhattan lose his composure just before leaving for Mars as a mob of angry people call him out, is wonderfully done and you really do feel for him. In fact, his scene with Laurie on Mars as he tries to accept humanity as worthy of his saving is quite real as well.

B) The Comedian spilling his drunken guts out to his arch-enemy, Moloch, is so very effective as a lead in to his untimely, yet necessary death.

C) Watching Rorschach getting taken down by the Police, and even the moment leading up to it where he finds himself trapped, are so powerful and allow you to really feel his character's brooding angst.

The cast was, for the most part, brilliant. Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach was almost uncomfortably dead on that any future re-readings of the book will certainly illicit flashes of his voice as the character on the page. Billy Crudup gives just about as lively a performance as you honestly can when being ultimately animated. Yes, for the love of God, you do see his penis. Let's all get over it. I mean goodness, there's a sex scene between Malin Ackerman (Silk Spectre II) and Patrick Wilson (Nite Owl II) that could have been easily stripped straight from a Cinemax movie. Even so, both of the aforementioned actors do their parts, Wilson a fair share better, but Ackerman did deliver on the requisite sexiness. Jefferey Dean Morgan as the Comedian was like a living version of the comic page. He so solidly pulls off his 'not giving a shit attitude' that he instantly becomes the most identifiable by proxy. And, finally, Matthew Goode as Ozymandias was, for the most part, just there, but then again, that's how he was in the comic. All in all, as I said, phenomenal main cast.

Now, before everyone gets up in arms over the lack of space squid and the decision to make Manhattan the scapegoat... well, it actually ends up being better, by a nudge, than the comic. I was very fine with the changes.

So there ya go. Find a free three hours, an IMAX if possible, and get ready for a movie so utterly FILMABLE as to make even the most hardened naysayer proud.

GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT...THIS SUMMER!!

As excited as I was about the Wonder Woman flick that hit the market today, I am doubly stoked to see this film when it reaches stores this summer. Here's the press release for the film as well as a look at the box art. The artwork is so fitting the subject matter.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WORLD RENOWNED DC SUPER HERO EMBARKS
ON HIS INITIAL MISSION IN
GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT
FROM WARNER HOME VIDEO ON JULY 28, 2009!

Emmy Nominees Christopher Meloni & Victor Garber Top Stellar Voice Cast for
Fifth DC Universe Animated Original Movie


BURBANK, CA, (February 27, 2008) – The fabric of intergalactic justice is threatened – until Hal Jordan arrives for his initial mission – in the animated Green Lantern: First Flight, the fifth entry in the popular DVD series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies. A co-production of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation, the illuminated hero’s first-ever full-length animated film is set for release by Warner Home Video on July 28, 2009. Green Lantern: First Flight will be available as a special edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def .

Acclaimed actor Christopher Meloni (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) fills the lead voice of Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern. Meloni is joined by fellow Emmy Award nominee Victor Garber (Milk, Titanic) as the villainous Sinestro, Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) as the voice of Boodikka, and Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs) as Kilowog.

Produced by animation legend Bruce Timm, Green Lantern: First Flight is helmed by heralded director Lauren Montgomery (Wonder Woman, Superman Doomsday) and scripted by four-time Emmy Award-winning writer Alan Burnett (The Batman).

Green Lantern: First Flight finds Hal Jordan recruited to join the Green Lantern Corps and placed under the supervision of respected senior Lantern Sinestro. The earthling soon discovers his mentor is actually the central figure in a secret conspiracy that threatens the philosophies, traditions and hierarchy of the entire Green Lantern Corps. Hal must quickly hone his newfound powers and combat the treasonous Lanterns within the ranks to maintain order in the universe.

Green Lantern: First Flight - 2 Disc Special Edition versions will include incredible bonus features such as:

• Over three hours of extra content

• Two Featurettes

• Digital Copy Download

• Widescreen (1.78:1)

• Two Episodes of Justice League hand-picked by animation legend Brice Timm

Green Lantern: First Flight Blu-Ray versions will include all the great extras as the 2-disc
Special Edition as well as an additional two episodes of Justice League picked by Bruce Timm.

“Warner Premiere along with our partners at DC and Warner Home Video has enjoyed great success with the DC Universe titles, and we’re proud to present this first feature-length animated Green Lantern film,” said Diane Nelson, President, Warner Premiere. “‘First Flight’ is a compelling story and a great vehicle to tell this iconic character’s story to both new and longtime fans.”

“In all of his incarnations, Green Lantern has stood as a fan favorite, and Warner Home Video is excited to provide fans with the character’s first full-length animated adventure,” said Amit Desai, WHV Vice President of Family, Animation & Sports Marketing. “Green Lantern was the perfect hero to follow movies featuring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the entire Justice League.”

“Warner Bros. Animation is known for creating outstanding animated properties and has a legacy built upon some of the greatest characters ever imagined,” said Warner Bros. Television President Peter Roth, who also oversees television animation for the Studio. “Producer Bruce Timm and his creative team continue that rich tradition with this terrific DVD feature.”

“As one of the true core DC Super Heroes, Green Lantern has captured the imagination of pop culture enthusiasts with his illuminatingly human approach to justice throughout the universe,” said Gregory Noveck, Senior VP ¬ Creative Affairs, DC Comics. “Alan Burnett’s script captures the essence of DC’s canon of Green Lantern tales, and provides a fine launching point for future stories with this character.”

Apart from this animated release, Warner Bros. Pictures is currently in pre-production on a new “Green Lantern” theatrical motion picture, to be directed by Martin Campbell, bringing the popular DC Comics super hero to the big screen for the first time.

SMURFS VOLUME 1

This hits the streets tomorrow and I didn't want anyone to miss this heads up. I have always been a fan of The Smurfs and it's good to see these DVD releases of our little blue friends.

Have a video:

WONDER WOMAN!

Finally! Another in the series of PG-13 rated animated flicks from the people at DC. And this time we get the adventures of Wonder Woman. Now, I knows me some comics mythos so I am glad to say that DC was intelligent enough not to stray from the formula. We get a little girl made from clay who springs to life. But, even as origin stories go, this doesn't concern itself with the origin too much. There are bigger fish to fry, like Ares, God OF War who is Hellbent on reducing the world to an ash in his thirst for war. That's enough to keep an Amazonian princess busy for the 74 minute flick. The action moves the story along at a fairly decent clip and there are some truly funny moments as Diana adjusts to the outside world.
The art is reminiscent of anime at it's finest and I really liked their interpretation of Hades in this movie. I don't think I had ever seen him portrayed as such.
The two disc set has a ton of goodies in it, the best of the bunch being a preview of the new Green Lantern flick coming out this summer.
I think DC should just stick to these features as they stay true to the comics which satisfies the hardcore fans and they are able to flex their muscles a little with the more mature rating.
This is just as good as the previous two films and I can not wait for the Green Lantern flick coming down the pipe.

Here's a video to whet your appetite. The DVD releases tomorrow.