Doctor Who rumors

Rumor is that Martha Jones, the companion that only joined the Doctor a scant 12 weeks ago, will be taking a rest.

The story is a bit complicated (possibly due to the fact that while rumors abound for next year no one, not even the BBC Director-General, have seen this Saturday’s episode, the thrilling ‘Last of the Time Lords.’

The BBC has adopted this strangely secretive policy in regards to Doctor Who finales since the new program returned. Last year, the final shot of episode 12’s surprise villain was kept from the press entirely.

Piecing together what I’ve read, there will be a new companion introduced in the Kylie Minogue-fueled Christmas Day episode (already holding my sides in anticipation).

The BBC is making a big deal about this changing everything, so that probably means it’ll be a male companion. Not a first by a long shot, but the last true recurring companion (aside from the colorful Captain Jack or the wonderful Mickey) was Vislor Turlough back in 1983.

Many would say that’ll keep the will they/won’t they angle out of the program and I say ‘don’t hold your breath.’ I’m not being coy when I say that there is no reason to believe that the Doctor is heterosexual or any sexual orientation… he is after all an alien. The way he views relationships and sexuality is probably very different to a human beings… no matter how modern he or she is. As long as it furthers the plot, I’m okay with it.

The new companion will take the main focus of the show, leaving Martha to meet up with the Doctor as a recurring character, not a traveling companion. Apparently this is due to the fact that her love for the Doctor is not reciprocated so rather than hang about as she has all season looking mopey, she’s moving on.

You go, Martha. But we’ll miss you.

The rumor mill goes on to confirm (as much as rumors can) that both producer/writer Russel T. Davies will be moving on as will Doctor #10, David Tennant. In all my harshness of this year (mainly the Dalek 2-parter and this drawn out finale), I will say it is a stronger season than 2006’s stories. I have nothing but hope that 2008 will give David the send off that he deserves.

But I cannot lie that I’m anxious to hear about who’s next… that’s always the way, isn’t it?

Recommended viewing/reading:
Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma (The Companions of Doctor Who)
Doctor Who A Celebration
Doctor Who - The Hand of Fear (Episode 87)

Batman Dark Knight footage

As many of you know, fans of the newly revived Batman film franchise (thanks to the Christopher Nolan helmed Batman Begins) have been stalking the streets of Chicago to catch the film crew of the highly anticipated 2008 sequel ‘The Dark Knight.’

Putting together the rumors I’ve heard so far… the film will closely follow the events of the 2005 smash flick, further developing Batman’s relationship with Jim Gordan in their fight on crime. Public Defender Harvey Dent enters the story and the three of them come up with a hard-nosed attack on the new criminal element plaguing the streets of Gotham. The new horrifically defaced crime boss known as the Joker, has other plans.

Exclusive filming footage from Mancow
(excuse the bizarre club music and strange racy intro)

To even the odds, here’s a classic Batman ‘66 trailer on equal opportunity for women

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Suggested reading:
Absolute Batman: The Long Halloween
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Batman: Year One
Batman: Detective

JSA Classified #29-Mister Horrific

Finally my favorite JSA character, Mister Terrific, is getting the attention he deserves in the JSA Classified story ‘Mister Horrific.’

The story is loosely based on the United States pardoning Nazi war criminals in WWII to work on projects such as the space program. Since the JSA were the super hero team in DC’s WWII timeline, writer Arvid Nelson (creator of Rex Mundi)has the team smuggling Nazis out of the theater of war to work for Uncle Sam.

“The Justice Society and a team of US Army Rangers worked together to smuggle von Braun out of Germany before Russian agents could get their hands on him. Flash-forward to present day, and the son of the Ranger captain responsible for nabbing von Braun has become a United States senator, just like his father did after World War II,” Nelson explained to ComicBookResources.com. “It turns out they might have some very un-American political beliefs beneath the veneer of their blandly optimistic campaign speeches.”

The story involves political intrigue and a murder mystery with Mister Terrific the most likely suspect. This leads the smartest man alive on a quest across the globe to clear his name. In his search, he uncovers the truth behind the actions taken by his predecessor of the JSA back in the 40’s.

Mister Terrific is one of those characters that DC Comics introduces into a series that is so terribly cool I’m convinced he had his own series. Both a thinker and a fighter, Michael Holt was once a world class athelete and scientist. After his wife died in a car crash, he was left with nothing in the world to comfort him. An atheist by nature, he contemplated suicide. He would have gone through with it if not for the intervention of the Spectre, who told Holt about the career of Terry Sloane, a talented man who saw the world as crooked and decided to stand for ‘Fair Play’ as the first Mister Terrific.

The Spectre’s speech convinced Holt that his extraordinary abilities demanded that he perform a duty to the world as the new Mister Terrific in the newly formed Justice Society of America.

It was a good thing too, because this new Mister Terrific has become a staple of the DC Universe and alongside his fellow heroes, carved out a place for himself as a modern day icon (sorely needed with all the ancient characters that continue to sit on the page since their inception in the 30’s, such as Wonder Woman, the Flash, Batman, Superman… etc).

The story, Mister Horrific, will be told with numerous flashback sequences (giving readers the opportunity of seeing the Justice Society in their war time element) and so many exciting locales readers will think they’re watching a James Bond movie!

The action begins in the August 2007 issue #29 of JSA: Classified!

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Suggested reading:
Justice Be Done (JSA: Justice Society of America, Book 1)
JSA Classified: Honor Among Thieves
JSA: Black Reign (Book 8 )
JSA: Fair Play (Book 4)
JSA: All Stars
Rex Mundi Volume 1: The Guardian Of The Temple (Rex Mundi)
Rex Mundi Volume 2: The River Underground (Rex Mundi)
Rex Mundi Volume 3: The Lost Kings (Rex Mundi)

Mass Effect for X-Box 360

Video Game developer Bioware exploded in 2003 with Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. Based on the Wizards of the Coast’s Star Wars RPG system, KOTOR was the most elaborate and mind-blowing RPG seen for the X-Box platform. Winner of the Game Developer’s Choice Award, BAFTA Games Award and numerous others, it firmly established the name of Bioware in the minds of every gamer from that point onward.

This year, Bioware enters the next gen platform world with the anxiously anticipated sci-fi RPG game, Mass Effect.

The first in a trilogy, Mass Effect is an epic set 200 years in the future. The player controls an elite team seeking to halt the resurgence of an ancient evil which threatens to consume the galaxy.

As the leader Set 200 years in the future in an epic universe, Mass Effect places gamers in a vast galactic community in danger of being conquered by a legendary agent gone rogue. A spectacular new vision from legendary developers BioWare, Mass Effect challenges players to lead a squad of freedom fighters as they struggle against threatening armies to restore peace in the land.

Players have an enormous sandbox to play in. Several planetary systems, space stations full of strange and outrageous aliens litter the game’s world. Characters are fully customizable using the most advanced interactive systems and gameplay techniques. Featuring eye-poppingly gorgeous in game graphics and cinematics that the player is in full control of (as seen in the videos below), this is sure to once again redefine the platform RPG video game.

2006 Trailer

Gameplay video

Gamers have been patiently waiting for this game since it was first announced. With a loose release date of 2007, it looks like they’re going to have to start learning some really intense meditation techniques.

Judging from the videos, one things for sure, though. The wait will be worth it.

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