Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Comes to Vita

Japan's getting Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 on Sony's handheld.

The Metal Gear Solid HD Collection is coming to a PS3 near you soon, but it's also coming to the PlayStation Vita in 2012. Metal Gear Mastermind Hideo Kojima took the stage at Sony's Tokyo Game Show conference and let the world know that the collection will be coming to the Vita in Japan and making use of cloud saves. Will it come to the U.S. and other territories? Time will tell –especially as the U.S. HD collection packs Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and the Japanese version doesn't.

Sony Reveals Vita's Release Date

December it is!

At today's Sony press conference at Tokyo Game Show, Sony finally revealed the release date for the PlayStation Vita, the follow-up to Sony's PlayStation Portable.

Japanese gamers will start playing on December 17th. There's no word yet on North American or European release dates, though we'll update with any news as we hear it.

Sprint Looking To Keep It's iPhone Plan Unlimited

Sprint rumored to retain unlimited data with iPhone 5 launch, prove unicorns are indeed legit.

Here's the word straight from unnamed sources: Sprint's not only getting the elusive iPhone 5 -- it's keeping an unlimited data plan around just to sway buyers who may otherwise spring for the AT&T / Verizon Wireless variants. Furthermore, these folks in-the-know have good reason to believe that it'll be launched "next month," which gives Apple a shockingly small amount of time to invite us over for a west coast reveal. As it stands, the only folks who'll get limitless data with an iPhone 5 on its existing US carriers are those with grandfathered plans; any new customers on Ma Bell or Big Red will be forced to select one of many tiered options. Not surprisingly, neither Sprint nor Apple are commenting on the story, but if it all proves true, Sprint can definitely hang its hat on having one serious competitive advantage.

Holland Runs From His Legacy

Swamp Thing #1 Review

Okay, I get it now. Scott Snyder isn't a real person. He's some super intelligent, sentient computer where you put in a concept, a few variables and out pops a brilliant story. This is the only explanation that I can muster to wrap my head around his recent, flawless track record. And if that wasn't clear enough for you, I'll state it bluntly: Swamp Thing #1 is fantastic.

I'll be honest with you, my history with Swamp Thing doesn't run as deep as I wish it did. I've read bits and pieces of Alan Moore's seminal run, but that's about it. I know of the character, his origin and some of the trials and tribulations he's been through. Roll credits. That's why I was really excited to crack into Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette's Swamp Thing #1. I wanted to see if it truly felt like an entry point for new readers. Cheerfully, I can report it does.

If you consider yourself a fan of Scott Snyder's writing, then you're probably aware of how he loves to frame his stories through metaphor-heavy narration to give added context to situations. Snyder uses the same approach right from the get-go with Swamp Thing #1, penning a beautiful monologue from the point of view of Alec Holland as he remembers back on his younger days helping out at his father's flower shop. This fantastic monologue is then juxtaposed with haunting images of creatures such as birds, bats and fish dropping dead. It's a fantastic way to start this series that sets a dark tone that never quite dissipates. But then again, this is a Scott Snyder comic, did you expect sunshine and rainbows?

Swamp Thing #1 also presents an intriguing mystery to grab the attention of readers. Alec Holland having the ability to remember the memories of Swamp Thing is a nice spin that should provide plenty of twists and turns for this series down the road. Snyder peppers in just enough in this first issue to have us eating out of his hand.

As much as I loved the story of Swamp Thing #1, I think the real star here is the artwork of Yanick Paquette. I mean, holy crap. Paquette proved himself a great artist with his work on Batman, Inc., but he's taken it to a new level with Swamp Thing. He was born to drawn animals dying and plants uprising. And I mean that in the best, most flattering way possible. Paquette also goes above and beyond with page layouts here in Swamp Thing #1. Nearly every page in this book is worthy of being turned into a poster. For my dollar, Paquette has drawn the most visually pleasing book of the New 52 thus far.

So, Swamp Thing #1 is a book full of win. Just buy it, you won't regret it one bit. Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette have delivered a fantastically written, beautifully drawn opening chapter to usher in Swamp Thing's return to the brave, new DCU. Who's pumped to see where this goes from here? This guy.

Your re-introduction to the Man of Steel.

Action Comics #1 (2011) Review

I've received a lot of feedback regarding my review of Justice League #1,in which I said that the book was fun, if not a balls-to-the-wall explosion of mind-bending proportions -- an expectation that is, in my opinion, unrealistic and perhaps misplaced. The same could be said of Action Comics #1,in which writer Grant Morrison takes his time to introduce (quite economically, I might add) all the main players of the series and establish their relationship to Superman. As far as issue #1 goes, everyone is where we'd expect them to be. Well, for the most part.

Lois and Jimmy are co-workers, Lex Luthor is plotting with General Lane to take down the strange visitor from another planet and Clark Kent is a do-gooder that is nice to his landlady and separates his colors from his whites when he does laundry. Of the entire cast, the only character that truly feels different is Superman himself. Costume aside, this is a Kal-El that is in the early days of career. It's established in Action #1 that Superman is still leaping (and only leaping) tall buildings and that his powers are still growing. Morrison presents him as a cocky, self-assured vigilante, a far cry from the messianistic icon that we know (or I guess, assume) he'll become.

I forsee some Superman purists taking issue with Morrison's take on the younger Kal-El, but as with any of his work, I urge those of you that feel this way to stick with it. As this is an early take on Superman (you can see the current day Supes in Swamp Thing #1 this week), Morrison is clearly setting up a period of growth for the character. More interesting than seeing how Kal-El grows as Superman is how his relations with other characters develop. In Action #1, Clark is working at the Daily Star, the Daily Planet's #1 rival. He's got journalistic integrity and comradery with Jimmy and Lois, but they're only six months into their friendship. Morrison has put the pieces in play for a very different spin on the trio' s relationship.

While the book is chock full of great action (fittingly), my one concern with it is the actual lack of Superman's perspective. Aside from one stellar scene with Clark Kent, the scenes with Superman are prodominately shown from an outsider's perspective, offering no real insight into the character other than his nature as an overwhelming alien force of extreme strength. We understand that he's there to help, but that comes more from our previous knowledge of the character than what we see in the book.

However, it's incredibly refreshing to have a Superman that is active and takes control of the situation he's in. Morrison's Superman is hands-on, but fallible. Action #1 establishes more than once that Superman isn't an all powerful god-like being. Other than being unable to truly fly, Morrison concocts a great scene in which Supes is stopping a speeding train. Upon impact, Superman mutters "ow" ever-so-softly. It's a great moment that, coupled with the glimpse of brilliance we catch from Lex Luthor in this issue, suggests an equal pairing between heroism and villainy for these soon-to-be arch rivals.

The art of Rags Morales captures the action well. The many high-octane action sequences scattered throughout the book shine with Morales' blocking and storytelling. While finer details aren't always the main attraction of his panels, the action sequences in this debut issue are effective because of Morales' ability to adequately pace the scenes. However, the other half of the book -- the talking head dialog scenes -- are less exhilirating. Morales' facial anatomy varies wildly between scenes, depending on angle and facial expression. It's not distracting, necessarily, but the slower nature of these scenes in comparison to the action sequences -- both in writing and art --gives Action #1 a jarring pace.

When all is said and done, this is the first chapter of a very long story (Morrison told us he's got 16 issues plotted out), and it reads as such. Much like Morrison's work previous,the whole will likely be greater than its parts. However, that doesn't mean Action Comics #1 is unenjoyable, not by any means. Morrison presents many interesting ideas in issue #1 that will most certainly blossom in ways we've never even considered.

Red Skull: Incarnate

Chapter 3 Review

s another depressing installment in this series that details the rise of Johann Schmidt from orphaned boy to power-hungry Nazi. Thus far, Greg Pak has done a solid job making Schmidt's transformation feel nature and not heavy-handed or overly melodramatic. However, issue #3 does resort to more exposition than I care to see to move Johann into the next phase of his troubled upbringing. This doesn't make Red Skull: Incarnate #3 a bad issue mind you, but it definitely dampens the dramatic impact of the last page reveal.

In issue #3, Johann runs into one of his old friends from the orphanage, Dieter. Greg Pak uses Dieter as a measuring mechanism to show how much Johann has changed since he ran away from his past life. Johann is now a man of action, who has also misplaced his moral compass due to the harsh living conditions he's been put through. His interactions with Dieter in this issue are proof of that, and this subplot's outcome winds up being quite tragic, as expected.

However, the final few pages of Red Skull: Incarnate #3 dive into exposition-heavy narration to drive the ship home. While I'm all for getting a history lesson out of an engaging comic, this particular example kind of kills the pacing of this issue dead. Greg Pak might have felt this approach necessary to sell the last page reveal, but a part of me believes Pak could have come up with something a little more creative to drive his point home.

Red Skull: Incarnate #3 might be the weakest link of this series thus far, but it's still a good comic. Outside Pak's exposition-heavy closing, the characterization remains strong and the art by Mirko Colak is still top notch.

And So Begins The New DC Universe

Justice League #1 Review

It's finally here. It's out with the old and in with the new. Flashpoint wrapped up what was left of the old DC Universe and right alongside it came Geoff Johns and Jim Lee's Justice League #1. The book has been set apart from the rest of the New 52, heralded as the movement's flagship title. This is the comic that longtime readers will be picking up to make their judgment calls, but more importantly, it's the title that new readers will be turning to in the aftermath of the media storm that is taking place as you read this. But underneath it all, beyond the hyperbole generating hype machine, is this a comic that will satisfy both crowds?

Justice League #1 brings us five years into the past of the new DCU, a time when superheroes were feared by the public and operated separately from one another. They don't know one another's identities and they certainly don't trust each other. Johns and Lee are clearly aiming to establish the coming together of the Justice League we all know and love, but issue #1 would be more accurately labeled as a Batman/Green Lantern team-up. Johns delivers the goods on the personality clash of Hal Jordan and Bruce Wayne, with a bulk of this issue featuring fun banter that conceals essential exposition to get new readers up to speed on the general concept behind each character. To be honest, reading it as a longtime fan requires some getting used to, as it's a scene so familiar yet ultimately brand new. If you look at it from that perspective, it should put to rest any lingering fears that these characters might not be the same ones you knew and loved as they were a week ago. You'll get that familiar feeling, but without the expectation that you'll be able to predict where the story goes next.

The one real detriment of the book is that it suffers from an extremely slow pace. There's plenty of action to be had, but the centerpiece of this issue is Batman and Green Lantern taking jabs at one another while on a hunt to find the alien in Metropolis known as Superman. It's not dull, but if future installments keep this pace, it could become problematic once the amusement of seeing these characters interacting for the first time wears off. To his credit, Johns recognized this in issue #1 and switched gears just as I grew tired of the back-and-forth between Hal and Bruce. Issue #1 briefly touches upon Cyborg –un-cyborged at this point –and introduces another Leaguer by issue's end that will hopefully kick things into a higher gear come issue #2.

If you're a new reader, curious whether DC is holding their promise of accessibility, worry not. Justice League #1 is entirely competent as an introduction to the DCU, albeit a very small step towards a landscape that will only continue to reveal itself as the New 52 press on.

Jim Lee's return to a monthly book is always exciting, and Justice League #1 looks exactly how you'd expect it to. Lee's layouts give the book a larger visual scope than is implied in the narrative; he often works in widescreen or tall vertical panels, giving the book a cinematic tinge that parallels the theoretical magnitude of what this series represents. His character work is solid and the costume designs look superb "in action," though there are still the common instances of facial identities bleeding together and a limited range of emotion. However, Johns gives Lee plenty of constructs and action sequences to let loose on, and despite the slower pace of the book, the artist gets a chance to concoct some truly awesome stuff (fire truck construct,anyone?). Equally great is the amount of attention that Lee pays to his backgrounds, offering a consistent portrayal of Gotham's rooftops and skyline.

Justice League #1 is fun, no doubt about it. There is a certain sense of feeling underwhelmed after reading it, simply because it's been hammered into our brains that this book represents the ushering of the single biggest comic book industry initiative in years. It's gained a whole lot of external weight. But when you strip all that excess media hype away, you're left with a perfectly entertaining –if somewhat safe –glimpse into a universe we're only just beginning to understand.