With horror more in vogue than ever, UDON has announced that you just can’t keep a good monster down.

The publisher announced on its blog this week that, due to the positive response from its Darkstalkers Tribute Book, they would move forward with a three-issue miniseries based on the Capcom fighting game. The premise of the series? Vampires, succubi, mummies, catpeople, lagoon monsters, and more fight for the fate of the world!

The cover shown above is drawn by Alvin Lee; meanwhile, Street Fighter writer Ken Siu-Chong will be writing the stories, while Joe Vreins and Eric Vedder will be drawing the interiors. The book is due out in January.

IDW has announced that it will be publishing two new comics with Electronic Arts, to capitalize on some recent video game franchises: Army of Two and Dragon Age.

According to a press statement, EA will be in charge of the creative aspects of the books, while IDW will print and distribute them. Yet the talent is perhaps even more surprising: Peter Milligan will be writing Army of Two with newcomer artist Dexter Soy, while Orson Scott Card will be writing Dragon Age.

“This is a great opportunity for IDW to work with a worldwide leader in video games,” said IDW’s COO Greg Goldstein in the statement. “We look forward to bringing a tremendous amount of great content into the comics market.”

You’ve probably already seen the image to the right already, which DC released at San Diego, revealing a couple of characters who will be appearing in James Robinson and Mark Bagley’s upcoming run on Justice League of America. Between Donna Troy on the right and Dick “Batman” Grayson is Mon-El, who’s been keeping the Superman monthly comic warm for Superman while the Man of Steel’s off starring in World of New Krypton.

As you can see, Mon’s got a new, more Superman-like costume, complete with an S-shield and belt to hold up the underpants he is now wearing over his tights. (Will he be changing his name to SuperMon? I hope he’s changing his name to SuperMon…!)

Here’s another look at his new costume, which Alex Segura posted on DC’s The Source blog last weekend:

I like it. You know who  it reminds me of?

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Because I still think it’s disgusting.

From Kotaku:

Let’s play this down the middle, as much we can. “Costumed representatives,” are there to make a physical appearance, both sides would agree. But Iola is right: Neither Comic-Con, nor E3, nor any other convention, is a strip club. It’s no more appropriate to assume she’s there for casual opposite-sex companionship than it would be to think a well dressed public relations professional - who’s also there to promote a product and likewise is expected to look good on the job - is after the same thing.

The problem is that EA’s promotion projected just that image - not only on their own reps, but reps of other companies as well, whether or not it was consistent with the spirit or tradition of Comic-Con, E3, or any other show. That’s the reason for the furor, and that’s why you got an apology.

The whole post is worth reading, as it includes comments from a self-proclaimed costumed rep who’s suffered through much obnoxious behavior at cons.

The comparison to a strip club, however, struck me as particularly apt. Because it’s NOT what Comic-Con is supposed to be. Yet by projecting the idea that cons are for boys, the corresponding assumption that any girl who is there is there for the sexual gratification of the male attendees (and thus the attendant reaction to the Twilight-fangirls who are there for their own damn visual sexual gratification, thank you very much) is not only prevalent among attendees, but played to by just this sort of promotion.

I find it interesting that the most egregious examples of this stuff came from video game companies. Am I strange in noting this?

Wow, this is pretty low even for the kinds of things we’ve already seen floating around Comic-Con.

I know all about the “booth babes” and my own feeling on the subject is pretty much meh. Maybe I’ve just been inured to the use of women’s bodies to sell things, and I’m used to the idea that comic conventions are “for the boys” even though I’ve been fighting that notion in this here blog. It’s kind of funny to me, too, that “booth babes” are still used to lure fanboys, who then turn around and complain about Twilight fangirls squealing over Robert Pattinson. Still, way to take the whole idea to a new low, EA Games. Rewarding guys for committing “acts of lust”? With no definiton on what that entails?

So now the girls standing around awkwardly at various booths are not only going to be stared at and groped a few times, they’re going to have boys trying to do so and document it on photo to try to win a chance to–hang out with more girls?

Sounds like EA Games needs a quick lesson. Hey guys? Women aren’t like your video games or comic books. We’re people, too. We get to choose with whom we commit “acts of lust,” and sometimes we don’t like it on camera. We certainly don’t like being bought and sold for the price of a video game.

Someone keep these guys away from the Twilight fans, please.

Also, if I never hear another joke about a “chest full of booty” it’ll be too damn soon.

(thanks to Blog@’s own David Pepose for setting me off on a rant at 9:30 on a Saturday)

Cartoonist Carly Monardo has taken it upon herself a challenge: take the characters from one story and redesign them to fit another story or artist’s style.  Dubbed the “Whirring Blender Design Challenge” (and posted on a blog of the same title), she’s done this on several occasions… but this recent one seems like the most off-the-wall and just-plain-awesome yet.

Final Fantasy VII meets European cartoonist Gipi.

She’s done four examples, with the latest being the best yet: Barrett.

Check it out and cheer her on!

In addition to being a cartoonist and musician, James Kochalka also has a passion for what he calls “obsessive compulsive narcissistic twiddling” to insert himself into a hacked version of the classic video game Super Mario Bros.

The video game blog Offworld has posted Kochalka’s mod of the classic Nintendo game in which you can play as Kochalka himself. Game on!

…That’s right, a brand-new Ghostbusters web site.

With a new video game in the works, as well as some strong hopes to a third film in the making, it’s perhaps no surprise that the Dan Aykroyd-led franchise is getting itself a facelift.

The new site has message boards, photos, as well as resources for the upcoming video game.

After quite a bit of speculation from the fan base, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, TT Games, and the Lego Group have announced that the latest franchise to get the bumps-and-blocks treatment will be none other than the legend of Hogwarts, Harry Potter!

Not to be confused with the earlier Lego Creator: Harry Potter games, TT Games will be infusing Lego: Harry Potter: Years 1-4 with the same sort of 3D action and metahumor that has been seen in Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Star Wars, and Lego Batman. Here’s a trailer, posted by Romain766, for the uninitiated:

According to the group’s press release, this game will span Harry’s first four years at Hogwarts (through the Goblet of Fire, if you’re wondering), and will allow players to control Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, as you explore areas like Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, and the Forbidden Forest. The game is scheduled for release in 2010.

The Flash is the latest character released by Sony Online Entertainment to appear in the upcoming MMORPG DC Universe Online. The game will allow gamers to create their own super hero or super villain to fight alongside and against the big names (and some of the small ones) from across the DCU. Comic art living legend Jim Lee and a team of artists are designing each character and environment, then seeing them rendered in 3D. Click through for more of Wally West, including the game’s description of the Fastest Man Alive and some hints of villains players might encounter when running alongside the speedster.

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Reports have popped up today that Warner Bros. Entertainment has bid 33 million dollars to purchase Midway Games. The buyout would include Midway, the Mortal Kombat franchise, and the Chicago and Seattle development studios. Midway has been suffering for nearly two years now, having already shutdown several projects and locations, and laying off much of their staff at remaining locations. The deal apparently does not include the TNA Wrestling license, nor two other development studios. There will be an auction before the deal goes through to allow other companies to take a shot, but it’s expected that WB will come out on top.

A sell-out was expected, as it is the only way at this point that the Mortal Kombat franchise and Midway as a whole could avoid a fatality. Time Warner clearly wants a larger stake in the games industry. Their first major step, buying a chunk of Eidos Interactive, was foiled a few months ago when Square Enix decided to buy the company outright. This move would all but assure a sequel to last year’s well-received Mortal Kombat vs. DCUniverse, and possibly see a new internal development point for more of Warner’s many properties to be translated into games.

Despite zombies being en vogue after Marvel Zombies (volumes 1 all the way through 4, natch) as well as DC’s upcoming storyline Blackest Night, I’m pretty sure nobody saw this toy coming:

Aw yeah. Zombie Solid Snake, from Metal Gear Solid. Or as I propose we call him, Rotting Snake.

I can pretty much see him at work — he’s sneaking up on someone under his trademark cardboard box, when suddenly a security guard is like, “jeez, what is that awful smell? It’s like somebody left the garbage out in the sun or something.” And then Snake’ll jump out and yell, “I have a condition!!!”

This toy’ll be available for order starting in October (appropriate, I guess) for about $79.99. There’s also a more “realistic” version of Zombie Snake available here.

[Link spotted via Ryan Penagos]

Image by Capcom, courtesy of Marvel.com

Can I get a big bad hell yeah? It’s been rumored for months, but tonight on Marvel.com, they finally confirmed it: Marvel vs. Capcom 2, quite possibly the best 2D fighting game ever, is coming to LIVE and PSN. I can’t wait to own this for a third and possibly fourth platform (already have it for Dreamcast and PS2), and for any who missed out on the notoriously hard-to-find home editions of the game, this’ll be a great chance to have a ton of fun with over 50 awesome characters. Online multiplayer is confirmed (some may say obviously), and Marvel’s got a trailer to remind everyone of the awesomeness. No word yet on the release date, but they do say this year.

Update: PSN will have the exclusive demo this Thursday, according to the Playstation Blog. More info at that link about which characters/features are in the demo. (Thanks for the tip, FunkDoctor!)

Oh baby, yes! Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment just announced via a press release that The Joker will be a playable character in the upcoming Batman: Arkham Asylum.

The catch, however, is that the villain will only be playable on the PlayStation 3 version of the game, and only in the challenge levels of the game. These are said to take place in Crime Alley and allow for players to fight against swarms of enemies, and now they’ll be able to dance around laughing while shooting them rather than stalking in the dark and taking them down without the kill.

It’s a nice bonus for PS3 owners desperate for exclusive content. There’s no reason given for the exclusive, but I’d offer conjecture that it has something to do with Sony/WBIE’s upcoming DCUOnline. Of course, the character will actually be DLC released the same day as the game, so there’s always the possibility of it being a timed exclusive, giving 360 owners the chance to laugh further down the line. Either way, this game just keeps looking better, and June isn’t too far away.

Sony Online Entertainment continues the slow trickle of character and location reveals leading up to the PS3/PC MMORPG, DCUOnline, today. Solomon Grundy, from Sketch to Render is shown off, and looking appropriately brutish. The included character description from the press release follows:

Solomon Grundy™ is part zombie and part plant, a bizarre, centuries-old half-human life form filled with confused anger. At times he is a rampaging monster, at others a calculating and coldblooded villain.

Solomon Grundy’s enhanced strength makes him a threat even to the DC Universe’s strongest heroes. As an immortal, massive blows or injuries can’t kill or hurt him -  afterwards, he simply regenerates to rise again.

Solomon Grundy has been seen skulking in swamps, sewers, and abandoned buildings in both Metropolis and Gotham City. Denizens of these cities beware the low growl of “Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday…”

The Sketches/designs are being done by a group of artists led by Jim Lee, Executive Creative Director for the game. It’s another good looking, iconic version of a DCU character; personally, I’m waiting to see some of the B and C listers to see how well these new designs carry over to the extended DCU. Full Renders are after the break. (more…)

In a surprisingly candid post, it was revealed today on the official PlayStation Blog that inFamous, the electric-powered and parkour-traveling superhero PS3 exclusive, will not be shipping in June after all. Indeed, in a surprising move, the release date was bumped UP to May 26th. While not the first time a game’s release has been bumped up, it is still rare to see.

The report also included the above screenshot, showing exclusive DLC if gamers pre-order:

An exclusive ‘Gigawatt Blades’ Super Power: The Gigawatt Blades supercharges Cole’s arm into an instrument of destruction unmatched by any other melee weapon in game. Although very powerful, you’ll still have to use this weapon wisely, as it takes a considerable drain on your powers.

An exclusive outfit for your Home avatar and early access to the demo is also included with a pre-order. inFamous now ships May 26th, 2009 in the US, exclusively for the PS3.

The jury is still out on whether this will be the first really great Batman game, though it does sound promising. Today Eidos and Warners announced the (inevitable) Collector’s Edition of the game, and hot damn does it have some cool stuff. From the Press Release:

14″ Batarang with stand
Matches the Batarang’s in-game design

Arkham Doctor’s Journal
48 pages of notes on Arkham’s inmates
Embossed leather dust jacket

2 Sleeve Digi-pack, including:
Game disc
Behind-the-scenes DVD

Code for downloadable Challenge Map
Exclusive “Crime Alley” map, available immediately

OK, the Batarang and Arkham Journal alone sound more than worth the extra scratch for this version of the game. I lok forward to the inevitable injury reports from people throwing the Batarang around, though. No word on if the Journal was written by Paul Dini, who is scripting the game, but I’ll update here if/when I get a response. Regardless, it’s nice to see a Collector’s Edition that actually offers some fun pack-ins. The game is due this summer, and official Facebook and MySpace pages have been setup for fans to keep track of the latest announcements.

Looks like it’s video game movie news day. The latest has the artful epic PS2 adventure Shadow of the Colossus heading to the big screen. The 2005 game was a critical hit but hardly a household name as far as consumer response.

The main feature of the spiritual sequel to equally beautiful Ico had a boy named Wander (sometimes accompanied by his trusty steed) doing battle with creatures that were approximately 800,000x larger than him. This kind of dwarfing should be interesting to see on screen, to say the least. Wander climbs along the behemoths searching for weak spots to attack.

The story will need a LOT of work to be a compelling film. The game’s focus was on the beautiful scenery and characters, and the unique gameplay. Justin Marks, screenwriter of the upcoming Hack/Slash comic adaptation, the upcoming new adaptation of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and what looks like a surefire sweeping victory winner at the Razzies (the anti-Oscars) Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li which currently holds an absolutely horrendous 4% on RottenTomatoes.com, will see if his pen can have more success with this game. With this, he becomes the busiest adaptation screenwriter in Hollywood, also attached to DC’s Suicide Squad and Green Arrow: Escape from Supermax, as well as He-Man and Voltron.

Capcom’s Dark Void, a Sci-Fi “Vertical” 3rd Person shooter looks to bring some new mechanics (namely jetpacks and mostly vertical levels) and an engaging story to the 3rd person shooter field. Now, they’ve gotten some help from composer Ben McCreary. While the name may not be a household one, most Sci-Fi fans have heard his music. McCreary provided score for the recently completed Battlestar Galactica re-imagining, as well as Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles. According to the press release, this is his first video game score:

“When I got the call from Capcom to work on the music for Dark Void, I jumped at the chance to do it, considering my love for Capcom games.” said McCreary. “I have been looking for the opportunity to compose a game score for a long time, but I’ve been waiting for the right one.  Dark Void’s epic story and unique gameplay drew me in immediately and I have had a lot of fun working on the project.”

So at least the music is sure to be awesome! Gamers can find out if the rest of the game is, too, on August 25, 2009, the currently scheduled release date.

Joystiq got tipped yesterday that Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is testing the waters on a major new addition to their online store: a dedicated section for Comics. The selection process, seen in the video below, shows a system remarkably similar to Apple’s “cover flow” used in iTunes, OSX.5, and the iPod/iPhone family. They also remark on a panel by panel system, similar to how many comics have been presented on the iPhone already, which gives an easier way for readers to view the comic on such a small screen. Sony has been touting that they have big plans for the struggling handheld this year. Would an “iTunes for comics” that’s limited to the PSP be appealing to you? How about if you could also view them on your PS3? It sure seems like the technology world is certainly interested in being the first to mainstream-ize comics on e-devices.