Hello digital, bye, bye physical (Comics)

So for the both of you who have not heard as of this September, DC comics is now offering there single issue periodical comics on the same day (Wednesday) in both a physical paper option and digital option. The price point for these books is either $2.99 or $3.99 as of now in the United States. To buy the physical comic you can visit a comicbook store, online, or anywhere that sells comics near you. These usually come out every Wednesday, barring a holiday with the next issue coming out one month later, unless a title works under a different schedule. Ok, so what? If your reading this you already know all of this what's the point. Just follow along I'm trying to build a story.

In September DC comics launched their comics with new books and renumbering of older titles all with number ones as the issue number. The price is the same for the digital as it is for the physical version, but now you don't need to go anywhere to buy it. All you need is a internet active device, whether it's a desktop computer, a tablet or mobile device. Most companies which distribute these digital comics also have a computer program that allows you to read these comics once you have made your purchase. Again, WTF! Yeah, you know this keep reading.

Now the main purpose of renumbering the books according to DC comics is to make the comics they put out more accessible to new readers. To go along with that they put their books not only in the traditional brick and mortar stores but online. Again you already know all of this, big whoop. Now my question is what does this mean for the future of the physical comic?

Now let me be clear on this. I've been buying and reading comicbooks on physical paper for almost 20 years. I've spent thousands, upon thousands of dollars on single issues, trade paperback, manga, and different variations on comicbooks. And for my spending and collecting I kept buying box after box after box to store all of it. But now there is the cloud. This seemingly magical place where things can be stored and found so long as you have an internet connection. This includes comics, as well other things that are digital. So why would I NEED to keep buying physical books?

I like many others have a Apple "I" device. I updated it to the latest version. But before I did there was a warning. If you do this update all of your previously stored information will be deleted from the device. Basically setting it back to its factory setting with only the most basic applications. So I did it but I wasn't worried about information loss. I signed back into my account which was still available. The apps were under my accounts, purchased section of the app store so I re-installed those. The cloud had some of the rest of the information.

Now lets apply all of this knowledge to what may happen in the future. Lets say your on your DC comics account looking to add new titles to your subscription. Your also looking to remove some titles as the creative team has changed and you don't like the book anymore. So while your going through your list you see that DC has added back issued digital versions of a trade you already own in a physical paper version. You really love this trade and would love to read it anytime you want. No more moving long boxes and digging through trades to pull out your beat up version which you can't buy anymore since it's out of print. What do you do, you download it of course?

Now that beat up copy never has to take anymore damage than it already has. And you get to read your trade whenever you like. Great, win, win right? 


Three days later your device falls to the ground at a weird angle and now the screens cracked and it won't turn on. Argh!!! What are you gonna do, will you freak out and panic. Throw your hands to the sky and scream, "why God, why?" 


You might do that, but after you've calmed down you'll go to the cloud or your account. That's right you'll remember that you set your device to automatically backup to the cloud everyday at a specific time. Yippie, your trade was backed up and is still in the cloud or your purchased account. So you get a new device, redownload what you need and there you go without skipping a beat.

So again why do I need to keep buying a physical comic? I can access what I want, whenever I want. I don't have to worry about damaging, losing or just the wear and tear that comes from reading a comic. The number of comics that I can save in the cloud depends on how much I'm willing to spend on cloud space. And knowing these comic companies they'll certainly put more older stuff on their site which will than make me think about downloading them so as to not go through my paper copies of those books. Plus there never is going to be anything sold out. I can get it even if I'm in another country.

You've got to understand that physical comics are going to become like music CDs. Their still useful but most people don't buy them. Yes, that's not completely true, but HMV, Tower records and many other outlets that sold music CDs as their primary product and now their gone. Even traditional paper books are going away. So what makes anyone think the same won't happen to comics. Sure people still buy a CD version of an album, they still buy the Hardcover version of a new novel but where do they get these from. Your best bet is online but you can find some stores. A Best Buy or Barnes and Nobles still has these but the stock now is usually one or two copies. Even the folks in the store will tell you to go online to find something because they don't carry much stock anymore.


Now how can anyone realistically say that they will keep buying physical for the next ten years? The comic companies don't want to keep making paper comics. They aren't selling hundreds of thousands of copies on a monthly basis. The cost to benefit analysis they do tells them that they will save more money by not carrying so much paper inventory. So come on. Let the physical paper go. Buy new bags and boards for your older stuff, to keep the books from turning yellow/orange. Use your computer if you don't have a mobile device. And most importantly embrace the change. It's a slow gradual change that can only get better with time. And keep in mind it's not like you have a choice. 

Batman Arkham City Panel NYCC 2011

Its that time again folks where we bring you the latest news of New York Comic Con 2011. and we start that Friday with the Arkham City Panel. it came full force with the Game Director Sefton Hill - Rock Steady Studios and Audio Director- Nick Arundel, Kevin Conroy the Voice of Batman Arkham Asylum and Arkham City as well as Batman the Animated Series and Claudio Sanchez, the lead singer of Coheed and Cambria who recorded a song for Arkham City’s original soundtrack.. They started the Panel with their newest trailer and from there they talked about one of the most anticipated games of the Year.


Arkham City’s game director Sefton Hill began to explain the story in which Batman sets off to find his arch-enemy The Joker. In order to reach him, Batman is forced to travel a considerable distance across Arkham City, which is zoned-off a section of Gotham and then handed to its criminals. He then explains the open-world format of the game and the feel of Batman’s movement from one point to another. Basically you are Batman and when you swoosh from one building to another you can actually feel that you are Batman soaring through the night.

Instead of the calculated creeping and crouching ala Arkham Asylum, players are given an jaw dropping experience of aerial fluidity; Batman can grapple a high point and release the cable at the last second, catapulting himself across a roof and gliding a bit before pulling himself forward once again with his grappling gun. Batman can glide continuously across the district with a combination of momentum and finesse. Batman’s ability to glide has been tweaked from a downward-only function to an asset that allows for motion similar to straight-out flight, So when you hurdle downward by pulling your cape in and then let go the motion of the cape will take in air and lift you up enabling him to both lift as well as drop his position as he floats forward. Perhaps more importantly, Batman can use his more airborne role in the game to make steep dives toward enemies on the ground which is a added plus with his assortment of his attack



In an interesting progression from the first game’s “audio awareness” of villains’ intentions gained from relying on Arkham Asylum’s PA system, Batman uses a radio earpiece keep him abreast of what Gotham’s criminals are up to throughout the Arkham City (and in the case of the demo, Batman has honed in on Harley Quinn’s frequency as she rambles about the Joker). Audio Director Nick Arundel mentioned that he wanted Batman’s audio surveillance to tell the story without necessarily slowing Batman or narrative progress down. Batman is also in radio contact with Alfred, who seems to be just as capable as the previous game’s Oracle in providing Batman with key information—and their respectful and easygoing rapport is a treat to hear.

From the Demo that was displayed as well as the playable demo that NYCC had offered in the DC booth,Sefton mentions the importance of sound and Arundel explains more in deatil of how Batman’s use of sound is a heavier use of his earpiece this time around for this game. Hill then started showed off a couple of exciting new innovations related to Batman’s gadgets. Arkham City’s Batman now carries a remote electrical charge able to execute several tasks, one of which includes the ability to create electromagnetic fields. This field can draw metal objects toward it, and in the demonstration, the tool allows Batman to cause an otherwise inanimate object to begin swinging with enough momentum to destroy an obstruction in his path. The charge can also shock enemies and, like other gadgets in the game, can now be used quickly with a controller shorthand, rather than with the longer process of selection and employment required from Arkham Asylum.

These small innovations applied to Batman’s utility belt go a long way in making the gameplay remarkable in this newer installment, and a similarly successful improvement has been brought to Batman’s animations, as well (which have apparently doubled this time around, from 30 to 90 members of Rocksteady Studios). One such example that got a roar from the crowd was Batman’s ability to run, slide his body along the ground, and seamlessly rise to run again—a simple but satisfyingly slick addition to the character’s aesthetic. Batman’s ability to fight, as well, showed enough of a step up to enthrall onlookers. For instance, Batman is now able to take down two thugs at once, or catch objects thrown at him for a near-immediate toss back. Particularly enjoyable to watch is Batman’s combo of a barrage of punches, which deals considerable damage to enemies much larger than himself.





The Arkham City panel of guests generated its own excitement, mostly due to the presence of longtime Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy, but also because of the enthusiasm of Game Director Sefton Hill, Audio Director Nick Arundel, and Claudio Sanchez, the lead singer of Coheed and Cambria who recorded a song for Arkham City’s original soundtrack. Between the four panelists seemed to be an air of modesty and an understanding of what kind of quality they owed the fans which we are all grateful for.




Hill stated that developing Arkham City wasn’t about “going bigger,” but giving the same amount of care and attention to the sequel’s story as had given to the first game, albeit on a larger canvas—that larger canvas involving a world five times larger than the original, a scope big enough to include warring factions led by Arkham villains, and 30 to 40 hours of gameplay. Arundel then explained in with similar thoughts about making plot the top priority, saying that the new game is still “all about the narrative” (and apparently, seeds from that narrative were planted in the first game). Kevin Conroy added that Paul Dini, the writer behind Batman: The Animated Series, wrote a story for Arkham City that was still tied to the acclaimed narrative he’d created on TV, only adapted for a new format. Conroy went on to say that Dini understands the vulnerability of Batman, and how to get fans to respond to it. Correspondingly, Hill stated that villains were selected based on who would best challenge Batman, as well as say something about the character.

Arundel stated that it was even important for Batman’s theme to inform players about who Batman is. Sanchez said that his band’s contribution to its soundtrack, “Deranged,” also explored character—although it’s the Joker’s perspective that his song investigated. Sanchez emphasized more than once how excited he was to be part of the project, creating and finishing the song within a day of being asked by game developers, he was so touched about getting the part that he almost cried in front of the panel, he mentions having grown up with Batman, his emotional connection to him fufilled his sense of commitment and excitement for the role he played in Arkham City’s finished product.


Overall, the panel was very good and very detail and Arkham City shouldn't disappoint and then they expressed measured pride in the work that went into the game, which was well earned; the sequel looks to be an evolved, polished, and masterful addition to the Arkham Asylum franchise. Lets hope they Rocky Steady Continues with the Legacy of making Batman Games.

Batman Arkham City Review.

Back in 2009 a relatively small company by the name of Rocksteady released  Batman Arkham Asylum. This game was a long time coming but no one knew how well it would be accepted into the gaming world. Batman Arkham Asylum is currently the holder of many and when I say many I mean many gaming awards including but not limited to multiple game of the year awards and is currently the Guinness Book of World Records holder for Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever.

Fast forward 2 year and we now have Batman Arkham City the game takes place a couple of months after the first game. After the whole Joker debacle in Arkham Asylum the mayor or who ever the head honcho in Gotham is decided to put all of the bad guys in small city in the middle of Gotham. (who ever the person in charge is needs to be shot but then again that is just my opinion.)

As all hell breaks loose Batman appears to save the day. Rocksteady has promised a very in depth and amazing game.

So on to the review I have been playing the game for about 8 hours and I will say that this game is amazing. All the hype that has surrounded this game for the last couple of months it lives up to it all if not surpasses it.  The way the game starts really depends on you you can either start out as catwoman by downloading the DLC or you can start as Batman.

The controls are as fantastic as they were in the first for me the camera is alittle buggy but you get used to it and you so learn that it will not bother you. There are some new toys this time around like the remote charge gun this stun gun that can power up doors and at the same time knock the shit out of thugs and bosses..

The graphics much like in the first game are still incredible I love that Rocksteady has put there spin on all of the characters in the game they also put in a bunch of skins and extras that you will enjoy. For example if you bought the game at Best Buy you get early access to the Robin DLC. Everything will be out later this month though like the Nightwing pack and the Batman Skins pack.

One of the newest additions to the game is the New Game + mode if you beat the game on normal or hard you unlock this in this mode all your enemies are more challenging but you get to keep all of your upgrades and experience that you have accumulated during your first play through. All in all this is a great game sure I have only been playing for alittle while but every moment from the beginning to now has been exciting and incredible this is a definite buy for anyone that loves Batman.  Or just wants to play and incredible comicbook superhero game.

I know the game is out already but stay tuned for our coverage of the Arkham City Panel that was at NYCC this year..

Until Next Time Geeks..

NYCC it came it stayed and it pretty much kicked ass.

This year was the 6th consecutive New York Comic Con but much like last year it again was a convention that was split into 2. Along with NYCC again was animefest and again I have to admit that this year has gotten so much better everything was well organized and the show room floor was alot nicer to look at.

The NYCC this year had a lot to celebrate with movies like The Avengers and DC revamping all their current books the show room floor was busy with lines for signings and for free swag.

So lets start with the bigger news form the comic con they toys well maybe that is not the bigger news for you but for me it is lol.. There were plenty of companies repping new toys this year but I have to say the biggest were play arts and Hasbro and Mattel. Besure to check out my posts on Mimobot and Mattle and Play arts. They will be sure to tickle you fancy especially if you are like me a big fan of these companies..

Hasbro showed their new additions to their Marvel Universe Line I am sorry to say I want able to get  alot pics of their new figures but I have some that were in their huge diorama. They are featured below. 

 (Above) It looks almost identical to the diorama that was at SDCC 2011 with a few differences here and there but again it was a great set up and I wish I could do the same thing with my figures but I am proud to say I am a mint in box kinda guy lol..

In the pic featured below it is scarlet spiderman and spiderman fighting the lizard and Dr. Octopus.this is the corner of the picture that is not featured in the picture above.

Also making a return to NYCC this year are the artists and writers that make the comic industry a very special place artists like Tim Sale, Geoff Johns and Writers like Robert Kirkman (the one man that one of my writers doesnt like but he will not be named lol)

 Above:Robert Kirkman

Below: Tim Sale

Also celebrating At NYCC the  launch of the The NEW 52 Line of DC was Jim Lee and Geoff Johns they were there signing books and drawing personal sketches for those who asked.. 

All in all NYCC was great this year but stay tuned for our other posts and new from 2011 NYCC..

Until Next Time Geeks..

Hi everybody

Hello my name is Kurt. I'll be a new contributor to this blog. Yeah baby! So what will I be bringing to this blog? Well more than I'm bringing to my own blog, the Balancing Brain. That's more of a vent blog when I have something to unleash, for now. So on this blog I'll put stuff that I think a geek should or maybe is interested in now. Maybe even stuff their not aware of that is interesting, frustrating or just plain noteworthy. Not perfect or perverse I'll save that for my on blog and not ruin this one. I'm here by invite so I'll be nice (sometimes). Until than enjoy your... No wait that's taken. If ya smell what the... No,no that's taken too. Ah, we'll skip the catchphrases for now, bye,bye.

It is Tuesday the 18th and...

And I know it has been a day or 2 since Comic-Con has ended an no news has been posted yet for that I am sorry but I assure that before the end of the week all the news that we covered at NYCC will be posted and detailed as best as we at the EGFG staff can remember. Also Stay tuned for our review of Batman Arkham City.. 

And today is the day everyone...

That is right it is the start of the 2011 New York Comic Con. Much like me I hope you are all excited this is going to be a big year. with the introduction of the 4 day pass yes that is right the 4 day pass much like San Diego you get a preview night with all the press and exhibitors. personally i think that it is a deal for 85 dollars that is only 20 added to the 3 day pass.

I hope you all have your passes and are going this weekend and if you dont stay tuned because I will have highlights for everyday except Sunday that is usually the day that I dont go..

Also stay tuned for my review of the much anticipated Forza Motor Sport 4 and Rage..

Until Next Time Geeks..

Dark Souls The Review.

I know  that it is early but I was able to get my hands on a copy thanks to a early ship from Amazon.com. That is why  love that site..

Back in 2010 Namco released a PS3 exclusive called Demon Souls. I personally didnt get to play this game but I heard great things about it and at the same time I heard terrible things about it and I was kinda turned off to it. Fast forwards 2 years and Namco and is releasing Dark Souls...

This sequel to Demon Souls is something that many have been waiting for. I know I was one of them when I heard that this was coming out since it was going to be on PS3 as well as the 360...
After playing the game for about 5 hours I have to say that it is pretty good if you like the first one you will love this one but like everyone and I mean everyone is saying be prepared to die and die a lot. In the time that I have been playing I have kept count of all the times I have died in the game and I have died about 40 times in 5 hours some may say that is not be but some will also say that it is not good.

I didnt believe this till I got to play the actual game but for all the hardwork all the timing all the practice blows and all the deaths you do get some rewards some maybe weapons and some maybe magic but most of the time like any good RPG it is most of the time weapons..

Unlike the first game this time the world is open there is no hub to go to choose what worlds you want to goto everything is all linked together it. For me it was kinda hard getting used to the the map but you will slowly and surely get used to the map like I did.

Dark Souls to me is not the amazing game that everyone says it is dont get me wrong if you liked Demon Souls you will love this game. If i had to give this game a number out of 10 I would give it a 9. Not I like the game but because the game was good but I just wasnt feeling it and that was mainly because of the controls you mainly play the game like a first person shooter left is the eyes right is the legs. but the bumpers on top are the attacks and the triggers are the parry and defense. Honestly after 5 hours of playing I still cant enjoy it..

Again I will say it is great if you like the first game and much like other games like this it will be talked about until a next gen of systems comes out and much like ICO and Shadow of Colossus it will stand the test of time..

Stay tune for my review Rage..

Until Next Geeks..    

October is already here.

Can you believe it? October is already here.. Today is Oct. 3rd and you know what that means it is the night before the launch of Rage the long anticipated game from the creators of Doom and Quake and Dark Souls the even longer anticipated sequel to Demon Souls the one game on the planet that maybe harder then Ninja Gaiden.

Also it means that the New York Comic Con is just 2 short weeks away. I hope everyone has their ticket and if you dont I am pretty sure that you can still get one and come and join the fun. This year you can even buy a 4 day pass and get in on the press day.

I also have to apologizes to everyone I know it has been a couple of weeks since my last review of Gears of War 3 but I have been playing a steady stream of it and I have also been busy with school. So if there are gaps in between my posts again I am really sorry..




But lets talk new last week on friday Transformers Dark of the Moon was released on Blu-ray and honestly I feel just a little cheated.  Why? Because for something that as great as this movie there are no special features what so ever. For that I am cheated dont get me wrong I am happy the the copy i got was 18 dollars at Best Buy and that like all major retailers except for Target it has a special edition slip cover I have to say that I am still mad. What actually pushed me over the edge was when I opened the case inside was a coupon for the ultimate version of the movie which includes never before seen footage.  As for right now if you cant wait i would say get it but if you can wait till maybe December wait for the more definitive version to come out..


Stay tuned everyone for tomorrows reviews of Dark Souls and Rage. Also dont forget that Mel and I are covering the whole weekend of NYCC...

Until Next Time Geeks....