Benjamin Carre Cover

Zayne Carrick seems to have no luck at all, after trying to flee to start a new life he’s drafted into the Republic war effort and as we left him in issue #1… he’s about to switch sides in the same war after being captured. The Mandalorian’s are pushing with full force in their effort to conquer, capture and expand their footprint in the galaxy against the Republic with their own stockpile of Jedi on their side including Zayne. Was it Zayne’s best move to rush into the Mandalorian filled forest to warn them? We find out in this issue as the Mandalorian’s are exposed outside of just being a conquering group of mercenaries and slaves in this war.

The intro of course doesn’t support that last line, the Mandalorian Knights and soldiers are storming a new planet, tactically crippling their communications and taking over their people as a whole. Zayne is pressed to learn the ropes of this outfit as they go in guns blazing and everyone holds their own or dies trying. The Mandalorian way seems to escape him as he fails to preserve life and narrowly dodges enslavement. It’s war and he has to get with it or be destroyed by it, unfortunately this message doesn’t ring through all of the new recruits and it slaps Zayne right in the face.

Issue #2 of War takes us not only through the struggles of Zayne but the world of the Mandalorian faction, they’re builders and survivors, instead of living as slaves they have a surprising optimism to their lives and work. Going so far as to continue the new chapter by even setting roots as they go from planet to planet expanding their front in this war. It’s a shock to see the death mask removed from them even though some are unable to accept what they see before their eyes.

As I complain that some stories go by too fast, KOTOR War #2 extends itself out to give background while still showcasing the battles and personal struggles of Zayne as he’s caught up in this battle and learns that he might have a role to still fit in all of it.

The art and style of the book are consistent and filled with pure tones, taking on more of a comic form they’re stressed around accuracy to the Star Wars franchise and conveying emotion through the words more than just the art. The controlled strokes of the book rely on shadowing and faster gestures to really only emphasize deep thought and action sequences. The rest retain a very straight forward gesture as wounds, gunshots and more are all clearly depicted. For those who have enjoyed the KOTOR series so far, War is a worthwhile investment as it dives right into this battle and creates an early bond with the reader.

Preview it: Dark Horse Comics
Pre-order: TFAW 

Release Date: February 8th, 2012

Story:	4.5/5.0
Art:	4.0/5.0
Dialog:	4.5/5.0
Overall:	4.5/5.0

The question stands, will you be out celebrating Valentines day with that special someone or that special Xbox? I guess only time will tell, keep an eye on the market and load it up as soon as you can though because there will no doubt be a rush of downloads that day.

btw: that means you’ll be able to use that Gold Subscription for other games and features as well during the demo period

Links – Bioware | Xbox Live Marketplace [Game goes up February 14th]

Garry Brown Cover

Stasis has not been kind to our crew in Dark Matter, awakened into turmoil and forced to find their instinctive knowledge or face death the crew raced into action. Issue 2 continues the escape from their mysterious attacker and plans of survival after being confronted with this blank slate. The issue brings a very rough ride for the crew, losing gravity at one point and their comfort as they confront a new world after a high-speed burst.

The issue rushes through in the same speedy pace as issue 1, the chase is on as they strive to escape attackers and find their own histories through the wiped logs of the ship. The art of the pages keeps urgency and the same high contrast styling and pauses as needed when even the crew are caught off guard in new revelations about their erased objectives. If you can’t hold on much longer for spoilers click below.

That’s all, and I left out a ton of goodies too!

There’s a certain cinematic or scripted drama to Dark Matter, it moves quickly and honestly feels like a blip in a time as you wait for more. I honestly hope this story can wrap up all the drama before this series is up, it has so much promise and yet it simply teases readers with little bits here and there in each issue. We’ve gone from near destruction in stasis to escape from an unknown enemy to a planet of survivalist  humans and now to the truth about all of the team… well almost all of them.

The art is crisp and clean, it emphasizes speed, stress, awakening without a hurdle, the speed of the strokes translates the urgency or situation with every line, the dialog personalised each character and brought them into their own in this issue. Showing that while they were a team, they’re very different and have their own agendas lingering underneath their amnesia filled awakenings. Anyone that felt hooked by issue 1 will feel the rush return with this installment, the tensions are high and the mysteries just keep getting worse. Who are they, what are they up to, what will they do with this clean slate on their plate, who set them up and who is behind this new pursuit? They’re working on all these questions and it just gets better and better.

If you desperately need a teaser check out Dark Horse Comics for the teaser pages to hold you for now. Alternatively, secure your copy from TFAW before it releases.

Release Date: February 8th, 2012

Story:	4.0/5.0
Art:	5.0/5.0
Dialog:	4.0/5.0
Overall:	4.0/5.0

Massimo Carnevale Cover

This Adventure starts with a horse bound Conan on the run from Court Guardsmen as they race through the dark alley ways and merchant villas of Massantia. As the chase continues, Conan makes way towards the shipping docks and jumps aboard a trading ship headed to Kush. Once aboard he is greeted by Tito, the master of the ship who ask’s the cimmerian the reason he’s on the run from the Massantia guards, as Conan tells him the story of how he was accused of killing one of the officers inside the bone in throat Inn located on The Old Wharf Road. He see’s the kings guards mistreating a young lady who was the sweet heart of a soldier that he didn’t approve of and ran his sword through the captain in middle of the tavern. As more guardsmen show up he is too dunk to make a run for it, he is captured and put in  jail for the murder of the captain as they assumed he was friends of the man who actually committed the crime.

[[Visit blog to check out this spoiler]]

Let me say this, I have noticed that all of the ongoing Conan stories such as Road of Kings and King Conan make references towards one another’s adventures making them similar. For example in this issue, it starts with Conan jumping upon a ship after escaping the Massantia court guards. what’s cool is that in Roy Thomas’s Conan: Road Of Kings #12, Conan breaks free of his chains and kills everyone inside the court room he then  steals a horse and makes his way to the docks. This issue, Conan talks to Tito about being captured and brought before the same judge for the same exact crime as in Road Of  Kings #12. The only difference is Conan doesn’t know the man who killed the guard. Like I said the writing is so similar to one another that I thought maybe the writers all agreed to make their adventures correspond to one another.

Final thoughts: With the writing being so similar and identical to Road of Kings #12 in the beginning that i found myself looking to see if i was reading the Queen Of The Black Coast or if I was reading Road Of Kings#13, writer Brian Wood’s version will be unoriginal to some of the more serious readers, as for me… I don’t mind it at all. As for the art, Becky Cloonan ( The Guild: Zaboo, WOLVES, Channel Zero) gives it a more cartoonish style…

Release Date: February 08, 2012

Story:	4.0/5.0
Art:	3.5/5.0
Dialog:	4.0/5.0
Overall:	4.0/5.0

Another Wednesday is upon us and that means its time for the Bamfas deals of the week!

This list of loot should carry you over for the rest of the week and hopefully give you something to look forward to in the mail on Monday. On with the goods!

Bamfas.com #1 weekly want

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Series

It has been called the greatest show ever (often by me) for a good reason. The set includes every episode over 39 DVDs. If you have not seen the show before, this is a great chance to see it for the first time. Sure it is on Netflix instant streaming but the collectors set’s packaging is a must for fans with worn down and possible played out discs.

Deal details: 64% off right now for $72.99 on [Amazon.com]

The tidy tech deal of the week

Flexicord HDMI cable

If you are anything like me then you have a mess of tangled cables behind your tv. You can try to stash it but it just never wants to stay hidden. This handy cable uncoils to the exact you need. Since they don’t recoil, they come with a recoiler if you need to adjust the length.

Deal details: $9.99 on [Amazon.com]

 
The DIY, Moar Power!! Deal of the week

 Dual USB outlet

I dare you to not want this! Perfect addition to your home office that is lacking outlet space. No more deciding what to unplug because your phone is about to croak. If you are worried about installation, it does come with detailed step by step instructions.

Deal details: $26.96 on [Amazon.com]

We left Spartacus just finishing a lesson in leadership, having to watch for the sake of his people who joined him over his own personal desire for retribution. Episode 2 starts on a different foot, instead it shows us the story to a young man in the mines, trying to fight for his life against an ogre of an opponent. As we know from Blood and Sand, the mines are a kill or be killed environment so it’s no surprise to see such a brutal demonstration. There is a twist though, Titus Batiatus returns from the grave for what will be a long flashback through the episode.

The followers take on a new goal, the search for Naevia is on and the group will stop at nothing to see that fulfilled… well at least Crixus will stop at nothing. Fans of his character will get some excitement seeing his drive igniting again as he pushes with determination to find his lost love, each Dominus gets a target on their back during this search and Crixus struggles to control his rage. Spartacus and the others use this time to recoup and take pleasure, even then the times are not so simple as social clashes continue with the Gauls and the limited numbers of their men at hand. As the first episode brought viewers to see the struggle and lack of organization, this episode shows that it will take more than slight collaboration to keep them together in this fight.

The life of the Romans gets just as complicated, Ilithyia has had her mind take her elsewhere, traveling to another, is it a slip or is it a tease? Either way this will continue to be the least of her problems as Lucretia continues to win the favor and interest Glaber in her reborn state, so much so that she’s able to call to the gods on his behalf for assistance. Add on the struggle of Glaber to recruit men in his venture to capture Spartacus and his plea to the gods gets greater understanding, his inherited title through marriage still haunts him as he tries to draw favor and men from those around him.

Spoilers for those unable to wait:

The story pushes forward in episode 2 into many branches, just as everything condensed into a single moment at the end of Blood and Sand it’s all exploding again as so many mysteries lay open. One thing is for certain, this is going to be a hell of a ride this season with so many wildcards in play. While I did include spoilers of this episode I did leave some bits out that you’ll just have to tune in to see, or cheat and wait until our Episode 3 review goes up and simply run from there.

Visually the episode takes a shot above episode 1, the moods, lighting and settings are all more developed. The action sequences feel seamless where they stuttered before, the transitions are clean and the slow motion sequences are balanced in their use to showcase the space they battle in and everyone involved not just one figure. There’s a lot of growth happening this season for the entire crew and it shows as they find their rhythm again. The engaging sequences are a draw to any fan of the series or newcomer, you get the tension struggle and thirst for blood throughout. The breaking of the stories is a welcome twist, the series often thrived on everyone being at their worst for intent, hopefully we will see that rise in the coming episodes.

Story:	4.5/5.0
Cinematography:	4.5/5.0
Dialog:	4.0/5.0
Overall:	4.5/5.0

Check out the video below for the teaser. We’ll keep you posted when it breaks.

The app is live to the public, no more elitist nonsense from your friends that got in the beta! The app is available for iOS and Android for free. Now you can impulse buy from the bus! Try it out and let us know what you think in the comments section.

While not exactly  a brand new color since it was previously available in a Nintendogs bundle, it is still unknown how limited the run will be.  If you already bought that special someone the Nintendogs bundle, looks like you may need to consider other gift ideas since this is the same  system. Same price too just no free doggy game.

Here is Nintendo’s press release:

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Nintendo of America has a perfectly pink new option for consumers looking to win over their loved ones this Valentine’s Day. Starting Feb. 10, a Pearl Pink edition of the Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system – previously available only as part of a limited-edition bundle – will be available as a stand-alone item at retailers nationwide, offered at a suggested retail price of $169.99.

In addition to free Wi-Fi access at thousands of locations across the nation, fun augmented-reality features and the ability to enjoy games and videos in 3D without the need for special glasses, Nintendo 3DS has a host of built-in social features that can keep users connected to their special someone throughout the year, plus a great lineup of games (sold separately) that lovebirds can enjoy together:

With the system’s built-in camera, sweethearts can each use their system to capture and share 3D photos and videos of romantic outings this Valentine’s Day – and always.
The new Swapnote™ application, which is available for download from the Nintendo eShop at no cost, lets users create and send customized 3D love notes to their sweethearts from their Nintendo 3DS.
The adorable virtual pets in the nintendogs™ + cats game can bring out players’ sweet side and make great portable companions on those lonely days when they’re apart.
Users can share creative passion with their beloved by playing downloadable games such as Pushmo™ and Freakyforms™: Your Creations, Alive!, both available from the Nintendo eShop, and by exchanging QR codes to show off their heartfelt handiwork.
The multiplayer modes in the Mario Kart™ 7 game invite players to get their hearts and their karts racing on a wild array of 3D Mario-themed courses.
For more information about Nintendo 3DS, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.