Here is a sneak peak at the new YOUNG JUSTICE cartoon that is coming to Cartoon Network. We get all sorts of neat things like a roster, potential plot points and the admission that someone is gonna DIE!

It has been a long time since I’ve seen a cartoon that I felt could really translate to adult fans as well as kids. I’m pretty excited about this. What do you guys think?

DS Out.

]]> http://thedrunkenscholar.wordpress.com/2010/07/27/first-look-young-justice/feed/ 0 DrunkenScholar youngjustice http://thedrunkenscholar.wordpress.com/2010/07/27/kid-gets-caught-getting-high-and-watching-porn-parents-devise-the-ultimate-punishment/ http://thedrunkenscholar.wordpress.com/2010/07/27/kid-gets-caught-getting-high-and-watching-porn-parents-devise-the-ultimate-punishment/#comments Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:16:12 +0000 Book Wyrm http://thedrunkenscholar.net/?p=4544 ]]>

So you think your home alone. You just downloaded that kick ass Batman Porn and have scored yourself some bud. What better way to spend one of the last Tuesdays of your summer than getting high and wanking it to Robin and Batgirl getting it on, amirite? You pop in that pirated DVD, blaze the doobie and just before you and your little sidekick get your happy ending your mom walks in with fresh sheets.

The above scenario usually ends in one of three ways. The really crappy parents pretend it never happened and then wonder why their kid is a high school dropout who never amounts to anything. The less crappy, but usually equally ineffective parents scream their heads off and ground their child for eternity, pretending that they aren’t somehow sneaking out at night and doing all the things they’ve been forbidden to do anyway. Then there are the guilty parents who weep and carry on about how disappointed they are. They usually succeed in guilting the kid into feeling bad for about 15 minutes before he’s off to commit more adolescent shenanigans.

Not these guys. There is a reason that public floggings were so effective, and it wasn’t the pain. These are two parents that understand that the greatest punishment one can bestow is that of utter humiliation. You just got pwned sleazy stoner kid! Sure he looks okay with it now. Wait until school starts back up and he’s the laughing stock of his entire student body. Then he’ll need years of therapy along with antipsychotic cocktails. But you know what? He never smoked weed and watched porn in his parent’s house again.

DS Out.

Here is the new cinematic trailer for the DC UNIVERSE MMORPG from Comic-Con. If this trailer is any indication on the amount of effort they will put into the story aspect of the game, then I’m sold. I haven’t seen anything this good in a long, long time. Check it out and tell me what you think!

DS Out

Anyway, I make my not-so-triumphant return with some cool new posters of GREEN LANTERN two of which tease us with a look at both Sinestro and Hector Hammond. Check them out below.

DS Out.

P.S. I missed you guys too. :p

I’m totally getting a copy of Starcraft II.  On the downside, I’m going to have to wait til the weekend to play it because I travel a lot for work.  Le sigh.  Oh well, here’s the latest trailer from Blizzard though.

Enjoy

Kree Atore

Once upon a time, when I was younger, I used to enjoy the heavy screaming metal type music.  Then I grew up a little (mostly physically, not so much mentally) and my taste in music mellowed out a little bit.  A Star Crossed Wasteland appeals to both of my tastes in music, past and present.

Mariah Brink, the lead singer for In This Moment, is not just a pretty face.  Although she is smoking hot.  In fact she was named Revolver’s Hottest Chick in Metal at the Golden god awards.  In any event, the tracks on this album range from the heavy screaming metal to some slower gorgeous type music.  Brink’s vocals perfectly bridge both gaps.

There is a good mixture between screams and music and both types of tracks are phenomenal.  The Gunshow is pure screaming metal and is one of those songs you can truly rock out to in your car, the gym, a killing spree, whatever.  Yet tracks like The World in Flames (my personal favorite) are slow and melodic and when paired with that sound and Brink’s actual singing voice which is dark and dusky, well it melts me…in more ways than one.

The theme of the album is kind of dark and borders on a fantastical nature and might appeal to the fantasy nerd in you.  The lyrics are amazing and the guitar and drum tracks behind the vocals are very melodic.  I recommend this album if you are into this type of music and if you aren’t, at least listen to World in Flames.

4.5/5

Kree Atore

But this looks terrible. Why does it look like muscle tissue? And the solid green is garish, it needs some more white and black. But at least they didn’t try and stylize the Lantern symbol. I’m still really excited about this film, but I’m not too keen on this look. What do you guys think?

DS Out.

I’ve been a fan of anime back before it was even called “anime.” My time in the anime scene dates back to when it was first seen as additions to early morning weekday shows like Battle of the Planets (originally “Gatchaman” in Japan), and led to afternoon shows like “Star Blazers” (Space Battleship Yamato), and eventually the mainstream hit that saw coining of the term “Japanimation” in Carl Macek’s series “Robotech” which was an amalgam of 3 different series brought together in an attempt to tell a single story over 3 generations…and rather feebly at that. Frankly, I will still never forgive him for butchering my favorite anime film “Megazone 23” to make “Robotech: The Movie”, but that’s another story.

Leap forward a few decades and Anime has become something of a phenomenon. Entire cable networks are dedicated to nothing but Anime, and many anime website now stream numerous titles on their sites. It was on one of these sites, namely Funimation.com, that I ran across something that caught my eye. A new release called “House of Five leaves”. It automatically caught my attention because of its setting in feudal Japan. I always liked period films and things of that nature, especially pieces done in feudal Japanese or Chinese settings.

“House of Five Leaves” isn’t your typical anime story though. Many people hear the word “anime” and automatically assume you are talking about shows with giant transforming robots, overly endowed girls with eyes ¾ the size of their head wearing as little as possible, or extravagant scenes of violence and death. “Five Leaves” has none of these. This is simply the story of a Ronin, or masterless samurai, named Akitsu Masanosuke simply trying to survive in a small rural Japanese town. Masa as he becomes known is drawn into the life of a small the titular group called the “House of Five Leaves” who makes their living by kidnapping family members of rich people or retainers of the shogun for a high ransom. Early on it is established that Masa is apparently a very gifted swordsman, but his skill is completely overshadowed by the fact that he is EXTREMELY shy and introverted, causing him to loose virtually every job he attempts to hold. One day Masa meets Yaichi, an apparent loner who Masa quickly becomes fascinated with for his easy going personality and ability to carefree spirit.

Eventually Yaichi draws Masa into the Five Leaves and introduces him to Umezou, a saki bar owner, whose tavern is also used as a meeting place for the Five Leaves. Masa also meets Matsukichi, a former lone thief who now does recon work for the Five Leaves, and Otake, a former brother girl who Yaichi paid to have released from her house. Masa eventually learns from Yaichi what the Five Leaves does, and is still willing to work with them, mainly for the purpose of finding out more about Yaichi, who for almost the entire series, nothing is known about. As the story unfolds, you find out that the Five Leaves motives for doing what they do very greatly, and that out of all of the members it is Yaichi himself is the one who truly has an agenda to fulfill.

If you are interested in this show, be forewarned, this is NOT an action series. This is very much a human drama with a very human story. The animation style is very different from what people typically associate with the genre, but at the same time it is also what makes this series stand out. The story and character development is very solid and accomplishes a lot in a very short period of time. I found myself more and more interested in Masa than Yaichi or any of the other characters while watching it because I kept waiting to see just how bad ass of a swordsman he is as is suggested at the onset, but you never do. In one scene he is seen cleaning and taking care of his Daisho (customary weapons of a Samurai) while talking to Yaichi, who inquires of he is preparing for their next job for the Five Leaves, to which Masa says he will not be using them for his work with them and will only use the back of the sword if needed, signaling that he truly respects his role and honor as a swordsman. To me, Masa was the most interesting part of the whole story arc. On one hand he is shy and introverted, loosing virtually every job he gets, and on the other hand he is completely dedicated to doing whatever he must regardless of the outcome. And extremely deadly fighter who purposely holds back and even feigns weakness to others. He rarely speaks but when he does it is with deep insight not just of himself but of others. Like Yaichi he is considered a loner with his Ronin status, but he is loyal to his “family” of the Five Leaves, going so far as to rescue one of them from captivity by posing as one of the captors bodyguards (eventually getting fired…again).

So if you have some time on your hands and are interested in something off the beaten path, head on over to Funimation’s site and check out “House of Five Leaves”. I am glad I took the time to watch it and hope to see more from the animation team that created this story.

Out of 5 stars, I give “House of Five Leaves” 4 1/2.

]]> http://thedrunkenscholar.wordpress.com/2010/07/14/anime-review-house-of-five-leaves/feed/ 0 DrunkenScholar key_art_house_of_five_leaves http://thedrunkenscholar.wordpress.com/2010/07/14/geekffiti-from-around-the-world-nerd-art/ http://thedrunkenscholar.wordpress.com/2010/07/14/geekffiti-from-around-the-world-nerd-art/#comments Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:33:51 +0000 Book Wyrm http://thedrunkenscholar.net/?p=4480 ]]> Here’s a little nerdy graffiti to help get your day going. I think my fav is the Truffle Shuffle. What’s yours?

DS Out.

I tried not to post about this because to post about it makes it real. I’ve gotten along fine for all this time without a fancy GPS device that talks to me, but I always said that if I could get one with Star Wars voices then I’d have my credit card at the ready. That day has come even though I’ve tried to ignore it.

TomTom, the popular GPS Navigation System has added 3 STAR WARS voices to their catalog, with a 4th coming in August. Right now you can purchase C-3PO, Darth Vader, or Yoda to talk you through getting to your destination for $12.95 (on top of the purchase of a TomTom device of course). This fall they will add Han Solo to the lineup. Below are some sample audios of the various personas. As you’d expect that Threepio is a worry wart. Enjoy.

DS Out.

[Product Site]

This tip came from Astro Jones, who may have lost his ship in a game of Sabacc, but continues to steal the hearts of Twi’lek girls all over the galaxy.

Darth Vader:

C-3PO

Yoda: