Awakening: The Art Of HALO 4

No other video game has struck the imagination of so many players than HALO.  Since its beginning HALO has captivated fans with its imagery and imaginative storyline.  More than a simple shoot ‘em up game, HALO has changed the face of video games forever and raised the bar when it comes to visuals, storyline and concept.

Awakening: The Art Of HALO 4 has just been released by Titan Books and inside readers will feast on a visual banquet of stunning images culled from the concept and final art used in the game.

Landscapes, planetary vistas, buildings, spacecraft, armor, aliens, visual effects, concept art, 3D renderings, models, vehicles-all are represented in full-color illustrations (both traditional and computer generated) that guide the reader through the worlds of HALO 4.

It is a stunning and awe-inspiring masterpiece of imagination, quality, design and final execution.

Art is accompanied by short text pieces explaining images, comments by creators and interesting story tidbits.  This beautiful, oversize hardbound book is a must-have for any HALO fan and is worth every penny. 

Klingon Bird-Of Prey

As much as I love the U.S.S. Enterprise and the other Federation starships I have to admit that the Klingon ships, especially the Bird-Of-Prey, really kick when it comes to design, function and overall look in the Star Trek Universe.

Stripped down, no frills and armed to the teeth this bad boy of spaceships is the ultimate predator of intergalactic space travel.

Try to imagine being aboard a spaceship and all of a sudden a deep green  silhouette starts to materialize out of nowhere.  Suddenly the strange ship begins to light up in a deadly array of red lights signifying weapons activation and as the ship swings around its massive ‘wings’ fold up or down, depending on the situation, and energy beams lance out as the last thing you see is sudden flash of light and then oblivion.

The Klingons sure know how to make and entrance!

In Klingon Bird-Of Prey: I.K.S. Rotarran (B’rel-class Owner’s Workshop Manual, written and designed by Rick Sternback and Ben Robinson and published by Gallery Books, readers get to enjoy a different type of Haynes Manual.

Inside complete schematics and specs look at the infamous Klingon spacecraft from stem to stern.  Weapons, shields, engines, deflectors, the bridge and every other nook and cranny of the Bird-of-Prey is examined complemented by full-color photos, computer generated images and spiced up with historical and technical text.

All other classes of Klingon ships are given their due along with key characters, technology and the Klingon code of honor and history.

This is more than just a book about a particular spaceship, this is about the Klingon Empire itself which places battle and honor above all else.

BBXX

To my knowledge no other comic strip has depicted the plight and pleasure of raising a family with small, pre-school kids.  Oh sure, many have kids as their antagonists but usually it's just one child or children whose ages that range from infant to teenager.

Baby Blues began over two decades ago and since that time the MacPherson family has grown from one infant to three-all mischievous and unique in their own way.

Each day of the week authors Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott have led readers through the many misadventures of the MacPhersons that always concentrate on the plight of the parents, miscommunication and childhood perspectives.

In BBXX: Baby Blues Decades 1 & 2, Andrews McMeel Publishing has crammed two decades of family bliss into an oversize hardback book that contains both classic strips and lots of cool extras.

I'm fascinated by the creative process and through sketches, notes, comments and observations the book lays out what it takes to make a daily comic strip.  For a real life look at creative genius at work be sure to pick up a copy BBXX

Funimation Four

Many people today credit the anime Hellsing as playing a pivotal role in the fascination movie and TV watchers have for the undead.  In the past decade Vampires, Zombies and other denizens of the dark have become big business.  

Hellsing turned and twisted the legend of vampires as only Japanese animator and story-tellers can.

In this Anime Classic from Funimation, the Hellsing Organization is charged with keeping the British Empire from the forces of evil.

One problem though, the Rogue Vampire Arucard is the top agent of Hellsing and his methods, while effective, do have unpleasant side effects.  In  order to save his human female companion he must turn her a vampire.  Bad enough, but now both of them must struggle not to succumb to their blood-thirsty dark side while they fight for humanity. Talk about a Catch 22!

As the nights grow darker and the evil forces grow it comes down to a final battle that will leave the streets soaked either with the blood of man or of demon.

Included on the DVDs are some cool extras such as a staff interview, the original commercials, textless opening and closing songs and trailers.

You thought you knew superheroes.  Wrong. In the new Blu-ray/DVD Combo pack from Funimation meet Gazer Warrior and Aroma Woman .  They fall in love and hang up their super tights-but not for long.

Wedded bliss is not in their future as a new threat has arisen.

Aroma Woman wants a baby, Gazer Warrior is losing both his libido and super sight just when a super martial arts tournament is scheduled.

Can the aging superheroes put aside their infirmities and insecurities to fight the good fight once again?

This live action film, Incredibly Ever After, is a hoot as domestic life takes on superheroes.  Extras include trailers, reviews and a couple of surprises.

Another awesome Blu-Ray/DVD Combo from Funimation it focuses on some teenage exorcists forced to battle horrific creatures of unholy origins.

In Ga-Rei-Zero: The Complete Series, Kagura and Yomi are sword-toting warriors disguised as Japanese school girls that protect the city of Tokyo.

They are part of an elite fighting team that live and train together during the day and slay demons at night.

When Yomi is possessed by a demon her sister Kagura must put aside her personal feelings and fight her.  If it were only that easy!

The sword-wielding and martial art mayhem never lets up as sister fights sister in the ultimate battle between good and evil.

Extra include promo videos, location specials and much more.

The full-length feature film Sengoku Basara Samurai Kings; The Last Part from Funimation pulls out all the stop sin its fantastic depiction of sword play and battle.

When a evil warrior's bloody swath across Japan is ceased his descendant decides to take up his bloody warrior mantle.

The only option left is to wage war and begin the bloody conflict all over again in order to gain peace. What results is some of the most spectacular animated battle scenes ever imagined.  Look for textless songs, a making of special and other goodies in this Funimation Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack.

The Expendables 2

The concept was a clever one.  Take a band of 1980s and 1990s movie action heroes and team them up in a new action movie as a band of mercenaries.  Sounds implausible?  That’s what many in the movie industry thought until the movie, The Expendables, became a runaway hit at the box office.  In fact it was so popular that an Expendables sequel was produced.

That movie, The Expendables 2, stars many of the same old school action heroes, Sylvester Stallone has the top billing, but also throws in a few of the more recent action heroes.

In The Expendables 2 Barney (Stallone) and his band of old school mercenaries take on what they think is a simple in and out job.  Things turn from bad to worse when one of their own is killed, they meet up with a psychotic killer hell-bent on revenge and find themselves entangled in a plot to sell tons of weapons grade plutonium to the highest bidder.

The Expendables2  is bigger, badder and better than the original film and reintroduces audiences to such action heroes as Willis, Schwarzenegger, Norris, Van Damme and Li.  This movie is not to be missed.

Lionsgate just released The Expendables 2 DVD Combo that includes a DVD, Digital Copy and Ultraviolent.

Extras include a director’s commentary, four featurettes, deleted scenes and a gag reel.  Spend your time and money on The Expendables 2.

Tomcat, Draken, Skyraider, Dog, And JABO

Hasegawa Hobby Kits has just released five new Limited Edition plastic aircraft model kits: four 1:72 Scale and one 1:32 Scale.  All require upper level model making skills that includes glue, paint and decal application.  

Not to worry though because each model includes easy-to-read and easy-to-understand instructions that include historical text about each aircraft and step-by-step numerical assembly, paint and decal instructions.

Ironically one of the United States current enemies was once an allie nearly 40 years ago.  The Iranians needed fighter jets in 1976 and the United States supplied them 80 F-14A Tomcat aircraft.

The  F-14 can carry up to 6 AIM-54 Phoenix Missiles and a 20 mm Vulcan Gatling-type cannon. The super-sonic twin-engine fighters have proved to be reliable, versatile and deadly fighters. 
Their sleek aerodynamic extended fuselage design lets them slice through the air and with their formidable weaponry warn that enemy aircraft or ground forces best beware.  Still in use today the F-14s are the backbone of the Iranian Air Force.

Two decal configurations are available.

Sweden's eye in the sky: the RF-35 Draken Recon Draken aircraft were originally intended for Sweden but soon became available to other countries including the Royal Danish Air Force.
The distinctive double-delta wings of RF-35 were modified for reconnaissance and still serve the Danes with distinction.  Two decal options are available.

The  AD-6 Skyraider VA-65 Tigers reliability, endurance and ability to carry up to 8,000 pounds of bombs served to keep the prop aircraft in service up until 1972.

Used heavily during the Korean and Vietnam Wars the Skyraiders were the workhorses of the air and proved to be formidable in every fight. Two decal options are included.

Their bite was every bit as bad as their bark proved to be true with the F-86D Sabre Dog Shark Teeth fighter jets.  With their distinctive tiger teeth fuselages paint scheme the Sabre Dog interceptor-style fighters were heavier, faster and much more deadly than their smaller F-86 cousins.

Each carried 24 2.75 in (70mm) rockets in a closeable ventral tray along with stand armament and weapons.  Two decal versions are available.

The 1/32 Scale Messerschmitt BF109F-4/B Jabo model captures the ferocity of its namesake Nazi war machine.

The BF 109F-4/B. The F-4/B series carried machine guns in its fuselage along with light bomb loads under its wings. 

"Jabo" units squadrons were used to attack ground forces.  

Heavily armed and armored the tri-propeller killer was trimmed in yellow, sported a square edge canopy and was responsible for hundreds of Allied Forces kills.

Three decal options are available.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Complete Classic Series Collection

Cowabunga!  Lionsgate has just released (in time for the holidays) the complete (and I do mean COMPLETE) 10 season collection of the original animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV show.

This is the series that captivated so many kids back in the late eighties and early nineties.  My own son was a HUGE fan of the TMNT TV series and like any brain-washed American kid he had to have every TMNT action figure, vehicle, playset and accessory he could get his hands on.

The new 23 disc DVD set includes all 193 episodes along with three hours of special featurettes.  

To keep your set of DVDs in tiptop shape a special Turtles Van carrying case comes in the box.  Pop open its top and you can store all of your beloved TMNT DVDs in chronological order.  

Relive the animated magic that captivated a whole generation of kids.  It's awesome dudes!

Brave and Short Films

Disney/PIXAR hit a home run with its new computer animated feature length film Brave.  Taking place in Scotland of the past the story centers on young Merida, the headstrong daughter of a Scottish clan leader.

Defying a long-held tradition Merida strikes out on her own to prove her mettle and inadvertently unleashes a force that threatens not only to destroy her but her family and clan as well.

Through the ordeal she learns what true bravery is and the importance of tradition, family, friends and country.

This spectacular film was shown both in 3D and traditional film formats and each are available on the new 5-disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition containing two Blu-ray discs, a DVD disc, a Blu-ray 3D disc and a Digital Copy.  Also included is an exclusive short called The Legend Of Mordu.

Other cool extras include lots and lots of featurettes, an art gallery, promotional pieces, interviews, commentaries and so MUCH more!

Every kid worth his weigh in candy canes will want this in their Christmas stocking!

PIXAR Short Films Selection 2 contains all of the animated shorts that accompanied the last several PIXAR films.  I enjoy these shorts because they allow the creative team behind each film to really stretch their creative muscles and come up with some truly unique short films.

All are funny and clever.  I especially enjoyed the two Mater shorts, the Presto short about a wayward magician’s rabbit and the ethereal La Luna about how the Moon is prepared for its different stages.

Included with the 2-disc Blu-ray/DVD pack are several short animated films by John Lasseter when he was a student.  Even at such a young stage in his career the genius of the man shines through.  Other extras include commentaries and a few unexpected surprises.