FILM: Snow White and the Huntsman's New Look Princess (News)

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN is an upcoming live-action film set for release next summer and is currently in production in the UK. This interpretation of the fairy tale puts a twist on the story, this time around the Huntsman is ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed but instead winds up being her protector and mentor in the fight against the Evil Queen.

Newcomer director Rupert Sanders is behind the camera for the film and the cast includes Kristen Stewart (TWILIGHT) as Snow White, Chris Hemsworth (THOR) as the Huntsman and Charlize Theron (HANCOCK) as the Evil Queen.

And now set photos have appeared online of the production filming in Wales with Kristen Stewart showing different sides of Snow White in the film, one in armor and another in a dress. The latter possibly being part of a chase or escape scene given the beach-like area and Kristen's wet appearance.

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN arrives in theaters on June 1, 2012.

FILM: The Dark Knight Rises Catwoman on the Prowl (News)

At the beginning of September came set photos from THE DARK KNIGHT RISES of Anne Hathaway looking very stylish as Selina Kyle's public face and now at the end of the month new set photos have appeared online showing Anne Hathaway in the same catsuit from the summer released promo photo as Selina Kyle's more private, Catwoman-esque side.

From the photos it is clear that scenes involving Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon and Christian Bale as Batman were part of the filming, as was the Bat-Pod that was in the Catwoman promo photo giving some credence to the rumors swirling that Selina's extracurricular activities may be supported in some way by Batman. Next summer is quickly approaching.

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES into theaters on July 20, 2012.

COMIC: Top of the Stack - Star Wars: Legacy - War # 6 (Review)

Writer: John Ostrander
Artist: Jan Duursema
Cover: Jan Duursema

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $3.50

The last week of May brought a sizable stack of comics with over twenty titles in it, a quantity that is quickly becoming the norm when it comes to my reading list. Unfortunately this was also one of those weeks where very few of the comics actually stood out and it was tough going for awhile getting through the titles and finding one worthy for the top of my stack.

If one thing has come out with all these comic reviews I have written it is that I am a sucker for all-ages books and that made MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #14 with Spider-Man and George Stacy battling Mysterio a contender but in the end it was the climactic showdown between Cade Skywalker and Darth Krayt in STAR WARS: LEGACY - WAR #6 that put the final issue of the mini-series at the top of the stack.

Writer John Ostrander and artist Jan Duursema have been involved with the characters and time in the Star Wars universe for awhile now, being the creative team on the mini-series and having worked together on the ongoing title that preceded it. They have the spirit and style of the book down pat as this mini is more of an extension of the previous ongoing and a fitting wrap up to this era of Star Wars if this is indeed the end.

In this final issue Darth Talon unintentionally leads Cade right to Darth Krayt and the final showdown between the two commences with the attack on Coruscant ongoing. Roan Fel finds his advisors opinions to be unsatisfactory and not loyal leading to a fight between he and Antares Draco. But it is Krayt trying to push Cade to the dark side that is the real climax to the story as the full vision helps guide Cade to his true discovery, his destiny to be a Jedi like his forefathers before him.

Of course not even Cade can go away quietly, deciding that Krayt had infected his body so he needs to plunge himself into the sun as well to truly eradicate any trace of Krayt. It is Cade's family that steps up in the end, Morrigan getting word to the Mynock and the spirit of Luke Skywalker giving sage advice as Cade stands on the precipice.

Having a STAR WARS: LEGACY title to read month in and month out the last few years has been a joy and now I hope that I will find a new Star Wars title to fill the hole that now needs filling. Something I am sure Dark Horse will accomplish with ease looking at the track record of Star Wars titles and my reading of them. Here is to the next adventure in a galaxy far, far away.

TV: Glee - 3.01 The Purple Piano Project (Review)

Episode: 3.01 "The Purple Piano Project"
Network: Fox
Airdate: September 20, 2011
Writer: Brad Falchuk
Director: Eric Stoltz
Description: It's fall and that means back to school for the students and faculty at McKinley High. The New Directions clan returns after a devastating loss at Nationals, so Mr. Schuester assigns a project to get them back on track. Meanwhile, Sue Sylvester starts her congressional campaign.

For the premiere of season 3 of GLEE, change is the name of the game. The glee club is down three members: Trouty mouth Sam moved away, Lauren Zizes quit and broke up with Puck, and no one had heard from Quinn for months. Mercedes has a new boyfriend and Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison) is now living together with Emma. Then Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron) shows up at school with new hair (pink!), a nose ring, a new tattoo (of Ryan Seacrest), a new attitude and a new group of friends called The Skanks.

Yet with all this change, some things stay the same. Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) needed a hook for her struggling campaign and found it after destroying a purple piano and getting praise from a fellow teacher, the arts in schools must die! And just like that Sue vs Will round three begins.

Sue makes Becky and Santana co-captains of the Cheerios and starts to drive a wedge between Santana and the glee club that quickly becomes a chasm when Mr. Schue blames Santana for the purple piano bursting into flames thanks to the Cheerios and bans her from New Directions.

Kurt and Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) begin the journey to their Broadway dreams by going to a mixer for NYADA (New York Academy of Dramatic Arts) and get a shock to their system by the performances of the other attendees. After a good cry in the car, this leads them to look towards expanding their horizons, with Kurt deciding to run for school president and Rachel seeking to star in the next school musical.

And the drive for new members starts with Mr. Schue's idea of planting three purple pianos throughout the school and directing the glee club to burst into song when they come upon one of these pianos with the hopes that these performances would help attract the type of person that cannot help but sing.

Last season their attempts attracted the interest of Sam and Sunshine (who Rachel drove away by directing her to a crack house), but this year the New Directions was not as lucky only getting one audition by the girl that cannot sing a tune, Sugar Motta. However, the newly transfered Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss) joins by the end of the episode.

--

The songs are still the highlights of GLEE and the episode makes good use of the entire school with New Directions performing "We Got the Beat" in the school cafeteria, Kurt and Rachel performing "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead!" in the auditorium and Blaine's solo of "It's Not Unusual" in the courtyard. Throw in a mash-up of "Anything Goes" and "Anything You Can Do" at the NYADA mixer and a Rachel Berry-led "You Can't Stop the Beat" to cap off the episode and GLEE has itself a great musical start to the new season.

Coming off a slightly subdued finish for Sue in season 2 it is nice to see the show get her back to what makes her so deliciously entertaining - trying to take down Will Schuester.

I was also worried that taking Blaine away from Dalton Academy and the Warblers would mean a diminishing role in musical performances but to get a solo right out of the shoot in season 3 gives a good sign for the rest of the season.

--

I do wonder if the new assertive Will Schuester that showed up in this episode will be sticking around because it just did not feel right, at times it was like he was yelling and ordering around the glee club in a way that was reminiscent of the advice Jessie St. James gave last season when New Directions was heading to Nationals.

And what of Quinn? Mr. Schue's hard stance on Santana should carry to Quinn if she tries to rejoin the club right? It was her cigarette that finally put the purple piano ablaze.

Either way, it is clear that GLEE is hitting the ground running with season 3 and with the high bar the first two seasons set, that can only mean viewers are in for many more memorable moments this season.

TV: Catching Up for Glee Season 3 (Commentary)

With the season 3 premiere of Glee airing this week, how about a recap of the characters of the hit musical Fox dramedy that gets you ready to jump on for the new season in case you've missed out on this fun series and do not want to go through 44 episodes to catch up like I did this summer.

Will Schuester is a spanish teacher at William McKinley High School and in season 1 he takes over the school's glee club, renaming it New Directions. He finds himself attracted to the school's guidance counselor but news of his wife's pregnancy changes his focus back to his home. When his wife's lying comes out, Will erupts and files for divorce. Single, Will tries to start up a relationship with Emma but is rebuffed.

A brief make out session with Rachel's mom, the coach of Vocal Adrenaline helped illustrate that he was not ready for another relationship. In season 2 he hopes to try again with Emma but finds out she is dating her dentist. Undeterred he continues to be a presence around Emma but does start a relationship with super substitute Holly. When Holly breaks it off, he begins to reach out to Emma especially after her relationship with her dentist ends.

Sue Sylvester is a champion cheer coach at William McKinley High School with her team, the Cheerios. Used to being the dominating presence at the school, Sue feels threatened by Principal Figgins' support for the glee club and decides to undertake the mission to destroy Will Schuester and the glee club. Several times Sue comes close to accomplishing this goal but sometimes it is Sue's hidden softer side that lets the glee club stick around.

During season 2 Sue goes through a bit of an identity crisis when her Cheerios abandon her and stop her run at consecutive championships. Sue decides to marry herself, and her sister dies, shaking her core beliefs. By the end of the season Sue has decided to move past her feud with the glee club and looking towards running for political office.

Finn Hudson is the star quarterback and male lead of New Directions. During season 1 he was in a relationship with Quinn and when she became pregnant he believed he was the father because of a hot tub incident that did not include sex. The more time spent with the glee club, Finn begins to be drawn towards Rachel and when Quinn's cheating is revealed it paves the way for Finn and Rachel to come together just before their Regionals performance.

In season 2 it comes out that Finn lost his virginity to Santana, leading to his and Rachel's breakup and his reuniting with Quinn after they kiss and realize the chemistry they have. Finn also gains a brother in Kurt when Finn's mom marries Kurt's dad. The season finale saw Finn kiss Rachel during their performance at Nationals in New York, bringing them back together.

Rachel Berry is the female lead of New Directions with aspirations of Broadway for her future. During season 1 she discovers that the coach of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline is her biological mother thanks to a brief relationship Rachel has with Vocal Adrenaline's Jesse St. James. When season 2 starts Rachel and Finn are in a relationship but he breaks it off with her when Rachel makes out with Puck to try to make Finn jealous. She also tricks new girl Sunshine into going to a crack house instead of the choir room to audition for glee club. Eventually she reunites with Finn during Nationals in New York, where she also solidifies her dream for Broadway with Kurt.

Quinn Fabray is a part of New Directions and was the head cheerleader of the Cheerios for most of two seasons. During season 1 she discovers she is pregnant with Puck's child and for a time tries to make it seem like Finn is the father. Quinn spends some time going between the boys before deciding neither were good father material and that she was not ready for a child, deciding to give up the baby. There is much drama involved with the baby and Will's then wife, Terri, wanting to take the baby as her own to cover her fake pregnancy. In the end however, it is Rachel's biological mother who adopts the baby after realizing how much she missed in not having Rachel in her life.

For season 2 Quinn comes with a renewed attitude to stay out of the boy drama but soon finds herself wooed by the clumsy new student Sam, who also happened to be the new star quarterback of McKinley High. Unfortunately her regrets came back to bite her as a newly single Finn set his eyes back on her and coaxes a kiss from Quinn. She still had feelings for Finn and the sparks from the kiss overruled her best intentions and she makes out with Finn behind Sam's back. This eventually breaks off her relationship with Sam and she picks back up with Finn and starts looking towards being prom queen. Finn however leaves her for Rachel and Quinn is sad that she does not seem to be enough.

Kurt Hummel is an openly gay member of New Directions and he frequently has to fight through perceptions to get to sing the roles he wants even if they are intended for females. In season 1 he joins the football team and dates Brittany for a brief time to try to impress his father. A continual thread through the two seasons is Kurt's insecurity with his relationship with his father and his inability to be the son he thinks his father wants him to be.

In season 2 starts a very dramatic, borderline abusive bullying by the football player Karofsky who takes offense to Kurt's gayness despite actually finding himself to be gay as well. It leads to Kurt transferring schools and meeting Blaine, another gay student that he immediately crushes on. By the end of the season Kurt is together with Blaine and has returned to McKinley High once the Karofsky business was straightened out.

Emma Pillsbury is McKinley High's guidance counselor and has obsessive compulsive disorder problems in regards to cleanliness. There is an attraction between she and Will but for most of the two seasons there are barriers between them with Will being married in S1 and her agreeing to marry Coach Tanaka. Her inability to commit herself to the relationship and her feelings for Will doomed things with Coach Tanaka but when Will is free and single in S2 Emma had found a suitable boyfriend in her dentist, Carl. Again Will is the reason the relationship falls apart and by the end of the season, Emma and Will seem to be heading in the right direction together.

Noah "Puck" Puckerman is a part of New Directions and the McKinley High football team. During season 1 it comes out he is the father of Quinn's baby and it ruins his friendship with Finn. While trying to seem like a good potential father for the baby, Puck continues to wander and sees Santana on the side. In season 2 Puck seems to have lost his lady mojo as well as his status in the school due to his glee club participation. For awhile Puck pursues Mercedes when she is part of the Cheerios to try to return to his prominence in the school. They do not mesh well and Puck leans towards his religion to find his way and chases Rachel. Again he is unsuccessful and spends the rest of the season wooing Lauren after she rescued him from a porter potty.

Santana Lopez was on the Cheerios before joining New Directions. Her public persona is a bitchy one, as she makes the effort to insult her fellow students on a daily basis. For most of the first two seasons she is seeing Puck and gets into confrontations with both Quinn and Lauren when they acquire Puck's attention. During season 2 her emotions bubble over when she realizes her feelings for Brittany but struggles with the ramifications of it.

Artie Abrams is wheelchair bound and a member of New Directions. During season 1 he dates Tina and for a time believes walking is right around the corner. His dreams are tempered by Miss Pillsbury's guidance, and his relationship is broken when Tina and Mike get together during the summer. In season 2 he joins the football team and dates Brittany but messes things up when he calls her stupid.

Brittany Pierce was on the Cheerios before joining New Directions. She is one of the best dancers in glee club and often shines in dance numbers with Mike. It might seem like naiveté but Brittany does not judge harshly and is open to new things. Brittany dates Artie for most of season 2, all the while finding time to make out with Santana, someone she loves.

Principal Figgins is the principal at McKinley High and the victim of several blackmail opportunities by Sue because of an embarrassing commercial he did in the past and when he woke up in bed next to Sue who claimed they had sex. For awhile in season 2 he is removed as principal but he returns when Sue gives up the position.

Coach Shannon Bieste is the new football coach for McKinley High when season 2 starts. She is the victim of hazing from both Sue and Will who feel threatened when their budgets are being reduced for the football team. Will eventually turns around and apologizes to Shannon and the two eventually become very good friends.

Tina Cohen-Chang is a member of New Directions and dated Artie during season 1. For a short time Principal Figgins interpreted Tina's fashion style as her being a vampire and she has a bit of an identity crisis when her clothing choices are banned. During the summer at Asian Camp, she gets together with Mike Chang and continues that relationship through season 2.

Mike Chang is on the football team and a member of New Directions and the best male dancer of the group. He however cannot sing and puts his all into dance to make up for it. During season 2 he is in a relationship with Tina after spending time together at Asian Camp the previous summer.

Blaine Anderson is the lead singer of Dalton Academy's glee club, The Warblers. He quickly takes Kurt under his wing when Kurt transfers to the school and they become the best of friends. For a brief time a party at Rachel's house leads to Rachel having a crush on Blaine and her infatuation helps Blaine determine his confidence in his sexuality. After a failed attempt at wooing a boy working in a department store, Blaine opens up to Kurt and the two eventually get together.

Mercedes Jones is a member of New Directions and throughout the two seasons of the show deals with the frustration of not getting as many solos as she feels she deserves when compared to Rachel. During season 1 she approaches Kurt to date and is the catalyst for him revealing to all that he is gay. In season 2 she briefly dates Puck but knows quickly that it just was not working. At the end of the season she is holding hands with Sam in a coffee ship, something they are hiding from the others.

Lauren Zizes joins New Directions in season 2 when the group is down a member. She saves Puck and unintentionally gains his attention for the rest of the season. Slowly she begins to soften her stance against dating Puck throughout the season as he woos her.

Sam Evans is the new kid in school and for a short while is the star quarterback of McKinley High before getting hurt. He eventually joins New Directions after deciding not to in the premiere and he chases after Quinn before finally convincing her to date him. He breaks it off with her when it becomes clear that Quinn is into Finn and he dates Santana briefly before she moves on just as fast. For most of the first half of the season Sam challenges Finn's alpha male status in the glee club but when tough times hit his family, Sam fades into the background. The glee club finds out and seeks to help Sam however they can and in the season 2 finale he is seen holding hands with Mercedes with whom he went to prom with.

And that is the gist of what has gone in on GLEE. Hopefully now you can start on season 3 and not feel like you are completely lost.

FILM: A Change Star Wars Should Make (Commentary)

With the release of the Star Wars Blu-ray sets yesterday there has been a buildup in discussion between fans and blogs about the changes made within the series from the days of the special editions in the late 90's to now these Blu-ray sets. While some may be overly dramatic about the changes, I fall in the camp that embraces the continual perfection seeking vision of George Lucas.

And in that spirit there is one scene in A NEW HOPE that I would like to see perfected in a future version release (definitely too late for the Blu-ray release). I am talking about a scene that was re-added with the release of the special editions, when Han Salo and Jabba the Hutt have a discussion at Mos Eisley Spaceport in the hanger where the Millenium Falcon was parked.

Back when it was originally filmed in the 70's, Jabba was played by a human actor and as a result Han Solo interacted with the character that was the size of a human. This made the reinclusion of the scene in the special edition version slightly awkward as Jabba was changed to his proper form of a Hutt but because of Han Solo's movements around Jabba, it was turned into Han stepping onto Jabba's tail as he circled him.

For a long time there did not seem that a way to fix this scene existed outside of reshooting the scene with someone else standing in for Han Solo considering Harrison Ford is now 30 years older and not exactly in the same condition to do the role. And I think if the scene was reshot with someone else, the crazed fans that resist every change made in the Star Wars Universe would probably become murderous.

But then TRON: LEGACY happened, and the technology used in it caught my attention. They were able to create a young Jeff Bridges so that the actor could play once again a character he had played nearly 30 years before. There was a little bit of an uncanny valley effect with the generated younger version but for being a breakthrough technology in film, it came off quite well.

If George Lucas got his hands on the same technology I think it would be possible to reshoot the scene with Han Solo and Jabba the Hutt with Harrison Ford and this time take into consideration Jabba's slug mass. I think they could even just use it for wide shots and Han's movements in the scene and possibly merge it with some of the original footage that was acceptable.

Will it ever happen? Probably not, but it would be nice to clean up the one glaring problem I have had with the changes over the years.

TV: The Walking Dead Season 2 Poster (News)

The newest show in AMC's stable of hits, THE WALKING DEAD, is returning for its second season this fall and the promotion for the new season is beginning to ramp up now that it is little more than a month away from air. Here is a promotional poster featuring the show's hero, Rick Grimes, running down the lane with gun drawn.

THE WALKING DEAD creeps onto television sets on October 16 at 9pm/8pm central on AMC.

TV: Returning Favorites to be Excited About (Commentary)

The new fall television season is about to start and here are some returning shows worth tuning in to.

Hawaii Five-0. CBS. Mondays. 10PM. Premiere Sept 19.

Last season saw the Five-0 team get disbanded as McGarrett was arrested for the murder of the governor, Chin Ho returned to Hawaii PD, Kono was being investigated and Danno had reunited with his ex and seemed ready to move back to New Jersey. This season sees a new recurring character make his presence felt around the Five-0, Lt. Commander Joe White, McGarrett's Navy SEAL training officer who comes to Hawaii in the season 2 premiere to help clean up the mess McGarrett has found himself in.

Glee. FOX. Tuesdays. 8PM. Premiere Sept 20.

Last season saw New Directions make it to Nationals in New York only for Finn to spontaneously kiss Rachel in the middle of their performance, a possible reason the glee club does not even place and Sue Sylvester has set her sights on the US Congress.

CSI. CBS. Wednesdays. 10PM. Premiere Sept 21.

Last season saw the CSI team and specifically Ray Langston face off against Nate Haskell, with Ray killing Haskell and the team having to decide if it was murder or self defense. This season sees an addition to the team, DB Russell, the new night-shift supervisor for the Las Vegas crime lab.

Bones. FOX. Thursdays. 9PM. Premiere Nov.

Last season saw the death of one of their own bring together Booth and Bones and a pregnancy will soon make 3.

FILM: The Dark Knight Rises Fashionable Selina Kyle (News)

Perhaps the most talked about decision going into the last part of Christopher Nolan's Batman film trilogy was the casting of actress Anne Hathaway for the new female lead role, Selina Kyle. With the female lead of the first two films Rachel Dawes being a new character created just for the films, played by two different actresses and having died in THE DARK KNIGHT it was big news that Nolan was going to use the signature female character of the Batman mythology, Catwoman to finally play opposite Batman in his movies.

Now the Catwoman character has had a shaky existence in films, with Michelle Pfeiffer's excellent performance in BATMAN RETURNS taking a different (read: Tim Burton) approach to Selina Kyle and there was also the Halle Berry's forgettable try in CATWOMAN where the character was loosely based on the DC Comics character. So it is interesting that with THE DARK KNIGHT RISES in production, Hathaway's role as Selina Kyle has taken the forefront over any mention of her Catwoman alias.

And here we can see from shots earlier this week of Anne Hathaway filming scenes for THE DARK KNIGHT RISES in Los Angeles that Nolan is going with a much more stylish, sophisticated looking Selina Kyle than has been seen before in films. Comic readers are familiar with seeing this side of Selina when it comes to crossing paths with Bruce Wayne, and I am sure the films will use this for them to cross paths outside of the capes and cowls as well. The duality of the relationship between Bruce/Selina and Batman/Catwoman is one of the unique aspects of their relationship and it would be a smart direction for Nolan to follow.

Breathe easy fans, Christopher Nolan is weaving another masterpiece ... like there was any doubt?

SPORTS: NFL 2011 Predictions (Commentary)

It is that time of year again, fall is approaching and the football season is about to begin. That also means that it is time for GeekPlate's annual predictions for the upcoming year of the National Football League.

Last year was the first go-around on the blog and GP predicted the Super Bowl champions, Green Bay Packers, picked 4 AFC playoff teams & 2 NFC playoff teams. Now this year's picks, first up team projections:

AFC East: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS - 13-3
AFC North: BALTIMORE RAVENS - 11-5
AFC South: HOUSTON TEXANS - 12-4
AFC West: SAN DIEGO CHARGERS - 11-5
Wildcards: CLEVELAND BROWNS - 10-6, BUFFALO BILLS - 10-6

Wildcard Round: RAVENS over BILLS, BROWNS over CHARGERS
Divisional Round: PATRIOTS over BROWNS, RAVENS over TEXANS
AFC Championship: PATRIOTS over RAVENS

NFC East: WASHINGTON REDSKINS - 11-5
NFC North: GREEN BAY PACKERS - 14-2
NFC South: NEW ORLEANS SAINTS - 11-5
NFC West: SEATTLE SEAHAWKS - 8-8
Wildcards: CHICAGO BEARS - 11-5, NEW YORK GIANTS - 10-6

Wildcard Round: REDSKINS over GIANTS, BEARS over SEAHAWKS
Divisional Round: PACKERS over BEARS, REDSKINS over SAINTS
NFC Championship: PACKERS over REDSKINS

Super Bowl XLVI: PACKERS over PATRIOTS

Individual Awards:
MVP: Aaron Rodgers (PACKERS)
Offensive Player of the Year: Matt Schaub (TEXANS)
Defensive Player of the Year: Brian Urlacher (BEARS)
Coach of the Year: Mike Shanahan (REDSKINS)

COMIC: Top of the Stack - Rocketeer Adventures #1 (Review)

Written by Mike Allred, Kurt Busiek, John Cassaday
Art by Mike Allred, Michael Kaluta, John Cassaday, Mike Mignola, Dave Stewart & Jim Silke
Cover by Alex Ross

Publisher: IDW Publishing
Price: $3.99

The third week of May once again brought the return of the giant stack with over 20 titles making my reading list. There were several series that grabbed my attention and interestingly enough, all were #1 issues and gave much promise to the future of those titles.

Marvel had the awkwardly titled ALPHA FLIGHT #0.1, which reintroduced the original team, and X-MEN GIANT-SIZE #1, that had the story take Cyclops between the present and the past. Dark Horse brought a new Star Wars title to the mix STAR WARS: JEDI - THE DARK SIDE #1, a tale where Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn is in the forefront. But in the end it was IDW Publishing that came out with the comic book that made it to the top of my stack by featuring a timeless hero in entertaining stories within the pages of ROCKETEER ADVENTURES #1.

This first issue of an all-new Rocketeer anthology mini-series brings together creators Mike Allred, Kurt Busiek and John Cassaday to weave three different short stories featuring Cliff, Betty and the legendary rocket pack. Allred is most likely best known for his own comic creation, Madman, and for his Rocketeer story, "Home Again", Cliff returned to Betty and Peevy to get help with a duplicate helmet and rocket pack along with a story about a mysterious ally he had made that wants to replicate the system and wants Cliff to do something.

Busiek is a well traveled comic writer, an Eisner and Harvey award winner, and for his story, "Dear Betty", he wrote a tale of Cliff's letters to Betty during World War II as he went on his adventures around the world fighting the war as the Rocketeer while she did her part as a medical nurse and the isolation and unknown that goes on in Betty's mind as the letters start to become less frequent and ends with a re-imagining of the famous sailor kissing a lady photo from that time with Cliff and Betty.

Cassaday's story, "The Rocketeer", was Cliff saving Betty from some thugs and a giant rocket she was tied to, and Betty not being entirely pleased with his methods and letting her displeasure be known.

For the art, the cover was drawn by another big name creator, Alex Ross, and his stunning visual art fit the legendary Rocketeer character perfectly. Both Allred and Cassaday drew the stories that they wrote and for Busiek's it was Michael Kaluta providing the art. Each has a different style to bring to the table but all are able to capture the energy and attitude of the characters and the time they live in. Throw in pinups by Mike Mignola with Dave Stewart colors and Jim Silke and this first issue of ROCKETEER ADVENTURES #1 is filled to the brim with gorgeous art to match the fun stories.

Ever since watching the movie 20 years ago that quickly became a favorite of mine the character of the Rocketeer has always had a special place in my heart. So when this anthology series came to be I knew it would be a must read and it surpassed even my expectations of how much I would enjoy it. With each story giving a unique aspect to the world the Rocketeer characters live in and how having that helmet and rocket pack around affects their lives, I cannot wait to read the following issues and seeing what else the creators do with these characters I love so much.

FILM: Up Close Look at Superman in Man of Steel (News)

Ever since Warner Bros. released that official photo of Henry Cavill in the Superman suit for MAN OF STEEL last month, unofficial photos of the still in production film have been popping up online trying to get better looks at the new design of the suit.

And now HollywoodGrind has a new photo of Henry Cavill as Superman with a great look at the details of the suit making it easy to see how it is different from the other film incarnations.