DC Announces More Before Watchmen

With Before Watchmen climbing up the comic book sales charts, it's no surprise that DC Comics has unveiled plans for yet another Before Watchmen mini-series -- this time focusing on that creepy old baddie, Moloch. The announcement was made at DC's All Access panel at Fan Expo Toronto.

Before Watchmen: Moloch will only run two issues, written by Nite Owl and Dr. Manhattan scribe J. Michael Straczynski, with art by 100 Bullets' Eduardo Risso. Moloch #1 will hit on November 7 with issue #2 to follow on December 26. It's unknown if the series will include pieces of the Crimson Corsair back-up stories that have been running throughout the Before Watchmen titles.

Moloch has made appearances in other Before Watchmen books thus far, including Comedian and Ozymandias. Could there be more Before Watchmen on the way?

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.

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X-Men #34 Review

Brian Wood’s first X-Men story arc was a fantastic surprise that exceeded expectations. I’m pleased to report that his next arc, Subterraneans, looks to be a worthy follow up. Events pick up right where they left off: the team is on the trail of the missing genetic material, Storm leads the team with firm authority, and Colossus is as insubordinate as ever.

Yes, I’m still nitpicking Colossus’s uncharacteristic behavior. It just doesn’t fit. I may have spent far too many years hearing him talk like a big lug with a Russian accent and so now hearing him articulate with such a nice vocabulary has me thrown off, but ultimately it’s what he’s saying that doesn’t fit, not just how he’s saying it. As far as the story goes, Psylocke and Domino’s induction into the cult has an excellent amount of mystery, tension, and humor. Only, wouldn’t the other cultists notice a the sudden appearance of a woman with chalk-white skin and a giant black spot around her eye? I get that she’s lucky, but come on.

Roland Boschi makes a fine replacement for David Lopez on art duties. His linework is not as clean as Lopez’s, causing some of his character’s faces to vary from panel to panel, but overall his style still fits the serious tone of Wood’s story. He has some great layouts where the art does not necessarily stop at the borders of each panel, allowing him to make the art flow right along with the pace of the narrative. If you’re tired of Avengers vs. X-Men disrupting your X-stories with crossovers, then Wood’s X-Men is the book for you.

Joshua is a writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter or IGN, where he is hell-bent on making sure you know his opinion about comic books.

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F1 Race Stars: a Threat to Mario Kart's Crown?

When Codemasters unveiled a cutesy take on the F1 license in July, it took many by surprise. A super-deformed Jenson Button? A chibi Lewis Hamilton? Madness, surely! Not an unreasonable thought, and one that Chris Gray, Race Star’s Senior Producer, had himself. “When we went to the Formula 1 management team with this idea we genuinely were expecting to get ejected from the building.”

Look a little closer at Codemasters’ portfolio though, especially since shifting gears to being an exclusively racing-focused developer, and F1 Race Stars makes a lot of sense. With DiRT, it has an over-the-top rally series, one taken into almost super-powered territory with the recent Showdown; in Grid, it has a realistic street racer; and the prime F1 series is an authentic recreation of the sport on every level. A fun-for-all kart racer was the missing element, and luckily Gray’s pitch wasn’t laughed out of the building. Having spent some time with the game, it’s actually a little bit brilliant.

“It’s that classic board-game thing of ‘ages six to sixty’,” says Gray. “I definitely think that compared to our F1 games, which are a little intimidating to younger players and families to play together, we’re offering something that’s a little more accessible. But I think it’s as much of a post-pub game as many of these party games are. There’s skill there - depth to be found in the game - but it doesn’t exclude people who aren’t that good at this sort of game.”

“

When we went to the Formula 1 management team with this idea we genuinely were expecting to get ejected from the building.

The elephant in the room – a certain plumber’s automotive adventures – isn’t missed by the developers either: “Most karting games, I think it would be fair to say, are an imitation of Mario Kart [but] we think it plays pretty different,” says Gray. He’s not lying. While Race Stars plays similarly to many karting games – dashing through cartoonish levels collecting power-ups and finding hidden shortcuts dotted around – it has several tweaks that help evoke the spirit of Formula One. For example, take too much damage from collisions or rivals’ power-ups and you’ll need to nip through a pit stop to get back to full speed. Another difference to most karting games will be no power-sliding through corners. “It wouldn’t suit the sport; it’s not just a matter of doing something different to be different,” explained Gray. “F1 cars don’t powerslide. If we made our F1 Race Stars cars do that it would look silly. It wouldn’t be right. It’s still very much a matter of braking into corners and boosting down the straights.”

As well as getting the drivers involved in designing their avatars in-game (Schumacher asked for more of a tan, while Hamilton wanted smaller ears, incidentally), the various F1 teams factor into Race Stars, and whichever one you choose has an impact on how the game plays. “Obviously people are going to have their favourite team and favourite driver, but we wanted the selection to have a gameplay effect, some meaningful relevance,” says Gray. “Ferrari is the only team that can fire homing projectiles backwards. One of the other teams has the ability to drop three mines rather than one. [Another] has the ability to reroll power-ups – every team has a little twist, which makes for some different experiences going down the track.”

“

F1 cars don’t powerslide. If we made our F1 Race Stars cars do that it would look silly.

Yet Race Stars still has a lot of humour about it. Tracks represent host nations in loving shades of stereotypes and wild exaggeration, with miko maids bustling around Tokyo while a Godzilla-esque balloon floats over the city, and Germany – the track we played – throws high-speed autobahns and quaint Bavarian villages at you. Those all-important power-ups range from the vaguely realistic – summoning wet weather conditions, forcing opponents to slow down while granting you appropriate tires, to the totally outlandish – a teleport that bumps you several positions forward. It’s hard to imagine that passing FIA approval in the real sport....

Beyond conventional racing for first place, game modes include Slalom, where drivers must pass through marked gates in order; Elimination, when the last place driver is knocked out every few seconds, and its opposite, Pole Position, awarding points for staying in the lead; and Total Racing mode, where points are awarded for meeting certain criteria. Sector Snatch reflects the use of checktimes mid-lap in the real sport by having players win sections of a circuit. Add in mirrored tracks and assorted tweaks and customisations, and there’s plenty to keep casual and hardcore players interested. Race Stars also places a huge emphasis on multiplayer, with four-player local split screen and up to 12 players online, all running at a full 60 fps.

Race Stars may still seem an odd proposition but it works, proving an access point to the greater sport and being tremendous fun to boot – and potentially the first real threat to Mario Kart’s dominance.

Matt Kamen is a freelance games journalist. When the revolution comes, he's putting anyone who didn't buy a Dreamcast up against the wall first. You can follow him on IGNand Twitter.

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Making a He-Man Movie Work

Given how massively successful Michael Bay's Transformers movies have been, it's no surprise that various studios are pursuing big-budget, live-action revivals of classic 1980s toy lines. G.I. Joe is another recent success, though its sequel has perplexingly been delayed until next year. Despite this delay, it's clear that Sony sees something in G.I. Joe: Retaliation director Jon Chu. Earlier this week we learned that Chu has been tapped to direct Sony's live-action He-Man film.

Can He-Man find the same big screen success the Autobots and Joes have? As popular as the Masters of the Universe franchise was in the '80s, the previous live-action movie didn't do He-Man any favors. Is it possible to do right by the character in live action? We say yes, and we have a few suggestions for how Chu can dust off the most powerful man in the universe for a new generation.

Blend Fantasy and Science Fiction

You want to know what the problem was with the first He-Man movie? Well, it's hard to narrow it down to just one, but one of its more significant missteps was that it tried so very hard to be Star Wars. Suddenly He-Man, Teela, and Man-at-Arms were freedom-fighting rebels seeking to free Eternia from the clutches of a scary dude in a black cape. All that kooky technology and architecture from the animated series and comics degenerated into generic sci-fi scenery. He-Man fought most of his battles with a blaster, not his sword or rippling biceps.

Yes, the He-Man franchise is more than a little inspired by the likes of Star Wars, Conan the Barbarian, and Jack Kirby's Fourth World comics, but that blend of influences results in something more unique and memorable than what unfolded on screen in 1987. Eternia is a strange place that mixes science fiction and fantasy in equal measure. Its residents wield advanced gadgets and soar through the clouds on hovercraft, yet they also dress like they're attending the local Renaissance fair. Most of them wear fur underwear outside their tights, as if they were prehistoric superheroes. The planet is crawling with dragons, monsters, and ancient demons. In short, there's no reason for a He-Man movie to feel so familiar and redundant.

This time around, we want the movie to celebrate the unique visual trappings and style of the source material. It shouldn't fall too far on either side of the sci-fi/fantasy spectrum. Nor should the movie attempt to be a gritty, realistic take on the mythos. There's plenty of room for violence and darkness in Eternia, but Eternia is also a bombastic place full of colorful characters. There's nothing realistic or plausible about any of it. The film shouldn't descend into Flash Gordon levels of camp, but nor should it pretend to be something it isn't.

The Most Powerful Man in the Universe

1987's Masters of the Universe featured Dolph Lundgren as He-Man. Physically, he fit the part well enough. But Lundgren was poorly suited to play the dual role of the burly He-Man and the bumbling Prince Adam. Perhaps it was for the best that the movie didn't even attempt to work that dynamic into the mix.

This time around, we want to see the filmmakers cast an actor who can convincingly play both Adam and He-Man. Digital effects have progressed to the point where it wouldn't be any great challenge to enhance the actor's physique for the He-Man scenes, a la Xerxes in 300. Perhaps even the reverse approach for the Adam scenes, a la Captain America. This time around, charisma and screen presence are more important than muscle mass. As with Superman's Clark Kent persona, Prince Adam is a way for viewers to identify with He-Man and provide him with more personal ties.

That said, it is possible to ditch Adam entirely depending what direction Chu and Sony want to take the film. Before the first animated series defined the He-Man mythos, the early mini-comics packed in with the figures presented He-Man as the leader of a barbarian tribe who possessed one half of the mythical Sword of Power (Skeletor being the owner of the other). Here is where the Conan inspiration was most apparent. That's another possible angle to pursue, but the result would probably be less mass market-friendly than Sony is aiming for.

We also want to see He-Man live up to his reputation as “the most powerful man in the universe” for once. The original animated series was pretty limited in what it could depict as far as violent action, but at least He-Man was prone to juggling boulders and smashing robots with his bare hands. The film, on the other hand, barely conveyed the sense that He-Man was any stronger and more powerful than your average action hero. When he finally held aloft his magic sword, there was no awesome transformation sequence, just a brief fight with Skeletor. The new movie needs to present He-Man as a Hulk or Superman-level hero and deliver action sequences that take advantage of his abilities. At the end of the day, He-Man is really just a superhero in an unusual setting, and the recent slate of superhero movies should serve as direct inspiration.

A real human being and a real hero? Works for us.

And who should play Adam/He-Man? We've felt for a while now that Ryan Gosling is overdue for some sort of major superhero role. No doubt the thought of Gosling decked out in fur underwear will help bring in a heavier female crowd than the average superhero film. But given that Chu is directing, we suspect that G.I. Joe star Channing Tatum may emerge as a front-runner. A He-Man movie with a slightly more comedic tone would probably suit him well given his recent successes in 21 Jump Street and Magic Mike.

Stick to Eternia

While the previous He-Man movie felt too similar to Star Wars in many respects, it also took an unnecessary cue from Star Trek IV. Just as that movie sent the Enterprise crew hurtling back to 20th Century San Francisco, Masters of the Universe plucked He-Man and friends away from Eternia and dropped them onto Earth for a significant chunk of the film. It's one thing to resort to that sort of plot twist in your third sequel, but for a would-be franchise that was just getting its start, ignoring the Eternia setting was unforgivable.

The only reason to showcase Earth at all is to explore Queen Marlena's past as an Earthling astronaut and her unexpected crash-landing on Eternia. The previous film was intended to acknowledge this plot point. Early script drafts even featured the reveal of a NASA space probe and American flag in the bowels of Castle Grayskull, suggesting that Eternians actually hailed from Earth originally. All of this adds an interesting wrinkle to He-Man's origins, but it may be superfluous for a debut film. As mentioned already, Eternia is an interesting, diverse planet. There are more than enough locales to keep the plot humming along without having to venture off-world.

Caste Grayskull certainly needs to be a focal point of the film. In pretty much any incarnation of the franchise, Castle Grayskull is a source of many secrets and powers, and He-Man is the hero called upon to defend those secrets from villains like Skeletor. What exact power Grayskull contains and how its origins and its guardian, the Sorceress, tie into He-Man's story tends to vary. But regardless, it's a crucial piece of the mythology.

Grayskull did appear in the last movie, though it wasn't quite the wondrous spectacle it might have been. What we didn't see were the actual kingdom of Eternia, its royal family, or Skeletor's domain in Snake Mountain. This movie needs to do a better job of establishing the scope and feel of He-Man's world and the people he's trying to defend. Meanwhile, Snake Mountain can serve as a dark counterpoint to Grayskull and the tranquility of Randor's kingdom.

No doubt the omission of all these familiar locations and elements in the 1987 film was heavily motivated by a lack of budget. He-Man is too colorful and bombastic a franchise to tackle in half-measures. This time around, Sony needs to put enough financial support behind the project for it to truly thrive.

A Larger Cast

If you've ever tried to be a serious collector of Master of the Universe action figures, you know that the franchise is home to dozens and dozens of characters aside from just He-Man and Skeletor. Sadly, only a small handful of these supporting players made it into the previous film. He-Man was joined by Man-at-Arms and Teela, but not even Orko or Battle Cat were deemed worthy enough to buddy up with Dolph. Instead, these faithful sidekicks were replaced by Gwildor. Wait, who?

Exactly.

As far as we're concerned, there's no reason this time for He-Man not to ride into battle atop a ferocious, green tiger and accompanied by a spell-casting, floating dwarf. The trick is in capturing the cooler qualities of these sidekicks and ditching some of the 1980's-era goofiness associated with them. For instance, we don't particularly need Battle Cat to talk, and we can certainly do without his bumbling alter ego, Cringer. The 2002 animated series set the right example by rendering Cringer mute and toning down his cowardly side. Similarly, we want to see less slapstick from Orko and more magical prowess.

Ideally, Teela and her father will have more central roles this time. If the He-Man/Adam dynamic is akin to Superman/Clark Kent, then Teela is the Lois Lane. Her simultaneous disgust at Adam's foppish behavior and attraction to the brawny, heroic He-Man could lend a nice touch of romantic tension to the plot.

We also hope to see He-Man's parents. King Randor and Queen Marlena. Again, Eternia was far too generic and lifeless a setting last time around. We need to see more of its residents and more of He-Man's civilian life as Prince Adam. Whether the movie brings in the more colorful He-Man allies – Ram-Man, Fisto, Zodac, etc. - is up to the filmmakers, but whatever the case, we hope to see the vast supporting cast put to better use.

Fearsome Villains

Perhaps the only thing the 1987 movie did right was casting Frank Langella as Skeletor. In both the original animated series and The New Adventures of He-Man, Skeletor was little more than a bumbling antagonist. He'd hatch a plan, and He-Man would foil it, call him “Bone-brain” or something similarly cheesy, and send him packing until the following Saturday. For a guy with dark magic powers and a skull for a face, Skeletor was about as far from scary as possible.

Conversely, Langella's Skeletor was actually fairly creepy and menacing. He had something of an Emperor Palpatine quality to him, which is one case where the Star Wars similarities paid off. Those are qualities we need to see from the villain in this new movie. We're tempted to say that Langella should reprise his role, if only so he can fulfill the promise he made in the post-credits scene, but that's probably not going to happen. Still, we want a version of Skeletor that inspires fear and dread, not laughter. We want a villain who offers a convincing threat to a guy who can shatter mountains with his fists. No matter how silly or serious the general tone of the movie, Skeletor himself should be dark and imposing.

Looking to the 2002 animated series for inspiration again, it may help the movie to build the ties between Skeletor and King Randor. Right off the bat, that series provided a full origin for Skeletor. He was revealed to be Keldor – a skilled fighter, sorcerer, and revolutionary who was driven insane after his face was scorched by acid. The original animated series also suggested that Keldor was Randor's brother. That plot twist could pave the way for a Hamlet-style showdown between family members. It also lends a more personal touch to the conflict beyond Skeletor's typical desire for power.

Any attempt to explore Skeletor's origin should also lay the groundwork for his onetime mentor and master – Hordak. Hordak's presence is best saved for a sequel, but there's no reason the first movie can't get the ball rolling. Another good choice for future villains is King Hiss and the Snake Men. This group of villains were recurring foes throughout the final season of the 2002 animated series. That series never had the chance to properly wrap up that conflict, so seeing a live-action He-Man film tackle the Snake Men would be a nice consolation prize.

To reiterate our main point, the He-Man franchise is an inherently goofy one. We think it's possible for He-Man to find the same sort of success in Hollywood that other '80s mainstays like Transformers and G.I. Joe have. But success isn't going to come by taking an overly dark and serious approach to the source material and ignoring the fun elements. He-Man offers a challenging blend of fantasy, science fiction, and adventure that's waiting for the proper director to do right by the franchise. We can only hope Jon Chu is that director.

Jesse is a writer for IGN Comics and various other IGN channels and a lifelong fan of He-Man. Follow Jesse on Twitter, or find him on IGN.

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